Tuesday, July 19, 2005
TOTAL COUNTS
Time for another study. The BBC reports:
So we have a number in mind as killed by the coalition: 37% of 25,000 is presumably 9,250.
Insurgency violence -- especially following the transfer of sovereignty -- within their methodology is presumably not considered criminal. Noteworthy that.
Bear in mind that's over a roughly two and a half year period.
Let's call it 28 months -- March 2003 through June 2005. That means an average of 892 deaths a month -- in a war situation.
So, how about this in comparison?:
According to the South African Gun Control Alliance, 174,954 people were murdered in total in South Africa from January 1, 1994 through December 31, 2000. Murder in the years since may be down somewhat, but the figures overall have been and likely remain inconsistent and untrustworthy. For example, South Africa's Christian Action stated in 2003:
So presuming that conservatively some 100,000 have probably been killed since January 2001, the total since 1994 is probably no less than 270,000.
Also, in one year alone:
The period from January 1994 through December 2004 was 132 months. Working from 270,000 murders over that time, that means roughly 2,045 people "died violently" per month during that period -- and likely some 1,000 to 2,000 or more continue to each month. That is nearly 70 murders, on average, every day. In what is supposedly South Africa's "peacetime" environment, daily murder totals are around double what that Iraq study claims to be Iraq's daily current loss.
In contrast, in the last year of pre-Soweto protests', relative "calm":
Overall:
That adds up to a total of rather more than 300,000 murders over the previous 44 years under apartheid, versus roughly 300,000 in just the last 11 years of democracy. Thus, what is inescapable is how, of course, "the ever-mounting" South African "death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to" bring about the end of apartheid. . . ¶ by Robert, 7/19/2005 06:12:00 PM
Time for another study. The BBC reports:
Nearly 25,000 civilians have died violently in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003, a report says.
The dossier, based on media reports, says US-led forces were responsible for more than a third of the deaths.
The survey was carried out by the UK-based Iraq Body Count and Oxford Research Group - which includes academics and peace activists. . .
. . . The Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003-2005 says 37% of all non-combatant deaths were caused by the US-led coalition.
Most of these occurred during the invasion phase, which it counts as ending on 1 May 2003. . .
The dossier, based on media reports, says US-led forces were responsible for more than a third of the deaths.
The survey was carried out by the UK-based Iraq Body Count and Oxford Research Group - which includes academics and peace activists. . .
. . . The Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003-2005 says 37% of all non-combatant deaths were caused by the US-led coalition.
Most of these occurred during the invasion phase, which it counts as ending on 1 May 2003. . .
So we have a number in mind as killed by the coalition: 37% of 25,000 is presumably 9,250.
. . . Insurgents are said to have caused 9% of the deaths, while post-invasion criminal violence was responsible for another 36%. . .
Insurgency violence -- especially following the transfer of sovereignty -- within their methodology is presumably not considered criminal. Noteworthy that.
. . . "On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003," said John Sloboda, one of the authors of the report.
"The ever-mounting Iraqi death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to go to war in Iraq," he added. . .
"The ever-mounting Iraqi death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to go to war in Iraq," he added. . .
Bear in mind that's over a roughly two and a half year period.
Let's call it 28 months -- March 2003 through June 2005. That means an average of 892 deaths a month -- in a war situation.
So, how about this in comparison?:
According to the South African Gun Control Alliance, 174,954 people were murdered in total in South Africa from January 1, 1994 through December 31, 2000. Murder in the years since may be down somewhat, but the figures overall have been and likely remain inconsistent and untrustworthy. For example, South Africa's Christian Action stated in 2003:
. . . While police crime statistics show that there were 21 683 murders in the year 2000, the Medical Research Council puts the figure at 32 482. The Department of Home Affairs quotes 30 068. This is a third more murders than reported by the SAPS, a discrepancy of more than 10 000 murders.
So, while the Democratic Alliance leaflet "Fight Crime" puts the average daily murder rate in South Africa at 55, the Medical Research Council's statistics claim that 89 murders are committed, on average, every day in South Africa.
Interpol claims even higher numbers of murders in South Africa. While the SAPS claims that there were 26 883 murders in 1995, Interpol claims that there were 54 298 "murders known to the police" in 1995/96. . .
So, while the Democratic Alliance leaflet "Fight Crime" puts the average daily murder rate in South Africa at 55, the Medical Research Council's statistics claim that 89 murders are committed, on average, every day in South Africa.
Interpol claims even higher numbers of murders in South Africa. While the SAPS claims that there were 26 883 murders in 1995, Interpol claims that there were 54 298 "murders known to the police" in 1995/96. . .
So presuming that conservatively some 100,000 have probably been killed since January 2001, the total since 1994 is probably no less than 270,000.
Also, in one year alone:
375 children under the age of 12 and 324 minors between 12 and 17 years of age were killed by guns in 2000 – an average 2 youngsters a day.
The period from January 1994 through December 2004 was 132 months. Working from 270,000 murders over that time, that means roughly 2,045 people "died violently" per month during that period -- and likely some 1,000 to 2,000 or more continue to each month. That is nearly 70 murders, on average, every day. In what is supposedly South Africa's "peacetime" environment, daily murder totals are around double what that Iraq study claims to be Iraq's daily current loss.
In contrast, in the last year of pre-Soweto protests', relative "calm":
. . . For the reporting year 1975-76 there were 6,000 murders in South Africa. . .
Overall:
. . . according to the official statistics, in the 44 years from 1950 to 1993, there was an average of 7036 murders per year. This covered the turbulent strife of the apartheid years of warfare, conflict, terrorism, riots and repression. . .
That adds up to a total of rather more than 300,000 murders over the previous 44 years under apartheid, versus roughly 300,000 in just the last 11 years of democracy. Thus, what is inescapable is how, of course, "the ever-mounting" South African "death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to" bring about the end of apartheid. . . ¶ by Robert, 7/19/2005 06:12:00 PM
