Some responses to alert Re: Guardian and Lancet/IBC

Posted by gabriele on July 20, 2007 http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1184921394.html
logged in as: gabriele

RE: ACTION ALERT: e-mail The Guardian's Readers Editor Siobhain Butterworth
http://www.thecatsdream.com/blog/2007/07/action-alert-e-mail-guardians-readers.htm
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The Guardian
Readers Editor
Siobhain Butterworth
Dear Siobhain Butterworth,
Please write a formal apology, in your largest bold typeset, for the
ludicrous number quoted by James Sturcke, July 13, 2007, relating to
civilian deaths in Iraq. Sturcke's article, US House Calls for Iraq
Pullout By Spring, referred to Iraq Body Count's estimate of 70,000
Iraqi civilian deaths over the course of this US/UK war.
For your correction, try extrapolating from Les Robert's highly regarded
research published in the British medical journal, the Lancet, which put
the carnage total at over 650,000 by the fall of 2006.
Iraq Body Count has been promoting misleading, some would say Karl
Rovian, estimates since the beginning of Shock and Awe. IBC's numbers
described a risk to civilians living with bombing, explosions, and
massacres in Iraq that was strikingly similar to that of residents
feeling rather comfortable and oblivious in Washington, DC.
Then, after 2006, IBC totals were plumped up somewhat higher though
they continue to be preposterous.
Their 70,000 Iraqi civilian deaths over 52 months of war, from an Iraqi
population starting at 25 million, is a rate of 65 killed/100,000
population /yr.
In 2003, George Bush's hometown war zone, Washington DC, had a homicide
rate that was 44/100,000/yr.
And just before Bush began his cakewalk in Iraq, many revelers were
enjoying Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The homicide rate in that Homeland war zone was 58/100,000/yr.
When information seems simply ridiculous, it very probably is!
By quoting Iraq Body Count or other incredible sources and by minimizing
a colossal atrocity, the Guardian loses the trust of its readers. Most
of them are too intelligent and aware to fall for major media
whitewash. And they will look for truth seeking journalism elsewhere.
For those readers who aren't, they may still need to wrap their brains
around these staggering numbers:
More than 1.5 million Iraqi innocents killed already, including this
assault with previous sanctions - UN estimate.
More than 2 trillion US dollars committed to this carnage already, and
counting - Noble Prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, estimate..
Also, please note well for everyone: IBC or FBI city crime stats do not
include deaths from starvation, dysentery, untreated medical conditions,
or disability after infrastructure is decimated, or deliberately
neglected, by war presidents.
I await your response,
Respectfully,
April Hurley, MD

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RE: US House calls for Iraq pullout by spring; James Sturcke July 13, 2007

In this article James Sturcke wrote

"There have also been around 70,000 Iraqi civilian deaths as a result of the military action by the US and its allies, according to the Iraq Body Count website."

There have now been two scientific peer review studies published in the Lancet medical journal - the latest estimates 650,000 Iraqi deaths since the US invasion.

How do you justify ignoring the Lancet studies?

Please note that it took less than 25 words for me to mention them above. I hope you don't suggest lack of space was the reason.

Joe Emersberger

**************
Dear Siobhain Butterworth,
Re: US House calls for Iraq pullout by spring, by James Sturcke and agencies Friday July 13, 2007
In the above mentioned article James Sturcke writes:
"There have also been around 70,000 Iraqi civilian deaths as a result of the military action by the US and its allies, according to the Iraq Body Count website."

The Iraq Body Count figures do not reflect the reality.

It is estimated that between 1991 and 2003 (First War of aggression+ blockade) nearly two million Iraqi civilians have died and that over one million Iraqi civilians have died since the March 2003 illegal war of aggression on Iraq.

It is clear that while Iraq is occupied the number of Iraqi deaths will continue to rise. Besides, even when the Anglo-Saxon troops will leave Iraq the Iraqi people will continue to die of DEPLETED URANIUM poisoning for many centuries. Iraqi soil, water and air have been contaminated by the greatest war criminals in human history: the U.S, UK and Australian leaders.

Please stop misinforming your readers and use more reliable sources such as the Lancet when reporting the deaths of Iraqi civilians killed by the Anglo-Saxon aggressors.
Yours truly,
Merry Fitzgerald
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Follow-up - 30th July 2007

The Guardian’s Readers’ Editor’s Problem? She’s still her boss’ lawyer
By Gabriele Zamparini

After receiving “more than 30 emails”, Siobhain Butterworth, the Guardian’s Readers’ Editor, has finally replied on the topic I had issued two alerts in the past weeks, or, as she called the work of citizens-activists in a democracy, “an organised lobbying campaign”.[continued] http://www.thecatsdream.com/blog/2007/07/guardians-readers-editors-problem-shes.htm