It’s so much more than money, but it’s money, too.
February 5th, 2008 by Matt
3,927 American soldiers have died serving us during Operation Iraqi Freedom (also known as the illegal occupation of Iraq). 477 American soldiers have died serving us during Operation Enduring Freedom (also know as the War in Afghanistan). This is a greater loss than anything that can be calculated in dollars and cents. This is a loss that devastates entire towns, devastates small families in the most urban and most rural patches of America, devastates husbands, wives, children met and those, even more tragically, never met.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the current national debt is $9,210,856,011,325.78. So you don’t have to count the digits between commas, let me just tell you that that’s 9 trillion freaking dollars.
Why mention this last statistic? Check this mother out from the Congressional Research Service and Office of Management and Budget Data: In 2007 dollars, the illegal occupation of Iraq and the War in Afghanistan have cost American taxpayers $695.7 billion. How does that compare to other wars fought by this here United States of America? Well, I wouldn’t ask this question without answering it myself, my friends:
| World War II | $3.2 trillion |
| Iraq and Afghanistan To Date | $695.7 billion |
| Vietnam War | $670 billion |
| World War I | $364 billion |
| Korean War | $295 billion |
| Persian Gulf War | $94 billion |
| Civil War (both Union and Confederate costs) | $81 billion |
| Spanish-American War | $7 billion |
| American Revolution | $4 billion |
| Mexican War | $2 billion |
| War of 1812 | $1 billion |
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To be perfectly honest, I’ve lost sight of the answer, but I’ll offer this one up: if we come to the United Nations with humility instead of hubris, maybe we can get a peacekeeping force in Iraq. Maybe. Maybe, maybe, if we come to the United Nations with diplomacy instead of despicability, we can get a hand in Afghanistan against the Taliban, since they still hold so much power and influence:
Attacks by the Taliban in Afghanistan surged last year, according to previously unpublished figures from allied military forces fighting insurgents.
Statistics compiled by the multinational International Stabilisation Force in Afghanistan show attacks on international troops and the Afghan government have gone up by between a fifth and a third.
Maybe we can do something. Call your Senators (just click here). Call your Representatives (just click here to get your full 9-digit zip code, then just click here). Demand that we go to the U.N. and ask for the help we require. It makes a difference. It does.
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