Mark Phillips: The American Question

1/17/04: 500 and counting.

The number of Americans killed in Iraq since the invasion began in March passed 500 today.

This statistic is the site of a conflict of narratives. The U.S. government tries to downplay the number, manipulatively categorizing combat-related deaths as accidents. Here's a scenario. A convoy is ambushed. The lead driver accelerates, loses control, and crashes into a canal; two soldiers drown. This incident is categorized as a traffic accident so that reported deaths in combat can be minimized. (The official figure as of today is 346 deaths in combat, 154 deaths from non-hostile causes.)

There is no official accounting of Iraqis killed, either soldiers or civilians. Silence can also be a narrative.

How many more must die before our government's failed policy is abandoned?

Support our troops! Bring them home now!

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