Every Afghan airstrike kills the same number of “insurgents”
December 11th, 2009
Anyone who paid close attention to the Iraq war knows that it was not just the Bush administration that routinely lied about the war. For virtually all claims made by the US military on contentious matters later turned out to be false.
In either case, fraud or gross error, we should draw the same implications. If the military is presenting false information regarding how many were killed, there is no reason we should believe other aspects of their report, such as who was killed. Were they “insurgents?” Civilians? Goats? We have no idea until and unless there is independent verification.
Thanks to the Pentagon, this time under President Obama, we are again reminded that Truth is the first casualty of war. What I find saddest is that the media even find government claims of this type, given the extensive track record of lies and obfuscations. Surely any media doing its job would routinely remind its readers that government spokespersons exist to spin and dissemble, not to inform.
Entry Filed under: Afghanistan, Bush administration, Iraq, Mainstream media, Media, Obama administration, War and Peace