700 US Soldiers dead, 2,500 Iraqi Policemen dead, 12,000 Iraqi civilians dead - all in the past 12 months

Most of the time all that differs between BBC World and CNN is the grammar.

Today BBC world has been flashing numbers under interviews about Iraq for the past hour or so.

They put it in this sequence

IRAQ DEATH TOLL IN THE PAST YEAR

12,000 IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED

2,5000 IRAQI POLICE KILLED

700 AMERICAN SOLIDIERS KILLED

And the numbers are rising.

Taking out Hussain unleashed sectarian violence.

Taking out the local al-Qaeda leader has had little or no impact.

I remember the grief of 2001. The disbelief. The incredulity at the sheer numbers of dead.

Even so, I went to remind myself September_11,_2001_attacks

2,986 people died that day as a result of a terrorist attack

That's less than number of US soldiers and Iragi policemen who were killed this year.

Hurrican Katrina killed 1,836. That's less than the number of Iraqi police who died this year.

In Afghnistan, as of June 30, 2006, there have been 396 coalition deaths during Operation Enduring Freedom — 308 American, 18 German, 17 Spanish, 16 Canadian, 12
British, 7 French, 6 Italians, 4 Romanians, 3 Danish, 2 Swedish, 1 Australian, 1 Norwegian, and 1 Portuguese.

I'm not trying to play a this-is-worse-than-that game based on numbers.

I'm only trying to set a scale for the death.

So...

It's Independence Day today.

If I was a praying man, I'd pray that someone will guide America through the dreadful, heart-aching path they must walk in Iraq and
Afghanistan and find a way to make the death toll smaller for everyone next year.

As an athiest, all I can do is make a noise about the numbers and not let any of us get so used to the conflict that we think any of this is normal.