Bors Blog
Archive for February, 2007
Two Polls
A new poll reveals how incredibly ignorant and callous many Americans are.
Americans unaware of Iraqi death tollAmericans are keenly aware of how many U.S. forces have lost their lives in Iraq, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. But they woefully underestimate the number of Iraqi civilians who have been killed.
When the poll was conducted earlier this month, a little more than 3,100 U.S. troops had been killed. The midpoint estimate among those polled was right on target, at about 3,000.
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Among those polled for the AP survey, however, the median estimate of Iraqi deaths was 9,890. The median is the point at which half the estimates were higher and half lower.
The real number is, of course, much higher. There’s no official number, but one study put at 650,000. I don’t think an honest observer could put it below 100,000–The U.N. reported 34,000 deaths for 2006 alone. And just think, for every respondent who gave a figure in the hundreds of thousands it would take dozens of people answering absurdly low figures to average down to 9,000.
Add in the amount of people who were injured and the 40,000 Iraqis that are now leaving the country every month and you can start to understand the scale of devastation. Even another factor is the size of the population in proportion to ours. They have (had) 25 million people upon our invasion to our 300 million. Increase the death toll by a factor of 12 to get an idea of what a similar situation in America would be.
Another poll reveals our Anti-Troop Troops:
An overwhelming majority of 72% of American troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and more than one in four say the troops should leave immediately, a new Le Moyne College/Zogby International survey shows.
One thing: The poll was taken one year ago this month, meaning three quarters of the troops would already like to see us out of Iraq. Looks like the vast majority of the military is even ahead of the Democrats.
Conservapedia!
I had no idea this existed until I read about it in August’s latest comic. Check out Conservapedia, the user editable right-wing encyclopedia that includes such highly researched knowledge nuggets as:
Evolutionists have no real evidence that macroevolution occurs and there is no consensus on how it allegedly occurs…
and
Evolution Violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics
And there is about six encyclopedias worth of problems on their moon entry:
Our solar system is one of the few that has only one sun. Only one sun and only one moon: this uniqueness may reflect the existence of only one God.
The Nun
Speaking of Religion, I just finished watching one of the best films of the last half century: The Nun, which was snubbed by the Academy in 2004:
While at boarding school, a group of girls suffered under the torment of a cruel and sadistic nun until the day they could no longer bear the abuseĀ? and the nun was mysteriously never seen again. Years later, brutal and unexplained murders begin killing the members one by one. Feeling the familiar and evil presence of the nun from years ago, the surviving women regroup in an attempt to save their lives and lay the nun to rest one final time.
Tagline: Not all water is Holy
The Nun was drowned by the children whom she tortured and now (18 years later) manifests herself through water to kill her victims in the manner of Patron Saints. Although she didn’t come close to the terror of the Gingerdead Man, I’m putting the Nun up there with top female villains Nurse Ratched and Anne Wilkes.
The King Of The World
From Time:
Brace yourself. James Cameron, the man who brought you ‘The Titanic’ is back with another blockbuster. This time, the ship he’s sinking is Christianity.In a new documentary, Producer Cameron and his director, Simcha Jacobovici, make the starting claim that Jesus wasn’t resurrected –the cornerstone of Christian faith– and that his burial cave was discovered near Jerusalem. And, get this, Jesus sired a son with Mary Magdelene.
I’m pretty sure they meant to write “startling claim” so I’m gonna go with that.
Startling claim? Not to most people on Earth. That someone was the Son of God (and simultaneously God himself), born of a Virgin, bodily resurrected and physically ascended up into the sky is the only claim that startles a rational mind. Seriously, people of all faiths have the tendency of treating their religious claims as the default position of reality and that the burden of proof is on everyone else to disprove it. I’m sorry, but it’s just not so.
Making a claim that contradicts everything we know so far (flying around on magic carpets, walking on water, invisble “auras”) requires proof. I support anything that opens discusion, but do we really need James Cameron and Dan Brown hauling out coffins and making elaborate conpiracies to come around to something that is clear if you only take a step back and give an honest critical look at Biblical claims? Don’t answer that.
New Toon: Non-Binding Parenting
If I drew the kid as George Bush and the parents as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid then I would have had to label the cat “Iraq.”
and that would be lame.
I will use the rest of this time trying to sell you things.
Don’t forget that if you like a cartoon you can order a nice signed color print of it here. And if you really like a comic you can buy the original artwork from me. Just send me an e-mail
for availability.
I also do commissions for a reasonable price. Anything from George Bush to your cat to George Bush having relations with your cat can be drawn.
and the Pulitzer goes to…
I think I got them all:
- Dick Lochner on Hillary’s baggage.
- Larry Wright on Hillary’s baggage.
- David G. Brown on Hillary’s baggage.
- John Trever on Hillary’s baggage.
- Paul Combs on Hillary’s baggage and also on Hillary’s baggage.
New Shirt Design
I’ve been wanting to make this design for a while now and I’m finally going to get around to printing them soon. They should be available by the end of March.
I’m also ordering more of the Johnny Cash shirts so I’ll have XL sizes.
Go Listen
Brother Harry Hardwick of the infamous Landover Baptist church was interviewed by the Infidel Guy Podcast (or as Landover put it, a “Famous Negro Atheist”). Absolutely hilarious. Go listen.
New Toon: The Piece Of Paper That Did Nothing
Democrats passed a non-binding resolution saying they disapprove of Bush’s surge plan. I hope we didn’t vote them into office to pass non-binding measures all year.
Bush hasn’t cared what Congress thinks for a while now. The criticism from Pro-War Republicans is valid: If Democrats think the surge is wrong, if the war is wrong and people are needlessly dying, why won’t they vote to cut off funds?
Democrats can reposition themselves, have debates, and “rebuke” the President all they want. It’s certainly a lot better than what was happening a year ago in Washington, but it doesn’t change a thing in Iraq if they don’t end the war. Perhaps I’m being too harsh and that is what they are slowly trying to do–erode support for the President, force Senators to take positions, and take time to sell to the public that cutting off funding isn’t an Anti-American plot to leave our soldiers without food and water stranded in the desert. But I don’t have that much faith in the Democrats.
If anyone that voted for this resolution won’t cut off funds when the time comes (and it’s been time), they are a coward.
Thursday: another take on the resolution.
Straight Outta’ Compton
Altweekly comics infiltrated the L.A. Times Editorial Page this Sunday with comics from Ted Rall, Jen Sorensen, August Pollak, and myself (all members of C.W.A.). Cartoonist Joel Pett gave us a nice writeup:
While mainstream press cartoonists recover from their wretched run of astronaut diaper doodles and appalling Anna Nicole Smith gags (class action paternity suits?), let’s look in on the alternative-press inkers. This restless crowd is joyfully impertinent, blissfully unencumbered by meddling editors and able to stretch the bounds of taste, subject matter and edginess. They’re angrier too, probably the result of working day jobs without benefits or continually being overlooked come awards season. And while some lament the long-winded presentation, there’s often a payoff in context, detail and having the space to mention obscure facts. (Who knew you couldn’t mock the king of Thailand?) Besides, these four comics average about 80 words apiece, about the same as a brief letter to the editor. Pretty good stuff? but can they exploit a salacious celeb tragedy?
