Detroit likened to Iraq Violence equal, lawmaker says March 22, 2007 BY TODD SPANGLER FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER A Republican congressman representing rural southern Michigan is taking heat for saying that most of Iraq is at least as under control as Detroit is. Freshman Rep. Tim Walberg's comments, made Monday on WILS-AM in Lansing, didn't sit well with Democrats -- who issued a news release Wednesday -- or the office of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Advertisement "Any reference to Detroit as a war zone is absurd," said Matt Allen, the mayor's spokesman. Walberg of Tipton didn't quite say Detroit was a war zone. He said most of Iraq "is reasonably under control, at least as well as Detroit." Walberg's spokesman, Matt Lahr, said the congressman "frequently shares sentiments expressed to him by the soldiers and veterans he meets." He wouldn't say whether a soldier or soldiers made the Detroit remark. There have been 3,223 U.S. military deaths in Iraq since the war began in 2003, and more than 10,000 Iraqi civilian and security forces killed since January 2006, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. About 1,576 people died as a result of homicide or nonnegligent manslaughter in Detroit since the beginning of 2003. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070322/NEWS06/703220424/1001/NEWS
Considering the population of Iraq is roughly 26 million, and Detroit's population is around 900,000, I think the murder rate in Detroit is actually higher than Iraq. The numbers show 1 in every 2,000 Iraqis has died since the war began. For Detroit, it is 3.5 in every 2,000.
Detroit City by Mel Tillis Last night I went to sleep in Detroit City And I dreamed about those cottonfields and home I dreamed about my mother, dear old papa, sister and brother And I dreamed about the girl that's been waiting for so long. I wanna go home, I wanna go home Oh Lord, I wanna go home. ........... Iraq population: 26,800,000 Detroit population: 887,000 Iraq annual casualties: 10,000 Detroit annual homicides: 400 26,800,000/887,000=30.2X400=12,086 ........... Now the homefolks think I'm big in Detroit City From the letters that I write they think I'm just fine By day I make the cars and by night I'm a making the bars Lord, if only they could read between the lines. I wanna go home.
Then why is the National Guard not in Detroit but in Iraq? Gotta figure a neocon would defend such an idiotic comparison...
Why is it idiotic? He is saying that the doom and gloom that is being disseminated about Iraq is over-exaggerated. He is saying that Iraq is actually safer now than Detroit.
Total BS. Put Detroit under essentially martial law for the past couple of months and then make a comparison. Geez, the lengths the repugniklan Bush apologists will go to spin away the reality of their miserable Iraq war...
So you dispute the figures that were given in the report? Maybe we should put Detroit under martial law if we can see the number of murders drop by 66% to match Iraq.
Actually the Iraqi deaths are overstated because they apparently include the actual war. As far as I know, there has not been a war in Detroit. Just a typical out of control US city run by liberals.
Whatever do you mean? Top 10 most dangerous cities in America w/ mayor and U.S. representative: 1. St. Louis, MO Mayor: Francis G. Slay, Democrat Rep: William Lacy Clay, Democrat, and Russ Carnahan, Democrat 2. Detroit, Mich. Mayor: Kwame M. Kilpatrick, Democrat Rep: Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Democrat, and John Conyers, Democrat 3. Flint, Mich. Mayor: Donald Williamson, Republican Rep: Dale Kildee, Democrat 4. Compton, CA Mayor: Eric J Perrodin, Democrat Rep: Juanita Millender-McDonald, Democrat 5. Camden, NJ Mayor: Gwendolyn A. Faison, Democrat Rep: Robert Andrews, Democrat 6. Birmingham, Ala. Mayor: Bernard Kincaid, Democrat Rep: Arthur Davis, Democrat 7. Cleveland, OH Mayor: Jane L. Campbell, Democrat Rep: Dennis Kucinich, Democrat, and Stephanie Tubbs, Democrat 8. Oakland, CA Mayor: Jerry Brown, Democrat Rep: Barbara Lee, Democrat 9. Youngstown, OH Mayor: George M. McKelvey, Democrat Rep: Tim Ryan, Democrat 10. Gary, Ind Mayor: Scott King, Democrat Rep: Peter Visclosky, Democrat
But who's numbers do you believe? According to this site http://iraqbodycount.net/press/pr15.php In the period 20 Mar 06 - 16 Mar 07, the total number of civilians killed was 26540, which totals 73 per day. (I thought the official US gubmint policy was "we don't do body counts")