In an interview with Laura Jones of Salt Lake’s KCPW (NPR-affiliated) radio station, U.S. Senator Bob Bennett compared the controversy over the mounting Iraq Casualties with the U.S. policy of cafe standards (a policy whereby more small fuel efficient cars are manuafactured.) Bennett stated that the number of casualties since the cafe standards were implemented are the same per year as the entirety of the number of casualties since the Iraq War began. Bennett then insinuated that U.S. citizens de facto condone casualties by accpetance of the cafe standards policy while they protest the casualties in Iraq.
When Jones took issue with this comparison, stating that many soldiers join the army as their only option for exit from poverty, Bennett responded with the fact that he has been to Iraq and he did not meet or see any soldiers that appeared to have come from poverty situations – that they were from “legacy families” and were there because they knew it was the right thing to do.
You can’t effectively compare apples to oranges and that is clearly what Bennett is doing here. It’s just like statistics. You have to look at the underlying facts and reasons to make any comparisons. Comparing dissastisfaction with U.S. Policy on militarism to environmental standards is not the same.
Jones questioned Bennett on a number of other issues such as the Alito appointment, nuclear waste, and campaign finance reform, to name a few.
It’s an interesting eye-opening interview (to say the least).
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 