I have a sinking feeling that there are more than 20,000 insurgents

[Sweetpea]

willing to fight against Americans.

Oops! I thought I was responding to a post.

[kentuck]

1. One percent of the 25 million population would be...

250,000 insurgents? Is it more or less than one percent of population? I would guess it might be more...

[Sweetpea]

2. I shudder at the thought.

[jukes]

3. we are in

deep kim chee!

[kayell]

8. What percentage of the US population would become insurgents

if this country was occupied by a foreign power who invaded with no obvious concern for avoiding killing civilians and children. What percentage of Americans would become insurgents on learning that their falsely imprisoned friends and relatives were being tortured?

[stellanoir]

4. consider that we "detained" 40,000 Iraqis

the vast majority (60-90% according Amnesty and the Red Cross) of whom were innocent many of whom were mistreated, humiliated, abused, and tortured. Estimates of "collateral damage" (dead civilians) range from 15,000-30,000 with no way of verification. So that's 55,000-70,000 Iraqis whose friends, neighbors, extended families, and tribes have been greatly inspired to loathe the US & this colossally disastrous occupation and want revenge.

So if you multiply those figures by anywhere from 5 to 100, you'd still probably be low balling it.

"Bring them home now."

[mermaid]

9. Well, If You Follow Gerard's Rule Of 250....

If you ever read Joe Girard's "How To Sell Anything To Anybody" he talks of Girard's Rule of 250. What this is is simple. There are generally, for most people 250 other people he can influence enough to come to his wedding or funeral, so don't piss off customers, or he will influence those 250 to not buy from you. (paraphrase)

So, lowballing the figures, let us say we have just 5,000 dead civilians, and only detained 25,000. That's 30,000 Iraqis who have been pissed off. Multiply THAT by 250 and tell me what you come up with!

And I lowballed the figures to account for the fact that Iraqi #1 may have some of the same people in his list of 250 as Iraqi #9. Either way, we are talking a possible 3/4 of a million insurgents!!

And I just heard on the news this morning that most of the insurgents are actually Iraqi nationals...not foreign Jihadists, as BushCo was claiming!

[Cory]

5. I wouldn't

even use the term "insurgents" they're just Iraqis who are pissed about the invasion and occupation. You can defeat a government but you cannot defeat a nation of people united.

[Sweetpea]

6. Welcome to DU Semlib

:hi:

[katym]

7. Just another miscalculation courtesy the Bush Administration