WHY IS ONE MANNER OF DEATH MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANOTHER?

• MILITARY DEATHS IN IRAQ (since March 2003) : 3514.

Anti-war protestors love to quote the number of deaths in Iraq, as if the combat deaths are magnified because they believe the war is "illegal".

The people who love to quote the Iraqi death toll are also usually opposed to any attempt to control the illegal immigration invasion in the United States. Instead, they are in favor of an "amnesty" for illegals, which means they are against something that they wish was "illegal" (the war), and ignore something that is illegal - undocumented workers - because they claim it is a "victimless crime".

How about these statistics:

• MURDERS COMMITTED BY ILLEGAL ALIENS IN THE U.S. (since March 2003): 8632.
• MILITARY DEATHS IN IRAQ (since March 2003): 3514

The murder rate by illegal aliens in America is more than twice that of the death rate of combat soldiers. That breaks down to 870 deaths per year in Iraq and 2100+ murders commited by illegals. So much for a victimless crime.

Why is one manner of death worthy of protest, but the other isn't?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

I noticed today that the 3 stranded climbers on Mt. Hood had been rescued. Good for them. Sounds like they were prepared. However . . . How smart were these people to go hiking in the mountains during one of the worst snow storms in recent history?

Think about this situation: If a local Charleston outdoorsman decided to go fishing on Sept. 21, 1989, as Hurricane Hugo was bearing down on the Carolina coast, what would you think? Is he sane? Is he sober? Or is he merely stupid?

Either way, why should we risk the lives of other people to rescue someone who made a dumb decision? If it was a child, that would be one thing, but these people were adults in their 20s and 30s. Surely they checked the weather before they embarked on their trip.

So, as harsh as it seems, if you make a bad decision, be prepared to deal with the consequences of your lack of judgement. Don't expect other people to risk their lives for your mistake. Maybe they should be charged for the cost of the rescue. do that enough times, and maybe people we begin to re-think their decisions.