How many Iraqi civilian casualties are acceptable?

[David Floyd]

Just that I hate militant Muslims. Well, just Muslims. Oh, hell, let's be honest, brown people in general

[loinburger]

Are white muslims race traitors?

[David Floyd]

Well, they're idiots for being Muslims, if that's what you mean. "Race traitor" seems a tad perjorative

[Kuciwalker]

You can't put a number on this.

Yes, you can. I even explained precisely how

[Kuciwalker]

DF and Felch: you are idiots who don't understand the question.

[OzzyKP]

I'm not saying that I'm a moral paragon, but here's something to think about.

Over the years we all accumulate wealth. We have our bank accounts, retirement accounts, homes, cars, etc. If someone came up to you and made the following offer, what would be your response?

I will save the lives of two million Iraqis, if you quit your job, liquidate all of your assets, and give the cash to me. This is guaranteed to work, but no one will know you're responsible, so they're not going to reward you.

It's simple, and it's not going to hurt you physically, but I'm not necessarily going to do it. In the end, Iraq might as well not exist. I only know about it from books and TV and the Internet and friends who've been there. I've never gone to Iraq to pick up groceries, or for a football game, or to see my friends. It's just some place that doesn't really matter to me. If two million Iraqis disappeared tomorrow, I wouldn't know until somebody told me.

If he knocks, give him my address.

[Felch]

You only say that because you're poor, Ozzy

[Felch]

DF and Felch: you are idiots who don't understand the question.

Having read the question, I understand it. I answered without reading because I have more fun eating mushrooms and making up **** than I do by being a lame tool who reads directions. Maybe if you ate some shrooms you'd be able to contribute incoherent bull**** to conversations too.

[Dauphin]

Yes, you can. I even explained precisely how

The answer you get is very subjective, unless you wish to give a robust way of measuring the value of human life. For example, I don't consider the most obvious method, their economic output potential, as a good measure.

[KrazyHorse]

Dauphin, what the EPA et al use for their measure of the value of a human life is market-based; namely, it looks at the excess income earned by people in dangerous occupations relative to similar, safe occupations. The figure they currently use is in the 5-7 million dollar range, IIRC.

[Dauphin]

British lives are only worth $3.5 million according to pirates, and the British government won't even pay that.

[fed1943]

It is not a number.

The only casualties that can be accepted are the ones that cannot be avoided.

[KrazyHorse]

British lives are only worth $3.5 million according to pirates, and the British government won't even pay that.

British people are worth less than Americans. Duh.

[Dauphin]

Dauphin, what the EPA et al use for their measure of the value of a human life is market-based; namely, it looks at the excess income earned by people in dangerous occupations relative to similar, safe occupations. The figure they currently use is in the 5-7 million dollar range, IIRC.

Why don't we set a danger money (D) for all civilians in a country that we invade on the basis that their 'but for' invasion prosperity is (P0) and their actual prosperity is (P). We then pay them P0 + D - P until such time as it becomes a negative amount.

This way, the number of acceptable dead civilians is factored into D on a statistical basis. We accept more dead if we are willing to pay more D.

[Dauphin]

And we could call the danger money we have to pay "Pay per kill" costs.