more on "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: ken kousky <kkousky () ip3inc com>
Date: September 11, 2005 1:12:13 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net, 'Ip Ip' <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: RE: [IP] more on "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says


Bewildered by these studies?

What they DO PROVE (as along as we can assume a scientific vs faith- 
based
approach here) is that in a world constrained by scare resources, if  
we wish
to spend security dollars effectively - that is, where they have the
greatest impact, we would evaluate our risks economically. We'd  
calculated
expected losses. We'd use the best state of science, with full  
knowledge of
it's limitations, to make educated guesses.

That's what our security agencies that comprise DHS as well as DoD have
done. Security is about threats - it's not just about terrorism.  
That's a
political manipulation and distortion of security. The experts have done
their homework but the politicians continue to sell out.

DHS has addressed the health care infrastructure with plans to  
respond to
terrorism when that money could have helped fund EMR and information  
systems
needed to rapidly identify virus outbreaks. I spoke to a group of  
critical
care nurses who have had no training or even discussions on flu  
pandemics.
They are prepped for terrorism. We've hijacked billions of dollars and
thrown them at the wrong threats.

We ARE getting bigger government - much, much bigger. But we're  
getting less
reduction in the expected losses.

What these studies tell us: we are more likely to see a flu pandemic  
kill
our loved ones, than terrorism. That's what the studies tell us.  
Shouldn't
we invest accordingly?

KWK


-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2005 8:22 PM
To: Ip Ip
Subject: [IP] more on "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says



Begin forwarded message:

From: h_bray () globe com
Date: September 10, 2005 8:04:32 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says


I'm always bewildered when people put out silly "studies" like this one.
What on earth does it prove?  One could just as easily say that fighting
the American Civil War saved few lives, and so the South should have
been
allowed to secede.  Or that Britain should have allowed Napoleon free
rein
in Europe.  Both these decisions would have saved countless lives.
Yet I
don't think too many sane people would today say that the Civil War
or the
Napoleonic Wars were a complete waste of time.

Which of course is the point.  Whether a war is worth fighting
depends on
whether the causes are just and sufficient to justify the shedding of
blood.  And studies like this one have precisely nothing to say on that
subject.



Hiawatha Bray




              David Farber
              <dave () farber net>

  To
              09/10/2005 09:59
              AM                        Ip Ip <ip () v2 listbox com>

  cc

              Please respond to
               dave () farber net



Subject
                                        [IP] more on  "War on Terra"
saves
                                        few lives, expert says












Begin forwarded message:

From: ken kousky <kkousky () ip3inc com>
Date: September 10, 2005 9:23:28 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net, 'Ip Ip' <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: RE: [IP] "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says


By far, the most deadly threat to American's today is a pandemic bird
flu.

Europe is seeing a real epidemic of bird flu as we focus on Katrina and
again we are completely unprepared.

It is noteworthy that even the FBI's security and risk assessment
reports
are actively tracking the bird flu in Europe. The danger is a "cross-
over"
to a human variant - a real possibility. A risk to be managed.

Until we get better at looking seriously at expected losses
analytically and
then treating a reduction in risk as a real economic benefit, we're not
likely to see things change.

Ken Kousky
IP3


-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 8:48 AM
To: Ip Ip
Subject: [IP] "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says



Begin forwarded message:

From: Randall <rvh40 () insightbb com>
Date: September 8, 2005 10:24:54 PM EDT
To: Dave <dave () farber net>
Subject: "War on Terra" saves few lives, expert says


http://tinyurl.com/d5pl6
"War on terror" saves few lives: expert
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent 6 minutes ago

The U.S. "war on terror" is saving fewer lives than just spending the
money on disease prevention and research, and has probably caused deaths
by taking money away from basic services, an expert said on Thursday.

The accusation is not new, but Dr. Erica Frank of the Department of
Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in
Atlanta said she has calculated the cost, in terms of lives, of the Bush
administration's terror policies.

"The most recent effects of these diversions of funding have been seen
in the unfolding tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the
surrounding area," Frank wrote in a commentary published in the British
Medical Journal.

"Governments must protect their citizens, and anticipating these
possible future threats is appropriate and could prove essential to
Americans' health."

Frank warned there is a threat that because of the U.S. government's
policy, enormous numbers of Americans will die unnecessarily.

On September 11, 2001, 3,400 people died because of the four intentional
plane crashes in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. But 5,200 other
Americans died that same day from common diseases, according to Frank.

To estimate how many Americans died of routine causes on September 11,
Frank used national estimates of mortality from various causes.

"Predictable tragedies happen every day. We know strategies to reduce
deaths from tobacco, alcohol, poor diet, unintentional injuries, and
other predictable causes. And we know that millions of people will die
unless we protect the population against these routine causes of death,"
she wrote.

Yet more money is spent to protect against deaths that are not likely to
happen.

"For example, in September 2002, New York was awarded $1.3 million to
reduce heart disease, the leading killer of New Yorkers, while $34
million was awarded for bioterrorism preparedness in the state," Frank
added.

Proponents have argued that bioterror preparedness would build up the
public health structure in general.

"If this is an improvement it sure is frightening to think what this
might have looked like before," Frank said in a telephone interview.

She cited numerous reports showing the federal government cut spending
to reinforce the levees built to protect New Orleans from the flood that
has devastated the city.

"Since the point of investing in counterterror is to protect American
lives, the question is a dollar better spent in Iraq or is it better
spent here?" she asked.


--
"We've got the hatemongers who literally hate this president, and that
is so wrong. . . . The people who hate George Bush hate him because he's
a follower of Jesus Christ, unashamedly says so and applies his faith in
his day-to-day operations." -- Rev. Jerry Falwell, on C-SPAN's
"Washington Journal"



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