[Mb-civic] Breslin: Lies By Numbers

[Agatha Christie]

Breslin:  Lies By Numbers

http://www.newsday.com/news/ny-nybres214013687oct21,0,4306752.column?coll=ny-news-wire-utility

(excerpt)

Yesterday, the polls showed a Bush surge. It never happened because they 
were basing it on thin air. There also were figures showing Kerry winning 
states like Ohio in the Midwest. They came up with the percentages without 
calling one cell phone of the millions and millions of them in the area. I 
believe nothing.

Everybody maintains that the two candidates are in a statistical dead heat. 
Nobody knows that. With a huge number of new registered voters, 
overwhelmingly of color, and young, and with 40 million using cell phones, 
the only thing going on in this election is how many times George Bush goes 
under before he drowns on Election Day. As he should. He is the worst 
president we have had, maybe ever.

In the week ending Oct. 17, there were 23 American soldiers killed in Iraq. 
I saw no prominent mention anywhere. If there were 23 policemen killed in 
New York in a week, the city would shut down. If there were 23 police 
officers killed in the nation in a week, it would be a national calamity.

But the 23 dead American soldiers went virtually unmentioned.

I watch the "Today" show and they say that now we are going to see all the 
good things happening in Iraq. Insanity.

I think common sense says that the issue of the campaign is the dead 
soldiers who are in Iraq because George Bush lied to get us into the war. 
Younger people might feel a little closer to a casket holding the young.