Editor,
This is in response to Brian Fejer's letter citing statistics on dead Iraqis and on the use of weapons such as white phosphorous.
The current statistics, according to the Web site Antiwar.com, cite 48,000 Iraqis dead. Though not a small amount, this is much lower than the 150,000 quoted by Fejer.
The use of white phosphorous parachutes as illumination is a common practice and not intended for use on humans. Accidents happen. Marines whom I have served with were also injured by the use of white phosphorous. Office workers get paper cuts because of the tools they use - the military and those nearby suffer much more extreme injuries from the tools we use.
Though the rest of his letter was relatively benign, I believe Fejer's gross exaggeration of the death toll should have been checked before his letter was printed.
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Caleb Lewis Franzoy
UNM student
