The Truth Is

In The Numbers

To the Editor:

As a former US Marine and veteran of US operations in Bosnia, Somalia, and Haiti, I have followed quite closely the media game going on with regard to the upcoming elections and the war in Iraq.

I am specifically writing to you as a result of a poor article written by Steven Weisman of The New York Times titled “State Department Report Shows Increase in Terrorism,” June 23, 2004.

I along with many other Americans no longer absorb our global share of daily events through the print media as I have found a far more reliable source at home through my computer, always online, always connected.

It was here that I checked the credibility of Weisman’s story when I downloaded the State Department’s “revised” June 22 report titled “Patterns of Global Terrorism.” When I began to dissect the statistical findings, I became increasingly more alarmed at what the Times and other liberally biased media agencies have been doing. In short, they are flat-out lying to the American people.

America needs to know the truth regarding our administration’s war on terror. Let me sum it up for you. We are winning. Our soldiers and my former fellow brothers-in-arms have not and are not dying in vain. America is growing increasingly more secure and terrorism is becoming less a part of our lives than at any other time in our recent history. Our president said that was what he was going to do, and to his credit, he is doing it. In fact, he is doing it better than ever before!

Here are the facts: as taken from the revised state department findings located at www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2003/33777pf.htm

Total International Terrorist Attacks: 1998–2000 = 1,095; 2001–2003 = 768; a reduction of 29.8 percent.

Total Facilities Struck by International Attacks: 1998–2000 = 1,708; 2001–2003 = 982; a reduction of 42.5 percent.

Since 2001, the United States of America has not had a terrorist attack on its soil, nor lost a single citizen due to domestic terrorism.

The years 2002, and 2003 mark the lowest incidence of international terrorist attacks ever recorded by the state department which includes over 21 years of data.

In short, this administration is doing its job of protecting and defending our United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.

This is the truth, these are the numbers. Let them be seen and heard!

Daniel Gaita

2 Turtle Spring Lane, Newtown                                     July 8, 2004