Ah, Joy,  I'm sure you've been through Stats 101 at GWU already.  One can
back up virtually any claim, using "statistics".  Here's an argument for
you, compliments of me dear Mother-In-Law:

(Note: Both sets of numbers are released from Health & Human Services)

a)  There are approx. 70,000 surgeons (MDs) in the U.S.
b)  There were approx. 12,000 "unintentional" or "accidental" deaths in the
U.S. in 2000 during  surgical procedures.
c)  Deaths per physician during any given surgical procedure were 0.171 in
2000

And

a)  The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000 (numbers concur with
BATF stats)
b)  The number of "inintentional" or "accidental" deaths by firearms in 2000
was approx 1,200
c)  The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.00001875

Statistically, MDs are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun
owners.

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.  We must get a handle on
physicians before this gets out of hand!


The above, of course, is inane, but it's the kind of "statistic" an
agenda-driven organization will use to demonstrate the "truth" of their
cause.

I would be more inclined to accept numbers from someone who does not have a
point to prove.  One would hope the bulk of society would follow that lead.


"A sheep will only feed where it's pastured."  -Kyle Cleveland



-----Original Message-----
From: - Joy - [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 9:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: another shooting


Actually, the cost argument for the death penalty is a common myth.  It
costs about three times more to execute someone than it does to keep them in
the highest security prison for life.  See
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs2.html and
http://www.deathpenalty.org/old_site/newsninfo/cost.html for statistics.

~Joy~