Politics

German reporters are investigating International Red Cross reports that more than 100 children are imprisoned at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and there are some reports of torture and abuse of the children.

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004 is an interesting political site that analyzes poll data and produces a map illustrating what the current status in the presidential race is. A great visual overview of the race.

Well, I can’t afford it. Spike’s going to have to get a doggie job.

The United States has spent more than $126bn on the war in Iraq, which will ultimately cost every American family an estimated $3,415, according to a new report by two think tanks. The report, published yesterday by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy in Focus also counts the human costs.
As of June 16, before yesterday’s nationwide attacks, up to 11,317 Iraqi civilians and 6,370 Iraqi soldiers or insurgents had been killed, according to the report, which is titled Paying the Price: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War.
The death toll among coalition troops was 952 by the same date, of which 853 were American. Some 694, were killed after George Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1 last year. Between 50 and 90 civilian contractors and missionaries and 30 journalists have also been killed, the report says.

Where it’s playing in Indianapolis this weekend, and what the times are, because I know you’re all going to go see this movie, right?
Kerasotes Showplace 16 — 12:50pm | 3:50 | 6:50 | 9:40
Kerasotes ShowPlace 12 — 12:50pm | 3:50 | 6:50 | 9:40
AMC Clearwater Crossing 12 — 1:20pm | 4:20 | 7:45
College Park 14 — 1:15pm | 4:15 | 7:15 | 10:15
AMC Greenwood Park 14 — 1:40pm | 4:30 | 7:10 | 9:50
Regal Village Park Cinema Stadium 17 — 11:50am | 3:15pm | 7:05 | 10:00

Despite the fact that the 9/11 Commission report indicates that there were no ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda and that Iraq had nothing to do with the September 11th attack, the American people are still being lead astray by numerous misleading news articles, and by the vice president.
Thus leading the American people in polls to still think there were ties between the two.
Sometimes, I wonder what the hell is wrong with Americans.

The New York times checks Michael Moore’s homework and concludes that his facts are straight. Moore also talks about his war room preparation for the onslaught of Republican lies that are being put in place to combat the film.

Kuwait customs officials stopped four U.S. trucks unders suspicion of bringing radioactive waste into Iraq, and discovered that one of them was indeed filled with radioactive material, with no explanation of why it would be bringing the material into Iraq.
No weapons of mass destruction, so why don’t we plant some?

Signal Orange is a project to make the invisible visible — which is a premise and prerequisite for democracy. The goal of Signal Orange is to unveil the faces that the Bush Administration wants hidden — and to stop pretending that its actions in Iraq are inconsequential.
This is a response: Signal Orange represents the dead with the living — wearing T-shirts in their names. There is one shirt for each soldier who died. The front states how he or she died, the back reads, “(Rank) (First) (Last) can’t vote anymore.” The signal orange color of the shirt was chosen for the same reason it is used where caution is required — it’s the most visible color in person, on camera, and on video. The shirts are to be worn in places where the media is focused, whether that focus is momentary or constant. Examples might include the audience outside a morning talk show, or a parade, or a sporting event, and it certainly includes the Republican National Convention in NYC come September.

Josh Marshall has a really interesting post on the subject of minority groups and the Republican party. He’s speaking specifically about the black community and their overwhelming support of the Democratic party, but his arguments apply to the relationship between the Republican Party and gay people as well.

For three years, the Bush administration has been denying that Saudi citizens were in flight around the country, and also out of the country during the time when all air traffic was grounded after the 9/11 attack. They admitted some time ago that there were in-country flights containing Saudi citizens during the grounding, (when *you* were trapped at the airport, the Saudi family was being shuttled around via plane) and they have now admitted that at least one plane containing young Saudi men was allowed to leave the country.