Iraqi prisoner photos. Extraordinary interest.
This story is generating interest unlike any since I started Polizeros.
My web referral logs show four times more traffic to PoliZeros than normal. Among other things, these logs detail the search phrases being used by people finding this site from a search engine – and virtually all of them yesterday were looking for the Iraqi prisoner and apparent rape of Iraqi women by soldiers story and photos. All manner of different phrases are being used, but everyone is looking for the same thing. I’ve never seen this volume of searching for what, in effect, is one story – abuse of Iraqis by Americans in uniform.
This site averages about 1,200 unique visitors a day. Yesterday was probably closer to 5,000 (I don’t have the final numbers yet.)
Call it the shifting of tectonic plates, call it a phase shift, call it what you will – something big is happening. The mask is gone. The ugliness of US foreign policy is obvious to all. Correct that, the US is now being forced to see the ugliness, something most the rest of the world already knows too well.
The danger of course is, as the Bushies lose their grip on power, they will do something extreme to hang on.
The Republican National Convention is in NYC on Aug 29. Every, and I do mean every, even vaguely progressive group is mobilizing to be there. I’d thought just a few weeks ago there might be 500,000 protestors. Given the mobilizations going on now, that figure is now too low. It could easily hit one million; it could be one of the biggest demos in history. Seriously. Be there!
Arab world scorns Bush’s TV ‘apology’
Car bomb near US offices in Baghdad
Outrage over the prisoner torture
In another Arab quarter, some dismissed outrage as the domain of those who are sheltered from Arab reality.
“In order to be shocked, you have to be a Westerner and believe that the world is good, fair, liberal,” Algeria’s influential French-language daily Le Quotidien d’Oran editorialized. “You have to possess a house, a car, the right to go wherever you wish, a wife and be happy. The Arabs do not have all that.”
From the Beeb: The W word – withdrawal
Events in Iraq have been spinning out of control – and out of control of the spinners – so fast on so many fronts that the W word – withdrawal – is now being mentioned.
The Guardian is more acid
This torture started at the very top. A profound racism infects the US and British establishments.
and
If the pictures showed Arab troops humiliating British prisoners, there would be howls of indignation and no one would be rushing to make excuses about their authenticity
And the war machine continues to run rabid
47,000 US soldiers told they will go to Iraq as clashes continue.