Weekly Review

By Paul Ford

At least 167 Baghdad residents were killed in 14 separate bombings, with 570 wounded. The next day 40 people were killed with car bombs and guns. Twenty-one more were killed the next day, 52 more the day after that, and 7 the day after that. At least 30 more people were killed the following day.¹ Senator Robert Byrd called on the Bush Administration to withdraw from Iraq. "We cannot continue to commit billions in Iraq," he said, "when our own people are so much in need."² It was reported that $1 billion had been stolen from Iraq's defense ministry, and $500 to $600 million had been stolen from the electricity, transport, interior, and other ministries.³ Seventy-two percent of African Americans polled said that George W. Bush does not care about them,⁴ and Texas executed Frances Newton.⁵ At least 128 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay were on hunger strike; 18 of them had been hospitalized and were being force-fed. "We're going to take care of everyone," said a prison spokesman.⁶ Chicago was considering a proposal to ban foie gras. "Our culture," explained an alderman, "does not condone the torture of innocent and defenseless creatures."⁷ Chuck E. Cheese restaurants were showing Defense Department footage. "We support what our troops are doing over there," said a Chuck E. Cheese representative. "Helping kids."⁸ Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney suggested wiretapping mosques.⁹ Newly declassified portions of the 9/11 Commission Report revealed that the FAA had warned in 1998 that Al Qaeda operatives could "seek to hijack a commercial jet and slam it into a U.S. landmark," although the FAA thought this was "unlikely."¹⁰ Afghanistan held its first parliamentary elections in over three decades; about 6 million people went to the polls to elect 249 people to the Wolesi Jirga.¹¹ The Lord's Resistance Army of Uganda crossed the White Nile River into southern Sudan and attacked the city of Juba;¹² North Korea announced that it would halt its nuclear programs in exchange for oil, energy aid, and diplomatic recognition;¹³ and Delta and Northwest both filed for bankruptcy.¹⁴

A summit of world leaders met at the United Nations in New York City.¹⁵ At the summit, President George W. Bush was photographed writing a note to Condoleezza Rice. "I think I MAY NEED A BATHroom break?" read the note.¹⁶ The U.S.-funded National Endowment for Democracy gave $100,000 to Sumate, a Venezuelan group that opposes President Hugo Chavez. "If the imperialist government of the White House dares to invade Venezuela," said Chavez during an interview, "the war of a hundred years will be unleashed in South America."^{17 18} Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was under criticism for saying that rape victimhood was "a money-making concern"; "A lot of people," he explained, "say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped."¹⁹ Musharraf also shook hands with Ariel Sharon.²⁰ Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. was questioned by members of the Senate and managed to avoid direct answers to many of the questions posed to him. He did reveal, however, that "Dr. Zhivago" and "North by Northwest" were his favorite films. Antiabortion groups felt that Roberts was doing just fine.^{21 22} A federal judge in California ruled that requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional. "Undoubtedly," read the court's decision, "the pledge contains a religious phrase."²³ The Dutch government announced that it would track every citizen from birth in an electronic database.²⁴ Eighty-seven journalists were arrested for protesting against Nepalese restrictions on the media,²⁵ and the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled that it was "evil" to force menstruating women to live in cow sheds.²⁶

The Vatican was investigating all 229 Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States for evidence of homosexuality,²⁷ and Pope Benedict XVI spoke to an exorcists' convention, encouraging the audience to "carry on their important work."²⁸ The confirmed death toll from Hurricane Katrina rose to 883, with 663 of those in Louisiana. About $9.8 billion had been spent so far on the relief effort, and it was estimated that up to $200 billion remained to be spent. President Bush promised to rebuild the communities that had been destroyed by the hurricane. "To the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right," he said, "I take responsibility."^{29 30 31} A poll showed that only 35 percent of Americans approved of the President's handling of the Katrina crisis.³² Karl Rove was named to head the relief effort in New Orleans.³³ Many uninsured evacuees from New Orleans were receiving medical care for the first time in years. ³⁴ A 73-year-old New Orleans woman was being held on $50,000 bail for allegedly looting sausages.³⁵ In Spokane, Washington, a man was in trouble for breaking into another man's house and smearing the man's naked, sleeping body with chocolate frosting, then opening a dog pen in the hope that a dog would eat the frosting.³⁶ A broken light bulb at a school gym in Tennessee caused severe sunburns and swollen eyes in 18 people.³⁷ In Alaska a 20-foot-long treadmill was installed at a zoo to help an elephant named Maggie lose a few hundred pounds,³⁸ and two plague-infected mice were missing in New Jersey.³⁹ Judith Miller was still in jail.⁴⁰