In the New York Times today, they report "a new study by a research team at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University."  They estimate that as a direct or indirect result of the US war on Iraq, 100,000 civilians have died.

And this administration has the gall to say things are improving for Iraqis.  I'm sure they'll take great care in Fallujah to limit civilian casualties.  Even after Kerry is elected on Tuesday, the Bushies have plenty of time to murder more Iraqis.  January 17th can't come soon enough.

Been on vacation for a week and took the opportunity to take a vacation from the internet and politics.

So I go to Electoral Vote Predictor to see Kerry getting spanked by Bush 307 to 207.  I'm aware of the Republican oversampling in national polls, so I have been ignoring them, but holy buckets this discouraged me.  Someone pull me back from the edge.  

In Minnesota, BC '04 has spent a lot of money with 2 expensive mailings (2-sided, 4 color, 11x17) and a follow up recorded telephone message by Bush encouraging Republicans to get an absentee ballot.  Why would that be?  On the Air America local station here this morning, there was talk about warnings from Republican SoS Mary Kiffmeyer regarding terrorists on election day.  I've also read about a Florida absentee ballot push and Tom Ridge laying the groundwork with the message, "Terrorists determined to disrupt elections." Have any Kossacks heard of an absentee ballot push in other states?

Add all of this to the ever lengthening list of ways the GOP is clearly trying to game the election (see Florida re Nader on the ballot, no paper trail, hackable Diebolds, disenfranchisement of minority voters) and a tinfoil hat wearer like myself doesn't need much more to connect the dots: they will attempt to suppress Election Day turnout with terror threats, and they will do anything they can to steal the election.  What can we do?