More Than Just Numbers

50,000 - The number of Iraqi women and children who have fled their country and are now prostitutes in places like Syria.

Less than 800 - The number of Iraq refugees accepted by the United States since 2003.

36 - The number of Afghans killed by the latest US airstrike in that country, bringing the total of civilians killed this year from 177-230, depending on who you ask.

60 - The number of Canadian troops who've died since the Afghanistan war began.

2 - The number of congresspeople (Kucinich and Ron Paul) who voted against condemning President Ahmadinejad in the US house for his alleged statement that "Israel should be wiped off the map".

0 - The number of US congresspeople who condemned Shimon Peres when he did say (no mistranslation here) that "Iran can also be wiped off the map."

4 - The number of countries that blocked a UN Security Council bid to suppport Abbas' emergency government. "The South African ambassador argued that the international community, especially the U.S., Israel and the Quartet, are to blame for the situation in the Gaza Strip."

$2.5 million - The amount of US aid given to Saudi Arabia in 2005 and 2006 which US lawmakers voted to cut off on Friday. (As if Saudi Arabia needs "aid".)

$2 billion - The amount of money allegedly funneled to Saudi's Prince Bandar through a British arms contractor. "Last week British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged that his government shut down an investigation into the payments, in part because it could have led to the "complete wreckage" of Britain's "vital strategic relationship" with Saudi Arabia." (No wonder Bush wants Blair to head the World Bank.)

0 - The amount of credibility Star columnist Rosie DiManno has in her article about the antiwar movement, on a scale of 1-10.

400,000 - The number of dead in Sudan "by direct violence [genocide], disease and starvation"... "for Fiscal Year 2008, there is a projected $186 million shortfall for Darfur peacekeeping, and a $6 billion shortfall for America's core humanitarian assistance."

28 - The number of US soldiers killed in Iraq during the past week.

558 - The number of Gitmo detainees who appeared before Combatant Status Review Tribunals that whistleblower Lt. Col. Stephen Abraham (who took part in the hearings) now says "relied on vague and incomplete intelligence".

575 - The number of days left until George W Bush is history.

0 - The amount of patience I have left for violent warmongering, diplomacy-hating hawks.