U.S. Vets Ask Bush to Halt Canadian 'Tribute to Cowards'

Monument Planned for City of Nelson Is an Insult, They Say

David Pugliese, Vancouver Sun

OTTAWA — The largest combat veteran's group in the United States has asked President George W. Bush to tell the Canadian government that a monument in British Columbia to Vietnam War draft-dodgers should not be built.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars says the proposed monument, to be erected in Nelson, is a tribute "to cowards" and a slap in the face to the 42 million Americans who have served in the military over the years.

"U.S. Could Scale Back Troops in Iraq, Rumsfeld Says"

Paul Koring, Toronto Globe and Mail

WASHINGTON — Some U.S. troops could be ordered home even if they fail to quash the mounting insurgency in Iraq, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday, admitting for the first time that the "heavy footprint" of American tanks, soldiers and warplanes might be fomenting more opposition than it quells.

After talks at the Pentagon with Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, the hawkish Mr. Rumsfeld signalled a shift in U.S. priorities from aggressively stamping out the insurgency to taking an increasingly back-seat role to Iraqi forces. He said U.S. troops might be part of the problem, rather than the solution.

"Who Kills Hostages in Iraq?"

An Inventory of Iraqi Resistance Groups

Samir Haddad and Mazin Ghazi, Al Zawra (Baghdad)

(Nota Bene: Al-Zawra is published weekly in Arabic in Baghdad by the Iraqi Journalists Association. This is the FBI's translation.)

US soldiers guard the wreckage of a military armored vehicle destroyed by the Iraqi resistance. In Iraq, the issues are even more confused now than they were before. This happened after an armed group abducted two French journalists, and threatened to kill them if France did not rescind the law banning religious symbols at schools, including the veil, and another group abducted two Italian women in Baghdad. The issues became even more confused when a third group killed 12 Nepalese workers, claiming that they were serving the US forces.

It is our duty now to clarify the picture with regard to who targets civilians and foreigners, who abducts hostages indiscriminately, and who makes the US occupation and its soldiers his main preoccupation.

Nader 2000 Leaders United To Defeat Bush

We, the undersigned, were selected by Ralph Nader to be members of
his 113-person national "Nader 2000 Citizens Committee." This year,
we urge support for Kerry/Edwards in all "swing states," even while
we strongly disagree with Kerry's policies on Iraq and other issues.
For people seeking progressive social change in the United States,
removing George W. Bush from office should be the top priority in the
2004 presidential election. Progressive votes for John Kerry in swing
states may prove decisive in attaining this vital goal.

"Dispatch from New York: Whose Streets?"

Sarah Ferguson, Mother Jones

There's a popular revolt afoot in New York City. Despite
Mayor Bloomberg's refusal, backed by a state judge to
allow protesters to show their strength in numbers in
New York's most hospitable venue-Central Park- the
demonstrations confronting George Bush and the
Republicans are shaping up to be the biggest
manifestation of popular dissent in the history of party
conventions.

CIA Executives Gathered in Santiago de Chile Revealed in Contingency Plot to Overthrow Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias

Venezuela state-owned news agency VENPRES is quoting an El Mundo de Madrid (Spain) report that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is set to put a contingency plan in motion in the (likely) event that President Hugo Chavez Frias wins next weekend's Recall Referendum.

Not In Our Name writes:

"Not In Our Name" Renews Struggle for Central Park Demonstration
New York City, August 29, 2004

The city of New York's denial of a permit for a rally
at Central Park is an absolute outrage and is nothing
but a naked attempt to marginalize the anti-war
movement and dissent generally. This is a part of an
overall clamping down on protest and civil liberties
that has swept the country since 9/11 which cannot be
allowed to continue. The objective effect of
conceding the right to protest in a central public
space sets a dangerous precedent which we feel must be
challenged. What follows is our understanding of the
stakes of this issue, a plan to re-open a petition for
the permit and an invitation to all other groups to
join us in doing so.

Intense Security Keeps DNC Protesters Caged and Streets "Creepy Calm"

Karen Branch-Brioso, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Boston — Whether they're from this host town of the Democratic National
Convention or from places such as Lincoln County, Mo., they all seem to
agree:

"I'd say this is the most intense security I've seen in my life," said Ron
Hartmann, 61, of Eolia, Mo., as he held up an anti-abortion sign outside the
barricaded FleetCenter where Democrats launched their presidential
convention Monday.

Sgt. Bill Fogerty, a Boston police officer for 36 years, concurred. "I've
seen tight security," he said. "I've never seen security like this."

Anonymous Comrade writes
«Alarmstufe Rot» in Athen angelaufen
Deutsche Presse Agentur

Athen (dpa) - 19 Tage vor Beginn der Olympischen Spiele hat in Athen die «Alarmstufe Rot» begonnen. Dies ergibt sich aus einem als «geheim» eingestuften Schreiben des Polizeipräsidenten Griechenlands, Fótios Nasiákos, das die Zeitung «To Wíma» veröffentlichte.

Demnach nehmen am bislang umfangreichsten Sicherheitsprogramm allein in Athen 19 502 Polizeibeamte und 10 422 Militärs der eigens zu diesem Zweck gebildeten Olympia-Division teil. Der Plan unter dem Code-Namen «Polydeukes» beschreibt die Schutzmaßnahmen für rund 6 000 offizielle Besucher, Mitglieder der Olympischen Familie, 10 500 Athleten und 20 000 Journalisten.

9/11 Commission Report Available Online

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002, is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. The Commission is also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.

The Commission has released its final report, available in PDF format, here.