contributions

By MIKE WHITNEY
Charles Darwin never knew Arnold Schwarzenegger. If he had, he may have reversed some of his more daring theories on evolution. By all accounts, Schwarzenegger is an engaging fellow; congenial, upbeat and fiercely ambitious. His appearance at the Republican Convention last night may have put him squarely in the "cat-bird seat" as far as potential candidates for the 2008 election. To say he rose to the occasion is probably an understatement. The crowd loved him and was on (…)

BY BARBARA ROSS and GREG B. SMITH
In their zeal to keep protesters in line, the NYPD has added some unlikely weapons to its arsenal: plastic netting and scores of undercover cops on scooters.
The nets have been used to trap numerous people at demonstrations, including tourists, journalists and legal observers - arrests that have confounded protest organizers and civil rights lawyers.
Donna Lieberman of the New York Civil Liberties Union said police tactics have grown more aggressive as (…)

By DEXTER FILKINS and ERIK ECKHOLM
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 31 - Talks to disarm hundreds of insurgents in the roiling Sadr City ghetto in Baghdad collapsed Tuesday, after a tentative peace pact was abruptly canceled by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
Leaders of the Mahdi Army, the rebel force led by the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, and two well-placed Iraqi sources said an agreement had been reached late Monday that called for the disarming of the rebel force and a halt in American military (…)

By Michael Scherer
The Republican National Convention has an Olympic problem — thousands of empty seats that shine blue, burgundy and toothpaste green out from the hall, draining away enthusiasm at first sight and making life hard for cameramen. Did the GOP not send out the tickets? Even the delegates appeared to be missing Monday night. Where was Vermont? What explained all the open real estate in South Carolina? Was Idaho having a party uptown?
There’s an aura of weirdness about this (…)

by Juan Gonzalez
Maritza Castillo is proud of her son and furious at President Bush. She came here from Miami this week to remind Bush and the Republicans that the Army locked up her soldier son but no one can hide the truth about the war in Iraq.
On May 21, Sgt. Camilo Mejia became the first American soldier convicted of desertion from the Iraq war. After a three-day trial in a special court-martial at Fort Stewart, Ga., Mejia was slapped with the maximum one-year prison sentence, (…)

WASHINGTON - The number of American troops wounded in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 is approaching 7,000, according to figures published Tuesday by the Pentagon. The death toll for U.S. military personnel is 975, plus three Defense Department civilians.
The wounded total has approximately doubled since mid-April, when casualties and deaths mounted rapidly as the insurgency intensified. The death toll over that period has grown by about 300.
The Pentagon, which generally (…)

By Alasdair Palmer
Atefeh Rajabi appears to have been a fairly normal 16-year-old: sulky, disobedient, and eager to have sex. In London, those attributes earn lectures from parents and teachers on the importance of acting responsibly and not being offensive. In the city of Neka in Iran, where Atefeh Rajabi comes from, they get you hauled up in front of a judge.
Atefeh’s typical teenage behaviour meant that she was charged and found guilty of "acts incompatible with chastity". The judge (…)

http://www.sintrainagro.org.co/ Chiquita Banana Workers in La Lima and El Progreso Honduras ask for your solidarity in supporting their contract negotiations with the Tela Rail Road Company, a subsidiary of Chiquita Brands. Please contact Chiquita Brands, Honduras division and Ask them to be a responsible company and sign a fair contract with the workers in the fields and the packaging areas. The struggle of the banana workers: The labor union Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Tela (…)

Throwing a Better Party May Mean Getting a Better War, Terror Contract
By Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz
N E W Y O R K - For lobbyists seeking to profit from valuable homeland security and Iraq contracts, throwing big parties at the Republican National Convention may mean more lucrative deals.
Watch Brian Ross’ Money Trail this week on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.
"We’re supporters of the Republican cause," said Ed Rogers, vice chairman of the powerhouse lobbying firm (…)

by Roger Hickey
At some point, we’re hoping, the media and the public will start looking at what plans the presidential candidates have for helping America. When they do, Hickey’s overview of President George W. Bush’s "ownership society" proposal will be indispensable. Read on to learn how Bush plans to make Americans "own" the burdens of paying for their own health care, retirement and their children’s education.
Roger Hickey is co-director of the Campaign for America ’s Future.
New (…)