contributions

KISSINGER TO THE ARGENTINE GENERALS IN 1976: "IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE DONE, YOU SHOULD DO THEM QUICKLY"
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 133
Edited by Carlos Osorio and Kathleen Costar
Washington, August 27, 2004 - A newly declassified document obtained by the National Security Archive shows that amidst vast human rights violations by Argentina’s security forces in June 1976, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Argentine Foreign Minister Admiral (…)

By JENNIFER C. KERR
WASHINGTON - Government secrecy has increased sharply in the past few years - keeping Americans in the dark about information they should be able to access, says a report released Thursday by a coalition of watchdog groups.
It found the federal government created 14 million new classified documents in fiscal year 2003 - a 26 percent increase over the number of documents stamped secret in 2002, and a 60 percent increase over 2001. Those numbers cover over 40 agencies, (…)

By Roger Wilkison
ATHENS - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday canceled a weekend visit to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics, just hours after demonstrators marched through central Athens.
Police in Athens have fired tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators who were trying to march on the American Embassy to protest the upcoming visit of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Several of the demonstrators carried banners protesting against the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. (…)

AUSTRALIAN troops are conducting secret operations in Iraq that go far beyond the role revealed to the Australian public or the Opposition, according to a newspaper report today.
Between 30 and 40 specially-trained troops are involved in a US-led program that covers the full range of special operations, including counter-insurgency, kidnapping, demolition and protecting visiting VIPs, The Australian Financial Review says.
More than 200 personnel are known to be involved in back-up roles (…)

Download the Guide (PDF file*)
MediaChannel.org and Media for Democracy present the "Unofficial Media Guide" - a resource for journalists seeking a detour from the tightly scripted rhetoric at Madison Square Garden. The Media Guide lists hundreds of sources and experts available to reporters seeking to cover events occurring throughout New York’s five boroughs. Inside these pages, you’ll find:
Dozens of New York experts, ready to talk on the record.
Coordinates for the protest groups (…)

It Takes Real Courage to Desert Your Post and Then Attack a Wounded Vet
by Michael Moore
Dear Mr. Bush,
I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about "who did what" during Vietnam when I brought up that "deserter" nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your (…)

It seemed a smart move to hold the Republican Convention in Manhattan, around the anniversary of 11 September. But the heroes of that day have other ideas.
by David Usborne
Was it a fireman or a policeman who yelled so disrespectfully? It doesn’t matter, because they have the same gripe. When Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, emerged from a community meeting in the West Village a few evenings ago, he was met by this: "You stink! You’re garbage!"
Almost three years after the (…)

BY LUIS PEREZ AND PETE BOWLES
More than 250 people were arrested Friday night when a bicycle rally turned chaotic and riders ignored traffic laws in what became an anti-Bush protest.
The cyclists, part of the Critical Mass group that rallies monthly to promote pollution-free transportation, had been warned they faced arrest if they broke traffic laws but roared through red lights, blocked intersections and chanted anti-Bush slogans.
They were charged with disorderly conduct and (…)

By Mark Egan
NEW YORK - Thousands of cyclists brought traffic in midtown Manhattan to a virtual standstill in the first significant protest ahead of the Republican convention at which President George W. Bush will be nominated to run for a second White House term.
Thousands of cyclists swarmed down Broadway from Central Park in a parade stretching more than a mile on Friday evening — a time when the area is typically crowded with theatregoers and people out for dinner and drinks.
The (…)

SUNDAY: The largest planned demonstration, with an expected crowd of up to 250,000, is to march uptown past Madison Square Garden and then back downtown to protest the Iraq war. Some are expected to gather later in Central Park, although they were denied a permit to do so. Later, as delegates arrive for special Broadway show performances, activists plan to swarm streets outside theaters.
MONDAY: A coalition of New York-based community groups called Still We Rise plans to march from Union (…)