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Activists planning protest at Rose Parade By: North County Times wire services PASADENA - Peace activists said Sunday they plan to protest and unfurl signs during the Rose Parade on Tuesday, and then march down Colorado Boulevard as the parade ends, calling for an end to the Iraq war and for the impeachment of the president and vice president. A group calling itself the White Rose Coalition said its members plan to demonstrate in front of the TV camera platforms at the Norton Simon Museum starting at 6 a.m. New Year's Day. Pasadena police said Sunday they had just heard...

What do y'all do in other parts of our great nation?

She wasn't Denver's first New Year's Baby, but Ellison Leigh Grimm set a milestone Sunday when she became the third person in her family born while the world launched a new year. Her parents had placed pink newborn shirts and booties on her crib for her expected arrival Jan. 7, but the infant decided to join the family early on Jan. 1 - the same date her mother, Jennifer Grimm, 29, and her maternal grandfather Ted Dyer, 51, were born. "We were expecting her later. But she made a run for it and barely made the deadline," Jay Grimm, 30,...

THE PRESIDENT: Happy New Year to you all. Thanks. I can't think of a better way to start 2006 then here at this fantastic hospital -- a hospital that's full of healers and compassionate people who care deeply about our men and women in uniform. It's also full of courageous young soldiers, Marines, airmen -- men and women who are serving our country and making great sacrifice. I'm just overwhelmed by the great strength of character of not only those who have been wounded, but of their loved ones, as well. And so, thank you all for bringing great credit...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1, 2006 – President Bush visited Brooke Army Medical Center, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, today to wish wounded troops undergoing treatment there a happy new year, thank them for their sacrifice, and present nine Purple Heart Medals. "I can't think of a better way to start 2006 than here at this fantastic hospital," Bush told reporters during a stop at the San Antonio post, where he met with 51 soldiers and Marines, most of them injured in Iraq. "This hospital is full of healers and compassionate people who care deeply about our men and women in uniform,"...

U.S. soldiers toast during merrymaking as they celebrate the New Year at the IZ hospital in Baghdad January 1, 2006. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said recently the number of U.S. combat forces in Iraq would be cut by some 7,000 by early 2006, and the numbers involved in training Iraq's new military would increase. (REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani)

SAN ANTONIO — President Bush today strongly defended his domestic spying program, saying it's a limited initiative that tracks only incoming calls to the United States. "It's seems logical to me that if we know there's a phone number associated with al-Qaida or an al-Qaida affiliate and they're making phone calls, it makes sense to find out why," Bush said. "They attacked us before, they'll attack us again." Bush spoke to reporters at Brooke Army Medical Center where he was visiting wounded troops. He said the leak of information about the secret order to eavesdrop on Americans with suspected ties...

President Bush Defends Domestic Spying Program, Claims Leak Causes Great Harm to U.S. SAN ANTONIO - President Bush on Sunday strongly defended his domestic spying program, saying it's a limited program that tracks only incoming calls to the United States. Bush spoke to reporters at Brooke Army Medical Center where he was visiting wounded troops. He said the fact that someone leaked information about the secret order to eavesdrop on Americans with suspected ties to terrorists causes great harm to the nation. "It's seems logical to me that if we know there's a phone number associated with al-Qaida or an...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: Accompanied by their daughter Barbara, the first couple and the pets arrived safely back at the White House earlier today. Before leaving Texas, the President began the new year on Sunday at the bedsides of wounded servicemen and women, and awarded nine Purple Hearts to U.S. troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president boarded the Marine One presidential helicopter before dawn on his ranch in Crawford and flew more than an hour to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. His motorcade drove to Brooke Army Medical Center, a 224-bed hospital at...

Presidential Message: New Year's Day December 31, 2003 The President's New Year's Day Message The past year has been a time of accomplishment and progress. Working together, our citizens have made America a safer, more prosperous, and better country. In the New Year, we will build on these successes, embracing the challenges and opportunities ahead. We have seen our brave men and women in uniform defend America and liberate the oppressed. We pray for their safety, and we are grateful for their service and the support of their families. In the past year, millions of people have answered the call...

Mummers divisions want to return parade to Broad StreetAssociated Press All four divisions of the Mummers Parade said they want to return to Broad Street for next year's parade, and a city official said he expects Mayor Street to go along. "The mayor is inclined to do this. I don't see a problem," city Managing Director Phil Goldsmith said after meeting with Mummers leaders. Dwindling crowds along South Broad Street led to a switch to Market Street for the annual New Year's Day event in 2000. But crowds didn't pack the route and the parade continued to be plagued by...

According to sources familiar with the latest gambit the Bush ultimatium consists of nine main points:Saddam must deliver a full, factual and public account of the nuclear chemical and biological weapons in his possession, together with a solemn undertaking to hand the forbidden arms over to the UN arms inspectors within two weeks, that is by mid-January 2003.In return, the United States promises to suspend military preparations for a war on Iraq.The United States also promises not to treat Saddams statement as a pretext for harming him and his family members physically.The United States of America will guarantee Saddams orderly...