Torch Abridged: SF rules

British wall handwriting reading: Gordon Brown, three days later, come to his senses and announced he will not attend opening day. Menwhile Newsom cuts the parade route, the same as cutting his vote in half.

Onto Argentina.


Olympic Torch Relay Begins
Truncated Route in San Francisco
Associated Press
April 9, 2008 5:51 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Olympic torch relay has begun in San Francisco, where authorities cut its route roughly in half to keep demonstrators from disrupting the flame's symbolic journey to the Beijing Games.

At the opening ceremony Wednesday afternoon, the first torchbearer took the flame from a lantern brought to the stage and held it aloft before quickly departing again behind the scenes.


Getty Images
Police line the torch route to provide security before the start of the Olympic Torch relay in San Francisco.
About a half-hour earlier, San Francisco officials cut the original six-mile route to about three miles. Authorities did not offer an immediate explanation for the change, but city officials had warned they might truncate the route at the last minute for security reasons.

Already Wednesday, there have been heated exchanges between supporters of China's role hosting the Olympic Games and opponents of the Beijing government's human rights record. Demonstrators amassed before the start of the Olympic torch's only stop in North America, and law enforcement officers attempted to prevent a reprise of the chaotic demonstrations that have followed the flame along its journey to Beijing.

The torch's 85,000-mile, 20-nation global journey is the longest in Olympic history, and is meant to build excitement for the Games. But it has also been a target for activists angered over China's human-rights record, prompting officials to warn they might make a last-minute change to the relay route.

Another one comes to his senses: Gordon Brown announced today that he will skip opening day at the Bejing cadre's fiasco. The cards should tumble. Typicaly, George Bush is odd man out, vowing to continue to the opening day. This will be a food fight. The cadre is now sleepless more than a week. Hallucinations and fear of a knock at the door.

Well done San Francisco. Newsom canceled half the route, which is like cancelling half his vote.

On to Argentina.

Darcy Padilla for WSJ
A policman yelled at a pro-Tibet protester to back away from China supporters before the opening ceremony for the torch relay Wednesday at McCovey Cove, San Francisco.
Separately, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown won't attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. His Downing Street office said Mr. Brown was not boycotting the Olympics and would attend the closing ceremony.

Thousands of people had gathered along the relay route, which hugs the San Francisco Bay. Pro-Tibet and pro-China groups were given side-by-side permits to demonstrate, and there already were signs of tension.

"A lot of Tibetan people are getting killed," said 18-year-old Kunga Yeshi, who had traveled here from Salt Lake City. "The Chinese said they'd change if they got the Olympics, but they still won't change."

Across the street, a bus carrying dozens of pro-China supporters arrived.

"The Olympic spirit unites all human beings, not only Chinese -- also America and the whole world," said Hui Chen, 36, of San Jose. Mr. Chen said his was one of 50 buses chartered by an amateur sports association that wanted to celebrate China's first opportunity to host the Olympic Games.