Ports closed at L.A., Long Beach

Louis Sahagun reports for the Times that "thousands of dockworkers at all 29 West Coast ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, took the day off work today in what their union called a protest of the war in Iraq, effectively shutting down operations at the busy complexes." In a release, International Longshore and Warehouse Union president Bob McEllrath said, "We are supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it's time to end the war in Iraq."