"Today's action tells the naked truth about the lack of compassion the Bush administration has demonstrated to people with AIDS," says Robert Dabney, communications director for the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP). "Fifteen billion dollars a year is what experts are saying Africa needs to marshal to fight AIDS. Fifteen billion is also what African countries are paying on their debt every year," he says. With 9,000 people dying of AIDS daily -- most of them in Southern African countries that cannot afford to give their citizens HIV treatment -- developing-country debt to rich countries and financial institutions is literally killing people, protest organizers from ACT UP New York say.

The Global AIDS Fund, a massive international effort relying on generic medicines and condoms -- unlike President Bush's unilateral plan, which buys expensive patented drugs and pushes abstinence -- has requested $1 billion yearly from the U.S., Dabney says. Bush asked Congress for $200 million for the Fund, which in turn allocated $524 million รข?? with strings attached, he says: "The U.S. contribution has to be no more than 33% of the total. At this point, that would cut out $120 million. But other countries don't operate on the same fiscal year. If you're going to give people a matching requirement, be realistic about the time frame in which they need to raise that money. Don't give people only four or five months."

Taking the second arrests of New York City's much-anticipated RNC protests while demonstrating their naked humanity, the activists braved bemused police officers and shouts of, "Are you free later" One office worker, who had caught the first seconds of coverage on New York One, ran down to the street with a friend. "We wanted to see how the police would react," she said. "I mean, you can't manhandle them! They're naked." Returning to her skyscraper cubicle, she nodded toward the protesters and said, "This is awesome."