What makes Obama run?

Gave a really crappy speech in 1988

In 1988, Bill Clinton gave the first big speech of his national political career, which I saw.

Without question, it was a disaster, like most things that year. Some Republican wag asked why Michael Dukakis was not part of the convention. Well, Michael Dukakis lied about his wife's sobriety when asked and the party never really forgave him. Kitty Dukakis was swilling cologne like a Russian tank driver. But Clinton's speech was like a turd in a punchbowl. It was truly awful, too long, too unfocused, too boring.

However, Barack Obama had better luck. If he were better known, the speech he gave would have been an excellent nominating speech for John Kerry. As it stands, it will serve as a template for Democrats to speak about any number of issues for years to come. Not only does the man drip charisma, he seems to have recovered the voice of the Democratic Party. He talked about money and faith in ways that the Democrats haven't in years.

I posted the text of the speech because it is something that should be read, not just talked about.

Speeches are funny things, they can do as much harm as good. I remember Pat Buchanan's KulturKampf speech in 1992, and the generally horrified reaction to it. Molly Ivins said that the speech "sounded better in the original German". As usual, she nailed it. It was an awful, Falangist kind of speech, the kind of thing which sounds better with an armband on at a rally.

Obama blew the room away. It was the kind of speech where you wish you were there to hear it. I wasn't and I wish I was.

I am rarely impressed by the poise and grace of a politician, because that IS their job. But Obama seems like a winner, such a winner that the Illinois GOP seems afraid of him. Is there no State Rep or Senator willing to risk a run? Scary. And if he has the presence of mind on the campaign trail he did tonight, well, that man is going places.

And as one of Atrios's posters noted, the man refuted Bill Cosby in an intelligent, but blunt, way. Oddly, because Obama is a man who had to find his black identity in the most unlikely and among coolest towards blacks places in America, Hawaii. His mother was white, his father Kenyan, his stepfather Indonesian. Yes, America makes anyone who is even partially black, black, but he seems to have found a black American identity some biracial people never grow completely comfortable with. He grew up literally outside of the black community. When he got to Columbia, he had to define himself.

Now, my family has someone who attended all of New York's major schools, except St. John's. Columbia was, by far, the least friendly towards blacks. Whereas Fordham was indifferent, and NYU not especially tense, Columbia, at least in the 80's, was. It wasn't Princeton icy, but it was a place you could feel uncomfortable. So young Mr. Obama had to make a conscious decision about who he would be. Which is no small deal, and it had to influence him at Harvard, which has a solid tradition of black scholarship (it was the one Ivy which readily accepted blacks as far back as the 19th Century).

Why does this matter?

Because his acceptance of being an American black is not small, not a minor detail. It isn't his heritage, it isn't how he grew up. He had to decide to accept it, and take no small abuse for not being like other blacks. He didn't have family in the South or eat their food, or learned their stories. He had to decide to do that. It's not like he could have said he was white, but he certainly didn't have to become a civil rights attorney in the most racially divided of America's large cities, Chicago. His wife is black, as well. Which means he was comfortable in his skin in a way some people, biracial or not, are never. And he was hammered for it when he ran against Bobby Rush, who may be an indifferent legislator, but is as much a hero in Chicago as John Lewis is in Atlanta. Rush survived being a Black Panther when they were about something and the Chicago PD executed them. Yet. Obama survived the slings of blackness against him and is now poised to head to the Senate, with no opposition, so far, an amazing story.

Yes, it was only a speech, but this is a guy who doesn't seem to take the easy way out of things, and that is a good sign in a person and a politician

The full text of Barack Obama's speech

Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic Convention in Boston

This is the full text of Barack Obama's speech before the DNC in Boston Tuesday night. It may be long, but before the legends start, people actually read what he said.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton's army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, "We hold these truths to he self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will he counted — or at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans — Democrats, Republicans, Independents — I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that's moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn't have the money to go to college.

Don't get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don't expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don't want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they've defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we've seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us.

John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he'll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren't held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never he the first option.

A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one's full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief — I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper — that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America — there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America!

Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank you and God bless you.

Two protesters getting ready to stand outside the Fleet Center.
Steve

The man street leading to the Fleet Center. Imagine how a large protest would fill the street. At the end of this street and to the right is the protest cage.
Steve

This was held by two men dressed in top hats and tails.They should have worn dreads to look like trustifarians
Steve

Man protesting in Boston Common. On the right edge of the shot, you can see one of 20 MP's and cops in the area
Steve

Protest Prison, the best sign in the Protest Cage. Part of Boston's Republic of Fear
Steve

My day in Boston, part I

Looking for Al Qaeda SEALS

I didn't attend one breakfast, listen to one seminar, and definitely didn't go into the Fleet Center. What I'm reading from bloggers is exactly what I expected, which doesn't make me too happy. But, like I said, I expected the stargazing and note taking. Although it should cause people to judge the media a bit less harshly when it comes to reporting. We're all human and have the same foibles.

Let's establish two things, one no one gives a shit who you have lunch with, speeches you sit through, or where the media is. Two, people do care about real news.

What did I do with my day? Walk around Boston and Cambridge, do a little shopping, and oh yeah, saw how the security was and what delegates did.

My one bit of advice: GET OUT OF THE FUCKING HALL.

Because if you guys don't start telling people what happened, it's a waste of time. And don't come to New York and expect this level of handholding, because it won't exist.

Why am I irritated? Because I read the National Journal and found out only bloggers have decent wi-fi access. And it took the BBC to report how veteran political reporter Walter Means was laughed out of the room whem he said he was objective. Uh guys, that's something I want to read about. And not in the BBC, either.

If you guys hadn't been so impressed with your entry passes, you might have noted the insanely dangerous conditions for protest. The Protest Prison as the sign there called it, is one scary place. It was barely filled when the answer crowd did their apologia for the Palestinians, without noting that even the Palestinians are sick of the corruption of PA. If there is a large crowd, and things get wacky, people will get hurt. Oh yeah, the cops are perfectly poised to drop tear gas in that small area, with two narrow egress and entry points. If something goes wrong, people will get hurt, maybe trampled or killed. It is the most dangerous setting I have ever seen for a protest.

I was happy there wasn't a crowd there. Because the City of Boston was slick, they picked a place to limit protest and a place no delegate has to go to unless they want to. By setting up that pen, they limited protest better than a simple ban. By setting up a funnel to the protest prison they may have a secure area, they also have the potential for a bad riot.

There are a couple of things which you haven't seen in the news. First, the vibe in Boston, despite the complaining, is pretty chill. People are friendly, well as friendy as Boston gets, and despite the insane level of closures of the highways, the trains are still running effectively. They will make you get off at Haymarket, where you will have to walk two long blocks to where North Station is. In New York, the stations would never be so close.

I'll get deeper into my observations tomorrow night (I'm travelling early) and explain what I saw in detail, but the DNC couldn't have picked a friendlier environment for a convention. However, the security is pretty much a joke. There are all kinds of federal cops standing around buying brownies and checking out the girls. There are MP's at train stops, helicopters in the air, and when I looked up, an F-14 on patrol. It is not only fear-based overkill, it sucked in so many resources, it would make me nervous to take the train in Chicago or DC this week.

The abuse of security as fear meme is one that will have to be watched in New York. There are so many cops that you really have to wonder if they could be deployed elsewhere. When you see SWAT guys drinking coffee and chatting in groups, the whole security thing starts to seem stupid. Not that there aren't threats, but they shut down most of the local road net. Which is a major pain in the ass to the people who live here.

But, it's not as bad as they make it out to be, you can still move around the city with relative ease. But then, Bostonians like to be dramatic about such things.

Isn't she a minor?

Still jailbait

"Isn't she a little young?"
A new public service ad campaign in Virginia uses billboards and bar coasters to remind men that sex with a minor is against the law. But will it work?

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Corrie Pikul

July 26, 2004 | The Rock Falls Tavern in Richmond, Va., is a typical neighborhood bar: There's pizza, a pool table and a regular after-work crowd. It's comfortable in its predictability -- which is why, when strange new postcards appeared in racks last week, patrons took notice.

"So when I saw my buddy going after this young girl," the postcards read in black type, printed above the address for the statutory rape section of the Virginia Department of Health's Web site, "I knew I couldn't just sit there. Isn't she a little young?"

The Tavern has allowed advertisers to offer postcards in the past -- but to sell a product, not dissuade men from pursuing underage girls. Chip Dell, the Tavern's general manager, who says he "doesn't allow people under the age of 21 into the bar area after 9 p.m.," has mixed feelings about the cards. "I agree with the sentiment behind them, but I don't know how effective they're going to be," he says. He just put out the cards about a week ago, but he's already received feedback from the regulars: "They mostly joke -- say things like, 'I need to send this to my buddy and make sure his wife gets it!' -- to get their buddy in trouble."

The postcards are part of a public awareness campaign sponsored by the Virginia Department of Health. Similar "Isn't she a little young?" messages will appear on 225,000 coasters, postcards and napkins in nearly 150 bars and retail stores in northern Virginia, Richmond and Roanoke. People who don't frequent bars like the Rock Falls Tavern or SJ's Lakeside Tavern on Lakeside Avenue will still have a chance to see the messages -- in giant type, on outdoor billboards in central and northern Virginia. The billboards -- which include the warning "Sex with a minor. Don't go there" -- will be up until the end of July; the bars will keep materials on hand until they run out.

Under Virginia's statutory rape laws it's illegal for an adult 18 or older to have sex with someone age 15 to 17 -- but the Virginia Department of Health isn't targeting the high school senior and her college boyfriend (although, for obvious reasons, the department can't actually say this). Nor is this campaign targeted at the other extreme of the spectrum: pedophiles or disturbed adults with sexual fetishes for young children. "We agreed that people who are going after children 12 and under are not going to be fazed by a billboard campaign," says Rebecca Odor, the Department of Health's director for violence prevention. (In Virginia, it's a felony for an adult to have a sexual relationship with a 13- or 14-year-old child.)

Rather, says Robert Franklin, the department's male-outreach coordinator for sexual violence prevention, who helped initiate the $85,000 campaign, "Our goal is to bring awareness to the issues of statutory rape and sexual coercion."

What really worries the Virginia Department of Health is teen pregnancy and how it relates to sex with minors, technically called statutory rape. "The push for the campaign came from seeing the numbers of teens becoming pregnant by older men," Franklin says. "The campaign is aimed at reducing the number of young girls who have had children fathered by older men."

"Statutory rape is a significant public health problem nationwide," says Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "A large percentage of births from young women can be from older men." He cites several studies, including a 1997 study that indicated that at least half of all babies born nationally to minor women were fathered by adult men. "The fact that Virginia is trying to do something about this is commendable," Benjamin says.

It is estimated that in 2000 the state of Virginia "had a total of 104 births to 14- and 15-year-olds that the age of the fathers would have made their engaging in sex a felony," Franklin says. (The number can only be estimated because just 28 percent of mothers age 14 to 15 reported the age of the baby's father.)

Salon ran a wonderful review of killed pieces later collected in a book, but the reason I'm talking about this instead, is because it is one of the least discussed public health issues in the US. Teenage girls rarely have children for boys their own age. Men my age, 39, are imprgnating girls as young as 14 or 15 years old. While Literotica doesn't run sex with minor stories, most sexual story sites as well as Usenet sex story groups do. They encourage both incest and sex with minors.

Most don't serve a day of jail time or even support their kids. So what you have is a culture where sex with teen girls is not only encouraged, but deemed acceptable "if she looks old enough". It's the same game played in college, where freshmen women suddenly have all these male suitors or why graduate students are found attractive by professors. Men maybe attracted to women for any number of reasons, but someone chasing a teenager is looking for sex.

But it's often not noted how teen girls actively seek these adult boyfriends. Older men have always had a cachet with young women, and not just teenagers. And a lot of parents turn their heads when their teen daughters take up with men five, even ten years older than they are.

This is a public health issue and people treat it as personal foible. Besides the psychological damage created when these older men abandon them, there is the issue of the higher risk when these teenagers give birth and the burden they create on their families and the state because these men will not support them.

It isn't really aquestion of sex or the age of consent laws, because as the article states, we aren't talking about college students, but kids who are sleeping with men.

Also, the abstinance campaign ignores this, by assuming teen girls sleep with teen boys and we have imperical proof to the contrary. A 25 year man screwing a 17 year old girl is not interested in abstinance or anything like it.

Blogging in Boston, pt III

The bloggers most important tool

I'm a bit loopy from a two day going away party for my friend., who's moving to Miami with his wife, and while I'll miss him, the clear blue water and key lime pie is enough to make me understand why he moved. Of course, they got stupid drunk the first night, when I left early to pack, and the second night, to break down my computer. I wish I had taken a picture of Jen playing Big Buck Hunter II, because honestly, I was surprised she took to it. When you say kill Bambi or Rudolph, even as a game, most women recoil in horror. Not Jen. Her scores were better than mine and I'm not a bad shot.

But what I want to talk about is how times have changed. I've been online since 1996 as a writer, and the sea change was subtle, but serious. Blogs eliminated much of the technical aspects of running a website, and brought down the costs for production. So the emphasis shifted from design to content, as some of us predicted that it would.

The web has married print to timeliness. I can go online at any point ofthe day and publish a story. It's not hard. I'm sitting in my sister's living room, writing this, on a dial-up connection, listening to Radiohead's 2=2=5, which is a pretty intense anti-Bush song.

What I don't the media realizes is why the blogs have such power. And it's simple: ads. Kicking in money to websites is not a bad thing, I've asked for it, and I've done it. So I think it's a good thing. But it's important to have ad-supported sites. In fact, it's critical. Ads are reliable, or at least predictable, money. The more ad money we can raise, the fewer fundraising drives we have to do. And that's a good thing for everyone.

In my book, Henry Copeland, of blogads, will go down in internet history as the first honest ad broker, Instead of selling clicktrhoughs he allows site owners to sell demographics. And frankly, demos sell better than clickthroughs. Before him, ad brokers stole money and paid pennies on the dollar. Copeland does and 80-20, which is more than fair considering hehas to pay forther server technology to run the ads.

I don't think readers understand why being an ad supported site is so critical. when we did NetSlaves, we were desperate to be an ad supported site and we could never make that deal. In less than a year, I've made a fairly decent income from ads, raising the prices as the market gets better. But ads, if not steady, are predictable and that means you can run your site and make money to live on.

People debating over which ad Atrios or Kos or I (and that would be a short debate) take are missing the larger point. We are not political campaigns. If Fox News wants to buy space, let them, because they're directly supporting a website which opposes their world view. It's not an ideological test, but a matter of financial survival. And that is more important, by far and away.

While the news media fawns over the words, they don't get that the financial survival of the blogs is the real trick, along with the use of better tools. Anyone can go online, but not everyone can build a financially successful site and keep it going. Nora Ephron, who was a reporter before she was a director, was once asked about writer's block, and she said, she didn't have time for it, she had a deadline to meet. Do you know what a journalist with writer's block is called? An ex-journalist.

Blog writers now have contractual obligations to keep their sites up. I think there's also a moral obligation as well. I could write about the convention from the comfort of my DSL line and wireless network at home, but I feel a moral and financial obligation to spend at least one day in Boston. A lot of people would like to be here, but can't, for any number of reasons. It's not just publish when you're in the mood. There's money involved and that makes a different. Make no mistake, money is the seed which grows into blogs. It's not just campaigns which have benefited from the explosion of support from the left.

There's a post on Kos which amplies my point about what we're doing here in Boston. Besides, shopping and eating cheesesteaks. Part of it is learning how to cover live events, like the radically different GOP convention next month. Because there won't be much hand holding. I'm more than likely to not cover anything live because I think it will be dangerous to do so. But not from Al Qaeda. There are people who have real grievances against Bush and the GOP and they won't be nice about it. I expect gay groups out in force and none too happy, the same with cops. And the loudest and angriest group will be the workers poisioned at Ground Zero while the government lied, something the Soviets didn't do at Chernobyl.

But the media is going for the easy story and not the real one, which the first truly successful and commericially viable publications on the web. And they happen to be blogs.

Blogging Boston pt II

How I spent my Sunday

The odd thing about all this talk about blogging by the mainstream media is that they don't get what we're doing.

Conventions, by their nature, are rote affairs, with predetermined outcomes. I can't say that I expect anything more than stargazing (wow, Ben Affleck is really tall, I didn't know Bill Richardson was so funny), because I think most of the bloggers are going to get overwhelmed by the press of news, if they don't have a journalism background. Some people will do well, but some, without training or a sense of how to cover an event, may be swamped by the convention.

But this is to be expected. And to be honest, this is a perfect training ground for people wanting to learn about the news. Sure, some of the folks going there will be fooled by this debate or that floor statement, and call that some kind of news story, but many will learn about what reporting is. I would hope those who want to blog news, and there are issues people, event people and protest people as well, had dug up the AP style book or a basic reporting guide. Why? Because while ignorance is bliss, being an amateur reporter is hard on the reporter and tiring for the subject.

If bloggers are going to learn how to cover a spot news event, this is the place and time, a relatively friendly event, lots of activity and a small city. Some folks will shine, some will not, but that's the way it is with news. Will we supplant the reporters? No. Because they will do what they do. Will there be a fresh voice for the news? Not really, because this isn't really a news event, so fresh is unlikely.

But, the reason people need to blog the DNC, and there are a lot more than 30 people going to cover this thing, is to learn what they can and cannot do. This is a good way to break into the big time of reporting on things and not just commenting on them. People shouldn't judge the DNC as a test of bloggers, per se, but a training experience, one hopes more like Taranto than Dieppe. There are a lot of smart, thoughtful people blogging, but few who have ever covered spot news.

Why?

Because the RNC will be serious business. There won't be time to learn and to figure things out. I expect serious confrontations and some open hostility to the RNC and their delegates. People will have to know what kind of risk they feel comfortable with, and things they can deal with. I wouldn't send any inexperienced people into New York's streets in August. It won't be smiles and pats on the back.

My approach to this is I will spend a day watching the circus, and then use the TV to start to discuss policy issues. I couldn't take four days of this stuff, but I owe all you kind people something more than what you can read on the news. Besides, I want to get some outlet clothes and cheap lobster.:) Hey, it's $10 on the bus each way. It's more expensive to go to the Hamptons.

I don't know how I'll handle New York yet, but I expect violence on a serious scale. From the cops and fire widows, to be honest, who will be protesting en masse.

Here are Steve's simple rules for blogging the DNC:

1) Remember, you are a witness, not a reporter. Don't pretend to be one, don't try to use press facilities, and tell people who you are up front. They have an absolute right not to talk to you or assist you.

2) Do not ignore police instructions or argue with the cops. You do not have a press pass, unless you have one. And if you don't, you may well be arrested if you go where cops tell you not to go.

3)Self-survival comes before all else. At the first sign of trouble, run, get on a bus or train, get away from the scene as fast as you can. Whether an unlikely terrorist attack or cops beating anarchists silly, run from trouble to a safe area. This is no game. Reporters have expensive lawyers to help them. You will not.

4)Study maps, study train routes, so you know where you're going. Even take a digital picture of the place you get out of, so you can find your way back. You do not want to be lost in a strange city.

5)Always be polite when dealing with anyone. Always.

6)BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WRITE. Libel suits are expensive, so if you see a delegate you know from home with what you think is a hooker, don't use his name unless you know she's a sex worker. You can say a lot, but if you have questions, google libel law and see where it falls.

7)Be honest. Don't alter events to make them more exciting. I know people are going to be excited, instead of world weary like me:). Don't make little things big, unless they are big. A delegation threatening to walk out is not big, it could be a political tactic. Walking out, that's big. The same with comments. There will be a lot of hanger ons, people who will intimate access they do not have. If you hear something weird, check it out before you run it. People will try to play you, for their own goals, for their candidates, to get hype for their career. Be careful, and trust your instincts. Don't do stuff that other people want you to do. Say no and mean it.

8)Have fun. You're a blogger, not a reporter. Much of what will happen will happen on TV. If you want to go shopping, or see Harvard, do it. You're probably not being paid. So you work as hard and as long as you want, then stop. You'll have days of work, and you aren't on deadline. Relax, and use the blog to your advantage, you can post that biting commentary from Starbucks as well as the press center. So don't think you have to follow all the press rules.

Good luck and good blogging.

Jenna comes to Harlem

Would you want her teaching your kids?

Jenna is unwanted

Not everyone wants Jenna Bush to teach in Harlem.

Artists and Activists United for Peace, a black and Latino public-action group, plans to express its displeasure with the First Daughter at a rally on Sept. 2, during the Republican National Convention.

"We don't think she is of a high enough moral character to teach school, considering her past adventures," said group organizer John Penley. "Her taking this job is keeping a black person from getting the job. We think she and her sister should enlist in the military."

Past adventures including two alleged abortions, an arrest for underage drinking, getting high with Ashton Kutcher, and swanning around the South of France drinking $250 bottles of vodka.

So why is she fit to teach black children in Harlem?

While some folks may say it's not fair to pick on the poor girl, it's not like she's going to Oxford and gets hired by McKinsey. She's what the boys call a frat ho, and the Secret Service allegedly had to clean up behind her partying ways. Not that her sister is much better. If Jenna Bush wasn't the daughter of the president, she'd be someone the frat guys in Austin would avoid on the street when they got real jobs at the lege or in government.

"Oh, that Jenna?" "Dude, everybody at UT hit that, everybody".

I don't know if her taking a job is keeping a black person from getting it, we seem to have such a shortage of teachers, they import them from Austria. But I do know it's a nice way to remind people of Bush's family values in practice, instead of theory. And in practice, people seem to think his daughters are trampy.

This doesn't mean they shouldn't have sex, or that drinking is a sin, but if your father was president, wouldn't you try to act with a little dignity?

The News Blog reader's guide to Boston

The bridge over the Charles River.

This is a compilation of the tips from the earlier Boston post, with some useful links at the end. Thanks everyone who commented. I hope this makes sense.

Restaurants:

Wilson's Diner on (507) Main Street in Waltham. Sure, that means you can't walk there, but if you have access to a car, it's 20 minutes tops, and it's really, really good, and cheap. That's my two cents. Have a good time.

I've worked in Waltham for five years and lived there for three (just moved at the beginning of the month). If you want to go to Wilsons (highly recommended, Bill Griffith even drew it), but have no car, you can take the Fitchburg line out to Waltham and walk about 5 minutes to it. Although you'll have to take the train from Porter Sq. because North Station is closed.

Dinner at Delux (a small bar two or three blocks south of Copley Square, on Clarendon). Best damned pub food I have had anywhere in the country. Best kept secret in the city.

Try coming across the river to Cambridge- it's walkable from the Fleet Center and everything is within walking distance of the Red Line. Central Square has some of the best food in greater Boston, especially if you like Indian or Chinese. Mary Chung's is celebrated all over for their spicy wonton soup, called Suan La Chow Show. Over in Inman square there's Dali, which has the best tapas and Spanish food I've ever seen. Harvard Square has some good stuff, but Central is less expensive and crowded.

There's a good diner on South Street. From South Station go South on Atlantic and turn right onto Kneeland. The South Street Diner is one (short) block up. It's open 24 hours, the food is decent, cheap, and they have alcohol. There's also Mul's Diner on Broadway between A and B streets. That one's not open late though.

The Legal Seafood on Long Wharf is better than any of the other ones in the city. It's also the only one where you can sit outside.

The north end shouldn't be hard to get to. The subway stop at Haymarket will be open, or if you're downtown/Faneuil Hall just walk north on Congress St to North St or Sudbury. Remember the highway isn't there anymore so it's easy to walk there now.

Not sure if you know, but most of the food stalls in Quincy Market are outposts of real restaurants. So if you see something you like, chances are there's a sit down version of it somewhere. For example, the Indian place there is the Bombay Club, which was (and is) a restaurant in Harvard Square.

Durgan Park prime rib. Absolutely delish. Your cholesterol numbers go up by 30 points just looking at it.

The original restaurant, at Haymarket. The others are pale copies.

The waitresses there are a trip too. Two traditions:

* No trays. They stack the plates down their arm.

* Rudeness, or more accurately brusqueness. I know of someone who got fired from being too polite.

I was there once, and my father was suggesting the (very good) Indian Pudding for dessert, and she said, "You don't want that KAKA, get the Strawberry Shortcake." (Yes, she really said KaKa)

I think that she had been told to push the shortcake that day.

My Wife, who eats Dairy in non Kosher restaurants, has had the fish there, Scrod I think, and she thought that it was great too.

Good raw bar too.

The Union Oyster Bar

1) Skipjack's (in Copley Square, always fresh, good value) 2) East Ocean City (in Chinatown, Chinese seafood from the tank, very good value)

Also in the Back Bay there is:

o Stephanie's (Newbury and Exeter, a bit pricey, but good comfort food) o L'Espalier (Gloucestery and Comm Ave, prix fixe, very pricey, but divine!)

If you're looking for something a bit more off the beaten path, though, come to my neighborhood--Davis Square in Somerville! We have great nightlife (Brave Combo is playing at Johnny D's during the convention, and you can also get a tasty meal there), plenty of good restaurants--2 good Indian, including Diva, one of the best in the area; cheap Chinese; even cheaper but *good* burritos at Anna's and Picante; a new Tibetan place that's tiny but very good; Irish bar-type food; a good creperie; an Asian fusion place further down Elm St; Redbones BBQ (the pecan pie is to die for!); Tu y Yo, good Mexican "home cooking" in Powderhouse Sq. nearby; and Soundbites, server of the best damn breakfast in town, up on Broadway in Ball Square--another Buck A Book *and* McIntyre & bMoore, a good used bookstore, several nifty coffee houses (forget Charbucks--try the Someday Cafe, Carberry's--which has the best pastries--or, my favorite, the Diesel Cafe, owned and operated by honest to God diesel dykes and a great place to hang out), a good cheap movie theater, some interesting stores, an Italian grocery, 2 secondhand music stores...oh, hell, I know I'm forgetting things, but West Somerville in general is lots of fun and a great place to hang out. Oh, and word to the wise: Everything at Mary Chung's is either bland or incendiary, and the Suan la Chow Show is particularly the latter...you'll definitely be wanting some ice cream at Toscanini's down the street afterwards to sooth your seared taste buds. Also, Dim Sum at either Grand Chow Show or China Pearl is not to be missed (but not for the faint of heart, if you don't know what to expect).

The only thing I can add to this is that the Café Dello Sport (North End, of course) is the only place so far in the USA where I've been able to get a real Italian espresso. They even spoke Italian there!

Boston is probably one of the most European cities in the States as far as attitudes go. If you go in with a Roman, Parisian or Berliner attitude, you'll get along fine.

Strangely enough, Boston has one of the best Mexican restaurants in the U.S.--Casa Romero--not Tex-Mex, but Mexico City cuisine (i.e., gournet, with evidence of the French influence from the time of Maximillian). Love their Chicken Mole!

Also, it's in an alley off of Glouster Street. You really have to look for it to find it, but it's well worth the trouble!

I recommend checking out two excellent BBQ joints: Blue Ribbon, in Arlington (you'd have to drive there), and Redbones, in Sommerville (take red line to Davis). Blue Ribbon is great, but they have no liquor license. Redbones is quite good too.

Boston Pizza:

As I recall, the pizza in Indianapolis was worse than in Boston, but not by much.

I have a theory that good pizza (at least what a New Yorker considers good pizza) only exists in the area that lies within 75 miles of a line drawn between Philadelphia and New York City.

By the way, the worst pizza I've ever had was in London. Israel had the second worst.

My favorite was pizza is served up at V&T;'s on Amsterdamn Ave in NYC, a couple blocks south of Columbia U. My second favorite is at Town Spa in Stoughton, MA, about 20 minutes south of Boston. Town Spa pizza is nothing like V&T;'s, but it's the best pizza in the South Shore where I grew up.

Also, if you think Boston pizza is bad, you clearly have never been to the Rondonia state in Brazil. No sauce, bad cheese, and they put crap like grapes and corn on it. *shudder*

Nah, pizza in PA sucks too (If you really want a laugh order a meatball hero, they come with pickles on). NY's superior pizza and bagels are because of the water. Where I live in downstate NY, we have city water, east of here they have well water. Any bread products in my vicinity are top shelf, east of here they suck donkey balls.

I know of some good pizza places in Cambridge & JP but in general you're right, it's crap compared to NY pizza.

Travel:

Not sure why North Station being closed and Cambrige Galleria are tied together (or maybe they aren't), but you can get there via a shuttle from Kendall Square if memory serves. Or just walk, it's about 10 minutes.

I live in Waltham too, and it's not at all a long trip into Boston either by train or car. Except during the convention, when the train will stop at Porter Square and the cars will stop everywhere. In addition to the diner, there are lots of good restaurants and pubs, including the Burren's sister pub, the Skellig, on Moody Street.I live in Waltham too, and it's not at all a long trip into Boston either by train or car. Except during the convention, when the train will stop at Porter Square and the cars will stop everywhere. In addition to the diner, there are lots of good restaurants and pubs, including the Burren's sister pub, the Skellig, on Moody Street.

The green line is completely closed past north station anyway, due to replacing the el with a subway. Shuttle buses run from Gov't Center to Lechmere. Probably will be a nightmare so the shuttle from Kendall is definitely your best bet. There's another very nice mall in the Prudential center if you'd rather.

If you want to go to Revere Beach, the blue line won't be affected by the convention, other than being more crowded than normal

Things to do:

Hey Steve - I'm a Boston local, and I really appreciate the effort you've put in so far. I have mixed feelings about what they've done to my city (Fortress Bostonia); however, it'll be cool to get a lot of folks out here to see what a great city we have. I especially look forward to reading all you bloggers' impressions.

Boston Harbour Tour - I don't recommend tours in general, and most of the ones here in Boston are downright embarrassing (quack quack). That said, the Boston Harbour tour is a whole different story. It's awesome. Of course, it'll eat up two/three hours or so, and they may not even be doing it during the convention. But if they are, think about it.

Open Mic at The Burren, Tuesdays. Ok, whatever - I think it's cool. It's at the Davis Square stop on the Red Line. Good bar, the crowd gets really into it (and it's a good crowd too - ranges from 20-somethings to 40-somethings), some guys suck, others are awesome. I myself play there now & then. Good place to take relatives who want to go out but don't want to just sit & drink.

For bars, there's always interesting crowds at the Middle East, Phoenix Landing in Central, the B Side Lounge in Kendall, Charlies in Harvard Square, and Cambridge Common between Harvard and Porter.

Bar inside Faneuil Hall

I've always had enough to do in Cambridge, so I rarely go to Boston, but check out Newbury street for fancy shops and restaurants, and Landsdowne St. for nightclubs like Avalon and Axis. Jillians is a multi-level arcade/billiards/bar type place that can be fun in rare, small doses.

I'll be around and looking for trouble during the convention - if anyone wants a travel guide or a drinking partner, send me an email ...

It's the mad photographer again...The Gap that was in Downtown Crossing is gone now (replaced by some sneaker store or another), but the Eddie Bauer is still there. They've just totally renovated the Opera House, and _The Lion King_ is now playing there (good luck getting tickets...)--apparently they did a HELL of a job on the building, because it was about to fall in a few years back. There's a Buck A Book on Franklin St. near Downtown Crossing, and one on Court St./State St. just off Government Center, plus the aforementioned Borders and Barnes & Noble. The Holocaust Memorial is near Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market, across from some of the big "meet market" bars in the neighborhood and is very moving; the Irish Famine memorial in front of the Borders far less so, IMNSHO (and I'm part Irish!)--it strikes me as both mawkish and condescending (the family striding away from the poor starving wretches doesn't look determined as much as snotty); the one on Cambridge Common is much better. Don't bother with Kenmore Square unless you're going to either Fenway Park or one of the establishments on Landsdown St.--all the neat old stores/restaurants/etc. have been bulldozed and replaced by the Hotel Commonwealth, aka the John Silber Phallic Symbol and Monument to Megalomania (yes, I know it's not particularly phallic-looking, but considering that it's basically his goddamn fault that MA has had Republican Governors since 1990, and he's an asshole on a world-class scale, I'm not inclined to be charitable). If you like "alternative" entertainment, try Central Square in Cambridge--you've got the Middle East (upstairs and downstairs), Zuzu's (part of the Middle East complex) and T.T. the Bear's Place for music, and Man Ray just down the street for the goth/fetish crowd (although Thursday night is Campus, the gay night)--the latter has a very strict dress code, though (no sneakers, baseball hats, flannels, polo shirts--basically, wear all black and don't act like an asshole frat boy; they have the code to keep such types from harassing the regulars and assaulting the "sexy death chicks" in attendance, so while it's annoying it's understandable), so be warned.

For random cheap books, try the Brattle Book Shop, it's right in downtown crossing. Lots and lots of books from $1-$5, new and used. West St is right on the other side of Washington St from the Eddie Bauer outlet. The bookstore is just up on the right.

The Old Corner Bookstore. Has New England books, and more importantly, internet access for a minimal fee.

Links

Boston.com-The Boston Globe website with a ton of useful links

Boston Online-The unconventional version of the all inclusive guide to Boston, with their visitor's guide

The Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau-Always useful.

The Boston Phoenix-the Boston Village Voice and their convention guide

The MBTA-The local mass transit and the only way to get around Boston. Even the locals say they can't drive.

Search for local Boston restaurants

As usual, add what you think matters.

645 deserters from Ft. Drum since 9/11

Army deserter, Jeremy Hinzman may have hundreds, if not thousands of compatriots if the Fort Drum numbers apply nationwide

Hoosick Falls soldier taken into custody
Rensselaer County man accused of desertion
WNYT-TV

July 23 - A 20-year-old Rensselaer County soldier accused of desertion from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum has been taken into military custody.

The Army says Pvt. Anthony J. Wirmusky, of Hoosick Falls, received permission for emergency leave while he and his unit were stationed in Afghanistan, and then did not return to his base.

............
Sgt. Cain Claxton says Fort Drum has seen 645 warrants for desertion issued since Sept. 11, 2001.

Hmm, sounds like 1970 to me. There may be thousands of potential deserters fleeing the Army, and they're trying to hide the scandal. This is being hidden from the press and probably Congress as well.

This is from the Memory Hole, the website which asks uncomfortable questions via the Freedom of Information Act

My Freedom of Information Act request regarding deserters yielded the following documents from the US Army.

First is a PowerPoint presentation using data from fiscal year 1997 to May 2003. The two-page document is here, or you can view both pages as images below.

Second is an Army information paper regarding deserters. It's available as the original Word document here, and as text at the bottom of this page.

The official numbers:

FY 1997: 2,218
FY 1998: 2,520
FY 1999: 2,966
FY 2000: 3,949
FY 2001: 4,597
FY 2002: 4,021
FY 2003 (to May 2003): 2,096
TOTAL: 22,367

The numbers indicate that 22,000 deserted the Army since 1997, but that's a relatively small number. What Drum's numbers indicate is an increasing pace of desertion from combat units and is becoming a problem. Add in a third tour, and these numbers will explode.

Come with us

Toastmaster Bush yukking it up with negroes

Bush says GOP `has got a lot of work to do' in appealing to black voters

July 23, 2004, 6:18 PM

PETE YOST

Associated Press

DETROIT - President Bush acknowledged on Friday that "the Republican Party has got a lot of work to do" to gain the support of black voters and suggested that the Democratic Party is taking them for granted.

"I know plenty of politicians assume they have your vote," the president told the National Urban League. "But do they earn it and do they deserve it?"

Bush's remarks came as a new poll showed overwhelming support for John Kerry among black voters. The poll also showed blacks have yet to entirely warm up to the presumptive Democratic nominee.

The president's speech followed his refusal to address the NAACP, whose chairman, Julian Bond, has condemned the administration's policies on education, the economy and the war in Iraq and has urged high black voter turnout to defeat Bush.

Bush pointed to the fact that blacks such as national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell are key members of his administration. To periodic smatterings of applause from the black audience, he asserted that his prescription of tax relief, education reform and compassionate conservatism is doing far more than the traditional programs of Democrats to address the nation's ills that hit particularly hard at blacks.

"Has class warfare or higher taxes ever created decent jobs in the inner city?" Bush asked. "Are you satisfied with the same answers on crime, excuses for drugs and blindness to the problem of the family?"

He invited blacks to "take a look at my agenda" of boosting small businesses, demanding high standards in the nation's public schools and defending "the institutions of marriage and family."

He proposed an initiative that seeks to expand business ownership among minorities by creating one-stop centers for business training, counseling, financing and contracting.

"Is it a good thing for the African-American community to be represented mainly by one political party?" the president asked. "How is it possible to gain political leverage if the party is never forced to compete?"

Bush drew on a line from a former Illinois state legislator who once said, "Blacks are gagging on the donkey but not yet ready to swallow the elephant," references to the symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties respectively.

Repeating a line that is part of his stump speech to Republican crowds, Bush declared, "I'm here to ask for your vote." The line drew weak applause from the Urban League audience.

"I know, I know, I know," Bush added. "The Republican Party has got a lot of work to do. I understand that," prompting laughter and louder applause and apparently provoking a vigorous nod of the head from the Rev. Jesse Jackson who was sitting in the crowd.

"You didn't need to nod your head that hard, Jesse," Bush said, triggering more laughter.

After the speech, Jackson said that Bush "has done some gestures, but he talked to us, not with us."

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....ROTFLMAO

Want some advice? Stop getting black kids killed in Iraq. Otherwise......

Well, he's always got his "wife" Condi to guide him. Uh, why won't the GOP admit the simple fact that they are the party of racists. Now I know some little Uncle Tom on the White House staff fed him those lines, but it's a joke. If this was a colorblind America, Herman Cain and Vernon Robinson wouldn't have wound up with 20-25 percent of the vote after polls showing them winning or running even with white opponensts. White Republicans don't vote for black candidates.

To start with, look at how Colin Powell has been treated by Bush. As a local paper put it: the most powerful black man in government but the weakest secretary of state in modern history. I would say William Rogers was, but the point is that Powell is outside the loop, so outside it isn't funny. He's been disrespected in every way imaginable for a man of his rank and stature. While many blacks disagree with him, he is accorded a great deal of respect, while Rice is sneered at as a Bush lackey.

The idea that Bush could insult the NAACP and then shuck and jive with the Urban League is a joke. You can't dis one and then court the other. They are all related. Don't kick my brother and then ask me for a favor.

The GOP acts like black people are the enemy, even those who try to work with them. Tales of disrespect by GOP politicos towards blacks is common and well-known. So when Bush talks about trusting him, he's either kidding or a fool.