But Jane and I did get a lovely serenade from the Code Pink gals as we stepped out of the parking garage this morning and it was nowhere near the “free speech zones.” Also saw a big march down the main street just up from the blogger tent area yesterday — so there is a lot more going on here than is being reported in the mainstream press. Will see if I can find links to local news coverage on this, as it’s been a bit better than out-of-town reportage…

(slinks off to the corner, brooding)

can i sit by you? because that is where i am at too.

fyi – see my post above from jesse who crashed the union party. jesse is a true hero in my book. wish like hell i was there with them now.

So I managed to get into this.

Dressed in white with nice shoes, a walmart unofficial souvenier T shirt and my IWW button Jennifer and I approached the Convention center (Not the Pepsi center where the convention is actually taking place. Walked past a bunch of indiffent looking riot cops and tried to go to the “Union Event”. I was told that I would have to get someone from inside come out a get me, a not very likely proposistion.

So I went to the other side, smiled at the people holding pictures of the mangled fetus and asked some people at a table about attending the “faith based event” I was asked for a ticket and said I had none but really wanted to go, so they passed me through and told me to talk to some people about late registration.

Once in I asked directions to the Union event an was directed inside and down stairs. As I walked in I was given a bunch of stuff including an ID holder identical to the ones the delegates use With AFL-CIO stuff written on the neck thingy. Score! I slipped my red card into this along with a black sheet of paper as background. Once in, I through my IWW red sabcat T shirt over my shirt and handed out copys of the Industrial worker to all those who seemd involved in organizing.

The show featured Ted Kennedy Jr, George Sweeny, whats his name the predident of SEIU and others. It was an almost inspiring meeting, with people saying they were going to take back the country for the Unions and harking back to when unions were fighting a War end even using the name of Big Bill Haywood, although not mentioning the IWW as the Union to which he belonged. The only problem was that all this energy was being directed, not to any union organizing, but rather to electin Obama who was presented as the Unions last great hope and if he was not elected all would be lost.

Wow, if only that energy could be directed to genuing radical change for the working people.

Was it Big Bill or someone else who said, “To hell with politics, the strike is your weapon.

We have already seen some change, no matter what happens next.

brooks is an ass.

this is a program, like a sports banquet.

some things you have to take as they are.

and critique them on that level….

like the jesse jackson JR speech…..puke.