MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AUG. 29, 10 A.M. >>>

Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field was a big event.  Big in every sense of the word.  The big venue held 84,000 people.  Expectations weren't just mile high.  They were five miles high.  It was a significant moment in history.  The world was watching.  Political heavy hitters and celebrities galore were present.  The event took place on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  Obama handled his business with a performance that was moving, specific in detail, and a show of strength.  He shared his vision, outed the opposition and took them to task about personal attacks on his patriotism and integrity.  He challenged his opponent to debates about foreign policy and national security.  He looked like a commander in chief - a true statesman.  He made us feel hopeful about the future and emphasized that we all have a role in improving it.

This event, however, wasn't  just about politics.  It was a celebration and our state delegation fulfilled its responsibility with honors.  We turned our aisle into a makeshift dance floor.  Gov. Chris Gregoire, Congressmen Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott, and Sen. Rosa Franklin joined the party.  Spike Lee stopped by and grooved with us for a minute. Bill Richardson and Al Gore gave stirring speeches laced with wit.  Why do former presidential candidates become stellar speakers AFTER they stop running for office?

What a great evening.

A dear friend of mine who lives in New York is not a fan of the Democratic Party. He is a Republican turned Independent.  Just after Obama's speech, he sent me a text message and said that this is a proud moment for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. CNN contributor and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchannan was gushing about Obama's speech and called it the best convention speech he's heard by a presidential nominee.  Our country may be divided when it comes to some issues, but for one night, most of us stood together to witness history and progress.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience at the convention.  It has been an honor to represent the 6th Congressional District of our state and a bigger honor to represent Tacoma.

Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is blogging the Democratic National Convention for the Weekly Volcano. She is an Obama delegate.

LINK: Democratic National Convention
LINK: Tacoma at the DNC

MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AUG. 28, 10 A.M. >>>

Here's how the story goes.  When Sen. Barack Obama was assembling his campaign team, he insisted on one thing:  No drama.   He made it clear that his bid for the White House would be an effort that is focused and steady.  He told his troops to stay on message and not to over-react to the ups and downs of a long campaign season.  This is how he planned to make history.  On Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008, Obama became the first African-American to lead a major political party.  It's official.  Typing those last two sentences gave me the chills.  Barack Obama and I were toddlers when the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.  He's on the verge of becoming our next president.

Our state delegation was told to arrive early at the Pepsi Center yesterday. Most of us were anxious to cast our votes, asking for the ballots.  We were giddy. The roll call couldn't start soon enough. Some delegates took photos of their signed ballots.  Gov. Gregoire, an Obama supporter, signed her ballot and pumped her fist in the air.  We cheered.  The roll call started with Alabama, one of the reddest of the red states.  They cast 48 votes for Obama and five for Clinton.  This set the tone.  As we moved toward the middle of the alphabet, some of us noticed a lot of secret service congregating on the floor.  Hillary Clinton emerged and moved to suspend the roll call to declare Obama the Democratic nominee by acclimation.  She managed to make me cry two days in a row. 

Love him or hate him, Bill Clinton is one of our greatest political talents ever.  He took the stage to a flag waving screaming crowd and couldn't stop smiling.  Some people are meant to be in the spotlight. Clinton is one of them. He wholeheartedly endorsed Obama, and made sharp contrasts between the two parties.  The big dog delivered and then some.

John Kerry gave what I consider the best speech of his career.  He was impassioned, factual, funny and smart.  The man was on fire and he made a compelling case for what is at stake in this election.  I hear that the networks cut away to the pundits and didn't broadcast Kerry's speech.  If true, that is a shame. Kerry gave my favorite speech of the convention so far.

If America fell in love with the Obamas on Monday night, they are in deep like with the Bidens.  Joe Biden was officially nominated at the Vice-Presidential candidate.   He was then introduced by his son who is soon leaving for Iraq. He touched on campaign issues but spent more time talking about his family, his background and values.  After his speech, he said there was a special guest in the house.  Obama joined Biden on stage and the crowd went crazy.  Now I know why I received a text message saying that the building was on lockdown.

This morning at breakfast, the state party chair described tonight's general session as "The DNC meets Woodstock."  More than 70,000 people will swarm Invesco Field at Mile High to hear Obama's acceptance speech.  Tonight's speakers include Gov. Bill Richardson who was bumped from last night's schedule, and Al Gore.  Delegates will sit on the field.  It will be 82 degrees today and we are encouraged to dress casually, bring sunscreen and drink plenty of water.  Actress Jennifer Hudson will perform the national anthem.  I love the DNC house band but Stevie Wonder is scheduled to take the stage tonight.  Rumor has it that Springsteen might show up.  I'm physically and emotionally exhausted, but I can't wait for tonight's general session.

Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is blogging the Democratic National Convention for the Weekly Volcano. She is an Obama delegate.

LINK: Democratic National Convention
LINK: Tacoma at the DNC

MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AUG. 27, 10 A.M. >>>

Denver’s Pepsi Center was buzzing with anticipation last night. Monday, it was a full-on party with music and dancing. Tuesday, the tone was lively but serious. The media hype about division within the Democratic Party has been at full tilt. This election has been described as historic but not always for the right reasons. Two formidable candidates, a black man and a white woman, have been asked to do what their predecessors have not. Obama must combat ignorance and prove that he is a "God-fearing, regular family man" who is not to be feared. Hilary Clinton has been asked to demonstrate that she fully supports Obama's candidacy. When was the last time the second place finisher was required to stump so hard for the presumptive nominee?

Clinton took the stage in one of her signature pastel pantsuits. She received a 5-minute ovation in a sea of signs bearing her name. Each and every delegate gave her props. I had a lump in my throat imagining how she felt. My eyes were watery. This is a woman I loathed during the primary election, but while she stood on that stage, it confirmed what I always knew about her. Clinton is a warrior. She is brave and she is fierce.

I have always considered Clinton a mediocre speaker but she rocked it.  She quoted Harriet Tubman â€" the unapologetic, gun-toting Republican activist who helped slaves. "If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they’re shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop, keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going." This describes what the Obamas are facing and what Clinton has faced in her journey. It is an affirmation of party unity and the work that lies ahead for the Democrats.

Clinton supporters beamed with pride. I was right there with them. Delegates exchanged high-fives, hugs and kudos. Clinton delegate Linda Mitchell is the chair of the Washington State Women's Political Caucus. When asked about the rift between the Clinton and Obama camps she says that all interactions have been cordial. When asked if she'll vote for Obama in November, she replied, "Of course."

In two days, we've watched two smart, accomplished women take the world stage under intense scrutiny. Every word, every gesture, every inflection and every wardrobe choice was parsed under a microscope. They were asked to give what has been described as the most important speeches of their lives. Michelle Obama's task was to lay the foundation for a legacy. Hillary Clinton was tasked with preserving one. They were each a smashing success and made me proud to be a Democrat. Women do rule.

After two long days (and nights) of roundtables, general sessions and receptions, the attire at the 7 a.m. breakfast meetings becomes more casual. Folks who usually arrive neatly pressed and coiffed are now wearing T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. Straightened hair is worn curly. Lots of ponytails and stubble. Who needs mascara to eat scrambled eggs?

Today is the day that we delegates will do the work we were elected to do. We will cast votes for our candidates. There will be nominating and seconding speeches on behalf of both Obama and Clinton. Each delegate will cast a vote and each state has a committee that will tally the results. There will be a roll call vote by state. I wish we could rearrange the alphabet, but Washington is at the tail end of this process.

Tonight we will honor our veterans and address foreign policy and national security. I've heard many speeches over the past two days and confess that most of it was background noise in anticipation of Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. Tonight, however, I look forward to most of the speechifying. We will hear from Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida, Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, Lt. General Claudia Kennedy (the first female three star general in the U.S. Army), Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Governor Bill Richardson. We will also hear from John Kerry, Bill Clinton and Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden. I fully expect the big dogs to take on the opposition with some teeth. It's hammer time.

I wonder what's on the band's playlist tonight. I pray we are spared from “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins.

Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is blogging the Democratic National Convention for the Weekly Volcano. She is an Obama delegate.

LINK: Democratic National Convention
LINK: Weekly Volcano’s DNC preview

JENNIFER BOUTELL: SOUTH SOUND FARM TO DISAPPEAR BEFORE HARVEST >>>

Some of the most fertile soil in the world lies along the banks of the once Volcano-ravaged Puyallup River. So ideal for raspberries is the climate of the Puyallup River Valley that connoisseurs from all over the globe order their products from Pierce County farmers. Or they did. Because increasingly, berries like those grown at Richter Farm, once supplied to Margaret Thatcher, the Whitehouse kitchen, and boutique candy companies across the country, just will not exist anymore. Richter was one of the last farms in the area to grow these berries on any scale, and within a month it too will surrender its soil to a bulldozer. Sooner, if the landowner has any say.

Richter Farm has probably been on borrowed time for a while. George Richter leased the property from American Fast Freight, a Tacoma-based company with plans to build a container freight station on the 20-acre parcel. When Richter died this February, his farm went on through a merger with local farmer Jake Sterino's family-owned operation. Sterino knew the company planned to not renew the lease upon its termination this September 30, but estimated that this would give him just enough time to bring in one more harvest of Richter's famed berries. Just as his crops began to mature this summer, however, the freight company notified Richter Farm that it would instead clear the land as early as Monday, Aug. 25.

Looking at all those green pumpkins and too-tart berries just waiting for another month of sun, it would be easy to paint American Fast Freight as a harvest Grinch. The situation is more complicated than that, however. AFF employs more than 120 workers in the Tacoma area, operating with an employee stock ownership plan. The company asserts that if they wait until after Sept. 30 to begin construction wet soil conditions will require the addition of expensive soil amendments, tacking on an additional $250,000 to the project's price tag. Additionally, says Director of Marketing Mike Schuller, the delay will extend the total length of the project and cause untold additional expense, a cost which will at some point be passed on to their employees.

All of this is little comfort for Jake Sterino, who stands to lose a $150,000 crop, a season of labor, and watch George Richter's last crop plowed under before it ever reaches maturity. "You grow the stuff so you can harvest it," says Sterino. "The emotional part is to see it growing and know that it could just get plowed under." Sterino farms other pieces of land, but none have mature raspberries. Without a reliable supplier, he fears buyers will look to other states for their berries. "Nowadays you have to supply the whole market. It's not like before when there were many people selling the same crop. You feel you have a responsibility. If you're the only guy selling raspberries, and you don't have raspberries, the buyer is going to go down to California.”

The Pierce County Council hoped to preserve some of the area's vanishing family farms when it passed an ordinance approving a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program last year. The program would purchase development rights from local farmers, giving the fair market value for the land and effectively taking it off the market for developers. The money for the program must come from local property taxes, however, at about $5 a parcel. The TDR program remains unfunded as the County tries to formulate the right message for already cash-strapped homeowners prior to imposing a new tax.

As of this writing, AFF and the Richter/Sterino farm are meeting with a mediator. It may be possible to save the crop, but whether construction begins this week or a month from now it is too late to save Richter Farm.

LINK: More Richter Farm photography by Jennifer Boutell

Jennifer Boutell is the creative talent behind Tacomamama.com, a locally-grown city guide.

UPDATE: Tacoma News Tribune

OWEN TAYLOR: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION FROM THE OUTSIDE >>>

OK, kids, sit down and shut up.  Thus far the Democratic National Convention here in Denver is giving me a greater headache than the one I received after the keg of Sam Adams we drank last night at La Boheme.  La Boheme, a Gentleman's Cabaret, touts itself as home to only the “Sexiest Democrats,” and it won our unanimous seal of approval last night. I retired to its extremely comfy confines to nurse a bruised chest from the nightstick of a law enforcement professional with my good friend The Mac, who was fresh from painting a mural on the side of the building. 

Here’s how it went down yesterday on the streets of Denver. I had been making my way over to see the mural when we witnessed several dozen cops running toward the Sheraton. Defying a "lawful order" to not cross the street, we moved 10 feet and then jaywalked, moving around a small building toward the scene of the commotion.  Upon reaching the steps of a neighboring office building, we saw a wall of mounted police blocking the street and protecting the backs of about 300 officers, who had completely surrounded what looked like 50 to 60 protestors on three sides backing them into a wall. They were then given the order to disperse, which seemed like a complete joke as they were surrounded without an exit route and the cops were not moving. 

About a hundred people had gathered on the back side of the police and were chanting several slogans, most of which kept coming back to "The Whole World is Watching" and "Let Them Go!"  This definitely spooked some police as more officers came pouring in from all directions to hold back the swelling crowd. It was at this point that I was cross-checked in the chest like I played for the Pittsburgh Penguins while trying to help a photographer who had fallen off of the railing we were both standing on and had gotten his leg stuck.  We were herded like the cattle we are off the steps of the building and back into the street, where I nearly backed into the Aurora police's Mobile Rescue Unit, or big-ass tank looking thing, complete with fully armed officers on the roof peeking out of the gun turret. This was when they decided to "disperse" the surrounded protestors with rubber bullets and mace cannons, which ended up looking like the worst mosh pit I've ever been in â€" without the camaraderie of thrashing metalheads.  I decided it was time for La Boheme â€" beer and naked women.

Wondering aloud over comped beers, we were joined by renowned West Coast artists Sam Flores and David Choe. We all mused on whether the security organizers for the convention were smitten with the futuristic look of RoboCop when they blew $18 million on new equipment for the police.  The streets are overrun with the Men in Black, and I mean thousands upon thousands of riot gear clad storm troopers waiting to pummel any dissent with the utmost prejudice.  The cops are everywhere in downtown Denver, and they are bored out of their skulls and itching for anything to do. Outside the front of the club last night I saw seven officers arresting a drunk who kept slurring "Why is this necessary?"  They have nothing to do and nothing but time to do it.   

The "protests" mostly have been unorganized whimsical gatherings of anarcho-minded crust punks looking to piss off authority because of their dad issues and the leftover remnants of an era that waved good-bye to both reality and effective protesting long ago.  In the days to come I feel we are going to see only lackluster rallies designed more to make the participants feel good about themselves for being "antiauthoritarian" and less about actually making a difference in the political arena.  I am certain now that only the status quo will be protected, and freedom and justice are available only to those with a qualifying FICA score.  The American Dream is on its last legs, and all of the knuckleheads trying to dry hump it back to life are not helping. 

Case in point: The Convention Marketplace or, as I've taken to calling it, the Swap Meet of the Damned and Upper Median Income Level.  There is nothing like seeing a family of Hawaiians slinging barbecue next to a stall of Marxists who are convinced that they can make a difference if only they were actually listened to.  Perhaps if they had a marketing plan like the rhinestone bejeweled denim Obama vests and teddy bear wholesalers sandwiched between "Princess" belts and two for $10 knockoff Gucci sunglass vendors, they wouldn't be such a damn joke.

We all want to believe that our voices and opinions can be heard, that all is fair, that eventually they'll open the debates and let Ralph Nader in and he'll dazzle us with his Paul Tsongas/Kermit The Frog voiced wisdom and all will be right with America again. 

I’ve got news for you, kiddo â€" we're all screwed.  Whoever, "they" are, well, they're winning, and the machine like grace of the muted robots in the militaristic movements that are controlling downtown Denver right now are not going to be messed with.  So when you're trying to fight back with common sense and logic, it's like watching a midget throw hay makers at Yao Ming, who's just holding him back by his head and laughing.  This is the tragicomedy of the new American landscape. Better get used to being a good little barcode. 

Tomorrow I'm going to try and sneak into the "free" Rage Against the Machine show, which is free for the 9,000 people who got tickets, and then I have to run over to the really big party at the Manifest Hope gallery and finish my interview with Shephard Fairey, who just called me to say that he's out of jail after getting caught bombing his OBEY posters a little too close to downtown last night.

Here's to all the hope and change they're cramming down our throats. I'm chasing mine with a beer.

Throughout the DNC, Owen Taylor â€" a freelance writer from Olympia â€" will be posting updates from the many protests planned in Denver over the next week. Unless he gets thrown in the Freedom Cage, you should be hearing from him often.

LINK: Tacoma at the DNC
LINK: Democratic National Convention Web site
LINK: Weekly Volcano's preview of the DNC

BRAD ALLEN: YOU TELL 'EM, SPACE ALIEN >>>>

Apparently, this thing has called every election since 1980.

LINK: Tacoma at the DNC

MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, DENVER, AUG. 26, 10:45 A.M. >>>

Republican heavyweights Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and John Boehner have shown up in Denver. Probably not for skiing.

I just received an email blast from CNN Anchor Paul Begala who writes: “Can you really blame them? While we're all here to celebrate Barack Obama's plans to write the next great chapter for America in the 21st Century, and those guys will be stuck next week at their convention having to celebrate the Bush-Cheney record and John McCain's plan to continue it for another eight years. Which party would you rather be at?”

LINK: Democratic National Convention

Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is blogging the Democratic National Convention for the Weekly Volcano. She is an Obama delegate.

MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, DENVER, AUG. 26, 10 A.M. >>>

“If the DNC were a nightclub, August 26, 2008 would be ladies night,” says Marilyn Strickland.

Today marks the 88th anniversary of women being allowed to exercise their right to vote. Today’s delegate breakfast included speeches from Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.  A fierce advocate for veterans, Murray said that our soldiers should not fight a war and then come home and fight their country to get the medical benefits they need. Ouch. She praised Obama and said, "He will make a tremendous commander in chief and will serve with honor and dignity." Cantwell emphasized the need for delegates to take the momentum from the convention and use it at home to help Obama get elected. “Friday we are all gone.  This is about getting out the vote,” she said.

Cantwell also discussed the program for tonight's general session, which will include eight female senators and the “Checklist for Change.”

The Women's Caucus meets later this morning and features speakers such as actresses/activists Rosario Dawson and Fran Drescher. Also on deck are the founder of Black Entertainment Television, the CEO of Lifetime Television, and others.

“The headliner this evening is Hillary Clinton,” says Strickland. “The media salivates.  I need Dramamine from all the spin. More to follow.”

LINK: Democratic National Convention

Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is blogging the Democratic National Convention for the Weekly Volcano. She is an Obama delegate.

DANIEL BLUE: MEET RON SWARNER >>>

Ron Swarner is the co-owner, publisher, editor, and master and magician of the Weekly Volcano. There are few people who work as hard in this town to achieve what they know in their hearts to be their passion. It will be hard to write about Ron without writing about his paper, but seeing as that would seem like shameless self advertising, I will try to write about the man's character instead.

Raised by hippies in the mountains of Zimbabwe, Ron was a special child from the very start. He could speak all seven dialects of the Swahili people by the age of 5 and began a sort of word of mouth news network from village to village that included advertisements for local goats milk for which he received a pig's bladder full every month. His fondest memories are of helping his mother churn the fresh goat milk into cheese. He would take half the cheese to the capitol city of Harare where he quickly learned English from a wealthy safari hunting man named (no shit) Volcano Joe.

Murky details surround Ron's youth, rumor has it that Volcano Joe's dying wish put him on a boat to America, a boat that sailed into our very own Commencement Bay.

LINK: The Tacoma Files archive

MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AUG. 25, 11:16 P.M. >>>

Obama delegate and Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is done for with general session for the day, which she describes as an exciting one.

“Getting through security didn't take nearly as long as I expected,” she says, “but I was less than pleased when my kiwi fruit and orange were confiscated.”

Squirt guns, and now tropical fruit? Yeesh.

Our wayward delegate arrived at the Pepsi Center just before 2 p.m., and was through security within 20 minutes, sans fruit. Reverend Al Sharpton was by the entrance, surrounded by microphones and photographers.

“I waited for the commotion around him to subside and introduced myself,” says Strickland. “He was very polite and posed for a photo.”

Speeches ran the gamut from great to dull, and Strickland spent enough time talking to Hilary supporters to determine that rifts within the Democratic Party have been greatly exaggerated.

“I even spotted Hillary Supporters for Obama’ buttons,” she says.

Celebrity sightings, many of whom you won’t recognize unless you watch a lot of cable news, included:  Governor Jim Webb, Wolf Blitzer, Donna Brazile, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Judy Woodruff, Suzanne Malveaux, Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Spike Lee.

“Governor Bill Richardson walked right past our state delegation and was instantly mobbed,” Strickland says. “He was a great sport, signed autographs and posed for photos.  He really seemed to be enjoying himself and looks much better with a tan and a beard.”

Sen. Ted Kennedy brought down the house when he promised to be there next January for Obama's inauguration. 

Michelle Obama hit a grand slam with her grace, beauty, intelligence and sincerity.  Many delegates shed tears of pride.

According to a press release from DNC organizers, 44.3 percent of the delegates elected to attend the Convention in Denver represent minority communities, 50.1 percent are women and 31.4 percent are either seniors or youth, making this the most diverse Convention in Party history.

The DNC band killed it, and the crowd got down, praise Jah. The playlist included hits from Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin to name a few.  "Living in America" by James Brown was playing as the crowd made its exit.

“One nation indeed,” says Strickland.

LINK: DNC diversity
LINK: Weekly Volcano’s DNC preview