By John Flannery, Democratic Virginia delegate

Some of our citizens, young and old, had their protests muffled and contained, and I thought that was wrong.

Outside the covention center, there were “cages” designated for “protesting.”

The name alone should give anyone pause.

What do you say to someone who wants to “protest”?

Would you please enter the “cage,” sir, or madam, if you want to “protest”?

That plainly diminishes any one’s dignity and coerces and chills what may be said.

A “cage” denotes and connotes restraint, captivity, control and containment and usually of an animal that we think is “dangerous” and/or “undeserving” of too much freedom.

It seems somewhat ironic to “contain” or “compromise a protest against the Iraq war outside the Pepsi Center when we were objecting to that same war inside the convention.

But the point is not whether the various 1st amendment exertions of speech in these parallel venues are congruent or not, whether they be comments on the war, or fluoridation, or the home heating plan of Senator McCain.

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By John Flannery, Democratic Virginia delegate

America began a forced march to restore its historic legacy in Denver last night when an army of 80,000 people, in a mile-high stadium, shouted as in one voice that we had had enough and made a promise to change all that this November.

We have set out to end the Joycean nightmare from which the nation has appeared unable to awake - to cure economic stagnation and end military adventurism - policies that have compromised this nation’s vitality.

On the anniversary of a dream, “too noble to ever die,” by the lights of one speaker, proclaimed long ago at the Lincoln memorial by Martin Luther King, by a man who gave his life for that dream, a dream only partly realized even today, we re-dedicated ourselves to the promise made in the pristine words of the American constitution, to fulfill that promise made to every American by our founders, that we all are truly equal before the law and before our government, and set ourselves a path to quench “the flames of withering injustice” that have made a lie of that historic promise.

The excited and hopeful crowd in the stadium joined with the millions watching and hearing this convocation from across the nation and bound their souls to ours to put an end to the shame and disgrace that this young democratic experiment has suffered for too long.

This stadium and this event became the focus of hope for the many who have realized how parched they’ve become, how thirsty they are for fairness and truth, after eight years of political drought.

There is hardly a person who has eyes to see and a mind that can think who would disagree that we are struggling to experience, in the words of King, “a joyous day break to end the long night.”

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By Ryan Dolan, Kansas delegate

Eli and I are both 33, and have known each other since we were in sixth grade. This is the first political convention we’ve attended. Eli is an alternate delegate for the state of Kansas. I volunteered weekly answering phones during the entire primary season at the Obama Campaign HQ in Chicago, where I’m an actor and writer. After a busy summer, I hope to return to volunteering after Labor Day. It’s safe to say, we’re both amazed to be at Denver at the Democratic Convention.

After 10 years as an C-130 pilot in the Air Force, Eli left the service. He moved with his wife, Erin, to Fairway, KS, a suburb of Kansas City where we grew up. After experiencing first-hand the mismanaged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Eli and Erin started community organizing for the Obama campaign in October of 2007. They knocked on a lot of doors, attended lots of meetings, and met a lot of amazing people. They both ended up being precinct captains for Obama in Johnson County for their precinct’s caucus. On a bleak night with a blizzard raging outside, their precinct had 2,500 people show up when they only expected 400. One thousand of them were registered Republicans who re-registered as Democrats. Together, with the other volunteers from the Obama and Clinton campaigns, they worked hard to make sure every vote was counted that night.

On a cold day in late November, I walked into an Obama call center in Chicago. I’d followed politics for awhile, and was not happy with the direction our country was headed. I finally got over the fear of calling people, and started volunteering. Soon, I moved over to answering phone calls in the Obama headquarters. I did this from Iowa caucus to Puerto Rico primary. I’m sure Eli had an amazing experience talking to people face-to-face and hearing their stories and discussing about why he liked Obama. I, too, felt lucky to speak with people from all over the country, some not enamored with Obama or his platform, and hear their opinions and stories and converse with them. It was an incredible learning experience.

As you ride the buses or trains into downtown Denver for the convention, people are eager to strike up conversations and find out where you’re from. I was telling a Hawaiian delegate on the way back to the hotel tonight, that there were many cold Chicago nights, (Texas caucus night really stands out to me) where I would trudge from the Obama headquarters to the El, and ride it back to my apartment, and think the primary season would never end.

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By Eli Tate, Kansas delegate

After finishing 10 years of active service in the Air Force last May, I was hungry for change in the level of integrity and ethics in our political leadership. I flew over 250 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I’ve seen the results first-hand of the Bush administrations mismanagement of our military forces, their families, and our nation’s resources. Like many veterans, I initially considered John McCain to provide that leadership and honesty. I respect Sen. McCain, his service, and his early political career. But then I looked at his voting record on veterans and military family’s issues. He voted against veterans’ health care in favor of continuing tax breaks for the wealthy. He voted against more funding to allow better health care for the National Guard and Reserves and their families. He recently voted against increasing the GI Bill to ensure combat veterans and their families can obtain competitive education after serving their country. That bill was sponsored by Barack Obama. And it passed despite a Bush veto and McCain’s lack of support.

So I want to ask all veterans to take a hard look at which candidate will do more for veterans, their families, and all active, reserve, and guard forces. And I ask all veterans to consider supporting Barack Obama for President in November. Here are some of the reasons I do.

The first congressional committee that first-term Senator Obama joined was the Veteran’s Affairs Committee. This is not a glamorous or powerful committee. It is, however, a vitally important one of which John McCain is not a member. Senator Obama will not let the wealthy defense lobbying sector manipulate our government, leaders, and military.

He does not take lobbyist or political action committee (PAC) donations because he advocates transparency in our government’s decision and law-making process. These lobbying groups are only out for their company’s profits. Finally, Senator Obama has shown the good judgment not to support the initial decision to go into Iraq. All the reasons the Bush administration gave for the war have proven false.

This good judgment is crucial in a commander-in-chief. But once the decision was made, Senator Obama has successfully lobbied to give our troops all the protection and resources they need to be as safe and effective as possible.

He spearheaded the initiative to get the appropriate armor to our troops in Iraq. He has a plan to bring our troops home while not sacrificing the limited gains we have in Iraq or relinquishing the responsibility our nation owes the Iraqi people for 5 years of war in their country. This is true leadership-to have good judgment, recognize our mistakes, take accountability and progressive steps to do the right thing, and take care of our troops and their families in the process.

I urge all veterans, active duty and reserve, as well as their families, to take a good look at why Obama will be a better advocate and leader for our great nation.

By Bruce Thompson, North Carolina delegate

They said he couldn’t do it. They even said he wouldn’t do it. But, President Bill Clinton made the case tonight for the election of Barack Obama in a way that only he could deliver.

He spoke directly to the hearts and minds of all Americans and set out why Barack Obama is ready to lead. And who would know better than the former leader of the free world?

My hope is that the Obama campaign uses both President Clinton and Senator Clinton on the campaign trail. Over the past two days, they have shown us that they are 110% behind Barack Obama. They have also shown that they are not afraid to go on the attack against John McCain. The Clintons can be a vital part of the surrogate team that can allow Senator Obama to stay above the fray.

Senator John Kerry was an incredibly strong surrogate tonight also. All I could think is that had he defended himself like he defended Barack Obama tonight, John Kerry, not George Bush, would be President today.

By John P. Flannery, Virginia delegate

At 1:45 pm this afternoon in Denver, before an assembly of her elected delegates, alternates, friends and staff, Senator Hillary Clinton announced “I’m now releasing you delegates.”

The hundreds present shouted, “No.”

Another said, “Don’t do it.”

Hillary explained that she was releasing her delegates and left to each delegate to vote his or her conscience, and to allow for anyone who was bound by those back home to vote for her if that’s what they had to do.

Hillary made it clear, however, after the vote, that she expected everyone to support vigorously the nominee, Senator Barack Obama, as that’s what she had already done, and planned to do.

There were various reactions but, in the category of moving on, one delegate summed up what a lot of others had to say, “All I want from Obama Thursday night is what he really stands for, and ‘hope’ and ‘change’ is not enough. I can’t buy a pig in a poke. I want him to give a speech like Hillary did and tell us what he stands for and I want to know the specifics. So that’s why I’m looking forward to Thursday’s speech. I’m pulling for him to deliver. But he’s got to deliver.”

By Eli Tate, Kansas delegate

One of the big themes on Tuesday, and the whole convention, is developing alternative (green) energy sources. Nearly every recycling big in Denver is being manned by a cheerful volunteer. Creating a green economy is a big staple on the Democratic platform, because it lessens our dependence of foreign oil, creates jobs for American workers, and is better for the for the environment.

We talked for a few minutes with Mark Parkinson, the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, Tuesday morning. Parkinson is the former Chairman of the Republican Party in Kansas, who Governor Kathleen Sebelius convinced to run for Lt. Governor as a Democrat. After he was elected, Sebelius put Parkinson in charge of making Kansas one of the progressive leaders in creating alternative energy sources in the U.S.

Kansas has the third best wind resource in the country, and Sebelius and Parkinson wanted to tap into that so that Kansans would be less reliant on oil and coal for their energy needs. Parkinson ignored the resistance of the Republican controlled Kansas State Senate, and met privately with the energy companies in Kansas. They all came on board, and Kansas has gone from garnering 3% of its energy from wind farms in 2006 to 10% of its energy by the end of 2008. That’s an increase of 362 megawatts of energy to 1015 megawatts. They’ve invested $1.3 billion into 650 wind farms in western Kansas in 2008 alone. The energy collected out west is then sent eastward to the more populous part of the state. Kansas is only the 7th state in the country to create of 1000 megawatts of electricity from alternative energy sourcies. It also creates revenue for farmers who house the giant windmills, and utilizes a free energy source that is commonly associated with Kansas: wind.

Parkinson is very genuine and disarming in person, and is funny, articulate speaker. Many Kansans are hoping that he runs for governor in two years, when Sebelius’ term ends in 2010. Parkinson says that decision will come soon after the 2008 election.

“The governor (Sebelius) spends very little time speculating on what is coming next and that’s a good lesson that I’ve learned from her,” said Parkinson.

“It’s about an 18 month campaign, and so I’ll have to figure that out, and the people of Kansas deserve knowing (my intentions) ahead of time.”

By John Flannery, Virginia delegate

Clinton supporters this morning had a ballot with their bagel.

Obama and Clinton conferees arranged for every delegate to get to vote in writing for the presidential nominee they prefer.

In the Virginia delegation, as elsewhere, you got to sign your name in support of your candidate as you picked up your credentials for tonight’s session of the convention.

As indicated in an earlier posting, there were competing accounts of how the balloting would proceed.

Some who got wind of this process yesterday objected that this was a dilution somehow of the right to vote for Hillary.

While the approach may be unprecedented, that doesn’t compromise the essential element of the franchise, to get to vote for the nominee you prefer and the one your friends and neighbors back home elected you to support.

If in truth and fact, this was a contested race, and not a foregone conclusion, then perhaps this process would be faux and not fair.

But there could hardly be any justification for stringing out the process unnecessarily, except to obstruct the convention’s business this evening.

Eula Tate and I were elected in the 10th Congressional District Convention in Northern Virginia.

The other night each of us signed a petition to advance the balloting process, to put Hillary’s name in nomination for president of the United States.

This morning when I signed in, I took my favorite pen and marked an “x” in the column next to Hillary’s name, as others in our delegation did in support of Barack Obama.

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By John Flannery, Virginia delegate

On the second night of the convention, Hillary Clinton brought down the house when she endorsed Barack Obama as the Democratic party’s nominee. You can read what she said if you didn’t see and hear it on any one of the media outlets. It was a great speech and it said everything that needed to be said. The question is what effect will it have going forward?

Most significantly, the question remains, if Hillary’s delegates feel as she does, will they act as she suggested she should? In other words, are her supporters ready to go to work for Obama, and then cast their ballot for him in November? No question the trend is in that direction but there’s still work to be done.

To all appearances, the reconciliation looked a done deal in the convention hall. The signs with Hillary’s handwritten name waved above the heads of the delegates, and supporters of Obama and Clinton appeared as one in the celebration. The word “unity” filled the hall. It was emblazoned on long standing blue signs on cardboard poles that allowed you to thrust them into the air. There were cheers and laughing. But was this all authentic? Did the show conform to the reality? What’s in the hearts of the delegates?

The conversations afterwards among the Clinton delegates, as they walked from the Hall, and made their way to the parking lot, to wait for busses to take them to celebrations afterwards or their hotel rooms, revealed there’s still work to be done. We are at a tipping point and forecasts are favorable. We are inching toward unity and it’s possible but we’re not there yet. And this is not about sour grapes.

Obama supporters don’t understand how that could be. Don’t get me wrong. They are not uncivil. They don’t say - get over it - even if they are thinking it. It’s because they haven’t stood in the shoes of the Hillary supporters.

As best I can understand the reservation, it is not so much about losing to anyone - even if it was at first. It is about whether Obama will truly embrace and advocate what Hillary fought to implement as her program of political action.

These activists were drawn to Hillary because of issues she espoused. She said it herself. This is not about her. It is about health care and women’s rights and more. The devil is in the details and that’s what’s holding back the enthusiasm of some.

Obama served himself well when he spoke on the CBN that he would choose Supreme Court justices who would recognize a woman’s right of privacy, and McCain disagreed. It helps when this Supreme Court has made many decisions that disfavor what we believe are our rights as individuals to be “let alone” and that McCain would make a bad situation worse for years to come.

The Clinton delegates are meeting today at 1:15 pm at the Convention Center with Hillary Clinton to confer about putting her name in nomination. That’s the next important point of progression toward real unity.

There is talk that the nomination process will be more faux than fair.

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By Bruce Thompson, North Carolina delegate

Following a moving video tribute to her mother, Chelsea Clinton stepped forward to introduce Hillary Rodham Clinton to deliver the third major speech of this convention. I had been telling my fellow North Carolina delegates that Senator Clinton was going to give the speech of her life and prove to the world that the Democratic Party is united behind Barack Obama. Hillary came through with an absolutely mesmerizing speech delivered with her trademark whit, grace and elegance.

Watching various media reports over the past two days has made me wonder if some of the reporters are attending the same Convention as me. They would make you believe that Clinton and Obama were involved in a dispute that ranked up there with Biggie and Tupac. Nothing could be further from the truth. While there is certainly noise from the fringe, Hillary made it clear from the beginning that all of her supporters needed to get off the sidelines and work to elect the Obama/Biden ticket. To do anything else would be the equivalent of deserting her and her ideals.

The table is now set for President Clinton to give the same level of endorsement. This is a clearly unified convention and one the most gifted politicians in our nation’s history will not let us down. This is a unified and energized convention with delegates ready to run through the proverbial brick wall to elect Democrats from the White House to the Courthouse. President Clinton recognizes that and will come through on Wednesday.

Tonight, I was proud to be a Clinton Delegate. I was proud of my candidate and proud of the reaction of my party to her. The instructions from Senator Clinton are clear and unequivocal. Barack Obama is her candidate, he is our candidate, he is America’s candidate.