News Tips?
-- tips@phblend.com

PHB Mobile

33|175:175
About
-- The Blog
-- Pam | My home page
-- Autumn
-- Daimeon
-- Julien
-- "Radical" Russ
-- Terrance

Contact the Baristas

The Blend Blogrolls

Activism

Best of the Blend
Blog Posts

Special Events and Interviews

Blend-o-licious endorsements...


The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend:
"a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."

He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior." (CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)

Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).

"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008


Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:

A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist."
(Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)

"A nutty lesbian blogger."
(MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)

Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush


who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
--"Joe"
Content © 2004-2008
Pam Spaulding

House Blend logo © 2005
Melissa McEwan

Photo of Pam Spaulding
© Judy G. Rolfe
All Rights Reserved.

SITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Support the Blend

An Online Magazine in the Reality-Based Community.

Finally at Invesco, feeling like a sardine (but happy to be here to witness history)

by: Pam Spaulding

Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 18:37:06 PM EDT


4:30 PM: What an adventure getting into here this was. After meeting up with Chris Rabb of Afro-Netizen, we waited in line outside of the Hyatt to catch a delegate bus to the stadium. The line was massive and it was hot out there. All of a sudden an "out of service" city bus pulled up on the adjacent corner and the door opened and a cop stepped out and waved us over and we hopped on and were taken to Invesco.

Driving in, the number of people lined up in the hot sun to get in was enormous. I saw Dan Rather get off a bus and he got to ride a golf cart into a VIP area, I'm sure.

Members of the press could bypass the long line, but, at least in our case, it wasn't clear where the press needed to go in through security. It took several misdirections from staff, a couple of friendly Secret Service men, and a lot of walking to finally get in.

Then the adventure of finding where bloggers/media needed to go was equally confusing. Press have several areas to blog from -- the field level (outdoors, in the sun, no internet access), any regular seat in the stadium, or the heralded blogger's mini-lounge (and I mean MINI, as you see in the pic on the right. I am sitting in a marked space on the floor that supplies corded internet access, and limited access to power. We are packed in like sardines, but we at least have A/C.

Terrance is somewhere in the stadium (I'm not sure where, he texted me), Autumn just called and is trying to get on an elevator to get up here, but there's no place for her, even on the floor. I guess she'll have to get in line or switch out with me, although there's no way she'll be able to blog on the floor of this lounge with her large ergo keyboard.

4:45: We were just notified that there will be a lottery to dole out "seats" at 7:45 to allow some of us back in here to blog Obama's speech, since there's no other reliable internet access here. Oh, that will be fun. If we're down waiting for the elevators and don't make it in time, the seat will be given away.

4:50: Autumn finally got here, and joined me on the floor. She said that she rode up the elevator with Willie Brown (the former mayor of S.F. and former Speaker).

Below the fold, more commentary and videos.
Pam Spaulding :: Finally at Invesco, feeling like a sardine (but happy to be here to witness history)
An enthusiastic crowd outside Invesco.

A look at the scope of the crowd waiting to get in (shot from the fourth floor atrium).

5:37: Will.i.am and crew performed "Yes We Can."

6PM: I just got a seat at the front window, as the admins here decided to give those of us with the butt burn me the space with a view. Here is what the stands look like now. Most folks are seated in the shaded parts of Mile High Stadium; I don't know how those folks in the upper deck in the sun are surviving:

A look at the stage from the blogger's lounge. Sheryl Crow was performing at the time.

Autumn just got a seat as well.

6:30 PM: Stevie Wonder is onstage:

6:45: Al Gore takes the stage and received a rousing welcome and he actually said this:

Take it from me, if it had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq, we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him. We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis; we would be fighting for middle- income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we'd be protecting the rights of every American regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. And we would not be denying the climate crisis; we'd be solving it.
7:07: Michael McDonald sang America the Beautiful.

Also just heard a rumor that the RNC is going to delay its convention because of the impending landfall of hurricane Gustav. The reason given is that they don't want to look as though they are "uncaring." OMG. Oh, you mean, like the last time around?

7:15: The straws were drawn and PHB can stay in the Bloggers Lounge to cover the Obama speech. Autumn and Terrance graciously have allowed me to stay, since only one of us can remain.

7:30: Joe Biden is up, and is introducing "everyday people" to talk about their lives -- from the  American Voices Program: Roy Gross, Monica Early, Wes Moore, Janet Lynn Monacco, Nate Flick, Teresa Asenap, Pamela Cash-Roper, Barney Smith.

Pamela Cash-Roper, from Pittsboro, NC (shoutout), told her story of she and her husband suffering under the Bush economy. She couldn't afford health insurance, and then both needed heart surgery and were financially destroyed. F Bush.

7:58: Senator Dick Durbin is introducing Barack Obama. Autumn is back in the room, standing behind me (Secret Service locked down everything, so she is in, but offline). Nearly every seat is filled now, as the sun has set.

I love this nugget from his speech about McCain and the mindset of the Republicans who have been in charge of this sinking ship:

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

...When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.

And how about this -- oh, snap!
When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.
The blogging lounge, which has been full of folks studiously tapping away, erupted at that one.

***

And the pull quote, a very public one that he could have easily left out because of the red meat the Republican Sexual Hypocrites love to chew on:

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
It's a statement that will tick off those who want it all, and want it now -- after all, separate is not equal, but the reality is that, on this national stage, a call for equality in this way is groundbreaking because it was purposefully present -- and the crowd responded -- and a nation watched a presidential candidate in a close race (that shouldn't be close), put himself out there.

***

I can hardly believe we are finally at this moment. It is a shining moment of promise, as 75,000 people have traveled far and wide, they stood in impossibly long lines to usher in a new day, as Sen. Durbin said, to work can move beyond the destructive and failed policies of the last eight years.

I want to savor this moment in history (I certainly never expected to live to see this day when we would elected a person of color). I will savor it because I know that the new day that has so much promise can be dimmed and damaged by a raging storm of dark political tactics, deeply embedded fear of change, and the long-ignored legacy of not being able to see beyond the color of one's skin, and the difficult work that we have to do as a nation. We can get there, but post-racial we are not.

But we can dare to dream.

Tags: , (All Tags)
Bookmark and Share
Print Friendly View Send As Email
Finally at Invesco, feeling like a sardine (but happy to be here to witness history) | 47 comments
Sit back and ENJOY the moment
EVERY channel is covering this stadium, no one will miss any coverage.

Drink it in for yourselves, this moment of HISTORY.

The tribute to King gave me leg tingles. I heard the speeches when they were given, and know exactly where I was when King was killed.

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

Thank goodness for TiVo!
Or I would have missed Joe Biden last night (saw Bill Clinton and fell asleep before Richardson); getting up at 4am all week.

Already loaded up on caffeine- I WILL NOT MISS ONE MOMENT OF THIS WONDERFUL, HISTORIC NIGHT FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA.

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."

[ Parent ]
Wait a minute
Who DID speak last night between Pres Clinton and Joe Biden? I thought C-SPAN showed that it was going to be Bill Richardson, but now it shows that both Al Gore and Bill Richardson are on tonight...

Good lord; am I exhausted.

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."

[ Parent ]
Bernice King
I'll bet you just loved Bernice King!
ARGH
did you know MLKIII is suing her for capitalizing on the name while promoting bigotry.
[ Parent ]
THANK YOU, BARISTAS!!!
For so very, very much- truly grateful for your coverage, thoughts, perspectives and experiences.

And that "thanks!!!" goes back to the very beginning of this entire journey and will no doubt extend to January 21 and beyond.  

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."

Yes, thank you!
I may be living here in Denver, but I haven't gotten to see a thing beyond the streets surrounding the convention... they said many of the caucuses were supposed to be open to the public with tickets, but then no one would enlighten me as to where I could get said tickets, and of course, though I applied for credentials for Obama's speech, they had more than double the number of applicants than they had seats, so... were it not for you guys I wouldn't have all this great insider information!  I really appreciate all your hard work and suffering through blogger hell... lol.  Pam, I hope your ankle is feeling better!
[ Parent ]
I'm on adrenaline
The ankle isn't too bad. Just sore. I took a lot of ibuprofen.
[ Parent ]
I'll add my thanks for the sacrifices all of you made to be in Denver
including giving up your time off days from your Real Job.

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
Poor Autumn!
It probably won't seem like blogger hell when you look back on it.  Hopefully.  I also agree with Louise.  I have been quite impressed that people without journalism training per se are able to do such a wonderful job at this, even better than the professionals.  (Not including the pundits, it's a given that they will always be pathetic, especially Bill Kristol)

My America includes LGBT families.
The analysis here
is much more personal, and that IMO makes for a MUCH more "real" and honest feel to the reporting. Certainly FAR more so than the trained "professionals" manage to convey...

My god, do you folks have great seating- and now ya got Stevie Wonder??? Oh MAN!!

When I saw the Autumn photo, I wanted to both laugh and give her a sympathetic hug- hang in there, hon, and enjoy the ride!! :)

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."

[ Parent ]
Thanks!
You really are on an adventure, aren't you? I love reading about it. Wish I was there, sardine or not, to witness this amazing, historical night.

Have fun! Thanks for keeping us posted.

All the best,
Susan

SusanGabriel
www.susangabriel.com

Good luck witnesssing history.
Willie Brown was mayor of SF....minor detail.  
will fix
Autumn wasn't sure when I asked.
[ Parent ]
A new camelot
  http://img.villagephotos.com/p...
and
  http://img.villagephotos.com/p...

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
Stevie Wonder just came on stage....YAY!!!


What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
Isn't he great?
Wonder who else they'll have on; am SO loving most of the music choices throughout the entire convention.

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."
[ Parent ]
Springsteen is performing later
I would bet there will be suprises too

I hope they bring all the entertainers out for a finale
together

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

[ Parent ]
Holy Hannah!!
BTW, the live blogging chat is really fun and easy- good job getting that set up, Pam and Crew!!

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."
[ Parent ]
I can't remember where I heard Springsteen would perform
it was after Biden was selected, maybe they mentioned we'd hear Springsteen, instead of him performing???

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
I was enthralled last night
to see Melissa Etheridge performing. She did a medley of "Give Peace a Chance," "Born in the USA," and "God Bless America". My happiness was complete. She's so wonderful.

Here's what I find about compromise--
don't do it if it hurts inside,
'cause either way you're screwed,
eventually you'll find
you may as well feel good;
you may as well have some pride

--Indigo Girls

[ Parent ]
signed sealed delivered I'm yours
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
Who should I be streaming?
I've got C-Span -- do you-all think that's the best choice?
c-span here too
I don't need someone telling me what i'm watchin'

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
Ms. Cash-Roper rocked the house


What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
I can't imagine the partying in Denver tonight, this isn't going to settle down til dawn


What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
Any rainbow flags out there?
I haven't seen any raibnow anything on the dem webfeed. :(

Lurleen on Twitter
I've only seen one lesbian with a flag ,yesterday during Melissa Etheridge


What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
I only saw one in the crowd on Monday night, during either Kennedy's speech or Michelle's
Didn't see any in the crowd tonight, though... at least not that they showed on TV.

HOWEVER, the local news said that there was an amazing list of things you were not allowed to bring into the stadium... food, water, and umbrellas included.  So, if you couldn't bring an umbrella, maybe they wouldn't allow flags, either, and all the flags people were waving were bought there?  I don't know... but I didn't see any handmade signs, either, so you never know.

Baristas, did you see any rainbow flags there?

[ Parent ]
The overload this week must be devastating there
I've felt like I needed a dozen TVs, be online, and 7 extra hours a day. Doing the convention live would exhaust me. After the convention closes each night, I want Daily show and CNN and MSNBC, and being online, then I want Colbert and Leno and Letterman, and the NEWS channels still.

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
sat on his hands while a city drowned
brought tears

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
God YES.
We should never EVER forget.

"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."
[ Parent ]
W_O_W!
McCain ....follow THAT!

RNC are we going to hear a FULL THROATED concern for YOUR gay sons and lesbian daughters...(even when you have them?)

I think NOT

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

just caught the end of mockumentary of Obama on Daily Show
everytime Barack speaks an angel has an orgasm....LOL

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
BWAHAHAHA!


"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."
[ Parent ]
Enjoyed You enjoying the moment
Thanks for all your hard work!  It was a pleasure to sit on the sidelines as you sat in the box.  I hope many minds were convinced tonight!

God's love Transcends Gender
A question I wonder about
did you see a lot of International journalists and bloggers?

I'm wondering what the global headlines will be tomorrow

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

DNC Convention congratulations for a SPECTACULAR convention
You did everything I could have hoped for, and I'm relieved we all got through it united at last.

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
did they ever go back to the text call map to see the results?
I only saw it once

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
He Came, He Saw, He Conquered!
Joseph A. Palermo

"What impresses me the most about Barack Obama is his grasp of the engine of history. He knows that FDR's New Deal was not passed from on high but was an expression of years of arduous organizing by ordinary workers, struggling to form successful industrial unions for the first time in this country. He knows that the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts were not the product of Lyndon Johnson's signature but the result of countless struggles and organizing on the part of ordinary African-American citizens and their allies among the white majority.

Tonight, Barack Obama encapsulated, embodied, and articulated the mood of millions of Americans who clearly see that the last eight years have been a betrayal of America. And the hope he offers promises to restore what this country is supposed to stand for. He seeks to end the divide-and-conquer politics of the Republican Right and begin to heal our nation.

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have given us only fear and misery while they have tried to bully and intimidate the world. Never in our history have we experienced such a lethal combination of arrogance and incompetence in a single administration.

Barack Obama is pointing the way forward out of the darkness and fear and anger and division and toward the better angels of our nature. We are so fortunate to have this extremely talented young man emerge in our politics at a time when the nation needs him most.

Now let's win in it November!

I can't wait to hear his inauguration speech"

from huffPo
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

reactions to Obama;s Speech
It was the perfect culmination of a convention that was just as well-choreographed as the campaign that preceded it. Obama's speech was a splendid blend of stagecraft and substance. If you read the text, it hardly jumps off the page. But in Obama's hands it came alive, particularly here:

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe.

And here:

* If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.

The cumulative effect of the words of Michelle, Teddy Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Obama himself should give the him a noticeable bounce.
~Radar's Charles Kaiser:
  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

Obama Soars With Feet Firmly On The Ground
Obama Soars With Feet Firmly On The Ground

CBSNews.com Analysis: Democratic Nominee Succeeds By Coming Down To Earth, Writes Vaughn Ververs

"

And tonight, Obama shed those ethereal connections for policy and down to earth political pronouncements. Talking about health care, education, taxes, energy and parental responsibility, among other topics, the candidate hit on the topics voters say they are most concerned about. And when it came time to respond to the charge that he's not prepared to be commander in chief, Obama issued a familiar, if yet unfulfilled, challenge.

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have," he said.

There was plenty in the speech for Republicans to pick apart at their convention in St. Paul next week, like how he will pay for the litany of proposals he laid out tonight. But they will be hard-pressed to match the intensity, the specificity and the effectiveness of Obama in Denver."


What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

forgot the link above
  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
Great report PAM...I will re read and reLOOK when I can...FOR NOW
McCain picks Alaska governor as running mate
John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential candidate on the Republican ticket for the White House, a senior McCain campaign official has told CNN. The 44-year-old Palin, now in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska, the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state's top political job. full story

YEP folks McCain picked a woman... a right-wing nut..he wants those 18 million votes!

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

Wow, he is totally going for the POed Hillary fans
Did anyone else see that commercial of a woman saying that she was a Hillary supporter and is now voting for McCain?  He thinks just because he picked a woman that all the gals are going to flock to him? **sigh**

You know, I've always been an Obama supporter, but if Hillary had won the primary I would have voted for her, because I vote on issues, and McCain is the antithesis to my stance on most everything.  I really don't get how people could go to the extreme opposite of Hillary if they care about the issues.  I understand that they're upset that their candidate didn't win, but... really, McCain?  What prompted them to vote for Hillary in the first place if they can go to her opposite on the issues?

[ Parent ]
5 Children... Last one a DOWNS.
And she will have a lot of time to bond and educate it won't she!.. That is a 24/7 job folks, let alone the other children. She didn't want to abort it, but she sure doesn't want to raise it!

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.
[ Parent ]
Wow!
Pam, what an opportunity!!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos. It must have been truly amazing! :)

Please send our love to Kate,
Nicole and the rest of WCPSS Audiology Dept

Finally at Invesco, feeling like a sardine (but happy to be here to witness history) | 47 comments
Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?

Report TOS Violations


Join the Blend Chat Room


Premium Sponsors


BlogAds





Search the Blend
Current site


PHB 2.0 Web
Search Blend 1.0 Archives
Ad Networks


BlogSheroes BlogAds

Miscellany

RSS Feeds

Subscribe with Bloglines

Visit NCBlogs

frontpage hit counter

Stats

Powered by: SoapBlox