I was in the Big Tent (for bloggers) and had scored a couch with a nice AC adaptor plug-in and wasn't about to move. I had pictures to upload, email to check and blogging to do and wasn't about to give up my spot.
Katie Couric came in with her entourage. I ignored that.
Dan Rather spoke upstairs and I admire him. I forgot to go.
I thought that the Big Tent was for bloggers and that the Alliance Center next door was for the "new media" - you know, like The Nation or Mother Jones. Yet all these corporate reporters were flooding the doors trying to worm their way in to see what we were doing. The Pepsi Center was right next door - there was a Convention going on! Yet they wanted to be with us.
For one thing, you can't take liquids into the Convention Center and when I was in Boston in 2004, water was going for $4/bottle. I'm sure it must be the same because I kept hearing "There is nothing to eat over there." Whereas at the Big Tent, there were Google smoothies, sandwiches, burritos, pizzas, nachos, mixed nuts and next door all sorts of Vegan stuff at the HuffPo atrium. There was Blind-Roasted Coffee (the person selling it was actually blind) and all the Fat Tire Ale we could drink.
I kept having my photo taken (or I was filmed), maybe because I was reclining with my feet up? Did I fit the blogger stereotype of someone in pajamas? I actually did wear them yesterday but I don't think anyone really noticed.
Here came the New York Times Reporter and I let her know that I don't watch television news and haven't since 1991 when I decided during the Gulf War that it was propaganda. I told her that my news sources are foreign press, public radio and the internet. I said that I am using my vacation time and money to finance trips to DialyKos twice, Netroots Nation, Convention 2004 (I was a Johnkerry.com moderator) and 2008. I believe that like Rick Steves the travel guru says, we should "travel close to the ground."
I can't remember the rest of the earful I gave. I needed to talk more than usual. When she asked for my cell phone number I couldn't remember it, as I seldom use it. She took my email instead. We'll see if any of it is used. It is frustrating though. I call home to family and they are asking me about things I have heard nothing about, and they are getting them from television.
People will vote for Hillary. There will be a big hassle at the Convention. The polls are going McCain's way. Et Cetera. I don't believe any of it but I did hear the gist of what Dan Rather said today. He remembers a time when there was less media conglomeration. No media outlet today is going to criticize an owner company such as General Electric. There you go.
What we need to do:
Be the media.
Mass boycott corporate media.
(You can see some of my "coverage" at Silenced Majority Portal)