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GLENN: Now, here's one of the most incredible stories I have read today and I've read a lot of incredible stories. Wait until I get to the John Edwards story. I've read a lot of incredible stories today. Here's one from the DNC host committee in Denver, tanking up at city gas pumps to avoid paying the $0.40 a gallon in combined Federal and State gas taxes. Let me repeat that. The DNC would like to save money for their convention and so they have decided that they're going to buy it from the State gas pumps. You know where...

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention has used the city's gas pumps to fill up and apparently avoided paying state and federal fuel taxes. The practice, which began four months ago, may have ended hours after its disclosure. An aide to Mayor John Hickenlooper released a statement Tuesday evening saying that Denver 2008 Host Committee members would pay market prices for fuel and would also be liable for all applicable taxes. However, Public Works spokeswoman Christine Downs told City Council members just hours before that host committee members were fueling up at the city pumps. The city does not...

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention set for Denver next month is avoiding paying state and federal taxes on gasoline by gassing up vehicles at a city fuel depot, according to a city councilwoman quoted yesterday on the Web site of the Rocky Mountain News. "There's something there that just doesn't seem right ..." the Denver official, Jeanne Faatz, said at a city meeting yesterday. "I believe this [tax free gas pump] is only for elected officials, government dignitaries," Mayor Hickenlooper said at the session, according to the News. [Snip] Republican National Convention's host committee in [Minneapolis], Teresa...

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today. "There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because, in a sense, you're saying then that the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them, and that concerns me," Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said. The issue came up during the council's weekly meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper when the Public Works Department requested authorization to be reimbursed by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee for use of "fueling...

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today. "There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because, in a sense, you're saying then that the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them, and that concerns me," Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said. The issue came up during the council's weekly meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper when the Public Works Department requested authorization to be reimbursed by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee for use of "fueling...

Bitter Half Alert: Here she goes again. But don’t you dare breathe a negative word about what she says on the campaign trail, because she’s just a “civilian” whom you should lay off of–and if you don’t you’re a racist, wife-beating brute! MichelleO, MichelleO, MichelleO: Michelle Obama mixed a story about how her husband, the Democratic presidential candidate asked her out, with a solemn assessment of U.S. economic and social conditions during a visit to the Denver area Wednesday. Obama spoke before a crowd of about 150 that paid from $1,000 to $10,000 apiece at a private fundraising dinner at...

The blog redstate.com posted an item today questioning the experience level of Andrea Robinson, director of greening for the Democratic National Convention Committee. Posted by Eric Erickson - read the post here - it notes a profile done by Jerd Smith of the Rocky that calls Robinson "thirtysomething." According to Smith, neither Robinson nor the DNCC wanted to give her age out. But if you read Robinson's profile on the DNCC Website it says she has "more than 25 years in the environmental field." That means she started when she was 13. [snip] What was not included on her resume...

Denver—With the Democratic National Convention approaching, it appears that Denver will stop at nothing to get the homeless off the streets during the convention. The actions have created a swarm of homeless to descend upon the city. Some of the ideas being floated by Denver city officials include sending the homeless to the movies, to the zoo, and even sequestering them in local homeless shelters.

Ben Affleck, Kanye West, Scarlett Johansson among Denver-bound starsBY JO PIAZZA DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Sunday, July 20th 2008, 1:07 AM The stars will come out to see Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination. Denver is about to become Tinseltown - for a week. A-list Hollywood hotshots and music industry titans are set to descend on the Rocky Mountain city for next month's Democratic National Convention, where political rock star Barack Obama will officially claim the party's crown. "We are expecting lots of people to be here, big names, small names and everyday American names," convention spokesman Damon Jones said....

Democrats: It's not easy being greenEco-friendly convention vexes caterers, organizers, spinners Valerie Richardson Sunday, July 20, 2008 DENVER | Throwing the "greenest national political convention to date" is easier said than done, as Democrats are learning the hard way. Amid much fanfare, Democratic National Convention officials have for months promoted their commitment to an environmentally sustainable event. They've hired a first-ever "director of greening," set an ambitious recycling goal of 85 percent, and banished plastic water bottles and plastic foam cups from the premises. With the convention a little more than one month away, however, it's apparent that some Democrats...

DENVER'S HIGH-CLASS HOMELESSLast updated: 5:17 am July 20, 2008 That must be some classy set of street people out in Denver. Officials in most places with vagrancy problems must wrestle with issues like drug abuse and mental illness. Apparently not so in Denver - which next month hosts the Democratic National Convention. The area around the convention center where Democrats will gather is home to many of the city's 5,000 or so vagrants, so city officials have hatched a plan to, er, get them out of the way. For their own good, of course. But rest assured that Denver isn't...

On that other Obama convention speech, in 2004, that introduced him to the nation: "No one more than Barack Obama understands how important it is to deliver a convention speech well," (Senior Advisor Jenny) Backus said. "He wouldn't be where he is if he didn't know how to deliver convention speeches."

<p>Limiting protesters to a "free speech zone" means First Amendment rights will be under assault at the Democratic National Convention, civil rights lawyer David Lane said during a training class for lawyers today.</p>

KANYE, WYCLEF BOOKED FOR DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Artists scheduled to perform during event beginning Aug. 25 in Denver.(July 18, 2008) Kanye West, Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. have been tapped to perform at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver to support the presidential nomination of Sen. Barack Obama. According to Billboard, West is rumored to be performing on behalf of Bono's One Campaign, which landed the rapper in conjunction with the RIAA. Jean and N.E.R.D. are expected to headline a party thrown by MTV and Rock the Vote. The convention, which begins Aug. 25 at Invesco Field in Denver, will culminate with...

Hundreds of Denver's homeless could be cooling their heels in a movie theater or museum while the Democratic National Convention is in town next month. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless plans to get 500 movie tickets as well as passes to the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and other cultural facilities for the people it helps. Many day shelters will have expanded hours during the convention, and big screen TVs are being donated to some shelters so patrons can watch convention goings-on without being caught up in the mayhem. A two-day voter registration drive is also...

Do you think Denver is trying to hide the homeless during the Democratic National Convention? Yes No

Al-Qaeda Draws New Recruits Via Internet Al-Qaeda is using the Internet to recruit vulnerable young people to its terrorist network, according to a programme aired on Saudi Arabian TV late on Tuesday. Umm Osama, the founder of al-Qaeda's first women-only website, al-Khansa, joined several others on the programme to discuss how they renounced jihadist ideology. Among those who sought a response to this question was an imam from the Medina mosque, Saleh Ibn Awad al-Mudamsi, and the father of a young al-Qaeda suspect held in an Iraqi prison. Read More Qaeda Targets U.S. Oil Interests in North Africa U.S....

I should also source the Olbermann show. This is the story, I was there at McCain's town hall event in Denver. I arrived with my 10yo daughter shortly before 10am. This description of events is ridiculous. Let me tell you, they did not screen participants or questions. NO ONE was allowed a sign, even if it said "I heart John McCain". This "sweet" little librarian had to be an agitator who had to have purposely push until she got a ticket. These people (and they were an organized group), insinuated themselves til they were right next to the door to...

The idea of a Black National Anthem is a multiculturalist paradigm. A black freedom song, a black hymnal, songs that gave African slaves on American soil some comfort and hope in the midst of their suffering, and, for that matter, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” – these all fit perfectly into an American national identity. Indeed, all Americans should know such songs. But a Black National Anthem, when substituted for the National Anthem, means that there are two nations on American soil, a black one and an American one.

WASHINGTON: Senator Barack Obama will accept his party's nomination in a Denver football stadium that seats more than 75,000 people, campaign officials said Monday, a late change in plans intended to take advantage of the candidate's ability to draw huge crowds. The Obama campaign's decision to hold the convention's headliner event at Invesco stadium, nearly two miles, or about three kilometers, away from the main convention hall at the Pepsi Center, harked back to the decision by John F. Kennedy to accept the Democratic Party nomination at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles in 1960. But the announcement came after...

Senator Barack Obama will accept the nomination of the Democratic Party on August 28 at INVESCO Field in front of 75,000 people. Tickets will be free and the event open to the public. Ten supporters who donate $5 or more will be flown to Denver with a friend to meet Senator Obama backstage and watch history unfold.

From Hippie infestation and silly food rules to Howard Dean's spending money like a drunken sailor, the convention is a picture of chaos. Heh.

Pepsi Center Getting Makeover For DNCManager: 'Transformation Will Be Enormous' UPDATED: 12:21 pm MDT July 6, 2008 By CHUCK PLUNKETT and ELIZABETH AGUILERA The Denver Post DENVER -- The Pepsi Center hands over the keys to construction teams for the Democratic National Convention Committee at 8 a.m. Monday, and the on-the-ground, multimillion-dollar race to transform the arena into a convention hall by Aug. 25 begins. Standing inside the Pepsi Center not long after Denver won the bid, the facility's general manager, Dave Jolette, waved his hand at the vast space in something like awe, or maybe fear. "The transformation," he...

My apologies for being late with this July 4th post (and if it's been posted before) It's a good read -- however, I have been out shooting bottle rockets, Roman candles and Black Cats the past two nights and haven't been on line much!

Barack Obama's campaign is considering moving his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention from the Pepsi Center convention hall to Invesco Field at Mile High to accommodate the uncredentialed masses, sources say. The move would mark a major departure from tradition, but would be in keeping with the candidate's desire to build a large grass-roots campaign focused on "change." It also would leave behind the multi-million-dollar broadcast studios, media offices and high-tech podium and stage to be constructed at the Pepsi Center.

A jazz singer shocked some Denver residents after replacing the words to the national anthem with those of the "Black National Anthem" during the annual State of the City address this week. Rene Marie was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper delivered the annual address on Tuesday. Instead, she sang the lyrics of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" — a hymn commonly referred to as the "Black National Anthem" — to the tune of the national anthem, MyFOXColorado.com reported. "If anyone has got a right to be angry it's probably me," Hickenlooper told the station....

Power to the street people during DNCThe city says it has no plan to hide the homeless during all the hoopla. Some officials hope they'll be part of the dialogue. By Allison Sherry The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 07/01/2008 06:20:24 AM MDT Denver police Cmdr. Deborah Dilley has a message to the 3,900 homeless people who live in the city: You can stay where you are between Aug. 25 and 28. Responding to rumors that Denver's homeless would be bused to Pueblo or hauled out of the hip Lower Downtown area during the Democratic National Convention, city officials say...

As Denver dignitaries gathered today for Mayor John Hickenlooper's State of the City address, City Council President Michael Hancock introduced singer Rene Marie to perform the national anthem. But that's not what she did. Instead, Marie performed the song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," which also is known as the "black national anthem." When she finished, the proceedings moved forward, and the "Star-Spangled Banner" was never performed.

The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court today. That may allow protestors to be seen and heard by delegates going in and out of the Pepsi Center during the convention. But the American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions. The ACLU has said it wants to...

Plan offers $100 to ease DNC drive By Chuck Plunkett The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 06/29/2008 01:01:43 AM MDT Downtown workers can score $100 by cycling, carpooling or taking the bus to work during the month of the Democratic National Convention, Downtown Denver Partnership officials announced Friday. The partnership is using the convention and the prospect of crowds and traffic to encourage residents to "get Downtown UnCONVENTIONALly," and start more-sustainable commuting habits. Downtown workers were polled this spring on a variety of incentives, after the partnership won a $173,000 federal grant to offer the incentives. Officials said they decided...

Glenn Beck: Crazy town Express Audio Available: June 25, 2008 - 12:47 ET Drill Alaska! Why should the "pretty" states get a free-pass when it comes to drilling for oil? Just because you have snow capped mountains and exotic wildlife doesn't mean you can't play host to a few drilling fields. Buy Now! GLENN: The people who are running this country, they're on a train to crazy town. Let me give you the example. This is from the front page of today's Wall Street Journal. As the mile-high city gears up to host Democratic bash for 50,000 organizers, they are...

The Greenest Show on Earth: Democrats Gear Up for Denver From Organic Fanny Packs to 'Pure' Trash, Party Planners Face Logistical Nightmare By STEPHANIE SIMON June 25, 2008; Page A1 DENVER -- As the Mile High City gears up to host a Democratic bash for 50,000, organizers are discovering the perils of trying to stage a political spectacle that's also politically correct. Consider the fanny packs. With biodegradable balloons and organic snacks, Denver Democrats hope to stage the "greenest convention" ever. See examples. The host committee for the Democratic National Convention wanted 15,000 fanny packs for volunteers. But they had...

Mayor John Hickenlooper promised Denver won't experience another "Summer of Violence" and vowed Monday to crack down on criminals who wield weapons after two unrelated weekend shootings shocked the city. "If you use a gun in Denver, we're going to do everything we can to put you behind bars as long as we can," the mayor said at a news conference flanked by Police Chief Gerry Whitman and District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Police identified Mark Tabullo- Zuniga, 23, as the gunman who died in a confrontation with police early Sunday in a parking lot at 18th and Market streets. Andres...

<p>Denver police are stocking up on guns that fire a pepper spray-like substance instead of bullets - a less-lethal weapon used to disperse crowds - in advance of the Democratic National Convention.</p> <p>The department recently ordered 88 Mark IV launchers and projectiles at a cost "in the low six figures,"..</p>

Eight Denver hospitals and city police officers and firefighters are preparing for the worst today — a mass casualty, biological disaster — in anticipation of the Democratic National Convention. The incident — details of which began to surface midmorning — will involve volunteer "victims" who will be treated at area hospitals as though they were contaminated with a biological agent. Just after 9 a.m., the hospitals received a report of an "explosion" at the Pepsi Center, involving pesticides and an unknown number of injuries among 20,000 people in attendance. A few minutes later the hospital received a second report that...

Jeff Peckman is a 54-year-old who lives with his parents, promotes technology that supposedly creates harmony by manipulating electromagnetic fields and is behind an initiative to form a commission on extraterrestrials in Denver. "He's less ahead of his time if you put him in Boulder," ... "He's more ahead of his time in downtown Denver." Peckman is derided, dismissed and deemed a doofus ... His projects - everything from technology called brain fingerprinting to an Oregon ballot initiative to label genetically engineered food ... In 2003, Peckman championed Initiative 101, which would have required the city to promote peacefulness. The...

WASHINGTON -- New Orleans and its hurricane recovery efforts will get star billing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Denver's 2008 Host Committee and Democratic National Committee announced Thursday that instead of the 24 separate parties for state delegations originally planned, they've decided on a single bash with a New Orleans theme. It will be held Aug. 24, one day before the four-day convention that will nominate Barack Obama for president begins. "Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina, we want the nation to know that rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf region is not just a local issue but...

Edwards: number 2, not so much PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Salena Zito The AP is reporting that John Edwards said while traveling in Spain that a run for vice president for him won't be happening: "I already had the privilege of running for vice president in 2004, and I won't do it again," Edwards was quoted by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, as saying. Other leading daily newspapers carried similar comments. Edwards, a former presidential candidate himself in both 2004 and 2008, ran for vice president under Sen. John Kerry four years ago. Edwards threw his support behind Sen. Barack Obama late...

Hillary to suspend campaign in DC Saturday By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, June 5, 2008 Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will announce the suspension of her campaign and her endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee, Saturday, in Washington D.C according to a statement issued Wednesday evening. The statement did not officially confirm her decision but said Clinton would be hosting an event in Washington, DC to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity. According to the statement, the event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters...

Manning: Clinton has won nomination Pittsburgh Tribune-Review By Salena Zito Pastor James David Manning, posted an “urgent message to Sen. Hillary Clinton” via You-Tube video today claiming that Clinton “without a doubt has won the nomination for the presidency for the Democratic Party.” In the video, Manning, pastor of ATLAH World Missionary Church in Harlem, N.Y., compares Clinton’s courage to that of former Pakistan leader Benazir Bhutto, Clinton's wisdom and poise to that of Cleopatra, and Clinton's leadership strength to that of Deborah of the Old Testament.

Shouts of Denver and McCain 08! Harriet in the audience:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVvtgUrkgH0 Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lpg6TRW9qc Part 2

I've been watching with great amusement the rules committee today on CNN. Their vote awarding 1/2 a vote to the Michigan and Florida delegates is remarkable and unbelievable. Think about it. The Democrats have said that their delegates (and hence, their voters) are not even worth the 3/5 vote the Constitution originally gave blacks!

The Democratic Party is struggling to raise money for its convention in Denver on Aug. 25-28, with fund-raising by the host committee falling far short of the party’s goals and lagging behind the Republicans’ efforts for their convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul. So far, the Denver host committee is about $15 million short of the $40.6 million it must raise by June 16. With only $25 million raised so far, the committee is scrambling to offer a new round of special deals for corporate underwriters, as well as to devise a backup plan should the fund-raising fall short and plans for...

Colorado Springs, May 23, 2008 / 05:01 am (CNA).- A physics professor has persuaded an Oxford laboratory to revisit the question of the age of the Shroud of Turin, the reputed burial shroud of Jesus Christ.  The professor argues that carbon monoxide contaminating the shroud could have distorted its radiocarbon dating results by more than 1,000 years.In 1988 and 1989 scientists at three laboratories drew on the results of radiocarbon dating to conclude that the shroud was a medieval forgery.  They dated its creation to between 1260 and 1390 AD.The Denver Post reports that John Jackson, a physics lecturer...

DNC Wants Food In Convention ColorsUPDATED: 1:54 pm MDT May 19, 2008 Many caterers are cheering eco-friendly requirements for menus at events hosted by the Denver 2008 Host Committee during the Democratic National Convention, but some see them as a challenge. A request for catering proposals for events sponsored by the Host Committee asks for no fried foods; no individual plastic containers for liquids; reusable, recyclable or compostable plates; and local or organic food -- or both. Another request is for food to be in at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white. One...

When: Labor Day Weekend August 29-31 2008. Where: Three Kings, Denver, CO. What to Expect: The tribe uniting. The elite inebriates finding each other. The best and the booziest. Ever go to a bar and wish there were some real g-----n boozers on board? Well, there are for three solid days of heavy drinking and full-bore entertainment including: • Bands (TBA) Rest assured they will be of the hard-drinking variety. • Burlesque Scantily-clad women, old-school style. • Soused Seminars Booze-related knowledge you can absorb at your leisure. • Drunkard Dating Game Romantic hangover brunch at a filthy dive bar with...

Hot media spotlight can boost business but also poses risks Aside from logistical hurdles, transportation issues and security challenges, Denver faces a formidable task during the upcoming Democratic National Convention: Impress the press.An estimated 17,000 reporters, photographers, commentators, bloggers, support staff and other members of the media are expected to swarm the city in August, ranking as the largest media conglomeration in Denver's history and one of the biggest worldwide this year.

Unlicensed drivers would see their cars impounded under a Denver ballot measure that opponents say targets illegal immigrants. The proposed ordinance states: "Unlicensed drivers including illegal aliens are not eligible for auto insurance and pose a significant danger to the people of the city and county of Denver when driving and must be prevented from doing so in every way possible." Backers have gathered enough signatures to have the item placed on the ballot in August should City Council members choose not to adopt it. At least one council member is opposed. Bruce Wright, identified in documents submitted to the...

Jeff Peckman is back at it, and this time he is bringing little green men along for the ride. The Denver man, who sponsored an offbeat ballot initiative that would have required the city to implement stress-reduction techniques, now wants to ask voters to create a commission dealing with space aliens. "It is important because if you're driving down the highway and you saw a crash of a small spaceship and a car or a bus full of kids, you really wouldn't know what to do," Peckman said Thursday. "Do you wait for the hazardous materials experts to show up...