Something organic (and very soggy) about Occupy Denver rally

Author with soggy sign

Whenever I attend a protest in another state, I always try to exhibit a little bit of Wyoming. It ties me to home. It causes strangers to approach and say, "Hey, I'm from Wyoming too." On a fall football Saturday, someone might come up and say "Go Pokes."

That's what happened today in Denver during the Occupy Denver rally and march. A young man perused my soggy sign (see above).

"You're from Wyoming?"

"Yes" I said out of my soggy face.

"I'm from Torrington."

"Cheyenne," I said.

"Go Pokes," he said, making a fist.

"Go Pokes," I answered. "They're going to need a lot of Go-Poking today at Utah State."

He laughed and moved on. We were marching and the rain was coming down. My wife Chris and I took turns holding the sign. It was permanent marker inked on poster board. Neither of us are great sign makers as we lack whatever genome helps you make readable yet artistic lettering on a white board. But the sign possessed some Wyoming soulfulness which probably drew the young Torringtonite to us. And later, two young women from Gillette who now live in Denver.

Getting ready to march

They were young, most of the occupiers. The age of our kids. Motivated and peaceful too. Their signs were mostly better than ours, and some had machine-lettered placards which looked really good. Some had covered their placards with plastic. They had planned ahead. It takes some planning to attend a protest, even when that protest seems to have grown organically out of the wet ground.

Some of the Occupy Denver people have been living outside for weeks. Their impetus comes from Occupy Wall Street, which began its life in Manhattan's Liberty Square Sept. 17. The weather, for the most part, has been glorious. Treatment from the Denver Police, pretty good. People drop off clothes and food. The multitudes have assembled their own security force. I asked one of the security guys how he got his job. "I was tall," he said, "so they asked me."

When it comes to visibility, it helps to be tall. Tall and festooned with orange. It is hunting season, after all, and you can't be too careful.

This teacher testifies about the damage done to public education by the undue influence of large corporations. 

Chris and I located the core of Occupy Denver on the Capitol grounds along Broadway. There's also a small tent city which provides shelter for the hardcore OD crew. Each occupy event focuses on what night be called "testifying." A person calls "mike check," comes to the center of the circle and proceeds to outline his/her reasons for attending. Savvy folks break their narrative into bite-bized chunks so the rest can follow. It's basically repetition. It turns all of us into motivational speakers. It engages the audience.

He: The top 400 in this country

Us: The top 400 in this country

He: Have more money

Us: Have more money

He: Than the bottom 150 million

Us: Than the bottom 150 million

Former First Lady Dottie Lamm interviews one of the more seasoned occupiers

And that person goes on until he/she is finished -- or until someone else in the crowd calls "mike check" and take the soapbox. That person may want to dispute what the previous testifier said. That happened at least once today. One guy, obviously infused with the populism of the day, told everyone that the streets were ours and that we were going to walk in the streets during our march, no matter what the police said.

"Mike check," said one of the tall security guards.

Despite what the previous person said!

Despite what the previous person said!

We are not going to walk in the street!

We are not going to walk in the street!

He went on to explain that OD did not have a permit for today's march and that it might be in the best interest of everyone here not to rile the police who, for the most part, have been very helpful and understanding. We were policing ourselves, he noted, and wrapped up with "peace."

"Peace" we all said.

As we testified, two DPD paddy wagons rolled down Broadway. I couldn't help but notice that a squad of riot-equipped officers clung to the side of each wagon.

"Uh oh," I thought.

"Uh oh," thought those around me.

Occupy Denver occupies Colfax Avenue

As it turned out, there was little cause for alarm. Marchers chanted and followed the rules and we walked down Colfax Avenue. Police prowlers prowled the inside lane and the security teams made sure we followed the walk-don't-walk signs. A seasoned woman in a funky hat came up to me and said that she was interviewing "older" participants and she couldn't help but notice that Chris and I were, possibly, a bit older than the majority of the assemblage. She hoped that we didn't mind if she pointed that out. We didn't mind. She introduced herself as Dottie Lamm and said she was writing a column for the Denver Post. She asked why were here on this cold rainy day. We believe in the cause. We were curious. A good excuse to get out of town. She asked for our phone number so she could interview us in detail later. We traded numbers. And she moved on to interview other older participants.

Dottie Lamm, in case you don't know, is Colorado former First Lady, wife of Governor Dick Lamm (1975-87). Dick Lamm was a firebrand in his day, as was his wife. She ran from the U.S. Senate in 1998 and was defeated by Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who had earlier defected to the Republicans.

We walked down Colfax in the rain. We received quite a few honks and we yelled in response.

Who are we?

We are the 99 percent!

What's democracy look like?

This is what democracy looks like!

Whose street is it?

Our street!

But we didn't walk in it. We walked along the sidewalk to Fillmore, crossed the street (with police assistance) and headed back to the Capitol. More chanting. More rain. We called it quits, had lunch and drove back to Cheyenne in a heavy rain.

What had we learned? A lot, as it turns out. I'll explain tomorrow...

Keith Olbermann first confirmed speaker at NN12

Netroots Nation has announced that Keith Olbermann is its first confirmed speaker for the 2012 conference June 7-10 in Providence, R.I.

Great news. I plan on being there. Hope I have an opportunity to discuss James Thurber with Mr. Olbermann. Thurber was a favorite of his late father's and Keith read excerpts to close out each Friday's show on MSNBC. That was before he was cancelled by corporate giant NBC. I also am a big fan of the man's righteous anger, which I miss these days. I'll have to check and see if Optimum (formerly Bresnan) carries Keith's network.

More on NN12 at http://www.netrootsnation.org

Matt Damon defends teachers

The Fix list is in, and hummingbirdminds is on it

Chris Cilliza at the Washington Post's The Fix recently put out a call for the year's best political blogs in each of the 50 states.

Making the list for Wyoming are Jeremy Pelzer's Wyoming Capitol Journal at the Casper Star-Tribune and hummingbirdminds. Thanks to Larry Kurtz at South Dakota's Interested Party for pointing this out.

Regional prog-blogs making the list are Square State in Colorado, Madville Times in S.D., and Montana Cowgirl in Montana.

Great company for this humble ink-stained electron-drenched wretch.

If you want to see candidates for future best-of lists, go to my right sidebar under WY Progressives and click away.

Let 'em buck -- but don't dress 'em in pink!

Local Radical Right scold Richard Wall writes an op-ed in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.

What is Richard incensed about now, you might ask?

I already knew, since his anti-Susan G. Komen letter to the CFD has been circulating for a week. It was first illuminated among the local blogosphere by the always-alert Jeran Artery at Out in Wyoming.

Mr. Wall's op-ed skills are quite good. He takes his time working himself into a lather over the real message. Condom posters in Frontier Park restrooms! Public drunkenness! Scantily clad photos of Miss Frontier and her Lady in Waiting! Dogs and cats, living together!

Forget the last one. I just had a "Ghostbusters" flashback.

Wall's main target is the relationship between Cheyenne Frontier Days, "The Daddy of 'Em All," and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. CFD works with Komen to promote the fight against breast cancer. To that end, Thursday's CFD activities carry to motto "Tough Enough to Wear Pink."

There were lots of cowboys and cowgirls wearing pink for cancer research the last time I attended the CFD rodeo. They looked pretty tough to me riding buckin' broncs and racing steeds around barrels at breakneck speeds.

Wall objects to Komen's alleged ties with Planned Parenthood and stem cell research. He contends that "25 percent of the money raised by its local affiliate go to Komen's national offices, which permits or takes part in these abuses." He is not clear what those abuses are, but he does say that it involves those "who respect all human life... must steer a wide berth around the Komen organization."

"Respect human life?" Code words for the anti-abortion movement. When they say "all human life," they mean "fetuses."  Once that fetus is actually born, they wash their hands of its fate unless its 80 years later and that sick and aging person is on life support (like Terry Schiavo) and should never be taken off to end the suffering.

These same people support the death penalty and pointless wars that kills innocent civilians including pregnant mothers and their fetuses. They also want to do away with the government's social safety net that prevents starvation in mothers and children. Every sperm is sacred!

They don't like gays either, dressed in pink or not.

How I do go on.

Please read Mr. Wall's screed and let CFD know that they shouldn't cave in to to the Radical Right, especially when our 115-year-old tradition carries such a proud legacy of supporting local causes.

O.K., CFD isn't perfect, especially if you're a vegan or a PETA member or Sheryl Crow or you just don't like mainstream country music. But if we're going to apply a purity test to CFD or any of our organizations, none will come up smelling like a rose. We Lefties are goofy on this too. We have shows such as "Portlandia" and numerous blogs to remind us how strangely human we all are.

Wall is human so give him a break, eh? I would, but he's attempting to insert his narrow-minded agenda into a place where it doesn't belong. Let him talk and write op-eds. But let's not let him bully our CFD.

Moveon.org mag looking for new-media savvy interns

Had to pass on this announcement to my fellow Progressive writers/bloggers. Sounds like a great opportunity for some of those energetic young activists I met at Netroots Nation 11. Go for it:

Backpack: paid internship: MoveOn's magazine for the Facebook era is at http://moveonorg.backpackit.com.

MoveOn.org Civic Action is looking for a couple of fiercely intelligent, hard-working, impressively creative, technically savvy interns to help develop its new media project.

Location: Anywhere. We have a virtual office, and collaborate online.
Stipend: $1,000 to 1,500 a month, based on experience, plus health benefits.
Start Date: As soon as possible, no later than July 15, 2011.
End Date: Sept 15, 2011 (but may be extended indefinitely if it works out).
If you’re interested: Please send a cover letter, writing sample, link to something amazing you’ve seen online lately, and resume to editorialintern@moveon.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Netroots Nation 2011: Day Two

Started the day with the "Big Steaming News Dump" with Lizz Winstead and friends. The Netroots Nation alternative to “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.

Panelists were pundit and author of the John McCain biography Cliff Schecter, lesbian blogger Pam Spaulding, Leftie media maven Shannyn Moore from Alaska, pundit Sam Seder and Jon Sinton, a co-founder of the late Air America.

Many snarky comments about the news that Pakistan had arrested five men who allegedly helped the CIA spy on Osama bin-Laden's million-dollar hideaway. Conclusion: This was a Casablanca-like "round up the usual suspects" moment.

Next topic: Tea Party-sponsored summer camp for kids in Tampa, Fla. Also known as (unofficially the Ayn Rand Camp for Kids. Motto: "Tea Party Camp -- when you're too f-ing crazy for Jesus Camp." Lizz proposed this course for the little Tea Partiers: "Timothy McVeigh's Gentle Side." And so on.

Sam Seder talked about the Politico story that Right Wing slush funds from Americans for Prosperity et.al.  finance Right Wing talk radio. Progressive bloggers have known (or at least suspected this) for years. This news also brings into question the old marketplace theory of radio talk. Left Wing talk can't survive in the marketplace so it must be no good. Well, Wingnut Radio couldn't compete in the marketplace if it wasn't for these slush funds.

"Right Wing Radio has been subsidized from Day One," said Seder. "Those reporters dump stories and the subsidies roll in."

Very difficult for indie bloggers to compete in this cash-rich environment. Right Wing Radio has all of the beachfront property and not nearly enough Leftie Richie Rich's (Lizz's term)  to keep them afloat. Cable TV is too expensive. However, there are some smartphone and tablet apps coming along that will help to even the media playing field. One is the Progressive Voices app that, according to Jon Sinton, will serve as a "one-stop-shop for everything progressive in audio, print and video." Maybe you'll even see hummingbirdminds on there some day.

"There are over 100 million users of smartphones and tablets," said John. "In 2013, it will be a billion."

That's reaching out directly to a lot of people.

He envisions the smartphone becoming as ubiquitous as the transistor radios of the 1950s and 1960s. I remember those -- every kid had one at his/her ear or next to the pillow at night. My transistor radio brought me pop and early rock from exotic locales such as Chicago.

"This app can help cut the strings to mainstream media," John said.

Pam Spaulding of pamshouseblend talked about the emergence of "fake lesbians" in the blogosphere. Two were recently unmasked -- one in Syria and one in the U.S. Several panelists agreed that this was a strange and alarming trend.

The next item to be discussed was the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska, Shannyn Moore said that the mine will have a tailings' pond 20 miles long and will be perched at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, the continent's largest salmon fishery. It's located -- as is most of Alaska -- along the Ring of Fire volcanic and earthquake zone. She noted that the state's biggest quake in recent history (1964) liquefied the soil -- and the shit will hit the fan when the earthen dam that holds back the waters of the tailings' pond turns to ooze. She brought lots of "No Pebble Mine" stickers to the conference. She also had a bunch of wild salmon shipped in for a party and fund-raiser tonight that I'm too tired to attend.

Lizz rounded up her show with a short interview of the mayor (the guy's everywhere, and he's not running for anything). He wanted us to know about the severe tornado that hit the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods on the side side of town. It didn't get much attention because it happened on the same day as the Joplin, Mo. twister. He said that 5,000 homes were affected. Most housed renters with no insurance and many of the homeowners lacked enough insurance coverage. He urged us to come out Saturday for a big repair and building effort hosted by Habitat for Humanity and Urban Homeworks. Hizzoner told us to go to his Twitter page at rtrybak to get more info. He does his own social media posting. "I don't think that any politician should have someone else doing his Twitter and Facebook.

NOTE: I was at this all day today. Many sessions, many notes. Not a fan of live-blogging because I miss too much. More posting tomorrow....

Ground-breaking enviro-art includes "Blood Lamp"

Blood Lamp from miket on Vimeo.

As seen on Grist: "Mike Thompson's "Blood Lamp," which is powered by a single drop of human blood, represents the dynamic outer fringes of the eco-friendly avant-garde."

4&20 blackbirds: "The Tale of Two Rallies" in Montana

I've been missing a lot of good stuff happening in Montana because I haven't been visiting 4&20 blackbirds. But here's a great post by jhwygirl, former WY resident (she still occasionally sneaks over the border) and now a spur under the saddle of Montana knuckleheads.

Read her latest post at http://4and20blackbirds.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/if-it-isnt-clear-now-who-the-legislature-should-be-listening-to-it-should-be-still-more-national-attention/

With a great graphic:

Forget the MSM -- Russia Today covers Wisconsin

Remember when Pres. Reagan called the Soviet Union "The Evil Empire?" I do. This clip comes from "Russia Today" and takes a look at another Evil Empire -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his union-busting tactics. Link courtesy of our our fine friends at the Solidarity Wisconsin blog -- and others in the Wisconsin Progressive Bloggers Corps (and not the MSM).

Russia Today covers Wisconsin | Solidarity Wisconsin

As pricey live/work artist spaces arise in Jackson, what's in store for the rest of the state?

Planet Jackson Hole's JH Weekly at least once a week due to the fact that its header demands it. I also like alternative weeklies. I used to edit and write for one. You read stories there that you don't find in MSM.

I missed the Dec. 21 article by Teton County wise-guy art critic Aaron Wallis. It's about a new live/work development for artists by architect Stephen Dynia in Jackson. You can read the whole thing at JH Weekl

Here are some excerpts:

The development is now under construction and when completed it will total eight units in two buildings. As of press time, three of the eight units have been sold.

The units are supposed to be affordable and from what I can tell, Dynia and Prugh did everything within their power to keep the price down. Unfortunately, the units are still in the $400s. Which, is again, affordable for Jackson, but that’s like saying the $10 burrito at Pica’s is a good deal just because everything else is in town is equally overpriced.

The project’s vision ­– to create a space where artists can live and work ­– is laudable. I know Tom Woodhouse would move into the Center for the Arts if they would let him. Seriously, why are residential and commercial space always zoned separately? Why not eliminate the necessity of commuting? Commuting by its very nature is a waste of time and resources. What’s the point of driving back and forth from Wilson to Jackson twice a day? It’s a colossal waste of gas, but I guess as long as there’s a “Please Don’t Idle” sticker on your SUV, it’s OK.

Anyway, if I had $400k, I would definitely consider moving in 1085 Broadway. What could be better than having artists for neighbors, creating in a clean modern space, and living in Jackson Hole? Well a Range Rover and a trust fund would be nice, but we can’t all be so lucky. I asked my Magic 8-Ball if the new development would change the art scene in Jackson.  “Signs point to yes,” it replied.

Live/work spaces "in the $400s" are a bit pricey for most artists and writers of my acquaintance. But that price is pretty reasonable in Teton County. Here's some recent info from Trulia:

There are currently 323 resale and new homes in Jackson on Trulia, including 3 homes in the pre-foreclosure, auction, or bank-owned stages of the foreclosure process. The average listing price for homes for sale in Jackson WY was $2,153,991 for the week ending Dec 22, which represents an increase of 0.4%, or $9,134, compared to the prior week.

Wowzir! Now we're talking real money.

Other live/work spaces have attempted to get off the ground in Wyoming. Project planners from ArtSpace in Minneapolis have advised arts groups in Casper and have conducted workshops in Sheridan ("Living Upstairs in Wyoming") and in Cheyenne ("Arts Summit 2008"). ArtSpace bills itself as the largest non-profit real estate management company for the arts in the U.S. As of this writing, it hasn't come up with any solid projects in the state. But it does have one in Billings.

I've been looking into an ArtSpace project called The Arts Exchange in Tallahassee. Yes, that's in Florida and nowhere near the Great Wide Open. I was in Tallahassee with family a few weeks ago and decided to take a look. The site now houses an old warehouse. It's located next to the Railroad Square Art Park and close to downtown, Florida A&M and Florida State. My sister Maureen and I drove there on graduation Saturday in December. Not much to see except potential at the Arts Exchange site. A few galleries and stores were open in the arts district. Nowhere near as lively as it is on its First Friday celebrations, which includes drinking and revelry and arts and music.

At the art park, we wandered into the South of Soho Art Co-op where Stephen Bennett was minding the store. He's from Daytona, our family's old stomping grounds, so we visited for awhile. I liked his work and the work of his colleagues on the walls. We went into the hippy-dippy Athena's Garden, with its array of herbs and teas and tinctures. The two young women minding the store were from Boulder, which didn't surprise me. The back room featured clothes and purses and hemp products, along with Wiccan stuff. My daughter Annie would have loved the place. Maureen bought her a peace sign purse. We visited the Cosmic Cat which was just the place for my son Kevin. It features manga and zines and graphic novels.

I'm interested in The Arts Exchange because it looks like a nice place to live in my artistic retirement. Not sure if I'd qualify. I plan an active post-65 life, creating fiction and also advising arts groups. For that, I have 25-some years in arts administration. The Arts Exchange will be home to the Boys' Choir of Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Ballet, and the Council on Culture & Arts. Arts orgs always ned an extra hand or grants writer. Tallahassee also puts Chris and I close to our families.

What will happen with live/work spaces in Wyoming? Well, there's one project already being built in Jackson. Not sure what will arise in Cheyenne or Laramie or Sheridan or Casper or Meeteetse. The potential is there. Someone -- or some group -- must do the planning.