Kudos to John for earning us a place at the Democratic Convention; and as Jack already posted, you can hear a podcast from his whirlwind plublicity tour here.

So much for sucking up to the boss, here is where I go out on a limb, attack and publicly critique him by saying that I agree with everything said in the interview except the opening premise as quoted in the podcast.

Brace yourselves. 

At the beginning of the podcast, John is quoted as saying bloggers are not going to be “objective” in sending posts from the Convention. I understand the meaning of that statement, but I believe the point is that bloggers such as John who are posting from the Convention will not be “neutral.”

For a long time now, I have been attacking the mainstream press for not covering this administration properly, for being intimidated and cowered into a submissive neutrality. They are so wrong they have forgotten who they are.

The job of the press is not to be neutral, it is to be objective. There is an enormous difference.

Here's neutral: The Jedi rebels say the Death Star is a peril to the universe, but Darth Vader assures the universe that the empire is trying to protect us from the insurgent terrorists that seek to do us harm.

Here's objective: It's called the Death Star. Its objective is complete control. Darth Vader's tactics are brutal and dictatorial.

But, of course, it's even worse. The headline today would read: Vader Says He Will Keep Us Safe.

That's no joke. Watch me flipping out over a USA Today headline that says almost exactly that here.

He also makes a brilliant argument here, which should be journalism 101 for any reporter (and “Understanding The Press 101” for every consumer of information). His observation demonstrates what has become the complete flip-side to the diet served by each of the major networks and virtually every national broadcaster. 

If the media reports on a story objectively and it does damage to the Republicans, that is not a bias. That is a sad day for the Republican Party. The truth hurts. Of course, the same is true of the Democratic Party.

So, if people weren't rescued for five days in New Orleans, it is not biased to report the Bush administration didn't show up. They didn't. It would be folly to report that some say the administration did a terrific job in rescuing people in an effort to appear neutral. . .

It is not biased to say that Iraq is undergoing tremendous civil strife. It is not biased to say the administration claimed the Iraqis would throw roses at our feet. . . .  Though reporting these facts might not be neutral to the administration, it certainly is objective.

Conservatives often complain that liberals want equality of results rather than equality of opportunity in social programs. They say . . . the best we can do is equality of opportunity for everyone in society [but] when it comes to the press, they don't want equality of opportunity, they want equality of results. They don't want fair coverage, they want coverage which shows two equal sides no matter what actually happened.

I fully trust that GMD's Denver posts will be “objective.” I fully expect that they will also be partisan and that there will be no pretense of neutrality in anything coming down from on mile-high Denver.

I know John Odum is being too modest to post this, so I will.

 (Host) Internet blogs have become nearly indispensable to American politics, as they dish up news and rumors even while events unfold.

And, as VPR's Ross Sneyd reports, they've become so integral to politics that bloggers will be given unprecedented access to the Democratic National Convention.

Listen to the podcast. 

They edited the story severely, so John's mention of other bloggers and blogs didn't get on the air, but I think it's great both that we're getting the exposure and that we'll be covering the story live from Denver. 

Some relish the unknown – I even used to fashion myself as a person that constantly sought new lives, newer people and I dreaded certainty.  I’ve changed over these Vermont years! 

This political season though, I’ve found myself obsessed with the idea and prospect of change.  I dream of change in local, state and national politics and discourse.  I fantasize about a colossal tectonic change in the entire collective, national cultural inner-self.  Change?  Whoa, I tell myself, “don’t jump the boiling creek until you’ve studied your options”!

Now it’s Monday, June 2, 2008.  Tomorrow night the Democratic primary season will come to an anti-climatic close.  For the sake of simplicity, let’s just call it a “51-49 race”.    No one has ever been nominated using any metric other than delegate counting.  Change?  (I warn myself again!)

As we approach the rise in the hill before us this week, it sure is frustrating not to be able to see over or around that looming knoll!  We all know the options.  When we reach the top of hill, the path could split multiple ways.  Are we approaching the top of a hill, or an edge of a cliff?  We won’t know till we get there folks…   Where is the leadership of our Party?  Pelosi and Reid; Gore, Schroeder, Carter and many others?  Will we see leadership and unity after Tuesday? 

Or, will the party enter the convention in Denver with a raw fissure dividing us still at “51-49”?  Alternately, will Denver be a space and a place of soaring possibilities? …….  Will I be dreaming or dreading?

Senator Ted Kennedy went in for brain surgery to have that tumor removed today at Duke University. He is out now and doctors say it was successful and accomplished its goals (not sure what to make of that). Kennedy was awake during the surgery and apparently in good spirits:

Asked by his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, how he felt after the surgery, he said, “I feel like a million bucks. I think I’ll do that again tomorrow,” Kennedy’s office said.

He’s going to start chemotherapy, as well. Best of luck to him.

More here.

Wanted to take a break from politics for a moment to remember Bo Diddley, who just died from heart failure at the age of 79. It’s impossible to overstate the influence Diddley, with his trademark square guitars, had on everyone from Buddy Holly to The Clash. Although clearly embittered by not being sufficiently appreciated – either in terms of acknowledgement or financials – for his part in the very invention of rock and roll, Diddley kept on playing, and many of us remain grateful.

(time-out for some shameless self-promoting; as far as how “political” this post is, I guess that depends on what your definition of “is” is).

Tickets for the 2008 Northeast Kingdom Music Festival go on sale today, June 2.  For those of you who have never gone, or never heard of it, the NEK Music Fest is an incredible weekend of off the hook music, friends old and new, creative expression, and community-building.  From Seven Days’ recent Vermont Summer Preview Issue:

Summer music festivals have long been viewed as the domain of the nomadic jam-band scene. In large part owing to the epic outdoor concerts proffered by our own Phab Phour, Phish, the very term “Vermont music fest” conjures visions of barefoot revelers feverishly wiggling to their heart’s content. But, of course, music in beautiful outdoor settings appeals to a far wider audience. And, thanks to one industrious Vermont fan, the hills are alive in an unlikely corner of the state with the sounds of a remarkable variety of music.

Ed DuFresne, best known as the man behind the scene at Montpelier’s eclectic Langdon Street Café, founded the Northeast Kingdom Music Festival six years ago. Following the lead of any number of jam-oriented fests, the two-day concert initially featured a fairly predictable lineup of heady acts. But recent years have seen a fundamental shift in DuFresne’s approach to booking, and the result has been a vibrant celebration of local, regional and national talent from diverse genres.

Though NEKMF has yet to announce a headlining act for this year, the lineup is already worth the relatively low price of admission – around $65 for both days and camping. It features a slew of Langdon Street faves, including indie geeks The Mathematicians, Americana darlings The Amity Front and local-ish newgrass outfit The Powder Kegs. Previous years have brought an impressive roster of national talent, as well, including funk-punk legends Fishbone, righteous babe Anaïs Mitchell and the then up-and-coming act Gogol Bordello. So expect big things when the headliner is announced.

Though the music is always excellent, the festival’s real draw might just be the pastoral setting of its adopted home: the Chilly Ranch in Albany. It’s only a short jaunt to Bread & Puppet’s digs in Glover, and some primo swimming holes are even closer. So load up the cooler – the festival is BYOB – and plan to spend August 1 and 2 with 2000 new friends.

Well said.  While it may cost $40, $60, even more to see a two or three hour show of your favorite band (or well over $150 for a weekend at the big, “oh my god these kids are annoying as all hell” Bonaroo-style events) the cost to get in to NEKMF starts at a preposterously low $65.  Kudos to management for keeping the costs down, especially in these economic times (full disclosure: I am a part of that management team; even further disclosure: I argued, unsuccessfully, for steeper ticket prices this year).  What better way to spend your economic stimulus money than a weekend supporting local Vermont entrepreneurs, musicians, food and craft vendors, and the guys who rent us all those port-o-poties from Danville?

Hit the link at the top of this page to get to the Festival website (which is in the process of being updated and revamped).  There you can find out more info, buy tickets (locals can find out where to go to purchase discounted ‘early bird’ tickets), get updated about the lineup, and maybe get talked into purchasing the fun and eclectic NEK Music Festival Movie (from True Form Pictures of California), which highlights the performances and events from the first five years.

The official band line-up for this year, which as always, includes some of the greatest musicians you’ve never heard of as well as a healthy smattering of the best that VT and New England has to offer:

Mr Lif

The Devil Makes Three

Mathematicians

The Screaming Headless Torsos

The Superpowers

The Powder Kegs

Vorcza

Accordian Death Squad

The Amity Front

Pariah Beat

The Primate Fiasco

Stripmall Ballads

Rusty Belle

Danny Schmidt

In This Century

Evan Crandell and the Too Hot To Handle

DROP

Jan M. Meese

(I’ve been interested in this approach since I first heard about it a few years ago; glad to see people investigating it as a serious fuel source. – promoted by JulieWaters)

gushes a reporter from Cheapflights.com

Pond scum…algae .It seems unlikely but some big money is going into research .Fuel from corn seemed like a great idea at first until planting it for fuel started to disrupt food supplies and raise costs .What volume of algae would it take to even be a major fuel supplement let alone saving the airline industry as we know it? Pond scum natural and cultivated must have some function in the scheme of things that may get out of whack if massive amounts are cultivated or taken for fuel . I hate to be negative to new ideas but painting these too good to be true industry promoted solutions as magical saviors of our current energy lifestyle is misdirected .Perhaps, it’s a part of the puzzle. A multitude of economic,governmental and lifestyle factors have gotten us to this point fuel-wise and sadly I can’t imagine pond scum saving us.

“Given the social, economic, and environmental possibilities for algae, and the growing number of companies, technologies and products being developed to address them, it is becoming increasingly important to harness their potential  for use across multiple industries now,” said Billy Glover, managing director, Environmental Strategy,  Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and ABO (Algal Biomass Organization )steering committee co-chair.

http://www.biofuelreview.com/c…

Sapphire Energy came stealth mode on Wednesday, saying that it has produced the chemical equivalent of gasoline with algae. The San Diego, California-based company also disclosed that it has raised $50 million from Arch Rock Ventures, Venrock, and the Wellcome Trust.

Formally launched last May, it said on Wednesday that it has hired Brian Goodall who led a team of engineers responsible for a cross-Atlantic Virgin Atlantic flight that used algae-based fuel earlier this year.

Sapphire Energy’s ”green crude” has been certified with a 91-octane rating, but disclosed few details about its technology.

Its process can grow algae using wastewater and the executive team is confident that the technology can scale up to produce by a gasoline at commercial scale, according to the company.

http://www.baystreet.ca/articl…

Sapphire CEO and co-founder, Jason Pyle, is being cagey about revealing how much it costs to produce his algae-based product or how much it would cost at the petrol pump. In interviews, he indicated that production costs per barrel would be similar to petroleum-based fuel, which is very much a moving target at the moment.“Sapphire Energy was founded on the belief that the only way to cure our (US) dependence on foreign oil and end our flirtation with ethanol and biodiesel is through radical new thinking and a commitment to new technologies,” he told the recent Simmons Alternative Energy Conference.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/busi…

Politics and baseball – Vermont Style…  “through GRASSROOTS connections ” !

IT ALL INVOLVED  >>>

Breaking an almost 50-year political logjam

Two years of consultations and dialogue

Negotiations at the Swiss Embassy

Striking a deal with the U.S. Treasury Department

Conferring with baseball league officials

Organizers from Vermont Public Radio … Dartmouth College …

Bird watching….   Natural and Political History…

Vermont COWS… Florida millionaires… AND

The VT politician that should have been Anthony Polina’s foe this fall –

However, Anthony opted to shoot himself in the foot instead…

Congratulations to Coach Ted Levin for his persistence and coordination of this effort.  I’m sure the 11 and 12 year-olds from the Upper Valley   region will have lots of fun on this historic trip!

The above quote and the full story I’m referring to was published in the Rutland Herald (not by me !!) and written by Bruce Edwards (that’s not me !!).  >>>

http://www.rutlandherald.com/a…

From Huffpo (video via Firedoglake with h/t to HuffPo):

…the mood outside (the meeting of the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee), where signs read, “At least slaves were counted as 3/5ths a Citizen,” and some pamphlets detailed Obama’s supposed dealings in drugs and gay sex.

“Would you rather have a president who had an affair [Bill Clinton] or one who was a murderer [Obama]?” Eve Fairbanks, a reporter with The New Republic, was asked by one protester….

…I approached a group of Clinton supporters sitting at the bar to pinpoint, exactly, the foundation of their emotions. Almost unanimously they agreed that if Florida and Michigan weren’t seated in their entirety, they would never vote for Obama.

As women, were they comfortable with a candidate like John McCain who could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade?

“Oh don’t pull that argument,” said Valerie Duhaime of Florida….

…Shortly after revealing my publication, I was turned away. No worries, my lunch, a Reuben sandwich, had arrived. I pulled up my chair to the table and sat down to eat. Minutes later a chant began around me.

“HuffPost sucks! HuffPost sucks!” and later, “Fox News, fair and balanced! Fox News, fair and balanced!”

TPM is liveblogging the R&B Committee meeting (oh, if only it were truly an R&B Committee). Here’s a taste from Greg Sargent’s first post:

Howard Dean delivered some strong words in his opening remarks at Rules and Bylaws, telling an anecdote about his bitter, hard-fought loss in 2004.

“I was very very angry at my party for some of the things that had been done,” Dean said, going on to recall getting a phone call in the middle of the night from Al Gore, to whom Dean ranted and raved about his loss.

“What do I owe the Democratic Party,” Dean recalled telling Gore. “Why should I be a Democrat after what the party did to me?”

According to Dean, Gore responded: “Howard, you know, this is not about you. It’s about your country.”

“Nobody could have said that to me except for Al Gore,” Dean continued, since Gore had had the presidency snatched from him by “five intellectually bankrupt Supreme Court justices who did the wrong thing.”

“This is not about Barack Obama,” Dean went on, speaking about the current primary. “This is not about Hillary Clinton. This is about our country. This is about restoring America to its greatness” and “moral authority.”

(addendum from JD: Open Left has a live video stream of the meeting here.)