The Pepsi Center is not a huge place. The "floor" is the place where the delegates and the "embedded bloggers" (like me) sit. Above the floor, are several decks of seating. To tell you the truth, I don't have a clue who sits on those elevated decks. My focus is here on the floor.

The Kansas section sits next to the Washington section (on my left) and just across the aisle from the Texas (on my right). It's weird for me, kind of, since I really do think of myself as a Texan first and a Kansan second. So, there's my original people sitting just across the aisle!

Before I go any further, I want to give a warm and grateful "shout out" to the man that I've been referring to (all week) as the "Washington Blogger." Washington Blogger is David Goldstein and he blogs at www.horsesass.org. See, the Washington state kiosk is right next to Kansas Kiosk. The state bloggers (you know, me and those 54 other bloggers credentialed by the DNC to embed with delegates) are supposed to hook up their video/laptop/tech equipment at the state kiosks. So, David has been hooked up to the same Kiosk (the same one that I was to be at, but couldn't for reasons I'm not yet willing to tell you about).

Washington Blogger is the friendliest face at Kansas Kiosk. He's one of the main reasons I persevered and made it back tonight. So, before I go any further, I gotta say, "Thanks, Washington Blogger."

I'm sorry folks, but John Kerry put me to sleep four years ago and he's putting me to sleep now (he's on the podium at the Democratic Convention as I type!). Four years ago when Kerry was running for president, I wanted so much to hang on his every word the way that I had hung on Bill Clinton's words, but, every time Kerry spoke, I'd find myself daydreaming. Well, no surprise, it's happening again. So, this live blog will be about my Kiosk. You may think I'm irreverent for wanting to talk about my Kiosk when such a fine senator is talking.

I'm not yet ready to tell you why I'm only becoming acquainted with my Kiosk on the 3rd night. Maybe if you buy me a cup of French coffee or a dark beer, I might tell you the "Pre-Kiosk" story. When you find out about my trials and tribulations in just making it to my seat at the Kiosk (3 days late), you'll know why the Kansas Kiosk is infinitely more captivating to me at this moment than the senator from Massachusetts.

So at this moment, 7:45 PM on Wednesday, August 27, 2008, in the Kansas delegate section of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, I just want to do a simple thing. I want to look around me and describe for you what's happening right here - at my Kiosk. Come along...

It is Wednesday evening and I'm on the floor of the Convention for the first time. It was supposed to be something that I did all week, in my role as "embedded blogger" but this is my first time. There's a real story in this that my readers will get from me soon enough but right now - since I love Bill Clinton - we'll skip the drama and go directly to the best president I've known in my lifetime. He just now arrived at the podium.

Bill says he's proud of the campaign Hillary ran, the people she stood up for and what she wanted to do for America and the people she met on the trail. Bill says he's going to do everything he can to elect Barack Obama. "Like Hillary, I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November."

Why? Bill gives the litany of problems caused by the Bush regime. He says, "Clearly, the job of the next president is to restore the American Dream and restore American leadership in the world.... Barack Obama is the man for THIS job."

Every seat in this Pepsi Center is filled. Tonight, instead of message signs (like "One America" or "Michelle" from previous speeches), the individuals in the crowd are holding American flags. The place is electrified. Somehow when Bill Clinton says, "President Obama will choose diplomacy first.... and will not allow the world's problems to obscure its opportunities," what I find myself hanging on is the phrase "President Obama." Coming from my man, Bill Clinton's, own mouth, I find myself ready to believe....

We've got some magnificent starter blogs for all you Convention fans! Sarah is out in Denver already, snapping pictures of the venues in advance of the crowds. Check out her growing collection of pictures here. My favorite thus far is her poem, Twas Days Before the Convention.

Janet, the future U.S. Senator from Texas, has given us some insights about how a politico, like her, is made.

Most of the other EC authors are enroute to Denver. It's so thrilling. While we await their first Denver blog posts, check out their names and pictures here. This is the pre-game show, and, and it is on!

What do Ally, Shala, Sarah, John, Janet, Denise, Darrell, Dawne, Henry, Liz (who doesn't have a home page yet), Lucy and Pam (yours truly) all have in common? We are all blogging right here at this website from Denver next week.

The Democratic National Convention is just right around the corner (and 300 or 600 miles away for some, more or less for others) and I'm starting to get absolutely beside myself with excitement! As you may (or may not) already know, eight or eleven, or more (I really lose count sometimes) of our very own EverydayCitizen.com writers are attending these phenomenally historic events in Denver. All of us have agreed to take the time, during the convention, to give you our individual perspectives on the proceedings by blogging about it all - right here at this website! Right here!

Who's going, you ask? Well, let's see. Among us, we have two writers who have full media credentials through the Press Gallery. We have one writer (me) who is credentialed as a State Blogger and will be embedding with delegates on the convention floor and at other events. Three other of our Everyday Citizen writers have varying levels of Media Credentials that will allow them access to media workrooms, concourses, parking lots, tents, caucuses and meetings.

On top of all that, still some others in our group of EverydayCitizen writers are actual delegates! That's right. We have three delegates and one delegate alternate. We even have a spouse of a delegate! As the latter individual pointed out to me, while some of us are happily "embedding" with the delegates on the convention floor, he'll be actually "embedding" (happily we hope) with his real delegate at night.

Founded to give progressive and populist candidates the support they need to win elections, 21st Century Democrats seeks to combine progressive values with extensive field organizing experience. Now, they've taken their training programs on the road and will host one in Kansas City this coming weekend. The purpose of the training? They hope to increase the number of trained organizers available to candidates and campaigns. They say, "Our trained organizers run sophisticated field plans that rely on targeted voter contact, making the difference in tough races. We win the majority of our campaigns. We choose tough races — races that other political action committees shy away from because they’re hard to win."

We are happy that Rev. Gerald Britt has joined our writers' community. He is a widely respected speaker, community leader, and activist. Rev. Britt served as pastor of New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church for 22 years. As a preacher, he has also performed chapel services for the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox.

Rev. Britt is a monthly columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and contributes to other publications, as well. Rev. Britt serves on a number of Boards of Directors in areas that include, health and wellness, community and institutional organizing as well as ministry. He is a founding leader in the local network of the Industrial Areas Foundation (Dallas Area Interfaith), as well as the African-American Pastors’ Coalition and the Baptist Ministers Conference. Gerald currently serves as the VP of Public Policy & Community Program Development for Central Dallas Ministries (CDM).

Rev. Britt is a graduate of Harvard University’s Summer Leadership Institute and was selected to teach community organizing at Yale University’s fellowship program for public housing administrators. Having attended Bishop College in Dallas, he has continued studies at Dallas Baptist University and Criswell College. In 1996 Rev. Britt was awarded the Coca-Cola African-American Heroes Award. He is also a recipient of the Mickey Leland Human and Civil Rights Award by the Texas State Teachers Association for his work in public education.

For more about Rev. Britt, please check out his blog archive here and his full biography here. We're delighted he'll be writing with us.

A former Wall Street executive, Peter Salem, left prison and headed for the small town of Bunker Hill, Kansas, where his ex-wife and their children had started a new life, alongside a powerful local leader, Jim McLain. Bunker Hill is in Russell County in the central plains of western Kansas. The town's humble population numbers 101 citizens, according to the most recent federal census.

Soon after Salem arrived in town, all electric power went down. In short order, gasoline supplies were used up and new fuel deliveries never came. Energy was no longer available. Without outside communication, community leaders and the town sheriff were at a loss to explain what had happened.

Is it the rapture? A massive terrorist attack? Aliens? Cut off from the world, the town's historic "wild west" militant past quickly reawakened and new forces coalesced to protect Bunker Hill citizens from its unseen enemy - one represented to some by Mr. Farook, an elderly Pakistani immigrant who owns the local convenience store. The town's fear led to the creation of a posse of gunmen headed by McLain's brother Delmar. All of this resulted in torture, illegal searches and eventually murder.

Next month, the Kansas Governor is going to Washington D.C. to talk with people about this.

It began to occur to me if I'm going to write you while I'm still in the 319th Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment, I'd better start. One of my three roommates is home packing up her things today - washed out, she is. Had her Army check ride yesterday, and the Lieutenant recommended for her elimination. I'll be having my next Army ride any day now, so maybe I'll be packing up too...

In honor of Memorial Day, please allow me to re-introduce you to this remarkable woman.

Too many young men and women have died or have been maimed in this horrific war. We owe it to them to take a good hard look at the facts. (Senator Robert Byrd)

Many years after the Vietnam War, "The Wall" was built in Washington DC to remember the fallen of that war. Slowly, over the years, people have become acquainted with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the over 58,000 names of Americans inscribed there. For the last twenty years or so, visitors have continually left mementos at The Wall and taken rubbings of its names.

Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, hundreds of Internet sites offer new ways to remember, honor or simply learn about casualties. Numerous sites have been created to memorialize individual loved ones. Some are simple MySpace pages, while others are more elaborate or interactive. Usually created by family or friends, these individualized digital monuments may include eulogies, notes of condolence, photos, or multimedia recordings.

A few ambitious sites track trends or maintain huge lists of the war casualties...