NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

I spent Barack Obama's speech crawling around on the floor of Invesco Field, trying to worm my way close enough to the candidate so I could get a decent picture of him with my cheap digital camera. Unfortunately, the closest I was able to get was right in the middle of the Texas delegation, so I have several dozen photos of a brown blur in a black suit that still has plenty of gravitas.

I enjoyed the speech, although when you are working on taking pictures and talking to delegates or other people crouched and crawling its easy to miss some of the the finer points. Being someone interested in justice for oppressed communities and also an Ethnic Studies scholar, I had hoped for much more though on the glorious anniversary that this speech was taking place on, and in general the struggle for civil rights and racial justice that he represents. Unfortunately, since his "mature" speech on race didn't quite allow Obama to seal the deal on the nomination, or solve his Jeremia…

From the floor of Invesco Field: Guam Senator and Convention Delegate, Ben Pangelinan on Guam's participation at the Democratic National Convention.

"For me its a double edged sword. We come here and we participate in the process of the seleciton of the nominee, and then its stops and so its like a journey incomplete. Its frustrating to that end. I'm glad that yesterday during the roll call vote we were able to make a statement about Guam not having the right to self-determination...That opportunity to make that statement was a positive for this trip and gives me hope that people are listening. We've had an opportunity to talk to many people who are, quite frankly shocked that America disenfranchises people who are asked to bear the burden and responsibility of citizens, and yet are not give that one most precious element of citizenship in this country, the vote."

While looking for a seat at Invesco a bit of serendipity took place, as I ran into a freelance journalist in the same section, who was looking for people to interview, and who after learning about where I was from and why I was at the convention, told me that she had spent three years on Guam in the 1970’s.

When I asked what for, she told me that she had worked for Tony Palomo, as a journalist writing for his newspaper The Pacifican. Sadly, the paper didn’t last very long and soon after it was born it was driven out of business by the Pacific Daily News. She asked if I knew Tony Palomo and I said yes, and so she told me some of her life so that next time I see him I could share with him how she’s doing.

She ended up interviewing me and my thoughts on the Convention, and I gave her my usual, I’m excited to be here, but…if you aren't enamored with all the excitement and sign-waving, the specatcle of inclusion, then what you've got is basically friendly American colonialism.

After f…

Today we move the convention from the Pepsi Center to Invesco Field, to accomodate a much large crowd to witness Senator Obama's speech tonight accepting the nomination for the Democrats. The change in venue will be huge for increasing the "historical" nature of this event, opening the event up for even more people. But unfortunately, this change will make internet access more difficult for me. There is a section of the press box marked specifically for bloggers, but I'm sure it'll fill up fast. If I'm at Invesco all day, then I might not post much on the day's activities until late tonight or tomorrow.