I created a page with links to all of the photos captured in Denver.  Click the link below to see them all.

http://denverokie.com/?page_id=71

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http://denverokie.com/images/jeremy/

http://denverokie.com/images/sharron/

Mrs. Harris, Delegate Bernice Mitchell and former U.S. Senator Fred Harris in Denver

Fred Harris joined us for Breakfast in Denver.  He currently lives in New Mexico with his wife and teaches at the Unviersity.

More photos click or paste the link below

http://denverokie.com/images/earl3/index.html

Well both Calvin and I are back in Oklahoma.  The combination of my exhaustion and a slow internet connection at the hotel prohibited me from getting the Thursday photos up that night.  It’s Saturday morning and I’m rested and ready.

What a wonderful experience.  I am thankful we were given an opportunity to share our experience.

To View More Photos click or paste the link below into your browser

http://denverokie.com/images/thursday/index.html

Meet the Press

By Calvin Rees

In Denver there are a lot of Oklahomans at the Convention. Many are family of the delegates, activists, politicians, lobbyists, and the press.

The reporters who bring us the news are with us in Denver are Jim Myers, the Chief of the Washington Bureau for the Tulsa World and Chris Casteel, Washington Bureau Chief for the Oklahoman.

The Denver convention is not the first for either of them. Myers said he has been covering conventions since 1984 and Casteel started covering them in 1988.

Casteel was born in Baumholder, while his father was stationed in Germany. He lived in Lawton before moving to Oklahoma City graduating from John Marshall High School. Myers was born and raised in Tonkawa and attended Oklahoma State.

Asking each one how they get their ideas for the stories they write at the convention, Myers said, “I get them from the Delegates and they just pop up.” While Casteel stated, “What the Theme of the Day is but some just happen.”

I met both reporters in 2000 and have followed their stories and I asked them which stories or convention stood out that you enjoyed.

Casteel told me, “the 2000 Convention in Los Angeles because of the delegation staying in Hollywood and the changeover to Al Gore.”

Myers really enjoyed following this year, “It would be hard to beat the Obama-Clinton story and the history attached to it.”

Casteel and Myers have been real active with the Oklahoma Delegation and interviewing many of them. One thing about these two they were accessible to ask questions.

Oklahoma delegates began flowing into the Pepsi Center about 3 p.m. today to prepare for a roll call vote. Several states including Illinois passed their vote to allow Hillary Clinton address the crowd from the New York delegation.

Clinton asked to suspend the rules to elect Obama by acclamation. The roar of the room actually hurt my ears. Delegates were treated to Bill Clinton who did a smash up job.

Finally we got our first glimpse of the Democrat Dream Team.

You can see the rest of Wednesday’s pictures by clicking or pasting the link below into your browser

http://denverokie.com/images/wednesdaypm/index.html

Former U.S. Senator Fred Harris joined the Oklahoma delegation during their breakfast. Sen. Harris is still very popular with Oklahomans, he currently teaches at the University of New Mexico in Santa Fe.

See all of the photos by either clicking the link or pasting the link below into your browser

http://denverokie.com/images/wednesdayam/index.html

More from Wednesday to follow

Dr. Earl Mitchell, PhD , special correspondent for DemoOkie and now the “official photographer for the Oklahoma delegation has generously shared more photos with our readers.

Congressman Honda kisses baby Eckhoff

For the rest of the photos click or paste the link below into your browser

http://denverokie.com/images/earl2/index.html

Thanks Earl

Delegate Stuart Price to Ben Affleck after “all In” was called. Looks like Affleck’s smile is a little bigger. Although Stuart’s smile is pretty good after losing the hand.

I enjoyed watching Hillary Clinton tonight. I liked it. Immediately after the speech I got a call from a friend back home. My friend is a rabid Barack Obama fan, she previously described Hillary in less than flattering terms. She turned an Obama fan into at least a temporary Clinton fan.

While bolting out the door to beat the crowd I dialed my wife Carmen. She said she almost teared up. Now Carmen was and is a Barack Obama supporter. Great. So I left the Pepsi Center thinking that Peace was at hand.

I hit the hotel early, call me a party pooper, anyway there was some lady on CNN saying she is a Obama hadn’t gotten her vote because “she hadn’t been asked” by Barack Obama. Larry King did a nice job letting this lady make a total fool of herself. For her it was “all about me”, she missed Clinton’s call to “do it for them”.

There will be some people like this, but what can you do? You can’t make being a fool illegal. Can you?

As for me, I think she hit a home run.

For more Photos from Thursday Click or paste the link below in you browser

http://denverokie.com/images/tuesdaypm/index.html

To see all the photos click or paste the link below in your browser

http://denverokie.com/images/earl_boren/index.html

http://denverokie.com/images/earl_boren/

Johanna Best, Obama 4th District, is the youngest Oklahoma Delegate attending in Denver. The youngest delegate at the convention is a 17 year old from Minnesota.

Click or paste the link below to see her pictures

http://denverokie.com/images/johanna/index.html

Rep. Keisel, Congressman Honda, Kaylyn Free, Todd Goodman

Congressman Mike Honda spoke to the Oklahoma Delegation Tuesday and spread his inspirational message. The Delegation meets every morning for speeches, instructions and daily credentials.

Later that morning Delegates, Alternates and Bloggers were invited by Union Pacific to join them on beautiful vintage rail cars for a light lunch.

More photos are here

http://denverokie.com/images/tuesdayam/index.html

Here are some more photos from Monday night. You can view all of the photos by clicking the link below or by pasting it into your browser

http://denverokie.com/images/monday2/index.html

Is it time for Light Rail in Oklahoma City after a ride in Denver?

by Calvin Rees

We have been using light rail in Denver and trying to check out how it would work in Oklahoma City. I rode it to the Convention area in downtown Denver and back to the hotel which is located in southeast Denver.

It was an interesting experience even though I had experience when living in Europe. I talked to some locals and they said they are using it more because of the high price of gasoline but that it is not always convenient to where they want to go. Some of our Delegates liked it but some had to stand all the way to where they were going.

The price of the ticket was $3 for a round trip but a monthly pass is just $108 and $54 for seniors, Disable students aged 6 through 19.

Back in April Mayor Mick Cornett said, he wants to see a light rail system that serves downtown and tourists. But he added he would want to see Edmond and Norman participate in funding additional rail links to those suburbs.

According to the Transcript Norman seems interested in the idea their City Council will likely be looking at a resolution on the future of light rail. It involves a group called OnTrac’s initiative for saving the downtown Union Station rail line by slightly realigning the I-40 Crosstown Expressway project.

It also seems that the Norman City Council has some of the same ideas as Cornett, “Light rail and the Crosstown relocation affect all of central Oklahoma. It’s Norman’s fight just as it is Edmond’s and Shawnee’s.”

Last week at the Shawnee City Council meeting they had a presentation focused on commuter trains reaching out from Oklahoma City to various communities throughout Oklahoma.

According to the News-Star, “Shawnee has a serious concern as it relates to rail availability for area industries. The heavy rains during the summer of 2007 had a significant impact on several of our businesses, because it weakened and washed out portions of the railroad, hampering service to them.”

“Of immediate concern is to strengthen the tracks and make them more secure where trains can move faster between here and Oklahoma City.”

In Edmond they are hoping to get the Heartland Flyer to stop there in an Edmond Sun story back in June. ““We are interested in this,” O’Neil said at Monday’s City Council meeting. “This creates a lot of opportunities for our community — a lot of opportunities for downtown Edmond — a lot of opportunities when you consider $4 for a gallon of gasoline for transportation.”

Councilman Wayne Page said “rising gasoline prices is only one reason he supports the proposed Heartland Flyer’s Edmond connection.” In addition, Edmond needs to look toward light rail if it wants to maintain a vision of continued growth,” Page said.

It looks that the Suburbs and Oklahoma City are talking about Light Rail now it would seem to be the right time to start the process to get it going and finding the finances.

In case you missed it here is the YouTube of Michelle Obama’s speech last night. I tried to make my way down to the stage to take my own pictures, it was packed like sardines. So the below YouTube is from the Obama Campaign. It’s much better quality than I could have done.

The crowd loved her. Her folksy interchange with Barack played well with the crowd in Denver. Her daughters stole the show with their dialog with their dad who appeared live via satellite from Kansas City.

Breakfast in Denver

By Calvin Rees

A typical morning at the convention will be a 7:30a.m. breakfast  where the Delegation sits down and learns about the day activities.

The breakfast is pretty good, eggs, bacon, links, fruit and much more.

The Chair has his team talk about each activity and they have a for Convention passes for guest.

Companies have invited the delegation to other activities and they are given the time and transportation information.

Governor Brad Henry joined us tonight to watch Teddy Kennedy and Michelle Obama.

“I am here tonight to pay tribute to two men who have changed my life, and the life of this country – Barack Obama, and Edward M. Kennedy. Their stories are very different, but they share a commitment to the timeless American ideals of justice and fairness, service and sacrifice, faith and family. Leaders like them come along rarely. But once or twice in a lifetime, they come along just when we need them the most.

“I have never had someone inspire me the way people tell me my father inspired them – but I do now. And I know someone else who’s been inspired all over again by Senator Obama.

“In our family, he’ll always be known as Uncle Teddy. More than any senator of his generation, or perhaps any generation, Teddy has made life better for people in this country and around the world. For 46 years, he has been so much more than just a Senator for the people of Massachusetts, he’s been a Senator for all who believe in a dream that’s never died.”

Denver - Former Governor David Walters addressed the Democrat Convention in Denver Monday night. Walters served as the Rules Chair. Governor Walters and the rules committee met this past Saturday in Denver.

Walters gave the committee report which was adopted after a voice vote held by Howard Dean.

After his speech, Walters joined Oklahoma Delegates in the nose bleed section, shook hands and took some photos.

Anistasia Pittman, Gov. Walters and Kayln Free (INDNS List)

More Photos Click Here

More to Follow

We made it. After walking and walking, I finally made it through security and entered the Pepsi Center. People in Denver Walk. Democrats who attend conventions walk. Sometimes we have to walk completely around the Pepsi Center until we figure out the correct entrance.

Pictures are uploading as I am typing this. Governor Walters addressed the convention about 3:00 p.m. (4:00 Oklahoma time. I’m working on those pictures now

Coming up is Nancy Pelosi, Jessie Jackson Jr., Kathleen Sebelius and Michell Obama. Just to name a few.

Normally I don’t ask to take a photo, but I couldn’t resist on this one.

Just a quick post, the Oklahoma Delegation is on the move. By the time we get photo’s uploaded it’s time to pack up and go. We thought we’d share some more photos with you from Sunday night.

Instead of having individual state parties the DNCC chose to hold one huge party. Skeptics say it was because they were short of money. I’m not sure about that. Giant shrimp, muffelettas, crawfish bread, red beans and free flowing alcohol, trust me there was big money spent.

Guest Singer Randy Newman and Howard Dean headlined the event with some funky zydeco music. The shrimp was fantastic. Check back we will update these stories when time permits.

Lots of more photos Here

http://denverokie.com/images/katrina/

Back as soon as we can

Sunday in Denver

By Calvin Rees

One of our goals for Sunday was to learn how to get Downtown Denver and how to get around. While we were picking up our passes we drove by the protesters and there are many different groups. We also met a few from Oklahoma.

I was able to get lost in Denver when I was waiting on Tim as you really can’t find a place to park and the closing of some streets. But having patience which I am widely known for I found my way without having to ask for direction.

Then I get a text message asking me if I want to go to Golden and tour some brewery. Well after reading this I asked Tim if he wanted to go see how beer is made he said, “hell yeah!” So we picked up Jeremy and off we went. What a great time.

When we got back from Golden we had to hurry and get ready for an event honoring the Katrina Relief Organizations. The event had New Orleans style food and great Blues for entertainment.

Click Here for more photos

Jeremy Hendricks, Calvin Rees and Tim Reese

How can you go to Denver without taking a side trip over to Golden. We traveled less than a half hour north and west of Denver and landed in Golden. Home of the Adolph Coors Brewery. I remembered when I was in college, we always talked about a road trip up to Golden, but we were too poor to buy the gas.

The tour was free and fun. The best part was the end of the tour in the “tasting room”. I’ve got to figure out how they make the beer that cold.

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin

I’ve posted the photos at

http://denverokie.com/images/coors