On March 5th, dailykos denizen norahc (Ben Plunkett) obtained permits in the name of "Swift Students for Truthiness" from the St. Paul Parks Department for use of Hamm's Plaza for non-partisan issue oriented expressive activity on Sept. 3d and 4th, 8AM to 8PM. Planned, a "Shutdown Guantanamo Stop Torture" event the 3d, "Stop Government Spying" on the 4th, both starting at 4:00. I'm co-ordinating the "spying" event.

Hamm's is tiny, not much more than a traffic island, so the limit of 91 in attendance at any time was acceptable.

Yesterday, Ben received a Certified Mail from the Parks Department, dated August 5th, indicating that the permits had been revoked, offering alternative space at Ecolab Plasa or Mears Park, both much less visible. Hamm's is 2 blocks from the Convention site at the Excel Center, and faces the St. Paul Hotel, a major delegate hub. I've just lined up an attorney, we'll be seeking a Temporary Restraining Order directing that the Parks Dept. honor the original permit.

Anyone planning to make it to St. Paul, post in comments, let's plan a get-together.

UPDATE: I'm embarrassed. As McJoan and Selise point out way down in comments, there was a unanimous consent to only debate 3 Amendments, all on immunity. One from Feingold/Dodd, another from Specter, the last from Bingamon. Kevin Bankston of EFF is most hopeful on the last.

I'm as disappointed as the next that Obama's not jumped into the fray, but in the meantime, we've got a damn good one on the field in Russ Feingold, and instead of whining that your favorite quarterback's on the bench, let's get to work with the team we've got.

The real fight comes before the cloture vote on the bill itself. If one amendment passes (edven Specter's) the Bill returns to the House. Only if the 2 Chambers pass identical legislation does it move to the President's desk. If we send a bill sufficiently not to his liking to draw a veto, that kicks the can further down the road. If this mess can be stalled through Labor Day, when the Congress breaks for campaign season, it's dead.

In my last diary, I called for a variety of face to face approaches to our Senators while they're back in their home States over the recess. After hearing from various folks, I'm narrowing it down, to Operation Read the Bill. Print the thing out, all 114 pages (pdf) LINK FIXED, and hand it to your Senators.

Best if you can say "I've read it, I expect you to take the time to do so yourself." For extra credit, take a highlighter to the printout and mark up the sections you consider problematic.

UPDATE: Bring an accomplice with a vidcam. An admission that they haven't and won't read the bill makes nice youtube, come re-election time.

With the Congress in recess, members typically return to their States and Districts for the Holidays. Many hit the Parade and Picnic circuits. We should be there.

Options include lining the route with signs, trying to march as contingents, cornering the Members for personal pleas, and, my favorite, cutting old tapes into 5 foot segments and using it as confetti, or 'tickertape.'

If you're able to find an appearance by your Senator, print out a copy of the bill, ask if they've read it yet, and if nolt, hand them a copy.

Please look on your Senators' and Reps websites and campaign pages, search local papers, etc. and list their holiday appearances as comments.

Also spread this call to action to other sites, especially local once you've identified times and places.

If you can't find your DC representatives' parade schedules, work your local one anyway.

WIRETAP THIS M#*&@-$>@^"RS!

Facebook event page

Jesselyn Radack  I think first spotted the linkage.

FISA coming up now was certainly not Obama's choosing. I don't think Pelosi let it come up specifically to screw with Obama, rather, a conflict of legitimate divergent interests. Most House members top priority is bringing federal money home. In some cases, it's the only interest.

The Iraq supplemental had hit an impasse. The Speaker imagined that as in Spring 2007, she could leverage Iraq funding for a chunk of dough for various domestic programs, this time the GI Bill, unemployment extension and flood relief. The Budget negotiation broke down as Bushco drove a wedge insisting the telco bailout be included in the package. Nancy had to go with it, you don't get between a Member and  the takehome in an election year. Obama's stuck with the same dilemma.

It started slowly. Last night I did the "terrorist fist bump' with a couple State legislators at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin annual convention. By this afternoon, at adjournment, it was not a fad, but a movement. Hippie icon that I am, I was particularly in demand with the Union guys.

We're taking back the bump. Old, young, gay, straight, redneck and freek. Preacher and geek. Oh yeah. Black, white, brown, red, yellow too. Bump with the Hindu, Muslim, Wiccan, Agnostic, Atheist, Christian, and Jew.

Seeking: stills of improbable demographic pairings doing the "bump" in honor of Michelle  and Barack.

Liveblogging a presentation at the 19th Annual Conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy by tech advisors to the Obama and McCain campaigns, entitled the Clinton Campaign was invited to participate, but declined. The official title of the session, Presidential Technology Policy: Priorities for the Next Executive

In attendance a blend of academics, dotgovs, corporados, civil liberties orgs, cyberpunks.

Opening, Conference Chair Eddan Katz of Yale reminds that the only tech question of the 2000 Presidential debate cycle, asked at the MTV/CNN debate, was "Mac or PC." Apparently, the questioner had a more sophisticated question in mind, but was told to use the softball by debate organisers.

For the Obama Campaign: Danny Weitzner formerly of Center for Democracy and Technology, now at MIT
For McCain: Chuck Fish former counsel for Time-Warner (patents)

4 PM at Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson St, on the near east side, in the back room, also known as the Art Gallery. I've reserved the space until 6, and if the conversation's still flowing, we'll adjourn to the Weary Traveller, 1201 Willy St, for booze and food.

Candidate-neutral on the Prez race.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, keep Louis Butler on the State Supreme Court.

While 1500 delegates to the Michigan Democratic State Convention were approving, by acclamation, a resolution supporting legal access to cannabis as medication (On Monday, an Initiative was approved for the Statewide November Ballot), Iowa Senator Tom Harkin replied to letter from a constituent/patient with hyperbole that would make even a Republican White House Drug Czar blush.

Meawhile, the Illinois Senate's Health Committee holds a hearing today on a State Medical Marijuana bill. Action link

The demise of the Clinton campaign was sewn just after the 2004 election, when pollster Mark Penn sought to explain the Bush victory among so-called "values voters."

He found that uptight parents were less concerned with abortion than the idea of their kids watching "Sex in  the City," "pumped into their homes" which they'd never seen, and was then only on cable, and playing "violent videogames."

The next year, Senator Clinton held a press conference with Joe Lieberman and Republican Senators Santorum and Brownback, threatening the game industry with legal restrictiopns if they didn't "clean up their act."

Clinton allies introduced State Laws, with press releases claiming "86% of 16 year old boys play 'these' games."

Momentum's all Obama. had the set tuned to Fox adult cartoons, good mix of spots for Obama, none for Clinton (or Repubs, Paul should have bought.)

Obama's Iraq spot was an excellent fit for American Dad.

All had a notable flaw. Type only of "Vote Feb. 19". Should scream THIS TUESDAY. For spots on shows targeting the 18-22 demographic, I'd even add "you can register at the polls. bring Photo ID and proof of address."

With no school tomorrow, everyone stuck at home due to weather, these should have been especially high viewership for the youngest eligibles. In this update, I'm presuming Obama had the monopoly in other Wisconsin markets.

On to the predictions...  

Weather forecast for Sunday is nasty. Sleet and ice all afternoon, then 10 inches of snow. Is bagging a few more votes worth risking the lives of your supporters?

WeatherUnderground's Madison forecast
Brisk...snow...sleet...a chance of freezing rain and rain in the morning...then snow in the afternoon. Snow may be heavy at times in the afternoon. Snow and sleet accumulation of 7 to 10 inches. Ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch. Highs in the upper 20s. North winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.

If you're driving in anyway, assume double normal driving time, and book a room for the night. Hotels within walking distance of the Monona Terrace Convention Center: : Inn on the Park, Concourse. i assume the Convention Center's Hilton's booked.

UPDATE: Obama should cancel his Sunday event in Kaukauna too.

At the UW Field House, with a sign reading
"Where’s Jacki's Medicine?"

Refers to his encounter, as a Candidate with Jacki Rickert of Mondovi, Wisconsin in 1992. Jacki had been approved for the federal medical marijuana program, but not yet admitted when Bush I closed the program to new admissions in 1989. She caught up with Bill in Osseo n his post-Convention Mississippi River bus tour. After she explained her odyssey through the federal bureaucracy, Bill "I feel your pain" promised "When I’m president, you’ll get your medicine."

See all the Democratic Candidates. Don't let CNN filter for you.

Mike's going to put the CNN feed on a screen, stand in front with a pause button, and interject his answers and commentary. He'll catch up  during the commercials. Alternative debate live stream 8PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific.

When they voted to renew the PATRIOT Act, both Clinton and Obama, saying most of PATRIOT was fine, promised, as Senators to return and "fix it."

Early in the spring, I called on them to fulfill that pledge. Neither has, as Senators. They've failed, so I'm voting for Mike.

The President thinks this is an emergency? There's already a FISA bill which has passed the House of Representatives, without either telco amnesty or Blanket warrants. Call it up next. If the Republicans want to filibuster it, fine. Let 'em. And when the Protect Act's authorization to monitor calls between Canadians expires, well you can blame the Republicans for the delay.

Not exactly a new procedural play. When the House Judiciary Committee came up with a version of the Patriot Act much less damaging than the version the Senate had passed, Hastert reneged on his promise to Sensenbrenner to bring the Committee draft to a vote, and instead placed the Senate bill first on the Calendar.

So what if he's withdrawn, he's still on the ballot, and there's no delegates at stake anyhow.

15% for Dodd would send a message to Michigan's Senators, Reps, and hopefully the rest of the Congressional Dems that an extension of wiretap authority is unacceptable. It's not just immunity, Reid's now, according to the Wall Street Journal, going to put up an 18 month extension of the Protect America Act, extending authority for warrantless taps.

The "problem" the bill was intended to fix, a FISA Court decision requiring warrants for foreign to foreign calls transiting US soil, is no big deal. If there's reason to believe the calls sare terrorist communications, there's still a process for getting FISA warrants.

Pass nothing, let the stinker expire.

Kieth Olberman earlier reported that former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel had abandoned his Presidential run, as did Guardian.

Now, MSNBC is instead saying

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware dropped out of the Democratic race after poor showings, and Mike Gravel was expected to drop out as well.

Problem is, they're just plain making it up.

Lee Sherman Dreyfus, who served as Wisconsin's Governor from 1979 til 1983 passed away while watching television last night. photo gallery

As Governor, he pushed through and signed the first in the nation law banning workplace, housing, and accomodation discrimination against gays and lesbians, and a medical marijuana law, which unfortunately was predicated on federal licensing. More recently, he spoe out against the State Constitution marriage discrimination Amendment, and supported Linda Clifford over ethically challenged gbig business conservo Annette Ziegler in the State Supreme Court race a year ago.