CHECK OUT SHADOW CONVENTION

Thank you for your clever commentary on the RepubliCrat conventions.
("Party conventions are all about presentation") I could not have said it
better. These conventions are nothing but tightly scripted pep rallies of
little substance.

There is another convention that is worthy of notice, however. The first
was held in Philadelphia at the same time as the Republican' and was
basically ignored by the media, including The Herald. The second will be
held in Los Angeles during the Democratic convention.

This convention has a large range of ideas and styles. There are many
speakers, ranging from the graceful Arianna Huffington on the one hand, to
comedian Al Franken on the other. And all with intelligence and wit.

That convention? The Shadow Convention in Philadelphia, and the upcoming
one in L.A.

The small portion of the Shadow Convention I was able to view on C-SPAN was
a bit rough around the edges, which is what a real political convention
should be. It revolves around three critical public-interest issues: that
the two major parties dare not honestly and openly tackle: campaign finance
reform, poverty and the growing wealth gap, and the failed war on drugs.

Are you truly interested in the direction that this country takes? Then
urge the media to cover the Shadow Conventions. For additional
information, please be sure to get on the Web and visit
http://www.shadowconventions.com .