SHADOW CONVENTION' OFFERS DIFFERENT MESSAGE

PHILADELPHIA - One convention booked Jello Biafra, former lead singer of
the Dead Kennedys and one-time Green Party presidential candidate. The
other has country singer Lee Greenwood.

One convention features New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who favors
decriminalizing drugs. The other features the Texas governor, who has
declined to detail his "youthful indiscretions."

The national GOP convention isn't the only political confab taking place in
the City of Brotherly Love this week. A so-called Shadow Convention is also
under way, featuring Mr. Biafra, Mr. Johnson (R-N.M.), Sen. Paul Wellstone
(D-Minn.), the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), comedians Al
Franken and Harry Shearer, and rap music luminary Chuck D of Public Enemy.

The alternative convention, a slickly packaged series of seminars, speeches
and videos designed by critics of both the Democratic and Republican
national conventions, is being held this week on the grounds of the
University of Pennsylvania. It runs through Thursday.

"We are not here to endorse political candidates," said Arianna Huffington,
political columnist and a founder of the Shadow Convention. "We are here to
speak out for the more than 50 percent of Americans who are not planning to
vote in November."

The Shadow Convention, as described by Ms. Huffington, aims to direct
national attention to three areas: the "failed" war on drugs, the widening
gap between rich and poor, and the way so-called special-interest groups
seem to influence political campaigns through big-dollar contributions.

The crowd of 1,000 that attended the first day of the alternate convention
included dozens of media members desperate for any unscripted news. Close
to 20 advocacy groups - from Libertarians to environmentalists - arrived to
set up tables and hawk literature, stickers, buttons and other political
paraphernalia.

One man was busy handing out packages labeled "Home Grown Dope," featuring
a caricature of Gov. George W. Bush on the front. One group was waving red
"STOP" signs that advocated an end to the war on drugs. Several Shadow
conventioneers carried signs with a single word on them: "Disaffected."
"Disillusioned." "Disinterested."

Meanwhile, more than a few attendees seemed wary of the Shadow Convention's
carefully packaged aura - and some wondered what "alternative" message was
being sent by making Mr. McCain one of the featured speakers.

"I appreciate it; it's interesting," said Natalie Gulsrud, 20, a student
from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington state who traveled to
Philadelphia with friends to protest global warming. "But when you're
seeing speakers like John McCain, it's a small step as opposed to seeing
speakers young people would like to see."

Still, she suggested, the concept of the Shadow Convention is important.

"I think it's a step in the right direction," Ms. Gulsrud said, adding that
she and her friends were thinking of hanging around for some of the Shadow
Convention panels ("Culture Jam on the Drug War," "Breaking Out of the
Two-Party Box," and "Failed War on Drugs").

The participants in the Shadow Convention, including some buttoned-down
representatives of think tanks, tended to kick around slogans such as
"citizen mobilization" to describe the event.

"This is about returning power to the people," said Scott Harshbarger of
Common Cause

Jim Wallis, a fiery speaker who is recognized as one of the foremost
experts on poverty in America, drew thunderous applause by blasting the
rising tide of economic inequity. Alluding to the so-called suburban soccer
moms, Mr. Wallis said it's "time to put Burger King Moms on the political
agenda."