Below the fold please find my raw from-the-front-row LiveBlogged notes fresh from hearing former White House press secretary Scott Mclellan speaking today at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill a Commonwealth Club event in San Francisco.

My first impression: nothing earthshaking, but helpful to get a little more perspective from an escapee from the belly of the beast, as it were.

I grew up in Democratic family. I was taught at an early age the importance of public service, the importance of speaking up. Doing what's right to make a difference. [...] It's about problem-solving, compromising to get things done.

I believe the American people deserve better than what we are getting from some of the people in Washington

Should government be a process of constant campaigning to manipulate public opinion...or rational debate, compromise...

we need to move beyond the poisonous atmosphere in DC

I'm onsite at the Take Back America progressive activist conference in D.C., where the keynote just kicked off... Robert Borsage of Campaign for America's Future is likening our current situation to the Great Depression in many ways.

Jesse Jackson is sitting next to me. On my right is my fellow Berkeleyan Susan Strong, founder of The Metaphor Project, who is presenting tomorrow. I"m surrounded by 2000 progressive activists, gathering to organize and take action.

Please join me in reporting on, linking to reports on, contributing questions for and comments on participants, in this, the biggest progressive gathering 'til Netroots Nation.

Coming to you live from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, it's time to Raise Hell for Molly Ivins!

This is a memorial, where instead of a moment of silence, we honor her memory with appreciations and are asking everyone to contribute their memories, their inspirations, links to the effects Molly has had on their lives...

You can follow us live streaming audio (RealPlayer required) at here

I'll be photoblogging during the event at Raise Hell for Molly Ivins blog, plus comments here, and I will be sharing your comments and related diaries (be sure to comment here with a link) live at the event (projected and otherwise shared). So be a part of the blogfest, and help honor Molly's memory.

Join me for schedule and further notes below the fold.

Several things are inspiring this Sunday-morning diary:

1. Running into George Lakoff yesterday (yes, he's coming) and thinking about yKos framing.

2. A photo of Markos on page 1 of a yKos SF Chronicle article quoting JetBlue as having "learned some lessons" (diaried separately by Nellcote and Turkana).

3. A Siegel's excellent front-paged diary reminded me that we haven't closed some loops for how and where and when various interest groups will meet, how people will rideshare, share rooms, etc.

4. A few other topic-specific yKos diaries are likely to scroll off, so I figure cross-promotion and diary rescue (I've linked some in the body below) will make it easier for yKos participants to find the pieces and coordinate.

5. I haven't seen any diaries by or about the yearlyKos exhibitors, so I thought this could be an opportunity for comment.

With that, welcome to Sunday's unofficial yearlyKos Open Thread. Perhaps someone else can pick up the torch each of the next few days.

As Al Gore says in An Inconvenient Truth, bringing hope to those dispirited about the challenges facing us in addressing the Global Climate Crisis:

Political Will is a Renewable Resource.

I'd like to get some of your thoughts and inspiration around the tools of renewal: how do blogs, vlogs, petitions, podcasts, bulletin boards, email lists and forwards, chat, Content-Management Systems (CMS), and even Twitter help us communicate, organize, inspire, and fight rumor, despair, and malicious campaigns.

Wow. I went to the event to videoblog it and just check out the man and the scene, but because I happen to be wearing pirate regalia, I got a spot onstage. There was free wifi covering Ogawa Plaza here in front of city hall, but nobody else joined in live. Lots of media. I was connected by wifi and phone so I kept the updates flowing. Or at least tried to. UPDATE: Here's a better summary by FemLaw. But don't miss the fun comments down below here.

Americans for Safe Access today filed a lawsuit (PDF) in U.S. District Court demanding that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) correct what it calls the "scientifically inaccurate... incorrect, dishonest" statement that "marijuana has no accepted medical value." The patient-advocate group brought the lawsuit under the Data Quality Act, which requires federal agencies to "rely on sound science," the group said in a release; members cited the 800,000 annual Marijuana-posession arrests, the eleven states that have legalized medical marijuana, and the dozen considering legalization, as signs that change is necessary. "We're asking courts to look at jurisdictional issues. We're trying to change what they say, not what they do," said ASA's Executive Director, a patient named in the lawsuit, at the press conference, on the plaza in front of the courthouse in Oakland, CA.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held an incredibly accessible and educational event yesterday, that for me illuminated a path to getting past partisan objections and really addressing climate change at a societal/global level. The event, filling ballrooms at the SF Hilton, collected some of the leading scientific voices on Global Climate Change and shared some effective strategies for teaching it, building political will, and connecting people to their personal impacts and solutions. It also marked the release of an AAAS statement on the topic that I haven't seen blogged or covered elsewhere, including:

Delaying action to address climate change will increase the environmental and societal consequences as well as the costs. The longer we wait to tackle climate change, the harder and more expensive the task will be.

I shot some video, which may make it easier to get the full experience from the PowerPoint presentations posted on the official site.

James Annan, tipped off by Tom Adams posting on the Japanese GoogleGroup "globalchange", reports that the whitehouse.gov search engine suppresses search results for the phrase "global warming"; Gristmill has picked it up UPDATE 2: Also RealClimate and Stoat.
UPDATE 3: Consensus in comments and other blogs is that this may just be a design issue with the search engine being case sensitive and also searching primarily by tag/label rather than fulltext. Along the way, we've noticed that the dKos search engine has some omissions as well.
UPDATE 4: "Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by incompetence."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte

A blog entry (disguised as a Press Release) featured on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee homepage by committee staffer and noted SwiftBoater Marc Morano (formerly of CNS News) is disingenuously attacking Al Gore, The Weather Channel's lead climatologist, and Global Warming science, framing their efforts as an attack on Holocaust Survivors, believe it or not, and triggering a conservative blogswarm attack on The Weather Channel UPDATE: with the attack continuing in a fresh post just minutes ago.

Is this what we should expect from a committee chaired by my own Senator, Barbara Boxer? Is this another wacky Inhofe story? What can we (and the Senate and committee leadership) do about it? What's in the release? Do you need a Weatherwoman to know which way the wind blows in the Southern Hemisphere? Find out below the fold.

Bay-area <strike>Kossacks</strike&gt <strike>Kossarinos</strike> Kogs: Please join me and a few friends and neighbors for a potluck in Berkeley this Monday evening and see a few inspirational short movies (projected DVD in a cozy, homey space) with other community organizers and people who want to make a difference to collaboratively plan action for this Fall's election season:

• Voter Registration
• Get Out the Vote (GOTV) work
• Swing State/District field trips
• Initiative campaigns
• NEW: Participating in the national blograiser for dKos' own NYbri!

Potential movies include:

• Granny D Goes to Washington
• Bill Moyers segment on Clean Money successes in CA,AZ
• The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress

Space is limited, and RSVPs are required. Details below the line, along with lots of comfy seats in Comments, where you can talk about your local, regional and national organizing efforts (and find the Friday Film-critics' circle).

I was live at DemocracyFest in San Diego, where Congresswoman Maxine Waters just announced that she's going to Connecticut to campaign for Lamont. See video clips below, and add news in comments [this post started as a LiveBlogging post, but has evolved]. Dean rallied the crowd: "we deserve real leadership"; energy independence. health insurance that works for all. Also now in the extended copy: Lamont, Hackett, Marc Maron, and more.

I was in the audience at the GnomeDex tech blogger conference in Seattle. Senator John Edwards lead a conversation about politics, democracy, privacy, Net Neutrality, open campaigns, and other fun topics. UPDATE: This was a LiveBlogging diary, but it's evolving into a summary of the event with links. I'll update the extended entry of this diary afterwards with pointers to blog entries from people here about it, but you can find some by going to the BlogRoll on the lower right of the GnomeDex home page above. Or scroll down to the end of the comments.

(Cross-posted on ePluribusMedia)

I'll be at the GnomeDex blogger technical conference in Seattle this Friday, doing some reporting for ePM. Recently, long after I registered and the main hall sold out, it was announced that Senator John Edwards, a presumed 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate, would be keynoting.

So, I'm here to ask for your help: what should I ask? What should I be focussing on? I've studied up some on the Senator's PAC site and other articles, but if you can link to relevant ones in your comments, it'll help me (and others) make the most of this opportunity.

GnomeDex, a blogger tech conference in downtown Seattle the week after next, features Sen. John Edwards (D-NC).

The senator is a long-standing supporter of technology - including podcasting and blogging. Every year, we wonder how we're going to top ourselves. When conversations started with Senator John Edwards' office, they were intrigued and enthralled with our approach to content! Senator Edwards will quickly turn his time over to the Gnomedex audience, fielding questions and fostering discussion over how technology could and should play a role in our world. This is fantastic! I'm sure you'll agree, no matter your political persuasion. This is a tremendous opportunity to have your voice heard. Does anybody know any political bloggers out there? I don't know any

(that last part is snark, BTW)

I credit the yearlyKos exposure for the prospective (presumptive?) candidates and other party leaders who showed up there to talk, and, more importantly, to listen, with helping bring this about.

I've got a ticket! Background and a call for your questions and comments, below the fold.

The Train Riders' Association of California (TRAC) is keeping an eye on Amtrak funding in the Omnibus Transportation bill, looking for opportunities to go beyond the White House-proposed "shutdown level" funding for America's passenger rail system. An alert I just received passes on a National Association of Rail Passengers (NARP) alert with a simple yet urgent call to action that I'm endorsing, and asking fellow Kosmopolitans to join me in citizen lobbying of your Representative: Support the bipartisan LaTourette-Oberstar amendment to the transportation appropriations bill, and vote no on amendments that reduce funding or micro-manage our rail system.

So why should you make a quick call to save Amtrak? Talking points and background below the line. UPDATE: On a roll call vote of 266-158, with 71 Republicans voting yes, the House approved the LaTourette-Oberstar Amtrak amendment, which increases Amtrak funding from $900 million to $1.114 billion. I'll leave this diary up to preserve comments and provide a place for discussion on this topic.

As a member of the Commonwealth Club of California, I was delighted to see that our very own Markos was a featured speaker last Friday at the club's San Francisco office, as part of the Inforum ("we're not all just old fogies, let's bring in some hip young cats (or is that young hep cats? pootie!) to show that we can 'dig it'") program. I thought it would just be a great way to hear Markos for more than the brief airtime he got at the SXSW panel, show support, warm up for this week's yearlyKos, etc. Little did I know that I would learn that Markos nearly went to work for the CIA instead of the Dean campaign.

You can wait 'til the expurgated version airs on public radio ("will they bleep that on the radio?," Markos inquired)  or via podcast, or venture below the bar for selected transcript-style details (and exclusive photos in an update once I find my card adapter USB reader thingamabob), on this waiting-for-the-CA-primary-results kind of day.

MoveOn PAC is organizing a day of Constitution Vigils today/tonight to get citizens engaged in getting together/speaking out about the President's law-breaking wiretaps. The goal is to put pressure on Congress to do an independent investigation (full pitch in there's moresville); I invite your comments on what you're doing, the futility of it all, alternatives for engagement, and so on, below the poll.

But, there's something even more significant going on behind the scenes, leveraging the vigils into an ongoing grassroots engagement, building capacity in the movement, tied with nationwide coordination/message development. Now that's what's exciting. Read on for details/a personal angle.