DNC - Do Not Criticize

As the Democrats celebrated inside the Pepsi Center on opening day of the convention, outside on the streets police pepper-sprayed protesters and rounded up dozens of them in mass arrests. The incident began near the Civic Center Park around 7:00 p.m., where a few hundred protesters had gathered to march. The police arrived in full riot gear, surrounded the protesters, blocking them in before firing pepper spray into the crowd. Protesters fled across the park, where they were met by dozens of police officers who boxed them in. Many of the marchers sat down in the street. Nearly a hundred people were arrested.



The Real News Network spoke with environmental lawyer, Robert F Kennedy, Jr. at the convention.







Ralph Nader will hold a rally tonight in Denver to protest the democrat and republican parties' refusal to open up the debates to other qualified candidates, like Nader and Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr.

Now, in 2008, Nader is back, and on track to be on the ballot in 45 states -- the campaign was on only 34 in 2004 -- and the Nader/Gonzalez ticket is at 6 percent in the latest CNN poll.

These rallies will be part of a massive outpouring of protest in Denver and Minneapolis against the two corporate controlled parties and their policies of perpetual militarism and war.

Nader/Gonzalez is aiming to bust open the presidential debates.
Featured guests include Val Kilmer and Sean Penn, Cindy Sheehan, Jello Biafra ... Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Nellie McKay and Ike Reilly.

Watch the Rallies HERE

Naomi Klein reiterates the need to not let leaders off the hook, just because they're better than the last guy. The Hope and Change this country needs does not come down from above in the form of a handsome young presidential hopeful; it comes from the people.

Be one of them.



Somebody's gotta keep the pressure up on Obama. This isn't a fairy tale, it's democracy. It's your country - you rule it, no matter who sits in the White House. Participatory democracy doesn't end when last vote is (mis)counted; that's only the beginning.

Keep the pressure up.