You can watch the delegates and speeches on TV. But they will not be the real story this time around--not for those who oppose George Bush and another four years of his reign. The real story will be in the streets. Do you want the the limited mainstream media coverage, which will portray the street action as a sideshow, with a negative perspective, or do you want to know what it feels like to be there? Do you want the high, the positive, the ridiculous, the extreme? Do you want the point of view of the random bystanders we happenstance across--as opposed to those the media selectively edits and presents to you because it finds them telegenic or equipped with a good soundbite?

For youthful readers: I was just starting college and a bit too young to be a participant in Chicago in 1968. I watched from afar, cheering the Yippies and their lawyers. I ended up becoming that kind of lawyer--one who fights for constitutional rights and civil liberties. 35 years later, having heard the Chicago 8 lawyers' stories first-hand umpteen times-- about the convention, the protests, the Judge, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, H. Rap Brown, all the others and the subsequent trial, I can tell you that they still believe the experience to be the highlight of their distinguished careers--their most defining moment.

To my contemporaries: My biggest surprise in covering the Democratic Convention in Boston was discovering the college and grad student bloggers. Jesse and Ezra of Pandagon, Zoe, Natasha, Byron of Burnt Orange Report, Patrick and David of Oxblog, American Amnesia, Brian and Tom of Campaign Desk--these kids exhibited talent and insights that left me in awe. Do not miss their coverage of the RNC. They are the future, and they will do us proud.