Denver: Profits and protests

My working lunch on the patio of the Capitol Bar was interrupted by (a) bad WiFi, and (b) a nearby confrontation between bullhorn-wielding pro-lifers and bullhorn-wielding activists with the Revolutionary Communist Party.

The blonde with the bullhorn is pro-lifer Kaitlin Mahoney. She's yelling that the RCP guy has no coherent argument for his pro-choice position. Of course, he is a communist, so he didn't have coherent arguments for anything.

This scene took place on 16th Street at Court Place, right in front of the Sheraton, where Hillary Clinton was inside addressing an Emily's List gala. The noise was such that even with headphones I couldn't hear the audio I was trying to transcribe. I've now relocated to the world's noisiest Starbucks, across the street. Christina Bellantoni of the Washington Times is also trying to file her story from here.

Meanwhile, for street vendors in Denver, the Democratic convention is mainly an opportunity to profit by selling Obama-themed merchandise.

Hope is a very popular commodity on the streets of Denver this week.

Here's a person who is a self-declared "atheist, lesbian, male-to-female transsexual." Amazingly, "Jessica Sideways" is not a DNC delegate -- but is, however, a blogger.

Well, I've got to write an article for the American Spectator, so things will be slow on the blog this afternoon. I'll be back to liveblog Hillary's big speech tonight.

UPDATE: "Jessica Sideways" got linked as a headline at Ace of Spades and got her own post at the Jawa Report. Some of the comments at Jawa aren't exactly sensitive and tolerant.