Me with Daily Show "Senior Latino Correspondent," Al Madrigal 

 Although the business of the Convention was cancelled for Monday, we braved the massive security apperatus to attend anyway.  The meeting was convened and almost immediately recessed.  Regardless of the nothing-going-on state of affairs, the media were out in full force (I have heard there are 7 to 10 members of the media for every Delegate at the convention.)  Several members of the Oregon Delegation were interviewed for television and newspapers, and did a fabulous job!


John Oliver interviewing one of the unseated Maine Delegates



My highlight for the day was getting to see the Daily Show correspondents, John Oliver and Al Madrigal.  I love those guys!



Each day of the Convention has a theme.  Monday's theme was "We Can Do Better."  This inspired a spontaneous gathering of Ron Paul supporters to gather under the sign at the back of the convention hall--and our chant, "President Paul, President Paul, President Paul," rang out. Security did not prevent this protest on Monday since the convention was closed and the media was minimal, but starting Tuesday, our "unauthorized" signs would not be allowed.

Jon Antione and Larry Erikson, members of the Oregon Delegation



We're here!  Here I am with my mom, Duane Taylor and Kevin Renfrow at our hotel, home to the Oregon and Illinois delegations. 



Duane Taylor and me arriving outside the Sun Dome.



 

 This morning, we set off for the Sun Dome for the "We Are The Future" Rally--the highlight of the week. 





There were A LOT of us there!



Jordan Page



  

 








We were treated to a day of many excellent speakers (Lew Rockwell, Justin Amash, Rand Paul, to name a few), as well as wonderful musical entertainment, including Amy Allen and Jordan Page.







Me and Diana Hengerer.



Carol Paul





After the rally, all the Ron Paul delegates were invited to Whisky Joe's on the beach for dinner and a photo op with Dr. Paul. 

It looks like hurricane Isaac will miss us, but the RNC annouonced it will cancel the events for Monday anyway, due to bad weather.  So, our first responsibilities as delegates begin Tuesday--with the Rules Committee trying to pass some terrible new party rules (as Rachel Maddow recently reported, to deal with the "Ron Paul problem"), we will have our work cut out for us.













Today begins my journey, as a member of the Oregon delegation, to the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.  I've created this blog to share, through photos and words, all the people, places, and interesting moments I encounter during the convention.  It's sure to be one of the most fascinating experiences of my life and I am so glad I'll have my mom there to share it all with me!

When Ron Paul encouraged his supporters to work to get as many of us elected as delegates to the RNC as possible, I believed our chances were slim.  How could a grassroots effort like ours succeed with the powerful Republican Party establishment working against us at every step?  Little did I understand just how much can be accomplished by dedicated volunteers, inspired by a vision of peace and freedom. 

I am grateful to every individual who made our victory (500 delegates!) possible, to all those who encouraged me to run, and showed up to vote when it mattered; my gratitude especially to Steve Winokur, Kristie Hernandez, Nadine Hanhan, Duane Taylor, Joe Vance, Tom Armstrong, and Jen Smith--your dedication to this movement and our champion, Dr. Ron Paul, amazes me!  And for their generous financial support, without which my trip would not be possible, my deepest thanks to my mother Lee Anna Bunting, Gordon and Sharon Fritz, Lynne Wadley, Aunt Sherry Halverson, Martha Kennedy, and the Ron Paul 2012 campaign.  And to Cassandra Robertson, for reminding me what a GIFT this all is.  And finally--to my amazing husband, Mike Riverstone, and precious son, Henry Riverstone--thank you for all your sacrifices, your unending support and for never letting me give up. I am truly blessed to know each of you, and the many other activists and delegation members I've gotten to know through this whole process.

It will be an honor to represent the Republican voters of Oregon at the convention, to stand for peace, liberty, and Constitutional government.

See you in Tampa!