I feel like someone is trying to give us a hint.

The judge presiding over a military tribunal at Guantanamo against a man allegedly a driver of Osama Bin Laden, threw out statements which had been made by the defendant under "highly coercive" conditions.  The judge also decided at the trial that he will not allow evidence gathered under such circumstances unless those who gathered such evidence were present for cunter interrogation.

These past few days have been full of firsts for me; my first metro north ride, my first blogpost, and most importantly hosting my first Young People For Brown Bag Lunch!

Today during my daily commute to Newark, NJ, my mom and I listened to radio station WBAI's segment on the recent HIV/AIDS budget cut in the state of New York. Accompanying the discussion were two positively diagnosed HIV/AIDS community activists to share their stories and answer questions.

I'm finally back from Netroots Nation, which despite being a conference for bloggers is so packed that it's almost impossible to find time to write.

I had an amazing time. Highlights: going all fan boy when I met netroots success story Donna Edwards (who later showed up at one of the many parties over the event and stood on the bar to make some remarks), met some very nice folks from the Jeanne Shaheen campaign and other organizations, and was ecstactic over a very special surprise guest.

Also, some guy with funny ears sent in a message.

I had the fortunate opportunity of attending a session at the Netroots Nation conference on "America's Role in the World after the Bush Presidency" with a specific focus on foreign policy. Prior to attending the session, I was familiar with the term, "Pax Americana," coined as a term referring to the United States' post-WWII military and economic position. A significant part of the world had looked to the United States as a nation filled with opportunity and prosperity.

Jason Rosenbaum, who blogs for the Sentinel and has been on several excellent online strategy panels this weekend, just posted slides from two panels about blog management.

Many of the tips (particularly with regard to repostability) are ones that we've been considering for the YP4 Blog. I hope that the slides will be useful to those of who you run your own blogs.

What looks valuable to you? What do you think is goofy? 

Working outside of the box is the title of a panel I'm sititng in right now at the blogger conference, Netroots Nation, in Austin. The panel is about how to find and run progressive candidates. It was introduced by Dean Nielsen of Progressive Majority who proclaimed with certainty, twice, that P.M. is the only progressive candidate recruitment and selection organization. The point of this blog is not to call that claim into question, but it is to acknowledge that the candidate recrutiment out of existing youth leaderhsip develpment organizations is a pipeline that needs to be built and brought to scale.

I'm blogging again from the Netroots Nation conference in Austin, Texas, and continue to be impressed with how my fellow participants have jumped on this technology as a means of expressing ideas, opinions, and general information that might not have otherwise been available. As the conference has progressed, I have a deeper appreciation for how the Internet, including the blogosphere, has helped us connect with each other, even at the international level, almost instantaneously.