TWO ARTICLES FROM THE NEWS TRIBUNE

You can click on http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/ to read a few articles about the Republican National Convention. I have also posted the articles here on my blog. More updates will come tomorrow!

Washington delegation bus hit by a sand bag in Twin Cities
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 12:50:32 pm

Someone dropped a sandbag from an overpass in the Twin Cities yesterday, hitting one of the buses carrying members of the Washington delegation, Dick Muri said.

Muri, a Pierce County councilman and Republican national delegate, was riding on a different bus, and did not have details.

I found this blog post (http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/09/bus-attack-in-st-paul-anarchists-attack.html) from someone called Gateway Pundit that describes sandbag and cement bag attacks on delegation buses.

The Star Tribune ran this http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/27737929.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUec7PaP3E7_0c:5D:aPc:iUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyU) Associated Press article describing "violent protests" in the convention cities.

Muri said security is extremely tight. As he spoke this morning from a paddle-wheel ship cruising the Mississippi River, he could see two Coast Guard speed boats with large-caliber weapons providing escort.

And an armed guard rode on his bus.

Muri said he doesn't mind the protesters gathering on overpasses with banners.
"That's OK," he said. "That's the kind of protest you want."

But he couldn't help but note the irony in the fact that some of them are crossing a line and becoming violent as they protest war.

Low-key convention includes Mississippi River cruise, breakfast with Slade
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 11:23:49 am

Pierce County Councilman Dick Muri phoned today from a paddle-wheel boat on the Mississippi River. Muri, a Republican national delegate, was cruising the river in the Twin Cities with the rest of the Washington delegation.

So far, the Republican National Convention has been a low-key affair, thanks in part to the cancellation of planned speakers yesterday due to Hurricane Gustav.

Among them was President Bush, who went to Texas instead to be with disaster workers as the hurricane approached.

Bush now is expected to address the convention tonight via satellite.

Muri said he's been using the extra time to get to know people in Washington's 80-person delegation. There were local meetings on Monday, and the group took a tour of Minneapolis.
A business meeting yesterday that typically would have taken five or six hours was dispatched with in just an hour.

Muri and others enjoyed an hour-long breakfast today with former Sen. Slade Gorton.
"There is more time as a delegation to get to know one another," Muri said.