Check out our video from Speaker Pelosi's energy agenda news conference at the Democratic Convention in Denver.  As you'll see, she and her fellow Congressional leaders were completely overwhelmed by pro-drilling Americans who showed up to make their voices heard.

Be sure to watch all the way to the end.  At the news conference, Pelosi and Company repeatedly bragged how they took a public shuttle bus to the event.  I was curious about what kind of transportation they planned to take AFTER the event, so I sneaked past security and quietly followed them through the bowels of Denver's Union Station and discovered that -- you guessed it -- they rode away in SUVs after the event...

This morning we crashed a Politico/Denver Post/Yahoo News breakfast roundtable with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Democratic National Convention.  It largely consisted of a few softball questions -- How do you like Denver?  Why haven't you been tougher on Bush? -- followed by Pelosi speaking unchallenged for 10 minutes at a time about what a bad guy John McCain is.

We did get a chance to ask Speaker Pelosi why she won't even allow a vote on increased offshore drilling, but she just ignored our question and blew us off on her way out.  The video is below, as a photo from the event.

As you know, the Democratic National Convention officially kicks off in Denver tonight, and Americans for Prosperity is in town for the action.

Our Colorado State Director, Jim Pfaff, is going to participate in an American Energy Freedom Day news conference tomorrow morning with Sen. Jim DeMint, former Colorado Congressman Bob Beaubrez and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

In the meantime, we took Sunday afternoon to check out what's going on in Denver, starting with a Convention-affiliated "Green Frontier Fest" -- essentially a pep rally for alernative energy sources.  Here's what we saw:

Above: "Splash!" actress Darryl Hannah speaks about low-impact living and the need to transition from fossil fuels to alternative sources of energy.  When I asked her after her speech if she shares the opinion of many MoveOn.org lefties that the government should raise the price of gasoline to speed that transition along, she said, "I think people are hurting too much already."

Visualize Global Worming!  Apparently worms are good for the environment, as is promoting "global worming" with an old ambulance. 

Book for sale at the environmental fest: "How the Rich Are Destroying the Earth."  I'm guessing the author has never been to China or India.

Meanwhile, as the rich are destroying the earth, the impovrished environmentalists of Colorado are paying $120 for hemp messenger bags.

It appears that impeaching President Bush for starting the Iraq war is now an environmental issue.  No word whether misspelling the word "believe" is also an impeachable offense.

Chocolate chip cookies bake in an environmentally correct solar oven.  In fairness, the cookies were done in about 20 minutes and tasted warm and delicious.  Of course, when I asked the woman working the oven what happens on rainy days or at night, she replied, "Call Domino's!" Maybe more taxpayer-funded subsidies will make solar ovens more effective in complete darkness.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away near the Pepsi Center, the new digs of AFP's biggest fan and avowed enemy of sinister "Big Oil," Keith Olbermann, are ready for shameless demogaugery and empty rhetoric.

Anderson Cooper walks to the makeshift CNN studios across from the Pepsi Center. And probably wonders why some random guy is taking his picture as he walks down the street.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich just hanging out on a corner with his giant wife. 

Not sure if these are the only two "Rednecks for Obama" or if there are more out there somewhere, but they felt the need to make their presence felt outside the Pepsi Center on Sunday afternoon.

In Farmington, MI even the threat of thunderstorms wasn't able to ground AFP's hot air balloon

The crowd in Kalamazoo, MI

The balloon up in South Bend, IN

Kids loved the "Truth is Cool" tshirts

The House conservative "debate" on American energy production continues on the House Floor today, with at least a dozen or so Members making the case for allowing an up-or-down vote on lifting the ban on drilling for oil and natural gas on the Outer Continental Shelf, in Alaska and on oil shale production.

We took the opportunity to catch up with two Members of Congress at the Capitol who were recently designated "Friends of the American Motorist" in our Freedom from Foreign Oil scorecard -- U.S. Reps. Jeff Flake and Trent Franks, both of Arizona.

Photos of our awards presentation with Congressmen Flake and Franks are attached below, as are a few pics from today's Capitol news conference on the issue: 

 Above: Congressman Jeff Flake is presented with AFP's Friend of the American Motorist Award.

Above: Congressman Trent Franks is presented with AFP's Friend of the American Motorist award.

 Above: House GOP Whip Roy Blunt makes a point at today's news conference in the U.S. Capitol.

Above: Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia makes the case for allowing more American energy production to bring prices down.

Above: Congressman John Linder of Georgia speaks at today's news conference in the Capitol.

Not content to let his colleagues on the House side have all the fun during the August recess, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina is gathering signatures for a letter to Senate Leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell.

The letter urges the Leaders to let the ban on American energy production end as scheduled on Oct. 1 and, more importantly, warns them that they "will actively oppose any attempt to extend them."  That means they'd vote against any attempt to sneak an extension of the ban in any last-minute spending bill. 

Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia this afternoon agreed to sign the letter, bringing the number of signers to 37.  If that number reaches 41, it'll put Senate leaders in a very tough position when they return from recess.

Check out the letter and see if your Senators have signed on yet.  If they're still in the "No" column, contact them ASAP here.

The House GOP revolt of '08 continues this week, with dozens of Members expected to speak on the Floor of the U..S. House to protest Speaker Pelosi's decision to adjourn for a five-week recess without allowing a vote on whether to expand production of American oil, natural gas or shale. 

You can keep up with the action on Republican Leader John Boehner's blog here

Also, the Politico points out how this ongoing protest is really starting to turn up the heat: at least two Democratic congressional candidates -- one incumbent and one challenger -- are now publicly disagreeing with their leaders' decision to adjourn without considering comprehensive energy legislation.

Meanwhile, we're catching up with Members of Congress who are in town this week to present them with "Friends of the American Motorist" awards in appreciation of their high scores on our recent Freedom from Foreign Oil scorecard.  Pictured below are U.S. Reps. Gresham Barrett of South Carolina and Steve King of Iowa:

Our friends at the Institute for Energy Research just released an analysis of the Senate's so-called "Gang of 10" energy proposal.  Their conclusion: we're better off doing nothing.

Meanwhile, as of this writing, our little video exposing MoveOn.org members' desire for $10, $20, and even $30-a-gallon gasoline is the #1 search result when anybody looks for "MoveOn.org" on YouTube...

As I mentioned earlier, yesterday we crashed the MoveOn.org anti-American-drilling rally at the U.S. Capitol.  You may know MoveOn as the group that's currently giving away half a million Barack Obama bumper stickers.

Anyway, here's our video from the scene -- full of Obama t-shirt- and button-wearing folks advocating $10, $20, and even $30 gasoline.  One guy even admits, "The higher the price, the better it is... so people can't afford it!"

Check it out:

Here's your future if Al Gore and his radical environmental bullies get their way -- the government literally going through your trash to make sure you don't have a coffee filter next to an empty wine bottle:

"Garbage collectors would inspect San Francisco residents' trash to make sure pizza crusts aren't mixed in with chip bags or wine bottles under a proposal by Mayor Gavin Newsom.

"And if residents or businesses don't separate the coffee grounds from the newspapers, they would face fines of up to $1,000 and eventually could have their garbage service stopped.

Unfortunately, I already have first-hand experience with this kind of thing, and it's not fun.  On at least two occasions in the past year, the management of my condo building in downtown DC has gone through my trash because I had the audicity to place a couple of glass bottles in my regular trash bags. 

They literally went through my trash until they found a discarded spaghetti-sauce-stained piece of junk mail with my name on it, then put it my mailbox with a stern warning letter to get with the mandatory recycling program.  As Jay Nordlinger put it on the Corner:

"...there are people who care more about recycling than about basic human rights — or about basic human kindness. And they are a bullying, coercive sort. "

Yes they are.

HT: The Corner

I just got back from crashing a MoveOn.org protest in front of the U.S. Capitol, where pro-taxpayer, pro-American-drilling forces had roughly as many people in attendance as the MoveOn crowd.

I got some great video from the scene -- several MoveOn activists (sporting Obama pins, of course) strongly advocating for $10 a gallon gasoline and one guy in an Obama t-shirt admitting that Speaker Pelosi and Co. should at least an up-or-down vote on drilling.  I'll post the video soon.

I do have to say that for a bunch of self-professed liberals, they really wanted to squelch our freedom of speech.  When our group of taxpayer advocates held up signs right behind their rally -- in direct view of the TV cameras in attendance, several MoveOn activists tried to forcibly remove our signs and even attempted to order us off the property - which belongs to the American taxpayer the last time I checked. 

One Code Pink woman even asked to see my ID.  When I asked her exactly what authority she had to check my ID, she didn't really know what to say. So much for "diversity" of opinion and free speech, I suppose.

Anyway, video to come soon, hopefully...

By now you've probably heard that when Congress adjourned for a five-week recess on Friday afternoon, several dozen Republicans refused to leave and staged a dramatic "debate" about expanded drilling on the House floor aftter the Democratic leadership had turned off the mics and lights and left town.  Now a short video from the scene has hit the Internet - be sure to check it out below.

House Republicans have returned to the Capitol today and plan to keep the action going all week, so if you're in Washington this week, be sure to stop by the People's House and check it out.

Fox News Channel just ran a spot about the "Porkbusters on Patrol" video contest we're co-sponsoring with our fellow Porkbusters and Eyeblast.tv.

Check it out below, then go film the pork in your neighborhood and enter the contest!

As Congress leaves Washington for a five-week recess, free-market conservatives on Capitol Hill are starting to really bang the drum on American Energy Freedom Day -- Oct. 1, 2008.

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas are leading the charge, announcing the kickoff of a joint House/Senate effort to protect that day and oppose efforts to sneak an extension of the drilling ban in any last-minute legislation.

Sen. DeMint has also produced a great online video that lays out the situation -- check it out below and pass it along to all your friends. Then tell them to contact their elected officials and urge them to protect American Energy Freedom Day.

Charles Krauthammer has an absolutely damning column in today's Washington Post that clearly exposes the complete absurdity of the anti-drilling, pro-biofuel-mandate argument -- and it's devastating impact on the environment worldwide.

I was going to excerpt it here, but the whole thing is just too good.  You've got to go here and read the whole thing.

As you already know if you're a regular reader of this blog, the federal bans on offshore drilling and oil shale exploration expire on Sept. 30, 2008.  That's why a growing number of people are calling Oct. 1 "American Energy Freedom Day."

Today we sent a letter from more than three dozen organizations to every U.S. Senator and Representatives urging them to oppose any extension in these bans on American energy production -- even if the Congressional leadership tries to sneak the bans into supposedly "must-pass" legislation like a last-minute spending bill.

The text of the letter is below.  To view a .pdf of the letter, which lists all the signers, click here.  Then contact your Members of Congress and urge them to increase American energy supplies and reduce the cost of gas at the pump. 

July 31, 2008

Dear Senator/Representative:

On behalf of our millions of members and all American consumers suffering from high energy prices, we urge you to allow the current restrictions on much-needed American energy resources to expire as scheduled under current law.   Unless Congress acts affirmatively to prevent it, October 1st, 2008 will be a day fittingly described as “American Energy Freedom Day” as those restrictions expire.

According to estimates from the Department of the Interior, the Outer Continental Shelf contains 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and there is an additional 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil locked in oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

Now that President Bush has lifted the executive branch moratorium, the only thing prohibiting development of these energy resources is a temporary ban that is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year.  On October 1, 2008, domestic energy resources will no longer be held off-limits by the federal government.

We urge you to oppose the creation of any new moratorium for fiscal 2009, even if it is attached to what some people in Washington consider “must-pass” legislation.  We further urge you to sustain a presidential veto of any measure to impose a new moratorium. 

A strong majority of the American public sees drilling expansion as necessary to reduce fuel prices now and in the long run.  Creating new restrictions on domestic energy development would fly in the face of public opinion and exacerbate the pain every American citizen feels at the pump.

Sincerely,

I'm happy to announce that Americans for Prosperity is teaming up with our fellow Porkbusters and Eyeblast.tv on an innovative new project that will allow citizens to expose wasteful pork-barrel boondoggles in their local areas.

The project is called "Porkbusters on Patrol" and is patterned in part after some of the videos we posted from our nationwide Ending Earmarks Express tour two years ago, particularly our video from the proposed site of the infamous Bridge to Nowhere in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Here's what you do to participate.  Visit Eyeblast.tv here for full details.  If you already have your own video camera, you can shoot and edit your video now and post it on Eyeblast.  If you don't have your own camera, Eyeblast may be able to send you a free Flip video camera that you can use to record and submit your video.  Again, see the Eyeblast.tv website for full details.

Now here's the coolest part.  The best video submissions will be showcased at our upcoming Defending the American Dream Summit in Washington on Oct. 10-11.  You can register for the Summit here. 

In the meantime, good luck, and have fun shooting that pork!

You may remember a couple of months ago when Sen. Barack Obama lectured Americans that "we can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK."

So imagine our surprise yesterday when we saw a large crowd gathered around two large Chevy Suburban SUVs outside the Mayflower Hotel in Washington and learned that none other than Sen. Obama was there and about to depart in one of the SUVs.  Of course, we quickly called back to the office, which is only a block away, and got our trusty video camera so we could document the event.

Turns out Sen. Obama was at the Mayflower for a $10,000-a-photo fundraising lunch, according to the Washington Post.  So while he recently chided Americans to give up their SUVs, not eat as much as they want and turn off the AC, it appears that he yesterday enjoyed a fancy lunch with fat cat donors, then rode away in an air-conditioned SUV. (Which, in fairness, we point out is probably encouraged by the Secret Service because it's so much safer than compact cars like the Prius.  Which is precisely why Sen. Obama shouldn't support policies that lead to higher gas prices and make it harder for average American families to own SUVs if they want the safety they provide.)

In any case, here's our video from the scene: