This holiday season filled with turkey and politics makes me remember a few friends and groups I am thankful for.

Watching this video at the Huffington Post reminds me of why I am so happy to be a College Democrat.

Convention season is officially upon us. It is that time of the year when officers are elected, resolutions are passed, rules are made and broken, and maybe even a party or two gets thrown. All in all, young people meet and mingle with other young people to discuss how to be more effective leaders of their local and state democratic organizations.

Recently it was brought to my attention by the Baylor College Dems President Alexandra Neville that blatant acts of discrimination occurred on the Baylor Campus Tuesday. Students who travel all over the United States spreading a message of hope and peace to religious students who identify as LGBT, or allies, visited Baylor last Tuesday. Instead of receiving tolerance, the organization known as Soulforce was met with hostility. In addition to the story of the students who witnessed and hosted the gay-rights advocacy group an article can be found in the Baylor newspaper.

Every Christmas I watch A Christmas Story. Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder BB rifle; however, his mother constantly denies him, warning, "You’ll shoot your eye out." The Texas legislature has displayed its Ralphie tendencies as the House and Senate passed SB378, which allows for employees to "protect" their workplace and car with a concealed weapon. Using previous bills that create the legal framework called the "castle doctrine," which allows for a person to protect themselves in their home, the Texas legislature extended the right to self-defense to the workplace and vehicles.

From the Stonewall Democrats:

We learned last night of the passing of Buck Massey, the Political Director for the Dallas Stonewall Democrats. Buck served as a much-loved member of the National Stonewall Democrats Board of Directors, and of the Texas Democratic Party Central Committee and Affirmative Action Committee.

4:00 pm - from the Editor
I caught the last part of the speech on the live feed, and the crowd really was substantial and energetic.
It seems like the speech was well-received, and of course Obama is a dynamic speaker. He stumbled on a few of the stump standards (I've been in Washington long enough...) but his overall message of hope and change went oveer well.

Katie's liveblog is available in its entirety within. She had to do most of it from a Blackberry, and she did a great job. - Josh

3:54
Obama's speech ends with an anecdote and then he fires up the crowd one last time.

Then he starts to move through the crowd, shaking hands and greeting supporters.

By the end, the crowd was very very large.

I just received this from the Communications Director of College Democrats of America. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in becoming involved in national youth politics.

College Democrats To Hold 2007 Convention in South Carolina

Washington, DC- Exactly one year from the day of South Carolina Democratic primary, College Democrats of America announced that they will hold their 2007 convention on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, July 26-29, 2007.