Convention opening with cheers and jeers

Editor's note: Donna Lichtenegger of Jackson is a delegate at this week's Republican National Convention. This is the second of her daily reports from the convention.

By Donna Lichtenegger ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

We cheered and jeered during Monday's opening sessions of the Republican National Convention.

Anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore was there, covering the convention for USA Today. We jeered him. Arizona Sen. John McCain made a reference to Moore. Everybody jeered and started chanting "Four more years" for President Bush.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani gave a great speech. That may have been one of the best speeches he has ever made. He said the president is clear and consistent. That is what you want in a leader.

I think you may hear a lot more of that. It certainly resonated with me and a lot of other folks in our delegation.

Tuesday about 25 members of the Missouri delegation went to New York City's Chinatown and did a community service project. Chinatown was the closest community to the World Trade Center towers, which were destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The image that you see of the smoke coming away from the towers, that's Chinatown.

Some of us worked at a neighborhood park. Some worked at a nursing home. Some of us did some street work.

I worked in the park. I was pulling weeds.

We did have some environmental protesters that were there, but they didn't bother us at all.

They have every right to be there, just like we do. That is part of the greatness of this country.

Tuesday night, Laura Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are scheduled to speak.

I'm looking forward to hearing Laura Bush. She is so gracious. I think that is why people love her. She is that mom that everybody wants.

Many in the mainstream media keep saying that the convention speakers are political moderates but that the Republican Party platform is extremely conservative. I don't think so.

Look at partial birth abortion, for example. There is an enormous amount of Americans who are against that. We don't think that's extreme.