Why use a Twitter #hash tag to funnel questions for the legendary Helen Thomas? Because it’s hip, that’s why…and because I’ll have a really enjoyable time trying to explain it to her!

Ok ok, I’ll tell you the truth. Last night I spoke at DC Media Makers, a meet up of people who promote peer learning and digital literacy in DC. I talked for a few minutes about my work for MTV  (USTREAM caught it live) and why I needed new and compelling content to take EricaAmerica to the next level.

Helen and I have been friends for almost two years now. We see each other sporadically, normally when I call and ask for a coffee or a drink to catch up. Each time I go prepared with a list of questions spanning topics of history, war and peace, working in Washington and being the first woman in the Press Corp. In short, I don’t want to waste her time. So I am always trying to make the most of those meetings. (Check this piece out I wrote about an evening with Helen.)

So here I am, now working on a project to capture some of her thoughts, her experience and her wisdom for the Web 2.0 community. Through this video series, I hope to open up a new side for the world to see of Helen, a side that wants to explain, educate and describe what she saw over the last 60 years in Washington.

After I showed the video to the group at DC Media Makers, they had a ton of substantive ideas for me. From production to lighting to ways to crowd-source the Internet for questions, the conversation was dynamic. I always enjoy those meetings and walked away with some great ideas. Thanks to @acarvin, I am now using the #AskHelen hash tag on Twtiter to encourage people to shout out their quesitons. If you are new to the hash tag or twitter, all you need to do is include #AskHelen after your question in your Tweet. It will be funnelled into a page on Twitter that will group all of the questions together.

Let’s see if it works!

@EricaAmerica

Tonight I went over to Hearst, where Helen writes her weekly column, to talk. I told her ahead of time I had some questions and she sounded excited. “Sounds good,” she said. “I’ll see you at 5:30.”

What came of the conversation is the pilot episode for Your Fix with Helen Thomas. Enjoy and let me know what you think. I’ll be back next week for round two.

It’s past 5:00 in Helen’s newsroom. She had a busy few weeks. She greeted the new President with a controversial question, got blasted by Bill O’Reilly…and then got flowers… It hasn’t been an average week for Helen, but then again, it never is. Now, in a completely new role, Helen Thomas will take your questions.

Helen’s last two columns:

Obama Follows Some of Bush’s Footsteps February 18, 2009

Obama Learns Limits of Bipartisan Overtures February 12, 2009

What does the most decorated Olympian, Michael Phelps, have to do with Obama’s user-generated voting tool from Change.gov, Open for Questions?

Funnily enough, they both found themselves near dangerous waters. Face-to-face with America’s drug policy laws.

On January 31^st – Michael Phelps was caught on camera using a marijuana bong. Not six days later, Kellogg suspended his contract. And now, groups like NORML have been given a new platform to bring up the most voted on question on Barack Obama’s Transition Web site, Change.gov:

“Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age imits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?”

That question, which has been voted on by more than 7,900 people and got this response:

“President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

Ok – but engage the 7,947 who took Change.gov’s Web 2.0 tool seriously enough to use it: Can you provide more information?

On January 20^th, NORML, a non-for-profit that works to decriminalize marijuana offenses, published a blog post that stated the information for marijuana policy was “invisible” on Obama’s post-transition Web site, Whitehouse.Gov.

NORML was partially correct in their blog post when they said info was invisible. The search function on Whitehouse.gov does not turn up anything for “marijuana,” “drugs” or “cannabis.” On the other hand – there is one place the Administration addresses drug policy, albeit brief:

• Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
• Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

But nothing on marijuana, which leaves me to wonder: What is the Transition team doing with the information they polled from interactive users on Open for Questions, particularly in regard to the #1?

UPDATE: Seattle Policy Chief is Obama’s Drug Czar Choice, Associated Press, March 11, 2009

This is worth covering – just because, well, it’s never happened before. At least not in the same…so much is at stake, kind of way.

This week Obama will go on a Public Lobbying Campaign – in effort to create support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus plan in short) which Congress is scheduled to vote on this Tuesday.

But there is a major wave of opposition to the stimulus plan from Republicans. After a 12-year run controlling Congress and eight years of the White House, they are, without doubt, adjusting to the reality of being in the minority.

Senator John McCain leads the GOP opposition to the stimulus plan, saying if and when this is passed it will be a “very bad day for America.” Just a few months ago, on November 4th after losing the election, McCain made a public pledge to help Obama.

“These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

The bill will be voted on this Tuesday.

But just what is in the $780 Billion plan?

First, there will be some “quick acting tax cuts” to get consumers and businesses to spend money – and ugh, stimulate the stagnant economy.

Next there will be tons of public works projects and other programs (think building schools, roads and bridges) to create an estimated 3 million jobs. That’s probably good news to the young California Conservation Corps work crew – a youth work program that is about to be cut because of the tumbling economy.

So what’s next? Monday Obama will be in Indiana, Tuesday he will be in Florida and on Wednesday he will be in Virginia.

Who knew…that it seems the campaign has only just begun.

This just in. U.S. Troops (1 Solider = 1 “Troop”) will double to 60,000 in Afghanistan by the middle of 2010. Marine’s will be sent to the southern part of the country, where the Taliban has the strongest presence. This “new, aggressive mission” as reported by NPR, is what President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates call a “3-5 year bridging strategy” to get the h_ll out.

Why the change? If you remember, right before President Bush left office he met with President Karzai and said “the interest is to build a thriving democracy.”

According to NPR’s report, after seven years of U.S. in Afghanistan, billions of dollars spent and hundreds of U.S. Troops killed, the idea of a thriving democracy is far, far away. The poppy crop (opium, which makes heroin), is thriving and funding the Taliban’s regime…and President Karzai’s government (brother to be exact) has been linked to the drug trade.