Before we march much further into the future, and with a post even now brewing in my brain, I wanted to clarify what this blog is about, how I decide what to write about, and to insist that there are some thing about which I will never write.
First, this is not a "Democrats versus Republicans" blog. I will not evade the truth by saying "I am not partisan" or "I have a lot of friends who are Republicans" (I do, but that is another matter). This blog is a place for me to express my opinions on issues surrounding the intersection of politics, culture, society, and the Christian faith. I am not "partisan", nor will I endorse any candidate (despite my own preference for some over others) of any party. My views on the actions of the leadership - and please understand it is the leadership (the PResident and his cabinet, the public faces of the Republican Party in the national media, and their unpaid shills in the mainstream media) of the party who I find abhorrent - are based not on crass partisanship. This is not about "us vs. them". My disdain for and rage with our current "leaders" stems from the utter contempt they have shown for Constitutional government; their brazen and unapologetic lying (they continue to lie even after they are caught at it); their utter contempt for any and all who may disagree with them; and the lack of respect they show the American people by governing so poorly. More than anything else, however, I am enraged at what has become of the United States in the past six years. Our once great land now sits, our military on the point of being broken, our diplomatic status non-existent, our influence gone. Our economy is a wreck. Our public dialogue is a farce. I place responsibility for all this at the feet of the Bush Adminsitration, their lackeys in Congress, and their mindless enablers in the press. If it were a Democratic government who had done this, enlisting the help of the press, I would be no less contemptuous.
There are some other things, besides candidate endorsement, that I shall never write about. I won't cover politics for its own sake - the horse race nonsense - or repeat nonsense (or at least try not to). I will not deal with garbage, such as (I hate even typing the letters!) the whole OJ thing over at Fox. Finally, while I have strayed from this particular "never" in more than one egregious case, let us just say that I will attempt, in the suture, to never, ever personally call into question the personality or integrity of those with whom I disagree. We are all Americans. We have to relearn how to disagree with each other without trying to destroy one another. The extremes have ruled our dialogue for too long; it is time for healthy debate with the opportunity to go to the pub afterward and pop the tops on some cold ones together (as Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan famously did).
I write all this because, when I started blogging last spring, I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about, and it showed. As it has developed, I have started to find a voice, but I wanted to make sure I didn't "flail", just write about anything and everything, but consider thoughtfully what I was posting, why, and what doing so said about me and my intentions for doing this whole blog thing in the first place. I have been tempted to write things that went far afield, because they interest me personally, or because others have written about them. I decided, however, that it would be better if I set out, publicly, what it is I am doing here, and why. As it is still relatively early in my blogging career, and these things are still developing, I think this is as good a place to start as any.
Finally, to correct the error I made, personally attacking someone with whom I disagreed, I would like to publicly apologize to my turtle-loving neighbors to the north for calling them "unhinged". I will let the post stand, but only to remind me that, as hard as I try, I will make mistakes. I hope our future debates are lively, but never sink to the level of name-calling.
Virtual Tin Cup
