Leibo pretty much captures my feelings on the “controversy”
It isn’t rocket science; if you can’t figure out something this simple, perhaps you shouldn’t be driving at all.
Two separate incidents I noticed recently illustrate a new peeve of mine – the lack of conversation on blogs lately.
1) Twitter comments about blog posts. It is great in the sense that the comments are broadcast to a much larger audience, but the conversation is short ~ and short-lived. Not only are readers trying to make their point in 140 characters (or across several Tweets, another peeve) but those points are lost in just a few days. Instead of a ‘group’ conversation on the post, you have several one-to-one exchanges so some good points get lost in the plethora of tweets flying past.
2) Subscription fees for commenting. I know several blogs that require the creation of an account before you can comment. I have resisted that in most cases because I see no reason for me to subscribe when I am perfectly willing to put my info right there in the comment fields. However, for a couple of blogs I went ahead and took the leap. One blog I used to read went to requiring you to create an account, log in each time, enter a captcha, then the comment was sent to moderation. I had no desire to jump through that many hoops just to converse with the author so I not only stopped commenting, I stopped even visiting. This evening I visited a new blog that is requiring a subscription fee: $3.47 per month to comment. Are there a lot of people willing to pay over $40 a year to contribute to someone else’s blog?
The pay-to-say blog just answered me (on Twitter LOL) saying that the fee will keep the conversation civil and I should try the free 30 day trial.
Hmmm….
- If the only way you can keep your commenters civil is by charging them, perhaps you aren’t inspiring the right kind of discussion.
- There is no way I am ever going to pay for the “privilege” of commenting on a blog site, so why would I spend 30 days starting conversations I won’t be around to follow?
I’m happy that Twitter allows people to spread the word to a much larger audience, I just miss the days of long comment threads.
BTW: I have seen Disqus* on many sites, which allows “signing in” to comment with one of your existing social media accounts; Twitter, Yahoo, Facebook… and keeps track of all your comments across multiple sites. The best of both worlds.
* I realize there are others that offer similar functionality. I reference Disqus because it seems to be the best and most widely used.
UPDATE: From the comments, a differing view. See his full post on Ricochet here
…aim your shots
From the genius that is ExJon via Twitter:
Crazy suggestion to Republicans: Focus your attacks on Pelosi, Reid & Obama for the next 36 days, THEN you can whine about each other.
And
The simple choice for conservatives: Ignore your hurt feelings for 5 weeks or enjoy Obamacare.
Focus on the task at hand, people. If you insist on tearing down the GOP candidate because they are not Conservative enough (or are too Conservative) you lose sight of the fact that the Dem candidate is not only worse, but is another vote in support of the big government, big spending, big taxing, big regulatory, big nanny state direction Pelosi, Reid & Obama are taking us.
Let’s win these elections. Let’s take back the House. Let’s aim for the Senate.
And then? Let’s hash out the details while we work to ensure our GOP congressmen* know we are still watching – and we are still holding them accountable for getting D.C. back on course.
* And women, ya’ politically correct whiners who are no longer capable of recognizing when a universal, non-gender specific term is being used.
It seems to be quite fashionable to knock the new GOP Pledge to America, a blueprint released by House Republicans of their legislative agenda going forward. Why such a rush to criticize? Perhaps for the same reason they are bashing Tea Parties & Conservative candidates – they’ve seen or heard someone else do it. How better to appear hip than to parrot what you think the hip kids are saying.
But there isn’t anything bash worthy in the pledge itself. Far from it. It lays out in clear terms steps that can & should be taken to shrink the size of government.
Dan Riehl lays it out clearly:
It is, in essence, the standard we’ve been issued to get behind and march on toward November, when America faces one of, if not the, most important election of our times. If there’s some other side worthy of fighting on, I haven’t seen it. And I’m not the least bit interested in entertaining it, even if I did. So, I’m going to defend this pledge against the Democrats and an often complicit media and any one else if I have to. Because I know what side I’m on and how desperately America needs our side to prevail.Might there be other battles or complaints come January? I assume there will be. But now is not the time for wasting energy, or misdirecting our efforts on them. The candidates have been selected. The political battles lines have been drawn between Left and Right, Democrat and Republican. I know which side I’m on, along with the importance of this document in terms of shaping the battle space in front of us and as we move through.
And he takes on those who are mocking it, simply because it exists.
I’m not kidding myself into thinking this pledge is perfect. I’m not pretending it has everything I would like, or that I like everything it has. I’m not so naive as to think we won’t have to keep the pressure on whichever GOP candidates manage to make it to the House, to ensure this pledge is not broken.
But I know which side I’m on.
And I know the election looms large.
Then we realized that Game 7 of the World Series* was being played that evening, as well. As hair raising as the flyover was to us in our car, I can only imagine what it was like for everyone in that stadium (many of them New Yorkers and other Yankee fans) after hearing the National Anthem.
If you can watch our military execute a flyover, while you are in the stands about to enjoy any one of America’s favorite sports and not feel the pride swelling in your chest, you are dead inside.
(Hat Tip Moonbattery)
* Yes, I do realize the video was about NFL flyovers. I don’t have a story about an NFL flyover – I have a story about an MLB flyover.
Why is it that those clamoring loudest for increased tax rates are doing everything they can to avoid paying taxes themselves?
Take for instance the Kennedy clan, who manage to pass their wealth from generation to generation, virtually unscathed by the IRS.
This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner:
Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, the one I feed the most.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Which dog are you feeding?
There are races in several states that would do well to remember who the GOP nominee is – and get behind them. As Red State points out regarding the Delaware race:
I would remind Powerline and NRO and the Delaware GOP that this woman IS the candidate, she has been picked and if her competitor wants to bring the nasty about her from 25 years ago then his 25 years ago comes into play. The problem of course is he doesn’t have to because the “Republicans” are doing it for him. Their squealing and gnashing of teeth is getting LOUDER & LOUDER. So I implore the good people of Delaware to keep sticking that pig and elect this woman who will vote AGAINST Cap & Trade and to overturn Obamacare and who will vote with Senator Jim DeMint to bring fiscal sanity back to these United States of America!
“The problem of course is he doesn’t have to because the Republicans are doing it for him.”
The primaries are over, we have our GOP slate set – get on board*.
* Or get out of the way. If you don’t want to work for the GOP candidate, don’t – just don’t work against them
“Principles Over Party” – seems like the perfect tag line for the campaign of an Independent candidate in this climate.
Coincidentally, it happens to be the tag line of an Independent candidate here in Arizona. One who is bold enough to take on John McCain, Ian Gilyeat.
One who is actually Conservative.
And pragmatic. He just posted this on Facebook.
The activists have found me. My email box is filling up. Demands for a “pledge” that pits “main street” against “wall street”. Last time I checked some of the employees living on main street receive their paycheck from a few companies traded on wall street. How is it possible to be “against” one and “for” the other. Seems to me both parties need the company to be healthy and profitable.
The concept is one I have been meaning to blog on, but he captures it pretty succinctly there.
Main Street needs Wall Street, Wall Street needs Main Street.
Class warfare benefits only the ruling class.
Specifically, this is the Islamic Community Center that has been built near one of my rental properties. I’m not sure what makes it a community center, rather than a Mosque, as it has no swimming pool or basketball courts. Those are always cited to prove the Park 51 project “isn’t a Mosque”
I don’t have a problem with this particular building, at least not in a “there shouldn’t be a Mosque there” way. I do have a problem with the building in the “it’s a big, ugly, pink building in the middle of a small neighborhood” way. Seriously, that is an ugly building.
This poor guy bought a house in a reasonably quiet neighborhood, next to other houses. Now he has that next to his driveway. I can’t imagine that his resale value has been improved.
There was previously a community center across the street to the north of this location. A small, unassuming building that was only recognizable by a small sign and a crescent ornament on the roof. I have no idea what this new larger center means to the neighborhood. It has not yet opened, so I don’t know if the traffic patterns will be affected or if there will be noise issues.
In other words, my displeasure with this building is the same displeasure I would have with any business or organization who put something large and ugly and commercial in a neighborhood where I have an investment.
Of course, this isn’t painfully close to a site where thousands of innocent people, Americans and others, were killed in the name of Allah, though they were not just Christians and Jews, but Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists and others. Were that to be the case, my feelings about this particular building would be much, much different.
Arizona Bloggers – Conservative
Food, Fun, Fabulous conversation
We have the honor of welcoming special guest Ward Connerly, founder and chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, to this month’s meeting. It will be an honor to welcome him, and I know he will have some good input on Proposition 107
September 18th, 1:00 – 4:30 pm
Sun Up Brewing
(We’ll be in the out building – the Brewers’ Den)
322 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ
I hope many of you will be available to join us.
R.S.V.P. here if you are on Facebook
Phoenix, AZ
