Why I Blog

Rambling thoughts of an overwrought mind in the wee hours of the morning:

I cannot and do not pretend to speak for other bloggers. Including my esteemed brother at Way Off Bass. I simply felt a need tonight to express why I blog.

I am a voter. That makes me an active participant in the very serious business of citizenship. I know only too well that I am not the best-educated of voters in this country. Certainly there are countless other bloggers out there that take copious amounts of time that they probably really don't have to study the issues we face today, form opinions about them, and communicate those opinions to whoever cares to read them.

Still, neither am I ignorant.

I can agree or disagree with these other bloggers. They, in turn, are free to agree or disagree with me. Some may do so vociferously. Others may be gentle about it. Their opinions may or may not have an impact on me. No matter how well researched someone else's opinion may be, I occasionally allow myself to base my own opinion on an emotional response to the issue. There are several issues that (today) I feel will never change my thinking, no matter what arguments I hear or what empirical evidence I may see.

I can join myself to a political party, even if I disagree with that party over their fundraising tactics or their chosen methods of communicating their aims and objectives. I can (and have in the past) write letters to that leadership and compare their collective intelligence to that of a common sponge. The kitchen variety, not the sea creature. They can (and have so far) ignore me.

Those who consider themselves to live at the other end of the political spectrum must be respected as human beings. This is hard for me to do, but I have so chosen. I only denigrate politicians - especially career politicians - because the very act of being elected to office seems to automatically put them out of touch with the common roots of their constituents. In the end, it doesn't really matter if I voted for the idiot or not. A politician is a politician.

(In the days of my wife's pregnancies, people used to ask me if I wanted a boy or a girl. My standard response was, "I don't care as long as it's not a politician." May I never have to eat those words.)

I am sure that there are those who will find fault with my simplistic philosophy. Good. You go vote your conscience, and I assure you I will vote mine.

My conscience will urge me to vote for leaders who (I hope) will do their utmost to protect our freedoms here and, if necessary, abroad. That same conscience will urge me to vote for leaders who understand and will fight for the right of an unborn child to live unless life is simply not an option. I also intend to vote for leaders who will respect and refuse to interfere with my right to teach my own children, for I know far better than any pedigreed "expert" what they need to learn in order to be successful in life. Not success as politicians define it, mind you. Success as defined by those who understand what liberty means, and live it.

I have no profound thoughts to convey in this blog. I used to believe I was capable of profound thinking. Now I believe I'm more capable of profound appreciation for the thoughts of others. In spite of the occasional sarcasm you may witness here, I really do wish to be a moderating voice in the blogosphere. Not a profound one, you understand; just a consistent one.

Do I have an agenda? Certainly. Do I think it will garner much attention? No. Just as the "Christmas in Cambodia" story is dutifully ignored by so-called exponents of truth, my desire is not a popular one, and considered dangerous by most sitting politicians today. All I want is to see a return to the limits placed on government by the heaven-inspired Constitution of the United States. It's a battle that I instinctively feel will not be fought in my lifetime, unless things degenerate at a rate that forces the issue. I pray my children won't have to witness such a thing, but fear that they ultimately will.

As a voter, by definition I am a force to be reckoned with. I blog so that those who agree with me (or, more accurately, I agree with) can consolidate our voting power to make a difference in this or any other election. I refuse to apologize for that, because the other side does it, too. This was brought forcefully to my attention when I took the time to visit the official web sites of the two largest political parties in this country. My findings? Except for the obvious differences in political philosophy, there were no discernible differences in the feel of the sites. Indeed, both parties seem to have learned Hollywood's trick of targeting the youth and ignoring the more mature (read: stodgy) audience. Twenty years ago, I was the target. Now I'm the afterthought. This is the natural order of things.

Yet still I vote. I vote because it is my duty as a citizen. I choose to participate so that I may make my voice - however small - heard.

No one can buy my vote. You may fool me once in awhile and trick me into voting, but even at this age I learn fast. You won't fool me the same way twice.

Want my vote? Earn it. Show me the evidences that would convince the rational being to change its thoughts. Persuade me. Using the language of a rabid fool without employing reason does nothing to remove you from guilt by association. You would still be just a fool. Reasoning discourse stands a far better chance of meriting my vote.

So, to the left and to the right I say: Blog on. Enjoy your constitutionally protected right to express your opinions. Just remember: Not all voters are gullible or malleable. Some of us still need convincing.

You're on the right track. Just don't derail yourselves.

We don't have that kind of time.

-Woody