redblueamerica.com

Ok, I'll admit it -- blogging is an exercise in vanity. Especially if you continue to blog months after it is clear no one cares enough to read, much less respond to one's scribbles. But as the pamphleteers during the time of the American Revolution realized, speaking and publishing one's opinions in order to incite others to action could be a noble pursuit.

The folks at RedBlueAmerica.com have come up with the right idea at the right time. The idea of a moderated site for reasoned debate is refreshing and inspiring.

The following is a letter of mine published in the "other" Denver newspaper a few months ago on this topic:

"Opinions are like -- well, you know –- everybody has one. Journalism, on the other hand, is hard work. So reading your coverage of the YearlyKos blogger convention was both exciting and dismaying.

Exciting, because engaging the community in covering significant local events with support from professional news organizations opens many doors. It is the first step towards direct democracy.

Dismaying, because of the ease with which some would dismiss objectively reporting facts for the chance to express their opinion in the guise of truth.

That the blogosphere is left-leaning probably is a natural response to the years of ridiculously slanted right-wing talk radio. As sympathetic as I might be to the bloggers’ progressive views, I don't want to get my news on yellow-tinted pages.

At least with household names on TV or in the papers, their biases are mostly understood. If thousands of “neojournalists” with unknown axes to grind enter the fray, we should borrow a page from eBay and insist on cumulative ratings by readers for political tilt and objectivity.

Paraphrasing an old Latin proverb: If one person calls you a donkey, consider the source. If five people call you a donkey, get a saddle."

So while it is quite possible I'll write something that is later deemed embarrassing, I am very confident I will never write something for which I will be ashamed.