LibertyAtStake’s Anatomy of the Blogosphere

Or: A Beginner’s Guide to the Blogosphere - From a Certified Beginner

The following words are contained in the song “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” an integral movement in the rock opera “Tommy,” by The Who.

My name is Tommy
And I became aware this year

These words could be the introduction to any number of timely themes for a post today, substituting “Tommy” for any number of people or groups.

• The American people becoming aware of the destructive agenda the Progressive Left has in mind for their country and way of life.

• The Progressive Left, in a panic, as it becomes aware that the American people are becoming aware of their agenda.

• The Democrat Party becoming aware, far too late in the game, it has been hijacked by the Progressive Left.

• The Republican Party becoming aware, perhaps in the nick of time, that principled conservatism is the path to enduring governing majorities.

• Barack Hussein Obama becoming aware, much later in life than most of us, and with far more profound consequences, that voting ‘present’ doesn’t work when you’re supposedly in charge.

• Pollsters becoming aware that if it walks like a Muslim and quacks like a Muslim, a large swath of the public will come to believe their own eyes.

• Team Amnesty, Team Deficit, Team Enviro, and Team Jihad all slowly becoming aware “We’re Not Gonna Take It” anymore.

• Glenn Beck becoming aware he can make money hand over fist by preaching founding principles.

• The criminally biased MSM becoming aware that those patriotic crowds gathering in the in the streets are mainstream America. Oh wait, the time hasn’t quite arrived for that particular theme.

==

This post is not about any of those things (at least not directly). Rather, it is about me becoming aware of a vibrant ecosystem called the blogosphere.

I did not come to it naturally. My own wife of 18 years has labeled me “anti-social.” My own kids have wondered aloud how I could possibly have any friends at all. I have trouble remembering the names of acquaintances and business associates I have not met personally at least three times. Then, if I don’t meet them again for an extended period of time, the cycle repeats. The concept of maintaining a large network of “BFFs” I’ve never actually met is absolutely beyond my comprehension. Trust me, you will not find me on Facebook nor Twitter. And I’m OK with all of that – I am comfortable in my own skin.

On the other hand, a lifetime of professional experience has acquainted me closely with the concept of applying Information Technology to mission directed systems. So, a particular line of thought came easily to me within the past year or so:

• BHO and the Progressives are obviously hell bent on trashing the Constitution ….
• That really pisses me off because I’m a Conservative …
• What can I possibly do about it …
• Well, there’s this TEA Party thing rising up in opposition to BHO and the progressives, maybe I’ll wade into the crowd and check it out ….
• Hmmmm…this TEA Party thing seems quite visceral, but it could possibly use some grounding in the Conservative principles it has tapped into ….
• Well, blogging technology may have matured to the point where it could be possible to reach a lot of these folks with a free blogger utility …
• {Some messing around online}
• Blogspot seems good enough, let’s get started …

==

The first month or so, I felt like Axl Rose's character getting off the bus in the "Welcome to the Jungle" video.




My original design vision for the blog – essentially writing an online book chronicling these intense times – kept me plowing forward. Among other early lessons, I learned how trivial it is to embed videos – so long as the publisher allows it. Seems like a perfectly libertarian model to me – supporting the free flow of information with respect for property rights.

By February my comment board style was taking full shape. The comment board is a place where a guy can have a good opinionated dust up (aka policy argument) without worrying about doing business or breaking bread with the idiot you just called an idiot. Excellent. It’s the Arena. Don’t step into the Arena unless you are prepared to drop the gloves and get dirt and maybe some blood under your fingernails. The really interesting thing is the key to success here is the same key that applies to so much of the rest of life – good humor. The well structured joke at your opponent’s expense is the Arena’s form of “disagreeing without being disagreeable.” Straight up vulgarity remains unpersuasive in the Arena.

I think it was March when I discovered I could use the Feedjit utility to gain some measure of understanding around who was coming to my blog, and use this information to direct my comment board activity to boards that were bringing people to my blog.  I allowed them to do so by signing my comments with my url. Shamelessly whoring my blog? I recall applying that label to the marketing department myself in the past.

For a brief period, I played a little game with Feedjit. Whenever I commented on Huffington Post, within seconds a swarm of HuffPo readers would follow the link to my right wing extremist blog. Then the effect would disappear. It was absolutely unlike any other effect I’ve observed before or since on Feedjit – exactly like a swarm of bees agitated by Dennis the Menace poking at their beehive. Soon my HuffPo account was banned without explanation. Make of this experience what you will. I am bemused by yet another indicator of Looney Left mob mentality.

If the Leftie Astro-Turf Coffee Party is any indication, the Left Wing blogosphere must be a stale and stultifying place to inhabit – with rigid rank hierarchies and top-down driven agendas. It must be a lot like trying to get anything done in any randomly chosen federal bureaucracy.

The right wing blogosphere I inhabit, by contrast, is a loosely knit and eclectic confederation of  individualists gathering together voluntarily. There are the Aggregators and Amplifiers, who keep those of us who are easily distracted on point. The News Analyzers and Policy Opinionators constantly pre-process it all to lend a bit of initial organization. The Humorists keep it entertaining. The Philosophers connect it all to back to founding principles and a roadmap for the future. Bloggers who stay on my blog roll do so because they consistently fill one or more of these roles for me as a reader.

I think I’m settling into a special sub-division of the Philosopher role – the Predictor. I think it fits. I’ve always been opinionated, and never gave too much of a damn what anybody thought of my opinions.

Prediction: 70-12. That’s the November seat turnover count for the House and Senate, respectively. It’s pre-ordained by Newtonian physics, you know.

Contemporary Politics and Newton's Three Laws of Motion (Part 8)

The Conservative Ascendancy has gained considerable momentum this past week - all the better for the prospects a republic cleansing collision come November.

This week’s catalyst was a local zoning issue in the borough of Manhattan. Except that this particular local zone contains a gigantic hole in the ground, courtesy of the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell - a.k.a. Radical Islam. And this particular zoning issue involves the building of a mosque within camel spitting distance of this gigantic hole in the ground.  And the fund raising effort for this mosque is being lead by an Imam with very obvious sympathies for the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Good grist for the Conservative Ascendancy mill indeed.

Good grist for the mill because it has sparked a nationwide conversation about the real intentions of the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Good grist for the mill because it focuses the nation’s attention on the Ideological Left’s appeasement policy toward the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Good grist for the mill because it once again places the Lefties now governing us in direct opposition to We the People.

Did you notice I did not mention Barack Hussein Obama directly in the previous paragraph? This was intentional. He is merely a bit player in the immediate drama. His only part was to stick his foot in his mouth, waffle, and exercise zero leadership. In other words, he was just being Barry. After having a week to reflect on it, and a week to listen to the chattering class chatter on and on, I feel about Barry’s part in this exactly like I felt when I wrote this comment on a Daily Caller story last Sunday.

==

As I write this, Barry is doing what Barry does best – taking yet another vacation. This time it’s ten days at Martha’s Vineyard. According to his own Communications office he’s “recharging his batteries” – presumably by engaging with friends and fellow travelers in that favorite pastime of the Leftie, the endless faculty lounge debate over things that don’t really matter. Like a First Amendment right everyone obviously agrees on.

While Barry dithers in the Vineyard, the rest of us our left to our own devices to figure out what this “Cordoba Initiative” is all about. Here’s my take – and I promise it won’t take you a week to figure out where I’m coming from, either.

Let’s start with the name. Cordoba was the seat of the Islamic caliphate in southern Spain during the high-water mark of Islam’s expansion by the sword into Europe. Cordoba is universally recognized in the Islamic world as a symbol of Islamic conquest. Hmmmmm, why would anyone name anything after Cordoba within camel spitting distance of that particular gigantic hole in the ground?
 
Now, let’s move on to who is behind this “Cordoba Initiative.” Well, actually we don’t know. But we do know who’s in front of it. His name is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. As this Weekly Standard piece illustrates, he is hardly a sympathetic character if you would prefer the values of Western Civilization over the values of the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Note also the Weekly Standard piece informs us our Leftist masters in this administration are sponsoring trips abroad for this guy. Put this data point into the Impeachment file for later.
 
It also looks like this story will get better next week, as I personally found out courtesy of the blogger “Nice Deb.”  Another excellent blogger, “merriemarie” covers the tapes as well.  My guess is the release of these tapes will eventually lead us to who’s funding this Cordoba Initiative.
 
The release of these tapes will also contribute mightily to the continuing implosion of the Democrat party, as the blogger “iOwnTheWorld” captured in this post, with a plain bravado appropriate to the blogosphere.
 
 

Then there’s this Wall Street Journal piece, which I think will be studied by future historians. I will do my best to assist in that outcome by moving it to the Must Read Lockbox before it rolls off the Assigned Reading List. I may also analyze the comments in further detail in a future post. From my Feedjit feed I noticed a large volume of links from my comment on this piece back to the blog, which lead me back to the comment thread, which I found to be an interesting impression of what’s really going on with this national conversation. I also think I detected some Leftie troll activity on this thread, starting with the comments posted in reply to my own.

In reply to my comment, “Donald Dewitt” offers the tired old Progressive meme that the Constitution is a suicide pact. Then “Ned Stevens” – probably his immediate supervisor in the troll army, and likely familiar with my superior work – calls him off. The only “pearls to swine” in this conversation would occur if these two clowns read my archive front to back. When things settle down, this could be good grist for a post on the blogosphere ecosystem.
 
Yeah, I think we are coming to grips with the plain fact this is a clash of civilizations, and the time has come to choose sides. The Cordoba Initiative has stuck a thumb in our collective eye. We can call our response the Todd Beamer Initiative. This mosque will not be built.  No less a blogging master than Atlas Shrugs tells me so.

Update 8/23/10

Is Barry back from vacation yet?  Because I want to tell him I have a hat.

So does Remy.

Contemporary Politics and Newton’s Three Laws of Motion (Part 7)

Or: the Left Is Eating It’s Own, Break out the Popcorn and Enjoy!

To appreciate the full measure of my genius, my first six postings under this title should be read in order. However, according to Google Analytics the average time per visit on this blog hovers somewhere around 5 minutes. So, I’ll give you the short version. I have been boldly predicting the complete and utter political destruction of BHO and the Progressives since January - for the plain and obvious reason they stand in absolute opposition to the vast majority of the Americans on every issue that comes down the pike.


Now, with less than three months remaining until the mid-term elections, BHO and the Progressives can see the writing on the wall – and it’s every Leftist for himself, herself, themselves, or whatever the hell the Politically Correct word is here.

The collision between the great Conservative American majority and the Progressive gang was metaphysically inevitable enough. But the manner in which, and the momentum with which, it is unfolding is due to one specific new social factor – the revolution is being blogged. And tweeted and emailed, too.

The Progressive gang is a classic collection of statists. As such, their regime depends entirely on controlling the message. Social media has created an environment that is completely hostile to the statist’s classic behavior patterns. Social media will go down as the most important enabler of liberty since the printing press.

Social media enables a diverse and vibrant ecosphere of information flow that is hopelessly beyond the statist’s ability to spin. Make no mistake, however, they will continue to try – and the attempt will continue to bring us more follies to enjoy. It’s what they do, they can’t help themselves. There are many observations to be made confirming this law of nature – including the Progressive hubris displayed by their belief man can both cause and correct global temperature trends.

My original idea for this post involved carefully documenting and attributing the copious news reports of Leftist infighting. But that seems so tedious now that the revolution is being blogged. Any person paying any attention at all should be able to take in the markers I’ve left in my little cartoon above, glibly browse through the Bob Schieffer Blog Roll at right, and achieve the same result.

I think I will, however, note the latest manifestation of the Progressive gang’s implosion. Last night, apparently, BHO came out in support of the mosque construction on Ground Zero in Manhattan. Make no mistake – his stated defense to Constitutional freedom of religion is feigned. (See what he says the next time the Ten Commandments show up on somebody’s front lawn) No, this statement is a sop to his Political Left, which is enslaved by the dogma of Political Correctness, which instructs them they must make nice with America’s enemies, because then they’ll make nice with us. How’s that foreign policy been working out, Barry?


Footnote

At the beginning of August I took a 5 day mini-vacation in Florida with my family. Wish I could have taken more time off, but I’m still catching up financially from the ten months I was out of work in the Great Recession. As it turns out, however, these five days were an opulent time investment compared to Barry’s 27 hour Gulf vacation this weekend. LMAO – what a pathetic statist’s attempt at spinning the unspinnable! Does he actually think we’ve already forgotten the Marie Antoinette tour of Spain and the weeklong Barry fantasy camp?

Anyway, as documented by the picture below, we gave one of the five days to deep sea fishing in the Gulf off of Cedar Key, FL. The boys catch included ten edible fish. I caught two catfish and one baby shark. I am pictured with my contribution to the edible catch.

On the plus side – no sign of BP’s oil – to Barry’s disappointment you can sure. This is one crisis that seems to have peaked too soon for the Progressive gang.

Update 8/16/10

Barack Hussein Obama sure stepped in it this weekend, didn't he?  Circumstances prevent me from blogging extensively this evening, but I thought I'd throw out a few news pieces I noticed that speak to the theme of a Democrat crack-up in its advanced stages.  Just for the historical record.

The usually reliable Obama cheerleaders at CNN report there may be unrest among the herd of donkeys.

Dingy Harry tries to create some daylight between himself and Barry.

Old line liberal Senator receives rude greeting from loyal members of liberal base, perhaps inspired by Groucho Marx.

When the democrats went all in with Barack Hussein Obama, they put everything they had on red, and the wheel came up black.  So sad.

Rules For Extreme Golf

(AP) – Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.


While looking for his ball in the woods on a local public golf course, one member of our cracker-jack investigative journalism team found instead a dog-eared spiral notebook with this unusual custom graphic on the cover:

Several days of expert analysis has lead us to the conclusion this notebook was the first draft of a rule book for a new game called “Extreme Golf.”

Here are some of the more telling excerpts, presented in italics.

These rules shall be considered an extension of the official rules of golf.


All golfers not playing their ball may at any time assume the role of “Defender.”


Defenders must clearly announce the intention to assume the role of Defender each time by stating loudly and plainly “DEFENDER!”


The permissible actions for defenders will depend on the lie of the ball being played.


If the ball is on the tee, or in the fairway, general ‘Extreme Golf’ rules apply:


Defenders may do anything EXCEPT (1) make physical contact with the golfer playing his ball, or (2) make physical contact with the equipment of the golfer playing his ball, not to include the ball itself after it is struck, or (3) damage the course layout in any way.


If the ball is on the green, the general rules apply, with the additional restriction declared defenders must also take off their shoes.

If the ball is in the rough, in a hazard, or in any other position; the general rules apply, with the additional restriction declared defenders must also remain silent.


Scoring shall always be in accordance with “match play” rules.


The penalties for rule infractions by defenders shall be severe. (1) Damaging the course shall result in immediate expulsion from the round and forfeiture of the match. (2) Contact with the golfer playing his ball, the equipment of the golfer playing his ball (excepting the ball itself after being struck), shall result in immediate elimination from contention for the hole being played. (3) Failure to remove the shoes while defending on the green shall result in the requirement to play the entire next hole with only putter and driver (or the largest club in the bag if no driver is available). (4) Failure to remain silent while a ball is being played from the rough, a hazard, or any other position, shall result in the requirement for the defender to play his next shot (no exceptions) with putter.

==

Our staff of Nobel Prize winning Analyzers has provided the following intriguing insights.

The skill sets that apply to blocking punts in American football will be important in Extreme Golf, though probably more widely used to defend chip shots than drives off the tee. Blocking drives off the tee may become known as the ‘Hail Mary’ in Extreme Golf parlance.

The general rules provide for some interesting risk/reward tradeoffs for golfers playing their ball. Many may opt to intentionally hit into trouble, so as to earn the right of peace and quiet for the next shot. A long tee shot into the first cut of rough may come to be accepted as the smartest shot in Extreme Golf.

Adoption of Extreme Golf rules could prove to be a jobs program boon for course management companies. Our Analyzers believe the ratio of course marshals to golfers will need to be dramatically increased. Disputes over the lie of the ball will need to be arbitrated more often. The incidence of fist fights on golf courses is also expected to rise. It may become commonplace for course marshals to carry side arms. This could have a secondary stimulative effect on the guns industry.

The Return on Investment (ROI) for golf course management companies should increase as well. At least 17% of all rounds is expected to degenerate into acrimonious chaos, and not be finished, at or before the turn.

The most effective green defense will probably involve silly antics on the line of sight (but of course, not the line of putt per regular rules of golf), similar to those given to us by this innovative pioneer.




This guy seems to have the skill set needed to succeed wildly with the new rules.




We will update our loyal readers as our investigation continues.

Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

When Your Government Goes Lawless

As the news developed throughout Wednesday, concerning Judge Susan Bolton’s illegitimate decision, I found myself getting angrier and hotter, and angrier and hotter. I haven’t yelled at my TV and my radio like this for some time. The decision made me want to crash a La Raza meeting and pick a fight. It made me want to change to banner on my blog to more resemble the banner Angry White Dude uses.

It made me recall the sentiment I shared with my neighbor at a mutual friend’s 50th birthday party, when the Progressives were shoving ObamaCare down our throats. He said, “let the IRS agent come to my door and try to collect the mandate money, he’ll be greeted by three 9 mm sized holes coming back at him through the door.” Believe me, I know this guy. He’s perfectly capable of firing those shots – accurately – from his recliner, without taking his eyes off the big screen, one hand on the trigger, the other hand still actively engaged with the potato chip bowl. I’d probably give the IRS’ hired Barney Fife a verbal warning first, but that’s just me, I’m more tolerant in that way.

In between making a living and living a life, I’ve devoted spare brain cycles to sorting out what got me so hot Tuesday. After all, this is hardly the most outrageously damaging thing BHO and the Progressives have inflicted on the republic. We’ve heard all the pseudo-intellectual analysis on how Judge Bolton cut the loaf in half – ruling it’s OK to say it’s illegal to be illegal, so long as you don’t actually ask the illegal about being illegal.  The substance of the ruling - as flawed as it is - is not the point.  The point is just that such a case could even be heard, much less given a favorable ruling.

The one word that explains what is so anger-provoking about this decision is: RUBICON. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with his army, there was no turning back in his campaign to take power from the Pompey and the Roman Senate. In a similar way, this decision will be remembered as the point where BHO and the Progressives crossed a line and became literally lawless in their campaign to destroy the republic.

==

The willingness of BHO and the Progressives to push their ideological agenda against the will of the people and in opposition to the consent of the governed is easy to catalog. So easy, the list can now be recited by any grade school kid with access to information sources other than the public school propaganda machine or the criminally biased MSM: ObamaCare, Gulf drilling moratorium, advancing Cap and Trade, billions upon billions of dollars thrown down the Keynesian rat hole, civil rights enforcement policies dictated by the skin color of the criminals, national security priorities seemingly more concerned with political opponents than the Jihadists who actually blow stuff up, …. etc.

But their decision to oppose S.B.1070 is a plain refusal to fulfill their constitutionally mandated duty to protect the nation’s interests. This is the moment where they have officially become lawless and illegitimate. BHO and the Progressives are firmly defending the interests of a foreign power (Mexico), and a population that has no legal right to be on American soil (the 12-20 Million Undocumented Democrats); against the interests of the citizens of Arizona, their duly elected representatives, and the clear will of the vast majority of American citizens.

==

Now is a good time to review the basic principles of the American Founding.

(1) All people are bestowed with inalienable natural rights by a just creator.

(2) Governments are formed by the consent of the governed and earn legitimacy by serving the interests of the governed.


(3) When a government consistently defies the will of the governed, and consistently acts against the interests of the governed, it is the natural god-given right of the governed to “throw off” (as the Declaration puts it) that government.

These are the principles over which the Founders bravely entered into a shooting war, as the hands-down underdog, against that period’s greatest global military power.

==

Now, let me be clear (I just love when BHO says that, especially when he's in full dissembling mode) - I’m not advocating any shooting here. (But do keep your powder dry, Patriots – the Founders gave us the 2nd Amendment for good reason.)

I am indeed advocating active resistance to the illegitimate governance of Barry’s regime, using the model practiced by Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights movement.

The updated model is demonstrated by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who will continue to ask the illegals about being illegal, in open defiance of Judge Bolton’s illegitimate ruling  That's the spirit, Joe, let's see how the news plays out if Barry has the guts to send somebody down there to serve an arrest warrant to Sheriff Joe.

The updated model is also demonstrated by the nationwide grass roots Nullification movement, promoting the legitimate 10th Amendment protected right for the people and the states to ignore the health insurance mandate. I noticed in the news recently that Missouri is acting to defend its 10th Amendment rights.

The updated model is demonstrated by Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William (Virginia) Board of County Supervisors, who has been quoted as saying it's "full steam ahead" for Virginia's version of S.B. 1070.  It's also demonstrated by Maryland Delegate Pat McDonough, who has made pushing an S.B. 1070 style bill in his state his cause.  That’s the spirit, let’s see if BHO and the Progressives can find 50 judges as muddle-headed as Susan Bolton.

And, most amazingly, several Senators actually managed to wake up from their midday slumber long enough to call out the Regime on its illegitimate schemes to grant amnesty procedurally.

Memo to BHO, the Progressives, and La Raza: You’re not getting amnesty, period. You’re not getting “reform” of any kind until We The People are satisfied the government is actually doing its job and enforcing existing law. You can get the “reform” part in due time, through an orderly and constitutional process, if you choose to cooperate.  Or you can keep taking it out into the streets – and quite possibly piss us off to the point where mass deportation really does become the new consensus. Your call. Why don’t you listen to the obscure Kinks’ gem “Hard Way” while you reflect on your decision.


Update 8-5-10

I mentioned the Missouri ballot initiative to reject ObamaCare above, before the vote was held.  The news of the day yesterday (while I was traveling) included reports of an overwhelming popular vote against ObamaCare.  We've come a long way since the Townhall season of 2009, just about a year ago.  Let's review what happened to one Missouri Democrat hack when things were just beginning to heat up. 



This particular Democrat hack wasn't listening to his constituents then, and has yet to do so - he still carries the stench of a 100% Pelosi Index.  I expect this hack will be shown the door by "Show Me" state voters come November.  Don't let it hit you in the a$$ on the way out, Russ.  We have a lot of cleaning up to do with the mess left to us by the likes of you.