Blogrolls and Honor

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Readers will note that I have made some changes in the Blogroll. I have added some blogs to my roll, some which were way overdue for mention, and frankly there are still a few more I need to add. There is one blog I keep trying to add, but every time I do, it totally screws up the layout, and I have no idea why that happens.

One thing about my blogroll, is that I am picky. Maybe too picky. The thing about my blogroll, as opposed to everyone else’s, is that I regularly read every blog which is on my roll. Maybe not every day, but I try to get to them all. So while some blogs have a roll listing everything short of Democraptic Underground, I am more selective.

Also, I generally find something I agree with in every blog on my roll. I may not jibe 100% with everything they say, but in large measure if a blog is on my roll, I am recommending it. I mention this, because of the Blogosphere habit many people have of playing ‘you put me on your roll, and I’ll put you on mine’. Sure, it drives up traffic, but I have to say I shake my head when I see a blog with literally a hundred links or more; they cannot possibly say they are aligned with all of them. I am considering a tiered system, where I would note the blogs I always read, and the ones which are usually worth a visit if I have time and the inclination. This would help separate, for example, Democracy Project, with which I agree a lot, from Polipundit, which I keep on the roll out of respect for past and some degree of curiosity, but with whom I have little in common these days. There are also some blogs on my roll which do not post everyday; I may have to call them the Inactive Reserve or something.

I have also removed some blogs from the roll, because they have stepped over a line I consider unacceptable. Early in my blogging career, I wrote an article on the difference between how the Mainstream Media was treating the War in Iraq, and how things were really going. To my surprise, I received emails from a couple active-duty Marines serving in Iraq, who appreciated the support – this was in early 2004, when the media was going all out to slander the military as incompetent and vicious. I realized that my words were reaching a much broader audience than I had expected, and this reminded me that I have a solemn responsibility to keep in mind the effects of my articles. I don’t pretend that I reach the same sorts of numbers as the A-listers, or even the B-listers or C-listers. Yet it remains a fact that words have meaning, and if someone takes the time to read your stuff, then what you say matters. I mention this, because of the unfortunate poison in the tone used by some Conservatives. In some cases the blogger has chosen to regularly address the President and his supporters in a way which is deliberately deceitful and disrespectful, of the man and of his office. And in one case, the blogger posted an article so defamatory and false, that despite a great respect for work on many other areas, and for the blogger’s talent as a writer and unique perspective, that I cannot in good conscience recommend that site.

So, the work on the site layout continues. And if you know of a good blog which I have not seen (or which I continue to forget to add), please let me know. I love finding good minds.

Thanks.