Technically, I think I'd need to set up a sock puppet and 'converse' with myself to qualify for that distinction... however, this may sound close to some ears.

I've been trying to recall exactly when I stopped reading most of the pundits in the M$M, when I began to get suspicious of the 'news' reporting I was subjecting myself to, how I began to discover blogs, never mind how I came to find Glenn's UT. And, in truth, I can't remember. Except I do recall *when* it happened. My circumstances had shifted sufficiently so I was spending more and more time at a computer, and needed to search some things online. Boredom/frustration with the immediate tasks at hand, and a loosening of some time constraints afforded an opportunity.

I wonder how unique those circumstances might be in relation to the general population. Searching out a 'reliable' blog takes time. Once I found one reliable online community, that community led me to others. My list of bookmarks has undergone several iterations. I suspect for those frequenting here, the trajectory may not be very different. I'm less convinced that the average folks I cross paths with in the grocery store, health club, library, gas station have equivalent opportunities. And, consequently, I do wonder about how deeply blog generated information can penetrate into the general population. That's why I was curious about what our mysterious anonymous poster who wouldn't offer a precis had to say. I thought s/he might have a similar concern.

Online communities may be the answer to lots of different social issues, and the spread of some social/political agendas. But, I wonder, given the constraints that encumber most folks' lives, and mine again, eventually, how viable this medium is for countering the reach of newsprint, television, and radio. Which is why I wish I could recall what it was that set off my crap detectors in the first place. Occasionally, I'll link to someone's blog in an email I send, but knowing what I know about them, I'm fairly certain they don't look. What I try to do instead is sow seeds of doubt. I guess I'm hoping that folks I care about will begin a search on their own. Otherwise, it's just too darned convenient to read that newspaper that's delivered to your door, turn on the tube at night, or flip on the radio where you whip through channels until you get the music you want to hear.

David Levy's Time to weigh in on the Israel lobby debate was also posted over at TPMCafe. I scrolled through the comments. Only, the very brave go there. Our Win appears not to have participated in that one.

http://tinyurl.com/22q35r

Thanks. Thanks, very much.

Well said, Tim.

Sitting on the sidelines of today's conversations is kind of like watching Psycho when I was about 9, or Wait Until Dark at 16. I want to keep my hands over my eyes and hum to myself, and yet feel compelled to watch. Thanks, all. You're scaring the s#!^ out of me, but I suspect it's for my own good.

I imagine there are a number of folks who would prefer to vote for an "honest on the principles" Republican over a "dishonest on the principles" Democrat. I can live with the form of fiscal conservatism, social liberalism of some of my Republican and Libertarian friends. I can't live with the Authoritarians, who if they can't bully you, then try to savage you, like Michelle Malkin has done. As an independent/unaffiliated voter I've reserved judgment on who the parties pick to run, but this year I've pumped as much money as I can afford into preferred Democratic candidates. In a few years I'll be actively supporting a serious challenger to my current Bush-Dog senator.

Perhaps we could agree on limp dick as an appropriate replacement for pussy. The former is accurately gender specific, and identifies the masculine fear which resides beneath the latter.

For the link to The Startle Reflex. Yep. That's how it goes. Panic attacks. I've only experienced one in my life. The clients I worked with at one point experienced them all the time. Having survived exactly one, I can see why cascading attacks would make one suicidal. I wish her well.