If you've missed the previous four months of this blog, well, then I guess you've missed a lot. The Iraq War, Politics, Religion...see what you've been missing with a helpful guide.
I started this weblog because I felt a desire to write about certain things that came to mind. The idea of someone else being able to read them has always been secondary to meeting that need. I've found that doing the blog has helped me to order my own thoughts and opinions a little better and served as the catharsis I hoped it would for expressing certain things.
Since I've been doing this blog for a little over four months now there are some interesting articles, I think, that are getting buried and might otherwise be of interest. I've grouped them together in categories with some commentary for anyone who might be interested in looking at them.
Politics
My own foray into politics has resulted in some observations described in Democracy is Messy. Several times I've made mention of neoconservatives mostly because I identify myself as such, but that doesn't mean that I give a pass to obnoxious Republicans. In Survey Says I discuss the questionable fundraising and downright sleazy tactics of Congressman Tom Delay. Legislators ought to forget about laws against spam and concentrate instead on eliminating the massive barrage of mail (both electronic and snail) sent to hapless voters leading up to an election year.
Of course, I couldn't get into politics without reflecting my utter disdain for Howard Dean and others of his ilk. Their willingness to tolerate mass murder for political gain is addressed in the unfortunately titled, Modern Neville. Of course, guys who financially back Howard Dean and others like him aren't any better. One person gets mentioned twice in Out of The Woodwork and Billionaire's Bad Day.
Finally, I couldn't ignore one especially eloquent speech given by GWB at Whitehall in Speech at Whitehall with the text of the speech here. Then there was the exploration of the ongoing battle being fought in The Culture Wars which also references Reagan's Evil Empire Speech.
Iraq War
It's no secret that I'm a pro-Bush guy. Heck, I even have a Blogs for Bush link. Even though I'm a supporter there've been a few posts critical of the administration. Between Friends looks at some deficiencies in the course of the Iraq War, especially the lack of a sufficient number of troops which has led to porous borders. Iraq Woes looks at the large number of injuries and fatalities in Iraq and wonders if there isn't something else that should be done.
No blogger these days can ignore the Iraq War. Without it we'd be forced into doing nothing but examining Michael Jackson's allegedly sordid personal life and wondering how long Trista will stay married. Relative to What? examines the cost of this war in a historical context. In Must See TV I even make a little prediction that should net me some royalties. Destiny Manifest isn't really a look at the Iraq War, but it highlights the noble values of many of our soldiers. (Hey this isn't the NY Times - when I say our soldiers I don't mean Al-Qaeda or the Palestinians.)
Religion
The Episcopal church has provided me with plenty of fodder for posts. Brand X and Divide and Prosper address that controversy. I've also focused on the Presbyterian Church and it's doctrinal struggles in Follow The Leader. Exploring the doctrinal issues also lead me to write Why I Believe, a sort of mini-apologetic for my beliefs.
Humor
I've made some attempts at humor too. Every Man has His Price reveals my inner desire for an el-cheapo tote bag and Special Delivery chronicles my recent struggle against pesky sales reps.
Blog-O-Rama
Through the past 4 months or so I've come to depend on a few other bloggers for insight and advice into some crucial issues. Evangelical Outpost has been a great help, even linking to me a few times. Blackfive, Collection of Thoughts, Argghh! and Sgt Hook have provided tons of good information on The Iraq War. For news, World Magazine has been excellent in their recently-started weblog. Mark Byron has been a good source of religious information and comment. By far, the most humorous blog has been The Politburo Diktat.
If you've missed this blog for the previous four months, you can now consider yourself up to speed. I hope you've enjoyed it. I've even considered adding a line to the masthead that says, "Over 4 Readers Served" since that's about how many I have on any given day, but then I remembered that I don't write this blog for anyone but myself. Feel free to send me email if anything you read here resonates with you in a particular way.