Not My Bag

Some people have asked me why I haven't jumped into every story and reported on it, "like other blogs do". The simple truth is, many of those other blogs, usually found on my blogroll anyway, have done, and continue to do, a better job of reporting on those stories than I do. I prefer to wait for a couple of days, dig through the meat of a story, and then post something that will explain my 'take' on the story, or why I feel one way or another.

Captain's Quarters is doing an excellent job following the Canadian Ad scandal. I have nothing to add to what he's said. If you want to read about it, go there, where the best information can be found.

Michelle Malkin keeps a sharp eye out for immigration news, and her new joint-effort blog, Immigration Blog provides up-to-date information on border conditions, the Minutemen, and several other subjects. I don't have a source in these areas, and can't compete with what she's doing. You'd be better off going there to find out what's going on along our southern border.

The Corner on NRO is a good place to get information, and has been invaluable in following events before and after the death of Pope John Paul II. Several Cornerites are Catholic, and have a much better grasp on what's going on both within the Church and the College of Cardinals than this lapsed Southern Baptist.

Roger L. Simon has the inside dirt on the Volcker committee's reports, and the successes and failures of that committee to actually explain Oil-for-Food, and point fingers to the guilty parties.

Nobody keeps track of Washington State election politics quite like Stefen Sharansky at Sound Politics. That's where I go for news on this subject, and where I hope my readers go, too. On the same level, Power Line does the same thing for the Wisconsin and Minnesota election fraud investigations. Both these blogs are closer to the source, and do a much better job covering, their respective areas.

There are a dozen people in Iraq that can speak far better than I about conditions there: Greyhawk and Mudville Gazette just returned from Iraq, and still corresponds with people there. In addition, he runs the MilBlogs ring, where you can find links to many other blogs, quite a few of them run by soldiers, marines, and airmen in both Iraq and Afghanistan. After 15 years of retirement, my connection to the military is much more tenuous.

Two of my favorite sources of information are Rantburg, a news & commentary site run by Fred Pruitt, and Newsmax , a highly-right-wing news and link source. I comment frequently at Rantburg, and occasionally less at other sites. Still, I don't need to try to duplicate their work - they have a nich, and fill it much better than I ever could.

I don't see myself as a mirror of someone else. I read constantly, both online and off, and try to make sense of the world. Sometimes, that's just not possible. I write to express my ideas. By actually creating them, they become more real, and easier to manipulate into a pattern I can understand. I cannot put myself inside the heads of others. What they write is their thoughts - what I write are mine. I prefer to break new ground, rather than plow an already-tilled field, even if it's harder, and the rows don't always end up as straight as one might wish.