Blog-GORE

I took the plunge. I am a blogger. I blog. Ich bloge gern.

In truth I had been considering this for awhile, but Al Gore pushed me over the edge. I finished his book, The Assault on Reason, just last night and decided right then and there to take the plunge. He presented many well-reasoned points in the book, but his discussion about what our culture considers news and how political dialogue through television resembles a one-way street really hit me. The answer: The two-way political forum offered by the internet.

I grew very tired of the kinds of stories that dominate even the most reputable news sources. How could anyone care so much about where that certain celebrity (rhymes with Ranah my Cole) will finally be buried when we are now losing tens of soldiers every day in a controversial and arguably immoral war? I found that it actually took effort to find real news about the war and the immensely important fight brewing about the meaning of separation of powers. That's sad, but not as sad as the realization that our indifference has led us to repeat history.

As Archibald Cox said after being fired as special prosecutor by Richard M. Nixon, this nation stands on the verge of making a decision about whether it is a nation of men or a nation of laws. I believe we are again at that point for this nation. I consider that issue to be of paramount importance. A gauntlet has been thrown to the ground by the executive branch in a stated-effort to strengthen that branch of government to a point at which it would be almost un-checkable. I consider this very time to be a defining moment. How the other branches respond to this challenge will be reviewed in history books for future generations. And I can't find coverage of it through the smoke-screen of a multi-millionaire and her 23 day prison term.

Simply stated, it's time to talk about these things. It's time for everyone to realize that these issues will influence each and every citizen. It's time to wake up. I want dialogue. Open, cordial, well-thought, well-reasoned dialogue. I want Adams-Jefferson-type back and forth. I've been looking for that for years, so my expectations are realistic.

But that isn't the only purpose for my blog. I welcome political discourse and look forward to actual debate, but I hope to explore other topics as well. I titled the blog "prelude to a book" because I have a vision for a project and want to use this forum to develop it. I hope to post a series of essays about topics that interest me. Most will deal with political questions, but not all of the essays will be political. Some will be about those I look up to and lessons learned from those individuals. I hope to challenge my own beliefs by articulating why I believe what I believe on a number of issues. I hope to even alter some beliefs based on further examination. I will also discuss political evolution of a person over factors of time and education using the only experience at my disposal (my own). Finally, I hope to muse about interests I have ranging from chess to sports.

I encourage posts in German if anyone out there can speak it. I look forward to any point of view so long as it is well reasoned.

I must not conclude without mention of my lovely wife Jen and my son Jacob. They are the most important people in the world to me. It is out of concern for the world Jacob will inherit that I contemplate so often politically.

I have no idea how often I will have occasion to post. But vibrant discussion will drastically increase posts.