Keeping a website stocked with content is work.\u00a0 Finding and posting a quote and a photo each day takes time and effort.\u00a0 Researching and writing political posts takes time and thought.\u00a0 Watching and reviewing movies and tv shows and listening to and reviewing music and reading and reviewing books takes even more time.\u00a0 Keeping up with the software versions of the website plug-ins and other features is annoying and confusing.\u00a0 Doing all these things while also working full time in a highly demanding profession in a very exacting company is extremely difficult.\u00a0 But I consider running this website one of the more enjoyable aspects of my life.<\/p>\n
As I mentioned in a recent post, I consider it important to socialize with like minded people.\u00a0 And just as important as it is to talk about politics, I find discussing recreational and cultural topics just as important.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the feeling you get from going down to the local tavern and shooting the breeze with friends from town.\u00a0 You can compare notes on what\u2019s going on in the neighborhood and talk a little sports or discuss the local school issues or the state elections.\u00a0 There will be differences of opinion but being likeminded people in similar circumstances with a similar history and world view you mostly have similar opinions.\u00a0 And that\u2019s a comfortable situation.<\/p>\n
But nowadays people are always on the move.\u00a0 We move because we lose a job and need to find a new one.\u00a0 Or we move so our kids can go to a better school.\u00a0 Or we move because our town has grown too crowded or because the crime rate has gotten too high.\u00a0 So, we lose that circle of friends we used to enjoy so much.<\/p>\n
Another thing that happens is your kids grow up and once they do, you lose track of the other parents whose kids used to hang around with your kids.\u00a0 We all go our separate ways and before you know it, you\u2019re pretty isolated from everyone but a small circle of family and a few very good friends.<\/p>\n
So, you start to spend time on-line.\u00a0 You get involved in websites that cater to your interests and hobbies.\u00a0 And that was something that I did.\u00a0 I frequented sites that had to do with my various hobbies.\u00a0 Photography was one of them.\u00a0 Field biology was another.\u00a0 And fantasy and science fiction were a third.\u00a0 And it was fun talking to people with similar interests and sharing information and experiences.\u00a0 I met a number of interesting people.\u00a0 But I also found out that politics was a stumbling block in all these areas.\u00a0 What was true in each of these creative areas was that there existed an orthodoxy that underlaid all the other levels of thought that each of the sites was involved with.\u00a0 And that orthodoxy was a progressive point of view on politics, social issues and even science.\u00a0 It was anti-American (especially on sites that had a heavy European presence), anti-religious, anti-traditionalist, pro-homosexual, stridently feminist, globalist, against gun rights, anti-free speech and it rabidly believed in global warming.\u00a0 I can remember on one particular photography website being banned for saying that Hillary Clinton was a criminal that deserved to be thrown in prison for life.\u00a0 This was during a thread where the same sentiment had been expressed about George W Bush.\u00a0 The second statement didn\u2019t even warrant a comment from the moderator or a warning of any kind.\u00a0 It was after this kind of unequal enforcement of the rules of internet etiquette that I figured out that all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.\u00a0 And I figured out that if I wanted to enjoy discussing political and social subjects in a more or less free environment, I would have to own the space myself.<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s why this site is worth the time and expense of hosting it myself.\u00a0 No one can tell me that I can\u2019t say that Hillary Clinton is a criminal.\u00a0 No one can tell me that I can\u2019t say that global warming is a scam.\u00a0 And no one can tell me that I can\u2019t say that gun ownership is what makes this the freest country on Earth.\u00a0 By the same token if someone wants to disagree and say that global warming is a very serious problem, I don\u2019t have problem with that.\u00a0 Let him state his case.\u00a0 If he can prove it to me, then I\u2019ll admit it.\u00a0 If he can\u2019t convince me then we\u2019ll agree to disagree.<\/p>\n
If someone believes that affirmative action is fair, let him state his case.\u00a0 I\u2019ll disagree to the last but I\u2019m not in the brainwashing business.\u00a0 If he can have the discussion without foaming at the mouth and calling me names then have at it.\u00a0 I\u2019m not afraid of people giving their opinions.\u00a0 As long as they don\u2019t go off the deep end and start ranting and raving.\u00a0 This site has a definite right-wing slant.\u00a0 I state that right up front.\u00a0 But if someone wants to talk about photography or old movies or old books I don\u2019t particularly care if you\u2019re a communist as long as you can behave like a grown up and contribute to the discussion.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been in discussions about religion between atheists and priests.\u00a0 And they were able to keep it polite and even friendly.\u00a0 They each knew the other wasn\u2019t going to budge but they enjoyed the chance to tell their side and have their say.\u00a0 And it made for an interesting discussion.<\/p>\n
So, this is my way of saying thanks to the regulars and to the new readers and to encourage you all to read and comment and have your say.\u00a0 Give and take is fine and is the reason for the whole thing anyway.<\/p>\n
Okay that\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Keeping a website stocked with content is work.\u00a0 Finding and posting a quote and a photo each day takes time and effort.\u00a0 Researching and writing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,818,1263],"tags":[1973,2456,2457,157,580],"class_list":["post-10702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-events","category-ocf","category-stuff-that-personally-interests-me-miscellaneous","tag-anti-right-bias","tag-blogging","tag-internet","tag-ocf","tag-ocf-update"],"yoast_head":"\n