Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

MSOC: Profiles In Blogging

by BooMan
Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 09:34:55 AM EST

Anyone that is familiar with Maryscott O'Connor's writing knows that her father died in Vietnam before she was born. That fact gives her anti-war stance added poignancy. Maryscott and I have had parallel 'careers'. Her Daily Kos user number is 8540, mine in 8962. I created Booman Tribune in March 2005, she created My Left Wing in July 2005. Today, the Washington Post has a profile of MSOC called The Left, Online and Outraged. On the whole, I think it is a pretty good profile. Nevertheless, the profile still suffers from myopia.

It's inevitable that an article about Maryscott will deal with her idiosynchracies. But the article purports to describe a wider phenomenon, of which I am a part.

...can one person sitting alone in a living room, typing her fingertips numb on a keyboard, make a difference?

The answer to that question should be obvious. Yes.

Bloggers make a big difference. We have an impact on the Washington Post and the New York Times. The cable news programs read us daily and cover the tenor of the blogosphere. We have, collectively, accomplished specific tasks...like getting Jim Guckert/Jeff Gannon removed from the White House Press Corp.

But the really important function we have is totally missed in David Finkel's piece on Maryscott. He sees us as angry. He sees us as a natural response and reaction to GOP control and GOP demonization of the left.

...after years of being the targets of inflammatory rhetoric, not only from fringe groups but also from such mainstream conservative politicians as Newt Gingrich, the left has gone on the attack. And with Republicans in control of Washington, they have much more to be angry about.

That has nothing to do with why I am blogging. I don't blog because the right-wing has attacked the left. I blog because the media, including the Washington Post, is in the pocket of a bipartisan cabal of wealthy shareholders. All our news is sifted through a lens that never questions the underlying presumptions of American superpower.

In a very real way, America does not really have a left-wing in the traditional sense. When I see Republicans say that 'you can't get any further to the left than Hillary Clinton and John Kerry', I just have to shake my head. But, that is what passes for collective wisdom in our mainstream media.

They define away the left-wing. How much does the Pentagon spend each year? How much would it cost to give every American child health care? To even ask these questions is considered unpatriotic in the big media of the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, or the Washington Post.

And then there is a little thing called 'telling truth to power'. Everyone knows that politicians lie. But the current crop of Republicans take lying to a heretofore unprecedented level. Major media outlets pussyfoot around the truth on this fact. Bloggers get right to the point. One hundred years from now, historians are going to read the blogs from the Bush era to help them sort out the dis and misinformation they find in the major media sources. There used to be hundreds of newspapers to choose from. Now there are just a dozen or so that matter at all.

It is not so much that the lefty blogosphere is angry...although we are certainly that. It is that the lefty blogosphere is the only place where you can get a real (untainted) angle on the news. Someday we may have a Democrat in office and we may become apologists for their behavior. But we were not born in that atmosphere. We have no history of sucking up to power. We tell the truth to power. And that is what gives us strength and adds meaning to our voices.

Maryscott and I don't do what we do because we are angry. We do what we do because there are too few people around willing to do what we do.

And I'm glad that Adam fixed the damned garbage disposal.

MSOC: Profiles In Blogging | 40 comments (40 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 10)

Thank you to you and Maryscott for what you do and giving others a place to add their voices also!!! I am proud to say I am a small time contributor to both sites and have the pleasure of reading and responding to both of you and the many other great writers at both sites.

Booman & Maryscott Rock!!!!! and make the world a better place through their energy and drive!!!!!

Doing My Part For The Left

by refinish69 (refinish69 at gmail dot com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 09:46:12 AM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 5)

available in orange.

by BooMan on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 09:50:48 AM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 6)

I recommended it at the other place.

Doing My Part For The Left

by refinish69 (refinish69 at gmail dot com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 09:57:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 11)

She's not just sitting there angrily pounding the keyboard. But if that's all you can do it's better than joining the tens of millions of others who hate the way this country is being run but have been lulled into near catatonia by apathy or feeling powerless to affect change.

Bloggers can change the world. There is real power in numbers and there are many many of us, and we are growing. Only time will tell how big an influence blogs will be.

by Second Nature (denn1214 at gmail) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 10:00:42 AM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 7)

Amen Darling!!!!! You tell it!!!! We will make a difference and wake them up one way or another!!!

Doing My Part For The Left

by refinish69 (refinish69 at gmail dot com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 10:06:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

And the lessons of political blogging (4.00 / 6)

Can be carried over into other important areas of our lives. The mainstream world has let us down in ways beyond the political lies.

You touched on the health care issue, and that's become my passion.

How can we be strong against all these political lies and attacks if our health is so compromised, we can't focus on anything else?

That's how Eat4Today.com was born.

Eat 4 Today: Just today I'm not going to take seconds & not eating between meals

by katiebird (katieremovebird@everestkc.net) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 10:12:44 AM EST

I've said it...... (4.00 / 2)

A few times, but felt it as the net grew, If We Had This Technology, back in the 60's and 70's, We Wouldn't Be In The Mess We Are, as a Country and as a Leader In Destructive Foreign Policy Making!!

The Writers, amoung you all, give the needed Thoughts/Commentary, no offense Boo, but Especially the way Maryscott Slams At It, to the lack of Common Sense so prevalent in much of this society.

This also opens up, to all of us Non Writers, a Communication to clear up the muddled thoughts racing around, thinking clearer. With that practise Many are not only becoming better writers but Activists for Causes they Never Imagined they could have a Powerful Voice In, let alone Really Make a Differance!!

I'm afraid we may have crossed the line of No-Return in the Direction this Planets Populations are going to take, I Hope I'm Wrong. What will make me wrong is this, and hopefully expansion of not censure, with past history's debacles that could have ended all, form of Connection bringing so many differing people together from all over the planet, sharing, organizing, helping each other, reporting on results of bad policy, and the list can go on and on. For only The People have been able to keep the Planet whole after the Devestation of the Greedy and Wanna-Be Powerful!!!!

by jimstaro (jmstaroathotmail.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 10:23:56 AM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 3)

BooMan, all that you say is true. Blogging has ushered in a new age where even Joe Average can set forth his thoughts for all to see. And the impact is clear. That is why it's a bit shocking that this particular writer seems totally unaware of even the best known blogs. Where exactly has WaPo been keeping this guy?

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 10:53:43 AM EST

We are all in this together (4.00 / 6)

The site owners like BooMan and Maryscott and Kos take the lead, but it is the community that is really driving the change.

Step by step the longest march
Can be won, can be won
Many stones can form an arch
Singly none, singly none
And by union what we will
Can be accomplished still
Drops of water turn the mill
Singly none, singly none

I for one welcome our new Twitter overlords. @Omir55

by Omir the Storyteller (omir.the.storyteller -CAT- gmail -DOG- com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 10:59:40 AM EST

Re: We are all in this together (4.00 / 6)

I agree.

I think the publishing feature of the scoop sites (and soapblox sites) is what sets us apart from the righty blogs.

by BooMan on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:01:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Gratitude....and Frustration (4.00 / 3)

Well said, Booman.

But this Green remains just a bit confused by the behavior of many (actually) progressive bloggers.

What you say about the left, the "left," and the media above is 100% accurate. So why is so much of the left of the blogosphere so entirely sold on the Democratic Party, which plays a vital role in perpetuating the narrowness of politically acceptable opinion in this country, which contributes to framing issues in ways that prevent the right answers from even being considered?

I only half include you and MSOC in this criticism. Both of you are willing to be highly critical of the Democrats. Both of you seem to want to work to fundamentally change them. I'm very dubious about that project's success, but that's a difference of strategy, not of political values.

But I won't even bother posting this comment over at the orange place, because dKos has really become what I think kos always intended it to be: a my-party-right-or-wrong Democratic site, where the chief positive adjective is "fighting," a word that neatly sidesteps all actual issues of policy (John Conyers may be a "fighting Democrat"...but so's Mark Warner).

Especially following years of Dubya, this country needs to seriously reorder its priorities. It does not need a more competent and "reality-based" version of the last five years.

I agree that the internet provides an opportunity to express such views that is lacking in other, more traditional media. But the social structure of the blogosphere (or at least the MSB) militates against such criticism. Instead it's just ABB or ABGOP. And that's just whistling past the graveyard, IMO.

Become a Card-Carrying Green!

by GreenSooner (greensooner@NOSPAMintergate.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:08:17 AM EST

Re: Gratitude....and Frustration (4.00 / 3)

I wish that our constitution allowed for proportional representation. I really do. But it doesn't. And that fact is one I am totally stuck on. And I won't change.

We need all you greens to get into the guts of the Dem Party and help us.

by BooMan on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:17:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gratitude....and Frustration (4.00 / 2)

I was really making two points in my post and I didn't distinguish enough between them.

You're responding to one of them, Boo: why not the Greens (or another third party)? So far as I know, our Constitution does allow for PR, or at least it's never been tested in the courts. States can apportion their congressional seats any way they like. There's a chance, I suppose, that the SCOTUS would rule that a PR plan would violate one-person-one-vote, but that's not clear.

One way or another, we need apportionment reform, as the currently gerrymandered districts in at least 48 states may well be the single greatest threat to our democracy today (though there's plenty of competition).

Moreover, third parties don't need PR. Single-transferable voting systems would do the trick, too. At any rate, I think the two-party system is at the root of our political problems, so reforms that replace it with a modern, multiparty system are right on the top of my longterm political to-do list.

But, in fact, the main point of my post above was quite different: why are so many progressive Democratic bloggers so unwilling to push the Democrats on ideological and policy grounds? I don't buy the "we need to concentrate on winning back power first" line. When Clinton was in office (admittedly before the blogs really arrived) there was just as much progressive Democratic self-censorship. The president was under attack, and wagons needed to be circles. The GOP will always be worse. There will never be a convenient time to challenge the leadership of the Democratic Party.

But such a challenge -- from within or without -- is absolutely necessary. We do not need to merely get rid of the current bunch of kleptocrats in the White House. We need to get our troops home, commit ourselves to a diplomacy-based foreign policy, finally cash in the post-Cold War peace dividend, and build a modern social safety net that guarantees (among other things) quality healthcare and education for all. The Democrats, as presently constituted, will do none of these things.

Become a Card-Carrying Green!

by GreenSooner (greensooner@NOSPAMintergate.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:56:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gratitude....and Frustration (4.00 / 5)

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. I'm not sold on the Democratic party so much as I am sold on the idea of removing the Bushistas from power and stopping their agenda. Time is running short and there is a lot to do -- too much to pin my hopes on a third party or independent candidacy that is trying to overcome over 150 years of inertia that's been invested into the system, or at least to do it anytime soon.

So rather than trying to build a new party structure and hope I can through some miracle get 50 million voting Americans to buy into it, I am pinning my hopes on the idea that we can take over the moribund shell of the Democratic Party, wrest it away from the DLC types and the current maintainers of the status quo, and reanimate it and use the structure that's already in place to defeat the Bushistas and get some change going in this country.

This is why I am solidly behind Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy. It's aimed squarely at revitalizing the Democratic Party in areas where it has been neglected, or even ignored, for the last 30-40 years.

Then, when the Republicans have been kicked out of office, you can start emphasizing the differences between the Democratic platform and the Green platform and why real progressives should be Greens instead of Democrats, or whatever. But we have to get the Bushistas out of office first. As long as they are driving this country straight into the ground, nothing else really matters.

I for one welcome our new Twitter overlords. @Omir55

by Omir the Storyteller (omir.the.storyteller -CAT- gmail -DOG- com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:37:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gratitude....and Frustration (none / 1)

I'm a regular Orange-placer and I'm not a D-right-or-wrong person. OK, sure, I check there first, and have a low UID, but I wouldn't tell you to piss off if you wrote something like that. Who cares if the "people in charge" over there tell you to? Just because they "don't listen" doesn't mean the other 50k of us wouldn't.

The other day I was actually trying to quantify when and where I surf. DKos first, here 2nd, and lots of individual bigger Kos-alumni & blogroll blogs plus MLW and MyDD all tied for 3rd. I did this cause it seems weird to me to classify someone as only belonging to one of these sites. There may be a certain point of view among more prominent posters at all of these places, but generally we all seem to agree. Really.

I mean, I voted all Green in 2000, all the way up the ticket. Sometimes I'm sorry about that, sometimes I'm not, but no one on any of these sites has ever given me any crap about it.

I dunno. There's more in common than not. Can't we all just get along?

mbr + dv + woyg

by keirdubois (keir@mybandrocks.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 01:07:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 6)

Actually...

"The answer to that question should be obvious. Yes."

I would say that the answer to that question is... No.

What makes this work is that it is multiple people sitting in their living rooms typing away. One person doing it alone is just playing with themselves. We have the power. But only when it is we... together.

Booman is just a guy with a dog. Andrew C. White is just a guy with a middle initial. Maryscott O'Conner is just a lady without a hyphen. Kos is just a guy with half a first name.

And so on.

Together, with everyone else, on-line and in our local communities, we can change the world.

Together. We. The people.

The 10,000 Things

by Andrew C White (acwhite.nospam.@taconic.net) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:16:07 AM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 3)

Absolutely agreed, Andrew. This is entirely about community, most especially online. This isn't about 'one voice', no matter how forceful or eloquent; nor is it about leaders, self-appointed or annointed; nor 'celebrities', despite how very much we adore them as a matter of cultural habit.

Personally, I have no use for the 'speaks for me' mindset with regard to online community members. The main point here is that we each are fully willing & able to speak for ourselves. Our voice & purpose is collective.

Likewise, as soon as a single blogger claims or presumes to speak for 'the progressive blogosphere' (or for that matter, 'the Left'), they've lost me; I won't respect that. As well, if they're generally presumed to do so by the mainstream media or by their community 'fan-base', the very meaning of what we do is obscured, the point is decisively missed.

If this makes our 'branding' difficult, all the better. Who cares?

This is about community.

by wilderness wench on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:58:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (none / 1)

Ultimately, it comes down to that old show biz saying: "There ain't any bad PR." Even with a shitty portrayal, someone new is going to wonder what's happening with that 'blog-thing.'

I don't get too crazy when the coporate media tries to make spokespeople out of someone -- whether it's for environmentalists, blacks, "aliens, whatever. It's a natural tendency & they're gonna do it. What's scary is when the object of their affection starts to take the notion seriously; from my skim of the article, MSOC seemed to avoid that.

Community? A multiplicity of voices in creative, discordant harmony.

". . . the more educated you are, the more indoctrinated you are. After all, propaganda is largely directed towards the privileged." -Noam Chomsky

by Arcturus on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:39:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 5)

Thanks, I saw your link on DKos, and decided to join!

Great diary, btw.

by Chincoteague on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:27:33 AM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 2)

Welcome. It's good to see you.

by BooMan on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:28:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 3)

Hi, Chincoteague. Welcome to the frog pond.

I for one welcome our new Twitter overlords. @Omir55

by Omir the Storyteller (omir.the.storyteller -CAT- gmail -DOG- com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:38:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 3)

Hi Chincoteague let me welcome you too.

When you have a chance drop by the Cafe.

Mundane Doesn't Describe It

by Family Man (FamilyMan1atbellsouthdotnet) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:40:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Gandhi knew: (4.00 / 4)

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

Then India became the world's largest democracy, with who knows how many languages and religions.

Remember this and don't hold your breath waiting for
R E S P E C T

by Alice on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 11:32:52 AM EST

Re: Gandhi knew: (4.00 / 2)

Looks like we're at stage two then (ridicule). I'm ready to rumble. :-)

Visit Notes From Underground: red state rebel scum since 2003.

by James Benjamin (durito_don at yahoo dot com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 01:29:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 2)

I know that probably most bloggers don't blog because they are angry. However, that is the perception I take away from just about every post I've ever read from MSOC. Maybe it's the gratuitous use of expletives, or the overuse of capitalized letters, or just the general attitude I get from her writing, but it makes it quite difficult to focus on the actual content of what is being said in such an environment.

Again, as I posted on dKos, it's a matter of taste, but I also feel that MSOC is not really representative of the liberal blogosphere at all. Yes, we are angry, but no, we're not angry in the juvenile manner that WaPo painted us as being. I think MSOC is a little over the top, and some of the things she's been saying since she first appeared on Fox News Radio with John Gibson (I'm as far left as you can get without being in China), and now saying something controversial about the Catholic Church...she's demonstrated a bit of a tendency to shoot her mouth off, to say the least. I know that she's not committed to the Democrats, but I sort of see the liberal blogosphere as a movement, and that movement isn't going to succeed if a few outrageous people outshine the rest.

by PsiFighter37 on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:02:02 PM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (none / 1)

It's notable to me, as a longtime member of the Kos community who witnessed MSOC's arrival on the scene, that any discussion in which she's involved -- either directly or indirectly, no matter the duration -- will primarily be not about the issue addressed, but about MSOC.
(Your post, while I agree with it, is exemplary.)

That's celebrity. We love it; we love the outrageous, we love the shiny things. We're like children that way.
The mainstream media certainly reflects that. News, anyone?

On the whole, however -- in terms of what we actually do collectively -- the shiny things are irrelevant. Or, it should be -- but as even we bloggers love our celebrities, we get what we get.

The day I saw MSOC referred to at dKos as 'the heart & soul' of the community I nearly plotzed. Since when does a community of tens of thousands of people find its heart & soul in a single, shiny loudmouth -- especially one who, as a matter of course, continually instigated intra-community conflict on her own behalf?

To use an expletive (which, btw, MSOC didn't invent): that's bullshit.

by wilderness wench on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:27:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 3)

We also like to tear down our celebraties. That is something that makes me wary when I comtemplate doing media, like radio or TV.

I'm not much of a self-promoter, but I know that everything I do is put under a microscope. And I'm a small player, comparatively speaking.

Yet, BT has a wider readership than MLW, at least for now...

MSOC invites criticism...but a lot of it is bunk in my opinion. I admire her willingness to put her name on the line and take the good with the bad. I know her...and I know that she is hurt by her critics. I have much tougher skin, but I wouldn't welcome the kind of scrutiny she has to put up with.

by BooMan on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:46:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 2)

I'm not into tearing down celebrities. I do, however, feel that her self-promotion through the mainstream media (and through Fox News, at that!) is not helping the progress of the liberal blogosphere. It doesn't make any sense, and I don't understand why if you know a newspaper reporter is going to spend four days covering you, there is no reason to give him any sort of way to portray you as angry, out of touch, or anything of the sort.

by PsiFighter37 on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:57:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 3)

Here's the thing:

that article in the Washington Post and those appearances on Fox News and Radio bring her new readers. It's free advertising. It magnifies her voice. And it is probably worth doing for that reason alone.

Critics focus on the immediate...how she or Daily Kos or the lefty blogosphere fares in the coverage. But for MLW this is a no-brainer.

It's easy to be a critic, it is much harder to make a living or to make a difference. All writers want an audience. In the long run, she is making the correct decisions.

by BooMan on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 01:06:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Free advertising (none / 1)

Bingo!
Put yourself forward as a representative of an entire international community, for better or worse, knowing your very character can & will be used against you for the purposes of right-wing propaganda-- but up that exposure at all costs.

I can see entering that framework if you're, say, running for national office -- can't be helped, really -- but feeding the machine for one's own ultimate benefit seems less than a noble pursuit to me.

For the sake of all that's holy, o budding media spokespeople, choose your venues wisely! Not all are of equal 'balance'.

Yes, 'all writers want an audience' -- like an obscenity trial that the whole nation attends.

Whatever, though: some voices won't be silenced, for better or worse.

by wilderness wench on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 01:33:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 5)

The day I look to the mainstream media to define the blogosphere is the day I look to Bush to define the Constitution.

by wilderness wench on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:05:27 PM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 2)

Of course, the media does want to define our culture and Bush does want to define our rights (or more precisely, our lack of rights). What the internet has provided is a way for all of us to fight back against those who want to tell us who we are allowed to be, how we are allowed to act, what we are allowed to desire.

A.J. Liebling famously said that "Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one." And that's still true but the internet has made that fact matter a lot less than it used to.

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit - Edward Abbey

by AndiF (ferguson1461 at gmail dot com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:47:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (none / 1)

Absolutely right, Andi.

Now, as well, those who want to tell us who we are, what we do & what we want can do so directly, in terms of 'representative' bloggers.
Pfui!

by wilderness wench on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 01:38:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 2)

We are all multi faceted beings. There are different voices for different tastes. To say one blog represents all of the "left" is just typical of the republican spin.

Something I learned a long time ago when I was pissing and moaning about a long winded, all about me speake at an AA meeting, a dear friend turned and looked at me and said "Take what you need and leave the rest behind". I have to reminf myself of that often in the blog world. One size does not fit all. If MSOC not to your liking, if Kos is too Dem centrist, if Booman is too quiet, look around there are plenty of options available.

Frodo failed...Bush has got the ring.

by alohaleezy on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 12:37:42 PM EST

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (4.00 / 2)

My two cents.

Good for her.

Her voice, her way may not be to everyone's liking but damnit it's her voice. Her way. And at least she's out there and speaking out.

The more I go out there - the more I realize that we are trying to protect our right TO BE.

When she spoke on the TV she was calm and reasonable... strong voice. But we must also share our anger. I know anger isn't considered "lady-like" but look at what we are up against. This isn't a popularity contest - this is about dissent.

My own mother was terrified I'd cuss on the air... as some of you heard... my anger can come through with peace and reason in my voice... But there are times when my shouts will have to be heard.

Yes we need to reach out to others - but we also need to be true to ourselves. We need to speak out.

Women's voices don't just come in one form. That is what makes us the beautiful creatures we are. Some are soft and have lullabye voices, some can sing.. .and some of us swear like drunken sailors...

FUCK BUSH!

Fucking right on Mary Scott O'Connor!

Fuckin A to all you women and the men who love and support us for standing up and speaking out against this deranged system.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix

by Damnit Janet on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 02:50:28 PM EST

Booman, my darling... (4.00 / 2)

I have a few issues with the WaPo article, as you might have guessed, but I'll just tell you one of them:

I wanted him to mention Booman Tribune. I talked about you as the inspiration for actually going out and getting my own damned blog.

You should have had a mention in it.

If I can't rant, I don't want to be part of your revolution

by Maryscott OConnor (myleftwing@gmail.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 04:23:40 PM EST

Re: Booman, my darling... (4.00 / 2)

'that's it, I can burn this whole building down'...

TY, MSOC. I appreciate the sentiment.

by BooMan on Mon Apr 17th, 2006 at 09:54:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: MSOC: Profiles In Blogging (none / 0)

Never to be one lacking an opinion, I wrote up my little review at my place.

Also, anyone interested in the reactions of some heavily-trafficked blogs on the left and right should keep an eye on memeorandum. There's already been a flurry of responses.

by catnip (llamg88 at hotmail.com) on Sat Apr 15th, 2006 at 03:20:11 PM EST

three points (none / 0)

first, tho pincus did liken the "angry" perjorative to how the right "used" to be categorized, the angle of "angriness" was uncalled for, is untrue, and imho, dimishes (probably purposefully) our stand as concerned citizens.

secondly, when he asked if people at keyboards can accomplish anything, he should have asked, or at least mentioned, jobless ben dommenech, jobless jeff gannon, and (tho i'm loathe to mention it) jobless mary mapes.

thirdly, so msoc's dkos user number is 8540, and booman's is 8962. skippy's id is still coming in at a low low 1412, and he still can't washpost press, or even a spot under "fellow kossacks" on booman's blogroll.

we'll just have to settle for two mentions on the daily show...

by skippybkroo (skippybkroo@aol.com) on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 12:23:20 AM EST

oops! (none / 0)

i meant finkel, not pincus.

i knew it was one of those two-syllable guys with an "i-n" in the middle.

by skippybkroo (skippybkroo@aol.com) on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 12:55:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

MSOC: Profiles In Blogging | 40 comments (40 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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Gift Cards * New Arrivals

NOTE: Overstock bests Amazon's prices and is "blue."

THE BOOKS WITH "BUZZ":
______________

Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story:

True Compass: A Memoir
by Edward M. Kennedy.

Read Barack Obama's vision for America:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

Boran2 and maryb2004 recommend:

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
by Jasper Fforde

Must-have information for all presidents-and citizens-of the twenty-first century?

Physics for Future Presidents: The Science behind the Headlines
Richard A. Muller

rae recommends:

Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire
by Morris Berman.

On BooMan’s shelf:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This looks interesting:

Adventure Divas
by Holly Morris

Here’s a good one from
Elizabeth Gilbert:

Eat Pray Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Crash" * Best Motion Picture, Academy Awards * Only $11.79 at Overstock * 2006 SAG Winner, Best Ensemble

Check out
Powell's new section:
NEW FAVORITES
Selected new arrivals at 30% off

Recommended by Indianadem and ejmw:
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Wellstone

From northcountry’s bookshelf:

The New Golden Age:
The Coming Revolution Against
Political Corruption and Economic Chaos by Ravi Batra

A novel about contractors in Iraq from the woman that runs The Spy That Billed Me:

Outsourced: A Novel
from RJ Hillhouse.

Great Deals
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Find mystery novels by Nancy Pickard ("Kansas")

Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power by Phyllis Bennis (interviewed on DN!)

Featured by Keith Olbermann, New (Powell's Sale): Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum (whose other books merit serious consideration)

"Explosive" State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
by James Risen

The book the CIA doesn't want you to read: Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Larry Johnson's review

BT's all-time best seller:

PERMACULTURE:
A Designers' Manual
$79.95 * Sale: $59.95

Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Third Edition)

The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan

Green Press Initiative
----- * ^ * -----

Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills * NYT review

Bury Me Standing: the Gypsies & Their Journey

1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx
----- * ^ * -----
Check out Powell's
"At The Movies"

Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky (Power & Terror: Post 9-11 Talks)

The Price of Privilege:

How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of
Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
by Madeline Levine

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We listened to PEN American Center's "State of Emergency" and found 1940s books by Curzio Malaparte only at Alibris. (Selection (MP3) excerpted from "The Skin.")

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