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Radwanski's Ramblings... Probably about time for me to resurface So when I started up this site a couple of years ago, I opted to go with
a personalized set-up instead of one of those generic blog-makers. The
upside is that it (hopefully) looks nice. The downside, aside from the lack
of permalinks I'm always getting complaints about, is that I'm limited as to
where I can post from. So when my home computer melts down, as it did last
week, I wind up on involuntary hiatus. Admittedly, the timing could've been better. If there's one thing that's
going to get bloggers really excited, it's writing about them. So my column runs yesterday in the Post, they
all go nuts, and I'm not available to respond. Now, I could be a jerk and cite a few particularly looney responses - and
the fawning comments they generated - as evidence that the blogosphere is
populated primarily by wing-nuts and their sycophants. (You know which ones
I'm talking about, at least if you frequent certain "news"watch sites.) But
there have been more lucid posts elsewhere - from Zerbisias
, from Ezra , and from less
high-profile
bloggers, so rather than scoring cheap rhetorical points I'm going to
clarify a few things from the column: So just for the record - yes, I'm aware that there are good blogs out there. A disproportionate number, in my opinion, are run by professional journalists like Paul Wells . But if you've been here much, you'll know that I'm a big fan of Tart Cider - a guy who has a day job, but writes extremely well and, more importantly, thoughtfully and objectively. And there are certainly others like him - of varying writing skill, but provocative and unpredictable. On balance, though, those blogs are vastly outweighed by the ones that
are predictable and partisan. And those are the ones that are adversely
affecting political debate in the U.S., and to a limited (but growing)
extent here. And that, for now, is all I've got to say about that. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to more regular posting, and try to practice what I preach. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiThursday July 27, 2006 The best show in politics I remember thinking (and writing) a few months ago that the Joe Volpe/Jimmy K combo was going to be good for some laughs. But I had no idea just how much it would be the gift that keeps on giving. If I were a Liberal, I'd want both of these guys to go crawl into a hole somewhere and not emerge until after the final leadership ballots have been counted. But since I'm not, I'm really, really hoping for a reconciliation. They have so much more to give. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiLunatic fringe I normally find it easy to ignore the yahoos at the Western Standard's site, who pretty much represent the worst tendencies of the blogosphere (ideologues with nothing fresh to say sitting around stroking each others' egos and paranoia until they're convinced they're in the mainstream). And I'm not generally in the habit of following Antonia Zerbisias' lead. But two of their recent discussions, here and here, are truly jaw-dropping – at least to those of us who don't spend a lot of time reading hate literature. In sum, we've got a frequent poster (and blogger in her own right) ranting about “the devil that they call Allah,” labeling Islam “a death cult” and calling for the entire religion to be banned in Canada…and when she slightly clarifies her position (without backing down) after Chris Selley calls her on her bigotry, the rest of the Western Standard community turns on her for being too moderate. If I were Ezra Levant or Kevin Libin, both of whom frequently post on there, I'd either get this hatred the hell down or clearly and unequivocally distance myself and my magazine from it. The fact that they've done neither is a much better reason to avoid the Western Standard than any reprinted cartoons. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiRandom music notes I mean, it was fun. But it took me about 90 seconds to completely lose control of it – and to realize that all the serious, probing questions I had in mind didn't stand a chance against their endless riffing. Anyway, if you're worried these guys might take themselves seriously in their relatively advanced age, don't be. I don't think they take much of anything seriously, let alone themselves. >> Send your comments to Adam Radwanski Tuesday July 25, 2006 Reading material I've read so many earnest assessments of what the federal Liberals need to do to regain their mojo, I can barely remember one from another. So I'm not going to offer mine right now, although I can't promise such restraint forever. What I will recommend is that those who haven't done so already pick up a copy of Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas?. I come to it a bit late (it was first published in 2004), and I'm not going to claim that all of it is applicable north of the border – God knows that the Tories aren't getting counting on pro-life or anti-gay agendas to get them elected here. But insofar as it describes how Republicans hijacked populism, casting what was once the party of the common folk as one beholden to the elites, it's more than a little instructive. Remember, we're a half-year removed from an election in which Stephen Harper successfully associated himself with a donut chain, implicitly running against the latte set. It may not have pleased this guy, but that pretty much speaks to the strategy having worked. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiIs it gratuitous self-promotion if other people are involved? Not to blow our own horn, but we're having a lot of fun over at Boatmenblog.com. And apparently, everyone from Ticats owner Bob Young to sports radio hosts (who graciously had me on last week to discuss it) agrees. If you're any sort of football fan and you haven't looked yet, pop on over and let us know what you think. Provided your name isn't Frank D'Angelo, it should be good for at least a laugh or two. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiSaturday July 22, 2006 The dynamic duo meets its demise And so ends the single greatest partnership in the history of Canadian politics, at least when it came to comic value. Wherever one stands on the Middle East, I suppose Volpe deserves some credit for clarifying his position even if it meant shedding his main organizer. On the other hand, it's equally possible these two were never on the same page, and they were just too busy signing up instant Liberals to realize it till now. Anyway, Karygiannis' dubious claims that every other campaign is already wooing him notwithstanding, what happens now is a litmus test for just how serious the candidates really are about helping the party turn a page. There's no question Jimmy K can provide some delegates; there's also no question that he represents everything wrong with the Liberals during the Chretien-Martin years. If the rest of the campaigns give him the cold shoulder, the party will finally be getting somewhere. >> Send your comments to Adam Radwanski"News" Tart Cider contends that the Toronto Sun should be ashamed for printing Peter Worthington's inane and borderline bigoted column yesterday. I concur. But that being the case, shouldn't Nealenews be equally ashamed for approvingly flagging Worthington's column as yesterday's top news item? I ask because, for some reason, many people still rely on that site as a one-stop shop for their daily news. Not to say you shouldn't go wherever you want; I still check it myself. But it's important to understand what you're looking at, and to confuse a right-wing hub increasingly on the fringes with a serious newswatch is a dangerous thing to do. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiRadwanski's Ramblings from July 7-20, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 23-July 6, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 9-22, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 12-June 8, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 28-May 11, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 14-27, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 7-13, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 24-April 6, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 10-23, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 24-March 9, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 10-23, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 3-9, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 27-February 2, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 20-26, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 13-19, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 30, 2005-January 12, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 16-29, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 2-15, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 18-December 1, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 4-17, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 28-November 3, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 21-27, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 7-20, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 23-October 6, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 9-22, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 2-8, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 19-September 1, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 5-18, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 22-August 4, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 15-21, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 8-14, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 1-7, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 24-30, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 16-23, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 10-16, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 3-9, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 20-June 2, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 13-19, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 29-May 12, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 22-28, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 8-21, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 1-7, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 25-31, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 18-24, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 11-17, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 25-March 10, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 11-24, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 28-February 10, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 14-27, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 31, 2004-January 13, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 17-30, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 3-16, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 19-December 2, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 5-18, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 22-November 4, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 8-21, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 24-October 7, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 17-23, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 3-16, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 20-September 2, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 6-19, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 23-August 5, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 16-22, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 9-15, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 25-July 8, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 18-24, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 11-17, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 4-10, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 28-June 3, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 21-27, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 14-20, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 7-13, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 23-May 6, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 16-22, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 9-15, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 2-8, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 26-April 1, 2004 All rights reserved. |