Bloggers Union? Give me a break.

I agree with Oliver Willis. I guess I can understand the importance to paid bloggers who work for candidates, parties, organizations, or corporations, of having their needs taken care of.

However, for most of us, blogging is not something we are paid for or ever plan to be paid for. A small number of bloggers may make enough income from ads to blog full time, but in that case, who needs a union? In fact, I find the suggestion insulting to unions for REAL workers. Perhaps the blogosphere can worry about helping to start unions for real professions that need them. Salaried writers at educational development houses perhaps (heh), or any number of real jobs (yeah, I said it) that need union representation. Its insulting that labor unions would even consider adding bloggers, when so many other professions are lacking any adequate support. All I know, is that my recent emails to publishers and writer's unions have been ignored. Perhaps if I told them I was blogger, they would have written back.

Like Oliver said, a REALLY BAD IDEA.

Calling All Maryland Progressives

We have a new home at the new and improved FREE STATE POLITICS! The site will only be worthwhile if as many people as possible get on and participate, so go sign up and get in on the future of the progressive blogosphere in Maryland.

Free State Politics to move to Community Style Blog

This is wonderful news. Lets do this.

Update:I should have added this earlier, but all my respect and thanks to Onbackground, Issac Smith, and all the amazing bloggers at Free State Politics who have been at this for much longer than myself and can take all the credit for this awesome opportunity.

Right-wing Attack on Bloggers Hurts Both Sides

Nice try at humor though. And yes, right-wingers really find this stupidity to be hilarious.

Way to denigrate and reduce the power of the whole political blogosphere. Michelle Malkin is a complete idiot, and the controversy over John Edwards' bloggers' bad language is both short sighted and anti-speech.

In a world where the MSM is on constant patrol for a story with which to beat the blogosphere over the head with, Malkin and her ilk are giving them firepower. Every blogger makes principled stands for unpopular issues at some times. Those that do not aren't worth their weight in digital ink.

So to go after Edwards and his bloggers over their "paper trail" of personal opinions is working against us all. Now every candidate for '08 will think harder about how they control and censor their campaign bloggers. It will lead to a lot of quality bloggers missing out on job opportunities, and the hiring of a lot of boring consultants to do their job instead.

Yeah, its an attack strategy that is working for the GOP, but it will come back to bite us all in the ... errr... "behind".

Think Equal.

Thats how I hope the Maryland Court of Appeals is thinking. New Jersey is currently dealing with their own Gay Marriage issues and an organization by the name of Blue Jersey has started a media campaign to press the issue:



Check out the Think Equal website.

Also, I really like the Blue Jersey website. I wonder if it would be possible to set up something similar for Maryland? I don't really have the knowhow or the time to run something like that (or whether Marylanders would take advantage of something like that) but its neat to think about. I certainly think a more concentrated liberal/democratic/progressive internet presence in Maryland would be a good thing.

Update: A critical look at the State's argument against Gay Marriage, via The Sun. Hat tip to David Lublin at Maryland Politics Watch.

A few things

First, if you have commented on my blog, I only recently found out. I guess I couldn't see any comments until I upgraded to blogger beta. Well, thanks for the comments and sorry if it appeared that I was not paying attention.

I really just want to post this great editorial by Senator Jim Webb.