I'll be doing the blog roundup on MSNBC's Connected Coast to Coast again today (5 pm eastern time Tuesday) and you're hereby invited to participate in planning it!
The way this works is that we (I and the producers) settle on 3 stories / issues to cover, with 1-2 blogs per story. We try to fairly represent a range of opinion from the blogosphere - conservative, libertarian and liberal. I'm also interested in bringing less well known but thoughtful and well-written blogs to wider attention, along with blogs written in a variety of countries.
Here's where you come in. I'm inviting your suggestions for topics and specific posts to feature. The story has to be one that fits into a short (30-45 sec.) segment, with a one or two sentence quote from each of the 2 blogs chosen for that topic.
Comment here or to me via email at rkburk at randomprobabilities dot net , or my robin@... Winds of Change address. Topics will probably be nailed down by 11 AM eastern time, so I'll need any suggestions you might have by no later than 10 AM eastern time or so. I can't promise I'll use your suggestions, but I will promise to read each one carefully.
UPDATE: I can now read email at the Winds of Change address while on the road - thanks, Joe!
Okay, here's one: why doesn't PETA want my money?
I'll explain. A couple of days ago, I discovered that PETA (that's "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals") is pushing a series of "digital info packs" on kids who want help with school assignments. Not surprisingly, these documents are heavy on PETA's anti-human party line, and effectively empty of legitimate scientific content.
Accordingly, I described the problem on my website and issued the following challenge: if any PETA supporter can support even HALF the points made in one of these documents, in public debate on my website, I will join PETA and personally donate $1,000 to the cause.
I posted the same challenge on bulletin boards at PETA's activist website at http://www.peta2.org. Twice. Each time, the posts were taken down and my posting account disabled within hours. I've summarized my actions up to now here.
So. I have to ask: Why is the PETA organization unwilling to allow its supporters even to SEE an invitation to engage in open debate regarding the organization's assertions? It's almost as if they have something to hide...
My challenge still stands, and I would DEARLY love to see PETA's manifesto endure the light of rational inquiry.
Regards,
Jason G. Williscroft
The Dead Hand
Well, the obvious format would be one hot-button for the left blogosphere, one hot-button for the right blogosphere, and one jump ball.
The hot-button for the left blogosphere would have to be either Tom DeLay or the anti-filibuster moves by Senate Republicans. A sample post would be Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft's post today:The hot-button for the right blogosphere would have to be either democracy in the Middle East or the economy cf. Michael Totten's posting from Lebanon:
IMO the most important story in the blogosphere is Ed Morrisey's coverage of the unfolding scandal in Canada since it highlights the futility of country-specific gag rules without China-style repression.
To continue the Syrian/Lebanon meme above why not reference Ammar at A Heretics Blog? I always find what he has to say interesting and you simply don't find many Syrian blogs. A recent post on Syrian politics:
Desires notwithstanding, this seems to be the most likely scenario of all for post-Baath Syria: an implosion, followed by a brief civil war ending up in a rule by an alliance of multi-sectarian conservative and traditional forces. If this sounds very much similar to what is currently taking place in Iraq, well, I have long said that Iraq is in many ways Syria’s Crystal Ball.
That's a good one. If you want to follow Dave Schuler's AdScam lead, meanwhile, there's also an emerging (albeit faint) tie in with UNSCAM. We've got ccoverage that ties all that together today.
UNSCAM is also a good example of a scadal that the MSM prefers to ignore or downplay, even as the Volcker Commission is coming apart at the seams from investigators resigning on principle, major divisions at the top, and questions about Volcker himself. Mystery-writer and blogger Roger L. Simon has led the blogosphere in unraveling a mystery that very few reporters want to touch.
But the blogs will keep this alive, with added impetus from the Wall St. Journal, some excellent work by a couple of the British papers. It's a slow fuse burning under the credibility of a key institution, and this is the kind of story that blogs cover well.
I see that Robin took JD's excellent suggestion. JD, you might also want to take a look at Syria Exposed which I find at least as interesting as Heretic's Blog, if not more so.
I must say that Robin did a splendid job on the program (despite the incorrect graphic). She seems somehow taller in the blogosphere. ;-)