It seems that dear, dear QuakerJono has tagged me with a Thinking Bloggers Award. And my latest post was about the quanitity of gayness in this season’s Big Brother 8. Well, I’ve made my excuses for watching. I really do like the chess set.
Color me embarrassed.
Of course I’d like to think that some few of my posts, when I decide to be serious about something, can stand on their own in spite of the fact that they may be bookended by memes or TV commentary. Then again, I do receive daily updates regarding all things Harry Potter, so what does that say about me?
As an aside, a petition asking J K Rowling to not kill off Harry Potter and to write an eighth book eleven days before the final book is published–meaning it’s already written, folks–strikes me as absurd, even as the petition itself aims for one million signatures. Daniel Radcliffe is quoted as saying, “I must be the only kid in the world who doesn’t want an eighth book.” Ater seeing those Equus photos, I’m not sure you qualify as a kid anymore, but I digress.
Sometimes anonymity is preferable to fame. If this blog was half as popular as I think it should be (heh), I’d have to be far more conscientious about what I post and when. That’s just too much work.
But what to post to show I merit this little gem:
Should I apologize for being taken in by those rapscallions at Baptists4Brownback, whose site, while supposedly a form of satire, is a bit too convincing? After all, if the extensive uber-right links, the “number of babies killed by abortion” widget, and Old Testament quotes weren’t enough, then the up-to-date postings about Brownback’s votes could easily sway the fundies. IMHO, that site is only satire to those who know it. I don’t find anything funny about having quotes in the sidebar saying homosexuals should be put to death. Not funny at all. The more I look at that site, the more I wonder if it’s actually inspirational and satire or just disguised as such. Bad news at any rate. And Robbie will probably never link to me again.
Or perhaps I should post something about the current competition for The Simpson’s Premiere, in which my home state of Vermont is currently doing well?
No, I don’t think I need to post about any one thing to specifically merit a “thinking blogger” award. I think the very concept on which I founded this blog is merit enough: there are too many extremists pounding their fists and not bothering to examine each issue on its merits. As I say in the “It’s All About Me” page,
It’s all about the labels. Everyone wants to define me as conservative, liberal, perverted, puritanical, optimistic, delusional, funny, or whatever suits their paradigm. I don’t think labels are important. I don’t think they’re ever particularly helpful in understanding a person, either.
Ideas are what’s important. Discussing them, learning from each other, and evolving as a people, a nation, and a species. And that’s why I link to so many sites with varied, and sometimes diametrically opposed, viewpoints. It never hurts to listen.
And I think that’s what makes me a “Thinking Blogger.”
So now I have to tag 5 others with this meme. I’m not going to have any online friends left if I keep sending memes to people. (Glares at QJ)
Thinking bloggers, thinking bloggers. Hmmm.
The first one to obviously stand out to me is Tom over at PurpleScarf. I’ve been a fan of Tom’s for a long time, and it’s posts like this that make me wish he’d post more consistently.
This post is a shoo-in for #2, if only for the subject matter. I only recently found WorldClassStupid, but now it’s a daily read. If you need some funny, that’s where you want to go.
I’m going to pick Famous Author Rob Byrnes for my third choice. I don’t know if he’s already been tagged with this or not, but when he’s not busy scouring Craigslist, this recent LAMBDA winner makes some cogent points.
Of course, when one is looking for “Thinking Bloggers,” one can’t possibly go wrong when tagging Josh over at The Conjecturer. I don’t think he knows me from Adam, but Josh has some of the most politically astute blogging I have ever read. I may not always agree, but I do appreciate the time and effort he puts into researching his facts. And of course, a blog with the header “Give Your Brain A Workout,” that actually lives up to that moniker, has to be highly regarded and should be appreciated by more of you folks out there.
As for #5–I was going to either tag NDT or CaulkIsCheap, but QJ beat me to the punch, so I’m going to make due with only four.
P.S. This is more along the lines of “Impulsive Blogging” than “Thinking Blogging,” but since QJ has seen fit to call me “ULTRA SUPER MEGA GAY TO THE NTH DEGREE FOR WATCHING THAT CRAP,” I feel the urge to post this classic:
I Must Be Dreaming 
I calls ’em as I sees ’em, sir, I calls ’em as I sees ’em
Man that was fun. Now I have to go find ‘unclefucka’.
Realize this is old, but:
Eh, don’t feel bad about the Baptists4Brownback or the blogs4brownback thing. Took me like two days to realize they were a parody, and then address them as such. After that, I was added to their PEOPLE GOING TO HELL page because – apparently – it is fun to have a fake blog war against someone who knows you are being fake.
I like it, because it spurs more readers to my blog. Drama, they say, is like honey to flies.