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This just in from the Willamette Week year-end wrap-up...
More competition for the Northwest's largest daily: Local bloggers came on like a biting sow in 2004, providing wit, sass, fresh voices and sometimes even news to the chattering classes. Christopher Frankonis (a.k.a. the One True b!X), Jack Bogdanski (bojack.org) and BlueOregon (a host of earnest lefties corralled by Kari Chisholm) all broke--and made--news during the fall election season.
As long as we're twisting our own arm to pat ourselves on the back, we'll take this moment to share the latest BlueOregon stats... 435 posts, 5143 comments, 28 contributors, and... 160,000 page views. Since our launch July 17th, that's just about 1000 page views a day. Thanks, folks, we couldn't do it without you!
Oh, and if you're looking for BlueOregon gear to wear and carry around town -- proving that you're one of the cool kids -- then pick up your BlueOregon swag right here. What else you gonna do with your stocking money? You know you want some.
Seriously, folks... what would make your BlueOregon experience even better? Use this thread to share ideas, critique what we got, etc.
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7:19 p.m.
Dec 29, '04
I want to see Blue Oregonians voice their educated, well-articulated, eye-to-the-future opinions across this beautiful state. I want to see the old leading the young and the young taking a deep-seated interested in the world around them. I want to see action like never before. I want to see us research long-term solutions and fight the good fight for years to come. But most of all, I want to see Oregon grow more blue.
7:22 p.m.
Dec 29, '04
I'm not sure that we need the old leading the young. We've been doing that for a while and it hasn't turned out too great.
Dec 29, '04
What we got are junior grade politicos on the make without career experience or social seasoning, (for instance, why so few mentions here of family and parental responsibilities which ordinarily keep people from blogging and which ordinarily appear near the #1 complaint of time constraints keeping people from what they would really like to be doing -- like, nobody's got kids? no lasting relationships?); and in the dagger-eyed and chisel-sharp self-aggrandizing rife rife rife ambitions, there's hardly respect granted -- 'you're all idiots' -- and hardly respect returned -- 'same to ya' buddy.' "On frenetic radio and television, he did not qualify because he spoke in paragraphs and was elderly - an electronic bigotry that is keeping many wise, older Americans from communicating with their younger generations."
Putting a second paragraph like that, is where the attention-damaged TV4brains usually lose it, ('ahhh, like I gotta read all of that? and like, fingerquotes: get it?, and like find a hidden message or whatever?'), but for the stray cat still reading who is interested in who said it about whom and in what context, the link gets you to the following and more: Published on Monday, December 20, 2004 by CommonDreams.org Ralph Nader on Seymour Melman
<hr/>There were his cogent Congressional testimonies about the permanent war economy and its damage to our civilian economy and necessities of the American people. His economic conversion plans and his advocacy for a muscular peace agreement with the Soviet Union illuminated what kind of economy, innovation and prosperity could be ours in the U.S.A. [...] With the demise of the Soviet Union and the agreement on dismantling many of those nuclear warheads on both sides, Mr. Melman looked forward to the "peace dividends" and the economic conversion or retooling he so long urged. It was not to happen. The military budget now consumes half of the entire federal government's operating expenditures.
<h2>In his later years, Melman promoted the idea of self-management as an alternative to giant corporations. For the last twenty years the media blacked him out. He could scarcely get an article published in the newspapers or even in the progressive magazines. On frenetic radio and television, he did not qualify because he spoke in paragraphs and was elderly - an electronic bigotry that is keeping many wise, older Americans from communicating with their younger generations. </h2>The indecent disrespect of Ralph Nader this year written on this blog truly deserves to be apologized for -- there was no moral right for that. Don't hold your breath, uber-politicos never admit mistakes and don't need no stinkin' apologeezus-F-kriste.
BlueOregon stands at the heritage advance gained by people who gave their lives to get us here. At least get the mud off your boots before you walk in. (I'm sorry for calling everybody idiots in my example, at the start.)
<h1></h1>10:53 p.m.
Dec 29, '04
Nader guys always have good smoke... 8c)
Dec 29, '04
Shameless self promotion ;-)
11:35 p.m.
Dec 29, '04
Tensk states, What we got are junior grade politicos on the make without career experience or social seasoning.
Tensk, if you're going to start calling people names, would you care to elaborate on who you're talking about exactly?
Randy Leonard's plenty seasoned as a politico. Jack Bogdanski is a tax law professor of some renown. Marc Abrams is a former chair of the party. Leslie Carlson was a gubernatorial aide. Lew Frederick has served the Portland schools for years. Chuck Sheketoff is considered one of the finest policy analysts in the state. Kim Stafford is one of the finest poets and writers in the state. I've been working in politics for over 12 years and I'm among the youngest on the list (at 31.)
And that's just a sampling.
Sure, Andrew and Brendan are in high school, but cut the kids a break, OK? Gotta start somewhere.
Exactly who are your junior grade politicos on the make?
Furthermore, if you don't like the stuff you read here, I respectfully suggest you go away and read something else.
12:37 a.m.
Dec 30, '04
I thought that I was seasoned enough to know not to respond to trolls, especially that of the Nader persuasion, but I am evidently wrong.
Tenskwatawa states -
“…for instance, why so few mentions here of family and parental responsibilities…”
Well, the best reason that I can come up with why there are few mentions of family and parental responsibilities is that this isn’t a website with a focus on family and parental responsibilities. If you want to read about the perks and perils of parenthood or the callings and catastrophes of childhood I’m sure there are a multitude of places in the intarweb for you. Just stray away from James Dobson.
Also I am honored to be labeled a junior grade politico.
At age 16, being called a politico of any variation is an honor.
10:59 a.m.
Dec 30, '04
(for instance, why so few mentions here of family and parental responsibilities which ordinarily keep people from blogging and which ordinarily appear near the #1 complaint of time constraints keeping people from what they would really like to be doing -- like, nobody's got kids? no lasting relationships?);
C'mon Tensk, family values are so '96. ;-)
Seriously, though (OK, maybe not entirely seriously) it looks like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the blogosphere yesterday. Hmph.
Anyway, back to the point at hand - congrats to Kari and all of the bloggers on making this little corner of the web such a huge success (and so quickly, too!). People wouldn't read it if y'all weren't saying something worth reading or at least mildly entertaining. With this kind of running start, who knows what kind of impact we can have on the future of politics and government here in Oregon and elsewhere. The mind boggles (or should I say bloggles... hehehe. Man, I crack me up....).
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