An American Lion

At least, there isn't one that makes any sense to me.

Over a year ago, I attempted to join a conservative website called "Red State." I was shouted out of there because I am, in fact,a northeastern conservative more in line with what we used to call a "Rockefeller Republican" and I was a strong supporter of people like Pete DuPont and George H. W. Bush. I was a Tom Clancy Republican, really, if you want to be precious about it.

I have commented at several "conservative" sites, but, there again, if you think for yourself, you are shouted down and hounded out of the discussion. Liberal sites? Please. They call the cops on you if you say something bad about their cat pictures.

Granted, I am a confrontational asshole.

Wait, that last line was typed by Miranda when I got up to go get a beverage. And she has mysteriously locked it into place--I can't remove it. Darn the luck.

So when I saw this, my laughter rang throughout the house:

Call this city blogger central. Two grassroots groups - one left leaning, the other right leaning - are holding their annual conferences here and teaching members how to wield clout online.

On the left is Netroots Nation, which has been credited in part with helping usher President Barack Obama into office. On the right is RightOnline, a project of the conservative Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

The Netroots Nation conference is much larger, at about 1,800 people, and lasts four days. RightOnline has about 700 people and lasts two days.

Erik Telford, executive director of RightOnline, concedes the left has been better about using blogging and social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"I think for the past few years, they (the left) have had an advantage, but the tables are turning and rapidly so," he said. "The Internet is a great place for people to turn when they want to get involved. And people really want to get involved when they're locked out of power."

Really? And I suppose if I were to "link" to them, they would link to me? I suppose they are looking for a discussion about the merits of Ron Paul's run for the Presidency? The advent of the slick young Republican Congressman who has no cultural or ideological knowledge of the basics of his own party? A discussion of Nixon vs Goldwater?

No conservatives read me, link me, or consider me anything at all--I'm too independently minded and too intellectual. I removed many "Twitter" followers in the wake of the murder of Dr. George Tiller because of the obvious insanity of the people who cheered his death. I brook no discussion of mob rule, chaos, anarchy or disrespect for the President of the United States. I don't put up with any of that.

In some ways, I think that makes me a pretty good candidate for Conservative Blogger of the Year. Think I'll ever win something like that? Of course not. Blogging is a sham. There's no "merit" to the system. You either get linked, or you don't. You're either in their club, or you're not. It doesn't matter what I say or do here. We can do fun things, happy-go-lucky things, we can talk business, technology, the war, the future, the gadgets and we can even talk sexy hotties in thongs--I know my place. I'm happy where I'm at. Keep your charity links. We'll stay fabulous on our own, and maybe, just maybe, in a year or so, we can sit back and talk about how poor people live.

Till then, please. The liberals have the blogosphere sewn up. Half the conservative sites in this country aren't even searchable or indexed, and many of them are clogged with SPAM and with knuckle-dragging teenagers looking for someone to call a fuckwit.