After 15 months, I'm finally going to hop back into the blogging saddle. An apt analogy, as this forum has most likely withered during the dearth of the past year with no fresh posts or comments. Perhaps I will now find myself a lone cowboy, riding by myself across the desert of this now dry blog. Yet ride I will, and hopefully encounter a few souls along the way who may enjoy an occasional read on this blog. If you do wander this way on occasion, please leave a comment or two letting me know that there is indeed some life in the desert of my posts. Do not feel, however, any obligation to read or comment on this blog. I compose these posts primarily to hone my research and writing skills, and now that I am several years removed from college, I do not want these abilities to wither as this blog has. Using this forum as a tool, I hope to continue to develop skills that will not only benefit myself, but hopefully others as well as I strive to conduct meaningful research concerning pertinent issues, and offer a commentary--sometimes objective, sometimes quite subjective--that sparks a flame of curiosity in one of you who read this blog. If this spark inspires you to seek out knowledge or aides in broadening your understanding of an issue, then I will have served a worthy purpose.
While I cannot promise complete objectivity (who can?), I do promise an open mind, my best efforts at unbiased research, and to never knowingly distort or ignore facts to serve my point of view. I welcome all your comments, and ask only for respect, civility, and your best efforts at truth as well. I know at times one of us may share facts later disproved, or repeat research that may, unbeknownst to us, be faulty. In such cases, humility is all we can offer and move on. Stubbornness is no friend to truth, and no catalyst for a respectful understanding of opposing viewpoints.
Now what posts will soon be here. I am currently working on an article entitled "The Deconstruction of the Myth of the Reagan Myth." During the past 4 months, I have sifted through several books and articles concerning the legacy of Ronald Reagan. A small but growing voice is giving rise to the idea of the "Myth of Ronald Reagan." There is truth to some of their claims, to be sure. On the other side, there are those to whom Reagan was an infallible God who graciously descended from his throne to grace us with his perfection (the eerie parallels to our current Messianic President already ooze through). I am seeking to balance the argument and point out flaws on both sides. Hopefully, a clearer understanding of our 40th President and his accomplishments will emerge. Another point this article will illustrate is the politics of history, and how current events shape people's understanding of the past and, in too many but always extreme cases, how present day selectivists will sift through historical fact and only acknowledge that which is pertinent to their particular partisan position.
Thank you, one and all....perhaps only one.....who have taken a few minutes of your time to visit this forum. I invite you to share comments or even suggestions for topics you wish to address. Please enhance the quality of this forum with your thoughts, feelings, and knowledge. It will not only aide in establishing a quality and inspiring dialogue, but help this forum expand beyond a mere parroting of ideas that float around in my head.
