In Case You Wanted to Know...

Someone recently asked me what criteria I use to determine what gets posted on The Liberty Sphere's 'Second Amendment News Roundup.'

It occurred to me that there may be others who wonder the same thing, hence this post.

How does one 'make it' to The Roundup (as if it is some sort of all-encompassing goal of gun bloggers, which I highly doubt)?

Have you ever wondered why some posts are chosen and others are not? Or maybe you wonder why perhaps what you thought was your 'best' post was overlooked but one of your less-than- stellar posts was chosen instead.

These are good questions.

First, I wish to address what The Roundup is not:

1. It is not necessarily a collection of 'the best of the web.' While good writing is normally a requirement, I am not necessarily looking for what is considered the best, particular if such a post has nothing to do with guns, human liberty, or politics.

2. It is not a copy of someone else's news roundup or an attempt to be what someone else has done in the past. The Roundup here on The Liberty Sphere bears my unique personality and interests. It may not be as good as others, or it may be better than others. That is not the issue. While I strive to be the best I can be, the Roundup will be stamped inevitably with my own idiosyncrasies, warts and all.

3. While feedback is appreciated and suggestions will always be considered, the Roundup is not determined by group opinion, that is, the decision as to what gets included is ultimately mine. This is not to say I will not consider posts that are pitched to me. And this is also not to say that new blogs will not be considered. I also consider blogs that may have been around for a long time but which may not have caught my attention as of yet.

4. The Roundup section is not a place for me to censor gun bloggers who may disagree with my opinion on the particulars of the Second Amendment, such as the Prags vs. the Three Percenters debate. The purpose of the Roundup is to present what's going on in the gun blogging community as a whole, and thus, all opinions will be represented at some time or another.

And this leads us to what The Roundup is, from a positive standpoint:

1. The Second Amendment News Roundup is designed to highlight the 2nd amendment to the U.S. Constitution and its ultimate importance to human liberty.

2. The Roundup will also highlight political matters that inevitably impact the exercise of liberty. At times the political posts may not deal directly with the 2nd Amendment but may indirectly impact our ability to exercise the 2nd amendment.

3. The posts that are chosen for the Roundup will normally reflect the overall goal of calling attention to the importance of the 2nd Amendment and the political issues that directly or indirectly impact our ability to exercise it.

4. In order to avoid annoying repetitiveness and redundancy, an issue addressed in an earlier post chosen for the Roundup will not be repeated by another writer's post in the same edition, unless that writer contributes something unique to the discussion of that issue. The exception to the redundancy issue is in the case of a major news story, such as the Heller decision, the result of which I posted 3 dozen posts by bloggers...all on the same issue. In short, there are times when presenting lots of different posts on the same subject is appropriate and times when it is inappropriate.

5. For those times you may have wondered 'why in the world did he pick THAT post!' I can only say that for variety's sake I sometimes make a choice precisely because no one else blogged on that particular issue. There are other times I will post something entirely trivial for comic relief or in order to 'play with' the blogger in question a bit. My sense of humor can sometimes be dry and understated.

6. Some posts beg for my ultimately intelligent, insightful, perceptive, and inherently wise commentary. Ahem. If I launch into lengthy commentary on your post it is not necessarily an indication I agree or disagree but that I, well, like to comment. I am, after all, a blogger. It's what I do.

7. I reserve the right to break my own rules. There are always exceptions to everything. This should not surprise you. It's my blog.

Well, that's about it. Oh, and one other thing--I notice I tend to favor bloggers who link to me. Human nature, I suppose. But even then, this is not always the case. I have linked to lots of blogs that never link to me and probably never will. But if I really like what they post, I will pick it although I don't get anything in return.

I do prefer those who return the favor, however...and that is simply being honest.

Ok, that's about all I need to say on this subject, that is, unless some of you have questions, need clarification, need to rant, or whatever. (Yeah, I know how some of you are). Heh.

To Minimize and Marginalize

This blog is essentially about human liberty. If there is a common thread that holds all if its posts together it would be the fight to protect freedom and to stand against ALL attempts from ANY source to encroach upon that freedom.

One thing I have noticed after roughly 2 years of blogging is that there is an element in the blogosphere that will attempt to minimize and marginalize your voice unless you 'tow the party line,' i.e., agree with them.

Some time ago a fellow blogger warned that there are those around and about who would definitely attempt to minimize my voice.

This is 100% true.

The Liberty Sphere has been totally ignored by some who have received nothing but constant attention by me via the links to their blogs.

But I would be remiss without quickly acknowledging that this group is a minority. Most of you have been most supportive at one time or another.

I realize that this blog is not everyone's cup of tea. My opinions are strong, and I WILL fight for them. I don't mind calling a spade a spade, and that includes 'sacred cows' such as the NRA, the GOP, the Libertarian Party, Google, or any other group or entity that I think is headed down the wrong path on an issue.

This stance has included advertisers. I dropped American Express when they accepted a government bailout.

In fact, I have dropped ALL advertisers at this point. I am not going to be 'beholden' to anybody or afraid to speak my mind for the fear it may 'offend' someone. If anyone wishes to advertise here it will be due to their support for this blog's main purpose--to promote human liberty.

This goes for bloggers and readers as well. If my views on the 2nd Amendment, the 1st Amendment, politics, religion, or any other issue costs me readers and support, then so be it. I would rather forever dwell in the deepest bowels of blogosphere hell than to sell out my convictions in order to placate a misguided audience that may bring me a lot of 'traffic.'

I am not going to kiss ANYBODY's ass. I am my own man and I am capable of thinking quite independently and choosing my own path. I don't need either your approval or your permission.

If this means that I will only have a few hundred readers forever and ever, so be it.

But I will not budge. I will not back down. I will not tone down anything that I feel strongly about. And if this means you can't stomach it and thus won't support this blog, then perhaps all of your supposed support for 'free speech' is nothing more than bullshit.

Free speech, free expression, etc., is about nothing if not supporting speech that you may not like.

Come January I am going to have a 'tip jar' on this blog. If you like what's here, if you support my objectives, then you can support it of your own free will.

Oh, and to those of you wish I would just go away, I will quickly add that I have no intention of going anywhere. I am here to stay. So live with it.

Free speech, free Press, the right to free religious expression, the right to assemble freely, and the right to carry and use guns--these are the things I cherish.

Many obviously believe these values are no longer worth fighting for in America. You won't find that sentiment here. If these values are going down, they are not going down without a fight.

Central to human liberty is truth. And I am going to tell the truth come hell or high water.