As a quick look at the header shows, my Mission Statement has increased by two items. Consequently, there will be further delay in my explaining Part 2. Parts 2 and 3 will present me with a considerable challenge, while Part 4 will likely never have an adequate explanation. In the meantime, let me say something I've recently learned about the reasons for "enhancing" this blog experience. Since I was 20 I have maintained a very detailed personal record of my life's events. I envisioned something like a "Captain's Log," and it pretty much started out that way; though with pen and paper, rather than audio recording. Still, I kept it faithfully for years. I always referred to those often worthlesself self indulgent writings as "Letters to my Future Self." In retrospect that has pretty much turned out to be the case. With the advent of word processing my journal grew exponentially, and reading those old missives seemed to take on a therapeutic property, sometimes giving an anchor to my "self psychoanalysis." It is amazing to go back a year or few to the exact dates one is passing through again and see how memory shuffles the deck regarding the order of events. The perspective can be often enlightening, and sometimes disturbing. It's funny how we tend to remember things in the light that most favors our preferred recollection. When I discovered and dove in to the Blogosphere, back in 2002, I wanted to separate the exercise in to more than just an online journal. I wanted to do commentary, but soon learned I had nothing to say. I have found it interesting to see how others use this medium very successfully to maintain networks of friends and to share experiences, photos, videos, music and personal trials and growth. As I learn more, perhaps I can fit in better. I'm still learning. For example, just the other day, I found out I can post my old science fiction story, and perhaps other writings as well. But I as much as I would like to keep my private life from interfering with this project, that is clearly impossible. I mentioned before that I missed most of last year due to a disability. I broke my hip, and there were complications that still have me bed bound. My very day to day existence has been made possible by my soul mate, my lovely wife, Cheryl. Alas, she will enter the hospital tomorrow for removal of a tumor from her spine. She is understandably a nervous wreck, as am I. I have no insurance and depend on her for everything. The suddenness of this news and its impact have us both scared. I had planned to wait for Part 3 to get into the discussion of faith, but fate forces my hand. I must ask, if you believe in prayer, please pray for her. This will be a trying week. Her son will check on me daily for food and water, but I haven't a clue how I'm going to change my wound dressing. I guess I'll try it myself. So there, I've taken the first step in opening myself up. I intend to continue filling this expanding space with interesting links, and articles of note. But before I leave this session I'd like to comment on how this whole journal thing began. Back in the summer of 1971, I was going through a tough breakup with a long time girlfriend. We still saw each other frequently, and she was much more level-headed about the facts of life than I. One day I was talking to the Youth Minister at my church and told him of my dilemma. I said that after she and I talked I would go home like a wounded puppy and feel sorry for myself. He suggested I try a technique he'd learned in college psychology. He said it was called a "verbatim." He said that after each disturbing conversation, I should go home and immediately write down, as best I could remember, every line of our talk." The goal was to be objective. It seemed to me that my hero at the time, Mr. Spock, would have thought such an approach, "logical." It didn't take me long at all to notice that in my transcription small subjective comments began finding their way into my "analysis." I became more discerning, and I soon found myself on the road to recovery. Seeing the bias that I was automatically adding to what was to have been "objective" writing changed forever the way I viewed events, particularly in retrospect. I think the change was for the better. The journal I started that day, June 12, 1971, continues to evolve, and I still am amazed to look back a year, or five, or twenty and see that same guy writing to me. I enjoy reading the letters I wrote to myself then. Sometimes I feel sorry for the pain he expressed in his heartbreak and foolishness. Sometimes I find myself saying, "Way to go, kid, you got that right!" Finally, I'm just glad he's still around.

Before I get carried away with elaborating on my so-called "mission statement," I am becoming increasingly aware that an expansion of of my overall commitment here bears a bit of "fleshing out." I don't want to put too fine a point on matters, as my interests are far broader than the simplistic initial opening phrase seems to indicate. I can think of three things that occurred this past week which forced me to face exactly how much I immediately need to broaden my scope. The first was that in looking around at what some relatives and friends have been able to accomplish with their Blog*Spot experience has given me pause to realize my own inadequacy in taking full advantage of Blogger's potential, starting with my bland, mundane and totally under utilization of the tools available to me, from Template and beyond. As a Website, this will suffice, but I need to do more with it. Secondly there was all the flap about Obama's "minister." Beyond the politics of the matter I found myself crossing over into the theological. Some of my family members' blogs are very strong in the usage of their sites to expound on such matters and I'd like to contribute to the discussion, though I'm sure my take on the subjects put forth will present me with a considerable challenge, for I don't want to be "off-putting," and my comments will no doubt come across at times as logical gymnastics. Third (but probably not last) I found myself revisiting Michael Crichton's Website and being reminded of just how difficult (and rewarding) it can be to go to great lengths to make a proper point. I consider him one of the most brilliant and well-balanced authors currently writing. "The hottest brand going," to borrow a commercial phrase. His sometimes circuitous path toward making a point can often be very persuasive. As evidence, I submit this speech, currently posted on his site. Not only does he write good books, but the man has a lot to say and I consider him a standard of achievement worth emulating. Yes, I think it is safe to say I will be expanding on my objectives. If you have any feedback, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll be plodding along as best I can.

Mission Statement, Part 1:

Politically Conservative. In the broad spectrum of American politics I tend to think of myself as falling somewhere to the right of the so-called "center right." I set my iconic philosophical standard as William F. Buckley, Jr., who shed his mortal coil just last week. The movement he started with the founding of National Review in 1955 survives as the cornerstone of a living memorial to his vision. I didn't know of him so much from the magazine, as I was never a subscriber to any magazine, but I became familiar with his unique style of punditry and humor through the television program Firing Line, one of the few programs on PBS that I found worth watching. However, with the advent of the World Wide Web, I started beginning my morning update with Drudge and became a daily reader of National Review Online. Below the banner on NRO's Home Page there is a tab for "Blog Row." One of those blogs, The Corner, has become my first stop for all things freshly current, newsworhty and political. It is updated throughout the day, and not all of it is wonkery. I find some of my favorite writers there, notably Jonah Goldberg, Mark Steyn and the incomparable Victor Davis Hansen. The sheer word output from those guys is mindboggling; not just in their posts on The Corner, but in the articles they write for other publications. Jonah is clever and often flat-out funny, and I also like his contemporary cultural references, especially when they relate to Star Trek, which he works in whenever he can. I look forward to reading his new book, Liberal Fascism. Mark brings a particularly interesting slant on things, having become naturalized from some other British colony (Canada). I don't know how Victor finds time to share his wisdom on a blog, what with all the other truly amazing scholarly work he produces. He frequently shows up to give expert commentary on History Channel programs, especially things relating to ancient Grecian warfare. There are many interesting pundits contributing to The Corner. The discussion is often lively, and not always limited to partisan politics. Another place I go for a good sampling of daily columns is Townhall.com. Many contribute there, and on Thursdays one can find Ann Coulter's latest. Ann is a little over the top for me sometimes, but I always find her worth a laugh or two--and what a babe! The Web is a wonderful place to gather information. But this little bibliography cannot be complete without my mentioning the "Doctor of Democracy," Rush Limbaugh. I don't always agree with anyone, but I must say I am a regular listener (as well as a subscriber to Rush 24/7, in case I miss a day), and he does often articulate things I wish I could--and perhaps someday I can--say. Now that I've announced my daily thought feeding troughs, as a reader one can gather where I come by some of the raw materials from which I hope to produce fresh contributions of my own to our ongoing discussion of the American experiment.

So, I guess that pretty well sums up part 1 of my "mission statement." Part 2 is going to be a bit more difficult. Before I get to that point I would like to make a political statement, of sorts, to start things off, but I really don't want to subject anyone who hasn't seen it to the Obama "Dip Dive" video; (spoiler alert: don't click if you have a weak stomach). I find it creepy and somewhat frightening. Somehow I think it should more appropriately include these lyrics, by Kerry J.S. (Hat Tip: Lisa Schiffren of The Corner):

(It should probably be performed just as earnestly and with the same array of multi-racial talent, plus, probably a few old people.)

I want to live in an America where ants and rain never bother my picnic.

I want to live in an America where ice cream and beer help you take off the pounds.

I want to live in an America that is only visited by friendly space aliens like ET and Spock,

not bad ones like Predator and the body snatchers.

I want to live in an America where it's never too hot in the summertime and winter always has enough snow to be pretty but not enough to make the roads dangerous.

I want to live in an America with tangerine trees and marmalade skies.

I want to live in an America where cellophane flowers of yellow and green are towering over your head.

I want to live in an America where newspaper taxis appear on the shore, waiting to take you away.
I want an America where you can get your dirty deeds done dirt cheap.

I want to live in an America where you get your money for nothing and your chicks for free.
Obama! Obama! Obama!!!! (swinging arms above head as if this
is dancing, and managing to ooze sincerity out of every pore).

Anyway, I guess by now one might know what to expect from my "Politically Conservative" side.

After my initial post, last night, I spent some time on the cosmetics of this site. I updated my profile and relearned a couple of things about editing, including management of the font size. At times during that process I was met with great frustration, but I'm catching on. Furthermore, as it turned out, the timing of my resurrecting this forum was most fortuitous. My morning email check informed me of Google's final decision to abandon my appeal to reclaim Netblogger. So this "Son of Netblogger" arrived right on time. I'm looking forward to taking full advantage of this new lease on Web life. For one thing I have the advantage of learning from my previous endeavor, so it shouldn't take long for me to begin adding substantive and perhaps even entertaining content. I'm already looking for a picture to post with my profile, and I'm very anxious to start posting links. Political and theological commentary will surely follow in due course.

Moving the torch forward!

After a year of inactivity and seemingly insurmountable obstacles in dealing with Blogger, my urge to carry on in the tradition I began in 2002 has finally culminated in carrying on with this reincarnation of my still existing, but somehow maddeningly inaccessible original blog, netblogger. After spending much of 2007 disabled and hospitalized, I was released to find myself denied access to my old friend, which is still posted, by the way, and can be accessed by clicking this link: http://netblogger.blogspot.com/. I even switched to the new Blogger last summer, before my last hospital stay, which makes it all the more mysterious to me that Blog*Spot/Google has found it somehow beyond their ability to restore it to my possession. I have filled out and submitted at least 50 of their robot forms and read all their HELP files. I did get two email responses. One writer had completely missed the point of my complaint, while the other seemed interested and had me answer several questions. Nevertheless, I have decided to "move on" in this way, for now. Btw, the "move on" reference does not in anyway suggest anything but sarcazm with regards to the Democrat political organization, as further postings should make abundantly clear. Nevertheless, it is good to be back online after such a long absense. I've lots of catching up to do, and I look forward to posting outlandish comments and, perhaps, occasionally entertaining links. You can refer to my original blog for a quick idea of where I'm coming from as I tinker with getting this site in shape. Of course I'll have to create a new profile, some method for readers to post comments, and I'm going to have to reeducate myself about the HTML script for inserting links with text.