Tannishblog

Via my (perhaps only) right-minded friend, Leucanthemum, via Instapundit (and many others, it seems), I discover a well-meaning and arguably necessary attempt at decorum for the wild, wild, ‘net: Online Integrity.

A tendency for an “anything goes” attitude has always existed in the blog-o-cube, which during its beginning was perhaps a harmless byproduct of experimentation within the new media. Lately however, real harm can occur as more people of various temperaments respond to the blogs they favor. Some have seen the writing on the monitors and a counterpoint is created to temper the irrational and impulse-impaired within our society.

I heartily endorse any effort to remind people that civilization exists because certain rules governing human interaction is assumed by all. Sometime is it necessary to re-codify these rules in new contexts. I wish them luck.

Confident, cocky, lazy, dead.

This is a term I gleaned from a science fiction series from one of my my favorite authors, Tad Williams. In the novels this was the mantra, if you will, of the baddie. As an expression of a natural progression of human thought, I find it concise and lucid in its simplicity.

This phrase comes to mind as I read an article in the Washington Post regarding the Democrats current air of confidence and their alleged plans if they win back their majority. Seeing as this is the Post, the article is probably a subliminal call to arms for its Republican readership, as in: “Bad things are going to happen if you don’t turn out en masse next November.”

A couple grains of salt may be needed here. First, I am not all sure how confident my party-of-choice is, although I have no illusions about the propensity of some members to talk stupid, tough talk. Second, I am not sure that if the Dems win their prize, I doubt they are cohesive enough to affect any change, given their predilection toward infighting. As for immediate sweeping rollbacks of the Republican agenda – in their collective dreams!

As the leading phrase illustrates: confidence leads to cockiness; cockiness give way to laziness; laziness, in the context of dangerous situations – as this upcoming election surely is to many career politicians of both camps - will lead to death. If I might pretend that anyone in congress would listen to a puny blogger like me, I would give words of advice:

Tread Cautiously…