Why Blog? Why Not?

Several people have suggested I start a blog. I guess it kind of makes sense. I like to write, I have opinions and some people like to read them whether they agree with my opinions or not.

I tried blogging a few years back when I was in the Navy, but I wrote two pieces, and lost track of my account. It's still out there, but I lost the password and can't get back in. I didn't really work that hard to figure it out. I was in the Navy and didn't have a whole lot of time to write. Rather than fight that fight, I thought I would start from scratch.

So, what will I be writing about? It's a blog, so I can do whatever I want. I like politics and religion even though mixing those is like mixing raw potassium and water. Of course I also have some pretty strong libertarian leanings, so while I don't mind politicians who are open about their faith, I don't really like telling others how to live or people telling me how to live. Obviously there are exceptions because I'm not an anarchist. Politically, I'm independent with libertarian leanings, but I usually vote Republican. I say "usually" because I have proudly supported and voted for candidates in other parties.

One of the things that I look forward to in blogging is that I will be able to more clearly and completely present my ideas and opinions. I love social networking. Facebook put me in contact with so many people I had lost contact with - people who I am very fond of and even love that I thought I would never see again. Twitter is great because I can watch a live feed of news as it happens. The problem with all those sites is that people try to figure out my opinions based on a one or two sentence post.

I'm an evangelical Christian, so I am very conservative on most issues especially on theology. I come across and may well be a liberal on some issues. The fact is, I'm an iconoclast and you really can't define me by a political party, conservative, liberal, or any other kind of label you may want to apply to me.

In conversations on a wide variety of subjects, I have been called a liberal when talking to conservatives and conservative when talking to liberals. On social networking sites, when I comment, I tend to use hyperbole, come across as reactionary, and sometimes I paint with a broad brush. Of course, in those instances, I'm not trying to be nuanced or properly articulate. I try to be a little clearer in my Facebook notes and I will probably transfer some of those here.

I hope to entertain and enlighten people. I also know that I will frustrate and anger everyone at some point. It's not personal, it's just that I can't make everyone happy and I'm not even going to try. If you want to criticize my opinion, that's fine, but just know that if you engage me in a debate, you're going to need to have a stronger argument than, "You're obviously stupid," or "I disagree with you." Be adult or don't try. I can not abide trolls. I won't feed them, I will only delete their comments.

I won't just be writing opinion pieces. I've done all kinds of writing, so maybe I'll put some of my fiction up here too. I've done some teaching, so maybe I'll put some of my lessons up here. Who knows what else I will put in here?