Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Awarding times

One of the Ironies my blogging experience is that the more distracted I become, the more life impinges on my need to pontificate my less than satisfactory work (to me at least) attracts positive comment.

Perhaps I should take that to heart and pass up on the usually careful research and composition. Anyway, true to form this latest period of distraction has attracted some bouquets, much to my surprise.

Tom Cat at Politics Plus is not only a prodigious blogger, he is extremely generous in his encouragement of the rest of us. To be recognised by Tom for excellence is quite an honour, given the quality of Politics Plus. Thanks Tom.

So now it is my turn to spread the news on some bloggers who inspire me. The list is not long, not reflecting quality out there, rather my own limitations over the past year or so. Tom has kindly awarded some of my choices already; others I have enjoyed have disappeared over that time. So here are my choices:

praguetwin An American abroad, always interesting perspective looking in from the outside.
Lindsay's Lobes My Australia cobber, has a mind like a steel trap and a big Aussie heart.
Wiseline Institute/Mr_Blog A fellow contributor at Ragebot, a mix of acid humour and sharp observation.
Dada's Dally Fascinating insights, and humour as dry as the Rio Grande landscape that inspires his thoughts.



Progressive thoughts

The second award, administered by Tom Cat but awarded by the delightful Redheaded Wisdom is the Progressive Patriot. I am a little reticent, though absolutely delighted by this one.

I guess my problem reflects a difference in language and cultural perspectives. I’ve never been slow to draw attention to these issues in the past, in relation to a number of terms which have quite different meanings for us.

To be fair, and perhaps have myself educated, I intend to investigate my understanding of the Progressive patriot concept, soon. No reflection on tom or Redhead whom I hold in the highest regard, perhaps more a reflection on my own limitations.

Thank you to all who so often lift my spirits by entering into debate, correcting my off the rails thoughts and supporting and illuminating other isues.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the nice words!

Acid and sharp is better than base and dull.

Cartledge said...

Hey, apart from some treasures, if you are not acid, sharp, grumpy or generally crusty I lose interest.
There are just too many issues to be sitting on the nice sidelines.

D.K. Raed said...

Cart, if I can take being called "delightful", you can take being labeled a Progressive Patriot! But let me make it easy for you by offering *MY* definitions:

A patriot wants what is best for their country & is willing to realistically evaluate what could be better & work towards that goal. A patriot does not blindly accept the current status quo and is not confined to meaningless jingoism. My favorite bumper sticker from back in the 60's will illustrate: "America--change it or burn it!" (this could be adapted to any country)

A Progressive, as the word implies, is someone not mired in the past. Most especially, a progressive believes that governments can be agents of economic change & effective administrators of social improvement.

Those may not be textbook definitions, but I still think you qualify on both counts!

Thanks for highlighting some worthy blogs, a couple of which I already read & enjoy, and a couple of which I have been meaning to investigate!

Cartledge said...

Or I could just ask you to put ED onthe line! He'd surely support the delightful claim.
Red, I'm working on this. I know it is semantics, but I take your point. I'm just not sure where I can pass it on...

Praguetwin said...

Well I suppose it is appropriate for you to award me now that I've all but stopped blogging. I feel the same as you must have, being recognized now, now that the work we are doing is far from our best (actually, you seem to be doing quite well, but mine is a frail shell of my previous incarnation).

Thanks for the recognition. Perhaps I should try a bit harder, but then, would anyone notice?

TomCat said...

Congrats on both Cart, and if I may say so, both are well deserved. Since I began the Progressive Patriot Award, perhaps this will help explain it.

What is a Progressive Patriot? In Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau wrote the following:

The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailers, constables, posse comitatus, etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgement or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Others -- as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders -- serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as the rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God. A very few -- as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men -- serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it.

So, progressive patriots are who serves the state with their consciences.

Politics Plus introduced the Progressive Patriot Award to honor bloggers with the courage to stand up and oppose those in power when they abuse that power to the detriment of the people and fight for progressive ideals, such as human rights, tolerance, non-aggression, freedom and equity. If you receive this award from me or another blogger, please do the following to accept it. Display the award graphic of your choice (or both) proudly in your sidebar. Copy this paragraph (more, if you wish) into a post on your blog. In that post, pass the award on to a minimum of three and a maximum of five deserving bloggers. If you receive the award from another blogger, reply to this message HERE with a comment including the name and URL of your blog and the identity and date of the blogger who awarded it to you. I will then add you to a special blogroll of Progressive Patriots here.

Cartledge said...

Tom, DK, I do need to tell you wonderful people, I do not for a moment doubt the intent behind the gesture and will forgo my semantic misgivings :)
I expect there is a cultural divide, but I did know from the outset that it was an honour.
Thank you both.

PT, regardless of volume your recent blogging has generated some robust and valuable discussion. I wish I could achieve that.
You also have a great skill at bringing together disparate thinkers in a relatively peaceful way. You have my respect for your approach.

Dada said...

Okay, a few thoughts. I'd have been here a day or two sooner, but my American Airlines flight was getting rewired to prevent electrical shorts, the resulting fire and ultimate in-flight explosion of catastrophic porportion.

(It's so nice to have a gov't agency reawakening to perform at least some charade of its responsibility of protecting the public.)

First of all, and that aside, thank you cart for the recognition. Not sure I belong among such excellent efforts of others.

Boy, can I relate to what praguetwin is saying, is feeling. I find myself trying more and more to recapture the freshness of earlier blog efforts but, most recently, am feeling like a funnel through which tidbits of my remaining passions pass seasoned with what bit of snark I can muster.

As to the fine quote of Thoreau as posted here by TC, to wit,

"Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs."

Sadly, Thoreau - as excellent as he was failed to live long enough to realize were we to rate the three species being alluded to by him there on the evolutionary scale - would know the graveness of his error. Too bad my editor Sam (a dog) couldn't have overseen those words before publishing.
***
(Sorry, had to pause to feed Sam some horsemeat as manufactured into dogfood by Alpo.)
***
But all seriousness aside, I appreciate the thought, the recognition.

There's a brewer of a fine ale called "Arrogant Bastard" from d.k. raed's old neck of the woods. I've applied for employment with them as writer of the wise words of deep philosophical content that adorns each bottle of their product. (No, it doesn't look like I'll get the job, hence, must content myself to suffer eternally as mere consumer of their product.)

But as their bottle inscription warns of each partaker, "You are not worthy," which is what I'm feeling just now.

(Strange, it's only 5:00 a.m. Why I'm getting this sudden urge for an Arrogant Bastard?)

Thanks again cart!

Cartledge said...

Dada, 5am is a productive time for me, though I admit Thoreau rarely comes to mind at that early hour.
If you thought like a normal person you probably would not have registered on the radar. It is the different thinking I believe is important. Keep it up!

lindsaylobe said...

Thanks for the kind words!
I enjoy the conversations
Best wishes

Cartledge said...

Lindsay thank you