By the time you read this, it'll likely be a moot point -- but the blog has been suffering quite a series of breakdowns of late. Posting from home has been nigh on impossible, and as of this writing I can't even load my own blog -- so there ya go.

Sovernet (Southern VT Internet provider) has suffered many setbacks the past two weeks due to a major fire in downtown Bellows Falls, VT which poured gallons of water into key Sovernet operations areas. Everyone in Marlboro is suffering email and internet difficulties now, and much of it is traceable to the fire and the water damage Sovernet suffered.

This may explain some of the difficulties; still, the latest request to the blog support yielding short-term relief for the weekend's posting problems now seems to have created far more consequential impact, making it essentially impossible for me to post at all -- or posts to appear, hours/days later, only after further complaints to blog support (forever answered, though some sort of invisible action seems to take place).

More later --

Monday Morning Blog Woes

Well, as of this AM, I can neither read my own blog nor, it appears, post. Weird -- the emailing function of comments posted this weekend indicates some or all of you are seeing my posts, and commenting, though I can't engage with those comments, either.

More later -- or, like, not.

Congratulations to Ken Dahl on Ignatz Award!

I share an office at the Center for Cartoon Studies with cartoonist Ken Dahl, aka "Gabby" -- and want to publicly congratulate Gabby for winning the Ignatz this weekend for best mini-comic for his creation Monsters.

Huzzah, hurrah, and hallelujah, Gabby! You're the best.

Congrats to all the other Ignatz Award winners, too, but hey, I share an office with Gabby, so he gets priority above all others.

Now can I see a copy of Monsters?

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Faith-Based Realities

I vote, because I have faith my vote is counted. Of course, the fact my community still holds elections the old-fashioned way -- paper ballots, ballots hand-counted and re-checked -- and that my faith is reinforced by the fact my wife Marge serves on the counting committee is worth noting. It's a reality-reinforced faith, and I'm thankful for it.

Some do not vote because they have no faith in their votes being counted (note Hemlock Man's presence on the comments to this blog -- he believes in and concedes to only Diebold's authority, though it's a faith he clearly resents harboring for rational enough reasons).

Some do not vote because they have no faith their vote will matter -- hard to fathom after the last three election seasons, where so many tight races steered our country to its current path, but there you go.

Some do not vote because they have no faith in government or our politicians, and see no way in which to effect change. Of course, not voting is sure to reinforce that inverted faith in being unable to change anything -- a self-reinforced faith, if you will, which certainly is difficult to argue with or against. If only all faith were so amply and immediately rewarded.

I vote.

I urge you to vote.

This is not blind faith.

This is the democratic system at its most fundamental, and I urge you to flex, at least, that voting muscle, please.

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Faith-based Government

I see in Gillian Flaccus's Associated Press news story this past week, and via other recent election season news items, that the IRS is really mixing it up with churches and politics, investigating whether church election-season advocacy isn't violating the respective churches's tax-exempt status. Though I at first read about only liberal churches (like Rev. Edwin Bacon Jr.'s Pasadena, CA All Saints Church) taking the heat, I now read plenty of pro-GOP candidate churches are under scrutiny, too.

This seemed inevitable after President Bush, Karl Rove et al claimed (however falsely) some sort of moral high ground in faith-based politicking as part of their 2000 and 2004 campaigns, and I see no reason it'll change anytime soon.

It's also interesting that I am now receiving anonymous emails about this very blog, strongly advocating for the current President and his adminstration based on issues of faith.

It's blind faith in part due to the fact you, oh anonymous authors, know who you are, and write with that assertive authority, and you know who you are emailing -- but lacking the courage of your convictions, you choose not to sign your emails.

Hence, I do not know who is writing to me.

Blind faith, indeed.

Please, sign your emails.

I am happy to converse with you, but must know who I am conversing with.

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Faith-based Blogging

The blog is still acting odd this morning. Again, though I've written blog support (no reply as yet), I've no idea what's going on, or how to remedy the situation. I'll continue to post daily this week, and hope for the best -- like, that you get to read the daily posts.

Faith-based blogging, ya dig...