At least it's a start...
Sometimes it can be really frustrating to be poor.
By poor, I don't mean that I fall under the poverty line. I have a new house, a new car, a good job (attorney), good credit, and the bills get paid. Unfortunately, all of that leaves very little disposable income on the side. So I have to make do with posting on a 233mhz Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet edition for you Mac fanatics) on a dialup connection. Sigh. I am SO 1998.
This also means that I miss out on all the cool Blogger formatting toolbars that aren't available in Internet Explorer 5.1 for MacOS 9.x. Oh well. In time, in time...
UNTIL that time, here I am. I've been following the development of the blogosphere since the summer of 2001. I was just out of law school and looking for a job (without much luck at the time), and generally enjoying life post-education. Except for that whole bar examination thing. But I digress.
I've enjoyed reading blogs for some time, although I've never really had the time to do it myself. Heck, I still don't have the time. But here I am anyway. I think what really made me start this little blog o' mine was the recent retirement of my favorite blogger, the sorely-missed Steven Den Beste. I can't even begin to describe the sheer quality of this man's writing output. I highly recommend you go to his site and just browse through his archives. In my opinion, no other blogger can touch the depth and breadth of his thinking and writing. Period. I hope that the captain of the U.S.S. Clueless finds himself a nice home on Talos IV, where Starfleet General Order 7 will prohibit contact from swarming emailers.
In any event, with Den Beste's disappearance, I decided that I'd like to try my hand at this stuff. I've always enjoyed writing, although I haven't been able to write for pleasure in a long time. And I have strong opinions about most anything you can think of (does anyone in the blogosphere NOT?). So here I am.
To wrap up this long first post, I probably ought to set out my purpose here, and the rules by which I operate. At this point in my country's history, we face unprecedented threats and dangers, both foreign and domestic. The nature and appropriate response to these threats are matters of fierce debate. Some even debate the existence of a threat at all.
I have adopted "Section 31" as my own little corner of the blogosphere (if only Bill Quick had a nickel for every time someone used that term...). Trekkies will recall that Section 31 was introduced in Deep Space 9 (my favorite of the Trek series):
Director Sloan: We search out and identify potential dangers to the Federation.
Dr. Bashir: And once identified?
Director Sloan: We deal with them.
Dr. Bashir: How?
Director Sloan: Quietly.
While not adopting some of the more sinister aspects of Section 31, I plan to identify plainly the threats and dangers to the United States, and suggest, quietly, how they should be addressed. I also plan to write about whatever else strikes my fancy, whether it be politics, foreign affairs, Star Trek, the world's cheeses, stubborn hangnails, etc. My opinions are my own, as are my written expressions of said opinions. I intend to voice those opinions plainly and without softening them with politically correct drivel. I am beholden to no person, party, or organization, and I reserve the right to endorse or criticize any of the above as I see fit. Comments are welcome, as are emails, but I reserve the right to reply to or ignore either, as I see fit.
With all that said, welcome to Section 31. I hope your stay here will be a pleasant one.
By poor, I don't mean that I fall under the poverty line. I have a new house, a new car, a good job (attorney), good credit, and the bills get paid. Unfortunately, all of that leaves very little disposable income on the side. So I have to make do with posting on a 233mhz Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet edition for you Mac fanatics) on a dialup connection. Sigh. I am SO 1998.
This also means that I miss out on all the cool Blogger formatting toolbars that aren't available in Internet Explorer 5.1 for MacOS 9.x. Oh well. In time, in time...
UNTIL that time, here I am. I've been following the development of the blogosphere since the summer of 2001. I was just out of law school and looking for a job (without much luck at the time), and generally enjoying life post-education. Except for that whole bar examination thing. But I digress.
I've enjoyed reading blogs for some time, although I've never really had the time to do it myself. Heck, I still don't have the time. But here I am anyway. I think what really made me start this little blog o' mine was the recent retirement of my favorite blogger, the sorely-missed Steven Den Beste. I can't even begin to describe the sheer quality of this man's writing output. I highly recommend you go to his site and just browse through his archives. In my opinion, no other blogger can touch the depth and breadth of his thinking and writing. Period. I hope that the captain of the U.S.S. Clueless finds himself a nice home on Talos IV, where Starfleet General Order 7 will prohibit contact from swarming emailers.
In any event, with Den Beste's disappearance, I decided that I'd like to try my hand at this stuff. I've always enjoyed writing, although I haven't been able to write for pleasure in a long time. And I have strong opinions about most anything you can think of (does anyone in the blogosphere NOT?). So here I am.
To wrap up this long first post, I probably ought to set out my purpose here, and the rules by which I operate. At this point in my country's history, we face unprecedented threats and dangers, both foreign and domestic. The nature and appropriate response to these threats are matters of fierce debate. Some even debate the existence of a threat at all.
I have adopted "Section 31" as my own little corner of the blogosphere (if only Bill Quick had a nickel for every time someone used that term...). Trekkies will recall that Section 31 was introduced in Deep Space 9 (my favorite of the Trek series):
Director Sloan: We search out and identify potential dangers to the Federation.
Dr. Bashir: And once identified?
Director Sloan: We deal with them.
Dr. Bashir: How?
Director Sloan: Quietly.
While not adopting some of the more sinister aspects of Section 31, I plan to identify plainly the threats and dangers to the United States, and suggest, quietly, how they should be addressed. I also plan to write about whatever else strikes my fancy, whether it be politics, foreign affairs, Star Trek, the world's cheeses, stubborn hangnails, etc. My opinions are my own, as are my written expressions of said opinions. I intend to voice those opinions plainly and without softening them with politically correct drivel. I am beholden to no person, party, or organization, and I reserve the right to endorse or criticize any of the above as I see fit. Comments are welcome, as are emails, but I reserve the right to reply to or ignore either, as I see fit.
With all that said, welcome to Section 31. I hope your stay here will be a pleasant one.
posted by The Director at 5:18 PM
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