My first post

There was a time when I thought of myself as a writer. And as a consultant in the private sector, I used to send out a daily message to my subscribers — my thoughts and observations about things. Kind of a blog, I guess, but tied in with a call to action of some sort.

Then a few years ago, I moved out of the private sector and into politics, and the professional motivation to maintain the newsletter wasn't there anymore, so I stopped writing.

But I've watched the blogosphere expand like ripples on still water, and have begun to feel like writing again. I never stopped having ideas that felt worth sharing, but my motivation for sharing them changed.

And the identity thing has been holding me back. Do I use my real name, or do I adopt some pseudonym that will allow me to say what I think without having to worry about consequences? I work in politics. What if some of my ideas conflict with those of my leader, or my employer or others whose support I may want, to further my professional goals and objectives? If I post openly, will I have to censor myself?

This (the March 22nd post) and this helped me make up my mind. You don't have to like Warren Kinsella, and you don't have to agree with him, but he is unapologetically who he is and that takes guts.

Perhaps one of the most disappointing things about the manner in which the blogosphere has evolved is that because it's incredibly easy to be anonymous, there are few (if any) consequences to saying whatever you want. You can mock or ridicule others, you can promulgate outrageous lies, you can falsify your identity in order to have cybersex with 13-year-olds. You can do all these things because you don't have to look anyone in the eye and own your ideas and your actions.

"Scooter" or "Mark Bourie" or whoever he is is entitled to his opinions of Mr. Kinsella. But he's a coward for hiding his identity when he shares them and engages others to do the same. Life is about choices and consequences, something Mr. Kinsella knows all too well and which Scooter seems to lack the emotional maturity to understand.

And of course, having said all that, this blog isn't about Warren Kinsella or Scooter, except inasmuch as I thank them both for pushing me to get back out writing again, and to do it as myself.

In my old newsletter, I used to call on readers to take some sort of action, but motivating others is no longer the express purpose of my writings. Okay, maybe it is a little bit. But the only person whose action I can direct is my own. So here's my commitment to action: I'll share my ideas and work with the consequences. Like me or not, agree with me or not, it'll be who I am.