Sparks from the Anvil Year End Review

Mike's America is gathering up "favorite posts" that fellow bloggers have done over the past year as an end-of-the-year wrap up. While going through my drivel, I was quite surprised at how many posts I have made that are actually quite good [/narcissism]. I don't consider myself a "citizen journalist". Just a radical center-right moderate, being pushed more and more to the right by the left, who has a place to come to and express his opinion; and a place to relay the news items of the day reported by others, that I think deserve more exposure or scrutiny.

After surfing through the past year's worth of posts, I settled on about 8 that I think are my best. It doesn't mean they are my most important posts. This is a numbered list, where #1 is the least noteworthy, and #8 the most worthwhile.

1. Political Bias - We are all victims to this. I found the article from a liberal commentor who I got along with at Casting Pearls Before Swine, even as we disagreed. It's an important article, because I see the truth of it, all the time. We lean toward believing in anything that supports our side, and are skeptical of anything that doesn't. I am complicit in the bias. I at least, recognize it.
   
2. Asians on a Plane- The only reason why I like this, is because I thought I was pretty creative and current with the times. Not great, but it amused me. And if I don't entertain myself, then I'm not having fun at this blogging business.
3. Erectile Finger Dysfunction- Former President Clinton loses his cool with Chris Wallace. Why is my post so special? Only because of my photo-captioning. Again, not great; not ground-breaking blogging; but amusing to me, nevertheless.
4. Bumperstickers- One of my favorite pastimes, is to take pictures of all the lunatic bumperstickers out there on the road. Why GOD?!? Why?!? WHY?!! Why do moonbats and peace fascists and losers-for-Kerry/Edwards-2-years-after-the-2004-Election insist on advertising their politics with ugly-ass bumperstickers on their vehicles?
5. Heckler Thomas- The venerable old battleax, known as the "First Lady of the White House Press Corp" dukes it out with the President. Now she has Tony Snow to break lances with. But before that, there was this "lighthearted" post, courtesy of Wordsmith.
6. My Ronald Reagan Tribute Post- Mike's America called for Reagan tributes, and Sparks from the Anvil answered that call with a reprint of a letter Reagan wrote to his son, Michael. Tell me that it is not deeply moving, wise, and romantic.
7. America's First War with Islamic Terror- Not exactly; but it certainly beats the revisionist, romanticized, America-self-hating Howard Zinn-colored lens view of our nation's history. This was undoubtedly America's first real war with Islamic militant terror, of the variety we face today. But 200 years ago, our forefathers faced their ancestors, and it's worth noting the words of John Adams: "We ought not to fight them at all, unless we determine to fight them forever."
   
8. 9/11 Tribute Post to David Reed Gamboa-Brandhorst- This might be the most important, worthwhile contribution I could have made to the blogosphere and to the family of David, Daniel, and Ron. For those who had read it in September, you might want to go back and check out the next to last comment made (#56). It's from David's first mom. It is long, and it is passionately written. There is not a newspaper "alive" that has done more than I in bringing you David's story. Joseph Rago miserably disparages blogs; but one advantage (and yes, in some ways, disadvantage too) of reading from a blog, is the fact that there is no editing due to space limitations and constraints. It is interactive, and it can be raw data, unfiltered.
   

While we're at this, can someone please, for the love of mercy, explain to me how this frog fell in this well? Is he going to live in that post, like gollum under the Misty Mountains, for the next several decades?

Finally, I'd like to thank all of my readers and blogging buddies. You folks make it fun. And a special thank you to Curt for inviting me to contribute to Flopping Aces. It's been almost a year.

Feel free to leave links to your own "best of" posts.

Happy New Year, everyone and God bless the Troops!