Thanks for reading, as always

I wrote a very short piece on net neutrality the other day and MinnPost ran it in their "Blog Cabin" feature. I was very amused by the responses I received there, which were in the main earnest and predictably outraged. I wrote a response to the responses (warning -- this is going to get a little meta), which I'm republishing here. I assume this comment will go through their moderation and eventually appear on the site, although it's not up as I post this. I've decided to offer it here because it's actually worth reminding people about why we (well, mostly Benster and me these days) operate this blog:

Glad you all enjoyed, or didn't enjoy, what was intended as an observation, not a full-blown argument, concerning net neutrality. A couple of points:

I have no dog in this fight, nor any great love for Comcast. I rather dislike them, actually -- hence the "mild profanity."

The point I'm making about New Brighton politicians is that they do have a voice in granting franchises. There's a pretty good chance that we will have a new cable provider/ISP serving our area soon, because the local commission may not choose to go with the successor company to Comcast -- my understanding is that Comcast is going to have to divest certain markets because of their pending merger. And that's the point -- to the extent that I, like most people, get my internet service from a de facto monopoly, I'd prefer to have that oversight of the monopoly take place at a level that's closer to me. Your mileage may vary.

Finally, I don't write for MinnPost, so whatever standards readers might envision for MinnPost don't enter into my thought process or approach. I never know when, or what, MinnPost chooses to publish from my blog. I am grateful that MinnPost does run my posts from time to time, since the MinnPost audience is significantly larger than the small but loyal readership I have on my own blog. To its credit, MinnPost is offering a conservative voice in what is largely a center-left format. And I'm happy to be a piñata for y'all. If I can get MinnPost a few extra clicks by offering a contrarian view, that's good for everyone. I'm not a member of the StarTribune alumni association that works for this website, nor am I attempting to be a professional journalist or pundit. There's a reason why my blog name uses the term dilettante; I have no interest in being comprehensive or definitive. I'm just offering my take on things.

I've been at this for nearly nine years and we have over 4,300 posts on the blog. I end up writing about politics more often than anything else, because political power and its uses are the greatest threats to my liberties. I harbor no illusions about the larger meaning of this blog; it's a spit in the ocean. It's worth doing because we can, and do, reach people. And that's good enough.