My first timid steps into the blogosphere

On a whim and due to an off-hand suggestion from my brother (if you're looking for someone to blame for the trainwreck that this will most likely turn out to be, he's your guy), I decided to start a blog today. Having never done this before, I don't know what to tell you, my dear readers, to expect.

If I had to hazard a guess, it might be that this blog of mine will deal mostly with political issues of the day and the random thoughts of a quarter-of-a-century-old "kid" living in America. I'd expect frequent references to "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" (if you don't know where that came from, you're excused and can leave now) and the University of Utah's misguided and confused opinion of the Second Amendment (oh how I wish that the University of Utah administration were the only ones confused and misguided in that regard). I'll probably sprinkle in some of my radical political views (the Founding Fathers and I share some wild ideas about the proper scope and role of government that are absolutely mind-blowing in today's political climate). Since we're in the midst of one of the most exciting elections in decades (full disclosure here: I haven't actually participated in decades of elections, so I guess this is hearsay) I'll probably be commenting on that too.

If you have an affinity for liberalism, the NYT (my apologies for the redundancy), country music, men, etc, then we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, and that's ok. I'd encourage you to take a few small steps outside of your comfort zone (I certainly have to do that when I write this and post it on the Internet for all the world to see) and take the time to read (and give a fair shake to) an opinion that you disagree with. Come and participate in this marketplace of ideas with me (admittedly, my contribution is rather feeble) and see if we can't find some areas of agreement.

By way of disclaimer, I'd just like to say this: The Internet is a marvelous tool that allows me to, among other things, shoot my mouth off late at night, or while filled with emotion, or in nearly-instantaneous responses to the day's events without the usual editing / vetting process that a book or other publication would go through. Because the process (lack of process is probably a better description) involved in posting to a blog may lead me to express some words, ideas, comments, etc. which, upon further reflection, I may decide were unwarranted, I hope you'll accept my apology / retraction should the need arise.

With that said, here goes nothing . . .