the Southern Blogs Ring

I've just joined up with something called the "Southern Blogs," a "ring" of (at the moment) 21 blogs that you can read by clicking on "previous" or "next" in the little box, top of right margin. This is described as "a ring defined by latitude as much as anything; if your blog is south of something, an idea, a state of mind, or even a popularly held misconception then you will probably be comfortable here and most certainly south of where you are at."

My four regular readers will probably think I've finally lost my mind. Their image of me as a father does not include what they probably think of as a "typical Southern male." If that's correct, then we raised them right. I am Southern in the same sense that Kentucky, where I was born, is Southern. Kentucky was a Border State during the war of 1861-1865, when brothers fought brothers. That fits in with my being a Gemini, which means (as we should have learned from our high school's speech and debate class), every issue has at least two sides. As a lawyer, I can argue either side for a fee. As a thinking person, I believe the "truth is out there," hidden in the middle of the bleatings and pontifications of the extreme right and extreme left. I am also Southern in the sense that I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church, but I am now proud to call myself a Methodist ("open hearts, open minds, open doors"), thanks to my beautiful wife of 33 years.

If you are reading this for the first time it must mean you are a member of the "ring," because you can't find this blog using Google. If so, don't expect recipes or gardening tips. I don't even have the recipe for a mint julep. I can't tell you what to expect because I never know what will come out next. This is mainly for our children but sometimes takes on the tone of a letter to the editor. . .a place to vent. I'm a fan of the Devil Rays but a bigger fan of the Red Sox, and I've seen enough of the world to believe the South is a nice place to live but it is not God's Back Forty. I am a Democrat the way Will Rogers was a Democrat. ("I don't belong to an organized political party.") I believe the judge made the only correct decision he could make in the Terri Schiavo case, and I believe conservatives have forgotten what they have historically stood for. I also believe the Red Sox can do it again this year, but the season is still early yet. Stay tuned.