It's time again for my periodic attempt to provide you with something to read other than my own stuff, on the assumption that there are people out there who have things to say that are both a) more interesting than my posts and b) better written.

My first recommendation this week is The New Moderate, from Rick Bayan, who created the site "as a community for centrist thinkers who are fed up with extremist dogma… fed up with feeling excluded from the national debates on politics, culture and religion… fed up with being fed up!" Couldn't agree more. "We moderates have traditionally been a reticent bunch," he writes, "too mild-mannered and apathetic to jump into the political fray." He aims to change that, and I fully support his efforts.

Up next is First Things, an online magazine published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life whose purpose is to "advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society." The site has both original material and curated posts from other sites. Filled with thoughtful articles written from a conservative perspective, the site has a wealth of excellent writers, and is well worth some of your time.

Finally this week, I offer you Bipartisanshipnow, a blog from Tony Franco, Jr. who asks the question: "How come every time a politician runs for office, part of their stump speech is around breaking the log jam in Washington and partnering with the other side of the aisle to eliminate the partisan bickering that impedes any progress in Congress? They arrive with a spirit of bipartisanship but then very quickly their idea of bipartisanship changes." Good question, and Tony has some strong (and interesting ideas) about it...

Of course, I want you to read my own stuff, too... Here are two recent posts, one on taxes, and one on compromise...

This week, Follow Friday Blogs notes how just about everyone and everything is wrapped up in this election. We're only a couple of days away, and it seems like certain blogs that rarely (if ever) deal in politics have chosen to dip literary toes into those murky waters.  So this week I encourage you to not only visit these recommended blogs, but to spend a little time there reading some of the other diverse (and generally excellent) essays.

I start this week with Carter Library, from Teri Carter, an essayist and short story writer raised in Missouri and now living in northern California.  I ran across her most recent posting  comparing the attack on her political leanings with the same kind of bullying she remembers from the 4th grade. What I found interesting is her "what I could have said" inner dialogue, one that I've had with myself more than once... (BTW:  Not sure if Ms. Carter is on Twitter, so thanks to @BonsaiFan1 for guiding me to this blog.)

My next recommendation is Think About Life from Danise Codekas.  Her paean to Denver ("Denver and Sisyphus") is exquisite, as is her "Stymphalian Birds: A Reminder" (where she blends so many topical and political subjects into one posting that all I could do was relax, sit back and let it happen....).  I also had to go look up Stymphalian Birds... and I thought I was rather well-versed in mythology....

Last up this week is the site for the Forward Institute, "a non-partisan, non-profit progressive think tank for public policy issues in Wisconsin. The Institute combines original, government, and academic research with original message and communication methods to educate and inform the public on critical progressive policies."  While I agree with only some of what I've read here (c.f. "progressive republican), I've found the entries thoughtful, carefully written, and always ready to challenge preconceived notions.

That's it.  Everyone take a deep breath, and will visit again after the elections.  And don't forget to check out my most recent post, here.

Three new blogs this week, with an emphasis on detailed, analytical essays...

First up is The Imaginative Conservative, a site "for those who seek the True, the Good and the Beautiful. We address culture, liberal learning, politics, political economy, literature, the arts and the American Republic..." Here you'll see discussions and analyses that harken back to the great conservative traditions of Kirk, Burke, Nisbet, and Dawson. No casual visit, this, but worth the time.

Next up is the blog for Selling U.S. Out, a book written by J.R. Martin. Martin's site combines news and opinion, and recent entries include commentary on the recent IMF warnings and the debt/trade balance red zone we now find ourselves in. There are also links to excerpts from his book, reviews, etc.

Finally, I encourage you to visit The Pacific Bull Moose, and not just because they recently had kind things to say about The Coffee Party (of which I'm a board member).  This is one of the few places I've seen completely dedicated to the kind of Republican thinking I so identify with. I love their concept of "the radical center."

This week's #FollowFriday blogs follow my more traditional sensibilities. I offer political opinion from a few different perspectives.

First up is The Political Garbage Chute, which dubs itself "a Politcalocalypse," a largely unprounceable portmanteau, the meaning of which is nevertheless clear.  I was attracted to the site because of this entry on the possible death of the GOP, an opinion which in many ways mirrors my own.

Up next we go across the water for The Raccoon Arms (an alternate but still correct spelling, by the way, so please don't send nasty emails...). The site comes from Anna Raccoon (otherwise known as Susanne Cameron-Blackie), sometimes "aided and abetted" by others. There is a ton of interesting stuff here, but I have to admit that I was first drawn to the political poetry section.  You MUST check out the lyrics for Whine On, You Crazy Diamond!

Finally this week is Plunderbund, founded by Eric Vessels and introduced to me by "crew member" Lauren Michelle Kinsey.  It's "all politics" and "all Ohio."  That's interesting right around now because, well... can you say "swing state?" (Actually, there's a fair bit of national politics as well.) The stuff here is carefully and thoughtfully written.  Plus, how can you resist a title like "Money Boo Boo lands Ohio Republicans in deep Mitt?"

And, as always, please check out my latest post, here.  This week, I apologized to all my readers....

While #FFBlogs are

becoming occasional rather than a rigorous weekly ritual, I do still keep an eye out for the interesting, thoughtful, provocative, and--sometimes--strange in an attempt to share them with you every now

and then.  So here I am back with three new sites worth a few minutes of your time.

First up is A Plain Blog About Politics from Jonathan Bernstein. Jonathan is "a political scientist blogging about American politics, especially the presidency, Congress, parties, and elections."  He

provides straightforward analysis largely free of spin, and takes the time to look at the always-present gray areas inside every issue. I particularly like his Yoda-voiced reminder to "read stuff, you should."

Next up is DC Dispatches, a combination of blog and re-blog from Philip H., an oceanographer from W'ton D.C. (Full disclosure: my blog is on his "The Blogs I Like" list, so I'm a little biased....)  As a scientist, he provides a fair bit of conversation on the intersection between science and politics, a subject I find important as well.

Finally this week... if you have a world of time and a wide interest in all things politics, you might check out the political forum over at The Hornet Zone.  A traditional forum site, it's true, but I've found that it seems to attract a thoughtful crowd, and seems short on much of the attack-and-spin rhetoric I find in many other places.

Enjoy!  See you in a couple of weeks!

(And, as always, check out my latest posts here.)

This week's selections for Follow Friday Blogs all share two key elements: they voice strong opinions and beliefs, and they remain very civil. It's actually a bit scary to realize how difficult it can sometimes be to find both those qualities in a single blog...

First up is Honor in Office, an organization founded by Jerrol LeBaron. The organization's goal, according to their subhead is "Putting integrity and honor back into politics." The organization wants us to hold our elected leaders accountable... even for things as numbingly obvious as creating legislation that everyone actually reads before voting on!

My next selection is the Belief Blog over at CNN, which came to my attention through the Akin brouhaha (which I've written about here). This is one of the few places I've found where you can find every opinion from every viewpoint--and it's always professional presented. A good one-stop source for all things faithful.

My third site is Spark Sense, from Annabel Park, co-founder of the Coffee Party. Annabel is most interested in preserving our democracy, and she focuses her work on what you and I can do (as opposed to, say Sheldon Adelsen and George Soros) to preserve and encourage true democracy.  Her insights are always worth reading.

That's it: see you next week... or maybe after Labor Day......

Michael

Thanks for checking out these blogs, and don't forget to read my recent entries as well.

Michael

Earlier this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings about the impact of money on our political process.  Since this subject is both timely and a key interest of mine (and of the CoffeePartyUSA, of which I am an Editorial Board member and weekly radio host), I've decided to focus this week's blog recommendations on the issue.

First up is the site for Rootstrikers, founded by Lawrence Lessig of Harvard University. Rootstrikers calls itself "a network of activists fighting the corrupting influence of money in politics. Lessig and his team have created a vibrant community around this issue, and the site provides a variety of thoughtful and provocative articles.

Next up is The Money Tale, the blog hosted over at FollowTheMoney.org. This site has an interesting take on the topic, focusing on specific instances where money in politics has impacted specific legislative actions and/or communities, allowing us to see what money came from where, and how it may have been used to influence important decisions.

Finally this week, I recommend a visit to Maplight, a site that is focused on "revealing money's influence on politics." The site has a variety of areas that cover interest groups, contributions, companies, etc., but the one I found most fascinating was the "Bills in the News" section where you can see the proportion of money spent to either support or oppose a particular position.  While the site isn't really a blog, I was impressed enough with the info provided to list it here as well.

That's it for this week, except to say that each of these sites has quite a few links to other sites as well, so if this topic is important to you, there are plenty of places to get information.

Oh, and feel free to check out my recent posting as well!

This week I'm only presenting a bit of politics, deferring instead to things that I found particularly interesting or celebrative. The reason for this? I have no idea.  Perhaps it's that I've had a very busy week and felt lazier than normal, or that the country has had a very busy week and I've decided to aim for diversion instead of seriousness.

Whatever.

First up is a site that I find hard to describe; I'm short any single word that works, so have decided on the slash motif. Hyperbole and a Half is amusing/diverting/poignant/absurd in roughly equal amounts (though one could argue on doubling the "absurd"). From Allie Brosh, the site's artwork alone is worth the visit.

Next is The Amendment Gazette, a simple, single, go-to place to see what the citizen movements are doing in the quest for Constitutional Amendments.  Here you'll fine info on the currently popular Move to Amend (aimed at Citizens United), along with the Human Rights Amendment, cogent analysis, and, in an unusual display of balance in today's adversarial climate, a section for rebuttals.  The site is run by Paul Westlake.

And, finally, twelve minutes and thirteen seconds of pure joy and amazement for any guitar player, or anyone who enjoys guitar virtuousity.  Suggested to me by friend (and Words With Friends opponent) Gary Gertz, check out this video over at Dad's Big Plan: 100 Riffs (A Brief History of Rock and Roll). One guy, one take, 100 memorable guitar riffs. 

Today, the first Friday of (official) summer, is also the last day of a heat wave here in New England, one that, for me, has been both literal and metaphorical.

The metaphorical heat wave happened over at Taki, where my recent article spurred quite a bit of readership--and controversy.  The theme: the need to regain rational, logical political conversation. The responses: both rational and logical and... not so much.

So, to that end, this week's FFBlogs are aimed at rationality--good writing fueling good discussion in the political arena. Here's hoping you agree...

First is frameshop, from Jeffrey Feldman, where some really cogent writing suffers only from the rarity of his posts. I particularly like his most recent, Unstoppable."  Take a look at his tweets, too, where his humor surfaces, as in this one: "The only problem with Tucker Carlson is that Tucker Carlson is still Tucker Carlson."

Next up is Dr. Sanity from Patricia Santy, a board-certified psychiatrist and former NASA flight surgeon.  Her takes on politics and economics (see, for example, her post on SuperMegaHyper Denial) are engaging and literary, with just enough tongue in cheek...but not too much.

The third recommendation this week is the website of Counter-Currents Publishing, which posts articles and opinion pieces on its home page. I found out about it from a fan of the CoffeePartyUSA FB page and was immediately attracted to the way it provides numerous voices through numerous avenues.

That's it for this week; as always, check out my latest blog on this site's Home Page.