I've been tagged and not by BORF

FYI, the post on my trip to Lake Erie, specifically the Yellowstone connection to my trip is upcoming, but I first must attend to other matters.

I've been tagged by this blogger for the "thinking blogger AWARD,"(click here or on image to the right for proof of the tagging) and I will return the favor to her among the five bloggers that I tag as thinking bloggers. One hopes that the pyramid of thinking blogs runs dry. If there were even two unique blogs tagged for every one, then we'd eventually run out of blogs. Surely, methinks, not every blogger can be a thinking blogger. So, take this with the grain of salt it so richly deserves and see for yourselves whether these bloggers are truly of the thinking variety. And, thinking that these awards will some day end made me wonder about the beginnings - see this as the most likely cause.

I was not tagged by BORF. All you from my town know what I'm talking about.

Anyhow, according to the rules, I'm supposed to come up with five blogs that make me think.


1. Cellular Coyote's Blog by Julie Lehman. Julie is the dearest of friends. If you want a different expression on thoughts that are basically no different than mine, see the infrequent but thought-provoking posts here. Another place to find her, if you know where to look, is right in my blog, often giving some anonymous but poignant commentary on my writings. See for instance, this one in my John Locke and private property series.
2. A Step Apart by skyblu. As a non-meat-eating person who didn't even like squirt guns when I was young, it's no small wonder that I find the posts on this blog, many of them related to Yellowstone, so thought-provoking. I don't always agree, but more often than not, I do, especially on issues related to the strange marriage of monopolistic wealth and environmental correctness (though not always scientific correctness, which lies elsewhere beyond the blaring noise of relentless cheerleading) that has characterized policy throughout the history of Yellowstone and Grand Teton (Rockefeller and Albright should have exchanged wedding vows).
3. National Parks Traveler by Kurt Repanshek (and now also by Jeremy Sullivan - new version just launched; I was commenting from the old.). Kurt tirelessly reports and comments on the national parks. He does so with great care and fairness. You will find a lot of original material and news. I don't know too many people who can draw an audience of park superintendents, rangers, ex-rangers, disgruntled ex-rangers, tourists, conservatives, liberals, and anarchists like mysef into one place.
4. Christian Philosopher Activist by Matt Klempner. Matt was my best friend growing up in the wasteland community of Southeastern Ohio known as Cambridge. Matt writes infrequently to his blog; however, when he does, it's worth reading. I don't always agree with Matt the way I once did, but in him you'll find a special person with gifted intelligence and a very unique perspective. How many very devout Catholics are going to support Barack Obama and attempt to defend themselves on theological grounds? See his blog and the ensuing discussion for more. I don't support Barack Obama or anyone for President, but I admire the effort.
5. Anything by WSQT on DC Indymedia or Beltway Indymedia. WSQT is a pirate radio station that broadcasts live in parts of Washington, DC, on various frequencies. The particular broadcasts are the stuff of local legend. Beyond the mystery, there are some amazing cult classics of propagandist media. You must listen to this uproarious piece on Mark Foley. Remember him? He was the one who quit Congress last year because of advances he made on a page. While funny and outrageous, WSQT pushes the envelope, especially in its unashamed militancy and willingness to do anything against "the enemy," forcing more thoughtful critique and response than seems plausible given the obvious humor value of the broadcasts.

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the memo (and apparently in order to feed the original poster's ego, which isn't always so bad)

3. Optional: Proudly (now is that a thinking person's adverb? even taken sarcastically, the wit at best is cliche) display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

And, remember BORF is not a tagger; BORF is a movement. *snicker*