What should we call it?

A friend from the old neighborhood wants to start a blog to discuss
"serious thoughts about the world we live in and how people can help change it and make it better"
yeah him and a hundred others.
I've already been told that I can't be relied upon to help come up with a professional sounding title but maybe readers here can help him come up with a sufficiently pretentious name.

Quiet Please

Reading about A.N.S.W.E.R.'s anti-war protest scheduled for Sept 24 in Washington, I was sure that protestwarrior.com would stage their own counter protest. I am encouraged to see the Anti-war movement be challenged, but am disappointed to see arguments for the War or even those arguments against, both reduced to chants. I'm currently entertaining the notion of going to the protest with a sign that simply reads "stop shouting." If anyone wants to know my views on the War they will have to ask,.. nicely. Perhaps even I should print yellow cards that warn "You are not communicating effectively" and red cards that read "Authorities will be notified" to be given to the most belligerent of participants.

Duty is rarely pleasant

While, we often celebrate those great people that are able to write their histories over the world's history, there is also a collection of good people that have history written over them. In my own state I recall the stories of friendship between the Creek Red Stick leader, Red Eagle and the militiaman Sam Dale. And now in Isreal Major General Dan Harel expresses his admiration of settlers that he will nevertheless remove. BTW I think disengagement is a mistake, but good soldiering is to be admired.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtDisengagement.jhtml?itemNo=612891&contrassID=23&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0

Settlement = Homes

I must confess the term Israeli settlement conjured in my mind a few trailers behind concertina wire populated by Jewish Dale Gribbles. A truer nature of those being displaced by disengagement can be seen in the link below.
http://www.machonmeir.org.il/leumi/sakin_balev_english_300.wmv

Argue the Issue, not the Antogonist

There seems a backlash occurring against criticism of Western culture. While I feel this is deserved and long overdue, the West's ability to self criticize and be criticized has played no small part in its rise to preeminence in the world. In fact I think the success of the rising backlash against those overly critical of Western Civilization is due to Western Civilization's quick adaptation to criticism. If we are wrong then we wish to correct it, that simple. That has often meant that wrongs committed by Western governments have been given disproportionate attention. Exactly because we will listen and evaluate the claims. I don't see why this should change. I get a chuckle when haters of Western Civilization find themselves advancing against positions long since vacated. What should change is the double standard with which too much latitude is given foreign cultures. For too long tolerance has been confused with acceptance.

Why would anyone give me a blog?

I argue with myself enough already, but then as Socrates said an "unexamined life is not worth living." But then what about constant self critism can be considered "living." But then, thats enough buts. I stumbled into this wanting to post on a site that only allowed other bloggers. I am somewhat daunted and felt challenged by the idea of having a place to be instantly published. Somewhat humbled and comforted by the fact that I will surely be lost in the crowd. But in case I have anything important to say, I suppose I have now some place in the world to say it.