The missing links

Over the last week I found much to my chagrin that I have to change some of my links because the URL’s were removed. Occasionally this does happen but it’s unusual to have such a large number in such a short time.

Before I go on with my story I think I need to note that, for having such a small population compared to the rest of the states of Maryland and Delaware, our little area that boasts maybe 300,000 people if I stretch the boundaries a little bit may have one of the best blogging scenes for a community of its population in the country. Since I happen to be number one on the influence meter this week, it makes 8 straight weeks an Eastern Shore blog has topped that list, likely because there’s no shortage of controversy here yet we can also put in our two cents on the doings in Annapolis and just down the road in Washington D.C.

And it’s not like these little wars haven’t gone on for quite awhile. Because I was there fairly close to the beginning I’m sort of a self-appointed historian on Eastern Shore blogging and I’ve played referee before as this post attests. Yes, the last line still applies, especially after last week.

Returning to point, my linkings were scrambled because of the order by one local blogger for certain local bloggers which offended him to remove their sites under pain of legal action, a threat that was sliced, diced, and made into Julienne fries by Tim at Gunpowder Chronicle. Some of them have returned and the rest of the links I’ve revised to their new locations. Having been on the receiving end of some of this gentleman’s barbs, I can understand the reasons that several bloggers have taken offense to his methods and attitude.

I’m also grateful to many of these folks who came to my defense when they felt I was being wronged, and as one effort to repay them I’m taking up an invitation I received by the webmaster of the site Pro-Maryland Gazette to contribute. This will be my first crosspost with them, but unlike my frequent posting on Red Maryland these forays to PMG will be limited to the occasional times I check into the local blogging scene. Well, at least I hope they’re limited after I finish this post tonight.

Unlike the many political issues I see in black and white, because of the number of personalities involved there’s a whole lot of gray area. Does Salisbury News always get it right? No, but when he and his associates stick to straight-up reporting and maintain a reasonable amount of fact-checking before running with the post, Joe Albero’s site can be a pretty good resource for local breaking news. (Someone needs to get Joe a roster for the Shorebirds reporting though.) Where most of the detractors tend to disagree are the times when certain personalities and groups are undeservedly brought under fire because they’re perceived to be allies of a particular group Albero is at odds with over issues that weren’t necessarily resolved to his satisfaction several years ago. (Either that or they’re competing BlogNetNews bloggers – sometimes the rivalry’s not so friendly.) And these detractors who make their own valid points diminish their argument when they get too personal or allow attacks via post comments that aren’t really on point but serve solely to trash the target.

While the whole lot of you may think the other side started the argument, I hope you agree it’s beneath all of you to bring it down to the level that it’s gotten to.

However – and it’s one large “however” – we still have a set of court cases to deal with, ones on the docket or threatened to be. While Albero threatened legal action against some of those he deemed to be prime offenders, he’s on the receiving end of two lawsuits brought by local figures who he allegedly offended, cases that are winding their way through local courts. It’s an interesting conundrum – if Albero loses both cases because he’s been judged to have unfairly smeared the characters of the plaintiffs, it gives him ammunition to use in turn against those he’s felt have done the same to him. But if Albero successfully defends himself it weakens any case he could bring against those like “Straight Shooter” of Off The Cuff.

All that being said, I’ve decided to reverse a long-standing philosophy I’ve had of not linking to those sites which don’t link to mine. Obviously I’m not going to have many of the national sites I link to return the favor, at least until I do something they notice. On that score I keep plugging away, but as far as local blogs I’ve decided that the best way for people to judge who’s right and who’s wrong is to go ahead and let them read all the sites for themselves. So what I’ve tried to do is add whatever links I needed to cover both the sites of those who contribute to Salisbury News (some of whom I already had anyway) and some of those who have billed themselves the “Pro-Maryland” bloggers. With two exceptions these will be under the category of “Delmarva bloggers” (The No BS Zone and Maryland Politics Today will be in the “Bloglist” because they’re from the Western Shore.)

So my readers should give both sides a fair reading; meanwhile both sides should bring up the level of discourse and give up on acting like little children. I don’t care who started it, now it’s high time all this “I’m gonna sue you” bullshit finished.

Crossposted on Pro-Maryland Gazette, and if Salisbury News wants to repost this in its entirety Joe has my permission.

By the way, I’m skipping the usual afternoon post tomorrow because this needs to stay on top for maximum exposure.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer. View all posts by Michael