We have set a new record for views at Prairie Populists and Progressives. The previous record, set this past January was 20,200. For the month of May, we had 20,742 views.
I would like to personally thank all of you for helping to keep Steven’s pet project alive.
Periodically, Steven would ask the assembled masses here at Pop Blog for comments and suggestions to improve our humble little blog, as he frequently referred to it. I am going to do the same.
What say ye? Do you have some thoughts about Pop Blog?
By the way, the lunatics in the title refers to me and quite possibly Fnord, although I am not absolutely sure about that!
William Stephenson Clark
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
One word that comes to mind is “tolerance “ we can come here and with few real restrictions can speak our mind. Or discuss things that may reach to the outer limits of things.
Certainly I have found tolerance of my thought and of course for the most part my thoughts are not so out of the others here so it is easy.
Likewise seldom do I run into anything here I have any problem tolerating.
Welcoming is another word that comes to mind when thinking about P.P.
Even if it is someone not known their voice and opinion is listen to and only when it is apparent that their intent is to upset. Is anything said or are they banished from posting here.
Reasoned opposing opinion is welcomed.
I sometimes compare our humble little blog to the the group of the average ‘nice’ kids in high school.
Remember those kids? They were the ones that were not the most popular kids but they were the glue of the school.
Without average people who strive to be nice and tolerant, our society would soon go down in flames.
The two radical sides of any society can never actually make a society work by themselves – it takes that glue to keep it all together.
This is probably why each election depends on the independents and moderates to actually select our elected officials.
Independents and moderates only get heavily courted after the primaries – have you noticed?
But in the case of the current GOP – I don’t think any independent or moderate in either party feel particularly welcome at this point in time. But just wait until after their primary, then these same GOPPERS will do a 180 degree turn and try to court the very people they tried to litmus test out of being a ‘real’ American.
I feel just the same way, tstb! I know everyone here cherishes human differences — we don’t just tolerate, we welcome and embrace them. It would be a really boring world if everyone was like me. I would never need to stretch my imagination, never need to question my opinions (thus never test them!), and wouldn’t have a chance to learn and see from another perspective. Although we’re closer in our political persuasions there are definite differences (like I’m a fan of President Obama, PrairiePond not so much). When you move along to other life experiences that made each of us who we are, we represent some diversity and we have so many experiences to teach one another.
It’s a good place to be.
One thing we have going for us is the ability to state our opinions without insulting a differing one. It’s difficult to expect anyone to listen past an insult. (“Listen butt face I’m in no mood to deal with an idiot like you,” doesn’t put many in a listening mode.)
How much of our ability to offer dignity to one another comes from the fact that we know and trust each other? Could this have been achieved with anonymity? I don’t think so, but I wonder what others think.
You all know that I was in the past a registered Republican because their philosophy more closely matched mine. Today I’m a registered Republican so I can vote for a couple of people in contested primary contests. The Republican Party that once attracted me doesn’t exist today. And, I’m getting a little sick of the Democratic Party too. There isn’t a fiscally conservative party anywhere but I agree more with where the democrats spend than where the republicans do. As long as the social conservatives have a desire to legislate their morality, I will fight against them. It’s taken a long time for the discussion to get around to civil rights for all, and I certainly won’t help the people who want to go backwards instead of forward!
Howdy folks. Congrads on the new record.
Do you know what I find most ironic abut our ‘record’ months?
The last record month was the month the WEBloggers finally found us and decided another blog was totally worthy of their interest so talked about us a lot and generated a bunch of ‘hits.’
This newest record was the month of Steven’s death, and guess who once again accounted for the increased ‘hits’?
To the question Will posed — I like PPPs exactly the way it is, lots of variety in the topics, a comfortable and welcoming place to find folks to visit with. Every suggestion is a good one and the way to get a really good idea is to get a lot of ideas. We’ve done great in our first 14 months!
I was wondering about that myself.
A few of them are are like a bunch of gossipy old church women – they are not happy unless they are peeking into someone else’s window to see what is going on and then run back to their pathetic little group to ‘report’.
In a way, I pity them. There are enough blogs in this world to participate and share ideas. If you don’t like it somewhere, there really is no reason to peek into the windows like some perverted Peeping Tom.
Well, one thought I had – maybe ya’ll will like it – is for a few “permanent” threads, say music and books, maybe movies, too.
Just a thought.
I don’t even know what you mean by permanent. 😉 But I like the idea of talking about music, books and movies.
My thought was that we have a few threads in the header for recipes and fiction. Perhaps some here might be interested in a few threads like that on other subjects.
I would love to see one on music.
Here I go, being an eviiilll stewpid libaruhl — making a nice uncomplicated suggestion as complicated as possible…
Would the comments get lost? I forget about those words at the top until I see that a comment has been made — jammer made one today to ‘recipes.’ If I’m gone or not checking often and all the unread comments aren’t listed at the sides I might miss them.
And if they became very popular they would also get very long. Do you have a supply of scroll grease you’re hoping to make a profit on? Ya know, they say always follow the money.
You mean something like a book club? Maybe pick a book we could all read at the same time and then discuss?
As for movies and music – maybe discuss the different genres at various times?
That sounds good.
As for making them permament threads – maybe we could pre-schedule these topics for the week?
I can usually keep up with the different threads in a week’s period – if it goes too much beyond that, I have a hard time remembering what topics were up for discussion.
I know I only drop in on occasion, but I think this is a wonderful place. Instead of ‘where everyone knows your name,’ it’s like ‘where everyone will listen and give you a fair hearing and comment based on the merits of what you say.’
Plus, I like that I don’t have to argue through a bunch of…anything. The prevailing winds here fill my sails.
While I live on the east coast, my mother is from Kansas, so I have been there many times. I think that gives me a sense of connection that I might otherwise might not have. Plus, I grew up in a fairly conservative area of the midwest, so I know what it’s like to feel like a lonely voice.
This place, to me, feels like a bit of ‘shelter from the storm.’
Thanks to all.
You sure brighten our day when you do drop in! What nice things you say, and say so well.
Yes, Kansas. Well you already know so I don’t need to go into it. 😉 We lonely voices are happy we found each other. Then to have someone like you is a special gift — icing on the cake!
“Shelter from the storm.” Yeah. Some days this blog and my friends here are my only shelter.
Yeah, I know that’s pathetic, but it’s nice to have some refuge from the conservative hell that rains down here daily.
“We lonely voices are happy we found each other. ”
Ditto, fnord. Mega dittos.
“I sometimes compare our humble little blog to the the group of the average ‘nice’ kids in high school.”
HA!!!!
If you all are the nice kids, I assure you, I am the James Dean of this high school. Rough on the outside, tough talking, and crazy on the edges.
Oh yeah. And I drive insanely fast too! heeeeee
Ah, so now I have a sense of what to expect from you if I can make it to Steven’s celebration of life on June 12th?
We all need a little James Dean in our lives – don’t we?
I think this blog also reflects Steven’s personality. Tolerance, intellectual curiosity, fact seeking, bullshit shunning, strength of conviction, and warm acceptance for those who drop their pretenses.
Oh yeah, humor and music too. And love. He loved his family, his kids, and us. And we all returned it. We return it daily on this blog.
All those things are how I remember Steven. This blog is a good remembrance of all the things he was, and still is, to us and this blog.
…and have I mentioned that I miss him? I wish I knew how his kids, his mother, his family and r/l friends are doing. I’d sure like to talk more with his most recent ex wife. I think of her often and wonder how she’s coping.
I still find it hard to remember that Steven is gone. It was just so sudden. Sometimes I expect to see his avatar pop up but I know that he is gone. But I also know he is not forgotten.
Steven did a good thing when he started this blog. I wonder if he ever really knew how much he did for others?