Enough Already

I realize that you are probably just as sick of hearing people kvetch about rain as you are of the rain itself. Still, you have to admit that this has gotten to be a bit ridiculous.

Then again, it could be worse.

So instead of bemoaning the wet season I’ll just share this one minute of rain from my porch this afternoon. Maybe it will provide some comfort later, the in the hot, hazy and humid days of midsummer. For now I’ll bemoan something else, like attribution, or the lack thereof.

In the Letters section in Explore Howard today, Diane Juray from Long Reach quoted this blog almost verbatim, only instead of attributing the quote she identified the source as a “reported blogger.”

Okay, which of you reported me?

Perhaps she missed the Creative Commons license at the bottom of the screen. No matter, even though she was obviously unimpressed with Tales of Two Cities, it was what she wrote after my quote that made question her grasp of reality.

I found one reported blogger's comments especially disturbing: that "He (Dyer) wants everything to be open, and sometimes open meetings are the least honest discussions boards can have. Closed-door meetings are where things get done, because there's no posturing for the public." There is something seriously wrong if our elected representatives are not open and forthright before their constituents. What kind of example is the school board setting for our students?

Oh Diane, what is it like in your world?

Seriously, when was the last time you spoke with an elected official?

Personally, I have fairly regular public and private conversations with some of our local electeds. Public conversations tend to be more measured than forthright. Private conversations tend to be more candid.

Notice I make the distinction between electeds and politicos. Politicos not in office can be candid and forthright in public until they actually get in office.

In the meantime Diane, how about setting an example for "our students" when writing Letters to the Editor by attributing the things you quote. It will serve them well in college.