Where All the Important Bloggers Will Be

Posted on | September 9, 2010 | 48 Comments

FreedomWorks made sure that only the very best bloggers were invited to speak at this weekend’s conference:

Erick Erickson, Matt Kibbe, Steven Crowder, Stephen Kruiser, Mary Katharine Ham, Melissa Clouthier, John Hawkins, Jim Hoft, Bill Whittle, Steve Green, Scott Ott, Matt Lewis, Caleb Brown, Will Lutz, Philip Klein, Lee Doren, Jason Mattera, Cord Blomquist, Max Pappas, Ace of Spades, Caleb Howe, Lori Ziganto and IowaHawk.

You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?

As much as I’d like to absorb valuable knowledge from professionals who actually know how to do good blogging — to study at the feet of the masters, as it were — there is the problem of transportation. (I’m pretty sure it was Erik Telford who sent that deer to attack my car.)

Mrs. Other McCain says I’d have to rent a car for the weekend and I certainly don’t know enough about blogging to figure out how to pay for a rental car, do I?

Comments

48 Responses to “Where All the Important Bloggers Will Be”

Pun Intended: Freedom Works At Blog Con « The Camp Of The Saints
September 9th, 2010 @ 10:52 am

[…] believe Stacy McCain is hoping to attend, as […]
Bob Belvedere
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:54 pm

That’s all right, Stacy: we’re chopped liver and, fortunately, chopped liver has no feelings.
Bob Belvedere
September 9th, 2010 @ 10:54 am

That’s all right, Stacy: we’re chopped liver and, fortunately, chopped liver has no feelings.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 3:02 pm

Please go stompping for the John Dennis campaign when you are there Stacy.

Taking that seat would be freaking huge and it actually seems possible. Recent internal polls show that the district is trending more towards John Dennis. 20-30% of Dems in the district are going for him over Pelosi.

FYI, this probably the only time YOU can switch CA-8 realistically.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 11:02 am

Please go stompping for the John Dennis campaign when you are there Stacy.

Taking that seat would be freaking huge and it actually seems possible. Recent internal polls show that the district is trending more towards John Dennis. 20-30% of Dems in the district are going for him over Pelosi.

FYI, this probably the only time YOU can switch CA-8 realistically.
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 3:03 pm

Speaking of chopped liver, Stacy, we’re conspicuous in our absinthe in the Friends of RightNetwork section at the bottom of the page.
Is the hand of Allahpundit against us?
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 11:03 am

Speaking of chopped liver, Stacy, we’re conspicuous in our absinthe in the Friends of RightNetwork section at the bottom of the page.
Is the hand of Allahpundit against us?
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

Erick Erickson, Matt Kibbe, Steven Crowder, Stephen Kruiser, Mary Katharine Ham, Melissa Clouthier, John Hawkins, Jim Hoft, Bill Whittle, Steve Green, Scott Ott, Matt Lewis, Caleb Brown, Will Lutz, Philip Klein, Lee Doren, Jason Mattera, Cord Blomquist, Max Pappas, Ace of Spades, Caleb Howe, Lori Ziganto and IowaHawk.

Please get them blogging for John Dennis.

XOXO’s
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 11:04 am

Erick Erickson, Matt Kibbe, Steven Crowder, Stephen Kruiser, Mary Katharine Ham, Melissa Clouthier, John Hawkins, Jim Hoft, Bill Whittle, Steve Green, Scott Ott, Matt Lewis, Caleb Brown, Will Lutz, Philip Klein, Lee Doren, Jason Mattera, Cord Blomquist, Max Pappas, Ace of Spades, Caleb Howe, Lori Ziganto and IowaHawk.

Please get them blogging for John Dennis.

XOXO’s
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 3:31 pm

@Smitty
That is odd…What would Allahpundit have to do with TOM being off list?
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 11:31 am

@Smitty
That is odd…What would Allahpundit have to do with TOM being off list?
Red
September 9th, 2010 @ 3:33 pm

Funny you should ask. I’ll be packing while riding out the rest of my notice at work.
Red
September 9th, 2010 @ 11:33 am

Funny you should ask. I’ll be packing while riding out the rest of my notice at work.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:02 pm

@Smitty

Just checked: TOM is ON the list now.

@Rob

For a sec i thought even a network of raving wingnut bloggers were wary of associating with a “white supre-macist” blogger. And assumed Charles Johnson was to be blamed more than a more sensitive conservative bloggers like Allahpundit for RSM being off the friend list.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 12:02 pm

@Smitty

Just checked: TOM is ON the list now.

@Rob

For a sec i thought even a network of raving wingnut bloggers were wary of associating with a “white supre-macist” blogger. And assumed Charles Johnson was to be blamed more than a more sensitive conservative bloggers like Allahpundit for RSM being off the friend list.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:07 pm

@waylay
There will always be that minority that believes that Obama is Muslim, just like some people believe Stacy is a white supremacist.

Anyway…speaking about religion…what’s your take on the Terry Jones? Yahoo! says some 700 Afgans are already rioting…be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the Middle East.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 12:07 pm

@waylay
There will always be that minority that believes that Obama is Muslim, just like some people believe Stacy is a white supremacist.

Anyway…speaking about religion…what’s your take on the Terry Jones? Yahoo! says some 700 Afgans are already rioting…be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the Middle East.
JSF
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:16 pm

RS,

Give Matt Kibbe my regards.
JSF
September 9th, 2010 @ 12:16 pm

RS,

Give Matt Kibbe my regards.
Pat
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:20 pm

Those are the one’s, of whom, I call the establishment Bloggers. They’re the people who generate the propaganda. All the while collected checks from the special interest groups who pay them though back door deals.

They might be doing will, by they’re just dishonest hacks.

Screw ’em. Do your thing man… and let them people do theirs.
Pat
September 9th, 2010 @ 12:20 pm

Those are the one’s, of whom, I call the establishment Bloggers. They’re the people who generate the propaganda. All the while collected checks from the special interest groups who pay them though back door deals.

They might be doing will, by they’re just dishonest hacks.

Screw ’em. Do your thing man… and let them people do theirs.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:44 pm

@Rob

Anyway…speaking about religion…what’s your take on the Terry Jones?

I say Pastor Jones makes a good start in the right direction….burn all the fuckers…

Pastor Jones had the right idea but add in the bible, the guru granth sahib(of the Sikhs) and all the other books written by men to enslave the minds and bodies of others…

If Jones was fair-minded enough to be an equal opportunity destroyer, it might not be a bad idea at all.

Yahoo! says some 700 Afgans are already rioting…be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the Middle East.

In many South Asian underdeveloped countries people (generally exploited by their governments) just need an ‘excuse’ to riot. Just to let out their frustrations in some form or other. With enough demagoguery on a given social, political, regional or religious issue, this happens all the while even in a country like India. Burning effigies, pelting stones and destruction of public property is all too common. I just hope the international media gives the proper cultural context when they collectively decide to cover a particular protest (adding more fuel to the said act the btw) for the consumption of their respective domestic audience.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 12:44 pm

@Rob

Anyway…speaking about religion…what’s your take on the Terry Jones?

I say Pastor Jones makes a good start in the right direction….burn all the fuckers…

Pastor Jones had the right idea but add in the bible, the guru granth sahib(of the Sikhs) and all the other books written by men to enslave the minds and bodies of others…

If Jones was fair-minded enough to be an equal opportunity destroyer, it might not be a bad idea at all.

Yahoo! says some 700 Afgans are already rioting…be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the Middle East.

In many South Asian underdeveloped countries people (generally exploited by their governments) just need an ‘excuse’ to riot. Just to let out their frustrations in some form or other. With enough demagoguery on a given social, political, regional or religious issue, this happens all the while even in a country like India. Burning effigies, pelting stones and destruction of public property is all too common. I just hope the international media gives the proper cultural context when they collectively decide to cover a particular protest (adding more fuel to the said act the btw) for the consumption of their respective domestic audience.
William
September 9th, 2010 @ 4:52 pm

Didn’t Stephen stop blogging entirely this year?
William
September 9th, 2010 @ 12:52 pm

Didn’t Stephen stop blogging entirely this year?
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 5:29 pm

@Rob

I’m absolutely with the atheist blogger, professor PZ Myers–who has in the past tore pages from Koran (among other things), put them in a trash can and posted the pic on his blog(see: The Great Desecration)–of the Scienceblogs here:

Setting the Koran on fire, vs. setting personal liberties on fire

“President Obama, you’re a damned fool.

What are you going to do, send in the national guard to prevent Terry Jones’ congregation from destroying their own private property? Will there be new legislation to list items that may not be treated disrespectfully? Shall we surrender a few more liberties because religious zealots are threatening us? Obama can do nothing and should do nothing; he accomplishes nothing by complaining about it, other than being part of the mob confirming the madness of the defenders of faith.

And to suggest that some guy burning a book in a remote land will incite more anti-American sentiment is absurd. We’ve got drones buzzing over Iraq and Afghanistan killing people with a push of a button; we’ve got an armed force occupying those countries; we have bombed their infrastructure into rubble. We’ve killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims. And now we’re to believe that their love of the West will be suddenly devastated by a video of paper burning on youtube? Get a grip, man.

The United States does have an obligation to protect the basic and fundamental rights of all Americans, and that includes allowing them to burn their own property, in addition to allowing them to practice the religion of their choice.

Here’s a hint for appropriate responses. When someone tells you it’s an outrage to burn a bible or a Koran, shrug your shoulders and say, “So what? It’s their own book.” When someone announces that they are going to riot and murder because they are offended, look at them like they’re insane, and explain that offending someone is not a capital crime.

The problem isn’t a few books being burned; that’s not a crime, and it doesn’t diminish anyone else’s personal freedoms. The problem is a whole fleet of deranged wackaloons, including the president of the USA in addition to raving fundamentalist fanatics, who think open, public criticism and disagreement ought to be forbidden, somehow.

And seriously, this whole silly contretemps would have evaporated if a few people learned to shrug their shoulders and react rationally instead of feeding the fury with Serious Pronouncements and Reprovals.”
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 1:29 pm

@Rob

I’m absolutely with the atheist blogger, professor PZ Myers–who has in the past tore pages from Koran (among other things), put them in a trash can and posted the pic on his blog(see: The Great Desecration)–of the Scienceblogs here:

Setting the Koran on fire, vs. setting personal liberties on fire

“President Obama, you’re a damned fool.

What are you going to do, send in the national guard to prevent Terry Jones’ congregation from destroying their own private property? Will there be new legislation to list items that may not be treated disrespectfully? Shall we surrender a few more liberties because religious zealots are threatening us? Obama can do nothing and should do nothing; he accomplishes nothing by complaining about it, other than being part of the mob confirming the madness of the defenders of faith.

And to suggest that some guy burning a book in a remote land will incite more anti-American sentiment is absurd. We’ve got drones buzzing over Iraq and Afghanistan killing people with a push of a button; we’ve got an armed force occupying those countries; we have bombed their infrastructure into rubble. We’ve killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims. And now we’re to believe that their love of the West will be suddenly devastated by a video of paper burning on youtube? Get a grip, man.

The United States does have an obligation to protect the basic and fundamental rights of all Americans, and that includes allowing them to burn their own property, in addition to allowing them to practice the religion of their choice.

Here’s a hint for appropriate responses. When someone tells you it’s an outrage to burn a bible or a Koran, shrug your shoulders and say, “So what? It’s their own book.” When someone announces that they are going to riot and murder because they are offended, look at them like they’re insane, and explain that offending someone is not a capital crime.

The problem isn’t a few books being burned; that’s not a crime, and it doesn’t diminish anyone else’s personal freedoms. The problem is a whole fleet of deranged wackaloons, including the president of the USA in addition to raving fundamentalist fanatics, who think open, public criticism and disagreement ought to be forbidden, somehow.

And seriously, this whole silly contretemps would have evaporated if a few people learned to shrug their shoulders and react rationally instead of feeding the fury with Serious Pronouncements and Reprovals.”
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

@waylay

Go to RealClearPolitics.com..there is an editorial from the Orlando Sentinel blasting the media for making this bigger than it should. Essientially he was saying if the guy was buring 200 Korans in the forest with no media around it’s not a story, but once the media is there it’s a story.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 1:36 pm

@waylay

Go to RealClearPolitics.com..there is an editorial from the Orlando Sentinel blasting the media for making this bigger than it should. Essientially he was saying if the guy was buring 200 Korans in the forest with no media around it’s not a story, but once the media is there it’s a story.
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 5:42 pm

@waylay,

I say Pastor Jones makes a good start in the right direction…

Pastor Jones denigrates the title. If he thinks Jesus Christ would approve of Jones’ foolishness, then Jones read a different Gospel than I.
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 1:42 pm

@waylay,

I say Pastor Jones makes a good start in the right direction…

Pastor Jones denigrates the title. If he thinks Jesus Christ would approve of Jones’ foolishness, then Jones read a different Gospel than I.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 5:50 pm

Right Rob. Even if the media isn’t there when the Korans are burned in a forest, but a rumor goes out about the said event (like supposedly “a Guatemala prison guard flushed a Koran in toilet”), you can expect riots and outrages in fundie Muslim corners of the world.

PZ Myers–who has in the past tore pages from Koran (among other things), put them in a trash can and posted the pic on his blog(see: The Great Desecration)

Some context given the latest incident in Myers’ words:

“You know, I’m something of an expert in the public desecration of sacred objects, and I’m seeing the same madness going on right now with Terry Jones and his plan to burn copies of the Koran that I saw in the response to throwing a cracker in the trash — only amplified to a ludicrous degree. People just aren’t getting it; they’re so blinded by an inappropriate attachment to magic relics that they’re missing the real issues.

I publicly destroyed a communion wafer once (OK, a few times). There was a simple reason for it: a few Catholics had responded hysterically to a student who didn’t swallow a wafer with harrassment and threats, and I was demonstrating that that was not acceptable — religious believers may not demand that non-believers grant the same reverence to their rituals and beliefs that they have. Jones’s motivation seems to be more of a fundie head-butt to Moslems while expecting a greater respect for his Bible, but he’s still right — Moslems cannot demand that Christians love their doctrines (and vice versa).

Now what I expected in the wake of my cracker-killing was that Catholics would be annoyed, but that it would be easily rationalized — I’m an unbeliever, their rituals have no meaning to me, Jesus can’t be harmed by some stunt with bread…what I expected was a combination of “tut, tut” and “so what?” and the cleverer Catholics announcing that their faith was too strong to be shaken by a raspberry from an atheist. That’s what I expected; it would have put the poor student’s actions in context and made people step back from the screaming that was going on.

It didn’t work out that way.

The lesson of that incident wasn’t that you can find some jerk somewhere who will disrespect what some group finds holy — that was trivial and uninteresting, and I actually had to ignore many of the elaborate suggestions for cracker disposal sent my way to emphasize the absolute triviality of tossing a cracker/piece of Jesus in the trash. No, the real lesson was that mobs of people will react with irrational freakish hysteria to the idea that other people don’t believe as they do.

The problem isn’t the desecrators. The problem is the people who have an unwarranted sense of privilege, that their beliefs wil not be questioned or criticized, ever, by anyone. What I was saying was that it was crazy to believe a cracker turns into Jesus, and what all the outraged Catholics were doing is confirming to an awesome degree just how mad their beliefs were, with their prolonged and excessive outrage.

So I’m looking at this recent episode with Terry Jones — a fellow I don’t like at all, and I think he’s a fanatical goofball — and I see that the serious problem here isn’t Jones at all…it’s all the lunatics who are insisting that burning the Koran is a major international catastrophe.

It’s just a frackin’ book, people.

I am simply astounded at the catalog of high-ranking personages who are contributing to this new frenzy of foolishness.”
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 1:50 pm

Right Rob. Even if the media isn’t there when the Korans are burned in a forest, but a rumor goes out about the said event (like supposedly “a Guatemala prison guard flushed a Koran in toilet”), you can expect riots and outrages in fundie Muslim corners of the world.

PZ Myers–who has in the past tore pages from Koran (among other things), put them in a trash can and posted the pic on his blog(see: The Great Desecration)

Some context given the latest incident in Myers’ words:

“You know, I’m something of an expert in the public desecration of sacred objects, and I’m seeing the same madness going on right now with Terry Jones and his plan to burn copies of the Koran that I saw in the response to throwing a cracker in the trash — only amplified to a ludicrous degree. People just aren’t getting it; they’re so blinded by an inappropriate attachment to magic relics that they’re missing the real issues.

I publicly destroyed a communion wafer once (OK, a few times). There was a simple reason for it: a few Catholics had responded hysterically to a student who didn’t swallow a wafer with harrassment and threats, and I was demonstrating that that was not acceptable — religious believers may not demand that non-believers grant the same reverence to their rituals and beliefs that they have. Jones’s motivation seems to be more of a fundie head-butt to Moslems while expecting a greater respect for his Bible, but he’s still right — Moslems cannot demand that Christians love their doctrines (and vice versa).

Now what I expected in the wake of my cracker-killing was that Catholics would be annoyed, but that it would be easily rationalized — I’m an unbeliever, their rituals have no meaning to me, Jesus can’t be harmed by some stunt with bread…what I expected was a combination of “tut, tut” and “so what?” and the cleverer Catholics announcing that their faith was too strong to be shaken by a raspberry from an atheist. That’s what I expected; it would have put the poor student’s actions in context and made people step back from the screaming that was going on.

It didn’t work out that way.

The lesson of that incident wasn’t that you can find some jerk somewhere who will disrespect what some group finds holy — that was trivial and uninteresting, and I actually had to ignore many of the elaborate suggestions for cracker disposal sent my way to emphasize the absolute triviality of tossing a cracker/piece of Jesus in the trash. No, the real lesson was that mobs of people will react with irrational freakish hysteria to the idea that other people don’t believe as they do.

The problem isn’t the desecrators. The problem is the people who have an unwarranted sense of privilege, that their beliefs wil not be questioned or criticized, ever, by anyone. What I was saying was that it was crazy to believe a cracker turns into Jesus, and what all the outraged Catholics were doing is confirming to an awesome degree just how mad their beliefs were, with their prolonged and excessive outrage.

So I’m looking at this recent episode with Terry Jones — a fellow I don’t like at all, and I think he’s a fanatical goofball — and I see that the serious problem here isn’t Jones at all…it’s all the lunatics who are insisting that burning the Koran is a major international catastrophe.

It’s just a frackin’ book, people.

I am simply astounded at the catalog of high-ranking personages who are contributing to this new frenzy of foolishness.”
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 6:01 pm

@waylay,

It’s just a frackin’ book, people.

According to that logic, the GZM is just a building.
Making such an argument conveniently dispenses with the actors, context, and audience.
The actors in this case purport to be Chrisitians, and I’m comfortable condemning the action outright on those grounds.
For similarly context-free arguments on the topic of Economics, we could consult Krugman.
Jones behaves like a knob in this case and needs to repent of this evil.
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:01 pm

@waylay,

It’s just a frackin’ book, people.

According to that logic, the GZM is just a building.
Making such an argument conveniently dispenses with the actors, context, and audience.
The actors in this case purport to be Chrisitians, and I’m comfortable condemning the action outright on those grounds.
For similarly context-free arguments on the topic of Economics, we could consult Krugman.
Jones behaves like a knob in this case and needs to repent of this evil.
What Tabitha Hale Said : The Other McCain
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:10 pm

[…] Coordinator for FreedomWorks to explain why I wouldn’t be able to attend BlogCon – Where All the Important Bloggers Will Be — and, although I wasn’t taking notes, the conversation went something like […]
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 6:17 pm

If he thinks Jesus Christ would approve of Jones’ foolishness, then Jones read a different Gospel than I.

Smitty, i don’t know about the Pastor’s spiritual relationship with Jesus but i’m positive Jesus will approve of me burning a copy of my bible–among billions of such copies in the world. I think he will just smile given my motivations.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:17 pm

If he thinks Jesus Christ would approve of Jones’ foolishness, then Jones read a different Gospel than I.

Smitty, i don’t know about the Pastor’s spiritual relationship with Jesus but i’m positive Jesus will approve of me burning a copy of my bible–among billions of such copies in the world. I think he will just smile given my motivations.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 6:39 pm

Smitty, do you also condemn the pastor’s book “Islam is of the Devil”? I guess–given his latest “book burning” savage act–you have no other option, right?

I get a feeling that this popular christian outrage (understandably from left, but also form the right) at the pastor’s act is because, at the back of their mind they fear their silence might give an open invitation for similar public desecrations of their own sacred books and symbols by non-Christians. Where was this outrage at the cartoonist during the Mohammad Cartoon controversy? The cartoonist was not a preaching christian, so it is all ok? Now let some anti-American riots and attacks happen against Christians due to the Pastors plans, and fatwa issued over the book burners, you will be back to protecting the Pastor’s first amendment rights, which is the real issue when you tear down the context one by one. The rest is all bullshit.
waylay
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:39 pm

Smitty, do you also condemn the pastor’s book “Islam is of the Devil”? I guess–given his latest “book burning” savage act–you have no other option, right?

I get a feeling that this popular christian outrage (understandably from left, but also form the right) at the pastor’s act is because, at the back of their mind they fear their silence might give an open invitation for similar public desecrations of their own sacred books and symbols by non-Christians. Where was this outrage at the cartoonist during the Mohammad Cartoon controversy? The cartoonist was not a preaching christian, so it is all ok? Now let some anti-American riots and attacks happen against Christians due to the Pastors plans, and fatwa issued over the book burners, you will be back to protecting the Pastor’s first amendment rights, which is the real issue when you tear down the context one by one. The rest is all bullshit.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 6:51 pm

There was outrage over the Danish cartoonish. Thank Allah we can still draw carictures of Obama and Bush but not Mohamed. I love my first admendment.
Rob
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:51 pm

There was outrage over the Danish cartoonish. Thank Allah we can still draw carictures of Obama and Bush but not Mohamed. I love my first admendment.
Estragon
September 9th, 2010 @ 6:59 pm

waylay endorses book burning.

Why am I not surprised?
Estragon
September 9th, 2010 @ 2:59 pm

waylay endorses book burning.

Why am I not surprised?
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 7:33 pm

@Waylay,
I’m endorsing neither Islam or Terry Jones.
I’m condemning, within the scope of Christianity, a devlish act by someone purporting to be a pastor.
If Jones was merely a bartender, I’d still condemn the act, which is wrong, but far less vehemently, because the bartender lowers the standard.
For a brief discussion of why Jones’ planned action is false, read the First Epistle of John.
smitty
September 9th, 2010 @ 3:33 pm

@Waylay,
I’m endorsing neither Islam or Terry Jones.
I’m condemning, within the scope of Christianity, a devlish act by someone purporting to be a pastor.
If Jones was merely a bartender, I’d still condemn the act, which is wrong, but far less vehemently, because the bartender lowers the standard.
For a brief discussion of why Jones’ planned action is false, read the First Epistle of John.
Jerry Wilson of Goldfish and C
September 9th, 2010 @ 11:51 pm

Getting back on topic here, I take it since I wasn’t asked to attend, nor am I attending, this weekend’s blogger bash I’m not important.

Gotcha.

Good to see the caste system is alive and well.
Jerry Wilson of Goldfish and Clowns
September 9th, 2010 @ 7:51 pm

Getting back on topic here, I take it since I wasn’t asked to attend, nor am I attending, this weekend’s blogger bash I’m not important.

Gotcha.

Good to see the caste system is alive and well.