Time to start fresh.

I deleted my old posts, as I'm sure no one will know since no one really comes to this blog. But just in case someone happens to stumble here by mistake, might as well explain.

I wrote for DailyKos for a few years. I enjoyed most of the times there, but lately it's become infuriating. Too many voices, not enough reality. Such is the way massive community-based blogs like that go, which is fine for some, a nuisance and a distraction for others. I thought it was fine for me, but that's clearly no longer the case.

The general malaise I had been feeling for some time was tough to pin down, but happily I figured it out.

I was changing who I was while on that site.

I wasn't changing my opinions to conform with the masses, that's not what I mean. I found myself not commenting in certain posts or on certain topics simply because I knew people would start yelling and shouting, because there was such a group-mentality that reasonable debate was not just merely unlikely, but rather unthinkable.

Of course, I've never been known for my tact or politeness, so this isn't something that I'm trying to blame on anyone. I was simply no longer comfortable with choosing the easy way and thusly not being true to my opinions or thoughts.

And the recent influx of shitbags flocking to that site didn't help matters, either.

And the "Obama's breaking his word he's the worst" crowd was funny in a sad, pathetic way (especially when they couched their whining and hand-wringing with "We should be able to criticize" rhetoric).

The last straw was yet another diary shitting upon police officers, however. Look for it if you like, I won't be linking to that site anytime soon, if ever. I made the tactical error (a big one) of deciding to take my umbrage with ignorant anti-cop mentality into the wrong diary for it. That was stupid of me, but no matter. The fact is that site is rampant with anti-police mentality, some of which is so forehead-slappingly idiotic I wonder how the authors managed to turn on their computers in the first place.

Faced with yet more ignorance and stupid comments, I realized that DK was no longer a fun place to be, and was rather a dirty basement swimming with stunted thinking with fewer and fewer gems floating in the swamp as time goes by. It's too bad, because there are many intelligent people there with amazing ability to write and articulate and deconstruct, but I no longer care to spend the time sifting through the crap to find the good.

This is sounding way more bitter than I'd like, and I'm not trying to "take on" DailyKos like so many other blogs of former users. I hope DailyKos flourishes and I urge everyone to give it a shot, but I personally am finished. I'll miss a few of the people I liked and respected, but that's not enough to be a part of it. Not anymore, at least.

So, I'll be posting here mostly and sometimes on Docudharma, and on My Left Wing.

Thus, a fresh start for TheBlaz. My own blog, my own words, no community distracting me or making me feel that I shouldn't say certain things because they're not "polite."

In summation, adios to my friends on DailyKos. I enjoyed our time together, but I am no longer comfortable on that site.

And welcome to whoever reads this.

It's a brave new world, fuckers.