I remember a few years ago that there were 2 other blogs in this county (mine hadn't started yet). One was from a person who a lot of people know as a very strange person, whose political aspirations were dashed after he wrote about something personally sexual and inappropriate... and everyone saw it. The other owned a business on the other side of town and I think he moved to another place in Texas. Both wrote from the right-wing side of the house.

Me? I've had a message board since about 1999  It's always been a blabby relationships board but, before the 2004 elections, took a turn for political video when I discovered how to easily create fair use clips from stuff said on the teevee. I was intensely focused on national politics at the time, so wasn't paying much attention to local and state politics. After George Bush got elected for the first time in 2004, I was utterly crushed and quit doing videos for about 4-5 months. It wasn't that I thought John Kerry was the greatest candidate; he had never been my first choice, but I did want him to win, mostly, though, because I thought Little Bush was such a horrible, constitution-tramplin', anti-environment bumbler. But I stayed up all night (with a bitty nap) to watch the election returns and I was more than disappointed when he so quickly threw in the towel, especially since A. He's said he was a fighter and B. I knew that the voting machines were rife with error and trouble (and I know since then that HE knew that and STILL didn't challenge the results.So I don't want him to run again. He had his chance and he blew it). For a long while, I had a partnership with a well-known liberal political board for video-they asked me if they could feature my clips and I was flattered, but I found, for various reasons, that it wasn't a place I ultimately wanted to hang out and post on, and I went back to beefing up the other site. At the time, there were only a few of us doing political video and I had a sort of *mission* feel about it, but that was before the advent of YouTube. My focus over the last 6 months changed from watching and listening to *news* show sound bytes to recording my own local events of interest and posting them (for example, I recorded a whole bunch of Trans Texas Corridor public comment meetings), and I plan to do more of that in 2006.

Because the relationship board  is more of a general board, I didn't want what I wrote about Texas politics or things that were important to me as a resident of Somervell County to get lost in the shuffle, so in March 2005 I started a blog, with the intent that I would talk, very honestly and openly, about what interested me in Congressional District 17 (Chet Edwards) or other things I wanted to expound upon.

In this last year, 2006, I've done a lot of talking about Sid Miller (Texas House District 59) including his connection with Tom Delay's TRMPAC deal, and Miller's race against Ernie Casbeer , gas and oil issues in the Barnett Shale, and issues that aren't necessarily just in this county but surrounding counties that affect Texans. I've written and video recorded comments about the Trans Texas Corridor, although it won't come through here because we have a nuclear power plant, Comanche Peak, in the way. Written about our state parks (Dinosaur Valley State Park is here) and the attempts by the current state administration to sell them off and underfund them. Also went to Hico in Hamilton County to record the Texas Railroad Commission trying to say why it was okay to put waste injection wells near the Bosque River and the town park. Went to Dublin in Erath County to watch the water board stiff citizens. Went to Williamson County one time to watch a group fight the secret Cintra-Zachry records about TTC. And recorded Sheehan's march on the Bush *ranch* this summer in Crawford. Also did recordings, during the political season of David Van Os, Hank Gilbert, Dale Henry, Ernie Casbeer, and so on...... I've also consistently pointed out how many of Chet Edward's votes are not with the Democratic party but with Republicans. And when I see something of interest in the local newspaper, the Glen Rose Reporter, I like to comment on it.

I've always had a section for non-military options aka counter recruitment; this year have also added an easy way not just to look up Texas legislature bills but be able to comment on them. I intend to try to put comments myself or references to articles that discuss the bills on every one... just as soon as I think I understand what the fool some of them are.

On stats: At the beginning of the year, I had about 600 people come to the site, and now it's about 2600. I like to think that the issues that concern me also concern a lot of Texans. I've also found that they concern.. Americans. For example, my biggest keyword searches for this month are: Chalmers Johnson's article in Harper's magazine about Empire and backscatter (TSA looking at air traveler's naked) at the airport. (I like to think that those weren't just people with prurient interests trying to see pictures for jollies but they're concerned about the intrusions into privacy this type of thing represents).

Anyway, it's been fun this year and I look forward to more of the same in 2007. Happy New Year!