But you are right, Crossfire just wasn’t the same after Thomas Paine was fired over the whole Pamphlet-gate debacle. And believe me, Tucker Carlson is no Edmund Burke.

I would say Blogging is usually Journalism, but I wouldn’t take that as a compliment. As barriers to entry lower, it falls on the public to become more discriminate in their tastes, or risk falling victim to a misplaced trust. In much the same way that cheaper presses in the 20th century bombarded Wal-Mart shoppers with “journalism” rags that chronicled the Devil Baby of Utah, the internet threatens to provide a forum for even the most uninformed sheep, misinformed pedants, or most frightening of all: devious fanatics.

I have frequently mentioned my opinion that today’s technology is beginning to provide us with many tools to help us relate better with each other and our environment. However, I must strongly reitirate something I have mentioned just as often: the primary source of our society’s problems is not a lack of technology or resources, but is something lacking within us.

More voices in the conversation is undoubtedly a good thing, but it is far from a panacea.