On C-Span 3, Talk Radio and the Blogosphere

The question posed on today's show was whether blogs and alternative media sources are actually helpful in the political process.

I believe Mr. Levine did an excellent job of putting forth the liberal argument. Particularly when so many of the students tended to be vehement Republicans.

While to me such blogs have been helpful in giving me real insight as to what the public really thinks on the various issues (perhaps too much insight, at times), I beleive a certain level of social and personal responsibility must be raised.

We must take care when we enter our opinion into these forums. Too often, we are nonchalant, attacking, or merely reactionary in our blog posts (myself not exempt from this phenomenon at times). When we post our opinions in such a way, without grounding our analyses in facts, we have the potential to do great harm in misinforming others, who may rely upon what we spout. Do we not realize that we are essentially self-publishing for the world to see?

Free speech is a right we have earned. Yet not all speech is protected. Words are the most powerful tools--or weapons--we have. Only we can choose in which direction we wish to use them. If enough of us use our words on these blogs merely as weapons, and not as the building-blocks of what can one day prove to be a great society, we render the entire forum useless. It becomes a place of violence instead of a place of constructive commentary.

Our voice, our words, are important. Let us not waste them.