A Brief Respite

Today I take a break from my regularly scheduled programming. I spent much of the morning drafting an essay for the local papers that will no doubt get me in some type of hot water. It is my wont to be controversial, I guess.

Please note, at least for my enjoyment, that since I tagged a stat counter on Contratimes on July 3, I have had, as of this day, just over 2,000 unique visitors (and since that time I've had a shade under 5,000 page loads). That this is merely a personal note is unarguable, significant to no one (perhaps) but me. One look at Frontpagemag.com with its 60,000,000 hits per month and I can assure you I have things in a healthy perspective.

This all began here upon the inspiration of David Horowitz. He might not realize this, but the first place Contratimes appeared was as a pen name at his Frontpagemag.com when I posted a comment to a political essay. Once I did that, and considering my personal objections to the real psychological and political power of the New York Times, this website became a place for me to tackle large issues.

I have been reluctant to promote this blog, for a host of personal reasons. I've not told most of my closest friends about Contratimes, in part because I wanted to do something on my own, without necessarily falling into the vain trap of trying to appease and impress my friends. Besides, I needed this to be mine, without undue influence from close contacts, solely so that I could prove to myself that I had the discipline to maintain this sort of venue. There are even family members I've not directed here. Furthermore, I know that many of my friends might find my views difficult, frustrating, or just damned wrong. Why introduce that kind of tension between friends and family?

In closing for today, I would like to thank my readers from across the globe for their quiet support, there brief visits, and their occassional emails. Thanks to you in Minnesota and Wisconsin and Colorado and California and Texas and Kansas; thanks to you in Belgium and Kuala Lumpur and Argentina and Great Britain. And thanks to my most devout readers of all: my Delaware friend whose only fault is that he is a Philadelphia Eagles fan; and a science teacher who once removed me from science lab. He, God bless him, considered me a safety hazard. At least he likes the New England Patriots.

Blessings,

Bill Gnade