Thinking Bloggers

By Cernig

We've been honored with a tap for the Thinking Bloggers Awards not once, but twice - by Ron at Middle Earth Journal and by Mentarch at Another Point of View. Thanks guys.

The rules of the meme, as conceived by the original Thinking Blogger, are here. But essentially it means we should pick five other bloggers to recommend to our readers and pass on the meme to.

Since this is a group blog, though, I think we can pass the meme around some more and I'm hereby inviting my co-bloggers Libby, Shamanic and fester to update this post with their own five choices.

Here, though, are my picks as "thinking bloggers".

Anything They Say. The BHC is one of my regular reads.

Unbossed. One of the under-acknowledged gems of the progressive blogosphere.

Brilliant At Breakfast. Jill rocks, that's all there is to it.

Poliblog. When I want to read what a sane conservative thinks about something, I read Dr. Steven Taylor.

Total Information Awareness. Eric Martin is one of the best informed bloggers on foreign policy matters on the net today.

shamanic sez:

Melissa McEwan and her amazing blogging community over at Shakesville. Great bloggers, great people.

I don't read Skippy the Bush Kangaroo as often as I mean to, and it's a great day to mention it since Skippy turns 5 today!

Mac Thomason has gone through a number of name changes over the years, but he keeps me tuned in to what's happening in my home state of Alabama.

For brilliant writing paired with truly inspired visuals, nobody comes close to the genius of The Heretik.

And finally, for better comedy writing than I generate, one should read Adam Felber's Fanatical Apathy.

Fester's responses

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat is a daily read for me even if there is nothing new posted as I always encouter a slightly skewed, highly insightful and incisive look at public policy.

Chris Briem at Nullspace is a data nerd's data nerd. His focus is on Southwestern Pennsylvania workforce, economic and social development as well as industrial history. If there is a map or a chart that you wish someone would put together, go through his archives as he had it made three years ago.

John Robb at Global Guerrillas makes my head hurt every time I go over there. He was my entry point into the non-traditional defense and security thinking blogosphere. ZenPundit and Eric Martin at TIA also are great daily reads.

Swopa at Needlenose is consistently ahead of the curve on foreign policy, Plameology and rhetoric. Read him and his crew to get the next quarter's headlines today.

Ezra Klein makes health insurance policy accessible, and interesting. That is an impressive feat that deserves praise.

Libby arrives late

I've been away from the computer all day and I see we been honored with this meme. Thanks for the kinds words to Ron and Mentarch. I'm terrible at these things and this is an especially difficult one for me. I'm not sure I can pick only five but I'm glad that I'm last because my compatriots already covered a lot of blogs I would have chosen.

If it wasn't so unseemly I would surely tag my co-blogger at the Impolitic, Jim Martin first. I actually didn't know him that well when I invited him into my house and we view the world through two very different lenses. I'm finding I don't always agree with his take but he never fails to make me rethink my own. Nonetheless, I'm only going to offer my appreciation for his great work.

I am however going to tag Michael Stickings at the Reaction, even though I'm a co-blogger there. Michael's own posts are always insightful and he's assembled a diverse group of amazing and articulate thinkers with an international view. I would be reading them daily even they didn't let me hang out there.

In fact, all the co-bloggers there deserve to be tagged but we're more than five so I'm just going to tag one, Captain Fogg at his own blog. Fogg not only makes me think but blows me away with his clarity of thought and command of the language. Blogtopia is richer for having him in it.

My old friend and relentless supporter, thehim at ReLoad has to be on this list. He not only makes me think but inspires me with his boundless energy. Not to mention his blog has the second most fun dice game in the world, Zonk. It's been way too long since I've had time to put my name on the board.

Tits McGee, blogs in the style of Avedon Carol but with her own inimitable twist. She throws down on sex, snark, science and politics five days a week. She never fails to find the links that make you think.

And finally I'm tagging The Straight White Guy. He doesn't really blog politics. Truth is, he kinds of blogs about nothing. He talks about ordinary events of life and he's as conservative as they come. He's a hard drinking, gun toting ex-Marine, a real southern cracker, but he has a self-effacing gentleness about him and the soul of a poet. I go there to rest and revel in his picturesque musings. He soothes me and helps me remember there's a world outside of politics that's still beautiful and good.