How I Chose to Name This Blog

During last year's political campaign in Maryland I received a telephone call from someone purporting to be a poller. She might have actually been one. I must note, though, there were some reliable reports of campaigns using a technique known as push polling to get people to think in certain ways that would lead to support of certain candidates.

Anyway, towards the end of the conversation this woman did ask the question "Do you consider yourself to be a liberal, a moderate or a conservative?" I answered "You forgot libertarian and green!" She repeated her question without modification. This time I answered "Yes!" At this point the woman, a bit of exhaustion in her voice, simply said "Pick one." I, rather disappointedly, simply said "Oh. All right. Put me down as moderate."

I try to listen to everyone. Most people who know me describe me as friendly if a bit shy.

Do I know anybody famous in the world of blogging? Well, last weekend at the International Space Development Conference in Houston, I was sitting around a table in the hotel bar with Glenn Reynolds (of Instapundit fame), Rand Simberg (Transterrestrial Musings) and Dale Amon (Samizdata) discussing blogging of all things. I mentioned I was thinking of taking up blogging rather than just making comments on other people's blogs and places like Slashdot. Glenn did tell me to go to blogger.com and follow the simple directions. That's how I wound up here. Does that conversation mean I'm a part of the same crowd as Glenn, Rand and Dale? No. We all support space exploration and development.

Some of my views tend to be libertarian. Other views are somewhat different. I easily support many positions that one would describe as liberal Democratic. Other views are moderate Democratic or Republican. The only people who truly annoy me are the so called "religious right" and some authoritarian leftists such as Ralph Nader. One moderate Republican friend describes both of us as flaming moderates. So I decided to name my blog "Independent Broad Minded Centrist." I originally thought of using "Flaming Moderate" or "Flaming Centrist" but I thought that perhaps too likely to get into fights. I can and will fight when the circumstances call for it, but I don't go out of my way to pick fights. At least I don't think so.

That's enough for now.