Still trying to make a difference in a small way

I wish I could explain -- if only to myself -- why it has become so difficult to write these days.

It has been nearly three months since my most recent post on the original One Voice site, and after all sorts of problems with that site, I finally decided I would just have to archive that and start fresh somewhere else.

That I've turned back to Blogger is a surprise even to me. I stopped writing with Blogger four years ago when I switched to Wordpress, which I felt was more advanced and could do more. But Wordpress has been unable to deal with the biggest problem I've had -- being user-friendly toward people who want to comment -- and I decided to switch back.

Now all I need is something to write about.

I don't much feel like writing about politics. I'm disgusted enough with politics to believe what H.L. Mencken wrote in 1922. Mencken said he didn't think the American republic would last another hundred years, and the two things that would bring it down would be ignorance and greed. I think we've already lost a lot when you see that senators representing about 13 percent of the nation's population can block almost anything from going forward.

The media has become almost worthless in sorting out truth from lies. It amazes me that someone can say something that's an out-and-out falsehood and the media will just treat it as one side against another.

Do I care? I wish I didn't. I wish I could just take the attitude of "I've got mine, Jack," and let the politicians squabble over who controls what. But I keep remembering that old saying about us getting the government we deserve, and I fear for the future.

If there's one thing evident in all the recent news about warrantless data mining, it's that there really isn't that much difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to security issues. If it's a matter of holding and retaining power, neither party is better than the other. There are just as many Democrats getting rich because of serving in Congress as there are Republicans.

Neither party is particularly responsive to its constituents. Unless, that is, you understand that the real constituency for both parties consists of the mega-donors who pay the cost of campaigning.

Meanwhile, average people -- the vast majority of people in the country -- simply write off the government as an annoyance, something to be gotten around. The only things that really get them worked up are non-issues like same-sex marriage, school prayer and legalization of marijuana.

Too many people no longer read. Their only exposure to the news is through television or talk radio, and there are very few unbiased sources. Whether it's MSNBC on the left or Fox on the right, the news comes with a slant.

So what do we do? Is it even possible any more to avoid where we seem to be headed? And can one voice, one more voice, make any kind of difference at all?

Honestly, I don't know. I no longer think in big terms. I no longer believe that my voice, my words, can change the overall world. But I still do think I can have the same effect as the guy walking down the beach littered with starfish and putting them back in the water, one by one.

I can make a difference for that one.

And that one.

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I don't know if the post just completed will draw any comments at all, but with the new site, I have linked into one of the best of the commenting systems. Partly it's a desire to avoid spam -- the original One Voice seemed to draw thousands and thousands of spam comments.

I'm hoping Disqus will put a stop to that, and draw good comments as well.

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Another thing I'm hoping to do with the new site is provide links to things I find interesting. I intend to be fairly eclectic with this -- politics, sports, entertainment, family, all sorts of fun stuff.

-- Ten Things Most Americans Don't Know About America is a really insightful post by an expatriated American. Sean Curran, one of the brightest young people I know, brought it to my attention. It's a must read for people who have never really been outside this country.

-- My California friend Kay Murphy, one of the best teachers I know, has a piece on how sometimes wonderful things happen when you're not expecting them.

-- If there's one thing no one who grew up in the '60s would have figured, it's that Star Trek would still be going strong after nearly 50 years. The original series barely made it through three seasons and was never anything remotely resembling a hit. But it became a major phenomenon more than 10 years later when the movies started. Of course there have been four other series, and now the original series is into its second incarnation with younger actors. "Star Trek Into Darkness" looks like a big hit, so the odds are there will be even more movies.

Till tomorrow, adios.