This isn't about today's DDDB Walkathon, so don't look to today's events for why I am writing this. I will get to the Walkathon, a good event that showed (overall) considerable maturation over past events. This is a separate issue.

Often when I write a piece just plain praising a friend, there are some who get all worked up and criticize me for it. Somehow, saying nice things about a local politician who acts particularly classy isn't purist enough for some who feel they are the only arbiters of what is good and pure and right. Well, in the immortal words of Steve Martin, "Excuuuuuse me!" And in the immortal words of Jon Stewart, "I'm not your monkey."

I will not apologize for what I write unless it can be shown I wrote something factually inaccurate. Most of the time I am criticzied for actually praising a candidate (as opposed to my opposition pieces) the criticism comes from people who don't really know that person as well as I do, and are arguing against a caricature of that person. Well, caricatures make for good satire, but they aren't reality. So those of you, and you know who you are, who are getting on my case for pieces I write where I show that politicians you happen not to like are decent, accomplished human beings deserving of respect, well all I can say is get a life and get a clue that friendships and decent behavior are important beyond politics. So if someone does something particularly cool, I will give them credit for it, whether you like it or not. It isn't "fog" and it isn't BS. It is real human beings doing what they do best. So get over it. You will never get my respect by gratuitously putting down good people. Disagree all you want with people on issues, we all can take that. But don't expect me to respect crude and rude attacks against good people.