There’s nothing quite as inspiring as a drive through downtown in the nation’s capital on an Indian Summer’s night…
Update (9:46 p.m.): This blog has opened a lot of doors for me.
Not only have I met terrific people, but this tiny small space has given me the courage to boldly say what I believe needs to be said.
Not only that, but it’s given me the confidence to speak to large groups of people in person, on the radio, and on TV. I’ve never been what you’d call a wallflower, but I never imagined I’d be called upon to talk to people about what I believe, and defend it without shame or fear. I’m not the most articulate or the best looking or the smartest, but I’m here, willing to take risks.
I know some readers miss what this blog used to be. At the peak of this site’s popularity, I used to blog several times a day at least six days a week. In fact, I think I blogged more when I had a day job. Some posts produced 100+ comments. I craved the interaction, loved the civility, hated the trolls, and never thought I’d slow down or close commenting.
But all that changed a few months ago. I wanted this blog to be something else. I’d been running it one way for over three years, and I was ready for a radical change, just short of shutting it down. So I slowed down the posting and closed commenting.
For the first time since I started this blog, I’m blogging exactly the way I want, what I want, and as frequently (or infrequently, as the case may be) as I want. Hate the Hanson blogging? Not my problem. I like the Hanson blogging. Miss commenting? Hey, that’s the way it is now. I may open comments sometime in the future. For now, I’m loving the “echo chamber” that is lashawnbarber.com.
My traffic is not as high as it once was, and that’s OK. It really is. Actually, to see it drop and to not care is quite liberating. Woo hoo!
For the first time since I started this blog, I’m taking the time to enjoy the open doors. After fours years of blogging (November 5 will be my fourth blogiversary), I’m ready to slow down, take advantage of the networks I’ve built, and do things I enjoy, whether or not related to politics.
These changes have displeased some readers. While your readership has meant a lot to me, go if you feel you must go. No hard feelings. There are literally millions of blogs about there, a few hundred of them actually worth reading. Peruse my blogroll before you leave and bookmark new favorites. For new readers who found my blog through CNN or the Washington Examiner or BlogCritics, welcome to LBC. Perhaps you’ll find something else you like. If not, browse the blogroll. You just might find a gem.
That was a long intro to this: Tonight, I met a man I admire very much. I was invited to join a group of conservative bloggers and columnists (like Kate O’Beirne, Bill Kristol, and James Taranto) for dinner with Justice Clarence Thomas. This humble, personable man said that despite what some black liberal types say about him in the press and on blogs, he’s never had a bad experience with one. They may call him an “Uncle Tom” behind his back, but never to his face.
Justice Thomas told us a couple of anecdotes about how two black men at different events “confronted” him, asked him questions, listened civilly to the answers, and concluded: “Why are they lying about you? What can we do about it?”
Justice Thomas talked about his experiences speaking at certain events, where all the other speakers were allowed to have opinions, and no one mentioned their race. He, on the other hand, has to deal with the consequences of having certain opinions as a black man.
He described the hostility of some blacks toward him as “intellectual segregation.” Legal segregation is over, but some people have “White Only” and “Colored” sections in their minds. Blacks aren’t supposed to stray from what the party line says is good for black folks. What’s good for black folks, to liberals I know, is the perpetuation of victimology. Teach the black man that he cannot help himself and encourage him to rely on his “betters” to guide him. The whole world is against him. He needs our help. He can depend on us. We’ll fight the “racists” on his behalf. We’ll take from the racists and give to him. Then he will love us.
Well, that’s the way I see it. 
I’m done rambling for tonight. Welcome, new readers, and thanks for stopping by, regular readers. Buy Justice Thomas’s memoir, My Grandfather’s Son.
Good night to you all…
(Thanks, Michelle!)
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Pick up a copy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s memoir, My Grandfather’s Son, released today. Check for updates to this post. I’ll have a personal story to share later.
In the meantime, watch/listen to Thomas’s interviews with:
- 60 Minutes (broadcast last night)
- ABC News (published yesterday)
- Rush Limbaugh today beginning in the second hour at 1 p.m. EDT. Not a member of Rush 24/7? Listen online at
WBALWMAL.
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