In my "Editor's Choice" column Sunday I reviewed Hugh Hewitt's excellent little book Blog. Hugh makes such a good case for blogging that I figure I ought to start doing some myself. It's a useful way, for instance, of saying something further about a point made in the book.
Hugh compares the rise of the blogs to the Protestant Reformation: New technology (in that case, the printing press) blows the lid off the information monopoly (then the Roman Catholic Church, now the Mainstream Media).
It's an interesting analogy and sound as far as it goes. But there was a downside to the Reformation. Not only was Christian unity split asunder, but there were those persecutions (on both sides) as well as those nasty religious wars (about a third of Europe's population died during the Thirty Years War).
Luther is also a poor poster child for free and open discussion. He proved every bit as intolerant of dissent as the Roman church. His role in the peasants' Rebellion was deplorable. Here's just one fine quote: "It is right and lawful to slay at the first opportunity a rebellious person … whosoever can, should smite, strangle, and stab, secretly or publicly, and should remember that there is nothing more poisonous, pernicious, and devilish than a rebellious man." Then there's his anti-semitism, which you can sample here:
May the blogosphere be spared his like.
Oops! Speaking of Blog, I notice that Daniel Drezner, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Chicago has noticed that I referred to him as a law professor at the school. Took it right out of Hugh's book. Just another example of MSM sloppiness, I fear.
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