Annapolis Capital Punishment

It all started over a year ago when CP began regular postings of news and opinion and other items of interest to Annapolitans. Here was the first post from Monday, January 8:

"Welcome--and just in time for the much heralded arrival of the O'Malley Administration--and goodbye to the four Ehrlich years of, of, oh well....with the exception of the bright spot of the so-called "Flush Tax" I guess the other big thing was slots and more slots. And thankfully, they never came to Maryland. Let's hope they never will.

Annapolis Capital Punishment will be a progressive journal and forum about Annapolis and nearby Anne Arundel County, mainly attending to our local political scene, and hopefully becoming THE place to exchange ideas, opinion and multi-faceted slants about our lives here and the political fortunes of those making our laws, running our daily government and those trying to influence those institutions. AND, it will also be a watchdog intently focused on our number one and uncontested source of local news, The Capital. Not The Evening Capital. The Capital. For better or worse, it is our local daily. Much has been, can be and will be said about our local newspaper. Blog readers who know of the many dozens if not hundreds of letter I have penned over the years, know me as a faithful reader, yet a member of its often loyal opposition. I'll say it here first--I Like The Capital. I just want it to be better--and to be more accountable. 'Nuff said."

I leave it to readers to determine if I have stuck to my original intentions, but CP has become an increasingly influential and respected forum for local issues. Site visits and page views have been steadily rising and this January was our most popular month ever. We have had over 3000 visits and 5000 page views in January, 2008 with a total of over 30,000 page views in our first year. Site views and page visits are going up and up and up. Sort of like housing prices and the Dow Jones averages in reverse.

As a trained journalist, I have tried to adhere to a high standard of reliability, accuracy and accountability. I do not and have never pretended to be a "balanced" or "objective" source of news in the traditional or normative sense. In other words, you know from where I am coming. I just hope that somehow my voice resonates, that it speaks from experience and familiarity and with a high degree of accountability, accuracy and reliability.

I do write about The Capital--and refer to it often as well as The Sun and sometimes The Post. They are the big boys and have the resources to cover plenty of things. On the other hand, I know things, write about things and say things that they either don't know about or will not or cannot write about. A blog has its advantages. Maybe one day they'll actually decide I've written something worthwhile and will post a link to CP in one of their articles or editorials. George Bush may also admit he made a mistake. On the other hand, CP has been interviewed by and quoted in The Capital and The Baltimore Sun. Hey--we even got "huffed" or picked up in The Huffington Report once.

Since CP started, the blogosphere has continue to expand, sometimes for better and sometimes not. CP is frequently featured in FreeStatePolitics and is regularly picked up on LeftyBlogMaryland and BlognetnewsMaryland, which aggregates and rates political blogs in the Old Line State. For many months, CP has almost always been rated among the top twenty most influential political blogs in Maryland (By the way--there are a lot more than 20 such blogs...). CP is the most established and highest-read blog focusing on Annapolis.

CP continues to meet almost every Thursday morning at Ahh, Coffee! in Eastport from 8 to 9 am. and sometimes a bit later if the discussion is as hot as the coffee. All CP readers are invited to pop in any Thursday morning and we hope to see you.

I think if you read CP on a regular basis, you'll find that while I may be caustic, hard-hitting or even "snarky" at times, I try to steer clear of harsh personal attacks which is the norm of many bloggers. I have avoided thus far, making endorsements in any political campaign. I am not so certain whether my opinion matters when it comes to your vote. However, that may change.

While I've taken a strong stance against the actions of our mayor, let us never forget that she is a human being, she cares deeply about our community and I refuse to demonize her, as many have, including bloggers and comment writers to blogs have done. She has made a lot of mistakes and she angers many of us, but she is not a monster. I think she has been a force for good in some areas.

Sometimes I write in the first person. Sometimes CP writes in the third-person. Dunno know why. CP just likes the idea of referring to himself as CP.

As always, CP welcomes your comments. However, anonymous comments are likely to be ignored. If you have something to say, you may say it here, but please be civil. There are ground rules, and if your mother did not explain them to you, it's too late for me to do it. Enjoy our freedoms of expression. Those who hide behind the veil of anonymity are like cockroaches, and only come out in the dark.

Thank you for being a loyal reader of Annapolis Capital Punishment, and please, keep on reading and keep on writing and keep on working to make our city the best city it can be!