Long time lurker, first time poster.
Hello Lizards.
I suppose, given the strangeness of our times, my first comment should come at this time. Ukraine under stress from Russia and the Homeland (which isn’t my own, I should add) is threatened by elements any sane person would be wary of.
The first time I became aware of this site was back in 2004 and as I was a frequenter of antiwar.com, much of the content was considered to be Bush Admin-friendly and so it was not a place that I travelled in.
Time capsule: one of Antiwar’s columnists, Justin Raimondo, pedalled the line that the Orange Revolution was a US coup and that Yukashenko’s facial blotching was a false flag of some sort and not a kind of poisoning that, as it has become apparent, Russian agents are capable of perpetuating. I believed that horseshit.
Before I had come of political maturity, such conspiracy theories were my bread and butter. Anything that painted the Bush Admin in a criminal light, I lapped up with relish.
Skip forward. ANYONE who makes the argument that the United States cannot take a principled stand on the standard of democracy and freedom in the world in a post Iraq-invasion world are wrong, precisely because it can elect new leaders. No nation is without tarnish. Only a few can redeem themselves.
If Germany can, the US has already.
If there is any hope in America, a country I have come to love warts and all, it is to be found in the individuals who live there. LGF is a success story in the evolution of an ideal. nothing is perfect until it can accommodate change. I have learned, from this community the kind of thinking that actually takes society forward. That it exists in the virtual sense only, at times, should not be considered a setback.
In the past I have trucked in libertarianism assuming that it stood for my hopes for social justice but this illusion has been destroyed by my exposure to your ideas of how a democratic entity must exist in a real politik state.
The weaknesses of democracy must be tempered by an involved population.
My current government has been described as Tea Party-ish in persuasion.
Pro-rich mining and media interests.
Socially constrictive.
Austerity-oriented.
Pro-faith.
Anti-environment.
Anti-poor &c.

Even this government I disagree with on a policy basis has been undermined by the Snowden issue and so my country’s surveillance of our nearest neighbour has been revealed, damaging a relationship that otherwise would have mutual benefits in an effort against terrorism even if it requires mutual espionage.
LGF is ahead of the 8-Ball on this issue and Charles Johnson’s recent treatment of the Heartbleed problem is emblematic of this site’s dedication to freedom and security.
Furthermore, the other blogs… (shudder)
Hats off to you guys. I’ll forward the cakes and coffee as soon as we get the fucking bandwidth :D