zenpundit.com

A lighthearted exchange in the comments section here last week prompted a reconsideration of the future of this blog. In a modest way, Zenpundit as a personal solo project had a good run.  It is time to move forward and initiate some changes. Perhaps, many changes.

First and foremost, I would like to start by welcoming Charles Cameron as co-blogger. Over the past year or so, Charles has been an increasingly frequent guest poster here, introduced with the short bio:

Charles Cameron is the regular guest-blogger at Zenpundit, and has also posted at Small Wars Journal, All Things Counterterrorism, for the Chicago Boyz Afghanistan 2050 roundtable and elsewhere.  Charles read Theology at Christ Church, Oxford, under AE Harvey, and was at one time a Principal Researcher with Boston University’s Center for Millennial Studies and the Senior Analyst with the Arlington Institute

There is more to Charles than that, which he will make evident in due time. His deep knowledge of theology and comparative religious culture, social psychology and powers of horizontal thinking would make Charles Cameron a welcome addition to any blog, magazine, editorial staff or university faculty. I am extremely pleased to have him here as an author because the insights that Charles can bring to bear on contemporary issues will extend the analytical reach and audience of Zenpundit.

 His body of work here simply speaks for itself.

I’d like to thank Joseph Fouche, T. Greer and Scott Shipman for nudging me in this direction. Also, Lexington Green, who years earlier encouraged me to bring the period of solo blogging to an end and who cordially invited me to break bread at his home with Charles. Sage advice, all.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Cameron.

Joseph Fouche…..

Quoth Charles Cameron over at his blog (now featuring special guest blogger Mark Safranski):

Heh. We laugh because it is funny and we laugh because it is true.

I’m very happy to have Charles Cameron aboard at ZP and welcome his always stimulating postings here. I will also remind readers that Charles can also be found at Chicago Boyz, where he has become part of the stable of regular bloggers ( one including….Citizen Fouche!).

I have been taking some down time lately to deal with some issues in the intruding “real world”. My intention in the next few weeks is to focus on shorter but more frequent posts for a while and let Charles have free reign. Normal blogging on my part will resume relatively soon.

I am, in fact, still alive.

Just handling some weighty issues while enjoying a surfeit of talented guest posters.

My fellow Chicago Boyz blogger and co-author, Lexington Green, has hit the big time – as a story on the nationally broadcast Glenn Beck Program . Having written an incisive post on the strategic Boydian aspect of Beck’s recent rally at The Lincoln Memorial, Lex today discovered that his analysis would be read on the air by Beck himself:

Glenn Beck: This guy gets it

GLENN: All right. So this guy, Lexington Green, I’m assuming that’s not his real name, writes in Chicagoboyz.net: I think I see what Glenn Beck is doing.

I think this is the only guy that really gets it. The Glenn Beck rally is confusing people. Why? He is aiming far beyond what most people consider to be the goalposts. Using Boyd’s continuum for war, which, you are all for that one, right, Pat?

PAT: Sure. Boyd’s continuum? How many times have we talked about Boyd’s continuum?

GLENN: Okay. Well, let’s make it once. Material, intellectual, and moral. He is using for political change elections, institutions and culture. Beck sees correctly that the conservative movement has only had limited success because it’s good at Level 1, the elections, for a while. Weak at Level 2, institutions. And barely touched Level 3, culture. Talk radio and the tea party are Level 3 phenomena, popular outbreaks which are blowing back into politics. Someone who asks what the rally has to do with the 2010 election is missing the point. Beck is building solidarity and cultural confidence listen to this. This is it.

PAT: A smart guy…..

Agreed. 

Read the rest of the transcript or listen to the audio here.

I have never watched Glenn Beck on TV, except a brief snippet of his interview with Sarah Palin, but as a major media personality, it was very gracious of him to reach out and acknowledge Lexington Green. That level of exposure is something that has been a long time coming for Lex, and IMHO, it is richly deserved.

Having gotten to know Lex in the last few years well enough to call him a friend, and having been a guest a number of times at his book-lined home, I can attest that Lex’s keen intellect and depth of knowledge gives his writing the cultural verve that deserves a larger audience than our humble corner of the mil/strategy blogosphere. He’s one of those small minority of bloggers toiling out there who has the right stuff to play at a much higher level.

Congrats Mr. Green!

There will be a number of posts later today, here and also at Chicago Boyz for the Afghanistan 2050 Roundtable.