Social Media 'friends' and Critical Issues

As publisher of The Patriots Press my goal is to keep things as interesting as possible for all of my readers and I try to cover as many areas and topics as possible.  I also use my personal perspective to condense what I consider to be the hottest news items of the day or week into brief, easy to understand, laser Op/Ed articles that are designed to make the reader think.  There is also space on every article for reader comments, which as long as the content of those comments remain on point, clean, and without abusive language, I do not invoke my right to remove or edit them.

I don’t ask for agreement, but I usually challenge my readers with my opinions and have witnessed some very colorful open dialogue between them.  

As a result of this, I am often invited via the various social networks, like minded media, and by individuals and groups to voice those opinions in the broader public arena at various speaking events and on occasion via live radio broadcasts.  I might add, I am always humbled and honored to do so.    

As often as not, my topics have generally centered around faith and political issues, and I often combine them where I believe necessary; and that brings me to the gist of this very brief article.

I won’t deny for a minute that sometimes I offer something frivolous on my personal pages of the various social media with which I am associated; maybe a clean joke or two, or even the occasional photo of a cute animal. However, on The Patriots Press pages, I try to remain completely focused on the task at hand, and use those pages to distribute my messages, resorting to frivolity only when I consider it pertinent to a recent story.  

Very recently, within the last 48 hours really, a social media group that had solicited my membership quite a while ago decided that my work was no longer welcome on their page.  Then, instead of politely asking via a private message, they made it public on a post of mine that I should stop posting the very information that I would venture prompted them to solicit my membership in the first place.  That post and their comment have since been removed and I have been removed as a member of said group.

Well, I thought about that for a moment.  Some folks might be highly offended or whatever by such an unprovoked action, however I wear such ‘rejections’ as a badge of honor.  Apparently, things I’ve had to say did make some people, at very least the administrators, think about things and issues they find very uncomfortable, and for that I offer no apology.  My writings, warnings, and opinions of world events are regarded by the vast majority of my readers as very important and very timely, and as long as I’m able, I have no intention of slowing down their frequency nor toning down the content.  

I also want to make it very clear that I have no problem with sanitized discussions about girl scout cookie recipes, reminiscing about the good old days of one’s hometown, and all of the other trivial items bandied about as topics of the day, because they are necessary to help us wind down from the harsh realities of the world.  I would however, consider it a great dis-service to my readers if I didn’t attempt to remove their heads from the sands of frivolity and keep them reminded and focused on the really important issues that affect us all. 

That said, I would invite, nay insist, that any group or individual on any of my distribution lists or channels that finds my observations and commentary too painful to read and be posted where they can see them, to please block, un-friend, and or remove me by whatever method is applicable to the media used.  Additionally, while I would appreciate anyone doing so to “man up” and send me a private message as to your intent, it isn’t absolutely necessary as I know who my friends are.

In closing today, I would like to thank all of my faithful readers and and friends for your continued support and encouragement.