My RSS through Google Reader is jam-packed with items, always showing 1000+ to read.  Evelyn Wood, where are you now?

#blogpostfriday:  I didn’t put the reminder on my calendar yet–but I should not need to, this tradition should be instilled, automatic.  As Dave Winer mentioned, instead of following folks via #followfriday, follow your own thoughts and get them down.  That’s precisely what I’m trying to do here.  We call all of this interactive, these innumerable posts, pages, videos, slideshows, ads, you name it.  But maybe it’s not.  Maybe it’s really a one way situation, with a click or a chuckle here and there.  Are we responding or creating in any way really?  This is a good chance to put some thought into it and get the juices flowing.

I’m sitting back here right now perplexed.  Wondering what is real anymore.  In this world of cyberwhatever, we don’t even know who is behind what post.  Possibly we know who’s providing our own posts!  I have not a ghost blogger, yet.  No ghost blogger, twitterer, myspacer, anything.  When you have one, does that mean you’ve arrived, or that you’re too lazy?

I see the WordPress word count at the bottom left.  Curious when it actually increases.  Seems to do so as I type.  At 200 now, approximately.   But then again, I’m not so sure.  I’ll look at the code.  Be right back.  Looks like it happens during saves, auto or manual.  Thought it might have been some ajax deal.  It’s not quantity, it’s quality.  That’s all you’re going to get here.

As my trusty old Honda Civic was being repaired the other day (ouch, I didn’t have that kind of money), news of Senator Kennedy came on.  Excerpts of his speeches were reviewed.  The man was larger than life.  As part of this mythical clan, one that tragedy often visited, he survived, not letting himself be deterred.  The figure was huge–something like 6500 pieces of legislation had been put into place with his involvement.  The power of his words and commitment to everyday Americans will resonate for many years.  I saw just recently that an official twitter account for the Kennedy family was created–@kennedynews.  Yes, there is mention of the vigil, of an official site, tedkennedy.org.  What a loss, what a pivotal figure in our history.

Here was a figure who was involved in the moving forward of civil rights, a figure who was involved in the marches; he passed the torch to Barack Obama, offered his endorsement, his support.  Backing him in healthcare reform efforts.  How far the nation has come, how the world has come, since those times.  Who’d have thought our nation would have an African American leader.  It says so much for our country–and Senator Kennedy was there to see this, the movement, this success.

In the healthcare debate, and beyond, in politics, I’m clueless as to how to keep track of all of the rhetoric, clueless as to who to trust.  One of the most disturbing discoveries in most recent looks at C-SPAN was that legislators were voting on items they had not even had the chance to read.  There’s not much American about that, but it’s rampant.  Even if a representative is fully trusted, how the hell can we have any confidence in a system which requires votes under these circumstances?  Who the heck knows.

The world will keep doing its thing.  I guess.