"Consign James Blaine to Memory Lane," read the headline on the op-ed page of the Aug. 15 Wall Street Journal. The story wasn't, of course, referring to the local Jamie Blaine, who founded "The Kennett Paper" in 1988. Rather, it was about the 19th-century Congressman from Maine of the same name, who "pushed for a federal constitutional amendment that would ban public support for religious schools. . . . While Blaine’s effort failed in the Senate, a majority of states amended their constitutions to incorporate his idea. . . . The Supreme Court recently decided to hear a case challenging Montana’s anti-Catholic Blaine Amendment in its next term."
Seeing the name in print made me realize I hadn't read Jamie's articulate blog, "Perspectives," for a long time, so I visited his website and found that in June he'd decided to take a hiatus. He writes:
"In the last few weeks I’ve hit a bit of a wall, as I have confronted my growing inability to understand, let alone write about, the world around me. Oh, I still have plenty of opinions, but lately they have come to seem increasingly trite, repetitive and uninspired. I don’t aspire to be one more strident voice vying to be heard above the clamor. And so I have decided to take some time off, to refresh myself and see if there are other ways and venues where I can make some small contribution – to gain new perspectives and engage more deeply in thinking and living than this blog and its self-imposed deadlines allow."
As a blogger with deadlines … I can relate, Jamie.
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