A note to our readers

What do you know, on Sunday, we're actually able to post a Sunday edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review.

If there's a theme to this edition (unplanned on our parts), it's the importance of independent media. You can see that in our spotlight of Ruth's Morning Edition Report. (Yes, we know that posted twice here. No, that wasn't by us. We've deleted the second post.) You can see that in our editorial.

But who are we kidding? We slacked off. Slacked off in writing.

After last weekend's nightmare, everyone was being kind to one another but there was tension underneath. C.I. will tell you that an e-mail was sent out to Seth (who just started Seth in the City) asking him to please start that site quickly because we all needed some good blog news.

What should have been a wonderful time for this site and the other community sites was instead a repeated lesson in frustration as Blogger lost posts (sometimes once they were up) and denied log ons. We were very lucky to have Gina & Krista in D.C. with us. They'd already made reservations at a hotel and would have had to pay if they'd cancelled. So they kept their reservations. And as we had nonstop problems (including logging into e-mail accounts) some began to wonder if Gina & Krista hadn't played it smart by keeping low key about their visit to D.C.?

Regardless, we thank Gina & Krista for grabbing an editorial and two other pieces to run in their special round-robin when we were unable to get them posted here. As problems persisted last Sunday, we made the decision that the most important piece to post was the one highlighting the voices of the demonstrations. We had to do that because if we didn't, how could we criticize the mainstream media for ignoring the people. After losing that post early Sunday morning, we had nothing but trouble as we attempted to recreate it. We posted it in pieces. Then went, without sleep for the six of us this note is from, straight to Sunday's activities. By Sunday afternoon, people began spending time with their relatives (such as Jess's parents or my father) and trying to take some time to reconnect. That left Kat and C.I. with the task of straightening up the home that someone was nice enough to put us up in for the weekend.

At ten p.m. Sunday night we began working on finishing the voices entry and got that done early Monday morning. (Apologies to Benny whom we'd left out until Shirley caught that.)

But we were tired. We were sleepless (in D.C.). We were frazzled. And all the kind words couldn't mask the fact that we were all tense and more than a little depressed about the way posting had turned out. (Dona notes that C.I. expanded more energy than anyone acting as a cheerleader to keep everyone's spirits up.)

So this edition, the focus was reconnecting. We didn't rush the pieces. We didn't rush to start them. Our goal was the news review and a TV review (by Ava & C.I.). (What? You think we want to anger all our readers by leaving that out?) If we did more than that, great. But we were more concerned with reconnecting and making sure that the community itself was stable and in good standing. That meant, for instance, when in the middle of discussing other pieces we might do and Kat noted a comment that had just been said on The Laura Flanders Show we all stopped and took the time to listen. That meant paying attention to the time with respect to the obligations that Cedric and Betty have on Sunday mornings (church) and being sure that they were departing at a reasonable time. That meant all of us taking the time to listen to one another.

In the process, we ended up with an editorial and a musical feature. We expect to do more next week but this week was honestly about the community and making sure everyone was able to voice and to vent.

It also meant allowing the news review to go way longer than one hour so that everyone had time to emphasize the points they wanted to bring to it. We'll return to focusing on the time and the features next weekend but this weekend we wanted to make sure that the drive was still there and that everyone participating got a chance to express themselves to each other.

Last Sunday, as some were departing, we were far more prone to say, "I want ___ quoted in the voices piece" then, "Wow, wasn't this incredible?" So we think the time was needed to regroup and recharge. Hopefully there's enough here that you don't feel short changed you; however, if you do and are enraged, great. Our goal is always to provide you with something that enrages you (we succeeded on that most recently with our editorial on John Roberts which produced the nastiest e-mails from Republicans -- mainly from one pro-Roberts lobbying group -- and from some members of the media), makes you think, or makes you laugh. (Or all three.) We're not trying to play it timid. The New York Times already provides that seven days a week.

Thanks to Maria for allowing us to repost her piece from The Common Ills (as well as to Ruth). And thanks to the regulars who help out including Dallas, Jess' parents as well as Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills), Mike of Mikey Likes It!

We also say welcome to the community Seth, we're eager to hear from you at Seth in the City.

Now we're heading over to The Common Ills to take part with C.I. in discussing this morning's New York Times. Feel free to join us.

-- Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and C.I.