Dean's World

I'd like to say I am offended by the very idea of a "litmus" test to be a contributor to Dean's World, but that would be fatuous of me. If we had a real Nazi or left-wing nut on this blog I'd be IM'ing Dean to do something about it. Of course there's a litmus test of "sanity."

But I don't know if I can buy into Dean's definitions, and his refusal — rather impatiently expressed — even to acknowledge that with his #3 on the list, he has a lot of people of good faith and fair intellect scratching their heads.

I was very inclined to wait this out, but then in the comments someone raised the issue of "Galileos" on the masthead. I don't want it to be inferred that in order to have access to this platform — which I value highly, as Dean knows well — I am going along with what are arguably controversial propositions. I think Dean is grossly oversimplifying the issue, one of the most important and controversial in the world today. I think, for what it's worth, that he's doing so because of a powerful inclination he has to do the right thing, especially by underdogs.

Why he thinks Muslims are underdogs in this time (and place), as I have said before, I do not know. I've been a little annoyed by the suggestions that as a Jew, I should be the one to be most sympathetic to the plight of the oppressed Muslim, which frankly I believe is preposterous. As a Jew I am the number-one guy in the gunsight of the oppressed Muslim, just because of who I am. Not every Muslim kills Jews, but in my lifetime no one has killed as many Jews as Muslims. I won't have my view of what that implies about Muslim civilization dictated to me by anyone.

Just as Dean has certain things that he's really picky about, I do too. And number one is being told. Tied for number one is cowardice. Those are my lines in the sand.

So by drawing his line in the sand Dean has forced my hand. Not because I'm an "Islamophobe." My way of life as a strictly orthodox Jew has more in common with that of religious Muslims than Dean's does, and then some. But I won't be cornered this way. It's a bit of a precedent issue — where will Dean draw the next line? I don't want to find out or to worry about it.

My friends, as we've all acknowledged, it's Dean's World, and we just live in it. I didn't make this a top-whatever blog, but I benefited tremendously by it being one — and it's Dean who made it one. Do you ever marvel at the broad range of topics Dean writes well about? I do. Okay, sometimes it's broad to a fault — I often chide Dean for wasting time on stuff like American Idol. But that's why he has a great general-interest blog that is full of ads and gets massive hits and I write about things like the CitiGroup umbrella for under a thousand of my closest friends every day.

It's been a privilege to participate, in the most literal sense. I wish there were another gig of this quality waiting out there for me, but I don't think there is. I must say (I always must; that's one of my problems) I went out with a bang — got us linked from Instapundit and Power Line in one day, on one post; but that post was, evidently, exemplary of the rub here.

For these reasons I am withdrawing from the World. I have no plans or predispositions regarding blogging or writing other than to continue with my narrow-gauge blog on intellectual property law, LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION. I can't think of too many people who are as like-minded about so many things as Dean and I, especially regarding personal relationships. I feel no rancor towards Dean, only gratitude of the highest order, and I absolutely hope he will continue to consider me a friend, as I do him. And so, too, the rest of you. Goodbye, cool World!