I want to express my sadness that Jim West's blog has been deleted. Although I disagree with Jim on political issues, there is a warm place in my heart for him, for he was the one who first introduced me to the blogging community. Not as many people would be reading me today if he had not done that, since he had the prominence and name-recognition that could draw people's attention to the blogs that he mentioned. I hope that he will find a way to start anew, although he probably feels demoralized right now. He is a prolific blogger, and he adds a lot of intellectual stimulation and fun to the discussion.