Watcher's Council Nominations - 10 Year Aniversary Edition

Ten years ago, the original Watcher had an idea. Blogging carnivals, featuring posts from different bloggers were all the rage then, but our illustrious Founder had a different idea. Instead of a haphazard and changing bunch of contributors every week he put together the concept of a set membership, a Watcher's Council that would promote the best in the blogosphere, week in and week out...a group that would become a community rather than just a collection of random links.

It worked, and the fact that it's lasted so long is worth looking at. If I had to pick out a reason, I'd say it's both the quality of the writers and the quality of the people involved.

Ten years is an eternity in the world of the internet. As the current Watcher, what I'm going to write here is probably a little corny, but still true and from the heart - I'm honored to work with such a great group of writers and be a part of the Watcher's Council. I always have been, ever since I first got the nod from the original Watcher to come aboard and join the Council back in 2005. It really is a community, and I think that comes across to our readers.

The strength of that community was tested in a unique way back in 2008, when the original Watcher had to bow out due to health concerns and we lost our community site. Most groups of this sort would have faded into the woodwork and just dissolved. But I was around at the time and I remember how we all rallied as a group and said no, we weren't going anywhere, thanks.

We put our collective heads together via e-mail, set up a rotating schedule to host the weekly nominations and results on our individual sites, kept linking to each other and kept right on going. We worked together, watched each others backs and never missed a week. The esprit was amazing, and it brought all of us closer together.

We kept it going ourselves for a few months until August of 2008 when we ran into Terry Trippany, our current web wizard, who put together our new site for us, still hosts and troubleshoots it and even acted as Watcher for a period.

Since the Council started up, some members have come and gone, and we've made some changes, but the basic structure the original Watcher put together has endured and the quality of what has become a must read weekly magazine on politics, culture and foreign affairs continues to keep our fans informed and entertained.

We still haven't missed a week.

The Council is something unique in the world of the internet, a community of writers from varied backgrounds that swaps our triumphs, travails, stories, information, outrageous jokes and links to each others' stuff while still competing every week to put out the best entries we can. Along with everything else, it's a heckuva lot of fun.

I'm sure my fellow Council Members will join me in thanking our fans for tuning in to our corner of the blogosphere, and in shouting "Council Akbar!"

This week's contest is lovingly dedicated to our former comrade in arms, Major Andrew Olmsted.

Council News:

This week, Ask Marion and The Pirate's Cove took advantage of my generous offer of link whorage and earned honorable mention status with some great articles.

You can, too! Want to see your work appear on the Watcher’s Council homepage in our weekly contest listing? Didn’t get nominated by a Council member? No worries.

Simply head over to Joshuapundit and post the title a link to the piece you want considered along with an e-mail address ( which won't be published) in the comments section no later than Monday 6PM PST in order to be considered for our honorable mention category. Then return the favor  by creating a post on your site linking to the Watcher’s Council contest for the week when it comes out Wednesday morning

Simple, no?

It's a great way of exposing your best work to Watcher’s Council readers and Council members. while grabbing the increased traffic and notoriety. And how good is that, eh?

So, let's see what we have this week....

Council Submissions

• The Political Commentator– Conservatives, Tea Party and GOP: Can we find some way to get along just a little bit?


• The Noisy Room – Capsizing the Republic - Cloward and Piven on the Southern Border


• Liberty's Spirit – These are the times that try men's souls..


• Simply Jews – Apple vs Samsung: he said, she said, so what will Obama do now?


• VA Right! - ObamaCare Intent Revealed – Single Payer Ultimate Goal and Why Our Current (old) System Was Better


• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – al Qaeda's Rules For Governing


• Joshuapundit-The Celebration Of The Rattlesnakes


• The Glittering Eye -The Post's Lament


• The Colossus of Rhodey – M.S.M. racial conundrums


• The Right Planet – Florida State Capitol Displays Mural of George Zimmerman Shooting Trayvon Martin


• Nice Deb – Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment – Missouri Represents


• Bookworm Room – Of Norway, petrodollars, free education, etc.


• Rhymes With Right – Liberal Bloggers Mock Disabled Candidate For Using Wheelchair!


• The Razor – You Know Your Cause is Lost When Your Action Plan Includes Disrupting Funerals


• The Mellow Jihadi – For the love of Ginger

Honorable Mentions

• Ask Marion - Introducing Sarah


• The Pirate's Cove - Yet Another Obama-Backed “Green” Company Close To Bankruptcy

Non-Council Submissions

• FOX/Liz Peek -Jimmy Carter's ghost stalks Obama White House submitted by The Political Commentator


• Mark Steyn –Know Thine Enenmy submitted by The Noisy Room


• David Gerstman/Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion – Does John Kerry worry about a Palestine that reveres such monsters as the murderer of Nissim Toledano? submitted by Liberty's Spirit


• Blazing Cat Fur – Toronto Masjid Conducting Prison Da'wah Throughout North America Hates You, Your Society, Your Religion & High Heels submitted by Simply Jews


• EAG News – Father of molested student talks about his outrage toward seven teachers who supported the rapist submitted by VA Right!


• War On The Rocks – The Wrong Debate: Reflections On Counterinsurgency submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD


• Bill Whittle – Speech At /Western Conservative Summit, 2013 submitted by Joshuapundit


• Techdirt.com – Jennifer Hoelzer's Insider's View Of The Administration's Response To NSA Surveillance Leaks submitted by The Glittering Eye


• Jewish Review Of Books – What Jesus Wasn't: Zealot submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey


• Walid Shoebat – Does Jailed Brotherhood leader have goods on Obama? submitted by The Right Planet


• John Sexton, The Conversation -Lois Lerner Discusses Political Pressure on the IRS in 2010 submitted by Nice Deb


• Marine Times/Battle Rattle -Dakota Meyer asks: Why can't the U.S. bring my interpreter home? submitted by Bookworm Room


• Patterico's Pontifications – Pelosi’s Faux and Feigned Outragesubmitted by Rhymes with Right


• Walter Williams – Black Self-Sabotage submitted by The Watcher


• Daniel Schwammenthal/WSJ – The Mufti Of Berlin submitted by Watcher

Enjoy! And don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us Twitter..'cause we're cool like that!