Well met, and well missed. . .

One of the sadder occurrences in our greater blogosphere is when a blogging friend goes missing. Sometimes you click a link in your blogroll and get the dreaded "blog not found" message. Other times, the site still exists but has flat-lined for some reason and we usually never find out why. I just found out that one of my compatriots right here in the midwest, who hadn't posted since March 19th of this year, DIED on March 20th.

While I seldom speak softly, I DO carry a big blogroll. That being said, I never even realized that his site had gone dormant for so long. Rest in peace, our friend Jerry, and take comfort in the knowledge that you touched many of our lives with your thoughts and insight. Your blog lives on, in your memory, exactly as you left it after your last post with the exception of the usual lively comments followed by the more somber ones as we learned of your demise.

I learned of Jerry's passing via the comments section on another blog who's author has gone missing since August 18th of this year, Lew Scannon (My all-time favorite blogger name) of Unbrainwashed. We hope that "Lew" hasn't suffered a similar misfortune and will return to his crusade against the radical right in the near future. I had always believed that Lew and Ron Nasty were one and the same person - American Insurgency went blank on August 18th as well.

One of the most impassioned and knowledgeable voices in the progressive blogosphere, Jeremy of Rage Against the Right, disappeared on September 26, 2006. His final post was titled "I'll be back". And then he wasn't. His site lives on as well, and is an EXCELLENT reference for information on the right-wing sector of America.

My "You have a Friend in Pennsylvania" buddy, Human, gave us a scare by vanishing for several months this year, but has returned to his rightful place as the pragmatist of our group of rebels. I was greatly relieved to see his keyboard return to action recently, and thankful that the Last Chance Cafe wasn't merely a Carbon Paper copy of itself.

Our good friend Mary Knock, and her blog address, vanished without a trace earlier this year. I had the foresight to claim the Knock Knock blog address and set it up as a tribute to Mary, or as a warm seat if she ever returns to us. Kvatch was kind enough to join in that endeavour and returned the site to a damned fine copy of it's former self.

Kvatch also called it quits, although his site remains, and he has been guest-blogging at several sites including this one. He's been very quiet since November 7th though. . .Froggy? Are you out there? ? ? You have a lily pad here anytime you need it, my friend.

One of my other blogger buddies from "the city by the bay" signed off this summer as well, PT Cruiser. Rory was kind enough to leave a final post and explain his reasons (family). It's always nice to have some closure on these things, and, being a class act, he provided it. Have fun with the bongos and the little ones!

Closer to home, we suffered the loss of Marked Hoosier who also signed off in August. WHAT the HELL is up with August? ? ? Mark, I truly miss your sense of humor and your knack for finding extremely weird videos!

I know I'm probably missing some others who are worthy of mention, but these were the lost pals that came to mind when I read about Jerry's unfortunate demise earlier this year. And, may I add, if you're going to walk away from the keyboard, please let your friends know so that we don't worry about you or find out that you've expired long after the fact. Unless I've already joined Jerry in the great BlogSpot in the Sky, I promise to do the same. . .