Blog backup

A while ago, shortly after my last post in which I explained I may not be in the union after all, shut down my blog.  I did so largely for self-interested reasons.  A reader of the blog inquired about what my intentions to it were, and that inquiry got me thinking about some of my stated policies, particularly my first post, in which I promised in part to do the following:

I will keep post-hoc editing of my posts to a minimum, and I will try to be as clear as possible about what I've edited.  In other words, once I've written a post, I would like readers to be confident that what I've said is there to stay.  I may, from time to time, tweak the formatting, especially in the beginning as I try navigate the in's and out's of the blogger templates.  In exceptional circumstances, I may delete a post, but even then I pledge to announce such deletion and explain the reasons for it. 

So I put the posts back up, but until now have written nothing more.

I have now decided to reopen comments and to recommence blogging, at least occasionally.  My original fears--that continuing to blog might harm my own interests--stemmed from my own realization that I might very well be outside of the bargaining unit.  I believed that should the university realize I had gone out with the union during its two-day strike back in February--even though I did so in full belief and in good faith that I was in the bargaining unit--it could fire me.

I have decided that the risk is probably very minimal and that regardless the risk is worth it.  I also believe that the doings of a union that represents public employees are matters of public concern.  That does not mean the union has no prerogative to deliberate privately, but it does mean that I, as a private citizen, can comment upon the union's actions and its public statements.  I realize that recently, the U of I system has taken actions that call into question its commitment to respecting the private speech of its employees.  But I believe everything I have said on this blog so far falls into realm of bona fide political speech.  And I'll also point out that I never visit this blog while at work and have never logged into this blog account or email from work or from a workplace computer.


So, the blog is back up.