Greetings, Gentle Readers.
Let's begin our conversation with a little introduction. This blog is dedicated to continuing the conversation that can be found each day on this newspaper's editorial pages. They are, after all, the place long reserved for interactivity before interactivity was cool. But in this electronic age, there's little reason to be limited to the page when broader horizons beckon, any more than readers need be limited to the occasional letter to the editor in response.
Each day we intend to use this blog to provide a little more of what we try to offer on the printed page -- engage in debate on important public policy, praise (or skewer) those who deserve it, poke holes in the blustery billowing of the bloviators, repudiate the wrongheaded, condemn the malefactors, and offer some measure of comfort to the innocent and downtrodden. The difference is, we need you to join in.
We've chosen to call this blog "Second Opinion" because it's a space reserved not just for those who have access to a printing press but because, more than ever, we need to be informed by those who do not. The Baltimore Sun's editorial board holds no corner on wisdom (and trust us, we hear about it often enough). All we ask is a measure of civility and good, but not necessarily perfect, grammar.
One additional note. We expect this arena to be a bit more freewheeling than its printed counterpart. These posts are not editorials crafted by the full board, but represent the thoughts and opinions of its individual members. As such, don't expect what you read here to interlock neatly with the newspaper's opinion like gears in a machine. Just like our readers, we have our differences.
But that's for you, gentle reader, to discover in the days ahead. Let the blogging be joined.