Getting My Gall Up

In my previous post, I linked to a beautiful picture of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia. The picture is found on a site called EthioPolitics. I follow this site because it's important for me to learn about my child's homeland, and just like politics directly affect my bio daughter in America (ie- "No Child Left Behind"), the are affecting my adopted daughter in Ethiopia.

Readers of this blog will know that from time to time, I will link to interesting news stories about Ethiopia. I do this because the purpose of this blog is to inform my readers about my journey- not just the "emotional" journey, not just the papers and waits, but the journey I am taking to learn about my daughter's heritage and culture. I am excited about the things I learn because I am falling in love with the people of Ethiopia, and the more I learn about them, the more I love them. And ultimately, isn't this blog about sharing love?

I received a comment on my previous post that stated "Talk about adoption, not politics. Thank you." This comment was anonymous. This comment really got my gall up.

Why? Several reasons.

1) The politics of Ethiopia are directly affecting my daughter. They are a part of my adoption journey. They may play an even bigger role in my journey based on how the political situation in Ethiopia swings over the next several months. The relationships between governments, the wars, the economic situation of the country- all affect my daughter! It would be unwise to not be aware of this.

2) This is my blog. I can write about whatever I want. Just because this blog is intended primarily as a way to talk about my adoption journey, there is no limit on the content except my own imagination. I think it is ridiculous that someone out there is trying to censor me.

3) The original post wasn't even about politics. It was on a political site, but I merely linked to the picture. I was not trying to force political views on anyone. In fact, I keep my views of politics, both US and Ethiopian, fairly private considering I am a person who has 2 blogs.

4) Because the post is anonymous, there is no way to open a discussion. An anonymous comment is rarely intended to open discussion, it is rather a command- a statement that the poster does not want questioned. In general, that annoys me because my blog is intended to be interactive- a dialogue that helps both myself and my readers learn and grow.

So, commenter, I invite you to open a discussion. Why did you feel the original post was about politics? Why do you feel that this blog should be limited to "adoption, not politics"? How should the political climate in Ethiopia (that is very much affecting my daughter) be considered/shared if not on my blog? Why should my blog not contain my concerns, fears, opinions, and thoughts about any subject I wish to discuss?

For the rest of you, what are your thoughts?