Back in the old days, we had this thing called "blog-rolling."

For those unfamiliar with this older form of social media--which it is--there were and are certain conventions to be observed.

One of those conventions is the hat-tip to people from whom you obtain content, firing back a link for the info. Another is "blog-rolling," wherein you salute people who are just superior content providers.

[These customs are another reason why blogging is a much more civilized form of social media, youngsters.]

Anyway, this is going to be an exercise in blog-rolling.

I have been gone for years, but others have kept making this medium valuable.

One foundational Catholic blogger who has never stopped producing quality content is Amy Welborn. And if you haven't read her essay about "Church Life in the Post-Pandemic World," stop reading this post and read that now.

She remains on a tear, with high-quality commentary on "peak misogyny" and beginning a two-parter on the question of race in American Catholic history.

My good friend Christopher Johnson, after a technical-difficulties hiatus, is back to providing daily hits on issues of the day, religious and secular. He made me look cool in detective fiction, so you know he has the chops. Click daily.

Finally, the American Catholic group blog has never lost a step, either.

Now, here's the part where I say that linkage to a blog does not imply endorsement of every thing that appears there--especially in the comments. But when such occur, my disagreements can be politely stated at all of those places and the responses are never the electronic equivalent of a beat-down.

There's something to be said for still being able to have a meaningful conversation that doesn't end in forced agreement or denunciation.