Tomorrow, this weblog gets back off the grid. However, I thought I would spend my final few moments under the glare of blogdex to collect and share my “take-away” from the past few days. The following random thoughts may also serve as answers to some of the questions I’ve received in a volume of non-spam e-mail that is, well, a bit more voluminous than usual. Here goes:

1. It still amazes me how many people are not familiar with the terms web log or blogging, and I’m talking about very educated, well-read individuals who use the Internet and represent widely divergent political points of view.

2. I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers who have e-mailed me telling me not to take seriously the “kooks” who say bad things about me. Don’t worry. I’ve participated in and led online communities dating back to being the “sysop” of a CompuServe forum, so I know the terrain and wear an all-season flame retardant suit. I’m experienced with people calling me a dumbass. But I can’t thank enough people like Mark, Tim (in Phoenix), David, Jason, Robert, Daniel, Ben, Stacy and many others who wrote because they appreciated what I had to say.

3. The 13-year-old Simpsons expert in my household says this reminds him of the episode when Homer becomes an accidentally famous artist for 24-hours and then has to live up to the expectations of Jasper Johns and others. Frankly, I expected him to select the episode in which Lisa wins a trip to Washington and nabs a congressman in a sting operation. He’s the expert, however.

4. The response to my blogging about my visit with the President reminds me of a few books (one of which is the Jerzy Kosinki novella Being There on which was based the movie by the same name that was alluded to in a previous post). All the speculation about my motivations found on Fark and DailyKos reminds me of last year’s novel by William Gibson, Pattern Recognition, which, in effect, is a mystery novel in which the mystery being solved regards the motives and origins of the individuals responsible for fragments of a film being released online. How can marketers capture and bottle the meme-based publicity magic each fragment release generates? The “villain” ad guy must know at any cost. Another science fiction novel from a year or so ago, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by BoingBoing blogger, author and self-described Canadian snob Cory Doctorow also came to mind as in it, he describes a future currency called Whuffie that is based on the reputation one earns from others (ala, eBay feedback). I realized when I came under attack as some kind of “plant” that my previous years of non-political blogging had built me up some Whuffie. After this weekend, however, I think all my Whuffie’s been spent.

5. Several “alpha” bloggers, even those who passionately disagree with the President, “get” what I did in blogging the visit and have said nice things to me via e-mail or about it on their blogs, which I appreciate. They know the progress of whatever this is (citizen journalism?) is moved forward a notch every time something like my blogging the meeting helps raise the visibility of the activity to a broader audience.

6. I have spent my career in marketing, advertising, PR and publishing. I know a flash in the pan when I see one. I know the hook is yanking me off the stage even as I hit the “post to home page” button. I am happily journeying towards a destination called “yesterday’s news.”

7. Final word: I am a very blessed individual in many ways. However any business success I may enjoy today or in the future did not come without some significant setbacks along the way. In others words, I have failed big-time and have the appreciation for success (for that matter, for mere survival) that comes as one of the only positive benefits of such major setbacks or obstacles. While it was the fickle finger of fate that allowed me to spend time chatting with the President of the United States last Thursday, I am much more blessed everyday in non-business ways than at work; like, for example, the chance I’ve had this afternoon of spending a few hours with my son roaming the neighborhood and playing pitch. So many fateful factors provide the foundation of my enviable position of being one of the “many Rexes out there.” But I don’t mind saying in a private conversation or in what has proven to be such an unexpectedly public venue as the previously obscure rexblog, the American traditions of individual freedom and free enterprise and the limited role of government in the operation of small businesses make it possible for me to strive with hope and passion for success for me and my family. It is my personal belief, a personal belief I am well aware that I do not share with all who read this, that we have a President who deeply understands this and is committed to preserving those traditions. His stance on several social issues may not line up with yours or mine, but I’m solidly in support of him when it comes to what I believe is his commitment to standing up to those who would destroy the economic freedoms we enjoy which, by the way, under gird and enable the liberties we have to spend hours online debating whether or not I’m a dupe or why the President gave me a nickname.

8. Final, final word. If you want to read about magazine industry news or my occasional post about Nashville, bluegrass music or the Tennessee Titans, those resume on the rexblog tomorrow. I’m hoping this is it for my 15 minutes of political blogging.

Thanks to all those who love President Bush and have e-mailed me thanks and praise.

Thanks to all those who hate President Bush and have e-mailed me explaining why I’m a fool, dupe or, my favorite, a “Karl Rove operative.”

It should come as no surprise that I find it much more engaging to avoid the hate mail and to read the articulate observations of intelligent individuals who really despise Bush but still believe that the English language is best understood when the words are lined up using certain syntactical conventions. (Typos and misspellings are fine in real-time blogging and commenting, but I’ve been receiving some jumbled gibberish that, ironically, is trying to convince me how unintelligent the President is.)

For an example of enlightened anti-Bush discourse, this evening on DailyKos, some very bright Bushophobes are dissecting my observations with some thoughtful and insightful scalpels.

I’ll admit, however, that one of my favorite of the comments is one of the lesser insightful ones, but is, nonetheless, a funny post (anonymous, however [later: correction: posted by "kelly"]) about the President giving me the nickname Hammock Man:

Sheesh. That’s not a cute nickname, it’s a mnemonic device so Bush could remember his name for the speech. Doesn’t this guy (Rex Hammock) know that? Kinda sad… Well, at least Rex is a publisher and not a Speedo manufacturer… (Note: His source on the “mnemonic device” insight is a piece by Gail Sheehy.)

Dear Sheesh [Later: I mean kelly]: Of course I knew that Hammock Man was a mnemonic device so that Bush could remember my name for the speech. I also suspected that the name placard sitting in front of me and my name written boldly on the notes sitting on his podium were also mnemonic devices to help him remember my name. But, Sheesh. you don’t seem to be getting the point that others in your discussion are. George W. Bush understands (like Bill Clinton) that humans are wired in such a way as to appreciate it when others of the species go to the trouble of using mnemonic devices to remember their names.

As for the Speedo-comment. Perhaps you can read more Gail Sheehy to seek a better understanding of why that word-association popped into your mind.