The Jon Swift Memorial Roundup has been posted.  Here’s the background on the tradition as explained by Lance Mannion:

Our late and much missed comrade in blogging, journalist and writer Al Weisel, revered and admired across the bandwidth as the “reasonable conservative” blogger Modest Jon Swift, was a champion of the lesser known and little known bloggers working tirelessly in the shadows… One of his projects was a year-end Blogger Round Up. Al/Jon asked bloggers far and wide, famous and in- and not at all, to submit a link to their favorite post of the past twelve months and then he sorted, compiled, blurbed, hyperlinked and posted them on his popular blog. His round-ups presented readers with a huge banquet table of links to work many of has had missed the first time around and brought those bloggers traffic and, more important, new readers they wouldn’t have otherwise enjoyed. It may not have been the most heroic endeavor, but it was kind and generous and a lot of us owe our continued presence in the blogging biz to Al.

My selection is Yes, I Do Take It Personally from October: “When the Constitution talks about ‘We The People,’ I’m one of those people. I didn’t give up the rights enumerated in that document because I happen to be gay.”

You will find a lot of really good blogging from names you recognize and writing you respect.  I am honored to have been invited, and I hope you agree with my selection.

Another one of Al/Jon’s traditions was to seek out small or little-noted bloggers and give them the attention that he thought they deserved.  He did a lot to promote those of us who do not make the A-list of bloggers or get a million hits a year, knowing that there are gems to be found out there.  He honored us; it is right and our duty to honor him as well.  Go and read the posts of blogs you’ve never heard of.  You might find a new friend.

Peace, Al, and thank you, Batocchio, for keeping his vision alive.