I must admit, I had never heard of Michael Fumento until about a week ago. Apparently he is some sort of writer, who many people think has it in for webloggers. Fumento (or "400 Papers Fumento" as he likes to be called) is published in over 400 newspapers. Coincidentally, his web site only gets about 400 hits, which seems to be somewhat ego bruising for him. Fumento has been lashing out at bloggers all over the 'sphere, including Right Wing News and Gut Rumbles presumably because we are giving away what he makes others pay for. We are threatening his livelihood. Over at Rob's page, he claims to have 5 books. (Hell, I've got hundreds of books, and I've even read some of them.)

But I'm not going to try to play this game of whose dick is bigger, or who is the better writer, or who has painted toenail porn and who doesn't. I think it's all rather silly. Fumento obviously, is a professional writer. He gets paid to write. Meanwhile, bloggers like Rob and I are maintaining our amateur status so that we may one day participate in the olympics. (Blog Olympics. Now, there's an idea. Quick, register that domain name.)

Comparing blogging to professional writing is like comparing amateur to professional wrestling. Fumento is a pro, and he gets paid to bring in the readers. He's like the Nature Boy, Ric Flair. He's all about showmanship, flair, and putting spectators in the seats. On the other hand, bloggers are like amateur olympic wrestlers with their dorky headgear and goofy leotards. Nobody pays to watch us on pay per view, and we're never going to be filthy rich. And even though one side has a larger audience and a much louder voice, we both still know who the better wrestler really is.

Mike Fumento, circa 1976. (Photo credit)

Mike Fumento, today. (Photo credit)