Bummer about the "Mamalogues."

This is kinda old news already, but I thought I'd weigh in on it. It turns out that Dana Loesch, the author of the "Mamalogues" column over on STLtoday.com, announced on her blog two days ago that this week's column would be her final one for STLtoday. Apparently she and the folks at STLtoday had a falling out over the style and content of her column. Rather than having me interpret her sentiments, I suggest you check them out yourself here.

Far be it from me to involve myself in the dispute, so I won't. I actually have no more insight about it than you do. Even though our columns appeared in the same environment, Dana and I have never met and have maybe exchanged e-mails once or twice, when one of us was in the mood to compliment the other on a particularly interesting bit of writing. While it is a shame that her writing will no longer run on STLtoday.com, I doubt it'll be hard to find her. Her blog is excellent and is updated far more often than this one is, and it's consistently interesting. Whenever I think to go there, I realize I should do so more often. She's part of the fabric of St. Louis and I'm sure she'll continue to be.

I also want to suggest that readers try to avoid jumping to the conclusion that the editors over at STLtoday.com are evil, awful people. They aren't. I don't work with them full-time, so I don't know anyone there particularly well, but the vast majority of conversations I've had with them have been pleasant and professional. The fact of the matter is that they do have to play within a certain set of boundaries in terms of content. I'm sure not everyone would agree with their standards, but as Dana herself notes on her blog, they're entirely within their rights to have whatever standards they want to have. They have to balance delivering interesting content with the need to attract and retain advertising dollars. Don't be too hard on them, if you're thinking you're inclined to be.

The other comment I have, and then I'll shut up about this, is that the Fringe is not going anywhere, so fear not. As long as the good people of STLtoday.com will have me, I'll continue writing.

Keep it real, Dana, and we'll see you wherever you land. Maybe take a little time off, though, so the rest of us have a shot at the RFT "Best Columnist" title.