Yes, I am blogging under the name “jane doe” — the ubiquitous pseudonym for a female defendant whose name is not yet known in legal briefs and decisions. This was not my first choice for posting in this forum. I had originally intended to blog under my real name. I am a person of strong beliefs, and I prefer to stand up for those beliefs, not to hide behind a fake name to protect my identity.

Unfortunately, reality intruded.

You see, I, like most bloggers, do not expect to be able to make my living through blogging. I have a job, one that I rather like, which keeps a roof over my head and Ben-and-Jerry’s in my freezer. My place of employment is in fairly regular contact with, and frequently does work for, government officials of both political parties.

Many of those individuals would probably not find the views I plan to express here terribly pleasing.

Since I like my boss and my job, I do not want to create difficulties for either when I shoot my mouth off in this forum. Thus, the pseudonym.

I ask you, gentle reader, to indulge my weakness in this respect, and consider my words and ideas posted here on their merit, though you do not have a real name to link them to. In return, I pledge that, if and when my employment circumstances change, I will reveal my true identity and dispense with the pseudonym.

Very truly yours,

–jane doe