Setting the Record Straight

Now that the Wall Street Journal has made an issue about Markos Moulitsas receiving money from the Howard Dean Campaign, the time has come for me to set my own record straight.

Since I began blogging, I have written in As I Please about the following people from whom I have received money or other consideration: Alex Alaskar, Tommy Angelo, Patti Beadles, Benny Behnen, Steve Brust, Rick Chin, Chris Claremont, Sabyl Cohen, Bonnie Damiano, "Erik" (a prop player at the Oaks Club), Danny Flores, Perry Friedman, Jamie Gillis, Charles Haynes, Phil Hellmuth, Karina Jett, Lee Jones, "Kim," Steve Landrum, J.P. Massar, Chris Moneymaker, Tommy Joe Neal, Men Nguyen, David Notkin, Debbie Notkin, Paul Phillips, D. Potter, Andrew Prock, Rory Root, Steven Schwartz, Peter Secor, Spencer Sun, Larry Thomas, Ngoc "Jimmy" Tran, and Tom Whitmore. I also received a $9400 payment from Lucky Chances Casino and a number of payments from Casino San Pablo totalling close to $20,000. I have received payments from other people mentioned in the blog although not by name, and from many others, too numerous for me to have kept track.

In 2004 alone the payments I have received substanially exceeded what the Dean campaign paid Kos.

Zephyr Teachout, the source who blew the whistle on the Dean payments that Kos acknowledged in a disclaimer on his front page for months, is quoted as saying, I think its a good time for creating a culture of simply not writing about people you accept money from. Have I compromised my integrity as a blogger?

Update: Additional names added to make the list more complete.