I’M NOT SURE WHY, BUT LOTS OF PEOPLE have been hitting the Amazon and PayPal donation buttons lately. If your donation wasn’t anonymous, I’ve already sent you a thank-you email. If it was anonymous, well, this is your thank you. However, in general I’d rather people sent their donations to folks like Michael Totten or Michael Yon, who need the support to do independent journalism, or to the occasional blogger-in-trouble that I link. I appreciate the donations, but I don’t really need ’em, and your money’s probably better spent elsewhere.

UPDATE: A reader emails: “Have you thought about taking those donations and giving them to those you think can use them yourself?” Actually, I often do. And reader Steve Fisher suggests: “Instead you should set your donation links up as an independent journalist fund, with the option of donating to particular journalists.” I’ve thought of that, but it sounds like it would become unwieldy. I prefer just to encourage people to support sites they like.