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Comments Hygiene

I don't know if the most recent cowardly troll is a new Anonymous Moron, or the old one with a new IP address (it seems to share a lot of features--lousy grammar and punctuation, sneering tone, use of the fallacious and idiotic "chickenhawk" argument, refusal to use its name), but I've banned it.

[Bumped at the end of the day]

I just banned another one (at least partly because I suspect it's the same one--just with a different IP). I leave the comment up to show why I banned the commenter. I hope it's obvious.

My patience grows thin over this kind of off-topic drive-by crap. This is not a site for BDS graffiti.

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 12, 2007 04:07 PM

Comments

Hmmm, not to encourage any vigilantism here, but I am curious if you can characterize what sort of IP addresses this person uses? Are they just using different IP addresses in some ISP block, coming out of academia, etc.

Posted by Karl Hallowell at November 12, 2007 06:35 PM

No, no discernible relationship. Which means nothing in terms of it being the same troll...

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 12, 2007 06:44 PM

A meta question . . .

Will CDS be tolerated? As in "Clinton Derangement Syndrome" -- I am fast becoming a noted Hillary-hating nihilist for my support of Barack Obama over at Daily Kos.

Earlier today I was told that only those Democrats who "mainline hate" oppose Hillary's nomination.

BDS here and CDS there? Hey, I need a doctor.

= = =

Anyway, you might enjoy this link, Rand:

http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/227860.html

PETERSBURG, Ky. -- Northern Kentucky's Creation Museum is evolving into a larger facility.

The museum will add 663 parking spaces, outdoor canopies and a maintenance building and will move its main entrance as part of a $500,000 upgrade.

Both Fark and Balloon Juice are having fun with the article.

Posted by Bill White at November 12, 2007 10:24 PM

Will CDS be tolerated?

Neither BDS or CDS will be tolerated in posts in which the comments are completely off topic.

And I herefore ban the idiotic "chickenhawk" argument forever, by anyone. As I said, my patience is much thinner than it was when I was younger.

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 12, 2007 10:41 PM

Your patience with our freedom of speech, the US constitution, and internet technology, is thinner even than the hair on the top of your head.

Posted by Amish Guy at November 13, 2007 07:21 AM

Amish Guy, please explain how Rand's enforcement of basic standards of courteous discourse prevents you from saying whatever you want.

I'd advise you to think before you reply.

Posted by McGehee at November 13, 2007 07:25 AM

Amish guy needs to turn some lights on.

Posted by Offside at November 13, 2007 07:51 AM

McGehee, if "courteous discourse" were the criterion by which Rand allowed or disallowed commenters, then many of his regulars would have been banned long ago.

Now, I'm not in favor of off-topic ranting, but the usual response to an unwelcome point of view (regardless of its validity) is an ad hominem attack on the poster. Is that "courteous discourse?"

Posted by Andy at November 13, 2007 08:28 AM

This blog is Rands domain, when you are posting here it is as if you are in his home. He can allow or disallow whatever he likes, freedom of speech does not apply unless he wishes it to.

Posted by Cecil Trotter at November 13, 2007 08:52 AM

Your patience with our freedom of speech, the US constitution, and internet technology, is thinner even than the hair on the top of your head.

Surely, Amish Guy, you meant to type something more intelligent than that.

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 13, 2007 08:58 AM

In the government and corporate world, that's called 'executive privilege'. We know it well.

Posted by Amish Guy at November 13, 2007 08:59 AM

Cecil, for the first time, I don't disagree with you. But call it like it is; standards of "courteous discourse" are not the price of admission here. McGeHee ought to understand that.

Posted by Andy at November 13, 2007 09:06 AM

Committing bad usage by combining topics in a comment:

1. I think it's been established that Amish Guy doesn't have any lights to turn on, which I suppose makes sense.


2. Gotta concur with Bill White about CDS. Picked up a lifetime dose of it living in TX during the '90s. Only good thing about it was that it allowed me to recognize BDS when I saw it early on.

Posted by Jay Manifold at November 13, 2007 10:11 AM

Yup, as Cecil said, this is Rand's blog, and we should all be as courteous as we would be in his home. "Executive Privilege" has nothing to do with it, just the thing that used to be called common courtesy. We can (and do!) disagree on topics without being rude or making personal attacks.

Posted by Stewart at November 13, 2007 04:13 PM

Yes, fasc@sts like you always smile when you stab Americans in the back. Keep up the good acts!

Posted by Amish Guy at November 13, 2007 05:54 PM

Yes, fasc@sts like you always smile when you stab Americans in the back. Keep up the good acts!

So, morons like you are cruising for a banning as well? On what basis are you calling anyone here "fascists"?

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 13, 2007 06:02 PM

Your well known reputation.

Posted by Amish Guy at November 13, 2007 06:07 PM

Your well known reputation.

In other words, you have no intelligent response. By the way, we're still awaiting a response to this question:

Your patience with our freedom of speech, the US constitution, and internet technology, is thinner even than the hair on the top of your head.

Surely, Amish Guy, you meant to type something more intelligent than that.

You haven't yet responded. There are three possible responses:

OK, that wasn't a post well thought through. Sorry.

[Some long pathetic and legally ignorant attempt to explain why my banning a poster to my private weblog is against the Constitution]

[Another hilariously stupid accusation that in criticizing "Amish Guy" and in banning people posting graffiti, I am therefore a "fascist."]

Which will it be...?

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 13, 2007 06:19 PM

You're building quite a reputation yourself, pal - for cowardice, illiteracy, and general incomprehension (though some of the latter may be due to a language barrier, cf "patience with ... internet technology," "keep up the good acts"). How's life in Elbonia?

Posted by Jay Manifold at November 13, 2007 06:19 PM

Sorry, 'words!' was banned by the software.

What, you haven't even googled my IP yet?

How dumb are you guys! heh heh heh.

Posted by Amish Guy at November 13, 2007 06:24 PM

What, you haven't even googled my IP yet?

How dumb are you guys! heh heh heh.

You continue to underestimate our intelligence.

Why in the world would you moronically fantasize that we even care about your IP? You demonstrate your subnormal IQ with every post.

Posted by Rand Simberg at November 13, 2007 06:39 PM

Just ban the little turd, don't give him the satisfaction of treating his mental illness as if is has any merit beyond blockig his IP. You can't reason with him because he obviously is not rational.

Life is too short for stupid. Especially when you have the button that bans it.

Posted by Mike Puckett at November 13, 2007 06:52 PM

A question: In the same thread that you found "anonymous moron" so offensive that you banned him, Mike Puckett referred to him as a "turd." In other threads he has referred to liberals as "libertards" and "retards."

So what are the standards that are being enforced here? Are they based on ideology, civility, profanity, ad hominem attacks, or something else?

Posted by John Wilson at November 13, 2007 07:51 PM

"A question: In the same thread that you found "anonymous moron" so offensive that you banned him, Mike Puckett referred to him as a "turd." "

He was acting a turd. Labeling him such is no sin. He earned that label, it was not given capriciously.

Besides, I don't insult the host and I dont insult those who don't go around doing it themselves.

Mabey I am a bit of a junkyard dog around here. If I am growling at you, you are proabally somewhere doing something you shouldn't be doing in the first place. If you feel my bite, you have already bit somebody first.

If I give someone an insult, it is in return for one given. I think they deserve a taste of their own medicine.

When you come to the gate acting a barbarian, don't whine when you aren't let in. Don't complain when we throw our chamber pots over the wall in response to the excrement you have flung inside.

"In other threads he has referred to liberals as "libtards" and "retards.""

That is a strawman, I referred to certain posters who behave in an uncouth manner as such. Ones so uncivilized they have all or almost all been subsiquently banned.

Have I ever insulted Jane Bernstein or Bill White? No, because they act civil. You sound like the terrorist who beheads hostages, blows up innocents and then dares call us uncivilized when we bomb the mosque he hides in.

The whiners want to dish it out but apparently can't take it. They want the benefit of the rules when it protects them but reserve the right to do as they will when it suits them. There is a word for that, it is called hypocracy. If the shoe fits, wear it.

Posted by Mike Puckett at November 13, 2007 10:05 PM

I might also add that I do not practise "off-topic drive-by crap" or "BDS Graffiti".

If you can come up for a legitimate argument as to why anonomous moron's contributions were meritorious enough to warrant his continued membership, I, for one, would love to hear them.

Signal to noise ratio I believe it is called?

Posted by Mike Puckett at November 13, 2007 10:13 PM


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