Comment/Trackback Policy

The only opinions or commentary I am responsible for are those I myself publish on this blog. Anyone can comment, and their opinions are their own. Lotsa folks trackback to this blog, especially to some of the Open Trackback posts. The opinions expressed in the posts linked to this blog from elsewhere are those of their authors’, not necessarily mine. Read at your own risk.

Look, you guys: I am NOT, repeat NOT responsible for what some asshat says in comments here. If, repeat IF I have the time, energy and brainpower after a day that has turned my brain to mush, I MIGHT be able to read through and comprehend all the comments posted. IF, repeat IF I find something in comments that IN MY OPINION is plainly slanderous, seditious or otherwise dangerous, exceptionally stupid or destructive or harmful, I’ll probably delete it. I may make fun of it or slash it to ribbons with my own (opinion) commentary. If YOU find something in comments that YOU opine is plainly slanderous, seditious or otherwise dangerous, exceptionally stupid or destructive or harmful, PLEASE let me know via email and I’ll TRY to have the time, energy and mental wherewithal to deal
with it.

But I can make no promises. I’m only human and will do my best. There are plainly too many loons out there for me to police everything, so CUT ME SOME SLACK. It’s only a blog, for heaven’s sake!

That said, keep in mind that I do reserve the right to delete any comment I want to, though I’ll only likely use that tactic on complete asshats (as I deem them to be), obvious SPAM, folks who are embarrassing themselves by making stupid comments with no rational content, are blatantly abusive (if I catch the abuse), etc.

If you don’t like what goes on here, go away. “Sticks and stones… ” and alla that. If your po’ widdle feewings get hurt by something someone–me, another poster, a commenter–says, just grow up, get a life and (preferably) go away. I don’t need to nursemaid poor lil babies who can’t take a little verbal rough housing.

I don’t care about vulgarities. Obscenities and profanities are another story. (If you don’t know the differences between the three categories, get a good dictionary and have someone who’s literate look ’em up and explain the differences r e a l l y s l o w l y. *sheesh*)

Ya want civil discourse? Act that way. Ya wanna be verbally ridiculed and held up as an example of subliterate moronic asshattery? Act that way. but don’t come complaining to me unless someone attacks you in comments without just cause.

Still, I’ll expect most folks who comment here to simply behave themselves.

Trackbacked posts linking in? I have NO control over remote sites linking in. Follow those links at your own discretion. Oh, if I find a link to something that offends me (hard to do, unless someone is engaging in complete stupidity and thinks they are not), I’ll delete the link, like as not. But that’s only happened once I can recall, apart from obvious SPAM.

Oh, and another thing–really just an expansion/clarification of earlier notice–if you are one of those who feel the urge to embarrass yourself with an outburst against a statement of fact I assert, try at least to argue the facts at issue, not simply make asshat, dumbass remarks. I’ll respect someone whose opinion is based on arguing facts, but if all you have to offer in counter is some lying meme, then expect to be pilloried in public. Repeat: if you want to argue that any views I express, any opinions I hold are wrong, marshall some real facts to bolster your argument or expect to be ridiculed.

Oh, and do learn to at least correctly identify a few of the major classic fallacies of logic. I have lost count of the number of numbnuts I have run into over the years who cannot tell the differences between taunting name-calling, accurate labeling based on facts and argumentum ad hominem fallacy. Learn to correctly identify both your own and others’ failures of clear thinking andyou can save yourself a lot of embarrassment and everyone else a lot of time.

But it won’t be as much fun for me, cos it’ll give me less to mock.

Oh. Well.

If you have any questions about this policy, ask away. But if you just want to argue or rant about my comments/trackback policy, expect your comment/email to be mocked or filed under “trash”–OK?
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Addendum -12-18-06

Folks, I’ve been extremely lenient in my comment/trackback policy. I can see from recent developments that I’m going to have to crack down just a wee tad, though.

Trackbacks will henceforth be accepted within two strictly enforced categories–the way it’s supposed to have been all along:

1. Trackbacks which reference a comment within a post that is in some way related or comments on the content of the post tracked back to. Folks, this is what trackbacks were initially designed for, their reason for being. If you simply put a link in your post, saying, “Here are some interesting posts,” I’ll delete the trackback. SAY SOMETHING, quote from the post, refer to it in a post that has similar content or in which you use my post as a reference or whatever, or do not try the trackback.
2. Open trackbacks: ONLY posts designated as Open Trackback posts or linkfests will accept unrelated trackbacks on any subject, requiring only a link to the OPEN TRACKBACK/LINKFEST post to qualify.

It’s pretty simple: UNLESS the post you intend to track back to is an open post/linkfest don’t expect your trackback to show any more if you do not make some meaningful reference to the post. Heck, even roundup posts have a brief comment mentioning the content of the post linked to! And no, slapping a “BTW” mini-roundup at the end of a completely unrelated post doesn’t qualify.

Be real. Make your links and trackbacks genuine, OK? Trackback unrelated posts ONLY to linkfests/open posts. It’s what they are for. Linking to NON open trackback/linkfest posts that are unrelated to your post material is a bush league tactic that wins you no friends. Or readers. Play fair or play somewhere else.

N.B. Yes, I do understand that when doing manual trackbacks to multiple sites for open trackback postings that it is pretty easy to get things screwed up and trackback to the wrong post accidentally. Even though I may delete those trackbacks when they’re caught in moderation or wherever, I’ll not block trackbacks–except for obvious SPAM–from open trackback/linkfest posts, even if after this notice any blogger seems to continue with a practice that violates this notice. At twc, open trackback/linkfest posts are just that: open.

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Probably unnecessary at this point, but consider this:

Trolls are such amusing lil turds. If I have the time, I enjoy (metaphorically) beating up trolls. Mocking them, using every unfair tactic of argument possible, and even following them around where they post and “trolling” them back. In spades. Doubled, tripled, squared and cubed. The goal is to make them rue the day they decided to become a troll. I believe in, “Engage in trolling on my blog? Expect to be (metaphorically) beheaded, shat upon and turned under for compost.”