A note about comments
As there has been some confusion lately about my comments policy, let me set the record straight.
Comments on this blog do not have to be approved before posting if the commenter has a previously approved post. Otherwise, the comment is held for moderation and I am notified by e-mail, at which point I either approve or delete the comment at my discretion.
Sometimes my Akismet spam filter will automatically block comments that are not technically spam. I receive no notification when this happens, but so far it has only happened once. If Akismet does mark a legit comment as spam, it may look to the poster as though the comment has gone live, but in reality only the comment poster is able to see the comment. If you think your comment has been caught in the spam filter, e-mail me (as opposed to, say, badmouthing me on Twitter). Make sense? Good. Let’s move on.
All that being said, I have always reserved the right to moderate my blog comments. Many blogs on both sides of the aisle do this in order to keep the discussion on track and keep the trolls at bay. Since the genesis of this site, the following has been posted on my comments policy page:
Go ahead, leave a comment. Comment away. You can even disagree with me and I won’t delete you. This isn’t an echo chamber; I believe informed debate strengthens political positions. I might delete you if you start acting like a jerk, though. I reserve the right to delete/ban jerkwads.
Perhaps this needs further clarification. I am happy to have an intelligent, spirited discussion, even if we disagree on specifics. That’s why this blog was created. But if at any time I feel like a commenter is being rude, idiotic, belligerent or intentionally a dickwad, I will delete you and feel good about it.
Why? Because it’s my goddamn blog, and I have the right to kick you out whenever and for whatever reason I see fit. Maybe I just don’t like you. Maybe your name is Shirley, and you remind me of a girl named Shirley who used to steal my lunch money. Maybe because I deem it haiku day, and your post isn’t in perfect 5-7-5.
This is not censorship, and it’s certainly not a violation of your Constitutional right to free speech. Free speech only applies to public speech. If you walked into a place of business and started yelling about how much that business sucks, the management would have every right to kick your ass out. If you walk into my privately owned blog and start verbally crapping all over it, consider yourself booted. Conservatives, you’re all about private property rights, yeah? So you’ll understand when I say that I reserve the right to tell hooligans to get off my lawn.
