A reminder, an answer, and a warning

I like to blog. I like to share my thoughts on a variety of topics right here, and given the traffic (albeit, not a lot, but I'm content with it) I'm guessing that readers like to come here, as well. We get e-mail from readers who comment on posts, and we appreciate that. We also appreciate the respect most give us.

Yes, there is the occasional troll that has to cut loose with four-letter epithets, but at least that is in the e-mail. Last night I posted up the links to Common Conservative's newest issue, which was published online yesterday. Readers know that we are staff writers for Mr. Lindaman, AKA "The Chief," and we have been that for him since 1 March 2007. Readers also know that either Marcie or myself post up links to the little online magazine on the first and sixteenth of each month.

Now, some readers might be asking "Why is Thomas going through this?"

Simple. After I put up the links last night a troll decided to put up a particularly scathing comment that had an amount of profanity in it. The comment hasn't been deleted, but I've ceased the ability to comment on that post to hide that profanity. Folks, if you want to comment, feel free to do so. But I do know there are a few readers that aren't adults, and they shouldn't be subjected to that sort of language.

I know, I play fast and loose with some profane words in the occasional post. But I also censor those words because I know that there are teens (and even pre-teens) that read what I write. While they may already know the profanity, I choose not to promote it openly on this site. I also don't condone, nor will I permit, profanity from commenters that is out in the open. You want to cuss me out, do it in an e-mail. Don't do it in the comments where everyone can see it. Ace of Spades is, by far, one of my favorite blogs on the Internet, and I've spoken with Ace on a more than a couple occasions. I consider myself (though Ace hasn't confirmed that) to be an unofficial, hob-rolling, Val-U-Rite swilling moron in the Moronosphere. (Minus the boozing, of course. I'm on the wagon.) I bring this up because Ace and his fellow morons are quite liberal with their language. In fact, that site is considered one of the most foul-mouth sites in the blogosphere. He makes a living off of that notoriety.

I don't, and I wont tolerate it. The comment thread on the new issue reminder thread is closed. The offensive comment is hidden. And the same will happen with any comments made on this site in the same fashion.

As for Mr. Troll's idiocy, let me answer a couple of his questions. "Why do you promote such a cr*ppy site with hack writers?" Um, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with a little-known concept called PROMOTION. I offered, back in 2007, to post up reminder links for Mr. Lindaman on our site. Not just to promote ourselves, but also to promote his site. The people who write for him, be they staff writers or guest writers, are hardly hacks. Each person has their own credentials, and bring a world of knowledge and expertise to their work. So, they're hardly hacks.

Second, with regard to our own piece, we write the columns the way we do -- with Marcie's thoughts in one color, and mine in another -- so that if we disagree with one another (and we have on more than a couple occasions) people can literally see the disagreement in front of them, and they can see that the column isn't being written by one person. Most collaborative columns you read seems to be written in a singular voice. My lovely wife is just as independent as I am, and we don't always see eye-to-eye on certain issues. (We are conservatives, but we're not lock-step conservatives.)

Third, with regard to our current piece, neither of us are "experts" on intelligence issues. I do have a bit of insight into that world. (And no, I'm not claiming that because I watched a James Bond movie.) My uncle served 26 years in the United States Navy in naval intelligence. I know a good deal about how intelligence is gathered, disseminated, and analyzed. It is our opinion that the Obama administration is disassembling virtually all of the provisions that the Bush administration put in place, in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attack, and that leaves America extremely vulnerable. By the way, we aren't the only people who believe that Barry is weakening America with the games he's playing regarding how intelligence is gathered and utilized.

So, to Mr. Troll, I suggest you actually do a tad bit of research about the topic you're criticizing. We don't don't write about issues lightly. We do our research, and if you, or other readers, haven't figured it out yet, our columns are analysis pieces. We work best with analyzing what we see -- reading the tea leaves, if you will -- and positing an opinion about what we see. Mr. Troll, you're free to criticize, and I'm more than willing to discuss such criticism through our comments section (MINUS the profanity) or via e-mail (if you're unable to forego the profanity), but I won't tolerate profanity in the comments. If you absolutely can't speak without using profanity, censor yourself. I leave comments open because I welcome criticism; I relish debate. But just keep yourself in check. The comments section is a privilege, and I don't want to quash freedom of speech. But if Mr. Troll continues to post comments laced with profanity, I'll suspend the comments on posts. Consider this the final warning.

Publius II
Published at 8:20 AM on 2 February 2010