Comment policy redux

Yup, I'm back to banning comments. Just a friendly reminder: comments that criticize what I say, or what other commenters say, are fine. Comments that aim to start flame wars are not. In between the attacks of the troll brigades, the comment sections have featured interesting and occasionally even informative debates between liberals and conservatives. I will ruthlessly delete anything which tries to derail that happy situation.

And to commenters who respond: please, don't feed the trolls. Email me and I'll take care of them.

Update However, trolls have to live somewhere, so this is a special comment thread just for them. I'll ask my regular readers, however, not to respond. Just let them enjoy themselves.

Comments

May I ask which thread got your dander up again?

Posted by Freddie | September 13, 2007 9:37 PM

This comment will be deleted for rampant trolling.

Posted by firemeganmcardle.blogspot.com | September 13, 2007 10:00 PM

And I'll ban your IP address, and your little dog too!

Posted by PS | September 13, 2007 10:02 PM

I have been critical of Meagan at times, but as I think about it her blog is one of the most interesting around. And she seems to have sparked a livelier debate than occurs these days at some of the others I read.

As for deleting comments, I think it's appropriate as long as the commenters are merely hurling insults. It wouldn't be good, though, to shut down a vigorous debate by deleting everything that evinces a little passion.

Posted by Isocrates | September 13, 2007 10:19 PM

She's deleting the ones that point out her mistakes, and the ones that point out that there's something called Teh Google she might want to look into.

Posted by truth hurts | September 13, 2007 10:25 PM

I'm especially interested in how this will turn out now that Mark Warner has announced that he will be commenting here.

Posted by ews | September 13, 2007 10:33 PM

I was looking forward to discussing it, but Megan has deleted the trackbacks for that post. I can't talk about it in comments there, or trackback to any other blog posts about it.

I wonder why the trackback number vanished like that on the poll post?

Hey Megan, which was that: "typo" or "joke"?

Posted by mark warner | September 13, 2007 10:43 PM

Every time I think of a libertarian deleting comments my heart dies a little bit.

Posted by Freddie | September 13, 2007 11:06 PM

I understand, Freddie. When I first read her admission/intention of deleting again, it made me a little mad, but mainly sad. I find it very easy to start reading a comment, then, if the tone sux, or the points are mainly dealing with personal attacks, well, I jump to the next comment...but it's MY choice.

Yes, Megan, I do understand the need to maintain an order, of sorts, or the anarchists can take over, but sometimes even the flaming anarchists can make a good point.

Good luck on your selections...by the way, 'a critic' and 'truth hurts' are out to lunch. By the way, do you like going to the Olive Garden? *chuckle*

Posted by falkoyn | September 13, 2007 11:26 PM

Here's an example of the kind of evil things she's deleting:

http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/7101.html

Doesn't look like a terrible comment to me. It looks like a statement of fact. It also looks like Megan can't handle even slight criticism, or she thinks her readers can't. It's nice of her to do the thinking for you like that.

Posted by reminder | September 13, 2007 11:38 PM

Little known fact: The root of the word Libertarian actually refers to native inhabitants of Liberia, not, as is popularly believed, to people who believe in the right of self-ownership and freedom from artificial constraints. The slight difference in spelling is from linguistic drift over the last 150 years.

Ms. McArdle should write a post clarifying this distinction, so that this misunderstanding, which has been sparking these unkind comments, can be cleared up.

To tie this back into the Atlantic, Mark Twain visited Liberia while involved with the Congo Reform Movement. Henceforth, the Atlantic made Liberian affairs a key element of their periodical. Liberians, and Liberian supporters like Ms. McArdle, are familiar with the need to censor those who oppose them.

Posted by B | September 14, 2007 1:34 AM

The trolls just hate you because of your capacious intellect and your mastery of the English language.

The Atlantic Monthly wouldn't give you a blog if you lacked the capacity to reason and/or basic grammar/spelling/reading comprehension skills.

Posted by Number One Fan | September 14, 2007 1:59 AM

Every time I think of a libertarian deleting comments my heart dies a little bit.

The Road to Serfdom is not a suicide pact, or something...

As a crypto-Commie Islamofascist symp, I agree that the trolling here gets heavy sometimes. But I thought that "Sadly, No" line "I am like a giant elf who likes to discuss things!" was funny in a purely objective fashion, irrespective of who or what it was talking about...sounds like a Will Farrell vehicle.

Posted by brooksfoe | September 14, 2007 2:56 AM

It also suggests a new nickname for this blog: Elf Versus Troll...

Posted by brooksfoe | September 14, 2007 2:57 AM

The Atlantic Monthly wouldn't give you a blog if you lacked the capacity to reason and/or basic grammar/spelling/reading comprehension skills.

Er, no. You have this a bit backwards. If she did have those skills then people wouldn't be quite so incensed that the Atlantic has given her a platform. I may find Christopher Hitchens' views abhorrent, but you don't see the venues that hire him being accused of letting their literary standards slip. Whatever his other failings, the man can write.

Megan? Not so much.

She appears to either lack these basic skills or she is too lazy to use them. As far as an objective reader can tell, she fell into this job because she knows Ezra Klein or something like that. In any case we have the right to demand posts that at least achieve the minimal standards of correct usage required of papers in a Freshman Comp course.

Hence the anger.

Posted by Not a fan | September 14, 2007 4:04 AM

Re: your update
That's very thoughtful of you, but somehow not very libertarian. I think we'll be continuing to roam free.

Posted by appreciative troll | September 14, 2007 4:26 AM

The previous commenter is kicks kittens and eats boogers.

Posted by Stephen W. Stanton | September 14, 2007 8:43 AM

"but as I think about it her blog is one of the most interesting around."

Jeez, Iso, you're such a brown-noser!

Posted by redjellydonut | September 14, 2007 11:35 AM

Hey, I got called Stalin and the culprit has still not been sent to Siberia. My sensitive psyche may never recover.

Posted by Njorl | September 14, 2007 3:32 PM

I may find Christopher Hitchens' views abhorrent, but you don't see the venues that hire him being accused of letting their literary standards slip. Whatever his other failings, the man can write.

Perhaps not their literary standards, but I've accused Slate of letting their factual standards slip with regard to Hitchens. He makes stuff up for rhetorical effect, thus contributing to misinformation campaigns by the right, and they don't check him at all.

Posted by PG | September 15, 2007 10:23 AM

I dunno, folks. Seems like a quite libertarian concept to build a troll bridge.

(Couldn't help myself.)

Posted by Off Colfax | September 16, 2007 4:03 AM

I am still bemused by the childish hysterics that have attended Megan's arrival here. I mean even the "fire Megan" blog linked above. I found it interesting how the history of The Atlantic is rewritten there to portray it as a left-wing magazine that has recently been repositioned as a DLC-centrist organ. To read that you'd think it used to be The Nation. I'm sure the ghost of poor Michael Kelly is having a good laugh at that one. I've subscribed for over 20 years and always liked The Atlantic for this "centralism" and for the well-written articles on non-political subjects.

Ross Douthat is seemingly far to the right of Megan but doesn't receive anything like this abuse. The only difference I can see in the commenter's reactions to them is that Megan is female and Ross isn't.

Just sayin'

Posted by Campesino | September 17, 2007 5:24 PM

And thanks for the "troll bridge" Off Colfax. Are you in Denver too?

Posted by Campesino | September 17, 2007 5:27 PM