Thanks. And the same goes for my readers, please.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.
Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.
This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.
You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.
I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.
So very ready.
Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.
This blog will pay for itself.
Not all heroes wear capes.
Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.
The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.
Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.
When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?
Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.
I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.
“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.
The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.
I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.
Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.
Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.
I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.
Their freedom requires your slavery.
We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.
Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.
PigInZen
John, I’m impressed. Agreeing to disagree is the best thing many could do these days…
Ricky
Ezra’s good people.
little h harry
Cheers to Ezra and cheers to you John. I’m a liberal elitist snob, but I like your blog a lot, John. I relish a good debate more than anything and both you and Ezra do a nice job of keeping me enteratined. As for those who suggest anyone “get cancer,” well, they have nothing to offer.
Just Passing Through
Blogs come in a multitude of flavors and each one can be characterized in many ways. One criteria that can be applied fairly easily is civility. I’m not talking about frisky and rancorous debate getting out of hand which I have no problem with. I am talking about the tendency of some blogs on either sides of the political divide to turn a blind eye to people who offer nothing but the lowest insults. This can be the blog owner commenting in his own comment threads as well as the commenters themselves.
For the sake of the argument, here are two examples of what I mean from the left side. You can point out blogs on the right that do this easily enough.
Ezra is crying crocodile tears as long as he allows hobgoblins like ‘dave’ to spew his venom against any commenter there not toeing the party line. One can certainly read a comment thread and ignore dave’s comments, but Ezra’s ideas are often interesting, but not as often unique. Why bother when posts as interesting as Ezra’s can be read on other blogs that moderate the ‘dave’ types right out the door and run civil forums. Atrios’ blog illustrates the Ezra/Jesse failing taken to the nth degree. As for an example of a blog where the owner feels compelled to set the tone of the threads by lacing his own posts with provocative insults and then attacking civil commenters in the same way, you have hesiod.
You can find plenty of similar examples on the right side. My point is, again, Ezra is crying crocodile tears as long as his blog is unmoderated for civility.
Ezra
JPT – No one takes more abuse from Dave than I do. He hates me with an unmitigated passion, and spends time on my blog (and others!) talking about how little he likes me and what a traitor I am. Nonetheless, I am deeply against censoring my commentors. These people are part of the discussion as well and, though I dislike their opinions and incivility, they are allowed to have and express them.
Brandon
Well, Ezra, guys like “dave” have caused me at least to stop reading and commenting on pandagon.net. How much fun it to discuss any issue with someone repeatly insulting you from the sidelines? Exactly what opinion has he ever had other than someone is a “moronic brownshirt fuck?”
Just Passing Through
“These people are part of the discussion”
No, they are not. They add NOTHING to any debate or discussion BUT their uncivility and vitriol. Pity you cannot see this. Your position is why you cannot appreciate the benefit to ALL concerned of civility in debate. Your position is why John Cole’s comment section is generally civil and thoughtful and yours is generally neither. Your position is what makes the relevant post on your site nothing more than crying crocodile tears.
You seem like a thoughtful and sober fellow generally as does jesse. But each of you faces a choice everytime the ‘dave’ types comment – moderate responsibly or attract more of the same – and you do not make your choices well. I have watched people trying to politely espouse opposing views get chased from your site by the ‘dave’ types. Decide whether you want a sounding board for your ideas or an echo chamber. Establish your priorites and live with the results.
Just Passing Through
Last line lost in edit:
Establish your priorites and live with the results, but do not call for civility in other blogs when you will not maintain it on your own.
Just Passing Through
BTW:
Having trouble writing clearly today. The position I was referring to above was that moderating a debate is censorship. It is not. DU and FR censor. They openly declare that they will and do actively delete viewpoints that do not match their philosophy and ban the person holding them. It’s their forum and their right to do so, but still censorship. We are not talking about viewpoints here. We are talking about folks who are not discussing or expressing a point, but only insubstantially using uncivility and vitriol to attack a person who is.