My Troll Problem….

For the first time ever I have switched on the “comment moderation” feature of this Spotted Blog.

I apologize, but it had to be done. There is no need to read any further unless you require an explanation.

Before I explain, I need to post the following sceen shot images to enter them into the non-scrubbable public record, both for posterity and illustrative purposes…..

Now, here goes……

Over 10,000 comments have been posted on this small F-Troop-listed blog (the great majority of which disappeared when HaloScream went bust and I refused to pay the ransom to that most loathsome JS-Kit Syndicate to have them released).

And the great majority of those comments have greatly contributed to reasoned, informative and often interesting discussions that I genuinely enjoy, often more so than writing the posts themselves.

A few other times, like when a flock of Bill O’Reilly’s flying monkey’s came swooping in for a few days, things did get a little heated.

But up until very recently I have never, ever had to ban anyone, and that even includes a few reasonably prominent Blogging Tories who stopped by repeatedly after I had a good bit of back and forth with Kim Bolan of the Vancouver Sun.

But all that has changed now due to the person who generated the “game” outlined in the screen shots above.

Now, in my opinion, based on repeated observations, one of this person’s current pursuits, quite often after they initially profess reasonableness and concern, is to clog comment threads with pretzel logic and serial bouts of obfuscation that make no sense whatsoever and only serve to muddy the waters.

He does this early and often on sites in the local Bloggodome where people congregate to actually try and discuss provincial politics seriously.

For the most part I choose to ignore this behaviour because I know from experience that you can never get a Troll, especially one of the ‘concern’ variety, to see reason by feeding him and/or by pointing out demonstrable falsehoods.

Which is all fine and good, and part of the rough and tumble of the B’Dome.

But when this person goes on those other sites and infers that it is I, rather than him, who is the Spinning Propagandist bent on denigrating the ‘other’ and who wishes only to score points in some game that is going on purely inside his head, I will not let that stand.

I also will not allow him to come here and try to spread the discourse-destroying codswallop on thick because he thinks/believes/pretends that first amendment rights apply both in this country and on this blog.

Because I truly believe in the power of discourse, even if it is heated, backed by facts and honestly-arrived at opinion that, while it may expose hypocrisy and political expediency, does not seek to demonize anyone.

Thanks for putting up with the above – We now return you to our regularly-scheduled blogging….

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