Free Speech Does Not Mean You Can Vomit on My Blog

Both centrist Dennis Prager and conservative Hugh Hewitt have commented recently about the large amount of hostile vulgarity that they receive chiefly from those holding leftist and liberal philosophical positions. Michelle Malkin, also a conservative, has been the recipient of a massive amount of vulgar, racial, sexual and sexist attacks. Certainly there are conservatives who write with a potty mouth, but they don’t seem to exist nearly to the extent as do the liberals and leftists.

I hold strong views, and they are expressed in my writing. Naturally, if you are published you are going to get oppositional comments. For the record, I welcome well thought out and respectfully delivered contrary views.

I refuse to waste my valuable time reading vulgar comments on other blogs, so I naturally expect others to feel the same. Since I am competing for my readers’ time, I intend to offer them a product worthy of their time. Therefore, I require a high level of decorum on my blog.

I was recently the target of affection by a leftist out of the San Francisco area. My attempts to get this person to write comments respectfully without gutter language failed miserably. After explaining my rules of engagement to no avail, I began deleting only the most objectionable postings. When that did not work, I added the asocial response technique. This technique failed as well.

This week, the person posted a vile comment on my Cynthia McKinney piece. So, I decided to treat the recalcitrant childish behavior with the only technique that is likely to work. I deleted every comment he has recently made on this blog, and I will continue to delete any comment he makes in perpetuity. No grace period. No redemption period. And, it does not matter if he starts to post responsibly. He’s done on my blog, because I don’t trust him to keep a civil tongue in his head.

Time will tell what temper tantrums will be thrown. What else can be done? If he were a dog, I’d hit him on the nose with a newspaper and admonish “bad dog.” It is hard to debate when a significant vocal faction of the opposition is vulgar, rude, angry and infantile. I don’t expect my three year old granddaughter to engage in mature political discourse, but even she is not rude, angry or vulgar.