A General Note About Comments

One of the great features of a blog is the ability for people with commonalities -- a political bent, a favorite team, a shared interest -- to communicate with one another. Andrew Sullivan, in this month's issue of The Atlantic, describes the blogger as "the host of a dinner party" whose function is "to provoke discussion or take a position, even passionately, but he also must create an atmosphere in which others want to participate." [emphasis mine]. Over the past year or so, the atmosphere in the comments section at Clipperblog has been less than inviting. I've tolerated it because I fundamentally believe that comment sections of blogs should be policed sparingly. But I also know firsthand that the rancor has driven smart, pleasant posters from the fray. This means that the discussion has suffered, and that Clipperblog is a less interesting place to spend time. And that concerns me. Since we're only 48 hours away from the start of the new se...