23 May 2005

Loon magnet

A couple of weeks ago, I shut down the comments section of this collection of e-scribbles for two reasons:

1. The ones I got were from people who refused to sign their name to their comments. That's usually a sure sign of someone masquerading. Anyway, the short answer is no guts, no glory for those types.

2. There weren't many comments anyway.

Over at Andrew Coyne's little collection of way-more-popular-than-mine e-scribbles, seems he has had to shut his comments section down as well.

As Andrew notes: "But they [Ed. - the people with a brain and a sensible comment to make] have been drowned out by all the other crap -- low-brow, insult-filled, intolerant of opposing views, and unspeakably tedious. I have no desire for this site to serve as a clubhouse for hard-right wackos, usually anonymous, with way too much time on their hands."

Coyne's blog is one of the most widely read one sin the country and rightly so. Agree or disagree with him all you want, the fact remains his comments are thoughtful and insightful. Heck, Andrew even had the good sense to be the brother of a woman who would make a fine member of parliament. Her choice of party may rankle her brother's sensibilities, but hey, life's a bitch sometimes.

For those of us who read Coyne's stuff on a regular basis, it is annoying that Andrew has become the favourite site of a bunch of what he describes as "western separatists, Bilderberg conspiracy theorists and various other cranks."

At least he understands what blogs are about: "self-promotion and vanity."

Leave 'em with a laugh, I always say.