No more bullies, liars, and racists

One of the problems most associated with the internet has been the ease with which faceless, anonymous people can launch scurrilous attacks.

It has been a problem with any website that allows comments and as the success of this blog has grown over the past eight years it has been a growing concern of mine.

For a long time, I have only removed the worst of comments, ones which included obscene language or racist remarks.

I have bent over backwards to allow remarks that are critical of my viewpoints and have even allowed one commenter after another (for the most part, the same handful of petty people) to launch all kinds of personal attacks on me, some of which have nothing to do with the post.

I have always tried to encourage an open debate on The Turner Report, but by allowing bullies, liars, and racists (many of whom have learned what I will delete and have started sneaking in their poisonous beliefs), I have actually discouraged an open debate. I have received e-mails from people who have said they have left comments in the past, but will no longer do so because of the vicious attacks launched on them by people who will tolerate no viewpoint that differs from their own.

I have always been concerned that if I moderated comments more forcefully, I would lose readers.

After weighing all of these considerations, I decided after deleting another one of these long, ranting comments calling me a pervert because i oppose Jane Cunningham's Facebook Bill, that I no longer will allow comments to automatically appear on my website. All comments will go through moderation from this point.

If you want to disagree with my opinion,please do so. I will be happy to run comments from people whose viewpoints differ from my own. That is the kind of open discussion that elevates the internet.

If you want to attack my character or the character of others who agree with what I write, you are going to have to find another outlet.

I have spent eight years building The Turner Report into a successful blog.If those whose poisonous comments have continued year after year want to continue to have their viewpoints read, they are welcome to put in their own time and develop their own following.

From this point on, their free ride on this blog is over.