From Editor Robert Parry: Regrettably, our Nov. 20 statement regarding standards for comments did not stop the deterioration in the tone of some comments left by some readers, causing us to intervene more directly in the comment section.
As you know, we have traditionally had an open comment section without a moderator (although there is a Spam blocker which occasionally delays the publication of genuine comments as suspected Spam).
But a few readers have abused this openness by leaving racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic or Islamophobic slurs. Some also have directed personal insults at other commenters or our writers. And some have made claims that are patently false or defamatory. Some may be professional “trolls” seeking to spread confusion.
Not surprisingly, some commenters are now complaining about “censorship.” But the problem could be resolved if all commenters took seriously a commitment to civil discourse and refrained from hurling insults at either each other or the people who write for this publication.
Free speech has never been free. The problem begins with those who believe with a religious conviction in the truth of their gut feelings. They must vent the emotional attacks on whatever ideas conflict with their group identity.
There is no reasoning with the hysterical believer who feels personally insulted by outsiders. This is the fallacy of belief, that all religion is founded on bigotry. A religion requires the follower to feel superior to others. There is no certainty except the choice that knowledge through faith is the way to knowing what is unknowable. There is no respect when there is no self respect. There is no respect without reason.
Just a moment Mr Kurzwiel, it’s not a religion ( as an organized belief) but the individual who wrongly chooses the sin of pride (superiority). There are always political elements brought into the spheres of scriptural interpretation however they are clearly opinionated and not authoritatively factual as, for instance, the College of Cardinals are for the Vatican. Hostility problems usually stem for a personality disorder or are a direct result of implacable ignorance. These human frailties have little to do with a religious belief system.
Frankly, I’d rather read the black hearted commentaries rather then applaud any action to curtail them. As always, one has the opportunity to rebut the abrasive or downright hostile types. Actually, I’m a bit amused with slurs like consortinazis, the n-word and other not so amusing put downs. We are all flawed with many different shades of prejudice that lie just beneath the skin. There’s always time enough for the whole CONSORTIUM community to chasten or rebuke a participating member. Initially, it was the neocons who declared that: The gloves were off. Should the rest of humanity, leave them on? This is after all, a literary boxing ring, is it not? Don’t give in to politeness, so ONWARD rancor!, crassness! the vile but masked three piece suiters! Speak up! show thy self and let your hair down.
Popular blogs need to edit comments. It’s a fact of life on the new internet, full of spam, hate and disinformation.
The easiest way for a website to lose its audience is to edit comments. You can’t win. Editing is still necessary.
I don’t know what biases this website might push, but I hope you delete antisemites (who are very sophisticated), allow heavy article criticism (the way the Huffington Post doesn’t) and just let sane posters take care of trolls, children, crazies and true believers. In my opinion, it would be a big mistake to delete these latter posters, because sane posters will notice what you did, and leave the community.
Sorry to double-post but, I came across this quote after the fact and thought it very relevant;
“The Bank of the United States is one of the most deadly hostilities existing, against the principles and form of our Constitution. An institution like this, penetrating by its branches every part of the Union, acting by command and in phalanx, may, in a critical moment, upset the government. I deem no government safe which is under the vassalage of any self-constituted authorities, or any other authority than that of the nation, or its regular functionaries. What an obstruction could not this bank of the United States, with all its branch banks, be in time of war! It might dictate to us the peace we should accept, or withdraw its aids. Ought we then to give further growth to an institution so powerful, so hostile?” –Thomas Jefferson to Albert Gallatin, 1803.
Think HARD on it’s application today in this nation.
The Twin Towers never hit the ground!
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A structural engineering firm involved in building the Trade Center estimated there should have been almost 1.2 million tons of rubble.
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But, what was seen was mainly dust and UNBURNED paper on the ground and a minimum of debris in the basements ,so Dr. Wood asks, “Where did it all go?”
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More pictures and records of documented testimony of dozens of firefighters and emergency rescue workers shows that the debris from the two 500,000+ ton Twin Towers was almost non-existent.
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This absence of a debris pile is the most convincing evidence that the Towers did not topple but were disintegrated on the spot in about 10 seconds each in what Dr. Wood calls “dustification”.
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Pictures of cars blocks away that were “toasted” or flipped over. We see large steel beams and columns bent, twisted, thinned and rusted in peculiar ways that heat cannot cause.
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Thanks to INDEPENDENT , engineers, architects, demolition specialists, pilots, intelligence officers and others who have done their homework the utter impossibility of the government’s cover story on 9/11 and systematically debunks it using testimony and scientific evidence.
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The CIA & MSM & the US Administration all did “their job” and kept the sheeple calm for a successful “mission complete” result or conditioning complete.
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BTW Dick Cheney scheduled the national counter-terrorism exercise to take place on “9/11” ——-three months in advance ?
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Would Mr. Parry care to comment on “these preposterous notions†again ?
http://www.drjudywood.com/
Finally my comment was allowed to be posted — now lets try this one .
BTW is Mr. Parry seemly a Gate Keeper for the Official 9/11 Conspiracy theory.
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But surely even he should be somewhat dumbfounded by the incredibly vast number of coincidences of events of that tragic day , not least of which was the storage of financial records on missing Pentagon $ Trillions being stored exactly where the Pentagon was hit or that “Terrorist” passport being miraculously found at Ground Zero or the 7 named terrorists that day being later found to be very much alive and well.
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Over 30 years ago U.S. President Ronald Reagan declared the “Star Wars” Initiative for the US on March 23, 1983. Since then $ billions have been spent and it looks like “Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW)” are a direct result.
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Mr.Parry et al may have been looking at previously available possibilities and not at what maybe presently available in today’s weaponry arsenal.
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After all where did those Towers go ? How were those towers literally disappeared to dust or “dustified” ?
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As Governor Jesse Ventura says “9/11 and the recent revelations aren’t proof of a conspiracy by 2 men, or Israel. It is proof that there never was an Al Qaeda and that the deaths, two wars, the 9/11 deaths and the carnage across the world wrought by the United States was part of a criminal conspiracy, one that could only be perpetrated by a dictatorship under the guise of
representative democracy.
http://wtcdemolition.com/blog/node/3068
I see it is acceptable for Mr.Parry to say ““groups like the 9/11 “truthers†also have contributed to America’s crazed political environment.†and —- “I have devoted way more time to these preposterous notions than they deserve.â€
And my reply is not allowed after the “Hillary on December 24, 2012 at 9:02 am
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Mr Parry in one of his pieces used as his “evidence†a “typed statement attributed to bin Laden� Surely a typed statement is not acceptable evidence.
Today many well respected Scientists , Architects , Demolition experts firmly believe 9/11 did not happen as we were officially told.
Mr. Parry may refer to “these preposterous notions†but I was not allowed to refer to Mr.Parry as not knowing the facts.
Mr.Parry refers to the “truthers†as a united group when in fact they are many independent ( investigative) “truther Groups†all patriots looking for answers because the official US 9/11 investigation is factually un-acceptable.
On 9/11 cars were found streets away,upside down with parts completely burnt and other parts almost untouched.The concrete and more was turned into dust.
Dr. Judy Wood Crushes the Lies About 9/11 with her book “Where Did the Towers Go?†introducing evidence of Directed Free-Energy Technology on 9/11.
The enormus buildings were “dustified”
Ms. Susan Lindauer the ex CIA asset tells us of how the CIA expected 9/11 and was directed to “keep us calm†after 9/11.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGI4jfwOmOk
BTW – I agree that it is high time Consortium refused purely vulgar ad hominem comments against anyone.
However my posts have never been as such and only presented counter opinion.
I await to see if this post is “allowed” or not.
Thank you. Some of the posts ware getting so nasty I couldn’t read them. Do what you have to do.
Your patience has been admirable. Unfortunate that such reasonable minimal standards are disregarded.
All WORD is spoken word. It is every word spoken. The words we speak are food we feed each other. Who speaks poison is poison.
Perhaps it’s a good thing to accommodate some of the misanthropic comments. Otherwise, how would you know what you’re up against? I recently attended a Christmas party with an eclectic gathering of neighborhood acquaintances. Most of them were educated professional people. One of them was a cop, and there were a few minorities present as well. As the guests left, a few of the middle-aged white men and the cop migrated to the sun room, where the conversation got serious. Of course, tongues were lubricated by copiously imbibed Christmas cheer. The school shooting came up, and the cop, well oiled, pulled out his off-duty .380 and extolled its virtues. At this point, his conversation circled the topic of minorities and crime. He said, and this is a quote, “I’m tired of having to arrest [black] kids, and hearing them say white people are rich and my ancestors were slaves, so I’ll do what I wantâ€. Needless to say, the word in brackets actually started with an “nâ€. Most of the participants seemed to tacitly approve of this observation. Someone admiringly asked to “see†the pistol. Our trusty policeman pulled it out, dropped the magazine, and handed it to the admirer. The admirer fondled it, pulled back the receiver, and a round ejected across the room. So, there I was, in a room with a middle aged, successful crowd of responsible white men, and a drunken cop with a loaded pistol and a chambered round. How else would I have known what kind of assholes live in my neighborhood?
It is sadly part of the human condition that when a small percentage of tiny nasty minds can hide behind cloak of anonymity they will try to subject the rest of us to their mental meanderings. These usually come from the “I KNOW what’s right, don’t try to confuse me with the facts” school of illogoc !
We have to accept the fact that it is part of the price we pay for the priceless gift of communication on a FREE internet.
Bah ! Humbug !
Your story just scares the shit outta me!
I agree that it is sometimes necessary to intervene. The comments are often thoughtful, articulate and sometimes brilliant. The opportunity to comment by expanding, criticizing and presenting alternative viewpoints is important to the value of Consortiumnews.com. Sadly, there are those who would destroy this forum.
License is not the same as freedom; regrettably, some regulation may be necessary to preserve this freedom … sound familiar?
Way to go, keep up the good work!!!