The comment section on the blog has gotten rather unwieldy and shrill of late. I need to set some ground rules here.

I am not a professional blogger. I can buy a cup of coffee with the money that those stupid ads bring in. I have a day job, and I watch two high maintenance kids. I dash out blog posts while the kids watch a half hour of Cartoon Network. All spelling errors and typos and hasty thoughts should be understood in that context. Criticism is welcome. Just keep in mind how things happen around here.

Because I’m not sitting in front of the computer all day, I cannot monitor the comment section closely. Self-restraint is called for.

This is not a partisan blog. Sure, I’m a leftie. A far leftie on some issues. Conservative sympathies in other areas. But the point of this blog isn’t to get anybody elected. It’s to chat about things and make fun of everybody. I’m happy to have all types in the blog section. In fact, a politically diverse comment section can keep everyone on their toes. If you want to talk to the party faithful and repeat party talking points, that’s fine. There are some wonderful blogs out there that do that. This isn’t one of those blogs.

Subtlety is a beautiful thing. Let’s examine these statements. "Obama supporters are spreading lies that Sarah Palin’s son is a product of incest" and "One guy on Kos said that Sarah Palin’s son is a product of incest." There’s a big difference between those two statements. If that’s difficult to grasp, then this isn’t the right blog for you.

Dinner party etiquette. Don’t dominate the discussion. Don’t shout. Don’t eat with your mouth open.

I like having an active comment section. I like that other bloggers will come here to chat. I like funny comments about beer. Snark is always welcome. I’ve put a list of updated comments on the upper left hand side of the blog, because I think that your input is highly important. But restraint is also needed.

We’re heading into a big election. Readership is increasing. Tempers are getting hotter. All that is fine. Just don’t kill the blog in the process.