Programming Note

There won't be another Open Thread At Noon for the rest of the week, and probably not for the rest of my time away. Its clear that the OTAN needs a firm, constant hand. I thought the community was cohesive enough. I was wrong.

My initial thought was to ban the four or five worse offenders, but I thought better of it. I have repeatedly asked that if you find yourself in a debate in which you are cursing, or writing yourself into the margins, you need to disengage. There are people here for whom the need to be right--and to be proven right--is so important that they have chosen to violate that suggestion. Fair enough. If I see it again, I will immediately ban all parties involved.

For the majority of people who generally act like citizens in the Open Thread, I apologize. This is a problem for any public space--virtual or real. This one simply can't be maintained without the sentinels on guard. I'm unable to provide that on the kind of hourly moderation required. Moreover, I don't believe I should have to. I want other things.