Got this from Ken Lambert:

Hi John,

Daniel Bailey is continually and unfairly censoring my posts.  I have raised this previously with you - and it is becoming clear that my dissenting views are now a threat to his views.  Players cannot become umpires, and then players again.

You risk the debate becoming a round of backslapping for the converted.

Cheers

Ken Lambert

My response

Hi Ken,

I see plenty of skeptic comments still visible in the threads. It’s the ones that violate the comments policy that get deleted. The comments that express a skeptic point of view while resisting the urge for ad hominems or ideological comments are the ones that stay up (and I think the conversation is better for it).

Thanks,

John

To be completely honest, I do not feel like I treat Ken any differently from anyone else.

He does have a spiteful side to his personality that runs a little deeper than does others, I feel.  A couple of his comments, at least for awhile, were not only on-topic but insightful.  I felt like cheering for him.  But then it seems he can no longer hold it in & he starts with the sniping comments (like "ratbag") or going off on his OHC pet peeve regardless of the thread topic.

I think he's basically a lonely, crotchedy man with few friends and I truly feel sorry for him.

That being said, John, I'll leave his comments to other to moderate if you feel that's appropriate.

If he violates the comments policy, delete the comment - it's as simple as that.

If it's a grey area, if you're tempted to delete a comment because it's simply full of crap, best to leave it.

Perhaps a sliding scale of severity could be applied to the comments policy. Ad Hom's, stalking, abuse and foul language etc - 1 strike your out. Off topic, some leniency and then requests to move to another thread. I have also suggested that a facility to allow a moderator to actually move a comment to the appropriate thread might be useful. Its not OT if its on the right thread. That allows people to comment on what they want to without derailing a thread.

I think Glenn's onto something...give the mod's the ability to "re-file" an off-topic comment into a more appropriate thread might make for less strife.

Potential problems:

1. Some will continue to post off-topic
2. Some comments are a Gish Gallop & where do you put those?

Nice idea; would also make it possible for the mod's to un-delete comments accidentally deleted (hey, it DOES happen)...

While we're on the subject, how about time out's?

(lessee if my memory of my soccer days is sharp):

Yellow card = Warnings (ad hom's, foul language, etc)

Red Card = 1 week time out in the penalty box (repeated yellow cards)

Black Card = Permanent ban (stalking and or threats)