Funmurphys reader and blog proprietor in his own right Tom McMahon was banned from commenting at Daily Kos because of a comment he made about Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick in response to a post about Rep. Janklow. Maybe it was over the top (I couldn’t find it); and blogs can ban whoever they want for any reason they want. But it does seem out of character for the tolerant, loving left to ban commentators who they simply disagree with, or worse, provide uncomfortable and inconvient facts. Oh Well. One fact that has been brought home to me repeatedly while reading blogs is that there are a lot of crazy people out there – left, right, and center – who comment on blogs. Another fact is that there are lot of smart people out there – left, right, and center – who comment on blogs.

In another time and place, I once proposed a Gresham’s Law of Forums: namely, that bad posters/commentors drive out good ones. I haven’t seen anything in the years since to change my mind.