Althouse: Under the white trees...

March 13, 2009

Under the white trees...

The dog has found a sweet morsel of deer:

A liver? A kidney?

UPDATE:

80 comments:

Triangle Man said...: The photo of the dog gives a slightly different feel when juxtaposed on the "Meet your Meat" Blogad. Did you bring your CSI-Madison meat analyzer with you, or was there enough of the rest of the deer nearby to give you the context?; 3/13/09, 10:44 AM
traditionalguy said...: Fresh morsels of something or other to feed dogs but not store-bought? Do the property owners process deer meat there? I hate to think that dogs killed and ate the rest of the deer. That's one way to save dog food costs.; 3/13/09, 10:50 AM
rhhardin said...: It's rabbit poop.; 3/13/09, 11:00 AM
Trooper York said...: If we start to see chicken photos we are really going to start to get worried.; 3/13/09, 11:00 AM
SteveR said...: The dog has found a sweet morsel of deer

Not sure what it is but in my experience, nothing good can come from something that starts with a dog looking like that.; 3/13/09, 11:01 AM
Trooper York said...: I think I am going to call Joe Mantenga and Thomas Gibson and tell them to gas up the Gulftream just in case.; 3/13/09, 11:01 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Nice looking dog.

I bet a dog would be happiest if its owner just left freshly killed carcasses on the lawn for food. Impractical though.

My brother once got in trouble for bad table manners when he was about nine or so. My dad made him eat outside at the picnic table, and our dog stole his steak. I have never seen a dog look so excited, so happy, and so guilty at the same time.; 3/13/09, 11:03 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The deer that the dog is eating had eaten from the white trees of life.

When the dog dies he and the deer will be reborn.

Althouse (while on a break from the trees of knowledge) traveled to find the trees of life so she may eat from them.

A call has gone out Chip.; 3/13/09, 11:28 AM
knox said...: in my experience, nothing good can come from something that starts with a dog looking like that.

LOL... my thoughts exactly, Steve. It usually results in a really, really stinky event... by way of rolling in or ingesting something really disgusting.

Gotta love dogs.; 3/13/09, 11:28 AM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Now I have this vision of Althouse playing fetch with organ meat.; 3/13/09, 11:32 AM
Roberto said...: You might want to pick up some worm medicine for the dog. Parasites can turn the dog's day into a real nightmare.

*And it's probably not a "sweet morsel," but actually deer droppings.; 3/13/09, 11:35 AM
AllenS said...: Michael, where I live, deer droppings are called smart pills. Have you ever eaten any to find out how smart you are?; 3/13/09, 11:39 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Now I have this vision of Althouse playing fetch with organ meat."

Cool or tragic?; 3/13/09, 11:41 AM
Roberto said...: AllenS - It doesn't surprise me that deer shit is considered to be a form of "smart pills" where you live. (Although many consider the shedding antlers to be "smart pills," not the deer shit.)

I spent years in the Midwest and have had to take dogs to the vet after they gobbled down what you consider to be "smart pills."

They can contain parasites and all kinds of toxins that can make your "best friend" sick as a...dog...and even kill them.

But...if YOU think it's really cool...let 'em eat all they want...it's your dog. (Or was); 3/13/09, 11:50 AM
Trooper York said...: Boy oh boy. Playing with organ meat. Wait till Titus hears about this.; 3/13/09, 11:58 AM
Roberto said...: Trooper - You should know about playing with Titus's organ. Aren't you roomies?; 3/13/09, 12:03 PM
Ann Althouse said...: It was undoubtedly an organ. We saw the dog running around shaking it and so forth. It's an organ. Not a turd.; 3/13/09, 12:11 PM
Trooper York said...: Luckyoldson I must admit I am impressed. I know you are an expert in bullshit but you also seem to know a lot about deer shit.
You are very talented.; 3/13/09, 12:12 PM
Roberto said...: Sure, it could have been an organ, but most of the time...they are really turds.

Any idea what organ it was?

*PS - Trooper - Thanks, but I think I was also talking about antlers.; 3/13/09, 12:22 PM
reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/09, 12:31 PM
Roberto said...: reader_iam said..."This cracks me up. Even a comment about deer shit must be disputed by Michael..."

Where did I dispute anything about deer shit? I said it's probably deer shit, not good for dogs, could be antler shedding, agreed with Ann that it certainly could be an organ, and asked what organ it was.

You're lying to suck up with the "pack."; 3/13/09, 12:33 PM
TitusisheadingtoPtown said...: As I have mentioned before my father is a wild game hunter. Antelope, Deer, Moose, Elk, Bear, you name it.

I have eaten each of these animals sausages, steaks, hamburgers and beef jerky.

I guess you could call me just a downhome Cowgirl.; 3/13/09, 12:45 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: "Now I have this vision of Althouse playing fetch with organ meat."

Cool or tragic?

Creepy: "That's a good doggy, eat up the nasty hobo. Clean up mommy's mess. Yes, people do taste yummy, don't they? Here's an eyeball!"; 3/13/09, 12:45 PM
TitusisheadingtoPtown said...: My neighbor who was bitchy to me for the longest time is now friendly to me. He's all opening the door for me, holding the elevator, trying to bet the rare clumbers. I am like uh-uh bitch. You had your chance. I going to be all ice ice baby to you now.; 3/13/09, 12:49 PM
AllenS said...: A shed antler looks like a pill to you? Something tells me that your dog is smarter than you. Maybe you have chronic wasting disease.; 3/13/09, 1:01 PM
KCFleming said...: HEY HEY HO HO
LUCKY TROLLDSON'S GOT TO GO

Althouse Local 101; 3/13/09, 1:05 PM
Roberto said...: AllenS said..."A shed antler looks like a pill to you? Something tells me that your dog is smarter than you. Maybe you have chronic wasting disease."

Yeah, "smart pills" are shaped just like "pills."

DUH.

I realize you're not the brightest bulb on the block, but Deer shed their antlers...in pieces...and they're referred to as "smart pills" by hunters, etc.

Not that you'd actually want to know anything you don't already believe, but:

The antlers fall off the deer’s head in two somewhat symmetrical pieces and don’t always land in the same place. Occasionally, a deer will be spotted during the winter sporting only half of its antler rack, he said.

The antlers fall off symmetrical pieces, it's related to hormones, and they grow bigger each year.; 3/13/09, 1:12 PM
Roberto said...: Pogo - WOW!!!

That was really neat.; 3/13/09, 1:13 PM
AllenS said...: "Deer shed their antlers...in pieces"

No they don't, nitwit. A deer has two separate antler. When one falls off, it falls off in one piece. When the other is shed, it falls off in one piece. Most of the time you'll find the matching one no more than 200 yards away.

Were you in an institution in the Midwest?; 3/13/09, 1:20 PM
Clyde said...: I hope that the deer had a dismemberment rider on its insurance policy.

Deer: "You'll have to pardon me, I'm feeling a bit disorganized today."; 3/13/09, 1:29 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: That dog looks like all my Groenendale Belgians looked in their lanky years, an agonizingly long adolescence period immediately preceding their blossoming into full magnificence that I thought would never end. You can tell its young if there's no white around the muzzle. Unfortunately black coats are tricky to photograph with any degree of detail. You usually get a silhouette. Also, its tail, collar, and feathering on its legs look a little thin, especially for a dog presumably in a Northern climate. All that makes me think its young, but I could be 100% of wrong.

It's true, they go into slinky wolf-mode and stick their nose into anything rotten, the more rotten the better, often rolling in it and then proudly prancing back as if adorned with the most remarkable perfume. They are dogs, after all.; 3/13/09, 1:34 PM
Clyde said...: Oh, and re: the white trees:

Wazzup, birches?; 3/13/09, 1:43 PM
KCFleming said...: DOWN WITH TROLLS

SEND OUR MICHAEL TO FIREDOGLAKE!

Althouse Local 101; 3/13/09, 1:45 PM
Inspektor Friedrich said...: Marie Antoinette Althouse to her commenters: Let them read shit.

Ah, here comes Mr. Gene Olson dropping his daily load.

And yes, folks, he's 62 years old. Can you believe it?

Someday Althouse might care enough about her blog to prevent it from being a total moronic wasteland.

Don't hold your breath, though.

She's learned that dogs eating their own shit draw crowds.; 3/13/09, 1:49 PM
Roberto said...: AllenS said...as to: "Deer shed their antlers...in pieces"

DUMMY: "No they don't, nitwit. A deer has two separate antler. When one falls off, it falls off in one piece."

Wrong...again:

"Bucks shed their antlers annually during a period stretching from late December through March, depending on the deer, said David Riehlman, a senior wildlife biologist for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The antlers fall off the deer’s head in two somewhat symmetrical pieces...

...and don’t always land in the same place. Occasionally, a deer will be spotted during the winter sporting only half of its antler rack, he said." (skinnymoose.com); 3/13/09, 2:20 PM
reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/09, 2:23 PM
Roberto said...: Inspektor Friedrich - Why not just bypass my comments?

Instead you spend your time sucking on your fellow "pack" member's asses.

Are you insecure? Do you really need their support?

As to posting people's real names, I know the names and addresses of many here.

Does anybody mind if I post them?; 3/13/09, 2:24 PM
Roberto said...: reader_iam - You accused me of doing something earlier and I called you a liar.

Care to point out why I'm wrong?

Gutless.; 3/13/09, 2:25 PM
Roberto said...: Based on the never ending fear and loathing of me and my comments, I find hysterical how many here were cheering on the possibility of of Ann Althouse literally making an audio CD of Titus's comments...talking about taking shits or farting or pushing out loafs or basically denigrating gays...even as he readily represents himself as being gay.

(Talk about self loathing.)

I showed those comments to a few friends and when I told them Ann Althouse was a Law Professor, who thought Titus was brilliant...they could-not-believe-it.

Until I showed them the actual site and postings they thought it was an internet joke.

The truth is: Most here are a fucking joke...and they know it, too.; 3/13/09, 2:31 PM
Roberto said...: And speaking of "shit."

It appears many here are eating a little...after whining about Obama's handling of the economy so far.

The market is up about 10% over the past 4 days...and not a peep from the "pack."

Geee, I wonder why?; 3/13/09, 2:34 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I don't know about the Mid West but it certainly ISN'T deer hunting season here(California). That is usually early fall August through October depending on the zone and whether you are bow hunting or rifle hunting.

The does here still have yearlings with them. In fact we just had a doe and with her mostly grown twins with her in my yard. The bitch was eating the tender shoots of my shallots and elephant garlic plants. I had to yell at her.

SO ....if the dog is eating deer organs, I think there might be some illegal poaching going on. Hmmm? I think the dog is probably eating poop or the organs of some other creature.

As to the antlers..Mule deer drop their antlers in one piece from side to side. Left side...plop...Right side ....plop. not in chunks unless the deer has damaged his rack. They drop their antlers after hunting season in the mid winter (Nov Dec Jan) and they are just now beginning to grow them. The deeer won't be in full antler (out of the velvet stage) until often after bow season (August/Sept). Dunno about White Tail but I assume they have the same seasons.; 3/13/09, 2:36 PM
Jeremy said...: Huh?; 3/13/09, 2:36 PM
KCFleming said...: COMMENTERS OF THE ALTHOUSE WORLD UNITE!

GENERAL STRIKE FOR BLOG FREEDOM FROM THE MICHAEL-GENE-LUCKY TROLL

So let us strike - strike to be free;
Shed the shackles, break the chains of troll slavery;
Join in the song, strike with the strong -
All power to the Onion - the world for the free!

WHAT DO WE WANT?
MICHAEL'S EXIT
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
NOW!; 3/13/09, 2:38 PM
Love said...: I agree with Michael and Me.; 3/13/09, 2:38 PM
KCFleming said...: MICHAEL IS FAKE DBQ
AGAIN
UNFAIR BLOG PRACTICES

ON STRIKE!!!11!; 3/13/09, 2:40 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Deer shed their antlers...in pieces...and they're referred to as "smart pills" by hunters, etc.

Maybe this is a regional thing, but I have NEVER heard of shed antlers being called smart pills. Deer poop and certainly rabbit poop, but never antlers.

And you are right, there are parasites in deer poop. Don't let your stupid dog eat it.; 3/13/09, 2:41 PM
Love said...: What's the problem, Pogo?

Can't you come up with a decent comment?

Are you in love with Michael?

I'd like to meet you.; 3/13/09, 2:43 PM
knox said...: If nothing else, posting under another person's identity is a bannable offense. Intentional sabotaging of a comment thread.

I had a friend in school who was bipolar. At one point, she had a major beef with a mutual friend. Anyway, I ran into this bipolar woman about three years later, and she immediately started talking about it all as if it had just happened. I realized with horror that she must have been obsessing about it, stewing over it, all that time. Three years.

Michael's incessant commenting, his need to personally insult Althouse and the other commenters--and yet, to keep coming back--is indeed indicative of an unpleasant personality disorder, as Pogo intimated yesterday.

Bipolar, Borderline, Narcissistic... maybe all three. Who knows, who really cares? It's time for him to go. Seriously. There's nothing, nothing, good to be had from his presence here.; 3/13/09, 2:53 PM
Love said...: knox said..."If nothing else, posting under another person's identity is a bannable offense."

I agree.

And that's exactly what I told Ann Althouse when others began using my moniker and picture to post comments.

Are you late to this game?

I'm only doing what others have done to me.

Still for the "banning?"; 3/13/09, 2:58 PM
DaLawGiver said...: And yes, speaking of shit, the expert Michael is indeed back. Let's not forget he's a gutless liar also. Here are my favorite Michael lies. You said the surge wouldn't work, even Obama says it worked. Google it asshole. You said gas would be $5 a gallon by last December. Wrong. The market is up over the past couple of days but overall a big downer since Obama took over. Liar.

Oh yeah, suck me, fuck off, get some better meds, etc.; 3/13/09, 3:01 PM
Inspektor Friedrich said...: You know, I don't care about moronic half-wits and/or psychologists toying with their subjects, whatever Mr. Gene Olson happens to be.

No, I am furious with Althouse for putting up a blog that would seem to be so eclectic, fun and intelligent, and then allow utterly predictable trolls have their way with it.

Professor, you are putting out a product here. If it were just another piece of garbage, I certainly wouldn't be upset. However, given the effort you've put into it and the promise of this blog, this is like a nice Audi that suddenly starts behaving like a Vauxhall and begins to leak oil and short the electrics.

You may preside over this if you wish. But those of us who check this blog regularly, largely for an unusual and independent, and I must say, fun outlook, are going to know that our nice ride on the heated leather seats of that Audi has been replaced by springs sticking through the seat of an '89 Corolla.

You are also telling your regular base of readers exactly what you think of us.; 3/13/09, 3:04 PM
Roberto said...: KNOX - "Michael's incessant commenting, his need to personally insult Althouse and the other commenters--and yet, to keep coming back--is indeed indicative of an unpleasant personality disorder, as Pogo intimated yesterday."

Oh, give me a fucking break.

Now you're suddenly a fucking amateur psychiatrist...based on comments on a blog?

I come here for one reason: To aggravate idiots like yourself. 95% of the people here spend so much time sucking on each other there are few if any comments carrying any kind of intellectual weight.

They whine about Obama, they whine about liberals, they whine about anything they don't agree with.

I post contrary comments, most of which are dismissed because I don't agree with the standard right wing bullshit posted by the "pack." (And yes, I throw shit at some of them...just as they throw it back...and if you read the comments, you know it, too.)

As to "content," just look at this thread: comment after comment about a dog eating what may or may not be a turd or an animal organ.

WOW...people really wanna know.

Anybody who posts drivel like yours is just dumber than dumb.; 3/13/09, 3:07 PM
Love said...: No, I am furious with Althouse for not stopping someone from posting comments that I don't agree with. I mean, damn...this is such an eclectic (that's my word of the day), fun and intelligent (Titus's shit loaf comments are HYSTERICAL!!), and then allow utterly unpredictable comments from an "outsider" isn't why we come here.

We come here to suck up to each other.

We want EVERYBODY to be on the same page...every day...without exception.

And what's wrong with whining and bitching about our new President?

We've given the man almost 50 days to straighten out the mess OUR GUY created.

Damn...it's just not fair.; 3/13/09, 3:12 PM
Love said...: Oh, and I'd post an actual "profile," but I don't want anybody to know who I REALLY am.

I'm gutless, but I love to whine.; 3/13/09, 3:13 PM
SteveR said...: I come here for one reason: To aggravate idiots like yourself.

For one thing we aren't idiots. The real problem is no one can have a different opinion than you without you thinking they are an idiot. Its no small irony that that makes you an idiot. Aggravate? Don't fool yourself. A fly annoys, aggravation would take more than you've got.

Anybody who posts drivel like yours is just dumber than dumb.

Well if anyone would know...; 3/13/09, 3:21 PM
Inspektor Friedrich said...: No, Gene, you are simply wrong.

You may hurl your insane insults all you want, but I have made it plain in the past that I am no fan of either Titus OR Palladian. And neither am I particularly politically right-wing in the usual American sense.

But YOU are insane.

Literally.

Unclean and foul.

And until Althouse does something about it, I, for one, am not going to put my feet in this dog shit any longer.; 3/13/09, 3:26 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Look Lucky, we all know you revel in your assholeness and all things shit, so good for you, but can't you do it without lying? What a pathetic loser.; 3/13/09, 3:27 PM
JohnAnnArbor said...: Back to the subject of the post:

I wonder if the average cat would eat a deer kidney?; 3/13/09, 3:50 PM
The Dude said...: My house cats would. Most wild cats would. Cats survive the world over because they eat meat. Fish, deer, birds, wildebeasts, dogs, whatever...; 3/13/09, 3:57 PM
SteveR said...: Cats: don't forget generous helpings of insects and reptiles.; 3/13/09, 4:02 PM
Love said...: And until Althouse does something about it, I, for one, am going to whine, and cry and just throw a damn hissy fit...'cause I'm a little boy who needs the attention.

So there.; 3/13/09, 4:03 PM
Love said...: When you say Michael is "lying"...could you clarify?

People wanna know.; 3/13/09, 4:04 PM
Love said...: Stevey - "For one thing we aren't idiots. The real problem is no one can have a different opinion than you without you thinking they are an idiot."

I've read Michael's comments and I agree with him.

Very few members of the "pack" ever actually refute what he says with facts...only with right wing counter claims that can't be substantiated.

*Oh, and by the way...the market is up for the 4th day in a row...and not a peep from the "pack."

Do you ONLY whine and bitch...or do you ever root for America?; 3/13/09, 4:06 PM
Alex said...: How dare anyone criticize our Titus! Without his vulgar posts, Althouse would be a very boring place!; 3/13/09, 4:24 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: I know you are an expert in bullshit but you also seem to know a lot about deer shit.

That is because he is in the shit business. He knows shit, he talks shit, and he is a shit.

HEY HEY HO HO ALTHOUSE TROLLS HAVE GOT TO GO
ALTHOUSE LOCAL 101; 3/13/09, 4:28 PM
KCFleming said...: I was thinking of a response, but what's the point? The bad drives out the good.

Shout out to Sippican, wherever you are.; 3/13/09, 5:05 PM
Cousin Bob said...: Hey Pogo and Inspector! Don't get so uptight! Lucky's going through a bad patch just now. It's not the Professor's fault she can't keep him from getting a little crazy. Once Lucky gets started, he's darn hard to control! You should of seen the time he tore up my double-wide a few years ago. That was bad! But we forgave him, cause he went into rehab, and came out much better, until he dreamt up that Luckyoldson shit. But that was OK, cause it was mostly on the internet and e-Bay. We still call him Lucky, cause it stuck, but I guess some of you kinda figured out his real name. But don't use it, Inspector, cause it's like waving a red flag at a bull.

Ever since he got out of Atascadero last time, things just haven't been going too well for him. If you've been tweaking as much as he did, it's hard to get back on an even keel. In fact, I'm pretty worried he's scored some shards again, the way he's been going on around here. Nobody but a tweaker gets that worked up, so you know I'm pretty worried.

Lucky, take the damned blue pill! You know what they told you. In fact, you should hop in your pickup and drive out here to Cabezon, if you're not too shaky, and Lorraine and I will feed you a good dinner. I'm not working tonight, what with business at the casino so down and it being Friday the 13th, so you're welcome if you can get your ass out here by 6:30. She'll make some burritos and a salad, plus we've got some Dos XX, which will make a nice Friday dinner.

Anyways, Professor, sorry Lucky got your regulars so riled up. If he gets a little food in him, has a few beers, and TAKES THE DAMN BLUE PILL, he'll be just fine. You won't hear a peep out of him until next week if we can help it.

Thanks again,
Cousin Bob; 3/13/09, 6:07 PM
Simon Kenton said...: Freeman Hunt:

"I bet a dog would be happiest if its owner just left freshly killed carcasses on the lawn for food. Impractical though."

About last Christmas I killed a deer in the back yard with a crossbow and moved it down into the front yard to gut it. Our dog, a malamute, went all "Call of the Wild" on it, and began howling as if he were a genuine timber wolf. I took him out of the kennel hoping to quiet him. He towed me to the deer - his grandfather once won a contest pulling 3000 lbs. Though I weigh twice what he does, it was no contest: a set of huge loping pawprints headed toward the body, and twin skidding dragged heels in the snow. Once there, he took hold of the deer and began tugging it back to the house.

Yes. I'd say this episode left him as happy as I've seen him.; 3/13/09, 6:58 PM
Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said...: Chip --

I was going to peg the animal for a Groenendal, too. They're not very common, especially the lithe ones. We've got a male from the Black Gold kennel in North Carolina. What a magnificent animal, unlike the big headed thugs from Texas and Oklahoma.

The European stock Belgians take a long time to mature, but what smart animals and what sweet dispositions.

Then again, they like a dead deer no more or less than our typical farm mutts.; 3/13/09, 8:04 PM
Ann Althouse said...: How is it that people don't know not to feed a troll? At some point, I'm inclined to say that feeding the troll is a kind of trolling. Just stop!; 3/13/09, 9:05 PM
Inspektor Friedrich said...: Professor,

How is it that you do not simply delete the comments of an acknowleded troll, just as you do the infamous 'Mary?' And, BTW, your Mary has definitely surfaced under at least one and possiblly more pseudonyms, who have NOT been deleted.

Are there degrees of trolldom? What are the criteria for non-interaction? For possible deletion?

You know, if your blog is heavily trolled by the likes of 'Michael,' the affected thread becomes intolerable. To ignore the situation is to simply not read your blog, which is an attractive proposition, considering that you have allowed it to turn into a complete pile of crap.; 3/13/09, 9:31 PM
Ann Althouse said...: You make it worse by responding to him. I'm not here all the time to delete. When I look in and see 30 things I would need to delete, then I have a problem with the troll and the troll feeders. I'm a little irritated at people who want me to delete AND stick me with more stuff to delete.; 3/13/09, 11:32 PM
KCFleming said...: I dunno, Althouse, but when Lucky fakes being so many commenters, it's hardly worth trying to figure it all out.

I don't expect you to do anything at all. I don't pretend to know the answer. Mebbe there ain't one. It's just a damn shame is all.; 3/13/09, 11:57 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: I LOVE the update picture!

"We've secretly replaced the deer's normal food with nitroglycerin. Let's see if they notice."; 3/14/09, 12:22 AM
Inspektor Friedrich said...: Pogo,

I think you give up too easily by not expecting Althouse to do anything at all, and merely consigning the situation to remain a shame.

I also think the Professor has fun with the creative side, but has been at times unwilling to do enough behind-the-scenes drudgery to administer her blog properly.

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the blog knows that by means of 10 or 20 minutes with the comment thread they could untangle it and clean up the entire mess. But it would take sitting down and slogging through the whole stinking thing. It's not impossible, just tedious and unpleasant.

Not to make myself out to be some paragon, but if I had a big-deal blog, or even if I had one-tenth Althouse's traffic, I would find the time, or make the time, to do so. The blog may not be directly remunerative, but it has advanced the Professor's career. It seems to me that the obvious intangibles, if I may use such a contradiction, are worth some greater effort on Althouse's part.

Further, it's not as if this particular troll is an unknown. When he first surfaced a couple of years ago, I was easily able to Google all sorts of things about him, to the extent that I frankly couldn't believe anyone could be so stupid.

I thought at the time that this character might have been a long-term creation of someone fabricating an alter-ego. I still have that in the back of my mind. But whatever the origins and motivations, my point is that this person is readily identifiable and easily within Althouse's ability to contact directly about his behavior on her blog.

So, there are at least two paths open to Althouse to attempt make her blog a tolerable experience for her readers. Expecting the commenters simply to not respond is unrealistic, given the nature of the attack, and a cop-out from her responsibilities for her own creation.

That is not to say that Althouse has not demonstrated amazing energy, intelligence and creativity in this blog, which are among the qualities that drew some of us here in the first place. But she needs, for the sake of the readers she has gathered, to apply those same qualities now to keeping the wolves at bay.; 3/14/09, 3:04 AM
KCFleming said...: I don't expect that. It's a damn shame is all. Bad drives out the good; it has before and it does so now. The way of the world, I suppose. And I suppose it's none of my business, really. A good ride, though, wasn't it?; 3/14/09, 7:27 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Look, I agree that Michael should be deleted, and the fact is I spend over an hour a day, sometimes many hours, reviewing comments. I prefer to find comments I like to read and to respond to them. Devoting 20 minutes to deleting is not the best use of my time. But when you have responded to the troll it makes my work 3 times as hard! Will you cut it the fuck out! Don't complain about my not deleting enough when you yourself are making my work harder. I will delete Michael from now on, but you guys have got to stop taunting him. It's unbelievably stupid. And to turn around and criticize me when you are behaving like that is really annoying me.; 3/14/09, 10:47 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Also, looking back, Michael's comments about what the dog was gnawing are on point, so I don't see the basis for deletion.

What's got to stop is the talk about Michael being a troll. Do not taunt or address him (as opposed to the substance of his comments). If he is substantive and/or interesting, I won't delete him. Email me if you think there is something I should delete that I'm not catching. But I WILL DELETE comments that are just about attacking him. They are cluttering these threads and they provoke a response. On this thread, the trollish behavior did not begin with Michael! Go look.; 3/14/09, 10:55 AM
SteveR said...: I will stop.; 3/14/09, 12:44 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Darn. Okay, I will not taunt Michael anymore. I wasn't asking for him to be deleted, but so many are that I will try to refrain...

That will be harder than my Lenten discipline.; 3/15/09, 12:31 AM