an open letter to those who would comment anonymously,

perhaps you have no LiveJournal of your own, or perhaps you merely wish to remain unidentified for personal reasons. it matters not to me, for all are (initially) welcome here in my small, textual fief. i am flattered that you were so (a). charmed or (b). offended by my entries that you feel compelled to comment--for whether you were moved to laughter or moved to rage, i am pleased to know that you are reading.

but by way of introduction, i would like to direct you to my bio page. please take a moment to click the link and look around, for this small action on your part will help us to understand one another better. even though i have no information by which to gauge you, your opinions, your fury or your interest, i would like to extend this courtesy your way all the same.

by visiting this bio page you will learn a vast array of useful information about me--including, but not limited to, my birthplace, my education, some writing credits, my occupation and my "interests" (as linked by the LJ coding gods). however, i would like to point out something that is missing from this bio page--and missing for a very good reason.

this page--which serves as an introduction and general guide to what you might expect within my blog--is conspicuously devoid of any recommendation by the U.S. Government or the Associated Press. please note that i am therefore under no obligation whatsoever to provide you with balanced, bias-free coverage of any event, occasion or issue. while i do make a sincere effort to cite legitimate, factually error-free sources as a matter of personal pride and credibility--those sources and my commentary thereupon are not in any way guaranteed to be free of my opinion. in fact, there is a better-than-average chance that you might find links to articles, essays and sites that reflect my generally-well-informed-though-not-by-any-means-definitive take on such inflammatory topics as politics and religion.

i would think that this should go without saying since this is a personal blog, an HTML showcase for my ego, if you will...but apparently i am mistaken. apparently, it will be in everyone's best interest if i make a post such as this one and spell everything out in the previous paragraph's careful, considered fashion. that way (it is to be hoped), no more Junior Recruits for the Captain Obvious Troll Brigade will waste their time and mine with comments that are neither insightful nor enlightening.

furthermore, potential anonymous commenter, should an you feel compelled to argue online with me and/or my friends, perhaps you should first examine my friends list and some of the bio pages you may thereby find. rather than demonstrate an amusing level of ignorance on a topic such as...oh...say...the first amendment, i recommend that you first make sure you're not arguing with a graduate law student; and when debating the logic of a given argument, please see to it that you're not picking a fight with someone who has taught college rhetoric for years. this can save you a great deal of embarrassment, and me a great deal of repetitive "delete" key action.

people who comment anonymously usually fall into one of 3 categories on this page: (1). people i know IRL but who don't have LJs, (2). people who don't realize that i don't know who they are when they comment, and thereby don't sign their posts or (3). cowardly people who have strongly-held but fragile beliefs of which they are vaguely ashamed, and therefore do not wish to attach their names to.

therefore, lest i mistake you for falling into category 3, please sign a name, website or e-mail handle* to any non-LJ-ID comments you wish to make. this is merely good internet manners, and i will think all the more highly of you for it -- whether or not we see eye to eye on politics, religion, or red velvet cake recipes. also, should you wish to continue a good debate (a friendly debate, please), other people can contact you without the need to flood my inbox with your conversation.

at any rate, i would prefer to continue to allow anonymous commenting. i like knowing that non-LJ people read me from time to time; it makes me feel like i've got a healthy audience that extends beyond this hip little corner of the web. but if people can't play by the rules, i'm afraid i'll have to put an end to it.

thank you in advance for your future consideration,
cmpriest
(cherie priest)

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* or post a "broken" e-mail address--with spaces inserted--so that it can't be culled for spamming purposes.