I did tuck one in at the end however. I don't think you'll mind.

:-) That was wonderful.

Comment deleted: off topic.

So to get political..snip..and a bunch of garbage

What does that have to do with any of the topics?

Deputy Dar, on the case.

I don't find you funny, I find your sense of humor juvenile.

Is it too much to ask to have one thread that isn't polluted with your bickering petty bullshit about Obama. Can you give us that. Keep it in the other threads.

I completely agree.

I try not to spread the fight to non political posts so as not to make this a completely hostile environment for anybody and to encourage Norm to post those things that we can all enjoy. Although I think in general the Links with your coffee is a good place for unfinished arguments on threads no longer being read and random sharing of links.

That said, how unfunny you find me is a source of pleasure. ;)

Although I think in general the Links with your coffee is a good place for unfinished arguments on threads no longer being read and random sharing of links.

That is not the case here. He knows that the other threads are still being read and commented on yet he chose to infect this one with off topic crap.

That said, how unfunny you find me is a source of pleasure. ;)

I sensed that about you. Trolls on the internet are a dime a dozen, not contributing much to a conversation just trying to be a "class clown" and stir things up.

A little tip: If you want to succeed with your chosen career as a forum troll, Incorporate some whit into your sarcasm.

RedSeven is not a troll!

How low do we have to go here before we reach rock bottom?

Is anyone else here just sick to their stomach over all of this shit?

I used to be an avid atheist... and I'm still an atheist, but I'm tired of putting people into some stupid pigeon hole... democrat/republican... theist/non-theist.. or to pigeon hole someone even more... Obama or Clinton or McCain...

What ever happened to discussing the issues.

I'm so damned upset right now I can hardly stand it. We're all humans... male or female, black or white, theist or atheist... damn it!

Sorry JoAnn but I call them like I see them. I believe it fits from his comment here and elsewhere.

Forum Troll

Theowne's post was not related to any of today's links, but it wasn't "garbage."

I don't think RedSeven is a troll. Dar may think otherwise, but that Wikipedia article hardly cinches the case for that (not impartial) claim. Excerpted from TFA:

The term troll is highly subjective. Some readers may characterize a post as trolling, while others may regard the same post as a legitimate contribution to the discussion, even if controversial. The term is often erroneously used to discredit an opposing position, or its proponent, by argument fallacy ad hominem.

Often, calling someone a troll makes assumptions about a writer's motives. Regardless of the circumstances, controversial posts may attract a particularly strong response from those unfamiliar with the robust dialogue found in some online, rather than physical, communities.

Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is usually to ignore him or her.

If you really think someone's trolling, don't feed the troll, and trust the forum moderator to fix the problem.

"Unit automatically becomes portable when carried."

God that was priceless. I wish the Language Log were always that funny.

No worries JoAnn.

Dar and I don't really get along since he refused to acknowledge the existence of implied meaning.

I generally try not to respond to him since then, but him acting as Norms traffic cop after the last two days of tension seemed like too good to pass up. My comments in general aren't troll like, but when responding to Dar I will acknowledge my weakness for "clowning".

Are you back?

Dar and I don't really get along since he refused to acknowledge the existence of implied meaning.

Norm is right you are not very charitable when interpreting others comments or you just can't comprehend what you read.

I generally try not to respond to him since then, but him acting as Norms traffic cop after the last two days of tension seemed like too good to pass up. My comments in general aren't troll like, but when responding to Dar I will acknowledge my weakness for "clowning".

Sorry if I believe that people don't need to "read into" everything someone says and twist it until it has a nefarious meaning and also think people should show Norm some respect on his own site and follow the rules. You add nothing positive to many discussion and what you do add has a negative effect on the direction of the conversations so yes I think you're a troll. So I will return the favor and ignore your posts also.

I made an arguement that implicit meanings are importants in the context of an arguement.

Red:

If you are comparing someone to a great speaker or a charismatic leader and you choose a dictator or other clearly evil subject, you bear responsibility for the clear implication of your comparison.

You made the counter argument that writers, Charles as your example, were only responsible if they made the argument explicitly.

DAR:

IMO you have created the guilt by association by twisting what was written.

Guilt by association fallacy would be:

Hitler was a moving public speaker and Obama is a moving public speaker therefore Obama is bad.

So i tried to get you and others to acknowledge that the implied comparisons with nasty things were real and writers were responsible for them. You argued that the implied part of the comparison was irrelevant unless linked to an explicit argument.