Foggy reported that comments were disabled at Birther Report this morning (gee, you’re up early, Bill). When I tried it just now (10 am), commenting was enabled, but a test comment I left went straight into moderation, something that wasn’t happening before. I read one comment from around 9 am from SirenDrake that said:
Is it just me, or is the site running slow this morning? I suspect that Obots are hammering the site mercilessly. Might be why Birther Report finally decided to require an account for posting. If he really has.
I should point out to SirenDrake that BirtherReport is hosted by Google, and my thought is that it would take a really huge amount of hammering to slow Google down. The idea that non-birthers in any number are accessing that sorry web site at any given time is hard for me to believe. I ran Pingdom tools on the Jack Cashill article that was the top story on the site, and the page load took 8.8 seconds after no fewer than 702 ❗ http requests and transferring 4.4 MB. (My home page loaded in 2.45 seconds making 43 requests for a page size of 818 KB.) I don’t know if that accounts for all the scripting or not. It could be that Intense Debate (that runs their commenting system) or one of their third-party advertising sources was slow. The site itself is what I would call bloated.
But what I really wanted to talk about was not site performance but the rather remarkable fact that I have been able to comment freely at Birther Report without moderation or deletion for at least 6 months now. I have had the privilege of posting long, well-reasoned and fact filled responses to birther claims. I think that it would be clear to the unbiased observer that I was reasonable and they had no substance to their objections. It’s their site (even if Google is paying for it) and they have the right to control who can comment and who cannot.
Update:
I am once again able to post at Birther Report.
The commenting system at Gerbil Report™ appears to be disabled. 😯
Comments ended an hour ago, and there’s no way to add a comment now. Perchance it’s only temporary, or perchance it’s because of the Umpteenth Birther Civil War.
But, but, but, without the comments, there’s no reason to visit their stupid site.
The commenting system is now live again, but my test comment went straight into moderation, something that wasn’t happening before.
Ever notice that the more a website goes on about patriotism, freedom, and constitutional rights, the more likely it is to be heavily censored?
Maybe he’s having a little trouble getting the new server installed…might want to send him instructions on how to remove from the box to get him started. 😀
There are several comments about moderation, so it appears general–only theirs got approved, and mind didn’t.
Ya beat me to it.
Or perchance extraterrestrials are performing an experiment on them.
Reading the latest insanity at GR, I was reminded of an old Twilight Zone episode, the one that begins with neighbors wondering why their power went out and ends with them engaged in mortal combat with each other – all because of some tricky aliens messing with their electronics!
I just checked Wikipedia for a refresher on that episode. Called “The Monsters Are Due on Main Street”, It originally aired March 4, 1960, and it was written by Rod Serling. Here’s Serling’s closing comment:
“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices – to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill…and suspicion can destroy…and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own – for the children…and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is…that these things cannot be confined…to the Twilight Zone.”
Correction: “The Monster Are Due on Maple Street.”
Look at me, spreading disinformation. Shame!
was thinking the exact same of GR of late.
( plus it’s my second favorite TZ episode )
Pity indeed. Have you read Esquire‘s piece about Congressional dysfunction?
Speaking of, whatever happened to that “lawsuit”? LOL!
That’s gotta be up there in the pantheon. My favorite two are “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” (1963) with William Shatner and “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (1961) with Dick York. But there are so many really, really good episodes; they just don’t write ’em like that any more. And don’t get me started on “Outer Limits”.
JPotter November 3, 2014 at 10:55 pm (Quote) #
Crustacean: And the pity of it is…that these things cannot be confined…to the Twilight Zone.”
Pity indeed. Have you read Esquire‘s piece about Congressional dysfunction?
Speaking of, whatever happened to that “lawsuit”? LOL!
House Speaker John Boehner’s still-unfiled lawsuit against President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional power is in more trouble.
For the second time in two months, a major law firm has ceased work on the lawsuit, sources say.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/barack-obama-john-boehner-lawsuit-112333.html
Maybe as a last resort Speaker Boehner should engage Dr. Orly Taitz, Esq.
That suit is all Say and no Do. All Boehner wants is the buzz created from announcing a lawsuit, not the risk of actual action. All smoke, no mirror.
Typical grifter and snake oil salesman MO.