Whenever we get a traffic spike the right wingnut trolls come out. They attempt to post comments, usually with misspellings and inadequate grammar. It’s like the punchline to the old joke – “You can always tell a New Yorker by the cut of their clothes.”
As usual, we don’t allowing ignorant comments out of moderation to be linked with an original post, but we will present them in subsequent posts for the purpose of public derision and mockery. As we see fit. We see fit.
And so, another crop:
How bout NO…another trash can demorat!
Like you’re convincing anyone around these here parts?
Will not vote for any democrat under the current conditions of our country.
As if you’ve ever voted for a Democrat?
It’s definitely a cult.
When someone posts a comment here their email and IP addresses are part of the record.
Dumbasses.
Bad combover. Check. Too long red tie. Check. Orange spray tan. Check. Tiny hands. Check. Cluelessness. Check…
A hospital administrator in Springfield, Missouri enumerated, via social media, the severity of the increase of admissions due to the COVID-19 surge. The math isn’t good.
Meta: I honed some of my social media chops over eighteen years ago as a volunteer “troll hunter” on a campaign forum for an eventually unsuccessful national presidential campaign. One of my innovations was a “troll museum”, a section where I moved trolling posts and comments to where they would be preserved for observation and public derision – without distracting from the purposes of the original campaign posts. This ain’t my first rodeo.
We’ve received a couple of additional comments. Again, we’re not allowing them out of moderation to be linked with the original post, but are reproducing them here for the purpose of public derision and mockery.
The first, less obnoxious, but not particularly well thought out comment:
[….] Just to play devil’s advocate, please don’t lump all non-Vac folks together. Some are old and have so many underlying problems, even their doctors advise them to pass on the jabs and just not go out at all.
Well, you certainly are doing the Devil’s work, if you believe in such things. A question: What percentage of the population in Greene County, Missouri is elderly (say, over 65) and has refrained from getting vaccinated because of their doctor’s concern for the possible impact(s) due to their preexisting medical conditions? We’ll wait.
Would love to see all the information on what is the long term effect on all those getting the shot ( it’s not a vaccine) is especially our young ones. Seems like a shot that has never been approved thru normal channels should at the very least be a concern as all indications show that a extremely high percentage of people either will not get sick or will come through the ordeal just fine with the correct treatment. Amazing how many other sicknesses have diminished with covid-19 always in the forefront. We really need to see fact’s on this disease and those cure’s that are actually working.
Uh, it’s a vaccine. Read more, watch less television.
Also, possessive is not plural. It appears that science and critical thinking weren’t the only school subjects you slept through.
Reports on SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, disease transmission, treatments, and vaccine development, testing, and efficacy are easily accessible via the CDC. Go read those readily understandable reports and studies. Science. Hint: the veterinary version of an anti-parasitic drug available from your local agricultural supply center doesn’t work, but it could make things worse.
This is what we face as a state and nation, and why we can’t have nice things.
The Soapblox platform we used from 2007 to 2015 easily enabled registered users and comments, but in that period we really never had a surfeit of comments on the site. Though, sometimes the spammers trying to register as users were a bit much. We managed to keep things under control.
When we switched platforms to this, our present site, it came with a really nifty spam filter – we hardly spend any time dealing with that distraction.
A couple of us who are still here cut our blogging teeth as troll hunters on A list political platforms or blogs. We know what to do.
Back in the dark ages I was a volunteer troll hunter on Howard Dean’s campaign “Forum for America”, and then later, for a while on the Democracy for America successor. The software was pretty neat – you could note a troll working on a comment in real time and then delete their labor in an instant after they posted it. Those were fun days.
In our present environment we’ve noted that we’re getting a slight uptick in right wingnut trollery. It’s easy enough to deal with. We delete troll commentary, for the most part, while it’s still in an approval queue.
Free speech means anyone can start their own blog. The government, for now, can’t interfere in political speech on your own blog. People can choose to read what you write, or not. Probably not. Go ahead, knock yourself out.
Free speech doesn’t mean anyone else has free rein here.
Even more anti marriage equality troll excess on Senator Claire McCaskill’s facebook page:
….”Dear Claire,
Your official position on same-sex marriage will be changing. From now on, you are for it. As always, thank you for your blind compliance.
Signed,
Dem Leadership”….
….Shame on Claire. You never stated an agree or disagree with the same sex marrage until your lord and God Obama made a stand. If there is actually a statement on recored before he made his politically correct statement. If their is please print it also all the links that I can check on it….
….Claire: Do you love that unborn aborted child? After all, Cell division is proof of life. Human DNA is proof of human life, and Human DNA different than that of the mother is proof of individual human life….
….The common misconception is that you serve the people, but some are aware you and those like you serve yourself. Adults don’t want their lives controlled by what your children think or what you think history will agree with. It usually agrees with who writes it, not fact….
Is that a fact?
The trolls continue:
….What one generation does, the next generation takes to excess. When will it end?….
Uh, when there’s equality for everyone? Just guessing.
….I disagree with your stand Senator. Looking fwd to your leaving office….
The earliest would be January 2019.
….But if your Love and Hope is not in God, then the bible quote will not pertain to you..
You must worship the creator, not the created!! I noticed the post about claire wanting gay marriage in Missouri to pass was deleted, this sort of behavior (gay and lesbian) is an abomination and against the laws of God!! I will still pray for you and those lost to this way of life..
It won’t matter how many times this sort of posts get deleted, or how many fancy distorted ways you advocate for this behavior, you will not escape your judgement day with God, nor will any of us!! I urge you please, reconsider your position on this matter….
Ah, someone with a direct line.
….Clarie’s childern must be queers!….
….So are you pretending to be a christian now.Claire?….
Who’s asking?
….This is why you’ll be unemployed soon….
Uh, January 2019 at the earliest. Are there no trolls who understand the length of a term for a United States Senator? Seriously?
….Your turning one Nation Under God into One Nation Head to Hell…Marriage is a Biblical joining of a man and a women Government should not have anything to do with marriages….
I think we just met the first person in line who gave up their federal tax advantages when it comes to marriage. Yeah, right.
The St. Louis American was invaded by trolls last week. It had nothing to do with Halloween; these trolls are commenters who visit blogsites with opposing viewpoints for the express purpose of stirring up trouble. After the American, one of the top African-American newspapers in the country, ran an article about Michelle Obama, the trolls swarmed into the comments section, spewing hatred and nonsense as if they were going to change the hearts and minds of that paper’s black readership.
One accused Obama of disenfranchising voters in the caucus votes and of staging the roll call votes at the convention. Another pretended Obama had plagiarized some remarks by Duvall Patrick. A third said: “I voted for Hillary in the primary and now I’m voting for McCain/Palin for democracy!” And a fourth added “No way, no how, NObama in November!” Another brought up Jeremiah Wright and called Obama a race divider, while someone else called his children elitist and rude.
Someone named Evie did yeoman’s duty defending the Democratic nominee and got a little help from a couple of other people. They handled the onslaught with aplomb–and facts.
But here’s what I’m wondering: what was the point of this little exercise? Hello-o. Did the trolls think they would make converts to McCain’s camp at the St. Louis American? C’mon already.
If that’s what you think, y’all got too much time on your hands, time that would have been better spent registering Republicans. But far be it from me to set you on the right path. I say, go for it if that’s what you think will win the election. Pester the folks at The American. Cause here’s the thing: granted, you can be a nuisance, but they can take care of themselves when you idiots wander in.
The