This afternoon, the blog passed 12,000,000 all-time hits. While still smaller than some of other sites in the top ten legal blogs, we just passed 11,000,000 not long ago and we have continued to grow. I am very proud of our community and our attempt to offer a place for civil and responsible conversation. I encourage our regulars and visitors to continue to avoid the personal attacks and name calling common elsewhere on the Internet.
The continued growth of the site shows that our approach to blogging resonates with a good number of people. I continue to be concerned in reading comments that take personal shots and use insulting language. I hope that the recent debate over civility in legal blogging will reaffirm the need of our regulars to avoid insults and personal jabs. If you do not like a person’s take on a story, there is no need to characterize the writer or the writer’s motivations. Let’s deal with the ideas and leave the ad hominem attacks to other sites.
Thanks again for making the site such a great success.
Here are the list of countries represented by viewers and commentators on the blog with the first being obviously the most prevalent:
Country Views
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
Sweden
France
Australia
India
Philippines
Ireland
Singapore
Jonathan Turley
bots
idealist707,
“But how many assistants will he need, none of whom are involved here at the blog, and otherwise not have to recuse themselves? (who is that honest, not many at the Sct.)
His time is Congress’s time, and others wait in the queue.
I’d nominate him for president, he stands firmly for freedom of speech, as opposed to many who post here enjoying his largesse. However, I believe he lacks the killer instinct necessary to the job.”
————————————————————–
What job does JT lack the “killer instinct” for, idealist707?
I’m working backwards through your post, as I’ve learned that they read better this way.
Are you not one of the many who post here enjoying JT’s largesse? Writing in rhymes and riddles that are indecipherable to me. Posting to your own postings, digging the hole of your own myopia.
A case in point: “His time is Congress’s time, and others wait in the queue.”
What does that mean, idealist707?
had me worried, when i saw that 12,000,000 i thought gene had upped the number of “law and order” episodes i needed to watch.
This discussion also reminded me of Mother Teresa (as an Italian Roman Catholic):
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
[Reportedly inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa’s children’s home in Calcutta, and attributed to her.
Professor Turley posted:
Professor Turley,
I’m assuming that the last sentence is yours, not from the email.
First off, since this is obviously a reference to baseless charges made against me and one of your guest bloggers (and by extension, you), let me apologize again for the inconvenience this has caused you. I’ve found that conspiracy theorists and others caught in the grips of confirmation biases are generally unable to correct any erroneous assumptions they make and this person seems like a perfect example. Regardless of anything you do, I don’t believe that he will ever accept your innocence (or mine) any more than a birther would accept President Obama. I guess it’s no wonder that he doesn’t understand that bearing false witness is not civil behavior. At least I don’t consider unsupported accusations or intellectual dishonesty to be civil.
From what I can infer from your comment (and the past behavior of the person I’m guessing is responsible), I doubt your system was hacked and, most likely, all you have is the (possibly fake) address from the email that you received (assuming the post under your name was just the accidental work of a guest blogger), but I would keep an eye out for anything unusual just in case.
On topic, congratulations on your 12 Mega-hits! One eighth of the way to your first Giga-hit! 😉
Long past my bedtime. God natt allihopa.
Dredd,
I hope I understand correctly, if you mean Prof. JT.
Yes, who else. But how many assistants will he need, none of whom are involved here at the blog, and otherwise not have to recuse themselves? (who is that honest, not many at the Sct.)
His time is Congress’s time, and others wait in the queue.
I’d nominate him for president, he stands firmly for freedom of speech, as opposed to many who post here enjoying his largesse. However, I believe he lacks the killer instinct necessary to the job.
idealist707 1, June 27, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Dredd,
As usual comes with the helicopter view of the disaster scene. Smart as a whip he is. Seriously.
“Make a rule that the first person to(sic) gets ad hominem on any thread, or something close to that, gets booted for three days.”
But like myself, he can’t refrain from stupid suggestions.
And who will hold in that whip, cher frer?
==================================
I would prefer cher bono.
The internet lifted the rock under which the multitude angry sociopaths (and worse) have formerly resided; anonymity allows these psychotics to reveal the severity of their illness. If it were I, hate filled postings would be deleted since the sickest always win in the short run. And they use up valuable web time.
Congratulations on the 12M !
Nothing you write necessitates vituperative responses.
It takes a brave or a foolhardy man (professor) to open his opinions to attack most days of the week.
Let’s hear it for the Professor and his 12 million!!!
Congrats! As a infrequent blogger, but daily visitor, I enjoy the posts especially the legal ones. Thanks to the “regulars” for their insights and contributions. As for the noncivil “meddlers” (as we say in the deep South)
post with maturity and civility.
Remember my favorite, Thumper:
http://youtu.be/nGt9jAkWie4
New try—the system locked up, or Google is screwing up IE9 again—aggressive marketing of Chrome with pointed advice that Chrome works better with GMAIL.
Professor Turley,
I share your dismay. Nothing shocks like that, short of 9/11, or having your village droned. Not being hostially sardonic at your expense—just extending the
feeling we all share, when subjected to surprise attacks. Especially anonymous ones (and that isn’t you AY I’m NOT pointing at you—you chose your moniker, not I.)
We have two (at least) problems here. Both mentioned by myself before. I am not tech expert, tho’ once a hardware-near real time programmer.
We have a sick systme in Word Press, everytime instabilities pop up, we are left with new residual problems in spite of attempts to fix the bugs. I have mentioned two previously.
Secondly, we have people who do this for a living. We even have the DoD doing it as population steering via internet personae impersonation.
Neither of which can I prove.
And if Dredd can do what he said he did; then we are lucky to have him here.
Let us hope that it is the former one. This blog is to you, your castle, and you should expect the “walls” and locks to shield you. We all do hope so.
Professor Turley,
I share your dismay. Nothing shocks like that, short of 9/11, or having your village droned. Not being hostilly sardonic at your expense—just extending the feeling we all share.
Dredd,
As usual comes with the helicopter view of the disaster scene. Smart as a whip he is. Seriously.
“Make a rule that the first person to(sic) gets ad hominem on any thread, or something close to that, gets booted for three days.”
But like myself, he can’t refrain from stupid suggestions.
And who will hold in that whip, cher frer?
The current bang gang of bullies? Seems their tactics of abusee of persons already has put this place on the hygiene (mental) list. And let’s see how many seconds it takes for someone to say, go back……etc.
Or favorite words and characterizations.
Or call this an irascible passive-aggressive attack, bla bla. And for some reason they believe that consistency in ad hominen equals viability of the ad hominem. Fallacy of equalities? Would not have the slightest.
I don’t have to be smart. Someone taught me (no names—I’ll take the blame) that I should trust my amygdala, or cotech something—haven’t wikied it yet.
OS said psychiatric judgement should not be done at distance without personal contact. And MikeS, GeneH, and OS himself still do it.
Lot of pots and onions here. And I’m not the only one who has aroused and awakened the ire of the demigods (they think).
Until they perfect the silver bullet which functions over the internet I sit securely here in a sane nation, where 89 percent vote and believe it counts.
I see¨Sweden is in fourth place (USA in another class).
Amazing! Vem skulle ha trot det?
This calls for 12,000,000 glasses of champagne! Might I suggest, Armand de Brignac 🙂
And congrats on the 12,000,000 visitors.
Leejcarrol,
I repeat your post:
Maybe it’s not my place since I am not a constant presence here but on a page that is a heralding an accomplishment it is amazing that it has degenerated into uncivility despite the thread and requests from the prof on the civility post thread. LJC
Exactly. “My oxe is gored”; “Yeah, and who do you see smiling—me.”
And to think they get to vote too.
And just want to see GeneH do more in proving the assessment of his anon opponents.
It is likely that the hacker/impersonator has found a password into the software package you use to store and display comments – or the package that you use to manage your your blog which might be one and the same. More worrisome would be if that same password allowed them to post articles. You probably simply need to change passwords (and I would recommend changing usernames as well).
It is possible, but much less likely that someone hacked into your system through a weakness in your http server or other related software package installed on your host machine that runs as part of the http service. If changing the password doesn’t work, then you will need to speak to an administrator of your hosting vendor.
Woosty,
What part of civility….???
All of it.
They have become true blue (supply own pejorative).
“It does not apply to me”.
(from the Prez on down, not forgetting other branches and sectors)
To continue, never touch the CR key=post!
JT says:
“If you do not like a person’s take on a story, there is no need to characterize the writer or the writer’s motivations. Let’s deal with the ideas and leave the ad hominem attacks to other sites.”
Seems like the preacher’s pious wish on Sunday, only Paradise does not come on Monday either.
It must be a truism that those without arguments (or
the lazy) immediately grip the personal attack mode.
Since I just posted the below at the now vacated “blog world’s lack of civility” thread, I append it here as a philosphical piece, ie random thoughts which sound like stomach rumblings.
QUOTE
Waking from a dream, I return to the now vacated party place.
Drink out of a stale highball, and then a saltnsour Margarita—alcohol is alcohol—
I post a notice on the whiteboard: NB OS??? Is he the notorious flying Dutchman?
And how did Malisha get so many squirrel skins for her costume? And how could Chip make a concession and expect one in return. Flying ideologues never make them.
The rushing out of the village dogs to defend their territory was indeed amusing. New personae. What a laugh.
Who would have thought anyone would come here and challenge our “peace”? The “disturbing the peace” attack on JT is of course ridiculous. But don’t kick sleeping dogs if you don’t want to get bitten in return.
Does not take much to make a bully gang. Swaggering down the village main, they notice how eyes avoid theirs or hats nodded. They rule—just same way as the Taliban did in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
Only it is drones who swagger with Obamas painted on their noses there. The missiles have the text; “Stick this up…”. Wonder if anything is left to collect as a souvenir and use as a laugheable paperweight?
Do I hear a mariachi band in the offing. Somebody is celebrating “Fast and Furious”.