Take that! Please!

Take that! Please!
: Atrios responds well to Sullivan.

I’m disappointed that this is turning into a talk-radio decibel derby. It’s unbecoming and unproductive. Who’s to blame? Well, Andrew did throw the first punch last night. But as I read comments on my site on my Treo from the studio, I saw mention of insults thrown at me (and, I assumed, other show guests) over on Atrios’ comments.

And today, I hit my fill with inane, childish, immature, offensive, stupid, braind-dead, numbnuts (enough?) name-calling and insults going on among a few people without lives on my comments. You know it’s getting bad when it turns into a game of insult poker: I’ll see your homophobe and raise you and anti-semite!

Enough!

This is precisely what gives the Internet its bad reputation as a neglected schoolyard, populated by childish, churlish, ignorant little street urchins.

Discussion and argument and challenges over issues and ideas is welcome here and should be welcome on all weblogs.

But bitchslaps — as good as they might feel at the moment — should be the subject of regret.

This is our neighborhood. Let’s clean up the graffiti.