when i created this site, never i would imagine using ip deny manager or comment moderator, both of which are now imposed upon this site, hopefully on a provisional basis. the recent increase in baseless and defamatory remarks/comments by a ‘few’ people is the primary reason for me to use this last resort. i’m just sorry that other readers have to be affected by this decision.
don’t get me wrong. i am a champion of free speech, the basic right we do enjoy in a democratic society. but we as society must also remember that this right comes with responsibility. It is understood and widely accepted that the exercise of this right extend only so far as it does not infringe the rights of another. i have the right to be free from verbal abuse and fear. when this right is violated, i have every right to regulate and take necessary actions to prevent further offence.
I also understand the nature of public discourse, most of which are based on questions of opinions and interpretations, not of facts. However, in debates about facts, when one side is demonstrably right and the other wrong, I am not compelled to give legitimacy to the false position. and this is exactly what i am doing.
if everyone disagrees with you, it is really easy for you to get paranoid. however, if everyone disagrees with you because you are wrong, that’s just tough. this is just one of many facts of life you have to accept. if you havent, it is not too late to learn. it might do you some good in the long run.
it should also be duly noted, that the right of free speech does not give me a duty to listen to you, nor to have a discussion with you, nor to publish what you want to say. you and i have to make our own decisions about what is worth listening to and engaging with. i have had my fair share.