Many, many people have written in to tell me that comments are disappearing from threads, that comments fields from one thread are suddenly showing up on another, etc. etc.
Folks, I find this just as annoying and frustrating as you do. We ditched the Movable Type comments fields that we originally had on this site because they were vulnerable to Denial Of Service attacks, but the Intense Debate system has only presented us with a new set of problems. I apologize for the inconvenience, ask for your patience, and assure you that I am trying to get these problems solved as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, since we’re talking about comments, I thought I would take the opportunity to remind you that we value free speech and open discussion very highly, but ask you to remember that you are not in a private room chatting with your friends when you comment on this site, but making a public statement that will be seen by jihadists and their useful idiots and dupes. So I ask you to consider: what is the best way to defeat the global jihad? Not by ranting or venting or advocating positions that are at variance with the principles of human rights that Islamic jihadists are currently attacking. Think strategically when you post, and try not to write something that plays into the hands of those who would destroy us.
The anti-jihad struggle, as I have also often repeated, is a struggle for the equality of dignity and rights of all people. Comments that are boorish, threatening, aggressive, etc., or tangled into knots answering some obvious provocateur, will only discourage thoughtful people who are actually in a position to influence policy from using this site as a resource. Comments that are genocidal, genuinely racist, etc., will be removed if we see them.
Ultimately, what is this site for? To raise awareness of the nature of the foe that faces the Western world and all free people. This is necessary because most policymakers and analysts in the West still continue to ignore or deny outright the true nature of that foe. Until that changes, the jihadists have the advantage, even if it is not one of military might; there are other ways to win wars. This site’s archives are full of useful material for legislators, students, human rights activists, etc. I hope they will use it as such, and consult it daily for updates — not just for a chance to vent.