Everyone is welcome here (even Chelsea supporters;-) and all are encouraged to comment as they would like. I encourage dissent, argumentation and debate (obviously anyone who writes about Rand Paul couldn't be looking for anything but;-). That said, I also expect high-level substance and respect for others.
When you choose to offer a comment, you are taking on a responsibility to be respectful of others on the thread. It is my job as site owner to encourage substantive, engaging discussions, but also to enforce community standards.
I reserve the right to reject any comment for any reason. If I do so, you have the ability to submit your rejected comment on the rejected comments thread where I will accept it. I try to err of the side of letting comments through, and have found it rarely necessary to reject comments (have a look at the rejected comments thread). I have rejected more comments in the past week than in the past year, hence this post.
The best way to ensure that your comment goes through is to avoid personal insults and profanity, and to make a substantive argument, backed by logic and data. There are plenty of blogs where bad behavior is allowed and encouraged. This is not one of them.
You are welcome to ask me questions, on the blog and by email, and as opportunity allows, I will do my best to answer them. Please do not expect instantaneous responses. Do not interpret a lack of response as a message of any kind, other than I wish that there were more hours in a day, and days in a week.
Every one of us shares responsibility for ensuring that this blog remains a place where open debate among people who disagree can take place in a respectful manner. It is OK to agree to disagree. In fact, reaching a point where people with different views understand the reasons for their disagreement is a successful outcome. We need not all agree on everything, in fact, that is not even possible.
Thanks to all readers and commenters for helping to uphold these community standards!