you know, it's funny.  i started this blog more than 8 years ago, and i've never had a troll.  never had a drive-by comment, never had a hate-filled rant in the comments section.  i've always chalked that up to not having a very interesting blog, not many random readers and well, the gall-durned best readers and commentors a blogger could wish for.

that changed yesterday.

my feeling has always been, don't feed the trolls.  i've also been someone to stand by my words, and am very upset if i am censored or deleted, so my policy has been to never delete comments.  it's never been an issue until now.  i wouldn't be creating a blog post about it right now (you know, because crazy sick people get off on this kind of attention) except i'm afraid of losing friends, of no longer having special people who mean more to me than they can probably imagine.  but i need to say these things.

i won't be deleting the trolls comments.  and i will fully own being hypocritical because one of the comments was deleted by me, but it was truly awful, very sick and messed up.  and didn't have a lot to do with the issue already brought up by the sick person, just a disconnected rant by a crazy person.  but the others will stay.

when i posted the photo in that blog post, i first asked permission of those included in the picture.  and when i first received notice of the hateful comment, i went back to these women and asked them if any one of them wanted me to take it down.  i was not personally offended, i know who and what i am, but if anyone felt uncomfortable, i would take it down.  as it was a sunday, and a holiday, there wasn't a lot of response, but the response that was there was to keep it up.  then more hate was spewed, and it was suggested that i either take the photo or the comments down.  i elected to take down the photo.  this is my blog, it is my space and i wanted to address the hate and nonsense spewed by one sad individual.  i don't want to sweep this under the rug and pretend it didn't happen.  that is why the comments stay.

i put comment moderation on yesterday because i was going to be gone all afternoon and not get home until late, and didn't need my blog exploding while i was having fun.  i will probably keep moderation on for a little while longer, and i apologize for that.  i will try to get to any comments as soon as i can.  (FWIW, i haven't had a lot of comments lately, and i know that's mostly because of my lack of blogging and/or interesting posts, but also maybe because of blogger and wordpress not getting along well.)  truly nasty and personal comments that have nothing to do with the post on hand will not be published.  that's my right.  i hope you can all understand.