Wed, 11/05/2008 - 10:19am

i agree with the person who wrote in about the loud annoying roosters on the corner of breakwater and fishing creek its very annoying and i would like to know if its legal i cant take it this is not a chicken farm i thought i was the only one that was bothered by the endless noise i hope someone does something about it

Sun, 10/12/2008 - 8:32am

The Spout Off violator who named himself variously West Wildwood and then Key West Wildwood finally was banned, not because of his repeated vulgar, racist comments, but because at last he got so cocksure of himself that he said the Admin dared not ban him. It seemed true. It was only then, after challenging the forum administrator's ego, that the rightwing Republican violator (and self-described big advertizer on the Herald) got banned. How sad. That shows us a lack of maturity on the part of the forum administrator (as well as a lack of good sense in recognizing abuse).

Tue, 09/30/2008 - 10:17am

I'm sorry, my use of the word "patrol" was not intended to refer to the forum's administrator(s), who leave the forum largely unprotected, but rather to the self-described Republican operative and his myriad user names and toadies who have appointed themselves to make the forum most unpleasant to this critic of the Bush administration. They have gone so far to threaten advertizer boycotts were the Bush critic not silenced. Tell us that played no part in your decision to ban me. You (or some forum administrator) finally delivered the fatal blow for them.

It is unfortunate that constant, relentless, even vulgar attacks at me, such as "you LesB.ian" and "shut the F up" (see below) were not addressed, but were even encouraged by your lack of action. In fact, you (or some administrator) aided and abetted such violations, going so far to publicly announcing a new policy, that being mean did not violate forum rules. How very sad.

In one topic, you (again, or some forum administrator) had promised to aid the Republican operatives by digging through screenshots of past conversations to find me - or so the accusation went - calling white people white trash, of all the slanders. It never happened, you never found anything, and yet your promise of support gave credence to the Republican operative's lies.

Yes, the forum is stalked by Republican operatives, seemingly with a wink and a nod by the forum Admin.

The administrator(s) would do well to educate themselves in logical arguments, in particular the ad hominem fallacy, and to understand what name-calling means, rather than to take sides on the basis of the truth hurts. Just my humble opinion.

Sun, 09/21/2008 - 2:00am

I guess we know the answer to my inquiry of 9/04/2008. I have been banned from the forum for reporting my repeatedly uncivil treatment at the hands of the Republican operatives who patrol the forum.

(ED.. NOTE: Never been called a Republican operative. That's not correct.)

Thu, 09/04/2008 - 11:14pm

It's assuring that Art Hall cares about the "uncivil discussions." Here today, at the link below, a Spouter writes, "you LesB.ian" and "shut the F up." Is the forum open to everyone? Or just to the Republican political operatives who patrol the live forum, and everyone else can shut up? http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=141759&highligh...

Sun, 08/31/2008 - 1:51pm

Didn't the moderator declare that it is against forum rules to start a thread attacking someone by their username? Do the rules apply to some but not to others? That wouldn't seem fair. Just wondering...
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10134

Fri, 08/22/2008 - 6:23pm

… I also know that whatever their place and purpose among us might be, it is a mysterious one beyond any man’s power to know. Whatever measure of happiness their Creator intended for them; it is not something to be taken lightly by us, not to be withdrawn from them wantonly or capriciously.

Dominion, Mathew Scully

Thu, 08/21/2008 - 6:36pm

But of the inferior animals, generations and generations suffer and expire without any chance of relief or redress, unless it be granted by the generosity and justice of man.

~Julius Ames, The Spirit of Humanity~

Thu, 08/21/2008 - 1:34pm

I think a topic (like feral cats) which affects domestic animals, wildlife, public health and welfare, and the city budget is not frivolous in the least and to say so shows a lack of concern and knowledge for all that is affected.

Thu, 08/21/2008 - 1:21pm

EXACTLY, 4:44am!

Thu, 08/21/2008 - 4:44am

Art .... I sense a little sadness and perhaps some doubt as to whether or not creating Spout Off was a good idea. It was and still is a great idea; no doubt about that. If it makes some politicos uncomfortable in it's anonymity, that is too bad. They can always respond to the stated issue and need not know what the identity is of the person who spouted. To have to identify the person is to inhibit, intimidate and silence the spouter. Spout off is the voice of the community. Sure the online national political campaign party rhetoric drives me up a wall sometimes, especially if it gets interjected into a thread that has nothing to do with a political party. This is where the reader has the ability to disregard that spout. That is the beauty of spout off, to read what is informative, enlightening or entertaining and disregard the others.
Even your beloved wife's feral cat versus piping plover passionate back and forth spouts took an unexpected and somewhat comic turn. The spouter who "traps the birds (piping plovers) to feed to their cats", received the anticipated cries of outrage from the birders. I still chuckle when I think about those spouts.
Yes, sometimes the spouts are frivilous, self serving, or abrasive and rude. Many times they are delightful, uplifting, entertaining and enlightening. Spout off is a reflection of the people (the spouters) and demonstrates the uniqueness and diversity of thought in all of us. We may not always all agree on a subject, but I value the opportunity Spout Off affords me to read a counterpoint I may not have thought of or to which I may not have been aware. The occasional printed spout of an act of kindness to another is like sunrise on the beach......it warms me to my very soul........life is good....

Wed, 08/20/2008 - 6:40pm

Dear Mr. Hall,

I believe you to be a very nice man. Why do you alllow personal attacks and name calling your the forum that bears the Herald's name? Why do you not insist that the established rules of the forum be followed? Why is njcape, now posting as zoe if njcape was banned?

Wed, 08/20/2008 - 5:57pm

There are rules and guidelines clearly spelled out for the online Spout Off. The problem exists because the Spout Off Administration allows one spouter in particular to get away with all manner of violations from personally attacking other spouters, to religious slurs and hate-filled digs, to unending submissions of the same propaganda over and over in every thread. This child-like spouter is relentless in his pursuit of navigating around the rules.

If whoever the Herald pays to moderate the forum did their job, perhaps the Spout Off wouldn't be such a bothersome issue? As for the offensive spouter, once the complaints manage to get to some magic number known only to The Herald, they finally ban the user name of the offender, but somehow they manage to come back under a new screen name but their tactics are exactly the same, as if to thumb their nose at The Herald for daring to attempt to enforce their forum's rules.

They just keep coming back time and time again like that bad cold you can't get rid of during the winter.

(ED. NOTE: The Herald does not pay anyone to moderate the forum. It is a staff member's function. There are other jobs at the newspaper that must be done, not just administering this forum.)

Wed, 08/20/2008 - 2:20pm

THANKS ART, THE SPOUT OFF IS THE ORIGINAL FORM OF BLOGGING. PROTECT THE LITTLE GUYS RIGHT TO LET THEIR FEELINGS BE KNOWN, NO MATTER HOW TRIVIAL OTHERS MAY SEE IT. THE SPOUTER TOOK THE TIME TO LET IT OUT, AND IT IS NOT TRIVIAL TO THEM. WE ALL LIKE TO FEEL WE HAVE SO SAY IN A WORLD WHERE WE MAY NOT HAVE AN OPPOURTUNITY TO OTHERWISE. LONG LIVE THE HERALD SPOUT OFF. AND LONG LIVE THE PEOPLES OPPOURTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEIR COMPLAINTS AND OPPINIONS IN PRINT.

Wed, 08/20/2008 - 11:02am

I like the Spout Off - even the rants from the uneducated morons - they can be informative, funny, some are touching and heartwarm. And sometimes, someone does something nice and you don't know who they are (like turning in a wallet or changing a flat tire) but want to give them a "shout-out" to say thanks and to remind people that there are good and bad people everywhere.

Wed, 08/20/2008 - 10:07am

I wish there was something that could be done with all the political posting about the presidential elections. Maybe there own section of the forums. I come to read local information and it's a pain to have to sort through pages of Obama this and McCain that....