Posts by Backroadsnews:
No more anonymous commenting
At long last, I’ve decided to remove the option to post comments anonymously on the Backroads Newsroom blog. In my opinion, allowing anonymous comments has caused more harm than good.
This is a form of censorship, and I really really hate that. But I think the freedom has been abused and right or wrong, I don’t want to be host to that abuse any more.
So from now on (and I’m still learning exactly how the new setup works) you will have to register and log in to post a comment, and then the comment will go through moderation by me so I can release the comment to be posted. If the author is anonymous, or the email does not match up, it will not be released. At some point, the comments will start posting automatically without my approval, but I still have to figure how to do that because I really don’t want to have to moderate everything.
Why the decision?
My theory is, forcing people to use their names will make people accountable for their own comments. As it is now, I take plenty of grief for being host to some of the flame-throwing comments and I upset enough people the way it is so I don’t need to get in trouble for your actions too.
I know I’ll probably get ridiculed by some of you for this change. So be it. I’ll actually sleep better at night with this new way of doing things.
I hope this requirement doesn’t discourage Backroads Newsroom readers from commenting on occasion. We do have several people who comment and use their names and I want to thank them for that. I think it shows this audience that we can have a real online face to online face discussion in a civilized manner.
With this new setup, I’ll probably start posting a little more often too. I purposefully pulled back on the use of the blog in the last year and moved a lot of my commentary to the Washington County News Facebook page because comments on their are not anonymous.
So I hope you see my side of this and I hope you agree with the decision. But like I said, I believe this change will be for the better.
First day head counts
With the first day of school underway in USD 223, St. John’s Catholic and Linn Lutheran School, it can be officially stated that Washington County schools have seen their first total enrollment increase in what is likely at least three decades. After Washington County reported in with an increase of 17 students and Clifton-Clyde with [...]
Backyard chickens in town?
There is some interest in Washington to change the city policy to allow backyard chickens in town. There is a growing movement in the nation to allow a small flock of hens in the back yard so people can have fresh eggs (and some are just there as pets). Several cities have allowed this, in [...]
Nuclear power plant
I believe at some point, the United States will start allowing nuclear power plants to be built again. (Maybe they are allowed now, I don’t know.) What would you think about putting one in Washington County? Our taxes would drop to almost nothing. Our schools would have all the bells and whistles, not to mention [...]
KSHSAA regulations say no
What’s with the Kansas State High School Athletics Association. We need a Tea Party to throw those bums out. Okay, they’re not all bums. I’m painting with a broad brush. But the rules and regulations placed on KSHSAA activities in Kansas high schools often seem overly restrictive, and not in the best interest of kids. [...]
Chimney swifts
Are they bats? Are they birds? The unidentified flying creatures that can be seen diving into the historic jailhouse’s limestone chimney are actually chimney swifts. This bird can resemble a bat because of its way of flying, but they’re definitely not. You can see them circling old chimneys at dusk, when they’re ready to go [...]
Tribute to Cowboy
I’d like to add a little something to the pictures I’m running this week of Cowboy’s funeral procession. If you would, please, could you write a little something that you remember about Cowboy? Just little stories about him that I could put together as a kind of tribute? This is for tomorrow’s paper, so I [...]
Cowboy’s funeral procession
Here is video from Cowboy’s funeral procession on Aug. 6. I was set up east of the Morrowville corner on Highway 36 as the procession came from Washington on its way to the Catholic cemetery north of Morrowville. This is the main motorcycle leg of the procession. To keep the video file size manageable, I [...]
Cross country travelers… hmmm… God bless’m
It must be that time of summer again. All sorts of types are making their way across the country using non-interstate thoroughfares as their routes, to increase awareness/raise funds/in memorium/experience the country/joy ride/fill in the blank… on a once in a lifetime trip. Many of those travelers use Highway 36, so this office often receives [...]
Results
The results are in. In the local race, Incumbent Sheriff Bill Dickson beats challenger Jim Mueller, 737 to 508. Of note in local results, J.R. Claeys had a very strong showing in Washington County, taking 39% of the vote, besting two strong opponents who are showing well on the state level. The first district congressional [...]
