quick reminder to commenters

I don't like deleting comments that are otherwise harmless and well intended, but as my comments policy states (the policy sits right over the comment window—READ IT, for God's sakes), I don't publish anonymous comments.  If you can't log in with a proper screen name, at least sign your name or nickname within the comment itself.  Two comments appeared in my moderation queue just a moment ago, but with no name attached, so I deleted them.  Please respect my comments policy, which even shouts out in all caps, "READ THIS BEFORE COMMENTING!"—and all will be well.

The reason I insist upon signed comments is that I think people should take responsibility for what they say.  I also abhor the cowardly act of sock puppetry, so even if you sign your comment with a pseudonym, I expect you to show consistency by always using the same pseudonym whenever you visit the blog.

Of course, some people simply have a brain fart and forget to append their names to their comments.  In such cases, it's not that they're trying to dodge responsibility for what they say; it's an honest mistake.  I get that.  But the policy is what it is, and I try not to enforce it inconsistently unless I'm absolutely sure, given the comment's prose style, that I know who the commenter is.  Dig around this blog long enough, and you'll see a few anonymous comments that made it through, but as I said, that's because I knew who was commenting.  Try not to make a habit of forgetting your name when commenting, please.