This post condenses a lot of what’s been going on in the comments all weekend.  Many of you don’t read the comments, and lately we can’t blame you.  But because we believe in being open and up front in our processes, we’re taking some time on the main page to explain what’s going on.

We’ve studied and been inspired by Benedictine spirituality.  Benedictines are famous for their hospitality.  But every monastery has a brother who serves a doorkeeper.  The doorkeeper exists because not everybody who wants in should be let in.

Over the holiday weekend, while we were spending time with family, the doorkeeper was off the job. Several posts contained anonymous personal attacks against Town Councilman Steve Lamb.  We hereby apologize to him for that, and we will be scrubbing through the comments to remove any such attacks.  Personal attacks have no place on Altadenablog.

Second, Steve Lamb himself has been banned from submitting comments.  Not just for his last allowed comment, which was a doozy, but because of the increasingly-fevered emails to us that left the realm of  civilized discourse.  That old aphorism about pig-wrestling keep popping into our head and wouldn’t leave.  The doorkeeper has been instructed not to let Mr. Lamb in until the season of Advent, at which time we will reconsider the ban. 

Third, because of all of this, we’ve had to reinstitute comment moderation.  So sorry.  As usual, the few will spoil it for the many.  But please keep commenting!