January 14, 2021
Why AT comments are disabled
By Thomas Lifson

It is news to almost nobody who reads American Thinker that a political witch hunt is underway. Parties in and out of government are looking for excuses to suppress and destroy voices that oppose the left.

Because AT lacks the ability to monitor comments in real time, and because our position that comments are a forum, not something we publish, is being called into question, we can no longer publish comments.

We take this action with a heavy heart.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/202...e_disabled.html

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January 15, 2021
A statement about the decision to shut down comments UPDATED
By Andrea Widburg

Yesterday, we announced that we are closing comments at American Thinker. We immediately received a couple of hundred very unhappy, angry, and sometimes insulting emails about that decision. Without divulging why we made that decision, here are a few points to ponder.

First, 90% of the assumptions in the emails were wrong. This meant that a lot of people were theorizing in advance of their data. America is currently deeply destabilized, and things are happening that most people can't imagine. Sometimes, those things hit close to home.

Second, it's lovely that many of you came here for the conversation in the comments. To have the comments abruptly turned off was the equivalent of our breaking up your party, the great party at which all the guests were interesting and delightful. We appreciate what an unpleasant shock and disappointment that was, and we hate to be the mean parent who broke up the party, but, again, sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Third, this site is a labor of love for everyone involved, especially for its founder, Thomas Lifson. If you imagine that he would ever authorize such a difficult decision when there were other choices to be made, well, you don't know Thomas. All of us who work here agree that the choice was binary: shut down the comments or shut down the site. Or to use an analogy, amputate the limb or watch the patient die. Looked at from that perspective, there really was no choice.

Fourth, we know that many of you have interesting opinions and amazing funds of knowledge. The beauty of American Thinker, the thing that makes it unique, is that we're not a newspaper with a stable of journalists we can call on. Instead, we rely on voluntary submissions from people who want a reputable conservative platform. If you want to make your opinion known, consider submitting an essay. Our guidelines are here.

Fifth, if you're really exploding with things to say, or you're unable for whatever reason to get your articles published at American Thinker, maybe you're the right person to start a blog. With social media platforms excluding conservatives, the clock is turning back to a time when conservative content was on blogs — remember the Army of Pajama-Clad Davids? Maybe this is your time.

Sixth, going into the future, American Thinker remains what it's always been: a forum for conservative thinkers who want to contribute to the national conversation by offering information and ideas consistent with American principles: the Constitution, individual liberty, the free market, and the rule of law.

UPDATE: I have been advised that, if you wish to continue commenting, you can do so through the Dissenter Browser. Learn about it here. That comment function is entirely separate from American Thinker or, indeed, from any site about which you comment.

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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/202...n_comments.html