Trashing Sharon and Bernice? Pumping Jerry? Not here.

Plainfield Today gets its share of comments, ranging from thoughtful additions to a community conversation to waspish snipes at myself.

Lately, though, things have gotten out of hand.

Beginning with an anonymous blog trashing Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs hoping to promote itself to PT readers by putting links in comments posted here.

And then someone who seems to have a grudge against Bernice and wanting me to aid and abet.

Plus, finally, a Jerry Green supporter who writes long paeans to the Assemblyman while making personal attacks against me and others.

These really are attempts to turn Plainfield Today into an open sewer, like the NJ.com forums.

What to do?

Here's the deal: Everyone who signs up for my daily news email, CLIPS, gets a welcome note that outlines my simple policy on posts --

Simple rules: No bad language, no personal attacks, stick to the topic of the post.

So: Personal attacks, whether on Mayor Robinson-Briggs, Bernice or anyone else, are out of bounds. Message to posters: Fuggedaboutit.

Likewise trying to shoehorn a comment into a post to which it is not related as a way of pumping up someone like Assemblyman Green. Message to posters: Stick to the topic. If you can fit Jerry in, you have at least a chance. If you can't: Fuggedaboutit.

Those who think they must speak up for the poor, beleaguered Assemblyman should ask him to publish their comments on HIS blog -- which, you will note, has none to date.

The anonymous blog trashing Mayor Robinson-Briggs is another matter.

First of all, I have a problem with an anonymous blog. The dozen blogs that I link to in CLIPS all are published by persons whose names are well-known to all. Why not put your name to your words?

Secondly, this blog suggest that it is satirical. Not by my lights -- to write that Mayor Robinson-Briggs 'was a feral child'...'raised by drunken motorcycle weasels' seems crassly, personally abusive and hardly satirical.

Besides, 2009 is going to be a year of important political issues -- including Her Honor's expected run for a second term. I will have plenty to say about that as we go along, but it will be about her effectiveness (or lack of it) as the city's chief executive. And not about personally trashing her.

There is a difference between bloggers such as Plainfield Today, Plaintalker, Doc's Potpourri and Maria's Blog and open sewers like the NJ.com forums.

I, for one, intend to keep it that way.

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-- Dan Damon

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