Joe? Hi, Joe! Listen, jOhn gets minus points for trolling Martin Gibson (I doubt it would have much other effect), BUT - and this is a big but, a HUGE but - he gets plus points for being funny.

Personally, I'd rather have somebody start a funny personal attack thread on me than look for and reply to most things I wrote in various threads. If I wanted to feel significant and successful in irritating people, a whole thread all to myself would make me smile and know it was all worth it. Then again, one has to know how to 'fly under the radar' to continue getting away with it.

If you want to be successful at the attack game, comment on him personally in different threads, the way he does to others. Starting a thread for him is like as suicide bombing. The only person you're guaranteed to damage is yourself. The personal attacks within threads is more like poisoning. Less obvious, less messy, and you probably won't ever have to worry about being banned.

The root of the whole problem is, in my opinion, people taking things too seriously. There are things worth being offended by and arguing against at every opportunity - senseless death, real abuse, apathy. Somebody who insults you on an internet Forum is not worth much, if any, energy. I'm getting tired of people who drop any pretense of being interested in the subject of a thread to get into yet another pissing contest with a troll. It seems like people have absolutely no immunity to trolling, or perhaps they just like being trolled. Hard to figure out.

Anyway, humor (something that's been hard to find here recently) reminds me that life shouldn't be taken that seriously. I'm guessing that this thread will disappear too. Folks will leap on yet another chance to bash someone in front of an audience.