It's only a matter of time before this will have to become a moderated forum - i. e., anyone can read, but you have to join to post, and the moderator can "unjoin" a member who is personally abusive, unnecessarily obscene, excessively wordy, etc.

Of course, being a folk forum, once that happens, there will be loud cries for the exclusion of anyone who argues with the established knee-jerk liberal, totally politically correct, position on any issue; and once the conservatives and us Rational Anarchists are gotten rid of, there'll no longer be any real debate. Eventually the forum will become so bland that everyone will wander away, and the Mudcat will close down for lack of interest.

Or is there a better way?

Peter.