Most atheists, secular humanists, freethinkers, and skeptics pride ourselves in making an effort to be rational in our thought and communication. We do not always succeed, but we generally try. Or do we? In looking at a number of blog posts on prominent atheist blogs, comments left on these blogs, and Twitter interactions by well-known atheists, one could be forgiven for asking.
We have discovered that the Internet is ideal for one-directional forms of communication (e.g., videos, blog posts) and not well suited for complex argument. Dueling blog posts where two or more bloggers respond to each other over a length of time may be interesting to some but are likely to lose many others. Moreover, they are almost certain to attract trolls. Facebook and Twitter have a way of dumbing-down communication, often reducing things to crude metrics (e.g., "likes" or retweets) and oversimplifying to the point where communication breaks down. So much of what begins with lofty goals ends in childish insults.
he projected course of Tropical Storm Isaac has shifted a bit toward Louisiana since 
t the time I'm writing this, Tropical Storm Isaac is nearing the Florida Keys and on a trajectory expected to take it into the Gulf of Mexico sometime Monday. Based on the forecast models I'm seeing, it looks like Isaac is predicted to strengthen to hurricane force before making landfall along the Gulf Coast. It also appears that it has Mississippi and Alabama in its sights. 