The Israelites of old had a custom whereby — to stop the psychological consequences of sin — they put their sins onto a goat and drove it into the desert.

Of course it wasn’t fair to the poor goat, because it was just a dumb animal, driven into an inhospitable environment and if it survived long enough it probably became dinner for some wandering nomad.

I mean, PETA would be all over them, but it was a sophisticated way to save the community.

Fortunately for them the goat didn’t have access to the internet and its store of misbehavior that never goes away.

So, on Dave Pascoe’s (#3 auxiliary, backup adopted son) posts he had a throw away line. It’s early in the morning and I’ve only had half a cup of coffee and I’m not going to look for it just now, but if I recall it was something like “the accepted wisdom is that they’re thinking of making the worldcon attending membership the only one with a vote.” Of which there was a lot of talk in the wilds of March when the Puppy Punters were in a fever. No use looking of course, because they scrub regularly (which is why it’s a good idea in an argument with them to capture stuff, and why it’s a bad idea for them to leave comments on my blog.) Note he didn’t say there was a proposal for it or that it really went forward (though arguably the effect of Pluribus Hugo which is on the agenda for WC WILL make it harder not for agendas to make it but for anyone without an agenda to make it. It’s amazing isn’t it how their proposals always have the opposite of the effect they claim to want?)

Well, the puppy punters must be in a fever again (why it’s like full summer moon with them. I wonder why, don’t you?) because poor Dave got an invasion of trolls on that one in-passing line. And one of the trolls revealed the new party line. (Guys, seriously, if you’re going to train and aim trolls make sure they have more than two brain cells to rub together. Yes, I know how hard that is, because then they don’t buy your fifth hand pre-disgested pap “Oh, the puppies are neo nazis and extremists and reprehensible” say. But at least try not wind up the true idiots and send them off to reveal how you’re trying to turn the narrative. Just some friendly advice from a woman who owns her own piranha tank and scorpion pit.)

I had before been seeing pictures on facebook from people on the other side with a cutesy band saying “we are all sf” and from that I had deduced that “wrongfans” was all old and busted and the new hotness was “we are all SF” (the Kumbaya is implied.) And I’d raised an eyebrow, but we were doing the final push on the house, getting oldest son moved to his own place, trying to figure out where money comes from for younger boy’s upcoming tuition (not his fault, we borrowed from him to get the house ready. Yeah.) and I hadn’t paid much attention. [Update: I’m told in comments this is Lou Berger’s initiative and he means it. That’s fine. I have nothing against Lou who’s never done me any harm and seems like a nice guy, but a lot of the puppy-kickers are hiding behind it for their projection screen.]

Then the little troll that could left this nugget (and ran away, because that’s what most of the envoys of Fowl 770 (bock, bock, bock) do.)

Because that’s what librarians are supposed to do. Keep you from reading things they don’t agree with. I’m starting to think these people don’t GET how to do their jobs. It’s as if they were saying “I always wear a condom while teaching.”

But there is no political color line in science fiction.