NOTE: The following terms of use and comments policies are adapted from (and in many respects mirror exactly) those first formulated by the good folks over at HotAir.com and The Volokh Conspiracy.

We want you to enjoy using Lone Star Times. We also want you to obey the law while you’re here and not interfere unduly with anyone else’s right to enjoy it. By using our site you agree to be bound by these terms of use, as amended, as well as the terms and conditions of Lone Star Times’ privacy policy, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Lone Star Times allows you to post comments on the site, provided that you first register to do so with a valid e-mail address. We may allow as much or as little opportunity for registration as we choose, in our absolute discretion, and we may close particular comment threads or discontinue our general policy of allowing comments at any time. By registering to post comments, you warrant that you are at least 18 years old and that you are solely responsible for your account’s activity.

We reserve the right to delete your comments or revoke your registration for any reason. Rarely, if ever, will we do so simply because we disagree with you. We will, however, usually do so if you post something that is, in our good-faith opinion, (a) off-topic; (b) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate these terms of use or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (c) “spam,” i.e., an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services.

We’d like for reader comments to to be civil, of course, but we’re also hoping that people try to be as calm, reasoned, and substantive as possible. So please, also avoid rants, invective, substantial and repeated exaggeration, and radical departures from the topic of the thread. Sticking with substance — and staying on-topic — will make the comments more helpful to other readers, and more pleasant.

As editors, we reserve the right to delete posts, and even to kick out posters, though we hope that both of these will be exceptional events. (We also reserve the right to be busy with other things, and therefore (1) not remove all the posts that might merit removal, and (2) ignore demands such as “You should remove A’s posts, because they’re just as bad as B’s!”)

Here’s a tip: Reread your post, and think of what people would think if you said this over dinner. If you think people would view you as a crank, a blowhard, or as someone who vastly overdoes it on the hyperbole, rewrite your post before hitting enter.

And if you think this is the other people’s fault — you’re one of the few who sees the world clearly, but fools wrongly view you as a crank, a blowhard, or as someone who overdoes it on the hyperbole — then you should still rewrite your post before hitting enter. After all, if you’re one of the few who sees the world clearly, then surely it’s especially important that you frame your arguments in a way that is persuasive and as unalienating as possible, even to fools.

Our goal is to provide an interesting and pleasant environment that can help inform readers. To do that, we’ll occasionally have to exercise our editorial discretion. Think of this as an in-person discussion group, where having different voices is critical to a great conversation — but where sometimes the leader has to deal with cranks who sour the conversation more than they enliven it.

Naturally, there’s always a risk that this discretion will be used erroneously, no matter how well-intentioned the editor. But discussion groups (especially on the Internet, but also off it) generally need an editor who’ll occasionally make such judgments.

And, remember, it’s a big Internet. If you think we were mistaken in removing your post (or, in extreme cases, in removing you) — or if you prefer a more free-for-all approach — there are surely plenty of ways you can still get your views out.

Comment moderation is conducted after-the-fact, by a group of unpaid, volunteer editors. Because they are performing a task we have neither the time nor inclination to do ourselves, LST’s publisher and managing editor give those volunteers wide discretion to moderate and/or ban commenters as they see fit.

Does that give them power and authority they can abuse capriciously and unfairly?

Yup. We suggest you don’t piss them off, because rest assured, we care much more about their happiness and continued willingess to voluntarily moderate comments without pay then we do your complaint.

Lone Star Times does not own your comments and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on our site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve us from any and all liability that may result from those postings. You further agree to grant us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, or otherwise distribute your comments without limitation, as well as to make such additional uses of them as may be needed by Lone Star Times, LoneStarTimes.com LLC, or any affiliated entity.

In short, you’re our guest here. We value your opinion and are happy to provide you with a forum in which to express it, but if you abuse our hospitality or use our site to injure someone, don’t be surprised if we throw you out.

Reader beware–some LoneStarTimes.com writers work, either professionally or on a volunteer basis, for various political campaigns or causes, and it is not always feasible to disclose these facts. If you actually need a reminder to think for yourself, just go ahead and assume that everything you read here was put there to advance a hidden agenda, and that the author had a gross conflict-of-interest and is profiting personally.

Unless otherwise noted, and subject to the provisions below, everything you see and hear on Lone Star Times, except advertisements, is owned by or licensed to LoneStarTimes.com LLC, subject to copyright and other intellectual property rights under United States and foreign laws and international conventions. LoneStarTimes.com LLC, reserves all rights in and to this material that have not been expressly granted to third parties.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Lone Star Times may occasionally post text, graphics, photos, audio, or video which it neither owns nor has a license to use if it believes in good faith that the use of such material constitutes fair use as defined by Section 107 of Title 17 of the United States Code, as amended. If you hold the copyright to any such work and believe that our use fails to qualify for protection under Section 107, you may request that we remove it from our site by writing to us at the following address:

LoneStarTimes.com LLC
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Lone Star Times is intended for your own personal use. If you download or print something from our site, you should retain any advertisements, copyright or related proprietary notices which the material contains. You may not reproduce, transmit, license, sell or otherwise exploit for any purpose any content that appears on Lone Star Times without the prior written consent of its owner – except, of course, to the extent you’re entitled to do so under Section 107 of Title 17.

Warranty

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YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LONESTARTIMES.COM LLC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR USER COMMENTS, FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, INCLUDING LONESTARTIMES.COM PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SOLD THROUGH OUR ONLINE MERCHANDISERS, OR FOR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY AND THAT THE RISK OF HARM OR DAMAGE FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH YOU.

Miscellaneous

These terms of use (including the Lone Star Times privacy policy incorporated by reference herein) represent the entire agreement between you and LoneStarTimes.com LLC, and apply exclusively to LoneStarTimes.com. They do not apply to our advertisers, online merchandisers, websites to which we link, or any other third party, none of which are owned or operated by LoneStarTimes.com LLC, and about which we make no warranties or representations. For information about a third party’s terms of use, please consult their individual website. By using our site you agree to relieve us from any and all liability that may result from your use of a third-party site.

You also agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless LoneStarTimes.com LLC and its officers, directors, employees, independent contractors, affiliates, and agents from and against any claims, actions, demands, expenses, liabilities, costs, debts, and damages (including legal and professional fees) asserted by any third party arising from your use of LoneStarTimes.com, your alleged violation of any law, including laws governing intellectual property or privacy rights, or your violation of these terms of use.

You further agree that LoneStarTimes.com will be deemed as being solely based in Texas, regardless of where you are while using the site, and that it constitutes a “passive website” for purposes of personal jurisdiction statutes enacted by other states. You agree that the laws of the State of Texas will govern these terms of use irrespective of principles regarding conflicts of law, and that any dispute between you and LoneStarTimes.com LLC will be resolved by a court of competent jurisdiction located in Harris County, Texas. If any part of these terms of use is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. Finally, you agree that any claim or cause of action related to your use of LoneStarTimes.com must be filed within one year after the cause of action accrues, or else it will be permanently barred.

These terms of use may be revised from time to time. Please check this page periodically for updates. Your use of our site on any given date indicates your acceptance to the terms of use as of that date.

Last updated: July 4, 2008