Since I've now been booted from posting on another blogger's threads, I think it's appropriate for me to vent my opinion here.

I think there's nothing more cowardly than denying someone an opportunity to ask legitimate questions regarding another's opinion.  It's honestly a shame, though, that some people on these blogs feel the need to block people when they bring up important points. 

Being that we are on a public forum, I think it is imperative that all opinions and ideas should have an equal opportunity to be heard - such as you will see with RandomFactor's Deletion-Free Zones.  Unfortunately, some do not believe in such things, and therefore abuse the power of the "block."  I now see that they do this because they feel threatened by well-thought arguments.  If you wish to remain stubborn or ignorant, that's fine by me - however, when you block someone who actually makes valid points, you're only proving your fears.  To me, this shows that there's an obvious fear that deep down, one might not be so sure of their opinions.  Maybe they actually question themselves?  However, when someone else begins to pry and pose inquisitively, these people snap out of fear that the person will make them look like a fool.  These people are not 100% confident in their opinions - if they were, there would be no need to ignore another's opinion, for they would meet the challenges head on, proving that they are confident in their views.

People call me argumentative; they call me arrogant; they probably call me other names too - but one thing they cannot and will not call me is diffident.  And while I oftentimes come off strong and steel-willed, I'm always open to learning new things, and there are a great many times when I've changed my viewpoint because someone has provided a legitimate and oftentimes logical counter-argument to my points. 

Therefore, continue to block people when they provide logical and valid arguments - further prove my points.  Continue to ignore the questions that others pose.  Prove me right.  However, if you have a change of heart, and you realize that part of being human is learning from everything, I will accept you with open arms.

Know this: you can attempt to silence your opposition only so much.  You can hide behind your keyboards, but you cannot hide from reality.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7774287.stm