In Internet jargon, a troll is someone who posts deliberately provocative comments to a site for the sole purpose of luring respondents into a heated exchange, or flame war. The kind of person who joins a liberal discussion forum to post pro-Bush messages, then sit back and watch the barking moonbats flame away. Or someone who gets on WADK, say, and accuses a Town Council and School Committee of shady dealings, insinuates a State Senator is in the pocket of unions, and calls school supporters idiots.

Just like Thomas "Trollboy" Wigand, Esq. did yesterday, and I have to admit I was reeled in like a noob. For the first time in my freaking life, I called a talk radio station, and wasted twenty minutes trying to talk rationally in a situation where rational discourse was not possible.

The difference between Wigand's rant and today's equal-time appearance by Senator Chuck Levesque couldn't have been clearer. Where most of Trollboy, Esq.'s callers were loyal dittoheads he couldn't wait to agree with, the majority of Levesque's called to argue. Guess that's just the nature of the talk radio audience, skewing conservative.

But Levesque stuck to the high ground, responding in a fact-based way, and calling for civil discourse and an end to bitter, partisan name-calling. "I don't find calling any group of people 'idiots' productive," he said, and denied that he had any relationship with the SOS. He engaged with one caller who challenged him on state funding, and explained the problems the assembly faces in developing and fully funding a fair formula. He even talked candidly about being convinced by Paiva Weed to vote for the tax cap despite his initial insistence that the funding piece should come first. He sounded reasonable, thoughtful, and candid.

Even so, "Cheshire" Kathy Melvin couldn't resist dialing in to spew some venom, and while she showed restraint in her attack on Levesque's proposed modifications to the Caruolo process, she hocked up a big ire-loogie on the RI DOE, which she characterized as "a holding tank for unemployed educators."

It made me laugh out loud. She called in yesterday, right after I did, and said it sounded like I was the next Democratic school board candidate. I had to be running for something. Just like "Harry" presumed in the anonymous call I got after my first letter to the editor. They'd really like that, both because they think I'd be unelectably extreme, but also, if I actually managed to win, I'd have to watch my mouth. Elected officials can't call somebody Lardy Fatmoonass.

But I digress.

Don't feed the trolls. Unless you feed 'em troll bait right back.