I returned home yesterday from a 1500 mile road trip to Dallas. One of my wife's relatives got married there on Saturday. The trip went well except for one thing: I learned that I can't depend on hotel lobby computers for e-mail and blogging. I suppose I'll have to give in and get a laptop (I hate laptops).

We stayed in a very nice Marriott Courtyard. They have two computers in the lobby for laptopless guests like me to use. I had a little time between wedding events so I thought I would do a little blogging. I typed in the URL for my blog and hit the Enter key. But, instead of seeing my familiar home page I got a message box saying that my site was blocked. It didn't like the word 'hatemongers' in my blogroll. Thanks to the "crack young staff" of Hatemongers Quarterly I am banned in Dallas (at least I'm banned at the Marriott Courtyard).

Message to the creators of site blocking software: It's not the word 'hatemongers' that's bad, it's the hatemongers and the practice of mongering hate. Would you ban the word 'racists' because racists are generally bad people? Would you ban the word 'killers' because killers are generally bad people? Would you block an opinion piece at a major news site because it describes fringe elements on the political left or right as hatemongers? Are you an imbecile?

The only justification I can imagine for having site blocking software on computers is to prevent young children from viewing inappropriate material. But, how many children check in to hotels without being accompanied by adults?

In another hotel the lobby computer didn't choke on the word 'hatemongers', but it wouldn't allow me to send an e-mail message. All I could do was read my messages. I think it was because it lacked some version of Java.

As I said above, I may have to break down and get a laptop -- or just quit traveling.

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