Timmeh Blair’s rabid commenters are the stuff of legend all over the blogosphere. Whenever Blair writes one of his famous one-line take-downs of another blogger, all anyone has to say is “winged monkeys at 12 o’clock” and we all know what they mean: that Blair’s pet vultures will spend the next twelve hours descending on the linked site to personally attack the subject of Blair’s post with an aggression rarely seen — even on the intertubes — before disappearing once more into the night.

A Tim Blair commenter in captivity

This morning Tim Blair woke up, drank his morning International Roast, and decided to have a crack at Terry Wright of The Australian Heroin Diaries.

Terry writes a very personal blog about his battle with heroin addiction. He also writes about the politics that surround drugs policy in this country and internationally. We make no comment here about the politics, nor of Terry himself; rather, this post is to highlight the way that Blair’s readers, and Blair himself, operate.

First let’s take a look at the post.

JUST SAY MOO

If you prefer your milk laced with opiates, you may wish to visit the “Dairy of an Australian Heroin Addict”.

Pretty standard Blair fare: 20 words with all the meaning implied in the spaces between. Terry is addicted to heroin > He made a spelling error > Terry is a no-good junkie who is a worthy recipient of every ounce of scorn you’re all about to pour on him — particularly when you arrive at his site and discover he’s also (cue intake of breath) a lefty.

Fly, monkeys! Fly!

One of Tim Blair’s commenters reaches out to touch Timmeh’s stick

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