"Walt K" is one of the worst of the persistent and moronic right-wing trolls this blog has attracted since it began in the spring of 2004. The main and recurrent themes in his comments are: diversion (from core blog post topics), an attempt to impose guilt by absurd association, unsightly love (quite grotesque) of capitalism and the business class, insistent childish identification of Left anticapitalism with "fascism" and "totalitarianism," smearing of left social criticis as "racist" and "anti-Semitic" and shooting the messenger...personal assaults on the blog host.  "Walt K" has been making these assaults for at least three years now. Some of the assaults are so vitriolic and obscene they've had to be deleted.

For some background research and reflections (May 21, 2007) on Walter K's likely identity as Wayne State University Physics professor Walter Kauppila, see this and especially this. 

When confronted about the absurdiity of his baseless arguments, "Walt K." simply repeats his baseless arguments. You can kick the crap out of him again and again and it makes no difference.

A core aspect of "Walt K's "commentary" is taking personal shots at the blog host.  In a May 18th 2007 comment he finished a stream of his usual stupidities (what he calls "facts") by saying "There are facts Paul, which in true Marxist form, you choose to ignore.  I guess this is why you are in the lowly position in life that you are in." This is typical.

The usual thing with a "Walt K" comment is to move discussion off the actual topic of the original post and into personal attack on the blog host. This is the basic, recurrent device, facilitated by addressing me by my first name...as if I was a personal acquaintance.

He's an especially vicious and persistent cyber-weasel and he just can't seem to leave me alone.

Consistent with the suggestion of another commenter, I have taken an old blog post and made it into a special "dunce corner" for Walt K.    

"Walt K's" comments cannot stay up on current blog posts (they may stay up for a while when I'm not looking but they'll come down fairly soon).  "Walt K" is free to comment at this URL, provided that he refrains from personal abuse.  If a comment of his is deleted this will be because it was abusive. When he does post on the current blog (as he will again and again...he can't stop himself; he's obsesssed...I honestly believe he's in love with me), I will for a while delete his comments but leave his name and then insert the URL to this posting. After a few days, it's strict deletion fom the current blog...no URL insertion.

Anyone who wants to respond to a "Walt K" comment outside this URL should understand that his comment will not generally last very long and so the context for your comment will likely be lost.  

His posts to this particular URL should be safe provided he refrains from his standard personal abuse.  A recent "Walt K" post claims, laughably, that the host is making up his comments or comments being made in his name. 

"Walt K" has not registered to the blog system  - hence the "(not verified)" after his name and so he has no particular recognized identity within the system.  Truth is anyone can post as "Walt K" (or as anyone else followed by "not verified").

Overall, "Walt K" has made more than a hundred creepy posts to this blog over the last few years; many (to repeat) were so abusive they had to be deleted.  If he's who I think he is (I'd say the odds that my ID is correct are 10 to 1), it's pretty interesting and pretty sad. I'd have to wonder how his colleagues would evaluate such persistent, long-term cyber-stalking.

The blog host will not comment in the comments section of "Walt K's" (Walter Kauppila's) special new troll board.   

So far no response. Dr. Kauppila can also reached for comment at:

2620 Stonebury Dr.

Rochester Hills, MI

248-853-6622