As self-marginalization increases, it becomes harder and harder to convince oneself that he or she has the ultimate truth. Thus, those who disagree must be explained away. One way is to inflate one's own self-importance by claiming that government agents are "sockpupputs" who disagree and use "bad" tactics here in refusing to accept your self evident wisdom.
Currently, there is a rec-listed diary promoting that belief and a fair number of folks are discussing ways to find the witches, how to discover them. Of course, sockpuppets are those who disagree with me. You have to disagree first. Then there must be ways of identifying who among those who disagree are acceptable and who get branded as sockpuppets. Find the witches among the naive fools who fail to see the truth.
If you disagree with my take on this, you may reveal yourself as a witch. Only you can know if you are one, but the sockpuppet police (trademark pending, aka revolutionary vigilates) will identify you.
There must be epistemic closure.
All this for flame wars.
I find this so fascinating to watch. No doubt the flame wars will get worse. Then there will be purges by the Might Kos.
Seen it all before. Yet this was a new move. Got to admire it. And when those who disagree are expelled, there will be new splitters and one will discover sockpuppets in their midsts. Maybe we can have "show trials."
It's August in a non-election year. I'm sure Bob Johnson will weigh in at the proper time.
Update I: This was a fun diary. Thanks to all the commenters.