Agree with what you've posted - though I do thing turning off comments is a bit too far if, say, you're using a blog comments thread to discuss tech issues or projects, or some project you're working on.

At the very least, comments should be put in moderation first - last thing I want my readers to see is that kind of muck you were talking about.

And Spam belongs in Monty Python and (i suppose) on people's plates. Not in emails or in blog comments. Spammers are a REAL nuisance.