When I respond to certan posters, my primary thought is how I can use their post to impact lurkers.
The nastier they are, the more fodder.
When I think about responding to certain posters, I realize that I could get banned for saying what's on my mind, even though it's the truth and well-deserved, so I just don't respond. Trolls deserve only scorn. And zero response.
A few weeks ago, I used this tagline: I won't respond to a troll, crackpot, half-wit, or incurable ignoramus.