Firefox blocked by websites?

From Techdirt via Slashdot: Some asshats out there want to block Firefox users (oh, and it's Firefox, not FireFox). They claim that folks using ad blocking software are stealing free content from ad-supported sites, so they want to deny all Firefox users from accessing their sites.

But here is the part that has me mystified:

Demographics have shown that not only are FireFox users a somewhat small percentage of the internet, they actually are even smaller in terms of online spending, therefore blocking FireFox seems to have only minimal financial drawbacks, whereas ending resource theft has tremendous financial rewards for honest, hard-working website owners and developers.

Let's examine what's wrong with this statement:

• Firefox is actually used by a lot of people, though it accounts for only 13% of hits on my website. It's a damn good browser. Incidentally, IE 7.0 accounts for only 2% of hits. Almost everything else is IE 6.0.
  
• No, I would not say we spend less online than other people, and we use Firefox. In fact, we spend a lot online. Of course, I am speaking only for my household.
• Sure, pissing off your customers (potential and otherwise) has always worked as a good strategy for growing your business. Not.
• Exactly how is blocking those who don't spend money online going to increase your rewards? It only makes you feel better (superior?), and ensures fewer people buy from you.

I read some of the Techdirt comments, and some fools seem to think that not wanting to see ads on websites really is "theft". Wow. That blows me away. You put up a website on the free and open Internet. To make some money, you put ads on the site, hoping folks who see the ads will visit your advertisers and send some revenue your way. Now you think your visitors should be required to view the ads or they're stealing from you?

Yeah, go piss off all your most technical early adopters, that will surely work. Jebus, I am surrounded by asshats!