So after doing a bit of digging around, I've discovered that user accounts for commenting can easily be enabled, and can be registered using an OpenID. As a result, at around 1:00am EST, I'll be taking the site down to make the necessary modifications.
I will also be pushing a number of updates to the site's backend, mainly some security and module updates (nothing interesting yet!), so I expect the site will be off-line for about an hour. Thanks all for your patience, and I'll be posting instructions on how to create a user account. I'll be approving all user accounts as they're created for the time being until I'm comfortable with the process. Accounts will also allow you to upload a userpic.
Thanks for your patience!