THE BEAR STRIKES BACK

After a week's intermission (while the author was filling his lungs with healthy Pacific Northwest oxygen and sleeping on rocks), the WIR returns. Which story generated the most extended conversation last week? That would be "Georgia: Gori evacuated as fears of Russian advance into Georgia grow," which rang up 91 votes and 366 comments. The Propeller community was sharply divided about this turf war for a pair of breakaway provinces on the Russian border. Could the dispute heat up into a WMD free-for-all? "I heard that Georgia had WMDs," said mark-stevens. BB64 concurred: "Georgia was one of many weapons sites the USSR had for working on chemical and biological weapons.... PBS had a great Nova special covering the deceit of the USSR concerning their CBW facilities. While the US agreed to stop playing with the super germs, they didn't." But GWHayduke was skeptical about how clean our own hands were regarding chemical weapons: "We're the GOOD guys, we have only altruistic reasons for producing poisons in mass quantities." Dionys added: "The US still works with biological weapons under the auspices of working with Level 4 'diseases.' You'll notice that a great number of high-level containment facilities are military, and those that aren't are funded by the military at universities or hospitals used to getting DOD funding." Meanwhile, rwrnae argued that the Georgians were not the victims they claimed to be: "Georgia started this mess, it's none of your business. The Georgian president is a slimy crook. There are many ethnic Russians in Georgia who wanted no part of separating from Russia." Replied injest: "Yeah, and it was none of our business when that guy got shot in Sarajevo few years back, yet somehow we and the rest of the world got drawn in." A related thread, "Getting Georgia's War On," earned 110 votes and 291 comments. The highlight, perhaps, was the appropriately named Georgia50 breaking ranks: "I'm all for Georgians pushing sovereignty to the max, but there are historical realities and Russian paranoias that will ultimately play a role in where that max is. My fellow conservatives are going to lambast me, I realize. Maybe I'm missing something, so feel free to clue me in. But for godsakes don't call me a hyperbola clone.... That'd be piling on."

YOUR CHEATIN' HEART

There was no shortage of opinions when it came to "Edwards Admits Sexual Affair," with 87 votes and 344 comments. Said pc25: "I am surprised--no Goppy here with all his ranting about John McCain and his ex-wife." Replied Tangent001: "Edwards and McCain do not excuse each other." For automan909, this kind of illicit canoodling was a Democratic habit: "It's typical for Democrats to have affairs and lie about it. They are experts at twisting the truth to fit them as needed." Replid fsev41: "Don't believe one of them offered his wife for the topless contest at the drunkfest in Sturgis." Said mesodude: "This is how men have been since the beginning of time.... All any guy needs to get laid is money, power, or good looks. Look at anyone in Congress who has all three of these, and there's a good chance that he has had, he is having, or he's going to have an affair." For libsRfunny, this was an unfairly jaundiced assessment of the male species: "Maybe in your twisted view, but not in mine." But memestryker suggested that neither gender had a monopoly on sneaking around: "It's a dirty little secret that women are pretty much the same, but are just better poker players due to their cultural training. Power is a force to contend with." Another member, cushi, seemed to agree that the capacity for folly was pretty evenly distributed: "Granted, there are some things that offend the sensibilities more than others, but according to the Bible, sin is sin, so who are we to keep pointing fingers and making distinctions? We're all hypocrites to greater and lesser degrees, depending on our own value systems." There were two related stories with lively participation as well: "How is John McCain's Affair Different than John Edwards'?," with 90 votes and 253 comments, and "Obama Throws John Edwards Under The Bus," with 58 votes and 241 comments. (Just for the record, the latter story had an editorializing headline slapped over the original one from Reuters--not allowed, ladies and germs.) Blackacereturn had a weary response: "More stupidity barked at the public." But perhaps we can leave the last word on the senator's extracurricular activities to the ever reliable Samuel Johnson (not a Propeller member, alas): "Be not too hasty, to trust, or to admire, the teachers of morality: they discourse like angels, but they live like men."

SUING THE GOLDEN ARCHES

"Two Muslim Women Sue McDonalds: Are Nude Monks Next?" also prompted a hot-button conversation, running to 348 comments. Said AbuAmirah: "Speaking as a Muslim, the two young ladies should've inquired about McDonalds' policy before that applied for the job. That way they would've known that going in. My second thought is this, if they can get sued because of hot coffee, then these girls might have a chance." One member, drpolyphemus, fingered the fast-food chain as the villain: "I would prefer if all employees wear head scarves or hair nets (their choice) so that they don't get hair in the food. Muslims are notoriously clean people, for whom cleanliness is actually part of their religion. I think this is just blatant prejudice on a particular restaurant's part." He was answered by yet another degree-holding member of the Propeller community, DrHansZarkov: "It's against the law to not hire someone because of their religion. It's not against the law to refuse to hire someone who won't fulfill the job requirements and or dress code, regardless of the reason why." This got a thumbs up from bigurn: "Many basic freedoms are surrendered on company property. Frankly, I make sure all of my employees understand that." But tfc631 wasn't buying: "You realize this was in Dearborn, Michigan, right? The largest religious group in Dearborn is easily Muslims. A woman wearing hijab in Dearborn is pretty unremarkable. I would think that if McDonald's is able to accommodate hijab in other countries, then it is not as much a safety issue as it is the manager's refusal to make a cultural accommodation." For femalto, the whole discussion was a stomach-turner: "Why do you think these women filed lawsuits? Because this is the American way. Any lawyer will take crap and try to turn it into gold." But Mdiar had a more idealistic reponse: "The American way? The American way is tolerance. We do not bow to the ways of others, we accept them and allow them to practice them, even if we do not follow them ourselves."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Soul legend Isaac Hayes dies" rang up 115 votes and 30 comments. Some Propeller members, such as OnionHead, recalled Hayes primarily for his late-career stint on South Park: "Damn it all to hell. Goodbye Chef!" (Added Teagen: "It was the Salisbury Steak and mashed potatoes that killed him. Either that or Mrs. Carpman.") But cushi name-checked one of the many classics that Hayes wrote with his Stax comrade-in-arms David Porter: "'I Stand Accused' of loving the Isaac Hayes movement! Such a voice! Such a talent! I remember seeing him in the early days of his career, singing before a sell-out crowd in a pair of flesh-colored, nearly see-through tights and a gold chain! The women went wild!" That left raystone to second that emotion: "Hayes was way ahead of his time. Brought much class and finesse to black soul music." Elsewhere, Propeller members sounded off about Karl Rove, Exxon, and a certain anti-group group. And on a lighter note, there was "Every 11 Seconds a Teenager Dies of, Like, Total Embarrassment," with 94 votes and 42 comments. The thread led to a curious discussion about tonsorial history. Said OnionHead: "I started school with a ponytail, but now have a flattop. Go figure." Replied ind06: "I started school with a crew cut, then progressed to a look best described as 'unruly mop'." Then chevydog chimed in: "Know the feeling. I started with hair. But somewhere along the line it went its own way." You want bald, gentlemen? Here's the role model you've been looking for: