This week, Barack Obama decisively regained the center ring from last week's star, Rush Limbaugh. "Obama Appoints Himself CEO of Chrysler" generated more comments than any other story: 234. It also racked up 97 props, 15 drops, and a brisk summary from Hhussk: "Socialism." Added capecoralM: "Fascism is more like it." There followed a noisy exchange about whether the corporate dog wagged the governmental tail under fascism, or the other way around. Meanwhile, acceptance wondered whether these labels weren't fogging up the real issues: "Terms like fascism, communist, [and] socialism bring emotion but no real thought to the argument--they assume a conclusion." Replied crespi, his tongue firmly in cheek: "You seem to be talking sense. There are penalties here on Propeller for that." Meanwhile, engineer took to the president's defense: "Obama did not bring on the problems! He inherited them from the previous administration, you morons!" Said beavith1: "Now he's made the problem his. He owns the direction that GM and Chrysler have taken. He could've stood for bankruptcy early, before we poured $30B into these empty vessels." Added BB64: "To add insult to injury, he's also given [the companies] to the UAW. Not a bad trade for $13,000,000 in campaign funds. Had I known, I would have had my company do the same." To which willottica replied: "Giving Chrysler to the UAW isn't a bad idea. It means that the UAW will suffer if Chrysler makes stupid, unaffordable bargains with the union."
Another story, "Obama Confronts Abortion Debate, Urges Notre Dame Grads to Seek Common Ground," racked up 48 props, 6 drops, and 210 comments. Said fiftynine: "I'm Catholic and not angry at all [about Obama's appearance]. In fact, I think it is good that we have a president that will appear before crowds that aren't handpicked and confront an issue like this head on." Added amazed: "Like it or not, Obama is our president. To have the POTUS come to your graduation to speak is a coup and an honor--even if you have no use for this particular president's policies." And Desdamona heeded Obama's advice in seeking some common ground: "[Abortion] is about providing women a choice for how to deal with an unwanted pregnancy (no matter why or how she ended up with an unwanted pregnancy). The common ground is obvious: find more ways to limit the number of unwanted pregnancies. There is always common ground. It is when each side holds to the absolute extreme that we are caught up in a social divide."
DICK CHENEY, ROGUE DIVA
The high media profile of former VP Dick Cheney also got the Propeller community talking. For cowboygrandpa, Cheney was definitely outstaying his welcome: "This guy is a portrait of insanity, being viewed as relevant by the insane who believe him. He thinks that America is the only viable country in the world. What is scary is how many still back the raging lunatic." Why was Cheney airing his concerns on television, rather than sharing them directly with the president? Said jimdoze: "Because Obama and company have succumbed to the au courant disdain for him and have chosen to ignore him." Replied GWHayduke: "Considering that the W administration pretty much bungled every single attempt to provide security domestically and globally, I would say that ignoring Cheney's nonsense is a wise strategic move." There was also a thumbs down from Radiofreeeuropa: "Eight years hiding in an undisclosed location, now glaring from behind the primordial ooze dripping from every TV screen, spouting the most obtuse nonsense ever concocted.... Go back to your undisclosed location, please. Darken our towels no more." Added myfairlady: "He is giving the whole [GOP] a black eye just as Jeb is out there trying to renew the party." But jimdoze stuck by his man: "Cheney has garnered the moniker 'Doomsday Dick' because he sees clearly how bad things could get when a faulty worldview produces counterproductive foreign-policy actions. As such, he is far more in tune with reality than the chattering left could ever hope to be."
AND DON'T OVERLOOK....
Every now and then it's nice to look further back than the 2000 election cycle, and the Propeller community stepped up to the plate with "Early skeleton sheds light on primate evolution." The story rang up 114 props and 54 comments, including this anti-evolutionary aria from AntiNeoCon: "I find it extremely funny how these fools will jump at anything to prove the Darwin theory, which is and always will be a sham. If you want to claim this bony piece of crap as your family tree, by my guest. I have to admit it looks more like one of your folks, mine are much prettier." Replied toph1973: "Evolution has been proven. It is a fact. All one needs to do is look at the bird flu to see evolution in microbiology." To which Tangent001 intelligently added: "We're not talking about 'proof,' we're talking about evidence. All of biological science could be complete and consistent, and there would still be the possibility that God 'poofed' it all into existence." Propeller itself is prone to periodic, healthy bouts of self-examination, and that's what we got with "A Revisionist's Terms of Use at Propeller.Com," with 71 props, 14 drops, and 305 comments. One member, aceofspades1, argued against any form of censorship on the site: "The insidious posters are the ones who hide their rampant bigotry in catchphrases, and those naive enough not to see it agree with them. Are we to micromanage all that is said?"
In principle, not2needy agreed, yet she also saw a downside to the mudslinging that can easily creep into online debate: "It just seems that we should be able to discuss, debate, agree or disagree without the personal attacks. That's what runs me off." Added Klarissa: "Freedom of speech puts it all out there so we can make up our OWN minds.... The slogan for Propeller: TEFLON." This elicited a puzzled response from CRYMTYPHON: "Who wants to have skillet-skin? It wouldn't even stop bullets. I guess it would be easy to clean, though." If the community would like to suggest other nonstick synthetic fluoropolymers for a Propeller slogan, that would be just fine. In the meantime, our designers are moving ahead with the new fried-eggs-in-a-skillet logo, which is going to look very jazzy on our business cards. (PS: welcome back, deathray!)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. is there much reason to try and save at our expense any one of the big 3 that refuses to make a product the american wants for more than 25 years?? basically we have been forced to pay 3 times what the product is worth and the product is usually worthless shortly after it is paid off and promise of quality runs out.and how is another CEO going to help when CEOs have been the heart of deception all along? selling jobs out of country = low quality and american cash leaving our country never to return. and who wants to be forced to purchase a new car or truck every 5 or 6 years .i have never purchased a new vehicle in my entire life ,never financed a used one either, yet i've owned over 50 in my life and i was just a working man with a love for them . time for a new all american car company to start up. my anger is why the big wigs that ripped off all that money and bail out cash not behind bars and their assets seized just like any other offender. why do they go free??
Posted at 9:06AM on May 23rd 2009 by fkurtin
2. This week in review is just one more example of the "slippery slope" we are being taken down. We're getting "change" alright but I suspect not the kind of change we all expected. If you look far over the horizon you can see a third party emerging.
http://www.impaidoff.com
Posted at 9:40AM on May 23rd 2009 by bill
3. Diva? jajajaja Well it is known many of the men in plotic's are closet cases with beard wives...........As for his daughter, Cheney dropped her on her head as a child, by accident......Wake up and smell the urine on you........Your father is not not innocnet, I don't care if you are gay........You don't get a free card. The hell with the LGBT and now Q, they don't speak for me.......Nor do you
Posted at 12:30PM on May 23rd 2009 by mancha de platano
4. A product no body wants? Is this why the big 3 have sold over 70% of the cars in the world over the past 25 years? Yes, their are problems, some of which the American people created by voting in "Free Traders". Every country we export to charges us a tariff, every foreign country gets a free ride into the USA, has their own government subsidizing the company, cheap labor where their employees live in substandard conditions and giving virtually free loans to run their companies. This is the reason you buy cheap products every time you go to the store, I don't hear any complaints here. The blender, cd player, or any other cheap crap you have replaced 5 times while driving that same quality car from a foreign company, and just remember where most of those cars are made. Right here in the USA. Greed and stupidity are the other major problems. The dumbing down of American citizens and the need to be rich by the time your 30. Before you complain about about American manufactures, level the playing field and see what happens. During the 40's-50'-60's, every country in the world wanted products made in USA, because they were the best. Educate the people, level the trading field and you will again have the best products available by te best people in the world.
Posted at 2:41PM on May 23rd 2009 by bntabor
5. Do you feel these are good long term solutions? Being a part of the investment class, did you truly believe our investment in Gm and Chrysler as bond holders would agree to take less when we knew a Bankruptcy would guarantee us our investment back because our bonds were insured by AIG/US Taxpayers. So in short the average American is still making us whole while racking up over a trillion dollars in bail-out funds,to be paid back by us all. But since I am in the top 1/2% of the wealth I believe we will only have to pay back our portion which has been divided amoung our 330 Million Plus population. Thank you all american taxpayers, when the collapse happened we actually were scared for the first time that we may have to live like the rest of you. Our servent Hank Paulson went on Bended knee to make sure we were taken care of. This way when inflation hits we still have enough to keep our jets fueled and pilots paid.
Sincerely,
Rockfeller decendent
Posted at 11:18PM on May 23rd 2009 by WhyKnot
6. would like to know why you sometimes telll me that I will get a confirmation and never do. Other times my post will be there for an extremely short time and then taken off. If I am on the do not post list, I would like to know why.
Posted at 4:52PM on May 23rd 2009 by ladyg1921
7. And don't anyone ever forget that the current Secretary of the Treasury is a tax cheat and should have been prosecuted and put in one of those federal prison country clubs for white collar criminals. However, in his case I don't think that his collar would be all that white. SemperFi
Posted at 8:47PM on May 26th 2009 by SGTDEVLIN
8. And, yeah, yeah, I just traded an '07 Buick Lucerne CXS in on an '08 HYUNDAI Azera which is three times the car that the Buick was. The Buick came equipped with a built-in (embedded) sex toy. It would vibrate all over whenever the engine rpms were at 1500 rpms. Devilish idea; however, in that the Devil is in the (you fill in the blank), I really don't think that a stately auto like a Buick should go down life's highway vibrating its rear end. SemperFi
Posted at 8:46PM on May 26th 2009 by SGTDEVLIN
9. Instead of going to Federal Prison, why not just put an ankel bracelet on them because they are getting the same treament as they would be getting if they were at home. So put an ankel bracelet on their leg and leave them at their home. That way it would save the tax payer alot more money feeding these no good griving thugs.
Posted at 8:14PM on May 28th 2009 by Maggie Mae