Another week, another bouquet of acrimony and amicable fun at Propeller--but folks, this time around, it's different. I'm to sorry announce that this will be my last WIR feature. At the end of June I will be moving over to AOL News. It's been a privilege to know you all, and to do my weekly round-up with color commentary. Perhaps some energetic Propeller member will take up the mantle and post a weekly, informal summary of the best conversations--in fact, maybe several will, and we can witness a regular Battle of the WIRs. ("My comments can beat up your comments!") In any case, I will miss cranking it out every Thursday afternoon. It's been a pleasurable routine.

Under the circumstances, I though we could skip the last week's activity and take a longer view. We've trawled through the database and come up with the most popular stories over a two-year period, ranked by props, comments, and page views. I'm going to concentrate on those today. There are some predictable items, but also some surprises. And needless to say, some of the commentators have since moved on greener (or possibly grimmer) pastures.

LOOSE CHANGE

Which legitimate story had the greatest number of comments? That would be "Change You Can Believe In! Obama's Approval Index Down 22%," posted on March 2, 2009, with 43 props, 33 drops, and an astounding 7,431 comments. (It's possible that the last 6,000 are ads for Viagra and Acai Berry nostrums--still, that leaves plenty of genuine opinions.) NoWayMan questioned the very premise of the article, which blamed the new Democratic president for the crumbling stock market: "Anyone who knows anything about the markets knows that there are just too many variables in play, and you can't pin performance on one person's possible future actions." But injest accused Obama of having "spooked the markets. Ramming through his 'wish list recovery act' didn't impress anyone, and the markets dived again."

Said wtagg: "I am more than willing to give Obama 38.7% of the blame. Bush owns the rest." To which dmoney2318 replied: "Bush's policies had us on a sharp incline. It wasn't until the Dems took over and blocked his policies that our economy went down the toilet. Now we're paying for not listening to the Bushes [presumably both father and son], and instead letting people like Bill Clinton and now Obama lead us down a path of total destruction." Responded djn3nunez3: "Only if you own Haliburton or Raytheon stock. Bush was a disaster in foreign affairs, domestic affairs, and economic affairs." Added DaneL: "What a trifecta: Obama, Reid and Pelosi. You libs bet on them, now you can reap the rewards." AbuAmirah shot back: "Dude has to clean up a mess that started with the Contract with America and the deregulation that it wrought. Yeah, and we thought that businesses could police themselves."

SCOOTER PIE

Another all-time hit was "Bush Spares Libby From Prison," posted on July 2, 2007. The story rang up 320 props and 1,220 comments, including this one from UnusualSuspect: "The funny thing is, Bush said all along he would not tolerate anyone in his administration leaking (ended up not being Libby, but Armitage), or hindering the investigation. I guess Bush forgot he said that." But libsRfunny dismissed the whole investigation as a tempest in a Beltway teapot: "They were trying to hang it on Rove, not Armitage. How can you possibly impede an investigation into something that never happened? The guy just didn't recall conversations made three years earlier. You have any idea how many conversations people have in DC?"

Lurch, meanwhile, tried to add some historical context: "This administration and these contemporary cons sure make Clinton look like a mix between Churchill and Alexander the Great. Dubya is Caligula to Clinton's Augustus Caesar." Then ceolmor took the classical theme and ran with it: "Hmm, [this] brings to mind Plato's comment, 'The rulers of the state are the only ones who should have the privilege of lying'." But chiefss stuck up for Bush's decision, insisting that his predecessor had given a free pass to many, many more miscreants: "Jesus, I sure didn't hear all you clowns screaming and hollering when Slick Willie pardoned hundreds of convicted felons. Bush just commuted the sentence, didn't pardon. The conviction still stands."

Other stories with impressive comment totals included "Propeller's Incorrigibles," posted on November 27, 2007, with 259 props and 968 comments. (Said Spadecaller, who posted the story: "The level of debate at Propeller matters to many of us. I'm sick of personally abusive commentary that targets member's race, age, sex, nationality, ethnic background, or disability. What about you?" Replied Endoscopy: "One of the major problems that starts this is the abusive political ranting. It starts out bashing the opposition and descends into doing the same to posters on the opposite side.") There was also "Simpsons hit for not-so-gay crack," posted on November 5, 2008, with 875 comments. And let us not forget "Texas School Board Rejects Intelligent Design," posted on August 27, 2007, with 228 props and 783 comments. Said joeblowe: "How about that, there's enough common sense and intelligence in even a ONE STAR state to realize that it's a bad idea to teach idiocy in a science class."

COPY CATS

And what about stories that inspired the most members to hit the prop button? The undisputed champ was "World should ban human cloning, except medical: U.N.," posted on November 11, 2007, with 424 props and a relatively reticent 77 comments. "Hooray!" said 1-2-Oscar. Replied Commodore1: "Yes, I agree. As long as the liberals don't use it to increase the number of votes they get." On a more serious note, reviewer saw the cloning and genetic manipulation of livestock as a definite Pandora's Box: "I wrote an article on cloning for food, and the main thing that scares me about cloning cattle just to have a larger T-Bone is the loss of genetic diversity in the species. Anyone who raises or breeds animals knows the short- and long-term health consequences." Another member, tkyrchncs, argued that this particular train had already left the station: "As to food species, it should be possible to maintain much smaller and greatly more diverse herds by cloning the desirable PARTS of an animal. To all intents and purposes modern herds and flocks ARE cloned. How much genetic diversity do you think there is in a modern egg or fryer producing population, as in comparison to an equal number of wild chickens?" But angelitobcn got in the last, theological word: "Do souls have clones?"

There was also "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Resigns," posted on August 27, 2007, with 336 props and 754 comments. Bkumm greeted the news with a kind of victory jig: "Adios, muchacho! NOW, who's gonna protect King George? Rove? Gone. Gonzales? Gone. Rumsfeld? Gone." Said Neophile: "Now he can spend some quality time forgetting the circumstances of important decisions he makes about his family." Added searchbeam: "My first computer--a Commodore--had better memory than this bozo! To think that this guy was a Texas Supreme Court Judge makes you wonder about the quality of justice those poor souls in Texas were getting." Did the cashiered Attorney General have any defenders? Well, there was MajJohn, who accused the Democrats of conducting a bigoted witch hunt: "The Democrats can't stand a minority that's not one of their own."

Another prop-happy post concerned the site itself, right after we shed our identity as Netscape. "Propeller Lives!" was posted on September 19, 2007, and rang up 302 props and 197 comments. Searchbeam immediately urged the community to pitch in and give the new site some love: "The more the traffic to your site, the more advertising dollars, and therefore an assured existence! It is a tough world, and for us to exist as a vibrant, productive community, we must be able to pull more traffic to Propeller." Very true. Silverghost, meanwhile, thought the new site might be a spammy wolf in sheep's clothing: "Maybe I'm too infrequently involved, but I didn't have a clue & thought I was being scammed. Took me awhile to trust this change as valid." But ind06, after venting over some of the new site's defects (crappy share feature, sink option), at least knew exactly where to assign the blame: "Oh, and these problems are all George Bush's fault."

Other biggies included the cheery "You are Destroying America. Yes, You," posted on July 18, 2007, with 292 props and 516 comments. And on a slightly more salacious front, there was "Report: Governor Linked To Prostitution Ring," posted on March 10, 2008, with 261 props and 513 comments. "Politics as usual," said BronxBomber, alluding to Elliott Spitzer's serial dalliance with precisely the sort of hookers he was supposed to be driving out of business. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy," added bobo-in-texas. What followed was a little parry-and-thrust action (sorry), beginning with a comment from Lincoln85: "Bronx, are you still worried about Bush listening to you and your mother's phone calls?" Replied BronxBomber: "I'm not worried about Bush, but please tell your wife to stop calling me." To which cowboygrandpa added: "Yeah, especially trying to call collect like that."

VIEW MASTERS

And what about the stories with the greatest number of page views? The champion here was "Mystery Surrounds Leavenworth, Kansas Underground City," posted on August 19, 2008, with 38 props, 71 comments, and 359,845 page views. One member, dirtylitlesamuel, assumed that the Kansans had unearthed a kind of subterranean Reeperbahn: "When the push came to 'clean up the town,' all the vice moved underground: the drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Leavenworth was a wild cowtown, and people hated the drovers for all the vice they brought. However, they liked the money." Another member, telernc, speculated that the tunnels were connected to the nearby (and notorious) prison: "I have a friend who grew up in a house near the prison. She has told me stories about these underground paths. In fact her father was a high-ranking military man in charge of running the prison, and she says she had a tunnel under her house to the prison." But Propeller being a hotbed of unexpected expertise, this theory was promptly demolished by KUBasketballnut: "Your friend is wrong. I worked at the federal penitentiary for twenty-five years, and at the state penitentiary before and after I worked at the federal. Both facilities have tunnels inside for utilities such as electricity and steam, but they are not accessible from the outside, and are definitely not accessible from the inside to the outside."

Perhaps, then, the theory about the underground rumpus room is correct. In any case, many of our stories with the highest number of page views seemed to have a definite theme of mild raunch. (Strange how these things work.) There was "Sex session at work gets municipal employees suspended," posted on August 13, 2008, with 13 props, 37 comments, and 298,384 page views. One member, bratto14, argued that the absent-minded exhibitionists had done nothing wrong: "As long as they are single, leave them alone. Try not to be so judgmental of other people--we have ALL made mistakes." LDN felt otherwise: "Mistakes are forgetting to pay a bill or losing your car keys. This was just plain rude and inconsiderate. As others have said, some things should be done in private."

There was also "Chicago dive bar scores hit with nude Sarah Palin portrait," posted on October 13, 2008, with 89 props, 156 comments, and 293,638 page views. "As they say," noted jovial, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Replied massto: "Just look at where it's coming from. Chicago is not a great place, and the idiots that go into this bar have to have their heads examined." To which Teech responded: "I'm heading to the airport right now. Chicago, here I come!" And on a (somewhat) related note, let's not forget "German Sunbathers Complain About Polish Voyeurs At Nudist Beach," posted on July 29, 2008, with 20 props, 17 comments, and a disproportionate 272,193 page views. One member, zygoter, had little patience for the Mitteleuropean whiners: "If the Poles don't like it they shouldn't look, and if the Germans don't like it they should put some clothes on! They should be glad I'm not there, I would use a 600mm lens and post the pictures on the Internet!" In one of my rare comment-thread interventions, I mused: "A nudist without a voyeur is like--what? A day without sunshine? Macaroni without cheese? There's a word for this: symbiosis." Replied pderoo1: "Beanies without weenies?" And the conversation, like all conversations, came to an end.

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

Barack Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court inspired several lively conversations this week at Propeller. "Obama Picks Sotomayor for Supreme Court!" racked up 79 props, 3 drops, and 147 comments, including a thumbs up from deathray: "Well, as the Republicans like to say, the president should get the judges he wants. I think Sotomayor is a good choice." There was a similar reaction from sinophil49: "That Sotomayor is a competent Latina judge should be a point of pride for all Americans. If approved, it would truly be a historical event in our Republic's gloried history."

Meanwhile, tanglang expressed some discomfort with what he saw as the nominee's judicial activisim: "She said that appeals courts are where policy is made." Replied Beau7890: "She was describing the difference between appellate and district court. She wasn't advocating making policy. Regardless, appeals courts are where policy is made, whether you like it or not." Endoscopy raised the prospect of Republicans blocking Sotomayor's confirmation, and suggested that such tactics came straight out of the Democratic bag of tricks: "The Democrats... are proud of 'Borking' people." This elicited a quick shot across the bow from Desdamona, who expressed relief that the Robert Bork had been barred from the highest court in the land: "The guy was a nut and I am exceedingly proud of the Senate for preventing his elevation to such an honored position."

A related story, "Rush Limbaugh Slams Judge Sotomayor: 'Racist' and a 'Hack'," racked up 72 props, 6 drops, and 131 comments. Charlson suggested that Limbaugh had no standing (to put it mildly) to criticize the nominee: "The racist, homophobic drug addict has no credibility when it comes to racism and hackism." Bkumm still had some doubts about Sotomayor's "wise Latina" comments: "I would not go so far as to call her a racist, but it is troubling that she would say something like that. There is no evidence that a person who has 'been there' and 'done that' is going to uphold the rule of law better than someone who has not." Yet he still felt that Obama had made a good pick. So did kobzikov, who actually applauded Sotomayor's admission that a judge's background and experience would inevitably factor into his or her decisions: "There are many theories of justice and not all of them would insist on justice being blind. And if we think that justice should serve the society as a whole and not only those who are well-connected and with the means to hire the best attorneys, then I'm not sure a blind servant is preferable to the one who can see."

STRAIGHT OUTTA GITMO

With the president dithering over his promised closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, the Propeller community chimed in on both sides of the issue. "Guantanamo Bay Detainee Site Should Be Open or Closed: What Do You Want?" generated 125 props, 7 drops, and 257 comments. Pecossam thought we were worrying far too much about the rights of the prisoners: "There is no place for 'touchy-feely' when one is engaged in war; not if one wishes to defeat the enemy. As General William Tecumseh Sherman (the Union officer who marched on and burned Atlanta, GA) said, 'War Is Hell.'" And where would the detainees be housed, should the Gitmo facility be shuttered? One member, donald51, proposed a solution: "Keith Obermann interviewed a city councilmen with a totally vacant 300+ bed, high-security prison in Wyoming or Utah, which is empty and volunteering to take the detainees!" But even in that case, Klarissa saw some potential problems: "We would have to set up special kitchens and special religious accommodations wherever these prisoners are sent. Let's be smart for a change and keep them where they are."

There was agreement from prophyporcrites: "If we give them trials here, we open up a Pandora's Box that was better left closed. Heck, how many murderers, child molesters, and others get off on a simple technicality? Is it really that farfetched to think the same may happen to these people?" Replied gamahuche: "So fear of Pandora should guide US 'justice'? Tell that to the judge! The earthly one and the one upstairs if you believe in that one." Commodore1 suggested that there was some NIMBY-style hypocrisy at work: "For those of you who want Gitmo closed, I'm sure you're willing to have them detained in your state. Right?" To which jordan11 replied: "I don't have a problem with it. We already have 'terrorists' imprisoned in this country, and I've heard no one complain in the states they're incarcerated in. Stop being such a whiny baby. You don't trust our prison system? Then stay under your bed."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

On a less partisan note, there was "Couple On the Run after 'Stealing' $6 Million Credited to Their Bank Account in Error," with 75 props and 12 comments, most of them fairly cynical. Said rj3sp: "I doubt that the bank would be held at fault if they inadvertently depleted someone's bank account. Of course, that never happens." And EastwoodCarter seemed confident that the bank would recoup its losses, one way or another: "Just charge every savings account a small inactivity fee. Problem solved." Added ppt4706: "Actually, that money is the amount that I have been charged in overdraft fees through the years, so give it back!"

Elsewhere, Propeller members sounded off on waterboarding and pistol play in our national parks. And this YouTube video of Bob Dylan singing "Forever Young" rang up 131 props and 21 comments. There was a small debate over who did the best version of the Dylan chestnut, with chevydog opting for the composer's ex-main squeeze : "The Joan Baez version is among my favorites." Added Ciera-Marie: "I prefer Bob Dylan's or Joan B's versions over Rod Stewart's any day. God, I do not like Rod Stewart at all. Not here, there or anywhere." To which JoseMadre replied: "I think Rod's voice is an acquired taste." It's a terrible temptation at this point to post the "Hot Legs" video, but we'll stick with Bob Dylan after all.

HELL ON WHEELS?

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!)

RUSH TO JUDGMENT

Not for the first time, Rush Limbaugh spent the last week at center stage. One story about the radio personality and GOP caudillo, "Limbaugh: Negro-in-Chief Obama Wants Reparations for Darkie Pals," racked up more comments than any other: 324. It also generated 54 props, 13 drops, and some harsh divisions of opinion. Said metavirus (who also posted the story): "It really is quite sad that leaders in the GOP let blatantly racist comments like this just slide by. Until they start getting ahead of patently offensive stuff like this, they are going to lose more and more young people and minorities." PsychoHosebeast agreed: "The man has sold any shred of dignity he's ever had for a buck. He's the consummate Ugly American." And even tanglang, who's often locked horns with Propeller's left-leaning cadre, called him an irrelevant eyesore: "Limbaugh represents no one. I'm so sick of people saying he represents the right and their views. I'm tired of being associated with him. And to be honest, if y'all would just ignore him, he would go away."

There were, however, a few members who thought that Limbaugh was being unfairly pilloried. Said Klarissa: "Today's liberal instructions: bad-mouth Rush, we want to shut him up, this will help to bring back the fairness doctrine." And Hhussk defended the premise of Limbaugh's original comments: "Rush suggested that these socialist policies are like the policies of reparations, where wealth, or assets, are redistributed to people who believe they deserve them but did not earn them. I agree. All we are seeing is redistribution of wealth."

But AbuAmirah wasn't buying: "What Rush does is continue the canard that all 'Blacks' sit on their asses collecting food stamps and welfare checks and think that the government owes them something. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was growing up, my old man (who was 'Black') told me that no one owed me [anything]. It was up to me to get whatever the hell I wanted and to support my family."

Love him or hate him, Limbaugh landed several other stories in our Top Twenty. "Cheney backs 'Entertainer' Limbaugh over Patriot Powell" earned 99 props, 11 drops, 230 comments, and a blunt assessment from GWHayduke: "El Rushbo garners the support of the previous vice president and chief hawk. Cheney is becoming more of a fringe nutcase each time he opens his totalitarian mouth." And a related story, "Colin Powell/Rush Limbaugh War Rages On," generated 79 props, 4 drops, and 215 comments. There was a final, somewhat confusing defense of Limbaugh from mrdelta: "I am a staunch Rush fan and wish to leave the Republican party myself, for the party that will finally stomp liberals like [Colin] Powell out of existence." To which StevieGee replied: "Powell is a moderate. I'm a liberal. Want to come and try stomping me?

PELOSI IN THE HOT SEAT

Meanwhile, it appears that Nancy Pelosi may have some explaining to do. "Records suggest Pelosi, others were told of harsh interrogations" generated 103 props, 3 drops, and 231 comments. For cowboygrandpa, who posted the story, the House Majority Leader's record on torture was looking pretty suspect: "Me thinks there could be fire where this smoke is coming from. Never have cared for Pelosi or her scurrilous ways." There was a similar response from bruhaha: "I've never been a fan of Pelosi's and I think she's horrid as Speaker. All those who knew what was going on, especially those who are feigning outrage now, need to go. [They should] either resign or be voted out."

BB64 took it one step further: "I love Nancy. She's the perfect Democrat. She lies regularly but is never called on it by the media. She loves to do things that aren't her responsibility, but doesn't do her own job. She loves taking union funds, yet none of her businesses ever employ union staff." But sinophil49 thought this was painting Democrats with too broad a brush: "If you had talked in specifics about Pelosi and her failings, I would be in complete agreement.... All that is fair game and valid opprobrium. I do not approve of any of that. But when you use broad strokes implying all Democrat politicians are liars or greedy, then you have crossed over into excess and you lose credibility."

Spadecaller also took a whack at the Pelosian piñata: "Pelosi is an opportunist and her lack of convictions and integrity are beginning to show. She knew about the torture and she has been covering that up for too long." But rimbaud thought the folly was more widely distributed, and had a novel solution: "Me thinks there is plenty of guilt, and regret, to spread pretty thickly... A truth commission, with liberty and immunity for all, might be just the thing to bring all of these things to light. But let it be conducted by the news media (or a reality TV producer), not the government, far away from Washington--in, say Casper, Wyoming."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Enough, you say, of these personality-driven sideshows! Let's talk about some actual policy. Well, "Senate Considers Federal Tax On Soda" rang up 50 props, 1 drop, and 111 comments. CarinEising was all for dropping the dime on Pepsi freaks: "This is a great idea. If cigarettes and booze are 'sin-taxed', then why not junk food?" Responded libsRfunny: "No. It's not a great idea. In fact, it is a wholly terrible idea that will fall on the lower and middle classes, just like the $38 billion federal cigarette tax hike." And JustTrollKing agreed: "This is what you get with leftists in charge. I used to think Bush's 'borrow and spend' was bad, but compared to Obama, the Shrub was Jack Benny. Now we will get soaked with more taxes on top of that. Pretty soon we will be envious of the peasants of Nottingham."

Let's end on a harmonious note. Here's a video of Crosby, Stills and Nash (looking remarkably spry for 2007) performing "Long Time Gone." The Propeller post notched 118 props and 17 comments, many of which focused on the charms of the mid-Sixties Ford Mustang. "I remember listening to this song regularly with my old eight-track cassette deck that I had in a '65 Mustang," said Spadecaller. Added cowboygrandpa: "I had a '66 with a built 302. Roller bearings and cam, solid lifters, holly 4 barrel, hooker headers with glass packs, and an 8-track player. I had to play the music loud to be heard over the car."

But at least one member, mark-stevens, had a more jaundiced memory of the mustachioed, roly-poly Crosby: "I met Crosby years after that group's fame. [He] had done time for drugs, than turned state witness. My friend knew the back-up musicians for Crosby when he performed at a bar in Seattle. Dave was unbelievably paranoid and refused to talk to any strangers... Long live rock and roll!" Couldn't have put it better myself.

TRIGGER HAPPY?

Which story generated the lengthiest conversation this week at Propeller? That would be "Obama Wants Gun Registration," with 62 props, 27 drops, and 264 comments. GLee saw this registration campaign as the thin edge of the anti-Second Amendment wedge: "This all is just the beginning of stuff that will have to be 'undone' in a couple of years. Socialism approaching communism." So did rimbaud: "If only 'The Man' is allowed to own really powerful weapons, we will be powerless to fight his tyranny (we will never have a 'well-armed militia'). I propose no bans on weapons of any kind, unless the cops and the National Guard are also prohibited them."

Meanwhile, Beau7890 took the discussion back to basics: "So what exactly is the problem with registering guns?" GWHayduke had a tongue-in-cheek response: "Then they'll know we have 'em. Then they'll send their liberal, fascist military police state door-to-door collectin' the guns we been totin' around pointin' at bad guys.... Or, maybe they want to reduce crime. Either way, it's a socialistic, menshevik communist, fascist, liberal conspiracy to take our guns away in order to suppress us into drones to serve the masters in DC."

DaneL argued that the guns in his own household were kept under lock and key, and that outside of the urban fleshpots they were in fact less dangerous: "Out here we use guns as tools. Unlike the cesspool of a city I'm sure you live in, we don't have drive-bys. The last burglary we had in town, someone stole a bike. You might be surprised how different people act when they don't live like rats, packed in on top of each other." This earned a shout of assent from stalemate: "Bravo, Dane. Here too we live as you do.... We just don't have the problems they do in cities."

To which fsev41 replied: "Unfortunately the majority of our population lives in cities. Somehow we need to find a way to control gun violence in the cities while still allowing for hunters (of animals, not people) and personal protection." And GWHayduke, who had earlier ridiculed the pro-registration argument, came clean about the bolt-action bonbon in his own closet: "I keep the Steyer Mannlicher SSG69 PII that my grandfather gave to me before he died in [my safe]. He shot some strange beasts with that thing. Just because you live in nowhere WY with your cows doesn't mean that you are exempt from the stupidity of others."

ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

Another hotly debated story was "U.S. Soldiers Pushing Christianity on Muslims in Afghanistan," with 45 props, 3 drops, and 260 comments. "It's proselytizing," said metavirus, "and it's against Afghan law and the military's rules." Replied capecoralM: "To view your words of ignorance is truly spectacular. Muslims, Jews, and Christians believe in the same God." To which crespi replied: "Go down to Alabama and tell a church full of Baptists they actually worship Allah. Better yet, go to Pakistan and tell them they really worship Yaweh. If you have any cool old vinyl records or old comic books or anything, please leave them to me in your will."

But ChefEOD saw nothing wrong in U.S. soldiers distributing Bibles to the Afghan population: "Christians are mandated by Scripture to share and spread the Gospel. To not do so is to disobey God." Replied dissent: "Guns and Bibles.... how persuasive." There was a similar response from doggammit, who saw the Bible as one more stealth weapon deployed by the West, and compared the soldiers distributing them to military engineers (or worse): "Under such conditions, distributing religious propaganda is a sapper's job--a special commission designed by saps and performed by saps. In military hands, the Bible resembles a 9/11 box-cutter." Meanwhile, MisterX wondered if the soldiers could truly be accused of proselytizing: "If handing out Bibles is converting, then the Gideons have been after me every time I check into a hotel room."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

There were several stories about gay marriage in our Top Twenty this week. "Two National Polls, for First Time, Show Plurality Support for Gay Marriage" racked up 64 props, 7 drops, and 157 comments. Will1313 greeted this as good news: "They should have the right to be as miserable as hetero couples. We will have to think up a new term, [since] GAY marriage is an oxymoron." Locky12 disagreed: "Why should the state have to recognize same sex unions when there is no incentive for the state to recognize fruitless love?" Replied david_nwpa: "Pure BS! First, if marriage were for parents only, then the sterile, the elderly, and those who don't want children should be banned. They are not!"

Endoscopy wasn't buying: "You and the other people that espouse homosexual marriage never want to look at the fact that marriage is the founding block of any government, as was taught in the civics classes I took." To which Tangent001 replied: "Nope. Historically, marriage is first and foremost a contract between families regarding the disposition of property and political power and only secondarily the legitimizing of children." Other related stories included "Maine prepares to take up gay marriage bill," with 51 props, 4 drops, and 103 comments, and "Majority of Americans oppose legalizing same sex marriages," with 38 props, 11 drops, and 77 comments. Said Wolfie2007: "Marriage should be between one man and one woman. In Canada there is a movement to legalize plural marriage. What next?" Replied gamahuche: "What next? They'll be banging on your windows and breaking down your doors to force you to commit savage, vile and obscene acts against your will."

Finally, there was "Which is Worst Addiction: Smoking or Drinking or Gambling?," with 109 props and 32 comments. "They are all bad," conceded sithmaster, "but I gotta go with smoking." For mark-stevens, all three addictions were sadly familiar: "My dad was a gambler, the whole family suffered in poverty for many years. My street-tough brother-in-law lost a lung and will spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair, due to smoking. My sister has a Jerry Springer family--all three generations--due to a serious drinking problem for twenty-some years. Pick one." Spadecaller also spoke from experience: "Truly addictive personalities change ships, from the Titanic to the Lusitania. From alcohol to gambling. Being a recovering alcoholic myself since September of 1978--over thirty years since my last drink--I quit cigarettes and before I was married (thank God) I gave up my addiction to sex. That does not mean that I gave up sex, btw."

There were also some more lighthearted responses. Said ctiedje: "Weed. Best addiction out there." Replied obiwan2112: "I'm absolutely sure that the worst addiction is smoking, and I'll bet you a fifth of Jack Daniel's and lay 10 to 1 odds that I'm right." But quicksilver0602 cut right to the chase: "Yes, they ARE all bad... but I've got to go with Propeller." That's right, folks: once you start, you can't stop. Can you?

OBAMA NATION?

Which story prompted the longest conversation at Propeller this week? That would be "Why Does Obama Hate America So Badly?," with 57 props, 46 drops, and 281 comments. The thread included a spirited debate about Obama's virility index, especially as perceived by the British. Said pc25: "Seems they are starting not to like President Pantywaist much there." Replied hefaa1: "President Pantywaist sure slaps the Republican members of Congress around pretty. There are also three Somali pirates at the bottom of the ocean that don't think he's a sissy either."

Taking a more geopolitical point of view, stalemate urged the president to toughen up, and quickly: "Doesn't Obama realize that if he keeps flip-flopping, there may not be an America for him to govern? Obama, wake up. Be a man and quit being such an apologetic, begging wimp. Muslims only respect strength in their counterparts." To which mesodude replied: "Stop giving orders from your keyboard and sign up yourself and all of your family members. Then we'll know you're serious and not just another fearful con chickenhawk who loves to cheer from the sidelines." And AbuAmirah had an even more pungent response (which has been slightly redacted here for our PG-rated audience): "How do you know who and what it is that we respect? Do you know any Muslims? Hell, no. Have you ever been in a mosque? Hell, no. All you know is what they tell you on conservative talk radio and Faux News."

For libsRfunny, the POTUS still had some explaining to do. Indeed, he ridiculed the idea of Obama as a cool, reflective leader: "The Moron-in-Chief signed a $786 billion spending bill that he didn't read and that he didn't allow members of Congress to read or debate. I don't know anyone with a shred of common sense who would call that 'thinking before acting.'" For truthiness, however, this was nothing but sour grapes: "Here is the crux of it, the Republicans appear to be scared because, unlike Carter, President Barack Obama is a formidable opponent. He is kicking your asses left and right. Your party doesn't know what to do, because Rove's strategies don't work on him. He won't be distracted, he won't get sucked into name-calling BS, he just keeps on doing what he was elected to do."

CURIOUS GEORGE

"Billionaire Soros Bankrolling Calls for 'Torture' Probe" racked up 48 props, 19 drops, and 179 comments. Candida was all for George Soros putting his money where his mouth was: "So what? He is a thinking person, so he should join all the other thinking persons. In addition, he has lots of money, and what better way to use it than to promote justice?" Responded slate: "Isn't Soros a non-citizen? I mean it's one thing for citizens to support things and even send money, but a foreigner having his fingers in the American Pie doesn't bother you lefties?" (In a subsequent comment, slate conceded that Soros was indeed an American citizen.)

Meanwhile, Beau7890 saluted just about anybody who was willing to spearhead an inquiry into our interrogation tactics: "Torture is morally wrong. I don't give a rat's ass if Kim Jong-Il, Hitler, or Cheney himself calls for investigation of our use of torture--it should be investigated anyway. Anyone who has a problem with investigating simply because George Soros is calling for it is not rational." But BB64 still excoriated the Hungarian-born billionaire, who he branded as a socialist and political meddler: "Wow, Soros is bankrolling this. Does this surprise anyone? He's typical of all huge socialists. Insists you and I pay taxes while he avoids them. You want to follow corruption, just follow his money trail to the 527s."

Then there was the related issue of how torture may damage America's image on the world stage. For prophyporcrites, that horse left the barn a long, long time ago: "Hurt our image? We are the only country to use a nuclear weapon on innocent civilians. We nuked a few hundred thousand Japanese to death--I think waterboarding is a little less hurtful to our image than that!" But willottica sardonically (I think) argued against throwing in the towel quite yet: "Alright, since your image is already tarnished, you might as well give up the pretense of democracy, too. The two-party system already guarantees that political choice is severely limited and fairly inconsequential. Why not just admit that it's a tyranny by the wealthy and get over it?"

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

A story about the defection of Senator Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party generated 65 props, 2 drops, and 133 comments. Several members, including RedRiverJ, were delighted to see him go: "Good, he should take Collins and Snowe with him." Replied most_reasonable: "Arlen finally realized that there was no room in the new GOP for honest, integrity, and competence. Something that has now been more and more apparent to the American public." Meanwhile, chevydog saw the whole spectacle as pure electoral calculation: "One has to wonder about the role that age played--or maybe should have played--in this. Arlen's not in the best of health, and he'll be 80 when the election rolls around. I suppose he could have retired gracefully; I'd hazard a guess that that still may happen. Either way, it won't translate into a Republican seat in PA." (A related post, "Limbaugh Urges Specter to take McCain with Him," earned 66 props and 105 comments. Said mntnman444: "[Limbaugh] recruiting for the Democrats... Now I've seen everything.")

And finally, there was "Miss California loses for supporting marriage between a man and woman," with 52 props, 15 drops, and 125 comments. Said Klarissa: "The question should not have been asked in the first place. It was inappropriate for the occasion." Replied Dionys: "Why? It comes down to the fundamental rights of humanity within the US legal system. Can one marry the adult partner they've fallen in love with or not?" Meanwhile, dailyblueberry questioned the whole point of beauty pageants to begin with: "Should we give credence to beauty contests? I say no. It sends the wrong message." But it was sonofreason who most effectively stared into the crystal ball: "Next year, Elsie the Cow will be a judge posing the question: Should Americans eliminate beef from their diet?" Game, set, match.

TEA FOR TWO

For the second week in a row, the Tea Party protests have claimed the lion's share of attention here at Propeller. This time, it's mainly the after-party fallout. "FBI Spied on TEA Party Americans!" racked up 62 props, 23 drops, and 224 comments. RedRiverJ had nothing but contempt for the bureau's surveillance efforts: "Our politicians leave our borders wide open, allowing criminals, rapists and terrorists easy entrance to our country while our FBI spies on Americans exercising their freedom of speech." Replied hamy: "Now you are saying that it's wrong to spy on protesters when before, during Bush, you were all for it. So why now? Is it because you're party isn't in power anymore?" (Added tanglang: "Did [libsRfunny] say it was OK for Bush to spy on folks at rallies?" Replied Bacalo: "No, just in their homes.")

Meanwhile, "CNN's Roesgen Grills Tea Party Protestor Who Calls Obama a Fascist," generated 100 props, 14 drops, and 197 comments. "Some will try to dismiss this story," argued jovial, "but there are more and more reports coming to light. You just can't dismiss all of them. The rhetoric is becoming increasingly uglier." There was agreement from not2needy: "It's because these supposed tea parties weren't quiet tax protests, they were more [like] anti-Obama rants. Media such as Fox only add fuel to the fire." Several members pointed out that many of the 250,000 protesters nationwide would probably be getting a tax break rather than an increase. But for icewater, that didn't invalidate the concerns of the protesters: "I appreciate my generous tax refund, but I think what most of these people are worried about is the soaring national debt, which will be repaid only through excessive taxation in the future or by inflation, which will basically rob people of the buying power of their money. Either way, it's bad."

There was also "GOP hopes to build momentum behind tea parties," with 98 props, 1 drop, and 159 comments. The thread featured a brief skirmish about a protester who tried to dump teabags in the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania, fell in, and was rescued by EMTs. Spadecaller had an abbreviated response: "LMAO!" Replied capecoralM: "How mature of you to take pleasure in someone falling into a river and being in danger." To which Progressive responded: "She fell in through her own stupidity, but was fortunate to be rescued by non-partisan EMTs."

CRUEL AND UNUSUAL

The ongoing debate about torture also provoked plenty of conversation over the past week. "9/11 Plotter Waterboarded 183 Times" racked up 55 props, 11 drops, and 125 comments. GLee, who also posted the story, suggested that Khalid Sheik Mohammed hadn't been tortured enough: "Can we have him [waterboarded] one more time? 184 is a much nicer number. Having said that, let me qualify the above statement. This character brought about massive deaths of civilians with no regard for innocents." No way, said Tangent001. He argued that waterboarding "had been condemned as torture both in WWII (when we prosecuted the Japanese for doing it) and Vietnam (when we prosecuted our own troops for doing it). If Pelosi and other Dems sanctioned its use, hang them out to dry as well. I refuse to put party before country." UnusualSuspect insisted that in the post-9/11 world, it was more important than ever to keep our hands clean: "My youngest sister was in the Pentagon on 9/11--[luckily], on the east side of the building. But even if she had been killed that day, I would (as would she, I'm sure) still be against waterboarding." Replied Locky12: "But waterboarding is not torture. Only the loony left calls it torture."

A related story, "Rush Limbaugh: It Isn't Torture if You Can Survive It," generated 67 props, 9 drops, and 123 comments. PsychoHosebeast speculated the Limbaugh might be persuaded otherwise: "Someone hook a car generator up to this guy's nuts in the shower while he's handcuffed to the shower head and see if he changes his mind." For prophyporcrites, there was still some question about whether waterboarding was the worst of all possible persuasive techniques: "The marine I work with--who was waterboarded a few times as part of his training--told me he'd rather be waterboarded than break a finger, break his nose, get knocked out, have his jaw broken again, [or] have to breath tear gas again." But mntnman444, who also underwent the military's SERE training, had another story to tell: "I guarantee you nobody is smiling in SERE. [In] most cases, including mine, a bag is put over your head and you are bound naked while water is poured over your face. It's terrifying whether it's real or not, and I have no doubt that fat boy Limbaugh couldn't even qualify for the training."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Iran: Death Penalty for Offensive Bloggers" rang up 102 props, 1 drop, and 22 comments. For engineer, this violent response to dissent was one more sign of a sick, sick nation: "The fanatical nutcases of Iran. Time to take the reactors out, [although] I hope someone does it other than Israel." Added b-happy: "They need to be dealt with forcefully, and now is the time to grow some balls and tell them to stop." Islamstudent, meanwhile, reaffirmed that the Iranian government's policy was way over the top: "Death for blogging? And I complained about being banned [from] a blogging website, Mixx, for questioning Muslims about Islam."

A story about secession in the Lone Star State, "Can Texas Go It Alone?," rang up 70 props, 2 drops, and 103 comments. Said ranchhasawhiteass: "We ain't gonna secede from the Union. Hells bells, the other 57 states couldn't survive without us." Another member, djn3nunez3, had little but scorn for the idea and for Texas Governor Rick Perry (seen in photo above): "It was tried 150 years ago or so. Didn't work out too well then either. I hope Perry keeps talking nonsense." To which bigG responded: "I think that is inevitable, dj, unless of course he chooses to never talk again." Meanwhile, bluetexasvalley denied that any of the pro-secession bloviators had a real constituency to address: "Ron Paul represents a handful of East Texas rednecks and Rick Perry represents George Bush. That's not the real Texas."

Finally, there was a link to this YouTube video of George Harrison performing "Here Comes the Sun." Charlson had a positive response: "Terrific music! Miss you Harrison, your music was great." Added GehlLady: "Timely for me, thanks! One of my all-time favorites." Perhaps this optimistic, Abbey Road-era gem will allow us to end the week on a less rancorous note.

VICTORY AT SEA

Which topic prompted the most extensive conversations at Propeller this week? That would be the capture of the Alabama by Somali pirates, and the eventual rescue of Captain Richard Phillips. "American captain rescued, pirates killed, U.S. official says," racked up 58 props and 260 comments. For ADAGUY, the rescue was a clear rebuff to Republicans who doubted the new president's ability to deal with crisis: "Three [pirates] killed and a fourth in custody! Now let's see just how many of you have the balls to commend Obama on a job well done!" Replied libsRfunny: "I'll commend the military on a job well done and criticize Obama and his giggling Secretary of State for showing zero leadership in the matter."

For tanglang, the most crucial part was how the president planned to deal with the scourge of piracy going forward: "If Obama has since given the navy the authority to seek out and kill every one of these terrorists in the region, he has done the right thing." But it was sonofreason who took the middle course: "Congrats to everyone involved with that mission. I seriously doubt that this is going to act as a deterrent for pirates intercepting American ships, so I hope there is some follow-up action planned."

Meanwhile, a related story, "Right Wing Bets Against U.S. in Pirate Standoff," generated 95 props, 24 drops, and 286 comments. For gamahuche, the naysayers were downright ludicrous: "Wankers of the first magnitude! Like many of our more extreme posters on Propeller, these folks are on the border of treasonous in their insane lust for Obama to fail."

This slapdown elicited a protest from b-happy: "Maybe I was watching the wrong video or something, but I didn't hear anyone 'bet' against Obama. They asked why Obama wasn't discussing the situation, and why he hasn't done anything to stop the pirate attacks." To which Tangent001 replied: "There was definitely an assumption that Obama was either doing nothing or doing the wrong thing, and that the situation was going to end in failure, or at least a Carter-esque dragged-out hostage ordeal lasting weeks or months." And even Georgia50, who has expressed major reservations about the new president in the past, was willing to admit that Obama had confounded his critics this time: "While I'm a little hesitant to break out the pom poms, one or two similar foreign-policy wins like this one, and there will be no doubt as to Obama's effectiveness against foreign adversaries. There is no other way I'd rather be proven wrong about Obama."

TEA TIME

The organization of nationwide tax protests, known as "Tea Parties," also got the community talking. "Tea Parties Forever" notched 67 props, 24 drops, and 162 comments. One member, quackpot, didn't think much of the protesters. Bush, he argued, created massive debt "for the sole purpose of making the ultra-rich a bit richer. Now that deficit spending is essential to repair the economy, the Republicans are upset about debt? What a joke." But capecoralM spoke out against wasteful spending: "With the nation in economic distress, it makes sense for Congress to act constructively to stimulate the economy and create more jobs. But with the nation $10.7 trillion in debt, it doesn't make sense to add nearly another trillion dollars to the national debt for many things that are unnecessary, wasteful, or even unconstitutional." To which hamy replied: "And wasn't one of the things that Republicans found to be 'wasteful' volcano monitoring? And didn't a volcano erupt right after Jindal's stupid comments? And weren't people glad that we had been monitoring that volcano?" Meanwhile, tadair919 denied that the protests were specifically partisan to being with: "There were indeed liberals and progressives at my Tea Party. I admit that the vast majority of them were Republicans, but this is not a right or left issue."

A related article, "Anti-Obama Taxpayer Tea Parties Steeped in Insanity," generated 91 props, 23 drops, and 176 comments. The member who posted the article, cowboygrandpa, seemed to agree with the headline: "The party with no clue has boiled itself dry." DarkWizard seconded that emotion: "Right now the GOP has become the party that acts like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum. What they haven't figured out yet is that THEY LOST!" But beavith1 urged the liberal contingent to curb its triumphalism: "Let the tea people do their thing without snide commentary--like most libs here. Frankly, I think they feel threatened that the consensus put together to elect Obama may be coming apart." To which berkeley responded: "I prefer the 'Billionaires for Bush' group."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Faith Groups Losing Gay Rights Fights" rang up 40 props and 85 comments. Said pokydoke: "Religious groups need to get over their irrational fear of gays and lesbians." DaneL put up some regional resistance to gay rights: "God's greatest gift to man is a woman, not another man. We don't have much of a homosexual community here in Wyoming." Replied Ciera-Marie: "Yes, you do. You just choose to ignore that cowboys can be straight and gay. Same with cowgirls."

Elsewhere, "Recession Fueling Right-Wing Extremism in U.S., DHS Says" rang up 105 props, 18 drops, and 248 comments. There was some lively debate about exactly how to define modern conservatism. Said Beau7890: "In 1976, today's mainstream conservatism would have been considered right-wing extremism.... Only over the past 30 years has what is now known as "mainstream conservatism" shifted into an extremist, party-first, far-right organization that Lincoln, Eisenhower and Goldwater wouldn't recognize." Another member, lonejim, suggested that such "extremists" were actually defenders of democratic (and capitalistic) tradition: "There are still real Americans that want to protect our rights and preserve our way of life. We don't want to another socialist state."

The same story also inspired some debate over whether Obama intended to enact strict gun-control measures. Broadcasting live from Fayetteville, scott4261 noted: "I live in Arkansas and I can tell you with certainty that my congressional delegation would vote against any restrictions in gun laws. And to tell you the truth, anything more than a reinstatement of the Brady Law would be a waste of Obama's time." But MisterX still feared that the president would use the judicial branch to confiscate America's weapons: "We have a Supreme Court that upholds the 2nd Amendment by a 5-4 vote, and our far-left president will soon have the opportunity to replace a few of them." (Replied djn3nunez3: "Obama has been moving towards the center since he got the nomination.")

Yes, folks, the partisan battles raged pretty hard over the last week. Wasn't there some uplifting story the Propeller community could get behind without regard to political creed? That would be the post about frumpy, 47-year-old Susan Boyle blowing the minds of the cynical panel on Britain's Got Talent. Whether you're a fan of American Idol-style pageantry or not, it's hard to resist this demonstration that the young, pretty, and vapid have no monopoly on actual talent.

MAN POWER

Which story inspired the lengthiest conversation last week at Propeller? That would be "Karzai: Controversial Afghan women's law to be reviewed," with 41 props, 382 comments, and a mind-blowing 127,275 page views. AbuAmirah expressed his opposition to the law in blunt terms: "Instead of creating these stupid-ass laws, the Afghan government should be thinking about how to make the daily lives of their people better, [by] improving their infrastructure, making sure kids go to school, and rooting out the Taliban." Added wtagg (alluding to sections of the law that give a husband a good deal of control over conjugal relations): "Why a man would be interested in a woman that has no interest in him, is beyond my understanding."

Rocmistro came to the law's defense, arguing that non-Westerners might perceive marriage very differently: "In the United States and other developed nations, we have material wealth, careers, hobbies, and the time to pursue them, to make us feel good about ourselves. They don't have that. The need to have a wife who is 'interested' in you is less important than the need to have a wife who 'obeys' you... We call ourselves an open-minded people, but until we really wrap our heads around what it means to be from another part of the world, we will always judge and condemn other cultures." But SeekingWisdom refused to take the relativist bait: "So because Afghan men are weak-minded little boys--who can't think with their brain, but rather with what is between their legs--they choose to dehumanize the women they lust for, and abuse and enslave them as punishment for their own lack of maturity and manhood?"

Airlight, meanwhile, brought the debate back home with a few comments about her relationship with her fiancée: "He refers to me as his master, his lover, his great happiness and hope. We love each other dearly, but I will not submit myself to him whenever he pleases, he's learned that the hard way." Responded jharris352-43: "I wish you well, dear." (Added BigRonFH: "Obey me, woman!)

What followed was a fuller exposition of conjugal philosophy from jharris352-43: "Women are and should be the property of men. They should not be abused, but they should be obedient.... Not 50 years ago this was common philosophy here, until men lost their minds and bought into the feminist agenda." Replied christian81: "It's called evolution. Come with us or hop back into your cage." Meanwhile, sallies1962 declared her unwillingness to toe the patriarchal line: "I have a 153 IQ, why in the world would I blindly follow anyone? I would be hard-pressed to find a man intelligent enough follow. I am sorry you feel that you are superior because you have an 'outtie' and I have an 'innie'! Common sense should dictate who leads and who follows."

NEWS FROM ABROAD

Barack Obama's trip to Europe inspired several lively posts. "President Barack Obama rejects allegations that US at war with Islam" generated 92 props and 255 comments. Natureboy agreed that we were not fighting a war against Islam, but added his own interpretation of events: "What we're fighting in the Middle East (and sub-saharan Africa) is the global oil war. It's realpolitik all the way, and the sooner you realize that, the better." Said engineer: "[Obama]'s not against Islam. He's against the crazies who only want suicide bombers, rockets, and mortars, and don't give a damn about life.He wants peace where the crazies do not." Tcaros seemed to agree: "Obama is exactly correct we are not at war with Islam. Once America peeled back the onion, we exposed the lies of the Bush administration and their war profiteers." But not Sandmonster: "I AM at war with [Islam], and always will be."

Meanwhile, "Obama Apologizes to Europe for US Arrogance in Liberating Their Asses on Numerous Occasions" rang up 50 props, 35 drops, and 211 comments. For antibrainwasher, the article was pure piffle: "You right-wing morons are predictable as a baby crying or a poodle barking. All negative all the time, full of sound and fury signifying nothing." Not so, said GLee: "Obama speaks for himself and his libby friends only. Almost half of America isn't buying his BS and that number is constantly growing, thanks to Obama himself." A similar response came from RedRiverJ: "He has embarrassed himself, degraded the office of the presidency, and probably hacked off half of America."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

With the last election disappearing in the rear-view mirror, Sarah Palin (or at least her extended family) continues to fascinate much of the American public. "Sarah Palin Not Very Happy With Levi And His Sex Talk On Tyra Banks Show" generated 38 props and 177 comments. Said not2needy: "Didn't Bristol Palin go on record as saying that abstinence was unrealistic? Sarah Palin should stop this farce, she's in up to her neck in lies!" Replied ADAGUY: "I don't really have that much of a problem with the Palin family, although if Sarah Palin allowed these kids to live under the same roof, that alone tells me that she is not a conservative, but that she is a fool!" (For tanglang, the whole dispute about the Palin clan was a media sideshow: "Everybody has some in-laws with problems. You're a twit for caring about BS like this.")

Elsewhere, the capture of a rare megamouth shark got the community's attention. Eagle_Eye expressed a certain gratitude that there were still new things to be found under the sun: "I find it really amazing that there are still unknowns in this world, and each day there are discoveries and revelations regarding the world and universe we live in." There were also a few moments of partisan mirth, like this one from LuisR: "Are you sure it was a megamouth shark those Filipino fishermen caught, and not Glenn Beck swimming?" And on a related note, "The Miseducation of Glenn Beck" rang up 88 props and 104 comments. Said Beau7890: "Beck is a true follower of the American way, getting rich by cynically playing to the fears and prejudices of the ignorant and easily misled." Replied Locky12: "And Colbert's nightly romp of sarcasm? No ideas of his own, just rip down whatever is there. I'll take Beck." Take a look at the video below, folks, and decide whether Beck or Colbert was the last man standing.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The 10.31 Project
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION?

The liveliest story this week by a wide margin was "Congresswoman Bachmann Urges Armed Uprising," with 117 props, 4 drops, and 326 comments. "Diva la Revolucion!" exclaimed jovial, who also posted the story. "[Does] calling for a rebellion against the government whilst working for that same government constitute treason?" Added Beau7890: "Bachmann's lucky she's not black and living in Chicago in the late '60s. Under those circumstances, the Chicago Police Department would have used that language to justify bursting through the doors of her house at 4 AM and gunning her down in her bed." And cowboygrandpa suggested that Bachmann and her cabal might actually have some diabolical affiliation: "I wonder if when you get close to them you can smell the sulfur when they burp?"

But at least one member, parkplace, thought that the congresswoman's call to insurrection was justified: "Obama is the one with the Malcolm X agenda... to reduce the US to a needy, non-productive, government-reliant population. Tell me, what government agency runs well?" (Replied cleare: "So I guess you think the US military is also a failure? And I suppose you don't think your state, county or city police or fire departments are effective?") Another, willottica, argued that Bachmann's comments had been taken out of context: "It is fairly obvious from the context of her remarks that she was talking about arming people with knowledge. That it was a metaphor. In context, these remarks were not inflammatory nor inciting." And flyonthewallz also argued that the story was making a polemical mountain out of a molehill: "Calling the loyal opposition white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, [or] separatists is, to my mind, counterproductive. There are 256+ shades of gray." But Spadecaller wasn't buying: "She belongs in the hat factory with a lifetime supply of straw."

SENATORIAL SMACKDOWN

Another congressional smackdown prompted a similarly fiery thread. "GOP Sen. Promises 'WWIII' if Franken Legally Seated Before Federal Appeal" rang up 106 props, 3 drops, and 200 comments. RedRiverJ went to bat for Republican contender Norm Coleman: "Here's a new flash, perhaps Coleman thinks Al Franken is a cheat and a liar." There was a similar response from kneader: "[Franken] certainly is a cheat, since he couldn't accept defeat when the election was over and had to buy the votes through a 1870s hand count."

Ciera-Marie took the opposite tack, lighting into what she saw as Coleman's fakery: "Fight back my ass. He's preventing Minnesotans from having a representative in DC. He's a bully, sore loser, hypocrite (said he would not do what he is doing right now), who is just delaying the process." Franken had some other hardcore defenders. Said mesodude: "You just reminded me that Republicans being such sore losers and obstructionists will all but assure that this time next year there will be more than a 60-seat majority. Thanks for doing our campaigning for us." Added epiphannyy: "This, from the same party that fought so tenaciously in 2000 to prevent a state run recount in the Bush vs. Gore election. Now they want MULTIPLE state run recounts when THEY are the ones needing the votes? Yet another prime example of GOP hypocrisy in action." Noted moongrim: "Florida, 2000, Deja Vu. At least Gore was enough of a gentleman to concede the race." (To which Natureboy replied: "I beg to differ. If you posit that Gore truly did get the majority of votes, then his unwillingness to press the case was a betrayal of the voters.")

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

A story about Barack Obama issuing a pink slip to the head of General Motors generated 98 props, 3 drops, and 206 comments. Some members, like Hhussk, disapproved of the president's action: "I do not accept that the President can unilaterally tell a CEO he is fired." Justice4All concurred: "I agree. Obama should not be running GM. He's too busy. He should have let them fail. Ford and Chrysler would pick up the slack and besides, they are better companies." But chevydog defended Obama's right to apply pressure to the ailing automaker: "If you provide the money, you hold the power. If you don't want to adhere to the conditions, don't ask for the money. Don't see that Obama is doing anything different than a commercial banker might under the circumstances."

Elsewhere, the community sounded off on pets, video games, and Britain's most spoiled teenager. The latter story generated 111 props and 16 comments, including this sardonic assessment from ravi2288: "What a lucky boy, [with] everything in life--except for education, ambition, self-respect, good manners." Meanwhile, two members used the occasion for a little partisan mudslinging. Said Dionys: "Sounds like a Republican-to-be." Replied Autumnfrost: "Hmmm, lazy, waiting for others to make the money for him, not having to work for anything? That sounds just like a Democrat to me." (There was also a grammatical spat about the use of "spoilt" in the headline.) And finally, there was this video of ZZ Top performing their classic (and self-descriptive) "Sharp Dressed Man." Can anybody truly resist those dance moves, those pointy boots, and those high-maintenance beards?

MINISTRY OF FEAR

Which story ignited the longest conversation at Propeller last week? That would be "Hannity Wants You To Think Terrorists May Be Your 'New Neighbors'," with 109 props, 11 drops, and 237 comments. For jovial, who posted the story, it was all about partisan manipulation: "Fear is the Republican's secret weapon against American society. When will the base stop trying to sell this baseless fear to the American people?" Another member, simonsez, saw a more pervasive problem: "Everybody uses fear to push everything. We're supposed to fear our food, water, air, (secondhand) smoke, medicine, car, terrorists, marijuana, lead, mercury, heating, cooling, and the other political party."

Meanwhile, willottica attempted to distinguish between fear-mongering techniques on either side of the aisle: "Sure, they both use fear. Republicans are tending towards the fear that encourages hatred and discrimination, Democrats are tending towards fear that encourages environmental stewardship, and, at worst, accepting higher taxes." Throughout the thread, Hannity took a pretty substantial beating. But at least one member, tiredofwhiners, gave an enthusiastic plug not only to the Fox commentator but to several of his peers: "Since all the libs here watch Hannity so intently, I recommend Lou Dobbs, Glen Beck, [and] Huckabee, [as well as] Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Michael Savage. What great Americans and what great ideas they have!" (Replied kfolive: "Name just ONE great idea! I dare you!")

PENNY WISE

"Republicans Predict Federal Bankruptcy If Obama's Budget Passes" rang up 41 props, 6 drops, and 177 comments. Again, much of the conversation divided sharply along party lines. For vor, the GOP was simply huffing and puffing: "The Repubs will make some phony baloney proposal calling for massive tax cuts, even for middle- and lower-class citizens they could really care less about. But they have no hope of passing anything, so they can put out whatever fluff they want [in an] attempt to fool the masses." Replied slate: "Though I am strongly vocal against the way [Obama] has handled things, I do hope that he can turn things around, since his failure means our failure. It just seems that thus far, he hasn't made the right choice in the young [Geithner] and how he's chosen to go about this change." To which wtagg responded: "The real takeaway will be if we, the citizenry, learn anything from this ordeal. Unfortunately, I would tend to think not. We will continue to vote based on marketing vs. skill and performance."

It was rimbaud who shifted the conversation away from the two-party juggernaut, fingering the untrammeled financial system itself: "Neither party created this mess: Wall Street did! All Phil Gramm showed us is what happens when you let the chase after investment gains go unregulated. As Alan Greenspan put it, he was wrong only in expecting them to act responsibly." And amazed insisted that Congress already had a good example right under its nose when it comes to austerity spending: the public. He wondered why the federal government couldn't follow suit: "Before everyone starts telling me how impossible this is, businesses and homeowners have been doing this for years. Each time taxes and/or fees go up, we must make do with less. There can be NO exceptions to this policy in order for it to work. Once one group can convince Congress that they are more important, then the whole thing would fall apart." Finally, Sludge-Guzzler wished that the conversation on this humble website could factor into the national discourse: "It's unfortunate that some of the good ideas posted here on Propeller will simply stay on Propeller." (Hear, hear!)

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Although the fiscal crisis and partisan wrangling got their share of attention this week, a few left-field stories also fired up the community. "UK Motorist Stopped by Police for Laughing" bagged 26 props, 16 comments, and 5,845 page views. Said StevieGee: "I hope I don't get pulled over for looking cool." Added BronxBomber: "It could've been much worse, he could've been charged with a felony for breathing too hard." There was also "Marie Douglas David Divorces Husband George, Says $43 Million Post-Nup is Not Enough," with 83 props and 16 comments. Opined SenorCoconut: "I have one word: greed!" Replied an antic hefaa1: "The countess is right. Forty-three million dollars is beer money." Tspoon adopted a more punitive line: "Take everything she has and put her in a soup line." And finally, to end things on a cheerful note, there was this YouTube video of the Mamas and the Papas performing (or at least lip-synching to) "Monday, Monday." Feast your ears, folks. And dig that Nehru jacket with the epaulettes!

MATTERS OF FAITH

Among the top stories over the last week was "Why the Islamic Religion is Not Totalitarian," with 118 props and 141 comments. Goppy got the ball rolling by arguing that "the Islamic religion is a religion of peace" (adding that he thought the same thing about most other faiths). This got a sardonic response from cowboygrandpa: "As long as men run [religions], they are going to be contaminated by the desires of men." Added Shana4Liberty: "I hear regularly that all Muslims are bloodthirsty haters who want to destroy America. It's wearying. Especially since I have Muslim friends who want nothing but peace."

Sandmonster, however, was not convinced: "I do not want the Islamic religion in my country! I am an American, I am not a Muslim.... Just keep that dark religion in your corner of the world." Replied Dionys: "Does that mean we should keep Christianity in that corner of the world, too? After all, it is an Eastern religion, founded in the exact same region." ("Too late!" added rimbaud. "Islam is the fastest growing religion right here in the USA, with more than 5 million members.) For alamintalib, it was pointless to rank the faiths like football teams: "This world is full of imperfect people, nations, and governments. As a African-American and Sunni Muslim convert from Christianity, I can attest to embarrassments and triumphs to both of these groups." But it was cleare who fired an ecumenical shot across the bow: "I think it is important to remember that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all related. Kind of like first cousins once and twice removed. Jews wrote the Old Testament, Christians the New, and Muslims accept both as part of their teachings.... Bottom line we are all brothers and sisters under God."

PAYDAY AT AIG?

"Obama tries to block AIG's bonuses" also got a lively conversation going, with 104 pros, 3 drops, and 137 comments. One member, monicachenoa, thought it was too late to whine about the AIG payouts: "It is the cost of doing business. You cannot close the door after the horse is out. Bonuses were approved before the bailout and have to be paid." Meanwhile, wtagg opposed not only the bonuses but the retroactive proposal to recover them via special, sky-high tax rates: "The tax attempt is going down the wrong avenue. The proper avenue would have been to let AIG fail, just like any other business." Said Endoscopy: "I totally agree. The problem is that Congress will never let AIG fail. That is where their retirement funds are, if I remember correctly."

Ciera-Marie steered the discussion back to basics: "The money wasn't supposed to go for bonuses, anyway. Besides, the ones that took the bonuses got themselves into this mess--and then they're rewarded for screwing up?" Global_Warmer shot back that the government had no right to tell AIG how to divide up its welfare check: "Since when does government run private business?" Responded hyperbola: "These are far from private businesses, given the amount of public money they are receiving. Frankly, these people knew they were running a corrupt 'bucket shop' scam. They should be indicted, tried, and jailed. And as much money as possible recovered from them."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

In "Obama's No Socialist: I Should Know," an actual, card-carrying socialist declared that the president "may in fact not even be a liberal." The post rang up 73 props, 6 drops, and 179 comments, including this jaded assessment from BigBadJohn666: "You really think a Commie organization would rat out their favorite Commie?" Said scott4261: "Obama's not a socialist. Nor am I, but I am closer than he is." To which simonsez replied: "If he is not, he sure plays a good one on TV." Elsewhere, the Propeller community sounded off about narco-trafficking, Joe Biden, and the imminent flooding of America's coastal cities (just wait for the boom in beachfront footage when Akron, Ohio is on the water).

And finally, there was "Jon Stewart Gets Serious With Jim Cramer," with 98 props, 2 drops, and 77 comments. At least one member, libsRfunny, had little patience for Stewart's chuckling assault on the CNBC star: "Stewart is a comedian/entertainer. But you liberal types are dumb enough to think entertainers somehow are imbued with superhuman intellect and powers." Others seem to savor every minute of the video. Said MRCOFFEECAKE: "Stewart showed his truly human (common guy) side, and Cramer, much to his credit, seemed to take it all as if he were in a confessional." But for truthiness, most of the crooks were guilty of negligence rather than premeditated theft: "While there are some true villains like Madoff, most it was like being at a party with a tragic ending. Everyone's having such a good time getting drunk together, no one realizes they've set the drapes on fire." Visitors can decide for themselves, by watching the video below. See you next week, folks. And welcome back, ind06!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Important Things w/ Demetri Martin Political Humor

Alas, our beloved James Marcus is missing in action for this week's Propeller Week In Review. James is at the National Book Critics Circle awards, where he is on the board of directors. We wish him happy voting and many free books (although, I've been to his house, he REALLY doesn't need any more books. And he would be happy to see me remember to put the period inside the closing parenthesis just now--one of my punctuation blind spots.)

What was your favorite story of the week? Tell us in the comments. Mine was the Wired story about the $100m diamond heist.

STUDIES IN BLACK AND WHITE

Which story prompted the most extensive conversation at Propeller this week? That would be "Public Works Employee Gets Probation For 'Whites Only' Sign," with 36 props, 866 comments, and 54,901 page views. Many members were appalled by the prank. Said TimALoftis: "Why someone would ever want to display such [a sign] is beyond me." Replied HezekiahL: "Massive flatulence of the cranium would be my guess. It's a condition brought on by lack of use." Some argued that this was a tempest in a teapot, and that black Americans had their own exclusionary institutions. This was certainly the line taken by bree_zee: "I agree the sign was stupid, but no more stupid than allowing the Congressional Black Caucus to ban whites, the BET channel to remain in existence, or the Miss Black America pageant to run." Replied gobsmacked: "There's no such thing as 'blacks only' magazines or blogs. They may feature articles and models who are black, and information pertinent to the black community, but you're welcome to read them, too. Same for black colleges."

But among the most interesting comments was this one, from a member claiming a familial connection to the guilty party in the story. Said freckles2009: "I personally know this man, he is my BROTHER! All of you shouldn't judge him, because you have no idea what has gone on.... He's a very loving man and our Mom adopted 6 black children, he's not racist. When he hung that sign, he never thought of the repercussions. His family has been through a great deal since this has happened, Jim is very remorseful and he regrets what he did."

A related story, "Mayor Hits Rough Patch Over Watermelon Pic," racked up 33 props, 261 comments, and 37,841 page views. Again, the thread was split between outrage and stalwart defenses of the mayor. Said dovelyn: "He is guilty of bad character. Even the fact that he thinks that his explanation is acceptable is clear demonstration of his lack of moral decency. PS: I'm so WASP it's embarrassing." For gamahuche, it wasn't so much bad character as bad judgment in play: "This 'joke' obviously really sucks, but it IS difficult in the US to be 100% politically correct all of the time towards everybody." But CaptainLucid wasn't buying: "Pull up with a truckload of watermelons to Oakland or Harlem, and start handing them out and calling it a federal stimulus plan. Have your next of kin post the video." There was a similarly pugnacious response from dannyted: "I am Jewish, some kid in my son's school dropped a quarter on the floor and told my son to go pick it up. My son clocked him. While it is true there may be too much PC in our lives, this incident is far too flagrant to be in that category."

RUSH TO JUDGMENT

Rush Limbaugh hit the sweet spot once again, with multiple stories in our Top Twenty. "Cantor, Steele repudiate Rush; wingnuts freak out" bagged 103 props, 6 drops, and 230 comments. Goppy predicted (correctly, as it turned out) that Rush would win the smackdown with GOP chairman Michael Steele: "While Steele seems like an honest, good person, it is this very quality that makes him out to be not a good fit for a political party that gleefully embraces torture, welfare for the wealthy, and keeping children from getting healthcare." Added Tanget001: "Steele has already 'kissed the ring.'" This act of contrition would not be enough, predicted jovial: "He's got to kiss up a lot more than that to get back in Rush's graces. He'll have to go on national T.V. or radio and humiliate himself before the entire world."

Broadening the conversation, rightfromwrong said: "The Republicans are no different than Muslims. They have their believers and then they have their fanatical element." Responded AbuAmirah: "So do Christians and Democrats." To which tanglang responded: "Abu, this was a rare but well deserved plus vote from me." (Abu's answer: "Kinda makes you think about the bizarro world we're living in, doesn't it?")

Meanwhile, there was also "Rush Limbaugh Challenges President Obama to a Debate," with 37 props, 5 drops, and 284 comments. For mesodude, there was no point in the president even considering Limbaugh's challenge: "If you thought Sarah Palin was obnoxious for brushing Gwen Ifill aside, magnify that exponentially and you have Rush Limbaugh. He will turn it into another disgusting neocon freak show." Not so, argued country_music69: "We are not intellectually lazy or anything else you said. There is nothing wrong with Rush wanting to debate Obama. Palin 2012!" Added flyonthewallzz: "Rush Limbaugh for President!" But epiphannyy suggested that the country would be better served by a gladiatorial contest between Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann--a match-up he described as "the yin and yang of political bloviators going head to head in a winner-take-all championship."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

The most extensively viewed story of the week was "Teenage office worker fired for moaning on Facebook about her 'totally boring' job," with 37 props, 367 comments, and 71,922 page views. PsychoHosebeast had little sympathy for the ex-employee: "Needed: Office worker. The terminally stupid need not apply. Let's see, you post something on the Internet, then you whine that your boss was being nosy?" Replied opinionated2234: "She probably didn't make the best choice, but she's 16. I'm sure at her age you probably hated your job too, if you even had one!" Said Medic_Man: "Unfortunately for most people, employers have the right to fire anyone for any reason they deem worthy. Thankfully in the US we can file for unemployment if this happens." To which heavysigh responded: "You are not eligible for unemployment comp. if you have been fired for just cause--like excessive stupidity."

Elsewhere, the Propeller community sounded off about porn, identity theft, and Bobby Jindal. And then there was this post, about Irish carrier Ryanair's plan to charge passengers for using the toilet, which racked up 36 props, 108 comments, and 25,925 pages views. Here was a rare moment of Propellerian unanimity: nobody thought it was sound business strategy to monetize the potty. Said janey1079: "What if someone had a bladder issue or a case of the runzy-bunzles? I'm curious to know how they plan on charging these people." Added vikus13: "What next? Charging us for breathing on the plane?" Replied Charlson: "Only inhaling, the exhaling is free." Check out the video below, which gives the airline some major flack for its penny-pinching ways. The clip, we should point out, is satirical--but only just.

MONKEY BUSINESS

A recent, controversial cartoon in the New York Post ignited one of last week's most fiery conversations. "Hundreds protest cartoon depicting Obama as a chimpanzee shot and killed by police officers" racked up 92 props, 8 drops, and 213 comments. BronxBomber wasn't surprised by the source of the cartoon, a publication he called "a glorified supermarket tabloid trying to pass itself off as a legitimate newspaper." Another member, b-happy, saw nothing wrong with the cartoon: "I guess it's OK for people to print postcards of Bush as a chimpanzee, but because it's Obama, it's racist." But cowboygrandpa thought differently: "Pure and simple gutter bigotry! From pure and simple gutter bigots!"

Meanwhile, libsRfunny accused the protestors of knee-jerk PC piety: "It's pretty obvious to me the point made by the cartoon is that a trained monkey could have done just as bad a job of writing the latest boondoggle, [which the] Democrats refused to allow members of Congress to see before they actually voted on it!" Lincoln85 agreed: "Purely a jab against Congress as the group that wrote a bill that a monkey could write. The Obama thing is ridiculous." But for frctm5, the jab was unquestionably aimed at Obama, even if Congress was responsible for creating the stimulus bill: "No president write his own bills. That is the job of lawyers and clerks. However, they are often associated with legislation that they asked for, and Obama is the most high-profile person associated with the stimulus bill." (For a current story involving similar issues, take a look at "Mayor Hits Rough Patch Over Watermelon Pic.")

DON'T KISS, DON'T TELL

Which story got the most attention over the last week? That would be "A Kansas National Guard Member Returns From Iraq To A Girlfriend's Kiss... And A Discharge," which generated 51 props, 3 drops, 734 comments, and 104,233 page views. One member, 4eversoldier, had little sympathy for Amy Brian, who was drummed out of the Guard after being caught kissing her girlfriend while off-duty at Wal-Mart: "Since she knew what she was doing, she should take it like a man." Neither did 89B_Sara, herself a Guard member: "She knew the rules and she made the mistake herself. The only person to blame is herself, she should be keeping that kind of PDA with her girlfriend in private, not for everyone to see." But raplh ridiculed the idea that Brian's behavior would have been a shock to anybody : "Oh please, I was a member of the Military Police... Alpha 795th. Most women in are gay and everybody knows it!"

JBH expressed some distaste any display of public affection, gay or straight, but defended Brian's right to serve: "I don't agree with her being kicked out of the military just because she is gay. She served her country well. One's sexual orientation should NOT be the basis for allowing or not allowing one in the military. Both can serve and protect this country we all call America!" But it was wahoolaca who enlisted an unlikely voice for the defense: "If she was out of uniform and off base, it shouldn't be anybody's business, and the person who reported her is pond scum. As the late, great Barry Goldwater said, 'I only care that soldiers can SHOOT straight.'" Added NYlover: "My uncle served in Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and Iraq, was decorated many times, saved dozens of lives directly with bravery and many more with his leadership. He was homosexual, and his little bigoted buddies didn't know until his funeral, when the family let his partner of 40 years run the proceedings."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Wisconsin student arrested, fined for repeated texting" rang up 58 props, 3 drops, 458 comments, and 51,775 page views. Said mack083184: "I guess this is the beginning of a police state, [where] you can get fined and robbed by the police for doing stuff that is not illegal." Replied Rocketman2005: "Police state? Maybe if her parents had taught her a shred of respect, she would not be in this situation. I teach at a university and if a student's phone rings, he or she is asked to leave the room for the rest of class." To which Glimsong responded: "I still think this is a heavy-handed approach. We should not be disciplining children at school by having them arrested for nonviolence." Meanwhile, gsmittle expressed some disappointment that harsher tactics weren't widely available to teachers: "Unlike a tenured university professor, I can't simply throw a kid out of my classroom. No Child Left Behind and all that. I have to keep the buggers in class no matter how badly they want to be left behind."

Elsewhere, Propeller members sounded off about Putin, pork, and UFOs. And finally, one member posted a clip of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone." Said Newperson, who was the original poster: "I was trying to show a video that we all could relate to. Just when we think we have it so bad, there are a lot of folks worse off." Added Ciera-Marie, an obvious fan: "A MN original, hero, classic, and one whose songs never go out of style. Thanks for posting this. Love Bob Dylan." At least one member, billeater, was a little more skeptical about the Bard of Hibbing: "Go Bob D. Nothing says America like an unattractive man with a terrible voice that becomes a music icon." But hey, you can look at the (different) video below and decide for yourself!