SPIN DOCTORS

With 150 votes and 436 comments, "Iran installing new centrifuges" was among our top stories of the week. As earthlingerer saw it, the Iranians had nothing to apologize for: "If I were Iran, with nukes on either side of me, and the 'world police' kicking in my neighbors' doors, shooting everyone in the face, and then stealing all their valuables, you can bet I'd be looking to create some 'back up.'" M. Simon gave this argument a tongue-in-cheek endorsement: "How will they be able to keep hanging 16 yr old gays if the USA deposes their government? We need to keep our hands off their culture." That last comment led to a mini-detour about gay rights in Iran--surely still in their infancy--as well as a little-known factoid from wasntme: "Iran has the world's most active sex-change hospital. All one needs are recommendations from two doctors. For four thousand dollars a pop, a man becomes a woman and vice versa." But as the conversation veered back toward Iran's growing nuclear muscle, Dicax Maximus held out little hope for negotiations with Ahmadinejad: "Talking to a sovereign nation is one thing, talking to a nutter who wants to remove another sovereign nation from the map is another." Bkumm, meanwhile, argued that Iran's anti-Israel rhetoric was mostly posturing: "Iran has no desire (despite their repeated outcries to the contrary) to see Israel off the face of the map. Why would they? Iran's influence is stronger and more far-reaching with Israel intact."

HESTON DEPARTS

The death of screen idol and gun enthusiast Charlton Heston at age 84 touched off some predictable disagreements at Propeller. HOUSEMD saluted Heston's acting skills and marital longevity: "Great actor, great man. One in a million from the Hollywood crowd that stayed married more than 24 hours." Poulenc took more of a wet blanket approach: "RIP, but please! Bad (OK, mediocre) actor--and a gun-hugger. Let's not let nostalgia for the movies of our collective youth cloud our sense of who the man actually was." This prompted some point-blank exchanges all around. Said 4mogger: "You are entitled to your opinion. And I am entitled to call you a slackjawed liberal. Thanks again to Heston and all of those like him that serve the cause of freedom every day." He was seconded by avoth: "Are people who, for whatever reason, badmouth the dead (especially among those who hold the deceased in high esteem) worth our attention?" Meanwhile, bluenote1522 delivered a mixed verdict, taking Heston's acting with a grain of salt but admiring his old-school class: "My wife loved this guy. I always liked him but thought his acting rather robotic. Admired his commitment to family as well. We have lost a bit of Hollywood with his passing. Old Hollywood, that is--I wouldn't give you a plugged nickel for today's Hollywood." Added GloryB: "RIP, Moses and Ben-Hur."

RECESSION ON THE WAY?

"Fed Officials Worried About Recession" got 185 votes and 69 comments. Some members, like not2needy, sounded a note of panic: "Black Tuesday! Looks like that's where we are headed again. I wasn't around during the Depression, but my mother told me many things about it. I don't want to go there!" GHOSTWHOWALKS had little in the way of encouraging words: "The Fed is doing all it can to insure a complete collapse of the dollar, and [is] being helped by the White House and Congress." It was markmawn2 who injected a little levity into the discussion: "Wow, this is all hype according to my local real estate associations. All good news will bounce back this spring, and house prices will once again be on the rise, and there will be pretty pink ponies for everyone. Ain't no bubble here." What was striking, in fact, was that almost nobody dismissed the economic jitters as Chicken Little behavior. True, amazed urged us to ride out the storm: "Hey, folks! Recessions happen--cyclically and regularly. We are due. No doubt recessions suck, but you just have to hang on through them and hope you come out okay on the other side." Still, the tone was pretty apocalyptic throughout much of the thread. Quite literally, in the case of cushi: "I read the Bible almost every day, and I understand what's coming down the pike! It's truly praying time now, because we're in for a very, very bumpy ride!" Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the Fasten Seatbelts sign. Please return to your seats immediately.

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Which story generated the lengthiest conversation this week? That would be "Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a True Patriot," with 167 votes and 623 comments. As OnionHead pointed out: "This is one article no one in the GOP will read." But the thread also included a bombshell from tanglang--he voted for Gore in 2000!--as well as some background info on that electoral pratfall: "It was not until shortly after the election and my 21st birthday that I sobered up and decided to become a productive member of society as opposed to the pothead liberal dropout that I had been for so long." A story about Condoleezza Rice as a potential vice-presidential candidate also got a big response, with 114 votes and 198 comments. For walden3, the idea of Rice as vice-president was a complete travesty: "What has she done right? Nothing, and that is the only and best reason that Republicans need to give her a promotion." BB64 rose to her defense at once: "Spend time reading her papers, listen to her speak, see the things she and her family lived through. It's shocking someone with her skills and intellect would waste time working for the government. As a people, we're lucky to have her on our side." Elsewhere, the community spoke up about prison closures, textbooks, global warming, and (sssh) performance problems at Propeller. And this story, about buildings made entirely of ice, bagged more votes than any other: 196. Chill out, folks, and we'll catch up on Monday.

THE WRIGHT STUFF

Barack Obama's relationship to his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, has been at storm center the entire week. The lengthiest conversation of the week, with 825 comments, was inspired by "Obama Condemns Pastor But Defends Continued Relationship." Candida defended the candidate from what she defined as an obvious smear: "The preacher is not running for president, and claiming that his rhetoric, which may be offensive but falls far short of hate speech, is somehow reflective of Obamas's thoughts and beliefs is the smear." Another member, ybdogsct, concurred: "Through some torturous logic, some believe Obama espouses everything Wright uttered, despite the fact that Obama is half-white himself and (unlike McCain) has never been quoted uttering racist comments." Other members were far less forgiving of the connection. Said HOUSEMD: "It is just wrong for any senator to participate in anti-American/racist activities. [Obama] should have immediately and strongly condemned this the first time he heard Wright's hate sermons." Another, purpose, was similarly skeptical: "Senator Obama has proven one thing. He still has supporters even after being caught in a lie." But rumple4skin wasn't giving an inch: "Lettin' you know that I am not going to engage in your brand of dispute. Until you have spent time in a Black barber shop, hairdresser, or church, do not attempt to discuss issues you know nothing of other than what you heard on u-tube or faux." Quite a few related stories made it into our Top Twenty for the week, including "Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11" (140 votes, 694 comments), "Ringing the Bell: What Obama's Speech Says," (166 votes, 496 comments), and "A Church Under Attack Says 'No' to the Political Smears" (110 votes, 208 comments). It was the latter story that elicited this vote of no confidence from tkyrchncs: "It is my understanding that when a man of the cloth in full regalia standing at his pulpit on a religious occasion says 'God damn' something (in this case America), it is not just an expletive one might say on mashing his finger. It is calling down the Wrath of God."

BREAKING THE BANK

Another hot topic this week was the ongoing mortgage crisis. With 176 votes and 116 comments, "Mortgage relief plan falling short" produced a spirited conversation. DamnLiberals pinned the blame squarely on the homeowners (especially those who went in to make a quick buck): "Fools rush in.... I look at this as the new Gold Rush where people looking to strike it rich made dumb decisions and lost everything." Grrr had some other culprits in mind: "So it's the borrower's fault, and not the fault of the banks, the Fed, Congress, the POTUS, and Wall Street?" Not so, said TOD396: "No one forced these people to bite off more than they could chew. They made a conscious decision to buy a home and then things changed for them, and they now aren't able to make the payments." But it was IanFraiugun, the rare Propeller member with a degree in accounting, who took a middle course: "I do agree we should not bail out the lenders, because their greed in approving non-viable loans led to their problems. On the other hand, we need to find a way to help those borrowers that we badly misled by the lenders." As Shakespeare, no accountant, advised us in Hamlet: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." Currently both parties are taking it in the head. Could the Bard have been anticipating the subprime meltdown?

HEAT TREATMENT

Global warming never fails to raise the collective temperature of the community, and this week was no exception. "Glaciers Melt At Fastest Rate in Past 5,000 Years" bagged 159 votes and 136 comments. One member, airglide, dismissed the whole scenario: "Try another. An Alaska pilot can no longer land near a glacier where he used to take tourists, because the glacier has grown a half mile in the last two years." Case closed? Not according to wtagg, who insisted that we cast the evidential net a little wider: "Using one glacier is wrong as evidence. Exit Glacier and Portage Glacier are demonstratively retreating. Does that mean we are experiencing global warming? No.... We need to examine all glaciers in context." Meanwhile, at least one member, rwrnae, saw some benefits to a possible spike of the global thermostat: "Wish the damn ice would hurry up and melt, maybe it would drown D.C."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Right to bear arms at heart of high court case" rang up 116 votes and 155 comments, including this sardonic assessment of the Supreme Court from memestryker: "They don't give a rat's behind about the Constitution. They all are there to push their own agendas, and find arguments to support their own bias--on all sides." There were popular stories about the Iraq war, the swooning dollar, and Dick Cheney. Over at Considerable Sounds, the music business was pronounced D.O.A., and blothbelt blamed the industry's woes on its own sloth and inertia: "It needs a serious resuscitation. Mouth to ear in this case. It's as if the music industry is doing its best not to record anyone who is good enough to demand anything." And finally, this post about Sweden's prostitution statutes (very much a post-Spitzer story) sparked a short but fiery exchange. If you're curious, cue up "Private Dancer" and enjoy the thread at your leisure.

HEY, BIG SPENDER

After a week-long hiatus (which found most of the Propeller team in the Lone Star State), we will now resume normal WIR broadcasting. Which story got the most attention during this last period? That would be "Report: Governor Linked To Prostitution Ring," with 266 votes and 512 comments. After BoBo in Texas indicated his good cheer at the governor's fall from grace, he was seconded by SwampFox-82nd: "I am PO'd at any politician who swears one thing, but does the opposite. Further, my Texican friend, I think America is finally getting tired of all this jive from the very people who make and enforce our laws. When did God grant them immunity from the truth?" Radiofreeeuropa found an upside (at least a microscopic one) to the whole mess: "Jeez, at least he had the decency to get a room, instead of a public toilet stall." Not surprisingly, the thread veered into a discussion about the legalization of prostitution--too late for Spitzer, of course--and at least one female member suggested that the men were due for a rude awakening. Said lvrofwolves: "Yeah, like prostitutes are going to raise your kids, clean up after your butt, cook your food, shop for you, [do your] laundry, etc." Meanwhile, when one member argued that Democrats were applying a double standard to the case, splitrch had a vehement response: "I'm not the holier-than-thou type. 'Cold Cash' Jefferson can go to jail. Spitzer can see all of his ambitions turn to ashes in his mouth for all I care." A related story, "Eliot Spitzer Resigns in Disgrace," bagged 182 votes, 186 comments, and the most charitable assessment of the situation, from Silverghost: "Governor Spitzer is a very intelligent man, but our hedonistic society & other bad examples, especially amongst politicians & celebrities, have made faithfulness in marriage more difficult in recent times for all people."

ANIMAL MAGNETISM

The Propeller community paid serious heed to the animal kingdom over the past week. There was "Top 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds," with 180 votes and 189 comments. GHOSTWHOWALKS was quick to defend man's best friend: "Bad dogs are usually owned by bad people who have no idea how to raise a dog in the first place. I've owned all kinds of dogs and not one has ever been dangerous." But another member, tkyrchncs, called for a dose of realism: "One of the sweetest dogs I have ever known was a neutered female pit bull. But just look at these dogs, guys. They are bred to be able to kill more easily than most dogs are, and are likely to be trained and owned by people who like that aggressive and dangerous image." Poodledo put in a good word for, well, poodles: "Get a standard poodle, or two or three, you'll have no worries about aggressive behavior, just lots of fun, love and great companionship." Mutainia, meanwhile, plugged the Boston terrier, comparing the wound-up little mutts to "Peter Lorre on speed." Another story, "Where do abandoned pets go?," did nearly as well, with 169 votes and 55 comments. For bubba2, the ultimate culprits were the fickle owners of abandoned pets: "People treat pets like pieces of furniture--nice to have until they wear out a little, or until it is 'inconvenient' to keep them. Totally and completely irresponsible and ignorant." Without forgiving such behavior in the least, ranchhand noted that we all have our human weaknesses: "I just got a six week old puppy. My daughter can't say no to pets and I can't say no to my daughter." Meanwhile, "Pictures Of Cats: Tabby Cats," rang up 163 votes and 15 comments and this enthusiastic response from THOMNH162: "My heart is filled with kitty joy, it still amazes me what makes the front [page]." And finally, it was Mitt Romney who expressed his devotion to former rival John McCain and called the Arizona senator Big Dog. Just remember: sometimes he bites.

ATTACK AT ISRAELI SCHOOL

Which story generated the most extensive conversation this week? That would be "Muslim Gunmen Kill Eight at Israel School," with 88 votes and 658 comments. The Middle East remains a hot-button issue at Propeller--at times the conversation is so polarized that there seems to be no common ground whatsoever. Yet there were some exchanges that were conducted in a fairly level tone. "Plenty of Muslims shrink in horror at this type of insanity," blinkers told Thinker22, "as much as you do." Replied Thinker22: "So? I do not have any problems with them. I have a problem with even larger 'plenty of Muslims' who dance in joy at this type of insanity, dear." Which led to a comment from AbuAmirah: "Muslims don't support these kinds of attacks. You don't see them dancing in the streets in Mali, Senegal, Malaysia, Sulu, Indonesia, and other Muslim countries." Said muhairi8: "The Prophet said that in times of war we shouldn't kill innocent men, women, children, and religious people. We should not destroy a house, a place of worship, and never kill any animal. That is what I know, and what I believe in." Responded Bobo in Texas: "Unfortunately, millions of your fellow Muslims don't agree with you."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Propeller members raised their hands for "Barack Obama Wins Wyoming Caucuses," with 216 votes and 121 comments. They also made some noise about waterboarding, the deficit, and the, uh, sluggish site performance at Propeller (we're working on it, we promise!). "A New Hope in Cancer Therapy" earned 161 votes and 6 comments, and this caveat from Francisca about the cancer-fighting properties of aspirin: "Thanks. But we must never forget that nothing is harmless." On a lighter note, there were 173 votes and 35 comments for a post from the Onion, "Shroud Of Turin Accidentally Washed With Red Shirt." (Yes, the quips came thick and fast. Said ind06: "Vatican plans to present a more youthful face by tie-dying the Shroud have been put on hold indefinitely." And a riposte from Beau7890: "The Holy Whirlpool 24934 top-load washer! I have one of those!") And finally, there was "What Girls Always Notice On A Date!", with 154 votes and 23 comments. One member, hurr1, sounded a little surprised at the article's revelations: "I always though the first thing women noticed was the shoes the man wore." A reality check came from wasntme: "In my case girls notice the big hands, the big nose, and if they hang around a bit longer they will notice the empty wallet, too." Apparently none of this has prevented the latter member from being a ladykiller--news that globalwarmer greeted with audible relief: "So the package has nothing to do with it? Boy, am I relieved!"

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION?


BUCKLEY DEPARTS

"Conservative Writer William F. Buckley Jr. Dies at 82" bagged 147 votes and 220 comments. Jaydee40 and DropkickaLib mixed it up over the conservative icon's legacy. Elsewhere, though, the tone of the thread was generally respectful, even from those who regarded Buckely's politics as semi-poisonous. "I rarely agreed with Bill Buckley," noted IcCaRus. "However, he was a class act, unlike most of today's pundits." Said joeeddie: "I loved when he turned the corners of his mouth up a little bit in a wry little smile when he was pulling someone's chain. You just knew that the thrill of the pun drove some of his behavior." And as earthlingerer pointed out, the late author took some positions at odds with the mainstream of conservative thought: "Buckley was outspoken in his view that all illegal drugs be outrightly made legal. Crack, PCP, heroin, all the way down to alcohol, caffeine and marijuana." (Historic note: in order to try marijuana without breaking U.S. law, Buckley sailed his yacht into international waters. Typical stoner behavior.) According to slate, Buckley would be in good company in the afterlife: "Remember to say hi to MLK, JFK, and the others when you get there." (To see Buckley's famous spat with Gore Vidal, click here. Not the finest moment for either of these gentlemen, but oddly engrossing.)

THE GENETIC METHOD

As always, several stories about the presidential race were lodged in our Top Twenty. But there was one with a truly novel spin: "Genes may help determine your vote," with 125 votes and 371 comments. Goppy, who posted the article about a recent Vanderbilt University study, kicked off the comment thread with his usual ungrammatical joshing: "Im proud to say that theres now scientific proof that we Conservatives dont use our brains to consider any political cunnundrum." Said rdy2rck: "I always thought some people of both parties used their brains. Guess I'm only using half of mine, then." At some point the conversation drifted over to the hot-button issue of John Edwards's $400 haircut--apparently the senator will never be forgiven for his spun-gold coiffure--and mesodude revealed his liberal DNA: "How much do you imagine you pay for the personal grooming regimen for the Bushes and Cheneys? Just because the Dick only has a couple of strands to work with doesn't mean you're getting away on the cheap." Other campaign-related stories included "Tonight's Debate: Clinton's Last Stand," with 148 votes and 174 comments, and "Michael Savage: McCain much better than Clinton or Obama," with 103 votes and 304 comments. And for those keeping a close eye on the contested Democratic primary in Texas, there was "Why won't Hispanics vote for Obama?" The thread for the latter post included some sharp exchanges. "I'm a Latino who would never in a million years vote for Obama," said JoseMadre, "but not because of his ethnicity. I just don't vote for corrupt socialists." Blackacereturn fired back on Obama's behalf: "I am sure in the end the Hispanics who have suffered along with the blacks in this country will come to their senses. You can remain where you are while wallowing in your bigotry, or you can join a man who will lead a more balance nation."

NUTS AND BOLTS

"Killer robots pose latest militant threat: expert" notched 143 votes and 74 comments. How scared should we be of evil robots? Plenty, it seems. And we're not just talking about that flailing apparatus from Lost In Space, according to Isoparm: "Self-replicating killer nanobots. They circulate in the bloodstream, then clump on cue forming an arterial blockage. Fun stuff, huh?" Of course, some members had a hard time taking the conversation seriously. "Fembots!" exclaimed sumptuousdigs. "Run for your lives! Wait... are those things loaded?" In a similar vein, pawfoots said: "Maybe Tom Cruise will infect them with a strain of a simple human virus that they have no defense against and save the world . . . oh, never mind, that's aliens." But ML2007 steered the thread back to a more serious tone: "How ironic can it be? The US has been on the cutting edge of technology so long, it leads in almost every category of new inventive ideas, especially when it comes to warfare. We are literally inventing our own self destruction."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....


Whatever your feelings may be about killer robots, there are certainly other technological threats on tap. "Seventeen hackers arrested in one night," with 148 votes and 38 comments, offers an excellent example. How should these miscreants be dealt with? As chevydog saw it, a harsh punishment was in order: "I'd make them listen to perpetual insurance pitches by salesmen." But jagcmos had an even crueler scenario in mind: "They should lock them in a room for 10 years and only allow them to use a 486 running Windows ME connected to the Internet via a 1200 baud modem." Elsewhere, Propeller members sounded off on virtuoso kissing and a Bible sex quiz. (Do we see a pattern here?) A story about embeddable GPS tracking chips for children rang up 134 votes and 87 comments, including this blunt reaction from the colorfully named Sludge-Guzzler: "This is a very bad thing!" And finally, there was the duel of the dancing presidents. A fair number of members (104, to be exact) thought that George W. Bush was superior when it came to busting a move. (Watch Dubya strut his stuff here.) Yet "Belarusian president Lukashenko dances better than Bush!" triumphed with 136 votes. Watch the actual video here--and then ask yourself whether closing the "boogie gap" shouldn't be our most pressing national priority.

CUBA LIBRE?

One of our hottest stories this week was "Castro resigns as president, state-run paper reports," with 150 votes and 252 comments. The community was quick to wade in. For loverman, Castro's exit was a cause for celebration, and he wasn't brooking any favorable comparisons to Batista: "Comparing Batista with Fidel is like comparing a high school JV to the NY Giants. Batista was certainly cruel for the short time he was in power (9 years), but Fidel outdid him tenfold." Another member, jmopinion, buttressed this argument with some statistics about Batista-era Cuba. (Example: "In 1958 Cuba had a higher per-capita income than Austria and Japan.") According to tkyrchncs, the United States should have invaded the place a long time ago: "It is a very dangerous thing to keep a scorpion in your pocket, and that is what has happened with Cuba." GregD had a more pragmatic question: "You think this might mean the end of the embargo?" And he got a pragmatic answer from BronxBomber: "I can only hope so! I'm dying for those Cuban stogies!" At which point gamahuche shared this cigar fantasia, which suggests that he may have watched Carmen one too many time: "Recently I got a care package from some English friends who were over there on a visit. A hand-rolled matured beauty--alas, not rolled on the inside of a sultry beauty's thigh, but by the hotel guy where they stayed."

MAC IS BACK

Among the presidential contenders, John McCain seemed to loom largest this week. "Why You're Going To Vote For John McCain and Like It," with 133 votes and 214 comments, stirred up the juices on both sides of the aisle. GLee stepped up for the senator from Arizona: "McCain offers more. Period. I would have gone with Romney but he needs to loosen up his tie a bit next time around." (Would anyone defend Mitt's way with a Windsor knot? Nope.) AlphaGnosis, who posted the originally story, posited a fate worse than death for the U.S. should McCain lose: "A GOP defeat could turn us into a squabbling minority party that is out of power for years while the Left remakes this country in the image of Belgium." For bluetexasvalley, this wasn't so bad after all: "[The Belgians] serve um-um mussels." Just for the record, the beer is pretty damn good too. A related story, "McCain adviser cannot campaign against Obama," raked in 126 votes and 137 comments. One member, oldgringo, saw some turbulence ahead for Democrats and Republicans alike: "I think that once Obama gets the nomination, the attack campaign will begin on both sides, and the candidates themselves may not be able to control the mud their respective parties sling." Another, fempatriot, wrote off the whole two-party system as a hopelessly compromised disaster: "Americans need to wake up and see the two parties for what they are: Tweedledum & Tweedledee--not a nickel's worth of difference [between] them."

ILLINOIS SHOOTING


"Reports: Several people shot at Northern Illinois University," with 126 votes and 259 comments, also prompted a lively conversation. Said mesodude: "Americans are violent. This is indisputable. If the shoe fits..." Which got a spirited response from fishifanb: "I'm an American and I abhor violence. So do all of my friends. Your generalization is very far from being indisputable." Mutania had a different diagnosis: "I have a feeling that this rampage was caused by runaway narcissism brought on by a whacked-out brain chemistry." Several members argued the case for more guns--that way, the Illinois shooter could have been picked off before the death toll started mounting. Hanyman thought otherwise: "A bunch of would-be Rambos carrying concealed weapons would not have the presence of mind to protect the public or distinguish innocent from guilty. Nearly any argument could escalate into a public shoot-out." But BB64 made the case for an armed citizenry: "People who go for the training, get the proper screening, and meet the legal standards should be able to carry a weapon. In the 37 states that permit this, crime is down. Why? Because criminals like soft targets. Easy marks." StillUnashamed seemed to agree: "The problem is not guns but the decay of our society."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Which story collected the most comments this week? That would be "Sleaze charge: I took drugs, had homo sex with Obama," which collected 124 votes and a whopping 821 comments. True, Goppy spent much of the thread dishing out his comedic blend of misspellings and Gomer-Pyle-style incredulity (along with a rogues gallery of Republican sexual offenders). The conversation also detoured into a long argument about gay marriage before returning to the subject at hand. After examining Sinclair's court filing (available at The Smoking Gun), mozzer smelled a rat: "The papers do look official, but what I find interesting is that he filed pro se. To me, that means no competent lawyer would have anything to do with him. He's a nutjob acting on his own." Stay tuned for further updates. A related story, "Larry Sinclair: Welfare Recipient?," bagged another 115 votes and 467 comments. On a more wholesome note, "Teen selflessly helps a pilot out of plane wreck" racked up 128 votes and 12 comments. And elsewhere, Propeller members sounded off on superdelegates, Michelle Obama, and bank profits. Finally, "The Alphabetical Jukebox," a classic Sesame Street video, drummed up a paltry 24 votes but 160 comments, most of them on the goofy side. There was also a spate of dueling videos in alphabetical order--"Bell Bottom Blues," "Cinnamon Girl," "Devil with the Blue Dress," "Free Bird," "Great Balls of Fire," "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," "Monkey Man," and so forth--culminating in "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." We might as well stop there, right?

OBAMAMANIA


Not surprisingly, Barack Obama's trajectory was at center stage this week. "Obama, McCain sweep Potomac primaries," with 121 votes and 260 comments, alarmed at least one member, who begged for a deus ex machina. "Bloomberg," exhorted RedStateLib, "please jump in as a third-party choice!" AlphaGnosis, not a fan, sounded resigned to an Obama in the White House: "Give it up, people, and salute your new president." EDWARDIII wasn't quite ready to fold: "Electing Obama is the kind of measure taken when people feel hopeless and bet on a hunch. The guy's a kid." But writeguy argued that all the candidates were, in a sense, wet behind the ears: "Unless someone is elected to a second presidential term, everyone assuming the 'big chair' in the Oval Office is a rookie." A related story, "Obama Wins Democratic Contests," nabbed 118 votes and 164 comments. Then there was "Rush Limbaugh Endorses Obama," wherein the pill-popping broadcast titan gave the candidate his satirical stamp of approval. For ybdogsct, Rush's endorsement was strictly optional: "Limbaugh's ignorance is contagious. We're all now a few IQ points dumber for having been subjected to [his] ignorant, incoherent, and inarticulate ramblings." RedRiverJ was more receptive to Limbaugh's skeptical take on Obama: "We love hope, faith, charity, all that. But that doesn't wipe out the Taliban inside Pakistan or pay for a trillion-dollar entitlement: universal health care." And finally, this story, with 133 votes and 47 comments, marked yet another victory for Obama: his second Grammy award. "Double dose of bad news today for Hillary Clinton," said david nwpa (he had hoped for an Alan Alda blowout in the spoken word category). Meanwhile, the battle continued in the rest of the thread. HarryWatson00 insisted that the election should hinge on the "personal morals and value system" of the candidate--where, presumably, Obama might come up short. Responded jovial: "The morals we had for the last 7 years included sexual scandal, unmitigated war, torture and detainment camps, carpet bombing, phosphor weapons, depleted uranium contamination of an entire country, and cronyism. Step down from your soapbox."

FROM MONKEY TO MAN

Another hot topic this week at Propeller: evolution. "Why Darwin Matters," with 121 votes and 141 comments, elicited war-weary responses from both sides. Endoscopy took the anti-Darwin line: "There is no factual evidence of one species transforming slowly into another species." After citing various links to the contrary, smithichie added: "I would no more vote for a person who denies evolution than I would vote for a person who denies gravity." But it was tchef who brought to the conversation back to the theological basics: "I'm still waiting for [the] creationists to explain to me why if God created everything, he only takes credit for the good things that I do and I get the credit for the bad things. Last time I checked the dictionary everything meant everything, good and evil." A related post, "Endin' the Feudin' Between Science and Religion," bagged 107 votes and 252 comments. According to sinophil49, both sides in the debate had sins to answer for: scientists shortchange the spiritual aspects of human existence, while fundamentalists mistake the Bible for a history book rather than "an aggregation of spiritual and behavioral guidelines to govern our moral lives and assuage our fear of death by providing some plausible possibility of an afterlife." Edmar14 took a similarly conciliatory tack: "Science attempts to continue where religion leaves off. Whether the universe was created by a big bang does not create a rift in religious belief. The big bang may be what God used to create the universe." With that sort of olive branch in plain sight, what's an atheist to do? Oh, that's right--derive some amusement from "Atheist Sees Image Of Big Bang In Slice Of Toast," an Onion story with 126 votes and 45 comments. Said Scrimshaw: "It's about time we have our day in the sun, especially after all those pictures of Jesus... on everything from a dirty window to a rusty underpass."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Blue Chip panel puts U.S. recession odds at 50 percent," with 125 votes and 51 comments, sparked a lively thread on fiscal realities. The mood was largely gloomy. Said Dicax Maximus: "If the US goes into recession, how long before the rest of the world follows?" Added getreal1: "When it's hard to afford staples like milk, eggs, and bread, you know there is trouble." Only simonsez saw a silver lining: "There is nothing wrong with a short recession; we need to catch our breath every now and then." Stories about global warming, Hillary Clinton, and hypersonic air travel got the community talking. So did "World's Worst Comment," with 110 votes and 317 comments, including this gauntlet thrown down by ameliog: "Any of mine will do. Take your pick." And last but not least, there was "Illiterate teacher taught high school for 17 years," with 163 votes and 127 comments. According to the old chestnut (often disputed), those who can't do, teach. But to judge from this story, those who can't teach--well, they teach anyway. Let chevydog put it in perspective: "Teachers are born, not made. A good one is priceless; a bad one not really worth the paper that the contract is written on."

Several stories about Mitt Romney made our Top Twenty over the past week, charting his rise (such as it was) and fall. Earlier on, there was "Debate Dial Testers: Voters Liked Mitt Romney," with 119 votes and 305 comments, which exposed a real vein of distaste for John McCain. Said Raiderwall: "He was cocky, arrogant, and was mocking Romney." ZiegfeldGirl suggested that the Arizona senator was cruising for a biblical bruising: "As they say, Pride goeth before a fall!" Another story, "Mitt Romney: Faith In America," looked back at the candidate's December 6 speech on religion and politics, and prompted one of the week's best comments from earthlingerer: "How dare you bring concrete reality into this thread!?!?!" Then there was "Rick Santorum and Laura Ingraham Endorse Mitt Romney" (108 votes, 205 comments), and yet another reminder that polling is an art, not a science. And finally, in the wake of his tepid performance on Super Tuesday, the candidate threw in the towel. "GOP sources: Romney to suspend campaign" garnered 157 votes and an impressive 744 comments. GWHayduke wasn't sure that we were seeing the last of Mitt: "He still has the option to flip back to his flop position and get back in the race in the event of a Latter Day miracle." Poulenc, too, chimed in with a sardonic fare-thee-well: "Yeah, losing Mitt's really hard to countenance. Such a noble chin; such a proud brow; such a one-syllable name... " But at least one member, simonsez, regretted Romney's exit: "We throw away a talented candidate in favor of an old warrior way past his prime."



Most Propeller members seemed tickled--and some were outright delirious--when the New York Giants achieved their upset victory in the Super Bowl. Said Bacalao: "I am always happy when the underdog wins (unless I have money on the other team)." Added mozzer: "Freaking fantastic game." There were a few unkind words for the losing Patriots, including this slap on the wrist from icono1: "NE was supposed to go in [and] have another boring super performance with T. Brady rolling up huge numbers while on the way to being coronated as king of the football world, and Belicheck being equated to V. Lombardi, Napoleon, and Alexander the Great..." But in general, the vanquished were treated with courtesy. Said studentambassador: "You gotta love Tom Brady being sacked five, six times." And just for the record, not every single Propeller member was glued to the contest. After stumbling across the comment thread, postaphis chimed in: "Oh yeah, there was a game yesterday. We watched Antiques Roadshow and Poirot on DVD." Tsk tsk, you missed a good one.




The ongoing struggle between Israel and Hamas was also in the spotlight over the past week. "Hamas escalates attacks on Israel," with 48 votes and 149 comments, generated a predictably heated conversation. Said Dionys: "The God of the Muslims is the God of the Jews is the God of the Christians. Kind of makes it difficult for all of them to be God's favorite at the same time." (Thinker22 thought otherwise: "No, he is not. Neither the God of the Jews nor the God of the Christians had Mohammad as His chief prophet.") Commented engineer: "There will never be peace until Hamas and other evil terrorist organizations decide to get along." But cherev argued that a group like Hamas was essentially beyond redemption: "There can never be peace with these organizations. Even if they renounced their methods, as Fatah did, justice demands that they be held accountable for their terrorist acts." There was also "The Strangulation of Gaza," with 82 votes and 278 comments. Aidenag, who posted the Nation article in the first place, argued that the Israeli crackdown on the Gaza Strip had gone too far: "It in fact has many similarities to the Warsaw Ghetto in its early years. Not saying it's the same thing, but nobody can deny the many things the two have in common." This got a pointed response from cherev: "The Arabs of Gaza wanted to be led by terrorists committed to the destruction of the Jewish state and the extermination of the Jews." In the midst of such a polarized debate, it was almost a shock to come across an expression of hope from walden3: "I just have to keep believing that the 'arc of the moral universe turns slowly towards justice.'"



Which story chalked up the most votes this week at Propeller? That would be "US military may not be ready for attack," with 188 votes and 122 comments. (Said splitrch: "Sorry , but I'd rather rely on my Grandma than on FEMA.") Propeller members sounded off on the Clinton-Obama debate, on the Bush budget, and on the Microsoft bid for Yahoo. "Floating rubbish dump 'bigger than US'" earned 133 votes and 60 comments. Dicax Maximus sounded a note of despair about the whole mess (in the literal sense of the word): "The ability of mankind to destroy its home is boundless." Some members doubted the extent of the problem, but joeblowe delivered his own report from full fathom five: "Anyone who doesn't think there is a lot of human garbage in the oceans clearly is not a certified diver. You can't dive anywhere (that I am aware of or have been) that you don't find human trash on the bottom of the ocean." There was more self-examination in "Propellertalk: Bigotry, The Internet, And You," with a lengthy thread of 395 comments. In the classic Propeller tradition, the discussion took some unpredictable detours, including an exchange about the relative merits of tomatoes, ketchup, and beets, which led Bkumm to declare: "Strange world inhabited by strange people. Glad I'm here to see it!" (A second Propeller-driven post, "How To Propel Yourself Around Propeller," bagged 159 votes and 180 comments--and yes, the ketchup roundtable continued in that thread as well.) And finally, there was a much celebrated link to this video of Black Sabbath performing "Paranoid." The sight of a youthful Ozzie O. whipping his hair around took many members back to the good old days. Waxing rhapsodic, mntnman444 recalled: "Black Sabbath was the first concert I ever snuck into back in about '73... deaf for days after!" That "must have been a good concert," responded greenmac. Said mntnman444: "I was gonna say deaf and dumb... but I was dumb before I got there."

BUSH LEAGUE

Although he has been largely overshadowed by the primaries in recent weeks, George W. Bush regained center stage at Propeller this time around. "State of the Union Reactions" notched 211 votes and 325 comments, including a skeptical reaction from rimbaud: "It's all just talk, and more of the same." UnusualSuspect was clearly on the same wavelength: "Same mumbo gumbo... nothing new, but what did we really expect? Can't wait until January 2009." But DamnLiberals stuck up for POTUS, while simultaneously poking at least one Democratic candidate in the eye: "At least Bush knows who the real enemy is, while Hillary creates her own axis of evil inside her own party." Another story, "Bush Would Rather Talk About Sex Than God," disclosed one of the president's lesser known enthusiasms. "The thought of Dubya talking about sex is creeping me out," confessed tomboy501. "Now my whole day is ruined!" But lovemylibs wondered if Bush was being unfairly pilloried: "I think that statement has a little truth for all of the candidates. Except, and only maybe, Huckabee." There was also "The Legacy of George W. Bush's Presidency," with 152 votes and 250 comments. For the most part, the comment thread was a turkey shoot, with Dubya in the crosshairs, but BB64 found some kind words for the guy's reputation abroad: "The leadership may pay lip service to the masses, but for the most part they respect this President. Look at France and the UK, they are actually playing a game of who can be a better friend to the USA."

NOW YOU SEE IT....

"Interrogator: Saddam Faked WMDs to Prevent Iran Invasion" clocked 174 votes and a whopping 496 comments. Clearly the subject of Saddam's chimerical weapons can still stir up a stormy conversation--and the article seemed to supply both sides with ammunition. For eyesopen, Saddam's comments to his FBI interrogator George Piro fully justified the invasion: "If you go around telling everyone you got a gun and are willing to use it, do the cops say prove it before they storm the house?" AlphaGnosis concurred, with an almost audible chuckle: "You lose the argument for all time, liberal moonbats!" But Justice4All raised the issue of Saddam's credibility, given that the wily dictator was known to float an occasional fib: "So we should take the word of Piro about what Saddam wanted us to think? Why not just ask the weapons inspectors who were already in the country?" In any case, MichaelRodente was sure of one thing: "George Soros is not going to like this at all."

PRIMARY COLORS

The presidential campaign also generated its share of votes and comments. "John Edwards to Quit Presidential Race," with 170 votes and 235 comments, caused nostalgia to wonder whether the former senator was "hedging his bets in hopes of the VP nod." Codi6934 got a little wistful about Edwards's exit: "If he was only a conservative Republican. He would be outstanding." A story about Barack Obama's win in South Carolina racked up 160 votes and 273 comments. One member, injest, noted the embarrassing outcome for S.C. native Edward: "Skippy lost his home state. That's really really bad." But catstevens pointed out the small percentage of white voters who abandoned Hillary: "That is not good news going forward for Obama." On the other side of the aisle, "Rasmussen: Romney Pulls Into Lead In National Poll," got 138 votes and 145 comments. Wolfie2007 viewed this as vindication: "I told you guys last week on Propeller that Romney would be the Republican candidate. He's not my choice, but he will be the candidate and the next President of the United States." But smithichie expressed some doubts about this candidate, as well as all the others: "Sometimes I wonder if a Magic 8 Ball wouldn't make the best president." There were also popular stories about the Florida primary and Rudy Giuliani, who has since bowed out and thrown his support behind John McCain. His exit, however, was anticipated by AtheismIsReality: "Rudy will be stomped like a narc at a biker rally. Put a fork in him. He's done." Remember, you read it here first!

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Marijuana vending machines in US" hit the sweet spot here, with 101 votes and 273 comments. There was a fiery exchange about the pluses and minuses of legalizing the drug, with a dose of lucidity from crespi: "No 'recreational' drug is good for children. Common sense." There was also this scientific nugget from earthlingerer: "A very, very big study conducted in many, many universities and even high schools found that marijuana makes people who don't smoke it very, very crazy, even violent." Meanwhile, the story that generated the lengthiest thread this week was "Coping with Bigotry on Propeller." Among the 545 comments were protests against bigotry, some honest self-examination, some apologies, and some fresh accusations. Blackacereturn, citing his "experience as a black man in a world where I am viewed as public enemy number one," insisted that "to end bigotry you must face it down whenever you encounter it, regardless of who is being offended." And in a notably intense conversation, nobody seemed to disagree with that.

RUMBLE DOWN SOUTH

The increasingly heated clash between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama caught the attention of the Propeller crew this week. This story, which focused on the debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, racked up 166 votes and 240 comments. "It's being reduced to personal attacks," said not2needy. "This really disturbs me!" According to aniokly, it was "the Democrats [who] invented the politics of personal destruction. Ask Judge Bork." This prompted a disbelieving howl from scott4261, who saw such dirty tricks originating on the other side of the aisle: "The cancer that is eating the Republican Party alive started with Watergate, [and] continued with Iran-Contra and the unholy alliance with the religious Right (from the moment Ronald Reagan opened his doors to Jerry Falwell)." And finally, dissent tarred both Clinton and Bush (but not Obama) with a dynastic brush: "Presidents are like movies now. Too many sequels." (Incidentally, this was one passionate exchange. By the end, several members were threatening to beat each other up in the parking lot. Please, let's keep it civil.) Also worth mentioning: several related stories about the Republican primary, including "GOP Candidates: Eight Reasons They Hate Mitt Romney," with 119 votes and 267 comments. Would Fred Thompson consider joining forces with Mitt? No way, opined ranchhand: "Fred ain't going to want to be second best man. I can tell y'all that."

HEATH LEDGER'S DEATH

"Heath Ledger Passed Away" quickly accumulated 165 votes and 73 comments. Most members were at a loss for words, even as new facts came to light about the cause of death. "Hollywood is merciless," said BronxBomber. A similar response came from josephbrochin: "Nothing surprises me in Hollywood." For Peleus, shock was mixed with anger: "This isn't a plane crash or heart attack. He willfully made the choice to get involved in drugs (or if it's a suicide, he chose that action.) I feel bad for his family." But Poulenc refused to pass judgment, preferring to dwell on the transcendent aspect of the actor's sadly truncated career: "There's something almost unbearable about the death of the young, talented and beautiful. Beauty is very powerful stuff. It moves us in ways we aren't usually aware of."

BAD COMPANY?

With 155 votes and 218 comments, "Canada manual: US prisoners face torture" was definitely on the radar. The article cited the United States as a nation where inmates might face torture, joining a club that includes Israel, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Syria. TheRealizer had a sardonic response: "Reports like this should make everyone reading [them] proud to be a United States citizen." (Candida's response: "For a few seconds I thought you were serious.") Meanwhile, automan909 saw no reason to apologize: "There is nothing wrong with torture if it is done to save American lives. I am all for it under the right situation. Gitmo is fine with me too. So is dropping a nuke or two for freedom." TonyByron felt the same way: "Yeah, maybe if we sat down with these illegal enemy combatants over tea and cookies, they would tell all they know and come to love us." But loverman wasn't buying: "It's immoral and unethical to think that what we stand for is so trite that its sacrifice is justified for any reason. Besides, torture for information is unreliable, never mind immoral and not the American way." And BravoSierra took the same position: "Whether it is sometimes effective or not, we lose more than we gain by using it. Keeping the moral high ground brings a commitment among righteous warrior and citizens that torture only erodes."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

It was a story about member etiquette on this very site, "No Content = No Vote," that got the most votes this week: 232. The post also inspired a long comment thread, in which most participants swore off voting for flimsy, will-of-the-wisp posts. But the conversation hardly ended there. One member, tomboy501, had some harsh words for Propeller: "The blatant spam that is allowed to propagate [on] the home page here is shocking, especially since this site is groomed by editors and anchors. I can only surmise that they allow it to flourish for a reason"--that reason being the additional traffic brought to the site by spammers. (Wrong on both counts, I'm afraid.) SonOfTheMask defended the right of community members to post lightweight content: "As long as it's not collusive or [the product of] sock-puppet rings, I think it is fine." But Radiofreeeuropa, who wrote the original post, tried to keep the collective eye on the prize. "I certainly am not advocating censorship," he wrote. "I think a lot of us are not using our votes wisely." Wisely or unwisely, the Propeller community voted up stories about ethanol, the super-rich, and power cuts in the Gaza Strip. "'Radical cleric' Mike Huckabee" bagged 427 comments, including this one from Dave59: "I resent his attempt to shove his beliefs into my Constitution." And of course there was "9 Phrases Women Use," a YouTube video aimed at improving male-female relations. IncaQueen summed up the situation nicely with this barnyard vignette: "It's kinda like a cat over a rain barrel, I'm told. He knows if you drop him, he is going in, but he'll still try to claw the crap out of you in the meantime." But wait: isn't that cruel and unusual punishment?

BEHIND BARS

The potential for human error (and horrendous injustice) in any penal system was at the center of a lively conversation this week. "Man Spent 50 Years In Prison Without Trial," with 215 votes and 45 comments, was about a Sri Lankan who sat in remand for a half century. His compensation--the equivalent of $14,000--struck a few Propeller members as reasonable. "To people in some of the remote villages," wrote ThKng, "and even to some of the poorer people in rest of the country, $14,000 is a lot of money." Sandra honestly disagreed: "No matter how much money he gets, he can't get his life back, and that's what really matters." And 1-2-Oscar saw nothing but self-interest in the payoff: "The reason they are discharging him now is because he is old and infirm and caring for him is apparently going to become expensive. Admitting a 'mistake' and dumping him onto the street is an economy measure." Meanwhile, "Death Penalty & Wrongful Convictions" also saw a lengthy debate. "The death penalty is not a deterrent," declared skeptic271. There was agreement from eugenegerard: "Lock them up for life. The state should not be in the business of killing." But for JohnQPublic, a serial killer has forfeited his inalienable right to life: "The only way to deal with a rabid animal is to kill it." Statistics, and some deeply held opinions, were lobbed back and forth, with little resolution in sight.

GOING SOUTH

As the presidential campaign shifted down below the Mason-Dixon line, Fred Thompson regained center stage here at Propeller. "New Poll Says Thompson Gaining In South Carolina" clocked 143 votes and 257 comments. For jovial, the aging actor's run at the White House was impossible to take seriously: "He's got one foot in the grave, and the other on a banana peel." AlphaGnosis shot back: "I hope I can serve you some crow Saturday night. How do you like it prepared?" (Just for the record, the response was with "a little Cajun spice.") A related story, "Human Events Endorses Fred Thompson," earned 129 votes and 318 comments. Then there was "McCain carries too much baggage," which prompted this non-endorsement from AntiNeoCon: "When you get that old, you need to be out fishing or enjoying your retirement, not trying to rule the world." The senator from Arizona got an additional drubbing in "McCain Is the Amnesty Candidate." For ranchhand, the candidate had lost all credibility: "I think he's been in bed with crooked politicians far too long." NelsonR, while disapproving of McCain's immigration policies, still saw a core of decency at work, calling him a "more honorable man than all your other candidates combined." Stay tuned for Saturday night, and remember--there's enough pan-blackened crow for everybody. There might even be enough for seconds.

UNCIVIL WARS

"Stereotypes and Prejudice at Propeller.com" produced this week's longest comment thread, at 595 and counting. JackofallChems wasn't quite ready to beat his rhetorical sword into a plowshare: "There's no point in excessive civility if it keeps you from identifying and abusing fools and fiends that ply their garbage on the Web." But Spadecaller, who posted the original article, made a pitch for exactly that sort of civility: "Haven't we had enough hatred? Why haven't we learned?" It was mesodude who suggested that silence, at least in response to a vitriolic comment, was golden: "Neg trollers are the creatures I deliberately do not neg--because I know they're usually just a bored johnny one-note here to get a rise out of others rather than engage in legitimate debate." Spadecaller also posted this story about Adolf Hitler's relationship to Christianity, which tallied an impressive 541 comments. The debate was vigorous, even if it largely went in circles, since almost no group--neither Christians, atheists, agnostics, nor Buddhists--is eager to claim the demented Führer as a mascot. This was the tack argued by splitrch, who said, "Rather than argue about whether Hitler was or was not a Christian, we need to focus on the effects of fascism on humanity, regardless of religious differences."

AND DON'T FORGET....

The death of 19 bald eagles, who had stuffed themselves on waste material parked outside a fish processing plant, struck a chord with the community. The story racked up 157 votes and 243 comments. Sticking up for these birds of a feather, Eagle Eye noted that "the responsibility for the death of an American Bald Eagle is punishable by law by a fine of up to $500K and 5 years in jail." With 161 votes and 66 comments, "Mysterious $100 'supernote' counterfeit bills appear across world" also got some love from the Propeller crowd. (CaptainLucid offered this quick lesson in Economics 101: "If I have real bills and someone prints a dump truck full of fakes, that will lead to inflation and my real dollars will be worth less.") There were popular stories about global warming, creationism, Internet addiction, and the famous Lancet report on Iraqi casualties. "Nationwide Poll: Fox Most Trusted News for Americans," with 142 votes and 285 comments, immediately turned into a jousting match, with Fox, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and C-SPAN paladins riding into violent combat. Many a lance was broken (and many a poll cited) before the dust settled, at which point Mdiar questioned the validity of the polls themselves: "Wait, they still believe after that Dewey fiasco? I'm confused." And as usual, at least one humorous story made it into our Top Twenty. This week, it was "Secondhand Smoke Linked To Secondhand Coolness," with 173 votes and 18 emphysemic comments. There was a stubborn shot across the bow from denden79: "You have relegated me to doorways, alleys, and my car/home, where I still enjoy my legal habit and right to use tobacco." And ind06 reminded us that there's a whole world of vicarious vice out there, if we're just bold enough to explore it: "Not to mention what secondhand alcohol does for a person."

THE COMEBACK TRAIL

Not surprisingly, the New Hampshire primary took center stage this week at Propeller. "Clinton Upsets Obama in NH; McCain Wins," with 165 votes and 469 comments, was securely lodged in our Top Twenty. Needless to say, there was a wide variety of responses to this double upset in the Granite State. ETproductions was happy with the outcome: "Now it's not a cakewalk for anybody. Let the real fight begin." Endoscopy suspected some Clintonian foul play: "Her goons got in and doctored the counts." And AlphaGnosis, not a traditional Hillary fan, had some kind words for the teary candidate: "I think Hillary's emotional moment helped her. It humanized her." Meanwhile, this story about the New Hampshire debates elicited a similar range of reactions--including a lengthy digression about Fox's decision to bar Ron Paul from its own debate. And the Republican victor was turned over the coals in "McCain: Straight Shooter or Bootlicker?", with 119 votes and 207 comments. To Will1313, the senator from Arizona was "a virtual rubber stamp," while getreal1 insisted that McCain was uniquely qualified to battle the terrorists: "If you dropped him off in the Pakistani mountains, he would get the big O." (No, not Oprah.)

BARACK ON THE RACK?

Despite his narrow loss to Clinton in the primary, Barack Obama remains a lightning rod for high-voltage hopes and resentments. Both were present in the comment thread for "Republicans Worried About Obama," with 143 votes and 523 comments. FSU92grad expressed his disbelief that Obama could really be the "squeaky clean, leave-it-to-Beaver candidate" he appears to be. JohnQPublic fired back at what he perceived as a Republican smear machine, which had "already tried the character assassination route with Obama." There was also "Barack Obama's Racist Church," with 123 votes and 392 comments. To tkyrchncs, the Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright's statement about leading an "unashamedly black" congregation was problematic: "No person should be ashamed of his race, but to identify a Christian congregation as black or white or any other race is about as unChristian as you can get." But smithichie suspected that a double standard was at work, pointing to Rudy Giuliani's cosy relationship with Pat Robertson. "I didn't see Rudy Giuliani turn down his endorsement," he argued, "even though Robertson makes millions from his church and makes yearly predictions rivaling those made in the past by The Weekly World News." On a more positive note, there was "Backers say Obama can regain world's respect for US," with 124 votes and 278 comments. This thread too became a referendum on role of Islam in the candidate's past (and present). But at least one member, doggammit, expected Obama to weather the storm quite nicely: "For several very obvious reasons Mr. Obama is a prickly pear. I very much doubt any mainstream politician will even consider a Swift Boat campaign against this man."

STRAIT TALK

Which story snagged the most comments during the past week? That would be "Iranian boats 'provoke' U.S. Navy ships in Hormuz," which rang up 156 votes and 745 comments. Much of the thread devolved into a pitched battle over who destroyed the Twin Towers--Al Qaeda, George W. Bush, and the Mossad being popular candidates--but after about 200 comments the conversation drifted back to the Strait of Hormuz. One member, john-galt, dismissed comparisons to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964. Iran, he asserted, "is a very real threat to us, because they are getting closer all the time to a weapon the [North Vietnamese] could only have dreamed about." But fourthfunz had little patience for this argument: "Your left vs right gibberish was invented to keep the populace from getting together." Said catstevens: "Playing around with a US Navy Ship is not a good idea." Countered pcknowledge: "A US Navy ship hanging around the Middle East oil shipping routes is not a good idea, at this point or ever." Still confused? Take a look at this related story, with 120 votes and 300 comments and a dead link, alas, to the Navy video of the incident. (You can see at least snatches of the video in this story at LiveLeak.)

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Several stories about Christian Fundamentalism made our Top Twenty. "The Christian Fundamentalists Who Support Huckabee," for example, racked up 130 votes and 517 comments. MonkeyBiz quickly labeled Huckabee's ultra-conservative base as "the American Taliban." Not so fast, responded secondchance: "I find it to be very strange that the left/liberals are on a mission to trash Christianity till hell freezes over, but this same group will never say anything bad about Islam." A related post, "Christian Dominionists Attack Public Ed," earned 110 votes and 363 comments. There were popular stories about North Korea, loofah-loving pundit Bill O'Reilly, and abdominal massage. A post about the death of Sir Edmund Hillary elicited this valdecitory comment from Teech: "If, indeed, there is a Heaven, Sir Ed will climb, and ascend to it." And finally, Propeller members asserted their inalienable right to silliness by voting up "Earth-Like Planet Discovered Around Moon." Leave it to ind06 to up ante: "Just this morning the exciting news came of the discovery of a Sun-like star less than a light year away!" But it was Rinty who registered the most hopeful response: "I wunder if thers any intelajunt life forms there." Well, they've got to be somewhere.

A DEATH IN PAKISTAN

It would have been nice to ring in the new year on a positive note. Alas, our top story for the last week, with 226 votes and a whopping 757 comments, was "Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Assassinated at Rally." In the thread, Islam got a pretty thorough shellacking. But one member, quackpot, argued that Muslims had no monopoly on terrorist violence: "Of the terrorists attacks in Europe last year, about half were Muslim-related. The other half were by various separatist groups." A similar point was made by dissent, who suggested that Bhutto's killing was less about Islam and "more likely to be about politics and power, something I find fascinatingly absent from most of the comments of the Muslim-bashers commenting here." Thinker, however, was having none of this: "Not all Muslims on the planet today are terrorists but almost all terrorists are Muslims." A spate of additional Bhutto-related stories also made our Top Twenty. For starters, there was "Benazir Bhutto's Assassination: What Killer Video Footage Reveals," with 107 votes and 39 comments. (The latter post offered neither a link to the video footage nor any evidence for its assertions, but at least one clip of the shooting can be found here.) There was also "Giuliani speaks out about Bhutto and Military Funding," in which the presidential contender pointed to the assassination as one more proof that the United States needs to "go on the offensive." MisterX took Giuliani's comments with a grain of salt: "Well, it's a good springboard for Rudy to flash the terrorism card again." But the ex-mayor had his supporters as well, such as libsRfunny, who insisted that "Rudy is much truer to his word than, say, Hillary Clinton or pretty much any other Democrat candidate." And finally, "Doctors were pressured to give Govt. view of Bhutto's Death" bagged 122 votes and 60 comments. Nobody seemed too hopeful that investigators would get to the bottom of this one.

THE RUMBLE IN IOWA

By now the Iowa caucuses have come and gone, with Obama and Huckabee as victors. But earlier this week, speculation about the outcome was rampant on Propeller. "Joe Biden Has Strong Dark-Horse Buzz in Iowa," with 124 votes and 109 comments, produced a lively conversation. Few candidates were spared. One member, purpose, gave a thumbs down to Fred Thompson: "I for one would be very disappointed to see that old coot Fred Thompson win the bid for president. But if you think there is a possibility then I'm buying stock in Geritol." (Never fear--Thompson polled a miserable 13 percent in Iowa.) Biden, who has now folded his tent, took some heat from walden3: "Granted Biden may come from the credit card capital of the land, but he still has never seen an anti-consumer or pro-banking bill that he didn't like." But it took an Iowa resident, baddad59, to remind us of the real purpose behind this shooting gallery: "It is a patriotic duty to discuss and argue the merits of each candidate, and I for one will listen to any valid argument." A second story along the same lines, "Can Biden Defy the Iowa Odds?," got 113 votes and 100 comments. And a third, "As Iowa sizes up the candidates, so do I," racked up 104 votes and 182 comments, including this dire assessment of a Clinton presidency from Spinward: "We get Sandy Berger back, Bill's cigars, bizarre fundraisers, and a Motel 6 sign in the White House lawn."

MUSIC, MAESTRO

With 115 votes and 36 comments, "Considerable Sounds: Best Of Year List" handily made our Top Twenty. Posted by one of our most active members, Radiofreeeuropa, it ran down the last year in music, awarding the palm to such disparate artists as Osvaldo Golijov, The Mars Volta, Annie Lennox, Brad Paisley, and Youssou N'Dour (pictured here). One member, mmrhe, gave his blessing to the list, especially for the presence of country stud and Telecaster wizard Paisley: "Kudos to your guy for having the guts to include Brad Paisley. There's nothing more boring than music critics trying to out snob each other." Both BoxMonkey and gamahuche applauded the choice of Robert Wyatt. There were also additional suggestions. It was humemacdonald who made the pitch for the White Stripes and Goldfrapp, while icono1 had just one word for Praxis: "Sweet, sweet, sweet." The Propeller Award for honesty, however, goes to marshx, who was quick to confess: "[I] never heard of any of the artists on the list!!"

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

No week at Propeller would be complete without a call for the impeachment of at least one Administration official. This time, "Take This Survey: Do You Think Cheney and Bush Should Be Impeached?" put the issue back on the front burner, with 170 votes and 623 comments. (Incidentally, this story too was posted by Radiofreeeuropa. Way to go!) TemplarScribe recommended something a little more dramatic: "The rope's the only way to do away with this kind of evil, just like they did in the Old West. The irony shouldn't be lost on a couple of straight-shooting Texas cattle rustlers like these two." Responded Codi6934: "Threatening a President is illegal, and can cause the Secret Service to visit you." Elsewhere, Propeller members voted up stories about global warming, skyrocketing oil prices, and the United Nations. And just to show that the quirk factor hasn't tapered off too sharply, let us not overlook the popularity of "Know Your Meme: I Like Turtles," with 103 votes and 34 comments. The video left me speechless. Not palama, however, who responded with this burst of regional pride: "Maryland Terrapins... the only turtles worth talking about." No argument there.

DENNIS THE MENACE?

Although he's previously had a low profile here at Propeller, it was Dennis Kucinich who claimed the spotlight this week. But it wasn't his presidential campaign that got all the attention, strictly speaking--it was his ongoing effort to impeach George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Not all Propeller members were convinced. Some, like grandpawh, expressed real distaste for the former Boy Mayor of Cleveland: "He's just a camera hound like some others I could name." Another, rufus red, came to the candidate's defense: "Obviously, you have a prejudice against shorter men and you must not have listened to a word he has said because you don't even quote him." A related story, "Spurned by major newspapers, Dem Congressman takes 'impeach Cheney' appeal to Web," bagged 130 votes and 387 comments. This post was about Rep. Robert Wexler's online impeachment campaign, and sparked a fierce debate about the reliability of the mainstream press. Spadecaller argued that "the real news is rapidly disappearing." Locky12 fired back on a satirical note: "You'll find reports about the relevance of impeachment of this administration right next to the article about unicorns which is just below the article about centaurs." But at least one member, jordan11, found fault on both sides of the aisle, dismissing the Democrats but also putting a question to his fellow Republicans: "What about us? Why do we continue to accept the use of our air waves for propaganda?"

JAGGED LITTLE PILLS

The steroid scandal also made a big splash here. "Baseball drug abuse list is huge," with 179 votes and 74 comments, prompted a debate about whether earlier baseball titans--for example, Babe Ruth--had been artificially enhancing their abilities. Teech blew the lid off that rumor. The Sultan of Swat, he insisted, "did it on 6 to 8 bottles of beer and 10 hot dogs! Followed, allegedly, by several boxes of Cracker Jacks." Then came a related dispute about whether players with such skeletons in the closet should be eligible for the Hall of Fame. BronxBomber denied that character was truly an issue: "There are people in the HOF that I wouldn't invite to a Boy Scout Jamboree." But AtheismIsReality quoted chapter and verse from a clause on the HOF ballot, which states that "character, integrity, sportsmanship and contributions to the game" are part of the package. And amesburyroad urged zero tolerance for what he called "cheaters, frauds, snakes, [and] jocks." (Bonus points for being all four at once!)

A MATTER OF TASTE

"A Fifth Taste Joins Salty, Sweet, Sour and Bitter," with 183 votes and 60 comments, was about unami--a Japanese word that translates (more or less) as "mouth feel." Evidently ketchup has unami to burn, because that was the focus of a fairly mouth-watering conversation. "I used to add a secret ingredient to my homemade spaghetti sauce (a splash of ketchup) and now I know why everybody loved it," said AlphaGnosis, who also posted the story. One member, fizzleboink2, had some issues with those three slippery syllables: "Why did they pick such a clumsy word?" On the other hand, sumptuousdigs (evidently a resident of William Penn's green country town) saw some real fusion possibilities: "In some Philly neighborhoods it's mixed with cheesesteak to get that distinctive Yomama flavor." And cosmogenium got the ball rolling with what should be a regular tsunami of unami jokes (say that ten times fast): "Umami's so hot, she make me drool!" I guess we'll stop right there.

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

With 244 votes and 229 comments, "Lawmakers vote to hold Bolten and Rove in contempt" was among our top stories for the week. RickytheGriff thought that a contempt citation was far too kind a treatment for these Bush stalwarts. He recommended a more rigorous procedure, which began this way: "You take both Bolten and Rove and you stuff 'em into two Civil War era cannons, right? Then you roll those cannons about five feet in front of a large brick wall..." At least one member, injest, took the opposite tack, predicting that "this so-called scandal will go nowhere." VMan, however, detected a whiff of stonewalling: "If there's nothing to hide, why don't they just show up and talk?" Elsewhere, Propeller members were talking about Mike Huckabee, synthetic DNA, and the death penalty. A story about painting your nails earned a surprising 141 votes, and this confession from socialpyramid: "I used to paint my nails in college (I'm a dude). It was fun." (You're the man!) There were alarming posts about PTSD and our dwindling food supply. And finally, the Propeller crew tipped its hat to the holiday season by voting up this latest version of "Adam Sandler's Happy Hanukkah Song!" The YoutTube video generated 160 votes and 46 comments, including this observation from CactusAnnie: "Those little dreidels were adorable." On that note, Propeller wishes you all a pleasant holiday and a happy New Year and (if you're so inclined) a celebratory gin-and-tonica. But only if you're good.

LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE

The CIA's erasure of interrogation videotapes prompted some of our liveliest conversations over the last week. This story, for example, bagged 235 votes and 229 comments. One member, afoaf, seemed to be regretting the lost opportunity for some cinematic thrills and chills: "Pull up a chair, I'll go make some popcorn!" Another, palama, considered the erasure just one more example of the current administration's modus operandi: "What's the surprise? Emails destroyed, videotapes destroyed, National Guard records lost." Another interrogation-related story, "Military Interrogator from Abu Ghraib Speaks Out," produced 106 votes, 233 comments, and a long debate about the authentic meaning of Christian witness. "There is no private interpretation of God's Holy Word," insisted Silverghost. "Hogwash," responded djn3nunez3. "There is nothing but private interpretations of God's so-called Holy Word (actually it was written by men)." Still a third story, with 223 votes and 336 comments, revolved around a different cover-up: "Victim: Gang-Rape Cover-Up by U.S. And Halliburton." The comment thread dwelled in great detail on procedural oddity of the rape kit being handed over to KBR. "When I worked in the ER," noted jaem, "I never once saw a rape kit handed over to suspects." Apparently the Propeller community possesses more legal expertise than we might have suspected--but at least one member, AnteUp, admitted that his comments were based on "my TV legal education." (I'll see you in chambers, counselor!)

HOLIDAY CHEER

On a lighter note, we had a couple of popular stories about the impending holiday. "God Bless Us, Every Mushy One" was about the enduring power of holiday classics on television, and hit almost everyone's nostalgia button right on the nose. "When we watch these classics," said Fangarius, "we're reminded of a time when things were simpler." Said priapism: "Nostalgia is such a good thing. I've noticed that the older I get, the better I used to be." (Yet cherev noted that getting older had its drawbacks, too: "Have you noticed that the parts that are supposed to be dry leak and visa-versa?") Meanwhile, a more facetious post collected 127 votes and 38 comments: "Wealthy Cruelly Deprived Of True Meaning Of Christmas." Again, the concept of holiday spirit was batted back and forth. Were the rich truly insulated from Christmas cheer? "I guess we should be thankful we don't have to put up with all the expensive gifts that aren't appreciated anyway," opined cowboygrandpa. Another member, natashas, suggested her own tribute to the season: "Let's make a toast to Master[card], Visa, and Discovery!"

WARM ENOUGH FOR YOU?

As the days grow short and the nights grow cold, the Propeller community still enjoys a good smackdown about global climate change. "Gore: Ignoring Climate Crisis Akin to Appeasing Hitler" (116 votes, 184 comments) spawned a bare-knuckles referendum on the former VP himself. Spinward argued that "Al is not being very honest and he is counting on lemmings to follow him." Responded Jaydee40: "Al Gore is not the issue, but how come most Americans can't see past that? The planet is in a mess and humans are the biggest single contributor to that mess." From there, the brickbats just kept flying. (Bobo in Texas: "Crespi, by what percentage have you reduced your carbon footprint?" Crespi: "I concentrate on eliminating poison gas issuing out of Neocons.") And what about the embattled bears of the Great White North, whose icy terrain is melting out from under their lavishly padded feet? According to "Polars bears on the brink? Don't you believe it," the poor things are doing just fine, relishing their new visibility in the Golden Compass film and not worrying one bit about global warming. The story, with 148 votes and 232 comments, led to some pointed exchanges. Blackadder1964 took issue with the reporting, which "seems to say the bears are not in trouble, then in the second half says the bears' weight is down 20%, and the ice around Churchill has melted more than usual and three weeks earlier than it used to." RickyDawkins saw worse to come: "This is only the beginning. Soon polar bears will be applying for visas, or worse, coming illegally to the United States and taking jobs away from our brown bears."


AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"OpEd: Warning! Science and Atheists Beware" was this week's champion in terms of conversation. The thread, which ran to 461 comments, was essentially another wrassling match between science and religion. According to memestryker, organized religion "is no different than the cultural engineering of Chairman Mao--in fact, St. Paul, Moses, Elijah, Mohammed, Joseph Smith all were very successful cultural engineers who understand how to use fear and hypnotic suggestion to control people." GWHayduke disagreed: "Without religion, man can only have faith in himself (man), and the pursuit of self is, ultimately, not a worthy endeavor." Propeller members also voted up a storm for these stories about John Lennon, Alex Trebek, and White House mouthpiece Dana Perino. "LEDgendary: Zep Can Still Rock" generated a whole lotta love in the comment thread. "I'm an Ol' Zeppy Hippy," proclaimed djr1970, and in the opinion of foge, Planty and the crew "reclaimed their throne." (The thread also took joeeddie on a trip down memory lane, clear back to the Age of Vinyl: "I'll never forget the look on my grandmother's face when I opened up Houses of the Holy one year for Christmas.") Finally, this satirical clip on the Canadian conquest of Turkey seemed to tickle the collective funnybone. But greenmac, apparently a Canadian himself, marshaled at least a little braggadocio in return: "The air force, the Flying Gulls, never miss [its] targets... precision bombing at its best. Our navy, the Codless Fishermen, never gives up." What more can any nation ask?

WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW?

The troop surge in Iraq--and its implications for the future of that bruised and battered nation--dominated much of our Top Ten this week. "McCain & Lieberman: It's inexcusable for Congress not to fund the troops" generated 96 votes and 396 comments. The thread was split down the middle. Bobo in Texas, who also submitted the original post, took his shots at the Democratic Congress, which he called "the Retreat & Surrender Caucus." Another member, ybdogsct, begged to differ: "The public gave Democrats a mandate to withdraw the troops in last year's election. They are trying to meet these promises." This story, with 56 votes and 180 comments, prompted a similar set of arguments. On the other hand, the comment thread for "Why Bush's Troop Surge Won't Save Iraq" was definitely tilted toward the antiwar contingent. Blackacereturn wrote, "Just bring our people home and call it a wash." DarkWizard, waxing just a little satirical, foresaw a future in which the U.S. has annexed the entire Middle East and "we'll all live happily ever after bathing in oil and drying off with piles of hundred dollar bills." But even here, there were protests. "It's amazing," wrote crghass, "to read how many people can't tolerate any successes in Iraq."

ARKANSAS TRAVELER

Among the presidential candidates, it was Mike Huckabee who seemed to be igniting the most conversations this week. "Huckabee Shines In GOP Debate" bagged 145 votes and 182 comments. One member, joeeddie, declared Huckabee the undisputed champ of the Republican rumble: "My rating: Huckabee, McCain, Thompson." Another, tanglang, had a similar response, while noting that "Romney and Guiliani were bickering like school girls." AntiNeoCon expressed some mixed feelings about the Arkansan's performance: "Huck was better than the professional city slickers, but Ron Paul didn't get much attention for some reason." And 5urfsup neatly dispatched some of the other candidates: "Thompson needs to display some energy. He looks bored. I like Hunter, but he doesn't have a snowball's chance, and both he and McCain need to take Econ 101." Did anybody have an unkind word for the Republican dark horse? That would be toph1973, who denounced Huckabee and declared his allegiance to Ron Paul, "the only politician running that isn't a traitor to this country."

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

Money matters were also close to the community's heart. "National Debt Grows $1 Million a Minute," with 172 votes and 136 comments, conveyed the fact that the U.S. government currently spends an average of $1.4 billion per day. Teech had a sardonic response: at least George W. Bush wasn't throwing away these dollars on "commie/pinko stuff like universal health care, improved education, rebuilt infrastructure, and stuff for Americans." Most members seemed to assume that tax hikes would be necessary to refill the federal piggybank. One commenter, aceofspades1, was already anticipating anguished protests from the taxpayers, which he compared to "blaming a fireman for getting your house wet while putting out the fire." Other members had more inventive solutions. "Sell Manhattan," suggested earthlingerer. ("No, don't sell Manhattan," replied saintetienne. "Trade a dumpy state like Idaho or Kansas for Baja California.") Meanwhile, "Exxon CEO awarded close to $20 mln in bonus, stock" prompted some loud grumbling about executive compensation. "How nice," said allasam. "I guess the bonus is for keeping Exxon from spending a nickel on the damages in the Alaska oil spill." The appropriately named Anti.trust was more outraged: "Sickening to even think about this." But only two members were striking back. One, flyonthewallzz, was boycotting Exxon stations. And not2needy was taking it a step further, going "many days without buying gas, oil or any other petroleum-based products." Be afraid, Rex Tillerson--be very afraid.

AND DON'T FORGET....

There was some major mourning for the late Evel Knievel. "Right now he is probably giving Charon the finger as he jumps the [R]iver Styx," speculated tanglang. For Tcaros, the motorcyclist "represented that foolishness of youth. The first time you realized you could build a ramp in your driveway and jump over a few friends. The time you road the wheelie all the way down the street." There were popular stories about Guantanamo (with 194 votes and 303 comments) and a 500-year-old map. "Iran stopped nuclear weapons work in 2003," with 178 votes and 345 comments, caused a fiery exchange of epithets, including "neocoward" and "defeatocrat." And finally, "Sex and chocolate boost brain power" was greeted as good news by almost all Propeller members. Not surprisingly, though, the comment thread turned into a heated flirtfest, which culminated in that time-honored line: "Wanna play doctor?"