Monkey Man

Yahoo News is reporting that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has been hospitalized because he "hurt his head after falling out of a palm tree at an exclusive Fiji resort," prompting another installment of This Week's Discussion Question:

What in the world was Keith Richards doing in a palm tree?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "What the...?" or "What the...?"

Discuss.

Sacrifice

Today, speaking about the war in Iraq, President Bush said, "There will be more tough fighting ahead in Iraq and more days of sacrifice and struggle."

Here's This Week's Discussion Question:

What, specifically, has the President sacrificed?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "You mean besides his approval rating and our nation's reputation around the world?" or "Hey, I thought the mission was accomplished!"

Discuss.

Roll Away the Stone

As we conclude a beautiful Sunday, here is This Week's Discussion Question:

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "What does this have to do with bunnies?"

Alleluia.

Don't Do It

Apple (the computer company, not The Beatles' record label) announced today that you will soon be able to run Windows XP on your Mac. Here's This Week's Discussion Question, Part Tres:

Why in hell would you put Windows on a Mac?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Just because Bruce Springsteen could do an album of REO Speedwagon covers, doesn't mean he should."

Discuss.

It's the Real Thing

On NBC's Today Show last Friday there was a story about how Coca-Cola sales are flagging and how they're hoping their new ad campaign will renew the appeal of their sugar water. Apparently the previous two ad campaigns, well, sucked. We at TWDQ HQ watched this with great amusement and asked ourselves This Week's Discussion Question, Part Deux:

Does anybody really think "Man, these new Coke ads are great! I think I'll start drinking Coke again!"?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Is there anybody on the planet who ISN'T aware that they're still making Coca-Cola?" or "How can I get me one of them jobs as a beverage analyst for a brokerage house?"

Discuss.

Momma Don't Allow

Busy, busy, busy here at TWDQ HQ but we've been saving up some ideas, so we'll see if we can make it up to you with a barrage of entries.

So we're out and about last weekend and spot the following decal in the back window of a vehicle: "IF MOMA AIN'T HAPPY NOBODIES HAPPY!" In its honor, here's This Week's Discussion Question:

Why wouldn't the Museum of Modern Art be happy?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "How do you tell if nobodies are happy?" or "Doesn't anyone proof-read anymore?"

Discuss.

How Low Can You Go?

This offering from somewhat popular blogger tbogg is too good to pass up:

How low do you have to sink that someone who starred in a movie with Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville doesn't want to be seen in the room with you?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into a debate over the BTKWB Threshold vs. the Crazification Factor.

Discuss.

I'm in Heaven When You Smile

To belatedly celebrate St. Patrick's Day, here's This Week's Discussion Question:

Can you listen to Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" and not end up in a good mood?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Da da da da da, da-da da da da" or "Shang-a-lang-a-lang-a-shang-a-lang-a-lang-a-lang."

Discuss.

Requiem

It is with joyful memories and great sadness that we pose This Week's Discussion Question:

Was there ever a ballplayer more fun to watch than Kirby Puckett?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Yes," because you'd be wrong.

Requiescat in pace.

Boom Boom

Here at TWDQ, we aren't terribly concerned about why it took so long for the news of the Vice President's Elmer Fudd impression to be brought to the public's attention, why the President or Scott McClellan wasn't informed earlier, or why Chris Matthews keeps asking "What if it were the other way around and the Vice President had been shot?" like it isn't a completely stupid question.

We believe the focus ought to be on this one, so we've made it This Week's Discussion Question:

Why wasn't the sheriff's deputy allowed to speak to the Vice President on Saturday night?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Oh, I can think of point-one-eight reasons..." or "One beer? Like when I tell my buddies 'I can only stay for one beer'?"

Discuss.

See You in Septem...uhhh, January

The CIA Leak trial date for Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief-of-staff Scooter Libby has been bumped from September to January 2007--conveniently after the mid-term elections--because one of Libby's attorneys has a scheduling conflict.

Here's This Week's Discussion Question:

What case is Libby's mouthpiece working on that could possibly be important than this?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Damn, there's gotta be some serious dough in bein' a Busy Lawyer!" or "What's wrong with 'Tough rockos. See you in September, Scooter.'?".

Discuss.

Baby, Baby

Been pretty busy around TWDQ HQ the last week or two, so we're going to direct you to the bloggy goodness that is Fafblog for This Week's Discussion Question:

Can the President eat a baby?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Terrorist Bees?" or "Shouldn't the Department of Baby-Eating be under DHS instead of cabinet-level?"

Discuss.

Free Questions for Audience Members!


The White House announced this week that the President would be taking "unscripted" questions from audience members during his upcoming tour of speeches defending his secret domestic spying program.

Here at TWDQ, we're offering up these questions free as a public service:

You promised to fire anyone involved in the leak of Valerie Plame's identity. Why then is Karl Rove still working at the White House?

Please explain why you thought a FISA court wouldn't give you a warrant to wiretap terrorists.

Why did you say no one could have anticipated the levee breaches in New Orleans when Homeland Security was warned about that the day before Hurricane Katrina made landfall?

Halliburton has been accused of knowingly supplying contaminated water to our troops in Iraq. Will you be asking Attorney General Gonzales to open an investigation?

It's been over four years since September 11, 2001. Why haven't we captured Osama bin Laden?

You sure take a lot of vacation. How freaking much brush can there possibly be at your ranch?

And there's this personal favorite, which worked pretty well the last time someone asked it:

Sir, at long last, have you left no sense of decency?

They're free, free, free. If you manage to find your way to the microphone at one of these little shindigs, ask away with our blessing!

One of These Things is Not Like the Others

From a glance at Yahoo News's Top Stories from AP section this afternoon, here's this week's discussion question:

Which one of these is not like the others?

* Iran Threatens to Block U.N. Inspections
* Forensic Clues Could Explain Mine Disaster
* Alaska Volcano Erupts Third Time in a Week
* Tyco to Split Into 3 Cos. at Cost of $1B
* Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Visit Haiti

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "What? Nothing more about the sobbing Mrs. Alito?" or "This must be a definition of top that I was not previously aware of."

Discuss.

Mama Weer All Crazee Now

Today's comment from Pat Robertson linking Ariel Sharon's stroke to God's wrath is the subject of This Week's Discussion Question:

Why isn't there a National Registry of Lunatics Who Are Not Allowed on Television?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Hey, I've already got a list they can use to get it started!" or "How long would Fox News Channel have to air an 'Experiencing Technical Difficulties' disclaimer before they could restaff?"

Discuss.

Happy New Year!

Here's This Week's Discussion Question:

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot?"

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" or "If we forget auld acquaintance, wouldn't it seem to follow that it'd never be brought to mind?"

Discuss.

This week's free question for the media

Occasionally on TWDQ we'll offer up a question that we'd love to see someone ask Scott McClellan in the daily press gaggle. Or the Vice President, should he emerge from his bunker again anytime soon to yak with Tim Russert. Or the President himself, should he appear without a script anytime soon.

Here's our initial offering:

"Since Vice President Cheney has defended the administration's secret spying program by insisting that 'it's not an accident that we haven't been hit in four years,' would he be willing to hold a private meeting with Senators Rockefeller and Roberts to explain exactly which specific instance of surveillance without a warrant foiled which particular hit and how exactly a FISA court warrant would have botched it all up?"

It's all yours, journalists. Free free free. Ask away.

Holiday Edition

Here's the Christmas installment of This Week's Discussion Question:

"What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?"

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" or "Do They Know it's Christmas?"

Peace on earth, goodwill to all.

Bonus Question!

It's a two-fer for the holidays!

Here's a bonus episode of This Week's Discussion Question:

If William Jefferson Clinton had, oh, let's just say, authorized wiretapping of American citizens without a warrant, might our public discourse be centered around the question of whether or not the death penalty could be invoked for an impeachment conviction?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Are you kidding me? We'd be debating whether or not he could be revived and executed again on each count!"

Discuss.

Let's Get This Party Started!

On Friday morning's Today Show, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Katie Couric that the White House took so long to support the anti-torture legislation sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) because they wanted to make sure they got this "important" new law "right".

So here's the inaugural This Week's Discussion Question:

What could a Vietnam vet, former POW and torture victim possibly get wrong in an anti-torture amendment that President "Flight physical?" Bush and Vice President "I had other priorities" Cheney might be able to get right?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Would you believe anybody in this administration if they told you the time of day?" or "Do you think the President could pronounce 'Abu Ghraib' the same way three straight times on a bet?"

Discuss.