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The Fifth Column highlights provocative and insightful reader comments from around globeandmail.com. Don't see your own pearl of wisdom? Check back later.

Nov. 23, 12:35 p.m. ET: Rex Murphy defends Sarah Palin? Let the fur fly!

JSmitan: "You are a brave man, Mr. Murphy, for questioning the approved narrative."

AlexRoberts: "As to [Murphy's] contention that 'Empty vessels do not inspire such venom and fury,' I can only counter with two words: Don Cherry!"

Vitriolic Centre-Leftist: "To place Palin and Obama's rhetorical abilities on the same plane is simply ridiculous, Rex, if for no other reason that Obama actually wrote his own campaign speeches whilst Palin certainly did not ... This is analogous to equating Britney Spears and Joni Mitchell as singer/songwriters."

Nov. 19, 12:26 p.m. ET: Amid the usual hyperpartisan spew, reader wearetheworld takes a wider view of Richard Colvin's allegations of torture in Afghanistan:

"This news makes Liberals and Conservatives look bad. Both were supporters of the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and both still are, by and large. It's just that the Conservatives are now the ones carrying the torch rather than the Liberals.

The ethos of our elite is that the ends justify the means, that the end goal is worth pursuing even if it puts Canadians in morally compromising situations. All the government can do is try to mold public opinion and massage/restrict unpopular information as much as possible."

Nov. 19, 12:22 p.m. ET: Ireland calls foul after a missed handball call in their World Cup soccer playoff against France. Reader sea monkey asks, "Is the ref related to the infamous French olympic figure skating judge???"

Nov. 18, 12:40 p.m. ET: Beppi Crosariol writes about Nicholas Pashley's book, Cheers! An Intemperate History of Beer in Canada, which describes the corporate consolidation that led to homogenization, then the happy emergence of micro-brewing. Reader Spiker describes his own experience with blander brews:

"I think the worst place for local beer is Sweden. Swedish beer production has consolidated to 3 big brewers so it is like Canada was before the craft brewers penetrated the pubs. Supposedly Sweden has a nascent craft beer industry but I couldn't find any sign of it in my last visit to Stockholm... This limited choice is common in Asian countries (Korea, Japan) but at least their draft is good (cold and fresh)."

Nov. 17, 11:39 p.m. ET: A Calgary couple, both lawyers, negotiates a contract exempting their children from an onerous homework regime. Most readers see a case of mollycoddling, but Slickrock sees a reaction to a world that works too much:

"There's good and bad in this. We've managed to raise a generation of workers who believe it's normal to spend 9 hours at the office, work on their blackberry while they commute and then come home to finish that 'proposal' after a quick microwave dinner, just to collapse on a friday evening, try to make something of their weekend and then repeat by Monday... people used to have lives.

Anybody else remember when the office stayed at the office? Maybe their parents recognized this problem starts in childhood. Our employers should not own our off-duty time and neither should schools. You do what you need to to succeed, not just mindless busy-work. "

Nov. 17, 10:22 a.m. ET: Sarah Palin's media tour rolls into Barbara Walters's studio, with the former Alaska governor again refusing to rule out a presidential run in 2012. Reader TruerNorth sees this in apocalyptic terms: "If Sarah Palin is elected US President in 2012 then the Mayans were right."

Nov. 16, 12:21 p.m. ET: Hayley Linfield, author of Monday's F&A Essay, laments how despite her best efforts, her young sons persist in seeing guns as toys. Reader Starship Mechanic suggests it's pointless to resist:

"The opinion piece here is a classic example of why boys need fathers: specifically, fathers who understand and have some grasp of reality. The reality is that boys are hypnotically drawn to violence because we are animals, with all of the evolutionary instincts that this entails. ... Taking away the toys they use to exercise this instinct is just pointless."

Nov. 14, 8:11 a.m. ET: Rex Murphy highlights the vast amounts of money made by A-list actors. 'Twas ever thus, some readers point out:

handyandy: "Same argument applies to athletes! Same argument applies to drug dealers! Same argument applies to anyone who gets rich - they are providing a service people buy. If you don't buy it they won't make it!"

Nov. 13, 6:39 p.m. ET: Globe Travel rounds up the pleasures of Saskatchewan for World Junior hockey fans, to a little giggle from at least one reader who knows the province. "All good suggestions," says reader Holden, "and nice try making the drive from Regina to Toon town sound appealing... It's great if you've never experienced the prairies, but after the first half-hour you pretty much get the gist of it."

Nov. 12, 10:07 a.m. ET: Patricia Robertson describes her conversion from support for the long-gun registry to opposition, after moving from urban to rural environment. Maybe she passed reader Stan L in the other lane:

"I come from Northern Ontario, but I live in Toronto, I am an avid duck hunter and I do hunt other game from time to time....but I am OK with the registry, it really isn't the hassle and cost that some are making it out to be and if a registry is what law enforcement wants, well it it not that big of a deal to provide that layer for them."

Nov. 11, 12:34 p.m. ET: The loonie gains against the greenback again, up to 95.8 cents. Reader Geriatric Gardener is among those who cautions against drawing wide conclusions about the strength of our currency:

"We keep stating the value in relation to the US dollar. Our dollar is not moving that much relative to the rest of the world. It's just the US dollar that's going down the toilet. ... For a true value of our dollar we should compare ourselves to something else."

Nov. 11, 7:57 a.m. ET: A gold glove is awarded to Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who's better known at this point for his hitting. It contradicts previous expert opinion, as well as that of reader a-lo, who says: "Jeter is terrific and had a great year, but there is no way he should have won the gold glove. Totally unjustified."

Nov. 10, 11:13 a.m. ET: The governor of Virginia clears the way for John Allen Muhammad's execution for the D.C. sniper attacks, which turns into an impromptu discussion of the death penalty. Some of the less bloodthirsty responses:

Reader carltonb: "I think it's wrong and tragic that he killed those people, and sad that he is going to be killed too. I don't think that two wrongs make a right, or that the relative of one of his victims is going to feel any lasting satisfaction from watching him die. I understand revenge but have never been a fan of it. I think it is an immature form of justice. I think that we could strive to do better."

Reader Anton P. Nym: "... I have no qualms about execution in this case. J. A. Muhammad is a high risk to reoffend, cannot be rehabilitated, and is conclusively guilty from the evidence and a freely-given admission (indeed, boast) of committing the acts; holding him in prison until he dies of old age serves no meaningful purpose."

Reader HeyBoppa: "I don't believe in capital punishment, because it is worrisome for the state to have that option in their toolkit, but I certainly won't be shedding any tears over this guy."

Nov. 9, 12:50 p.m. ET: What's this? The NHL concedes that Southern Ontario is ripe for another pro hockey team, so soon after having buried the saga of Hamilton and Jim Balsillie? It all seems a little rich to a large percentage of our readers ...

Cooking With Mustard Gas: "Funny how it was Balsillie's idea but now that he's out of the picture it all of a sudden makes sense to the league. What a banana republic the NHL is."

Only1United: "Yep and a 500 Million dollar expansion fee. This is the sole reason why the NHL fought so hard against Basillie to do it cheaply with Phoenix."

Pablo9: "NHL and Leafs finally got some good legal advice on Canada's Competition Act."

Tim Cares: "Hey, I have an idea. Taxpayers can build some new arenas in the GTA and SW Ontario. Then the NHL can have those cities bid against each other for a franchise. Nice try, goodbye!"

Nov. 9, 12:10 p.m. ET: Doug Saunders takes reader questions from Berlin on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. A sample:

Reader Fraser McGuire: "Who were the winners in East Germany after the fall of the Berlin wall? The GDR elite? The tradesperson? Were there any? It seems like assimilation with the West brought joblessness, depression and general anomie to lives of many East Germans."

Doug Saunders: "That's a key question, Fraser. Unlike its East European neighbours of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, the elite public-sector and private-sector positions of the new post-communist East Germany were not taken over by former anti-communist dissidents, or by former communist leaders, or by a mixture of the two. Because the GDR was subsumed into a pre-existing Germany, a lot of people lost out. ..."

Nov. 8, 7:00 p.m. ET: Review writer Guy Dixon interviews Liona Boyd, who has overcome neurological damage to her famous plucking hand in order to continue her musical career. Reader jfarmer says:

"An interesting and revealing story. I can't help but compare her to Django Rhinhardt, who lost the use of two of his fingers on his left hand following a fire, but went on to reinvent his playing style and gain even greater success as one of the high masters of jazz guitar. In both cases there is an admirable strength of character, and this is the essence of success in highly technical and interpretive music."

Nov. 7, 7:04 a.m. ET: Rex Murphy's column on today's relative status of organized religion and environmentalism was easily the best-read piece in Globe Comment this weekend, judging by the volume of reader comments, including this by Nayland Smith:

"If we accept that the state has no place in the bedrooms of the people, then organized religion, Christian or otherwise, has no place in the classroom.

The decision for the Green zealot was just wrong. Objective, scientific facts require no faith. I suspect this chap was an annoying twerp who bludgeoned his co-workers with his eco-rants and was lucky to have escaped with no more than a pink slip."