Judging from the comments on JournalStar.com, gas prices still seem pretty bad to readers. The story “$3.77 gas doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?” had 59 published comments.

“Not so bad?! Are you kidding me? It’s horrible!” C wrote. “I certainly do not expect $4 per gallon prices, and when I measure that against my budget, I certainly don’t feel good about it when it drops below that. Considering that it has the potential to go back up, I don’t think people should be getting ahead of themselves and so excited about $3.77 per gallon.”

Doc wrote: “So where does the price end up? About a quarter more per gallon than we were paying last year. How did they get us to swallow about a 10% increase? By making us choke on $4-plus per gallon gas, which ran up quickly. If you relax your hold on the throats of the do-nothing congressmen and women, they’ll forget about energy independence, and one of these times, $4 per gallon gas will be thought of as the good old days.”

2: Letters, 8/5: A Democrat for McCain; 57 published comments.

Melba Segoviano’s letter said she thinks John McCain deserves to be president because of his service to his country, even though she usually votes for Democrats.

“I’m sorry, Melba, but nobody ‘deserves’ to be president,” LLM said. “We’re not talking about prom king here. While he honorably served this country, that alone does not make him the best candidate. … Senator McCain may be a good man, but would not be the best president.”

Mark countered: “I, too, have family who served our country. Some in my family are staunch lifelong union-working Democrats. They have said many times to me now they will never vote for Obama. He scares the crap out of them, and for good reason. To address the experience once and for all, someone posted yesterday these facts:

John McCain, Congress: 26 years, Military: 22 years

Barack Obama, Congress: 143 days, Military: 0 years

3: Nebraskans hold Obama rally in Lincoln; 55 published comments.

Rhetoric from the Obama and McCain camps continued in full swing online.

“Lets all get together and say ‘change’ hundreds of times,” Hadrian commented. “What a great way to solve our country’s problems. Tell me what Obama stands for and then let him know, cause he hasn’t decided yet.”

MC said: “I keep reading, hearing and receiving e-mails that are bashing Obama, but yet have I read, heard, or received one e-mail on a reason to vote for McCain.”

4: Ribfest kicks off; Johnson’s BBQ gets Best of Show; 53 comments published.

People had strong feelings about Lincoln’s annual Ribfest, with critical comments running at least 2 to 1 over positive ones.

I don’t want to … wrote: “Sound negative but I just got back from Ribfest, and the ribs were average at best. I would enter next year, but I am not going to spend thousands of dollars on something that won’t give me a return. And, yes, I could cook better ribs.”

“Ribfest is a fun event, not just a meal,” Sheesh said. “It’s about getting out of the house, socializing, hearing some good music, etc.”

5: Last horse in Hickman could be out of time; 51 comments published.

Online readers had plenty of sympathy for Peter Rabbit, who  faces being evicted from his home of 30 years. All but a handful commented in favor of letting the horse stay in Hickman.

“This is the last horse in Hickman, and it’s been there for 30 years. The solution is simple: Grandfather in Peter Rabbit, and the problem is solved going forward. Show a bit of common sense here, Hickman mayor and City Council,” cmon said.

JoBeth commented: “This gives small town living a bad name. Let them keep the horse until he passes. Moving would probably kill him and depress the owner. Where is the small town spirit? Hickman, I’m ashamed of you.”

Reach Victoria Ayotte Brown at 473-7338 or vayotte@journalstar.com.