Over the last few months, thenation.com has made an effort to foster a robust and thoughtful comments section befitting the mighty intelligence of our readership. We’re pleased to report that the shoe ads are gone, the name-calling is at a minimum and astute and witty commentary is on the rise.

Here are our favorite comments from the last week. Let us know what you think — in the comments!

Sally Ann: “Class warfare? Yes! Everyone who makes $50K or less a year, let’s pick a day and not go to work or purchase one single thing. This is what democracy looks like.” In reponse to John Nichols’s "Poor Little Rich ‘Class Warfare’ Victims." September 19, 2011

Tagtron: “Being against the Death Penalty is a bit like supporting Free Speech. You have to maintain your position even when it’s something that’s said which you find repugnant, or when it’s a heinous, depraved crime, which you find personally revolting and hateful. The irony in the US, of course, is that so many ‘right to lifers’ are pro-death penalty.” In response to Greg Mitchell’s "The Other Execution Tonight – the Man Who Dragged James Byrd Jr. to His Death." September 21, 2011

Shermanr: “The death penalty isn’t justice, it’s vengeance. I don’t know if Troy Davis was guilty or innocent but the fact that the USA is the only western/industrialized nation that still employs this barbaric custom is a terrible shame. Now before you all respond by saying that I’ve never been the victim of a violent crime or lost anyone to a violent crime therefore I can’t know what I’m talking about, my husband was murdered 21 years ago this coming Sunday. I didn’t believe in (or want) the death penalty then and I think we should abolish it now.” In response to Nation Editors’s "The Killing of Troy Davis."  September 21, 2011

Greenwave: “Thanks, Mr. Zirin, I live in this state and from the onset Mr. Davis’ fate was sealed. Georgia’s killing of innocents has long been common knowledge. As a child, I had a teenage neighbor who was accused of raping four or five women within an hour and a half. He was 17 years old and cut lawns during the summer. He was executed shortly after he reached his 18th birthday. After his execution at least one of the women stated that her husband had forced her to claim rape. As an aside, he was walking and the rapes allegedly occurred over a two or three mile area. For the record, this happened in 1962. Things change but they remain the same. His name was George Watt.” In response to Dave Zirin’s  "Georgia Murders Troy Davis." September 21, 2011

Dwesten: “Love ya, Melissa, but as someone who studies implicit racism, this isn’t an example of it. Some white voters are dropping off from Obama because of implicit prejudice. But a lot are dropping off because (1) he promised change, and he brought us Geithner and Summers, (2) their lives have not improved, and (3) he appears completely lacking in both competence and conviction. Personally, if I wanted to vote for a Republican, I would have voted for John McCain. The people who should be angriest at Obama are African-Americans, for whom he’s done less as President than any Democrat in recent memory. The median income and the wealth of black families substantially increased under Clinton and the poverty rate fell. The opposite has been true for Obama, who has not only failed to protect black home equity but has, along with his economic team, echoed implicitly racist accounts of the home mortgage crisis by failing to blame it on bankers and echoing GOP coded talking points about how uppity black people took out mortgages for big homes and behaved irresponsibly.” In response to Melissa Harris-Perry’s "Black President, Double Standard." September 22, 2011

Nfl: "Excellent analysis, Ms. Harris-Perry. I am sure you are not surprised by the comments. In fact, the comments are like examples posted in support of the article. It takes a capacity for self-criticism for a person to face being racist. But those with that capability would not be the ones most needing to hear what you are trying to say here. You do, though, add insight for those of us in need of language to express what you are saying here. Thank you for that! I am especially suspect of those who brag that their intention to throw the most vulnerable to the merciless right is idealistic, versus their simply being privileged enough to survive their own tantrum." In response to Melissa Harris-Perry’s "Black President, Double Standard." September 22, 2011

Kegrain: “I think the author leaves out something important in her comparison of Clinton and Obama. Yes, they are both centrists, and yes, they have both had to contend with a hostile Republican Congress. However, when we voted for Obama we had already experienced Clinton and we thought Obama would be better. We had higher expectations and he has been a disappointment. Also, Obama became President during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. This moment in history calls for someone to the left of both Clinton and Obama.” In response to Melissa Harris-Perry’s "Black President, Double Standard." September 22, 2011