Dear jheem,
I enjoyed your response above, and it answered one of my points of curiosity about the thread. However, your test has holes in it, if I may boldly observe upon it in a friendly way.
Here are my observations:
1. When a thread starter invites a restricted group of people to reply, it is guaranteed that people outside that closed set will reply, most often first. Start a thread with: "European speakers of English, explain the phrase that follows." Guaranteed the first four or so posters wouldn't have ever laid a foot on the continent. [Yes, I exaggerate, but that is a deeply ingrained trait that cannot be erased...uh, deleted.]
2. To be aware of punctuation rules (and the distortion, misinterpretation, and varied application of them as in style manuals for corporations) does not automatically make one a prescriptivist.
3. Even the most enthusiastic of punctuation rule observers could have the soul of a descriptivist with flint sharp barb ready to cast at the first person who tries to tie up the language, gag it, and keep it from moving out of capitivity.
Hey! Where did you get that sentence, by the way? It's a sentence without much attitude, although I suppose you could read a little humor in the hardcover vanity press phrase and reference to Ithaca.
