For all you old-timers…what argument, flame, etc. has stirred up the most controversy here at the BBS? I’ve seen a couple humdingers so far (there was this one ass arguing with Wally about aliens…what the fuck was he thinking?), but I want to hear about the NASTIEST, DRAG DOWN, NO HOLDS BARRED SOCKDOLAGERS the SDMB has thus far hosted. Dolagers, sock or otherwise, from the old AOL board can be nominated.
Someone once said that the Enterprise could beat a Star Destroyer in a fight. His ashes are now congealing somewhere outside the orbit of Pluto. 
Here’s the link.
It started in December last year and ran for nearly two months, becoming progressively more heated. It was quite civilised for the first couple of days, then pldennison made some comment about trying to force bikers off the road and kill them for riding up the middle of two lanes of traffic.
Describe the fight here.
Link to the fight here.
Do not try to restart the fight here.
O.K.?
This one should be in the list as well: YOU NONSMOKERS LEAVE ME THE HECK ALONE!.
It shows the last epileptic movements of Sentinel, who pissed off many people during his stay on these boards. He finally admitted to being a large number of posters, albeit banned or active. But it was this thread that REALLY pushed him over the edge. A true classic, and not-so-clean fun for all ages above 16 or so.
About a year ago there was this dude named “Kalt” who kept posting little anti-religion stuff. The thread that got the best flame war I was ever involved in was http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=3983
entitled “Are there really lightning rods on the vatican” with his whole thesis was, and I quote:
Kalt:
And despite repeated assurances by myself and others that yes, one can be a Christian and a completely sane and reasonable thinker, he kept insisting that the Catholic chuch, and I quote again, “Does not condone science or rationality.” For anyone who wants to read this gem, it will bring up quite a few laughs… Even pldennison, who has been one of the most vocal anti-witnessing persons at SMDB, couldn’t find a way to defend this tool.
Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed a few things over the past few months: A rampant increase of religious topics appearing in great debates, and an equally profound decrease in debates. It’s as if people have given up on the religious debates and also on the great debates sector as a whole…
Wow. You guys are really nice. I didn’t expect anyone to actually provide LINKS to said controversies. Thanks.
The biggest battle on the SDMB is the battle to get anyone to discuss the section of the Constitution most relevant to gun rights - Article I Section 8 Clause 16. The more I get ignored on this the more obsessed I get.
Okay, in answer to the OP, the most bitter and petulant I’ve gotten is over a health care rights thread. I don’t want to look it up. Basically, one of our Straight Dope libertarians (not Libertarian) laughed his head off when a Doper with a medical that made it hard to work said that he had a right to health care that he couldn’t afford. I can’t remember what the condition was, it wasn’t something tangible like a broke arm, so that even the most slow-witted person could relate to it, it was something neuro/mental like chronic fatigue or bipolar disorder. Anyway, I got pretty miffed at the idea of someone using their political “philosophy” (that’s in quotes because it was more of a security blanket than a philosophy) as justification for mocking someone for their health problems. GRRRRRRR
Holy shit! That one got pretty out of control, didn’t it? Who was that Thought chucklehead? Looked like a troll to me.
You’re a smart kid, DB 
Well, there was that “Flat Earth” thread which turned into a Creation/Micro-Evolution/Macro-Evolution/Aboigenesis debate, starring none other than Phædrus himself. I think someone C&P’ed all of Phædy’s posts into a word processor and came up with a total of 65,000 plus. Unfortunately, that topic was archived and is unaccessable with the new software until we bring them on-line. You can, however, see some of the fallout in this thread.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=7634
I don’t know about knock-down-drag-out, but the former John-John/Cyberian was about as hard-headed as one could get, no matter what evidence one posted. He just just go full steam ahead repeating himself (kindof like a kid with his hands over his ears going “LA LA LA LA LA LA!”).
Check out http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=22259
to see a 10-page thread with 490 replies (not views, replies); most of which shows well-respected and erudite posters reach maximum levels of frustration over John-John.
I hope to God I have not summoned him from the abyss.
“Are vegetarians hypocrites” in GD, mar & apr this year. Whooeee!!! 
I think we have a winner.
You know, I always enjoy going to the last page of these oh-so-long threads, expecting the final post to consist of an argumentative coup-de-grace, a perfectly worded coda, some sage and pointed commentary that would render further discussion superfluous, anything to cap off such lenghty editorial demonstrations…but, alas…it’s always something anticlimactical. Come on, guys…if a thread is gonna go 10 DAMN PAGES, end it with something like, “I rest my case…bitch.”
By the way, did this John John guy dissapear himself soon after “6 Million” concluded, or is he still around?
I hope to GOD he’s not still around, DB. Here are some more flaming threads about or by John John, or his sock puppets:
The John John Game
I can’t wait to graduate!
Proof that John = Cyberian
Welcome John
“whaaaaaaaaa…”
::shudder::
For fun: Flame War Rules
Good luck with all that John John shit. You’ll need it.
Although it was before my time, you can see the end of Phaedrus here and here.
For those that don’t want to look, the first is “Can psychosis be diagnosed from BB posts” and the second is “Who wants to be a Phaedrusaire?”. Both of them showcase the insanity of Phaedrus in all its horror. Not reccomended for the faint of heart.
And Coldfire, although it too was before my time, I seriously shudder at the mere sight of John’s signature laugh (can’t bring myself to type it). And for your reading (dis)pleasure, I bring you:
HILLARY the fat assed phoney
Proof that Hillary doesn’t have a fat ass
OK, I think that’s enough of the horrible events of the past to bring up. Shame that the Flat Earth thread isn’t around anymore. Holy shit was that insane.
Oh, and a note to those wandering into these threads for the first time, the order the posts are in is not at all correct in a number of them. Somehow, when we changed software the times were all screwed up in a number of threads. The “I can’t wait to graduate” thread is particularly nonsensically ordered now. The first post in the thread was originally the one with the quote from the father of one of the Columbine students, which appears about 30 posts down from the top now.