Ah, this could be an interesting discussion (something that might even rival the ongoing logo thread)!

I have seen reviews that were very complementary of the Radio Shack Gold cables, although maybe not as complementary as you are indicating. I have also used and can vouch for the sub-par performance of most Monster Cable stuff -- very overpriced and underwhelming if you start comparing them to anything better than the piddly little interconnects that came with your VCR. (Don't even get me started on Monster video cables...) I don't doubt a bit that the Radio Shack Gold cables can out-perform Monster. As for the benefits of "high quality" cables in general, I'm somewhat set in my opinion on the subject, as I have used several fairly "fancy" cables and found some to be more to my liking than some others; I've heard differences, and the more expensive hasn't always won. I'm going to tend to agree with the people who feel that cables can make a difference (see my previous post in this thread). I'll also say that the 0.5 meter pair of Outlaw PCA's I have compare well to anything else I've had a chance to use in my system, up to and including a pair of Magnan Vi's worth probably $600 new. Likewise I have personally heard benefits as a result of upgrading from 12ga Home Depot speaker cable to "nicer" cables.

I will also say that I'd be wary of the site you linked -- the first section lists a slew of myths that the site appears to be indicating are all bogus. Some of the myths are ones that I have seen numerous other sites also declare as bogus (green pens for the edges of CD's and freezing CD's for example). Some of the other myths are ones that I have seen fairly concrete and reasonable explanations for the validity of, including bi-wiring and "break-in" for wires and speakers. If you want, I'll try to dig up some sites that explain why biwiring is a good thing, as well as some explanations of why break-in time for wires and speakers are reasonable. That's part of the appeal of the Internet -- you'll find someone who will conclusively tell you anything you want to hear if you look long enough.

I'll end this with a small anecdote. Any time I tell my fiancee about debates online or elsewhere about whether or not cables can make a difference in the sound of a system, she always looks at my somewhat mystified and says, "of course it does." When she was in junior high and high school, she was familiar enough with the sound of her dad's two-channel setup to be able to tell when he changed cables without being told that he'd made a change. And she doesn't really have an interest in the stuff (aside from enjoying listening to/watching my system).