I should be able to Publish elements from QL

(User Story, Closed -> Fixed, Priority: Critical, Test Status: Functional tested , Reported By Bad Link: Thing 3y284oe not found, )
Publication
Summary: Requested by Eric: a _publish() function, with minor as a parameter, similar to _createThing and _changeProperties.
This specifically should work on multiple Things -- that's really the reason why it is desired.
Do we need separate functions for Publish and Update, or will one do?
Are there are downsides to providing this?