# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=127 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 128 --- ## [Bible classes in US public schools. Unconstitutional?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-classes-in-us-public-schools-unconstitutional/782743)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-classes-in-us-public-schools-unconstitutional/782743 "2017-04-04T02:31:06Z")
Here’s the story. Firstly is the mother likely to win her case? And secondly why does this school even need to have Bible classes? Don’t they have Sunday Schools in the states run by churches? In England where I live i… --- ## [The dark side of the gig economy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-the-gig-economy/782835)
**Author:** [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-the-gig-economy/782835 "2017-04-03T22:43:51Z")
Nice essay in the NewYawkah about the downside/darkside/truth of the gig economy. I was particularly impressed by her insight about the “dedicated” giggers who walk miles to work and so forth, always presented as the Ha… --- ## [Should people rescue animals in the wild?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-rescue-animals-in-the-wild/783363)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-rescue-animals-in-the-wild/783363 "2017-04-03T19:50:59Z")
A recent documentary on Antarctica showed a base station several miles from the sea. Occasionally, sea animals (like seals) sometimes get lost and wander inland by mistake. People in Antarctica are instructed to let na… --- ## [how do you define the "judicial mainstream"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-the-judicial-mainstream/783668)
**Author:** [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-the-judicial-mainstream/783668 "2017-04-03T18:32:55Z")
In the build-up to Gorsuch’s confirmation, there’s been a lot of talk about the “judicial mainstream”. How would you define that space? Looking at the eight justices currently serving, how many do you think are within th… --- ## [Sanctuary Cities](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanctuary-cities/783398)
**Author:** [@HeweyLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeweyLogan)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanctuary-cities/783398 "2017-04-03T00:24:41Z")
State Rep. Michelle DuBois made a stink the other day saying to constituents that they should avoid an ICE raid. There’s something like 300 sanctuary cities in the US, many of which are now facing federal fund cuts fo… --- ## [Government Promises: "If we didn't pinkie-swear, it doesn't count"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-promises-if-we-didnt-pinkie-swear-it-doesnt-count/783424)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-promises-if-we-didnt-pinkie-swear-it-doesnt-count/783424 "2017-04-01T20:46:46Z")
Does this seem a little unfair to you?-Apparently thousands of people signed up for a Department of Education loan-forgiveness program, in which they agreed to work for the government or an agreed-upon non-profit agency … --- ## [Does the Germany/Japan postwar occupation (changing attitude) model always work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-germany-japan-postwar-occupation-changing-attitude-model-always-work/782714)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2017, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-germany-japan-postwar-occupation-changing-attitude-model-always-work/782714 "2017-04-01T05:13:41Z")
With regards to the Civil War, some folks have lamented that there wasn’t a more “heavy-handed” (for lack of a better way to put it) approach by the North with regards to the post-war occupation and education of the Sout… --- ## [Should women be given special treatment in order to become Rangers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-women-be-given-special-treatment-in-order-to-become-rangers/780537)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 282\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-women-be-given-special-treatment-in-order-to-become-rangers/780537 "2017-04-01T04:11:52Z")
Multiple sites on the net, as this one, claim that the Rangers were pressured by top brass to pass at least one woman. The article goes on to reveal just how differently the women candidates were treated. Some, special… --- ## [Airline sued for saying "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-sued-for-saying-eenie-meenie-minie-moe/225698)
**Author:** [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-sued-for-saying-eenie-meenie-minie-moe/225698 "2017-04-01T03:08:29Z")
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/5154059.htm Two black women have sued Southwest Airlines for discrimination, claiming “physical and emotional distress” after hearing a simple rhyme spoken: The airline was … --- ## [Has Paul Ryan had any successes as Speaker?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-paul-ryan-had-any-successes-as-speaker/783016)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-paul-ryan-had-any-successes-as-speaker/783016 "2017-04-01T00:16:17Z")
Ryan’s been Speaker since October, 2015, when the Freedom Caucus forced out Boehner. During that time has he had any major success as Speaker? --- ## [WhatsApp "refuses" to hand over London terrorist's messages](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatsapp-refuses-to-hand-over-london-terrorists-messages/783108)
**Author:** [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatsapp-refuses-to-hand-over-london-terrorists-messages/783108 "2017-03-31T15:13:23Z")
The title is misleading. WhatsApp is not “refusing” to do it. It physically, programmatically, mathematically, cannot do it. By design. What are the authorities in England clamoring for? Outlawing encryption? G… --- ## [Let's pretend Paul Ryan resigns](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pretend-paul-ryan-resigns/783182)
**Author:** [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pretend-paul-ryan-resigns/783182 "2017-03-31T14:50:03Z")
Judge Jeanine Pirro, currently a host on Fox News, is calling for House Speaker Paul Ryan to resign following the failure to repeal and replace the ACA. Considering the difficulty the Republicans had in coming up with a … --- ## [North Carolina's HB 2 and the non-repeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-carolinas-hb-2-and-the-non-repeal/783350)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-carolinas-hb-2-and-the-non-repeal/783350 "2017-03-31T05:18:48Z")
News stories are reporting that the Bathroom Bill is poised to be repealed. However, the devil’s in the details: Everyone I know with skin in the game, from trans friends to LGBTQ activists to the NC ACLU, oppose this … --- ## [Star Wars (the Ronald Reagan kind, not the George Lucas kind)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-ronald-reagan-kind-not-the-george-lucas-kind/774183)
**Author:** [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-the-ronald-reagan-kind-not-the-george-lucas-kind/774183 "2017-03-31T04:13:05Z")
This is a spin-off of another thread that I thoroughly hijacked (sorry). The topic for this thread is any and all things related to space warfare (not just ballistic missile shields like the title might suggest). More t… --- ## [Were the civilian casualties in Mosul something other than the usual collateral damage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-civilian-casualties-in-mosul-something-other-than-the-usual-collateral-damage/783246)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-civilian-casualties-in-mosul-something-other-than-the-usual-collateral-damage/783246 "2017-03-30T12:42:58Z")
Here’s the story. I remember that Trump promised to bomb the shit out of ISIS. Is this the commencement of a more reckless policy of ‘never mind the civilian deaths, look how many terrorists we’re killing’? The US mili… --- ## [Quantum Physics and Consciousness: metaphorically similar? Physically consistent?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantum-physics-and-consciousness-metaphorically-similar-physically-consistent/783069)
**Author:** [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2017, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantum-physics-and-consciousness-metaphorically-similar-physically-consistent/783069 "2017-03-30T10:04:31Z")
Quantum Physics is so hard to understand because it doesn’t deal with “particles.” Instead, the stuff of Reality is made up of “probability fields” which collapse from “all possibilities” to “this specific manifestation… --- ## [Would YOU write a letter of apology to a professor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-write-a-letter-of-apology-to-a-professor/780503)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 231\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-write-a-letter-of-apology-to-a-professor/780503 "2017-03-30T02:31:48Z")
A couple of months ago an Orange County college student secretly recorded his teacher ranting on Trump. This was posted on social media. LINK Now the administration has suspended the student and told him if he wants bac… --- ## [Crime and immigrants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crime-and-immigrants/783193)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crime-and-immigrants/783193 "2017-03-28T22:44:38Z")
This is really a question with a factual answer, but given that it’s politically charged, I am putting it here. The mods can, of course, move it if they see fit. I read recently (I believe it was an article by David Fr… --- ## [The NY Times Shows Once Again, "How to Lie With Statistics."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ny-times-shows-once-again-how-to-lie-with-statistics/783153)
**Author:** [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ny-times-shows-once-again-how-to-lie-with-statistics/783153 "2017-03-28T20:33:35Z")
The headline of this Times story says AMID “TRUMP EFFECT” FEARS, NEARLY 40% OF COLLEGES SEE DIP IN FOREIGN APPLICANTS Gee, that sounds awful. Foreign students are so afraid of Trump’s AmeriKKKa that they aren’t coming… --- ## [Shouldn't Muslims be a little more understanding about the Crusades?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-muslims-be-a-little-more-understanding-about-the-crusades/782898)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-muslims-be-a-little-more-understanding-about-the-crusades/782898 "2017-03-28T15:09:20Z")
I just watched a documentary on the Crusades seen from the Arabs’ point of view. In it several Muslim historians, and even a couple of Western ones, were excoriating the Crusades as ruthless adventurism by men in search … --- ## [FBI counter-terrorism efforts and the Garland, TX attack](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-counter-terrorism-efforts-and-the-garland-tx-attack/783180)
**Author:** [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-counter-terrorism-efforts-and-the-garland-tx-attack/783180 "2017-03-28T14:21:41Z")
According to 60 Minutes, the FBI were in communication with the terrorists that attacked the “Draw Muhammed” event in Garland, TX. An FBI agent, posing as an Islamic radical, texted Elton Simpson to “Tear up Texas” less … --- ## [Dogfight! A-10 vs. P-51](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogfight-a-10-vs-p-51/782457)
**Author:** [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2017, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogfight-a-10-vs-p-51/782457 "2017-03-28T10:35:55Z")
Assume guns only and (to steal an LSLGuy term) yeagertastic pilots. How would this go down? Fill in any details you need. --- ## [Ivanka's new NON-position in the White House](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivankas-new-non-position-in-the-white-house/782704)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 117\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivankas-new-non-position-in-the-white-house/782704 "2017-03-28T01:07:27Z")
Apparently Daughter Dearest received a security clearance, a secured phone and is getting her own office…without actually holding any particular job or title. So what the fuck is she supposedly doing, who does she repor… --- ## [Hindsight and the Korean War](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindsight-and-the-korean-war/782933)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindsight-and-the-korean-war/782933 "2017-03-27T21:53:44Z")
I was watching a video on alternative history concerning the Korean War and a few things struck me as potential for debate. I figured I’d start off with my (admittedly limited) narrative on the war, then progress to wha… --- ## [If this study is substantiated will cigarettes be seen as less harmful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-this-study-is-substantiated-will-cigarettes-be-seen-as-less-harmful/782878)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-this-study-is-substantiated-will-cigarettes-be-seen-as-less-harmful/782878 "2017-03-27T15:56:48Z")
A new study on the causes of cancer comes to a surprising conclusion. If the conclusions of this report stand up to scrutiny does not this necessarily imply that many of the past cancers attributed to smoking were in f… --- ## [Existing health care reform bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-health-care-reform-bill/783071)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-health-care-reform-bill/783071 "2017-03-27T14:11:12Z")
I don’t know the the subject of the interview on NPR was but he said, essentially, that there was a bipartisan bill sent to Obama to make reforms to ACA that the then-President vetoed (as expected). The interviewee’s que… --- ## [Proposal for an independent investigative commission on Foreign interference in the 2016 election](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-for-an-independent-investigative-commission-on-foreign-interference-in-the-2016-election/783074)
**Author:** [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-for-an-independent-investigative-commission-on-foreign-interference-in-the-2016-election/783074 "2017-03-27T03:25:20Z")
This is getting serious. The conclusions of partisan Congressional committees just will not settle the matter. In my opinion a Warren Commission like investigation needs to be used. We need to protect our American dem… --- ## [Future of Obamacare under Trump](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/future-of-obamacare-under-trump/783072)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/future-of-obamacare-under-trump/783072 "2017-03-26T23:54:14Z")
Trumpcare is dead. Fine. There is still the ACA and while reports of its inevitable impending explosion and collapse are complete hoohah it is an entity that needs the executive branch to minimally do their part in exec… --- ## [Re: ACA, why don't the republicans...?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-aca-why-dont-the-republicans/783041)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-aca-why-dont-the-republicans/783041 "2017-03-26T22:25:23Z")
Sort of a rhetorical question but… What if the republicans had, post-election, said something like, “We’ve been able to have a closer look at Obama-care and we realize that it’s a good start that we can build upon. Ther… --- ## [Didn't Conway get in trouble for doing this very thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didnt-conway-get-in-trouble-for-doing-this-very-thing/782962)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didnt-conway-get-in-trouble-for-doing-this-very-thing/782962 "2017-03-26T19:08:17Z")
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin promoting movie he produced. He thinks a half-assed “I’m not supposed to do this, but…” is going to cover his ass? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=126) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=128)