# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=148 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 149 --- ## [Should we create a whistleblowing exception to the Espionage Act?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-create-a-whistleblowing-exception-to-the-espionage-act/766027)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-create-a-whistleblowing-exception-to-the-espionage-act/766027 "2016-09-18T19:47:59Z")
One of the arguments pressed by Edward Snowden is that, like Daniel Ellsberg, he would not get a chance to explain his motivations, or the beneficial effect of his actions, to a jury in his espionage trial. And that he w… --- ## [Labor Theory of Value](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-theory-of-value/756606)
**Author:** [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Replies:** 178\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-theory-of-value/756606 "2016-09-15T23:30:49Z")
A long one here. This might not be the greatest of debates, rather more of a crash course into the history of economic thought, specifically the inquiry into value in economic circles into the 19th century. But the disc… --- ## [How is empathy advantageous?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-empathy-advantageous/765588)
**Author:** [@KimJongUn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimJongUn)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-empathy-advantageous/765588 "2016-09-15T20:40:58Z")
As someone diagnosed with ASPD and somewhat interested in the disorder, I sometimes wonder how empathy is advantageous to a human being, mainly because of the fact that empathy can bog you down with such things as the su… --- ## [How much time for specific country to go nuclear](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-for-specific-country-to-go-nuclear/765848)
**Author:** [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-for-specific-country-to-go-nuclear/765848 "2016-09-15T20:28:09Z")
Hypothetic situation. Take any of appx. 200 countries in this planet. Something happens, and some particular state would go benevolent that far, that would want to go nucular (NK or Tropico style). Not counting already n… --- ## [Scientific Effect of Repealing the Establishment Clause.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-effect-of-repealing-the-establishment-clause/765989)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-effect-of-repealing-the-establishment-clause/765989 "2016-09-15T20:08:30Z")
FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE US CONSTITUTION (1791) Well, even if you are an eternal optimist, like me, you have to admit, two things will probably happen in most people’s lifetime. Roe v. Wade will be overturned. And so wil… --- ## [How do we end American Imperialism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-end-american-imperialism/764286)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 254\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-end-american-imperialism/764286 "2016-09-15T12:23:05Z")
I think we need to stop meddling in the affairs of other countries. We have done far too much damage to people all around the world. Staging coups in third world countries to take their resources sounds like an agenda … --- ## [The future always looks worse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-future-always-looks-worse/764592)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-future-always-looks-worse/764592 "2016-09-15T04:45:34Z")
I was originally going to post this in Café Society in reference to how the future is portrayed in book, film and TV. But it occurs to me that it could apply IRL how people actually view the future: Why the future alwa… --- ## [Are there any conservative policies that were actually good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-conservative-policies-that-were-actually-good/765324)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-conservative-policies-that-were-actually-good/765324 "2016-09-15T04:38:51Z")
I honestly cannot agree with any legislation passed by conservatives, or policy upheld by conservatives. Does anyone got a few examples of how conservatives may somehow be beneficial to society? I could rant for days abo… --- ## [Proof That God Exists: An Open Debate For The Existence of God](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-god-exists-an-open-debate-for-the-existence-of-god/764578)
**Author:** [@Jeduraiya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeduraiya)\ **Replies:** 377\ **Last updated:** [September 14, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-god-exists-an-open-debate-for-the-existence-of-god/764578 "2016-09-14T22:53:35Z")
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect had intended for us to forgo their use.”\*\* -Galileo \*\* PROLOUGE Hello, I have been a member of message boards severa… --- ## [How will mass deportation from the USA work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-mass-deportation-from-the-usa-work/764785)
**Author:** [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Replies:** 114\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-mass-deportation-from-the-usa-work/764785 "2016-09-13T20:56:39Z")
I was reading the New Yorker, somehow I’d missed Trump’s promise to create a special task force": I guess it won’t be 11 million. But say it’s a few million, how does that work … he says there will be a special deporta… --- ## [Interaction Different with Police based on Race](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interaction-different-with-police-based-on-race/764423)
**Author:** [@vtxrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vtxrider)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interaction-different-with-police-based-on-race/764423 "2016-09-13T19:47:15Z")
I am really not sure if this would fall under GQ or GD, but since it cannot have a true answer, I decided to go with Great Debates. This is an event that occurred this past weekend and I wanted to get general thoughts f… --- ## [Are Skeptics Sometimes TOO Skeptical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-skeptics-sometimes-too-skeptical/764457)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 142\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-skeptics-sometimes-too-skeptical/764457 "2016-09-12T11:47:53Z")
I generally consider myself a skeptic, when it comes to paranormal and similar claims. I think I have probably always been this way. Even as a child, I was very rational and detached (although I was probably more religio… --- ## [Is indexing minimum wage to inflation a good or bad idea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-indexing-minimum-wage-to-inflation-a-good-or-bad-idea/764565)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 105\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-indexing-minimum-wage-to-inflation-a-good-or-bad-idea/764565 "2016-09-12T10:05:56Z")
This is one of the questions on the Maine ballot. Question four involves not just a raise in the minimum wage, but cost of living increases. This seems like a good idea on the surface, but I have been hearing a lot of … --- ## [Re the US invasion of Iraq were Israeli geo-political goals a player in that decision?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-us-invasion-of-iraq-were-israeli-geo-political-goals-a-player-in-that-decision/765048)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-us-invasion-of-iraq-were-israeli-geo-political-goals-a-player-in-that-decision/765048 "2016-09-11T23:06:15Z")
I read Thomas Ricks book "Fiasco"which seemed to be a pretty thorough explanation of the events in play, but one part of the intertwined “confederacy of dunces” scenario I never really got my head around was VP Cheney’si… --- ## [What could be done to lower the cost of expensive generic drugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-done-to-lower-the-cost-of-expensive-generic-drugs/765234)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-done-to-lower-the-cost-of-expensive-generic-drugs/765234 "2016-09-11T15:53:45Z")
I’m mostly asking about generics within the US market, drugs that have recouped the cost of initial investment and that are not priced high to recoup initial development and testing. Make it easier for competitors to … --- ## [Are we being tracked?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-being-tracked/764561)
**Author:** [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-being-tracked/764561 "2016-09-11T15:36:41Z")
Not sure if this has been discussed (Delete me or rather the thread, if so :smack:) If OnStar can find us, why not the rest of the world? If phones ping, is this technology a good thing? Are they building vehicles wi… --- ## [Trump, Chicago, and the "top cop"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-chicago-and-the-top-cop/765192)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-chicago-and-the-top-cop/765192 "2016-09-08T16:27:20Z")
I’m posting it here because it’s not really an elections topic. The “top cop”, who Trump won’t name, has a rapid cure for Chicago’s crime problem. Short of curfew and martial law, what could cops do do bring about, in on… --- ## [Can African-Americans be racist against whites?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-african-americans-be-racist-against-whites/764507)
**Author:** [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-african-americans-be-racist-against-whites/764507 "2016-09-08T14:46:36Z")
Per the m-w.com: So based on the dictionary, it doesn’t seem to limit who can and cannot be racist. But according to this video, the answer is no. So is there a different sociological definition of racism? Is there … --- ## [Apple/Ireland tax deal nixed by EU](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-ireland-tax-deal-nixed-by-eu/764484)
**Author:** [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-ireland-tax-deal-nixed-by-eu/764484 "2016-09-08T01:05:29Z")
Putting aside the issues of sovereignty, is this policy of prohibiting favorable tax breaks to attract jobs a good policy? I have long said that tax competition between countries is a race to the bottom while tax comp… --- ## [US House - solutions to gerrymandering](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-house-solutions-to-gerrymandering/764546)
**Author:** [@DagNation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DagNation)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-house-solutions-to-gerrymandering/764546 "2016-09-07T02:22:42Z")
Just for completeness, lets talk about the gerrymandering issue. Even the best, most fair districts are going to evolve over the 10 years between censuses. The single seat districts contribute strongly to our two party … --- ## [Is it Racially Insensitive for Whites to Discuss Problems in the Black Communities?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racially-insensitive-for-whites-to-discuss-problems-in-the-black-communities/764536)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racially-insensitive-for-whites-to-discuss-problems-in-the-black-communities/764536 "2016-09-06T13:38:50Z")
Yes, it’s true. There is White Privilege, there is still systemic racism, and no White person can truly know what it is like to be a Black person in America today. That being said, can a White person acknowledging all … --- ## [Are meat-eaters really more cruel than vegetarians?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-meat-eaters-really-more-cruel-than-vegetarians/764417)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2016, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-meat-eaters-really-more-cruel-than-vegetarians/764417 "2016-09-06T09:12:04Z")
From Emile, or On Education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau: (This was at a time when the English were noted for their appetite for beef. Viz The Roast Beef of Old England) Now as an Englishman and a meat-eater both I take e… --- ## [At what point is someone "forced' to do something?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646 "2016-09-06T02:35:51Z")
In the thread about the French banning burkinis, the issue of coercion came up, and there appeared to be a difference in what posters considered to be being “forced” to do something - some envisioning physical violence w… --- ## [Is there an inherent problem if police have to be TAUGHT this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411 "2016-09-06T00:49:31Z")
From the New York Times-“New Orleans Police Taught To Police Each Other”, and the picture of two female officers accompanying the article reads “A new police training program in this city teaches officers to intervene if… --- ## [Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, what did that do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-was-baptised-by-john-the-baptist-what-did-that-do/760998)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [September 4, 2016, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-was-baptised-by-john-the-baptist-what-did-that-do/760998 "2016-09-04T11:47:33Z")
Normally, Baptism is the washing away of sins and the acceptance of a new religion, perhaps the new flavor of one. So, Jesus, who is without sin, gets baptized. He didn’t need to be forgiven and was forging his own reli… --- ## [Why should religion be free to discriminate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-religion-be-free-to-discriminate/762964)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 141\ **Last updated:** [September 4, 2016, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-religion-be-free-to-discriminate/762964 "2016-09-04T06:28:15Z")
Sure, the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion but that freedom has many restrictions. I couldn’t sacrifice babies to Baal, for instance. I’d be in breach of the law and my pleas of religious freedom would fall on… --- ## [What populous jobs are the machines stealing next, and what jobs will those people do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-populous-jobs-are-the-machines-stealing-next-and-what-jobs-will-those-people-do/764447)
**Author:** [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2016, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-populous-jobs-are-the-machines-stealing-next-and-what-jobs-will-those-people-do/764447 "2016-09-03T07:47:40Z")
When I say machines, I mean computers AND robots. I’d like to ask each responder to think about a couple of lines of work they think are next on the chopping block in the next few decades. Now I’m not being pessimistic… --- ## [US House - more seats - representation and elections](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-house-more-seats-representation-and-elections/764545)
**Author:** [@DagNation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DagNation)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-house-more-seats-representation-and-elections/764545 "2016-09-02T22:13:00Z")
US House of Reps - how would adding more seats affect representation and elections? Ground rules: I know gerrymandering is a huge problem, lets ignore it for this thread. Thanks! As I have mentioned in another thread, … --- ## [Banning Burkinis (or Veils/Headscarves)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banning-burkinis-or-veils-headscarves/763085)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 222\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banning-burkinis-or-veils-headscarves/763085 "2016-09-02T10:53:11Z")
French PM backs bans on burkinis as they are based on ‘enslavement of women’ I don’t agree with this. If the government gets to decide what people get to wear based on the government’s interpretation of the true meani… --- ## [Will we see the end of athletic world records?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-we-see-the-end-of-athletic-world-records/763564)
**Author:** [@Verily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Verily)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2016, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-we-see-the-end-of-athletic-world-records/763564 "2016-09-02T05:40:45Z")
My question concerns athletic world records only. As long as there are people willing to do silly things like, I don’t know, sing the most consecutive show tunes while chewing gum and standing on one foot, the Guinness … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=147) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=149)