# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=162 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 163 --- ## [Should the government tell Apple how it hacked the iPhone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-government-tell-apple-how-it-hacked-the-iphone/750517)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-government-tell-apple-how-it-hacked-the-iphone/750517 "2016-04-01T00:26:17Z")
As most of you know, the case against Apple to force them to help the government hack the dead terrorist’s iPhone has been dropped, as the government was aided by “a third party” and were able to gain access to the phone… --- ## [Make internet/cable providers compete on the free market](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-internet-cable-providers-compete-on-the-free-market/749895)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-internet-cable-providers-compete-on-the-free-market/749895 "2016-03-31T22:55:15Z")
We need to end the “divide and conquer” model. ISPs should have to compete on the open market, just like any other product. In Europe and South Korea, internet providers have to compete for business, and it works much … --- ## [Should the media be given credence anymore?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-media-be-given-credence-anymore/750651)
**Author:** [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-media-be-given-credence-anymore/750651 "2016-03-31T17:43:34Z")
My basic premise is this…you hear constantly about how young people are influenced by the media’s “standards” of beauty or masculinity, how the media scares people into thinking there’s much more crime than what’s going … --- ## [Has any harm been proven to be caused by GMO foods?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-harm-been-proven-to-be-caused-by-gmo-foods/750072)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-harm-been-proven-to-be-caused-by-gmo-foods/750072 "2016-03-31T16:49:48Z")
I hear a lot of woo and panic about them but not a lot of real science. Also, I understand that selective breeding is genetic modification, and no horror stories have ever been written about that. --- ## [Morally repugnant ways of avoiding extinction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morally-repugnant-ways-of-avoiding-extinction/750635)
**Author:** [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morally-repugnant-ways-of-avoiding-extinction/750635 "2016-03-31T15:50:11Z")
This is a philosophical problem that bothers me. I don’t have an answer but I’m curious what others think. Let’s assume that a runaway greenhouse effect caused by man-made carbon emissions presents a credible threat o… --- ## [Are the actions of BLM wise or foolish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-actions-of-blm-wise-or-foolish/738278)
**Author:** [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Replies:** 413\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-actions-of-blm-wise-or-foolish/738278 "2016-03-31T14:16:17Z")
I’m 39 years old; their style of activism is new to me - it is very in your face and not focused on inillectualizing racial disparity. I think it is good on the one hand, I think there is no other way to attack racism o… --- ## [Should women be prosecuted for abortion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-women-be-prosecuted-for-abortion/750735)
**Author:** [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-women-be-prosecuted-for-abortion/750735 "2016-03-31T13:37:53Z")
I’m pro-choice, so obviously I don’t think so. But, if you regard abortion as murder, how can you not support punishment for a perpetrator? --- ## [Could College of the Ozarks model for free college be a national model?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-college-of-the-ozarks-model-for-free-college-be-a-national-model/750510)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-college-of-the-ozarks-model-for-free-college-be-a-national-model/750510 "2016-03-30T19:36:29Z")
I’m not sure if your familiar with College of the Ozarks in Branson Missouri. One of its mottos is “Graduate Without Debt”. Basically it’s free because: Students work many jobs on campus. Those jobs can be degree relat… --- ## [What would be a pro-choice response to abortion survivors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-a-pro-choice-response-to-abortion-survivors/731321)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-a-pro-choice-response-to-abortion-survivors/731321 "2016-03-30T18:46:24Z")
There have been abortion survivors (that is, fetuses who survived attempted abortions) who have now given testimony about their stories - typically pro-llfe arguments. What is or would be the pro-choice response to such… --- ## [When is it not appropriate for the POTUS to stay abroad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-it-not-appropriate-for-the-potus-to-stay-abroad/750377)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-it-not-appropriate-for-the-potus-to-stay-abroad/750377 "2016-03-30T17:48:08Z")
Republicans have been complaining about Obama being in Cuba when a terrorist attack happened in Brussels, Belgium, killing 31, and not cancelling his visit. Do they complain when the POTUS stays abroad when there is a… --- ## [Norman Mailers 'White Negroes'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norman-mailers-white-negroes/749676)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norman-mailers-white-negroes/749676 "2016-03-30T16:48:42Z")
An article Adam Curtis wrote about Norman Mailer has fascinated me, and I wanted to ask if the ‘White Negroes’ that is, hipsters who appropriated Black culture and used it as their own to define their own distinctiveness… --- ## [A New Form of Government?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-form-of-government/749948)
**Author:** [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-form-of-government/749948 "2016-03-30T03:20:53Z")
In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote that “when any Government becomes destructive of these ends (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness), it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, &etc.” … --- ## [Hating on Muslims isn't wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hating-on-muslims-isnt-wrong/750509)
**Author:** [@Civilrighte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civilrighte)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hating-on-muslims-isnt-wrong/750509 "2016-03-29T21:13:58Z")
Why is Islamaphobia wrong? One of my arguments against liberals who support Muslims, was that liberalism was usually against Christianity, or at least supportive of secularism and athiesim. I also argued that people we… --- ## [Ad Wall circumvention and the DMCA](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-wall-circumvention-and-the-dmca/750570)
**Author:** [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-wall-circumvention-and-the-dmca/750570 "2016-03-29T21:10:45Z")
So a number of internet sites have started to implement an “Ad Wall” wherein they require that surfers turn off any ad blocker to view their content. So of course some people came up with software that makes the adblocki… --- ## [Healing modalities](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-modalities/750471)
**Author:** [@KnowMyStuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnowMyStuff)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2016, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-modalities/750471 "2016-03-29T04:44:04Z")
Saw some INCREDIBLY uneducated comments about Rife in answer to a recent question. Royal Raymond Rife was another genious in the style of Tesla and he came to the conclusion in the 1920’s that if everything is energy (an… --- ## [End tax deductions for giving to charity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-tax-deductions-for-giving-to-charity/748117)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-tax-deductions-for-giving-to-charity/748117 "2016-03-28T23:40:24Z")
I think instead of arguing over the tax rate, we should close loopholes that allow people to avoid taxes. Giving unwanted things to Goodwill should not be tax deductible. If you want money for your old stuff, then you … --- ## [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcoholics-anonymous/59323)
**Author:** [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcoholics-anonymous/59323 "2016-03-28T22:49:34Z")
This discussion has taken place before around here, but with the push toward faith-based social services, I thought it might be worth having again. Earlier this week, as part of my psychiatry rotation, I attended an AA … --- ## [Nixon's Madman theory, Trump, Putin.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nixons-madman-theory-trump-putin/750405)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nixons-madman-theory-trump-putin/750405 "2016-03-28T19:50:18Z")
I must admit that I was, before the recent NYT article about their foreign policy interview with Trump referenced it (see below), ignorant of Nixon’s “Madman theory.” About the Madman theory: It seems to me that Puti… --- ## [Laws Don't Always Work as They Should in a Complex World](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-dont-always-work-as-they-should-in-a-complex-world/749945)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-dont-always-work-as-they-should-in-a-complex-world/749945 "2016-03-28T15:52:27Z")
From the Washington Post: The law was supposed to reduce discrimination. But it made hiring more racially biased. And as for drug tests … The general lesson to be learned, IMO, is that the world in general and human… --- ## [Gun control idea](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-control-idea/749648)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 146\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-control-idea/749648 "2016-03-28T12:48:30Z")
The political viability of this idea at the present time is virtually nil, so let’s not bother with that and concentrate on whether or not it’s a good idea. What if there were a national shall-issue firearms license and… --- ## [What battle could have saved the Confederates?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-could-have-saved-the-confederates/749280)
**Author:** [@Leonard33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard33)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-could-have-saved-the-confederates/749280 "2016-03-27T21:45:56Z")
I am writing a creative story including a general from the civil war (I haven’t decided which) and I wanted to twist history. What battle could have saved the Confederate cause? I was thinking Vicksburg would have been a… --- ## [How is Donald Trump killing the Republican party?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-donald-trump-killing-the-republican-party/750008)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-donald-trump-killing-the-republican-party/750008 "2016-03-27T17:41:34Z")
“Donald Trump destroyed Republicanism through vilification” Can someone explain this? I understand Trump basically targeted the most vulnerable cultures in attempts of feeble policies which subvert constitutional rights… --- ## [Dad jailed after he helps daughter buy heroin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-jailed-after-he-helps-daughter-buy-heroin/750082)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-jailed-after-he-helps-daughter-buy-heroin/750082 "2016-03-27T00:33:37Z")
A man has a daughter who is a heroin addict. Concerned about withdraws, he helped her buy heroin. Is he a good father or a bad father? http://www.whio.com/news/news/crime-law/dad-jailed-after-he-helps-daughter-buy-heroi… --- ## ["Dog whistle" phrase?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-whistle-phrase/748503)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-whistle-phrase/748503 "2016-03-26T23:16:17Z")
All of a sudden I hear/read people say “dog whistle”. Is this new or did I somehow miss it for a long time? It means speaking in a sort of code. Or maybe it just got a lot more popular? --- ## [Richard Feynman was not a sexual predator](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-feynman-was-not-a-sexual-predator/749860)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 96\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-feynman-was-not-a-sexual-predator/749860 "2016-03-26T16:29:31Z")
In contrast to this author’s claims: But I suspect the issue is that the author and I disagree on what makes a person a “sexual predator.” Feynman did not exactly pretend to be an undergraduate. He was, post-war, a ve… --- ## [Men should have the right to ‘abort’ responsibility for an unborn child, Swedish political group say](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-should-have-the-right-to-abort-responsibility-for-an-unborn-child-swedish-political-group-say/748726)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 219\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-should-have-the-right-to-abort-responsibility-for-an-unborn-child-swedish-political-group-say/748726 "2016-03-26T13:49:37Z")
I saw this article (title is the same as this thread) and I find I am kind of on the fence about this. I mean, I can see this both ways but not sure where to land. The short version is a group in Sweden is proposing th… --- ## [How powerful is the Pro-Israeli Lobby?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-powerful-is-the-pro-israeli-lobby/749805)
**Author:** [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-powerful-is-the-pro-israeli-lobby/749805 "2016-03-26T01:00:45Z")
Watching all the presidential candidates (save the only JEWISH one) all pander shamelessly to the Jewish/Pro-Israeli lobby, it makes me wonder just how powerful they are. Are they the kingmakers? Can you get elected wit… --- ## [Time for another look at drug decriminalization in the U.S.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-another-look-at-drug-decriminalization-in-the-u-s/749974)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-another-look-at-drug-decriminalization-in-the-u-s/749974 "2016-03-25T23:44:56Z")
For one thing, the War on Drugs was dishonestly based on a blatantly racist agenda from the start – I mean, from the Nixon Admin, before “War on Drugs” was even a phrase. From Dan Baum’s April cover story in Harper’s: … --- ## [Terror in Europe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-in-europe/749993)
**Author:** [@Yersenia\_Pestis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yersenia_Pestis)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-in-europe/749993 "2016-03-25T18:36:41Z")
As the horrible attacks in Brussels unfold, it makes me wonder what the ultimate terrorist goal is here… Is it to scare the populace to such a point that their countries withdrawal from the air strikes? It completely stu… --- ## [What if all the SCOTUS justices needed replaced?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-the-scotus-justices-needed-replaced/749790)
**Author:** [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-the-scotus-justices-needed-replaced/749790 "2016-03-25T12:57:19Z")
I haven’t been able to find an answer searching here, though it seems like an obvious question. Let’s say terrorists bomb the Supreme Court, killing every justice. Is there anything in place to deal with the situation?… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=161) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=163)