# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=183 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 184 --- ## [Will the Supreme Court eventually become obsolete?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-supreme-court-eventually-become-obsolete/732628)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-supreme-court-eventually-become-obsolete/732628 "2015-09-27T16:12:20Z")
I could be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge, the Supreme Court is around to uphold the constitution and make decisions on issues that have no precedent. As more cases happen and more precedents establish. Will the… --- ## ["Rape culture" and "date rape" debate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rape-culture-and-date-rape-debate/729203)
**Author:** [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Replies:** 392\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rape-culture-and-date-rape-debate/729203 "2015-09-27T02:23:57Z")
is there a “rape” culture out there or such thing as “date rape?” I, maybe to the surprise of some who’ve seen my elections post, say absolutely NO. The fact is if you can be charged for murder or motor vehicle homocide… --- ## [Is the world less racist because of Hitler?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-less-racist-because-of-hitler/732645)
**Author:** [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-less-racist-because-of-hitler/732645 "2015-09-26T23:59:34Z")
I’ve been having this thought for a while. Maybe Hitler and the Nazi movement actually made the world less racist. Before WWII pretty much everyone was a racist and racism was the norm (considered science even). From one… --- ## [The American military solution to ISIS is to colonize Syria and the Levant for 99 years](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-military-solution-to-isis-is-to-colonize-syria-and-the-levant-for-99-years/731451)
**Author:** [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-military-solution-to-isis-is-to-colonize-syria-and-the-levant-for-99-years/731451 "2015-09-26T14:02:48Z")
I’m limiting the options in this thread to military solutions\*, directing my argument at the root of the ISIS phenomenon, at least as described here: If it is truly the case that there is a widespread belief that the p… --- ## [Kim Davis. Is There A Pattern Emerging Here?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-davis-is-there-a-pattern-emerging-here/732278)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-davis-is-there-a-pattern-emerging-here/732278 "2015-09-26T03:55:27Z")
Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who won’t issue gay marriage licenses. I actually almost respected her at first, alright maybe from a distance. (As many of you may know, I am gay, and of course very much in favor of certai… --- ## [Appeals Court strikes down some, upholds other D.C. gun regulations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appeals-court-strikes-down-some-upholds-other-d-c-gun-regulations/731986)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appeals-court-strikes-down-some-upholds-other-d-c-gun-regulations/731986 "2015-09-25T22:31:54Z")
http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/254195-us-court-of-appeals-strikes-down-some-dc-gun-laws I must admit that this doesn’t seem to be a victory for either side. To summarize: \[QUOTE=\] In a 2-1 decision Frida… --- ## [Is Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. the Phoenix (AZ) Freeway Shooter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leslie-allen-merritt-jr-the-phoenix-az-freeway-shooter/731926)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leslie-allen-merritt-jr-the-phoenix-az-freeway-shooter/731926 "2015-09-25T19:19:54Z")
Police arrested Mr. Merritt Friday at a WalMart in Glendale, AZ, and have said that his gun was used in four of the shootings. The thing is, his gun was in a pawn shop. That’s how police found it and then found him. T… --- ## [Has American culture become or is it becoming too PC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-american-culture-become-or-is-it-becoming-too-pc/731992)
**Author:** [@PritrumJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PritrumJ)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-american-culture-become-or-is-it-becoming-too-pc/731992 "2015-09-25T18:19:34Z")
I think in many places it has. Think of it like over regulation or a really unhealthy bureaucracy. You can never make enough rules to prevent people who are acting in bad faith from being destructive or regulate them int… --- ## ["Don't eat meat," says Pope. Is he right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-eat-meat-says-pope-is-he-right/731847)
**Author:** [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-eat-meat-says-pope-is-he-right/731847 "2015-09-25T15:51:59Z")
Article: What would the Pope eat? (USA Today, Bruce Friedrich) Breaking it down: climate change is bad and we should treat the poor better. Can’t argue with that. So stop eating meat. Huh? Climate change: \[ul\] \[li… --- ## [What's the REAL unemployment rate under Obama? 10.5% or 5.1%? Or Other?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-real-unemployment-rate-under-obama-10-5-or-5-1-or-other/732247)
**Author:** [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-real-unemployment-rate-under-obama-10-5-or-5-1-or-other/732247 "2015-09-25T02:57:01Z")
I ask because I posted a graphic that said Obama’s 5.1% beats George W’s 7.2%, then someone posted this link: Where Bernie Sanders says it’s 10.5% Any links with accurate information would be helpful. --- ## [Why do we have the Export-Import Bank?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-the-export-import-bank/669729)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-the-export-import-bank/669729 "2015-09-24T05:02:07Z")
Last year President Obama signed into law an extension of the charter for the Export-Import Bank and an increase in the amount of money it’s authorized to deal with. Most Americans probably don’t know that the Export-Im… --- ## [Forgiveness.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgiveness/731956)
**Author:** [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgiveness/731956 "2015-09-23T19:43:47Z")
Last June I traveled to Poland with a famous holocaust survivor named Eva Kor. She and her late sister survived Dr. Josef Mengele’s experiments and founded a museum in Terre Haute, Indiana in the late '90s. She travels … --- ## [So I'm reading and thinking anew about the Second Boer War](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-reading-and-thinking-anew-about-the-second-boer-war/732174)
**Author:** [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-reading-and-thinking-anew-about-the-second-boer-war/732174 "2015-09-22T20:41:18Z")
And my assumptions are being refilled with more solid matter. That was really stupid for the Boer republics to declare war, with no industrial base; and without getting international support lined up beforehand. The li… --- ## [Why does the media frequently use "Middle East" when referring only to the Israel/Palestine area?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-media-frequently-use-middle-east-when-referring-only-to-the-israel-palestine-area/731993)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-media-frequently-use-middle-east-when-referring-only-to-the-israel-palestine-area/731993 "2015-09-22T07:54:33Z")
I’ve noticed that when the media refers to the Middle East, they frequently mean just the area around Israel and the Palestinian Territories. This is especially true when talking about peace in the Middle East or the Mid… --- ## [Who's privileged? Who's unprivileged?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-privileged-whos-unprivileged/730256)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-privileged-whos-unprivileged/730256 "2015-09-21T20:57:17Z")
A while back I started a thread with a link to this article to start a debate about the validity of microaggressions. There’s another aspect that seems worthy of debate. The student in that article defines microaggress… --- ## [Janet Yellen or Rock-a-Doodle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-yellen-or-rock-a-doodle/731930)
**Author:** [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-yellen-or-rock-a-doodle/731930 "2015-09-21T19:48:06Z")
This is what markets are about nowadays? Waiting for pronouncements from the monetary politburo? ANN SAPHIR. Ann Saphir with Reuters. Just to piggyback on the global considerations, as you say, the U.S. economy has been… --- ## [Why do Christians not take the sin of adultery seriously?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-not-take-the-sin-of-adultery-seriously/730669)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-not-take-the-sin-of-adultery-seriously/730669 "2015-09-21T18:42:00Z")
A lot of people on this board and elsewhere have pointed out that Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky that refuses to issue marriage certificates to gay couples, is somewhat hypocritical in applying her morality give… --- ## [U.S. Navy only has 273 boats...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-navy-only-has-273-boats/730347)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 123\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-navy-only-has-273-boats/730347 "2015-09-21T01:18:02Z")
So, articles like this make it ambivalent if some upstart nation like China is about to weld together 9 more aircraft carriers and go kick USA’s ass on the high seas… So, I have a question. Who’s bright idea was it to … --- ## [Why is there still a border between the U.S. and Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-still-a-border-between-the-u-s-and-canada/731339)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-still-a-border-between-the-u-s-and-canada/731339 "2015-09-21T00:48:57Z")
The United States and Canada have been close allies for many decades. The two countries are culturally very similar, their economies are closely connected. Wouldn’t it be beneficiary for the two nations to get rid of the… --- ## [Does intellectual evolution take place simultaneously?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intellectual-evolution-take-place-simultaneously/731650)
**Author:** [@Blackstock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackstock)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intellectual-evolution-take-place-simultaneously/731650 "2015-09-20T20:33:36Z")
Before you start reading this, I must warn you that I haven’t done enough research on the subject matter, mainly because it would be an arduous task considering how broad the topic is. Everything I write here is opinion … --- ## [Is the Life Force A Real Force?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-life-force-a-real-force/729984)
**Author:** [@halman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/halman)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-life-force-a-real-force/729984 "2015-09-20T20:09:37Z")
Ever since I saw “Star Wars”, I have been wondering about whether the Force is real or not. Now, I am talking about something which takes chaos, in the form of garbage, and turns it into complexity, in the form of life.… --- ## [Reforming child porn laws](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reforming-child-porn-laws/729791)
**Author:** [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Replies:** 135\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reforming-child-porn-laws/729791 "2015-09-19T23:39:21Z")
I don’t think that we’ll see common sense applied to this area any time soon, based on current conditions (arresting minors who take naked pictures of themselves, etc). I propose the following: Anything that is compl… --- ## [What if Hitler allows Tunisia to be evacuated along with its 200,000+ German soldiers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-hitler-allows-tunisia-to-be-evacuated-along-with-its-200-000-german-soldiers/731753)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-hitler-allows-tunisia-to-be-evacuated-along-with-its-200-000-german-soldiers/731753 "2015-09-19T19:12:45Z")
What if Hitler allows Tunisia to be evacuated along with its 200,000+ German soldiers sometime between December 1942 and April 1943? --- ## [Does health insurance cover too much?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-health-insurance-cover-too-much/729895)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-health-insurance-cover-too-much/729895 "2015-09-19T03:08:47Z")
Health insurance is extremely expensive for most people. By having it cover almost everything, it only raises the price. You might think you are getting that $20 prescription for free, but youthe insurance company has … --- ## [How much of China's rise is fabricated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-chinas-rise-is-fabricated/722033)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-chinas-rise-is-fabricated/722033 "2015-09-19T02:18:46Z")
Do you think the supposed transformation of China from a poor Third World country to a wealthy First World country over the past 25 years is exaggerated or even complete bunk? From what I’ve heard, it’s common for compa… --- ## [Ethnic Composition of Mormonism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethnic-composition-of-mormonism/584477)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 188\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethnic-composition-of-mormonism/584477 "2015-09-19T00:24:27Z")
Are Mormons compared to the general population composed more of the original English/Anglo-Saxon stock? Because Utah is the state with the largest reported number of those with an English ancestry beating such WASP stron… --- ## [Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent victims of a rush to judgment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-knox-and-raffaele-sollecito-are-innocent-victims-of-a-rush-to-judgment/513474)
**Author:** [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Replies:** 317\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-knox-and-raffaele-sollecito-are-innocent-victims-of-a-rush-to-judgment/513474 "2015-09-18T19:12:55Z")
I did a search of the boards both in the toolbar above and via Google, and surprisingly I don’t see any threads discussing the trial of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the murder Meredith Kercher in Italy. I’ve w… --- ## [trust vs science (yet another global warming catfight)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-vs-science-yet-another-global-warming-catfight/729303)
**Author:** [@anthonymortadella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anthonymortadella)\ **Replies:** 96\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-vs-science-yet-another-global-warming-catfight/729303 "2015-09-18T14:13:11Z")
Another thing I meant was, and this thing is probably bigger than the above two, you shouldn’t have to “trust” anybody when it comes to a scientific subject. Such as AGW. As long as I’m not mentally retarded, I shou… --- ## [What substantive difference would it make if Obama had been born in Kenya?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-substantive-difference-would-it-make-if-obama-had-been-born-in-kenya/731176)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 140\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-substantive-difference-would-it-make-if-obama-had-been-born-in-kenya/731176 "2015-09-18T03:17:52Z")
Suppose, hypothetically, that Obama had been borne in Kenya, and somehow some papers were doctored. He breathed his first breaths of air in Kenya for maybe a week or even a few months, then spent the rest of his life in… --- ## [In the USA, who creates more suffering, prisons or criminals?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-usa-who-creates-more-suffering-prisons-or-criminals/731334)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-usa-who-creates-more-suffering-prisons-or-criminals/731334 "2015-09-18T02:22:27Z")
Criminals murder people rarely. (most murders happen as an escalation of conflicts between people who know each other, not as a result of a professional criminal). They steal stuff. Once in a extremely rare blue moon … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=182) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=184)