# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=197 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 198 --- ## [A conversation relating to Hillary Clinton's "scandal" regarding money and the Clinton Foundation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-conversation-relating-to-hillary-clintons-scandal-regarding-money-and-the-clinton-foundation/718489)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-conversation-relating-to-hillary-clintons-scandal-regarding-money-and-the-clinton-foundation/718489 "2015-04-30T17:19:25Z")
I realize that that is an awkward thread title, but I couldn’t really come up with a better, meaningful description. Anyway, for purposes of this discussion, let’s suppose that it is commonly recognized that The Clinton… --- ## [There was a 1940's or 1950' version of Koch Brothers???](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-a-1940s-or-1950-version-of-koch-brothers/714209)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-a-1940s-or-1950-version-of-koch-brothers/714209 "2015-04-30T15:36:27Z")
I was once told during a conversation on world events that there was a pair of brothers or business partners very similar to the Koch bothers. I don’t remember if it was in WWII, before, or after but basically they worke… --- ## [Greece can't (Or Won't) Pay-What Next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greece-cant-or-wont-pay-what-next/717940)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greece-cant-or-wont-pay-what-next/717940 "2015-04-29T17:13:04Z")
The whole charade of the massive Greek debt gets crazier by the day. It seems (to me) that Greece just accepts new loans as a means to roll over its existing debts. Meanwhile, the Greek economy plunges ever deeper into… --- ## [Scottish Independence and Nuclear Weapons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-independence-and-nuclear-weapons/718579)
**Author:** [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-independence-and-nuclear-weapons/718579 "2015-04-29T16:17:02Z")
During arguments last year over Scottish Independence it was asserted that the rump UK would insist on maintaining Faslane (nuclear armed submarine berthing and servicing) and Coulport (Nuclear Warhead facility) in Scotl… --- ## [Effect on population of opening up USA/Canada border](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-on-population-of-opening-up-usa-canada-border/718569)
**Author:** [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-on-population-of-opening-up-usa-canada-border/718569 "2015-04-28T20:04:45Z")
Inspired by the GQ thread on Canada immigration, I’m wondering what would happen if the USA and Canada scrapped all immigration and work permit controls between the two countries. Would there be a mass movement of peopl… --- ## [do antipsychotics cause schizophrenia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-antipsychotics-cause-schizophrenia/718575)
**Author:** [@lab\_experiment\_for\_a\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lab_experiment_for_a_brain)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-antipsychotics-cause-schizophrenia/718575 "2015-04-28T14:20:26Z")
You can see by my name, that I feel that 90% of my mental illness was actually caused by the drugs that were supposed to fix me. If I put my brain cap on, ill tell you the brain damage I have being a schizophrenic is ca… --- ## [The ethics of force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-force-feeding-prisoners-on-hunger-strike/713039)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 330\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-force-feeding-prisoners-on-hunger-strike/713039 "2015-04-28T07:57:02Z")
I was planning to write a long post but then figured it would be best to lay it out in several short bullet points: Some people have denounced the force-feeding of prisoners who are on hunger strike, calling it torture… --- ## [FBI admits flaws in hair analysis over decades: Is forensic science all it's cracked up to be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-admits-flaws-in-hair-analysis-over-decades-is-forensic-science-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/718384)
**Author:** [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-admits-flaws-in-hair-analysis-over-decades-is-forensic-science-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/718384 "2015-04-27T21:47:16Z")
This is obviously completely unacceptable, and that’s an understatement. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-forensic-hair-matches-in-nearly-all-criminal-trials-for-decades/2015/04/18/39c8d8c6-e515-… --- ## [Will the predicted Cold War II bring about more instability and violence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-predicted-cold-war-ii-bring-about-more-instability-and-violence/718624)
**Author:** [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-predicted-cold-war-ii-bring-about-more-instability-and-violence/718624 "2015-04-27T16:36:12Z")
I’ve recently got the impression that worldwide violence has been increasing but I understand now it may be because we’ve just entered Cold War II, which is characterized by superpowers’ inability to win wars on their ow… --- ## [Internet providers need to be subject to competiton](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-providers-need-to-be-subject-to-competiton/718397)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-providers-need-to-be-subject-to-competiton/718397 "2015-04-27T12:57:22Z")
Internet speeds would be much higher, and prices much lower if ISPs had to compete for business instead of using the current “divide and conquer” model. This is why Europe and South Korea have such high internet speeds.… --- ## [Why do systems that deal with people at the edge of society seem to fail at rehabilitation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-systems-that-deal-with-people-at-the-edge-of-society-seem-to-fail-at-rehabilitation/718513)
**Author:** [@drunkvegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drunkvegan)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-systems-that-deal-with-people-at-the-edge-of-society-seem-to-fail-at-rehabilitation/718513 "2015-04-27T06:00:11Z")
The prison system, mental health system, foster care system or any institution that deals with troubled people (schools for troubled kids). A good number of these people certainly aren’t beyond help. Lets take foster ca… --- ## [Is this too exaggerated of is it perfectly accurate: anti-capitalist rant](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-too-exaggerated-of-is-it-perfectly-accurate-anti-capitalist-rant/718429)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-too-exaggerated-of-is-it-perfectly-accurate-anti-capitalist-rant/718429 "2015-04-27T00:22:38Z")
One could make a very strong case that once the Civil War ended, Lincoln’s concerns about corporatization materialized. Gold was discovered in California in 1848 but the great middle of the nation remained untamed. After… --- ## [Big Bounce Theory](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bounce-theory/718490)
**Author:** [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bounce-theory/718490 "2015-04-26T00:03:02Z")
I was reading a Wikipedia article on the Big Bounce. The gist of it is that the Big Bang could have been the initial, or recurrence, of a cycle of expansion and contraction of the universe. If this were true, would the… --- ## [Is climate change the greatest threat to our planet today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-climate-change-the-greatest-threat-to-our-planet-today/718254)
**Author:** [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-climate-change-the-greatest-threat-to-our-planet-today/718254 "2015-04-25T18:29:00Z")
The President made that comment in his weekly radio address. Now I accept the science behind climate change. Where I get annoyed is many of the assertions made to follow that up, such as “The world will be uninhabitable… --- ## [Brian Williams Helicopter story: blowhard BS, but not a fireable offense](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brian-williams-helicopter-story-blowhard-bs-but-not-a-fireable-offense/711953)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 252\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brian-williams-helicopter-story-blowhard-bs-but-not-a-fireable-offense/711953 "2015-04-25T03:07:23Z")
A lot of media types, mostly, by the way, on the right, have been calling for NBC anchor Brian Williams to be fired for telling what is even now by his own admission a bit of a “bubba meise” about an incident in the Iraq… --- ## [Rape Charges for a Elderly Husband Having Sex with His Wife with Dementia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rape-charges-for-a-elderly-husband-having-sex-with-his-wife-with-dementia/717050)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 183\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rape-charges-for-a-elderly-husband-having-sex-with-his-wife-with-dementia/717050 "2015-04-25T01:21:20Z")
http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/04/07/iowa-trial-to-weigh-whether-wife-was-able-to-consent-to-sex I think that criminal charges are inappropriate here. Anyone else have an opinion? --- ## [Should student athletes be paid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-student-athletes-be-paid/716922)
**Author:** [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-student-athletes-be-paid/716922 "2015-04-24T17:57:18Z")
I think the answer is obviously yes, but most people seem opposed to the idea. I don’t consider student athletes NORMAL students. They have different standards for academic admissions, they have massive constraints on … --- ## [Comcast / Time Warner Cable Deal Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-time-warner-cable-deal-dead/718391)
**Author:** [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-time-warner-cable-deal-dead/718391 "2015-04-24T17:00:51Z")
Per this report I should probably be thrilled, but I still pay a ridiculous amount of money each month to Comcast for internet access. I still have no option for a different provider because Comcast has ensured there i… --- ## [Jehova's Witnesses and Jesus Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovas-witnesses-and-jesus-christ/714675)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovas-witnesses-and-jesus-christ/714675 "2015-04-24T16:23:56Z")
I have come to understand that the main difference between the Jehova’s Witnesses and “mainstream” Christianity is that Christianity is Trinitarian (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), whereas the Witnesses are Unitarian ('ca… --- ## [Complicity for the Holocaust in occupied countries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complicity-for-the-holocaust-in-occupied-countries/718157)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complicity-for-the-holocaust-in-occupied-countries/718157 "2015-04-24T03:28:31Z")
It’s a topic in the news lately. For those who aren’t aware, FBI Director James Comey was making a speech at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. And in his speech he said the following: This remark has caused… --- ## [What's the deal with the "Opt Out" movement (for standardized testing)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-opt-out-movement-for-standardized-testing/718196)
**Author:** [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-opt-out-movement-for-standardized-testing/718196 "2015-04-23T22:50:51Z")
I’m seeing a lot of chatter on social media about “opting out,” which means parents keeping their kids home on days in which standardized tests are given. I don’t really understand the fuss. I’ll admit to having a priv… --- ## [How would global culture change if we survived a major pandemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-global-culture-change-if-we-survived-a-major-pandemic/718330)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-global-culture-change-if-we-survived-a-major-pandemic/718330 "2015-04-23T21:41:13Z")
Assume a new version of flu came about with a high virulence and kills 300 million people on earth over the course of a year, but the other 95% of the human race survives. How would it change global culture or politics a… --- ## [Could we eliminate most of the crime and drug problems with shorter/lighter punishments?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-eliminate-most-of-the-crime-and-drug-problems-with-shorter-lighter-punishments/718303)
**Author:** [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-eliminate-most-of-the-crime-and-drug-problems-with-shorter-lighter-punishments/718303 "2015-04-23T18:18:38Z")
Shorter and lighter but also more \*frequent \*and certain.? That is the claim made by Mark Kleiman and I think his argument is worth considering and debating. To see one of his talks look here: The topic of crime and p… --- ## [Vote in local election, and maybe win $25,000. Is this even legal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-in-local-election-and-maybe-win-25-000-is-this-even-legal/718287)
**Author:** [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-in-local-election-and-maybe-win-25-000-is-this-even-legal/718287 "2015-04-23T03:32:39Z")
I suppose it could be argued that this is no different from spending $25,000 on GOTV efforts, but it seems a little too close to bribery (although it doesn’t say “vote for Joe and win”, just “vote and win”). Is it ev… --- ## [An ethical hypothetical around animal cruelty](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ethical-hypothetical-around-animal-cruelty/718238)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ethical-hypothetical-around-animal-cruelty/718238 "2015-04-23T01:32:41Z")
It is the year 20X6 and you’ve struck it rich somehow and now own a large plot of land in rural Colorado. Apart from a relatively small access road and ranch house, you’ve decided to leave the rest of your property compl… --- ## [Where did Judaism begin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-judaism-begin/717289)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-judaism-begin/717289 "2015-04-22T14:07:22Z")
I would say there are four possibilities and from most to least likely, this is how I’d rank them: Mesopotamia or Persia The Bible strongly suggests that Abraham and the first Jewish people were from ancient Mesopotam… --- ## [Would a War Between China and The USA Make Any Sense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-war-between-china-and-the-usa-make-any-sense/717497)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-war-between-china-and-the-usa-make-any-sense/717497 "2015-04-22T04:20:00Z")
Not that wars ever made much sense, but a war between the USA and China would be absolutely crazy. For one thing, the two countries are linked by trade and finance. Plus, if war did break out, the USA would have no way t… --- ## [U.S. and Cuba -- has the reset button been pressed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-and-cuba-has-the-reset-button-been-pressed/707498)
**Author:** [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Replies:** 156\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-and-cuba-has-the-reset-button-been-pressed/707498 "2015-04-21T23:55:42Z")
Great news today: Alan Gross, a contracted aid worker who had been unjustly imprisoned in Cuba, is being released today. But early indications are that this is part of a broader initiative that could involve normalizing… --- ## [Any modern Democratic president an enemy of the 1%](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-democratic-president-an-enemy-of-the-1/718015)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-democratic-president-an-enemy-of-the-1/718015 "2015-04-21T20:51:19Z")
Has any modern Democratic president been an enemy of the 1% and corporations or is all of their populist talk just pandering to the masses? --- ## [If I were a devout Christian, I'd be against the Indiana Law for this reason](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-a-devout-christian-id-be-against-the-indiana-law-for-this-reason/716810)
**Author:** [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Replies:** 268\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-a-devout-christian-id-be-against-the-indiana-law-for-this-reason/716810 "2015-04-21T17:51:19Z")
(Sorry for the click-bait title. I just didn’t know how else to frame my thoughts.) Matthew 22:15 I know this has been interpreted in a number of ways. The message I’ve always been taught is that Jesus was advocatin… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=196) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=198)