# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=234 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 235 --- ## [NRA Seeking Universal Concealed Carry Permit Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nra-seeking-universal-concealed-carry-permit-law/686886)
**Author:** [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nra-seeking-universal-concealed-carry-permit-law/686886 "2014-05-02T02:06:24Z")
The NRA has announced that they will be seeking a universal concealed carry law. This is a real problem that they are attempting to solve. This site shows how the patchwork of laws across the country is very difficult… --- ## [Nuclear War is it really coming?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-war-is-it-really-coming/663614)
**Author:** [@Okieshowedem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okieshowedem)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-war-is-it-really-coming/663614 "2014-05-02T01:26:52Z")
Seems like its over dew. Okie --- ## [Why do I believe in God?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073)
**Author:** [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Replies:** 135\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073 "2014-05-01T18:47:03Z")
Why do I believe in God? There are basically two aspects to Creation: the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine. The Divine Masculine is what we call Science. He analyzes. He measures. He weighs. He is only interes… --- ## [What if spacetime were a kind of fluid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-spacetime-were-a-kind-of-fluid/686772)
**Author:** [@mpc755](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mpc755)\ **Replies:** 322\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-spacetime-were-a-kind-of-fluid/686772 "2014-05-01T17:47:59Z")
‘Liquid spacetime: A very slippery superfluid, that’s what spacetime could be like’ “What if spacetime were a kind of fluid?” If spacetime were a kind of fluid then particles would move through it and displace it. If… --- ## [Is Black Face necessarily racist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-face-necessarily-racist/686660)
**Author:** [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Replies:** 262\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2014, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-face-necessarily-racist/686660 "2014-05-01T10:25:20Z")
There has been a tradition among some social groups (Morris Men, Mummers, Clog Dancers) to have some or all of its members ‘blacked up’- not as minstrels but with black faces as if dirty. It is unknown whether this tr… --- ## [Today the Fourth Amendment is One Step Closer to the Grave](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-the-fourth-amendment-is-one-step-closer-to-the-grave/686744)
**Author:** [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-the-fourth-amendment-is-one-step-closer-to-the-grave/686744 "2014-04-30T17:54:35Z")
SCOTUS ruled today in Navarette v. California (pdf). They ruled 5-4 that an anonymous tip on a specific vehicle at a specific location is enough to justify a traffic stop even if the officers involved observe nothing th… --- ## [Can America ever again have a social class of economically independent producers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-america-ever-again-have-a-social-class-of-economically-independent-producers/686919)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-america-ever-again-have-a-social-class-of-economically-independent-producers/686919 "2014-04-30T17:40:03Z")
From this Salon article excerpted from Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era, by Michael Kimmel. Now, what can be done about all of that, I wonder? It does not appear possible to reverse globaliza… --- ## [Is 19th Century U.S.A. the closest we've been to a Libertarian Ideal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-19th-century-u-s-a-the-closest-weve-been-to-a-libertarian-ideal/686110)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-19th-century-u-s-a-the-closest-weve-been-to-a-libertarian-ideal/686110 "2014-04-30T15:14:24Z")
Reposted with permission: Is this true and, if so, was it true for all levels of society? --- ## [Debate...a large number of people starve to death in the US every year](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-a-large-number-of-people-starve-to-death-in-the-us-every-year/687144)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-a-large-number-of-people-starve-to-death-in-the-us-every-year/687144 "2014-04-29T13:36:02Z")
I’m having a bit of an argument with some relatives. Ironically, both the left and right wingers are aligned…they both claim that a ‘large’ number of Americans starve to death every year in the US. I’m going to define … --- ## [American Revolution: Was It Justified?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-revolution-was-it-justified/627252)
**Author:** [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Replies:** 95\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-revolution-was-it-justified/627252 "2014-04-29T04:49:00Z")
Whenever I read or hear about the founding of the United States, I’m always bothered by this nagging question, and I very rarely see it directly addressed. What usually gets addressed is the justification for American in… --- ## [California: 58 new measles cases in 2014](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-58-new-measles-cases-in-2014/686949)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-58-new-measles-cases-in-2014/686949 "2014-04-28T20:20:54Z")
From the CDC report: Lesson: unvaccinated people give the disease a foothold, from which even vaccinated people are at some minor risk. I am surprised at the nearly 20% of cases found in vaccinated people, and would h… --- ## [If you aren't doing anything illegal...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-arent-doing-anything-illegal/354874)
**Author:** [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Replies:** 216\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-arent-doing-anything-illegal/354874 "2014-04-28T15:47:12Z")
…why do you care about privacy? One often hears this question raised, and I have yet to come up with a nice logical explanation for it. Let’s assume that the proposal is to have everyone monitored (visually, let’s say)… --- ## [Should the legal age for purchasing alcohol in the US be reduced to 18?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794 "2014-04-28T04:59:59Z")
I’m English and I had no idea until I read this column by Camille Paglia in Time that the law in the US dealing with the drinking age was nationally mandated. Here’s Ms Paglia OK, I’m not an American citizen but I ha… --- ## [Libertarianism: What is it? \[Title modified\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libertarianism-what-is-it-title-modified/686975)
**Author:** [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libertarianism-what-is-it-title-modified/686975 "2014-04-27T18:45:24Z")
Discussions of Libertarianism suffer from confusion about the term’s very meaning. I’ll mention just three cardinal positions. I’m sure there are others. 1. Elevation of Freedom. To some this might be epitomized by … --- ## [If there was no money...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-money/686898)
**Author:** [@Mr1992](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr1992)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-money/686898 "2014-04-27T16:59:23Z")
Consider if there was no such thing as money and wealth was based solely on knowledge and contribution. I feel the world would be a better place. Financial matters would not hinder a person pursuing most things they w… --- ## [Are the traditional rules of debate racist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-traditional-rules-of-debate-racist/686742)
**Author:** [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Replies:** 117\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-traditional-rules-of-debate-racist/686742 "2014-04-26T18:36:26Z")
From here: I find this troubling, to say the least. I makes every debate an appeal to emotion. But hey, who cares about the fallacies, I guess. This represents the latest heights of silliness the political correctness … --- ## [Prison-industrial complex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-industrial-complex/686771)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 82\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-industrial-complex/686771 "2014-04-26T16:26:56Z")
I saw this animation, which shows how much our prison population has been growing per capita over the last few decades. But crime has gone down pretty significantly, if I understand the statistics correctly. So why hav… --- ## [Prophecies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prophecies/686582)
**Author:** [@butterfiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butterfiles)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prophecies/686582 "2014-04-25T21:43:52Z")
Not that I want to debate necessarily (not sure this is the right forum for my post), but I’ve always wondered about the validity of prophecies in the bible, and prophecies in general. Religious people tend to refer to … --- ## [Cass Sunstein's SCOTUS Hall of Fame](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cass-sunsteins-scotus-hall-of-fame/686705)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cass-sunsteins-scotus-hall-of-fame/686705 "2014-04-25T19:34:23Z")
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-04-01/home-run-hitters-of-the-supreme-court John Marshall is unquestionably first and foremost. I disagree with Holmes, though. I would not say, "If my fellow citizens want to… --- ## [Gay clubs in elementary schools](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-clubs-in-elementary-schools/17948)
**Author:** [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-clubs-in-elementary-schools/17948 "2014-04-25T15:11:11Z")
This topic stems from a column in my local newspaper, the Kenosha News, by a journalist named Maggie Gallagher. She begins by saying “\[v\]ery soon, thanks to a pending court case, a federal judge may order your child’s sc… --- ## [Fall in crime linked to lead in petrol/gas ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-in-crime-linked-to-lead-in-petrol-gas/686674)
**Author:** [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-in-crime-linked-to-lead-in-petrol-gas/686674 "2014-04-25T12:56:56Z")
This issue is not going away, and I guess it’s because no one has yet come up with a comprehensive explanation as to why crime has been falling everywhere for 20 years or so. I guess we’re still talking about this becaus… --- ## [Who is the most libertarian US President since Coolidge?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-libertarian-us-president-since-coolidge/686638)
**Author:** [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-libertarian-us-president-since-coolidge/686638 "2014-04-25T12:21:09Z")
I choose Coolidge as a starting point because the Modern Era of government intervention began with the Great Depression. It is not worth debating if Millard Fillmore were the most, for instance. That said, I put forwar… --- ## [Real campaign-finance reform: Ban all paid political advertising in the U.S.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-campaign-finance-reform-ban-all-paid-political-advertising-in-the-u-s/623271)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 326\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-campaign-finance-reform-ban-all-paid-political-advertising-in-the-u-s/623271 "2014-04-25T10:59:12Z")
We were discussing this in this elections thread on the Wisconsin gubernatorial recall (where Governor Scott Walker has gotten much more funding from corporate, foundation, and out-of-state sources than has his challenge… --- ## [What does it take for things to exist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-take-for-things-to-exist/686373)
**Author:** [@androidbeepboop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/androidbeepboop)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2014, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-take-for-things-to-exist/686373 "2014-04-25T06:07:32Z")
I made this video on the fundamental basis of reality. Starting with the observation that physical bits of matter are no more than configurations of information (the argument for this is in part I, I’m linking to part II… --- ## [Why did Democrats choose to outlaw the best insurance plans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-democrats-choose-to-outlaw-the-best-insurance-plans/676507)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-democrats-choose-to-outlaw-the-best-insurance-plans/676507 "2014-04-23T20:57:30Z")
Some time ago, when President Obama was trying to get support for his health care reform plan, he said “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away, n… --- ## [Let's debate affirmative action](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-affirmative-action/681818)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 408\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-affirmative-action/681818 "2014-04-23T20:33:08Z")
Recently a poster declared that affirmative action has been successful. I disagreed; no particular evidence for the success of affirmative action was offered in that thread, so I’ve starting a new thread devoted to the … --- ## [Having Babies on the Taxpayer Dime: What, if anything, to do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-babies-on-the-taxpayer-dime-what-if-anything-to-do/684722)
**Author:** [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Replies:** 114\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-babies-on-the-taxpayer-dime-what-if-anything-to-do/684722 "2014-04-23T19:46:56Z")
My co-worker and her partner, bless their souls, have adopted three brothers, ages 0-4, all born to the same mother. Mom is a homeless drug addict living in San Francisco, who seems to make a yearly ritual of getting pre… --- ## [Libertarian Topic of the Week 1: Civil Rights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libertarian-topic-of-the-week-1-civil-rights/686118)
**Author:** [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Replies:** 385\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libertarian-topic-of-the-week-1-civil-rights/686118 "2014-04-23T13:30:28Z")
This is the first of a series of threads on Libertarianism in practice. I’m hoping this helps get us away from endless debate about “what is Libertarianism” by focusing on specific issues instead of broad, sweeping gene… --- ## [Ask the Gay Guy IV!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy-iv/63014)
**Author:** [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Replies:** 412\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy-iv/63014 "2014-04-23T12:25:18Z")
{This thread is a continuation of the original “Ask the Gay Guy!”, “Ask the Gay Guy II!” and "Ask the Gay Guy III! threads.} Time for yet another housewarming! Response continues (albeit sporadically) from the original G… --- ## [Wisconsin's Union Bill (Act 10) is in fact constitutionally sound](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsins-union-bill-act-10-is-in-fact-constitutionally-sound/686624)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsins-union-bill-act-10-is-in-fact-constitutionally-sound/686624 "2014-04-23T10:18:28Z")
A little over three years ago, in response to the passage of the “Act 10,” bill, A.K.A. the budget repair bill that removed the requirement to engage in collective bargaining with non-public safety unions from state and … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=233) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=235)