# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=235 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 236 --- ## [Mayor orders raid in response to parody Twitter account](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayor-orders-raid-in-response-to-parody-twitter-account/686695)
**Author:** [@iamcitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamcitizen)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayor-orders-raid-in-response-to-parody-twitter-account/686695 "2014-04-23T04:43:29Z")
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/21/parody-twitter-account-peoria-ill-mayor-prompts-po/?utm\_source=RSS\_Feed&utm\_medium=RSS So this looks to me like a pretty obvious violation of First Amendment rights by a … --- ## [Concepts in physics that would astound a 17th century person](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-in-physics-that-would-astound-a-17th-century-person/685846)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-in-physics-that-would-astound-a-17th-century-person/685846 "2014-04-22T22:14:09Z")
So if someone from 300+ years ago (the age of enlightenment roughly) were told about contemporary ideas and discoveries in physics, what would they be astounded by or bowled over by? I am sure some of these concepts are… --- ## [Is Fred Phelps in Heaven now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fred-phelps-in-heaven-now/686193)
**Author:** [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fred-phelps-in-heaven-now/686193 "2014-04-22T18:49:11Z")
Does God agree with Phelps’ message and let him past the Pearly Gates? --- ## [One currency world (Good or Bad)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-currency-world-good-or-bad/686275)
**Author:** [@TNWPsycho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TNWPsycho)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-currency-world-good-or-bad/686275 "2014-04-22T18:36:10Z")
I understand the economy on a domestic scale but as things get larger with exchange rates, imports, exports things get a bit fuzzy for me. Would having a single currency that all countries and territories use for trade … --- ## [memorial to japanese war crime victims.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-to-japanese-war-crime-victims/686293)
**Author:** [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-to-japanese-war-crime-victims/686293 "2014-04-22T09:05:23Z")
I don’t know if this goes in the pit or here but I thought I might start here and see if the discussion can remain civil. So a major US law firm is representing people who are suing to remove a memorial to comfort wom… --- ## [Tomlinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomlinson/686653)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomlinson/686653 "2014-04-22T04:05:08Z")
,Tomlinson, but really in terms of existential reccoomm dentations, my least-worthy slaves. --- ## [The innate partisan nature of data journalism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-innate-partisan-nature-of-data-journalism/686479)
**Author:** [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-innate-partisan-nature-of-data-journalism/686479 "2014-04-22T01:46:00Z")
Yes, yes, “facts have a liberal bias”, but the more I read this article, the more sense it made to me. The money quote is here: The more I think about it, the more I’m left agreeing with it. It just makes a lot of s… --- ## [Deal or No Deal and the Monty Hall problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deal-or-no-deal-and-the-monty-hall-problem/686607)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deal-or-no-deal-and-the-monty-hall-problem/686607 "2014-04-21T22:54:33Z")
The Monty Hall problem (as famously debated here and elsewhere) is the counter-intuitive situation when having made a random choice, additional information is given that seems to alter the odds that one guessed correctly… --- ## [Are the Boston Marathon bombing survivors heroes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-boston-marathon-bombing-survivors-heroes/685783)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-boston-marathon-bombing-survivors-heroes/685783 "2014-04-21T11:38:58Z")
I don’t think so. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time and lived to tell about it - that’s all. MHO, of course. The First Responders are another story, but that’s their job and they aren’t supposed to feel t… --- ## [Changing how we drive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-how-we-drive/686236)
**Author:** [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-how-we-drive/686236 "2014-04-20T14:21:21Z")
Some people have probably heard of the theory that is often called risk homeostasis. It suggests that people have a certain level of risk that they are comfortable with, and will consciously or subconsciously adjust the… --- ## [So, let's debate Obamacare](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lets-debate-obamacare/685021)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 104\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lets-debate-obamacare/685021 "2014-04-19T22:56:56Z")
Well, the initial enrollment period is in its final hours. Fans of the legislation are telling us to celebrate the six million people who signed up for individual insurance. (Of course they previously told us “success … --- ## [Mandatory reporting for child abuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-reporting-for-child-abuse/686189)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-reporting-for-child-abuse/686189 "2014-04-18T20:38:17Z")
I have only a vague layman’s knowledge of the specifics of mandatory reporting laws for child abuse, but they’ve always struck me as a clearly very good thing. However, a story about pedophilia on the most recent This A… --- ## [Did Yahweh ever have a consort?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yahweh-ever-have-a-consort/686221)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yahweh-ever-have-a-consort/686221 "2014-04-18T16:32:14Z")
From King Jesus, by Robert Graves: The Scriptural reference is to Ezekiel 23 – but “Aholah” and “Aholibah” are expressly allegories of Samaria and Jerusalem respectively: Ashima was a real Semitic goddess but I can f… --- ## [The ACLU, Prior Restraint, Stalking, and Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-aclu-prior-restraint-stalking-and-guns/685001)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-aclu-prior-restraint-stalking-and-guns/685001 "2014-04-17T21:55:26Z")
I have at times criticized the ACLU for what has been, in my view, spirited defense of nine amendments of the Bill of Rights, and a somewhat less passionate attitude about Amendment the Second. However, here’s a case wh… --- ## [Is all matter driven by/made of consciousness?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-matter-driven-by-made-of-consciousness/685092)
**Author:** [@nole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nole)\ **Replies:** 293\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-matter-driven-by-made-of-consciousness/685092 "2014-04-16T03:16:26Z")
“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and ex… --- ## [Why would israeli citizens settle in disputed regions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-israeli-citizens-settle-in-disputed-regions/685734)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-israeli-citizens-settle-in-disputed-regions/685734 "2014-04-15T21:30:03Z")
I recall reading a while back that one of the stick points between the israeli and palestinian governments is Israel’s ongoing settlement of areas they’d ceded (in treaty) to Palestine. Politics aside, why would an Isra… --- ## [Another libertarian debate thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-libertarian-debate-thread/685685)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 304\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-libertarian-debate-thread/685685 "2014-04-15T19:33:48Z")
In this thread, Human Action posted this: I responded thus: Human Action disputed my claim. Rather than further derail that other thread, I figured it would be better to bring the debate to a new thread. So the topi… --- ## [Mozilla CEO pays the price for not being in favor of gay marriage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mozilla-ceo-pays-the-price-for-not-being-in-favor-of-gay-marriage/685359)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 258\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mozilla-ceo-pays-the-price-for-not-being-in-favor-of-gay-marriage/685359 "2014-04-14T14:07:23Z")
OK, here’s the story. Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich resigns in wake of backlash to Prop 8 support And here’s one gay blogger’s reaction to it. Strong words. Are they justified? I think he’s overegging the pudding a littl… --- ## [What's the biggest thing humanity should be worrying about?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-thing-humanity-should-be-worrying-about/684352)
**Author:** [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-thing-humanity-should-be-worrying-about/684352 "2014-04-14T03:31:46Z")
…as in, What should we, collectively as a species, be most concerned about in regards to our survival? I ask because there are so many causes vying for my attention, I’m never sure what it is I should be most terrified o… --- ## [Is a refusal to photograph a brit milah actionable as discrimination against Jews?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-refusal-to-photograph-a-brit-milah-actionable-as-discrimination-against-jews/685711)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-refusal-to-photograph-a-brit-milah-actionable-as-discrimination-against-jews/685711 "2014-04-14T02:51:09Z")
David Bernstein, writing at the Washington Post’s hosting of the Volokh Conspiracy, offers this thought experiment, building on the reasoning in the New Mexico photography discrimination case: he notes that the state cou… --- ## [The beginning of linear(?) time and matter.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beginning-of-linear-time-and-matter/682062)
**Author:** [@Gateway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gateway)\ **Replies:** 150\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beginning-of-linear-time-and-matter/682062 "2014-04-13T23:20:25Z")
\-Infinity is beyond any number. Therefore you can approach it but can never be reached. To say you have made it to infinity is to not true, you can always add another number to what you have already counted, so you have … --- ## [Bill Clinton - Why linked video indicates he couldn't pursue Bin Laden](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-why-linked-video-indicates-he-couldnt-pursue-bin-laden/685610)
**Author:** [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-why-linked-video-indicates-he-couldnt-pursue-bin-laden/685610 "2014-04-13T18:16:40Z")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L2513JFJsY The linked video is an interview with a Fox News reporter and former President Bill Clinton regarding Clinton’s failure to act on Osama Bin Laden. I could care less about the … --- ## [I am not a conspiracy theorist, but maybe they are on to something.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-conspiracy-theorist-but-maybe-they-are-on-to-something/685985)
**Author:** [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-conspiracy-theorist-but-maybe-they-are-on-to-something/685985 "2014-04-13T18:12:20Z")
A friend of mine who is very much of the libertarian bent sent a link to this paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3969660/#ref5 This paper appears on the National Institutes of Health website, and it see… --- ## [Does this article destroy the 99% versus the 1%?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-article-destroy-the-99-versus-the-1/684991)
**Author:** [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-article-destroy-the-99-versus-the-1/684991 "2014-04-12T20:46:34Z")
I saw this story in The Atlantic today and it makes the case that “The 1%” is not the greedy, money-grubbing group we’ve all been lead to believe. Instead, it’s “The 0.01%” that have seen the most radical change in incom… --- ## [Economic conservatives: what changes do you want to make?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-conservatives-what-changes-do-you-want-to-make/684623)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 174\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-conservatives-what-changes-do-you-want-to-make/684623 "2014-04-12T16:08:30Z")
To those on this board who consider themselves economic conservatives, what changes do you want to make and why. What are your policy goals? To those who don’t consider yourselves economic conservatives, please leave t… --- ## [Why Do Christians Feel So Victimized - Defined Edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-feel-so-victimized-defined-edition/685652)
**Author:** [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Replies:** 146\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-feel-so-victimized-defined-edition/685652 "2014-04-12T13:23:08Z")
Please read the OP of that thread for the basis of the discussion. Here, we are defining “persecution” based off of statements of persecution of Christians in places such as the middle east, as well as off of wikipedi… --- ## [Will there ever again be a new variant of Christianity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-ever-again-be-a-new-variant-of-christianity/684848)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2014, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-ever-again-be-a-new-variant-of-christianity/684848 "2014-04-12T09:52:06Z")
I don’t mean yet another schism within a Protestant denomination or something, I mean a new faith that calls itself “Christian” but is fundamentally different in doctrine from Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christiani… --- ## [Ghani & Abdullah will sign SOFA with USA - Is it 'defeat' for Taliban?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghani-abdullah-will-sign-sofa-with-usa-is-it-defeat-for-taliban/685522)
**Author:** [@NotfooledbyW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotfooledbyW)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2014, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghani-abdullah-will-sign-sofa-with-usa-is-it-defeat-for-taliban/685522 "2014-04-12T07:06:29Z")
One of the two run-off candidates, Mr. Ghani, used the ‘victory’ word following the big election day in Afghanistan. Is he right? “Today, the Afghan nation is victorious and the enemies have been defeated,” Mr. Ghani s… --- ## [Why wouldn't Putin try to destroy NATO?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wouldnt-putin-try-to-destroy-nato/685434)
**Author:** [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Replies:** 158\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wouldnt-putin-try-to-destroy-nato/685434 "2014-04-11T21:54:18Z")
A lot has been going on as we all know with Putin’s Russia and the Crimea. But looking forward, what’s most important is this confirms what people should have already known–Putin is willing to go against the West to chan… --- ## [U.S. Civil War question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-civil-war-question/684477)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-civil-war-question/684477 "2014-04-11T15:22:07Z")
When the Confederate states began to secede, why was this such a problem for the North that they risked so much, just to keep the Union together? Why didn’t they just allow the secessions to occur? I realize that, at fir… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=234) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=236)