# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=263 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 264 --- ## [Obsessive atheists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsessive-atheists/666893)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 205\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsessive-atheists/666893 "2013-09-01T14:31:13Z")
I’m curious. There is a subset of atheists who are always “preaching”, and my question is: Why are these people so obsessed with, and disdainful of, something they don’t even believe exists? :confused: --- ## [How viable are inland Special Forces raids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-viable-are-inland-special-forces-raids/667440)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-viable-are-inland-special-forces-raids/667440 "2013-09-01T06:46:00Z")
I.E., send in a crack team by air under cover of darkness to kill someone and/or blow up something. I specify “inland” because that means the force doesn’t have the luxury of getting to within a few kilometers of the tar… --- ## [Where will the next nuclear strike come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-will-the-next-nuclear-strike-come-from/667102)
**Author:** [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-will-the-next-nuclear-strike-come-from/667102 "2013-09-01T06:33:34Z")
Who will deliver the next nuclear strike? Who will receive it? Cast your vote for both the giver/receiver now. Prizes may be be given to the winners! Choose from a gas mask, 3 weeks canned food/water, or a .22 pistol. O… --- ## [What can be done about wage stagnation in the U.S.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-be-done-about-wage-stagnation-in-the-u-s/667222)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-be-done-about-wage-stagnation-in-the-u-s/667222 "2013-08-31T22:14:23Z")
N.B.: This is not just a problem of the poor or the working-poor, it is the problem of practically everybody who works for a living. From The Nation: EPI report: here. Now, the EPI is a liberal/progressive economic t… --- ## [Adam married a man....](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-married-a-man/667650)
**Author:** [@Pooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pooter)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-married-a-man/667650 "2013-08-31T21:51:38Z")
\[SIZE=4\]\[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode\]\[SIZE=3\]\[COLOR=blue\]\[COLOR=darkred\]Since the scriptures clearly indicates that Adam married a man in the Book of Genesis, then why all the fuss about the legality of same-sex marriages i… --- ## [Domestic law, international law, Syria, and us](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-law-international-law-syria-and-us/667432)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-law-international-law-syria-and-us/667432 "2013-08-31T21:47:57Z")
So, if we send some cruise missiles to plaster portions of Syria, without a declaration of war by Congress (or equivalent authorization by Congress) is that: (a) legal under international law? (b) legal under domestic … --- ## [If Robert Bales can escape the death penalty for killing 16 civilians why do we have it at all?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-robert-bales-can-escape-the-death-penalty-for-killing-16-civilians-why-do-we-have-it-at-all/667015)
**Author:** [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-robert-bales-can-escape-the-death-penalty-for-killing-16-civilians-why-do-we-have-it-at-all/667015 "2013-08-31T21:45:54Z")
I’m confused how this guy escaped execution, and I’m an active duty officer. I don’t understand how he was able to walk through a village and slaughter civilians like he did and still achieve a plea deal like he did. … --- ## [Conservative policy successes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-policy-successes/667234)
**Author:** [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Replies:** 82\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-policy-successes/667234 "2013-08-31T21:39:47Z")
What are some conservative policies that have clearly been successful in the United States? Feel free to dispute (this is GD after all) --- ## [Blue states have better schools](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-states-have-better-schools/667387)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 120\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-states-have-better-schools/667387 "2013-08-31T21:30:51Z")
Or possibly better pupils (meaning, most likely, smarter parents). That’s my takeaway from this finding: And it also just confirms my sense that the Deep South (which I’ve never visited although I did grow up in North… --- ## [The CIA goes paramilitary](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cia-goes-paramilitary/667661)
**Author:** [@georgewk10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/georgewk10)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cia-goes-paramilitary/667661 "2013-08-31T21:23:25Z")
Barton Gellman and Greg Miller of the Post reportthat the U.S. has spent more than $500 billion on intelligence since September 11, 2001, and during that time ittransformed “a spy service struggling to emerge from the Co… --- ## [How did God create light before the Sun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-god-create-light-before-the-sun/17597)
**Author:** [@Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-god-create-light-before-the-sun/17597 "2013-08-31T19:33:06Z")
I just read a sermon for children that brought up a point I never thought about: In the book of Genesis, God created light two days before He created the sun and moon. So, where did the light come from? NOTE FROM MODER… --- ## [Why Jesus is not God and can't be God.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-jesus-is-not-god-and-cant-be-god/665115)
**Author:** [@ruben4ruben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruben4ruben)\ **Replies:** 197\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-jesus-is-not-god-and-cant-be-god/665115 "2013-08-31T19:21:58Z")
1 \*\*He never claimed to be God almighty. It’s nowhere in the Bible. \*\* He did say he was one with God in John 10:30 and many try to use that to say he is part of a combined being. (trinity). But that does not work since… --- ## [Who killed the electric car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-the-electric-car/667197)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-the-electric-car/667197 "2013-08-31T17:15:08Z")
I only saw Who Killed The Electric Car? this year. Someone posted this in a poll on conspiracy theories: ‘Car companies have sabotaged the implementation of the electric car.’ The film makes compelling arguments that c… --- ## [Tipping: Subsidizing corporate greed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-subsidizing-corporate-greed/667118)
**Author:** [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-subsidizing-corporate-greed/667118 "2013-08-31T16:59:39Z")
Gigantic rant follows. Ye have been warned. Okay, so as some of you already know, I delivered pizzas for a living and still do when I’m not doing other things. And for those who make a decent living from tips, good for … --- ## [MLK 50th. No Bush or Shrub?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlk-50th-no-bush-or-shrub/667414)
**Author:** [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlk-50th-no-bush-or-shrub/667414 "2013-08-31T12:45:02Z")
What to make of this? “Mr Obama will be joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as prominent African Americans.” --- ## [Do some people NEED faith?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810)
**Author:** [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Replies:** 169\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810 "2013-08-31T04:08:42Z")
My uncle told my brother and I that “People need God” at my grandfather’s funeral. I was about 6 or 7 years old. I’m not just talking about God though. One of my best friends stated that she believed in Karma. As I t… --- ## [What if the Zimmerman Telegram hadn't been sent?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-zimmerman-telegram-hadnt-been-sent/667612)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-zimmerman-telegram-hadnt-been-sent/667612 "2013-08-31T03:16:47Z")
I was watching a documentary on WWI and they noted that it was the Zimmerman Telegram that got us into that war. Given that it was kind of a hair-brained scheme to begin with, what would have happened if Zimmerman had r… --- ## [Why has the 'Free Market' doctrine not been as successful in the Middle East as elsewhere?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-the-free-market-doctrine-not-been-as-successful-in-the-middle-east-as-elsewhere/666899)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-the-free-market-doctrine-not-been-as-successful-in-the-middle-east-as-elsewhere/666899 "2013-08-31T02:31:19Z")
Understanding the success of the Gulf States due to some application of free market principles in relation of moving of capital and investment, I was wondering why this area of the World hasn’t been as receptive to the w… --- ## [Are ethnic neighborhoods the same as segregation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ethnic-neighborhoods-the-same-as-segregation/667601)
**Author:** [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ethnic-neighborhoods-the-same-as-segregation/667601 "2013-08-30T23:42:11Z")
We had a discussion in about how these maps show “segregation” within cities. Apparently they are somewhat shocked that there isn’t a perfect ethnic mix within each neighborhood and we discussed if the government should … --- ## [How to Achieve True Global Unity On Planet Earth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-achieve-true-global-unity-on-planet-earth/667287)
**Author:** [@thepillar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thepillar)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-achieve-true-global-unity-on-planet-earth/667287 "2013-08-30T23:09:11Z")
Ok, so with the advent of the internet and other telecommunications networks that has, by far, brought people from all walks of life and continents together, one would’ve thought that by now humans would’ve had began the… --- ## [US may be alone in attack on Syria](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-may-be-alone-in-attack-on-syria/667416)
**Author:** [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-may-be-alone-in-attack-on-syria/667416 "2013-08-30T18:36:22Z")
Increasing opposition in the UK Parliament: --- ## [If America had a multiparty system, wouldn't moderates rule?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-america-had-a-multiparty-system-wouldnt-moderates-rule/667448)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-america-had-a-multiparty-system-wouldnt-moderates-rule/667448 "2013-08-29T23:25:44Z")
I’ve often argued on this board that a multiparty political system would be better for America than the two-party system we have almost always (in different formations) had, and that our winner-take-all single-member-dis… --- ## [How far should the prison system go to accommodate transpersons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-should-the-prison-system-go-to-accommodate-transpersons/666944)
**Author:** [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-should-the-prison-system-go-to-accommodate-transpersons/666944 "2013-08-29T23:20:13Z")
Another Bradley Manning debate but I’d like to concentrate on this issue rather than others such as the length of the sentence. Specifically, what should the taxpayers pay for? My opinion: Counseling-without a doubt. … --- ## [Embassy Closings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354)
**Author:** [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Replies:** 358\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354 "2013-08-29T21:23:56Z")
I’m actually ashamed of my government today. We are closing nearly two dozen embassies because of threats from terrorists. Horrible call by all involved. Closing the embassies sends the wrong message. It empowers ter… --- ## [but YOU broke it ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-you-broke-it/667328)
**Author:** [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-you-broke-it/667328 "2013-08-29T19:50:40Z")
A number of towns (a growing number, it would appear) are considering using eminent domain to reclaim some homes under threat of foreclosure from banks. Typically, these are homes that have gone underwater due to the '07… --- ## [Is there a downward spiral to unregulated capitalism, if so has it been consistently proven](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-downward-spiral-to-unregulated-capitalism-if-so-has-it-been-consistently-proven/667450)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-downward-spiral-to-unregulated-capitalism-if-so-has-it-been-consistently-proven/667450 "2013-08-29T06:46:11Z")
This is probably economics and marxism 101 (neither of which I really have any background in), but I’ve tried reading Marx and lost interest when they would get to social engineering. It seemed so against human nature th… --- ## [Defining Omnipotence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defining-omnipotence/667356)
**Author:** [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defining-omnipotence/667356 "2013-08-29T02:50:19Z")
I don’t know if this is better suited for IMHO or GD. With all the God talk lately I was wondering as to the nature of omnipotence. Does a God HAVE to be omnipotent? Why not just hyperpotent? Why not just “practically” … --- ## [Bradley Manning verdict is in - 35 years for leaking info; will ask Obama for a pardon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bradley-manning-verdict-is-in-35-years-for-leaking-info-will-ask-obama-for-a-pardon/666855)
**Author:** [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Replies:** 153\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bradley-manning-verdict-is-in-35-years-for-leaking-info-will-ask-obama-for-a-pardon/666855 "2013-08-28T19:45:34Z")
Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for releasing classified info. He plans to request a pardon from Obama. I would be very surprised if Obama intervenes in this case, but the New Yorker argues his… --- ## [What happens to societies with majority non-religious people?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-societies-with-majority-non-religious-people/667183)
**Author:** [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-societies-with-majority-non-religious-people/667183 "2013-08-28T19:10:52Z")
Hi; As a non-religious person I am interested in seeing what a world without religion would look like. Although I personally do not believe religion is needed for for individuals to behave morally, I also wonder is rel… --- ## [Liberal Policy Successes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-policy-successes/667242)
**Author:** [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-policy-successes/667242 "2013-08-28T17:52:51Z")
I wanted to create an opposing thread to “Conservative Policy Successes.” So, what clear liberal policy successes are there? Please feel free to dispute any “clear” successes; this is GD. Note than an acceptable answer… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=262) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=264)