# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=28 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 29 --- ## [Federal Ban on Abortion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-ban-on-abortion/962352)
**Author:** [@civilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/civilis)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-ban-on-abortion/962352 "2022-05-05T23:25:14Z")
Given the nature of the present Supreme Court regardless of the introduction of KBJ, could the next Republican president issue a federal ban on abortion by executive order successfully? --- ## [Is George Orwell's 1984 anti leftist/anti rightist/ or both?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-orwells-1984-anti-leftist-anti-rightist-or-both/963230)
**Author:** [@NotaDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotaDuck)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-orwells-1984-anti-leftist-anti-rightist-or-both/963230 "2022-05-03T15:28:56Z")
poll --- ## [Political Coordination w/ Media and Max Contributions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-coordination-w-media-and-max-contributions/963690)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-coordination-w-media-and-max-contributions/963690 "2022-04-29T19:14:05Z")
Contributions are defined as " A gift, subscription, loan, advance or deposit of money or anything of value given to influence a federal election; or the payment by any person of compensation for the personal services of… --- ## [How should the media tackle the "hierarchy of death" problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-media-tackle-the-hierarchy-of-death-problem/962829)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-media-tackle-the-hierarchy-of-death-problem/962829 "2022-04-28T16:22:29Z")
It’s a well-known phenomenon that not all deaths, abductions or wars are the same. A war by Russia against a white-European nation like Ukraine commands far more media and public attention than, say, if some African nati… --- ## [14th Amendment - Section 3: Can it apply to someone running for president?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/14th-amendment-section-3-can-it-apply-to-someone-running-for-president/963182)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/14th-amendment-section-3-can-it-apply-to-someone-running-for-president/963182 "2022-04-26T01:14:34Z")
Recently a judge ruled that legal proceedings can continue against Marjorie Taylor Greene, a US Representative from Georgia. The complaint against her is that she violated the 14th Amendment, Section 3, which was used a… --- ## [Should governments regulate the % of investor owned residential real estate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-governments-regulate-the-of-investor-owned-residential-real-estate/963088)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-governments-regulate-the-of-investor-owned-residential-real-estate/963088 "2022-04-24T01:42:08Z")
Multifamily housing units already owned by investors/corporations represent about 31% of all residential housing in the U.S. Over the past decade there has been a growing trend of investor backed funds purchasing single… --- ## [The propaganda around the Russian ship Moskva](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-propaganda-around-the-russian-ship-moskva/962833)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2022, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-propaganda-around-the-russian-ship-moskva/962833 "2022-04-21T07:16:18Z")
One of the lead stories in the news right now is around the Russian ship Moskva, a guided missile cruiser which some have called the flagship of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. It’s currently in bad shape. The Ukra… --- ## [Can a public school teacher call his/her students any name they wish? (actual court case)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-public-school-teacher-call-his-her-students-any-name-they-wish-actual-court-case/960998)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 308\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-public-school-teacher-call-his-her-students-any-name-they-wish-actual-court-case/960998 "2022-04-20T22:26:40Z")
The subject of this thread is prompted by this article: A Kansas teacher is suing school officials for requiring her to address students by their preferred names, saying the policy violates her religious freedom While… --- ## [Can Congress force States to let ex-felons vote?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-congress-force-states-to-let-ex-felons-vote/962738)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-congress-force-states-to-let-ex-felons-vote/962738 "2022-04-19T16:53:46Z")
There is a bill (H.R.1, 117th Cong.) before the Senate called the "For the People Act of 2021". Section 1403 of said bill (Title I, Subtitle E) reads, The right of an individual who is a citizen of the United States to… --- ## [Is It Human Nature for Seniors to be Dismissive of Modern Culture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-human-nature-for-seniors-to-be-dismissive-of-modern-culture/962061)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-human-nature-for-seniors-to-be-dismissive-of-modern-culture/962061 "2022-04-18T18:54:23Z")
I’m trying to understand the “Okay Boomer” mindset, as it relates to human nature in general. I almost started this thread in Cafe Society because I thought it had mostly to do with entertainment. But I think it can do… --- ## [Are tanks of any use anymore on the modern battlefield?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tanks-of-any-use-anymore-on-the-modern-battlefield/961813)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tanks-of-any-use-anymore-on-the-modern-battlefield/961813 "2022-04-18T14:59:50Z")
I have seen it said that the reason one military needs tanks is to defeat the tanks the other side has. In Ukraine we are seeing Russian armor not doing well. Of what use is a tank if it can be taken out by a much chea… --- ## [Chris Rock Low-brow humor and Will Smith's Violent Reaction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-rock-low-brow-humor-and-will-smiths-violent-reaction/961960)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 166\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-rock-low-brow-humor-and-will-smiths-violent-reaction/961960 "2022-04-17T00:45:09Z")
I’ve always felt that American low-brow humor (“breaking balls”) is truly insulting in so many respects. I don’t know where the need comes from to humiliate people in social situations and then(if the target doesn’t get … --- ## [Can basic desert and retributivism be justified under Compatibilism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-basic-desert-and-retributivism-be-justified-under-compatibilism/962933)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-basic-desert-and-retributivism-be-justified-under-compatibilism/962933 "2022-04-16T22:32:21Z")
From my research into the topic of free will I can support Compatibilism and the idea that the kind of free will worth wanting is where you’re free to act on your desires. Despite this I’m having difficulty understanding… --- ## [Question regarding Christian doctrine on salvation as a 'free gift"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-christian-doctrine-on-salvation-as-a-free-gift/962821)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-christian-doctrine-on-salvation-as-a-free-gift/962821 "2022-04-15T21:38:25Z")
Is the idea of salvation as a’ free gift’ a Protestant tenet of was it a Catholic belief prior to Martin Luther’s assertion on the matter. --- ## [How does the US decide who goes to maximum security prisons? (Or SuperMax)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-us-decide-who-goes-to-maximum-security-prisons-or-supermax/961400)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-us-decide-who-goes-to-maximum-security-prisons-or-supermax/961400 "2022-04-13T01:18:32Z")
I was watching something about Dennis Rader, the “BTK” serial killer. They said he was put in a maximum security prison. To be sure that guy deserves to be locked up forever and not in a relatively pleasant prison. Bu… --- ## [In defense of Genesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-genesis/961745)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 176\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2022, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-genesis/961745 "2022-04-11T15:36:01Z")
As a stone-cold absolutist atheist who has delighted for decades in mocking the Bible as an absurd document replete with logical problems that a clever ten-year-old can point out, I have to admit that one element in Gene… --- ## [Is it all about the demographic shift?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-all-about-the-demographic-shift/961337)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-all-about-the-demographic-shift/961337 "2022-04-10T18:13:54Z")
I think so. It’s a huge controversy: why has U.S. culture become so polarized? But I think the answer is pretty simple. When White Christian straight males had all the power (1776-19??), non-white non-Christian non-stra… --- ## [Execution by Organ Harvesting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/execution-by-organ-harvesting/962481)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/execution-by-organ-harvesting/962481 "2022-04-09T19:09:31Z")
From this article (summarized below): Is their evidence as conclusive as stated? Is it reasonable to infer from it that this is a common and accepted practice, in China? If someone has, legally, been declared fit for e… --- ## [Jamestown vs Plymouth, Northern Historical Revisionism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamestown-vs-plymouth-northern-historical-revisionism/957933)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2022, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamestown-vs-plymouth-northern-historical-revisionism/957933 "2022-04-09T10:44:23Z")
I was listening to a documentary about the colony of Jamestown today, and it had an interesting suggestion about how American history is taught. Jamestown was, of course, was established in 1607, 13 years before Plymout… --- ## [Is the Russian Army bad at its job?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-russian-army-bad-at-its-job/960232)
**Author:** [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2022, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-russian-army-bad-at-its-job/960232 "2022-04-09T05:00:00Z")
This Twitter thread https://twitter.com/BA\_Friedman/status/1498097876970450946 posits that the Russian Army is not winning because it is bad at being an army. That they aren’t getting the basics right, such as logistics,… --- ## [Why are you pro choice or pro life?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-pro-choice-or-pro-life/949904)
**Author:** [@Cathy967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cathy967)\ **Replies:** 376\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-pro-choice-or-pro-life/949904 "2022-04-07T19:31:14Z")
I am pro choice because… The pro-life movement is built on lying and twisting the emotions of others. The pro-life movement is built on the use of religious dogma to control the lives of others. The pro-life movement … --- ## [Wasting fuel as a criminal offense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-fuel-as-a-criminal-offense/960762)
**Author:** [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Replies:** 97\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-fuel-as-a-criminal-offense/960762 "2022-04-07T14:39:38Z")
What would have to happen to make wanton waste of fuel a criminal offense, particularly in the US? Question was inspired mostly by those supposed Freedom Convoys, but anything similar might count, too. I wasn’t around f… --- ## [Do sexual preferences make one a bigot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sexual-preferences-make-one-a-bigot/948544)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 345\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sexual-preferences-make-one-a-bigot/948544 "2022-04-06T17:17:36Z")
Continuing the discussion from Is there a non-bigoted reason to be anti-same-sex-marriage?: This got me thinking. Suppose I’m not sexually attracted to people of a protected class. I really am not sexually attracted to… --- ## [How much (mythical) punishment is enough?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-mythical-punishment-is-enough/961577)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-mythical-punishment-is-enough/961577 "2022-04-05T12:03:10Z")
I was discussing mythology with one of my students when he opined Tantalus wasn’t being treated fairly. Should he be condemned for all eternity? (One might also note that he would likely also be punished for not feeding … --- ## [How Much Influence did Vodka have on Russian Military Performance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-influence-did-vodka-have-on-russian-military-performance/962236)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2022, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-influence-did-vodka-have-on-russian-military-performance/962236 "2022-04-05T05:03:18Z")
I have just watched a video that puts the blame for Russia’s decline and fall squarely on the effects of governments, and more recently oligarchs, who have made vast profits from selling and addicting the population to c… --- ## [How is stopping someone making a film about very famous public figure not a 1A violation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-stopping-someone-making-a-film-about-very-famous-public-figure-not-a-1a-violation/961445)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-stopping-someone-making-a-film-about-very-famous-public-figure-not-a-1a-violation/961445 "2022-04-01T16:17:10Z")
This comes up pretty frequently about famous celebrities, particularly musicians. There was the famous non-Kurt Cobain biopic, where legal fears mean a Gus van Sant’s film ended up being about the last days of a generic… --- ## [What are problems people mistakenly attribute to modernity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-problems-people-mistakenly-attribute-to-modernity/961498)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2022, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-problems-people-mistakenly-attribute-to-modernity/961498 "2022-04-01T11:22:45Z")
What are problems people mistakenly attribute to modernity when they’re really the fault of specific systems, ideologies or policies in whole or in part? An example would be social media. People decry the various pitfal… --- ## [Spouses of Judges](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spouses-of-judges/961119)
**Author:** [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Replies:** 217\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spouses-of-judges/961119 "2022-03-31T21:39:24Z")
\[Not sure if this belongs in GD or GQ. The nature of the question is GQ but it seems to be a GD IRL, so I’m guessing the latter.\] There’s been a lot of controversy lately over Clarence Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, who is… --- ## [Should Bork have been borked?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-bork-have-been-borked/961709)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 141\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-bork-have-been-borked/961709 "2022-03-31T16:46:05Z")
Bork Bork Bork. There, got that out of my system. Now, Robert Bork is just about the most famous Supreme Court rejection in history. While that might not be saying much, it is often cited as the start of a very dirty … --- ## [Would you support US/EU/NATO direct military action to defend Ukraine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-support-us-eu-nato-direct-military-action-to-defend-ukraine/960359)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 248\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-support-us-eu-nato-direct-military-action-to-defend-ukraine/960359 "2022-03-31T15:46:37Z")
I’m very concerned that the worse this war goes for Putin, the worse it will get for Ukranians. There is no way Putin will suffer a perceived humiliating defeat, so if he thinks he can’t take Kyiv block by block, he’ll … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=29)