# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=309 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 310 --- ## [Republicans and demand of obedience of children](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-and-demand-of-obedience-of-children/636220)
**Author:** [@Untoward\_Parable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Untoward_Parable)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-and-demand-of-obedience-of-children/636220 "2012-09-30T20:14:53Z")
I have to say this is probably one of the things that has turned me off to most republican families Ive run into. There seemed to be a militaristic relationship between the parents and children (or at least father to chi… --- ## ["My life is my message." vs "Your job is what you do, not who you are"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-life-is-my-message-vs-your-job-is-what-you-do-not-who-you-are/635949)
**Author:** [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-life-is-my-message-vs-your-job-is-what-you-do-not-who-you-are/635949 "2012-09-30T14:29:49Z")
I think these two philosophies might be at the core of my inner strife. The first quote is attributed to Gandhi. I do not know who the second quote is attributed to. I always felt a strong connection with Gandhi’s idea.… --- ## [Did the left used to be Zionist in principle, and if so, what changed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-left-used-to-be-zionist-in-principle-and-if-so-what-changed/636050)
**Author:** [@Bpelta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bpelta)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2012, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-left-used-to-be-zionist-in-principle-and-if-so-what-changed/636050 "2012-09-29T08:53:04Z")
I recently downloaded an episode of Firing Line where, contrary to the usual format, Buckley was questioned by liberals. They took exceptional issue with him on not being supportive enough of Israel. I’ve also been looki… --- ## [Any exceptions to either it's "A" or "not A"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-exceptions-to-either-its-a-or-not-a/636100)
**Author:** [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-exceptions-to-either-its-a-or-not-a/636100 "2012-09-29T04:27:55Z")
I’ve been told my thinking is more “black and white” than normal… I based some of my reasoning on a principle of logic that says that things are either “A” or “not A”. (I forget the exact details) I wonder if there are… --- ## [why did we drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-we-drop-the-atomic-bombs-on-japan/635342)
**Author:** [@DJG311](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJG311)\ **Replies:** 127\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-we-drop-the-atomic-bombs-on-japan/635342 "2012-09-28T21:55:40Z")
While researching what Japanese students learn about WW2 I was a bit surprised by how many people made the statement that we used Atomic Bombs for no justifiable reason. I was always taught that it was to bring an end … --- ## [What would happen if a stable democracy decided to start a nuclear weapons programme?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-a-stable-democracy-decided-to-start-a-nuclear-weapons-programme/635942)
**Author:** [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-a-stable-democracy-decided-to-start-a-nuclear-weapons-programme/635942 "2012-09-28T19:44:20Z")
Iran and North Korea are oft in the news of late because of their pursuit of nuclear weapons. What do you think would happen if a stable democracy, say somewhere like Denmark, decided tomorrow it was going to withdraw fr… --- ## [Could the "fighting words" exception to the 1st Amendment apply to the Innocence of Muslims video?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-fighting-words-exception-to-the-1st-amendment-apply-to-the-innocence-of-muslims-video/635388)
**Author:** [@spunkymuzicnote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spunkymuzicnote)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-fighting-words-exception-to-the-1st-amendment-apply-to-the-innocence-of-muslims-video/635388 "2012-09-28T15:06:21Z")
It seems to me that the video which is causing so much unrest in the Muslim world could be considered to fall under the “fighting words” exception to the 1st Amendment. It seems clear to me that the entire purpose of his… --- ## [Flagpole Sitting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flagpole-sitting/636102)
**Author:** [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flagpole-sitting/636102 "2012-09-28T04:13:01Z")
I’ve heard stories about people who sat atop flagpoles. I believe one Catholic saint (St. Clothilde perhaps?) spent 30 years perched atop a flagpole. Okay so how would that Catholic saint eat and perform regular functi… --- ## [Why not have voting IDs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-have-voting-ids/635332)
**Author:** [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-have-voting-ids/635332 "2012-09-28T03:46:37Z")
Why has this become an issue? It seems an obvious way to make sure people are correctly voting in their districts and not voting twice. I also get the gist of the “against” side: poor folks are less likely to have IDs, s… --- ## [Historical Records agreeing 'holy books'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-records-agreeing-holy-books/42534)
**Author:** [@Doubleclick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubleclick)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-records-agreeing-holy-books/42534 "2012-09-27T23:18:37Z")
I am posting this in the GD section as I have a feeling it \might\ spark something. My question: Are there any non-religious historical texts that can verify the ‘going-ons’ in any religious texts? IE: King Herod… --- ## [Being searched going to jury duty..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-searched-going-to-jury-duty/492504)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-searched-going-to-jury-duty/492504 "2012-09-27T02:05:22Z")
Okay, I understand that in modern society there are areas where a person is searched as a course of business. Flying on an airplane, going into a courthouse, etc. I’ve been told that the reason these examples aren’t in… --- ## [Is birth control ultimately self-defeating?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-birth-control-ultimately-self-defeating/322056)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-birth-control-ultimately-self-defeating/322056 "2012-09-27T01:10:11Z")
A couple of times in various posts, I’ve alluded to a theory of mine about birth control, which no one has ever commented on. So I’d like to present it up front for discussion. My theory is this: that eventually, birth c… --- ## [Is this cover of Vogue promoting violence towards women?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cover-of-vogue-promoting-violence-towards-women/635577)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cover-of-vogue-promoting-violence-towards-women/635577 "2012-09-26T22:40:27Z")
Here is the cover of the recent French Vogue magazine: Link Apparently some women’s groups have taken exception to it: Personally I am not seeing it and I think these women’s groups are making a fuss over nothing. A… --- ## [Is this city ordinance too broad to be constitutional?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-city-ordinance-too-broad-to-be-constitutional/635693)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-city-ordinance-too-broad-to-be-constitutional/635693 "2012-09-26T17:55:00Z")
This ordinance is being mentioned by some Facebook friends of mine because a church group was arrested for violating it. My question is, is the ordinance compatible with the first amendment? It seems overly restrictive… --- ## [Has Google invented algorithmic libel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-google-invented-algorithmic-libel/635398)
**Author:** [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-google-invented-algorithmic-libel/635398 "2012-09-26T17:27:38Z")
That’s the charge in a suit filed by Bettina Wulff, the former German first lady who is alleged to have been a prostitute in the distant past: I’m of two minds on this. On the one hand, Google really is just aggregati… --- ## [What exactly would be the issue with a national ID card in the USA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486 "2012-09-26T04:47:46Z")
Seriously what would be the problem? The current setup is a silly hodgepodge that basically accomplishes the same thing, SSA has even dropped the pretense and changed the text that used to be on social security cards tha… --- ## [Blacks and crime in America](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-crime-in-america/633809)
**Author:** [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Replies:** 187\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-crime-in-america/633809 "2012-09-26T02:29:13Z")
I was told to take this to another thread, so here we are. Common sense says this could be a bit contentious so I’m starting it Great Debates but I would appreciate it if it could be treated as a General Question unless … --- ## [Should we ban ritual slaughter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-ban-ritual-slaughter/635518)
**Author:** [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-ban-ritual-slaughter/635518 "2012-09-26T02:22:33Z")
I don’t really give a crap what happens to chickens, but when you’re talking about higher order animals like sheep and cows the ritual slaughter methods commonly in used in shechita (jewish slaughter of animals) and dhab… --- ## [Should nuclear weapons have been used on China during Korean War?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nuclear-weapons-have-been-used-on-china-during-korean-war/635476)
**Author:** [@moonshot925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonshot925)\ **Replies:** 135\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nuclear-weapons-have-been-used-on-china-during-korean-war/635476 "2012-09-25T17:20:31Z")
I think 80-120 Mk3/Mk4 atomic bombs dropped on 40 Chinese cities would have forced them to surrender. Saved many American lives. --- ## [So how is this not a violation of the 1st amendment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-this-not-a-violation-of-the-1st-amendment/634864)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 172\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-this-not-a-violation-of-the-1st-amendment/634864 "2012-09-25T13:07:09Z")
So the US government can make “requests” to private companies to remove speech? Because as we all know the government certainly has no power, and there is nothing implied at all with a gentle request. Just like the we… --- ## [The Jewish Exodus From Egypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jewish-exodus-from-egypt/635022)
**Author:** [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2012, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jewish-exodus-from-egypt/635022 "2012-09-25T08:38:45Z")
Here’s a question Dex gave an answer to me quite some time ago, but I’d like to hear from other people as well. So when the Israelites escaped from Pharoah in Egypt, they were led by Moses and saw all the wonderful mira… --- ## [Life Expectancy For Least-Educated Whites Decline: Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-expectancy-for-least-educated-whites-decline-why/635534)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-expectancy-for-least-educated-whites-decline-why/635534 "2012-09-25T03:06:17Z")
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/us/life-expectancy-for-less-educated-whites-in-us-is-shrinking.html?pagewanted=all This is a really frightening trend, and one of the few news article I’ve ever read that actually distr… --- ## [So, how does one build a nation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-one-build-a-nation/635686)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-one-build-a-nation/635686 "2012-09-25T00:20:50Z")
I was rereading a bit from Babylon by Bus by Jeff Neuman and Ray Lemione (?) and he was bitching to Naomi Wolf at a dinner party about the effect of the CPA orders on the economy of Iraq as promoting looting of the count… --- ## [Is anything possible? If so, is it a paradox?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anything-possible-if-so-is-it-a-paradox/634941)
**Author:** [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anything-possible-if-so-is-it-a-paradox/634941 "2012-09-24T20:46:33Z")
I was having a debate with a friend of mine. He told me that anything was possible, that it had a non-zero percent chance of happening. I told him that if that was true, it’s possible that he’s wrong, that perhaps not… --- ## [Free Speech and yelling fire in a theatre. Can it be applied to Muslims?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-speech-and-yelling-fire-in-a-theatre-can-it-be-applied-to-muslims/635633)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-speech-and-yelling-fire-in-a-theatre-can-it-be-applied-to-muslims/635633 "2012-09-24T17:10:22Z")
One of the few exceptions to free speech is causing immediate danger. Yelling fire in a crowded theatre. Shark! at a crowded beach. etc. Couldn’t that be applied to depictions of Muhammad in print or film? I think a ca… --- ## ["Third World America" - Is this possible in our lifetimes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-world-america-is-this-possible-in-our-lifetimes/635102)
**Author:** [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-world-america-is-this-possible-in-our-lifetimes/635102 "2012-09-24T10:23:09Z")
I just finished reading Third World America" by Arianna Huffington, and she makes a compelling argument that the USA becoming a third world nation is not only possible but probable. What do you think? Are we likely to se… --- ## [Should we be working harder to educate the Muslim world about free speech?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-working-harder-to-educate-the-muslim-world-about-free-speech/634714)
**Author:** [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Replies:** 211\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-working-harder-to-educate-the-muslim-world-about-free-speech/634714 "2012-09-23T23:58:23Z")
I apologize if the subject sounds patronizing; I don’t mean it to be. But with all the protests we’re seeing about that anti-Muslim film, it seems to be the case that there’s a large number of people in the Muslim world… --- ## [What Christian denominations consider Mormons as Christians too?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-christian-denominations-consider-mormons-as-christians-too/539258)
**Author:** [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-christian-denominations-consider-mormons-as-christians-too/539258 "2012-09-23T21:22:31Z")
Looking for Christian churches that hold that the Mormons are Christian too. Only interested in official stances. How many churches even address this? For example, I have read some Catholic material that emphatically … --- ## [China Vs. Japan - Is This Going To Get Out Of Control?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-vs-japan-is-this-going-to-get-out-of-control/634977)
**Author:** [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-vs-japan-is-this-going-to-get-out-of-control/634977 "2012-09-23T05:11:52Z")
Lots of rumbling about China vs. Japan in the past few days…and now the US wants to put in additional radar in Japan (supposedly to protect against North Korea). A China vs. Japan war would make Iraq and Afghanistan see… --- ## [Taxes on the rich under President Eisenhower](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxes-on-the-rich-under-president-eisenhower/635020)
**Author:** [@moonshot925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonshot925)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxes-on-the-rich-under-president-eisenhower/635020 "2012-09-23T00:30:07Z")
Liberals often claim that the rich paid a 91% income tax rate during the Eisenhower years, and while it is true that the top marginal rate was 91% from 1954 to 1963 that is not what matters. The important part is how muc… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=308) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=310)