# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=356 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 357 --- ## [How much should immigrants of other cultures change to fit the culture of their new homeland?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-should-immigrants-of-other-cultures-change-to-fit-the-culture-of-their-new-homeland/603067)
**Author:** [@Scathach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scathach)\ **Replies:** 143\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-should-immigrants-of-other-cultures-change-to-fit-the-culture-of-their-new-homeland/603067 "2011-11-18T21:33:56Z")
The debate is pretty much as is in the title. I guess I’m mainly considering Muslims here, and the difficulties of wearing Hijab, Niqab or Burqa in a Western nation, but really I’d like it to be more general than that. … --- ## [Where's our immortal soul when we sleep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-our-immortal-soul-when-we-sleep/601177)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-our-immortal-soul-when-we-sleep/601177 "2011-11-18T15:00:11Z")
This has to be an old and settled issue given the obviousness of it, but I’ve never heard the answer. When we sleep without dreaming we effectively don’t exist- no conciousness, no memory, no self. Other than the fact th… --- ## [Theoretical legal question - found guilty but can't implement sentance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theoretical-legal-question-found-guilty-but-cant-implement-sentance/603121)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theoretical-legal-question-found-guilty-but-cant-implement-sentance/603121 "2011-11-18T05:28:27Z")
What would happen if the only punishment listed for a crime is execution, if a person is found guilty they must be put to death, but a change in the law, either by the state itself or the union that the state is a part o… --- ## [Ninth Amendment Rights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninth-amendment-rights/603076)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninth-amendment-rights/603076 "2011-11-18T02:14:40Z")
“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” So what do you think some of our unenumerated rights are? My opinions: Right to priv… --- ## [For you Constitutional Originalists - where is the Right to Self Defense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-you-constitutional-originalists-where-is-the-right-to-self-defense/602947)
**Author:** [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-you-constitutional-originalists-where-is-the-right-to-self-defense/602947 "2011-11-17T23:37:32Z")
in the US Constitution, of course. Clearly, there is a right to keep and bear arms. No debate there. But conservatives (aka Ron Paul Libertarians) say there is no Right to Privacy because it is not explicitly spelled … --- ## [Civil War Was Not Over Slavery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-was-not-over-slavery/601779)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 318\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-was-not-over-slavery/601779 "2011-11-17T22:46:54Z")
I’ve heard it said that the American Civil War was NOT about slavery. It was about uniting the nation. What supporting evidence is there today that this was indeed the premise…esp when Lincoln executed the Emancipation… --- ## [Wow, I agree with Limbaugh on something (99% vs. 1%)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-i-agree-with-limbaugh-on-something-99-vs-1/603170)
**Author:** [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-i-agree-with-limbaugh-on-something-99-vs-1/603170 "2011-11-17T21:25:45Z")
I’m as surprised as you, but check out this transcript from his show yesterday, where he’s discussing Chelsea Clinton’s hiring by NBC News: \[QUOTE=Rush Limbaugh\] Let’s go down to Occupy Wall Street or wherever else tha… --- ## [Prospects of revolution/reform in Iran?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prospects-of-revolution-reform-in-iran/602296)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prospects-of-revolution-reform-in-iran/602296 "2011-11-17T18:25:39Z")
Seems an appropriate topic, since this is a week for Iran threads, and since the Arab Spring is still more or less going on (as unrest and bloody suppression and undeterred unrest continue in Syria and Yemen) and might c… --- ## [Whom does a land belong to?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129)
**Author:** [@The\_Sheikh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Sheikh)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129 "2011-11-17T18:21:08Z")
Simple question. And I don’t mean Whom it belongs to according to the current global laws. I mean whom it should belong to? --- ## [Britain and the Euro Crisis.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britain-and-the-euro-crisis/601527)
**Author:** [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britain-and-the-euro-crisis/601527 "2011-11-17T16:51:10Z")
With France and Germany freaking out with what’s going on in Greece and the euro in crisis we’re not hearing a damn thing from Britain. Makes me wonder if Britain made the right decision sticking with the pound sterling … --- ## [Is fascism the natural state?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fascism-the-natural-state/603045)
**Author:** [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fascism-the-natural-state/603045 "2011-11-17T14:27:03Z")
In this installment of In Praise of the Bloody-Minded (a continuing series, appearing whenever I skip my meds), I consider the thesis advanced by Howard Bloom in his 1995 book The Lucifer Principle. Bloom, a former reco… --- ## [No Junk Food Policy in schools](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-junk-food-policy-in-schools/602174)
**Author:** [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-junk-food-policy-in-schools/602174 "2011-11-17T10:00:11Z")
I read an article recently (can’t seem to find it now but will keep looking) about a couple who pulled their children out of a public school because their unhealthy snacks had been confiscated. The school had a policy l… --- ## [What if:Obama is closet Islamophobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-obama-is-closet-islamophobe/602881)
**Author:** [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-obama-is-closet-islamophobe/602881 "2011-11-17T05:49:19Z")
What would happen if Barack H. Obama forgot his mike was still on at a press conference and made some islamophobic remarks to a aide. E.g. something along the lines of ““Islam is a religion in which God requires you to… --- ## [NYSE Shuts Down(Chinese Cyberattack): How To Respond?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyse-shuts-down-chinese-cyberattack-how-to-respond/603101)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyse-shuts-down-chinese-cyberattack-how-to-respond/603101 "2011-11-17T05:22:59Z")
Suppose that one day, the NYSE shuts down-no orders can be placed, and traders find that their information is wiped out-blue screens everywhere. This is later traced to a hacker in China. Later analysis points to the C… --- ## [How would you handle the decolonisation of British India](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-handle-the-decolonisation-of-british-india/602880)
**Author:** [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-handle-the-decolonisation-of-british-india/602880 "2011-11-17T04:16:30Z")
Do you think the decolonisation of the Indian subcontinent went as well as it could have? With the benefit of hindsight, what would you have done differently. You become governor in 1937, and you have the full support … --- ## [UFC sues to legalize their sport in New York](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufc-sues-to-legalize-their-sport-in-new-york/603147)
**Author:** [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufc-sues-to-legalize-their-sport-in-new-york/603147 "2011-11-17T01:15:58Z")
Arguing, among other things, that mixed martial arts competition in front of an audience is a form of expression that should be protected by the first amendment. link Do they have a case? Personally, I’d be in favor o… --- ## [John lennon and the beatles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-and-the-beatles/603190)
**Author:** [@GeddyClaypoolBurton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GeddyClaypoolBurton)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-and-the-beatles/603190 "2011-11-17T00:59:52Z")
I am huge fan of John Lennon and the Beatles. I was recentlydoing some research on pseudoscience and I found this fundamentalist Christianpreacher who wrote this article in an obscure newsletter in 1981 after JohnLennon … --- ## [Israel/Iran - which is most likely to do something catastrophically stupid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-iran-which-is-most-likely-to-do-something-catastrophically-stupid/602059)
**Author:** [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Replies:** 82\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-iran-which-is-most-likely-to-do-something-catastrophically-stupid/602059 "2011-11-16T23:19:24Z")
Iran’s going to get nuclear weapons unless Israel stops them. Israel’s defense cabinet is almost 50/50 in support of a first-strike using conventional arms in an attempt to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program. In my opinion, … --- ## [Would a Constitutional amendment like this be workable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-constitutional-amendment-like-this-be-workable/602042)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-constitutional-amendment-like-this-be-workable/602042 "2011-11-16T21:37:48Z")
I was thinking today about the state of the economy, and it occured to me that one thing that tea partiers and 99-percenters both seem to agree on is that “bailouts” have gone too far and become too common. There’s an ar… --- ## [I am 32, why should I care about health care benefits at work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-32-why-should-i-care-about-health-care-benefits-at-work/602223)
**Author:** [@Cyclone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyclone)\ **Replies:** 97\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-32-why-should-i-care-about-health-care-benefits-at-work/602223 "2011-11-16T20:47:47Z")
That was my attitude until a few months ago. A 26 year old friend of mine woke up one morning with what felt like a pulled muscle in his shoulder. He makes $1,600 a month driving a delivery truck for a department store… --- ## [China and Russia question (support for countries like Syria)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-and-russia-question-support-for-countries-like-syria/603063)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-and-russia-question-support-for-countries-like-syria/603063 "2011-11-16T20:06:57Z")
I was reading this article earlier and I was thinking of all the times China and Russia seem to be in lock step to support countries that are, well, out of lock step with The West™ and in the case of Syria, pretty much e… --- ## [What does Iran really want, geostrategically?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-iran-really-want-geostrategically/602273)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-iran-really-want-geostrategically/602273 "2011-11-16T19:59:51Z")
ISTM – and this seems to be consensus of foreign-policy commentators I’ve read – that what Iran wants – what goal endures through changes of regime – is only what Iran thinks it is historically entitled to: Not actual t… --- ## [Atheists in foxholes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-in-foxholes/602808)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 124\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-in-foxholes/602808 "2011-11-16T18:57:02Z")
I know the subject has come up before, but not in this particular way, afaik. I just came from service at a local Episcopal church, and there was a guest speaker for Veteran’s Day services that happened to be a retired … --- ## [Chinese spring...sooner than later?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-spring-sooner-than-later/602791)
**Author:** [@bahia\_hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahia_hombre)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-spring-sooner-than-later/602791 "2011-11-16T18:26:16Z")
This forecaster says it’s when, not if: --- ## [Should Joe Paterno be fired now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-paterno-be-fired-now/602432)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-paterno-be-fired-now/602432 "2011-11-16T16:22:35Z")
For those that aren’t clued in: NYTimes article about sex abuse scandal that has rocked Penn State University. Joe Pa has announced that he will retire at the end of the football season. He stated in his announcement … --- ## [God's omniscience](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-omniscience/601295)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 119\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-omniscience/601295 "2011-11-16T13:42:11Z")
If you don’t believe in God, don’t bother to post here. Thank you. An Episcopal priest I know has a new book out. One of the issues he tackles is God’s omniscience. We talked about it at some length this morning duri… --- ## [The Solyndra Scandal:Does It Have the Potential to Hurt Obama?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solyndra-scandal-does-it-have-the-potential-to-hurt-obama/596401)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 242\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solyndra-scandal-does-it-have-the-potential-to-hurt-obama/596401 "2011-11-16T02:29:44Z")
$538 million down the drain. Link:Solyndra bankruptcy was disaster waiting to happen - CNET Since this was “stimulus” money, and Obama is trying to promote “green” jobs, I can see this disaster as a double edged sword-… --- ## [Israel's prisoner swap with Hamas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israels-prisoner-swap-with-hamas/599568)
**Author:** [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Replies:** 301\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israels-prisoner-swap-with-hamas/599568 "2011-11-16T01:40:15Z")
I searched for another thread on this topic but couldn’t find one. Why on Earth is Israel swapping some seriously bad dudes for one guy? I could see releasing 1,000 prisoners for one soldier if the thousand were in on r… --- ## [Is military action against Iran an inevitability?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-military-action-against-iran-an-inevitability/601726)
**Author:** [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-military-action-against-iran-an-inevitability/601726 "2011-11-16T01:27:47Z")
All signs seem to point to yes. In particular, the British military has already started planning for a missile attack, combined with air strike, against Iran to be done in conjunction with the US. So, is Iran the next … --- ## [How can a Libertarian be opposed to the Right to Privacy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-libertarian-be-opposed-to-the-right-to-privacy/602001)
**Author:** [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-libertarian-be-opposed-to-the-right-to-privacy/602001 "2011-11-15T20:46:41Z")
Privacy would seem to be an essential building block of Liberty. But famous Libertarians such as Ron Paul and Andrew Napolitano are opposed to privacy rights. They claim that the Constitution does not explicitly spell … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=355) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=357)