# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=411 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 412 --- ## [Drunk Driving](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-driving/567319)
**Author:** [@martin34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/martin34)\ **Replies:** 137\ **Last updated:** [January 17, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-driving/567319 "2011-01-17T06:31:31Z")
Ok Peeps…here I go again, Another half drunken/half baked idea. The last year I found data (2008) there were 13,846 alcohol related deaths on the roads of America (alcoholalert.com) down from 26,173 in '82. Close to 4… --- ## [Conservative policies, not rhetoric, are responsible for the tragedy in Tucson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-policies-not-rhetoric-are-responsible-for-the-tragedy-in-tucson/567466)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [January 17, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-policies-not-rhetoric-are-responsible-for-the-tragedy-in-tucson/567466 "2011-01-17T04:35:38Z")
I posted much of this in a Pit threadabout Sarah Palin’s debated responsibility for Saturday’s shootings in Tucson. But with some prodding, have decided to start a new thread about the policies that may have been respons… --- ## [Obama's speech at the Tuscon Memorial](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speech-at-the-tuscon-memorial/567420)
**Author:** [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [January 17, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speech-at-the-tuscon-memorial/567420 "2011-01-17T04:28:45Z")
I don’t know how many people watched the Tuscon Memorial Service, but I thought Obama’s speech was probably the most effective one I’ve seen him give since he’s been President. His rhetorical device of calling for civil … --- ## [Palin's an ass but she didn't cause Tucson.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palins-an-ass-but-she-didnt-cause-tucson/567863)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palins-an-ass-but-she-didnt-cause-tucson/567863 "2011-01-16T21:43:54Z")
I’m a liberal. But I do not value my politics above the truth, common sense, and reality. What I value above my politics and above pretty much everything is the truth. Crazy people who want to shoot someone are going … --- ## [Who is middle class?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-middle-class/566695)
**Author:** [@The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Amazing_Hanna)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-middle-class/566695 "2011-01-16T20:17:19Z")
The word “middle class” is often used in politics these days. However, it appears to be a somewhat loosely defined word. Politicians often claim that their policies benefit the middle class - neither the deadbeats nor t… --- ## ["Jim Bob's terrible confession" (personal responsibility vs. being judgmental)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bobs-terrible-confession-personal-responsibility-vs-being-judgmental/567551)
**Author:** [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bobs-terrible-confession-personal-responsibility-vs-being-judgmental/567551 "2011-01-16T18:54:55Z")
Recently an emergency medicine doc who practices in Appalachia published this little story in one of the EM profession publications: Jim Bob’s Terrible Confession His closing comments are what I wanted to discuss here.… --- ## [Doesn't Palin's position on her rhetoric undercut her opposition to the construction of the mosque?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doesnt-palins-position-on-her-rhetoric-undercut-her-opposition-to-the-construction-of-the-mosque/567603)
**Author:** [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doesnt-palins-position-on-her-rhetoric-undercut-her-opposition-to-the-construction-of-the-mosque/567603 "2011-01-16T15:07:15Z")
Sarah Palin recently stated that “(a)cts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to… --- ## [What Explains J Edgar Hoover's Refusal To Take The Mafia Seriously?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-j-edgar-hoovers-refusal-to-take-the-mafia-seriously/567241)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-j-edgar-hoovers-refusal-to-take-the-mafia-seriously/567241 "2011-01-16T14:21:27Z")
From all the accounts Ihave read, Hoover either didn’t believe that there was a mafia-dominated organized crime network in the USA, or didn’t care. He seems to have interpreted many famous crimes (such as the Boston Br… --- ## [It should be ilegal to smoke on the street.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-be-ilegal-to-smoke-on-the-street/566434)
**Author:** [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Replies:** 276\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-be-ilegal-to-smoke-on-the-street/566434 "2011-01-16T14:10:12Z")
edited title: It should be illegal to smoke on the street. People should be free to walk the street without having to avoid offensive odors that are created purely for somebody else’s pleasure. Smoking smells. When peo… --- ## [Do we really want or need voting reform in the UK? Specifically, do we want AV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-want-or-need-voting-reform-in-the-uk-specifically-do-we-want-av/566980)
**Author:** [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-want-or-need-voting-reform-in-the-uk-specifically-do-we-want-av/566980 "2011-01-16T12:42:19Z")
The government has committed itself to holding a referendum on voting reform in the UK in three months time, specifically, whether we should switch from FPTP to AV in general elections. There seems to be a vocal minorit… --- ## [So when does civil disobedience work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-does-civil-disobedience-work/567714)
**Author:** [@godix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godix)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-does-civil-disobedience-work/567714 "2011-01-16T08:56:01Z")
So Tunisia has changed rulers after 23 years. What struck me as odd while reading up on it, the whole thing started with a single act of civil disobedience. The police confiscated a mans street cart for selling without a… --- ## [Aggressively violent imagery - equal among both parties?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aggressively-violent-imagery-equal-among-both-parties/567228)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 358\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aggressively-violent-imagery-equal-among-both-parties/567228 "2011-01-16T05:17:46Z")
In this Pit thread some people seemed to suggest that the use of violent imagery was used equally by politicians, candidates, and commentators of both Dem/liberal and Repub/conservative persuasions. I have not done a st… --- ## [How many acquittals would you have in an ideal legal system?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-acquittals-would-you-have-in-an-ideal-legal-system/567370)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-acquittals-would-you-have-in-an-ideal-legal-system/567370 "2011-01-15T22:29:00Z")
My assumption is that an ideal court system would find every innocent person innocent and every guilty person guilty. But feel free to make a disagreeing argument. But a legal system is more than just a court system. It… --- ## [White House seeks military spending cuts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-seeks-military-spending-cuts/567192)
**Author:** [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-seeks-military-spending-cuts/567192 "2011-01-15T19:30:48Z")
From the New York Times This is a step in the right direction, though I think it doesn’t go nearly far enough. The United States only has 5 percent of the world’s population, but we account for 50 percent of the world’… --- ## [When can we stop obsessing over WWII?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-we-stop-obsessing-over-wwii/567613)
**Author:** [@The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Amazing_Hanna)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-we-stop-obsessing-over-wwii/567613 "2011-01-15T18:04:33Z")
(Posted after accidentally switching to the Hitler, sorry, History Channel.) World War II ended almost three score and ten years ago. The babies born to parents who returned from the war are now old men and women. The c… --- ## [Richard Carrier: a credible historian regarding rejecting Hitler's anti-Christian views being...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-carrier-a-credible-historian-regarding-rejecting-hitlers-anti-christian-views-being/565874)
**Author:** [@Wade\_A.Tisthammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wade_A.Tisthammer)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/richard-carrier-a-credible-historian-regarding-rejecting-hitlers-anti-christian-views-being/565874 "2011-01-15T15:33:38Z")
Richard Carrier: a credible historian regarding rejecting Hitler’s anti-Christian views being evidenced in Hitler’s Table Talk? This is a continuation of this thread. What happened is I commented on a staff report on w… --- ## [Why didn't anyone shoot Jared Loughner before he shot 20 people?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-anyone-shoot-jared-loughner-before-he-shot-20-people/567035)
**Author:** [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Replies:** 163\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-anyone-shoot-jared-loughner-before-he-shot-20-people/567035 "2011-01-15T13:10:50Z")
Arizona no longer requires a permit for either concealed or open carry. For a couple of decades, at least, the pro-gun folks have been arguing that if pretty much anyone could pack a weapon in public, massacres like yes… --- ## [A fifth star for Petraeus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fifth-star-for-petraeus/567619)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fifth-star-for-petraeus/567619 "2011-01-15T04:31:07Z")
I dunno. In the abstract, I’d like to see a very worthy general or admiral given a fifth star someday - seems a shame to let the rank just lapse. I even could’ve seen giving 'em to Powell and Schwartzkopf right after… --- ## [Will The US Ultimately Default On Its Debt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-us-ultimately-default-on-its-debt/567485)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-us-ultimately-default-on-its-debt/567485 "2011-01-14T21:02:29Z")
In the news: S&P, Moody’s Warn On U.S. Credit Rating. Personally, I think it’s more likely than not that this will happen in our lifetimes. The debt load gets greater and greater, and the problem is that though the publ… --- ## [How to deal with bipolar sibling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-bipolar-sibling/567581)
**Author:** [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-bipolar-sibling/567581 "2011-01-14T18:54:43Z")
My brother turns 40 today. He lives at home with my parents, who are 79 and 72. He doesn’t work, and my parents may not see him for days at a time. He was diagnosed with borderline personality nearly 20 years ago, soo… --- ## [Limbaugh has been trashing Sheriff Dupnik and now is reportedly playing "I Shot the Sheriff"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaugh-has-been-trashing-sheriff-dupnik-and-now-is-reportedly-playing-i-shot-the-sheriff/567622)
**Author:** [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaugh-has-been-trashing-sheriff-dupnik-and-now-is-reportedly-playing-i-shot-the-sheriff/567622 "2011-01-14T18:17:45Z")
while saying “I shot a sheriff” in the background. If this is true is what he’s doing free speech? Is it incitement to assassination of a public official? --- ## [Just how dependent is Israel upon the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-dependent-is-israel-upon-the-us/567128)
**Author:** [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-dependent-is-israel-upon-the-us/567128 "2011-01-14T14:48:08Z")
I often hear or read people saying, in effect, that Israel is totally dependent on US foreign aid. Also, that it is dependent upon “American weapons,” which doesn’t make sense to me since the last I heard Israel manufact… --- ## [Resolved: Jesus did not exist](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-jesus-did-not-exist/566230)
**Author:** [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Replies:** 196\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-jesus-did-not-exist/566230 "2011-01-14T14:15:09Z")
So I’ll start by commenting on probably the singular most popular assertion made by christians when it comes to mythological figures/events in the bible, and that is what I call the “Kernel of truth”. Essentially what it… --- ## [Does God Love People Who Go To Hell?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-love-people-who-go-to-hell/527757)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 159\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-love-people-who-go-to-hell/527757 "2011-01-13T22:30:10Z")
Does God love the people whom He ends up sending to Hell? --- ## [True believing Christians: will you allow me to challenge and probe your beliefs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-believing-christians-will-you-allow-me-to-challenge-and-probe-your-beliefs/566809)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-believing-christians-will-you-allow-me-to-challenge-and-probe-your-beliefs/566809 "2011-01-13T21:30:01Z")
Are there any Christian dopers who \*\*\*genuinely believe \*\*\*in basic Christian teaching without reservation? By this I mean you genuinely believe: A sentient and all-powerful Creator created all life on earth (not nec… --- ## [Question from a 90 year old war Veteran](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-from-a-90-year-old-war-veteran/559920)
**Author:** [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-from-a-90-year-old-war-veteran/559920 "2011-01-13T18:30:59Z")
I am posting a question on behalf of my father-in-law who would like to have a discussion, but is a little shaky using the forum. Hopefully that is okay, if not please tell me. The question - Hello, anyone and everyon… --- ## [Is the US in decline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-decline/563905)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 191\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-decline/563905 "2011-01-13T17:26:45Z")
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle\_East/LL07Ak01.html This article seems to think so. What’s this about wealth transfer? I don’t see western economies being shrunk by a flight of investment capital, rather a stall in… --- ## [Justices Kagan and Scalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justices-kagan-and-scalia/567368)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justices-kagan-and-scalia/567368 "2011-01-13T17:13:31Z")
The Supreme Court dealt with a bankruptcy case. The person filing bankruptcy wanted to be able to deduct money for his car, which he owned free and clear, because the law allows a deduction for car payments. On the oth… --- ## [Jared Loughner’s Politics – What Matters and What Doesn’t?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jared-loughner-s-politics-what-matters-and-what-doesn-t/567043)
**Author:** [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jared-loughner-s-politics-what-matters-and-what-doesn-t/567043 "2011-01-13T15:50:50Z")
(NOTE: Please see Marley23’s closing admonishment in the “Second Amendment Solutions” thread. I’d prefer to keep this discussion on topic and avoid insults, so I’m posting it here instead of the BBQ Pit, but if the stro… --- ## ["Second Amendment Solutions" (the \[hopefully civil\] GD version)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-amendment-solutions-the-hopefully-civil-gd-version/566921)
**Author:** [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Replies:** 279\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-amendment-solutions-the-hopefully-civil-gd-version/566921 "2011-01-13T11:24:37Z")
EDIT in case this gets bumped in the future: Thread is about the shooting of US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords In all calm honesty, how many of us predicted this? How often was it discussed that someone could/probably… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=410) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=412)