# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=413 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 414 --- ## [Chevrolet Volt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chevrolet-volt/557643)
**Author:** [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Replies:** 528\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chevrolet-volt/557643 "2011-01-07T20:51:35Z")
The Chevrolet Volt is finally going to ship to the consumer next month. There was an incredible amount of talk and hype in 2009, but now that it seems to be shipping, the hype seems much less reduced. Perhaps because the… --- ## [Posting someone's name and picture on a public webpage, without their consent](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-someones-name-and-picture-on-a-public-webpage-without-their-consent/565218)
**Author:** [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-someones-name-and-picture-on-a-public-webpage-without-their-consent/565218 "2011-01-07T20:39:42Z")
Background: Food critic outed and ousted from restaurant Times critic S. Irene Virbila was waiting for a table at Red Medicine when the manager snapped her photo and told her to leave. It sparked a debate over whether … --- ## [Some Bibel Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-bibel-questions/566564)
**Author:** [@Simple\_Mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Mind)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-bibel-questions/566564 "2011-01-07T20:28:41Z")
Hi, I have been spending sometime on trying to remember stories from my Childhood, mostly Biblical and Religious things which are in fractions in my Mind. For example, I remember something like this, that God had this … --- ## [How Is Communism a Religion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-communism-a-religion/565901)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-communism-a-religion/565901 "2011-01-07T20:12:19Z")
Well I’d like to hear out Diogenes the Cynic’s reasons why he thinks communism is a religion and debate them. --- ## [Judge recusing based on wife's activities](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-recusing-based-on-wifes-activities/566512 "2011-01-07T19:30:14Z")
In an earlier thread, one poster said this about a judge’s wife: In another case, a judge was asked to recuse himself based on his wife’s ACLU leadership position. He said, in a memorandum opinion explaining his refusa… --- ## [The Republican Party celebrates and endorses racism and evil as expressed in the constitution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-party-celebrates-and-endorses-racism-and-evil-as-expressed-in-the-constitution/566709)
**Author:** [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-party-celebrates-and-endorses-racism-and-evil-as-expressed-in-the-constitution/566709 "2011-01-07T17:31:29Z")
Today the Republican Party read the entire US constitution. They claim that the framers created a great document that was a force for good. I say that the constitution, as it was passed, was evil and racist. Not only di… --- ## [Immigrant Labor or Outsourcing: You Must Choose One](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigrant-labor-or-outsourcing-you-must-choose-one/566685)
**Author:** [@Dr.Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Love)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigrant-labor-or-outsourcing-you-must-choose-one/566685 "2011-01-07T02:27:34Z")
Ok, so the title is a little hyperbolic, but much of the recent “discussion” on offshoring has reminded me of some interesting things I’ve read on the subject. My memory was sparked by an article posted by Le Jacquelope … --- ## ["No refusal" DUI checkpoint](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-refusal-dui-checkpoint/565999)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 112\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-refusal-dui-checkpoint/565999 "2011-01-07T01:20:30Z")
Several states are instituting “no refusal” DUI checkpoints this holiday season. The general approach seems to be having a judge available at the site, and if a driver refuses the breath test, the police can immediately … --- ## [Jim Crow era convictions need to expunged, and the victims need to be compensated](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-crow-era-convictions-need-to-expunged-and-the-victims-need-to-be-compensated/565831)
**Author:** [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Replies:** 153\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-crow-era-convictions-need-to-expunged-and-the-victims-need-to-be-compensated/565831 "2011-01-06T21:33:54Z")
Jim Crow legally lasted up until 1965 (and really lasted longer). There are black persons who are still in prison who were convicted of crimes under this racist system. These convictions cannot be trusted regardless of w… --- ## [Third World contributions to First World living standards](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-world-contributions-to-first-world-living-standards/566358)
**Author:** [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-world-contributions-to-first-world-living-standards/566358 "2011-01-06T20:50:44Z")
Partly inspired by this thread, but I think it would be a hijack in the other thread. To what extent is the standard of living in the First World dependant on the Third World having a lower standard of living? Or, to p… --- ## [What will happen with the debt limit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-with-the-debt-limit/561283)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-with-the-debt-limit/561283 "2011-01-06T14:46:10Z")
I mentioned this in my previous thread “Could/would Rand Paul really singlehandedly bring on a depression?”. New thread more zeroed in on the subject of refusing to raise the debt limit, because of a new quote from Alan… --- ## [How Can We Plausibly Best Improve Humanity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-plausibly-best-improve-humanity/566297)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-plausibly-best-improve-humanity/566297 "2011-01-06T05:00:13Z")
In the next few years what are some things that can plausibly be done to improve humanity’s general lot and prosperity? This includes both immediate actions and long-term policies. My Ideas: Encourage globalization in … --- ## [Is the American way of life either directly or indirectly a hindrance to other countries' ways of li](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-life-either-directly-or-indirectly-a-hindrance-to-other-countries-ways-of-li/566275)
**Author:** [@dasein47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasein47)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-life-either-directly-or-indirectly-a-hindrance-to-other-countries-ways-of-li/566275 "2011-01-06T04:34:31Z")
I posed the above question in the title to my parents recently and was rather stunned to hear how they rejected outright any such possibility. They almost seemed offended that I could posit forth such a notion, that is w… --- ## [Questions for Originalists (specially Bricker\*)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-originalists-specially-bricker/566555)
**Author:** [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-originalists-specially-bricker/566555 "2011-01-06T03:48:10Z")
assuming Bricker is an originalist. Justice Scalia’s definition of originalism: Basically, the Constitution means what it was thought to mean when it was passed. I two questions: Do you believe that states can ru… --- ## [Pascal's Wager](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pascals-wager/562323)
**Author:** [@abele\_derer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abele_derer)\ **Replies:** 653\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pascals-wager/562323 "2011-01-06T03:38:54Z")
I believe, 100%, in one true religion (I have tried to argue the point in the Kuzari thread). However, I am simply not sure if I believe in Pascal’s Wager. I am agnostic regarding the Wager, leaning (very slightly) towar… --- ## [Resolved: The US Military buildup played a role in the current state of North Korea](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-us-military-buildup-played-a-role-in-the-current-state-of-north-korea/566429)
**Author:** [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-us-military-buildup-played-a-role-in-the-current-state-of-north-korea/566429 "2011-01-06T00:06:29Z")
In this thread, I proposed that the US military build-up in South Korea was a contributing factor to the current situation in North Korea. Specifically, having the world’s largest military permanently at their borders pl… --- ## [Was Marx right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-marx-right/565529)
**Author:** [@The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Amazing_Hanna)\ **Replies:** 199\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-marx-right/565529 "2011-01-05T22:22:39Z")
A simple question: When Marx predicted the death of the middle class and the division of society into haves and have-nots, was he perhaps on to something? --- ## [Was the bombing of Dresden a war crime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-bombing-of-dresden-a-war-crime/564475)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 117\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-bombing-of-dresden-a-war-crime/564475 "2011-01-05T19:58:43Z")
Yep, another WW2 question. We’ve had debates before on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, general consensus (and my own opinion based on facts at the time) being that it wasn’t pleasant, but in the end the bombs saved more lives t… --- ## [Real Motivation For Japanese Whaling?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-motivation-for-japanese-whaling/566078)
**Author:** [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-motivation-for-japanese-whaling/566078 "2011-01-05T19:54:00Z")
So those wacky little guys who brought you Pearl Harbor are at it again with their Antarctic whale hunt (too lazy to post a link, but they’re out there and clashing with Greenpeace et al. as usual). I had always assumed… --- ## [Is solitary confinement torture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-solitary-confinement-torture/566202)
**Author:** [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-solitary-confinement-torture/566202 "2011-01-05T19:20:24Z")
From an OP/ED on Huffingtonpost: From all the evidence I’ve seen, I’ve come to the conclusion that solitary confinement, at least for a duration long enough to cause measurable brain damage, is torture, and it is a pra… --- ## [Is there a "White Privilege"? If so, what is it, and what are the public-policy implications?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-white-privilege-if-so-what-is-it-and-what-are-the-public-policy-implications/565759)
**Author:** [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-white-privilege-if-so-what-is-it-and-what-are-the-public-policy-implications/565759 "2011-01-05T16:37:36Z")
The debate is, more or less, as stated in the OP. 1.) Is there a “white privilege”? That is, are there a set of benefits that accrue to white Americans by virtue of their race alone? 2.) If so, what is the nature of th… --- ## [People who want to convert my religion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-want-to-convert-my-religion/565561)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-want-to-convert-my-religion/565561 "2011-01-05T12:34:56Z")
Why do religious kooks feel the need to help me “see the light” and convert to their religious beliefs? I practice freedom of religion. I make no attempt to convert them to my beliefs. Why do Mormons stop me on the str… --- ## [U.S. exporting coal to China: good or bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-exporting-coal-to-china-good-or-bad/565765)
**Author:** [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-exporting-coal-to-china-good-or-bad/565765 "2011-01-05T05:04:51Z")
A short series of articles in the Post-Dispatch this weekend (full disclosure: I work for a company named herein) drew my attention to the fact that the Sierra Club opposes coal exports from the U.S. to China. They are f… --- ## [WW2, If Russia had siezed Japan, what then?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww2-if-russia-had-siezed-japan-what-then/565657)
**Author:** [@Zanthor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanthor)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww2-if-russia-had-siezed-japan-what-then/565657 "2011-01-05T01:16:08Z")
Russia still technically at war with Japan? to this day? Crux issue, Kurile Islands… More than fifty years have passed since the end of World War II, and no peace treaty has been concluded between Japan and the former … --- ## [Is it time to end the filibuster in the US Senate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-to-end-the-filibuster-in-the-us-senate/559977)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-to-end-the-filibuster-in-the-us-senate/559977 "2011-01-04T22:23:01Z")
Ok. The Dems have a 53-47 working majority in this Senate. No way will they get 60 to pass anything. The GOP has hopes of reclaiming the majority in 2012. Maybe they will have a 52-48 majority. No way can they get 6… --- ## [Do Arabs have a different concept of "corruption"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-arabs-have-a-different-concept-of-corruption/566149)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-arabs-have-a-different-concept-of-corruption/566149 "2011-01-04T18:48:39Z")
Interesting article: http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=792 In a nutshell, Rosen says he’s heard, again and again, from Arabs that, as they understand it, “Corruption is the failure to share any larg… --- ## [Thou shalt not kill and hypocratic faith?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thou-shalt-not-kill-and-hypocratic-faith/566123)
**Author:** [@ExistentialistDesperado33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExistentialistDesperado33)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thou-shalt-not-kill-and-hypocratic-faith/566123 "2011-01-04T15:24:35Z")
The abrahamic religions all stem from a basis whereby moses laid out the ten commandments. one of these: Thou shalt not kill. The question i would like to ask of those who have a abrahamic faith (and also opinions of o… --- ## [Can someone justify the finance industry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-justify-the-finance-industry/564461)
**Author:** [@sss3d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sss3d)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-justify-the-finance-industry/564461 "2011-01-04T14:27:19Z")
I don’t see how it creates value for people learning how to find arbitrage opportunities and the likes. I feel the finance industry is even WORSE than the “business” “entrepreneurial” industry. thanks --- ## [So, it's June... WHERE THE \*\*\*\* IS THIS LOOMING GENETIC CRISIS!?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-june-where-the-is-this-looming-genetic-crisis/542669)
**Author:** [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Replies:** 158\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-june-where-the-is-this-looming-genetic-crisis/542669 "2011-01-04T12:38:31Z")
\[ \](http://www.economist.com/theworldin/displayStory.cfm?story\_id=E1\_TQSQNSPS&d=2010)So, where is it? The secret/private consensus? The public exposure? The genetically determined racial inequality? All this and more w… --- ## [What's wrong with faith?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-faith/565156)
**Author:** [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Replies:** 199\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2011, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-faith/565156 "2011-01-04T10:27:28Z")
Today I’m going to ask the question, “what’s wrong with faith”? It’s a more broad question than the one that prompted it which is, “what’s so important about being right”? I had a friend who a few years ago became a bor… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=412) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=414)