# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=440 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 441 --- ## [DOES anyone on this board believe in ghosts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-on-this-board-believe-in-ghosts/548862)
**Author:** [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Replies:** 195\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-on-this-board-believe-in-ghosts/548862 "2010-08-18T06:15:47Z")
Reading this thread got me wondering, is there actually anyone who posts on here who thinks there’s the possibility of ghosts existing? Seems to me in every “ghost” topic on here, there’s one of two kinds of people: P… --- ## [A snippet of Lawrence v. Texas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-snippet-of-lawrence-v-texas/550567)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-snippet-of-lawrence-v-texas/550567 "2010-08-18T04:17:13Z")
\[QUOTE=Justice Kennedy\] The present case does not involve minors. It does not involve persons who might be injured or coerced or who are situated in relationships where consent might not easily be refused. It does not i… --- ## [What If? Britain had the US as a colony in WW1 & 2?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-britain-had-the-us-as-a-colony-in-ww1-2/550559)
**Author:** [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-britain-had-the-us-as-a-colony-in-ww1-2/550559 "2010-08-18T01:23:43Z")
The recent few threads about the world wars has gotten me wondering what the world would look like if Britain had given Colonies seats in Parliament (to placate them and they didn’t rebel). The only difference in this u… --- ## [Free Will Paradox](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-will-paradox/550266)
**Author:** [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-will-paradox/550266 "2010-08-17T22:04:03Z")
The whole topic abounds with paradox but I am talking about one very specific one. I put “facts” in scare quotes because, while a lot of people believe them to be true, I don’t. I think determinism is compatible with f… --- ## [Ezekiel 38, Jeremiah 50 and the Bushehr Reactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ezekiel-38-jeremiah-50-and-the-bushehr-reactor/550412)
**Author:** [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ezekiel-38-jeremiah-50-and-the-bushehr-reactor/550412 "2010-08-17T02:41:33Z")
So, according to news reports, Iran’s Bushehr reactor, is going on line this Saturday, the 21st. What does this have to do with Ezekiel 38 and Jeremiah 50? Persia is Iran and despite what other people will tell you, Ma… --- ## [How is the California 200 monster truck crash (that killed 8) NOT "applied Darwinism"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-california-200-monster-truck-crash-that-killed-8-not-applied-darwinism/550430)
**Author:** [@Gruntled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gruntled)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-california-200-monster-truck-crash-that-killed-8-not-applied-darwinism/550430 "2010-08-17T01:36:05Z")
I’ve seen the video of this thing. Here it is: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784\_162-20013701-10391705.html Absolutely absurd how close the fans are to the racing “track”. Not only that but a whole bunch of these mor… --- ## [Marriage in the age of a 200-year human lifespan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marriage-in-the-age-of-a-200-year-human-lifespan/550195)
**Author:** [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marriage-in-the-age-of-a-200-year-human-lifespan/550195 "2010-08-16T23:30:54Z")
Assume that in the future, medicine and technology will make us live to 200. The aging process will happen later, so, for example, from age 20 to 160, we will feel like today’s 20 to 60 year olds. In such a society, man… --- ## [65th Anniversary of bombing Hiroshima](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65th-anniversary-of-bombing-hiroshima/549698)
**Author:** [@Zanthor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanthor)\ **Replies:** 267\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65th-anniversary-of-bombing-hiroshima/549698 "2010-08-16T15:49:28Z")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bh5iKNH1WY (7 min, 42 sec video. Listen to the last 2 minutes at least.) So bearing in mind, the firestorms we unleashed upon Japan actually killed far more than what our A bombs did, … --- ## [What's the motive for going after Lance Armstong? Is it racially motivated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-motive-for-going-after-lance-armstong-is-it-racially-motivated/549472)
**Author:** [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2010, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-motive-for-going-after-lance-armstong-is-it-racially-motivated/549472 "2010-08-16T07:14:26Z")
The anti-doper forces seem to have targeted LA. Why? The guy is a hero to a lot of people. What’s the point of working so hard to bring him down? As the asshole Landis said, “If he didn’t win the TDF, then some oth… --- ## [You Return Home and Find Wife In Bed With Another Man-You Murder Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-return-home-and-find-wife-in-bed-with-another-man-you-murder-them/550238)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2010, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-return-home-and-find-wife-in-bed-with-another-man-you-murder-them/550238 "2010-08-16T06:18:13Z")
…would a jury convict you of murder? Would such a “crime of passion” be excused by the circumstances? Suppose you have a super defense, and they get a favorable jury…could you actually escape all charges? --- ## [Prop-8 Arguments Today - What will happen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prop-8-arguments-today-what-will-happen/488386)
**Author:** [@Jeeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeeves)\ **Replies:** 306\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prop-8-arguments-today-what-will-happen/488386 "2010-08-15T03:17:42Z")
Starting in 2.5 hours from now, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether or not Proposition 8 will be overturned. The legislature, the governer, and the attorney general all say that it should, along … --- ## [Is the Balance of Power shifting, East versus West](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-balance-of-power-shifting-east-versus-west/549704)
**Author:** [@Zanthor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanthor)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-balance-of-power-shifting-east-versus-west/549704 "2010-08-15T00:57:38Z")
Chinese missile could shift Pacific power balance http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100805/ap\_on\_re\_as/as\_china\_us\_carrier\_killer so, is the balance of power finally shifting? the force of our weapons enabling us, to strut… --- ## [Holy Crap! H.G. Wells was a totalitarian!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-h-g-wells-was-a-totalitarian/549844)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-h-g-wells-was-a-totalitarian/549844 "2010-08-15T00:09:46Z")
Apologies if this is old news to anyone. I’d known of course that Wells was a socialist progressive, and I’d thought that like others who held fashionably leftist views in early-twentieth century Britain, Wells was simpl… --- ## [What Would A 0% Capital Gains Tax Do To The US Economy (short and long term)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-0-capital-gains-tax-do-to-the-us-economy-short-and-long-term/550042)
**Author:** [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [August 14, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-0-capital-gains-tax-do-to-the-us-economy-short-and-long-term/550042 "2010-08-14T22:10:49Z")
I saw a video of Newt Gingrich proposing this last night on The Daily Show and it got me thinking. Currently short term capital gains (in the US) are taxes like income, with a lower rate for long term holdings. Help me… --- ## [Another argument for "death penalty" over "life in prison"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-argument-for-death-penalty-over-life-in-prison/549822)
**Author:** [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [August 14, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-argument-for-death-penalty-over-life-in-prison/549822 "2010-08-14T18:44:22Z")
Arizona fugitives linked to burned bodies in New Mexico --- ## [The Brits, the Scots , the Finns, the Danes, the Swedes,](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brits-the-scots-the-finns-the-danes-the-swedes/549608)
**Author:** [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [August 14, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brits-the-scots-the-finns-the-danes-the-swedes/549608 "2010-08-14T13:22:17Z")
are all short form references for citizen based on the name of their country. These names basically end on hard consonants with minimum syllables. And there is also the Swiss, the Irish. If the name of a country is not… --- ## [What is the argument against French healthcare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-argument-against-french-healthcare/549197)
**Author:** [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-argument-against-french-healthcare/549197 "2010-08-13T22:25:31Z")
France has socialized universal healthcare France is usually at the top, or near the top, in international comparisons of healthcare France pays much less than the US for its healthcare What is the argument against thi… --- ## [There are not two, but three sectors: Market, government, & utility](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-not-two-but-three-sectors-market-government-utility/549465)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-not-two-but-three-sectors-market-government-utility/549465 "2010-08-13T17:52:27Z")
Michael Lind makes a case for that in this article. The political debate between liberals and conservatives over, say, health care or financial regulation, is not, however, between those who regard these things as util… --- ## [Abortion in the age of "oven babies"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-in-the-age-of-oven-babies/549982)
**Author:** [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [August 12, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-in-the-age-of-oven-babies/549982 "2010-08-12T22:59:03Z")
Assume that in the future, embryos are conceived in a test tube and then transferred to a special incubation “oven”, where they will spend the next 9 months before being born. At no time does the embryo or fetus spend an… --- ## [Why did Sarah Palin resign as Alaska's governor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-sarah-palin-resign-as-alaskas-governor/549736)
**Author:** [@Recliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recliner)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [August 12, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-sarah-palin-resign-as-alaskas-governor/549736 "2010-08-12T16:45:05Z")
I realize this is potentially divisive. But, really, why? I’m not a foaming-at-the-mouth Palin-Hater. Seriously. The line I’ve gotten, repeatedly, has been that she resigned because “she was going to be facing a lot … --- ## [Will we ever be able to control the weather, and if we will, how will we do it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-we-ever-be-able-to-control-the-weather-and-if-we-will-how-will-we-do-it/550011)
**Author:** [@peledre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peledre)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 12, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-we-ever-be-able-to-control-the-weather-and-if-we-will-how-will-we-do-it/550011 "2010-08-12T09:45:14Z")
I run a booth at the county fair in the summer and after sitting in ungodly heat and humidity all day, I was thinking, what would it take to control the weather? I’m picturing 75 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% humidity and… --- ## [Why Was Northern Ireland So Violent](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-northern-ireland-so-violent/549654)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [August 12, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-northern-ireland-so-violent/549654 "2010-08-12T00:32:54Z")
Why did the situation in Northern Ireland turn so violent? After all in America the white/black divide while causing riots and lynchings never turned to Iraq-style secterian/partisan warfare and constant terrorism even t… --- ## [Is a "vast upper middle class" impossible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-vast-upper-middle-class-impossible/549832)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-vast-upper-middle-class-impossible/549832 "2010-08-11T23:42:08Z")
In this article, Michael Lind argues that conservative and liberal pundits have been misleading the American people for decades with their respective visions of a path to upper-middle-class status for nearly all – conser… --- ## [Resolved: WTC Site is not "sacred ground"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-wtc-site-is-not-sacred-ground/549473)
**Author:** [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-wtc-site-is-not-sacred-ground/549473 "2010-08-11T22:58:55Z")
The controversy over the Park51 mosque is based partly on the idea that the WTC is somehow sacred ground. But it’s not. We had a choice after 9/11, when we could have decided to make the entire site a memorial. Instead, … --- ## [Ted Stevens dies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-stevens-dies/549855)
**Author:** [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-stevens-dies/549855 "2010-08-11T19:53:51Z")
40-year Senator Ted Stevens was killed in a plane crash in Alaska this morning. Will he be missed? --- ## [The Dirty Trick](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dirty-trick/549000)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dirty-trick/549000 "2010-08-11T15:01:12Z")
I think Karl Rove has perhaps the “best” reputation for being a dirty trickster. It may be exaggerated, factually; I just finished his book and he denies responsibility for the Carolina John McCain push-poll that I’ve al… --- ## [Economic Craziness from the Democrats](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-craziness-from-the-democrats/549340)
**Author:** [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-craziness-from-the-democrats/549340 "2010-08-10T18:32:31Z")
I am amazed by just how crazy Democratic politics are becoming. Two different issues caught my eye today, which seem to be worth debating. First, Obama Considers forgiving underwater mortgages. This plan would use Fan… --- ## [Technological singularity, why would it NOT happen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technological-singularity-why-would-it-not-happen/549252)
**Author:** [@scamartistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scamartistry)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technological-singularity-why-would-it-not-happen/549252 "2010-08-10T16:44:45Z")
Read about Technological Singularity It seem to me as a novice as a most plausible conclusion. Technology is always moving aehad why would it move into this direction? --- ## [Wisconsin Freedom of Speech Infringement?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsin-freedom-of-speech-infringement/549817)
**Author:** [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsin-freedom-of-speech-infringement/549817 "2010-08-10T16:09:42Z")
Apparently I’m a member of a few forum boards that in addition to being populated with people that share my hobbies, they are also populated with gun toting, flag waving, hardcore, diehard republicans. I’ve seen this tid… --- ## [The Blood of Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blood-of-christ/549651)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blood-of-christ/549651 "2010-08-10T16:08:34Z")
There’s a theological question among Christian circles whether it is the blood of Christ that forgave our sins or His death. Its documented here: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/john\_macarthur\_exposed.htm http:/… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=439) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=441)