# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=485 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 486 --- ## [Trial by jury](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trial-by-jury/524665)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2010, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trial-by-jury/524665 "2010-01-15T08:42:31Z")
Apropos of this story in the UK - two men accused of armed robbery have appeared at the first crown court criminal trial to be held without a jury. The justification is that the presiding judge feared jury tampering. The… --- ## [Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab v. Richard Reid.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umar-farouk-abdul-mutallab-v-richard-reid/524861)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [January 15, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umar-farouk-abdul-mutallab-v-richard-reid/524861 "2010-01-15T00:55:19Z")
Why do conservatives like Bill O’Reilly of Fox News blame Pres. Obama for not trying would-be 2009 underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab in military court? I know it happened long ago. But 2001 shoe bomber Richard … --- ## [Post-WW2 if only Britain has the Bomb.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-ww2-if-only-britain-has-the-bomb/524408)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-ww2-if-only-britain-has-the-bomb/524408 "2010-01-14T18:54:05Z")
Imagine a world where America stayed out of WW2… In this thread I suggest that Britain would eventually win the war in the West without America because it would develop the Atomic Bomb. As in our timeline, the Nazis nev… --- ## [Has New England always been at the front of progressivism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-new-england-always-been-at-the-front-of-progressivism/524491)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-new-england-always-been-at-the-front-of-progressivism/524491 "2010-01-14T15:01:04Z")
I’m looking at a history of child labor in the US (abolishing it was a progressive goal) http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child\_labor/about/us\_history.html And some of the earliest reforms were in New Engl… --- ## [How big of a runaway climate threat is methane hydrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-of-a-runaway-climate-threat-is-methane-hydrate/524914)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-of-a-runaway-climate-threat-is-methane-hydrate/524914 "2010-01-14T14:05:02Z")
Reading this article today was pretty bothersome. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8437703.stm A trillion tons of methane is trapped in permafrost near Siberia, and global warming is possibly loosening it. I h… --- ## [So, who's winning the war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whos-winning-the-war/524024)
**Author:** [@Paleface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paleface)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whos-winning-the-war/524024 "2010-01-14T10:52:07Z")
(read and learn) The ‘Long War’: Who’s Winning? - Antiwar.com --- ## [Roeder (Dr. Tiller murderer) can argue manslaughter and effects on the legal system](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roeder-dr-tiller-murderer-can-argue-manslaughter-and-effects-on-the-legal-system/524799)
**Author:** [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roeder-dr-tiller-murderer-can-argue-manslaughter-and-effects-on-the-legal-system/524799 "2010-01-13T20:43:56Z")
Oh yeah - I am gonna go there. Here’s the story Basically, the man who pulled a gun out in church and shot Dr. Tiller in the face will be allowed to argue from the defense of voluntary manslaughter. That he had the “h… --- ## [France bans psychological abuse between married and domestic partners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-bans-psychological-abuse-between-married-and-domestic-partners/523976)
**Author:** [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-bans-psychological-abuse-between-married-and-domestic-partners/523976 "2010-01-13T19:14:28Z")
I did a search and it appears that I’m the first to post about this. Listening to NPR today I heard that France is banning psychological abuse. Some links about the story (I’m just copying these from Google news). Tel… --- ## [Calling U S dopers . " The misandry bubble"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-u-s-dopers-the-misandry-bubble/524500)
**Author:** [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-u-s-dopers-the-misandry-bubble/524500 "2010-01-13T18:21:39Z")
Strongly worded article from the futurist. “I say that the further inflation and subsequent precipitous deflation of the misandry bubble will define the next American decade.” Long article,with plenty of links. Sure to… --- ## [Does contemporary western history paint an inaccurate picture of Adolph Hitler?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-contemporary-western-history-paint-an-inaccurate-picture-of-adolph-hitler/524493)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-contemporary-western-history-paint-an-inaccurate-picture-of-adolph-hitler/524493 "2010-01-13T17:31:54Z")
Oliver Stone is proposing to put together a 10 hour overview of 20th century history for TV that will include a more complex and nuanced view of Hitler than seen previously that explores the external social and economic … --- ## [Profiling Muslims e-mail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profiling-muslims-e-mail/524393)
**Author:** [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profiling-muslims-e-mail/524393 "2010-01-13T01:21:49Z")
I get a lot of pro-Christian and anti-Muslim emails from one particular associate and I usually send back pretty good rebuttals. Any thoughts on this one?: We have a problem folks! Some Americans have become so insulat… --- ## [What would happen if an Al Qaeda flew a jet into the Burj Khalifa tower?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-an-al-qaeda-flew-a-jet-into-the-burj-khalifa-tower/524617)
**Author:** [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-an-al-qaeda-flew-a-jet-into-the-burj-khalifa-tower/524617 "2010-01-13T00:52:20Z")
The Burj Khalifa - the new, tallest building in the world that just opened up in Dubai. What if some terrorist group like Al Qaeda, (or maybe Mossad or the Teabaggers or whoever) hijacked a passenger plane and flew it i… --- ## [The World If The USA had Stayed Out of WWII](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-if-the-usa-had-stayed-out-of-wwii/524364)
**Author:** [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-if-the-usa-had-stayed-out-of-wwii/524364 "2010-01-12T23:13:07Z")
A response I got to a thread I started in the pit got me to wondering about this and so I ask: Had the USA not entered WWII then, from all I’ve been lead to believe, the Nazis would likely have won. This I can accept be… --- ## [No, you ignoramuses, this \*isn't\* racist (or, "Here we go again..")](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-ignoramuses-this-isnt-racist-or-here-we-go-again/523886)
**Author:** [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Replies:** 450\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-ignoramuses-this-isnt-racist-or-here-we-go-again/523886 "2010-01-12T22:03:57Z")
A few months ago it was the Jackson Jive skit that appeared on Australian TV show Hey Hey It’s Saturday (I started a thread about that one at the time, too). Now, a KFC cricket commercial airing in Australia is being la… --- ## [Will Napolitano take a dive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-napolitano-take-a-dive/522987)
**Author:** [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-napolitano-take-a-dive/522987 "2010-01-12T21:06:00Z")
Over the past year where has our Secretary of Homeland Security focused her Department’s attention? \[ul\] \[li\]Teabaggers\[/li\]\[li\]Returning Veterans\[/li\]\[li\]Abortion Protesters\[/li\]\[li\]Immigration Policy Protesters\[/li\]\[… --- ## [How much health care are you "entitled"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-health-care-are-you-entitled/523626)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-health-care-are-you-entitled/523626 "2010-01-12T15:05:12Z")
I’m sure this has been discussed before, but I started thinking about it when reading this thread. I firmly believe that every American citizen should be provided catastrophic health care, and at least some routine prev… --- ## [The Next 20 Years of Life on Earth: Runaway Global Heating.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-20-years-of-life-on-earth-runaway-global-heating/523675)
**Author:** [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)\ **Replies:** 134\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-20-years-of-life-on-earth-runaway-global-heating/523675 "2010-01-12T03:01:09Z")
If James Lovelock is correct, we have roughly 20 years left, (give or take a few), before the CO2 levels push us in uncontrollable global warming. Wild extremes in the weather will be the norm. (They are becoming the no… --- ## [Does Graduating College in a Recession Mess You Up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-graduating-college-in-a-recession-mess-you-up/523955)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-graduating-college-in-a-recession-mess-you-up/523955 "2010-01-12T02:07:48Z")
Suppose you graduate with a BS in enginerring, and the economy is in recession (like now). So you cannot find a job in your field-you go several months, perhaps working at rapMart. You then take a sales job, and find it … --- ## [Which Congressional Seats are likely to change hands?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-congressional-seats-are-likely-to-change-hands/524436)
**Author:** [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-congressional-seats-are-likely-to-change-hands/524436 "2010-01-12T00:15:43Z")
In the coming election what seats are troubled and likely to change hands? --- ## [Spanish Civil War: What if the Republicans had won?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-civil-war-what-if-the-republicans-had-won/524159)
**Author:** [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-civil-war-what-if-the-republicans-had-won/524159 "2010-01-11T23:31:03Z")
I know very little about the Spanish Civil War - my understanding, though, is that towards the end the Republican side had become something fairly authoritarian in its own right. What would Spain have looked like if its … --- ## [The Unabomber was right](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unabomber-was-right/521706)
**Author:** [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Replies:** 174\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unabomber-was-right/521706 "2010-01-11T23:09:59Z")
I read a blog article recently that suggested maybe the Unabomber was right: http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/02/the\_unabomber\_w.php This caused enough interest that I looked up his manifesto and read it, re… --- ## [Life without Prohibition - what would be different today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-prohibition-what-would-be-different-today/523642)
**Author:** [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-prohibition-what-would-be-different-today/523642 "2010-01-11T13:14:11Z")
Imagine a world where the US never had it’s experiment with Prohibition. What would be different today? I imagine that the the role of the mafia would have been different. Is there a link between Prohibition and cigar… --- ## [How would you go about diminishing corruption in third world countries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-go-about-diminishing-corruption-in-third-world-countries/524330)
**Author:** [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-go-about-diminishing-corruption-in-third-world-countries/524330 "2010-01-11T06:56:35Z")
Corruption and bribery are universal but they occur more in some places than others. Richer countries seem to suffer less from corruption. Is poverty the single cause of it or is corruptiont a cultural thing? Or maybe t… --- ## [Debate Newsweek's 2010 World Predictions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942 "2010-01-11T06:00:52Z")
Here. 10. Castro Dies, U.S. Relations Improve. Raul curtails anti-American rhetoric, Obama responds with rapprochement. Sounds reasonable, and devoutly to be wish’d, if Castro dies this year – as to that, who knows? … --- ## [Switzerland bans minarets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switzerland-bans-minarets/519366)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 442\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switzerland-bans-minarets/519366 "2010-01-11T05:19:54Z")
Swiss voters today approved a ban on the construction of new minerates. What are the doper opinions on this. --- ## [Rough week for the Republican party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rough-week-for-the-republican-party/524257)
**Author:** [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rough-week-for-the-republican-party/524257 "2010-01-11T04:53:25Z")
Just finished taking in the nights news via Utube clips and The Rachel Maddow show granted very partisan news outlets. I’ll hopefully get some more perspective on my way to work listening to morning radio. But wow. It fe… --- ## [Free radicals are good for you? Multivitamins kill? Has the world turned upside-down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-radicals-are-good-for-you-multivitamins-kill-has-the-world-turned-upside-down/524377)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-radicals-are-good-for-you-multivitamins-kill-has-the-world-turned-upside-down/524377 "2010-01-11T04:05:15Z")
Those’re some of the claims being made by this article and the studies it mentions. I have to admit, this stuff is over my head. Can anyone tell me why I should trust these studies over the “conventional wisdom” (wheth… --- ## [Resolved: The American people should significantly decrease the number of people attending colleges.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653)
**Author:** [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Replies:** 164\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653 "2010-01-11T00:54:28Z")
I think the GI bill was, overall, a net benefit to this country. I think offering scholarships to people of need who desperately want to go to college (and beyond) is a wonderful idea. But I also think too many people g… --- ## [What is it with (some) environmentalists and technology?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-some-environmentalists-and-technology/522886)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-some-environmentalists-and-technology/522886 "2010-01-10T20:29:25Z")
Just got back from seeing Avatar (great movie btw), and was talking with some friends about it over some serious drinking, and the question came up…what is it with certain greens/environmentalists and technology? I don’… --- ## [Violent Religious Intolerance for Mundane Actions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-religious-intolerance-for-mundane-actions/524162)
**Author:** [@A.Selene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Selene)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-religious-intolerance-for-mundane-actions/524162 "2010-01-10T19:36:42Z")
It seems as if - once again - Muslims are wrecking shit in another country for what seems like rather stupid reasons. It’s not for printing images of Allah this time, but the use of the actual word. And it’s not even a… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=484) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=486)