# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=506 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 507 --- ## [NBA uses scab referees: Should other unions protest?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-uses-scab-referees-should-other-unions-protest/512177)
**Author:** [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-uses-scab-referees-should-other-unions-protest/512177 "2009-10-02T02:29:50Z")
The NBA is currently in negotiation with their referees on a new CBA. The NBA has said they will use rplacement (scabP) referees if no agreement is reached. I am not asking about who has the high ground here, what I wa… --- ## [Do we really need hate-crimes legislation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-need-hate-crimes-legislation/511980)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-need-hate-crimes-legislation/511980 "2009-10-02T00:26:47Z")
Why not just prosecute people who beat up or kill members of religious, sexual-orientation, racial or ethnic minorities under the regular criminal laws? --- ## [Why did so many pre- WWII Europeans hate the Jews?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-so-many-pre-wwii-europeans-hate-the-jews/511815)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-so-many-pre-wwii-europeans-hate-the-jews/511815 "2009-10-01T22:09:26Z")
I was reading the Holocaust denial thread and the related Pit thread pitting the Holocaust denial thread OP, and it stuck me the there must have been a huge reservoir of simmering hate for the Jews in Europe among the ge… --- ## [Does ACORN have a viable slander/libel suit here?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acorn-have-a-viable-slander-libel-suit-here/512190)
**Author:** [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acorn-have-a-viable-slander-libel-suit-here/512190 "2009-10-01T21:03:09Z")
Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa) stated the following on Sept. 10, 2009 (I think on the House floor, but I can’t confirm that): In a Sept. 25th Op-Ed posted to his website, Mr. King says: Both quotes were taken from M… --- ## [The Conspiracy to Destroy ACORN](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-conspiracy-to-destroy-acorn/511991)
**Author:** [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-conspiracy-to-destroy-acorn/511991 "2009-10-01T18:10:16Z")
I believe that the evidence indicates that an ongoing conspiracy to slander, smear, and destroy ACORN was launched from the highest levels of the Bush Administration, and most specificly, Karl Rove. I believe the eviden… --- ## [Do teabaggers and town hellers not realize that the insurance industry already rations healthcare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teabaggers-and-town-hellers-not-realize-that-the-insurance-industry-already-rations-healthcare/512120)
**Author:** [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teabaggers-and-town-hellers-not-realize-that-the-insurance-industry-already-rations-healthcare/512120 "2009-10-01T16:20:30Z")
Or that they tell you what doctor you can go to, or decline certain types of treatment, or does any of the other evil things they say a public option or single payer plan would do? How do they justify the insurance indus… --- ## [What would have happened if the Federal government had stayed out of the financial crisis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-the-federal-government-had-stayed-out-of-the-financial-crisis/512050)
**Author:** [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-the-federal-government-had-stayed-out-of-the-financial-crisis/512050 "2009-10-01T15:52:11Z")
I’m putting this in GQ because I’m looking for either facts or educated speculation, not guesses and certainly not debate. I’m wondering if there is any reasonable consensus among those who can be termed experts in such… --- ## [How DO You prosecute a 31 year Old case? (R. Polanski)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846 "2009-10-01T01:35:51Z")
So, the Swiss police have arrested Roman Polanski-who is wanted in LA, on a 31 year old warrant. My question: how do you prosecute a 31 year old case? People’s ememories tend to fade a bit, and 31 year is a long time. Ho… --- ## [Live a great life or achieve great things?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-a-great-life-or-achieve-great-things/512091)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-a-great-life-or-achieve-great-things/512091 "2009-10-01T01:28:41Z")
The devil appears to you in a dream one night and offers you a glimpse of two life paths you could go down: In one, you meet the person of your dreams and it’s love at first sight. You manage to land a satisfying and de… --- ## [What will happen to the market? A prediction thread.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-the-market-a-prediction-thread/512166)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-the-market-a-prediction-thread/512166 "2009-09-30T23:15:34Z")
Just curious where folks around here think the market is headed right now. Right now, at a cursory glance, the market LOOKS like it’s getting stronger. The market is up from the low levels of the last few months and se… --- ## [Should Israelis and Palestinians merge into a single state called Isratine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-israelis-and-palestinians-merge-into-a-single-state-called-isratine/511528)
**Author:** [@Brainiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-israelis-and-palestinians-merge-into-a-single-state-called-isratine/511528 "2009-09-30T22:39:03Z")
This has been promoted by Colonel Qaddafi again in New York yesterday. Other people simply call it the one state solution. --- ## [Hypothetical Christian Question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-christian-question/511322)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-christian-question/511322 "2009-09-30T21:17:39Z")
Consider two fictional men, John Doe and Richard Roe. John is a very evil man. In fact he is the next Hilter and Stalin rolled into one. But he is very religious. He goes to church and prays every day. And most significa… --- ## [What's wrong with indoctrinating our children?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-indoctrinating-our-children/512085)
**Author:** [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-indoctrinating-our-children/512085 "2009-09-30T20:36:43Z")
I’ve been watching tv showing the video of the kids in school singing about how great Obama is and watching all these people yelling that indoctrinating our children is such a horrible thing to do. Why? Aren’t we indoc… --- ## [Is it time to admit the rules requiring banks to credit checks early has failed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-to-admit-the-rules-requiring-banks-to-credit-checks-early-has-failed/511753)
**Author:** [@Never\_Say\_Dice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_Say_Dice)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-to-admit-the-rules-requiring-banks-to-credit-checks-early-has-failed/511753 "2009-09-30T17:01:01Z")
History: At one time banks would credit the money from a deposited check when it finally cleared. If they credited it early they were on the hook if it was bogus. Then banking rules set a guideline (promoted by banks b… --- ## [A Letter from Robert Kennedy Jr.!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-letter-from-robert-kennedy-jr/511974)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-letter-from-robert-kennedy-jr/511974 "2009-09-30T16:50:11Z")
I received a solicitation from RFK Jr., yesterday. Here are some excerpts from the letter: “Do you trust big oil companies and trophy hunters with the fate of the polar bear?” “There have been documented reports of po… --- ## [A Hypothetical Abortion Proposal: Pro=Punishment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hypothetical-abortion-proposal-pro-punishment/511489)
**Author:** [@Cesario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cesario)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hypothetical-abortion-proposal-pro-punishment/511489 "2009-09-30T16:21:16Z")
I’ve gone through a number of abortion debates over the years, and I find that one consistent argument against it (outside the talking points about when life begins) is that abortion is used as a way of avoiding responsi… --- ## [Are the Holocaust Revisionists right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-holocaust-revisionists-right/511696)
**Author:** [@human\_extinction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/human_extinction)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-holocaust-revisionists-right/511696 "2009-09-30T04:58:38Z")
I stumbled across some rather compelling information presented by Holocaust Revisionists, and of course one of the first things I do is post here to see how well it stands up to scrutiny. The newest thread I came across … --- ## [The ACLU's new cause: jail time for unapproved speech.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-aclus-new-cause-jail-time-for-unapproved-speech/509149)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-aclus-new-cause-jail-time-for-unapproved-speech/509149 "2009-09-30T02:53:23Z")
In Santa Rosa County, Florida, the ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging first amendment violations. The case lead to further cases and eventual agreements. Among the results, the principal Frank Lay and another administrator,… --- ## [If we recognized China's right to absorb Afghanistan, would they?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-recognized-chinas-right-to-absorb-afghanistan-would-they/510876)
**Author:** [@TheMadHun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadHun)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-recognized-chinas-right-to-absorb-afghanistan-would-they/510876 "2009-09-30T01:44:05Z")
I think they could clean things up. And it would sap their military like it saps ours now. --- ## [The real roots of religions and philosophical belief systems](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-roots-of-religions-and-philosophical-belief-systems/511784)
**Author:** [@truthseekerforlife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthseekerforlife)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-roots-of-religions-and-philosophical-belief-systems/511784 "2009-09-29T20:44:14Z")
I have come into contact with many new theories of ancient roots of religion and I would love to get a conversation started about it. I through my own research and fellow “pseudo scientists” have discovered through the t… --- ## [Debts owed you are an asset? Really?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debts-owed-you-are-an-asset-really/511680)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debts-owed-you-are-an-asset-really/511680 "2009-09-29T19:37:40Z")
It’s a fundamental part of accrual-based accounting, and our entire economic system depends on it. The idea that you can list as an asset not just what you actually have in hand, but what others owe you. But what happens… --- ## [What's the cure for demagogues?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cure-for-demagogues/511914)
**Author:** [@Never\_Say\_Dice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_Say_Dice)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cure-for-demagogues/511914 "2009-09-29T18:16:17Z")
dem·a·gogue Variant(s): also dem·a·gog \\ˈde-mə-ˌgäg Function: noun 1 : a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power --- ## [What religion has the most appealing afterlife?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-religion-has-the-most-appealing-afterlife/511684)
**Author:** [@petew83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/petew83)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-religion-has-the-most-appealing-afterlife/511684 "2009-09-29T15:56:45Z")
What religion has the most appealing afterlife? Even better if you have something ‘fresh’ that hasn’t been used yet. --- ## [Gold Standard, yea or nea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-standard-yea-or-nea/510665)
**Author:** [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\ **Replies:** 124\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-standard-yea-or-nea/510665 "2009-09-29T13:29:49Z")
I’m not all that up to speed on economics, but I was wondering what the main arguments were for and against the gold standard as opposed to the fiat system and what changes it would create in out country? Also, would it… --- ## [A question for Christian types](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-christian-types/511721)
**Author:** [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-christian-types/511721 "2009-09-29T06:54:27Z")
First off, this is my first GD post, so be gentle with me. :wink: My question is regarding the phrase/idea “God is always watching you,” which one hears fairly often in religious talk/instruction. How does that make y… --- ## [Required Reading](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-reading/510432)
**Author:** [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Replies:** 173\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-reading/510432 "2009-09-29T03:01:23Z")
A student in the county north of us is refusing to read a book that is required for one of her high school courses. The book is The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. She claims that the sexual imagery in the … --- ## [Is using a Real Doll (for sex) misogynist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-a-real-doll-for-sex-misogynist/510223)
**Author:** [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-a-real-doll-for-sex-misogynist/510223 "2009-09-29T02:20:48Z")
I’ve been reading about a new kind of sex doll. This breathes and so on. Okay, they skeeve me, I’ll admit, not because I think they’re sexist or demeaning but because I hate all things uncanny valley and this just co… --- ## [New poll: Confidence in Bush leadership at all-time low](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-poll-confidence-in-bush-leadership-at-all-time-low/389035)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-poll-confidence-in-bush-leadership-at-all-time-low/389035 "2009-09-29T01:00:35Z")
Story here. Old news, you say? But this post-midterm-elections poll is about confidence in W’s leadership as against that of the Congressional Dems. Constitutionally that means nothing until January 2009 – but might i… --- ## ["Those who refuse to support and defend a state have no claim to protection by that state." Discuss.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-refuse-to-support-and-defend-a-state-have-no-claim-to-protection-by-that-state-discuss/511876)
**Author:** [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-refuse-to-support-and-defend-a-state-have-no-claim-to-protection-by-that-state-discuss/511876 "2009-09-29T00:42:33Z")
In the novel Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein, the following paragraph appears: \[QUOTE=why you are reading this? I just said one line up where this quote comes from\] Those who refuse to support and defend a stat… --- ## [Is The "great Migration Reversing Itself?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-great-migration-reversing-itself/511834)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-great-migration-reversing-itself/511834 "2009-09-29T00:32:25Z")
The “Great Migration” refers to the mass miration of southern black sharecroppers to the industrial cities of the northern USA (like Detroit, Cleveland, NYC, etc.), in the years from 1940-1970. Now, you read about people… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=505) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=507)