# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=524 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 525 --- ## [India to Hillary: Go Pound Sand!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/india-to-hillary-go-pound-sand/503654)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/india-to-hillary-go-pound-sand/503654 "2009-07-22T04:19:16Z")
So HRC’s request (for the Indians to commit to carbon dioxide reductions) was not well received! i guess the Indians have a different set of priorities (like improving their standard of living). What does this bode for … --- ## [Some of Wikipedia's science articles are useful to nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-of-wikipedias-science-articles-are-useful-to-nobody/503314)
**Author:** [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-of-wikipedias-science-articles-are-useful-to-nobody/503314 "2009-07-21T21:20:33Z")
Here’s an example. Wikipedia’s article on “charge”, as in, physics. Opening paragraphs: I put it to you that there is not one person alive that could conceptually understand what is written there, without already knowi… --- ## [He\[, God,\] has the final say! \[Witnessing. ed. title\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-god-has-the-final-say-witnessing-ed-title/503506)
**Author:** [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Replies:** 187\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-god-has-the-final-say-witnessing-ed-title/503506 "2009-07-21T19:13:54Z")
8 years ago my older brother having a long HX of hypertension lost his ability to void urine. After many tests and consultations with Urologist’s he ended up self catheterizing. 5 year later his kidneys had failed to t… --- ## [House Democrats Ban Science in Climate Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-democrats-ban-science-in-climate-bill/503202)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-democrats-ban-science-in-climate-bill/503202 "2009-07-21T17:08:28Z")
Coming off eight years in which the Bush Administration carefully censored government research about climate change, many folks might have hoped that with Democrats in charge real science would be brought to the fore in … --- ## [Did Saddam Hussein actually think that he had stockpiles of chemical weapons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-saddam-hussein-actually-think-that-he-had-stockpiles-of-chemical-weapons/503148)
**Author:** [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-saddam-hussein-actually-think-that-he-had-stockpiles-of-chemical-weapons/503148 "2009-07-21T15:32:50Z")
Okay, first of all, let me state that this may be a stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway. I was wondering – is there any evidence that Saddam thought that he had huge stockpiles of chemical weapons at hand? … --- ## [Smoking Ban in US Military - workable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smoking-ban-in-us-military-workable/503204)
**Author:** [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smoking-ban-in-us-military-workable/503204 "2009-07-21T14:25:30Z")
The US military would like to ban all tobacco use by its serving troops. This would include soldiers in active conflict zones. There is currently an acknowledgement that this is not workable in the immediate future, bu… --- ## [Tim Russert's reputation as a hard nosed journalist was a sham. He was a shill for the government](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-russerts-reputation-as-a-hard-nosed-journalist-was-a-sham-he-was-a-shill-for-the-government/503510)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-russerts-reputation-as-a-hard-nosed-journalist-was-a-sham-he-was-a-shill-for-the-government/503510 "2009-07-21T12:43:23Z")
That is what is being asserted by Harper’s Magazine Editor Lewis Lapham inthis Salon article about the death of Walter Cronkite. Is there any substance to this? Was Russert’s reputation as a hard nosed journalist largely… --- ## [Define Physical Homosexuality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-physical-homosexuality/503317)
**Author:** [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-physical-homosexuality/503317 "2009-07-21T05:07:47Z")
Right forum / wrong forum? Please move as seen fit. over in this thread there’s a few mentions made of “casual bisexuality” and continuing references to pederasty, male / male linkups from otherwise hetero guys. So my… --- ## [Making Private Health Insurance Illegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-private-health-insurance-illegal/503207)
**Author:** [@PunkyPoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunkyPoo)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-private-health-insurance-illegal/503207 "2009-07-21T05:05:54Z")
Curious to get some opinions on this. Seems to be in contrast to what we’ve been told about gov’t run healthcare: http://ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=332548165656854 --- ## [Is a new housing bubble being created?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-new-housing-bubble-being-created/502030)
**Author:** [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-new-housing-bubble-being-created/502030 "2009-07-21T01:55:01Z")
It seems that since the subprime market went south, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration are being doled by banks eager to cash in on a risk-free enterprise: For discussion: Isn’t a moral hazard being cre… --- ## [Do libraries serve a purpose anymore?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-serve-a-purpose-anymore/478165)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 214\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-serve-a-purpose-anymore/478165 "2009-07-21T01:00:58Z")
I’m not talking about university libraries… I’m talking about community public libraries. Why are we spending tax dollars to support them? What purpose do they serve? Books are cheap and plentiful; just about anything … --- ## [Is it better for parents who hate each other to stay together (for the children)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-better-for-parents-who-hate-each-other-to-stay-together-for-the-children/503240)
**Author:** [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-better-for-parents-who-hate-each-other-to-stay-together-for-the-children/503240 "2009-07-21T00:46:25Z")
This came up in some discussions of this article in The Atlantic: I’ve seen studies that suggest that children raised in single-parent families tend to do worse on a number of measures than those in two-parent familie… --- ## [Revolutionary States, Cults of Personality, and their eventual demise.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolutionary-states-cults-of-personality-and-their-eventual-demise/503029)
**Author:** [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolutionary-states-cults-of-personality-and-their-eventual-demise/503029 "2009-07-20T23:27:17Z")
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11339315&posted=1#post11339315 \[QUOTE=mswas\] Well it would be nice. The stage seems to be set. When an ideological state loses its ideological stance and stands on n… --- ## [The USS Liberty and Conspiracy Theories](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uss-liberty-and-conspiracy-theories/503101)
**Author:** [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Replies:** 208\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uss-liberty-and-conspiracy-theories/503101 "2009-07-20T20:43:29Z")
Wiki here. Apologise if this has been done before but I have searched and it kept timing out. Anyway I saw the doco today “Dead In The water” and it seemed very much like there has been a cover up. I am not clear about… --- ## [Instead of retraining people layed off from shrinking industries, I suggest more direct placement.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instead-of-retraining-people-layed-off-from-shrinking-industries-i-suggest-more-direct-placement/503280)
**Author:** [@TheMadHun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadHun)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instead-of-retraining-people-layed-off-from-shrinking-industries-i-suggest-more-direct-placement/503280 "2009-07-20T10:30:02Z")
There are some ways the government helps people (in this case the Michigan state government). Retraining seems logical because public education has brought people from kindergarten on up, to their initial jobs. But face … --- ## [Mortality, IQ, and Socioeconomic Status](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mortality-iq-and-socioeconomic-status/503569)
**Author:** [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mortality-iq-and-socioeconomic-status/503569 "2009-07-20T03:59:29Z")
We all know that the rich suffer lower mortality than the poor. When correlations between socioeconomic status and health outcomes emerge, generally there is an assumption that the differences are due to disparate ac… --- ## [What happens when we die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-we-die/503411)
**Author:** [@Nation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nation)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-we-die/503411 "2009-07-20T03:40:30Z")
Islamists believe they go to Heaven and bang 77 virgins, Christians believe they go to Heaven and do, well, I dont know what exactly, worship I guess, but at the same time the Bible speaks of judgement day, but how can t… --- ## [Student banned from wearing somewhat graphic pro-life T shirt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-banned-from-wearing-somewhat-graphic-pro-life-t-shirt/502263)
**Author:** [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Replies:** 277\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-banned-from-wearing-somewhat-graphic-pro-life-t-shirt/502263 "2009-07-20T03:29:22Z")
Here’s the article with picture. Okay, it’s Fox News, but I really just wanted a picture of the shirt. Do you guys think it’s too graphic/inappropriate for school? It’s definitely kind of oogy but I don’t think it’s as … --- ## [Jean Chretien O.M.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jean-chretien-o-m/503087)
**Author:** [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jean-chretien-o-m/503087 "2009-07-19T17:51:26Z")
So the British monarch has bestowed the honour of “Order of Merit” on Jean Chretien Quite an honour. Limited to 24 living people and only 168 ever chosen in over a hundred years. Got me thinking. Wasn’t it Chretien wh… --- ## [Medical Malpractice a Criminal Offense.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-malpractice-a-criminal-offense/503178)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-malpractice-a-criminal-offense/503178 "2009-07-19T01:51:21Z")
My question is simply this: Why isn’t medical malpractice (esp. that leads to death) treated as a criminal offense, manslaughter for example (or in more extreme cases) second-degree murder? The reason why I ask this is … --- ## [Should doctors specialize earlier in their education?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-doctors-specialize-earlier-in-their-education/503377)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-doctors-specialize-earlier-in-their-education/503377 "2009-07-18T23:08:50Z")
As I read about the health care debate, I wonder if our conception of doctors needs to change. As a lawyer, I know that my field’s method of education is somewhat inefficient. We receive three years of expensive genera… --- ## [Sotomayor Hearings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotomayor-hearings/502858)
**Author:** [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Replies:** 189\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotomayor-hearings/502858 "2009-07-18T03:46:44Z")
She hasn’t answered a question yet. They’re all just giving opening statements. Pretty predictable stuff so far. The Dems are praising her, and the Republicans are calling her a racist. I’m not familiar with Senator Kyl… --- ## [Obama promises Pope to reduce abortions in US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-promises-pope-to-reduce-abortions-in-us/502767)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-promises-pope-to-reduce-abortions-in-us/502767 "2009-07-17T18:41:30Z")
Link Should a US President really be making this kind of promise to the Pope? Firstly, it has nothing to do with the Pope anyway and secondly it has nothing to do with the Federal government whether a woman chooses to … --- ## [The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Texas (WSJ Article)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-culture-wars-new-front-u-s-history-classes-in-texas-wsj-article/503050)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 149\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-culture-wars-new-front-u-s-history-classes-in-texas-wsj-article/503050 "2009-07-17T17:04:14Z")
Thread title is the same as this Wall Street Journal article. I’ll post some snippets: So, it is out of the Biology classroom and into the Social Studies classroom? Is this “ok” because, indeed, religion does have a … --- ## [Conservative group caught in "pay for play"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-group-caught-in-pay-for-play/503340)
**Author:** [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-group-caught-in-pay-for-play/503340 "2009-07-17T15:34:19Z")
This news report from Politico raises an interesting point regarding “pay for play” politics. The central issue is a bill winding through Congress regarding the classification of FedEx under national labor laws. Curren… --- ## [400-billion-euro African solar-plan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-billion-euro-african-solar-plan/502960)
**Author:** [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-billion-euro-african-solar-plan/502960 "2009-07-17T02:01:44Z")
400 billion Euros invested by a group of European companies led by Siemens in solar projects in North Africa. That seems to me an extremely risky project for such a massive investment. Such a gigantic investment must hav… --- ## [The New Haven Firefighter Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-haven-firefighter-case/498268)
**Author:** [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Replies:** 332\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-haven-firefighter-case/498268 "2009-07-16T20:23:05Z")
http://newmexicoindependent.com/28292/sotomayors-connecticut-firefighter-decision-upheld-civil-rights-law-stanford-prof-argues This case makes absolutely no sense to me. How can a test discriminate against black and hi… --- ## [Forming a new political party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forming-a-new-political-party/502988)
**Author:** [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forming-a-new-political-party/502988 "2009-07-16T20:15:45Z")
As per request, I have turned this Pit thread into GD. Debate away. --- ## [Al Franken on the Senate Judiciary Committee](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-franken-on-the-senate-judiciary-committee/503133)
**Author:** [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-franken-on-the-senate-judiciary-committee/503133 "2009-07-16T18:47:35Z")
Maybe this is a factual question, maybe not. But how did freshman Senator Al Franken, who was just sworn in, and is not a lawyer, and has no judicial or legislative experience, get appointed so quickly to a committee as … --- ## [Palin Resigns as Gov? WTF?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843)
**Author:** [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Replies:** 713\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2009, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843 "2009-07-16T09:25:30Z")
What is going on here? The 2012 presidential election isn’t for another 3 1/2 years. Is she really in that much trouble up in Alaska that she was in danger of being booted out of office. Or is she just bored with th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=523) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=525)