# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=679 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 680 --- ## [Is America actually more "Free" than most other Democractic Countries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-america-actually-more-free-than-most-other-democractic-countries/425537)
**Author:** [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Replies:** 157\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-america-actually-more-free-than-most-other-democractic-countries/425537 "2007-11-14T02:30:48Z")
In This thread on National Anthems, the point was raised that America’s status as “Most Free” country might actually be more PR than actual fact- and I’m inclined to agree with Calm Kiwi on this. That’s not to say the U… --- ## [We're all pacifists, aren't we?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-all-pacifists-arent-we/425864)
**Author:** [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-all-pacifists-arent-we/425864 "2007-11-13T23:39:21Z")
OK, maybe not all of us. There are a few Jihadists out there and probably there are other groups that have a really small minority that believe that it would be good to have a war to extend their power. Let’s leave the… --- ## [Accidentally strangled by handcuffs..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-strangled-by-handcuffs/425867)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-strangled-by-handcuffs/425867 "2007-11-13T22:34:27Z")
This article disturbs me: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071109/ap\_on\_re\_us/airport\_death;\_ylt=Avtmf1BTrOD.Q.Vb5QlOIdIDW7oF So she was drunk and trying to board a plane…to an alcohol rehab center. So she was ranting and… --- ## [Why the hatred of Hillary?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hatred-of-hillary/424080)
**Author:** [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Replies:** 255\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hatred-of-hillary/424080 "2007-11-13T19:05:44Z")
So, it’s said that Hillary is especially hated by the right. Is this just because she’s an old & known name? Is it because of something personally offensive about her? I know that I’m not too fond of putting Bubba’s old… --- ## [Vietnam War -- wrong to fight or wrong to quit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-war-wrong-to-fight-or-wrong-to-quit/425575)
**Author:** [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-war-wrong-to-fight-or-wrong-to-quit/425575 "2007-11-13T15:35:10Z")
The U.S. involvement in Vietnam ended when I was still an infant. Growing up though, I was definitely aware of the collective guilt Americans felt for the way we conducted the war … bombing of villages, use of napalm and… --- ## [Why Do Some European Nations Still Need Kings/Queens?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-european-nations-still-need-kings-queens/425894)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-european-nations-still-need-kings-queens/425894 "2007-11-13T14:37:48Z")
I was just recently perusing information on wikipedia about some European nations. And I was surprised to learn many European nations still have reigning monarchs–kings or queens, that still wield a fair amount of power … --- ## [Does threatening to revolt to win concessions ever work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-threatening-to-revolt-to-win-concessions-ever-work/425829)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-threatening-to-revolt-to-win-concessions-ever-work/425829 "2007-11-13T07:21:32Z")
Another thread inspired by mention of the The Olive Branch Petition. Offhand, I can’t think of any example where threatening to revolt (as opposed to going ahead and doing it) ever achieved anything useful. The seemingly… --- ## [Is America ready for smaller, more compact cars?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-america-ready-for-smaller-more-compact-cars/425727)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-america-ready-for-smaller-more-compact-cars/425727 "2007-11-13T05:45:07Z")
I’ve been reading a lot about some of the new car concepts on the drawing boards or available in Europe (or soon to be available in Europe). A lot of the new concepts are for MUCH smaller vehicles. I wish I still had t… --- ## [If I am forced to murder someone will I be convicted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-am-forced-to-murder-someone-will-i-be-convicted/425524)
**Author:** [@Zerc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zerc)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-am-forced-to-murder-someone-will-i-be-convicted/425524 "2007-11-13T00:41:44Z")
I’m sure that everybody has seen a film/TV show where the hero’s daughter/wife/mother/etc has been kidnapped and he must kill some important person otherwise his loved one will be killed. There is no way for him to conta… --- ## [Faith isn't easy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faith-isnt-easy/425715)
**Author:** [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faith-isnt-easy/425715 "2007-11-12T19:01:54Z")
Faith is hard for a rational mind. I know some think that a rational mind and Faith are mutually exclusive terms, but I disagree, and that disagreement is harder then any self professed atheist can understand. My ratio… --- ## [What is your opinion on "once an addict, always an addict."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-on-once-an-addict-always-an-addict/425087)
**Author:** [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-on-once-an-addict-always-an-addict/425087 "2007-11-12T16:43:22Z")
How do you feel about this mentality? In my opinion, I don’t think it’s very encouraging to call someone who has worked so hard to stay clean for \_\_ number of years an “addict”. When I see people introduce themselves i… --- ## [Injured, starving animal. Better to kill it, or leave it be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/injured-starving-animal-better-to-kill-it-or-leave-it-be/425094)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/injured-starving-animal-better-to-kill-it-or-leave-it-be/425094 "2007-11-12T16:41:35Z")
Hypothetically, lets say you were walking around some abandoned house. From the moment you walk in the door, you can hear the weak, helpless cry of a kitten. It never stops meowing, so it’s easy to locate. When you find … --- ## [If/when the U.S. fails in Iraq, will the Right propagate a new Dolchstosslegende?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-the-u-s-fails-in-iraq-will-the-right-propagate-a-new-dolchstosslegende/425670)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-the-u-s-fails-in-iraq-will-the-right-propagate-a-new-dolchstosslegende/425670 "2007-11-12T16:03:40Z")
N.B.: This is a thread in which Godwinization is for obvious reasons essential and inevitable at the outset. That should be taken into account before anyone invokes Godwin’s Law WRT another’s posts. In this recent colu… --- ## [King Juan Carlos vs Hugo Chavez](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-juan-carlos-vs-hugo-chavez/425964)
**Author:** [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-juan-carlos-vs-hugo-chavez/425964 "2007-11-12T15:25:09Z")
I just caught the very last bit of a news headline about some kind of international conference in Chile where King Juan Carlos told Hugo Chavez to "shut up’. Have any fellow Dopers heard anything about this? --- ## [Lyall Watson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyall-watson/426012)
**Author:** [@JimNightshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimNightshade)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyall-watson/426012 "2007-11-12T13:42:05Z")
Greetings All, One of my teenage heroes was Dr. Malcolm Lyall Watson. This guy seemed sincere; he studied under Desmond Morris of all people. As a teenager, as we all do I guess, I was reading books on ‘the paranormal’… --- ## [What is a hero?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hero/425104)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hero/425104 "2007-11-12T04:46:26Z")
I generally don’t have a lot of time for debate, but I’ll ask anyway. What is a ‘hero’? (And no, I’m not talking about a sandwich.) In another thread one poster said that ‘everyone who enlists in the military and risk… --- ## [Bill introduced to limit the president's war powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-introduced-to-limit-the-presidents-war-powers/424619)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-introduced-to-limit-the-presidents-war-powers/424619 "2007-11-11T17:04:25Z")
Story here. Good idea? To my way of thinking it falls under the heading of “About effing time!” But can you see any counterarguments? Will it get through Congress? Will Bush sign it? Considering that it woul… --- ## [What if America had used nukes in Vietnam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-america-had-used-nukes-in-vietnam/425897)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-america-had-used-nukes-in-vietnam/425897 "2007-11-11T01:32:36Z")
This thread is for the long-term effects of America having used atomic bombs against North Vietnam. We’ll assume that because of this usage, the NVA and VC were defeated. But what of the longer term? Would America have… --- ## [Can a Christian mistakenly believe they are interacting with God?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-christian-mistakenly-believe-they-are-interacting-with-god/425722)
**Author:** [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-christian-mistakenly-believe-they-are-interacting-with-god/425722 "2007-11-10T18:14:35Z")
This thread, and especially this post, and even more specifically, this statement: makes me wonder how a Christian KNOWS that God is interacting with them, and that they’re not just willing themselves to believe that, … --- ## [Murder should be decriminalized](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-should-be-decriminalized/425792)
**Author:** [@Nyms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyms)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-should-be-decriminalized/425792 "2007-11-10T15:57:16Z")
Imagine this scenario - the POTUS visits Dallas. While he’s on a parade going down the street, you climb up to the top floor of… say… a book depository to get a better look, and find a man at the window with a rifle sig… --- ## [Balancing the Ticket](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balancing-the-ticket/425192)
**Author:** [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balancing-the-ticket/425192 "2007-11-10T10:32:26Z")
Assuming that Hillary is the Dem nominee and a man is the Pub nominee, what should they do to balance the ticket? I think a woman as the Pub nominee for VP is a no brainer. What characteristics of HRC need to be balanc… --- ## [Do extremists help or harm more moderate like-minded parties?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-extremists-help-or-harm-more-moderate-like-minded-parties/424775)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-extremists-help-or-harm-more-moderate-like-minded-parties/424775 "2007-11-10T01:00:01Z")
Does Fred Phelps harm the anti-gay-rights cause by making it look evil and ridiculous? Or does he help it by making the Family Research Council look reaonable by comparison? Should the Sierra Club be resentful or thank… --- ## [When will a closeted, gay-bashing LESBIAN politician mistakenly out herself?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-a-closeted-gay-bashing-lesbian-politician-mistakenly-out-herself/425519)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-a-closeted-gay-bashing-lesbian-politician-mistakenly-out-herself/425519 "2007-11-09T22:52:06Z")
I mean, c’mon. Mark Foley, Larry Craig, that state senator… isn’t it about time? Fair is fair. --- ## [Would the nation be better off if Hillary's '94 healthcare plan had been adopted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-the-nation-be-better-off-if-hillarys-94-healthcare-plan-had-been-adopted/425607)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-the-nation-be-better-off-if-hillarys-94-healthcare-plan-had-been-adopted/425607 "2007-11-09T20:27:43Z")
Inspired by this thread: Hillary Clinton's health care plan - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board Facts and informed speculation, please; I’m not looking either for praise or bashing of Hillary Clinton as a pers… --- ## [Paul Tibbets - Hero or just a guy doing his job](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-tibbets-hero-or-just-a-guy-doing-his-job/425013)
**Author:** [@Burton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burton)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-tibbets-hero-or-just-a-guy-doing-his-job/425013 "2007-11-09T16:34:13Z")
I can’t see much heroic in it myself. Perhaps living with the consequences of his actions might be. I can’t imagine how he did that. --- ## [Christians: of what value to God is worship? \[ed. title for clarity\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-of-what-value-to-god-is-worship-ed-title-for-clarity/424662)
**Author:** [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-of-what-value-to-god-is-worship-ed-title-for-clarity/424662 "2007-11-09T15:50:55Z")
I feel obliged to preface this post by saying that I’ve been in the midst of a crisis of faith for some time. Various persons on this board have called me more deist than Christian; right now I’m torn in various directio… --- ## [Hunter S. Thompson ~~On Voting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-s-thompson-on-voting/425354)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-s-thompson-on-voting/425354 "2007-11-08T21:04:37Z")
~~Hunter S. Thompson Was he right? In light of recent low performance of both parties, has voting become a meaningless choice? --- ## [What's up with Texas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436)
**Author:** [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436 "2007-11-08T20:00:17Z")
Reddit recently posted a link to this website, http://www.city-data.com, which as you can guess complies data about cities. The site recently posted a list of the top 101 cities in various categories. As I was browsing t… --- ## [D'you think the irony in this bill is intended?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dyou-think-the-irony-in-this-bill-is-intended/423808)
**Author:** [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dyou-think-the-irony-in-this-bill-is-intended/423808 "2007-11-08T17:28:19Z")
Is it just me, or do the rest of you guys find this news item somewhat ironic: This is from Westwood One’s Metro Source newswire; I can’t find anything on AP, so if anyone else can, let me know. --- ## [Hillary gets an unusual backer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-gets-an-unusual-backer/424847)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-gets-an-unusual-backer/424847 "2007-11-08T08:58:02Z")
Boris Johnson wants Hillary for President! The clown of the Tory Party. Basically he wants Bill back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=678) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=680)