# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=709 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 710 --- ## [Hugo Chavez shutting down Radio Caracas Television](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hugo-chavez-shutting-down-radio-caracas-television/404263)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 104\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hugo-chavez-shutting-down-radio-caracas-television/404263 "2007-06-03T04:17:33Z")
Story here. Maybe Hugo is Castro Lite after all. I didn’t mind when he got Congress to vote him decree powers – that is constitutional and precedented in Venezuela, after all, though the wisdom of the clause is debatab… --- ## [One great teacher](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-great-teacher/406502)
**Author:** [@coberst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coberst)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-great-teacher/406502 "2007-06-03T03:14:02Z")
One great teacher “The rules of the game are what we mean by fundamental physics.” This is Richard Feynman speaking and is quoted in his most remarkable book “QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter”. This book is… --- ## [Is Vietnam better off today than it would have been if the U.S. had not pulled out?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-vietnam-better-off-today-than-it-would-have-been-if-the-u-s-had-not-pulled-out/405987)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-vietnam-better-off-today-than-it-would-have-been-if-the-u-s-had-not-pulled-out/405987 "2007-06-03T02:14:54Z")
Trotsky brought up Vietnam in this thread, and to avoid further hijacking we should have a separate one. Of course, this kind of historical “what if” question is impossible to definitely settle one way or the other, but… --- ## [Bush's curious diatribe reported last night on Countdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-curious-diatribe-reported-last-night-on-countdown/406339)
**Author:** [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-curious-diatribe-reported-last-night-on-countdown/406339 "2007-06-02T22:55:47Z")
Olbermann’s stand-in (a very appealing gal who doesn’t hit every news bit with a verbal sledge hammer as does Keith) said last night, that Dubya went wild-eyed, thumped his chest while proclaiming three times “I am the … --- ## [Dr. Jack Kevorkian out of jail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-jack-kevorkian-out-of-jail/406382)
**Author:** [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-jack-kevorkian-out-of-jail/406382 "2007-06-02T14:56:36Z")
It is a big story in Michigan. After 8 years in jail Dr. Jack is out. He is sick and probably does not have long to live. I met him once. I also worked with a guy whos grandmother got Kevorkianed. She was in her 70s. He… --- ## [Things the Bush administration could have done better in Iraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-bush-administration-could-have-done-better-in-iraq/406207)
**Author:** [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-bush-administration-could-have-done-better-in-iraq/406207 "2007-06-02T12:17:58Z")
I was discussing with some friends about the Iraq war and I mentioned that, no matter how you feel about the invasion (whether it was justified given the information at the time or not), if we focus solely on how the Bus… --- ## [Longtime Bush aide, friend leaving for private sector](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longtime-bush-aide-friend-leaving-for-private-sector/406375)
**Author:** [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longtime-bush-aide-friend-leaving-for-private-sector/406375 "2007-06-02T02:39:50Z")
It’s Dan Bartlett. Maybe the story’s true - leaving to spend more time with family - because he has 3-year old twin boys and another baby born in January. But if it isn’t true, Dubya’s lost a very close staffer. See the… --- ## [Who should decide the ideal global climate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-decide-the-ideal-global-climate/406428)
**Author:** [@Silk\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silk_One)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-decide-the-ideal-global-climate/406428 "2007-06-01T23:40:33Z")
It is arrogant for certain people to decide that today’s climate is the best climate for all other human beings, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told NPR’s Morning Edition. Don’t forget to listen to the audio. --- ## [What's the deal with conspiracy nuts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-conspiracy-nuts/406387)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-conspiracy-nuts/406387 "2007-06-01T23:29:24Z")
Simple question with what is probably a complex answer. So what’s the deal with people who believe in conspiracies or have beliefs so wild and unorthodox as to to be considered bizarre? It can’t be chalked up to simple… --- ## ["Social Darwinism" and parental punishment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-darwinism-and-parental-punishment/406365)
**Author:** [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-darwinism-and-parental-punishment/406365 "2007-06-01T20:54:42Z")
There have been many threads on the Dope through the years about various ways stupid people have managed to kill their children. There have been people who left their kids in the car in summer, people who haven’t put th… --- ## [Do Anti-War movements ever end American wars?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-anti-war-movements-ever-end-american-wars/405906)
**Author:** [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-anti-war-movements-ever-end-american-wars/405906 "2007-06-01T20:34:46Z")
I read online this morning that Cindy Sheehan was giving up her fight as an anti-war activist. This got me to thinking about something I had considered a while back: do anti-war protests ever work? I’m not asking wheth… --- ## [Will Al Gore run for president?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-al-gore-run-for-president/391765)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-al-gore-run-for-president/391765 "2007-06-01T20:05:12Z")
He keeps saying he’s not planning to but hasn’t ruled it out. --- ## [How to fly the flag without supporting the current jokers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fly-the-flag-without-supporting-the-current-jokers/405780)
**Author:** [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fly-the-flag-without-supporting-the-current-jokers/405780 "2007-06-01T14:58:48Z")
Borne of a discussion my wife and I had this morning: I want to get an American flag. I was struck by sudden feelings of patriotism (not that I’m unpatriotic usually) yesterday while chatting with my grandfather-in-law… --- ## [The Liberation of Iraqi Women: How's That Working Out?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-liberation-of-iraqi-women-hows-that-working-out/406085)
**Author:** [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2007, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-liberation-of-iraqi-women-hows-that-working-out/406085 "2007-06-01T13:03:00Z")
Not so well, apparently. GWB, 3/12/04: Fast-forward to the present. Iraqi women are being forced out of their jobs by religious terrorists: And all too many women who leave the country have to go into the sex trade… --- ## [What leverage does the US Govt have over Israel, how quick to apply/see results?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-leverage-does-the-us-govt-have-over-israel-how-quick-to-apply-see-results/405144)
**Author:** [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-leverage-does-the-us-govt-have-over-israel-how-quick-to-apply-see-results/405144 "2007-05-31T22:53:22Z")
I have heard that the US is Israel’s greatest ally. Surely we have financial ties, and do we also have ties of direct military aid? If the US really wanted to get Israel’s attention, say if Bush had wanted to stop the … --- ## [Signs the SCOTUS is politically motivated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-the-scotus-is-politically-motivated/406075)
**Author:** [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-the-scotus-is-politically-motivated/406075 "2007-05-31T22:46:17Z")
I read this article in the NYT about the recent supreme court decision. I also heard about it on NPR yesterday. What alarms me is and this that seems to confirm it. In watching the Bush admin it appears they are a… --- ## [So how do you thinnk Tenet did last night on 60 Minutes/](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-thinnk-tenet-did-last-night-on-60-minutes/402173)
**Author:** [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-thinnk-tenet-did-last-night-on-60-minutes/402173 "2007-05-31T22:12:41Z")
To me he came across as a friggin’ whiner. He swam with the sharks and bitches that he got bit. Worse, he kept his mouth shut about the real intelligence and let Bush lie us into the Iraq war. --- ## [Okay, it's settled, Bush = bad for country. What next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-its-settled-bush-bad-for-country-what-next/406063)
**Author:** [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-its-settled-bush-bad-for-country-what-next/406063 "2007-05-31T21:25:31Z")
I think by now it is pretty well established that Bush has done some serious damage to this country both at home and abroad. Thousands upon thousands of threads have discussed this; but as my mom always said, there’s no… --- ## [U.S. and Iran begin first formal talks in 27 years](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-and-iran-begin-first-formal-talks-in-27-years/405993)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-and-iran-begin-first-formal-talks-in-27-years/405993 "2007-05-31T20:01:46Z")
Story here. The tone is highly confrontational – “Stop supporting those militias in Iraq!” “We never started!” – but at least we’re talking. Is this a hopeful sign for peaceful resolution of the matter of Iran’s nuclea… --- ## [We need to fight them over there to help train them to fight us over here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-fight-them-over-there-to-help-train-them-to-fight-us-over-here/405920)
**Author:** [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-fight-them-over-there-to-help-train-them-to-fight-us-over-here/405920 "2007-05-31T17:26:09Z")
The premise here is simple: for years now, the administration and its defenders have been pushing the utterly laughable premise that by staying in Iraq, we are somehow fully occupying the attention of “the terrorists” an… --- ## [UK charges Russian agent with Litvenenko's murder](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-charges-russian-agent-with-litvenenkos-murder/405131)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-charges-russian-agent-with-litvenenkos-murder/405131 "2007-05-31T17:15:59Z")
But Russia refuses to extradite him. Does it end there, or will this have broader implications for Russia’s relations with the UK or the West generally? How will it play in Russia? --- ## [What will happen in 2009 when analog TV ceases? Is the Internet in jeopardy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-2009-when-analog-tv-ceases-is-the-internet-in-jeopardy/405966)
**Author:** [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-2009-when-analog-tv-ceases-is-the-internet-in-jeopardy/405966 "2007-05-31T14:28:47Z")
A friend forwarded this email to me for an opinion instead of blindly forwarding it to everyone she knows. I will quote most of it here, since it looks like the originator intends for wide public distribution and would … --- ## [Are rich and famous people who tout green causes helping or hypocritical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rich-and-famous-people-who-tout-green-causes-helping-or-hypocritical/405112)
**Author:** [@henrijohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/henrijohns)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rich-and-famous-people-who-tout-green-causes-helping-or-hypocritical/405112 "2007-05-31T07:36:41Z")
We have some rich and famous politicians and movie stars that get both attention and flack when they do things like try to lower their carbon footprint by driving an expensive hybrid card, or switching the lights in thei… --- ## [Dems push Iraq funding bill with withdrawal timetable; Bush threatens veto](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-push-iraq-funding-bill-with-withdrawal-timetable-bush-threatens-veto/395301)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 215\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dems-push-iraq-funding-bill-with-withdrawal-timetable-bush-threatens-veto/395301 "2007-05-31T06:22:15Z")
Story here. If it passes and if W does veto it – what then? Does that put the Congressional Dems in a weaker or a stronger position? And can they override it? If not, then there’s no spending bill – so how do the tro… --- ## [Is the Admin using the DoJ for partisan electoral purposes a crime, or is it not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-admin-using-the-doj-for-partisan-electoral-purposes-a-crime-or-is-it-not/405417)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-admin-using-the-doj-for-partisan-electoral-purposes-a-crime-or-is-it-not/405417 "2007-05-31T00:31:06Z")
That’s what this whole U.S.-attorney-firings business is really about – not a few highly competent government lawyers losing their jobs when they deserved to keep them. Facts posted in this thread show clearly that the … --- ## [Should we be concerned about the U.S. debt or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-concerned-about-the-u-s-debt-or-not/402824)
**Author:** [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-concerned-about-the-u-s-debt-or-not/402824 "2007-05-31T00:29:25Z")
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: economics is a part of my knowledge area that is very dark. What I want to see debated is whether the debt of the United States should be a concern or not, and to what extent. … --- ## [Putin Reignites Cold war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-reignites-cold-war/406042)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2007, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-reignites-cold-war/406042 "2007-05-31T00:15:43Z")
Russia has just announced the development of a new family of MIRV-warhead ICBMs. they are solid fueld, and have a range of \>5000 miles. Does this presage a new cold war? Whay does Russia feel the need to develop new nucl… --- ## [Patriotism... What Is It Good For?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patriotism-what-is-it-good-for/405742)
**Author:** [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patriotism-what-is-it-good-for/405742 "2007-05-30T21:03:33Z")
And what is it, besides the feel-good word for nationalism? Every other ‘ism’ is bad, isn’t it? Racism, ethnocentrism, sexism… Religion is blamed for the wars in Northern Ireland and Palestine, and for the crusades. … --- ## [Fired for caring too much? Need help!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-for-caring-too-much-need-help/405723)
**Author:** [@Male\_RN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Male_RN)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-for-caring-too-much-need-help/405723 "2007-05-30T20:25:13Z")
I am a Registered Nurse and was fired for giving a patient pain medicine. The patient is 21 years old and was in the process of passing 4 kidney stones at the same time. I was giving her Dilaudid (opiate-derivitive of … --- ## [Neanderthal rights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neanderthal-rights/405836)
**Author:** [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neanderthal-rights/405836 "2007-05-30T15:55:26Z")
Note: For the purposes of this thread, I am setting the characteristics of Neanderthals. Any similarity to anthropological theories about the real Neanderthals is accidental, and would be news to me. Imagine if you wil… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=708) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=710)