# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=721 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 722 --- ## ["Global Warming"= new Religion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-new-religion/399475)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-new-religion/399475 "2007-04-10T22:49:19Z")
It seems to me that Global Warming is assuming the trappings of a religion, comparable to the position of the RC Church-circa 1200 AD or so. Disbelief (or even a mild challenge) to the official GW line is met by cries o… --- ## [Why we went into Iraq?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-went-into-iraq/399013)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-went-into-iraq/399013 "2007-04-10T18:09:43Z")
I know we’ve done this before, but I was moved to post this after attending a speech by Helen Thomas yesterday evening. I’m sure I’ll mangle her words, but one thing she said was that the illegitimacy of our invasion of… --- ## [Could Sen. Kerry vote against a nominee who gave $$$ against him?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sen-kerry-vote-against-a-nominee-who-gave-against-him/394026)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-sen-kerry-vote-against-a-nominee-who-gave-against-him/394026 "2007-04-10T15:10:10Z")
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/28/ambassador.swift.ap/index.html I suppose he will, anyway, for some other other reason (or pretext). Payback is a bitch. I guess my question is, could he properly or ethically vot… --- ## [Pelosi's trip to Syria](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosis-trip-to-syria/398565)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosis-trip-to-syria/398565 "2007-04-10T13:56:32Z")
Bush just blasted Pelosi for going to Syria, saying it’s “counterproductive” and sends “mixed signals” to the Assad government. Story here. Will her trip yield any beneficial results? --- ## [I feel guilty for paying taxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-guilty-for-paying-taxes/399248)
**Author:** [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-guilty-for-paying-taxes/399248 "2007-04-10T12:10:51Z")
Woo, my first thread since actually paying to post here. Let’s hope I did everything right and am not digging any holes I’m not aware of. Go easy. I don’t want this to devolve into a debate on whether the particular p… --- ## [Is the U.S. the cause of it's own problems (read: terrorism)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-u-s-the-cause-of-its-own-problems-read-terrorism/399246)
**Author:** [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-u-s-the-cause-of-its-own-problems-read-terrorism/399246 "2007-04-10T10:15:18Z")
I have the understanding that America’s Islamic terrorist problems are a result of us having military bases in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, i.e. Mecca. I’m sure there are other things that I haven’t come… --- ## [Hitler,Mussolini and Tojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-mussolini-and-tojo/398698)
**Author:** [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-mussolini-and-tojo/398698 "2007-04-10T07:29:25Z")
Why is it that Mussolini is not vilified in the same way as his Axis partners. I understand that although there were concentration camps in Italy they were not as geared to mass killings as those in Germany. Despite tha… --- ## [American Southwest and northwestern Mexico turning into even more of a desert](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-southwest-and-northwestern-mexico-turning-into-even-more-of-a-desert/398718)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-southwest-and-northwestern-mexico-turning-into-even-more-of-a-desert/398718 "2007-04-10T05:11:09Z")
Story here. Scientists believe this “mega-drought,” beginning in the late 1980s, is not a cyclical climate change but a permanent one. Yet more and more suburbs continue to be built in the Sunbelt. What will happen wh… --- ## [Moral obligation to disclose pregnancy/parenthood to potential employers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-obligation-to-disclose-pregnancy-parenthood-to-potential-employers/398864)
**Author:** [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-obligation-to-disclose-pregnancy-parenthood-to-potential-employers/398864 "2007-04-10T04:04:35Z")
In this thread a debate sprung up on whether a pregnant woman has a moral obligation to disclose her condition to potential employers. In the United States, a woman has no legal obligation to disclose her pregnancy to p… --- ## [Does the Pentagon withold the announcement of troop deaths until the weekend?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-pentagon-withold-the-announcement-of-troop-deaths-until-the-weekend/399322)
**Author:** [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-pentagon-withold-the-announcement-of-troop-deaths-until-the-weekend/399322 "2007-04-09T17:08:56Z")
Just what the title says. I put this in the GD forum because I don’t think there’s a definitive answer. I’m aware of the dangers of selective memory, and I don’t see conspiracies everywhere, but I have noticed that I a… --- ## [What if Jesus didn't die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-jesus-didnt-die/398333)
**Author:** [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-jesus-didnt-die/398333 "2007-04-09T12:49:23Z")
If the Romans decided to not kill Jesus, would christians not be forgived? --- ## [What is the value of consensus among scientists?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-value-of-consensus-among-scientists/398651)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-value-of-consensus-among-scientists/398651 "2007-04-09T06:56:18Z")
In this ill-conceived thread, Scylla denies it has any value at all. That’s an issue worthy of debate, but let’s start over and debate it by itself, without the distraction of Rush Limbaugh. --- ## [Tall men & women seeking each other out 4 big $ ...?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-men-women-seeking-each-other-out-4-big/398576)
**Author:** [@benny73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benny73)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-men-women-seeking-each-other-out-4-big/398576 "2007-04-09T03:27:07Z")
In this day and age when money (seems to be) the main key to happiness, do you think it would be wise for men and women of tallness (6’8" and taller) to seek each other out for the main purpose of breeding and raising bo… --- ## [What Is The Real Point of Judaism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-point-of-judaism/398307)
**Author:** [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-point-of-judaism/398307 "2007-04-08T20:50:53Z")
The title is very direct but I am not a newbie when it comes to all things Jewish. I went to a heavily Jewish university (Tulane), I spend most holidays with the branch of my wife’s extended family that is Jewish, and a … --- ## [self awareness and emotions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-awareness-and-emotions/398950)
**Author:** [@andrew1007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrew1007)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-awareness-and-emotions/398950 "2007-04-07T21:25:34Z")
I’m not well informed on this issue, and it makes my head hurt thinking about it. are self-awareness and emotions linked together? can you have one without the other? i was reading the thread about emotions vs. reason, … --- ## [Why Isn't John The Baptist Just As Likely The Messiah?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-john-the-baptist-just-as-likely-the-messiah/398991)
**Author:** [@Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebecca_DiMwitter)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-john-the-baptist-just-as-likely-the-messiah/398991 "2007-04-07T17:10:07Z")
I’ve been doing a bit of reading re: the Johannites, online lately, and while theories abound, some of the ideas given for recognizing John the Baptist as the Messiah, who was maybe usurped by the upstart Jesus, seem qui… --- ## [Eliminating lazy thinking about Wal-Mart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-lazy-thinking-about-wal-mart/394583)
**Author:** [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Replies:** 97\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-lazy-thinking-about-wal-mart/394583 "2007-04-06T23:40:58Z")
We got into this topic in a recent Pit thread re suburban sprawl, and I thought it deserved a thread of its own. My basic political perspective is liberal. I’m neither a huge WM fan nor a hater, but I shop there now and… --- ## [Politico.com:White House Seeking Gonzales Replacements Going going...........Gone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politico-com-white-house-seeking-gonzales-replacements-going-going-gone/396642)
**Author:** [@aluminumdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aluminumdisc)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politico-com-white-house-seeking-gonzales-replacements-going-going-gone/396642 "2007-04-06T21:45:49Z")
Looking at this politico.com story it looks like Sec. Gonzo is Gone. Do you think it will happen? I say he is gone before April Fools Day. --- ## [Dress codes at work](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dress-codes-at-work/397139)
**Author:** [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dress-codes-at-work/397139 "2007-04-06T18:30:59Z")
My girlfriend has a dress code at work where woman are allowed to wear earing and skirts, but men are not. Is this not sexist? --- ## [Perjury vs honest Republican lying :-)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perjury-vs-honest-republican-lying/398606)
**Author:** [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perjury-vs-honest-republican-lying/398606 "2007-04-06T16:39:30Z")
Bush will let his top aids testify, but with a bunch of asinine qualifiers, including that the aids wouldn’t take the oath to tell the truth. His minions dutifully claim, “It really doesn’t make any difference because … --- ## [What if the Internet had existed in the 1960s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-internet-had-existed-in-the-1960s/398716)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-internet-had-existed-in-the-1960s/398716 "2007-04-06T09:39:38Z")
A cyberpunk-steampunk fusion idea: Suppose computer technology had advanced much more rapidly than it did IRL, and by 1960 Internet-linked PCs had been as common in industrialized countries as they are now. How would th… --- ## [Israeli "Sanhedrin" Plans Passover Sacrifice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-sanhedrin-plans-passover-sacrifice/397004)
**Author:** [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-sanhedrin-plans-passover-sacrifice/397004 "2007-04-06T04:34:10Z")
I mentioned this Sandhedrin when it was constituted a couple of years ago. It was dismissed as inconsequential but now that I see that it’s present president is the esteemed Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz, I can’t quite dismi… --- ## [Robert E. Lee as Military Commander](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-e-lee-as-military-commander/397950)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-e-lee-as-military-commander/397950 "2007-04-06T03:24:31Z")
It’s pretty much part of American mythos that he was a brilliant commander, but was he? Military history is not my area, but from the books I’ve read he seems to have been a great organizer (his defenses during the firs… --- ## [Defending western values against the attack of Islam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defending-western-values-against-the-attack-of-islam/397877)
**Author:** [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Replies:** 379\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defending-western-values-against-the-attack-of-islam/397877 "2007-04-06T00:27:52Z")
\]". . . in our opposition to the worldview of Islam, we confront a civilzation with an arrested history. It is as though a portal in time has opened, and fourteenth-century hordes are pouring into our world." (Sam Harri… --- ## [Iranian military seizes 15 British sailors in Iraqi waters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-military-seizes-15-british-sailors-in-iraqi-waters/397166)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 383\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-military-seizes-15-british-sailors-in-iraqi-waters/397166 "2007-04-05T21:17:34Z")
Story here. Why?! Why did the Iranians do this? Things aren’t tense enough?! Are they trying to provoke a war?! What pretext/reason will they invoke? Will they claim the sailors were actually in Iranian waters?… --- ## [Resolved: Sport is Transcendent](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sport-is-transcendent/398660)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sport-is-transcendent/398660 "2007-04-05T20:11:54Z")
From this thread: \[QUOTE= benny73\] I hope my question didn’t offend anyone, it was as much of a way to let off some steam about pro athletes getting Fort Knox type of money for their rather lame contributions to the Hu… --- ## [Circumstances of Arab departure from Israel in 1948?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumstances-of-arab-departure-from-israel-in-1948/398148)
**Author:** [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumstances-of-arab-departure-from-israel-in-1948/398148 "2007-04-05T17:44:52Z")
Yes, I am holding out hope that one more Great Debates thread is all that will be needed to get the Israel/Palestine issue sorted out…well, not really. I have a dream that this thread can stay focused on one specific iss… --- ## [How and why did windmills lose their appeal with the Green Crowd?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-did-windmills-lose-their-appeal-with-the-green-crowd/397520)
**Author:** [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-did-windmills-lose-their-appeal-with-the-green-crowd/397520 "2007-04-05T16:18:40Z")
I remember from the 70’s and 80’s how modern wind turbines were the darling of the Green Crowd. They were all about renewable power, they were going to make us independent from the oil sheiks; to love windmills was to lo… --- ## [Why is soccer/football the most popular sport in the world, but not in the U.S.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-football-the-most-popular-sport-in-the-world-but-not-in-the-u-s/398563)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2007, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-football-the-most-popular-sport-in-the-world-but-not-in-the-u-s/398563 "2007-04-05T12:47:04Z")
I don’t think I need a cite to back up the assertion that the most popular sports in America are American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey. Soccer runs a distant fifth. There have been attempts – back in t… --- ## [Slippery Slope is not a fallacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slippery-slope-is-not-a-fallacy/398721)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2007, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slippery-slope-is-not-a-fallacy/398721 "2007-04-05T05:35:26Z")
Frequently when someone talks about a slippery slope, someone else will argue that this person is using the “slippery slope” fallacy. As this article convincingly demonstrates, the slippery slope can be real. Some acti… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=720) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=722)