# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=747 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 748 --- ## [For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-unbelieving-husband-is-sanctified-by-the-wife/383982)
**Author:** [@ReggieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReggieB)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-unbelieving-husband-is-sanctified-by-the-wife/383982 "2006-12-14T21:08:12Z")
Does this mean that an atheist gets to go to heaven if he’s married to a Christian? --- ## [Democrat congress = protectionist economic policies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrat-congress-protectionist-economic-policies/383189)
**Author:** [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrat-congress-protectionist-economic-policies/383189 "2006-12-14T20:41:43Z")
I’m no economist, but I dabble in it on the weekends. I’ve read a lot of books by people whom I assumed are “liberal” economists – Stiglitz, Sachs, Sen, T. Friedman (so maybe he’s not an ecnomist), etc. – all of whom, i… --- ## [U.S. government resists altering paper money for blind people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-government-resists-altering-paper-money-for-blind-people/384074)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-government-resists-altering-paper-money-for-blind-people/384074 "2006-12-14T19:50:35Z")
Story here. Perhaps this is the kind of decision a court shouldn’t be making for the Treasury (expect Bricker to weigh in within ten posts) – but otherwise, is there any good reason not to print bills in different sizes… --- ## [Iraq Study Group Report](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-study-group-report/383129)
**Author:** [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-study-group-report/383129 "2006-12-14T14:48:01Z")
I feel like I’m only posting this because BrainGlutton hasn’t gotten around to it, but how do people feel about the ISG’s report (obligatory PDF warning here)? Having skimmed the relevant portions, I feel like there’s n… --- ## [Jews at "Holocaust Denial" conference](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jews-at-holocaust-denial-conference/383836)
**Author:** [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jews-at-holocaust-denial-conference/383836 "2006-12-14T12:45:31Z")
I saw an article on the BBC News website here that describes how some Ultra-Orthodox Jews have attended a “Holocaust Denial” conference in Iran to protest at the way the Holocaust is being used to justify the existence … --- ## [It’s Time for the Car of the Future](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-s-time-for-the-car-of-the-future/382353)
**Author:** [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2006, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-s-time-for-the-car-of-the-future/382353 "2006-12-14T09:16:38Z")
Well, here it is, the good ol’ 21st century, and I want it to start feeling like the 21th century. Specifically, I’m tired of the bad old 20th-century conception of the car that is still the reality of our transportatio… --- ## [Legacy of Kissinger/Nixon/the CIA WRT 1973 coup in Chile](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legacy-of-kissinger-nixon-the-cia-wrt-1973-coup-in-chile/383691)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legacy-of-kissinger-nixon-the-cia-wrt-1973-coup-in-chile/383691 "2006-12-13T22:54:42Z")
Augusto Pinochet has died – I’ve started this thread to debate his legacy. But what about the legacy of the Americans who may or may not have helped him come to power? Certainly the U.S. government opposed Allende and … --- ## [Is the ability to pour unlimited amounts into a campaign a first amendment right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-ability-to-pour-unlimited-amounts-into-a-campaign-a-first-amendment-right/383896)
**Author:** [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-ability-to-pour-unlimited-amounts-into-a-campaign-a-first-amendment-right/383896 "2006-12-13T22:26:30Z")
I can’t see that connection. --- ## [How bad is it to read other people's mail through the envelope?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-is-it-to-read-other-peoples-mail-through-the-envelope/383341)
**Author:** [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-is-it-to-read-other-peoples-mail-through-the-envelope/383341 "2006-12-13T20:27:34Z")
Some times of course, you just can’t help noticing that an envelope says “Final Demand Letter” with a lawyer’s return address. The whole point of that was to embarrass the recipient. But I’ve also discovered that if you… --- ## [Why do we deify Martin Luther King, Jr.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-deify-martin-luther-king-jr/383614)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-deify-martin-luther-king-jr/383614 "2006-12-13T18:40:23Z")
Here is a link from Cecil which mentions some unflattering facts about Martin Luther King, Jr. Almost every discussion about the United States’ founding fathers will not hesitate to mention that they were wealthy and ow… --- ## [On ownership of a woman's body, birth, ethics, and the law.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ownership-of-a-womans-body-birth-ethics-and-the-law/383564)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ownership-of-a-womans-body-birth-ethics-and-the-law/383564 "2006-12-13T18:33:19Z")
I am a man. However for the purpose of this OP, let us say I am a woman. I am not a lawyer. Let us further say that: I am pregnant. I am delivering in a hospital setting. I am an adult who is over 21, and in full posse… --- ## [What if the U.S. had never gotten involved in Vietnam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-u-s-had-never-gotten-involved-in-vietnam/383710)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-u-s-had-never-gotten-involved-in-vietnam/383710 "2006-12-13T16:07:08Z")
With all the Iraq-Vietnam comparisons flying around, I think it’s timely to debate this question in hindsight: Should we ever have been involved in Vietnam or not? If the U.S. had never gotten involved in Vietnam in th… --- ## [Olmert admits Israel has nuclear weapons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olmert-admits-israel-has-nuclear-weapons/383881)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olmert-admits-israel-has-nuclear-weapons/383881 "2006-12-13T15:19:36Z")
In an interview on German TV. Does this change anything? I mean, they never admitted it before, but the whole world always knew, y’know? --- ## [Did Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) call for assassinating Castro or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rep-ileana-ros-lehtinen-r-fl-call-for-assassinating-castro-or-not/383879)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rep-ileana-ros-lehtinen-r-fl-call-for-assassinating-castro-or-not/383879 "2006-12-13T15:18:02Z")
A documentary filmmaker supposedly caught her on video saying it – but she insists the tape is a fake. Or a distortion – that part isn’t so clear. --- ## [Iranian students protest Ahmadinejad: "Death to the dictator!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-students-protest-ahmadinejad-death-to-the-dictator/383887)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iranian-students-protest-ahmadinejad-death-to-the-dictator/383887 "2006-12-13T15:08:41Z")
They were a minority of the whole crowd – but, all the same, this is unprecedented. Is this a sign his government headed for trouble? In other news, at a Holocaust-denial conference, Ahmadenijad predicted Israel “will … --- ## [Should we abandon sworn testimony?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-abandon-sworn-testimony/383723)
**Author:** [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-abandon-sworn-testimony/383723 "2006-12-13T12:18:13Z")
Naturally, I include “affirming” for those who don’t swear per se. Since swearing in seems not to guarantee accuracy, would it be equivalent to instead warn people that they are subject to perjury laws? More like Mirand… --- ## [Atheism does not work...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheism-does-not-work/382571)
**Author:** [@ReggieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReggieB)\ **Replies:** 227\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheism-does-not-work/382571 "2006-12-13T11:11:32Z")
…a philosophical argument on why it is rational to accept the possibility of a creator. I am agnostic and I have had more than a few heated debated with some athiest collegues of mine. I am a person is is constantly fas… --- ## [Amputees and intercessionary prayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amputees-and-intercessionary-prayer/383395)
**Author:** [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amputees-and-intercessionary-prayer/383395 "2006-12-13T08:08:56Z")
I read about this website in the NYT, checked it out and, via Google, read a few Christian forums responding to it. I have to say, the posters in those forums punted. I’m not posting this as a snark or a troll. I cann… --- ## [Iraq about to draft new oil law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-about-to-draft-new-oil-law/383903)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-about-to-draft-new-oil-law/383903 "2006-12-13T02:58:51Z")
This story and this story are mainly about how the oil revenues are to be distributed among the regions/ethnic groups. But the real story is that the law almost certainly will allow for private corporations – mainly for… --- ## [Why Kill With Polonium ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-kill-with-polonium/382015)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-kill-with-polonium/382015 "2006-12-13T01:49:48Z")
The death of the unfortunate ex-KGB agent in London is now known to be from the ingestion of the radioactive element polonium. Why would such an exotic poison be used? The radioactivity is detectable, and the guy took se… --- ## [Exactly how restrictive was plate armor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-restrictive-was-plate-armor/383202)
**Author:** [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-restrictive-was-plate-armor/383202 "2006-12-13T01:49:15Z")
One the one hand you hear people claiming that it was so heavy that knights had to be hoisted onto their horses with cranes, or if they fell face down in a puddle they would drown, or other blatant nonsense like that. On… --- ## [Russia vs. England](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-england/382445)
**Author:** [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-england/382445 "2006-12-13T01:48:15Z")
If it is deemed that Putin really was behind the death of Litvineko and was attempting to silence Boris Berezovsky what recourse does England actually have for killing on their soil in a manner which is designed to cause… --- ## [Do we have a moral obligation to the future?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-moral-obligation-to-the-future/383750)
**Author:** [@Ammonius\_Saccus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ammonius_Saccus)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-moral-obligation-to-the-future/383750 "2006-12-12T22:39:16Z")
Why should we care what the people living 200 years from now will have to deal with? Why not just live it up now and make life for the people are already alive as good as possible? The people of the future do not exist. … --- ## [Religious Displays in Public - Promblem Solved?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-displays-in-public-promblem-solved/383661)
**Author:** [@Ammonius\_Saccus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ammonius_Saccus)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-displays-in-public-promblem-solved/383661 "2006-12-12T20:19:01Z")
This guy seems to have solved the whole religious displays in public problem. But I am not a lawyer. What do you think? On the link it the post from Tuesday, December 05, 2006. http://www.courtzero.org/ --- ## [Should the US make the criminal code federal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-make-the-criminal-code-federal/382875)
**Author:** [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-us-make-the-criminal-code-federal/382875 "2006-12-12T20:02:43Z")
I was just reading another thread here about the incredible jumble of age of consent laws in the 50 US States. I realize that under the US constitution, criminal law is the responsibility of each state. But it seems to m… --- ## [Stephane Dion is the new Canadian Liberal Party Leader](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephane-dion-is-the-new-canadian-liberal-party-leader/382709)
**Author:** [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephane-dion-is-the-new-canadian-liberal-party-leader/382709 "2006-12-12T19:54:12Z")
Canada’s Liberal Party picked Stephane Dion over frontrunners Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae to lead their party. (Story here.) For those who don’t pay close attention to Canadian politics, the Liberal Party is one of C… --- ## [What happened to the Kennedys (Jack and Bobby)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-kennedys-jack-and-bobby/382547)
**Author:** [@Becky\_G\_Supervixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky_G_Supervixen)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-kennedys-jack-and-bobby/382547 "2006-12-12T19:50:44Z")
So my gramma saw something in the paper about a new movie about Bobby Kennedy. She was a big Kennedy fan back in the day (voted for Jack as president and even kept a Life magazine with some photos of them and their famil… --- ## [To report, or not? Ethical and Legal dilemma.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-report-or-not-ethical-and-legal-dilemma/382964)
**Author:** [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-report-or-not-ethical-and-legal-dilemma/382964 "2006-12-12T19:38:33Z")
Those of you who read the New York Times on Sundays will probably know of a column called “The Ethicist,” which appears in the Magazine. In this column, someone named Randy Cohen answers ethical dilemmas presented by rea… --- ## [Decline of heavy Plate Armour](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decline-of-heavy-plate-armour/383674)
**Author:** [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decline-of-heavy-plate-armour/383674 "2006-12-12T18:28:31Z")
A thread about plate has got me curious. Why did full armour go out of favour ? A few things came up Cost Muskets/Rifles Uniforms (don’t stick out from the crowd) From first hand experience a number of Dopers have s… --- ## [Why guns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-guns/383748)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-guns/383748 "2006-12-12T17:33:47Z")
Since this seems the week for historical debates, I’ve always been curious about something. Why exactly did the early Europeans adopt the early gunpowder weapons? The accuracy sucked, as did the rate of fire. I know t… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=746) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=748)