# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=782 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 783 --- ## [What will happen to Saddam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-saddam/362290)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2006, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-saddam/362290 "2006-06-29T06:26:26Z")
Reading the news items about Saddam’s statement that he will be sentenced to death but never executed as the U.S. will ultimately reinstate him (cite) renewed my wondering “What will happen to Saddam?” While I really do… --- ## [Who should decide national security issues?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-decide-national-security-issues/362586)
**Author:** [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-decide-national-security-issues/362586 "2006-06-29T03:45:08Z")
Inspired by the other thread. First, a historical question, who let the cat out of the bag in the first place? Or more precisely, when did the executive branch get the power to unilaterally declare information secret or … --- ## [Why is modesty valued?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-modesty-valued/362034)
**Author:** [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-modesty-valued/362034 "2006-06-29T02:28:00Z")
Modesty is at one end of a scale of which the other is boasting; generally the former is considered polite while the latter is definetly not. But why is this? If we look at the middle of that scale, we have an (our perc… --- ## [Can a teacher go topless?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-teacher-go-topless/361042)
**Author:** [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Replies:** 138\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-teacher-go-topless/361042 "2006-06-28T23:23:47Z")
Apparrently not in Austin, Texas. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/16/naked.teacher.ap/index.html I considered going to the pit for this, and it may wind up there. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Until they found the topless photos… --- ## [Does anybody really believe torture in the US isn't authorized from the top?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-really-believe-torture-in-the-us-isnt-authorized-from-the-top/362335)
**Author:** [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-really-believe-torture-in-the-us-isnt-authorized-from-the-top/362335 "2006-06-28T21:15:40Z")
That’s the question Alan Dershowitz asked on an NPR interview this morning. And his tone of voice when he asked the question clearly showed it was meant as an rhetorical question – that no one would seriously advocate th… --- ## [Does technological progress create social progress?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-technological-progress-create-social-progress/362195)
**Author:** [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-technological-progress-create-social-progress/362195 "2006-06-28T14:27:03Z")
I used to think so, but now I’m not so sure. Is it a naive assumption that ingorance = poverty = tyrany. Rome was the wealthiest society of its era. And to give Godwin its due right away, the Nazis had plenty of technolo… --- ## [Chomsky and the American Culture of Fear](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-and-the-american-culture-of-fear/362161)
**Author:** [@kevegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevegan)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-and-the-american-culture-of-fear/362161 "2006-06-28T14:13:33Z")
As someone who finds Noam Chomsky in equal measure challenging and infuriating - even when he descends to hyperbole he still says things that few others will - I’ve just finsihed reading Imperial Ambitions : Conversation… --- ## [Supreme court to hear if CO2 should be regulated, what are the implications](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-hear-if-co2-should-be-regulated-what-are-the-implications/362312)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-hear-if-co2-should-be-regulated-what-are-the-implications/362312 "2006-06-28T13:47:54Z")
The Supreme court agreed to hear a case put forth by a dozen states, various environmental groups and various cities that CO2 should be regulated as a pollutant and its release into the atmosphere monitored. A lower cour… --- ## [How Do modern chinese Historians Regard Chiang kai-Sheck?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-modern-chinese-historians-regard-chiang-kai-sheck/361590)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-modern-chinese-historians-regard-chiang-kai-sheck/361590 "2006-06-28T09:42:53Z")
Was he: (a) an opportunistic warlord/ (b) father of his country (Taiwan) and long-time head of the Kuomintang party © just another warlord As China moves to absorb taiwan, what is the official line on Chiang? Grant… --- ## [I help vets mutilate puppies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-help-vets-mutilate-puppies/361928)
**Author:** [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Replies:** 134\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-help-vets-mutilate-puppies/361928 "2006-06-28T08:51:26Z")
Well, I am doing some practical work in the vet clinics, for vet school, and one practice I dislike is ear cropping and tail docking. :frowning: Yes, the AKC does require this for certain breeds but I see nothing wrong… --- ## [Pubs delay renewal of Voting Rights Act](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pubs-delay-renewal-of-voting-rights-act/361868)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pubs-delay-renewal-of-voting-rights-act/361868 "2006-06-28T00:23:06Z")
On Wednesday, House Republican leaders postponed a vote on renewing the Voting Rights Act. The reason given is that the Act singles out Southern states for special oversight. However, some commentators, such as Greg Pa… --- ## [Taxes and the vote](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxes-and-the-vote/362186)
**Author:** [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxes-and-the-vote/362186 "2006-06-27T22:18:52Z")
Ex-cons can’t vote. Is this taxation without representation? --- ## [Are Americans more prudish about nudity/sex than Europeans? If so, why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-more-prudish-about-nudity-sex-than-europeans-if-so-why/361988)
**Author:** [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-more-prudish-about-nudity-sex-than-europeans-if-so-why/361988 "2006-06-27T22:00:03Z")
I was talking to my mom this morning, and happen to mention that on a boat excursion a few weeks ago the German guy with us changed into his swim trunks in front of everybody (including one woman), which I doubt any of u… --- ## [I have difficulty in responding to a closed thread \[grammar dispute (ed. title)\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-difficulty-in-responding-to-a-closed-thread-grammar-dispute-ed-title/362356)
**Author:** [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-difficulty-in-responding-to-a-closed-thread-grammar-dispute-ed-title/362356 "2006-06-27T17:26:06Z")
The thread “We have difficulty locating a(n) MS representative.” has been closed, so I can’t resond in it to an odd side issue raised in it. So I’m responding in GD: if that’s the wrong forum, a mod can move it to where… --- ## [How Can You Be Pro-Life but not Pro-War or Pro-Death Penalty?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-be-pro-life-but-not-pro-war-or-pro-death-penalty/361207)
**Author:** [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Replies:** 117\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-be-pro-life-but-not-pro-war-or-pro-death-penalty/361207 "2006-06-27T15:41:07Z")
Or any mismatched combination of the three. I’m sure this question has been asked before, and I’ve brought it up a couple of times in various debates. If life is sacred, shouldn’t all life be treated as such? How can … --- ## [Petrocurrency and WTH do we do next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petrocurrency-and-wth-do-we-do-next/362327)
**Author:** [@phantomshrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantomshrek)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2006, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petrocurrency-and-wth-do-we-do-next/362327 "2006-06-27T07:40:04Z")
I’ll get to a debate topic here in just a minute, but first some facts and assumptions. \[ul\] \[li\]Nation-state: a political entity which taxes its citizens in exchange for providing policies and services for their benif… --- ## [Japanese and whaling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-and-whaling/361136)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2006, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-and-whaling/361136 "2006-06-27T07:30:31Z")
Link. Why do the Japanese want to take more whales? What kind of research are they doing? Can whale meat not be replaced by other food? I understand Grennland wants their native people to take humpbacks, but they aren’… --- ## [Could fuel prices bring manufacturing back to the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fuel-prices-bring-manufacturing-back-to-the-us/361319)
**Author:** [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fuel-prices-bring-manufacturing-back-to-the-us/361319 "2006-06-26T23:23:18Z")
While there will be up and down fluctuations, the price of fuel, like the price of everything, is ultimately going nowhere but up. Currently, a huge percentage of manufacturing of the goods that are purchased in the US … --- ## [Should Democrats Immediately Say "Yes" When Republicans Say "No"...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democrats-immediately-say-yes-when-republicans-say-no/361953)
**Author:** [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democrats-immediately-say-yes-when-republicans-say-no/361953 "2006-06-26T22:22:29Z")
…Or Vice Versa? This would obviously create a difference between the two parties overnight and then actual debate could form between the two. Is this a good policy? I’d think that whatever party would be in charge wo… --- ## [Who's raping who?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-raping-who/361102)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-raping-who/361102 "2006-06-26T22:04:49Z")
If A forced B to have sex with C, but C doesn’t know B is being forced is C raping B? Is A raping B? What is A doing to C? --- ## [Coffee good or bad for you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-good-or-bad-for-you/359699)
**Author:** [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-good-or-bad-for-you/359699 "2006-06-26T20:10:15Z")
My father claims drinking coffee is good for you. My claim is it isn’t good for you. Neither of us can site a study to back up our claim so I’m throwing this one out to the many minds here. He drinks 2 12oz cups just ab… --- ## [Control, not criminalize, the drug trade.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/control-not-criminalize-the-drug-trade/361184)
**Author:** [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/control-not-criminalize-the-drug-trade/361184 "2006-06-26T19:31:18Z")
Take the laws alrerady in place for recreational alcohol and apply them to other recreational drugs. All of them. Treat abuse problems as medical issues. I’m sick of the “War on Drugs” and all of the incidental damage … --- ## [Wisdom and need for apology and reparations (Chinese head tax)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisdom-and-need-for-apology-and-reparations-chinese-head-tax/361834)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisdom-and-need-for-apology-and-reparations-chinese-head-tax/361834 "2006-06-26T17:27:05Z")
Today, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered an apology to Canadians of Chinese descent in general, and, specifically, to those few survivors who were directly affected by the “Head Tax” policy of a hundred ye… --- ## [Gun Law Question-Pennsylvania](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-law-question-pennsylvania/359513)
**Author:** [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-law-question-pennsylvania/359513 "2006-06-26T17:02:13Z")
My father and I had a disagreement a while back about whether you were allowed to carry a concealed weapon in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. He seems to be under the impression that those cities are to Pennsylvania what New… --- ## [If the universe is constantly expanding...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-universe-is-constantly-expanding/360149)
**Author:** [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-universe-is-constantly-expanding/360149 "2006-06-26T08:44:36Z")
If the universe is constantly expanding, then is it correct to say the universe is not infinate? And never can be? My head hurts. http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=7# Confused --- ## [How suspicious should I be of multi-level marketing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-suspicious-should-i-be-of-multi-level-marketing/361777)
**Author:** [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-suspicious-should-i-be-of-multi-level-marketing/361777 "2006-06-26T07:18:23Z")
I have always taken a dim view of pyrmaid-scheme-like companies (e.g. Mary Kay, Tupperware), wherein people host stuff-buying parties. My wife recently returned from a local community fair with a sheepish expression, an… --- ## [Questioning Jurors after their decision](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questioning-jurors-after-their-decision/361585)
**Author:** [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questioning-jurors-after-their-decision/361585 "2006-06-26T04:41:49Z")
What is the reason against requiring Jurors to give there reasons for voting guilty or not guilty in a trial. With the proviso that the juror cannot be held liable for the reason they give. Would the information be more … --- ## [What does Korea gain from this missile test?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261)
**Author:** [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261 "2006-06-25T19:32:03Z")
Link So Korea is testing a missile with the capability to strike Alaska. Yeah, whoopty-doo, but the insinuation is that they can now strike U.S., European as well as Asian soil with a rocket launch. The linked story i… --- ## [Church for Atheists (long)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-for-atheists-long/360813)
**Author:** [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-for-atheists-long/360813 "2006-06-25T13:56:16Z")
As a few of you may know, I attended the Mormon Church from age six or so until last year. I hit all the expected milestones: I went off to Mormon-run Brigham Young University after high school, served a full time missi… --- ## [Plane or no Plane? \[Pentagon 9/11 (ed. title)\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-or-no-plane-pentagon-9-11-ed-title/361959)
**Author:** [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-or-no-plane-pentagon-9-11-ed-title/361959 "2006-06-25T03:49:40Z")
Flipping through FM channels this afternoon I came across a channel referring to a documentary movie called Loose change no. 2…Got home and googled the movie and of course as most of you know, it produced “facts” to sh… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=781) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=783)