# CA Proposition 69 & DNA database arguments **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 18, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412 "2004-11-18T03:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412/82 "2004-11-21T02:15:34Z")
speaking of reading into - my reference to the founding fathers was a reference to the COnstitution, BoR etc. I can’t tell from your posts if you think they’re relevant - at first it seemed you thought they (BoR, Constitution written by FF) were irrelevant etc. apparently now you’re backing down from that. a consistent POV would be helpful to your position. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412/83 "2004-11-21T05:18:07Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Imagine the police bringing you in, not because they found a match to your dna but because your dna closely matches that of the perp and they figure, it must be a relative of yours and begin questioning you on which relative it could be? Well, this would be a strawman argument, in that no one in this thread has offered any proposal that permits this to happen. Have they? Now, police would certainly be able to ask you questions, which you would be free to refuse to answer and to go about your business, as is true of any voluntary questioning from police. ---
**Author:** ![Caiata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Caiata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caiata)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412/84 "2004-11-21T12:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **ouryL** > > Imagine the police bringing you in, not because they found a match to your dna but because your dna closely matches that of the perp and they figure, it must be a relative of yours and begin questioning you on which relative it could be? Again, in order for this to be the case the cops would have to be either: Working with mitochondrial DNA (costs $10000s of dollars each time) OR Working with nuclear DNA **sequences** , not profiles. A DNA profile **only** looks at non-coding portions of the DNA. Since these parts of the DNA are not expressed as genes, there is heaps of random variation here (because variation doesn’t cause deleterious effects in the organism, because the DNA in these areas doesn’t **do** anything). A person and one of their parents would only share, at most, half of their DNA profile. A person and one of their siblings might not share any elements of the DNA profile. A person and a randomly picked guy from across the globe may coincidentally share a fair bit of the DNA profile. It simply wouldn’t be statistically reliable to say “Oh, well it’s the same except for this last bit here, so it must be your relative!”. The only thing the police could say if the DNA profiles were similar but not identical is, “Well, it wasn’t you.” That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412/85 "2004-11-21T14:39:58Z")
> [@wring](#): > > speaking of reading into - my reference to the founding fathers was a reference to the COnstitution, BoR etc. I can’t tell from your posts if you think they’re relevant - at first it seemed you thought they (BoR, Constitution written by FF) were irrelevant etc. apparently now you’re backing down from that. a consistent POV would be helpful to your position. My god you are dense. My first post meant the Founding Fathers, who are **people**. The Constitution is a **document** , not a Founding Father. If I had meant the Constitution, ass cheese, I would have written “Constitution” not “Founding Fathers”. Are you really so stupid that you thought “Who cares what the founding fathers wanted, they’ve been dead for 200 years” referred to the Consitution? If so, I suggest you go seek help at your nearest learning instituion. Try rereading my posts, if you are capable of doing so. I **never** wrote that the Constituion or it’s BoR are irrelevant. They’ve changed as society has changed and it’s needs and methods have changed, making them relavent to modern society where the Founding Fathers have just rotted and remain with an 18th Century attitute that has no use in today’s society. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412/86 "2004-11-22T00:17:18Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Imagine the police bringing you in, not because they found a match to your dna but because your dna closely matches that of the perp and they figure, it must be a relative of yours and begin questioning you on which relative it could be? Do you now understand why this is a foolish idea? I ask only because it’s been rebutted on two different fronts, and you haven’t returned to acknowledge the corrections. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ca-proposition-69-dna-database-arguments/275412.md?page=4)