# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 4, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588 "2023-07-04T21:42:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 408
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8141 "2024-10-01T05:39:39Z")
[![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGXGRmqFhaZ-2161tIvcvk_OECUgOwta-Fjg&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGXGRmqFhaZ-2161tIvcvk_OECUgOwta-Fjg&s) ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8142 "2024-10-01T06:12:21Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > > In MAGA World there are ever more nuanced levels of stupidity. > > I had not seen the video until just now. The MC handed him the hammer first. A freaking claw hammer Surely that would make it an MC Hammer? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8143 "2024-10-01T06:44:28Z")
I want to be angry, but honestly it was _right there_. Well played. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8144 "2024-10-01T11:51:41Z")
Don’t hurt him. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8145 "2024-10-01T12:27:10Z")
I guess he’s looking for money or headlines? It’s certainly a unique idea that his book not being accurate interfered with his run for political office ( I think that’s what he’s suggesting)? I guess “Local asshole behaves like an asshole” is less informative. > **[Pennsylvania State Senator Sues Critics of His Book About WWI Hero Sgt. York](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/09/19/pennsylvania-state-senator-sues-critics-of-his-book-about-wwi-hero-sgt-york.html)** > > A Pennsylvania state senator and former Republican gubernatorial candidate whose support for Donald Trump drew him to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is suing a Canadian university and nearly two dozen academics. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8146 "2024-10-01T12:48:23Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > It wouldn’t surprise me if the autograph was a forgery on a cheap guitar It would surprise me if it were anything other than a forgery on a cheap guitar. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8147 "2024-10-01T13:34:41Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Man spends $4000 to buy one of Taylor Swift’s signed guitars at an auction, then immediately smashes it with a hammer. Which, I suppose, has the unintended benefit of increasing the wealth of anyone else that has one of her signed guitars. > > I can’t imagine having a spare $4000 and using it to do that. While my wife was recovering from an operation, I brought her two wrapped gift boxes and insisted she open the small one first. it contained a ceramic “Precious Moments” statue. I should point out that Pepper Mill _loathes_ Precious Moments items. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Open the other one,” i replied. It contained a hammer. As soon as she could, she got up, took the statue outside, and smashed it to bits. then she smashed the bits. And the secondary bits, until she’d reduced it to powder. Nowadays, Precious Moments statues can be collector’s items, so that she might have been better off keeping the damned thing. But it wouldn’t have been as cathartic. (Although I note that someone is selling a set of 21 “original issue” Precious Moments statues for $2000 on ebay: > **[The original 21 discontinued Precious Moment Statues - RARE | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/304732063749?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=304732063749&targetid=2299003535955&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9001883&poi=&campaignid=21214315381&mkgroupid=161363866036&rlsatarget=pla-2299003535955&abcId=9407526&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyp-Y26XtiAMV0Uf_AR0qSgQMEAQYCCABEgIxbvD_BwE)** > > The original 21 discontinued Precious Moment Statues.  No defects, perfectly stored/protected for years. Research online and you will see the rareness of a complete set. For instance, #17 free puppies, if sold separately can range from... ) The next time she was ill I got her a Precious Moments “get well” card. And a book of matches. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8148 "2024-10-01T13:44:25Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > It’s certainly a unique idea that his book not being accurate interfered with his run for political office ( I think that’s what he’s suggesting)? Wow, what happened to the free market economy? He wrote a book based on research he used to get a degree. Other scholars looking at his work have found errors and mistakes, and they point them out. Apparently being a rabid Trump supporter worked against him. And pointing out his shoddy research didn’t help him. So now it’s an international conspiracy. What I don’t get is this is a civil suit, right? So how do RICO statutes come into play? Isn’t RICO about _criminal_ prosecuton? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8149 "2024-10-01T14:21:02Z")
He’s a victim. They’re all victims. It’s a conspiracy. Don’t you see. /pathetic ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8150 "2024-10-01T15:07:20Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > What I don’t get is this is a civil suit, right? So how do RICO statutes come into play? Isn’t RICO about _criminal_ prosecuton? > **[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act)** > > The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. > RICO was enacted by Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 91–452, 84 Stat. 922, enacted October 15, 1970), and is codified at 18 U.S.C. ch. 96 as 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961–1968. > This article primarily covers the fede... > ### Civil suits > > RICO also permits a private individual “damaged in his business or property” by a “racketeer” to file a [civil suit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_suit). The plaintiff must prove the existence of an “enterprise.” The defendant(s) are not the enterprise; in other words, the defendant(s) and the enterprise are not one and the same.[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act?useskin=vector#cite_note-7) > > A civil RICO action can be filed in state or [federal court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_judiciary_of_the_United_States).[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act?useskin=vector#cite_note-8) > > Both the criminal and the civil components allow the recovery of [treble damages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treble_damages) (triple the amount of actual/compensatory damages) > ### Civil provisions > > The RICO statute contains a provision that allows for the commencement of a [civil action](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_action) by a private party to recover damages sustained as a result of the commission of a RICO predicate offense ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8151 "2024-10-01T16:21:13Z")
And how exactly does he think that US civil law and/or RICO statutes are going to apply to the University of New Brunswick? I guarantee that the university lawyers are having a giggle right now. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8152 "2024-10-01T18:27:30Z")
I think the idea is that while it might be ok for an individual professor to pan his book, these professors conspired together specifically to destroy him, for … reasons I guess. A couple of things I found interesting from the article. His law suit doesn’t actually specify what defamatory statements the professors made because “does not have to recite the defamation word for word, becoming his own distributor of what is false, in order to well plead a defamation claim.” Good luck with that. I’m no lawyer, but it is my understanding that if you want to sue somebody you actually have to say what they did. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8153 "2024-10-01T18:56:29Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > It would surprise me if it were anything other than a forgery on a cheap guitar. There was no signature (on the guitar at least), it was not a Taylor Swift guitar at all. This article has something of an explanation. > **[The ‘Taylor Swift’ Guitar Smashed by Man After Paying $4,000 for It Was Not...](https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/man-smashes-taylor-swift-guitar-video-1236161574/)** > > A video of a man destroying a 'Taylor Swift' guitar as a Texas charity event has gone viral — but the guitar was not autographed by Swift. > But contrary to media reports, the guitar the man destroyed had not been signed by Swift — and was not a certified official guitar used by the singer, a source close to her merch company confirmed to _Variety_. The organization that held the auction, the Ellis County WildGame Dinner, presented the guitar with a signed CD insert but the guitar itself was not signed. So the guitar was just a regular guitar and it came with a signed Taylor Swift CD insert. That was the part that was signed. The guitar was just part of the package. Smashing the guitar was a symbolic act of dumb rage. It seems like this was just something that got mixed up in the reporting, and/or they fudged the facts to make it seem like a better story. (Right wing guy buys signed Taylor Swift guitar to smash it in protest!) I mean, the reality isn’t really any better than the initial reporting; this guy spent thousands of dollars for the right to smash a guitar in a public tantrum. It’s just that the details are not as some had reported them. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8154 "2024-10-01T19:07:37Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I think the idea is that while it might be ok for an individual professor to pan his book, these professors conspired together specifically to destroy him, for … reasons I guess. I’m still unclear on how he thinks an American civil suit will apply to a Canadian public university. I note that the University lawyers have said that Mastriano, “does not assert precisely what he contends were false and defamatory about the statements” they are purported to have made, and then continued by calling the lawsuit “vague, conclusory and utterly incomprehensible.” I bet they enjoyed writing this. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8155 "2024-10-01T19:12:51Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > then continued by calling the lawsuit “vague, conclusory and utterly incomprehensible.” He should sue them for defamation. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8156 "2024-10-01T20:52:26Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So the guitar was just a regular guitar and it came with a signed Taylor Swift CD insert. That was the part that was signed. The guitar was just part of the package. Smashing the guitar was a symbolic act of dumb rage. It seems like this was just something that got mixed up in the reporting, and/or they fudged the facts to make it seem like a better story. (Right wing guy buys signed Taylor Swift guitar to smash it in protest!) And apparently what was auctioned was the right to make a stupid protest destruction. So it wasn’t one man going off, it was a collective event that was performative for the crowd of like- minded people. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8157 "2024-10-01T20:55:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The RICO statute contains a provision that allows for the commencement of a [civil action](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_action) by a private party to recover damages sustained as a result of the commission of a RICO predicate offense Huh, interesting. But I have to ask, if there is a large criminal enterprise out to get you, is suing then for triple damages safe? “Hey Corleone Family, you shot up my car when you went after that other mob guy. Pay me.” Rat-a-tat-tat! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8158 "2024-10-01T21:19:37Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > Every mailer delivered shrinks the Trump-campaign war chest. > > Well, now I don’t feel _quite_ so bad about getting them. Even though on the way back to the house I tear them up and toss them into the outside recycling bin so they don’t pollute my house. I use them for the bottom of the bird cage, to collect used parrot food. Saves me having to subscribe to a newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8159 "2024-10-01T21:21:55Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I’m still unclear on how he thinks an American civil suit will apply to a Canadian public university. Easy. He files suit in a Pennsylvania court, naming the UNB as a defendant. The UNB is served with the filed Complaint (“Statement of Claim” in Canadian legal parlance), and now must draft and file an Answer (“Statement of Defense”) in that Pennsylvania court. Of course, what the UNB would actually do is retain a Pennsylvania law firm to represent it in that Pennsylvania court. It’s the Pennsylvania law firm that would draft and file the UNB’s Answer. Cross-border, indeed, international, lawsuits happen all the time. Nothing unusual there. In the end, the court will sort everything out. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588/8160 "2024-10-01T21:58:12Z")
Hopefully they have more money than he does. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588.md?page=407) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-3/986588.md?page=409)