# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/421 "2025-03-25T21:56:59Z")
I thought we were socialists today? It’s an odd-numbered day (or is the calendar Soros sent me wrong?). ---
**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:** [March 25, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/422 "2025-03-25T22:01:12Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Here is a press release but with no video Here’s the audio (there’s no video) clip: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=false&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F2062429036&show_artwork=true&maxheight=166 ---
**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:** [March 25, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/423 "2025-03-25T22:11:44Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Here’s the audio (there’s no video) clip: You’re right, it was actually a very nice exchange. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/424 "2025-03-26T03:02:20Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > that they no longer give a shit for the people who put them in office Oh, they never cared. They’ve just stopped pretending. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/425 "2025-03-26T14:47:48Z")
More censorship from Texassholes. Is “The Catcher In The Rye” really so terrible for a kid to read? And the unending drip-drip-drip busybody bullshit just tires me out. Can’t trust those librarians! > **[Texas bill threatens jail time for teaching books like “The Catcher in the Rye”](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/texas-bill-prison-teachers-librarians-books-sexual-profane-content-ban/)** > > It's a pretty "crummy" situation, as Holden Caulfield might say. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/426 "2025-03-27T01:33:21Z")
The governor of Utah has signed into law a bill which specifically makes it a crime to engage in Satanic ritual abuse, a phenomenon which; 1. Does not exist 2. Was completely discredited over 30 years ago 3. DOES NOT EXIST > **[HB0066](https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0066.html)** > **[Jonathon Booth (@jboothhistory.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/jboothhistory.bsky.social/post/3llcmsexwa22h)** > > Yesterday, Utah's governor Spencer Cox signed a bill outlawing "ritual abuse." This is the first time in approximately 30 years that a state has outlawed "ritual abuse" – five other states did so at height of the Satanic Panic.... No word on whether this will have any effect of the practice of allowing old men in white robes with magical talismans on them to lead preteen children into a temple where outsiders are forbidden and then force their heads underwater multiple times while chanting the names of dead people. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/427 "2025-03-27T01:38:28Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Is “The Catcher In The Rye” really so terrible for a kid to read? Maybe they’re afraid it will inspire an [assassination attempt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye_in_popular_culture#Shootings) on a government official. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/428 "2025-03-27T03:06:13Z")
So, um, is regular ritual abuse still legal? Asking for a friend. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/429 "2025-03-27T04:30:07Z")
Welp, no wonder Andrew Tate flew back to Romania - it only took him about two weeks stateside to commit another sex crime. > **[Andrew Tate accused of violently attacking girlfriend during sex](https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/03/26/andrew-tate-girlfriend-bri-stern-sexual-assault/)** > > Bri Stern has reportedly filed a sexual assault report linked to the alleged incident, in which she claims Tate violently choked her while they were having sex. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/430 "2025-03-27T12:54:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The governor of Utah has signed into law a bill which specifically makes it a crime to engage in Satanic ritual abuse, a phenomenon which; What are their thoughts on D&D? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/431 "2025-03-27T13:49:39Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > More censorship from Texassholes. Is “The Catcher In The Rye” really so terrible for a kid to read? And the unending drip-drip-drip busybody bullshit just tires me out. Can’t trust those librarians! Jesus, these friggin Christofascists are really pissing me off. Time to undo the last 50 years of progress in schools. Prayer time, mandatory Bible, ten commandments - I’m sure it’s the same assholes crying about liberal big government getting in their lives and personal choices. From the article > [@](#): > > [SB 12](https://substack.com/redirect/a80ad1b6-e2d0-487a-9e81-2a182a9f2f7a?j=eyJ1IjoiazkydXEifQ.5t35j0pz5-HmCWo6_JlGzHF0NxY7mieHjTqMAAa_Mck) bans Texas schools from teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation; developing policies or training about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and considering diversity in hiring decisions. One [lawmaker](https://substack.com/redirect/3246e94a-6f95-4299-9588-439ea05c45c7?j=eyJ1IjoiazkydXEifQ.5t35j0pz5-HmCWo6_JlGzHF0NxY7mieHjTqMAAa_Mck) said this bill would prevent taxpayer money from being spent to advance “political activism and political agendas.” The irony burns with the heat of a thousand suns. Saying that with a straight face - that bill (and all the others in works) are _entirely_ political activism and a political agenda. Fucking moron doesn’t know the meaning of the words he’s using. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/432 "2025-03-27T14:02:47Z")
Ayup. They’re trying to get a toehold for their little Caliphates in increasing numbers in Oklahoma, Texas, and other areas where Christian Fundamentalists are taking control of school boards. Teaching kids how to critically evaluate information and ask good questions IS inherently, inarguably, and axiomatically _better_ than teaching them to be dogmatic, ideological, and cognitively rigid. It’s just that … what I’m describing as the “better” path is what the RW called “liberal indoctrination.” It also has a strong tendency to erode their voter base over time. And we can’t have that, now can we? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/433 "2025-03-27T14:17:58Z")
Incidentally, has anybody noticed that _health_ is now a Federal (ie, nationwide) American priority… [**HHS Announces Transformation to Make America Healthy Again**](https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/hhs-restructuring-doge.html) But education no longer is? > **Long, but classic, George Carlin rant on the subject** > > “But there’s a reason. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for this, there’s a reason education sucks, and it’s the same reason that it will never, ever, ever be fixed. It’s never gonna get any better. Don’t look for it. Be happy with what you got. Because the owners of this country don’t want that. I’m talking about the real owners now, the real owners, the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the senate, the congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying, lobbying, to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want: They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. Thats against their interests. Thats right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table to figure out how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don’t want that. You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers. People who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork, and just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you, sooner or later, 'cause they own this fucking place. It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it. You and I are not in the big club. And by the way, it’s the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long beating you over the head in their media telling you what to believe, what to think and what to buy. The table is tilted folks. The game is rigged, and nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. Good honest hard-working people – white collar, blue collar, it doesn’t matter what color shirt you have on – good honest hard-working people continue – these are people of modest means – continue to elect these rich cocksuckers who don’t give a fuck about them. They don’t give a fuck about you. They don’t give a fuck about you. They don’t care about you at all – at all – at all. And nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. That’s what the owners count on; the fact that Americans will probably remain willfully ignorant of the big red, white and blue dick that’s being jammed up their assholes everyday. Because the owners of this country know the truth: it’s called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” ---
**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:** [March 27, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/434 "2025-03-27T15:29:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Welp, no wonder Andrew Tate flew back to Romania - it only took him about two weeks stateside to commit another sex crime. It occurs to me that Andrew Tate looks just like the “I have been silenced” web comic guy. [![](https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25083313849836.jpg?w=1080) ](https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25083313849836.jpg?w=1080) [![](https://i1.wp.com/leftycartoons.visionmule.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/08/silenced.png) ](https://i1.wp.com/leftycartoons.visionmule.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/08/silenced.png) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/435 "2025-03-27T19:00:57Z")
Susan Collins has advanced beyond merely being concerned and has written a strongly-worded letter. > **['You're not following the law': GOP senator joins top Dem in challenge to...](https://www.rawstory.com/susan-collins-2671616470/?utm_source=superhead)** > > Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) signed onto a letter with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray (WA) protesting a key decision by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought about the continuing resolution passed to avert a government shutdown on March 14.... ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/436 "2025-03-27T19:24:17Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > the practice of allowing old men in white robes with magical talismans on them to lead preteen children into a temple where outsiders are forbidden and then force their heads underwater multiple times while chanting the names of dead people. Took me a minute to catch what you were suggesting, but yeah, 45 years ago I would have been one of those teens. Creepy af! ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/437 "2025-03-27T20:06:38Z")
> [@Maus\_Magill](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > The governor of Utah has signed into law a bill which specifically makes it a crime to engage in Satanic ritual abuse, a phenomenon which; > > What are their thoughts on D&D? Allowable, but they must view a [“Cautionary Tale” about the dangers](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084314/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) featuring Tom Hanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/438 "2025-03-27T21:13:54Z")
(Grips sides of head) MONSTER!!! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/439 "2025-03-28T01:15:47Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Susan Collins has advanced beyond merely being concerned and has written a strongly-worded letter Positively choleric.. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/440 "2025-03-28T14:42:37Z")
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