# 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:** 222
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4421 "2026-05-16T09:31:43Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > …_Dogma_? Oh, Lawd no, you’re going to hell just for thinking of watching anything like that Kevin Smith would probably agree with you. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DWmlFDYjVV4/hqdefault.jpg "Kevin+Smith+Protests+Dogma\_xvid.avi") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWmlFDYjVV4&t=25) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4422 "2026-05-16T11:52:22Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > For what? For locking a bunch of kids inside of a building. That’s a major fire code violation, if nothing else. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4423 "2026-05-16T12:14:18Z")
I mean, I get where you’re coming from, but, to be fair, preventing a bunch of 12-14 year old kids from leaving school property during the school day is kinda part of his job. And, let’s be honest, it’s not a fire code violation, let alone ‘a major’ one. No more than telling kids they can’t go outside for recess today. It’s not like they chained the doors shut, they just had teachers blocking them. I’m confident the teachers would be able to move out of the way if the fire alarm went off. To be clear, I’m not in any way defending him, I’m just saying I don’t believe he did anything that rises to the level of a criminal offense. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4424 "2026-05-16T12:25:03Z")
Ah, I interpreted the phrase “locked down” to mean actual locks. Which would in fact be a major fire code violation. That’s how you get things like the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4425 "2026-05-16T13:56:54Z")
Yeah, the Principal should have held an impromptu assembly. Let the students voice their grievances. That would though turn into a 1st Amendment discussion. And I’m sure the PTB where not prepared for that. Nor can they defend the actions of resricting the right to free speech. I donno. I would have let the students protest. Now there is just another shit show to take care of. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4426 "2026-05-16T13:58:52Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > How many of the people whose knickers got knotted over _The Passion of the Christ_ or _The Satanic Verses_ To be fair to MAGA idiots, I, as a reasonably intelligent, well read person - I was top of class in English literature at school - found Rushdie almost impenetrable. As hard to read as Umberto Eco, and I say this as someone who was forced to study James Joyce, a man who never used one word when seven would do. I’m not religious, so I skipped the Passion. In any case, I am far from impressed with Mel Gibson as an actor, so I suspect I might be disappointed with him as a director. In any case, “Jesus Christ, Superstar” tells the story well enough for me. So I stand with MAGA on this one - and only one - issue they will probably never know they “should be” against, because no one ever told them to be. Not that I am as extreme as MAGA, I think all three authors should be in libraries and classrooms. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4427 "2026-05-16T14:21:54Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > someone who was forced to study James Joyce, a man who never used one word when seven would do. Try _Finnegans Wake_ - he uses one word when seventeen would do! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4428 "2026-05-16T16:43:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ah, I interpreted the phrase “locked down” to mean actual locks. Which would in fact be a major fire code violation. That’s how you get things like the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. At the schools I’m familiar with, a lockdown means there’s no entry nor exit from the school grounds, enforced by the gates being locked. There’s plenty of outside safe areas, like the football and baseball fields, for students and staff to congregate during a lockdown. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4429 "2026-05-16T17:02:16Z")
But you did actually read Rushdie (however reluctantly), and object to him on literary rather than moral grounds. The people I’m referring to condemn him as a blasphemer without any knowledge of his work, because an angry old man in a turban said they should do so. Likewise with ~~_Passion_~~ _Last Temptation_: the knicker-knotters wouldn’t be caught dead seeing the movie, but someone in a pulpit — whose job quite likely depends on keeping his flock fired up — said it was the work of the Devil and they must stop anyone from seeing it. @Alessan, admittedly there have been instances where a work of art has been roundly condemned on grounds that turned out to be spurious. But I would submit that there’s a difference between the items cited above (one incorrectly) and a work of monstrous evil, written by a monstrously evil man, which is tied to one of the greatest calamities in human history. In that case, its history justifies the near-universal\* condemnation without knowing anything more about it. \* Except for someone who would keep it on his nightstand and use it as inspiration for middle-of-the night fulminations. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4430 "2026-05-16T17:08:25Z")
With Rushdie, the blame falls squarely on his own shoulders. When you call your works Satanic, it’s perfectly reasonable for people who haven’t read them to conclude that they’re Satanic. If you don’t actually mean Satanic, don’t say that. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4431 "2026-05-16T17:32:32Z")
The _Satanic Verses_ refers to something specific in Islam. > **[The Satanic Verses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses)** > > The Satanic Verses is the fourth novel from the Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the Satanic Verses, a group of Quranic verses about three pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Al-Uzza, and Manāt. The part of the story that deals with the satanic ver... > **[Satanic Verses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_Verses)** > > The Satanic Verses are words of "Satanic suggestion", which the Islamic prophet Muhammad by some accounts mistook for divine revelation in an alleged incident. The first use of the expression in English is attributed to Sir William Muir in 1858. The mere historicity of this incident is highly debated and rejected by many. > According to early prophetic biographies of Muhammad by al-Waqidi, Ibn Sa'd and the tafsir of al-Tabari, Muhammad was manipulated by Satan (Iblis) to praise the three chief p... This is like telling someone that wrote a book about Laplace’s or Maxwell’s demon that they should have chosen a different title if they did not want ~~idiots~~ people to think the book is about “actual” demons. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4432 "2026-05-16T17:45:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > With Rushdie, the blame falls squarely on his own shoulders. Did the author choose the title in this instance? It’s not unusual for the publisher to choose. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4433 "2026-05-16T19:19:31Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > found Rushdie almost impenetrable. I absolutely loved _Midnight’s Children_, but I started _The Satanic Verses_ and stopped after a few chapters. I kept meaning to get back to it, but had no desire to. So I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4434 "2026-05-16T19:22:58Z")
I’ve read the Satanic Verses. I believe the objectionable part (to Muslims) was flashbacks in the narrative where it showed that parts of the Koran were actually written by a scribe who took down Mohammed’s words and edited them when he thought they were too off-the-wall. Also the inclusion of the pagan goddesses as a sort of political compromise to avoid bloodshed with some group they were trying to conquer. This all belies the idea that the Koran is the actual word of Allah-it’s just the words of a few different men. That’s the heretical part as I understand it (someone tell me if I’m wrong). The overall story though, yeah, it’s dense, convoluted and confusing. Some of it is about the experience of Indian expatriots in Britain. Some of it is a commentary on the concepts of angels and demons throughout centuries. And a lot of secondary stories start and then just sort of peter out without conclusion which makes me think the editors should have been a little more vocal. The main story could have been told in about 400 less pages. I don’t think I’ll re-read it. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4435 "2026-05-16T22:44:32Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Try _Finnegans Wake_ - he uses one word when seventeen would do! Yeah, I attempted _Finnegans Wake_ once for about a half hour. Once. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4436 "2026-05-17T13:58:59Z")
News on the Trump phone: [![](https://i.imgur.com/i79pASI.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/i79pASI.png) Here’s the amazon phone they reference. It’s clearly different, but one of the articles mentioned it’s the same ‘based on the specs’. > **[Amazon.com: T-Mobile Revvl 7 Pro 5G Unlocked Smartphone, 256GB, Azurite Blue :...](https://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Revvl-Unlocked-Smartphone-Azurite/dp/B0DRLMLMVX)** > > Unlock the power of the Revvl 7 Pro T-Mobile Unlocked 256GB Blue smartphone. This sleek device boasts a massive 256GB of internal storage, ensuring you have ample space for your photos, videos, apps, and files. The vibrant blue color adds a touch of... IMO, it more closely matches this one, at least based on the exterior design. > **[Amazon.com: Motorola Moto G 5G | 2022 | 2-Day Battery | GSM Unlocked | Made for...](https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Unlocked-Motorola-Moonlight-Renewed/dp/B0BK5HRGXM)** > > 6.5” HD+ - Bright, fluid, expansive views – all comfortably handheld. 90Hz refresh - For smooth gaming, seamless scrolling, and reduced eye strain. Crisp, clear, loud - Enjoy high-quality audio output from two large stereo speakers. For deeper... I’m sure it’ll come with all kinds of bloatware, but I’d be more worried about any spyware it ships with. I wonder how many people that put deposits down on this phone have previously been anti-5G. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4437 "2026-05-17T14:15:59Z")
Chinese spyware _AND_ 5G! Exactly what every red-blooded flag-waving drooling MAGA moron wants! ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4438 "2026-05-17T19:43:12Z")
I forget - what does the Bible say about praying for golden ballrooms? > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mm2sd3dqpu2y)** > > checking in for a brief moment on the Rededicate 250 blasphemy fest and yep, it's beyond parody ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4439 "2026-05-17T21:29:01Z")
The administration held an all-day prayer event (nine hours long!) on the National Mall today. From the [official site](https://freedom250.org/celebration/rededicate-250-a-national-jubilee-of-prayer-praise-and-thanksgiving), > On Sunday, May 17, 2026, the National Mall will be the scene of a historic gathering as Americans of every background across the country prepare for the nation’s 250th birthday with Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God. From morning fellowship in front of the U.S. Capitol to an evening filled with music anchored at the main stage on 12th Street, Rededicate 250 will be rooted in giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history and asking for his guidance for the next 250. The site goes onto provide the “three pillars” > Three Pillars of the Day > > Pillar I — The Miracles that Made Us: A reflection on God’s providence throughout 250 years, honoring the faith that inspired America’s founders and has carried us forward in every generation since. > > Pillar II — The Miracles Still in Our Midst: Personal testimonies of God’s healing in our lives and in our land. > > Pillar III — A New Birth of Faith and Freedom: A collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom — and a unified moment of rededication asking for God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250. Despite the claim to be for “Americans of every background”, CNN [reported](https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/17/politics/national-mall-prayer-event) that the faith leaders were all evangelical Christians “except for one Orthodox rabbi and two conservative Catholic bishops.” (And obviously no acknowledgement of anyone else, including non-believers.) First Amendment? What’s that? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4440 "2026-05-17T21:30:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Despite the claim to be for “Americans of every background”, CNN [reported](https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/17/politics/national-mall-prayer-event) that the faith leaders were all evangelical Christians “except for one Orthodox rabbi and two conservative Catholic bishops.” (And obviously no acknowledgement of anyone else, including non-believers.) > > First Amendment? What’s that? Yep. Pics I’ve seen make this look like any and all white-supremacist rallies. I won’t claim that I know that every person there is a dedicated white supremacist, obviously. But I would bet that a lot of them are. Just as Jesus wants! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=221) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=223)