# 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:** 269
**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:** [August 5, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5361 "2026-08-05T21:42:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have _no_ idea how things work in the military, but I can imagine that the service members might need to petition for a hardship discharge. What’s that going to do for staffing levels? Staffing levels will suffer—but that’s okay because virtually _none_ of those who will need the hardship discharge will be blue-eyed blonds. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5362 "2026-08-05T21:49:58Z")
Surely no one seriously thinks they can limit the military to only white people (let alone blue-eyed blond cisgender straight males) and staff it appropriately? My understanding is that part of the reason for DEI policies was to make sure that all sorts of people feel welcome in your school, university, private employer or government branch, because we need all sorts, just to hit staffing levels. (I think there’s also a real benefit to having a mixture of people from various backgrounds.) ---
**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:** [August 5, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5363 "2026-08-05T21:56:20Z")
Well, you’re right, of course. But the right-wing delusion is that if we can force blue-eyed blonde females to continuously pump out babies, within a generation the entire continent will be ‘whites only.’ I believe some Germans back in the 1930s had a similar idea. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5364 "2026-08-06T14:40:17Z")
So Fauci’s being held in contempt, specifically, for exercising his 5th amendment rights. > **[Dr. Anthony Fauci Held in Contempt of Congress After Senate Committee Vote](https://www.tmz.com/2026/08/06/anthony-fauci-held-in-contempt/)** > > Dr. Anthony Fauci's Capitol Hill headaches are piling up ... the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to hold him in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions last week -- pleading the Fifth 111 times. I hope that when the left is able, they return the favor with the republicans that have done the same thing. Trump’s done it, I think Boebert and Greene have done and I’m sure plenty of others as well. But that’s probably a pipe dream, even if there wasn’t a statute of limitations issue by then, it seems safe to assume it won’t happen. However, this could throw a wrench in things: > The Kentucky Republican says Fauci can’t hide behind the Fifth because former President Joe Biden gave him a broad preemptive pardon before leaving office in 2025. It’ll be interesting to see if this works for him… > Fauci and his attorneys see it differently … arguing answering questions could still expose him to legal jeopardy. ETA Trump 440 times Boebert 111 times Greene 17 times ---
**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:** [August 6, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5365 "2026-08-06T16:28:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Fauci and his attorneys see it differently … arguing answering questions could still expose him to legal jeopardy. Yup, this was an attempt at a perjury trap and you can know this was the intent because Congress did not offer a pardoned person, hehe, immunity. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5366 "2026-08-06T17:04:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Miller went on CNN today to try and clear his name. > > It didn’t go well. What a world we live in. 🎶Your mother left me here to mind you Now I’m doing what I want to Fiddling about Fiddling about Fiddle about! Down with the bedclothes Up with the nightshirt! Fiddle about Fiddle about Fiddle about ! 🎶 ([_Tommy_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_(The_Who_album)#Track_listing) for those who want to follow along at home) ---
**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:** [August 6, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5367 "2026-08-06T19:58:51Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Here’s something wonderfully repugnant – they want to send “bounty hunters” out to collect fines _from people who have already been deported from the US_ If they try to track them down in-person, I’m sure they’ll find **themselves** deported. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5368 "2026-08-07T14:26:47Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Yup, this was an attempt at a perjury trap and you can know this was the intent because Congress did not offer a pardoned person, hehe, immunity. That, and Rand Paul has been ranting about putting Fauci in prison for years now. Exactly what will they charge him with, if he’s been pardoned? Well, obviously, they’ll create some new pretext, by claiming that he lied about something just because he said something that they disagree with, or because he made some inconsequential misstatement. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5369 "2026-08-08T00:10:10Z")
Former NBA player Enes Carter says he’s entering the 2027 WNBA draft because har har har what’s the definition of woman. > **[MAGA drools as right-wing former NBA star declares for WNBA draft​](https://www.rawstory.com/enes-kanter/)** > > Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom announced Friday that he is declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, a stunt critics dismissed as political theater aimed at inflaming the debate over transgender athletes in women's basketball.In a video posted to X,... ---
**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:** [August 8, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5370 "2026-08-08T00:32:41Z")
Correction: “says she’s entering”. If she wants to be a woman, then let’s address her as such. We’ll see how long she’s willing to put up with it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5371 "2026-08-08T00:32:58Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Enes Carter It’s Kanter. Kanter Freedom, because, FREEDOM! Well, he last played in the league 4 years ago, averaging 11 minutes, 3 ppg, and 50% FG. I’m not sure he’s good enough to play in the WNBA. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5372 "2026-08-08T01:41:10Z")
Kanter Freedom is 36. When Brian Scalabrine was 35, one year out of the NBA and having averaged 4.4 minutes, 1.1 ppg and 46.7% FG, he took on four challengers in the “Scallenge” for a radio show publicity stunt. Scalabrine smoked the challengers by an aggregate score of 44-6, including one player who had spend the previous year mostly warming the bench for Syracuse’s basketball team (he managed to get 3 points vs. 11 for Scalabrine). At the highest level, the gulf between the best 500 or so basketball players in the world (call it 1000 for Kanter Freedom) and the rest of us is pretty massive. And the gulf between even the best women players and the best men players, especially at sports that emphasize upper-body strength and quick bursts of energy, is also pretty massive\*. Kanter doesn’t seem to have had much in the way of chronic injuries that would impair his ability to get up and down the court, though he(she?) probably wouldn’t have the energy level of your typical WNBA player. But would he(she?) be able to play productive minutes as a center? Almost certainly. \* Women in the ultraendurance sports (walking, running, swimming) can compete on par with men, but it takes some extremely prodigious distances for that to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5373 "2026-08-08T15:47:03Z")
[“Let them eat ~~cake~~ ramen!”](https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/why-maga-rep-eat-ramen-120800846.html) (The formatting is from the link.) > [@](#): > > **Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican from the Houston area, jumped into an online debate over rising food prices after a college student complained that a burrito shouldn’t cost $20.** The conversation had already become a mini conservative feud, with commentator Matt Walsh arguing that the cost of everyday goods had become a serious political issue and Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet sharing the student’s complaint. > > Crenshaw took a very different approach. [In a post on X](https://x.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/2085178337408782349), he told people complaining about prices to **“stop whining, get a job, eat Ramen”** , recalling his own college days of living on a budget with roommates. He also argued that businesses, rather than consumers, determine prices in a market economy. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5374 "2026-08-08T16:13:08Z")
Clark, who serves as vice president of litigation at the Oversight believes that the misspelling of Oxford as the name of an investigation into Trump’s Russian ties proves that the investigation was nefarious. > **[FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe code name ignites suspicion something...](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-clever-trump-russia-probe-codename-ignites-suspicion-something-deeper-play)** > > Jeff Clark alleges the FBI deliberately misspelled its Trump-Russia probe name "Oxferd C0mma," using a zero to foil FOIA requests and hide records. > “They called it OXFERD C0MMA (note the zero for the second ‘o’ and the misspelling of the University). The FBI managers thought this was clever. They imagined themselves as Blofeld in a James Bond movie deviously defeating the Freedom of Information Act,” Clark added, referring to the James Bond supervillain. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5375 "2026-08-08T20:46:25Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > “…alleges the FBI deliberately misspelled its Trump-Russia probe name “Oxferd C0mma,” using a zero **to foil FOIA requests and hide records**.” > [Declassified FBI memos reveal oddly named ‘Oxferd Comma’ Trump probe | Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-clever-trump-russia-probe-codename-ignites-suspicion-something-deeper-play) It’s JUST like them, you have to admit. (my bolding) ---
**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:** [August 8, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5376 "2026-08-08T23:44:47Z")
Wouldn’t you have to know the code name of the investigation to search it, no matter what they called it? Isn’t the names being obscure the whole point of such things? The only reason we ever used “Overlord” or “Market Garden” is because people had to actually be able to pronounce it. Security wise, “aefyghQ÷×=” would have been just as effective. If you know it, you know it, and if you don’t, it doesn’t matter how it’s spelled. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5377 "2026-08-09T04:49:48Z")
That was my thinking as well. If anything the unusual spelling would make it easier to find since it wouldn’t be diluted by any documents related to Oxford. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5378 "2026-08-09T05:27:31Z")
Chuck Grassley, who is 92 and types like a 13-year-old using AOL in 1998, would like to express his condolences over the passing of (checks notes) his old vacuum cleaner. > ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5379 "2026-08-09T05:49:50Z")
He might possibly believe he _is_ thirteen. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5380 "2026-08-09T08:38:41Z")
Whose turn is it to do the “that sucks” joke ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=268) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=270)