# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1044
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20862 "2015-04-07T15:53:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Anyone who attaches a webcam to his computer intends to use it sometimes, right? So this makes sense only if you think the NSA can see you through your webcam even when you are not using it, perhaps even when the computer is turned off. Does anybody really think that?! It is technically possible for someone like the NSA or a computer criminal to install malware on a laptop and operate the camera without your knowledge. There have been some demonstrations of ways to operate the webcam surreptitiously without activating the warning light, at least on some laptops ([cite](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/18/research-shows-how-macbook-webcams-can-spy-on-their-users-without-warning/)). So… if you are worried about the NSA or anyone else spying on you through your webcam, you might want to physically block the camera. This is not to say whether or not it’s reasonable to be worried about the NSA watching you through your webcam, only that it’s possible for them to do so if they really put their mind to it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20863 "2015-04-07T15:58:03Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Anyone who attaches a webcam to his computer intends to use it sometimes, right? Most laptops these days come with built in webcams. Mine has one, and I’ve never used it. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20864 "2015-04-07T15:58:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > So, you want a Post-It Note to run for president? Hmm, would probably do less damage than Rand Paul. I’m in! > > Vote Post-It in '16! Vote Post-It, for a candidate that always stays on-message! ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20865 "2015-04-07T16:02:35Z")
[The FBI apparently uses the webcam technique as well](http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/2013/12/06/352ba174-5397-11e3-9e2c-e1d01116fd98_story_2.html): > [@Washington Post](#): > > The FBI has been able to covertly activate a computer’s camera — without triggering the light that lets users know it is recording — for several years, and has used that technique mainly in terrorism cases or the most serious criminal investigations, said Marcus Thomas, former assistant director of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division in Quantico, now on the advisory board of Subsentio, a firm that helps telecommunications carriers comply with federal wiretap statutes. Now, the average Ron Paul supporter is probably not the target of that kind of surveillance, and a piece of electrical tape is a dandy way to counteract it anyway. But, anyway, in the service of being informative, there you go. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20866 "2015-04-07T16:02:58Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Anyone who attaches a webcam to his computer intends to use it sometimes, right? So this makes sense only if you think the NSA can see you through your webcam even when you are not using it, perhaps even when the computer is turned off. Does anybody really think that?! Not really that far fetched. > **[Hol-eeee Crap!! School Suspends Student...After Spying on Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=552725)** > > So this Pennsylvania school susepnded a studen for inappropriate behaviour…in his home…by spying on him with a webcam on a school owned laptop…that was remotely activated to spy on the kids at home. Yes, you read that right, the school is using the... Moving on to other devices, if I ever get a TV with a built in webcam and “always connected” I’ll cover it up. Also, stupid Republican ideas are stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20867 "2015-04-07T16:14:53Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Vote Post-It in '16! Now there’s an endorsement that’s going to stick to you. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20868 "2015-04-07T17:33:30Z")
Huh. Randy’s site is selling “[koozies](https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/fun-stuff/white-koozie-set-of-6.html)”. So that makes him a … ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20869 "2015-04-07T17:34:01Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Anyone who attaches a webcam to his computer intends to use it sometimes, right? So this makes sense only if you think the NSA can see you through your webcam even when you are not using it, perhaps even when the computer is turned off. Does anybody really think that?! You must have missed the news out of Pennsylvania a few years ago: [Robbins v. Lower Merion School District](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbins_v._Lower_Merion_School_District). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20870 "2015-04-07T17:39:25Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Most laptops these days come with built in webcams. Mine has one, and I’ve never used it. Maybe YOU haven’t. A bit of tinfoil solves the big-government-intrusiveness problem, though. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20871 "2015-04-07T17:43:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Maybe YOU haven’t. > > A bit of tinfoil solves the big-government-intrusiveness problem, though. Yes, for once it really does. ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20872 "2015-04-07T18:14:28Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Huh. Randy’s site is selling “[koozies](https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/fun-stuff/white-koozie-set-of-6.html)”. So that makes him a … Kooze Monger? ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20873 "2015-04-07T18:26:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _We’ve_ known it for years, but now they’ve proven it: [Republicans are delusional](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/04/ted-cruz-isnt-an-idiot-hes-delusional-and-thats-far-more-dangerous/). > > . And while “liberals do it to” might be tempting to say since we’re all human, there’s this: > [@](#): > > Indeed, there is research that suggests there is a vast difference between a liberal’s ability to accept a new take on the world than a conservative’s. To put it simply, part of what it means to be liberal is to be open-minded. That means liberals are open to information that might change a perception. In contrast, conservatives are defined as resisting change and as emotionally attaching more strongly to their beliefs. What we find with Tea Party politics, though, is a far more extremist version of Republican beliefs than we have ever seen before. Michael Grunwald of Time calls the new GOP an example of “reality-defying extremism and chronic obstructionism and borderline surrealism.” The ultimate conclusion to this is very pessimistic. If a very large portion of our population cannot deal with reality, we’re in deep doo doo in an increasingly complex world. I rather doubt this is just an American problem. It might explain why conservatives in Israel no longer see the seemingly reasonable idea of a two state solution as impossible, and the anti-immigrant parties in Western Europe. Of course only America has to deal with Faux News which has been polluting the political landscape here for a significantly long period now. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20874 "2015-04-07T18:49:25Z")
Desperately Seeking Supporters, [Paul’s campaign retweets an image of Aurora gunman James Holmes](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rand-paul-retweets-james-holmes-aurora-fake) showing that he too stands-with-randy. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20875 "2015-04-07T19:41:07Z")
[The new Kansas state budget prevents welfare recipients from going to movies, going to swimming pools which charge admission, or going to bars.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/04/06/kansas-wants-to-ban-welfare-recipients-from-seeing-movies-going-swimming-on-governments-dime/) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20876 "2015-04-07T21:48:41Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [The new Kansas state budget prevents welfare recipients from going to movies, going to swimming pools which charge admission, or going to bars.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/04/06/kansas-wants-to-ban-welfare-recipients-from-seeing-movies-going-swimming-on-governments-dime/) If they also included language preventing welfare recipients from giving money to a church or a minister I might be more willing to support this. Isn’t that a sort-of government subsidy to religion? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20877 "2015-04-07T21:52:39Z")
[Anti-choicers are trying to stop North Carolina medical schools from teaching abortion care.](http://www.salon.com/2015/04/07/anti_choicers_are_trying_to_stop_north_carolina_medical_schools_from_teaching_abortion_care/) > [@](#): > > The provision is being presented as an effort to limit taxpayer funding for abortion, but, as Think Progress reports, it could actually have devastating consequences for East Carolina University and the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, which are specifically targeted by the bill. UNC, in particular, boasts one of the nation’s top OB-GYN residencies and is home to the Ryan Program, an initiative to train doctors in pregnancy termination in order to combat the increasing shortage of abortion providers nationwide. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20878 "2015-04-07T22:13:44Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [The new Kansas state budget prevents welfare recipients from going to movies, going to swimming pools which charge admission, or going to bars.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/04/06/kansas-wants-to-ban-welfare-recipients-from-seeing-movies-going-swimming-on-governments-dime/) A limit of $25 per day ATM withdrawls? I don’t know about Kansas ATMs, but I can get either $20 or $40 from my ATM, but not $25. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20879 "2015-04-07T22:16:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Hm. [That is exactly how conspiracy theorists think.](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theorist#Denial) As I told a CT friend of mine once "if God himself came down from heaven and told you there was no conspiracy, your response would be “Wow, this goes even deeper than we thought!” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20880 "2015-04-07T22:31:35Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [The new Kansas state budget prevents welfare recipients from going to movies, going to swimming pools which charge admission, or going to bars.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/04/06/kansas-wants-to-ban-welfare-recipients-from-seeing-movies-going-swimming-on-governments-dime/) To be fair, they can still do those things, just not with government money. I am not opposed to this. That money should spent on necessities. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/20881 "2015-04-07T22:42:35Z")
Is Rand Paul advocating we illegally sell weapons to Iran? [QUOTE=Rand Paul] I envision a national defense that promotes, as Reagan put it, ‘peace through strength’. I believe in applying Ronald Reagan’s approach to foreign policy to the Iran issue. Successful negotiations with untrustworthy adversaries are only achieved from a position of strength. [/QUOTE] I think the last thing Republican’s should be mentioning when it concerns Iran is Reagan policy. How Iran was ‘handled’ under the Reagan administration doesn’t exactly inspire successful or trustworthy negotiations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1043) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1045)