# 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:** 1390
**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:** [March 8, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27782 "2016-03-08T18:28:38Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Seriously, though-the jackass isn’t even talking about _chemical_ castration to supposedly subdue impulses. He wants to permanently physically mutilate them as a punishment. Even if this is passed, would it stand up constitutionally? Perhaps we can find some lesson in ancient history? Would judiciously applied policy have, for instance, foiled the Sack of Rome? ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27783 "2016-03-08T18:33:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Seriously, though-the jackass isn’t even talking about _chemical_ castration to supposedly subdue impulses. He wants to permanently physically mutilate them as a punishment. Even if this is passed, would it stand up constitutionally? Per this entry from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution) (need to scroll down). > [@](#): > > In\*\* Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972)\*\*, Justice Brennan wrote, “There are, then, four principles by which we may determine whether a particular punishment is ‘cruel and unusual’.” > The “essential predicate” is “that a punishment must not by its severity be degrading to human dignity,” especially torture. > “A severe punishment that is obviously inflicted in wholly arbitrary fashion.” > “A severe punishment that is clearly and totally rejected throughout society.” > “A severe punishment that is patently unnecessary.” I’m no lawyer, but wound venture that Steve Hurst’s (R-Medieval Torture Revival) bill would likely violate all four of the above of the principles. Here’s my latest entry into the lexicon of right-wing batshittery for folks who enjoy the act of physical castration: “Hursting your balls.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27784 "2016-03-08T18:39:25Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Perhaps we can find some lesson in ancient history? Would judiciously applied policy have, for instance, foiled the Sack of Rome? Or burnt the topless towers of Ilium? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27785 "2016-03-08T18:39:49Z")
His HB 365 applies to females, btw. That teacher who has sex with her student? He would have her ovaries removed against her will. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27786 "2016-03-08T18:40:02Z")
Enough with the puns! It’s a punishment so horrible it’s like it was invented by the Castrato Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27787 "2016-03-08T18:46:54Z")
[Kentucky’s dipshit Governor](http://theslot.jezebel.com/kentuckys-dipshit-governor-tries-to-prove-that-dems-are-1763500463) made a video yesterday morning in which he walked through our empty House chamber, calling out the legislature for not being there working on his (disastrous) budget. Trouble is, the chamber was empty because they have committee meetings all day on Monday and don’t convene as a whole until 4PM. Had he strolled over to the Capitol Annex where the committee rooms are, he’d have found them there doing their jobs. It’s gonna be a long four years. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27788 "2016-03-08T18:56:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > His HB 365 applies to females, btw. That teacher who has sex with her student? He would have her ovaries removed against her will. Hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27789 "2016-03-08T18:59:07Z")
I see what you did there. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27790 "2016-03-08T19:12:22Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Enough with the puns! It’s a punishment so horrible it’s like it was invented by the Castrato Brothers. What, is this not the **Stupid Repunlican idea of the day** thread? Damn. Now I have to dig that one up. btw, “castrati” were very different from eunuchs: they were nutted _before_ puberty, to keep their voices unchanged; which also subverted their pituitary glands, so they never stopped growing ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27791 "2016-03-08T19:38:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Enough with the puns! It’s a punishment so horrible it’s like it was invented by the Castrato Brothers. I believe that’s The **Flying** Castrato Brothers, if memory serves. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27792 "2016-03-08T19:41:55Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I believe that’s The **Flying** Castrato Brothers, if memory serves. Certainly not the _Swinging_ Castrato Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27793 "2016-03-08T21:38:32Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > btw, “castrati” were very different from eunuchs: they were nutted _before_ puberty . . . Not different, but a subset. And prepubescent castration was, AIUI, typical for Chinese imperial eunuchs, ancient Persian boy-concubines, etc. Dunno about Ottoman harem eunuchs. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27794 "2016-03-08T22:13:04Z")
The National Republican Senatorial Committee tweeted that U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) “has a sad record of not standing up for our veterans.” For those who don’t know, Duckworth is a veteran :dubious: who lost her legs in the service. :eek: [Article.](http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/03/08/republican-senatorial-committee-tweets-tammy-duckworth-has-sad-record-of-not-standing-up-for-our-veterans/) [Another article.](http://time.com/4251633/tammy-duckworth-nrsc-tweet/) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27795 "2016-03-08T22:15:08Z")
[From the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s official Twitter account](http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/03/08/republican-senatorial-committee-tweets-tammy-duckworth-has-sad-record-of-not-standing-up-for-our-veterans/): [QUOTE=GOP Twit] Tammy Duckworth has a sad record of not standing up for our veterans. [/QUOTE] In case anyone is unfamiliar with the relevant context: > [@](#): > > Duckworth lost both of her legs in November 2004 while serving in Iraq when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. EDIT: Ninja’d. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27796 "2016-03-08T22:24:01Z")
Well, _have_ you ever seen her stand up? ---
**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:** [March 8, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27797 "2016-03-08T22:29:36Z")
Well, sure, injuries sustained while serving the country don’t count if you’re a Democrat. Just ask Max Cleland. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27798 "2016-03-08T22:36:17Z")
[Donald Trump is “honored”](http://mediamatters.org/research/2016/03/08/donald-trump-great-honor-to-be-endorsed-by-sand/209076) to be endorsed by a Sandy Hook “truther” conspiracy theorist. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27799 "2016-03-08T23:15:17Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > [Donald Trump is “honored”](http://mediamatters.org/research/2016/03/08/donald-trump-great-honor-to-be-endorsed-by-sand/209076) to be endorsed by a Sandy Hook “truther” conspiracy theorist. Not too surprising, he still hasn’t tried to disavow Alex Jones. David Duke is sane by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27800 "2016-03-08T23:43:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, _have_ you ever seen her stand up? I have! Twice! Once in DC, and once in Springfield, IL. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/27801 "2016-03-09T00:37:43Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > I have! Twice! > > Once in DC, and once in Springfield, IL. It’s [who Ms. Duckworth stands up _with_](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-elect-barack-obama-and-gulf-war-veteran-tammy-news-photo/83648035) (in full-hearted defense of “our veterans”) that makes the Republican Senatorial Committee so sad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1389) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1391)