# 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:** 1468
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29342 "2016-05-28T04:53:38Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Well, in the unlikely event that we could only save 40 people who were responsible for repopulating the human race, the most efficient approach would be 40 women and a lot of frozen genetic material. Now, wouldn’t that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as genetic material was concerned? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29343 "2016-05-28T05:10:29Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Well, in the unlikely event that we could only save 40 people who were responsible for repopulating the human race, the most efficient approach would be 40 women and a lot of frozen genetic material. So not your traditional family unit – more of a James Tiptree Jr. “Houston, Houston, Do You Read?” sort of thing. Before we figure how best to repopulate the human race from 40 people sent into space, we must ask ourselves : do we _really_ want to start this shitshow over someplace else ? I mean, if we end up skullfucking the Earth hard enough that we can’t live on it any more and our last hope is to try again on some other planet, I figure we probably shouldn’t get to. WE HAD **ONE** JOB ! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29344 "2016-05-28T05:41:46Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Now, wouldn’t that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as genetic material was concerned? Do you remember the “wedding” scene from “A Boy and His Dog?” The women were married to little vials of genetic material. For ideal maximization of genetic diversity, after each baby, the mother would then be married to a different vial of genetic material. So, to answer your question with another question, does the custom of serial monogamy “necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship?” (e.g. Hollywood marriages?) ---
**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:** [May 28, 2016, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29345 "2016-05-28T07:40:02Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > B… WE HAD **ONE** JOB ! 🙂 I count three: 1. Hand 2. Blow 3. Rim ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29346 "2016-05-28T07:46:56Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Now, wouldn’t that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as genetic material was concerned? Since he mentioned Matt Damon, he’s referencing _The Martian_ which was a colony of… one guy. That’s about as monogamous as you can get. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29347 "2016-05-28T11:46:15Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Since he mentioned Matt Damon, he’s referencing _The Martian_ which was a colony of… one guy. > > That’s about as monogamous as you can get. Not exactly. He was married to a whole harem of potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29348 "2016-05-28T13:30:49Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Since he mentioned Matt Damon, he’s referencing _The Martian_ which was a colony of… one guy. > > That’s about as monogamous as you can get. The reference makes (slightly) more sense if it’s to Damon’s role in _Interstellar_. I cannot overemphasize “slightly”. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29349 "2016-05-28T15:22:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Not exactly. He was married to a whole harem of potatoes. Love dies, but potatoes are for ever. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29350 "2016-05-28T17:25:27Z")
When you think about it, _all_ the space people should be homosexuals. Lesbians can still carry babies, and you want the best possible progeny, so all the fertilization would be _in vitro_ for idealized selection. You sure as hell do not want the men copulating with the women, because that makes the breeding process too random. For that matter, if there are only 40 people going out, they would all be females, accompanied by a freezer full of spooge. Not sure if you could establish enough genetic diversity from such a small cohort, though. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29351 "2016-05-28T17:52:48Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > When you think about it, _all_ the space people should be homosexuals. Lesbians can still carry babies, and you want the best possible progeny, so all the fertilization would be _in vitro_ for idealized selection. You sure as hell do not want the men copulating with the women, because that makes the breeding process too random. For that matter, if there are only 40 people going out, they would all be females, accompanied by a freezer full of spooge. > > Not sure if you could establish enough genetic diversity from such a small cohort, though. Shh! The first rule of the homosexual agenda is to not talk about the homosexual agenda. Seriously though, it’s not a bad idea. Gays and lesbians generally have to plan their reproduction and not just get drunk and oops, another random kid. 🙂 If you’re starting with a low population and you’ll have to carefully control breeding, gays and lesbians are a good bet. ---
**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 28, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29352 "2016-05-28T17:54:36Z")
[Trump: The drought in California is a hoax and the government is dumping all the water in the ocean. Because endangered fish.](http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/05/28/3783022/donald-trump-drought/) ---
**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:** [May 28, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29353 "2016-05-28T18:26:22Z")
Well, the drought \*is \*man-made. It’s called global warming. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29354 "2016-05-28T22:49:43Z")
And pumping freshwater into the Pacific ocean would protect the “delta smelt”… how ? Is this about fish homeopathy ?! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29355 "2016-05-28T23:04:07Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > And pumping freshwater into the Pacific ocean would protect the “delta smelt”… how ? Is this about fish homeopathy ?! [It’s not going directly into the ocean.](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150403-smelt-california-bay-delta-extinction-endangered-species-drought-fish/) > [@](#): > > A century and a half ago, water from two great rivers—fed by Sierra Nevada snowmelt and carving out California’s expansive Central Valley— **flowed to a vibrant delta and bay, and then ran to the ocean. The flows of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers kept saltwater from intruding into the fresher delta,** and the smelt spawned in the delta and fed in the bay. The water also replenished Chinook salmon spawning grounds and freshened bay habitat for Dungeness crab, waterfowl, and thousands of other plants and animals in the vast network of sloughs, wetlands, and mudflats. > **Even in wetter periods, water managers for the last 15 years have created drought conditions in the bay by exporting the rivers’ freshwater, Swanson said.** > > “It’s not just the delta smelt. Nearly every single native and non-native fish species is showing the same pattern. To me, that is an excruciatingly clear indication that our management of the environment in which they live—the delta and upper bay—is insufficiently protective,” she said. It’s not just the fish at stake, it’s the entire ecology of the delta. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29356 "2016-05-28T23:14:16Z")
And sending that water to the delta is not what’s causing the drought, which is what Trump was implying. It’s a standard right-wing tactic; blame the commie pinko bleeding heart environmentalists, who are more concerned about a little fish than they are about farmers. No one mentions the fishermen of course; that might make people stop and think rather than blindly hate, and that could lose votes. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29357 "2016-05-29T01:51:51Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [Trump: The drought in California is a hoax and the government is dumping all the water in the ocean. Because endangered fish.](http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/05/28/3783022/donald-trump-drought/) After this, I realize one thing is sure. There is no stupid thing he could possibly say that would turn off his adherents. And no lie either, no matter how big. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29358 "2016-05-29T03:21:39Z")
Michigan state Senate [takes a “proactive approach” on banning plastic bags](http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/05/ban_plastic_grocery_bags_not_i.html), to ban local communities from instituting bans on plastic bags. > [@](#): > > “This simply provides that you’re not putting different regulations across the state on the containers,” (republican Senator Jim) Stamas told the committee. > [@](#): > > Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi told the Senate Commerce Committee last month that the commission had been working on the issue for some time. They uncovered the fact that the plastic bags are jamming equipment at the local recycling facility, which spends $200,000 per year addressing malfunctions related to plastic bags. At landfills, he said, the plastic bags blow away. So the possibility of local bans are a very real and terrifying danger. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29359 "2016-05-29T07:19:44Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > When you think about it, _all_ the space people should be homosexuals. Lesbians can still carry babies, and you want the best possible progeny, so all the fertilization would be _in vitro_ for idealized selection. You sure as hell do not want the men copulating with the women, because that makes the breeding process too random. For that matter, if there are only 40 people going out, they would all be females, accompanied by a freezer full of spooge. > > Not sure if you could establish enough genetic diversity from such a small cohort, though. Then make it a freezer full of spooge, and _another_ freezer full of embryos from unrelated donors. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29360 "2016-05-29T19:13:31Z")
[Joe Scarborough can’t name a single conservative news anchor.](https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/03/1443658/-MSNBC-s-Joe-Scarborough-Has-On-Air-Mental-Breakdown-Over-Liberal-Media-Myth?detail=facebook) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/29361 "2016-05-29T22:44:57Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Then make it a freezer full of spooge, and _another_ freezer full of embryos from unrelated donors. [The Big Space Fuck!](http://www.pierretristam.com/Bobst/07/wf041307.htm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1467) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1469)