# 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:** 207
**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:** [January 3, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4121 "2012-01-03T19:51:56Z")
Back in 1980, my wife sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium before a game against the Expos. They offered to have her sing “O Canada” as well, but she didn’t know it, or feel that she could learn it adequately in the time available to her. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4122 "2012-01-03T20:39:02Z")
Screw the _Star Spangled Banner_, it totally bites it. Can’t be sung, lyrics stink, and I’ve had quite enough glowing admiration for bombs bursting in air, and rockets red glare. Fuck that shit! Brotherhood, from sea to shining sea, now that I can sing. Badly, perhaps, but loudly. In the People’s Key of C, natch. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4123 "2012-01-03T20:58:10Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Badly, perhaps, but loudly Pretty sure that’s how you’re meant to sing national anthems. Well, except for the second verse, where you’re supposed to go “mumble mumble mumble” \*sotto vocce \*with a rapid crescendo in the run up to the chorus. Only die-hard nationalists ever sing third verses at all. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4124 "2012-01-03T21:14:43Z")
As per the Ankh-Morpork National Anthem: "When dragons belch and hippos flee My thoughts, Ankh-Morpork, are of thee Let others boast of martial dash For we have boldly fought with cash We own all your helmets, we own all your shoes. We own all your generals - touch us and you’ll lose. Morporkia! Morporkia! Morporkia owns the day! We can rule you wholesale Touch us and you’ll pay. ``` We bankrupt all invaders, We sell them souvenirs, We ner ner ner ner ner ner by the ears, Er ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner, Ner ner ner ner ner ner, ner ner ner ner ner, Ner your gleaming swords, we mortgaged to the hilt. Morporkia! Morporkia! Ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner ner We can rule you wholesale Credit where it's due." ``` _The final part of the anthem is usually sung much louder than the rest of the second verse, since the singers want to show they know the words…_ ---
**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:** [January 3, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4125 "2012-01-03T21:51:11Z")
> [@](#): > > OF COURSE the line that’s getting quoted in all the headlines is “I Don’t Want To Make Black People’s Lives Better.” Where’s Kanye West when we need him? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4126 "2012-01-03T22:00:31Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Stupid x2: > > [URL=“[http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/02/santorum-tells-iowans-i-dont-want-to-make-black-peoples-lives-better/](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/02/santorum-tells-iowans-i-dont-want-to-make-black-peoples-lives-better/)”]OK, 1) OF COURSE the line that’s getting quoted in all the headlines is “I Don’t Want To Make Black People’s Lives Better.” You don’t hand the media a line like that and expect them not to use it. And 2) as the story points out, there are a lot more white people than black people on welfare. Sure, percentages of population and all that, but the fact is any changes to welfare are going to affect on the whole more white people than black people; if welfare is bad for everybody, why single out black people? Unless you’re pandering to racists with visions of “welfare queens driving Cadillacs”. I just listened to it and I think Santorum is, pardon the pun, getting a bum rap. What I hear is “I don’t want to make… blive… people’s lives better…” He gets crossed up saying lives and people. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4127 "2012-01-04T00:59:19Z")
Bill Kristol is “a little offended” that Obama plans to have some sort of internet chat with Democratic Iowa caucus-goers. He’s “butting in” and, gasp, it will hurt him and make him look unpresidential! [Concern troll is concerned](http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002920/). ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4128 "2012-01-04T07:29:43Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > In the People’s Key of C, natch. Sing it in the key of love man. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4129 "2012-01-04T09:58:39Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > This past year, for the first time in 140 years, Republicans had a majority in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly (state legislature). It was also the year for redistricting according to the results of the 2010 census. Herewith, for your delectation, are the [new Congressional districts](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/images/NCCongressFinal.jpg). All that remains to be done is to erect a statue of former Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry in front of the Legislative Office Building.\* > > Though not quite as extreme, the [state House of Representatives](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/images/NCHouseFullFinal.jpg) and [state Senate](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/images/NCSenateFinal.jpg) maps are also intriguing. Senate district 47 takes little imagination to see it as a dragon poised to devour liberal Buncombe County (Asheville). Check out state house districts 48 and 10. The state senate districts are pretty freaky too, look at 32 and 20. Some of this may be due to majority minority districts, & I don’t get that offended at weird district lines, but it just brings me back to my contention that single-seat districts are an inferior method of picking parliamentary bodies. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4130 "2012-01-04T13:57:22Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Check out state house districts 48 and 10… I htank \*\* polycarp and foolsguinea\*\* for their posts. What about the Congressional district (can’t find it now :smack: ) in Houston(?), Texas in which two separate areas are connected with a very narrow strip running alongside a Park … (are you sitting down?) … named after George Bush, (IIRC). Googling now … 😕 … Has a Court overruled Texas’ 2012 redistricting plan? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4131 "2012-01-04T18:00:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Now at least one Repub wants to make [singing the National Anthem badly a crime](http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20111230/NEWS06/111230002). > > Glad to see they have the important things covered. Way back in the day, I was roped into directing the college pep band. The official music department wanted nothing to do with us, so we ended up borrowing drums and large brass instruments from the attached prep school. Whoever showed up on game day played with us. For one basketball game, we were a small group, with a number of lesser talents. The school actually got a letter from some fan complaining that we had butchered the anthem (in fairness, we had). I guess Indiana would have arrested us (a fair cop). ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4132 "2012-01-04T18:09:11Z")
Why is it that the party that trumpets individual freedom keeps pressing for laws that restrict individual freedom? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4133 "2012-01-04T20:09:44Z")
The following may be off-topic here, but is too funny not to post somewhere. It’s from [Nevada pages in a news blog.](http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/moonlight-bunny-ranch-owner-im-pimping-for-ron-paul/) The whole article is amazing or hilarious, but to comply with rules I’ll show only excerpts: > [@](#): > > … Ron Paul secured the endorsement of Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof [who] runs the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, a licensed brothel in Mound House, Nevada that gained national notoriety in the early 2000s when HBO created a series focusing on the life of Mr. Hof and the women on the ranch. > > …“We thought real closely about supporting Gingrich — because he’s a cheater — and we like cheaters,” Mr. Hof confessed. > … > According to The Daily Caller, the brothel is offering a two girls for the price of one special for the month of January, if customers come in and say “I’m pimping for Ron Paul.” ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4134 "2012-01-04T21:23:35Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Why is it that the party that trumpets individual freedom keeps pressing for laws that restrict individual freedom? They only care about the freedom to do things that make money. Freedom of non-money related things (like gays getting married) is _bad_ freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4135 "2012-01-05T02:06:25Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Why is it that the party that trumpets individual freedom keeps pressing for laws that restrict individual freedom? I read a dead-on summation in a letter to the editor the other day, “It’s not so much that they want smaller government, it’s that they want more power in the hands of fewer people.” ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4136 "2012-01-05T05:44:56Z")
One of my local (R) critters tried to bring a loaded Colt .45 onto an airplane. The TSA was not amused: > **[HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News](https://www.huffpost.com/?err_code=404&err_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2012%2F01%2F04%2Fcalif-lawmaker-cited-afte_n_1184620.html%3Ficid%3Dmaing-grid7%257Cmain5%257Cdl1%257Csec3_lnk2%2526pLid%253D124955)** > > Read the latest headlines, news stories, and opinion from Politics, Entertainment, Life, Perspectives, and more. And no, it does not appear he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, why do you ask? ---
**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:** [January 5, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4137 "2012-01-05T15:14:52Z")
In fairness, I hear it’s pretty much impossible to get a permit issued in much of Cali. Plus I give him props for the “I hid it from my wife and forgot about it” excuse. _That’s_ imagination this country needs! ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4138 "2012-01-05T15:24:30Z")
Self defense is problematic if you can’t recall where the gun is when you need it, I would think… ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4139 "2012-01-05T16:13:23Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I just listened to it and I think Santorum is, pardon the pun, getting a bum rap. > > What I hear is “I don’t want to make… blive… people’s lives better…” He gets crossed up saying lives and people. Admittedly I read the story and didn’t scroll down for the actual clip. He’s now clarified that that’s pretty much what happened, that he fumbled for a word and it came out sounding like “black” though that’s not what he meant. So I’ll withdraw this one; lord knows there’s enough strikes against him anyway without it. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4140 "2012-01-10T14:41:17Z")
Is [beating your mentally disabled son in public](http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/12/03/news/20local_12-03-11.txt) a bad idea? > [@](#): > > The document indicates that multiple witnesses outside of a restaurant saw Nicholas hit his son repeatedly with a closed fist, push him onto the sidewalk and then kick him more than five times. > > A sergeant reported a small blood stain on a bedspread in the room and observed that the victim had redness and welts on his neck and a foot-sized abrasion to the skin around his left ribcage that appeared to have a shoelace pattern to it, the report says. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=206) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=208)