# 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:** 2176
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43509 "2020-02-16T17:20:45Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > An afterthought occurs - what if a religious person considers certain words/phrases to be taboo, i.e. has an aversion to saying “yahweh” out loud, and has a student from a country where neither English nor Hebrew is spoken and happens to have a name that, when transliterated, _sounds_ like “yahweh” but has no connection to the religious concept in the student’s language? Could the professor mumble the name? Refer to that student (possibly _only_ that student) by an alternate name? Does the student have grounds to object? The professor’s beliefs aren’t being challenged - he’s free to believe whatever he wants about the meaning of the student’s name - but if he’s referring to all his students by their names and makes an exception for this student, is that unreasonable? > > I’d say “yes”, myself - leave that stuff at home, Prof. Do your job. If a student comes along later and insists their name is something deliberately offensive, i.e. “My name is John Franklin Jesus-Sucked, please respect the hyphen”, I think reasonable people can judge who is being the aggressor. If the student explained it’s just the sound not the meaning…it’s a proper name, it’s not like it’s a word that can be swapped out. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43510 "2020-02-16T17:27:25Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > An afterthought occurs - what if a religious person considers certain words/phrases to be taboo, i.e. has an aversion to saying “yahweh” out loud, and has a student from a country where neither English nor Hebrew is spoken and happens to have a name that, when transliterated, _sounds_ like “yahweh” but has no connection to the religious concept in the student’s language? Could the professor mumble the name? Refer to that student (possibly _only_ that student) by an alternate name? Does the student have grounds to object? The professor’s beliefs aren’t being challenged - he’s free to believe whatever he wants about the meaning of the student’s name - but if he’s referring to all his students by their names and makes an exception for this student, is that unreasonable? I had a professor who was also a preacher. One student, Jesus, got a nickname because the prof couldn’t bring himself to call the guy _Jesus_ or even _Hey Seuss_. Yes, it was unreasonable and I doubt it’d be tolerated today any more than was the judge who declared that a child cannot be named _Messiah_. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2020, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43511 "2020-02-17T03:48:53Z")
When [idolatry gets out of hand](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/15/trump-cardboard-cutout-dialysis-treatment): > [@](#): > > Nelson Gibson says his family isn’t allowed to stay for his multi-hour dialysis treatments. > > So he found another familiar face to sit beside him: President Trump. > > First, the 59-year-old Floridian brought an 8-by-10-inch picture. Then his son Photoshopped a small cardboard cutout of Gibson with his political hero grinning beside him, giving a thumbs-up. It stood on a ledge as Gibson reclined in his shirt embroidered with Trump’s name and his custom shoes bearing the president’s face. > > The collection was just a fascination for staff until Tuesday, the family says, when Gibson showed up to his regular appointment in Port St. Lucie with another Trump likeness. This one was life-size. > > A social worker told him in the lobby that it had to go, Gibson says… ---
**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:** [February 17, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43512 "2020-02-17T03:54:13Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > When [idolatry gets out of hand](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/15/trump-cardboard-cutout-dialysis-treatment): The headline at that link is: **His dialysis center won’t allow his life-size Trump cutout, so this man refuses to go**. That’ll show 'em! Keep up the good work, Florida Man! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43513 "2020-02-17T19:45:57Z")
Sen. Tom Cotton is now spreading coronavirus conspiracies. > **[China 'still lying' about coronavirus outbreak: Sen. Tom Cotton](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/coronavirus-covid-outbreak-tom-cotton)** > > "China was lying from the beginning," Sen. Tom Cotton told FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo. “This virus did not originate in the Wuhan animal market," Cotton said. “Epidemiologists who are widely respected from China who published a study … have demonstrated that several of the original cases did not have any contact with that food market. The virus went into that food market before it came out.” ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43514 "2020-02-17T21:10:56Z")
This isn’t a current stupid Republican idea, but it illustrates how far the Republicans have fallen. I noticed that Clayton Williams died on Friday. For those outside of Texas, or maybe just don’t remember, Clayton Williams was a good ol’ boy who ran for governor against Ann Richards back in 1990. Williams was leading the polls when a tasteless joke cost him the election. He had invited a bunch of political reporters to his ranch. The weather was cold and rainy and he compared the weather to rape: “If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.” Think about that for a minute. Thirty years ago a rape joke cost a Republican man an election against a Democratic woman. Now an actual admission of sexual assault doesn’t even budge the needle. My how times have changed. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43515 "2020-02-17T21:35:45Z")
Fox News cut off one of their contributors when she started talking about Individual 1’s and Rush Limbaugh’s multiple marriages. > **[Fox News Appears To Cut Off Contributor For Calling Out Trump's Repeated...](https://polinews.org/fox-news-appears-to-cut-off-contributor-for-calling-out-trumps-repeated-adultery/)** > > They only seem to cut people off when they actually dare to tell the truth. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43516 "2020-02-17T22:54:01Z")
> [@Sandra Smith](#): > > Let’s not bring in personal relationships. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43517 "2020-02-18T00:13:31Z")
> [@Steve\_McQwark](#): > > This isn’t a current stupid Republican idea, but it illustrates how far the Republicans have fallen. > > I noticed that Clayton Williams died on Friday. For those outside of Texas, or maybe just don’t remember, Clayton Williams was a good ol’ boy who ran for governor against Ann Richards back in 1990. Williams was leading the polls when a tasteless joke cost him the election. He had invited a bunch of political reporters to his ranch. The weather was cold and rainy and he compared the weather to rape: “If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.” > > Think about that for a minute. Thirty years ago a rape joke cost a Republican man an election against a Democratic woman. Now an actual admission of sexual assault doesn’t even budge the needle. My how times have changed. As nutty as the conspiracy theory might be, I am reluctant to rule that possibility out entirely. To be absolutely clear, I’m still in the camp that believes it’s the result of human/animal contact, but I wouldn’t put anything past China’s government. It’s wrong for Cotton to be talking about it is if the possibility is north of 50% or certain, but it’s not wrong to suggest that the possibility needs to be considered until health experts can identify the virus’ origins with certainty. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43518 "2020-02-18T02:20:47Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s wrong for Cotton to be talking about it is if the possibility is north of 50% or certain, but it’s not wrong to suggest that the possibility needs to be considered until health experts can identify the virus’ origins with certainty. They’ve genetically sequenced it – that’s a fairly routine and quick thing to do these days. If it’s been manufactured in a bio lab, they could tell from that. [Baseless Conspiracy Theories Claim New Coronavirus Was Bioengineered](https://www.factcheck.org/2020/02/baseless-conspiracy-theories-claim-new-coronavirus-was-bioengineered/) [No, the coronavirus was not genetically engineered in a Wuhan lab, expert says](https://nationalpost.com/news/world/no-the-coronavirus-was-not-genetically-engineered-in-a-wuhan-lab) ---
**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:** [February 18, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43519 "2020-02-18T02:38:17Z")
OK, so it didn’t jump the species barrier at that market. So what? That probably just means that it happened at some other market or farm or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43520 "2020-02-18T05:27:14Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > …If it’s been manufactured in a bio lab, they could tell from that. Find a chunk of DNA got an “®” on it? ---
**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:** [February 18, 2020, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43521 "2020-02-18T06:48:22Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Find a chunk of DNA got an “®” on it? Yes, and if you try to sequence it, you get a cease & desist from Disney. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2020, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43522 "2020-02-18T09:10:35Z")
I recall someone once tried to trademark a virus – I think it was called “Windows”. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43523 "2020-02-18T09:15:10Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I recall someone once tried to trademark a virus – I think it was called “Windows”. Is [this](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSLLjSx8CzIrzKXdDaWrOzEeNxNamwdoe_C7rB8QLe4PIM8y6HM) you? ---
**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:** [February 18, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43524 "2020-02-18T14:13:25Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > it’s not wrong to suggest that the possibility needs to be considered until health experts can identify the virus’ origins with certainty. I have things in my refrigerator that I can’t identify with certainty. That doesn’t make it reasonable to suggest that they might have spontaneously materialized out of thin air or been placed there by space aliens. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43525 "2020-02-19T00:30:39Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > I have things in my refrigerator that I can’t identify with certainty. That doesn’t make it reasonable to suggest that they might have spontaneously materialized out of thin air or been placed there by space aliens. Nobody said anything about viruses being created out of thin air or by space aliens; it’s possible to bio-engineer viruses, whether it’s for “research” purposes or something else. I hadn’t previously read that they had already sequenced it, which would indeed seem to torpedo the manmade hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43526 "2020-02-19T04:09:21Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I hadn’t previously read that they had already sequenced it, which would indeed seem to torpedo the manmade hypothesis. Thing is, even after the fact was published that it had been sequenced, some conspiracy theorists were saying that the sequence showed proof it had been bio-engineered. They cited that some snippets of the genome had some resemblance to the HIV virus – overlooking the fact that some snippets of lots of viruses have some resemblance to some snippets of lots of other viruses. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43527 "2020-02-19T06:12:53Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Is [this](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSLLjSx8CzIrzKXdDaWrOzEeNxNamwdoe_C7rB8QLe4PIM8y6HM) you? Not gonna say, but the sequence of the chompers is … ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43528 "2020-02-19T08:23:57Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Not gonna say, but the sequence of the chompers is … I completely forgot that Justin Long was in that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2175) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2177)