# 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:** 268
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5341 "2012-05-07T14:36:54Z")
So this isn’t a SRIOTDay. Or week. Or month. Or year. Aw hell. This one apparently comes from 1988 but it was too funny not to share. Former Rep. Stephen Freind of PA, who apparently has never learned how to properly spell his own last name, said that the odds that a woman who is raped will get pregnant are “one in millions and millions and millions.” …oh hey! I’m so glad you asked! It’s because that the traumatic experience of rape causes a woman to “secrete a certain secretion” that tends to kill sperm. Tends to. So if you do happen to get pregnant, you must be the unlucky one woman in a million million million (Quintillion for those playing along at home). ---
**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 7, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5342 "2012-05-07T15:02:07Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > It’s because that the traumatic experience of rape causes a woman to “secrete a certain secretion” that tends to kill sperm. Tends to. So if you do happen to get pregnant, you must be the unlucky one woman in a million million million (Quintillion for those playing along at home). Unspoken : “Or maybe you weren’t all that traumatized, eh ? Eh ?” ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5343 "2012-05-07T16:47:10Z")
Is he the Freind that the Pennsylvania license plates claim we have in that state? (If so, they can keep him.) It’s fortunate that the people of Pennsylvania agreed with us Democrats that where the Republicans saw a Freind, we saw a Specter! 🙂 ---
**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 7, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5344 "2012-05-07T19:58:11Z")
Remember when John McCain stood up to the cranks in his audience who asserted Obama was evil? Mitt Romney lacks that kind of moral fortitude. > [@](#): > > At a town hall event in Ohio this afternoon, a woman asked Mitt Romney what he would do to roll back the size of government, and commented that President Obama “should be tried for treason.” She didn’t explain why Obama had committed treason — which is punishable by death. Her comments received a big round of applause from the audience. > > Romney responded to her question, but didn’t condemn or acknowledge her comments on treason. [http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/05/07/479577/romney-woman-treason/](http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/05/07/479577/romney-woman-treason/) ---
**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:** [May 7, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5345 "2012-05-07T20:09:02Z")
Well, if raising taxes on the wealthy isn’t treason, it should be! ---
**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:** [May 7, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5346 "2012-05-07T20:22:19Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Remember when John McCain stood up to the cranks in his audience who asserted Obama was evil? > > Mitt Romney lacks that kind of moral fortitude. > > [http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/05/07/479577/romney-woman-treason/](http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/05/07/479577/romney-woman-treason/) Says he didn’t acknowledge it. Well, I can understand that. He doesn’t want to endorse her views, but it’s easier to say nothing. McCain came off better in this situation, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5347 "2012-05-07T20:35:29Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Unspoken : “Or maybe you weren’t all that traumatized, eh ? Eh ?” Seriously. From an evolutionary standpoint, why the heck would something like that exist? Your body is optimized for getting pregnant and passing on your genes (if everything is working correctly); your uterus seriously doesn’t care if you were emotionally traumatized during the procreational event. I see that idea was from '88, I wonder if he’s been corrected in the ensuing 24 years. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5348 "2012-05-07T21:02:42Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > From an evolutionary standpoint, why the heck would something like that exist? Sexual dimorphism can favour making successful procreation more difficult. See duck’s vaginas for instance. It increases the cost of procreation for the male, making only the dedicated capable of performing such an arduous task, which may be a good predictor of fidelity (thus increasing the rates of survival of offspring). Doesn’t change the fact that it’s a bizarre notion unsupported by any evidence (as far as I’m aware) in the case of humans. Edit: Side note, found [this](http://www.alternet.org/news/151895/did_koch_group_team_up_with_religious_right_to_suppress_wisconsin_vote?page=entire) about Americans for Prosperity and voter suppression. Not really stupid, more depressing. ---
**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 7, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5349 "2012-05-07T21:23:50Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > See duck’s vaginas for instance. I’d rather not. Prevert. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5350 "2012-05-07T21:37:39Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I’d rather not. > > Prevert. For God’s sake don’t google that phrase. Rule 34 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5351 "2012-05-07T21:46:51Z")
More importantly, do NOT google the phrase “duck penis”. Unless you’re a major size queen… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5352 "2012-05-07T22:01:50Z")
Oh, or “echidna penis”. You were warned. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5353 "2012-05-07T22:20:08Z")
I think pretty much googling any animal penis, you’re going to come up with a horror show. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5354 "2012-05-07T22:37:23Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I think pretty much googling any animal penis, you’re going to come up with a horror show. A very good rule to follow, but no…ducks and echidnas are a special kind of inadequacy-complex-inducing category of their very own. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5355 "2012-05-07T22:42:54Z")
On the other hand (so to speak…), if a silver back gorilla in a trench coat flashes you, you might respond “Oh, I had no idea gorillas were Japanese.” He probably won’t understand, but I’m not gonna risk it. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5356 "2012-05-07T23:20:05Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Oh, or “echidna penis”. You were warned. Weirdly enough, just yesterday I was googling for the female echidna’s reproductive system because a friend of mine on Facebook had described the male’s and I wanted to figure out how they fit together. I therefore saw pictures of the male echidna’s tackle. It was weird. And I’m still trying to figure out how they fit together. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5357 "2012-05-08T04:20:25Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Weirdly enough, just yesterday I was googling for the female echidna’s reproductive system because a friend of mine on Facebook had described the male’s and I wanted to figure out how they fit together. I therefore saw pictures of the male echidna’s tackle. It was weird. > > And I’m still trying to figure out how they fit together. See? This is why I never go on the internet. I don’t have time for high-end research like this. And just to stay on topic, more Republican tone-deafness: Maine Gov says “[Get off the couch and get a job!](http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/06/politics/get-off-the-couch-and-get-yourself-a-job-lepage-talks-welfare-reform-at-gop-convention/?ref=videos)”. “Gov. Paul LePage began his speech Sunday at the Maine Republican Party convention by saying he was glad he wasn’t campaigning. He then proceeded to give a cheering audience 25 minutes worth of remarks that sounded a lot like a campaign speech, mostly on welfare”. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5358 "2012-05-08T12:56:00Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Seriously. From an evolutionary standpoint, why the heck would something like that exist? Your body is optimized for getting pregnant and passing on your genes (if everything is working correctly); your uterus seriously doesn’t care if you were emotionally traumatized during the procreational event. > I see that idea was from '88, I wonder if he’s been corrected in the ensuing 24 years. Not as of 1995. From my home state: [ > [@](#): > > “The facts show that people who are raped – who are truly raped – the juices don’t flow, the body functions don’t work, and they don’t get pregnant,” said Rep. Aldridge, who is also a periodontist. He went on to insist that “Medical authorities agree that this is a rarity, if ever.” ]([http://www.holysmoke.org/fem/fem0520.htm](http://www.holysmoke.org/fem/fem0520.htm)) ---
**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:** [May 8, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5359 "2012-05-08T13:46:42Z")
The best part of that quote is the nicely turned phrase “who are truly raped”. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5360 "2012-05-08T13:56:36Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > The best part of that quote is the nicely turned phrase “who are truly raped”. It’s like he read about the “no true Scotsman” fallacy somewhere, and thought “hey, that’s a good idea! I’ll use that one!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=267) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=269)