# 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:** 998
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19942 "2015-03-14T19:01:25Z")
Georgia’s state legislators are apparently aware that Texas, Florida and Oklahoma are offering tough competition in the Stupidest State Government in the Nation contest, but they are NOT discouraged. They’re coming out with the harshest Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the nation! It won’t just allow religious bigots to discriminate against gays and the transgendered, it’ll ALSO facilitate perpetrators of domestic violence! Yes, under this law, you can claim just about anything as your religious beliefs, and with those verses in the Bible about beating wives and children being A-OK, Georgia’s scumbag assholes are just foaming at the mouth! And we’re not JUST talking about our state legislators. [Story here!](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/13/georgia-bill-helps-wife-beaters.html) ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19943 "2015-03-14T23:09:03Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Georgia’s state legislators are apparently aware that Texas, Florida and Oklahoma are offering tough competition in the Stupidest State Government in the Nation contest, but they are NOT discouraged. They’re coming out with the harshest Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the nation! It won’t just allow religious bigots to discriminate against gays and the transgendered, it’ll ALSO facilitate perpetrators of domestic violence! Yes, under this law, you can claim just about anything as your religious beliefs, and with those verses in the Bible about beating wives and children being A-OK, Georgia’s scumbag assholes are just foaming at the mouth! And we’re not JUST talking about our state legislators. > > [Story here!](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/13/georgia-bill-helps-wife-beaters.html) Amazing. This is the same class of idiots who worry about Sharia Law taking over the US, and who seem blissfully unaware that many of the most barbaric examples of Sharia Law (e.g. stoning a woman for inchastity) are straight out of the Hebrew Bible. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19944 "2015-03-15T00:02:02Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Amazing. This is the same class of idiots who worry about Sharia Law taking over the US, and who seem blissfully unaware that many of the most barbaric examples of Sharia Law (e.g. stoning a woman for inchastity) are straight out of the Hebrew Bible. But they’re doing it for the \*wrong \*imaginary friend, don’t you see ?! Anyway, It Can’t Happen Here, amirite ? ETA : the funny thing is, these guys \*\*always \*\*seem to mentally translate “religious” as “Christian” in their heads, but because of the Constitution they still have to try and pass it as “generic religious” law. And then some other religion is used to justify just about anything they hadn’t anticipated because they didn’t think their shit through at all, and they get all confused and angry before hurrying to walk their stupid law back. It’s like watching human-sized version of that officed geegaw with the balls endlessly clacking back and forth. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19945 "2015-03-15T00:42:55Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Amazing. This is the same class of idiots who worry about Sharia Law taking over the US, and who seem blissfully unaware that many of the most barbaric examples of Sharia Law (e.g. stoning a woman for inchastity) are straight out of the Hebrew Bible. Huh? How often do people get stoned to death in the US, much less because of the “Hebrew Bible?” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19946 "2015-03-15T01:06:17Z")
Fairly often, though the Bible cannot currently be used as a reason. Which is why that law is asinine. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19947 "2015-03-15T01:34:31Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Huh? How often do people get stoned to death in the US, much less because of the “Hebrew Bible?” Well, the problem is that many do seem to never learn from history and they do want to go back to the days one could kill people with stones. Before there was a USA the Salem witch trials and then the local government stopping that abuse of theocratic power did show that theocracy was not going to rule the day in America, but that has not stopped groups of the faithful to attempt to go back to those “good old days” As I pointed before there is a good number of Moderate Republicans and independents that are very wrong nowadays, the candidates they recently elected to office are not like the Republicans of a generation ago. The moderates continue to make the mistake of thinking that they are electing capable Republicans when in reality they are electing a group with the most and worst examples of non-intellectualism ever seen. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19948 "2015-03-15T03:15:24Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > It’s like watching human-sized version of that officed geegaw with the balls endlessly clacking back and forth. [Newton’s Cradle](http://smile.amazon.com/Westminster-202-Newtons-Cradle-5-5/dp/B000Z9FT0M/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1426389261&sr=1-2&keywords=newtons+cradle)? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19949 "2015-03-15T03:18:16Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Huh? How often do people get stoned to death in the US, much less because of the “Hebrew Bible?” Looks like you not only missed the point, but you think “Hebrew Bible” is some kind of slur. If so, use the google. If not, restate your question with an eye toward clarity, rather than umbrage. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19950 "2015-03-15T03:41:16Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Looks like you not only missed the point, but you think “Hebrew Bible” is some kind of slur. If so, use the google. If not, restate your question with an eye toward clarity, rather than umbrage. Oh, I think I get it. Ur, ur. Lolz. Like, OMG, people don’t live 1000s of years and walk on water! Dur! Stoopit peoplez. No, I take it back. I don’t get it. I don’t get gotchas that compare today with 100’s of years ago. We don’t drown witches. Guess what? We figured out the Earth isn’t flat too. OMG!!! Who gives a flying fuck what people thought 100’s or 1000’s of years ago? Seriously? That’s your reasoning? Ooh, the “Hebrew Bible” says magic! That’s totally like modern beheadings and throwing gays off buildings and stoning sluts. Don’t judge! ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19951 "2015-03-15T04:37:11Z")
Meth’s a hell of a drug. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19952 "2015-03-15T04:52:02Z")
There are programs to help with that. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19953 "2015-03-15T09:06:35Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > [Newton’s Cradle](http://smile.amazon.com/Westminster-202-Newtons-Cradle-5-5/dp/B000Z9FT0M/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1426389261&sr=1-2&keywords=newtons+cradle)? That’s the one ! ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19954 "2015-03-15T10:25:57Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Oh, I think I get it. Ur, ur. Lolz. Like, OMG, people don’t live 1000s of years and walk on water! Dur! Stoopit peoplez. > > No, I take it back. I don’t get it. I don’t get gotchas that compare today with 100’s of years ago. We don’t drown witches. Guess what? We figured out the Earth isn’t flat too. OMG!!! > > Who gives a flying fuck what people thought 100’s or 1000’s of years ago? Seriously? That’s your reasoning? > > Ooh, the “Hebrew Bible” says magic! That’s totally like modern beheadings and throwing gays off buildings and stoning sluts. Don’t judge! You seem to have missed the assertion that the beheadings, de-roofifications, and stonings are derived from prescriptions in the Hebrew Bible (aka, the Old Testament). They weren’t invented last year by ISIL, or even 1400 years ago by Muhammed. He didn’t say anything at all about “magic.” ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19955 "2015-03-15T21:12:03Z")
Tom Cotton doesn’t want us to deal with Iran because [they are “occupying Tehran” and need to get rid of their nuclear weapons](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/15/republican-senator-tom-cotton-warns-america-iran-now-controls-tehran-capital-of-iran-video/). Er, um … ---
**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:** [March 15, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19956 "2015-03-15T21:15:25Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Tom Cotton doesn’t want us to deal with Iran because [they are “occupying Tehran” and need to get rid of their nuclear weapons](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/15/republican-senator-tom-cotton-warns-america-iran-now-controls-tehran-capital-of-iran-video/). Er, um … Occupying Tehran is a bridge too far, you Iranian bastards! Next thing you know, they’ll infiltrate Persia. WILL THIS MADNESS NEVER END? ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19957 "2015-03-15T21:29:39Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Tom Cotton doesn’t want us to deal with Iran because [they are “occupying Tehran” and need to get rid of their nuclear weapons](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/15/republican-senator-tom-cotton-warns-america-iran-now-controls-tehran-capital-of-iran-video/). Er, um … WTF?? I am so sick of these people actually getting elected. :mad: Every candidate should take a 20 question American History / Map Of the World test before they get their name on the ballot. Questions like, What is the capital of Iran and Is it Possible to See Russia From A Front Lawn in Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19958 "2015-03-15T21:49:39Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Georgia’s state legislators are apparently aware that Texas, Florida and Oklahoma are offering tough competition in the Stupidest State Government in the Nation contest, but they are NOT discouraged. They’re coming out with the harshest Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the nation! It won’t just allow religious bigots to discriminate against gays and the transgendered, it’ll ALSO facilitate perpetrators of domestic violence! Yes, under this law, you can claim just about anything as your religious beliefs, and with those verses in the Bible about beating wives and children being A-OK, Georgia’s scumbag assholes are just foaming at the mouth! And we’re not JUST talking about our state legislators. > > [Story here!](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/13/georgia-bill-helps-wife-beaters.html) Can religious beliefs include practices from Voodoo, shamanism, Satanism, Santeria, and others? What if I claim that it’s my deeply held and sincere religious belief that I should be able to offer up burnt sacrifices of puppies, kittens, and the occasional human toddler? Am I covered under the new laws? ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19959 "2015-03-15T22:29:39Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Can religious beliefs include practices from Voodoo, shamanism, Satanism, Santeria, and others? > > What if I claim that it’s my deeply held and sincere religious belief that I should be able to offer up burnt sacrifices of puppies, kittens, and the occasional human toddler? Am I covered under the new laws? [Yes](http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions%5Cpub%5C08/08-10358-CV0.wpd.pdf) (well, the first two anyways). The government could probably argue a compelling governmental interest in not having human toddlers killed. The RFFAs are disproportionately used by underrepresented religious groups to fight against laws that were passed by Christian majorities because they found their practices distasteful. I consider that a good thing. I won’t voice unqualified support: there are some cases where I do think that it has been held to guarantee exemptions that I don’t agree with, but in general, I think that if the government wants to infringe on a person’s ability to practice their religion, it should have a good reason to do so (“compelling governmental interest”), and should not overstep addressing that interest (“narrowly tailored” and “least restrictive means”) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19960 "2015-03-15T23:20:09Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Tom Cotton doesn’t want us to deal with Iran because [they are “occupying Tehran” and need to get rid of their nuclear weapons](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/15/republican-senator-tom-cotton-warns-america-iran-now-controls-tehran-capital-of-iran-video/). Er, um … Sounds like if Louis Gohmert want’s to keep the title of “Stupidest Man in Congress” he’s got his work cut out for him! ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/19961 "2015-03-16T00:43:02Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Questions like, What is the capital of Iran and Is it Possible to See Russia From A Front Lawn in Alaska. I know it’s hard to tell the difference between fact and parody, but [Sarah Palin never actually said that.](http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/05/sarah-palin-never-said-can-see-russia-house/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=997) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=999)