The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, the States, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district.
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86 views
Can the president of the USA be refused access to classified information? [closed]
Former US President Bill Clinton was quoted as saying in a speech, talking about the alleged extra-terrestrial landings in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947:
"Well I don't know if you all heard this, ...
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0answers
95 views
Should the thermostat be set at 74°F (23°C) or lower to avoid mold?
My wife and I are finding ourselves increasingly able to stay comfortable at higher temperatures without running our home's air conditioner. We are enjoying the cost savings this provides on our ...
2
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1answer
266 views
Was slavery the principal cause of the American Civil War?
In episode 3F20, Much Apu About Nothing of The Simpsons. a proctor is administering an American citizenship test to Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and the following exchange occurs:
Proctor:
All right, ...
5
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1answer
465 views
Are guns in the USA used 80 time more often to protect life than to take it?
I came across this infographic recently: http://americangunfacts.com/
I wonder how truthful it really is? Even if the numbers presented are correct, it seems that they present it in a way that is not ...
5
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1answer
309 views
Are manual transmission cars stolen less?
There is a decent amount of anecdotal evidence about manual transmissions being a good anti-theft device - but are there any statistics?
Here's a statistic-less article from MSN.com
It's folk ...
2
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99 views
Have the USDA bullied (allegedly criminal) raisin-marketers?
I wanted some insight on this article, as I have not been to this website before and the claims seem over the top to me.
64-year-old federal raisin-marketing program that can require raisin ...
2
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1answer
334 views
Is the US Government buying extra ammunition in order to deny it the Civilian Population
During a Press release today Senators Inhofe and Lucas accused the Department of Homeland Security of "limiting what’s available in the market with federal agencies purchasing unnecessary stockpiles ...
1
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92 views
Does ignoring the extent of death caused by medical error distort the public perception of the quality of US healthcare?
Despite comparative evidence that US healthcare is very expensive and not particularly good by international standards, Americans seem to love it as evidenced by the debate on Obamacare and questions ...
1
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79 views
Did former president Woodrow Wilson extensively rely on Napoleon Hill's work during the World War?
In the best-selling book Think And Grow Rich, author Napoleon Hill claims that:
This secret was extensively used by President Woodrow Wilson, during the World War. It was passed on to every ...
2
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1answer
271 views
Is McDonald's exempt from the HHS Contraception Mandate?
The President of Eden Foods, a natural and organic food distributor, recently wrote:
The exemptions under the Act are illogical, inconsistent, and contributing factors to our lawsuit. For ...
4
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1answer
417 views
Did CNN journalist say that Chechens are from Czech republic?
While there is little doubt that some Twitter users are not the brightest bunch (see: Are Americans ignorant about the geography of the world? ), there are claims that same misinformation has been ...
21
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1answer
1k views
Are Americans ignorant about the geography of the world?
Jenny Jinx tweeted (244 retweets, 31 favorites)
Seriously, the Czech Republic released a statement to correct stupid
Americans. I am so ashamed. Good grief. http://bit.ly/11mROu5
The linked ...
0
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1answer
142 views
How many Americans support background checks for person-to-person gun purchases?
I was just watching Bill Maher on HBO and he was commenting on the US Senate bill on gun control that failed recently.
He was saying that 90% of Americans "support background checks."
I highly doubt ...
22
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1answer
3k views
Are Kinder Surprise eggs banned in the US?
I just came across this info-graphic:
Is it true that Kinder Surprise eggs are currently, or previously, banned in the US?
2
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0answers
177 views
No kids under 13 in the front seat?
On various pages throughout its Web site, the (United States) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns against seating anyone in the front seat of an automobile [manufactured for sale in ...
4
votes
1answer
338 views
Is there a disparity between the number of US schools teaching creationism and the population's desire?
Concerning Evolution and Creation being taught in public schools, is there a disparity between the majority opinion and the extent that each is taught?
This web site says:
Fifty studies were ...
12
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1answer
934 views
Did journalist Amber Lyon claim that the US Government paid CNN to control content?
One of my conspiracy theorist friends on Facebook recently linked an article claiming that Amber Lyon was fired from CNN for blowing the whistle on the Obama administration paying CNN to not air ...
8
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0answers
227 views
If attacked, does having a handgun increase your chance of injury?
Rape survivor Amanda Collins spoke during a legislative hearing concerning Colorado’s proposed ban on concealed firearms on college campuses. She explained how she wished she would’ve had a firearm to ...
28
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2answers
1k views
Are atheists barred from holding public office in Texas?
I saw the following claim in B3ta newsletter #574 (possibly NSFW), under "US Postal Service hates Atheists".
Awful, but then Atheists are not allowed to hold
public office in six US states, ...
0
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2answers
263 views
Was the USA colonized by criminals?
There are some places on the Internet that claim that The American were (at least at the start) colonized by criminals and unwanted populations:
Answerbag.com:
North America was first colonized ...
6
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2answers
875 views
Has North Korea threatened a preemptive strike on the USA or its allies? [closed]
According to various news articles, such as this, North Korea is threatening to mercilessly attack the USA or it's allies. This is a quote from the article:
"North Korea's supreme military command ...
17
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3answers
739 views
Did the National Rifle Association (NRA) block research into statistics related to gun control?
About 30,000 americans die every year from gun-related deaths (a number likely to exceed those dying from automobile-related accidents very soon if trends continue). This totals more than 300,000 ...
6
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1answer
225 views
How many Americans served in the Afgan and Iraq wars from 2001 to 2013?
This article quotes a man who says that it was millions! That sounds way off.
Since the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, about 2.5 million members of the Army, Navy, ...
3
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3answers
279 views
Would the US deficit disappear if the costs of medical activity were more like the rest of the world?
It is well known that the USA spends more of its national wealth on healthcare than other countries (see, for example, some of the analysis in this question: Is more than 30% of US healthcare spending ...
3
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0answers
96 views
Does the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provide higher quality, cheaper care than most other US health systems?
The VHA is the integrated health system providing healthcare to US military veterans managed by the Department of Veteran Affairs. It is currently regarded by by some other health systems as a model ...
9
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311 views
In the USA, do supporters of the Republican party make more charitable donations than supporters of the Democrats?
Republicans argue that those that benefit more from capitalism and want the government to do less to help others would be more likely to give that money away.
ABC's 2020 is one source of this claim. ...
11
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2answers
636 views
Is Walmart the largest company in history?
I have seen a post going around on Facebook containing a list of "facts" about Walmart. Two of them seem like very large claims:
Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private
...
8
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1answer
484 views
Does the US have $54 trillion?
There's a viral video going around about the wealth inequality in the US. It claims the US has $54 trillion. It cites economists from Harvard Business school, but I didn't see where that particular ...
4
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0answers
346 views
Is the U.S. Tea Party astroturf or a genuine grassroots movement?
According to The Wikipedia article on the United States Tea Party movement (emphasis mine), TeaParty.org defines the Tea Party as "a grassroots movement that calls awareness to any issue which ...
7
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2answers
375 views
Did the Republican Party in the House of Representatives recently propose not a single job bill, but many morality and gun-related bills?
This graphic is doing the rounds on the Internet (found on Facebook):
The claim is:
House GOP: 46 abortion bills, 113 religion bills, 73 family relationship bills, 36 marriage bills, 72 gun ...
1
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1answer
250 views
Are only 5% of Americans naturally blonde?
In his phenomenally thorough study of what the typical porn star looks like (see Is the typical female porn star a big-boobed blonde?) John Millward mentions in passing that:
only 5% of Americans ...
4
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0answers
249 views
Who killed Martin Luther King Jr?
Nearly 45 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was assissinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. James Earl Ray, a fugitive on the run, was arrested in London and extradited to Tennessee. He ...
18
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1answer
7k views
Were there only two cars in Ohio in 1895, and they managed to crash into each other?
Currently on Today I Learned, Reddit.
TIL [Today I Learned] In the entire state of Ohio in 1895, there were only two cars on the road, and the drivers of these two cars crashed into each other.
...
9
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1answer
583 views
Is the pharmaceutical industry the most profitable business in the United States?
The Russia Today article Pharmageddon: America’s bitter pill claims
The pharmaceutical industry remains the most profitable business in the US. More success and financial gain for the companies ...
18
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0answers
270 views
Is there a “red shift” in U.S. elections — a significant shift to republican votes between polls and voting? Does this imply fraud?
This questions on Politics SE introduced me to the concept of the red shift. In short, the claim of a red shift boils down to a statistically significant difference between outcome of final exit polls ...
15
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1answer
779 views
Do death penalty cases cost the state more than life-long imprisonment?
There are some claims on anti-death penalty sites that death penalty (in USA) costs are significantly more then costs of long-time imprisonment.
For example :
The death penalty is much more ...
2
votes
2answers
276 views
Was every Republican President since 1923 a Member of the Bohemian Grove?
Wikipedia : The membership list has included every Republican and some Democratic U.S. presidents since 1923, many cabinet officials, directors and CEOs of large corporations including major ...
6
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2answers
468 views
Do Elite US military units use Kalashnikov weapons?
From Spiegel:
This automatic weapon [Kalashnikov], known in Russian simply as an "avtomat," even receives the highest praise from Americans, Rogozin reported. Elite US military units use it, he ...
5
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1answer
380 views
During the decade of the Clinton ban on semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, did crime not go down?
Source: Opposing view: Eliminate 'gun-free zone' regulations (USA Today)
Larry Pratt, the executive director of Gun Owners of America, made a claim:
During the decade of the Clinton ban on ...
5
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1answer
178 views
Did Allied forces use chemical weapons in Okinawa during World War II?
A Japanese friend of mine claimed that Allied forces used poisonous gas during the Battle of Okinawa. I asked for a link to such a claim, and got a link to this section of the Japanese language ...
12
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2answers
1k views
If comparing white populations, does the U.S. have the same murder rate as Belgium?
Ann Coulter recently made the following claim on the FOX News show 'Hannity':
On the gun crimes, we keep hearing how low they are in Europe, and oh, they're so low, and they have no guns. If you ...
22
votes
1answer
639 views
Did/does the US government keep secret papers by Nikola Tesla?
A popular conspiracy theory holds that Tesla invented a free energy device, but that the powers that be prevented him from publishing it, because it would hurt their investments. Of course, free ...
33
votes
1answer
4k views
Are these statistics on US Presidency vacation times accurate?
This picture is making the rounds on facebook:
[Picture of George W. Bush] 32% [Picture of Barack Obama] 5.2%
Percentage of presidency spent on vacation.
Guess which one conservatives call ...
15
votes
1answer
323 views
Is lead exposure responsible for the rise and fall of violent crime in the US?
I just found an article titled "America's Real Criminal Element: Lead" via Hacker News that made an assertion about the cause of violent crimes that I found rather surprising.
The article states that ...
8
votes
1answer
369 views
Is there a single US tax law that allows profits to be moved offshore to avoid taxes?
[A] tax provision that allows multinational corporations to defer U.S.
taxes by moving profits into offshore financial subsidiaries. This
provision -- known as the "active financing exception" ...
20
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2answers
1k views
Does increased gun ownership in the US correlate with a reduction in violent crime rates?
This is somewhat of the converse of the question Is Gun Control Effective:
A quote of famous musician and gun advocate Ted Nugent has been making the rounds on the Internet again lately:
Where ...
7
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1answer
314 views
Did the democrats win the popular vote in the 2012 US congressional elections?
In a review of the year article in the UK newspaper the Independent, Rupert Cornwell argues that the Republican party is in some trouble because of the drift to the right and the resulting inflexible ...
5
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3answers
691 views
Was there a deep US involvement with Saddam, Osama and Gaddafi?
U.S. Government Retirement Program
SADDAM HUSSEIN
"FRIEND" 1983 "RETIRED" 2006
OSAMA BIN LADEN
"FRIEND" 1979 "RETIRED" 20?1
MUAMMAR GADDAFI
"FRIEND" 2009 "RETIRED" 2011
...
3
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1answer
335 views
Is the “Reader voices strong opinion on atheists” letter a hoax?
I've seen on Facebook the following image being shared:
Letters to the Editor
Reader voices strong opinion on atheists
It's time to stomp out atheists in America. The majority of ...
9
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1answer
754 views
List comparing countries attacked by Iran and the USA accurate?
Is the following infographic's comparison of Iran and the USA accurate?
I'm not skeptical of the claim that the USA has attacked a lot of countries, but I am skeptical of the claim that, based on ...
