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.
2
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1answer
306 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 ...
5
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2answers
4k views
Did a plane hit the Pentagon on September 11, 2001?
Is it possible that a plane hit the side of the pentagon, but did not even scuff up the grass?
There are some claims of other anomalies that don't quite match the idea of a plane hitting there; like ...
6
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1answer
151 views
Is President Obama or his administration responsible for failing to transfer some prisoners out of Guantanamo?
President Obama has come under considerable criticism for failing to uphold his campaign promises to close Guantanamo Bay.
Each detainee can leave that limbo through one of four different routes): a ...
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0answers
111 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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0answers
136 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, ...
9
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1answer
316 views
Does US Congress cost $30m per day to run?
What does it cost for The United States Congress to be in session for a single day? I recently heard a quote of $30 million, but did not see any supporting facts to back it up.
What would the total ...
15
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1answer
325 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 ...
2
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1answer
317 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
532 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 ...
3
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0answers
189 views
Are the New York MTA's financial documents accurate?
I've read many claims that the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York is low on funds and is in massive debt, but I've also heard several allegations of fraud, including claims of "keeping two ...
5
votes
1answer
345 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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1answer
366 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 ...
9
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1answer
4k views
Were Love Bugs “Engineered” at the University of Florida?
Today while discussing cleaning cars with a co-worker, he mentioned how much he hated driving in Florida because of "Love Bugs" and stated that the "University of Florida researchers genetically ...
4
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1answer
487 views
Are more sunglasses sold in Seattle than in any other US city?
Seattlites and sunglasses enthusiasts proudly assert the claim, but I've found no comparative analysis to back it up.
Typical claim
Terry D. Seidler, a Seattle tour guide, makes the typical ...
2
votes
0answers
100 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 ...
3
votes
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 ...
1
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0answers
93 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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0answers
80 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 ...
17
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3answers
748 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 ...
11
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3answers
2k views
Do lower income workers tend to vote Republican?
It's election season in the United States and something that you tend to hear from domestic and international pundits is that:
Lower income workers tend to vote Republican...
which also tends to ...
4
votes
1answer
424 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 ...
8
votes
1answer
10k views
Are these nude photos of Barack Obama's mother?
In the last few days there is a video called "Dreams from My Real Father". The video claims that Barack Obama's mother posed for erotic/pornographic pictures for a pornographic magazine, and provide ...
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
144 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?
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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
345 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
2k views
Do 31 US states give rapist fathers visitation rights?
I saw an image on Facebook that claimed 31 US states allow the fathers of children conceived by rape to have visitation rights to the children.
The image linked to an alternet article that listed ...
12
votes
1answer
1k 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 ...
28
votes
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, ...
8
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0answers
231 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 ...
17
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2answers
8k views
Do you have to wait 24 hours before you can report a missing person?
From BuffaloNews.com - Niagara County procedures in place for missing seniors:
The sheriff said the department doesn’t wait the usual 24 hours in a
missing-persons case when the person being ...
5
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2answers
3k views
Did the US win the Vietnam War in any sense?
As far as I know, the Vietnam War was won by the communists. But a colleague of mine, a former US Marine, insists vehemently that US won in some way or, at least, was set to win but they had an early ...
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2answers
878 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 ...
0
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2answers
268 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 ...
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 ...
6
votes
1answer
241 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, ...
33
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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 ...
85
votes
1answer
9k views
Did NASA invest a million dollars in the research of a space pen, when the USSR simply used a pencil?
I encountered this picture of the "Russian space pen" from the MIT Museum gift shop
When NASA first started sending astronauts into space, they realized that the ball-point pen would not work ...
8
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0answers
444 views
Did Japanese people misspell “We pray for MacArthur's election”?
The Internet is full of references to the same story:
It was probably in 1946, when Gen. Douglas MacArthur was temporarily put in charge of running Japan, which was in tough shape after ...
9
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0answers
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. ...
3
votes
0answers
97 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 ...
11
votes
2answers
642 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
...
5
votes
1answer
338 views
Are there 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States?
With immigration reform being a hot political topic in 2012 I am seeing a lot of reports that throw around numbers. The one I see cited most often is that there are 12 million illegal immigrants ...
8
votes
1answer
488 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 ...
22
votes
1answer
4k views
How often are guns used by private citizens in self defense per year in the United States?
According to Wikipedia the numbers reported range from 65 thousand to 2.5 million. I am very skeptical of the 2.5 million figure and in fact I am even skeptical of the 65 thousand figure. This ...
8
votes
1answer
5k views
Is it illegal to sell used mattresses?
I'm possibly selling a used mattress (plead the 5th) and to my surprise was told that it's illegal! I've never heard this before. It seems that many others are asking this question and have heard it ...
7
votes
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 ...
4
votes
0answers
370 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 ...
4
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0answers
251 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 ...
