The Straight Dope 11/18/2005

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 11/18/2005

Dear Cecil:

I was reading a Wikipedia article about two-time Medal of
Honor winners the other day, one of whom was General Smedley
Butler. He claimed to have unmasked the "business plot,"
also known as the "White House putsch," a scheme to install
a fascist dictatorship in the U.S. Supposedly some
congressional committee confirmed Butler's claims. Did the
"business plot" really exist? If so, how come no one has
ever heard of it? --Brent, Urbana, Illinois

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Cecil replies:

A fascist plot to take over the White House? Oh, wait, you
mean the one that allegedly happened in 1934.

Smedley Butler's story was nutty--hey, even the guy's name
was nutty--which is one reason you don't hear much about it
today. Apart from that congressional committee you
mentioned, most people at the time didn't take the plot
seriously, and even now we don't know whether it was a scam,
a pipe dream promoted by a few wealthy yo-yos, or an
honest-to-Jesus conspiracy to overthrow the government. But
something was definitely up.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/051118.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 - 09/05/1986

Dear Straight Dope:

My neighbor has been advised by her holistic dentist that
she needs to have her silver alloy fillings replaced with
gold ones. The dentist claims that the mercury in her
fillings is leaching out and poisoning her. This sounds like
bullshit to me, but now I'm beginning to wonder. Should I
worry? Is mercury carving divots in my brain? --M.M.,
Pasadena, California

Dear M.:

Hard to say. On the one hand, looking strictly at the facts,
I'd say the only leaching your neighbor has to worry about
is her "holistic dentist" leaching bucks out of her wallet.
On the other hand, they say mercury causes severe brain
damage, which would certainly account for some of the mail
I've been getting lately. So you're just going to have to
decide for yourself.

Most people have the foolish idea that silver fillings are
made out of silver. In reality, they're made from an alloy
called "amalgam," which is about half mercury, plus some
silver and other stuff. Mercury is poisonous, but until
recently scientists thought it stayed put in the filling.
Then in 1979 some researchers found that chewing can release
small amounts of mercury from old fillings. The question is
whether enough of it winds up in your system to do you any
damage. Some dentists say it does, and they claim the only
solution is to replace the silver fillings with gold or
composite resin. The price? Probably several hundred
dollars--which strikes some as suspicious. Times have been
tough for dentists lately because of the success of
fluoridation, which has cut the number of cavities in half.
So you have to wonder whether dentists aren't exaggerating
the mercury danger to drum up a little business.

For more,  see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_428.html


STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 - 08/14/1987

Dear Cecil: 

I'm disturbed to my Saxon roots each time I see a news item
showing the British prime minister's residence at 10 Downing
Street. It looks like the entrance to a three-story walk-up.
Her Majesty and the family have palaces galore, but it seems
the PM has to make do with a "railroad flat.'' What's the
scoop? And while you're at it, who lives at 8 and 12
Downing? Are they the kind of folks who improve the property
values, or do they talk trash and play the stereo all night?
--R. Lee H., Evanston, Illinois

Cecil replies:

The situation is definitely scandalous, R. Lee, and I'm glad
you bring it up, because I've been meaning to say something
to Mrs. Thatcher about it. Ten Downing is unquestionably a
dump, and don't think the Brits don't know it. Although a
few of them go on about how the prime minister's low-rent
abode exemplifies the UK's egalitarian ways, others aren't
afraid to call a hovel a hovel. One writer describes the
neighborhood as a "narrow, dingy street"; the most
charitable term another can come up with is "nondescript."
Yet another says the prime minister's residence "can hardly
be regarded as consistent with the dignity of his high
office on the one hand, or the capital of the British Empire
on the other." The last remark, I should note, was made at a
time when one could safely refer to the prime minister of
England using the masculine pronoun and to the British
Empire without smirking. There are some who would say that
Downing Street's unprepossessing appearance is all too
consistent with the state of the empire today.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_433.html

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