Storm of the Century

Well that is partially my excuse for not blogging in a few days. Not that I have been personally effected, yet.

Seems that that is the issue of the day for the 3rd day running.

I hope that doesn't mean them bastards have been up to their usual tricks, while the nation was distracted by a killer storm.

That is it for now . . . . unless I find an intersting bit on my circuit today.

Let The Audience Decide?

I was taking a gawk on MediaMatters.org and noticed a piece of the Able Danger (seemingly) red herring story. It seems that the documentary evidence that could support the allegations currently being pimped by Fox (NOT) News more aggressively than natural blondes in a Tokoyo whorehouse, are hiding in the same "undisclosed location" where Kennedy's Missing Brain is.

Anyway, the report mentioned a recent O'Reilly Factor program where 9-11 Commission member Slade Gorton laid out the facts to belie the "It is Gorelick's Wall," manta.

O'Reilly allegedly responded thusly:

"All right. We'll let the audience decide, Senator."

What the HELL?

Since when are facts, like legislative and regulatory reforms that are verified, dating back to the 1970's, up for a consensus vote?

Welcome to Fox (NOT) News' version of Alternative Reality.

We should not be suprised, kids.

Let's Skip Current Events Today

Instead, let's open up the "Pet Peeve" file.

Today's peeve du jour? "GOOD INTENTIONS."

Seems I will not have to type much on this topic, as it has been well-discussed elsewhere. For example:


"Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All men mean well."

Author: George Bernard Shaw

"It is difficult to say who do you the most harm: enemies with the worst intentions or friends with the best."

Author: Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton


"Many good purposes and intentions lie in the churchyard."

~ Philip Henry

"It's always with the best intentions that the worst work is done."

~ Oscar Wilde



Before I go off all half-cocked, I have to admit I have been guilty of such well-meaning misdeeds myself on more than one occasion. And I mean big time. But I did eventually learn my lesson.

I had to get SO SERIOUSLY burned (figuratively) that I felt crispy, in order to learn the important life lesson to "Just leave other people to their shit, unless they are asking for help" (most always all of the time!) Otherwise, please STFU, and DO NOTHING.

As Fat Jack Fallstaff says: "Discretion is the better part of valor."

Perhaps not always the case, but a damned practical piece of advice, nonetheless!

Well, if the Original Justification For the War Was A LIE . . .

I guess (some people think) it is fair to attempt to discredit opponents of the war with an out and out lie.

I am speaking again about "The Lady of the Ditch," and the oft-repeated lie that she said our country was not worth fighting for.

That was debunked 3 days ago (at least)

Newshounds

And 3 days later some folk are still repeating that lie?

SHAME!!!

Oh, wait, I am talking about Conservative Pundits. Never mind (about the SHAME part. What was I THINKING?)

Alternative Plans

In a discussion about The IRAQ Debacle, I twisted to make the point that has been on my mind a lot lately, above and beyond the nearly 2,000 dead Americans, fatalities of the Live Game of RISK, the Neocons have been playing for the past few years.

Yes, I have been thinking about THE MONEY!

Curren't estimates put the cost of Bush's Bloody Folly at some two hundred billion dollars.

In that discussion, I came up with the following:

Hell, give me only 100 billion dollars and I can rebuild the Island of Atlantis for you, set it up as a democratic show place/vacation destination/and High Tech Research center. And I can turn in a profit for ya, to boot!

Granted, I was vamping there. But think about it. What could the government done with only 100 billion that could have bee more PRODUCTIVE, leave alone two hundred billion?

NeoCon Foreign Policy Fundamentals, Explained

Well this will be today's version of it, at least.

Back in the good old days, Self-Important, Self-Thinking Clever people would be sitting around in the capital city, enjoying the fruits of their ancestors' crimes (if not their own) and one would bring up the topic of some
strange exotic land,
that had (un or under exploited) RESOURCES.

And the discussion would quickly move to the fact that the Self-Important, Self-Thinking Clever people had ships with guns and the ability to Correct this Crime Against God and Nature, that those resources were not being properly exploited.


Skip to 2005.

Nowadays we have Self-Important, Self-Thinking Clever people who sit around OUR capital thinking about how there are
strange exotic lands,
which are not Democracies,
and the lack of such has not been properly exploited.

So the modern version of the Self-Important, Self-Thinking Clever people think that they have ships with guns, and aircraft too, and that it would be a crime against God and Nature, that the lack of Democracy in such a place was not exploited.

And if the place happens to have exploitable resources, so much the better (Wink, Wink. Nudge, Nudge. Say no more . . . saaaaaay noooo more!)

What is it that Morpheus Says to Neo . . .

In that movie, "The Matrix," after Neo gets freed from the Matrix?

"Welcome to Reality?"

Or was it, "The Real Word?"

Either is close enough for today's point. Over on Daily Kos there is a good (for reality lovers) piece on Bushie Pundits who are ready to unplug from the Matrix that is the Bush/PNAC version of Fantasy Island.

Or as the headline says: "Conservative Pundits Bailing by the Busload ."

Perhaps that is MORE wishful thinking than accurate description, but still, some are getting fed up, whipping off the "Rose Colored Glasses," waking up from the "Bad Trip," escaping from the "Fun House," or the "Monkey House," or "Looney Bin." (Ok, even I got tired of the cliches there, but hey . . . any movement in that direction is a good thing, I say.)

Now this blurb is telling:

"And Jonathan Adler quotes a bailing Professor Bainbridge, who starkly states: "It's time for us conservatives to face facts. George W. Bush has pissed away the conservative moment by pursuing a war of choice via policies that border on the criminally incompetent."


http://susang.dailykos.com/



I am one of those (and not really all that) smart, smart-asses who can honestly say . . ."Toldja So!"

Not that I am happy to be right. I just can't understand how anyone could have believed the load of bullshit coming out of the PNAC Freak Farm. It is not as if DEMOCRACY is like a fast food franchise, where you give the managers a crash course in how to run the fryolaytor and how to say,"Welcome to Bogus Burger . . . can I take your order," and drive a semi up to the back door of the shop, and be up and running as a business in a week.


Last note for today re The Debacle.

(and pay attention, any PNACERs or sympathizers)

Foreign Policy is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. It is HARDER. At least Rocket Scientists are dealing with Mathmatical Absolutes. You have to use Fuzzy Math, and if you pay too much attention to how you hope things will turn out, instead of "probability," or if you don't include the right factors, and give them the right values, expect to not only be wrong but make HUGE mistakes.

Question: An Iraq with SHARIA law? Who coulda seen that one coming?

Answer: Anyone with 1/2 a functioning brain, and the merest understanding of the region.

UNHINGED?

Yes I will admit it. I am bored with the Cindy Sheehan part of the Cindy Sheehan story by now.

The only part of this story that still holds my attention? The bizzare amount of people who have become
Totally UNHINGED over it.


I am allowed to jack my own text, so here is how I said it, in some discussion, earlier, Friday:


"To me the only NEWSWORTHY part of this story, currently, is the number of people going BATSHIT over it. I think the last time there was this much mass hysteria (over nothing) was the Orson Wells' Radio Broadcast of "War of the Worlds." It would be funny if it were not so scary, how many people have totally lost perspective over this one lady camping in a ditch."

I am trying to cut down on the cussing here, so I will summarize my other salient points. I think a lot of Bushies, for some time now, are starting to see that they were were seriously screwed by Bush over this war in Iraq, thing, and that the "Lady of the Ditch" is on the receiving end of a lot of displaced anger, that Bushies can't seem to direct at Bush, who has EARNED their RAGE.

Note please, dear reader, what I say in my description of this blog, about the "Cult of Personality?"

What is that old saying? Trust the art, not the Artitst?

In the case of a bullshit artist like Bush, don't trust EITHER.



P.S.

Kudos to Maureen Dowd for her insightful observation that Bush's Fantasy World is worse than Barbie in her dream house.

Love that, thank you!


And for my own bit of creative keyboarding?

I made, in that discussion I mentioned before, the following observation, concerning the question of whether the meltdown of folk over "The Lady of The Ditch" was really anger more properly meant for and caused by Dubya:

If that was the question asked of me by the Guardian of Bridge of Doom, after asking me "What . . is your quest?" I'd answer, "It is a classic case of displacement of emotional rage."


I guess I would be remiss if I did not at least acknowledge the Genius Classic Film, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," for the source of my "Bridge of Doom" riff.

If THEY Were Honest About The Iraq War, In the Begining . . .

Their "pitch" should have been something like this:





Now, People of America. Some of us in the government think it will be a nifty idea if we can make Iraq a democracy. It is going to cost at least 100 Billion dollars, will take at least 3 if not more years, we will loose several thousand American Lives,

and the chances of succeding are AT BEST 50/50.

Ok America. Are you down with that or do you think we are out of our freaking minds for even suggesting that?

NO? Aww geee wiz, we can throw in a few really fun and neat slogans like "Stay the Course," and "Bring em On."

Oh? You have thought about those slogans and realize that what they both really mean is DEAD AMERICANS for no Fawking Good Reason?"

Oh well we promise to make Rummy run around using weird words and phrases and like describing things as being "ROBUST" and saying "Good Gosh, Gee Willikers." Not good enough either?

How about seeing W in a flight suit. That is worth 100 Billion dollars and two or more thousand dead Americans, right?

Nooo?

Damnit. ROVE was right.

The only way we can can get America to support the PNAC agenda is to lie like a fawking whore during fleet week.
_________________

Able/Danger: Major Story or Just Bullshit?

Alleged EXPLOSIVE allegations that intel about one (at least) of the 9/11 mass murderers were suppressed by the DOD, and in some way that was caused by Jamie Gorelick?

Newshounds story

Hey . . . I was living in the NYC area on 9/11 and the way I tell (usually have to tell GOP-jingoistic hard liners, when they get on my last nerve with their slogans and skewed version of events) it is,

"I saw those building on fire with my own eyes. I stood on the edge of ground zero 4 days after the event, as close as I could get, just to witness it and fully convince myself that that disaster was not merely part of a bad dream. I was breathing in the pulverized bits of those buildings and everything and everyone in them, so that event is literally part of me for LIFE!" (so STFU!!)

So if there was an actual supression of this at DOD I will be screaming for blood too. However , this whole thing smacks of opportunistic POLITICS.

Between the Cindy Shaheen protest, and support of the war in Iraq hitting an all time LOW, all of a sudden we have allegedly explosive allegations that the previous admin. screwed the Pooch in 2000?

Not that that can't be true, but as that SNL character created by Dana Carvey says:

"Mmmm now that's CONVIENENT!"



Just one (other) thing bothers me about this SPECIFICALLY.

If the Col. (who is now singing his song as high and loud as Cassandra) knew that Mohammed Atta and an Al Quada Cell was in the USA, and was told to back off and told he could not inform the FBI , why didn't he just make an Anoyonomous tip to the INS if he did not want to make that to the FBI? Does that bother anyone else?

Hell, I have put my career in jeopardy for lesser reasons than I thought that MASS MURDERERS had slipped into the country and are likely up to no good.

We will have to just see how this one plays out, I recon.

Simile Du Jour . . .

Unusually, I will be brief today.

I was in a discussion earlier today, where I was invited to say something good that Dubya had accomplished.

I cracked the obvious joke:

Can I just quote Georgie from that press conference when he was asked if he ever made any mistakes, and say: "I can't think of any?"

Anyway, as the discussion went on, I (mildly at this point at least) went off, and crafted my newest simlie to describe my dissapointment with Dubya's prosecution of the WOT:



"Saddam Hussein in a jail cell awaiting trial is to the joy of seeing OBL's head on a pike staff,

as a fistful of Monopoly Money is to a Tractor Trailer filled with benjamins. "


Nuff said!

A Quickie on Intelligent Design

Original content (that I published originally somewhere else today.)

Well I can either pick on the HUGE GAPING FLAW in the idea of ID, or I can just make an observation. Hey . . . . I can do both, can't I?

The Flaw.

If you saddle yourself with the premise that some things in nature are so complicated "THEY JUST HADTA BE DESIGNED" you are saying that God designed those things.But but but but but but but what is more complicated than GOD?

Ya Ya. I know the Hindus have an "OUT" that monotheists don't have. They are not at all bothered by the partially-saving idea of infinite gods and universes, and really don't seem to care about the end never being in sight ever, but for monos? It is a conundrum, I say.

But that is the flaw (and the sidebar.)

Here is my observation.

If one can imagine a universe where God is sui generis, in addition to being omnipotent, why is it so hard to imagine (if only for the sake of argument) an omnipotent God who merely lit the match on the multi-stage firework shell of the universe, and is (mostly) just sitting on the sideline watching the show?

Adam Smith is Spinning In His Grave So Fast That . .

Great line delivered on Meet The Press today, by E.J. Dione, about the pork laden Highway Bill and the "Golly Geee you Oil Companies need MORE money, poor dears, have some more tax breaks," Energy Bill:

"There goes the free market. Adam Smith is probably spinning in his grave so fast that he qualifies as an Energy Source."

(Quote is not necessarily exactly verbatim. I did my best, though.)

It's Just Theoretical News . . .

Hey kids!

If Evoloution is just a theory (forgetting the actual definition for Scientific Theory
http://wilstar.com/theories.htm ), can we say that ANYTHING reported or said by
ANYONE on Fox News is also just a theory?

Maybe, instead we can call it Fox Theoretrical News?

Personally, I go to both http://mediamatters.org/ and http://www.newshounds.us/, regularly to see the sometimes interesting, sometime just plain stupid "Theoretical News" presented by Fox, debunked, if not deskunked.

Now I could give many recent examples, but why should I do all that typing?

Just go to those sites and see for yourself.


Ok, Ok. I will give you a teaser about today's leader, on Newshounds:

"We watch FOX so you don't have to.
Sun 01:38 AM

Is This Any Way For A Network News Employee To Behave?
FOX News contributor Mike Gallagher organized a Pro America Tour in opposition to Cindy Sheehan's anti-war vigil in Crawford, Texas. Gallagher, with no military record of his own and no military-serving relatives in HIS immediate family, claimed his trip to Crawford was "not about Cindy Sheehan.""



Now how Stupid does Fox think its viewers are? Honestly!

That is NOT a rhetorical question, kids. I wan't an answer to that one.

Anyone with some inside info on Fox News' production staff please
let us know how crass and manipulative these guys are. Internal emails,
memos, notes will be good.

I can't promose to pay but I might be able to take up a collection for a whistleblower's award for you.

Culture of Exaggeration

Hot damn. That is the most intelligent thing I have heard said since I read "On Bullshit," by the august Professor Harry Frankfurt.

Now the context where that phrase was used was in a discussion I heard in a NPR Science Friday piece, concerning forensic evidence. Specifically, the context was how it was perhaps A BAD THING when doctors and forensic techs speak in such terms as:

100% CERTAINTY.

As opposed to the more honest and ethical:

In my Opinion, 100% certain.

Ya, that disctinction is almost false (in that court room evidence context), but that is not why I bring up this as my topic.

I think that that phrase is applicable to a far wider range of issues than merely courtroom forensics, particularly American Politics.

I wish I could say that only the other team does it, but I guess I am not willing to exaggerate on that point myself here (that would sorta kill the effectiveness of my "observation.")

(I think that I need to tie things up here, so) I will just do it this way. If you can, read "On Bullshit," as that is the real primer on the core idea of what is wrong with our society, but until you do that, be on the lookout for exaggeration and those who exaggerate routinely (otherwise known as bullshit and bullshitters.) They and it are (at least one of the major) poisons sapping the health of the body politic.

Follow-up to the Grieving Mom Revolution; "the flip-flop is nothing more than a canard."

We will be short on original content. Now for the citations. Daily Kos (find that linked on my "My Favorites" list, to the right) showcases (good enough a way to say it) a conservative blogger who is on record of (how does he say it) being OUTRAGED at the Smear Campaign aganist our current favorite Grieving mom, Cindy Sheehan.

Is it too much to hope for, for a groundswell of other cons to finally start throwing the rotted vegetables at the GOP's favorite Pundits? Or how about just stop watching Fox (most of it AIN'T, Dontcha Know it yet) News.

Well, ya. That is asking for too much in this life, but I have to say, it is way past time for it. Check out this piece yourself. I love the title. It, I imagine, deliberately echoes the famous "Have You No Shame," charge that was artfully lobbed at that icon of Sinister Self Promiting, Slanderous Sleaze: Joe McCarthy.

The title is: Decency Is Not In Them.

Here is a taste of that con's Conscientious Complaint.



"If one needed any further proof that this incarnation of "Republicans" and alleged conservatives includes a faction that has gone completely and tragically over the edge, the smear campaign against Cindy Sheehan is it. For those who might not be familiar with the details of this and are looking for an accurate, factual account, a good summary appears here."

Go here for the rest of it:

http://cunningrealist.blogspot.com/2005/08/decency-is-not-in-them.html



OH. And if you are not a regular Newshound reader, I suggest you go there for the Post Mortem on Fox (NOT REALLY) New's coverage to date, which has been either sinister (O'Riley), or bumped for more about the Holloway Girl (Hannity.)

Have you no SHAME, indeed!


EDITED TO ADD:

Yes I do have some original content. Well I published this somewhere else, yesterday. My general take on the matter. Not so much on the grieving mom herself, but on what I hope her Revolution becomes, if it indeed becomes a Revolution.


I am one of those people who thinks (naturally) that we have NEVER REALLY ACTUALLY had the sort of national debate over that war WE SHOULD HAVE HAD, before the 3ID (Mech.) crossed the frontier. I know, I know, that there are some folk who will SWEAR to their Graves that the Main Stream Media is all Lib and was all against this Prez, and anything he does (then again I don't watch FUX News, but I look at their website enough to know that is what THEY pound out, day after day.) But I am one of those people who think that the MSM truly did not ask enough questions and did not do enough to CHALLENGE and QUESTION authority on this Adventure. I am hoping that now there will be some sort of groundswell of support for the debate to happen now, and for enough People to INSIST that the questions put to the Bush Admin, about that war and policies concerning it, are not only answered, but answered fully and truthfully. No more slogans, and no more spin. We all deserve the TRUTH. What I am hoping for here is for most if not All Americans to remember is: This is Democracy. And the Gvt. Is SUPPOSED TO answer to US. We have the right do DEMAND an answer to the question WHY? This might very well be the begining of such an event.

"Everybody Buckle Up Your Seatbelts; Looks like we are in for some REAL DEMOCRATIC Weather."



And my last thought on it, for today?

Ever since this story broke, I can not help but think of the Chilean Abuelitas who Danced Alone (together) Outside of the Gvt. Buildings in protest of that country's regime.

Granted, theirs was more of a quiet revolution, but this is America, afterall.

(Well I ought to post a little of that song by Sting. Can't get it out of my head, now.)


Danzan con sus pardres
Danzan con sus hijos
Danzan con sus esposos
Ellas danzan solas
Danzan solas.

Ok, Just To Be On Record. I Said it FIRST!! Cindy Sheehan?

I am Dubbing her "Quest":

The Grieving Mom Revolution.

Not that that necessarilly means I am predicting anything MAJOR is going to change from it. But if the hundreds of supporters reported to be down there in Crawford turn into thousands, who knows???


In any event, I am securing the copyright and trademark!

NARLs Anti-Roberts Ad. Technically a Cheap Shot, But . . .

let's get into the old time machine and look at what is the likely truth here.

A law that was enacted years ago with the major goal of fighting the KKK, but that was broadly written to include any folk who use certain tactics to deprive other folk of their civil rights, is used against often Ugly, often Rude, often Way the HELL Over the Line, abortion clinic protestors.

The case gets before the SCOTUS.

Now since the US GVT. was not a party to the case, the Solicitor General could have sat on the sidelines. Any brief out of that office on that case was "Elective." And, that election was likely made at the Reagan WH.

And of course, what was the logic in that election?

To Protect the SANCTITY of a anti KKK law, or
To curry political favor with some among the Far Right Wing Base, some of who were so virulent in their antiabortion beliefs that they were in favor of acts of violence, to force other people to comply with their will?

Things Currently On My Mind . . .

Well I have decided to move my mind to something else.

Good Bye, RIP Peter Jennings.

I watched the tribute program on ABC tonight, and I was very moved.

I think it is not so much a matter of the world loosing a great journalist, but moreso, a great human being.

IF You Don't REALLY Know The TOPIC STFU, PLEASE!!!

Ok, time to SPANK some of the less-smart conservatives, over the "Roberts worked on on a Gay Rights Case," matter.


First thing, lets round up every conservative who has an opinion on the issue.

Next. I ask you all . . . hey how many of you ever actually WORKED at a LAW FIRM?

Ok now everyone who did not raise their hands honestly to that question, STFU. You have no idea WTF you are talking about if you don't know HOW a LAWFIRM operates.

Now those of you with your hands in the air, how many of you think you KNOW BOTH what a Strict Constructionalist is AND that that is a good thing? Keep your hands in the air.

Ok you guys with your hands in the air still? You all are full of shit too. the Idea of SC is not even THIRTY years old, and in reality a judge who has SC as their Jucicial Philosophy is nothing more than a

PARTISAN CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST.

So your sorry asses are DISMISSED too.

Evolution of the GOP

Yes, it is original content, but I first published it earlier today . . . . somewhere else. It (IMO) is worth slapping up here.



Weird, how the GOP had "evolved." It was originally a bunch of do gooders, then it morphed into the party of the Nouveau Riche, then by the time their grandkids got the Trust Funds, the party of Elite Privilege. Yes, in the old days they still needed to get the poor folk they would never let in their nice pretty mansions, but through the tradesman's Door, out back, to vote for their (aristocratic) interests, but then something happened. That was called The Great Depression.

For a while Americans realized it was them (few) against the rest of us, and those few would gladly use our bodies for heating logs (if only they could figure out how to deal with that stench.)

Then came the 1950's and averge joe started living good, and the few Republican Elite got some of their support back.

Then we got NIXON, LOL.

Then we got inflation and all that crap. Then we got Carter.


Then the pendulm swung back and we got Ronnie (the first US President ALMOST sent to the White House directly from Central Casting.) I'll skip the rest of the timeline but to say we have the most FUCKED UP sociological and political creature, in the modern GOP. We have a country where 10% of the pop. control 90% of the wealth. But that does not insure control of the gvt., even if money talks.

In order to protect their wealth, the 10% need a good amount of the commoners to support them politically. And during Reagan's election campaign, you had the Moral Majority pop up. Hello . . . instant commoners . All that was necessary was to be willing to support the social whims of that narrow constinuency. So what do the American Aristocracy care about that stuff? No big deal. It is an easy trade off to cater to those whims, mostly in only word and not deed, and if that keeps the aristocracy ascendant, they can easilly deal with the trade off. It is not as if any wealthy person needs to worry about flying their kin across state lines or out of the country to get and enjoy things that are BANNED by the self appointed forces of Moralistic Opression.

So this is seemingly how we got here. We have a party run by a few very rich people who only give a damn about their own money and people like them, being protected by a more numerous group of people who, in a more perfect aristocratic society, would have to say "Yes, M'Lord," if ever met.

I know, I know, I am giving the old CLASS WARFARE argument that (perhaps not strangely) GOP Pols decry (and fear.) Reason I am so willing to revert to that argument??? Many years ago, I did a temp gig at the Trusts Department of CityBank, down on Wall Street. I spent a week reviewing the trust accounts of lots of America's Lesser Known wealthy families . . . and in going through the records, I would see some of the records of some of America's Better Know families.

Shit . . . I was reading the accounts of the Astor Family.

Over the Top? Maybe, but . . . .

Ok I am being lazy and not producing new orignal material today. Sorry. Been Busy. Too bad.

So, in substitution for my witty observations, consider the following by another blogger:

http://empireburlesquenow.blogspot.com/2005/07/killing-joke-day-american-republic.html



I loved the part where he made the analogy between Bush and Caligula.

Over the Top? Maybe, but let's turn this puppy over, slit it's belly open and look at the entrails??

Ok. Now Caligula was the less-able product of a powerful family that saw it as their birthright to RULE, was INSANE, had sociopathic tendencies, was prone to DELUSIONS, and thought himself to be a GOD.

Bush is the less-able product of a powerful family that sees it as their birthright to RULE, is likely AT LEAST a Dry Drunk, has sociopathic tendencies, is prone to DELUSIONS, and thinks he is God's Chosen Agent.

YA. No compararison. Ignore this post (LOL!!!)

Word (and Idea) of the Day: Sophistry.

Yes, let's get right to that core fault, that fundamental flaw in human argument and mentation, that is as easily the Road To Hell as that road paved with good intentions. Never mind that sophistry also is the road to:

Bigotry,
Ignorance,
Mob Mentality,
Lynch Mob, Mentality,
Genocide,

and just about all the ills of the World (well at lot of them, at the least; those involving Poor Human Judgment, at least.)

Again, thanks to the fine folk at Wiki.

Here are the snips and bits:

In modern philosophical usage, sophistry is a derogatory term for rhetoric that is designed to appeal to the listener on grounds other than the strict logical validity of the statements being made.

* * *

Reconstruction of Sophist philosophy

In traditional logical argument, a set of premises are connected together according to the rules of logic and lead therefore to some conclusion. When someone criticizes the argument, they do so by pointing out either falsehoods among the premises or logical fallacies, flaws in the logical scaffolding. These criticisms may be subject to counter-criticisms, which in turn may be subject to counter-counter-criticisms, etc. Generally, some judge or audience eventually either concurs with or rejects the position of one side and thus a consensus opinion of the truth is arrived at.

The essential claim of sophistry is that the actual logical validity of an argument is irrelevant; it is only the ruling of the audience which ultimately determine whether a conclusion is considered "true" or not. By appealing to the prejudices and emotions of the judges, one can garner favorable treatment for one's side of the argument and cause a factually false position to be ruled true.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophistry


Why am I on this topic today? Honestly, I was way over due, but I just spent some time "slumming" on the message board of one particually bull shit AM radio host, and reading some of the bits of (un)wisdom there like "there is no difference between a lib and an islamofascist," "Kill them All," "lib marxists," (and that one really gets me. Resurgent Archie Bunkerism??? Yecchh. Talk about people being totally incapable of self reflection!)

The thought occured to me that if we could declare sohistry illegal on the public airwaves, we could get the likes of Hannity, Rush, and most every other AM Hate-Talker off the air, and be all the better for it.

Let's put Classical Music on during their old timeslots. That would be more wholsome. When have you ever heard of a riot being started by fans of Beehtoven or Vivaldi?