Is it just me, or . . .
Does Donald Trump look about as comfortable holding a Bible as Mike Dukakis did riding in a tank?
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BAD IMPEACHMENT ARGUMENTS: SENATE EDITION
The argument has been made, most notably by Sen. Lamar Alexander, that while President Trump did the things that the House of Representatives accused him of, he should not be removed from office because the people, not the Senate should be the judges of his conduct, and what the consequences should be. The
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AN ARGUMENT FOR IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL
Despite efforts to complicate things, the issue of whether President Trump should be impeached and removed from office boils down to the answers to four straightforward questions. These four questions frame an argument for impeachment and removal. It starts with what are hopefully agreed principles, and proceeds based on facts and logic to a
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Applying BZL 1-5 to Bad Arguments: Impeachment Edition
The debate in the House of Representatives over the articles of impeachment was disappointing. Democrats and Republicans mostly talked past each other, and each side made a lot of bad arguments. Here are some of the bad arguments that recurred often. BZL 1. The facts are uncontested. Democrats kept saying the facts were uncontested, when
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WHAT THE 2018 ELECTION IS REALLY ABOUT
WHAT THE 2018 ELECTION IS REALLY ABOUTDonald Trump says that the 2018 election is about Kavanaugh, the Caravan, and a promise of a middle-class tax cut. In this, as in many other things, the president is wrong. The 2018 election is about four things: Healthcare, Corruption, Collusion, and perhaps most importantly, Courage.Healthcare. When Donald Trump
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Corporate Christi kickoff
I have heard about a new startup, currently seeking investors. It may be worth checking out. The company name is Corporate Christi, Inc. It is a business consulting firm designed to help companies take advantage of the 2014 Supreme Court decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. You may recall that in that case the Supreme
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Reaganism isn’t the Solution; Reaganism is the Problem
There is a lot of handwringing in Republican circles these days. How could someone like Donald J. Trump end up as the nominee? Why is there so much tension within the party? Here is a hint: what used to be known as “the party of Lincoln” is now touted as “the party of Reagan”. Thirty
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Conservative or Con?
The Republican party is not a big tent. It is more like a Boy Scout Jamboree involving four different troops (corporate elites, military hawks, libertarians, and social conservatives) who basically hate each other. The thing that keeps them together is that they hate the Girl Scouts more. That, and a word, “conservative”, a word that
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BZL 2 to 10 Overview
BZL 2 – Deceptive labeling, a/k/a “The Curve Ball”. Just as 1 is a fastball when the catcher signals the pitcher, 2 is usually a curveball. The curveball for our purposes is using a word, but distorting its meaning. In its crassest form the BZL 2 is simply name calling as a short cut to
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Before you vote . . .
I have two rules that I apply in the voting booth. I recommend them for your consideration. 1. Anyone who says that government can never do anything right should never be put in charge of the government. They will only prove themselves correct. 2. Anyone who thinks that government can do no wrong should be
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BZL 1 Followup
You’ve caught someone trying to steal first base: Now what? You have identified the feeling that the other person is making unwarranted assumptions, and held up one finger to indicate “Hold on a minute.” In short, you suspect a BZL 1. How do you identify the assumption you disagree with? There are a couple steps
BZL 1 — Trying to Steal First Base
Every time that Perry Mason objected that District Attorney Hamilton Burger was “assuming facts not in evidence”, he was accusing Berger of using BZL 1. The essence of this argument is to skip over one or more of the key premises that would have to be proven in a good argument. A classic example is
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BZ Lambeau’s Field Guide to the Bad Arguments
My mother was an avid birdwatcher. From her I learned that there are many species of birds that look similar, but can only be distinguished by tiny details. So, birdwatchers in the wild will take along a book called a “field guide” to help with on-the-spot identification. One of the best known was Roger Tory
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Review of new Bill Maher movie “Scienticulous”
I have just seen an advanced screening of Bill Maher’s latest film “Scienticulous” and it is not to be missed. It follows the same format as his earlier film “Religulous”, with a review of nutty ideas of science past, and with interviews with colorful characters espousing zany ideas. But this time, there is much more.
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Will Obama’s high court selection impact a man’s right to choose?
Supreme Court watchers are speculating on whether Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to replace Justice John Paul Stevens will affect the Court’s position on a man’s reproductive rights, as articulated in Richard Everwood v. Jane Does 1 through 3, 413 U.S. 110 (2006), a case that has received surprisingly little attention to date. The lower
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Final Exam — Essay Question
Liberals are the kind of people who need imaginary friends. Conservatives are the kind who need imaginary enemies. Comment.
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Final Exam — Multiple Choice Question
Republican is to Democrat as: a) Conservative is to Liberal b) Tweedledee is to Tweedledum c) Pilate is to Judas d) All of the above.
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E-mail bumper stickers for liberals
You have all seen e-mail “bumper stickers” — those mottos and sayings appended to the end of e-mails, like: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Conservatives seem to have a monopoly on this practice. I have a simple suggestion for liberals who would
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