Links and Minifeatures 2009 02 27 Friday

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Karl Rove:

President Barack Obama reveres Abraham Lincoln. But among the glaring differences between the two men is that Lincoln offered careful, rigorous, sustained arguments to advance his aims and, when disagreeing with political opponents, rarely relied on the lazy rhetorical device of "straw men." Mr. Obama, on the other hand, routinely ascribes to others views they don't espouse and says opposition to his policies is grounded in views no one really advocates.

It isn't just Obama, although as President he should be held to a higher standard. The straw man (and its close cousins, Red Herring, ad hominem, false bifurcation, et al) have become staples of political argument on all sides and points of the compass. In my experience, it has certainly been more common on the political left in these few decades, but we've all got to stop it.

It's easy to build a straw man and knock it down. It's even easier to slip in a Red Herring or attack your opponent personally. But doing so accomplishes nothing, is intellectually dishonest, and shows glaring weakness in your own ability to argue the merits of your case. Furthermore, it poisons the debate. For instance, Sarah Palin never said "You can see Russia from my house." That was Tina Fey satirizing her. Ms. Fey's reading of her script was exactly in line with what she was supposed to be doing - she's a comedian and an actress, and it was funny in context. But the thousands who picked it up and repeated it as a method of discrediting the political opposition should be subject to a public shaming. A recent slander on the right giving Barack Obama complete blame for the stock market slide between the election and inauguration is equally vile. Yes, part of it was no doubt due to the rhetoric of the incoming President-elect (and more to the point, his Congressional leadership), as businesspeople and investors got a "preview of coming attractions" as it were, but to let President Bush off the hook completely is intellectually dishonest. Yes, President Bush tried to fix the cause pre-emptively several times and was stymied by the Democrats in Congress. But he could have chosen to try harder.

Every time you use a dishonest trick like this, your opposition wonders why it bothers to build an honest case for their point of view. Every time you use a trick like this, your opposition wonders why it should not reciprocate in kind. Every time you use a trick like this, everyone - including your own supporters who aren't completely brain dead - wonder why you did not or will not build an honest argument on the merits of your own position. How long before they conclude that it is because you are incapable of doing so? How long before they conclude that there is no such argument?

Thank you, Mr. Rove.

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Obama solution begets crises

All too true. The agenda is likely to reshape American capitalism, if that's what you want. But let me rain on this parade as it passes -- before The Music Man runs off with River City's most beautiful women. While he promises to deliver Americans from recession, financial crisis and the Wall St. Pool Hall, Mr. Obama's agenda actually threatens to plunge America into new crises, while extending the current crises.

Profoundly anti-market and anti-capitalist themes and tones run through Mr. Obama's speech. Nowhere in the world has a country risen to prosperity by blowing up markets (in energy, for example) and turning to massive state intervention (banking) to solve problems, especially problems that do not even exist (oil dependence).

Depressing how few people ask "What happens next?"

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Obama's Threat to Charities and Universities: His Budget and Taxes

This is an attempt to channel money away from voluntary associations and direct it to the state. Some of that money, in turn, would be directed to public employee unions, and much if not most of that would be directed to the Democratic Party.

Now, let me ask: If the state is the only possible source for aid, who will help those that the state will not? Who will help those that the state chooses not to help?

And what happens if you qualify, but because someone in government doesn't like you, whether bureaucrat or politician?

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War and Peace and Dissent in Islam

But why the contradiction in the first place? The standard view has been that, since in the early years of Islam, Muhammad and his community were far outnumbered by the infidels and idolaters, a message of peace and coexistence was in order (sound familiar?). However, after he migrated to Medina and grew in military strength and numbers, the violent and intolerant verses were "revealed," inciting Muslims to go on the offensive -- now that they were capable of doing so. According to this view, quite standard among the ulema, one can only conclude that the peaceful Meccan verses were ultimately a ruse to buy Islam time till it became sufficiently strong to implement its "true" verses which demand conquest. Or, as traditionally understood and implemented by Muslims themselves, when the latter are weak and in a minority position, they should preach and behave according to the Meccan verses (peace and tolerance); when strong, they should go on the offensive, according to the Medinan verses (war and conquest). The vicissitudes of Islamic history are a testimony to this dichotomy.

Read the whole thing

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The Third Age of Money

So, it seems pretty hopeless, doesn't it? The financial world we've grown up with is collapsing under the sheer weight of looting. If governments can't do it, and a return to the gold standard can't do it, then where are we? At the edge of another dark age?

Not quite.

I foresee the rise of private money once again, and returning in such force as to negate the government's role in the economy. In fact, the pieces for creating the Third Age of Money are already there.

The issue with money is finding a way to prevent the looting of the system, and Mr. Franks has done a lot of thinking about it. I'd be very surprised if it shook out completely in accordance with his scenario, but he's definitely onto something.

More on the oncoming death of the system at Fabius Maximus

(Fabius Maximus was a Roman general who beat Hannibal after Hannibal's brilliant victories of his first year in Italy by delaying him while Rome rebuilt. another page: "To be turned from one's course by men's opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold an office." Quintus Fabius Maximus, from Plutarch's Lives. Ring any recent history bells?)

The Coming Blue State Collapse

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'Conscience' rule on abortions may be overturned

Taking another step into the abortion debate, the Obama administration today will move to rescind a controversial rule that allows healthcare workers to deny abortion counseling or other family planning services if doing so would violate their moral beliefs, according to administration officials.

Basically, the new rules from the Obama administration require medical professionals to commit what they may see as murder. Evidently, we don't have enough medical providers to kill all the unborn babies that people want to kill. Either that, or it's less of a violation of rights to force someone to commit what they see as murder rather than direct the requester elsewhere.

Ladies and gentlemen, if a given provider sees it as murder, you go to someone else, and that person makes the money for providing the service.

And if you can't find someone who doesn't see it as murder, maybe that should tell you something?

Quite frankly, if I were a medical provider, I'd consider quitting the profession or leaving the country rather than comply with the new rule. I imagine at least a few health care providers will do so, and quite a few who might have been doctors and nurses in the future will choose other professions. Aren't we already squawking about not having enough nurses and doctors?

Another question: How long before some doctor who feels that it is murder offers himself up as a test case and wins?

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Movie Review: Media Malpractice

No matter. The sheer weight of the evidence John expertly documents, and the clever and telling juxtaposition of the widely varying treatment Obama and Joe Biden received from the media from Palin will have even the skeptics admitting that John has a point. In fact, John saves his best evidence for last, in two widely-remarked polls showing and confirming that Obama voters were significantly less knowledgeable about politics and the specifics of the election. That is John's entire point; the media served the nation poorly in one of its most important functions and left an electorate drowning in ignorance. John claims that he bears no ill will towards Barack Obama and hopes he succeeds, but that the media failed -- utterly.
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How He Did It: A Diagrammatic Analysis of the Obama Campaign

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Obama the Re-labeler: It's official: any combat forces in Iraq after August 2010 will be called something else:

A couple key points for the record: The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) - the treaties detailing the ongoing drawdown in Iraq - have been disappeared from the White House web page. (Curously, President Obama's Iraq plan still says "Obama and Biden believe it is vital that a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) be reached so our troops have the legal protections and immunities they need. Any SOFA should be subject to Congressional review to ensure it has bipartisan support here at home.") The treaties are also not mentioned in current media coverage of President Obama's planned Iraq drawdown.

Then-candidate Barack Obama abandoned any pretense of withdrawing troops from Iraq on a rigid timeline in the summer of 2008. If this point was ever acknowledged by the media they've obviously since forgotten.

Payoffs to electoral supporters become a "stimulus". "Combat forces" are leaving Iraq, but we'll still have troops there, they'll still have weapons, and they'll still do what combat forces are doing today. Down is the new "up"

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Should We Let California Go Bankrupt?

I don't think anyone has the resources for a "no" answer

There are a host of reasons why California has become toxic to business, ranging from the highest personal income tax rate in the country (small business owners are especially hard hit by PITs), to an environmental regulatory regime that has made electricity so expensive businesses simply can't compete in California. That is one reason why even California-based businesses are expanding elsewhere, from Google, which built a server farm in Oregon, to Intel, which opened a $3 billion factory for producing microprocessors outside of Phoenix.

California has been slowly killing all of the geese that lay the golden eggs for the last forty years, and we're coming to the end of the line. We can either change our tune before the last business leaves the state (and good luck luring them back!) or we can become a People's Republic completely. Even the People's Republics are moving away from that model. It doesn't work.

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1 Comments

Dan Melson Author Profile Page said:

From an email:

You mentioned doctors leaving the industry if they had to perform actions
against their conscience.

This is why my FIL, who was a podiatrist, left years ago. When the clinic he was at started performing abortions, he didn't feel he could
participate. So he quit and went into business for himself. He couldn't stay profitable that way, so went back to school and got a music master's and he now earns money by playing his trumpet.

Please be civil. Avoid profanity - I will delete the vast majority of it, usually by deleting the entire comment. To avoid comment spam, a comments account is required. They are freely available, and you can post comments immediately. Alternatively, you may use your Type Key registration, or sign up for one (They work at most Movable Type sites) All comments made are licensed to the site, but the fact that a comment has been allowed to remain should not be taken as an endorsement from me or the site. There is no point in attempting to foster discussion if only my own viewpoint is to be permitted. If you believe you see something damaging to you or some third party, I will most likely delete it upon request.
Logical failures (straw man, ad hominem, red herring, etcetera) will be pointed out - and I hope you'll point out any such errors I make as well. If there's something you don't understand, ask.
Nonetheless, the idea of comments should be constructive. Aim them at the issue, not the individual. Consider it a challenge to make your criticism constructive. Try to be respectful. Those who make a habit of trollish behavior will be banned.

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Dan Melson published on February 27, 2009 8:00 PM.

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