Stormbringer's Thunder

Buon giorno. Atheists are all in favor of free speech — as long as it is done to intimidate, harass, ridicule or just plain inconvenience those of us who believe in a Creator. I wonder if this applies to other laws as well. In this case, their "free speech" included putting this mocking billboard on church property : "The Clear Channel Outdoor billboard was placed on the grounds of Christ Cathedral Church and immediately drew the ire of the church’s pastor. The Rev. Waymon Malone successfully had the sign removed just days after it was displayed." It took "just days"? Strange, it should not have taken even that long. The last I knew, nobody has the right to put up signs on the property of another person without knowledge and permission of the property holder. Duh. The professionals in charge claim that the trespassing was done by accident . Huh, some professionals they are. And yet: Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, claims that t...

This article almost went unwritten, as there are already several good ones explaining the straw man fallacy. But I committed to writing this series, and I can add my own thoughts as well. The straw man fallacy — everybody does it, it seems. Especially when getting caught up in the emotion of a hea ted exchange of words . However, it is my belief that many people choose to use this fallacy for the sake of provoking emotion in their opponent. If the opponent falls for the trick, then the antagonist can provoke further and "win" the argument on emotion, not facts. "What on Earth are you babbling about, Cowboy Bob?" Now I'll tell you what it is, and maybe you can remember the traps of this nature that owlhoots set for you. Straw man, Flickr / H. Michael Miley ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) In simplest terms, the straw man argument is when someone will take your statement, argument, beliefs, or position and build a false version of it to tear down:  It  is a misre...

Adjusted September 3, 2024 Buona sera. You really need BOB available in a crisis. If you must get out now, be sure to have BOB handy. No, not me. Don't be silly . I'll be taking care of my own people . No, what you need is a Bug-Out Bag. I assembled my first one in 1990 or so, even though it did not have the moniker "of Bug-Out Bag" at the time. Yes, I remember that Saddam Barack Hussein was calling for Iraqis to attack Americans. Although they did not comply with their "beloved" leader, I was planning for the worst. Later, I realized that it was a good idea to have one, anyway. "But Cowboy Bob, I don't think we're going to be attacked!" Remember September 11, 2001? People were living in fear. I think this fear spread to the rest of the world, because other countries were thinking they were going to be hit as well. But we were jumping at shadows, wondering if another attack was imminent.  It could very well have been. Subsequent ...