I read the news today oh boy...

Politics and Social Issues
1

So Trump’s rating have ticked up a bit, I hear.

And Democrats haven’t seemed to learn a damned thing when it comes to communicating with We The People, especially those faith-shackled people who have abandoned all their one time principles and ethics, in favor of a fear and anger driven, deliberate embrace of ignorance and totalitarian thinking. Or should I say Democrats acquiesces to GOP’s executing brainwashing campaigns.

Creating an air tight case only for those who retain fundamental American principles isn’t going to be enough, you gotta break on through to the other side…

Can’t do that by talking past them and sidestepping the bullshit Republican politicians keep throwing out. WHY CAN’T DEMOCRATS MANAGE THAT?

Why does recognizing and exposing the fundamental game the GOP and their corporate masters, seem so hard to do.

 

c) Intellectually Confronting Faith-Based thinking and Dogma Driven Deceptions

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/confronting-faith-based-delusions.html

d) Considering our dysfunctional public dialogue in 14 verses.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/our-dysfunctional-public-dialogue.html


I know these writing aren’t the greatest, I’m just a powerless, little, little, regular worker ant sort of guy, watching the happenings roll and watching - and those wet noodle Democrats blowing it time after time after time. When it would have taken so little to stand up to these orchestrated juvenile deceptions that the GOP depends on to ramrod their ME FIRST agenda.

 

Stand up for what?

Truth and honesty matters.

That we should be having constructive debates, where learning is the goal, and there’s an expectation to honestly represent the evidence, one’s own, and that of others.

That we should be directly confronting them, if they post weird statistics for the cameras - go at it, create your own poster to expose the deception being employed in said example, and on and on…


There’s more but gotta run and fiddle with chores while Rome burns. Just had to spit this out, therapy you could say. I talk pessimistic, but you know I keep hoping people will wake up, then news like this current national normalization of trump’s brand of Lord of the Flies, totalitarian governing, really scares me to the core. Doesn’t help that this CFI Forum is a painful reminder of how few engaged people there are out there. I’ll admit the Democratic Representatives have been coming through a lot, but still not where it really matters.

They remain inept, tongue tied and unwilling to actually confront Right Wing articles of faith (which are based on demonstrable deception). Hell, why not spend more time painting the picture of how FOX News has become the driving braintrust behind this President. Make the case to Americans that our government isn’t a reality show, this stuff matters. and on and on, but who cares…

 

 

Just for the hell of it, taking it back to the modern origins of the deception and what they were ruthlessly dedicated to ignoring:

Limits To Growth - What did it Really say? (Ugo Bardi)

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2019/01/limits-to-growth-honest-look.html

 

2

Watching the testimonies in the Impeachment inquiry becomes onerous when the Trumpublican congress persons brow beat the testifiers with bullshit lies and conspiracy theories, while the testifiers have to just sit there and listen to it. The lies and bullshit and conspiracy crap goes on and on without being confronted. The Congress persons are not under oath. They can and do lie however they please (as always) during these hearings.

3

And if the Democrats never get the cojones to zero on those lies and focus a few klieg lights on those disgusting tactics in order to make them the center of the discussion, we’re lost.

 

{I’ve recently been introduced to “The Art of Controversy (or: The Art of Being Right)” by Schopenhauer. Been trying to listen to it in audio, when I can. Fascinating little book.}

4

The following from Wikipedia (“The Art of Being Right”)

The following lists the 38 stratagems (nasty debating tactics) described by Schopenhauer, in the order of their appearance in the book:

  1. The Extension (Dana's Law)
  2. The Homonymy
  3. Generalize Your Opponent's Specific Statements
  4. Conceal Your Game
  5. False Propositions
  6. Postulate What Has to Be Proved
  7. Yield Admissions Through Questions
  8. Make Your Opponent Angry
  9. Questions in Detouring Order
  10. Take Advantage of the Nay-Sayer
  11. Generalize Admissions of Specific Cases
  12. Choose Metaphors Favourable to Your Proposition
  13. Agree to Reject the Counter-Proposition
  14. Claim Victory Despite Defeat
  15. Use Seemingly Absurd Propositions
  16. Arguments Ad Hominem
  17. Defense Through Subtle Distinction
  18. Interrupt, Break, Divert the Dispute
  19. Generalize the Matter, Then Argue Against it
  20. Draw Conclusions Yourself
  21. Meet Him With a Counter-Argument as Bad as His
  22. Petitio principia
  23. Make Him Exaggerate His Statement
  24. State a False Syllogism
  25. Find One Instance to the Contrary
  26. Turn the Tables
  27. Anger Indicates a Weak Point
  28. Persuade the Audience, Not the Opponent
  29. Diversion
  30. Appeal to Authority Rather Than Reason
  31. This Is Beyond Me
  32. Put His Thesis into Some Odious Category
  33. It Applies in Theory, but Not in Practice
  34. Don't Let Him Off the Hook
  35. Will Is More Effective Than Insight
  36. Bewilder Your opponent by Mere Bombast
  37. A Faulty Proof Refutes His Whole Position
  38. Become Personal, Insulting, Rude (argumentum ad personam)
This must be the training manual for the army of Trumpublicans.