sob

Sorry, you're just flat-out wrong. It's not my fault if you don't understand the concept of "Reductio ad absurdum."

The above would be argumentum ad hominem, another logical fallacy commonly employed when the writer has been proven wrong.

The above would be a "straw man" argument, another logical fallacy.

Game, set, and match.

But thanks for playing!

smooth

good job on googling all those--too bad you misused them.

as for the first, you needed to prove that your conclusion is false, not merely that it looks false. it simply isn't correct to impute 'american' to driving on any side of a road. so my refusal to drive on the 'correct' side does not falsify the american-ness of my driving habits.

EDIT: actually, I'll rephrase this portion to clarify where you went wrong. you seem to have, either intentionally or not, confused the issue of culture or tradtion with essence. So while we speak of an American way of driving, there isn't any essential characteristic that makes it true.

That does not hold when we speak of the unique case of US rights of citizenship--which are argued to be essential characteristics given by the creator and our constitution by birth. /edit

as for the second, I prefered to think of it as an either-or fallacy when I wrote it. but if you prefer to take it as an attack on your person, realize that it speaks less to whether I felt I had lost an argument and more whether I was exasperated with your examples.

maybe you'd care to demonstrate how the last example is a strawman?

I'm not sitting on a debate panel.

__________________
"The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account." -- Walter Lippmann

"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." -- Abbie Hoffman

sob

Then you should support draft registration. If you're already registered, then Stompy, whom you applaud, gets a free ride while you defend the country.

Oh--could you tell me when Bosnia attacked us? I missed it.

smooth

I'm sorry I had to run out and eat a piece of pizza, but I was just curious if this ironic statement:

coupled with this assertion:

means you had been proven wrong?

__________________
"The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account." -- Walter Lippmann

"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." -- Abbie Hoffman

Justsomeguy

My post was simple to understand. It's easier to bitch then to stand up and do something. Second, I meant that the way people act about politics in the United States makes me feel like I'm in high school again. Everyone overdramatizes everything. However, our current situation is not near as bad as it is in so many other countries.

Finally, I was also commenting on people that say they hope something bad happens to America so we'll wake up to what's really happening. I've seen it in many other post. In my opinion, that makes them very shitty people.

Rdr4evr

Actually, I never said I hope something bad happens to America, I just said if it does, don't be surprised.

CinnamonGirl

Y'know, I'd vote for someone who didn't run a SINGLE AD in Ohio. Yeesh. I even had one on AIM a few days before the election.

hmmm...I've heard lots of talk about Rudy and Hillary. And I wouldn't mind seeing Powell run. Other than that, no clue right now... but, hey, I have four years to research

__________________
"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

n0nsensical

This doesn't make sense. I don't support a draft under any circumstances. There are a few (very few) cases where I would vountarily join and imagine others would too.
Bosnia never attacked us. I didn't join the military in 1993 either.