Three simple rules

Three simple rules

The political “discourse” is making me sick. Here are three rules that apply to my blog and your comments — and ought to apply to any forum you participate in. Leave appearance out if it. Don’t criticize people for being fat, short, skinny, buxom, muscular, scrawny, blond, or old. Don’t draw attention to their baldness,…

The golden rule of rhetoric and 10 morally bankrupt ways we’re violating it

The golden rule of rhetoric and 10 morally bankrupt ways we’re violating it

Despite what you hear on cable news and see on your Facebook feed, shouting is not a reasonable substitute for logic. Once we forget how to think and communicate clearly, everything else is lost. Time to bone up on your rhetorical hygiene. Let’s start with what I’ll call “The Golden Rule of Rhetoric”: Don’t use…

Republican talking points on the obstruction investigation: argumentation or “whataboutism”?

Republican talking points on the obstruction investigation: argumentation or “whataboutism”?

According to the Washington Post, FBI special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Donald Trump for obstruction of justice. The Post’s White House Bureau Chief Philip Rucker tweeted a picture of the Republican National Committee’s talking points to rebut the story. It’s a good case study in the difference between blowing smoke and actual counterarguments. Talking…