What would a “Christian Nation” do?

There is an old quip that says, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” This hypothetical court case is usually presented as a challenge to professed Christians to step up and actually LIVE according to the precepts taught by Jesus Christ. It is one thing to … Read more

Destroying the moral foundations of America

The United States of America was founded on three moral principles: 1. the rule of law, 2. the power of truth, and 3. the right of equal opportunity for all. The American Republican Party, at the behest its billionaire masters (and the right-wing media controlled by those billionaires), has been chipping away at all three … Read more

“Anti-CRT” is a racist dog whistle

Right-wing propagandists like to push people’s buttons. Their favorite button to push is fear. If Democrats and the political left can be accused of harming innocent schoolchildren, the propagandists can be sure to get the angry, hysterical response they love to create. Critical race theory (CRT) has become a new boogie man for people unwilling … Read more

The Taliban have taken Texas

Of course the militant political group from Afghanistan has not physically invaded the state of Texas, but their essential ideology HAS taken over. Texas is now officially on record as supporting the harassment of women; the open display of weapons in public; attacks on science, doctors, and public health efforts; voter suppression; and right-wing intrusion … Read more

The politics of grievance

Things is messed up. Them [immigrants, people of color, religious minorities] is takin’ my [job, housing, government benefits] using MY tax dollars. And the Democrats want to make it easier for [“those people”] to vote so they can increase their own benefits at MY expense. Now those socialists want the power to stick a needle … Read more

Law creates freedom

When I was young, I thought (like all children) that rules limited my freedom. I was told when and what to eat, when to sleep, what to wear, and how to behave. I was powerless in the world of the tall people and sometimes I rebelled the only way I could — by crying, yelling, … Read more

The straw man

Republicans frequently employ the informal fallacy. This category of faulty reasoning includes such problems as ad hominem (personal) attacks, begging the question, equivocation, false dilemma, faulty analogy, inconsistency and more. (Here is an interesting list). Informal fallacies are not fallacies of logic (those are called formal fallacies). Rather, they are fallacies caused by faulty premises … Read more