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
The First Russian Revolution of 1905 failed (though it did lead to some reform). Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (better known as Lenin) called it the “The Great Dress Rehearsal.” In 1917 Lenin came back from exile and founded Soviet Russia, which eventually became the Soviet Union in 1922. Adolf Hitler’s 1923 “Beer Hall Putsch,” an attempted … Read more
The following story, recorded in the Book of Mormon, took place in America about 29 to 23 B.C. It’s events are amazingly similar to recent history. And it came to pass that the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part … Read more
It is clear that there is much evil in the world. The people of the world need to repent of many things. But before we point our finger at everyone else, the soul-searching , and the repentance, needs to start at home. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but … Read more
America is badly divided. Trust in our basic institutions — government, business, the schools, the media, even religion — has seriously eroded. The Founders of our country wanted the various colonies to be united (hence the name, United States). They adopted the motto “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of Many, One) for the new country. After … Read more
Delusion – A fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact. (Dictionary.com) You know these people – at work, in your family, in your church congregation. They will firmly tell you that Joe Biden “stole” the 2020 election. They will tell you that climate change is a hoax. Some of … Read more
Too many Americans still believe the story they were taught in school about our government: the “two-party system,” “free and fair elections,” and “consent of the governed.” If you still believe this fairy tale, you haven’t been paying attention to what has happened to the Republican party in recent decades. To use a common metaphor, … Read more
Last week I encouraged all Mormon Democrats and other left-leaning members of the Church of Jesus Christ to stand as witnesses against the lies, inhumane policies, and corruption of the Republican Party and the right-wing media. (See “Mormon Democrats need to stand as witnesses“). To “stand” in this context does not mean rising to one’s … Read more