CRITICAL THINKING: FAULTY LOGIC, AND GETTING ELECTED.

 

This post could just as easily have been published on A PAGE DEALING WITH ELECTION ISSUES. However, it does deal with Invalid and Faulty Arguments that violate the rules of Logic and Critical Thinking. So I have placed it here.

How many of us have run into the line of reasoning, that the following are examples of;

-  "IF WE PASS GUN CONTROL LAWS, THEN ONLY THE CROOKS WILL HAVE GUNS."

-  " ALLOWING IMMIGRANTS INTO THE U.S. WILL RESULT IN DISEASES LIKE EBOLA SPREADING ACROSS THE COUNTRY."

"GAY MARRIAGE BEING MADE LEGAL WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASE OF CHILD MOLESTATION AND BESTIALITY BECAUSE NO SEXUAL ACTS ARE AGAINST THE LAW ANYMORE."

These are all examples of:

THE FALLACY OF ASSUMING THE CONSEQUENCE-  WHEN YOU ASSERT THAT A GIVEN ACTION WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN A SPECIFIC CONSEQUENCE.  THIS IS DONE WITHOUT ANY REASONABLE EXPECTATION THAT ONE NECESSARILY FOLLOWS THE OTHER.

Problem #1-  It Assumes Facts, not in Evidence-  There is no foundation for one to conclude that creating guidelines for Gun Ownership, Entry into the U.S. for Foreign Nationals, or Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage, would result in the predictions claimed in the above examples coming true.

-  Gun Control does NOT MEAN GUN ELIMINATION.  Legal ownership is not prevented by law.

-  Medical Evaluations are part of gaining Legal Refugee Status. Further,  There is no evidence that foreign nationals are any more or less likely to be infected with any contagious diseases that are found inside the U.S.

-  The Legalization of Gender Identical Marriage does not create blanket amnesty for anyone engaging in sexual acts already prohibited by law. 

Problem #2-  Claiming a Causal Relationship, where one doesn't exist.

-  Many Laws on the Books inside the U.S. allow all Americans to earn or receive licenses required to legally own and/or operate certain Mechanical Devices such as Vehicles, Construction Equipment , Medical Diagnostic Tools etc. Requiring someone to have the Knowledge, Ability, and Mental Capacity to operate such things are not considered intrusions into Individual Rights and Freedoms.  There is no precedent that Firearms would be treated any differently.

-  The Idea that Citizens of other Countries are not properly Immunized compared to American Citizens is not always true, especially if we are speaking about those who are from Nations in North, South or Central America.  It is an amazing comparison, considering the number of irrational exemptions inside the U.S., that allow a parent not to have a child immunized.

-  That the idea of Same-Sex Married couples being so different from Hetero-Sexual ones, that legalization of such unions will cause a complete breakdown of Sexual Mores within the U.S. is without any rational foundation. There is not one shred of credible evidence that such a result is even possible. Same-Sex Couples are bound by the Criminal and Civil parts of the U.S. Legal System that also cover Hetero-Sexual Marriages. Neither is given any special consideration when it comes to Rights and Responsibilities.

I guess it leaves us with Two basic types of Candidates for elected office:

The Candidate who wants you to fear the opposition before you vote, or

The Candidate who wants you to understand the opposition before you vote.

ROBERT F KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS: JUSTICE ROUNDUP FOR JULY 2024.

 

U.S. JUSTICE PURSUING ONE LAST AVENUE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER MICHAEL BROWN’S MURDER BY FERGUSON POLICE On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson. Michael’s murder has been stymied by impunity in the decade since, but on July 10, his family had one last avenue for justice before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. By using international human rights standards to critique U.S. law and the Justice Department, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University have pursued an innovative, potentially extremely powerful route to justice for Michael’s killing. Learn more about the case →   OUR VOICES KERRY KENNEDY IN THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: ‘YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER ARREST NEED LEGAL PROTECTION’ 35 years ago, five Black and Latino teenagers, later dubbed the “Central Park Five,” were falsely accused and wrongly convicted of assault, attempted murder, and rape of a woman jogging in Central Park. Their convictions were overturned in 2002 when the real culprit was identified, but their case remains emblematic of the vulnerability minors face to being abused in the U.S. justice system or coerced into a false confession. Writing in the NY Daily News, RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy argues that additional legislation, like New York’s proposed Youth Interrogation Bill (S1099/A1963), is crucial in protecting future generations from the irreversible impacts of wrongful convictions. Read the full op-ed →   BOOK CLUB HISTORIAN BLAIR LM KELLEY ILLUMINATES THE LIVES OF THE BLACK WORKING CLASS IN LATEST RFKHR BOOK CLUB CONVERSATION On July 23, author and 2024 RFK Book Award winner Blair LM Kelley joined our first book club conversation of the summer to discuss her latest book, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class. In this conversation with fellow author and historian Ted Widmer, Kelley discusses her research on the lives of the laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers who established the Black working class as a force in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Read more and listen to the conversation →   RFK HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE NEWS Kerry Kennedy in Bloomberg Originals—The Controversial Case Against the 'Banker to the Poor': For more than a decade, baseless stories have circulated about Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, for his work on fighting poverty through microfinance. RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy appears in Bloomberg Originals’ July 17 video to highlight how Prof. Yunus' treatment is indicative of the Bangladeshi government's broader move to silence critics.  Karen Robinson in Human Rights Education NOW! podcast: Our program director of Human Rights Education, Karen Robinson, appeared on episodes 33–35 of the Human Rights Education NOW! podcast to discuss her journey into human rights education, her current work at RFK Human Rights, the potential for human rights to be incorporated into any area of education, and how she maintains hope and solidarity in the face of persistent violence and injustice.  Sarah Gillman in Documented—Federal Civil Rights Complaint Demands Investigation into Abuse Against Hunger Strikers at New York ICE Jail: Director of Strategic U.S Litigation Sarah Gillman discussed the civil rights complaint RFK Human Rights filed in collaboration with partner institutions against New York State’s largest immigration detention facility, Buffalo Federal Detention Facility (BFDF), after staff unfairly retaliated against detained individuals who engaged in a peaceful hunger strike to protest the facility’s excessive use of solitary confinement.  Sofia Jaramillo in LatAm Journalism Review—Latin American Governments Use Hostile Speech, Judicial Harassment and Spying to Censor Journalists: A new protocol discussed during a July 8 hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) could better protect freedom of expression in Latin America by reducing the spread of misinformation and setting clearer obligations for public officials. “This initiative can have a preventive effect in a context in which a parallel is already evident between the increase in physical violence against journalists and the hostile environment promoted by official stigmatization,” said Sofía Jaramillo, senior staff attorney for civic space. UPCOMING EVENTS July 31—Bid on our CharityBuzz Auction! Now’s your chance to enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to have dinner for 20 at the Food Network Kitchen in New York City, which is known as the hardest dinner reservation to get in the country. Learn more and place your bid by July 31! December 11—2024 Ripple of Hope Award Gala, New York, NY: This year's laureates include Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter, actor, director, and producer; Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise; John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments; and Tom Wilson, chair, president, and CEO of The Allstate Corporation. The laureates will be honored on Wednesday, December 11, at a ceremony in New York City emceed by Alec Baldwin. Learn more about this year’s laureates and register for the ceremony. Header photo of Sen. Robert Kennedy © Lawrence Schiller.

THE SOCIOPATH- "YOU DON'T HAVE A FRIEND IN ME."

 

The Fact that the SOCIOPATH can Discard Friends and Allies with little Thought or Emotion, shows us something about how They view the World:

-   FRIENDS AND ALLIES ARE NOT TERMS THE SOCIOPATH IDENTIFIES WITH.  IN FACT, THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL.  A FRIEND OR AN ALLY, TO THEM, IS JUST A MEANS TO AN END.  WHILE OTHERS MAY APPLY THOSE TERMS TO THE SOCIOPATH, WHICH IMPLIES THAT THEY FEEL THE SOCIOPATH CAN BE TRUSTED, CARES ABOUT THEIR WELL BEING, AND WILL STAND WITH THEM IN CASE OF DIFFICULTIES, NOTHING CAN BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

The SOCIOPATH may actually exhibit some of these characteristics, but it is not from a Sense of Honor or a Moral Duty.  The Sociopath may feel that giving the Impression to others that They Follow a Certain of Conduct, will Allow them to EXPLOIT Those who do not realize that the Behavior the Sociopath is Exhibiting is just a Smokescreen to Hide Their Real Intentions and Motivations.  Once The Reasons for the Pretense are gone, and the Sociopath realizes that no more can be Obtained by Acting Like a Caring and Supportive Individual, the VICTIM(S) find Themselves Short a "FRIEND" or "SUPPORTER," AND ARE LEFT WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED.

What is Really Unfortunate is that many Times the VICTIM(S), (and I have seen this Time and Time Again), will BLAME SOMETHING THEY MAY HAVE, OR MAY NOT HAVE DONE, AS THE REASON THE SOCIOPATH HAS TURNED AWAY FROM THEM.  THEY WILL SEEK AN EXPLANATION FOR SUCH A BETRAYAL IN THEIR OWN ACTIONS, DECISIONS, AND MOTIVATIONS, NEVER REALIZING THAT THE SOCIOPATH NEVER CARED ABOUT THEM, AND NOW THAT THEY NO LONGER SERVE ANY PURPOSE, ARE FORGOTTEN AND IGNORED.  SOMETIMES, THEY MAY EVEN ATTACH BLAME TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL, AS THE CAUSE FOR THE ABANDONMENT BY THE SOCIOPATH.

It is often a Misguided Refusal to see Things as they are, for it would be an admission that this person who has Left Them, was not what they pretended to be.

BREAKING DOWN THE MUELLER REPORT...ONE STEP AT A TIME. PT 1.

 THE FOLLOWING IS MY PERSONAL REVIEW OF THE FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS CONTAINED WITHIN THE MUELLER REPORT. GIVEN ITS EXTENSIVE LENGTH, I WILL ATTEMPT TO BREAK IT DOWN SECTION BY SECTION. (IT'S OVER 400 PAGES.) THE ANALYSIS WILL ATTEMPT TO STICK TO THE MOST PERTINENT POINTS, ADDRESSING WHAT I FEEL TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES IN TERMS OF A LASTING IMPACT ON OUR LEGAL SYSTEM, AND THE DANGEROUS PRECEDENTS BEING SET BY IGNORING OR DENYING CONCLUSIONS THAT CAN BE REASONABLY DEDUCED OR INFERRED FROM THE DATA.

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INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME 1.

In a very telling and dramatic way, this section begins with the following Statement:

"The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion..."

This is an unqualified conclusion that tells us that the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT had an active role in attempting to influence and determine the outcome of the 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. It does not say "...could have interferred..." or "...may have interferred...", it's a direct accusation that the MUELLER REPORT MAKES, arrived at by the evidence that was uncovered.

Further on, the following is stated in the report.

"As set forth in detail in this report, the Special Counsel's investigation established that Russia interfere~ in the 2016 presidential election principally through two operations. First, a Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Second, a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations against entities, employees, and volunteers working on the Clinton Campaign and then released stolen documents." 

Part of what was uncovered, and prompted the FBI to begin an investigation into possible TRUMP CAMPAIGN coordination with the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT in its activities, is the following taken from the REPORT:

"...a foreign government contacted the FBI about a May 2016 encounter with Trump Campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos had suggested to a representative of that foreign government that the Trump Campaign had received indications from the Russian government that it could assist the Campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton."

What is interesting about this revelation, because it was a major reason that the FBI began its initial 
investigation into possible ties between the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT and the TRUMP CAMPAIGN, was the fact that it became known to the FBI from an outside source, and not from any member of the TRUMP CAMPAIGN. 

TO BE CONTINUED...