[Porterville]

I figure he took a few junior college classes on appliance repair and now believe he’s an, “honest to goodness college scholar” ... (cue the Appalachian hillbilly accent)

[IslandJeff]

I’ll cue the banjo. Care to duel?

[MEG33]

LOL..I believe I should have used latter insteasd of later..just to keep it “educated”..

[logician2u]

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm neither college educated nor an appliance repairman.

I do take umbrage at the hillbilly comment, though. Some of my best friends are (or were) hillbillies.

My apologies to Porterville for correcting his grammar and spelling. It's not really that bad. It would not require even a billion well-spent dollars to fix, as long as the government schools weren't given the responsibility.

However, a larger challenge lies ahead if America is to ever catch up with the rest of the civilized world in the fine art of argumentation.

Americans must, simply must outgrow the childish habit of using a false dichotomy to try to prove a point. You know what this is from the first grade: Would you rather be a duck or a rabbit? Are you a bully or a wimp? Either pay me now or pay me later.

Porterville's choice is to spend a trillion dollars on one war in Iraq to save our country "3 or 4 more trillion to terrorist."

That, my FRiends, is a false dichotomy. It's not an either/or. It's not a binary choice. There are other options, and most every thinking person recognizes that.

You all will recall President George W Bush's saying shortly after the attacks of 9/11/2001, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

Oh?

Does that mean anyone who opposes Bush's domestic surveillance programs, his undeclared war against Iraq, his imprisonment of American and foreign terrorism suspects without charges, or his administration's bungled immigration proposals is siding with the terrorists?

Not if this is still a free country. Not if Americans value their political independence. Not if we recognize and refuse to accept false dichotomies.

[driftdiver]

“I figure he took a few junior college classes on appliance repair and now believe he’s an, “honest to goodness college scholar” ... (cue the Appalachian hillbilly accent)”

Many scholars never leave their ivy coated halls and still think they understand the world.

I for one would trust someone from the Appalachians before some honest to goodness college scholar.