On the Limits of the Human Imagination

Posted on January 28, 2012 by jackpelham

I observe that certain things seem to be beyond the scope of the human imagination.  Yes, our imaginations are powerful, and can render many exciting, useful, and entertaining things, but it may just be that there are some boundaries beyond which the human imagination is powerless to take us.  In this article, I will submit a few examples for your consideration. Continue reading →

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On the Law of Conservation of Mass-Energy

Posted on January 28, 2012 by jackpelham

First, the brief facts, and then the intriguing question:

In the Nineteenth Century, physicists established what they called the Law of Conservation of Energy.  It stated that, within a closed system, energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but remained constant over time.  In the Twentieth Century, and in response to Albert Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity, this Law was updated to include mass as well as energy.  It is now called the Law of Conservation of Mass-Energy. Continue reading →

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Understanding Ad Hominem Argumentation

Posted on January 2, 2012 by jackpelham

In my life’s journey, I’ve had occasion to discuss, debate, and read about a great number of topics across a wide scope.  Along the way, I’ve witnessed a fairly large number of faulty arguments being made.  These faulty arguments generally fall into two classes:

  1. Non sequitur (does not follow), and
  2. Ad hominem (to the man).

The first, non sequitur, refers to any logical argument in which you can’t get from Steps A and B to Step C without breaking the rules of logic.  All fallacies are non sequitur arguments of one sort or another.

The second sort of faulty argument, and the focus of this particular article, is the ad hominem argument.  One doesn’t have to be in too many debates before he hears this term, and chances are that after a few times hearing it, he may start to use it himself.  Most, however, do not truly grasp what it means, even though they think they do.

This article intends to set the record straight. Continue reading →

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Ron Paul Campaign Failing to Ask Supporters for Much More than Money

Posted on December 31, 2011 by jackpelham

What, exactly, is Ron Paul trying to achieve?  And why is his campaign asking for little more than money in order to achieve it?

If one listens to an appreciable amount of Ron Paul’s political message, one gets the idea that Paul wants a fairly radical level of political reform.  Indeed, he seems to be interested in overturning the economic corruption of the Federal Reserve Bank, and the profusion of associated corruptions.  Similarly, he wants to end the federal income tax and the associated tax code, which is the breeding ground for the lion’s share of government Continue reading →

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Ron Paul Campaign Still Retreating from Iran War Debate

Posted on December 30, 2011 by jackpelham

I recently criticized presidential candidate Ron Paul for his squandering of an opportunity in the December 14 Fox News Iowa presidential debate for failing to make the (good) argument against war in Iran.  I opined that this failure in that instance could well prove pivotal in the race, and pointed out that his position on Iran (and other wars) was being “used by pundits everywhere as the look-no-further reason to dismiss Paul’s campaign as hopeless.”

This is still true today, and I’ll show a collection of quotations below to prove it.  But first, let’s address what’s really going on here. Continue reading →

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Nine Paradigms

Posted on December 24, 2011 by jackpelham

(This article is an expansion upon our earlier “Three Paradigms“)

As part of our continual reassessment of life, Kay and I are constantly considering which paradigms are worth keeping as “musts” and which ought to be rejected.  We currently have nine paradigms on our “keeper” list, considering them to be indispensable for mentally-healthy people, and considering their absence in a person to be a deficit of character.  There are certainly other worthy paradigms out there, so we do not mean to suggest that only these nine are to be considered good.  Rather, these are what we currently perceive as being fundamental, essential, and necessary. Continue reading →

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What Rightly Justifies War

Posted on December 20, 2011 by jackpelham

This article concerns what I believe rightly justifies war and what does not.  And I note that I believe these rules should apply to all nations, and not only to the United States.

At the risk of being misunderstood, let me stress here at the outset that I am generally against war and I believe that every war the US has engaged in since World War I (if not farther back in time) should have been avoided.  The following, therefore, are not reasons I want to go to war, but are merely reasons for which war might be reasonably justified.  Where I stress caution below, I really mean it; these are not mere platitudes.

What GENERALLY Justifies War (Rightly)

  1. Reprisal against any nation for acts of war conducted by its military against any of the United States, the Capital of the United States, any US territory, or any US vessel or military personnel—provided said acts are not initiated in retaliation for unjust acts of the United States. Continue reading →
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If it’s such a great idea, let’s amend the Constitution!

Posted on December 17, 2011 by jackpelham

 (This is a re-post from my site, RuleOfLawRestoration.com.  I include it here because it represents one of my most fundamental concerns about our aggregate political character in the US.)

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May 9, 2010

Should the government tax the citizens to pay for everyone’s health care?

If that’s what America truly thinks, then let’s amend the Constitution to allow for that. Continue reading →

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Don’t Tread on Me (TOO much)!

Posted on December 17, 2011 by jackpelham

 (This is a re-post from an article I posted at DailyPaul.com last year.  It addresses our delusions about what great protectors of freedom we are.)

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As I noted in another thread, far too many tend to cope with life by making a million case-by-case judgments as they encounter various life situations, questions, issues, and dilemmas. This, of course, is in contrast to those who adopt foundational paradigms (such as honesty and justice, for example) from which they can judge most matters with much greater ease than the case-by-case folks. Continue reading →

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With liberty and justice for all…except for that damnable Imam, of course!

Posted on December 17, 2011 by jackpelham

(This is a re-post of an article I posted at DailyPaul.com last year.  I copy it here namely because of how it shows how a great many Americans are not consistent and principled in our political paradigms.)

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Sat, 08/07/2010 – 11:20

As I worked this week I overheard hours and hours of the talkers and their callers going on about the Imam and his proposed mosque at Ground Zero in New York City. It was shocking to me just how easily these folks cast off principles such as the freedom of religion, the freedom to enter into contracts, the freedom to own property, the freedom of Continue reading →

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