Unoriginal Title

Ben Franklin Loves Guns?

2009-03-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to take a position on gun control, right now, 'cause that's not the point my brain is trying to make to me. Mostly I guess the point is that people should, in arguing their case, at least avoid logical fallacies. I'm just as guilty, especially when I'm not putting my words to paper--I'm scatterbrained when I don't have time to review and research--but here.

The most common fallacy I've seen in this particular debate--the gun control one--is a sort of genetic fallacy, if I remember right. What the one side--the pro gun-rights side--does is quote from Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin. "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

I disagree, in some cases, but it seems solid anyway. Regardless of the validity of the point, though, they always append '-- Benjamin Franklin'. To make sure their opponents--the 'anti gun-rights' side (that's sort of a false dilemma too, but that's a different post)--are aware of just who said it. That's the fallacy. The quote is supposed to be automatically valid because Benjamin Franklin said it. (Even if it is taken out of context) And he's, you know, Benjamin Franklin.

I always wanted, even when I wasn't taking part in the debate, to quote right back at them. "I do not consider Hitler to be as bad as he is depicted. He is showing an ability that is amazing and seems to be gaining his victories without much bloodshed" -- Mahatma Gandhi. That wouldn't do much beyond making myself look like a Nazi, though the point would be to show how dumb it is to quote someone to support your cause.

Now granted, that quote, the Gandhi one, is out of context. It was spoken, or written, in 1940, and the war was only just starting. Nothing incredibly monstrous had happened yet--besides the whole starting a war thing. But it shows my point anyway. Just because you quote someone famous, and credible, doesn't mean that what they said was correct.

That said, I'm not aching for a debate on gun laws. Look up there, see? I dislike both extremes. If you want to debate it, don't drag me in. Just do it in a way that is sound.

Next Topic!

Did you look up there, click that link to Franklin's memoirs? I sincerely hope you did. If not, go click it. I'll wait.

Ok, good. I sincerely hope you appreciate how amazing it is that you can read that online, and for free. (With a library card, if you want it -really- for free) Even print it. In 2004 source) this wouldn't have been possible, through these means. There may have been other sources online, but come on. You have to admit, Google Book Search is pretty awesome.

There's also wikisource. The Wikimedia Foundation is pretty lacking in evil as well. Then look over at Hulu. The point I'm getting at is, the internet, for all of the worries some people have, (which are justified in some cases) is amazing. Simply amazing. You just have to know how to use it. Look at it. That's how the universe was formed. Probably.

And the internet has only been available to the public for as long as I have been alive. That's eighteen years. Look where it has come in eighteen years. Now say 'wow'. Now go read about it. :)

Hah.

2009-03-06T11:54:00.001-08:00

I love xkcd.

http://xkcd.com/552/

test2

2009-03-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

test 2

test

Test

2009-03-04T21:06:00.001-08:00

Test

www.google.com

Huh.

2009-03-04T18:58:00.001-08:00

There's a song in LMS in which the bass part is very tough. I've circled the hell out of it. Hopefully I'll have it by the time we start running straight through the show...

test2

2009-02-28T17:53:00.001-08:00

Well, so. I'm using email posting now so that I can post to multiple blogs at once. I finally gave in to Google, and am now simultaneously posting to livejournal and blogger... Theoretically I could just use blogger, and have blogger forward posts to livejournal, but this seems so much simpler. The only problem is that if I want to post images, I'll have to either do it manually or just post a link. (Blogger doesn't like HTML in its incoming emails)

I've heard tell that having blogger forward the message to livejournal doesn't work that great anyway, as links and images disappear or look wrong anyway. So this is better. I'm just looking into a way to make this easier. Assign an alias through gmail to both of the email addresses, so I can just type 'blog' or something. I could, theoretically, create another gmail account for it, but that would feel wrong... I could also create a filter, and just send myself the emails with [blog] in the subject, but then that would show up in the subjects here. It's a conundrum!

Off to solve all of the world's problems, or at least fix X.

If this link works on livejournal, it'll go to my blogger blog... Otherwise, here it is: http://zalethon.blogspot.com

Test post

2009-02-28T17:36:00.001-08:00

Testing email posting...

<a href="www.google.com">Not-So-Random Link</a>
<img src="http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/image_launch_a5.jpg" />