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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jttmab who wrote (162070)	5/16/2005 7:11:52 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You say "I don't think you're using the phrase "straw man" correctly.", and than go on to admit "I created a straw man", so I don't see how you can maintain that I am using the phrase incorrectly. You go on to state your reasons for using that tactic. I'm not so sure that the original article really did "portray it as a general characterization". To the extent that it did your argument might not be considered to be using the "attack the straw man" tactic. Nothing in the article said or even implied that this was that all or even most of the suicide bombers where "assisted suicide bombers", except possible the quotes around suicide where it says "in a series of 'suicide' bombing attacks across the country.", and its a stretch to turn those quotes in to an argument that either the author of the article or anyone here was saying that all or most suicide bombers didn't know they where supposed to be bombers. The first part of the article is just about the isolated incident, and even it truly is isolated to one incident it does show something about the type of people who are behind the suicide bombings, even as it doesn't show that this is the normal tactic they use. I do agree that the article was written more as propaganda than as a detailed objective analysis of the situation in Iraq, but that doesn't mean it is a lie or that its points and issue are invalid or false. Propaganda is simply words or images used to persuade people to support or oppose a cause it doesn't automatically imply dishonesty. Tim