Tom DeLay and Scalawag Politics

Invalid argument is the weapon of the ignoramus and the scoundrel. Its prevalence in America is testimony to the ignorance and lack of moral character of the people, for an educated and moral people would not allow such rogues and scamps to attain prominent positions in society. The extent of such ignorance is astounding, because many of the invalid forms of reasoning that are commonly used have been known to be invalid since at least four centuries before the birth of Christ.

Congressman Tom DeLay has now been indicted for a raft of political crimes. Of course, both he, his fellow defendants, and their attorneys, like most criminals, vociferously protest their innocence. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, since everyone must be considered innocent until proven guilty. And I have no idea if what they have done is illegal or not. That should, and most likely will, be determined in a court of law.

However, the manner in which they profess their innocence proves conclusively that they are dishonest persons of odious character. They have launched a savage attack on the motives of the prosecutor, alleging that because he is a Democrat and they are Republicans that their indictments are the result of a political vendetta, and this allegation is nothing more than an example of an ad hominem argument, a kind of argument known to be invalid since 400 BCE. No honest and moral person would ever use such an argument.

What is worse is that these individuals know that this prosecutor has a long history of investigating, indicting, and often convicting corrupt politicians, and that most of the persons of this type that he has prosecuted have been Democrats; yet Mr. DeLay and his associates are not only engaging in this form of invalid attack, they ignore this prosecutor’s prosecutorial history entirely.

A trial may be needed to determine the guilt or innocence of these persons in relation to the crimes alleged; however, no trial is needed validate the claim that they are consummate reprobates. They have convicted themselves.