Lawrence, are you unable to deal with me directly. Or is it that you can't deal with the argument (fallacious or not) that I was presenting. Or might it be that you were so stunned that I was unable to spell 'obfuscation' that you just couldn't bring yourself to speak to me ever again. Just for your predilection, let me explain the context of my use of the word. Obfuscate: to darken, to obscure (it can also mean drunk but that wasn't the intended meaning). In my experience, when Lawrence is presented with an argument that threatens his viewpoint his typical response is either to obfuscate, or else to leave the conversation. In this instance, having been prevented recourse to the second option, he had to rely on the first method. This was to throw scorn at the logic of the argument, rather than deal with it. (On some occasions, he will merely laugh at the opposition.) When subsquently (in the obfuscation post) I gave evidence, the response was a distinctly stamping foot. This is called petulance... I've just watched a new episode of Cracker, and I'm really in the mood for it now. For example (says Jimmy McGovern, writer), every bullet, every bomb, every death at the hands of IRA during the Northern Irish troubles was bought by American Dollars, more than likely deposited into a bucket... but after 9/11, it all paled into insignificance; that wasn't real terrorism, they weren't real casualties...etc. So Lawrence, can you cope, or will you carry on your indirect complaining. Simon Pretending to be an overweight psychologist with a bad drink problem... a gambling addiction...woman trouble...probably a heart condition...more than likely high blood pressure...an enviable sort of person. ----- Original Message ----- From: Lawrence Helm To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2006 10:22 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: An American student's history of the world No, but saying what Simon said, which after all was what I was talking about, does. Lawrence ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Judith Evans Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2006 9:46 AM To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: An American student's history of the world >Why not? A fellow Lit-Idear recently described me as >"Lawrence, the obfucation King." for producing evidence > that he was guilty of a fallacy. I don't really think saying the War on Iraq has radicalized some Muslims (and increased the number of extremists) counts as a hasty generalization, even it it is not true. Judy Evans, Cardiff