False stereotyping of criticism of Judge Jones
Criticism of Judge Jones has been falsely stereotyped as arguments that he should have based his Kitzmiller v. Dover decision on political considerations and public opinion polls. Staff members of the Discovery Institute -- who have been among Jones' most prominent critics -- have never made such an argument. The bloggers on Uncommon Descent -- probably the biggest anti-Darwinist blog -- have to my knowledge never made such an argument. I have certainly never made such an argument on this blog. A recent online article says,
So far, apparently the only prominent commentator who has been cited as arguing that Jones should have based his Dover decision on "popular passions" is Phyllis Schafly. Not even Pat Buchanan, who called Jones a "Neanderthal," made that argument. Judge Jones said in a speech to the Anti-Defamation League,
Also, Schlafly's article that criticized Judge Jones uses many other arguments as well. The above quotations of her article are mainly just quote mines intended to create a false stereotype of criticism of Judge Jones and his Dover decision.
What the right resents is what the framers of the Constitution intended—a judiciary able to serve as a counterweight to popular passions. Conservatives oppose the appointment of any judge who, like many great Supreme Court justices in the past—Hugo Black, Earl Warren and Harry Blackmun come to mind—might confound the expectations of the presidents who appointed them. John Jones, who was active in Pennsylvania Republican politics before his appointment by Bush in 2002, is such a judge.
So far, apparently the only prominent commentator who has been cited as arguing that Jones should have based his Dover decision on "popular passions" is Phyllis Schafly. Not even Pat Buchanan, who called Jones a "Neanderthal," made that argument. Judge Jones said in a speech to the Anti-Defamation League,
. . . . under the banner "Judge's unintelligent rant against design," Ms. Schlafly authored a January 2006 column and within her column she noted that, and I'm quoting here, that I "owed my position as a Federal Judge entirely to the evangelical Christians who pulled the lever for George W. Bush in 2002" and that I, I'm still quoting here, "stuck the knife in those who brought me to the dance in Kitzmiller versus Dover Area School District."
Also, Schlafly's article that criticized Judge Jones uses many other arguments as well. The above quotations of her article are mainly just quote mines intended to create a false stereotype of criticism of Judge Jones and his Dover decision.
posted by Larry Fafarman | 8/16/2006 01:03:00 PM
2 Comments:
Setting up straw men again, Larry(?)?
You seem to be getting desperate for material. How about just answering the many questions that you have been dodging?
Voice In The Wilderness said...
>>>>>> Setting up straw men again, Larry(?)? <<<<<<<
You stupid, fatheaded ignoramus, you don't even know what a "straw man" is. The following definition of the term is given by Wikipedia:
"A straw man argument is a logical fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "set up a straw man" or "set up a straw-man argument" is to create a position that is easy to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent." (emphasis added)
I have misrepresented nothing. Judge Jones and the article I cited presented only a quote mine from a single prominent commentator -- Phyllis Schlafly -- to support charges that Judge Jones has been widely criticized for writing a decision that was against public opinion polls and that betrayed his political benefactors. Those charges are real straw men. Furthermore, Judge Jones and his supporters have in many cases not even attempted to answer other criticisms of him; e.g., in responding to the charge that he is an activist judge, he gave the lame answer, "people term 'activist judges' judges they don't agree with."
Also, the quote mine of Schlafly could be interpreted as meaning that Judge Jones stabbed his fundy benefactors by not being a fair judge and not that he stabbed them merely by ruling against their wishes.
BTW, Jones got a date wrong in his speech -- the fundies pulled the lever for Bush in 2000, not 2002.
>>>>> You seem to be getting desperate for material. <<<<<<
No -- you are one who is getting desperate for rebuttals to my arguments.
There are a lot of news items that I do not bother to report because they are already reported on other blogs, notably Panda's Thumb, Uncommon Descent, and Dispatches from the Culture Wars, all listed in the link list in the left sidebar.
>>>>> How about just answering the many questions that you have been dodging? <<<<<
For the zillionth and I hope the last time -- I am under no obligation to answer all or any of the visitors 'comments on this blog, and I am particularly not obligated to answer your breathtakingly inane comments. If you go to Panda's Thumb, you will see that many of the bloggers there participate little or not at all in the discussions. I have been particularly active in participating in the discussions on this blog.
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