In an earlier diary, I covered some language patterns that can be effectively used to counter the arguments of wingnuts spouting (never) right wing talking points. Here is a further example of some responses you can string together to attack and weaken an argument.
Belief Statement:
Liberal War protestors cause our troop morale to drop.
(cause effect statment)
Protesting the war leads to lower troop morale.
(Complex equivalence statement)
I think believing that exercising a constitutional right to freedom of speech and freedom to assemble somehow weakens our military morale is very demoralizing.
If the war actually had been about WMD and 9/11, there might not be so much protesting.
If Rumsfeld had a real plan for pacifying Iraq after the “major combat operations ended” there might not be so much protesting.
Which liberal war protestors? All of them? Is there any way to disagree with the war without hurting troop morale?
Does protesting the war lower the morale for every military member? How do you know which ones are affected? Do you know of any military members who are not bothered by war protestors?
War protesters don’t lower troop morale, the poor planning by the leadership lowers morale.
War protesting on the scale we see today is caused by the amount of festering dissent in society as a whole, and our military members are a part of that society. In fact, there are members of the military who have spoken out against the war.
I think it is obvious the reason you say that is you do not want to deal with the real problem: the war is not going well and the whole justification for the war has been a lie.
Isn’t one of America’s great strengths our freedom? Do you feel that it is acceptable to try to limit one of our core freedoms, the freedom of speech, because of a war?
Is it ever acceptable to protest a war, or is it always wrong?
So if you think war protesting is hurting troop morale, and therefore weaking our national security, do you think we should use troops on war protestors?
If you believe that the military if fighting to protect our freedom, why are you against some people acting on that freedom to speak out aginst the war.
It’s great to hear you are so concerned about troop morale. Please tell me about all the things you have done to improve troop morale.
If lying about the reasons for the war, not using enough troops, not providing adequate equipment and decimating active, guard and reserve forces is not enough reason to protest the war, please tell me, what would have to happen for you to protest against the war? Do you have a limit, or do you beleive that the president not only has never made a mistake, but never will?
Can you think of anything that could possibly happen that force you to speak out against this war? Or do you believe that Bush us infallible?
Does it please you to believe the actions of those who disagree with you somehow hurt troop morale? Do you believe that if someone doesn’t agree with one of your positions, that somehow hurts the country or our military?
Did you come up with that opinion on your own, based on facts, or are you spouting talking points from Limbaugh or O’Reilly?
If our military had been welcomed as “liberators” as Cheney promised and the “insurgency” was in the “last throes” would protesting still hurt troop morale?
If you would like to see another example belief statement taken through a series of belief changing patterns, please post it in this thread.