(ThyBlackMan.com) After being home-schooled for most of my life, when I got to high school, some folk observed that I had skill sets that the average high-schooler did not have. So I was recruited to be into a lot of clubs and organizations. One of them was the debate club (Chess club aside). The Chess club lacked appeal. I loved Chess, do not get me wrong, but playing Chess in an arena where I was prevented from smoking weed and drinking quarts of Stag beer or drinking Vat-69 lacked a lot of charm. Chess to me was a death sport. You drank your opponent under the table and King’s Indian Defense they azz to the last sip of the beverage.
Then there was the debate club. Honestly, I never could wrap my mind around talking another mutha fucka into the ground to embarrassment as a noble activity. We called it Jonesing, checking, or repetitive iterations of your momma jokes. Such was just an activity implemented to waste time and personal entertainment.
In debate club, I learned that most cats did not read regularly, which was to my advantage and placed me – according to the club advisor – in an upper tier. But I did learn some shit at the time that I felt was pointless. I would eventually decades later see that it was invaluable and would change my mind.
One thing that stuck with me was the “motte-and-bailey (not called such at the time).” The motte-and-bailey is a concept used in discussions of rhetoric and philosophy to describe a particular style of argument. As a tactic, it had been employed for centuries, it was not coined as such until defined by British philosopher Nicholas Shackel. The term comes from medieval castle design, where the “motte” is a strongly fortified central area (easily defensible), and the “bailey” is the surrounding area (more vulnerable but larger and more appealing to live in).
In a rhetorical context, the Motte represents a defensible, often trivial statement that no one would argue against, and the Bailey represents a broader, more controversial claim that someone wants to promote but is harder to defend.
The tactic works as follows: when the controversial claim (the “bailey”) is challenged, the arguer retreats to the more defensible claim (the “motte”). Once the challenger has given up or the heat is off, the arguer returns to promoting the controversial claim (Bailey). This back-and-forth is deceptive because it shifts the terms of the debate without directly defending the controversial position.
For example:
- Bailey: “All political systems are corrupt, and there’s no difference between a democracy and a dictatorship.”
- Motte: When challenged, the arguer retreats to: “Well, no system is perfect.”
In this way, the arguer avoids defending the stronger claim while still implying or promoting it.
This is my take on how folk is attacking the candidacy of former President Donald Trump – either through spaghetti against a wall to see if it sticks or just fabricate some shit, repeat it over and over again, and click your heels three times.
I keep seeing folks state out loud that former President Donald Trump has indicated that he will use the military against U.S. citizens. Not knowing any better, the non-binary in me took them at their word, but the man in me asserted I should check this out. As much as I tried, the only thing I could find was that a retired major general said that Trump could use the National Guard as “his own personal police force” in a domestic scenario. Based on him talking about “enemies from within.” Could, being the conditional. Not unexpectedly, I found that CNN cosigned this purview. Outside of this, the only inclination one could perceive as true can only be based on his use of the word “if.”
The exact quote was:
“We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think it should be very easily handled by — if necessary, by the National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”
Now I take this for what it is, a conditional statement. I use this writing script in Python regularly. A conditional statement is a logical construct that executes certain actions based on whether a specified condition is true or false. It typically follows an “if-then” structure. For example, “If“ a condition is true, then a certain block of code or action is executed. A real-life analogy is: “If it rains, I’ll bring an umbrella. Else, I’ll wear sunglasses.” The decision is based on the condition of whether it rains or not.
It all reminds me of something my grandma said whenever I prefaced a statement with if:
“If ands, pots, and pans, the whole world would be a kitchen.”
To be upfront, I do not see what is wrong with any President of the United States of America stating that if required, he would deploy the National Guard if need be, in a domestic scenario, to deal with anyone deemed to be an enemy of the state. However, to extend and describe such to the absurd common denominator of using the military as a personal tool is absurd.
All of these fatuous contentions make Trump out as if he is a comic book superhero. Like the claim made by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows regarding January 6.
The claim that former President Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of “The Beast,” the presidential limousine, came from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. She made this allegation during her testimony before the January 6th House Select Committee in June 2022. Hutchinson testified that she was told about the incident by Tony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official, who described Trump’s alleged actions after his January 6, 2021, rally, as he was being driven to the White House instead of the Capitol?.
Trump and some Secret Service members later denied parts of this account, but she made it seem like Trump had superhero powers like Dr. Strange, The Vision, or Dr. Fate (I despise DC comics). Let her tell it: Trump had the spellcasting and astra projection skills of Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate or the density manipulation abilities of the Vision—which he would need to go through the glass barrier in the Beast to grab the steering wheel.
“The Beast” is the nickname for the armored limousine used to transport the President of the United States. Officially known as “Cadillac One” or “Limousine One,” it is a highly customized, heavily armored vehicle designed to ensure the president’s safety. The Beast is built on a truck chassis and is equipped with advanced defensive systems, including bulletproof glass, armor plating, and sealed compartments to protect against chemical or biological attacks.
It also has its own oxygen supply, run-flat tires, night-vision cameras, and the ability to withstand explosives. Additionally, the trunk contains medical supplies, including blood bags matching the president’s blood type, ensuring readiness for emergencies. The vehicle is part of the president’s motorcade and is operated by the Secret Service?.
Anyone with a basic comprehension of the English language can notice that these folks are flat-out daft and demented. Why does anyone have to explain what a Presidential candidate means when he says something? Should he not be coherent enough for everyone to understand what is coming out of his mouth? Stop making this seem normal. Hire some real journalists and tell people the truth. Let the people make an honest decision. No one needs to “explain” what they think Trump means. What he does is dissemble and change the subject completely. The American people know what he means and we don’t need anyone to explain anything about any comments from another person. But then again, 51 former intelligence officials, am I right?
I cannot even keep up with all of this asininity. It is now where Newsweek Magazine feels the need to go on the record to explain to us plebeians that a pic posted by Trump as a Steelers player was AI-generated (Pic and author – Maya Mehrara, below).
It makes me think that the left needs to constantly find fault with Trump because they have nothing to campaign on.
Staff Writer; Torrance T. Stephens
Can also purchase any of his books over at; Amazon – TTS Books.
