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LOL... Virginia Governor Northam had a Train Wreck Week First there was Northam's support for killing babies born after a botched abortion (making sure to resuscitate the baby first). "Would be kept comfortable" and "then a discussion would ensue" about killing a baby is awfully considerate, doncha think? The Internet and fake news media melted down over that one. But now this: Flashback: Ralph Northam Decried Ed Gillespie’s ‘Racist Rhetoric and Fearmongering’ You can read it, but the tweets in the article say it all: Northam in the campaign: Now Northam in office, after some people started digging: Blackface and KKK? Dayaamm! Now the meltdown is at Defcon 5. Ralph Northam's reputation just aborted, but... it's still barely alive. So, at the very least, Northam should be "kept comfortable" while "discussion ensues" about killing his term of office as Governor and, by extension, his political career. Michael

Yaron Brook on How Not To Persuade If you want to see one of the funniest interviews involving an O-Land bigwig, you need look no farther. In all my years doing this O-Land stuff online, the interview below is the weirdest and most hilarious. What's worse, Peterson, a person who has some very strange views, made persuasion mincemeat out of Yaron Brook, who has some strange views of his own, but nowhere near as strange. Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, a black man, was defending white authority in America, even calling President Trump "The Great White Hope." And he was serious, not sarcastic. But he turned Brook into a foaming at the mouth fringe irrational hater. This video is a virtual lesson in how not to persuade anybody on any issue whatsoever. So much so, I'm putting it here in the "Persuasion Techniques" section of OL. I swear, it's the funniest thing I have ever seen in our subcommunity. LOL... In persuasion terms, I believe most people will think Peterson is misguided, but they can see who he is attacking pretty clearly. Despite his weird rhetoric and arguments, it's clear he wants the black community to improve education-wise and job-wise. He loves America. He doesn't like slackers. And so on. He comes across to me as someone who can't stand the left. He positioned Brook as a kook who doesn't care about anybody except Jews and illegal immigrants and Brook backed it up with his demeanor and words. Brook was so triggered, he didn't even detect this. Peterson constantly looked calmly at Brook with no hurry to look away. Brook's head was bobbing all over the place as he talked. He looked--and, frankly, sounded--evasive as all hell. Especially on not answering a question that was asked, but trying to make a speech instead. On first blush, I got the impression Peterson regularly uses the "shock jock" technique of letting fly with something outrageous in order to push the buttons of his guest. So, I believe, some of what he said was, most likely, tongue in cheek. And Brook fell for it hook, line and sinker. Brook did the Number One Mistake in an interview of this nature. He let it get personal and kept defending himself as if he were someone on trial. (I'm not a racist!... I'm not a racist!... I'm not a hypocrite!... I'm not a hypocrite!... etc., while at the same time accusing Peterson of being a racist.) And he used the form of talking and talking and talking nonstop, getting faster as he went on, as if he was trying to shut down Peterson, not through logic, but through sheer emotion, through fuming at him. Almost through bullying him. Brook did not look like he was in control of himself enough to make a cogent communication. Think about it. What comes off stronger in an interview? Peterson lets fly with something like, "Do you love white people?" And repeats it several times in a firm, but disciplined manner. Brook responds to this defensively with (I paraphrase) "I don't even know what that means, blah blah blah, I don't love all blacks I don't love all whites I don't love all Jews, I love some blacks and I hate some blacks, I love some Jews and I hate some Jews..." etc. What's worse, he went on and on like this in a rapid-fire manner not pausing for reaction. Man, did that look insecure... If you look at the comments, you see Brook fans, ARI people and the like congratulating Brook as if he wiped the floor with Peterson. But if I were a person who didn't know anything about Rand's ideas and stumbled across this video, I would think Peterson was out there, but this Rand stuff looked even worse. Man, these Rand people look like weirdos... Now for the Grand Finale. Peterson got Brook smirking at him in the end, which is the weakest persuasion position of all. One does not smirk when persuading. That's a deal-killer for a target of persuasion (meaning the undecided people in the audience). To get the smirk, Peterson ended by telling Brook, "Thank you for coming on.... Let you're wife know you're BETA... Thank you, man..." (Smirk from Brook.) Click... LOL... Oh the pain, the pain... Michael

Remarkable and passionate discussion about America's recent "police vs. blacks" controversy: http://www.rationalargumentator.com/index/blog/2015/07/handcuffed-and-helpless/