So, driving to work a couple weeks ago, I first noticed this new billboard. I didn’t commit it to memory at the time, but it struck me that I should mention it here on the board, and this morning, I finally remembered to read it and let it stick in my head.
Even in West Virginia, it struck me as out of place. That’s some serious venom. There’s also an address on the bototm of the board, maybe he’s daring people to respond…
Meh, nutjob fundie with too much money and time on his hands. Pay no mind.
Fascism with a twist of religion. Isn’t that cute?
Is that a highway billboard, or is it in a commercial district? Because if it’s anywhere near a sidewalk, I would have to spend a few hours standing across the street from it, taking note of how many people walk by it, smile, and nod (or otherwise express approval). I would then go home and be very, very depressed.
Yeah, this is the sort of thing I do for fun.
I just glue quarters to the shopping mall floor and watch people try to pick them up.
Damn yankees. A founder is a traitor who wins the war.
I wouldn’t mind so much, free speech and all, but all three lines are syllogisms! The only way you could make that argument work is if, when your opponent spoke, you stuck your fingers in your ears and went LALALALALACAN’THEARYOULALALALA!
Actually, it would be the whole argument — and not any individual “line” — that is a syllogism. But it’s not valid anyway because the conclusion is a non sequitur. The correct conclusion to the major premise and minor premise as given would be “Anti-God is Treason”.
I’m always baffled by anti-atheists who reach for an argument against atheism and come up with “unpatriotic”. Denying the Holy Word of God, rejecting Divine love and salvation, burning in hell for all eternity—those are just details, apparently. But impugning atheists’ patriotism—ooh, now that’s harsh! Huh?
I guess maybe they’re trying to pre-empt the much more defensible argument that religious intolerance is anti-American.
Actually, wouldn’t it be “Anti-God leads to civil war”?
Atheists, by definition, cannot be “anti-god”, for the same reason that they cannot be “anti-tooth-fairy”.
Commercial. In what passes for downtown, actually, here.
No, 'cause theres nothing about anything “leading to” anything in either the major premise or the minor premise. Otherwise, you could have syllogisms like this:
Moses was a Jew
Jews are the chosen people
Therefore, being Moses leads to being chosen
(When in fact, being Jewish leads to being chosen)
And that is setting aside that neither premise says anything about civil war either. The whole thing is just not a wiff (well formed formula).
I’m curious as to why BillTheBoard included their lawyers? Is there something going on right now in courts involving God and treason? And since when did traitors lead to Civil War?
Whoever paid for the billboard is a WVU fan. Why are you expecting sanity?
ducks and runs
Not being well-versed in symbolic logic, I’m going to have to take your word for it. Besides, that billboard is such a load of tripe that it’s hardly worth working up a sweat in the first place.
CandidGamera, who or what paid for that message?
And the Civil War led to West Virginia. What’s this guy’s problem?
Yeah, you’re right. The whole thing is malformed. Its premises are false. And it’s just plain stupid. But since this is the Dope and all, here’s a pretty good page on syllogisms for you, if you’re interested:
**tdn ** is right. That billboard doesn’t really bother me. It’s so silly and over the top…still assholish enough to draw me in here, though.
I find it funny to be called a “lunatic atheist” though. Is it my atheism that’s driving me insane? Or am I insane to be atheist?
Despite being a WVU grad, I don’t give a rat’s patoot about the football program, so you can bleed green all over the thread if you feel like it. 
tdn - I didn’t commit the address given on the board to memory, I’ll try to scope it out tomorrow morning.