"If I disagree, I'm stupid?" and other misconceptions

Let's get this out of the way fast.

I anticipate pointing out great measures of ignorance and stupidity on this blog. Or, more accurately, what I feel are indications of stupidity. Stupidity is, like so many other things, a subjective term. What I think is stupid, others might not.

That does not mean, however, that if anyone disagrees with me, they're a dope. What that means is that if they try to use specific, demonstrably inaccurate arguments to present their points, I think they're a dope.

Also, I expect to make errors when I'm writing these posts. It happens. The area for comments is designed to allow feedback, so a person can issue a mea culpa and correct the mistake. It's also designed for discussion of a topic presented, whether at length or in short "attaboy"/"you suck" formats. It is not a place for petty whining or flamewars. Look, the entire reason I'm doing this is to argue for rational thought; if anyone thinks for a moment I'm not going to delete comments by aggressive jackasses, they're not thinking straight.

Keep in mind exactly what the error is, too. If someone is talking about the damage a hurricane can do to a house, and then points out how a particular house had its roof torn off and three walls knocked down, someone else coming along and correcting the record by saying it had two of its walls knocked down DOES NOT REFUTE THE POINT. I can't count the times I've heard people grasp onto one misstatement or inaccuracy, and tried to pretend that it nullifies an entire case. It doesn't. The most it does is raise questions about the ability of the person to research and present facts; it doesn't raise any questions about their ability to reason based on the information they have.
(Simplified: Argue the point, don't argue bullshit.)

I also curse. This is a flaw of mine, and I admit it, and I'm not looking to change it for the purpose of this blog. I'm trying to present arguments in the way that I normally speak. That way, I can focus on the message and not the format. If the occasional blue language offends you, either stop reading or learn to live with it. This isn't broadcast television, it isn't talk radio, and it isn't your daily paper. I restrict myself, and that's the extent of the supervisory role.

ANOTHER THING:
If you happen to be hunting for a horror or thriller book that's either still in print or has recently fallen out of print, I suggest you stop by Shocklines. It's an online bookstore which has a great variety of the big names and the up-and-comers. You can usually find the newest Stephen King novel more cheaply at the local Borders or Barnes and Noble or Sam's Club, but if you want to find out about the upcoming limited edition of a signed Stephen King, Shocklines is the place to go. If you want to pick up David Morrell's latest paperback, hit the big bookstore; if you want to get a small press-exclusive collection by the man who wrote First Blood (filmed as the first Rambo movie), or The Brotherhood of the Rose, you go to places like Shocklines.
If you're hunting Science Fiction or Fantasy in the same vein, I'd direct you to Clarkesworld Books.
http://shocklines.stores.yahoo.net/
http://www.clarkesworldbooks.com/

There. That's my plug for some of the nicer online booksellers out of the way.