Cycloptichorn wrote:
No, you cannot dismiss my point so easily. As the proponent of the positive position, the burden of proof lies upon Rice; she must show how Osama is on the run.
The question of whether or not she is a liar is a seperate question, but material to the point; she makes claims about Osama, has no facts or argument to back it up, therefore she is making unsubstantiated accusations and should be held accountable for doing so the same way you attempt to hold those who call her a liar accountable.
Cycloptichorn
I may validly pursue one of these two issues without pusuing the other. It is wrong to publicly call someone a liar without proof, as Roxxxanne has.
CR may have seen accross her desk over the years evidence that suggests that OBL is on the run. Having, hypothetically, seen it, she is then free to state the fact that he is on the run in a speech, and only provide evidence when requested to. Typically in a speech, one does not follow each statement with evidence that it is so, but if one is speaking publicly, one should be prepared to cite one's sources upon request.
None of this frees Roxxxanne from the ethical obligation not to accuse someone of wrongdoing without having evidence that the accusation is true.