From my other blog, The Road to Concord:
LESSONS IN LOGIC: Illegal Immigration: Harry Reid Commits Fallacy Of ‘Begging The Question’
Logic is part of Natural Law. It is the universal set of laws governing ‘right reason.’ When we make mistakes in the application of these laws, it is called a fallacy. Some fallacies are committed so often that they have their own names. One of these fallacies with a special name is known as ‘begging the question.’ ‘Begging the question’ is an especially seductive fallacy because it often plays to our own bias or arrogance. If we succumb to it, ‘begging the question’ will not only prevent us from seeing an issue clearly, it can lead us to believe in a falsehood — which makes it even more difficult to see that issue clearly. Harry Reid made a comment on illegal immigration which provides us with a perfect illustration of how begging the question can prevent us from seeing an issue clearly.