About Pontificus

Guiding principles:

  1. Expressing opinions as opinions and facts as facts is the proper way to approach a discussion; mixing facts and fiction, and hiding inconvenient facts isn’t.
  2. Our (the U.S.) “system” may seem hopelessly broken (and it may be), but it’s still a lot better than most, if not all, the alternatives in other countries.
  3. When in doubt, refer back to the Constitution; it’s the most workable and longest lasting fundamental law and set of guiding principles created by man (so far).
  4. Don’t trust politicians; there’s a direct correlation between the level of corruption and time spent in elected office; though not all politicians are necessarily corrupt.
  5. Don’t trust scientists; there’s a direct correlation between the potential for dishonesty and the size and number of grants received.
  6. Universities are large accumulations of scientists; draw your own implications from that.
  7. When someone tells you that the “debate is over”, it’s an indication that they have something nasty to hide.
  8. There’s a reason lawyers learn the following in law school: “When the law is against you, argue the facts. When the facts are against you, argue the law. When both are against you, attack the plaintiff.” When the insults start flying in a “debate”, the party starting it doesn’t have anything else to say.

Webster’s Dictionary:

Main Entry: 2pon·tif·i·cate
Pronunciation: \pän-ˈti-fə-ˌkāt\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): pon·tif·i·cat·ed; pon·tif·i·cat·ing
Etymology: Medieval Latin pontificatus, past participle of pontificare, from Latin pontific-, pontifex
Date: 1818

1 a : to officiate as a pontiff b : to celebrate pontifical mass
2 : to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way

pon·tif·i·ca·tion\(ˌ)pän-ˌti-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

pon·tif·i·ca·tor\-ˌkā-tər\ noun