11th August, 1950

Dear Diary,

If I'm not mistaken, today would be my birthday. I had some canned beans for lunch this afternoon, not exactly my favorite food, but it was still great compared to some of the crap that we have been getting.

I think we are soon going to seize the Naktong River. Yesterday, we gained a bit more land on the bank of the river, but at the expense of a really bloody fight. I lost a hand myself to the grenades tossed by the Koreans. Thankfully, it was my left hand that was blown to bits - I would be as good as dead if it was my right hand that was gone. More people on our side died yesterday. I think I knew a few of them, I'm pretty sure one was Fred, another was Ronald... Yes, I think we called him Ronald.

My good pal Remus Moody kinda went mad in the morning. He just rushed to the front line without his guns and grenades and stuff. It was as if he was asking to be shot... If that was his wish, then he would have gotten what he wanted - The Koreans gunned him down promptly. It's quite a pity really. He was one of the few soldiers that I could have a good conversation with.

All this is really terrifying. Every conscious moment is spent worrying about our own lives, and on the rare occasions in which we are not thinking about our own lives are spent thinking about who will go next. Maybe that's why Moody killed himself. Maybe that's why I'm writing in this moldy and moth eaten book - I want to keep myself sane, and I want to go back to America in one piece, however infinitesimal the chance seems to be.

If I'm not mistaken, today is my birthday. I hope my family and friends back at home still remember me.

Logical Fallacies

Fallacy: Poisoning the Well

PAP candidate Lim Biow Chuan said :'The NSP has done nothing. What they have are simply promises. The NSP has no record of serving residents in Mountbatten. Talk is cheap.' (taken from http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElection/News/Story/STIStory_664807.html)

Mr Lim had poisoned the well, because Mr Lim had attacked the NSP candidate even before the candidate could give his statement. By doing so, the NSP candidate had a lesser chance of winning the election, because Mr Lim had given the people the idea that the NSP had not done anything beneficial to the society. This was unfair for the NSP candidate, and thus, Mr Lim had poisoned the well.

Fallacy: False Authority

NSP's Tampines GRC candidate Raymond Lim said that the opposition party's attempts to hold Mr Mah accountable for his policies had made him 'panic'. (taken from http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElection/News/Story/STIStory_664876.html)

The NSP candidate had committed the fallacy of false authority, because we are unclear of the credibility of the source. As a member of an opposition party, Mr Raymond Lim's words are not reliable because he is probably just trying to win over votes by attacking the PAP. Hence, Mr Raymond Lim's claims are not credible nor reliable.

Fallacy: Sentimental Appeal

In an impassioned speech at Woodlands Stadium on Tuesday night, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan choked back tears when he described how residents had been concerned about his welfare when he dropped by their homes. Many of them have become like personal friends, he said, his voice wavering. (Taken from http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElection/News/Story/STIStory_664390.html)

Mr Khaw had commited the fallacy of sentimental appeal, as he tried to appeal to the residents emotions by mentioning how he had become friends with the residents. He probably did this to win over votes.