First - a bit off topic, but thanks NBVegita for your logical and well thought-out posts; I for one appreciate them. Now, to address the 'lepercon' argument... An important factor here is that your statement that there's a lepercon in your yard doesn't cons!@#$%^&*ute reasonable proof. You are basically some dude we only know over the Internet, and your statement was made in a post on SSForum.net. On the other hand, with the statement I was using to support my argument in this thread, Petraeus is a US General and in fact is the US' commanding general in Iraq. Furthermore, his statement was made to the US Congress, and is on the record. All of these facts lend Petraeus' statement credence. Also note that I made a claim and backed it up with a reputable statement from someone else. In your example, you made a claim and attempted to back yourself up; there's a world of difference there also.