HOW TO TALK TO WINGNUTS

Sara Robinson at Orcinus has a 3 part series about wingnut mentality. She gives a decent explanation of authoritarian personalities and I especially liked this bit of advice:

Appeal to "Legitimate" Authorities -- When citing authorities, try wherever possible to refer to authorities they recognize as legitimate.

When I can, I follow this advice by trying find an article in, say, the Wall Street Journal or from FAUX News. One can also use quotes from acknowledged and widely-known conservatives like William F. Buckley and Newt Gingrich. Of course, you can never be sure a wingnut will get it.