Ad Hominem of the Month

In Hovind's case this is fact.

Technically, an ad hominem occurs whenever someone avoids arguing the logic of the opponent's argument by disparaging the person's character/qualifications. This is because the logic of the argument can be examined by everyone and so can be critiqued by anyone. The ad hominem is a logical fallacy.It is a little different when facts are in dispute. Not everyone has an electron microscope or radio telescope, nor does everyone have the resources to conduct their own statistical survey. In fact, no one has the expertise in every single subject to be able to evaluate every single research paper, and many conclusions are based on an entire body of research that is scattered through dozens or hundreds of papers which may be hard to track down and evaluate separately.Therefore, it is not, technically, an ad hominem to judge the accuracy and relevance of factual material by considering the reliability of the presenter.

So if I say' You are so delusional you should see a shrink', is that an ad hom or an assessment? I watch ER. Occasionally.