Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Schutztruppe

2009-01-03T21:52:07Z

AlexIC:

==Schutztruppe==
Schutztruppe were the German defence troops in Africa from the late 1800's to 1918. The army consisted of European officers, field commanders, and medics, the regular troopers will drawn from the local population.<ref>German colonial encyclopaedia, 1920, volume III, S. 321 FF. </ref>

There were three separate Schutztruppe command chains, one for west, east, and southwest German colonies in Africa.

==West African Schutztruppe==
The West African Division guarded German Cameroon and German Togoland. There were twelve companies totaling 1600 men in Cameroon.<ref>Thomas Morlang: Askari und Fitafita. 'Farbige' Söldner in den deutsche Kolonien, Berlin 2008 </ref>

==East African Schutztruppe==
The East African Division had 14 companies totaling 2500 men. The East African Division was headquartered in Dar es Salaam.<ref>Werner Kopf: The German colonial force 1889/1918, Dörfler publishing house
</ref>

==Southwest African Schutztruppe==
The Southwest African Schutztruppe consisted of twelve companies totalling 1,500 men. A single unit of non-local unit was raised as tensions between the Germans and the Africans grew so high that local Africans would not sign up. Soldiers from as far as Germany and Austria served in the Soutwest African Schutztruppe.<ref>Wolfgang Reith: The command authorities of the imperial colonial force in the homeland into German soldier yearbook 2000 and 2001 (2 parts) sign publishing house, Munich
</ref>

Schutztruppe

2009-01-03T21:51:38Z

AlexIC: New page: ==Schutztruppe== Schutztruppe were the German defence troops in Africa from the late 1800's to 1918. The army consisted of European officers, field commanders, and medics, the regular tro...

==Schutztruppe==
Schutztruppe were the German defence troops in Africa from the late 1800's to 1918. The army consisted of European officers, field commanders, and medics, the regular troopers will drawn from the local population.<ref>German colonial encyclopaedia, 1920, volume III, S. 321 FF. </ref>

There were three separate Schutztruppe command chains, one for west, east, and southwest German colonies in Africa.

==West African Schutztruppe==
The West African Division guarded German Cameroon and German Togoland. There were twelve companies totaling 1600 men in Cameroon.<ref>Thomas Morlang: Askari und Fitafita. 'Farbige' Söldner in den deutsche Kolonien, Berlin 2008 </ref>

==East African Schutztruppe==
The East African Division had 14 companies totaling 2500 men. The East African Division was headquartered in Dar es Salaam.<ref>Werner Kopf: The German colonial force 1889/1918, Dörfler publishing house
</ref>

==Southwest African Schutztruppe=
The Southwest African Schutztruppe consisted of twelve companies totalling 1,500 men. A single unit of non-local unit was raised as tensions between the Germans and the Africans grew so high that local Africans would not sign up. Soldiers from as far as Germany and Austria served in the Soutwest African Schutztruppe.<ref>Wolfgang Reith: The command authorities of the imperial colonial force in the homeland into German soldier yearbook 2000 and 2001 (2 parts) sign publishing house, Munich
</ref>

Mirror Box

2009-01-03T21:37:03Z

AlexIC: New page: ==Function== A '''Mirror Box''' is a box with two mirrors in the center. It was invented by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran as a cure for phantom limb pain. ==Science== To retrain the brain a...

==Function==
A '''Mirror Box''' is a box with two mirrors in the center. It was invented by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran as a cure for phantom limb pain.

==Science==
To retrain the brain and alliviate the learned phantom pain, the patient places the normal limb on one side of the mirrors and the phantom limb on the other. The patient then makes symmetric movements with both hands. Because the patient is seeing the mirror image of the good hand moving, it appears that the phantom limb is in motion. This makes it posible for the patient to "move" the phantom limb out of a bad position.<ref>Altschuler, E. L.; S. B. Wisdom & L. Stone et al. (1999), "Rehabilitation of hemiparesis after stroke with a mirror.", Lancet (no. 353(9169)): 2035-2036
</ref><ref>Karl, A.; W. Muhlnickel & R. Kurth et al. (2004), "Neuroelectric source imaging of steady-state movement-related cortical potentials in human upper extremity amputees with and without phantom limb pain", Pain 110 (1-2): 90-102
</ref><ref>Flor, H.; M. Diers & C. Christmann et al. (2006), "Mirror illusions of phantom hand movements. Brain activity mapped by fMRI", NeuroImage 31: S159
</ref><ref>Ramachandran, V. S. & D. C. Rogers-Ramachandran (1996), "Synaesthesia in phantom limbs induced with mirrors.", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London (no. 263(1369)): 377-386</ref>

Daniel Hartman Hastings

2009-01-03T21:27:43Z

AlexIC: New page: ==Daniel H. Hastings== '''Daniel H. Hastings''' was the governor of Pennsylvania from 1895 to 1899. Hastings was a true patriot, and attempted to run away from home three times to join th...

==Daniel H. Hastings==
'''Daniel H. Hastings''' was the governor of Pennsylvania from 1895 to 1899. Hastings was a true patriot, and attempted to run away from home three times to join the Union Army. Hastings became the president of Bellefont High School at 18 years of age. Daniel Hastings went of to law school before long and used it to further his career. He clinched the republican nomination in 1894 and won the election to become governor in a landslide victory. <ref>Daniel H. Hastings at Find A Grave </ref>

Sinister (Band)

2009-01-03T21:17:13Z

AlexIC:

Sinister is a Death Metal Band located in Rotterdam. They have eight albums.

==Albums==

Cross the Styx

Diabolical Summoning

Hate

Aggressive Measures

Creative Killings

Savage or Grace

Afterburner

The Silent Howling

Sinister (Band)

2009-01-03T21:16:19Z

AlexIC: New page: Sinister is a Death Metal Band located in Rotterdam. They have eight albums. ==Albums== Cross the Styx Diabolical Summoning Hate Aggressive Measures Creative Killings Savage or Grace Aft...

Sinister is a Death Metal Band located in Rotterdam. They have eight albums.

==Albums==
Cross the Styx
Diabolical Summoning
Hate
Aggressive Measures
Creative Killings
Savage or Grace
Afterburner
The Silent Howling

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-03T16:48:49Z

AlexIC:

'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books in the Fantasy genre, with exciting combat sequences and his involving plots. He has written several science fiction novels, most notably the Star Wars Novels below
His real name is Robert.
The first manuscript he wrote became ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic. ''

See also the [[Dark Elf Trilogy]].
The Forgotten Realms was first created by Ed Greenwood, a fellow author.

Novels(organized by date):

Crystal Shard, the (1988)

Streams of Silver (1989)

Homeland (1990)

Exile (1990)

Halfling's Gem, the (1990)

Echoes of the Fourth Magic (1990)

Witch's Daughter, the (1991)

Sojourn (1991)

Canticle (1991)

In Sylvan Shadows (1992)

Legacy, the (1992)

Night Masks (1992)

Fallen Fortress, the (1993)

Starless Night (1993)

Woods Out Back, the (1993)

Chaos Curse, the (1994)

Dragon's Dagger, the (1994)

Siege of Darkness (1994)

Dragonslayer's Return (1995)

Sword of Bedwyr, the (1995)

Luthien's Gamble (1996)

Dragon King, the (1996)

Passage to Dawn (1996)

Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996)

Demon Awakens, the (1997)

Demon Spirit, the (1998)

Silent Blade, the (1998)

Demon Apostle, the (1999)

Spine of the World, the (1999)

Vector Prime (1999)

Bastion of Darkness (2000)

Mortalis (2000)

Servant of the Shard (2001)

Ascendance (2001)

Sea of Swords (2001)

Attack of the Clones (2002)

Thousand Orcs, the (2002)

Transcendence (2002)

Immortalis (2003)

Lone Drow, the (2003)

Two Swords, the (2004)

Highwayman, the (2004)

<ref>http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/r-a-salvatore/</ref>

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Authors]]

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-03T16:47:32Z

AlexIC:

'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books in the Fantasy genre, with exciting combat sequences and his involving plots. He has written several science fiction novels, most notably the Star Wars Novels below
His real name is Robert.
The first manuscript he wrote became ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic. ''

See also the [[Dark Elf Trilogy]].
The Forgotten Realms was first created by Ed Greenwood, a fellow author.

Novels(organized by date):

Crystal Shard, the (1988)
Streams of Silver (1989)
Homeland (1990)
Exile (1990)
Halfling's Gem, the (1990)
Echoes of the Fourth Magic (1990)
Witch's Daughter, the (1991)
Sojourn (1991)
Canticle (1991)
In Sylvan Shadows (1992)
Legacy, the (1992)
Night Masks (1992)
Fallen Fortress, the (1993)
Starless Night (1993)
Woods Out Back, the (1993)
Chaos Curse, the (1994)
Dragon's Dagger, the (1994)
Siege of Darkness (1994)
Dragonslayer's Return (1995)
Sword of Bedwyr, the (1995)
Luthien's Gamble (1996)
Dragon King, the (1996)
Passage to Dawn (1996)
Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996)
Demon Awakens, the (1997)
Demon Spirit, the (1998)
Silent Blade, the (1998)
Demon Apostle, the (1999)
Spine of the World, the (1999)
Vector Prime (1999)
Bastion of Darkness (2000)
Mortalis (2000)
Servant of the Shard (2001)
Ascendance (2001)
Sea of Swords (2001)
Attack of the Clones (2002)
Thousand Orcs, the (2002)
Transcendence (2002)
Immortalis (2003)
Lone Drow, the (2003)
Two Swords, the (2004)
Highwayman, the (2004)

<ref>http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/r-a-salvatore/</ref>

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Authors]]

Talk:Global warming

2009-01-03T15:31:16Z

AlexIC:

Merge with [[Science of global warming]]? [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:31, 14 March 2008 (EDT)

good idea

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-03T14:10:26Z

AlexIC: I meant that it is blocked by my computer, not because you blocked it. Sorry I didn't say that, but can I add the books he wrote back, It's always nice to know

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-03T14:00:19Z

AlexIC: Your talk page is blocked, can you explain on my talk page why you deleted alot of the Robert Salvatore page

==Writing==
'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books in the Fantasy genre, with exciting combat sequences and his involving plots.
The first manuscript he wrote became ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic. ''

See also the [[Dark Elf Trilogy]].
The Forgotten Realms was first created by Ed Greenwood, a fellow author.

He has also written some popular Star Wars novels.
*Vector Prime (1999)
*Attack of the Clones (2002)<ref>http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/r-a-salvatore/</ref>

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Authors]]

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-03T13:57:07Z

AlexIC:

'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books in the Fantasy genre, with exciting combat sequences and his involving plots.
The first manuscript he wrote became ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic. ''

See also the [[Dark Elf Trilogy]].
The Forgotten Realms was first created by Ed Greenwood, a fellow author.

He has also written some popular Star Wars novels.
*Vector Prime (1999)
*Attack of the Clones (2002)<ref>http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/r-a-salvatore/</ref>

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Authors]]

Artemis Entreri

2009-01-03T13:44:33Z

AlexIC: Still More Later

'''Artemis Entreri''' is one of writer [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s better known characters from his Forgotten Realms books. Artemis Entreri was born in Calimport, and that was where the assassin learned his trade. When Artemis Entreri was given an assignment to kill Regis the Halfling, he ran into more than he bargained for - [[Drizzt Do'Urden]].

Entreri, the ultimate assassin, had finally met his match and he and Drizzt go on to become major rivals.

Artemis Entreri was introduced in one of [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s earlier books. The Sellsword's series features Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle the dark elf as the main characters.

Artemis Entreri

2009-01-03T13:41:40Z

AlexIC: More Later

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-03T13:35:03Z

AlexIC: Large addon to forgotten realms portion and titles

==Assorted Novels==
'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books. He mainly writes in the Fantasy genre, with several exceptions. R. A. Salvatore is known for his exciting combat sequences and his involving plots. His real name is Robert and the first manuscript he wrote was the book that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic.

Chronicles of Ynis Aielle
*Echoes of the Fourth Magic (1990)
*The Witch's Daughter (1991)
*Bastion of Darkness (2000)

Spearwielder's Tales
*The Woods Out Back (1993)
*The Dragon's Dagger (1994)
*Dragonslayer Returns (1995)

Crimson Shadow
*The Sword of Bedwyr (1994)
*Luthien's Gamble (1996)
*The Dragon King (1996)

Demon Wars
*The Demon Awakens (1997)
*The Demon Spirit (1998)
*The Demon Apostle (1999)
*Mortalis (2000)

Demons War (Second Saga)
*Ascendance (2001)
*Transcendence (2002)
*Immortalis (2003)

Saga of the First King
*The Highwayman (2004)
*The Ancient (2008)
*The Dame (2009)

==Forgotten Realms Novels==
He wrote many series, from "The Spearwielders Tale," and "The Crimson Shadow", but his most famous character is [[Drizzt Do' Urden]], the dark elf or drow. Drizzt's early life was depicted in the[[Dark Elf Trilogy]], where the swashbuckling drow rose above his dark origins. Most of R. A. Salvator's other Forgotten Realms series follow Drizzt on his adventures across the world with a close circle of companions. Some other classic R. A. Salvator characters are depicted in novels featuring Drizzt. These notable characters are Regis the Hafling, Bruenor Battlehammer, Obould Many-Arrows, Matron Malice, Jarlaxle, Cattie-Brie, Artemis Entreri, Athrogate, Morik the Rogue, and Wulfgar the Barbarian. R. A. Salvator also created the crystal shard Crenishibon, the sentient crystal whispering fallacies into the mind of the beholder. a The Forgotten Realms was first created by Ed Greenwood, a fellow author.

Forgotten Realms : Icewind Dale
*The Crystal Shard (1988)
*Streams of Silver (1989)
*The Halfling's Gem (1990)

Forgotten Realms : Dark Elf
*Homeland (1990)
*Exile (1990)
*Sojourn (1991)

Forgotten Realms: The Cleric Quintet
*Canticle (1991)
*In Sylvan Shadows (1992)
*Night Masks (1992)
*The Fallen Fortress (1993)
*The Chaos Curse (1994)

Forgotten Realms : Legacy of the Drow
*The Legacy (1992)
*Starless Night (1993)
*Siege of Darkness (1994)
*Passage to Dawn (1996)

Forgotten Realms : Paths of Darkness
*The Silent Blade (1998)
*The Spine of the World (1999) (with Philip Athans)
*Servant of the Shard (2000)
*Sea of Swords (2001)

Forgotten Realms : The Hunter's Blades
*The Thousand Orcs (2002)
*The Lone Drow (2003)
*The Two Swords (2004)

Forgotten Realms : Best of the Realms
*The Best of the Realms (2003)

Forgotten Realms : The Sellswords
*Promise of the Witch King (2005)
*Road of the Patriarch (2006)

Forgotten Realms : Transitions
*The Orc King (2007)
*The Pirate King (2008)

==Star Wars Novels==
R. A. Salvatore has also written some popular Star Wars novels.

Star Wars : New Jedi Order
*Vector Prime (1999)

Star Wars
*Attack of the Clones (2002)
<ref>http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/r-a-salvatore/</ref>

[[Category:Authors]]

User talk:AlexIC

2009-01-03T13:21:56Z

AlexIC: /* Sorry */ new section

{{Welcome}} [[User:JY23|JY23]] 17:30, 1 January 2009 (EST)

==Capitalization of pages==
Due to the wiki software formatting, when you create a new page, if the page is more than one word, you need to capitalize the whole thing. [[User:JY23|JY23]] 17:30, 1 January 2009 (EST)
:Changing the page name is reserved for sysops, start with Andy, Duncan, or Conservative. [[User:JY23|JY23]] 17:43, 1 January 2009 (EST)

==Good and evil==

Don't delete references without prior discussion. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 08:19, 3 January 2009 (EST)

== Sorry ==

Sorry

Public schools in the United States

2009-01-03T13:12:24Z

AlexIC: The "Character education" article openly advocates distinguishing Right and Wrong as being character education, the article assumes the opposite.

[[Public schools]] in the [[United States]] are [[liberal]] and [[atheistic]]<ref>[http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_exodus_from_public_schools_gets_helping_hand.htm Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand], Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998</ref><ref>For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61806]</ref><ref>From 2004 to 2006, a [[public school]] banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref><ref>[[Atheists]] routinely impose their views on [[public schools]], though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in [[Illinois]] "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moment_of_silence_bothmay30,0,7722271.story]</ref>
government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend $411.5 billion annually at a cost of $10,770 per student.<ref>[http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=15&cSectionID=97 Statistics about education]</ref> Spoken [[prayer]], the [[Ten Commandments]], and sharing of [[faith]] are expressly forbidden in public schools' classrooms during school hours, and teaching of [[morality]] is implicitly disfavored.<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principle then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> Homosexual indoctrination is common as early as elementary school in more [[liberal]] states.<ref>http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html</ref>

Public school students in America have these characteristics:

*30% fail to graduate from high school<ref name="graduate">"Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm]</ref>
*Nearly 70% are unqualified to go onto college<ref name="graduate"/>
*77% have used illicit drugs. Fatal overdoses are common but underreported; public schools are required to present drug "education" to kids<ref>According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20081207/NEWS08/812070305/1002] Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DB123EF932A25750C0A9629C8B63 Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old [[public school]] student was an exception to the underreporting].</ref>
*More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)</ref>
*One in three teen girls in the United States is estimated to get pregnant at least once before age 20.<ref>http://www.4parents.gov/sexrisky/teen_preg/teen_preg.html </ref>
*:About 10% of the girls become pregnant in a typical school; about half have [[abortion]]s, and about half give birth; public schools "educate" kids about sex<ref>"There is zero shame" to teenage pregnancy at public school, the school nurse observed.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121203507.html]</ref>
*About 160,000 students miss school daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and in [[Hawaii]] students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]].<ref>One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref>
*20% go on dangerous "binge drinking," and 50% drink illegally<ref name="Oregon">http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html</ref>
*10-20% become addicted to cigarettes<ref name="Oregon"/><ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/</ref>
*35% are overweight<ref name="health">http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/29/students-health-needs-attention/</ref>
*Nearly 10% have mental health problems<ref name="health"/>
*More than 10% of public high schools have a pro-homosexual student club

The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."<ref>http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story</ref> The impact of the removal of morality from the [[public school]] curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."<ref>http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html</ref>

== History and Terminology ==

In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.

Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and [[kindergarten]] did not exist until it was created in St. Louis in 1873.

In the [[United Kingdom]], the term "public school" means the exact opposite of its American usage, and refers to the most expensive and prestigious ''private'' schools, such as [[Eton College]], [[Harrow]], and a few others.
== Student Prayer in Public Schools ==

The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President Clinton stated, "Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1995<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref>

In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref>
<blockquote>
Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week. 
 
The guidance reflects the Bush administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed. 
The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.
The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the Clinton administration and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials. 
 
The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.
</blockquote>

== Public schools and declining literacy ==
Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after [[World War II]], students' [[literacy]] levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.<ref>''Utne Reader'' (July-August 2000), 28-9.</ref>

==Teaching the Bible in Public Schools ==
The [[National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools]]<ref>http://www.bibleinschools.net/</ref> (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.
==Effect of liberal mindset on textbooks==
Textbooks (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic [[liberal]] bias exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life—marriage, religion, politics, and business. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread secular and liberal mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]"<ref> ''Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks'', [[Paul C. Vitz]], Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X</ref>.

==Pre-1962 Graduates ==
Given that [[public schools]] educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school prayer in 1962. Nearly all the examples of prominent Americans who attended public school predate 1962 in their attendance:

*[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois
*[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas
*[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California
*[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas
*[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri
*[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas
*[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.
*[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref>
*[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref>
*[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref>
*[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref>
*[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref>
*[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref>
*[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. <ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref>

==Post-1962 Graduates==
Celebrities, Businessmen, Astronauts, Nobel Laureates, Medal of Honor Recipients, and Candidates who attended public school after prayer was banned in 1962 include:

*Pat Tillman, NFL football player and US Army soldier graduated from Leland High School CA <ref>http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=197041</ref>
*Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School FL.<ref>http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/bez0bio-1
</ref>
*Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo.com, graduated from Sierramont Middle School, and Piedmont Hills High School, CA. <ref>http://goldsea.com/Innovators/Yangjerry/yangjerry3.html</ref>
*David Filo, co-founder of Yahoo.com graduated from Sam Houston High School TX. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/301/000123929/</ref>
*Kathryn D. Sullivan, NASA astronaut and first American woman to walk in space, graduated from Taft High School, Woodland Hills, California, in 1969. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/sullivan-kd.html</ref>
*S. Christa Mcauliffe, astronaut participant, graduated from Marian High School, Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1966. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcauliffe.html
</ref>
*Mae C. Jemison, NASA astronaut and first African-America woman in space, graduated from Morgan Park High School, Chicago, Illinois, in 1973. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/jemison-mc.html
</ref>
*Ellen Ochoa, NASA astronaut and the first Hispanic-American woman astronaut, graduated from Grossmont High School, La Mesa, California, in 1975. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ochoa.html</ref>
*Jeana Yeager, aviator, graduated from Commerce High School GA in 1970.<ref>http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/mrp/pdf/today/12-07-05.pdf
</ref>
*[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981. <ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm
</ref>
*[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/
</ref>
*John Sununu, Senator, graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's. <ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html
</ref>
*[[John Edwards]], politician, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref>
*Spike Lee, producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref>
*[[Bill Gates]], founder of Microsoft, ''left'' public school after attending in Seattle until the age of twelve.<ref>http://www.thocp.net/biographies/gates_bill.htm</ref>
*[[Rush Limbaugh]] graduated from Central High School, MO in 1969 and attended Southeast Missouri State University for two semesters <ref>http://www.phillytalkradio.com/shows/show.php?show_id=limb</ref>
*Frank Wilczek, Nobel laureate, attended Martin Van Buren High School, Queens, NY, during the late 1960's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/720/000140300/</ref>
*Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, U.S. Army, Battle of Mogadishu hero, Medal of Honor recipient; graduated from Big Spring High School in Newville, PA in 1976. <ref> http://www.pbs.org/weta/americanvalor/stories/shughart.html\</ref>
*Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, U.S. Army, Iraq War hero, Medal of Honor recipient; graduated from Tampa Bay Vocational Technical High School, FL in 1988. <ref>http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/smith/profile/index.html</ref>
*Cpl. Jason Dunham, U.S. Marines, Iraq War hero, Medal of Honor recipient; graduated from Scio High School NY, in 2002.<ref> http://copthetruth.typepad.com/cop_the_truth/2007/03/uss_jason_dunha.html</ref>
*Lt. Michael Murphy, Navy SEAL, Afghanistan War hero, Medal of Honor recipient; graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1994. <ref> http://www.pat-med.k12.ny.us/Schools/HS/articles/0708/murphy/index.html</ref>
*Laura Bush attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964).{{fact}}
*John Cromwell Mather, Nobel laureate, graduated from Newton High School, Newton, NJ in 1964. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/915/000137504/</ref>
*George Fitzgerald Smoot, Nobel laureate, graduated from Upper Arlington High School, Upper Arlington, OH in 1962. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/921/000137510/</ref>
*Hugh David Politzer, Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1966. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/716/000140296/</ref>
*[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See Also==

*[[Public school culture]]
*[[Teacher Pay]]

[[category:education]]
[[category:United States History]]

Warhammer

2009-01-02T23:06:44Z

AlexIC: addition of The Black Library

'''Warhammer Fantasy Battle''' is a tabletop wargame set in the fictional fantasy setting of the Warhammer World. The game is based around two or more players who use large number of painted plastic and pewter figurines to fight a battle using rules set out in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle Rulebook.

==History==
The game was first written in 1983 by Bryan Ansell, Richard Halliwell and Rick Priestley and has had new editions of the rules released every four to six years since then. The latest edition (7th Edition) was released on the 9th of September 2006.

==Gameplay==
The game uses large numbers of figures in 25-28mm scale to fight out battles on a 'board'. The board is typically rectangular with dimensions of 4' wide and 4' to 8' long. While the figures are nominally in 28mm scale, they are actually a bit larger than other 28mm figures on the market and as a consequence are often referred to as 'Heroic' 28mm scale.

Dice, a tape measure and a set of templates are needed to play the game. Each figure or group of figures is assigned a set of values and rules to represent it's strength, skill with weapons, leadership ability, weaponry, etc. These details are found in 'Army Books' that are released for each new edition of the game. A single army book will contain all the rules, statistics and background information needed to use one race in a game, as well as often providing painting and tactical advice.

==Setting==
The game is set in an unnamed world often referred to as the 'Warhammer World.' It is populated by a collection of the more traditional fantasy races (Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Undead, etc) as well as some more unusual ones such as the reptilian Lizardmen, the rodent Skaven, the monstrous Ogre Kingdoms and several nations of Men. The main antagonists are the 4 Gods of Chaos (Khorne, Nurgle, Slannesh and Tzeentch.) These gods are embodiments of the 4 destructive forces of nature and the human psyche (respectively Rage/Murder, Despair/Decay, Hedonism/Indulgence and Mutation/Evolution.)

==The Black Library==
Warhammer has had many books taking place in Warhammer World. All of these books are categorized in the black library. Novelists writing for The Black Library include Dan Abnett, Mike Lee, and Graham McNeil. Books in the black library include the Malus Darkblade series and the Time of Legends series.

The setting was initially heavily influenced by the works of Tolkien and Michael Moorcock but has since mangaed to entrench itself in the public conciousness with many features (i.e orcs having green skin and relatively advanced dwarvish technology) becoming adopted by other games and franchises, such as the Warcraft games, and many authors and roleplayers now unknowingly use ideas that first appeared in the Warhammer World.

==Online Edition==
A Warhammer [[MMORPG]] published by Mythic Entertainment <ref>http://www.warhammeronline.com/</ref> was released on September 16, 2008 to generally favorable reviews.<ref>http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/warhammeronline?q=warhammer%20online</ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Games]]

Luke Skywalker

2009-01-02T15:00:56Z

AlexIC:

[[Image:Luke_Skywalker.jpg|right|thumb|Luke Skywalker, as played by actor Mark Hamill in the film ''Star Wars'' (1977)]]
'''Luke Skywalker''' is a fictional character in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films. He is the son of [[Anakin Skywalker]] (later [[Darth Vader]]) and the hero of the later films.

==Fictional Character Biography==
Luke was born to [[Padme Amidala]] and [[Darth Vader|Anakin Skywalker]] in the Polis Massa medical facility, along with his twin sister, [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia]]. [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] took him to the remote system of [[Tatooine]], where he could be hidden from the [[Galactic Empire]]. He was cared for by his aunt and uncle, [[Owen Lars|Owen]] and [[Beru Lars]], while Obi-Wan continued to watch over him. After his former caretakers were cruelly murdered by Stormtroopers seeking [[C-3PO]] and [[R2-D2]], Luke wanted to "learn the ways of [[Force (Star Wars)|The Force]] and become a [[Jedi]] like my father."<ref>[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]</ref> He soon was caught up in the [[Rebel Alliance]], and after help from Kenobi's Force ghost, Luke destroyed the first [[Death Star]]. Luke is the main character of the original Star Wars, but it is Anakin Skywalker before becoming [[Darth Vader]] that is often regarded as the greatest Jedi

==References==

<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skywalker, Luke}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Fictional characters]]

Dark Elf Trilogy

2009-01-02T14:53:36Z

AlexIC: link to Drizzt Do'Urden

The '''Dark Elf Trilogy''' are a series of novels, set in the 'Forgotten Realms' [[Dungeons and Dragons]] campaign setting, that are generally regarded as author [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s most enduring work.<ref>http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html</ref> The novels were a prequel trilogy, as Salvatore had already written a trilogy of novels featuring the lead character.

The books tell the origin of [[Drizzt Do'Urden]], a dark or drow elf, who is repulsed by the matriarchal theocratic society he is raised in. Vicious, violent, deceptive, arrogant, the dark elves of Menzoberranzan really only have one rule: don't get caught. But Drizzt was born with a conscience, something no drow can afford. His upbringing and training as a warrior are depicted in the first book, ''Homeland'', after which he leaves the city of his birth to live in the wilds of the Underdark. His desperate survival there, and realizing he can't stay there forever, make up the bulk of the second book, ''Exile''. At the end of the novel, he reaches the surface world. In ''Sojourn'', he adapts to the surface world, his years underground serving him well as his survival instincts allow him to carry on in the face of great threats. Eventually, he comes under the tutelage of a retired adventurer and ranger, who gives him formal training in the ways of being a guardian of the wild. Finally, he moves north, to Icewind Dale, where he first meets the dwarf king and human girl who would become his dearest friends.

The trilogy is noted as being remarkable for giving real meat to the mysterious society of the dark elves, who until that point had remained a mystery except for being a generally villainous race. The matriarchy, the dichotomy of stratification and mobility, and the worship of an evil goddess allowed ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players to understand how an evil society might actually, for lack of a better term, "work".

==Concerns and Criticism==
The implications of the novels, based as they were on ''Dungeons and Dragons'' conventions, have given rise to debate in subsequent years (as have ''Dungeons and Dragons''' racial tropes themselves). The implication that all or most drow are wholly evil, and that Drizzt alone was truly good (with his father, uneasy at his race's predilections but unwilling to take steps against them, implied to occupy a neutral limbo), indicated that it was genetics that made him moral, not his upbringing, which was little different from any other male drow, save his that his father, who trained him during his teenage years, was more gentle than most. This is further emphasized with his sister Vierna; his other siblings are only half-related to him, sharing only their mother's blood, but Vierna, who treated him much more kindly than would be expected, was also his father's daughter, and though she didn't know this had a more temperate attitude as a result, though she was lost, having become just a loyal, if not as fanatical, a follower of the dark elves' goddess as her sisters and mother. In summation, the book seems to endorse the idea that goodness derives from blood, not upbringing. However, it is not revealed how Drizzt's father gained his distaste for dark elf society.

Other criticisms have been leveled at the book--''of course'' the race of evil fanatic elves has to be dark-skinned, even though they live underground. This is dealt with in-world by their being marked distinctively so no one would ever mistake them for anything other than what they are. The other large criticism, though, is leveled at making drow society both matriarchal and evil. However, others have defended this by noting that the book does not condemn matriarchy but inequality in general. Later books in the Drizzt series indicate that the parts of the surface world that the main character, portrayed as unfailingly moral and upright, favors are all much more egalitarian than is perhaps believable in a quasi-medieval world, and there are plenty of villains who hold similar views towards women that dark elf rulers are shown to have towards men.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fantasy]]

Drizzt Do'Urden

2009-01-02T14:52:18Z

AlexIC: Drizzt Do'Urden edit

'''Drizzt Do'Urden''' is the main character in many of [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s books. His early life is depicted in the [[Dark Elf Trilogy]] book Homeland. Drizzt is born on the eve of his family's brutal attack on another ruling house in Mezzoberranzan, the city of the drow. As Drizzt grows older, he realizes that he and his father, Zaknafein, are the only drow who care about others.

When Drizzt leaves the underdark, where all drow live, to go to the surface, he goes with a hunting party. The drow hold a vicous hate toward the surface elves that is bred in all dark elf childen. The drow attack a group of surface elves but Drizzt kills none, sparing an elf and hiding her under her mother's body. When Matron Malice, Drizzt's mother, discovers this, she sacrifices Zaknafein to appease the dark Godess of all drow, the Spider Queen Lolth. Drizzt runs away and into the wilds of the underdark.

In the second book following Drizzt, Exile, he roams the underdark. Matron Malice still wants him dead after his escape from Mezzoberranzan and ressurects his father, Zaknafein, to kill him. Drizzt and Zaknafein go through a wild goose chase across the underdark, where Drizzt find's friends in unlikely places, to finally defeat Zaknafein.

The next book, Sojourn, is where Drizzt leaves the underdark to the surface and tries to find his place under the sun.

Dark Elf Trilogy

2009-01-02T14:36:49Z

AlexIC:

The '''Dark Elf Trilogy''' are a series of novels, set in the 'Forgotten Realms' [[Dungeons and Dragons]] campaign setting, that are generally regarded as author [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s most enduring work.<ref>http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html</ref> The novels were a prequel trilogy, as Salvatore had already written a trilogy of novels featuring the lead character.

The books tell the origin of Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark or drow elf, who is repulsed by the matriarchal theocratic society he is raised in. Vicious, violent, deceptive, arrogant, the dark elves of Menzoberranzan really only have one rule: don't get caught. But Drizzt was born with a conscience, something no drow can afford. His upbringing and training as a warrior are depicted in the first book, ''Homeland'', after which he leaves the city of his birth to live in the wilds of the Underdark. His desperate survival there, and realizing he can't stay there forever, make up the bulk of the second book, ''Exile''. At the end of the novel, he reaches the surface world. In ''Sojourn'', he adapts to the surface world, his years underground serving him well as his survival instincts allow him to carry on in the face of great threats. Eventually, he comes under the tutelage of a retired adventurer and ranger, who gives him formal training in the ways of being a guardian of the wild. Finally, he moves north, to Icewind Dale, where he first meets the dwarf king and human girl who would become his dearest friends.

The trilogy is noted as being remarkable for giving real meat to the mysterious society of the dark elves, who until that point had remained a mystery except for being a generally villainous race. The matriarchy, the dichotomy of stratification and mobility, and the worship of an evil goddess allowed ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players to understand how an evil society might actually, for lack of a better term, "work".

==Concerns and Criticism==
The implications of the novels, based as they were on ''Dungeons and Dragons'' conventions, have given rise to debate in subsequent years (as have ''Dungeons and Dragons''' racial tropes themselves). The implication that all or most drow are wholly evil, and that Drizzt alone was truly good (with his father, uneasy at his race's predilections but unwilling to take steps against them, implied to occupy a neutral limbo), indicated that it was genetics that made him moral, not his upbringing, which was little different from any other male drow, save his that his father, who trained him during his teenage years, was more gentle than most. This is further emphasized with his sister Vierna; his other siblings are only half-related to him, sharing only their mother's blood, but Vierna, who treated him much more kindly than would be expected, was also his father's daughter, and though she didn't know this had a more temperate attitude as a result, though she was lost, having become just a loyal, if not as fanatical, a follower of the dark elves' goddess as her sisters and mother. In summation, the book seems to endorse the idea that goodness derives from blood, not upbringing. However, it is not revealed how Drizzt's father gained his distaste for dark elf society.

Other criticisms have been leveled at the book--''of course'' the race of evil fanatic elves has to be dark-skinned, even though they live underground. This is dealt with in-world by their being marked distinctively so no one would ever mistake them for anything other than what they are. The other large criticism, though, is leveled at making drow society both matriarchal and evil. However, others have defended this by noting that the book does not condemn matriarchy but inequality in general. Later books in the Drizzt series indicate that the parts of the surface world that the main character, portrayed as unfailingly moral and upright, favors are all much more egalitarian than is perhaps believable in a quasi-medieval world, and there are plenty of villains who hold similar views towards women that dark elf rulers are shown to have towards men.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fantasy]]

Debate

2009-01-02T14:30:32Z

AlexIC: Policy debate expansion

A '''debate''' is an [[argument]] (friendly or unfriendly) between two opposite points of view. Debate has become a form of competition where the sides are affirmative or negative on a resolution.

Organized debate has become an organized sport in high schools and college. Different types of debate take place in these competitions, including Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglass Debate, Parliamentary Debate, and Public Forum Debate.*

Policy Debate is the most common High School debate. It is set up into eight speeches, structured as followed.

1 Affirmative constructive(1ac) - in the 1ac, the affirmative team reads all of there affirmative evidence. There is an eight minute time limit.

1 Negative constructive(1nc) - in the 1nc, the negative team will read negative evidence. There is an eight minute time limit.

2 Affirmative constructive(2ac) - in the 2ac, the affirmative will attempt to counter all of the negative evidence. The 2ac is often considered the make or break moment for the affirmative. There is an eight minute time limit.

2 Negative constructive(2nc) - in the 2nc, the negative will argue half of there negative arguements, as the negative also has the next speech. There is an eight minute time limit

1 Negative rebuttal(1nr) - in the 1nr, the negative will argue the other half of there arguements. There is a five minute time limit.

1 Affirmative rebuttal(1ar) - the 1ar is considered by many to be the hardest speech in policy debate, as the affirmative has five minutes to rebutt the thirteen minute neg block.

2 Negative rebuttal(2nr) - the 2nr is the negatives last speech and they will usually take half of there arguement against the affirmative. There is a five minute time limit.

2 Affirmative rebuttal(2ar) - The affirmative will take all advantages and attempt to win. There is a five minute time limit.

Due to the revealing nature of debate, dishonest organizations will avoid engaging openly with their opponents in debate. Some sites who criticise Conservapedia, for example, have been known to refuse to engage in open debate out of fear that their stance would be exposed as hollow rhetoric. Conservapedia is a perfect example of democratic debate at work, with the views of all openly welcomed and debated without bias or prejudice. [[Wikipedia]] is well known to lack any decent standard of debate, and instead enforces [[liberal]] views on it's articles.
[[Category:Politics]]

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-02T14:13:26Z

AlexIC: Forgot source

'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books. He mainly writes in the Fantasy genre, with several exceptions. R. A. Salvatore is known for his exciting combat sequences and his involving plots. His real name is Robert and the first manuscript he wrote was the book that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic.

Chronicles of Ynis Aielle
*Echoes of the Fourth Magic (1990)
*The Witch's Daughter (1991)
*Bastion of Darkness (2000)

Spearwielder's Tales
*The Woods Out Back (1993)
*The Dragon's Dagger (1994)
*Dragonslayer Returns (1995)

Crimson Shadow
*The Sword of Bedwyr (1994)
*Luthien's Gamble (1996)
*The Dragon King (1996)

Demon Wars
*The Demon Awakens (1997)
*The Demon Spirit (1998)
*The Demon Apostle (1999)
*Mortalis (2000)

Demons War (Second Saga)
*Ascendance (2001)
*Transcendence (2002)
*Immortalis (2003)

Saga of the First King
*The Highwayman (2004)
*The Ancient (2008)
*The Dame (2009)

He wrote many series, from "The Spearwielders Tale," and "The Crimson Shadow", but his most famous character is Drizzt do' Urden. Most of his Forgotten Realms series follow Drizzt on his adventures across the world with a close circle of companions.

Forgotten Realms : Icewind Dale
*The Crystal Shard (1988)
*Streams of Silver (1989)
*The Halfling's Gem (1990)

Forgotten Realms : Dark Elf
*Homeland (1990)
*Exile (1990)
*Sojourn (1991)

Forgotten Realms: The Cleric Quintet
*Canticle (1991)
*In Sylvan Shadows (1992)
*Night Masks (1992)
*The Fallen Fortress (1993)
*The Chaos Curse (1994)

Forgotten Realms : Legacy of the Drow
*The Legacy (1992)
*Starless Night (1993)
*Siege of Darkness (1994)
*Passage to Dawn (1996)

Forgotten Realms : Paths of Darkness
*The Silent Blade (1998)
*The Spine of the World (1999) (with Philip Athans)
*Servant of the Shard (2000)
*Sea of Swords (2001)

Forgotten Realms : The Hunter's Blades
*The Thousand Orcs (2002)
*The Lone Drow (2003)
*The Two Swords (2004)

Forgotten Realms : Best of the Realms
*The Best of the Realms (2003)

Forgotten Realms : The Sellswords
*Promise of the Witch King (2005)
*Road of the Patriarch (2006)

Forgotten Realms : Transitions
*The Orc King (2007)
*The Pirate King (2008)

R. A. Salvatore has also written some popular Star Wars novels.

Star Wars : New Jedi Order
*Vector Prime (1999)

Star Wars
*Attack of the Clones (2002)
<ref>http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/r-a-salvatore/</ref>

[[Category:Authors]]

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-02T14:12:38Z

AlexIC: HUGE add-on to R.A. Salvatore page

Robert Salvatore

2009-01-02T02:35:46Z

AlexIC: be back later

'''R. A. Salvatore''' is the author of many books.

He wrote many series, from "The Spearwielders Tale," and "The Crimson Shadow", but his most famous character is Drizzt do' Urden.

Predator

2009-01-02T02:30:23Z

AlexIC:

A '''predator''' is an [[animal]] that preys on other animals. Animals that are not predators are called [[herbivore]]s ([[vegetarian]]s) or [[scavenger]]s. Some common predatory animals include [[bear]]s, [[lion]]s, and [[shark]]s.

Predators can also be interpreted as humans that bully and push around others.

In [[Job]] 40:15 [[The Bible]] may teach us that all animals were [[herbivore]]s before their expulsion from the [[Garden of Eden]] and there were no predators. Different interpretations of the [[fossil record]] support different points of view.<ref>[http://objectiveministries.org/creation/dinosaurs.html] Objective Ministries: Dinosaurs</ref><ref>[http://www.sixdaycreation.com/facts/flood/june99.html] Six Day Creation: Noah's Flood and Dinosaur Extinction </ref>

::"I give every green plant for food" —[[God]], [[Genesis]] 1:30

While commonly interpreted that this means there were no predators in the Garden, it is held by some that this means that all plants were given by God as food; that all plants could be eaten. This interpretation does not preclude the existence of predators.

==References==

<references/>

[[category:zoology]]

Jeremiah Wright

2009-01-02T02:27:10Z

AlexIC: Jeremiah Wright edits

[[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|left|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]] The '''Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.''' was the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, a large [[Chicago]] church with a black congregation. He had a relatively privileged upbringing in [[Philadelphia]], where his father was a [[Baptist]] minister in the Germantown section and his mother was Vice-Principal at the prestigious Philadelphia High School for Girls. Jeremiah Wright himself attended the Central High School for Boys, which was a selective school that ranked among the very best in the [[United States]]. After attending 2 years of college Wright dropped out and joined first the [[United States Marine Corps]] and then the [[United States Navy]]. Wright was the mentor of [[Democratic]] presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]]. Wright married Obama and his wife, baptized his children and had been a close spiritual adviser to [[Obama]] for twenty years. Wright even inspired the title of Obama's book ''The Audacity of Hope''. Wright came under fire for anti-American statements he has made, and for implying that the [[AIDS]] virus was spread by the United States government to wipe out the black population and that the United States got what it deserved on [[9/11]] and that the Jews are evil white people.

Wright's comments were condemned across America. Only when it became politically important, Obama finally distanced himself from Wright. Obama went to Wright's Church for almost many years and must have had a connection.

[[Barack Obama]] claims that he didn't know that Jeremiah Wright held hateful sermons, but went to the church for at least several years.

Wright's anti-American comments didn't end with the election. On December 7, 2008, while the majority of America was observing the anniversary of the Japanese attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], Wright claimed that December 7, 1941 was the day America bombed Hiroshima--a claim that reveals either a truly shocking ignorance of American history, or, more likely, a baldfaced attempt at historical revisionism. <ref>http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/reverend-jeremiah-wright-trinity-united-baptist-church-chicago-obama.html</ref>

Jeremiah Wright is a staunch supporter for the Nation of Islam. Wright received an award from none other than Louis Farrakhan.

Liberal defenders of Obama like to point out that not everyone was shocked at Wright's preachings and that he was actually defended by [[Mike Huckabee]]. Mike Huckabee stated: "We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, "You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus." And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had a more, more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me."[http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/huckabee-defend.html]
Huckabee went on to say that '''"...no one can defend the content of Wright's statements."''' It is worth noting that [[Mike Huckabee]] was not defending the content of Jeremiah Wright's words, but the reason behind them.

[[Category:Religious People]]
[[Category:Children of Clergy]]

Saxby Chambliss

2009-01-02T02:16:17Z

AlexIC:

'''[[Senator]] Saxby Chambliss''' is the senior senator from the state of [[Georgia]]. A [[Republican]], he has been in the Senate since 2002, when he defeated [[Democrat]] [[Max Cleland]] to gain the seat. His short tenure makes Chambliss part of a very new Georgia delegation, his colleague being [[Johnny Isakson]], a fellow Republican, and a former colleague when both were in the [[House of Representatives]], as well.

'''[[Senator]] Saxby Chamliss''' was successful in holding off his liberal and democratic Jim Martin, keeping the filibuster in the balance. Saxby Chambliss backs many [[Conservative]] principals, he is strictly pro-life, does not support gay marriage, and supports small government.

[[Category: United States Senators]]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Chambliss, Saxby}}
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]
[[Category: Republican Party]]

Insertion

2009-01-02T02:08:50Z

AlexIC: genetic insertion

An '''insertion''' is a type of chromosomal abnormality in which a [[DNA]] sequence is inserted into a [[gene]], disrupting the normal structure and function of that gene. Insertion is generally the most dangerous type of genetic mutation, as it can shift every gene. This can cause every gene to be read wrong and can cause serious problems.

== Sources ==
http://www.genome.gov/glossary.cfm?key=insertion

[[Category:Genetics]]

Mitch McConnell

2009-01-02T02:00:25Z

AlexIC: Mitch McConnell update

[[Image:Smm color lg.jpg|150px|right|thumb]]
'''Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr.''' (born February 20, 1942), is the senior [[Republican]] United States Senator from [[Kentucky]]. McConnell was born in [[Tuscumbia]], [[Alabama]] to Julia Shockley and Addison Mitchell McConnell and raised in south [[Louisville]], Kentucky, he attended duPont Manual High School and graduated from the [[University of Louisville]] College of Arts and Sciences with honors in 1964, where he was student body president and member of Phi Kappa Tau. He graduated in 1967 from the [[University of Kentucky]] College of Law, where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association. McConnell gained experience on Capitol Hill as an intern under Senator [[John Sherman Cooper]], later as an assistant to Senator [[Marlow Cook]], and was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General under President [[Gerald R. Ford]]. McConnell was elected to the Senate in 1984 when he defeated two-term [[Democratic]] Senator Dee Huddleston. Since then he has been reelected three times. After the 2006 elections, he was unanimously elected Senate Minority Leader, previously serving as Majority Whip. He is married to Secretary of Labor [[Elaine Chao]]. McConnell has been very involved in Republican party politics. He was chairman of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]] during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles. In both, Republicans maintained control of the [[Senate]]. McConnell is viewed as a conservative who is pro-life, supports the war in [[Iraq]], second amendment rights and lower taxes. However, he was one of the few Senate Republicans who voted against a Constitutional ban on flag desecration.

Mitch McConnell managed to hold onto his senate seat in the 2008 elections, which saw a democratic surge, just short of a supermajority. Mitch McConnell is widely regarded within the Republican Party as an adept Minoriity Leader. The filibuster strategy used by the democrats was first pushed by Mitch McConnell.

==Oil Triggers==
McConnell offered offshore [[oil]] drilling resolutions on the Senate floor July 31. He was intent on setting a trigger to initiate drilling if the price exceeds a certain mark. First he offered to drill if gas prices hit $4.50 a gallon. This was rejected by Democrats. Then he offered a trigger at $5.50 a gallon. Rejected by [[Democrats]]. Next he offered a trigger if gas prices hit $7.50 a gallon. Rejected by Democrats. Lastly, if the price of gas hits $10 per gallon, this would trigger offshore drilling to commence. Again, Democrats rejected the motion. At $10 per gallon, Democrats are still not interested in in expanding oil drilling. <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27826 Breaking: Dems like $10 per Gallon Gasoline] Human Events, July 31, 2008</ref>

==External Links==

[http://mcconnell.senate.gov Sen. McConnell's Official Web Site]

==References==
<references/>
{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Mitch}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Quid pro quo

2009-01-02T01:53:31Z

AlexIC: example of quid pro quo

'''Quid pro quo''' is [[Latin]] for "Something for Something" and refers to a [[mutual]] exchange. For example, the recent Blagojevich scandal for the senate seat was a "Quid pro quo"

{{stub}}

[[Category:Latin Legal Terms]]

Caroline Kennedy

2009-01-02T01:51:24Z

AlexIC:

[[Image:CarolineKennedy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Caroline Kennedy]]
'''Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg)''', was born November 27, 1957, and is the daughter of [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Jacqueline Kennedy|Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis]] and niece of Senator [[Edward M. Kennedy]]. She is a [[writer]] and [[lawyer]] who resides in [[New York City]]. She is a member of the John F. Kennedy Library Board, Kennedy Foundation, American Ballet Theater and the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award foundation.

In 2008, she served as a member of the advisory committee suggesting vice-presidential nominees for [[Barack Obama]]'s presidential campaign.

In December 2008, she announced that she wants to be ''appointed'' to fill the [[U.S. Senate]] seat being vacated by [[Hillary Clinton]], despite the fact that Caroline Kennedy "has never held political office or shaped public policy."<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/28/caroline-kennedy-busts-new-york-times-reporter-interview/</ref>y

While Caroline Kennedy was a strong early choice to be appointed, her "campaign" fell apart during her interviews, when many average citizens saw that Caroline Kennedy may not have been as sharp as she was put out to be. It is also widely suspected that Caroline Kennedy would not even been in the question if she wasn't a Kennedy.

== Spouse & Children ==

*Husband: Edwin Schlossberg (married July 19, 1986) is museum exhibit designer)
*Children: Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, born June 25, 1988; Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg, born May 5, 1990; John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg (Jack), born January 19, 1993

== Education ==

* [[Radcliffe College]], B.A. 1980
* [[Columbia University]], J.D. 1988
* Sotheby's (art)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Caroline}}

[[Category: Political People]]
[[Category: Authors]]
[[Category: Lawyers]]

Global warming

2009-01-01T23:26:19Z

AlexIC: scientific consensus

{{merge|Science of global warming}}
[[Image:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif|right|frame]]
'''Global warming''' is an increase in average air temperature in the [[Earth]]'s atmosphere.
As far back as temperature records can be reconstructed, periods of global warming and global cooling have alternated; see [[ice age]]s and [[interglacial warming]].

In the modern period of global warming, a slight increase of {{temperature|0.8|1.4}} has been measured at weather stations throughout the world, since around 1850, when organized records began to be kept. Since this happens to correlate with increases in [[carbon dioxide]], many have speculated about their possible relationship. Despite this, there is no completely proven model explaining the rise in global temperatures.

==Controversy==

{{main|Global Warming Controversy}}

Since 1989, advocates have clashed on the issue of whether human beings are more responsible than nature for modern periods of global warming; see "[[greenhouse warming]]" and [[global warming theory]].<ref>Some people predicted "global warming," which has come to mean extreme [[greenhouse warming]] of the atmosphere leading to catastrophic environmental consequences. [http://www.junkscience.com/news/robinson.htm]</ref>

Most non-scientific support for the global warming theory rests on popular accounts such as Al Gore's ''[[An Inconvenient Truth]]'' or on reports issued by the UN's [[IPCC]]. However, Keston Green of Monash University and Scott Armstrong of the Wharton School wrote that:

*Because the forecasting processes examined in Chapter 8 overlook scientific evidence on forecasting, the [[IPCC]] forecasts of climate change are not scientific. <ref>http://www.forecastingprinciples.com/Public_Policy/WarmAudit31.pdf</ref>

Former vice-president [[Al Gore]] calls it a [[moral issue]], while climate scientist [[Richard Lindzen]] says, "It is probably the most immoral thing you could do to restrain energy so that the billions in the earth who don’t have access to electricity won't conveniently get it." <ref>http://www.americaabroadmedia.org/media/On line extra materials/Climate change - lindzen interview.doc</ref>
However, it is to be noted that many proponents of the theory propose energy conservation only until 'green' energy generation becomes predominant.{{Fact}}

In the general, the term ''global warming'' can be used for any upward trend in the [[global mean temperature]], but it is mostly used to refer to the 1° F warming since 1850.

The two sides are divided on whether this warming is a natural recovery from the [[Little Ice Age]] or a man-made environmental phenomenon. There are also debates regarding the potential positive or negative effects of a warming.

Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. are evenly split on the issue. ''Boston Globe'' writer [[Ellen Goodman]] wrote:
* Only 23 percent of college-educated Republicans believe the warming is due to humans, while 75 percent of college-educated Democrats believe it. <ref> [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/02/09/no_change_in_political_climate/] </ref>

Controversy and scientific inaccuracies may have contributed to addressing 'Climate Change' in place of using Global Warming. As the northern pole region melts, the southern pole region ice is growing <ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0110/p14s01-sten.html], http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0110/p14s01-sten.html, As arctic ice melts, South Pole ice grows, january 10, 2008</ref>

==The Modern Warm Period==

Average [[Earth]] surface air temperature has risen about 1° F since 1970.
<ref>Hansen's group at the Goddard Institute wrote, "Global warming is now 0.6 °C [1.0 °F] in the past three decades and 0.8 °C [1.4 °F] in the past century." http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2005/</ref> How much of this is due to contamination of the temperature record from the [[urban heat island]] effect is hard to assess. Efforts are currently underway to detect and remove this bias. Spurious warming trends that might be considered as global warming can occur almost anywhere. <ref name="col">http://climatesci.colorado.edu/2006/01/29/do-urban-areas-have-larger-long-term-temperature-trends-than-other-locations/feed/</ref>
Nonetheless, controversy has persisted over the influence of urban warming on reported large-scale surface-air temperature trends. <ref name="col" />

According to temperature reconstruction made within an [[Old Earth]] paradigm, there have been many cycles of naturally-caused global warming and cooling over many millions of years (see [[climate cycles]]). Some scientists, including [[Richard Lindzen]] of [[MIT]], [[Sallie Baliunas]] of [[Harvard]] and [[Fred Singer]] (independent), say that the recent warming could be part of another natural cycle or random fluctuations in the atmosphere. However, many scientists also think that human activities were most likely the cause of the the planet's recent warming.

==False Claims of "Consensus"==

[[Richard Lindzen]] wrote in 1992,

:Indeed, a recent Gallup poll of climate scientists in the American Meteorological Society and in the American Geophysical Union shows that a vast majority doubts that there has been any identifiable man-caused warming to date (49 percent asserted no, 33 percent did not know, 18 percent thought some has occurred; however, among those actively involved in research and publishing frequently in peer-reviewed research journals, none believes that any man-caused global warming has been identified so far). <ref name="cato">http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv15n2/reg15n2g.html</ref>

Oddly enough, even though 82% of US climate scientists refused to support the global warming theory then, [[liberal]] activists were already claiming a scientific consensus for [[anthropogenic global warming]]. (It's hard to understand how 18 percent credence in ''any'' global warming translates into "consensus" support for ''human-caused'' global warming.)

The campaign to convince the public (and their elected representatives) that the "science is settled" began in 1988 or 1989.


By the 2008 elections both candidates for the Presidency of the United States were proposing plans to mitigate climate change.

==Natural Variability of the Climate System==
Evolutionary scientists who believe in global warming think that the Earth has experienced numerous [[Ice Age|ice age]]s over two million years, during which global temperatures dropped approximately {{temperature|6|11}} and then returned to normal. The frigid temperatures allowed ice sheets to expand southward, covering much of [[Asia]], [[Europe]], and [[North America]]. The cooling associated with ice ages is gradual, while the terminations are relatively rapid. However, even the rapid terminations of ice ages take centuries to millennia.

==Natural Climate Change on Other Planets==

Since the [[Viking spacecraft]] reached [[Mars]] in the 1970s until recent readings were taken, the average temperature on Mars has risen {{temperature|0.6|1.1}} just as the average temperature on the earth has risen. Since human industrialization is clearly not to blame for the change on Mars, other causes are being considered. One possibility is that dust storms are changing the albedo of the planet, allowing it to warm, while another possibility is that solar variations from the sun are causing the warming.<ref>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070404_gw_mars.html</ref><ref>http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17977</ref>

Recently, it has also been found that similar to the Earth and Mars, [[Neptune]] is also undergoing global warming. Measurements taken at the Lowell observatory in [[Arizona]] have shown an increase in Neptune's brightness and temperature since 1980 following the same pattern seen on Earth and Mars. The researchers who discovered this warming suggest there may be a correlation between the warming and solar variations.<ref>http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2007.../2006GL028764.shtml</ref>

[[Pluto]] has also been found to be undergoing global warming. The overall temperature increase on Pluto has been greater than that on the earth.<ref>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/pluto_warming_021009.html</ref>

On the other hand [[Uranus]] has had no net change in temperature since 1977. A rapid increase in temperature reversed itself. The reasons for this are not understood.<ref>http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~layoung/eprint/ur149/Young2001Uranus.pdf</ref>

Global temperatures change on other plants even when there is no life, something which strongly supports the idea that humans are not necessarily the cause of earth's global warming. Moreover, the temperature on Uranus has fluctuated back and forth. There is no reason that fluctuations cannot occur on earth, too.

==Politics of Global Warming==

'Global Warming Now World's Most Boring Topic’ <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/14167</ref>

The need to fight "global warming" has become part of the dogma of the liberal conscience. <ref name="cato" />

Clearly, "global warming" is a tempting issue for many very important groups to exploit.
... dealing with the threat of warming fits in with a great variety of preexisting agendas [like] dissatisfaction with industrial society (neopastoralism), ... governmental desires for enhanced revenues (carbon taxes), and bureaucratic desires for enhanced power. <ref name="cato" />

The global average surface temperature warmed about 0.9 °F over the second half of the 20th Century.

Assessments of climate science by the [[United Nations]] (see [[IPCC]] - ''Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change'')
have claimed that scientists are 90% sure that over 50% of the observed global warming in recent decades is human-caused, and that continued global warming should be expected over at least the next century. ''Science'' published a literature search by Naomi Oreskes concluding that "scientific consensus" supports the IPCC reports. <ref>http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686</ref>

Several prominent scientists have pointed out the [[politicized science]] of the UN's assessment methods. The scientific reports are submitted to a panel of representatives appointed by each country in the IPCC. Several scientists whose research demonstrates that climate change is taking place have complained about their work being misrepresented by the U.N.

*In addition, a number of the participants have testified to the pressures placed on them to emphasize results supportive of the current scenario and to suppress other results. That pressure has frequently been effective, and a survey of participants reveals substantial disagreement with the final report. <ref name="cato" />

Richard Lindzen wrote:
:Perhaps more important are the pressures being brought to bear on scientists to get the "right" results. Such pressures are inevitable, given how far out on a limb much of the scientific community has gone. The situation is compounded by the fact that some of the strongest proponents of "global warming" in Congress are also among the major supporters of science (Sen. Gore is notable among those). <ref name="cato" />

Christopher Monckton wrote an article titled Climate Sensitivity Reconsidered.
:States that Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change studies are flawed. The present analysis suggests the models failure to predict other climatic phenomena arises from defects in its evaluation of radioactive forcing, no-feedbacks climate sensitivity parameter and feedback multiplier. In conclusion, that there may be no "Climate Crisis" and for governments to reduce emissions may be pointless or even harmful. <ref>http://www.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/200807/monckton.cfm , Climate Sensitivity Reconsidered, July 2008</ref> This was published on a forum of the American Physical Society with the following disclaimer "The article has not undergone any scientific peer review" and "the APS disagrees with the articles conclusions" In fact, the APS disagrees with the article without ever reviewing it.

After the successful completion of a lawsuit against his movie '[[The Great Global Warming Swindle]]', filmmaker Martin Durkin statements read <ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=32796 UK Broadcaster Scolded for Film on Global Warming] CNSNEWS July 22, 2008</ref>

*“Everywhere you are told that man-made [[climate change]] is proved beyond doubt,” “But you are being told lies.”
*“This is a story of how a theory about climate turned into a political [[ideology]] ... it is the story of the distortion of a whole area of [[science]].”
*“as the frenzy over man-made [[global warming]] grows shriller, many senior scientists say the actual scientific basis for the [[theory]] is crumbling.”

Geology professor and scientist at the University of Oklahoma, David Deming talks about a biased [[AP]] article mentioning global warming "...whether it's continuing that was completely beyond the evidence." <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,468084,00.html Scientists Call AP Report on Global Warming 'Hysteria'] Fox News, December 16, 2008</ref>
The mean global temperature, at least as measured by is now the same as it was in the year 1980.
In the last couple of years sea level has stopped rising.
Sea ice globally is also the same as it was in 1980.
Hurricane and cyclone activity in the northern hemisphere is at a 24-year low.

Also in discussion of the biased AP report, Michael R. Fox, a retired nuclear scientist and chemistry professor from the University of Idaho says, "There is little evidence to believe that man-made carbon dioxide is causing temperature fluctuation. Other factors, including sun spots, solar winds, variations in the solar magnetic field and solar irradiation, could all be affecting temperature changes."

Richard S. Courtney, a U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expert reviewer and a U.K.-based climate and atmospheric science consultant says "Rubbish! Global warming is not 'accelerating," and "...that anybody who proclaims that 'Global warming is accelerating' is a liar, a fool, or both." <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/brennan/global_warming_debunked/2008/12/16/162489.html Global Warming’s Last Gasp] NewsMax, December 17, 2008</ref>

Don J. Easterbrook, Ph.D., emeritus professor of geology at Western Washington University, asked, "What does it take to ignore 10 years of global cooling....? The answer is really quite simple — just follow the money!"

==Al Gore's Claims==

*[[Al Gore]] claims that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking and global warming is to blame. Yet the September 2006 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate reported, "Glaciers are growing in the Himalayan Mountains, confounding global warming alarmists who recently claimed the glaciers were shrinking and that global warming was to blame." <ref name="sun">http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/450392,CST-EDT-REF30b.article</ref>


*Gore claims the snow cap atop Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro is shrinking and that global warming is to blame. Yet according to the November 23, 2003, issue of Nature magazine, "Although it's tempting to blame the ice loss on global warming, researchers think that deforestation of the mountain's foothills is the more likely culprit. Without the forests' humidity, previously moisture-laden winds blew dry. No longer replenished with water, the ice is evaporating in the strong equatorial sunshine." <ref name="sun" />\

*Al Gore is therefore an example of how in such an important debate, [[deceit|deceitful]] tactics have been used by liberals to make a position seem more solid than it is.

==2008 Presidential candidates on climate Change==

[[Bob Barr]] is the only major 2008 Presidential Candidate who has not adopted wholesale the theory of human-caused global warming.

According to his website,<ref>[http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/BA6709C3-B27D-4EF9-81E6-2BA9D6F8AB20.htm John McCain on Global warming.]</ref> [[Republican]] Presidential candidate [[John McCain]] will take a more "aggressive approach" to global warming which he has declared as "undeniable and urgent." He was supported in this in June 2008 by Republican governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] who said McCain was the "real deal on the environment".<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/30/MNDB11H66C.DTL&type=politics Schwarzenegger backs McCain on climate Change]</ref>.

In his own words, McCain says "the overwhelming majority of scientific opinion in America today, and in the world, is that climate change is real. The fact is that it ''is'' real. The fact is that the solution to it is the development of technologies.... and a [[cap and trade]] proposal.... the debate is over."[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQMxIwpK_es] Unless McCain believes that Global Warming is entirely or largely man-made, there would be no sense in supporting a cap and trade solution.

[[Barack Obama]] believes "that global warming is not just the greatest [[environmental]] [[challenge]] facing our planet—it is one of our greatest challenges of any kind." During his first 100 days in office, he would enact a giant and far-reaching [[tax]] "an economy-wide cap on U.S. carbon emissions that will reduce U.S. emissions by the amount scientists agree is necessary (80%) or '''$45 Trillion dollars'''". <ref>[http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article4079036.ece World needs $45 trillion energy revolution] Timesonline.uk, June 6, 2008</ref> He comments "Putting a price on carbon is the most important step we can to take to reduce emissions."<ref>[http://presidentialprofiles2008.org/Obama/tab1.html Leguea of Conservation Voters] presidentialprofiles2008.org</ref>

==Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" Movie Claims==

A [[British]] court has determined that Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" contains at least eleven material falsehoods <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/10/09/court-identifies-eleven-inaccuracies-al-gore-s-inconvenient-truth], http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/10/09/court-identifies-eleven-inaccuracies-al-gore-s-inconvenient-truth, October 9, 2007</ref>

Those inaccuracies include the following

* The film claims that melting snows on Mount Kilimanjaro evidence global warming. The Government's expert was forced to concede that this is not correct.
* The film suggests that evidence from ice cores proves that rising CO2 causes temperature increases over 650,000 years. The Court found the film misleading: over that period the rises in CO2 lagged behind the temperature rises by 800-2000 years.
* The film uses emotive images of [[Hurricane Katrina]] and suggests that this has been caused by global warming. The Government's expert had to accept that it was "not possible" to attribute one-off events to global warming.
* The film shows the drying up of Lake Chad and claims that this was caused by global warming. The Government's expert had to accept that this was not the case.
* The film claims that a study showed that polar bears had drowned due to disappearing arctic ice. It turned out that Mr Gore had misread the study: in fact four polar bears drowned and this was because of a particularly violent storm.
* The film threatens that global warming could stop the Gulf Stream throwing Europe into an ice age: the Claimant's evidence was that this was a [[scientific]] impossibility.
* The film blames global warming for species losses including coral reef bleaching. The Government could not find any evidence to support this claim.
* The film suggests that the [[Greenland]] ice covering could melt causing sea levels to rise dangerously. The evidence is that Greenland will not melt for millennia.
* The film suggests that the Antarctic [[ice]] covering is melting, the evidence was that it is in fact increasing.
* The film suggests that sea levels could rise by 7m causing the displacement of millions of people. The evidence is that sea levels are expected to rise by about 40cm over the next hundred years and that there is no such threat of massive migration.
* The film claims that rising sea levels has caused the evacuation of certain Pacific islands to [[New Zealand]]. The Government are unable to substantiate this and the Court observed that this appears to be a false claim.

== Scientists ==

[[Image:Rogerrevelle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Roger Revelle]]

{|
| valign="top" width="35%"|
* [[Roger Revelle]]
* [[Achim Steiner]]
* [[Fred Singer]]
* [[Richard Lindzen]]
* [[Sallie Baliunas]]
* [[Lonnie Thompson]]
| valign="top" width="33%"|
* [[James E. Hansen]]
* [[Michael Mann]]
* [[Charles Keeling]]
* [[Edwin A. Hernández-Delgado]]
|}

==See Also==
*[[Anthropogenic global warming theory]]
*[[Global Warming Controversy]]
*''[[Massachusetts v. EPA]]''
*[[Politics of global warming]]
*[[Liberal_hysteria#Global_Warming_Derangement_Syndrome|Global Warming Derangement Syndrome]]
*[[Socialist Environmental Disasters]]
*[[An Inconvenient Truth]]
*[[Previous Breaking News/Global Warming|Articles about '''Global Warming''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
*[[More News/Global Warming|Articles about '''Global Warming''' from "More News"]]

==External Links==

*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/global-warming/ What Liberals Say - Category: Global Warming], [[Accuracy In Media]]
*[http://global-warming.accuweather.com/2007/12/attempting_to_stop_global_warm_1.html Attempting to Stop Global Warming is Futile and a Mistake, says letter to the UN]
*[http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=164004 Signatories of an open letter on the UN climate-conference]
*[http://schwinger.harvard.edu/~motl/global-temperature-not-exist.pdf Does a global temperature exist?], ''Journal of Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics'', June 2007.
*[http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2032821,00.html The appliance of science] by Mike Hulme.
*[http://www.climatecrisis.net/ ''An Inconvenient Truth''], Film by [[Al Gore]]
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2332531355859226455&q=great+global+warming+swindle ''The Great Global Warming Swindle'' - Documentary Film]
*[http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~motl/iris-effect.pdf Climate Sensitivity and Observed Negative Feedbacks], lecture by Richard Lindzen and Roberto Rondanelli.
*[http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~motl/lindzen-nature-of-arguments.pdf Nature of Arguments for Anthropogenic Global Warming], by Richard Lindzen
*[http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=42 ''Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warmings's Unfinished Debate'', by S. Fred Singer]
*[http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv15n2/reg15n2g.html Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific Consensus] - [[Richard S. Lindzen]], Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
*[http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=47&articleID=604 "Should We Have Acted Thirty Years Ago to Prevent Climate Change?", by Randall G. Holcombe].
*[http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=25&articleID=296 "After Kyoto: A Global Scramble for Advantage," by Bruce Yandle].
*[http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=2319 The physical evidence of earth's unstoppable 1,500-year climate cycle]
*[http://www.independent.org/publications/article.asp?id=1714 "Is There a Basis for Global Warming Alarm?", by Richard Lindzen]
*[http://www.independent.org/publications/policy_reports/detail.asp?type=full&id=5 "New Perspectives in Climate Change: What the EPA Isn’t Telling Us"]
*[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17181 Survey Shows Climatologists Are Split on Global Warming]
*[http://www.magma.ca/~hurleyp/FightingTheHoax.htm Fighting the Hoax]
*[http://www.climateaudit.org Climate Audit], Steve McIntyre's blog
*[http://www.realclimate.org Real Climate], blog by a group of climatologists including Michael Mann

===Critique of the Hockey Stick Reconstruction===

*[http://www.climateaudit.org/pdf/mcintyre.mckitrick.2003.pdf Corrections To The Mann et. al. (1998) Proxy Data Base And Northern Hemispheric Average Temperature Series] by Stephen McIntyre and Ross McKitrick, ''Energy & Enviornment'' volume 14, 2003.
*[http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/2007/05/the_decay_of_the_hockey_stick.html The Decay of the Hockey Stick by Von Storch] published on the journal ''Nature'''s blog, May 3, 2007.
*[http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/13830/ A Global Warming Bombshell] by Richard A. Muller, ''Technology Review'' , Oct. 2004; calls into question famous graph by Michael Mann.
*[http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/306/5696/679 Reconstructing Past Climate from Noisy Data] by Hans von Storch, Eduardo Zorita, Julie M. Jones, Yegor Dimitriev, Fidel González-Rouco, Simon F. B. Tett, ''Science'' magazine, 22 October 2004.


===Radical Scientists and Climate Change===

*In the eighties, there was a "scientific consencus" on global warming.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{liberalism}}

[[Category:Earth Sciences]]
[[Category:Environmentalism]]
[[Category:Liberal Bias]]
Subscript text

Rod Blagojevich

2009-01-01T23:18:37Z

AlexIC: Emanuel's connections with Blago

[[Image:Blagojevich with Emanuel.jpg|200px|thumb|Blagojevich with Rahm Emanuel]]
'''Rod R. Blagojevich''', a Democrat, is the current and 40th [[governor]] of the state of [[Illinois]]. He was born on December 10, 1956, in [[Chicago]]. Before being elected as [[governor]], Blagojevich served as Cook County Assistant State's Attorney and then Representative for Illinois' 5th District in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] (elected in 1996)<ref>http://www.illinois.gov/gov/bio.cfm</ref>.

On December 9th, 2008, Mr. Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges for attempting to sell the recently vacated [[United States Senate|U. S. Senate]] seat of [[Barack Obama]]. <ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/ap_on_re_us/blagojevich_corruption_probe</ref> Liberal media outlets were disproportionately quick in pointing out that President-elect Obama had no involvement in the scandal, despite clear evidence being available to the contrary <ref>http://flapsblog.com/2008/12/15/why-is-barack-obama-lying-about-contact-with-hot-rod-blagojevich-part-3/</ref> including photos of the two together while the governor was trying to sell Obama's seat <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/fullosseousflap/3100630034/</ref>.

This also brings out the question of the Chicago "Meat Grinder" politics, as this could influence Barack Obama to the core.

The connection between Blagojevich and Rahm Emanuel is even more condemning. Emanuel has not commented on any connections with Blagojevich<ref>CNN News</ref>. There are two separate conversations of Emanuel talking with Blagojevich. These point out Emanuel as at least having a part with the corruption.

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blagojevich, Rod}}

[[Category:Illinois Governors]]

Fox News Channel

2009-01-01T23:12:34Z

AlexIC: Section on O'Reilly

[[Image:FNC logo.jpg|thumb|right|Fox News Logo]]

The '''Fox News Channel''' is a [[conservative]] [[United States]] [[cable]] and [[satellite]] [[news]] channel. It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of Australian-born media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]]. [[Roger Ailes]] was named Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group on August 15, 2005.

==Founding==

Fox News was started in 1996 by Murdoch and Roger Ailes. The two of them perceived a need for a news organization that offered more balanced reporting, one where the facts from all sides would be presented. Main-stream media "Political Correctness" was banished, with the news [[anchor]]s calling [[terrorist]]s what they were, (terrorists), instead of referring to them as "militants." As of February, 2007, polls show that over 20% of Americans say their main source of news is the Fox News Channel.

Fox News uses the slogan "Fair & Balanced," carries bipartisan shows like [[Hannity and Colmes]], and daily guest pundits from all sides of the [[political spectrum]]. Fox News also is non-hostile to conservative and [[Christian]] values, viewpoints, spokesmen, and ideas. Fox News has gained the reputation for reporting the news in an unbiased manner and then allowing the viewer to decide; "We Report, You Decide" is another of their on-air slogans.

Fox News has dominated the [[ratings]] of other cable news outlets.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref> Launched by media [[tycoon]] Rupert Murdoch and former political consultant Roger Ailes as a refuge for viewers fed up with real or perceived liberal bias everywhere in the so-called "[[mainstream media]]", Fox is the undisputed ratings champion of cable news. It's been trouncing [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] for years, and it quite often draws a much larger audience share than all competitors, combined.

==Fair and Balanced==
[[Image:Fair_balanced.jpg‎ |thumb|left|Fair And Balanced Logo]]
[[Leftist]] critics have been known to complain about the "Fair & Balanced" slogan. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] exploded at ''Fox News Sunday'' anchor [[Chris Wallace]] in September of 2006, accusing him of "a nice little conservative hit job" after being lightly pressed by Wallace about his record on fighting [[Al Qaeda]]. Democratic politicians and advocates have relentlessly attacked the cable network, sometimes accusing it of being a Republican [[propaganda mill]]. Ex Vice-President and notorious environmentalist [[Al Gore]] has likened Fox to a right-wing "[[fifth column]]." Groups, such as [[MoveOn.org]], funded a classic [[schlockumentary]] entitled ''[[Outfoxed]]'', which purports to expose the channel's nefarious Republican agenda. Some have referred to FOX News as "the propaganda arm of the Republican Party." In a grandstanding gesture of political theatre the group unsuccessfully petitioned the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to stop Fox's from using its slogan as "deceptive advertising".

A recent comprehensive study by [[UCLA]] political scientist Tim Groseclose and University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Milyo found [[Brit Hume]]'s ''Special Report'' — Fox's most straightforward news show — more centrist than any of the three major networks' evening newscasts, all of which are left leaning. <ref>http://rcp.missouri.edu/articles/milyo_media.html</ref> The program is a model of smart news television.

And although it's true that the Fox's opinion shows (as opposed to its news shows) are, as they're supposed to be, frequently bombastic and opinionated, it's equally true that Fox's biggest super-star, [[Bill O'Reilly]] is not a mainstream Republican, but a registered [[Independent]] who sides with conservatives. He regularly charges the oil companies with [[price-gouging]] and attacks big business for quashing the little guy.{{fact}} Who can say what host [[Greta Van Susteren]]'s politics are? She mostly covers the [[crime]]-of-the-day stories. [[Geraldo Rivera]] has always been liberal on most issues, with the exception of being a strong supporter of the military and stiff penalties for [[sex offender]]s.

Liberal commentators go in and out of the Fox studios all over America, every day — some of them, like host [[Alan Colmes]] and news analyst [[Marvin Kalb]], and [[Eleanor Clift]] affiliated with the channel. There's no doubt, of course, that Fox News is closer to mainstream America than [[CBS]], [[ABC]], [[NBC]] or [[CNN]]. But, after all, that was its founding mission.

Conservatives have criticism for Fox. Their 'Fair and Balanced' motto allows [[liberal]] [[propaganda]] and half-truths to gain an audience.

== Anti-elitist ==

Conservatives argue that Fox's real ethos is not Republican but anti-[[elitist]] — a major reason it connects with so many Americans and annoys so many [[coastal elite]]s. "There's a whole country that elitists will never acknowledge," Ailes once observed. "What people resent deeply out there are those in the 'blue states' thinking they're smarter." This anti-elitism shows itself in Fox's pro-U.S. stance in covering the [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq war]]s and its broadcasters' use of terms such as "terrorist" instead of the politcally correct "militant" to refer to … well, terrorists. Since the [[Vietnam War]] era, mainstream [[journalist]]s have tended to see such blunt language and side-taking as unsophisticated, a betrayal of journalistic [[objectivity]], or perhaps their own ingrained biases against government in general.

Another aspect of Fox's anti-elitism: [[evangelical]] and [[fundamentalist Christian]]s, far from being seen as lunatics or extremists — as too often is the case in the mainstream media — are treated with great respect. "We regularly have on the [[Rev. Franklin Graham]], [[Dr. James Dobson]] and other religious leaders, just as we put on [[Pat Ireland]] and Eleanor Clift," Ailes said, continuing, ''"Most Americans believe in God and have that as their foundation in life. So why shouldn't we have as guests people that they like, respect and want to hear from?" '' Ailes said he didn't get "too worked up" by a [[Pew Foundation]] study that showed that Fox has more Republican viewers than CNN, CNBC or MSNBC and that his reporters and anchors insert their opinions into stories far more than competitors do. Numbers might have something to do with it: Fox is beating the combined audience of the other three. But Ailes dismissed Pew as a "liberal [[lobbyist|lobbying]] organization." He said, "Most polls today are not taken to provide information to the public but to get press for the organization taking the polls. I took a poll of Pew, and 98% of my organization found that they were biased", Ailes said with a wink. <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

In response, Project director Tom Rosenstiel said the study "was not a poll. It was a content analysis designed by a four-university research team and executed at the [[University of Alabama]]." ''One plus for Fox, he said, was that researchers found Fox News stories were more forthcoming about sourcing than their cable rivals.'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

==Fox News Channel and Homosexuality ==
In regards to the issue of [[homosexuality]], the Fox News Channel and Bill O'Reilly [[Homosexuality and the Media|have acted in a way which is not reflective of conservative views (for example, the Fox News Channel donated money to the Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association)]].

== Fox vs fringe views ==

"What really frustrates liberals about Fox, though, is simply that, along with [[talk radio]] and the conservative [[blogosphere]], it has helped shatter the left's near-monopoly on news and information. Fox's opinion-driven programming gives conservatives and liberals a chance to get a fair hearing for their ideas. But Democratic politicians and activists who go on Fox also must defend their views, often against tough questioning, something that happens less often on the networks, where most journalists are left-of-center, survey after survey has shown", said columnist [[Brian Anderson]]. "Even more significant, Fox came on the scene a decade ago as a professional news organization that could define and report news as something different from what the elite consensus says it is. To take one of many examples, the corruption of the [[United Nations]]' [[oil-for-food]] initiative in [[Iraq]], initially downplayed by the mainstream media because of their sympathy for internationalism, was uncovered — deemed newsworthy — on Fox."

All this wouldn't matter if Fox News wasn't so influential. But it is. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 20% of Americans now claim to get news from it, and lots of them (37%) are Democrats or independents. The network's success has also sparked a "Fox effect," leading some competitors to become more open to right-of-center opinions: MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," hosted by former Republican congressman [[Joe Scarborough]], is a prime example. Until a few years ago, Democrats never had to deal with all these mediatized conservatives. <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref>

Ailes said Fox News has no agenda. His charge to his reporters and anchors is simple: "If you make a mistake, get on the air as fast as you can and admit it. ... Do your homework. Make sure you reach out to a point of view you don't agree with to be sure you have some balance in your piece, because journalists, despite the public perception, are not empty-headed fools. They actually come to the job with some ideas and biases." When asked whether the media have a "conscious bias," Ailes said: "I don't know whether it's conscious or not. I think people who are biased to the left and right are by and large honest people who bring their life experience to whatever their beliefs are. I don't think there's some conspiracy of bias to the left, ''but I do think that [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] have different views than many people that I know from other parts of the country."'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Roger Ailes ==
[[Image:Rogerailes_1.jpg‎ |thumb|right|300px|Roger Ailes, Fox News CEO]]
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205966,00.html This is a transcript] of Ailes speaking to the Television Critics Association, which will be enlightening to readers digging into the Fox take on reporting and its reaction to controversy about its mission.

On November 20, 2008, [[Roger Ailes]], who now holds the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX News and Chairman of FOX Television Stations, signed a new five year contract with News Corporation, it was announced by Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. <ref>http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_signs_new_5year_deal_with_news_corp_101312.asp
</ref>

During Ailes' time with [[News Corporation|News Corp]], [[FNC]] passed [[CNN]] in ratings in all day parts in 2002 to become the number one news network in the country, nearing full distribution with more than 90 million subscribers. In 2007, he launched the [[Fox Business News]] which currently reaches more than 40 million homes and served as the biggest launch in cable television history. Throughout Mr. Ailes' tenure, FOX Television Stations has increased its market share each of the last three years with all time record shares in the last two years. In addition, Fox Television Stations has expanded its local news presence by nearly 100 hours a week in a challenging economic climate.

== Tony Snow ==

In April, 2006 the [[White House]] selected [[Tony Snow]], Fox News Anchorman, to be the new White House Press Secretary. "Snow, who in his roles as a [[pundit]] on Fox News and elsewhere has rapped Bush on several occasions, joined the White House only after extracting a promise that he would become an adviser to the president on day-to-day strategy...the former columnist will be the first outsider to become part of Bush's revamped inner circle.", said the [[Washington Post]]. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042600558.html</ref>

Snow, 50, worked most recently as host for ''Fox News Sunday, with Tony Snow'' and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speech-writing for President [[George H.W. Bush]] and has worked as a [[USA Today]] columnist, Editorial Page Editor of the [[Washington Times]], deputy editorial page editor of the [[Detroit News]] and frequent substitute for radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]]. <ref>http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html</ref>

==Bill O'Reilly==

The O'Reilly Factor has been the most popular Cable News Segment for eight years <ref>O'Reilly Factor beginning of every segment. Bill O'Reilly has interviewed Barack Obama and other high profile guests on his show. Bill O'Reilly is a registered independent, but sides with Republicans on most issues, excluding several christian causes. Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity."

==External Links==
*[http://www.foxnews.com/ Fox News]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Cable TV Networks]]

Wheeler High School

2009-01-01T22:38:51Z

AlexIC:

{{move|Wheeler High School}}
How do I change the page name

Wheeler High School is a high school located in Cobb County, GA. The school has 1910 students. Wheeler has an excellent basketball team, which has won the state level competition in the AAAAA division several times. The basketball team is coached by Coach Lipscomb, who has three freshmen students of his own.

Wheeler High Scool has a large Magnet Program. The college acceptance of the Wheeler Magnet is 100% into the University of Georgia and a 98% acceptance rate into Georgia Tech. The Magnet School offers a challenging science curriculum, as biology and chemistry are both taken freshman year and most magnet students take about ten Advanced Placement Cources. 2007's valedictorian of wheeler high school was accepted into Harvard University.

Joseph Wheeler High School was named after the Confederate general Joseph Wheeler.

[[Category:Schools]]

Wheeler High School

2009-01-01T22:38:33Z

AlexIC:

{{move|Wheeler High School}}
How do I change the page name
Wheeler High School is a high school located in Cobb County, GA. The school has 1910 students. Wheeler has an excellent basketball team, which has won the state level competition in the AAAAA division several times. The basketball team is coached by Coach Lipscomb, who has three freshmen students of his own.

Wheeler High Scool has a large Magnet Program. The college acceptance of the Wheeler Magnet is 100% into the University of Georgia and a 98% acceptance rate into Georgia Tech. The Magnet School offers a challenging science curriculum, as biology and chemistry are both taken freshman year and most magnet students take about ten Advanced Placement Cources. 2007's valedictorian of wheeler high school was accepted into Harvard University.

Joseph Wheeler High School was named after the Confederate general Joseph Wheeler.

[[Category:Schools]]

Wheeler High School

2009-01-01T22:23:40Z

AlexIC: New page: Wheeler High School is a high school located in cobb county, GA. The school has 1910 students. Wheeler has an excellent basketball team, which has won the state level competition in the ...

Wheeler High School is a high school located in cobb county, GA. The school has 1910 students. Wheeler has an excellent basketball team, which has won the state level competition in the AAAAA division several times. The basketball team is coached by Coach Lipscomb, who has three freshmen students of his own.

Wheeler High Scool has a large Magnet Program. The college acceptance of the Wheeler Magnet is 100% into the University of Georgia and a 98% acceptance rate into Georgia Tech. The Magnet School offers a challenging science curriculum, as biology and chemistry are both taken freshman year and most magnet students take about ten Advanced Placement Cources. 2007's valedictorian of wheeler high school was accepted into Harvard University.

Joseph Wheeler High School was named after the confederate general Joseph Wheeler.

Debate:Is gun-control the answer to crimes involving guns?

2009-01-01T18:20:12Z

AlexIC: Gun Control arguement

{{debate-politics}}

== No ==

Every single one of the users arguing against guns merely argues that the bad guys don't have guns if we ban them. However it is the opposite. If the United States utelizes gun control, ONLY the criminals will have guns and the law abiding citizens will not be able to stop them.

The answer to this is pretty obvious, a no brainer as you people put it. In the UK guns are banned. You can own a shotgun if you're a farmer, but even then you need a license and a check up. You can be a collector, but rules are strict.

OK there are more fire arms murders now, but this is down to eastern europe having a lot of Russian weapons around. However the number of people killed by firearms in the UK every yaer is less than the rate for most US cities in a week! There has NEVER been a situation where kids have run amok in there own schools with firearms - that is NEVER.

There has been ONE incident where an adult went amok in a school with guns since records started - Dunblane. There has been ONE incident where some guy with guns went postal in living memory, Hungerford Massacre in 1987. We don't need guns, criminals don't carry them - just carrying a gun on a burglary will turn it into a life sentence, police for the most part don't carry them. This is civillisation.

How anyone can argue in favour of widespread firearm ownership and compare EU gun crime rates with US ones is a mystery. Just one of the reasons I thank the lord that I wasn't born a US Citizen.

''I'd like to point out the fact that the population of the United States is approx 5X the population of the United Kingdom. OBVIOUSLY there will be fewer gun-related incidents in the UK. Besides...who would want to terrorize the UK? - Comatoseraccoon''

'''''I'd''' like to point out that the amount of gun related incidents per capita is still lower in the UK. OBVIOUSLY you have to take that into account. Besides... it's not like the UK has ever been a victim of terrorist attacks... right? - [[User:GShore|GShore]]''

(Oh and by the way Conservapedia argues that US spellings should be used as the majority of English speakers are American, not so. India and Anglophone Africa outnumber American English speakers by a large factor).

Conservatism OK! No gun control No Way!

No!!!!

[[User:DeborahB.|Deborah]]

If nobody had weapons then there would be no need for weapons. Like it or not bad people have weapons so good people need weapons to defend against bad people. Why should the criminal have the advantage over the righteous?--[[User:AustinM|AustinM]] 11:57, 11 March 2007 (EDT)
Right cause no one hunts hmmmm ok
NOOO!!!!!!!!
--[[User:JessicaS|Jess]] 10:08, 3 January 2007 (EST)

Okay basically heres the deal, people are goin to get shot either way. One of the main arguments for pro-gun control people is that the crime on the streets would decrease, it would be harder for those kids to get guns. Have yall ever heard the saying "Locks only keep honest people out"? the same principle applies here, people who want guns are gunna get them one way or another. The only difference is that a part of their proceeds wont be goin to uncle sam and there are no safety regulations, so therefore the chances of an accident go through the roof. Plus it will add a HUGE market to the black market, you know how drugs are now, or alcohol was durin prohibition? you will have the same thing now. By the way the second amendment contains 2 clauses independent of each other, yes the right to a well regulated militia is given and so is the right to bear arms. You know when Thomas Jefferson wrote that, he wrote it in a negative language. That means that its language is restrictive, not charitable. Meaning that it restricts the Government, instead of pointing out individual rights to give to the people. Thus limiting the government and giving more rights to the people. He is spinning in his grave at the idea of gun control. Now i realize the Constitution was written vague so it could be made into a moving changing document, however the framers intent cannot be blantantly trampled upon. Tommy gun (i realize this name prolly makes me look like a hardcore gun nut but its a nickname given to me a long time ago and not for my pol. views lol)

Despite the fact that it was not Jefferson who wrote the Second Amendment (Madison wrote the Bill of Rights), I somewhat agree with Tommygun here. I am surprised that these radical conservatives have not yet advocated the aborting of all minority babies to solve this problem. [[User:GodlessLiberal|GodlessLiberal]] 22:39, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

"Locks only keep honest people out'?...(quote from User: Tommy gun (above)) I would probably say that a small sign saying 'Keep Out' would be enough to keep out most honest people. Bars on the windows and deadbolts would keep everyone out. Also, what about the locks that keep the very bad men in? [[User:Clownshoes|Clownshoes]]13:49 17 April 2007 (GMT)

---While the standard NRA phrase "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" holds true, the oft ignored fact is that an increased amount of firearms leads to an increased amount of violence. Gun crime rates in gun controlled countries versus the US make this clear. Gun violence is simply the price one has to pay to live in a country without firearm bans. The reason for the second amendment is to make certain the general population has a trump card to hold against the government. The American Revolution would not have occurred were it not for the fact that many colonists were armed, and willing to kill. This same holds true for other revolutions and the general overthrow of serfdom in Europe. Firearms forced nobility to acquiesce to the will of the commoner. The murder rate doesn't bother me as long as I can back up my voice with force. Hopefully that will never be necessary for me, although it has been so in the past for others. [[User:Bomber23k|Bomber23k]]

The whole question is just silly. Obviously gun control is the answer to crimes involving guns as anyone can tell by merely glancing at violent crime statistics. Yes, gun control is an effective strategy but also one that is realistically impossible to implement in the U.S.. We have been buying and using firearms for way too long to actually expect that we can round them all up. If no-one else had a gun, neither would I but while the possibility exists that a criminal element out there posesses firearms then it's really not so dumb to have a properly stored firearm in your house in case, God forbid, you need to defend your family.[[User:Neuro|Neuro]] 15:19, 23 March 2007 (EDT)

Alright for all those in the "yes" section here are the facts. Most criminals with access to weapons can easily obtain them from other criminals via the black market. Enforcing gun control would simply make it easier for people to be harmed. Yes, some criminals will be prevented from getting guns but the majority will still have them. Even if you do ban guns and no one has a gun it won't matter, crime will still happen. People will simply resort to more brutal weapons in order to carry out crimes (knives, baseball bats, etc.) I remember seeing a news story where ABC interviewed a bunch of criminals serving life sentences. They convicts said that their worst fear was if their victim had a weapon because it meant that they might get hurt in the process of trying to rob somebody. Basically, taking away people's guns only hurts the victims trying to defend themselves, not the criminals you are trying to stop - Comatoseraccoon

No, there is already effective gun control practices in place such as backround checks. Of course, there are those people that wish to raid the constitution, wrong very wrong. Suing gun manufacturers is also unjustified. There is not an easy solution to prevent death by guns. Banning guns is a quick fix solution that would never work. We cannot stop the fomation of illegal gangs how can we ever stop the acquisition of illegally obtained guns? My personal opinion, which means zilch, would be to raise the price of firearms. Some iPods cost more than some weapons. Still, the criminals ruin it for everyone.--[[User:Jpatt|jp]] 11:09, 14 April 2007 (EDT)

The thing with gun control is this. No matter how many bans you put on it, people will still find them and use them. The statistics for the European countries differ entirely from us because of a little thing called American Ingenuity. They outlawed drugs and so have we, the problem is our dopers know how to avoid prosecution. Secondly, the second ammendment is vital to the well being of Americans for the simple fact that this is a big nation. Were something to happen, the government could not sent militants to every part of our grand country. We need guns if there were to be some massive crisis in which we needed protection. Case and point, Al-Qaeda. If you stay paranoid long enough, sooner or later your gonna be right (Thank you Kinky Friedman). [[user: Dfairlyxed13|Dfairlyxed13]]

All in favor of gun control raise your right hand....
*does hitler salute*
--[[User:The vigilante|The vigilante]] 14:35, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

Also, Sweden has no gun control, in fact everyone is in the military and has a gun, and their crime rates are through the floor. who wants to rob someone who has a desert eagle in their back pocket? Not me.

--I find it interesting how you say that if we banned guns before the 1920s then there would be less gun violence today. That is an ignorant statement and holds no ground in a gun control debate. Unless you have a time machine guns will not get banned in the past, so don't even talk about it.

Also, if guns were banned today you have no way of knowing that people would run out, remember guns will still be made in other countries smuggled in like drugs. There is also a number of craftsman who make and customize guns, if suddenly their career becomes illegal they will either find a new career or make guns illegally. In summation there's no way of proving people will run out of guns.

As for the gun control, you can't simply refer to criminals, millions of honest people who will never kill anyone use guns. I for example have been raised with guns, since I was able to shoot I have been. Not only is going out to the range and plinking a great way to spend an afternoon, its also a great way to bond with friends and family members. Some of my best memories are shooting in my backyard with my cousin and my father, not because of guns necessarily but because we were all doing something we love together. Hunting is also a tradition which has existed since the dawn of man, and has modernized to involve guns. I can truly say one of the best ways to enjoy nature is to wake up before dawn and go dear hunting with family and friends, even if nothing is shot, its still very enjoyable.

Many people view guns as weapons, or something to kill another human being with. I must say that yes guns are dangerous but when in the right hands they are quite safe. Simply because a select few individuals choose to commit crimes with guns, that is no grounds for an all out ban. Also, many underestimate how simple acquiring a gun, more specifically a hand gun is. For those of us who follow the laws, in New York State, for acquiring a handgun, the process is in fact rather lengthy. An application must be filled out and submitted to local police department, as well as a letter as to why one wants an pistol permit. Then the police review the information, send it to the FBI for a background check. After this the findings are sent back to the county judge for approval, and every hand gun bought must be place on a card carried by the owner. This process can take over a year and there is no guarantee you will be accepted.

I must say this seems quite adequate in deterring the wrong people from acquiring a pistol. Finally if we are so worried about objects that kill humans, why don't we talk about banning cars. Cars kill more people kill then guns do in the US, yet we aren't arguing about controlling cars. The fact of the matter is people die and people will kill other people, any object can be deadly, so the next time you argue for stricter gun control remember guns are merely a tool. In my personal opinion a two day waiting period for purchasing a gun is adequate gun control. I do feel that being able to waltz into a gun store and purchase 15 pistols is ridiculous. I hope I have given readers an insight into guns and their possibility for non-violent use.[[User:H20h0us391|H20h0us391]] 17:53, 16 May 2007 (EDT)

:The difference between cars and guns is that you don't go out with intent to kill with a car. A gun there aren't any other uses besides shooting things. [[User:Rellik|Rellik]] 23:37, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

'''what part of NO dont liberals understand?'''
--[[User:Wally|Wally]] 13:12, 26 June 2007 (EDT)

Personally my belief is since everyone carried guns in the west there was obviously no crime and history has it wrong. I mean history doesn't tell you anything. So I'm going to go buy a gun and a holster, a hat, maybe a pair of boots with spurs, and a horse. Then I'm going to challenge somebody to a duel at high noon. [[User:Rellik|Rellik]] 23:43, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

so your going to challenge someone to a duel with guns? um... forgive my ignorance but weren't the people with guns who went around shooting people usually outlaws/sherrifs? outlaws ignore gun-control and cops aren't restricted by them. so unless you were a outlaw then you probably wouldn't shoot anyone (and by the way wouldn't challenging someone to a gun duel (attempted murder i think)) unless it was in self defense-[[User:Greenmeanie|Greenmeanie]] 01:06, 20 May 2008 (EDT)

==Yes==

If guns would have been banned before the rise of the American gang culture, let's say before 1920, American gun crime rates today would probably mirror those of Europe and Japan.

Banning them now would decrease gun crimes in the long run, but yes, it would still take years before the criminals run out of guns (yes, they will run out, the international black market isn't open to common burglar or thieves, only major criminal organisations have access to it).

I can understand that with today's crime rate some people would choose to lock a single handgun away, somewhere safe in their homes, that said, I still believe machine guns (M16, AK47, etc..) as well as assault rifles have no place in a civilian home and should be banned immediately.

[[User:Middle Man|Middle Man]]

Yes, but only part of the answer I think that there always will be some who have their own gun by illegal means but I think that if guns were illegal it would help-Mr.Random "flying butresses"

:Machine guns have been banned in the USA for over 80 years. --[[User:Andy|Andy]] 14:26, 17 November 2007 (EST)

Reducing guns will reduce gun crime, especially impulsive crimes and crimes of passion. THere is no reason for anyone to need a handgun of any sort. I can understand bolt action rifles for hunting or farmers, but aside from that, no-one needs guns, not even police (except Special ops or SWAT)
The best solution would be to amend the second ammendment. Its an ammendment, obviously this is something that can be changed and was never meant to be permanent. It was ammended because the Colonies wanted to gain independence from the British. There is no contempory need that could possibly justify a right to bear arms or form militia.
Its just plain old greedy stupidity [[User:Nhyme|Nhyme]]

Ah, yes, impulsive crimes and crimes of passion, I hadn't even thought of that, good point.

You misunderstood me, I too think guns don't belong in civilian life, but I do understand some people would like to own a single gun for self defense, and rifles aren't very practical in an urban environment, so that's why I said handguns.

[[User:Middle Man|Middle Man]]

== Yes ==

No Because I am narrowminded and can't see the light.!!! Let's do some logic, shall we? Crimes involving guns ''involve guns'', do they not? So, logically, if people didn't have guns, they wouldn't be able to commit crimes with them, would they? Therefore, controlling the possession of guns should decrease the incidence of gun-related crimes, shouldn't it?

With all due respect, I do not understand ''why'' people feel the need to wave around lethal weapons with no real point. If you don't have a gun, but the guy who's mugging you doesn't either, there's no point in having a gun, is there? You can always whip out your TASER and stun him, can't you, or do you somehow believe that you need to kill him? And, if he does have a gun, you can still stun him, and then have him arrested for possessing a gun against the law. Please, just use logic. [[User:Linus M.|Geekman314]]([[User talk:Linus M.|contact me]]) 17:48, 10 March 2007 (EST)

Most gun crimes in Canada occur with handguns, illegally imported from the US. So, I'm saying a large part of the gun crimes in Canada are a result of our neighbour haphazardly handing out guns to everyone. --[[User:TrueGrit|TrueGrit]] 12:40, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:Interestingly, Canada has almost as many guns per capita as the US. But a much lower gun homicide rate. Maybe it's the overt and strong rejection of European culture that has doomed the US to its globally-high firearm homicide rate? [[User:Human|Human]] 22:42, 3 May 2007 (EDT)

Conservatives argue that gun control will not decrease gun-related crime and in fact puts innocent civilians at greater risk because they will not be prepared to face an armed assailant. Right? Then, by the same logic, shouldn't marajuana be de-criminalized, if marajuana control would not help prevent marajuana-related crimes? It is clear that conservatives are not using logic to make their arguments in a fair and balanced manner. Instead, they rely on dubious "ethical" opinions that they attempt to masquerade as conservatism. -- The preceeding unsigned comment was added by [[User:Olifelikeweedso|Olifelikeweedso]], 15:11, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
:Marijuana(Thankfully we are not discussing marijuana so how did I get here you will never know, cause neither do I) is a addictive psychoactive drug that alters a users perception of reality. Guns are not.--[[User:AustinM|AustinM]] 06:26, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
::There is no conclusive evidence to indicate that marijuana is any more or less addictive than alcohol. Given the medicinal status of marijuana in many countries, I'd say your argument on pot doesn't fly. Keep in mind that while alcohol is a habit forming substance that alters a users perception of reality, it has no medicinal purposes (other than a topical antibacterial agent). --[[User:TrueGrit|TrueGrit]] 10:47, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
:::Marijuana has no medicinal status in any country other than certain liberal enclaves of the US and California and ultra liberal socialist netherlands. Drugs made from it are completely separate from marijuana.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by [[User:AustinM|AustinM]].
::::Canada? It's grown by Prairie Plant Systems, on contract for Health Canada, in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Canada is, as of about ten minutes ago when I last checked, not part of the US. Please ensure the accuracy of comments before adding them. Warmest regards. --[[User:TrueGrit|TrueGrit]] 17:27, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
:::::I obviously don't have your marijuana expertise ;)
::::[[User:AustinM|AustinM]], here's [http://www.drugwise-droguesoisfute.hc-sc.gc.ca/law-loi/medical_e.asp Health Canada's page on medical marijuana use in Canada]. Health Canada is a department of the Canadian government. Feel free to do some research before sounding off. [[User:Niwrad|Niwrad]] 02:07, 17 March 2007 (EDT)
::::::Marijuana is a legal substance in Amsterdam. Surprisingly, they have lower drugs usage rates than the United States. The logic is quite simple, legalizing marijuana takes away its mystique, that daring part of marijuana that makes it enticing (pushing the limit in other words). As one dutch official put it "[they] have succeeded in making pot boring." I myself have never nor ever plan to use drugs of any kind, but legalizing marijuana seems to be somewhat effective. - comatoseraccoon

Since when does the right to have a well-regulated militia equate to the right to carry a weapon at all times, anyway? [[User:Linus M.|Geekman314]]([[User talk:Linus M.|contact me]]) 18:57, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:Since about a week ago, maybe :-( The framers of the constitution really could have been a lot clearer about this. I don't think anyone really knows what the Constitution means, and nobody will know until a case makes it to the Supreme Court and they decide to issue a broad ruling. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 18:21, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

Obviously gun control is the answer to gun crimes: if there are no guns, there will be no gun crimes. No one can really deny that. Thus, a more logically topic for debate is whether the right to own a gun is more important than the harm done by gun ownership.
--[[User:WhatWouldJesusEdit?|WhatWouldJesusEdit?]] 11:20, 15 March 2007 (EDT)

It would be helpful to define terms here, first. Most folks, when they hear the term 'gun control', automatically think of denial - that is, denying the public access to weapons. However, gun control does not necessarily mean denial of access. It does mean registration and possibly a requirement for training. Consider that vehicles are required to be licensed, and drivers must be trained, licensed and insured, for the simple reason that it takes training to safely operate a vehicle. By the same token (speaking now as a professional military man), given the power of modern small arms, the safe handling and use of weapons most certainly requires training.

However, let's also look at the Second Amendment, which many are fond of quoting as "the right to bear arms". However, the full statement is as follows: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." A militia is, essentially, a military force for the duration, citizen-soldiers who take up arms in time of war for the nation's defense. In short, what one could call Reservists or National Guard. At the time the Constitution was drafted, this was, essentially, white men, who were liable to military service if/when required. Today, gender and skin color or race doesn't enter into it, but I submit that the spirit of the Second Amendment is '''not''' that every Tom, Dick and Harry can wander around with a Glock stuck down the back of their pants. [[User:Niwrad|Niwrad]] 02:01, 17 March 2007 (EDT)

Yes, for no other reason that because it works. In Australia following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre there a massive federal crackdown on gun ownership. A wide range of guns, including all automatic and semi-automatic firearms (as far as I know) were banned under a gun buyback scheme. Since then the gun crime stats [http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_mr_cjb98] have spoken for themselves. This doesn't have to be a philosophical or constitutional debate. In fact, given the number of lives at stake daily it really shouldn't be. Just look at the results and consider whether it is a sacrifice worth making. [[User:Paul|user_136]] 20:05, 22 March 2007 (EST)

Well dur. After watching 'Bowling for Columbine' I am even more pro-gun control then ever. Theres too many shootings and gun crimes in america compared to like every other country. Plus, kids are starting to shoot kids. I live near Camden, NJ which is one of the poorest and worst places to live in the US. All the time little kids are getting caught up in shoot-outs and stuff. I'm tired of hearing about how 5 year old so and so was on her way to preschool when she was shot in the back of the head. Guns need to go. Sure, the government should have thme for defence I guess. But I'd rather see a world with no guns or weapons. [[User:AtheistKathryn|AtheistKathryn]] 20:53, 4 April 2007 (EDT) (p.s. all that dumb second amendment stuff is so old and outdated. It's just dumb)

:The problem is not with guns, it is with humanity. No matter how many laws the government imposes, there will be someone who finds a way to murder another person. It's just the sinful nature of all people. ~ [[User:SharonS|SharonS]] [[User talk:SharonS|Talk!]] 21:01, 4 April 2007 (EDT)

::'Bowling for Columbine' was a pretty dumb movie.[[User:Jaques|Jaques]] 23:35, 10 April 2007 (EDT)

Pro-gun activists should look up statistics on gun deaths per capita in the UK, then remind yourself that gun sales are heavily restricted (forbidden, essentially) there. Then re-read the Second Amendment, and ask yourself what that line about the militia means.-'''AmesG'''[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:AmesG yo!] 11:11, 14 April 2007 (EDT)
::ya, UK is real peaceful. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article1615598.ece][[User:Jaques|Jaques]] 13:20, 16 April 2007 (EDT)
::: Gun deaths? What about total crime rates? [[User:CPWebmaster|CPWebmaster]] 13:24, 16 April 2007 (EDT)

== Present-day Baghdad? ==
The argument is sometimes made that an armed citizenry is protection against criminals, a bulwark against possible government tyranny, and even protection against armed invasion. For example, [http://www.nra.org/Speech.aspx?id=6042 Charlton Heston writes] "The Founding Fathers guaranteed this freedom because they knew no tyranny can ever arise among a people endowed with the right to keep and bear arms. That's why you and your descendants need never fear fascism, state-run faith, refugee camps, brainwashing, ethnic cleansing, or especially, submission to the wanton will of criminals].

I once thought that argument had some merit to it. But by all accounts [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/world/middleeast/03guns.html?ex=1301716800&en=5d15095b872b5e6b&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss] it is extremely common for Baghdad households to own a gun, with the Kalashnikov AK-47's being very popular, and it doesn't seem to be working out very well.

The argument against gun control seems to assume implicitly that the citizenry is all of one mind and all fighting ''on the same side.'' The Second Amendment speaks of "a well-regulated militia" but doesn't seem to address the possibility of multiple, ''poorly''-regulated militias, ''plural.''

Isn't Baghdad a fair example of one of the ways gun ownership can go wrong? [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 15:16, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

not really. america was just a different animal when it came to this subject for MANY reasons
and really until JFK was killed everything was pertty cool here in the homeland. we just
never had the problems the rest of the world had of which there are too MANY to list.
maybe only isreal and switzerland can understand but the rest of the world is too screwed up.
--[[User:Wally|Wally]] 13:10, 26 June 2007 (EDT)

The situation that is apparent in Baghdad cannot be attributed to universal gun ownership by the population. It can be attributed however to the basic desire intrinsic in all humanity to rule over more than oneself. Throughout history, whenever a large power is toppled by external forces which then do not seek total takeover, there will be an ongoing power struggle to fill the void until one group gains ascendency (the case is usually, but not always, different in the case of an internally sparked overthrow). In the case of Iraq, the US coalition is the external force. To say that gun ownership is the cause of the troubles would be to ignore that men seek power and guns empower. Since a gun is currently one of the cheapest and most effective method for an individual to wield power, it only follows that those who do not possess power yet desire it or wish to resist those who do should seek guns. If no guns existed and the current method of empowerment were a sharpen popsicle stick, thousands of people would die from popsicle stick related injuries. If it became illegal to sharpen popsicle sticks, people who respect the law would generally cease sharpening sticks. But people who do not respect the law would still carry their tools of empowerment. This leads to a rather one sided contest when one of the latter individuals attempts to exercise his power over one of the former. The argument that nobody would possess popsicle sticks due to the law or that the average person would be unable to procure a popsicle stick for the same reason is falacious. Even if every single popsicle stick were gathered up and destroyed, the ruling power would still maintain a large collection of popsicle sticks on hand in the event that people became unsubmissive to the law. And eventually people would discover rocks. Imagine the logistical nightmare it would be to collect and destroy all the rocks!

(as an aside, the greatest threat to freedom is bankers, and after that a standing army. see T. Jefferson and N. Webster)
--[[User:Historiocality|Historiocality]] 15:06, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

Bill Clinton

2009-01-01T18:05:32Z

AlexIC:

{{President
|image=billclinton.jpg
|seq=42
|term_start=January 20, 1993
|term_end=January 20, 2001<ref>http://home.comcast.net/~sharonday7/Presidents/AP060301.htm</ref>
|party=Democratic
|vp=Al Gore
|previous=George H. W. Bush
|next=George W. Bush
|birth_date=August 19, 1946
|birth_place=Hope, Arkansas
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=[[Hillary Rodham Clinton]]
|spouse2=
|religion=[[Baptist]]
}}
'''William Jefferson''' "Bill" '''Clinton''' (born August 19, 1946 in Hope, [[Arkansas]]) served two terms as the 42nd [[President of the United States of America]] from 1993-2001, following [[George H. W. Bush]] and preceding [[George W. Bush]]. He was only the second president ever to have been impeached, and the only president to be elected twice with pluralities of less than 50% of the popular vote. He governed in a more [[conservative]] manner after the Democrats in [[Congress]] lost in a landslide in the 1994 midterm elections, signing into law the [[Defense of Marriage Act]] and the [[Welfare Reform Act]].

== Early Life ==
Clinton was born '''William Jefferson Blythe III''' on August 19, 1946 in Hope, [[Arkansas]]. His father, William Jefferson Blythe Jr. died in a car accident while his mother was pregnant with him. Clinton's mother later married Roger Clinton, and the four year-old William was given his stepfather's name.<ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/bc42.html</ref>

Clinton was active in high school, participating in various student government organizations as well as playing the saxophone. Roger Clinton, however, made Bill's family life unpleasant by repeatedly abusing Clinton's mother and her children. Bill Clinton would eventually stand up to his stepfather in high school, forcing his stepfather to stop beating his mother and kicking him out of the house.<ref>http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=50652</ref> After Roger Clinton underwent alcohol rehabilitation, he would eventually rejoin the family.

Clinton attended [[Georgetown University]], then [[Oxford University]] after receiving a prestigious [[Rhodes Scholarship]]. He also then earned a Juris Doctorate from [[Yale University]] in 1973. At Yale he met [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary Rodham]], whom he would later marry. The couple had one daughter, [[Chelsea Clinton|Chelsea]]. <ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/bc42.html</ref>

== Early Political Career ==
After returning to live in Arkansas, Clinton was elected [[Attorney General]] of Arkansas in 1976. Two years later, he was elected [[Governor]] of Arkansas, becoming the youngest governor in the country at 32 years-old. Though defeated in 1980, Clinton won back the governorship in 1982 and held it until becoming President in 1992.

In December 1989 a three-judge district federal court held Bill Clinton's state-wide legislative reapportionment plan violated Section 2 of the [[Voting Rights Act|Voting Rights Act of 1965]], 42 U.S.C. 1973. 1990 the [[Supreme Court]] of the United States found in the case of ''[[Clinton vs Jeffers]]'' <ref>Findings of the Supreme Court of the United States in [http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/1990/sg900402.txt Clinton vs Jeffers] No. 90-394 (1990) on appeal 730 F. Supp. 196, 198-201 (ED Ark. 1989) (three-judge court), aff'd, No. 89-2008 (Jan. 7, 1991).</ref> the former Arkansas Governor and [[Democratic]] president had violated the Voting Rights Act. The Justices findings were,

{{Cquote|Bill Clinton does not dispute here -- that "violations of the [[Fourteenth amendment|fourteenth]] or [[fifteenth amendment]] justifying equitable relief have occurred in Arkansas."

In May 1990, the district court turned to those claims, holding that "the State of Arkansas has committed a number of constitutional violations of the voting rights of black citizens." J.S. App. A5. In particular, the court determined that the "State has systematically and deliberately enacted new majority-vote requirements for municipal offices, in an effort to frustrate black political success in elections traditionally requiring only a plurality to win." In 1990...Devotion to majority rule for local offices lay dormant as long as the plurality system produced white office-holders. But whenever black candidates used this system successfully -- and victory by a plurality has been virtually their only chance of success in at-large elections in majority-white cities – the response was swift and certain. Laws were passed in an attempt to close off this avenue of black political victory.}}

The court therefore concluded that

{{Cquote|This series of laws represents a systematic and deliberate attempt to reduce black political opportunity. Such an attempt is plainly unconstitutional. It replaces a system in which blacks could and did succeed, with one in which they almost certainly cannot. The inference of [[bigotry|racial motivation]] is inescapable.}}

===Early Scandals===
Clinton was known to have been involved in several scandals while Governor of Arkansas. He allegedly used Arkansas state policemen to arrange for him to meet women outside of marriage.<ref>Thomas C. Reeves, ''[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n14_v10/ai_14988880 Why Troopergate matters to voters]'', Insight on the News, April 4, 1994.</ref>

His close personal business partnerships with James and Susan McDougall in a failed Savings and Loan business venture led to investigation of the [[Whitewater]] affair. Several of the people involved with the sale of land prior to the Clinton presidency were indicted, but prosecutors were never able to charge the Clintons with a crime because Susan McDougall would not cooperate with investigators. Clinton later pardoned Susan McDougall for her role in the Whitewater affair.<ref>Byron York, ''[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_3_53/ai_70433367 If you knew Susan like he knows Susan]'', National Review, February 19, 2001.</ref>

The videotape ''[[The Clinton Chronicles]]'' provided convincing evidence that Clinton engaged in drug smuggling through the airport in Mena, Arkansas when he was governor. He even committed murder to cover his tracks. Nevertheless, his supporters have continued to dispute these allegations.

== Presidency==
[[Image:Somalia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Poster to end the "[[racist]] occupation of Somalia"; eighteen US soldiers were killed and some of their bodies were dragged through the streets.<ref>[http://www.netnomad.com/fineman.html The Oil Factor in Somalia]: Four American [[Big Oil|Petroleum Giants]] had Agreements with the African Nation before its Civil War began. They could reap big rewards if peace is restored. By Mark Fineman, ''Times Mirror Company'', January 18, 1993.</ref>]]
Clinton won in the [[United States presidential election of 1992]] with 43% of the popular vote versus President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s 37%, capitalizing on public discontent with a weak economy and public displeasure with Bush's proposed tax increases; third candidate Ross Perot managed 19%. Clinton had campaigned that he would cut taxes for the middle class -- a promise that never occurred.

In his first two years in office, 1993 through 1994, popular outcry against Clinton's [[radical]] health-care "reform" scheme led to failure of the plan. The collapse of the Soviet Bloc only a few years earlier made [[socialism]] unpopular and was credited for the widespread disillusionment with the proposal. The approach consisted of appointing secret members to an [[economic planning|economic planning committee]] to reshape this important sector of the economy.{{fact}} The [[Association of American Physicians and Surgeons]] successfully sued to force disclosure of the committee financing, expenses and membership. The program ultimately became so unpopular that after two years, the Democratic-controlled Congress shielded its committee members' records by never bringing it to the floor for a vote. It is worth noting that the recent presedential canidate, Hilleary Clinton, Bill's wife at the time, was involved in creating the failure that was the plan.

In 1994, voters expressed their high disapproval of Clinton's policies and several decades of Democratic control by giving an overwhelming victory to Republicans who suddenly found themselves in control of both Houses of Congress. This event was tagged the "Republican Revolution," and caused some headbutting as the new [[Speaker of the House]], [[Newt Gingrich]] attempted to fulfill the "Contract with America" that the Republicans had run under and Clinton tried to stop the proposals from passing. Showdowns between the two peaked in 1995 when Gingrich refused to pass Clinton's budget proposal, and the latter threatened to shut down the government as Reagan had done in the 1980s. Bolstered by polling showing that the Republicans were being blamed more than the Democrats for the impasse, Clinton did not back down, and eventually had his budget passed.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/commentprint082800d.html</ref> The showdown had backfired for the Republicans, as it reinvigorated Clinton's flagging approval ratings.<ref>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Clinton_approval_rating.JPG</ref>

In late 1995, President Clinton dispatched some 20,000 U.S. troops to [[Bosnia]]. Many liberals deny that Bill Clinton started this war and refuse to call the excursion of troops to Bosnia a war. This is evidence of the mainstream media's liberal bias.

Clinton was known for his positive and outspoken tolerance of [[homosexuality]]. <ref>[http://www.behindthebadge.net/articles/a105.html]</ref>

==1996==

Clinton was reelected in the [[United States presidential election of 1996]] and carried 49.2% of the popular vote against Republican candidate ([[Robert Dole | Bob Dole]]), who won 41%, and "populist" candidate, [[H. Ross Perot]], who won 8%. During Clinton's second term, together with the Republican-controlled Congress, he produced record federal budget surpluses reaching $236 billion by the year 2000, and representing a net federal budget gain of $526 billion.<ref>[http://www.uuforum.org/deficit.htm Congressional Budget Office figures]</ref>

He spent much of the remainder of his presidency combating scandals. A special prosecutor's report was not released until well into Clinton's second term, and brought documented evidence of Clinton giving false testimony in the Paula Jones civil lawsuit while President which resulted in his impeachment and disbarment from the legal profession.{{fact}} The main charge was that he had committed perjury in a civil suit. The perjured testimony directly related to an attempt to defraud the plaintiff of damages. The Senate failed to make clear what constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors.<ref>[http://www.australianpolitics.com/usa/clinton/trial/statements/lieberman.shtml Statement by Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut)], Congressional Record for Friday, February 12, 1999.</ref>

In 1998 the [[Good Friday Agreement]] was signed between [[Northern Ireland]]'s Nationalist and Unionist parties and the British and Irish governments. Clinton took part in brokering the deal, phoning the participants in negotiations, at Senator Mitchel's behest, and hosted Unionist and Nationalist leaders at the [[White House]].<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/04/10/nclinton.ireland.api/]</ref>

== 1998 ==
President Clinton signed into law H.R. 4655, the [[Iraq]] Liberation Act. This act declares that it should be the policy of the [[United States]] to seek to remove the [[Saddam Hussein]] regime from power in Iraq and to replace it with a democratic government. Also that same year, Saddam had kicked out UN weapons inspectors and President Clinton ordered [[Operation Desert Fox|aerial bombings of key targets]]. Under President Clinton, the US Military was patrolling two Iraqi no-fly zones, one in southern Iraq, the other over northern Iraq.

===al-Qaeda bombing===

During Clinton's presidency the [[terrorist]] group [[al-Qaeda]] conducted the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, simultaneous bombings of the US embassies in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]] in 1998, and the attack on the [[USS Cole]] in 2000. Terrorist leader [[Osama bin Laden]]<ref>[http://www.bannerofliberty.com/OS8-98MQC/8-24-1998.1.html Did Bill Clinton Smooth the Way for Bin Laden to Become the World's Most Successful Terrorist?], Mary Mostert, Original Sources, August 24, 1998.</ref> issued two public [[fatwa]]s declaring War on America.<ref>[http://www.kimsoft.com/2001/binladenwar.htm Bin Laden's Declaration of War], 1998.</ref> In the 1998 fatwa <ref>Bernard Lewis, [http://www.msu.edu/course/iss/325/stein/read-325-3.htm#Lewis License to Kill], Foreign Affairs, November/December 1998.</ref> bin Laden told ''[[Jihad|jihadist]]s'' worldwide,
{{Cquote|Clinton appeared in front of the whole world threatening and promising revenge, but these threats were merely a preparation for withdrawal. You have been disgraced by [[Allah]] and you withdrew; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear. It was a pleasure for the "heart" of every Muslim and a remedy to the "chests" of believing nations to see you defeated in the three Islamic cities of Beirut, [[Aden]] and [[Mogadishu]].<ref>[http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1097mohamedinterview&scale=0#a1097mohamedinterview October 1997: [[Ali Mohamed]] Tells FBI He Helped Al-Qaeda Kill US Soldiers, But FBI Takes No Action]</ref>}}

Bin Laden told ''ABC News'' at the time, "We do not have to differentiate between military or civilian. As far as we are concerned, they are all targets." <ref>The 9-11 Commission Report, [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/pdf/sec2.pdf2. The Foundation of the New Terrorism], Official Government Edition, GPO, 2004.</ref>

===Cruise missiles to manipulate opinion polls===
Suspicions often arose during Clinton's tenure about the timing of [[cruise missile]] attacks to manipulate public sympathy at crucial points when his approval ratings sagged. On several occasions <ref>[http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=NzhjODk1ODg4M2NiODU4Yzc3YWE1OTA1MDNmYWQ5M2Y= The Facts About Clinton and Terrorism], Byron York, ''National Review Online'', September 11, 2006. </ref> generally when the approval ratings dipped to 47%, surprise cruise missile attacks<ref>[http://www.fas.org/news/iraq/1998/12/21/wwwh8d21.html Airstrikes Against Iraq: 'What Happens Now?'], U.S. Information Agency ''Daily Digest'', December 21, 1998.</ref> were launched which resulted in a 10 point gain in the public opinion polls. Nick Gillespie of ''Reason'' remarked,
{{Cquote|Consider, for instance, the relative lack of scrutiny accorded the August 20 cruise missile attacks on Afghanistan and [[Sudan]] … immediately after the bombing, polls showed that close to half of all Americans thought the missile strikes were meant to divert attention from the president's sex life… the Sudanese bombing suggests something else as well: If and when the public's and the media's attention shifts from the president's sex life to wider-ranging inquiries about how he makes deadly serious policy decisions…"<ref>[http://www.reason.com/news/show/30827.html Bombs Away - Troubling questions about the U.S. attack on Sudan], ''Reason'', December 1998.</ref>}}

Clinton also signed into law the [[Violence Against Women Act]], which opened the federal courts to claims of domestic disputes between men and women, which had always been handled under state rather than federal law. Portions regarding civil rights remedies were later found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Clinton left office with an approval rating of 65%, the highest of any modern president, and remains the only modern president to leave office with a higher approval rating than he had when he took office.<ref>[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/polls/l/bl_historical_approval.htm Presidential Approval Ratings]</ref>

===Impeachment===
On Aug. 17, 1998, after relentless media attention, leaks, and news of White House intern [[Monica Lewinsky]]'s upcoming testimony regarding her extramarital affair with the President, Clinton made history by becoming the first U.S. president to testify in front of a grand jury in an investigation of his own possibly criminal conduct. In an address to the nation, he admitted to having misled the public and a Federal Court over keys elements of testimony. [[Kenneth Starr]], a special prosecutor appointed to investigate the case, was instructed to pursue the matter.

In the second term Clinton was accused of perjury in connection to the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit. Clinton adviser and close confidant [[George Stephanopoulos]] said publicly that there would be a "scorched-earth policy" if Clinton were impeached.<ref>[http://www.alamo-girl.com/02742.htm Insight Magazine], J Michael Waller, 6/19/00.</ref> Clinton previously had decried the "politics of personal destruction."<ref>[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/weekly/standard072299.asp Bill Clinton, Historian], Peter Wehner, Jewish World Review July 22, 1999.</ref>

During the impeachment trial, pornographer [[Larry Flynt]], an old friend of Clinton advisers [[James Carville]] and [[Strobe Talbott]], publicly offered a $1 million reward for any information about the personal lives of members of Congress that could be used for the purposes of blackmail.

In the end Clinton was tried in the Senate for two counts: "perjury" and "obstruction of justice" (the House turned down two other counts: "abuse of power" as well as another count of "perjury" in connection with the Paula Jones case). The Senate impeachment vote fell roughly according to party lines with all Democrats voting "not guilty" on both counts - joined by 5 and 10 "left-leaning" Republicans, respectively (making the counts 55-45 and 50-50 in favor of the verdicts). Although in the former case a majority of Senators voted to convict, two thirds majority being necessary to remove him from office.

[[David Gergen]], former White House Communications Director for both Presidents Reagan and Clinton, summarized the sentiments of many regarding the President's conduct:
{{Cquote|The deep and searing violation took place when he not only lied to the country, but co-opted his friends and lied to them....when you have gone over the line, you won't bring others into it...You don't foul the nest."<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/quinn110298.htm In Washington, That Letdown Feeling], By Sally Quinn, ''The Washington Post'', November 2, 1998, Page E01</ref>}}

Clinton lost his law license in Arkansas because he had committed perjury before a Federal judge.

It was during this scandal that Clinton famously stated: "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is".<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_2525000/2525339.stm</ref>

===Terrorist pardons===
On August 11, 1999, President Clinton offered clemency to members of the [[Armed Forces of National Liberation]] (FALN) [[terrorist]] group. <ref>[http://rpc.senate.gov/_files/92199CoddlingTerrorists.pdf U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee] testimony available at http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/wl91599.htm, ''The Tampa Tribune'', S.J.Res. 33 (passed 95-2).</ref> On January 24, 1975 the FALN bombed Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan killing four people. Over a six-year period, the group claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings that took six lives and injured some 130 people.<ref>[http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/puertorico/sep4.htm Clinton Pardons Terror], ''New York Post'', August 13, 1999. rtetrieve from http://www.latinamericanstudies.org September 14, 2007.</ref>

== Legacy ==
Clinton has spent much of time since leaving office working for charitable causes such as support and fund-raising for the victims of AIDS and the Asian tsunami. In the case of the Indian Ocean tsunami, he teamed with former president [[George H.W. Bush]] to raise money for relief efforts.

Bill Clinton's wife, [[Hillary_Rodham_Clinton|Hillary Clinton]], was elected Senator to New York in 2000. She was reelected in 2006. She made a failed bid for the [[2008_Presidential_Election#Declared_Democratic_Party_Candidates|Democratic presidential nomination in 2008]]. According to WorldNetDaily Hillary may face a felony conviction that carries with it a five year sentence for receiving $1.9 million to her Senate Campaign in illegal donations,<ref>[http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55320 'Smoking gun' tape indicts Hillary] Art Moore, WorldNetDaily.com, April 21, 2007.</ref> Bill Clinton has refused to make known the identities of financial donors to his Presidential library.<ref>[http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/09/clinton-libary-.html Clinton Library Donors Remain Secret], [[ABC News]], September 27, 2007.</ref>

==Involvement in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign==
Clinton has been criticized by both liberals and conservatives for his actions in his wife's presidential campaign. [[Time Magazine]], hardly a conservative source, referred to him as "his wife's attack dog". <ref>http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2008/01/28/OpEd/Editorial.On.The.Campaign.Trail.Bill.Clinton.Should.Keep.His.Mouth.Shut-3171498.shtml</ref> Some accused him of racism for comparing [[Barack Obama]] to [[Jesse Jackson]] when Bill Clinton commented on the campaign trail in [[South Carolina]] in 2008: "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here." <ref>http://www.rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/01/jesse_jackson_barack_obama_wha.php</ref> Time Magazine further editorialized that he had broken his strong bond with the African-American community in the process of campaigning. <ref>Time Magazine, February 4, 2008</ref>

Clinton received a "Pants on Fire" award from [[PolitiFact]] for denying that he said the Obama campaign "played the race card." <ref> http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/452/ Denies that he said the Obama campaign "played the race card."
</ref>Clinton received a second "Pants on Fire" award from [[PolitiFact]] for this false statement to a Boonville, Indiana
crowd on April 10th, 2008. {{cquote| Hillary (Clinton), one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995.}} <ref> http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/428/ "Hillary (Clinton), one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995."</ref>

Upon Hillary's defeat to [[Senator]] [[Barack Obama]] of [[Illinois]], Clinton joined his wife in supporting Obama's candidacy, appearing with Obama in rallies in the weeks prior to the election. Obama won the election with 375 electoral votes.

==See also==
*[[Institute for Policy Studies]]
*[[Gay Bomb]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==

*[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=625 No evidence of genocide or ethnic cleansing in Kosovo], by Rollie Keith, Global Research, July 2, 2005.
*[http://www.zmag.org/crisescurevts/germandocs.htm Internal Documents from Germany's Foreign Office Regarding Pre-Bombardment Genocide in Kosovo].
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/author/bill-clinton/ What Liberals Say - Bill Clinton], [[Accuracy In Media]].

{{USPresidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, Bill}}
[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Arkansas Governors]]
[[Category:Democrat Governors]]

Franklin D. Roosevelt

2009-01-01T17:58:26Z

AlexIC:

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'''Franklin Delano Roosevelt''' was the 32nd [[President of the United States of America]], 1933-45, leading the U.S. from the darkest days of the [[Great Depression]] to victory over Germany and Japan; he built the '''New Deal Coalition''' which dominated American politics into the 1960s, and is still fondly remembered by liberals. His [[New Deal]] was a very large, complex interlocking set of programs designed to produce relief (which meant jobs for the unemployed), recovery (of the GDP), and reform (by which he meant regulation of Wall Street and the economy), as well as reelection (in 1936, 1940 and 1944) and realignment of the political system. Conservatives strongly opposed many, but not all, of the New Deal programs. Conservatives abolished most of the relief programs when unemployment practically ended in the 1940s. Most of the regulations on business were ended about 1975-85, except for the regulation of Wall Street by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]], which still exists. The major surviving program is [[Social Security]], which Roosevelt passed in 1935.

Conservatives at the time denounced his bids for presidential power, including building a national political machine through the [[WPA]] (it lasted from 1935 to 1943), attempting to take control of the Supreme Court by adding new liberal judges (an attempt which failed, 1937), and trying to purge the Democratic party of conservative congressman (an attempt which failed in 1938). The failures of those attempts can be attributed to the [[Conservative Coalition]].

After 1938 FDR turned his attention to [[World War II]]. he was a strong advocate of support for China against Japan; most conservatives agreed. He also was a strong supporter of military aid to Britain. Conservatives split on that, with the "isolationists" opposed, and others like [Henry Stimson]] in favor. Once Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into the war, conservatives strongly supported the war effort and generally approved his military leadership, although highly critical of his close cooperation with [[Stalin]] and the Soviet Union.

He was the first and only President to be elected four times, breaking the traditional two-term-limit precedent established by [[George Washington]].<ref> Tradition was restored by the 22ndAmendment in 1947. It is worth noting that this was not technically illegal at the time, the legal rule was put in place after Roosevelt's death.</ref>

Roosevelt's health failed rapidly in 1944-45, even as he ran for reelection. He died On April 12, 1945. Despite polio which crippled him starting in the early 1920s, he exuded a sense of confidence and hope for the future that made for a charismatic personality.

Conservative scholars have argued that some relief efforts actually helped to prolong the [[Great Depression]]. However, government spending and prosperity combined after World War II, the most costly war in American history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0829/p15s01-cogn.html|author=Francis, David R. |title=More Costly than "The War to End All Wars"|date=2005-08-29|accessdate = 2006-10-24 |work=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> The amount spent on the New Deal was less than the $21 billion borrowed by the government over two years during World War I.<ref>David M. Kennedy, Freedom From Fear, page 178</ref>

==Early life==
Franklin Roosevelt studied law at Columbia University where he failed to graduate. Secretary of Labor [[Frances Perkins]], the first woman ever appointed to a cabinet post and knew FDR from his early manhood up to his death, says he was not a student, that he knew nothing of economics and that he admitted he had never read a book on the subject. <ref>''The Roosevelt I Knew,'' Frances Perkins, New York, Viking Press, 1946. p. 34.</ref>

== Election of 1932 ==
The Democrats made Government non-intervention under the Hoover administration an issue in the campaign of 1932, charging that Hoover's laissez faire approach was not working. After Roosevelt had taken office, former Democratic New York Governor Al Smith, saw Roosevelt's ultimately expansive policies as a departure from the ideals of Conservatives and supported Republican candidates in subsequent elections.

While the Democrats were damning Hoover as a big spender, at the same time he was refusing to be drawn into big spending, the Democratic House passed a bill appropriating $1,500,000,000 for old-fashioned [[pork-barrel]] outlays.

Because of Hoover's hesitance to utilize government spending to bail the nation out of the depression, he became incredibly unpopular, paving the way for Roosevelt's landslide victory in the presidential election of 1932, winning 472 electoral votes (nearly 90% of the total) and 22,800,000 popular votes (57% of the total) to defeat incumbent president Herbert Hoover.<ref>1932 Presidential Election Results http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?f=0&year=1932</ref> He was running primarily on the platform that he would help the country recover from the Great Depression with his New Deal.

== First Term ==
===Foreign policy===
On November 16, 1933, when the Roosevelt administration granted diplomatic recognition to the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]], the USSR pledged itself to refrain "from interfering in any manner in the internal affairs of the United States." This occurred three weeks after the founding of the [[Comintern]] affiliated [[American League for Peace and Democracy]]. The process of Communist “influence” in American life was accelerated. This “influence,” as described by [[Communist party]] defector [[Louis Budenz]], was to “infiltrate key government posts, undermine the patriotism of well meaning people in strategic or confidential positions, and win over those whose words, spoken and written, have an effect on American [[public opinion]];” it was checked “partially during the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact|Hitler-Stalin alliance]], it went all out in the course of the [[Second World War]]."<ref>Men Without Faces, The Communist Conspiracy in the U. S. A., By Louis Budenz, New York Harper & Brothers, 1950, [http://americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=//PDFsml_AD/Men_Without_Faces-Louis_Francis_Budenz-1950-315pgs-POL.sml.pdf&id=238&PHPSESSID=03d3557b41f249f71349e6d730cc8498 pg. 2] pdf.</ref>

Numerous [[Attorney General's list|Comintern affiliate]] organizations sprung up in the ensuing years, including the [[American Youth Congress]] in 1934 and the [[League of American Writers]] in 1935. [[KGB]] officers traveled the country in the guise of diplomatic and consular officials, conducting [[espionage]] activities <ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/venona-soviet-espionage-and-the-american-response-1939-1957/10.gif Anonymous letter to Hoover], undated (received 7 August 1943), National Security Agency Venona Collection. "[[SEMENOV]] works in AMTORG, is robbing the whole of the war industry in America. SEMENOV has his agents in all the industrial towns of the U.S.A., in all aviation and chemical war factories and in big industries."</ref> freely and offering bribes.

On February 28, 1934, Elliott Roosevelt, son of the President, and [[Anthony Fokker]] each received half a million dollars for selling fifty military aircraft to the Soviet government. <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756770-2,00.html ''Son's Scheme''], Time magazine, Oct. 19, 1936,</ref>

===New Deal===
:''For Main Article see '''[[New Deal]].'''''
[[Image:Flatgrowth.JPG|thumb|300px|right|Real Output and Growth remained stagnant throughout the New Deal largely due to government involvement. The Depression came back with a vengeance in 1937-1938 because of the [[economic planner]]s over emphasis on consumption, and deemphasis and persecution of producers--the people who make the economy work. ''Source:New Deal Policies and the Persistence of the Great Depression.''<ref>''New Deal Policies and the Persistence of the Great Depression: A General Equilibrium Analysis, ''Harold L. Cole and Lee E. Ohanian, Journal of Political Economy, volume 112 (2004), pages 779–816.</ref>]]
FDR is also famous for his [[New Deal]], a set of [[economic planning]] experiments that were instilled in the hope of ending the [[Great Depression]]. After many years, unemployment was finally brought down to reasonable levels as World War II began and the draft opened up more opportunities for people to move into the workforce. [[Economic growth]] was generally occurring, but the nation wasn't back on its feet until the war progressed.
Enforcement of the [[Anti-trust Act]] was considered as an essential instrument to prevent [[cartel]]s and trusts in restraint of trade which had been viewed as deadly to the system of [[free enterprise]]. On the campaign trail Roosevelt called loudly for its strict enforcement. Yet immediately upon Roosevelt's accession to office the Anti-trust Act was suspended in order to cartelize every industry in America on the Italian [[fascist]] corporative model. <ref>''The Roosevelt Myth'', John T. Flynn, Fox and Wilkes, 1948, Book 1, Chapter 4, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/cgi-bin/framed/2767/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Four___The_New_New_Deal.htm ''The New New Deal''].</ref> The National Recovery Act (NRA) and the [[Agricultural Adjustment Act]] (AAA) were plans to take the whole industrial and agricultural life of the country under the wing of the government, organize it into vast farm and industrial cartels, as they were called in Germany, cooperatives as they were called in Italy, and operate business and farms by economic planning schemes dictated and carried out under the supervision of government. It is also worth noting that World War II was total warfare on both sides. Even the Allied Powers such as the British took control of the nation's economy. Such intervention was very much necessary in order to gain every advantage possible against the enemy. Centralized planning allowed for greater efficiency, yet some civil liberties were suppressed in the effort. <ref>http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=420</ref>

The AAA reported to the Secretary of Agriculture but was independent of the Department of Agriculture bureaucracy. [[Harold Ware]] was a [[Communist Party USA]] (CPUSA) official in the AAA and founded the [[Ware group]]. The group consisted of young lawyers and economists, had about 75 members in 1934 and was divided into about eight cells. The AAA was later found [[unconstitutional]], but by that time the Communist operatives had established jobs in government employment. [[Alger Hiss]], [[Lee Pressman]], [[John Abt]], [[Charles Kramer]], [[Nathan Witt]], [[Henry Collins]], [[George Silverman]], [[Marion Bachrach]], [[John Herrmann]], [[Nathaniel Weyl]], [[Donald Hiss]] and [[Victor Perlo]] were all members of the Ware group. [[Harry Dexter White]], who was involved in the most auspicious policy [[subversion (political)|subversion]] as Director of the Division of Monetary Research in the [[Treasury Department]], was also affiliated with the group. The Ware group was the CPUSA's covert arm at this time. Each of these agents not only provided classified documents to Soviet intelligence, but was involved in political influence operations as well.

In 1934, a Congressional Investigation was held to examine statements by Dr. William A. Wirt, who headed the U.S. [[Department of Education|Office of Education]]. Dr. Wirt had attended a dinner party with several Brain Trusters at the home of his secretary, [[Alice Barrows]]. Barrows began working for the Office of Education in 1919 and was secretly a member of the [[Communist Party of the United States]] (CPUSA) which advocated the violent overthrow of the United States Constitution. Several of the Brain Trusters present at the dinner revealed to Wirt they were CPUSA members. Wirt testified,
{{Cquote|I was told they believe that by thwarting our then evident economic recovery, they would be able to prolong the country’s destitution until they had demonstrated to the American people that the Government must operate business and commerce. By propaganda, they would destroy institutions making long term capital loans—and then push Uncle Sam into making these loans. Once Uncle Sam becomes our financier, he must also follow his money with control and management. <ref>Hearings, House Select Committee To Investigate Certain Statements of Dr. William Wirt, 73rd Congress, 2nd Session, April 10 and 17, 1934. </ref><ref>''Dr Wirt faces the cameras and tells all'', Literary Digest v. 117 (April 21 1934) p. 7.</ref><ref>FBI Silvermaster file [http://education-research.org/PDFs/Silvermaster053.pdf Volume 53 June 1946], p. 78 pdf.</ref>}}

A June 1945 [[VENONA project]] decryption of Soviet [[KGB]] wartime cables from the Washington D.C. KGB Office to Moscow's Eighth Department, the political intelligence wing, relayed information on matters regarding Attorney General Francis Biddle. KGB agent [[Charles Kramer]], who served on the staff of several U.S. Senate Subcommittees, and Barrows are the sources of the information. <ref>Venona 3706 KGB Washington to Moscow, 29 June 1945.</ref> Mary Van Kleek who headed the Russell Sage Foundation and also served on the Board of the National Council, visited Washington weekly to meet with Barrows and [[Greg Silvermaster|Nathan Gregory Silvermaster]].

During [[World War II]] Barrows was the Executive Secretary of the the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship. This organization was declared in 1953 to be a [[Glossary_of_espionage_terms#Fronts_and_cutouts|Communist front]] organization by the [[Subversive Activities Control Board]] (SACB). In its Findings of Fact, the SACB said the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship,
{{Cquote|advances positions...markedly pro-Soviet and...anti-United States Government...is a Communist-action organization which has as its primary purpose to advance the objectives of the world Communist movement under the [[hegemony]] of the Soviet Union; it has the policy to support and defend the Soviet Union under any and all circumstances...We conclude that the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship, Inc., is substantially directed, dominated, and controlled by the Communist Party of the United States...and is primarily operated for the purpose of giving aid and support to...the Soviet Union, a Communist foreign government." <ref>United States. Subversive Activities Control Board. [http://ets.umdl.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=usfexec;cc=usfexec;q1=Barrows;rgn=full text;idno=81242.0001.001;didno=81242.0001.001;view=image;seq=511;page=root;size=s;endseq=3;frm=frameset Reports of the Subversive Activities Control Board.] Washington. United States Government Printing Office. 1966. Vol. 1, p. 501.</ref>}}

====Civilian Conservation Corps====
:''Main article [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]''

Soon after President Roosevelt's inauguration in March 1933, he announced the establishment of the CCC camps to take the "boys" (age 17-23) off the street corners; they were paid $30 a month, of which $25 went to their families. The U.S. Army ran the camps, which provided a generation of young Army officers with leadership experience, as 2.5 million young men spent 6-months or 12-months in the camps. However there were no uniforms or military drills. Of all the New Deal innovations, perhaps the most generally applauded was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It was strongly approved at the time by conservatives and liberals alike, including most religious and business leaders as a way to save the boys who were perpectually unemployed and drifting into gangs. The CCC was ended in 1943 when the need had vanished.

===Social Security===
An Old Age Social Security Bill was passed during his first term which provided for workers who reach the age of 65 a pension of $8 a week at most. The plan had to be pushed through against his procrastination until finally in the 1934 congressional elections the Republicans denounced him for his tardiness. When he did finally consent to a bill, it contained a plan for building a huge reserve fund that would extract billions from the workers' payrolls without any adequate return. Over the protest of the President, the Congress finally took that provision proposed by Roosevelt out of the law. <ref> ''Roosevelt Myth'', Book 3, Chapter 14, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Fifteen___The_Roosevelt_.htm ''The Roosevelt Myth''], John T. Flynn, Fox and Wilkes, 1948.</ref>

===Taxation===
FDR, in a letter to journalist Roy W. Howard, wrote,
:"What is known as consumer taxes, namely the invisible taxes paid by people in every walk of life, fall relatively much more heavily upon the poor man than on the rich man." <ref>Franklin D. Roosevelt, letter to Roy W. Howard, September 2, 1935. </ref>

[[Robert H. Jackson]], then serving as [[Internal Revenue Service]] General Counsel, observed in Congressional testimony that prior to FDR’s election, "we find those taxes bearing most heavily on the well-to-do contributed 68% per cent of the government's total internal revenue and customs receipts, while miscellaneous taxes and customs receipts, bearing most heavily upon the consumer contributed only 31.8%” By 1935 the situation was reversed with “taxes based on ability to pay contributed 38.7% . . . there has been an increase in the proportion of revenues contributed by taxes on consumption to 61.3%."<ref>Testimony of Robert Jackson, Assistant General Counsel, Treasury Department, Committee on Finance, U . S. Senate, August 6, 1985.</ref>

===Economic growth===
New capital made available for investment amounted to $348,000,000 in 1935. This was less than 1/10th of the amount available in 1929. By contrast, the British economy had nearly recovered to its 1929 levels by 1935, and the amount available for investment was almost twice as much as the United States.

{| style="background:white; color:blue" border="1" class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! United States <ref>Standard Statistics Co., ''New Honey for Operating and Producing.''</ref>
! Great Britain <ref>Midland Bank, London, ''New Issues for British Companies,'' converted from £ to $ at $4.8665.</ref>
|-
| 1927
| $3,201,000,000
| $710,509,000
|-
| 1928
| 3,062,000,000
| 983,033,000
|-
| 1929
| 3,668,000,000
| 759,174,000
|-
| 1930
| 3,039,000,000
| 394,186,500
|-
| 1931
| 1,006,000,000
| 155,728,000
|-
| 1932
| 321,000,000
| 248,191,500
|-
| 1933
| 177,000,000
| 296,856,500
|-
| 1934
| 356,000,000
| 350,388,000
|-
| 1935
| 348,000,000
| 666,710,500
|-
|}

===Congress of Industrial Organizations===
By 1935 membership in labor unions had sunk to a low figure as a result of [[unemployment]]. There were men around the President at this time that saw the tremendous possibilities of organizing labor as a political force. An industrial union is one in which all the people engaged in a single industry are included without regard to the type of skills at which they work. The industrial union was the one great instrument by which all labor could be organized and the President was urged to promote this idea as the starting point in building up a powerful political labor movement. There were three large industrial unions at that time, [[John L. Lewis]]’s [[United Mine Workers]] (UMW), the International Ladies Garment Workers Union of David Dubinsky and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of [[Sidney Hillman]].

Roosevelt tried to sell the plan to John L. Lewis of the UMW, and William Green, head of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Green and the AFL opposed the idea of industrial unions and refused, but under the leadership of Lewis, a new group of unions was formed called the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The Comintern directed [[Lee Pressman]] <ref>FBI Report, [http://education-research.org/PDFs/Silvermaster082.pdf Underground Soviet Espionage (NKVD) in Agencies of the United States Government], October 21, 1946, United States Government, pgs. 298 - 300 pdf. "Leon Pressman, alias Lee Pressman, served as General Counsel for the [[Agricultural Adjustment Administration]] from 1933 to 1935; in 1935 he was appointed General Counsel for the [[Works Progress Administration]]. In 1937 he was appointed to the General Counsel for the National [[Congress of Industrial Organizations]] (CIO). Pressman was also associated with various Communist front organizations. Pressman was a known contact of [[Anatoly Gorsky]], New York [[KGB]] Rezident, and KGB Agents [[Alger Hiss]] and [[Harry Dexter White]]. </ref> of the [[Ware group]] to assume the position of general counsel<ref>FBI Silvermaster file, [http://education-research.org/PDFs/Silvermaster132.pdf Vol. 132, pg. 109] pdf. "Pressman is said to have run arms to Spain during the Civil War via Mexico and to have worked with General Mark Moren in the project. Moren was involved in the [[Rubens Robinson]] passport case in 1938." See also Underground Espionage Agent, Adolf Berle notes, September 2, 1939. [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page100.html]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,789421,00.html ''32,000 & Mrs. Rubens''], Time magazine, Feb. 07, 1938. "In the first years of the Soviet Union, to escape from Russia was difficult and dangerous. Today it has become almost impossible, an attempt tantamount to suicide. Barbed and electrically charged wire, searchlight-equipped watch towers. 24-hour frontier patrols aided by bloodhounds and police dogs guard every mile of border. .... Weak from [[scurvy]] and [[dysentery]], Konarski told correspondents: 'The camp contains about 32,000 prisoners. They are kept there until [[death]] results from hard work, bad food and consequent sickness. I met two [[American citizen]]s in the camp, Arthur Hanley, a chemical engineer from California, and Edward Rose, a machinist from Boston, Mass. They said they came to Russia in 1921 as volunteer workers. Rose said he was [[arrest]]ed in Leningrad in 1923. Hanley was caught trying to escape from Russia to Latvia in 1925. Each was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, but, although they have served out their sentences, they are still being held. They told me they know of three other native-born Americans who are held prisoner in other Soviet camps.'...Mrs. Ruth Marie Rubens (alias Robinson), one U. S. citizen officially known to be in jail in Moscow (TIME, Dec. 27 [1938]). In Moscow on December 9 able, active U. S. Charge d'Affaires Loy W. Henderson learned that Mrs. Rubens had "disappeared"' from the big Hotel National next door to the U.S. Embassy. On January 18 the Soviet Foreign Office finally admitted that Mrs. Rubens was under arrest, failed to say on what charge.... hundreds of Germans are today in Soviet jails and for years German diplomatic & consular officials have not been allowed to see them."</ref> where he became known as "Comrade Big." The year 1936 was a period of furious organizing work by it among the unskilled workers of the country. As Lewis, Dubinsky, and Hillman set about organizing millions of workers they were immediately up against the problem of finding skilled organizers to promote and manage the new unions.

There had been in the United States a [[Communist]] labor organization known as the Trade Union Unity League which took its instructions directly from [[Moscow]]. It is estimated that ten or fifteen thousand Communists were in these unions. In 1934, Moscow directed the Communist party in the United States to dissolve the Trade Union Unity League unions and to march the members of those unions into the American Federation of Labor. The purpose was not to advance the cause of labor unions or to get better working conditions for the members, but to use the apparatus of the labor union as an instrument of [[revolution]]. The Communist leaders saw in the rise of the CIO a better opportunity for their own revolutionary objectives than in the AFL and instructed their members to withdraw from the AFL and go into the CIO where they achieved disproportionate influence. <ref>''The Soviet World of American Communism'', Harvey Klehr, John Earl Haynes, and Kyrill M. Anderson, Yale University Press, 1998, Document 13, pp. 58-68. ISBN 0-300-07150-7. </ref>

Lewis was interested in bringing into existence industrial unions like his own, in which he had always believed. Roosevelt was interested in bringing into American labor unions as many voters as possible and in capturing their leadership to build a powerful labor faction which could control the Democratic party and which he and his allies could control through the vast power of the government and the vast powers of labor leaders, along with the immense financial resources that so great a labor movement would have. The Communists were interested in getting into key positions as union officers, statisticians, economists, etc., in order to utilize the apparatus of the unions to promote the cause of revolution. By the early part of 1938, over three million workers had been organized. Lewis was later to split with FDR. <ref>''Communists and the CIO: From the Soviet archives'', Harvey Klehr and John E. Haynes, Labor History, Volume 35, Issue 3 Summer 1994 , pages 442 - 446. [http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a772103056~db=all?tab=references]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,788129-4,00.html ''Turning Point?''], Time magazine, Monday, Jul. 12, 1937.</ref>

== Third Term ==
It is fairly certain that early in 1939, if not a little sooner, FDR made up his mind to seek a third election in the [[United States presidential election, 1940|presidential election of 1940]]. FDR realized the political difficulties involved in a third nomination so he wanted to make it appear as a "draft Roosevelt" movement. He discussed other candidates with his aids, among the names were Democratic National Committee Chairman [[James Farley]], whom FDR rejected because he was [[Roman Catholic]]. The name of Paul McNutt was urged; FDR was angry McNutt would even permit his name to be discussed. FDR told Farley: "I consider it bad taste on his part to be letting his name be used when he is still a member of my administration." Roosevelt sent him as High Commissioner to the Philippines and jokingly asked: "Is that far enough?"<ref>''The Roosevelt Myth'', Book 1, Ch. 6, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Seven___The_Third_Term.htm ''The Third Term''], John T. Flynn, Fox and Wilkes, 1948.</ref> Historian [[Doris Kearns Goodwin]] in her book ''No Ordinary Time'' explored the decision to seek a third time and concludes FDR probably decided to enter the war at the same time he decided to run again, although he was politically unable to enter the war until the [[Japanese]] [[attack on Pearl Harbor]].

Administrative Assistants to Roosevelt included [[James Forrestal]], [[Lauchlin Currie]]<ref>Committee on Un-American Activities, "The Shameful Years: Thirty Years of Soviet Espionage in the United States," 82d Congress, 2d Session, 1951, pp. 15-17; [http://www.counterintelligencetraining.com/BK/ci_centre_bibliography.htm Required Reading List for Counterintelligence, Counterterrorism, Intelligence and Security Professionals,]The Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, Alexandria, VA.</ref> and [[David K. Niles]]. Their function was "to get, information and to condense and summarize it for [Roosevelt's] use." <ref>''Roosevelt and Hopkins : An Intimate History'', Robert E. Sherwood, New York Harper and Brothers, 1948, [http://americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=/PDFsml_AD/Roosevelt_and_Hopkins-An_Intimate_History-Robert_E_Sherwood-1948-1034pgs-GOV-POL.sml.pdf&id=252&PHPSESSID=03d3557b41f249f71349e6d730cc8498 pg. 226] pdf.</ref> Forrestal later was to jump from a 16th story window of Bethesda Naval Hospital psychiatric ward. <ref>''The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People'', John Loftus and Mark Aarons, New York : St.Martin's Press, 1994. [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/vegyes_/secretwar_06.rtf]</ref> Currie and Niles were to be found working for the [[KGB]].<ref>''Uncovering Stalin's Spies'' Julius W. Friend, International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, (2000) Vol. 13 No. 3, pgs. 381 - 384. [http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/index/UN1VH8U16UMXEFGF.pdf]</ref><ref>[http://www.nsa.gov/publications/publi00039.cfm ''The Venona Story''], Robert L. Benson, Center for Cryptological History, National Security Agency. One of the special reports issued in July 1948 (1948 was a presidential election year) gives the earliest translation found that mentions friends of [[David Niles]], an important advisor to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, "will arrange anything for a bribe." Venona message 786 New York KGB to Moscow, 1 June 1944, [http://www.nsa.gov/venona/releases/01_Jun_1944_R3_m1_p1.gif pg. 1], [http://www.nsa.gov/venona/releases/01_Jun_1944_R3_m1_p2.gif pg. 2]).</ref> Currie alerted his KGB controllers that "the United States was on the verge of breaking the Soviet code."<ref>''The Venona Secrets: Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors'', Herbert Romerstein and Eric Breindel, Washington, DC, Regnery, 2000, [http://books.google.com/books?id=mVpWH51F7toC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=lauchlin+currie+break+code&source=web&ots=Yj2NHYwgxB&sig=sbZ3789Tz0jd7xPRiC6EEdeuJ48 pg. 27.] Herbert Romerstein was the Chief, Office to Counter Soviet Disinformation and Active Measures, U.S. Information Agency from (1983-1989), Staff member, U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (1978-1983), and Minority Chief Investigator, House Committee on Internal Security (1971-1975). [http://www.iwp.edu/faculty/facultyID.9/profile.asp]</ref>

=== Commander in Chief ===
[[Image:Josephstalin.jpg‎|thumb|325px|right|Roosevelt, a long-time advocate of [[Fascism#Beliefs|corporate statism]], was a great friend of [[Soviet]] leader [[Joseph Stalin]], despite the latter's war crimes and use of genocide as a political tool. Upon meeting him face-to-face for the first time at the [[Yalta Conference]], he greeted him warmly: 'I am glad to see you. I have tried for a long time to bring this about'.<ref>http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_6/stefan.html</ref> ]]
In August 1939 Stalin made an alliance with Hitler that allowed Hitler to invade Poland; the two divided P{oland and eastern Europe between them, as Germany turned toward France and Britain. With Roosevelt strongly supporting France and Britain, the American Communist Party began attacking Roosevelt in the wildest terms and did so for the next twenty-two months. It used antiwar slogans like "The Yanks Are Not Coming" and "Hands Off." It set up a "perpetual peace vigil" across the street from the White House. Communist party leader Earl Browder announced that FDR, head of the "war party of the American bourgeoisie," was no better than the Communists great enemy, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover.<ref>James G. Ryan, ''Earl Browder: The Failure of American Communism,'' (1997), p. 168. </ref> In the 1940 election, pro-Moscow elements in the CIO forced John L. Lewis to turn against Roosevelt and support the liberal Republican [[Wendell Willkie]]. Roosevelt meanwhile moved right, and brought into top jobs the GOP vice presidential nominee from 1936, Frank Knox (a conservative who became Secretary of the Navy) and conservative Republican lawyer [[Henry Stimson]], who took over the War Department. Rejecting advice from the far left, 90% of CIO members voted for Roosevelt, who was easily elected to a third term.

[[John P. Davies]] was assigned to Gen. [[Joseph Stilwell]] as Stilwell's adviser in China. Hopkins made a note at the time: "The President indicated his strong dissatisfaction with the way the whole show was running in China. He stated that Stillwell obviously hated the Chinese and that his cablegrams are sarcastic about the Chinese and this feeling is undoubtedly known to the Generalissimo."<ref>Roosevelt and Hopkin, Sherwood, pg. 739.</ref> Roosevelt and Hopkins biographer [[Robert Sherwood]] wrote that Gen. [[George C. Marshall]] told Hopkins his only serious disagreement with
Hopkins was on the issue of Stilwell. Sherwood adds that "he was unquestionably a serious nuisance to Roosevelt and there were many times when he was on the verge of recalling him."<ref> Roosevelt and Hopkin, Sherwood, pg. 740.</ref>

Roosevelt was determined to help [[England]] against [[Germany]] and at one point [[Winston Churchill]] even moved into the [[White House]] while [[Britain]] was at war. Roosevelt said in May 1941: "You know I am a juggler, and I never let my right hand know what my left hand does ... I may have one policy for Europe and one diametrically opposite for North and South America. I may be entirely inconsistent, and furthermore I am perfectly willing to mislead and tell untruths if it will help win the war."<ref>http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2008/05/deception_for_country_not_for.html</ref>

On May 19, 1942, pressured by Communist union officials of the American Communications Association, [[CIO]], Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, informed Rear Admiral Adolphus Staton that Communist radio operators were not to be removed from their ships. Less than six months earlier, Congress, with the lone dissenting vote of [[Vito Marcantonio]], enacted Public Law 351, which authorized the Secretary of the Navy to have all radio operators with a [[subversion (political)|subversive]] background taken off their ships. Rear Admiral Staton had recommended the removal of a number of Communists. In the presence of Rear Admiral S. C. Hooper and others, Knox instructed Rear Admiral Staton "that, in the opinion of the President, membership or suspected membership in the CPUSA was not sufficient to deprive a radio operator of his job." <ref>''America's Tragedy-Today'', Major Hamilton A. Long, (NY: Post Printing), pgs. 15-25.</ref> Expounding a memorandum bearing President Roosevelt's initials, Knox brushed aside the objections of Staton and Hooper, declaring that the order came from the President himself. Because the presidential command defied the law of the land, it was not put into writing. Consequently, the Communist radio operators returned to their ships and Rear Admirals Hooper and Staton were put on the inactive list.

Stalin publicly disbanded the [[Comintern]] in 1943. A Moscow message to all stations on 12 September 1943, message number 142, relating to this event is one of the most interesting and historically important messages <ref>[http://www.nsa.gov/venona/venon00008.cfm Venona 142(a) Moscow to Canberra 12 September 1943]. Text reads: "change in circumstances - and in particular the dissolution of the [[Comintern]] - necessitates a change in the method used by the workers of our residencies to keep in touch with the leaders of the local [[Communist_Party_of_the_United_States_of_America#Secret_apparatus|Communist]] organizations on intelligence matters. 
2. Our workers, by continuing to meet the leader of the Communists, are exposing themselves to danger and are giving cause [''orgs of''] local authorities to suspect that the Comintern is still in existence. 
3. We propose: 
a. That personal contact with leaders of the local Communist organizations should cease and that Communist material should not be accepted for forwarding to the Comintern. 
b. That meetings of our workers may take place only with special reliable undercover [ZAKONSPIRIROVANNYJ] contacts of the Communist [D% organizations], who are not suspected by the [''orgs of''] local authorities, exclusively about specific aspects of our intelligence work (acquiring [1 group unidentified] contacts, leads [NAVODKI], rechecking of those who are being cultivated, etc.). For each meeting it is necessary to obtain our consent. 

Representative of the Soviet Union. 

No. 4084 
Lt. Gen. [[P.M. Fitin]]. 

Notes: [a] This message is known to have been sent also to NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, and OTTAWA.</ref> in the entire corpus of [[VENONA]] translations. This message clearly discloses the [[KGB]]'s connection to the Comintern and to the national Communist parties. <ref>''Counterintelligence Reader'', National Counterintelligence Center, United States, [http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/docs/ci2/2ch4_a.htm Vol. 2, Ch. 4], n.d.</ref> Shortly afterwards Rear Admiral Staton, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, was asked to testify before the Cox Committee of House of Representatives on the [[White House]] efforts to protect Communists in the Armed Forces. Staton complied in executive session. Before he could appear in public hearings, [[Adlai Stevenson]], assistant to Secretary Knox, instructed him that "there were White House orders" forbidding him to testify. <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,777835,00.html ''Cox's Circus''], Time magazine, Monday, Jul. 19, 1943.</ref> By that time Counter-Intelligence officers had obtained irrefutable proof that the CPUSA had developed an extensive plan to abolish the Armed Forces' counter-subversive system. <ref>Long, op.cit., pg. 12.</ref>

Roosevelt himself was responsible for the order of January 1, 1944 which abolished the entire setup of the Counter-Intelligence Corps in the [[War Department]].<ref>Long, op.cit., pg. 12.</ref> On February 19 the War Department issued the order which purposely disorganized the counter-subversive reporting system of the Armed Forces. <ref>Long, op.cit., pg. 13</ref> On May 19, the day after learning of the secret order to destroy the War Department records on subversives, Senator [[StyIes Bridges]], a member of the Military Affairs Committee, demanded an explanation from Secretary of War [[Henry Stimson]]. Lieutenant General McNarney, Army Chief of Staff deputy, was "vague, evasive and obstructive." Bridges told McNarney "he could forgive an officer who makes a mistake or loses a battle, but that an officer who betrays the security of his country should be taken out and shot." McNarney admitted the order had been issued from "higher authority." After much wrangling, Secretary Stimson in a letter of May 27 promised to prevent the destruction of records on subversives. <ref>Long, op.cit., pgs. 28-31.</ref>

The War Department, on December 30, 1944, issued a secret order which expressly condoned "divided loyalty" and established as a guiding rule that "the subversive-suspect should be given the benefit of all reasonable doubt."

===Big Three conferences===
:''See also '''[[Teheran conference]]'''''

At the [[Teheran conference]] it was secretly agreed to let the Soviet Union have not only eastern Poland but also part of Finland, the Baltic States and parts of Romania. It was secretly agreed to support the Yugoslav Communist, [[Joseph Broz Tito]], and desert the pro-Western, anti-totalitarian friend, General Mihailovich. Roosevelt told a joint session of Congress upon his return to the United States that no secret arrangements had been made.

:''See also '''[[Yalta conference]]'''''

At the [[Yalta conference]] a [[reparations]] commission was set up. The Soviet Union wanted the amount to be 20 billion dollars of which the USSR would take half. It was agreed that labor might be taken as a possible source of reparations. This was a way of authorizing the seizure of human beings to work as [[slave]]s and is the basis of the crime perpetrated after hostilities ceased to which Franklin Roosevelt agreed. <ref>''Speaking Frankly'', James F. Byrnes, New York: Harper & Bros., 1947, p. 29.</ref>

Roosevelt also agreed at Yalta to have all fugitive Soviet nationals or citizens of satellite nations and tens of thousands of [[POW]]'s who elected to stay this side of the [[Iron Curtain]], returned to the Soviet Union. This was in contravention of the Geneva Convention. The ''Saturday Evening Post'' commented:
{{Cquote|With this shameful agreement as their authority, Russian [[KGB|MVD]] agents strode through the displaced-persons camps after the war and put the finger on thousands who had managed to escape the Soviet tyranny. These miserable victims were herded into boxcars and driven back to death, torture or the slow murder of the Siberian mines and forests. Many killed themselves on the way. Also under a Yalta agreement, the Russians were permitted to use German prisoners in forced labor as an item in 'reparations account.' For such inhumanities there is no excuse.<ref>''Saturday Evening Post'', Editorial, April 11, 1953, pg. 12.</ref>}}

Roosevelt not only made agreements secret from the American people but secret from his closest advisers in the government. He made agreements with Stalin hostile to the objectives of Churchill and kept secret from Churchill. He made secret agreements with [[Chiang Kai-shek]] secret from both Churchill and Stalin. He made secret agreements in derogation of Chiang Kai-shek's interests without Chiang Kai-shek's knowledge. And he made many secret agreements which no one in the U.S. State Department knew about until after his death and then learned about only at embarrassing moments from Soviet Foreign Minister [[Vyacheslav Molotov]]. <ref>''Roosevelt Myth'', Book 3, Ch. 13, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Thirteen___The_Final_Bet.htm ''The Final Betrayal''], Flynn, 1948.</ref>

== Fourth Term ==
In February 1944 Congress rejected Roosevelt's demand for a $10,500,000,000 tax increase and cut it to $2,300,000,000. Roosevelt vetoed it saying this was a "bill not for relief of the needy but of the greedy."
Senator [[Alben Barkley]], Democratic leader, rose on the floor of the Senate to say the veto was "a calculated and deliberate assault upon the legislative integrity of every member of Congress." The entire Senate united in a roar of applause. Barkley declared that after seven years of carrying the [[New Deal]] banner for Roosevelt, he would resign his post as Democratic majority leader and he called on every member of the Congress to preserve its self respect and override the veto. The Senate overrode it 72 to 14 and the House 299 to 95.

After the [[Comintern]] was disbanded Roosevelt was offered the nomination of the [[Communist]] dominated [[American Labor Party]] and he had accepted their nomination in the [[Presidential election of 1944]]. It was 825,000 votes from [[Earl Browder]] and [[Sidney Hillman]]'s American Labor Party that gave him his majority in New York State. His administration was now the hopeless prisoner of these demanding and ruthless radical labor leaders,<ref>''Roosevelt Myth'', Book 3, Ch. 12, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Twelve___The_Atlantic_Ch.htm ''The Atlantic Charter Is Scrapped''], Flynn, 1948.</ref> who had shown their ability to elect or defeat the Democratic party, who had filled all the departments and bureaus with their agents and who had insinuated their experts into the CIO labor unions and their propagandists into the radio, the movies and all the great instruments of communication and opinion - a fact which Mr. Roosevelt's successors would have to face when the war ended. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060820054409/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/review/2000/summer/re2-su0.htm ''The Venona Progeny''], Hayen B. Peake, Naval War College Review, Summer 2000, Vol. LIII, No. 3. "[[Venona]] makes absolutely clear that they had active agents in the U.S. State Department, Treasury Department, Justice Department, Senate committee staffs, the military services, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the [[Manhattan Project]], and the [[White House]], as well as wartime agencies. No modern government was more thoroughly penetrated." [[Hayden B. Peake]] is the curator of [[Central Intelligence Agency]]’s (CIA) Historical Intelligence Collection. [http://intellit.muskingum.edu/alpha_folder/P_folder/peake.html]</ref>

So thorough was [[KGB]] penetration of the Roosevelt Administration, that when [[Army Signals Intelligence]] cryptographer [[Meredith Gardner]] extracted the names of [[Hans Bethe]], [[Niels Bohr]], [[Enrico Fermi]], [[Harold Urey]], [[Edward Teller]] and 11 other scientists working on the [[Manhattan Project]] from a December 2, 1944 KGB encypherment,<ref>[http://www.nsa.gov/venona/venon00014.cfm Venona 1699 New York to Moscow, December 2, 1944].</ref> KGB agent [[William Weisband]] watched him do it.<ref>VENONA: Soviet Espionage and the American Response, 1939-1957, Robert Louis Benson and Michael Warner, eds., (Washington, D.C.: [[National Security Agency]], Central Intelligence Agency, 1996) [https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/venona-soviet-espionage-and-the-american-response-1939-1957/preface.htm]; The ''Baltimore Sun'' (Laura Sullivan, "SPY'S ROLE LINKED TO US FAILURE ON KOREA," 6/29/00) reported that a report newly declassified by the US National Security Agency (NSA) shows that [[William Weisband]] alerted the Soviets to extensive US eavesdropping in 1948, resulting in a complete blackout of information from the communist bloc for more than two years. This crippled the NSA's intelligence gathering efforts in the late 1940s and begins to explain why the US was caught unprepared for the [[DPRK]]'s 1950 invasion of the [[ROK]]. NSA historian David A. Hatch, who authored the report, said, "This report answers several significant questions. Up until now, there has been a great lack of knowledge surrounding some of these events ... and this should help sharpen [the public's] understanding." [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense's Early Bird news service for June 29, 2000.] [http://www.nautilus.org/archives/napsnet/dr/0006/JUN29.html#item8] </ref>

[[Strom Thurmond]] also supported FDR's decision to seek a fourth term, and referred to Roosevelt as having been the world’s greatest leader. <ref>[http://www.kevinbaker.info/c_wtm.html What Trent Meant], Kevin Baker.</ref>

== Reflections on Christianity ==

FDR said this about the Bible in an address on October 6, 1935:

:"We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the place the [[Bible]] has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic."

:"Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity."<ref>Quoted in DeMar, ''The Untold Story'', p. 60 and Gabrial Sivan, ''The Bible and Civilization'' (New York: Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co., 1973), p. 178.</ref>

FDR became famous for delivering "fireside chats" over the new medium of [[radio]], and on March 9, 1937 he declared:

:"I hope that you have re-read the [[United States Constitution| Constitution]] of the United States in these past few weeks. Like the Bible, it ought to be read again and again."

While running for his third time in a Brooklyn speech, Roosevelt said,

:"I am certain that the rank and file of patriotic Republicans do not realize the nature of this threat. They should remember, and we must remember, what the collaborative understanding between Communism and Nazism has done to the processes of democracy abroad...

:"Those forces hate democracy and Christianity as two phases of the same civilization. They oppose democracy because it is Christian. They oppose Christianity because it preaches democracy. Their objective is to prevent democracy from becoming strong. <ref>''Roosevelt and Hopkins'', Sherwood, 1948, pgs. 193-194 (pgs. 211 - 212 pdf).</ref>

As [[World War II]] broke out in Europe, FDR warned:

:"Those forces hate [[Democracy]] and [[Christianity]] as two phases of the same civilization."

The following year, on May 27, 1941, FDR stated in one of his radio addresses:

:The Nazis are as ruthless as the Communists in the denial of God.

"In his second inaugural address, FDR pledged to do his utmost by 'seeking Divine guidance.' He took that mission further on January 25, 1941, when he wrote a personal prologue to a special edition of the [[New Testament]], which was distributed to millions of U.S. soldiers. 'As Commander-in-Chief,' Roosevelt wrote, 'I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States.' He believed that all American soldiers should have the opportunity to read the words of [[Christ]] in preparing for battle. Once, when joining those soldiers aboard a warship with Winston Churchill, FDR asked the crew and prime minister to join him in singing the hymn 'Onward Christian Soldiers.' In his final inaugural address, FDR affirmed, "So we pray to Him for the vision to see our way clearly ... to achievement of His will.' "<ref>God and George W. Bush (New York: Regan Books, 2004), p. 176</ref>

When American soldiers were landing on the beaches of Normandy, Roosevelt led the nation in prayer during a radio broadcast. <ref>Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, [http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/odddayp.html Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer], June 6, 1944.</ref>

==Legacy==
[[Image:Dcrosmor.jpg|right|thumb|330px|Statue of the president at [[The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial]] in Washington D.C.]]

Roosevelt is an admired but still hotly debated president. Many credit Roosevelt with helping the United States survive the Great Depression and with providing solid leadership during World War II. Others, especially conservatives, assert that he uselessly expanded the welfare state, abused executive powers, and badly botched diplomacy before and during World War II.

Roosevelt's image now appears on the [[Dime]].

==See also==
*[[New Ordeal]]
*[[Michael Whitney Straight]]

==Further reading==
*H.W. Brands, ''Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt'' (2008)
*Smith, Jean Edward. ''FDR'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/FDR-Jean-Edward-Smith/dp/1400061210/ref=pd_ts_b_3?ie=UTF8&s=books excerpt and text search]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External Links ==
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=176 "The Mythology of Roosevelt and the New Deal," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_greatdepression.html/ Great Depression]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=12&articleID=139 "On the Brink of World War II: Justus Doenecke’s ''Storm on the Horizon''," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=113 "How War Amplified Federal Power in the Twentieth Century," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=65 ''Depression, War and Cold War'', by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/article.asp?id=138 "Wartime Prosperity?", by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=1431 Pearl Harbor]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/article.asp?id=1468 FDR: The Man, the Leader, the Legacy], Ralph Raico, Future of Freedom Foundation, April 1, 2001. Retrieved from The Independent Institute.org 06/17/07.


{{USPresidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Franklin D.}}

{{Liberalism}}
[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:People who were Educated at Home]]