Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

David Shuster

2008-02-10T17:33:39Z

AmeriCan:

'''David Shuster''' is a left-wing political reportor for the low-rated [[MSNBC]] news network. Based in [[Washington, D.C.]], he is a correspondent for ''[[Chris Matthews|Hardball with Chris Matthews]]'' and other MSNBC programs.

Shuster is controversial because of his habit of inserting his [[liberal]] political beliefs in to his coverage of stories, which has lead to several false claims and reports. The most well-know incident occurred on May 8, 2006, where he proclaimed, "And I am convinced that [[Karl Rove]] will, in fact, be indicted" <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/5856</ref> in relation to the [[Valerie Plame]] story. He was widely criticized for that blatant political commentary despite the fact that he claims to be a journalist. The proclamation became especially notable a month later, when it was announced the Rove would not be indicted.

An August 24, 2006 report for ''Hardball'' was especially criticized for bias and opinionated comments about the Bush Administration, which he labeled as full of "ineptitude." One media watchdog website noted that his report read like a DNC press release. <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/7171</ref>A month later, Shuster claimed that liberal former senator [[Lincoln Chafee]], who received a 100 percent rating from the ACLU, was a "moderate" and "bipartisan." Shuster also characterized Chafee's primary opponent, Stephen Laffey, as a "hard-line conservative."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/7584</ref>

Similar to the Karl Rove false prediction, in October of 2006, Shuster falsely predicted that then House Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]] would be ousted from his position as speaker of the House within a week. <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/8264</ref> Hastert remained in that House leadership position until January of 2007, when the new congress convened.

In November of 2006, Shuster interviewed Feisal Istrabadi, the [[Iraq|Iraqi ambassador]] to the [[United Nations]]. During the interview, for unexplained reason, Shuster was vehemently hostile towards Ambassador Istrabadi. At one point Shuster outright lied about when the Iraqi government had been formed, which had to be corrected by Ambassador Istrabadi.<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/9345</ref>

Continuing his history of giving his left-wing anti-[[George W. Bush|President Bush]] views while reporting, in August of 2007, Shuster declared the Bush Administration "an incompetent administration divorced from reality."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2007/08/29/hardball-larry-craig-moral-insult-katrina-victims</ref>

In September of 2007, Shuster held another controversial interview. This time with [[Tennessee]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] congresswoman Marsha Blackburn supposedly to discuss the MoveOn.org ad that accused General [[David Petraeus]] of treason. Out of no where, Shuster asked her to name the last American soldier from her district killed in [[Iraq]]. When she couldn't, Shuster launched into a tirade in which he berated her for not knowing the name, identifying the fallen soldier by name and then claimed that she cared more about an ad than the lost serviceman. Pentagon documents later revealed that the soldier Shuster named did not come from Blackburn's district, but from a neighboring one. When a blogger sent Shuster an e-mail pointing this out, he got a reply saying name didn't matter because the story was about Blackburn's hypocrisy and besides, "she didn't know the name, period."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/09/28/shuster-shredded-tasteless-gotcha-game</ref>

On November 13, 2007, Shuster branded Republican congressman Tom Tancredo a border-control "fanatic."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/11/13/msnbcs-shuster-tancredo-border-control-fanatic</ref>

December 7, 2007, while on the MSNBC's program ''Morning Joe'', Shuster said that evangelical Christians "go to a revival and then go to Guantanamo Bay and torture some people just for fun."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/12/07/shuster-imagines-evangelicals-going-gitmo-torture-people-just-fun</ref>

Like the vast majority of personalities on MSNBC, Shuster is a strident supporter of Senator [[Barack Obama]] in the Democratic presidential primaries and like [[Chris Matthews]] has made personal attacks on the Clinton family. In February of 2008, he sparked new controversy when he attacked Chelsea Clinton for supporting her mother's presidential campaign; at one point saying, "Chelsea's sort of being pimped out."<ref>http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_campaign_goes_to_war_w.php</ref> NBC News later suspended him for that comment.<ref>http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/politics/shuster_suspended_for_pimped_out_comment_77059.asp</ref> On February 9, 2008, sources at MSNBC revealed that Phil Griffin, senior vice president at the network, "screamed" at Shuster for not agreeing to immediately apologize to Chelsea Clinton for the comment. Griffin threatened to fire Shuster "on the spot," and it was only with intervention from Tim Russert that Shuster didn't lose his position.<ref>http://bigheaddc.com/2008/02/09/nbc-vp-wanted-to-fire-shuster-on-the-spot/</ref>

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />

[[category: Broadcasters|Shuster, David]]

Mark Sanford

2008-02-10T14:23:37Z

AmeriCan:

'''Mark Sanford''' is the [[Republican]] Governor of [[South Carolina]].

[[Category:Political people|Sanford, Mark]]

Rugby (sport)

2008-02-09T21:43:01Z

AmeriCan:

'''Rugby''' refers to the sports of [[rugby union]] and [[rugby league]], which are team sports popular in the UK, France, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and throughout the south Pacific region. It is similar in some ways to [[American Football]], being the original basis of American football's laws, and [[Australian Rules Football]].

Two teams of fifteen (rugby union) or thirteen (rugby league) players carry, pass (only backwards or lateral passes are allowed in Rugby) and kick the ball down the field in order to be able to touch the ball down in the opposition's in-goal, (an in-goal being the comparative and the derivative of the end zone in America football). When the ball is touched down, it is known as a '''try'''. Scoring a try awards that team a certain amount of points: 5 in rugby union and 4 in rugby league. An '''attempt''' (or try, the original source of the word) '''at conversion''' is than allowed which is taken by kicking the ball from a stationary position on the ground (usually with the help of a kicking tee or a small mound of dirt) over the '''crossbars''' of the posts which awards the team an additional 2 points. Other manners of scoring points is by penalty kick: worth 2 points in rugby league and 3 points in rugby union, or by drop goal:worth 1 point in rugby league and 3 points in rugby union. <ref>http://www.uidaho.edu/clubs/womens_rugby/RugbyRoot/rugby/Rules/LawBook/preface.html#object</ref>

==References==

<References/>

==See also==
*[[History of rugby]]
*[[Touch football]]
*[[Rugby league]]

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Rugby]]

Soccer

2008-02-09T21:42:10Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:800px-Soccer goalkeeper.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Goalkeeper leaping to make a save]]
'''Soccer''', better known outside the U.S. as "[[football]]". (Spanish ''fútbol''). <ref>The word ''soccer'' derived in England as slang for "As'''soc'''iation Football" [http://london.usembassy.gov/rss/transcripts/worldcup2006a.html] ''US Embassy, London'' (a similar construction can be seen in referring to '''rug'''by as "rugger") </ref>, is the most popular [[team sport]] in the world{{fact}}, described by the legendary Brazilian player, [[Pele]], as "The Beautiful Game". Its governing body is [[FIFA]] (Fédération Internationale de Football Association).

The game is played between two teams of 11 players (10 field players and one [[goalkeeper]] each). In official play, there are two 45 [[minute]] halves separated by a 15 minute break known as half-time. In [[knockout cup]] games, if a game is tied after 90 minutes, there is often an additional period of play consisting of 2 X 15-minute halves. If the scores are still level, the result is decided with a penalty shootout. The set of rules used in soccer are called the [[Laws of the Game]].

The game is played on a grass (or artificial grass) pitch with dimensions 90-120 m (100-130 yards) in length and 45-90 m (50-100) in width.<ref>[http://www.fifa.com/documents/fifa/laws/LOTG2006_e.pdf FIFA Laws of the Game 2006] ''Official FIFA website''</ref>
A goal is scored when the ([[sphere|spherical]]) ball is propelled into the opposition net. The distinctive feature of the game is that, with the exception of the goalkeepers, players may not touch the ball with their hands or arms.

==A note on terms==
"Soccer" is the term used in North America, Australia and some other countries. It is most commonly known as "football" (or an equivalent local translation) elsewhere.

==Note==
<references/>

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Football soccer]]
[[Category:Soccer]]

Tennis

2008-02-09T21:41:32Z

AmeriCan:

Tennis is a [[sport]] that is played by hitting a bright green [[ball]] back and forth over a net with large rackets. It is played on a variety of surfaces, most commonly concrete, clay, and grass.

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Tennis]]

Wrestling

2008-02-09T21:41:02Z

AmeriCan:

'''Wrestling''' is an amateur sport, popular in high school, college and the [[Olympics]], which consists of opponents of similar weight attempting to obtain control of each other and pinning the opposition to the ground.

This extremely athletic sport is not to be confused with "professional wrestling," which is staged entertainment.

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Wrestling]]

Boxing

2008-02-09T21:40:18Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Muhammad Ali.jpg|thumb|]]
'''Boxing''' is an [[Olympic]] arena [[sport]] where two opponents hit each other (usually wearing red gloves). Boxing is perhaps the most challenging sport of all. A boxer requires a unique blend of speed, strength, and endurance. In addition to these qualities, he must stand up to the punishment inflicted by an equally matched opponent. To withstand the inevitable pain and fatigue, the boxer must possess a mind that is as tough as his body. Boxing is still very popular, possibly having roots in ancient Greek styles of boxing, although with certain and clearly defined roots in the bare-knuckle fights in England in the early-modern era, being given modern rules in the 19th century by the Marquess of Queensbury.

==Methods==
Right-handed boxers usually fight from an orthodox stance. This means putting the left foot slightly ahead of the right with both feet spread apart and the weight of the body evenly distributed on both. This position enables the boxer to move quickly in any direction. The left arm is partly extended to the front. The right arm is held close to the body to guard the [[stomach]] and [[jaw]]. Left-handed boxers stand with the right foot and right arm forward. The chief points of attack are the tip of the jaw, the spot just below the [[ear]], and the midsection of the body. A solid punch delivered to one of these points often results in a knockout. A good offense is usually built around the four recognized classes of punches jab, straight blow, hook or cross, and uppercut. The jab is a sharp, light punch delivered by straightening out the bent arm, usually the left arm in a typical stance. The jab can be used effectively to harass an opponent and to keep him off-balance. A cross, a straight punch with the right, may carry the weight of the body behind it and will result in a knockout if it is landed in a vital spot, and is usually preceded by a jab, a combination often referred to as a "one-two". The hook, either left or right, is a blow with the arm held at or near a right angle, powered by the quick, strong rotation of the back and core muscles, aimed to slip by the opponent's guard in a circular fashion. The uppercut is a blow directed upward, usually aimed at the jaw or the midsection. When delivered with full power either punch can be a knockout blow - although knockouts are technically achievable with jabs, as well as the typical power punches, the hook, uppercut, and cross. The defense may also may be built around several basic maneuvers. Blocking is parrying with the glove, forearm, elbow, or shoulder to deflect the opponent's punches. Slipping, which depends upon fast footwork, consists of stepping aside and making the rival miss. Another trick is to roll with the punch that is, to soften the effect of a blow by moving in the direction it is aimed - confusingly named, since a boxer may also perform a "shoulder roll", a roll of the shoulder that does not involve taking a blow, but intercepting with a circular motion of the shoulder inward when the punch is entering. Ducking is bobbing down so that the blow goes over the head. Clinching, when done legally, ties up the opponent's arms and gives the boxer an opportunity to rest, although this is looked down upon and discouraged. Other maneuvers, offensive and defensive, are also useful to a boxer. Feinting is bluffing with one hand preparatory to delivering a blow with the other. Leading is opening an attack, usually with a left jab. Countering is throwing a hard punch at the opponent at the exact moment he leads off.

== See also ==

*[[Muhammad Ali]]
*[[Wrestling]]

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:boxing]]

Basketball

2008-02-09T21:38:30Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Basketball.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The 2004 Basketball World Championship.]]
'''Basketball''' is a popular team [[sport]] that was invented by a [[Canadian]], [[James Naismith]] in 1892. The game is played with a ball that is usually colored orange with black stripes. There are five players on each team and each team tries to "shoot" the basketball through their opponent's "baskets" (orange metal rims that are ten feet high, suspended by "backboards"). A completed shot is also referred to as a "basket". The ball is advanced by "dribbling" (moving the ball down the court of play by bouncing) and by passing the ball among teammates. Walking with the ball is not permitted, and is called "traveling".

The rules of the game have evolved over the years. Originally, dribbling was not permitted. <ref>http://www.hoophall.com/default/bhof-default.html</ref> Also, originally, baskets were only worth one point. Later, they became worth two points, and late in the 20th century, a "three point line" was added. This is an [[arc]], and shots completed from beyond this arc are worth three points. In college basketball, the three point line is 19 feet, 9 inches out from the center of the basket. <ref>http://www.ncaa.org/releases/rules/2004/hs~2004011401ru.htm</ref> In the [[NBA]] (National Basketball Association, a professional basketball league), the three point line is 23 feet, 9 inches out from the center of the basketball except in the corner of the court, where the line is 22 feet out. <ref>http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/basketball/nba/nbahistory.htm</ref> In some situations after fouls (instance where rough play leads to the referee calling for a stoppage in play), players are allowed to take uncontested "free throws" worth one point.

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
*[[National Basketball Association]]

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Basketball]]

American Football

2008-02-09T21:22:55Z

AmeriCan:

'''American Football''' is a professional [[sport]] played predominantly in [[North America]]. A team can score a 6-point [[touchdown]] by carrying the football into the opposing team's [[end zone]]. This can be done by running the ball past the end line (a running play), or passing the ball to a teammate inside the end zone (a passing play). A 3-point [[field goal]] can also be scored by kicking the ball between the [[goalpost]]s in the opposing team's end zone. Football is easily the most-viewed spectator sport in the [[United States]], far surpassing [[baseball]].<ref>[http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Documents/NFL_all_about_SB_1-07.pdf Super Bowl XLI Viewership Report]</ref>

==Rules==
As with all popular sports, football has a well-codified set of rules. These are mostly to promote safe gameplay, prevent serious injuries, and keep the game fair.

===Field===
[[Image:AmericanFootballField.gif|thumb|right|300px|A standard football field (note the hash marks running horizontally down the field).]]
American football is played on a field that is 120 yards long and 160 feet wide. The last 10 yards of each end of the field are known as ''end zones''. The longer (120 yd) boundary lines are known as "sidelines", while the shorter (100 yd) boundary lines are known as "end lines". Two sets of ''hash marks'' run horizontally down the field, and every play starts with the ball on or between the hash marks. A player must carry the ball into (or catch a ball while within) the end zone in order to score a ''touchdown'', worth 6 points.

At the back of each end zone are two vertical "goal posts", standing 18.5 feet apart. These are connected by a crossbar approx. 10 feet from the ground. After a touchdown, the scoring team may attempt a Point After Touchdown (extra point), where a player attempts to kick the ball through the posts. If successful, the team gains an extra point. Additionally, a team may attempt a ''field goal'' at any time (usually on a 4th down), though this is rarely attempted if the distance from the goal posts is more than ~35 yards. If successful, this kick is worth three points, though the other team gets possession of the ball regardless of the outcome of the kick.

===Players===
Each team may have exactly 11 players on the field at any given time, meaning a total of 22 players will be present on the football field during a play. Players are required to wear certain grades of helmets, shoulder pads, thigh/hip pads, and knee pads while playing on the field.

===Advancing the Ball===
The team with possession of the ball (the ''offense'') is given four attempts (called ''[[Down (football)|downs]]'') to advance the ball 10 yards down the field. If the ball is moved at least ten yards during these four attempts, the offense is given a ''first down'', meaning that they have another four chances to move the ball 10 yards (the downs are cumulative; for example, if the offense moves the ball three yards on the first down and five yards on the second down, they only have to move it two yards over the next two downs to gain a first down) If the offense fails to move at least 10 yards over four plays, the opposing team is given possession of the ball.
[[Image:AmericanFootballPositions.png|thumb|right|300px|Typical offensive/defensive positions at the start of a play. The offensive positions are represented by blue circles, and the defensive positions are in red (note: click on the picture for a guide to position abbreviations).]]
The yard line on the field where the ball is located is known as the ''line of scrimmage''. The offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage facing the opponents end zone, while the defense must be behind the line of scrimmage with their backs to their own end zone.

Every play begins with the teams facing each other on the line of scrimmage, and the players may move once the ball is ''snapped'' (removed from the ground) by the [[center (football)|center]]. The center usually snaps the ball between his legs to the [[quarterback]] (QB), who may take one of several courses of action;

*The quarterback may hand the ball off to a rusher (usually a [[fullback]], [[halfback]], or [[runningback]]), who will attempt to run the ball down the field as far as they can before being stopped by the defense.
*The quarterback may opt to throw the ball to a receiver (usually a [[wide receiver]] or [[tight end]]) who is already several yards down the field. Once the receiver catches the ball, he may continue to run until brought down by a defensive player. If the receiver does not catch the ball, it is called an ''incomplete pass''.
*The quarterback may spike the ball at the ground to stop the game clock, at the expense of a loss of a down.
*The quarterback may run the ball down the field himself; this option is usually unwise, as an injury to the QB can be destructive to an entire team for the whole season.

The play ends when the referee's whistle is blown. The whistle can be blown for several reasons;
*The ball carrier is tackled (his knee touches the ground) by members of the opposing team. The location of the ball when the carrier touches the ground is used to determine the amount of yards gained by the offense.
*A forward pass hits the ground or flies out of bounds before being touched. This is an ''incomplete pass''.
*The ball carrier steps ''out of bounds''.
*The offense carries the ball into the endzone, or kicks a field goal.

===Scoring===
[[Image:Fieldgoal.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A kicker attempts a field goal, as the defensive line jumps to block the ball.]]
There are three ways to score in football;
*A [[Touchdown (football)|touchdown]] is scored when an offensive player runs the ball into or catches a pass in his opponent's end zone. Unlike Rugby, the ball does not need to be grounded to count as a touchdown ("try" in Rugby).
**After the touchdown, the scoring team may attempt a ''conversion''. The football is placed on the opposing teams 2-yard line, and the offense may either kick it between to goalposts (for an ''extra point'' or ''Point After Touchdown (PAT)''), or attempt to run or pass the ball into the endzone (a ''two-point conversion'').
*A [[Field Goal]] (FG) occurs when the offense kicks the football between the opposing teams goalposts. A successful field goal is worth three points. A field goal differs from a PAT in that the field goal may be attempted at any time when the offense has possession of the ball (though almost always on a fourth down), and that it is worth three points rather than one.
*A [[safety (football)|Safety]] occurs when a defensive player downs a ball carrier in the ball carriers ''own'' end zone. A safety is also awarded if the offense fumbles the ball out-of-bounds in their own end zone or have a punt blocked in their own end zone.

==Variations==
Because real American football involves potentially dangerous physical contact, primary-grade schoolkids across the country often play ''flag football'' (where pulling a flag off of the opponent represents a tackle) and ''touch football'' (where touching the opponent with both hands represents a tackle). Both of these variants usually omit the offensive and defensive lines, and impose a time limit - often 3 seconds - before linebackers can rush the QB.

==External Links==
*[http://www.nfl.com/history NFL - History and basics]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Football]]

Baseball

2008-02-09T21:22:24Z

AmeriCan:

''This article is about the game of '''baseball'''. For other uses, see [[Baseball (disambiguation)]]

[[Image:Busch Stadium.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A baseball game at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri.]]

'''Baseball''', is a [[game]] consisting of nine active players on each [[team]] (except for those teams having [[designated hitter]]s) who take turns playing defense on the field and batting one at a time. The object is for the batters to hit a ball thrown by the [[pitcher]] into "fair" territory such that it is not caught in the air and gives the batter time to run to a base. The offense strives to advance these baserunners until they circle the three [[infield]] bases in order and get to the fourth base, called "home". This results in the scoring of a run. Failing to reach a base during their batting attempt results in an out, and the offense is only allowed three outs before they must take the field once again. Each team is allowed nine of these "innings" during the course of the game, an exception being that a team does not bat a ninth time if they are winning after the other teams ninth attempt. If the game is tied after nine innings, additional innings are played until there is a winner.

==History==
A well-publicized [[tradition]] holds that the game was invented by [[Abner Doubleday]] in [[Cooperstown]], [[New York]] in 1839. But not even the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]], founded on the strength of that tradition, seriously promotes this theory any more:
:After the [1905] Commission [appointed to determine the game's origins] reported its findings in 1908, many of the game's historians disputed Graves' accounts, noting that many of the innovations he attributed to Doubleday were already being practiced earlier in the 1830s. The discovery in 1999 of the original Mills Commission papers, long reported to have been burned, supports the view of many researchers that Baseball developed from, and along with, other bat-and-ball games earlier in the nineteenth century.<ref name=cooperstown>[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/about/history.htm The Origins of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]</ref>

The word "baseball" is mentioned in passing in [[Jane Austen]]'s 1803 British novel [[Northanger Abbey]], set in England:
:it was not very wonderful that Catherine, who had by nature nothing heroic about her, should prefer cricket, baseball, riding on horseback, and running about the country at the age of fourteen, to books...<ref>Austen, Jane (1803) ''[Northanger Abbey http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext94/nabby11h.htm]'', Chapter 1</ref>

but there is nothing in the context that tells any details of the game.

"Base-ball" or "base ball" was being played, under that name, during the [[Civil War]]:
:Captain Kimberly was an experienced and skillful player and base ball player and took the lead in inaugurating a series of games of base ball.<ref>Nash, Eugene Arus (1910) ''A History of the Forty-fourth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil War, 1861-1865'', [http://books.google.com/books?vid=0Tt8agPo9LwQQsMG9YEqtf&id=L1eQYSRFhIQC&pg=PA166&lpg=PA166&dq=base-ball+civil+war&as_brr=1 p. 166]</ref>
:The air seemed full of heavy shot, and as the flew they could be seen as plainly as a base-ball in one of our games.<ref>Johnson, Robert Underwood and Clarence Clough Buel (1888), ''Battles and Leaders of the Civil War,'' Volume IV, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=0veexS1IQVEWthmLI7jQgT3&id=rSwOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=base-ball+civil+war&as_brr=1 p. 37]</ref>
A 1902 book about [[Philadelphia]] says that "base-ball" was simply a new name for an older game:
:During the Civil War there was an interesting athletic development when the old game of "town-ball" was rechristened "base-ball." It is believed that the first town-ball club, called the Olympic, was established in 1833.<ref>Edmond, Franklin Spencer, ''History of the Central High School of Philadelphia'' [http://books.google.com/books?vid=0z6LOHidtNQ5hb4rcxNHUcc&id=wogWAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&dq=base-ball+civil+war&as_brr=1 p. 251]</ref>
In 2004, a baseball historian made national news with the apparent discovery of 1791 bylaw of the town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, stating that
:for the Preservation of the Windows in the New Meeting House... no Person or Inhabitant of said town, shall be permitted to play at any game called Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, Football, Cat, Fives or any other game or games with balls, within the Distance of Eighty Yards from said Meeting House.<ref>[http://www.pittsfield-ma.org/subpage.asp?ID=226 Pittsfield is "Baseball's Garden of Eden"]</ref>

The Abner-Doubleday-in-Cooperstown tradition was a reaction to famous baseball writer Henry Chadwick, who had stated that the game evolved from the British game of "rounders."<ref name=cooperstown/>. In response, Albert G. Spaulding, another baseball pioneer, urged the formation of a commission to determine the game's origin; one was formed, and in due course issued a report on December 30, 1907 stating "the first scheme for playing baseball, according to the best evidence obtainable to date, was devised by Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown, N.Y. in 1839."
The results of the Spaulding committee led to the 1939 founding of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the city of Cooperstown.<ref>The National Baseball Hall of Fame was inspired by the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in New York. Established in 1901, with a 600-foot colonnade ultimately containing bronze busts of 98 great Americans, the Hall of Fame was at one time a major landmark, and the additions of honorees to it was a national news event. Ironically, the Hall of Fame for Great Americans has itself passed into obscurity; today, the phrase "Hall of Fame" has practically come to mean the National Baseball Hall of Fame.</ref>

==Miscellaneous==

The baseball as we know it—or at least the familiar "figure-eight" stitched cover—was invented in the 1840s by Ellis Drake of Stoughton, Massachusetts.<ref>[http://www.19cbaseball.com/19th-century-baseball.html Nineteenth-century baseballs]</ref>

The umpire's hand signals for "strike" and "out" were invented by deaf baseball player William "Dummy" Hoy (1861-1961)<ref>[http://library.gallaudet.edu/dr/faq-deaf-place-names.html Deaf Place Names]</ref>

==The ball==

[[Image:Baseball.jpg|left|150px]]
''' Baseball ball ''': The baseball’s core is made of rubber and cork. Yarn is wound around the rubber and cork centre. Then 2 strips of white cowhide are sewn around the ball. Official baseballs must weigh 5 to 5 1/4 ounces and be 9 to 9 1/4 inches around
 
 
 
== References ==
*[http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/beginners/glossary.html Baseball Glossary] WETA.
*[http://www.nocryinginbaseball.com/glossary/glossary.html Baseball Glossary OF TERMS]
*[http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/pitch_glossary.shtml Pitching Glossary]
*[http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/bat_glossary.shtml Batting Glossary]
== External links ==
*[http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp The Official Site of Major League Baseball]
*[http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp Minor League Baseball]
*[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/features/alumni/article.jsp?article=history BASEBALL HISTORY] Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.
*[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/features/alumni/stats.jsp Stats]
*[http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/index.jsp Hall of Fame] National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.
== See also ==
*[[Baseball]]
*[[Major League Baseball]]
*[[Baseball (disambiguation)]]
{{baseball}}

==Notes and references==
<references/>

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Baseball]]

Aikijutsu

2008-02-09T21:11:48Z

AmeriCan:

'''Aikijutsu''' (Japanese Martial Art) is a form of jujutsu which emphasizes the 'early neutralization' of an attack. Like other forms of jujutsu it emphasizes throwing techniques and joint manipulations to effectively control, subdue or injure an attacker. It emphasizes using the timing of an attack to either blend or neutralize its effectiveness and use the force of the attacker's movement against them. Daito-ryu is characterized by the ample use of atemi, or the striking of vital areas, in order to set their jointlocking or throwing tactics. Some the art's striking methods employ the swinging of the outstretched arms to create power and to hit with the fists at deceptive angles. Tokimune regarded one of the unique characteristics of the art to be its preference for controlling a downed attacker's joints with one's knee in order to leave one's hands free to access one's weapons or to deal with the threat of other oncoming attackers.

Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, originally called Daito-ryu jujutsu, is a Japanese martial art that first became widely known in the early 20th century under the headmastership of Takeda Sokaku. Takeda had extensive training in several martial arts (including Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu and sumo) and referred to the style he taught as "Daito-ryu". Although the school's traditions claim to extend back centuries in Japanese history there are no known extant records regarding the ryu before Takeda. Whether he is regarded as the restorer or founder of the art, the known history of Daito-ryu begins with Takeda Sokaku. Perhaps the most famous student of Takeda was Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido.

There are a number of [[martial arts]] in addition to aikido which appear or claim to descend from the art of Daito-ryu or the teachings of Takeda Sokaku. Among them is the Korean martial art of hapkido founded by Choi Yong Sul, who made unverified claims to have trained under Takeda Sokaku, Hakko Ryu founded by Okuyama Yoshiharu who trained under Takeda, Nippon Shorinji Kempo founded by Nakano Michiomi (So Doshin) who is known to have trained under Okuyama. Several other modern schools of aikijutsu such as Yamate-Ryu and Takeda-Ryu also claim a connection to Daito-ryu.

The term aiki-jujutsu (variations aikijujutsu and aikijutsu) in a number of cases have been adopted by newly synthesized martial arts and refer to aikido techniques performed in a "harder" manner such as Tenshin-Ryu, Senso-Ryu, Shindo-Ryu. It also relates to arts that teach jujutsu with an aiki application. Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu is not the sole art that refers to Aikijujutsu (or its derivatives). Daito Ryu was originally called Daito Ryu Jujutsu, and was later changed to Aikijujutsu by Sokaku Takeda.

[[category:sports]]

David Petraeus

2008-02-09T21:08:12Z

AmeriCan:

General '''David Petraeus''' is head of the US-led multinational force in [[Iraq]] which is fighting against the terrorist insurgents in the civil war there. He was unanimously confirmed by the [[US Senate]], particularly because of his long-established reputation for [[honesty]].

Senator [[Hillary Clinton]], who helped appoint him, called him a liar when he gave his September 2007 report on President Bush's "[[troop surge]]". <ref>When questioning him on September 11, she lectured that, "I think that the reports that you provide to us really require a willing suspension of disbelief." [http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/EDITORIAL/109180036/1013&template=nextpage (Washington Times editorial)] </ref> In response to this report, Petraeus was the victim of [[liberal]] advocacy group [[MoveOn.org]]'s "vicious"<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/09/11/moveons_mccarthy_moment/ MoveOn's McCarthy moment], By Peter D. Feaver, ''Boston Globe'', September 11, 2007.</ref> attack campaign subsidized by the ''[[New York Times]]''<ref>[http://www.nypost.com/seven/09132007/news/nationalnews/times_gives_lefties_a_hefty_di.htm Time Gives Lefties a Hefty Discount for "Betray us" Ad], Charles Hurt, ''New York Post'', September 13, 2007.</ref> which contributed a monetary discount for an advertisement, without foundation, entitled "General Petraeus or General Betray Us"? The accusation of treason sparked so much controversy that even the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-controlled [[Senate]] passed a resolution condemning the attack on General Petraeus.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297498,00.html Senate Votes to Condemn MoveOn for Ad Attacking General Petraeus], [[FOX News]], September 20, 2007.</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[category:United States Army]]

Chris Matthews

2008-02-09T15:01:04Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:C matthews.jpg‎|right|thumb|200px|Chris Matthews]]
'''Christopher John Matthews''' is the [[liberal]] [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] host of the talk show ''Hardball with Chris Matthews''. He has worked for four Democratic politicians. He was a speechwriter for President [[Jimmy Carter]] and wrote Carter's infamous "malaise" speech. Despite his claim that he voted for [[George W. Bush]] in 2000, like most hosts and journalists on [[MSNBC]] he is a vocal opponent of the [[Republican Party]] and the Bush Administration in particular.

His on-going random attacks on Fox News Network pundit Bill O'Reilly have raised eyebrows in the broadcast community because they are interlaced into his broadcasts without context or explanation.

Matthews has also won a series of awards ranging from the [[David Brinkley]] Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism to the Gold Medal Award from the Pennsylvania Society.

He well known for being a strident supporter of Senator [[Barack Obama]] and his presidential campaign.

{{DEFAULTSORT: Matthews, Chris}}

{{uncited2}}

[[category: Broadcasters]]

Chris Matthews

2008-02-09T15:00:45Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:C matthews.jpg‎|right|thumb|200px|Chris Matthews]]
'''Christopher John Matthews''' is the [[liberal]] [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] host of the talk show ''Hardball with Chris Matthews''. He has worked for four Democratic politicians. He was a speechwriter for President [[Jimmy Carter]] and wrote Carter's infamous "malaise" speech. Despite his claim that he voted for [[George W. Bush]] in 2000, like most hosts and journalists on [[MSNBC]] he is a vocal opponent of the [[Republican Party]] and the Bush Administration in particular.

His on-going random attacks on Fox News Network pundit Bill O'Reilly have raised eyebrows in the broadcast community because they are interlaced into his broadcasts without context or explanation.

Matthews has also won a series of awards ranging from the [[David Brinkley]] Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism to the Gold Medal Award from the Pennsylvania Society.

He well known for being a strident supporter of Senator [[Barak Obama]] and his presidential campaign.

{{DEFAULTSORT: Matthews, Chris}}

{{uncited2}}

[[category: Broadcasters]]

Lindsey Graham

2008-02-08T23:16:29Z

AmeriCan:

'''Lindsey Olin Graham''' (born July 9, 1955) is the senior [[United States]] [[Senator]] from the state of [[South Carolina]]. He is a member of the [[Republican Party]].

==Biography==
A native South Carolinian, Graham grew up in Central, graduated from D.W. Daniel High School, and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Graham logged six-and-a-half years of service on active duty as an [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] lawyer. From 1984-1988, he was assigned overseas and served at Rhein Mein Air Force Base in Germany. Upon leaving the active duty Air Force in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until his election to the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1994. During the first [[Gulf War]], Graham was called to active duty and served state-side at McEntire Air National Guard Base as Staff Judge Advocate where he prepared members for deployment to the Gulf region. His duties included briefing pilots on the law of armed conflict, preparing legal documents for deploying troops, and providing legal services for family members of the South Carolina Air National Guard. He received a commendation medal for his service at McEntire.

Graham served in Iraq as a reservist on active duty for short periods during April and two weeks in August 2007, where he worked on detainee and rule-of-law issues. That makes him the only Iraq war veteran serving in the United States Senate.

==Political career==
In 1988, Graham went into private law practice and in 1992 was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1994, he became the first Republican to represent South Carolina's Third Congressional District in Washington since 1877. He quickly became powerful as a member of the Judiciary Committee during the impeachment of then-President [[Bill Clinton]] in 1998. Graham opposed some articles, but vigorously supported others. In January and February of 1999, after two impeachment articles had been passed by the full House, he was one of the managers who brought the House's case to Clinton’s trial in the Senate. Though the Senate did not convict Clinton, Graham became nationally known. Lindsey Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002, winning 54% of the vote.

===McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill===
Graham has been an adamant supporter of “comprehensive [[immigration]] reform” and of S. 2611, the [[McCain]]-[[Kennedy]] Bill of 2006 as well as the equally hotly debated S. 1348 of 2007, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007. Despite Graham's support the bill failed on a key Senate vote on June 28, 2007 and is unlikely to be revived. Graham's views on immigration has lead criticisms for [[conservative]]s. Popular [[radio]] talk show host [[Rush Limbaugh]] has referred to him as Senator "Grahamnesty."

===Alito Confirmation Hearings===
During the Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Judge [[Samuel Alito]] for a seat on the [[United States Supreme Court]], Graham sparked controversy. asked Alito, "Are you really a closet bigot?" Alito answered "I'm not any kind of a bigot, I'm not." and Graham continued his statement by expressing his opinion that Alito definitely was not a bigot. Alito's wife cried and left the hearing briefly.

==External links==
*[http://lgraham.senate.gov/ Official Website]
*[http://www.lindseygraham.com/ Campaign Website]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Lindsey_Graham.htm Graham on the issues]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Lindsey}}

[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

David Shuster

2008-02-08T21:59:08Z

AmeriCan:

'''David Shuster''' is a left-wing political reportor for the low-rated [[MSNBC]] news network. Based in [[Washington, D.C.]], he is a correspondent for ''[[Chris Matthews|Hardball with Chris Matthews]]'' and other MSNBC programs.

Shuster is controversial because of his habit of inserting his [[liberal]] political beliefs in to his coverage of stories, which has lead to several false claims and reports. The most well-know incident occurred on May 8, 2006, where he proclaimed, "And I am convinced that [[Karl Rove]] will, in fact, be indicted" <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/5856</ref> in relation to the [[Valerie Plame]] story. He was widely criticized for that blatant political commentary despite the fact that he claims to be a journalist. The proclamation became especially notable a month later, when it was announced the Rove would not be indicted.

An August 24, 2006 report for ''Hardball'' was especially criticized for bias and opinionated comments about the Bush Administration, which he labeled as full of "ineptitude." One media watchdog website noted that his report read like a DNC press release. <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/7171</ref>A month later, Shuster claimed that liberal former senator [[Lincoln Chafee]], who received a 100 percent rating from the ACLU, was a "moderate" and "bipartisan." Shuster also characterized Chafee's primary opponent, Stephen Laffey, as a "hard-line conservative."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/7584</ref>

Similar to the Karl Rove false prediction, in October of 2006, Shuster falsely predicted that then House Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]] would be ousted from his position as speaker of the House within a week. <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/8264</ref> Hastert remained in that House leadership position until January of 2007, when the new congress convened.

In November of 2006, Shuster interviewed Feisal Istrabadi, the [[Iraq|Iraqi ambassador]] to the [[United Nations]]. During the interview, for unexplained reason, Shuster was vehemently hostile towards Ambassador Istrabadi. At one point Shuster outright lied about when the Iraqi government had been formed, which had to be corrected by Ambassador Istrabadi.<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/9345</ref>

Continuing his history of giving his left-wing anti-[[George W. Bush|President Bush]] views while reporting, in August of 2007, Shuster declared the Bush Administration "an incompetent administration divorced from reality."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2007/08/29/hardball-larry-craig-moral-insult-katrina-victims</ref>

In September of 2007, Shuster held another controversial interview. This time with [[Tennessee]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] congresswoman Marsha Blackburn supposedly to discuss the MoveOn.org ad that accused General [[David Petraeus]] of treason. Out of no where, Shuster asked her to name the last American soldier from her district killed in [[Iraq]]. When she couldn't, Shuster launched into a tirade in which he berated her for not knowing the name, identifying the fallen soldier by name and then claimed that she cared more about an ad than the lost serviceman. Pentagon documents later revealed that the soldier Shuster named did not come from Blackburn's district, but from a neighboring one. When a blogger sent Shuster an e-mail pointing this out, he got a reply saying name didn't matter because the story was about Blackburn's hypocrisy and besides, "she didn't know the name, period."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/09/28/shuster-shredded-tasteless-gotcha-game</ref>

On November 13, 2007, Shuster branded Republican congressman Tom Tancredo a border-control "fanatic."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/11/13/msnbcs-shuster-tancredo-border-control-fanatic</ref>

December 7, 2007, while on the MSNBC's program ''Morning Joe'', Shuster said that evangelical Christians "go to a revival and then go to Guantanamo Bay and torture some people just for fun."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/12/07/shuster-imagines-evangelicals-going-gitmo-torture-people-just-fun</ref>

Like the vast majority of personalities on MSNBC, Shuster is a strident supporter of Senator [[Barack Obama]] in the Democratic presidential primaries and like [[Chris Matthews]] has made personal attacks on the Clinton family. In February of 2008, he sparked new controversy when he attacked Chelsea Clinton for supporting her mother's presidential campaign; at one point saying, "Chelsea's sort of being pimped out."<ref>http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_campaign_goes_to_war_w.php</ref> NBC News later suspended him for that comment.<ref>http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/politics/shuster_suspended_for_pimped_out_comment_77059.asp</ref>

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />

[[category: Broadcasters|Shuster, David]]

Dennis Hastert

2008-02-08T20:45:26Z

AmeriCan: Redirecting to J. Dennis Hastert

#REDIRECT [[J. Dennis Hastert]]

David Shuster

2008-02-08T20:41:59Z

AmeriCan:

'''David Shuster''' is a left-wing political reportor for the low-rated [[MSNBC]] news network. Based in [[Washington, D.C.]], he is a correspondent for ''[[Chris Matthews|Hardball with Chris Matthews]]'' and other MSNBC programs.

Shuster is controversial because of his habit of inserting his [[liberal]] political beliefs in to his coverage of stories, which has lead to several false claims and reports. The most well-know incident occurred on May 8, 2006, where he proclaimed, "And I am convinced that [[Karl Rove]] will, in fact, be indicted" <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/5856</ref> in relation to the [[Valerie Plame]] story. He was widely criticized for that blatant political commentary despite the fact that he claims to be a journalist. The proclamation became especially notable a month later, when it was announced the Rove would not be indicted.

An August 24, 2006 report for ''Hardball'' was especially criticized for bias and opinionated comments about the Bush Administration, which he labeled as full of "ineptitude." One media watchdog website noted that his report read like a DNC press release. <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/7171</ref>A month later, Shuster claimed that liberal former senator [[Lincoln Chafee]], who received a 100 percent rating from the ACLU, was a "moderate" and "bipartisan." Shuster also characterized Chafee's primary opponent, Stephen Laffey, as a "hard-line conservative."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/7584</ref>

Similar to the Karl Rove false prediction, in October of 2006, Shuster falsely predicted that then House Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]] would be ousted from his position as speaker of the House within a week. <ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/8264</ref> Hastert remained in that House leadership position until January of 2007, when the new congress convened.

In November of 2006, Shuster interviewed Feisal Istrabadi, the [[Iraq|Iraqi ambassador]] to the [[United Nations]]. During the interview, for unexplained reason, Shuster was vehemently hostile towards Ambassador Istrabadi. At one point Shuster outright lied about when the Iraqi government had been formed, which had to be corrected by Ambassador Istrabadi.<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/9345</ref>

Continuing his history of giving his left-wing anti-[[George W. Bush|President Bush]] views while reporting, in August of 2007, Shuster declared the Bush Administration "an incompetent administration divorced from reality."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2007/08/29/hardball-larry-craig-moral-insult-katrina-victims</ref>

In September of 2007, Shuster held another controversial interview. This time with [[Tennessee]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] congresswoman Marsha Blackburn supposedly to discuss the MoveOn.org ad that accused General [[David Petraeus]] of treason. Out of no where, Shuster asked her to name the last American soldier from her district killed in [[Iraq]]. When she couldn't, Shuster launched into a tirade in which he berated her for not knowing the name, identifying the fallen soldier by name and then claimed that she cared more about an ad than the lost serviceman. Pentagon documents later revealed that the soldier Shuster named did not come from Blackburn's district, but from a neighboring one. When a blogger sent Shuster an e-mail pointing this out, he got a reply saying name didn't matter because the story was about Blackburn's hypocrisy and besides, "she didn't know the name, period."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/09/28/shuster-shredded-tasteless-gotcha-game</ref>

On November 13, 2007, Shuster branded Republican congressman Tom Tancredo a border-control "fanatic."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/11/13/msnbcs-shuster-tancredo-border-control-fanatic</ref>

December 7, 2007, while on the MSNBC's program ''Morning Joe'', Shuster said that evangelical Christians "go to a revival and then go to Guantanamo Bay and torture some people just for fun."<ref>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/12/07/shuster-imagines-evangelicals-going-gitmo-torture-people-just-fun</ref>

Like the vast majority of personalities on MSNBC, Shuster is a strident supporter of Senator [[Barack Obama]] in the Democratic presidential primaries and like [[Chris Matthews]] has made personal attacks on the Clinton family. In February of 2008, he sparked new controversy when he attacked Chelsea Clinton for supporting her mother's presidential campaign; at one point saying, "Chelsea's sort of being pimped out."<ref>http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_campaign_goes_to_war_w.php</ref>

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />

[[category: Broadcasters|Shuster, David]]

John McCain

2008-02-07T23:39:02Z

AmeriCan: /* Electability */ correction

[[Image:Casmier.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''John Sidney McCain III''' (born August 29, 1936)<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> is the senior Senator from the state of [[Arizona]], having served 20 years after replacing [[Barry Goldwater]] in 1986. He is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> McCain is a candidate for the [[Republican]] nomination for [[President of the United States of America|President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 Election]].<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255535,00.html John McCain Announces Plans for '08 Presidential Candidacy on 'Late Night With David Letterman'], Associated Press, 1 March 2007</ref> McCain is a Baptist.<ref> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296973,00.html McCain Identifies Himself as a Baptist</ref>

McCain has been married twice. His first marriage, to Carol Shepp, ended in divorce in 1980. His second and current wife is Cindy Lou Hensley.

==Early Life==
McCain was born in the [[Panama]] Canal Zone. He was educated in Alexandria, [[Virginia]] before receiving his Bachelors of Science from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1958.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref>

==Military Career==
McCain served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1958 to 1981. He was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 during the Vietnam Conflict and held as a Prisoner of War for seven years.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref> McCain graduated from the National War College in 1974. Upon his retirement from the Navy in 1981, as a Captain, he had been commended with the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.<ref> [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref>

==Political Career==
McCain was elected to the [[House of Representatives]] from Arizona's 1st district in 1982 and served two terms before being elected to the [[Senate]] in 1986. In 2000, he pursued the presidency but lost his bid for the Republican nomination to [[George W. Bush]], the first time he had lost an election.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref> John McCain is currently running for presidency of the United States as a Republican.

==Political Record==

#National defense: McCain, a veteran, has been strong on national defense and a consistent supporter of the [[Iraq War]].
#[[Abortion]]: On Senate votes directly concerning abortion, McCain has voted on the pro-life side.
#Government Spending. McCain has vigorously advocated for the elimination of so-called "[[pork-barrel]]" spending. He voted against President Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug Act on the grounds that it was too costly.
#[[Evolution]]: McCain's position is that [[intelligent design]] should be taught along with the [[theory of evolution]].
#[[Campaign finance]]: In 2002, McCain joined with liberal Democrat Russell Feingold to prohibit independent groups from advertising about a candidate within many weeks of an election. This law prohibits ads that do not even recommend for whom to vote, but merely urge people to contact their representatives concerning a vote that the representatives will make in Congress. A court recently declared this unconstitutional.
#[[Same-sex marriage]]: In 2006, McCain joined Democrats and liberal Republicans in voting against the Federal Marriage Amendment to protect traditional marriage. Later, on ''Hardball'', McCain declared, "On the issue of the gay marriage, I believe that people want to have private ceremonies, that's fine." Also, McCain's home state of Arizona was the only state to defeat a marriage referendum (in 2006), as McCain did nothing to support it.
#[[Gambling]]: The McCain-Feingold campaign finance law allows Indian nations (which get nearly all their money from unregulated casinos) to make unlimited political donations, even though political donations by American citizens are strictly limited and political spending by corporations is prohibited.
#Tax cuts: McCain opposed President George W. Bush's tax cuts, on the argument that cutting taxes without also cutting spending was not actually a tax cut, but was a tax on future generations. He now supports keeping the Bush tax cuts in place.
#Criticism of the religious right: In his unsuccessful campaign in 2000, McCain criticized elements of the religious right.
#[[Gun control]]: In 2002, McCain supported [[gun control]] by joining with [[Democrat]] [[Joseph Lieberman]] to push legislation that would shut down gun shows.<ref>[http://www.haciendapub.com/gunpage10.html "Gun Shows and Gun Control: McCain Is at It Again!"]</ref>
#Immigration: In 2005-2006, McCain joined with liberal Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] to support a sweeping bill that was favorable to illegal aliens. It has not passed.
#"Gang of 14": On May 23, 2005, McCain was part of a group of 14 Senators who blocked the planned "nuclear option" for confirming blocked Republican nominees for the bench. Under this compromise a few judicial nominees were allowed to be confirmed (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor), but others (e.g., Henry Saad) remained blocked and had to withdraw.
#Senate Attendance Record. McCain has missed 33% of the Senate votes in early 2007, far more than the leading Democratic contenders.<ref>http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0331missedvotes0331.html</ref>

== Electability ==
McCain has the reputation as an independent-minded maverick <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402301.html McCain Fighting to Recapture Maverick Spirit of 2000 Bid], [[Michael Shear|Michael D. Shear]], ''[[Washington Post]]'', March 15, 2007</ref> and Media Darling <ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070305/blumenthal McCain Mutiny], [[Max Blumenthal]], ''[[The Nation]]'', February 21, 2007</ref>. "McCain is not only not conservative enough; he has also has built a reputation as a maverick by stabbing his party in the back -- not in furtherance of conservative principles but by betraying them. McCain delights in sticking it to his colleagues while winning accolades from the [[Mainstream media|mainstream liberal media]]." <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24669 'Maverick' and 'Conservative' Aren't Synonyms], [[David Limbaugh]], ''[[Human Events]]'', 01/25/2008</ref>

John McCain was a member of the [[Keating Five]], a scandal relating to the [[Savings and Loan Crisis]]. The Senate Ethics Committee criticized him for "questionable conduct." His Democratic opponent, or the media, could publicize this.

John McCain has cancer (melanoma) and has undergone multiple operations for it.<ref>http://www.riskworld.com/PressRel/2001/01q3/PR01a027.htm</ref> Cancer was an issue that hurt the presidential candidacy of Paul Tsongas in 1992. However, it was not even mentioned in the 2004 presidential campaign, despite the fact that John Kerry was treated for prostate cancer in early 2003.

John McCain will turn 71 years old before the first primary, making him one of the oldest candidates to seek the presidency. Several issues relating to McCain's advanced aged and health have been discussed in the media.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/18/mccain.ap/index.html?eref=rss_politics</ref>

Among evangelicals, who form a multi-million vote bloc who were essential to electing President [[George W. Bush]], John McCain is weak on trust. [[James Dobson]], a leading evangelical, has already declared that he "would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances."<ref>http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/elections/16473337.htm</ref> McCain has attempted to make amends with Dobson and the late evangelical leader [[Jerry Falwell]], including speaking at Falwell's Liberty University in an attempt to patch his relations with evangelicals.

McCain and [[Ron Paul]][http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about/] are the only presidential candidates in either party to have served in the military.

== Fundraising ==

McCain has struggled to raise money for his campaign, a sign of weakness for a frontrunner. "Former [[Massachusetts]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] raised $23 million for his presidential campaign in the first three months of [2007], almost doubling the total of top Republican contender John McCain. McCain, an [[Arizona]] senator, brought in about $12.5 million in the first quarter, his campaign said. 'We had hoped to do better,' said Terry Nelson, his campaign manager. Former [[New York]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] said he raised $15 million, including more than $10 million in March alone."<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aZ7SuEo0wuMM&refer=home</ref>

== Votes Missed ==

As of August 2007, McCain had missed more votes during the current session of Congress than any Senator other than [[South Dakota]] [[Democrat]] [[Tim Johnson]], who had suffered a brain hemorrhage that had kept him from Congress. He had missed over 48% of his votes. <ref>Lawrence Journal-World, August 10, 2007</ref>

==See Also==
* [[John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]]
* [[Previous Breaking News/John McCain|Articles about '''John McCain''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

==References==

<references/>

{{2008 presidential candidates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCain, John}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

John McCain

2008-02-07T23:37:42Z

AmeriCan: /* Electability */

[[Image:Casmier.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''John Sidney McCain III''' (born August 29, 1936)<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> is the senior Senator from the state of [[Arizona]], having served 20 years after replacing [[Barry Goldwater]] in 1986. He is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> McCain is a candidate for the [[Republican]] nomination for [[President of the United States of America|President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 Election]].<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255535,00.html John McCain Announces Plans for '08 Presidential Candidacy on 'Late Night With David Letterman'], Associated Press, 1 March 2007</ref> McCain is a Baptist.<ref> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296973,00.html McCain Identifies Himself as a Baptist</ref>

McCain has been married twice. His first marriage, to Carol Shepp, ended in divorce in 1980. His second and current wife is Cindy Lou Hensley.

==Early Life==
McCain was born in the [[Panama]] Canal Zone. He was educated in Alexandria, [[Virginia]] before receiving his Bachelors of Science from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1958.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref>

==Military Career==
McCain served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1958 to 1981. He was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 during the Vietnam Conflict and held as a Prisoner of War for seven years.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref> McCain graduated from the National War College in 1974. Upon his retirement from the Navy in 1981, as a Captain, he had been commended with the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.<ref> [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref>

==Political Career==
McCain was elected to the [[House of Representatives]] from Arizona's 1st district in 1982 and served two terms before being elected to the [[Senate]] in 1986. In 2000, he pursued the presidency but lost his bid for the Republican nomination to [[George W. Bush]], the first time he had lost an election.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref> John McCain is currently running for presidency of the United States as a Republican.

==Political Record==

#National defense: McCain, a veteran, has been strong on national defense and a consistent supporter of the [[Iraq War]].
#[[Abortion]]: On Senate votes directly concerning abortion, McCain has voted on the pro-life side.
#Government Spending. McCain has vigorously advocated for the elimination of so-called "[[pork-barrel]]" spending. He voted against President Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug Act on the grounds that it was too costly.
#[[Evolution]]: McCain's position is that [[intelligent design]] should be taught along with the [[theory of evolution]].
#[[Campaign finance]]: In 2002, McCain joined with liberal Democrat Russell Feingold to prohibit independent groups from advertising about a candidate within many weeks of an election. This law prohibits ads that do not even recommend for whom to vote, but merely urge people to contact their representatives concerning a vote that the representatives will make in Congress. A court recently declared this unconstitutional.
#[[Same-sex marriage]]: In 2006, McCain joined Democrats and liberal Republicans in voting against the Federal Marriage Amendment to protect traditional marriage. Later, on ''Hardball'', McCain declared, "On the issue of the gay marriage, I believe that people want to have private ceremonies, that's fine." Also, McCain's home state of Arizona was the only state to defeat a marriage referendum (in 2006), as McCain did nothing to support it.
#[[Gambling]]: The McCain-Feingold campaign finance law allows Indian nations (which get nearly all their money from unregulated casinos) to make unlimited political donations, even though political donations by American citizens are strictly limited and political spending by corporations is prohibited.
#Tax cuts: McCain opposed President George W. Bush's tax cuts, on the argument that cutting taxes without also cutting spending was not actually a tax cut, but was a tax on future generations. He now supports keeping the Bush tax cuts in place.
#Criticism of the religious right: In his unsuccessful campaign in 2000, McCain criticized elements of the religious right.
#[[Gun control]]: In 2002, McCain supported [[gun control]] by joining with [[Democrat]] [[Joseph Lieberman]] to push legislation that would shut down gun shows.<ref>[http://www.haciendapub.com/gunpage10.html "Gun Shows and Gun Control: McCain Is at It Again!"]</ref>
#Immigration: In 2005-2006, McCain joined with liberal Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] to support a sweeping bill that was favorable to illegal aliens. It has not passed.
#"Gang of 14": On May 23, 2005, McCain was part of a group of 14 Senators who blocked the planned "nuclear option" for confirming blocked Republican nominees for the bench. Under this compromise a few judicial nominees were allowed to be confirmed (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor), but others (e.g., Henry Saad) remained blocked and had to withdraw.
#Senate Attendance Record. McCain has missed 33% of the Senate votes in early 2007, far more than the leading Democratic contenders.<ref>http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0331missedvotes0331.html</ref>

== Electability ==
McCain has the reputation as an independent-minded maverick <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402301.html McCain Fighting to Recapture Maverick Spirit of 2000 Bid], [[Michael Shear|Michael D. Shear]], ''[[Washington Post]]'', March 15, 2007</ref> and Media Darling <ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070305/blumenthal McCain Mutiny], [[Max Blumenthal]], ''[[The Nation]]'', February 21, 2007</ref>. "McCain is not only not conservative enough; he has also has built a reputation as a maverick by stabbing his party in the back -- not in furtherance of conservative principles but by betraying them. McCain delights in sticking it to his colleagues while winning accolades from the [[Mainstream media|mainstream liberal media]]." <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24669 'Maverick' and 'Conservative' Aren't Synonyms], [[David Limbaugh]], ''[[Human Events]]'', 01/25/2008</ref>

John McCain was a member of the [[Keating Five]], a scandal relating to the [[Savings and Loan Crisis]]. The Senate Ethics Committee criticized him for "questionable conduct." His Democratic opponent, or the media, could publicize this.

John McCain has cancer (melanoma) and has undergone multiple operations for it.<ref>http://www.riskworld.com/PressRel/2001/01q3/PR01a027.htm</ref> Cancer was an issue that hurt the presidential candidacy of Paul Tsongas in 1992. However, it was not even mentioned in the 2004 presidential campaign, despite the fact that John Kerry was treated for colon cancer in 2002.

John McCain will turn 71 years old before the first primary, making him one of the oldest candidates to seek the presidency. Several issues relating to McCain's advanced aged and health have been discussed in the media.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/18/mccain.ap/index.html?eref=rss_politics</ref>

Among evangelicals, who form a multi-million vote bloc who were essential to electing President [[George W. Bush]], John McCain is weak on trust. [[James Dobson]], a leading evangelical, has already declared that he "would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances."<ref>http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/elections/16473337.htm</ref> McCain has attempted to make amends with Dobson and the late evangelical leader [[Jerry Falwell]], including speaking at Falwell's Liberty University in an attempt to patch his relations with evangelicals.

McCain and [[Ron Paul]][http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about/] are the only presidential candidates in either party to have served in the military.

== Fundraising ==

McCain has struggled to raise money for his campaign, a sign of weakness for a frontrunner. "Former [[Massachusetts]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] raised $23 million for his presidential campaign in the first three months of [2007], almost doubling the total of top Republican contender John McCain. McCain, an [[Arizona]] senator, brought in about $12.5 million in the first quarter, his campaign said. 'We had hoped to do better,' said Terry Nelson, his campaign manager. Former [[New York]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] said he raised $15 million, including more than $10 million in March alone."<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aZ7SuEo0wuMM&refer=home</ref>

== Votes Missed ==

As of August 2007, McCain had missed more votes during the current session of Congress than any Senator other than [[South Dakota]] [[Democrat]] [[Tim Johnson]], who had suffered a brain hemorrhage that had kept him from Congress. He had missed over 48% of his votes. <ref>Lawrence Journal-World, August 10, 2007</ref>

==See Also==
* [[John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]]
* [[Previous Breaking News/John McCain|Articles about '''John McCain''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

==References==

<references/>

{{2008 presidential candidates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCain, John}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Homo sapiens

2008-01-27T20:41:34Z

AmeriCan: /* Longevity */

{{Taxonomy
|name=Human
|image=Billy_sunday.jpg
|kingdom=Animalia
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=Vertebrate
|class=Mammalia
|order=Primate
|family=Hominidae
|genus=homo
|species=sapiens
|subspecies=sapiens
}}
'''Humans''', or '''[[human beings]]''', are classified by biologists as '''''Homo sapiens''''', from the [[Latin]] ''homo'' meaning "man", and ''sapiens'' meaning "wise",<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Homo+sapiens&searchmode=term Online Etymology Dictionary]</ref>.
Modern humans, along with [[Cro-Magnon]] man, are more specifically classified as ''homo sapiens sapiens''.<ref>[http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab12 History of Homo sapiens] (History World)</ref>

Humans inhabit every continent including [[Antarctica]], with a total population of over 6.5 billion as of 2007.

Secular biologists believe that anatomically "modern" humans have been around for approximately 130,000 years<ref>Alemseged Z, Coppens Y, Geraads D (2002). "Hominid cranium from Omo: Description and taxonomy of Omo-323-1976-896". Am J Phys Anthropol 117 (2): 103-12.</ref>.
Creationists believe that humans have been around since the sixth day of creation.

== Characteristics ==

Humans are characterized by a highly developed [[brain]] capable of abstract reasoning, [[language]], and introspection. This mental capability, combined with a body suitable for standing erect such that their upper limbs are free to manipulating objects, allows humans to make far greater use of tools than any other species.
The design of the [[larynx]] gives a physiological capacity for speech. Consciousness is of unknown source; speculations include being an emergent property of a complex brain and the mind existing independently of the body.

Humans have more [[hair]] follicles than chimpanzees, one of the next most similar species, but shorter finer hair in most body areas makes this hard to see. Hair and skin colour varies according to the amount of melanin, a pigment that helps protect skin from the sun. Originally an adaptation to climate, pigment variation is now found globally.

==Tool use==
Because humans are bipeds with opposable thumbs, they can create tools more skillfully than other species. Humans inhabit almost all areas of the planet, using technology to overcome inhospitable environments. They are the only species to deliberately control fire to cook food.

Human thirst for knowledge and tool-building capacity has led to many ways of investigating and exploring the universe and culture. These include the scientific method, philosophy, art, and literature.

==Social organization==
Human self-expression has led to complex competitive and co-operative social groups. Some groups are based around abstract symbols or arbitrary land divisions associated with group history, others around perceived genetic or philosophical differences. Humans may belong to several groups simultaneously. Competition for resources plus greed leads to wars, and the human capacity for tool-building to improved technology with which to fight them.

== Longevity ==
Humans in modern times have been known to live to ages of just over 100 years, although much greater ages have been recorded in the distant past.
According to the [[Bible]], pre-[[great flood|flood]] people sometimes lived for over 900 years. According to certain Creationist and Jewish views, God subsequently limited the lifespan of man to 120 years. ({{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=6|verses=3}} and the lifespan of [[Moses]] in {{Bible ref|book=Deuteronomy|chap=34|verses=7}}), although other creationists believe that Genesis 6:3 is not referring to an age limit for humans. Some creationists have postulated that the pre-flood earth had climatic conditions unlike those found today. The flood may have been the first rain on earth, while previous to the flood, water was received by a constant mist or fog that covered the land. This mist would have blocked out most UV radiation which would have dramatically reduced cell damage and greatly lengthened life span<ref>http://www.jpdawson.com/lifetime.html</ref>
However, most creationists have since dropped this idea.

The oldest human ever authenticated in modern times was [[Jeanne Calment]] of [[France]] who lived 122 years and 164 days .<ref>Guinness World Records 2006, p.20.</ref>

== The Origins of Man according to Creationists ==

A large number of [[Christian|Christians]], Jews, Muslims and [[Creationism|Creationists]] have postulated that Homo sapiens were created in [[God|God's]] image on day 6 of [[creation]].[http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2313]
:''And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.'' ([[Genesis]] 1:26-27)

:''And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.'' (Genesis 2:7)

The first man was [[Adam]].
:''And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.'' (Genesis 2:15)
The first woman, [[Eve]], was made from one of his ribs.
:''And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.'' (Genesis 2:22)

Because of the sinful nature of man [[God]] sent a [[Great Flood]] which annihilated all the people on Earth except for the then 600 year old [[Noah]] and his family. All people alive today are descendants of [[Noah#Family of Noah|Noah and his family]].

==The Origins of Man according to Evolutionary Biologists and Anthropologists==

In more recent times [[Theory of evolution|evolutionary biologists]] and other scientists in the fields of biology and more specifically, anthropology, have postulated that humans have been around in anatomically modern form for approximately 130,000 years<ref>Alemseged Z, Coppens Y, Geraads D (2002). "Hominid cranium from Omo: Description and taxonomy of Omo-323-1976-896". Am J Phys Anthropol 117 (2): 103-12.</ref>. One version of this theory maintains that ''Homo sapiens'' evolved from ''[[Homo ergaster]]'' or ''[[Homo erectus|erectus]]'', and from other earlier primates. Humans' closest living relative is the [[chimpanzee]]. However, despite sharing 98.4% of their DNA sequence and a common ancestor six million years ago, the genetic difference between chimpanzees and humans is 10 times greater than between unrelated humans. <ref> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/238852_chimp01.html</ref>

Humans evolved on the [[Africa]]n savannah during the [[Pliocene]] and [[Pleistocene]] epochs. Bipedalism was one of the first traits that our ancestors developed. This occured around four million years ago. The recovered remains of "Lucy" (''[[Australopithecus afarensis]]'') suggest to evolutionists that the Australopithecines had developed bipedalism before developing into ''Homo'' contrary to popular depictions of cavemen as not being fully bipedal, although the evidence for bipedalism is questioned. About 2.5 million years ago at the Plio-Pleistocene boundary the first ''Homo'' appeared. ''Homo habilus'' was believed to be the first hominid to use [[Stone age|stone tools]] but it was later discovered that [[Paranthropus]] (aka the "robust Australopithicines") also used the same primitive stone technology known as [[Oldowan]] culture, as ''Homo habilus''.

Later in the Pleistocene, man took on a more modern appearance. ''Homo erectus'' was close to the same size as a modern human and had a brain capacity 70-80% of that of modern humans. Fully modern humans did not appear until around 130,000 years ago and then, according to one version of the story, migrated out of [[Africa]] and replaced all other human populations throughout the world. Two other human species, ''[[Homo florensis]]'' and ''[[Homo neanderthalensis]]'' were contemporaries of modern man but both species are now extinct, possibly because of us.

==The origins of Man according to non-Abrahamic religions==
Myths about the creation of mankind are an important method by which anthropologists may discover more about the societies they are studying, as they show the important facets of human life to that culture. A list of creation myths in various cultures can be found at <ref>http://www.plesiosaur.com/creationism/creationmyths/index.php</ref>. Some notable myths are presented below.

===Hindu===
According to Hindus, humans were created from a part of the cut up body of Purusha.

===Iroquois===
According to the Iroquois, humans came about fully formed in the Sky World before descending through a hole caused by the uprooting of a tree into a lower world, originally a sea, which the humans manipulated by sending creatures to dive to the sea bottom and bring up mud for the creation of earth on which they could dwell.

===China===
Various creation myths exist in China, the most popular being the story of Nuwa. Nuwa was a lonely goddess, who one day looked in a pool and decided to create figures from mud based on her image in the water; creating many figures of grown ups, children, males and females (where the inspiration for males and children came from is not explained) and blowing on them to give them life (the idea here being that breath is the most important thing to all humans), Nuwa saw that the world became much livelier, and she appreciated it. She decided, too, that creating humans one-by-one was too slow, so she picked up a rope and whipped it into the mud, and many figures tumbled out, which she again blew on to give them life. This kind of creation of humans is common in cultures that have a strong pottery tradition. In the pre-modern Chinese scientific tradition, no creator is ascribed to creation - simply, one became two, two became three, and three generated all things in the universe, and this includes humans.

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

[[Category:Anthropology]]
[[Category:Creations of God]]
[[Category:Hominid]]

Newspaper

2008-01-27T20:37:15Z

AmeriCan:

'''Newspapers''' are a common sight all over the world. They are published daily or weekly, and contain news about what's going on in their home countries and sometimes overseas. In America, the newspaper industry is currently on the decline, because of the influence of the 24 hour news channels like [[Fox News]] and [[CNN]] and the [[Internet]].

Despite being an older medium, the overwhelming majority of newspapers in the United States are very [[liberal]], including the ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Washington Post]]'', for example.[http://www.mediaresearch.org/biasbasics/biasbasics1.asp] Only a few newspapers have a [[conservative]] slant, and even these are not conservative on all issues. Examples of newspapers cited as conservative on some issues are ''[[The Washington Times]]'', the ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', and the ''[[New Hampshire Union Leader]]''. Some newspapers have changed their political slant over time: the ''[[New York Post]]'' has gone back and forth between a liberal slant and a conservative one, depending on its owner at the time, it currently is claimed by some to have a conservative slant under the ownership of [[News Corporation]]. But even the ''[[New York Post]]'' endorsed [[Hillary Clinton]] in 2006, illustrating that newspapers can adapt their editorial views to the local market. Likewise the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' once had conservative editorial positions but is now quite liberal like most.

Newspapers do have one advantage over news channels that have helped them stay afloat: there is no way to send [[comics]] over the airwaves. Therefore, newspapers make money by publishing comic strips like "For Better Or For Worse", "Mallard Fillmore", and the popular "Mutts". Another reason why newspapers have remained profitable is [[advertising]]. If newspapers had to rely solely on subscriptions and newsstand sales for their income, they would not be profitable. Newspapers suffer from declining sales, and fewer young people read them.

At one time in American history, it was quite common for cities, even small ones, to have several daily newspapers. The trend in recent years has been toward consolidation and cities no longer being able to support so many newspapers. Even a city like [[Washington, D.C.]] for example now only has two daily newspapers. Another trend in recent years is the proliferation of free weekly newspapers. These make their money selling advertising and are distributed to readers free of charge. Most of these free weeklies are notorious for being socially liberal.

[[category:media]]

Stephen Harper

2008-01-21T01:21:00Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Hoto.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Stephen Harper''' is currently the 22nd Prime Minister of [[Canada]] and leader of the [[Conservative Party of Canada]].

==History==
Stephen Harper was born on April 30, 1959 in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]. He received a Master's degree in economics from the University of Calgary.

As a young man, Harper briefly worked as an interin in [[Ottawa]] as an assistant to the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada]]. However he eventually grew frustrated and disillusioned with the party, which he saw as overly pragmatic, insufficently conservative, and hostile towards the interests of western Canada.

Returning to [[Alberta]], he joined forces with conservative activist Preston Manning and helped found the Reform Party of Canada, a "true" conservative party designed to challenge the dominance of the Progressive Conservatives and then-PC Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]].

Harper proceded to be elected to Parliament in 1993 as a Reform Party of Canada member to represent the riding of Calgary West. In 1997 he declined to run for re-election, however, becoming frustrated with parlimentary politics and Manning's leadership of the Reform Party.

Subsequently, he became the head of the National Citizens Coalition (NCC), a conservative advocacy group in Canada.

==Recent history==
When Manning resigned as leader of Reform in 2000 the party renamed itself the [[Canadian Alliance]] and was briefly led by [[Stockwell Day]]. Day was an unpopular leader, though the party did make some parliamentary gains during his leadership. When he stepped down in 2002 Harper re-entered politics to replace him, and was subsequently elected the new leader of the [[Canadian Alliance]] (CA).

As leader, Harper was instrumental in instigating a merger between the CA and his old rivals, the Progressive Conservative Party, which was now led by [[Peter MacKay]], a man who was open to the idea of joining forces to help "unite the right" in Canada, and create a party powerful enough to defeat the entrenched [[Liberal Party of Canada]]. Harper's eagerness to merge led him to compromise several key principles of the Canadian Alliance, however. In order to win the moderate MacKay's support, Harper "softened" many of the CA's positions on issues.

Once the deal was inked, Harper was then elected first leader of the new [[Conservative Party of Canada]].

==Prime Minister==
In an election in 2006, the Conservative Party of Canada elected enough members of parliament to unseat Liberal Prime Minister [[Paul Martin]] and form a [[minority government]]. Stephen Harper became the Prime Minister on February 6th, 2006.

Harper's Conservative Government has largely followed his election platform of five key priorities. They are :
*Federal Accountability
*Tax Reform (including dropping the Canadian [[VAT]], the GST from 7% to 5%
*Crime
*Child Care
*Health Care

In addition Harper has focused his energy on rebuilding the Canadian Forces and the war in Afghanistan.

In 2007 Harper promised Canadian farmers over $1 billion Canadian dollars in farm subsidies but at the same time promising to end the Wheat Board of Canada's sales monopoly in Western Canada<ref>[http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/ cwb.ca]</ref>, (a government group that manipulates the prices of wheat and barley). Some farmers believe this would cost the Canadian farming industry billions of dollars in lost revenues while others feel the industry would benefit by allowing farmers in the West to market and sell their produce as they see fit; just as farmers in the east are allowed to do. The [[United States]] also wants the Wheat Board of Canada removed from power because it claims price fixing is unfair to free-trade. Wheat exports to the United States account for only 10% of Canada's wheat production.

==Views==
Mr. Harper is a member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a conservative evangelical Christian group, and is generally considered to have [socially conservative views on most issues. He opposes [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] and supports [[capital punishment]]. During the [[Iraq War|2003 Iraq War]] his party was the only one in Canada that supported the United States and George W. Bush. In his past careers he has also been strongly critical of taxation, multiculturalism, constitutional concessions to [[Quebec]], and socialized healthcare.

As Prime Minister, however, Harper has governed much more pragmatically. Canadian liberals often accuse Harper of being "right wing" and too similar to [[George W. Bush]] and American [[Republicans]]; analogies which are used to inflame anti-American sentiment in Canada. In the 2006 election Harper thus sought to distance himself from some of his strongly conservative positions of the past, usually by vowing to not persue a radical social agenda while in office, but instead focus on certain economic prorities.

Regardless, as a minority Prime Minister whose caucus is still outnumbered by left-wing parties, Harper's ability to govern as a true conservative has been somewhat limited. He has, however, introduced reforms limiting Canadian gun control laws and may be able to implement a more conservative set of policies if his party wins re-election with a majority of the seats in the Canadian parliament.

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/164678 Stephen Harper's article on hockey in the Toronto Star]

[[Category:Canadian Prime Ministers]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Harper, Stephen}}

Stephen Harper

2008-01-21T01:19:43Z

AmeriCan: /* Prime Minister */

[[Image:Hoto.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Stephen Harper''' is currently the 22nd Prime Minister of [[Canada]] and leader of the [[Conservative Party of Canada]].

==History==
Stephen Harper was born on April 30, 1959 in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]. He received a Master's degree in economics from the [[University of Calgary]].

As a young man, Harper briefly worked as an interin in [[Ottawa]] as an assistant to the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada]]. However he eventually grew frustrated and disillusioned with the party, which he saw as overly pragmatic, insufficently conservative, and hostile towards the interests of western Canada.

Returning to [[Alberta]], he joined forces with conservative activist [[Preston Manning]] and helped found the [[Reform Party of Canada]], a "true" conservative party designed to challenge the dominance of the Progressive Conservatives and then-PC Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]].

Harper proceded to be elected to Parliament in 1993 as a [[Reform Party of Canada]] member to represent the riding of Calgary West. In 1997 he declined to run for re-election, however, becoming frustrated with parlimentary politics and Manning's leadership of the Reform Party.

Subsequently, he became the head of the [[National Citizens Coalition]] (NCC), a conservative advocacy group in Canada.

==Recent history==

When Manning resigned as leader of Reform in 2000 the party renamed itself the [[Canadian Alliance]] and was briefly led by [[Stockwell Day]]. Day was an unpopular leader, though the party did make some parliamentary gains during his leadership. When he stepped down in 2002 Harper re-entered politics to replace him, and was subsequently elected the new leader of the [[Canadian Alliance]] (CA).

As leader, Harper was instrumental in instigating a merger between the CA and his old rivals, the Progressive Conservative Party, which was now led by [[Peter MacKay]], a man who was open to the idea of joining forces to help "unite the right" in Canada, and create a party powerful enough to defeat the entrenched [[Liberal Party of Canada]]. Harper's eagerness to merge led him to compromise several key principles of the Canadian Alliance, however. In order to win the moderate MacKay's support, Harper "softened" many of the CA's positions on issues.

Once the deal was inked, Harper was then elected first leader of the new [[Conservative Party of Canada]].

==Prime Minister==

In an election in 2006, the Conservative Party of Canada elected enough members of parliament to unseat Liberal Prime Minister [[Paul Martin]] and form a [[minority government]]. Stephen Harper became the Prime Minister on February 6th, 2006.

Harper's Conservative Government has largely followed his election platform of five key priorities. They are :
*Federal Accountability
*Tax Reform (including dropping the Canadian [[VAT]], the GST from 7% to 5%
*Crime
*Child Care
*Health Care

In addition Harper has focused his energy on rebuilding the Canadian Forces and the war in Afghanistan.

In 2007 Harper promised Canadian farmers over $1 billion Canadian dollars in farm subsidies but at the same time promising to end the Wheat Board of Canada's sales monopoly in Western Canada<ref>[http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/ cwb.ca]</ref>, (a government group that manipulates the prices of wheat and barley). Some farmers believe this would cost the Canadian farming industry billions of dollars in lost revenues while others feel the industry would benefit by allowing farmers in the West to market and sell their produce as they see fit; just as farmers in the east are allowed to do. The [[United States]] also wants the Wheat Board of Canada removed from power because it claims price fixing is unfair to free-trade. Wheat exports to the United States account for only 10% of Canada's wheat production.

==Views==

Mr. Harper is a member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a conservative evangelical Christian group, and is generally considered to have [socially conservative views on most issues. He opposes [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] and supports [[capital punishment]]. During the [[Iraq War|2003 Iraq War]] his party was the only one in Canada that supported the United States and George W. Bush. In his past careers he has also been strongly critical of taxation, multiculturalism, constitutional concessions to [[Quebec]], and socialized healthcare.

As Prime Minister, however, Harper has governed much more pragmatically. Canadian liberals often accuse Harper of being "right wing" and too similar to [[George W. Bush]] and American [[Republicans]]; analogies which are used to inflame anti-American sentiment in Canada. In the 2006 election Harper thus sought to distance himself from some of his strongly conservative positions of the past, usually by vowing to not persue a radical social agenda while in office, but instead focus on certain economic prorities.

Regardless, as a minority Prime Minister whose caucus is still outnumbered by left-wing parties, Harper's ability to govern as a true conservative has been somewhat limited. He has, however, introduced reforms limiting Canadian gun control laws and may be able to implement a more conservative set of policies if his party wins re-election with a majority of the seats in the Canadian parliament.

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/164678 Stephen Harper's article on hockey in the Toronto Star]

[[Category:Canadian Prime Ministers]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Harper, Stephen}}

Stephen Harper

2008-01-21T01:19:02Z

AmeriCan: /* Views */

[[Image:Hoto.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Stephen Harper''' is currently the 22nd Prime Minister of [[Canada]] and leader of the [[Conservative Party of Canada]].

==History==
Stephen Harper was born on April 30, 1959 in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]. He received a Master's degree in economics from the [[University of Calgary]].

As a young man, Harper briefly worked as an interin in [[Ottawa]] as an assistant to the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada]]. However he eventually grew frustrated and disillusioned with the party, which he saw as overly pragmatic, insufficently conservative, and hostile towards the interests of western Canada.

Returning to [[Alberta]], he joined forces with conservative activist [[Preston Manning]] and helped found the [[Reform Party of Canada]], a "true" conservative party designed to challenge the dominance of the Progressive Conservatives and then-PC Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]].

Harper proceded to be elected to Parliament in 1993 as a [[Reform Party of Canada]] member to represent the riding of Calgary West. In 1997 he declined to run for re-election, however, becoming frustrated with parlimentary politics and Manning's leadership of the Reform Party.

Subsequently, he became the head of the [[National Citizens Coalition]] (NCC), a conservative advocacy group in Canada.

==Recent history==

When Manning resigned as leader of Reform in 2000 the party renamed itself the [[Canadian Alliance]] and was briefly led by [[Stockwell Day]]. Day was an unpopular leader, though the party did make some parliamentary gains during his leadership. When he stepped down in 2002 Harper re-entered politics to replace him, and was subsequently elected the new leader of the [[Canadian Alliance]] (CA).

As leader, Harper was instrumental in instigating a merger between the CA and his old rivals, the Progressive Conservative Party, which was now led by [[Peter MacKay]], a man who was open to the idea of joining forces to help "unite the right" in Canada, and create a party powerful enough to defeat the entrenched [[Liberal Party of Canada]]. Harper's eagerness to merge led him to compromise several key principles of the Canadian Alliance, however. In order to win the moderate MacKay's support, Harper "softened" many of the CA's positions on issues.

Once the deal was inked, Harper was then elected first leader of the new [[Conservative Party of Canada]].

==Prime Minister==

In an election in 2006, the Conservative Party of Canada elected enough members of parliament to unseat Liberal Prime Minister [[Paul Martin]] and form a [[minority government]]. Stephen Harper became the Prime Minister on February 6th, 2006.

Harper's Conservative Government has largely followed his election platform of five key priorities. They are :
*Federal Accountability
*Tax Reform (including dropping the Canadian [[VAT]], the GST from 7% to 5%
*Crime
*Child Care
*Health Care

In addition Harper has focused his energy on rebuilding the Canadian Forces and the war in Afghanistan.

In 2007 Harper promised Canadian farmers over $1 billion Canadian dollars in farm subsidies but at the same time promising to end the [[Wheat Board of Canada]]'s sales monopoly in Western Canada<ref>[http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/ cwb.ca]</ref>, (a government group that manipulates the prices of wheat and barley). Some farmers believe this would cost the Canadian farming industry billions of dollars in lost revenues while others feel the industry would benefit by allowing farmers in the West to market and sell their produce as they see fit; just as farmers in the east are allowed to do. The [[United States]] also wants the Wheat Board of Canada removed from power because it claims price fixing is unfair to free-trade. Wheat exports to the United States account for only 10% of Canada's wheat production.

==Views==

Mr. Harper is a member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a conservative evangelical Christian group, and is generally considered to have [socially conservative views on most issues. He opposes [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] and supports [[capital punishment]]. During the [[Iraq War|2003 Iraq War]] his party was the only one in Canada that supported the United States and George W. Bush. In his past careers he has also been strongly critical of taxation, multiculturalism, constitutional concessions to [[Quebec]], and socialized healthcare.

As Prime Minister, however, Harper has governed much more pragmatically. Canadian liberals often accuse Harper of being "right wing" and too similar to [[George W. Bush]] and American [[Republicans]]; analogies which are used to inflame anti-American sentiment in Canada. In the 2006 election Harper thus sought to distance himself from some of his strongly conservative positions of the past, usually by vowing to not persue a radical social agenda while in office, but instead focus on certain economic prorities.

Regardless, as a minority Prime Minister whose caucus is still outnumbered by left-wing parties, Harper's ability to govern as a true conservative has been somewhat limited. He has, however, introduced reforms limiting Canadian gun control laws and may be able to implement a more conservative set of policies if his party wins re-election with a majority of the seats in the Canadian parliament.

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/164678 Stephen Harper's article on hockey in the Toronto Star]

[[Category:Canadian Prime Ministers]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Harper, Stephen}}

United States presidential election, 1984

2008-01-15T23:15:02Z

AmeriCan:

President [[Ronald Reagan]] was still popular and approved of by the time came for him to be reelected. While Reagan easily won the Republican nomination with hardly any dissent, Democrats searched hard to find a candidate they thought could win. They eventually chose former Vice President [[Walter Mondale]] as their candidate. Mondale surprised America by choosing Representative [[Geraldine Ferraro]] as his running-mate. Despite his popularity, Reagan campaigned hard for reelection; however he seemed to look rather exhausted in the first of the [[Presidential Debates]]. However, by the second debate he appeared fresh and experienced. Reagan was able to win the election with a landslide popular and electoral majority over Mondale, who won only the District of Columbia (which has never been won by a Republican candidate) and his home state of Minnesota.<ref> [[Encyclopedia of Presidents]], by Zachary Kent, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 71-73. </ref>

Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3761 votes, meaning Reagan came within less than 3800 votes of winning in all fifty states. Reagan won a record 525 electoral votes total (of 538 possible), and received nearly 60 percent of the popular vote. Mondale's 13 electoral college votes marked the lowest total of any major Presidential candidate since Alf Landon's 1936 loss to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With regards to the [[Electoral College]], Mondale's defeat was also the worst for any Democratic Party candidate in history.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! candidates
! popular vote
! electoral vote
|-
| Ronald Reagan
| 54, 450, 603
| 525
|-
| Walter Mondale
| 37, 573, 671
| 13
|-
| [[David Bergland]]
| 227, 949
| 0
|-
| [[Lyndon LaRouche]]
| 76, 773
| 0
|-
| [[Sonia Johnson]]
| 72, 153
| 0
|-
| [[Bob Richards]]
| 62, 371
| 0
|-
| [[Dennis Serrette]]
| 47, 209
| 0
|-
| [[Gus Hall]]
| 35, 561
| 0
|-
| [[Mel Mason]]
| 24, 687
| 0
|}
<ref> [[A Pictoral History of the U.S. Presidents]], by Clare Gibson, Gramercy Books, 2001, p. 127. </ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:1984, United States presidential election,}}
[[Category: United States presidential elections]]

Wayne Gilchrest

2008-01-15T23:13:52Z

AmeriCan:

'''Wayne Thomas Gilchrest''' is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] member of the United States House of Representatives representing [[Maryland]]'s 1st congressional district since 1991. The district includes the entire Eastern Shore and a few suburbs of [[Baltimore]].

Gilchrest served in the [[United States Marine Corps]]. His tour of duty saw action during the invasion of the [[Dominican Republic]], and ultimately the [[Vietnam War]]. He earned the rank of Sergeant in [[Vietnam]], where as a platoon leader, he was wounded in the chest. Wayne was decorated with the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Navy Commendation Medal.

He is known for being a [[liberal]] Republican. For example is he in favor of [[abortion]], and in March of 2007, he was one of two Republicans to vote for a bill that required President [[George W. Bush]] to withdraw U.S. troops from [[Iraq]] by September 1, 2008, regardless of the situation in Iraq at the time.

[[Category:Republican Party|Gilchrest, Wayne]]

Louisiana

2008-01-15T23:04:01Z

AmeriCan: updated

[[Image:Louisiana_State_Flag.gif|thumb|right|The state flag of Louisiana.]]
'''Louisiana''' is located in the Southern region of the [[United States]] and on April 30, 1812 became the eighteenth state to enter into the union. Louisiana was named after the French king [[Louis XIV]]. The current governor of Louisiana is [[Bobby Jindal]], a [[Republican Party|Republican]].

The capital of the state is [[Baton Rouge]], and its largest city is [[New Orleans]].

{{USstates}}
[[Category:US state]]

Bobby Jindal

2008-01-15T00:03:10Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Jindal.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|]]
'''Piyush "Bobby" Jindal''' is the governor of [[Louisiana]]. He was elected October 20, 2007 and sworn into office January 14, 2008.

Jindal was born in Baton Rouge on June 10, 1971 to recently arrived Punjabi Indian immigrants, Amar and Raj Jindal, who were attending graduate school. His family is of Punjabi ancestry, his father left [[India]] in the 1970s and his ancestral family village of Khanpura. Jindal was raised a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] but converted to [[Catholicism]]. Jindal adopted the name "Bobby" after watching ''The Brady Bunch'' television program at age four. He has been known by that name ever since, as a civil servant, politician, student, and writer. Legally though his name remains Piyush Jindal.

He graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1987 and went on to attend [[Brown University]] where he graduated with honors in biology and public policy. Following his graduation from Brown he attended [[Oxford University]] in the [[United Kingdom]] as a Rhodes Scholar, having turned down admissions to medical and law schools at both [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Yale University|Yale]].

In 1994, Jindal went to work for McKinsey and Company as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies before entering public service. In 1996, he was appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH). There were many issues that needed resolving during his tenure, not the least of which was the growing deficit in Louisiana's Medicaid program. During Jindal's tenure as DHH Secretary, he rescued Louisiana's Medicaid program from bankruptcy, childhood immunizations increased, Louisiana ranked third best nationally in health care screenings for children, and new and expanded services for elderly and disabled persons were offered.

In 1998, Jindal was appointed Executive Director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. As Executive Director, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Commission, whose work continue to be the driving force behind much of the ongoing debate on how to strengthen and improve Medicare.

At the conclusion of the Commission's work, Jindal was appointed President of the University of Louisiana System, the 16th largest higher education system in the country. While serving as President, Jindal worked to establish areas of excellence at each individual institution.

President [[George W. Bush]] appointed Jindal to serve as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He later resigned from the position in 2003 to return to Louisiana and run for Govenor. In that race, Jindal went from being a relatively unknown candidate for Governor, to receiving the most votes in the primary election. However, with 48 percent of the vote in the runoff, he lost the election.

In 2004 he was elected to the 109th United States Congress representing the First District of Louisiana. In Congress he was elected Freshman Class President and served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the House Committee on Resources. Bobby also served as Assistant Majority Whip.

In his first term he passed a number of notable pieces of legislation and played an instrumental role in Louisiana's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His noteworthy accomplishments include the passage of legislation to bring significant offshore energy revenues to Louisiana for the first time and legislation that keeps Federal Emergency Management Agency from taxing certain recovery grants as income.

Jindal was re-elected to Congress in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote majority. On January 22, 2007, Jindal announced his candidacy for governor. Polling data showed him with an early lead in the race, and he remained the favorite throughout the campaign. He defeated eleven opponents in the jungle primary held on October 20, including two prominent [[Democratic Party|Democrats]]. He went on to win the gubernatorial election with 54 percent of the vote in the jungle primary, winning in 60 of the 64 parishes.

==External links==
*[http://www.gov.state.la.us/ Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal] '''official state site'''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jindal, Bobby}}
[[Category:Political people]]

Bobby Jindal

2008-01-14T23:59:23Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Jindal.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|]]
'''Piyush "Bobby" Jindal''' is the governor of [[Louisiana]]. He was elected October 20, 2007 and sworn into office January 14, 2008.

Jindal was born in Baton Rouge on June 10, 1971 to recently arrived Punjabi Indian immigrants, Amar and Raj Jindal, who were attending graduate school. His family is of Punjabi ancestry, his father left [[India]] in the 1970s and his ancestral family village of Khanpura. Jindal was raised a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] but converted to [[Catholicism]]. Jindal adopted the name "Bobby" after watching ''The Brady Bunch'' television program at age four. He has been known by that name ever since, as a civil servant, politician, student, and writer. Legally though his name remains Piyush Jindal.

He graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1987 and went on to attend [[Brown University]] where he graduated with honors in biology and public policy. Following his graduation from Brown he attended [[Oxford University]] in the [[United Kingdom]] as a Rhodes Scholar, having turned down admissions to medical and law schools at both [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Yale University|Yale]].

In 1994, Jindal went to work for McKinsey and Company as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies before entering public service. In 1996, he was appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH). There were many issues that needed resolving during his tenure, not the least of which was the growing deficit in Louisiana's Medicaid program. During Jindal's tenure as DHH Secretary, he rescued Louisiana's Medicaid program from bankruptcy, childhood immunizations increased, Louisiana ranked third best nationally in health care screenings for children, and new and expanded services for elderly and disabled persons were offered.

In 1998, Jindal was appointed Executive Director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. As Executive Director, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Commission, whose work continue to be the driving force behind much of the ongoing debate on how to strengthen and improve Medicare.

At the conclusion of the Commission's work, Jindal was appointed President of the University of Louisiana System, the 16th largest higher education system in the country. While serving as President, Jindal worked to establish areas of excellence at each individual institution.

President [[George W. Bush]] appointed Jindal to serve as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He later resigned from the position in 2003 to return to Louisiana and run for Govenor. In that race, Jindal went from being a relatively unknown candidate for Governor, to receiving the most votes in the primary election. However, with 48 percent of the vote in the runoff, he lost the election.

In 2004 he was elected to the 109th United States Congress representing the First District of Louisiana. In Congress he was elected Freshman Class President and served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the House Committee on Resources. Bobby also served as Assistant Majority Whip.

In his first term he passed a number of notable pieces of legislation and played an instrumental role in Louisiana's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His noteworthy accomplishments include the passage of legislation to bring significant offshore energy revenues to Louisiana for the first time and legislation that keeps Federal Emergency Management Agency from taxing certain recovery grants as income.

Jindal was re-elected to Congress in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote majority. On January 22, 2007, Jindal announced his candidacy for governor. Polling data showed him with an early lead in the race, and he remained the favorite throughout the campaign. He defeated eleven opponents in the jungle primary held on October 20, including two prominent [[Democratic Party|Democrats]]. He was elected Governor of Louisiana on October 20, 2007, with 54 percent of the vote in the jungle primary, winning 60 of 64 parishes.

==External links==
*[http://www.gov.state.la.us/ Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal] '''official state site'''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jindal, Bobby}}
[[Category:Political people]]

Bobby Jindal

2008-01-14T23:58:54Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Jindal.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|]]
'''Piyush "Bobby" Jindal''' is the governor of [[Louisiana]]. He was elected October 20, 2007 and sworn into office January 14, 2008.

Jindal was born in Baton Rouge on June 10, 1971 to recently arrived Punjabi Indian immigrants, Amar and Raj Jindal, who were attending graduate school. His family is of Punjabi ancestry, his father left [[India]] in the 1970s and his ancestral family village of Khanpura. Jindal was raised a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] but converted to [[Catholicism]]. Jindal adopted the name "Bobby" after watching ''The Brady Bunch'' television program at age four. He has been known by that name ever since, as a civil servant, politician, student, and writer. Legally though his name remains Piyush Jindal.

He graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1987 and went on to attend [[Brown University] where he graduated with honors in biology and public policy. Following his graduation from Brown he attended [Oxford University]] in the [[United Kingdom]] as a Rhodes Scholar, having turned down admissions to medical and law schools at both [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Yale University|Yale]].

In 1994, Jindal went to work for McKinsey and Company as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies before entering public service. In 1996, he was appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH). There were many issues that needed resolving during his tenure, not the least of which was the growing deficit in Louisiana's Medicaid program. During Jindal's tenure as DHH Secretary, he rescued Louisiana's Medicaid program from bankruptcy, childhood immunizations increased, Louisiana ranked third best nationally in health care screenings for children, and new and expanded services for elderly and disabled persons were offered.

In 1998, Jindal was appointed Executive Director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. As Executive Director, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Commission, whose work continue to be the driving force behind much of the ongoing debate on how to strengthen and improve Medicare.

At the conclusion of the Commission's work, Jindal was appointed President of the University of Louisiana System, the 16th largest higher education system in the country. While serving as President, Jindal worked to establish areas of excellence at each individual institution.

President [[George W. Bush]] appointed Jindal to serve as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He later resigned from the position in 2003 to return to Louisiana and run for Govenor. In that race, Jindal went from being a relatively unknown candidate for Governor, to receiving the most votes in the primary election. However, with 48 percent of the vote in the runoff, he lost the election.

In 2004 he was elected to the 109th United States Congress representing the First District of Louisiana. In Congress he was elected Freshman Class President and served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the House Committee on Resources. Bobby also served as Assistant Majority Whip.

In his first term he passed a number of notable pieces of legislation and played an instrumental role in Louisiana's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His noteworthy accomplishments include the passage of legislation to bring significant offshore energy revenues to Louisiana for the first time and legislation that keeps Federal Emergency Management Agency from taxing certain recovery grants as income.

Jindal was re-elected to Congress in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote majority. On January 22, 2007, Jindal announced his candidacy for governor. Polling data showed him with an early lead in the race, and he remained the favorite throughout the campaign. He defeated eleven opponents in the jungle primary held on October 20, including two prominent [[Democratic Party|Democrats]]. He was elected Governor of Louisiana on October 20, 2007, with 54 percent of the vote in the jungle primary, winning 60 of 64 parishes.

==External links==
*[http://www.gov.state.la.us/ Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal] '''official state site'''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jindal, Bobby}}
[[Category:Political people]]

Bobby Jindal

2008-01-14T23:58:02Z

AmeriCan: expanded

[[Image:Jindal.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|]]
'''Piyush "Bobby" Jindal''' is the governor of [[Louisiana]]. He was elected October 20, 2007 and sworn into office January 14, 2008.

Jindal was born in Baton Rouge on June 10, 1971 to recently arrived Punjabi Indian immigrants, Amar and Raj Jindal, who were attending graduate school. His family is of Punjabi ancestry, his father left [[India]] in the 1970s and his ancestral family village of Khanpura. Jindal was raised a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] but converted to [[Catholicism]]. Jindal adopted the name "Bobby" after watching ''The Brady Bunch'' television program at age four. He has been known by that name ever since, as a civil servant, politician, student, and writer. Legally though his name remains Piyush Jindal.

He graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1987 and went on to attend Brown University where he graduated with honors in biology and public policy. Following his graduation from Brown he attended Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar, having turned down admissions to medical and law schools at both [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Yale University|Yale].

In 1994, Jindal went to work for McKinsey and Company as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies before entering public service. In 1996, he was appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH). There were many issues that needed resolving during his tenure, not the least of which was the growing deficit in Louisiana's Medicaid program. During Jindal's tenure as DHH Secretary, he rescued Louisiana's Medicaid program from bankruptcy, childhood immunizations increased, Louisiana ranked third best nationally in health care screenings for children, and new and expanded services for elderly and disabled persons were offered.

In 1998, Jindal was appointed Executive Director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. As Executive Director, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Commission, whose work continue to be the driving force behind much of the ongoing debate on how to strengthen and improve Medicare.

At the conclusion of the Commission's work, Jindal was appointed President of the University of Louisiana System, the 16th largest higher education system in the country. While serving as President, Jindal worked to establish areas of excellence at each individual institution.

President [[George W. Bush]] appointed Jindal to serve as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He later resigned from the position in 2003 to return to Louisiana and run for Govenor. In that race, Jindal went from being a relatively unknown candidate for Governor, to receiving the most votes in the primary election. However, with 48 percent of the vote in the runoff, he lost the election.

In 2004 he was elected to the 109th United States Congress representing the First District of Louisiana. In Congress he was elected Freshman Class President and served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the House Committee on Resources. Bobby also served as Assistant Majority Whip.

In his first term he passed a number of notable pieces of legislation and played an instrumental role in Louisiana's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His noteworthy accomplishments include the passage of legislation to bring significant offshore energy revenues to Louisiana for the first time and legislation that keeps Federal Emergency Management Agency from taxing certain recovery grants as income.

Jindal was re-elected to Congress in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote majority. On January 22, 2007, Jindal announced his candidacy for governor. Polling data showed him with an early lead in the race, and he remained the favorite throughout the campaign. He defeated eleven opponents in the jungle primary held on October 20, including two prominent [[Democratic Party|Democrats]]. He was elected Governor of Louisiana on October 20, 2007, with 54 percent of the vote in the jungle primary, winning 60 of 64 parishes.

==External links==
*[http://www.gov.state.la.us/ Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal] '''official state site'''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jindal, Bobby}}
[[Category:Political people]]

Republican Party

2008-01-11T05:13:10Z

AmeriCan: /* Symbol */

[[Image:Cjjfdjfty.png|right|thumb|250px|Official logo of the Republican Party.]]
The '''Republican Party''' is one of the two major political parties in the [[United States]]. The current [[President of the United States]], [[George W. Bush]], is a member of the party – and by rules common to both major U.S. parties, its head. Of the two major U.S. parties, the Republican party is the moderate/center-right party. The party has been very successful in Presidential elections: 18 of the 27 US Presidents since 1861 have been Republicans and since that same year a Republican has won 23 of the last 37 presidential elections.

The party was born in the early 1850s by anti-[[slavery]] activists and individuals who believed that [[government]] should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, [[Wisconsin]], a small town northwest of [[Milwaukee]]. The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, [[Michigan]]. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. At the Jackson convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in [[Michigan]]. Since its inception, its chief opposition has been the [[Democratic Party]].
== Symbol ==
[[image:The_off_year_nast_1877.jpg|left|thumb|1877 Thomas Nast drawing of the Republican elephant]]
[[Image:gop.jpg|right|150px|Official logo of the GOP.]]
The official symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. Although the elephant had occasionally been associated with the party earlier, a political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in ''Harper's Weekly'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol<ref>http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7</ref>. In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Republican party in Midwestern states such as [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]] was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic cock. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.

A political term referring to the party is "G.O.P.", which was originally an acronym of "Grand Old Party". The term was coined in 1875.

==Ideology==
The fundamental philosophy and political ideals of the Republican Party are founded on the idea that societal health is rooted in personal responsibility and actions. The Republican Party holds the mindset that all material things are earned, not owed. This mindset is seen most often in the party's push for lower taxes. This is fought for in an attempt to treat all citizens equally despite income, race, gender, or religion. They also see taxes as a drag on the economy, and believe private spending is usually more efficient than public spending.

Republicans also show concerns about having big government in charge of such vital issues as food, shelter, or health care, as they believe the private sector and/or the individual are better suited to control their own lives. The much revered president [[Ronald Reagan]] who became a Republican in the early 1960s after being a fervent [[New Deal]]er at one time, has been quoted as saying "Government is not the solution, it is the problem."

The party tends to hold both [[conservative]] and [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] stances on social and economic issues respectively. Major policies that the party has recently supported include a neoconservative foreign policy, including [[War on Terror]], liberations of [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]], strong support for democracy especially in the [[Middle East]], and distrust of the [[United Nations]] due to the organization's incompetent bureaucracy, anti-capitalist undertone, corruption on the [[Security Council]] and in UN humanitarian programs. Along with demanding radical reforms in the UN, it also opposes the Kyoto Protocol due the protocol's unfair application to certain countries (especially the United States) and that it prevents economic growth and slows the reduction of poverty.

It generally supports free trade, especially NAFTA and CAFTA. It is responsible for a series of across-the-board tax cuts since 2001 that have bolstered the economy and reduced the punitive aspect of the income tax. It has sought business deregulation, reduction of environmental regulations that restrict fair use of land and property, and other policies that are pro-capitalism. It supports gun ownership rights, and enterprise zones (low taxes for investing in poverty areas). On social issues the majority of its national and state candidates usually favor the death penalty, call for stronger state-level control on access to [[abortion]], oppose the legalization of gender-neutral marriage, favor faith-based initiatives, support school choice and homeschooling, social welfare benefit reform, and oppose racial quotas.

In recent years the party has called for much stronger accountability in the public schools, especially through the "No Child Left behind Act" of 2001 (which also increased federal funding for schools). The party is split on the issue of federally funding embryonic stem cell research that involves the cloning and killing of human embryos, with many seeing it as unethical to force tax payers who believe this type of research is morally wrong to finance it. Historically Republicans have had a strong belief in [[individualism]], limited government, and business entrepreneurship.

== History ==

John C. Frémont ran as the first Republican for President in 1856, using the political slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Frémont." Although Frémont's bid was unsuccessful, the party grew especially rapidly in Northeastern and Midwestern states, where slavery had long been prohibited, culminating in a sweep of victories in the Northern states and the election of Lincoln in 1860, ending 60 years of dominance by the slavery-supporting Democrats and ushering in a new era of Republican dominance based in the immigrant and industrial north and on the end of slavery.

With the end of the [[Civil War]] came the upheavals of Reconstruction under Democratic President [[Andrew Johnson]] (who had bitter disputes with the Republicans in Congress, who eventually impeached him) and [[Ulysses S. Grant]], a Republican. For a brief period, Republicans assumed control of Southern politics (due especially to the former slaves receiving the vote while it was denied to many whites who had participated in the Confederacy), forcing drastic reforms and frequently giving former slaves positions in government. After Reconstruction came to an end, the southern states became known as the "Solid South", giving overwhelming majorities of its electoral votes and Congressional seats to the Democrats until 1964.

States' rights had been a cause in the pre-Republican era, control of the federal government led the Republican Party to be known as the Party of the Union. The unity among veterans that developed in the North after the war led to a string of military men as President, and an era of international expansion and domestic protectionism. As the rural Northern antebellum economy mushroomed with industry and immigration, supporting the rights of the individual, innovation, invention, opportunity, entrepreneurship and business became the hallmarks of Republican policy proposals. From the Reconstruction era up to the turn of the century, the Republicans benefited from the Democrats' racist origin and their association with the Confederate States of America. The Republican Party, therefore dominated national politics--albeit with strong competition from the Democrats, especially during the 1880s. With the two-term presidency of [[Ulysses S. Grant]], the party became known for its strong advocacy of commerce, industry, and veterans' rights, which continues to this day.

During the 1880s and 1890s, the Republicans struggled against the Democrats' efforts, winning several close elections and losing two to [[Grover Cleveland]] (in 1884 and 1892).

The election of [[William McKinley]] in the [[United States presidential election of 1896]] is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a realigning election. The progressive, protectionist, political and beloved McKinley was the last Civil War veteran elected President and embodied the Republican ideals of economic progress, invention, education, and patriotism. He confirmed the Republicans as a pro-enterprise party; his campaign manager, Marcus Hanna was a highly effective political strategist and fund-raiser which meant McKinley outspent his radical rival William Jennings Bryan by a large margin.

After McKinley's assassination, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] tapped McKinley's Industrial Commission for his trust-busting ideas and continued the federal and nationalist policies of his predecessor. In order to ensure fair competition in the economy Roosevelt took steps to abolish "trusts" or cartels which then dominated many key markets within the economy. This led Republicans into conflict with the most powerful commercial interests in the country, led by John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world.

Roosevelt decided not to run again in 1908 and chose [[William Howard Taft]] to replace him, but the widening division between progressive and conservative forces in the party resulted in a third-party candidacy for Roosevelt on the United States Progressive Party, or "Bull Moose" ticket in the [[United States presidential election of 1912]]. Roosevelt finished ahead of Taft, but the split in the Republican vote resulted in a decisive victory for Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]], temporarily interrupting the Republican era.

The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of high tariffs, the promotion of business interests, opposition to the League of Nations, and overall isolationism after Wilson's turbulent internationalism. [[Warren G. Harding]], [[Calvin Coolidge]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] were resoundingly elected in 1920, 1924, and 1928 respectively. These years saw the party firmly committed to laissez-faire economics, but the Great Depression cost it the presidency with the election of [[Socialism|socialist]] Democrat [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] in 1932. Roosevelt's [[New Deal]] Coalition controlled American politics for the next two decades, concluding with the two-term presidency of popular Republican World War II General [[Dwight Eisenhower]].

The post-war emergence of the United States as one of two superpowers and rapid social change caused the Republican Party to divide into a conservative wing (dominant in the West and Southeast) and a liberal wing (dominant in New England) - combined with a residual base of inherited Midwestern Republicanism active throughout the century. A Republican like Senator Robert Taft of Ohio represented the Midwestern wing of the party that continued to oppose New Deal reforms and continued to champion isolationism. Thomas Dewey of New York represented the Northeastern wing of the party that was closer to Democratic liberalism and internationalism. In the end, the isolationists were marginalized by those who supported a strong U.S. role in opposing the Soviet Union throughout the world, as embodied by President Eisenhower. However, this development did not represent the end of the story. The seeds of conservative dominance in the Republican party were planted in the nomination of conservative [[Barry Goldwater]] over liberal [[Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller|Nelson Rockefeller]] as the Republican candidate for the [[United States presidential election of 1964]].

Any enduring Republican majority, however, was put on hold when the Watergate Affair caused [[Richard Nixon]] to resign under a threat of impeachment by elements within the Democratic Party opposed to U.S efforts to fight [[Communism|communist]] totalitarianism. Gerald Ford succeeded Nixon under the 25th Amendment and struggled to forge a political identity separate from his predecessor. The taint of Watergate and the nation's economic difficulties contributed to the election of Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, a Washington outsider who would later be regarded as the worst president of the 20th century.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination and easily beat Carter with his strong communication skills and message of economic freedom and strength against the [[Soviet Union]]. Reagan produced a major realignment with his 1980 and 1984 landslides. In 1980 the Reagan coalition was possible because of Democratic losses in most social-economic groups. In 1984 Reagan won nearly 60% of the popular vote and carried every state except his Democrat opponent Walter Mondale's home state of [[Minnesota]] and the District of Columbia, creating a record 525 electoral vote total (of 538 possible). Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3,761 votes <ref>http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1984&fips=27&f=1&off=0&elect=0</ref>, meaning Reagan came within less than 3,800 votes of winning in all fifty states.

The so-called "Reagan Democrats" were Democrats before the Reagan years, and afterwards, but who voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 (and for George H.W. Bush in 1988), producing their landslide victories. They lived in the Northeast and were attracted to Reagan's libertarian-conservative views, and to his strong stance on national security issues.

Reagan's Vice-President, George H.W. Bush, a [[World War II]] war hero, was elected in 1988 but was defeated in 1992 as domestic issues took prominence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end of the [[Cold War]]. Democratic challenger [[Bill Clinton]] strategically repositioned the Democrats to the right. [[Ross Perot]]'s candidacy was instrumental in Clinton's victory as he took Republican votes with his criticism of deficits. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, and Clinton, still a largely unknown quantity in American politics with 41% of the popular vote took office. Despite his loss, George H.W. Bush left office in 1993 with a 56 percent job approval rating.

House Republican Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]]-led the "Republican Revolution" of 1994 and its famous ''Contract With America''. It was the first time since 1952 that the Republicans secured control of both houses of U.S. Congress, which, with the exception of the Senate during 2001-2002, lasted until the 2006 mid-term elections. Democrats had controlled both houses of Congress for the forty years preceding 1994, with the exception of the 1981-1987 Congresses (in which Republicans controlled the Senate).

In the 1994 mid-term election, Republican congressional candidates ran on a platform of promising floor votes to force members of Congress to go on record on a series of popular reforms -- something the Democrats had stifled for decades. These measures and others formed the Contract with America, which represented the first effort to have a party platform in a mid-term election. Seven of the ten Contract items actually became Law. The budget reforms, coupled with reduced defence spending after the Cold War, and the earlier Reagan Tax Cuts for Business Research and Development in the 1980s, led to a high tech consumer boom, rising incomes for all groups, and unprecedented, sustained economic growth in the late 1990s. Democratic President Bill Clinton opposed some of the social agenda initiatives but he co-opted the proposals for welfare reform and a balanced federal budget. The result was a major change in the welfare system, which conservatives hailed and liberals bemoaned. One Contract item, which required Democrats in a two-thirds majority to pass a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, failed.

In 1995, a budget battle with Clinton led to the brief shutdown of the federal government, an event which contributed to Clinton's victory in the 1996 election. That year the Republicans nominated Bob Dole, who was unable to transfer his success in Senate leadership to a viable presidential campaign. Ross Perot ran again (this time on Reform Party ticket), once again draining away a large percentage of Dole's support and insuring Clinton another term after the majority of Americans voters voted against him.

With the election of George W. Bush (son of former president George H. W. Bush) in an extremely close 2000 election, the Republican party controlled both the presidency and both houses of Congress for the first time since 1952. However, after [[Vermont]] senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent aligned with the Democrats in June of 2001, Republicans lost control of the Senate by a single seat.

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, however, Bush pursued a "War on Terrorism" that included the liberation of Afghanistan from the radical Islamist Taliban regime and the [[Patriot act|USA PATRIOT act]]. By early 2002, the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan. On March 20, 2003, U.S. and allied nations initiated "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to liberate the Iraqi people from the brutal regime of [[Saddam Hussein]]. By May 1, 2003, the regime of Saddam was declared officially over. Once US and allied military forces entered Iraq, they discovered that various international terrorists had been given sanctuary by Saddam and ran their terrorist operations from Iraq. Notable terrorists found included Muhammad Zaidan aka Abu Abbas and Sabri Khalil al-Banna aka Abu Nidal.

The Republican Party fared well in the 2002 midterm elections, solidifying its hold on the House and regaining control of the Senate, in the run-up to the liberation of Iraq. This marked just the third time since the Civil War that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress in a midterm election (others were 1902 and 1934).

Bush was renominated without opposition for the [[United States presidential election, 2004]] and titled his political platform "A Safer World and a More Hopeful America". It expressed Bush's commitment to winning the War on Terror, ushering in an Ownership Era, and building an innovative economy to compete in the world.

On November 2, 2004, Bush was re-elected, while Republicans gained seats in both houses of Congress, leaving Democrats in disarray. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 Electoral College votes. In that election, he also received more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate, 62.0 million votes. Democrat challenger, Senator [[John Kerry]], carried a 19 states and the District of Columbia, earning him 251 Electoral College votes and 48 percent of the popular vote to Bush's 51 percent, the first popular majority since his father was elected in 1988. That election also marked the seventh consecutive election in which the Democratic nominee failed to reach that threshold.

The counties where Bush led in the popular vote amount to 83% of the geographic area of the U.S. (excluding Alaska, which did not report results by borough/census area, but had all electoral districts but one of the two in Juneau vote for Bush).

The election marked the first time an incumbent president was reelected while his political party increased its numbers in both houses of Congress since Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 election. It was the first time for a Republican since William McKinley in the 1900 election.

==Presidential dominance==
[[Image:Washington painting at the Oval Office.JPG|right]]
In terms of winning presidential elections, the Republican Party has been the most successful political party in U.S. history. Since the American Civil War, Grover Cleveland is the only non-incumbent Democrat who has won the office of President of the United States under "ordinary" circumstances (meaning no third party, no Great Depression, no disputed count in Illinois, no assassination of the previous president, no Watergate).

From 1860 through 1912, 10 men were elected President of the United States -- Grover Cleveland being the only Democrat.

Woodrow Wilson, who won in 1912, only won because William Howard Taft (the Republican incumbent) split the party vote with former President Theodore Roosevelt who ran as the Progressive Party candidate. Wilson only garnered 41.6% of the popular vote, compared to a combined 50.6% of Roosevelt and Taft.

Following Wilson, there were three more Republicans. It took a major economic depression to get another Democrat elected (in 1932).

John F. Kennedy (the next Democratic non-incumbent to win the White House) won the [[United States presidential election, 1960]] as the result of voter fraud in Chicago (and several other locations), with a mere 0.2% difference in the popular vote.

It took the aftermath of the Watergate matter to get the next, non-incumbent Democrat elected in 1976 in a very close election in which Democrat Jimmy Carter received 50.1% of the popular vote to Gerald Ford's 48.0%. 5,000 popular votes in the State of Ohio would have made the difference.

The next non-incumbent Democrat victory occurred in 1992, in which third party candidate H. Ross Perot took away 19% of the popular vote from the Republican candidate, incumbent George H.W. Bush. And even though Bill Clinton was twice elected, he never once had a majority of the vote (43.0% in 1992; 49.2% in 1996). More people (the majority of voters) voted against Clinton for President than ever voted for him.

Since the birth of the Republican Party, the average Republican margin of victory over their opponents in Presidential elections has been around 12% to the Democrat's margin of victory over their opponents at around 8%. Also since the birth of the Republican Party, Democrats only garnered a majority of the vote a total of 7 times in 38 elections, while Republicans earned a majority 17 times in those same 38 elections.

In the 20th century, only 7 U.S. Presidents gained a larger margin of victory over their opponents in their second election. Five of those seven were Republicans. It must be noted that this statistic cannot be applied to incumbents who entered office without being elected, as their re-election was actually their first election -- i.e. Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford)

*Nixon from a 0.7% margin of victory in 1968 to a 23.2% MOV in 1972.
*Reagan from a 9.7% MOV in 1980 to a 18.2% MOV in 1984.
*FDR from a 17.% MOV in 1932 to a 24.3% MOV in 1936.
*Eisenhower from a 10.7% MOV in 1952 to a 15.4% MOV in 1956.
*McKinley from a 4.2% MOV in 1896 to a 6.1% MOV in 1900.
*Clinton from a 5.6% MOV in 1992 to a 8.5% MOV in 1996.
*GWB from a -0.5% MOV in 2000 to a 2.8% MOV in 2004.

Of the 11 U.S. presidents to be re-elected (i.e. elected a second time) since the Civil War, 7 were Republicans and only 4 Democrats. All seven of those Republicans were re-elected with a higher percentage of the vote , while only 3 of those Democrats received a greater percentage for their re-election bid. And this doesn't even include Franklin Delano Roosevelt's third and fourth terms, where victory margins diminished in his third and forth terms.)

== Contemporary Party ==

The contemporary Republican Party represents a wide array of interests such as the conservative evangelicals and the economic libertarians. The party has had some internal conflict over attitudes about how governments should run and how large they should be, what the party stands for, and what the party's attitude towards [[neo-conservatism]] should be especially in regard to foreign policy. The party is also divided over immigration issues with some members (such as George W. Bush) favoring workers visas and permits and some other members favoring strict control of immigration and strong action against illegal immigration. Unlike the Democratic party, the Republican party routinely allows dissenting factions such as the [[Log Cabin Republicans]] to speak at National Conventions.

==Presidents from the party==
# [[Abraham Lincoln]] (1861-1865)
# [[Ulysses S. Grant]] (1869-1877)
# [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] (1877-1881)
# [[James Garfield]] (1881)
# [[Chester A. Arthur]] (1881-1885)
# [[Benjamin Harrison]] (1889-1893)
# [[William McKinley]] (1897-1901)
# [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (1901-1909)
# [[William Howard Taft]] (1909-1913)
# [[Warren G. Harding]] (1921-1923)
# [[Calvin Coolidge]] (1923-1929)
# [[Herbert Hoover]] (1929-1933)
# [[Dwight Eisenhower]] (1953-1961)
# [[Richard Nixon]] (1969-1974)
# [[Gerald Ford]] (1974-1977)
# [[Ronald Reagan]] (1981-1989)
# [[George H. W. Bush]] (1989-1993)
# [[George W. Bush]] (2001-2009)

==See Also==
*[[RINO]] - '''R'''epublicans '''i'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly
*[[Previous Breaking News/Republicans|Articles about '''Republicans''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

== References ==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.gop.com/ Official GOP Site]
*[http://nyyrcrecord.blogspot.com/ New York Young Republican Record]

[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:United States Political Parties]]

Roseanne Barr

2008-01-11T05:00:14Z

AmeriCan: New page: '''Roseanne Cherrie Barr''' (born November 3, 1952) is a socialist comedian, actress, writer and liberal activist. On July 25, 1990, Barr performed a controversial rendi...

'''Roseanne Cherrie Barr''' (born November 3, 1952) is a [[Socialism|socialist]] comedian, actress, writer and [[liberal]] activist.

On July 25, 1990, Barr performed a controversial rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" before a Cincinnati Reds-San Diego Padres baseball game in San Diego, California. She did not take the national anthem seriously and sung the song as loudly as possible and her rendition of the song sounded "screechy". Following her rendition, she mimicked the often-seen actions of players by spitting and grabbing her crotch as if adjusting a protective cup. The song and the closing routine offended many in the audience, and it was replayed frequently on television, drawing further attention to it.

Barr is a supporter of Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] for president and has been very critical of Senator [[Barack Obama]], describing him as "an empty suit selling hope in lieu of Truth." She has also described former [[Vietnam War]] POW Senator [[John McCain]] as "the most racist right wing republican ever."<ref>http://www.roseanneworld.com/blog/2008/01/barak_obama.php</ref>

Despite her far left-wing positions, she has actually been critical of the "gay rights" movement. A 1992 ''Playboy'' magazine article quoted a letter in which Barr used numerous homophobic slurs to try to insult then ''USA Today'' reviewer, Matt Roush.<ref>http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/monitor.html</ref> On April 6, 2007 during Barr's show on California's KCAA radio, she commented that "gay and lesbian people definitely practiced a divide and conquer mentality where, you know, it always has to be about them" and that gay people "don't care about minimum wage, they don't care about any other group other than their own self because you know, some people say being gay and lesbian is a totally narcissistic thing and sometimes I wonder."<ref>http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2007/04/wherein_we_chan_1.html</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.roseanneworld.com/ Roseanne's website and daily blog]

[[Category:Liberal activists|Barr, Roseanne]]

George W. Bush

2008-01-11T04:35:33Z

AmeriCan:

{{President
|image=George_w_bush.jpeg
|seq=43
|term_start=January 20, 2001
|term_end=Present
|party=Republican
|vp=Dick Cheney
|previous=Bill Clinton
|next=Incumbent
|birth_date=July 6, 1946
|birth_place=New Haven, Connecticut
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=Laura Bush
|spouse2=
|religion=United Methodist
}}
'''George Walker Bush''' (born New Haven, [[Connecticut]] 1946) was the Governor of [[Texas]] (1996-2001) and has served as the [[Republican]] [[President of the United States of America]] since 2001. Campaigning on the notion that the United States should not be in the business of nation-building,<ref>http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/debates/transcripts/u221003.html</ref> he won the office by a narrow margin in the decisive State of [[Florida]]. Legal challenges to the certified vote count went all the way to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in 2000. Democratic contender [[Al Gore]] initially conceded defeat on the night of the election, but then contested the outcome for weeks until the Supreme Court case [[Bush v. Gore]].

In 2004 Bush won reelection, helped in part by a 300,000 vote victory (5%) in the State of Florida, where the outcome had been so close in 2000 <ref>[http://election.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/SummaryRpt.asp?ElectionDate=11/2/2004&Race=PRE&DATAMODE= Florida Election Records], ''[[Florida Dept. of State]]''</ref>. Democratic candidate [[John Kerry]] quickly conceded defeat the day after the election.

== Foreign policy ==
George W. Bush has spent most of his Presidency focusing on foreign policy issues, namely the war on terror in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the USA. As part of the fight against terrorism, he received Congressional approval to invade the countries of [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]], and the military has successfully effected regime changes in those countries. He is now working to end the Iraqi insurgency and stabilize the region.

Egyptian President [[Hosni Mubarek]] and Libyan [[Socialist]] General Secretary [[Muammar Gaddafi]] in negotiations with [[Saddam Hussein]] relayed a message through Italian Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]] and Spanish President [[Jose Maria Aznar]] to UK Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] and President Bush] that Saddam would be willing to avoid removal by force and voluntarily go into exile, provided Saddam was allowed to take $1 billion dollars and "all the information he wants about [[weapons of mass destruction]]." <ref>[http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2007/09/saddam_risked_his_life_for_wmd_1.asp Saddam Risked His Life for WMD Secrets], ''WeeklyStandard.com. September 29, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003646639 Scoop for Spanish Daily: Transcript of Private 2003 Bush Talk Promising Iraq Invasion], ''Editor & Publisher'', September 26, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602414.html Report Says Hussein Was Open To Exile Before 2003 Invasion], He Is Said to Have Sought $1 Billion and Information on Arms, By Karen DeYoung and Michael Abramowitz, ''[[Washington Post]], September 27, 2007; Page A17.</ref><ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Llego/momento/deshacerse/Sadam/elpepunac/20070926elpepinac_1/Tes Llegó el momento de deshacerse de Sadam], ''El Pais'', 26/09/2007. (In Spanish).</ref>

In a show down with Congressional Democrats after taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in the 2006 Congressional Midterm elections, Democrats retreated on their pledge to end the [[Iraq War]] early and bring the troops home. Democrats had threatened to withhold funding for the troops unless a date certain for withdrawal was set. After the final vote, 280-142 in the House and 80-14 in the Senate, the anti-War movement was defeated. The deal cut with Democratic leaders in exchange for their acquiescing to fund the troops calls for the President to sign legislation raising the [[minimum wage]]. <ref>[http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070525-122215-4854r.htm Congress OKs war bill sans time-line,] By S.A. Miller, The Washington Times'', May 25, 2007. </ref> One commentator remarked, "Despite all the talk of standing up to George W. Bush, despite all the bravado about taking control of Congress, despite the so-called mandate to change direction, Democrats caved....They claim that the majority of Americans are with them on the Iraq issue, but...President Bush, at the weakest moment of his presidency, still bested his Democratic rivals." <ref>[http://www.newmediajournal.us/staff/phyrillas/05292007.htm Democrats Show True Colors], Tony Phyrillas, ''New Media journal'', May 29, 2007, </ref>

== Economic issues ==
Though the liberal media continues to disparage Bush's handling of the economy, they neglect to report all aspects of the economy are at historically high levels. This is partially due to changes in the stock market that lead to a record high in 2007. Corporations show profits growing by double digits growth.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/us/2006-05-08-mart-usat_x.htm</ref> Even the working class is benefiting from the Bush economy, as unemployment hits an all time low in March 2007.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/economy</ref> Bush worked with Democrats to raise the minimum wage to a more livable level.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001784.html</ref> Tax policies have been favorable to reducing the Capital Gains Tax, with a subsequent surge in investment.

== Family ==
[[Image:GWBush.jpg|thumb|300px|right|President Bush admires pictures of his family in the Oval Office.]]
George W. Bush is the son of [[George H. W. Bush]], who served as vice-president from 1981 to 1989 and as president from 1989 to 1993, and [[Barbara Bush]]. President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and librarian, and they have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, Neil Bush and Marvin Bush are his brothers. Dorothy Bush Koch is his only surviving sister, as Pauline Robinson Bush died at age four of leukemia.

==Faith==
George W. Bush is a member of the [[United Methodist Church]], and most people feel that George W. Bush's faith is sincere and profound. ''The Faith of George W. Bush'', a non-political book by author Stephen Strang, made the [[New York Times]] best-sellers list. <ref>http://www.christianlifemissions.org/ministries/georgewbush.htm</ref>
When asked where he would be without the influence of family friend [[Billy Graham]], George W. Bush said "I wouldn't be president." "It was just a conversation," said the younger Bush about a talk with Graham in the mid-'80s that changed his life. During the pivotal conversation Bush recalled saying, "'You know, Billy, I'm longing for something.' And I know that he sent me a Bible I still have. All I can tell you is that as a result of being inspired by Billy Graham, I started reading the Bible and shortly after, I quit drinking." <ref>Billy Graham and the White House [http://religion.beloblog.com/archives/2007/08/billy_graham_and_the_white_hou_1.html]</ref>

==Threats==
[[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] winner Betty Williams said she "could kill George Bush” because he has repeatedly violated the Constitution and committed crimes against humanity.<ref>[http://michellemalkin.com/2007/07/12/when-peaceniks-attack/ When peaceniks attack: “Right now, I could kill George Bush”] by [[Michelle Malkin]], July 12, 2007</ref>

<blockquote>
“Right now, I could kill George Bush,” she said at the Adam’s Mark Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas. “No, I don’t mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that.”
</blockquote>

==Reaction==

George W. Bush recently reached the lowest popularity levels of any president in history, passing both [[Jimmy Carter]], an extremely unpopular Democrat president, and [[Richard Nixon]], who was disliked severely for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

==See Also==
*[[Previous Breaking News/George W. Bush|Articles about '''George W. Bush''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

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

[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Political people]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, George W.}}
{{USPresidents}}

United States presidential election, 1984

2008-01-10T22:39:49Z

AmeriCan:

President [[Ronald Reagan]] was still popular and approved of by the time came for him to be reelected. While Reagan easily won the Republican nomination with hardly any dissent, Democrats searched hard to find a candidate they thought could win. They eventually chose former Vice President [[Walter Mondale]] as their candidate. Mondale surprised America by choosing Representative [[Geraldine Ferraro]] as his running-mate. Despite his popularity, Reagan campaigned hard for reelection; however he seemed to look rather exhausted in the first of the [[Presidential Debates]]. However, by the second debate he appeared fresh and experienced. Reagan was able to win the election with a landslide popular and electoral majority over Mondale, who won only the District of Columbia (which has never been won by a Republican candidate) and his home state of Minnesota.<ref> [[Encyclopedia of Presidents]], by Zachary Kent, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 71-73. </ref>

Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3761 votes, meaning Reagan came within less than 3800 votes of winning in all fifty states. Reagan won a record 525 electoral votes total (of 538 possible), and received nearly 60 percent of the popular vote. Mondale's 13 electoral college votes marked the lowest total of any major Presidential candidate since Alf Landon's 1936 loss to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With regards to the [[Electoral College]], Mondale's defeat was also the worst for any Democratic Party candidate in history.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! candidates
! popular vote
! electoral vote
|-
| Ronald Reagan
| 54, 450, 603
| 525
|-
| Walter Mondale
| 37, 573, 671
| 13
|-
| [[David Bergland]]
| 227, 949
| 0
|-
| [[Lyndon Larouche]]
| 76, 773
| 0
|-
| [[Sonia Johnson]]
| 72, 153
| 0
|-
| [[Bob Richards]]
| 62, 371
| 0
|-
| [[Dennis Serrette]]
| 47, 209
| 0
|-
| [[Gus Hall]]
| 35, 561
| 0
|-
| [[Mel Mason]]
| 24, 687
| 0
|}
<ref> [[A Pictoral History of the U.S. Presidents]], by Clare Gibson, Gramercy Books, 2001, p. 127. </ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:1984, United States presidential election,}}
[[Category: United States presidential elections]]

United States presidential election, 1984

2008-01-10T22:38:31Z

AmeriCan:

President [[Ronald Reagan]] was still popular and approved of by the time came for him to be reelected. While Reagan easily won the Republican nomination with hardly any dissent, Democrats searched hard to find a candidate they thought could win. They eventually chose former Vice President [[Walter Mondale]] as their candidate. Mondale surprised America by choosing Representative [[Geraldine Ferraro]] as his running-mate. Despite his popularity, Reagan campaigned hard for reelection; however he seemed to look rather exhausted in the first of the [[Presidential Debates]]. However, by the second debate he appeared fresh and experienced. Reagan was able to win the election with a landslide popular and electoral majority over Mondale, who won only the District of Columbia (which has never been won by a Republican candidate) and his home state of Minnesota.<ref> [[Encyclopedia of Presidents]], by Zachary Kent, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 71-73. </ref>

Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3761 votes, meaning Reagan came within less than 3800 votes of winning in all fifty states. Reagan won a record 525 electoral votes total (of 538 possible), and received nearly 60 percent of the popular vote. Mondale's 13 electoral college votes marked the lowest total of any major Presidential candidate since Alf Landon's 1936 loss to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Mondale's defeat was also the worst for any Democratic Party candidate in history.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! candidates
! popular vote
! electoral vote
|-
| Ronald Reagan
| 54, 450, 603
| 525
|-
| Walter Mondale
| 37, 573, 671
| 13
|-
| [[David Bergland]]
| 227, 949
| 0
|-
| [[Lyndon Larouche]]
| 76, 773
| 0
|-
| [[Sonia Johnson]]
| 72, 153
| 0
|-
| [[Bob Richards]]
| 62, 371
| 0
|-
| [[Dennis Serrette]]
| 47, 209
| 0
|-
| [[Gus Hall]]
| 35, 561
| 0
|-
| [[Mel Mason]]
| 24, 687
| 0
|}
<ref> [[A Pictoral History of the U.S. Presidents]], by Clare Gibson, Gramercy Books, 2001, p. 127. </ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:1984, United States presidential election,}}
[[Category: United States presidential elections]]

George W. Bush

2008-01-08T04:38:46Z

AmeriCan: /* Foreign policy */

{{President
|image=George_w_bush.jpeg
|seq=43
|term_start=January 20, 2001
|term_end=Present
|party=Republican
|vp=Dick Cheney
|previous=Bill Clinton
|next=Incumbent
|birth_date=July 6, 1946
|birth_place=New Haven, Connecticut
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=Laura Bush
|spouse2=
|religion=United Methodist
}}

'''George Walker Bush''' (born New Haven, [[Connecticut]] 1946) was the Governor of [[Texas]] (1996-2001) and has served as the [[Republican]] [[President of the United States of America]] since 2001. Campaigning on the notion that the United States should not be in the business of nation-building,<ref>http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/debates/transcripts/u221003.html</ref> he won the office by a narrow margin in the decisive State of [[Florida]]. Legal challenges to the certified vote count went all the way to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in 2000. Democratic contender [[Al Gore]] initially conceded defeat on the night of the election, but then contested the outcome for weeks until the Supreme Court case [[Bush v. Gore]].

In 2004 Bush won reelection, helped in part by a 300,000 vote victory (5%) in the State of Florida, where the outcome had been so close in 2000 <ref>[http://election.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/SummaryRpt.asp?ElectionDate=11/2/2004&Race=PRE&DATAMODE= Florida Election Records], ''[[Florida Dept. of State]]''</ref>. Democratic candidate [[John Kerry]] quickly conceded defeat the day after the election.

== Foreign policy ==
George W. Bush has spent most of his Presidency focusing on foreign policy issues, namely the war on terror in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the USA. As part of the fight against terrorism, he received Congressional approval to invade the countries of [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]], and the military has successfully effected regime changes in those countries. He is now working to end the Iraqi insurgency and stabilize the region.

Egyptian President [[Hosni Mubarek]] and Libyan [[Socialist]] General Secretary [[Muammar Gaddafi]] in negotiations with [[Saddam Hussein]] relayed a message through Italian Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]] and Spanish President [[Jose Maria Aznar]] to UK Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] and President Bush] that Saddam would be willing to avoid removal by force and voluntarily go into exile, provided Saddam was allowed to take $1 billion dollars and "all the information he wants about [[weapons of mass destruction]]." <ref>[http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2007/09/saddam_risked_his_life_for_wmd_1.asp Saddam Risked His Life for WMD Secrets], ''WeeklyStandard.com. Spetember 29, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003646639 Scoop for Spanish Daily: Transcript of Private 2003 Bush Talk Promising Iraq Invasion], ''Editor & Publisher'', September 26, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602414.html Report Says Hussein Was Open To Exile Before 2003 Invasion], He Is Said to Have Sought $1 Billion and Information on Arms, By Karen DeYoung and Michael Abramowitz, ''[[Washington Post]], September 27, 2007; Page A17.</ref><ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Llego/momento/deshacerse/Sadam/elpepunac/20070926elpepinac_1/Tes Llegó el momento de deshacerse de Sadam], ''El Pais'', 26/09/2007. (In Spanish).</ref>

In a show down with Congressional Democrats after taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in the 2006 Congressional Midterm elections, Democrats retreated on their pledge to end the [[Iraq War]] early and bring the troops home. Democrats had threatened to withhold funding for the troops unless a date certain for withdrawal was set. After the final vote, 280-142 in the House and 80-14 in the Senate, the anti-War movement was defeated. The deal cut with Democratic leaders in exchange for their acquiescing to fund the troops calls for the President to sign legislation raising the [[minimum wage]]. <ref>[http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070525-122215-4854r.htm Congress OKs war bill sans time-line,] By S.A. Miller, The Washington Times'', May 25, 2007. </ref> One commentator remarked, "Despite all the talk of standing up to George W. Bush, despite all the bravado about taking control of Congress, despite the so-called mandate to change direction, Democrats caved....They claim that the majority of Americans are with them on the Iraq issue, but...President Bush, at the weakest moment of his presidency, still bested his Democratic rivals." <ref>[http://www.newmediajournal.us/staff/phyrillas/05292007.htm Democrats Show True Colors], Tony Phyrillas, ''New Media journal'', May 29, 2007, </ref>

== Economic issues ==
Though the liberal media continues to disparage Bush's handling of the economy, they neglect to report all aspects of the economy are at historically high levels. This is partially due to changes in the stock market that lead to a record high in 2007. Corporations show profits growing by double digits growth.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/us/2006-05-08-mart-usat_x.htm</ref> Even the working class is benefiting from the Bush economy, as unemployment hits an all time low in March 2007.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/economy</ref> Bush worked with Democrats to raise the minimum wage to a more livable level.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001784.html</ref> Tax policies have been favorable to reducing the Capital Gains Tax, with a subsequent surge in investment.

== Family ==
[[Image:GWBush.jpg|thumb|300px|right|President Bush admires pictures of his family in the Oval Office.]]
George W. Bush is the son of [[George H. W. Bush]], who served as vice-president from 1981 to 1989 and as president from 1989 to 1993, and [[Barbara Bush]]. President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and librarian, and they have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, Neil Bush and Marvin Bush are his brothers. Dorothy Bush Koch is his only surviving sister, as Pauline Robinson Bush died at age four of leukemia.

==Faith==
George W. Bush is a member of the [[United Methodist Church]], and most people feel that George W. Bush's faith is sincere and profound. ''The Faith of George W. Bush'', a non-political book by author Stephen Strang, made the [[New York Times]] best-sellers list. <ref>http://www.christianlifemissions.org/ministries/georgewbush.htm</ref>
When asked where he would be without the influence of family friend [[Billy Graham]], George W. Bush said "I wouldn't be president." "It was just a conversation," said the younger Bush about a talk with Graham in the mid-'80s that changed his life. During the pivotal conversation Bush recalled saying, "'You know, Billy, I'm longing for something.' And I know that he sent me a Bible I still have. All I can tell you is that as a result of being inspired by Billy Graham, I started reading the Bible and shortly after, I quit drinking." <ref>Billy Graham and the White House [http://religion.beloblog.com/archives/2007/08/billy_graham_and_the_white_hou_1.html]</ref>

==Threats==
[[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] winner Betty Williams said she "could kill George Bush” because he has repeatedly violated the Constitution and committed crimes against humanity.<ref>[http://michellemalkin.com/2007/07/12/when-peaceniks-attack/ When peaceniks attack: “Right now, I could kill George Bush”] by [[Michelle Malkin]], July 12, 2007</ref>

<blockquote>
“Right now, I could kill George Bush,” she said at the Adam’s Mark Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas. “No, I don’t mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that.”
</blockquote>

==Reaction==

George W. Bush recently reached the lowest popularity levels of any president in history, passing both [[Jimmy Carter]], an extremely unpopular Democrat president, and [[Richard Nixon]], who was disliked serevely for his liberal policies {{fact}}.

==See Also==
*[[Previous Breaking News/George W. Bush|Articles about '''George W. Bush''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

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

[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Political people]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, George W.}}
{{USPresidents}}

Bush v. Gore

2008-01-08T04:31:32Z

AmeriCan:

'''Bush v. Gore''' was the case brought before the [[Supreme Court]] to decide [[United States presidential election, 2000|the year 2000 Presidential election]] which had been held up with neither candidate [[George W. Bush]] nor [[Al Gore]] conceding defeat. A number of lower court cases in the [[Florida]] courts had already been fought, and the U.S. Supreme Court had unanimously rejected one recount order. The case was heard on December 11th, 2000 over one month after the election had taken place. The Florida Supreme Court had just ruled in a controversial split decision that court personnel would do a partial manual recount in four counties, according to procedures that were never revealed. The Supreme court overturned that plan 7 to 2, and then in a 5 to 4 decision ruled that the time to find additional recounts method had passed. In effect, this solidified the results as they had been recorded, allowing George W. Bush to claim victory and enter the [[President of the United States of America|Presidency]].

Independent news agencies later did their own recounts, trying to simulate how the Florida court might have done it. They found that under most scenarios, the recounts would have favored Bush, but that the court could have manipulated the process to declare Gore the winner.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/florida.ballots/stories/main.html</ref><ref>http://www.slate.com/?id=2058603</ref>

Many people were unhappy with the courts intervening in the election. Republicans complained that the Florida supreme court tried to alter the certified count with procedures that had never been used before. Democrats were unhappy that the US Supreme Court stopped the Florida supreme court.

==Further reading==
*[http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=65000590 ''A Blatant Conflict of Interest], [[Theresa LePore]] should recuse herself from the Palm Beach vote-count process'', John Fund, OpinionJournal, November 12, 2000.

==References==
<references/>

[[category:United States Supreme Court Cases]]
[[Category:United States History]]

Gray Davis

2008-01-07T16:37:52Z

AmeriCan:

'''Joseph Graham (Gray) Davis, Jr''' is a politician who has served as:

*a [[California State Assembly|California State Assemblyman]] (1983-1987)
*the [[California State Controller]] (1987-1995)
*the [[Lt. Governor of California]] (1995-1999)
*the 37th [[Governor of California]] (1999-2003)

He is most notable for being the second [[Governor]] in U.S. History to be removed from office by [[recall election]]. He was replaced by [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].

{{DEFAULTSORT: Davis, Gray}}

[[Category: Democratic Party]]
[[Category: United States Governors]]

Matt Blunt

2008-01-07T16:36:44Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Dra img bmem gov8x10.jpg|right|200px]]
'''Matthew Roy "Matt" Blunt''' (born November 20, 1970) was elected Governor of [[Missouri]] on November 2, 2004. Blunt is currently, as of 2007, the youngest Governor in the [[United States]]. He is a member of the [[Republican party]] and the son of House [[Minority Whip]] [[Roy Blunt]].

A 1993 graduate of the [[United States Naval Academy]], Governor Blunt is currently a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve. Blunt is the only statewide official in Missouri history called to active military duty in wartime, serving for six months in [[Operation Enduring Freedom]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blunt, Matt}}

[[Category:United States Governors]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Voting Rights Act of 1965

2008-01-07T16:26:44Z

AmeriCan:

The '''National Voting Rights Act of 1965'''<ref>42 U.S.C. § 1973-1973aa-6</ref> authorized, and in some areas required, federal oversight of elections. Many of these areas were in the South. Frequently amended, it imposes a complex system of regulations that include forcing local governments to print multilingual ballots at their own expense, in many different foreign languages. It requires federal registration of voters in regions where less than 50% of minorities are registered.

==Politics==
The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress over strong opposition from the the southern wing of the Democratic Party; Democratic President [[Lyndon Johnson]] turned to Minority Leader [[Everett Dirksen]] for [[Republican]] support <ref>[http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_histmats_civilrights64_cloturespeech.htm Everett McKinley Dirksen's Finest Hour: June 10, 1964], ''The Peoria Journal Star'', June 10, 2004, retrieved from The Dirksen Congressional center 05/20/07.</ref> to break the Southern Democratic [[filibuster]]. Dirksen spoke on the Senate floor,

{{Cquote|The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing of government, in education, and in employment. It must not be stayed or denied. It is here!}}

The Senate never had been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a Civil Rights Bill. The final count showed 44 Democrats and 27 Republicans voting to close off debate, with 23 Democrats and only 6 Republicans opposed. The formal Senate vote on the bill took place on June 19, 1964. It passed overwhelmingly, 73-27.

In the final house passage of the bill on August 3, 1965, the breakdown was 217 Democrats and 111 Republicans voting in favor versus 54 Southern Democrats and 120 Republicans voting against. The final Senate vote on August 4 was 49 Democrats and 30 Republicans in favor, one Republican and 17 Democrats opposed, Robert Byrd of West Virginia and 16 Southern Democrats. Southern Democrats who voted in favor of the bill on August 4 were Senators Albert A. Gore (who had originally voted against the Voting Rights Act in 1964) and Ross Bass from Tennessee, Mike Monroney and Fred R. Harris from Oklahoma and Ralph W. Yarborough from Texas. <ref>[http://www.2facts.com/Ancillaries/index/h00619.asp</ref>

Sen. [[William. J. Fulbright]] <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871879,00.html?iid=chix-sphere Picking the Team], ''TIME Magazine'', December 12, 1960.</ref> who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by [[President Clinton]], voted against it.

Majority Leader Mike Mansfield said of the Republican leader, "The whole country is in debt to the Senator from Illinois."

The Act gives the Department of Justice the power to approve or reject any change in a voting law in certain districts where less than 50% of the population were registered to vote in 1964. 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 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 Governeror 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 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 racial motivation is inescapable.}}

The Act also outlawed literacy tests that once limited the right to vote in some areas to those who could read the ballot, as well as so-called "Grandfather Clauses".

==Renewal==
Although the Act is over 40 years old and addresses issues from the early 1960s and before, in 2006 Congress passed a 25-year extension without meaningful debate. 33 House members opposed the 25-year extension, primarily because of the imposition of multilingual balloting. Not a single senator, however, voted against it, and President [[George W. Bush]] signed it into law.

==See also==
*[[Southern Manifesto]]

== References ==

<references/>

[[category:United States law]]
[[category:Civil Rights]]

Duncan Hunter

2008-01-02T00:27:50Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:Hunter.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Duncan Lee Hunter''' (born May 31, 1948) is a 14-term [[Republican Party|Republican]] Congressman from [[California]] who is running for the Republican nomination for [[President]]. He is a [[Vietnam]] veteran who enlisted in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in 1969 right after college. He fought in the [[Vietnam War]] from 1970 to 1971 in the Army Rangers' 75th Ranger Regiment, attached to the 173rd Airborne Brigade.<ref>http://www.house.gov/hunter/biography.shtml</ref> He received a Bronze Star for his service in 24 helicopter combat assaults.<ref>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070129/29hunterfacts.htm</ref> He also participated in small-number, night-time reconnaissance patrols.<ref>http://www.chuckyeager.com/</ref> He held the rank of First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and service ribbons such as the Vietnam Service Medal.

After serving in the military, he worked his way through law school with farming and construction jobs. Once an attorney, he practiced in a storefront office where he often provided free legal services to the poor.

In 1980 he achieved a big political upset in challenging and defeating [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] incumbent Lionel van Deerlin in a Democratic-leaning San Diego-based district, which was redrawn to be solidly Republican in 1982. Since the redrawing, Hunter has won reelection. He consistently wins 70% of the vote in the solidly Republican 52nd district of California. His voting record is virtually 100% [[conservative]] in Congress, often taking the lead on controversial issues. Hunter is a proponent of [[fair trade]] rather than [[free trade]]. <ref>http://www.gohunter08.com/inner.asp?z=4</ref>

Married since 1973, Hunter has two sons, one of whom is a First Lieutenant in the [[United States Marine Corps]] who was deployed to [[Iraq]]. Hunter's son plan to runs for the [[congressional]] seat being vacated by Hunter as he runs for president.

In January 2007, Hunter attracted attention by winning a non-binding straw poll of [[Republican]] precinct committeemen in [[Arizona]]'s most-populated county, even though [[Arizona]] is home to [[Senator]] [[John McCain]]. <ref>http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/16/news/top_stories/1_03_321_15_07.txt</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{2008_presidential_candidates}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Duncan}}
[[Category:US Representative]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:2008 Presidential Candidates]]

MS NOW

2007-12-31T13:22:14Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:April 2nd MSNBC.png|right|frame]]
'''MSNBC''' is a 24-hour cable news channel. It is the lowest rated of the three major cable news channels.

The channel was started in 1996 as a joint venture between [[Microsoft]] and [[NBC]]. On December 23, 2005, ending a partnership that soured long before, Microsoft and NBC announced that they would dissolve their joint ownership of the cable news channel, with NBC taking control. NBC completed a deal to assume majority control of the channel, with an 82 percent stake.<ref>http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30610F93E540C778EDDAB0994DD404482</ref>

The MSNBC network has perenially had very low ratings. In 2002, the network was regularly beaten in the ratings by [[CNN Headline News]]. The CEO of Microsoft once even admitted that he wouldn't have started MSNBC knowing what he knew now.<ref>http://news.com.com/2100-1023-268073.html</ref> In June of 2006, [[CNN]] co-founder Reese Schoenfeld told journalist Don Kaplan that "Everybody compares MSNBC to Fox and CNN - when its real competition is Headline News". Schoenfeld pointed out that the ratings for MSNBC and Headline News are roughly the same, about 300,000 viewers on average and that "by comparison, Fox and CNN regularly average three or four times as many viewers." Kaplan even joked that "the running joke in TV news is Fox and CNN are news channels with websites, but MSNBC is a website with a cable channel".<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/5891</ref>

Shock jock Don Imus's radio show ''Imus in the Morning'' was simulcast on MSNBC for over ten years. During this time, the program become well-known for displaying offensive commentary. However, MSNBC continued to support the show. In April of 2007, the network sparked outrage when during a broadcast of ''Imus in the Morning'', Don Imus and another MSNBC staff member made offensive remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The remarks were considered to be both racist and sexist. Initially, MSNBC refused to cancel the show. After sponsors started withdrawing their advertisements from the show, MSNBC canceled the simulcast of ''Imus in the Morning''.

MSNBC has been criticizes regarding the channel's [[liberal]] slant. The media watchdog group the Media Research Center<ref> [http://www.mediaresearch.org/about/aboutwelcome.asp About Media Research Center] www.mediaresearch.org</ref> has cited MSNBC shows by [[Keith Olbermann]], [[Dan Abrams]] and [[Chris Matthews]] in it criticism of the network's bias reporting.

The [[left-wing]] advocacy group Media Matters for America<ref> [http://mediamatters.org/ Media Matters for America homepage] www.mediamatters.org</ref> has criticizes the MSNBC's commitment to promoting a left-wing agenda since the channel has had shows hosted by left-[[libertarian]] [[Tucker Carlson]] and former moderate [[Republican]] Congressman [[Joe Scarborough]]. Ironically, on August 16, 2007 Scarborough revealed an incident in which people in the MSNBC newsroom ceaselessly booed [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush|Bush]] during a State of the Union address.<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/14899/print</ref>
[[Image:Msnbc dem.jpg|right|150px]]
In the past, MSNBC shows have featured [[Mitch Albom]], [[Ann Coulter]], [[Phil Donahue]], [[Bill Moyers]], [[Maury Povich]], and [[Michael Savage]], among others. That varied programming was gradually reduced as NBC veered more [[leftist]] in its point-of-view.

In 2003, in an effort to appear more patriotic, MSNBC fired talk-show host Phil Donahue. An internal memo read, in part, "Donahue represents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. At the same time, our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity." <ref>http://mediamatters.org/items/200410290004</ref>
<ref>http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/24/1446244</ref>
<ref>http://www.allyourtv.com/0203season/news/02252003donahue.html</ref>

On November 5, 2007, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that the cable news channel was in serious discussions with [[Rosie O'Donnell]] to have a prime-time show on the network. Under one scenario, O'Donnell would be given the 9 p.m. slot where she would compete with ''Larry King Live'' on [[CNN]] and ''Hannity & Colmes'' on the [[Fox News Channel]]. Her show would replace ''Live with Dan Abrams'', a low-rated program that only recently replaced ''Scarborough Country''.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/business/media/05cnd-msnbc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin</ref> The deal later fell through as O'Donnell leaked information about the agreement without MSNBC's permission.

Later in November of 2007, the president of MSNBC, Phil Griffin, flat out admitted that the network has a left-wing liberal bias. In a ''New York Times'' article, he said that "it happened naturally" and that "there is a Go for it" mentality when it comes to pushing the liberal agenda among the MSNBC staff.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/business/media/06msnb.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin</ref>

Continuing its offensive against the Bush administration and its reposition as a left-wing "news" outlet, in December of 2007, the network ran a series titled ''Bush League Justice'' with the explicit purpose of attacking the [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Justice Department]] under the presidency of [[George W. Bush]].

==External links==
* [http://msnbc.msn.com Official Site]
* [http://www.setstudio.com/pages/msnbc/ Photos of the MSNBC studio]
* [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2007/11/16/msnbc-president-admits-lineup-tilts-leftward MSNBC President Admits: Lineup Tilts Leftward]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/business/media/06msnb.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin Cable Channel Nods to Ratings and Leans Left]

==References==
<references/>

[[category:broadcasting]]

United Nations

2007-12-27T23:18:26Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:UN1.jpg|thumb|right|Seal of the United Nations]]
The '''United Nations''' is an organization of countries all over the world, originally created to facilitate cooperation in [[international law]], international security, economic development, and [[human rights]]. It has since devolved into a radical debating society which has ironically blocked most of the goals for which it has been formed. <ref>[http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20030501faessay11217/michael-j-glennon/why-the-security-council-failed.html Why the Security Council Failed], Michael J. Glennon, ''Foreign Affairs'', May/June 2003.</ref> Critics view the UN as an agent for eroding the sovereignty of the [[United States]] and instead promoting forms of world government. President [[Bill Clinton]] rejected and ignored the position of the United Nations when he ordered U.S. military "police actions" in foreign countries. President [[George W. Bush]] also rejected the inaction of the UN when he authorized military action against the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] in [[Iraq]] for ignoring various UN resolutions.

The UN was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 51 countries, replacing the League of Nations, founded in 1919. The UN currently has 192 members, including every country in the world except [[Taiwan]] and [[Vatican City]].<ref>Switzerland finally joined in 2002. [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/GA10041.doc.htm]</ref>

==Organization==
[[Image:Int Atomic Ag.jpg|thumb|Flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency]]
The main deliberative organ is the '''General Assembly''' which usually meets annually in September with representation by all member states. The General Assembly votes on the annual budget of the United Nations, elects members to other UN organs and committees, and makes non-binding recommendations to member states through resolutions.

The '''[[Security Council]]''' handles matters relating to international [[peace]] and stability. It consists of five permanent members (USA, UK, France, Russia and PR China), and ten temporary members, which are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The Security Council decides by vote. On substantive issues, nine members must support the proposal, including all five permanent members, giving each permanent member an effective veto power. The chair of the Security Council rotates each month among its members, in alphabetic order.

The '''International Court of Justice''', based in [[The Hague]], was founded to settle conflicts and disputes over questions arising from the [[international law|interpreation of treaties]] among member states. It only may entertain <ref> International Court of Justice, [http://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1&p2=6 How the Court works], retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref> cases where all parties to the case in question have agreed to recognize the jurisdiction of the Court. The Court also advices other organs and agencies of the United Nations on questions of the interpretation of treaties.

The '''United Nations Economic and Social Council''' is a deliberative and advisory organ dedicated to promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. It cooperates with the [[International Monetary Fund]], the World Bank Group and similar international agencies.

The '''United Nations Secretariat''' is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the UN system. The head of the Secretariat is the [[Secretary-General]], who is nominated by the Security Council and appointed by the General Assembly for renewable five-year terms. The current Secretary-General is [[Ban Ki-moon]], the former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. It is customary to let the position rotate among the different world regions.

==Criticism==
The U.N. has at various times in its history been accused of inefficiency and waste, which some critics have attributed to its cumbersome and excessive bureaucracy. Probably the most controversial issue with the United Nations is the Oil-for-Food scandal.

As a meeting place for many different nations, the UN can only act as a mechanism for international consensus. The UN has been unable to act in a clear and decisive way when confronted crises in which this consensus is not present. Recent examples include the [[Iran]]ian nuclear program and the genocides in Darfur, Sudan and Rwanda. Because each of the five permanent members of the Security Council have a veto, and because they often disagree, many times no action can be agreed upon. Typically but not always this division includes the [[United States]] on one side with either [[China]], [[Russia]] or both on the other. Other times the Security Council has been able to agree but lacks the will or means to enforce its resolutions. A recent example is the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Crisis, where no action has been taken to enforce the provisions of Resolution 1559 and Resolution 1701 to disarm terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. There usually are no consequences for violating a Security Council resolution.

Inclusion on the old United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) of nations such as Sudan and Libya, whose leaderships have dubious records on human rights, and Libya's chairmanship of this Commission, has been a highly controversial issue.
[[Image:un_building.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The UN headquarters, on the east side of Manhattan, opened its doors on January 10th, 1951.]]
The United Nations has on many occasions ignored the plight of people across the world, especially in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Current examples include the UN's inaction toward the Sudanese government in Darfur, the Chinese government's ethnic cleansing in Tibet, and the Israel-Arab conflict.{{fact}}

During the Rwandan genocide the UN did not authorize UNAMIR to intervene or use force to prevent or halt the killing.

===Arab-Israel dispute===
The UN has taken a one-sided approach to issues relating to the [[Israel]]-Arab conflict. Israel has consistently been singled out by the UN for uniquely critical treatment. In 1975 the General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that "Zionism is racism" <ref>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/a06f2943c226015c85256c40005d359c/761c1063530766a7052566a2005b74d1!OpenDocument 16/12/1991, A/RES/46/86, Elimination of racism and racial discrimination/Zionism]</ref>, and UN-sponsored meetings supposedly opposing [[racism]] have criticized Israel (which grants equal political and religious rights to Arabs) while suppressing all criticism of those Arab countries (where non-Muslims are second-class citizens and [[anti-Semitism]] enjoys state support).

Unlike other refugee groups, the Palestinian Arabs have their own agency within the United Nations, and are beneficiaries of special events such as an "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People."<ref>[http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/palestinian/ UN Web Site for International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, retried June 29, 2007]</ref> Israel was excluded from membership in any of the UN's regional groups until 2000. In effect, this meant Israel was forbidden from serving on UN bodies such as the Security Council. Israel's recent permission to participate more fully within the UN as a member of the Western European and Others regional group is temporary and subject to renewal. Israel is allowed to participate only in the New York operations of the UN and is excluded from the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna which handle such issues as human rights and arms control. Censure of Israel has apparently been instituted as a routine agenda item for various UN bodies such as the Human Rights Council. The 1975 Resolution 3379 qualified Zionism as a form of racism (later revoked with Resolution 4686).

==Complements==
The United Nations has been complemented for providing an open forum for international leaders to discuss pressing international issues, as well as having a constanst diplomatic team present and able to discuss issues with diplomats from other countries.

==UN Peacekeepers Child Sexual Abuse==
The United Nations since its founding has been enmeshed in various scandals.

In July 1997 the UN announced an investigation into [[United Nations Peacekeeping Force]]s in [[Cote d'Ivoire]] on charges of widespread sexual abuse with a large number of underage girls. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/21/un.ivory.coast.reut/ U.N. suspends peacekeepers amid sex abuse charges], CNN, July 21, 2007.</ref> More than 300 members of UN peacekeeping missions around the world have been investigated for sexual exploitation and abuse since 2004, including some stationed in [[Congo]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Haiti]]. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6909664.stm UN probes 'abuse' in Ivory Coast], BBC, July 23, 2007.</ref>

=== Incidents ===
*1998 - Bosnia <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=YVWZRGS4V2AGJQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2002/04/25/wbos25.xml Teenagers 'used for sex by UN in Bosnia'], By Stewart Payne, London Telegraph, 25/04/2002.</ref>
*2003 - Nepalese troops accused of sexual abuse while serving in DR Congo. Six are later jailed
*2004 - Two UN peacekeepers repatriated after being accused of abuse in Burundi
*2005 - UN troops accused of rape and sexual abuse in Sudan <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/03/wsudan03.xml UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan], By Kate Holt in Juba and Sarah Hughes, London Telegraph, 04/01/2007.</ref>
*2006 - UN personnel accused of rape and exploitation on missions is Haiti and Liberia
*2007 - UN launches probe into sexual abuse claims in Ivory Coast

==History==
The term "United Nations" was widely used during [[World War II]] to denote the allied powers making war against Germany and Japan. As an organization, the UN originated as a bureau within the US State Department during [[World War II]] tasked with planning and organizing a post-War future. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] envisaged "four policemen", the British Empire, United States, Soviet Union, and [[Republic of China]] to be the major forces on what later became the UN Security Council to enforce the peace worldwide. This was deemed a modern approach to replace the old [[spheres of influence]] as they were called during the age of Imperialism. In 1971, following United States recognition of the [[People's Republic of China]], the 'mainland' Chinese government took over the UN membership and seat on the [[Security Council]] hitherto held by the Republic of China, although that entity had only controlled the island province of [[Taiwan]] since the Nationalist collapse after the resumption of the [[Chinese Civil War]] in 1945 to 1949.
In the original planning stages State Department employee and KGB Agent [[Alger Hiss]] was tasked with much of the organizational work and later became the first Secretary General at the United Nations Charter Conference in San Francisco. US Secretary of State Cordell Hull said a the time while selling the idea to Congress, "there will no longer be need for spheres of influence, for alliances, for balance of power, or any other of the separate alliances through which in the unhappy past the nations strove to safeguard their security or promote their interest." [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Comunist party]] General Secretary [[Josef Stalin]] got the United Nations precisely on his own terms and in a form that has enabled him to intervene into every problem in the world and to completely frustrate the British and Americans in every effort to introduce order, peace and security. <ref>John R. Deane, ''The Strange Alliance: the Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-Operation with Russia'', New York: The Viking Press, 1947, p. 43.</ref> Nonetheless, the separate alliance of [[NATO]] came into existence at the same time and played a much greater role in US foreign policy commitments and decisions during the [[Cold War]] than the UN ever did.{{fact}}

In its earliest years, the United Nations was not dominated by the Asian and African "Third World" nations which ultimately poisoned the organization, but was of only limited use in controlling international conflict.

A General Assembly resolution led to the partition of Palestine in 1947, but the UN was useless in preventing armed Arab aggression against the new State of Israel in 1948. In 1950, A UN Security Council resolution authorized use of force to combat North Korean aggression, but that was possible only because the Soviet Union was boycotting the council and unable to veto. It was the only instance during the Cold War in which the UN took a stand against Communist aggression.

In the years to come, the Security Council became frequently paralyzed because of the Soviet veto, and the General Assembly became a shrill sounding board for anti-American sentiment.

==Further reading==
*[http://www.nysun.com/article/56061 UNDP Officials Said To Hamper Probe Into Counterfeit Cash], By Benny Avni, ''The New York Sun'', June 7, 2007.
*[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00972:@@@D&summ2=m& H.R. 972 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005] - Title I: Combatting International Trafficking in Persons - (Sec. 101); Directs the U.S. Secretary of State, prior to voting for a peacekeeping mission, to notify the appropriate Congressional committees respecting measures taken to prevent Peacekeeping personnel from involvement in human trafficking or sexual exploitation.

==External links==
*[http://www.un.org/ United Nations] - Official site
*[http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=1813833 All about the United Nations Budget] June 2006
*[http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/May/theuae_May569.xml&section=theuae&col UN General Assembly President Shaikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa calls for Islamic texts re-interpretation,]Khaleej Times Online, 19 May 2007.

===Criticism===
*[http://www.unwatch.org UN Watch]
*[http://www.unisevil.com/temp213.htm UN is Evil]
[[category:politics]]
[[category:International organizations]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
[[category:diplomacy]]

==References==
<references/>

United Nations

2007-12-27T23:16:44Z

AmeriCan: /* Arab-Israel dispute */

[[Image:UN1.jpg|thumb|right|Seal of the United Nations]]
The '''United Nations''' is an organization of countries all over the world, originally created to facilitate cooperation in [[international law]], international security, economic development, and [[human rights]]. It has since devolved into a radical debating society which has ironically blocked most of the goals for which it has been formed. <ref>[http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20030501faessay11217/michael-j-glennon/why-the-security-council-failed.html Why the Security Council Failed], Michael J. Glennon, ''Foreign Affairs'', May/June 2003.</ref> Critics view the UN as an agent for eroding the sovereignty of the [[United States]] and instead promoting forms of world government. President [[Bill Clinton]] rejected and ignored the position of the United Nations when he ordered U.S. military "police actions" in foreign countries. President[[George W. Bush]] rejected the position of the UN when he authorized military action against the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] in [[Iraq]].

The UN was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 51 countries, replacing the League of Nations, founded in 1919. The UN currently has 192 members, including every country in the world except [[Taiwan]] and [[Vatican City]].<ref>Switzerland finally joined in 2002. [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/GA10041.doc.htm]</ref>

==Organization==
[[Image:Int Atomic Ag.jpg|thumb|Flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency]]
The main deliberative organ is the '''General Assembly''' which usually meets annually in September with representation by all member states. The General Assembly votes on the annual budget of the United Nations, elects members to other UN organs and committees, and makes non-binding recommendations to member states through resolutions.

The '''[[Security Council]]''' handles matters relating to international [[peace]] and stability. It consists of five permanent members (USA, UK, France, Russia and PR China), and ten temporary members, which are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The Security Council decides by vote. On substantive issues, nine members must support the proposal, including all five permanent members, giving each permanent member an effective veto power. The chair of the Security Council rotates each month among its members, in alphabetic order.

The '''International Court of Justice''', based in [[The Hague]], was founded to settle conflicts and disputes over questions arising from the [[international law|interpreation of treaties]] among member states. It only may entertain <ref> International Court of Justice, [http://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1&p2=6 How the Court works], retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref> cases where all parties to the case in question have agreed to recognize the jurisdiction of the Court. The Court also advices other organs and agencies of the United Nations on questions of the interpretation of treaties.

The '''United Nations Economic and Social Council''' is a deliberative and advisory organ dedicated to promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. It cooperates with the [[International Monetary Fund]], the World Bank Group and similar international agencies.

The '''United Nations Secretariat''' is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the UN system. The head of the Secretariat is the [[Secretary-General]], who is nominated by the Security Council and appointed by the General Assembly for renewable five-year terms. The current Secretary-General is [[Ban Ki-moon]], the former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. It is customary to let the position rotate among the different world regions.

==Criticism==
The U.N. has at various times in its history been accused of inefficiency and waste, which some critics have attributed to its cumbersome and excessive bureaucracy. Probably the most controversial issue with the United Nations is the Oil-for-Food scandal.

As a meeting place for many different nations, the UN can only act as a mechanism for international consensus. The UN has been unable to act in a clear and decisive way when confronted crises in which this consensus is not present. Recent examples include the [[Iran]]ian nuclear program and the genocides in Darfur, Sudan and Rwanda. Because each of the five permanent members of the Security Council have a veto, and because they often disagree, many times no action can be agreed upon. Typically but not always this division includes the [[United States]] on one side with either [[China]], [[Russia]] or both on the other. Other times the Security Council has been able to agree but lacks the will or means to enforce its resolutions. A recent example is the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Crisis, where no action has been taken to enforce the provisions of Resolution 1559 and Resolution 1701 to disarm terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. There usually are no consequences for violating a Security Council resolution.

Inclusion on the old United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) of nations such as Sudan and Libya, whose leaderships have dubious records on human rights, and Libya's chairmanship of this Commission, has been a highly controversial issue.
[[Image:un_building.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The UN headquarters, on the east side of Manhattan, opened its doors on January 10th, 1951.]]
The United Nations has on many occasions ignored the plight of people across the world, especially in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Current examples include the UN's inaction toward the Sudanese government in Darfur, the Chinese government's ethnic cleansing in Tibet, and the Israel-Arab conflict.{{fact}}

During the Rwandan genocide the UN did not authorize UNAMIR to intervene or use force to prevent or halt the killing.

===Arab-Israel dispute===
The UN has taken a one-sided approach to issues relating to the [[Israel]]-Arab conflict. Israel has consistently been singled out by the UN for uniquely critical treatment. In 1975 the General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that "Zionism is racism" <ref>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/a06f2943c226015c85256c40005d359c/761c1063530766a7052566a2005b74d1!OpenDocument 16/12/1991, A/RES/46/86, Elimination of racism and racial discrimination/Zionism]</ref>, and UN-sponsored meetings supposedly opposing [[racism]] have criticized Israel (which grants equal political and religious rights to Arabs) while suppressing all criticism of those Arab countries (where non-Muslims are second-class citizens and [[anti-Semitism]] enjoys state support).

Unlike other refugee groups, the Palestinian Arabs have their own agency within the United Nations, and are beneficiaries of special events such as an "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People."<ref>[http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/palestinian/ UN Web Site for International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, retried June 29, 2007]</ref> Israel was excluded from membership in any of the UN's regional groups until 2000. In effect, this meant Israel was forbidden from serving on UN bodies such as the Security Council. Israel's recent permission to participate more fully within the UN as a member of the Western European and Others regional group is temporary and subject to renewal. Israel is allowed to participate only in the New York operations of the UN and is excluded from the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna which handle such issues as human rights and arms control. Censure of Israel has apparently been instituted as a routine agenda item for various UN bodies such as the Human Rights Council. The 1975 Resolution 3379 qualified Zionism as a form of racism (later revoked with Resolution 4686).

==Complements==
The United Nations has been complemented for providing an open forum for international leaders to discuss pressing international issues, as well as having a constanst diplomatic team present and able to discuss issues with diplomats from other countries.

==UN Peacekeepers Child Sexual Abuse==
The United Nations since its founding has been enmeshed in various scandals.

In July 1997 the UN announced an investigation into [[United Nations Peacekeeping Force]]s in [[Cote d'Ivoire]] on charges of widespread sexual abuse with a large number of underage girls. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/21/un.ivory.coast.reut/ U.N. suspends peacekeepers amid sex abuse charges], CNN, July 21, 2007.</ref> More than 300 members of UN peacekeeping missions around the world have been investigated for sexual exploitation and abuse since 2004, including some stationed in [[Congo]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Haiti]]. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6909664.stm UN probes 'abuse' in Ivory Coast], BBC, July 23, 2007.</ref>

=== Incidents ===
*1998 - Bosnia <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=YVWZRGS4V2AGJQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2002/04/25/wbos25.xml Teenagers 'used for sex by UN in Bosnia'], By Stewart Payne, London Telegraph, 25/04/2002.</ref>
*2003 - Nepalese troops accused of sexual abuse while serving in DR Congo. Six are later jailed
*2004 - Two UN peacekeepers repatriated after being accused of abuse in Burundi
*2005 - UN troops accused of rape and sexual abuse in Sudan <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/03/wsudan03.xml UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan], By Kate Holt in Juba and Sarah Hughes, London Telegraph, 04/01/2007.</ref>
*2006 - UN personnel accused of rape and exploitation on missions is Haiti and Liberia
*2007 - UN launches probe into sexual abuse claims in Ivory Coast

==History==
The term "United Nations" was widely used during [[World War II]] to denote the allied powers making war against Germany and Japan. As an organization, the UN originated as a bureau within the US State Department during [[World War II]] tasked with planning and organizing a post-War future. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] envisaged "four policemen", the British Empire, United States, Soviet Union, and [[Republic of China]] to be the major forces on what later became the UN Security Council to enforce the peace worldwide. This was deemed a modern approach to replace the old [[spheres of influence]] as they were called during the age of Imperialism. In 1971, following United States recognition of the [[People's Republic of China]], the 'mainland' Chinese government took over the UN membership and seat on the [[Security Council]] hitherto held by the Republic of China, although that entity had only controlled the island province of [[Taiwan]] since the Nationalist collapse after the resumption of the [[Chinese Civil War]] in 1945 to 1949.
In the original planning stages State Department employee and KGB Agent [[Alger Hiss]] was tasked with much of the organizational work and later became the first Secretary General at the United Nations Charter Conference in San Francisco. US Secretary of State Cordell Hull said a the time while selling the idea to Congress, "there will no longer be need for spheres of influence, for alliances, for balance of power, or any other of the separate alliances through which in the unhappy past the nations strove to safeguard their security or promote their interest." [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Comunist party]] General Secretary [[Josef Stalin]] got the United Nations precisely on his own terms and in a form that has enabled him to intervene into every problem in the world and to completely frustrate the British and Americans in every effort to introduce order, peace and security. <ref>John R. Deane, ''The Strange Alliance: the Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-Operation with Russia'', New York: The Viking Press, 1947, p. 43.</ref> Nonetheless, the separate alliance of [[NATO]] came into existence at the same time and played a much greater role in US foreign policy commitments and decisions during the [[Cold War]] than the UN ever did.{{fact}}

In its earliest years, the United Nations was not dominated by the Asian and African "Third World" nations which ultimately poisoned the organization, but was of only limited use in controlling international conflict.

A General Assembly resolution led to the partition of Palestine in 1947, but the UN was useless in preventing armed Arab aggression against the new State of Israel in 1948. In 1950, A UN Security Council resolution authorized use of force to combat North Korean aggression, but that was possible only because the Soviet Union was boycotting the council and unable to veto. It was the only instance during the Cold War in which the UN took a stand against Communist aggression.

In the years to come, the Security Council became frequently paralyzed because of the Soviet veto, and the General Assembly became a shrill sounding board for anti-American sentiment.

==Further reading==
*[http://www.nysun.com/article/56061 UNDP Officials Said To Hamper Probe Into Counterfeit Cash], By Benny Avni, ''The New York Sun'', June 7, 2007.
*[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00972:@@@D&summ2=m& H.R. 972 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005] - Title I: Combatting International Trafficking in Persons - (Sec. 101); Directs the U.S. Secretary of State, prior to voting for a peacekeeping mission, to notify the appropriate Congressional committees respecting measures taken to prevent Peacekeeping personnel from involvement in human trafficking or sexual exploitation.

==External links==
*[http://www.un.org/ United Nations] - Official site
*[http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=1813833 All about the United Nations Budget] June 2006
*[http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/May/theuae_May569.xml&section=theuae&col UN General Assembly President Shaikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa calls for Islamic texts re-interpretation,]Khaleej Times Online, 19 May 2007.

===Criticism===
*[http://www.unwatch.org UN Watch]
*[http://www.unisevil.com/temp213.htm UN is Evil]
[[category:politics]]
[[category:International organizations]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
[[category:diplomacy]]

==References==
<references/>

United Nations

2007-12-27T23:15:14Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:UN1.jpg|thumb|right|Seal of the United Nations]]
The '''United Nations''' is an organization of countries all over the world, originally created to facilitate cooperation in [[international law]], international security, economic development, and [[human rights]]. It has since devolved into a radical debating society which has ironically blocked most of the goals for which it has been formed. <ref>[http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20030501faessay11217/michael-j-glennon/why-the-security-council-failed.html Why the Security Council Failed], Michael J. Glennon, ''Foreign Affairs'', May/June 2003.</ref> Critics view the UN as an agent for eroding the sovereignty of the [[United States]] and instead promoting forms of world government. President [[Bill Clinton]] rejected and ignored the position of the United Nations when he ordered U.S. military "police actions" in foreign countries. President[[George W. Bush]] rejected the position of the UN when he authorized military action against the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] in [[Iraq]].

The UN was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 51 countries, replacing the League of Nations, founded in 1919. The UN currently has 192 members, including every country in the world except [[Taiwan]] and [[Vatican City]].<ref>Switzerland finally joined in 2002. [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/GA10041.doc.htm]</ref>

==Organization==
[[Image:Int Atomic Ag.jpg|thumb|Flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency]]
The main deliberative organ is the '''General Assembly''' which usually meets annually in September with representation by all member states. The General Assembly votes on the annual budget of the United Nations, elects members to other UN organs and committees, and makes non-binding recommendations to member states through resolutions.

The '''[[Security Council]]''' handles matters relating to international [[peace]] and stability. It consists of five permanent members (USA, UK, France, Russia and PR China), and ten temporary members, which are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The Security Council decides by vote. On substantive issues, nine members must support the proposal, including all five permanent members, giving each permanent member an effective veto power. The chair of the Security Council rotates each month among its members, in alphabetic order.

The '''International Court of Justice''', based in [[The Hague]], was founded to settle conflicts and disputes over questions arising from the [[international law|interpreation of treaties]] among member states. It only may entertain <ref> International Court of Justice, [http://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1&p2=6 How the Court works], retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref> cases where all parties to the case in question have agreed to recognize the jurisdiction of the Court. The Court also advices other organs and agencies of the United Nations on questions of the interpretation of treaties.

The '''United Nations Economic and Social Council''' is a deliberative and advisory organ dedicated to promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. It cooperates with the [[International Monetary Fund]], the World Bank Group and similar international agencies.

The '''United Nations Secretariat''' is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the UN system. The head of the Secretariat is the [[Secretary-General]], who is nominated by the Security Council and appointed by the General Assembly for renewable five-year terms. The current Secretary-General is [[Ban Ki-moon]], the former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. It is customary to let the position rotate among the different world regions.

==Criticism==
The U.N. has at various times in its history been accused of inefficiency and waste, which some critics have attributed to its cumbersome and excessive bureaucracy. Probably the most controversial issue with the United Nations is the Oil-for-Food scandal.

As a meeting place for many different nations, the UN can only act as a mechanism for international consensus. The UN has been unable to act in a clear and decisive way when confronted crises in which this consensus is not present. Recent examples include the [[Iran]]ian nuclear program and the genocides in Darfur, Sudan and Rwanda. Because each of the five permanent members of the Security Council have a veto, and because they often disagree, many times no action can be agreed upon. Typically but not always this division includes the [[United States]] on one side with either [[China]], [[Russia]] or both on the other. Other times the Security Council has been able to agree but lacks the will or means to enforce its resolutions. A recent example is the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Crisis, where no action has been taken to enforce the provisions of Resolution 1559 and Resolution 1701 to disarm terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. There usually are no consequences for violating a Security Council resolution.

Inclusion on the old United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) of nations such as Sudan and Libya, whose leaderships have dubious records on human rights, and Libya's chairmanship of this Commission, has been a highly controversial issue.
[[Image:un_building.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The UN headquarters, on the east side of Manhattan, opened its doors on January 10th, 1951.]]
The United Nations has on many occasions ignored the plight of people across the world, especially in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Current examples include the UN's inaction toward the Sudanese government in Darfur, the Chinese government's ethnic cleansing in Tibet, and the Israel-Arab conflict.{{fact}}

During the Rwandan genocide the UN did not authorize UNAMIR to intervene or use force to prevent or halt the killing.

===Arab-Israel dispute===
The UN has taken a one-sided approach to issues relating to the [[Israel]]-Arab conflict. Israel has consistently been singled out by the UN for uniquely critical treatment. In 1975 the General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that "[[Zionism is racism]]" <ref>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/a06f2943c226015c85256c40005d359c/761c1063530766a7052566a2005b74d1!OpenDocument 16/12/1991, A/RES/46/86, Elimination of racism and racial discrimination/Zionism]</ref>, and UN-sponsored meetings supposedly opposing [[racism]] have criticized Israel (which grants equal political and religious rights to Arabs) while suppressing all criticism of those Arab countries (where non-Muslims are second-class citizens and [[anti-Semitism]] enjoys state support).

Unlike other refugee groups, the Palestinian Arabs have their own agency within the United Nations, and are beneficiaries of special events such as an "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People."<ref>[http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/palestinian/ UN Web Site for International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, retried June 29, 2007]</ref> Israel was excluded from membership in any of the UN's regional groups until 2000. In effect, this meant Israel was forbidden from serving on UN bodies such as the Security Council. Israel's recent permission to participate more fully within the UN as a member of the Western European and Others regional group is temporary and subject to renewal. Israel is allowed to participate only in the New York operations of the UN and is excluded from the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna which handle such issues as human rights and arms control. Censure of Israel has apparently been instituted as a routine agenda item for various UN bodies such as the Human Rights Council. The 1975 Resolution 3379 qualified Zionism as a form of racism (later revoked with Resolution 4686).

==Complements==
The United Nations has been complemented for providing an open forum for international leaders to discuss pressing international issues, as well as having a constanst diplomatic team present and able to discuss issues with diplomats from other countries.

==UN Peacekeepers Child Sexual Abuse==
The United Nations since its founding has been enmeshed in various scandals.

In July 1997 the UN announced an investigation into [[United Nations Peacekeeping Force]]s in [[Cote d'Ivoire]] on charges of widespread sexual abuse with a large number of underage girls. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/21/un.ivory.coast.reut/ U.N. suspends peacekeepers amid sex abuse charges], CNN, July 21, 2007.</ref> More than 300 members of UN peacekeeping missions around the world have been investigated for sexual exploitation and abuse since 2004, including some stationed in [[Congo]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Haiti]]. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6909664.stm UN probes 'abuse' in Ivory Coast], BBC, July 23, 2007.</ref>

=== Incidents ===
*1998 - Bosnia <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=YVWZRGS4V2AGJQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2002/04/25/wbos25.xml Teenagers 'used for sex by UN in Bosnia'], By Stewart Payne, London Telegraph, 25/04/2002.</ref>
*2003 - Nepalese troops accused of sexual abuse while serving in DR Congo. Six are later jailed
*2004 - Two UN peacekeepers repatriated after being accused of abuse in Burundi
*2005 - UN troops accused of rape and sexual abuse in Sudan <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/03/wsudan03.xml UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan], By Kate Holt in Juba and Sarah Hughes, London Telegraph, 04/01/2007.</ref>
*2006 - UN personnel accused of rape and exploitation on missions is Haiti and Liberia
*2007 - UN launches probe into sexual abuse claims in Ivory Coast

==History==
The term "United Nations" was widely used during [[World War II]] to denote the allied powers making war against Germany and Japan. As an organization, the UN originated as a bureau within the US State Department during [[World War II]] tasked with planning and organizing a post-War future. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] envisaged "four policemen", the British Empire, United States, Soviet Union, and [[Republic of China]] to be the major forces on what later became the UN Security Council to enforce the peace worldwide. This was deemed a modern approach to replace the old [[spheres of influence]] as they were called during the age of Imperialism. In 1971, following United States recognition of the [[People's Republic of China]], the 'mainland' Chinese government took over the UN membership and seat on the [[Security Council]] hitherto held by the Republic of China, although that entity had only controlled the island province of [[Taiwan]] since the Nationalist collapse after the resumption of the [[Chinese Civil War]] in 1945 to 1949.
In the original planning stages State Department employee and KGB Agent [[Alger Hiss]] was tasked with much of the organizational work and later became the first Secretary General at the United Nations Charter Conference in San Francisco. US Secretary of State Cordell Hull said a the time while selling the idea to Congress, "there will no longer be need for spheres of influence, for alliances, for balance of power, or any other of the separate alliances through which in the unhappy past the nations strove to safeguard their security or promote their interest." [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Comunist party]] General Secretary [[Josef Stalin]] got the United Nations precisely on his own terms and in a form that has enabled him to intervene into every problem in the world and to completely frustrate the British and Americans in every effort to introduce order, peace and security. <ref>John R. Deane, ''The Strange Alliance: the Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-Operation with Russia'', New York: The Viking Press, 1947, p. 43.</ref> Nonetheless, the separate alliance of [[NATO]] came into existence at the same time and played a much greater role in US foreign policy commitments and decisions during the [[Cold War]] than the UN ever did.{{fact}}

In its earliest years, the United Nations was not dominated by the Asian and African "Third World" nations which ultimately poisoned the organization, but was of only limited use in controlling international conflict.

A General Assembly resolution led to the partition of Palestine in 1947, but the UN was useless in preventing armed Arab aggression against the new State of Israel in 1948. In 1950, A UN Security Council resolution authorized use of force to combat North Korean aggression, but that was possible only because the Soviet Union was boycotting the council and unable to veto. It was the only instance during the Cold War in which the UN took a stand against Communist aggression.

In the years to come, the Security Council became frequently paralyzed because of the Soviet veto, and the General Assembly became a shrill sounding board for anti-American sentiment.

==Further reading==
*[http://www.nysun.com/article/56061 UNDP Officials Said To Hamper Probe Into Counterfeit Cash], By Benny Avni, ''The New York Sun'', June 7, 2007.
*[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00972:@@@D&summ2=m& H.R. 972 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005] - Title I: Combatting International Trafficking in Persons - (Sec. 101); Directs the U.S. Secretary of State, prior to voting for a peacekeeping mission, to notify the appropriate Congressional committees respecting measures taken to prevent Peacekeeping personnel from involvement in human trafficking or sexual exploitation.

==External links==
*[http://www.un.org/ United Nations] - Official site
*[http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=1813833 All about the United Nations Budget] June 2006
*[http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/May/theuae_May569.xml&section=theuae&col UN General Assembly President Shaikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa calls for Islamic texts re-interpretation,]Khaleej Times Online, 19 May 2007.

===Criticism===
*[http://www.unwatch.org UN Watch]
*[http://www.unisevil.com/temp213.htm UN is Evil]
[[category:politics]]
[[category:International organizations]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
[[category:diplomacy]]

==References==
<references/>

Book of Mormon

2007-12-27T13:39:27Z

AmeriCan: /* Contents */

'''The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ'''<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents The Book of Mormon]; Title page since 1982: ''The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.'' Original title page: ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.''</ref> is one of the four standard works, or scriptures, of the [[Mormons|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (Mormons). The other standard works are the [[Bible]], the [[Pearl of Great Price]], and the [[Doctrine and Covenants]].
[[Image:Moroni gives Joseph the plates.jpg|thumb|100px|Moroni gives Joseph Smith the plates]]
[[Image:Joseph Translating.jpg|thumb|100px|Joseph Smith Translating the Plates]]
Mormons believe that [[Joseph Smith]], Jr. translated the Book of Mormon from a set of gold plates he received from an angel named Moroni<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/js_h/1/34-35#34 "History of Joseph Smith,"] History of the Church Vol. 1</ref>

<blockquote>
“Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.” (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Mo.: n.p., 1887, p. 12.)
 -Russell M. Nelson, “A Treasured Testament,” <ref>[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1993.htm/ensign%20july%201993.htm/a%20treasured%20testament.htm "A Treasured Testament,"] Ensign, July 1993, 61</ref></blockquote>

The Book of Mormon tells the story of the descendents of Lehi, who took his family from Jerusalem to the Americas. According to the book, Lehi's wicked sons, Laman and Lemual, turned against his righteous sons, Nephi and Sam, and were cursed with dark skin<ref>[http://www.gospeldoctrine.com/Alma3.htm GospelDoctrine.com]</ref>. Mormons believe that these people were the ancestors of some Native Americans; these people are referred to as "Lamanites" in the Book of Mormon:<ref>[http://search.ldslibrary.com/125037 Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]</ref> 

Nephi and Sam's descendents, the Nephites, eventually turned to wickedness and were destroyed by the more numerous Lamanites. One of the last Nephites, Moroni, buried the golden plates in what is now New York State to keep them from falling into the hands of the Lamanites and being destroyed.<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents The Book of Mormon]</ref> Three Nephites were blessed with eternal life and still wander the Earth today serving others.<ref>[http://deseretmail.com/mormon-life/curric/story?story_id=1580 "Clyde J. Williams on the Three Nephites and the Doctrine of Translation,"] Thoughts on Gospel Doctrine Lesson 42, Deseret Book.</ref> 

[[Jesus]]' post-resurrection appearance in the New World is also documented in the Book of Mormon. In 1982, the subtitle, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" was added to the title page<ref>[http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/essays/bookofmormon.htm A Short Introduction to the Book of Mormon]</ref>.

==Contents==
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents] is divided up into many sections or parts, including a Title Page, Introduction, 'The Testimony of Three Witnesses,' 'The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,' the 'Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith,' 'A Brief Explanation about The Book of Mormon," and the following main parts or divisions commonly referred to as "books," as in "The Book of Moroni," followed by the common abbreviation in parentheses:
First Nephi (1 Ne.), Second Nephi (2 Ne.), Jacob (Jacob), Enos (Enos), Jarom (Jarom), Omni (Omni), Words of Mormon (W of M), Mosiah (Mosiah), Alma (Alma), Helaman (Hel.), Third Nephi (3 Ne.), Fourth Nephi (4 Ne.), Mormon (Morm.), Ether (Ether), and Moroni (Moro.).

The first sentence of the Introduction is quite self-explanatory: "The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel." <ref>http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/introduction</ref>

==Other denominations==
The Book of Mormon is also accepted as Scripture by some breakaway denominations, the largest of which, the [[Community of Christ]] (est. 1860), publishes its own versions of the Book of Mormon, with different chapter and verse divisions, and one with "modernized" language. Most other Christian denominations, Catholic and Protestant, reject the Book of Mormon as Scripture.

== Polygamy ==
It should be noted that the Book of Mormon does not teach [[polygamy]]; it is instead found in the [[Doctrine and Covenants]], section 132. The Book of Mormon says the following concerning plural marriage:

''"Wherefore, my bretheren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife, and [[concubine]]s he shall have none"'' (Jacob 2:27).

==Notes and references==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents The Book of Mormon] - An online edition
*[http://www.moroni10.com/Book_of_Mormon_Logic.html The Logical Arguments of the Book of Mormon], Kelly Bingham, November 1, 1997

[[Category:Book of Worship]]
[[Category:LDS Church]]

Book of Mormon

2007-12-27T13:38:25Z

AmeriCan:

'''The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ'''<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents The Book of Mormon]; Title page since 1982: ''The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.'' Original title page: ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.''</ref> is one of the four standard works, or scriptures, of the [[Mormons|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (Mormons). The other standard works are the [[Bible]], the [[Pearl of Great Price]], and the [[Doctrine and Covenants]].
[[Image:Moroni gives Joseph the plates.jpg|thumb|100px|Moroni gives Joseph Smith the plates]]
[[Image:Joseph Translating.jpg|thumb|100px|Joseph Smith Translating the Plates]]
Mormons believe that [[Joseph Smith]], Jr. translated the Book of Mormon from a set of gold plates he received from an angel named Moroni<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/js_h/1/34-35#34 "History of Joseph Smith,"] History of the Church Vol. 1</ref>

<blockquote>
“Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.” (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Mo.: n.p., 1887, p. 12.)
 -Russell M. Nelson, “A Treasured Testament,” <ref>[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1993.htm/ensign%20july%201993.htm/a%20treasured%20testament.htm "A Treasured Testament,"] Ensign, July 1993, 61</ref></blockquote>

The Book of Mormon tells the story of the descendents of Lehi, who took his family from Jerusalem to the Americas. According to the book, Lehi's wicked sons, Laman and Lemual, turned against his righteous sons, Nephi and Sam, and were cursed with dark skin<ref>[http://www.gospeldoctrine.com/Alma3.htm GospelDoctrine.com]</ref>. Mormons believe that these people were the ancestors of some Native Americans; these people are referred to as "Lamanites" in the Book of Mormon:<ref>[http://search.ldslibrary.com/125037 Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]</ref> 

Nephi and Sam's descendents, the Nephites, eventually turned to wickedness and were destroyed by the more numerous Lamanites. One of the last Nephites, Moroni, buried the golden plates in what is now New York State to keep them from falling into the hands of the Lamanites and being destroyed.<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents The Book of Mormon]</ref> Three Nephites were blessed with eternal life and still wander the Earth today serving others.<ref>[http://deseretmail.com/mormon-life/curric/story?story_id=1580 "Clyde J. Williams on the Three Nephites and the Doctrine of Translation,"] Thoughts on Gospel Doctrine Lesson 42, Deseret Book.</ref> 

[[Jesus]]' post-resurrection appearance in the New World is also documented in the Book of Mormon. In 1982, the subtitle, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" was added to the title page<ref>[http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/essays/bookofmormon.htm A Short Introduction to the Book of Mormon]</ref>.

==Contents==
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents] is divided up into many sections or parts, including a Title Page, Introduction, 'The Testimony of Three Witnesses,' 'The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,' the 'Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith,' 'A Brief Explanation about The Book of Mormon," and the following main parts or divisions commonly referred to as "books," as in "The Book of Moroni," followed by the common abbreviation in parentheses:
First Nephi (1 Ne.), Second Nephi (2 Ne.), Jacob (Jacob), Enos (Enos), Jarom (Jarom), Omni (Omni), Words of Mormon (W of M), Mosiah (Mosiah), Alma (Alma), Helaman (Hel.), Third Nephi (3 Ne.), Fourth Nephi (4 Ne.), Mormon (Morm.), Ether (Ether), and Moroni (Moro.).

The first sentence of the Introduction is quite self-explanatory: "The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel." http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/introduction

==Other denominations==
The Book of Mormon is also accepted as Scripture by some breakaway denominations, the largest of which, the [[Community of Christ]] (est. 1860), publishes its own versions of the Book of Mormon, with different chapter and verse divisions, and one with "modernized" language. Most other Christian denominations, Catholic and Protestant, reject the Book of Mormon as Scripture.

== Polygamy ==
It should be noted that the Book of Mormon does not teach [[polygamy]]; it is instead found in the [[Doctrine and Covenants]], section 132. The Book of Mormon says the following concerning plural marriage:

''"Wherefore, my bretheren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife, and [[concubine]]s he shall have none"'' (Jacob 2:27).

==Notes and references==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents The Book of Mormon] - An online edition
*[http://www.moroni10.com/Book_of_Mormon_Logic.html The Logical Arguments of the Book of Mormon], Kelly Bingham, November 1, 1997

[[Category:Book of Worship]]
[[Category:LDS Church]]

MS NOW

2007-12-27T13:29:33Z

AmeriCan:

[[Image:April 2nd MSNBC.png|right|frame]]
'''MSNBC''' is a 24-hour cable news channel. It is the lowest rated of the three major cable news channels.

The channel was started in 1996 as a joint venture between [[Microsoft]] and [[NBC]]. On December 23, 2005, ending a partnership that soured long before, Microsoft and NBC announced that they would dissolve their joint ownership of the cable news channel, with NBC taking control. NBC completed a deal to assume majority control of the channel, with an 82 percent stake.<ref>http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30610F93E540C778EDDAB0994DD404482</ref>

The MSNBC network has perenially had very low ratings. In 2002, the network was regularly beaten in the ratings by [[CNN Headline News]]. The CEO of Microsoft once even admitted that he wouldn't have started MSNBC knowing what he knew now.<ref>http://news.com.com/2100-1023-268073.html</ref> In June of 2006, [[CNN]] co-founder Reese Schoenfeld told journalist Don Kaplan that "Everybody compares MSNBC to Fox and CNN - when its real competition is Headline News". Schoenfeld pointed out that the ratings for MSNBC and Headline News are roughly the same, about 300,000 viewers on average and that "by comparison, Fox and CNN regularly average three or four times as many viewers." Kaplan even joked that "the running joke in TV news is Fox and CNN are news channels with websites, but MSNBC is a website with a cable channel".<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/5891</ref>

Shock jock Don Imus's radio show ''Imus in the Morning'' was simulcast on MSNBC for over ten years. During this time, the program become well-known for displaying offensive commentary. However, MSNBC continued to support the show. In April of 2007, the network sparked outrage when during a broadcast of ''Imus in the Morning'', Don Imus and another MSNBC staff member made offensive remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The remarks were considered to be both racist and sexist. Initially, MSNBC refused to cancel the show. After sponsors started withdrawing their advertisements from the show, MSNBC canceled the simulcast of ''Imus in the Morning''.

MSNBC has been criticizes regarding the channel's [[liberal]] slant. The media watchdog group the Media Research Center<ref> [http://www.mediaresearch.org/about/aboutwelcome.asp About Media Research Center] www.mediaresearch.org</ref> has cited MSNBC shows by [[Keith Olbermann]], [[Dan Abrams]] and [[Chris Matthews]] in it criticism of the network's bias reporting.

The [[left-wing]] advocacy group Media Matters for America<ref> [http://mediamatters.org/ Media Matters for America homepage] www.mediamatters.org</ref> has criticizes the MSNBC's commitment to promoting a left-wing agenda since the channel has had shows hosted by left-[[libertarian]] [[Tucker Carlson]] and former moderate [[Republican]] Congressman [[Joe Scarbourough]]. Ironically, on August 16, 2007 Scarborough revealed an incident in which people in the MSNBC newsroom ceaselessly booed [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush|Bush]] during a State of the Union address.<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/14899/print</ref>
[[Image:Msnbc dem.jpg|right|150px]]
In the past, MSNBC shows have featured [[Mitch Albom]], [[Ann Coulter]], [[Phil Donahue]], [[Bill Moyers]], [[Maury Povich]], and [[Michael Savage]], among others. That varied programming was gradually reduced as NBC veered more [[leftist]] in its point-of-view.

In 2003, in an effort to appear more patriotic, MSNBC fired talk-show host Phil Donahue. An internal memo read, in part, "Donahue represents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. At the same time, our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity." <ref>http://mediamatters.org/items/200410290004</ref>
<ref>http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/24/1446244</ref>
<ref>http://www.allyourtv.com/0203season/news/02252003donahue.html</ref>

On November 5, 2007, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that the cable news channel was in serious discussions with [[Rosie O'Donnell]] to have a prime-time show on the network. Under one scenario, O'Donnell would be given the 9 p.m. slot where she would compete with ''Larry King Live'' on [[CNN]] and ''Hannity & Colmes'' on the [[Fox News Channel]]. Her show would replace ''Live with Dan Abrams'', a low-rated program that only recently replaced ''Scarborough Country''.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/business/media/05cnd-msnbc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin</ref> The deal later fell through as O'Donnell leaked information about the agreement without MSNBC's permission.

Later in November of 2007, the president of MSNBC, Phil Griffin, flat out admitted that the network has a left-wing liberal bias. In a ''New York Times'' article, he said that "it happened naturally" and that "there is a Go for it" mentality when it comes to pushing the liberal agenda among the MSNBC staff.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/business/media/06msnb.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin</ref>

Continuing its offensive against the Bush administration and its reposition as a left-wing "news" outlet, in December of 2007, the network ran a series titled ''Bush League Justice'' with the explicit purpose of attacking the [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Justice Department]] under the presidency of [[George W. Bush]].

==External links==
* [http://msnbc.msn.com Official Site]
* [http://www.setstudio.com/pages/msnbc/ Photos of the MSNBC studio]
* [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2007/11/16/msnbc-president-admits-lineup-tilts-leftward MSNBC President Admits: Lineup Tilts Leftward]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/business/media/06msnb.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin Cable Channel Nods to Ratings and Leans Left]

==References==
<references/>

[[category:broadcasting]]