Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Al Qaeda

2009-06-02T23:36:47Z

Brelat: added some categories, trying to be helpful

[[Image:al_qaeda.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Osama bin Laden with Al-Qaeda members]]
'''Al-Qaeda''' ([[Arabic]]: القاعدة‎, Translation: ''the base'') is an international Islamist [[terrorism|terrorist]] organization founded in the late 1980s to fight the [[Red Army]] of the [[Soviet Union]] in [[Afghanistan]], during the 1980-89 [[Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan]]. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, Osama bin Bin Ladin and his comrades had their own sources of support and training, and they received little or no assistance from the United States,<ref>9/11 Commission Report[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/pdf/sec2.pdf ''The Foundation of the New Terrorism''], pg. 56.</ref> which only provided funding to indigenous Afghan ''mujaheddin'', which al-Qaeda was not. It is currently led by [[Osama Bin Laden]] and is predominantly composed of fanatical [[Sunni]] [[Islam|Muslim]]s. [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], former leader of the [[Egypt]]ian terrorist group called the [[Islamic Brotherhood]], is second in command of the Al Qaeda. Zawahiri has increasingly become the spokesperson for the terrorist network.

Al Qaeda is responsible for the September 11, 2001 attack on the [[World Trade Center]] and [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]], the bombings of American embassies in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]] in 1998, the October 2000 bombing of the [[USS Cole]], and numerous smaller attacks. The group's wing in Iraq is believed to be responsible for many of the attacks and bombings there. The 9/11 Commission Report cites Bin laden meeting with Iraqi intelligence officials in Khartoum as early as 1995. Bin Laden declined reported Iraqi offers of a safe haven, instead settling in Afghanistan. Friendly contacts between Iraqis and Bin Laden continued, though there is no evidence of an operational relationship between the two sides.

"However difficult the fight in Iraq has become, we must win it," Mr. Bush said during a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. "Al Qaeda is public enemy No. 1 for Iraq's young democracy. Al Qaeda is public enemy No. 1 for America as well." <ref>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070523-115137-6054r.htm</ref>

== See also ==

*[[Ramzan Kadyrov]]

==External Links==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2001/war_on_terror/default.stm BBC Profile of Al-Qaeda]
*[http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070523-115137-6054r.htm Bush shares al Qaeda plans] - Jon Ward, ''Washington Times'' - May 24, 2007
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331512,00.html Al Qaeda in Northern Africa Has Become Pipeline for New Iraq Recruits], [[Reena Ninan]], ''[[Fox News Channel]]'', February 20, 2008
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,328832,00.html Al Qaeda Trains Young Boys as Terrorists, Tapes Show],
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330810,00.html Purported Al Qaeda Video Shows Prisoners Burned Alive]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Terrorism]]
[[Category:Islam]]
[[Category:Evil]]
[[Category:Extremism]]
[[Category:September 11]]
[[Category:Iraq War]]

Talk:Pasta

2009-06-02T23:32:36Z

Brelat: Created page with 'Personally, I find pasta delicious. ~~~~'

Personally, I find pasta delicious.
[[User:Brelat|Brelat]] 19:32, 2 June 2009 (EDT)

David Miliband

2009-06-02T23:23:25Z

Brelat: Adding some categories, just thought it would be helpful

'''David Miliband''' (b. 1965) is the [[United Kingdom]] [[Foreign Secretary|Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs]] and [[MP]] for [[South Shields]]. The grandson of a [[Bolshevik]] veteran of the [[Russian Civil War]]<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/m/i.htm#miliband-ralph Ralph Miliband biography] - Marxists.org</ref> and the son of [[Marxist]] ideologue Ralph Miliband (1924-1994), he is a staunch atheist<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/2475236/Profile-of-Foreign-Secretary-David-Miliband.html Telegraph profile of David Miliband]</ref>, and has recently called for the [[Labour]] government of [[Prime Minister]] [[Gordon Brown]] to adopt a more extreme [[socialist]] line. Miliband is strongly supportive of the [[European Union]] as a global economic and military power, eventually incorporating [[Russia]], the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7095657.stm ''EU 'should expand beyond Europe'''] - BBC News, November 15, 2007</ref>

Miliband's younger brother Ed Miliband also serves in Gordon Brown's [[cabinet]], as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, making them the brothers to serve together in the British cabinet since World War II.

Following [[Tony Blair]]'s resignation, Miliband was touted as a potential challenger to Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party. At the time, no challenge arose; however speculation surrounding the party leadership continued to grow. In 2008, following Labour's massive losses of seats in [[local elections]] across the country, an editorial written by the South Shields MP caused controversy when he failed to mention current Prime Minister Gordon Brown with regard to the future of the Labour Party.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7571471.stm ''Miliband denies 'Labour cold war'''] - BBC News, August 19, 2008</ref>
==References==
<references />

[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:British Politics]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:Liberals]]

User:Brelat

2009-01-06T18:04:21Z

Brelat: Adding an "About me" section

==I heart America==
Self Explanatory, People

==About Me==
Hey guys, I'm Brelat; I'm a relatively new editor here at conservapedia, but I hope to get acclimated quickly. I enjoy reading, playing the bass guitar, and uncovering liberal bias. I like a lot of obscure media; my favorite TV show of all time is [[Arrested Development]], and some of my favorite musical artists include [[Sufjan Stevens]], [[The Mountain Goats]], [[Tom Waits]], and of course, [[The Beatles]]. I was a die-hard [[John McCain]] Supporter during the 2008 election, but I do feel that the [[Barack Obama]] presidency won't be as much of a completely unmitigated disaster as we had expected it to be (it should be helpful for our bid in 2012! =D).

I hope to one day rise to the level of a [[sysop]] or [[administrator]] on this page, but until then, I shall tirelessly plug away combating vandalism and liberal bias.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask me on my talk page!

Also, I'm new with wiki's, so if you guys feel inclined to, please inform me on my talk page how to format my wiki with all those cool logos and etc. that many of you have on your pages.

Arrested development

2009-01-06T17:52:36Z

Brelat: Creation of Article

Arrested Development was a critically acclaimed, award winning sitcom that ran on [[FOX]] from November 2003-2006. It was created by Mitch Hurwitz, and produced by [[Ron Howard]]. The show was focused around the fictional Bluth family, a wealthy, dysfunctional family that has the metaphorical rug pulled out from under itself when the [[patriarch]] is arrested on [[embezzlement]] charges. The show was canceled after its third season due to habitually low ratings, but it has gained a cult following in the years since its demise.

==External Links==
*[www.the-op.com]Arrested Development Fan Site

User:Brelat

2009-01-05T22:10:10Z

Brelat: /* I heart America */

==I heart America==
Self Explanatory, People

Also, I'm new with wiki's, so if you guys feel inclined to, please inform me on my talk page how to format my wiki with all those cool logos and etc. that many of you have on your pages.

User talk:Randallb

2009-01-05T22:04:25Z

Brelat: /* Appropriate Behavior */ Grr, Typo/Formatting

==Appropriate Behavior==

Please behave and post appropriately on Conservapedia, or else there will be consequences, including potential banning. Read the rules for more information [[Conservapedia Commandments]]

User talk:Randallb

2009-01-05T22:03:57Z

Brelat: /* Appropriate Behavior */

User talk:Randallb

2009-01-05T22:03:39Z

Brelat: New page: ==Appropriate Behavior== Please behave and post appropriately on Conservapedia, or else there will be consequences, including potential banning. Read the rules for more information[[Conse...

Al Franken

2009-01-05T22:01:52Z

Brelat: Undo revision 603073 by Randallb (Talk) Vandalism, as good a song as it may be

[[Image:Frank en Minnesota.jpg|right|thumb|Al Franken, while campaigning in Minnesota]]
'''Al Franken''' is a radical [[liberal]] satirist, comedian, and former radio host for the [[Air America]] network. Franken has worked as a comedy writer and performer on the television program ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and was the star and screenwriter of the motion picture ''Stuart Saves His Family''.

Franken is known for his anti-[[conservative|conservative]] views (he has called them "nasty, hateful people" <ref>[http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/doasisay/quiz.pdf Random House.com]</ref>) and his coarse humor. He once quipped to the Harvard Crimson, "I dislike homosexuals. I was glad when that [Harvard] homosexual got killed." <ref>http://www.gaypatriot.net/2007/01/18/al-frankens-anti-gay-past/</ref><ref>http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2007/01/al-franken-jokes-about-murder-of-gay.html</ref><ref>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=112149</ref> In his book ''Lying Liars'', Franken wrote that a "Methodist minister had had his head up his %#@" in a dispute about the Bible<ref>"Do you know what God’s punishment is for liars?" [the minister] asked me ... "God’s punishment for liars is that they believe their own lies." The minister was referring to 2 Thess 2:10-12 which says substantially that. Franken acknowledged his mistake in the paperback version</ref>

At one point his radio show was going to be called "The Liberal Show,"<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/magazine/21FRANKEN.html?pagewanted=8&ei=5007&en=5c47bbc5c11b11f2&ex=1395205200&partner=USERLAND ''Al Franken, Seriously''] [[New York Times]] Magazine</ref> but upon debut, it was known as "The O'Franken Factor," a name Franken chose to parody [[Bill O'Reilly]] and taunt him into a lawsuit, getting his show free publicity<ref>[http://www.kgw.com/business/stories/kgw_033004_biz_progressive_radio.d7edf1d8.html Al Franken's liberal radio network comes to Portland.</ref> When the lawsuit failed to materialize, the show was renamed "The Al Franken Show."

Franken ran for a [[Senate]] seat in [[Minnesota]] in as a [[Democrat]] during the 2008 election. Franken's rudeness, vulgarity, and coarse style led to questions about whether or not he alienated himself from the important undecided swing voters<ref>http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1083904.html Star Tribune retrieved 6 April, 2007</ref><ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/06/frankens-senate-race-haunted-by-1995-rape-joke-on-snl-set/ Franken’s Senate Race Haunted by 1995 Rape Joke on ‘SNL’ Set]</ref>. Franken was also called under fire for an interview he did in Playboy magazine that was considered by many to be unbecoming for a senatorial candidate<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/franken_playboy/2008/05/29/100040.html?s=al&promo_code=635B-1</ref> Many claimed that the article hurt him in his Congressional run.<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Washington_Post_franken/2008/06/18/105702.html</ref> The election was very close, with incumbent Norm Coleman leading by less than 300 votes. According to Minnesota state law, a statewide recount would automatically commence. Coleman and his supporters called on Franken to halt the recount and concede, but Franken refused to do so. Some believe his refusal to concede was due to ACORN and others working on his behalf to manipulate the vote count in his favor. <ref>http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/18048/</ref> Indeed, the respected [[Wall Street Journal]] has noted that the count kept changing before the recount, and only in Franken's favor. Looking at what is happening in the vote tallying from a mathematical perspective, they find that it is an extreme statistical improbability.<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/franken_stealing_election/2008/11/12/150391.html?s=al&promo_code=711A-1</ref> Further multiple examples were given where the board overseeing the recount blantly applied different standards for Franken and Coleman, choosing to award Franken votes where similar circumstances for Coleman were denied.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470892,00.html</ref>

On Monday, January 5, 2009, the Minnesota board declared Franken the winner of the Senate race by a razor-thin 225 votes. However, due to the controversy over the recount and the extreme closeness of the race, Republican Norm Coleman's lawyer is set to file a lawsuit, preventing Franken from actually taking office. <ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090105/ap_on_el_se/minnesota_senate</ref>

==Controversial Statements==
On Franken's website there is the admonition ''"Anybody who deliberately propagandizes with lies should be held up to scorn and ridicule"''<ref>http://lyingliar.com/index.htm</ref>. Throughout his books he has held himself to "impossibly high standards" to tell the truth about those he has written about. Author Alan Skorski researched two of Franken's books (''Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot'' and ''Lies and and the Lying Liars who Tell Them'') and found an extensive pattern of lies, misstatements, factual inaccuracies, among them:
*Accusing Ann Coulter of "lying with footnotes" by "citing a source and misrepresenting what it says"; throughout his book Skorski states that Franken has done exactly that on numerous occasions (Skorski, pg. xiii)
*Accusing President George W. Bush of treason
*The collision between Bush foreign policy advisor Richard Armitage and news reporter Helen Thomas, which Franken had claimed broke both her hip and jaw (''Lying Liars'', pg 218), but which Thomas herself said never happened (Skorski, pg 208). After this came to light, Franken later added a footnote in the paperback version of the book saying, "The Helen Thomas thing is a joke."<ref>Franken, ''Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'', page 227 of the paperback</ref>
*Franken stated he is "often compared to Rush Limbaugh" when on the air, despite the fact that by the time he left his Air America show to run for the U.S. Senate, his radio network was reduced to just over 40 market stations as a result of severely-low ratings and ultimately bankruptcy. Limbaugh, by comparison, plays on more than 600 stations with an average daily listening audience of 22 million (Skorski, pg 303).
*Franken claimed on his radio show (June 1, 2005) that Rush Limbaugh made up a quotation supposedly said by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which claimed Ginsburg said "replacing 'Mother's Day' and 'Father's Day' with a 'Parent's Day' should be considered...". Skorski did a Google check on Ginsburg and discovered a May 20, 2005 column from the ''National Review'' titled "Bench Warmers, Putting Judicial Nominees in Perspective, Part III"; this column cited a September, 1974 article written by Ginsburg which advocated for the creation of a "Parent's Day" to replace both Mother's and Father's Days.
*Franken claimed John Murphy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was lying when took a pro-CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) position on PBS's ''Lehrer Report'' (July 27, 2005) stating "we've seen unemployment fall to 5.0 percent today, which is lower than it's been in decades." <ref>http://www.bls.gov/cps/prev_yrs.htm</ref>. Skorski demonstrated that Franken took the unemployment figures under the Clinton Administration by the month (rather than by the year as the Bureau of Labor Statistics does) and willfully distorted them to make it appear that it was Murphy who was lying (Skorski, pg. 77-78).

== Tax Issues ==

During his [[Senate]] campaign in 2008, it was discovered that Al Franken had not paid [[taxes]] in 17 states he earned money over the last four years. Franken blamed it on his accountant saying "This all really comes from one mistake, which is him not understanding that I was supposed to pay state taxes in these other states." Franken says he will pay those states now, plus interest and penalties for a total of $70,000. <ref>[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/05/01/accountants/ Accountants: Franken's tax problems should have been caught] Minnesota Public Radio, May 2, 2008</ref>

== Playboy Article ==

In 2000, Al Franken's comments appeared in Playboy Magazine article titled "[[Porn]]-O-Rama!" He was quoted as saying that the [[internet]] is a great tool for learning and that his 12 year old son was able to do a report on bestiality for a sixth-grade assignment, though the statement was rather tongue in cheek.

== Books by Franken ==
*''I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!'' (Dell Books, 1992) (in character as Stuart Smalley)
*''Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot'' (Delacorte Press, 1996) (a satirical book of personal attacks on [[Rush Limbaugh]] as well as other conservatives.)
*''Why Not Me?'' (Delacorte Press, 1999) (a parody-journal kept through the fictional "Franken for President" campaign)
*''Oh, the Things I know! A Guide to Success, or Failing That, Happiness'' (Plume Books, 2003)
*''[[Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them|Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right]]'' (Dutton Books, 2003) (targets conservative commentators and the media, particularly [[Ann Coulter]], [[Bill O'Reilly]], [[Sean Hannity]] as well as Fox News)
*''The Truth (with jokes)'' (Dutton Books, 2005) (Franken's view on how [[George W. Bush]] beat [[John Kerry]] in the 2004 Election with what Al Franken calls the "Fears, Smears, and Queers strategy")

==References==
*Skorski, Alan. ''Pants On Fire: How Al Franken Lies, Smears, and Deceives,'' Cumberland House Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee (2005)
*[http://www.frankenlies.com/ Website devoted to exposing Franken's lies from his two books, ''The Truth'' and ''Lies and the Lying Liars'']
<references/>

==Links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0291253/ Al Franken] at the Internet Movie Database
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1142525 Al Franken] at National Public Radio
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0] Al Franken engaging in highly unbecoming behavior
{{Liberalism}}
{{DEFAULTSORT: Franken, Al}}
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Jewish People]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[category:Broadcasters]]
[[Category:Liberal Activists]]

Al Franken

2009-01-05T22:01:09Z

Brelat: Undo revision 603077 by Randallb (Talk) Vandalism

[[Image:Frank en Minnesota.jpg|right|thumb|Al Franken, while campaigning in Minnesota]]
'''Al Franken''' is a radical [[liberal]] satirist, comedian, and former radio host for the [[Air America]] network. Franken has worked as a comedy writer and performer on the television program ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and was the star and screenwriter of the motion picture ''Stuart Saves His Family''.

Franken is known for his anti-[[conservative|conservative]] views (he has called them "nasty, hateful people" <ref>[http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/doasisay/quiz.pdf Random House.com]</ref>) and his coarse humor. He once quipped to the Harvard Crimson, "I dislike homosexuals. I was glad when that [Harvard] homosexual got killed." <ref>http://www.gaypatriot.net/2007/01/18/al-frankens-anti-gay-past/</ref><ref>http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2007/01/al-franken-jokes-about-murder-of-gay.html</ref><ref>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=112149</ref> In his book ''Lying Liars'', Franken wrote that a "Methodist minister had had his head up his %#@" in a dispute about the Bible<ref>"Do you know what God’s punishment is for liars?" [the minister] asked me ... "God’s punishment for liars is that they believe their own lies." The minister was referring to 2 Thess 2:10-12 which says substantially that. Franken acknowledged his mistake in the paperback version</ref>

At one point his radio show was going to be called "The Liberal Show,"<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/magazine/21FRANKEN.html?pagewanted=8&ei=5007&en=5c47bbc5c11b11f2&ex=1395205200&partner=USERLAND ''Al Franken, Seriously''] [[New York Times]] Magazine</ref> but upon debut, it was known as "The O'Franken Factor," a name Franken chose to parody [[Bill O'Reilly]] and taunt him into a lawsuit, getting his show free publicity<ref>[http://www.kgw.com/business/stories/kgw_033004_biz_progressive_radio.d7edf1d8.html Al Franken's liberal radio network comes to Portland.</ref> When the lawsuit failed to materialize, the show was renamed "The Al Franken Show."

Franken ran for a [[Senate]] seat in [[Minnesota]] in as a [[Democrat]] during the 2008 election. Franken's rudeness, vulgarity, and coarse style led to questions about whether or not he alienated himself from the important undecided swing voters<ref>http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1083904.html Star Tribune retrieved 6 April, 2007</ref><ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/06/frankens-senate-race-haunted-by-1995-rape-joke-on-snl-set/ Franken’s Senate Race Haunted by 1995 Rape Joke on ‘SNL’ Set]</ref>. Franken was also called under fire for an interview he did in Playboy magazine that was considered by many to be unbecoming for a senatorial candidate<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/franken_playboy/2008/05/29/100040.html?s=al&promo_code=635B-1</ref> Many claimed that the article hurt him in his Congressional run.<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Washington_Post_franken/2008/06/18/105702.html</ref> The election was very close, with incumbent Norm Coleman leading by less than 300 votes. According to Minnesota state law, a statewide recount would automatically commence. Coleman and his supporters called on Franken to halt the recount and concede, but Franken refused to do so. Some believe his refusal to concede was due to ACORN and others working on his behalf to manipulate the vote count in his favor. <ref>http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/18048/</ref> Indeed, the respected [[Wall Street Journal]] has noted that the count kept changing before the recount, and only in Franken's favor. Looking at what is happening in the vote tallying from a mathematical perspective, they find that it is an extreme statistical improbability.<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/franken_stealing_election/2008/11/12/150391.html?s=al&promo_code=711A-1</ref> Further multiple examples were given where the board overseeing the recount blantly applied different standards for Franken and Coleman, choosing to award Franken votes where similar circumstances for Coleman were denied.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470892,00.html</ref>

On Monday, January 5, 2009, the Minnesota board declared Franken the winner of the Senate race by a razor-thin 225 votes. However, due to the controversy over the recount and the extreme closeness of the race, Republican Norm Coleman's lawyer is set to file a lawsuit, preventing Franken from actually taking office. <ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090105/ap_on_el_se/minnesota_senate</ref>

==Controversial Statements==
On Franken's website there is the admonition ''"Anybody who deliberately propagandizes with lies should be held up to scorn and ridicule"''<ref>http://lyingliar.com/index.htm</ref>. Throughout his books he has held himself to "impossibly high standards" to tell the truth about those he has written about. Author Alan Skorski researched two of Franken's books (''Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot'' and ''Lies and and the Lying Liars who Tell Them'') and found an extensive pattern of lies, misstatements, factual inaccuracies, among them:
WERE NO STRANGERS TO LOVE
YOU KNOW THE RULES
AND SO DO I
A FULL COMMITMENT'S WHAT IM THINKING OF
YOU WOULD NOT GET THIS FROM ANY OTHER GUY
I JUST WANNA TELL YOU WHAT IM FEELING
GOTTA MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND
NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP
NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN
NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND AND HURT YOU
NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY
NEVER GONNA SAY GOODBYE
NEVER GONNA TELL A LIE OR
DESERT YOU
*Accusing Ann Coulter of "lying with footnotes" by "citing a source and misrepresenting what it says"; throughout his book Skorski states that Franken has done exactly that on numerous occasions (Skorski, pg. xiii)
*Accusing President George W. Bush of treason
*The collision between Bush foreign policy advisor Richard Armitage and news reporter Helen Thomas, which Franken had claimed broke both her hip and jaw (''Lying Liars'', pg 218), but which Thomas herself said never happened (Skorski, pg 208). After this came to light, Franken later added a footnote in the paperback version of the book saying, "The Helen Thomas thing is a joke."<ref>Franken, ''Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'', page 227 of the paperback</ref>
*Franken stated he is "often compared to Rush Limbaugh" when on the air, despite the fact that by the time he left his Air America show to run for the U.S. Senate, his radio network was reduced to just over 40 market stations as a result of severely-low ratings and ultimately bankruptcy. Limbaugh, by comparison, plays on more than 600 stations with an average daily listening audience of 22 million (Skorski, pg 303).
*Franken claimed on his radio show (June 1, 2005) that Rush Limbaugh made up a quotation supposedly said by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which claimed Ginsburg said "replacing 'Mother's Day' and 'Father's Day' with a 'Parent's Day' should be considered...". Skorski did a Google check on Ginsburg and discovered a May 20, 2005 column from the ''National Review'' titled "Bench Warmers, Putting Judicial Nominees in Perspective, Part III"; this column cited a September, 1974 article written by Ginsburg which advocated for the creation of a "Parent's Day" to replace both Mother's and Father's Days.
*Franken claimed John Murphy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was lying when took a pro-CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) position on PBS's ''Lehrer Report'' (July 27, 2005) stating "we've seen unemployment fall to 5.0 percent today, which is lower than it's been in decades." <ref>http://www.bls.gov/cps/prev_yrs.htm</ref>. Skorski demonstrated that Franken took the unemployment figures under the Clinton Administration by the month (rather than by the year as the Bureau of Labor Statistics does) and willfully distorted them to make it appear that it was Murphy who was lying (Skorski, pg. 77-78).

== Tax Issues ==

During his [[Senate]] campaign in 2008, it was discovered that Al Franken had not paid [[taxes]] in 17 states he earned money over the last four years. Franken blamed it on his accountant saying "This all really comes from one mistake, which is him not understanding that I was supposed to pay state taxes in these other states." Franken says he will pay those states now, plus interest and penalties for a total of $70,000. <ref>[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/05/01/accountants/ Accountants: Franken's tax problems should have been caught] Minnesota Public Radio, May 2, 2008</ref>

== Playboy Article ==

In 2000, Al Franken's comments appeared in Playboy Magazine article titled "[[Porn]]-O-Rama!" He was quoted as saying that the [[internet]] is a great tool for learning and that his 12 year old son was able to do a report on bestiality for a sixth-grade assignment, though the statement was rather tongue in cheek.

== Books by Franken ==
*''I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!'' (Dell Books, 1992) (in character as Stuart Smalley)
*''Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot'' (Delacorte Press, 1996) (a satirical book of personal attacks on [[Rush Limbaugh]] as well as other conservatives.)
*''Why Not Me?'' (Delacorte Press, 1999) (a parody-journal kept through the fictional "Franken for President" campaign)
*''Oh, the Things I know! A Guide to Success, or Failing That, Happiness'' (Plume Books, 2003)
*''[[Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them|Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right]]'' (Dutton Books, 2003) (targets conservative commentators and the media, particularly [[Ann Coulter]], [[Bill O'Reilly]], [[Sean Hannity]] as well as Fox News)
*''The Truth (with jokes)'' (Dutton Books, 2005) (Franken's view on how [[George W. Bush]] beat [[John Kerry]] in the 2004 Election with what Al Franken calls the "Fears, Smears, and Queers strategy")

==References==
*Skorski, Alan. ''Pants On Fire: How Al Franken Lies, Smears, and Deceives,'' Cumberland House Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee (2005)
*[http://www.frankenlies.com/ Website devoted to exposing Franken's lies from his two books, ''The Truth'' and ''Lies and the Lying Liars'']
<references/>

==Links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0291253/ Al Franken] at the Internet Movie Database
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1142525 Al Franken] at National Public Radio
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0] Al Franken engaging in highly unbecoming behavior
{{Liberalism}}
{{DEFAULTSORT: Franken, Al}}
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User talk:Brelat

2009-01-05T20:58:40Z

Brelat:

America FTW.
{{welcome|sig=[[User:JY23|JY23]] 18:55, 4 January 2009 (EST)}}
Terribly sorry about that block earlier.

No Problem man, you're just doin' your job [[User:Brelat|Brelat]] 15:58, 5 January 2009 (EST)

User:Brelat

2009-01-04T20:45:39Z

Brelat: New page: ==I heart America== Self Explanatory, People

==I heart America==
Self Explanatory, People

User talk:Brelat

2009-01-04T20:45:22Z

Brelat: New page: America FTW

America FTW

Ex-homosexuals

2009-01-04T20:44:59Z

Brelat: Undo revision 602189 by Aberrat (Talk) Vandalism

{{homosexuality}}
[[Image:St Paul Preaching.jpg|left|thumb|200px|St. [[Paul]] defends his preaching (Giovanni Ricco)]]
In regards to the question of whether or not [[homosexuality]] is a permanent condition, one of the earliest historical records regarding of the existence of [[ex-homosexuals]] is a letter of the [[Paul|Apostle Paul]] to the [[Corinth]]ian [[Christianity|Christian]] church.

The Apostle Paul wrote the following:
{{cquote|Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were [[Justification (theology)|justified]] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." - I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)}}

Today people still report leaving homosexuality and becoming heterosexual through their [[Christianity|Christian]] faith.<ref name="wnd">[http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56481 'Gay'-rights leader quits homosexuality - Rising star in movement says God liberated him from lifestyle]</ref><ref name="bp19650">http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19650</ref><ref>http://www.cwfa.org/articles/4216/CFI/cfreport/index.htm</ref><ref name="venus">http://www.venusmagazine.org/cover_story.html</ref><ref>http://www.witnessfortheworld.org/blkexgbks.html</ref> <ref>http://www.frontlinemin.org/wasgay.asp</ref><ref>http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=9019</ref><ref>http://www.apocalipsis.org/testimony.htm</ref><ref>http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=13784</ref>
[[Image:6a00cdf3a9bf0ecb8f00cd973c56934cd5-500pi.jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|Ex-Homosexual and ex-"gay rights" leader [[Michael Glatze]] speaking to the mother of [[Matthew Shepard]].]]

[[Peter LaBarbera]] is the President of [[Americans for Truth]] which is a organization which counters the [[homosexual agenda]]. LaBarbera stated the following regarding Christian ex-homosexuals who reported being transformed by the power of God:
{{cquote|Another factor from my experience as a close observer of the “ex-gay” phenomenon is that many former homosexuals do not linger in “[[reparative therapy]]” programs, or participate in them at all. They attribute their dramatic and (relatively) rapid transformation to the power of God, and likely would not show up in a study of this kind. In fact, these “unstudied” overcomers would appear to be the most successful ex-homosexuals because they’ve moved on with their lives — as “reborn” Christians move on after overcoming any besetting sin.<ref>http://www.americansfortruth.com/news/landmark-study-change-for-homosexuals-is-possible.html</ref>}}

In regards to Peter LaBarbera's statement above regarding [[Overcoming Homosexuality|overcoming homosexuality]], in 1980 a study was published in the ''American Journal of Psychiatry'' and eleven men participated in this study. The aforementioned study stated that eleven homosexual men became heterosexuals "without explicit treatment and/or long-term psychotherapy" through their participation in a [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] church.<ref>E.M. Pattison and M.L. Pattison, "'Ex-Gays': Religiously Mediated Change in Homosexuals," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 137, pp. 1553-1562, 1980</ref> The results of this study are not surprising since Christian faith has shown itself to be effective in combating drug addiction. For example, Christian group [[Teen Challenge]] reported the following:
{{Cquote|Teen Challenge claims of a 70% cure rate for the drug addicts graduating from their program attracted the attention of the U.S. Federal Government in 1973. Most secular drug rehabilitation programs only experienced a cure rate of 1-15% of their graduates. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, funded the first year of this study to evaluate the long term results of the Teen Challenge program.<ref>http://teenchallengeusa.com/studies2.php</ref>}}

Teen Challenge has a number of studies that indicate the high effectiveness of their drug treatment program compared to other programs.<ref>http://teenchallengeusa.com/studies.php</ref>

Dr. Neil Whitehead is a research scientist and [[biochemistry|biochemist]] from [[New Zealand]] and his wife Briar Whitehead is a writer.<ref>[http://www.narth.com/docs/mygenes.html Book Review: My Genes Made Me Do It: A Scientific Look at Sexual Orientation
by Neil and Briar Whitehead]</ref> Dr. Whitehead coauthored a book with with his wife entitled ''My Genes Made Me Do it - a scientific look at sexual orientation'' which argues that there is no [[gene]]tic determinism in regards to homosexuality (homosexuals are "not born that way") and that there is abundant documentation that individuals are able to leave homosexuality and become heterosexuals.<ref>http://www.mygenes.co.nz/download.htm</ref>

Dr. Whitehead and Briar Whitehead state in their aforementioned book the following regarding [[Homosexuality Research|studies involving homosexuals]] becoming ex-homosexuals:
{{cquote|The sexology literature reports a huge number of examples of change of all degrees from homosexuality to or toward heterosexuality. These studies have been so numerous that West (a gay man) in 1977 took an entire chapter in his classic book, Homosexuality Re-examined, to review them, and commented: “Although some militant homosexuals find such claims improbable and unpalatable, authenticated accounts have been published of apparently exclusive and long-standing homosexuals unexpectedly changing their orientation.”

West mentions one man who was exclusively homosexual for eight years, then became heterosexual... (notice that there is no reference)

Another well known author in the field, Hatterer (notice the lack of a first name), who believes in sexual orientation change, said, “I’ve heard of hundreds of ...(notice the dot dot dot) men who went from a homosexual to a heterosexual adjustment on their own.”<ref>[http://www.mygenes.co.nz/Ch12.pdf From the book My Genes Made Me Do it - a scientific look at sexual orientation by Dr Neil Whitehead and Briar Whitehead -Chapter 12]</ref>}}

The classic biblical commentator [[Matthew Henry]] wrote the following regarding the forgiveness and [[sanctification]] in Christ for those who [[repentance|repent]] of the above sins listed in the letter of Paul to the Corinthians (which includes the sin of homosexuality):
{{cquote|How glorious a change does grace make! It changes the vilest of men into saints and the children of [[God]]. Such were some of you, but you are not what you were. You are washed, you are sanctified, you are [[Justification (theology)|justified]] in the name of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], and by the [[Holy Spirit|Spirit of our God]]. Note, The wickedness of men before conversion is no bar to their [[regeneration]] and reconciliation to God. The blood of Christ, and the washing of regeneration, can purge away all guilt and defilement. Here is a rhetorical change of the natural order: You are sanctified, you are justified. Sanctification is mentioned before justification: and yet the name of Christ, by which we are justified, is placed before the Spirit of God, by whom we are sanctified. Our justification is owing to the merit of Christ; our sanctification to the operation of the [[Holy Spirit|Spirit]]: but both go together.<ref>http://blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/1Cr/1Cr006.html</ref>}}

[[Lesbianism|Female homosexuals]] and male homosexuals who leave homosexuality and become ex-homosexuals are often referred to as "ex-gays" and the [[Ex-Gay Movement|ex-gay movement]] became well known in the [[United States]] in the 1970s.<ref name="xtoday">http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/october/6.48.html</ref>
==Ex-Homosexual Quotes==
[[Image:Schnieders.jpg‎|thumb|225px|[[Yvette Cantu Schneider]] and family]]
*Homosexuality is death, and I choose life. - Ex-Homosexual and ex-"gay rights" leader [[Michael Glatze]] <ref name="wnd" />

*I came out of homosexuality after a powerful encounter with [[Jesus Christ]] and a desire to serve and obey Him. I can say with complete honesty that I NEVER have homosexual desires of any sort - physical or emotional. - Ex-[[Lesbianism|lesbian]] [[Yvette Cantu Schneider]]<ref>[http://americansfortruth.com/news/ex-lesbian-yvette-schneider-testifies-to-complete-and-permanent-change.html Ex-Lesbian Yvette Schneider Testifies to ‘Complete’ and Permanent Change]</ref>
===Testimony of Charlene Cothran===
In regards to female homosexuals leaving homosexuality, below is the tesimony ex-lesbian [[Charlene Cothran]]:
{{cquote|Over the past 29 years of my life I have been an aggressive, creative and strategic supporter of gay and lesbian issues. I’ve organized and participated in countless marches and various lobbying efforts in the fight for equal treatment of gay men and lesbians. I have kept current on the issues and made financial contributions to those organizations doing work about which I was most passionate.

As the publisher of a 13 year old periodical which targets Black gays and lesbians, I have had the opportunity to publicly address thousands, influencing closeted people to ‘come out’ and stand up for them selves, which is particularly difficult in the African-American community.

But now, I must come out of the closet again. I have recently experienced the power of change that came over me once I completely surrendered to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a believer of the word of God, I fully accept and have always known that same-sex relationships are not what God intended for us.<ref name="venus" />}}

==2006 Survey Finds Men Seek to Become Ex-homosexuals Often Do So to Heal Emotional Pain or For Spiritual Reasons==
A 2006 survey finds men [http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06071302.html seek to leave homosexual lifestyle to heal emotional pain and for spiritual reasons rather than outside pressure.] In addition, there is [[Homosexuality and Mental Health|other data]] that supports the above 2006 survey findings.

==Reparative Therapy==
In regards to studies regarding homosexuals becoming ex-homosexuals, on September 13, 2007 [[Christianity Today]] published an article entitled ''An Older Wiser Ex-Gay Movement'' and below is an excerpt from that article which focuses on [[Reparative Therapy|reparative therapy]]:
{{cquote|Since its beginnings in the 1970s, the ex-gay movement has engaged gay advocates in a battle of testimonies. Transformed ex-gay leaders are the best argument for their movement. Likewise, those who've left the ex-gay movement in despair and disgust are the best counterargument. The debate continued this June, when Exodus International held its 32nd annual conference in Irvine, California, featuring dozens of speakers and seminar leaders who have quit homosexuality. Down the road outside the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, a news conference featured three former Exodus leaders saying "ex-gay" is a delusion.

New research may change the terms of debate. Psychologists Stanton Jones of Wheaton College and Mark Yarhouse of [[Regent University]] released today a book detailing their findings from the first three years of an ongoing study. They are investigating participants in 16 different ex-gay programs associated with Exodus, the largest ex-gay ministry group.<ref name="xtoday" />}}

The study started out with 98 people with 72 of them being men and 26 of them being women.<ref name="bp26429">http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=26429</ref> Some of the participants quit the study because they believe they had positively changed and didn't see a need to continue while others quit because they decided they didn't want to change from a homosexual to a ex-homosexual. <ref name="bp26429" /> As a result, 73 subjects completed the study.<ref name="bp26429" />

According to the Baptist Press (notice the fair and balanced resource) here are the results: 15 percent of subjects experienced substantial change; "23 percent said their conversion was successful and that homosexual attraction was either missing or "present only incidentally or in a way that does not seem to bring about distress." They were labeled "success: chastity."; 29 percent of subjects experienced modest success; 15 percent of subjects experienced no change and were undecided about what to do next; "4 percent had not changed and had quit the change process, but had not embraced the "gay identity."; "8 percent had not changed, had quit the process and had embraced the "gay identity."; and malfunctions in the taping of the interviews accounts for the remaining 5 percent. <ref name="bp26429" />

Previously, Dr. [[Robert Spitzer]] published a study in the journal ''Archives of Sexual Behavior'' performed using reparative therapy had some subjects experiencing change.<ref>http://www.narth.com/docs/evidencefound.html</ref>
===Conservative Criticism of Reparative Therapy===
Although many conservatives approve of reparative therapy there are many that do not which will be elaborated on shortly. Conservative Christians believe that a homosexual can choose to become an ex-homosexual, however, the point of difference is whether it was chosen in the first place. The Pew Research Center states the following regarding Americans' views on how homosexuality first originates:
{{cquote|Asked why some people are homosexual, 42% say it is "just the way that some people prefer to live," compared with 30% who think homosexuality is something people are born with and 14% who believe it develops because of the way people are brought up. The view that homosexuality is innate is more prevalent now than in 1985, when 20% believed that homosexuality is something people are born with.<ref>http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=764</ref>}}

Author and ex-lesbian Alma Kramer takes the position that [[Homosexuality and Choice|homosexuality is a sin and sin is a choice]] when she wrote the following:
{{cquote|I made a choice in my life that put me in bondage for 20 years. While it is true that there were certain things in my childhood that happened or didn't happen that influenced my choice, I still made a choice.

I Corinthians 6:9-11 proves that sin is a choice and that you can change. The New International version says, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." WOW!! I am so glad we can change. I can remember the time when I thought that there was no way out.<ref>http://www.setfree1.com/2.html</ref>}}

Dr. [[James Dobson]] and other advocates of reparative therapy do not believe that homosexuality first originates as a result of choice.<ref>http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20061125_james_dobson_identifies_homosexuality/</ref>

==Oprah Winfrey and the Claim of "Born Gay"==
Pastor [[Darryl L. Foster]] of [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia]], a former homosexual, states the following regarding Oprah Winfrey and the issue of people supposedly being "[[Homosexuality and Genetics|born homosexuals]]":
{{cquote|On thing we have learned about homosexuality: it produces acute rudis indigestaque moles in some people. When Heche and Degeneres appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss their newfound relationship, Heche stunned everyone (including Oprah) by stating, "I was not gay before I met her." You know Oprah; she was just going to be Color Purple honest. "That confuses me," she quickly confessed. Considering the amount of time and energy gay activists put into pressing "born gay" templates, I'm sure that's not exactly what Oprah was expecting to hear. She was so baffled by the remark that she dedicated her next show to whether or not gays can change....

Heche has now chosen to be heterosexual and to prove it she got married on last Thursday to Coleman Laffron, a Hollywood cameraman she met while working on a project with then lover Ellen. Was she secretly dreaming of a white, heterosexual Christmas while she was with Ellen? If she was, then can we theorize that many gay people really do want to be straight, but just haven't found the right cameraman/woman yet?<ref>http://ww.witnessministries.homestead.com/cm14.html</ref>}}

==Ex-Homosexuals and Former Sexual Abuse==
The are studies which suggest that <s>[[Sexual Abuse Being a Contributing Factor for Homosexuality|homosexuals are sexually abused disproportionately in their childhood compared to heterosexuals]]</s> This was later found to be false, as it has been <s>recently proven</s> known for quite some time that sexual orientation is genetic and inherent, and homosexuals should be accepted as creations in the image of God just like everyone else. Period. Dr. Whitehead and Briar Whitehead state in their previously mentioned book:
{{cquote|“Ex-gay” support groups...report that between 50 percent and 60 percent of homosexual men coming for help have been abused sexually. This is confirmed by various researchers.... Ex-gay groups report high levels of male sexual abuse (up to 85 percent) in female homosexuals who come for help.<ref>[http://www.mygenes.co.nz/Ch3.pdf From the book My Genes Made Me Do it - a scientific look at sexual orientation by Dr Neil Whitehead and Briar Whitehead - Chapter 3]</ref>}}

==Religious Liberty Versus Exgayphobia==
[[Image: PstrDLF1.jpg‎|thumbnail|225px|right|Pastor [[Darryl L. Foster]]]]
Pastor [[Darryl L. Foster]], a former homosexual, states the following regarding Christian ex-homosexuals and their duty to speak out:
{{cquote|We can step out and advocate for our beliefs (which is our right as taxpaying citizens) or we can remain silent and hidden, thereby giving credence to a false idea that there are no former homosexuals. The problem with the last option is our spiritual mandate to share our faith and our experience of change to the glory of God. In the church, we have yet to adopt a unified expression which identifies us in a non threatening way.<ref>[http://www.witnessfortheworld.org/xgay.html Understanding Exgay: People or Politics?]</ref>}}

The African American ex-homosexual Christian ministry of [[Witness for the World]] states the following in a press release:
{{cquote|Gay activist, Wayne Besen, who suddenly found himself at the epicenter of a new career playing CIA with the lives of formerly gay men and women, says the book which features first person testimonies by former homosexuals urges gays to “go back into the closet.”....

“Wayne Besen is the nation’s foremost carrier of a debilitating social disease I call exgayphobia," said Pastor Darryl Foster of Atlanta. “It seems his entire life has been consumed by a fear that Americans will hear the true stories of change by former homosexuals like myself and bring an end to his phobic-laden gravy train.”

Foster, who wrote the foreword to Closing the Closet heads Powerful Change Ministry Group International, a fellowship of 14 national and international ministries to homosexuals in communities of color who seek change from unwanted homosexuality...<ref name="witness">http://www.witnessfortheworld.org/pr091004.html</ref>}}

The Witness for the World Press release also states regarding homosexual activists Wayne Besen the following:
{{cquote|“This man is borderline lunatic, he has become so obsessed in his fear,” said Foster. “If the book is about exgays, why would you use anyone else but an exgay? Besen should know better. As a Jew, he should know that the Nazis hated the testimonies of the Jews who escaped from the death camps. Their first hand testimonies of the atrocities heaped upon them were the only links the world had to the truth. Likewise, our stories and experiences as homosexuals are true. We tell them because we want people to know what happened to us, how we escaped and what others can do to get out. It’s absolutely ludicrous for Besen to say that my story is a lie when I am the one who lived it. He seems to have forgotten his own history.”

Exgayphobic homosexuals like Besen fear that the message of exgays, when it finally reaches the average American will make sense and people will support the choice for change for homosexuals. What that means says Foster is that the grinding money machine mental health professionals have been making off victimized gays for decades will come to a screeching halt. Besen is simply a cog in that well oiled wheel. For such professionals who give big money to homosexual rights organizations in exchange for their "professional" opinions about homosexuals, keeping exgays silent and hidden has become an obsession.<ref name="witness" />}}

==Ex-Homosexuals and the Documentary "I Do Exist"==
The Baptist Press wrote the following regarding the ex-homosexual documentary "I Do Exist":
{{cquote|Can homosexuals change? A new documentary says "yes" and includes interviews with people who say they've made the switch.

The 48-minute video, dubbed "I Do Exist," is intended for use as a discussion-starter in churches, schools and universities. It includes the stories of five homosexuals -- three women and two men -- who once were involved in homosexuality but are now heterosexual. Along the way, psychologists and psychiatrists give their thoughts as to why they believe change is possible.<ref name="bp19650" />}}
==Supporters of Homosexuality Are Doing Harm==
Pastor [[Darryl L. Foster]], a former homosexual, states the supporters of homosexuality are doing harm:
{{cquote|As I have said many times before gays and their lovestruck supporters are masters at changing and refining everything that convicts them. This is no surprise as the [[Apostle Paul]] taught us that they would even redefine the very image of God. They need a "god" who is "okay" with their wayward and disobedient sexuality. Flunder works hard to help people kick the drug habit, yet hypocritically allows gays and lesbians to continue in a [[Homosexuality and Health|proven path of destructive living]].<ref>http://www.witnessfortheworld.org/cm21.html</ref>}}
==Regarding Ex-Homosexuals Falling Back Into Homosexuality==
[[Image:Peter.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Peter LaBarbera]]]]
[[Peter LaBarbera]] states the following regarding ex-homosexuals falling back into homosexuality:
{{cquote|To homosexual and gender-bending activists, any ex-”gay” testimony threatens their central propaganda myth that some people are intrinsically (born) “gay,” bisexual or “transgender.” Some homosexual activists like Wayne Besen and the fellows at “Ex-Gay Watch” have dedicated themselves to discrediting ex-”gay” change by hyping the cases of people who have returned back to homosexual behavior. (Yes, change is difficult, but why focus exclusively on failed attempts? Imagine if someone tried to “prove” that overcoming drug addiction was impossible by popularizing only those cases of addicts who tried to go clean but fell back into their drug-abusing lifestyle.)

As you read on, give thanks that high school student “John” was transformed by Jesus Christ (rather than by modern secular psychiatrists) and will not have to suffer the severe emotional confusion and deep loneliness inherent to “transgender” delusion. “John” is truly free now — to experience gratitude for his body, to fall in love with a woman, to enjoy sex in marriage, to accept the natural blessing of children and grandchildren, to worship and serve his God, to know joy.<ref>http://americansfortruth.com/news/why-we-need-americans-for-truth.html</ref>}}

==Hostility Towards Ex-Homosexuals and Ex-Homosexual Groups==
Homosexual activists and [[liberal]]s have become angered in regards to ex-homosexual events and activities. Below are some incidents that have taken place.
===Matt Ott===
In addition, the Center for Reclaiming America cited the following account of how a [[hate crime]] statute was egregiously applied to an ex-homosexual:
{{cquote|In Madison, Wisconsin, a recovered homosexual who had left the “gay” lifestyle to start a family got into a heated discussion with an open homosexual about homosexuality at a gas station. The ex-“gay” man, David Ott, was holding his child in his arms during the entire incident, and neither man touched the other. The homosexual activist later told police he had felt threatened by Ott, and local prosecutors charged the man with “disorderly conduct” with a “hate crimes” enhancement.

The “hate crime” aspect, stemming from Ott’s belief that homosexuality is morally wrong, raised the potential fine from $1,000 to $10,000, and jail time went up from a possible 90 days to one year. Fearing the possibility of substantial jail time, Ott settled, and received 50 hours of community service plus a mandatory attendance at “tolerance” sessions conducted by [[lesbianism|lesbians]] at the [[University of Wisconsin at Madison]]. A ground rule for the session was the premise that homosexual behavior is not immoral.

The entire process cost Ott almost $7,000 in legal fees.<ref>http://test.reclaimamerica.org/PAGES/fastfacts/HateCrimes2.pdf</ref>}}
===Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) - Arlington County Fair Incident===
[[Image:Rev. Louis P. Sheldon Photo.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Reverend [[Louis Sheldon]], Chairman of the [[Traditional Values Coalition]] and author of ''The Agenda: The Homosexual Plan to Change America'']]
The [[Traditional Values Coalition]] reported the following:
{{cquote|Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) hosted a booth at the Arlington County Fair in Arlington, Virginia. PFOX has had an exhibit at this fair for the past four years.

And, every year, intolerant homosexual activists have done everything they could to disrupt PFOX’s display. This year, they screamed obscenities, threw PFOX materials on the ground and demanded that PFOX leave the fair. One PFOX volunteer was hit because he is an ex-homosexual.

Eventually, PFOX had to call in a police officer to eject one activist who was harassing their volunteers. According to PFOX, “This is not the first time that PFOX has had to summon the police for protection from gay activists."<ref>http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3129</ref>}}

===Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) - Virginia School Counselors Incident ===
The [[Traditional Values Coalition]] also reported the following Incident:
{{cquote|Parents and Friends of Ex-gays and Gays (PFOX) was booted from a Virginia School Counselors Association annual convention last weekend. PFOX had been officially registered at the convention and had set up a booth to distribute materials showing that homosexuals can change.

The head of the counselor’s group asked to meet with PFOX leader Regina Griggs and told her that several of the items in the booth were offensive to school counselors. Among them was NARTH President Dr. Joseph Nicolosi’s book, A Parent’s Guide To Preventing Homosexuality. After offering to remove any offensive materials from the booth, Griggs was told that PFOX should leave anyway because it wasn’t worth their time to only distribute two brochures at the convention.

Griggs told [[WorldNetDaily]]: “Some members didn’t want us there at all. They didn’t want an alternative opinion to the teaching they were having that afternoon.”<ref>http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2666</ref>}}

==Existence of Ex-Homosexuals is an Argument that "Gay Rights" Does Not Achieve Civil Rights Status==
[[Image:Alvedaking.jpg‎|right|thumb|200px|Dr. [[Alveda King]]]]
Dr. [[Alveda C. King]] is the founder of [[King for America]], Inc. which is a faith based organization. <ref name="king">http://www.kingforamerica.com/index.htm</ref> Dr. Alveda C. King is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. [[A. D. King]].<ref name="king" />

Dr. Alveda C. King stated the following to the Massachusetts General Assembly regarding the existence of ex-homosexuals is an argument that "gay rights" does not achieve civil rights status:
{{cquote|Thirty-nine years ago, my great-uncle, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered to mindful citizens of America a prophetic dream which envisaged all of this great nation's people living in the full exercise of all rights granted to them by the U.S. Constitution. My forebear's dream was deeply rooted in the American dream wherein the Founders of our Union saw every lawful citizen standing in dignity outfitted by unalienable rights from God to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness free from the tyrannies of personal whim and ideology handed down by kings, dictators, political groups, and yes, some institutions of democratic government....

Yet, there is a larger body of science represented even by the above scientists that agrees that mature behavior patterns rely much more on social shaping and choices than genetic predisposition, such that these behaviors may be successfully modified by a variety of means. The food addict may eat responsibly, the alcoholic may drink responsibly or not at all, and the homosexual may live according to a wide range of choices as well. Thus, binge drinking, overeating, cocaine abuse and other behaviors do not have to be granted public latitude as a matter of right in this great nation. Certainly, these and other mutable behaviors may be practiced; they may be under constitutional protection in fact (under our privacy clauses), but they may not be granted civil rights or public protection.

Again, if behavior or other aspects of personhood may be altered, then those aspects fail to meet civil rights status. Homosexual practice clearly falls into this category. As my mother, Alveda C. King has said, "I have met many ex-homosexuals just as I have met many ex-husbands, ex-wives, ex-drug addicts and ex-lawyers. Yet I have never met an ex-Negro, ex-Caucasian or ex-Native American." The politics of preference does not jibe with civil rights legitimacy...<ref>http://www.kingforamerica.com/jrellis-testimony.htm</ref>}}

==Senator John Kerry Comment Insults Ex-Homosexuals==
[[Image:John-kerry.jpg‎|right|thumb|160px|[[John Kerry]]]]
[[Cybercast News Service]] stated the following regarding Senator [[John Kerry]] comment which insulted ex-Homosexuals:
{{cquote|Sen. John Kerry's declaration Wednesday that homosexuals don't have a choice about their sexual orientation has enraged individuals who identify themselves as "ex-gays."...

Shortly after Kerry made the remark Wednesday, reaction started pouring into [[Warren Throckmorton]], a professor at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. Throckmorton said ex-homosexuals expressed outrage to him about Kerry's comment.

"Kerry's views, unfortunately, present a view of homosexuality that science does not support," Throckmorton said. "Bush, wisely, has reserved judgment and his views are closer to where science has progressed to at this point. I'm concerned that Kerry misled the country."

Throckmorton, considered an authority on sexual orientation research, recently released his own documentary, "I Do Exist," which chronicles the lives of ex-homosexuals.<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C200410%5CCUL20041015b.html</ref>}}
==Judge Prohibits Public Schools from Implementing Anti-ex-homosexual Curriculum==
The organizaion [[Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays]] (PFOX) reported the following:
{{cquote|Montgomery County, Maryland – A United States District Court has granted the request of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX.org) for a temporary injunction prohibiting the Montgomery County, Maryland public schools from implementing an anti-ex-gay sex ed curriculum.

U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. ruled that the curriculum threatened PFOX's constitutional rights, including the First Amendment freedom of speech.

In his opinion, Judge Williams noted some of the curriculum's biased statements against ex-gays, including statements claiming that `[t]rying to change one's sexual response to straight or gay is usually unsuccessful,' and that `[i]n fact, it is often societal homophobia that forces people to attempt to change.'<ref>http://www.pfox.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=41&sid=3f6326facd8169669d328749f4c1cbe8</ref>}}

==In Short==
Stop Bawwwwwwing, Homosexuality is genetic, no need to be hatin'. The golden rule applies to.....
== EVERYONE ==

==See Also==
*[[Overcoming Homosexuality]]
*[[Homosexuality and Choice]]
*[[Teen Homosexuality]]
*[[Homosexuality]]
[[Category:Homosexuality]]
[[Category:Ex-Homosexuals]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28799 An article about Ex-Homosexuals