Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Cuba

2007-06-25T02:53:13Z

DemocraticRevolution:

'''Cuba''' is an island located in the [[Caribbean Sea]], 90 miles south of Florida. It is the only [[Communist]] country in the American continent.

==History==
In 1492, Cuba was [[Christopher Columbus]]'s first sight in his first and most famous voyage to the Americas. <ref>Gott, Richard, Cuba A New History. Yale University Press. 13</ref>
For many years, Cuba was an [[United States]] territory. During this time, Cuba relied on [[slavery]] longer than all nations in the Western Hemisphere except Brazil. Cuba had a slave trade from 1521 to 1884. In 1868, a Creole farmer started a revolution for racial equality, freedom of speech and association. It was then a colony of Spain, which put down the insurgency after a ten-year struggle. In 1880, the Spanish Cortes approved the [[abolition]] law, which provided for an eight-year period of ''patronato'' (tutelage) for all slaves liberated according to the law. This only amounted to indentured servitude as slaves were required to spend those eight years working for their masters at no charge. On October 7, 1884, slavery was finally abolished in Cuba by a royal decree that also made the patronato illegal.
<ref>[http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/funfacts/slavery.htm Abolition of Slavery - History of Cuba]</ref>

By 1895 it took 200,000 Spanish soldiers to suppress the Cuban independence movement.{{fact}} Americans were shocked at how Spain sent tens of thousands of Cubans to concentration camps, where many died of starvation or disease. After increasing tension between the United States and Spain, Spain, in a move that proved to be fatal, blew up the USS Maine and the United States declared the Spanish American War. President McKinley approved this Resolution of Congress:

:Whereas the abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization, culminating, as they have, in the destruction of a United States battle ship, with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana, and cannot longer be endured ...

:Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives ... That the people of the island of Cuba are and of right ought to be free.

Although the [[Teller Amendment]] prevented the United States from aquiring Cuba (in addition to Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines), the United States temporarily took control of Cuba until 1902, and when they handed over control to a Cuban Government, they required that the [[Platt Ammendment]] be passed, allowing the U.S. to still have some control over the island.

In 1952 elections were held, with the leading parties finishing as [[Roberto Agramonte]], [[Ortodoxos party]], followed by Dr. [[Aurelio Hevia]] with [[Batista]] being a far thrid place. This prompted Batista to stage a coup on [[10 March]] [[1952]] and lead a military Junta for two years. In 1954 he agreed to elections, which were then rigged. His regime proved unpopular with high levels of corruption, poverty and police and violence.

In 1956 a party of rebels, including [[Fidel Castro]], landed in a boat from [[Mexico]] and tried to start an armed resistance movement in the [[Sierra Maestra]]. In Mexico, his army got strengthened by revolutionary [[Ernesto Che Guevara]] - who is later identified as one of the most important people in Cuban revolution. After the landing, Batista made launched a campaign of repression against the opposition, which only served to increase support for the insurgency.

Through 1957 and 1958, opposition to Batista grew, especially among the upper and middle classes and the students. In response to Batista's plea to purchase better arms from the U.S. in order to root out the insurgents in the mountains, the United States government imposed an arms embargo on the Cuban government on [[March 14]], [[1958]]. By late 1958, the rebels had succeeded in breaking out of the Sierra Maestra and launched a general insurrection, joined by hundreds of students and others fleeing Batista’s crackdown on dissent in the cities. When the rebels captured [[Santa Clara, Cuba|Santa Clara]], east of Havana, Batista decided the struggle was futile and fled the country to exile in [[Portugal]] and later [[Spain]]. Castro’s rebel forces entered the capital on [[January 1]] [[1959]]. Castro imposed [[Karl Marx]]'s Communism, and this move has caused him to be a very polarizing figure. While many Cubans attempt to escape Cuba each year, the Cubans that choose to stay have turned Castro into their icon.

In 1962, the Soviet Union, in response to missiles placed in Turkey by the United States, placed missile in Cuba while the United States was under the rule of President [[John F. Kennedy]]. The high-pressure controvery that resulted quickly subsided when both sides withdrew.<ref>http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/moment.htm</ref>

==Government==
Cuba's lone party has been ruled by [[Fidel Castro]] since 1959, when, notably, Castro and [[Che Guevara]] led a revolution to overthrow [[Fulgencio Batista]]. In 1960, Cuba became a [[communist]] nation, and the [[United States]] and Cuba relationship went into turmoil. When Castro came to power he immediately quelled the severe corruption which was present in the country, including the eviction of several American mobsters effectively removing organised crime from the island.{{fact-political}} Castro's new government also closed down the gambling industry.

Relations between the United States and Cuba have been shaky at best since the revolution. In 1960, after officially declaring themselves communist, the US began a trade-embargo on Cuba that last to this day. Since coming to power, Cuban leader Fidel Castro has been the victim of over 670 CIA assassination attempts{{fact}} and one American backed invasion ([[The Bay of Pigs]]). This was in an attempt to reinstate the pro-American dictatorial regime of Batista that was previously in charge. (This is similar to the US backing of war criminal [[General Pinochet]] over his democratically elected communist opponent).

In part due to Cuba's communist philosophy, many are not allowed to freely travel or move, thus, those who strongly disagree with either one of the communist teachings or Fidel Castro, will risk their life to escape it - often attempting to reach [[Havana, Florida]].

==Education and Healthcare==
Despite the embargo, the present government has achieved a 97% [[literacy]] rate on the island<ref>https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cu.html</ref> and has one of the best medical and educational systems in Latin America, all provided for by the state and available to any citizen of the island.<ref>[http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/1659.cfm]</ref>
==US picking on Cuba==
Cuba is a dictatorship, there is no doubt about that but it is hardly the most repressive regime in the world (Saudi Arabia, North Korea). While America is friends with some dictatorships (Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Colombia), they have a hate-on for Cuba. The reason for this is because of ideological differences. Because Cuba is a leftist regime, it is an enemy. If they were a rightist regime they would be supported no matter how brutal.

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Caribbean Countries]]
[[Category:Islands]]

Cuba

2007-06-25T02:49:16Z

DemocraticRevolution: /* Education and Healthcare */

'''Cuba''' is an island located in the [[Caribbean Sea]], 90 miles south of Florida. It is the only [[Communist]] country in the American continent.

==History==
In 1492, Cuba was [[Christopher Columbus]]'s first sight in his first and most famous voyage to the Americas. <ref>Gott, Richard, Cuba A New History. Yale University Press. 13</ref>
For many years, Cuba was an [[United States]] territory. During this time, Cuba relied on [[slavery]] longer than all nations in the Western Hemisphere except Brazil. Cuba had a slave trade from 1521 to 1884. In 1868, a Creole farmer started a revolution for racial equality, freedom of speech and association. It was then a colony of Spain, which put down the insurgency after a ten-year struggle. In 1880, the Spanish Cortes approved the [[abolition]] law, which provided for an eight-year period of ''patronato'' (tutelage) for all slaves liberated according to the law. This only amounted to indentured servitude as slaves were required to spend those eight years working for their masters at no charge. On October 7, 1884, slavery was finally abolished in Cuba by a royal decree that also made the patronato illegal.
<ref>[http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/funfacts/slavery.htm Abolition of Slavery - History of Cuba]</ref>

By 1895 it took 200,000 Spanish soldiers to suppress the Cuban independence movement.{{fact}} Americans were shocked at how Spain sent tens of thousands of Cubans to concentration camps, where many died of starvation or disease. After increasing tension between the United States and Spain, Spain, in a move that proved to be fatal, blew up the USS Maine and the United States declared the Spanish American War. President McKinley approved this Resolution of Congress:

:Whereas the abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization, culminating, as they have, in the destruction of a United States battle ship, with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana, and cannot longer be endured ...

:Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives ... That the people of the island of Cuba are and of right ought to be free.

Although the [[Teller Amendment]] prevented the United States from aquiring Cuba (in addition to Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines), the United States temporarily took control of Cuba until 1902, and when they handed over control to a Cuban Government, they required that the [[Platt Ammendment]] be passed, allowing the U.S. to still have some control over the island.

In 1952 elections were held, with the leading parties finishing as [[Roberto Agramonte]], [[Ortodoxos party]], followed by Dr. [[Aurelio Hevia]] with [[Batista]] being a far thrid place. This prompted Batista to stage a coup on [[10 March]] [[1952]] and lead a military Junta for two years. In 1954 he agreed to elections, which were then rigged. His regime proved unpopular with high levels of corruption, poverty and police and violence.

In 1956 a party of rebels, including [[Fidel Castro]], landed in a boat from [[Mexico]] and tried to start an armed resistance movement in the [[Sierra Maestra]]. In Mexico, his army got strengthened by revolutionary [[Ernesto Che Guevara]] - who is later identified as one of the most important people in Cuban revolution. After the landing, Batista made launched a campaign of repression against the opposition, which only served to increase support for the insurgency.

Through 1957 and 1958, opposition to Batista grew, especially among the upper and middle classes and the students. In response to Batista's plea to purchase better arms from the U.S. in order to root out the insurgents in the mountains, the United States government imposed an arms embargo on the Cuban government on [[March 14]], [[1958]]. By late 1958, the rebels had succeeded in breaking out of the Sierra Maestra and launched a general insurrection, joined by hundreds of students and others fleeing Batista’s crackdown on dissent in the cities. When the rebels captured [[Santa Clara, Cuba|Santa Clara]], east of Havana, Batista decided the struggle was futile and fled the country to exile in [[Portugal]] and later [[Spain]]. Castro’s rebel forces entered the capital on [[January 1]] [[1959]]. Castro imposed [[Karl Marx]]'s Communism, and this move has caused him to be a very polarizing figure. While many Cubans attempt to escape Cuba each year, the Cubans that choose to stay have turned Castro into their icon.

In 1962, the Soviet Union, in response to missiles placed in Turkey by the United States, placed missile in Cuba while the United States was under the rule of President [[John F. Kennedy]]. The high-pressure controvery that resulted quickly subsided when both sides withdrew.<ref>http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/moment.htm</ref>

==Government==
Cuba's lone party has been ruled by [[Fidel Castro]] since 1959, when, notably, Castro and [[Che Guevara]] led a revolution to overthrow [[Fulgencio Batista]]. In 1960, Cuba became a [[communist]] nation, and the [[United States]] and Cuba relationship went into turmoil. When Castro came to power he immediately quelled the severe corruption which was present in the country, including the eviction of several American mobsters effectively removing organised crime from the island.{{fact-political}} Castro's new government also closed down the gambling industry.

Relations between the United States and Cuba have been shaky at best since the revolution. In 1960, after officially declaring themselves communist, the US began a trade-embargo on Cuba that last to this day. Since coming to power, Cuban leader Fidel Castro has been the victim of over 670 CIA assassination attempts{{fact}} and one American backed invasion ([[The Bay of Pigs]]). This was in an attempt to reinstate the pro-American dictatorial regime of Batista that was previously in charge. (This is similar to the US backing of war criminal [[General Pinochet]] over his democratically elected communist opponent).

In part due to Cuba's communist philosophy, many are not allowed to freely travel or move, thus, those who strongly disagree with either one of the communist teachings or Fidel Castro, will risk their life to escape it - often attempting to reach [[Havana, Florida]].

==Education and Healthcare==
Despite the embargo, the present government has achieved a 97% [[literacy]] rate on the island<ref>https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cu.html</ref> and has one of the best medical and educational systems in Latin America, all provided for by the state and available to any citizen of the island. If they were a democracy, it wouldn't be so bad.<ref>[http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/1659.cfm]</ref>

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Caribbean Countries]]
[[Category:Islands]]

Propaganda

2007-06-25T02:47:36Z

DemocraticRevolution: /* Uses of propaganda in society today */

[[Propaganda]] ([[Latin]] ''propaganda'' feminine ablative gerundive of ''propago'' I am spreading) is:

# Any idea, fact, rumor, or lie, or a wider body of same, which one circulates, publishes, or otherwise spreads by deliberate conscious effort in order to advance or hinder any given cause. This includes activity by a government to instill fear of that government's enemies, either in time of [[war]] or as a prelude to war, especially if the information that the government is promulgating is false.
# The act of circulating, publishing, or otherwise spreading any of the above with the manifest intent to advance or hinder a cause, or help or injure a person.

== History of the term ==

The first recorded use of the term, according to Merriam-Webster, was as a shortened name of the ''Congregatio de Propaganda Fide'', literally, "The congregation for spreading the faith." This group, part of the Vatican staff, is in essence the missions board of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. The founder of this board was Pope Gregory XV.

Thus, originally, the term ''propaganda'' was a neutral term. It meant simply the act of ''propagating'' a viewpoint, the process for doing the same, or a group specifically charged with such activity.

Today, propaganda is anything under the above headings employed to advance any religious or political cause, or to damage an opposing cause. But the word ''propaganda'' now has a decidedly negative connotation. Whatever is spread must not merely be in aid of one cause and/or opposed to another, but must also be ''false, misleading, and/or out of its proper context.'' Or, if what is spread is true, then it is spread in a ''manner unbecoming a truthful witness.'' As such, it includes [[Logical fallacy|logical fallacies]], ''unsubstantiated'' rumors, and other sayings that the teller/spreader knows, or ought to know, are lies. It also includes modes of presentation that, through negligence, recklessness, knowledge, or intent, give offense, especially to the holders of contrary views.

== Types of propaganda ==
The specific sayings or modes of presentation that constitute propaganda are legion. The common element in them is an appeal to ''emotion'' rather than to [[logic]]. Truth or fact, logically presented, might stir the emotions--but a presentation ''manifestly intended'' to stir the emotions demeans the information being presented. Of course, if the information is false to begin with, then propagandistic methods might be the only methods that would serve.

<blockquote>Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell. Though all things foul would wear the look of grace, Yet grace must still look so.</blockquote>
: ''[[MacBeth]]'' IV.iii.

Propaganda typically takes any of these forms, or a combination of them:

# Name calling. This is the crudest and least savory form of [[Logical fallacy#Argumentum ad hominem|argumentum ad hominem]]. It consists of labeling the other cause, or a generic or particular adherent of that cause, with a noun or adjective having a decidedly negative "buzz" or "charge." Name-calling is also a part of the [[Logical fallacy#Genetic fallacy|genetic fallacy]] of endorsing, or casting doubt upon, a proposition merely by calling attention to its source, when the nature of the source does not bear on the quality of the propositions that come from that source.
# Half-truths. The hallmark of this is that half the things being said are true and the other half false.
# Testimonials. This is a form of [[Logical fallacy#Proof by authority|argumentum ab auctoritate]]. A "celebrity endorsement" is a prime example. So, too, is any speech or essay by one publicly celebrated as an athlete, actor in any form of [[theater]], or other such person, on a subject in which the author has no legitimate expertise.
# [[Loaded question|Loaded questions]].
# Distortions of fact.
# Extreme pronouncements, which are a form of [[Logical fallacy#Overgeneralization|over-generalizations]].
# Intimidation. This may include [[Logical fallacy#Proof by numbers|arguing from the numbers]] or reminding an opponent of the power of the particular individual or group engaging in the intimidation--or of an individual or group for which one claims to speak.
# Using abridged or out of context quotes to give a false impression, aka [[Quote mining]].
# Sayings that, however factual, fall outside the scope or even off the topic at hand. A [[Law|lawyer]] would say that such facts are "incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial"--because they do not serve to advance a [[logic|logical]] argument, are not properly related to the case at hand, and do not matter.
# Outright lies. Dr. [[Josef Goebbels]], Minister of Propaganda for [[Adolf Hitler]], famously observed that if one tells a lie loudly enough and often enough, people will believe it rather than believe that anyone could lie so outrageously.

== Uses of propaganda in society today ==
Propaganda has now become the favorite method of [[politics]]. Both politicians and the commentators that support them routinely engage in it. This has contributed, especially in the [[United States]] but also in other democratic republics throughout the world, to a coarsening of civil discourse and, some say, a severe weakening of civility.

In addition to civility, the idea of truth suffers from the habitual use of propaganda. Current-events organs that willfully publish propagandistic content not only contribute to the problem, but also demean themselves. In one famous example, a [[television]] broadcast network circulated for weeks certain memoranda, the contents of which were damaging to the incumbent President of the [[United States]] ([[George W. Bush]]), though those who obtained those memoranda knew, or ought to have known, that they were forgeries.

[[Theater]] has been an instrument of propaganda since before such things as current-events organs existed. Significantly, however, whenever theater has lent itself to propaganda, it has always demeaned itself. Even [[William Shakespeare]] was not immune to this. His play ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' is, as any objective observer must attest, a piece of [[Anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]] propaganda of a very crude sort. Critics have historically decried it as one of the least becoming of Shakespeare's works.

Another example of propaganda is distoring facts to sell a war. By stating that the target has weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and plan to use them on us, the frightened population can be convinced of almost anything. National media is also tightly controlled and any dissidence is dismissed as radical.

== Counter-propaganda ==
The best contrary testimony against propaganda is the truth. This typically means revealing the full, previously undisclosed context and exposing [[Logical fallacy|logical fallacies]].

Beyond this, it includes discernment of news organs that allow themselves to be utilized for propaganda purposes, discernment of propagandistic theater projects and refusal to patronize the same, and discernment of the content of political commentary, and its judgment, not merely on matters of fact, but also on the ''presentation'' of that fact. As has been said above, presentation even of perfectly relevant fact in a manner intended to manipulate the emotions, demeans the facts thus presented and also demeans the presenter. Above all, therefore, those who decry propaganda ought not engage in it themselves, nor give even the appearance of the same.

== Related References ==
* [http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=Propaganda Propaganda] in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
* [http://www.creationsafaris.com/crevbd.htm#propaganda Propaganda Tactics] at "The Baloney Detector" at Creation-Evolution Headlines

== See Also ==
* [[Logical fallacy]]

[[Category:Sociology]]

Propaganda

2007-06-25T02:34:04Z

DemocraticRevolution: /* Uses of propaganda in society today */

[[Propaganda]] ([[Latin]] ''propaganda'' feminine ablative gerundive of ''propago'' I am spreading) is:

# Any idea, fact, rumor, or lie, or a wider body of same, which one circulates, publishes, or otherwise spreads by deliberate conscious effort in order to advance or hinder any given cause. This includes activity by a government to instill fear of that government's enemies, either in time of [[war]] or as a prelude to war, especially if the information that the government is promulgating is false.
# The act of circulating, publishing, or otherwise spreading any of the above with the manifest intent to advance or hinder a cause, or help or injure a person.

== History of the term ==

The first recorded use of the term, according to Merriam-Webster, was as a shortened name of the ''Congregatio de Propaganda Fide'', literally, "The congregation for spreading the faith." This group, part of the Vatican staff, is in essence the missions board of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. The founder of this board was Pope Gregory XV.

Thus, originally, the term ''propaganda'' was a neutral term. It meant simply the act of ''propagating'' a viewpoint, the process for doing the same, or a group specifically charged with such activity.

Today, propaganda is anything under the above headings employed to advance any religious or political cause, or to damage an opposing cause. But the word ''propaganda'' now has a decidedly negative connotation. Whatever is spread must not merely be in aid of one cause and/or opposed to another, but must also be ''false, misleading, and/or out of its proper context.'' Or, if what is spread is true, then it is spread in a ''manner unbecoming a truthful witness.'' As such, it includes [[Logical fallacy|logical fallacies]], ''unsubstantiated'' rumors, and other sayings that the teller/spreader knows, or ought to know, are lies. It also includes modes of presentation that, through negligence, recklessness, knowledge, or intent, give offense, especially to the holders of contrary views.

== Types of propaganda ==
The specific sayings or modes of presentation that constitute propaganda are legion. The common element in them is an appeal to ''emotion'' rather than to [[logic]]. Truth or fact, logically presented, might stir the emotions--but a presentation ''manifestly intended'' to stir the emotions demeans the information being presented. Of course, if the information is false to begin with, then propagandistic methods might be the only methods that would serve.

<blockquote>Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell. Though all things foul would wear the look of grace, Yet grace must still look so.</blockquote>
: ''[[MacBeth]]'' IV.iii.

Propaganda typically takes any of these forms, or a combination of them:

# Name calling. This is the crudest and least savory form of [[Logical fallacy#Argumentum ad hominem|argumentum ad hominem]]. It consists of labeling the other cause, or a generic or particular adherent of that cause, with a noun or adjective having a decidedly negative "buzz" or "charge." Name-calling is also a part of the [[Logical fallacy#Genetic fallacy|genetic fallacy]] of endorsing, or casting doubt upon, a proposition merely by calling attention to its source, when the nature of the source does not bear on the quality of the propositions that come from that source.
# Half-truths. The hallmark of this is that half the things being said are true and the other half false.
# Testimonials. This is a form of [[Logical fallacy#Proof by authority|argumentum ab auctoritate]]. A "celebrity endorsement" is a prime example. So, too, is any speech or essay by one publicly celebrated as an athlete, actor in any form of [[theater]], or other such person, on a subject in which the author has no legitimate expertise.
# [[Loaded question|Loaded questions]].
# Distortions of fact.
# Extreme pronouncements, which are a form of [[Logical fallacy#Overgeneralization|over-generalizations]].
# Intimidation. This may include [[Logical fallacy#Proof by numbers|arguing from the numbers]] or reminding an opponent of the power of the particular individual or group engaging in the intimidation--or of an individual or group for which one claims to speak.
# Using abridged or out of context quotes to give a false impression, aka [[Quote mining]].
# Sayings that, however factual, fall outside the scope or even off the topic at hand. A [[Law|lawyer]] would say that such facts are "incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial"--because they do not serve to advance a [[logic|logical]] argument, are not properly related to the case at hand, and do not matter.
# Outright lies. Dr. [[Josef Goebbels]], Minister of Propaganda for [[Adolf Hitler]], famously observed that if one tells a lie loudly enough and often enough, people will believe it rather than believe that anyone could lie so outrageously.

== Uses of propaganda in society today ==
Propaganda has now become the favorite method of [[politics]]. Both politicians and the commentators that support them routinely engage in it. This has contributed, especially in the [[United States]] but also in other democratic republics throughout the world, to a coarsening of civil discourse and, some say, a severe weakening of civility.

In addition to civility, the idea of truth suffers from the habitual use of propaganda. Current-events organs that willfully publish propagandistic content not only contribute to the problem, but also demean themselves. In one famous example, a [[television]] broadcast network circulated for weeks certain memoranda, the contents of which were damaging to the incumbent President of the [[United States]] ([[George W. Bush]]), though those who obtained those memoranda knew, or ought to have known, that they were forgeries.

[[Theater]] has been an instrument of propaganda since before such things as current-events organs existed. Significantly, however, whenever theater has lent itself to propaganda, it has always demeaned itself. Even [[William Shakespeare]] was not immune to this. His play ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' is, as any objective observer must attest, a piece of [[Anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]] propaganda of a very crude sort. Critics have historically decried it as one of the least becoming of Shakespeare's works.

Another example of propaganda is distoring facts to sell a war. By stating that the target has weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and plan to use them on us, the frightened population can be convinced of almost anything. Nation media is also tightly controlled and any dissidence is dismissed as radical.

== Counter-propaganda ==
The best contrary testimony against propaganda is the truth. This typically means revealing the full, previously undisclosed context and exposing [[Logical fallacy|logical fallacies]].

Beyond this, it includes discernment of news organs that allow themselves to be utilized for propaganda purposes, discernment of propagandistic theater projects and refusal to patronize the same, and discernment of the content of political commentary, and its judgment, not merely on matters of fact, but also on the ''presentation'' of that fact. As has been said above, presentation even of perfectly relevant fact in a manner intended to manipulate the emotions, demeans the facts thus presented and also demeans the presenter. Above all, therefore, those who decry propaganda ought not engage in it themselves, nor give even the appearance of the same.

== Related References ==
* [http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=Propaganda Propaganda] in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
* [http://www.creationsafaris.com/crevbd.htm#propaganda Propaganda Tactics] at "The Baloney Detector" at Creation-Evolution Headlines

== See Also ==
* [[Logical fallacy]]

[[Category:Sociology]]

Talk:Saddam Hussein

2007-06-25T02:25:59Z

DemocraticRevolution: /* So, is the truth a problem? */

{{Stub}}

== Several Problems Here ==

Aside from the Saddam-friendly flavor of this article, which makes it seem a virtual paradise, and him an "enlightened" elected official instead of the despotic dictator he was, I find it disturbing Saddam isn't shown to be the master genocide practitioner of the region. Like feeding political opponents into industrial shredders carted into the dining room for his guests amusement.--~ [[User:TK|TK]] [[User_talk:TK|MyTalk]] 06:38, 15 April 2007 (EDT)
:Given the nostaligia of reactionaries in the US Congress and elsewhere for the good old days under Saddam, I suggest we let them paint the picture of the fascist paradise they want to return to after timetables for US withdrawl are met. Alternatively, these reactionaries and supporters of fascism among the American left may assist a more theocratic style regime ''ala'' Iran or Saudi Arabia once funding gets cut off for any further US invovlement. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 13:03, 15 April 2007 (EDT)

== Classic Conservapedia==

This is a gem of an article. So wonderfully simplistic. [[User:Mralph72|Mralph72]] 08:56, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

== So, is the truth a problem? ==

"Saddam saw himself as a social revolutionary and a modernizer, following the Nasser model. To the consternation of Islamic conservatives, his government gave women freedoms and offered them high-level government and industry jobs. Saddam also created a Western-style legal system, making Iraq the only country in the Persian Gulf region not ruled according to traditional Islamic law (Sharia). Saddam abolished the Sharia law courts, except for personal injury claims."

All of this is true, would the more ideological among us prefer it to be hidden in a deeper article? Maybe they could write one. [[User:Flippin|Flippin]] 12:30, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

==American Support of the regime during its worst atrocities==
Despite Saddam's brutal crimes, the United States supported him until the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. They even supplied him with chemical agents which may have been used to gas his own people. Human rights are only an issue if they further our own interests --[[User:DemocraticRevolution|DemocraticRevolution]] 22:25, 24 June 2007 (EDT)

Uzbekistan

2007-06-25T01:59:54Z

DemocraticRevolution:

{{stub}}

'''Uzbekistan ''' is a country in [[Central Asia]], a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and a former Soviet Socialist Republic. Its capitol is [[Tashkent]]. The president is Islom Karimov.

Uzbekistan shares borders with [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Afghanistan]]. The ethnic populations of Uzbekistan include Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tadjiks, Russians, Tatars and Koreans. The most common languages are Uzbek, Russian, Tadjik and Karakalpak.

It is a very repressive country accused of various human rights violations including boiling people alive [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/uzb-summary-eng][http://193.194.138.190/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/29d0f1eaf87cf3eac1256ce9005a0170?Opendocument].

== Notable Features==

=== Aral Sea ===

In the north west tip of Uzbekistan lies the [[Aral Sea]]. The largest city in this area is Nukus which was described in the Lonely Planet guide as the saddest place on earth. This is due to the rapidly shrinking water supply of the Aral Sea. The sea is also heavily polluted due to weapons testing.

=== Ferghana Valley ===

The most fertile and heavily populated area of Uzbekistan. Prominent cities include the historical city [[Kokand]] that was once the capital of the Kokand Dynasty and Ferghana, a very Russian city.

=== Ancient cities ===

[[Samarkand]], [[Bukhara]] and [[Khiva]] are famous ancient cities of Uzbekistan.

[[Category:Asian Countries]]
[[Category:Former Soviet Countries]]
[[Category:Dictatorships]]

Uzbekistan

2007-06-25T01:59:40Z

DemocraticRevolution:

Uzbekistan

2007-06-25T01:58:22Z

DemocraticRevolution:

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'''Uzbekistan ''' is a country in [[Central Asia]], a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and a former Soviet Socialist Republic. Its capitol is [[Tashkent]]. The president is Islom Karimov.

Uzbekistan shares borders with [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Afghanistan]]. The ethnic populations of Uzbekistan include Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tadjiks, Russians, Tatars and Koreans. The most common languages are Uzbek, Russian, Tadjik and Karakalpak.

It is a very repressive country accused of various human rights violations [ including boiling people alive [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/uzb-summary-eng]

== Notable Features==

=== Aral Sea ===

In the north west tip of Uzbekistan lies the [[Aral Sea]]. The largest city in this area is Nukus which was described in the Lonely Planet guide as the saddest place on earth. This is due to the rapidly shrinking water supply of the Aral Sea. The sea is also heavily polluted due to weapons testing.

=== Ferghana Valley ===

The most fertile and heavily populated area of Uzbekistan. Prominent cities include the historical city [[Kokand]] that was once the capital of the Kokand Dynasty and Ferghana, a very Russian city.

=== Ancient cities ===

[[Samarkand]], [[Bukhara]] and [[Khiva]] are famous ancient cities of Uzbekistan.

[[Category:Asian Countries]]
[[Category:Former Soviet Countries]]