Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Strom Thurmond

2007-06-29T23:03:06Z

Dudukain:

'''James Strom Thurmond''' (1902-2003) was an [[United States]] [[Senate|Senator]] from [[South Carolina]] for over fifty years. He served from 1954 to 1964 as a [[Democrat]] and from 1964 to 2003 as a [[Republican]]. He is the only senator in US history to have been elected by write-in vote.

In the late 1940s, Strom Thurmond was a [[liberal]]. <ref>[http://www.kevinbaker.info/c_wtm.html What Trent Meant], Kevin Baker.</ref> As Governor of South Carolina, Thurmond said on a radio broadcast,

{{Cquote|We need a progressive outlook, a progressive program and a progressive leadership}}

In his inaugural address as Governor Thurmond not only called for abolishing the [[poll tax]], but also advocated expanding workmen’s compensation laws, and better working conditions in plants and factories. He repeated his call for better public education, and told his constituents that

{{Cquote|more attention should be given to Negro education.}}

Thurmand also was a pioneer as a Democrat for [[feminism]] and the women's movement. He also demanded in his inagural

{{Cquote|equal rights for women in every respect...equal pay for equal work for women.}}

Thurmond as a Democrat had been a supporter of [[segregation]] and ran for President on the breakaway [[Dixiecrat]] platform in 1948. Like many New Dealers, Thurmond by the 1960s was disenchanted with the [[Great Society]] and changed parties. At Thurmond's one hundredth birthday party, Senate Majority Leader [[Trent Lott]] stated if Thurmond had been elected in the early days of the [[Cold War]] "we wouldn't have had these problems all these years." Liberals were in an uproar, and suggested some racial motivation behind Lott's comments This eventually caused Lott to resign his position as Majority Leader, as Thurmond had run on a segregationist platform. However after Thurmond's death, it was revealed that he had fathered a child with an [[African American]] woman. Thurmond had never abandoned the child, and his now 71 year old daughter spoke affectionately of her loving father.

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT: Thurmond, Strom}}
[[Category:Political people]]

Pro-life

2007-06-28T20:38:46Z

Dudukain:

'''Pro-life''' is the name given to people or organisations that oppose [[abortion]], or the woman's right to choose, under some or all circumstances.

The name comes from the belief that life begins at the moment of [[conception]], and that removal of the embryo (1-8 cell stage) or fetus (8-fully developed organism) is equivalent to the [[murder]] of a person at any time after birth.

Currently, America has legal abortions available to those who want and can afford them. Persons of the pro-life platform wish for abortion to be illegal.

Pro-lifers are often accused of sexism because those making the criticism point out that pro-lifers think that a woman does not have a right to control her own body.

Often called Anti-Choice. Those who call it that say it is much more accurate, because those involved are against a woman's right to choose. The name should not be taken to indicate opposition to the death-penalty, as is sometimes the case, particularly in countries in which there is no similar abortion debate.

==See Also==
* [[Abortion controversy]]

==External Links==
* [http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/869 Anti-Choice Violence Towards Protester]
* [http://www.nysun.com/article/47187 Anti-Choice Man Kills Doctor]

[[Category:Abortion]]

Feminism

2007-06-28T20:34:12Z

Dudukain: /* History */

Feminism is a philosophy which argues for equal treatment and responsibilities for men and women, and boys and girls.

==History==

Roots of the movement in the United States and the United Kingdom include the [[Women's Suffrage]] movement of the early 1900's and the [[Women's Liberation]] (or "Second Wave Feminist") movement of the 1960's and 1970's.

An [[Equal Rights Amendment]] was proposed in the US in 1972, but was not ratified. Opponents of the amendment cited the following consequences: making girls subject to the military draft; the integration of single-sex schools; the possible recognition of homosexual marriage; and the revocation of laws that protect women in dangerous jobs, like factory or mining work.

The feminist movement in the West evolved in the 1980s with the rise of [[Post-Feminism]] which stresses that women have many rights that go unrecognized in everyday life, often by women themselves, and in the American legal structure. Most members of the feminist movement support reproductive rights currently enshrined in American law, including the legal right to [[abortion]]. This stance is opposed by many conservatives, leading political commentator [[Rush Limbaugh]] to coin the term "Femi-nazis" to refer to feminist supporters of abortion rights. As of April 2007, women in the US have a legal right to abortion, without any significant limitation. According to a recent poll, 16% of the American public favor abortion being legal in all cases, and 39% favor abortion being legal in most cases. 31% feel that abortion should be illegal in most cases and 12% believe it should be illegal in all cases. 2% are unsure on the issue. <ref>http://www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm</ref>

Second Wave Feminism has made a resurgence in 1990s and early years of 21st century as the movement is spreading internationally in [[Asia]] and the [[Middle East]]. During the administration of [[Bill Clinton]] these latter-day feminists overlooked President Clinton's apparently womanizing behavior in order to focus upon his attempts to procure federal funding for several of their causes. Apparently, they felt that woman's rights were more important than what the president does in his spare time.

==Quotations==

The English novelist and critic [[Rebecca West]] said <ref>http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rebecca_west.html</ref> :

<blockquote> "I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute." </blockquote>

The televangelist [[Pat Robertson]] said <ref> Fundraising letter, 1992 quoted on http://www.gainesvillehumanists.org/patr.htm </ref>:

<blockquote>"The [[Feminism|feminist agenda]] is not about equal rights for women. It is about a [[socialist]], anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, [[abortion|kill their children]], practice [[witchcraft]], destroy capitalism, and become [[Homosexuality|lesbian]]s." <ref>Pat Robertson, fund-raising letter, 1992</ref></blockquote>

==See also==
*[[Gender equality]]

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/ The Feminist eZine] Archive of articles about Feminist History.
*[http://www.cia-on-campus.org/surveil/steinem.html Gloria Steinem and the CIA], ''The New York Times'', February 21, 1967.
*[http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/msg02217.html Inside the CIA with Gloria Steinem], Nancy Borman, ''The Village Voice''.

Monica Lewinsky

2007-03-13T02:51:46Z

Dudukain:

An intern in the [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] [[White House]], who had a relationship with President Clinton that he subsequently lied about while under oath. He didn't actually lie, but instead exploited a technicality in the definition of sex the investigation was using, by which Monica Lewinsky had had sex with him, but he had not had sex with Monica Lewinsky. This led to President Clinton's [[impeachment]].

Atheism

2007-03-13T02:45:24Z

Dudukain:

Atheism is disbelief in, or denial of, the existence of a [[God|god]] or gods, or any supernatural entity.

Atheism is closely tied with [[Secular Humanism]]. Popularly-known Atheists and Secular Humanists include [[Stephen Hawking]], [[Albert Einstein]], [[Stephen Jay Gould]], [[Carl Sagan]], [[Richard Dawkins]], [[William Borden]] and [[Sam Harris]].

== Atheist morality ==

Many atheists base their [[moral code]] upon [[emotion]], [[experience]] and empirically derived ethics, such as those promoted by secular humanism. Atheists hold that neither the [[Bible]], nor the [[Koran]], nor the [[Torah]], nor any religious text can be our only source of morality. This claim is made as all religious texts contain, and often ascribe to God, extremely immoral acts such as the Israelites driving out heathen nations from Canaan (i.e. [[ethnic cleansing]]), the stoning of homosexuals and adulterers to death, and the institution of slavery.

Atheists often subscribe to the secular humanist idea that it is far more ethical to do what is right because you believe that it is right, rather than because you fear divine punishment or desire divine reward. One example is illustrated in the following quote from [[Albert Einstein]]:

:“A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death”.

A modern example is the absurdity with which we view Islamist suicide bombers acting on a desire for 72 virgins in the afterlife. Atheism condemns this desire, along with other religious desires for exclusive reward (and the punishment of others) such as are found in all religious texts.

== Origins ==

It is difficult to trace the origins of atheism as a result of the incomplete historic record. It is known that ancient Greece produced a theory of materialism as early as the 5th century BC. The materialist world view was essentially mathematical and had no room for gods{{fact}}.

== The Problem of Evil==

A central argument against religious belief in all powerful entities ('gods') is the problem of evil. First identified by the philosopher and materialist Epicurus (341-270 BC), this problem points out the difficulty created by the mere existence of evil:

:Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
:Is he able, but not willing? then he is malevolent.
:Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
:Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

A number of responses to this logical paradox have been put forth including those which assert human ignorance as the culprit, the concept of free will and the specific writings in some faiths which discuss the co-existence of good and evil (such as the book of Job in the Christian and Jewish faiths).[http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/evil-log.htm]

== Atheism and Agnosticism ==

Atheism and agnosticism are logically distinct concepts. Whilst atheist reject the existence of a god or gods, agnostics do not do so. [[Richard Dawkins]] has contrasted the two positions as follows:

:“There may be fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no evidence for it, but you can’t prove that there aren’t any, so shouldn’t we be agnostic with respect to fairies?”.

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]

George H. W. Bush

2007-03-13T02:44:14Z

Dudukain:

''George H. W. (Herbert Walker) Bush'', [[Republican]], was president of the U.S. from 1989-1993, following [[Ronald Reagan]] and preceding [[William Jefferson Clinton]]. He is the father of [[George W. Bush]].

His presidency was marked mostly by a poor [[economy]], and the [[Gulf War]] with [[Iraq]] in which he deliberately made the decision to end the conflict when the original goal of liberating [[Kuwait]] was achieved, and to stop short of invading Iraq (That is, he formulated an "exit strategy" before entering). He faced a strong challenge from [[Pat Robertson]] in 1988 due to charges that he was too liberal and some claim that he lost the presidency in 1992 due to many Republicans defecting to the [[Ross Perot]] camp.
He famously described the monetrist policies of Ronald Reagan (the Laffer curve) as "Voodoo Economics" prior to his nomination and election as Vice President. After he was elected Vice President, however, he became a strong believer in what he had once described as "Voodoo Economics."

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[[Category:Biographies]]
[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]