Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Mercury

2012-12-08T02:01:13Z

IMBach: /* Ice */

{{Planet
|image=Murcurt.jpg
|caption=Reprocessed Mariner 10 data was used to produce this image of Mercury. The smooth band is an area of which no images were taken.
|discname=Known to ancients
|origname=Roman messenger god and prince of thieves
|primary=Sun
|order=1
|periapsis=46,000,000 km (0.307 AU)
|apoapsis=70,000,000 km (0.468 AU)
|semimajor=57,909,175 km (0.387 AU)
|bode=0.4 AU
|eccentricity=0.20563069
|sidereal=87.96934 da (0.241 a)
|synodic=115.8776 da (0.317 a)
|orbitspeed=47.36 km/s
|inclination=7.00487°
|reference=the ecliptic
|siderealday=58.6462 da
|solarday=175.93868 da
|axialtilt=0°
|mass=3.30 * 1023 kg (5.522% earth)
|density=5427 kg/m³
|meanradius=2439.7 km
|surfacegrav=2.78 m/s² (0.283 ''g'')
|escapespeed=4.25 km/s
|surfacearea=75,000,000 km² (14.704% earth)
|mintemp=90 K
|meantemp=452 K
|maxtemp=700 K
|moons=None known
|composition=Iron, Silicate
|color=Reddish
|mfd=0.033 G (3.3 * 10-6 T)<ref name=mercuryfact>Williams, David R. "[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/mercuryfact.html Mercury Fact Sheet]." National Space Science Data Center, [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]], November 30, 2007. Accessed May 29, 2008.</ref>
|pmdm=3.8 * 1019 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys2>Humphreys, D. R. "[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5976/ Mercury's Magnetic Field is Young]!" [[Creation Ministries International]], August 26, 2008. Accessed October 2, 2008.</ref>
|cmdm=7.5 * 1022 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys>Humphreys, D. R. "[http://www.creationresearch.org/crsq/articles/21/21_3/21_3.html The Creation of Planetary Magnetic Fields]." ''[[Creation Research Society Quarterly]]'' 21(3), December 1984. Accessed April 29, 2008.</ref>
|mdt=812.6 a<ref name=calc>Calculated from observed present magnetic dipole moment and expected magnetic dipole moment at creation.</ref>
|mhl=563.3 a<ref name=calc/>
}}
:''This article is about the planet Mercury. For information about the chemical element see [[Mercury (element)]].''
:''For information about the NASA project, see [[Project Mercury]].''

[[Mercury]] is the smallest planet in the [[Solar System]], and it is the closest to the [[Sun]]. It orbits the [[Sun]] in 88 (Earth) days. It rotates on its axis every 58.6 days,<ref>"The theory that Mercury is in [[synchronous rotation]] with its orbital motion was shattered in 1965. Astronomers Gordon Pettengill and Rolf Dyce used a radio telescope to make radar observations of Mercury’s spin rate. They found that Mercury’s rotation period is only 58.6 Earth days, not the 88 days accepted for nearly a century." [http://btc.montana.edu/messenger/elusive_planet/modern_times.htm]</ref> which is 3 rotations for every two orbits (called "3:2 resonance"). It can be seen from [[Earth]] only at sunrise and sunset.<ref name="spacemag">[http://www.space.com/spacewatch/mercury_view_030404.html Seeing Mercury at sunset], April 2003</ref>

Mercury is one of the five brightest planets.

== Ancient History ==
As with the other planets of the solar system, it was named after after Roman mythology, in this case the messenger god Mercury who is known as [[Hermes]] in Greek.

In the pre-Christian era, the Greeks actually gave the planet two different names, as it was believed to be two different objects. The ancients did not realize that it could alternately appear on one side of the Sun and then the other. Mercury was called Hermes when in the evening sky, but was known as Apollo when it appeared in the morning. It is said that [[Pythagoras]], about the fifth century B.C., pointed out that they were one and the same.<ref name="spacemag"/>

== Composition ==
Mercury's core is made of molten metal, much like the Earth's. The molten [[Iron]] core generates the planet's magnetic field.

== Orbital oddities ==
Mercury has a very elliptical orbit. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it is nearly 50% farther than at its nearest distance to the Sun. <ref>http://astroprofspage.com/archives/139</ref>

The [[precession]] of Mercury's eccentric orbit was detectable to 19th century astronomers.<ref name=Wudka>Wudka, Jose. "[http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node98.html Precession of the perihelion of Mercury]." September 24, 1998. Accessed April 17, 2008.</ref><ref name=Britannica>"[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-241978/Mercury Mercury: Mercury in tests of relativity]." In "Mercury," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 17 April 2008</ref>

It was the study of this planet's orbit that [[Albert Einstein]] claimed to help confirm the [[General Theory of Relativity]].<ref>Testing general relativity [http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=31277 European Space Agency] Accessed July 16 2007</ref><ref>Albert Einstein [http://www.phy.hr/ Fizički odsjek] Accessed July 16 2007</ref> Specifically, Mercury's [[apsis|perihelion]] precesses by 5599.7 arc-seconds per century, whereas [[Sir Isaac Newton|Newtonian]] physics alone would predict 5558.8 (comprised of the gravitational pull of the other planets on top of [[axial precession]]). This gives a discrepancy of -40.9 between theoretical models and real observations.

Astronomers of the period hypothesized either an [[Asteroid Belt|asteroid belt]] or another planet (which they named [[Vulcan (planet)|Vulcan]]) inside Mercury's orbit. Einstein's second-order correction to Mercury's orbit supposedly accounts for 43 arc-seconds of precession and obviated the need to look for any unseen asteroids or innermost planet.<ref name=Hartnett>Hartnett, John. ''Starlight, Time, and the New Physics''. Creation Book Publishers, 2007, pp. 34-36. ISBN 9780949906687.</ref><ref name=Wudka/><ref name=Britannica/> However, the theoretical error in the relativity calculation (stated to be around 0.04<ref name="">Iorio, L., ''On the possibility of measuring the solar oblateness and some relativistic effects from planetary ranging'', 2004</ref>) is much less than the discrepancy which results (2.1 arc-seconds). So, while scientists tell us that the theory of relativity solved the problem perfectly, elementary analysis of the figures indicates that it only luckily landed in the ballpark, and is still out by around 50 times the supposed tolerance in the calculations.

Mercury has more or less no atmosphere, and many craters. <ref>John Gribbin, ''Companion to the Cosmos'' (Little, Brown & Company, 1996)</ref> It has no known moons.

==Magnetic Field==
A curiosity of the planet is its magnetic field, which is about 1% that of Earth's. Scientists were perplexed to discover its existence, speculating that planet's outer core consisted of liquid iron. However, because it is relatively small and hot, such an outer core would long ago have expired. That Mercury is so intensely cratered would also suggest that Mercury should long ago have given up its magnetic field because of its extreme apparent age.

Thus, according to current scientific understandings, the existence of Mercury's magnetic field presents a serious theoretical problem for [[uniformitarian]] models of the creation of the Solar System.<ref name=Psarris>Psarris, Spike, ''Our Solar System: Evidence for Design'', Seattle Creation Conference, 2006.</ref><ref>Franco, Lucia M. "[http://astro.uchicago.edu/home/web/lucia/a100/lectures/mercury.html Lecture 10.1: Mercury]." ''Astronomy 100 at Indiana University Northwest'', [[Indiana University]], 1996. Accessed April 17, 2008.</ref> The problem of Mercury's magnetic field is more acute when one considers that Mars, which is slightly larger than Mercury and spins much faster, has a much weaker magnetic field.

[[Creationist]] [[Russell Humphreys]] has an alternative theory: that planetary magnetic fields do not form by dynamo action, and Mercury's relatively wide and conductive core has preserved its magnetic field. The cores of Mars and Venus are smaller, and thus the magnetic fields have decayed more rapidly.<ref name=Humphreys/> Nevertheless, the decay of Mercury's magnetic field, according to Humphreys, is quite rapid.

Accordingly, in 1984 Humphreys boldly declared:{{cquote|Mercury's decay rate is so rapid that some future probe could detect it fairly soon. In 1990 the planet's magnetic moment should be 1.8 percent smaller than its 1975 value.<ref name=Humphreys/>}}

In fact, according to Humphreys' extrapolations of the decay time and [[half-life]] of the magnetic field of Mercury, the [[magnetic dipole moment]] in 2008 should be ''four'' percent smaller than that measured in 1975 by Mariner 10. Specifically, this should be (4.5 +/- 0.25) * 1019 N-m/T.

On January 14, 2008, [[MESSENGER]] made rendezvous with Mercury and measured its magnetic field. This rocket probe's measurements are consistent with a magnetic dipole moment of (3.8 +/- 0.7) * 1019 N-m/T. This represents a significant decline from the Mariner 10 measurement, because the two measurements differ by more than the sum of their respective tolerances. More to the point, the higher tolerance range of the current measurement lies well within the predicted magnetic dipole moment that Mercury should have at present. If, on the other hand, the true measurement is ''less'' than predicted, that would pose an even greater problem for uniformitarian astrophysics, because such a rapid decay would be utterly inconsistent with an age for Mercury of 4.6 billion years. It would present no problem with the Humphreys model, but would suggest that the core conductivity and/or conductive mass of Mercury is less than Humphreys initially supposed.<ref name=Humphreys2/>

== Ice ==
Late Novemeber 2012, it was announced by [[NASA] that huge amounts of ice were found on Mercury. This gives more proof of a great flood taking place on Earth 4,400 years ago, 2349 BC to be precise. <ref> [http://www.examiner.com/article/mercury-ice-should-have-blown-away-meteor-showers] </ref> This means that the ice is a memorial to the greatest catastrophe ever to hit Earth.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:PIA00437-browse.jpg|Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974
Image:Mercury_MESSENGER.jpg|MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury showing previously unseen surface, January 14, 2008
</gallery>

== External links ==

*[http://www.solarviews.com/eng/terms.htm Glossary]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

* [http://solarsystem.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mercury&Display=Overview NASA "Mercury"]
* [http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i4/mercury.asp Mercury — the tiny planet that causes big problems for evolution]

{{Solarsystem}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Mercury

2012-12-08T02:00:00Z

IMBach:

{{Planet
|image=Murcurt.jpg
|caption=Reprocessed Mariner 10 data was used to produce this image of Mercury. The smooth band is an area of which no images were taken.
|discname=Known to ancients
|origname=Roman messenger god and prince of thieves
|primary=Sun
|order=1
|periapsis=46,000,000 km (0.307 AU)
|apoapsis=70,000,000 km (0.468 AU)
|semimajor=57,909,175 km (0.387 AU)
|bode=0.4 AU
|eccentricity=0.20563069
|sidereal=87.96934 da (0.241 a)
|synodic=115.8776 da (0.317 a)
|orbitspeed=47.36 km/s
|inclination=7.00487°
|reference=the ecliptic
|siderealday=58.6462 da
|solarday=175.93868 da
|axialtilt=0°
|mass=3.30 * 1023 kg (5.522% earth)
|density=5427 kg/m³
|meanradius=2439.7 km
|surfacegrav=2.78 m/s² (0.283 ''g'')
|escapespeed=4.25 km/s
|surfacearea=75,000,000 km² (14.704% earth)
|mintemp=90 K
|meantemp=452 K
|maxtemp=700 K
|moons=None known
|composition=Iron, Silicate
|color=Reddish
|mfd=0.033 G (3.3 * 10-6 T)<ref name=mercuryfact>Williams, David R. "[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/mercuryfact.html Mercury Fact Sheet]." National Space Science Data Center, [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]], November 30, 2007. Accessed May 29, 2008.</ref>
|pmdm=3.8 * 1019 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys2>Humphreys, D. R. "[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5976/ Mercury's Magnetic Field is Young]!" [[Creation Ministries International]], August 26, 2008. Accessed October 2, 2008.</ref>
|cmdm=7.5 * 1022 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys>Humphreys, D. R. "[http://www.creationresearch.org/crsq/articles/21/21_3/21_3.html The Creation of Planetary Magnetic Fields]." ''[[Creation Research Society Quarterly]]'' 21(3), December 1984. Accessed April 29, 2008.</ref>
|mdt=812.6 a<ref name=calc>Calculated from observed present magnetic dipole moment and expected magnetic dipole moment at creation.</ref>
|mhl=563.3 a<ref name=calc/>
}}
:''This article is about the planet Mercury. For information about the chemical element see [[Mercury (element)]].''
:''For information about the NASA project, see [[Project Mercury]].''

[[Mercury]] is the smallest planet in the [[Solar System]], and it is the closest to the [[Sun]]. It orbits the [[Sun]] in 88 (Earth) days. It rotates on its axis every 58.6 days,<ref>"The theory that Mercury is in [[synchronous rotation]] with its orbital motion was shattered in 1965. Astronomers Gordon Pettengill and Rolf Dyce used a radio telescope to make radar observations of Mercury’s spin rate. They found that Mercury’s rotation period is only 58.6 Earth days, not the 88 days accepted for nearly a century." [http://btc.montana.edu/messenger/elusive_planet/modern_times.htm]</ref> which is 3 rotations for every two orbits (called "3:2 resonance"). It can be seen from [[Earth]] only at sunrise and sunset.<ref name="spacemag">[http://www.space.com/spacewatch/mercury_view_030404.html Seeing Mercury at sunset], April 2003</ref>

Mercury is one of the five brightest planets.

== Ancient History ==
As with the other planets of the solar system, it was named after after Roman mythology, in this case the messenger god Mercury who is known as [[Hermes]] in Greek.

In the pre-Christian era, the Greeks actually gave the planet two different names, as it was believed to be two different objects. The ancients did not realize that it could alternately appear on one side of the Sun and then the other. Mercury was called Hermes when in the evening sky, but was known as Apollo when it appeared in the morning. It is said that [[Pythagoras]], about the fifth century B.C., pointed out that they were one and the same.<ref name="spacemag"/>

== Composition ==
Mercury's core is made of molten metal, much like the Earth's. The molten [[Iron]] core generates the planet's magnetic field.

== Orbital oddities ==
Mercury has a very elliptical orbit. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it is nearly 50% farther than at its nearest distance to the Sun. <ref>http://astroprofspage.com/archives/139</ref>

The [[precession]] of Mercury's eccentric orbit was detectable to 19th century astronomers.<ref name=Wudka>Wudka, Jose. "[http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node98.html Precession of the perihelion of Mercury]." September 24, 1998. Accessed April 17, 2008.</ref><ref name=Britannica>"[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-241978/Mercury Mercury: Mercury in tests of relativity]." In "Mercury," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 17 April 2008</ref>

It was the study of this planet's orbit that [[Albert Einstein]] claimed to help confirm the [[General Theory of Relativity]].<ref>Testing general relativity [http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=31277 European Space Agency] Accessed July 16 2007</ref><ref>Albert Einstein [http://www.phy.hr/ Fizički odsjek] Accessed July 16 2007</ref> Specifically, Mercury's [[apsis|perihelion]] precesses by 5599.7 arc-seconds per century, whereas [[Sir Isaac Newton|Newtonian]] physics alone would predict 5558.8 (comprised of the gravitational pull of the other planets on top of [[axial precession]]). This gives a discrepancy of -40.9 between theoretical models and real observations.

Astronomers of the period hypothesized either an [[Asteroid Belt|asteroid belt]] or another planet (which they named [[Vulcan (planet)|Vulcan]]) inside Mercury's orbit. Einstein's second-order correction to Mercury's orbit supposedly accounts for 43 arc-seconds of precession and obviated the need to look for any unseen asteroids or innermost planet.<ref name=Hartnett>Hartnett, John. ''Starlight, Time, and the New Physics''. Creation Book Publishers, 2007, pp. 34-36. ISBN 9780949906687.</ref><ref name=Wudka/><ref name=Britannica/> However, the theoretical error in the relativity calculation (stated to be around 0.04<ref name="">Iorio, L., ''On the possibility of measuring the solar oblateness and some relativistic effects from planetary ranging'', 2004</ref>) is much less than the discrepancy which results (2.1 arc-seconds). So, while scientists tell us that the theory of relativity solved the problem perfectly, elementary analysis of the figures indicates that it only luckily landed in the ballpark, and is still out by around 50 times the supposed tolerance in the calculations.

Mercury has more or less no atmosphere, and many craters. <ref>John Gribbin, ''Companion to the Cosmos'' (Little, Brown & Company, 1996)</ref> It has no known moons.

==Magnetic Field==
A curiosity of the planet is its magnetic field, which is about 1% that of Earth's. Scientists were perplexed to discover its existence, speculating that planet's outer core consisted of liquid iron. However, because it is relatively small and hot, such an outer core would long ago have expired. That Mercury is so intensely cratered would also suggest that Mercury should long ago have given up its magnetic field because of its extreme apparent age.

Thus, according to current scientific understandings, the existence of Mercury's magnetic field presents a serious theoretical problem for [[uniformitarian]] models of the creation of the Solar System.<ref name=Psarris>Psarris, Spike, ''Our Solar System: Evidence for Design'', Seattle Creation Conference, 2006.</ref><ref>Franco, Lucia M. "[http://astro.uchicago.edu/home/web/lucia/a100/lectures/mercury.html Lecture 10.1: Mercury]." ''Astronomy 100 at Indiana University Northwest'', [[Indiana University]], 1996. Accessed April 17, 2008.</ref> The problem of Mercury's magnetic field is more acute when one considers that Mars, which is slightly larger than Mercury and spins much faster, has a much weaker magnetic field.

[[Creationist]] [[Russell Humphreys]] has an alternative theory: that planetary magnetic fields do not form by dynamo action, and Mercury's relatively wide and conductive core has preserved its magnetic field. The cores of Mars and Venus are smaller, and thus the magnetic fields have decayed more rapidly.<ref name=Humphreys/> Nevertheless, the decay of Mercury's magnetic field, according to Humphreys, is quite rapid.

Accordingly, in 1984 Humphreys boldly declared:{{cquote|Mercury's decay rate is so rapid that some future probe could detect it fairly soon. In 1990 the planet's magnetic moment should be 1.8 percent smaller than its 1975 value.<ref name=Humphreys/>}}

In fact, according to Humphreys' extrapolations of the decay time and [[half-life]] of the magnetic field of Mercury, the [[magnetic dipole moment]] in 2008 should be ''four'' percent smaller than that measured in 1975 by Mariner 10. Specifically, this should be (4.5 +/- 0.25) * 1019 N-m/T.

On January 14, 2008, [[MESSENGER]] made rendezvous with Mercury and measured its magnetic field. This rocket probe's measurements are consistent with a magnetic dipole moment of (3.8 +/- 0.7) * 1019 N-m/T. This represents a significant decline from the Mariner 10 measurement, because the two measurements differ by more than the sum of their respective tolerances. More to the point, the higher tolerance range of the current measurement lies well within the predicted magnetic dipole moment that Mercury should have at present. If, on the other hand, the true measurement is ''less'' than predicted, that would pose an even greater problem for uniformitarian astrophysics, because such a rapid decay would be utterly inconsistent with an age for Mercury of 4.6 billion years. It would present no problem with the Humphreys model, but would suggest that the core conductivity and/or conductive mass of Mercury is less than Humphreys initially supposed.<ref name=Humphreys2/>

== Ice ==
Late Novemeber 2012, it was announced by [[NASA] that huge amounts of ice were found on Mercury. This gives more proof of a great flood taking place on Earth 4,400 years ago, 2349 BC to be precise. <ref> [http://www.examiner.com/article/mercury-ice-should-have-blown-away-meteor-showers] <ref/> This means that the ice is a memorial to the greatest catastrophe ever to hit Earth.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:PIA00437-browse.jpg|Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974
Image:Mercury_MESSENGER.jpg|MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury showing previously unseen surface, January 14, 2008
</gallery>

== External links ==

*[http://www.solarviews.com/eng/terms.htm Glossary]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

* [http://solarsystem.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mercury&Display=Overview NASA "Mercury"]
* [http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i4/mercury.asp Mercury — the tiny planet that causes big problems for evolution]

{{Solarsystem}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Mercury

2012-12-08T01:54:30Z

IMBach: Added section on ice, will be expanding and adding refs

{{Planet
|image=Murcurt.jpg
|caption=Reprocessed Mariner 10 data was used to produce this image of Mercury. The smooth band is an area of which no images were taken.
|discname=Known to ancients
|origname=Roman messenger god and prince of thieves
|primary=Sun
|order=1
|periapsis=46,000,000 km (0.307 AU)
|apoapsis=70,000,000 km (0.468 AU)
|semimajor=57,909,175 km (0.387 AU)
|bode=0.4 AU
|eccentricity=0.20563069
|sidereal=87.96934 da (0.241 a)
|synodic=115.8776 da (0.317 a)
|orbitspeed=47.36 km/s
|inclination=7.00487°
|reference=the ecliptic
|siderealday=58.6462 da
|solarday=175.93868 da
|axialtilt=0°
|mass=3.30 * 1023 kg (5.522% earth)
|density=5427 kg/m³
|meanradius=2439.7 km
|surfacegrav=2.78 m/s² (0.283 ''g'')
|escapespeed=4.25 km/s
|surfacearea=75,000,000 km² (14.704% earth)
|mintemp=90 K
|meantemp=452 K
|maxtemp=700 K
|moons=None known
|composition=Iron, Silicate
|color=Reddish
|mfd=0.033 G (3.3 * 10-6 T)<ref name=mercuryfact>Williams, David R. "[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/mercuryfact.html Mercury Fact Sheet]." National Space Science Data Center, [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]], November 30, 2007. Accessed May 29, 2008.</ref>
|pmdm=3.8 * 1019 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys2>Humphreys, D. R. "[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5976/ Mercury's Magnetic Field is Young]!" [[Creation Ministries International]], August 26, 2008. Accessed October 2, 2008.</ref>
|cmdm=7.5 * 1022 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys>Humphreys, D. R. "[http://www.creationresearch.org/crsq/articles/21/21_3/21_3.html The Creation of Planetary Magnetic Fields]." ''[[Creation Research Society Quarterly]]'' 21(3), December 1984. Accessed April 29, 2008.</ref>
|mdt=812.6 a<ref name=calc>Calculated from observed present magnetic dipole moment and expected magnetic dipole moment at creation.</ref>
|mhl=563.3 a<ref name=calc/>
}}
:''This article is about the planet Mercury. For information about the chemical element see [[Mercury (element)]].''
:''For information about the NASA project, see [[Project Mercury]].''

[[Mercury]] is the smallest planet in the [[Solar System]], and it is the closest to the [[Sun]]. It orbits the [[Sun]] in 88 (Earth) days. It rotates on its axis every 58.6 days,<ref>"The theory that Mercury is in [[synchronous rotation]] with its orbital motion was shattered in 1965. Astronomers Gordon Pettengill and Rolf Dyce used a radio telescope to make radar observations of Mercury’s spin rate. They found that Mercury’s rotation period is only 58.6 Earth days, not the 88 days accepted for nearly a century." [http://btc.montana.edu/messenger/elusive_planet/modern_times.htm]</ref> which is 3 rotations for every two orbits (called "3:2 resonance"). It can be seen from [[Earth]] only at sunrise and sunset.<ref name="spacemag">[http://www.space.com/spacewatch/mercury_view_030404.html Seeing Mercury at sunset], April 2003</ref>

Mercury is one of the five brightest planets.

== Ancient History ==
As with the other planets of the solar system, it was named after after Roman mythology, in this case the messenger god Mercury who is known as [[Hermes]] in Greek.

In the pre-Christian era, the Greeks actually gave the planet two different names, as it was believed to be two different objects. The ancients did not realize that it could alternately appear on one side of the Sun and then the other. Mercury was called Hermes when in the evening sky, but was known as Apollo when it appeared in the morning. It is said that [[Pythagoras]], about the fifth century B.C., pointed out that they were one and the same.<ref name="spacemag"/>

== Composition ==
Mercury's core is made of molten metal, much like the Earth's. The molten [[Iron]] core generates the planet's magnetic field.

== Orbital oddities ==
Mercury has a very elliptical orbit. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it is nearly 50% farther than at its nearest distance to the Sun. <ref>http://astroprofspage.com/archives/139</ref>

The [[precession]] of Mercury's eccentric orbit was detectable to 19th century astronomers.<ref name=Wudka>Wudka, Jose. "[http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node98.html Precession of the perihelion of Mercury]." September 24, 1998. Accessed April 17, 2008.</ref><ref name=Britannica>"[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-241978/Mercury Mercury: Mercury in tests of relativity]." In "Mercury," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 17 April 2008</ref>

It was the study of this planet's orbit that [[Albert Einstein]] claimed to help confirm the [[General Theory of Relativity]].<ref>Testing general relativity [http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=31277 European Space Agency] Accessed July 16 2007</ref><ref>Albert Einstein [http://www.phy.hr/ Fizički odsjek] Accessed July 16 2007</ref> Specifically, Mercury's [[apsis|perihelion]] precesses by 5599.7 arc-seconds per century, whereas [[Sir Isaac Newton|Newtonian]] physics alone would predict 5558.8 (comprised of the gravitational pull of the other planets on top of [[axial precession]]). This gives a discrepancy of -40.9 between theoretical models and real observations.

Astronomers of the period hypothesized either an [[Asteroid Belt|asteroid belt]] or another planet (which they named [[Vulcan (planet)|Vulcan]]) inside Mercury's orbit. Einstein's second-order correction to Mercury's orbit supposedly accounts for 43 arc-seconds of precession and obviated the need to look for any unseen asteroids or innermost planet.<ref name=Hartnett>Hartnett, John. ''Starlight, Time, and the New Physics''. Creation Book Publishers, 2007, pp. 34-36. ISBN 9780949906687.</ref><ref name=Wudka/><ref name=Britannica/> However, the theoretical error in the relativity calculation (stated to be around 0.04<ref name="">Iorio, L., ''On the possibility of measuring the solar oblateness and some relativistic effects from planetary ranging'', 2004</ref>) is much less than the discrepancy which results (2.1 arc-seconds). So, while scientists tell us that the theory of relativity solved the problem perfectly, elementary analysis of the figures indicates that it only luckily landed in the ballpark, and is still out by around 50 times the supposed tolerance in the calculations.

Mercury has more or less no atmosphere, and many craters. <ref>John Gribbin, ''Companion to the Cosmos'' (Little, Brown & Company, 1996)</ref> It has no known moons.

==Magnetic Field==
A curiosity of the planet is its magnetic field, which is about 1% that of Earth's. Scientists were perplexed to discover its existence, speculating that planet's outer core consisted of liquid iron. However, because it is relatively small and hot, such an outer core would long ago have expired. That Mercury is so intensely cratered would also suggest that Mercury should long ago have given up its magnetic field because of its extreme apparent age.

Thus, according to current scientific understandings, the existence of Mercury's magnetic field presents a serious theoretical problem for [[uniformitarian]] models of the creation of the Solar System.<ref name=Psarris>Psarris, Spike, ''Our Solar System: Evidence for Design'', Seattle Creation Conference, 2006.</ref><ref>Franco, Lucia M. "[http://astro.uchicago.edu/home/web/lucia/a100/lectures/mercury.html Lecture 10.1: Mercury]." ''Astronomy 100 at Indiana University Northwest'', [[Indiana University]], 1996. Accessed April 17, 2008.</ref> The problem of Mercury's magnetic field is more acute when one considers that Mars, which is slightly larger than Mercury and spins much faster, has a much weaker magnetic field.

[[Creationist]] [[Russell Humphreys]] has an alternative theory: that planetary magnetic fields do not form by dynamo action, and Mercury's relatively wide and conductive core has preserved its magnetic field. The cores of Mars and Venus are smaller, and thus the magnetic fields have decayed more rapidly.<ref name=Humphreys/> Nevertheless, the decay of Mercury's magnetic field, according to Humphreys, is quite rapid.

Accordingly, in 1984 Humphreys boldly declared:{{cquote|Mercury's decay rate is so rapid that some future probe could detect it fairly soon. In 1990 the planet's magnetic moment should be 1.8 percent smaller than its 1975 value.<ref name=Humphreys/>}}

In fact, according to Humphreys' extrapolations of the decay time and [[half-life]] of the magnetic field of Mercury, the [[magnetic dipole moment]] in 2008 should be ''four'' percent smaller than that measured in 1975 by Mariner 10. Specifically, this should be (4.5 +/- 0.25) * 1019 N-m/T.

On January 14, 2008, [[MESSENGER]] made rendezvous with Mercury and measured its magnetic field. This rocket probe's measurements are consistent with a magnetic dipole moment of (3.8 +/- 0.7) * 1019 N-m/T. This represents a significant decline from the Mariner 10 measurement, because the two measurements differ by more than the sum of their respective tolerances. More to the point, the higher tolerance range of the current measurement lies well within the predicted magnetic dipole moment that Mercury should have at present. If, on the other hand, the true measurement is ''less'' than predicted, that would pose an even greater problem for uniformitarian astrophysics, because such a rapid decay would be utterly inconsistent with an age for Mercury of 4.6 billion years. It would present no problem with the Humphreys model, but would suggest that the core conductivity and/or conductive mass of Mercury is less than Humphreys initially supposed.<ref name=Humphreys2/>

== Ice ==
Late Novemeber 2012, it was announced by [[NASA] that huge amounts of ice were found on Mercury. This gives more proof of a great flood taking place on Earth 4,500~ years ago.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:PIA00437-browse.jpg|Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974
Image:Mercury_MESSENGER.jpg|MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury showing previously unseen surface, January 14, 2008
</gallery>

== External links ==

*[http://www.solarviews.com/eng/terms.htm Glossary]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

* [http://solarsystem.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mercury&Display=Overview NASA "Mercury"]
* [http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i4/mercury.asp Mercury — the tiny planet that causes big problems for evolution]

{{Solarsystem}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]

United States presidential election, 2012

2012-12-08T01:50:37Z

IMBach: /* Debates */

The '''Presidential Election 2012''' was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. By relying on extensive [[early voting]] driven by the [[Democrat]] political machine -- which totaled more than 40% of the vote -- [[Barack Obama]] defeated [[Mitt Romney]] despite losing nearly 10 million votes from 2008, carrying fewer states and a smaller proportion of both the electoral vote and the popular vote than he had before. Thus, Obama's "victory" was smaller in magnitude by four different measures than in 2008.

Obama was leading in the polls by a substantial margin until the first presidential debate, which Romney won by the widest margin ever recorded by Gallup polling. Afterward Romney surpassed Obama and was leading by 49-48% in both the Rasmussen and Gallup polls on [[Election Day]].

As ''Conservapedia'' anticipated, this election was similar to the election of 1948, when the [[RINO]] [[Thomas Dewey]] was unable to attract grassroots voters despite the unpopularity of [[Harry Truman]] and the deteriorating economy. A handful of [[swing state]]s selected the winner in both instances.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Issue or Factor
![[Mitt Romney]]
![[Barack Obama]]
!Comment
|-
|Social issues
|Romney has downplayed social issues, but supports defunding [[Planned Parenthood]] and would likely nominate more [[conservative]] judges.
|Obama is vocally [[pro-abortion]], pro-[[same-sex marriage]], and pro-[[homosexual agenda]].
|As with Tom Dewey's loss in 1948, Romney's running away from social issues could cost him the election.
|-
|Economic issues
|Romney favors free enterprise, low taxes, and personal responsibility.
|Obama says he inherited the crisis from [[Republicans]].
|The advantage here is Romney's.
|-
|Leadership
|Romney was head of [[Bain Capital]], was Governor of [[Massachusetts]] and led the 2002 Olympics.
|Obama took advantage of [[Hurricane Sandy]] to create an impression that he was a competent leader, but, a week after the storm, its effects are still being felt.
|Both candidates have proven leadership skills, but Obama's response to Hurricane Sandy is being celebrated by the liberal press.
|-
|Likability
|Romney's likability rating stands at only 31%, and has been lower.
|Obama's likability rating is at 48%.
|Advantage to Obama.
|-
|Debates
|Romney is a good debater.
|Obama struggles without a teleprompter, but will benefit from liberal moderators.
|Advantage to Romney.
|-
|VPs
|Paul Ryan has youth, energy, and likability, but is part of the Big Government Republican leadership in Congress, which has an ultra-low approval rating; Romney has been criticized for not using Ryan more effectively in the campaign.<ref>{{cite news|title=In GOP recipe, too little Ryan for conservatives' taste|work=Washington Post|page=A1|date=September 25, 2012|author=Felicia Sonmez and David Fahrenthold}}</ref>
|Joe Biden is a gaffe-prone goofball, but is protected by the [[liberal media]].
|Toss-up here, or maybe a slight edge to Ryan.
|-
|Fundraising
|Mitt did not turn out to be as strong a fundraiser as expected, nor were the [[Super PAC]]s effective on his side; some of their comments to the press, like [[Karl Rove]] criticizing [[Todd Akin]], were actually hurtful.
|[[Limousine liberals]] have donated millions to Obama's reelection, and once again the Dems outspend the Republicans.
|Advantage to Obama.
|-
|Gaffes/staying on message
|[[Romney's 47 percent comment|47% of American don't pay income tax and won't vote for me]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2012/0920/Are-Romney-s-47-percent-comments-beginning-to-move-the-polls-video|title=Are Romney's '47 percent' comments beginning to move the polls?|work=Christian Science Monitor|accessdate=September 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2011/1212/Mitt-Romney-gaffes-11-times-the-button-down-candidate-should-have-buttoned-up/My-job-is-not-to-worry-about-those-people|title=Mitt Romney gaffes: 11 times the button-down candidate should have buttoned up|work=Christian Science Monitor|author= Linda Feldmann|accessdate=September 25, 2012}}</ref>/London Olympics not ready comment<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/politics/romney-london-troubles/index.html|title=Romney trip begins in shambles|work=CNN|author=Jim Acosta|date=July 27, 2012|accessdate=September 25, 2012}}</ref>
|"[[You didn't build that]]"
|Obama has a media covering up his gaffes any way they can, but Romney has better control of his message. Advantage to Romney.
|}

Following the [[2012 Republican Primaries]] the [[Republican National Convention]] nominated the [[RINO]] [[Mitt Romney]] for president and [[Paul Ryan]] for vice president, and their strategy appears to be to duck and avoid social issues as much as possible. The selection and Paul Ryan as VP and polling during the first half of the convention showed only a slight bounce in voter support for Romney.

== History ==

No incumbent has won reelection in the past 70 years with unemployment above 7.2%; reported unemployment is at 7.9% (and real unemployment much higher).<ref>The [[economy]] grew less than predicted in the first quarter, and "the last time the economy was this slow was in the last year of President [[George H.W. Bush]]’s one term in office" - '''''who then lost reelection'''''. [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/0427/GDP-report-puts-Obama-in-economic-gray-zone.-Will-Republicans-profit] The September 7 labor report observed, "Just 63.5% of the working-age population was either employed or actively looking for work -- '''''a 30-year low'''''." [http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/07/news/economy/august-jobs-report/index.html]</ref>

==Campaign strategy==
Both campaigns have focused on key [[Swing state|battleground state]]s: Florida, Ohio, Virginia.<ref name=cnnpoll>{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/03/new-polls-in-crucial-battlegrounds/?iref=allsearch|title=New polls in crucial battlegrounds|first=Paul |last=Steinhauser|date=October 3, 2012|accessdate=October 4, 2012}}</ref> A CNN summary of poll of likely voters taken just before the first debate had Obama leading Romney in Florida, 47% to 46%, in Virginia 48% to 46% and in Ohio 52% to 43%.<ref name=cnnpoll/>

Romney made a last-minute effort in [[Pennsylvania]], including both ads and personal appearances, but Obama ultimately won Pennsylvania's electoral votes. The October 25 Rasmussen poll in Pennsylania had the state 51% for Obama and 46% for Romney, but the last minute effort did not move enough voters to change the outcome.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/pennsylvania/election_2012_pennsylvania_president|title=Election 2012: Pennsylvania President|accessdate=November 8, 2012}}</ref>

==Fundraising==
The Associated Press reports that the following people are the top donors to Mitt Romney's campaign and his "Restore Our Future" SuperPAC:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/money-men-top-5-donors-romney-article-1.1187517|title=Money men: Who are the biggest donors to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign?|date=October 19, 2012|accessdate=November 6, 2012|work=New York Daily News}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Donor!!Amount
|-
|Sheldon Adelson, 79, owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire.
|$34.2 million
|-
| Harold Simmons, 81, owner of Contran Corp.
|$16 million
|-
| Bob J. Perry, 80, a Houston real estate investor
| $15.3 million
|-
| Robert Rowling, 58, head of Dallas-based TRT Holdings
| $4.1 million
|-
|William Koch, 72, an industrialist whose family owns an energy and mining conglomerate
|$3 million
|}

==Debates==
The [[Commission on Presidential Debates]] is sponsoring four debates.<ref name="announce2012">[http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=2012-2 "Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Sites, Dates, and Candidate Selection Criteria for 2012 General Election"], [[Commission on Presidential Debates]].</ref> Although many candidates will appear on the ballot in some states, the Commission is limiting participation in the debates to just candidates that appear on enough states to be mathematically eligible to win the presidency. Candidates also must gain at least 15% support in five national polls as of the date of determination, to be some time after [[Labor Day]] 2012.<ref>[http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=candidate-selection-process "2012 Candidate Selection Criteria"], Commission on Presidential Debates.</ref> The debates are:

*Wednesday October 3: The first presidential debate took place at the [[University of Denver]] in [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]],<ref name="debates">{{cite web |url=http://decoded.nationaljournal.com/2011/10/fall-2012-presidential-debates.php |title=Fall 2012 Presidential Debates Set |work=National Journal |first=Kathy |last=Kiely |date=October 31, 2011| accessdate=October 12, 2012}}</ref> moderated by [[Jim Lehrer]]<ref name="moderators">Blake, Aaron (August 13, 2012) [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/presidential-debate-moderators-announced-crowley-is-first-woman-in-20-years/2012/08/13/0e327af6-e553-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html "Presidential debate moderators announced: Crowley is first woman in 20 years"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved October 12, 2012.</ref>
*Thursday October 11: The vice-presidential debate took place at [[Centre College]] in [[Danville, Kentucky]],<ref name="debates" /> moderated by [[Martha Raddatz]] of [[ABC News]]<ref name="moderators"/>
*Tuesday October 16: The second presidential debate (with a town-hall meeting format) took place at [[Hofstra University]] in [[Hempstead (village), New York|Hempstead, New York]].<ref name="debates" /> moderated by [[Candy Crowley]] of [[CNN]].<ref name="moderators"/><ref>Little, Morgan (July 25, 2012) [http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-presidential-debate-formats-announced-feature-town-hall-20120725,0,7862238.story "Presidential debate formats announced, feature town hall"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Retrieved October 12, 2012.</ref>
*Monday October 22: The third and final presidential debate on foreign policy took place at [[Lynn University]] in [[Boca Raton, Florida]],<ref name="debates" /> moderated by [[Bob Schieffer]] of [[CBS News]].<ref name="moderators"/>

An independent presidential debate, sponsored by the [[Free and Equal Elections Foundation]] and moderated by former CNN host [[Larry King]], took place on October 23, 2012, at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. President Obama and Governor Romney declined invitations, while Johnson, Goode, Stein and Anderson participated.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/10/24/third-party-candidates-finally-get-their-own-presidential-debate/ Third-party candidates finally get their on presidential debate] washingtonpost.com, Groer, Annie</ref> A second independent debate took place on October 30 in Washington, D.C.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/24/another-third-party-debate-in-the-works/ Another third-party debate in the works] washingtonpost.com, Hicks, Josh</ref>

== Minor parties ==

With record-low support for either major party candidate, this could be a year when minor parties do unusually well.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Party
!Candidate
!Comments
|-
|[[Constitution Party]]<ref>http://constitutionparty.com/</ref>
|[[Virgil Goode]]<ref>http://www.goodeforpresident2012.com/index.html</ref>
|Popular ex-Congressman from Virginia who had previously won election as a Democrat, Independent, and Republican. Joined the Constitution Party in 2010. Opposes illegal immigration and calls for a reduction in legal immigration as well. Won the Constitution Party nomination for president in April on the first ballot.
|-
|[[Green Party]]<ref>http://www.gp.org/index.php</ref>
|[[Jill Stein]]<ref>http://www.jillstein.org/</ref>
|Defeated [[Roseanne Barr]] for the Green Party nomination. Criticizes Obama for allegedly perpetuating the policies of the Bush administration. Supports the Occupy Wall Street protests. Was previously the Green Party candidate in a series of elections in Massachusetts including a Gubernatorial Election against Mitt Romney (among others).
|-
|Justice Party<ref>http://www.justicepartyusa.org/</ref>
|[[Rocky Anderson]]<ref>http://www.voterocky.org/</ref>
|Former mayor of [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]] (2000-08)
|-
||[[Libertarian Party]]<ref>http://www.lp.org/</ref>
|[[Gary Johnson]]<ref>http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/</ref>
|The former [[Republican]] two-term governor of [[New Mexico]], Johnson favors the fair tax, ending American military actions overseas, legalizing marijuana, expanding legal [[immigration]] and allowing same-sex marriage. Given Ron Paul's libertarian campaign for the Republican nomination and the exclusion of Johnson from most of the debates, there was little room for Johnson as a Republican this election cycle. He won the Libertarian Party nomination on May 5, 2012.
|-
|Peace and Freedom Party<ref>http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/home/</ref>
|[[Roseanne Barr]]<ref>http://www.roseanneforpresident2012.org/</ref>
|Comedienne and former TV actress
|-
|Party for Socialism and Liberation<ref>http://www.pslweb.org/</ref>
|Peta Lindsay
|Student and anti-war activist (not even constitutionally qualified to serve as president - less than 35 years of age)
|-
|America's Party<ref>http://www.selfgovernment.us/</ref>
|[[Tom Hoefling]]<ref>http://www.tomhoefling.com/</ref>
|
|-
|[[Objectivist]] Party<ref>http://www.objectivistparty.us/</ref>
|Tom Stevens
|
|-
|Socialist Workers Party<ref>http://www.themilitant.com/index.shtml</ref>
|[[James Harris]]
|
|-
|Socialist Party USA<ref>http://vote-socialist.org/</ref>
|Stewart Alexander<ref>http://www.stewartalexandercares.com/</ref>
|
|-
|American Third Position Party<ref>http://american3rdposition.com/</ref>
|Merlin Miller<ref>http://merlinmiller2012.com/</ref>
|White Nationalist Party
|-
|Grass Roots Party<ref>http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/07/07/grassroots-party-nominates-a-presidential-ticket/</ref>
|Jim Carlson
|
|-
|Freedom Socialist Party<ref>http://www.socialism.com/drupal-6.8/</ref>
|Stephen Durham
|
|-
|Prohibition Party<ref>http://www.socialism.com/drupal-6.8/</ref>
|[[Jack Fellure]]
|
|-
|Socialist Equality Party<ref>http://www.socialequality.com/</ref>
|Jerry White
|
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==

*[[Endorsements 2012]]
*[[Swing States 2012]]
*[[Presidential Election 2012 (disambiguation)]]'' for other presidential elections
*[[Senate Elections 2012]]

[[Category: United States]]
[[Category: United States Presidential Elections]]
[[Category: United States Presidential Election, 2012]]

Propaganda

2012-12-08T01:48:43Z

IMBach: /* Types of propaganda */

[[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.

== 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 support of one cause or in opposition 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 truth value of the propositions that come from that source.
# Half-truths, or lies of ommision, in which facts which support the distributor are spread while deliberately neglecting facts which would pose difficulty.
# 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.Uesd by liberals during the [[2012 Presidential Election]].
# 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.
#Personal attacks. This method of propaganda often involves spreading malicious rumors and misinformation about other people. The goal of such attacks is to undermine the character of the person in order to gain the upper hand. Name-calling and intimidation are often used in concurrence with this.

== Uses of propaganda in society today ==
Former president [[Woodrow Wilson]] is known his use of [[deceit|deceitful]] political propaganda in the [[United States]], techniques first used during the [[progressive]]-era in the early 1900's.<ref>[http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/4199/ Glenn talks with Jonah Goldberg, author of Liberal Fascism], ''The Glenn Beck Program'', January 15, 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,597464,00.html Journolist Follows the Footsteps of Woodrow Wilson's Propagandists], ''[[Fox News]]'', July 22, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/35938/ Glenn Beck: Obama Zombies], ''The Glenn Beck Program'', February 4, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593622,00.html Progressives' Fight for American Hearts and Minds], FOXNews.com, May 27, 2010.</ref> Today, propaganda has become the favorite method of [[politics]]. Both politicians and the commentators that support them routinely engage in it. The most egregious example of modern propaganda can probably be found in the films of [[Michael Moore]], which present a classic combination of factual fabrication, distorted interpretation, and emotional dishonesty. On television, [[Countdown]] with [[Keith Olbermann]] provides a nightly dose of mean-spirited, irrational invective. The vicious and frivolous tone of so much modern propaganda has contributed, especially in the United States, 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 ([[Rathergate]]), 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 tended to demean itself. Even [[William Shakespeare]] was not immune to this - certain of his Histories, especially ''Richard the Third'' acted as propaganda for the ruling [[Tudor]] dynasty whose founder, [[Henry VII]], had defeated [[Richard III]] to become king.

== 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]]. Confusingly though, skillfully produced propaganda may itsself be masked as counter-propaganda.

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.

==References==
<references/>

== External Links ==
* [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 ==

*[[Michael Moore]]
*[[Keith Olbermann]]
*[[Bill Maher]]
*[[List of Communist publications]]
*[[Logical fallacy]]

[[Category:Sociology]]
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]
[[Category:Deceit]]