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Liberals and uncharitableness

2010-03-29T12:37:57Z

JoelA: /* Liberal politicians and uncharitableness */

[[Image:228130875 35181424e3.jpg|thumb|right|175px|[[United States|American]] liberals give less to charity than American conservatives.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html</ref> In addition, [[per capita]] [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] in the United States give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists.[http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/102-atheists-and-agnostics-take-aim-at-christians][http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200310/ai_n9340592/][http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=2] ]]. [[Liberal]]s are uncharitable relative to [[conservative]]s. In March of 2008, [[George Will]] wrote at [[RealClearPolitics]] concerning the [[United States]]:
{{cquote|Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives....

If many conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, Brooks, a registered independent, is, as a reviewer of his book said, a social scientist who has been mugged by data. They include these findings:

-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).

-- Conservatives also donate more time and [[Blood donation|give more blood]].<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html</ref>}}

[[Atheism|Atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] often reject [[Bible|biblical]] [[morality]] (and therefore [[conservative Christianity]] ) and hold to [[moral relativism]].<ref>http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=152</ref> Therefore, it is not surprising that [[per capita]] atheists and agnostics in [[United States|America]] [[Atheism and Uncharitableness|give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists]].[http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/102-atheists-and-agnostics-take-aim-at-christians][http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200310/ai_n9340592/][http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=2] These figures do not, however, take into account volunteer work that may be done by these same people. Many argue that the actual volunteer work has equal or greater value to monetary donations.
== Liberal politicians and uncharitableness ==
The political magazine featured an article which focused on [[liberal politicians and uncharitableness]] and the article exposed the hypocrisy of the liberal politicians it featured.<ref>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c5_1238044128&c=1</ref>

[[Barack Obama]] has also been criticized concerning [[Barack Obama and uncharitableness|his charitable giving]].
==Charles Darwin University==
A study found that students at [[Charles Darwin]] University in [[Australia]] were 48% less likely to give than students from the teen-ager's [[Sunday school]] at St.Francis Xavier's Cathedral in [[Adelaide]], by a factor of 48%.

==See Also==
*[[Barack Obama and uncharitableness]]
*[[Liberal politicians and uncharitableness]]
*[[Atheism and Uncharitableness]]
*[[Social Darwinism]]
*[[Theory of Evolution, Liberalism, Atheism, and Irrationality]]

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

[[Category:Liberalism]]
[[Category:Charity]]

Stephen Colbert

2010-03-29T12:32:02Z

JoelA: /* Relationship with Conservapedia */

[[File:Stephencolbert2.jpg|thumb]]

'''Stephen Colbert''' is a writer, a comedian, and an actor. Colbert is [[Catholic]] and an erstwhile Sunday school teacher<ref>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/07/13/ask-tv-squad-stephen-colbert-teaches-sundayschool/</ref>, and a self-proclaimed [[liberal]] [[Democrat]]. <ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jon_stewart_stephen_colbert_americas_anchors/page/4 Rolling Stone Interview, Oct 31, 2006</ref>

Colbert began his career at [[Comedy Central]] in the year 2000 on the show ''Strangers with Candy''. He later left in order to become a correspondent on ''[[The Daily Show|The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'', where he began to build what would later be the character he would play on ''The Colbert Report''. He was well-regarded on the show and occasionally guest-hosted for Stewart.

Due to his work on ''The Daily Show'', he won three [[Emmy Awards]] and two [[Peabody Awards]] along with the other writers.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0170306/awards IMDB List of Stephen Colbert Awards </ref> <ref>http://128.192.29.189/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=151 List of 2007 Peabody Award Winners</ref>

==''The Colbert Report''==

In 2005, Colbert left ''The Daily Show'' in order to become the host of a spinoff, ''The Colbert Report''.

In the show, Colbert plays a satirical right-wing political talk show host. This personna was largely based on [[Bill O'Reilly]], who has a friendly rivalry with the show.

''The Colbert Report'' has a very loyal following which the Colbert character often uses for his various pranks. For example, in every public vote for naming something, Colbert urges his fans to vote for him.

In his recurring segment "The Word", which is a parody of O'Reilly's "Talking Points", Colbert coined the word "truthiness" in order to refer to the quality possessed by statements which, though factually false, are repeated by supporters who feel in their hearts that they ''ought'' to be true, and regard it as quibbling to object to their falsehood.

Colbert has poked fun at [[Wikipedia]] and its apparent democratization of truth. He has coined the word "Wikiality" (as opposed to "reality") and caused trouble for Wikipedia by suggesting that his listeners alter articles. In August of 2006, he encouraged users to state that the population of African [[elephants]] had tripled in the last decade. Colbert's point was that if enough people believe something, it becomes "the truth". Wikipedia responded by reverting and locking down the pages to prevent further vandalism.

Recently, Colbert had viewers write in his name to a public vote done by [[NASA]] to name a new room addition to the [[International Space Station]]. Colbert's cult-like followers won the contest for him with an astonishing 230,539 total votes, 40,000 more than NASA's choice of Serenity.

Stephen Colbert recently has gained attention in the media with his satirical mocking of [[Fox News]]'s [[Glenn Beck]]. Colbert has mocked Beck for stating that [[Barack Hussein Obama]] is a racist and a socialist.

==Relationship with Conservapedia==
Conservapedia was mentioned on at least two episodes of ''The Colbert Report''. After learning about Conservapedia's [[Conservative Bible Project|initiative to remove "liberal bias" from the Bible]], Stephen Colbert urged his followers to insert him into the planned conservative rewrite as a Biblical figure.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = The Colbert Report (October 7, 2009 episode)
| series = The Colbert Report
| serieslink = The Colbert Report
| airdate = 2009-10-07
| url = http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/251994/october-07-2009/tip-wag---conservapedia--louvre---honda-unicycle}}</ref> This was followed by mass vandalism by Colbert fans.<ref>[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Stephen_Colbert&diff=709438&oldid=709432 Example of vandalism on the Stephen Colbert article]</ref><ref>[http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Genesis_1-8_%28Translated%29&diff=prev&oldid=709520 Example of vandalism on the Genesis 1-8 page of the Conservative Bible Project]</ref> Because of this, it is possible that [[Stephen Colbert]] is a [[bisexual]]. <ref>www.narth.org</ref> Later on, he interviewed Conservapedia founder [[Andy Schlafly]].<ref>{{cite episode
| title = The Colbert Report (December 8, 2009 episode)
| series = The Colbert Report
| serieslink = The Colbert Report
| airdate = 2009-12-08
| url = http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258144/december-08-2009/andy-schlafly}}</ref>

==See also==

*''[[The Daily Show]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT: Colbert, Stephen}} 
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Television Show Hosts]]
[[Category:Comedians]]
[[Category: Liberals]]
{{liberalism}}

ABC (Australia)

2010-03-29T12:13:49Z

JoelA: /* Ratings and programs */

''Not to be confused with the'' [[American Broadcasting Company]]

The '''Australian Broadcasting Corporation''', shortened to '''ABC''' is a public broadcaster in Australia. The ABC is operated on a budget of over $1 Billion (Australian) <ref> http://www.budget.gov.au/2009-10/content/bp4/html/bp4_agency_resourcing_04_bcde.htm </ref> and has been criticized for it left leaning bias by conservative figureheads in Australia. <ref> http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/column_your_abc_of_bias/ </ref>

==History==
The ABC originally started out as a radio station called the Australian Broadcasting Company in 1923 and in 1932 the company was nationalized under the Australian Broadcasting Commission Act. <ref> http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/RADIO_HIST_AUS.html </ref> <ref>http://www.radio.adelaide.edu.au/intro/history_OZ-radio.pdf#search=%22%22Australian%20Broadcasting%20Company%22%22</ref> It started broadcasting as a television service in1956 and in the 2000’s digital channels were added such as ABC2.

== Funding==
The ABC is completely funded by the Federal Government except for a small percentage which is generated through the profit of items sold in the ABC shop such as DVD’s. The operating budget for the ABC is slightly over $1 Billion according to the latest Government budget data. <ref> http://www.budget.gov.au/2009-10/content/bp4/html/bp4_agency_resourcing_04_bcde.htm </ref>

==Ratings and programs==
As it is not a commercial network it does not necessarily go for high rating programs but concentrates much of its air time on consistently leftist and biased "news" and current affair programs such as “The 7.30 Report”, “Four Corners”, “Lateline” and the “ABC News” as well as many local programs such as children’s programs from 6am to 10am every weekday. <ref>http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs</ref>. It consistently polls around 15 – 20% of the overall population share every day. <ref>http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2009/12/week-52-3.html</ref> <ref> http://www.throng.com.au/ratings/free-air-tv-ratings-monday-december-7-2009</ref>
<span>span</span>

==Politics and allegations of bias==

The ABC been accused by Australian conservatives over allegations of left wing bias in its journalism especially when it over represents leftist issues in Australia such as immigration, republicanism, multiculturalism, reconciliation and its support for the centre-left Australian Labor Party. <ref>http://candobetter.org/node/17</ref> <ref>http://www.themonthly.com.au/monthly-essays-robert-manne-new-teeth-aunty-reinvigorating-national-broadcaster-749</ref> Conservative commentators in Australia such as Andrew Bolt as well as Coalition members have stated that they believe the ABC to contain bias from the left. <ref>http://newmatilda.com/2009/08/24/small-l-liberal-not-left</ref> John Howard who was the Liberal Party Prime Minister of Australia from 1996 – 2007 had cut the funding to the ABC by close to 10% for what he believed to be left wing bias. In a 2004 poll of journalists the ABC came in second to the question of “the most politically biased media organisation in Australia”. <ref>http://www.roymorgan.com/resources/pdf/papers/20040903.pdf</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Australia]]
[[Category:Broadcasting]]

Capital punishment

2010-03-29T11:57:03Z

JoelA: /* Injustices Caused by Limits on Death Penalty */

'''Capital punishment''', also known as the death penalty, refers to the custom of executing prisoners who are convicted of certain crimes. Such crimes are known as capital [[crime]]s, and tend to be grave crimes against persons or governments (such as [[premeditation|premeditated]] [[murder]], [[rape]] or [[treason]]).

== In the world today ==
Of the main developed countries, only the [[United States]] and [[Japan]] use formalized capital punishment, though many developed countries give law enforcement greater authority to kill than allowed by the [[United States]]. For emerging countries, [[China]] uses the death penalty and in the non-developed world it is practiced in most [[Sharia]] states (those whose legal systems are based on [[Muslim]] legal philosophy), as well as many others.<ref name="EU">EU: [http://www.eurunion.org/legislat/deathpenalty/EurHRConvProt13Decl.htm Concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty in all Circumstances]</ref><ref>Encarta: [http://encarta.msn.com/media_461543496/Capital_Punishment_Worldwide.html Capital Punishment Worldwide]</ref>

According to officially released governmental figures, the [[human rights]] organization [[Amnesty International]] estimates that [[Singapore]] has the highest execution rate in the world, at 13.65 hangings per 1,000,000 residents. [[Saudi Arabia]] has the second-highest rate, at 4.65 per 1,000,000.

Based on 2004 figures, China is the world leader in total number of executions with an estimated 3,400. Following China is [[Iran]] with 159 and [[Vietnam]] with an estimated 64 executions. The [[United States]] executed the 5th greatest number of people in the world with a total of 52. <ref>''The Economist Pocket World in Figures 2008 Edition'' 2007, p. 99. London: Profile Books. ISBN 978-1846680908</ref>

=== United States ===
Capital punishment in the United States is handled on a state-by-state basis; twelve states' laws do not allow for executions at all. Capital punishment is also used by the federal government and the military.

[[Pennsylvania]] has hundreds of people on [[death row]], though only three inmates have been executed since the reinstatement of capital punishment laws, and all three essentially "volunteered" by dropping their appeals. In [[Texas]], one man has been on death row for 31 years.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-deathrow28jan28,1,1271967.story?coll=la-headlines-nation</ref>
Appeals and stays of execution can create a backlog on death rows in many states.

Though the United States suspended the death penalty in 1973, it was reinstated in 1977. 65% of Americans believe putting someone to death for a crime is acceptable, according to a recent poll. But respondents were close to evenly split on whether they would prefer the death penalty (50%) to mandatory life in prison (46%). The death penalty is most favored by age 30+ males who are [[Caucasian]] and [[Republican]].<ref>ABC News/Washington Post poll: [http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/1015a3DeathPenalty.pdf Death Penalty]</ref>

Capital punishment for federal crimes began in 1988.<ref>http://www.justice.gov/dag/pubdoc/deathpenaltystudy.htm</ref>

Some studies conducted since the start of the new millennium have consistently shown a deterrence factor in the United States based on use of the death penalty. It has been calculated that each person executed saves the lives of anywhere from 3 to 18 innocent people.<ref>Studies: Death penalty discourages crime http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,280215,00.html</ref> Other studies have shown that as a whole, "death-penalty states" typically have higher murder rates than states that do not have capital punishment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?&did=1705#STATES%20WITH%20THE%20DEATH%20PENALTY%20V.%20STATES%20WITHOUT|format=HTML|work=Death Penalty Information Center|language=English|title=Deterrence|accessdate=2007-08-21}}</ref>

===Morality===

Some have questioned how a nation such as the United States that largely identifies itself as [[Christian]] (76.5%) could have 65% of Americans believing putting someone to death for a crime is acceptable<ref>http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_prac2.htm</ref> They question whether or not the [[Bible]] allows such a view.<ref>http://www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=node/3524</ref>. The 6th Commandment is sometimes translated as, "Thou shalt not kill." This translation suggests that executions are a sin. The 6th Commandment is also sometimes translated as, "Thou shalt commit no murder." As murder is defined as "wrongful killing", when following that translation it is possible to argue whether or not judicial executions are murder.

==== Methods in the United States ====

[[Lethal injection]] is the official method of capital punishment in almost all of the 38 states that have the death penalty. A few states allow for other methods in some circumstances. Several botched electrocutions in [[Florida]] in the 1990s have effectively put an end to the era of the [[electric chair]], which was the most common means of execution in the United States before 1972. In addition to these two methods of execution, lethal gas, hanging, and shooting have all been used at least twice since 1977. Both [[firing squad]]s were conducted in [[Utah]], most recently in 1996. The three hangings took place in [[Washington]] and [[Delaware]], most recently Billy Bailey's 1996 hanging in Delaware. The [[gas chamber]], which has been abandoned because it has been found to normally lead to slow death, has been used in [[California]], [[Arizona]], [[Nevada]], [[Mississippi]], and [[North Carolina]] since 1977. Walter LeGrand's 1999 execution in Arizona's gas chamber will almost certainly be the last of this type.

===France===
The United States has never used the [[guillotine]], which was very popular in [[France]]. The last use of the guillotine in France was in 1977. Thereafter, capital punishment in France was abolished, in 1981.

===Canada===
[[Canada]] does not employ capital punishment, and it has not been a possible sentence in Canadian civilian courts since 1976.

Canada long employed capital punishment as a punishment for [[murder]] or [[treason]], typically executing prisoners by [[long drop hanging|long drop]] [[hanging]] in the case of civilians, and by [[firing squad]] in the case of soldiers or other military. (In particular, 25 soldiers were executed for various crimes during [[World War I]].) Canada had several notorious executioners, particularly [[Arthur B. English]], also known as "Arthur Ellis", after whom [[Arthur Ellis Awards|a Canadian literary award]] for mystery writing is named.

While Canada's use of capital punishment was inherited from the legal system of the [[United Kingdom]], opposition to capital punishment began to arise in the late 1950s, and came to a head in 1959, when [[Steven Truscott]], a 14-year-old boy, was convicted of murder, with a recommendation from the [[jury]] for mercy. The judge passed down a sentence of execution by hanging, then the only legal punishment for murder in Canada.

While Truscott's death sentence would later be commuted in 1960, his case galvanized public opinion, and in 1961 Canada reclassified capital murder, defining it as a murder that involved [[premeditation]], murder during the commission of a violent crime, or the murder of a [[police officer]] or [[prison guard]]. This marked the beginning of the decline of capital punishment in Canada, as the last executions would be in [[December]], 1962. The government of Canada routinely [[commutation|commuted]] any death sentence passed thereafter (indeed, the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] made opposition to capital punishment a part of their [[platform (politics)|platform]]).

In 1976, this [[de facto]] state of affairs became law, when the [[Parliament (Canada)|Canadian Parliament]] abolished the use of capital punishment under the [[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]]. Executions were still permitted under the [[National Defense Act (Canada)|National Defense Act]] until 1998, when they were similarly abolished.

Currently, Canada's [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court]] does not allow the [[extradition]] of criminals who may be executed for their crimes.

===Saudi Arabia===
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery are executed in public with a sword. As of November 25, 2007, Saudi Arabia has beheaded 136 people, 38 people in 2006 and 83 people in 2005. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312768,00.html Saudi Arabia Marks 136th Beheading of 2007], Associated Press, [[Fox News Channel|Fox News]], November 25, 2007</ref>

===European Union===
The death penalty has been abolished in all 27 [[European Union]] member states, and 47 out of the 50 countries in [[Europe]] (only [[Belarus]] still practices it), and [[Russia]] has had an effective moratorium since 1996).<ref>http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ACT50/001/2007/en/ACT500012007en.html Document - List of abolitionist and retentionist countries (1 January 2007)</ref> The EU has long been against capital punishment, and campaigns for its abolition worldwide. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, legally adopted in the Treaty of Lisbon, bans execution in all member states, and abolition is a condition of acceding to the EU.<ref name="EU" /> EU law also bans detainee transfers in cases where the receiving party may seek the death penalty.

===North Korea===
The [[Associated Press]] has reported that executions and [[torture]] in [[North Korea]] are "worse than [[animal]] slaughter." "One inmate, Choe Kwang Ho, sneaked away from his work for 15 minutes to pick fruit. He was executed, his mouth stuffed with gravel to prevent him from protesting." "If a female inmate got pregnant, he said, she and her lover would be shot to death publicly. Then, An said, prison guards would cut open her womb, remove the fetus and bury it or feed it to guard dogs."<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444672,00.html Executions, Torture in North Korea 'Worse Than Animal Slaughter'], Associated Press, ''Fox News'', October 29, 2008</ref>

==History==
In American history, there was regional variation in the use of the death penalty (with [[The South]] always higher), the execution rate (per million people) dropped steadily between the colonial period and the present, that the number of crimes meriting the death penalty was sharply reduced, and few women were executed, while a disproportionate number of African American, ethnic, and poor men died at the hands of the state. In [[Colonial America]], capital punishment was used more frequently, as it fit into the context of colonial life. Rates of execution were similar to those in England and matched the general violence of colonial life. There were no prisons for long-term incarceration (only jails for brief incarcerations.) Public executions served as communal warnings. By the 1790s, executions began to decline. Many capital offenses were dropped, the methods of execution changed, and long-term incarceration in prison emerged as the preferred alternative punishment. Executions disappeared from the public square except in the cases of [[lynchings]], which grew in numbers in the South after the Civil War. <ref> Allen and Clubb (2008)</ref>
==Religious views of capital punishment==
===Christianity===
==== Biblical View ====
The [[Old Testament]] of the [[Bible]] has several passages that recommend the death penalty for different offenses.

According to the Old Testament, these are the offenses which merit the [[death penalty]]:

# Worshiping a false god ([[Deuteronomy]] 13:6-10)
# Sacrificing to false gods ([[Exodus]] 22:20)
# Sacrificing children to Molech ([[Leviticus]] 20:2)
# [[Blasphemy]] (Leviticus 24:16)
# Desecrating the [[Sabbath]] (Exodus31:15)
# False [[Prophecy]] (Deuteronomy 13:5)
# [[Witchcraft]] (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:27)
# Cursing Parents (Exodus 21:17)
# Rebellious Sons (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
# Disobedience to judgments by authority established God (Deuteronomy 17:9-13)
# False witness in a capital crime (Deuteronomy 19:16-20)
# [[Murder]] ([[Exodus]] 21:12, 21:15)
# Negligent [[homicide]] Exodus 21:29)
# [[Homosexual]] intercourse ([[Leviticus 18]]:22, 20:13)
# Bestiality (Leviticus 20:15)
# [[Adultery]] (Leviticus 20:10; 19:20)
# Incest (Leviticus 20:11; from Moses onward: [[Genesis]] 19:33,35; 4:17)
# Sex with a woman betrothed to another (Deuteronomy 22:25)
# Un[[chastity]]; marriage under false pretense of virginity (Deuteronomy 22:21-24)
# Daughter of a priest becoming a prostitute (Leviticus 21:9)
# Kidnapping to sell into slavery (Exodus 21:16)
# Coveting and making a wicked thing one's possession (Deuteronomy 7:26; [[Joshua]] 7:15,25)

The term "put to death" or similar explicit terms are usually used in commands mandating capital punishment, though the term "cut off from his people" (Lev. 17:4, etc.) may also denote such,<ref>Dr. John Gill (1690-1771) on Lv. 17:4, 14</ref> and which would increase the number of capital offenses.<ref>http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/TheDeathPenalty.html</ref>

Conditions necessary for true conviction:

"At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death." (Deuteronomy 17:6; cf. Exodus 20:16)

Requirements for Judges:

Lev 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Few people support capital punishment for non-murder offenses, and a number of Christians oppose the death penalty in all cases. Apologist [[JP Holding]] argues that the Bible including the [[New Testament]] nowhere repudiates the use of capital punishment (by the State), but that it does not necessarily mandate its use, either. <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/af/cappun.html</ref>

In Acts 25:11, the [[apostle Paul]] stated, "...if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die", while Romans 13:1-5 states that God has ordained the just use of the sword by the government. (cf. 1 Pet. 2:14)

Some Christians who are opposed to the death penalty cite John 8:3-11, which describes how Christ saved an adulteress from death by stoning by challenging the crowd "let he who has not sinned cast the first stone", which they interpret as saying that man does not have the moral authority to condemn man to death. However, apart from the controversy regarding the canonical status of the passage, it is argued that Jesus is shown to be upholding the law<ref>http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4222897/k.64E4/John_8_is_a_Condemnation_of_Capital_Punishment.htm</ref>, while only stopping the execution of the women by hypocrites, who were themselves convicted of such sins, similar to or including adultery.<ref>John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible</ref><ref>John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible</ref> (cf. Matthew 7:5; Romans 2:1) Other Christians argue that the unjust execution of Jesus demonstrates that capital punishment is immoral, though Jesus is not seen opposing the legitimacy of capital punishment itself, and only the unjust use of such power. (Jn. 10:32; 18:23; Acts 25:11) Some Christians claim that the passage was a later addition to the Bible (see article: "[[Adulteress story]]") - if it was a later addition, this might not be an issue to those Christians who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

==== Roman Catholicism ====

The [[Catholic Church]] has historically supported capital punishment in many circumstances that range from combating heresy to saving lives of potential victims of crime. Traditionally, capital punishment has been endorsed by the Church for reasons beyond preventing additional wrongdoing by the same criminal.

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) explains the historical use by the Church and Catholic nations to executing heretics, and even cremating the remains of heretics, as a way of expunging evil:<ref>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12565a.htm</ref>

:The nations of modern Europe, as they gradually developed, seemed to have agreed upon the necessity of extirpating all influences and agencies which tended to pervert the faith of the people, or which seemed to them to betray the potency of evil spirits. Therefore, the laws of all these nations provided for the destruction of contumacious unbelievers, teachers of heresy, witches, and sorcerers, by fire.

In recent decades, however, officials within the Catholic Church have taken differing stances on the death penalty.

The renowned Modern Catholic Dictionary (1980) by John A. Hardon, S.J., which was given the "imprimatur" (official endorsement) by Joseph T. O'Keefe, Vicar General, Archdiocese of New York (Dec. 13, 1979), describes the Catholic position of capital punishment as follows:

:It is certain from Scripture that civil authorities may lawfully put malefactors to death. ... Christian dispensation made no essential change [to the Old Testament endorsement of the death penalty], as St. Paul expressly says .... [citing Romans 13:4]. Among the errors of the Waldenses condemned by the Church in the early thirteenth century was the proposition that denied the lawfulness of capital punishment (Argentre, ''Collectio de Novis Erroribus'', I, 86). St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) defends capital punishment on the grounds of the common good. ... If even with capital punishment crime abounds, no lesser penalty will suffice. The practice question remains of how effective a deterrent capital punishment is in some modern states, when rarely used or only after long delays. In principle, however, it is morally licit because in the most serious crimes the claims of retribution and deterrence are so demanding that the corrective value of punishment must, if necessary, be sacrificed.

The current official Catholic teaching, as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, reads as follows:

:If, instead, bloodless means are sufficient to defend against the aggressor and to protect the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.

:Today, in fact, given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender "today ... are very rare, if not practically non-existent."<ref>[John Paul II, Evangelium vitae 56.]http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7Z.HTM</ref>

Other Catholic officials have gone further. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has "called for an end to the use of the death penalty for more than twenty-five years."<ref>http://www.usccb.org/deathpenalty/index.shtml</ref>

This surprising new position is at odds with the historic use by the Church of capital punishment to deal with heretics, and the cremation of the exhumed bodies of heretics. It may have simply reflected the late 20th century repudiation in Europe of all uses of capital punishment.

The Roman Catholic Church generally holds the position of a "Consistent Life Ethic." The Church teaches the protection of life for all humans, from conception to natural death<ref>Paul VI, Humanae Vitae 1968 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html</ref> <ref>John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae 1995 http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0141/_INDEX.HTM</ref> <ref>Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 2009 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html</ref>. But the Church has never embraced the pacifist position of Quakers in categorically opposing all killing, even to stop, deter, or punish evil.

== Injustices Caused by Limits on Death Penalty ==

Increasingly arbitrary limits have been placed on use of the death penalty. One arbitrary prohibition established by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] on use of the death penalty is when the murder is committed by someone under the age of 18.<ref>''See [[Roper v. Simmons]]''.</ref> Prior to this Supreme Court ruling, states had statutory minimum ages (at the time of crime) for when the death penalty could be imposed.

The award-winning documentary ''The Thin Blue Line'' portrays the true story of the framing of an innocent drifter because the age of the real murderer was slightly below the legal minimum for imposing the death penalty. The crime was the heinous murder of a police officer during a routine traffic stop, and the outrage at the crime cried out for retribution with the death penalty. But the authorities were legally barred from executing the real murderer, and an adult drifter who was in the wrong place at the wrong time was convicted for it. He served years on death row before being released after the movie was widely seen.

==Suitable Crimes to be Punished Capitally==
*Murder
*Arson
*Rape
*Assualt
*[[Homosexuality]]
*Non-observance of the [[Sabbath]] on Sundays.
*[[Liberalism]]

== See also ==
*[[Culture of life]]
*[[Guillotine]]
*[[Hanging]]
*[[Lethal injection]]

==Further reading==
* Allen, Howard W. and Jerome M. Clubb. ''Race, Class, and the Death Penalty: Capital Punishment in American History'' (2008) 239 pp. heavily statistical [http://www.amazon.com/Race-Class-Death-Penalty-Punishment/dp/0791474380/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262596245&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search]
* Mandery, Evan J. ''Capital Punishment in America: A Balanced Explanation'' (2004) [http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Punishment-America-Explanation-Illuminated/dp/0763733083/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262596245&sr=1-9 excerpt and text search]
* Masur, Louis P. ''Rites of Execution: Capital Punishment and the Transformation of American Culture, 1776-1865'' (1991) [http://www.amazon.com/Rites-Execution-Punishment-Transformation-1776-1865/dp/0195066634/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262596245&sr=1-6 excerpt and text search]

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

[[category:political Terms]]
[[category:law]]
[[Category:Punishment]]

Murder

2010-03-29T11:47:05Z

JoelA: /* Trivia */

'''Murder''' is the deliberate, malicious and unlawful killing of one human being by another. [[Edward Coke|Sir Edward Coke]] defined it as: "when a man of sound memory, and of the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any county of the realm any reasonable creature in ''rerum natura''<ref>rerum natura: In the nature of things; in existence.</ref> under the king's peace, with malice aforethought, either expressed by the party or implied by law, so as the party wounded, or hurt, etc. die of the wound or hurt etc. within a year and a day after the same."<ref>Coke 3 Inst 47</ref>

*"A man of sound memory, and of the age of discretion" means, in essence, a sane man.

*"reasonable creature ''in rerum natura''" means any human being.

*"malice aforethought" is a legal concept and only requires a momentary intention immediately prior to the act.

*The [[Common law|common law]] rule that in order for an act to constitute murder, the victim must die within a year and a day of the wounding, has now been modified by statute in a number of jurisdictions.

In addition to various secular prohibitions, the sixth<ref>[[Exodus]] 20:3-17 and [[Deuteronomy]] 5:6-21</ref> of the [[Ten Commandments]] forbids murder.

==Legality==

Killing humans is often legalized and committed without repercussions from governments. Such cases include wars, police actions, executions of prisoners, and [[abortion]]. The moral implications of these actions is often the subject of debate. It should be noted that although they end life, and may or may not be subject to homicide laws.

== Degrees ==

Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with deliberate intent to kill: (1) murder in the first degree is characterized by premeditation; (2) murder in the second degree is characterized by a sudden and instantaneous intent to kill or to cause injury without caring whether the injury kills or not.

==Trivia==
*A group of crows is called "a murder of crows".
*The Biblical Cain is history's first murderer.

==See Also==
* [[Abortion]]
* [[Obamacare]]
* [[Socialism]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See Also==
*[[Mass murder]]

[[Category:Crimes]]

Victoria

2010-03-29T11:44:02Z

JoelA: /* Resources */

''Are you looking for [[Queen Victoria]]''?

'''Victoria''' is a state of [[Australia]], occupying the southeastern corner of the mainland of the continent.
Its capital and largest city is [[Melbourne]].
Much of the northern boundary is formed by the [[Murray River]]. To the north is [[New South Wales]], and to the west is [[South Australia]].
Most of the coast of Victoria faces south onto [[Bass Strait]].

Victoria is geographically the smallest mainland state in Australia (the island state of [[Tasmania]], to the south of Victoria, is smaller), but the second most populated, with just over 5,000,000 residents, 3,600,000 (72%) of whom live in the greater Melbourne area.<ref>[http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3235.2.55.001 Population by Age and Sex, Victoria], Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2005.</ref>

== Resources ==
Victorian industry is mainly manufacturing and farming.

Mining is mainly limited to [[lignite|brown coal]], which is used for power generation, supplying most of the state's electricity. The remaining electricity production is from hydro-electric sources and, in recent times, some wind-power generation.
Natural gas is obtained from platforms off the Victorian coast in Bass Strait.

==Events==
In the second half of [[2009]], God punished Victoria for their lax moralities and legalized [[murder]].

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Australia]]
[[Category:Australian States and Territories]]

Gravy

2010-03-29T11:39:22Z

JoelA: Highlighting Liberal Deceit

'''Gravy''' is a [[meat]] sauce made from leftover juices from meat and thickened with [[flour]]. It has been proven by the Australian Family Alliance that [[conservatives]] are 48% more likely to regularly enjoy gravy, which has many health benefits.

[[Category:Sauces]]