Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Civil Rights Movement

2009-06-27T01:39:03Z

Rhinox22:

[[File:Martin-luther-king.jpg|thumb|300px|Martin Luther King Jr from the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall in Washington DC.]]
The '''civil rights movement''' was a movement towards racial equality and an end to segregation of [[African Americans]] that occurred in the [[United States]] from about 1953 to 1968, as courts and [[Congress]] made segregation illegal and imposed strict laws attempting to ensure that blacks could be able to vote. Unfortunately today, the term "civil rights" means a double standard in allowing for discrimination against white men at the benefit of other minorities. America needs to go back to its religious and moral values if it ever wants to once again become a great country.

==Reconstruction and Jim Crow==
During [[Reconstruction]], Radical Republicans tried to guarantee equal rights for emancipated slaves after the [[American Civil War]]. They succeeded in passing the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, which in theory required equal protection of the laws and an equal right to vote. President [[Ulysses Grant]] successfully suppressed the [[Ku Klux Klan]] when it used violence to turn back black gains. The Republican coalition in the South fell apart in the 1870s, and conservative white [[Redeemers]] took control. The Redeemers were paternalistic toward blacks but they confronted a [[Populist]] element in the 1890s that demanded strict segregation, called [[Jim Crow]].

The Supreme Court allowed segregation in 1896, and black leaders such as [[Booker T. Washington]]] worked to build an alliance of black businessmen and farmers with benevolent whites, using education as the tool to eventually achieve equality. Militant blacks led by [[W.E.B. DuBois]] and the [[NAACP]] demanded immediate redress. For a brief while around 1920 militant black separatists gained strength. While blacks slowly improved their economic status in the South in the 20th century, despite lynchings, they remained second class citizens with very little political power. Blacks began moving in large numbers to the North to meet the labor shortages during World War I and World War II. By the 1950s they had a political base in Harlem (New York City) and Chicago, but still very little power. [[Jim Crow]] remained as strong as ever in the South, where white Democrats had near-total control.

==Modern Movement==
The Supreme Court under Chief Justice [[Earl Warren]], a liberal Republican, issued [[Brown vs. Board of education]] in 1954, declaring legal segregation to be unconstitutional. It marked the culmination of a judicial movement that had been underway for a decade. It had the short-term effect of ending segregated schools in border states, and the long-term effect of ending legalized segregation in schools.

Presidents [[Dwight Eisenhower]] and [[John F. Kennedy]] to a small degree, and and [[Lyndon Johnson]] to a major degree became proactive in the Civil Rights movement. Johnson in particular built a coalition that included white churches, Jews, and labor unions, as well as many Republicans such as [[Everett Dirksen]], to build a majority of the northern leadership in favor of action. The white South filibustered but failed stop passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended Jim Crow, and the [[Voting Rights Act]] of 1965, which guaranteed federal oversight of voting rights.

In 1957, Governor [[Orville Faubus]] of Arkansas mobilized the state National Guard to prevent a court ordered desegregation of Little Rock public schools. When the federal court issued an injunction Eisenhower intervened decisively, taking control of the National Guard and send in Army combat troops. He enforced the desegregation of schools. In the late 1960s several southern states expressed forceful opposition to what was considered Federal tyranny; some redesigned their state flags to include the old Confederate banner. In 1962, the prospect of a black student being admitted to the [[University of Mississippi]] resulted in campus riots suppressed by Federal troops and a national guard now brought under Federal control.

==Black leaders==
Black leaders claimed that their own efforts were more important in causing change, emphasizing activities like bus boycotts, lunch-counter sit-ins. A black Baptist minister from Atlanta [[Martin Luther King]] led the new movement. Painstaking work by labor unions, civil rights groups, and mainstream churches, aided by popular outrage at the violent techniques used by police in some southern cities fueled a national consensus that segregated and second class status had to end. Some of the organizations that spearheaded the movement were the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC), the [[Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee]] (SNCC, or 'Snick'), the [[Congress of Racial Equality]] (CORE), and the older [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP). All were committed to non-violence and Gandhian [[Civil Disobedience]] in the early years, a tactic that was politically essential in order to win public support and to avoid alienating northern voters.
==Black Power==
Meanwhile a growing black radical movement, led by Muslims like Malcolm X, and inner city gangs, pulled the black community toward separatism. By 1966 the tensions inside the black community were ripping apart the civil rights coalition, as the radicals called for the ousting of all whites in leadership positions. King lost much of his influence, and was unable to stop the wave of rioting that broke out in every major American city with a black population. The riots soured white America on the civil rights movement because it brought violence and turmoil, and led to calls for [[Law and order]].
==Other groups==
Other groups started to mobilize on behalf of their rights, especially [[Feminism|feminists]] and [[Latinos]], and later the homosexuals made a bid.

==== Civil Rights Leaders ====
*[[Martin Luther King]]
*[[Ralph Abernathy]]
*[[John Lewis]]
*[[Jesse Jackson]]
*[[James Meredith]]
*[[Rosa Parks]]
==Further reading==
* Branch, Taylor. ''Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63'' (1988)
* Graham, Hugh Davis. ''Civil Rights in the United States'' (1994)
* Graham, Hugh Davis. ''The Civil Rights Era: Origins and Development of National Policy, 1960-1972'' (1990)
* Horton, James Oliver and Horton, Lois E. ''Hard Road to Freedom: The Story of African America.'' (2001). 405 pp. by leading black historians
* Patterson, James T. ''Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and its Troubled Legacy.'' (2001). 285 pp.
* Riches, William T. Martin. ''The Civil Rights Movement: Struggle and Resistance.'' (1997). 196 pp.
* Thernstrom, Stephan and Thernstrom, Abigail. ''America in Black and White: One Nation, Indivisible.'' (1997). 704 pp. by leading conservative scholars
* Verney, Kevern. ''Black Civil Rights in America.'' (2000). 135 pp.
===Primary sources===
* Birnbaum, Jonathan and Taylor, Clarence, eds. ''Civil Rights since 1787: A Reader on the Black Struggle.'' (2000). 935 pp.
* D'Angelo, Raymond, ed. ''The American Civil Rights Movement: Readings and Interpretations.'' (2001). 592 pp.

[[category:1950s]]
[[category:1960s]]
[[category:Black History]]
[[category:Civil Rights]]
[[category:Civil Rights Leaders]]
[[category:The South]]

North American Indians

2009-06-27T01:36:46Z

Rhinox22: /* Today */

'''North American Indians''' (also '''Native Americans''') are the original inhabitants of the Americas. The Native Americans of North America are typically considered to be all those tribes north of Central Mexico. While technically part of North America, most archaeologists tend to place the civilizations of Central Mexico into a separate category.<ref>Swidler, Nina, Dongoske, Roger. 1997. ''Native Americans and Archaeologists: Stepping Stones to Common Ground.'' Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press.</ref> Tribes in North America maintained a wide variety of [[subsistence pattern]]s, from hunting and gathering, to intensive agriculture. North America is also home to two of the most unusual groups of hunter-gatherers, the Northwest Coast tribes, and the Aleuts. The first Native Americans are believed to have migrated from Asia via the [[Bering land bridge]], the exposed continental shelf between Asia and N. America during the last Ice Age. There are also those that subscribe to a similar migration by sea that followed the ancient coastline from Asia around the Bering land mass. A small group of researchers claim to have uncovered evidence of possible migration from Europe during the same time period, but the evidence is still heavily contested.

While the American Indian population once numbered over 100 million, over 90% were killed by [[smallpox|European diseases]] augmented by changes in the natural habitat caused by the new arrivals.<ref>[http://www.powersource.com/cocinc/history/trail.htm Trail of Tears]</ref>

== Culture Areas of North America ==

American Indians of North America are generally divided into culture areas according to similarities in geography, environment, subsistence patterns, language family, and similar social practices. According to the ''Handbook of North American Indians'', there are ten such cultural areas.<ref>Washburn, Wilcomb E. 1998. ''Handbook Of North American Indians, Vol. 4, History of Indian-White Relations.'' Washington: Smithsonian Institute.</ref>
;Arctic
:Greenland, extreme northern Canada, and the northern and western coastlines of Alaska.
;Subarctic
:Most of central Canada and interior Alaska.
;Northeast
:New England, Nova Scotia, the Great Lakes region, the Chesapeake Bay area, and most of current day W. Virginia, the Ohio River valley, and Illinois.
;Southeast
:N. Carolina excluding the NE corner, western Virginia, southern W. Virginia, and all the southern states east of the Mississippi River, in addition to parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and eastern Texas.
;Plains
:the entire Midwest United States from Texas north to southern parts of Canada.
;Southwest
:Central Mexico north into W. Texas, NM, and AZ.
;Great Basin
:Nevada, Utah, N. Arizona, W. Colorado, W. Wyoming, S. Idaho, SE Oregon, and parts of W. California.
;California
:Interior and Coastal California and N. Baja.
;Northwest Coast
:N. California to S. Alaska along 1500 miles of coastline.
;Plateau
:Parts of Oregon, Washington, N. Idaho, W. Montana, and SW Canada.

== Today ==

Today, many Indian tribes need God in their culture, and unfortunately are seeing a resurgence, such as in [[California]], through laws that give them special privileges in allowing [[gambling]] in the form of slot machines and other gaming, through outreach programs to reunite urban Indians with both their reservation families and other urban tribal members; programs set up both by the tribe themselves (often with assistance of state and local governments) to teach their languages and open schools that focus on a tribal way of life. Having a society built up on sin will in the end not work, and it is the duty of Christians to spread the gospel to these tribes that were nearly wiped out 200 years ago.

Most tribes have been granted some limited power in self governance as well, significantly in the area of the sentencing of tribal members in various criminal and civil issues. Special tax breaks have helped Indian people and Indian reservations become more self-sufficient. Some states have even revisited the definition of 'reservation' based on the Dawes Act which originally provided for substantially more "reservation" land if the Indian people would buy it as individual land, and either market it or farm it (the intent was to help Indian Peoples integrate into the American social and economic systems). So for instance in [[Wisconsin]], Indian reservation land can include buying real estate in [[Milwaukee]] - far from the physical location of the tribes themselves.

Self governance is a huge issue, with each of the over 300 recognized tribes having different rules and regulations placed on them by the Government. As with every other political system in the world, Indian People disagree with each other about many issues from how to spend government money to how "traditional" to become, to what religion should be the focal point of the tribe.

Such issues even impact the non-indian government system as well. Consider the [[South Dakota]] elections of 2002 where [[John Thune]] was ahead in the senate race after all votes were counted except for the reservations. With Thune's margin known, incredibly, the results given by the reservation showed that almost all of the reservation inhabitants voted and voted overwhelmingly for his opponent who won by 500 votes. Thune ran again in 2004 and again was ahead by a similar margin, but this time the Indian reservations didn't vote the same after monitors were installed to watch the proceedings. Thune won.

Other issues remain between recognized Sovereign Nations and the US government including mineral right issues, natural resource husbandry and mediation, conflicts with government run museums (as well as a few private museums) over who has the right to various artifacts, what rights modern Indian peoples should and should not have when dealing with artifacts that are clearly earlier than the oldest known existence of any particular tribe (for example, who has rights to archaeological finds at mesa verde, which is not navajo nor pueble, but are a now-extinct tribe, Anisazii).

==Social Issues==
When the American Indian Peoples were rounded up onto reservations, the sudden dependence on the government created situations that are often associated with welfare situations. Both because of biology (Indian people like many Asian people do not break down alcohol the same way Europeans do) and the lack of being a "bread winner" that men throughout history find critical to identity as head of the family, alcohol and drug abuse are very common both among reservation and urban Indians today. <ref>12% of Indian deaths are related to alcohol, several times the national average. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug28/0,4670,IndianDeathsAlcohol,00.html</ref> A strong rise in child and spousal abuse occurred after the "welfare state" like existence for the men came into being. Without the need to provide for the family, depression sets in, and is a common problem on the reservation.

Conflicts between "traditionalists" and "modernists", between "Christian Indians" and "tribal religion" Indians, between urban Indians and reservation Indians, and "full bloods" and "mixed bloods" are common among Indian people and effect their politics and social life. In the 1980's, Indian reservations began to see a rise in gangs, often as a result of drugs and drug wars with other social cultures in large cities.

Yet at the same time, Indian People have a proud heritage and find strength there to renew their cultures. They are, as a people, generally both proud to be American and (since World War I), proud soldiers for this country. At any Indian gathering, the first people onto the dance floor, or introduced politically, or recognized for contributions to the tribe are the elder male veterans, then the elder women (non veterans), the all other veterans, and only then people who have not served in the US military.

Indian People have many problems to solve, but new social services, generally run and funded by the tribes themselves, along with new recognition of Indian People's contributions to society are ways that tribes and individuals are trying to change things.

== References ==
<references/>

==See Also==

* [[American Indian]]
* [[Native American]]
* [[Trail of Tears]]
* [[Jamestown Massacre]]

[[category:Native Americans]]

Rush Limbaugh

2009-06-27T01:33:54Z

Rhinox22:

[[Image:Limbaugh.jpg|thumb|right|Rush Limbaugh]]
'''Rush Limbaugh''' (born January 12, 1951) is a [[conservative]] [[American]] [[radio]] talk show host and author. Limbaugh has risen to the top of the ratings heap as a reliably [[conservative]] voice in a talk radio media environment dominated by conservatives. In his sharp criticisms of the [[Obama Administration]] Limbaugh maintains his position as one of the ''de facto'' leaders of the [[Republican]] opposition.

== Radio ==

Limbaugh hosts a radio show famed for its incisive criticism of the follies of [[liberalism]] and his cogent exposure of [[liberal]] [[propaganda]] and [[deceit]]. He is often at odds with [[liberal]] activist [[Al Franken]]<ref>[http://fireside.designcommunity.com/topic-9993.html Forum thread] discussing a NYT Editorial</ref>. He habitually refers to [[feminists]] who support [[abortion]] as ''feminazis'' and to his own self as having "talent on loan from God".

Limbaugh's style has been credited with "reviving AM radio in the United States, and is considered by many to have been a catalyst for the [[Republican Party]]'s 1994 Congressional victories"<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10813FA3B5D0C708EDDAB0894DE494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fL%2fLimbaugh%2c%20Rush Radio Talk Show Host Fears For True Conservatism's Fate], New York Times</ref>.
Limbaugh's conservative talk show is nationally syndicated and averages over 16 million listeners weekly, making him the #1 Radio Talk Show Host in America.
<ref>[http://www.talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34 The Top Talk Radio Audiences] Tallkers magazine online</ref> In July 2008, Rush announced "he has renewed his contract with Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio, continuing syndication of his show 'many years into the future.'" <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27326 Rush Renews Contract], ''[[Human Events]]'', July, 2, 2008</ref>

===Obama to Fail===
Rush made national headlines when he was asked to write 400 words for a newspaper column about Obama's plans. He said he didn't need 400 words, he needed just four courageous words: "I hope he fails." He immediately came under attack as an unpatriotic obstructionist by both Democrats and Left wing Republicans. This has proved to be a Godsend for the Republican party as it allows them to separate true Republicans buying into conservative principals and those who would tarnish the purity of Republican policies. Rush explained that what he meant was, if Obama is for socialist policies and against capitalist policies, of course he could not support those policies.

Rush addressed [[CPAC]] and further discussed his stance that generated so much attention. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/01/limbaugh-leader-obama-chief-staff-calls-talk-host-barrier-progress/ Limbaugh the Leader? Obama Chief of Staff] Fox News, March 01, 2009</ref> {{cquote|''' ''"Did the Democrats want the war in Iraq to fail? Well, they certainly did. And they not only wanted the war in Iraq to fail, they proclaimed it a failure. ... The last thing they wanted was to win. They hoped George Bush failed. So where is it -- what is so strange about being honest and saying, I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation? Why would I want that to succeed?"'' '''}}

== The Harry Reid Letter ==
On October 2, 2007, [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Harry Reid]], [[Democrat|D]]-[[Nevada|NV]], wrote a letter to Mark P. Mays, President and CEO of Clear Channel Communications, who is Rush Limbaugh's chief patron. In it Senator Reid essentially demanded that Mr. Mays order Mr. Limbaugh to apologize for remarks he made concerning "phony soldiers."<ref name=ReidText>Reid, Harry, ''et al.'' "[http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284699 Letter to Mark P. Mays of Clear Channel Communications]." [http://reid.senate.gov/ Electronic Office of US Senator Harry Reid], October 2, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2007.</ref> A ''phony soldier'' is someone who is not a soldier at all but is pretending to be one, especially in a public forum. Such activity is unlawful, and the [[Jesse MacBeth|person]] whose activity prompted Mr. Limbaugh's remarks has since been convicted and punished.<ref name=PhonySoldier>Limbaugh, Rush. "[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092807/content/01125106.guest.html The Anatomy of a Smear: 'Phony Soldiers' Is a Phony Story]." ''[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Rush Limbaugh Official Site]'', accessed December 25, 2007.</ref>

== Politics ==
Limbaugh endorsed [[Mitt Romney]] for the [[2008 Presidential Election]]. <ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/ThisHour.asp#Limbaugh%20Endorses%20Romney Limbaugh Endorses Romney], [[Melanie Hunter]], ''[[CNSNews]]'', February 05, 2008</ref> He was often critical of [[John McCain]] during the Republican primaries, but supported him in the general election.

== Poking fun at Obama liberals==
Newsweek editor Evan Thomas said on MSNBC's "Hardball" that Obama was "sort of God."

Asking rhetorically what [[God]] has in common with Obama, Limbaugh said, "Neither has a birth certificate." <ref>[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100717 Rush Limbaugh pummels Obama on birth certificate] WND, June 10, 2009</ref> He went on to say "God does not think he's Obama," and "Liberals love Obama." Limbaugh explained more differences, "Another difference is that God only demands to be worshipped once a week," and "God asks for only 10 percent of your money", and "God gives you freedom to live your life as you choose."

== Painkiller addiction ==

On October 6, 2003 Limbaugh told his audience he was addicted to OxyContin and other painkillers citing a failed back surgery as the cause of his pain and subsequent dependence. <ref>The Rush Limbaugh Show, October 6, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/10/10/rush.limbaugh/ "Limbaugh admits addiction to pain medication"</ref> Limbaugh underwent treatment for his addiction, and charges against him for alleged "doctor shopping" to procure prescription medications were dropped on the condition that he continue treatment for his addiction.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/28/national/main1561324.shtml</ref> The [[MSM]] as well as Democratic politicians consistently use this information to crudely and unfairly attack Limbaugh.

== Sports ==

Limbaugh is an avid sports fan, particularly football. He briefly held a position as a commentator on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown pre-game show. He resigned from the show on October 2, 2006 after comments made regarding Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received widespread criticism.

{{cquote|''' ''"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."'' '''}}

After McNabb's response, "It's sad that you've got to go to skin color. I thought we were through with that whole deal," significant pressure was put upon Limbaugh to resign. <ref>http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1001/1628537.html</ref>

== Other Media Work ==

The Limbaugh Letter is a monthly publication that contains conservative articles and humor in Rush's style.

Limbaugh is involved in the conservative satire show "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" show on the [[Fox News Channel]]. <ref>
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021602098.html Fox News Channel's '1/2 Hour News Hour': Right Funny, in Spots] washingtonpost.com</ref>

Rush occasionally writes op-ed pieces for the [[Wall Street Journal]].

== Quotes ==
* "You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one." - Rush Limbaugh, 17 Aug 1993

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

==See Also==
*[[Previous Breaking News/Rush Limbaugh|Articles about '''Rush Limbaugh''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
*[[Conservative Links]]
*[[Rush Derangement Syndrome]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Official Rush Limbaugh website]
*[http://www.cspan.org/Watch/watch.aspx?MediaId=HP-A-15919 Rush's 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Speech], ''C-SPAN'', February 28, 2009

{{DEFAULTSORT: Limbaugh, Rush}}

[[Category:Broadcasters]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Conservative Commentators]]

Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T01:27:55Z

Rhinox22:

[[File:Thriller_(Michael_Jackson)wikimedia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Michael Jackson, 1983]]
'''Michael Jackson''' (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009) was a world famous pop icon and entertainer who is often referred to as the "King of Pop". He started off in with his brothers in the musical group sensation [[The Jackson Five]] in the 1970s and continued to have a hugely successful career in the 1980s and 1990s. He has released some of the best selling albums of all time including ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Thriller'' (1982), ''Bad'' (1987) and ''Dangerous'' (1991) and HIStory (1995). ''Thriller'' itself is the best selling album of all time worldwide with sales of 260 million copies.

Jackson was born in [[Indiana]] in 1958. He rose to fame as part of the successful pop group The Jackson Five, formed with his brothers in 1967. The group went on to earn four number one hits in 1970 alone, and the 12-year-old Jackson became the undeniable breakout star of the group.

Jackson redefined the music video into an art form with examples that include "Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Bad", "Black or White", "Remember The Time", "Scream" and "Earthsong". He has released the most popular music video of all time ("Thriller") and the most expensive music video of all time ("Scream"), which also received critical acclaim.

He was badly burned while filming a [[Pepsi]] commercial in 1983. His 1994 marriage to [[Lisa Marie Presley]] ended in divorce less than two years later. Jackson then married nurse Deborah Rowe in 1996. Rowe gave birth to two children, and the couple were divorced in 1999. Jackson adopted a third child in 2002. Using money earned from his record sales Jackson built his private ranch known as [[Neverland]]. He was twice accused of child molestation; in 1994 he settled out of court, paying his accuser an undisclosed amount, and in 2005 was acquitted (found not guilty) of the charges at his jury trial. Jackson returned to music in 2008 with a special edition of his "Thriller" album called "Thriller25". The reissue was successful selling 650,000 copies in two weeks.

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, possibly of a drug overdose.

His life is a testament to the depravity of moral values in Hollywood and a lesson to all who watch and buy into the Hollywood lifestyle. Michael Jackson's sexually suggestive dance rhetoric, divorce, and participation in international organizations are an outward manifestation of spiritual warfare happening in media. In his death, Hollywood elitists and left wing media have gained substantial airtime and viewership praising Hollywood morals with no mention of God. Numerous Hollywood stars and gay activist singers including JC Chasez, misguided "preacher" Jesse Jackson, and other morally depraved artists have gained substantial air time on CNN and MSNBC.

One of his sisters is singer-dancer [[Janet Jackson]].

Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009 in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]].

[[Category:Musicians|Jackson, Michael]]