Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Federal Bureau of Investigation

2012-01-01T14:05:28Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

<noinclude>{{Conservapedia}}</noinclude>
The '''Powers That Be''' at ultraconservative Christian fundamentalist blog [[Conservapedia]] have made frequent paranoid and grandiose claims about 'vandalism' <ref>The term 'vandalism' is probably an inappropriate charge — on a wiki, one can't really vandalize in the usual sense of the word. On RationalWiki, we often use the term '[[wandalism]]' (short for "wiki vandalism") to describe this type of activity.</ref> on their site. They have repeatedly [[threat]]ened editors with legal repercussions and threats to report users to their schools or employers. Some of their claims have been farcical, some extremely serious—in particular, the (claimed but unsubstantiated) reporting of two users to the most powerful policing authority in the United States, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].

On July 13, 2007, they claimed that a user named 'Stevecarson' edited Conservapedia using an automatic 'bot' software package<ref>Contributions: <capture>[http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/Stevecarson]</capture></ref>. The next day Conservapedia's owner, [[cp:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]], claimed that this vandal had been reported to the Cincinnati office of the [[FBI]] and was being prosecuted, he discussed his conversation with the FBI officer on the Conservpaedia sysop-only forum[http://cp.noym.net/34523d478d5bcda5], and the group continued to discuss the involvement of the FBI as time passed and how they should handle the situation[http://cp.noym.net/4d53ce523d5093f3][http://cp.noym.net/3b0e57c56f221459]. Even senior sysops wondered how the FBI investigation was going[http://cp.noym.net/f517ef85aaa5accc]. Shortly thereafter, Schlafly claimed that another user with the name '[[conservapedia:Jayjay | Jayjay]]' had been reported to the FBI for very similar editing [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&limit=100&target=Jayjay]. The materials supposedly submitted in both cases were the IP address of the user and the changelogs of Conservapedia.

A Freedom of Information Act submission made to the FBI, however, revealed that no complaint was ever made.<ref name=historypunk />

One of the most extraordinary aspects of this episode is the lengths to which CP admins are covering it up, deleting any mention of it and blocking the people involved - a [[#And_Finally.2C_The_Cover-up:_When_Asked_a_Difficult_Question.2C_Revert.2C_Threaten_and_Ban|list]] appears at the end of this article.

==Legal Briefing on the Case==
[[Image:FBIVandalSeal.png|thumb|Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?]]
===Origin of The Site===
<ol>
<li>Conservapedia, the purportedly vandalised website, is a non-commercial, non-governmental, non-infrastructural, not-for-profit, personal 'educational' website. As of January 2009, Alexa, an internet traffic ranking site, ranks Conservapedia as being viewed by 0.0025% of all Alexa software users, which in itself represents only a tiny portion of ''all'' internet users. [http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=www.conservapedia.com]. It is clearly a site appealing to a minuscule number of internet users.</li>
<li>It was created and is owned and operated by Mr.Schlafly to assist in the compiling of information for his [[homeschooling|homeschool]] education business, which has about 120 pupils [http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Aschlafly].</li>
<li>It was created to teach his students about new technologies and to encourage his students and other internet users to compile and collaboratively edit information appealing to a particular, rather narrow, political and social viewpoint.</li>
</ol>

===Technology Background to the Site===
<ol start="4">
<li>The [[wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software which was used to create the site is a popular [[open source]] [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki software kit] which was created expressly and exclusively for the purpose of enabling simple collaborative document creation on the internet.</li>
<li>It is possible to securely limit editor entry to a Wiki site by any number of methods (new accounts only by invitation, delayed approval, IP address zone exclusion, and many more). Implementation of any of these methods alone or together securely restricts the set of users who may create or modify data to only those the site owner wishes to allow.</li>
<li>Mr.Schlafly chose not to establish any such methods, hence the Conservapedia website is an 'open' Wiki.</li>
<li>Accordingly, any person with an internet connection may create an account (for free) and immediately begin to create, modify and delete any unlocked page on the website, without legal warning or caution.</li>
</ol>

===Common Usage Patterns at the Site===
<ol start="8">
<li>It is routine for sysops, established users and new editors to create and modify pages at the Site.</li>
<li>As a public space containing (sometimes very) controversial viewpoints, there is frequent debate among sysops, established users and new editors as to content and tone of articles at the Site.</li>
<li>Frequently, this debate results in page locking, editing, deletion, vandalism and account blocking, with much controversy following.</li>
</ol>

===The Alleged Crimes===
<ol start="11">
<li>The alleged criminal acts are that user '''Stevecarson''' created a new account and ran software which repeatedly modified articles on the site automatically, achieving many more changes in a three minute window than humanly possible. Eighty articles were modified [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/Stevecarson], with certain words being substituted for other words, for example, the word 'Christianity' being replaced with the words 'Ethnic Identity'. Examples of the edits: [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=House_church&diff=prev&oldid=229706]; [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Antichrist&diff=prev&oldid=229634]. Subsequently another editor '''Jayjay''' edited 230 articles in a very similar fashion [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&limit=100&target=Jayjay]</li>
</ol>

===The Effects of the Incident===
<ol start="12">
<li>When the alleged vandalism was noted, the user's editorial capabilities were immediately removed and they were blocked from accessing the Site.[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Stevecarson], [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Jayjay].</li>
<li>All information modified was easily restored by Sysops within a few minutes [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&offset=20070713051427&limit=20&target=HenryS], [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&offset=20070715132647&limit=100&target=DeborahB.], as the Wiki software automatically stores the previous version of the document.</li>
<li>No financial loss was apparently reported.</li>
<li>No damage, permanent or temporary to any facilities was apparently reported.</li>
<li>No data modified was essential to any person, organisation or governmental body, either in a permanent archival sense, or in a time-dependent sense.</li>
<li>It is accepted that a few minutes of inconvenience for the volunteer sysops was caused by the reversions.</li>
</ol>

===Findings of Fact===
Following a review of the above facts, the FBI ''may'' follow this logic:

<ol style="list-style-type:lower-latin">
<li>The website is a personal 'blog'.</li>
<li>No physical or virtual property damage, financial loss or loss of private information has occurred.</li>
<li>Not only had the owners made no attempt to secure the data at the Site, but in fact modification of the data was encouraged.</li>
<li>Nothing more than minor inconvenience was caused to the owners and operators.</li>
<li>No law has been broken.</li>
<li>The FBI views the reporting of this trivial case to the Bureau as a nuisance, and pursuit of it as timewasting.</li>
<li>The FBI will not be pursuing this case on behalf of Mr.Schalfly.</li>
</ol>

==The History of the Events, copied From ASchlafly's Discussion Page==

===Major Vandalism [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Aschlafly/Archive25#major_vandalism]===

''(This seems to be the first appearance of the incident)''

:Just thought I would report a strange incident. A user vandalized over 80 pages in three minutes. [[cp:User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 00:57, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:Probably another liberal enemy of conservative principles. He needs to listen to the classic rock song entitled, "I fought the law, and the law won." He needs to listen to it 80 times, in fact.
:Your quick work counts towards our team totals, Bohdan! Thanks and Godspeed.--[[Andrew Schlafly|Aschlafly]] 01:11, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:The people at the [[RationalWiki|other place]] are using bots. [[cp:User:Fox|Fox]] 04:46, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

''(At least Aschlafly is somewhat aware of a great Clash (cover) song.)''

===Prosecuting Vandals [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Aschlafly/Archive26#Prosecuting_Vandals]===

User:Stevecarson, IP address 208.102.255.xxx (we have all the digits), ISP Fuse Internet Access of Cincinnati Bell Telephone, has been reported for his attempt to vandalize this site last night. Prosecuting vandalism on the internet is a priority of this site and of the [[cp:Department of Justice|Department of Justice]]. It's unfortunate that [[cp:public schools|public schools]] don't teach that vandalism is wrong, but the court system does still teach that. He can hire an attorney and try to explain his conduct to a judge. I doubt he'll find much sympathy.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 10:32, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

Follow-up: the above instance of vandalism has been reported by phone directly to the FBI office in Cincinnati, which handles internet crime. At the request of the FBI, we then sent the electronic record of the vandalism and the IP address to the officers for their investigation and potential prosecution. Yes, it is wrong and a crime to vandalize websites, and our criminal justice system does not care whether you learned that in school or not.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 10:51, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:Honestly, that was probably a waste of both your time and the FBI's. I have a sneaking suspicion that they have bigger things on their minds than chasing down some internet punk. I will be *very* surprised if anything actually comes of this.--[[cp:User:Porthos|Porthos]] 11:24, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:: Well, Porthos, I suggest you visit a local federal courtroom one morning and watch the line-up of cases brought before the judge, and the prison sentences imposed. I suspect you will also be "very surprised" by what you see. Ignorance and lack of experience lead to surprise about many things.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 12:02, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

: Andy - the FBI have FAR more important things to be doing. You have a ludicrouly inflated sense of importance (not atypical of most CP'ians) if you genuinely believe that the nation's Federal Bureau of Investigations will be all "Yessir! Right on it!" over a complaint that a minority interest blog has attracted a rash of argumentative postings. Really.

: And frankly, I'll be right at the front of the line to complain to my Representatives if the FBI DOES give you the time of day, what with the nation on Orange alert. Have you thought about the fact that now, because of your angry complaint, some FBI official is now going to actually HAVE TO process it? A call or two will have to be made, some thought given to it, a process applied, some forms filled - each act in every way representing a distraction from vital work for your country. If an al-Qaeda plot slips by as a result of your distraction, you will have blood on your hands.

: Take a look at yourself - don't you think you've actually now REALLY gone too far? Your feverish delusions have now stooped to wasting the time of the proud servicemen and women of an august force. You should grow up a little and act more responsibly. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]] 12:45, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:::So, you are going to complain about the FBI investigating a crime? I will be the first to complain to my representative about you waisting your representatives time. [[cp:User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 12:51, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:: No matter your bluster Bohdan, you know what I'm talking about. This is not the FBI's website, where vandalism could be national security issue. Nor is it the IBM website, where vandalism could represent a commercial threat. This, in fact, is a wiki, a technology purposely designed to not only allow but encourage members of the public to write. You do not have a legal leg to stand on if you leave all the doors of your house open and complain to the FBI that burglers rearranged your furniture and stole the TV. Even contacting the good folk of the FBI is timewasting. They have terrorists to catch. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]] 12:59, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:::Are you aware that the FBI has a separate division that is dedicated only to fighting internet crime? [[cp:User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 13:01, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:: "Wumps", let me guess. You're a [[cp:liberal|liberal]], right? You may be hearing this for the first time, then. Vandalism is wrong, and it's a crime. The FBI investigates crimes, the DOJ prosecutes them, and the Bureau of Prisons houses the defendants after they are convicted. No kidding. I know, you didn't learn that in [[cp:public school|public school]]. Well, let this site be an education for you and others.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 12:56, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

: No, Andy, I'm not a [[cp:liberal|liberal]]. I'm an [[cp:American|American]]. And yes, Bohdan, I did know there's an internet unit at the FBI. I believe child pornography, identity theft, financial fraud, international and commercial espionage are all crimes pursued by the department. I don't see any crime anywhere about annoying blog postings being a crime. [[User:Wumps|Wumps]] 13:11, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:: Wumps, you're clueless, and I'm confident you are a [[cp:liberal|liberal]]. We're not fooled by you here. Only a tiny percentage of the FBI and DOJ's efforts go towards catching terrorists. And, by the way, someone who burglarizes an open house is going to jail for just as long as if the house were locked. There are entire divisions of the FBI devoted to internet crime, including vandalizing websites, as Bohdan pointed out.

:: One more point, Wumps: "burglers" is spelled "burglars".--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 13:13, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

: Well, I gotta admit, you got me there Andy! :-) Actually, I'm not clueless, though my spelling could certainly do with some work. But seriously now, please specifiy exactly what crime is being committed- the actual code of law - when a wiki experiences a disagreeable posting? And no, someone who burglarizes an open house is not going to jail, especially since the house has big signs all over the nations highway saying "Open House here! Come write at www.conservapedia.com!"

: You don't seem to get it. You might well have a legal leg to stand on if you were not a wiki. But by definition a wiki is an open invitation to write and edit. By your standards, since I'm writing something you're disagreeing with right now, I am currently committing a crime. And I don't think for a moment you believe that's the case. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]] 13:19, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:::A Wiki is a (fairly-) open invitation to write and edit. But not to ''vandalise'', which is the case in question. [[cp:User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 07:49, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

::I got a better idea. ''You'' write an article on [[cp:Internet Crime|Internet Crime]], starting with website vandalism.

::Sometimes the best way to learn about something is when you have to teach it to someone else. --[[cp:User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 13:30, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:::Not to pry, but should someone check first to make sure that this kind of report isn't considered a nuisance and is not itself prosecuted?[[cp:User:SumsUp|SumsUp]] 22:09, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

::::No offense, but you should probably check to make sure your post here wasn't considered a nuisance that can be prosecuted. [[cp:User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 22:10, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:::::Excuse me???[[cp:User:SumsUp|SumsUp]] 22:13, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

::::::By prosecuted I mean blockable. [[cp:User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 22:15, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:I'll take your non-responsiveness to mean that you did not consider it, and that you are kind of mean to boot.[[cp:User:SumsUp|SumsUp]] 22:16, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

Yes, the FBI will investigate crimes of this nature. They have to do it, it's an obligation. [[cp:User:Scorpio|Scorpio]] 00:01, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

::There seems to be a little confusion here... The issue isn't that some moron came along and changed a page maliciously - it is that someone '''designed a software tool specifically and solely with the aim of targeting and damaging the content of this site and then utilised it to do so'''. That is not mere vandalism, I think you'll find. Also, the "open house" analogy is ridiculous. If I visit a museum, it has a huge welcome sign on the door; I may even pay a fee, entitling me to enter that museum. I am not excused in law from then smashing an exhibit... [[cp:Image:User Fox.png]] [[cp:User:Fox|Fox]] ([[cp:User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[cp:Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 08:19, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

:::I agree and I think it is necessary. --[[cp:User:Joaquín Martínez|Joaquín Martínez]], [[cp:User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 08:38, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

''(The discussion continued as follows. However, as the discussion came a little close to the bone, sysop [[TK]] deleted the following section of the thread from Andy's Talk Page [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=230715&oldid=230683], reproduced here:)
''

Not a bad idea Ed, however I doubt that website vandalism is an appropriate beginning to an article on [[Internet crime]]. I would suggest Child pornography is the obvious elephant in the room. As I say, 'vandalising' a Wiki is not a crime. Vandalising a locked-down site could be. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]] 13:33, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

::Exactly! If you want to learn, don't read, write a book! Far more effective! --[[cp:User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[cp:User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 13:34, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

::I had a look at some of [[User:Stevecarson|Stevecarson]]'s henious [[Special:Contributions/Stevecarson|acts of vandalism]]. That is truely a dangerous twisted mind at work from which society needs protecting. I wish the [[FBI]] well and pray for a speedy apprehension of this felon. When he is finally behind bars I will then know that I can once again sleep safe an sound. Thank you [[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] for helping make the world a safer place. Please keep us posted on the case. I await the trial with anticipation. [[cp:User:BritishConservative|BritishConservative]] 14:41, 13 July 2007 (EDT)
::: You're welcome. Now if you only you could find someone to teach you how to spell heinous and truly, then you'd almost be ready to graduate from elementary school!--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 16:01, 13 July 2007 (EDT)
::::The problem isn't so much to do with knowing how to spell heinous (I missed a ''d'' in ''and'' too) but one of typos, the old fingers flying over the keyboard aren't as nimble as they used to be. What that has to do with elementary school I will probably never fathom. By the way, have the [[FBI]] got back to you with an update on the progress of their investigation? [[cp:User:BritishConservative|BritishConservative]] 16:29, 13 July 2007 (EDT)
::: Robert Morris was a graduate student in computer science at Cornell University who released his cute little worm (legally similar to the bot used by the vandal last night) on the internet on Nov. 2, 1988. In 1990, Morris was convicted of violating 18 USC § 1030. He appealed, and his conviction was affirmed in U.S. v. Morris, 928 F.2d 504 (2d Cir. 1991). He petitioned the Supreme Court but it had better things to do, and denied cert. in 502 U.S. 817 (1991). I'd guess Morris spent more than $100,000 unsuccessfully on legal fees in trying to justify his "work".--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 16:01, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

:: Andy, internet technologies have come a long way since the Dark Ages of 1988, that case bears no relevance to your complaint of vandalism, and 18 USC § 1030 cannot help you. Collaborative editing tools such as Wikis didn't exist then. If you wish to avoid vandalism, and prosecute those who do so to your blog, you will have to move away from being a Wiki, or close entry to only those you have vetted. You cannot complain about rowdy guests having invited them in. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]] 16:09, 13 July 2007 (EDT)
::: Wumps can't even spell "burglar" but watch how he pretends to be an expert on criminal law. [[Liberal|Liberals]] are highly skilled at ''acting'' like they know something. I doubt Wumps has ever even attended a criminal proceeding.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 16:28, 13 July 2007 (EDT)
::Andy - you've never made a typo? I notice your [[cp:Internet Crime|Internet Crime]] article contribution contains one right now. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]] 16:31, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

::::As a [[cp:Liberal|Liberal]] Wumps is bound to have attended a criminal proceeding - as the accused! [[cp:User:BritishConservative|BritishConservative]] 16:33, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

Ho ho, BritCon. Anyway, yes, I'm going to be banned again for 90/10, but I just wanted to point out that having been invited to create the article, the article is of course locked, Andy's typos and all. Please do keep us informed of the progress of the case. I assume it will be part of the public record soon as it has now been filed, I must check up on it. I will gladly apologise and admit I was wrong when you have that evildoer Stevecarson in court. [[cp:User:Wumps|Wumps]]

''(When the above section was removed, the discussion continued, beginning with BritishConservative noticing the removal).''

[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=230715&oldid=230683 Something] seems to have gone missing. Should I inform the [[FBI]]? [[cp:User:BritishConservative|BritishConservative]] 08:40, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

:Is it malicious vandalism? Was it done by a bot designed to vandalise? No to both questions, so I suggest that you go back to writing and/or improving articles. [[cp:User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 09:04, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

I see you have two cases filed with the FBI. Do you have representation? [[cp:User:LegalWhizz|LegalWhizz]] 15:44, 16 July 2007 (EDT)

===Vandalism and the FBI [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Aschlafly/Archive26#Vandalism_and_the_FBI]===

Hi, I love your encyclopedia and have gotten much useful information out of it. I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to provide me with the exact law governing vandalism on open edit wiki's such as this one, I'm doing a computer assignment and haven't been able to find much information on it. Since you've been using it to prevent liberal vandalism would you be able to tell me it. Thanks, and keep up the good work [[cp:Spooster|Spooster]] 22:46, 14 July 2007 (EDT) 

 Check out [[cp:Internet Crime|Internet Crime]]. [[Godspeed]].--[[cp:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 00:12, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

==The 'Jayjay' Incident==

''(Copied from Fox's Talk page)''

===Vandal [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Fox&diff=prev&oldid=233079#Vandal]===

I can't believe it!! It took me a while to catch on...at first I thought it was a good editor who was interested in doing edits...but then I looked carefully and noticed that he wasn't fixing them, he was messing them up. My question is how was he doing it so quickly? [[cp:User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 19:07, 14 July 2007 (EDT)
:It wasnt a person - it was a bot. [[cp:User:Fox|Fox]] ([[cp:User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[cp:Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 19:08, 14 July 2007 (EDT)
::What?!?!? That's crazy! I wondering how it was going to fast! But I have ask...what's a bot? :) lol...it sounds bad :) And about putting all my rollbacks on my contest page...that's what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure. Thanks for the response! [[cp:User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 19:37, 14 July 2007 (EDT)
:::Bot is short for robot; its a software program designed to access the pages and alter set words for something else - "is" to "was", "conservative" to "liberal" etc. It can go as fast as the CP server feeds it pages :/ [[cp:User:Fox|Fox]] ([[cp:User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 19:45, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

===FBI [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Aschlafly/Archive26#FBI]===
User:Jayjay, using IP address 24.123.175.xx (we have the full number), is being reported next to the FBI. Cincinnati Bell will easily be able to trace that IP. Godspeed.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 19:13, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

===FBI defence [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Aschlafly#FBI_defence]===
Hi - a solicitor friend of mine told me about these cases you're filing with the FBI. I'd be very interested in helping you defend the case - would you be interested? I'm based in the UK, but am American, and have a lot of experience defending people against the rather harsh treatment normally meted out by the FBI in these types of situations. I can work pro-bono, and would be interested to hear your case [[cp:User:DrJoshWeinstein|DrJoshWeinstein]] 18:19, 16 July 2007 (EDT)

:So your solicitor friend would be a middleman, right? [[cp:User:Bohdan|Bohdan]]

Sorry? Are you referring to my asking the owner of this site about legal representation - that has been my only contribution here on Conservapedia? I'm not sure what you mean? [[cp:User:DrJoshWeinstein|DrJoshWeinstein]] 18:04, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

I'm revisiting you herre today to check up on the status of your FBI investigations, but I see you've archived that thread. No matter - I would simply like to again offer my professional services to you in this matter. I am a solicitor well versed in defending individuals against the FBI, and am very familiar with cases such as yours, as I've made it my speciality over the past 15 years or so. I notice your wiki references the Gravois Mills case [http://www.conservapedia.com/Hate_crime#Claims_of_Hate_Crimes] - this is a very similar case to your own, and I have spoken with the pastor involved in that case. Despite being a different area of the law, the FBI does indeed view vandalism of physical property the same as vandalism of online property. I understand that you may appreciate discretion, and I will observe that. Please contact me off list if you are interested. [[cp:User:DrJoshWeinstein|DrJoshWeinstein]] 18:26, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

*Where would you be contacted, Dr. Weinstein? Your IP Address, 85.92.130.117, is located in the Netherlands. You must have a very impressive practice! --[[cp:User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[cp:User_talk:TK|--Talk 2 Me]] 18:35, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

Yes, I am indeed located in the Netherlands - I'm taking a vacation with family in Utrecht, since you asked! You may contact me via my email address off this thread if you wish. [[cp:User:DrJoshWeinstein|DrJoshWeinstein]] 18:41, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

: Wow, and you're posting at nearly 1am on a Sunday morning there while on vacation with your family!!!! Good "doctor", perhaps Wikipedia would be a better home for an "expert" like you. You seem far too "clever".

: By the way, good "doctor", "solicitors" don't practice law here in the [[cp:United States]]. Godspeed.--[[cp:User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 18:56, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

Uhm....yes, it is indeed 1am on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, but what's so strange about being up after midnight with a nice glass of wine by my side and my wife and I playing backgammon? As to 'solicitor', yes, you've spotted that I am a UK-based solicitor - 'lawyer' in American terminology. I also practice law in the US, by the way, and I'm sorry, I should have pointed that out sooner. I have an office in Washington DC. [[cp:User:BjornBenny|BjornBenny]] 19:00, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

*Sid, I suggest you get yourself some rest! --[[cp:User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[cp:User_talk:TK|--Talk 2 Me]] 21:23, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

:*DrJoshWeinstein, Here is some information of on the [http://www.fbi.gov/hq/ci/domain.htm FBI]'s [http://www.infragard.net/index.htm counterintelligence information exchange] program to combat cyber crime, terrorism, and other criminal and internet security threats. [[cp:User:RobS|RobS]] 21:43, 29 July 2007 (EDT)

==Copied from Conservapedia: About Talk Page==

===FBI investigation [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia_talk:About#FBI_investigation]===

Could we please have an update on this? People are curious as to the status of the investigation. Are you allowed to talk about it at this time?--[[cp:User:Philaretes|Philarates]] 12:51, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

:And which people are curious about it at this time? [[cp:User:Karajou|Karajou]] 13:05, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

:Investigations are not launched on a newspaper front page. They are, by their nature, clandestine, unless a point is reached when an indictment will be served. I hope this was edifying. [[cp:User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:03, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

No harm in asking a simple question. In response to Karajou, these people here [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=253308&oldid=253305],and here [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=253329&oldid=253320], and here [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=255042&oldid=255039], and here [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk%3AAbout&diff=255057&oldid=255056]would like to know. BTW, Learn together, how do you know there will be an indictment? The FBI may well determine this is not worth their time or trouble. Andy made it public that he reported username stevecarson to the FBI, so what is the harm in asking? --[[cp:User:Philaretes|Philaretes]]] 15:12, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

:You are concerned about trolls (or a troll) asking questions? Interesting. Hopefully you will take this opportunity to quickly learn FBI protocol. If they had started an investigation, they would hardly copy Andy with what they are doing. They will choose to act based upon their timetables and workload. Andy has informed them of a law being broken. That is the proper procedure to follow. In the event that law is broken again, they would be more likely to expedite the case. Andy has already set that foundation. We won't know, nor do we necessarily care, what is being done at this moment. We'll leave that to you. [[cp:User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:03, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

:As has been previously established, the clandestine nature of investigation means we simply don't know. [[cp:User:DanH|DanH]] 15:14, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

DanH, that is true, assuming that the FBI is conducting an investigation. However, why did Conservapedia ban the editors who asked the questions about the investigation? I understand the one who titled his "embarrasing question" as he was a troll, but the others I think, were not.--[[cp:User:Philaretes|Philaretes]] 15:19, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

==And Finally, The Cover-up: When Asked a Difficult Question, Revert, Threaten and Ban==
It is extraordinary to note the lengths to which Conservapedia management is going in their efforts to cover this incident up and to suppress discussion. Subsequent to Mr.Schlafly's claimed FBI filings, one user after another (it was 3 when this article started, and is now up to 13 incidents and numerous pre-emptive strikes) has asked how the investigation is progressing. Some have pointed out that asking the FBI to prosecute someone who vandalized an open wiki is not only a ridiculous attempt to distract law enforcement officials from far more serious problems, but is possibly also the criminal offense of 'time wasting,' given that there has clearly been no crime committed.

Every question has been met with a broad sequence of reverts and blocks. The powers that be at CP are '''extremely''' touchy about this embarrassing issue, and are engaging in their usual [[conservative]] [[deceit]] — lie, deny, stonewall, cover up, lie, deny, stonewall, ban, rinse, repeat. One CP sysop indicated that asking about the case constitutes an actual "obstruction of justice", another reverted a posting with the comment "FBI is NOYB".

The cases are:
*User Spooster, question at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=233324&oldid=233259] (apparently archived before it could be reverted), block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Spooster].
*User JackTheRealMcCoy, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk%3AAschlafly&diff=253308&oldid=253305], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:JackTheRealMcCoy].
*User Libby, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=254243&oldid=254234], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Libby].
*User Eddiec, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk%3AAschlafly&diff=255042&oldid=255039], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Eddiec].
:*After his block expired, user Eddiec asked again, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AMain_Page&diff=262772&oldid=262757], and gets told to stop asking here [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Eddiec]and then banned AND deleted. 
*User DrJoshWeinstein, discussion (not reverted) at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=prev&oldid=253950#FBI_defence], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:DrJoshWeinstein].
*User SumsUp, warned at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:SumsUp&diff=259921&oldid=233568], reverted at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AMain_Page&diff=255884&oldid=255878], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:SumsUp].
*User Philaretes, reverts at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&diff=257542&oldid=257505] and (on his own talk page!) [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User%3APhilaretes&diff=259124&oldid=259103], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Philaretes]. Eight minutes '''''after''''' the block he gets his '''final warning''' and a remarkable [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk%3APhilaretes&diff=259126&oldid=240911 threat].After his ban, Philaretes responds to Karajou. [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Philaretes]. Somehow, I think he will be banned. Philaretes restores comments to his talk page and adds a message for the sysops [http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Philaretes]
*User Order, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&oldid=257752#Deletions_of_discussions.], threat at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Order&diff=257720&oldid=257686], using the picturesque phrase "they're gonna give you the stick", blocks at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Order] for this exchange of messages [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:JoshuaZ#Official_Warning].
*User EdDeTour, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AMain_Page&diff=257764&oldid=257752], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:EdDeTour].
*User Supervisor (This one is clearly just needling the nice people at CP), revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&diff=next&oldid=259471], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Supervisor].
*User TNM (admittedly tasteless), revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&diff=260676&oldid=260675], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:TNM].
*User CaptainMike, revert at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=next&oldid=261577], block at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=block&user=&page=User%3ACaptainMike].
*User SchoolDebater mentions it in passing in another thread on Conservative's Talk page [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Conservative&curid=6539&diff=263140&oldid=263136], but it's reverted [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Conservative&curid=6539&diff=263141&oldid=263140] and blocked [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:SchoolDebater] by Andy in seconds, calling it "all senseless talk!".
*User GRossi asks about the FBI [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=prev&oldid=317282], a math question that was refused an answer, and Andy's brother's apparent sexuality. Reverted [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Aschlafly&diff=next&oldid=317282], and blocked [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:GRossi], with the message "don't mess with Andy." because he will ******* cut you!

'''NOTE'''

A couple of weeks later, the flurry of activity had died down to only sporadic incidents. But CP is still very sensitive about it. At the time of writing older echos of the incident are still reverbarating at [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia_talk:Privacy_policy Conservapedia talk:Privacy policy]. UPDATE: That page has since been "[[Conservapedia:Burning the Evidence|burned]]" by the CP powers that be. Hardly surprising.

It seems likely that this web page may itself be contributing to the phenomenon that it documents. People may be taunting Conservapedia just to see their efforts mentioned here. Therefore, barring extraordinary developments, '''we will not be posting further incidents here.'''

===The unwritten Commandment===

A user [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:Commandments&oldid=265027 suggested] '''not mentioning the FBI''' should be a [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:Commandments Commandment]. This was duly [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:Commandments&diff=265028&oldid=265027 deleted] and the user [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:PercySugden blocked], with "SubHuman troll" being used as the reason. A further user asked [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:Commandments&oldid=267050 why]. [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:Commandments&diff=267112&oldid=267050 Deletion] followed and the user was [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:EnaSharples blocked]. A third user made a similar [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:Commandments&oldid=275491 suggestion], this was [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:Commandments&diff=275523&oldid=275491 deleted] and the user [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:JohnMarshall blocked], the reason given was ''mentioning FBI''. With CP's characteristic inconsistency, the blocker who mentioned the FBI in the block comment was not himself blocked.

==Closure==
[[File:Conservapedia FOIA 25pc.png|thumb|The evidence of absence.]]
By mid-2010, the whole FBI incident had been relegated to history. However, an enterprising blogger, going by the handle of "History Punk" took matters into his own hands. In a posting on his blog, Historiographic Anarchy on 31 July, 2010, he chastised Rationalwiki for not following through on the FBI incident. He also revealed that he had submitted a request for information on the alleged case reported by Schlafly to the FBI, in terms of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).<ref name=historypunk>[http://historyanarchy.blogspot.com/2010/07/conservapedia-never-even-called-fbi.html Historiographic Anarchy: Conservapedia Never Even Called the FBI]</ref>

He posted the reply from the FBI<ref>[http://www.scribd.com/doc/35161602/Conservapedia-FBI-FOIA-Letter An on-line copy of the letter received from the FBI]</ref>, in which they stated that they were "unable to identify responsive main file records," which is jargon-talk for "we have no record of a complaint being made." Which is what everybody suspected all along.

It should be noted that History Punk's identity and letter are unverified. But anyone else could send a similar FOIA request to verify, and probably should.

It's quite possible that Schlafly has lied to his fellow administrators, informing them that an FBI investigation is underway, whereas the evidence shows that most likely nothing was done. Evidence that some administrators believe that the FBI investigation is ongoing can been seen from Karajou's comments to the [[TZB|sysops' discussion group:]]
{{quotebox|Another thing we have to be aware of is the fact that certain RW trolls are stating we are bluffing when it comes to the FBI, et al. There's a major investment in time and money in Conservapedia, and one side wants to kill it off. So when it comes to law enforcement, no bluffing allowed. <ref>[[TZB]] 410/19a0f837d938b791.html</ref>}}
{{quotebox|Our physical presence over in RW has several effects: 1. It could undermine whatever law enfforcement investigations currently going on; the FBI could see that we're just two groups of squabbling kids and leave it at that.<ref>[[TZB]] 280/cc906d0c4ef44104.html</ref>}}

==Foototes==
<references/>

==See also==
* [[FBI Biometrics Database]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:{{PAGENAME}}}}
[[Category:Conservapedia]]
[[category:internet]]
[[category:law]]
[[Category:Best of RationalWiki]]
[[Category:Best of Conservapedia]]

Andrew Schlafly

2012-01-01T14:04:06Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

[[Image:ASchlafly.JPG|thumb|175px|right|Andrew Schlafly]]
'''Andrew Schlafly''' is a [[liberal]] lawyer and former "[[engineer]]." Mr. Schlafly is also the surprising founder of Conservapedia, which he somehow managed to set up.

Andrew Schlafly is the fifth child of attorney John Fred Schlafly, Jr. and noted political activist [[Phyllis Schlafly]]. His great-grandfather, August Schlafly, was founder of the Union Trust and Savings Bank of East St. Louis, Ill., the First National Bank of Edwardsville, Ill., and other banks in Western states. <ref> [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3DB1638F936A15752C1A962948260 Catherine Kosarek] Wedding news. November 25, 1984.
</ref>

He graduated from [[Princeton University|Princeton]] University with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and from Harvard Law School as an attorney. A magna cum laude graduate from [[Harvard]] Law School, he was an editor of the [[Harvard Law Review]]. <ref> [http://www.blogsforterri.com/archives/2005/03/medical_attorne.php Medical Attorney Andrew Schlafly] Posted on March 23, 2005. </ref>

He teaches one of the largest homeschool classes in the country, including one class in fall 2006 with 58 students in [[World_History_Lectures|World History]]. In spring 2007 he taught [[Economics_Lectures|Economics]].

Conservapedia developed as a result of his World History course. Andrew Schlafly and several of his top students continue to lead the project, and most of his students have contributed entries to it.

Andrew Schlafly has taught homeschoolers online since the late 1990s, and in person since fall 2002. Several of Andrew Schlafly's prior course materials are available on [http://www.eagleforumu.org Eagle Forum University].

== External links ==
[[Image:Img524 Andy.jpg|thumb|Andy Schlafly at Columbia University]]
*[http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html About CLEP] The College-Level Examination Program.
*[http://hbutler0.tripod.com/semmelweissocietytv/id52.html Andrew Schlafly], Esq.

{{Clear}}

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Lawyers]]
[[Category: Academics]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlafly, Andrew}}

Talk:Tea Party Movement

2012-01-01T14:02:50Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Redirected page to Tea Party Bowel Movement

#REDIRECT [[Tea Party Bowel Movement]]

{{Articletalkheader}}

==TEA Party==
TEA Party - wouldn't this be a backronym? When it first started, it was just in reference to the Boston Tea Party, as far as I can tell - making it stand for something seems to have come later. --[[User:JTutone|JTutone]] 13:20, 9 2009 (EST)

:Since before the Tax Day Tea Parties took place, '''TEA''' was and always has stood for 'Taxed Enough Already'. There's a difference between an acronym and a theme. You should read the [[Tea Party Movement]] page, the intro will answer your question and the rest will clarify it for you. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 00:17, 11 December 2009 (EST)

== Please December fix vandalism ==

"In early 2010 it remains an under-organized, underfunded amateurish movement with mediocre leadership. But several aspiring conservatives especially Marco Rubio of Florida and Gary Johnson of New Mexico, are unofficially competing to become its leader." [[User:Danq|danq]] 22:43, 14 January 2010 (EST)

== "An under-organized, underfunded amateurs' movement with obscure leadership." ==

Does this really need to go back in the article, RJJensen? [[User:AlexWD|AlexWD]] 23:58, 14 January 2010 (EST)

:I agree.It is a grassroots movement, amateurish is not accurate. The movement does not have any one leader or leaders- mediocre leadership??? Under-organized? possible two million people met in D.C. on 9/12. Underfunded? I did not realize that sponsors are hurting for cash. Marc Rubio is trying to be elected as a conservative candidate for Senate. I see nothing whereby he is vying for leadership position within the TEA party movement. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 00:02, 15 January 2010 (EST)
::Yeah, it's accurate. "amateur" -- yes this is a movement against professionals by people with no political experience. The national and state leadership cannot even be named because they do not exist. The funding does not exist. Who't the treasurer? where are the required financial reports? There's grass roots enthusiasm but much less organization than a high school pep rally. Now people may rejoice in this unled, underfunded, unorganized group but we're an encyclopedia and it's our job to describe it accurately and not ignore its most obvious characteristics. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 00:09, 15 January 2010 (EST)
While "amateurish" may be accurate, it's a general term. "Grassroots" is a somewhat more specific term which implies that it is not run by professional politicians (ie, amateur). I also feel the amount of funding isn't the point: the fact that it brought two million people together in one spot demonstrates that whatever funding it has is at least sufficient to accomplish the primary goals of the movement, that is, organizing protests. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 00:14, 15 January 2010 (EST)
::what is their primary goal??? without any visible leaders or any agreed on policy statement, that's very hard to say. I think the goal is to purify the GOP. That is they are really keen to throw out bad GOP leaders. This is an echo of the progressive antibossism movement of 1900 (see [[Recall Election]]. What's very different is that the progressives of 1900 were very well organized, and very well led. "amateurish" means they are inexperienced outsiders. There have been lots of movements like the Tea Partiers in American history and all of them have failed to achieve any of their goals. There were several in the 1930s, for example, such as "Share the Wealth", "Ham and Eggs" and the "Townsend Movement". In the 1880s the prohibitionists fit exactly the same mold. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 00:41, 15 January 2010 (EST)

I've written it to be more polite and accurate while keeping RJJensen's message. See edit "Compromise" -[[User:Danq|danq]]
::Nice job. I like it. [[User:AlexWD|AlexWD]] 14:25, 15 January 2010 (EST)
:::good solution--thanks! [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 15:38, 15 January 2010 (EST)
::::If anyone has a problem they need to take it to the talk page first. And name-calling a senior administrator a liberal is beyond the bounds of propriety here. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 19:22, 15 January 2010 (EST)

*I agree with Jpatt, and have reverted. --<big>[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]</big>/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 21:55, 15 January 2010 (EST)

==Is it racist?==

Liberals delight in calling the Tea Party racist, but I don't think they have any evidence of this. Would anyone care to comment? (You'd think at least they would try to fake it.) What about Andrew Breitbart's $100,000 offer to anyone coming up with a video? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 20:53, 27 October 2010 (EDT)
:The only racists outed have been liberals disguised as Tea Party Members. But you don't have to hold a racist sign to be called racist. The lamestream media calls the crowd mostly white- implying racism.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 21:24, 27 October 2010 (EDT)

== Referencing? ==

I've done some slight rewording and added a sentence that I think is important to the history of the Tea Party movement. It refers to execution of a Tea Party 2007 on December 16th of that year by the supporters of Ron Paul. However, I can not figure out how to reference the YouTube video that is the best compilation of sources reporting on the phenomenon. The video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKZmIzEMUN8

Another reference for the statement I've inserted can be found here: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090415005738&newsLang=en

I'm new at this and if anybody can help me out, I'd be very appreciative. I think it's important to defining the actual roots and positions of the original TEA party.

:Along with some other organizational edits, I added a reference to the ronpaulforums.com page where a news video covering the event was posted. I also updated the sentence, which was: ''"One earlier manifestation of both the movement and the name occurred in the fall of 2007 when supporters of Ron Paul called for a 'Tea Party 2007' to promote Paul's bid for the presidency and a return to limited federal government."'' I corrected this sentence because the statement "manifestation of both the movement and the name" seems to imply that the TEA Party Movement materialized or manifested itself from the "Tea Party 2007" event, which is not accurate, as I referenced in citations. The only relation between the two is in their theme. One of the primary differences between the movement and Ron Paul's Tea Party 2007 rally, although related in theme, is in the use of the backronym "TEA."
:I do not believe Ron Paul's rally used a backronym for the word "Tea"; he and his supporters used the name to describe how their event was a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party, which was also held to promote Ron Paul's bid for presidency. The Tea Party Movement is by the American people, not just American people for Ron Paul; it is America's indictment against the ruling class. Moreover, if Ron Paul's "Tea Party 2007" rally were a real Tea Party Movement protest, then the $6 million in donations received from it would not have gone to only Ron Paul's presidency campaign, it would have gone to the Tea Party Movement. It would have gone to help support all candidates whose values are in-line with the American people taking part in the movement. Candidates don't choose the Tea Party, the Tea Party chooses the candidates based on their values. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 18:14, 22 August 2011 (EDT)

== Origin of "teabaggers" ==

In case anyone's interested, in using the term "teabaggers" Obama was being EXTREMELY offensive and making slanderous implications of homosexuality. The terms "teabagging" and "teabagger" are British military slang and extremely crude. As this is a family-friendly encyclopaedia I won't go into details, but the teabag in question is a small sac on the male body that appears to be made of elbow skin. It's not just a derogatory play on words; it's a serious and pretty despicable insult. If someone called ME a teabagger I would be extremely upset. --[[User:JMairs|JMairs]] 18:49, 26 August 2011 (EDT)
:Unfortunately if you are not a crude person you do not know when you are being crude. The TEA party took that term as their own moniker initially, until those who knew what the slang meant began to explain our linguistic mistake. --[[User:DrDean|DrDean]] 19:04, 26 August 2011 (EDT)
::I don't think it's accurate to assume 'The TEA Party' took the name as 'their own' term. I knew it was a crude term from day one when MSNBC and CNN first started using it. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 03:18, 27 August 2011 (EDT)
::No way we would coin it for ourselves. We're too smart for that. Everyone knows what teabagging means. If not, look it up on Urban Dictionary. [[User:Danq|danq]] 22:49, 27 August 2011 (EDT)
:::Why wouldn't it be accurate? The vast majority of tea party members had no idea that it was a term that would even need to be looked up. It's not about being dumb or smart or clean or vulgar, it's just that a whole lot of people who were in the movement didn't know what it meant. I didn't either, I never used the term because I felt that it was pretty lame to be throwing tea bags in the trash and only used loose leaf tea at my first tea party, but that is beside the point... --18:37, 1 September 2011 (EDT)

== <big>Koch Brothers</big> ==

The article doesn't once mention them?- Barnes
:And why would it? [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 12:02, 10 November 2011 (EST)

::Remember when the liberals had a hissy fit and everything was Bush Cheney? Then came Obama and the rise of the Tea Party. It wasn't until late 2009/early 2010 that the name Koch was on every liberals tongue. So the Koch's were a nothing until a coordinated attack from Obama and the NYT. Koch's are not influential in the movement, they are supporters no doubt with American for Prosperity. However, they are not the boogey-men liberals think control the movement. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 12:13, 10 November 2011 (EST)

Tea Party Movement

2012-01-01T14:01:56Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Undo revision 950042 by GregG (talk)

#REDIRECT [[Occupy Wall Street]]

New Jersey

2012-01-01T14:01:19Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Replaced content with "The shittiest state in the USA. So glad I'm not from NJ."

The shittiest state in the USA.

So glad I'm not from NJ.

Barack Hussein Obama

2012-01-01T13:58:43Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{Officeholder
|name=Barack Hussein Obama
|image=President Barack Obama.jpg
|party=[[Democrat]]

oh my god ive been vandalizing this for an HOUR AND NO ONE HAS STOPPED ME!!!!

10001424052748704597704574487431322664964.html</ref>

==U.S. Senate career==
:''See also: [[Early_life_and_career_of_Barack_Hussein_Obama#U.S._Senate_.282004-2008.29|Barack Obama:U.S. Senate (2004-2008)]]''
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|left|Senator Barack Obama]]

Following a failed campaign for the U. S. House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004 against Republican candidate Jack Ryan. He won the seat after Chicago media outlets The Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV; together with candidate Jack Ryan's Republican Primary opponents, sought and obtained the release of the confidential and personally embarrassing records in his California divorce from actress Jeri Ryan, forcing him to end his campaign. Ryan was replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]]. Obama won over Keyes 70% to 27% in the general election. Obama spent very little time in the Senate - "frustrated by his lack of influence and what he called the 'glacial pace' ... [he began] running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors."<ref name="nyt senate">{{cite web|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times, Inc.|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role|author=Kate Zernike and Jeff Zelleny|date=March 9, 2008|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/politics/09obama.html}}</ref>

Obama frequently used the [[filibuster]] to obstruct the operations of government,<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303801_pf.html</ref> voted against the [[minimum wage]]<ref>[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.</ref><ref>[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.</ref> and debt ceiling increases,<ref>http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/obama-once-opposed-debt-ceiling-hike/237129/</ref> and recieved more than $126,000 in campaign contributions from [[Fannie Mae]]. The ''[[National Journal]]'' ranked him the most liberal senator in 2007.<ref name="ranked">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502163_162-3775451-502163.html|title=National Journal: Obama Most Liberal Senator In 2007|author=Brian Montopoli|date=January 31, 2008|work=CBS}}</ref>

==Presidential Election==
{{main article|Barack Hussein Obama 2008 Presidential campaign}}
Democrats began calling for an Obama candidacy after liberals lauded his 2004 [[Democratic National Convention]] speech.
===Campaign to be the Democratic nominee===
The race for the Democratic ticket originally seemed [[Hillary Clinton]]'s to lose, but was ultimately a close race between Clinton and Obama. Clinton would take a slim advantage in the popular vote, while Obama would carry significantly more states and territories. Obama's advantage with super-delegates over Clinton was about 2-to-1.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Superdelegate endorsements for Friday 6/6|work=Democratic Convention Watch|url=http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/06/superdelegate-endorsements-for-friday.html}}</ref> Obama was able to attract the support of [[liberals]] by pointing out that he had come out against the [[Iraq War]] "from the beginning" whereas Clinton had voted in favor of the war in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-31-democrats-debate_N.htm|title=Obama, Clinton stress differences on Iraq, issues|author=David Jackson|work=USA Today|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref>
===Campaign for the Presidency===
Obama campaigned against Senator [[John McCain]] in the general election. To the chagrin of Clinton supporters, he selected Senator [[Joe Biden]] to be his running mate, whereas McCain selected [[Governor]] of [[Alaska]] [[Sarah Palin]]. The Obama and Biden ticket would win the election, and Obama would become the nation's first [[African American]] president.

====Jeremiah Wright====
:''See also: [[Barack Obama and Liberation Theology]]''
One major dilemma that arose for Obama during his campaign was his connection to his preacher [[Jeremiah Wright]]. Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776246/posts</ref> in Chicago, a chruch that embraced [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering so-called "oppressed groups" against "establishment forces". This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays as ministers.<ref>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008</ref> Church pastor Jeremiah Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statement "G-d damn America," and in describing the September 11th attacks, "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]</ref> In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying "We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being [[anti-Semitic]]."

In April 2008, after 20 years in the church, candidate Obama made public statements poised to set him at odds with the man who conducted his wedding and baptized his children. With the negative publicity persisting, a month later Obama ended the friendship, left Wright's church, and blamed the media.<ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, May 31, 2008</ref> Obama claimed “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...", and distanced himself from Wright's sermons as "a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth."<ref>USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]</ref><ref>''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's "Rants"''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]</ref>

==Presidential career==
{{main article|Obama administration}}
[[File:Obama and George H. W. Bush.jpg|thumb|right|300px|President Barack Obama meets with former President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office, Feb. 15, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza).]]
Under Obama's stewardship the United States has suffered the largest [[Federal budget deficit|deficit]]s<ref>http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10708/11-06-mbr.htm</ref><ref>http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/118xx/doc11873/NovemberMBR.pdf</ref> in history and a credit downgrade from the rating agency Standard & Poor. Most observers attribute the deficits to increasing benefits and welfare paid out on account of the Recession he inherited and has failed to end along with decreasing tax receipts. Standard & Poor decided to downgrade U.S. government deby after the debt ceiling debate debacle, where Congressional leaders refused to pass a bill authorizing borrowing to pay for the budget they had passed with much debate and controversy earlier in the year. Cynics have argued that rhetoric directed at the rating agencies about the issuance of AAA ratings to junk real estate bonds spurred the downgrade as a form of retribution. Ironically, the investor scare led to the flocking of investors to the safe haven of the Treasury bonds which had been downgraded, resulting in lower interest rates. As there are very few AAA bond markets, investors will likely continue to buy U.S. government debt for the foreseeable future. <ref>http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/04/18/the-sp-outlook-and-obama/</ref> When his [[economic stimulus]] program was adopted unemployment rose and stagnated in the 10% range, <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476104575439172480870774.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</ref> leaving tens of millions without [[hope]] of finding a job.<ref>[http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LNS11300000&years_option=specific_years&include_graphs=true&to_month=1&from_month=2 United States Department of Labor], Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data extracted on: July 19, 2010 (4:31:11 PM).</ref>

Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen, writing in the [[Wall Street Journal]], noted, "Rather than being a unifier, Mr. Obama has divided America on the basis of race, class and partisanship." The commentators also note Obama's approach to governance has encouraged radical leftists to pursue a similar strategy on his behalf. Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, acknowledged that the [[Obama administration]] has taken to polarizing America around the issue of race as a means of diverting attention from other issues, saying, "Having one's opponent [[race card|rebut charges of racism]] is far better than discussing [[Unemployment|joblessness]]."<ref>http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Mary_Frances_Berry_91E3D9D5-C40D-440C-9D48-1C50CBC60C87.html</ref> Caddell and Schoen, who worked for President Carter and Clinton, respectively, further stated, "Mr. Obama has also cynically [[class warfare|divided the country on class lines]]. He has taken to playing the populist card time and time again. He bashes Wall Street and insurance companies whenever convenient to advance his programs, yet he has been eager to accept campaign contributions and negotiate with these very same banks and [[corporation]]s behind closed doors in order to advance his political agenda... President Obama's divisive approach to governance has weakened us as a people and paralyzed our political culture."<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748703700904575391553798363586.html</ref>

===Domestic policy===
====Popular bills====
Obama's first act of office was to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - effectively nullifying the [[Supreme Court]] case ''Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'', which ruled that Ledbetter had to have filed a pay [[discrimination]] suit within 180 days of the first time Ledbetter was payed less than her male peers;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html|work=The New York Times|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> the law made corporations subject to suit within 180 days of each time the employee was unfairly paid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20090213.html?=features|work=FindLaw|author=Joanna L. Grossman|date=Feb. 13, 2009|format=HTML|language=English|title=The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009}}</ref>

On January 2, 2011, Obama signed the James Zadroga [[9/11]] Healthcare and Compensation Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/jan/02/obama-signs-zadroga-act-law/|publisher=New York Public Radio|title=Obama Signs Zadroga Act into Law|author=Fred Mogul|date=January 02, 2011|work=wNYC|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> The act, which afforded 9/11 first responders who were sickened by the dust from the collapse of the [[World Trade Center]] health care and compensation, passed [[Congress]] after its sponsored agreed to scale down the pricing from 7.4 to 4.2 billion dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/dec/22/zadroga-911-bill-passes-senate/|publisher=New York Public Radio|work=wNYC|format=HTML|language=English|title=Congress Approves 9/11 Health Bill|date=December 22, 2010}}</ref>

====Economic plan====
[[File:Keynes.jpg|thumbnail|right|190px|[[Barack Obama]] advocates the use of [[Keynesian economics|Keynesian economic concepts]] despite the fact that [[John Maynard Keynes]] was incompetent and a fraud.<ref>
*[http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/fabian-john-maynard-keynes-the-stealthy-enemy-of-human-freedom/ John Maynard Keynes the stealthy enemy of human freedom]
*[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-02-22/deathbed-of-keynesian-economics-will-be-in-u-k-matthew-lynn.html Deathbed of Keynesian Economics will be in the UK]
*[http://www.iwf.org/inkwell/show/23102.html Will the G8 Repudiate the Philosophy of Living Beyond Our Means?]
*[http://www.keynesatharvard.org/book/KeynesatHarvard-ch09.html KEYNES AT HARVARD Economic Deception as a Political Credo BY ZYGMUND DOBBS]
</ref> ]]
{{see also|Obamunism|American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009}}
Critics of the Obama administration have coined the word "[[Obamunism]]" to describe Barack Obama's [[socialism|socialistic]] and "[[fascism]] light" [[economic planning]] policies.<ref>[[Benito Mussolini]] defined fascism as the wedding of state and corporate powers. Accordingly, trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] labels [[Obama administration corporate bailouts|Obama's corporate bailouts]] as being "fascism light" in nature.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/daily-intel/2009/07/20/obamunism-inc|work=The Big Money|publisher=WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obamunism, Inc.|author=David Sessions|date=July 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/gerald-celente-6944|author=Jim Blasingame|title=Is the government creating a bailout bubble?}}</ref> Obamunism can also refer to Obama's [[Obama administration fiscal policy|ruinous fiscal policies]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|reckless monetary policies]].<ref name="gerard">{{cite web|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/120883-monetary-policynot-obama-s-stimulusis-what-needs-watching|title=Monetary Policy-Not Obama's Stimulus-Is What Needs Watching|author=Gerard Jackson|date=February 16, 2009|work=Seeking Alpha}}</ref><ref name="bam">{{cite web|work=New York Post|date=May 17, 2009|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/05172009/postopinion/editorials/bams_wise_words_169731.htm|title=BAM'S WISE WORDS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/|title=Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures|work=The Foundry|publisher=The Heritage Foundation|author=Conn Carroll|date=March 24th, 2009}}</ref> As seen in his own actions, Barack Obama instructed his advisors to find loopholes that would enable the president to act as a [[dictator]] by pushing through legislation and increases in spending without congressional authority.<ref>http://www.theblaze.com/stories/executive-dictatorship-obama-instructs-advisers-to-push-through-stimulus-projects-without-pesky-congressional-authorization/</ref>

[[Wall Street]] firms and banks that were bailed out were among Obama's biggest campaign supporters.<ref>http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638</ref> Therefore, the Obama administration bailouts of corrupt, unproductive, and reckless Wall Street firms was hardly surprising, and many argue that it was not helpful in making the United States economy more productive and prosperous by encouraging more risk taking through letting banks off with a slap on the wrist. Others argue that bailing out the banks kept credit flowing and prevented a much deeper recession and a total collapse of the financial system. The government will recoup some though not all of its capital infusions over time. A 2005 study found that government corporate bailouts are often done for mere political considerations and the economic resources allocated exhibit significantly worse economic performance than resources allocated using purely business considerations.<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=676905</ref> Proponents of [[free market]] capitalism said Bernanke should not have bailed out failing firms and instead should have allowed free market capitalism to quickly recover as it did in the depression of 1920 without government intervention (free market capitalists assert that government intervention drags out economic recessions and depressions).<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czcUmnsprQI</ref>

Top trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] predicts that the corrupt economic policies of the Obama administration will lead to a second [[Great Depression|great depression]] (Celente predicted the 1987 US stock market crash, the dot.com crash, the US 2008/2009 recession, and the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s) and may lead to a "second [[American Revolution]]" (Celente predicted the [[Tea Party Movement|tax protests]] that are now occurring in America).<ref name="celente1">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MMX3SKzrfU&feature=channel_page</ref><ref name="celente2">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy9bfw1ebgw&feature=response_watch</ref> Celente also asserts that the costly and inefficient temporary short term methods that the Obama administration is using to alleviate economic problems in the short term (which is causing massive increases in [[Obama administration deficit spending]]) is only making matters worse and will not prevent the worse economic depression in United States history from occurring.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C8K7rWkGGw</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LBffdIW0XA&feature=response_watch</ref>

The Obama administration has been sharply criticized for [[Obama administration deficit spending|its massive deficit spending]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|its reckless monetary policy]] via vast increases in the [[money supply]], although inflation under Bernanke has been below the historic mean.<ref name="gerard"/><ref name="bam"/><ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/</ref> Celente predicts that if a "second American Revolution" occurs in a peaceful and productive manner, it may include a [[Third Party System|third party movement]] of governance that will advocate a more [[free market]] [[capitalism]] approach to the American economy and a more strict interpretation of the [[United States Constitution|United States constitution]] as far as the authors' [[original intent]].<ref name="celente1"/><ref name="celente2"/>

During what the [[White House]] billed as [[Recovery Summer]], one half million workers per week continued losing their jobs. His signature legislative achievement, [[ObamaCare]],has been found to be [[unconstitutional]]<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-13/u-s-health-care-law-requirement-thrown-out-by-judge.html</ref> by several judges and constitutional by others, and is credited as a major cause of uncertainty, high [[unemployment]],<ref>http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33220</ref> lagging job creation,<ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-medicare%E2%80%99s-finances-shadowed-by-uncertainty/</ref> and risk of a credit default crisis.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/28/AR2010032802353.html</ref><ref>http://www.thestreet.com/story/10703361/cramer-obamacare-will-topple-the-market.html</ref>

His 2012 Budget plan has been roundly criticized in the mainstream and liberal press as not a serious effort to deal with the nation's economic crisis.<ref>[http://republican.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=blogs.view&blog_id=1551d6f5-2ac9-4b8d-97ab-74def354024e Newspapers Call Out White House: ‘What Would That Path Be, Mr. President?’]</ref>

=====Healthcare=====
{{main article|Obamacare}}
On March 23, 2010, Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The act had originated in the House of Representatives and passed September 17, 2009. The act was amended and passed the Senate prior to [[Democrat]] [[Ted Kennedy]]'s passing along party lines - just a filibuster-proof majority at 60-39. In what can be construed as a de facto rejection of the bill, [[Massachusetts]] voters elected a [[Republican]] candidate, [[Scott Brown]], who promised to vote against the bill,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/scott-brown-wins-massachusetts-senate-race.html|work=The Washington Post|author=Chris Cillizza|date=January 19, 2010|title=Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> but another Senate vote would not occur. Scott Brown was also an excellent campaigner and judged to be a better candidate than his rival, Martha Coakley. He has since achieved one of the most moderate senate voting records, likely to avoid the anger of his mostly liberal constituency. After Obama made a promise to issue an [[executive order]] that would ultimately prohibit the use of taxpayer subsidies to pay for [[abortion]] services,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/22/nation/la-na-healthcare-passage22-2010mar22/3|work=The Los Angeles Times|format=HTML|language=English|title=House passes historic healthcare overhaul|date=March 22, 2010|author=Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook}}</ref> the [[House of Representatives]] would pass the bill as it left the Senate 219-212, with 34 Democrats and all other parties dissenting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-21/politics/health.care.main_1_health-care-entire-house-democratic-caucus-pre-existing-conditions?_s=PM:POLITICS|date=March 21, 2010|author=Alan Silverleib|work=CNN|format=HTML|language=English|title=House passes health care bill on 219-212 vote}}</ref>

Amongst other things, the act mandates that the population purchase health care coverage or face punitive tax measures, and on this basis has been constitutionally challenged in the federal courts, with mixed results (three courts have upheld the act, two have declared it unconstitutional); thus, the Act is likely destined for [[Supreme Court]] reviewal. Plans originally proposed involved instituting a universal public insurance program, that is, extending Medicare to everyone. The universal mandate included in the act was originally a conservative idea that was enacted in Massachusetts under Republican Mitt Romney. Its supporters note that having health insurance results in reduced costs in paying for treatment of uninsured and forcing people to take responsibility for their healthcare. Due to ethical constraints, doctors cannot deny care to poor patients, resulting in the hospital and the healthcare system at large bearing the cost.

====Gulf oil spill====
{{main article|Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster}}
President Obama authorized offshore oil drilling in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0430/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-imperils-Obama-s-offshore-drilling-plan Gulf of Mexico oil spill imperils Obama's offshore drilling plan,] By Mark Clayton, ''Christian Science Monitor'', April 30, 2010.</ref> stating, "oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills"<ref>White House Press Release, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-a-discussion-jobs-and-economy-charlotte-north-carolina Remarks by the President in a Discussion on Jobs and the Economy in Charlotte, North Carolina,] Office of the Press Secretary, April 02, 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 3 May 2010.</ref> and was widely criticized for his mishandling of the "[[Gulf oil spill disaster|worst environmental disaster]] in US history."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-Oil-slick-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-is-set-on-fire Worst environmental disaster in US history,] Maryann Tobin, ''Examiner'', April 29, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/?src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman Conscience of a Liberal: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault,] Paul Krugman, ''New York Times'', April 30, 2010.</ref>

====Don't Ask Don't Tell====
{{main article|Don't Ask Don't Tell}}
Candidate Obama promised to repeal a policy that originated in the Clinton era that prohibited inquiries into military personnel's [[sexual orientation]] while also barring "out" [[homosexuals]] from serving in the military. [[Liberals]] expressed anger when time passed and no effort to repeal the law was seen;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/|work=The Washington Times|format=HTML|title=Obama to delay ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal|language=English|author=Rowan Scarborough|date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> in fact, Obama's [[justice department]], as part of their duty to defend all laws passed by any administration, filed a brief arguing against the [[Supreme Court]] granting a [[writ of certiorari]] to a gay soldier challenging the law (the writ was not granted). In response, the soldier, James Pietrangelo II, a former Army infantryman and lawyer, said, “[Obama's] a coward, a bigot and a pathological liar. This is a guy who spent more time picking out his dog, Bo, and playing with him on the White House lawn than he has working for equality for gay people."<ref>{{cite web|work=Time Magazine|publisher=Time Inc.|format=HTML|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1903545,00.html?imw=Y|title=Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout|author=Mark Thompson|date=Jun. 09, 2009}}</ref>

On December 15th, 2010, a bill was introduced in the [[House of Representatives]] to repeal the law - it passed a day later by a vote of 250-175;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll638.xml|title=FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 638|format=HTML|work=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref> it passed the Senate three days later 65-31.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00281|work=The U.S. Senate|title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 2nd Session|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 on December 22nd.<ref name="g dadt">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/22/obama-repeals-dont-ask-dont-tell|work=The Guardian|format=HTML|language=English|title='Don't ask, don't tell' repealed as Obama signs landmark law|date=22 December 2010}}</ref>

The [[Pentagon]] itself could not immediately implement the repeal and questioned whether it would hurt combat readiness.<ref name="g dadt"/> Senator [[John McCain]], the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, opposed the bill, saying "It may be premature to make such a change at this time and in this manner, without further consideration of this report and further study of the issue by Congress – for of all the people we serve, one of our highest responsibilities is to the men and women of our armed services, especially those risking their lives in combat.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/mccain-on-dont-ask-dont-tell-dont-rush/|title=McCain on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: Don’t Rush|date=December 2nd, 2010|format=HTML|author=David M. Herszenhorn|language=English|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
[[File:Western Wall Obama.jpg|thumb|left|320px|At [[Western Wall]], Jerusalem, 2008.]]
As Senator, Obama was highly critical of President Bush and promised change. As President, Obama has tripled down in Afghanistan, widened the war into Pakistan, multiplied drone attacks, bombed Yemen and Somalia, and started an undeclared NATO war in Libya. On presidential war powers, surveillance questions, Guantanamo, detention policy and habeas corpus, Obama has similarly stayed the course, or expanded Bush's precedents. In a speech on May 19, 2011 Obama fully embraced the [[Bush Doctrine]] of preventative war.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-news-in-obamas-speech/2011/05/19/AF4dFN7G_story.html</ref>

<blockquote>
The New America Foundation, which tracks the strikes, has listed 23 raids since the beginning of April, 2011, all but one in Pakistan’s tribal regions of North and South Waziristan. A June 20 attack was reported in Kurram, an area north of North Waziristan along the Afghanistan border.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The drone program has become increasingly controversial as the Obama administration has expanded its use beyond the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Lethal missiles have been launched from unmanned aircraft in at least five countries in addition to Pakistan: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and, most recently, Somalia. The military’s Joint Special Operations Command used a drone last June to attack what officials said were two senior members of the Al Shabab militant group on the Somali coast. [http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/07/04/cia_halts_drone_launches_from_pakistan_base/]
</blockquote>

====Commander-in-chief====
By Obama's second year as Commander-in-Chief, 559 American troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan - significantly more than the 469 who died during Presisdent [[George W. Bush]]'s final year in office. And growing numbers of civilian contractors also have fallen. In the first half of 2010, 250 contractors reportedly died in Iraq and Afghanistan - more than the 235 military personnel who fell during the same period.<ref>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/05/24/114662/what-price-war.html#ixzz1Nz07pg5O</ref>

=====Afghanistan=====
{{main article|Afghanistan War}}
Obama escalated troop strength<ref name="pbs">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/themes/strategy.html#ixzz1LhWNImZp|title=Obama's New Strategy (March '09)|author=George Packer, Seth Jones, David Kilcullen, Rory Stewart, Andrew Exum, Col. Andrew Bacevich (Ret.)|work=PBS|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> and defense costs in Afghanistan from $43.5 billion in George Bush's last year to $113.7 billion for 2011.<ref>Congressional Research Service, quoted in Gregory Anthony, ''What price war?''</ref> Adviser to General [[Stanley McChrystal]] David Kilcullen wrote, "One of the big strategic shifts is the use of language now which talks about Pakistan and Afghanistan as the same theater. Now we talked about Af-Pak long before the Obama administration came about, but the public use of that term, and the description of it as the Afghanistan-Pakistan campaign, sends a new message to people about how the administration is going to think about Afghanistan and Pakistan."<ref name="pbs"/> This became evident when, under the orders of Obama, a military SEALs team killed September 11th mastermind [[Osama bin Laden]] in Abottabad, Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/05/commander-in-chief.html|title=Commander in Chief|author=Daniel Romano and Daniel Klaidman|date=May 05, 2011|work=Newsweek|publisher=The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref>

=====Iraq=====
{{main article|Operation Iraqi Freedom}}
Obama campaigned on a promise to end the War in Iraq, which he has done.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-17/middleeast/world_meast_iraq-troops-leave_1_1st-cavalry-division-camp-adder-troop-movements?_s=PM:MIDDLEEAST|work=CNN|title=Obama: Last U.S. troops leave Iraq|date=December 17, 2011|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref>

=====Guantanamo Bay=====
{{main article|Guantanamo Bay}}
One of Obama's campaign promises was that he would close the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba - detainees would be flown to other countries while the ones awaiting trial would enter the American court system. Two days after taking office he signed an order directing the military to do so.<ref name="salon">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/25/obama_guantanamo_rhetoric|work=Salon|title=The Obama/Gitmo timeline|author=Natasha Lennard|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> But, in November 2009 Obama admitted that his self imposed deadline of January 2010 would be missed, and in March 2011 the president went back on his campaign promise, signing an executive order to create a formal system of indefinite detention for the prisoners.<ref name="salon"/>

=====Libya=====
{{main article|Libyan uprising 2011}}
In February 2011, the political unrest that had spread through the Arab world showed up as protests in Libya. Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi - dictator of Libya for 41 years - responded to the activism with a wave of violence.<ref name="nyt libya">{{cite web|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/libya/index.html|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Inc.|format=HTML|language=English|title=Libya — Protests and Revolt (2011)}}</ref> The [[United Nations Security Council]] voted unanimously to impose [[sanctions]], and later authorized all members to take action to protect civilians. Obama, acting without approval from Congress and at the beckoning of the [[United Nations]], directed American forces to take out Libya's air defense system.<ref name="nyt libya"/> Obama later said, "[I]f we waited one more day Benghazi, a city nearly the size of Charlotte, could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world."<ref>{{cite web|author=Barack Obama|url=http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134935452/obamas-speech-on-libya-a-responsibility-to-act|title=Obama's Speech On Libya: 'A Responsibility To Act'|date=March 28, 2011|publisher=National Public Radio ([[NPR]])|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> [[Alan J. Kuperman]] - writing an editorial for the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' - suggested this statement was false, writing, "[I]ntervention did not prevent genocide, because no such bloodbath was in the offing. To the contrary, by emboldening rebellion, US interference has prolonged Libya’s civil war and the resultant suffering of innocents."<ref name="kuperman">{{cite web|author=Alan J. Kuperman|work=The Boston Globe|url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions|title=False pretense for war in Libya?|date=April 14, 2011}}</ref> Kuperman, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas who authored a book called ''The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention'', further stated that the rebels had tricked the world into thinking a bloodbath was at hand and that Obama had lied to the American people in order to act on this theory.<ref name="kuperman"/>
<blockquote>
Gaddafi [never] threaten civilian massacre in Benghazi, as Obama alleged. The “no mercy’’ warning, of March 17, targeted rebels only, as reported by The New York Times, which noted that Libya’s leader promised amnesty for those “who throw their weapons away.’’ Khadafy even offered the rebels an escape route and open border to Egypt, to avoid a fight “to the bitter end.’’ <ref> [http://politicalcartel.org/2011/04/17/libya-and-the-obama-doctrine/ Libya and the “Obama Doctrine”.] </ref>
</blockquote>

However Gaddafi wrote to Obama:

<blockquote>
Gaddafi said he bore no ill will toward Obama. "We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," he wrote. "Despite all this you will always remain our son whatever happened. We still pray that you continue to be president of the USA. We endeavour and hope that you will gain victory in the new election campaign." The letter, dated 5 April 2011 in Tripoli, is signed "Mu'aumer Qaddaffi, Leader of the Revolution".<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/06/gaddafi-obama-nato-libya?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487]</ref>
</blockquote>

Critics point out the only thing worse than starting a "stupid, unnecessary war" against a madman is losing it.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/271847/war-libya-dumb-and-dumber-victor-davis-hanson</ref>

==See also==

*[[Political positions of Barack Obama]]
*[[Barack Obama and uncharitableness]]
*[[Barack Obama and abortion]]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm]

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

{{USPresidents}}
{{2008 presidential candidates}}
[[Category: Barack Hussein Obama]]
[[Category:Obama Presidency]]
[[Category:Obama Administration]]
[[category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
[[Category:2012 Presidential Candidates]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Barack Hussein}}

Barack Hussein Obama

2012-01-01T13:55:09Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{Officeholder
|name=Barack Hussein Obama
|image=President Barack Obama.jpg
|party=[[Democrat]]
|spouse=[[Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama]]
|religion= [[Barack Obama's Muslim Heritage|Allegedly]] Christian
|offices=
{{Officeholder/president
|country=the United States
|number=44th
|terms=January 20, 2009-Present
|vp=[[Joe Biden]]
|preceded=[[George W. Bush]]
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Illinois
|terms=January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
|preceded=Peter Fitzgerald
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Roland Burris]]
}}
}}

'''Barack Hussein Obama II''' also known by the alias '''Barry Soetoro''' during his time in [[Indonesia]]<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQPXVJuT2vY Barry Soetoro the muslim - YouTube]</ref><ref>[[Barack Obama's Muslim Heritage]]</ref> (born August 4, 1961) is the 44th President of the [[United States]] and the controversial recipient of the 2009 [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]]. Overcoming a short political career, like Michelle Bachmann, Obama defeated [[Republican]] nominee [[John McCain]] for the presidency in 2008, campaigning on promises of "hope" and "change", with an incredible use of grassroots organizing via the Internet. In effect, that change has been an embrace of [[socialism]], [[Marxism]], and [[liberal]] policies. Barack Obama has been widely criticized by the American [[business]] community and others for his anti-business policies that are killing American jobs during a period of high unemployment.<ref>
*[http://www.usnews.com/opinion/mzuckerman/articles/2010/07/16/obamas-anti-business-policies-are-our-economic-katrina Obama's Anti-business Policies are our Economic Katrina]
*[http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/619dvjlm.asp An Anti-Business President]
*[http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/08/small-businesses-are-not-hiring-why.html Small Businesses are not hiring. Why should they?]
*[http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/dear_mr_president_why_we_are_n.html Dear Mr. President: Why we are not hiring]
</ref> Trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] indicates that [[Obama administration]]'s response to the the failed American economy is more war and the creation of misleading [[economics|economic]] statistics.<ref>[http://www.opednews.com/articles/Washington-s-Response-to-a-by-paul-craig-roberts-110728-724.html Washington's response to the failed economy: More war]</ref>

Under President Obama's mismanagement of the economy, the United States Government's credit rating has, for the first time in it's history, been downgraded from AAA to AA+, and [[poverty]]<ref>http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2009/pov09fig04.pdf</ref> has increased markedly. By and large his policies to combat the recession, unemployment, slow growth, the deficit, and expanding [[national debt]], have failed.<ref>"The vast majority (73%) of respondents reported the fiscal stimulus enacted in February 2009 has had no impact on employment to date. While 68% also believe a jobs bill, such as the one recently enacted into law, will have no impact on payrolls, 30% do believe it will boost payrolls moderately". ''Industry Survey'', National Association for Business Economics, April 2010, [http://www.nabe.com/press/ind1004.pdf p. 2 pdf].</ref> Also on the domestic front, Obama passed an expensive [[health care]] bill in 2009 with no [[bipartisan]] support and 34 Democrats dissenting. In foreign policy Obama has escalated the [[Afghanistan War]] and, against his own Defense Secretary's advice, [[Libyan uprising 2011|attacked Libya]] - a possible violation of the [[War Powers Act]]. After he announced the killing of [[September 11th]] mastermind and terrorist [[Osama bin Laden]], the [[U.S. State Department]] warned of the increased risk to the lives and safety of Americans around the world.<ref>http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8273909</ref> Bin Laden's death had negligible long term impact on Obama's approval ratings, as seen in Gallup's daily poll.<ref>http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx</ref>

==Early life==
:''Main article : [[Early life and career of Barack Hussein Obama]]''
:''See also : [[Barack Obama's Muslim Heritage]]''
Obama was born in Hawaii to Stanley Ann Dunham and [[Barack Obama Sr.]] - who had married just six months prior - on August 4, 1961 in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]]. The couple divorced in 1964. Barack Obama Sr. was not a [[Natural born citizen|citizen of the United States]]. Dunham remarried Lolo Soetoro, an [[Indonesia]]n student. When Obama was six, Soetoro returned to Indonesia, and Dunham and Obama followed.<ref name="db mother">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-03/a-singular-woman-by-janny-scott-review-by-stacy-schiff/#|work=The Daily Beast|format=HTML|language=English|title=Dreams of His Mother|author=Stacy Schiff}}</ref> He spent four years in Indonesia before returning to Hawaii to be raised by his grandparents, Madelyn and WW2 veteran Stanley Armour Dunham. He would later attend Occidental College, [[Columbia University]] and then [[Harvard University]] for law school, where he would become the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. It has been disputed by some groups whether Obama was actually born in the United States; some people allege that he was born in Kenya. On April 27, 2011 Obama officially released his long form birth certificate, which many experts have determined to be a fake and no legal body has determined its authenticity.

==Illinois State Senate career==
[[File:O-2002-antiwar-rally-davidson.jpg|right|thumb|250px| Obama speaking at the October 2002 rally in Chicago organized by [[Carl Davidson]].<ref>Davidson is a longtime [[Mao]]ist and champion of the ''Thought of Mao Tse Tung.'' Davidson's anti-Trotskyite polemic, [http://www.wengewang.org/read.php?tid=10925 ''Left in Form, Right in Essence''] defends Maoist doctrine. Retrieved from 对当代托洛茨基主义的批判：英文论集百花齐放 - 中国文革研究网, March 15, 2010.</ref> ''"[H]e is a brutal man who butchers his own people,"'' nevertheless Obama opposed ''"dumb wars".'']]

In 1995 Obama openly sought and obtained the endorsement of the [[Marxist]] [[New Party]] in his quest to be elected to the Illinois State Senate.<ref>[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7434 NEW PARTY (NP)], discoverthenetwork.org.</ref><ref>Rick Moran. [http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/06/obamas_alliance_with_marxists.html Obama's Alliance with Marxists], ''American Thinker'', June 03, 2008.</ref> He became the [[Democrat]] nominee and ran unopposed to win the election. Obama entered the Illinois Senate promising change to a corrupt system. He mixed often radical votes with more pragmatic agreements. Possibly one of his most radical votes was against requiring medical care for aborted children who survive [[abortion|the procedure]] - in fact the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council ascribed him a 100% rating for his consistently pro-choice votes.<ref name="cbs illinois">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/17/politics/main2369157.shtml|title=Obama Record May Be Gold Mine For Critics|work=CBS|format=HTML|language=English|last=Clark|first=Amy S.|date=Jan. 17, 2007}}</ref> He was criticized for using the statehouse as a stepping stone for a more illustrious career: Steven J. Rauschenberger, a [[Republican]], said prior to Obama's election as president: “He is a very bright but very ambitious person who has always had his eyes on the prize, and it wasn’t Springfield. If he deserves to be president, it is not because he was a great legislator.”<ref name="nyt illinois">{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd|last=Scott|first=Janny|format=HTML|language=English|date=July 30, 2007|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html}}</ref>

The statehouse was majority Republican, so the Senator was sometimes forced to compromise. He formed allegiances across party lines to pass [[campaign finance]] reform that banned most gifts by lobbyists, prohibited spending campaign money for legislators’ personal use and required electronic filing of campaign disclosure reports.<ref name="nyt illinois"/> Obama also helped pass a so-called “driving-while-black bill”, which required the police to collect data on the race of drivers they stopped as a way to monitor [[racial profiling]].<ref name="nyt illinois"/>

Obama established himself as a chief spokesperson in opposition to the [[War on Terror]] during an October 2002 rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago<ref>The rally was organized by Chicagoans Against War in Iraq (CAWI) later renamed Chicagoans Against War and Injustice. [http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/?page_id=2 About CAWI] by Carl Davidson, Nov 02 2006. Retrieved from Chicagoans Against War and Injustice, March 15, 2010.</ref> [[community organizing|organized]] by veteran [[Mao]]ist and webmaster of [[Progressives for Obama]],<ref>[http://www.linkedin.com/in/carldavidson Carl Davidson,] LinkedIn.com, retrieved March 13, 2010.</ref> [[Carl Davidson]].

===Radical foundation and connection to William Ayers===
{{main article|Radical roots of Barack Hussein Obama}}
In 1995 a cadre of like minded individuals gathered in the home of [[Weather Underground]] (WUO) [[terrorist]]s [[Bernardine Dohrn]] and [[William Ayers|William "Bill" Ayers]]. Dohrn,<ref>Georgie Anne Geyer and Keyes Beach "Cuba: School for U.S. Radicals", ''Chicago Daily News/Chicago Sun-Times'' five part series October 1970, excerpted in [http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/weather/weath1c.pdf FBI file Weather Underground Organization (Weatherman),] Part 1c pp. 5-7 pdf (113-115 in original). [http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/clandestine-agents-of-the-cuban-government-ayers-dohrn-myers/]</ref> along with Carl Davidson, are veterans of [[guerrilla warfare]] training in [[Cuba]] prior 1968 Democratic National Convention riots. Ayers and Dohrn have taken credit for, and never denied, bombing the [[U.S. Capitol]], the [[Pentagon]] and the [[State Department]].

Ayers and Dohrn used their celebrity status among [[leftist]]s to launch Obama's career. Ayers, Dohrn and [[Jeff Jones]]<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106653 ''Obama's 'green jobs czar' worked with terror founder] Van Jones served on board of activist group where ex-Weatherman serves as top director'', By Aaron Klein, [[WorldNetDaily]], August 13, 2009.</ref> are authors of ''[[Bill_Ayers#Prairie_Fire_Organizing_Committee_and_Maoist_thought|Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-imperialism]],'' the title taken from ''The Sayings of Mao Zedong.''<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/works/red-book/]</ref> The book declares "we are [[communist]] men and women."<ref>Harvey Klehr, ''Far Left of Center: The American Radical Left Today'' (Transaction Books, New Brunswick, 1988), 109.</ref> Ayers later jokingly, publicly admitted to ghostwriting Obama's book, ''Dreams From My Father''<ref>http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/03/ayers_affirms_he_wrote_dreams.html</ref> and Obama was to appoint several openly avowed Maoists to prominent White House and Executive Branch positions.<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704597704574487431322664964.html</ref>

==U.S. Senate career==
:''See also: [[Early_life_and_career_of_Barack_Hussein_Obama#U.S._Senate_.282004-2008.29|Barack Obama:U.S. Senate (2004-2008)]]''
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|left|Senator Barack Obama]]

Following a failed campaign for the U. S. House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004 against Republican candidate Jack Ryan. He won the seat after Chicago media outlets The Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV; together with candidate Jack Ryan's Republican Primary opponents, sought and obtained the release of the confidential and personally embarrassing records in his California divorce from actress Jeri Ryan, forcing him to end his campaign. Ryan was replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]]. Obama won over Keyes 70% to 27% in the general election. Obama spent very little time in the Senate - "frustrated by his lack of influence and what he called the 'glacial pace' ... [he began] running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors."<ref name="nyt senate">{{cite web|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times, Inc.|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role|author=Kate Zernike and Jeff Zelleny|date=March 9, 2008|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/politics/09obama.html}}</ref>

Obama frequently used the [[filibuster]] to obstruct the operations of government,<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303801_pf.html</ref> voted against the [[minimum wage]]<ref>[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.</ref><ref>[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.</ref> and debt ceiling increases,<ref>http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/obama-once-opposed-debt-ceiling-hike/237129/</ref> and recieved more than $126,000 in campaign contributions from [[Fannie Mae]]. The ''[[National Journal]]'' ranked him the most liberal senator in 2007.<ref name="ranked">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502163_162-3775451-502163.html|title=National Journal: Obama Most Liberal Senator In 2007|author=Brian Montopoli|date=January 31, 2008|work=CBS}}</ref>

==Presidential Election==
{{main article|Barack Hussein Obama 2008 Presidential campaign}}
Democrats began calling for an Obama candidacy after liberals lauded his 2004 [[Democratic National Convention]] speech.
===Campaign to be the Democratic nominee===
The race for the Democratic ticket originally seemed [[Hillary Clinton]]'s to lose, but was ultimately a close race between Clinton and Obama. Clinton would take a slim advantage in the popular vote, while Obama would carry significantly more states and territories. Obama's advantage with super-delegates over Clinton was about 2-to-1.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Superdelegate endorsements for Friday 6/6|work=Democratic Convention Watch|url=http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/06/superdelegate-endorsements-for-friday.html}}</ref> Obama was able to attract the support of [[liberals]] by pointing out that he had come out against the [[Iraq War]] "from the beginning" whereas Clinton had voted in favor of the war in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-31-democrats-debate_N.htm|title=Obama, Clinton stress differences on Iraq, issues|author=David Jackson|work=USA Today|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref>
===Campaign for the Presidency===
Obama campaigned against Senator [[John McCain]] in the general election. To the chagrin of Clinton supporters, he selected Senator [[Joe Biden]] to be his running mate, whereas McCain selected [[Governor]] of [[Alaska]] [[Sarah Palin]]. The Obama and Biden ticket would win the election, and Obama would become the nation's first [[African American]] president.

====Jeremiah Wright====
:''See also: [[Barack Obama and Liberation Theology]]''
One major dilemma that arose for Obama during his campaign was his connection to his preacher [[Jeremiah Wright]]. Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776246/posts</ref> in Chicago, a chruch that embraced [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering so-called "oppressed groups" against "establishment forces". This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays as ministers.<ref>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008</ref> Church pastor Jeremiah Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statement "G-d damn America," and in describing the September 11th attacks, "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]</ref> In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying "We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being [[anti-Semitic]]."

In April 2008, after 20 years in the church, candidate Obama made public statements poised to set him at odds with the man who conducted his wedding and baptized his children. With the negative publicity persisting, a month later Obama ended the friendship, left Wright's church, and blamed the media.<ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, May 31, 2008</ref> Obama claimed “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...", and distanced himself from Wright's sermons as "a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth."<ref>USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]</ref><ref>''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's "Rants"''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]</ref>

==Presidential career==
{{main article|Obama administration}}
[[File:Obama and George H. W. Bush.jpg|thumb|right|300px|President Barack Obama meets with former President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office, Feb. 15, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza).]]
Under Obama's stewardship the United States has suffered the largest [[Federal budget deficit|deficit]]s<ref>http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10708/11-06-mbr.htm</ref><ref>http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/118xx/doc11873/NovemberMBR.pdf</ref> in history and a credit downgrade from the rating agency Standard & Poor. Most observers attribute the deficits to increasing benefits and welfare paid out on account of the Recession he inherited and has failed to end along with decreasing tax receipts. Standard & Poor decided to downgrade U.S. government deby after the debt ceiling debate debacle, where Congressional leaders refused to pass a bill authorizing borrowing to pay for the budget they had passed with much debate and controversy earlier in the year. Cynics have argued that rhetoric directed at the rating agencies about the issuance of AAA ratings to junk real estate bonds spurred the downgrade as a form of retribution. Ironically, the investor scare led to the flocking of investors to the safe haven of the Treasury bonds which had been downgraded, resulting in lower interest rates. As there are very few AAA bond markets, investors will likely continue to buy U.S. government debt for the foreseeable future. <ref>http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/04/18/the-sp-outlook-and-obama/</ref> When his [[economic stimulus]] program was adopted unemployment rose and stagnated in the 10% range, <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476104575439172480870774.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</ref> leaving tens of millions without [[hope]] of finding a job.<ref>[http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LNS11300000&years_option=specific_years&include_graphs=true&to_month=1&from_month=2 United States Department of Labor], Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data extracted on: July 19, 2010 (4:31:11 PM).</ref>

Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen, writing in the [[Wall Street Journal]], noted, "Rather than being a unifier, Mr. Obama has divided America on the basis of race, class and partisanship." The commentators also note Obama's approach to governance has encouraged radical leftists to pursue a similar strategy on his behalf. Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, acknowledged that the [[Obama administration]] has taken to polarizing America around the issue of race as a means of diverting attention from other issues, saying, "Having one's opponent [[race card|rebut charges of racism]] is far better than discussing [[Unemployment|joblessness]]."<ref>http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Mary_Frances_Berry_91E3D9D5-C40D-440C-9D48-1C50CBC60C87.html</ref> Caddell and Schoen, who worked for President Carter and Clinton, respectively, further stated, "Mr. Obama has also cynically [[class warfare|divided the country on class lines]]. He has taken to playing the populist card time and time again. He bashes Wall Street and insurance companies whenever convenient to advance his programs, yet he has been eager to accept campaign contributions and negotiate with these very same banks and [[corporation]]s behind closed doors in order to advance his political agenda... President Obama's divisive approach to governance has weakened us as a people and paralyzed our political culture."<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748703700904575391553798363586.html</ref>

===Domestic policy===
====Popular bills====
Obama's first act of office was to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - effectively nullifying the [[Supreme Court]] case ''Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'', which ruled that Ledbetter had to have filed a pay [[discrimination]] suit within 180 days of the first time Ledbetter was payed less than her male peers;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html|work=The New York Times|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> the law made corporations subject to suit within 180 days of each time the employee was unfairly paid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20090213.html?=features|work=FindLaw|author=Joanna L. Grossman|date=Feb. 13, 2009|format=HTML|language=English|title=The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009}}</ref>

On January 2, 2011, Obama signed the James Zadroga [[9/11]] Healthcare and Compensation Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/jan/02/obama-signs-zadroga-act-law/|publisher=New York Public Radio|title=Obama Signs Zadroga Act into Law|author=Fred Mogul|date=January 02, 2011|work=wNYC|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> The act, which afforded 9/11 first responders who were sickened by the dust from the collapse of the [[World Trade Center]] health care and compensation, passed [[Congress]] after its sponsored agreed to scale down the pricing from 7.4 to 4.2 billion dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/dec/22/zadroga-911-bill-passes-senate/|publisher=New York Public Radio|work=wNYC|format=HTML|language=English|title=Congress Approves 9/11 Health Bill|date=December 22, 2010}}</ref>

====Economic plan====
[[File:Keynes.jpg|thumbnail|right|190px|[[Barack Obama]] advocates the use of [[Keynesian economics|Keynesian economic concepts]] despite the fact that [[John Maynard Keynes]] was incompetent and a fraud.<ref>
*[http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/fabian-john-maynard-keynes-the-stealthy-enemy-of-human-freedom/ John Maynard Keynes the stealthy enemy of human freedom]
*[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-02-22/deathbed-of-keynesian-economics-will-be-in-u-k-matthew-lynn.html Deathbed of Keynesian Economics will be in the UK]
*[http://www.iwf.org/inkwell/show/23102.html Will the G8 Repudiate the Philosophy of Living Beyond Our Means?]
*[http://www.keynesatharvard.org/book/KeynesatHarvard-ch09.html KEYNES AT HARVARD Economic Deception as a Political Credo BY ZYGMUND DOBBS]
</ref> ]]
{{see also|Obamunism|American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009}}
Critics of the Obama administration have coined the word "[[Obamunism]]" to describe Barack Obama's [[socialism|socialistic]] and "[[fascism]] light" [[economic planning]] policies.<ref>[[Benito Mussolini]] defined fascism as the wedding of state and corporate powers. Accordingly, trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] labels [[Obama administration corporate bailouts|Obama's corporate bailouts]] as being "fascism light" in nature.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/daily-intel/2009/07/20/obamunism-inc|work=The Big Money|publisher=WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obamunism, Inc.|author=David Sessions|date=July 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/gerald-celente-6944|author=Jim Blasingame|title=Is the government creating a bailout bubble?}}</ref> Obamunism can also refer to Obama's [[Obama administration fiscal policy|ruinous fiscal policies]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|reckless monetary policies]].<ref name="gerard">{{cite web|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/120883-monetary-policynot-obama-s-stimulusis-what-needs-watching|title=Monetary Policy-Not Obama's Stimulus-Is What Needs Watching|author=Gerard Jackson|date=February 16, 2009|work=Seeking Alpha}}</ref><ref name="bam">{{cite web|work=New York Post|date=May 17, 2009|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/05172009/postopinion/editorials/bams_wise_words_169731.htm|title=BAM'S WISE WORDS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/|title=Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures|work=The Foundry|publisher=The Heritage Foundation|author=Conn Carroll|date=March 24th, 2009}}</ref> As seen in his own actions, Barack Obama instructed his advisors to find loopholes that would enable the president to act as a [[dictator]] by pushing through legislation and increases in spending without congressional authority.<ref>http://www.theblaze.com/stories/executive-dictatorship-obama-instructs-advisers-to-push-through-stimulus-projects-without-pesky-congressional-authorization/</ref>

[[Wall Street]] firms and banks that were bailed out were among Obama's biggest campaign supporters.<ref>http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638</ref> Therefore, the Obama administration bailouts of corrupt, unproductive, and reckless Wall Street firms was hardly surprising, and many argue that it was not helpful in making the United States economy more productive and prosperous by encouraging more risk taking through letting banks off with a slap on the wrist. Others argue that bailing out the banks kept credit flowing and prevented a much deeper recession and a total collapse of the financial system. The government will recoup some though not all of its capital infusions over time. A 2005 study found that government corporate bailouts are often done for mere political considerations and the economic resources allocated exhibit significantly worse economic performance than resources allocated using purely business considerations.<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=676905</ref> Proponents of [[free market]] capitalism said Bernanke should not have bailed out failing firms and instead should have allowed free market capitalism to quickly recover as it did in the depression of 1920 without government intervention (free market capitalists assert that government intervention drags out economic recessions and depressions).<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czcUmnsprQI</ref>

Top trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] predicts that the corrupt economic policies of the Obama administration will lead to a second [[Great Depression|great depression]] (Celente predicted the 1987 US stock market crash, the dot.com crash, the US 2008/2009 recession, and the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s) and may lead to a "second [[American Revolution]]" (Celente predicted the [[Tea Party Movement|tax protests]] that are now occurring in America).<ref name="celente1">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MMX3SKzrfU&feature=channel_page</ref><ref name="celente2">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy9bfw1ebgw&feature=response_watch</ref> Celente also asserts that the costly and inefficient temporary short term methods that the Obama administration is using to alleviate economic problems in the short term (which is causing massive increases in [[Obama administration deficit spending]]) is only making matters worse and will not prevent the worse economic depression in United States history from occurring.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C8K7rWkGGw</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LBffdIW0XA&feature=response_watch</ref>

The Obama administration has been sharply criticized for [[Obama administration deficit spending|its massive deficit spending]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|its reckless monetary policy]] via vast increases in the [[money supply]], although inflation under Bernanke has been below the historic mean.<ref name="gerard"/><ref name="bam"/><ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/</ref> Celente predicts that if a "second American Revolution" occurs in a peaceful and productive manner, it may include a [[Third Party System|third party movement]] of governance that will advocate a more [[free market]] [[capitalism]] approach to the American economy and a more strict interpretation of the [[United States Constitution|United States constitution]] as far as the authors' [[original intent]].<ref name="celente1"/><ref name="celente2"/>

During what the [[White House]] billed as [[Recovery Summer]], one half million workers per week continued losing their jobs. His signature legislative achievement, [[ObamaCare]],has been found to be [[unconstitutional]]<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-13/u-s-health-care-law-requirement-thrown-out-by-judge.html</ref> by several judges and constitutional by others, and is credited as a major cause of uncertainty, high [[unemployment]],<ref>http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33220</ref> lagging job creation,<ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-medicare%E2%80%99s-finances-shadowed-by-uncertainty/</ref> and risk of a credit default crisis.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/28/AR2010032802353.html</ref><ref>http://www.thestreet.com/story/10703361/cramer-obamacare-will-topple-the-market.html</ref>

His 2012 Budget plan has been roundly criticized in the mainstream and liberal press as not a serious effort to deal with the nation's economic crisis.<ref>[http://republican.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=blogs.view&blog_id=1551d6f5-2ac9-4b8d-97ab-74def354024e Newspapers Call Out White House: ‘What Would That Path Be, Mr. President?’]</ref>

=====Healthcare=====
{{main article|Obamacare}}
On March 23, 2010, Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The act had originated in the House of Representatives and passed September 17, 2009. The act was amended and passed the Senate prior to [[Democrat]] [[Ted Kennedy]]'s passing along party lines - just a filibuster-proof majority at 60-39. In what can be construed as a de facto rejection of the bill, [[Massachusetts]] voters elected a [[Republican]] candidate, [[Scott Brown]], who promised to vote against the bill,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/scott-brown-wins-massachusetts-senate-race.html|work=The Washington Post|author=Chris Cillizza|date=January 19, 2010|title=Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> but another Senate vote would not occur. Scott Brown was also an excellent campaigner and judged to be a better candidate than his rival, Martha Coakley. He has since achieved one of the most moderate senate voting records, likely to avoid the anger of his mostly liberal constituency. After Obama made a promise to issue an [[executive order]] that would ultimately prohibit the use of taxpayer subsidies to pay for [[abortion]] services,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/22/nation/la-na-healthcare-passage22-2010mar22/3|work=The Los Angeles Times|format=HTML|language=English|title=House passes historic healthcare overhaul|date=March 22, 2010|author=Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook}}</ref> the [[House of Representatives]] would pass the bill as it left the Senate 219-212, with 34 Democrats and all other parties dissenting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-21/politics/health.care.main_1_health-care-entire-house-democratic-caucus-pre-existing-conditions?_s=PM:POLITICS|date=March 21, 2010|author=Alan Silverleib|work=CNN|format=HTML|language=English|title=House passes health care bill on 219-212 vote}}</ref>

Amongst other things, the act mandates that the population purchase health care coverage or face punitive tax measures, and on this basis has been constitutionally challenged in the federal courts, with mixed results (three courts have upheld the act, two have declared it unconstitutional); thus, the Act is likely destined for [[Supreme Court]] reviewal. Plans originally proposed involved instituting a universal public insurance program, that is, extending Medicare to everyone. The universal mandate included in the act was originally a conservative idea that was enacted in Massachusetts under Republican Mitt Romney. Its supporters note that having health insurance results in reduced costs in paying for treatment of uninsured and forcing people to take responsibility for their healthcare. Due to ethical constraints, doctors cannot deny care to poor patients, resulting in the hospital and the healthcare system at large bearing the cost.

====Gulf oil spill====
{{main article|Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster}}
President Obama authorized offshore oil drilling in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0430/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-imperils-Obama-s-offshore-drilling-plan Gulf of Mexico oil spill imperils Obama's offshore drilling plan,] By Mark Clayton, ''Christian Science Monitor'', April 30, 2010.</ref> stating, "oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills"<ref>White House Press Release, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-a-discussion-jobs-and-economy-charlotte-north-carolina Remarks by the President in a Discussion on Jobs and the Economy in Charlotte, North Carolina,] Office of the Press Secretary, April 02, 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 3 May 2010.</ref> and was widely criticized for his mishandling of the "[[Gulf oil spill disaster|worst environmental disaster]] in US history."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-Oil-slick-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-is-set-on-fire Worst environmental disaster in US history,] Maryann Tobin, ''Examiner'', April 29, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/?src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman Conscience of a Liberal: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault,] Paul Krugman, ''New York Times'', April 30, 2010.</ref>

====Don't Ask Don't Tell====
{{main article|Don't Ask Don't Tell}}
Candidate Obama promised to repeal a policy that originated in the Clinton era that prohibited inquiries into military personnel's [[sexual orientation]] while also barring "out" [[homosexuals]] from serving in the military. [[Liberals]] expressed anger when time passed and no effort to repeal the law was seen;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/|work=The Washington Times|format=HTML|title=Obama to delay ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal|language=English|author=Rowan Scarborough|date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> in fact, Obama's [[justice department]], as part of their duty to defend all laws passed by any administration, filed a brief arguing against the [[Supreme Court]] granting a [[writ of certiorari]] to a gay soldier challenging the law (the writ was not granted). In response, the soldier, James Pietrangelo II, a former Army infantryman and lawyer, said, “[Obama's] a coward, a bigot and a pathological liar. This is a guy who spent more time picking out his dog, Bo, and playing with him on the White House lawn than he has working for equality for gay people."<ref>{{cite web|work=Time Magazine|publisher=Time Inc.|format=HTML|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1903545,00.html?imw=Y|title=Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout|author=Mark Thompson|date=Jun. 09, 2009}}</ref>

On December 15th, 2010, a bill was introduced in the [[House of Representatives]] to repeal the law - it passed a day later by a vote of 250-175;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll638.xml|title=FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 638|format=HTML|work=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref> it passed the Senate three days later 65-31.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00281|work=The U.S. Senate|title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 2nd Session|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 on December 22nd.<ref name="g dadt">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/22/obama-repeals-dont-ask-dont-tell|work=The Guardian|format=HTML|language=English|title='Don't ask, don't tell' repealed as Obama signs landmark law|date=22 December 2010}}</ref>

The [[Pentagon]] itself could not immediately implement the repeal and questioned whether it would hurt combat readiness.<ref name="g dadt"/> Senator [[John McCain]], the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, opposed the bill, saying "It may be premature to make such a change at this time and in this manner, without further consideration of this report and further study of the issue by Congress – for of all the people we serve, one of our highest responsibilities is to the men and women of our armed services, especially those risking their lives in combat.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/mccain-on-dont-ask-dont-tell-dont-rush/|title=McCain on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: Don’t Rush|date=December 2nd, 2010|format=HTML|author=David M. Herszenhorn|language=English|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
[[File:Western Wall Obama.jpg|thumb|left|320px|At [[Western Wall]], Jerusalem, 2008.]]
As Senator, Obama was highly critical of President Bush and promised change. As President, Obama has tripled down in Afghanistan, widened the war into Pakistan, multiplied drone attacks, bombed Yemen and Somalia, and started an undeclared NATO war in Libya. On presidential war powers, surveillance questions, Guantanamo, detention policy and habeas corpus, Obama has similarly stayed the course, or expanded Bush's precedents. In a speech on May 19, 2011 Obama fully embraced the [[Bush Doctrine]] of preventative war.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-news-in-obamas-speech/2011/05/19/AF4dFN7G_story.html</ref>

<blockquote>
The New America Foundation, which tracks the strikes, has listed 23 raids since the beginning of April, 2011, all but one in Pakistan’s tribal regions of North and South Waziristan. A June 20 attack was reported in Kurram, an area north of North Waziristan along the Afghanistan border.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The drone program has become increasingly controversial as the Obama administration has expanded its use beyond the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Lethal missiles have been launched from unmanned aircraft in at least five countries in addition to Pakistan: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and, most recently, Somalia. The military’s Joint Special Operations Command used a drone last June to attack what officials said were two senior members of the Al Shabab militant group on the Somali coast. [http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/07/04/cia_halts_drone_launches_from_pakistan_base/]
</blockquote>

====Commander-in-chief====
By Obama's second year as Commander-in-Chief, 559 American troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan - significantly more than the 469 who died during Presisdent [[George W. Bush]]'s final year in office. And growing numbers of civilian contractors also have fallen. In the first half of 2010, 250 contractors reportedly died in Iraq and Afghanistan - more than the 235 military personnel who fell during the same period.<ref>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/05/24/114662/what-price-war.html#ixzz1Nz07pg5O</ref>

=====Afghanistan=====
{{main article|Afghanistan War}}
Obama escalated troop strength<ref name="pbs">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/themes/strategy.html#ixzz1LhWNImZp|title=Obama's New Strategy (March '09)|author=George Packer, Seth Jones, David Kilcullen, Rory Stewart, Andrew Exum, Col. Andrew Bacevich (Ret.)|work=PBS|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> and defense costs in Afghanistan from $43.5 billion in George Bush's last year to $113.7 billion for 2011.<ref>Congressional Research Service, quoted in Gregory Anthony, ''What price war?''</ref> Adviser to General [[Stanley McChrystal]] David Kilcullen wrote, "One of the big strategic shifts is the use of language now which talks about Pakistan and Afghanistan as the same theater. Now we talked about Af-Pak long before the Obama administration came about, but the public use of that term, and the description of it as the Afghanistan-Pakistan campaign, sends a new message to people about how the administration is going to think about Afghanistan and Pakistan."<ref name="pbs"/> This became evident when, under the orders of Obama, a military SEALs team killed September 11th mastermind [[Osama bin Laden]] in Abottabad, Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/05/commander-in-chief.html|title=Commander in Chief|author=Daniel Romano and Daniel Klaidman|date=May 05, 2011|work=Newsweek|publisher=The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref>

=====Iraq=====
{{main article|Operation Iraqi Freedom}}
Obama campaigned on a promise to end the War in Iraq, which he has done.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-17/middleeast/world_meast_iraq-troops-leave_1_1st-cavalry-division-camp-adder-troop-movements?_s=PM:MIDDLEEAST|work=CNN|title=Obama: Last U.S. troops leave Iraq|date=December 17, 2011|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref>

=====Guantanamo Bay=====
{{main article|Guantanamo Bay}}
One of Obama's campaign promises was that he would close the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba - detainees would be flown to other countries while the ones awaiting trial would enter the American court system. Two days after taking office he signed an order directing the military to do so.<ref name="salon">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/25/obama_guantanamo_rhetoric|work=Salon|title=The Obama/Gitmo timeline|author=Natasha Lennard|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> But, in November 2009 Obama admitted that his self imposed deadline of January 2010 would be missed, and in March 2011 the president went back on his campaign promise, signing an executive order to create a formal system of indefinite detention for the prisoners.<ref name="salon"/>

=====Libya=====
{{main article|Libyan uprising 2011}}
In February 2011, the political unrest that had spread through the Arab world showed up as protests in Libya. Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi - dictator of Libya for 41 years - responded to the activism with a wave of violence.<ref name="nyt libya">{{cite web|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/libya/index.html|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Inc.|format=HTML|language=English|title=Libya — Protests and Revolt (2011)}}</ref> The [[United Nations Security Council]] voted unanimously to impose [[sanctions]], and later authorized all members to take action to protect civilians. Obama, acting without approval from Congress and at the beckoning of the [[United Nations]], directed American forces to take out Libya's air defense system.<ref name="nyt libya"/> Obama later said, "[I]f we waited one more day Benghazi, a city nearly the size of Charlotte, could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world."<ref>{{cite web|author=Barack Obama|url=http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134935452/obamas-speech-on-libya-a-responsibility-to-act|title=Obama's Speech On Libya: 'A Responsibility To Act'|date=March 28, 2011|publisher=National Public Radio ([[NPR]])|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> [[Alan J. Kuperman]] - writing an editorial for the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' - suggested this statement was false, writing, "[I]ntervention did not prevent genocide, because no such bloodbath was in the offing. To the contrary, by emboldening rebellion, US interference has prolonged Libya’s civil war and the resultant suffering of innocents."<ref name="kuperman">{{cite web|author=Alan J. Kuperman|work=The Boston Globe|url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions|title=False pretense for war in Libya?|date=April 14, 2011}}</ref> Kuperman, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas who authored a book called ''The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention'', further stated that the rebels had tricked the world into thinking a bloodbath was at hand and that Obama had lied to the American people in order to act on this theory.<ref name="kuperman"/>
<blockquote>
Gaddafi [never] threaten civilian massacre in Benghazi, as Obama alleged. The “no mercy’’ warning, of March 17, targeted rebels only, as reported by The New York Times, which noted that Libya’s leader promised amnesty for those “who throw their weapons away.’’ Khadafy even offered the rebels an escape route and open border to Egypt, to avoid a fight “to the bitter end.’’ <ref> [http://politicalcartel.org/2011/04/17/libya-and-the-obama-doctrine/ Libya and the “Obama Doctrine”.] </ref>
</blockquote>

However Gaddafi wrote to Obama:

<blockquote>
Gaddafi said he bore no ill will toward Obama. "We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," he wrote. "Despite all this you will always remain our son whatever happened. We still pray that you continue to be president of the USA. We endeavour and hope that you will gain victory in the new election campaign." The letter, dated 5 April 2011 in Tripoli, is signed "Mu'aumer Qaddaffi, Leader of the Revolution".<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/06/gaddafi-obama-nato-libya?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487]</ref>
</blockquote>

Critics point out the only thing worse than starting a "stupid, unnecessary war" against a madman is losing it.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/271847/war-libya-dumb-and-dumber-victor-davis-hanson</ref>

==See also==

*[[Political positions of Barack Obama]]
*[[Barack Obama and uncharitableness]]
*[[Barack Obama and abortion]]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm]

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

{{USPresidents}}
{{2008 presidential candidates}}
[[Category: Barack Hussein Obama]]
[[Category:Obama Presidency]]
[[Category:Obama Administration]]
[[category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
[[Category:2012 Presidential Candidates]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Barack Hussein}}

Talk:Conservative of the Year 2011

2012-01-01T13:53:59Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Redirected page to Talk:Barack Hussein Obama

#REDIRECT [[Talk:Barack Hussein Obama]]

Talk:Conservative of the Year 2011

2012-01-01T13:45:02Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Redirected page to Talk:Barack Obama

#REDIRECT [[Talk:Barack Obama]]

Best of the public

2012-01-01T13:43:17Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Replaced content with "No one on Conservapedia. LOL."

No one on Conservapedia.

LOL.

PZ Myers

2012-01-01T13:37:30Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Replaced content with "Is someone who User:Conservative is obsessed with. Because he has Atheism Obsession Compulsive Disorder"

Is someone who User:Conservative is obsessed with.

Because he has [[Atheism Obsession Compulsive Disorder]]

Conservative

2012-01-01T13:35:28Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Replaced content with "is a 20th century bigot."

is a 20th century bigot.

Liberal

2012-01-01T13:33:04Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Replaced content with "believes in freedom and equality as well as personal liberty."

believes in freedom and equality as well as personal liberty.

Talk:Sam Brownback

2012-01-01T13:29:54Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Redirected page to Talk:Sam Wetback

#REDIRECT [[Talk:Sam Wetback]]

Sam Brownback

2012-01-01T13:29:02Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Redirected page to Sam Wetback

#REDIRECT [[Sam Wetback]]

User talk:EzrahJay

2012-01-01T13:28:22Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{welcome}}

Welcome to Conservapedia, EzrahJay.--[[User:GFitz|GFitz]] 19:05, 30 December 2011 (EST)

:Texas? Let's learn to think now. We believe killing is wrong, especially babies, however adult homosexuals are perfectly okay. We also believe in the Bible without condition, even if it contradicts all relevant information to the 21st century.. OH and RON PAUL is a Conservative!

User talk:EzrahJay

2012-01-01T13:27:10Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{welcome}}

Welcome to Conservapedia, EzrahJay.--[[User:GFitz|GFitz]] 19:05, 30 December 2011 (EST)

:Texas? Let's learn to think now.

Anti-life

2012-01-01T13:25:36Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{Disambiguation}}

Anti-life can refer to several phenomena:
*[[Homosexual Agenda]]
*[[Pro-abortion]]
*[[Feminism]]

'''Anti-life''', a term that developed in the late 1920s, refers to the ideology that opposes the promotion and nurturing of life in one or more ways.

Examples include:

*anxiety, regret, depression and other emotions that distract from the positive side of life
*opposition to the availability of innovative health care, such as [[adult stem cell]] procedures
*obsession with population control, a characteristic of some of the super wealthy
*a preference for money or other material things over human life
*opposition to energy production even where it would extend lifespan in underdeveloped nations

The pro-[[abortion]] movement is a subset of a broader anti-life ideology. Few, of course, ''admit'' to being anti-life.

'''Anti-life''' ideologies include:

*the [[homosexual agenda]], which promotes lifestyles that shorten lifespan and discourage procreation, thus anti-life.
*the [[feminist]] belief system, which is anti-childbearing and anti-childrearing, and pro-hate.

[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

John Kasich

2012-01-01T13:25:02Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{Officeholder
|name=John Kasich
|image=Johnkasich.jpg‎
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=Karen Waldbillig
|religion=Christianity
|offices=
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Ohio
|district=12th
|terms=January 3, 1983 - January 3, 2001
|preceded=Robert N. Shamansky
|former=n
|succeeded=Patrick J. Tiberi
}}

}}

'''John Richard Kasich''' (rhymes with "basic" LMFAO) (born May 13, 1952 in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania) is the current Governor of [[Ohio]], taking over from [[Democrat]] [[Ted Strickland]]. Kasich served as the [[Republican]] U.S. Representative from [[Ohio]]'s 12th congressional district from 1983 through 2001 and was chairman of the House Budget Committee in the 1990's. He was a political alley of [[Speaker of the House]] [[Newt Gingrich]] and chief architect of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Kasich went on to host the Ohio-based ''Heartland with John Kasich'' on the [[Fox News Channel]].

Kasich signed three major [[anti-life]] bills into law in 2011, and supported [[deconomic]] reforms also. He has also been a leader on cultural issues, speaking out against Ohio's pink drivers licenses and not backing down to the [[lamestream media]].

When [[LeNigg James]] was routed in the [[NBA Finals]], Kasich honored the player who defeated the former Ohioan James.

Some have criticized Kasich for allowing spending to increase by 11% in Ohio in 2011, but under Kasich's leadership unemployment in Ohio dropped to its lowest level since 2008. This [[swing state]] was hit hard by Obama's economic recession.<ref>http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2011/03/25/reason-tv-gov-kasichs-ohio-budget-disaster-can-you-cut-government-by-jacking-spending-11/</ref>

== External links ==
*[http://www.kasichforohio.com/site/c.hpIJKWOCJqG/b.5199849/k.BFBA/Home.htm Campaign Website]
*[http://governor.ohio.gov/ Official site of Ohio Governor]

== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasich, John}}
[[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Ohio Governors]]
[[Category:Republican Governors]]

Tomb Raider

2012-01-01T13:21:47Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Redirected page to Evil video games

#REDIRECT [[Evil video games]]

Ohio

2012-01-01T13:19:21Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{USState
|name=Ohio
|flag=Ohio_State_Flag.gif
|motto=With God all things are possible
|nick=The Buckeye State
|capital=Columbus
|language=English
|governor=John Kasich
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Sherrod Brown
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2315
|s1email=http://brown.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|senator2=Rob Portman
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3353
|s2email=http://portman.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=March 1, 1803 (17th)
}}
'''Ohio''' is a shit state. EVERYONE IS MOVING OUT OF IT.. FAST!!!! in the Midwestern region of the [[United States]] and on March 1, 1803, became the seventeenth state. The capital of Ohio is [[Columbus (city)|Columbus]]. Other large cities in Ohio include [[Cincinnati]] and [[Cleveland]]. Ohio borders the states of [[Indiana]], [[Kentucky]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Michigan]], and [[West Virginia]]. The current governor of Ohio is John Kasich, a [[Republican]].

==History==
Chillicothe was the capital from the formation of the Ohio Territory from the Northwest Territory in 1800, until 1809, when it was moved to Zanesville for three years. Chillicothe was again the capital from 1812 until 1816, when Columbus became the capital because it was the geographical center of the state. Cincinnati was the largest and most important city until surpassed by Cleveland in the early 20th century.

Since 1940 fiscal conservatism has been a hallmark of Ohio leaders, including such Republicans governors as John Bricker, Thomas Herbert, and C. William O’Neill, as well as some Democrats, notably Martin Davey and Frank Lausche. Especially in the small towns and cities voters expressed low-tax, low-spending and pro-business sentiments.

Michael V. DiSalle, a Democrat elected in 1958, tried to convert Ohio to high spending, but angered the taxpayers after one term.<ref> Richard G. Zimmerman, ''Call Me Mike: A Political Biography of Michael V. DiSalle'' (2003) </ref> He was defeated by Republican [[James A. Rhodes]] (1909-2001), who branded DiSalle "Tax Hike Mike" and went on to become Ohio’s longest serving governor (1962-70 and 1974-82). Rhodes eliminated or cut back the wasteful programs and concentrated instead on building of airports, state office buildings, prisons, and other public structures. Rhodes lowered taxes on small business owners, thereby building up the economy, while increasing funding to schools and universities.

Democrat Richard F. Celeste was defeated by Rhodes in 1978, but won the governorship in 1982 and defeated Rhodes's comeback effort in 1986. Celeste sought to increase state funding to education, health services, and welfare program; with the legislature in liberal hands he increased the state income tax by 90%. A referendum to overturn the tax increase failed, but in 1984, voters returned the Ohio Senate to Republican control.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Sherrod Brown]] (D)
*Sen. [[Rob Portman]] (R)
*Rep. [[Steve Chabot]] [R, OH-01]
*Rep. [[Jean Schmidt]] [R, OH-02]
*Rep. [[Mike Turner]] [R, OH-03]
*Rep. [[Jim Jordan]] [R, OH-04]
*Rep. [[Bob Latta]] [R, OH-05]
*Rep. [[Bill Johnson]] [R, OH-06]
*Rep. [[Steve Austria]] [R, OH-07]
*Rep. [[John Boehner]] [R, OH-08]
*Rep. [[Marcy Kaptur]] [D, OH-09]
*Rep. [[Dennis Kucinich]] [D, OH-10]
*Rep. [[Marcia Fudge]] [D, OH-11]
*Rep. [[Pat Tiberi]] [R, OH-12]
*Rep. [[Betty Sutton]] [D, OH-13]
*Rep. [[Steven LaTourette]] [R, OH-14]
*Rep. [[Steve Stivers]] [R, OH-15]
*Rep. [[Jim Renacci]] [R, OH-16]
*Rep. [[Tim Ryan]] [D, OH-17]
*Rep. [[Bob Gibbs]] [R, OH-18]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[John Kasich]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Mary Taylor]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Mike DeWine]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Jon Husted]] (R)
*State Auditor [[David Yost]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Josh Mandel]] (R)

==Presidents From Ohio==
Ohio was known as the "mother of presidents"; the last one was Harding, who won in 1920 by defeating another Ohioan, Governor James Cox.
*[1773-1841] 9th President -[[William Henry Harrison]]. Whig
*[1822-1885] 18th President -[[Ulysses Simpson Grant]], Republican
*[1822-1893] 19th President -[[Rutherford B. Hayes]], Republican
*[1831-1881] 20th President -[[James Garfield]], Republican
*[1833-1901] 23rd President -[[Benjamin Harrison]], Republican
*[1843-1901] 25th President -[[William McKinley]], Republican
*[1857-1930] 27th President -[[William Howard Taft]], Republican
*[1865-1923] 29th President -[[Warren Gamaliel Harding]], Republican

Taft's son [[Robert A. Taft]], a leading conservative, sought the GOP nomination in 1940, 1948 and 1952, losing each time to liberal Republicans from [[New York City]].

Ohio is a swing state in presidential elections. No Republican has won the presidency without Ohio's electoral votes.

==Bibliography==
* [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/browse.php Ohio History Central], authoritative short articles, with images, audio and video files
===Surveys and textbooks===
* Bell, Carol Willsey. ''Ohio Guide to Genealogical Sources.'' (1988). 372 pp.
* Benedict, Michael Les and Winkler, John F., eds. ''The History of Ohio Law.'' (2 vol. 2004). 946 pp.
* Booth, Stephane Elise. ''Buckeye Women: The History of Ohio's Daughters.'' (2001). 239 pp.
* Borcyczka, Raymond and Cary, Lorin Lee. ''No Strength without Union: An Illustrated History of Ohio Workers, 1803-1980.'' (1982). 328 pp.
* Cayton, Andrew R. L. ''Ohio: The History of a People'' (2002), 473pp
* Grant, H. Roger and Clarence Wunderlin. ''Ohio On The Move: Transportation In Buckeye State'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Ohio-Move-Transportation-Buckeye-Bicentennial/dp/0821412841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212898827&sr=8-1 excerpt]
* Knepper, George W. ''Ohio and Its People''. (3rd ed. 2003), textbook; ISBN 0-87338-791-0 [http://www.questia.com/read/112035631?title=Ohio%20and%20Its%20People online edition]
* Lafferty, Michael B., ed. ''Ohio's Natural Heritage.'' (1979). 324 pp.
* Parker, Gregory; Sisson, Richard; and Coil, William Russell, eds. ''Ohio & the World: Essays toward a New History of Ohio.'' (2005). 199 pp.
* Sisson, Richard, ed. ''The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia'' (2006), very right regional encyclopedia by scholars
* Smith, Thomas H., ed. ''An Ohio Reader. Vol. 1, 1750 to the Civil War. Vol 2. Reconstruction to the Present.'' (1975). 763 pp. articles by historians
===History to 1860===
* Blue, Frederick J. ''Salmon P. Chase: A Life in Politics'' (1987) [http://www.questia.com/read/22807164?title=Salmon%20P.%20Chase%3a%20A%20Life%20in%20Politics online edition]
* Bond Jr., Beverley W. ''The Foundations of Ohio. Volume: 1.'' 1941. detailed history to 1802. [http://www.questia.com/read/24153066?title=The%20Foundations%20of%20Ohio%20-%20Vol.%201 online edition]
* Brown, Jeffrey P., and Andrew R. L. Cayton, eds. ''The Pursuit of Public Power: Political Culture in Ohio, 1787-1861'' (1994)
* Buley, R. Carlyle. ''The Old Northwest'' (1950), Pulitzer Prize winner
* Carter, Harvey Lewis. ''The Life and Times of Little Turtle: First Sagamore of the Wabash.'' (1987). 275 pp.
* Cayton, Andrew R. L. ''The Frontier Republic: Ideology and Politics in the Ohio Country, 1780-1825'' (1986)
* Cayton, Andrew R.L. and Stuart D. Hobbs. ''The Center of a Great Empire: The Ohio Country in the Early Republic'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Center-Great-Empire-Country-Republic/dp/0821416480/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212898827&sr=8-9 excerpt and text search]
* Fox, Stephen C. ''The Group Bases of Ohio Political Behavior, 1803-1848.'' (1989). 349 pp.
* Giesen, Myra Jayne. "Late Prehistoric Populations in the Ohio Area: Biological Affinities and Stress Indicators." PhD dissertation, anthropology. Ohio State U. 1992. 271 pp. DAI 1993 53(8): 2872-A. DA9238180 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Hendrick, Booraem V. ''The Road to Respectability: James A. Garfield and His World, 1844-1852'' (1988)
* Hurt, R. Douglas. ''The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720-1830''. (1996). ISBN 0-253-21212-X 418pp
* Jones, Robert Leslie. ''History of Agriculture in Ohio to 1880.'' (1983). 416 pp.
* Leet, Don R. ''Population Pressure and Human Fertility Response: Ohio, 1810-1860.'' (1978). 291 pp.
* Maizlish, Stephen E. ''The Triumph of Sectionalism: The Transformation of Ohio Politics, 1844-1856'' (1983), 310pp
* O'Donnell, James H. ''Ohio's First Peoples''. (2004). Indian tribes.
* Ratcliffe, Donald J. ''The Politics of Long Division: The Birth of the Second Party System in Ohio, 1818-1828.'' (2000). 455 pp.
* Ratcliffe, Donald J. ''Party Spirit in a Frontier Republic: Democratic Politics in Ohio, 1793-1821'' (1998). 336 pp. [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=9223922805209 online review]
* Rokicky, Catherine M. ''Creating a Perfect World: Religious and Secular Utopias in Nineteenth-Century Ohio.'' (2002). 181 pp.
* Utter, William T. ''The Frontier State: 1803-1825,'' vol. 2 of History of the State of Ohio (1942).
* VanVugt, William E. ''British Buckeyes: The English, Scots, and Welsh in Ohio, 1700-1900.'' (2006). 295 pp.
* Weisenburger, Francis P. ''The Passing of the Frontier, vol. 3'' (1941), detailed history of 1830s and 1840s
* Winkle, Kenneth J. ''The Politics of Community: Migration and Politics in Antebellum Ohio.'' (1988). 239 pp.
===History 1860-1920===
* Comer, James Ray. "Immigration and Foodways in Ohio, 1870-1920." PhD dissertation Bowling Green State U. 2001. 369 pp. DAI 2001 62(6): 2217-A. DA3016141 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Downes, Randolph C. ''The Rise of Warren Gamaliel Harding, 1865-1920.'' (1970). 734 pp
* Gerber, David A. ''Black Ohio and the Color Line, 1860-1915.'' (1977). 500 pp.
* Hoogenboom, Ari. ''Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President.'' (1995). 626 pp.
* Jensen, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971)
* Jordan, Philip D.''Ohio Comes of Age: 1873-1900 Volume 5'' (1968)
* Klement, Frank L. ''The Limits of Dissent: Clement L. Vallandigham and the Civil War.'' (1998). 351 pp.
* Morton, Jack Devon. "Ohio's Gallant Fight: Northern State Politics during the Reconstruction Era, 1865-1878." PhD dissertation. U. of Virginia 2005. 274 pp. DAI 2005 66(1): 313-A. DA3161251 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Roseboom, Eugene. ''The Civil War Era, 1850-1873, vol. 4'' (1944), detailed general history
* Semsel, Craig Robert. "Built to Move Millions: Transit Vehicle Manufacture in Ohio, 1880-1938." PhD dissertation Case Western Reserve U. 2001. 720 pp. DAI 2002 62(9): 3162-3163-A. DA3027315 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Weeks, Philip, ed. ''Buckeye Presidents: Ohioans in the White House.'' (2003). 240 pp.
* Wheeler, Kenneth W., ed. ''For the Union: Ohio Leaders in the Civil War.'' (1968) 497 pp.
===History 1920 to present===
* Bower, Kevin Patrick. "Relief, Reform, and Youth: The National Youth Administration in Ohio, 1935-1943." PhD dissertation U. of Cincinnati 2003. 201 pp. DAI 2003 64(5): 1787-A. DA3092078 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Coil, William Russell. "'New Deal Republican': James A. Rhodes and the Transformation of the Republican Party, 1933-1983." PhD dissertation Ohio State U. 2005. 345 pp. DAI 2005 66(6): 2357-A. DA3180621 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Davies, Richard O. ''Defender of the Old Guard: John Bricker and American Politics.'' (1993). 271 pp.
* Giffin, William W. ''African Americans and the Color Line in Ohio, 1915-1930.'' (2005). 312 pp.
* Lamis, Alexander P. and Sharkey, Mary Anne, eds. ''Ohio Politics.'' (1994). 417 pp. textbook
* Lieberman, Carl, ed. ''Government, Politics, and Public Policy in Ohio.'' (1995). 277 pp. textbook
* Patterson, James T. ''Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft.'' (1972). 749 pp.
* Van Tine, Warren, et al. ''In the Workers' Interest: A History of the Ohio AFL-CIO, 1958-1998.'' (1998). 219 pp.
* Zimmerman, Richard G. ''Call Me Mike: A Political Biography of Michael V. Disalle'' (2003)

==Localities and regions==
* Curl, Donald W. ''Murat Halstead and the Cincinnati Commercial.'' (1980). 186 pp
* Hirsimaki, Eric. ''Lima: The History. '' (1986). 351 pp.
* Moore, Jonathan Barrons. "Local Economic Development in the Post-industrial Service Economy: Manufacturing Communities in the Ohio River Valley." PhD dissertation Ohio State U. 2003. 255 pp. DAI 2004 65(3): 1065-A. DA3124375 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Painter, Sue Ann. ''Architecture in Cincinnati: An Illustrated History of Designing and Building an American City.'' (2006) 368pp; ISBN 978-0-8214-1701-0 [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=213131210777630 online review]
* Ross, Steven J. ''Workers on the Edge: Work, Leisure, and Politics in Industrializing Cincinnati, 1788-1890'' (1985), new social history [http://www.questia.com/read/58918181?title=Workers%20on%20the%20Edge%3a%20Work%2c%20Leisure%2c%20and%20Politics%20in%20Industrializing%20Cincinnati%2c%201788-1890 online edition]
* Van Tassel, David D.. and John J. Grabowski, eds. ''The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History'' (1987), also online
* Van Tassel, David D.. and John J. Grabowski, eds. ''Cleveland: A Tradition of Reform'' (1986)
* Ware, Jane. ''Building Ohio: A Traveler's Guide to Ohio's Urban Architecture.'' (2001). 330 pp.
* Wheeler, Kenneth H. "Local Autonomy and Civil War Draft Resistance: Holmes County, Ohio" ''Civil War History'', Vol. 45, 1999
* WPA. ''Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors'' (1943), 574pp; famous guide book, with history [http://www.questia.com/read/72509386?title=Cincinnati%3a%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Queen%20City%20and%20Its%20Neighbors online edition]
===Primary historical sources===
* Bentley, Anna Briggs. ''American Grit: A Woman's Letters from the Ohio Frontier.'' ed. by Emily Foster, (2002). 344 pp. [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=168301062659261 online review]
* Dee, Christine, ed. ''Ohio's War: The Civil War in Documents.'' (2007). 244 pp. [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=80721191089204 online review]
* Foster, Emily, ed. ''The Ohio Frontier: An Anthology of Early Writings.'' (1996). 229 pp.
* Gebby, Margaret. ''Farm Wife: A Self-Portrait, 1886-1896.'' ed. by Virginia E. McCormick. (1990). 243 pp.
* Johnson, Tom L. ''My Story'' (1993), reform mayor of Cleveland
* Saxbe, William B. and Franklin, Peter D. ''I've Seen the Elephant: An Autobiography.'' (2000). 267 pp. Saxbe was a politician and US Senator 1946-74
* Shriver, Phillip R., Jr. and Clarence E. Wunderlin. eds. ''Documentary Heritage Of Ohio'' (2001)

==See Also==
*[[:Category:Ohio_Universities|Ohio Universities]]

====references====
<references/>
{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

John Kasich

2012-01-01T13:14:17Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

{{Officeholder
|name=John Kasich
|image=Johnkasich.jpg‎
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=Karen Waldbillig
|religion=Christianity
|offices=
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Ohio
|district=12th
|terms=January 3, 1983 - January 3, 2001
|preceded=Robert N. Shamansky
|former=n
|succeeded=Patrick J. Tiberi
}}

}}

'''John Richard Kasich''' (rhymes with "basic" LMFAO) (born May 13, 1952 in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania) is the current Governor of [[Ohio]], taking over from [[Democrat]] [[Ted Strickland]]. Kasich served as the [[Republican]] U.S. Representative from [[Ohio]]'s 12th congressional district from 1983 through 2001 and was chairman of the House Budget Committee in the 1990's. He was a political alley of [[Speaker of the House]] [[Newt Gingrich]] and chief architect of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Kasich went on to host the Ohio-based ''Heartland with John Kasich'' on the [[Fox News Channel]].

Kasich signed three major [[pro-life]] bills into law in 2011, and supported [[economic]] reforms also. He has also been a leader on cultural issues, speaking out against Ohio's pink drivers licenses and not backing down to the [[lamestream media]].

When [[LeBron James]] was routed in the [[NBA Finals]], Kasich honored the player who defeated the former Ohioan James.

Some have criticized Kasich for allowing spending to increase by 11% in Ohio in 2011, but under Kasich's leadership unemployment in Ohio dropped to its lowest level since 2008. This [[swing state]] was hit hard by Obama's economic recession.<ref>http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2011/03/25/reason-tv-gov-kasichs-ohio-budget-disaster-can-you-cut-government-by-jacking-spending-11/</ref>

== External links ==
*[http://www.kasichforohio.com/site/c.hpIJKWOCJqG/b.5199849/k.BFBA/Home.htm Campaign Website]
*[http://governor.ohio.gov/ Official site of Ohio Governor]

== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasich, John}}
[[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Ohio Governors]]
[[Category:Republican Governors]]

User:StewMcP

2012-01-01T13:13:49Z

SchIafIyStatistics:

I am another parodist. Not really a conservative.

Conservative of the Year 2011

2012-01-01T13:11:53Z

SchIafIyStatistics: Replaced content with "Page is meaningless"

Page is meaningless