https://www.conservapedia.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=VonShroomConservapedia - User contributions [en]2026-10-26T12:24:20ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.35.14https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Barack_Hussein_Obama&diff=454549Barack Hussein Obama2008-05-16T16:21:23Z<p>VonShroom: /* Criticism and controversy */</p>
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<div>'''Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.''' (b. August 4, 1961) is the current frontrunner of the 2008 Democrat presidential primary. Obama is a member of the [[Democratic Party]] who was elected by the people of Illinois to the United States Senate in 2004. Obama is currently the only [[African American]] serving in the [[United States Senate]]. <br />
[[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama on the campaign trail with [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] during the [[National Anthem]].]]<br />
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== Criticism and controversy ==<br />
Obama falsely claimed that he was a constitutional law professor when in actuality he only held the title of "Senior Lecturer." <ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&type=politics</ref><ref>http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4238307</ref><br />
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Obama states that he consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen."<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111</ref><br />
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Obama is pro choice. Conservatives can suck my left nut. Obama said "the first thing I'd do as president is, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act" for the [[abortion]] industry.<ref>[http://christiannewswire.com/news/560716251.html]</ref> <br />
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Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.<ref>"Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman."[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]</ref> Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site "MoveOn.org" for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],<ref>MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]</ref> campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise [[Hillary Clinton]] refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]</ref> <br />
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He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that "Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'." <ref>http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html</ref> Obama's "research" for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses<ref>Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.</ref> on the [[Constitution]].<ref>The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant." [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref><br />
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Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in an apparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. For example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted "present" rather than "aye" or "nay" nearly an astounding 130 times.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html</ref> During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records.{{fact}}<br />
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Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. "Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion."<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp</ref>mThe [[New York Times]] noted that "Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&ex=1358485200&en=bb179297e5f61acb&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&oref=slogin&oref=slogin</ref> When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.<ref>"Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut," the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]</ref><br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr., and Ann Dunham in 1961. In 1967 he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school, followed by an Indonesian public school, until he returned with his mother to Hawaii. There he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br />
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Obama continued his education at the Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before graduating with his Bachelor of Arts from [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]]. After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the [[liberal]] ''Harvard Law Review'' in 1989, which used racial [[quotas]] for membership, and was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990. He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991 and chose not to pursue a federal clerkship, which is the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br />
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He was "Senior Lecturer in the Law" -- not a professor-level position -- at the [[University of Chicago]] Law School as of 2004,<ref>http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/04/041103.obama.shtml</ref> and is longer active at the school.<ref>http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama</ref><br />
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==Legal career==<br />
Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as Director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br />
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==Senate career==<br />
Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by an out-of-state candidate, [[Alan Keyes]].<br />
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His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] places him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].<ref>[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=desc]</ref> He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006<ref>[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=desc]</ref> and 16th most liberal in 2005.<ref>[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=desc]</ref><br />
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In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that "racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God."<ref>http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html</ref> The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]</ref><br />
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=== Bills co-sponsored ===<br />
Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guide of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html</ref><br />
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Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.<ref> http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html</ref> <br />
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Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.<ref>http://thomas.loc.gov/</ref> His supporters cite the following less [[liberal]] examples, but this list is not representative:<br />
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*S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br />
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*S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br />
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*S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br />
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*S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br />
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=== Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br />
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In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br />
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Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br />
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In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the Zimbabwe government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former Liberian President Charles Taylor. <ref> http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ </ref><br />
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==Presidential campaign==<br />
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br />
Senator Obama began his anti-war candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his "House Divided" speech.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html "Obama declares he's running for president"] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com </ref><br />
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Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. <br />
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By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million dollars from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''</ref> After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an "articulate" spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.</ref><ref>Chicago Sun-Times, <br />
[http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br />
April 29, 2007,</ref><br />
<br />
During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br />
{{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.</ref>}}<br />
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Obama evidently was misinformed, whereas in reality the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br />
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By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face to face meetings with two of Florida's most fearful enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama advised he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, which gave him a serious chance of becoming the Democratic nominee.<br />
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== Political views ==<br />
Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist".]]<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006</ref> While he is generally considered [[liberal]] by [[America]]n standards, he could be considered a moderate [[conservative]] on an international scale.<ref>http://politicalcompass.org/usprimaries2008</ref> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.<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> <br />
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Obama's views on [[gun control]] is focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:<ref>David Kopel, "The Democrats and Gun Control," Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]</ref><br />
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:As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he "never saw or approved the questionnaire," and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br />
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Obama has said, "Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning," and "it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life."<ref>[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
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Nonetheless, he asserted that elements of [[sex education]] should be taught in kindergarten.<ref>"Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten." [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 </ref><br />
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Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.<ref>[http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches]</ref><br />
<br />
::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br />
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== Foreign policy experience ==<br />
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In Russia and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited numerous nuclear/biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with Tony Blair, sitting UK Prime Minister.[http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/]<br />
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Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur and addressed Africa's growing AIDS epidemic. <ref>http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/</ref> <br />
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During a ten day tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. <ref> http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/</ref><br />
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==Religious affiliations==<br />
[[Daniel Pipes]] concludes that Obama was raised a Muslim, <br />
<ref>In his autobiography, ''Dreams of My Father'', Obama relates how he got into trouble for making faces during Koranic studies, thereby revealing he was a Muslim, for Indonesian students in his day attended religious classes according to their faith.</ref><br />
yet in ''The Audacity of Hope'' Obama is described as growing up in a non-religious environment. When he was a child in Indonesia, he attended a local Muslim school for two years and a local [[Catholic]] school for two years, according to his own books.<ref>"Obama has noted in his two books, 'Dreams From My Father' and 'The Audacity of Hope,' that he spent two years in a Muslim school and another two years in a Catholic school while living in Indonesia from age 6 to 10." [http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/]</ref> His father was a non-practicing [[Muslim]]. <br />
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Obama attended a Muslim school but [[CNN]] states that it was not a [[madrassa]].<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/</ref><br />
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Obama and his his wife (reared a Baptist) have been active members since 1988 at the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>http://www.tucc.org/about.htm</ref> in Chicago. Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. In April 2008, to advance his presidential campaign, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views.<br />
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== Books ==<br />
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* ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.''<br />
* ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.''<br />
* ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak)<br />
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==Published criticism==<br />
On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref> who made a racially insensitive remark<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.</ref> on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, "The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds." <br /> <br />
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The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as "miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus."<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''</ref><br />
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In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.</ref> and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
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==See also==<br />
*[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous "Breaking News"]]<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
*[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br />
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==Sources==<br />
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*[http://obama.senate.gov/about/ Official Senate Website]<br />
*[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br />
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br />
*[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br />
*[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br />
*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br />
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{{liberalism}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist|2}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Barrack}}<br />
{{2008 presidential candidates}}<br />
[[Category:United States Senators]]<br />
[[Category:Democratic Party]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:VonShroom&diff=426502User talk:VonShroom2008-04-08T22:04:59Z<p>VonShroom: /* What exactly is "offensive?" */</p>
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<div>{{welcome}}<br />
[[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 18:02, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
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== Hello! ==<br />
Well since Crocoite has yet to slap on a welcome template here, let me do the honours instead. As a fellow "liberal atheist" (although by American terms I am probably on a par with socialists in terms of political views), I am glad to see you here. My mission is very much similar to yours, I guess, in discovering new points of view. Right now I am working on the [[macroeconomics]] article if you fancy helping out on something strictly NPOV. See you around, I hope... --[[User:TJ|Crookles]] 17:41, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
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== meh ==<br />
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I had enough of him for the time being.<br />
[[User:MetcalfeM|MetcalfeM]] 22:18, 13 March 2008 (EDT)<br />
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== Asking Questions ==<br />
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Don't expect much when asking valid questions except being called a filthy liberal and suffering from liberal denial/hysteria/bias/deceit/germs/etc. I've tried. Oh lord how I have tried.<br />
<br />Good luck, though. Liberal On!--[[User:Iconoclastbeggar|Iconoclastbeggar]] 23:35, 13 March 2008 (EDT)<br />
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== What exactly is "offensive?" ==<br />
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Since outright ad hominem attacks upon liberals is not allowed here, what exactly qualifies as an "offensive statement?" [[User:Jinxmchue|Jinxmchue]] 12:46, 5 April 2008 (EDT)<br />
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:Well,the best example is this site's use of the phrase ''pro-abortion'' instead of ''pro-choice''. I am NOT ''pro abortion'', and I am not familiar with ANYONE who considers themselves so. This site only uses that phrase to make it seem like liberals enjoy killing babies, which is very classy. <br />
:Also, I wouldn't say that blatant attacks upon liberals are not allowed here; just look at the infamous [[professor values]] article. Is there a single conservative educator listed there? No. Can a conservative educator even be listed there? No, Schlafly personally reverts the addition. Apparently only liberal professors commit heinous acts. [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 18:04, 8 April 2008 (EDT)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Public_schools_in_the_United_States&diff=413366Public schools in the United States2008-03-26T01:13:01Z<p>VonShroom: /* Prominent Americans educated at public schools before ''Engel v. Vitale'' - fiddled with links*/</p>
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<div>[[Public schools]] in the [[United States]] are [[atheistic]] government institutions that employ 3 million workers, train 50 million students, and offer diplomas to the students who complete the 12th grade. Spoken [[prayer]] and display of the [[Ten Commandments]] are expressly forbidden in public schools' classrooms during school hours, and teaching of [[morality]] is implicitly disfavored.<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principle then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], however, the term "public school" means the exact opposite of its American usage, and refers to the most expensive and prestigious ''private'' schools, such as [[Eton College]], [[Harrow]], and a few others.<br />
<br />
In response to the perception that schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_199910/ai_n8866284]</ref> The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principles. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do." [http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story] <br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<br />
In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.<br />
<br />
Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and [[kindergarten]] did not exist until it was created in St. Louis in 1873.<br />
<br />
== Student Prayer in Public Schools ==<br />
<br />
The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President Clinton stated, "Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1995<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref> <br />
<br />
In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref> <br />
<br />
''Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week.''<br />
<br />
''The guidance reflects the Bush administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed.''<br />
''The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.''<br />
''The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the Clinton administration and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials.''<br />
<br />
''The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.''<br />
<br />
== Prominent Americans educated at public schools before ''[[Engel v. Vitale]]''==<br />
<br />
Given that [[public schools]] educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school prayer in 1962. Nearly all the examples of prominent Americans who attended public school predate 1962 in their attendance:<br />
<br />
*[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois<br />
*[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas<br />
*[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California<br />
*[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> attended Hot Springs High School, Arkansas<br />
*[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan<br />
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas<br />
*[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri<br />
*[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas<br />
*[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.<br />
*[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref><br />
*[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref><br />
*[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref><br />
*[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref><br />
*[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. <ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref><br />
*[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref><br />
*[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref><br />
<br />
== Celebrities, Businessmen, Astronauts, Nobel Laureates and Candidates who attended or graduated public schools after the mid-fifties ==<br />
<br />
*Pat Tillman, NFL football player and US Army soldier graduated from Leland High School CA <ref>http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=197041</ref><br />
*Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School FL.<ref>http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/bez0bio-1<br />
</ref> <br />
*Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo.com, graduated from Sierramont Middle School, and Piedmont Hills High School, CA. <ref>http://goldsea.com/Innovators/Yangjerry/yangjerry3.html</ref><br />
*David Filo, co-founder of Yahoo.com graduated from Sam Houston High School TX. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/301/000123929/</ref><br />
*Kathryn D. Sullivan, NASA astronaut and first American woman to walk in space, graduated from Taft High School, Woodland Hills, California, in 1969. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/sullivan-kd.html</ref><br />
*S. Christa Mcauliffe, astronaut participant, graduated from Marian High School, Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1966. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcauliffe.html<br />
</ref><br />
*Mae C. Jemison, NASA astronaut and first African-America woman in space, graduated from Morgan Park High School, Chicago, Illinois, in 1973. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/jemison-mc.html<br />
</ref><br />
*Ellen Ochoa, NASA astronaut and the first Hispanic-American woman astronaut, graduated from Grossmont High School, La Mesa, California, in 1975. <ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ochoa.html</ref> <br />
*Jeana Yeager, aviator, graduated from Commerce High School GA in 1970.<ref>http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/mrp/pdf/today/12-07-05.pdf<br />
</ref> <br />
*[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981. <ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm<br />
</ref><br />
*[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/<br />
</ref><br />
*John Sununu, Senator, graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's. <ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html<br />
</ref><br />
*[[John Edwards]], politician, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref> <br />
*Spike Lee, producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref><br />
*[[Bill Gates]], founder of Microsoft, ''left'' public school after attending in Seattle until the age of twelve.<ref>http://www.thocp.net/biographies/gates_bill.htm</ref><br />
*Rush Limbaugh graduated from Central High School, MO in 1969 and attended Southeast Missouri State University for two semesters <ref>http://www.phillytalkradio.com/shows/show.php?show_id=limb</ref><br />
*John Cromwell Mather, Nobel laureate, graduated from Newton High School, Newton, NJ in 1964. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/915/000137504/</ref><br />
*George Fitzgerald Smoot, Nobel laureate, graduated from Upper Arlington High School, Upper Arlington, OH in 1962. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/921/000137510/</ref><br />
*Hugh David Politzer, Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1966. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/716/000140296/</ref><br />
*Frank Wilczek, Nobel laureate, attended Martin Van Buren High School, Queens, NY, during the late 1960's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/720/000140300/</ref><br />
*Laura Bush attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964).<ref name="BushChildhood"/><ref name="BrittanicaLauraBush"/><br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Teacher Pay]]<br />
[[category:education]]<br />
[[category:United States History]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberals_and_Academia&diff=412354Liberals and Academia2008-03-24T22:20:54Z<p>VonShroom: /* Immoral Behavior */</p>
<hr />
<div>The phrase '''professor values''' refers to the lack of morals and values in the culture of college faculties, which is characterized by [[atheism]], [[censorship]], [[socialism]], unjustified claims of expertise and knowledge, advocacy of [[liberal]] beliefs, [[liberal grading]], [[liberal bias]], anti-patriotism, plagiarism, false claims of credentials, lack of productivity, [[bullying]] or discouraging students (particularly homeschoolers),<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032101451.html?referrer=emailarticle</ref> and promotion of sexual immorality. <br />
<br />
In a Zogby poll, 58% of [[Americans]] said that the bias of professors is a serious problem, while 39% said it is a "very serious" problem.<ref>http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1334</ref> The survey demonstrated further that "an overwhelming majority also believe that job security for college professors leaves them less motivated to do a good job than those professors who do not enjoy a tenured status - 65% said they believe non-tenured professors are more motivated to do a good job in the classroom."<ref>http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1334</ref><br />
<br />
[[Liberal]] politicians are routinely given high-ranking academic positions over better-qualified candidates. Examples include:<br />
<br />
* [[Al Gore]]<ref>Beginning early in 2001, "Gore will be [at UCLA] to develop a new curriculum for family-centered community building, a multidisciplinary approach that brings together authorities from such fields as education, business and public policy to work on problems that ail our society and affect our children. ... He also will be teaching at three other universities - Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and Fisk University in Nashville - in addition to his teaching and research work at UCLA." [http://spotlight.ucla.edu/special-guests/al-gore_teach/]</ref><br />
*[[Michael Dukakis]]<br />
*[[Gary Hart]]<br />
*[[Bob Kerrey]]<br />
* [[Tony Blair]]<br />
There are about 3600 colleges, many small, and perhaps 500,000 professors. Yet there have been a relatively large number of shocking crimes and bizarre conduct.<br />
<br />
== Crimes by Professors ==<br />
<br />
* [[Villanova University]] professor Edward R. Ritter was arrested on March 21, 2008 and charged with selling marijuana to undercover police officers, and a subsequent search of his home uncovered 19 bags of marijuana.<ref>http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20080322_Villanova_professor_arrested_on_drug_charges.html</ref><br />
<br />
* Kansas State University English professor Thomas Murray was a popular teacher, but he was convicted of murdering his ex-wife with 17 stab wounds and blunt trauma to her head. She "was found dead in her bedroom atop a dresser."<ref>http://www.courttv.com/trials/murray/backgrounder_ctv.html</ref> Professor Murray had written several books, including "The Language of Sadomasochism."<ref>''Id.''</ref> He did not testify in his defense and spoke only at sentencing, where he called the state's case a "fairy tale."<ref>http://www.kansaspublicradio.org/newsstory.php?itemID=5892</ref><br />
<br />
* Shortly after the end of the school year and his contract, Marshall University Psychiatry associate professor John M. Adams burglarized and murdered Bobby Burns on July 2, 2003, and then kidnapped two women and forced them to drive him across the Ohio River.<ref>http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/07/29/loc_ohprofessor29.html</ref><br />
<br />
* University of South Florida professor Sami al-Arian pled guilty to "aiding a terrorist group" and was "sentenced to 57 months in prison."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/article/72228</ref><ref>http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=7961089&nav=menu577_2_1</ref> He then "spent more than a year in civil contempt after refusing to appear before two grand juries investigating Islamic charities in Northern Virginia."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/article/72228</ref><br />
<br />
* Claremont McKenna College visiting professor Kerri Dunn was sentenced to a year in state prison after she was found guilty of staging a phony [[hate crime]], in which she "spray-painted her car with racist and anti-Semitic slurs and then reported a hate crime on campus."<ref>http://www.knbc.com/education/3998600/detail.html</ref><br />
<br />
* University of Hawaii professor Marc Fossorier was arrested and later convicted and sentenced to one year in jail for attempting a sex crime with a girl apparently only 15 years old.<ref>http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/4582/40/</ref><br />
<br />
* A [[New Jersey]] Cumberland County College professor "was arrested on charges of harassment, trespassing and stalking."<ref>http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEWS01/80305019/1002</ref> <br />
<br />
* University of Central Florida political science professor Michael Shawn Reichert was arrested for having "a stash of more than 100 child pornography pictures on his work computer," "plus three pornographic movies."<ref>http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/07/ucf-professor-a.html</ref><br />
<br />
* [[University of Wisconsin]] adjunct professor Victor M. Zamudio-Taylor resigned after being charged with viewing child-pornography in a campus computer laboratory.<ref>http://badgerherald.com/news/2002/03/19/uwmilwaukee_professo.php</ref><br />
<br />
* A [[British]] university professor was gaoled for ten months for plotting to defraud a hospital trust. <ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010626/ai_n14398964</ref><br />
<br />
* [[French]] [[Marxist]] [[structuralist]] [[philosopher]] Professor [[Louis Althusser]] (1918-1990) killed his wife in 1980 and was afterwards confined to a psychiatric hospital.<br />
<br />
* Professor Daniel Storm, of the University of Washington, flushed 4 litres of the flammable solvent ethyl ether down the sink, rather than pay the safe disposal fees. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Oesterle said that his using an axe to open the containers was particularly dangerous because a spark could easily have ignited the ether. <ref>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003607035_uwprof08m0.html</ref><br />
<br />
* An Associate Professor at Youngstown State University was locked up and fined $50 after baring his buttocks in front of children at a county fair. <ref>http://www.thejambar.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=38283b71-1223-4e85-929f-ba0f932d5366</ref><br />
<br />
== Immoral Behavior ==<br />
<br />
*Emory University History Professor of History [[Michael Bellesiles]], a [[gun control]] advocate, wrote a book entitled ''Arming America, The Origins of a National Gun Culture'' (2000). Gary Wills gave it a glowing review in ''The New York Times'', but admitted later that "I was took. The book is a fraud."<ref>Jonah Goldberg, [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/guests/s_501644.html ''Reports of the 2nd Amendment's death have been greatly exaggerated ...''] Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Apr. 8, 2007.</ref> Bellesiles resigned from his position as Professor of History when an independent committee of scholars examined his work and concluded that "his scholarly integrity is seriously in question."<ref>http://hnn.us/articles/1069.html</ref><br />
<br />
*According to one columnist, 88 Duke professors -- more than 10 percent of the Duke professorial faculty - endorsed and published an advertisement hurtful to students who had been wrongly accused of rape during a lacrosse team party, which "helped create the lynch-mob atmosphere."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/03232007/postopinion/opedcolumnists/duke__who_wont_pay_opedcolumnists_john_podhoretz.htm</ref> <br />
<br />
* When student Rebecca Beach circulated an email at Warren Community College in New Jersey disclosing that decorated Iraq war hero Lt. Col. Scott Rutter would be visiting, English professor John Daly replied: "Real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors."<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47461</ref><br />
<br />
*In October, 2007, Richard Roberts resigned as President of Oral Roberts University after pressures mounted surrounding his unapproved use of University funds for private use, including trips for his daughters, clothes shopping for his wife, unnecessary real estate, and luxury vehicles. <ref> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/23/national/a165630S41.DTL </ref>.<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
<br />
[[Category:Liberals]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Sweden&diff=407869Sweden2008-03-18T00:40:07Z<p>VonShroom: Polishing</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Country<br />
|name =''Konungariket Sverige'' <br />
|map =Sweden rel96.jpg<br />
|flag =Flag of Sweden.png<br />
|arms =Arms of Sweden.png<br />
|capital =Stockholm<br />
|capital-raw =<br />
|government =Constitutional monarchy<br />
|government-raw =<br />
|language =Swedish <br />
|king =Carl XVI Gustaf<br />
|queen =<br />
|monarch-raw =<br />
|president =<br />
|president-raw =<br />
|chancellor =<br />
|chancellor-raw =<br />
|pm =Fredrik Reinfeldt<br />
|pm-raw =<br />
|area =173,732 sq mi<br />
|pop =9,142,8174 (2007)<br />
|pop-basis =<br />
|gdp =<br />
|gdp-year =$291 billion (2006)<br />
|gdp-pc =$32,200 (2006)<br />
|currency =Swedish krona<br />
|idd =<br />
|tld =<br />
}}<br />
'''Sweden''' is a country in [[Scandinavia]]. The capital city is [[Stockholm]], which is also the largest city. Sweden has approximately 9 million inhabitants, with an area of 173,750 square miles (450,000 square kilometers).<br />
<br />
Sweden is a constitutional [[monarchy]] and a parliamentary [[democracy]]. The prime minister of Sweden is 41 year old Fredrik Reinfeldt, leader of the Moderates. The Swedish parliament has 349 seats. [[Carl XVI Gustaf]] is the current king. <br />
<br />
== Swedish Viking History ==<br />
In Sweden the [[Viking]] Age was getting under way by the 9th century, and vast repositories of Roman, Byzantine and Arab coins attest to the wealth and power Swedish Vikings accumulated over the next century. Vikings traveled mostly to the east, making their mark in Russia, as well as trading with (and pillaging) Byzantine territories. They also traveled west and there is considerable evidence of artifacts (such as coins) on the North American continent. Vikings pillaged villages all over Ireland, and are the antecedents of many living Irish men and women, such as the former Taoiseach of Ireland, Charles Haughey and his cousin Sile de Valera, pop stars Bob Geldof and Phil Lynott, and artist Charlie Whisker. Remnants of a small settlement (called Ektorp) exist on Newfoundland which include the remains of small dwellings, deteriorated furniture and cooking utensils. <br />
<br />
Christianity only took root in the 11th century. <br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
Sweden officially remained neutral throughout [[World War II]], although it helped both sides during the war. During the period 1939-1943 when the Axis powers looked like the winning side Sweden supplied Germany with much needed Iron ore. The Iron ore made sure that the German war machine could keep on going and become such an issue that Great Britain considered invading Sweden to destroy the mines up north in Kiruna. Sweden also transported German soldiers on leave from Norway and reinforcements going to Finland. After 1943 when Germany started to face defeat after defeat, and it became clear that Germany would not win the war, Sweden started to help the Allies by providing them with intelligence. Sweden also began to take some steps toward rescuing [[Jews]] around 1944. One of the most significant of these actions was the sending of diplomat [[Raoul Wallenberg]] to German-occupied territory to obtain passports for Jews.<br />
<br />
== Christianity in Sweden ==<br />
80% of the inhabitants belong to the Evangelical [[Lutheran Church]] of Sweden named The Swedish Church (Svenska kyrkan in Swedish). This church is somewhat unique because it has decided to marry [[homosexuality|homosexuals]]. This Church is considered a [[liberal]] Church and does not protest against abortions, divorce, and other conservative issues. About 5% of the Swedish population belong to "conservative" Christian churches. Many Swedes are [[atheists]].<br />
<br />
Sweden has 18 weeks of free [[abortion]] and 4 weeks during which women need to get special permission to be allowed an abortion. Swedish politicians are currently discussing whether foreign women should be allowed to have an late term abortion in Sweden, and much suggests that the parliament will vote in favor of that proposition. In the 1960's the government decided to reduce in school education about [[Christianity]]. In 2000, the Evangelical [[Lutheran Church]] and the government were separated. Before that, all children were born members of the church, except those whose parents took an active decision against it and both left the church. Even if a child were not christened, he or she became a member for life, having to pay a small tax to the church. <br />
<br />
In 2005 a Swedish Pentecostal preacher, [[Ake Green|Åke Green]], was charged with, and found guilty of hate speech, when preaching Biblical teachings regarding homosexuality. He was imprisoned for one month, but then acquitted by the High Court and the Supreme Court.<br />
<br />
== Politics ==<br />
Sweden has high taxes and strong trade unions, and is considered to be a [[socialist]] nation. Fredrik Reinfeldt says that he is a fan of the "Swedish model", and plans to make only small changes at the most. Although one of the parties in the government alliance is named "The Christian Democrats", no decisions have been made to make Christianity stronger in Sweden. <br />
<br />
Swedes are paying approximately 30% in taxes and additional 20-25% if ones salary exceeds 300 000 kronas a year - approximately the same rate of income tax and social security tax as in the [[United States]].<br />
Much of the money that comes from these taxes goes to social welfare. Everyone in Sweden has the right to a home, food, water and clothes.<br />
<br />
== Economy ==<br />
Major economic sectors include the iron and steel industry, shipbuilding, motor manufacturing (notably the Saab and Volvo corporations), and 'forest industries' (timber, woodpulp, paper and packaging). The Swedish company IKEA has achieved worldwide reach (and inspired imitators) with its inexpensive 'Scandinavian style' furniture and housewares<br />
== Culture ==<br />
A typical Swede is taciturn, calm, and polite, which may however be misinterpreted as coldness or arrogance. Personal space is also an important cultural aspect in Sweden. Boasting and general loud-mouthiness is generally frowned upon.<br />
<br />
Bigotry is not generally accepted in Sweden, with two notable exceptions:<br />
Americans are generally seen as loud-mouthed and arrogant, as they are in many other European countries. There are several reasons for this, but the history of Jingoism and modern day activities that are viewed as "world policing" such as the war in Iraq have greatly contributed to this assumption. <br />
<br />
Immigrants are viewed with suspicion by a large portion of the population due to the recent successes of semi-racist parties like Sverige Demokraterna (Swedish democrats)<br />
<br />
==Some Notable Swedes==<br />
* [[Alfred Nobel]], instigator of the [[Nobel Prize]]<br />
* Greta Garbo, actress<br />
* ABBA - comprised of Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog. At one time ABBA were considered the largest corporation in Sweden, and bigger than Volvo.<br />
* Roxette<br />
* Dag Hammarskjöld<br />
* [[Anders Celsius]]<br />
* Astrid Lindgren<br />
* Carl von Linné<br />
* Fredrik Ljungberg<br />
* Henrik Larsson<br />
* Stellan Skarsgård<br />
* Saint Bridgid<br />
* Lars Magnus Ericsson<br />
* Gustavus Adolphus (king, founder of Gothenburg etc, died 1632 in the Thirty Years War)<br />
* Björn Borg, tennis player<br />
* Olof Palme<br />
* Ingemar Bergman<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.sweden.se SWEDEN.SE]<br />
*[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se Svenska Kyrkan]<br />
*http://www.lo.se <br />
*http://www.moderaterna.se<br />
*http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=913&a=324428<br />
*http://www.gluefox.com<br />
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/europe/sweden.html History of Sweden]<br />
* Forte, Angelo. Oram, Richard. Pedersen, Frederik. ''Viking Empires''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005<br />
* Hudson, Benjamin. ''Viking Pirates and Christian Princes: Dynasty, Religion, and Empire in North America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.<br />
* http://www.livetsord.se/default.aspx?idStructure=918<br />
* http://perkornhall.se/LivetsOrd/index-eng.htm<br />
* http://www.skattebetalarna.se<br />
* http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/History/MacKinder/mackinder.html<br />
* http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Norway/index.html<br />
* http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____12355.aspx<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:European Countries]]<br />
[[Category:EU Members]]<br />
[[Category:Scandinavian Countries]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Harrisburg&diff=407740Harrisburg2008-03-17T21:31:23Z<p>VonShroom: Added a lot to a previously tiny article</p>
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<div>'''Harrisburg''' is the capital city of [[Pennsylvania]]. Founded by [[England|Englishman]] John Harris in the late 1700s, Harrisburg soon grew to be a leading trade and transportation hub in the area. It became the capital of Pennsylvania in 1812, and continued to grow into a center for local agriculture and industry. Although the city suffered a social decline in the 1970s and 1980s, large revitalization efforts throughout the 1990s helped Harrisburg save its reputation and turn it from one of the most distressed cities in the country to one of the most desirable destinations in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg's downtown is not only a booming center for business<ref>http://www.hrg-inc.com/careers/relocation-H.asp</ref>, but also the place to go for entertainment in the region, with numerous restaurants, galleries, and museums<ref>http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07133/785647-85.stm</ref>. <br />
<br />
The city is located on the [[Susquehanna River]] in the "south-central" area of the state.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:United States Towns and Cities]]<br />
[[Category:US State Capitals]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=War_on_Terror&diff=407720War on Terror2008-03-17T20:44:25Z<p>VonShroom: /* International Perception - cited some sources*/</p>
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<div>[[Image:Waronterror.jpg|thumb|300px|U.S. Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu]]<br />
The '''War on Terror''' (or War on Terrorism) is a campaign that was launched by the [[United States of America]] with support from [[NATO]] and other allies with the stated goal of ending international terrorism, which is typically understood to refer particularly to radical Islamist terrorism. The campaign was launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, for which [[Al-Qaeda]] claimed responsibility. The "War on Terror" has taken many forms, such as diplomacy, going after "terrorist financing," domestic provisions aiming to prevent future attacks, and joint training and peacekeeping operations with a wide variety of nations.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/hottopics/War_on_Terrorism.shtml War on Terrorism]. Newsmax.</ref> <br />
<br />
==Congressional debate==<br />
In March 2007, a memo sent to Democratic staffers on the [[House Armed Services Committee]] instructed Congressional aides not to use the specific phrases, "'''global war on terrorism'''" and "'''long war'''" in Defense authorization requests for the fiscal 2008 budget. The memo reads,<br />
<br />
:"When referencing military operations throughout the world, please be as specific as possible. Please avoid using colloquialisms such as, "'''the war on terrorism'''", or the "Long War" Please do not use the term "global war on terrorism" <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/HASC_Memo.pdf Style Guide for Defense Authorization Report]. House Committee on Armed Services. U.S. House of Representatives. 110th Congress. 27 March 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Michael Ware reported in April 2007,<br />
:"If U.S. troops leave now, you’re giving Iraq to [[Iran]] ... and [[al-Qaeda]]. If U.S. troops leave now, that’s who will own it. ... Coming back I'm struck by the nature of the debate on Capital Hill, how delusional it is." <ref>CNN, [http://newsbusters.org/media/2007-04-26-CNNAMPhillipsWare.rm Pullout would hand Iraq to Iran and al-Qaeda], 04/26/07. </ref><br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
==Campaigns==<br />
<br />
===Afghanistan===<br />
<br />
In immediate response to the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded [[Afghanistan]] to overthrow the [[Taliban]] and deny [[al-Qaeda]] a base of operations.<br />
<br />
===Iraq War===<br />
The [[Iraq War]], also known as the Second Persian Gulf War, began in March 2003 when the United States and a coalition of forces willing to enforce [[United Nations]] Resolutions removed [[Baathist]] dictator [[Saddam Hussein]]'s from power. Gen. [[David Petraeus]], commander of the multinational forces has characterized the Iraqi war as a decentralized fight against clan or family-based terror networks supplied by Iran and Syria, against which more and more Iraqis are willing to fight. Research using robust surveying techniques has estimated that over 650,000 Iraqis have died <ref>[http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7113/full/443728a.html Iraqi death toll withstands scrutiny], ''[[Nature]]''</ref> since the fall of the Ba'athist regime.<br />
<br />
[[Iran]] is actively assisting the major Shiite Muslim political factions in Iraq, most of which have long-standing ideological, political, and religious sectarian ties to Tehran. A key U.S. concern is that Iran is purportedly arming the militias fielded by those factions - militias that are committing sectarian violence and, to some extent, attacking U.S. forces. Since December 2006, the Administration has tried to reverse Iranian influence in Iraq while also engaging Iran diplomatically on Iraq.<br />
<br />
Of greater concern to U.S. officials than the Iranian political support to Iraq’s Shiite factions is Iranian material support to militias fielded by the major Shiite groupings. The militias are widely accused of the sectarian violence against Sunnis that is gripping Iraq and which has been repeatedly identified by U.S. officials as a leading security problem, although Iraqi Shiites say they are retaliating for Sunni violence against them. <br />
<br />
Senior U.S. and allied military officials and policymakers have provided specific information on Iranian aid to Shiite militias.<br />
*In March 2006, senior U.S. defense officials, including then-Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. John Abizaid asserted that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — particularly its "Qods (Jerusalem) Forces" that conduct activities outside Iran in support of Shiite movements — is assisting armed factions in Iraq with explosives and weapons. The Qods Force is an arm of the Iranian government, but some experts believe it might sometimes undertake actions not fully vetted with senior leaders.<br />
*On August 23, 2006, Brig. Gen. Michael Barbero, deputy chief of operations of the Joint Staff, said the Iranian government is training, funding, and equipping Shiite militiamen in Iraq. On September 28 2006, Maj. Gen. Richard Zahner, deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I), said that the labels on C-4 explosives found with Shiite militiamen in Iraq prove that the explosives came from Iran. He added that only the Iranian military apparatus controls access to such military-grade explosives.<ref>''Iranian Government Behind Shipping Weapons to Iraq.'' American Forces Press Service, September 28, 2006.</ref><br />
*On September 19, 2006, Gen. Abizaid said that U.S. forces had found weaponry in Iraq that likely came from Iran, including a dual-warhead rocket-propelled-grenade RPG-29, as well as Chinese-made rockets. He added that Lebanese Hezbollah members were conducting training in Iran and that they could also be training Iraqi Shiite militiamen but that "[these linkages are] very, very hard to pin down with precision". <ref>''New Weapons From Iran Turning Up on Mideast Battlefields: Abizaid.'' Agence France-Presse, September 19, 2006.</ref><br />
*On January 31, 2007, the commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, said that the United States had traced back to Iran serial numbers of weapons captured in Iraq. The armaments included rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs, and Katyusha rockets.<br />
*In a February 11, 2007, U.S. military briefers in Baghdad provided what they said was specific evidence that Iran had supplied armor-piercing "explosively forced projectiles" (EFPs) to Shiite militias. EFPs have been responsible for 170 U.S. combat deaths from 2003 until April 2007.<br />
*On April 11, 2007, when U.S. military officials said they had found evidence that Iran might also be supplying Sunni insurgent factions, although without asserting Iranian government approval for the shipments. Some experts believe such shipments would not comport with Iranian government objectives because Sunni insurgents are fighting Iran’s prot&#233;g&#233;s and allies in Iraq.<br />
*On July 2, 2007, Brig. Gen. Kevin Begner, in a briefing for journalists, said that the Qods Force is using Lebanese Hezbollah to train and channel weapons to Iraqi Shiite militia fighters, and that Iran is giving up to $3 million per month to its prot&#233;g&#233; forces in Iraq. Bergner based his information on the March 2007 capture – in connection with a January 2007 attack on U.S. forces in Karbala – of former Sadr spokesman Qais Khazali and Lebanese Hezbollah operative Ali Musa Daqduq.<br />
*On July 23, 2007, it was reported the US military found missiles manufactured in [[China]] which have been smuggled into Iraq from Iran.<ref>[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=84006 US Army claims Iran is smuggling Chinese weapons into Iraq], ''Daily Star'', July 23, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
One press report said there are 150 Iranian Qods Forces and intelligence personnel in Iraq.<ref>Linzer, Dafna. ''Troops Authorized To Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq,'' Washington Post,<br />
January 26, 2007.</ref> In December 2006, U.S. forces arrested two Qods Forces senior officers in the compound of SICI leader Hakim, where they were allegedly meeting with Badr Brigade leader (and member of parliament) Hadi al-Amiri; the two were later released under Iraqi government pressure. In January 2007, another five Iranian agents were arrested in a liaison office in the Kurdish city of Irbil, reportedly against the urging of Iraq’s Kurdish leaders. They remain under arrest until at least October 2007 when their case will be reviewed. Iranian diplomats were allowed access to the five on July 7, 2007, and the Iranians reportedly were told that there are two other Iranian government employees held by U.S. forces.<br />
<br />
===South America===<br />
[[MSNBC]] reports that [[Hezbollah]], the [[Iran]]ian created and supported terror organization that until the [[September 11 attacks]] had killed more Americans than any other terrorist organization, has set up operations within the rural regions known as South America’s Tri-Border Area. <ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17874369/ Hezbollah builds a Western base], From inside South America’s Tri-border area, Iran-linked militia targets U.S. By Pablo Gato and Robert Windrem, ''NBC News'', May 9, 2007. Retrieved from MSNBC.com June 4 2007.</ref><br />
This area is located between [[Paraguay]], [[Brazil]] and [[Argentina]], and borders Venezuela and Bolivia. All of these countries face the common enterprise of narco-terrorism. These funds are, in turn, are used to wage war against US and Coalition Forces in the Middle East and for clandestine training of future terrorist operatives in their [[jihad]] against the West. Hezbollah, [[Hamas]] and [[al Qaeda]] are all coordinating to affect jihad in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Further, many Western intelligence agencies report that al Qaeda nuclear whiz-kid Adnan el Shukrijumah has been spotted throughout South America, the United States and Canada.<br />
<br />
Other known terrorist organizations in the region, the [[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia]] (FARC) and the [[National Liberation Army]] (ELN), facilitate the trafficking of narcotics and the laundering of money derived from that enterprise. <ref> Venezuela: In the Spirit of The Monroe Doctrine], Frank Salvato, ''New Media Journal'', June 1, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
===Second Lebanon War===<br />
The [[Second Lebanon War]] was fought between [[Israel]] and [[Hezbollah]], primarily in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, in the summer of 2006.<br />
<br />
===Waziristan War===<br />
The [[Waziristan War]] (2004-2006) was fought between [[Pakistan]] and [[al-Qaeda]], the [[Taliban]], and sympathetic tribal militias in the [[Waziristan]] province of Pakistan, bordering [[Afghanistan]].<br />
<br />
==International Perception==<br />
Many people internationally disapprove of the War on Terror. They feel that deliberate deception was used in supporting the [[Iraq war]]. Many peopke internationally disagree with their countries joining the "Coalition of the willing", Germany and the United Kingdom for example<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2747175.stm</ref><ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aSS1cBdEHQ.I&refer=germany</ref>. They also feel that the use of extrajudicial internment and trials which are percieved to be unfair in [[Guntanemo Bay]] are a disgrace to the United States.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references/><br />
<br />
[[Category:politics]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:VonShroom&diff=407715User:VonShroom2008-03-17T20:32:31Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
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<div>== Who I am ==<br />
Hi, I'm a Liberal Atheist who has recently joined Conservapedia. The main reason for me being here is to keep an eye out for things that are offensive. I'm not here to stir up controversy, or to vandalize, or to make sweeping edits. I realize that this is a Conservative site, and I will respect that. What I do not think is correct is to combat liberal bias with offensive statements. Frequently I will ask for explanations about certain wordings, facts, etc., and will only edit articles after my issues with them have been discussed on talk pages.<br />
<br />
Please don't block me simply because I bring alternative viewpoints into the equation. That will hinder your agenda as much as it will hinder mine. I will be respectful if I receive respect in return.<br />
<br />
Also, I have been a Wikipedia editor for a few years now, and although I'm a bit rusty, I have a fairly solid knowledge of editing wikis.<br />
<br />
== What I'm doing ==<br />
As I page surf through CP, I'll clean up articles, if need be. Little grammatical errors, poor sentence structure, and spelling mistakes annoy me, and I will fix them whenever I find them. <br />
<br />
Also, if I find time after school, I would like to create some articles as well.</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Video_games&diff=407703Video games2008-03-17T20:03:03Z<p>VonShroom: Polishing the edges</p>
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<div>'''Video games''' are electronic games commonly played by [[children]] and [[teen]]s. A large number of young adults, having grown up in the era of video games, also play. Many video games such as [[sports]] games and educational games are harmless [[fun]] and can actually be beneficial to a child's development, especially if they allow more than one player. Some games though are violent and sexually explicit and have attracted the attention of family groups and [[Conservative]] [[Christian]]s. Games such as [[Grand Theft Auto]] are very violent and sometimes sexually explicit. Laws have been passed to limit young people's access to these violent games but these laws are either rarely enforced{{fact}} or overturned by judges.<ref>http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/148962.html</ref> Violent video games are believed to cause violent behaviour in some children, especially those under 16 whose mind is still not fully developed.{{fact}}<br />
<br />
In the USA, the majority of games carry ratings from the ESRB, a video game ratings organization.<br />
<br />
== Various genres ==<br />
<br />
Video games in the course of their existence have grown from the simple arcade style games, and have become more detailed and separated from one another. Genres can now include [[first person shooters]], [[racing]], [[Simulation]], [[Role-playing]], [[Sports]], and many others. Even then, games can combine genres, such as "Mass Effect" (Role Playing and Third Person Shooting), or not fit nicely into any genre, like "Katamari Damacy".<br />
<br />
== Popularity & Controversy ==<br />
<br />
Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the video game industry continues to grow with its original player base.<br />
<br />
Most of the controversy comes from the rising trend toward violence in video games, as pioneered by [[Doom]], [[Quake]], and the [[Grand Theft Auto]] series. One man in Particular, [[Jack Thompson]], has imposed a self-manned crusade against video games, which has made him a target of both the online gamer community and of the mainstream media.<br />
<br />
== Video Games & Society ==<br />
<br />
As video games become more popular, their impact on society becomes ever more present. A prime example of this is the massive ad campaigns for the [[Halo (game)|Halo]] series, as well as [[Grand Theft Auto]]. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.<br />
<br />
Due to their popularity, various corporations have begun placing advertisements for their products within the context of the game. [[Second Life]], an Internet-based virtual world, has blurred the lines between real-world and virtual world, and companies such as Adidas, Reebok, and Dell have set up virtual stores selling real-world products within the game. [[Reuters]] also operates a news bureau reporting news in the game.<br />
<br />
== Faith in Video Games ==<br />
<br />
Faith in Video Gaming has, as a rule, either led to the creation of new and dynamic antagonists, or video games that are mediocre , such as ''Spiritual Warfare'' and ''Bible Adventure'' for the Nintendo, or ''The Bible Game'' for various systems.<br />
<br />
The Bible, or other such religious texts, are rather used to tell a story spanning many different viewpoints. Turning these ideas into a video game, however, most often leads to games that tend to bore most video game audiences.<br />
<br />
Religion has, however, taken a prominent place amongst the various heroes and villains in video games. The [[Breath of Fire Series]], in particular, uses God as a main antagonist in many of its incarnations. Other games to use religion include [[Final Fantasy]], [[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]], [[Xenogears]], and [[Okami]].<br />
<br />
==Popular Video games==<br />
*[[Final Fantasy]] - A very popular RPG series in both the United States and Japan. Most games contain violence, sexuality and [[occult|occultic]] themes, some contain references to [[homosexuality]], [[suicide]], teen pregnancy, transvestism and (although rarely) negativity towards [[religion]].<br />
*[[Grand Theft Auto]] - Highly violent. 16-18 and up depending on country.<br />
*[[Half-Life]] - First Person Shooter series about Gordon Freeman, a luckless scientist turned hero-from-desperation.<br />
*[[Harvest Moon]] - Farm Life simulator, with many sequels spreading from various platforms. Character runs a farm, raises animals, and can eventually marry. Until recent incarnations, games had no violence. Rated E [6+] to T [13+].<br />
*[[The Legend of Zelda]] - A popular series of fantasy action-adventure games.<br />
*[[Mass Effect]] - A science fiction RPG rated "M" for blood, language, partial nudity, sexual themes, and violence.<br />
*[[NHL]] Series - This series from EA Sports as well as other NHL series are very popular, especially in Canada.{{fact}} They are family friendly with less violence as seen on NHL hockey on television (which actually can get quite violent). There is, obviously, no sexuality.<br />
*[[Pac-Man]]. An old maze game. It was very popular with kids and adults back in the eighties, and like most old video games it's a clean, fun game for everyone.<br />
*[[Portal]] - A popular first person shooter/puzzle game based upon Half-Life involving teleportation.<br />
*[[Resident Evil]] - Survival Horror video game series, revolving around viral zombies and the survivors of the zombie attacks. Copious blood, gore, and violence present. As of date, all games in series have been rated M [17+].<br />
*[[The Sims]] - A light-hearted life simulator with mild violence and some sexuality. Recommended for 13 and up.<br />
*[[Super Smash Brothers]] - Series of Nintendo Animated fighting games. Follows no specific story, mixing characters from different franchises in wide environments. Animated, no-blood violence.<br />
*[[Soul Calibur]] - A weapon-based fighting game. Revolves around the tale of two weapons, Soul Edge [Cursed] and Soul Calibur [Blessed], and those who fight for control of the weapons.<br />
*[[Street Fighter]] - One-on-one [[martial arts]] fighting game series, where a player selects one of various martial artists and battles other players or against computer-controlled characters. Since this game has mildly revealing dresses for the female fighters and sometimes a little blood during fights, though nowhere as over-the-top as Mortal Kombat, this game is recommended for teens.<br />
*[[Super Mario Bros.]] - Side-scrolling platform game series by [[Nintendo]]. Players play as Mario and Luigi, two Italian-American plumber brothers from [[Brooklyn]], who explore the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Peach from the evil Bowser Koopa. This game has no strong violence and no sexual content, so it is suitable for all ages.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[[Video game controversy]]<br />
*[[Jack Thompson]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<References/><br />
<br />
[[Category:Entertainment]]<br />
[[Category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Iconoclastbeggar&diff=407009User talk:Iconoclastbeggar2008-03-16T17:56:29Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
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<div>That's no problem, man. Actually, I'm honoured. :P [[User:Barikada|Barikada]] 23:28, 22 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I have Liberal Germs ==<br />
Hah, thanks comrade. Schlafly has now started to revert all of my edits, just because he wants to, it seems. I want to see if any of my edits will actually stand in the future. It will be fun... [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 13:56, 16 March 2008 (EDT)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Barack_Hussein_Obama&diff=406985Barack Hussein Obama2008-03-16T17:25:58Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
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<div>'''Barack Hussein Obama''' (b. August 4, 1961) is the junior Senator from [[Illinois]], elected to the United States Senate as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 2004. Obama is currently the only [[African American]] serving in the [[United States Senate]], where he serves his first term. Obama has been accused of falsely calling himself a constitutional law professor, though there are documents to back up his statement. <ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&type=politics</ref><ref>http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4238307</ref><ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/253391,CST-NWS-prof12.article</ref><br />
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]] <br />
<br />
Obama is [[pro-choice]]. So much so, in fact, that he even blocked the [[Illinois]] version of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, even though it was unanimously supported by the [[U.S. Senate]].<ref>http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080208070510AAmIod2&show=7</ref> Obama states that he consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen."<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111</ref><br />
<br />
Obama has absolutely no military, executive or foreign policy experience.<ref>"Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman."[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]</ref> Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site "MoveOn.org" for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],<ref>MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]</ref> campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise [[Hillary Clinton]] refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]</ref>. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that "Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe [for whom Obama worked as a research assistant] wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'." <ref>http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html</ref> Obama's "research" for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses<ref>Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.</ref> on the [[Constitution]].<ref>The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant." [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref><br />
<br />
Throughout his career, he repeatedly ducked controversial stands in an apparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. For example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted "present" rather than "aye" or "nay" nearly an astounding 130 times.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html</ref> During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records.<br />
<br />
Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. "Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion."<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp</ref><br />
<br />
==Early Life and Education==<br />
Senator Obama was born in Honolulu, [[Hawaii]] to Barack Obama, Sr., and Ann Dunham in 1961. In 1967 he moved to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]], with his mother and new stepfather. He attended an Indonesian Public School followed by a [[Catholic]] school until he returned with his mother to Hawaii. There he attended the Punahou School, a private preparatory school until 1979, the year of his graduation.<br /><br /><br />
Obama continued his education at Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before graduating with his Bachelor of Arts from [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]]. After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the [[liberal]] ''Harvard Law Review'' in 1989, which used racial [[quotas]] for membership, and was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990. He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991 and chose not to pursue a federal clerkship, which is the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br />
<br />
He was "Senior Lecturer in the Law" -- not a professor-level position -- at The [[University of Chicago]] Law School as of 2004.<ref>http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/04/041103.obama.shtml</ref> He is no longer active at the school.<ref>http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama</ref><br />
<br />
==Legal Career==<br />
Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as Director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br />
<br />
==Senate Career==<br />
Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama began to catch the nation's attention after delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He defeated his opponent, Alan Keyes, and was elected to the 109th Congress.<br />
<br />
His voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] places him as its tenth-most [[liberal]] member. His composite liberal rating was 86 percent, just seven points behind [[Ted Kennedy]]. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].<ref>[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=desc]</ref><br />
<br />
In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that "racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in god."<ref>http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html</ref> The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]</ref><br />
<br />
== Bills Co-Sponsored ==<br />
<br />
During the first two weeks of the 110th Congress, Sen. Obama supported and co-sponsored a bill called the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act that provided for comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform. The bill was signed by President Bush in September 2007.<ref> http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:s.1.es: </ref><br />
<ref> http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html </ref><br />
<br />
The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 was signed into law by Pres Bush on Sept 09, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts. <ref> http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html </ref><br />
<br />
Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.<ref>http://thomas.loc.gov/</ref> Less liberal examples of these bills include:<br />
<br />
*S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br />
<br />
*S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br />
<br />
*S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br />
<br />
*S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br />
<br />
==Presidential Campaign==<br />
[[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama on the campaign trail with [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] during the [[National Anthem]]. (from Time.com)]]<br />
Senator Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his "House Divided" speech.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html "Obama declares he's running for president"] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com </ref><br />
<br />
In early April 2007, Obama's campaign announced his first-quarter fund raising figures. The campaign generated over $25 million dollars from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''</ref> After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an "articulate" spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.</ref><ref>Chicago Sun-Times, <br />
[http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br />
April 29, 2007,</ref><br />
<br />
During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br />
{{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.</ref>}}<br />
<br />
Obama evidently was misinformed, whereas in reality the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br />
<br />
By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face to face meetings with two of Florida's most fearful enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama advised he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, which gave him a serious chance of becoming the Democratic nominee.<br />
<br />
==Political Views==<br />
Obama's political views have been a matter of controversy even before he put himself forward as a Presidential Candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist".]]<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006</ref> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.<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> <br />
<br />
Obama has said, "Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning," and "it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life."<ref>[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
Nonetheless, he asserted that elements of [[sex education]] should be taught in kindergarten.<ref>"Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten." [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 </ref><br />
<br />
Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.<ref>[http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches]</ref><br />
<br />
::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br />
<br />
== Foreign Policy Experience ==<br />
<br />
In Russia and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited numerous nuclear/biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with Tony Blair, sitting UK Prime Minister.[http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/]<br />
<br />
Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur and addressed Africa's growing AIDS epidemic. <ref>http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/</ref> <br />
<br />
During a ten day tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. <ref> http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/</ref><br />
<br />
== Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ==<br />
<br />
In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br />
<br />
Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br />
<br />
In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the Zimbabwe government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former Liberian President Charles Taylor. <ref> http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ </ref><br />
<br />
==Faith and Values==<br />
As he describes in ''The Audacity of Hope'' Obama grew up in a non-religious environment. When he was a child in Indonesia, he attended a local Muslim school for two years, followed by two years at a local [[Catholic]] school. His father was a non-practicing [[Muslim]]. <br />
<br />
Obama attended a Muslim school but independent news organizations have verified it was not a [[madrassa]].<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/</ref>.<br />
<br />
Obama and his his wife (reared a Baptist) have been active members since 1988 at the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>http://www.tucc.org/about.htm</ref> in Chicago. Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is borrowed from one of his pastor's sermons. He is at ease quoting Scriptures and speaking to [[liberal Christianity|liberal]] church audiences.<br />
<br />
== Books ==<br />
<br />
* ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.''<br />
* ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.''<br />
* ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak)<br />
<br />
==Published Criticism==<br />
On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref> who made a racially insensitive remark<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.</ref> on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, "The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds." <br /> <br />
<br />
The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as "miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus."<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''</ref><br />
<br />
In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.</ref> and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous "Breaking News"]]<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
*[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br />
<br />
==Sources==<br />
<br />
*[http://obama.senate.gov/about/ Official Senate Website]<br />
*[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br />
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br />
*[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br />
*[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br />
*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist|2}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Barrack}}<br />
{{2008 presidential candidates}}<br />
[[Category:United States Senators]]<br />
[[Category:Democratic Party]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Pennsylvania&diff=405237Pennsylvania2008-03-14T02:28:23Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{USState<br />
|name=Pennsylvania<br />
|flag=Pennsylvania_State_Flag.gif<br />
|motto="Virtue, Liberty, and Independence"<br />
|nick=The Keystone State<br />
|capital=Harrisburg<br />
|language=None<br />
|governor=Ed Rendell<br />
|gparty=Democrat<br />
|senator1=Bob Casey, Jr.<br />
|s1party=Democrat<br />
|senator2=Arlen Specter<br />
|s2party=Republican<br />
|population=<br />
|date=December 12, 1787 (2nd)<br />
}}<br />
'''Pennsylvania''' was one of the original thirteen colonies. It was founded by [[William Penn]], who desired a place where [[Quaker]]s and other denominations could worship freely without persecution (being a Quaker was illegal in England at the time). Pennsylvania is now a US state, with a population of 12,281,054. Its capital is [[Harrisburg]] and it borders [[Ohio]], [[Maryland]], [[New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Delaware]], and [[West Virginia]]. <br />
<br />
The [[Continental Congress]] met in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, and at the time, the largest city in any of the colonies. The [[Declaration of Independence]] was signed there, the [[Liberty Bell]] is there, and the [[Continental Army]] spent the winter of 1777 at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. The [[American Constitution]] was written in [[Philadelphia]], and the United States Capitol was once there. Pennsylvania was the 2nd State to join [[United States of America|the Union]] on December 12, 1787.<br />
<br />
[[Benjamin Franklin]] helped write Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitution. In Frame of Government, Chapter 2, Section 10, it states: "Each member of the legislature, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration: 'I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and Punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.'"<br />
<br />
==Major Cities==<br />
:[[Philadelphia]]<br />
:[[Pittsburgh]]<br />
:[[Erie]]<br />
:[[Scranton]]<br />
:[[Harrisburg]]<br />
:[[Allentown]]<br />
:[[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]]<br />
<br />
==Miscellaneous==<br />
<br />
*Pennsylvania is known as the "Keystone State", due to its central location among the original thirteen colonies.<br />
*Its first Colonial Legislative Act, the Great Law of Pennsylvania, December 7, 1682, mandated, "That no person ... who shall confess and acknowledge one Almighty God to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World ... shall in any case be molested or prejudiced for his, or her Conscientious persuasion or practice." [http://www.docheritage.state.pa.us/documents/constitutiontrans.asp]<br />
<br />
==Sports==<br />
<br />
Pennsylvania is home to the [[NBA]]'s Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, and the [[NFL]]'s [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. Additionally, Pennsylvania State University is a traditional college football powerhouse, and Villanova University has had great success in college basketball as of late.<br />
<br />
{{USstates}}<br />
[[Category:US state]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Barack_Hussein_Obama&diff=403298Barack Hussein Obama2008-03-11T21:25:51Z<p>VonShroom: Someone does not like affirmative action</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Barack Hussein Obama''' (b. August 4, 1961) is the junior Senator from [[Illinois]], elected to the United States Senate as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 2004. Obama is currently the only [[African American]] serving in the [[United States Senate]], where he serves his first term. <br />
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]] <br />
<br />
Obama is so [[Pro-choice|pro-abortion]] that he even blocked the [[Illinois]] version of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, even though it was unanimously supported by the [[U.S. Senate]].<ref>http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080208070510AAmIod2&show=7</ref> Obama states that he consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen."<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111</ref><br />
<br />
Obama has absolutely no military, executive or foreign policy experience.<ref>"Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman."[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]</ref> Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site "MoveOn.org" for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],<ref>MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]</ref> campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise [[Hillary Clinton]] refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]</ref> Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that "Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe [for whom Obama worked as a research assistant] wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'." <ref>http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html</ref> Obama's "research" for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses<ref>Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.</ref> on the [[Constitution]].<ref>The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant." [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref><br />
<br />
Throughout his career, he repeatedly ducked controversial stands in an apparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. For example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted "present" rather than "aye" or "nay" nearly an astounding 130 times.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html</ref> During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records.<br />
<br />
Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. "Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion."<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp</ref><br />
<br />
==Early Life and Education==<br />
Senator Obama was born in Honolulu, [[Hawaii]] to Barack Obama, Sr., and Ann Dunham in 1961. In 1967 he moved to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]], with his mother and new stepfather. He attended an Indonesian Public School followed by a [[Catholic]] school until he returned with his mother to Hawaii. There he attended the Punahou School, a private preparatory school until 1979, the year of his graduation.<br /><br /><br />
Obama continued his education at Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before graduating with his Bachelor of Arts from [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]]. After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the [[liberal]] ''Harvard Law Review'' in 1989, which used racial [[quotas]] for membership, and was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990. He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991 and chose not to pursue a federal clerkship, which is the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br />
<br />
He was "Senior Lecturer in the Law" -- not a professor-level position -- at The [[University of Chicago]] Law School as of 2004.<ref>http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/04/041103.obama.shtml</ref> He is no longer active at the school.<ref>http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama</ref><br />
<br />
==Legal Career==<br />
Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as Director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br />
<br />
==Senate Career==<br />
Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama rose to national prominence following his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He defeated his opponent, Alan Keyes, and was elected to the 109th Congress.<br />
<br />
His voting record places him as the tenth-most [[liberal]] member of the U. S. Senate. His composite liberal rating was 86 percent, just seven points behind [[Ted Kennedy]]. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].<ref>[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=desc]</ref><br />
<br />
In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]</ref><br />
<br />
==Presidential Campaign==<br />
[[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama on the campaign trail with [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] during the [[National Anthem]]. (from Time.com)]]<br />
Senator Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his "House Divided" speech.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html "Obama declares he's running for president"] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com </ref><br />
<br />
In early April 2007, Obama's campaign announced his first-quarter fund raising figures. The campaign generated over $25 million dollars from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''</ref> After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an "articulate" spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.</ref><ref>Chicago Sun-Times, <br />
[http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br />
April 29, 2007,</ref><br />
<br />
During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br />
{{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.</ref>}}<br />
<br />
Obama evidently was misinformed, whereas in reality the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br />
<br />
By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face to face meetings with two of Florida's most fearful enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama advised he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, which gave him a serious chance of becoming the Democratic nominee.<br />
<br />
==Political Views==<br />
Obama's political views have been a matter of controversy even before he put himself forward as a Presidential Candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist".]]<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006</ref> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.<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> <br />
<br />
Obama has said, "Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning," and "it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life."<ref>[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
Nonetheless, he asserted that elements of [[sex education]] should be taught in kindergarten.<ref>"Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten." [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 </ref><br />
<br />
Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.<ref>[http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches]</ref><br />
<br />
::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br />
<br />
== Foreign Policy Experience ==<br />
<br />
In Russia and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited numerous nuclear/biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with Tony Blair, sitting UK Prime Minister.[http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/]<br />
<br />
Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur and addressed Africa's growing AIDS epidemic. <ref>http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/</ref> <br />
<br />
During a ten day tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. <ref> http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/</ref><br />
<br />
== Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ==<br />
<br />
In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br />
<br />
Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br />
<br />
In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the Zimbabwe government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former Liberian President Charles Taylor. <ref> http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ </ref><br />
<br />
==Faith and Values==<br />
As he describes in ''The Audacity of Hope'' Obama grew up in a non-religious environment. When he was a child in Indonesia, he attended a local Muslim school (which was not a [[madrassa]]<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/</ref>) for two years, followed by two years at a local [[Catholic]] school. His father was a non-practicing [[Muslim]]. <br />
<br />
Obama and his his wife (reared a Baptist) have been active members since 1988 at the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>http://www.tucc.org/about.htm</ref> in Chicago. Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is borrowed from one of his pastor's sermons. He is at ease quoting Scriptures and speaking to [[liberal]] church audiences.<br />
<br />
== Books ==<br />
<br />
* ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.''<br />
* ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.''<br />
* ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak)<br />
<br />
==Published Criticism==<br />
On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref> who made a racially insensitive remark<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.</ref> on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, "The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds." <br /> <br />
<br />
The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as "miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus."<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''</ref><br />
<br />
In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.</ref> and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous "Breaking News"]]<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
*[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br />
<br />
==Sources==<br />
<br />
*[http://obama.senate.gov/about/ Official Senate Website]<br />
*[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br />
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br />
*[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br />
*[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br />
*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist|2}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Barrack}}<br />
{{2008 presidential candidates}}<br />
[[Category:United States Senators]]<br />
[[Category:Democratic Party]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Barack_Hussein_Obama&diff=403297Barack Hussein Obama2008-03-11T21:19:21Z<p>VonShroom: /* Faith and Values - made section of madrassa more concise*/</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Barack Hussein Obama''' (b. August 4, 1961) is the junior Senator from [[Illinois]], elected to the United States Senate as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 2004. Obama is currently the only [[African American]] serving in the [[United States Senate]], where he serves his first term. <br />
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]] <br />
<br />
Obama is so [[Pro-choice|pro-abortion]] that he even blocked the [[Illinois]] version of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, even though it was unanimously supported by the [[U.S. Senate]].<ref>http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080208070510AAmIod2&show=7</ref> Obama states that he consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen."<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111</ref><br />
<br />
Obama has absolutely no military, executive or foreign policy experience.<ref>"Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman."[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]</ref> Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site "MoveOn.org" for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],<ref>MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]</ref> campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise [[Hillary Clinton]] refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]</ref> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that "Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe [for whom Obama worked as a research assistant] wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'." <ref>http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html</ref> Obama's "research" for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses<ref>Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.</ref> on the [[Constitution]].<ref>The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant." [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref><br />
<br />
Throughout his career, he repeatedly ducked controversial stands in an apparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. For example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted "present" rather than "aye" or "nay" nearly an astounding 130 times.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html</ref> During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records.<br />
<br />
Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. "Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion."<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp</ref><br />
<br />
==Early Life and Education==<br />
Senator Obama was born in Honolulu, [[Hawaii]] to Barack Obama, Sr., and Ann Dunham in 1961. In 1967 he moved to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]], with his mother and new stepfather. He attended an Indonesian Public School followed by a [[Catholic]] school until he returned with his mother to Hawaii. There he attended the Punahou School, a private preparatory school until 1979, the year of his graduation.<br /><br /><br />
Obama continued his education at Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before graduating with his Bachelor of Arts from [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]]. After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the [[liberal]] ''Harvard Law Review'' in 1989, which used racial [[quotas]] for membership, and was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990. He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991 and chose not to pursue a federal clerkship, which is the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br />
<br />
He was "Senior Lecturer in the Law" -- not a professor-level position -- at The [[University of Chicago]] Law School as of 2004.<ref>http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/04/041103.obama.shtml</ref> He is no longer active at the school.<ref>http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama</ref><br />
<br />
==Legal Career==<br />
Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as Director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br />
<br />
==Senate Career==<br />
Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama rose to national prominence following his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He defeated his opponent, Alan Keyes, and was elected to the 109th Congress.<br />
<br />
His voting record places him as the tenth-most [[liberal]] member of the U. S. Senate. His composite liberal rating was 86 percent, just seven points behind [[Ted Kennedy]]. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].<ref>[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=desc]</ref><br />
<br />
In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]</ref><br />
<br />
==Presidential Campaign==<br />
[[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama on the campaign trail with [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] during the [[National Anthem]]. (from Time.com)]]<br />
Senator Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his "House Divided" speech.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html "Obama declares he's running for president"] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com </ref><br />
<br />
In early April 2007, Obama's campaign announced his first-quarter fund raising figures. The campaign generated over $25 million dollars from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''</ref> After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an "articulate" spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.</ref><ref>Chicago Sun-Times, <br />
[http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br />
April 29, 2007,</ref><br />
<br />
During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br />
{{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.</ref>}}<br />
<br />
Obama evidently was misinformed, whereas in reality the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br />
<br />
By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face to face meetings with two of Florida's most fearful enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama advised he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, which gave him a serious chance of becoming the Democratic nominee.<br />
<br />
==Political Views==<br />
Obama's political views have been a matter of controversy even before he put himself forward as a Presidential Candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist".]]<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006</ref> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.<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> <br />
<br />
Obama has said, "Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning," and "it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life."<ref>[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
Nonetheless, he asserted that elements of [[sex education]] should be taught in kindergarten.<ref>"Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten." [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 </ref><br />
<br />
Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.<ref>[http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches]</ref><br />
<br />
::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br />
<br />
== Foreign Policy Experience ==<br />
<br />
In Russia and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited numerous nuclear/biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with Tony Blair, sitting UK Prime Minister.[http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/]<br />
<br />
Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur and addressed Africa's growing AIDS epidemic. <ref>http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/</ref> <br />
<br />
During a ten day tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. <ref> http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/</ref><br />
<br />
== Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ==<br />
<br />
In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br />
<br />
Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br />
<br />
In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the Zimbabwe government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former Liberian President Charles Taylor. <ref> http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ </ref><br />
<br />
==Faith and Values==<br />
As he describes in ''The Audacity of Hope'' Obama grew up in a non-religious environment. When he was a child in Indonesia, he attended a local Muslim school (which was not a [[madrassa]]<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/</ref>) for two years, followed by two years at a local [[Catholic]] school. His father was a non-practicing [[Muslim]]. <br />
<br />
Obama and his his wife (reared a Baptist) have been active members since 1988 at the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>http://www.tucc.org/about.htm</ref> in Chicago. Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is borrowed from one of his pastor's sermons. He is at ease quoting Scriptures and speaking to [[liberal]] church audiences.<br />
<br />
== Books ==<br />
<br />
* ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.''<br />
* ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.''<br />
* ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak)<br />
<br />
==Published Criticism==<br />
On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref> who made a racially insensitive remark<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.</ref> on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, "The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds." <br /> <br />
<br />
The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as "miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus."<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''</ref><br />
<br />
In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.</ref> and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.</ref><br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous "Breaking News"]]<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
*[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br />
<br />
==Sources==<br />
<br />
*[http://obama.senate.gov/about/ Official Senate Website]<br />
*[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br />
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br />
*[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br />
*[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br />
*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist|2}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Barrack}}<br />
{{2008 presidential candidates}}<br />
[[Category:United States Senators]]<br />
[[Category:Democratic Party]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Waterboarding&diff=403219Waterboarding2008-03-11T20:54:43Z<p>VonShroom: /* Controversy over use in the War on Terror */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Waterboarding''' is a controversial method of interrogation which simulates the sensation of drowning. Its use by American forces against terrorism suspects as controversial. Opponents of the practice call it "[[torture]]" and on this basis argue that it is illegal. Supporters of the practice acknowedge its coercive nature but say it is not torture and therefore not illegal.<br />
<br />
The practice dates back to the time of the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500s. A tightly bound prisoner has porous cloth placed over his mouth and nose. Water is poured over his face in such a manner as to convince the prisoner that he is drowning. <br />
<br />
==Legal issues in the 20th century==<br />
<br />
In 1901, Major Edwin Glenn was court-martialed and sentenced to 10 years hard labour for waterboarding an insurgent in the [[Philippines]] during the [[Spanish-American War]].<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1933315,00.html</ref><ref>http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1356870</ref> In 1947, Yukio Asano - a Japanese officer - was charged with war crimes and received 15 years hard labour for waterboarding a US civilian. It was declared illegal by US generals in Vietnam and a US soldier was court-martialed after ''The Washington Post'' (21.1.1968) published a front page photograph of him supervising the waterboarding of a captured North Vietnamese soldier.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1933315,00.html</ref> <br />
<br />
== Controversy over use in the [[War on Terror]] ==<br />
<br />
According to Chapter 18, section 2340 of the United States Legal Code, torture is defined as "an act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering."<ref>http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00002340----000-.html</ref> <br />
The [[United Nations]] Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman<br />
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment classifies torture as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity."<ref>http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm</ref><br />
<br />
Opponents of the practice call it "[[torture]]" and want official definitions of [[torture]] changed so as to outlaw the technique.<ref>http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/04/06/usdom13130.htm</ref> One of the most notable critics of waterboarding is [[GOP]] presidential candidate [[John McCain]]. Senator McCain does not believe that the United States practices the technique in the [[War on Terror]], and he believes that it is highly inappropriate and unnecessary. <ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/01/politics/main3441067.shtml</ref><br />
<br />
Defenders of the practice deny that the suffering it causes is severe enough as to amount to torture.<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<small><references/></small><br />
<br />
[[Category: Interrogation]]<br />
[[Category: War]]<br />
[[Category: Military Tactics]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:VonShroom&diff=401924User talk:VonShroom2008-03-09T19:30:31Z<p>VonShroom: /* Warning */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{welcome}}<br />
[[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 18:02, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Hello! ==<br />
Well since Crocoite has yet to slap on a welcome template here, let me do the honours instead. As a fellow "liberal atheist" (although by American terms I am probably on a par with socialists in terms of political views), I am glad to see you here. My mission is very much similar to yours, I guess, in discovering new points of view. Right now I am working on the [[macroeconomics]] article if you fancy helping out on something strictly NPOV. See you around, I hope... --[[User:TJ|Crookles]] 17:41, 3 March 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Pro-life&diff=401036Pro-life2008-03-08T15:23:35Z<p>VonShroom: Reworded "pro-abortion" statement</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Pro-life''' is the name given to people or organizations who defend the rights of the unborn child, and who oppose [[abortion]]. <br />
<br />
While "pro-abortion" seems to be an accurate term for those who support [[tax]]payer-funded abortion, [[pro-choice]] is the term that describes the feelings of the majority of [[liberal]]s, and by which they would prefer to be called.<br />
<br />
Due to rulings by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States]] allows abortions at virtually any time in pregnancy. Many state [[government]]s even pay for abortions using taxpayer dollars, usually due to a court order rather than the will of the people.<br />
<br />
In [[America]]n politics, the [[Republican Party|Republican]] and [[Constitution Party|Constitution]] Parties are strongly opposed to abortion and believe it should be illegal. The [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Party supports abortion and opposes legal restrictions. Leaders in the Democratic Party, such as its presidential candidates, also support taxpayer-funded abortion.<br />
<br />
The phrase "pro-life," especially in the [[Catholic Church]], may include other issues relating to human life, such as [[euthanasia]].<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[[Abortion controversy]]<br />
*[[National Right to Life Committee]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Abortion]]</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Ztak&diff=399384User talk:Ztak2008-03-05T22:44:15Z<p>VonShroom: /* <s>Virginity</s> First time! */</p>
<hr />
<div></div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Ztak&diff=399381User talk:Ztak2008-03-05T22:42:05Z<p>VonShroom: New page: == <s>Virginity</s> First time! == Hey Katzman! I'm <s>taking your talk page virginity</s> the first person to write on your talk page!</p>
<hr />
<div>== <s>Virginity</s> First time! ==<br />
Hey Katzman! I'm <s>taking your talk page virginity</s> the first person to write on your talk page!</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Pro-life&diff=399243Talk:Pro-life2008-03-05T18:57:08Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Maybe it should be noted that some so-called "pro-lifers" kill doctors. Very in favour of life, these pro-lifers.<br />
<br />
----<br />
==<br />
Could someone please explain ''why'' the reason for the term "pro-life" is "liberal bias"? Especially when said reason (life begins at conception) is surely in accordiace with Conservapedia thinking? <br />
[[User:G7mzh|G7mzh]] 11:39, 14 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The claim that the Democratic party wishes to have no legal restrictions placed on abortion is just plain wrong. [[User:Alloco1|Alloco1]] 18:17, 30 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
No mention of abortion clinic bombings/car-into-smashings? [[User:Barikada|Barikada]] 23:23, 26 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
"Pro-Abortion"? Come on now, please. That's just offensive. Most Liberals are as "pro-abortion" as most Conservatives are "pro-crusading". Can the statement regarding that please be revised? Thinking that Liberals enjoy killing babies is disgustingly ignorant. [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 16:49, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
:Then what are these people doing? Are they removing mere lumps of flesh? We say they are killing babies, which is exactly the case, and the "pro-abortion" crowd is working tooth and nail to defend that very thing. THAT is the offensive part. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 17:17, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
::I'm sorry, but I prefer to consider myself and my peers as "pro-choice", because it sums up my beliefs. I do not ''enjoy killing babies'', I simply agree with a woman's right to chose. Chosing to have an abortion or not could be the most difficult decision a human being could possibly make, and under most circumstances, I do not agree with it. But I think that the foster care system is broken, and that the child would not be given a proper, fair, or quality chance at life. I don't think that people sitting in a large room in Washington have a right to tell a woman what to do regarding the most important part of her life.<br />
::Most (''and I mean nearly all'') people who are not "pro-life" are "pro-choice". They do not like abortions, but believe that it is not their place to make the decision. I just do not think that the statement about "pro-abortion" vs. "pro-choice" is appropriate.<br />
:::The point is, when that certain someone who is pro-choice excercises that choice, a dead baby is the result each and every time. The baby has no choice, no right to choose, no right to live at all. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 23:17, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
::::Of course, liberals dispute that the life of the fetus begins at conception. This seems to be an intransigent point on both sides, as for one side it's religious, and for the other, it's scientific. I respect both positions (I myself am pro-choice) and I can't say that characterizing one's opposition pejoratively is a civil debate tactic.-[[User:PhoenixWright|PhoenixWright]] 23:24, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
:::::Ok, so we disagree, I understand. I would just like to know if it would be ok to reword the section regarding the "pro-abortion" statement. I find it offensive and not an appropriate way to prove your point.[[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 13:57, 5 March 2008 (EST)<br />
== Remove statement? ==<br />
<br />
Can the following statement be removed?<br />
:"Due to rulings by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States]] allows abortions at virtually any time in pregnancy. Many state [[government]]s even pay for abortions using taxpayer dollars."<br />
It would be relevant to the [[abortion]] article, but I don't see the relation to "pro-life". [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:51, 14 February 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Edit war ==<br />
<br />
Can we have some explanations about the edit war? I agree with the last edit, which was reverted (see above). As for what the SC cases actually said, why don't we find a reference either way instead of just reverting each other. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 17:48, 18 February 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Atheistic_Style&diff=398050Talk:Atheistic Style2008-03-03T22:33:48Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Isn't this a bit childish? [[User:JosiahB|JosiahB]] 11:14, 30 November 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
In what ways? --[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]]<sup>[[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']]</sup> 11:16, 30 November 2007 (EST)<br />
:It's just a personal essay, based on solely personal opinion, and not really wholly true at that. I've proposed for deletion. [[User:TheEvilSpartan|TheEvilSpartan]] 23:25, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
::I agree, that this is wholly based on assumptions. How do you support an article deletion? [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 17:33, 3 March 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Pro-life&diff=398048Talk:Pro-life2008-03-03T22:28:15Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Maybe it should be noted that some so-called "pro-lifers" kill doctors. Very in favour of life, these pro-lifers.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Could someone please explain ''why'' the reason for the term "pro-life" is "liberal bias"? Especially when said reason (life begins at conception) is surely in accordiace with Conservapedia thinking? <br />
[[User:G7mzh|G7mzh]] 11:39, 14 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The claim that the Democratic party wishes to have no legal restrictions placed on abortion is just plain wrong. [[User:Alloco1|Alloco1]] 18:17, 30 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
No mention of abortion clinic bombings/car-into-smashings? [[User:Barikada|Barikada]] 23:23, 26 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
"Pro-Abortion"? Come on now, please. That's just offensive. Most Liberals are as "pro-abortion" as most Conservatives are "pro-crusading". Can the statement regarding that please be revised? Thinking that Liberals enjoy killing babies is disgustingly ignorant. [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 16:49, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
:Then what are these people doing? Are they removing mere lumps of flesh? We say they are killing babies, which is exactly the case, and the "pro-abortion" crowd is working tooth and nail to defend that very thing. THAT is the offensive part. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 17:17, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
::I'm sorry, but I prefer to consider myself and my peers as "pro-choice", because it sums up my beliefs. I do not ''enjoy killing babies'', I simply agree with a woman's right to chose. Chosing to have an abortion or not could be the most difficult decision a human being could possibly make, and under most circumstances, I do not agree with it. But I think that the foster care system is broken, and that the child would not be given a proper, fair, or quality chance at life. I don't think that people sitting in a large room in Washington have a right to tell a woman what to do regarding the most important part of her life.<br />
::Most (''and I mean nearly all'') people who are not "pro-life" are "pro-choice". They do not like abortions, but believe that it is not their place to make the decision. I just do not think that the statement about "pro-abortion" vs. "pro-choice" is appropriate.<br />
<br />
== Remove statement? ==<br />
<br />
Can the following statement be removed?<br />
:"Due to rulings by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States]] allows abortions at virtually any time in pregnancy. Many state [[government]]s even pay for abortions using taxpayer dollars."<br />
It would be relevant to the [[abortion]] article, but I don't see the relation to "pro-life". [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:51, 14 February 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Edit war ==<br />
<br />
Can we have some explanations about the edit war? I agree with the last edit, which was reverted (see above). As for what the SC cases actually said, why don't we find a reference either way instead of just reverting each other. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 17:48, 18 February 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:VonShroom&diff=398045User:VonShroom2008-03-03T22:19:37Z<p>VonShroom: New page: == Who I Am == Hi, I'm a '''Liberal Atheist''' who has recently joined Conservapedia. The main reason for me being here ''is to keep an eye out for things that offend me''. '''I'm not here...</p>
<hr />
<div>== Who I Am ==<br />
Hi, I'm a '''Liberal Atheist''' who has recently joined Conservapedia. The main reason for me being here ''is to keep an eye out for things that offend me''. '''I'm not here to stir up controversy, or to vandalize, or to make sweeping edits'''. I realize that this is a Conservative site, and ''I will respect that.'' What I do not think is correct is to combat liberal bias with offensive statements. Frequently I will ask for explanations about certain wordings, facts, etc., and ''will only edit articles after my issues with them have been discussed on talk pages.''<br />
<br />
Please don't block me simply because I bring alternative viewpoints into the equation. That will hinder your agenda as much as it will hinder mine. I will be respectful if I receive respect in return.<br />
<br />
Also, I have been a Wikipedia editor for a few years now, and although I'm a bit rusty, I have a fairly solid knowledge of editing wikis.</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Pro-life&diff=398038Talk:Pro-life2008-03-03T21:49:53Z<p>VonShroom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Maybe it should be noted that some so-called "pro-lifers" kill doctors. Very in favour of life, these pro-lifers.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Could someone please explain ''why'' the reason for the term "pro-life" is "liberal bias"? Especially when said reason (life begins at conception) is surely in accordiace with Conservapedia thinking? <br />
[[User:G7mzh|G7mzh]] 11:39, 14 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The claim that the Democratic party wishes to have no legal restrictions placed on abortion is just plain wrong. [[User:Alloco1|Alloco1]] 18:17, 30 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
No mention of abortion clinic bombings/car-into-smashings? [[User:Barikada|Barikada]] 23:23, 26 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
"Pro-Abortion"? Come on now, please. That's just offensive. Most Liberals are as "pro-abortion" as most Conservatives are "pro-crusading". Can the statement regarding that please be revised? Thinking that Liberals enjoy killing babies is disgustingly ignorant. [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 16:49, 3 March 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Remove statement? ==<br />
<br />
Can the following statement be removed?<br />
:"Due to rulings by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States]] allows abortions at virtually any time in pregnancy. Many state [[government]]s even pay for abortions using taxpayer dollars."<br />
It would be relevant to the [[abortion]] article, but I don't see the relation to "pro-life". [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:51, 14 February 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Edit war ==<br />
<br />
Can we have some explanations about the edit war? I agree with the last edit, which was reverted (see above). As for what the SC cases actually said, why don't we find a reference either way instead of just reverting each other. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 17:48, 18 February 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany&diff=393619Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany2008-02-24T01:02:34Z<p>VonShroom: /* Question about Religion */</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude><center>[[Conservapedia:Desk|Back to the Desk]]</center></noinclude><br />
=<font color="blue">General Messages</font>=<br />
Archives: [[Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany/Archive1|1]]<br />
<br />
=="A small thing"==<br />
A small thing...the article "River Trent" is unable to be edited because of a "spam filter". Um...what gives? [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 02:24, 31 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I fixed it. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 02:27, 31 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Page Creation ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
A few days ago a small group of us tried to create a page on a local conservative activist named J.R. Hedrick to have the page deleted. We read the guidelines and adjusted our page and were hoping we could ask the conservapedia staff to reconsider. We currently have the page wewantjr.homeip.net if you could take a few minutes check out the website see our reasoning and message and reconsider it would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or would like a shortened verstion of our reasoning feel free to email us at wewantjr@yahoo.com.<br />
<br />
*Sorry, this is an encyclopedia, not Vanity Fair. For inclusion, one would have to be of national prominence, not a "local hero". Sorry. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 06:59, 18 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Can't email other users ==<br />
<br />
I try to email other users, I am logged in and I do have a valid email address in my preferences but it won't let me do it. What's up?<br />
<br />
:Wismike, maybe the users you've tried to email haven't supplied an email address. When I went to your user page and clicked "Email this user", I got the following notice:<br />
:*This user has not specified a valid e-mail address, or has chosen not to receive e-mail from other users.{{unsigned|Wismike}}<br />
<br />
:You can send me a test e-mail if you want. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 17:08, 3 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
*Users need to supply their email on the preference page in order to send emails to other users. Even if the other user has it enabled, you need to have done it as well. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 17:20, 3 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== What's wrong with Ishi Press? ==<br />
<br />
I can't put ishi press dot com as a ref for Woody Allen marrying his stepdaughter. Spam filter blocks it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 17:42, 3 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Outages? ==<br />
<br />
There seem to be times when the entire site is protected. What's going on? -[[User:Pipkin|Pipkin]] 16:34, 5 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
*Yes, indeed there is. Editing, except by those with special rights, is usually turned off over-night (generally 1:00AM to 6:00AM) East Coast United States time. This is due to the high degree of vandalism at the hands of [[deceit|deceitful]] Liberals. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 16:43, 5 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== [[Uncyclopedia]] and [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]] ==<br />
<br />
I think these two articles serve no encyclopedic purpose whatsoever, and as written are basically nonsense and inccurate to general knowlege about their subjects. Also it is to note that the alternate spelling of [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]], [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] has been salted. --[[User:WikiLeon|WikiLeon]] 20:59, 28 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
*Your several posts about this has been noted. The articles will stay. Thanks. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 01:48, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== I may have found some nonesense. ==<br />
<br />
I am here to report what might be vandalism. I'm not sure, but someone called User: Clavicle made an ususual edit on [[William Shakespeare]]. The edit was on the list of Shakespeare's historical plays. He wrote *[[Austin Kenn]] (1999). I happen to know about Shakespeare's histories and had never heard of the play before. I also knew that Shakespeare died in the 1600s not any period after 1999. This sounded fishy and later on (some months later) when I recieved no reply on the discussion page about this, I investigated. I found that this User: Clavicle had put the play in just in one edit (without putting it in any good order.) He didn't have a page for me to contact him about this, so I decided to try to report this unusual edit. I admit I'm wording it badly and akwardly, but I just thought I'd explain this small case. -[[User:Additioner|Additioner]] 14:52, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
:The user was already blocked for an unrelated offense. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 15:02, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
*Hopefully that vandalism has been removed? --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 15:15, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Yes, I removed when I saw it. -[[User:Additioner|Additioner]] 13:28, 30 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Article Categorization ==<br />
<br />
Many of the articles on accounting seem to be government accounting related. Nothing wrong with this, but I believe they should be in a different category, say, Government Accounting. <br />
<br />
I would like to make this change, but, feel it would be impolite to simply make the change without contacting the author. However, I cannot seem to do so.<br />
<br />
What is the right thing to do? Should I just create a new category (if I know how to do that) and make the changes?<br />
<br />
<br />
*You go to my user page, find the link to my sandbox on categories, and plead your case to Azi. --<font color="#1E90FF" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="DC143C">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 23:45, 3 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Edit to page "gossip" ==<br />
<br />
I made an edit to the [[gossip]] page, which has now been reverted. The nature of my edit was to clarify that although gossip is inherently negative, the fact is that the word has multiple connotations. The positive connotation: "gossip" can have a perfectly normal social context as innocuous chatter between groups of people who are interacting. The negative connotation: what was on the page before and now.<br />
<br />
I'm used to seeing trollers blocked and edits reverted - most "permanent" edits are made by the sysops etc. But I take great personal offence when the sysop who reverted my edit, "BethanyS", flies off and says: "Don't go around trolling or I will personally block you from this site forever." I believe that to be completely injustified, absolutely insulting to my ideological position as a conservative (the implication being that I'm some sort of liberal who goes around Conservapedia making silly edits) and a baseless assault on my personal character without even considering the reasoning of my edit. [[User:Karalius Nyder|Karalius Nyder]] 09:27, 21 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Before I even start posting! ==<br />
<br />
I was an avid user in Wikipedia, (Quality) not edit warring and Spam. <br />
Can I move my articles that I improved from Wikipedia?<br />
I am conservative or Liberal, I just hate biased garbage and I am looking to focus mainly on history. (I could care less about politics and hypocrisy). I don't like politicians in general and I don't have a rpoblem with any race or religion.<br />
Is this going to be a problem or should I go my own way, now before I waste my time?--[[User:Validquest|Validquest]] 15:26, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: In this context, one can always copy and reuse one's own work.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 13:13, 2 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Couldn't create account ==<br />
<br />
I tried to create an account but could not find a button to click to do that. I searched around and eventually found a FAQ that account creation was enabled only at certain times of day. It would be helpful if you put that notice right up front on the login/create account screen so people won't wonder why they can't find how to create an account [[User:Sbowers3|Sbowers3]] 08:42, 29 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== problem ==<br />
<br />
Please help. I tried to look up Christopher Columbus and what displayed was about 1 inch of text followed by a white space covering the rest of the screen with a Go to WP instead listed. I then tried to just email a screenshot of the problem to the administrator but there is no email address. I had to creat an account just to notify 'someone' of this problem. This was my first visit to Conservapedia and I am not sure if I will return, it has been somewhat of a hassle just to try and be kind to report a problem. {{unsigned|DebM}}<br />
<br />
:Thank you Deb! I reverted the page and blocked the user. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:10, 2 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: Thanks Deb! That vandalism was recent, and rare in escaping detection. Thanks to HelpJazz for correcting it. Welcome and Godspeed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 13:12, 2 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Problem at Wikipedia ==<br />
<br />
I noticed as I was looking at pro life groups on wikipedia they had the "abortion" logo and tag at the bottom, but planned parenthoods page did not<br />
this seemed strange<br />
~Andrew Infanger<br />
<br />
== Lesbians ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Lesbians is one of the "most wanted" pages, with 7 links to it. This <br />
seems odd to me for a family friendly website. Is this an error, or something I'm misunderstanding? Please clarify, thank you. --Eliza Newton.<br />
<br />
*Please sign all posts, Eliza, with four tildes (~). I guess family-friendly means different things to different people. Questions about sexuality are pretty normal, and one thing you can count on CP for is information being presented in a family-friendly manner. Lesbians exist, so ignoring them isn't going to be informative or instructive as to the perversion it is. --<font color="#1E90FF" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="DC143C">[[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 19:58, 18 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== "Breaking News" RSS Feed? ==<br />
Hello.<br />
<br />
This is my first time interacting here. I'm a member of my school's college conservatives and am working on building their web site. I'm just wondering if by chance Conservapedia has plans to provide an RSS feed of its "breaking news" section"? Do you know if it would be as simple as installing a plug-in of some kind such as "Wikifeed"? Thanks! [[User:Alexander|Alexander]] 11:33, 15 November 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Silly spelling error ==<br />
<br />
I suppose this is the correct area to send this message. In the "Wikipedia" article under the "Scandals and Decline" section, paragraph 2, line 3: "which could affect, in thier (sic) words, "'life and death,'". I believe it is supposed to be "their", not "thier". It would be easier if I could just edit the page myself like on "Wikipedia".<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
-Kriegor191<br />
:The correct place would have been the [[talk:Wikipedia|Wikipedia talk page]], but I see that it's been fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out. And please sign your posts by typing four tildes ({{tt|<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}}), or using the signature button on the editing toolbar. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 06:15, 4 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Serious? ==<br />
<br />
I was just wondering, is this meant to be a serious site or a parody of conservatism?<br />
<br />
~Sabazi<br />
:Is that meant to be a serious question or a not-so-subtle dig at the site? And please see my comment to the previous poster about signing your posts. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 06:16, 4 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
That was a serious question. I couldn't tell, though I take it from your response that it is?<br />
<br />
[[User:Sabazi|Sabazi]] 16:34, 4 December 2007 (EST)Sabazi (is that the right way to sign?)<br />
:Yes, it is serious. What makes you think otherwise? And that was the right way to sign, except that there is no need to append your name because it puts it anyway. ''Just'' the four tildes is enough. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 08:04, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Question about Ten Most Viewed Pages ==<br />
<br />
Your ten most frequently viewed pages includes 9 entries featuring the word "homosexuality." This seems strange to me, especially as some of the entries are relatively new. Is there a possible alternative explanation for those sites showing up on the Top Ten, besides their popularity? I don't understand much about computers, but, for example, perhaps people have set up computers that repeatedly open up web pages on a particular site, just to skew the numbers?<br />
<br />
Thank you. {{unsigned|Harpers}}<br />
: I don't think the server logs would have that information. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 08:06, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
::Recommendation: Maybe you guys can track possible abuse using www.sitemeter.com or google analytics? [[User:Alexander|Alexander]] 18:54, 11 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Page move request==<br />
Could someone please move [[Ann Widdicombe]] to Ann Widdecombe (correct spelling). [[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 13:57, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
:Done. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 14:59, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Account Creation suggestion ==<br />
<br />
Although I saw the comment that account creation is only allowed at certain times, it might be a good idea to let potential users know what these times are. It took me several attempts over two days to eventually "strike lucky". {{unsigned|Unclebill}}<br />
<br />
:I agree. It took me a few times to realise that you could only make an account at certain times during the day. I was trying to find how to make an account last night and gave up. Luckily, I found out an hour or so ago.--[[User:Joel|Joel]] 20:39, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
::Sorry you both had troubles registering. I'm sure the relevant people will take note of your issue and maybe something will be added to the registration page [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] <small>([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]])</small> 20:45, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
:::Agreed with all of the above, but I'm not sure where the info should be added.<br />
:::*The registration page is (if I recall correctly - my memory is acting up right now...) not accessible when account creation is disabled, so it would be of little use there ("If you can read this, you can register" is amusing, but not terribly helpful :P).<br />
:::*On the Login page, it might look a bit distracting (as the majority of users already has an account, so the info would be of little use for them).<br />
:::Maybe our techies can hack up something to the effect of always having the "Register account" link available, but having it point at a "We're sorry, but account creation is currently disabled. Please try again at X o'clock in timezone Y" page? (I believe we have a Help page to that effect, but I also believe it's not exactly prominently linked for users who are new to the site). --[[User:JakeC|JakeC]] 20:53, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Admin Question ==<br />
<br />
How is it possible to become an Admin to help keep people from being stupid? {{unsigned|Sohsowski}}<br />
:Admins aren't here to do that. Admins carry out essential maintenance of the site. One tip might be: "not to register an account and then throw mud at one's fellow editors" however :) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] <small>([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]])</small> 20:23, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Logo request==<br />
I'd like to create a link to Conservapedia on my websites. Can you provide a jpg of your logo? {{unsigned|Usmale}}<br />
:[[Image:Conservapedia_logo.png|right|100px]] Current Conservapedia logo - Copyright 2007 Philip Beach --[[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] 15:43, 29 December 2007 (EST)<br />
::Um... no? It looks similar, but it's definitely different. [http://www.conservapedia.com/skins/common/images/conservlogo.png The actually used file] - different "Trustworthy Encyclopedia" font, and slightly different "Conservapedia" lettering. Can be easily seen when you look at the positions of the "v" and the last "a" in relation to the background. --[[User:JakeC|JakeC]] 17:17, 31 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::: Here you go. <br />
::: [[Image:Conservlogo_logo_highres2.png|thumb|350px|left]]<br />
<br />
[[User:CPWebmaster|CPWebmaster]] 20:03, 28 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Found A Cuss Word ==<br />
<br />
In the Userbox Index, there is a cuss word in a userbox in the uncategorized section.<br />
<br />
It's called User lies and stats <br />
<br />
In your third commandment, your call for family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language pages.<br />
<br />
a kid could easily stumble into it. <br />
<br />
I'm just trying to help Conservapedia.<br />
<br />
'''Edit:'''<br />
<br />
Opps, I didn't realized that I doubled posted, I thought that it didn't make it, sorry. Delete the other one please.<br />
<br />
{{unsigned|EkulR29}}<br />
: I see that Fox has deleted the template, and I've now deleted the link to it in the uncategorised index. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 01:26, 30 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Confused by this message at my talk page ==<br />
<br />
"Come back next year, when you're serious about helping write encyclopedia articles."<br />
<br />
I didn't think there was restrictions on creating articles.{{unsigned|User:EkulR29}}<br />
<br />
:I can't speak for why you were blocked, but the "next year" thing was a joke, I think. You were blocked on December 31st for one day, so "next year" would only be one day later. 15:33, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
:: You say it was 31st December, but when I look at his page history, it says that the message was left at 09:02 on 1st January, 2008. Of course, that is according to my time zone settings. What time zone is EkulR29 in? Yes, the message has 17:02 on 31st December on it, but at the very least, that could be "confusing".<br />
:: EkulR29, I suspect that Ed Poor's comment may have been because you have made about 60 edits so far, only four of which were to anything other than this page and your user page. In other words, you seem to be more concerned with telling us about yourself (which is okay in itself) than with actually helping write an encyclopedia.<br />
:: [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 18:11, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== How do you? ==<br />
<br />
Ask for a change on a protected page? And is there any way to ask for a page to be unprotected? I imagine any vandalism could be fairly quickly reverted on many pages anyway. [[User:TheEvilSpartan|TheEvilSpartan]] 22:39, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
:To ask for a change on a protected page, ask on that page's talk page. To ask for a page to be unprotected, it's best to ask the Administrator who protected it. If that is not practicable, ask another Administrator. If you ask on the page's talk page, the first administrator to notice it could unlock it, but it's possible that nobody will notice for a while. If you ask on an Administrator's talk page, that Administrator should notice very quickly if they are on, or as soon as they next log on, but that might take a day or so (assuming they are not on holidays). If you choose to ask more than one administrator on their talk pages, let them know that you have asked others. Of course, in all such cases, your request might be declined. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 02:52, 4 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Editing Help ==<br />
<br />
I am having a hard time editing articles. Could you explain me how to go about that process? I'm used to using wikipedia, where they just have an edit button by the text, but here at Conservapedia I can't seem to find the edit button. Please help!<br />
:Same as on this page; third tab from the left at top of article. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] <small>([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]])</small> 21:21, 11 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Uploading an images or images ==<br />
<br />
How do I obtain upload privileges? I want to upload a picture on a page.<br />
<br />
Christopher Persaud<br />
<br />
You hang around for a long time until you are trusted with them. --[[User:CPAdmin1|Tim <small>(CPAdmin1)</small>]]<sup>[[User talk:CPAdmin1|talk]]</sup> [[User:CPAdmin1/Election08|Vote for President]] 15:29, 27 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
Please be more specific. Thanks. {{unsigned|Cperlobo}}<br />
<br />
:If you have a specific image you want to be uploaded then please submit it at [[Conservapedia:Image_upload_requests|image upload request]]. [[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 17:35, 27 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
: See [[Conservapedia:User rights|User rights]] (Requesting further rights), which is linked from [[Conservapedia:Editor's guide|Editor's guide]] which is in the welcome box on your talk page. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 19:16, 27 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Firefox search bar ==<br />
<br />
I'm not sure what is involved technically, but I use Mozilla Firefox as my internet browser and regularly use the search bar in the top right for Google and Wikipedia searches. Though this search bar recognizes Conservapedia as a possible search engine, Firefox won't allow me to add it as one. The message<br />
Firefox could not download the search plugin from:<br />
http://www.conservapedia.com/opensearch_desc.php<br />
appears. I don't know if this is the correct place to report technical problems (or if you are already aware of this), but I thought I should report it. Is there a reason for this? [[User:Hampshire2600|Hampshire2600]] 20:10 29 January, 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Enlisting College Student Help ==<br />
<br />
I'm a member of a campus conservatives organization, and I think Conservapedia could definitely benefit by enlisting the help of college students to improve the quality of articles, as well as expand Conservapedia's contents. I might recommend creating some sort of program to encourage campus conservative groups to have a part in Conservapedia's development? Thanks! [http://www.honor-bound.org Honorbound Conservatives] [[User:Alexander|Alexander]] 19:21, 5 February 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== "In The News ==<br />
<br />
Under "in the news" on the "Main Page" there is this entry:<br />
Liberal denial has begun for NIU killings: "Grad student killer didn't fit the profile," screams the Associated Press. <br />
In fact, the killer did fit the profile of a public school-trained atheistic: dressed in all black, was an above-average student (at age 27!), and obsessed with self-injury.<br />
<br />
The above entry implies that all people who have attended public school fit the profile of someone who would murder people. This is a woefully inaccurate and unwise statement. There are other ideas I would like to share concerning the inappropriateness this entry, but it I would not want these additional comments to become public.<br />
<br />
{{unsigned|Blazer}}<br />
<br />
== Question about Religion ==<br />
<br />
Hi, I'm an atheist who stumbled upon this website after a friend told me about it. I am a Liberal, and although I disagree with some points you present on this site, one thing I found has truly offended me. In the artible "Examples of Bias in Wikipedia", the page begins with a graph showing the number of Wikipedia users by religion. It shows a large amount atheists compared to other religions. First of all, I read this as being considered a "problem", and I would like to know why. Secondly, I assume from the "Daily Bible Verse" that an overwhelming amount of Conservapedia users are Christians. Is that better? I assure you I'm not here to stir up a controversy, I'm just puzzled and would like a straight answer. [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 19:59, 23 February 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroomhttps://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany&diff=393615Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany2008-02-24T00:59:01Z<p>VonShroom: Question about Religion</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude><center>[[Conservapedia:Desk|Back to the Desk]]</center></noinclude><br />
=<font color="blue">General Messages</font>=<br />
Archives: [[Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany/Archive1|1]]<br />
<br />
=="A small thing"==<br />
A small thing...the article "River Trent" is unable to be edited because of a "spam filter". Um...what gives? [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 02:24, 31 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I fixed it. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 02:27, 31 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Page Creation ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
A few days ago a small group of us tried to create a page on a local conservative activist named J.R. Hedrick to have the page deleted. We read the guidelines and adjusted our page and were hoping we could ask the conservapedia staff to reconsider. We currently have the page wewantjr.homeip.net if you could take a few minutes check out the website see our reasoning and message and reconsider it would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or would like a shortened verstion of our reasoning feel free to email us at wewantjr@yahoo.com.<br />
<br />
*Sorry, this is an encyclopedia, not Vanity Fair. For inclusion, one would have to be of national prominence, not a "local hero". Sorry. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 06:59, 18 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Can't email other users ==<br />
<br />
I try to email other users, I am logged in and I do have a valid email address in my preferences but it won't let me do it. What's up?<br />
<br />
:Wismike, maybe the users you've tried to email haven't supplied an email address. When I went to your user page and clicked "Email this user", I got the following notice:<br />
:*This user has not specified a valid e-mail address, or has chosen not to receive e-mail from other users.{{unsigned|Wismike}}<br />
<br />
:You can send me a test e-mail if you want. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 17:08, 3 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
*Users need to supply their email on the preference page in order to send emails to other users. Even if the other user has it enabled, you need to have done it as well. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 17:20, 3 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== What's wrong with Ishi Press? ==<br />
<br />
I can't put ishi press dot com as a ref for Woody Allen marrying his stepdaughter. Spam filter blocks it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 17:42, 3 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Outages? ==<br />
<br />
There seem to be times when the entire site is protected. What's going on? -[[User:Pipkin|Pipkin]] 16:34, 5 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
*Yes, indeed there is. Editing, except by those with special rights, is usually turned off over-night (generally 1:00AM to 6:00AM) East Coast United States time. This is due to the high degree of vandalism at the hands of [[deceit|deceitful]] Liberals. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 16:43, 5 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== [[Uncyclopedia]] and [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]] ==<br />
<br />
I think these two articles serve no encyclopedic purpose whatsoever, and as written are basically nonsense and inccurate to general knowlege about their subjects. Also it is to note that the alternate spelling of [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]], [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] has been salted. --[[User:WikiLeon|WikiLeon]] 20:59, 28 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
*Your several posts about this has been noted. The articles will stay. Thanks. --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 01:48, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== I may have found some nonesense. ==<br />
<br />
I am here to report what might be vandalism. I'm not sure, but someone called User: Clavicle made an ususual edit on [[William Shakespeare]]. The edit was on the list of Shakespeare's historical plays. He wrote *[[Austin Kenn]] (1999). I happen to know about Shakespeare's histories and had never heard of the play before. I also knew that Shakespeare died in the 1600s not any period after 1999. This sounded fishy and later on (some months later) when I recieved no reply on the discussion page about this, I investigated. I found that this User: Clavicle had put the play in just in one edit (without putting it in any good order.) He didn't have a page for me to contact him about this, so I decided to try to report this unusual edit. I admit I'm wording it badly and akwardly, but I just thought I'd explain this small case. -[[User:Additioner|Additioner]] 14:52, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
:The user was already blocked for an unrelated offense. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 15:02, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
*Hopefully that vandalism has been removed? --<font color="#0002AC" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="OOFFAA">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 15:15, 29 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Yes, I removed when I saw it. -[[User:Additioner|Additioner]] 13:28, 30 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Article Categorization ==<br />
<br />
Many of the articles on accounting seem to be government accounting related. Nothing wrong with this, but I believe they should be in a different category, say, Government Accounting. <br />
<br />
I would like to make this change, but, feel it would be impolite to simply make the change without contacting the author. However, I cannot seem to do so.<br />
<br />
What is the right thing to do? Should I just create a new category (if I know how to do that) and make the changes?<br />
<br />
<br />
*You go to my user page, find the link to my sandbox on categories, and plead your case to Azi. --<font color="#1E90FF" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="DC143C">[[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 23:45, 3 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Edit to page "gossip" ==<br />
<br />
I made an edit to the [[gossip]] page, which has now been reverted. The nature of my edit was to clarify that although gossip is inherently negative, the fact is that the word has multiple connotations. The positive connotation: "gossip" can have a perfectly normal social context as innocuous chatter between groups of people who are interacting. The negative connotation: what was on the page before and now.<br />
<br />
I'm used to seeing trollers blocked and edits reverted - most "permanent" edits are made by the sysops etc. But I take great personal offence when the sysop who reverted my edit, "BethanyS", flies off and says: "Don't go around trolling or I will personally block you from this site forever." I believe that to be completely injustified, absolutely insulting to my ideological position as a conservative (the implication being that I'm some sort of liberal who goes around Conservapedia making silly edits) and a baseless assault on my personal character without even considering the reasoning of my edit. [[User:Karalius Nyder|Karalius Nyder]] 09:27, 21 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Before I even start posting! ==<br />
<br />
I was an avid user in Wikipedia, (Quality) not edit warring and Spam. <br />
Can I move my articles that I improved from Wikipedia?<br />
I am conservative or Liberal, I just hate biased garbage and I am looking to focus mainly on history. (I could care less about politics and hypocrisy). I don't like politicians in general and I don't have a rpoblem with any race or religion.<br />
Is this going to be a problem or should I go my own way, now before I waste my time?--[[User:Validquest|Validquest]] 15:26, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: In this context, one can always copy and reuse one's own work.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 13:13, 2 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Couldn't create account ==<br />
<br />
I tried to create an account but could not find a button to click to do that. I searched around and eventually found a FAQ that account creation was enabled only at certain times of day. It would be helpful if you put that notice right up front on the login/create account screen so people won't wonder why they can't find how to create an account [[User:Sbowers3|Sbowers3]] 08:42, 29 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== problem ==<br />
<br />
Please help. I tried to look up Christopher Columbus and what displayed was about 1 inch of text followed by a white space covering the rest of the screen with a Go to WP instead listed. I then tried to just email a screenshot of the problem to the administrator but there is no email address. I had to creat an account just to notify 'someone' of this problem. This was my first visit to Conservapedia and I am not sure if I will return, it has been somewhat of a hassle just to try and be kind to report a problem. {{unsigned|DebM}}<br />
<br />
:Thank you Deb! I reverted the page and blocked the user. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:10, 2 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: Thanks Deb! That vandalism was recent, and rare in escaping detection. Thanks to HelpJazz for correcting it. Welcome and Godspeed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 13:12, 2 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Problem at Wikipedia ==<br />
<br />
I noticed as I was looking at pro life groups on wikipedia they had the "abortion" logo and tag at the bottom, but planned parenthoods page did not<br />
this seemed strange<br />
~Andrew Infanger<br />
<br />
== Lesbians ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Lesbians is one of the "most wanted" pages, with 7 links to it. This <br />
seems odd to me for a family friendly website. Is this an error, or something I'm misunderstanding? Please clarify, thank you. --Eliza Newton.<br />
<br />
*Please sign all posts, Eliza, with four tildes (~). I guess family-friendly means different things to different people. Questions about sexuality are pretty normal, and one thing you can count on CP for is information being presented in a family-friendly manner. Lesbians exist, so ignoring them isn't going to be informative or instructive as to the perversion it is. --<font color="#1E90FF" face="Comic Sans MS">[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]]</font><sup><font color="DC143C">[[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]]</font></sup> 19:58, 18 October 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== "Breaking News" RSS Feed? ==<br />
Hello.<br />
<br />
This is my first time interacting here. I'm a member of my school's college conservatives and am working on building their web site. I'm just wondering if by chance Conservapedia has plans to provide an RSS feed of its "breaking news" section"? Do you know if it would be as simple as installing a plug-in of some kind such as "Wikifeed"? Thanks! [[User:Alexander|Alexander]] 11:33, 15 November 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Silly spelling error ==<br />
<br />
I suppose this is the correct area to send this message. In the "Wikipedia" article under the "Scandals and Decline" section, paragraph 2, line 3: "which could affect, in thier (sic) words, "'life and death,'". I believe it is supposed to be "their", not "thier". It would be easier if I could just edit the page myself like on "Wikipedia".<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
-Kriegor191<br />
:The correct place would have been the [[talk:Wikipedia|Wikipedia talk page]], but I see that it's been fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out. And please sign your posts by typing four tildes ({{tt|<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}}), or using the signature button on the editing toolbar. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 06:15, 4 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Serious? ==<br />
<br />
I was just wondering, is this meant to be a serious site or a parody of conservatism?<br />
<br />
~Sabazi<br />
:Is that meant to be a serious question or a not-so-subtle dig at the site? And please see my comment to the previous poster about signing your posts. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 06:16, 4 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
That was a serious question. I couldn't tell, though I take it from your response that it is?<br />
<br />
[[User:Sabazi|Sabazi]] 16:34, 4 December 2007 (EST)Sabazi (is that the right way to sign?)<br />
:Yes, it is serious. What makes you think otherwise? And that was the right way to sign, except that there is no need to append your name because it puts it anyway. ''Just'' the four tildes is enough. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 08:04, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Question about Ten Most Viewed Pages ==<br />
<br />
Your ten most frequently viewed pages includes 9 entries featuring the word "homosexuality." This seems strange to me, especially as some of the entries are relatively new. Is there a possible alternative explanation for those sites showing up on the Top Ten, besides their popularity? I don't understand much about computers, but, for example, perhaps people have set up computers that repeatedly open up web pages on a particular site, just to skew the numbers?<br />
<br />
Thank you. {{unsigned|Harpers}}<br />
: I don't think the server logs would have that information. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 08:06, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
::Recommendation: Maybe you guys can track possible abuse using www.sitemeter.com or google analytics? [[User:Alexander|Alexander]] 18:54, 11 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Page move request==<br />
Could someone please move [[Ann Widdicombe]] to Ann Widdecombe (correct spelling). [[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 13:57, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
:Done. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 14:59, 5 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Account Creation suggestion ==<br />
<br />
Although I saw the comment that account creation is only allowed at certain times, it might be a good idea to let potential users know what these times are. It took me several attempts over two days to eventually "strike lucky". {{unsigned|Unclebill}}<br />
<br />
:I agree. It took me a few times to realise that you could only make an account at certain times during the day. I was trying to find how to make an account last night and gave up. Luckily, I found out an hour or so ago.--[[User:Joel|Joel]] 20:39, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
::Sorry you both had troubles registering. I'm sure the relevant people will take note of your issue and maybe something will be added to the registration page [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] <small>([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]])</small> 20:45, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
:::Agreed with all of the above, but I'm not sure where the info should be added.<br />
:::*The registration page is (if I recall correctly - my memory is acting up right now...) not accessible when account creation is disabled, so it would be of little use there ("If you can read this, you can register" is amusing, but not terribly helpful :P).<br />
:::*On the Login page, it might look a bit distracting (as the majority of users already has an account, so the info would be of little use for them).<br />
:::Maybe our techies can hack up something to the effect of always having the "Register account" link available, but having it point at a "We're sorry, but account creation is currently disabled. Please try again at X o'clock in timezone Y" page? (I believe we have a Help page to that effect, but I also believe it's not exactly prominently linked for users who are new to the site). --[[User:JakeC|JakeC]] 20:53, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Admin Question ==<br />
<br />
How is it possible to become an Admin to help keep people from being stupid? {{unsigned|Sohsowski}}<br />
:Admins aren't here to do that. Admins carry out essential maintenance of the site. One tip might be: "not to register an account and then throw mud at one's fellow editors" however :) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] <small>([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]])</small> 20:23, 25 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Logo request==<br />
I'd like to create a link to Conservapedia on my websites. Can you provide a jpg of your logo? {{unsigned|Usmale}}<br />
:[[Image:Conservapedia_logo.png|right|100px]] Current Conservapedia logo - Copyright 2007 Philip Beach --[[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] 15:43, 29 December 2007 (EST)<br />
::Um... no? It looks similar, but it's definitely different. [http://www.conservapedia.com/skins/common/images/conservlogo.png The actually used file] - different "Trustworthy Encyclopedia" font, and slightly different "Conservapedia" lettering. Can be easily seen when you look at the positions of the "v" and the last "a" in relation to the background. --[[User:JakeC|JakeC]] 17:17, 31 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::: Here you go. <br />
::: [[Image:Conservlogo_logo_highres2.png|thumb|350px|left]]<br />
<br />
[[User:CPWebmaster|CPWebmaster]] 20:03, 28 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Found A Cuss Word ==<br />
<br />
In the Userbox Index, there is a cuss word in a userbox in the uncategorized section.<br />
<br />
It's called User lies and stats <br />
<br />
In your third commandment, your call for family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language pages.<br />
<br />
a kid could easily stumble into it. <br />
<br />
I'm just trying to help Conservapedia.<br />
<br />
'''Edit:'''<br />
<br />
Opps, I didn't realized that I doubled posted, I thought that it didn't make it, sorry. Delete the other one please.<br />
<br />
{{unsigned|EkulR29}}<br />
: I see that Fox has deleted the template, and I've now deleted the link to it in the uncategorised index. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 01:26, 30 December 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Confused by this message at my talk page ==<br />
<br />
"Come back next year, when you're serious about helping write encyclopedia articles."<br />
<br />
I didn't think there was restrictions on creating articles.{{unsigned|User:EkulR29}}<br />
<br />
:I can't speak for why you were blocked, but the "next year" thing was a joke, I think. You were blocked on December 31st for one day, so "next year" would only be one day later. 15:33, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
:: You say it was 31st December, but when I look at his page history, it says that the message was left at 09:02 on 1st January, 2008. Of course, that is according to my time zone settings. What time zone is EkulR29 in? Yes, the message has 17:02 on 31st December on it, but at the very least, that could be "confusing".<br />
:: EkulR29, I suspect that Ed Poor's comment may have been because you have made about 60 edits so far, only four of which were to anything other than this page and your user page. In other words, you seem to be more concerned with telling us about yourself (which is okay in itself) than with actually helping write an encyclopedia.<br />
:: [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 18:11, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== How do you? ==<br />
<br />
Ask for a change on a protected page? And is there any way to ask for a page to be unprotected? I imagine any vandalism could be fairly quickly reverted on many pages anyway. [[User:TheEvilSpartan|TheEvilSpartan]] 22:39, 3 January 2008 (EST)<br />
:To ask for a change on a protected page, ask on that page's talk page. To ask for a page to be unprotected, it's best to ask the Administrator who protected it. If that is not practicable, ask another Administrator. If you ask on the page's talk page, the first administrator to notice it could unlock it, but it's possible that nobody will notice for a while. If you ask on an Administrator's talk page, that Administrator should notice very quickly if they are on, or as soon as they next log on, but that might take a day or so (assuming they are not on holidays). If you choose to ask more than one administrator on their talk pages, let them know that you have asked others. Of course, in all such cases, your request might be declined. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 02:52, 4 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Editing Help ==<br />
<br />
I am having a hard time editing articles. Could you explain me how to go about that process? I'm used to using wikipedia, where they just have an edit button by the text, but here at Conservapedia I can't seem to find the edit button. Please help!<br />
:Same as on this page; third tab from the left at top of article. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] <small>([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]])</small> 21:21, 11 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Uploading an images or images ==<br />
<br />
How do I obtain upload privileges? I want to upload a picture on a page.<br />
<br />
Christopher Persaud<br />
<br />
You hang around for a long time until you are trusted with them. --[[User:CPAdmin1|Tim <small>(CPAdmin1)</small>]]<sup>[[User talk:CPAdmin1|talk]]</sup> [[User:CPAdmin1/Election08|Vote for President]] 15:29, 27 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
Please be more specific. Thanks. {{unsigned|Cperlobo}}<br />
<br />
:If you have a specific image you want to be uploaded then please submit it at [[Conservapedia:Image_upload_requests|image upload request]]. [[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 17:35, 27 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
: See [[Conservapedia:User rights|User rights]] (Requesting further rights), which is linked from [[Conservapedia:Editor's guide|Editor's guide]] which is in the welcome box on your talk page. [[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 19:16, 27 January 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Firefox search bar ==<br />
<br />
I'm not sure what is involved technically, but I use Mozilla Firefox as my internet browser and regularly use the search bar in the top right for Google and Wikipedia searches. Though this search bar recognizes Conservapedia as a possible search engine, Firefox won't allow me to add it as one. The message<br />
Firefox could not download the search plugin from:<br />
http://www.conservapedia.com/opensearch_desc.php<br />
appears. I don't know if this is the correct place to report technical problems (or if you are already aware of this), but I thought I should report it. Is there a reason for this? [[User:Hampshire2600|Hampshire2600]] 20:10 29 January, 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Enlisting College Student Help ==<br />
<br />
I'm a member of a campus conservatives organization, and I think Conservapedia could definitely benefit by enlisting the help of college students to improve the quality of articles, as well as expand Conservapedia's contents. I might recommend creating some sort of program to encourage campus conservative groups to have a part in Conservapedia's development? Thanks! [http://www.honor-bound.org Honorbound Conservatives] [[User:Alexander|Alexander]] 19:21, 5 February 2008 (EST)<br />
<br />
== "In The News ==<br />
<br />
Under "in the news" on the "Main Page" there is this entry:<br />
Liberal denial has begun for NIU killings: "Grad student killer didn't fit the profile," screams the Associated Press. <br />
In fact, the killer did fit the profile of a public school-trained atheistic: dressed in all black, was an above-average student (at age 27!), and obsessed with self-injury.<br />
<br />
The above entry implies that all people who have attended public school fit the profile of someone who would murder people. This is a woefully inaccurate and unwise statement. There are other ideas I would like to share concerning the inappropriateness this entry, but it I would not want these additional comments to become public.<br />
<br />
{{unsigned|Blazer}}<br />
<br />
== Question about Religion ==<br />
<br />
Hi, I'm an atheist who stumbled upon this website after a friend told me about it. I am a Liberal, and although I disagree with some points you present on this site, one thing I found has truly offended me. In the artible "Examples of Bias in Wikipedia", the page begins with a graph showing the number of Wikipedia users by religion. It shows a large amount atheists compared to other religions. I myself am an atheist, and I'm a but frazzled. First of all, I read this as being considered a "problem", and I would like to know why. Secondly, I assume from the "Daily Bible Verse" that an overwhelming amount of Conservapedia users are Christians. Is that better? I'm not here to stir up a controversy, I'm just puzzled and would like a straight answer. [[User:VonShroom|VonShroom]] 19:59, 23 February 2008 (EST)</div>VonShroom