Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Federal Reserve System

2009-04-03T21:28:54Z

Walker:

[[Image:Federal Reserve.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, DC.]]
The '''Federal Reserve''' (also known as '''The Fed''') is a central banking system that controls the monetary system of the [[United States]]. Although it acts with the authority of the [[government]], the Federal Reserve is not an official government agency. It was established by the Federal Reserve Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by [[President]] [[Woodrow Wilson]] in 1913. Although the [[Constitution]] says that only Congress has the authority to "coin money", the Federal Reserve issues fiat currency that is not based on the original [[gold standard]].<ref>http://www.federalreserve.gov/</ref> The Federal Reserve is headed by a Board of Governors and a Chairman. The current Chairman is [[Ben Bernanke]]; his predecessor was [[Alan Greenspan]].

One job of the Federal Reserve is to control [[inflation]] by regulating the [[free market]].<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070818201731/http://www.peterjaworski.com/Friedman</ref> One of its main functions is to set the amount of money that banks must keep in reserve and to set the interest rates for money it lends to banks.

In 2008 the Fed became a major player in many new ways, taking over and rescuing (or not rescuing) many major banks, and making trillions of dollars of guarantees. See [[Financial Crisis of 2008]].

Federal Reserve banks are located in [[Boston]], [[New York]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Cleveland]], [[Richmond]], [[Atlanta]], [[Chicago]], [[Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], [[Minneapolis]], [[Dallas]], and [[San Francisco]].

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
:[http://www.federalreserve.gov/ Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System]
[[category:United States]]

Fox News Channel

2009-04-03T21:26:55Z

Walker:

[[Image:FNC logo.jpg|thumb|right|Fox News Logo]]

The '''Fox News Channel''' is not as [[conservative]] as it pretends to be as it usually offers only a [[neoconservative]] viewpoint, although it does cover some stories that liberal news sources ignore or [[censor]] (see [[news spiking]]).
It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of Australian-born media mogul and [[Bilderberg]] member [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]]. [[Roger Ailes]] was named Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group on August 15, 2005.

==Founding==

Fox News was started in 1996 by Murdoch and Roger Ailes. The two of them perceived a need for a news organization that offered more balanced reporting, one where the facts from all sides would be presented. Main-stream media "Political Correctness" was banished, with the news [[anchor]]s calling [[terrorist]]s what they were, (terrorists), instead of referring to them as "militants." As of February, 2007, polls show that over 20% of Americans say their main source of news is the Fox News Channel.

Fox News uses the slogan "Fair & Balanced," carries bipartisan shows like [[Hannity and Colmes]], and daily guest pundits from all sides of the [[political spectrum]]. Fox News also is non-hostile to conservative and [[Christian]] values, viewpoints, spokesmen, and ideas. Fox News has gained the reputation for reporting the news in an unbiased manner and then allowing the viewer to decide; "We Report, You Decide" is another of their on-air slogans.

Fox News has dominated the [[ratings]] of other cable news outlets.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center]</ref> Launched by media [[tycoon]] Rupert Murdoch and former political consultant Roger Ailes as a refuge for viewers fed up with real or perceived liberal bias everywhere in the so-called "[[mainstream media]]", Fox is the undisputed ratings champion of cable news. It's been trouncing [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] for years, and it quite often draws a much larger audience share than all competitors, combined.

==Fair and Balanced==
[[Image:Fair_balanced.jpg‎ |thumb|left|Fair And Balanced Logo]]
[[Liberal]] critics have been known to complain about the "Fair & Balanced" slogan. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] exploded at ''Fox News Sunday'' anchor [[Chris Wallace]] in September of 2006, accusing him of "a nice little conservative hit job" after being lightly pressed by Wallace about his record on fighting [[Al Qaeda]]. Democratic politicians and advocates have relentlessly attacked the cable network, sometimes accusing it of being a Republican [[propaganda mill]]. Former Vice-President and environmentalist [[Al Gore]] has likened Fox to a right-wing "[[fifth column]]." Groups, such as [[MoveOn.org]], funded a classic [[schlockumentary]] entitled ''[[Outfoxed]]'', which purports to expose the channel's 'nefarious Republican agenda'. Some have referred to FOX News as "the propaganda arm of the Republican Party" or "Faux News." In a grandstanding gesture of political theater the group unsuccessfully petitioned the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to stop Fox's from using its slogan as "deceptive advertising". It was unanimously rejected. <ref>[http://www.showbizdata.com/news/36127/FTC-REJECTS-COMPLAINTS-AGAINST-FOX-NEWS FTC: "It's best to ignore nuts"]</ref> Fox News spokesman Rob Zimmerman told today's (Tuesday) Wall Street Journal: "If they can attack Fox News to this extreme, ''then all news organizations are at risk to be targeted by similar attacks. ... It's best to ignore nuts."''

A recent comprehensive study by [[UCLA]] political scientist Tim Groseclose and University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Milyo found [[Brit Hume]]'s ''Special Report'' — Fox's most straightforward news show — more centrist than any of the three major networks' evening newscasts, all of which are liberal. <ref>[http://rcp.missouri.edu/articles/milyo_media.html]</ref> The program is a model of smart news television.

And although it's true that the Fox's opinion shows (as opposed to its news shows) are, as they're supposed to be, frequently bombastic and opinionated, it's equally true that Fox's biggest super-star, [[Bill O'Reilly]] is not a mainstream Republican, but a registered [[Independent]] who sides with conservatives. He regularly charges the oil companies with [[price-gouging]] and attacks big business for quashing the little guy. Who can say what host [[Greta Van Susteren]]'s politics are? She mostly covers the [[crime]]-of-the-day stories. [[Geraldo Rivera]] has always been liberal on most issues, with the exception of being a strong supporter of the military and stiff penalties for [[sex offender]]s.

Liberal commentators go in and out of the Fox studios all over America, every day — some of them, like host [[Alan Colmes]] and news analyst [[Marvin Kalb]], and [[Eleanor Clift]] affiliated with the channel. There's no doubt, of course, that Fox News is closer to mainstream America than [[CBS]], [[ABC]], [[NBC]] or [[CNN]]. But, after all, that was its founding mission.

Conservatives have criticism for Fox. Their 'Fair and Balanced' motto allows [[liberal]] [[propaganda]], lies, deceit, and half-truths to gain an audience. In reality, Fox was judged to actually provide a more "fair and balanced" coverage in the 2008 Presidential race than all three MSM networks, who had a decidedly pro-Obama tilt, a study by the ''Center for Media and Public Affairs''. <ref>[http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/08summer.pdf Center for Media and Public Affairs: ''How TV News Has Covered McCain, Obama and Hillary'']</ref>

== Ratings Dominance ==
Fox News Channel was the 2nd highest rated cable channel on all of television during the first quarter of 2009 in prime time Total Viewers. CNN was 17th and MSNBC 24th for the first three months of the year. FNC beat CNN and MSNBC combined and gained the most compared to the first quarter of 2008, up 24%. 2009's first quarter was FNC's 3rd highest rated quarter in prime time in the network's history — just behind Q4 '08 and Q3 '05. In prime time, ages 25-54 demo, and in total day in both categories, FNC grew more year-to-year than CNN and MSNBC combined. FNC had nine of the top 10 programs on cable news in Total Viewers.

[[Bill O'Reilly|The O'Reilly Factor]] has now been #1 on cable news for 100 consecutive months, up 27% in Total Viewers year-over-year.

[[Glenn Beck]] has increased the 5pmET time period 90% in Total Viewers and 115% in the demo vs. Q1 '08, ''and is the fastest growing program in cable news for March''. Special Report with Bret Baier is up 39% in Total Viewers and 41% in the demo. [[Sean Hannity|"Hannity"]] is up 36% in Total Viewers and up 35% in the demo since going solo for the hour.

'''Those three new programs beat CNN and MSNBC ''combined'' in Total Viewers during their respective time slots.'''

On the Record with [[Greta Van Susteren]] is up 26% in Total Viewers and 13% in the demo. Your World with Neil Cavuto is up 47% in Total Viewers and 50% in the demo. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/q1_2009_ratings_fnc_tops_cnn_and_msnbc_combined_in_prime_time_total_viewers_112876.asp Media Bistro; FNC Tops CNN and MSNBC Combined in Prime Time Total Viewers]
</ref>
== Anti-elitist ==

Conservatives argue that Fox's real ethos is not Republican or conservative, but anti-[[elitist]] — a major reason it connects with so many Americans and annoys so many coastal elites. "There's a whole country that elitists will never acknowledge," Ailes once observed. "What people resent deeply out there are those in the 'blue states' thinking they're smarter." This anti-elitism shows itself in Fox's pro-U.S. stance in covering the [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq war]]s and its broadcasters' use of terms such as "terrorist" instead of the politically correct "militant" to refer to … well, terrorists. Since the [[Vietnam War]] era, mainstream [[journalist]]s have tended to see such blunt language and side-taking as unsophisticated, a betrayal of journalistic [[objectivity]], or perhaps their own ingrained biases against government in general.

Another aspect of Fox's anti-elitism: [[evangelical]] and [[fundamentalist Christian]]s, far from being seen as lunatics or extremists — as too often is the case in the mainstream media — are treated with great respect. "We regularly have on the [[Rev. Franklin Graham]], [[Dr. James Dobson]] and other religious leaders, just as we put on [[Pat Ireland]] and Eleanor Clift," Ailes said, continuing, ''"Most Americans believe in God and have that as their foundation in life. So why shouldn't we have as guests people that they like, respect and want to hear from?" '' Ailes said he didn't get "too worked up" by a [[Pew Foundation]] study that showed that Fox has more Republican viewers than CNN, CNBC or MSNBC and that his reporters and anchors insert their opinions into stories far more than competitors do. Numbers might have something to do with it: Fox is beating the combined audience of the other three. But Ailes dismissed Pew as a "liberal [[lobbyist|lobbying]] organization." He said, "Most polls today are not taken to provide information to the public but to get press for the organization taking the polls. I took a poll of Pew, and 98% of my organization found that they were biased", Ailes said with a wink. <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

In response, Project director Tom Rosenstiel said the study "was not a poll. It was a content analysis designed by a four-university research team and executed at the [[University of Alabama]]." ''One plus for Fox, he said, was that researchers found Fox News stories were more forthcoming about sourcing than their cable rivals.'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Fox Versus Fringe Views ==

"What really frustrates liberals about Fox, though, is simply that, along with [[talk radio]] and the conservative [[blogosphere]], it has helped shatter the left's near-monopoly on news and information. Fox's opinion-driven programming gives conservatives and liberals a chance to get a fair hearing for their ideas. But Democratic politicians and activists who go on Fox also must defend their views, often against tough questioning, something that happens less often on the networks, where most journalists are left-of-center, survey after survey has shown", said columnist [[Brian Anderson]]. "Even more significant, Fox came on the scene a decade ago as a professional news organization that could define and report news as something different from what the elite consensus says it is. To take one of many examples, the corruption of the [[United Nations]]' [[oil-for-food]] initiative in [[Iraq]], initially downplayed by the mainstream media because of their sympathy for internationalism, was uncovered — deemed newsworthy — on Fox."

All this wouldn't matter if Fox News wasn't so influential. But it is. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 20% of Americans now claim to get news from it, and lots of them (37%) are Democrats or independents. The network's success has also sparked a "Fox effect," leading some competitors to become more open to right-of-center opinions: MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," hosted by former Republican congressman [[Joe Scarborough]], is a prime example. Until a few years ago, Democrats never had to deal with all these mediatized conservatives. <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref>

Ailes said Fox News has no agenda. His charge to his reporters and anchors is simple: "If you make a mistake, get on the air as fast as you can and admit it. ... Do your homework. Make sure you reach out to a point of view you don't agree with to be sure you have some balance in your piece, because journalists, despite the public perception, are not empty-headed fools. They actually come to the job with some ideas and biases." When asked whether the media have a "conscious bias," Ailes said: "I don't know whether it's conscious or not. I think people who are biased to the left and right are by and large honest people who bring their life experience to whatever their beliefs are. I don't think there's some conspiracy of bias to the left, ''but I do think that [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] have different views than many people that I know from other parts of the country."'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Roger Ailes ==
[[Image:Rogerailes_1.jpg‎ |thumb|right|300px|Roger Ailes, Fox News CEO]]
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205966,00.html This is a transcript] of Ailes speaking to the Television Critics Association, which will be enlightening to readers digging into the Fox take on reporting and its reaction to controversy about its mission.

On November 20, 2008, [[Roger Ailes]], who now holds the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX News and Chairman of FOX Television Stations, signed a new five year contract with News Corporation, it was announced by Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_signs_new_5year_deal_with_news_corp_101312.asp Ailes Inks 5 Year Deal With NewsCorp]</ref>

During Ailes' time with [[News Corporation|News Corp]], [[FNC]] passed [[CNN]] in ratings in all day parts in 2002 to become the number one news network in the country, nearing full distribution with more than 90 million subscribers. In 2007, he launched the [[Fox Business News]] which currently reaches more than 40 million homes and served as the biggest launch in cable television history. Throughout Mr. Ailes' tenure, FOX Television Stations has increased its market share each of the last three years with all time record shares in the last two years. In addition, Fox Television Stations has expanded its local news presence by nearly 100 hours a week in a challenging economic climate.

== Tony Snow ==

In April, 2006 the [[White House]] selected [[Tony Snow]], Fox News Anchorman, to be the new White House Press Secretary. "Snow, who in his roles as a [[pundit]] on Fox News and elsewhere has rapped Bush on several occasions, joined the White House only after extracting a promise that he would become an adviser to the president on day-to-day strategy...the former columnist will be the first outsider to become part of Bush's revamped inner circle.", said the [[Washington Post]]. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042600558.html</ref>

Snow, 50, worked most recently as host for ''Fox News Sunday, with Tony Snow'' and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speech-writing for President [[George H.W. Bush]] and has worked as a [[USA Today]] columnist, Editorial Page Editor of the [[Washington Times]], deputy editorial page editor of the [[Detroit News]] and frequent substitute for radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]]. <ref>http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html</ref>

==Bill O'Reilly==

The [[O'Reilly Factor]] has been the most popular cable news segment for eight years. [[Bill O'Reilly]] has interviewed Barack Obama and other high profile guests on his show. Bill O'Reilly is a registered independent, but sides with Republicans on most issues, excluding several Christian causes. Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." Like [[Sean Hannity]] and other commentators on Fox, O'Reilly's role is that of an independent contractor, expressing his on opinions, not those of Fox News, as opposed to the networks news anchors, like Sheppard Smith.

==External Links==
*[http://www.foxnews.com/ Fox News]

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

[[Category:Cable TV Networks]]

Fox News Channel

2009-04-03T21:25:07Z

Walker:

[[Image:FNC logo.jpg|thumb|right|Fox News Logo]]

The '''Fox News Channel''' is not as [[conservative]] as it pretends to be as it usually offers only a [[neoconservative]] viewpoint, although it does cover some stories that liberal news sources ignore or [[censor]] (see [[news spiking]]).
It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of Australian-born media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]]. [[Roger Ailes]] was named Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group on August 15, 2005.

==Founding==

Fox News was started in 1996 by Murdoch and Roger Ailes. The two of them perceived a need for a news organization that offered more balanced reporting, one where the facts from all sides would be presented. Main-stream media "Political Correctness" was banished, with the news [[anchor]]s calling [[terrorist]]s what they were, (terrorists), instead of referring to them as "militants." As of February, 2007, polls show that over 20% of Americans say their main source of news is the Fox News Channel.

Fox News uses the slogan "Fair & Balanced," carries bipartisan shows like [[Hannity and Colmes]], and daily guest pundits from all sides of the [[political spectrum]]. Fox News also is non-hostile to conservative and [[Christian]] values, viewpoints, spokesmen, and ideas. Fox News has gained the reputation for reporting the news in an unbiased manner and then allowing the viewer to decide; "We Report, You Decide" is another of their on-air slogans.

Fox News has dominated the [[ratings]] of other cable news outlets.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center]</ref> Launched by media [[tycoon]] Rupert Murdoch and former political consultant Roger Ailes as a refuge for viewers fed up with real or perceived liberal bias everywhere in the so-called "[[mainstream media]]", Fox is the undisputed ratings champion of cable news. It's been trouncing [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] for years, and it quite often draws a much larger audience share than all competitors, combined.

==Fair and Balanced==
[[Image:Fair_balanced.jpg‎ |thumb|left|Fair And Balanced Logo]]
[[Liberal]] critics have been known to complain about the "Fair & Balanced" slogan. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] exploded at ''Fox News Sunday'' anchor [[Chris Wallace]] in September of 2006, accusing him of "a nice little conservative hit job" after being lightly pressed by Wallace about his record on fighting [[Al Qaeda]]. Democratic politicians and advocates have relentlessly attacked the cable network, sometimes accusing it of being a Republican [[propaganda mill]]. Former Vice-President and environmentalist [[Al Gore]] has likened Fox to a right-wing "[[fifth column]]." Groups, such as [[MoveOn.org]], funded a classic [[schlockumentary]] entitled ''[[Outfoxed]]'', which purports to expose the channel's 'nefarious Republican agenda'. Some have referred to FOX News as "the propaganda arm of the Republican Party" or "Faux News." In a grandstanding gesture of political theater the group unsuccessfully petitioned the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to stop Fox's from using its slogan as "deceptive advertising". It was unanimously rejected. <ref>[http://www.showbizdata.com/news/36127/FTC-REJECTS-COMPLAINTS-AGAINST-FOX-NEWS FTC: "It's best to ignore nuts"]</ref> Fox News spokesman Rob Zimmerman told today's (Tuesday) Wall Street Journal: "If they can attack Fox News to this extreme, ''then all news organizations are at risk to be targeted by similar attacks. ... It's best to ignore nuts."''

A recent comprehensive study by [[UCLA]] political scientist Tim Groseclose and University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Milyo found [[Brit Hume]]'s ''Special Report'' — Fox's most straightforward news show — more centrist than any of the three major networks' evening newscasts, all of which are liberal. <ref>[http://rcp.missouri.edu/articles/milyo_media.html]</ref> The program is a model of smart news television.

And although it's true that the Fox's opinion shows (as opposed to its news shows) are, as they're supposed to be, frequently bombastic and opinionated, it's equally true that Fox's biggest super-star, [[Bill O'Reilly]] is not a mainstream Republican, but a registered [[Independent]] who sides with conservatives. He regularly charges the oil companies with [[price-gouging]] and attacks big business for quashing the little guy. Who can say what host [[Greta Van Susteren]]'s politics are? She mostly covers the [[crime]]-of-the-day stories. [[Geraldo Rivera]] has always been liberal on most issues, with the exception of being a strong supporter of the military and stiff penalties for [[sex offender]]s.

Liberal commentators go in and out of the Fox studios all over America, every day — some of them, like host [[Alan Colmes]] and news analyst [[Marvin Kalb]], and [[Eleanor Clift]] affiliated with the channel. There's no doubt, of course, that Fox News is closer to mainstream America than [[CBS]], [[ABC]], [[NBC]] or [[CNN]]. But, after all, that was its founding mission.

Conservatives have criticism for Fox. Their 'Fair and Balanced' motto allows [[liberal]] [[propaganda]], lies, deceit, and half-truths to gain an audience. In reality, Fox was judged to actually provide a more "fair and balanced" coverage in the 2008 Presidential race than all three MSM networks, who had a decidedly pro-Obama tilt, a study by the ''Center for Media and Public Affairs''. <ref>[http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/08summer.pdf Center for Media and Public Affairs: ''How TV News Has Covered McCain, Obama and Hillary'']</ref>

== Ratings Dominance ==
Fox News Channel was the 2nd highest rated cable channel on all of television during the first quarter of 2009 in prime time Total Viewers. CNN was 17th and MSNBC 24th for the first three months of the year. FNC beat CNN and MSNBC combined and gained the most compared to the first quarter of 2008, up 24%. 2009's first quarter was FNC's 3rd highest rated quarter in prime time in the network's history — just behind Q4 '08 and Q3 '05. In prime time, ages 25-54 demo, and in total day in both categories, FNC grew more year-to-year than CNN and MSNBC combined. FNC had nine of the top 10 programs on cable news in Total Viewers.

[[Bill O'Reilly|The O'Reilly Factor]] has now been #1 on cable news for 100 consecutive months, up 27% in Total Viewers year-over-year.

[[Glenn Beck]] has increased the 5pmET time period 90% in Total Viewers and 115% in the demo vs. Q1 '08, ''and is the fastest growing program in cable news for March''. Special Report with Bret Baier is up 39% in Total Viewers and 41% in the demo. [[Sean Hannity|"Hannity"]] is up 36% in Total Viewers and up 35% in the demo since going solo for the hour.

'''Those three new programs beat CNN and MSNBC ''combined'' in Total Viewers during their respective time slots.'''

On the Record with [[Greta Van Susteren]] is up 26% in Total Viewers and 13% in the demo. Your World with Neil Cavuto is up 47% in Total Viewers and 50% in the demo. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/q1_2009_ratings_fnc_tops_cnn_and_msnbc_combined_in_prime_time_total_viewers_112876.asp Media Bistro; FNC Tops CNN and MSNBC Combined in Prime Time Total Viewers]
</ref>
== Anti-elitist ==

Conservatives argue that Fox's real ethos is not Republican or conservative, but anti-[[elitist]] — a major reason it connects with so many Americans and annoys so many coastal elites. "There's a whole country that elitists will never acknowledge," Ailes once observed. "What people resent deeply out there are those in the 'blue states' thinking they're smarter." This anti-elitism shows itself in Fox's pro-U.S. stance in covering the [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq war]]s and its broadcasters' use of terms such as "terrorist" instead of the politically correct "militant" to refer to … well, terrorists. Since the [[Vietnam War]] era, mainstream [[journalist]]s have tended to see such blunt language and side-taking as unsophisticated, a betrayal of journalistic [[objectivity]], or perhaps their own ingrained biases against government in general.

Another aspect of Fox's anti-elitism: [[evangelical]] and [[fundamentalist Christian]]s, far from being seen as lunatics or extremists — as too often is the case in the mainstream media — are treated with great respect. "We regularly have on the [[Rev. Franklin Graham]], [[Dr. James Dobson]] and other religious leaders, just as we put on [[Pat Ireland]] and Eleanor Clift," Ailes said, continuing, ''"Most Americans believe in God and have that as their foundation in life. So why shouldn't we have as guests people that they like, respect and want to hear from?" '' Ailes said he didn't get "too worked up" by a [[Pew Foundation]] study that showed that Fox has more Republican viewers than CNN, CNBC or MSNBC and that his reporters and anchors insert their opinions into stories far more than competitors do. Numbers might have something to do with it: Fox is beating the combined audience of the other three. But Ailes dismissed Pew as a "liberal [[lobbyist|lobbying]] organization." He said, "Most polls today are not taken to provide information to the public but to get press for the organization taking the polls. I took a poll of Pew, and 98% of my organization found that they were biased", Ailes said with a wink. <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

In response, Project director Tom Rosenstiel said the study "was not a poll. It was a content analysis designed by a four-university research team and executed at the [[University of Alabama]]." ''One plus for Fox, he said, was that researchers found Fox News stories were more forthcoming about sourcing than their cable rivals.'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Fox Versus Fringe Views ==

"What really frustrates liberals about Fox, though, is simply that, along with [[talk radio]] and the conservative [[blogosphere]], it has helped shatter the left's near-monopoly on news and information. Fox's opinion-driven programming gives conservatives and liberals a chance to get a fair hearing for their ideas. But Democratic politicians and activists who go on Fox also must defend their views, often against tough questioning, something that happens less often on the networks, where most journalists are left-of-center, survey after survey has shown", said columnist [[Brian Anderson]]. "Even more significant, Fox came on the scene a decade ago as a professional news organization that could define and report news as something different from what the elite consensus says it is. To take one of many examples, the corruption of the [[United Nations]]' [[oil-for-food]] initiative in [[Iraq]], initially downplayed by the mainstream media because of their sympathy for internationalism, was uncovered — deemed newsworthy — on Fox."

All this wouldn't matter if Fox News wasn't so influential. But it is. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 20% of Americans now claim to get news from it, and lots of them (37%) are Democrats or independents. The network's success has also sparked a "Fox effect," leading some competitors to become more open to right-of-center opinions: MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," hosted by former Republican congressman [[Joe Scarborough]], is a prime example. Until a few years ago, Democrats never had to deal with all these mediatized conservatives. <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref>

Ailes said Fox News has no agenda. His charge to his reporters and anchors is simple: "If you make a mistake, get on the air as fast as you can and admit it. ... Do your homework. Make sure you reach out to a point of view you don't agree with to be sure you have some balance in your piece, because journalists, despite the public perception, are not empty-headed fools. They actually come to the job with some ideas and biases." When asked whether the media have a "conscious bias," Ailes said: "I don't know whether it's conscious or not. I think people who are biased to the left and right are by and large honest people who bring their life experience to whatever their beliefs are. I don't think there's some conspiracy of bias to the left, ''but I do think that [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] have different views than many people that I know from other parts of the country."'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Roger Ailes ==
[[Image:Rogerailes_1.jpg‎ |thumb|right|300px|Roger Ailes, Fox News CEO]]
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205966,00.html This is a transcript] of Ailes speaking to the Television Critics Association, which will be enlightening to readers digging into the Fox take on reporting and its reaction to controversy about its mission.

On November 20, 2008, [[Roger Ailes]], who now holds the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX News and Chairman of FOX Television Stations, signed a new five year contract with News Corporation, it was announced by Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_signs_new_5year_deal_with_news_corp_101312.asp Ailes Inks 5 Year Deal With NewsCorp]</ref>

During Ailes' time with [[News Corporation|News Corp]], [[FNC]] passed [[CNN]] in ratings in all day parts in 2002 to become the number one news network in the country, nearing full distribution with more than 90 million subscribers. In 2007, he launched the [[Fox Business News]] which currently reaches more than 40 million homes and served as the biggest launch in cable television history. Throughout Mr. Ailes' tenure, FOX Television Stations has increased its market share each of the last three years with all time record shares in the last two years. In addition, Fox Television Stations has expanded its local news presence by nearly 100 hours a week in a challenging economic climate.

== Tony Snow ==

In April, 2006 the [[White House]] selected [[Tony Snow]], Fox News Anchorman, to be the new White House Press Secretary. "Snow, who in his roles as a [[pundit]] on Fox News and elsewhere has rapped Bush on several occasions, joined the White House only after extracting a promise that he would become an adviser to the president on day-to-day strategy...the former columnist will be the first outsider to become part of Bush's revamped inner circle.", said the [[Washington Post]]. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042600558.html</ref>

Snow, 50, worked most recently as host for ''Fox News Sunday, with Tony Snow'' and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speech-writing for President [[George H.W. Bush]] and has worked as a [[USA Today]] columnist, Editorial Page Editor of the [[Washington Times]], deputy editorial page editor of the [[Detroit News]] and frequent substitute for radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]]. <ref>http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html</ref>

==Bill O'Reilly==

The [[O'Reilly Factor]] has been the most popular cable news segment for eight years. [[Bill O'Reilly]] has interviewed Barack Obama and other high profile guests on his show. Bill O'Reilly is a registered independent, but sides with Republicans on most issues, excluding several Christian causes. Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." Like [[Sean Hannity]] and other commentators on Fox, O'Reilly's role is that of an independent contractor, expressing his on opinions, not those of Fox News, as opposed to the networks news anchors, like Sheppard Smith.

==External Links==
*[http://www.foxnews.com/ Fox News]

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

[[Category:Cable TV Networks]]

Hannity (TV show)

2009-04-03T21:23:47Z

Walker:

'''Hannity''' is a [[neoconservative]] news program (2009 - present) that airs on the [[Fox News Channel]] every weeknight at 9pm Eastern. The show is hosted by conservative commentator [[Sean Hannity]]. The show follows a similar format to Mr. Hannity's weekend show, Hannity's America.

The show mainly consists of Sean reporting the political news of the day and interviews with specials guests. He also regularly features a segment called the "Hate Hannity Hotline" where viewers can call in and voice their "opinion" on Hannity and his views. The first week of the program, an interview with conservative talk show host [[Rush Limbaugh]] was aired.

== See Also ==
*[[Hannity's America]]

== External Links ==

*[http://www.foxnews.com/hannity// Official Site]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE_M8ljbxvs Whoopi Goldberg On Hannity (Part 1)] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj2boBgkikU&feature=related Part 2] (early Feb. 2009)
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjWnpeH31ds Obama Spokesman accuses Hannity of being anti-Semtic] (October 2008 [was then ''Hannity and Colms'')

[[Category:Conservative Media]]
[[category:Television Shows]]

Federal Reserve System

2009-04-03T21:23:06Z

Walker: Thats the point, all money is to be coined by congress, not fiat paper currency

[[Image:Federal Reserve.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, DC.]]
The '''Federal Reserve''' (also known as '''The Fed''') is a central banking system that controls the monetary system of the [[United States]]. Although it acts with the authority of the [[government]], the Federal Reserve is not an official government agency. It was established by the Federal Reserve Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by [[President]] [[Woodrow Wilson]] in 1913. Although the [[Constitution]] says that only Congress has the authority to "coin money", the Federal Reserve issues currency that is not based on the original [[gold standard]].<ref>http://www.federalreserve.gov/</ref> The Federal Reserve is headed by a Board of Governors and a Chairman. The current Chairman is [[Ben Bernanke]]; his predecessor was [[Alan Greenspan]].

One job of the Federal Reserve is to control [[inflation]] by regulating the [[free market]].<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070818201731/http://www.peterjaworski.com/Friedman</ref> One of its main functions is to set the amount of money that banks must keep in reserve and to set the interest rates for money it lends to banks.

In 2008 the Fed became a major player in many new ways, taking over and rescuing (or not rescuing) many major banks, and making trillions of dollars of guarantees. See [[Financial Crisis of 2008]].

Federal Reserve banks are located in [[Boston]], [[New York]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Cleveland]], [[Richmond]], [[Atlanta]], [[Chicago]], [[Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], [[Minneapolis]], [[Dallas]], and [[San Francisco]].

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
:[http://www.federalreserve.gov/ Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System]
[[category:United States]]

Hannity's America

2009-04-03T21:21:39Z

Walker: it isn't opinion, Hannity is the prototype

'''Hannity's America''' is a [[neoconservative]] political talk show hosted weekly by [[Sean Hannity]] on the [[Fox News]] Network. Discussions cover the latest political topics of the previous week, in a one-hour format. Hannity gives his opinions and other segments include Hannity's Hot Seat, 2 on 2, Beyond Belief and Your America.

==External Links==
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511830,00.html Hannity's America - Fox New's site]
*[http://www.hannitysamerica.com Hannity's America - not Fox News] (Sean Hannity is not affiliated with this site)

[[Category:television]]
[[Category:Conservative Media]]

Sean Hannity

2009-04-03T21:20:37Z

Walker: readding sourced info that was removed without explanation

[[Image:SHannity.jpg|right|thumb|230px]]
'''Sean Hannity''' (born December 30, 1961) is a [[neoconservative]] talk show host and [[television]] host of [[Fox News]]'s show [[Hannity]], as well as host of [[Hannity's America]]. The youngest of four children, Hannity was born in [[New York City]] to Irish immigrants. He dropped out of college to embark on a [[radio]] career, and in 1988 was at a small-town station of WVNN in [[Huntsville, Alabama]]. He later broke into a Top 10 market in Atlanta at 640 AM WGST. His national recognition came as an occasional substitute host on the top rated ''The [[Rush Limbaugh]] Show''. Allegedly on his first guest show, he dropped the golden [[EIB]] microphone because of a case of high nerves. The attention gained from substitute-hosting the show paved his way to national syndication.

==Television==
Sean Hannity was asked to join the newly formed Fox News Channel (FNC) in September 1996<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref>.
He accepted the offer and became co-host with Alan Colmes of ''Hannity and Colmes'', a prime time one-hour debate-driven talk show focusing on the controversial issues and newsmakers of the day.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref> January 9th, 2009 was the final show of Hannity & Colmes, replaced the following week with Seans solo self-entitled show [[Hannity_(tv_show)|Hannity]]. ''Hannity and Colmes'' ranked among the leading cable TV news show (just behind ''Larry King Live'' and the ''O'Reilly Factor''). Hannity also has a weekend show on Fox News, [[Hannity's America]].

==Controversy==
Hannity angered traditional [[Catholics]] with his antagonistic treatment of Father Thomas Euteneuer on March 9, 2007, during which Hannity criticized Fr. Euteneuer for prominent sex scandals in the Catholic Church.<ref>http://thebadguy.wordpress.com/2007/03/15/video-of-the-hannity-euteneuer-squabble</ref> After heated remarks by Hannity during the interview, he finally asked the priest, "Wait, would you deny me Communion?" To which Fr. Euteneuer responded, "I would."<ref>http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/070320</ref> His dating website "Hannidate" features a [[homosexual]] dating service.<ref>http://web1.hannity.com/hannidate/</ref>

==Books==
Hannity's books use patriotic rhetoric as a main theme. His first book, in 2002, was entitled ''Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism''. The book remained on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for 17 weeks.<ref>http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/24930/Sean_Hannity/index.aspx</ref>
In 2004 he wrote ''Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism''. In this book he "reveals how the disgraceful history of appeasement has reached forward from the days of [[Neville Chamberlain]] and [[Jimmy Carter]] to corrupt the unrepentant leftists of the modern [[Democratic Party]] from [[Howard Dean]] and [[John Kerry]] to [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]."

==Radio==
Hannity reaches approximately 12.5 million radio listeners each day, second only behind Rush Limbaugh.<ref>''Newsweek'', April 27, 2007, p. 29</ref>

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

== See also ==

*[[Conservative Links]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.hannity.com/ Sean Hannity's Official Website]
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html Biography] at Fox News

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannity, Sean}}
[[Category:Conservative Commentators]]
[[Category:Broadcasters]]

Hannity's America

2009-04-01T13:02:57Z

Walker:

'''Hannity's America''' is a [[neoconservative]] political talk show hosted weekly by [[Sean Hannity]] on the [[Fox News]] Network. Discussions cover the latest political topics of the following week, in a one-hour format. Hannity gives his opinions and other segments include Hannity's Hot Seat, 2 on 2, Beyond Belief and Your America.

==External Links==
#[http://www.hannitysamerica.com Hannity's America]

[[Category:television]]
[[Category:Conservative Media]]

Sean Hannity

2009-04-01T12:53:21Z

Walker: /* Controversy */

Sean Hannity

2009-04-01T12:52:46Z

Walker: /* Controversy */

[[Image:SHannity.jpg|right|thumb|230px]]
'''Sean Hannity''' (born December 30, 1961) is a [[neoconservative]] talk show host and [[television]] host of [[Fox News]]'s show [[Hannity]], as well as host of [[Hannity's America]]. The youngest of four children, Hannity was born in [[New York City]] to Irish immigrants. He dropped out of college to embark on a [[radio]] career, and in 1988 was at a small-town station of WVNN in [[Huntsville, Alabama]]. He later broke into a Top 10 market in Atlanta at 640 AM WGST. His national recognition came as an occasional substitute host on the top rated ''The [[Rush Limbaugh]] Show''. Allegedly on his first guest show, he dropped the golden [[EIB]] microphone because of a case of high nerves. The attention gained from substitute-hosting the show paved his way to national syndication.

==Television==
Sean Hannity was asked to join the newly formed Fox News Channel (FNC) in September 1996<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref>.
He accepted the offer and became co-host with Alan Colmes of ''Hannity and Colmes'', a prime time one-hour debate-driven talk show focusing on the controversial issues and newsmakers of the day.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref> January 9th, 2009 was the final show of Hannity & Colmes, replaced the following week with Seans solo self-entitled show [[Hannity_(tv_show)|Hannity]]. ''Hannity and Colmes'' ranked among the leading cable TV news show (just behind ''Larry King Live'' and the ''O'Reilly Factor''). Hannity also has a weekend show on Fox News, [[Hannity's America]].

==Controversy==
Hannity angered traditional [[Catholics]] with his antagonistic treatment of Father Thomas Euteneuer on March 9, 2007, during which Hannity criticized Fr. Euteneuer for prominent sex scandals in the Catholic Church.<ref>http://thebadguy.wordpress.com/2007/03/15/video-of-the-hannity-euteneuer-squabble</ref> After heated remarks by Hannity during the interview, he finally asked the priest, "Wait, would you deny me Communion?" To which Fr. Euteneuer responded, "I would."<ref>http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/070320</ref> His dating website "Hannidate" features a homosexual dating service.<ref>http://web1.hannity.com/hannidate/</ref>

==Books==
Hannity's books use patriotic rhetoric as a main theme. His first book, in 2002, was entitled ''Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism''. The book remained on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for 17 weeks.<ref>http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/24930/Sean_Hannity/index.aspx</ref>
In 2004 he wrote ''Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism''. In this book he "reveals how the disgraceful history of appeasement has reached forward from the days of [[Neville Chamberlain]] and [[Jimmy Carter]] to corrupt the unrepentant leftists of the modern [[Democratic Party]] from [[Howard Dean]] and [[John Kerry]] to [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]."

==Radio==
Hannity reaches approximately 12.5 million radio listeners each day, second only behind Rush Limbaugh.<ref>''Newsweek'', April 27, 2007, p. 29</ref>

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

== See also ==

*[[Conservative Links]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.hannity.com/ Sean Hannity's Official Website]
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html Biography] at Fox News

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannity, Sean}}
[[Category:Conservative Commentators]]
[[Category:Broadcasters]]

Pro-life

2009-04-01T12:46:27Z

Walker:

{{uncited}}

'''Pro-life''' is the name given to people or organizations who defend the rights of the unborn child, and who oppose [[abortion]].

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.

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.

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. However some Democrats such as the [[Blue Dog]] Democrats often hold pro-life views, and some Republicans such as [[Rudy Giuliani]] hold pro-choice views.

The phrase "pro-life," especially in the [[Catholic Church]], may include other issues relating to human life, such as [[euthanasia]] and the [[death penalty]].

==See Also==
*[[Abortion controversy]]
*[[National Right to Life Committee]]

[[Category:Abortion]]

Federal Reserve System

2009-04-01T12:32:06Z

Walker: readding factual information that was removed without reason

[[Image:Federal Reserve.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, DC.]]
The '''Federal Reserve''' (also known as '''The Fed''') is a central banking system that controls the monetary system of the [[United States]]. Although it acts with the authority of the [[government]], the Federal Reserve is not an official government agency. It was established by the Federal Reserve Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by [[President]] [[Woodrow Wilson]] in 1913. Although the [[Constitution]] says that only Congress has the authority to "coin money", the Federal Reserve issues currency that is not based on the original [[gold standard]].<ref>http://www.federalreserve.gov/</ref> The Federal Reserve is headed by a Board of Governors and a Chairman. The current Chairman is [[Ben Bernanke]]; his predecessor was [[Alan Greenspan]].

One job of the Federal Reserve is to control [[inflation]] by regulating the [[free market]].<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070818201731/http://www.peterjaworski.com/Friedman</ref> One of its main functions is to set the amount of money that banks must keep in reserve and to set the interest rates for money it lends to banks.

In 2008 the Fed became a major player in many new ways, taking over and rescuing (or not rescuing) many major banks, and making trillions of dollars of guarantees. See [[Financial Crisis of 2008]].

Federal Reserve banks are located in [[Boston]], [[New York]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Cleveland]], [[Richmond]], [[Atlanta]], [[Chicago]], [[Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], [[Minneapolis]], [[Dallas]], and [[San Francisco]].

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
:[http://www.federalreserve.gov/ Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System]
[[category:United States]]

Sean Hannity

2009-04-01T12:16:33Z

Walker:

[[Image:SHannity.jpg|right|thumb|230px]]
'''Sean Hannity''' (born December 30, 1961) is a [[neoconservative]] talk show host and [[television]] host of [[Fox News]]'s show [[Hannity]], as well as host of [[Hannity's America]]. The youngest of four children, Hannity was born in [[New York City]] to Irish immigrants. He dropped out of college to embark on a [[radio]] career, and in 1988 was at a small-town station of WVNN in [[Huntsville, Alabama]]. He later broke into a Top 10 market in Atlanta at 640 AM WGST. His national recognition came as an occasional substitute host on the top rated ''The [[Rush Limbaugh]] Show''. Allegedly on his first guest show, he dropped the golden [[EIB]] microphone because of a case of high nerves. The attention gained from substitute-hosting the show paved his way to national syndication.

==Television==
Sean Hannity was asked to join the newly formed Fox News Channel (FNC) in September 1996<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref>.
He accepted the offer and became co-host with Alan Colmes of ''Hannity and Colmes'', a prime time one-hour debate-driven talk show focusing on the controversial issues and newsmakers of the day.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref> January 9th, 2009 was the final show of Hannity & Colmes, replaced the following week with Seans solo self-entitled show [[Hannity_(tv_show)|Hannity]]. ''Hannity and Colmes'' ranked among the leading cable TV news show (just behind ''Larry King Live'' and the ''O'Reilly Factor''). Hannity also has a weekend show on Fox News, [[Hannity's America]].

==Controversy==
Hannity angered traditional [[Catholics]] with his antagonistic treatment of Father Thomas Euteneuer on March 9, 2007, during which Hannity criticized Fr. Euteneuer for prominent sex scandals in the Catholic Church.<ref>http://thebadguy.wordpress.com/2007/03/15/video-of-the-hannity-euteneuer-squabble</ref> After heated remarks by Hannity during the interview, he finally asked the priest, "Wait, would you deny me Communion?" To which Fr. Euteneuer responded, "I would."<ref>http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/070320</ref>

==Books==
Hannity's books use patriotic rhetoric as a main theme. His first book, in 2002, was entitled ''Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism''. The book remained on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for 17 weeks.<ref>http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/24930/Sean_Hannity/index.aspx</ref>
In 2004 he wrote ''Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism''. In this book he "reveals how the disgraceful history of appeasement has reached forward from the days of [[Neville Chamberlain]] and [[Jimmy Carter]] to corrupt the unrepentant leftists of the modern [[Democratic Party]] from [[Howard Dean]] and [[John Kerry]] to [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]."

==Radio==
Hannity reaches approximately 12.5 million radio listeners each day, second only behind Rush Limbaugh.<ref>''Newsweek'', April 27, 2007, p. 29</ref>

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

== See also ==

*[[Conservative Links]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.hannity.com/ Sean Hannity's Official Website]
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html Biography] at Fox News

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannity, Sean}}
[[Category:Conservative Commentators]]
[[Category:Broadcasters]]

Libertarianism

2009-03-20T03:39:11Z

Walker:

'''Libertarianism''' is a [[Political Philosophy|political philosophy]] that tends to oppose the rules established by traditional marriage and religious values. A libertarian believes in minimizing or entirely eliminating government interventionism in all aspects of life; including economic, personal and in foreign policy matters. The [[French]] [[term]] of ''[[Laissez faire|Laissez-Faire]]'', or ''let us do'', is a term that describes some aspects of the libertarian belief. <ref>"Libertarians are neither. Unlike Liberals or Conservatives, Libertarians advocate a high degree of both personal and economic liberty. For example, Libertarians advocate freedom in economic matters, so we're in favor of lowering taxes, slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, and charitable -- rather than government -- welfare. But Libertarians are also socially tolerant. We won't demand laws or restrictions on other people who we may not agree because of personal actions or lifestyles.

Think of us as a group of people with a "live and let live" mentality and a balanced checkbook." [http://www.lp.org/article_85.shtml]</ref> Libertarianism tends to emphasize an amoral form of individual ''liberty'', and tends to support rights of private property.

The first systematic libertarian was [[Herbert Spencer]] (1820-1903), an English political philosopher whose books such as ''The Man Versus the State'' (1884) had a major impact in Europe and America in the late 19th century.<ref>Chris Matthew Sciabarra, "The First Libertarian," ''Liberty'' (Aug 1999) [http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/essays/spencer.htm online] </ref>

[[Ronald Regan]] stated, "If you analyze it, I believe the very heart and soul of [[conservatism]] is libertarianism."

== Libertarian Philosophy ==
Libertarianism is closely related to liberalism, if this word is interpreted according to its original meaning of [[classical liberal|classical liberalism]]. Libertarians in America tend to be [[liberal]] on social issues but [[conservative]] on economic issues. Libertarians generally oppose government regulation of drugs, prostitution, marriage (including bans of [[same-sex marriage]] or [[polygamy]]), [[euthanasia]], and [[abortion]]. They oppose restrictions on [[pornography]]. However, they also oppose [[universal health care]], [[taxes]] and the [[welfare state]]. They are strong supporters of [[school choice]], and oppose continuing the [[public school]] system. Some libertarians support [[school vouchers]], while others are skeptical due to the issue of government influence over [[private education]].

Libertarians support an expansive view of liberty as the proper basis for organizing civil society. They tend to define liberty as the freedom to do whatever one wishes up to the point that one's behavior begins to interfere with another's person or property through coercive means. At the point of interference, each party would become subject to certain principled rules for adjudicating disputes, generally accepting that one who has demonstrated a proven lack of respect for the rights of others should be subject to sanctions, including possible constraints on their freedom. They believe that liberty is the right of every individual.

Libertarians generally defend the ideal of freedom from the perspective of how little one is constrained by authority, i.e., how much one is allowed to do (also referred to as negative liberty). This ideal is distinguished from a view of freedom focused on how much one is able to do (also called positive liberty).

== Libertarian Factions ==

Libertarians tend to use the word "libertarian" (small "l") to refer to the philosophy, and "Libertarian" (capital "L") to refer to the party. Thus, more libertarians exist than members of the [[Libertarian Party]]. Two general factions exist in the libertarian movement. The first are those libertarians who apply the principles of right to person and property to an absolute. They believe that no person, group, or government is above the right to violate these two things. They thus believe that government itself is illegitimate because it violates person and property. These libertarians subscribe to [[anarcho-capitalism]], as first named by [[Murray N. Rothbard]]. They believe that law and security can be handled by private means in the free market. The other faction believes in a very limited government. They are often referred to as [[Minarchism|minarchists]]. Libertarian minarchists want the state to only enforce law and order but generally nothing else. [[Ayn Rand]] was a minarchist.

Libertarians tend to view liberalism as a philosophy advocating less government interference in private morality and more government control of business, and view conservatism as a philosophy advocating more government interference in private morality and less government control of business, while they view libertarianism as advocating less government control in all areas. However, there have been fusionist attempts to mix libertarianism and with social conservatism. This is noted in particular by [[paleolibertarianism|paleolibertarians]]. They believe that social conservatism is a natural entity in a free society, but do not believe that it can be enforced by state interventionism.

== Libertarian Thought in America ==

While there are libertarian factions within the [[Democratic]] and [[Republican]] [[parties]], neither party is particularly well aligned with libertarian thought. While the Republican Party sometimes adopts libertarian-sounding rhetoric of small government in economic affairs, many libertarians see it as being a force that has increased government interventionism in these affairs. Libertarians generally, for example, are opposed to the [[USA PATRIOT Act]], which they believe increases government power and removes protections on the liberty and privacy of the public. Most conservatives, on the other hand, view it as a necessary government program and believe security to be more important than personal liberty and privacy. Libertarians point out that such a view contradicts those of the founding fathers, such as Benjamin Franklin, who summarized it most eloquently, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Libertarians are also generally opposed to the [[Iraq War]], unlike the majority of conservatives.

While all libertarians agree in general on the principles of the desirability of maximizing individual liberty and avoiding excessive government interference with the operation of the free market, individual libertarians have opinions that differ wildly within these general principles.

The libertarian movement generally praises the [[United States Constitution]], regarding it as the proper scope of the national government. They believe that the Democratic and Republican parties have overstepped constitutional limits. Anarcho-capitalist libertarians, on the other hand, view the implementation of the constitution as the very reason the national government is the size it is today.

== Notable Libertarians ==
[[Image:Alexis de tocqueville.jpg|right|thumb|Alexis de Tocqueville]]
Libertarian-oriented historic figures would include [[Adam Smith]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[Alexis de Tocqueville]], [[John Stuart Mill]], Thomas Paine, [[John Locke]], George Mason, [[Herbert Spencer]], [[William Graham Sumner]], [[Carl Menger]], [[C.S. Lewis]], [[Ludwig von Mises]], H. L. Mencken, Rose Wilder Lane, Albert Jay Nock, [[Frédéric Bastiat]], Richard Cobden, [[Henry David Thoreau]], and [[Hugo Grotius]].

The most influential libertarian of thre 20th century was [[Milton Friedman]] (1912-2006), a leader of the [[Chicago School of Economics]].

*[[Ron Paul]], 1988 Libertarian Party and 2008 Republican Party presidential candidate. Ron Paul is considered to be of the Constitutionalist and [[paleolibertarianism|paleolibertarian]] schools of libertarian thought.
*The psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, opponent of the therapeutic state and compulsory mental institutionalization.
*Nobel Laureate economists [[Milton Friedman]], [[F.A. Hayek]], [[Ronald Coase]], Gary Becker, James Buchanan, [[George Stigler]], and Vernon Smith.
*The novelist [[Ayn Rand]] advocated a philosophy of ''Objectivism'', embodying some libertarian thought, although differing from libertarianism in many ways. Some of her novels, such as ''Atlas Shrugged'', have become icons of some people in the libertarian movement, while others find her materialism and [[atheism]] incompatible with moral ethics and natural rights and law.
*[[Robert LeFevre]], significant in promoting libertarian philosophy in the 1950s and 1960s before it was a well-defined movement, with his "Freedom School" seminars on political and economic philosophy.
*[[Karl Hess]], speechwriter for [[Barry Goldwater]] credited with penning Goldwater's famous 1964 statement "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice". Hess later became a major figure in the Libertarian Party.
*[[Murray N. Rothbard]] was nicknamed "Mr. Libertarian." He brought to life the anarcho-capitalist movement. Rothbard was an economist of the [[Austrian School of Economics|Austrian School]].
*[[Samuel Edward Konkin III]], a significant figure in 1970s libertarianism, whose influence waned considerably after the rise of the Libertarian Party as he opposed political parties and voting as being against libertarian principles. He proposed instead a purely marketplace-based route to a free society, such as [[tax resistance]] and doing business "off the books".
*[[Robert A. Heinlein]], science fiction author, whose 1966 novel ''The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress'' was an influence on the movement.
*[[L. Neil Smith]], [[J. Neil Schulman]], and [[Brad Linaweaver]], science fiction writers.
*Several popular financial writers including [[Harry Browne]] and [[Howard J. Ruff]]. Browne would later run for President, twice, on the Libertarian Party ticket. Ruff declared his political philosophy as libertarian but as a socially conservative [[Mormon]] made an exception on issues like abortion and prostitution, where he disagreed with the libertarian view.
*[[Penn and Teller]], stage magicians turned libertarian evangelicals preaching [[atheism]] and promoting libertarian philosophies, including controversial positions such as legalization of prostitution and drugs in their Showtime series, which sports a name that cannot for reasons of good taste be expressed here.
*The Canadian rock band [[Rush]], which has been together since 1968, often explores libertarian themes in their lyrics.
*Humorist Dave Barry, actor/comedian Drew Carey, actor Denis Leary, former MTV VJ Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery, actor Kurt Russell, investigative reporter [[John Stossel]], and the late rocker Frank Zappa have all referred to themselves as being aligned with or openly supporting the Libertarian Party.
*Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of [[South Park]], proclaimed that they are libertarians. While South Park often offend conservative positions like religion, are vulgar, and support evolution they also make fun of liberals positions such as political correctness and environmentalism. <ref>[http://www.reason.com/news/show/116787.html] Parker and Stone, Reason Magazine</ref>. The phrases "South Park Conservative" (the name of a book) and "South Park Republican" are used to describe the followers of these beliefs.
*[[Ed Clark]], the Libertarian Party's 1980 nominee for President. Clark obtained the highest popular vote percentage to date for a Libertarian candidate.

== External links ==
* [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/libertarian/faq/ Libertarian FAQ]
* [http://dmoz.org/Society/Politics/Liberalism/Libertarianism/ Open Directory libertarian links ]
* [http://chelm.freeyellow.com/black_index.html Black Libertarians]
* [http://libertarianwiki.org/Main_Page Libertarian Wiki]
* [http://www.l4l.org/ Libertarians for Life]
* [http://www.independent.org/ The Independent Institute]
* [http://www.mises.org/ Ludwig von Mises Institute]
* [http://www.fee.org/ Foundation for Economic Education]

== See also ==
* [[Herbert Spencer]]
* [[Democratic Freedom Caucus]]
* [[Republican Liberty Caucus]]
==Further reading==
* Boaz, David. '' The Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary Writings from Lao Tzu to Milton Friedman'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Libertarian-Reader-Contemporary-Writings-Friedman/dp/0684847671/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223323253&sr=8-18 excerpt and text search]
* Doherty, Brian. ''Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement'' (2008)
* Hamowy, Ronald, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism'' (Sage, 2008), 644pp, sponsored by the Cato Institute; [http://www.sage-ereference.com/PublicBrowse.html Online at some academic libraries]
* Murray, Charles. ''What It Means to Be a Libertarian'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/What-Means-Libertarian-Charles-Murray/dp/0767900391/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223322878&sr=8-16 excerpt and text search]
* Tilman, Rick. ''Ideology and Utopia in the Social Philosophy of the Libertarian Economists'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Libertarian-Economists-Contributions-Economics/dp/0313315582/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223322878&sr=8-5 excerpt and text search]

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Libertarianism]]

Libertarianism

2009-03-20T03:38:50Z

Walker:

'''Libertarianism''' is a [[Political Philosophy|political philosophy]] that tends to oppose the rules established by traditional marriage and religious values. A libertarian believes in minimizing or entirely eliminating government interventionism in all aspects of life; including economic, personal and in foreign policy matters. The [[French]] [[term]] of ''[[Laissez faire|Laissez-Faire]]'', or ''let us do'', is a term that describes some aspects of the libertarian belief. <ref>"Libertarians are neither. Unlike Liberals or Conservatives, Libertarians advocate a high degree of both personal and economic liberty. For example, Libertarians advocate freedom in economic matters, so we're in favor of lowering taxes, slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, and charitable -- rather than government -- welfare. But Libertarians are also socially tolerant. We won't demand laws or restrictions on other people who we may not agree because of personal actions or lifestyles.

Think of us as a group of people with a "live and let live" mentality and a balanced checkbook." [http://www.lp.org/article_85.shtml]</ref> Libertarianism tends to emphasize an amoral form of individual ''liberty'', and tends to support rights of private property.

The first systematic libertarian was [[Herbert Spencer]] (1820-1903), an English political philosopher whose books such as ''The Man Versus the State'' (1884) had a major impact in Europe and America in the late 19th century.<ref>Chris Matthew Sciabarra, "The First Libertarian," ''Liberty'' (Aug 1999) [http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/essays/spencer.htm online] </ref>

[[Ronald Regan]] stated, "If you analyze it, I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism."

== Libertarian Philosophy ==
Libertarianism is closely related to liberalism, if this word is interpreted according to its original meaning of [[classical liberal|classical liberalism]]. Libertarians in America tend to be [[liberal]] on social issues but [[conservative]] on economic issues. Libertarians generally oppose government regulation of drugs, prostitution, marriage (including bans of [[same-sex marriage]] or [[polygamy]]), [[euthanasia]], and [[abortion]]. They oppose restrictions on [[pornography]]. However, they also oppose [[universal health care]], [[taxes]] and the [[welfare state]]. They are strong supporters of [[school choice]], and oppose continuing the [[public school]] system. Some libertarians support [[school vouchers]], while others are skeptical due to the issue of government influence over [[private education]].

Libertarians support an expansive view of liberty as the proper basis for organizing civil society. They tend to define liberty as the freedom to do whatever one wishes up to the point that one's behavior begins to interfere with another's person or property through coercive means. At the point of interference, each party would become subject to certain principled rules for adjudicating disputes, generally accepting that one who has demonstrated a proven lack of respect for the rights of others should be subject to sanctions, including possible constraints on their freedom. They believe that liberty is the right of every individual.

Libertarians generally defend the ideal of freedom from the perspective of how little one is constrained by authority, i.e., how much one is allowed to do (also referred to as negative liberty). This ideal is distinguished from a view of freedom focused on how much one is able to do (also called positive liberty).

== Libertarian Factions ==

Libertarians tend to use the word "libertarian" (small "l") to refer to the philosophy, and "Libertarian" (capital "L") to refer to the party. Thus, more libertarians exist than members of the [[Libertarian Party]]. Two general factions exist in the libertarian movement. The first are those libertarians who apply the principles of right to person and property to an absolute. They believe that no person, group, or government is above the right to violate these two things. They thus believe that government itself is illegitimate because it violates person and property. These libertarians subscribe to [[anarcho-capitalism]], as first named by [[Murray N. Rothbard]]. They believe that law and security can be handled by private means in the free market. The other faction believes in a very limited government. They are often referred to as [[Minarchism|minarchists]]. Libertarian minarchists want the state to only enforce law and order but generally nothing else. [[Ayn Rand]] was a minarchist.

Libertarians tend to view liberalism as a philosophy advocating less government interference in private morality and more government control of business, and view conservatism as a philosophy advocating more government interference in private morality and less government control of business, while they view libertarianism as advocating less government control in all areas. However, there have been fusionist attempts to mix libertarianism and with social conservatism. This is noted in particular by [[paleolibertarianism|paleolibertarians]]. They believe that social conservatism is a natural entity in a free society, but do not believe that it can be enforced by state interventionism.

== Libertarian Thought in America ==

While there are libertarian factions within the [[Democratic]] and [[Republican]] [[parties]], neither party is particularly well aligned with libertarian thought. While the Republican Party sometimes adopts libertarian-sounding rhetoric of small government in economic affairs, many libertarians see it as being a force that has increased government interventionism in these affairs. Libertarians generally, for example, are opposed to the [[USA PATRIOT Act]], which they believe increases government power and removes protections on the liberty and privacy of the public. Most conservatives, on the other hand, view it as a necessary government program and believe security to be more important than personal liberty and privacy. Libertarians point out that such a view contradicts those of the founding fathers, such as Benjamin Franklin, who summarized it most eloquently, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Libertarians are also generally opposed to the [[Iraq War]], unlike the majority of conservatives.

While all libertarians agree in general on the principles of the desirability of maximizing individual liberty and avoiding excessive government interference with the operation of the free market, individual libertarians have opinions that differ wildly within these general principles.

The libertarian movement generally praises the [[United States Constitution]], regarding it as the proper scope of the national government. They believe that the Democratic and Republican parties have overstepped constitutional limits. Anarcho-capitalist libertarians, on the other hand, view the implementation of the constitution as the very reason the national government is the size it is today.

== Notable Libertarians ==
[[Image:Alexis de tocqueville.jpg|right|thumb|Alexis de Tocqueville]]
Libertarian-oriented historic figures would include [[Adam Smith]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[Alexis de Tocqueville]], [[John Stuart Mill]], Thomas Paine, [[John Locke]], George Mason, [[Herbert Spencer]], [[William Graham Sumner]], [[Carl Menger]], [[C.S. Lewis]], [[Ludwig von Mises]], H. L. Mencken, Rose Wilder Lane, Albert Jay Nock, [[Frédéric Bastiat]], Richard Cobden, [[Henry David Thoreau]], and [[Hugo Grotius]].

The most influential libertarian of thre 20th century was [[Milton Friedman]] (1912-2006), a leader of the [[Chicago School of Economics]].

*[[Ron Paul]], 1988 Libertarian Party and 2008 Republican Party presidential candidate. Ron Paul is considered to be of the Constitutionalist and [[paleolibertarianism|paleolibertarian]] schools of libertarian thought.
*The psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, opponent of the therapeutic state and compulsory mental institutionalization.
*Nobel Laureate economists [[Milton Friedman]], [[F.A. Hayek]], [[Ronald Coase]], Gary Becker, James Buchanan, [[George Stigler]], and Vernon Smith.
*The novelist [[Ayn Rand]] advocated a philosophy of ''Objectivism'', embodying some libertarian thought, although differing from libertarianism in many ways. Some of her novels, such as ''Atlas Shrugged'', have become icons of some people in the libertarian movement, while others find her materialism and [[atheism]] incompatible with moral ethics and natural rights and law.
*[[Robert LeFevre]], significant in promoting libertarian philosophy in the 1950s and 1960s before it was a well-defined movement, with his "Freedom School" seminars on political and economic philosophy.
*[[Karl Hess]], speechwriter for [[Barry Goldwater]] credited with penning Goldwater's famous 1964 statement "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice". Hess later became a major figure in the Libertarian Party.
*[[Murray N. Rothbard]] was nicknamed "Mr. Libertarian." He brought to life the anarcho-capitalist movement. Rothbard was an economist of the [[Austrian School of Economics|Austrian School]].
*[[Samuel Edward Konkin III]], a significant figure in 1970s libertarianism, whose influence waned considerably after the rise of the Libertarian Party as he opposed political parties and voting as being against libertarian principles. He proposed instead a purely marketplace-based route to a free society, such as [[tax resistance]] and doing business "off the books".
*[[Robert A. Heinlein]], science fiction author, whose 1966 novel ''The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress'' was an influence on the movement.
*[[L. Neil Smith]], [[J. Neil Schulman]], and [[Brad Linaweaver]], science fiction writers.
*Several popular financial writers including [[Harry Browne]] and [[Howard J. Ruff]]. Browne would later run for President, twice, on the Libertarian Party ticket. Ruff declared his political philosophy as libertarian but as a socially conservative [[Mormon]] made an exception on issues like abortion and prostitution, where he disagreed with the libertarian view.
*[[Penn and Teller]], stage magicians turned libertarian evangelicals preaching [[atheism]] and promoting libertarian philosophies, including controversial positions such as legalization of prostitution and drugs in their Showtime series, which sports a name that cannot for reasons of good taste be expressed here.
*The Canadian rock band [[Rush]], which has been together since 1968, often explores libertarian themes in their lyrics.
*Humorist Dave Barry, actor/comedian Drew Carey, actor Denis Leary, former MTV VJ Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery, actor Kurt Russell, investigative reporter [[John Stossel]], and the late rocker Frank Zappa have all referred to themselves as being aligned with or openly supporting the Libertarian Party.
*Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of [[South Park]], proclaimed that they are libertarians. While South Park often offend conservative positions like religion, are vulgar, and support evolution they also make fun of liberals positions such as political correctness and environmentalism. <ref>[http://www.reason.com/news/show/116787.html] Parker and Stone, Reason Magazine</ref>. The phrases "South Park Conservative" (the name of a book) and "South Park Republican" are used to describe the followers of these beliefs.
*[[Ed Clark]], the Libertarian Party's 1980 nominee for President. Clark obtained the highest popular vote percentage to date for a Libertarian candidate.

== External links ==
* [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/libertarian/faq/ Libertarian FAQ]
* [http://dmoz.org/Society/Politics/Liberalism/Libertarianism/ Open Directory libertarian links ]
* [http://chelm.freeyellow.com/black_index.html Black Libertarians]
* [http://libertarianwiki.org/Main_Page Libertarian Wiki]
* [http://www.l4l.org/ Libertarians for Life]
* [http://www.independent.org/ The Independent Institute]
* [http://www.mises.org/ Ludwig von Mises Institute]
* [http://www.fee.org/ Foundation for Economic Education]

== See also ==
* [[Herbert Spencer]]
* [[Democratic Freedom Caucus]]
* [[Republican Liberty Caucus]]
==Further reading==
* Boaz, David. '' The Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary Writings from Lao Tzu to Milton Friedman'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Libertarian-Reader-Contemporary-Writings-Friedman/dp/0684847671/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223323253&sr=8-18 excerpt and text search]
* Doherty, Brian. ''Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement'' (2008)
* Hamowy, Ronald, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism'' (Sage, 2008), 644pp, sponsored by the Cato Institute; [http://www.sage-ereference.com/PublicBrowse.html Online at some academic libraries]
* Murray, Charles. ''What It Means to Be a Libertarian'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/What-Means-Libertarian-Charles-Murray/dp/0767900391/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223322878&sr=8-16 excerpt and text search]
* Tilman, Rick. ''Ideology and Utopia in the Social Philosophy of the Libertarian Economists'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Libertarian-Economists-Contributions-Economics/dp/0313315582/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223322878&sr=8-5 excerpt and text search]

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Libertarianism]]

Paleoconservative

2009-03-20T03:33:36Z

Walker: /* Definitions */

'''Paleoconservative''' is a term that describes an academic or scholarly [[conservative]] who emphasizes religious heritage, national and Western identity, [[tradition]], [[civil society]] and classical [[federalism]], the importance of [[demographics]], and an anti-interventionist policy of [[Robert Taft]]. Paleoconservatives oppose [[immigration]], [[communism]], [[authoritarianism]], [[social democracy]] and entitlement programs.

Many paleoconservatives identify themselves as "classical conservatives" and trace their philosophy to the [[Old Right]] [[Republicans]] of the interwar period, which helped keep the U.S. out of the [[United Nations|League of Nations]], reduce immigration with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924, and oppose [[Franklin Roosevelt]]. They often look back even further, to [[Edmund Burke]], as well as the American anti-federalist movement that stretched from the days of [[Thomas Jefferson]] to [[John C. Calhoun]].

Paleoconservatism is a dominant paradigm in the [[Bible Belt]] states.

==Etymology==
The term paleoconservative was first used by either [[Thomas Fleming]] or [[Paul Gottfried]] originally as a joke, with the "paleo" prefix meaning "old" in opposition to the "neo", or "new", conservatives. Even though the term was used by the paleoconservatives' enemies because they saw it as unflattering, it is now routinely used by both its proponents and its detractors.<ref>'''Phillips, Dan''' "What the Heck is a Paleoconservative and Why You Should Care" (2006) [http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2006/12/08/what-the-heck-is-a-paleoconservative-and-why-you-should-care/ Intellectual Conservative]. Accessed 26 December 2007.</ref>

Gottfried wrote in his entry to ''American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia'': "Paleoconservative" becomes a conceptual and political counterpoint to "neoconservative" in "The Conservative Movement" by Thomas Fleming and Paul Gottfried (1988). Here the term no longer refers merely to conservative traditionalists of the 1950s and 1960s, e.g., Southern Agrarians, Catholic anticommunists associated with "National Review", and Taft Republicans who rallied to the Cold War. Instead, the term is now applied to embattled conservatives who opposed the growing influence of anticommunist New Deal Democrats on the Reagan presidency and on the conservative movement on the 1980s."

==Philosophy==
Paleoconservatism "is distinguished by certain [[Philosophy|philosophical]] presumptions that differ markedly from the presumptions of [[neocon]]s and most modern conservatives."<ref>'''Phillips, Dan''' "What the Heck is a Paleoconservative and Why You Should Care" op cit.</ref>

Unlike most conservatives today, paleoconservatives are against the [[Iraq War]]. They are highly critical of the [[George W. Bush|Bush administration]] and the mainstream conservative movement. Paleoconservatism vocally distinguishes itself in its opposition to [[neoconservative|neoconservatism]]. However, what really sets them apart from other conservatives is much deeper than just policy: they generally reject the [[Enlightenment]] in whole or in part; they reject [[John Locke|Lockean]] "[[Social contract|contract theory]]" and the concept of "natural rights" outright. Dr. Donald Livingston, Professor of Philosophy at [[Emory University]], has argued that natural rights are a "philosophical superstition," and that "Whatever they might be, natural rights are universal and apply to all men. Further, they are known by reason, independent of any inherited moral tradition... It follows, therefore, that the doctrine of natural rights must be in a condition of permanent hostility to all inherited moral traditions. Any such tradition, no matter how noble the goods of excellence cultivated in it, can always be seen as violating ''someone's'' natural rights under some interpretation or another."<ref>'''Phillips, Dan''' "Understanding the Paleoconservative Perspective on Life" (2006) [http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2006/10/31/understanding-the-paleoconservative-perspective-on-life/ Intellectual Conservative]. Accessed 26 December 2007.</ref>

Paleos agree with mainstream conservatives on issues like opposition to [[secularism]], [[abortion]] on demand and [[gay marriage]], while supporting capital punishment, handgun ownership and an original intent reading of the [[U.S. Constitution]]. Paleocons also often argue that modern managerial society is a threat to stable families.

=== Government ===

Paleos strongly oppose American membership in the [[United Nations]]. They also seek to limit the power of the [[Federal|Federal Government]], while strongly supporting [[Local Government|State's Rights]]. Paleos believe America was founded as a [[Constitutional Republic]] and support this form of government in favor of pure [[democracy]]. Some paleos in the [[Neo-Confederate]] movement, support the seccession of the Southern States.

=== Culture ===

Paleoconservatives differ from neoconservatives on [[immigration]], [[affirmative action]] and, unlike mainstream conservatives, paleos generally oppose [[miscegenation]] (multicultural integration). Paleoconservatives also question the supposition that [[European]] [[culture]] and mores can ever be transplanted or forced upon non-Western cultures, due to separate cultural heritages. As a result, paleocons are most distinctive in their emphatic opposition to open immigration by non-Europeans, and their general disapproval of U.S. intervention overseas for the purposes of exporting democracy.<ref>http://www.nationalinvestor.com/Experts-Lubinskas.htm</ref>

=== Religion ===

Paleoconservatives are [[Conservative Christianity|Conservative Christians]], like [[Christian Fundamentalism|Protestant Fundamentalists]] and [[Traditionalist Catholics]]. They oppose religious [[pluralism]] and support orthodoxy of the [[doctrine]] within the respective denominations. They stress the importance of the need of America to return to its Christian Heritage.

=== Economy ===

Paleoconservatives support [[free market]] [[capitalism]], but many are ardent opponents of [[free trade]], citing disintegration of America's manufacturing base, and American dependance on imports as adverse effects of free trade. They strongly oppose all forms of [[socialism]] or [[communism]]. They seek to replace [[Federal Reserve System]] with a Constitutional monetary system. They are deeply concerned with the United States' loans of large amounts of money from the [[World Bank]] and the huge trade deficit the country is experiencing. Unlike mainstream conservatives, paleos oppose the continuing US financial support of [[Israel]]. Like other conservatives, they emphasize the importance of creating jobs for the working class and the slashing of [[taxes]] and spending.

== Definitions ==

In the March 2004 edition of [[Chronicles (magazine)|''Chronicles'']] magazine, Samuel Francis defined paleoconservatism versus conservatism as: "What paleoconservatism tries to tell Americans is that the dominant forces in their society are no longer committed to conserving the traditions, institutions, and values that created and formed it, and, therefore, that those who are really conservative in any serious sense and wish to live under those traditions, institutions, and values need to oppose the dominant forces and form new ones."

Journalist Rod Dreher of the ''Dallas Morning News'' outlined what he called the "Crunchy Con Manifesto", which summarizes most paleoconservative principles:

*"We are conservatives who stand outside the conservative mainstream; therefore, we can see things that matter more clearly.
*Modern conservatism has become too focused on money, power, and the accumulation of stuff, and insufficiently concerned with the content of our individual and social character.
*Big business deserves as much skepticism as big government.
*Culture is more important than politics and economics.
*A conservatism that does not practice restraint, humility, and good stewardship — especially of the [[Conservation|natural world]] — is not fundamentally conservative.
*Small, Local, Old, and Particular are almost always better than Big, Global, New, and Abstract.
*Beauty is more important than efficiency.
*The relentlessness of media-driven pop culture deadens our senses to authentic truth, beauty, and wisdom.
*We share Russell Kirk’s conviction that “the institution most essential to conserve is the family.”
*Politics and economics won’t save us; if our culture is to be saved at all, it will be by faithfully living by the [[Russell Kirk|Permanent Things]], conserving these ancient moral truths in the choices we make in our everyday lives."<ref>'''Dreher, Rod''' "A Crunchy Con Manifesto" [http://crunchycon.nationalreview.com/about/ National Review Online]. Accessed 26 December 2007.</ref>

The leading publications of the paleoconservatives includes ''[[The American Conservative]]'' and ''[[Chronicles (magazine)]].'' Perhaps the most well known paleoconservative is [[Patrick J. Buchanan]]. Other paleoconservatives include [[Ron Paul]], [[Chuck Baldwin]], [[Peter Brimelow]], [[Thomas Fleming]], the late [[Samuel Francis]], [[Peter Hitchens]], [[William S. Lind]], [[Scott McConnell]], [[Charley Reese]], [[Paul Craig Roberts]], [[Steve Sailer]], [[Clyde Wilson]], U.S. Congressman and 2nd Chairman of the [[John Birch Society]], [[Larry McDonald]], passsenger on [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] shot down by the Soviets on Sept. 1, 1983. The term has also been applied to the three key intellectuals in post-war conservatism: [[Russell Kirk]], [[Richard Weaver]], and [[Robert Nisbet]].

== Paleoconservative Organizations ==

* [[American Nationalist Union]]
* [[Constitution Party]]
* [[Council of Conservative Citizens]]
* [[Family Research Council]]
* [[Institute on the Constitution]]
* [[League of the South]] ([[Neo-Confederate]])
* [[Rockford Institute]]
* [[VDARE]]

== See also ==

*[[Paleoconservatism Worldwide]]

==References==
<references/>
[[category:political Ideologies]]

Talk:Neoconservatism

2009-03-20T03:31:24Z

Walker:

Some neoconservatives also call themselves "paleo-liberals". [[User:Jaques|Jaques]] 05:17, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

Besides Michael Bloomberg, Ronald Reagan, Phil Gramm, Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, and many others, were also members of the Democratic Party before they became Republicans.[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 18:37, 18 August 2007 (EDT)

== Europe-based Neo-conservativism ==

I have a problem here which arose in one biographical article about a Canadian-Finnish neo-conservative. Based on the written material, this person promotes a neo-conservativism based on Classicial (European) Conservativism. When I compare with this existing article, I note that this European variant is more socially conservative and less "revolutionary". [[Gunnar K. A. Njalsson|Njalsson]] of my article has written that he is "allergic the idea of revolutions in general, either right wing or left wing" and in many questions which religious conservatives of the US take immediate stances on, he says "it depends, let's look at the facts and at both sides of the case".

So it appears that there may be a major difference between European and American Neo-conservativism in both origin and the fact that they are based upon very different "conservativisms". Should we create two categories or branches of Neo-conservativism?
--[[User:ExFin|ExFin]] 22:11, 11 October 2007 (EDT)

== I'm genuinely confused ==

I'm not sure I understand the difference between a neocon and a [[conservative]]. Bush is supposed to be a neocon, but I don't think he was ever a liberal. Also, the current administration is in no way atheistic (see stem cells and faith-based initiatives) nor is it socially libertarian (abortion, same-sex marraige, and the Patriot Act). Does the definition of neocon need work, or am I wrong in thinking Bush is a neocon? [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 11:55, 7 February 2008 (EST)

You are right, this article is a mess. The Bush administration was ran by neoconservatives.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 23:31, 19 March 2009 (EDT)

Metallica

2008-11-11T22:17:24Z

Walker: /* External links */

'''Metallica''' is an American [[thrash metal]]/[[heavy metal]] band known for establishing the thrash metal genre along with Slayer, [[Megadeth]], and Anthrax (known as the "Four Horsemen"). Formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by guitarist and lead vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich<ref>http://www.metallica.com/Band/history.asp</ref>, they have become one of the most popular in-concert bands while selling about 90 million records worldwide.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artist/2q8c/</ref>

They have released a total of eight studio albums, the most well known being Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and Metallica, and plan to release a ninth in September 2008.<ref>http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=14828</ref>

The band has come under criticism following their campaign to sue internet users who shared their music on Napster.

==Original lineup==
Originally, the band consisted of;
*James Hetfield (Rhythm Guitar and vocals)
*Lars Ulrich (Drums)
*Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar)
*Ron McGovney (Bass)

==Kill 'Em All lineup==
Before Metallica's first album was recorded, both McGovney and Mustaine were fired, Mustaine due to his struggles with alcohol and drugs, and McGovney due to his inability to get along with other members. Metallica hired Kirk Hammett to replace Mustaine, and Cliff Burton to replace McGovney. This would be known as the "classic" Metallica lineup.

==After Master Of Puppets==
After Master Of Puppets, widely believed to be Metallica's best album, bassist Cliff Burton died in a tour bus accident in Sweden. He was replaced with Jason Newsted.

==St. Anger==
Just before te recording of Metallica's 8th studio album, Newsted left the band, due to never feeling like he fit in. Producer Bob Rock took over the duty of plaing the bass for St. Anger.

==Current lineup==
*James Hetfield (guitars and vocals)
*Lars Ulrich (drums)
*Kirk Hammett (guitars)
*Robert Trujillo (bass)

==Discography==
*''Kill 'Em All'' (1983)
*''Ride the Lightning'' (1984)
*''Master of Puppets'' (1986)
*''...And Justice for All'' (1988)
*''Metallica'' (1991)
*''Load'' (1996)
*''ReLoad'' (1997)
*''St. Anger'' (2003)
*''Death Magnetic'' (2008)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.metallica.com/ Official Metallica Website]

[[Category:Bands]]
[[Category:Rock Bands]]
[[Category:Heavy Metal]]

Heavy metal music

2008-11-11T22:15:07Z

Walker:

'''Heavy metal''' is a musical genre that was developed mainly in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, heavy metal is primarily noted for an emphasis on distortion, palm muting, aggressive lyrical content, bass-heavy sounds, as well as the influence of blues scales and classical structures. Heavy Metal has also spawned numerous sub genres which omit or improve upon standard technique, or invent new one altogether, giving heavy metal as a genre an impressive variety of styles and sounds. Heavy metal's origins are both rooted in the cultural upheavals that occurred during the 1960s, such as the conflict in Vietnam and the reevaluation and mass rejection of previous social schema, and the enormous influence of bands such as [[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]], [[Led Zeppelin]], and [[Black Sabbath]] that are regarded as proto-metal as well as hard rock. Other musical influences include psychedelic rock, blues rock, and the still developing progressive rock genre. Though heavy metal initially borrowed heavily from the blues in terms of playing style, this was later largely discarded by future metal acts such as [[Judas Priest]].

The first style of rock which grew from this was distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream (rock band)|Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed moment in the development of what soon became heavy metal.

Black Sabbath originally began as an electric blues outfit named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name, changed to Black Sabbath after the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie of the same name. Developing a new sound that was born both out of a change in attitude and the loss of lead Guitarist Tony Iommi's finger tips, Black Sabbath are largely credited with developing the more heavily distorted and crunchy elements that later became staples of the heavy metal style.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginnings of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of later heavy metal spin offs. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black Sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Judas Priest]], Motorhead, and [[Iron Maiden]]. The 1980s also gave rise to the American thrash metal movement with notable bands being [[Metallica]], [[Megadeth]], Anthrax, and Slayer. During the 1980s glam metal also became very popular with bands including Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, and [[Stryper]].

==1990s==
The advent of Grunge in the early 90s is seen as the end of glam metal dominance. Nirvana's 'Nevermind' caused widespread public interest in alternative forms of music. [[Groove Metal]] became popular with Pantera's 'Cowboys from Hell' and Sepultura's 'Chaos AD'. The normally marginalized sub-genres of metal, that began forming in the early to mid 80s, soon enjoyed much wider exposure. [[Black Metal]], especially in the Scandinavian countries, began to see a huge rise in popularity<ref>fact</ref>. [[Marduk]], [[Mayhem]], and [[Burzum]] were see at the forefront of the early black metal scene, and continued to see popularity due to the controversies that surrounded the bands, such as Marduk's fascination with the Third Reich and anti-christian lyrical content; the murder of Mayhem's lead guitarist Euronymous by Burzum's Varg Vikernes, as well as the lyrical content and album themes of everything post 'Deathcrush'.

==Criticism==

Due to its association with the counter culture movement and the more extreme forms that it has taken over the years, heavy metal has faced criticism from parents groups, school administrators, politicians, music critics, and religious organizations.

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
[[Black Metal]]

[[Category:Rock & Roll]]

Heavy metal music

2008-11-11T22:13:42Z

Walker:

'''Heavy metal''' is a musical genre that was developed mainly in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, heavy metal is primarily noted for an emphasis on distortion, palm muting, aggressive lyrical content, bass-heavy sounds, as well as the influence of blues scales and classical structures. Heavy Metal has also spawned numerous sub genres which omit or improve upon standard technique, or invent new one altogether, giving heavy metal as a genre an impressive variety of styles and sounds. Heavy metal's origins are both rooted in the cultural upheavals that occurred during the 1960s, such as the conflict in Vietnam and the reevaluation and mass rejection of previous social schema, and the enormous influence of bands such as [[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]], [[Led Zeppelin]], and [[Black Sabbath]] that are regarded as proto-metal as well as hard rock. Other musical influences include psychedelic rock, blues rock, and the still developing progressive rock genre. Though heavy metal initially borrowed heavily from the blues in terms of playing style, this was later largely discarded by future metal acts such as [[Judas Priest]].

The first style of rock which grew from this was distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream (rock band)|Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed moment in the development of what soon became heavy metal.

Black Sabbath originally began as an electric blues outfit named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name, changed to Black Sabbath after the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie of the same name. Developing a new sound that was born both out of a change in attitude and the loss of lead Guitarist Tony Iommi's finger tips, Black Sabbath are largely credited with developing the more heavily distorted and crunchy elements that later became staples of the heavy metal style.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginnings of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of later heavy metal spin offs. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black Sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Judas Priest]], Motorhead, and [[Iron Maiden]]. The 1980s also gave rise to the American thrash metal movement with notable bands being [[Metallica]], [[Megadeth]], Anthrax, and Slayer. During the 1980s glam metal also became very popular with bands including Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, and [[Stryper]].

==Criticism==

Due to its association with the counter culture movement and the more extreme forms that it has taken over the years, heavy metal has faced criticism from parents groups, school administrators, politicians, music critics, and religious organizations.

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
[[Black Metal]]

[[Category:Rock & Roll]]

File:Minnesota Vikings Players.JPG

2008-08-19T21:25:45Z

Walker:

Department of Defense photo by: SSGT KENNETH BELLARD, USAF, Nov 3, 2002
players are from left to right: Chrish Walsh, Daunte Culpepper, and Matt Birk

Beer

2008-08-19T21:17:53Z

Walker: /* Styles */ not very well known, ale and lager should get 1st mention

{{uncited}}

[[Image:Beer.jpg|right]]'''Beer''' is an [[alcoholic drink]] produced through [[fermentation]] of [[sugar]]s derived primarily from [[malt|malted grains]]. The primary [[grain]] used is usually malted [[barley]], although some styles of beer use malted [[wheat]] or [[oats]] as the primary grain.

The four major ingredients of beer are [[water]], [[malt]], [[hops]] and [[yeast]]. The particular combination, amount and variety of each of these ingredients determine the final [[flavor]], alcoholic strength and style of the finished beer.

Although almost all modern beer styles use [[hops]], early European brewers originally added spices such as rosemary, coriander, ginger, anise seed, and juniper berries to their beers to impart more complex flavors. Hops are used primarily used today because the bitterness derived from the hops tend to counter-balance the sweetness derived from the malt, and provide a more balanced flavor. Hops may also be added to beer to impart a floral or spicy aroma and flavor. Another benefit early brewers found was that hops also tended to help preserve their beers longer than unhopped beers.

The earliest written records of hop cultivation come from 8th and 9th century A.D. from the Hallertau district in [[Germany]], now famous for their Hallertau Mittelfruh hop variety. The earliest actual brewing records explicitly noting the addition of hops come from 14th century Germany.

Although there are [[microorganisms]] that can spoil beer, such as [[lactobacillus]], there are no known human [[pathogens]] than can live in beer. This is commonly thought to be due to the alcohol in the beer, however it is actually due to the [[pH]]; typically in the range of 4.0 to 4.4.
==Categories==
All beers fall in to two categories; Lagers and Ales. The only stylistic exceptions are "hybrid" beers, such as Cream Ales, Kolsch and California Common Beers (Steam Beers).

Lagers are cold [[fermentation|fermented]] with the [[Saccharomyces pastorianus]] variety of [[yeast]], typically between 46 and 56 F. Complete fermentation of lager beers takes from six weeks to nine months. This brewing technique originated in [[Germany]], where the word ‘lagern’ literally means "to store". Common styles of lager beer are Pilsner and Bock. Most beers brewed by the major American breweries are lagers.

Ales are fermented with the ‘S. cerevisiae’ variety of yeast, at temperatures higher than lagers, typically between 55 and 75 F. The higher fermentation temperature of ales tends to produce beers with a more complex, fruity [[flavor]], usually derived from [[ester|esters]] produced by the yeast during fermentation. Common varieties of ales include Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Stout and Porter.

==Styles==

===Ale===
Lambic is probably the oldest style of beer produced in the world today. A later style is that of ale. Ales are fermented using ''top-fermenting'' yeasts, yeasts which congregate at the top of the wort and tend to work best at higher temperatures than Lager yeasts. The top fermentation and warm fermentation temperatures add complex flavors to the beer. "Real Ale" is a term created by the Campaign for Real Ale, and refers to beers brewed by traditional methods, from traditional ingredients and, vitally, served from the vessel in which they have been conditioned. Real Ale has become a cult drink in the United Kingdom and affcionados happily descrive themselves as ''"Real Ale Snobs"'' (non-afficionados tend to use a less family-friendly subrique!).

===Lager===
Lager is a,comparitively, recent introduction. True lagers are brewed at cold temperatures, using bottom fermenting yeast and are then conditioned (or "lagered") for extented periods at very low temperatures. Whilst the ale process adds complexflavors to the beer the lager brewing and conditioning process tends to produce a clean, unified and crisp taste.

===Lambic===
Lambic is a sub style of sour ales which was originally produced by brewers around [[Brussels]] in the [[Senne Valley]]. Lambic comes in two forms, straight (unblended) Lambic and Fruit Lambic. Lambic beers use hops aged for three years to remove any bitterness, and are added primarily for their preservative effect. These beers are allowed to spontaneously ferment by a variety of wild micro-organisms. These micro-organisms include wild yeasts and bacteria such as pediococcus and lactobacillus. The bacteria produce acids during fermentation and are capable of fermenting more sugars that regular yeasts. This results in a beer that can be extremely dry and astonishingly tart.

Due to the specific flavors that the wild yeasts and micro-organisms in this region of the world produce in Lambic beer, production of this style has not spread to other regions like other beers styles of beer have. Versions of Lambics produced with pure cultures tend to lack the depth of flavor that the Belgian brewers are able to produce.

===Evolution of Styles===
Historically beer styles evolved regionally due to the ingredients that were available to the local brewers. For example, in Scotland hops did not grow well, and were expensive to import. So beers produced by Scottish brewers typically had very low level of bitterness and hop flavor, but well developed malt flavors.

==History==
The earliest known evidence of beer and brewing comes from [[Sumeria]] around 4,000 B.C. The evidence comes from clay tablets inscribed with the [[Hymn to Ninkasi]], the Sumerian's Goddess of brewing, where the hymn contains a rudimentary recipe for beer.

==Well known brands==
* [[Heineken]]
* [[Budweiser]]
* [[Becks]]
* [[Corona]]
* [[Miller]]
* [[Steinlager]]

==References==
==External Links==
*[http://www.coopsmaps.com/beer/hops.html Coops Maps - A short history of hops]
*[http://www.alabev.com/history.htm A short history of beer]
*[http://www.brewery.org/library/ReinHeit.html English translation of the Reinheitsgebot]
*[http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines]

[[Category:Alcoholic Beverages]]

Black Metal

2008-08-19T21:14:22Z

Walker: /* Christian Black Metal */

'''Black Metal''' is an extreme, and explicitly [[Satan]]ic, anti-[[Christian]], and violent subgenre of [[Heavy metal music]]. However spme bands such as Norway's Immortal do not take use these lyrical themes and tend to focus on fantasy subjects. Black Metal was first developed by many different bands from across [[Europe]], but was first popularized by the media attention surrounding several [[Norway|Norwegian]] bands and the various murders and arsons their members were involved in in the early 90's. Since then black metal has gained an underground following with fans and bands appearing all over the world. While less common now, the violence and mayhem that marked the early black metal scene persists to this day, with violence, killings, and vandalism inspired by black metal bands occurring sporadically but not infrequently across the globe.

== History ==

The first wave of black metal was started in early 1980s. Bands like Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate and Celtic Frost were developing a heavier and more extreme style of heavy metal.<ref name = "dunn" >Dunn, Sam: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. 2005.</ref> Bands were strongly fascinated by the occult.<ref name = "kahnharris" >Kahn-Harris, Keith: Extreme metal: Music and culture on the edge. Oxford: Berg, 2007. ISBN 1-84520-399-2.</ref> For example Mercyful Fate's King Diamond belongs to [[Church of Satan]] as well as many other black metal musicians. Black metal genre was named by Venom album named ''Black Metal'',<ref name="murder"/> and nowadays Venom and Bathory have maybe the greatest respect in black metal scene by modern black metal bands.<ref name = "kahnharris" />

Second wave of black metal was born mainly in Norway, by bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and Emperor.<ref name = "dunn" /> Those band styles were even more extremer than first wave and commonly the term 'black metal' refers just to the second wave. Also, the crimes in black metal were mostly part of the second wave rather than the first wave. Nowadays bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have made black metal almost part of the mainstream.<ref name="dimmu borgir">[http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/jun2007/dimmuborgir.aspx Dimmu Borgir] Decibel Magazine</ref> However, many old school black metallers claim that modern sounding black metal by symphonic and melodic bands (like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth) aren't 'true' black metal.<ref name = "amazon" >Haikara, Karl: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/35IDCE6P5JQOZ So you'd like to... Get into true Norwegian Black] Metal amazon.com.</ref> For them, true Satan worshippers, it's too light that some bands aren't [[Church arsons|burning churches]] though those bands are still very dangerous and satanist.

== Sub genres ==

===Blackened Death Metal===
An even more violent style of black metal, which also combines the vividly graphic depictions of killing that characterize the lyrics of the genre known as [[death metal]] with the music of black metal. The style targets [[Christians]], and openly tells its followers to go out, [[torture]], and kill the entire Christian population, as a means of earning favor with [[Satan]].

===Pagan Black Metal===
Many Black Metal bands adopt idealogical tenants of [[Paganism]] as a way of opposing Christianity. Pagan symbols, such as rune script, sunwheels, Celtic crosses, and Thor's hammers frequently adorn Pagan Black Metal bands covers and themes from pre-Christian European mythology permeate their lyrics.

===Christian Black Metal===
Christian Black Metal (often known as Unblack Metal) is a highly controversial style of Black Metal that contains lyrics which attack Satanic ideology, glorify Christianity and are opposed to [[Sin]]. Musically they similar to secular and Satanic black metal bands.

==List of Black Metal Bands==
* Abruptum
* Antaeus
* Arkhon Infaustus
* Barathrum
* Bathory
* Beherit
* Bethlehem
* Blut Aus Nord
* Burzum
* Celtic Frost
* Cradle of Filth
* Darkthrone
* Dimmu Borgir
* Dissection
* Dolorian
* Emperor
* Enslaved
* Enthroned
* Forgotten Tomb
* Gallhammer
* Gorgoroth
* Graveland
* Graveworm
* Hellhammer
* Immortal
* Impaled Nazarene
* Katatonia
* Leviathan
* Lucifugum
* Marduk
* Mayhem
* Mercyful Fate
* Naglfar
* Nargaroth
* Necrophobic
* Negură Bunget
* Nokturnal Mortum
* Nortt
* Old Man's Child
* Sarcófago
* Satanic Warmaster
* Satyricon
* Sear Bliss
* Sodom
* Spektr
* Striborg
* Summoning
* Trollech
* Velvet Cacoon
* Venom
* Watain
* Wolves in the Throne Room
* Xasthur

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Heavy Metal]]

Black Metal

2008-08-19T21:12:14Z

Walker:

'''Black Metal''' is an extreme, and explicitly [[Satan]]ic, anti-[[Christian]], and violent subgenre of [[Heavy metal music]]. However spme bands such as Norway's Immortal do not take use these lyrical themes and tend to focus on fantasy subjects. Black Metal was first developed by many different bands from across [[Europe]], but was first popularized by the media attention surrounding several [[Norway|Norwegian]] bands and the various murders and arsons their members were involved in in the early 90's. Since then black metal has gained an underground following with fans and bands appearing all over the world. While less common now, the violence and mayhem that marked the early black metal scene persists to this day, with violence, killings, and vandalism inspired by black metal bands occurring sporadically but not infrequently across the globe.

== History ==

The first wave of black metal was started in early 1980s. Bands like Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate and Celtic Frost were developing a heavier and more extreme style of heavy metal.<ref name = "dunn" >Dunn, Sam: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. 2005.</ref> Bands were strongly fascinated by the occult.<ref name = "kahnharris" >Kahn-Harris, Keith: Extreme metal: Music and culture on the edge. Oxford: Berg, 2007. ISBN 1-84520-399-2.</ref> For example Mercyful Fate's King Diamond belongs to [[Church of Satan]] as well as many other black metal musicians. Black metal genre was named by Venom album named ''Black Metal'',<ref name="murder"/> and nowadays Venom and Bathory have maybe the greatest respect in black metal scene by modern black metal bands.<ref name = "kahnharris" />

Second wave of black metal was born mainly in Norway, by bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and Emperor.<ref name = "dunn" /> Those band styles were even more extremer than first wave and commonly the term 'black metal' refers just to the second wave. Also, the crimes in black metal were mostly part of the second wave rather than the first wave. Nowadays bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have made black metal almost part of the mainstream.<ref name="dimmu borgir">[http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/jun2007/dimmuborgir.aspx Dimmu Borgir] Decibel Magazine</ref> However, many old school black metallers claim that modern sounding black metal by symphonic and melodic bands (like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth) aren't 'true' black metal.<ref name = "amazon" >Haikara, Karl: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/35IDCE6P5JQOZ So you'd like to... Get into true Norwegian Black] Metal amazon.com.</ref> For them, true Satan worshippers, it's too light that some bands aren't [[Church arsons|burning churches]] though those bands are still very dangerous and satanist.

== Sub genres ==

===Blackened Death Metal===
An even more violent style of black metal, which also combines the vividly graphic depictions of killing that characterize the lyrics of the genre known as [[death metal]] with the music of black metal. The style targets [[Christians]], and openly tells its followers to go out, [[torture]], and kill the entire Christian population, as a means of earning favor with [[Satan]].

===Pagan Black Metal===
Many Black Metal bands adopt idealogical tenants of [[Paganism]] as a way of opposing Christianity. Pagan symbols, such as rune script, sunwheels, Celtic crosses, and Thor's hammers frequently adorn Pagan Black Metal bands covers and themes from pre-Christian European mythology permeate their lyrics.

===Christian Black Metal===
Christian Black Metal (often known as Unblack Metal) is a highly controversial style of Black Metal that contains lyrics which attack Satanic ideology, glorify Christianity and are opposed to [[Sin]], and Satanism. Musically similar to normal Satanic bands.

==List of Black Metal Bands==
* Abruptum
* Antaeus
* Arkhon Infaustus
* Barathrum
* Bathory
* Beherit
* Bethlehem
* Blut Aus Nord
* Burzum
* Celtic Frost
* Cradle of Filth
* Darkthrone
* Dimmu Borgir
* Dissection
* Dolorian
* Emperor
* Enslaved
* Enthroned
* Forgotten Tomb
* Gallhammer
* Gorgoroth
* Graveland
* Graveworm
* Hellhammer
* Immortal
* Impaled Nazarene
* Katatonia
* Leviathan
* Lucifugum
* Marduk
* Mayhem
* Mercyful Fate
* Naglfar
* Nargaroth
* Necrophobic
* Negură Bunget
* Nokturnal Mortum
* Nortt
* Old Man's Child
* Sarcófago
* Satanic Warmaster
* Satyricon
* Sear Bliss
* Sodom
* Spektr
* Striborg
* Summoning
* Trollech
* Velvet Cacoon
* Venom
* Watain
* Wolves in the Throne Room
* Xasthur

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Heavy Metal]]

Black Metal

2008-08-19T21:09:36Z

Walker: /* Christian Black Metal */

'''Black Metal''' is an extreme, and explicitly [[Satan]]ic, anti-[[Christian]], and violent subgenre of [[Heavy metal music]]. Black Metal was first developed by many different bands from across [[Europe]], but was first popularized by the media attention surrounding several [[Norway|Norwegian]] bands and the various murders and arsons their members were involved in in the early 90's. Since then black metal has gained an underground following with fans and bands appearing all over the world. While less common now, the violence and mayhem that marked the early black metal scene persists to this day, with violence, killings, and vandalism inspired by black metal bands occurring sporadically but not infrequently across the globe.

== History ==

The first wave of black metal was started in early 1980s. Bands like Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate and Celtic Frost were developing a heavier and more extreme style of heavy metal.<ref name = "dunn" >Dunn, Sam: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. 2005.</ref> Bands were strongly fascinated by the occult.<ref name = "kahnharris" >Kahn-Harris, Keith: Extreme metal: Music and culture on the edge. Oxford: Berg, 2007. ISBN 1-84520-399-2.</ref> For example Mercyful Fate's King Diamond belongs to [[Church of Satan]] as well as many other black metal musicians. Black metal genre was named by Venom album named ''Black Metal'',<ref name="murder"/> and nowadays Venom and Bathory have maybe the greatest respect in black metal scene by modern black metal bands.<ref name = "kahnharris" />

Second wave of black metal was born mainly in Norway, by bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and Emperor.<ref name = "dunn" /> Those band styles were even more extremer than first wave and commonly the term 'black metal' refers just to the second wave. Also, the crimes in black metal were mostly part of the second wave rather than the first wave. Nowadays bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have made black metal almost part of the mainstream.<ref name="dimmu borgir">[http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/jun2007/dimmuborgir.aspx Dimmu Borgir] Decibel Magazine</ref> However, many old school black metallers claim that modern sounding black metal by symphonic and melodic bands (like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth) aren't 'true' black metal.<ref name = "amazon" >Haikara, Karl: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/35IDCE6P5JQOZ So you'd like to... Get into true Norwegian Black] Metal amazon.com.</ref> For them, true Satan worshippers, it's too light that some bands aren't [[Church arsons|burning churches]] though those bands are still very dangerous and satanist.

== Sub genres ==

===Blackened Death Metal===
An even more violent style of black metal, which also combines the vividly graphic depictions of killing that characterize the lyrics of the genre known as [[death metal]] with the music of black metal. The style targets [[Christians]], and openly tells its followers to go out, [[torture]], and kill the entire Christian population, as a means of earning favor with [[Satan]].

===Pagan Black Metal===
Many Black Metal bands adopt idealogical tenants of [[Paganism]] as a way of opposing Christianity. Pagan symbols, such as rune script, sunwheels, Celtic crosses, and Thor's hammers frequently adorn Pagan Black Metal bands covers and themes from pre-Christian European mythology permeate their lyrics.

===Christian Black Metal===
Christian Black Metal (often known as Unblack Metal) is a highly controversial style of Black Metal that contains lyrics which attack Satanic ideology, glorify Christianity and are opposed to [[Sin]], and Satanism. Musically similar to normal Satanic bands.

==List of Black Metal Bands==
* Abruptum
* Antaeus
* Arkhon Infaustus
* Barathrum
* Bathory
* Beherit
* Bethlehem
* Blut Aus Nord
* Burzum
* Celtic Frost
* Cradle of Filth
* Darkthrone
* Dimmu Borgir
* Dissection
* Dolorian
* Emperor
* Enslaved
* Enthroned
* Forgotten Tomb
* Gallhammer
* Gorgoroth
* Graveland
* Graveworm
* Hellhammer
* Immortal
* Impaled Nazarene
* Katatonia
* Leviathan
* Lucifugum
* Marduk
* Mayhem
* Mercyful Fate
* Naglfar
* Nargaroth
* Necrophobic
* Negură Bunget
* Nokturnal Mortum
* Nortt
* Old Man's Child
* Sarcófago
* Satanic Warmaster
* Satyricon
* Sear Bliss
* Sodom
* Spektr
* Striborg
* Summoning
* Trollech
* Velvet Cacoon
* Venom
* Watain
* Wolves in the Throne Room
* Xasthur

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Heavy Metal]]

Beer

2008-02-09T21:50:56Z

Walker: /* Categories */

[[Image:Beer.jpg|right]]'''Beer''' is an [[alcoholic drink]] produced through [[fermentation]] of [[sugar]]s derived primarily from [[malt|malted grains]]. The primary [[grain]] used is usually malted [[barley]], although some styles of beer use malted [[wheat]] or [[oats]] as the primary grain.

The four major ingredients of beer are [[water]], [[malt]], [[hops]] and [[yeast]]. The particular combination, amount and variety of each of these ingredients determine the final [[flavor]], alcoholic strength and style of the finished beer.

Although almost all modern beer styles use [[hops]], early European brewers originally added spices such as rosemary, coriander, ginger, anise seed, and juniper berries to their beers to impart more complex flavors. Hops are used primarily used today because the bitterness derived from the hops tend to counter-balance the sweetness derived from the malt, and provide a more balanced flavor. Hops may also be added to beer to impart a floral or spicy aroma and flavor. Another benefit early brewers found was that hops also tended to help preserve their beers longer than unhopped beers.

The earliest written records of hop cultivation come from 8th and 9th century A.D. from the Hallertau district in [[Germany]], now famous for their Hallertau Mittelfruh hop variety. The earliest actual brewing records explicitly noting the addition of hops come from 14th century Germany.

Although there are [[microorganisms]] that can spoil beer, such as [[lactobacillus]], there are no known human [[pathogens]] than can live in beer. This is commonly thought to be due to the alcohol in the beer, however it is actually due to the [[pH]]; typically in the range of 4.0 to 4.4.
==Categories==
All beers fall in to two categories; Lagers and Ales. The only stylistic exceptions are "hybrid" beers, such as Cream Ales, Kolsch and California Common Beers (Steam Beers).

Lagers are cold [[fermentation|fermented]] with the [[Saccharomyces pastorianus]] variety of [[yeast]], typically between 46 and 56 F. Complete fermentation of lager beers takes from six weeks to nine months. This brewing technique originated in [[Germany]], where the word ‘lagern’ literally means "to store". Common styles of lager beer are Pilsner and Bock. Most beers brewed by the major American breweries are lagers.

Ales are fermented with the ‘S. cerevisiae’ variety of yeast, at temperatures higher than lagers, typically between 55 and 75 F. The higher fermentation temperature of ales tends to produce beers with a more complex, fruity [[flavor]], usually derived from [[ester|esters]] produced by the yeast during fermentation. Common varieties of ales include Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Stout and Porter.

==Styles==
===Lambic===
Lambic is a sub style of sour ales which was originally produced by brewers around [[Brussels]] in the [[Senne Valley]]. Lambic comes in two forms, straight (unblended) Lambic and Fruit Lambic. Lambic beers use hops aged for three years to remove any bitterness, and are added primarily for their preservative effect. These beers are allowed to spontaneously fermented by a variety of wild microorganisms. These microorganisms include wild yeasts and bacteria such as pediococcus and lactobacillus. The bacteria produce acids during fermentation that results in a beer that can be extremely dry and astonishingly tart.

Due to the specific flavors that the wild yeasts and microorganisms in this region of the world produce in Lambic beer, production of this style has not spread to other regions like other beers styles of beer have. Versions of Lambics produced with pure cultures tend to lack the depth of flavor that the Belgian brewers are able to produce.
===Evolution of Styles===
Historically beer styles evolved regionally due to the ingredients that were available to the local brewers. For example, in Scotland hops did not grow well, and were expensive to import. So beers produced by Scottish brewers typically had very low level of bitterness and hop flavor, but well developed malt flavors.
==History==
The earliest known evidence of beer and brewing comes from [[Sumeria]] around 4,000 B.C. The evidence comes from clay tablets inscribed with the [[Hymn to Ninkasi]], the Sumerian's Goddess of brewing, where the hymn contains a rudimentary recipe for beer.

==References==
==External Links==
*[http://www.coopsmaps.com/beer/hops.html Coops Maps - A short history of hops]
*[http://www.alabev.com/history.htm A short history of beer]
*[http://www.brewery.org/library/ReinHeit.html English translation of the Reinheitsgebot]
*[http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines]

[[Category:Alcoholic Beverages]]

Talk:Heavy metal music

2008-02-09T21:36:42Z

Walker: /* Article poses as unbiased. */

== Christianity? ==
I find the statement on Christianity to be rather inaccurate. While I understand this is a conservative encyclopedia, that is no excuse for fallacies. Many metalheads and musicians are openly Christian, such as Dave Mustaine and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth, Jack Owen, and Tom Araya of Slayer. I believe a more accurate statement would be that Anti-Christian sentiments are quite prevalent in extreme metal music. There is also a strong Christian Metal Subgenre, see bands such as As I Lay Dying, Believer, and Stryper. I shall change the statements to be more accurate and less condemning. [[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 16:25, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

I wouldn't even say that Anti-Christian sentiments are quite prevalent at all. I listen to metal music, and sure some of it is about death and killing and things like that, but I wouldn't say it's Anti-Christian. Some metal music includes themes that are similar to many popular songs of other genres, just in a different form. --[[User:ALFa|ALFa]] 16:33, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

That's primarily what I hoped to get across, I suppose the term "present" is more accurate. I consider the music to show, when it discusses Satan, a Christian perception of the being. What I meant to say was that the only genre, to my knowledge, that contains overtly anti-Christian themes would be death metal or black metal, and even there it is somewhat rare. I think many mainstream Christians misconstrue the disrespect for organized religion (i.e, a church, pastors, or priests.) for being Anti-Christian. They are not one in the same, as to not believe in church is not the same as not believing in god. I'll change it to be more accurate.[[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 18:07, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

As a metal fan (who's wearing a Dream Theater shirt right now), I think that the Satan reference was ridiculous. I took it right out. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 18:08, 20 March 2007 (EDT)
:Agreed, i thought of it as inappropriate as well, but since it referenced it as the opinions of conservatives, I left it. Dream Theater! Another openly Christian metal band (though not in the Christian metal genre). I have a few more changes to make on the article, you left a slight typo! I forgive you! [[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 18:13, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

Actually, creating this article in the way I did was almost a joke; this is indeed a conservative encyclopedia -- so I used those particular statements to be, in a way, on the extreme of what some people might think. Don't take it the wrong way. Plus, the username I chose might have tipped people off: I really don't know much in the way of creating encyclopedia articles, so I left things vague and unopinionated (my opinions, anyway). I am actually a metal fan who laughed at the article, not believing in what I was typing. Then again, some of the more extreme Black metal bands do reference Satan in non-metaphorical terms. But most of those bands are without actual substance and therefore suck. [[User:N00b|N00b]] 09:01, 21 March 2007 (EDT)
:Yes, and I know only two people that worship the devil, as a god, in metal music of any form: Glen Benton, and Oystein Aarseth (Aka Euronymous), both extremists not to be considered the standard of a heavy-metaller.[[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 17:39, 21 March 2007 (EDT)

It's hard to prove that anyone is actually "worshiping Satan". Let's not fall into that trap. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:30, 29 December 2007 (EST)

==Link==
Is that parody..? Linking to a cliched, comedic-parody of a heavy metal band in order to illustrate the article? [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 19:34, 29 December 2007 (EST)
:I was just about to say the same thing. Spinal tap was a fictionalized parody of a metal band. (And a darn good band, if I do say so myself, and I do). [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:37, 29 December 2007 (EST)

::The movie [[Spinal Tap]] was a comedy; I'd like to write about its director, who made a few similar movies like [[A Mighty Wind]] (satirizing folk music performers). --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 20:28, 29 December 2007 (EST)
:::Rob Reiner directed "This Is Spinal Tap", but it was Christopher Guest who directed "A Mighty Wind". Guest wrote/co-wrote both of them though. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 20:34, 29 December 2007 (EST)

::::You are devilishly clever, my friend! ;-) --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 20:48, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::::Guest is quite an interesting subject for a bio, even without touching on his works - Jewish American British nobleman... Quite a mix. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 20:50, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==Spirituality and etiquette==

Let's tread carefully while describing the delicate issue of [[spirituality]] of metal bands. Some have exploited satanic imagery, to be sure, but their proportion might be less than 99%.

Mass reverts aren't good form. Just change one section at a time, please. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 13:23, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:As someone who is fairly knowledgable about heavy metal, I actually agree with Walker in that I've never heard the term Satan's Fire Metal. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 13:27, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==State of the Article==
In it's current condition this article is a joke to anyone who knows anything about metal. 99.9 percent of bands that have pyrotechnics are not trying to recreate hell. Also "the horns" are more often just a sign for metal and unity amongst metalheads and are not done to look like satan or praise satan. It isn't even limited to metal you will see it at even country and boy band shows or how about a Texas Longhorns football game? The song meanings are ridiculous, Go To Hell is about someone that is damned to hell, it is not promoting satanism. It was written for the Bill and Teds Bogus Journey movie where the charecters go to hell. Take no prisioners is about military warfare. The song references Normandy and Panzers so it was probably inspired by D-Day, it is not promoting violence anymore than Saving Private Ryan. Suicide Sollution is about how abusing drugs and alcohol to solve your problems is a "suicide" sollution. Fade to Black is about losing the will to carry on, and was inspired by the bands equipment being stolen, it can be interpreted as a suicide song but even then how is it glamorized? Also why was the referenced content about Christians in non Christian bands removed? All the unreferenced stuff on this page should be removed before that was.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 13:51, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:The idea of "Christian" metal strikes me as utterly proposterous. Just like the idea of African Klu Klux Klan members or Jewish Nazis is utterly proposterous. Quit trying to make Heavy Metal music into something that it is not. You've made various attempts to censor the material here or downplay Metal's dangerous nature, but it's not going to work. Maybe you'd feel more at home at Wikipedia. Your attempts to disassociate Metal with Satanism are pathetic. That's like saying you're a Ku Klux Klan member but you're not into the whole discrimination thing.. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

::Jose calm down. Metal is a style of music, not a way of thinking. There is absolutely no contridiction with someone using a certain style of music to promote ''any'' message -- good ''or'' bad. You should check out some Christian metal. A youth Christian musical concert (Ichthus) often features metal bands -- one of their tents is dedicated entirely towards "heavier" music. I also personally know the manager of a Christian metal band. He is old friends with my youth pastor at church and I've done some work with him. He is an intense Christian and his music is... well, rather intense. So please take a chill pill and open your mind to other possibilities.
::Think about it this way: even if metal ''were'' "satanist--dominated" (which I don't think it is), wouldn't that therefore be the best place for a Christian band? Jesus hanged out with prostitutes and beggars, remember. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 15:17, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::There's even Christian rap, which uses the rapid-fire half-spoken style of [[hip hop]] to convey the pro-woman, anti-violence message of Jesus and salvation. My favorite "heavenly metal" group is [[The Ancestors]]. And there's always [[Stryper]] ("by his stripes we were healed"). --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 15:26, 31 December 2007 (EST)

First of all, I do not agree with what any of you have posted. However, perhaps I shall listen to some of this "Christian" metal and "Christian" rap. There might be a small chance that I am wrong. I was wrong about Spinal tap. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:This music.. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huod7HJe4BM]] It's disgusting. I'm going to have to disagree with all those who support "Christian" metal. This just doesn't sound very Christian to me.. First of all, it's too loud and violent sounding and the screaming sounds very demonic. Even if there are pro-Christian lyrics in the songs it's impossible to tell because the screaming is incomprehensible. The choice of intervals strikes me as interesting.. Very evil sounding. Please listen and tell me what you think.. I really don't get it. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

::It obviously wasn't designed with you in mind. I don't hear anything "evil", except that you automatically associate the genre with evil, which is a circular argument. I don't hear any "evil-sounding intervals" either. Try looking up some lyrics before you base Christianity on how a group decides to play the guitar. Here's one called [http://lyrics.christiansunite.com/lyrics_1134_7.shtml If I Die] by Stryper. ("Living was hard /And loneliness easily justified / Oh, then I found You / Ooh, I suddenly knew / What I wanted to do was to make You satisfied / And not to die for selfish pleasure / But to live with You by my side"). It's not as heavy musically (here's a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIFOsQd34qE Youtube vid] -- ignore the visuals though), but still considered "metal" I would think.

::I did some searching, and here's the lyrics from one of the songs in the video you found [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=8734]. Check out the description at the bottom: "True hope should only be placed in Christ, and no man. Christ will never fail you...".

::This isn't your mom's Christian music! But that doesn't make it wrong. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:00, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::Would this qualify as metal? I could actually see myself listening to something like this. It's melodic, and the singing is clean and clear. Thanks.. This is inspiring. But I don't think it's heavy metal. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
::::That's why I found the other lyrics for you. [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=8734 These] are lyrics from that Youtube video you disagreed with. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:24, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::::Well Jose all of what you are saying is your own personal opinion. How is it to loud? Any music can be to loud, if that is a problem turn the volume down. Different people have different tastes, just because you don't like a style of music doesn't make it "evil". Besides the bible instructs us to "Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise" (Psalm 33:3). God is infinitely bigger than your music tastes. Also many styles of metal have very easily comprehensable lyrics and so what if they aren't comprehensible? Does that make it wrong? If you don't like it thats fine, but it doesn't give you the right to try and demonize something just because it doesn't appeal to your personal tastes.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:14, 31 December 2007 (EST)

I highly doubt Jesus would have "rocked out" to this garbage. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:I think if you feel that the music is "garbage" then we should find someone with a more neutral attitude to edit it, no? I'm not saying you shouldn't edit, but I would think hard about if you are the appropriate one. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:24, 31 December 2007 (EST)
:How do you know God's musical tastes?--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:26, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::God is absolutely Holy, therefore he wouldn't indulge in music with satanic connotation. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:::Could you be a little more specific as to what you mean by "satanic connotation".--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:39, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::::A lot of heavy metal is inspired by Satan and the occult. This definitely would not cater to God's taste. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:::::Jesus hanged (hung? I never get that right) out with sinners, beggars and prostitutes. If this music really is as evil as you say, shouldn't Christians get in there to converted these supposed evildoers? [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:48, 31 December 2007 (EST)
:::::Many books are inspired by Satan and the occult, does that mean all books are against God?--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:49, 31 December 2007 (EST)

Jesus would have discouraged the prostitutes from whoring themselves and they would have discouraged these bands from playing the music they are playing. He wouldn't encourage more Christians to become prostitutes or play heavy metal. A certain category of books are inspired by satan and the occult and all within that category are against god, just like how heavy metal is a certain genre of music which is against god. Not all music is against god. True heavy metal is. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:Well I guess we know that these artists aren't Jesus himself then. It doesn't mean they aren't Christian, however. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:23, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::Jesus hung out with drunks and whores, I guess, him being so tolerant and all. But he also is famous for telling the adulterous woman to "go and sin no more".

::My impression of metal is that it invokes a lot of nasty symbols: devils, long tongues, gloomy or morbid lyrics, etc. Within the genre I'm sure there are a handful of Christian groups like [[Stryper]] (which I wrote, hint hint!) who I suppose decided to "move into the neighborhood" and seek converts among metalheads. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 21:17, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==Question==
How does linking to lyrics prove the song is "promoting" satanism.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:01, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:It doesn't. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 21:03, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::Funny the Fade to Black reference actually say the opposite of what is stated in the article.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:11, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:Clearly you and ''Jose'' disagree on many aspects of this genre of music. I suggest you '''add''' everything you want, while letting him do the same. I'll check back from time to time and see if I can integrate your work and his. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 21:12, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==Stop==
The article has seen plenty of edits going on, with no real improvement to its state. I can see both sides of the argument, but unless Walker and Jose83 can start to learn to work together, then we're just going to end up with a bigger pile of cowcake than when we started. The article is dire right now, and frankly the best thing is for you two to step away from it for a day and work out what you want to say in it, get together your references, then we'll take it from there. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 21:40, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:I was following Ed Poor's instruction from above. I wasn't changing his edits.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:41, 31 December 2007 (EST)
::I'm not apportioning any kind of blame. And Ed's advice is good, excepting for the fact that the article is now a scab to both of you and you can't resist picking it. Leave it until tomorrow, it will be unlocked in about 12 hours, and we can try to put together a '''coherent''' article presenting the facts as we know them, instead of a point/counterpoint list of grievances. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 21:44, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::==Dial-the-Truth-Ministries==
:::The Dial-the-Truth-Ministry is a controversial religious group that is part of King James Only Movement. One of the main goals of the group is to denounce the evil that they believe Christian metal or rock music is. The group believes that any form of music with a beat is evil. <ref>[http://www.av1611.org/ Dial-the-Truth-Ministries]</ref> Ted Kirkpatrick, the drummer for the Christian metal band Tourniquet stated the following about the groups website, ''"This site is so full of inaccuracies, so devoid of sound Biblical principles, and uses such twisted logic, that some have emailed us asking if it was done as a joke."''<ref>http://www.tourniquet.net/faq/</ref>

:::I added the above here since the article is locked so I can move it to the article when it is unlocked.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:47, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:... this article needs to be a collaboration, not a rant, from both sides. Content: I'm working on adding some history and the "technicalities" of what HM is ("neutral to the facts"), and then the more controversial aspects can be worked in by you guys. As I said it would be, it's unprotected, but that doesn't mean you should just come along and edit in tiny soundbites. Try to edit cohesively, so that the article doesn't just resemble the transcript of two guys shouting each other down :) [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 08:32, 1 January 2008 (EST)

There needs to be SOME mention of Satanism in the article. Neglecting to do so is just plain irresponsible. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:Try concentrating on an explanation of why some people believe there are Satanic elements in heavy metal. What satanic themes do they find in it? Imagery, lyrics? Be specific and provide references.

:If your work is being reverted, then create a user subpage like [[User:Jose83/metal]]. No one is allowed to edit there but you. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:02, 1 January 2008 (EST)

Imagery of certain metal bands definitely attempt to make Satan appear "cool".
*[[http://www.teens411.com/newspics/mudvayne.jpg Mudvayne picture]] The guy actually looks like the Devil!
*[[http://static.metal-archives.com/images/3/9/4/394.jpg Countless]]
*[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Iron_Maiden-Dance_of_Death.jpg Iron Maiden]]
*[[http://www.mystrands.com/photos/1/4/5/normal/14556.jpg Covers]]
*[[http://www.av1611.org/rock.html]] And lyrics of many metal songs clearly convey an Anti-Christian/Satanic message.

We need to give an honest depiction of what this music is instead of trying to make it out to be wholesome Christian music like Walker is trying to do. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:You're preaching to the choir. Those are good links. Now do some writing. Don't worry about reverts; Fox and I can resurrect anything that gets killed. (Oops, am I getting arrogant?) --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:30, 1 January 2008 (EST)

::Instances of individual Satanic metal bands should only be used to argue against those bands being good, not just the whole genre. Should we argue that all movies of a certain genre are bad just because a few are rated R and point out instances of nudity and profanity in those movies? It's a logical fallacy. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:00, 1 January 2008 (EST)

==Suicide==

:suicide is the only way out

Is Ozzy quoting what the lad says to rebut it? Or is he promoting [[suicide]]? Perhaps it is this kind of ambiguity that makes parents and educators worry that metal is bad for kids. It's a far cry from, "Come and play / everything's A-OK" or "I love you / You love me". --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:07, 1 January 2008 (EST)

::Is the Scripture that follows promoting suicide? "Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him." (1 Samuel 31:4-5) "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (1 Kings 19:4 ) You have to put that line back into the context of the song, which is quite plainly about alcohol abuse, about how it is nothing glamorous, just a slow suicide for the alcoholic. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 18:25, 1 January 2008 (EST)

Jolly good. So let's point out that '''not all''' references to suicide in heavy metal music are intended to glorify it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:32, 1 January 2008 (EST)

:::Fact is you probaably can't find one example of a band '''glorifying''' suicide. Why would any band glorify suicide? If they are in the buisness of selling albums and filling the seats at concerts why would they want their fans to kill themselves? --[[User:Walker|Walker]] 15:30, 18 January 2008 (EST)

::::The closest I can come to a band ''glorifying'' suicide would be ''Don't Fear the Reaper'' by Blue Oyster Cult. [[User:Boomcoach|Boomcoach]] 15:52, 28 January 2008 (EST)

==Links==
*http://www.thetruthforyouth.com/standard/main.htm - rock music
*http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Rock-n-Roll/satanic_quotes.htm
*http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Rock-n-Roll/nature.htm

== Christian metal is not evil ==

It is preposterous to say that all Christian metal is evil. Every claim is based upon specific instances of evil in secular metal, and thus not a valid comparison. This site defends Christian metal against every argument that groups like Dial-the-Truth can come up with: http://www.mindspring.com/~brucec/craindex.htm [[User:DanH|DanH]] 22:59, 1 January 2008 (EST)

:Yes this is quite obvious and wow that site is wonderful. This site here http://www.metalforjesus.org/friorfoe.html is also pretty good although it doesn't contain nearly as much information. I'd also like to point out that although there are secular acts that promote immorality and blaspheme and stuff like that, many of them do not. First of all just because a song is about something does not mean a band is advocating or promoting it. Oftentimes they are just telling a story for entertainment value and they often use satire. There are many different styles of metal and many of them have totally different common lyrical themes. These links Jose is posting are laughable. I'd also like to know how Jose knows what Satan physically looks like. According to one of the links, apparently when Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden told Hit Parader magazine that, "We can play with conviction every night, because we totally believe in the music we're performing." That means that he is a satanist. Also what does posting links of album covers prove. If you want to find viable criticisms of heavy metal that aren't going to make this article into one of the jokes of conservapedia you might want to stay away from using Terry Watkins as a source.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 22:25, 2 January 2008 (EST)

::So you admit there are many Metal bands to promote immorality and blasphemy.. We have progress! If an Artist makes a song about "Killing 'em all" they don't need to openly promote it as a band to promote it because the song is already out there and young impressionable children are already being brainwashed and programmed. And you can also play dumb and and pretend that the guy from Mudvayne isn't trying to look like Satan but he looks exactly how popular culture has made him out to look like. Iron Maiden heavily relies on demonic images to sell-out concerts and sell albums. This is especially prevelant on their album covers where the marketing of a demon-like mascot is irrefutable. Do you listen to these bands, Walker? -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

Iron Maiden isn't a good influence. They had a song called "Number of the Beast". Nobody's saying that Iron Maiden is a good band. The issue here is Christian metal bands, who tend not to have songs like that. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:56, 2 January 2008 (EST)

:Sorry another point I am trying to make is that much of secular metal does not stand as a polar opposite to Christian metal as well--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 00:13, 3 January 2008 (EST)

:I'll concede that Christian Heavy Metal may not be ''evil'', but I think their Artists have selected the wrong medium in which to praise Jesus. I have not made any claims of Christian Metal being evil in the revised article. However, I will not write anything positive about it either. I shall leave that to you, Fox, or Walker. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:I never denied that there weren't bands who did, you made the claim that either most or all bands do, which simply is not true. Also a question, if something is a medium that means it is neither right or wrong, so why is it wrong?--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 00:15, 3 January 2008 (EST)

::A medium is not inherently neutral. All heavy metal is aggressive and violent so it incites aggressive, violent behavior in the listener. My former friend was in a car wreck because the music he was listening to {System of a Down} caused him to drive irresponsibly. Also, just read the news. Riots at heavy metal concerts are the norm. There is no denying that Rock music in general evokes aggressive feelings in the listener. I just don't believe that these feelings should be evoked while praising Jesus. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:::Stop making generalizations. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 14:21, 3 January 2008 (EST)
:::Your friend was in a car wreck because he's a reckless driver. - [[User:JasonAQuest|JasonAQuest]] 23:41, 3 January 2008 (EST)
Yes I admited there are some bands that blaspheme and promote immorality, you can find people that do that in pretty much every area of life so what is your point? That doesn't mean all of it is like that. There is no song called Killing Em All that I know of. I don't like Mudvayne but suppoesadly they are trying to look like aliens from a fictional story that they created and base there albums on. Well if you examine the lyrics of the song "Number of the Beast" which actually opens with a reading from the bible. The song is just a story about a guy who is trying to get away from a satanic cult and ultimately is unable to escape them. Apparently it was based on a nightmare Steve Harris had after seeing one of The Omen movies. Eddie is just a cartoon masscot and he is something different on pretty much every album cover. I've always thought of him as some sort of B horror movie type of zombie rather than a demon and by the logic you present I suppose the New Jersey Devils are also relying on satanism to promote their hockey team and Hot Tamales candies and other various hot sauce companies are doing the same? --[[User:Walker|Walker]] 00:12, 3 January 2008 (EST)

== Article poses as unbiased. ==

I would never expect a true conservative website to be so pro-heavy metal but here we are. The criticism section is laughable because it contains no real criticism at all whatsoever. I took the time to examine previous versions of the article and noticed that there were indeed previous examples of valid criticism, but they were removed by user [[User:Walker|Walker]]. I also noticed that a vast majority of his contributions involve removing criticism from articles of his Heavy Metal heroes. I believe this article should be revamped with some input from people who are willing to voice valid criticisms of the genre. - [[User:Osayat3|Osayat3]]

:Please look at the reason for removing the criticism section before blindly adding it back in yourself (along with removing someone else's unrelated work). Most, if not all, of the references are junk; one actually leads you to a site where you can buy a "research paper" about heavy metal music. Plagiarism sites are not valid citations. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 16:10, 7 February 2008 (EST)

:[[User:Osayat3|Osayat3]], if there are any real valid criticisms out there then find them and add them to the article since you find it to be lacking.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 16:36, 9 February 2008 (EST)

Dave Mustaine

2008-01-26T20:52:54Z

Walker: added some more info and a reference

'''Dave Mustaine''' is the lead singer and guitarrist of [[Heavy Metal]] band [[Megadeth]]. He was born in [[La Mesa]], [[California]] in 1961, he was one of the founding members of [[Metallica]], but was then forced to leave the band because of his problems with [[alcohol abuse]].

His lyrics are characterized by an aggressive temper, especially toward authorities (he even made a cover of ''Anarchy in the U.K.'' by ''Sex Pistols'').

After he was found driving under the influence and after a recent accident for which he had risked to lose his ability to play guitar, Mustaine decided in 2002 to convert to [[Christianity]] and has since been an advocate of [[family]] values. However, he is continuing to criticize authorities such as the [[United States]] government and the [[United Nations]].

He stated that he voted for [[George W. Bush]] because he felt that [[John Kerry]] would ruin America.<ref>[http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=28343 Dave Mustaine Says John Kerry Will 'Ruin Our Country' - Oct. 25, 2004 ], ''Blabbermouth.net''</ref>

Mustaine professed his Christian faith in the song ''Shadow of Death'' from the 2003 album ''The System Has Failed''. The song starts off with the lyric "Auxilium meum a Domino" which is [[Latin]] for "My help comes from the Lord", the lyrics then contains a direct reading of Psalm 23.

He expresses clearly his ideas toward the [[United Nations]] in the song ''United Abominations'' off the album of the same title:

<div bgcolor="#ff0000">
:Within striking distance from Ground Zero sits a smoldering international cauldron, the United "Abominations" as it were. Born to prevent wars, it froze in the face of disaster and stood silent while terrorization to hostage of the world

:In a mire of hypocrisy, the U.N. ignores sex crimes by its "blue helmets", and enables terrorism; so in the end it's failed and the U.N. is where our so-called friends get to stab us in the back and we pay 22% of their tab to host our enemies here at home.

:Ambassadors from countries enjoy otherwise known as a catastrophe, enjoy Diplomatic immunity living in Manhattan, while their children are turned into prostitutes It's a complete and utter disgrace, a blot on the face of humanity, and they get away with it.
</div>

He is also very critical of [[Iraq war]] and U.S. intervention abroad, e.g. in the same song as above:
:I fear to undo the failings in Iraq, Iran, and Korea
:You may bury the bodies

:But you can't bury the crimes only
:Fools stand up and really lay down their arms

His recently acquired political ideas have been compared to the positions of a conservative American organization

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

[[Category:Music]]

Dave Mustaine

2008-01-26T20:46:08Z

Walker: This was the main reason although he did have drug problems later

'''Dave Mustaine''' is the lead singer and guitarrist of [[Heavy Metal]] band [[Megadeth]]. He was born in [[La Mesa]], [[California]] in 1961, he was one of the founding members of [[Metallica]], but was then forced to leave the band because of his problems with [[alcohol abuse]].

His lyrics are characterized by an aggressive temper, especially toward authorities (he even made a cover of ''Anarchy in the U.K.'' by ''Sex Pistols'').

After he was found driving under the influence and after a recent accident for which he had risked to lose his ability to play guitar, Mustaine decided in 2002 to convert to [[Christianity]] and has since been an advocate of [[family]] values. However, he is continuing to criticize authorities such as the [[United States]] government and the [[United Nations]].

Mustaine professed his Christian faith in the song ''Shadow of Death'' from the 2003 album ''The System Has Failed''. The song starts off with the lyric "Auxilium meum a Domino" which is [[Latin]] for "My help comes from the Lord", the lyrics then contains a direct reading of Psalm 23.

He expresses clearly his ideas toward the [[United Nations]] in the song ''United Abominations'' off the album of the same title:

<div bgcolor="#ff0000">
:Within striking distance from Ground Zero sits a smoldering international cauldron, the United "Abominations" as it were. Born to prevent wars, it froze in the face of disaster and stood silent while terrorization to hostage of the world

:In a mire of hypocrisy, the U.N. ignores sex crimes by its "blue helmets", and enables terrorism; so in the end it's failed and the U.N. is where our so-called friends get to stab us in the back and we pay 22% of their tab to host our enemies here at home.

:Ambassadors from countries enjoy otherwise known as a catastrophe, enjoy Diplomatic immunity living in Manhattan, while their children are turned into prostitutes It's a complete and utter disgrace, a blot on the face of humanity, and they get away with it.
</div>

He is also very critical of [[Iraq war]] and U.S. intervention abroad, e.g. in the same song as above:
:I fear to undo the failings in Iraq, Iran, and Korea
:You may bury the bodies

:But you can't bury the crimes only
:Fools stand up and really lay down their arms

His recently acquired political ideas have been compared to the positions of a conservative American organization

[[Category:Music]]

Metallica

2008-01-25T21:35:11Z

Walker:

'''Metallica''' is an American [[thrash metal]]/[[heavy metal]] band known for establishing the thrash metal genre along with Slayer, [[Megadeth]], and Anthrax known as the "Big Four." First formed in 1981, in Los Angeles by James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich<ref>http://www.metallica.com/Band/history.asp</ref>, they have become one of the most popular in-concert bands while selling about 90 million total records.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artist/2q8c/</ref>

They have released a total of eight studio albums, the most well known being Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and Metallica and plan to release a ninth in February, 2008<ref>http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=14828</ref>

The band has come under heavy controversy after their campaign to sue their fans who shared their music on the original form of Napster.

==Curent lineup==
*James Hetfield (guitars and vocals)
*Lars Ulrich (drums)
*Kirk Hammett (guitars)
*Robert Trujillo (bass)

==Discography==
*''Kill 'Em All'' (1983)
*''Ride the Lightning'' (1984)
*''Master of Puppets'' (1986)
*''...And Justice for All'' (1988)
*''Metallica'' (1991)
*''Load'' (1996)
*''ReLoad'' (1997)
*''St. Anger'' (2003)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.metallica.com/ Official Metallica Website]

[[Category:Bands]]

Heavy metal music

2008-01-25T21:34:46Z

Walker: /* 1980s */

'''Heavy metal''' is a genre of rock music, characterized by its loudness and aggressiveness.
It emerged from bands like [[King Crimson]], [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], amid the [[society|social]] upheavals of the late 1960s. [[Rock and roll|Rock music]] was by then being recorded and [[marketing|marketed]] as a counterculture which opposed the normal and functional culture that was dominant in society, a marketing [[strategy]] which mirrored the developmental process of [[adolescent]]s, the main audience for rock music, who first reject the world of their parents, then once independent re-assess their own values, and finally rejoin society on the terms of these recreated values.

The first style of rock which grew from this was the loud, distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

The third strand of rock music was the emerging "dark rock" epitomized by [[The Doors]]. Where other rock bands had focused on love or peace, the Doors brought a [[Nietzsche]]-inspired morbid subconscious psychedelia to rock music, and were the origins of much of the neo-[[Romanticism]] which later bloomed into Heavy metal.

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed for loud forms of rock, which hybridized in the next decade and became the Heavy metal as recognized today.

Black Sabbath originally started out as an electric blues band named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name they changed it, inspired by a poster for the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie ''Black Sabbath''. Developing a new sound, drawing on the neo-[[Gothic]] [[nihilism]] of The Doors but relying almost exclusively on power chords, a bassier distortion and the narrative structures of progressive rock, they achieved almost immediate success both on the radio and in record stores.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginning of the use of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Judas Priest]], Motorhead, and [[Iron Maiden]]. The 1980s also gave rise to the American thrash metal movement with notable bands being [[Metallica]], [[Megadeth]], Anthrax, and Slayer. Durring the 1980s glam metal also became very popular with bands including Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, and [[Stryper]].

==Criticism==

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, Heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Music]]

Heavy metal music

2008-01-25T21:29:20Z

Walker: /* 1980s */

'''Heavy metal''' is a genre of rock music, characterized by its loudness and aggressiveness.
It emerged from bands like [[King Crimson]], [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], amid the [[society|social]] upheavals of the late 1960s. [[Rock and roll|Rock music]] was by then being recorded and [[marketing|marketed]] as a counterculture which opposed the normal and functional culture that was dominant in society, a marketing [[strategy]] which mirrored the developmental process of [[adolescent]]s, the main audience for rock music, who first reject the world of their parents, then once independent re-assess their own values, and finally rejoin society on the terms of these recreated values.

The first style of rock which grew from this was the loud, distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

The third strand of rock music was the emerging "dark rock" epitomized by [[The Doors]]. Where other rock bands had focused on love or peace, the Doors brought a [[Nietzsche]]-inspired morbid subconscious psychedelia to rock music, and were the origins of much of the neo-[[Romanticism]] which later bloomed into Heavy metal.

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed for loud forms of rock, which hybridized in the next decade and became the Heavy metal as recognized today.

Black Sabbath originally started out as an electric blues band named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name they changed it, inspired by a poster for the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie ''Black Sabbath''. Developing a new sound, drawing on the neo-[[Gothic]] [[nihilism]] of The Doors but relying almost exclusively on power chords, a bassier distortion and the narrative structures of progressive rock, they achieved almost immediate success both on the radio and in record stores.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginning of the use of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Judas Priest]], Motorhead, and [[Iron Maiden]]. The 1980s also gave rise to the American thrash metal movement with notable bands being [[Metallica]], [[Megadeth]], Anthrax, and Slayer.

==Criticism==

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, Heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Music]]

Heavy metal music

2008-01-25T21:27:32Z

Walker: these are not valid criticisms and the sources are mostly worthless and prove nothing, also the user who added the content was blocked for trolling

'''Heavy metal''' is a genre of rock music, characterized by its loudness and aggressiveness.
It emerged from bands like [[King Crimson]], [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], amid the [[society|social]] upheavals of the late 1960s. [[Rock and roll|Rock music]] was by then being recorded and [[marketing|marketed]] as a counterculture which opposed the normal and functional culture that was dominant in society, a marketing [[strategy]] which mirrored the developmental process of [[adolescent]]s, the main audience for rock music, who first reject the world of their parents, then once independent re-assess their own values, and finally rejoin society on the terms of these recreated values.

The first style of rock which grew from this was the loud, distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

The third strand of rock music was the emerging "dark rock" epitomized by [[The Doors]]. Where other rock bands had focused on love or peace, the Doors brought a [[Nietzsche]]-inspired morbid subconscious psychedelia to rock music, and were the origins of much of the neo-[[Romanticism]] which later bloomed into Heavy metal.

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed for loud forms of rock, which hybridized in the next decade and became the Heavy metal as recognized today.

Black Sabbath originally started out as an electric blues band named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name they changed it, inspired by a poster for the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie ''Black Sabbath''. Developing a new sound, drawing on the neo-[[Gothic]] [[nihilism]] of The Doors but relying almost exclusively on power chords, a bassier distortion and the narrative structures of progressive rock, they achieved almost immediate success both on the radio and in record stores.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginning of the use of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Judas Priest]], Motorhead, and [[Iron Maiden]].

==Criticism==

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, Heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Music]]

Heavy metal music

2008-01-25T21:22:07Z

Walker: /* 1980s */

'''Heavy metal''' is a genre of rock music, characterized by its loudness and aggressiveness.
It emerged from bands like [[King Crimson]], [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], amid the [[society|social]] upheavals of the late 1960s. [[Rock and roll|Rock music]] was by then being recorded and [[marketing|marketed]] as a counterculture which opposed the normal and functional culture that was dominant in society, a marketing [[strategy]] which mirrored the developmental process of [[adolescent]]s, the main audience for rock music, who first reject the world of their parents, then once independent re-assess their own values, and finally rejoin society on the terms of these recreated values.

The first style of rock which grew from this was the loud, distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

The third strand of rock music was the emerging "dark rock" epitomized by [[The Doors]]. Where other rock bands had focused on love or peace, the Doors brought a [[Nietzsche]]-inspired morbid subconscious psychedelia to rock music, and were the origins of much of the neo-[[Romanticism]] which later bloomed into Heavy metal.

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed for loud forms of rock, which hybridized in the next decade and became the Heavy metal as recognized today.

Black Sabbath originally started out as an electric blues band named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name they changed it, inspired by a poster for the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie ''Black Sabbath''. Developing a new sound, drawing on the neo-[[Gothic]] [[nihilism]] of The Doors but relying almost exclusively on power chords, a bassier distortion and the narrative structures of progressive rock, they achieved almost immediate success both on the radio and in record stores.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginning of the use of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Judas Priest]], Motorhead, and [[Iron Maiden]].

==Criticism==

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, Heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Music]]

Heavy metal music

2008-01-25T21:21:48Z

Walker: /* Criticism */

'''Heavy metal''' is a genre of rock music, characterized by its loudness and aggressiveness.
It emerged from bands like [[King Crimson]], [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], amid the [[society|social]] upheavals of the late 1960s. [[Rock and roll|Rock music]] was by then being recorded and [[marketing|marketed]] as a counterculture which opposed the normal and functional culture that was dominant in society, a marketing [[strategy]] which mirrored the developmental process of [[adolescent]]s, the main audience for rock music, who first reject the world of their parents, then once independent re-assess their own values, and finally rejoin society on the terms of these recreated values.

The first style of rock which grew from this was the loud, distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

The third strand of rock music was the emerging "dark rock" epitomized by [[The Doors]]. Where other rock bands had focused on love or peace, the Doors brought a [[Nietzsche]]-inspired morbid subconscious psychedelia to rock music, and were the origins of much of the neo-[[Romanticism]] which later bloomed into Heavy metal.

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed for loud forms of rock, which hybridized in the next decade and became the Heavy metal as recognized today.

Black Sabbath originally started out as an electric blues band named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name they changed it, inspired by a poster for the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie ''Black Sabbath''. Developing a new sound, drawing on the neo-[[Gothic]] [[nihilism]] of The Doors but relying almost exclusively on power chords, a bassier distortion and the narrative structures of progressive rock, they achieved almost immediate success both on the radio and in record stores.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginning of the use of Satanic imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar|guitarist]] Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured boa constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the early 1970s three British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Iron Maiden.

==Criticism==

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society. <ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band '''Steppenwolf''' in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> ''Born To Be Wild'', which contained the line: "I like smoke and lightning, Heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133290 ISBN-13: 978-0802133298</ref> which contained a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, he used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN-10: 0802133304 ISBN-13: 978-0802133304 </ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Music]]

Talk:Heavy metal music

2008-01-18T20:30:31Z

Walker: /* Suicide */

== Christianity? ==
I find the statement on Christianity to be rather inaccurate. While I understand this is a conservative encyclopedia, that is no excuse for fallacies. Many metalheads and musicians are openly Christian, such as Dave Mustaine and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth, Jack Owen, and Tom Araya of Slayer. I believe a more accurate statement would be that Anti-Christian sentiments are quite prevalent in extreme metal music. There is also a strong Christian Metal Subgenre, see bands such as As I Lay Dying, Believer, and Stryper. I shall change the statements to be more accurate and less condemning. [[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 16:25, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

I wouldn't even say that Anti-Christian sentiments are quite prevalent at all. I listen to metal music, and sure some of it is about death and killing and things like that, but I wouldn't say it's Anti-Christian. Some metal music includes themes that are similar to many popular songs of other genres, just in a different form. --[[User:ALFa|ALFa]] 16:33, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

That's primarily what I hoped to get across, I suppose the term "present" is more accurate. I consider the music to show, when it discusses Satan, a Christian perception of the being. What I meant to say was that the only genre, to my knowledge, that contains overtly anti-Christian themes would be death metal or black metal, and even there it is somewhat rare. I think many mainstream Christians misconstrue the disrespect for organized religion (i.e, a church, pastors, or priests.) for being Anti-Christian. They are not one in the same, as to not believe in church is not the same as not believing in god. I'll change it to be more accurate.[[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 18:07, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

As a metal fan (who's wearing a Dream Theater shirt right now), I think that the Satan reference was ridiculous. I took it right out. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 18:08, 20 March 2007 (EDT)
:Agreed, i thought of it as inappropriate as well, but since it referenced it as the opinions of conservatives, I left it. Dream Theater! Another openly Christian metal band (though not in the Christian metal genre). I have a few more changes to make on the article, you left a slight typo! I forgive you! [[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 18:13, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

Actually, creating this article in the way I did was almost a joke; this is indeed a conservative encyclopedia -- so I used those particular statements to be, in a way, on the extreme of what some people might think. Don't take it the wrong way. Plus, the username I chose might have tipped people off: I really don't know much in the way of creating encyclopedia articles, so I left things vague and unopinionated (my opinions, anyway). I am actually a metal fan who laughed at the article, not believing in what I was typing. Then again, some of the more extreme Black metal bands do reference Satan in non-metaphorical terms. But most of those bands are without actual substance and therefore suck. [[User:N00b|N00b]] 09:01, 21 March 2007 (EDT)
:Yes, and I know only two people that worship the devil, as a god, in metal music of any form: Glen Benton, and Oystein Aarseth (Aka Euronymous), both extremists not to be considered the standard of a heavy-metaller.[[User:Mustaine12390|Mustaine12390]] 17:39, 21 March 2007 (EDT)

It's hard to prove that anyone is actually "worshiping Satan". Let's not fall into that trap. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:30, 29 December 2007 (EST)

==Link==
Is that parody..? Linking to a cliched, comedic-parody of a heavy metal band in order to illustrate the article? [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 19:34, 29 December 2007 (EST)
:I was just about to say the same thing. Spinal tap was a fictionalized parody of a metal band. (And a darn good band, if I do say so myself, and I do). [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:37, 29 December 2007 (EST)

::The movie [[Spinal Tap]] was a comedy; I'd like to write about its director, who made a few similar movies like [[A Mighty Wind]] (satirizing folk music performers). --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 20:28, 29 December 2007 (EST)
:::Rob Reiner directed "This Is Spinal Tap", but it was Christopher Guest who directed "A Mighty Wind". Guest wrote/co-wrote both of them though. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 20:34, 29 December 2007 (EST)

::::You are devilishly clever, my friend! ;-) --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 20:48, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::::Guest is quite an interesting subject for a bio, even without touching on his works - Jewish American British nobleman... Quite a mix. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 20:50, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==Spirituality and etiquette==

Let's tread carefully while describing the delicate issue of [[spirituality]] of metal bands. Some have exploited satanic imagery, to be sure, but their proportion might be less than 99%.

Mass reverts aren't good form. Just change one section at a time, please. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 13:23, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:As someone who is fairly knowledgable about heavy metal, I actually agree with Walker in that I've never heard the term Satan's Fire Metal. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 13:27, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==State of the Article==
In it's current condition this article is a joke to anyone who knows anything about metal. 99.9 percent of bands that have pyrotechnics are not trying to recreate hell. Also "the horns" are more often just a sign for metal and unity amongst metalheads and are not done to look like satan or praise satan. It isn't even limited to metal you will see it at even country and boy band shows or how about a Texas Longhorns football game? The song meanings are ridiculous, Go To Hell is about someone that is damned to hell, it is not promoting satanism. It was written for the Bill and Teds Bogus Journey movie where the charecters go to hell. Take no prisioners is about military warfare. The song references Normandy and Panzers so it was probably inspired by D-Day, it is not promoting violence anymore than Saving Private Ryan. Suicide Sollution is about how abusing drugs and alcohol to solve your problems is a "suicide" sollution. Fade to Black is about losing the will to carry on, and was inspired by the bands equipment being stolen, it can be interpreted as a suicide song but even then how is it glamorized? Also why was the referenced content about Christians in non Christian bands removed? All the unreferenced stuff on this page should be removed before that was.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 13:51, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:The idea of "Christian" metal strikes me as utterly proposterous. Just like the idea of African Klu Klux Klan members or Jewish Nazis is utterly proposterous. Quit trying to make Heavy Metal music into something that it is not. You've made various attempts to censor the material here or downplay Metal's dangerous nature, but it's not going to work. Maybe you'd feel more at home at Wikipedia. Your attempts to disassociate Metal with Satanism are pathetic. That's like saying you're a Ku Klux Klan member but you're not into the whole discrimination thing.. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

::Jose calm down. Metal is a style of music, not a way of thinking. There is absolutely no contridiction with someone using a certain style of music to promote ''any'' message -- good ''or'' bad. You should check out some Christian metal. A youth Christian musical concert (Ichthus) often features metal bands -- one of their tents is dedicated entirely towards "heavier" music. I also personally know the manager of a Christian metal band. He is old friends with my youth pastor at church and I've done some work with him. He is an intense Christian and his music is... well, rather intense. So please take a chill pill and open your mind to other possibilities.
::Think about it this way: even if metal ''were'' "satanist--dominated" (which I don't think it is), wouldn't that therefore be the best place for a Christian band? Jesus hanged out with prostitutes and beggars, remember. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 15:17, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::There's even Christian rap, which uses the rapid-fire half-spoken style of [[hip hop]] to convey the pro-woman, anti-violence message of Jesus and salvation. My favorite "heavenly metal" group is [[The Ancestors]]. And there's always [[Stryper]] ("by his stripes we were healed"). --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 15:26, 31 December 2007 (EST)

First of all, I do not agree with what any of you have posted. However, perhaps I shall listen to some of this "Christian" metal and "Christian" rap. There might be a small chance that I am wrong. I was wrong about Spinal tap. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:This music.. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huod7HJe4BM]] It's disgusting. I'm going to have to disagree with all those who support "Christian" metal. This just doesn't sound very Christian to me.. First of all, it's too loud and violent sounding and the screaming sounds very demonic. Even if there are pro-Christian lyrics in the songs it's impossible to tell because the screaming is incomprehensible. The choice of intervals strikes me as interesting.. Very evil sounding. Please listen and tell me what you think.. I really don't get it. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

::It obviously wasn't designed with you in mind. I don't hear anything "evil", except that you automatically associate the genre with evil, which is a circular argument. I don't hear any "evil-sounding intervals" either. Try looking up some lyrics before you base Christianity on how a group decides to play the guitar. Here's one called [http://lyrics.christiansunite.com/lyrics_1134_7.shtml If I Die] by Stryper. ("Living was hard /And loneliness easily justified / Oh, then I found You / Ooh, I suddenly knew / What I wanted to do was to make You satisfied / And not to die for selfish pleasure / But to live with You by my side"). It's not as heavy musically (here's a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIFOsQd34qE Youtube vid] -- ignore the visuals though), but still considered "metal" I would think.

::I did some searching, and here's the lyrics from one of the songs in the video you found [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=8734]. Check out the description at the bottom: "True hope should only be placed in Christ, and no man. Christ will never fail you...".

::This isn't your mom's Christian music! But that doesn't make it wrong. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:00, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::Would this qualify as metal? I could actually see myself listening to something like this. It's melodic, and the singing is clean and clear. Thanks.. This is inspiring. But I don't think it's heavy metal. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
::::That's why I found the other lyrics for you. [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=8734 These] are lyrics from that Youtube video you disagreed with. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:24, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::::Well Jose all of what you are saying is your own personal opinion. How is it to loud? Any music can be to loud, if that is a problem turn the volume down. Different people have different tastes, just because you don't like a style of music doesn't make it "evil". Besides the bible instructs us to "Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise" (Psalm 33:3). God is infinitely bigger than your music tastes. Also many styles of metal have very easily comprehensable lyrics and so what if they aren't comprehensible? Does that make it wrong? If you don't like it thats fine, but it doesn't give you the right to try and demonize something just because it doesn't appeal to your personal tastes.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:14, 31 December 2007 (EST)

I highly doubt Jesus would have "rocked out" to this garbage. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:I think if you feel that the music is "garbage" then we should find someone with a more neutral attitude to edit it, no? I'm not saying you shouldn't edit, but I would think hard about if you are the appropriate one. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:24, 31 December 2007 (EST)
:How do you know God's musical tastes?--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:26, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::God is absolutely Holy, therefore he wouldn't indulge in music with satanic connotation. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:::Could you be a little more specific as to what you mean by "satanic connotation".--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:39, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::::A lot of heavy metal is inspired by Satan and the occult. This definitely would not cater to God's taste. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:::::Jesus hanged (hung? I never get that right) out with sinners, beggars and prostitutes. If this music really is as evil as you say, shouldn't Christians get in there to converted these supposed evildoers? [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:48, 31 December 2007 (EST)
:::::Many books are inspired by Satan and the occult, does that mean all books are against God?--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 19:49, 31 December 2007 (EST)

Jesus would have discouraged the prostitutes from whoring themselves and they would have discouraged these bands from playing the music they are playing. He wouldn't encourage more Christians to become prostitutes or play heavy metal. A certain category of books are inspired by satan and the occult and all within that category are against god, just like how heavy metal is a certain genre of music which is against god. Not all music is against god. True heavy metal is. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:Well I guess we know that these artists aren't Jesus himself then. It doesn't mean they aren't Christian, however. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:23, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::Jesus hung out with drunks and whores, I guess, him being so tolerant and all. But he also is famous for telling the adulterous woman to "go and sin no more".

::My impression of metal is that it invokes a lot of nasty symbols: devils, long tongues, gloomy or morbid lyrics, etc. Within the genre I'm sure there are a handful of Christian groups like [[Stryper]] (which I wrote, hint hint!) who I suppose decided to "move into the neighborhood" and seek converts among metalheads. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 21:17, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==Question==
How does linking to lyrics prove the song is "promoting" satanism.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:01, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:It doesn't. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 21:03, 31 December 2007 (EST)

::Funny the Fade to Black reference actually say the opposite of what is stated in the article.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:11, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:Clearly you and ''Jose'' disagree on many aspects of this genre of music. I suggest you '''add''' everything you want, while letting him do the same. I'll check back from time to time and see if I can integrate your work and his. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 21:12, 31 December 2007 (EST)

==Stop==
The article has seen plenty of edits going on, with no real improvement to its state. I can see both sides of the argument, but unless Walker and Jose83 can start to learn to work together, then we're just going to end up with a bigger pile of cowcake than when we started. The article is dire right now, and frankly the best thing is for you two to step away from it for a day and work out what you want to say in it, get together your references, then we'll take it from there. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 21:40, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:I was following Ed Poor's instruction from above. I wasn't changing his edits.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:41, 31 December 2007 (EST)
::I'm not apportioning any kind of blame. And Ed's advice is good, excepting for the fact that the article is now a scab to both of you and you can't resist picking it. Leave it until tomorrow, it will be unlocked in about 12 hours, and we can try to put together a '''coherent''' article presenting the facts as we know them, instead of a point/counterpoint list of grievances. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 21:44, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:::==Dial-the-Truth-Ministries==
:::The Dial-the-Truth-Ministry is a controversial religious group that is part of King James Only Movement. One of the main goals of the group is to denounce the evil that they believe Christian metal or rock music is. The group believes that any form of music with a beat is evil. <ref>[http://www.av1611.org/ Dial-the-Truth-Ministries]</ref> Ted Kirkpatrick, the drummer for the Christian metal band Tourniquet stated the following about the groups website, ''"This site is so full of inaccuracies, so devoid of sound Biblical principles, and uses such twisted logic, that some have emailed us asking if it was done as a joke."''<ref>http://www.tourniquet.net/faq/</ref>

:::I added the above here since the article is locked so I can move it to the article when it is unlocked.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 21:47, 31 December 2007 (EST)

:... this article needs to be a collaboration, not a rant, from both sides. Content: I'm working on adding some history and the "technicalities" of what HM is ("neutral to the facts"), and then the more controversial aspects can be worked in by you guys. As I said it would be, it's unprotected, but that doesn't mean you should just come along and edit in tiny soundbites. Try to edit cohesively, so that the article doesn't just resemble the transcript of two guys shouting each other down :) [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 08:32, 1 January 2008 (EST)

There needs to be SOME mention of Satanism in the article. Neglecting to do so is just plain irresponsible. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:Try concentrating on an explanation of why some people believe there are Satanic elements in heavy metal. What satanic themes do they find in it? Imagery, lyrics? Be specific and provide references.

:If your work is being reverted, then create a user subpage like [[User:Jose83/metal]]. No one is allowed to edit there but you. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:02, 1 January 2008 (EST)

Imagery of certain metal bands definitely attempt to make Satan appear "cool".
*[[http://www.teens411.com/newspics/mudvayne.jpg Mudvayne picture]] The guy actually looks like the Devil!
*[[http://static.metal-archives.com/images/3/9/4/394.jpg Countless]]
*[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Iron_Maiden-Dance_of_Death.jpg Iron Maiden]]
*[[http://www.mystrands.com/photos/1/4/5/normal/14556.jpg Covers]]
*[[http://www.av1611.org/rock.html]] And lyrics of many metal songs clearly convey an Anti-Christian/Satanic message.

We need to give an honest depiction of what this music is instead of trying to make it out to be wholesome Christian music like Walker is trying to do. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:You're preaching to the choir. Those are good links. Now do some writing. Don't worry about reverts; Fox and I can resurrect anything that gets killed. (Oops, am I getting arrogant?) --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:30, 1 January 2008 (EST)

::Instances of individual Satanic metal bands should only be used to argue against those bands being good, not just the whole genre. Should we argue that all movies of a certain genre are bad just because a few are rated R and point out instances of nudity and profanity in those movies? It's a logical fallacy. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:00, 1 January 2008 (EST)

==Suicide==

:suicide is the only way out

Is Ozzy quoting what the lad says to rebut it? Or is he promoting [[suicide]]? Perhaps it is this kind of ambiguity that makes parents and educators worry that metal is bad for kids. It's a far cry from, "Come and play / everything's A-OK" or "I love you / You love me". --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:07, 1 January 2008 (EST)

::Is the Scripture that follows promoting suicide? "Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him." (1 Samuel 31:4-5) "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (1 Kings 19:4 ) You have to put that line back into the context of the song, which is quite plainly about alcohol abuse, about how it is nothing glamorous, just a slow suicide for the alcoholic. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 18:25, 1 January 2008 (EST)

Jolly good. So let's point out that '''not all''' references to suicide in heavy metal music are intended to glorify it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:32, 1 January 2008 (EST)

:::Fact is you probaably can't find one example of a band '''glorifying''' suicide. Why would any band glorify suicide? If they are in the buisness of selling albums and filling the seats at concerts why would they want their fans to kill themselves? --[[User:Walker|Walker]] 15:30, 18 January 2008 (EST)

==Links==
*http://www.thetruthforyouth.com/standard/main.htm - rock music
*http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Rock-n-Roll/satanic_quotes.htm
*http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Rock-n-Roll/nature.htm

== Christian metal is not evil ==

It is preposterous to say that all Christian metal is evil. Every claim is based upon specific instances of evil in secular metal, and thus not a valid comparison. This site defends Christian metal against every argument that groups like Dial-the-Truth can come up with: http://www.mindspring.com/~brucec/craindex.htm [[User:DanH|DanH]] 22:59, 1 January 2008 (EST)

:Yes this is quite obvious and wow that site is wonderful. This site here http://www.metalforjesus.org/friorfoe.html is also pretty good although it doesn't contain nearly as much information. I'd also like to point out that although there are secular acts that promote immorality and blaspheme and stuff like that, many of them do not. First of all just because a song is about something does not mean a band is advocating or promoting it. Oftentimes they are just telling a story for entertainment value and they often use satire. There are many different styles of metal and many of them have totally different common lyrical themes. These links Jose is posting are laughable. I'd also like to know how Jose knows what Satan physically looks like. According to one of the links, apparently when Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden told Hit Parader magazine that, "We can play with conviction every night, because we totally believe in the music we're performing." That means that he is a satanist. Also what does posting links of album covers prove. If you want to find viable criticisms of heavy metal that aren't going to make this article into one of the jokes of conservapedia you might want to stay away from using Terry Watkins as a source.--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 22:25, 2 January 2008 (EST)

::So you admit there are many Metal bands to promote immorality and blasphemy.. We have progress! If an Artist makes a song about "Killing 'em all" they don't need to openly promote it as a band to promote it because the song is already out there and young impressionable children are already being brainwashed and programmed. And you can also play dumb and and pretend that the guy from Mudvayne isn't trying to look like Satan but he looks exactly how popular culture has made him out to look like. Iron Maiden heavily relies on demonic images to sell-out concerts and sell albums. This is especially prevelant on their album covers where the marketing of a demon-like mascot is irrefutable. Do you listen to these bands, Walker? -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

Iron Maiden isn't a good influence. They had a song called "Number of the Beast". Nobody's saying that Iron Maiden is a good band. The issue here is Christian metal bands, who tend not to have songs like that. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:56, 2 January 2008 (EST)

:Sorry another point I am trying to make is that much of secular metal does not stand as a polar opposite to Christian metal as well--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 00:13, 3 January 2008 (EST)

:I'll concede that Christian Heavy Metal may not be ''evil'', but I think their Artists have selected the wrong medium in which to praise Jesus. I have not made any claims of Christian Metal being evil in the revised article. However, I will not write anything positive about it either. I shall leave that to you, Fox, or Walker. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]

:I never denied that there weren't bands who did, you made the claim that either most or all bands do, which simply is not true. Also a question, if something is a medium that means it is neither right or wrong, so why is it wrong?--[[User:Walker|Walker]] 00:15, 3 January 2008 (EST)

::A medium is not inherently neutral. All heavy metal is aggressive and violent so it incites aggressive, violent behavior in the listener. My former friend was in a car wreck because the music he was listening to {System of a Down} caused him to drive irresponsibly. Also, just read the news. Riots at heavy metal concerts are the norm. There is no denying that Rock music in general evokes aggressive feelings in the listener. I just don't believe that these feelings should be evoked while praising Jesus. -- [[User:Jose83|Jose83]]
:::Stop making generalizations. [[Image:User Fox.png|10px]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 14:21, 3 January 2008 (EST)
:::Your friend was in a car wreck because he's a reckless driver. - [[User:JasonAQuest|JasonAQuest]] 23:41, 3 January 2008 (EST)
Yes I admited there are some bands that blaspheme and promote immorality, you can find people that do that in pretty much every area of life so what is your point? That doesn't mean all of it is like that. There is no song called Killing Em All that I know of. I don't like Mudvayne but suppoesadly they are trying to look like aliens from a fictional story that they created and base there albums on. Well if you examine the lyrics of the song "Number of the Beast" which actually opens with a reading from the bible. The song is just a story about a guy who is trying to get away from a satanic cult and ultimately is unable to escape them. Apparently it was based on a nightmare Steve Harris had after seeing one of The Omen movies. Eddie is just a cartoon masscot and he is something different on pretty much every album cover. I've always thought of him as some sort of B horror movie type of zombie rather than a demon and by the logic you present I suppose the New Jersey Devils are also relying on satanism to promote their hockey team and Hot Tamales candies and other various hot sauce companies are doing the same? --[[User:Walker|Walker]] 00:12, 3 January 2008 (EST)

Megadeth

2008-01-17T20:07:02Z

Walker: update

'''Megadeth''' is an American [[thrash metal]]/[[heavy metal]] band. The band was formed in 1983 by former [[Metallica]] guitarist [[Dave Mustaine]].<ref>[http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=MEGADETH&sql=11:jifixqe5ldfe~T1 Biography as All Music Guide]</ref>

==Current lineup==
*Dave Mustaine (guitars and vocals)
*Chris Broderick (guitars)
*Shawn Drover (drums)
*James LoMenzo (bass)

==Discography==
*''Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!'' (1985)
*''Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?'' (1986)
*''So Far, So Good... So What!'' (1988)
*''Rust In Peace'' (1990)
*''Countdown to Extinction'' (1992)
*''Youthanasia'' (1994)
*''Cryptic Writings'' (1997)
*''Risk'' (1999)
*''The World Needs a Hero'' (2001)
*''The System Has Failed'' (2004)
*''United Abominations'' (2007)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.megadeth.com/ Official Megadeth Website]

[[Category:Bands]]

Mixed drink

2008-01-17T20:01:22Z

Walker: Redirecting to Cocktail

#REDIRECT [[Cocktail]]

Mixed drink

2008-01-17T20:00:29Z

Walker: New page: #REDEIRECT Cocktail

#REDEIRECT [[Cocktail]]

Kamikaze (drink)

2008-01-17T20:00:10Z

Walker:

A '''kamikaze''' is a tart alcoholic [[mixed drink]] made with [[vodka]], triple sec, and [[lime]] juice.
[[Category:Alcoholic Beverages]]

Megadeth

2008-01-10T20:15:58Z

Walker: New page: '''Megadeth''' is an American thrash metal/heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1983 by former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine.<ref>[http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.d...

'''Megadeth''' is an American [[thrash metal]]/[[heavy metal]] band. The band was formed in 1983 by former [[Metallica]] guitarist [[Dave Mustaine]].<ref>[http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=MEGADETH&sql=11:jifixqe5ldfe~T1 Biography as All Music Guide]</ref>

==Current lineup==
*Dave Mustaine (guitars and vocals)
*Glen Drover (guitars)
*Shawn Drover (drums)
*James LoMenzo (bass)

==Discography==
*''Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!'' (1985)
*''Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?'' (1986)
*''So Far, So Good... So What!'' (1988)
*''Rust In Peace'' (1990)
*''Countdown to Extinction'' (1992)
*''Youthanasia'' (1994)
*''Cryptic Writings'' (1997)
*''Risk'' (1999)
*''The World Needs a Hero'' (2001)
*''The System Has Failed'' (2004)
*''United Abominations'' (2007)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.megadeth.com/ Official Megadeth Website]

[[Category:Bands]]

Metallica

2008-01-10T20:05:18Z

Walker: /* Discography */

'''Metallica''' is an American [[thrash metal]]/[[heavy metal]] band known for establishing the thrash metal genre along with [[Slayer]], [[Megadeth]], and [[Anthrax]] known as the "Big Four." First formed in 1981, in Los Angeles by James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich<ref>http://www.metallica.com/Band/history.asp</ref>, they have become one of the most popular in-concert bands while selling about 90 million total records.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artist/2q8c/</ref>

They have released a total of eight studio albums, the most well known being Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and Metallica and plan to release a ninth in February, 2008<ref>http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=14828</ref>

The band has come under heavy controversy after their campaign to sue their fans who shared their music on Napster.

==Curent lineup==
*James Hetfield (guitars and vocals)
*Lars Ulrich (drums)
*Kirk Hammett (guitars)
*Robert Trujillo (bass)

==Discography==
*''Kill 'Em All'' (1983)
*''Ride the Lightning'' (1984)
*''Master of Puppets'' (1986)
*''...And Justice for All'' (1988)
*''Metallica'' (1991)
*''Load'' (1996)
*''ReLoad'' (1997)
*''St. Anger'' (2003)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.metallica.com/ Official Metallica Website]

[[Category:Bands]]

Metallica

2008-01-10T20:05:05Z

Walker:

'''Metallica''' is an American [[thrash metal]]/[[heavy metal]] band known for establishing the thrash metal genre along with [[Slayer]], [[Megadeth]], and [[Anthrax]] known as the "Big Four." First formed in 1981, in Los Angeles by James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich<ref>http://www.metallica.com/Band/history.asp</ref>, they have become one of the most popular in-concert bands while selling about 90 million total records.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artist/2q8c/</ref>

They have released a total of eight studio albums, the most well known being Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and Metallica and plan to release a ninth in February, 2008<ref>http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=14828</ref>

The band has come under heavy controversy after their campaign to sue their fans who shared their music on Napster.

==Curent lineup==
*James Hetfield (guitars and vocals)
*Lars Ulrich (drums)
*Kirk Hammett (guitars)
*Robert Trujillo (bass)

==Discography==
*''Kill 'Em All'' (1983)
*''Ride the Lightning'' (1984)
*''Master of Puppets'' (1986)
*''...And Justice for All'' (1988)
*''Metallica (album)|Metallica'' (1991)
*''Load'' (1996)
*''ReLoad'' (1997)
*''St. Anger'' (2003)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.metallica.com/ Official Metallica Website]

[[Category:Bands]]

Will Smith

2008-01-10T03:11:29Z

Walker:

'''Will Smith''' (b. September 25, 1968) is a famous American [[actor]] and [[musician]]. From 1990 to 1996 he was the star of the popular television show ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]''. He has also enjoyed success as a [[hip hop]] artist and has starred in many blockbuster [[films]].

[[Category: Actors]]
[[Category:Musicians]]

Will Smith

2008-01-10T03:11:17Z

Walker:

'''Will Smith''' (b. September 25, 1968) is a famous American [[actor]] and [[musician]]. From 1990 to 1996 he was the star of the popular television show ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]''. He has also enjoyed success as a [[hip hop]] artist and has starred in many blockbuster films.

[[Category: Actors]]
[[Category:Musicians]]

Will Smith

2008-01-10T03:10:40Z

Walker: New page: '''Will Smith''' (b. September 25, 1968) is a famous American actor and musician. From 1990 to 1996 he was the star of the popular television show ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...

'''Will Smith''' (b. September 25, 1968) is a famous American [[actor]] and [[musician]]. From 1990 to 1996 he was the star of the popular television show ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]''. He has also enjoyed success as a [[hip-hop]] artist and has starred in many blockbuster films.

[[Category: Actors]]
[[Category:Musicians]]

Matt Damon

2008-01-10T02:58:35Z

Walker: the article doesn't explain this

'''Matt Damon''' (b. October 8, 1970) is a [[American]] actor known for his role in films such as ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'' and ''[[The Bourne Identity]]'' series. He and his friend [[Ben Affleck]] got their starts after they were allowed to act in the movie ''Good Will Hunting'', written by Damon.

==External Links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000354/bio IMDB biography]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damon, Matt}}

[[Category:Actors]]

Affirmative Action

2008-01-10T02:35:03Z

Walker: should these be bold?

'''Affirmative action''' refers to policies proposed as intended remedies for the historical effects of race or sex discrimination. This is commonly done by giving an individual a preference or advantage based their [[race]], ethnic background, or [[gender]]. [[Quotas]] are an extreme form of affirmative action.

The original concept of affirmative action, when introduced by the [[President Johnson|Johnson]] administration, was that it is desirable to not merely act on non-discrimination passively (i.e., saying "this job is open to any applicant", but then making no efforts to find minority applicants), but should also be done ''affirmatively'', by taking definite actions to find applicants from minorities.

This would be, in its way, admirable. However, in current use, affirmative action goes beyond this, often mandating the use of quotas for setting aside jobs or a portion of college entrance positions for each minority (including also some "minorities" which are actually majorities). In effect, this means selecting applicants by the color of their skin, precisely what the original concept of non-discrimination forbids. This is sometimes called "reverse discrimination," although this term is rather contradictory - discrimination remains discrimination.

''[[Regents v. Bakke]]'' effectively outlawed [[quotas]] but allowed affirmative action as long as there are considerations other than race. This is sometimes called reverse discrimination.

[[Dinesh D'Souza]] wrote:
{{cquote|Many whites have become increasingly scornful of black demands, and vehemently reject racial preferences. Most blacks, by contrast, support affirmative action as indispensable to fighting the enduring effects of white racism.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/endofrac.htm The End of Racism: The White Man's Burden by Dinesh D'Souza]</ref>}}

On August 28, 2007 the United States Commission on Civil Rights released a report that determined that affirmative action can be harmful to minority law school students due to the fact that many students admitted through affirmative action programs are unprepared and are thus being set up for failure.<ref>[http://www.usccr.gov/press/2007/AALS82807.pdf U.S. Civil Rights Commission Warns That Affirmative Action Might Harm Minority Law Students]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Affirmative Action]]

Affirmative Action

2008-01-10T02:34:31Z

Walker:

'''Affirmative action''' refers to policies proposed as intended remedies for the historical effects of race or sex discrimination. This is commonly done by giving an individual a preference or advantage based their [[race]], ethnic background, or [[gender]]. [[Quotas]] are an extreme form of '''affirmative action'''.

The original concept of affirmative action, when introduced by the [[President Johnson|Johnson]] administration, was that it is desirable to not merely act on non-discrimination passively (i.e., saying "this job is open to any applicant", but then making no efforts to find minority applicants), but should also be done ''affirmatively'', by taking definite actions to find applicants from minorities.

This would be, in its way, admirable. However, in current use, affirmative action goes beyond this, often mandating the use of quotas for setting aside jobs or a portion of college entrance positions for each minority (including also some "minorities" which are actually majorities). In effect, this means selecting applicants by the color of their skin, precisely what the original concept of non-discrimination forbids. This is sometimes called "reverse discrimination," although this term is rather contradictory - discrimination remains discrimination.

''[[Regents v. Bakke]]'' effectively outlawed [[quotas]] but allowed '''affirmative action''' as long as there are considerations other than race. This is sometimes called reverse discrimination.

[[Dinesh D'Souza]] wrote:
{{cquote|Many whites have become increasingly scornful of black demands, and vehemently reject racial preferences. Most blacks, by contrast, support affirmative action as indispensable to fighting the enduring effects of white racism.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/endofrac.htm The End of Racism: The White Man's Burden by Dinesh D'Souza]</ref>}}

On August 28, 2007 the United States Commission on Civil Rights released a report that determined that affirmative action can be harmful to minority law school students due to the fact that many students admitted through affirmative action programs are unprepared and are thus being set up for failure.<ref>[http://www.usccr.gov/press/2007/AALS82807.pdf U.S. Civil Rights Commission Warns That Affirmative Action Might Harm Minority Law Students]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Affirmative Action]]

Jägermeister

2008-01-10T02:31:19Z

Walker:

'''Jägermeister''' is a seventy proof [[German]] fruit flavored [[liqueur]] that is infused with herbs and is the most popular imported German liqueur. Jägermeister has been in production since 1934 and it's ingredients contain a mixture of 56 roots, barks, blossoms and herbs including cinammon from [[Sri Lanka]], bitter oranges from [[Australia]], ginger roots from [[South Asia]] and saffron from [[Spain]]. All of the other ingredients are kept secret by the company. The drink is meant to be kept on ice and served cold. The taste of the drink is similar to that of [[licorice]] and it is popular in many different [[cocktails]].<ref>[http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-jagermeister.htm What is Jägermeister?]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
[http://www.jagermeister.com/welcome/welcome.com.aspx Official Jägermeister website]

[[Category:Alcoholic Beverages]]