https://conservapedia.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Americanway&feedformat=atomConservapedia - User contributions [en]2024-03-19T06:00:34ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.24.2https://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Stephen_Colbert&diff=1166702Stephen Colbert2015-07-26T20:42:04Z<p>Americanway: remove vandalism</p>
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<div>[[File:Stephencolbert2.jpg|thumb|Colbert performing a bit on ''The Daily Show'']]<br />
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'''Stephen Colbert''' is a writer, a comedian, and an actor. Colbert is [[Catholic]], an erstwhile Sunday school teacher,<ref>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/07/13/ask-tv-squad-stephen-colbert-teaches-sundayschool/</ref> and a self-proclaimed [[liberal]] [[Democrat]]. <ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jon_stewart_stephen_colbert_americas_anchors/page/4 Rolling Stone Interview, Oct 31, 2006</ref> He is scheduled to replace David Letterman as the host of CBS's late night program.<br />
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His first show, ''The Colbert Report'', gained credibility by featuring ''Conservapedia'' on December 8, 2009, including an interview of Andy Schlafly in his studio.<ref>{{cite episode<br />
| title = The Colbert Report (December 8, 2009 episode)<br />
| series = The Colbert Report<br />
| serieslink = The Colbert Report<br />
| airdate = 2009-12-08<br />
| url = http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258144/december-08-2009/andy-schlafly}}</ref> Apparently pleased with the popularity and quality of the segment, Colbert selected and featured the same episode as a subsequent rerun. The show had previously mentioned ''Conservapedia'' on prior occasions.<ref>{{cite episode<br />
| title = The Colbert Report (October 7, 2009 episode)<br />
| series = The Colbert Report<br />
| serieslink = The Colbert Report<br />
| airdate = 2009-10-07<br />
| url = http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/251994/october-07-2009/tip-wag---conservapedia--louvre---honda-unicycle}}</ref> Some Colbert fans responded to the references to ''Conservapedia'' by attempting to vandalize the site.<ref>[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Stephen_Colbert&diff=709438&oldid=709432 Example of vandalism on the Stephen Colbert article]</ref><ref>[http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Genesis_1-8_%28Translated%29&diff=prev&oldid=709520 Example of vandalism on the Genesis 1-8 page of the Conservative Bible Project]</ref> <br />
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Colbert began his career at [[Comedy Central]] in the year 2000 on the show ''Strangers with Candy''. He later left in order to become a correspondent on ''[[The Daily Show|The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'', where he began to build what would later be the character he would play on ''The Colbert Report''. He was well-regarded on the show and occasionally guest-hosted for Stewart.<br />
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Due to his work on ''The Daily Show'', he won three [[Emmy Awards]] and two [[Peabody Awards]] along with the other writers.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0170306/awards IMDB List of Stephen Colbert Awards </ref> <ref>http://128.192.29.189/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=151 List of 2007 Peabody Award Winners</ref> <br />
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On October 21, 2008, [[Patrick Henry College]] chancellor, [[Michael Farris]], presented Colbert with the honorary title of Arbiter of American Morality and Defender of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/2f3tuj/michael-farris|title=The Colbert Report: Michael Farris|date=October 21, 2008|accessdate=January 8, 2015}}</ref><br />
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''The Colbert Report'' ended on December 18, 2014 as Colbert will be replacing David Letterman as the host of the ''Late Show'' on CBS beginning September 8, 2015. Colbert will host the show as himself and the Colbert character will presumably be retired with the end of the ''Report''.<br />
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==''The Colbert Report''==<br />
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'''''The Colbert Report''''' (pronounced Col-'''bear''' Re-'''pore''') was a late night satirical program hosted by liberal Christian Stephen Colbert on [[Comedy Central]]. The show was hosted by the character Stephen Colbert, a news anchor who makes many of his jokes [[parody]]ing [[conservative]]s and [[conservative values]]. It first aired on October 17, 2005 as an spinoff of ''[[The Daily Show]]''. Stone Phillips was the first guest.<ref>http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/full-episodes/jnv7om/october-17--2005---stone-phillips Retrieved December 24, 2014.</ref><br />
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Colbert played a character who shares his name. Colbert's character was a liberal stereotype of a conservative pundit, particularly a mockery of Fox News host [[Bill O'Reilly]] and ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]''. Colbert has a guest every episode on the last segment, including authors, activists, and occasionally politicians and political personalities. He has said that his personality was based on O'Reilly, [[Anderson Cooper]], and [[Geraldo Rivera|Geraldo]].<br />
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Colbert's interviews were short and almost never serious, where Colbert's character often jokes around and never to the point, making often unrelated jokes and random obvious fallacies.<br />
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Colbert was famous for coining words, most notably ''truthiness'', which states facts are meaningless and one should trust his gut, which was coined to mock conservatives by saying they are unintelligent or unlearned. <br />
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Colbert has also used the show to condone vandalism on [[Wikipedia]] and [[Conservapedia]] on several occasions.<br />
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A book, ''I Am America (And So Can You!)'' was written by Colbert and his writers in the persona of his character in which conservative values are mocked, and the book is extension of Colbert's character.<br />
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A ''Better Know a District'' segment of ''The Report'' had Colbert interview a congressman on the show, and Colbert has had a disproportionate showing by party, having significantly more [[Democrat]]s than [[Republican]]s on the show. The interviews, which are pre-recorded, are later edited to cast the interviewee in a poor light. For example, a congressman's answer to a question might be made to appear as though in reply to a totally different question, making the answer, and by extension the congressman, appear ridiculous, immoral, biased or ignorant. Another technique used in these interviews is Colbert's asking of loaded questions, such as his famous "George Bush- great president or ''the greatest'' president?"<br />
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''The Colbert Report'' had a following which the Colbert character often used for his various pranks. For example, in every public vote for naming something, Colbert urges his fans to vote for him. He also leads frivolous wiki-vandalizing campaigns, having requested viewers vandalize Wikipedia several times and Conservapedia (see Relationship with Conservapedia section later in the article).<br />
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In his recurring segment "The Wørd", which is a parody of O'Reilly's "Talking Points", Colbert coined the word [[truthiness]] on the show's pilot, which refers to the quality possessed by statements which, though factually false, are repeated by supporters who feel in their hearts that they ''ought'' to be true, and regard it as quibbling to object to their falsehood.<br />
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Colbert has poked fun at [[Wikipedia]] and its apparent democratization of truth. He has coined the word "Wikiality" (as opposed to "reality") and caused trouble for Wikipedia by suggesting that his listeners alter articles. In August of 2006, he encouraged users to state that the population of African [[elephants]] had tripled in the last decade. Colbert's point was that if enough people believe something, it becomes "the truth". Wikipedia responded by reverting and locking down the pages to prevent further vandalism in response to Colbert's requests. <br />
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Colbert had viewers write in his name to a public vote done by [[NASA]] to name a new room addition to the [[International Space Station]]. Colbert's cult-like followers won the contest for him with an astonishing 230,539 total votes, 40,000 more than NASA's choice of Serenity. To resolve the issue, NASA named a treadmill on the space station after Colbert instead of the room.<br />
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In September of 2010, Colbert testified in character before Congress.<br />
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Colbert "ran" for President in the South Carolina primary in 2008. In 2012, the South Carolina primary ballot had been finalized before [[Herman Cain]] dropped out of the race and before Colbert could announce his candidacy. So, Cain and Colbert agreed that Cain would be Colbert's surrogate, and they campaigned jointly in South Carolina delivering the message that a vote for Cain would be a vote for Colbert. On January 21, "Cain/Colbert" received over 6,000 votes, a fifth-place finish.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/01/21/145583425/herman-cain-gets-a-colbert-bump-in-south-carolina|title=Herman Cain Gets 'A Colbert Bump' In South Carolina|first=Padmananda|last= Rama|date=January 21, 2012|accessdate=January 8, 2015|work=NPR}}</ref> <br />
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Mr. Colbert founded the Colbert Super PAC, which was designed to make fun of the ''Citizens United'' ruling. The Super PAC's ads made fun of former Republican candidate [[Rick Perry]], and the negative ads about [[Mitt Romney]]. During Colbert's 2012 campaign, he was required to transfer control of his Super PAC, which he handed over to [[Jon Stewart]]. Ultimately, the Super PAC's unused funds were donated to charity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/clpvpj/colbert-super-pac---the-ham-rove-memorial-fund|title=The Colbert Report|date=December 13, 2012|accessdate=January 8, 2015}}</ref> The last episode aired on December 18, 2014.<ref>http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/full-episodes/q0f0hx/december-18--2014---grimmy Retrieved December 24, 2014.</ref><br />
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==See also==<br />
*''[[The Daily Show]]''<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT: Colbert, Stephen}} <!-- please see [[Conservapedia:Manual_of_Style#Persons]] for information regarding this edit.--><br />
[[Category:Actors]]<br />
[[Category:Television Show Hosts]]<br />
[[Category:Comedians]]<br />
[[Category: Liberals]]<br />
{{liberalism}}<br />
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[[Category : Hollywood Values]]</div>Americanwayhttps://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Gary_E._Johnson&diff=1160549Gary E. Johnson2015-06-20T01:14:30Z<p>Americanway: </p>
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<div>{{Officeholder<br />
|name=Gary E. Johnson<br />
|image=Garyjohnson.jpg<br />
|party=[[Libertarian]] (formerly [[Republican]])<br />
|spouse=Dee Johnson (1977-2005)<br/>(divorced)<br />
|religion=[[Lutheran]]<br />
|offices=<br />
{{Officeholder/governor<br />
|state=New Mexico<br />
|terms=January 1, 1995 – January 1, 2003<br />
|preceded=[[Bruce King]]<br />
|former=n<br />
|succeeded=[[Bill Richardson]]<br />
}}<br />
}}<br />
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'''Gary Earl Johnson''' (born January 1, 1953) is an entrepreneur who served as the [[Republican]] [[Governor]] of [[New Mexico]] from 1995 through 2003. He graduated from the University of New Mexico at [[Albuquerque]] in 1975 and went on to launch his own business, Big J Enterprises, which became one of the most successful construction companies in New Mexico. In the [[2012 Presidential Election]] he was the nominee for the [[Libertarian Party]]. <br />
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Johnson was elected Governor of New Mexico in 1994 and reelected in 1998, becoming the first governor in state history to serve two consecutive four-year terms. He is a triathlete and the first governor to compete in Hawaii's Ironman Triathlon. <br />
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As Governor he cut [[tax]]es 14 times (annually $123 million), vetoed over 750 bills (more than the other 49 governors combined), cut the rate of [[government]] growth in half, reduced [[welfare]] spending 30%, balanced the budget, eliminated the state's deficit, privatized half of the state prisons, was a national advocate for school vouchers. He increased the budget for the state's [[education]] system and signed a $1.2 billion highway improvement package to upgrade 500 miles of state roads. When he left office New Mexico had 1,200 fewer government employees. <ref>http://listentovon.com/Johnson%20For%20America/meetgary.php</ref> Johnson was called "the most [[fiscal conservative|fiscally conservative]] governor" during his two terms. <ref>http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/about</ref><br />
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Johnson feels the Sixteenth Amendment (creating the Income Tax) should be repealed and replaced with the [[FairTax]] - a 23% national Sales Tax. He argues that this would close all loopholes, and, as the name implies, be "fair". Johnson has said that while there is no such thing as a "good tax", the FairTax is the "best of the worst". <br />
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Johnson's views on some issues are at odds with [[conservative]] values. For instance, Johnson is [[pro-choice]] regarding [[abortion]], although he supports overturning [[Roe v. Wade]]. He has said, "It should be a states issue to begin with, the criteria for a Supreme Court justice would be that those justices rule on the original intent of the constitution. Given that, it's my understanding that justice would overturn Roe v. Wade." Additionally, he earned high [[pro-life]] ratings as Governor of New Mexico by banning late-term abortions and requiring parental notification for minors. He also opposes all government funding for abortion (while as a Libertarian, he opposes government funding for almost everything, he considers this a specific point to mention).<br />
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Additionally, at first, Johnson opposed a government-mandated definition of marriage (either recognizing or refusing to recognize [[same-sex marriage]]s), saying "I think the government should be out of the marriage business and leave marriage to the churches." Instead, he supported [[civil union]]s for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples offering the same benefits currently granted to married couples, and felt it should be up to the churches and the private individuals to determine what is or isn't "marriage". However, during an online town hall meeting on December 2, 2011, Johnson announced that he had changed his view on the issue to support outright government recognition of both same-sex and opposite-sex marriages. <ref>[http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/02/gary-johnson-comes-out-in-favor-of-gay-m]</ref> Johnson would clarify that he did not see a difference between civil unions and marriages, but that the former would "require amending every federal code and law that says 'marriage' to instead say 'civil union'". Regardless, Johnson believes the [[Equal Protection Clause]] means that whatever term is used ("marriage" or "civil unions") must be used for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples and contain the same rights for both. <br />
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Johnson's positions are [[libertarian]] leaning, and some of his views were outside the mainstream of the Republican Party even when he was a member. He opposed the 2003 invasion of [[Iraq]] and supports reducing the defense budget by 44 to 90 percent from current levels. <ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/meet-gary-johnson-ron-paul-2012_520775.html?nopager=1</ref>In 1999, Johnson became the highest-ranking elected official in the United States to advocate legalization of marijuana. He endorsed [[Ron Paul]] during the [[2008 Presidential Election]]. <br />
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Johnson is highly critical of President Obama's economic policy. At one point, he quipped that his neighbor's two dogs had created more "shovel-ready" jobs than the President. Johnson has stated that he would not actually create the jobs themselves, but would rather create the opportunity for jobs through lower taxes and relaxed economic policy. He points out that this is the policy he used as Governor and it significantly improved the economy in New Mexico. <br />
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Johnson initially sought the Republican nomination in the [[2012 Presidential Election]], but was not very successful. Considering his highly conservative fiscal stances, but also his liberal or libertarian stances on social issues, most Republicans described Johnson as more libertarian than truly conservative. He is similar to fellow libertarian Republican presidential candidate [[Ron Paul]]. However, whereas Paul supports the [[Defense of Marriage Act]], Johnson believes marriage is a right guaranteed by the [[Equal Protection Clause]] and that therefore, same-sex marriage should be legalized on a federal level. Johnson is also [[pro-abortion]], whereas Paul is [[pro-life]]. However, both believe [[Roe v. Wade]] should be overturned and the laws should be left up to the states. <br />
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Paul is far better-known and so was expected to get the bulk of the libertarian vote in the primaries. Barring an early withdrawal by Paul, it appeared Johnson had virtually no chance of securing the Republican nomination. His situation was made worse by the refusal of the sponsors of most of the 2011 Republican Presidential Debates to allow Johnson to participate. As a result, there was increasing speculation that Johnson, who unsuccessfully sought assistance from the Republican National Committee, would seek the nomination of the [[Libertarian Party]]. <br />
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Months of rumors were confirmed on December 28, 2011, when Johnson announced he would switch parties and seek the Libertarian nomination. Johnson stated that the Republican party "snubbed" him because they "didn't want more than one [libertarain] messenger on stage" (a reference to Paul). <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70906.html Politico.com article: "Gary Johnson launches Libertarian presidential bid"]</ref> He is considered the front-runner for the party nomination, which will be determined at the convention May 4-6 in [[Las Vegas]]. Although there are at least five other candidates, Johnson is by far the most experienced and well-known and is widely expected to be nominated. <ref>http://www.lp.org/event/2012-libertarian-party-convention-at-red-rock-resort-in-las-vegas</ref><br />
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On May 5, 2012, Johnson easily won the Libertarian Party nomination on the first ballot. He received approximately 70% of the vote while the next closest candidate received 25%. He nominated former [[California]] [[judge]] and marijuana legalization advocate [[Jim Gray]] to be his Vice President. This was confirmed on the first ballot with Gray receiving roughly 60% of the vote. <br />
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Johnson is expected to be on the ballot in every state, with the possible exception of [[Oklahoma]]. [[Douglas Schoen]], a columnist for [[Fox News]], wrote a column in support of Johnson's campaign, saying "With neither Obama nor Romney offering an overarching message that has been able to resonate with an electorate that is becoming increasingly cynical about anyone's ability to fix this country’s ongoing, trenchant and most vexatious problems – Gary Johnson’s voice is one that needs to be heard". <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/12/gary-johnson-could-catch-presidential-race-by-surprise/?intcmp=related</ref> Another Fox News article reported on the challenges Johnson will experience getting into the debates - he needs to be on the ballot in enough states to potentially gather 270 electoral votes (almost a given at this point), and he needs to poll at 15% in several polls. PPP was the first poll to include him, but [[Zogby]] is now mentioning him as well. He is currently polling between 4 and 10 percent. <br />
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Governor Johnson did not have his name on the ballot in [[Michigan]] due to a [[sore loser law]]. However, he was registered in Michigan as a valid write-in candidate. Governor Johnson was three minutes late in withdrawing from the Republican Priamry and was thus on the ballot. Therefore, he is not allowed to run on another line. The case is currently pending. However, another Gary E. Johnson, a Texas businessman, has volunteered to stand in on the ballot if needed, and his electors would vote for Governor Johnson if he carries the state. Since ballot access in Michigan is by party, not person, one of the two Gary E. Johnsons should be on the ballot. However, the Michigan Secretary of State, Ruth Johnson, claimed Michigan has no procedure for switching candidates, in spite of precedent to the contrary. So, Johnson ended up with partial access in Michigan, but had no access, even as a write-in candidate, in Oklahoma. Johnson/Gray had ballot access in the other 48 states, write-in access in Michigan, and full access in [[Washington DC]]. He was the third party candidate who had the most availability on the 2012 Presidential ballot.<br />
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As of September 22, 2012, the domain [http://www.MittRonmey.com MittRonmey.com] (transposing the m and n in Republican Candidate [[Mitt Romney]]'s name), redirects to Johnson's campaign site. <br />
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Johnson has admitted on several occasions that he has always been a libertarian and governed New Mexico as a [[Republican in name only]]. He also made the admission that he is not a "social conservative in any way," and unlike libertarian ally Ron Paul, Johnson is also [[pro-choice]]. He is currently contemplating a run for President in 2016 on the Libertarian platform.<br />
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==References==<br />
<references/><br />
{{2012 presidential candidates}}<br />
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[[Category:New Mexico Governors]]<br />
[[Category:Republican Governors]] <br />
[[Category:Libertarianism]]<br />
[[Category:2012 Presidential Candidates]]<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT: Johnson, Gary E.}}<br />
[[Category:Homosexual Agenda]]</div>Americanwayhttps://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Agape&diff=1160541Agape2015-06-20T00:58:53Z<p>Americanway: </p>
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<div>'''Agape''' is an romanization of the Greek word 'ἀγαπη'. One of at least three words translated into English as "love" (the other two are "[[philos]]" and "[[eros]]"). Agape is usually understood as a spiritual or compassionate form of love in contrast to the thought of [[philos]] which is a brotherly sort of love and [[eros]] which is erotic or sexual love.<br />
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In the [[Greek language|Koine Greek]] texts of the New Testament, the word agape is used in many places to refer to the love of God, the love of Christ and the living love of the Holy Spirit that unites all men in brotherhood. Most references to it are in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 <ref>http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:1-13&version=68</ref>, where it is referred to as a form of compassion which is unconditional and voluntary; that is, it does not discriminate, is not conditioned by any outside forces, and is something that one decides to do, without thought of personal reward. <br />
It is mentioned by [[Paul]] again in 1 John 4:8 <ref>http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204:8&version=68</ref>, where it is stated that 'God is love' (ἀγαπη). <br />
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Agape, however, is not exclusively divine love. Jesus describe the two most important commandments as 'love (ἀγαπη) the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' and 'love (ἀγαπη) your neighbor as yourself', in Matthew 22:37-41<ref>http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2022:37-41&version=72;\</ref><br />
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Agape is what one could call Christian or brotherly love, and by its very nature it is selfless and giving, in contrast to eros, which could be defined as selfish, lustful, greedy, and even Machiavellian. One must consider that the selfless agape love is the love that people of the Christian faith are to have for one another, as Christ would have had for them.<br />
== See also ==<br />
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*[[Atheism and love]]<br />
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==References==<br />
<references/><br />
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[[category:language]]<br />
[[Category:Greece]]<br />
[[Category:New Testament]]</div>Americanwayhttps://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=USA_Freedom_Act&diff=1160540USA Freedom Act2015-06-20T00:55:18Z<p>Americanway: Created page with "The '''Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act,''' often known simply as the '''USA Freedom Act,''' is a law ..."</p>
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<div>The '''Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act,''' often known simply as the '''USA Freedom Act,''' is a law first introduced in Congress on October 29, 2013, after [[Edward Snowden]] leaked bulk collection of data on American citizens. It was passed into law on June 2, 2015, the day after key parts of the [[Patriot Act]] expired due to inaction in Congress on the renewal of the provisions. This law imposes restrictions on the [[National Security Agency]] on retrieving phone records involved in terrorist plots, requiring a warrant, and also requires a warrant to use roving wiretaps and the ability to track lone wolf terror suspects.<br />
[[Category:Laws]]</div>Americanwayhttps://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Patriot_Act&diff=1160536Patriot Act2015-06-20T00:49:02Z<p>Americanway: </p>
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<div>[[Image:Gwbushsigningpatriotact.jpg|thumb|right|300px|President George W. Bush signing Patriot Act before bipartisan gathering of members of Congress]]<br />
The '''USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 -- The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001''' (more commonly known as simply the '''Patriot Act''') -- is an anti-[[terrorism]] bill written in response to the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]]. It was signed into law by [[President]] [[George W. Bush]] on October 26th, 45 days after the terrorist attacks. The primary purpose of the bill was to provide [[law enforcement]] with the tools it needs to fight the domestic [[war on terror]]. The bill expanded the definitions of other [[crime]]-fighting bills to include [[terrorist]]s, it provided funds to the [[Justice Department]] for fighting terrorism, and, made broad changes to [[surveillance]] and [[intelligence]] procedures.<br />
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The Patriot Act, especially by its opponents, is often confused with the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force]] (P.L. 107-40) <ref>http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/terrorism/sjres23.es.html</ref>, which allows the President to use "all necessary and appropriate force" against 9/11-related terrorism (and was the basis for [[Guantanamo]]-related issues).<br />
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Key parts of the PATRIOT Act expired on June 1, 2015, due to lack of congressional approval. This included Section 215, which pertains to the ability of the National Security Agency to store records of all phone calls made in the United States. This was amended in the USA Freedom Act, passed on June 2, 2015, which gives the phone companies control of the record and the government would then have to receive a warrant to receive records of a number associated with any terrorism.<br />
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==Passage of the Act==<br />
[[United States|Attorney General]] [[John Ashcroft]] formally proposed the increases in law enforcement powers on September 19th, requesting that they be considered immediately. [[Bush administration]], along with the overwhelming majority of members of [[Congress]], felt these provisions were necessary to prevent any more imminent or future attacks. Many of the proposed powers had been sought by the Justice Department for years (the [[Clinton administration]], for example, sought but was denied so-called [[roving wiretap]]s – a power that was included in the final bill), but in the wake of a successful attack upon American soil and the demands of the American public for action gave Congress the impetus to pass the measures. <ref name="CQ">"USA PATRIOT Act, 2001-2002 Legislative Chronology." Congress and the Nation, 2001-2004, vol. 11, pp. 187-8 (Washington: CQ Press, 2006)</ref><br />
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The [[House Judiciary Committee]] debated the proposal for weeks and reached an agreement on October 2nd, with few minor changes. A [[sunset provision]], the hallmark of [[Newt Gingrich|Gingrich]]-style reform, was included requiring renewal of the act within two years. The committee said that it understood the need for expediency, so it would add the sunset clauses to allow debate on the issue when time was not as much of an issue. The administration, however, was worried that the United States would still be fighting the war on terror when the clause came into effect.<ref>Bridis, Ted and Jess Bravin. “White House Seeks to Remove Time Limit On Surveillance Part of Anti-terrorism Bill.” [[The Wall Street Journal]], October 5th, 2001, p. A.18</ref><br />
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The [[Democrat]]ically controlled [[United States Senate|Senate]] version of the bill went more in favor of the [[White House]]. While the bill was never considered by the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], the committee’s chair [[Patrick J. Leahy]], a [[Democrat]] from [[Vermont]], along with members from both parties met with the Bush Administration to negotiate a bill that the Senate and White House could agree on. This version (finalized on October 4th) did not include a sunset provision, and it allowed lower barriers for obtaining [[search warrant]]s. Additionally it gave the [[federal]] government new tools to fight [[money laundering]]. <ref name="CQ" /><br />
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The Senate passed its version of the bill with a 96-1 vote (only Senator [[Russ D. Feingold]], a Democrat from [[Wisconsin]] voted nay) after just three hours of debate on October 11th. The House revised its version of the bill to make it a little more to the Administration’s and Senate's liking than the version approved by the House Judiciary Committee, including moving the date of the sunset back three years, to 2006. The Senate agreed to the sunset provision and this version passed the House the next day by a massive 337-79 vote. The House and Senate reconciled an agreement between the two versions (including changing the sunset date to December 31st, 2005) and sent the bill, now officially known as the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, back to their respective chambers, where it passed 357-66 in the House on October 24th and 98-1 in the Senate (with Senator Feingold dissenting) a day later. It was signed into law by President Bush on the following day, 37 days after the original proposal to Congress.<ref name="CQ" /><br />
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==How the Act Fights Terrorism==<br />
The Patriot Act Fights Terrorism in three main ways: disrupting terrorist’s funding, improving methods of prosecuting terrorists, and expanding surveillance procedures and intelligence sharing. There were other minor parts, such as setting up a fund in the Treasury Department to reimburse the Department of Justice for fighting terrorism and a section which condemns discrimination against Muslims and Arab Americans.<ref name="leahy">Leahy, Patrick. “USA PATRIOT Act – Section by Section Analysis.” http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200110/102401a.html (Accessed April 16th, 2007)</ref> Most of the provisions deal directly with terrorism, but some have broader applicability, and some are not related to terrorism at all.<br />
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===Roving Wiretaps===<br />
The first step in disrupting terrorism is finding the terrorists before they can successfully act on a plot to attack the United States. The Patriot Act provides the means for the federal government to gather intelligence on these plots, primarily through wiretaps and search warrants. One such provision is the so-called [[roving wiretaps]] provision. Roving wiretaps themselves are not new, they have been use investigating crime since 1986; the Patriot act simply extends this tool to gathering intelligence of terrorists.<ref name="206derosa">DeRosa, Mary. “Section 206: Roving Surveillance Authority Under FISA: A Summary” (American Bar Association, 2005). http://www.abanet.org/natsecurity/patriotdebates/section-206 (Accessed April 16th, 2007)</ref> Before roving wiretaps, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] would need to get a separate FISC ([[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]]) warrant for each method of communication used by a terrorist. This means that if the suspect switched phones or used public [[computer]]s the FBI would need to get multiple warrants. The Patriot Act allows for FISC warrants on a specific person, rather than a single specific phone line as under the old law. This means that the FBI could get one warrant, and tap whatever line the suspect happens to be using at the time.<ref name="206derosa" /><br />
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===Sneak and Peek Warrants===<br />
Another tool provided by the Patriot Act is delayed-notification search warrants, or [[sneak and peek]] warrants.<ref name="213derosa" >DeRosa, Mary. “Section 213: ‘Sneak and Peek’ Search Warrants: A Summary” (American Bar Association, 2005). http://www.abanet.org/natsecurity/patriotdebates/section-213 (Accessed April 16th, 2007)</ref>These are warrants which allow for the execution of a [[search and seizure]] of a property in a federal crime without notification of the subject. The government must show the court “reasonable cause” to believe that notifying the suspect would lead to an “adverse result” such as destruction of [[evidence]], [[intimidation]] of a [[witness]], or jeopardizing the investigation. "Reasonable cause" is not defined in the act. Sneak and peek warrants, like roving wiretaps, have been used in the past under other circumstances, but they had never before been allowed to retrieve physical evidence, only information or photographs of a scene.<ref name="213derosa" /><br />
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===Libraries Provision===<br />
A third tool provided by the Patriot Act is the so-called “libraries provision,” sometimes just called Section 215. Section 215 broadens the FBI’s power to seize records of terrorist activities, specifically business records. Before the Act, the FBI could only subpoena “hotels, motels, car and truck rental agencies, and storage rental facilities,” but these powers were expanded through the act to include records from any place of business.<ref name="215derosa">DeRosa, Mary. “Section 215: Access to Business Records under FISA (‘Libraries Provision’): A Summary” (American Bar Association, 2005). http://www.abanet.org/natsecurity/patriotdebates/sections-214-and-215 (Accessed April 16th, 2007)</ref> Section 215 also expands the items the FBI can obtain to include “any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items).”<ref name="215derosa" /> The Act also loosens the requirements to procure a warrant. Whereas before the FBI had to show evidence that the subject under surveillance was a foreign power or agent thereof, after the act, the FBI simply has to assert that the seizure is for a foreign intelligence investigation, clandestine intelligence activities or to protect against international terrorism. There is no requirement for an [[evidential hearing]]. Section 215 is called the libraries provision because it could potentially be used to subpoena a list of books checked out from a library, or a list of websites visited at a library computer, all without notifying the suspect.<ref name="215derosa" /><br />
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===Intelligence Sharing===<br />
The Patriot Act also has several provisions which allow for information and intelligence to be better shared among the investigative and intelligence agencies. The Act allowed information about terrorist activities to be shared between federal, state and local governments, as it was previously allowed for other types of crimes. It also allowed for adding [[DNA]] samples of terrorists and other violent offenders to the national database which already includes DNA samples of other certain crimes.<ref name="leahy" /><br />
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===Money Laundering===<br />
Another way the Patriot Act fights terrorism is by cutting off sources of illegal funding, which it does by attempting to curtail money laundering. The act requires all monetary institutions (the definition of which is very broad; it includes [[pawn broker]]s, [[insurance]] agencies, and [[diamond]] dealers) to enact a four part program.<ref name="serino">Serino, Robert. “Anti-Laundering Concerns Not Just for Banks Anymore.” American Banker, November 30th, 2001, vol. 167, iss. 229, p. 9</ref> The institution must appoint a compliance officer, establish a training program to recognize money laundering, establish a testing or auditing program to evaluate the accuracy of laundering detection and establish policies to avoid being used to launder money.<ref name="serino" /><br />
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===Definition of Terrorism===<br />
Finally, the Patriot Act expands upon the definition of terrorism to include acts which were previously not part of [[federal law]]. It makes illegal terrorist acts against [[mass transportation]] systems as well as harboring terrorists or persons one knows or should know to be terrorists. The Act also expands the definition of [[conspiracy]] to allow for conspiracies in other types of crime, such as [[arson]], and creates a definition of [[domestic terrorist]] (someone who commits an offence which is “(1) dangerous to human life and violate[s] the criminal laws of the United States or any state; and (2) appear[s] to be intended (or have the effect) – to intimidate a [[civilian]] population; influence government policy by intimidation or [[coercion]]; or affect government conduct by mass destruction, [[assassination]], or [[kidnapping]] (or a threat of)”). <ref name="leahy" /><br />
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==Expiration==<br />
Sixteen sections of the original bill were set to expire on December 31st, 2001, unless Congress decided to extend them or make them permanent. These sections were all from Title II of the act, the title which contained surveillance procedures, including the controversial ones mentioned above. After months of wrangling, negotiation, and debate (and two deadline extensions) Congress finally on March 2nd, 2006 passed a bill which renewed the Patriot Act but implemented additional safeguards for civil liberties.<ref>Diamond, John. “Senate Passes Patriot Act Changes; Civil liberties protections added to anti-terror law clear way for renewal” USA Today. March 2nd, 2006, p A.8</ref> Most of the measures were permanent, but the roving wiretap provision was extended only until 2009. Section 215, the libraries provision, was also extended to 2009, but now recipients of the FISA warrant may petition the government after one year to remove the gag order. Key parts of the Act expired on June 1, 2015, in a special Sunday session, due to lack of action, but most of these provisions were restored due to the USA Freedom Act's passage the following day.<br />
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==Success==<br />
The Department of Justice, now headed by Attorney General [[Eric Holder]], says that the Patriot Act has been a useful tool in finding and dismantling terrorist organizations and plots. It has disrupted over 150 terrorist threats and cells, incapacitated over 3,000 terrorists, broken up five terror cells within U.S. borders, charged 401 individuals on terror charges and convicted 212,<ref>U.S. Department of Justice. “Waging the War On Terror,” http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/a_terr.htm (Accessed April 16th, 2007).</ref> though the department does not differentiate between those captured through the new provisions of the Patriot Act, and those who were discovered by other means.<br />
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==External Links==<br />
*[http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html Text of Patriot act]<br />
*[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03162: Library of Congress info on Patriot Act]<br />
*[http://www.ala.org/cfapps/archive.cfm?path=washoff/Patriotres.html view of American Library Association]<br />
*[http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/01/patriot-games-terrorism-law-and.php view of the Jurist]<br />
*[http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/u_myths.htm Department of Justice Official Website]<br />
*[http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/transformation/patriot_act.htm FBI Official Website]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist|2}}<br />
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[[Category:United States Law]]<br />
[[Category:United States Department of Homeland Security]]<br />
[[Category:Police State]]</div>Americanway