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Rolling Stones

2014-10-04T00:34:18Z

CalebJ:

{{Artist (Music)
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|country =United Kingdom
|style =Rock
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|year =1962-present
|website =
}}

The '''Rolling Stones''' are an [[English]] [[rock]] band founded in [[London]] in 1962 by lead singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, and pianist Ian Stewart. Drummer Charlie Watts joined in 1963. The Stones grew in popularity in the UK and led the way of the [[British]] Invasion of the US music scene in the 1960s alongside [[The Beatles]],<ref>http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19785/m1/</ref> [[The Who]] and many other pre-eminent bands of the era, where they found great success.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSL1767761020080117 Rolling Stones sign Universal album deal]</ref>

Inspired initially by the [[Chicago]] school of electric [[blues]] (particularly the South-Side variation), they later took in influences from the [[country music|country]] blues artists of the 1930s such as [[Skip James]] and [[Robert Johnson]]. Evangelical and Fundamentalist [[Christians]] have often taken issue with the band's many songs about drugs (e.g., "Sister Morphine", "Mother's Little Helper") and perceived references to [[Satanism]] such as the song "[[Sympathy for the Devil]]" and the album ''[[Their Satanic Majesties Request]]'',<ref>http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19813/m1/</ref> which members of the band have always denied.{{fact}}

The Stones' popularity has never died. A resurgence by the group in the 1990s has continued, and they continue to sell out stadiums almost half a century after first coming on the scene, and in 2008 [[Martin Scorsese]] directed ''Shine a Light'', a documentary of the band's 2006 tour of the same name.

===References===
<references/>

[[Category:Rock Bands]]

John Seigenthaler, Sr.

2014-10-04T00:13:36Z

CalebJ: He passed away

'''John Seigenthaler''' was a [[Tennessee]] [[journalist]] who was also an assistant to [[Robert F. Kennedy]] when Kennedy was [[United States Attorney General]]. Seigenthaler helped end segregation in the South. Seigenthaler recently became involved in a high profile controversy after his [[Wikipedia]] entry was edited to include inaccurate information and not repaired for four months.

==Journalism==

Seigenthaler worked as a journalist at the [[The Tennessean]] before going on to help found [[USA Today]].<ref>http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/biography.aspx?name=seigenthaler </ref>

==Segregation==

In 1961, Siegenthaler was sent by the federal government to [[Alabama]] to help ensure safety for the [[Freedom ride|Freedom Riders]]. After the [[Democrat]]ic Governor [[John Patterson]] had failed to order protection for the Freedom Riders, Siegenthaler stood in front of a mob to protect their safety and was beaten unconscious by the mob despite his warnings that he was with the Federal Government.

==Wikipedia==

In May 2005, an unregistered editor added to the article on Siegenthaler in Wikipedia that "For a short time, he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both John, and his brother, Bobby. Nothing was ever proven." This stayed up for four months until Siegenthaler himself saw it and tried to take it down. Siegenthaler published an account of his experience and associated [[Bias in Wikipedia|problems with Wikipedia]] in ''[[USA Today]]''.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm </ref> Siegenthaler then attempted to identify who had made the edit, but was unsuccessful until [[Daniel Brandt]] was able to trace back the IP address to a specific corporation whereupon the perpetrator was identified.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-12-11-wikipedia-apology_x.htm </ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seigenthaler, John}}

[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Political Figures]]
[[Category:Wikipedia Critics]]

The Wall

2014-07-31T21:02:26Z

CalebJ: Giving the exact day it was released.

{{merge with|Pink Floyd}}

'''''The Wall''''' is a [[rock opera]] by [[Pink Floyd]]. It is also a [[double album]]. The album was released on November 30,1979. With the exception of "Young Lust", "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell", all of the songs are written solely by [[Roger Waters]]. (Those three songs were written by both Waters and [[David Gilmour]]). 
 
The album is semi-autobiographical in nature, as some of the things that the main character goes through actually happened to Waters. It is also notable that this album's story seems to contain hints of being cyclical, as the final song, "Outside the Wall", ends with the cut off sentence, "Isn't this where-", while the opening song, "In the Flesh?" begins with, "we came in?", thus finishing the sentence begun at the end of the album, implying that it never really ends. Also, the beginning of "In the Flesh?" continues the melody of "Outside the Wall". This cyclical nature could be due to the album being about how as every time one person breaks down a 'wall' isolating them from society, another person creates one around themselves. 

==Plot==
Pink is a rock star who has gone through many unfortunate things during his life. This album explains the events.

"In The Flesh?": In this song, Pink tells the listener that there is a story that he is going to tell. Then he says things like "Lights. Where are all the sound effects?", signifying that there will be a performance. At the end of the song, you can hear a plane blowing up something, followed by a baby crying, thereby maybe showing that his dad died in the explosion.

"The Thin Ice": At the beginning of this song, we hear Pink crying as a baby. Pink's dad was killed during a war. The line "Dragging behind you the silent reproach / Of a million tear-stained eyes" signifies the total destruction done by war to the families of victims.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part I": In this song, Pink is older than in the last song and understands that his father is gone, but does not understand that his father died in the war. Pink says that his father was "Another brick in the wall", showing that Pink is angry that his father is not there, and that this was one of the main reasons of (as we will find out as time goes on) Pink's isolation from the world outside (the wall).

"Happiest Days Of Our Lives" is about how back in the day (when Pink was a child), teachers used to do things to children to hurt them (such as caning them) and make them feel bad about themselves.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part II" is about how Pink wishes that they could have risen up against their abusive teachers. It also says "All in all / You're just a brick in the wall", saying that school is another thing that helps him build the psychological wall.

"Mother" talks about how Pink's mother was extremely overprotective. She also "helps build the wall", thereby showing that his mother's overbearingness helped him become more isolated.

"Goodbye Blue Sky" is all about World War II, and about one of the bombings, and how they could not see the sky through all of the planes that were there.

"Empty Spaces" is about how there are still empty places in the wall. At this point, Pink is married. However, Pink and his wife are having trouble because he already does not talk to her that much.

"Young Lust": Pink has been on tour for a long time, because he is a rock star. At the end of this song, he tries to call his wife. He learns that his wife has been having an affair.

"One Of My Turns": Devastated by learning about his wife's affair, he invites a groupie to his apartment. At first, the groupie tries to get the attention of Pink, who is too busy thinking about his wife. Then, he starts to destroy the room. (Pink was probably drinking backstage, as well as probably doing drugs).

"Don't Leave Me Now": During this song, Pink is very sad that his wife has cheated on him. He is thinking about her, and wants to ask her to not leave him.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part III": Pink, so upset that his wife has left him, decides to continue the wall. He eventually builds the wall.

"Goodbye Cruel World" signifies that he is done with the wall, and thereby has cut himself off from the outside world.

"Hey You": During this song, Pink realizes that he must destroy the wall. However, he cannot destroy it, despite his apparent desire to do so.

"Is There Anybody Out There?": At this point, Pink really wants to escape the wall that he has created. He is basically screaming to anyone that can hear him (nobody) to let him out of the psychedelic wall within which he has trapped himself.

"Nobody Home" is about his old relationship with his wife. It is about how he is sad about how it ended.

"Vera": The title is a reference to [[Vera Lynn]], whose song "We'll Meet Again" was popular during World War II. This song might be about how Pink will never be able to see his father again, unlike what Vera has "promised".

"Bring The Boys Back Home" is about how Pink will, again, never be able to see his father, and how he wants them to bring the troops home so that nobody will suffer the same fate that he did in the future.

"Comfortably Numb": Pink has overdosed in his room. His manager comes into Pink's room to take him away to a show that he has to do, finding him overdosed. A doctor comes (voice of Gilmour) and tells him not to worry. He injects Pink with something to "Keep him going through the show". They then drag him out of his room, as he transforms into being extremely out of it.

"The Show Must Go On" basically states that although Pink is out of it, the show must go on.

"In The Flesh": Pink is under the impression that he is a [[neo-Nazi]] leader, with [[England]] being the country that is under control. Pink asks if there are any [[Homosexuality|"queers"]] in the audience. Then, he begins to point out people simply by the way that they look ("That one looks Jewish / That one's a coon").

"Run Like Hell": In this song, Pink sends his "minions" to go and to hurt people that he would not like and that are not tolerated in a neo-Nazi society.

"Waiting For The Worms" is basically about Pink making a rally speech, about how if they want to restore England to its former glory, they must go under the rule of Pink ("All you have to do is follow the worms").

"Stop": Pink is scared by the thoughts that he has just had. He asks for the madness to stop.

"The Trial": Pink is put on trial in his mind for being "caught red-handed showing feelings / Showing feelings of an almost human nature." Then the schoolmaster, Pink's wife, and his mother testify at the trial. The judge orders Pink to "expose himself" as a punishment, by tearing down the wall.

"Outside The Wall" is not part of the main plot. This song rather serves as an ending song, as opposed to the plot.

==Track Listing==
===Record Track Listing===
This is a double album, meaning that it has two discs to it, bringing the sides up to four sides.
====Disc One====
=====Side A=====
# In The Flesh? (3:19)
# The Thin Ice (2:27)
# Another Brick In The Wall, Part I (3:21)
# The Happiest Days Of Our Lives (1:46)
# Another Brick In The Wall, Part II (4:00)
# Mother (5:36)
=====Side B=====
# Goodbye Blue Sky (2:45)
# Empty Spaces (2:10)
# Young Lust (3:25)
# One Of My Turns (3:35)
# Don't Leave Me Now (4:16)
# Another Brick In The Wall, Part III (1:14)
# Goodbye Cruel World (1:13)

====Disc Two====
=====Side A=====
# Hey You (4:40)
# Is There Anybody Out There? (2:44)
# Nobody Home (3:26)
# Vera (1:35)
# Bring The Boys Back Home (1:21)
# Comfortably Numb (6:24)
=====Side B=====
# The Show Must Go On (1:36)
# In The Flesh (4:13)
# Run Like Hell (4:19)
# Waiting For The Worms (4:04)
# Stop (0:30)
# The Trial (5:13)
# Outside The Wall (1:41)
===Eight Track Tape Track Listing===
====Program 1====
# In the Flesh?
# The Thin Ice
# Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)
# The Happiest Days of Our Lives
# Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) (Shortened)
# Mother
====Program 2====
# Goodbye Blue Sky
# Empty Spaces
# Young Lust
# One of My Turns
# Don't Leave Me Now
# Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3) (Shortened)
# Goodbye Cruel World (Shortened)
# Hey You (Introduction)
====Program 3====
# Hey You (Conclusion)
# Is There Anybody Out There?
# Nobody Home
# Vera
# Bring the Boys Back Home
# Comfortably Numb (Shortened)
# The Show Must Go On
====Program 4====
# In the Flesh
# Run Like Hell
# Waiting For The Worms
# Stop
# The Trial
# Outside the Wall (Shortened)

===Total Length===
The album's total length is 1 hr, 21 minutes, and 27 seconds.

==''Pink Floyd The Wall''==
In 1982, [[MGM/UA]] released a movie called ''Pink Floyd The Wall'', the movie version of the album. It stars [[Bob Geldof]] as Pink. It was directed by [[Alan Parker]]. The film contains 15 minutes of elaborate cartoons by [[Gerald Scarfe]]. It was written by [[Roger Waters]]. It is highly metaphorical in nature.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wall, The}}
[[category:Albums]]
[[category:Movies]]

Pete Doherty

2014-05-11T18:29:04Z

CalebJ:

'''Pete Doherty''' (b 1979)is a [[British]] musician. He found fame with bands ''The Libertines'' and more recently ''Babyshambles'', but is now notorious for his on-off relationship with "supermodel" [[Kate Moss]] and for his dissolute, drug-fuelled lifestyle. He has appeared in court on numerous occasions for drug-related offences, and has served two prison sentences, most recently in 2008.He is also banned from entering the United States.

See also [[Hollywood values]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Pete}}
[[Category:Male Singers]]

Charles Manson

2014-05-10T02:50:37Z

CalebJ: No, I do not think that Manson was a serial killer,since he did not murder anybody himself,but ordered the murders.

'''Charles Manson''' (born 1934) was a 1960s [[mass murderer]] and [[cult]] leader whose most famous crime was ordering the murder of [[Sharon Tate]]. He [[brainwashing|brain-washed]] a devoted group of followers into various murders, with the hope of starting a race war and being the leader of the post-apocalyptic world he said the war would create.<ref>Borsella, C. ''On Persecution, Identity and Activism: Aspects of the Italian-American Experience from the Late 19th Century to Today''; Dante University Press; Boston. p. 110, (2005) [http://books.google.com/books?id=hWkQNm6MOxQC&lpg=PA110&dq=%22Charles%20Manson%22&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q=%22Charles%20Manson%22&f=false]</ref> He held notions commonly regarded as ludicrous; for example, he believed that the [[Beatles]] were his disciples, and their song "Helter Skelter" inspired his idea. Manson was a [[racist]] who hated black people and burned a [[swastika]] scar on his forehead.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1205141/The-Devils-disciples-40-years-killing-sprees-Charles-Manson-grotesque-celebrity-Twitter-page.html</ref> He is a [[Satanism|satanist]] and said that he is [[Jesus Christ]] and [[Satan]] in one person and the Reincarnation of [[Aleister Crowley]].

In April 2011, Manson broke a 20-year silence to make nonsensical remarks about the [[global warming]] scam and supposed human damage to the environment. <ref>http://nation.foxnews.com/charles-manson/2011/04/18/charles-manson-breaks-20-year-silenceto-speak-out-about-global-warming#ixzz1JvxUz9EH</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==

*[[Scientology]]

==External links ==
*[http://www.charliemanson.com/tom-snyder-1981.htm 1981 Tom Snyder interview with Charles Manson], Transcribed by Aaron Bredlau. CharlieManson.com. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
*[http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/manson.htm The Trial of Charles Manson] at Famous Trials

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manson, Charles}}

[[Category:Anti-war Movements]]
[[Category:Liberals]]

John Wilkes Booth

2014-05-09T23:25:33Z

CalebJ:

[[Image:180px-Jwbooth.jpg|right|300px|thumb|John Wilkes Booth]]
'''John Wilkes Booth''' (May 10, 1838 - April 26, 1865), American actor popular on the stage during the mid-19th century, a supporter of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War]], and infamous as the [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|assassin]] of President [[Abraham Lincoln]].

==Early history==
Booth was born May 10, 1838 near Bel Air, Maryland, the ninth of ten children born to famed actor Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes; his brothers Junius Jr. and Edwin were also actors, with Edwin on the way to becoming the finest actor on the American stage. John Wilkes attended several private schools - including an Episcopal military academy in Catonsville, Maryland known as St. Timothy's Hall - but he got into acting after his father's death in 1852. He made his stage debut as the Earl of Richmond in Shakespeare's ''Richard III'' in August, 1855, when he was just 17. In 1858 he joined the Richmond (Virginia) Theater and became enchanted with the South and their way of life (the remainder of his family considered themselves Northerners). At 5'8", with jet-black hair, ivory skin, and an athletic build, he was considered the "handsomest man in America" by many newspaper writers. He was also among the first American actors to have a fan base with women; many ''cartes de visits'' - akin to studio photographs or sports cards today - were made and distributed by him or the theaters which presented his appearences (TL 26, pp. 34, 60).

By 1860 he was earning over $20,000 a year, starring in Shakespearian plays such as ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''The Merchant of Venice'', ''Julius Caesar'', ''Othello'', ''The Taming of the Shrew'', ''Hamlet'', and ''Macbeth''.

==Politics==
As he was just getting into acting in the 1850s he also dabbled in politics. He became a member of the American Party, a nativist organization which declared that America was only for native-born whites, and whose secrecy led to the derisive epithet "Know-Nothing" as a second title. In 1859, already entrenched on the Richmond stage, he disguised himself as a private in the 1st Virginia Regiment to witness the execution of abolitionist [[John Brown]] in Charles Town (now West Virginia).

==Plans against Lincoln==
[[File:BoothBenefit.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Booth brothers (''l-r'': John Wilkes, Edwin, Junius Jr.) used their name and talent to raise funds for the construction of a statue to William Shakespeare in New York City on November 25, 1864, when they appeared together in the play ''Julius Caesar'']]
[[Image:Fords-Theater.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ford's Theater; the black crepe went up almost immediately after Lincoln's death.]]
Several times the Lincolns had viewed the performance of Booth, including the play ''The Marble Heart'' on November 9, 1863 at Ford's Theater. Mary B. Clay, a daughter to an American diplomat to Russia, saw this performance as well, and reflected that not all was well with Booth; indeed, she thought Booth meant to do the president harm:
:''In the theater President and Mrs. Lincoln, Miss Sallie Clay and I, Mr. Nicolay and Mr. Hay, occupied the same box which the year after saw Mr. Lincoln slain by Booth. I do not recall the play, but Wilkes Booth played the part of villain. The box was right on the stage, with a railing around it. Mr. Lincoln sat next to the rail, I next to Mrs. Lincoln, Miss Sallie Clay and the other gentlemen farther around. Twice Booth in uttering disagreeable threats in the play came very near and put his finger close to Mr. Lincoln's face; when he came a third time I was impressed by it, and said, "Mr. Lincoln, he looks as if he meant that for you." "Well," he said, "he does look pretty sharp at me, doesn't he?"'' (Helm, pg. 243)

Booth began making plans to stage a kidnapping of Lincoln during the summer of 1864; the president would be taken to Richmond and held hostage in exchange for Confederate soldiers languishing in Federal prison camps. To this end he collected several men as co-conspirators, among them childhood friends Michael O'Laughlen, Samuel Arnold, John Surratt, and David Herold. German immigrant George Atzerodt came into the plans later, as he had owned a ferry at Port Tobacco on the Potomac in Maryland. Ex-Confederate soldier Lewis Thornton Powell was brought in to add some muscle, as Lincoln was a physically-powerful man. In Washington D.C. on March 15, 1865 Booth met with all the men to stage an abduction; Lincoln was to attend a play at Campbell Hospital outside Washington on March 17, with the plan that he would be taken from his carraige while on the way there. But the plans fell through when Lincoln attended another event. Within days, and with the realization that the South was going to lose the war, Booth changed his plans from kidnapping to murder.

===The assassination===
On Friday, April 14, Booth learned that the president, his wife, and guests General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and wife Julia would be attending the performance of [[Our American Cousin]]. Giving his men their orders, Powell was to kill Secretary of State [[William Seward|William H. Seward]] at his home, and Atzerodt was to kill Vice-President [[Andrew Johnson]] in his hotel room; Booth wanted the glory of killing Lincoln himself.

Lincoln failed to get the Grants to the theater; they declined his invitation. Lincoln then went to Stanton, asking for Major [[Thomas Eckert]], a burly man who could provide a reasonable amount of protection in a fight, but he declined as well, citing work which needed to be done. Finally, Lincoln invited a young couple engaged to be married, Major Henry R. Rathbone and Clara Harris, the daughter of a [[New York]] senator.

Ford’s Theater that night was holding a performance of ''Our American Cousin'', a comedy starring [[Laura Keene]] as a British [[dowager]] who believes that a visiting country bumpkin (played by [[Harry Hawk]]) is a millionaire. Good Friday was usually a slow night for the theater, but the cast, excited that they would entertain the president, prepared to entertain a full house (TL 26, pg. 73). The play was already in progress when the president arrived, and stopped when Lincoln was seen; the performers and audience rose and gave a standing ovation while the orchestra played “[[Hail to the Chief]]”. Inside their box, decorated that night with flags by the son of the theater’s owner, they were seated. Lincoln in a [[rocking chair]] on the far left, Mary in a chair next to him, and Major Rathbone and his fiancée on a small sofa to their right. Beneficial to Booth was the fact that a guard whose job it was to protect the president had left for a better seat to view the play.

After a few drinks at Taltavul’s Star Saloon, Booth entered Ford’s Theater from the front and walked up the stairs behind the dress circle towards the president’s box. Entering the first door, he slipped a wooden beam (which he had brought and hidden earlier in the day) under the door knob to prevent it from being opened, crept to the second door, and peered through a small hole, looking at the back of the chair Lincoln was sitting in. He then opened it, and pulled out a single-shot Derringer pistol and a large dagger.

On the stage, Laura Keene was speaking her lines.
:''”I am aware, Mr. Trenchard, that you are not used to the manners of polite society.”''
Harry Hawk, as Trenchard:
:''”Heh, heh. Don’t know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal, you sock-dologizing old man trap!”''

While the audience reeled with laughter, a gunshot was heard in the box. Booth jumped from the box to the stage - landing awkwardly and breaking his left leg after his spur caught a flag hanging off the box - turned to the audience with the boody knife in his hand, and shouted ''"Sic semper tyrannis!"'' ("Thus always with tyrants") before escaping across the stage, exiting the back of the building and escaping out of the city on a horse he rented and had held by a stableman behind the theater. Booth rode down the alley, turned left up another alley, turned onto "F" Street, and headed toward the Navy Yard Bridge. Although the bridge was guarded by Sergeant Cobb and his detail, no passes had been required for crossing since the first of April. Thus, as the guards were there as a matter of routine rather than of necessity, Booth and fellow conspirator David Herold, who arrived separately, were allowed to pass without hindrance. The two men rendezvoused later and then headed to the Surratt Tavern in Surrattsville (now [[Clinton, MD]]) where they arrived shortly after midnight. At the [[tavern]], they picked up supplies (including two Spencer carbines, ammunition, and field glasses) before continuing south. The pain of his broken leg would delay his escape, causing him to seek a doctor.

That same night Secretary Seward was nearly killed by Powell, who forced his way up the stairs to his bedroom and slashed him with a knife before escaping himself. Atzerodt, instead of killing Vice President Johnson, holed up in his hotel room and got drunk; both men were arrested within days.

==Escape and death==
[[Image:Booth reward poster.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Rewards for the capture of Booth and his accomplices totaled $100,000, the largest sum of money for wanted men at that time.]]
[[File:Booth-capture.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Booth's end at Richard Garrett's farm, as illustrated for ''Harper's Weekly'', May 13, 1865]]
At 4:00 a.m. on April 15 they arrived at the house of Dr. Samuel Mudd. Booth received medical treatment for his injured leg and both men were extended hospitality by the Mudds (Mudd was arrested several days later). Early that afternoon Booth and Herold headed into the nearby Zekiah swamp and were guided by Oswell Swann, a free black. About midnight, Swann brought the two men to their next destination, the home of southern sympathizer, Colonel Samuel Cox, who provided them with food for the next four days. On April 20, Thomas A. Jones, Cox's adopted son, led them to the Potomac River. Instead of crossing the river to Virginia, they headed north on the Potomac and landed on the Maryland side at the home of southern sympathizer Peregrin Davis. The next night, they successfully crossed the river to Virginia, where they stayed at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Quesenberry, a woman who was well connected to the Confederate spy network. Thomas Harbin, an acquaintance of Booth and originally part of the plan to capture President Lincoln, took them to William Bryant and then to Dr. Richard Stuart's home. Stuart, however, did not allow the two men to remain at his home. Booth and Herold went to the cabin of William Lucas, another free black man, forcibly removing Lucas and his wife from the cabin for the night.

On the morning of April 24, Booth and Herold left the cabin of William Lucas in a wagon driven by Lucas' son Charles. He drove the men about 10 miles to the ferry at [[Port Conway]], in [[King George County]], Virginia.

As Booth and Herold were crossing the [[Rappahannock River]], they were greeted by three former Confederate soldiers. 1st Lt. Mortimer B. Ruggles, his cousin Pvt. Absalom R. Bainbridge along with Pvt. William S. Jett. Later Herold boasted to the soldiers that they had killed President Lincoln. Jett aided Booth and Herold by eventually finding shelter for the pair at the Garrett farm. Herold then left Booth at the Garrett farm with the three soldiers and headed for [[Bowling Green, Virginia]]. The men stopped at a tavern, described by some as a "house of entertainment," and continued chatting and drinking for several hours. Herold spent the night of April 23 at a nearby family farm. The next morning two ex-Confederate soldiers brought Herold back to the Garrett farm.

During his run he managed to pencil a few entries to a diary explaining his actions; he never regreted killing Lincoln, and in one line sought to place part of the responsibility on God:
:''"I can never repent it, though we hated to kill: Our country owed all her troubles to him, and God simply made me the instrument of his punishment. The country is not what it was. This forced union is not what I have loved. I care not what becomes of me. I have no desire to out-live my country [i.e., the Confederacy]. This night (before the deed), I wrote a long article and left it for one of the Editors of the National Inteligencer, in which I fully set forth our reasons for our proceedings."'' [http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1979february/ishs-1979february39.pdf]

Meanwhile, twenty-five members of the 16th New York Cavalry unit, under the command of Lt. Edward Doherty, were following Booth's trail. Lt. Doherty had found out from a shad fisherman, Dick Wilson, that Pvt. Jett had been on the ferry with Booth on the morning of April 24. Doherty was also told that Jett had a girl friend in nearby Bowling Green and Jett could be found there.

Several hours after arriving at the Star Hotel, Detective Everton Conger, one of Doherty's men, forced Jett to reveal Booth's location. In the early morning hours of April 26, 1865, the column of soldiers arrived at the Garrett farm and were told by the Garrett's of two men sleeping in the farm's tobacco shed.

At first Booth refused to surrender, and about 4 a.m., the tobacco shed was set afire. The blaze allowed the soldiers to see Booth moving in the wooden building with a pistol and a rifle. It was at this point that Sergeant [[Boston Corbett]] fired his own pistol, claiming later that it was to prevent Booth from killing more people (Corbett, a strange man who had castrated himself after a vision, would tell the world that God directed him to shoot Booth). Several soldiers dragged Booth, still alive, from the burning structure.

Booth had been shot in the neck. As he was laid on a wooden porch, he was found to be paralyzed from the neck down and whispering "tell my mother I did it for my country.” As he lay dying, he asked that his hands, so instrumental to his acting skills, be held up to his face. “Useless…useless” was his last words. [http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/booth.htm]

The remains of Booth were placed onboard the monitor USS ''Montawk'', then anchored in the Potomac, where they were positively identified by acquaintences who had known Booth, and physicians who had kept detailed medical and dental records of him. The body was placed in a pine box and buried on the grounds of the Old Capitol Prison - where four of his fellow conspirators would soon join him after their trial and execution in June, 1865 - and there they stayed for two years before being released to the Booth family for burial in Baltimore. Beneath an imposing obelisk he lies buried in an unmarked grave; occassionally a court reviews a petition to exhume to body to determine if it is really Booth's or that of a double, according to the many conspiracy theories. Each time the request is denied.

==References==
*Helm, Katherine. ''Mary, Wife of Lincoln''; New York, Harper and Brothers (1928).
*Time-Life Books ''The Civil War'', vol. 1 (''Brother Against Brother''), Time Inc, New York (1983
*Time-Life Books, ''The Civl War'', vol. 26 (''The Assassination''), Time, Inc. New York (1987).
*Sandburg, Carl. ''Abraham Lincoln'', Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York (1954)
*Goodwin, Doris Kearns. ''Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln'', Simon and Schuster, New York (2005)
*Hanchett, William. ''The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies'', University of Illinois (1983)
*Hanchett, William. ''Booth's Diary'', .pdf posted here: [http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1979february/ishs-1979february39.pdf]
*Donald, David Herbert. ''Lincoln'', Jonathan Cafe (Random House), London (1995)
*Bak, Richard. ''The Day Lincoln Was Shot - An Illustrated Chronicle'', Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas (1998)
*Bryan, George S. ''The Great American Myth'', Carrick and Evans, Inc. New York (1940)
*Chamlee, Roy Z. ''Lincoln's Assassins - A Complete Account of Their Capture, Trial and Punishment'', McFarland and Co., Jefferson, NC (1990)
*Oldroyd, Osborn H. ''The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln'', privately-published, Washington, DC (1901)
*[http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/booth.htm Eyewitness to History: The Death of John Wilkes Booth]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, John Wilkes}}

[[category:assassins]]
[[category:American Civil War]]
[[category:Conservatives]]

Age of the Earth

2014-05-03T16:21:24Z

CalebJ: This is one of the key concepts of evolution.

''See also [[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]].''

The '''Age of the Earth''' has been a matter of interest to humans for millennia. All verifiable evidence indicates that the Earth is only about 6,000 years old. Yet with circular reasoning and implausible assumptions, [[evolutionists]] insist that the Earth is approximately 4.54 billion years (4.54 × 109 ± 1%).<ref>[http://www.interacademies.net/10878/13901.aspx] [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml polling]</ref>

Old Earth advocates rely on one flawed assumption to the exclusion of other evidence, similar to how an investigator may mistakenly rely on one faulty eyewitness's opinion to the exclusion of all else. In fact, eyewitness testimony is proven to be less reliable to than other indicators, just as the assumption by Old Earth proponents that the [[Radiometric dating|rate of radioactive decay]] has always been constant is flawed. In fact, The rate of radioactive decay would slow down greatly as the universe cools. Moreover, a large number of physical processes, such as neutron capture and fluctuations in solar radiation, affect the rate of radioactive decay of elements in the Earth's crust and render radioactive dating measurements unreliable, depending upon the specific methods used.<ref>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899536205000138#bib6</ref> Even so, such an error will not cause a calculation of the age of the Earth based on radiometric dating to be off by up to five [[order of magnitude|orders of magnitude]].

Much scientific evidence [[young earth creationism|points to a young age of the earth and the universe]], and the biblical creation organization [[Creation Ministries International]] published articles entitled ''[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth 101 evidences for a young age of the earth and the universe]'' and [http://creation.com/how-old-is-the-earth How old is the earth?] which summarize some of the evidence for a young age of the earth.

== Historical views ==
[[Image:Landscape.jpg|right|300px]]
For most of recorded history humans of many backgrounds, such as St. Barnabas and St. Irenæus,<ref>Burnet, p. 259.</ref> viewed the age of the Earth to be around 6,000 years.<ref>Burnet, p. 258.</ref>

Saint Cyril who came into Great Moravia (present day [[Slovakia]] and Moravia in [[Czech Republic]]) from [[Byzantine Empire]] in 863 as Christian missionary wrote in his poem Proglas:<ref>{{cite web
|title=Proglas
|publisher=sme.sk
|url=http://zlatyfond.sme.sk/dielo/93/Filozof_Proglas
|language=Slovak
|access date=05.05.2012
|quote=The parchment version of Proglas in Cyrillic from 13th century was discovered in 1858 by Russian Slavic scholar Hilferding}}</ref> (dedicated to his works on translation of the four biblical Gospels to Slavonic language) following sentence that brings testimony about the perception of the age of the world that time: {{cquote|To the holy Gospels I am the Foreword for as it was promised by the prophets Christ comes to gather the nations for he sheds light on the world entire.That is what happened ''in our seventh millennium.''}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Proglas, the foreword to the Old Church Slavonic translation of the four Gospels|publisher=The Centre for Information on Literature, Slovakia|url=http://www.litcentrum.sk/36106|access date=05.05.2012}}</ref>

In 1830, Dr. Hales published a list of 120 historical authorities from various cultures who had decided on an official [[date of creation]]. These ranged from 6984 B.C. to 3616 B.C.<ref>Batten 2002 quotes from "Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Holy Bible", 1879 8th Edition, 1939, which relates this, and reproduces the selection of the dates from Young.</ref>

Included in Hales' list is [[James Ussher]], who calculated the famous date of 4004 B.C. for creation. Young Earth creationists still consider this date to be close to the actual date.

In 1778 George-Louis Lecrerc, Count of Buffon, proposed that the Earth was about 74,832 years old.<ref name="ingv">INGV</ref>
[[James Hutton]], while not proposing a date, dismissed the Biblical account and claimed in 1785 that there was not evidence of a beginning at all.<ref name="ingv" />
[[Charles Lyell]] supported Hutton's idea in 1830, in ''Principles of Geology''.<ref name="ingv" />

In 1854 [[Hermann von Helmholtz]] estimated an age of between 20 and 40 million years.<ref name="ingv" />
Around the same time [[Lord Kelvin]] put his mind to deriving an age, and came up with a range between 20 million years and 400 million years. He later refined that down to between 20 million and 40 million years.<ref name="ingv" /> More recent discoveries of radioactivity and mantle convection explain why the assumptions Helmholtz and Kelvin made resulted in dates that are much lower than current uniformitarian estimates.

The 1911 edition of the [[Encyclopedia Britannica]] discussed dates up to 500 million years.<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, pp 650-651.</ref>

By about 1930, J. H. Jeans was arguing for an age of the Earth of around two billion years.<ref>Universal History of the World, p.76.</ref>

Using circular logic -- assuming that decay rates remained constant despite necessarily changing physical characteristics as time approached the origin -- Old Earth proponents insist that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old based on an assumption of constancy in [[Potassium-argon dating|Potassium-argon (K:Ar) decay rates]] and other radiometric methods.<ref>Peck, 2000, p.376.</ref>

== Geology ==

[[Image:516XZRGNCKL AA240 .jpg|right|300px]]
[[William R. Corliss]] is a cataloger of scientific [[Anomaly|anomalies]] (observations and facts that challenge prevailing scientific [[paradigm]]s) and has published many works on the subject.<ref name="sf">[http://www.science-frontiers.com/ Science Frontiers] (Corliss' web-site)</ref>
He also wrote 13 books for the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA), a dozen educational booklets for the [[Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC), and a dozen articles for the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF).<ref>Corliss, 2002</ref> The science magazine ''[[New Scientist]]'' had an article which focused on the career of William Corliss.<ref>Adrian Hope, ''Finding a Home for Stray Fact'', New Scientist, July 14, 1977, p. 83</ref>
''New Scientist'' wrote regarding Corliss's work: "All I can say to Corliss is carry on cataloging". <ref>Quoted on the [http://www.science-frontiers.com/sourcebk.htm Science Frontiers web-site]</ref> [[Arthur C. Clarke]] described Corliss as "[[Charles Fort|Fort]]'s latter-day - and much more scientific - successor."<ref>Clarke, Arthur C. (1990) ''Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography''. Gollancz. Page 110</ref>

Corliss's work on geological anomalies catalogs scores of anomalies which challenge the [[old-earth]] [[paradigm]].<ref>[http://www.science-frontiers.com/sourcebk.htm#Geology Geological Catalogs] (Science Frontiers)</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* Burnet, Thomas, [http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/ste/ste36.htm The Sacred Theory of the Earth, chapter V], 1691.
* Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition (1911). [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/User:Tim_Starling On-line page facsimiles].
* Hammerton, J.A. (Ed.), "Universal History of the World" (8 volumes) The Educational Book Co., London, c1930.
* Batten, Don, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/417 Old-earth or young-earth belief: Which belief is the recent aberration?], ''Creation'' 24(1):24–27, December 2001.
* [http://www.ingv.it/~roma/SITOINGLESE/activities/geomagnetismo/analysistheory/historicalresearch/age.html The age of the Earth] (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)).
*Peck WH, Valley JW, Wilde SA, and Graham CM (2000) Ion microprobe Evidence for Pre-4.4 Ga Continental Crust and Low Temperature Water/Rock Interaction. ''Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr'', vol 32, no. 7.

== External Links ==
*[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth Age of the earth] by [[Creation Ministries International]]
*[http://creation.com/refuting-evolution-chapter-8-how-old-is-the-earth How old is the earth?] - ''Refuting evolution'' - Chapter 8 by Dr. [[Jonathan Sarfati]] at [[Creation Ministries International]]
*[http://creation.com/young-age-of-the-earth-universe-qa Age of the Earth and Universe] by [[Creation Ministries International]]

== Notes ==
<references />
[[Category:Geology]]

Rush Limbaugh

2014-04-26T16:34:51Z

CalebJ:

[[Image:RushLimbaugh 1.jpg|right|200px]]
'''Rush Limbaugh''' (born January 12, 1951) is an American radio talk show host popular with an older, largely male, audience. The typical listener to Rush Limbaugh and conservative talk radio is a 67-year-old male. Married and divorced three times -- and now married for the fourth time -- Limbaugh participated in the [[media bullying]] of [[Todd Akin]] in August 2012, along with other [[RINO Backers]].<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80003.html#ixzz253Tv1IjT</ref><ref>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/08/21/akin_s_remark_was_stupid_and_untrue_now_he_must_put_the_nation_s_future_first</ref>

Rush Limbaugh's show is advertiser supported, which creates a financial incentive for him not to say what needs to be said, and not to stand up for the [[Bible]] in a meaningful manner.

== Media bullying of Todd Akin ==
Congressman Todd Akin is the [[Republican Party]] nominee for one of the most-watched races for the [[U.S. Senate]] in 2012. He has represented a portion of the greater [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]] area in the [[House of Representatives]] since 2000 (Missouri's 2nd congressional district).

On August 19, 2012, in a local television interview with KTVI, Akin rejected a suggestion that there should be a broad [[rape]] exception to limits on [[abortion]]. He distinguished between an actual rape and a false allegation of rape by referring to the former as a "legitimate rape," terminology that the [[liberal media]] then unfairly took out of context to engage in demagoguery against him.

Perhaps fearful of losing an advertiser, even though he's already made millions by pretending to be [[conservative]], Limbaugh piled on with the [[media bullying]] against Akin. He called Akin's comment "stupid" and then, illustrating his foolish self-centeredness, declared that "If I had demanded Akin drop out, he’d be gone."<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80003.html#ixzz253Tv1IjT</ref> Limbaugh added, "What I think Mr. Akin should try to realize here as he makes his decision is that all of these things that he truly cares about will be much easier to make happen if we win the Senate and the White House and hold the House this November. He must put the nation and its future ahead of everything else that he's considering. And I hope he comes to the right conclusion."<ref>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/08/21/akin_s_remark_was_stupid_and_untrue_now_he_must_put_the_nation_s_future_first</ref>

True conservatives stood with principle and defended Akin's remarks, and his right to remain in the race.<ref>http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=004DDFAC-6907-452E-93F5-62D3793BBABE</ref><ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/08/21/tony-perkins-gop-treatment-of-akin-suspect/</ref><ref>http://www.rollcall.com/news/missouri_delegates_still_support_todd_akin_despite_controversy-217050-1.html</ref><ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57497428-503544/rep-steve-king-backs-up-todd-akin-weighs-in-on-rape-and-abortion/</ref><ref>[http://mycn2.com/politics/rand-paul-reticent-to-weigh-in-on-akin-s-future-but-says-akin-s-comment-was-incorrect Rand Paul reticent to weigh in on Akin's future but says Akin's comment was incorrect] by Ryan Alessi, mycn2.com, August 22, 2012, retrieved August 24, 2012</ref><ref>http://akin.org/huckabee-chip-in</ref><ref>http://hinterlandgazette.com/2012/08/social-conservatives-including-frc-head-tony-perkins-defending-rep-todd-akins-legitimate-rape-comment.html</ref><ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80049.html</ref><ref>http://buchanan.org/blog/a-grand-old-party-in-panic-2-5223</ref>

== Early Years ==
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in 1951 in Cape Girardeau, [[Missouri]]. At age 16, he chose to explore his passion for broadcasting by working as a [[disc jockey]], hosting a radio show in his hometown. After four years, he left for [[Pittsburgh]] to work for the former [[ABC News|ABC]] owned and operated ''KQV''. Following his work as a disc jockey, Rush briefly left broadcasting for [[business]], joining the [[Kansas City Royals]] as Director of Group Sales, and then Director of Sales and Special Events. In 1983, he re-entered radio as a political commentator for ''KMBZ'' in [[Kansas City]]. A year later, in 1984, Rush dropped out of [[college]] after his freshman year to pursue work full-time as a disk jockey, when ''KFBK'' in [[Sacramento]], [[California]] hired him to host a talk show that reveled in controversy about conservative politics. Limbaugh tripled the program's ratings in four years. From there, in 1988 he went on to [[New York]] where the record-breaking national show, the ''EIB Network'', was born.

On August 1, 1988, Rush launched his phenomenally successful radio broadcast into national syndication, with 56 radio stations. More than 20 years later the show is heard on nearly 600 stations by up to 20 million people each week and is the highest-rated national radio talk show in America. Rush was awarded the "Syndicated Radio Personality" of the year by the [[National Association of Broadcasters]] in 1992, 1995, 2000, and 2005. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993 and National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998. Rush Limbaugh has been labeled as the savior of AM radio by broadcast industry leaders, sometimes called the "Doctor of Democracy."<ref name=doctor>[http://www.twoifbytea.com/doctor.php Rush Limbaugh, the "Doctor of Democracy"], [[Two If By Tea|TwoIfByTea.com]].</ref>

== Radio ==
Limbaugh hosts a radio show famed for its incisive criticism of the follies of liberalism. He is often the target of liberal's ''[[ad hominem]]'' attacks, such as Democrat Sen. [[Al Franken]], who wrote a book entitled ''"Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot"''. Limbaugh generically refers to [[feminists]] who advocate [[abortion]] as ''feminazis'' and to his own self as having "talent on loan from God". Sensitive about his own schooling, he ridicules the college educated as the "Arts & Croissant Crowd."

Limbaugh's conservative talk show is nationally syndicated and averages over 16-20 million listeners weekly, making him the #1 radio talk show host in America
<ref>[http://www.talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34 The Top Talk Radio Audiences] Talkers magazine online</ref> for three decades. In July 2008, Rush announced "he has renewed his contract with Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio, continuing syndication of his show 'many years into the future.'" <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27326 Rush Renews Contract], ''[[Human Events]]'', July, 2, 2008</ref>

=== Audience ===
Limbaugh's fans enjoy his bluster and bombast, but behind it there is a substantive defense of a coherent political philosophy. He makes politics engaging and entertaining, producing an audience more eager to seek out other sources of information. Limbaugh "dittoheads" consume more print news than do non-listeners. Like Fox News viewers, Limbaugh fans are more likely to tune in to presidential debates. Far from making people cynical or indifferent toward public affairs, Limbaugh reinforces his audience's disposition to participate in the political process.<ref>Jamieson and Cappella (2008) </ref>

Conservative Republicans are in his audience, but educational attainment, family income, and race do not predict who listens. Listening to Limbaugh is significantly correlated with public affairs information. He is not merely an entertainer and people who listen to him regularly are very well informed on public affairs. However, his radio audience is smaller than the TV audiences of conservative commentators [[Bill O'Reilly]] and [[Sean Hannity]].<ref> Stephen Earl Bennett, " Who Listens to Rush Limbaugh's Radio Program and the Relationship Between Listening to Limbaugh and Knowledge of Public Affairs, 1994-2006," ''Journal of Radio & Audio Media,'' May 2009, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p66-82, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>

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

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

=== Obama to Fail ===
Limbaugh made national headlines when he was asked to write 400 words for a newspaper column about Obama's plans. He said he didn't need 400 words, he needed just four: "I hope he fails." He was immediately attacked by the Obama White House and liberal pundits as an unpatriotic obstructionist. Limbaugh expounded his view in the show's [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html transcript]; if Obama is for socialist policies and against capitalist policies, of course Limbaugh could not support those policies, and hoped he would fail. <ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html Limbaugh radio show transcript.]</ref>

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

Former Republican National Chairman Michael Steele called Limbaugh an "entertainer" whose comments were "incendiary" and "ugly," and Limbaugh counterattacked Steele's fitness to run the party. A Gallup poll in May 2009 on who was the main voice of the GOP found Limbaugh leading the pack at 13%, with Steele trailing at 1%.

== Other Media Work ==
During the early years of his radio show, Limbaugh also had a syndicated, self-titled half-hour television show patterned along the lines of his radio show. ''Rush Limbaugh'' ran from 1992 to 1996. <ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103531/ ''Rush Limbaugh'' (TV series)] at the Internet Movie Database</ref>

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

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

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

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

Limbaugh has warned against false prophets, telling his audience in 1996 that, "You are being manipulated in a way that I find very bothersome." "Pat Buchanan is not a conservative. He's a populist."<ref>See [http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/23/us/politics-on-the-air-radio-talk-show-host-fears-for-true-conservatism-s-fate.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fL%2fLimbaugh%2c%20Rush Robin Toner, "Radio Talk Show Host Fears For True Conservatism's Fate," ''New York Times'' Feb. 23, 1996]</ref>.

=== The Harry Reid Letter ===
On October 2, 2007, Senate Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] wrote a letter to Mark P. Mays, President and CEO of Clear Channel Communications, who is Limbaugh's chief patron. In it Senator Reid essentially demanded that Mays order Limbaugh to apologize for remarks he made concerning "phony soldiers."<ref name=ReidText>Reid, Harry, ''et al.'' "[http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284699 Letter to Mark P. Mays of Clear Channel Communications]." [http://reid.senate.gov/ Electronic Office of US Senator Harry Reid], October 2, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2007.</ref> A ''phony soldier'' is someone who is not a soldier at all but is pretending to be one, especially in a public forum. Such activity is unlawful, and the faker whose activity prompted Limbaugh's attacks has since been convicted and punished.<ref name=PhonySoldier>Limbaugh, Rush. "[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092807/content/01125106.guest.html The Anatomy of a Smear: 'Phony Soldiers' Is a Phony Story]." ''[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Rush Limbaugh Official Site]'', accessed December 25, 2007.</ref> This letter was co-signed by nearly all Democratic senators. In a speech in Philadelphia on October 11th, Limbaugh announced plans to sell the original letter on eBay in a charity auction. The proceeds went to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. The letter sold for $2.1 million and Limbaugh matched the winning amount with a total of $4.2 million being donated. <ref>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/420889/harry_reidrush_limbaugh_letter_nets.html</ref>

=== Victim of a Democratic prosecutor's witchhunt ===
On October 6, 2003 Limbaugh told his audience he was addicted to OxyContin and other painkillers citing a failed back surgery as the cause of his pain and subsequent dependence. <ref>The Rush Limbaugh Show, October 6, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/10/10/rush.limbaugh/ "Limbaugh admits addiction to pain medication"</ref> Limbaugh underwent treatment for his addiction, and charges against him for alleged "doctor shopping" to procure prescription medications were dropped<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/28/national/main1561324.shtml</ref> after Democratic prosecutors illegally seized private medical records<ref>http://archive.newsmax.com/hottopics/Rush_Limbaugh.shtml </ref> in a blatant misuse of the criminal justice system to discredit Limbaugh.

===Fluke Incident===
In March of 2012, Sandra Fluke, a 30-year-old former [[Georgetown]] law student, gave testimony in support of an Obama directive to have private healthcare cover contraception. Fluke chose Georgetown's law school despite knowing that its healthcare plan does not cover contraception,<ref>Holt, Mytheos. "Sandra Fluke: A Fake Victim of Georgetown's Policy on Contraceptives?" March 3, 2012. The Blaze. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/sandra-fluke-a-fake-victim-of-georgetowns-policy-on-contraceptives/</ref> but she then complained that contraception was expensive and that Georgetown's student health insurance should cover the cost. Limbaugh responded to her comments on his show where he said that her insurance paying for her to have sex made her a "slut" and a "prostitute."<ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-limbaugh-apology-20120303,0,6854957.story Rush Limbaugh apologizes for 'slut' remarks aimed at Sandra Fluke</ref> He later went on to say that he would agree to the payment if she would film herself having sex and put the video online. After several days of backlash, which included condemnations from both parties and advertisers backing out, Limbaugh apologized, saying he "did not mean a personal attack" on Fluke and had used poor word choice but reiterated his opposition to her comments.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109876/Rush-Limbaugh-apologises-calling-student-Sandra-Fluke-slut.html 'I sincerely apologise': Rush Limbaugh says sorry for calling student a 'slut' in row over birth control which led advertisers to boycott show</ref><ref>http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/Vox-News/2012/0303/What-Rush-Limbaugh-actually-apologized What?? Rush Limbaugh actually apologized!!</ref>

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

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

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

== Other Facts ==
The following is a list of other facts about Rush Limbaugh:<ref name=doctor/>
* Honorary Member of the [[Republican]] Freshman Class 1995 [[House of Representatives]].
* [[Time Magazine]]’s 100 Most Influential People in the world (2009).
* [[Forbes|Forbes Magazine]] 50 Most Powerful Celebrities in the United States, numerous years (#19 in 2010).
* [[Barbara Walters]]’ 10 Most Fascinating People (2008).
* The Giving Back Fund’s 10 Most Generous Celebrities for contributions to charities and individuals, such as the [[Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation]].
* Raised 20 Million Dollars for the [[Leukemia]] and [[Lymphoma Society]] since 1989. Each year Rush hosts a Radiothon (one three-hour broadcast per year) during his program to raise funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma research.
* Author of ''The Limbaugh Letter'', the most widely read political newsletter in the country and two best-selling books, ''The Way Things Ought to Be'' (ISBN 067175145x) and ''See, I Told You So'' (ISBN 067187120X), which have sold over 8.9 million copies, including an American publishing record for ''See, I Told You So''.
* Guest Television appearances include ''[[Nightline]]'' with [[Ted Koppel]], ''Cross Fire'', ''[[Good Morning America]]'', ''[[CBS|CBS This Morning]]'', ''[[The Today Show]]'', ''The Phil Donahue Show'', ''[[The Late Show]]'' with [[David Letterman]], ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', ''[[This Week]]'' with [[David Brinkley]], ''[[Meet the Press]]'' with [[Tim Russert]], and [[The Drew Carey Show]]. Rush also starred as himself in the popular network sitcoms ''[[Family Guy]]'' and ''[[Hearts Afire]]''.
* Profiled on CBS's ''60 Minutes'', [[ABC]]'s ''20/20'' and in numerous publications including ''[[U.S. News and World Report]]'', ''[[Newsweek]]'', ''[[National Review]]'', ''[[Time Magazine]]'', ''[[New York Times|The New York Times Magazine]]'' and ''[[USA Weekend]]''.
* ''Miss America Pageant'' judge (2010).

== Quotes ==
* "You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one." - Rush Limbaugh, 17 Aug 1993
* "Militant feminists are pro-choice because it's their ultimate avenue of power over men. And believe me, to them it is a question of power. It is their attempt to impose their will on the rest of society, particularly on men." - Rush Limbaugh, Oct 1992

== The Rush Limbaugh Lexicon ==
Like Mark Levin and others, Rush Limbaugh holds a lexicon for many liberals and Democrats, although Rush's lexicon is less expansive as Mark Levin's

*[[Mainstream Media]] = Drive-by Media
*[[CNN]] = Communist News Network (was originally called the "Clinton News Network" during the [[Clinton administration]].)
*[[Barack Obama]] = Barack "Mmm mmm mmm" Obama (This is in reference to the propagandist school song about Obama)
*[[Joe Biden]] = Joe Bite-Me
*[[Harry Reid]] = Dingy Harry
*[[Debbie Wasserman Schultz]] = Debbie Blabbermouth Schultz
*[[John Edwards]] = Breck girl
*[[Nancy Pelosi]] = Bela Pelosi
*Barbra Walters = Baba Wawa
*Chuck Todd = F Chuck Todd
*[[Ben Affleck]] = Ben Affliction
*Paul Begala = The Forehead
*[[Chuck Schumer]] = Chuck You Schumer

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

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

==External Links==
* [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Rush Limbaugh] - Official website
* [http://download.premiereradio.net/guest/rushlimb/LimbaughMuseum/Iphone2/PRELOAD_Outside.html The Limbaugh Museum of Broadcasting]
* [http://www.cspan.org/Watch/watch.aspx?MediaId=HP-A-15919 Rush's 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Speech] - ''C-SPAN'', February 28, 2009
* [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rush-limbaugh/id406055530?mt=8#ls=1 The Rush Limbaugh Show] - [[iPhone]] app, by Premiere Radio Networks, Inc.

==Further reading==
* Gordon, Scott. ''Rush Limbaugh: An Oral & Media Biography'' (2009). 258pp quotes and comments by his friends and enemies.
* Jamieson, Kathleen Hall, and Joseph N. Cappella. ''Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment'' (2008) balanced analysis by scholars; compares Limbaugh with Fox and ''Wall Street Journal'' [http://www.amazon.com/Echo-Chamber-Limbaugh-Conservative-Establishment/dp/0195398602/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261865854&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Limbaugh, Rush}}

[[Category:Broadcasters]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Obama Presidency]]
[[Category:The 100 Americans The Left Hates Most]]
[[Category:Rino backers]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]

RINO Backers

2014-04-24T12:14:56Z

CalebJ:

'''RINO backers''' are those who profit, either financially or politically, from presenting themselves to be socially [[conservative]], but then back [[liberal]] [[Republicans]] just when it matters most.

One example occurred in September 2012, when the [[media bullying]] of [[pro-life]] leader and candidate for the [[United States Senate|Senate]] from [[Missouri]] [[Todd Akin]] highlighted who sides with [[RINO]] or [[liberal]] positions when it counts most -- on the important social issues. Seven weeks later, [[Richard Mourdock]] made a similar [[pro-life]] statement that caused more RINO backers to emerge from the woodwork.

A major '''RINO backer''' is [[Karl Rove]], who is promoted by [[Fox News]] and typically opposes the real [[pro-life]] candidates. Below is a list of RINO backers, and afterward a list of those who stand up for conservative principles.

== Opposed [[Pro-Life]] Leader Todd Akin (or Richard Mourdock) ==

'''''The following have become a hindrance to advancement of the [[pro-life]] movement, by opposing the principled stance of Todd Akin''''', as their demagoguery interferes with limits on abortion based on false allegations of rape:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Individual
!Comment
|-
|[[Karl Rove]]
|Karl Rove engaged in demagoguery against Akin by falsely pretending that Akin was drawing a distinction between "legitimate rape" and "illegitimate rape": "After those damaging statements, I mean to try and differentiate between what’s a legitimate rape and an illegitimate rape and believing somehow that a woman’s body would reject a pregnancy if it was an illegitimate rape … These were reprehensible and deplorable comments." <ref>[http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/08/21/karl-rove-rep-akin-should-leave-race-after-deplorable-comments/]</ref> Rove's [[American Crossroads]] relies on funding from [[Las Vegas]] casino owners, and Karl Rove evidently cares more about money for his (ineffective) [[Super PAC]] than [[pro-life]] values. More than six months later, Rove was still muttering that Akin's pro-life comment was somehow "reprehensible".<ref>http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/288633-rove-hits-back-after-palins-cpac-criticism-</ref>
|-
|[[Ron Johnson]]
|Johnson had no connection with the issue and is not up for reelection, but apparently act on orders by [[RINO]]s in pontificating that "Todd Akin's statements are reprehensible and inexcusable...Gaining a Republican majority in the US Senate and fixing the huge challenges that face our nation is more important than any one individual's political ambitions. Todd Akin should do the right thing for the nation and step aside today, so Missouri Republicans can put forth a candidate that can win in November." <ref>[http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=277645]</ref>
|-
|[[Sean Hannity]]
|"As a political observer I see it differently here. I think for the next week all you're going to hear from Democrats is your comments. ...I think there is one political reality that I think has to be faced by you and your campaign and that is that you know, the reality here is that Democrats now have a ton of ammunition and they are now going to try to use these remarks to hurt everybody they can. And if I was put in that position, I would at least be thinking about what is in the best interest of the party."<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/20/hannity_urges_akin_to_consider_dropping_out_in_interview_with_him.html]</ref> Recall that Hannity once had a [[pro-life]] priest on his show simply to berate him unfairly for his principled stance.
|-
|[[RedState|redstate.com]]
|"This is abhorrent, ignorant, idiotic, foolish, blindingly stupid…Akin must go." <ref>[http://www.redstate.com/neoavatara/2012/08/19/todd-akin-must-go/]</ref>
|-
|[[Ann Coulter]]
|"This selfish swine, Todd Akin, is going to hurt the Republican Party." <ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/ann-coulter-todd-akin-selfish-swine_n_1824510.html]</ref>
|-
|[[Mitt Romney]]
|"Todd Akin’s comments were offensive and wrong and he should very seriously consider what course would be in the best interest of our country." <ref> [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election-2012/mitt-romney-pushes-rep-todd-akin-drop-race-lets-deadline-calls-furor-a-bit-overreaction-article-1.1141698#ixzz24TyqMN9X] </ref>
|-
|[[Paul Ryan]]
|"His statements were outrageous, over the pale. I don’t know anybody who would agree with that." <ref>[http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/08/21/in-exclusive-interview-paul-ryan-distances-self-from-akin/]</ref>
|-
|[[Sarah Palin]]
|Falsely implied that Akin was staying in the race based on "self-desire": "So you have to step aside ... from your self-desire to get in there and serve and do what you believe is right, and you have to, in a sense, take one for the team, and you have to step aside, hand the mantle to someone else." <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79976.html#ixzz24Twr7RsW] </ref>
|-
|[[Rush Limbaugh]]
|perhaps fearful of losing an advertiser, even though he's already made millions by pretending to be [[conservative]], Rush piled on with the [[media bullying]] against Akin. Limbaugh called Akin's comment "stupid" and then, illustrating Limbaugh's foolish self-centeredness, declared that "If I had demanded Akin drop out, he’d be gone."<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80003.html#ixzz253Tv1IjT</ref> Limbaugh said, "What I think Mr. Akin should try to realize here as he makes his decision is that all of these things that he truly cares about will be much easier to make happen if we win the Senate and the White House and hold the House this November. He must put the nation and its future ahead of everything else that he's considering. And I hope he comes to the right conclusion."<ref>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/08/21/akin_s_remark_was_stupid_and_untrue_now_he_must_put_the_nation_s_future_first</ref>
|-
|[[Michelle Malkin]]
|"If only we conservative women had magical ways of preventing stupid Repub men from implanting rhetorical IEDs on our lawns…"<ref>http://michellemalkin.com/2012/08/20/the-todd-akin-mess/</ref>
|-
|[[Tea Party Express]] leader Amy Kremer
|"One of the lessons we learned in 2010 is that we need candidates who are not only conservative, but are capable of putting together a strong campaign against liberal opponents. Akin’s frequent ‘Bidenisms’ are distracting from the important issues at hand."<ref>http://www.teapartyexpress.org/5205/tea-party-express-urges-rep-akin-to-step-down</ref>
|-
|[[Reince Priebus]]
|Priebus said the Party would not support Akin financially. "[H]e could be tied. We're not going to send him a penny."<ref>http://www.redstate.com/2012/08/27/priebus-on-akin-he-could-be-tied-were-not-going-to-send-him-a-penny/</ref>
|-
|[[Mitch McConnell]]
|"What he said is just flat wrong in addition to being wildly offensive to any victim of sexual abuse, although Representative Akin has apologized, I believe he should take time with his family to consider whether this statement will prevent him from effectively representing our party in this critical election."<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/20/news/la-pn-mcconnell-suggests-todd-akin-consider-his-options-20120820</ref>
|-
|[[John Cornyn]]
|"Congressman Akin’s statements were wrong, offensive, and indefensible,” he said in a statement release by the campaign committee. “I recognize that this is a difficult time for him, but over the next 24 hours, Congressman Akin should carefully consider what is best for him, his family, the Republican Party, and the values that he cares about and has fought for throughout his career in public service."<ref>http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012/08/john-cornyn-gives-todd-akin-a-24-hour-ultimatum-we-want-you-out/</ref>
|-
|[[Roy Blunt]]
|"Todd Akin, who has served in the House for a dozen years, has managed to get himself into a situation where he has become the issue,” Blunt said at a breakfast Tuesday sponsored by Politico. “If he gets out, I think we win the seat."<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/08/28/blunt_says_akin_imperils_gops_hopes_for_missouri_115233.html</ref>
|-
|[[Scott Brown]]
|"As a husband and father of two young women, I found Todd Akin’s comments about women and rape outrageous, inappropriate and wrong. There is no place in our public discourse for this type of offensive thinking. Not only should he apologize, but I believe Rep. Akin’s statement was so far out of bounds that he should resign the nomination for US Senate in Missouri."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/08/20/todd-akins-macaca-moment/</ref>
|-
|[[Jeff Flake]]
|"I oppose abortion, but exceptions must be made for rape, incest and to protect life of the mother. Cong. Akin’s comment was wrong. #azsen"<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/08/20/todd-akins-macaca-moment/</ref>
|-
|[[Dean Heller]]
|"Todd Akin’s comments were unquestionably inappropriate and absurd. He should not be the standard bearer for the Republican Party in Missouri."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/08/20/todd-akins-macaca-moment/</ref> ''And who is Dean Heller?'' He was ''appointed'' as Senator from [[Nevada]] by the Republican Establishment, rather than being elected by the people to the position.
|-
|[[Charles Krauthammer]]
|"He's toxic. Nobody will touch him. Republicans aren't going to support him. He's not going to get any money. They've tossed away a seat that they could easily have won. It isn't only that it was offensive and toxic; it was unbelievably stupid. And there is enough stupidity in Congress that we don't need to add to it in this large amount. The guy's got to leave."<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/20/krauthammer_on_akin_toxic_and_unbelievably_stupid.html</ref>
|-
|[[Chris Christie]]
|"Akin should not only exit his race for the Senate, he should drop out of public life. I’m offended by what he thinks, not just what he said."<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/news/national/Christie_calls_for_Missouri_Senate_candidate_Akin_to_drop_out_of_race.html</ref>
|-
|[[Mike Pence]]
|Demanded that [[Richard Mourdock]] apologize for saying that pregnancy that (rarely) occurs from rape is something [[God]] intended.<ref>http://www.chron.com/news/article/Pence-Mourdock-should-apologize-for-rape-comment-3977677.php</ref>
|}

== Stood With Principle and [[Pro-Life]] Leader Todd Akin ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Individual
!Comment
|-
|[[American Family Association]]
|AFA representative Bryan Fischer stated, "Akin's words, for which he apologized even though he had no need to, were right. He was entirely correct to say that pregnancies in cases of forcible rape are rare."<ref>http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=004DDFAC-6907-452E-93F5-62D3793BBABE</ref>
|-
|Connie Mackey and the [[Family Research Council]]
|Never wavered from their support of Todd Akin throughout the [[media bullying]]; the Council's president, [[Tony Perkins]] called the [[GOP]] treatment of Akin "suspect".<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/08/21/tony-perkins-gop-treatment-of-akin-suspect/</ref>
|-
|Missouri Delegates to the [[Republican National Convention]]
|"Missouri Delegates Still Support Todd Akin, Despite Controversy."<ref>http://www.rollcall.com/news/missouri_delegates_still_support_todd_akin_despite_controversy-217050-1.html</ref>
|-
|Congressman [[Steve King]]
|"I think this election should be about, how did Todd Akin vote and what did he vote for and what did he stand for. And in this case, I'm seeing the same thing -- petty personal attacks substituting for strong policy."<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57497428-503544/rep-steve-king-backs-up-todd-akin-weighs-in-on-rape-and-abortion/</ref>
|-
|[[Rand Paul]]
|"Unlike his fellow Kentucky Republican senator, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul isn’t calling on Republican Congressman Todd Akin to leave the Missouri Senate race."<ref>[http://mycn2.com/politics/rand-paul-reticent-to-weigh-in-on-akin-s-future-but-says-akin-s-comment-was-incorrect Rand Paul reticent to weigh in on Akin's future but says Akin's comment was incorrect] by Ryan Alessi, mycn2.com, August 22, 2012, retrieved August 24, 2012</ref>
|-
|[[Mike Huckabee]]
|Siding with Todd Akin, Huckabee observed that Akin's comment "was blown out of proportion not by the left, but by Akin's own Republican Party. Is this what the party really thinks of principled pro-life advocates?"<ref>http://akin.org/huckabee-chip-in</ref>
|-
|Dr. [[John C. Willke]]
|"It's time for Republican leaders to rise to the level of Rep. Akin's principle and courage and stand with him and the Republican platform that stands for the protection of every human life."<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/21/news/la-pn-todd-akin-touts-support-from-man-who-popularized-theories-on-rape-20120821</ref> (Dr. Willke is a physician with training in obstetrics.)
|-
|[[Susan B. Anthony List]]
|"We are proud to support Congressman Akin." <ref>http://hinterlandgazette.com/2012/08/social-conservatives-including-frc-head-tony-perkins-defending-rep-todd-akins-legitimate-rape-comment.html</ref>
|-
|[[Tony Perkins]]
|"Todd said he misspoke. He apologized for it. And so now I think it’s time to move on.”<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80049.html</ref>
|-
|[[Pat Buchanan]]
|"Whittaker Chambers said that “the great failing of American conservatives is they do not retrieve their wounded.”
He had it right, as Todd Akin can testify."<ref>http://buchanan.org/blog/a-grand-old-party-in-panic-2-5223</ref>
|-
|[[Newt Gingrich]]
|"I think Todd Akin is the choice of the people of Missouri. And Todd Akin has publicly apologized. People make mistakes.”<ref>http://nationaljournal.com/politics/gingrich-appears-to-support-akin-20120902</ref>
|-
|[[Victoria Jackson]]
|“The Todd Akin thing was so blown out of proportion — it’s a joke. How many times do people get pregnant from rape? It’s point zero zero one percent. It’s a joke. I read lots of articles. I know people, because I’m 53. I’ve know a lot of people, and I’ve actually never known anyone who got pregnant from being raped.”<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/08/31/victoria-jackson-todd-akin-rape-abortion_n_1847852.html</ref>
|-
|[[Jill Stanek]]
|"I'm SICK of GOP's wimpiness on pro-life issue, most recently evidenced by @ToddAkin panic."<ref>https://twitter.com/JillStanek/status/240391400078864384</ref>
|-
|[[Rick Santorum]]
|Released a joint statement with DeMint saying ""Todd Akin is a principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate. Todd will work to stop reckless spending, stop the out of control debt, repeal the government takeover of healthcare, support our military and defend life at every stage."<ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/26/santorum-demint-endorse-akin/</ref>
|-
|[[Jim DeMint]]
|Released a joint statement with Santorum saying "Todd Akin is a principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate. Todd will work to stop reckless spending, stop the out of control debt, repeal the government takeover of healthcare, support our military and defend life at every stage." Funding Akin with the Senate Conservatives Fund he founded. <ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/26/santorum-demint-endorse-akin/</ref>
|-
|[[Mark Levin]]
|"I agree with Senators DeMint and Santorum, as well as Newt Gingrich. It's time to get behind Todd Akin." <ref>Sept 26th post to Facebook</ref>
|-
|[[Rick Perry]]
|Catherine Frazier, Rick Perry's press secretary, wrote in an email that "Perry supports Todd Akin, a conservative Republican, over Claire McCaskill, a Democrat."<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-support-todd-akin-legitimate-rape-comment-missouri/story?id=17332911</ref>
|}

== Other comments ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Individual
!Comment
|-
|[[Dick Morris]]
|"I think that story is a big plus for Romney right now because the story is not that some kooky Republican Congressman running for the Senate said something stupid. That was the first story. Now the story is that the responsible leaders of the Republican Party – Romney and McConnell and Ryan and all of them – are piling on Akin to withdraw and he won’t. And that really sends a message to pro-choice women that they don’t have to be afraid of Mitt Romney, that they don’t have to vote for Obama because of that."<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/2012/08/23/morris-akin-story-now-big-plus-romney</ref>
|-
|[[Rick Scott]]
|"I clearly disagree with what he said."<ref>[http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/gov-scott-practices-monday-night-rnc-speech-condemns-akin-rape-comments Gov. Scott practices for Monday night RNC speech, condemns Akin rape comments] The Buzz, ''Tampa Bay Times'', August 21, 2012, retrieved September 7, 2012.</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[:Category:Rino backers]]

== References ==

<references/>
[[Category:politics]]
[[Category:Rino backers|*]]
[[Category:RINOs|!]]

William McKinley

2014-04-18T01:16:23Z

CalebJ: /* Death */

{{Officeholder
|name=William McKinley
|image=William McKinley by Benziger.jpg
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=Ida Saxton McKinley
|religion=[[Methodist]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/president
|country=the United States
|number=25th
|terms=March 4, 1897 - September 14, 1901<ref>http://www.trivia-library.com/a/25th-us-president-william-mckinley.htm</ref>
|vp=[[Garret Hobart]] (1897–1899) [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (1901)
|preceded=[[Grover Cleveland]]
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Theodore Roosevelt]]
}}
{{Officeholder/governor
|number=39th
|state=Ohio
|lieutenant=Andrew Harris
|terms=January 11, 1892 – January 13, 1896
|preceded=[[James Campbell]]
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Asa Bushnell]]
}}
|military=y
|rank=Brevet major
|branch=[[United States Army]] [[Union Army]]
|serviceyears=1861–1865
|commands=[[Europe]]
|battles=[[American Civil War]]
}}
'''William McKinley, Jr.'''<ref>http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch1.asp</ref> was the 25th [[President of the United States of America]], serving from 1897 until 1901 as a [[Republican]]. In Congress he was a foremost advocate of high tariffs on imported goods that would encourage industry and protect high wages from cheap competition. Defeated after his [[McKinley Tariff]] passed in 1890, McKinley bounced back to win election as governor of Ohio in 1891 and 1893. A tireless speaker, he was the most popular man in the party; his campaign manager [[Mark Hanna]] helped assure his capture of the GOP presidential nomination in 1896, in the midst of a deep depression people blamed on incumbent Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]]. But Cleveland and his conservative, pro-business [[Bourbon Democrats]] were overthrown and the [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] nominated firebrand [[William Jennings Bryan]], who picked up Populist support and crusaded against banks, railroads, and the moneyed East, promising that [[bimetallism|Free Silver]] would pump money into the economy and destroy the wicked. McKinley and Hanna fought back, inventing new techniques in the most heated election campaign in American history. McKinley promised that high tariffs would benefit all Americans--and he introduced the goal of a pluralistic America whereby all Americans of whatever race or ethnicity would share in prosperity. He attacked free silver as dishonesty, and by speaking to hundreds of thousands of voters and organizing massive parades in every town and city in the North, McKinley and Hanna demonstrated they represented the American majority. McKinley won in a landslide, carrying the entire East and Midwest and parts of the West. He won huge majorities in most cities, and switched the large German American vote to the GOP, along with most factory and railroad workers, then middle classes, and the more prosperous farmers. The election of 1896 realigned American politics, as 1896 was a critical election marking the dividing line between the [[Third Party System]] of the Civil War and Gilded Age, and the [[Fourth Party System]], usually called the Progressive Era.

As president McKinley rammed through higher tariffs and the gold standard, and watched prosperity return. Foreign affairs unexpectedly took center stage as Americans recoiled at the atrocities Spain committed to hold onto its colony of [[Cuba]]. McKinley tried to avoid war but public opinion--especially from the Bryanites--demanded it. The result was a "splendid little war," marked by sudden, overwhelming American victories on land and sea, with a few embarrassing bureaucratic mishaps in the War department. Spain quickly gave up and turned over its main colonies, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. The Congress started the war promising Cuba its independence. McKinley decided to keep Guam and Puerto Rico, along with independent Hawaii which voluntarily joined the U.S. After long hesitation McKinley decided also to keep the Philippines. This made imperialism (along with free silver again) a central issue of the 1900 election. McKinley beat Bryan in a second landslide. Six months into his second term McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist and [[Theodore Roosevelt]] became president. McKinley is considered the first modern president for introducing modern campaign methods, for reorganizing the White House staff system, and for making the activities of the President the main ingredient in political news.

==Early Life==
McKinley was born at Niles, Ohio, on Jan. 29, 1843, seventh of the nine children of William and Nancy Allison McKinley. The McKinleys, of Scotch-Irish descent, had moved to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century and became interested in the iron foundry business, which William's father later built in Ohio. In 1852 the family moved to the small town of Poland, Ohio, where William attended a local school. He entered Allegheny College at Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1860, but left because of poor health and subsequently taught school. At the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]], McKinley, then age 18, enlisted as a private in the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by [[Rutherford B. Hayes]]. He saw service in western Virginia and at the [[Antietam, Battle of|Battle of Antietam]], after which he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was mustered out of the army in 1865 as a major. He studied law in an office for a year and for a longer period at the Albany (N.Y.) Law School. Admitted to the Ohio bar in 1867, he opened an office in Canton, where he established a permanent residence. In 1871 he married Ida Saxton, the daughter of an influential local banker. After the birth of two daughters, Mrs. McKinley became an invalid for the rest of her life, her illness lightened only by the complete devotion of her husband.

McKinley entered politics early, greatly aided by his commanding presence, his oratorical ability, his sunny nature, and his willingness to negotiate and compromise. In 1869 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Stark County, and seven years later he helped nominate and elect his old commander, [[Rutherford B. Hayes]], as President.

==Congress==
In 1876 McKinley was elected to Congress and was later re-elected twice, serving from 1877 to 1883. In 1882 he claimed election and took his seat in March 1883, but the seat was contested; McKinley held the seat and voted until the last day of the session, when it was given to his opponent by the Democratic majority, who delayed so long because they wanted to work with McKinley. He regained his seat in the election of 1884 and served until he was defeated in the election of 1890.

McKinley established himself as a spokesman for the nation's dominant industrial group, desiring highly protective tariff rates. This position, together with his ardent support of [[John Sherman]] for President in 1888, won him the friendship of [[Mark Hanna]], an influential Cleveland industrialist who was a key Sherman supporter. It also assured him a place on the powerful Ways and Means Committee of the House, which wrote tax and tariff laws. As a high-tariff man he was twice made chairman of the committee on resolutions in the national conventions of the Republican Party. In 1889 he was selected as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and in that position he became chief architect of the extremely high tariff act of 1890 bearing his name. To obtain western votes for the bill, he supported the [[Sherman Silver Purchase Act]]. He was chiefly responsible for defeating [[James G. Blaine]]'s reciprocity amendments.

The public reaction to the McKinley tariff defeated his party and McKinley himself in the elections of 1890; but with the help of Hanna, the unquestioned boss of the Republican Party in Ohio, he was elected governor of the state in the following year and reelected in the depression year of 1893.
==Presidential campaign of 1896==
Hanna had been attempting for years to install John Sherman in the presidency. Turning his support to McKinley, he carefully guided his candidate through the next few years. Both McKinley and Hanna had planned to fight the campaign of 1896 on the tariff issue, but the pressure of the silverites in the Mountain states, the [[Populist Party]] on the Plains, and especially the agrarian forces led by [[William Jennings Bryan]] in the Midwest and South, made free silver and reform the critical questions. Here McKinley's record in voting for the [[Bland-Allison Act]] and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was distinctly a liability for a big-business candidate. Hanna surmounted that troublesome question by private assurances and public equivocation. By combining the support of the business element with that of delegates from the South, he secured McKinley's nomination at the St. Louis convention and at the same time wrote the word "gold" into the Republican platform.

McKinley promised a return of prosperity, and assured every economic, social ethnic and racial group that it would share in the new prosperity. The latter was the first statement of pluralism in American politics.

McKinley was dubbed the "advance agent of prosperity" promising jobs for all Americans once the nation had a high tariff and the gold standard.

In the extremely hard-fought campaign McKinley, unlike his opponent, Bryan, made no speaking tours; instead, he met hundreds of visiting delegations on his front porch, speaking to some 550,000 voters (compared to the three million people who heard Bryan, many of whom were women and children.). Supported by Hanna's organization, he was victorious in November by an electoral vote of 271 to 176, and won more than 7,000,000 popular votes out of almost 14,000,000 cast.

==President==
McKinley was a cautious, conciliatory politician rather than a leader. Except for the tariff and Republican Party ideology, it is unlikely that he held any deep political convictions. In office, his aim was to continue to represent the industrial class which had supported him for so long in Congress, to maintain party solidarity, and to keep the United States at peace. He appointed Senator Sherman as Secretary of State in 1897 in order to provide a Senate seat for Hanna. The rest of his Cabinet was without distinction.

Immediately after taking office McKinley called a special session of Congress to revise the tariff. The session resulted in the passing of the Dingley Act, establishing the highest tariff rates in the history of the country. During the same year, 1897, he also submitted a treaty to Congress providing for the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. Congress refused to ratify the treaty, but the territory was later annexed by the Resolution of 1898. Near the end of McKinley's first administration, a gold-standard act was passed, and this probably completed McKinley's program as he had conceived it in 1896.

==Foreign policy==
[[File:Columbia4.jpg|thumb|320px|Columbia is a sailor in President McKinley's navy, and is trying on "world power" on April 6, 1901; the feather is smoke representing expansion into the Pacific and caribbean]] Foreign policy entered the national spolight during the McKinley Administration. His administration was notable for the [[Spanish-American War]] of 1898, which McKinley reluctantly entered after a large amount of public and media pressure. McKinley signed a joint resolution of Congress annexing [[Hawaii]] on July 7, 1898.

By far the gravest issue during McKinley's presidency concerned relations with [[Spain]]. For some years interested Americans in and out of Congress had demanded American intervention in [[Cuba]] with an eye toward seizing the island and other Spanish territory. Apparently McKinley had no objection to the creation of an American empire, but he was personally opposed to a war to obtain one. Unlike President Cleveland, however, he responded to pressure and intervened in Cuban affairs. After the insulting De Lome letter and the [[Battleship Maine|destruction of the U.S.S. ''Maine'']] in Havana harbor in February, 1898, McKinley sent an ultimatum to the Spanish government demanding the abandonment of the ''Reconcentrado ''policy in Cuba and the institution of an armistice. After some delay Spain promised to meet most of the demands. McKinley, however, had already succumbed to the pressure for war and had written a message virtually asking for hostilities. Ignoring the Spanish answer, he submitted the message to Congress with the statement that he had "exhausted every effort to relieve the intolerable condition of affairs" in Cuba. Congress quickly declared war and this culminated in an easy victory over Spain, though woefully bad administration discredited both the War and Navy departments. By the treaty of peace, Spain evacuated Cuba and ceded [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], and the [[Philippine Islands]] to the United States.

On the vexing question of whether this nation should take the [[Philippines]] and thus become involved in Asiatic power politics, McKinley apparently had no strong convictions. He waited for a considerable time and then decided in favor of the acquisition.<ref> The story that he listened to God on the matter is probably apocryphal, but he did pray a great deal.</ref> During the rest of his first term he busied himself with the reorganization of the War and Navy departments, with an effort to win the [[Open Door]] in China, and with the problems growing out of the newly acquired territory.

==Reelection and Second Term==
[[Image:1900win.jpg|thumb|left|350px|McKinley's 1900 landslide was solidly based on prosperity at home and prestige abroad, with gold supported by businessmen, farmers, soldiers and workers]]

Enthusiastically renominated in 1900, McKinley refused to accept Bryan's challenge to fight the election solely over the issue of imperialism. Instead, he and his party supporters, pointing to the great prosperity of the country and using the slogan of the "full dinner pail," asked for re-election on the ground that a Republican victory would insure the continuance of good times. He was re-elected with 292 votes in the electoral college against 155 for Bryan, and by a popular plurality of 900,000.

==Death==
Six months after his second inauguration he visited the Pan-American Exposition at [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], N.Y. There, on Sept. 5, 1901, he first questioned his high-tariff doctrines by advocating a world reduction in customs rates by means of reciprocal treaties. He was not to live, however, to see his proposal adopted.

He was shot by an [[anarchist]], [[Leon Frank Czolgosz]], in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], New York on September 6, 1901. McKinley had received a number of death threats, and despite the objections of his advisors, insisted on meeting the public on this trip to Buffalo.<ref>Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, "A Patriot's History of the United States" (Sentinel 2007)</ref> He died eight days later, and his Vice President, [[Theodore Roosevelt]], became President. The nation mourned McKinley and Roosevelt promised to continue his highly popular policies.

==Legacy==

A memorial to McKinley was built in his hometown of Canton [[Ohio]]. It was funded by a grassroots fundraising campaign shortly after his death. [[Theodore Roosevelt]] gave the dedication speech. The monument features a domed building on a hill in which McKinley's body rests. There is a statue of him on the hill. Near the monument is a science and history museum. His home in Canton is now the National First Ladies' Historic Sight.

McKinley appears on the now out of print $500 bill.

==See also==
* [[Open Door Policy]]
* [[Progressive Era]]

==Bibliography==
* Dobson, John M. ''Reticient Expansionism: The Foreign Policy of William McKinley.'' (1988).
* Faulkner, Harold U. ''Politics, Reform, and Expansion, 1890-1900'' (1959). standard scholarly survey [http://www.questia.com/library/book/politics-reform-and-expansion-1890-1900-by-harold-u-faulkner.jsp online edition]
* Glad, Paul W. ''McKinley, Bryan, and the People'' (1964). short history of 1896 election
* Gould, Lewis L. ''The Presidency of William McKinley.'' (1981) the standard scholarly history
* Jensen, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971) a conservative perspective
* Jones, Stanley L. ''The Presidential Election of 1896.'' the standard history.
* Josephson, Matthew. ''The Politicos: 1865-1896'' (1938) a leftist perspective
* Leech, Margaret. ''In the Days of McKinley.'' 1959, well-written popular history
* Morgan, H. Wayne. ''William McKinley and His America.'' 1963. biography by scholar
* Morgan, H. Wayne. ''From Hayes to McKinley: National Party Politics, 1877-1896'' (1969), [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94446383 online edition]
* Offner, John L. ''An Unwanted War: The Diplomacy of the United States and Spain over Cuba, 1895-1898'' (1992) [ online edition]
* Olcott, Charles S. ''The Life of William McKinley''. 1916, popular biography, [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZknxFcL1ASIC&pg=PA1&dq=intitle:The+intitle:Life+intitle:of+intitle:William+intitle:McKinley&num=30&as_brr=1 online at Google]
* Rhodes, James Ford. ''The McKinley and Roosevelt Administrations, 1897-1909'' (1922), early scholarly history; Rhodes (a Democrat) was Hanna's brother-in-law
* Trask, David. ''The War with Spain in 1898.'' 1981.
* Williams, R. Hal. ''Years of Decision: American Politics in the 1890s'' (1993) survey by scholar

===Primary Sources===
* McKinley, William.''Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley from March 1, 1897 to May 30, 1900.'' 1900. [http://books.google.com/books?id=T8PVmgZI2bgC&pg=PA1&dq=inauthor:McKinley+inauthor:William&num=30&as_brr=1 online at Google]
* McKinley, William. ''Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley from his Election to Congress to the Present Time'' (1893) [http://books.google.com/books?id=Qe5gk4hoJXAC&pg=PA1&dq=inauthor:McKinley+inauthor:William&num=30&as_brr=1 online at Google]
* McKinley, William.''The Tariff; a Review of the Tariff Legislation of the United States from 1812 to 1896'' (1896) [http://books.google.com/books?id=eUfGI5hdKngC&pg=PA1&dq=inauthor:McKinley+inauthor:William&num=30&as_brr=1 online at Google]

==References==
<references/>

{{USPresidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinley, William}}

[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Spanish-American War]]
[[Category:United States History]]
[[category:Taxation]]
[[Category:Ohio Governors]]
[[Category:Gilded Age]]
[[Category:Progressive Era]]
[[Category:Republican Governors]]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

2014-04-17T21:32:06Z

CalebJ:

[[Image:Birmingham temple.jpg|right|Birmingham temple]]
'''The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,'''<ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ca07ae4af9c7e010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD Style Guide - The Name of the Church] LDS.org</ref> informally known as the '''Mormon Church''', is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by [[Joseph Smith]]. Its members are colloquially referred to as "Mormons." As of December 31, 2008, the Church reported over 13.5 million members worldwide. <ref>[http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-10,00.html Statistical Report, 2008], LDS.org, April 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_lds.html Geographic statistics]</ref> This authentic American-founded religious group has contributed greatly to the United States. As just one example, they have devoted millions of man hours to humanitarian efforts around the globe.

==Overview==
The church was organized in 1830 in the "Burned Over" district of upstate New York, by [[Joseph Smith]]. As the Church grew, new converts gathered in [[Ohio]] and [[Missouri]]. While the Latter-day Saints in [[Kirtland]], Ohio, experienced persecution, those gathered in Missouri were repeatedly driven from town to town by angry mobs. Having been forced from Missouri in 1839, Church members gathered in Illinois and built a thriving city called [[Nauvoo]] in a swampy bend of the Mississippi River. However, within seven years they were again forced from their homes. Led by [[Brigham Young]], these pioneers trekked 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) westward to the Salt Lake Valley, to escape persecution, and founded [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], where the Latter-Day Saint Church continues to be headquartered today. The church has now expanded to more than 13 million members.<ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=86e6635a56d8f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=3e0511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD LDS Newsroom - Early Church History]</ref><ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=d10511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD Worldwide Church Statistics] LDS.org</ref>

Church members follow a law of health known as the [[Word of Wisdom]] that promotes healthy eating as well as avoiding tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea, and illegal drugs.<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/89 The Word of Wisdom] Scriptures.lds.org</ref>
The U.S religious landscape survey published in February 2008 shows that [[Mormon]]s have the largest families closely followed by Muslims. <ref> [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/25/america/25usreligion.php U.S religious landscape survey]</ref>

==Mormons' relationship to Christianity==
According to the [[Lutheran Missouri Synod]], "The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, together with the vast majority of Christian denominations in the United States, does not regard the Mormon church as a Christian church." <ref>http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2239</ref> In addition, the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] states that the Mormon religion is "not consistent with biblical Christianity." <ref>http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/02/southern_baptist_convention_wa.php</ref> The [[United Methodist Church]] has stated that the the Morman faith has "some radically differing doctrine on such matters of belief as the nature and being of [[God]]; the nature, origin, and purpose of [[Jesus Christ]]; and the nature and way of [[salvation]]." <ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/news/an200513.html#21</ref> According to Beliefnet.com there are a number of differences between the Mormon faith and traditional Christianity. <ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/features/mormonism.html</ref>

==Beliefs==
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe in the deity of [[Christ]]. They affirm the deity of Christ and their Church bears his name. From the organization of the LDS Church in 1830, the Church's doctrine focused on matters concerning theological issues related to Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith, Jr. wrote in 1842 to ''Chicago Democrat'' editor John Wentworth a statement of Church beliefs. The first of these 13 doctrinal declarations, later called the Articles of [[Faith]], stated the following:<blockquote>“We believe in [[God]] the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the [[Holy Ghost]]."<ref>[http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=4ebe76e6ffe0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith] from the October 2002 General Conference</ref></blockquote>

"The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements written by the Prophet Joseph Smith describing some of the basic teachings and ordinances of the Church". <ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1]</ref> <ref>[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/home%20and%20family.htm/gospel%20principles.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0 ''Gospel Principles'', The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Utah. 1997</ref> 

The LDS website states: <blockquote>"We believe in the Jesus of the [[New Testament]], and we believe what the New Testament teaches about Him. We do believe things about Jesus that other Christians do not believe, but that is because we know, through revelation, things about Jesus that others do not know."<ref>[http://www.mormon.org/question/faq/category/answer/0,9777,1601-1-56-16,00.html Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a Christian church?] As answered on the LDS Church's website</ref></blockquote>

Members of the church believe that [[God the Father]] and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct glorified beings, that God, the Father of all spirits (even including Lucifer) and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in a vision in the spring of 1820 in response to Joseph's prayer requesting to know which of the many local [[Christian]] denominations he should join himself with, and that They told him that he should join with none of them. The reason behind this direction was as follows, according to LDS beliefs: the organization or "church" put in place by Jesus Christ during His ministry both before and after His resurrection was meant to remain as long as there were faithful followers, although there was clear understanding that a "falling away" (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3) or apostasy would take place, destroying for a time this organization (though not destroying faith in Jesus Christ, which did persist). This church organization provided a structure whereby two key components were maintained: the Priesthood, and continuing and direct revelation from the ascended Jesus Christ to His chosen Apostles.

According to LDS beliefs, the Priesthood is the authority given by Jesus Christ to His [[Apostles]] and others, both to direct the Church, as well as to perform the associated and necessary ordinances, such as baptism by water immersion, and giving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Without this authority, it would be impossible to perform them in an authorized manner (see [[Book of Acts|Acts]] 8:18-23). This authority, in actuality a covenant of service, only placed on men and not at all a legitimate source of self-aggrandizement, could only be passed from one authorized holder to another worthy man through the laying on of hands. Thus, while although initially the full quorum of 12 Apostles was maintained (see Acts 1:15-26), the Apostles were killed one by one and the Lord, in His mercy, ceased to give these murderers further opportunity of condemning themselves as more Apostles were not chosen. Thus, without the Priesthood and without the continuing revelation that the Lord provided to His Apostles to lead and guide the church, it fell way, as had been prophesied.

Therefore, LDS doctrine teaches of the necessity of a complete restoration rather than simply a reformation, and for this reason, Joseph Smith was called by God to be the first prophet, in the same sense as [[Moses]], [[Isaiah]], or [[Peter]], since the times of the New Testament. Mormons believe that since Joseph Smith, the leaders of the Church, from Brigham Young to [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] today, were and are prophets, with the complete Priesthood authority (restored through the laying on of hands by first [[John the Baptist]] and then by Apostles Peter, [[James]] and [[John]]). Mormons revere these men just as the Biblical prophets are revered and in particular, honor Joseph Smith for being the man through whom God and Jesus Christ chose to restore Their church to the earth.

===JesusChrist.lds.org===
[[Image:FaithinChrist.jpg|thumb|right|A screen shot of the new JesusChrist.lds.org Web site.]]
The Church has a multimedia website about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ at [http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpats1 JesusChrist.lds.org].

Elder [[Russell Nelson|Russell M. Nelson]] speaks about the new website ''JesusChrist.lds.org''. [http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/2-29-08_Nelson.flv&type=FLV video]

===Scriptures===

The four standard works of the Church are:
*The King James Version of the [[Bible]] - both the Old and New Testaments
*[[The Book of Mormon|The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ]] - Translation of the spiritual record of two ancient civilizations in the western hemisphere, one from the time of the [[Tower of Babel]] to about 600 B.C., and the other from 600 B.C. to 421 A.D.
*[[Doctrine and Covenants]] - Modern-day revelation as received by the Prophet Joseph Smith and other modern-day prophets
*[[Pearl of Great Price]] - Selection of translations, revelations and narrations from the Prophet Joseph Smith

====Book of Mormon====

President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] said the following about the [[Book of Mormon]] in an October, 2002 [[General Conference]] address entitled "The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith": <blockquote>"This remarkable book stands as a testimonial to the living reality of the Son of God. The Bible declares that 'in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established' (Matt. 18:16). The Bible, the testament of the Old World, is one witness. The Book of Mormon, the testament of the New World, is another witness.</blockquote><blockquote>I cannot understand why the Christian world does not accept this book. I would think they would be looking for anything and everything that would establish without question the reality and the divinity of the Savior of the world."<ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e74c4d4297602110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD Mormons Reflect Christianity in Lifestyle] as stated in the April, 2007 newsroom article at lds.org</ref></blockquote>

===Restoration of the Priesthood===
Members of the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] believe that on May 15, 1829 A.D., the resurrected [[John the Baptist]] appeared to [[Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith, Jr.]] and [[Oliver Cowdery]] and conferred upon them the [[Aaronic priesthood]], which includes the authority to baptize.<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/13 Doctrine and Covenants 13]</ref> Later, the resurrected Peter, James, and John appeared to them and conferred the [[Melchizedek priesthood]].

==Special Witnesses of Christ==
These prophets and apostles have given their testimonies as special witnesses of Jesus Christ.

*President [[Gordon Hinckley|Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008)]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/president-gordon-b-hinckley-1910-2008-garden-tomb Special Witnesses of Christ], President Gordon B. Hinckley at the Garden Tomb, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref> <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/president-gordon-b-hinckley-1910-2008-sacred-grove Special Witnesses of Christ], President Gordon B. Hinckley at the Sacred Grove, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*President [[Thomas Monson|Thomas S. Monson]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/president-thomas-s-monson Special Witnesses of Christ], President Thomas S. Monson, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*President [[Henry Eyring|Henry B. Eyring]]
*President [[Dieter Uchtdorf|Dieter F. Uchtdorf]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/president-dieter-f-uchtdorf Special Witnesses of Christ], President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*President [[Boyd Packer|Boyd K. Packer]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/president-boyd-k-packer Special Witnesses of Christ], President Boyd K. Packer, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*Elder [[L. Tom Perry]]
*Elder [[Russell Nelson|Russell M. Nelson]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/elder-russell-m-nelson Special Witnesses of Christ], Elder Russell M. Nelson, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*Elder [[Dallin Oaks|Dallin H. Oaks]]
*Elder [[M. Russell Ballard]]
*Elder [[Joseph Wirthlin|Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008)]]
*Elder [[Richard Scott|Richard G. Scott]]
*Elder [[Robert Hales|Robert D. Hales]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/elder-robert-d-hales Special Witnesses of Christ], Elder Robert D. Hales, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*Elder [[Jeffrey Holland|Jeffrey R. Holland]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/elder-jeffrey-r-holland Special Witnesses of Christ], Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*Elder [[David Bednar|David A. Bednar]] <ref>[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses/video/elder-elder-david-a-bednar Special Witnesses of Christ], Elder David A. Bednar, video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''.</ref>
*Elder [[Quentin Cook|Quentin L. Cook]]
*Elder [[D. Todd Christofferson]]

==Wards==
[[Image:DCTemple.jpg|right|Washington DC Temple]]
Wards are geographically-defined congregations of the church. The Bishop is the spiritual leader of the ward and he serves with two counselors, all three chosen from among the body of the Ward. Bishops are usually called to serve for a period of five years and do so on a volunteer and unpaid basis, without formal ecclesiastical training, and while maintaining their secular professions.

The entire ward meets every week on Sunday to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and to receive counsel. The meetings are divided into three different hours:
*First hour - '''Sacrament meeting'''. Our main purpose in attending sacrament meeting is to renew our covenants through partaking of the sacrament and to worship our Heavenly Father through hymn singing and prayer. Sacrament meeting provides an opportunity for members to strengthen their faith, find inner peace and spiritual healing, receive inspiration, and be instructed in the gospel. A member of the bishopric begins the meeting welcoming all members and visitors. There is an opening hymn followed by an opening prayer (invocation). This is followed by conducting ward business where members are released and sustained from callings. Then the sacrament of bread and water is prepared, blessed by the priesthood, and passed to the congregation. The sacrament is a renewal of the covenants each member made at baptism to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and to keep his commandments. On the first Sunday of the month, the meeting conductor starts off the bearing of testimonies by offering his own personal testimony. A testimony is a personal witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. As inspired by the Spirit, other members give their testimonies. On the other three Sundays, there are talks from members. The sacrament meeting concludes with a closing hymn and prayer.
*Second hour - '''Sunday School''', '''Primary''' and '''Nursery'''. Its purposes are to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and strengthen individuals and families by encouraging them to study the scriptures, obey the commandments, receive the essential ordinances, and keep the associated covenants. All the adults and youth meet in Sunday School classes. Children younger than twelve and three or older attend Primary. Children who are at least 18 months old but who are not yet 3 years old on 1 January may attend nursery at the discretion of their parents.
:'''Adult Sunday School''' - The adults meet in several different classes. New members to the Church usually attend a Gospel Essentials class where they learn the basic teachings of the Church. Most of the other adults attend a Gospel Doctrine class where they are instructed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the scriptures. The main subjects rotate every four years: Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and the last year is Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and Church history. The bible used by Church members is the King James Version.
:'''Youth Sunday School''' - The youth meet in several different classes according to their ages. There are usually separate classes for twelve and thirteen year olds, fourteen and fifteen year olds and sixteen and seventeen year olds. When they turn eighteen, the member starts attending the adult classes.
:'''Primary''' - The purpose of Primary is to teach children the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them learn to live it.
:'''Nursery''' - The purpose of the nursery class is to provide a loving, safe, organized place where young children can increase their understanding of and love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, have positive experiences in a Church setting, and grow in feelings of self-worth.
*Third hour - '''Priesthood''', '''Relief Society''', '''Young Men''', '''Young Women''', '''Primary''' and '''Nursery'''. The men meet in Priesthood, the adult women meet in Relief Society,the male youth meet in Young Men, the female youth meet in Young Women and the children continue to meet in Primary or Nursery.
:'''Priesthood''' - The purpose of the priesthood meetings are to increase priesthood holders’ knowledge of the gospel; strengthen their dedication to becoming better husbands, fathers, sons, and neighbors; and help them become active participants in fulfilling the mission of the Church.
:'''Relief Society ''' - The purpose of Relief Society is to provide relief for the poor and needy and to bring people to Christ.
:'''Young Men''' - The purpose of the Young men group is to prepare the young men of the Aaronic Priesthood to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, to receive the ordinances of the temple, and to serve a full-time mission.
:'''Young Women''' - The purpose of the Young Women organization is to help each young woman, ages 12 to 18, "come unto Christ".

==General Conference==
The church holds a semi-annual General Conference (in April and October, five two-hour sessions over two days) during which members listen to spoken messages from the Prophet and President of the church, his two counselors, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other Church leaders. These messages are received by members of the church as modern-day revelation, just as the words of Peter were received by the followers of Jesus Christ in his day. Many members travel to Salt Lake City for the two-day conference, but the proceedings are broadcast via satellite throughout the world (as well as streamed on the internet) so that the entire church can participate.

The semi-annual conference was held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for 132 years, but in 2000, the church completed construction of the Conference Center and has held the conference there since April 2000. The Conference Center's primary feature is an auditorium that seats 21,000.

==History of the Church in Utah ==
After the move to what would eventually become Utah, members of the Church founded the Territory of Deseret. While this was soon scaled down to the Utah territory by the United states government, the name Deseret was retained in the form of a newspaper (the Deseret Times) and the symbol on the state's highways (the beehive). Brigham Young, the then president of the Church was appointed governor of the Territory. The territory thrived, with the Saints in all positions of power (a territory consisting almost entirely of Saints unsurprisingly elected a territorial legislature that was entirely Mormon).

When federal officials, placed as patronage positions, arrived in Utah and found they could not profit in the usual way (skimming money off the top of deals, insisting on bribes and kickbacks for contracts), they started a drumbeat of negativity towards the Church in Washington. This led to the United States government marching an army of 2,500 troops towards Utah in 1857. This exercise of a nation taking arms against its own people failed miserably, with the troops poorly supplied and forced to march through the Rocky Mountains in the winter. Armed conflict was averted by Thomas Kaine, who convinced the governor of the territory at the time, Alfred Cummings, to order the army to pass by Salt Lake City and camp miles away. This failed expedition helped the Saints maintain a greater part of their independence from the federal government for a while longer.

==Controversy==

====Position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with respect to Christianity====
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider themselves Christians. They worship Jesus Christ as their Creator (see John 1:3), their Savior and Redeemer, and ultimately their eternal Judge. They believe that the events described in the New Testament in reality occurred, including Jesus Christ's virgin birth, his sinless life and miraculous ministry, and his suffering, death, and literal resurrection, through which forgiveness of sin, salvation (understood in LDS doctrine to indicate resurrection and immortality, a free gift to all; see 1 Corinthians 15:22), and ultimately exaltation (returning to and eternally dwelling in the presence of God and Jesus Christ and becoming "joint-heirs with Christ"; see Romans 8:17), are made possible.

The eleventh of the above-mentioned thirteen articles of faith contains the following statement:
<blockquote>“We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." (see Articles of Faith 1:11)</blockquote>

====African Americans and the Priesthood====
African Americans were banned from the priesthood until, in June 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball is said to have received a revelation extending priesthood ordination to all worthy males of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Official Declaration 2).
<ref name="Black">Emmanuel Abu Kissi, [http://byustudies.byu.edu/Reviews/Pages/reviewdetail.aspx?reviewID=117 Book review of Black and Mormon] BYU Studies Review, October 2006.</ref><ref> [http://www.pbs.org/mormons/themes/prohibition.html The Prohibition Against Blacks in the Priesthood], Public Broadcasting Service.</ref> <ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=36f2ce9566a43110VgnVCM100000176f620a____ LDS.org - Topic Definition - Priesthood Ordination before 1978]</ref>

The Book of Mormon attests that God invites “all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; . . . and all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33). In our present day the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have stated that all human beings are created in the image of God and that each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of Deity. <ref>“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” 23 Sept. 1995, published in Ensign, Nov. 1995</ref>

<blockquote>In the twentieth century, various Church leaders continued to offer possible reasons why a race of people was prohibited from holding the priesthood. One explanation, carried over from the previous century, stated that blacks were descendants of Cain, the first murderer, and therefore were denied the priesthood because of lineage. Another theory held that blacks were less valiant in the premortal existence and therefore had certain spiritual restrictions placed upon them during mortality. Priesthood denial was perceived to be one of these spiritual restrictions. But by mid-century, President David O. McKay stated, "There is not now, and there never has been, a doctrine in this Church that the negroes are under a divine curse. . . .It is a practice, not a doctrine, and the practice will some day be changed".<ref name="Black" /></blockquote>

===Views on Same-Gender Attraction===
In October 2007, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote an article in the Ensign magazine entitled "Helping Those Who Struggle with Same-Gender Attraction". <ref>[http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=e5cbba12dc825110VgnVCM100000176f620a____ Helping Those Who Struggle with Same-Gender Attraction]</ref> In 2007, the Church published a pamphlet "God Loveth His Children", for those suffering from same-gender attraction. <ref>http://www.lds.org/topics/pdf/GodLovethHisChildren_04824_000.pdf God Loveth His Children</ref>

On June 7, 2006, ABC’s Nightline ran a story on members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who struggle with same-gender attraction. The Church published a response to the inaccuracies in the Nightline story. <ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=d4ec39628b88f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=f5f411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD Church Responds to Nightline Story on Mormons and Homosexuality]</ref>

The Church has a section on same-gender attraction on the Newsroom website. <ref>[http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=27f71f1dd189f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=726511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD&vgnextfmt=tab1 Same-Gender Attraction]</ref>

===Polygamy===

Critics try to associate the Church with polygamy, but in fact the Church has denounced polygamy for most of its existence, and at least since 1905. Other belief systems, such as the [[ACLU]]'s, are more supportive of polygamy than this Church is.

A 1998 statement by current LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley states:
:This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. . . . If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church.<ref>[http://www.mormon.org/question/faq/category/answer/0,9777,1601-1-114-1,00.html What is the Church’s position on polygamy?] LDS website</ref>

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

==See Also==
*[[List of LDS temples]]
*[[Christianity]]
*[[Christianity in Conservapedia]]

==External Links==

====Links to websites favorable to the Mormon Church====

*[http://www.lds.org Official Church Website]
*[http://www.mormon.org Official Church Website for Investigators]
*[http://scriptures.lds.org Official Online Version of the LDS Scriptures]
*[http://www.familysearch.org/ Official Church Genealogy Website, "the largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world."]
*[http://www.ldschurchtemples.com "News, schedules, photographs, and interesting facts of the temples of the LDS Church"]
*[http://www.fairlds.org Mormon Apologetics]
*[http://www.maxwellinstitute.com BYU Theologians]
*[http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/ About Mormons]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints Wikipedia article] on the LDS Church
*[http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article3282.html Are Mormons Conservative?]
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317272,00.html 21 Questions Answered About Mormon Faith]
*[http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/what-you-will-find-when-you-step-inside-a-mormon-chapel What You Will Find When You Step Inside a Mormon Chapel], LDS Newsroom, 19 August 2008

====Links to Groups Not in Favor of the Mormon Church====
*[http://jesusnotjoseph.com JesusNotJoseph]
*[http://www.mrm.org Mormonism Research Ministry]
*[http://www.evangelicalbible.com/jw.htm#LDS The Mormon Church & the Nature of God]

[[Category:Churches]]
[[Category:LDS Church]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Public schools in the United States

2014-04-17T20:55:41Z

CalebJ:

[[File:800px-Warning signs at CHS.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Because of violence, vandalism, and other undesirable elements, this public school has a glaring sign warning of the on-campus surveillance cameras at its parking lot entrance.]]
'''[[Public schools]] in the [[United States]]''' have become predominantly [[liberal]] and [[secular]]<ref>[http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_exodus_from_public_schools_gets_helping_hand.htm Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand], Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998</ref><ref>For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61806]</ref><ref>From 2004 to 2006, a [[public school]] banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref><ref>[[Atheists]] routinely impose their views on [[public schools]], though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in [[Illinois]] "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moment_of_silence_bothmay30,0,7722271.story]</ref>
government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend $411.5 billion annually at a cost of $10,770 per student.<ref>[http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=15&cSectionID=97 Statistics about education]</ref> [[Liberals]] censor [[classroom prayer]], the [[Ten Commandments]], sharing of [[faith]] in classrooms during school hours, and teaching [[Bible]]-based [[morality]].<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> Mandatory [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual indoctrination]] is common as early as elementary school in more [[liberal]] states.<ref>http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html</ref> The failures of underperforming public schools are paradigm of [[socialism]], along with [[landfills]] and the [[Canada|Canadian]] healthcare system.

The following are characteristics of US public schools:

*30% of public school students fail to graduate from [[high school]],<ref name="graduate">"Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm]</ref> and more than 40% of minorities fail to graduate;<ref>"Only 71 percent of kids graduate from high school within four years, and for minorities the numbers are even worse -- 58 percent for Hispanics and 55 percent for African Americans," [Bill Gates] wrote. "If the decline in childhood deaths [in developing countries] is one of the most positive statistics ever, these are some of the most negative."[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901353.html?wpisrc=newsletter]</ref> the real drop-out rate may be 50%.<ref>http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47272207.html</ref>
*Nearly 70% of students leave high school unqualified to attend four-year college, and many are unable to hold a steady job.<ref name="graduate"/>
*A 2007 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 77% of students between eighth and 12th grade had used illicit drugs.<ref>According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20081207/NEWS08/812070305/1002]</ref> Fatal overdoses are common but underreported.<ref>Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DB123EF932A25750C0A9629C8B63 Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old [[public school]] student was an exception to the underreporting].</ref> Public schools are required to present [[Drug education|drug "education"]] to kids.
*More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)</ref>
*About half of the viable pregnancies among girls attending public school end in [[abortion|abortions]] and about half end in birth. Public schools "[[Sex education|educate]]" kids about sex.<ref>"There is zero shame [to [[teenage pregnancy]]]," the school nurse observed.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121203507.html]</ref>
*"About 160,000 students miss school daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]].<ref>One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref>
*20% of students had been dangerously "[[binge drinking]]" in the previous 30 days, and 50% of seniors regularly drink illegally, according to a 2007 study of Ottawa County, Michigan.<ref>The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press: Ottawa County confronts teen drinking, By Greg Chandler, December 04, 2008[http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_county_confronts_teen_d.html]</ref><ref name="Oregon">http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html</ref>
*10-20% of students become [[Addiction|addicted]] to [[cigarettes]]<ref name="Oregon"/><ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/</ref>
*More than 10% of public high schools have a [[Homosexual Agenda|pro-homosexual]] student club
*The majority of public school students are completely ignorant about the [[Bible]], even as [[Bible history|history]] and literature
*35% of students are overweight<ref name="health">http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/29/students-health-needs-attention/</ref>
*Health screening of public schools in Memphis, Tennessee, found that nearly 10% of students have mental health problems<ref name="health"/>.
*California public schools, largest in the nation, now rank at the bottom in academic achievement.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/us/us_california_broken_schools/2009/06/21/227552.html High-Spending California School System Collapsing] AP, June 21, 2009</ref>
''See Also: [[Public school culture]]''

== 4-day week ==

In many states, administrators and other public school employees are paid full salaries, at substantial public expense, but at some of their schools actual teaching occurs only 4 days a week, rather than 5. These states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming ... and Washington passed legislation to allow it there too.<ref>http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/educ/school-calendar-four-day-school-week-overview.aspx</ref>

==History==

In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.

Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and the first American [[kindergarten]] didn't exist until 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.

==Views on morals==

===So-called "character education"===

In response to the perception that public schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_199910/ai_n8866284]</ref> The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."<ref>http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story</ref> The impact of the removal of morality from the [[public school]] curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."<ref>http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html</ref> Liberal politicians are the most frequent opponents of initiatives designed to build moral fiber in the public school system, with organizations like the [[ACLU]] and teacher's unions devoting a significant amount of their resources towards this end. In 2010, a school board in [[North Dakota]] decided to change the name of their mascot from the "Satans." Liberals unrolled a large-scale media campaign that blanketed the district with pro-Satan propaganda in an attempt to keep the name, but they were unsuccessful. <ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-perspec-0311-things-20120311_1_devil-man-great-deceiver-native-americans</ref>

=== Prayer ===

:''See also: [[Classroom prayer]]''

The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] stated, "Nothing in the [[First Amendment]] converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1998<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref>

In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref>
<blockquote>
Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week. 
 
The guidance reflects the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed. 
The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.
The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the [[Clinton administration]] and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials. 
 
The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.
</blockquote>

===Teaching the Bible in Public Schools ===
The [[National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools]]<ref>http://www.bibleinschools.net/</ref> (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.

==Suppression and intolerance of alternative views==
[[Activist judges]] have proclaimed that teaching [[creationism]]<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/482/578/case.html</ref> and [[intelligent design]]<ref>www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf</ref> in public schools is unconstitutional because they claim that such teachings would amount to a government establishment of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.<ref>''See'' ''Kitzmiller'', 400 F.Supp.2d at 765</ref>

==Educational outcomes==

===Declining literacy ===
Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after [[World War II]], students' [[literacy]] levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.<ref>''Utne Reader'' (July-August 2000), 28-9.</ref>

===Liberal bias in textbooks===
:''See also: [[Textbook bias]]''

[[Textbook]]s (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic [[liberal bias]] exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life—[[marriage]], [[religion]], [[politics]], and [[business]]. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread [[secular]] and [[liberal]] mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]"<ref> ''Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks'', [[Paul C. Vitz]], Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X</ref>.

Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]". <ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref>

Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[Creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.

===Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers===
Due to the strength of the nation's teachers' [[Labor union|union]], it is nearly impossible to fire a bad performing teacher with [[tenure]]. The process can take years and involves countless steps to even attempt. The union claims that the protections are needed against arbitrary and malicious lawsuits.

The New York public schools system has approximately 700 teachers accused of insubordination to sexual misconduct. They remain in seclusion from the classroom but are paid full salaries until their cases are heard, sometimes from months to years later. All because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_rubber_rooms/2009/06/22/227959.html 700 NYC Teachers Paid to Do Nothing] AP, June 22, 2009</ref>

[[File:Pathtodismissal.JPG|center|thumb|800px| Flow chart for firing teachers in the nations second largest [[school district]], Los Angeles Unified School district]]

==Graduates==
=== Before 1962 ===
Given that public schools educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school-sponsored prayer in 1962. Here is an impressive list of people who attended public schools ''before'' the banning of school-sponsored prayer.

*[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois
*[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas
*[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California
*[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas
*[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri
*[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas
*[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.
*[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref>
*[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref>
*[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref>
*[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref>
*[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref>
*[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref>
*[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. <ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref>

=== After 1962 ===
Here is a mostly unimpressive list of people who attended public school ''after'' school-sponsored prayer was banned in 1962:

*[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981; dropped out of college.<ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm
</ref>
*[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/
</ref>
*[[John Sununu]], former one-term Senator from [[New Hampshire]], graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's;<ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html</ref> claiming to be [[pro-life]], Sununu arranged for the nomination of [[David Souter]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], where he then repeatedly voted on the side of [[abortion]]
*[[John Edwards]], indicted in 2011 on allegations arising from his affair with a mistress, was a former one-term Senator from [[North Carolina]] and two-time unsuccessful candidate for nomination for president, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref>
*[[Spike Lee]], producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref>
*[[Laura Bush]] attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964); came out in support of [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] in 2010.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/laura-bush-supports-gay-marriage-abortion/story?id=10629213</ref>
*[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964, and became the only president impeached in the 20th century.
*Anthony Weiner, a congressman who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after first denying but then confirming an indecent use of [[Twitter]], graduated from a public high school in [[Brooklyn]].
*[[Steve Jobs]], founder of [[Apple Inc.]], graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA in 1972; his colleague, [[Steve Wozniak]], graduated from the same high school in 1968.
*[[Eminem]], a [[liberal]] [[rapper]], repeatedly failed 9th grade in public school and ultimately dropped out.
*[[Alan Colmes]], a liberal news commentator, attended public school in [[New York City]].
*[[Sarah Palin]], vice presidential candidate on the [[Republican Party]] ticket in 2008 and favorite of some [[Tea Party]] groups, went to [[Wasilla High School]] and graduated in 1982 and then attended 5 different colleges before becoming more [[conservative]] later in life.<ref>http://outhouserag.typepad.com/outhouserag/2008/09/sarah-palin-198.html</ref>
*[[Rick Perry]], [[Texas]] governor, infringed on [[parental rights]] by requiring young girls to receive an HPV vaccine.
*[[Kenneth D. Cockrell]], [[Texas]] Graduated from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, Texas, in 1968. A veteran of five spaceflights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,560 hours in space.<ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.htmll</ref>
*[[Russell Alan Hulse]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref>
*[[Richard Axel]], [[New York]] Graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, in 1963. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel</ref>
*[[Hugh David Politzer]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref>
*[[Christine O'Donnell]] graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987.<ref>[http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363&nclick_check=1 "Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'", ''Delaware Online'']</ref>
*[[Scott Walker]] graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1986.<ref>[http://walworthcountytoday.com/news/2010/sep/07/rock-county-close-home-walker/ Ames, Ann Marie, "Rock County Close to Home for Walker", ''Walworth County Today'', Sept. 7, 2010]</ref>
*[[Paul Ryan]], an establishment [[Republican]], graduated from Joseph A. Craig High School, Janesville, WI in 1988.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/16/politics/wis-ryan/</ref>
*[[Sharron Angle]] (born 1949) graduated from Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.<ref>[http://www.sharronangle.com/sharron-angle-biography "Sharron Angle, Biography"]</ref>
*[[Jon Huntsman]], Republican Presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah, attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before he dropped out in 1978 to pursue a career as a rock and roll keyboardist.<ref>[http://www.jon2012.com/jon]</ref>
*[[Michelle Bachmann]], Republican member of the House of Representatives graduated from Anoka High School, Anoka, Minnesota in 1974.<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/local/north/129276683.html?refer=y]</ref>
*[[Mike Huckabee]], former Republican Governor of Arkansas, graduated from Hope High School, Hope Arkansas, in 1974.<ref>[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108]</ref>
*[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], Prime Minister of Israel, Graduated from Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 1967. <ref>[http://cheltenhamalumni.org/BIOS/netanyahu-benjamin.htm]</ref>
*[[Rand Paul]], Republican Senator, Graduated from Brazoswood High School, Clute, Texas in 1981. <ref>[http://politics.laws.com/rand-paul]</ref>

==See Also==

*[[Public school culture]]
*[[Teacher Pay]]
*[[Atheism and public schools]]
*[[Parental rights]] (focusing on the rights of parents to control the education, upbringing and disclipline of their children)
*[[Education in the United Kingdom]]

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

[[category:Schools]]
[[category:United States History]]
{{Liberalism}}

==External Links==
*[http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1610/466/Dumb_As_A_Rock:_You_Will_Be_Absolutely_Amazed_At_The_Things_That_U.S._High_School_Students_Do_Not_Know.html Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Know]
*[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/03/28/9-notorious-teacher-sex-scandals/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058?test=latestnews 8 Bizarre Teacher Scandals You Won't Believe]

Leon Czolgosz

2014-04-17T20:50:26Z

CalebJ:

[[image:Leonczolgosz55.jpg‎|thumb|right| Leon Czolgosz]]
'''Leon Frank Czolgosz''' was the [[assassin]] of President [[William McKinley]]. He was involved with various [[anarchy|anarchist]] groups, and he was influenced by known anarchists such as [[Emma Goldman]]. On September 6, 1901, he shot and killed the president in [[Buffalo]], [[New York]]. The assassination took place at the [[Pan-American Exposition]], a large exposition/fair. Czolgosz was [[Capital punishment|executed]] by the [[electric chair]] in New York's [[Sing Sing]] [[prison]] on October 29, 1901.

His crime is the subject of the song, "[[The Ballad of Czolgosz]]," in the [[Stephen Sondheim]] musical [[Assassins]].

== See also ==

*[[John Wilkes Booth]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Czolgosz, Leon}}

[[category:assassins]]

John F. Kennedy

2014-04-17T20:46:28Z

CalebJ: /* Trivia */

{{Officeholder
|name=John F. Kennedy
|image=John Kennedy by Draper.jpg
|party=[[Democratic]]
|spouse=[[Jacqueline Kennedy|Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy]]
|religion=[[Roman Catholic]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/president
|country=the United States
|number=35th
|terms=January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
|vp=[[Lyndon Johnson]]
|preceded=[[Dwight Eisenhower]]
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Lyndon Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Massachusetts
|terms=January 3, 1953 – December 22, 1960
|preceded=Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
|former=y
|succeeded=Benjamin A. Smith
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Massachusetts
|district=11th
|terms=January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953
|preceded=James Michael Curley
|former=y
|succeeded=Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.
}}
}}
'''John Fitzgerald Kennedy''', often called '''JFK''', (May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963) was the 35th [[President of the United States of America]], serving for 1033 days in 1961-63. He was the youngest person elected president and one of the most glamorous and popular. His record of presidential accomplishments remains a subject of debate among historians and the public, but after his assassination he became a legendary figure in whom admirers saw the ideals of American mythology incarnated.

The [[Kennedy Family]] had long been leaders of the Irish Catholic wing of the [[Democratic Party]]; Kennedy was middle-of-the-road on domestic issues and conservative on foreign policy, sending military forces into Cuba and Vietnam. In Congress the [[Conservative Coalition]] blocked nearly all of his domestic programs, so there were few changes in domestic policy, even as the civil rights movement gained strength.

The Kennedy style called for youth, dynamism, vigor and an intellectual approach to aggressive new policies in foreign affairs. The downside was his inexperience in foreign affairs, standing in contrast to the vast experience of the president he replaced, Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Kennedy's rashness and inexperience caused a national humiliation in 1961 as he sent CIA-trained Cuban exiles into an ill-prepared attack on Castro's Cuba. At the [[Bay of Pigs]], all the invaders were killed or captured, and he was forced to negotiate for the survivors release giving Cuba medical and food. Kennedy's supporters blamed the fiasco on Eisenhower, for JFK inherited the plan; but Kennedy took the blame himself. Russian leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]], seeing for himself Kennedy's inexperience at a summit conference, threw up the [[Berlin Wall]] as the Soviets escalated the [[Cold War]] regarding the status of Berlin, predicting correctly that Kennedy's response would be weak. Khrushchev went too far in 1962 when he sent nuclear missiles into Cuba aimed at the U.S. For the first time since [[Pearl Harbor]] -- or indeed since Washington and New Orleans were attacked in the [[War of 1812]]-- the U.S. was vulnerable to a major attack by an enemy power. Kennedy and Khrushchev reached a compromise whereby the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba publicly, while Kennedy secretly removed American missiles from Turkey aimed at the Soviets, and also promised that America would never invade Cuba. In Vietnam, Kennedy increased the number of military advisors from 900 to 16,000 to prop up the ineffective, corrupt regime in South Vietnam. Historians are uncertain whether Kennedy would have avoided the failures of [[Lyndon Johnson]] in Vietnam.

He was assassinated on November 22, 1963 while riding in his convertible limousine in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]. A [[Communist]] sympathizer, [[Lee Harvey Oswald]], was allegedly the only assassin, and afterward Kennedy became a national icon and martyr. His reputation has since been dimmed by news of his philandering. He is best known for his call to civic virtue:
{{cquote|'''And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.'''|4=John Kennedy's [[John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address|Inaugural Address]]|5=<ref>http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/John_F_Kennedy/5.htm</ref>}}

President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] appointed the Warren Commission to investigate the Kennedy assassination. It released its report in September 1964. The Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating JFK, and that there was no conspiracy. <ref>[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100530131118AAxW8Rc What was the conclusion of the Warren Commission on the assassination of JFK?] </ref> Although, among many contradictions, "The Warren committee accepted that the same bullet killed Kennedy and gravely wounded Governor [[John Connally]]. Yet, Connally himself distinctly remembers two consecutive shots (as may be seen in the Zapruder film) and he had never changed his testimony." <ref> [http://jfkassassination.net/russ/jfkinfo4/jfk12/hscapatsy.htm I am a patsy.] </ref>

==Career==
Educated at private schools and Harvard College, young Kennedy was an indifferent student until the war in Europe focused his attention. Extensive interviews with major British politicians and observers led to an unusually precocious senior thesis that became an influential book, "Why England Slept" (1940). As second son in the powerful [[Kennedy Family]], he was marked for an intellectual career as a writer or journalist, while his older brother Joseph was slated for politics by their manipulative father, [[Joseph P. Kennedy]]. His brother’s death in combat, combined with JFK’s heroic war record as skipper of the [[PT-109]], set the stage for his political debut as a Congressional candidate in 1946.

===Medical===
Kennedy was the sickest president since [[William Henry Harrison]], but he successfully kept his multiple maladies a secret from the press and policy makers. Besides Addison's disease, Kennedy's most serious problem was chronic back pain, which surfaced when he strained an unstable back (probably birth-related) a number of times, both in his youth and during his PT boat service during the war.<ref>Donovan (1961) pp. 106-107</ref> Surgery in 1944 only worsened the condition; by 1954 Kennedy found the pain so acute that he underwent back surgery once again despite the risk of an Addisonian crisis, which nearly took his life.<ref> Dallek (2003); James N. Giglio, "Why Another Kennedy Book?" ''Reviews in American History,'' Volume 31, Number 4, December 2003, pp. 645-656 in [[Project MUSE]]</ref>

As a teenager, Kennedy was in and out of hospitals for chronic colitis, stomach problems, and an undisclosed blood condition, which was at first mistakenly diagnosed as leukemia. Dr. Janet Travell, a specialist in the treatment of muscular disorders, was his primary physician after 1955, but other specialists tried any number of different treatments. As president he took seven powerful prescription drugs daily including hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone acetate, and Meticorten for Addison's disease, a malfunction of the adrenal glands; and T3 for hypothyroidism. In addition he regularly took Equanil for anxiety and tension; for his gastrointestinal problems he took anti-spasmodics Lomotil and Bentyl; for weight gain a daily dose of testosterone; and Chlor-Trimeton for his allergies. White House physicians were alarmed when they learned he was seeing Dr. Max Jacobson, a New York City celebrity physician, who injected him with a concoction of amphetamines, steroids, calcium, placenta, and vitamins, a potentially dangerous combination for his chronic back pain.<ref> Dallek (2003)</ref> Historians have not identified a single policy decision that seems to have been affected by his physical condition or medical treatments; they believe he never took any illegal drugs.<ref> Giglio (2003)</ref>

==Politics==
Although the father had abandoned Boston in frustration, JFK’s return to the city restored the family’s traditional power base among the large and powerful Irish-American community in Massachusetts. Strong family connections with the Chicago Irish political community (led by Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]]) augmented his national Catholic base. JFK always had two sets of advisors, an inner circle of Irish politicians who planned his campaigns, and a Protestant-Jewish coterie of intellectuals (mostly from Harvard) who promoted his stature as the intellectual in politics. That image was solidified by the Pulitzer Prize awarded his ''Profiles in Courage'' (1956). JFK possessed powerful assets: an excellent speaker and glib commentator on major issues, a middle-of-the-road political record that offended no one, strong expertise in foreign policy, articulate anti-Communism, unfailing charm and stage presence, a national network of Irish allies, a Catholic base that comprised a fourth of the electorate, and an immense purse that was ready to fund his ambitions, not to mention innumerable relatives who campaigned endlessly on his behalf.

JFK fought his way into the Senate in 1952 by defeating incumbent Republican [[Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.]], the archetypal Yankee. Kennedy largely ignored the old-boy Senate (controlled by his rival [[Lyndon Johnson]]) to display his talents through newspaper and television interviews, magazine articles, and highly publicized speeches around the country. Aided by his closest advisor, his brother [[Robert Kennedy]], JFK appealed to conservatives by tolerating [[Joe McCarthy]]<ref>JFK's father Joe Kennedy was a major supporter and close personal friend of McCarthy, and Robert worked for a while for McCarthy. McCarthy dated one of JFK's sisters.</ref> and launching attacks on corrupt labor leaders, especially [[Jimmy Hoffa]] of the [[Teamsters Union]].

The Kennedy family represented the conservative wing of the Democratic Party, and was known for its anti-Communism and close ties with Republican Senator [[Joe McCarthy]]. Many liberal Democrats, led by [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], distrusted JFK primarily because they could never forget the father’s break with Franklin Roosevelt or the family’s support for McCarthy. Yet with the fading away of [[Adlai Stevenson]] (the liberal Democratic candidate in 1952 and 1956), liberals lacked a viable candidate.

==Nomination==
By 1960 JFK was the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination to face [[Richard M. Nixon]], with the biggest question mark whether his Catholic base of support would be outweighed by anti-Catholicism of the sort that hurt [[Al Smith]] so badly in 1928. Of course prohibition was no longer an issue, and fear of Tammany-like bossism had faded away with the demise of most big city machines. The Kennedy juggernaut defeated rival [[Hubert Humphrey]], a liberal, in the West Virginia primary, a state with so much poverty and so few Catholics that party leaders were convinced they had a winner. Kennedy won over the party’s intellectuals by his effective academic connections, while shaming doubters by a brilliant performance before the Protestant ministers of Houston. There he enunciated the position that he did not speak for the Catholic Church on matters of religion, and it did not speak for him on public affairs. He was able to take that position because there were no high intensity moral issue such as abortion at that time.

Although Kennedy’s religiosity consisted of nominal attendance at Sunday Mass, he excited tens of millions of Catholics who saw his election as president as confirmation of their full recognition as true Americans. With 8 of 10 Catholics voting for Kennedy, he ran up majorities in ethnic strongholds like Chicago that provided the narrow margin of victory against Richard Nixon. Apart from a few pockets of anti-popery among some Midwestern Lutherans and Southern Baptists, fears of Catholicism largely disappeared from the voting booth after 1960, and Kennedy gets credit for bringing Catholics into the American political mainstream.

==Foreign policy==
Kennedy was primarily interested in foreign policy. Weeks after his [[John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address|memorable inaugural address]] sounded the tocsin for vigorous anti-communism, he encountered disaster when his invasion of Cuba failed at the [[Bay of Pigs]] in 1961, and he was forced to pay ransom of $53 million U.S. dollars in food and medicine in exchange for the 1,113 prisoners and 76 other exiles being held in Cuba.<ref>http://onwar.com/aced/chrono/c1900s/yr60/fcuba1961.htm</ref> Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]], sensing weakness, pushed hard on the Berlin issue, and was able to build the Berlin Wall in East Berlin, despite Kennedy’s later rhetoric, "Ich bin ein Berliner!" ("I am a Berliner!")

===Peace Corps===
He launched the [[Peace Corps]] by executive order in 1961, putting his brother-in-law [[Sargent Shriver]] in charge. It was mainly designed to be a new weapon in the U.S. Cold War arsenal, one that could reach the people directly at the grass roots not merely their national leaders. Kennedy in the 1960 campaign promised to form the agency, saying:
:"I believe that as a counter to the flood of well trained and accomplished tacticians now helping nations with their problems that the Communists are sending out, I believe an American Peace Corps...could be trained to help these people live a life of freedom in agriculture, in handiwork, in road building, in government and other skills, young Americans who will represent the cause of freedom around the globe."<ref> Quote [http://www.jfklink.com/speeches/jfk/nov60/jfk041160_chicago02.html Nov. 4, 1960, Chicago speech online] see also T. Zane Reeves, ''The Politics of the Peace Corps & Vista'' (1988) p. 20.</ref>

The Peace Corps has been endorsed by all subsequent presidents; nearly 200,000 Americans have served helping underdeveloped nations through personal humanitarian aid. It is still in operation, albeit with a modest record of achievement.

===Ireland===
Kennedy paid a state visit to [[Ireland]] in 1963 - the first state visit of an American President to the country, which had secured independence from Britain forty years earlier. Kennedy visited his ancestral home in County Wexford, and was greeted by huge crowds in the cities of [[Dublin]], [[Limerick]] and [[Cork]]. He told crowds that once he had completed his term as president, he would like to become US Ambassador to Ireland, and live there.

===Cuban Missile Crisis===
see [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]

Khrushchev and Castro went too far in 1962, secretly setting up medium range missiles in Cuba equipped with nuclear warheads that threatened the southeast United States. In his greatest moment, Kennedy rejected invasion plans but imposed a blockade and demanded the missiles be removed immediately. Khrushchev publicly backed down, but privately got Kennedy to agree to removing the older U.S. Jupiter missiles from Turkey; while Castro secured the promise that the United States would never invade his island. Realizing how close they had come to war, Kennedy and Khrushchev became much friendlier in public. In 1963, they signed a [[Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963)|test ban treaty]] which eliminated nuclear testing above ground or in space; the treaty was further designed to hobble China and other countries trying to build their first bombs. The Cuban missile crisis reversed Kennedy’s image of ineptness in foreign policy, but his quiet, escalation of military involvement in Vietnam set the stage for the whirlwind reaped by his successor.

==Domestic policy==
As senator, JFK had shown limited interest in domestic affairs apart from labor union corruption. Working with his high-powered economic advisors he proposed a Keynesian program to stimulate the economy, not by higher spending but by tax cuts. No matter: most all of his domestic policy initiatives went anywhere. Congress was effectively controlled a conservative coalition of Republicans and southern Democrats. Kennedy authorized the de-segregation of federal housing. He later proposed the civil rights bill, which passed after his death. He boosted the NASA space program and pledged to put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s. Likewise he proposed tax cuts, all which occurred after his death.

===Civil rights===
A new issue that Kennedy had not anticipated blazed into view as the [[civil rights movement]] in the South, led by Martin Luther King, produced dramatic confrontations for JFK with segregationist Democrats, especially Governors George Wallace of Alabama, and Ross Barnett of Mississippi. In 1962, Kennedy sent federal marshals and Army MP’s to enforce a federal court order that African American student James Meredith be admitted to the University of Mississippi. Violent resistance by certain townspeople left two civilians dead, hundreds injured, and 166 federals injured. The 1963 confrontation in Alabama was nonviolent, and although Wallace did back down, the event boosted his visibility as a leader of southern Democrats. JFK ignored the risks to his southern base and spoke out in favor of civil rights legislation, but as in so many instances, the bill was passed after his death.

==Legacy==
[[Image:JFK bust.jpg|thumb|Bust of John F. Kennedy by Robert Berks.]]
Kennedy’s assassination in November, 1963, was a stunning shock to all Americans. Pierson (2007) argues that the liberal media turned Kennedy's death into a martyrdom against racism, ignoring Kennedy's weaker interest in race and his strong opposition to Communism. Lee Harvey Oswald's strong Communist ties were downplayed, and instead, the conservative city of [[Dallas]] was made the guilty party. Incoming president Lyndon Johnson used the martyrdom theme to rally support for his liberal programs, painting them as memorials to Kennedy until Johnson won reelection in 1964 by a landslide over conservative leader [[Barry Goldwater]].

The Catholic community took his assassination hard, and immediately elevated JFK to a sort of sainthood status, celebrating the miracle that he had liberated them from second class citizenship. Johnson in 1964 successfully retained the Catholic base JFK had fostered, but that was the last hurrah. By 1966 Catholics started showing their disillusionment with Johnson, who never recovered from the wave after wave of urban riots, nor from the disillusionment of his [[Vietnam War]] policy. With the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968, and the failure of youngest brother [[Ted Kennedy]] to recover his brothers’ national base, the Kennedy legacy increasingly became the romantic memory. Disclosures of JFK’s affairs, and detailed reports of his multiple grave medical problems fascinated the public but failed to break the myth that if JFK had lived, his second term would be a story of political triumphs restoring people’s faith in government. The assassination was so incomprehensible that hundreds of conspiracy theories have sprung up with over 350 people and organizations have been named as guilty of the event.

Kennedy appointed liberal Arthur Goldberg to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], as well as [[Byron White]] (who held both liberal and conservative positions). Kennedy's image appears on the American half-dollar coin.

===Was Kennedy a liberal or a conservative?===
Kennedy was arguably a moderate; his policies appeal to both conservatives and liberals. He apparently offered symbols for the liberals while following a conservative course in foreign and most of his domestic policy. After his death Kennedy's legacy was picked up by liberals, and there is a vague notion to the effect that Kennedy was a progressive in the same vain as his successor, Lyndon Johnson.<ref> The best studies of Kennedy's relations with liberalism are William E. Leuchtenburg, ''In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan'' (2001) pp 63-120 [ excerpt and text search]; Alonzo Hamby, ''Liberalism and Its Challengers: From F.D.R. to Bush'' (1992) [http://www.amazon.com/Liberalism-Its-Challengers-F-D-R-Bush/dp/0195070305/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257264863&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]. Leuchtenburg is a liberal and Hamby is a conservative; both are excellent historians.</ref>

To be a liberal in the days when Kennedy was in politics, 1946-63, meant supporting the programs of the [[New Deal]], following in the footsteps of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and upholding the [[New Deal Coalition]]. Support for labor unions was important; support for civil rights had been a minor issue (and one more associated with the Republican Party). Hostility to the Catholic Church was common among liberals. In foreign policy liberals had turned away from Roosevelt's détente with the Soviets and had adopted the [[containment]] policy. Liberals rejected [[rollback]], that is efforts to remove Communists regimes from power. Verbal support for the United Nations was standard rhetoric, although in practice it meant little. The symbolically most important issue of them all for liberals was opposition to [[Joe McCarthy]] and his style of aggressive anti-Communism.

On most of these points Kennedy was largely on the conservative or moderate side. He had a base in Massachusetts with many strong liberals in academe and labor unions that had to be appeased, so he never attacked liberalism too loudly. He solved the state problem by a close alliance with the Democratic party organizations in the cities, controlled mostly by Irish politicians. JFK's campaign manager and chief confidante was his brother Bobby, a devout Catholic who was in close touch with the Catholic establishment and the local machines. JFK thus maintained very close ties to the Catholic establishment; he carefully followed the required public rituals of the Catholic church. It was a major achievement by Kennedy in 1960 to resolve the religious issue and bring Catholics into the mainstream of American life and to the top ranks of national leadership.<ref>By contrast, the only Catholic in Eisenhower's cabinet was a plumber who was Secretary of Labor.</ref>

On foreign policy he was a leading anti-Communist hawk; he won in 1960 by attacking Eisenhower's foreign policies as not aggressive enough. When elected he sent forces to invade Cuba and rollback Communism; he increased the military presence in Vietnam; he sent the Navy to confrontation with the Soviets in the Cuban Missile Crisis, forcing the Soviets to withdraw. Liberals have misread these episodes--saying that the Cuban invasion was really Eisenhower's idea; that in Vietnam he might have changed his mind in a second term; and that in Cuba he was liberal because he did not blow the world up.

On the liberal side, he achieved the creation of the Peace Corps. To combat Communism in Latin America he proposed a liberal program of financial and technical assistance and free-food programs, and indicated he would take a sympathetic view of revolutionary movements that have the legitimate objective of bettering the life of the hemisphere's poor and downtrodden. Kennedy explicitly exempted any such movements dominated by "external"—meaning Communist—forces, thereby shutting the door on renewed diplomatic relations with Fidel Castro's Cuba. On domestic issues, a pilot program for food stamps for low-income Americans was launched in 1961. Further, Social Security benefits and food distribution to poor Americans was increased; including free school lunches. In 1961, Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925, which required affirmative action by government contractors as to both applicants and employees. It also established the "President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity". Kennedy also established the "Presidential Commission on the Status of Women" which was an advisory commission to investigate: education, income and workplace issues of women. Thereafter, in June 1963, Kennedy signed the "Equal Pay Act" which was to close the so-called wage gap based on sex.

Kennedy also endorsed the 1960 Democratic Party platform which expressed support for civil rights and universal healthcare. Although a staunch supporter of [[Keynesian]] economics, as Kennedy is often called the first president to openly endorse this economic policy, he reduced the top income tax bracket from 91% to 65%. These tax cuts are heralded by many conservatives as landmark since they, like all other tax cuts, brought economic growth. Kennedy planned deficit spending to promote growth but was hesitant to the displeasure of his more liberal advisers. Liberals argue that he'd support raising the top income tax bracket rate today. <ref>http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/01/26/the-myth-of-jfk-as-supply-side-tax-cutter</ref> Civil rights were not a major concern until 1963. As a senator, Kennedy voted mildly on civil rights legislation and supported then Senate leader Lyndon Johnson's move of having Eisenhower's 1957 Civil Rights Act sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee which at the time was controlled by southern Democrats. On unions, he built up a reputation of strong opposition to union corruption, especially in the Teamsters; he quietly kept on good terms with [[George Meany]], the AFL-CIO leader, while avoiding [[Walter Reuther]], the leader of the liberal wing of the AFL-CIO.

Kennedy had a pro-business reputation and sponsored policies such as tax cuts and low inflation that conservative businessmen wanted. On taking office he called for a "full-fledged alliance" with business. He did get into a brush-up with the steel industry when the steelmen broke their promise to him to keep prices down; that move made Kennedy more popular among the anti-business liberals, but Kennedy never proposed major legislation that business opposed. He named Douglas Dillon, a leading Republican businessman, as his Secretary of the Treasury. On dealing with unemployment, he never proposed New-Dealish programs but instead had a package that was acceptable to conservative Republicans.<ref> House Republican Minority Leader Charles Halleck said of those proposals: "We find no great quarrel with them, but we do not find them earthshaking." ''Time'' Feb. 10, 1961</ref>

Crime was a signature issue for Kennedy, and on taking office he promised a major crackdown on organized crime, thus appealing to conservatives. On appointing Brother Bobby as Attorney General, he quipped, "I can't see that it's wrong to give him a little legal experience before he goes out to practice law." On the liberal side, Kennedy asked Congress for federal aid for school construction and more money for federally assisted housing. They did not oblige. Although liberals assert that the Vietnam War was initiated and supported by conservatives, Kennedy did increase the number of military advisers and special forces there which helped set up the full military combat commitment made by his successor, Lyndon Johnson.

Joe McCarthy was a close friend of the Kennedy family. Joe Kennedy was his biggest financial backer. Bobby Kennedy began his career as an aide to McCarthy. JFK was not close to McCarthy, but he refused to attack him publicly or to vote for his Senate censure in 1954 when McCarthy's career was collapsing. Kennedy was very friendly towards Republicans and appointed some to positions in his cabinet, namely Robert S. McNamara.

==Quotes==

* "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."

* "The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us." Oct 26, 1963

* "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Inaugural address, January 20, 1961

* "The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity." Speech in Indianapolis, April 12, 1959

* {{Jfk-liberty}}

== Trivia ==

* Kennedy's murder was '''Lee''' H. Oswald and his wife was Jaqueline '''Lee''' Bouvier Kennedy.
* Both presidents, [[Abraham Lincoln]] and Kennedy were elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in '46.
* Both presidents Lincoln and Kennedy were elected the President of the United States in '60.
* Both presidents Lincoln and Kennedy died on a Friday.
* Lincoln was shot in "Ford's Theater". Kennedy was shot in a "Lincoln" car made by "Ford".

== See also ==

*[[Gallery of American Heroes]]
*[[John F. Kennedy, Jr.]]

== External links ==
*[http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy]
*[http://www.jfklibrary.org/ John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum]
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnfkennedy John F. Kennedy.] The White House.
*[http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html Inaugural Address.] January 20, 1961.

==Further reading==
* Dallek, Robert, ''An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963'' (2003), a standard scholarly biography; stress on medical issues [http://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-Life-John-Kennedy-Dynasty/dp/0316907928/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* O'Brien, Michael. ''John F. Kennedy: A Biography'' (2005), most detailed scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/John-Kennedy-Biography-Michael-OBrien/dp/0312281293/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]
* Parmet, Herbert. ''Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy'' (1980); ''JFK: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy'' (1983), scholarly biography
* Reeves, Thomas C. ''A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy.'' (1991) critical, conservative critique [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7D9143EF931A35755C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all New York Times Book Review]

===Bibliography===
* Balmer, Randall. ''God in the White House: A History--How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.'' (2008)
* Bryant, Nick. ''The Bystander: John F. Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Bystander-Kennedy-Struggle-Black-Equality/dp/0465008267/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-9 excerpt and text search]
* Bugliosi, Vincent. ''Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President,'' (2007) 1632 pp. Debunks dozens of conspiracy theories and concludes Oswald acted alone. [http://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-History-Assassination-President-Kennedy/dp/0393045250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227416692&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Burner, David. ''John F. Kennedy and a New Generation'' (1988)
* Clarke, Thurston, ''Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America'' ISBN 0805072136 [http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Not-Inauguration-Kennedy-Changed/dp/0805072136/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-5 excerpt and text search]
* Dallek, Robert, ''An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963'' (2003), a standard scholarly biography; stress on medical issues [http://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-Life-John-Kennedy-Dynasty/dp/0316907928/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* Donaldson, Gary A. ''The First Modern Campaign: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960'' (2007)
* Donovan, Robert J. (2001) [1961], ''PT-109: John F. Kennedy in WW II'', 40th Anniversary Edition. JFK's World War II U.S. Navy service; [[PT-109]] and PT-59
* Freedman, Lawrence. ''Kennedy's Wars: Berlin, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Kennedys-Wars-Berlin-Cuba-Vietnam/dp/0195152433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218513&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]; [http://www.questia.com/library/book/kennedys-wars-berlin-cuba-laos-and-vietnam-by-lawrence-freedman.jsp full text online]
* Fursenko, Aleksandr and Timothy Naftali. ''One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro and Kennedy, 1958–1964'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/One-Hell-Gamble-Khrushchev-1958-1964/dp/0393317900/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218554&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search] adds information from Russian sources
* Giglio, James. ''The Presidency of John F. Kennedy'' (1991), standard scholarly overview of policies
* Harper, Paul, and Joann P. Krieg eds. ''John F. Kennedy: The Promise Revisited'' (1988), scholarly articles on presidency [http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=15070503 online edition]
* Hersh, Seymour. ''The Dark Side of Camelot'' (1997), highly negative assessment focused on scandals
* Karnow, Stanley. ''Vietnam, A History'' (1991), balanced assessment
* Kunz, Diane B. ''The Diplomacy of the Crucial Decade: American Foreign Relations during the 1960s'' (1994)
* Lichtenstein. Nelson, ed. ''Political Profiles: The Kennedy Years'' (1976) 621pp; very good short, analytical biographies of 500 major players
* Leuchtenburg, William E. ''In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama'' (2009) excellent analysis of how JFK tried to replicate FDR's appeal without his liberalism [http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-FDR-Harry-Truman-George/dp/0801487374/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257738655&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* O'Brien, Michael. ''John F. Kennedy: A Biography'' (2005), most detailed scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/John-Kennedy-Biography-Michael-OBrien/dp/0312281293/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]
* Parmet, Herbert. ''Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy'' (1980); ''JFK: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy'' (1983), scholarly biography
* Paterson, Thomas G. ''Kennedy's Quest for Victory: American Foreign Policy, 1961-1963'' (1989) [http://www.amazon.com/Kennedys-Quest-Victory-American-1961-1963/dp/019504584X/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-11 excerpt and text search], Leftists approach disparages anti-Communism
* Piereson, James. ''Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Camelot-Cultural-Revolution-Assassination-Liberalism/dp/1594031886/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227415678&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search], conservative interpetation
* Pietrusza, David. ''1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies'' (2008)
* Preble, Christopher A. ''John F. Kennedy and the Missile Gap'' (2004)
* Reeves, Richard. ''President Kennedy: Profile of Power'' (1993), balanced assessment of policies
* Reeves, Thomas. ''A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy'' (1991) critical assessment of his character flaws by conservative historian [http://www.amazon.com/Question-Character-Life-John-Kennedy/dp/076151287X/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218173&sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]
* Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr. ''A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House'' (2002) [1965], major biography by a close advisor; Pulitzer Prize for Biography and National Book Award winner [http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Days-Kennedy-White-House/dp/1579124496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218430&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr. ''Robert Kennedy And His Times'' (2002) [1978], scholarly biography and National Book Award winner
* Smith, Jean Edward. "Kennedy and Defense: The Formative Years". ''Air University Review'' (March–April 1967) [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1967/mar-apr/smith.html online]
* Sundquist, James L''Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years'' (1968), excellent analysis of the major political issues of the era.

===Primary sources===
* [http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/publications/ERP/ Council of Economic Advisors, ''Economic Report of the President'' (annual 1947- )], complete series online; important analysis of current trends and policies, plus statistcial tables
* Sorensen, Theodore. ''Kennedy'' (1966), major memoir by a close advisor

== References ==

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Jeffrey Dahmer

2014-01-03T19:28:01Z

CalebJ:

'''Jeffrey Dahmer''' (1960-1994) was a [[serial killer]] who murdered at least 17 teenage boys and young men between 1978 and 1991. After his last victim escaped and notified authorities, they found a gruesome scene at his apartment: the remains of 11 of his murdered victims. He was sent to prison for the rest of life, and killed in jail. Dahmer was especially unnerving for the general public because, far from looking crazed, he was actually attractive.

According to adherents.com, "Jeffrey Dahmer's homosexuality ... [was] not unusual among serial killers. ... Other well known homosexual or bisexual serial killers include Andrew Cunanan, [[John Wayne Gacy]], Patrick Wayne Kearney, Gilles de Rais, Randy Steven Kraft, Michael Swango, Andrei Chikatilo, David D. Hill, Wayne Williams, Larry Eyler, Henry Lee Lucas, Fritz Haarmann, and dozens more."<ref>http://www.adherents.com/people/pd/Jeffrey_Dahmer.html</ref>

Dahmer, after being discharged from the military for excessive drinking in 1981, released him to [[Miami|Miami Beach]], [[Florida]], where he spent a short amount of time in a hospital until he was kicked out for his excessive [[alcoholism]]. He later moved in with his grandmother in [[Wisconsin]] for six years, where his crimes began. In 1988, his grandmother asked him to move out because she couldn't stand his late night ventures and foul smells coming from the basement. He then found an apartment in [[Milwaukee]], where he continued his crimes. Between 1988 and 1991, Dahmer had been sentenced for multiple crimes, including exposing himself to children, and was a registered [[sex offender|sexual offender]]. One of Dahmer's victims temporarily escaped, bleeding and naked and was found by police, but Dahmer convinced the officers everything was fine and the boy was returned to him. Dahmer killed him the next day.

==Imprisonment==

Following his arrest in the summer of 1991 after reaching a pace of killing nearly one person a week, police investigated Dahmer's apartment and discovered photos, human remains, and body parts positioned in the form of a "[[shrine]]". Evidence and a later confession by Dahmer revealed he had engaged in necrophilia and [[cannibalism]].

With overwhelming amounts of evidence against Dahmer in court, his only option was to plead not guilty by reason of [[insanity]]. The courts found him sane and sentenced him to roughly 957 years in prison. After the hearing, Dahmer expressed remorse, and had wished for his own death.

While serving time at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, Dahmer, who had not been in a church since he was five, began to review religious material sent to him by his father's friend Roy Ratcliff and said he made an admission of his sins and accepted [[Christ]] as his savior. Ratcliff, a local preacher, met with his son and agreed to [[baptism|baptize]] him. Shortly thereafter, Dahmer was attacked by an inmate in the prison [[chapel]], but suffered only minor wounds.

==Death==

On November 28, 1994, Dahmer and another fellow inmate, Jesse Anderson, were both [[club|bludgeon]]ed to death by another inmate, Christopher Scarver, with a bar from a weight machine while on work detail. Both inmates died from the attack; Dahmer died en route to the hospital from severe [[trauma|head trauma]].

His mother wanted his brain to be donated for research, but Jeffrey Dahmer himself had insisted on being [[cremation|cremated]]. Applying applicable law, a judge held that Dahmer's desire to be cremated should prevail.

== References ==

<references/>

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[[Category:Serial Killers]]
[[Category:Homosexuals]]
[[Category:murderers]]