Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

User:Blavek

2021-09-25T21:38:34Z

Conservapedia Guard: What a “coincidence”

What a coincidence… [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Blavek Not every ban on Wikipedia] makes you a credible user on Conservapedia, Mr. “Awbrey”. We’ll have an eye on you. [[User:Conservapedia Guard|Conservapedia Guard]] ([[User talk:Conservapedia Guard|talk]]) 17:38, September 25, 2021 (EDT)

Facebook

2021-09-25T21:28:29Z

Conservapedia Guard: It’s a huge censorship machine.

{{Infobox organization
| name = Facebook Inc {{verified}}
| image = Newfacebooklogo3.jpg
| established = February 2004
| founder = [[Mark Zuckerberg]]
| founding_location = Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
| type = Inc
| status = Company
| headquarters =Menlo Park, California, United States
| website = https://facebook.com
}}

'''Facebook''' (stylized '''facebook''' and '''fascistbook''') is a [[systemically racist]] and [[Censorship|censoring]] [[social networking]] website that was deeply involved in [[election fraud]] during the [[United States]] [[2020 Presidential election]].<ref>https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/how-mark-zuckerbergs-350-million-threatens-democracy</ref> It was founded on a [[liberal]] agenda and profits by exploiting personal information in users' profiles, by advertising, and by giving a platform for liberals to open fire on [[conservative]] leaders and ideals. Users can spend, or indeed waste, their time on it by uploading pictures (typically of themselves or their pets), by gossiping about others, by talking to friends, by interfering with marriages and personal relationships, and by acting like a [[busybody]]. Facebook use is correlated with underachievement in school and disruption of social relationships, such as marriage or friendships.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/facebook-dumber-study-shows-users-social-networking-site-grades-article-1.363026 ''Does Facebook make you more dumb?'']</ref> For many young people, Facebook use replaces healthier activities and social gatherings.

Facebook has been the medium of choice for multiple [[young mass murderers]].

"Social networking" is an inaccurate term for the site because Facebook is typically a poor substitute for real social networking. One survey shows that Facebook feeds narcissistic tendencies.<ref>[https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cyber.2009.0257 ''Survey Says Facebook Feeds Narcissism'']</ref> Facebook is pro-anarcho Marxist and opposes diversity of opinion.

According to a study published in the journal ''Nature: Human Behavior'', Facebook is by far the worst perpetrator of spreading [[fake news]], worse than [[Google]], [[Twitter]], and webmail providers such as [[AOL]], [[Yahoo!]], and [[Gmail]].<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2020/03/21/facebook-spreads-fake-news-faster-than-any-other-social-website-according-to-new-research/#57c619e46e1a</ref> Other studies have shown that using Facebook is associated with poorer performance in school, plus a substantial percentage of marital problems and an increase in psychological disorders in youth.<ref>[http://thetechjournal.com/internet/facebook-is-the-new-cause-of-divorce.xhtml#ixzz1OmdIs3rN Facebook is the new cause of divorce, The Tech Journal, December 23, 2009]</ref><ref>[http://technorati.com/social-media/article/facebook-linked-to-psychological-disorders-in/ Facebook Linked To Psychological Disorders In Teens]</ref> [[Liberal]]s nevertheless flock to it presumably because it is so unproductive or even counterproductive. Activities on Facebook have caused people to be fired from their jobs or, indeed, rejected from being hired by new employers.

Anybody with an account can create an unlimited amount of unproductive pages, which can then be "liked" by other users who can also post similar items to the page.

In October 2020 [[UK]] Home Secretary Priti Patel published a damning piece in the ''Sun'', which said Facebook’s changes to end-to-end encryption would “only help [[terrorist]]s and [[pedophiles]]”, and accused the tech giant of failing to come up with any “credible” strategy to fight child sex abuse. The change would make it “near-impossible to recover online [[criminal]] conversations.”<ref>https://www.the-sun.com/news/1613790/priti-patel-facebook-help-terrorists-paedophiles/</ref>

Facebook is based in Palo Alto, [[California]]. The name of the site is based on the paper facebooks that many colleges give to incoming students, faculty, and staff depicting members of the campus community.<ref>[http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/f/fa/facebook.htm Facebook]</ref>

As of the closing of its second business quarter of 2017, Facebook has more than 2 billion registered business and personal accounts, 83 million of which are known fakes.

Facebook [[CEO]] [[Mark Zuckerberg]] was known to call his users "dumb f---s" for trusting him.<ref>https://twitter.com/defendassange/status/977324471215378432</ref>

==Origins==
Facebook was founded in February 2004 by [[Harvard]] sophomores [[Mark Zuckerberg]], Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz, and Eduardo Saverin, with help from Andrew McCollum. By December 2004, after expanding the site to other universities, the number of registered users exceeded one million. In August 2005 Facebook obtained the domain name Facebook.com and dropped the "the" from the site's name.

==Political influence==
Facebook has a large political influence because of its size.<ref>Bokhari, Allum (November 27, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/11/27/bokhari-how-zuckerberg-became-americas-unappointed-editor-in-chief/ Bokhari: How Zuckerberg Became America’s (Unappointed) Editor-in-Chief]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 27, 2019.</ref> Facebook once declared it will never use its product to influence how people on the platform vote.<ref>[http://gizmodo.com/facebook-says-it-doesnt-try-to-influence-how-people-vot-1771276946?rev=1460755179651 Facebook Says it Doesn't Try to Influence How People Vote, Gizmodo, April 15, 2016]</ref>

98% of political donations from Facebook employees went to [[Barack Obama]] in the [[2008 presidential election]].<ref>[http://beforeitsnews.com/story/684/994/Facebook_self_appointed_arbiter_of_free_speech_tells_Tea_Party_no_more_organizing.html Facebook – self appointed arbiter of “free speech” – tells Tea Party no more organizing, Before It's News, June 2, 2011]</ref> Facebook tampered with news feeds during the [[2010 Midterm elections]] in a 61-million-person [[social experiment]] to see how Facebook could impact the real-world voting behavior of millions of people.<ref>[http://fowler.ucsd.edu/massive_turnout.pdf A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization]</ref> In 2012, Facebook developed a tool called 'voter megaphone' raising questions about its use and ability to influence elections. Facebook secretly tampered with 1.9 million user's news feeds. Zuckerberg has involved himself in politics in the [[2016 presidential election]]. He has publicly called out positions held by [[Donald Trump]] as wrong. Facebook employees have asked if they should try to stop a Trump presidency.<ref>[http://gizmodo.com/facebook-employees-asked-mark-zuckerberg-if-they-should-1771012990 Facebook Employees Asked Mark Zuckerberg If They Should Try to Stop a Donald Trump Presidency, Gizmodo, April 15, 2016]</ref>

In 2021, [[Joe Biden]] accused Facebook of "killing people" for allowing misiniformation. When questioned, Biden back off his misinformation and claimed thst the people Facebook was not censoring at the White House's request were killing people.<ref>https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2021/07/19/joe-biden-admits-to-spreading-misinformation-so-will-banning-come-next-n413127</ref>

===Leftist dominance===
The world's largest online social network considers itself [[LGBTQQIAAAPPK]] friendly and added civil unions and domestic partnerships to the list of relationships that its users can pick from to best describe their romantic status. The [[Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation]] had lobbied for the policy adoption. The option is only available to Facebook users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France and Australia.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/18/facebook-adds-support-sex-civil-unions Facebook Adds Support for Same-Sex Civil Unions, Fox News, February 18, 2011]</ref>

Facebook takes the extremist liberal view that gender is more than just male and female. Users can choose 58 types of custom genders as of last count to identify from.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/02/heres-a-list-of-58-gender-options-for-facebook-users/ Here's a List of 58 Gender Options for Facebook Users, ABCNews, February 13, 2014]</ref>

===Censorship and harassment by Facebook===

{{see also|Social media censorship}}
Ongoing censorship and harassment by Facebook are documented at [http://www.facebookcensorship.com facebookcensorship.com] with screenshots. Also documented is the wholesale destruction of groups that took some people years to build by Facebook's deleting all of the members. Facebook then deleted the discussion areas from "pages" to further their control and censorship. Despite its censorship, some left-wing activists claim that Facebook has not gone far enough in censoring opposing viewpoints.<ref>Wolfgang, Ben (April 22, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/apr/22/facebook-hate-speech-censorship-policies-upset-bot/ Thumbs down: Facebook’s hate speech and censorship policies no easy fix]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved April 23, 2018.</ref>

Facebook temporarily banned Fox News reporter [[Todd Starnes]] for not being a liberal, giving the reason that his "politically incorrect" post violated community guidelines.<ref>[http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2013/06/29/fascist-facebook-bans-fox-reporter-todd-starnes-for-politically-incorrect-nra-post/ Fascist Facebook bans Fox reporter Todd Starnes, FireAndreamitchell.com, June 29, 2013]</ref> Facebook has censored other conservatives,<ref>Ciaccia, Chris (April 9, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/04/09/facebook-reconsiders-unsafe-for-community-tag-on-pro-trump-diamond-and-silk-videos-after-fox-friends-appearance.html Facebook reconsiders 'unsafe for community' tag on pro-Trump Diamond and Silk videos after Fox & Friends appearance]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 9, 2018.</ref> including the conservative news organization [[Voice of Europe]] simply for reporting on conservative opposition to immigration and Islam in Europe, political points of view Facebook deems "offensive."<ref>Williams, Thomas D. (April 9, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/04/09/facebook-punishes-conservative-news-site-criticizing-mass-migration/ Facebook Punishes Conservative News Site for Criticizing Mass Migration]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 9, 2018.</ref> In April 2018, Facebook blocked conservative activist [[Pamela Geller]] after she posted an Associated Press article on Muslim anti-Semitism in Germany, though the organization later lifted the block.<ref>Bokhari, Allum (April 27, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/04/27/facebook-blocks-pamela-geller-reporting-muslim-anti-semitism-germany/ Facebook Blocks Pamela Geller (Again!) for Reporting on Muslim Anti-Semitism in Germany]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 28, 2018.</ref> In June 2018, it permanently banned Generation Identity, an identitarian movement that seeks to uphold Europe's traditional culture, due to "extremist content."<ref>Tomlinson, Chris (June 24, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/06/24/censorship-entire-european-identitarian-movement-permanently-banned-from-facebook/ Censorship: Entire European Identitarian Movement Permanently Banned From Facebook]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 24, 2018.</ref>

In early 2018, following the revelation that the now-defunct data mining firm Cambridge Analytica had inappropriately acquired about 50 million users' personal information around the time of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook changed its algorithm, aiming to resolve countless privacy issues. However, this also resulted in [[conservative media]] sources being disfavored by the site compared to [[mainstream media]] sources.<ref>Bokhari, Allum (April 9, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/04/09/report-establishment-media-soaring-on-facebook-conservative-media-in-decline-following-algorithm-change/ Report: Establishment Media Soaring on Facebook, Conservative Media in Decline Following Algorithm Change]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 9, 2018.</ref>

Studies have found that Facebook, among other social media platforms, engage in censorship.<ref>Haverluck, Michael F. (March 16, 2018). [https://onenewsnow.com/media/2018/03/16/facebook-algorithm-kills-conservative-news-feeds-boosts-lefts Facebook algorithm kills conservative news feeds, boosts left's]. ''OneNewsNow''. Retrieved August 28, 2018. See also:
*Duke, Selwyn (August 28, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/item/29900-google-is-not-a-search-engine-twitter-and-facebook-aren-t-social-media Google Is Not a Search Engine; Twitter and Facebook Aren’t Social Media]. ''The New American''. Retrieved August 28, 2018.</ref>

Facebook banned several people whose views it opposed, labeling them "dangerous," even though they did not violate the site's terms<ref>Multiple references:
*Murphy, James (May 3, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/item/32187-war-on-free-speech-facebook-bans-people-it-considers-dangerous War on Free Speech: Facebook Bans People It Considers “Dangerous”]. ''The New American''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
*Nolan, Lucas (May 2, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/02/facebook-blacklists-prominent-conservatives-including-paul-joseph-watson-laura-loomer/ Facebook Blacklists Prominent Conservatives Including Paul Joseph Watson, Laura Loomer]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
*Nolan, Lucas (May 3, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/03/facebook-falsely-brands-non-violent-users-dangerous-to-justify-un-personing/ Facebook Falsely Brands Non-Violent Users ‘Dangerous’ to Justify Un-Personing]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
*Freiburger, Calvin (May 3, 2019). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebook-announces-drastic-new-bans-on-right-wing-media-figures-it-deems-dangerous-individuals Facebook announces drastic new bans on right-wing media figures it deems ‘dangerous individuals’]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
*[https://video.foxnews.com/v/6032800824001/?playlist_id=5198073478001#sp=show-clips Tucker: Big tech has launched an attack on your rights]. ''Fox News Video''. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
*[https://video.foxnews.com/v/6032802887001/?playlist_id=5198073478001#sp=show-clips Facebook cracks down on 'controversial' people, but are they infringing upon free speech?] ''Fox News Video''. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
See also:
*Freiburger, Calvin (May 3, 2019). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebooks-new-link-banning-decree-more-terrifying-than-banning-dangerous-individuals-tech-expert-warns Facebook’s link-banning decree more ‘terrifying’ than ‘dangerous individuals’ ban, tech expert warns]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
*Nolte, John (May 3, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2019/05/03/not-defending-louis-farrakhan-alex-jones-doing-free-speech-wrong/ Nolte: If You’re Not Defending Louis Farrakhan and Alex Jones, You’re Doing Free Speech Wrong]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
*Ciccotta, Tom (May 3, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/03/never-trumpers-and-leftists-praise-facebooks-blacklisting-of-conservatives/ Never Trumpers and Leftists Praise Facebook’s Blacklisting of Conservatives]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.</ref> – Facebook continued allowing actual left-wing hate speech to go unpunished, however.<ref>Multiple references:
*Nolan, Lucas (May 3, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/03/facebook-bans-dangerous-conservative-figures-but-continues-to-allow-leftist-calls-for-violence/ Facebook Bans ‘Dangerous’ Conservative Figures but Continues to Allow Leftist Calls for Violence]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
*Freiburger, Calvin (May 3, 2019). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebook-allows-left-wing-page-to-fantasize-about-trump-assassination-funeral Facebook allows left-wing page to fantasize about Pres. Trump assassination, funeral]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved May 4, 2019.</ref> Facebook favored [[mainstream media]] sources over the [[conservative media]].<ref>Clabough, Raven (May 8, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/item/32235-facebook-s-click-gap-system-favors-establishment-media-over-alternative-media Facebook’s “Click-Gap” System Favors Establishment Media Over Alternative Media]. ''The New American''. Retrieved May 8, 2019.</ref> In May 2019, Facebook censored [[Michelle Malkin]] for speaking out against censorship.<ref>Bokhari Allum (May 10, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/10/michelle-malkin-censored-on-facebook-for-opposing-censorship/ Michelle Malkin Censored on Facebook for Opposing Censorship]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 10, 2019.</ref> The company also created a list of conservatives it considered potential "hate agents."<ref>Freiburger, Calvin (May 22, 2019). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/revealed-facebook-keeps-list-of-conservatives-deemed-potential-hate-agents Revealed: Facebook keeps list of conservatives deemed potential ‘hate agents’]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved May 22, 2019.</ref> Among other examples, Facebook censored a quote by [[Saint Augustine]] as "hate speech,"<ref>Mclean, Dorothy Cummings (July 15, 2019). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebook-bans-saint-augustine-quote-as-hate-speech Facebook bans Saint Augustine quote as ‘hate speech’]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved July 15, 2019.</ref> and it censored a [[John Birch Society]] article on the U.S. immigration crisis as "hate speech" simply because its title read "Immigrant Invasion."<ref>Miguel, Luis (July 16, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/32860-facebook-slaps-jbs-with-hate-speech-violation-over-immigration-post Facebook Slaps John Birch Society With “Hate Speech” Violation Over Immigration Post]. ''The New American''. Retrieved July 16, 2019.</ref>

In July 2019, Facebook adopted rules explicitly allowing violent threats against people it deemed "dangerous individuals."<ref>Bokhari, Allum (July 9, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/07/09/facebook-sanctions-violent-threats-against-dangerous-individuals/ Facebook Sanctions Violent Threats Against ‘Dangerous Individuals’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 14, 2019.</ref>

To Facebook's credit, it did not censor a [[2020 Trump campaign]] ad that the [[fake news]] site [[CNN]] refused to run about the [[Biden-Ukraine scandal]] during the Democrats 2019 alleged "[[impeachment inquiry]]".<ref>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/464970-facebook-rejects-biden-request-to-remove-trump-ad-on-ukraine</ref>

===Coronavirusa and Communist Chinese misinformation===
{{See also|CCP propaganda war}}
{|class="infobox" style="float:right; font-size:85%; width:1ex; line-height:17px; margin: 0px 0px 5px 50px" cellpadding="1"
|[[File:Shi Zhengli 2.PNG|208px]]
|[[File:Ralph Baric.jpg|198px]]
|-
|colspan="3"|<hr/>Left:Shi Zhengli; Right:Ralph Baric.
|}
In the case of the [[Coronavirus]], Facebook used the [[Communist Chinese]]-controlled [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) as an “authority” on health related matters instead of official health guidelines from the [[President of the United States]].<ref>https://about.fb.com/news/2020/04/covid-19-misinfo-update/</ref> This was a matter of [[national security]] and public health.

====Anthony Fauci and Ralph Baric====

The [[Center for Tech and Civic Life]] (CTCL) is a group organized by [[Obama]] operatives and funded by Zuckerberg to promote [[Democrat election fraud]].<ref>https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/how-mark-zuckerbergs-350-million-threatens-democracy</ref><ref>https://thefederalist.com/2020/12/07/what-is-mark-zuckerbergs-election-money-doing-in-georgia/</ref> Zuckerberg funneled more than $400 million in election fraud efforts, $350 million was siphoned through the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL),

CTCL distributed hundreds of millions in “[[Zuckerbucks]]” to thousands of election jurisdictions in 48 states and [[Washington, D.C.]]. These funds were pitched as “COVID-19 response grants” supposedly intended to assist election officials in the safe conduct of elections. However, the infusion of CTCL funds into Democrat-leaning jurisdictions influenced the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Much of the Zuckerbucks were not spent on COVID-19 related expenses—with states reporting expenditures on advertising, vehicle purchases, registering teenagers to vote, and other non- COVID-related items.

Zuckerberg money to [[CTCL]] was laundered through the [[Chan Zuckerberg Initiative]] (CZI) controlled by Zuckerberg and his wife. Chan Zuckerberg also gave $433,000 to Ralph Baric,<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/facebook-czi-funds-controversial-wuhan-researcher/</ref> who was described by [[Shi Zhengli]] of the [[Wuhan Institute of Virology]] (WIV) as her “longtime collaborator” on [[gain-of-function]] research on the bat [[coronavirus]].<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/wuhan-lab-partner-scheming-on-pandemic-profits/</ref> Baric also received funding from [[Anthony Fauci]]'s National Institute of Health (NIH). Fauci admitted that Facebook CEO [[Mark Zuckerberg]] offered Fauci “resources and money” at the time same Zuckerberg was plowing cash into interfering in the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Democrats.<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/news/fauci-reveals-what-was-redacted-in-his-zuckerberg-emails/</ref>

===2020 election interference===
{{See also|2020 Presidential election|Voter fraud}}
When the smoking gun of the [[Biden-Burisma]] scandal broke in ''[[The New York Post]]'', Facebook dispatched a life-long [[Democratic Party]] operative who now works for Facebook — Andy Stone, previously a communications operative for [[far-left]] Democratic Sen. [[Barbara Boxer]] and the [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]] (DCCC), among other D.C. Democratic jobs — to announce that Facebook was “reducing [the article’s] distribution on our platform”: in other words, tinkering with its own [[algorithm]]s to suppress the ability of users to discuss or share the ''New York Post'' article.

Anna Makanju is the Facebook executive in charge of “election integrity on the platform”;<ref>https://twitter.com/FOOL_NELSON/status/1317141307391942657</ref> previously, she was the special policy adviser for Europe and Eurasia, which includes [[Ukraine]], to former US Vice President Joe Biden. The Facebook executive who blocked all of the negative evidence of Hunter and Joe Biden’s corrupt activity in [[Biden-Burisma]] scandal is the same person who was coordinating the corrupt activity between the Biden family payoffs and Ukraine.<ref> https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/10/17/unbelievable-facebooks-lead-executive-on-election-policy-was-vice-president-joe-bidens-advisor-to-ukraine/</ref>

====Biden Putsch====
:{{See also|Biden Putsch|}}
[[File:Zuck.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg [[collude]]d with [[Democrat]]s against American [[democracy]].]]
In August 2020 it was reported that Facebook was planning for the possibility that [[President]] Trump or his campaign could try to challenge mail in ballot election results. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that staffers were already putting together contingency plans in the event Trump tries to use Facebook to dispute the vote by declaring the [[U.S. Postal Service]] lost mail-in ballots or that other groups interfered with the vote. Facebook officials, including [[CEO]] Mark Zuckerberg, were holding daily meetings to discuss how to minimize the platform from being used to cast doubts on the results.

The Times noted that one plan would include a “kill switch” to shut down political ads after Election Day. The company officials believe the ads, which Facebook does not check for truthfulness, could be used to disseminate misinformation.

The newspaper said [[YouTube]] and [[Twitter]] also discussed their own plans if the post-election period becomes problematic.<ref>https://www.newsmax.com/politics/facebook-election-results-dispute-social-media/2020/08/21/id/983301/</ref>
Facebook banned political pages in an attempt to influence elections.<ref>Duke, Selwyn (May 15, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/item/32360-big-tech-tyranny-facebook-is-at-it-again-trying-to-sway-an-election Big Tech Tyranny: Facebook Is at It Again, Trying to Sway an Election]. ''The New American''. Retrieved May 15, 2019.</ref>

While mainstream [[fake news]] media spins baseless [[October Surprise]] scandals and smears in the final week, Facebook banned President Trump from responding.<ref>https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/03/facebook-ad-shakeup-trump-biden-408641</ref>

The [[Center for Tech and Civic Life]] (CTCL) is a group organized by [[Obama]] operatives and funded by Zuckerberg to promote [[Democrat election fraud]].<ref>https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/how-mark-zuckerbergs-350-million-threatens-democracy</ref><ref>https://thefederalist.com/2020/12/07/what-is-mark-zuckerbergs-election-money-doing-in-georgia/</ref> Zuckerberg funneled more than $400 million in election fraud efforts, $350 million was siphoned through the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL),

CTCL distributed hundreds of millions in “[[Zuckerbucks]]” to thousands of election jurisdictions in 48 states and [[Washington, D.C.]]. These funds were pitched as “COVID-19 response grants” supposedly intended to assist election officials in the safe conduct of elections. However, the infusion of CTCL funds into Democrat-leaning jurisdictions influenced the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Much of the Zuckerbucks were not spent on COVID-19 related expenses—with states reporting expenditures on advertising, vehicle purchases, registering teenagers to vote, and other non- COVID-related items.

The pivotal state of [[Georgia]] was one of the biggest targets of these funds, ultimately receiving one of the largest allocations of CTCL funds in the nation.<ref>https://creativedestructionmedia.com/news/politics/2021/06/05/report-zuckerberg-went-down-to-ga-with-45-million-more-than-any-state/</ref>

Emails and documents obtained by the Wisconsin Spotlight allege that individuals affiliated with CTCL took control of election procedures, including giving left-wing advisers “access to boxes of absentee ballots before the election.”<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/news/revealed-emails-show-zuckerberg-funded-group-overruling-election-officials-accessing-mail-in-ballots-before-election/</ref>

Zuckerberg money to [[CTCL]] was laundered through the [[Chan Zuckerberg Initiative]] (CZI) controlled by Zuckerberg and his wife. Chan Zuckerberg also gave $433,000 to Ralph Baric,<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/facebook-czi-funds-controversial-wuhan-researcher/</ref> who was described by [[Shi Zhengli]] of the [[Wuhan Institute of Virology]] (WIV) as her “longtime collaborator” on [[gain-of-function]] research on the bat [[coronavirus]].<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/wuhan-lab-partner-scheming-on-pandemic-profits/</ref> Baric also received funding from [[Anthony Fauci]]'s National Institute of Health (NIH). Fauci admitted that Facebook CEO [[Mark Zuckerberg]] offered him “resources and money” at the time same Zuckerberg was plowing cash into interfering in the [[2020 presidential election]] on behalf of Democrats.<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/news/fauci-reveals-what-was-redacted-in-his-zuckerberg-emails/</ref>

====October surprise====
:{{See also|Fake news in the 2020 presidential election}}
Facebook banned new political ads in the week before Election Day, curtailing a highly effective conduit for raising last-minute money and pinpointing messages to voters.

The mammoth social network with 2.7 billion users worldwide has become an essential tool for political advertisers — raking in more than $100 million from the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden alone. Unlike TV or print media, Facebook allows campaigns to rapidly respond to events, sometimes in a day or less.
{{quotebox|"The last week of the election is the most important week when it comes to messaging," said Tara McGowan, co-founder of digital-first Democratic outfit [[ACRONYM]], adding that "most voters in this country do not tune in and start paying attention or making their plans to vote until the final days of an election."<ref>https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/03/facebook-ad-shakeup-trump-biden-408641</ref>}}
By October 29, Facebook had already rejected 2.2 million ads and blocked 120,000 posts citing "election misinformation."<ref>https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/facebook-blocks-posts-election-misinformation</ref> While mainstream [[fake news]] media are allowed to churn baseless scandals and smears in an [[October Surprise]], President Trump will be restricted from responding.

====Biden-Burisma coverup====
[[File:Andy Stone conflict of interest.png|right|350px|thumb|Andy Stone conflict of interest.]]
:{{See also|Biden-Ukraine scandal}}
On October 14, 2020, Twitter and Facebook locked the account of the ''[[New York Post]]'' and limited their ability to share and post news stories after the ''New York Post'' published a bombshell report detailing some of [[Hunter Biden]]’s emails proving that Hunter Biden introduced his father Joe Biden to a top Ukranian energy firm executive from [[Burisma]] while Joe Biden was [[vice president]].
:*This was evidence Joe Biden used his influence as vice president to enrich his family through lucrative business deals with foreign nations like Ukraine and China, compromising the integrity of the vice presidency, as well as US [[national security]].

Facebook’s Policy Communication’s Director Andy Stone said,
{{quotebox-float|“While I will intentionally not link to the New York Post, I want to be clear that this story is eligible to be fact-checked by Facebook’s third-party fact-checking partners. This is part our standard process to reduce the spread of misinformation. We temporarily reduce distribution pending fact-checker review.”<ref>https://twitter.com/andymstone/status/1316395902479872000</ref>}}
Before working for Facebook, Andy Stone worked for the Democrat’s House Majority PAC as well at the [[Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee]] (DCCC), which is a clear [[conflict of interest]] during an election year. Facebook and their executives made the pre-emptive decision to label the New York Post‘s Hunter Biden story as factually incorrect and limited the publishing ability of the ''New York Post''’s account before they even “fact checked” the already factually correct article.

Facebook employed a [[lobbyist]], David Wade, who worked for Hunter Biden, advising him on how to deal with the media’s scrutiny over his ties to Burisma, while also “fact checking” and banning investigative reports about Hunter Biden and Burisma.<ref>https://loomered.com/2020/12/17/exclusive-hunter-biden-emails-reveal-founder-of-facebooks-dc-office-banned-accounts-at-bidens-request-as-family-made-millions-from-silicon-valley-dems/</ref>

====Oversight Board====
The Facebook Oversight Board upheld the platform’s decision to ban President Donald Trump – a strong source of opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/politics/facebook-oversight-board-anti-trump-foreign/</ref> One of the board’s four co-chairs, former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, has ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s [[United Front Work Department]] (UFWD). The U.S. government’s Economic and Security Review Commission flagged the UFWD for seeking “co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party” and coerce American leaders “to take actions or adopt positions supportive of [[Beijing]]’s preferred policies.”<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/fb-oversight-board-chair-headlined-ccp-conference/</ref>

===FEC disclosure exemptions===
Political advertising regarding federal elections and candidates that is purchased for appearance on radio, television and print generally must adhere to [[Federal Election Commission]] rules requiring clear disclosure of the committee or donor paying for the advertisements. During 2011, [[Google]] and Facebook hired [[Marxist]] operative [[Marc Elias]] to help them obtain an exemption from this requirement for political advertising on their platforms. Elias argued the restrictions were not practical for his clients, with FEC commissioners ultimately voting 4-2 in favor of the exemption for Google and deadlocking 3-3 on the request regarding Facebook.<ref>Vogel, Kenneth P.; and Kang, Cecilia. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/us/politics/facebook-google-russia-meddling-disclosure.html “Senators Demand Online Ad Disclosures as Tech Lobby Mobilizes.”] New York Times. October 19, 2017.</ref>

Facebook continued to operate as if exempt from disclosure rules. During the 2016 U.S. general election, $100,000 worth of Russian-backed and undisclosed advertisements intended to influence voters were purchased on Facebook with another $4,700 spent by Russian sources on Google political advertisements. In October 2017, following the controversy that ensued regarding Russian interference in the 2016 elections, both Republican and Democratic Senators advocated for legislation to require Facebook and Google to adhere to the same disclosure rules as other media.

===Collusion with the Biden regime===
{{See also|Biden family corruption}}
The [[Biden family]] has a long relationship with Facebook dating back to 2010, and the ability to get critics banned. There also has been a revolving door of employees between the Obama and Biden regimes, campaign organizations, consultants, and Biden family enterprises.

====Early roots of relationship====
:{{See also|Vice Presidency of Joe Biden (2009–2017)|}}
On October 10, 2010, [[Hunter Biden]] emailed Arlene Busch, a partner at Rosemont Seneca, the firm set up to sell access and influence to Vice President Joe Biden. The subject of the email was his relationship with [[Chris Kelly]], Mark Zuckerberg's right-hand-man.
[[File:Chris is worth about $350 MILLION. He remains Mark Zuckerberg’s closest adviser.png|right|300px|thumb|"Chris is worth about $350 MILLION. He remains Mark Zuckerberg’s closest adviser....He is more tied to Silicon Valley money than anyone I know and is looking for places to put his money."]]
{{quotebox-float|"I brought Chris Kelly to lunch. We can talk in more detail tomorrow about the meeting, but just to be clear– Chris is worth about $350 MILLION. He remains [[Mark Zuckerberg]]’s closest adviser and was the first person outside of programers Facebook hired.

He is more tied to [[Silicon Valley]] money than anyone I know and is looking for places to put his money. H[e] just spent $10 MILLION of his own money on race for AG in Dem primary without blinking.”<ref>https://ballotpedia.org/Chris_Kelly_(entrepreneur)#Elections</ref>}}
Kelly just dumped $10 million of his own money in a failed primary contest against Kamala Harris for Attorney General of California. Days later, a Kelly flunky emailed Hunter asking what favor he could do. Hunter wanted a critic's account on Facebook taken down.
{{quotebox-float|“Hi Mr. Biden, Chris Kelly forwarded me your message about a Facebook profile that you’re trying to get shut down?”

To which Hunter Biden replied:

“Thanks Adam—I will get info to you ASAP.”

Adam replied, saying, “Thank you”.<ref>https://loomered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image-8.png</ref>}}
Two days later the Facebook flunky confirmed the hit against a third party had been carried out.
{{quotebox-float|“Mr. Biden,

We have removed the fake profile. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

best,

Adam Connor

Facebook DC<ref>https://loomered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image-7-1024x757.png</ref>}}
In 2012 Eric Schwerin, who formally headed up the partnership with Chinese Communists, devised a scheme to milk money out of Facebook and other Silicon Valley Democrats for then Delaware Attorney General [[Beau Biden]]:
{{quotebox-float|“Does it make sense to reach out to Chris Kelly (maybe in an email from Hunter) and ask him to suggest a number of Silicon Valley Dem Types that we should invite to Beau’s party? I am sure he would encourage them to come and giving him some ownership of that group might not be a bad idea.

“Any complications vis a vis [[Kamala Harris]] and Chris? I assume they are all good?”<ref>Kamala Harris and Chris Kelly had opposed each other in 2010 California Attorney General Democratic primary. https://ballotpedia.org/California_Attorney_General_election,_2010#Democratic_primary</ref>

Hunter Biden replied to this email saying, “Very good idea”.

Schwerin replied, saying, :

“Great. I’ll draft an email and send it from Hunter. Hunter, if you want to see it first, let me know. Otherwise, we’ll send it off tomorrow.”<ref>https://loomered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image-11.png</ref>}}

====Collusion to suppress basic human rights====
{{See also|Biden/Harris propaganda apparatus|}}
[[File:Soviet censorship.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Soviet era censorship poster: "Don't talk!"]]
Chief propagandist [[Jen Psaki]] admitted the [[junta]] was working with Facebook to target individual users and suppress their [[First Amendment]] rights.<ref>https://therightscoop.com/breaking-white-house-admits-they-are-aiding-social-media-companies-with-censorship/</ref> The junta requested cell phone service providers to censor private text messages,<ref>https://dailycaller.com/2021/07/12/joe-biden-dnc-vaccine-misinformation-covid-19-coronavirus/</ref> Psaki articulated the regime's position that advocates banning social media users from all platforms if a user gets banned from one.<ref>https://therightscoop.com/yikes-white-house-spox-says-if-youre-banned-from-one-social-media-platform-you-should-be-banned-on-all-others-too/</ref> Psaki's articulation of Biden regime policy essentially makes Big Tech social media platforms "state actors."<ref>https://thehill.com/changing-america</ref> Journalist [[Glenn Greenwald]] tweeted,
{{quotebox-float|"The Biden administration is telling Facebook which posts it regards as "problematic" so that Facebook can remove them. This is the union of corporate and state power -- one of the classic hallmarks of [[fascism]] -- that the people who spent 5 years babbling about fascism support. If you don't find it deeply disturbing that the White House is "flagging" internet content that they deem "problematic" to their Facebook allies for removal, then you are definitionally an [[authoritarian]]. No other information is needed about you to know that."<ref>https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/joe-biden-administration-announcement-government-to-instruct-what-problematic-content-should-be-removed-from-the-internet/</ref>}}
Psaki articulated from the White House briefing room the Biden regime's [[collusion]] with private corporations to violate Americans' [[First Amendment]] rights:
{{quotebox-float|"We are in regular touch with these social media platforms, and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff....We’ve increased disinformation research and tracking within the Surgeon General’s office. We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation....it’s important to take faster action against harmful posts. As you all know, information travels quite quickly on social media platforms; sometimes it’s not accurate. And Facebook needs to move more quickly to remove harmful, violative posts — posts that will be within their policies for removal often remain up for days. That’s too long. The information spreads too quickly.

Finally, we have proposed they promote quality information sources in their feed algorithm. Facebook has repeatedly shown that they have the levers to promote quality information. We’ve seen them effectively do this in their algorithm over low-quality information and they’ve chosen not to use it in this case. And that’s certainly an area that would have an impact.<ref>https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/07/15/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-surgeon-general-dr-vivek-h-murthy-july-15-2021/</ref>}}
===Systemic racism===
[[File:This-is-Africa-offensive-images.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Museum exhibit by Facebook CCP clients in [[Wuhan, China]].]]
Facebook labels Black men as "[[Primates]]". In its auto generated topic recommendation feature beneath videos about Black men, Facebook will ask, "Keep seeing videos about Primates?" When social media users complain, Facebook is quick to blame the hidden [[institutional racism]] within the multinational corporate monopoly on [[AI]]. However, no disciplinary action is ever taken against Facebook developers or management who purchase outside racist AI facial recognition technology.<ref> https://mashable.com/article/facebook-ai-primates-label</ref> Civil rights advocates have criticized the racist facial recognition industry for its problems with accuracy, particularly when it comes to people who are not white. Due to this inaccuracy, many people of colour have been arrested wrongly as it is being used for investigations by the [[police]].<ref>https://news.abplive.com/news/world/facebook-takes-down-topic-recommendation-feature-after-black-men-labelled-as-primates-1480235</ref> In an article for ''Mashable'', technology writer Jennimai Nguyen reported "While AI can always make mistakes, it is the company's responsibility to properly train its [[algorithm]]s, and this misstep cannot be blamed on a lack of resources. In addition to mishandling past racial justice issues within the company, Facebook's lack of transparent plan to address its AI problem continues to sow distrust."<ref>https://mashable.com/article/facebook-ai-primates-label</ref> The latest racist attack sparked international condemnation and outrage.<ref>https://blackhotfirenetwork.com/2021/09/04/facebook-ai-slaps-primates-label-on-daily-mail-video-of-black-men/</ref>

Facebook is taking money from the [[CCP]] to promote “propaganda” playing down the plight of Uyghur Muslims. The CCP's treatment of [[Uyghur]] people in the western province of [[Xinjiang]] has been widely condemned in the West, with the US government and others accusing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of genocide. Facebook has not only allowed state-run outlets like ''China Daily'' and CGTN to publish posts that dismiss these concerns as Western “disinformation” – it has accepted advertising payments to help promote this content to millions of people.

Presented with the findings of ''Press Gazette''’s investigation, Imran Ahmed – chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate – said it was “beyond disgusting that Facebook is taking money to promote Chinese state propaganda denying the reality that their state is engaged in crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims”.<ref>https://pressgazette.co.uk/facebook-china-misinformation/</ref>

According to France 24, "While humans are among the many species in the primate family, the video had nothing to do with monkeys, chimpanzees or gorillas," as Facebook programmed the images into news feeds to millions of its users.<ref>https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210904-facebook-mistakenly-labels-black-men-primates</ref>

[[File:Kabul 2021.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Joe Biden, author of the [[Violence Against Women Act]], abandoning the women and girls of Afghanistan to the [[Taliban]] [[rape jihad]].]]

===Censorship of Gold Star families===
{{See also|Fall of Kabul}}
The mother of fallen U.S. Marine Kareem Nikoui had both her Facebook and Instagram and accounts censored after posts that were critical of Joe Biden, who botched the 2021 Afghan withdrawal leading to the unnecessary death of her son. Nikoui, 20, was one of the 13 U.S. Marines killed in the Kabul airport suicide attack. The Gold Star mother wrote,
“After I lay my son to rest you will be seeing me again! Remember I am the one who stood five inches from your face and was letting you know I would never get to hug my son again, hear his laugh and then you tried to interrupt me and give me your own sob story. You are no leader of any kind! You are a weak human being and a traitor.” The grieving mother revealed that Instagram had censored her post. Her posts were also censored by Facebook, which owns Instagram. “As soon as I posted about what happened to my son Instagram started pulling up my posts from months ago and sending me notifications that if I kept posting stuff like this that they would disable my account. Posts from months ago!”<ref>https://nationalfile.com/facebook-censors-gold-star-mother-of-fallen-marine-kareem-nikoui/</ref>

==Christian Presence==
Liberal pages aside, the presence of Christianity on Facebook is overwhelming. A quick and simple search reveals that the main Christianity page has more members than all the atheist pages combined.

==Conservative Groupings==
While liberalism appears to be the dominant political agenda behind Facebook's staff, this has not stopped conservative groups and pages forming. The [[Conservative Party]] as well as the [[Tea Party Movement]] have created pages. A search of the pages reveals that, when comparing the "likes" system on Facebook, both the Tea Party and the Tea Party Patriots dominate more liberal pages such as "Gay Marriage USA" and even the political ideology page "Liberal".

==''The Social Network''==
A feature film was made about the origins of Facebook, called ''The Social Network'', and the mainstream media heavily advertised it. The film did not meet expectations at the [[Academy Awards]] and was number one in America for only a few weeks. Mark Zuckerberg was not involved in the creation of film and said that it was more Hollywood storytelling than reality.

It has been known among Silicon Valley technology companies that Facebook has been luring away [[Google]] employees to the extent that Google is now offering bonuses for staying with the company. On October 15, 2010, Facebook announced the release of a new email client. Internally referred to as Titan, the media has dubbed it a "Gmail Killer". Zuckerberg insists it is not a head-to-head competitor of Google's Gmail service; rather, it will be more of an instant messaging service.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/15/gmail-beware-facebook-unveils-e-mail-service/ E-MAIL WAR: Facebook Launches 'Gmail Killer' -- AOL Jumps In, Too, FOX News, November 15, 2010]</ref>

==Privacy issues==
Facebook's Privacy Policy is continuously changing. This is not for the benefit of the users but to the monetary value they represent to advertisers. Due to the size of Facebook, all kinds of data on users' habits are monitored. In fact, the U.S. government can peek at user's lives behind the scenes if it so chooses.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/17/13-year-old-boy-questioned-secret-service-facebook-posting/?test=latestnews 13-Year-Old Boy Questioned by Secret Service Over Facebook Posting, Fox News, May 17, 2011]</ref><ref>[http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/article_bbd23382-6ecf-11e0-aeef-001a4bcf6878.html Feds mine Facebook for info, STLToday.com, April 25, 2011]</ref> Facebook claims your personal information is not for sale. They make the case that it is anonymously collected data, thereby protecting your privacy. Third parties develop applications to run on top of Facebook. Users' privacy is effectively in the hands of unknown organizations. The below examples include what information is on display by every user.

* The first 6 months of 2013, Facebook shared personal data with the U.S. Government about 39,000 Facebook users.<ref>[http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2013/08/just-peachy-facebook-shared-personal.html?m=0 JUST PEACHY: Facebook shared personal data of users a mere 26 thousand times in the first six months of 2013], [[Doug Ross]], August 27, 2013</ref>
* The [[NSA]] paid several tech companies, including Facebook, millions of dollars to cover the cost of spying on Americans.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/23/nsa-prism-costs-tech-companies-paid NSA paid millions to cover Prism compliance costs for tech companies, The Guardian, Augist 22, 2013]</ref>
* 6 million Facebook members had their data exposed after management found a glitch that inadvertently shared personal contact details with other members.<ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57590528-93/facebook-bug-exposed-contact-info-of-6m-users/ Facebook bug exposed contact info of 6M users, CNET.com June 21st, 2013]</ref>
* Many users post their full address, e-mail address, birthday, and telephone number, and these can be available to their entire network (and, in reality, anyone with the ability to use a computer with Internet access). This information in the wrong hands can be used for purposes of phishing, stalking, or even identity theft.
* Some universities have begun to use students' pages to investigate underage drinking and other violations of university policy. This is very possible, since university faculty and staff can sign up for the same network as their students through their campus e-mail account.<ref>[http://en.allexperts.com/e/f/fa/facebook.htm Facebook on allexperts.com]</ref>
*The so-called "news feed" has aroused some discomfort among Facebook users, as it displays all changes and status updates from their friends by default.
*The "wall" feature allows a user to post a message to another user which remains on their profile page. This posting is viewable to everyone who can view the page (which is pretty much the entire world), and shows up on the news feed for all friends of both the sender and the recipient by default.
*As with Google ads, Facebook collects profile information, and places ads on the page that reflect the user's personal information. This resulted in one man logging into his Facebook account, and seeing his wife's photograph appear in an advertisement for a dating website.<ref>[http://www.kvoa.com/news/husband-finds-wife-in-facebook-singles-ad/] Husband finds wife in facebook singles ad</ref>
*The privacy settings on Facebook give users a false sense of security and encourage people to post valuable personal information that could be used for malicious ends. As with other social networks, Facebook refuses to admit that its privacy settings that apparently allow only "friends" to see certain information are completely bogus and can easily be cracked by people with little to no [[hacking]] experience. Instead, Facebook actually ''encourages'' young users to only allow "friends" to see certain information, rather than just warning them that what they post can be seen by the world and to not post what they wouldn't want people to see.<ref>
[https://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/01/myspace_torrent This is why only a fool would trust any social networking platform to keep any information private]</ref>
* In early 2018, it was revealed that the now-defunct data mining firm Cambridge Analytica had inappropriately acquired about 50 million users' personal information around the time of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Zuckerberg testified before Congress and announced that he would change Facebook's algorithm, aiming to resolve countless privacy issues.

As a free service, it is reasonable to say that the users of Facebook are the product, rather than the consumers. As Andrew Lewis is credited with saying, "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold." This concept is not new, but it is still valid even though it was originally introduced in reference to television.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=gI_jNL7PN2QC&lpg=PA104&dq=tv%20you%20are%20the%20product&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q=tv%20you%20are%20the%20product&f=false]</ref> Information is valuable to advertisers, since they can use it in targeted marketing. Facebook, like other social media services, makes use of the personal information provided to users to sell advertisements.

==Initial monetary value==
It is rumored that Facebook generates around $1 million per week in revenue.<ref>[http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/04/26/facebook-goes-beyond-college-high-school-markets/ "Facebook goes beyond college and high school markets"]</ref>
In September 2006, [[Yahoo]] began talks to acquire Facebook for as high as $1 billion. In October, Google allegedly offered $2.3 billion.<ref>[http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2006/10/10/first-youtube-now-facebook-rumors-circulate "First Youtube, Now Facebook: Rumors Circulate"]</ref> All outside offers have been rejected. 2009 estimates put a net value of $6.5 billion.<ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10285409-36.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0 Facebook stock trading open; valuation $6.5 billion] CNET News, July 13, 2009</ref> 2010 estimates of the privately held company put the value at $14 billion.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2010/01/20/facebook-valued-at-14-billion-on-secondmarket/ Facebook Valued At $14 Billion On SecondMarket, TechCrunch.com, January 20, 2010]</ref>

In 2011, [[Goldman Sachs]] invested $500 million in Facebook. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley was put in charge of an initial public offering of Facebook stock in 2012. The company went public at $38-per-share IPO price valued Facebook at $104 billion.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/us-facebook-forecasts-idUSBRE84L06920120522 Insight: Morgan Stanley cut Facebook estimates just before IPO, Reuters.com, May 22, 2012]</ref> As of August 2012, the company was trading down at $20 per share, a loss of $50 billion in value. As of January 2013, the stock rebounded slightly and is trading at $30 per share, however this still represents a loss of $25 billion in value.
It is now possible to message the founder, Mark Zuckerberg, for approximately $100.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57563563/facebook-testing-$100-charge-to-message-zuckerberg/ Facebook charging $100 to send a message to founder Mark Zuckerberg]</ref>

As tech stocks vastly increased in value in the mid-2010s, however, so did Facebook. It gained hundreds of billions of dollars in [[market capitalization]] as investors shifted from low-interest bonds into the [[NASDAQ]].

== See also ==
* [[Social media]]
*[[Big Tech]]
* [[Twitter]]
* [[MySpace]]
* [[Google Plus|Google+]]
* [[Gab.ai (website)|Gab.ai]] (conservative alternative to twitter)
* [[Donald Trump and social media]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/israel-project-video-facebook-biased Israel Project Video: Is Facebook Biased?]
*[http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=175839 The increasing amount of personal information that can been gleaned by computer programs that track how people use Facebook]
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/fashion/weddings/chris-hughes-sean-eldridge-weddings.html Chris Hughes "married" his partner Sean Eldridge.] The homosexual co-founder of Facebook.
*[http://www.facebookcensorship.com/ Illegal political and religious censorship and harassment by Facebook]

{{communism}}

[[Category:Online Social Networking]]
[[Category:Websites]]
[[Category:Liberal Companies]]
[[Category:Liberal Organizations]]
[[Category:United States Presidential Election, 2020]]
[[Category:Totalitarianism]][[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Biden Putsch]]
[[Category:Anti-Free Speech]]
[[Category:Perpetrators of Cancel Culture]]

Examples of Bias in Wikipedia

2021-09-25T21:26:42Z

Conservapedia Guard: Style

'''Bias in Wikipedia''' is a danger for a free society. This list covers a wide range of bias in the English Wikipedia website. Although Wikipedia claims to have credibility because anyone can edit it, in fact, the website represents the views of its most strident and persistent, and that is, liberal editors. On [[Christmas]] Day 2016 (NYC time), Wikipedia's entry for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Maryanne Trump Barry prominently and falsely declared: "Her younger brother is [a] loan shark and liar [[Donald Trump]],"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maryanne_Trump_Barry&type=revision&diff=756673396&oldid=756136858</ref> something which remained for an unusually-long forty-eight minutes before it was corrected.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maryanne_Trump_Barry&diff=prev&oldid=756677726</ref>

Wikipedia is also heavily influenced by paid public relations professionals who do not disclose their conflicts of interest. This list, together with the sublists linked below, provides a wide variety of examples of the resulting bias.

A [[cabal]] of editors exists who work together to insert leftist bias into articles and to hide embarrassing facts about left-wing political figures, while at the same time smearing conservatives. Scandals involving left-wing personalities are labeled "[[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]]", for example, ''Spygate'' (conspiracy theory by Donald Trump) or "controversies" such as ''IRS targeting controversy'' or ''Hillary Clinton email controversy'', whereas those involving conservative personalities are labeled "scandal", for example ''Trump-Ukraine'' scandal.

Biased editors' standard tactics include claiming conservative-leaning sources as being unreliable (non-<abbr title="Reliable Source">RS</abbr>). This also applies to centrist sources that are simply being truthful. The best way to observe Wikipedia is by reading an article's Talk page. One can see editors disparaging sources contrary to the mainstream media talking points. You will see scandals involving left-wing figures are typically dismissed as conspiracy theories. You will also see many derogatory comments about conservative figures, especially Donald Trump and Republican congressmen, senators, judges, and even many international conservative politicians like [[Narendra Modi]], [[Jair Bolsonaro]], and all other international Trump-backers fighting against the [[Communist agenda]]. Editors who fight for balanced coverage eventually get permanently blocked, as well as a months-long IP block.

[[File:Jimmy_wales_1.jpg‎|right|250px|thumb|Co-Founder of Wikipedia, the [[atheist]] [[Jimmy Wales]]]]
On August 23, 2011, David Swindle published an article at ''[[FrontPage Magazine]]'' detailing how Wikipedia has been taken over by the [[Leftist|political left]]; he cited statistics relating to Wikipedia's articles on [[Ann Coulter]], [[Michael Moore]], [[Glenn Beck]] and [[Keith Olbermann]], which helped demonstrate that Wikipedia has a leftist bias, and he discussed the [[liberal]]/leftist cultural foundations of Wikipedia.<ref name="frontpagemag.com">[https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/102601/how-left-conquered-wikipedia-part-1-david-swindle HOW THE LEFT CONQUERED WIKIPEDIA, PART 1]</ref>

For example, Swindle wrote:

<blockquote>"Consider Ann Coulter versus Michael Moore. Coulter’s entry (on August 9, 2011) was 9028 words long.* Of this longer-than-usual entry, 3220 words were devoted to “Controversies and criticism” in which a series of incidents involving Coulter and quotes from her are cited with accompanying condemnations, primarily from her opponents on the Left. That’s 35.6 percent of Coulter’s entry devoted to making her look bad. By contrast, Moore’s entry is 2876 words (the more standard length for entries on political commentators), with 130 devoted to “Controversy.” That’s 4.5% of the word count, a fraction of Coulter’s. Does this mean that an “unbiased” commentator would find Coulter eight times as “controversial” as Moore?"<ref name="frontpagemag.com"/></blockquote>

The project was initiated by [[Atheism|atheist]] and [[entrepreneur]] [[Jimmy Wales]] and the [[agnosticism|agnostic]] [[philosophy]] [[professor]] [[Larry Sanger]] on January 15, 2001.<ref>http://www.nndb.com/lists/288/000092012/</ref> An irony of Internet history is that Jimmy Wales, despite being an atheist, refers to himself as Wikipedia's "spiritual leader".<ref>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/09/wikimedia_pron_purge/</ref> Despite its official "neutrality policy," Wikipedia has a strong liberal bias. In his article titled ''Wikipedia lies, slander continue'' [[journalism|journalist]] [[Joseph Farah]] stated Wikipedia "is not only a provider of inaccuracy and bias. It is wholesale purveyor of lies and slander unlike any other the world has ever known."<ref name="wnd.com">http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=83640</ref> Mr. Farah has repeatedly been the victim of defamation at the Wikipedia site.<ref name="wnd.com"/> In December 2010, [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[JP Holding]] called Wikipedia "the abomination that causes misinformation".<ref name="tektonticker.blogspot.com">http://tektonticker.blogspot.com/search/label/Wikipedia</ref> Although Wales "made his original fortune as a pornography trafficker", he has since tried to clean up his image and demands retractions when people report this fact.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=https://www.wnd.com/2012/12/heres-your-correction-wikipedia-founder/|title=Here's Your Correction, Wikipedia Founder|date=December 17, 2012|accessdate=December 26, 2012|work=WND}}</ref>

[[Mark Dice]] has dedicated chapters of at least two of his books to examples and analyses of the rampant left-wing bias in Wikipedia.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTymmHPb9F0</ref>

Co-founder Larry Sanger, who left the site, later acknowledged that Wikipedia does not follow its own neutrality policy.<ref>[https://uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/larry-sanger-co-founder-of-wikipedia-agrees-that-it-does-not-follow-its-own-neutrality-policy/ Uncommon Descent, December 1, 2016, Posted by Barry Arrington]</ref><ref>[https://www.dailywire.com/news/wikipedia-co-founder-sites-neutrality-no-longer-exists-favors-leftism Wikipedia Co-Founder: Site’s Neutrality No Longer Exists, Favors Leftism]</ref>

Most examples have been moved to the sublists. Please visit the sublists to learn about the variety of bias in Wikipedia.

== List of examples of liberal bias in Wikipedia ==
Below is a growing list of around 300 examples of [[liberal bias]], [[deceit]], edits stemming from corrupting conflicts of interest, frivolous [[gossip]], and blatant errors on Wikipedia. The [[atheism|atheist]] [[Jimmy Wales]] was the leading founder of Wikipedia. [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[JP Holding]] called Wikipedia "the abomination that causes misinformation".<ref name="tektonticker.blogspot.com"/> Because the list of examples is so long, it is divided into sublists based on subject matter. Some of the most egregious examples are in these sublists, which are well worth reading. At risk of duplication, some of the most interesting examples from the sublists are also repeated on this main list to give an overview. (We limit this main list to up to three examples from each sublist.)

==Examples of Bias ==
=== Abortion ===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Abortion]]
[[File:B Bhutto.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Benazir Bhutto]]]]
#Wikipedia's articles on [[genocide]],<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Genocide&oldid=744025805</ref> [[murder]],<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder&oldid=744013669</ref> and [[homicide]]<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Homicide&oldid=744087425</ref> have absolutely no mention of abortion,<ref>With the exception of a single mention in the article "Murder", which states that the availability of abortion may affect murder rates of born humans.</ref> even though it has killed way more people than any other genocide.<ref>Ertelt, Steve (November 6, 2012). [https://www.lifenews.com/2012/11/06/abortion-has-destroyed-117-million-people-in-the-united-states/ Abortion Has Destroyed 117 Million People in the United States]. ''LifeNews.com''. Retrieved October 12, 2016.</ref>
#Wikipedia has a large article detailing anti-abortion violence committed around the world,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-abortion_violence</ref> but there is no article about pro-abortion violence. There is no article for "Pro-choice violence"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-choice_violence</ref> and "Pro-abortion violence" bizarrely redirects to the "Abortion debate" article.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-abortion_violence</ref> Before being redirected, the "Pro-abortion violence" article was biased towards downplaying the reality of violence committed by supporters of abortion.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pro-abortion_violence&oldid=298226073</ref> For example, while the "Anti-abortion violence" article matter-of-factly begins: "Anti-abortion violence is violence committed against individuals and organizations that provide abortion." ... the "Pro-abortion violence" article dismissively began: "Pro-abortion violence (or pro-choice violence) is a term used in the pro-life movement to characterize acts of violence committed by abortion practitioners or abortion advocates against those who oppose abortion or against pregnant women. The former is regarded as factual while the latter is just "a term used in the pro-life movement."
# [[Wikipedia]] falsely claimed that [[conservatives]] opposed to [[abortion]] are described as "anti-baby" or "anti-family". [[Wikipedia]] removed this bias only after it was identified here.<ref>That statement remained on the article from [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conservatism&diff=173316636&oldid=173314241 November 23] to [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conservatism&diff=next&oldid=179870132 December 26, 2007]</ref>

===Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and Defund the Police===
====Antifa====
Wikipedia is very sympathetic to Antifa, saying that they are "seeking to combat fascists and racists such as neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other far-right extremists." Wikipedia said the lootings in the cities and the murders of black children didn't link to Antifa, even though it obviously did. That is a lie by Wikipedia. Another lie is that they say "Individuals involved in the movement tend to hold anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, anti-fascist and anti-state views, subscribing to a range of democratic left-wing ideologies such as anarchism, communism, Marxism, social democracy and socialism. The word "Right-wing extremists" are mentioned hundreds of times in Wikipedia's article about Antifa, but the word "Left-wing extremists" aren't even mentioned at all.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States)</ref> Wikipedia also said that right-wing extremists are fanning the flames, and that right-wing politicians such as [[Donald Trump]] and [[William Barr]] are just lying about it, but the "pro-democracy protesters", that is, Antifa, is being treated cruelly by brutal police.

====Black Lives Matter====
Even though the BLM is a terrorist group, Wikipedia calls them a "civil-rights movement fighting to end police brutality against black people and to keep the communities safe".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lives_Matter</ref> BLM even murdered several African-American children and Trump supporters, and Wikipedia still calls them "anti-hate". They endorsed [[Joe Biden]], they back all global dictators, and they are being funded by international Communist governments.<ref>https://nypost.com/2020/09/17/blm-co-founder-teams-up-with-pro-chinese-communist-party-group/</ref>

====Defund the Police====
Wikipedia also praises the "Defund the Police" slogan by saying ""Defund the police" is a slogan that supports divesting funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety, democracy, and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and other community resources."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defund_the_police</ref> The reality is, that criminals take advantage, and the cities get looted even more by radical liberal left-wing mobs, and that Trump gets blamed for it by [[Joe Biden]]. Wikipedia also says that policing is like promoting racism and defunding the police may help end police brutality and racism.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defund_the_police#Racism</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:Omar_Mateen.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Omar Mateen]]]]
====Anti-Christianity====
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Anti-Christianity]]
#A Wikipedia editor Qworty devoted 13,000 edits to cleaning up articles on pro-pagan topics before being permanently banned<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/IncidentArchive797#User:Qworty|title=Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/IncidentArchive797|accessdate=July 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://illusionofmore.com/montags-grin-wikipedia/|title=Montag’s Grin: A Look at Wikipedia|first=David|last=Newhoff|date=June 5, 2013|accessdate=Sept. 20, 2013}}</ref> and then outed as Robert Clark Young by the website salon.com.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/revenge_ego_and_the_corruption_of_wikipedia/|title=Revenge, ego and the corruption of Wikipedia|date=May 17, 2013|work=salon.com|accessdate=July 9, 2013}}</ref> The failure to crack down on his work earlier drew criticism from the pagan website wildhunt.org.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wildhunt.org/2013/05/anti-pagan-wikipedia-editor-outed-by-salon-com.html|title=Anti-Pagan Wikipedia Editor Outed by Salon.com|date=May 22, 2013|accessdate=July 9, 2013}}</ref>
# Wikipedia's article on [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=You_Can_Run_But_You_Cannot_Hide_International&oldid=524629239 You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International], the youth rock ministry of Bradlee Dean, is an attack page which was criticized in a WND column.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wnd.com/2012/12/whos-afraid-of-bradlee-dean/|title=Who's afraid of Bradlee Dean|date=December 14, 2012|work=WND|accessdate=December 26, 2012}}</ref> In response, [[Jimmy Wales]], Wikipedia's founder, demanded a retraction regarding his past as "a pornography trafficker". Instead, WND published detailed documentation of Wales' Boomis pornography website.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
# Wikipedia has a lengthy entry on "Jesus H. Christ,"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesus_H._Christ&oldid=174239815</ref> a term that is an idiotic mockery of the [[Christian]] [[faith]]. Wikipedia used to say that the term is "joking" and "comedic", and relishes in repeating disrespectful uses of the term, without admitting that the phrase is an anti-[[Christian]] mockery. Meanwhile, Wikipedia does not describe mockery of any other religion as "humorous".
# Arguments for atheism are prominently featured in Wikipedia's atheism article, but it fails to mention that [[United States|American]] [[atheist]]s [[Atheism and Uncharitableness|give significantly less to charity than American theists on a per-capita basis, even when church giving is not counted for theists]].<ref name="en.wikipedia.org">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism</ref> In addition, Wikipedia's article on atheism fails to mention [[Atheism and deception|how key proponents of atheism have been deceptive]]. Wikipedia's article on [[atheism]] also fails to mention that [[Christianity and Science|Christianity and not atheism was foundational in regards to the development of modern science]]. Wikipedia's article attempts to associate atheism with scientific progress.<ref name="en.wikipedia.org"/> Finally, Wikipedia's article on atheism fails to mention that [[Atheism and suicide|atheism is a causal factor for suicide]].

====Islam====
{{See also|Rape jihad}}
* An editor included the June 2016 Orlando shootings on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Islamist_terrorist_attacks List of Islamic terrorist attacks] and an edit war ensued.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/06/30/wikipedia-removes-orlando-shooting-islamist-terror-attack-list/|title=Wikipedia Removes Orlando Shooting From ‘Islamist Terror Attack’ List|work=breitbart.com|date=June 30, 2016|accessdate=July 8, 2016}}</ref>
* ACT! for America is classified under Wikipedia's section on "Islamophobia."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ACT!_for_America&oldid=860017411</ref>

===Bestiality/zoophilia===
[[File:Sheep.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Domestic sheep]]
See [[Wikipedia on bestiality]]

As of July 18, 2012, Wikipedia's article on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoophilia zoophilia/bestiality] has an entire section on "arguments for zoophilia" plus pictures depicting zoophilia as well as a section on "arguments against zoophilia". No worthwhile encyclopedia in existence has an article on zoophilia/bestiality with an entire section on "arguments for zoophilia" plus pictures depicting zoophilia. As of September 24, 2011, Wikipedia has a "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoophilia_and_the_law Zoophilia and the law"] article which has a section on the impact of zoophilia laws where eight alleged negative impacts of zoophilia laws are given, but no positive impacts of the laws are given.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoophilia_and_the_law#Impact_of_laws|title=Impact of laws section of "Zoophilia and the law"|date=July 17, 2012|accessdate=July 18, 2012}}</ref>
===Conservative Banning===
Wikipedia is known for threatening to block conservatives who edit their liberally-biased articles. Usually, with a warning.
Conservatives repairing this bias are labelled as disruptive editing.

===Conservapedia smears===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Conservapedia smears]]

# Wikipedia displays pervasive bias in making [[liberal]] statements with citations that do not support the statements, as illustrated by its entry about [[Conservapedia]].<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservapedia</ref> Wikipedia states that "Conservapedia has asserted that Wikipedia is 'six times more [[liberal]] than the American public', a statistic which has been criticized for its poor extrapolation and lack of credibility." But the two citations for this claim of "poor extrapolation and lack of credibility" are to articles that say nothing about extrapolation or credibility and instead tend to confirm the [[liberal bias]] on Wikipedia.
# For nearly two months, from at least as early as July 15 through September 9, 2007, Wikipedia classified its critics, including [[Conservapedia]], as "Fanatics and Special Interests."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Criticism_of_Wikipedia&oldid=144741567# Fanatics_and_special_interests</ref>
# In 2011 Wikipedia User Σ organized systematic vandalism of Conservapedia using the English Wikipedia IRC. This only came to light when he was nominated to be a Wikipedia Administrator and users there debated whether his actions were a good or bad thing to do.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Requests_for_adminship/%CE%A3&oldid=516746349</ref>

===Conservative personalities and politicians===
[[File:Hannahgiles.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Hannah Giles]]
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Conservative Personalities]]

#On November 2, 2006, days before the mid-term Congressional elections, an anonymous IP address traced to the ''[[New York Times]]'' changed [[U.S. House of Representatives]] [[Majority Leader]] [[Tom DeLay]]'s Wikipedia biographical entry from "a prominent member of the [[Republican Party]]" to "Grand Dragon of the Republican Party."<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_DeLay&diff=prev&oldid=85320018 Wikipedia/Tom DeLay, Revision as of 20:19, 2 November 2006, IP 199.181.174.146]</ref><ref>[http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/name2ip.php?orgname=New+York+Times&location= WikiScanner]</ref>[dead link]
# Wikipedia has thousands of obscure pages for individuals that the public never heard of or recognize. Conservative undercover journalist [[Hannah Giles]] is not given her own page, most likely due to the fact she has taken on the liberal establishment and won, and Wikipedia's liberal-biased editors do not want to give her credit for that. A search of Hannah Giles gives her an obscure paragraph in what Wikipedia titles the ''ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy''.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Giles#Hannah_Giles_and_James_O.27Keefe</ref>
# For [[liberal]] politicians, Wikipedia uses flattering photos. But for [[conservative]] politician [[Sally Kern]], about whom [[Homosexuality|homosexual]] activists have had a hissy fit, from 2009 to 2011, Wikipedia used an absurd, uncharacteristic photo.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Files_for_deletion/2011_February_26#File:Sally_Kern_2009.jpg</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sally_Kern&type=revision&diff=405321478&oldid=400257198</ref>
# In December of 2019 Wikipedia deleted its page for the conservative [[Independent American Party]] claiming "lack of notability".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Independent_American_Party</ref> However, pages for several Communist, Socialist, Neo-Nazi, and other very small political parties with very few members remain and are regularly maintained despite them having virtually no impact in the American political sphere.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States</ref>

===Anti-Israel===
There is an anti-Israel gang, for years, fighting source, deciding what is a RS, push to ban users, some working in cooporation with a long time infamous radical anti-Israel administrator.<ref>https://www.theisraelgroup.org/wikipedias-war-against-israel . [https://freebeacon.com/issues/wikipedias-anti-israel-editors-unmasked/ Wikipedia's Anti-Israel Editors Unmasked] - Free Beacon, Nov 20, 2019</ref>

There has been a consistent long time Anti-Israeli subversion,<ref>[https://www.aish.com/jw/mo/48964486.html Anti-Israeli Subversion on Wikipedia], May 17, 2008</ref> suppression,<ref>https://wikibias.wordpress.com/</ref> <ref>[http://www.think-israel.org/wikipedia.arabismracism.html PAN-ARABISM'S RACISM AND WIKIPEDIA BIAS] compiled and edited by Bernice Lipkin</ref> biases, inaccuracies, article by article.<ref>https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/9628</ref>

Project Wiki exposed how Wikipedia is breeding Armies of Anti-Semites.<ref>[https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/project-wiki-exposes-how-wikipedia-is-breeding-armies-of-anti-semites/2021/01/01/ Project Wiki Exposes How Wikipedia Is Breeding Armies of Anti-Semites], David Israel, JP, January 1, 2021</ref>

===Coronavirus===
Wikipedia's Coronavirus articles have no criticism of China, instead, they blame Trump. They say that China warned the world<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_mainland_China</ref> and that Trump waited too long<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump</ref>. The reality is, Chinese doctors were silenced by Xi Jinping just for trying to spread the truth, and Wikipedia absurdly doesn't mention it. They even said that Trump wants to force the nation to inject dangerous chemicals to get rid of coronavirus! They also make Biden look anti-China, but he would never hold China accountable for the coronavirus. Trump, on the other hand, looks like pro-China, even though he will hold China accountable for the coronavirus. Whenever Trump criticizes China, they [Wikipedia and the mainstream media] call it "coronavirus misinformation", basically sympathizing with China. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_the_United_States</ref> Wikipedia doesn't even mention the doctors that were silenced by the CCP<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/asia/coronavirus-doctor-whistle-blower-intl-hnk/index.html</ref>, but instead, praises China by saying " China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan." However, Trump and Putin are heavily criticized ("Meanwhile, President Donald Trump largely downplayed the threat posed by the virus and claimed the outbreak was under control.") However, in China's coronavirus article, they say that there was no new cases and the virus was under control.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_mainland_China</ref>

===Trump Family Separation Policy===

# Such family separations have occurred under previous Presidents, and therefore the article should not be specifically named after Trump. <ref>https://apnews.com/26b88518310f47018b724e200b28e88f/Origins-of-family-separation-issue-stretch-back-many-years</ref>
# Trump has never had any specific “Family Separation Policy”, another reason why this article title is highly misleading. Contrary to common misrepresentation in the media, the “Zero Tolerance Policy” had nothing to do with family separations, but was only about following the law, to prosecute those who break the law by entering the country illegally. <ref>https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-announces-zero-tolerance-policy-criminal-illegal-entry</ref>
# The family separations discussed in the article were a direct consequence of a court ruling on the Flores Settlement on July 6th, 2016, while Obama was President. Trump had no role or involvement in that. <ref>https://www.aila.org/infonet/flores-v-reno-settlement-agreement</ref>

===Criminals and mentally ill editors===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Criminals and mentally ill editors]]
#Adam Lanza, who conducted a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, has been identified as editing Wikipedia particularly regarding guns and other mass murders.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report: Computer user believed to be Adam Lanza discovered|url=https://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/report_computer_user_believed_to_be_adam_lanza_discovered/|first=Alex|last=Halperin|date=July 1, 2013|accessdate=August 27, 2013|work=Salon.com}}</ref>
#Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik edited English Wikipedia under the username "Conservatism". He also edited the Norwegian Wikipedia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2013-05-06/In_the_media#Anders_Behring_Breivik.27s_English_Wikipedia_account_revealed|title=Signpost|date=May 6, 2013|accessdate=August 27, 2013}}</ref>
#The the United States Federal Government claimed, among other things, that Bruce Edwards Ivins, a suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks who apparently committed suicide in July 2008, had edit-warred on Wikipedia under the username Jimmyflathead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2008-08-09/Ivins%27_edits|title=Signpost|date=August 8, 2008|accessdate=August 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/01/us/anthrax-killer-case|title=Strange sorority fixation was link that led to anthrax suspect|work=CNN|date=October 1, 2011|accessdate=August 27, 2013}}</ref>

=== Dictators ===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Dictators]]

# Wikipedia sympathizes with brutal Venezuelan dictator [[Nicolas Maduro]] by calling him "His Excellency" in the infobox, and by calling him "active president".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Maduro</ref> He even screamed at [[Donald Trump]]<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GoG37D9ujc&ab_channel=TheStraitsTimes</ref>, and he sent military vehicles to run over protesters.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4QnAe4qs_g&ab_channel=GlobalNews</ref><ref>https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article229853509.html</ref>
# Wikipedia makes a slight mention of though undercuts the significance of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s opposition to [[Christianity]] that has been recorded,<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Views_on_religion Adolf Hitler - Wikipedia]</ref> and doesn't, if barely at all admits that his public praise of Christianity was only for power purposes,<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_of_Adolf_Hitler#Hitler_on_Christianity_and_%22Positive_Christianity%22 Religious view of Adolf Hitler - Wikipedia]</ref> as that had been part of an infiltration of churches to use for spouting Nazi propaganda.<ref>[https://www.gotquestions.org/was-Hitler-a-Christian.html Was Hitler a Christian | GotQuestions.org]</ref>
# In the last paragraph in the header of Vladimir Putin's article, Wikipedia says "Under Putin's leadership, Russia has experienced democratic backsliding. Experts do not generally consider Russia to be a democracy, citing jailing of political opponents, curtailed press freedom, and the lack of free and fair elections. Russia has scored poorly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, and Freedom House's Freedom in the World index (including a record low 20/100 rating in the 2017 Freedom in the World report, a rating not given since the time of the Soviet Union). Human rights organizations and activists accuse Putin of persecuting political critics and activists as well as ordering them tortured or assassinated; he has rejected accusations of human rights abuses. Officials of the United States government have accused him of leading an interference program against Hillary Clinton in support of Donald Trump during the U.S. presidential election in 2016, an allegation which both Trump and Putin have frequently denied and criticized."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin</ref> But in Xi Jinping's Wikipedia article, Wikipedia states "Xi is the first General Secretary born after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Since assuming power, Xi has introduced far-ranging measures to enforce party and national discipline and to impose internal unity. His anti-corruption campaign has led to the downfall of prominent incumbent and retired Communist Party officials, including members of the Politburo Standing Committee. He has also enacted or promoted a more assertive foreign policy, particularly with regard to China-Japan relations, China's claims in the South China Sea, and its advocacy for free trade and globalization. He has sought to expand China's African and Eurasian influence through the Belt and Road Initiative. As the central figure of the fifth generation of leadership of the People's Republic, Xi has significantly centralized institutional power by taking on a wide range of leadership positions, including chairing the newly formed National Security Commission, as well as new steering committees on economic and social democratic reforms, military restructuring and modernization, and the internet. Xi's political thoughts have been written into the party and state constitutions. Xi has often been called a "dictator" or an "authoritarian leader" by conservative political and academic observers, and Xi Jinping's opponents, citing an increase of censorship and mass surveillance, a claimed deterioration in human rights, the cult of personality developing around him, and the removal of term limits for the leadership under his tenure.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping</ref>, basically not even criticizing Xi Jinping as much as Vladimir Putin, even though he is much worse, as China has a freedom score of 10 out of 100<ref>https://freedomhouse.org/country/china/freedom-world/2020</ref>, and Russia has a freedom score of 20 out of 100.<ref>https://freedomhouse.org/country/russia/freedom-world/2020</ref>, and when countries have low freedom scores, they are way more dangerous, due to the more undemocratic governments.

===Ethnic and racial bias===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Ethnic and racial]]
# In 2008, two 15-year-old students wanted to harass a third student named "Azid", so they edited a Wikipedia article on Korma (an Eastern food) to add Azid as a synonym for the dish.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=491479704 May 8, 2012</ref> This meaning was then added to hundreds of Web postings about mid-eastern cooking. On July 16, 2014, one of the students confessed his stunt on Reddit,<ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/2awfib/its_time_for_the_truth_to_come_out/ July 16, 2014</ref> but so many Azid references copied from Wikipedia had emerged in the meantime that Wikipedia did not delete the vandalism as untrue<ref>http://wikipediocracy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5028</ref> until four months later.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Korma&diff=prev&oldid=633412945</ref>
# For over a year, the article on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_A._Wilson_High_School Glen A. Wilson High School] contained threats against an Asian student and made ethnic slurs against the school's primarily Asian badminton team.<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news| url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/29/local/me-wikipedia29 | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Molly | last=Hennessy-Fiske | title=Wikipedia threats went unchecked – Los Angeles Times | date=29 April 2008}}</ref>
#Wikipedia has developed a series of history articles outlining the struggles of Jews, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, the LGBT community, Asians, and blacks against discrimination, and the Ku Klux Klan. These articles are now called "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281896%E2%80%931954%29 African-American Civil Rights Movement]" despite being formerly called "American Civil Rights Movement."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281896%E2%80%931954%29/Archive_1#Name_of_this_article.3F</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281955%E2%80%931968%29#Why_.22African.22-American_Civil_Rights_Movement</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281955%E2%80%931968%29#Proposed_Move</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281955%E2%80%931968%29/Archive_1#American_Civil_Rights_Movement</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281955%E2%80%931968%29/Archive_1#Name_change</ref>

While the [[RNC]] August, 2020 has rightfully eliminated Mary Ann Mendoza after revealing she retweeted<ref>[https://baptistnews.com/article/rnc-speaker-mary-ann-mendoza-removed-from-lineup-after-sharing-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theories-on-twitter/ RNC speaker Mary Ann Mendoza removed from lineup after sharing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on Twitter. BNG STAFF. Baptist News. August 27, 2020]</ref> recycled ludicrous old canard [[anti-Semitic]] conspiracy theories, yet, at the time, infamous Wikipedian racist Nishidani is still on [[Wikipedia]]. As part of anti-Jewish campaign since 2006: Nishidani sugarcoated Hitler's buddy [[Grand Mufti of Jerusalem]]; pushed for [[Farrakhan]]'s conspiracy-theories rubbish on July 2020 just before Nick Cannon's apology; supported the Islamic Republic of [[Iran]]'s proxy anti-US/anti-Israel Houthis in [[Yemen]] in its use of human shields; whitewashed terror entity Palestinian-Arab [[Hamas]] and its use of own people as human shields in order to aim at Israeli civilians (and at children whenever they can<ref>[https://www.google.com/search?q=sderot+kindergartens+hamas Sderot kindergartens]</ref>) as well as jihadi terror [[Hezbollah]].<ref>[http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/260150 'Mary Ann Mendoza' VS 'Nishidani on Wikipedia': anti-Jewish bigotry, racism, hatred, old conspiracy theories garbage. Aug 27, 2020]</ref>

===Foreign hackers===
Wikipedia has a very long article of "Cyberwarfare by Russia", heavily criticizing the Russian government, which they say that it is "confirmed"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberwarfare_by_Russia</ref>, but their article of "Chinese cyberwarfare" is not really critical to the Chinese government, and they say that it is "claimed"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cyberwarfare</ref>. Russia is already a declining power and it is slowly becoming a democracy, but China is getting even worse, and it is becoming more powerful than ever. In their "Cyberwarfare and Iran" article, they do say that Iran's hacking is "confirmed", but they praise to Obama for "trying to abolish" the hackers, even though they [Iran] got American national bank access and taxpayer money from the [[Iran nuclear deal]].

===Gender bias===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Gender bias]]

# Wikipedia has a gender gap crusade that seeks to increase the percentage of female editors. (In practice that crusade has the effect of driving away male editors.) There are also many serious examples of gender bias in Wikipedia's content.
# When a '''New York Times''' op-ed criticised feminist Wikipedia editors for moving women from [[:Category:American Novelists]] to a separate category,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/opinion/sunday/wikipedias-sexism-toward-female-novelists.html?_r=0&ref=sunday|title=Wikipedia’s Sexism Toward Female Novelists|date=April 24, 2013|work=New York Times|accessdate=May 2, 2013}}</ref> the article about the author was attacked and watered down, restored<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amanda_Filipacchi&diff=552260688&oldid=552235515</ref> and attacked again.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/opinion/sunday/wikipedias-sexism.html?_r=1|title=Wikipedia's Sexism|date=April 27, 2013|work=New York Times|accessdate=May 2, 2013}}</ref>

===Global warming===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Global warming]]

# A recent charge is that U.K. scientist and Green Party activist and Realclimate.org member [[William M. Connolley|William Connolley]] functioned as a Wikipedia editor and website administrator, repressing information that militated against Climate Change. As such he "rewrote Wikipedia’s articles on global warming, on the greenhouse effect, on the instrumental temperature record, on the urban heat island, on climate models, on global cooling. On Feb. 14, he began to erase the Little Ice Age; on Aug.11, the Medieval Warm Period."<ref>[http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2009/12/19/lawrence-solomon-wikipedia-s-climate-doctor.aspx ''Lawrence Solomon: Wikipedia’s climate doctor'',] December 19, 2009</ref>
#[[Michael Mann]] is a well known global warming alarmist who is ridiculed for his so-called scientific work on tree ring temperature data, the Hockey Stick theory and was the subject of fraud in the [[Climategate]] scandal. Wikipedia decides to allow mention of his involvement with Climategate. Attempts to add the mention were repeatedly undone,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_E._Mann&diff=prev&oldid=332744981</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_E._Mann&diff=next&oldid=332759870</ref> though some mention of Climategate was eventually added on Mann's page.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Mann#CRU_email_controversy</ref>

===Homosexuality===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Homosexuality]]

#Wikipedia editors regularly and fiercely alter the use of the terms "he" or "she" in articles regarding [[cross-dressing]]/[[transsexual]] figures. Male to Female transexuals are near-universally referred to as "she" while women attempting to pass as men are referred to as "he", despite this usage absolutely incorrect in both scientific and legal senses.
#When NBA Basketball player [[Jason Collins]] announced that he was a homosexual, his Wikipedia biography was altered to say that he was a "faggot." When an editor attempted to change the word to "gay" Wikipedia's anti-vandalism robot changed it back.<ref>https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/jason-collins-faggot-washington-wizards-wikipedia_n_3223693.html?utm_hp_ref=sports&ir=Sports</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jason_Collins&diff=prev&oldid=553353534</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jason_Collins&diff=next&oldid=554154699</ref> An editor replaced his photo with a poster for "Gay N-word".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jason_Collins&diff=prev&oldid=554154681</ref> After the page drew criticism on the Huffington Post, Wikipedia locked the page to editing and the changes have been hidden from public view. The article on the 2012-13 Washington Wizards season had similar problems.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2012–13_Washington_Wizards_season&diff=553709164&oldid=552936180</ref>
#After an edit war,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chelsea_Manning&diff=569753966&oldid=569753791</ref> Wikipedia changed the Bradley Manning article to Chelsea Manning and gave the article subject female attributes, even though Manning had yet to legal change his name or begin any sex reassignment treatments or therapies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Chelsea_Manning#Page_moved_to_Chelsea_Manning_without_sufficient_consensus|title=Chelsea Manning talk page|accessdate=Aug 24, 2013}}</ref> The article was moved between "Chelsea Manning" and "Bradley Manning" six times in one day as Wikipedia administrators fought among themselves.
#Wikipedia's article on "Homophobia," dignifies the use of what is actually a pejorative slur word to turn readers against those who oppose the posterior orifice intercourse of men-lying-with-men. The use of this word is an attempt to classify those who oppose such sodomy as having a mental disorder, a phobia. An attempt to demonstrate that opposition to sodomy is neither a fear nor an irrational fear (phobia) supported by the absence of such a phobia in the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,'' will not be tolerated in the article. The existence of this article is a violation of the Wikipedia NPOV standard, as the use of such slur words is an obvious attempt to win a debate by changing the vocabulary (as in changing from fornication to sexually active).<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia</ref>

===Ideological terrorism===
Wikipedia has an extremely long article of Right-wing terrorism<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_terrorism</ref>, but their Left-wing terrorism is short and doesn't even criticize to leftists that much as they do to rightists<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_terrorism</ref>. Their Right-wing terrorism article says they are "Nazis" and "racists", but their Left-wing terrorism just says they are "fighting" against the racists and fighting for so-called democratic reforms. Even though left-wing terrorism is way larges than right-wing terrorism and is expanding quicker, Wikipedia says that left-wing terrorism disappeared by the mid-1990s, even though it has grown dramatically through the rising power of China. The right-wing terrorism article has a gigantic list of right-wing terrorism occurrences, but their left-wing terrorism has none, just the list of terrorist groups. Another key fact is that in Wikipedia's Asia section of "Left-wing terrorism", there is absolutely no mention of China<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_terrorism#Asia</ref>, but China has benefited global terrorists by funding them and making us vulnerable<ref>https://www.heritage.org/asia/commentary/how-china-will-make-us-more-vulnerable-terrorists</ref>. Instead, it even sympathizes with that terrorism by saying they are fighting for democratic reforms. Their article "Left-wing authoritarianism redirects to Right-wing authoritarianism, which has another gigantic list of right-wing dictators. Also, in Wikipedia's article "Terrorism in China", they say that it is for ideological change and that it is against [[Xi Jinping]] and the Chinese government<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_China</ref>, basically sympathizing with the [[Chinese Communist Party]].

===Internet policies===
#The [[Wikimedia Foundation]] (WMF) claims to have a policy against Internet censorship. Yet, the WMF has entered into a partnership with the [[Saudi Telecom Company]] (STC) to provide Wikipedia to mobile phone subscribers, prompting questions about the potential conflict over censorship.<ref>http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2012-October/122320.html</ref> Meanwhile, the English Wikipedia has an article entitled "List of Wikipedia articles censored in Saudi Arabia".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_Wikipedia_articles_censored_in_Saudi_Arabia&oldid=505551894</ref>
#Wikipedia engages in censorship of points of view that they disapprove of. In February 2017, Wikipedia (supported by Wikimedia) decided it would no longer accept ''[[The Daily Mail]]'', a right-wing newspaper based in the [[United Kingdom]], as a reliable source.<ref>Panis, Thomas (February 17, 2017). [https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/02/the_wikipedia_purge.html The Wikipedia Purge]. ''American Thinker''. Retrieved February 25, 2017.</ref> Wikipedia also discriminates against other conservative sources, such as ''[[Breitbart News]]'', ''[[The Daily Caller]]'', ''[[The New American]]'', ''[[The Epoch Times]]'', ''[[The Gateway Pundit]]'', and ''[[The Washington Examiner]]''<ref>Shaw, C. Mitchell (September 27, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/item/33525-wikipedia-editor-scrubs-citations-to-the-new-american-from-hunter-biden-page Wikipedia Editor Scrubs Citations to The New American from Hunter Biden Page]. ''The New American''. Retrieved September 28, 2019.</ref><ref>Adler, T.D. (December 20, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/12/20/wikipedia-blacklists-epoch-times-gateway-pundit-for-russiagate-criticism/ Wikipedia Blacklists Epoch Times, Gateway Pundit for Russiagate Criticism]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved December 20, 2019.</ref> despite allowing [[liberal media]] sources that promote [[fake news]] as sources. Additionally, using sources even like ''[[The New York Post]]'' and ''[[The Washington Times]]'' is discouraged at the least.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard/Archive_61#Washington_Times_column_RS.3F</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard/Archive_209#Is_the_Washington_Times_an_acceptable_source_for_statements_of_face_related_to_student_protesters.2Fblack_lives_matter.2FMilo_Yiannopoulos.3F</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard/Archive_179#LA_Times_legitimately_journalistic_WashTimes_is_like_FOx_News</ref> Even citing Fox News is discouraged. Due to its anti-conservative sourcing policies, Wikipedia has an inherent left-wing bias as the left-wing mainstream media sources (along with blatantly left-wing publications that are not challenged, unlike conservative outlets) [[Fake news|are considered "factually correct" and the "most reliable"]] in the eyes of Wikipedia editors. The Wikipedia article for the Epoch Times cites an NBC report claiming that it "[spreads] conspiracy theories such as QAnon"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Epoch_Times</ref>, however, The Epoch Times has only published two articles about [[QAnon]], neither of which are spreading or promoting it. <ref>{{cite news |title=The 'Q' Phenomenon |url=https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-q-phenomenon_2581642.html |work=www.theepochtimes.com |date=2 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='Q' Community Responds to Media Attacks |url=https://www.theepochtimes.com/media-attacks-do-little-to-sway-q-supporters_2617778.html |work=www.theepochtimes.com |date=7 August 2018}}</ref>

===Iran nuclear deal===
Even though the Iran nuclear deal allowed Iran to have access to taxpayer money and national banks, and also allowing Iran to create nuclear weapons, Wikipedia said the deal helped prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons through so-called sanctions.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Comprehensive_Plan_of_Action#Sanctions</ref> Now, because of Obama, Iran is more powerful than ever, thanks to Obama's loyalty to unfree governments. Wikipedia also blatantly said that in the year 2030, the consequences of the 1979 Revolution won't be "active" anymore<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Comprehensive_Plan_of_Action#15-year_term</ref>, even though the deal would make Iran more powerful than ever.

===Journalists===
See, [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Journalists]], [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Sun News Network]]
#In early October 2005, a prominent and respected journalist [[John Seigenthaler Sr.]], contacted Wikipedia founder [[Jimmy Wales]] about false and libelous content in his biographical entry. Instead of correcting the false allegations that Seigenthaler was involved in the Kennedy assassinations, Wales and other editors turned it into a wiki drama with attacks on Seigenthaler for trying to defend his own good name.<ref>[http://www.wikitruth.info/index.php?title=User:Essjay/Letter User:Essjay/Letter]. Retrieved from WikiTruth, November 3, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.journalism.org/node/1673 Seigenthaler's Op-Eds], October 1, 2005. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org November 12, 2007.</ref><ref>http://www.journalism.cf.ac.uk/2006/online/index.php?id=parse-195-0-0-251&article=336&author=India+Camm</ref><ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm A false Wikipedia 'biography'], By John Seigenthaler, ''USA Today'', 11/29/2005.</ref><ref>http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/05/lol.02.html</ref>
#Israeli journalist [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Levy Gideon Levy's Wikipedia Biography] has been frequently vandalized with false facts, including allegations that his father was a Nazi collaborator.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/in-a-web-of-lies-the-newspaper-must-live.premium-1.469273|title=
In a Web of lies, the newspaper must live|first=Gideon|last=Levy|date=October 11, 2012|accesdate=October 11, 2012|work=Haaretz Daily Newspaper}}</ref> So many slanderous statements have been posted that the revisions to the article have been hidden from public view at least 22 times.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=delete&page=Gideon_Levy|title=Gideon Levy Deletion Log|accessdate=October 11, 2012}}</ref> After the Seigenthaler revelations, Wikipedia moved toward requiring in-line citations but still stresses "verifiability" over factual material.
#BBC presenter Lynn Parsons wrote Wikipedia claiming that her biography was false—including her birth date. Her request to have her article deleted was voted down.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Lynn_Parsons|title=Articles for Deletion|accessdate=November 18, 2012|date=November 10, 2012}}</ref>

===Liberal politicians===
[[File:Carter.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Jimmy Carter]]
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Liberal Politicians]]

#The Wikipedia article on the liberal former President of [[Brazil]], [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luiz_In%C3%A1cio_Lula_da_Silva&oldid=526671990|title=Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva|accessdate=December 12, 2012}}</ref> makes a passing reference to the [[mensalão scandal]] as if Lula was not personally involved, but fails to report that convicted conspirators testified that Lula himself knew of and approved of the vote-buying.<ref>{{cite news|title=Brazil: Report: Lula knew of vote-buying scheme|work=Washington Post|date=December 12, 2012|page=A8}}</ref> Instead, Wikipedia depicts Lula as a widely admired politician.
# Wikipedia's article on [[Jimmy Carter]]'s Presidency is clearly biased in favor of the failed politician.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Jimmy_Carter#Budget</ref>
# Various attempts have been made on Wikipedia to emphasize the controversial fact that [[Elizabeth Warren]]<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Warren&oldid=755585604</ref> claimed on many occasions to be a Native American and a "person of color" despite a lack of documented evidence. Due to the revival of this controversy by Donald Trump in the 2016 election, attempts were made to create a separate paragraph about the issue. However, a cabal of administrators instead insisted that the controversy remain buried in the bottom of a section about her 2012 campaign where many readers said they were unable to find it.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Elizabeth_Warren&oldid=755040824 This, for example ("Controversies"), where an editor did not know it was already in the article.]</ref>
# Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is heavily praised by Wikipedia for trying to decriminalize illegal immigration, decreeing the [[Green New Deal]] which would cost $100 trillion from taxpayer, corporate, and bank money, LGBTQ "rights" for supporting so-called democratic reforms that are actually Communist, as well as comparing migrant detention centers to [Nazi] concentration and death camps, which she said just to make Trump look bad.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_Ocasio-Cortez#Political_positions</ref>

===Mathematics and engineering ===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Mathematics and Engineering]]

Subjects such as Mathematics and Engineering require a precision of thought that is more than the group-think of Wikipedia editors can muster.
# The Wikipedia article [[Elementary proof]] was proposed for deletion in October 2009 and the debate turned on what Conservapedia had written on the subject. The article was kept and not deleted.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Elementary_proof Retrieved July 17, 2014.</ref>
# A Wikipedia editor going under the pseudonym ''Jagged85'' made 67,000 edits between 2007 and 2010 until it was demonstrated that he was systematically misrepresenting Islamic science, technology, and philosophy. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Jagged_85/Evidence]

===Musicians and actors===
# A Wikipedia editor by the pseudonym "Ronz" called [[Nofel Izz]]'s singing and acting a "hobby", despite his work being featured in [[Bollywood]] films.<ref name="Izz2014">{{cite web |last=Izz|first=Nofel |title=The Dark Side of Wikipedia |url=https://nofelizz.com/2014/08/13/the-dark-side-of-wikipedia/ |date=13 August 2014}}</ref> The same user removed citations from the article that met Wikipedia's guideline on reliable sources.<ref name="Izz2014"/>

===Obama===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Obama]]

# Wikipedia added a "Controversies" sections to their article for the "Presidency of George W. Bush"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Presidency_of_George_W._Bush&oldid=282227871#Controversies_and_criticism</ref> but not to their article on the "Presidency of Barack Obama"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Barack_Obama</ref> The section on Bush has since been removed.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Presidency_of_George_W._Bush&diff=282810799&oldid=282227871</ref>
# In addition to the previous example, there was a massive Wikipedia article for "Criticism of George W. Bush,"<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Criticism_of_George_W._Bush&oldid=278422248</ref> but the article for "Criticism of Barack Obama" had been deleted at least ''FOUR TIMES'' since October 2008 with excuses like "Article that has no meaningful, substantive content" and "Attack page or negative unsourced BLP."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Barack_Obama</ref> Wikipedia has since redirected "Criticism of George W. Bush" and added "Public image of" articles for both presidents, however President Bush's article is heavily negative<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_image_of_George_W._Bush</ref> while President Obama's is filled with glowing, pandering fluff with very few meaningful criticisms.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_image_of_Barack_Obama</ref> The edit summary of the redirect says, "so the conservatards won't get their knickers in a twist."
# Wikipedia's article on [[Donald Trump]] is a hit piece consisting mainly of negative statements and allegations, including an entire section<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump#False_statements</ref> dedicated to how "fact-checkers" and "academics" from [[CNN]] and other [[left-wing]] news outlets have concluded that Trump has made up to 18,000 false statements since taking office (though no examples are listed), a ridiculous allegation which is presented as fact by Wikipedia. Obama's article, by contrast, paints a glowing image of the former president and contains no such section regarding "false statements", even though Obama was frequently derided for making false statements while in office <ref>https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?category=&ruling=false&speaker=barack-obama</ref>.

===Osama===
Wikipedia praised Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama many times for killing Osama bin Laden, but they didn't even release footage of the death<ref>https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-i-wont-release-bin-laden-death-photos/</ref>. George W. Bush, however, was heavily criticized for "not killing Osama bin Laden", since Osama was not killed when Bush was President, and even though he sent soldiers to fight terrorism, they said that they weren't finding Osama bin Laden. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden#Bush_administration</ref> They call Osama a terrorist, which is true, but they just say this to honor [[Barack Obama]] and his liberals for "killing" terrorists<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden#Obama_administration</ref>. They are trying to make it look like that the Republicans are ignoring to terrorists, and that Democrats are fighting against them. If a user reads Wikipedia, the results are that Bush did "nothing" to kill Osama, even though there were many attempts, in which they make Bush look "irresponsible".

===Paid editing===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Paid Editing]]

In theory, Wikipedia articles are supposed to be written by disinterested volunteers based on reliable secondary sources. However, because Google will rank a Wikipedia article as the first result when a person searches on the article's title, public relations firms and "reputation management" companies work hard to remove any negative or controversial facts from Wikipedia articles relating to their clients. Although such paid editing is not allowed, Wikipedia does little to enforce its rules against paid editing and there are numerous examples of paid editors introducing biassed content on behalf of their clients. Wikipedia selectively fails to enforce its ban on paid editing when the payments come from its large donors.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wikipediocracy.com/2014/03/18/the-thin-bright-line-part-2-wikipedia-donors-feel-entitled-to-more-than-a-mug-or-a-tote-bag/|title=Wikipedia donors feel entitled to more than a mug or a tote bag|date=March 18, 2014|accessdate=April 3, 2014|first=Greg|last=Kohs}}</ref> Many organizations that visit the WMF Headquarters also engage in undisclosed paid editing to promote themselves.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wikipediocracy.com/2014/07/06/look-whos-visiting-the-wmf/|title=Look Who Is Visiting the WMF|date=July 6, 2014|accessdate=July 17, 2014|first=Greg|last=Kohs}}</ref>

Perhaps one of the extreme examples is the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), an unaccredited business school in India. Even though the IIPM was in regulatory problems, an editor(s) Wifione managed to keep the Wikipedia article on IIPM and its President positive while adding negative items to IIPM's competitors. Adding to the problem is that Wifione is a Wikipedia administrator. The Wikipedia Arbitration Committee allowed this to continue for years before taking action.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wikipediocracy.com/2013/12/02/indian-fakers-teach-wiki-pr/|title=Indian Fakers Teach Wiki PR|date=December 2, 2013|accessdate=February 8, 2015|work=Wikipediocracy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Wifione|title=Wifione Case|accessdate=February 8, 2015}}</ref>

In April 2017, [[Burger King]] devised a television commercial designed to trigger Google's voice-activated Home smart speaker and have the device advertise the Whopper by reading the start of the Wikipedia Whopper article.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_O54le4__I</ref> Google quickly reprogrammed the system to respond only if the user asked for the definition of a "Whopper burger." But before the fix was implemented, Wikipedia editors changed the article to include "horse meat", "cyanide",<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whopper&oldid=777717747</ref> "rat droppings", "dinosaurs" and other foul ingredients.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whopper&oldid=777715629</ref> The project is an example of a company trying to use Wikipedia to lend credibility to a commercial product.<blockquote>It appears that Burger King itself tried to fix the Wikipedia problem. The first sentence changed to a suspiciously glowing description of the Whopper, authored by user “Fermachado123" — a name that sounds similar to Fernando Machado, Burger King's senior vice president for global brand management.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whopper&diff=773832878&oldid=773809917</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/companies/burger-king-thought-it-had-a-great-idea-instead-it-ended-up-with-a-whopper-of-a-problem/ar-BBzMU9j?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout|title=Burger King thought it had a great idea. Instead, it ended up with a Whopper of a problem. |date=April 13, 2017|accessdate=May 16, 2017|work=Washington Post}}</ref></blockquote>

===Pornography and sexuality===
# English Wikipedia embeds the full-length video of pornography movies "Debbie Does Dallas" and "A Free Ride" in the English encyclopedia articles about those films.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/11/wikipedia_search_engine/|title=Move over, Google. Here’s Wikipedia's search engine – full of on-demand smut|date=February 11, 2016|accessdate=April 10, 2016|work=The Register}}</ref>
# Wikipedia Commons, which collects public domain images, has drawn extensive criticism for sexually explicit material, including nude photos and photos of various acts. The editors of Wikipedia Commons have created a "Hot Sex Barnstar" to reward those people who upload particularly explicit images. When a former member of Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee asked to have it removed, many people opposed his suggestion.<ref>https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commons:Deletion_requests/Template:The_Hot_sex_barnstar&oldid=96124965 Retrieved May 12, 2013</ref>
# The Wikipedia article [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Body_parts_slang&redirect=no Body parts slang] had an elaborate list of definitions. It was subject to two controversial deletion debates, and finally merged into [[Slang]].<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Body_parts_slang (2005)</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Body_parts_slang_2</ref> Many of the definitions were moved to Wiktionary. The deleted article was also copied to Wikibooks.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ABody_parts_slang&diff=27163440&oldid=26851206</ref>
#The Wikipedia article "Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)" included a section society's reaction to the soccer match, which stated that many people had uploaded video excerpts from the match to a pornography website with sexually suggestive titles. A long debate and edit war ensued over whether the explicit words should remain in the article.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ABrazil_v_Germany_%282014_FIFA_World_Cup%29&diff=631482381&oldid=617292981</ref>
# When the WMF Board of Directors voted to implement an image filter so that pornographic images would not be shown to children or people who wished to avoid them, Wikipedia volunteers rebelled and Fox News reported that WMF had abandoned its plans to address the problem.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/17/wikipedia-abandons-efforts-to-purge-porn-from-online-encyclopedia/|title=Wikipedia abandons efforts to purge porn from online encyclopedia|work=Fox News|date=Sept. 17, 2013|accessdate=Sept. 20, 2013}}</ref>
#A Wikipedia editor who edited both WP and [[Wikia]] using the same account name was caught as a child predator by a Wikia sting in July 2011. He was allowed to continue editing Wikipedia for another three years before being banned.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.examiner.com/article/wikipedia-finally-bans-middle-aged-pervert|title=Wikipedia finally bans middle-aged pervert|work=Examiner|date=June 30, 2014|accessdate=January 9, 2015|first=Greg|last=Kohs}}</ref>

===Public policy in the United States===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Public Policy in the US]]

# Wikipedia's entry for the [[National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act]] (NCVIA) reads like an advertisement for vaccine manufacturers, including unsupported and implausible claims about vaccination.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Childhood_Vaccine_Injury_Act</ref> Unsupported claims featured there include "Vaccine makers indicated they would cease production if their proposal for the NCVIA was not enacted" and "concern that the NCVIA may not provide an adequate legal shield." Wikipedia's entry omits references to leading pro-parent websites concerning vaccination,<ref>http://www.909shot.com/</ref> and instead Wikipedia's entry lists pro-government and pro-vaccine-manufacturer websites. Wikipedia's entry even includes this entire paragraph, which is unsupported and is little more than an advertisement for drug companies:
#: Public health safety, according to backers of the legislation, depends upon the financial viability of pharmaceutical companies, whose ability to produce sufficient supplies in a timely manner could be imperiled by civil litigation on behalf of vaccine injury victims that was mounting rapidly at the time of its passage. Vaccination against infectious illnesses provides protection against contagious diseases and afflictions which may cause permanent disability or even death. Vaccines have reduced morbidity caused by infectious disease; e.g., in the case of smallpox, mass vaccination programs have eradicated a once life-threatening illness.
# The Wikipedia article on the Haymarket Riots and subsequent trial of the labor terrorists claimed, "The prosecution, led by Julius Grinnell, did not offer evidence connecting any of the defendants with the bombing. ... " A college professor who wrote a book about the trial knew that a lot of evidence was presented during the lengthy trial and tried to correct the article. His account in the ''Chronicle of Higher Education'' shows the contempt that Wikipedia holds for scholarly experts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/article/The-Undue-Weight-of-Truth-on/130704/|title=The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia|date=February 12, 2012|accessdate=September 20, 2013}}</ref>

===RINOs===

# Wikipedia also clearly and openly sympathizes with [[RINO]] politicians by saying "Republican In Name Only is a pejorative and a disrespectful term used primarily by conservative members of the United States Republican Party to describe Republicans whose political stances are deemed insufficiently conservative."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_In_Name_Only</ref>

===Russia and China===
Russia's article is heavily criticized along with the Republicans for "helping" them, but China's article is praised for "reforms that made China the 2nd largest economy", and has absolutely no mention of Democrats, who are actually helping them.

====Election interference====
In Donald Trump's article, Russia is mentioned hundreds of times<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump</ref> but in Joe Biden's article, there is only one mention of China<ref>https://en.wikipeda.org/wiki/Joe_Biden</ref>, which is just sympathy to China, because Biden criticized Trump's China trade war.

===Science and evolution===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Science and Evolution]]

#Wikipedia savages anyone who criticizes the [[theory of evolution]], such as Dr. [[William Dembski]], whom Wikipedia introduces with outlandish, unsupported quotations by [[liberal]] critics.<ref name="Wiki Dembski">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Dembski</ref> For example, Wikipedia describes David H. Wolpert as a "prominent mathematician" in order to insert a scathing, unjustified quotation by him about Dembski.<ref name="Wiki Dembski"/> In fact, Wolpert does not even hold a math degree and his (non-math) doctorate was from the University of California at the weak Santa Barbara location.<ref>http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/m/profile/dhw/cv.current.frame.pdf</ref> Dembski's PhD is in math from the preeminent University of Chicago.
#Wikipedia's article on [[dinosaurs]] contains no mention of the strong evidence that they existed alongside humans and no mention of modern sightings of dinosaur-like creatures reported by the [[best of the public]].<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur</ref> Additionally, for a period of time in 2016, the Wikipedia articles for ''Answers in Genesis'' and ''Creation Museum'' called the substantiated view "erroneous".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Answers_in_Genesis&diff=731471041&oldid=731470641</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Creation_Museum&diff=731816581&oldid=731815973</ref> The wording was only removed from the articles by a bot when an image to which the wording was attached was deleted.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Answers_in_Genesis&diff=736369020&oldid=735923030</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Creation_Museum&diff=736368986&oldid=736368969</ref>
#Wikipedia has separate articles on many small wikis, for instance, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_History_Project LGBT History Project] with a WikiFactor of [http://wikiindex.org/LGBT_History_UK 6], but does not have an article on [[CreationWiki]] with a WikiFactor of [http://wikiindex.org/CreationWiki 45]. Articles on CreationWiki are repeatedly [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/CreationWiki_%282nd_nomination%29 deleted].

===Sports===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Sports]]

# From 2008 until October 2014, the Wikipedia article on the 1978-79 Boston College Basketball Point Shaving Scandal named Joe Streater as one of the participating players.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1978%E2%80%9379_Boston_College_basketball_point_shaving_scandal&diff=prev&oldid=231463815</ref> However, he was not even on the team that year. He was inserted into the article by an anonymous IP address and the erroneous information was left until the press publicized the error.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/guilt-wikipedia-joe-streater-became-falsely-attached-boston-college-point-shaving-scandal.html/2|title=Guilt By Wikipedia: How Joe Streater became falsely attached to the Boston College point-shaving scandal|first=Ben |last=Koo|date=Oct 9, 2014 |accessdate=October 13, 2014}}</ref>
#Wikipedia's biographies of Scottish soccer players are so notoriously biassed that the new General Manager of the Hibernian Football Club, Alan Stubbs, told the press, "We can't be scouting players any more on the back of a Wikipedia page and one individual's opinion. I’ll want background checks and medical histories."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wont-signing-players-based-wikipedia-4063573|title= We won't be signing players based on their Wikipedia descriptions anymore, says Hibs boss Alan Stubbs|date=August 17, 2014|accessdate=August 18, 2014|first= Scott |last=McDermott|work=Daily Record}}</ref>
# On December 14, 2014, the Dallas Cowboys' Dez Bryant successfully played against Eagles' defensive back Bradley Fletcher. In response, Wikipedia changed Fletcher's biography to describe his position as "Dez Bryant's bitch" and added a paragraph, which said, Fletcher "displayed his poor mechanics, speed, and talent."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.totalprosports.com/2014/12/15/bradley-fletcher-wikipedia-page/|title=Bradley Fletcher Wikipedia Page Changed After Loss to Cowboys (Pic)|date=December 15, 2014|accessdate=December 15, 2014|work=totalprosports.com}}</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradley_Fletcher&diff=638157096&oldid=638156965</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradley_Fletcher&diff=prev&oldid=638156942</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradley_Fletcher&diff=prev&oldid=638156868</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradley_Fletcher&diff=prev&oldid=638156546</ref>
# The [[University of Pittsburgh]]'s athletic director, Steve Pederson, may be unpopular, but Wikipedia changed the infobox about its athletic program to list "Satan" as the athletic director.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiachill.com/2014/12/13/7386693/steve-pederson-paul-chryst-wisconsin-pitt-football-pittsburgh-panthers-athletic-director|title=Satan employed by Pitt. Per Wikipedia.|date=December 13, 2014|accessdate=December 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pittsburgh_Panthers&diff=prev&oldid=637798626</ref>

===Conspiracy theories===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Conspiracy theories]]

#In Wikipedia's page on the ABC's docudrama ''The Path to 9/11'', the page contains a section titles "Controversy and criticisms," which contains 19 sub-sections to support it, while the section titled "Controversy: support for The Path to 9/11" only contains four, despite the fact that the controversy was sparked by pro-Clinton liberals that failed to see the fact that the two-part miniseries criticized both Bush and Clinton administrations leading up to 9/11 and that writer Cyrus Nowrasteh stated that many of their consultants on it stated that the docudrama went easy on Clinton. It also fails to note John Ziegler's documentary on the censoring of the docudrama ''Blocking the Path to 9/11'' [http://www.johnziegler.com/], which contains interviews with many people on the topic, and points out how the [[MSM]] liberals and Clintons have smeared it so much that it has destroyed it from ever being shown on TV or being sold on DVD in the near future. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Path_to_9/11]
#The Wikipedia article "[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_conspiracy_theories&oldid=504359758 List of conspiracy theories]" ridicules and dismisses as "conspiracy theories" more hypotheses advanced by conservative thinkers than hypotheses advanced by left-wing thinkers. The editor(s) of this page have an obvious liberal bias that holds in disfavor a number of ideas advanced by conservatives. For example, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_conspiracy_theories&oldid=504359758#Water_fluoridation Water Fluoridation] has been opposed by many conservative groups due to concerns about health impacts as well as a question of personal freedom and limits on the proper scope of government. Yet, the Wikipedia list dismisses these views as a "conspiracy theory" that draws on "distrust of experts and unease about medicine and science". In another example, [[peak oil]] is a theory advanced by many conservatives including geologists [[T. Boone Pickens]]. Yet, the page dismisses it, noting "There are theories that the 'peak oil' concept is a fraud concocted by the oil industries to increase prices amid concerns about future supplies."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_conspiracy_theories&oldid=504359758|title=List of conspiracy theories#Peak oil|date=July 28, 2012|accessdate=July 28, 2012}}</ref>
#The Wikipedia article "[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Plan_%28Washington,_D.C.%29&oldid=478678893 The Plan (Washington, D.C.)]" is one of the conspiracy theories included on the official Wikipedia conspiracy list. However, the article cites few sources supporting the existence of the conspiracy to replace black residents with whites in Washington DC and no sources that refute the existence of the conspiracy.
#As of August 15, 2016, the article "[[Murder of Seth Rich]]" had a ''motion to delete'' template on it on grounds of not being notable, although at one point it was getting 1500 daily views. It was so allegedly unnotable that a strong debate was generated there on the talk page and on the Delete Articles section, where editors essentially "voted" to Keep vs. Delete, allegedly on the grounds of non-notability.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Murder_of_Seth_Rich</ref> Among the arguments for deleting the article there was a repetitious reference to the talking point "conspiracy theory," though the article said nothing at all about a conspiracy theory. Also, as of August 17, 2016, the Wiki editor who started this article, was officially blocked by an administrator. His talk page said: "You have been blocked indefinitely from editing because it appears that you are not here to build an encyclopedia."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:TradingJihadist</ref> As of August 21, 2016, the motion to delete was denied on grounds of no consensus, although a derogatory false comment was attached attacking some of those who argued in favor of "Keep." Soon after, the article was summarily locked down until August 27, 2016, and a request for mediation was filed.
::Despite the fact that the article was not deleted, several details about the murder were deleted from the article by the same editors who advocated for deletion,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Murder_of_Seth_Rich#List_of_excluded_items</ref> leaving the article a rather short stub article. And as of August 24, 2016, there was a continuing debate and vote on the talk page of that article as to
::"Should this article mention the fact that WikiLeaks offered $20,000 in reward money for providing information regarding the perpetrator of this crime?" along with this template warning: "{{Ds/talk notice|blp}}," which warned: "This article is subject to discretionary sanctions."
::On September 18, 2016, less than a month after the previous motion to delete failed, a second motion to delete was started by the same editors who tried to delete it the first time, but once again, on October 4, the motion to delete was denied, as there was "no consensus."<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Murder_of_Seth_Rich_(2nd_nomination) Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Murder of Seth Rich (2nd nomination)]</ref>

===Nazism, Socialism, Communism===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Naziism, Socialism, Communism]]

#Edits from Russian Government IP addresses removed statements in the Wikipedia article on [[Malaysia Airlines Flight 17]] which said that Russia had provided the terrorists with the surface to air missile used to shoot down that civilian flight.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10977082/Russian-government-edits-Wikipedia-on-flight-MH17.html|title=Russian government edits Wikipedia on flight MH17|first=Matthew |last=Sparkes|date=18 Jul 2014|work=Telegraph|accessdate=July 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/07/18/a_wikipedia_edit_twitterbot_caught_the_russian_state_tv_editing_the_mh17.html|title=Wikipedia Edit Twitterbots Are Revealing How Russia Wants to Frame the MH17 Crash|first=Lily |last=Hay Newman|work=Slate|date=July 18, 2014|accessdate=July 25, 2014}}</ref>
#Wikipedia's main article on [[Communism]] does not mention any act of genocide in Communist countries, and any attempts to edit the page to include this information are deleted. The Nazism page, however, includes multiple mentions of the Holocaust. The only mention of the Communist genocide is buried deep within the article structure for Communism.
# [[Kazakhstan]], a dictatorship that used to be part of the [[Soviet Union]], paid $13 million to [[Tony Blair]]'s PR firm to polish its image. [[Jimmy Wales]]'s new wife works for that firm, and the WMF accepted a government-front organization which is funded by the Kazakh government to be its local chapter. In 2011, Wales declared the founder of the chapter to be the "Global Wikipedian of the year" and promised to pay $5,000 of expenses toward his attending the 2012 Wikimania in Washington DC. Wales denies the government involvement and failed to make the promised payment.<ref>http://wikipediocracy.com/2012/12/23/jimmy-wales-in-the-dictator-and-i/</ref><ref>http://www.quora.com/Why-does-it-appear-that-Wikipedias-co-founder-is-covering-for-Kazakhstans-government-manipulation-of-Wikipedia</ref><ref>http://wikipediocracy.com/2013/01/16/whos-the-best-yoruban-wikipedian-of-them-all/</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Jimbo_Wales&diff=551703840&oldid=551703680</ref><ref>http://www.examiner.com/article/wikipedia-co-founder-jimmy-wales-denies-kazakhstan-connection</ref>
#[[Augusto Pinochet]], who overthrew Communism in [[Chile]] and then restored democracy before voluntarily giving up power himself, is called a "dictator" by Wikipedia,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinochet</ref> but [[Fidel Castro]], the Communist dictator of [[Cuba]] for four decades, is instead called a "leader" or even a "president".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fidel_Castro&oldid=235182888</ref>
# Wikipedia is sympathetic to Fidel Castro in its entry about Cuba.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba</ref> Wikipedia blames President Dwight Eisenhower for choosing "to attend a golf tournament" rather than meet the revolutionary Castro in 1959, and then Wikipedia claims that Castro became a Communist because of the American-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. Conservapedia tells the truth up-front: "Cuba has been ruled by a Communist dictator named Fidel Castro since 1959."<ref>[[Cuba]]</ref>
# Wikipedia's article on far-Left politics outright praises the dismantling of social structures and even goes on to say that the far-Left promotes "equality", while failing to mention the blatant anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hate speech among the far-Left, its racism against whites in the form of Jeremiah Wright, the blatant racism among groups like the Black Panthers. Conversely, its "far-Right" politics articles accuse conservatives of maintaining a social hierarchy and being "racist" and being "supremacists" that keep the "oppression" in check, while utterly failing to mention the black supremacist politics among the far-Left. It promotes the far-Left as bringing "equality" while failing to mention its supremacist racism by people like the [[New Black Panthers]] for example.
# Wikipedia's article on the National Socialist German Workers' Party lists its political position as "Far-Right",<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Party</ref> however its page on the Communist Party of China does not even refer to the party as "Far-Left".<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_China</ref>

== Old User Bias ==
Many old users (2004 - 2009) get unfair treatment against newer edits, which normally means that newer users get blocked for their actions whilst old users aren't punished for bad actions, this has made people hate old users and admins for allowing OG (Slang term for old users) users to get away without punishment.

==Vaccine Biases ==
===Vaccines===
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: Vaccination]]

#The Wikipedia article '''Vaxxed''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vaxxed&oldid=768444417] purports to be a review of ''Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe'', a 2016 American film alleging a cover-up by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) of a possible link between the MMR [[vaccine]] and [[autism]]. In reality, this Wikipedia article is little more than a diatribe against Dr. [[Andrew Wakefield]].
#The Wikipedia article describes Dr Wakefield as a "discredited anti-vaccine activist" but this is untrue. First, Dr Wakefield has said that he is not anti-vaccine. He is opposed to the MMR vaccine (a [[combination vaccine]]) but he is not opposed to the [[measles]], [[mumps]] and [[rubella]] vaccines being given in separate doses.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3513365.stm</ref>
#Secondly the label "discredited" is inaccurate. Dr Wakefield and his colleague, Professor John Walker-Smith, were brought up on misconduct charges before Britain's General Medical Council (GMC) because of alleged irregularities in the conduct of their research project. Walker-Smith and Wakefield were found guilty and were struck off the medical register.
#Walker-Smith, who was backed by his insurance company, successfully appealed against the ruling. The judge said that the GMC's original ruling was based on "inadequate and superficial reasoning and, in a number of instances, a wrong conclusion". Unfortunately, Wakefield did not have backing from his insurance company so he was not able to appeal. If he had had backing, there is little doubt that he would have been cleared as well.<ref>https://healthimpactnews.com/2012/british-court-throws-out-conviction-of-autismvaccine-md-andrew-wakefields-co-author-completely-exonerated/</ref>
#Several Wikipedia editors have tried to make the article more balanced but, in every case, they have been struck down by Wikipedia's elite.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Vaxxed/Archive_1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Vaxxed&oldid=759801540]

===Washington Post/Washington Times===
Leftist radical newspaper ''Washington Post'' is praised by Wikipedia for "winning prizes, using a fact-checker to fact-check lies", even though they make so much fun of Trump, and that it is an opinion newspaper.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post#2000%E2%80%93present</ref>

The ''Washington Times'', however, is very heavily criticized for being white supremacist, pro-Russian, neo-Nazi, racist, anti-[atheist] science, and anti-democratic reforms, that are Communist and not even democratic.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times</ref> Again China is praised and sympathized by Wikipedia, who says "In January 2020, The Washington Times published two widely shared articles about the COVID-19 pandemic that suggested that the virus was created by China as a biological weapon to spread power. One article quoted a former Israeli intelligence officer as a source but offered no other verifiable evidence."<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times#Misreporting_on_the_COVID-19_pandemic</ref> What the ''Washington Times'' was actually saying is that China is trying to use the coronavirus to spread power, but Wikipedia downplays that, and instead blames Trump and Putin, and also sympathizing with the Palestinians, by criticizing to the Israeli intelligence officer.

===General/Uncategorized===
[[File:Jens Stoltenberg Norweigian PM 2005 Gothenburg.jpg|thumb|right|Jens Stoltenberg.]]
See [[Examples of Bias in Wikipedia: General or uncategorized]]
#Wikipedia falsely reported that the prime minister of Norway, [[Jens Stoltenberg]], was a pedophile who had served time in prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/06/wikipedia_bio/|title=Who owns your Wikipedia bio?|first= Andrew|last=Orlowski|work=The Register|date=December 6, 2005|accessdate=September 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5182883|title=
Wikipedia Bans Access from Capitol Hill Computers|work=National Public Radio|date=February 1, 2006|accessdate=September 20, 2012}}</ref>
#Wikipedia appeals to a dumbed-down culture of users that appreciate uncensored obscenity instead of education. The swear word with four letters that begin with F, is mentioned or uncensored in quotations in nearly 11,000 articles. [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search] Ironically, it was once used in an article about Republican Senate candidate [[Michael Baumgartner]] when the article's sources did not spell out that word.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Baumgartner&oldid=509330054|title=Michael Baumgartner|accessdate=August 27, 2012}}</ref>
#Wikipedia does its best to cover-up crimes and lewd behavior coming from left-leaning [[Occupy Wall Street]] crowd. Assault emphasized, rape is minimized by the omission of the terms. Rape is not used in the article and can only be found in a reference title at the end of the page.<ref>Occupy_Wall_Street&oldid=466639949 Cover-up at Wikipedia,lewd acts downplayed</ref>
# Wikipedia does not mention until after 600 words that [[Jared Loughner]], like many Wikipedia editors, is an atheist, and its entry initially failed to admit that he is also a [[nihilist]], an extreme form of atheism.<ref>When Wikipedia eventually added mention of Loughner's nihilism, its edit summary omitted reference to the term. [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jared_Lee_Loughner&action=historysubmit&diff=407362660&oldid=407358740].</ref>
# The article on the [[Proud Boys]] is blatantly biased towards the Left. The first sentence falsely claims "The Proud Boys are a far-right and neo-fascist male-only organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States and Canada", despite the group trying to stop the liberals’ insurrection. As an example of the Wikipedia admins' lack of courage in their convictions, the article is also protected so no one can change it.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proud_Boys]

Most examples have been moved to the sublists. Please visit the sublists to learn about the variety of bias in Wikipedia.

==Structural problems with Wikipedia==
Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger blasted site for left-wing bias: ‘The word for it is propaganda.’<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/media/wikipedia-co-founder-larry-sanger-propaganda Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger blasts site for left-wing bias: ‘The word for it is propaganda’] Brian Flood , Fox News, July 16, 2021.

'You can trust it to give a reliably establishment point of view on pretty much everything.'

Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger continued his criticism this week of the online encyclopedia that he helped create, citing the page on President Biden as an example of its leftist bias</ref>
He said: 'The site only uses lefty sources and blocks reporting by major outlets.'
<ref>Tucker Carleson Tonight, Foxnews, July 22, 2021</ref>

Wikipedia claims to be "an encyclopedia that anyone can edit." That is both its strength and its biggest weakness. Although Wikipedia started as having all editors on an equal footing, it has evolved into a highly stratified structure where a large number of people cannot edit it. In order to edit Wikipedia, a person must master its wiki-markup language and a large number of complex rules. The number of people who edit Wikipedia on a regular basis has declined. Many editors left voluntarily, but many others have been "banned" or "blocked" by administrators or a community vote. In theory, people can edit Wikipedia without logging in, but in order to prevent "banned" users from editing, Wikipedia blocks various ranges of IP addresses, preventing persons who are '''not''' banned from editing from those locations, such as hotels, schools, and libraries. Wikipedia's terms and conditions bar people with a conflict of interest from directly editing Wikipedia articles. This prevents knowledgeable people who work for companies from editing articles relating to their work. Finally, because the administrator caste has certain political views, editors who do not conform to those beliefs are more likely to be "banned" or "blocked".

[[File:Girls Netball Team.jpg|thumb|right|250 px|An editor who was never in Malawi says this is a photo of a Malawian netball team. An edit war ensued.]]
A major source of bias comes from the Wikipedia pillar of "verifiability". Wikipedia proudly proclaims, "'''Verifiability, and not truth''', is one of the fundamental requirements for inclusion in Wikipedia;"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Verifiability&oldid=502902820|title=WP:Verifiability|accessdate=July 19, 2012}}</ref> There have been many attempts to change this, because when a Wikipedia editor tries to remove false content, editors who favor biased content rely upon this policy to retain the falsehoods.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability/2012_RfC</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Verifiability/Archive_53#RFC_-_Compromise_proposal_re_first_sentence</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mediation_Cabal/Cases/27_February_2012/Wikipedia:Verifiability</ref> An example of such misuse involve radical feminists who tried to have Wikipedia state that netball was an Olympic sport<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_and_the_Olympic_Movement&oldid=420754256|title=Netball at the Olympics|date=March 26, 2011|author=Laura Hale}}</ref> when, in fact, it has never been played "at the Olympics". Because they found a speech where a politician told the New South Wales Parliament that netball was "technically an Olympic sport"<ref>Parliament of New South Wales, [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20040921018 Parliamentary Debates,] Legislative Assembly, 21 September 2004, columns 11179–11179, (Alison Megarrity).</ref> they were able to retain this false material as if it were a verified fact.

Requiring just one source to meet Wikipedia's verifiability standard is a serious logical flaw. Any well-established fact can be contradicted by finding one obscure source somewhere on the Web, and Wikipedia will allow just one reference to overrule the majority of definitive sources saying the opposite.

Another bias is from "show and tell." Some Wikipedia editors have not outgrown their need to show off what they have found on the Internet. Again using the obscure sport of netball as an example, the editor found a photo posted on Flickr that was labeled, "The Girls Netball Team"<ref>https://www.flickr.com/photos/51132506@N00/1954358144</ref> even though it did not show anyone playing netball. The editor then captioned the photo, "A Malawian netball team" and placed it alongside a few other obscure facts to create a Malawi section of the netball article.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&oldid=420915334</ref> So how can the reader trust that the people in the photograph are really in Malawi and that they really play netball?<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Netball_in_Africa#Malawi_image</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Netball/Archive_3#Should_image_of_Netball_players_not_playing_be_used</ref> Adding photos to articles is the most visible form of the "show and tell" syndrome. The need to "show and tell" can also result in including random, obscure facts and data in an article. For example, an editor can find a data source from years ago, but if the data are included in the article without proper emphasis of the date, it creates the implication that the data remain true today.<ref>E.g., {{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_in_Brunei&diff=502678275&oldid=502670120|title=Netball in Brunei|date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>

Errors and bias can be introduced by robotic submissions. For example, many Wikipedia articles about populated places in the United States were created by robots using 2000 United States Census data. A standard paragraph on demographics that included 2000 Census data were automatically included in each article. Wikipedia has not been able to program a robot to update all of those statistics, so most articles about places in the United States do not have more recent data from the 2010 census. Robots tagged many Wikipedia articles that had an article name in common with those in an early edition of ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as having that book as a source, even if nothing in the article was based on that book, and no human checked if the Wikipedia article was consistent with the Encyclopædia Britannica article.

Another level of error and bias comes from Wikipedia's reliance on poorly-trained volunteers, instead of paid professionals. For example, someone proposed that a copyrighted photo of Joseph Stalin taken by [[Margaret Bourke-White]] be deleted in 2009.<ref>https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests/File:Joseph_Stalin.jpg</ref> It was kept, because someone with a Gmail account sent permission claiming to be her son. She died without children<ref>http://womenshistory.about.com/od/margaretbourkewhite/a/Margaret-Bourke-White.htm</ref> and the photo's copyright actually belonged to Time, Inc., but the mistake was not detected until 2012.

===Accountability===
Wikipedia relies upon volunteer administrators to maintain the accountability of the site and enforce its rules. The number of administrators continues to shrink. In January 2008, there were 1,011 administrators, but the number dropped to 661 in November 2012, and as of June 2016, the number stands at 539.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_administrators/stat_table|title=Wikipedia:List of administrators/stat table|accessdate=July 27, 2016}}</ref> The number drops, because the process of selecting new administrators subjects each candidate to extensive abuse. If the actions of Wikipedia administrators appear very odd, there is a possibility that it is because they are the products of anonymous, very young people or, in certain cases, of mentally ill people. For example, sysop Altenmann was de-sysopped and community-banned in April 2010 for sockpuppeting and improper closure of deletion discussions over a period of several years. He admitted mental illness and has been unbanned.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration_Committee/Noticeboard&oldid=491693521</ref>

Fundamentally, the owner of a site is accountable for its governance and contents. To qualify for a tax exemption, Wikipedia is owned by the [[Wikimedia Foundation]] (WMF) that has a Board of Directors and a paid professional staff of 146.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/FAQ/en|title=Frequently asked questions|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> However, the WMF, its Board, and Staff disavow any accountability for the Wikipedia encyclopedia. Instead, co-founder Jimmy Wales claims ultimate authority for it and acts as the executive/monarch on whatever he chooses. For example, although the Wikipedia Arbitration Committee is selected in an election, Wales accepts the election results and appoints the new members. As recently as September 2013, Wales claims to have the right to overturn Arbitration Committee decisions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Jimbo_Wales&diff=571759721&oldid=571756060If|title=User Talk:Jimbo Wales|date=September 6, 2013}}</ref> If a person has a complaint about being the victim of false libel by Wikipedia, the WMF disavows any control of the matter and hides behind [[Section 230]] of the Communications Decency Act. So, the WMF has a legal incentive to maintain a "hands-off" approach to content disputes. Its Board and Staff collect the charitable donations and meet IRS requirements, but Wales and the volunteer editors maintain the biased, defamatory site.

There have been lawsuits against Wikipedia and its editors. For example, Theodore Katsanevas, a Greek politician sued a Wikipedia editor and the WMF to seek removal of allegedly defamatory materials from the Greek Wikipedia. A Greek Court granted a preliminary injunction requiring the removal of material, but other editors have added it back in and have translated the biography with the offending material into 20 other languages. A full trial was expected in 2016, and the WMF promised to pay all of the defendants' legal fees.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/|title=Wikimedia Foundation supports Wikipedia user subject to defamation lawsuit in Greece|work=Wikimedia Blog|date=February 14, 2014|accessdate=March 20, 2014}}</ref>

A few Wikipedia editors develop a dislike for the author or the subject of an article; usually, conservative authors are targeted. Rather than going through the ArticlesForDeletion procedure, such editors falsely claim that the offending author caused a "copyright violation." By doing this, they can kill an article within seven days without using ArticlesForDeletion. The author of the article is not notified that there is a "copyright violation." If the author has been blocked or banned, often on specious charges, he cannot provide a defense of the article. Sometimes the "copyright violation" is leveled even when no copyrighted material is used as a source.

Wikipedia is heavily oriented toward non-American countries and persons. A check of the WP obituary list each day repeatedly lists dozens of people from other countries than the United States. These people are mostly unknown in the USA, and many seem "non-notable" by Wikipedia's own standards of "notability." The same situation is also observable in the "Did You Know?" section on the WP main page, as foreign topics usually get top billing over American topics.

==See also==
*[[Wikipedia Governor Impeachment Cover-Up]]
*[[Hearsay society]]
*[[Wikipedia prejudice and KAL 007]] (Subject matter is [[New World Order]] and Cong. [[Larry McDonald]]. Article here in Conservapedia relates it to [[KAL 007]] as the subject matter bears directly).

==External links==
*[http://www.wikipediocracy.com Wikipedia criticism site]
*[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/21/conservatives-miss-wikipedias-threat/ SHEFFIELD: Conservatives miss Wikipedia's threat] by [[Washington Times]], August 21, 2008
* [http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=83640 Wikipedia lies, slander continue by Joseph Farah]
*[http://www.paulbogdanor.com/200chomskylies.pdf The Top 200 Chomsky Lies]—Comprehensively debunks the claims of the [[Noam Chomsky|cult leader]] behind the [[radical left]]'s talking points.
*[http://wikipediabias.com/ Wikipedia Bias blog]
*[https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/07/05/wikipedias-seven-worst-moments/ Wikipedia’s Seven Worst Moments] by Charlie Nash, ''Breitbart News'', July 5, 2016.

*[https://archives.frontpagemag.com/fpm/wikipedias-israel-problem-ari-lieberman/ WIKIPEDIA'S ISRAEL PROBLEM. Anti-Semitism in Internet encyclopedia form. Tue Aug 25, 2015. Ari Lieberman].
*[http://184.106.49.50/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=7744 Discover The Network: Wikipedia].

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

'''Guidelines for inclusion''':
* Each entry must include a <code>diff</code>, showing the content being posted and the user that posted it.
* Avoid mentioning posts that were made by new Wikipedians or anonymous Wikipedians, unless their biased edits were not reverted after a substantial amount of time.
* Please post the content to the appropriate sub-article, if possible.

{{Bias in wikipedia}}
[[Category:Wikis]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

Ahmed Yousef

2021-09-24T22:07:14Z

Conservapedia Guard: /* New York Times Op-Ed */

'''Ahmed Yousef''' is the senior adviser to the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniya of [[Hamas]]. He is a former director of the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), which was based out of Fairfax, [[Virginia]]. The UASR is aligned ideologically with [[terrorists]] and hosts terrorist-related radicals at its events. He was an editor of the ''Middle East Affairs Journal'', and wrote the book ''The Zionist Fingerprint on the Post-September 11 World.'' In it, blaming the [[Jews]] for 9/11 terror attacks.<ref>[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1421 AHMED YOUSEF] Discover The Networks</ref>

==U.S. Presidential Elections==
As a Hamas representative during a May 10, 2008 interview with WABC radio, he began by complaining that "everybody tries to sound like he is a friend of [[Israel]]" when on the campaign trail, including [[Barack Obama]]. "We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the elections."

==New York Times Op-Ed==
A bold piece of Palestinian propaganda was written by Ahmed and published in the [[New York Times]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/opinion/01yousef.html?_r=2&oref=slogin Pause For Peace] NYT contributor Ahmed Yousef</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Arab-Israeli conflict}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yousef, Ahmed}}

[[Category:Terrorism]]
[[Category:Palestine]]
[[Category:Journalists]]

Iran

2021-09-24T22:04:04Z

Conservapedia Guard: Style

{{Country
|name = جمهوری اسلامی ايران'' Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Īrān''
|map =Iran rel 2001.jpg
|map2 =Iran location.png
|flag =800px-Flag of Iran svg.png
|arms =Arms of Iran.png
|capital =Tehran
|capital-raw =
|government =Theocracy
|government-raw =
|language =Farsi
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Ebrahim Raisi
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =
|pm-raw =
|area =636,372 sq. mi.
|pop =84,000,000 (2020)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =$480,000,000,000 (2020)
|gdp-year =
|gdp-pc =$5,357 (2020)
|currency =Iranian rial
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}}
'''Iran''', officially the '''Islamic Republic of Iran''' (جمهوری اسلامی ايران) is an Islamic theocratic dictatorship in southwest [[Asia]]. Its capital is [[Tehran]] and its official language is Farsi. A historical name for Iran was "'''Persia'''", which is also the name of the dominant ethnic group. Iran is believed by [[Israel]] and her western allies of pursuing nuclear weapons to gain a strategic advantage in a regional cold war against Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia. Israel also accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons for use against Israel, which is officially "denied" by Iran's government propagating, that the program is to be used for "peaceful" purposes, requiring the enrichment of [[uranium]]. Israel's fear is especially in light of Iranian regime, repeatedly threatening to annihilate Israel. <ref>https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/pressroom/2005/pages/iran%2520president%2520calls%2520to%2520annihilate%2520israel%252027-oct-2005.aspx</ref><ref>https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/world/meast/iran-annihilate-israel/index.html</ref><ref>https://embassies.gov.il/SAN-FRANCISCO/ABOUTISRAEL/Pages/Iranian-Threat.aspx</ref><ref>https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-iranian-general-vows-to-wipe-out-annihilate-israel/amp/</ref><ref>https://iranintl.com/en/world/khamenei-once-again-insists-annihilation-israel</ref><ref>https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-doomsday-clock-for-israels-end-halts-amid-power-cuts/amp/</ref><ref>https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/israel-wont-heed-any-deal-that-doesnt-halt-iranian-threats-erdan-says-666056/amp</ref>
Iran has an extremely poor human rights record.<ref>[https://iranprimer.usip.org/index.php/blog/2018/oct/04/state-department-report-6-irans-human-rights-abuses State Department Report 6: Iran's Human Rights Abuses]
The State Department, September 28, 2018</ref> Iranian brutality is infamous. A rare admission by Iranian authorities in Aug/2021 came about forcefully only due to hackers exposing images of brutal beating of political prisoners.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-prisons-head-apologises-after-leaked-pictures-show-abuse-2021-08-24/ Iran prisons head apologises after leaked pictures show abuse], Reuters, Aug 24, 2021.</ref> Ethnic minorities are also persecuted by the racist Iranian regime,<ref>[https://www.arabnews.com/node/1822151/middle-east No country for minorities: The agony of Iran’s ethnic Arabs, Kurds, Balochis and Azeris], O. Shahbandar, Arab News, March 8, 2021.
''Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, ethnic Kurds, Arabs and Balochis have faced particularly harsh crackdowns by regime security forces.'' </ref> such as Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds, Azeris and Baloch.

It also incites hatred against [[Christians]].
<ref>[https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/israel-zionism/2020/12/how-yasir-arafat-drove-christians-from-bethlehem/ How Yasir Arafat Drove Christians from Bethlehem] D. Weinberg, Mosaic Mag., Dec. 28, 2020.
<blockquote>It also highlights how states, and state-sponsored social media, incite hatred and publish propaganda against Christians, especially in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://articleeighteen.com/analysis/4593/ Persecution of Christians in Iran – Dr Sara Afshari – Article 18], Apr 8, 2019.
''In recent years, especially since 2010, the state has expanded their harassment and discrimination against Christians into the internet, social media, radio and television... Since October 2010 until December 2018 Rahpoyan produced 1,818 critical views and anti-Christian items, including hate speech and incitement.''</ref>

== History ==
:{{See also|History of Iran}}
In the [[Western world]], Persia was historically the common name for Iran.<ref>[https://www.iranchamber.com/geography/articles/persia_became_iran.php Iran Chamber Society: When "Persia" became "Iran"], Iran Chamber</ref> In 1935, Reza Shah asked foreign delegates and the [[League of Nations]] to use the term '''Iran''' ("Land of the [[Aryans]]"). The suggestion for the change of the country’s official name to Iran is said to have come from the Iranian ambassador to [[Third Reich|Germany]], who came under the influence of the [[Nazi]]s. German friends of the ambassador convinced him that the name change would free his country from the past influences of Russia and the [[British Empire]]. It would be a new beginning as an Aryan nation. Many Persian elites and intellectuals nurtured the idea of Aryan superiority.<ref>[https://iranicaonline.org/articles/judeo-persian-vi-the-pahlavi-era-1925-1979 JUDEO-PERSIAN COMMUNITIES vi. THE PAHLAVI ERA – Encyclopaedia Iranica]</ref> Reza Shah<ref>[https://www.howardblum.com/blog-posts/reza-shah-and-adolf-hitler-irans-history-with-the-third-reich Reza Shah and Adolf Hitler: Iran’s History with the Third Reich], Howard Blum, Feb. 6, 2020</ref>said,
{{quotebox-float|“Germany was our age-old and natural ally, Love of Germany was synonymous with love for Iran. The sound of German officers’ footsteps was heard on the shores of the Nile. [[Swastika]] flags were flying from the outskirts of Moscow to the peaks of the Caucasus Mts. Iranian patriots eagerly awaited the arrival of their old allies. My friend and I would spin tales about the grandeur of the superior race. We considered Germany the chosen representative of this race in Europe and Iran its representative in Asia. The right to life and role was ours. Others had no choice but submission and slavery. We discarded the old maps and remade Iran into a country larger than what it was in Achaemenian times.”<ref>https://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/2015/04/iranian-shah-flirted-with-nazis-in-1930s.html</ref>}}
Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi legacies evoke consternation and controversy. Both were pro-Western modernizers, promoted science, Western education, women and minority rights, economic development, a judiciary more on a Western model as opposed to shariah and clerical rule. But the [[Carter administration]] viewed the [[Ayatollah Khomeini]] as a paragon of [[human rights]], an expression of the will of the Iranian people for self-determination. One of the Ayatollah's first acts was to issue a [[fatwa]] promising paradise for children who joined the Iranian military during the Iran-Iraq war. By 1982, with Shi'a clergy in command, the government asked children, age 9 years old and up, to clear minefields so the regular Army could advance against the Iraqi Army. <ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/iran-iraq.htm Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), ''Iraqi Retreats, 1982-84''], Globalsecruity.org, retrieved 20 March 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.matthiaskuentzel.de/contents/ahmadinejads-demons ''Ahmadinejad's Demons: A Child of the Revolution Takes Over''], Matthias Küntzel, The New Republic, 24 April 2006 .</ref> About 100,000 died as ''Basij'' child soldiers building the Islamic Republic of Iran.
[[File:Iran.jpg|thumb|225px|right|[[Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini]], founder of the Islamic Republic.]]
Iran today is 75 million people with a ''per capita'' income behind Mexico but ahead of Brazil. Female enrollment and graduation rates in higher education now outnumber males.<ref>60% of college enrollees are female, as contrasted with the Sunni Pakistan Taliban where [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head for advocating education for adolescent girls.</ref> But if political repression during the monarchy was troublesome, Iran's human rights record and coercive measures against dissidents under its religious rulers has been abysmal.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20180721062151/https://iranhrdc.org/files.php?force&file=reports_en/Covert_Terror_Iran_s_Parallel_Intelligence_Apparatus_467957487.pdf Covert Terror Iran's Parallel Intelligence Apparatus] (PDF)</ref> That, and its active sponsorship of terrorism to further its foreign policy objectives abroad. Its non-cooperation with international conventions in pursuit of nuclear power status is particularly worrisome. Iran's [[Quds Force]] (Jerusalem Force), as its name implies, carries out external special operations worldwide to further Iran's foreign policy aims.<ref>http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/qods.htm </ref>

Iran's revolution in 1979 and the creation of an Islamic state based on [[Shariah]] law was a source of pride, inspiration and envy to [[Sunni]]s everywhere. The revolutionaries successfully deposed a Western leaning monarch and sent U.S. military personal and technicians packing.<ref>By 1970, Iran was the United States largest customer for weapons. Earnings from the oil boom after the 1953 coup were funneled into defense. Huge bases were built in the north to monitor the Soviets and along the southern coast to police the Persian Gulf. Higher paid technicians to operate the oil industry and maintain military hardware were mostly foreigners, leading to an obvious income disparity between the Shah's foreign allies and the indigenous population. This provided an opening for Soviet and Eastern bloc agitation amongst the Shi'a for revolutionary [[Marxist]] anti-[[Imperialist]] [[propaganda]] with a religious fervor. [http://ivl.8m.com/USMI.htm][http://revcom.us/a/094/iran-pt4-en.html]</ref> Initially Iran sought to export its revolution to the Gulf States and Lebanon. Iran was behind two U.S. Embassy truck bombings in Beirut and the Marine barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. soldiers. As the Iran-Iraq war progressed, Iran concentrated its efforts to removing Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. After the war Iran began providing assistance to the radical Sunni leader Hassan al Turabi who took power in Sudan in 1989<ref>The Sudanese regime harbored Osama bin Laden and [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] in the early 1990s</ref>, and to Hamas in Gaza. The 1990s marked a period of cooperation between Sunni groups such as al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and the Shiite revolution of Iran.<ref>Bin Laden shared with Iran a desire to depose the House of Saud, and Zawahiri shared with Iran his contempt of the Egyptian regime which made peace with Israel.</ref> It organized and created Hezbollah al-Hejaz, based in Saudi Arabia, which in conjunction with al Qaeda staged the 1996 Khobar Towers attack killing 19 Americans and wounding another 372. The 9/11 Commission Report suggested<ref>9/11 COMMISSION REPORT at pp. 240-41. </ref> and a U.S. Federal judge ruled in December 2011<ref>http://iran911case.com/ </ref> Iran was a material accomplice with al Qaeda in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]].

Iran benefited greatly when the Sunni walls that had been erected around it - Afghanistan and Iraq - were torn down. Several analysts argue that since about 2005 Iran has evolved rapidly from a theocracy into a garrison state, in which the military dominates political, economic, and cultural life.<ref>[http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-revolutionary-guards-corps-inc Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, Inc.] ''Washington Institute'', Mehdi Khalaji, Aug 17, 2007</ref>

Unlike Sunnis who emphasize sectarian differences with minority Shiites, the Iranian regime emphasizes the Israeli bogeyman because they estimate this gains them Arab [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=street+cred street cred] and diverts attention from the Shia rise to power. They ultimately believe they have earned the right to speak on behalf of the whole Muslim world.<ref>[https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multimedia/20061018-the-shia-revival-how-conflicts-within-islam-will-shape-the-future The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future], Carnegie Council, October 18, 2006</ref>

==Government==
[[File:Ali khamenei in March 2021.jpg|right|225px|thumb|[[Ali Khamenei]], second Supreme Leader for life of the Islamic Republic.]]
The December 1979 Iranian constitution defines the political, economic, and social order of the Islamic republic. The document establishes Shi'a Islam of the Twelver (Jaafari) sect as Iran's official religion. Sunni Islam, [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Judaism]] and Christianity are the only other recognized, legal minority religions. But Iran is the eighth country on the World Watch List of [[Open Doors]]. The country is governed by secular and religious leaders through governing bodies, whose duties often overlap. (See also:[[Christians in Iran]])

The Supreme Leader holds power for life unless removed by the Assembly of Experts. He has final say on all domestic, foreign, and security policies for Iran, though he establishes and supervises those policies in consultation with the Expediency Council. The Leader is the final arbiter on all differences or disputes among the various branches of government. He appoints officials to key positions including the head of judiciary and the 12 members of the Guardian Council (six directly, six indirectly). He has power to disqualify candidates or remove an elected official from office. The Supreme Leader and is also the [[commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces.

The constitution stipulates that the Assembly of Experts, which currently consists of the 86 popularly-elected clerics elected to 8-year terms, chooses the Supreme Leader based on jurisprudent qualifications and commitment to the principles of the revolution. The Assembly of Experts reviews his performance periodically and has the power to depose and replace him. Pragmatic conservative candidates generally polled better than their hardline conservative opponents during the December 15, 2006 elections to the Assembly of Experts. (Turnout for this vote, which coincided with municipal council elections, was quite high, topping 60%.) Citizens will not vote for representatives to the Assembly again until 2014.

The Council of Guardians consists of 12 persons. The Supreme Leader appoints the six religious members of the Council of Guardians while the Iranian parliament, the Majles, selects the six lay members from candidates recommended by the judiciary, which is in turn selected by the Supreme Leader. The non-clerics play a role only in determining whether legislation before the [[Majles]] conforms to Iran's constitution. The religious members, on the other hand, take part in all deliberations, considering all bills for conformity to Islamic principles. The Council of Guardians can veto any law. This body also certifies the competence of candidates for the presidency, the Assembly of Experts, and the Majles.

The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran is elected by universal suffrage to a 4-year term. The president supervises the affairs of the executive branch, appointing and supervising the Council of Ministers (members of the cabinet), coordinating government decisions, and selecting government policies to be placed before the National Assembly.

The Majles, or National Assembly, consists of 290 members elected to 4-year terms. The members of the legislature are elected by direct and secret ballot from among the candidates approved by the Council of Guardians.

In 1988, Ayatollah Khomeini created the Council for Expediency, which resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians fail to reach an agreement. Since 1989, it has been used to advise the national religious leader on matters of national policy as well. It is composed of the president, the speaker of the Majles, the judiciary chief, the clerical members of the Council of Guardians, and other members appointed by the Supreme Leader for 3-year terms. Cabinet members and Majles committee chairs also serve as temporary members when issues under their jurisdictions are considered. In 2005, it was announced that the Expediency Council, which now has over 40 members, would have responsibility for general supervision of the system, though that has not resulted in any noticeable change in this institution's day-to-day authority or operations.

Judicial authority is constitutionally vested in the Supreme Court and the four-member High Council of the Judiciary; these are two separate groups with overlapping responsibilities and have one head. Together, they are responsible for supervising the enforcement of all laws and for establishing judicial and legal policies.

Iran has two military forces. The national military is charged with defending Iran's borders, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is charged mainly with maintaining internal and external security. Iran also uses proxy militias and foreign terrorist organizations to execute its foreign policy designs throughout the world.

Iran has 30 provinces managed by an appointed governor general. The provinces are further divided into counties, districts, and villages. Sixty percent of eligible voters took part in the first ever municipal and local council elections in 1999, though a lower percentage went to the polls in the second round in 2003. Turnout during the December 15, 2006 elections, during which citizens also elected Assembly of Expert representatives, was over 60%. The local councils select mayors.

The March 2008 elections resulted in the conservatives getting a significant lead in the polls, with Conservative politician Shahabeddin Sadr saying that, during early counting, 70 per cent of winners were "principlists" - a label conservatives use to describe their loyalty to the Islamic Republic's ideals.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/15/2190618.htm Conservatives forge ahead in Iran parliament vote], ABC Online, 15 March 2008</ref>

Iranian brutality is infamous. A rare admission by Iranian authorities in Aug/2021came about only due to hackers exposing inages of brutal beating of political prisoners.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-prisons-head-apologises-after-leaked-pictures-show-abuse-2021-08-24/ Iran prisons head apologises after leaked pictures show abuse], Reuters, Aug 24, 2021.</ref>

===Principal Government Officials===

*Supreme Lead and [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the Armed Forces—[[Ali Hosseini-Khamenei]]
*President—Ebrahim Raisi
*First Vice President—Eshaq Jahangiri
*Foreign Minister—Mohammad Javad Zarif
*Ambassador to the United Nations—Majid Takht-Ravanchi
[[File:Raisi.PNG|right|225px|thumb|Ebrahim "the Butcher" Raisi became president in June 2021.<ref name=dm>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9703465/Ultraconservative-Butcher-Ebrahim-Raisi-WINS-Iranian-presidential-election-rivals-concede.html Ultraconservative 'Butcher' Ebrahim Raisi who ordered thousands killed in mass executions and tortured pregnant women wins Iranian presidential election],
Gemma Parry for MailOnLine</ref>]]
====The Butcher====

In June, 2021, more radical (even amongst already radicals) [[Ebrahim Raisi]], ''Butcher of Tehran'' responsible for some 30,000 deaths<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1439984/iran-presidential-election-Ebrahim-Raisi-Hassan-Rouhani-latest Butcher' linked to 30000 deaths set to become new President of Iran], Express, UK, May 23, 2021. ''THE mastermind behind the massacre of 30000 dissidents has emerged as the regime's favourite to win next month's presidential .''</ref> was (so-called<ref name=scotsman/>) "elected" as head. Helped by the low turnout.<ref name=dm/><ref>[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-times-view-on-ebrahim-raisi-the-butcher-of-tehran-l80cfg20r The Times view on Ebrahim Raisi: The Butcher of Tehran] The Times, June 21, 2021</ref>
<ref>[https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/06/20/low-voter-turnout-sees-butcher-of-tehran-named-next-iranian-president/ Low voter turnout sees 'Butcher of Tehran' named next Iranian president]
''Amnesty International decries results in Iranian elections, says ultraconservative Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi should be investigated for alleged crimes against humanity. FM Lapid: Raisi's election should prompt renewed determination to immediately halt Iran's nuclear program and put an end to its destructive regional ambitions.''
By Daniel Siryoti , Dean Shmuel Elmas and News Agencies, Israel Hayom, 06-20-2021</ref> There are hortific tales of tortured pregnant women and threw people off cliffs, among countless other brutal acts of violence.<ref name=sun>[https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/horror-acts-of-irans-next-president-ebrahim-the-butcher-raisi/news-story/47fe66081ede923244af732a3bcd6926 Horror acts of Iran’s ‘next president’ Ebrahim ‘The Butcher’ Raisi] J. Lockett, The Sun, June 19, 2021</ref>

In 1980, at the age of just 20, Raisi was appointed prosecutor of the revolutionary court of Karaj, west of Tehran, and by 1988 he had been promoted deputy prosecutor of Tehran. Raisi was a member of the so-called “Death Commission”, which ordered thousands to be killed in the massacre of 1988. He then became one of four individuals selected to carry out the slaughter of imprisoned activists of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI). Some 30,000 men, women and children held in prisons all over Iran were lined up against the wall and shot within just a few months, say those battling to oust the regime.<ref name=sun/>

On September 30, 2019, Raisi described his cruelty by saying:<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-conservative-judicial-chief-leads-probe-into-downing-of-jet-11579209163</ref><ref>https://www.ncr-iran.org</ref><blockquote> “'''We will not cut the fingers of those who are corrupt; we will cut off their entire hand'''.”</blockquote>

=====Media's portrayal=====

Raisi was categorized as a "hardliner" Hinting of a supposed phenomenon of "moderate" existing anywhere in the cruel Mullahcracy.

Correctly clarified:<ref name=nypost>[https://nypost.com/2021/06/20/graham-slams-biden-for-wanting-to-rejoin-iran-nuclear-deal/ Sen. Graham slams Biden for wanting to rejoin Iran nuclear deal] Mark Moore, NYPost, June 20, 2021</ref>

"There are no moderates on the ballot in Iran. The ayatollah is a religious Nazi, he controls the place. Religious zealots run the place. Why in the world do you want to give massive enrichment capability to the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, I don’t know.”

There are no reformists in Iran.<ref name=scotsman>[https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/irans-next-president-set-to-be-ruthless-executioner-ebrahim-raisi-after-sham-elections-could-be-the-clerical-regimes-last-struan-stevenson-3251674 Iran's next president, set to be ruthless executioner Ebrahim Raisi after sham elections, could be the clerical regime's last – Struan Stevenson]
''The presidential elections scheduled for June 18 in Iran will, as usual, be a sham.'' By Struan Stevenson, The Scotsman, May 30, 2021.</ref>

=====Butcher's cabinet=====
In Aug. 2021, the butcher of Tehran, Raisi, presented a cabinet dominated by hardliners on Wednesday, state TV reported, among them a foreign minister known for close ties to Hezbollah and an interior minister wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires.

''New interior minister Ahmad Vahidi sought by Interpol; the president's pick for top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, is an avowed anti-Westerner with ties to IRGC, Hezbollah.''

The 1994 bombing of Jewish center AMIA in [[Argentina]] killed 85 and wounded hundreds.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-raisi-taps-minister-wanted-for-role-in-buenos-aires-jewish-center-bombing/ Iran’s Raisi taps minister wanted for role in Buenos Aires Jewish Center bombing], AP and TOI Staff,11 August 2021.
''New interior minister Ahmad Vahidi sought by Interpol; the president's pick for top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, is an avowed anti-Westerner with ties to IRGC, Hezbollah.''</ref>

===Political conditions===

Iran's post-revolution difficulties have included an 8-year war with Iraq, internal political struggles and unrest, and economic disorder. The early days of the regime were characterized by severe human rights violations and political turmoil, including the seizure of the U.S. Embassy compound and its occupants on 4 November 1979, by Iranian student militants. Iranian authorities released the 52 hostages only after 444 days of captivity, minutes after [[Ronald Reagan]]'s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States.<ref>[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/iran-hostage-crisis-ends Iran Hostage Crisis Ends], ''History.com''</ref>
[[Image:Iran ethnoreligious distribution 2004.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ethnoreligious distribution]]
By mid-1982, the clergy had won a succession of post-Revolution power struggles that eliminated first the center of the political spectrum and then the leftists, including the communist Tudeh party and the cult-like Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO). Assassinations, throwing acid in the faces of women who refused to wear the veil, and other acts of violence punctuated this period. There has been some moderation of excesses since the early days of the revolution, and the country experienced a partial "thaw" in terms of political and social freedoms during the tenure of former president Khatami, but serious problems remained. The administration of former President Ahmadi-Nejad had witnessed a crackdown on Iranian civil society, continued human rights violations, and worsening constraints on press freedom and civil liberties. Current president [[Hassan Rouhani]] did not changed anything.

The Islamic Republican Party (IRP) was Iran's sole political party until its [[dissolution]] in 1987. Iran now has a variety of groups engaged in political activity; some are oriented along ideological lines or based on an identity group, others are more akin to professional political parties seeking members and recommending candidates for office. Some have been active participants in the Revolution's political life while others reject the state. Conservatives consistently thwarted the efforts of reformists during the Khatami era and have consolidated their control on power since the flawed elections for the seventh Majles in 2004 and president Ahmadi-Nejad's victory in 2005. The party of Khamenei is the Combatant Clergy Association. President [[Hassan Rouhani]] is a member of it.

The Iranian Government has faced armed opposition from a number of groups, including the MEK (which the U.S. Government added to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 1999), the People's Fedayeen, and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).

[[File:Shia Superpower.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Iranian ambitions to become a nuclear superpower.]]
===World domination===

Gradually since the 1980s, the Islamic Republic has been actively involved in its global spread.

In recent years it has become more emboldened.<ref>[https://www.hudson.org/research/9807-iran-takes-on-the-world Iran Takes on the World] Jamsheed K. Choksy, ''The Hudson inst.''</ref>

====Apocalyptic motivation, goal in world domination====

Their Islamic messianic creed is the raison d'être for the Islamic Republic of Iran according to its founders and leaders.
<ref>[https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/the-fall-of-soleimnai-and-the-mahdi-doctrine-615654/amp The fall of Qasem Soleimani and the Mahdi Doctrine], ''Jpost,'' Jan 29, 2020</ref>

''They believe the Shia messiah known as the “Twelfth Imam” or the “Mahdi” will appear soon to establish a global Islamic kingdom''.
<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-irans-top-leaders-believe-that-the-end-of-days-has-come.amp Why Iran's Top Leaders Believe That the End of Days Has Come], ''Fox News,'' Nov 7, 2011.</ref>

Shiite Iran (and its Hezbollah), and the Sunni ISIS, both believe that any moment now their "messiah", will appear. Iran and ISIS are both eager to hasten the coming of their Mahdi.
<ref>[https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/09/radical-islam-iran-isis-apocalytpic-messiah-mahdi/amp/ Radical Islam? Apocalyptic Islam Poses the Greater Threat], ''NRO'', Sep 11, 2015</ref>

====Support for global terrorism====
:{{See also|Khobar Towers bombing|2021 Gaza War}}
The Iranian government supports and funds [[Islamic terrorist]] organizations in various countries, doing so since the Islamic revolution in 1979.<ref>Nazarian, Adelle (October 13, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/10/13/brief-timeline-iran-sponsored-terrorism-since-1979/ A Brief Timeline of Iran-Sponsored Terrorism Since 1979]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved October 13, 2017.</ref> The U.S. Department of State labels Iran as a leading state sponsor of terror.<ref>Lee, Matthew (July 19, 2017). [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/iran-still-top-state-sponsor-terrorism-u-s-report-says/ Iran still top state sponsor of terrorism, U.S. report says]. ''PBS'' (from the ''Associated Press''). Retrieved October 13, 2017.</ref> The Islamic Republic works through its proxies: in the [[Middle East]],
<ref>[https://www.rand.org/blog/2019/10/irans-proxies-are-more-powerful-than-ever.html Iran's Proxies Are More Powerful Than Ever], ''RAND'', Oct. 16, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.csis.org/war-by-proxy War by Proxy: Iran’s Growing Footprint in the Middle East], ''CSIS'' Briefs, March 11, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/hezbollah-revolutionary-irans-most-successful-export/amp/ Hezbollah: Revolutionary Iran's most successful export], ''Brookings Institution,'' Jan 17, 2019</ref> such as: [[Hezbollah]], [[Houthis]], "Palestinian" [[Islamic Jihad]], it is strongly [[Hamas]] linked. Its bases of operations in [[South America]] works through Hezbollah network, via local Arab-Muslims in the community in: [[Venezuela]], [[Maicao]]/ [[Colombia]]n/Venzuelan border;<ref>[https://www.securefreesociety.org/designating-hezbollah-as-a-terrorist-group-is-a-legal-tool/ Designating Hezbollah As A Terrorist Group Is A Legal Tool], Joseph M. Humire. SFS, Jan 21, 2020</ref> Tri-Border area<ref>[https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/fighting-terror-the-tri-border-area Fighting Terror in the Tri-Border Area], ''Wilson Center,'' Dec 9, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.lawfareblog.com/iran-and-hezbollahs-presence-around-world Iran and Hezbollah's Presence Around the World], ''Lawfare'', Jan 8, 2020</ref> in [[Argentina]]/[[Brazil]]/[[Paraguay]]). In recent years it has even expanded its TV channel in Spanish.

According to a U.S. court record for the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings, [[Osama Bin Laden]] was living in Khartoum, Sudan when Sudanese religious scholar Ahmed Abdel Rahman Hamadabi brought Shekih Nomani an emissary of Iran to meet the [[Al-Qaeda]] leadership. Sheikh Nomani was described as having "had access to the highest echelons of power in Tehran.<ref>Rohan Gunaratna, "[https://books.google.com/books?id=WDkqQSWFvvIC&pg=PA146#v=onepage&q&f=false Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror]," (Columbia University Press, 2002), p.146</ref> This meeting resulted in an informal agreement between Iran and Al-Qaeda to cooperate, with Iran providing critical explosives, intelligence and security training to Bin Laden's organization.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org">https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-iran-al-qaeda-conundrum</ref> Iran continued to provide support to Al-Qaeda even after they relocated to Afghanistan in 1996. Iranian officials helped Al-Qaeda members transit through Iran to Afghanistan. Iranian border guards were instructed not to stamp their passports, to prevent their home governments from suspecting that they had traveled to Afghanistan.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org"/> A section of the 9/11 commission states that shortly after the meetings between Iran and Al-Qaeda in Sudan in 1991,"senior Al-Qaeda operatives and trainers traveled to Iran to receive training in explosives. In the fall of 1993, another such delegation went to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon for further training in explosives as well as in intelligence and security. Bin Laden reportedly showed particular interest in learning how to use truck bombs such as the one that had killed 241 U.S Marines in Lebanon in 1983. The relationship between Al-Qaeda and Iran demonstrated that Sunni-Shia divisions did not necessarily pose an insurmountable barrier to cooperation in terrorist operations."<ref>[https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf#page=257 The 9/11 Commission Report] Page 257 (PDF)</ref>

Iran and Al-Qaeda cooperation continues to this day. The State Department's Country Reports on terrorism has noted that, "Iran has allowed [Al-Qaeda] facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through Iran since at least 2009, enabling [Al-Qaeda] to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria."<ref>[https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2019/02/06/irans-support-for-al-qaeda-is-incompatible-with-fatf-standards/ Iran’s Support for al-Qaeda is Incompatible with FATF Standards], ''FDD,'' Feb 6, 2019</ref>

See: [[Guardian of walls]] - Iranian proxy war
[[File:Obama UN.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Barack Obama addressing the United nations: "The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam."]]

====Iranian nuclear deal====

:{{See also|Iranian nuclear deal}}
The Iranian nuclear deal or the [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]] (JCPOA) was a failed [[diplomatic]] agreement by the Obama administration negotiated by [[John Kerry]] to help Iran get 150 billion dollars of U.S. taxpayer money and American banks. Iran then used this money for terrorism.

Then-President [[Obama]] said the joint agreement put Iran on the path of having [[nuclear weapons]] in 13 years. Obama finalized the agreement on January 21, 2016 when he signed [[Executive Order]] 13716.

The deal supposedly limited Iran's uranium enrichment, but it did not stop Iranian support of terrorist groups like the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], [[Hamas]] and [[Hezbollah]]. It also did not address Iran's expansionist ambitions in the [[Middle East]].
<ref>(Ghoraba, Hany). [https://www.investigativeproject.org/7465/why-egypt-supports-us-withdrawal-from-iran Why Egypt Supports U.S. Withdrawal From Iran Nuclear Deal]. ''The Investigative Project On Terrorism''. Retrieved September 2, 2018.</ref> [[President Donald J. Trump]] rescinded the executive order in May 2018.

===Foreign Relations===
Khomeini's revolutionary regime initiated sharp changes from the foreign policy pursued by the Shah, particularly in reversing the country's orientation toward the West. In the Middle East, Iran's only significant ally has been [[Syria]]. Within the U.N framework of the "[[New World Order]]", as some [[Islamist]]s refer to it, Iran pursues its foreign policy objectives under the ''kufr'' Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations as it covertly promotes [[terrorism]]. Western governments have labeled Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism.<ref>[http://www.cfr.org/iran/state-sponsors-iran/p9362 State Sponsors: Iran], Greg Bruno, Council on Foreign Relations, Updated: October 13, 2011. cfr.org </ref>

Iran's foreign policy and Shi'a brand of Islam promotes Muslim unity<ref>[http://imamalinet.net/old/en/es/esa/esal/esall/esall.htm Imams call People to Islamic Unity], Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar. imamalinet.net </ref> whereas Sunni Salafi-jihadists consider Shi'ism not as a dissident sect, but rather as treasonous to the people of God (''ulema'') and worthy of the death penalty (''takfir'').

Iran's foreign relations are based on sometimes competing objectives. Iran's pragmatic foreign policy goals include, not surprisingly, protecting itself from external threats and building trade ties. Iran has additionally been accused, however, of trying to export its fundamentalist revolution to other countries, supporting terrorist organizations, and its vehement anti-U.S. and anti-Israel stances are well-known. Senior Iranian officials directed Hezbollah to carry out the bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association) building in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, killing 85 people and wounding scores of others. Out of the eight individuals indicted by the Government of Argentina in October 2006, the Interpol Executive Committee has recommended the issuance of Red Notices (international arrest warrants) against six: five former or current Iranian officials and one Lebanese Hezbollah leader.
[[File:Money-laundering-map-Artboard 1.png|right|400px|thumb|[[Project Cassandra]] discovered a global cocaine smuggling network run by Iran through its proxy, Hezbollah.]]
In September 1980, during the Carter-era [[Iranian hostage crisis]], Iraq invaded Iran to take control of the waterway between the two countries, the Shatt al-Arab, although the conflict's underlying causes included each nation's overt desire for the overthrow of the other's government. Iran defended itself and demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Iranian territory and the return to the status quo ante for the Shatt al-Arab as established under the 1975 Algiers Agreement signed by Iraq and Iran. Khomeini's government turned down an Iraqi cease-fire proposal in 1982, making a new demand for Saddam Hussein's removal as well. After eight punishing years of war, in July 1988, Iran at last agreed to UN Security Council Resolution 598 and the cease-fire was implemented on August 20, 1988. Neither nation had made any real gains in the war.

Iran's relations with many of its Arab neighbors have been strained by Iranian attempts to spread its Islamic revolution, a strictly ideological goal. In 1981, Iran supported a plot to overthrow the Bahrain Government. In 1983, Iran expressed support for Shi'ites who bombed Western embassies in Kuwait, and in 1987, Iranian pilgrims rioted during the hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Nations with strong fundamentalist movements, such as Egypt and Algeria, also mistrust Iran. Iran backs Hezbollah (in Lebanon), Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of [[Palestine]]-General Command, all of which are violently opposed to the Arab-Israeli peace process. In contrast, while relations with west European nations have been uneven, they have been driven primarily by pragmatic goals of trade and security. Iran has accepted stronger commercial ties but largely declined to deliver on key European political concerns such as human rights and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) acquisition efforts, particularly in the nuclear field, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been strongly critical of Iran.

An IAEA report in November 2003 provided evidence that Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), had concealed secret nuclear activities for 18 years. Under international pressure, Iran signed the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement on December 18, 2003, agreeing to suspend all uranium-enrichment and reprocessing activities voluntarily, as well as cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in resolving questions regarding Iran's nuclear program. In June 2004, the IAEA rebuked Iran for failing to fully cooperate with an inquiry into its nuclear activities, and in November 2004, Iran agreed to suspend most of its uranium enrichment under a deal with the EU. That promise did not last, however, and since then concerns over Iran's nuclear activities have increased.

On June 6, 2006, the [[Peoples Republic of China]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Russia]], the [[United States]], and [[United Kingdom]] offered Iran a substantial package of economic cooperation and assistance. Tehran, however, was first required to come into compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines on its nuclear program, suspending its [[uranium]] enrichment program. On July 31, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1696 on the Iranian nuclear question, requiring Iran to suspend all activities related to enrichment and reprocessing, including research and development, as demanded by the IAEA, or else face possible sanctions. Tehran defied the UN Security Council (UNSC) deadline of August 31, leading to the passage of UNSC Resolution 1636 in December 2006 and, as Iran continued to balk, Resolution 1747 in March 2007.

Iran sparked an international controversy when its forces seized and held hostage 15 British sailors and marines, conducting routine anti-smuggling operations in Iraqi territorial waters under UN mandate, on March 23, 2007. Tehran released the U.K. service members on April 6.

Iran maintains regular diplomatic and commercial relations with Russia and the former Soviet republics. Both Iran and Russia believe they have important national interests at stake in developments in Central Asia and the Transcaucasus, particularly regarding energy resources from the Caspian Sea. Russian and other sales of military equipment and technology to Iran concern Iran's neighbors and the United States. Prior to the [[Obama administration]], the United States was concerned about Russian assistance in building at nuclear facility at Bushehr.

Iran spends about 3.3% of its GDP on its military. Iran's military consists of both a national military held over from the shah's government and the IRGC, each with its own ground, naval and air branches. The Iran-Iraq war took a heavy toll on these military forces. Iran has modernized its military, including ballistic missile programs, and weapons of mass destruction; it continues to seek nuclear capabilities. On November 7, 2007, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had 3,000 centrifuges operating in its uranium enrichment program, which would be enough to produce a nuclear weapon.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20150114175101/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/07/ahmadinejad-announces-iran-uranium-enrichment-milestone/ Ahmadinejad Announces Iran Uranium Enrichment Milestone] ''Associated Press,'' ''Fox News,'' November 07, 2007</ref> However, a December, 2007 U.S. intelligence report stated that Iran halted its nuclear program in 2003, and remains on hold. According to the National Intelligence Estimate, "We do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons."<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/ts_nm/iran_usa_dc Report contradicts Bush on Iran nuclean program]</ref>

In early 2021 the [[Peoples Republic of China]] signed a massive 25-year, over $400-billion infrastructure-for-oil deal with Iran, boosting their military and defense cooperation.<ref>https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-china-sign-25-year-deal-will-see-400bn-chinese-infrastructure-investment-oil</ref>

====Relations with the United States====
[[File:Levinson.jpg|right|250px|thumb|On November 9, 2019, Iran reported that Robert Levinson was still alive.<ref>[https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-makes-stunning-admission-regarding-fbi-agent-gone-missing-since-2007 Iran Acknowledges That FBI Agent Gone Missing Since 2007 Involved In Ongoing Court Case]
Ryan Saavedra, Nov 9, 2019, ''DailyWire.com''</ref> In 2009 FBI director [[Robert Mueller]] and Russian oligarch [[Oleg Deripaska]] colluded in an operation to win Levinson's release.]]
The [[United States]] designated the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] (IRCG) and Quds Force as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2019 based on the IRGC’s “continued support to and engagement in terrorist activity around the world.”<ref>{{cite news |title=Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 |url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Country-Reports-on-Terrorism-2019-2.pdf |agency=Country Reports}}</ref>

On November 4, 1979, militant Iranian students occupied the American Embassy in Tehran with the support of Ayatollah Khomeini. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days, ending only with [[Ronald Reagan]]'s first days in office.<ref>[https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defense-policy/middle-east/reagan-deserves-credit-for-1981-hostage-release/ Reagan deserves credit for 1981 hostage release], ''AEI'', Jan 27, 2016</ref> On April 7, 1980, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran, and on April 24, 1981, the Swiss Government assumed representation of U.S. interests in Tehran. Iranian interests in the United States are represented by the Government of Pakistan. The Islamic Republic of Iran does not have its own embassy in Washington, though it does have a permanent mission to the United Nations in New York City.

In accordance with the Algiers declaration of January 20, 1981, the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal (located in The Hague, Netherlands) was established for the purpose of handling claims of U.S. nationals against Iran and of Iranian nationals against the United States. U.S. contact with Iran through The Hague covers only legal matters.

The U.S. Government, by Executive Orders issued by the President as well as by Congressional legislation, prohibits most trade with Iran. Some sanctions were imposed on Iran because Tehran is a state sponsor of terrorism, others because of the nuclear [[proliferation]] issues, and still more for human rights violations, including infringement of religious freedom. The commercial relations that do exist between the two countries consist mainly of Iranian purchases of food and medical products and U.S. imports of carpets and food. Some sanctions were temporarily waived in the wake of the devastating Bam earthquake of December 2003. U.S. officials and relief workers actively assisted in relief and reconstruction efforts.

There are serious obstacles to improved relations between the two countries. As a state sponsor of terrorism, Iran remains an impediment to international efforts to locate and prosecute terrorists. Recent attempts by Iran to form loose alliances with anti-U.S. governments in the Western Hemisphere, such as the Venezuelan Government, has further heightened concern about Iran's support for terrorism and nuclear ambitions. Operation Iraqi Freedom removed the Iranian Government's greatest security threat, but officially Iran remained neutral about U.S. policy, sometimes strongly condemning American policies and actions in Iraq. Iran has cultural ties to elements of the populations of both Iraq and Afghanistan. It has made some positive contributions to stability in both countries, but other actions have had the opposite effect. It remains to be seen whether Tehran will ultimately be a constructive force in the reconstruction of its two neighbors or not.

The U.S. Government defines its areas of objectionable Iranian behavior as the following:
*Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction;
*Its support for and involvement in international terrorism;
*Its support for violent opposition to the Middle East peace process, as well as its harmful activities particularly in Lebanon, as well as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the region; and
*Its dismal human rights record and lack of respect for its own people.

The United States has held discussions with Iranian representatives on particular issues of concern over the years. U.S. and Iranian envoys cooperated during operations to overthrow the Taliban in 2001 and during the Bonn Conference in 2002 that established a broad-based government for the Afghan people under President Karzai. U.S. Secretary of State [[Condoleeza Rice]], her Iranian counterpart, and others met at talks on Iraq in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on May 3, 2007. The American and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq took part in face-to-face discussions in Baghdad, with Iraqi officials in attendance, on May 28, 2007. The [[Bush administration]] believed, however, that normal relations were impossible until Iran's policies changed.

Nevertheless, the U.S. State Department continued then to support efforts to further the cause of democracy in Iran. In fiscal year (FY) 2006, the U.S. Congress allocated approximately $66 million to promote free media, personal freedom, and a better understanding of western values and culture. As part of those efforts, the Department supported efforts to develop civil society in Iran and exchange programs that would bring Iranian students, athletes, professionals and others to the United States.

Secretary Rice stated that Iranian agreement to abide by UNSC Resolutions 1696 and 1747, calling for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment and comply with its international nuclear obligations, could lead to the direct negotiations between American and Iranian government officials, not only on Iran's nuclear case but on a wide range of issues.

In May 2007, the Iranian Government charged and in some cases imprisoned a handful of innocent Iranian-American scholars, civil society actors, and journalists, accused by the regime of jeopardizing the security of the state. The international community, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private citizens joined the U.S. Government in calling for the release of the detained dual nationals, as well as Iranian cooperation in the case of missing retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, last reported on Kish Island, Iran, on March 8, 2007.

==People==
Iran is not a pluralistic society, but does have some diversity. Persians are the largest predominant ethnic and cultural group in this country, though many are actually of mixed ancestry. The population of the country has important Turkic elements (e.g., Azeris) and Arabs predominate in the southwest. In addition, Iranian citizens include Kurds, Balochi, Bakhtyari, Lurs, and other smaller minorities, such as Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, and Brahuis (or Brohi).
[[File:Persian women from Shiraz Iran.jpg|right|thumb|Persian women from Shiraz.]]
*Population (2020): 84 million.
*Population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.663%.
*Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.
*Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%.
*Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic languages (besides Turkish) 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%.
*Education: Literacy (total population age 15 and over who can read and write, 2003)--79% (male: 86%, female: 73%).
*Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate—38.2 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth (2007)--total population: 70.56 yrs.

The 1979 Islamic revolution and the 1980-88 war with Iraq transformed Iran's class structure politically, socially, and economically. During this period, [[Shia]] clerics took a more dominant position in politics and nearly all aspects of Iranian life, both urban and rural. After the fall of the Pahlavi regime in 1979, much of the urban upper class of prominent merchants, industrialists, and professionals, favored by the former monarch, the shah, lost standing and influence to the senior clergy and their supporters. Bazaar merchants, who were allied with the clergy against the Pahlavi shahs, also have gained political and economic power since the revolution. The urban working class has enjoyed somewhat enhanced status and economic mobility, spurred in part by opportunities provided by revolutionary organizations and the government bureaucracy. Though the number of clergy holding senior positions in the parliament and elsewhere in government has declined since the 1979 revolution, Iran has nevertheless witnessed the rise of a post-revolutionary elite among lay people who are strongly committed to the preservation of the Islamic Republic.

Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 9% belong to the [[Sunni]] branch, which predominates in neighboring Muslim countries. Non-Muslim minorities include [[Zoroastrian]]s, [[Jew]]s, Baha'is, and [[Christian]]s.

There's wide 'religious [[apartheid]]' in Iran,
With Sunnis faring better than non-Muslims.<ref>[https://www.mei.edu/publications/religious-apartheid-iran Religious Apartheid in Iran], H.E. Chehabi, Mei,
January 29, 2009</ref>

==Economy==

Pre-revolutionary Iran's economic development was rapid. Traditionally an agricultural society, by the 1970s Iran had achieved significant industrialization and economic modernization. However, the pace of growth had slowed dramatically by 1978, just before the Islamic revolution. Since the fall of the shah, economic recovery has proven elusive thanks to a combination of factors, including fluctuations in the global energy market. Economic activity was severely disrupted additionally by years of upheaval and uncertainty surrounding the revolution and the introduction of statist economic policies. These conditions were worsened by the war with Iraq and the decline in world oil prices beginning in late 1985. After the war with Iraq ended, the situation began to improve: Iran's GDP grew for two years running, partly from an oil windfall in 1990, and there was a substantial increase in imports. However, Iran had suffered a brain drain throughout the previous decade and wartime policies had resulted in a demographic explosion.
[[File:Iran Pakistan India gas pipeline.JPG|left|thumb|300px|Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.]]
A decrease in oil revenues in 1991 and growing external debt dampened optimism for recovery. In March 1989, the government instituted a new 5-year plan for economic development, which loosened state control and allowed Iran to seek greater latitude in accessing foreign capital. Mismanagement and inefficient bureaucracy, as well as political and ideological infighting, hampered the formulation and execution of a consolidated economic policy, and the Iran fell short of the plan's goals while economic inequality was aggravated. Today, Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. Former President Khatami followed the market reform plans of his predecessor, President Rafsanjani, and indicated that he would pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy, although he made little progress toward that goal. High [[inflation]] and expansive public transfer programs, as well as powerful economic-political vested interests created obstacles for rapid reform.

During the 2005 election campaign, President Ahmadi-Nejad promised to redistribute oil revenues to the impoverished, fund large infrastructure projects, and privatize Iranian state enterprises. He has been criticized within Iran for not carrying through on many of his promises. While establishment of the Imam Reza fund for cheap loans to youth has been popular, a law increasing the minimum was revoked because of the huge strain on employers. The "Shares of Justice" program—distributing shares of state-owned enterprises to the poor—faces a number of potential problems.

Unemployment was estimated to be 20% for 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund. Unemployment, a major problem even before the revolution, has many causes, including population growth, high minimum wage level and other restrictive labor policies. Farmers and peasants enjoyed a psychological boost from the attention given them by the Islamic regime but hardly appear to be better off in economic terms. The government has made progress on rural development, including electrification and road building, but Iran still faces inefficiencies related to agricultural land usage which are politically difficult to reconcile. Agriculture also has suffered from shortages of capital, raw materials, and equipment, problems dating back to the 1980-1988 war with Iraq. (See Foreign Relations above.)

Although Islam guarantees the right to private ownership, banks and some industries—including the petroleum, transportation, utilities, and mining sectors—were nationalized after the revolution under Marxist-influenced economic policies. Starting under President Rafsanjani, Iran has pursued some privatization through its nascent equities markets. However, the industrial sector remains plagued by low labor productivity and shortages of raw materials and spare parts, and is uncompetitive against foreign imports.

Increases in the price of oil starting in 2003 have increased state revenue enormously and permitted a much larger degree of spending on social programs than previously anticipated. However, this has not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. The proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass destruction and military spending overall remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations.

Earnings from Iranian oil exports, projected at $57-$87 billion for 2007–2008, are placed into the Oil Stabilization Fund (OSF), originally designed as a Treasury safety net if oil prices dropped below $20/barrel. In practice, the government has drawn upon the OSF to cover over expenditures. Iran relies on oil for 80% of its export revenue, and 40% of total revenues. (Note: Iran's refining capacity is limited, and Tehran is a net gasoline importer, spending $2.6 billion for foreign gas in 2005.)
[[Image:Iran population density 2004.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Population density]]
*GDP (purchasing power parity, 2006 est.): $599.2 billion.
*GDP (official exchange rate, 2006 est.): $193.5 billion.
*GDP real growth rate (2007 est.): 4.6%.
*GDP composition by sector (2006): Agriculture 11.2%, industry 41.7%, services 47.1%.
*Per capita income (2006 est.): $8,700.
*Work force: 24.36 million.
*Work force - by occupation (2001 est.): Agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%.
*Unemployment rate (2007 est.): 20%.
*Natural resources: [[Petroleum]], [[natural gas]], [[coal]], [[chromium]], [[copper]], iron ore, lead manganese, [[zinc]], [[sulfur]].
*Agriculture: Principal products—wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar. Note: Iran is not self-sufficient in terms of food.
*Industry: Types—petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (particularly steel and copper), armaments.
*Trade (2007 est.): Exports--$56.9 billion: petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, carpets, fruits, nuts. Major export partners (2006): Japan (17.3%), China (11.4%), Italy (6.2%), South Korea (5.2%), South Africa (5.5%), Turkey (5.7%), Netherlands (4.6%), France (4.1%), Taiwan (4.1%). Imports--$48.1 billion: industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies. Major import partners: Germany (14.2%), U.A.E. (6.7%), China (8.3%), Italy (7.5%), France (6.2%), South Korea (5.4%), Russia (4.9%).

==Law==
Because of its Shi'ite character, the Islamic Republic of Iran is referred to as ''Rafida'', or ''rejectionist'' of the [[orthodox]] [[Salafi]] traditions handed down thru Ibn Taymiyyah, [[Wahhabi|Abd al-Wahhab]], and others. <ref>Sunnis speak of the "Prophet and his companions" as the source of divine inspiration, whereas the Shi'a reject the companions (the first 3 "Rightly-Guided Caliphs") and follow the Prophet's bloodline (the "First Imam"). </ref> Iran has been ruled under the Shi'a interpretation of ''[[Shariah]]'' since 1979.
[[Homosexuality|Homosexuals]] get the death penalty in Iran.
<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297982,00.html Iran Does Far Worse Than Ignore Gays, Critics Say] Fox News, September 25, 2007</ref> However, in a speech at Columbia University, the president of Iran stated that homosexuality does not exist in his nation.

In Iran, production and consumption of alcohol by Muslims is prohibited. However, Iranian law makes an exception for minority groups, such as the Christian [[Armenia]]ns, who are allowed to produce and consume [[wine]] and distilled spirits. Naturally, these communities produce far more alcohol than they consume, "illegally" selling it to Muslims who drink in contradiction of [[Sharia]] law.

Prostitution is also prohibited in Iran, but there are allegations that نكاح المتعة (temporary marriage, legal in [[Usuli]] [[Shia]] jurisprudence) is exploited to solemnize marriages of such short duration (hours or days) that the activities thus permitted more resemble dating (if money is not exchanged) or prostitution (if a fee is charged for the marriage).

==Military==
[[Image:Iran industry mining78.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Iranian industry and mining]]
Iran has it own weapons industry and also relies upon its Chinese communist and Russian allies to supply the latest weapons technology and equipment which can be easily and cheaply duplicated in Iranian factories. In addition, it holds sizable stockpiles purchased from the United States in the [[Cold War]] era prior to 1979.

The Quds Force (Jerusalem Force) is the organization tasked with Iran's external covert, paramilitary, terrorist and intelligence functions. Quds Force also carries out some [[diplomacy|diplomatic]] functions.<ref>http://citizenship.typepad.com/isebrandcom/2013/10/perhaps-the-most-important-military-leader-opposing-the-us-who-youve-never-heard-of.html </ref> As the name implies, the Jerusalem Force was organized to capture [[Jerusalem]] from Israel. Its leader answers directly to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as of 2021.

===In Syria===
[[Iran]] has for years sought to entrench itself militarily in Syria. It has active military bases in Syria and tenths of thousands of fighters.
<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-has-10-military-bases-in-syria-two-near-israel-border-analyst/ Iran has 10 military bases in Syria, two near Israel border], TOI, Feb 19, 2018.
''Up to 20,000 fighters from various militias throughout the war-torn country have been trained by Iranian military personnel, giving Tehran its “true muscle” in Syria, according to the Monday report in The New York Times...''</ref><ref>[https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/iran-strengthens-military-presence-eastern-syria Iran Strengthens Military Presence in Eastern Syria], Voice of America, Nov 23, 2020.
<blockquote>Iranian forces continue to expand their military presence in parts of eastern Syria, a move, analysts say, that could undermine U.S.-led efforts in the fight against the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

Iran, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, controls parts of the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour, particularly areas along the border with Iraq. With the help of thousands of foreign and local militiamen, Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has consolidated its hold over a large territory in Syria since the beginning of the country's civil war in 2011.

The United States in 2019 designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization for its destabilizing role in the Middle East.</blockquote></ref>

==Disputed Territories==
===South Azerbaijan===
{{main|South Azerbaijan Independence Movement}}

===West Balochistan===
{{main|Balochistan(Country)}}

West Balochistan was invaded and annexed by Iran in 1928. <ref>[https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/180927/31c68a20991b5a98b0dece4fd929c9c8.pdf The Baluch insurgency: linking Iran to Pakistan], ''The Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran has long been associated with instability and armed conflict.'' NOREF (PDF)</ref>

==Further reading==
*[http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?contentGUID=e3d7a4b3-5763-41db-afaf-9f5b2304ca9f Iran: Western Spy Networks Discovered], May 26, 2007.
*[http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21816881-38197,00.html Iranian-American charged with spying], May 29, 2007.

==See also==
* [[Democracy in Iran]]
* [[Big government]] [[Welfare state]] leads to [[socialist]] [[Nanny state]], leads to [[communist]] [[Police state]] - Don't think [[Communism]] is incompatible with [[Islam]].
* [[Gun control]] - key element to create a police state
* [[Iranian nuke deal]]
* [[Press TV]]
* [[Hezbollah]]
* [[Islamic anti-Semitism]]
* [[Jihad]]
* [[Essay:Women's Rights in Iran]]
* [[Previous Breaking News/Iran|Articles about '''Iran''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

==References==
*http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5314.htm
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/06/16/iran_leader_calls_for_alliance_against_west/ Iran leader calls for alliance against West.]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ Purim, Haddasah Hospital in Jerusalem, and Iran's Nuclear Bomb]

* [http://www.president.ir/eng/ Official website of the President of Iran]
* [http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/ The blog of the President of Iran]
* [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articlenavigation/index.isc Encyclopædia Iranica]

{{Asian Countries}}
{{Terrorism}}
{{Copyright Details (US Government)}}
[[Category:Iran]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern Countries]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Dictatorships]]
[[Category:Welfare State]]
[[Category:Police State]]
[[Category:Gun Control]]
[[Category:Oppression]]
[[Category:Forms of Government]]
[[Category:Anti-American]]

Iran

2021-09-24T22:03:31Z

Conservapedia Guard: Style

{{Country
|name = جمهوری اسلامی ايران'' Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Īrān''
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'''Iran''', officially the '''Islamic Republic of Iran''' (جمهوری اسلامی ايران) is an Islamic theocratic dictatorship in southwest [[Asia]]. Its capital is [[Tehran]] and its official language is Farsi. A historical name for Iran was "'''Persia'''", which is also the name of the dominant ethnic group. Iran is believed by [[Israel]] and her western allies of pursuing nuclear weapons to gain a strategic advantage in a regional cold war against Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia. Israel also accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons for use against Israel, which is officially "denied" by Iran's government propagating, that the program is to be used for "peaceful" purposes, requiring the enrichment of [[uranium]]. Israel's fear is especially in light of Iranian regime, repeatedly threatening to annihilate Israel.
<ref>https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/pressroom/2005/pages/iran%2520president%2520calls%2520to%2520annihilate%2520israel%252027-oct-2005.aspx</ref><ref>https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/world/meast/iran-annihilate-israel/index.html</ref><ref>https://embassies.gov.il/SAN-FRANCISCO/ABOUTISRAEL/Pages/Iranian-Threat.aspx</ref><ref>https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-iranian-general-vows-to-wipe-out-annihilate-israel/amp/</ref><ref>https://iranintl.com/en/world/khamenei-once-again-insists-annihilation-israel</ref><ref>https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-doomsday-clock-for-israels-end-halts-amid-power-cuts/amp/</ref><ref>https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/israel-wont-heed-any-deal-that-doesnt-halt-iranian-threats-erdan-says-666056/amp</ref>
Iran has an extremely poor human rights record.<ref>[https://iranprimer.usip.org/index.php/blog/2018/oct/04/state-department-report-6-irans-human-rights-abuses State Department Report 6: Iran's Human Rights Abuses]
The State Department, September 28, 2018</ref> Iranian brutality is infamous. A rare admission by Iranian authorities in Aug/2021 came about forcefully only due to hackers exposing images of brutal beating of political prisoners.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-prisons-head-apologises-after-leaked-pictures-show-abuse-2021-08-24/ Iran prisons head apologises after leaked pictures show abuse], Reuters, Aug 24, 2021.</ref> Ethnic minorities are also persecuted by the racist Iranian regime,<ref>[https://www.arabnews.com/node/1822151/middle-east No country for minorities: The agony of Iran’s ethnic Arabs, Kurds, Balochis and Azeris], O. Shahbandar, Arab News, March 8, 2021.
''Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, ethnic Kurds, Arabs and Balochis have faced particularly harsh crackdowns by regime security forces.'' </ref> such as Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds, Azeris and Baloch.

It also incites hatred against [[Christians]].
<ref>[https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/israel-zionism/2020/12/how-yasir-arafat-drove-christians-from-bethlehem/ How Yasir Arafat Drove Christians from Bethlehem] D. Weinberg, Mosaic Mag., Dec. 28, 2020.
<blockquote>It also highlights how states, and state-sponsored social media, incite hatred and publish propaganda against Christians, especially in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://articleeighteen.com/analysis/4593/ Persecution of Christians in Iran – Dr Sara Afshari – Article 18], Apr 8, 2019.
''In recent years, especially since 2010, the state has expanded their harassment and discrimination against Christians into the internet, social media, radio and television... Since October 2010 until December 2018 Rahpoyan produced 1,818 critical views and anti-Christian items, including hate speech and incitement.''</ref>

== History ==
:{{See also|History of Iran}}
In the [[Western world]], Persia was historically the common name for Iran.<ref>[https://www.iranchamber.com/geography/articles/persia_became_iran.php Iran Chamber Society: When "Persia" became "Iran"], Iran Chamber</ref> In 1935, Reza Shah asked foreign delegates and the [[League of Nations]] to use the term '''Iran''' ("Land of the [[Aryans]]"). The suggestion for the change of the country’s official name to Iran is said to have come from the Iranian ambassador to [[Third Reich|Germany]], who came under the influence of the [[Nazi]]s. German friends of the ambassador convinced him that the name change would free his country from the past influences of Russia and the [[British Empire]]. It would be a new beginning as an Aryan nation. Many Persian elites and intellectuals nurtured the idea of Aryan superiority.<ref>[https://iranicaonline.org/articles/judeo-persian-vi-the-pahlavi-era-1925-1979 JUDEO-PERSIAN COMMUNITIES vi. THE PAHLAVI ERA – Encyclopaedia Iranica]</ref> Reza Shah<ref>[https://www.howardblum.com/blog-posts/reza-shah-and-adolf-hitler-irans-history-with-the-third-reich Reza Shah and Adolf Hitler: Iran’s History with the Third Reich], Howard Blum, Feb. 6, 2020</ref>said,
{{quotebox-float|“Germany was our age-old and natural ally, Love of Germany was synonymous with love for Iran. The sound of German officers’ footsteps was heard on the shores of the Nile. [[Swastika]] flags were flying from the outskirts of Moscow to the peaks of the Caucasus Mts. Iranian patriots eagerly awaited the arrival of their old allies. My friend and I would spin tales about the grandeur of the superior race. We considered Germany the chosen representative of this race in Europe and Iran its representative in Asia. The right to life and role was ours. Others had no choice but submission and slavery. We discarded the old maps and remade Iran into a country larger than what it was in Achaemenian times.”<ref>https://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/2015/04/iranian-shah-flirted-with-nazis-in-1930s.html</ref>}}
Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi legacies evoke consternation and controversy. Both were pro-Western modernizers, promoted science, Western education, women and minority rights, economic development, a judiciary more on a Western model as opposed to shariah and clerical rule. But the [[Carter administration]] viewed the [[Ayatollah Khomeini]] as a paragon of [[human rights]], an expression of the will of the Iranian people for self-determination. One of the Ayatollah's first acts was to issue a [[fatwa]] promising paradise for children who joined the Iranian military during the Iran-Iraq war. By 1982, with Shi'a clergy in command, the government asked children, age 9 years old and up, to clear minefields so the regular Army could advance against the Iraqi Army. <ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/iran-iraq.htm Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), ''Iraqi Retreats, 1982-84''], Globalsecruity.org, retrieved 20 March 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.matthiaskuentzel.de/contents/ahmadinejads-demons ''Ahmadinejad's Demons: A Child of the Revolution Takes Over''], Matthias Küntzel, The New Republic, 24 April 2006 .</ref> About 100,000 died as ''Basij'' child soldiers building the Islamic Republic of Iran.
[[File:Iran.jpg|thumb|225px|right|[[Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini]], founder of the Islamic Republic.]]
Iran today is 75 million people with a ''per capita'' income behind Mexico but ahead of Brazil. Female enrollment and graduation rates in higher education now outnumber males.<ref>60% of college enrollees are female, as contrasted with the Sunni Pakistan Taliban where [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head for advocating education for adolescent girls.</ref> But if political repression during the monarchy was troublesome, Iran's human rights record and coercive measures against dissidents under its religious rulers has been abysmal.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20180721062151/https://iranhrdc.org/files.php?force&file=reports_en/Covert_Terror_Iran_s_Parallel_Intelligence_Apparatus_467957487.pdf Covert Terror Iran's Parallel Intelligence Apparatus] (PDF)</ref> That, and its active sponsorship of terrorism to further its foreign policy objectives abroad. Its non-cooperation with international conventions in pursuit of nuclear power status is particularly worrisome. Iran's [[Quds Force]] (Jerusalem Force), as its name implies, carries out external special operations worldwide to further Iran's foreign policy aims.<ref>http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/qods.htm </ref>

Iran's revolution in 1979 and the creation of an Islamic state based on [[Shariah]] law was a source of pride, inspiration and envy to [[Sunni]]s everywhere. The revolutionaries successfully deposed a Western leaning monarch and sent U.S. military personal and technicians packing.<ref>By 1970, Iran was the United States largest customer for weapons. Earnings from the oil boom after the 1953 coup were funneled into defense. Huge bases were built in the north to monitor the Soviets and along the southern coast to police the Persian Gulf. Higher paid technicians to operate the oil industry and maintain military hardware were mostly foreigners, leading to an obvious income disparity between the Shah's foreign allies and the indigenous population. This provided an opening for Soviet and Eastern bloc agitation amongst the Shi'a for revolutionary [[Marxist]] anti-[[Imperialist]] [[propaganda]] with a religious fervor. [http://ivl.8m.com/USMI.htm][http://revcom.us/a/094/iran-pt4-en.html]</ref> Initially Iran sought to export its revolution to the Gulf States and Lebanon. Iran was behind two U.S. Embassy truck bombings in Beirut and the Marine barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. soldiers. As the Iran-Iraq war progressed, Iran concentrated its efforts to removing Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. After the war Iran began providing assistance to the radical Sunni leader Hassan al Turabi who took power in Sudan in 1989<ref>The Sudanese regime harbored Osama bin Laden and [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] in the early 1990s</ref>, and to Hamas in Gaza. The 1990s marked a period of cooperation between Sunni groups such as al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and the Shiite revolution of Iran.<ref>Bin Laden shared with Iran a desire to depose the House of Saud, and Zawahiri shared with Iran his contempt of the Egyptian regime which made peace with Israel.</ref> It organized and created Hezbollah al-Hejaz, based in Saudi Arabia, which in conjunction with al Qaeda staged the 1996 Khobar Towers attack killing 19 Americans and wounding another 372. The 9/11 Commission Report suggested<ref>9/11 COMMISSION REPORT at pp. 240-41. </ref> and a U.S. Federal judge ruled in December 2011<ref>http://iran911case.com/ </ref> Iran was a material accomplice with al Qaeda in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]].

Iran benefited greatly when the Sunni walls that had been erected around it - Afghanistan and Iraq - were torn down. Several analysts argue that since about 2005 Iran has evolved rapidly from a theocracy into a garrison state, in which the military dominates political, economic, and cultural life.<ref>[http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-revolutionary-guards-corps-inc Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, Inc.] ''Washington Institute'', Mehdi Khalaji, Aug 17, 2007</ref>

Unlike Sunnis who emphasize sectarian differences with minority Shiites, the Iranian regime emphasizes the Israeli bogeyman because they estimate this gains them Arab [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=street+cred street cred] and diverts attention from the Shia rise to power. They ultimately believe they have earned the right to speak on behalf of the whole Muslim world.<ref>[https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multimedia/20061018-the-shia-revival-how-conflicts-within-islam-will-shape-the-future The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future], Carnegie Council, October 18, 2006</ref>

==Government==
[[File:Ali khamenei in March 2021.jpg|right|225px|thumb|[[Ali Khamenei]], second Supreme Leader for life of the Islamic Republic.]]
The December 1979 Iranian constitution defines the political, economic, and social order of the Islamic republic. The document establishes Shi'a Islam of the Twelver (Jaafari) sect as Iran's official religion. Sunni Islam, [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Judaism]] and Christianity are the only other recognized, legal minority religions. But Iran is the eighth country on the World Watch List of [[Open Doors]]. The country is governed by secular and religious leaders through governing bodies, whose duties often overlap. (See also:[[Christians in Iran]])

The Supreme Leader holds power for life unless removed by the Assembly of Experts. He has final say on all domestic, foreign, and security policies for Iran, though he establishes and supervises those policies in consultation with the Expediency Council. The Leader is the final arbiter on all differences or disputes among the various branches of government. He appoints officials to key positions including the head of judiciary and the 12 members of the Guardian Council (six directly, six indirectly). He has power to disqualify candidates or remove an elected official from office. The Supreme Leader and is also the [[commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces.

The constitution stipulates that the Assembly of Experts, which currently consists of the 86 popularly-elected clerics elected to 8-year terms, chooses the Supreme Leader based on jurisprudent qualifications and commitment to the principles of the revolution. The Assembly of Experts reviews his performance periodically and has the power to depose and replace him. Pragmatic conservative candidates generally polled better than their hardline conservative opponents during the December 15, 2006 elections to the Assembly of Experts. (Turnout for this vote, which coincided with municipal council elections, was quite high, topping 60%.) Citizens will not vote for representatives to the Assembly again until 2014.

The Council of Guardians consists of 12 persons. The Supreme Leader appoints the six religious members of the Council of Guardians while the Iranian parliament, the Majles, selects the six lay members from candidates recommended by the judiciary, which is in turn selected by the Supreme Leader. The non-clerics play a role only in determining whether legislation before the [[Majles]] conforms to Iran's constitution. The religious members, on the other hand, take part in all deliberations, considering all bills for conformity to Islamic principles. The Council of Guardians can veto any law. This body also certifies the competence of candidates for the presidency, the Assembly of Experts, and the Majles.

The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran is elected by universal suffrage to a 4-year term. The president supervises the affairs of the executive branch, appointing and supervising the Council of Ministers (members of the cabinet), coordinating government decisions, and selecting government policies to be placed before the National Assembly.

The Majles, or National Assembly, consists of 290 members elected to 4-year terms. The members of the legislature are elected by direct and secret ballot from among the candidates approved by the Council of Guardians.

In 1988, Ayatollah Khomeini created the Council for Expediency, which resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians fail to reach an agreement. Since 1989, it has been used to advise the national religious leader on matters of national policy as well. It is composed of the president, the speaker of the Majles, the judiciary chief, the clerical members of the Council of Guardians, and other members appointed by the Supreme Leader for 3-year terms. Cabinet members and Majles committee chairs also serve as temporary members when issues under their jurisdictions are considered. In 2005, it was announced that the Expediency Council, which now has over 40 members, would have responsibility for general supervision of the system, though that has not resulted in any noticeable change in this institution's day-to-day authority or operations.

Judicial authority is constitutionally vested in the Supreme Court and the four-member High Council of the Judiciary; these are two separate groups with overlapping responsibilities and have one head. Together, they are responsible for supervising the enforcement of all laws and for establishing judicial and legal policies.

Iran has two military forces. The national military is charged with defending Iran's borders, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is charged mainly with maintaining internal and external security. Iran also uses proxy militias and foreign terrorist organizations to execute its foreign policy designs throughout the world.

Iran has 30 provinces managed by an appointed governor general. The provinces are further divided into counties, districts, and villages. Sixty percent of eligible voters took part in the first ever municipal and local council elections in 1999, though a lower percentage went to the polls in the second round in 2003. Turnout during the December 15, 2006 elections, during which citizens also elected Assembly of Expert representatives, was over 60%. The local councils select mayors.

The March 2008 elections resulted in the conservatives getting a significant lead in the polls, with Conservative politician Shahabeddin Sadr saying that, during early counting, 70 per cent of winners were "principlists" - a label conservatives use to describe their loyalty to the Islamic Republic's ideals.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/15/2190618.htm Conservatives forge ahead in Iran parliament vote], ABC Online, 15 March 2008</ref>

Iranian brutality is infamous. A rare admission by Iranian authorities in Aug/2021came about only due to hackers exposing inages of brutal beating of political prisoners.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-prisons-head-apologises-after-leaked-pictures-show-abuse-2021-08-24/ Iran prisons head apologises after leaked pictures show abuse], Reuters, Aug 24, 2021.</ref>

===Principal Government Officials===

*Supreme Lead and [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the Armed Forces—[[Ali Hosseini-Khamenei]]
*President—Ebrahim Raisi
*First Vice President—Eshaq Jahangiri
*Foreign Minister—Mohammad Javad Zarif
*Ambassador to the United Nations—Majid Takht-Ravanchi
[[File:Raisi.PNG|right|225px|thumb|Ebrahim "the Butcher" Raisi became president in June 2021.<ref name=dm>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9703465/Ultraconservative-Butcher-Ebrahim-Raisi-WINS-Iranian-presidential-election-rivals-concede.html Ultraconservative 'Butcher' Ebrahim Raisi who ordered thousands killed in mass executions and tortured pregnant women wins Iranian presidential election],
Gemma Parry for MailOnLine</ref>]]
====The Butcher====

In June, 2021, more radical (even amongst already radicals) [[Ebrahim Raisi]], ''Butcher of Tehran'' responsible for some 30,000 deaths<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1439984/iran-presidential-election-Ebrahim-Raisi-Hassan-Rouhani-latest Butcher' linked to 30000 deaths set to become new President of Iran], Express, UK, May 23, 2021. ''THE mastermind behind the massacre of 30000 dissidents has emerged as the regime's favourite to win next month's presidential .''</ref> was (so-called<ref name=scotsman/>) "elected" as head. Helped by the low turnout.<ref name=dm/><ref>[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-times-view-on-ebrahim-raisi-the-butcher-of-tehran-l80cfg20r The Times view on Ebrahim Raisi: The Butcher of Tehran] The Times, June 21, 2021</ref>
<ref>[https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/06/20/low-voter-turnout-sees-butcher-of-tehran-named-next-iranian-president/ Low voter turnout sees 'Butcher of Tehran' named next Iranian president]
''Amnesty International decries results in Iranian elections, says ultraconservative Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi should be investigated for alleged crimes against humanity. FM Lapid: Raisi's election should prompt renewed determination to immediately halt Iran's nuclear program and put an end to its destructive regional ambitions.''
By Daniel Siryoti , Dean Shmuel Elmas and News Agencies, Israel Hayom, 06-20-2021</ref> There are hortific tales of tortured pregnant women and threw people off cliffs, among countless other brutal acts of violence.<ref name=sun>[https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/horror-acts-of-irans-next-president-ebrahim-the-butcher-raisi/news-story/47fe66081ede923244af732a3bcd6926 Horror acts of Iran’s ‘next president’ Ebrahim ‘The Butcher’ Raisi] J. Lockett, The Sun, June 19, 2021</ref>

In 1980, at the age of just 20, Raisi was appointed prosecutor of the revolutionary court of Karaj, west of Tehran, and by 1988 he had been promoted deputy prosecutor of Tehran. Raisi was a member of the so-called “Death Commission”, which ordered thousands to be killed in the massacre of 1988. He then became one of four individuals selected to carry out the slaughter of imprisoned activists of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI). Some 30,000 men, women and children held in prisons all over Iran were lined up against the wall and shot within just a few months, say those battling to oust the regime.<ref name=sun/>

On September 30, 2019, Raisi described his cruelty by saying:<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-conservative-judicial-chief-leads-probe-into-downing-of-jet-11579209163</ref><ref>https://www.ncr-iran.org</ref><blockquote> “'''We will not cut the fingers of those who are corrupt; we will cut off their entire hand'''.”</blockquote>

=====Media's portrayal=====

Raisi was categorized as a "hardliner" Hinting of a supposed phenomenon of "moderate" existing anywhere in the cruel Mullahcracy.

Correctly clarified:<ref name=nypost>[https://nypost.com/2021/06/20/graham-slams-biden-for-wanting-to-rejoin-iran-nuclear-deal/ Sen. Graham slams Biden for wanting to rejoin Iran nuclear deal] Mark Moore, NYPost, June 20, 2021</ref>

"There are no moderates on the ballot in Iran. The ayatollah is a religious Nazi, he controls the place. Religious zealots run the place. Why in the world do you want to give massive enrichment capability to the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, I don’t know.”

There are no reformists in Iran.<ref name=scotsman>[https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/irans-next-president-set-to-be-ruthless-executioner-ebrahim-raisi-after-sham-elections-could-be-the-clerical-regimes-last-struan-stevenson-3251674 Iran's next president, set to be ruthless executioner Ebrahim Raisi after sham elections, could be the clerical regime's last – Struan Stevenson]
''The presidential elections scheduled for June 18 in Iran will, as usual, be a sham.'' By Struan Stevenson, The Scotsman, May 30, 2021.</ref>

=====Butcher's cabinet=====
In Aug. 2021, the butcher of Tehran, Raisi, presented a cabinet dominated by hardliners on Wednesday, state TV reported, among them a foreign minister known for close ties to Hezbollah and an interior minister wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires.

''New interior minister Ahmad Vahidi sought by Interpol; the president's pick for top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, is an avowed anti-Westerner with ties to IRGC, Hezbollah.''

The 1994 bombing of Jewish center AMIA in [[Argentina]] killed 85 and wounded hundreds.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-raisi-taps-minister-wanted-for-role-in-buenos-aires-jewish-center-bombing/ Iran’s Raisi taps minister wanted for role in Buenos Aires Jewish Center bombing], AP and TOI Staff,11 August 2021.
''New interior minister Ahmad Vahidi sought by Interpol; the president's pick for top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, is an avowed anti-Westerner with ties to IRGC, Hezbollah.''</ref>

===Political conditions===

Iran's post-revolution difficulties have included an 8-year war with Iraq, internal political struggles and unrest, and economic disorder. The early days of the regime were characterized by severe human rights violations and political turmoil, including the seizure of the U.S. Embassy compound and its occupants on 4 November 1979, by Iranian student militants. Iranian authorities released the 52 hostages only after 444 days of captivity, minutes after [[Ronald Reagan]]'s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States.<ref>[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/iran-hostage-crisis-ends Iran Hostage Crisis Ends], ''History.com''</ref>
[[Image:Iran ethnoreligious distribution 2004.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ethnoreligious distribution]]
By mid-1982, the clergy had won a succession of post-Revolution power struggles that eliminated first the center of the political spectrum and then the leftists, including the communist Tudeh party and the cult-like Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO). Assassinations, throwing acid in the faces of women who refused to wear the veil, and other acts of violence punctuated this period. There has been some moderation of excesses since the early days of the revolution, and the country experienced a partial "thaw" in terms of political and social freedoms during the tenure of former president Khatami, but serious problems remained. The administration of former President Ahmadi-Nejad had witnessed a crackdown on Iranian civil society, continued human rights violations, and worsening constraints on press freedom and civil liberties. Current president [[Hassan Rouhani]] did not changed anything.

The Islamic Republican Party (IRP) was Iran's sole political party until its [[dissolution]] in 1987. Iran now has a variety of groups engaged in political activity; some are oriented along ideological lines or based on an identity group, others are more akin to professional political parties seeking members and recommending candidates for office. Some have been active participants in the Revolution's political life while others reject the state. Conservatives consistently thwarted the efforts of reformists during the Khatami era and have consolidated their control on power since the flawed elections for the seventh Majles in 2004 and president Ahmadi-Nejad's victory in 2005. The party of Khamenei is the Combatant Clergy Association. President [[Hassan Rouhani]] is a member of it.

The Iranian Government has faced armed opposition from a number of groups, including the MEK (which the U.S. Government added to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 1999), the People's Fedayeen, and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).

[[File:Shia Superpower.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Iranian ambitions to become a nuclear superpower.]]
===World domination===

Gradually since the 1980s, the Islamic Republic has been actively involved in its global spread.

In recent years it has become more emboldened.<ref>[https://www.hudson.org/research/9807-iran-takes-on-the-world Iran Takes on the World] Jamsheed K. Choksy, ''The Hudson inst.''</ref>

====Apocalyptic motivation, goal in world domination====

Their Islamic messianic creed is the raison d'être for the Islamic Republic of Iran according to its founders and leaders.
<ref>[https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/the-fall-of-soleimnai-and-the-mahdi-doctrine-615654/amp The fall of Qasem Soleimani and the Mahdi Doctrine], ''Jpost,'' Jan 29, 2020</ref>

''They believe the Shia messiah known as the “Twelfth Imam” or the “Mahdi” will appear soon to establish a global Islamic kingdom''.
<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-irans-top-leaders-believe-that-the-end-of-days-has-come.amp Why Iran's Top Leaders Believe That the End of Days Has Come], ''Fox News,'' Nov 7, 2011.</ref>

Shiite Iran (and its Hezbollah), and the Sunni ISIS, both believe that any moment now their "messiah", will appear. Iran and ISIS are both eager to hasten the coming of their Mahdi.
<ref>[https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/09/radical-islam-iran-isis-apocalytpic-messiah-mahdi/amp/ Radical Islam? Apocalyptic Islam Poses the Greater Threat], ''NRO'', Sep 11, 2015</ref>

====Support for global terrorism====
:{{See also|Khobar Towers bombing|2021 Gaza War}}
The Iranian government supports and funds [[Islamic terrorist]] organizations in various countries, doing so since the Islamic revolution in 1979.<ref>Nazarian, Adelle (October 13, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/10/13/brief-timeline-iran-sponsored-terrorism-since-1979/ A Brief Timeline of Iran-Sponsored Terrorism Since 1979]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved October 13, 2017.</ref> The U.S. Department of State labels Iran as a leading state sponsor of terror.<ref>Lee, Matthew (July 19, 2017). [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/iran-still-top-state-sponsor-terrorism-u-s-report-says/ Iran still top state sponsor of terrorism, U.S. report says]. ''PBS'' (from the ''Associated Press''). Retrieved October 13, 2017.</ref> The Islamic Republic works through its proxies: in the [[Middle East]],
<ref>[https://www.rand.org/blog/2019/10/irans-proxies-are-more-powerful-than-ever.html Iran's Proxies Are More Powerful Than Ever], ''RAND'', Oct. 16, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.csis.org/war-by-proxy War by Proxy: Iran’s Growing Footprint in the Middle East], ''CSIS'' Briefs, March 11, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/hezbollah-revolutionary-irans-most-successful-export/amp/ Hezbollah: Revolutionary Iran's most successful export], ''Brookings Institution,'' Jan 17, 2019</ref> such as: [[Hezbollah]], [[Houthis]], "Palestinian" [[Islamic Jihad]], it is strongly [[Hamas]] linked. Its bases of operations in [[South America]] works through Hezbollah network, via local Arab-Muslims in the community in: [[Venezuela]], [[Maicao]]/ [[Colombia]]n/Venzuelan border;<ref>[https://www.securefreesociety.org/designating-hezbollah-as-a-terrorist-group-is-a-legal-tool/ Designating Hezbollah As A Terrorist Group Is A Legal Tool], Joseph M. Humire. SFS, Jan 21, 2020</ref> Tri-Border area<ref>[https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/fighting-terror-the-tri-border-area Fighting Terror in the Tri-Border Area], ''Wilson Center,'' Dec 9, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.lawfareblog.com/iran-and-hezbollahs-presence-around-world Iran and Hezbollah's Presence Around the World], ''Lawfare'', Jan 8, 2020</ref> in [[Argentina]]/[[Brazil]]/[[Paraguay]]). In recent years it has even expanded its TV channel in Spanish.

According to a U.S. court record for the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings, [[Osama Bin Laden]] was living in Khartoum, Sudan when Sudanese religious scholar Ahmed Abdel Rahman Hamadabi brought Shekih Nomani an emissary of Iran to meet the [[Al-Qaeda]] leadership. Sheikh Nomani was described as having "had access to the highest echelons of power in Tehran.<ref>Rohan Gunaratna, "[https://books.google.com/books?id=WDkqQSWFvvIC&pg=PA146#v=onepage&q&f=false Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror]," (Columbia University Press, 2002), p.146</ref> This meeting resulted in an informal agreement between Iran and Al-Qaeda to cooperate, with Iran providing critical explosives, intelligence and security training to Bin Laden's organization.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org">https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-iran-al-qaeda-conundrum</ref> Iran continued to provide support to Al-Qaeda even after they relocated to Afghanistan in 1996. Iranian officials helped Al-Qaeda members transit through Iran to Afghanistan. Iranian border guards were instructed not to stamp their passports, to prevent their home governments from suspecting that they had traveled to Afghanistan.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org"/> A section of the 9/11 commission states that shortly after the meetings between Iran and Al-Qaeda in Sudan in 1991,"senior Al-Qaeda operatives and trainers traveled to Iran to receive training in explosives. In the fall of 1993, another such delegation went to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon for further training in explosives as well as in intelligence and security. Bin Laden reportedly showed particular interest in learning how to use truck bombs such as the one that had killed 241 U.S Marines in Lebanon in 1983. The relationship between Al-Qaeda and Iran demonstrated that Sunni-Shia divisions did not necessarily pose an insurmountable barrier to cooperation in terrorist operations."<ref>[https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf#page=257 The 9/11 Commission Report] Page 257 (PDF)</ref>

Iran and Al-Qaeda cooperation continues to this day. The State Department's Country Reports on terrorism has noted that, "Iran has allowed [Al-Qaeda] facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through Iran since at least 2009, enabling [Al-Qaeda] to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria."<ref>[https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2019/02/06/irans-support-for-al-qaeda-is-incompatible-with-fatf-standards/ Iran’s Support for al-Qaeda is Incompatible with FATF Standards], ''FDD,'' Feb 6, 2019</ref>

See: [[Guardian of walls]] - Iranian proxy war
[[File:Obama UN.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Barack Obama addressing the United nations: "The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam."]]

====Iranian nuclear deal====

:{{See also|Iranian nuclear deal}}
The Iranian nuclear deal or the [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]] (JCPOA) was a failed [[diplomatic]] agreement by the Obama administration negotiated by [[John Kerry]] to help Iran get 150 billion dollars of U.S. taxpayer money and American banks. Iran then used this money for terrorism.

Then-President [[Obama]] said the joint agreement put Iran on the path of having [[nuclear weapons]] in 13 years. Obama finalized the agreement on January 21, 2016 when he signed [[Executive Order]] 13716.

The deal supposedly limited Iran's uranium enrichment, but it did not stop Iranian support of terrorist groups like the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], [[Hamas]] and [[Hezbollah]]. It also did not address Iran's expansionist ambitions in the [[Middle East]].
<ref>(Ghoraba, Hany). [https://www.investigativeproject.org/7465/why-egypt-supports-us-withdrawal-from-iran Why Egypt Supports U.S. Withdrawal From Iran Nuclear Deal]. ''The Investigative Project On Terrorism''. Retrieved September 2, 2018.</ref> [[President Donald J. Trump]] rescinded the executive order in May 2018.

===Foreign Relations===
Khomeini's revolutionary regime initiated sharp changes from the foreign policy pursued by the Shah, particularly in reversing the country's orientation toward the West. In the Middle East, Iran's only significant ally has been [[Syria]]. Within the U.N framework of the "[[New World Order]]", as some [[Islamist]]s refer to it, Iran pursues its foreign policy objectives under the ''kufr'' Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations as it covertly promotes [[terrorism]]. Western governments have labeled Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism.<ref>[http://www.cfr.org/iran/state-sponsors-iran/p9362 State Sponsors: Iran], Greg Bruno, Council on Foreign Relations, Updated: October 13, 2011. cfr.org </ref>

Iran's foreign policy and Shi'a brand of Islam promotes Muslim unity<ref>[http://imamalinet.net/old/en/es/esa/esal/esall/esall.htm Imams call People to Islamic Unity], Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar. imamalinet.net </ref> whereas Sunni Salafi-jihadists consider Shi'ism not as a dissident sect, but rather as treasonous to the people of God (''ulema'') and worthy of the death penalty (''takfir'').

Iran's foreign relations are based on sometimes competing objectives. Iran's pragmatic foreign policy goals include, not surprisingly, protecting itself from external threats and building trade ties. Iran has additionally been accused, however, of trying to export its fundamentalist revolution to other countries, supporting terrorist organizations, and its vehement anti-U.S. and anti-Israel stances are well-known. Senior Iranian officials directed Hezbollah to carry out the bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association) building in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, killing 85 people and wounding scores of others. Out of the eight individuals indicted by the Government of Argentina in October 2006, the Interpol Executive Committee has recommended the issuance of Red Notices (international arrest warrants) against six: five former or current Iranian officials and one Lebanese Hezbollah leader.
[[File:Money-laundering-map-Artboard 1.png|right|400px|thumb|[[Project Cassandra]] discovered a global cocaine smuggling network run by Iran through its proxy, Hezbollah.]]
In September 1980, during the Carter-era [[Iranian hostage crisis]], Iraq invaded Iran to take control of the waterway between the two countries, the Shatt al-Arab, although the conflict's underlying causes included each nation's overt desire for the overthrow of the other's government. Iran defended itself and demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Iranian territory and the return to the status quo ante for the Shatt al-Arab as established under the 1975 Algiers Agreement signed by Iraq and Iran. Khomeini's government turned down an Iraqi cease-fire proposal in 1982, making a new demand for Saddam Hussein's removal as well. After eight punishing years of war, in July 1988, Iran at last agreed to UN Security Council Resolution 598 and the cease-fire was implemented on August 20, 1988. Neither nation had made any real gains in the war.

Iran's relations with many of its Arab neighbors have been strained by Iranian attempts to spread its Islamic revolution, a strictly ideological goal. In 1981, Iran supported a plot to overthrow the Bahrain Government. In 1983, Iran expressed support for Shi'ites who bombed Western embassies in Kuwait, and in 1987, Iranian pilgrims rioted during the hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Nations with strong fundamentalist movements, such as Egypt and Algeria, also mistrust Iran. Iran backs Hezbollah (in Lebanon), Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of [[Palestine]]-General Command, all of which are violently opposed to the Arab-Israeli peace process. In contrast, while relations with west European nations have been uneven, they have been driven primarily by pragmatic goals of trade and security. Iran has accepted stronger commercial ties but largely declined to deliver on key European political concerns such as human rights and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) acquisition efforts, particularly in the nuclear field, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been strongly critical of Iran.

An IAEA report in November 2003 provided evidence that Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), had concealed secret nuclear activities for 18 years. Under international pressure, Iran signed the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement on December 18, 2003, agreeing to suspend all uranium-enrichment and reprocessing activities voluntarily, as well as cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in resolving questions regarding Iran's nuclear program. In June 2004, the IAEA rebuked Iran for failing to fully cooperate with an inquiry into its nuclear activities, and in November 2004, Iran agreed to suspend most of its uranium enrichment under a deal with the EU. That promise did not last, however, and since then concerns over Iran's nuclear activities have increased.

On June 6, 2006, the [[Peoples Republic of China]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Russia]], the [[United States]], and [[United Kingdom]] offered Iran a substantial package of economic cooperation and assistance. Tehran, however, was first required to come into compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines on its nuclear program, suspending its [[uranium]] enrichment program. On July 31, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1696 on the Iranian nuclear question, requiring Iran to suspend all activities related to enrichment and reprocessing, including research and development, as demanded by the IAEA, or else face possible sanctions. Tehran defied the UN Security Council (UNSC) deadline of August 31, leading to the passage of UNSC Resolution 1636 in December 2006 and, as Iran continued to balk, Resolution 1747 in March 2007.

Iran sparked an international controversy when its forces seized and held hostage 15 British sailors and marines, conducting routine anti-smuggling operations in Iraqi territorial waters under UN mandate, on March 23, 2007. Tehran released the U.K. service members on April 6.

Iran maintains regular diplomatic and commercial relations with Russia and the former Soviet republics. Both Iran and Russia believe they have important national interests at stake in developments in Central Asia and the Transcaucasus, particularly regarding energy resources from the Caspian Sea. Russian and other sales of military equipment and technology to Iran concern Iran's neighbors and the United States. Prior to the [[Obama administration]], the United States was concerned about Russian assistance in building at nuclear facility at Bushehr.

Iran spends about 3.3% of its GDP on its military. Iran's military consists of both a national military held over from the shah's government and the IRGC, each with its own ground, naval and air branches. The Iran-Iraq war took a heavy toll on these military forces. Iran has modernized its military, including ballistic missile programs, and weapons of mass destruction; it continues to seek nuclear capabilities. On November 7, 2007, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had 3,000 centrifuges operating in its uranium enrichment program, which would be enough to produce a nuclear weapon.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20150114175101/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/07/ahmadinejad-announces-iran-uranium-enrichment-milestone/ Ahmadinejad Announces Iran Uranium Enrichment Milestone] ''Associated Press,'' ''Fox News,'' November 07, 2007</ref> However, a December, 2007 U.S. intelligence report stated that Iran halted its nuclear program in 2003, and remains on hold. According to the National Intelligence Estimate, "We do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons."<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/ts_nm/iran_usa_dc Report contradicts Bush on Iran nuclean program]</ref>

In early 2021 the [[Peoples Republic of China]] signed a massive 25-year, over $400-billion infrastructure-for-oil deal with Iran, boosting their military and defense cooperation.<ref>https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-china-sign-25-year-deal-will-see-400bn-chinese-infrastructure-investment-oil</ref>

====Relations with the United States====
[[File:Levinson.jpg|right|250px|thumb|On November 9, 2019, Iran reported that Robert Levinson was still alive.<ref>[https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-makes-stunning-admission-regarding-fbi-agent-gone-missing-since-2007 Iran Acknowledges That FBI Agent Gone Missing Since 2007 Involved In Ongoing Court Case]
Ryan Saavedra, Nov 9, 2019, ''DailyWire.com''</ref> In 2009 FBI director [[Robert Mueller]] and Russian oligarch [[Oleg Deripaska]] colluded in an operation to win Levinson's release.]]
The [[United States]] designated the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] (IRCG) and Quds Force as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2019 based on the IRGC’s “continued support to and engagement in terrorist activity around the world.”<ref>{{cite news |title=Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 |url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Country-Reports-on-Terrorism-2019-2.pdf |agency=Country Reports}}</ref>

On November 4, 1979, militant Iranian students occupied the American Embassy in Tehran with the support of Ayatollah Khomeini. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days, ending only with [[Ronald Reagan]]'s first days in office.<ref>[https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defense-policy/middle-east/reagan-deserves-credit-for-1981-hostage-release/ Reagan deserves credit for 1981 hostage release], ''AEI'', Jan 27, 2016</ref> On April 7, 1980, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran, and on April 24, 1981, the Swiss Government assumed representation of U.S. interests in Tehran. Iranian interests in the United States are represented by the Government of Pakistan. The Islamic Republic of Iran does not have its own embassy in Washington, though it does have a permanent mission to the United Nations in New York City.

In accordance with the Algiers declaration of January 20, 1981, the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal (located in The Hague, Netherlands) was established for the purpose of handling claims of U.S. nationals against Iran and of Iranian nationals against the United States. U.S. contact with Iran through The Hague covers only legal matters.

The U.S. Government, by Executive Orders issued by the President as well as by Congressional legislation, prohibits most trade with Iran. Some sanctions were imposed on Iran because Tehran is a state sponsor of terrorism, others because of the nuclear [[proliferation]] issues, and still more for human rights violations, including infringement of religious freedom. The commercial relations that do exist between the two countries consist mainly of Iranian purchases of food and medical products and U.S. imports of carpets and food. Some sanctions were temporarily waived in the wake of the devastating Bam earthquake of December 2003. U.S. officials and relief workers actively assisted in relief and reconstruction efforts.

There are serious obstacles to improved relations between the two countries. As a state sponsor of terrorism, Iran remains an impediment to international efforts to locate and prosecute terrorists. Recent attempts by Iran to form loose alliances with anti-U.S. governments in the Western Hemisphere, such as the Venezuelan Government, has further heightened concern about Iran's support for terrorism and nuclear ambitions. Operation Iraqi Freedom removed the Iranian Government's greatest security threat, but officially Iran remained neutral about U.S. policy, sometimes strongly condemning American policies and actions in Iraq. Iran has cultural ties to elements of the populations of both Iraq and Afghanistan. It has made some positive contributions to stability in both countries, but other actions have had the opposite effect. It remains to be seen whether Tehran will ultimately be a constructive force in the reconstruction of its two neighbors or not.

The U.S. Government defines its areas of objectionable Iranian behavior as the following:
*Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction;
*Its support for and involvement in international terrorism;
*Its support for violent opposition to the Middle East peace process, as well as its harmful activities particularly in Lebanon, as well as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the region; and
*Its dismal human rights record and lack of respect for its own people.

The United States has held discussions with Iranian representatives on particular issues of concern over the years. U.S. and Iranian envoys cooperated during operations to overthrow the Taliban in 2001 and during the Bonn Conference in 2002 that established a broad-based government for the Afghan people under President Karzai. U.S. Secretary of State [[Condoleeza Rice]], her Iranian counterpart, and others met at talks on Iraq in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on May 3, 2007. The American and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq took part in face-to-face discussions in Baghdad, with Iraqi officials in attendance, on May 28, 2007. The [[Bush administration]] believed, however, that normal relations were impossible until Iran's policies changed.

Nevertheless, the U.S. State Department continued then to support efforts to further the cause of democracy in Iran. In fiscal year (FY) 2006, the U.S. Congress allocated approximately $66 million to promote free media, personal freedom, and a better understanding of western values and culture. As part of those efforts, the Department supported efforts to develop civil society in Iran and exchange programs that would bring Iranian students, athletes, professionals and others to the United States.

Secretary Rice stated that Iranian agreement to abide by UNSC Resolutions 1696 and 1747, calling for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment and comply with its international nuclear obligations, could lead to the direct negotiations between American and Iranian government officials, not only on Iran's nuclear case but on a wide range of issues.

In May 2007, the Iranian Government charged and in some cases imprisoned a handful of innocent Iranian-American scholars, civil society actors, and journalists, accused by the regime of jeopardizing the security of the state. The international community, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private citizens joined the U.S. Government in calling for the release of the detained dual nationals, as well as Iranian cooperation in the case of missing retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, last reported on Kish Island, Iran, on March 8, 2007.

==People==
Iran is not a pluralistic society, but does have some diversity. Persians are the largest predominant ethnic and cultural group in this country, though many are actually of mixed ancestry. The population of the country has important Turkic elements (e.g., Azeris) and Arabs predominate in the southwest. In addition, Iranian citizens include Kurds, Balochi, Bakhtyari, Lurs, and other smaller minorities, such as Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, and Brahuis (or Brohi).
[[File:Persian women from Shiraz Iran.jpg|right|thumb|Persian women from Shiraz.]]
*Population (2020): 84 million.
*Population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.663%.
*Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.
*Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%.
*Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic languages (besides Turkish) 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%.
*Education: Literacy (total population age 15 and over who can read and write, 2003)--79% (male: 86%, female: 73%).
*Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate—38.2 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth (2007)--total population: 70.56 yrs.

The 1979 Islamic revolution and the 1980-88 war with Iraq transformed Iran's class structure politically, socially, and economically. During this period, [[Shia]] clerics took a more dominant position in politics and nearly all aspects of Iranian life, both urban and rural. After the fall of the Pahlavi regime in 1979, much of the urban upper class of prominent merchants, industrialists, and professionals, favored by the former monarch, the shah, lost standing and influence to the senior clergy and their supporters. Bazaar merchants, who were allied with the clergy against the Pahlavi shahs, also have gained political and economic power since the revolution. The urban working class has enjoyed somewhat enhanced status and economic mobility, spurred in part by opportunities provided by revolutionary organizations and the government bureaucracy. Though the number of clergy holding senior positions in the parliament and elsewhere in government has declined since the 1979 revolution, Iran has nevertheless witnessed the rise of a post-revolutionary elite among lay people who are strongly committed to the preservation of the Islamic Republic.

Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 9% belong to the [[Sunni]] branch, which predominates in neighboring Muslim countries. Non-Muslim minorities include [[Zoroastrian]]s, [[Jew]]s, Baha'is, and [[Christian]]s.

There's wide 'religious [[apartheid]]' in Iran,
With Sunnis faring better than non-Muslims.<ref>[https://www.mei.edu/publications/religious-apartheid-iran Religious Apartheid in Iran], H.E. Chehabi, Mei,
January 29, 2009</ref>

==Economy==

Pre-revolutionary Iran's economic development was rapid. Traditionally an agricultural society, by the 1970s Iran had achieved significant industrialization and economic modernization. However, the pace of growth had slowed dramatically by 1978, just before the Islamic revolution. Since the fall of the shah, economic recovery has proven elusive thanks to a combination of factors, including fluctuations in the global energy market. Economic activity was severely disrupted additionally by years of upheaval and uncertainty surrounding the revolution and the introduction of statist economic policies. These conditions were worsened by the war with Iraq and the decline in world oil prices beginning in late 1985. After the war with Iraq ended, the situation began to improve: Iran's GDP grew for two years running, partly from an oil windfall in 1990, and there was a substantial increase in imports. However, Iran had suffered a brain drain throughout the previous decade and wartime policies had resulted in a demographic explosion.
[[File:Iran Pakistan India gas pipeline.JPG|left|thumb|300px|Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.]]
A decrease in oil revenues in 1991 and growing external debt dampened optimism for recovery. In March 1989, the government instituted a new 5-year plan for economic development, which loosened state control and allowed Iran to seek greater latitude in accessing foreign capital. Mismanagement and inefficient bureaucracy, as well as political and ideological infighting, hampered the formulation and execution of a consolidated economic policy, and the Iran fell short of the plan's goals while economic inequality was aggravated. Today, Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. Former President Khatami followed the market reform plans of his predecessor, President Rafsanjani, and indicated that he would pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy, although he made little progress toward that goal. High [[inflation]] and expansive public transfer programs, as well as powerful economic-political vested interests created obstacles for rapid reform.

During the 2005 election campaign, President Ahmadi-Nejad promised to redistribute oil revenues to the impoverished, fund large infrastructure projects, and privatize Iranian state enterprises. He has been criticized within Iran for not carrying through on many of his promises. While establishment of the Imam Reza fund for cheap loans to youth has been popular, a law increasing the minimum was revoked because of the huge strain on employers. The "Shares of Justice" program—distributing shares of state-owned enterprises to the poor—faces a number of potential problems.

Unemployment was estimated to be 20% for 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund. Unemployment, a major problem even before the revolution, has many causes, including population growth, high minimum wage level and other restrictive labor policies. Farmers and peasants enjoyed a psychological boost from the attention given them by the Islamic regime but hardly appear to be better off in economic terms. The government has made progress on rural development, including electrification and road building, but Iran still faces inefficiencies related to agricultural land usage which are politically difficult to reconcile. Agriculture also has suffered from shortages of capital, raw materials, and equipment, problems dating back to the 1980-1988 war with Iraq. (See Foreign Relations above.)

Although Islam guarantees the right to private ownership, banks and some industries—including the petroleum, transportation, utilities, and mining sectors—were nationalized after the revolution under Marxist-influenced economic policies. Starting under President Rafsanjani, Iran has pursued some privatization through its nascent equities markets. However, the industrial sector remains plagued by low labor productivity and shortages of raw materials and spare parts, and is uncompetitive against foreign imports.

Increases in the price of oil starting in 2003 have increased state revenue enormously and permitted a much larger degree of spending on social programs than previously anticipated. However, this has not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. The proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass destruction and military spending overall remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations.

Earnings from Iranian oil exports, projected at $57-$87 billion for 2007–2008, are placed into the Oil Stabilization Fund (OSF), originally designed as a Treasury safety net if oil prices dropped below $20/barrel. In practice, the government has drawn upon the OSF to cover over expenditures. Iran relies on oil for 80% of its export revenue, and 40% of total revenues. (Note: Iran's refining capacity is limited, and Tehran is a net gasoline importer, spending $2.6 billion for foreign gas in 2005.)
[[Image:Iran population density 2004.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Population density]]
*GDP (purchasing power parity, 2006 est.): $599.2 billion.
*GDP (official exchange rate, 2006 est.): $193.5 billion.
*GDP real growth rate (2007 est.): 4.6%.
*GDP composition by sector (2006): Agriculture 11.2%, industry 41.7%, services 47.1%.
*Per capita income (2006 est.): $8,700.
*Work force: 24.36 million.
*Work force - by occupation (2001 est.): Agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%.
*Unemployment rate (2007 est.): 20%.
*Natural resources: [[Petroleum]], [[natural gas]], [[coal]], [[chromium]], [[copper]], iron ore, lead manganese, [[zinc]], [[sulfur]].
*Agriculture: Principal products—wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar. Note: Iran is not self-sufficient in terms of food.
*Industry: Types—petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (particularly steel and copper), armaments.
*Trade (2007 est.): Exports--$56.9 billion: petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, carpets, fruits, nuts. Major export partners (2006): Japan (17.3%), China (11.4%), Italy (6.2%), South Korea (5.2%), South Africa (5.5%), Turkey (5.7%), Netherlands (4.6%), France (4.1%), Taiwan (4.1%). Imports--$48.1 billion: industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies. Major import partners: Germany (14.2%), U.A.E. (6.7%), China (8.3%), Italy (7.5%), France (6.2%), South Korea (5.4%), Russia (4.9%).

==Law==
Because of its Shi'ite character, the Islamic Republic of Iran is referred to as ''Rafida'', or ''rejectionist'' of the [[orthodox]] [[Salafi]] traditions handed down thru Ibn Taymiyyah, [[Wahhabi|Abd al-Wahhab]], and others. <ref>Sunnis speak of the "Prophet and his companions" as the source of divine inspiration, whereas the Shi'a reject the companions (the first 3 "Rightly-Guided Caliphs") and follow the Prophet's bloodline (the "First Imam"). </ref> Iran has been ruled under the Shi'a interpretation of ''[[Shariah]]'' since 1979.
[[Homosexuality|Homosexuals]] get the death penalty in Iran.
<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297982,00.html Iran Does Far Worse Than Ignore Gays, Critics Say] Fox News, September 25, 2007</ref> However, in a speech at Columbia University, the president of Iran stated that homosexuality does not exist in his nation.

In Iran, production and consumption of alcohol by Muslims is prohibited. However, Iranian law makes an exception for minority groups, such as the Christian [[Armenia]]ns, who are allowed to produce and consume [[wine]] and distilled spirits. Naturally, these communities produce far more alcohol than they consume, "illegally" selling it to Muslims who drink in contradiction of [[Sharia]] law.

Prostitution is also prohibited in Iran, but there are allegations that نكاح المتعة (temporary marriage, legal in [[Usuli]] [[Shia]] jurisprudence) is exploited to solemnize marriages of such short duration (hours or days) that the activities thus permitted more resemble dating (if money is not exchanged) or prostitution (if a fee is charged for the marriage).

==Military==
[[Image:Iran industry mining78.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Iranian industry and mining]]
Iran has it own weapons industry and also relies upon its Chinese communist and Russian allies to supply the latest weapons technology and equipment which can be easily and cheaply duplicated in Iranian factories. In addition, it holds sizable stockpiles purchased from the United States in the [[Cold War]] era prior to 1979.

The Quds Force (Jerusalem Force) is the organization tasked with Iran's external covert, paramilitary, terrorist and intelligence functions. Quds Force also carries out some [[diplomacy|diplomatic]] functions.<ref>http://citizenship.typepad.com/isebrandcom/2013/10/perhaps-the-most-important-military-leader-opposing-the-us-who-youve-never-heard-of.html </ref> As the name implies, the Jerusalem Force was organized to capture [[Jerusalem]] from Israel. Its leader answers directly to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as of 2021.

===In Syria===
[[Iran]] has for years sought to entrench itself militarily in Syria. It has active military bases in Syria and tenths of thousands of fighters.
<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-has-10-military-bases-in-syria-two-near-israel-border-analyst/ Iran has 10 military bases in Syria, two near Israel border], TOI, Feb 19, 2018.
''Up to 20,000 fighters from various militias throughout the war-torn country have been trained by Iranian military personnel, giving Tehran its “true muscle” in Syria, according to the Monday report in The New York Times...''</ref><ref>[https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/iran-strengthens-military-presence-eastern-syria Iran Strengthens Military Presence in Eastern Syria], Voice of America, Nov 23, 2020.
<blockquote>Iranian forces continue to expand their military presence in parts of eastern Syria, a move, analysts say, that could undermine U.S.-led efforts in the fight against the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

Iran, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, controls parts of the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour, particularly areas along the border with Iraq. With the help of thousands of foreign and local militiamen, Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has consolidated its hold over a large territory in Syria since the beginning of the country's civil war in 2011.

The United States in 2019 designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization for its destabilizing role in the Middle East.</blockquote></ref>

==Disputed Territories==
===South Azerbaijan===
{{main|South Azerbaijan Independence Movement}}

===West Balochistan===
{{main|Balochistan(Country)}}

West Balochistan was invaded and annexed by Iran in 1928. <ref>[https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/180927/31c68a20991b5a98b0dece4fd929c9c8.pdf The Baluch insurgency: linking Iran to Pakistan], ''The Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran has long been associated with instability and armed conflict.'' NOREF (PDF)</ref>

==Further reading==
*[http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?contentGUID=e3d7a4b3-5763-41db-afaf-9f5b2304ca9f Iran: Western Spy Networks Discovered], May 26, 2007.
*[http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21816881-38197,00.html Iranian-American charged with spying], May 29, 2007.

==See also==
* [[Democracy in Iran]]
* [[Big government]] [[Welfare state]] leads to [[socialist]] [[Nanny state]], leads to [[communist]] [[Police state]] - Don't think [[Communism]] is incompatible with [[Islam]].
* [[Gun control]] - key element to create a police state
* [[Iranian nuke deal]]
* [[Press TV]]
* [[Hezbollah]]
* [[Islamic anti-Semitism]]
* [[Jihad]]
* [[Essay:Women's Rights in Iran]]
* [[Previous Breaking News/Iran|Articles about '''Iran''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

==References==
*http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5314.htm
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/06/16/iran_leader_calls_for_alliance_against_west/ Iran leader calls for alliance against West.]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ Purim, Haddasah Hospital in Jerusalem, and Iran's Nuclear Bomb]

* [http://www.president.ir/eng/ Official website of the President of Iran]
* [http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/ The blog of the President of Iran]
* [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articlenavigation/index.isc Encyclopædia Iranica]

{{Asian Countries}}
{{Terrorism}}
{{Copyright Details (US Government)}}
[[Category:Iran]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern Countries]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Dictatorships]]
[[Category:Welfare State]]
[[Category:Police State]]
[[Category:Gun Control]]
[[Category:Oppression]]
[[Category:Forms of Government]]
[[Category:Anti-American]]

E. R. Minchew

2021-09-24T22:00:04Z

Conservapedia Guard: Style

{{Infobox person
| name=Elmer Reid Minchew 
(Speech professor at Louisiana Tech University)
| image=E.R.Minchew.jpg
| birth_date=January 26, 1908
| birth_place=Taylor, Bienville Parish [[Louisiana]], [[United States|USA]]
| death_date=July 1, 2001 (aged 93)
| death_place=[[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]], Louisiana
|spouse=Gladys Crawford Minchew (married 1934-1987, her death) 
'''Children ''': 
Michael Bert Minchew, I 
Mary Lynn Minchew Hooper 
Seven grandchildren 
'''Parents''': 
Elmer and Sallie Reid Minchew
'''Alma mater''': 
Castor High School 
[[Louisiana College]] 
[[Louisiana State University]]
|religion=[[Southern Baptist]]
|footnotes=
}}'''Elmer Reid Minchew''', usually known as '''E. R. Minchew''' (January 26, 1908 – July 1, 2001), was a prominent [[Louisiana]] [[educator]] whose career spanned the forty-six years from 1929 to 1975.

==Background==

Minchew was born in [[rural]] Taylor in Bienville Parish] in northwestern Louisiana to Elmer Minchew (1879–1971), a [[railroad]] employee, and the former Sallie Reid (1881–1975). Elmer and Sallie Minchew are interred at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery near Gibsland in Bienville Parish.</ref>

Minchew graduated from Castor High School in Castor in Bienville Parish, where in 1925, he was the senior class president. In 1929, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from [[Southern Baptist]]-affiliated [[Louisiana College]] in [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], at which he was president of the junior and senior classes and the state collegiate champion in oratory and debate.<ref name=obit>Dr. Elmer Reid Minchew obituary, ''The Shreveport Times,'' July 2, 2001, Retrieved December 2, 2010.</ref>

Minchew subsequently received his [[Master of Arts]] and [[Ph.D.]] in 1938 and 1955, respectively, from [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]].<ref name=whoswho>"E.R. Minchew," ''Who's Who in America,'' Vol 2, 38th ed. (1974–1975), p. 2166.</ref> He began his teaching career as assistant principal and coach from 1929 to 1930 at Bienville High School in Bienville, followed by two years in the same capacities at Lisbon High School in Claiborne Parish.

==Castor High School==

In 1932, Minchew returned to his alma mater, Castor High School, as principal, coach, and debate sponsor, a position that he held until 1964, except for three years of service in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during [[World War II]].<ref name=obit/><ref name=mph/> Among Minchew's top debate students was Doris Lacy Barnes (1925-2020), the oldest of the three daughters of state Representative [[Len Lacy]] of Castor. Another debate student was [[DeWitt T. Methvin, Jr.]], a 1940 Castor High School graduate who later became an [[attorney]] in his native [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], Louisiana. Methvin's mother, [[Myrtis Methvin|Myrtis Lucille Gregory Methvin]], was the [[mayor]] of Castor from 1933 to 1945, the second woman mayor in the state.<ref>[[Lula Wardlow]] of Montgomery in Grant Parish, however, preceded Methvin as a female mayor, having served from 1926 to 1930.</ref>

A Methvin grandson describes Castor as "one of the most progressive schools in Bienville Parish. Dr. E. R. Minchew was the principal there from 1932 to 1964, and he was well respected. Castor High School had one of the best debate teams in the state at the time." Another Castor student during Minchew's tenure as principal was [[Enoch T. Nix]], later a banker from [[Bossier City]] and a 30-year member of the Louisiana State Board of Education and its replacement body, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Nix died six months after Minchew's passing.<ref>[[Enoch T. Nix]] obituary, ''The Shreveport Times,'' December 14, 2001, accessed June 9, 2011}}</ref>

In 1938, Minchew published a short article entitled, "Integrated Teaching in the Secondary School," in the ''Quarterly Journal of Speech.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a912134153~frm=titlelink|title=Integrated Teaching in the Secondary School|publisher=''Quarterly Journal of Speech'' Vol. 24, Issue 3 (October 1938), pp. 373-375|accessdate=December 2, 2010}}</ref>

Minchew's educational career was interrupted by three years of service in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during [[World War II]].<ref>"Castor Principal Will Be Speaker at Men's Club", ''Minden Press,'' July 20, 1959, p. 1.</ref>

During most of Minchew's tenure, Clovis Holley Pullig (1917-2013), was a Castor High School faculty member. She was later a two-term alderman and three-term mayor of the nearby village of Ashland in northern Natchitoches Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/shreveporttimes/obituary.aspx?n=clovis-pullig&pid=162305401&fhid=10221#fbLoggedOut|title=Clovis Pullig obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=January 13, 2013}}</ref>

==At Louisiana Tech==

After his tenure in Castor, Minchew became professor and chairman of the speech department at [[Louisiana Tech University]], under president Foster Jay Taylor, Jr. (1923-2011), also a native of Bienville Parish. He remained in that role for eleven years until his final retirement, effective August 31, 1975.<ref>Confirmed by the human resources department at [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]].</ref>

Minchew was a past president of the Louisiana Teachers Association and attended national conventions<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0CdRxyDjq88C&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=E.+R.+MInchew+of+Louisiana&source=bl&ots=jIcdv_EL1S&sig=ftkOhHeDHTj67meTO9R-Q_c1L0Y&hl=en&ei=a3P4TLGrMcH78AaVwrCBAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=E.%20R.%20MInchew%20of%20Louisiana&f=false|author=Carol F. Karpinski|title=''A Visible Company of Professionals: African Americans and the National Education Association During the Civil Rights Movement''|publisher=[[New York City]]: Peter Lang, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4331-0025-3|accessdate=December 2, 2010}}</ref> before the organization was desegregated and became the Louisiana Association of Educators. By that time, he had already joined the Louisiana Tech faculty. Minchew was also a past president of Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, president of the Bienville Teacher's Association, and in 1972 the president of the Louisiana Tech Faculty Senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latech.edu/universitysenate/pastpresidents.shtml|title=Past Presidents of the Louisiana Tech University Faculty Senate|publisher=latech.edu|accessdate=December 2, 2010; no longer on-line.}}</ref> Minchew was a worthy grand master of the Masonic lodge and director of education for the Grand Lodge of Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/artdec01/Demits.htm|title=Stemming the Flow|publisher=masonicworld.com|accessdate=September 18, 2019}}</ref> Minchew was a deacon at the First Baptist Church in downtown Ruston.

As a speech professor, Minchew was known to require students to pronounce "Louisiana" as LOU ZHE ANA, the common reference in the northern part of the state, rather than LA WEE ZEE ANA, a pronunciation more common in the south. Either is considered correct. An unidentified student of Minchew's writes: "If the broadcasters in Louisiana had from the beginning of time taken Dr. Minchew's correct pronunciation of the word ... we wouldn't have the national media saying that the name has too many syllables. ... I have done commercial production and voice work throughout our state and other states and always use Dr. Minchew's pronunciation--never had it thrown back at me for a re-do."

After retirement, Minchew continued to speak before civic groups in his state, having made more than a thousand such addresses in his lifetime.<ref name=mph>"Minchew to appear," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' January 21, 1976, p. 1.</ref>

==Family and death==

On June 5, 1934, Minchew married the former Gladys Crawford (April 2, 1913 – December 15, 1987), who was an elementary schoolteacher at Castor. The couple had two children, Michael Bert Minchew, I (born 1938), and his wife, the former Norma Jean Ellis (born 1939), of Richardson, [[Texas]], and Mary Lynn Hooper (born 1944) and husband Robert Lee Hooper (born 1939), of Mancos in far southwestern [[Colorado]], previously of Lordsburg in southern [[New Mexico]]. Mary was formerly married to Howard Merrill Goodwyn (born 1940) of Arlington, Texas.<ref name=whoswho/> Minchew had a sister, Lois M. Perritt (1919–2011), a 1936 graduate of Castor High School; a nephew, Ronald Perritt of Baton Rouge,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetowntalk/obituary.aspx?n=lois-minchew-perritt&pid=150212718|title=Lois Minchew Perritt|publisher=''[[Alexandria Town Talk]''|date=April 12, 2011|accessdate=April 12, 2011}}</ref> seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.<ref name=obit/>

Minchew died at his home in Ruston at the age of ninety-three. Services were held on July 3, 2001, at First Baptist Church in Ruston. He is interred beside his wife at Springhill Cemetery in Ringgold in Bienville Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/bienville/cemeteries/springhillcem.txt|title=Burials at Springhill Cemetery|publisher=files.usgwarchives.net|accessdate=December 2, 2010}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minchew, E.R.}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Educators]]
[[Category:Professors]]
[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:Baptists]]

E. R. Minchew

2021-09-24T21:59:18Z

Conservapedia Guard: Style

{{Infobox person
| name=Elmer Reid Minchew 
(Speech professor at Louisiana Tech University)
| image=E.R.Minchew.jpg
| birth_date=January 26, 1908
| birth_place=Taylor, Bienville Parish [[Louisiana]], [[United States|USA]]
| death_date=July 1, 2001 (aged 93)
| death_place=[[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]], Louisiana
|spouse=Gladys Crawford Minchew (married 1934-1987, her death) 
'''Children ''': 
Michael Bert Minchew, I 
Mary Lynn Minchew Hooper 
Seven grandchildren 
'''Parents''': 
Elmer and Sallie Reid Minchew
'''Alma mater''': 
Castor High School 
[[Louisiana College]] 
[[Louisiana State University]]
|religion=[[Southern Baptist]]
|footnotes=
}}
'''Elmer Reid Minchew''', usually known as '''E. R. Minchew''' (January 26, 1908 – July 1, 2001), was a prominent [[Louisiana]] [[educator]] whose career spanned the forty-six years from 1929 to 1975.

==Background==

Minchew was born in [[rural]] Taylor in Bienville Parish] in northwestern Louisiana to Elmer Minchew (1879–1971), a [[railroad]] employee, and the former Sallie Reid (1881–1975). Elmer and Sallie Minchew are interred at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery near Gibsland in Bienville Parish.</ref>

Minchew graduated from Castor High School in Castor in Bienville Parish, where in 1925, he was the senior class president. In 1929, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from [[Southern Baptist]]-affiliated [[Louisiana College]] in [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], at which he was president of the junior and senior classes and the state collegiate champion in oratory and debate.<ref name=obit>Dr. Elmer Reid Minchew obituary, ''The Shreveport Times,'' July 2, 2001, Retrieved December 2, 2010.</ref>

Minchew subsequently received his [[Master of Arts]] and [[Ph.D.]] in 1938 and 1955, respectively, from [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]].<ref name=whoswho>"E.R. Minchew," ''Who's Who in America,'' Vol 2, 38th ed. (1974–1975), p. 2166.</ref> He began his teaching career as assistant principal and coach from 1929 to 1930 at Bienville High School in Bienville, followed by two years in the same capacities at Lisbon High School in Claiborne Parish.

==Castor High School==

In 1932, Minchew returned to his alma mater, Castor High School, as principal, coach, and debate sponsor, a position that he held until 1964, except for three years of service in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during [[World War II]].<ref name=obit/><ref name=mph/> Among Minchew's top debate students was Doris Lacy Barnes (1925-2020), the oldest of the three daughters of state Representative [[Len Lacy]] of Castor. Another debate student was [[DeWitt T. Methvin, Jr.]], a 1940 Castor High School graduate who later became an [[attorney]] in his native [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], Louisiana. Methvin's mother, [[Myrtis Methvin|Myrtis Lucille Gregory Methvin]], was the [[mayor]] of Castor from 1933 to 1945, the second woman mayor in the state.<ref>[[Lula Wardlow]] of Montgomery in Grant Parish, however, preceded Methvin as a female mayor, having served from 1926 to 1930.</ref>

A Methvin grandson describes Castor as "one of the most progressive schools in Bienville Parish. Dr. E. R. Minchew was the principal there from 1932 to 1964, and he was well respected. Castor High School had one of the best debate teams in the state at the time." Another Castor student during Minchew's tenure as principal was [[Enoch T. Nix]], later a banker from [[Bossier City]] and a 30-year member of the Louisiana State Board of Education and its replacement body, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Nix died six months after Minchew's passing.<ref>[[Enoch T. Nix]] obituary, ''The Shreveport Times,'' December 14, 2001, accessed June 9, 2011}}</ref>

In 1938, Minchew published a short article entitled, "Integrated Teaching in the Secondary School," in the ''Quarterly Journal of Speech.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a912134153~frm=titlelink|title=Integrated Teaching in the Secondary School|publisher=''Quarterly Journal of Speech'' Vol. 24, Issue 3 (October 1938), pp. 373-375|accessdate=December 2, 2010}}</ref>

Minchew's educational career was interrupted by three years of service in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during [[World War II]].<ref>"Castor Principal Will Be Speaker at Men's Club", ''Minden Press,'' July 20, 1959, p. 1.</ref>

During most of Minchew's tenure, Clovis Holley Pullig (1917-2013), was a Castor High School faculty member. She was later a two-term alderman and three-term mayor of the nearby village of Ashland in northern Natchitoches Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/shreveporttimes/obituary.aspx?n=clovis-pullig&pid=162305401&fhid=10221#fbLoggedOut|title=Clovis Pullig obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=January 13, 2013}}</ref>

==At Louisiana Tech==

After his tenure in Castor, Minchew became professor and chairman of the speech department at [[Louisiana Tech University]], under president Foster Jay Taylor, Jr. (1923-2011), also a native of Bienville Parish. He remained in that role for eleven years until his final retirement, effective August 31, 1975.<ref>Confirmed by the human resources department at [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]].</ref>

Minchew was a past president of the Louisiana Teachers Association and attended national conventions<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0CdRxyDjq88C&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=E.+R.+MInchew+of+Louisiana&source=bl&ots=jIcdv_EL1S&sig=ftkOhHeDHTj67meTO9R-Q_c1L0Y&hl=en&ei=a3P4TLGrMcH78AaVwrCBAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=E.%20R.%20MInchew%20of%20Louisiana&f=false|author=Carol F. Karpinski|title=''A Visible Company of Professionals: African Americans and the National Education Association During the Civil Rights Movement''|publisher=[[New York City]]: Peter Lang, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4331-0025-3|accessdate=December 2, 2010}}</ref> before the organization was desegregated and became the Louisiana Association of Educators. By that time, he had already joined the Louisiana Tech faculty. Minchew was also a past president of Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, president of the Bienville Teacher's Association, and in 1972 the president of the Louisiana Tech Faculty Senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latech.edu/universitysenate/pastpresidents.shtml|title=Past Presidents of the Louisiana Tech University Faculty Senate|publisher=latech.edu|accessdate=December 2, 2010; no longer on-line.}}</ref> Minchew was a worthy grand master of the Masonic lodge and director of education for the Grand Lodge of Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/artdec01/Demits.htm|title=Stemming the Flow|publisher=masonicworld.com|accessdate=September 18, 2019}}</ref> Minchew was a deacon at the First Baptist Church in downtown Ruston.

As a speech professor, Minchew was known to require students to pronounce "Louisiana" as LOU ZHE ANA, the common reference in the northern part of the state, rather than LA WEE ZEE ANA, a pronunciation more common in the south. Either is considered correct. An unidentified student of Minchew's writes: "If the broadcasters in Louisiana had from the beginning of time taken Dr. Minchew's correct pronunciation of the word ... we wouldn't have the national media saying that the name has too many syllables. ... I have done commercial production and voice work throughout our state and other states and always use Dr. Minchew's pronunciation--never had it thrown back at me for a re-do."

After retirement, Minchew continued to speak before civic groups in his state, having made more than a thousand such addresses in his lifetime.<ref name=mph>"Minchew to appear," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' January 21, 1976, p. 1.</ref>

==Family and death==

On June 5, 1934, Minchew married the former Gladys Crawford (April 2, 1913 – December 15, 1987), who was an elementary schoolteacher at Castor. The couple had two children, Michael Bert Minchew, I (born 1938), and his wife, the former Norma Jean Ellis (born 1939), of Richardson, [[Texas]], and Mary Lynn Hooper (born 1944) and husband Robert Lee Hooper (born 1939), of Mancos in far southwestern [[Colorado]], previously of Lordsburg in southern [[New Mexico]]. Mary was formerly married to Howard Merrill Goodwyn (born 1940) of Arlington, Texas.<ref name=whoswho/> Minchew had a sister, Lois M. Perritt (1919–2011), a 1936 graduate of Castor High School; a nephew, Ronald Perritt of Baton Rouge,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetowntalk/obituary.aspx?n=lois-minchew-perritt&pid=150212718|title=Lois Minchew Perritt|publisher=''[[Alexandria Town Talk]''|date=April 12, 2011|accessdate=April 12, 2011}}</ref> seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.<ref name=obit/>

Minchew died at his home in Ruston at the age of ninety-three. Services were held on July 3, 2001, at First Baptist Church in Ruston. He is interred beside his wife at Springhill Cemetery in Ringgold in Bienville Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/bienville/cemeteries/springhillcem.txt|title=Burials at Springhill Cemetery|publisher=files.usgwarchives.net|accessdate=December 2, 2010}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minchew, E.R.}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Educators]]
[[Category:Professors]]
[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:Baptists]]

Barack Hussein Obama

2021-09-24T21:58:10Z

Conservapedia Guard: He did it twice

{{Officeholder
|name=Barack Hussein Obama II
|image= Bathroom Barry.png
|party=[[Democratic Party]]
|spouse=[[Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama]]; may have had a prior marriage.<ref>Corsi, Jerome R. (July 19, 2012). [https://www.wnd.com/2012/07/was-barack-obama-married-in-college/ "Was Barack Obama married in college?"]. WorldNetDaily website. See [[WND]]</ref>
|religion=Islam<ref>https://islamicanews.com/obama-effortlessly-leads-evening-prayers-during-mosque-visit/</ref>
|offices={{Officeholder/president
|country=the United States
|number=44th
|terms=January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017
|vp=[[Joe Biden]]
|preceded=[[George W. Bush]]
|former=n
|succeeded=[[Donald Trump]]
}}
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Illinois
|terms=January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
|preceded=Peter Fitzgerald
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Roland Burris]]
}}
{{Officeholder/misc
|office=Illinois Senate, 13th District
|terms=January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004
|preceded=[[Alice Palmer]]
|succeeded=Kwame Raoul
}}
}}

'''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (reportedly born in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]] on August 4, 1961) was the 44th President of the [[United States]]. Elected as America's first "post-racial" president according to mainstream [[fake news]] media, Obama exacerbated racial tensions and left a dismal legacy of a divided<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (July 22, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/07/22/pollak-barack-obama-wrote-playbook-on-political-division/ Pollak: Barack Obama Wrote the Playbook on Political Division]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 22, 2019.</ref> America along [[Marxist]] class, racial, and "[[gender confusion|gender normative]]" lines.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/05/politics/obama-race-relations-poll/</ref> In his final year in office, Barack Obama illegally meddled in the [[2016 Presidential election]] and the [[2020 Presidential election]], attempting to blame the [[Russian]]s and other third parties for it.<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/02/10/poll-americans-overwhelmingly-believe-obama-improperly-surveilled-trump-campaign/</ref> In early January 2017, Obama empowered holdovers in his administration to engage in [[sedition]] against the [[Trump transition]] team and newly elected [[Trump administration]].<ref>*https://consortiumnews.com/2017/06/08/soft-coup-on-trump-hiding-in-plain-sight/ *[http://archive.is/9KxFz How Obama Ran the Trump Coup], By Robert A. Taft, Feb 17, 2020. https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/it-was-exactly-like-sedition-the-obama-trump-transition-was-more-like-sedition/</ref> Barack Obama is the first American president since the transition of [[James Buchanan]] to [[Abraham Lincoln]] who refused a peaceful transfer of power to his elected successor. Despite his personal involvement,<ref>https://www.foxnews.com/politics/read-declassified-susan-rice-email-about-jan-5-2017-oval-office-meeting-with-obama</ref> Obama was not [[impeachment and removal|impeached]] for [[Spygate]] [[crime]]s after leaving office.<ref>https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2020/05/09/this-oval-office-meeting-attended-by-obama-and-biden-was-key-to-the-anti-trump-plot-n389501</ref>

According to [[Joe Biden]], who served for more than four decades in the nation's capital, there were no clean, bright, and articulate Blacks prior to Barack Obama.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/31/biden.obama/</ref> Obama was selected for admission to [[Harvard Law School]]. In a paper he wrote as a student, he dismissed the American dream as "unfounded optimism" while noting that [[Donald Trump]] is the true idol of the American working class.<ref>Obama wrote: “[Americans have] a continuing normative commitment to the ideals of individual freedom and mobility, values that extend far beyond the issue of race in the American mind. The depth of this commitment may be summarily dismissed as the unfounded optimism of the average American—I may not be Donald Trump now, but just you wait; if I don’t make it, my children will.” ([http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/05/everything-wrong-with-obama-in-two-sentences-with-a-twist.php Everything Wrong with Obama in Two Sentences-with a Twist]").</ref>

Obama insisted on failed policies, such as [[ObamaCare]], and yet had an arrogant dismissal of his critics.<ref>
*[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/7/assessing-the-obama-legacy-he-has-failed/ Assessing the Obama legacy], Washington Times, December 7, 2016
*[https://www.nationalreview.com/article/442299/barack-obama-progressive-arrogance-leads-backlash Its Arrogance and Condescension Finally Catches Up with the Left], ''National Review'', 2016
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/11/17/president-obamas-biggest-mistake-in-office-thinking-you-can-separate-politics-from-policy/?utm_term=.802d414c3589 President Obama admits his biggest mistake: Arrogance], ''Washington Post'', 2015</ref> A hard veil of censorship and domestic spying abuses fell during his administration on investigative journalists, political opponents, and critics.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Smear-Shady-Political-Operatives-Control/dp/0062468162</ref> Much of Obama's personal life was shrouded in mystery<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sca-BjFJb_Q</ref> as a fawning media promoted his agenda of uprooting cultural norms. Critics of Obamacare or [[gay marriage]] typically were smeared as racist. The US Intelligence Community was used to spy on, harass, and intimidate independent journalists and political opponents.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120925054433/http://wikileaks.org:80/gifiles/docs/1210665_obama-leak-investigations-internal-use-only-pls-do-not.html</ref> His presidency was marred by anemic economic growth, rising federal debt, his poor foreign policies and multiple political scandals.<ref>
*[https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2016/02/01/barack_obamas_sad_record_on_economic_growth_101987.html Barack Obama's Sad Record on Economic Growth], Real Clear Markets, February of 2016
*[https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/debt-under-obama-9000000000000 Debt Under Obama Up $9,000,000,000,000], CNS News, October 2016
*[https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/18/barack-obama-was-a-foreign-policy-failure/ Barack Obama Was a Foreign-Policy Failure], ForeignPolicy.com
*[https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/08/20/obamas-legacy-of-failure-in-the-middle-east/ Obama’s Legacy of Failure in the Middle East], ''Foreign Policy Journal'', 2016
*[https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/02/18-major-scandals-obama-presidency/ 18 Major Scandals in Obama’s ‘Scandal-Free’ Presidency], Breitbart, January of 2017
*[http://akdart.com/obama101.html Lists of Obama scandals], Andrew K. Dart, http://akdart.com updated January 2019.</ref> Obama separated families at the border and locked children in cages.<ref>https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-01/fact-check-did-obama-detain-90000-children-border</ref> Pursuing a foreign policy that undermined American interests, he developed close relations with foreign dictators and shunned democratic movements.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (July 12, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2019/07/12/pollak-everything-joe-biden-said-about-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-actually-describes-barack-obamas/ Pollak: Everything Joe Biden Said About Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Actually Describes Barack Obama’s]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 12, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/HeshmatAlavi/status/1038127594682675200 Heshmat Alavi]. ''Twitter''. September 7, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2019.</ref> He failed to see the backlash against his "transformational" [[Cultural Marxist]] programs and said in February 2016, "I continue to believe that Mr. [[Donald Trump|Trump]] will not be president."<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/obama-i-continue-believe-trump-will-not-be-president-n519751 Obama: ‘I Continue to Believe Trump Will Not Be President’], NBC, 2016</ref> Some people say that Obama is the worst president in history.<ref>Bedard, Paul (September 7, 2018). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/list-200-reasons-why-obama-is-worst-president-in-history List: 200 reasons why Obama is ‘worst president in history’]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved September 7, 2018.</ref>

[[Barack Obama and abortion|Obama is pro-abortion]]. In fact, he was the most pro-abortion president to date.<ref>[https://www.sba-list.org/suzy-b-blog/obama-most-pro-abortion-president-ever "Obama: The most pro-abortion president ever"] (July 12, 2011). The Susan B. Anthony List website/The Suzy B Blog.</ref> Obama dedicated himself to promoting abortion—rather than reduce them as he promised. Just to name a few of the administrative actions by which he has done this would include expanding abortions through [[Obamacare]], appointing many pro-abortion judges and officials, moving to strip medical professionals of rights of conscience, and forcing taxpayers to support the pro-abortion movement around the globe.

Obama partnered with [[al Qaeda]] and [[Islamic State]] elements in [[Syria]] for a [[regime change]] war against [[Bashar al Assad]].<ref>https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/asia/item/19583-moderate-rebels-armed-by-obama-join-al-qaeda-isis</ref> Assad was a voice for pluralism and inclusion, protecting Christians, Jews, Yazidis and minorities against Obama-backed [[Islamofascist]]s.<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/09/2011912135213927196.html</ref>

Despite framing himself as an advocate for the poor, speaking about income inequality and [[socialism]], Obama is a [[limousine liberal]] as his life after his presidency attests. Obama is famously known for inciting mob [[violence]] by promising to "punish our enemies,"<ref>https://menrec.com/5-times-obama-encouraged-violence-republicans/</ref> and "if they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,"<ref>https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/campaigns/44441-obama-on-gop-if-they-bring-a-knife-to-the-fight-we-bring-a-gun</ref>

==Biography==
'''Early controversies'''
{{TOC right}}
:''Main article : [[Early life and career of Barack Hussein Obama]]''
Obama claims to have been born in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]] on August 4, 1961, to Stanley Ann Dunham and possibly [[Barack Obama Sr.]]—a [[bigamy|bigamist]] who already had a wife in Kenya.<ref name=msnbc>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23257295/ns/msnbc_tv-documentaries/t/obama-becomes-rising-star-among-democrats/ "Obama becomes rising star among Democrats: Transcript of 'The Candidates: Barack Obama'"] (February 20, 2008). MSNBC. Retrieved from NBC News website/MSNBC TV documentaries. See [[MSNBC]].</ref> Some contend that this story is a complete fabrication. [[Obama]] was reportedly given a social security number whose first three digits were assigned at that time to applications coming from zip codes in Connecticut.<ref>Beginning in 1972, all [[Social Security]] numbers were issued from a central office in Baltimore, Maryland. [https://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/geocard.html "The SSN numbering scheme"] (March 2001 or bef.) Social Security: Official Social Security website/History/Social Security Numbers.</ref> Obama traveled to Pakistan, India, and Indonesia in 1981, however, he never obtained a U.S. passport until 2004 after he was elected to the United States Senate. During the 2008 presidential primaries, a firm headed by [[John Brennan]] hacked into the [[U.S. State Department]]'s visa files and accessed Obama's passport files using whichever Social Security numbers Obama was using at the time.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/22/passport.files/index.html</ref> An FBI informant and whistleblower who worked for Brennan, and was the key witness, was found murdered by a gunshot wound two weeks later.<ref>https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/apr/19/key-witness-in-passport-fraud-case-fatally-shot/</ref> Obama later appointed Brennan to a key White House position and as [[CIA]] director in his second term. Brennan was referred for [[criminal]] investigation in 2019 in Obama's [[Spygate]] scandal.

Claims that Obama was born in [[Kenya]] have been traced to sources hired by Obama. In 1991, Obama's literary agent, Acton & Dystel, published a promotional booklet stating that Obama was born in Kenya.<ref>Multiple references:
*Pollak, Joel B. (May 17, 2012). [https://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/17/The-Vetting-Barack-Obama-Literary-Agent-1991-Born-in-Kenya-Raised-Indonesia-Hawaii "The vetting—exclusive—Obama's literary agent in 1991 booklet: 'Born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii'"]. Breitbart website/Big government. See [[Breitbart.com]].
*Newby, John (May 17, 2012). [http://www.examiner.com/article/publisher-s-1991-booklet-says-barack-obama-was-born-kenya "Publisher's 1991 booklet says Barack Obama 'was born in Kenya'"]. Examiner.com website/News/Politics/Republican.</ref> The claim that Obama was born in Kenya remained on the agent's website until 2007.<ref>Shapiro, Ben (May 17, 2012). [https://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/17/Obama-pamphlet-in-use-2007 "Obama's lit agency used 'born in Kenya' bio until 2007"]. Breitbart website/Big government. See [[Breitbart.com]].</ref> Internet archives confirm this information.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070403190001/http://www.dystel.com/clientlist.html "Client list"]. Dystel and Goderic Literary Management website. Retrieved from April 3, 2007 archive at Internet Archive.</ref> In addition to the information from literary agents, Michelle Obama stated in a speech that Kenya is Obama's "homeland".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzJz2A2N1c "Michelle Obama: Kenya is Barack Obama's homeland!"] (Michelle Obama speaking at the 2008 LGBT Democratic Convention delegate luncheon hosted by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign: "The world as it should be", August 26, 2008) (April 7, 2010). YouTube video, 0:30, posted by Rubystars0000. See [[Human Rights Campaign]].</ref> At a speech in Kenya shortly after his presidency ended, Obama publicly stated that, "Now, three years ago, I visited Kenya as the first sitting American President to come from Kenya."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L36sGc4Id2I Obama's speech at the launch of Sauti Kuu Foundation in Kogelo] at YouTube (Obama's admission starts at 5:48 of the video)</ref>

Obama's birth parents divorced in 1963 when his mother discovered Barack Obama Sr. was already married to a woman living in Kenya.<ref>Birrell, Ian (August 12, 2011). [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-2024819/Barack-Obamas-father-Bigamist-drunk-wife-beater.html "Barack Obama's father: Bigamist, drunk and wife-beater, [review of] ''The Other Barack'' by Sally H. Jacobs (Pubic Affairs £20)"]. MailOnline/U.K./Books [U.K.] This is one of the first misleading statements about Barack Obama when he was introduced to America as Keynote Speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Advance publicity billed him as the "son of Kenyan economist" when, in fact, Obama Sr. was forced out of the graduate program at Harvard because of his bigamy. He returned to Kenya. Obama at the age 9 once briefly met his father who served in the corrupt Kenyan socialist regime's Department of [[Economic Planning]]. Obama Sr. killed himself in a drunken car accident.</ref> When Obama was 2 years old his mother married Lolo Soetoro, an [[Indonesian]] geologist. At age 6 his mother and adoptive father took him to Jakarta, Indonesia for 4 years while his mother pursued a Ph.D. in Anthropology requiring fieldwork there.<ref name="db mother">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/scclqomayrvxbo/stuv/p2/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-03/a-singular-woman-by-janny-scott-review-by-stacy-schiff/#|publisher=The Daily Beast website|date=May 3, 2011|title="Dreams of his mother": Review of ''A Singular Woman'' by Janny Scott|author=Stacy Schiff}} See [[The Daily Beast]].</ref> His mother then returned to Hawaii and abandoned him there with his grandparents (Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, who had moved to Hawaii in 1959) <ref name=revealed>Malveaux, Suzanne (August 20, 2008). [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/20/se.02.html Transcript of "Barack Obama Revealed"]. CNN website/Transcripts. See CNN</ref> so she could return to Indonesia after her divorce. In Honolulu Obama attended the exclusive Punahou Academy where, according to classmates and the ''[[Huffington Post]]'', he had sex with older white men for money to buy drugs.<ref>https://www.huffpost.com/entry/barack-obama-gay-hustler-_n_4242447</ref> In 1986 Obama's high school pot dealer was beaten to death with a hammer by his gay lover over drugs and breaking wind in his face.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547667/EXCLUSIVE-Obamas-high-school-pot-dealer-future-president-thanked-good-times-yearbook-beaten-death-gay-lover-fights-flatulence-drugs.html</ref> Obama's grandfather arranged for his friend, the noted Communist writer [[Frank Marshall Davis]], to serve as a mentor and role model for an impressionable African-American youth.

Other siblings of Obama's include his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and 7 other children born to his father by 4 different women.<ref name=raisingobama>Purdum, Todd (March 2008). [https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/03/obama200803 "Raising Obama"]. ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> For much of his early life, prior to his transfer to [[Columbia University]], he went by his nickname, "Barry." In the summer of 1988, before attending [[Harvard Law School]] (he'd just been accepted), he visited Kogelo, Kenya, to learn more about his father's family. When his mother died in 1995, he and his sister Maya scattered her ashes over Hawaii's south shore.<ref name=revealed />

Obama attended [[Jeremiah Wright|Reverend Jeremiah Wright]]'s Trinity United Church from 1984 to 1988 during his time as a [[community organizer]] (''See [[Barack Obama#1984-1988.2C Community Organizer|1985-1988, Community Organizer]] section''). Obama credits Wright with his alleged conversion to Christianity, and had both his daughters, Sasha and Malia, baptized there.<ref name=revealed />

===Education===
At age 6, Obama attended schools in Indonesia, the first a Catholic school while he was in kindergarten, and later a public school which taught religion. The school had mostly Muslim students (since most Indonesians are Muslim). In ''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams from My Father]]'', Obama writes, "In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to my mother that I had made faces during [[Koran]]ic studies."<ref>Obama, Barack (1995). ''Dreams from My Father'' (New York: Times Books), p. 14. Quoted at [http://www.ontheissues.org/Archive/Dreams_From_My_Father_Principles_+_Values.htm "Dreams from my father: On principles & values"]. OnTheIssues website. See [[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|''Dreams from my Father'']]</ref> ''Insight'' magazine first reported [[Hillary Clinton]]'s organization had "questions about Obama’s Muslim background: ''Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a [[Madrassa]] as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?"''<ref>Schlussel, Debbie (January 19, 2007). [http://www.debbieschlussel.com/2899/hillary-clinton-agrees-with-schlussel-obama-suspicious-deceptive-on-muslim-background/ "Hillary Clinton agrees with Schlussel: Obama suspicious, deceptive on Muslim background"]. Debbie Schlussel website. See [[Debbie Schlussel]].</ref>

In 1971, at age 10, Barack Obama moved to Hawaii, and his grandparents helped him gain entrance to the prestigious Punahou Academy in Honolulu where he began substance abuse and illegal drugs.<ref>Johnson, Luke (May 25, 2012). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/obama-pot-smoking-details_n_1545904.html "Obama pot-smoking details revealed in David Maraniss book"]. The Huffington Post website. See [[Huffington Post]].</ref> He was accepted through a scholarship for disadvantaged minorities while he was in 5th grade.<ref name=revealed /> At this elite high school with 1,200 students he was just 1 of 3 black students. Obama failed to make the starting lineup of the school's state champion basketball team his senior year. He wrote a poem for the school's literary magazine, ''Ka Wai Ola''.<ref name=raisingobama />

In 1979, he began a 2-year stint at Occidental College college in Los Angeles,<ref name=msnbc /> and then transferred to Columbia University in New York, which he graduated from in 1983.<ref name=pragmatic>Scott, Janny (July 30, 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=all "In Illinois, Obama proved pragmatic and shrewd"]. ''The New York Times'' website. See ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> During this time he published an anti-military tirade embracing Soviet General Secretary [[Leonid Brezhnev]]'s <ref>Obama supported [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] General Secretary Brezhnev's foreign policy over both Presidents [[Jimmy Carter]] and Ronald Reagan's decision to deploy the MX Missile in Europe.
* See Pond, Elizabeth (November 24, 1981). [https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/1124/112439.html "Brezhnev offers Schmidt moratorium on nuclear missiles"]. ''Christian Science Monitor''. See also ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]''.
* See also Obama, Barack (March 10, 1983). [https://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/obama-s-1983-college-magazine-article/original.pdf "Breaking the war mentality"]. Columbia [University] ''Sundial''. Retrieved from archive at ''The New York Times'' website. See also ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> proposal for a nuclear freeze in the campus newspaper and allegedly spoke at an Anti-Apartheid rally,<ref name=revealed /> although several prominent student leaders said they did not remember him there. Professor Michael L. Baron was impressed by Obama and wrote him a recommendation for Harvard Law School.<ref name=differs>Scott, Janny. (October 30, 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=all "Obama's account of New York years often differs from what others say"]. ''The New York Times''. See ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> From 1983 to 1988, Obama took time off from his education to work as a financial analyst and later a community organizer in Chicago. In the winter of 1988, Barack Obama decided to attend Harvard Law School, and left Chicago for Cambridge, Massachusetts. In his 2nd year a power struggle broke out among the dominant white liberals over control of the ''[[Harvard]] Law Review''. Obama was elected its first black president as a compromise candidate largely with help of conservatives following a "marathon voting session" in which he finally won on the 19th ballot.<ref name=raisingobama /> This led to national attention and numerous job offers, which Obama passed up, at age 30, to pursue his political career in Chicago.<ref>Multiple references:
*[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23257295/ns/msnbc_tv-documentaries/t/obama-becomes-rising-star-among-democrats/ "Obama becomes rising star among Democrats: Transcript of 'The Candidates: Barack Obama'"] (February 20, 2008). MSNBC. Retrieved from NBC News website/MSNBC TV documentaries. See MSNBC.
*Malveaux, Suzanne (August 20, 2008). [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/20/se.02.html Transcript of "Barack Obama Revealed"]. CNN website/Transcripts. See [[CNN]]</ref>

When Obama was attending Harvard Law School, he dreamed of him or his children becoming like [[Donald Trump]].<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/03/obama-once-dreamed-being-trump-manuscript-shows.html Obama once dreamed of being Trump, manuscript shows]. ''Fox News''. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.</ref>

'''Personal life'''
According to ''Rising Star'' by David J. Garrow, in 1986 Obama tried hard to convince Sheila Miyoshii Jager, someone of Dutch and Japanese ancestry, to marry him.<ref name="MarryBefore"/> She refused his request to marry him due to her age. By 1987, Obama had his sights on becoming U.S. president.<ref name="MarryBefore">[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/03/book-barack-obama-asked-woman-to-marry-him-before-meeting-michelle.html Book: Barack Obama asked woman to marry him before meeting Michelle]. ''Fox News''. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.</ref>

[[Image:Michelle Obama.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Michelle (Robinson) Obama, Barack Obama's domestic partner.]]
Barack Obama met his mate known then as Michelle Robinson, while he was an intern and Michelle was on staff at Sidley Austin LLP, a very large corporate law firm.<ref name=msnbc /> Despite company policy prohibiting relations between staff and interns, the two became involved. The two continued a long-distance relationship while he finished law school, and on October 18, 1992,<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/obama-anniversary-20-years-married_n_1935840.html "Obama anniversary: Barack & Michelle celebrate 20 years of marriage (photos)"] (October 3, 2012). Huffington Post website. Huffington Post says it was October 3, 1992. See [[Huffington Post]].</ref> were joined in a domestic union officiated by Reverend [[Jeremiah Wright]] at Trinity United Church,<ref>http://hillbuzz.org/time-to-tell-everyone-you-know-about-jeremiah-wrights-down-low-club-barackobama-presobama-26407</ref> a church which has supported gay marriage since the 1970s.<ref name=revealed /> Michelle has not practiced law since 1994 when she failed to renew her law license, allegedly to start a family.<ref>https://rumble.com/embed/v9nrn5/?pub=a6ncj</ref> Malia, the couple's oldest daughter, was born in 1999, and Natasha (often called Sasha) in 2001.<ref name=msnbc />

===Early employment===
'''1983–1984: financial analyst and writer'''

In 1983 Obama [[collude]]d with [[Russia]] to further Russian [[foreign policy]] interests against the United States in an essay entitled ''Breaking The War Mentality'' published in Columbia University's weekly magazine, ''The Sun Dial.''<ref>https://2012election.procon.org/sourcefiles/obama-article-sun-dial-columbia-breaking-war-mentality.pdf</ref>

In 1984 Obama worked as a writer and financial analyst for Business International Corporation to help pay off some of his student loans. Business International Corporation was a small newsletter-publishing and research firm which aided multinational companies in understanding overseas markets. Obama served as a writer/researcher for a company reference service, Financing Foreign Operations, and wrote for their newsletter, ''Business International Money Report''. His supervisor was Cathy Lazere.<ref>Multiple references:
*Scott, Janny (October 30, 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=all "Obama's account of New York years often differs from what others say"]. ''The New York Times''. See ''[[The New York Times]]''.
*Henig, Jess (June 21, 2008). [https://www.factcheck.org/2008/06/obama-polishes-his-resume-2/ "Obama polishes his resume"]. FactCheck.org website.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091003011550/http://www.analyzethis.net/2005/07/09/barack-obama-embellishes-his-resume/ "Barack Obama embellishes his resume"] (July 9, 2005). Analyze This website. Retrieved from October 3, 2009 archive at Internet Archive.</ref>

====1984–1988: community organizer====
In 1984, Obama was hired by the New York Public Interest Research Group, a non-profit organization promoting environmental, consumer, and government reforms. He also was paid just under $10,000 annually as a full-time organizer for Harlem's City College to mobilize student volunteers.<ref name=differs />

From 1985 to 1988, Obama worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago <ref>The Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC)</ref> funded with a $25,000 grant by [[Bill Ayers]]' Woods Fund. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported he was paid $1,000 a year, with $2,000 extra for a car<ref>Multiple references:
*Malveaux, Suzanne (August 20, 2008). [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/20/se.02.html Transcript of "Barack Obama Revealed"]. CNN website/Transcripts. See [[CNN]].
*Scott, Janny (September 9, 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html?pagewanted=all "In 2000, a streetwise veteran schooled a bold young Obama]." ''The New York Times''. See ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> however stories vary wildly. Jerry Kellman, who hired him, says it was "$10,000 a year and a $2,000 car allowance". Obama himself gave different numbers; his memoir says $10,000 (as well as the car), in his Wesleyan speech he gave it as "$12,000 a year plus $2,000 for an old, beat-up car", and when he announced his candidacy for president, it was "a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year".

Ryan Lizza at ''[[The New Republic]]'' reported that "Jean Rudd of the Woods Fund...had provided Kellman with his original $25,000 to hire Obama". Ari Berman reported in ''[[The Nation]]'' that the "[Woods Fund] gave a $25,000 grant to the Developing Communities Project, which hired Obama". CBS Channel 2 in Chicago ran a story with a document showing that Obama's proposed salary in 1987 was $25,000, a number that the Obama campaign confirmed while insisting at the same time his original salary was $13,000.<ref>Beckwith (April 23, 2008 or bef.). [http://theobamafile.com/obamaworks.htm "Community organizing"]. The Obama File website/Politics.</ref> Many of the organizers that Obama worked with in Chicago were experienced in the methods of [[Saul Alinsky]], and taught Obama many of the methods found in his book ''[[Rules for Radicals]]''.<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2012/03/14/how%20saul%20alinsky%20taught%20barack%20obama%20everything%20he%20knows%20about%20civic%20upheaval/ How Saul Alinsky Taught Barack Obama Everything He Knows About Civic Upheaval]</ref>

During this time Obama joined Reverend Wright's Trinity United Church because in the words of Suzanne Malveaux of ''[[CNN]]'', "It was the church to join if you wanted to be one of Chicago's black movers and shakers." At the time, community organizing involved close affiliation with churches, which was how Obama met Wright. Obama abandoned the fight against asbestos contamination in the Altgeld Gardens housing project to pursue personal interests and a career by enrollment at Harvard Law School in the winter of 1988.<ref name=revealed />
[[File:Bookbio.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Birther movement was started by Obama himself.]]
'''1988–1996: law practice'''
In 1988 Obama gained work as a Summer Associate at one of the most prestigious corporate law firms in the world, Sidley Austin LLP,<ref>Multiple references:
*Lattman, Peter (May 11, 2007). [https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/05/11/sidley-austin-when-barack-met-michelle/ "When Barack met Michelle"]. Wall Street Journal website/Business/Law Blog/Lawyers and Law Firms. See ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.
*Malveaux, Suzanne (August 20, 2008). [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/20/se.02.html Transcript of "Barack Obama Revealed"]. CNN website/Transcripts.</ref> whose partners included [[Newton Minow]], thanks to the recommendation of Minow's daughter Martha, a professor at Harvard Law School. It was at the Sidley Austin firm that Obama would meet Michelle Robinson, his future domestic partner.<ref name=raisingobama /> From 1993 to 1996 he practiced civil rights law including suing Citibank to force them into making [[Subprime loan|subprime mortgage]]s to minority borrowers.<ref>Schweizer, Peter (October 5, 2009). [https://www.forbes.com/2009/10/03/community-reinvestment-act-mortgages-housing-opinions-contributors-peter-schweizer.html "A poisonous cocktail: Expanding the Community Reinvestment Act"]. ''Forbes'' website. See [[Forbes]]. In ''Selma S. Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank'', lead attorney Obama alleged that although his clients had been denied mortgages "because of delinquent credit obligations and adverse credit," they were really victims of institutional racism. The suit was brought about by the Community Reinvestment Act, so called affirmative action mortgage lending. The plaintiffs won $60,000, and the court awarded Sidley Austin $950,000 for the work of Obama and two other attorneys.</ref> After graduating from Harvard he was hired by Miner, Barnhill, & Galland, a small politically connected law firm.<ref>Lattman, Peter (May 11, 2007). [https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/05/11/sidley-austin-when-barack-met-michelle/ "When Barack met Michelle"]. Wall Street Journal website/Business/Law Blog/Lawyers and Law Firms. See ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> It was at Miner, Barnhill, & Galland that he would meet influential real estate developer [[Tony Rezko]].<ref name=revealed />

'''1991–1992: Project Vote'''
In 1991 Obama was recruited by Sandy Newman to head the Chicago chapter of Project Vote!,<ref name=revealed /> and in 1992 was the Executive Director, overseeing a voter registration drive which registered 125,000 black voters and was credited with defeating popular incumbent Democrat Senator Alan Dixon in the primary and electing [[Carol Moseley-Braun]] as a reprisal for Dixon's support for Supreme Court Justice [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref name=PurdumandScott>Multiple references:
*Purdum, Todd (March 2008). [https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/03/obama200803 "Raising Obama"]. ''Vanity Fair''.
*Scott, Janny (July 30, 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=all "In Illinois, Obama proved pragmatic and shrewd"]. ''The New York Times'' website. See ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>

'''1991-1995: Author'''

In 1995 Obama published ''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams From My Father]]'' about his life and family background.<ref name=msnbc /> It was in a 1992 book Obama claimed to have been born in Kenya.

====1995: Nation of Islam====
[[File:Barack-Hussein-Obama-mit-Louis-Farrakhan-528x524.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Barack Obama with the notorious [[anti-Semite]], [[Louis Farrakhan]]. Farrakhan calls [[Jews]] "pigs and dogs." The [[Anti-Defamation League]] identifies Farrakhan as the nation's “leading anti-Semite."<ref>[https://www.adl.org/resources/profiles/the-nation-of-islam The Nation of Islam], Anti-Defamation League.</ref>]]
According to the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', prior to the information being scrubbed from its website in mid-April 2008 during the Democratic Presidential Primaries, Obama was one of three prominent organizers of black supremacist group the [[Nation of Islam]]'s [[Million Man March]] on Washington, D.C.<ref>Hoft, Jim (April 2, 2008). [https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2008/04/wright-obama-helped-organize-march-with-louis-farrakhan/ "Wright & Obama helped organize march with Louis Farrakhan"]. Gateway Pundit website. See [[Gateway Pundit]]</ref>

'''1992–2004: lecturer at University of Chicago'''
Obama taught part-time at the [[University of Chicago]] Law School<ref name=raisingobama /> from 1992 to 2004. Though Obama erroneously describes himself as a "constitutional law professor",<ref>Whiteman, Timothy (April 5, 2013). [http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-complains-of-being-constrained-by-a-system-founding-father-put-place "Obama complains of being 'constrained by a system' Founding Fathers put in place"]. Examiner.com/News/Politics/Republican.</ref> he was actually only a senior lecturer and the class he taught the most times was called "Current Issues in Racism and the Law".<ref>Holt, Mytheos (September 20, 2012). [https://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/09/20/obamas-favorite-course-to-teach-at-the-university-of-chicago-revealed/ "Obama’s favorite course to teach at the University of Chicago revealed"]. The Blaze/Stories/Media. See [[The Blaze]].</ref> He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, teaching 3 courses per year<cite>, and a senior lecturer from 1996 to 2004. After Obama was criticized for lying about his job title, the University of Chicago released a statement stating that senior lecturers are considered Law School faculty and regarded as professors but not full-time or tenured. Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time, tenured track position several times during this period but declined each time.<ref>[https://www.law.uchicago.edu/media "Media inquiries: Statement regarding Barack Obama"] (March 2008 or bef.). University of Chicago Law School website. See [[University of Chicago]]</ref>

===Awards===
Obama shares the distinction with [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Josef Stalin]] as twice being named ''[[Time magazine]]'' person of the year.

'''2009 Nobel Peace Prize'''

On October 9, 2009, Barack H. Obama became the third sitting U.S. President<ref name=wilsons>Wilson, Scott (October 10, 2009). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100900914.html "President Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize"]. ''Washington Post'' website. See [[Washington Post]].</ref> to be awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] "''for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples''".<ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html "The Nobel Prize for 2009: Press release"] (October 9, 2009). Nobel Prize website [Oslo, Norway]/Nobel Prizes/Peace/Laureates/2009. Accessed May 13, 2012.</ref> Obama stated that he was "surprised and deeply humbled" to receive the unexpected award,<ref>CNN (October 9, 2009). [https://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/09/nobel.peace.prize/index.html?eref=ib_us "Obama: Nobel Peace Prize is 'Call to Action'"]. CNN website/World/Europe.</ref> and also said, "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize—men and women who have inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace".<ref name=wilsons /> The award was widely criticized given Obama's then lack of accomplishments.<ref>Multiple references:
*Chazan, Guy and MacDonald, Alistair (October 11, 2009) [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125509603349176083.html "Nobel Committee's decision courts controversy"]. ''The Wall Street Journal'' website/World.
*Associated Press (October 9, 2009). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/09/obamas-peace-prize-draws-criticism-liberals/ "Obama's Peace Prize draws criticism, even from some liberals"]. Fox News website/Politics. See [[Associated Press]].</ref>

==1996–2003: Illinois State Senate==
'''1996 election'''
{{See also|Radical roots of Barack Hussein Obama|Maoist Thought}}
In 1995 a cadre of like-minded individuals gathered for a fundraising event in the early career of Barack Obama hosted by [[Weather Underground]] (WUO) [[terrorist]] [[William Ayers|William "Bill" Ayers]]. Besides Obama, those in attendance were Ayers wife [[Bernardine Dohrn]],<ref>Geyer, Georgie Anne and Beech, Keyes (October 1970). "Cuba: School for U.S. Radicals [five part series]". ''Chicago Daily News''/''Chicago Sun-Times''. Excerpted in
[https://vault.fbi.gov/Weather%20Underground%20(Weathermen) ''Foreign Influence: Weather Underground Organization (WUO)''] (August 20, 1976), pp. 113-115. FBI. Retrieved from "Weather Underground (Weathermen)" webpage PDF rendering, part 3 of 6, pp. 5-7 at FBI website/FBI Records: The Vault. Located by The Real Barack Obama blog. See ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''.</ref> and Carl Davidson, veterans of [[guerrilla warfare]] training in [[Cuba]] just prior to the 1968 Democrat National Convention riots. Ayers and Dohrn have taken credit for, and never denied, bombing the [[U.S. Capitol]], the [[Pentagon]] and the [[State Department]].

Ayers and Dohrn used their celebrity status among [[leftist]]s to launch Obama's career. Ayers, Dohrn and [[Jeff Jones]]<ref>Klein, Aaron (August 13, 2009). [https://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106653 "Obama's 'green jobs czar' worked with terror founder"]. WorldNetDaily website. "[[Van Jones]]...served on board of..." "activist group where ex-Weatherman serves as top director"'. See [[WorldNetDaily]].</ref> are authors of ''[[Bill Ayers#Prairie Fire Organizing Committee and Maoist thought|Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-imperialism]]'', the title taken from [[Quotations from Chairman Mao|''The Sayings of Mao Zedong'']].<ref>[https://archive.org/details/QuotationsFromChairmanMaoTse-tung/ ''Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung''] (1966), 2nd ed. Retrieved from Internet Archive.</ref> The book declares "we are [[communist]] men and women."<ref>Klehr, Harvey (1988). ''Far Left of Center: The American Radical Left Today'' (New Brunswick: Transaction Books), p. 109.</ref> Ayers later jokingly, publicly admitted to ghostwriting Obama's book, ''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams From My Father]]''<ref>Cashill, Jack (March 28, 2011). [https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/03/ayers_affirms_he_wrote_dreams.html "Ayers affirms he wrote ''Dreams from my Father''"]. American Thinker website/Blog. See [[American Thinker]].</ref> and Obama was to appoint several openly avowed Maoists to prominent White House and Executive Branch positions.<ref>Fund, John (October 21, 2009). [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704597704574487431322664964.html "From Mao to Obama"]. ''Wall Street Journal'' website.</ref>

===A Charter of Negative Liberties===
In a 2001 interview on WBEZ FM Chicago Public Radio, Senator Obama said some critically disparaging things about the [[United States Constitution]]. He said:

<blockquote>If you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court, I think where it succeeded was to vest formal rights in previously dispossessed peoples. So that I would now have the right to vote, I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order and as long as I could pay for it I’d be okay. 
But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent as radical as people tried to characterize the Warren court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it’s been interpreted, and the Warren court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. It says what the states can’t do to you, it says what the federal government can’t do to you, but it doesn’t say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf. And that hasn’t shifted. One of the I think tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributed change and in some ways we still suffer from that.<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2008/11/03/barack-obamas-poor-understanding-of-the-constitution Barack Obama's Poor Understanding of the Constitution]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jr9mLB3yKs Obama Constitution Negative Liberties.flv]</ref><ref>[https://www.wnd.com/2008/10/79225/ Obama rips U.S. Constitution]</ref></blockquote>

'''Backstabbing fellow Democrats'''

Barack Obama ran for the Illinois state senate in 1996. He was initially supported by incumbent [[Alice Palmer]], who declared she would run for the U.S. Congress. However, when her bid for Congress failed on November 28, 1995, she tried to run for her old seat in the March 1996 election. Her supporters asked Obama to step aside, although whether this was with her permission remains uncertain.<ref name=pragmatic /> Not only did Obama not step down, he gathered a team of high-priced lawyers, including fellow Harvard Law School graduate Thomas Johnson, to challenge his opponent's petition signatures on technicalities after the filing deadline had passed. Such tactics are legal and frequently used in Chicago; in 2006 they eliminated 67 of the 245 aldermanic candidates;<ref name=bareknuckle>Jackson, David and Long, Ray (April 4, 2007). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-04-04/news/0704030881_1_petitions-voter-rights-candidates "Barack Obama: Showing his bare knuckles"]. ''Chicago Tribune'' website. See ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> yet nevertheless led to the term "hardball" by ''The New York Times''<ref name=pragmatic /> and "cutthroat" by David Mendel as reported by both CNN<ref name=revealed /> and MSNBC.<ref name=msnbc /> The ''Chicago Tribune'' declared Obama had mastered "the bare-knuckle arts of Chicago electoral politics", noting "The man now running for president on a message of giving a voice to the voiceless first entered public office not by leveling the playing field, but by clearing it."<ref name=bareknuckle /> As one of Obama's four opponents, eliminated through his ballot challenges, would put it: {{cquote|"Why say you're for a new tomorrow, then do old-style Chicago politics to remove legitimate candidates? He talks about honor and democracy, but what honor is there in getting rid of every other candidate so you can run scot-free? Why not let the people decide?"
—Gha-is Askia, 1996 Illinois Senate candidate<ref>Jackson, David & Long, Ray (April 3, 2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130123154440/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070403obama-ballot-archive,0,5297304,full.story "Obama knows his way around a ballot"]. ''Chicago Tribune'' website. Retrieved from January 23, 2013 archive at Internet Archive.</ref>}} Mark Ewell, another candidate, filed 1,286 signatures, and Obama's challenges left him 86 short of the minimum requirement (757).<ref name=spivak>Spivak, Todd (February 28, 2008). [https://www.houstonpress.com/2008-02-28/news/barack-obama-screamed-at-me/ "Barack Obama and me"]. ''Houston Press'' website.</ref> Ewell filed a federal lawsuit contesting the election board's decision but Tom Johnson intervened, and Ewell's case was dismissed just a few days later. Ewell and other Obama opponents were using early 1995 polling sheets to verify signatures of registered voters, but city authorities had just purged 15,871 unqualified people from the 13th district list, and Obama's challenges used the more recent, updated list. Askia was left 69 signatures short of the requirement. If names were printed instead of signed in cursive, they were declared invalid. If they were good but the person registering the signatures wasn't a registered voter (e.g. underage) they were invalid.<ref name=hardball>Griffin, Drew & Johnston, Kathleen (May 29, 2008). [https://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/29/obamas.first.campaign/ "Obama played hardball in first Chicago campaign"]. CNN website. Article text begins: "When the Democratic National Committee meets Saturday on the thorny issue of seating the Florida and Michigan delegations..."</ref> Palmer had according to Obama campaign consult Ronald Davis, used two children to help gather her petition signatures. To this day Palmer denies the challenges were valid, and maintains she could have overcome the objections with more time and resources.<ref name=bareknuckle /> Thanks to his lawyers, Obama would win the election without a single other candidate on the ballot.

'''2000 election'''
: ''Main Article: [[Illinois 1st congressional district election, 2000]]''
In 2000, Obama lost his only political election when he chose to run against experienced incumbent and former [[Black Panther]] Bobby L. Rush for the U.S. Congress in a 65% black district. Rush's name recognition began at 90%, Obama's at 11%. Michelle Obama opposed taking on such an iconic figure dear to the community and threatened divorce.<ref>Bates, Daniel (May 16, 2012). [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2145035/Michelle-Obama-prepared-divorce-papers-separate-Barack-leaving-suicidal.html "New book claims Michelle Obama prepared divorce papers to separate from Barack—leaving him so depressed friends feared he'd kill himself"]. ''Daily Mail'' website. See ''[[Daily Mail]]''.</ref> Establishment Democrats considered Obama "a white man in [[blackface]]".<ref>Gilmore, Jim (reporter, producer). (October 9, 2012). [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/government-elections-politics/choice-2012/transcript-29/ "Transcript of 'Barack Obama' in Kirk, Michael and Wiser, Mike (producers) '''Frontline'': The Choice 2012'"]. PBS website/WGBH/Frontline/film/The Choice 2012.</ref> Rush said of Obama, "He went to Harvard and became an educated fool," adding, "We’re not impressed with these folks with these eastern elite degrees."<ref>Ballasy, Nicholas (March 28, 2012). [https://dailycaller.com/2012/03/28/bobby-rush-in-2000-obamas-a-harvard-educated-fool-who-thinks-he-knows-all-about-the-civil-rights-protests/ "Bobby Rush in 2000: Obama a Harvard ‘educated fool’ who ‘thinks he knows all about’ the ‘civil rights protests’"]. Daily Caller website. See [[Daily Caller]].</ref> Todd Spivak would give voice to this impression of Obama, noting that
{{cquote|"My view of Obama then wasn't all that different from the image he projects now....One thing I can say is, I never heard him launch into the preacher-man voice he now employs during speeches. He sounded vanilla, and activists in his mostly black district often chided him for it."<ref name=spivak />}}
Rush would go on to win the Primary with 61.02% of the vote; Obama received 30.36%.<ref>Scott, Janny (September 9, 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html?pagewanted=all "In 2000, a streetwise veteran schooled a bold young Obama]." ''The New York Times''. See ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> The loss led to Obama considering dropping out of politics altogether, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, since his name sounds similar to "Osama bin Laden".<ref name=msnbc />

'''State Senate voting record'''

Obama entered the Illinois Senate promising change to a corrupt system. He mixed often radical votes with more pragmatic agreements. Possibly one of his most radical votes was against requiring medical care for aborted children who survive [[abortion|the procedure]] – in fact, the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council ascribed him a 100% rating for his consistently pro-choice votes.<ref name="cbs illinois">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sbgpzfpr/snop/p2/stories/2007/01/17/politics/main2369157.shtml|title=Obama record may be gold mine for critics|publisher=CBS News website|last=Clark|first=Amy|date=January 17, 2007}} See [[CBS News]].</ref> He was criticized for using the statehouse as a stepping stone for a more illustrious career: Steven J. Rauschenberger, a [[Republican]], said prior to Obama's election as president: “He is a very bright but very ambitious person who has always had his eyes on the prize, and it wasn’t Springfield. If he deserves to be president, it is not because he was a great legislator.”<ref name="nyt illinois">{{cite web|publisher=''The New York Times'' website|title=In Illinois, Obama proved pragmatic and shrewd|last=Scott|first=Janny|date=July 30, 2007|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sboxugmc/snop/p2/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html}}.</ref>

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

Obama established himself as a chief spokesperson in opposition to the [[War on Terror]] during an October 2002 rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago<ref>The rally was organized by Chicagoans Against War in Iraq (CAWI) later renamed Chicagoans Against War and Injustice. See Davidson, Carl (November 2, 2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100811115415/http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/?page_id=2 "About CAWI"]. Chicagoans Against War and Injustice website. Retrieved from August 11, 2010 archive at Internet Archive.</ref> [[community organizing|organized]] by veteran [[Mao]]ist and webmaster of [[Progressives for Obama]],<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/carldavidson Carl Davidson] (2010 or bef.) LinkedIn [Profile page/Experience/Webmaster]. Retrieved March 13, 2010 and February 13, 2016.</ref> [[Carl Davidson]].

'''2003 Emil Jones deal'''
: ''Main Article: [[2003 Barack Obama deal with Emil Jones]]''
When Illinois' U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald announced he would be retiring in April 2003, Obama jumped at the opportunity, declaring that he would be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2004.<ref name=msnbc /> To boost his chances Obama approached the newly crowned president of the Illinois Senate, Emil Jones Jr., with a proposal. According to Jones, whom Obama has since called his "godfather"<ref name=godfather>Associated Press (March 31, 2008). [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obamas-political-godfather-in-illinois/ "Obama's political 'godfather' in Illinois"]. CBS News website. See [[Associated Press]], CBS News.</ref> the conversation went as follows:
{{cquote|"After I was elected president, in 2003, he came to see me, a couple months later. And he said to me, he said, ‘You’re the senate president now, and with that, you have a lot of pow-er.’ And I told Barack, ‘You think I got a lot of pow-er now?,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you got a lot of pow-er.’ And I said, ‘What kind of pow-er do I have?’ He said, ‘You have the pow-er to make a United States sen-a-tor!’ I said to Barack, I said, ‘That sounds good!’ I said, ‘I haven’t even thought of that.’ I said, ‘Do you have someone in mind you think I could make?,’ and he said, ‘Yeah. Me.’"<ref name=PurdumandScott/>}}
Because of the deal, Obama's entire Illinois Senate legislative record was, as longtime Obama reporter Todd Spivak put it, built in a single year. During his 7th and final year in the Illinois Senate, Obama sponsored an incredible 26 bills into law, including many he now points to when criticized as inexperienced<ref name=spivak />—as CNN's Suzanne Malveaux observed, "With help from on high, Obama got his name on hundreds of bills that he pushed through."<ref name=revealed /> Jones not only had Obama craft legislation addressing daily tragedies to raise his political profile,<ref name=godfather /> he also appointed Obama head of almost all high-profile legislation in the Illinois Senate, angering other state legislators with more seniority who'd spent years supporting the bills.<ref name=spivak /> Illinois State Senator Rickey Hendon, the original sponsor of the famous racial profiling bill requiring videotaped confessions in police interrogations, complained bitterly about Jones' decision.<ref>Multiple references:
*Malveaux, Suzanne (August 20, 2008). [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/20/se.02.html "Transcript of 'Barack Obama Revealed'"]. CNN website/Transcripts.
*Spivak, Todd (March 25, 2004). [http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-922-in-the-black.html "In the black"]. ''Illinois Times''.</ref> Jones' influence had a major impact on Obama's chances in the 2004 elections, preventing major political players from backing Obama's opponents. To quote Emil Jones,{{cquote|"He knew if he had me in the run for the Senate, it would put a block on the current mayor. The current mayor and the father of the controller, which was Dan Hynes, they were roommates in Springfield when the mayor was a state senator, so they had a relationship. Another big financial backer for the governor was Blair Hull. Barack knew if he had me it would checkmate the governor, ’cause the governor couldn’t come out and go with Blair Hull, ’cause the governor needs me. Same with the mayor. So he had analyzed and figured all of that out. He knew I could help him with labor support. And I could put a checkmate on some of the local politicians that didn’t know him, but they couldn’t really go against me."
—Emil Jones<ref name=raisingobama />}}

==2004–2008: U.S. Senate==
:''See also: [[Early life and career of Barack Hussein Obama#U.S. Senate .282004-2008.29|Barack Obama:U.S. Senate (2004-2008)]], [[United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004]]''
[[File:Obama picking his nose.png|thumb|225px|left|Barack Obama]] Obama was a relatively undistinguished Senator.

'''2004 Primary election'''
Despite initially trailing in the polls to frontrunner [[Blair Hull]],<ref>Spivak, Todd (March 25, 2004). [http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-922-in-the-black.html "In the black"]. ''Illinois Times''.</ref> Obama greatly benefited from what the ''Chicago Tribune'' called "the most inglorious campaign implosion in Illinois political history"<ref name=mendell>Mendell, David (March 17, 2004). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-03-17/news/0403170332_1_blair-hull-gery-chico-blacks-and-liberal-whites "Obama routs Democratic foes"]. ''Chicago Tribune'' website. See ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> when pressure from journalists and opposing candidates, just weeks before the election, forced the unsealing of Hull's messy divorce files.<ref name=blairhull>Voegeli, William (March 19, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070826095930/http://www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.339/pub_detail.asp "The rise and fall of Blair Hull"]. The Claremont Institute website. Retrieved from August 26, 2007 archive at Internet Archive. See [[Claremont Institute]].</ref> The files revealed Hull's ex-wife's accusations of verbal and physical abuse.<ref name=spivak /> Hull would afterward criticize the media, stating, "As for the press, I will never read the newspaper the same way again."<ref name=mendell /> Obama would go on to win the Primary with 53% of the vote.<ref name=blairhull /> Obama's unexpected victory led to him being termed a "rising star" by the media.<ref>Howlett, Debbie (March 18, 2004). [https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-03-18-obama-usat_x.htm Dems "See a rising star in Illinois Senate Candidate"]. ''USA Today'' website/News/Politics-Elections/Nation/Campaign 2004. See ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref>

'''2004 General election, Jack Ryan'''

Once again Obama found himself trailing to popular front-runner [[Jack Ryan]], and once again a candidate's campaign imploded thanks to media intervention. In an unprecedented move, the ''Chicago Tribune'' and local TV station WLS sued to force the unsealing of Ryan's divorce files, despite opposition from both Ryan and his wife, Jeri Ryan, who in the files accused Jack Ryan of trying to coerce her to perform sex acts in public. Though Ryan advisors told him he could still win if using a negative attack on Obama, Ryan refused to engage in what he considered dirty politics.<ref name=abandon>Associated Press (June 26, 2004). [https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/state/2004-06-25-ryan_x.htm "Jack Ryan abandons Senate bid"]. ''USA Today'' website/News/Politics-Elections/State/Campaign 2004. See [[Associated Press]].</ref> Ryan then dropped out of the race (per request by the Illinois GOP<ref name=idealist>Sangwan, Rahul (October 1, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20060924232703/http://www.dartmouthindependent.com/archives/2004/10/jack_ryan_81_th.html "Jack Ryan '81: The conservative idealist"]. ''Dartmouth Independent'' website. Retrieved from September 24, 2006 archive at Internet Archive.</ref>), following which the Illinois GOP scrambled to find a replacement, leaving Obama uncontested for weeks to campaign and build up public support. On top of all this, Obama was selected to give the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (July 27<ref>Obama, Barack (June 26, 2004). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19751-2004Jul27.html "Transcript: Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama [Keynote address at 2004 Democratic National Convention]"]. Transcribed by FDCH E-Media. ''Washington Post'' website. See ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref>), catapulting him into the national spotlight, and leading to further media publicity terming him a "rising star".<ref>Page, Susan and Despeignes, Peronet (July 28, 2004). [https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-28-obama-speech_x.htm "Rising star brings Democrats to their feet"]. ''USA Today'' website/News/Politics-Elections/Nation/President/Campaign 2004. See ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref>

'''2004 General election, Alan Keyes'''
: ''Main Article: [[Obama born alive controversy]]''
After a number of candidates including former [[Chicago Bears]] coach Mike Ditka declined to run,<ref>CNN (August 9, 2004). [https://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/08/senate.illinois.keyes/ "Keyes challenges Obama for Illinois Senate seat"]. CNN website/Politics/America Votes 2004. See [[CNN]].</ref> the Illinois GOP finally settled on fiery [[Alan Keyes]], a former Ambassador to the Economic and Social Counsel of the United Nations,<ref name=spivak /> with less than 3 months left before the November 2004 election.<ref name=msnbc /> His sudden entrance into the state for the election was initially attacked in the press as "carpetbagging".<ref>Multiple references:
*"[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-08-06/news/0408060313_1_mr-keyes-judy-baar-topinka-alan-keyes "The GOP's rent-a-senator"] (August 6, 2004). ''Chicago Tribune'' website. See ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50885-2004Aug8.html "Mr. Keyes the carpetbagger"] (August 9, 2004). ''Washington Post'', p. A14. Retrieved from ''Washington Post'' website. See ''[[Washington Post]]''.
*Pearson, Rick (September 5, 2004). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-09-05/news/0409050304_1_selfish-hedonist-alan-keyes-illinois-republican-party "Keyes, state GOP gearing up blame campaign"]. ''Chicago Tribune'' website/News.</ref> Keyes repeatedly claimed his primary motivation for entering a race he had seemingly no chance of winning was his disgust at Obama's votes on the popular [[Born Alive]] bills.<ref>Keyes, Alan (August 18, 2004). [https://www.mail-archive.com/newsandviews@chuckmuth.com/msg00699.html "How YOU can help Alan Keyes for Senate!"] Message from Keyes2004 Inc. to multiple internet mailing lists. Retrieved from archive of newsandviews internet mailing list at The Mail Archive website.</ref> Keyes, from his first day of arriving in Illinois (August 9, 2004),<ref name=assails>Associated Press (August 9, 2004). [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5654128/ "Keyes assails Obama's abortion views"]. NBC News website/Politics.</ref> accused Obama of having voted against bills mandating medical care for newborn children, and supporting "infanticide" (the term twice used in the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act<ref>United States Congress (October 21, 2003). [https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/108/s3/text/enr "S. 3 (108th): "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003"], sec. 2, subsec. 14, paras. G and O. Govtrack.us website/Congress/Bills/108th Congress/Senate bill 3/Text.</ref>) where hospitals left newborn infants to die like garbage.<ref>Multiple references:
*Keyes, Alan (June 2008 or bef.) [http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=341 "Alan Keyes on the Tavis Smiley Show"]. Alan Keyes Archives website. Transcript of interview by Tavis Smiley. ''Tavis Smiley Show'' (New York City: National Public Radio, August 31, 2004). See [[NPR]].
*Keyes, Alan (June 2008 or bef.) [http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=337 "Alan Keyes on CBS2 Chicago This Morning"]. Alan Keyes Archives website. Transcript of interview with ''CBS This Morning'' show. ''CBS This Morning'' (Chicago: CBS 2, August 30, 2004).</ref> Obama in a debate on October 13, 2004, defended himself against Keyes' accusations of infanticide by claiming that Illinois law was already sufficient.<ref>[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-10-13/news/0410140004_1_alan-keyes-senate-race-first-of-three-debates "Debate or discussion?"] (October 13, 2004). ''Chicago Tribune'' website/News.</ref>

However, Keyes' rhetoric, calling Obama's votes "the slaveholder's position"<ref name=assails /> and saying "Jesus Christ would not vote for Obama"<ref>Keyes, Alan (June 2008 or bef.). [http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=348 "Alan Keyes on the Scott Thomas Show (AM1160 - WYLL)"]. Alan Keyes Archives website. Transcript of interview by Scott Thomas. ''Scott Thomas Show'' (Chicago: WYLL, AM 1160, September 7, 2004).</ref> was widely ridiculed by the press. Keyes' unabashed criticism of homosexuality as "selfish hedonism" was also targeted.<ref>Multiple references:
*Pearson, Rick (September 5, 2004). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-09-05/news/0409050304_1_selfish-hedonist-alan-keyes-illinois-republican-party "Keyes, state GOP gearing up blame campaign"]. ''Chicago Tribune'' website/News.
*Associated Press (September 2, 2004). [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/5897569/ns/politics/t/keyes-cheneys-gay-daughter-practicing-selfish-hedonism/#.VsR94_krKWg "Keyes: Cheney's gay daughter practicing selfish hedonism"]. NBC News website/Politics.
*Pallasch, Abdon M. (September 2, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20040903052923/http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-keyes02.html "Keyes' gay slam roils GOP"]. ''Chicago Sun-Times'' website/News/Elections. Retrieved from September 3, 2004 archive at Internet Archive. See ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. This article misquotes [[Liz Cheney]]; previous bulleted reference in this multiple reference gives full quote verified by CNN transcript.</ref> Obama would ultimately win the election, 70% to 27%.<ref>[http://cnn.hu/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/IL/S/01/index.html "America votes 2004: Election Results, U.S. Senate/Illinois"] (November 2, 2004). CNN Hungary website/Elections.</ref>

'''U.S. Senate voting record'''
Obama's incomplete term in the U.S. Senate was largely not noteworthy. In voting against raising the [[debt limit]] in 2006 Obama famously said, "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. ... I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit."<ref>Multiple references:
*''Washington Post'' FACT CHECKER, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/annotating-obamas-2006-speech-against-boosting-the-debt-limit/2013/01/14/aa8cf8c4-5e9b-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_blog.html Annotating Obama’s 2006 speech against boosting the debt limit], Washington Post, Glenn Kessler, 01/15/2013.
*Kaplan, Rebecca (April 11, 2011). [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/obama-once-opposed-debt-ceiling-hike/237129/ "Obama once opposed debt ceiling hike"]. ''The Atlantic'' website/Politics.</ref> In 2008 as candidate for president Obama called George W. Bush's request to raise the debt limit "irresponsible" and "unpatriotic".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kuTG19Cu_Q "Obama says adding $4 trillion to debt is unpatriotic [July 3, 2008]"] (August 23, 2011). YouTube video, 0:38, posted by maywhitley31.</ref>
[[File:Obama eating a booger.png|right|225px|thumb|Obama in deep thought.]]
The ''National Journal'' ranked him the most liberal senator in 2007.<ref name="ranked">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sbgpzfpr/snop/p2/8301-502163_162-3775451-502163.html|title="''National Journal'': Obama most liberal senator in 2007"|author=Montopoli, Brian|date=January 31, 2008|publisher=CBS News website}}. See [[CBS News]].</ref>

Obama frequently used the [[filibuster]] to obstruct the operations of government,<ref>O'Keefe, E. (2010, February 4). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303801_pf.html Obama criticizes Senate Republicans for delaying confirmation votes]. ''Washington Post''.</ref> and voted against the [[minimum wage]] bill<ref>Multiple references:
*Gill, Kathy (May 26, 2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070905140628/http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm "HR 2206 - Emergency appropriations [110th Congress, House of Representatives, signed into law May 25, 2007]"], About.com website/News & Issues/U. S. Politics: Current Events/Legislation. Retrieved from September 5, 2007 archive at Internet Archive.
*[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.</ref> he introduced because it included a provision to pay active duty U.S. troops. He voted for the $700 billion TARP program to bailout the big banks after receiving more than $120,000 in contributions from [[Fannie Mae]], a government-sponsored entity<ref>more than any other political candidate for office since 1989. [https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Invest in Lawmakers], By Lindsay Renick Mayer, September 11, 2008. opensecrets.org</ref> taken into conservatorship for mismanaging its affairs and responsible for all the big banks' problems.

According to Opensecrets.org, of the 671,269 contributions to Obama during his time in the Senate, [[Goldman Sachs]], JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley were among the top 20 biggest money donors to his campaigns.<ref>Multiple references:
*[https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00009638&cycle=2008 Top 20 Contributors, 2007-2008]
*[http://www.votesmart.org/finance.php?can_id=9490 Barack Obama II's Campaign Finances]</ref> All four subsequently received approximately $70 billion in taxpayer assisted [[bailout]] money from the [[TARP]] program he voted for.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/14/business/14bailout.graphic2.html ''Beneficiary Banks'', ''The New York Times''. 2008-10-14.]</ref> UBS AG, a foreign bank and the 12th largest donor to Obama,<ref>[https://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638 Top 20 Contributors, 2007-2008]</ref> was fined $780 billion in February 2009 in a U.S. Federal Court on charges it helped thousands of Americans evade taxes.<ref>[https://www.investmentnews.com/article/20090219/FREE/902199983 ''UBS fined $780 million in tax evasion scandal,''] Investment News, February 19, 2009.</ref> After just four short years, Obama still ranks number one over all time of Big Pharma money recipients with slightly under $5 million, followed by Hillary Clinton with a little more than $3.5 million.<ref>https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=H04&cycle=All&recipdetail=S&mem=Y</ref> Since entering the Senate, prescription opioid deaths in the U.S. rose from 12,000 per year to over 46,000 per year.<ref>https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html</ref>

==Presidential campaigns==
Contrary to popular myth at the end of the [[Cold War]], Communism did not die, it only went into remission. The rise of Barack Obama and passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) signaled a renewed attack on basic constitutional rights and a revival of a spectre haunting humanity.

===2008===
{{main article|Barack Hussein Obama 2008 Presidential campaign}}
Unlike Democrat contenders Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, Obama's hands were not "stained" with the Iraqi war resolution; a number of Democrats wanted to punish candidates for acting [[bi-partisan]] and called for his candidacy. His only career accomplishment until then had been the delivery of a speech at the 2004 [[Democratic National Convention]].

Through heavy use of [[early voting]] by the Democrat political machine, Obama was elected president in 2008 in the midst of a severe economic meltdown and a foreign policy crisis. Obama outspent [[John McCain]] by hundreds of millions of dollars in 2008,<ref>[https://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contriball.php?cycle=2008 "Candidate comparison: Top contributors 2008 cycle"] (betw. September–November 2013). OpenSecrets.org website.</ref> and spending more than a billion dollars from special interests to snag reelection in 2012.<ref>Multiple references:
*[https://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/candidate.php?cycle=2012&id=N00009638 "Barack Obama (D): Candidate summary, 2012 cycle/Source of funds"] (betw. March–June 2013). Opensecrets.org website. 34% Individual contributions, 67% large and corporate.
*[https://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/index.php "2012 presidential race/Overall spending"] (betw. August–September 2015). OpenSecrets.org website. These special interests count of over $1 billion may have decreased at least for a time since August–September 2015, where a grand total of individual contributions of less than $1 billion is reflected, but the grand total is presumably incomplete (shown, for example, by the uncounted University of California contributions revealed when comparing the subtotal from the time before August–September 2015 to the time afterwards, the subtotal thus ''increasing''), has every chance of remaining close to its precise revised estimated amount at the beginning of that time (of $964 million) and does not include Super PAC contributions, which is ''indirect'' spending.
**([https://web.archive.org/web/20150304050735/https://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/contrib.php?cycle=2012&id=N00009638 Link to version of this reference] on March 4, 2015 [whose pertinent subtotal which follows was the same back to the time indicated in the first bulleted reference] which shows $1,212,245 in contributions from the University of California. This is ''vs.'' $1,350,139 in contributions shown in the version indicated by the Internet Archive to have been published between August–September 2015 and shown in versions at least for a time thereafter [version retrieved on February 7, 2016 shows the same amount].)</ref>
Former [[Democrat]] Presidential candidate [[Joe Lieberman]] endorsed Obama's opponent [[John McCain]] in 2008 and declined to endorse Obama for the [[Presidential Election 2012|2012 presidential election]].<ref>Lillis, M. (2012, April 22). [https://thehill.com/video/campaign/222929-lieberman-declines-to-endorse-in-presidential-race Sen. Lieberman declines to endorse in presidential race]. ''The Hill''.</ref>

'''Primary election'''

In 2007–08, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton competed for the Democrat nomination. Hillary Clinton cleverly resurrected the "Born Alive" controversy surrounding Obama that had lain largely dormant since 2004 (notwithstanding the continuing mentions by [[Jill Stanek]]), by accusing Obama of not being pro-choice for voting "Present" on a number of abortion-related bills<ref>Bettelheim, Adriel (2008, February 13). "[https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/feb/13/obamas-present-tension/ Obama's 'Present' Tension]." ''PolitiFact''.</ref>—including the Born Alive ones,<ref>Multiple references:
*Berman, Russell (2008, January 17). "[https://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-obama-should-vote-no-on-abortion-issue/69700/ Clinton: Obama Should Vote 'No' On Abortion Issue She Backed]." ''[[New York Sun]]''.
*Hernandez, Raymond & Drew, Christopher (2007, December 20). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html?pagewanted=all It's Not Just 'Ayes' and 'Nays': Obama's Votes in Illinois Echo]." ''The New York Times''.</ref> and cowardly ducking the votes.<ref>Multiple references:
*''Politi-Fact''. "[https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/feb/13/hillary-clinton/yes-but-its-complicated/ Response to Hillary Clinton Comment for January 21st, 2008]." Truth-o-Meter.
*Dorning, Mike (2007, December 20). "[http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/criticism_of_obama_present_vot.html Clinton Camp Criticizes Obama 'Present' Votes]." The Swamp. ''Chicago Tribune''.</ref> This led to criticism of Obama by two pro-choice organizations, Emily's List, and the [[National Organization for Women]].<ref>Multiple references:
*Dorning, Mike (2008, January 14). "[http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/obama_campaign_mounts_defense.html The Swamp: Obama Campaign Defends His Abortion-Rights Record]." ''Chicago Tribune''.
*Dorn, Michael (2008, February 6). "[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_voting_record_on_aborti_1.html Obama's Voting Record on Abortion]." ''Washington Post''.
*Newton-Small, Jay (2008, January 14). "[http://swampland.time.com/2008/01/14/obama_campaign_defends_present/ Obama Campaign Defends 'Present' Abortion Votes]." ''[[Time Magazine]]''.</ref> However, Pam Sutherland, the long-time head of Illinois Planned Parenthood, came to Obama's aid, criticizing Clinton for making the attack, and stating repeatedly that Obama's present votes were part of a broader strategy used by Planned Parenthood to keep Illinois voters from knowing their state senators were voting against the controversial and popular bills.<ref>Hernandez, Raymond & Drew, Christopher (2007, December 20). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20cnd-obama.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin Obama's Vote in Illinois Was Often Just 'Present']." ''The New York Times''.</ref><ref>Follmer, Max (2008, March 28). "[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/14/obama-emphasizes-prochoic_n_81460.html Obama Emphasizes Pro-Choice Voting Record as Clinton Questions 'Present' Votes]." ''[[Huffington Post]]''.</ref>
{{cquote|"He came to me and said: ‘My members are being attacked. We need to figure out a way to protect members and to protect women. A ‘present’ vote was hard to pigeonhole which is exactly what Obama wanted. What it did was give cover to moderate Democrats who wanted to vote with us but were afraid to do so" because of how their votes would be used against them electorally. A ‘present’ vote would protect them. Your senator voted ‘present.’ Most of the electorate is not going to know what that means."
-Pam Sutherland, President/CEO of Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, 1980-2012<ref>Davis, Teddy (2007, July 17). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130414215754/https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2007/07/obama-abortion/ Obama Abortion Dodges Blessed by Planned Parenthood], ''[[ABC News]]''.</ref>}}As the contest in Iowa drew near one of Obama's gay lovers Donald Young, the openly homosexual choirmaster at Trinity United Church where the Obamas were members, was shot to death.<ref>https://www.wnd.com/2012/09/claim-obama-hid-gay-life-to-become-president/</ref> Hillary Clinton organizers began circulating evidence that Obama was secretly a Muslim.<ref>[https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/barackemail/ Obama Under the Clinton Microscope], By JEFF ZELENY, ''The New York Times'', December 10, 2007</ref><ref>[http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/12/06/clinton-volunteers-anti-obama-e-mail-causes-stir/ Clinton volunteer's sending of anti-Obama e-mail causes stir]. December 6, 2007. CNN</ref><ref>[https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=92143 Hillary Clinton Press Release - Sen. Obama Rewrites History], December 2, 2007, references Obama in the Muslim school in Indonesia in 3rd grade, quoting the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 3/15/07</ref><ref>[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/americas/article1995587.ece Obama ‘was educated in madrassa’], Tim Reid and Tom Baldwin, ''[[The Times of London]]'', January 20, 2007.</ref> Clinton also made the claim repeatedly that while Obama was leading in Delegates she was winning the Popular Vote,<ref>Koffler, Daniel (2008, May 28). "[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-koffler/hillary-clinton-and-the-p_b_103913.html Hillary Clinton and the Popular Vote: Not Wrong, but Meaningless]." ''Huffington Post''. Barone, Michael (2008, March 28). "[https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/barone/2008/03/28/projection-clinton-wins-popular-vote-obama-wins-delegate-count Projection: Clinton Wins Popular Vote, Obama Wins Delegate Vote]." ''U.S. News''.</ref> though this was in part because Obama hadn't been registered in Michigan.<ref>Romano, Andrew (2008, August 2). "[https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/stumper/2008/06/02/clinton-s-popular-vote-claim-close-but-not-quite.html Clinton's Popular Vote Claim? Close--But Not Quite*]." ''[[Newsweek]]''.</ref><ref>''[[RealClearPolitics]]''. "[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html 2008 Democratic Popular Vote]."</ref> Obama's advantage with super-delegates over Clinton was about 2-to-1.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Superdelegate endorsements for Friday 6/6|work=Democratic Convention Watch|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/scyaetcar/szvnvskmbmff/p1/2008/06/superdelegate-endorsements-for-friday.html}}</ref> Obama was able to attract the support of [[liberals]] by pointing out that he had come out against the [[Iraq War]] "from the beginning" whereas Clinton had voted in favor of the war in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/shkoagohk/sopq/p2/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-31-democrats-debate_N.htm|title=Obama, Clinton stress differences on Iraq, issues|author=David Jackson|work=USA Today|language=English}}</ref> On June 7, 2008, Hillary Clinton withdrew from the Primaries, conceding the race and endorsing her opponent,<ref>''Associated Press''. "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24993082/ns/politics-decision_08/t/clinton-ends-historic-bid-endorses-obama/ Clinton Ends Historic Bid, Endorses Obama]." [[MSNBC]]</ref> when Obama passed the 2,118 Delegates required; winning 2,201 delegates to Clinton's 1,896.<ref>''CNN''. "[https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D Election Center 2008].</ref>

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

In April 2008, after 20 years in the church, candidate Obama made public statements poised to set him at odds with the man who conducted his wedding and baptized his children. With the negative publicity persisting, a month later Obama ended the friendship, left Wright's church, and blamed the media.<ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/ Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago], [[Fox News]] May 31, 2008</ref> Obama claimed “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...", and distanced himself from Wright's sermons as "a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth."<ref>USA Today, [https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS''], by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081211092533/https://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm ''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's "Rants"'']</ref>

===Born Alive record resurfaces===
On June 30, 2008, Obama's voting record on the "Born Alive" bills came once more to the forefront when CNN gave voice to the growing controversy and revealed the defense Obama had been using since 2004–2008, that the Illinois bills he'd voted against were different from the federal bill, was false, since he'd brought up for a vote a bill word for word identical to the federal bill in the Health and Human Services Committee he chaired, and voted against it, defeating it.<ref>''CNN''. "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPZCXcTwZPY How He Really Voted on Abortion: Obama's Record Under Attack]." ''The Situation Room''. Uploaded to ''YouTube'' by [[Jill Stanek]].</ref><ref>''CNN''. "[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0806/30/sitroom.02.html Transcripts: June 30, 2008]." The Situation Room.</ref> This led in August to a confrontation between Obama and the [[NRLC]].<ref>''[[National Right to Life Committee]]''. "[https://www.nrlc.org/news/2008/NRL08/ObamaCoverup.html Obama Cover-up Revealed on Born-Alive Abortion Survivor's Bill]." NRL News, Vol. 35, Issue 7-8, pg. 5.</ref> After Obama accused critics of 'lying'<ref>Brody, David (2008, August 16). "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skq5M1Ksp_c McCain/Obama Forum]." ''CNN''. Uploaded to ''YouTube'' by [[Jill Stanek]]. David Brody (August 16, 2008). "[http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2008/08/16/obama-gets-heated-on-born-alive-infant-protection-act.aspx Obama Gets Heated on Born Alive Infant Protection Act]." ''[[CBN]] News''. The Brody File.</ref> the NRLC challenged the assertion, and the Obama campaign conceded he "misspoke" and had voted against an identical bill to the "federal bill that everybody supported" but focused on Obama's new claim, that Illinois law was already sufficient to protect newborn children.<ref>Berman, Russell (2008, August 18). "[https://www.nysun.com/national/obama-facing-attacks-from-all-sides-over-abortion/84059/ Obama Facing Attacks From All Sides Over Abortion Record]." ''[[New York Sun]]''.</ref> The NRLC promptly declared "Senator Barack Obama's four-year effort to cover up his full role in killing legislation to protect born-alive survivors of abortions continues to unravel."<ref>Johnson, Douglas (2008, August 18). "[https://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/Obamacoveruponbornalive.htm Obama Cover-up on Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Continues to Unravel After Sen. Obama Says NRLC is 'Lying']." ''[[National Right to Life Committee]]''.</ref>

'''Result'''
Obama made an effort to portray John McCain as similar to George W. Bush, drawing attention to McCain's refusal to criticize the unpopular president. McCain was particularly criticized for saying of how many years we should be willing to stay in Iraq, "Make it a hundred."<ref>Dobbs, Michael (2008, April 2). "[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/04/mccains_100year_war.html FactChecker: McCain's '100-Year War']." ''Washington Post''.</ref>{{cquote|"John McCain went on television and said that there has been great progress economically over the last seven-and-a-half years. John McCain thinks our economy has made great progress under George W. Bush? How could somebody who has been traveling across this country, somebody who came to Erie, Pennsylvania, say we’ve made great progress?"
-Barack Obama<ref>Zeleny, Jeff (2008, April 18). "[https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/obama-criticizes-mccain-on-economic-stance/ Obama Criticizes McCain on Economic Stance]." ''The New York Times''.</ref>}} On August 22, Obama selected [[Joe Biden]] as his running mate for the vice presidency,<ref>''CNN'' (2008, August 23). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2008-08-23/politics/biden.democrat.vp.candidate_1_biden-john-mccain-barack-obama?_s=PM:POLITICS Obama Introduces Biden as Running Mate]."</ref> which would be contrasted one week later with John McCain's selection of [[Sarah Palin]].<ref>Cooper, Michael & Bumiller, Elisabeth (2008, August 29). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/29palin.html?pagewanted=all Alaskan is McCain's Choice; First Woman on G.O.P. Ticket]. ''The New York Times''.</ref>

On November 2, 2008, Barack Obama won the presidential election with 365 electoral votes to John McCain's 173.<ref>(2008, November 14). "[http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/explorer.html Electoral Explorer]." Election Results 2008. ''The New York Times''.</ref> Obama received 53% of the popular vote to John McCain's 46%.<ref>(2008, November 17). "[https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/ President]." Election Center 2008. ''CNN''.</ref>

===2012===
:''Main article: [[Presidential Election 2012]]''
During his campaigns, Obama said that he intended to "[[Redistribution of wealth|spread the wealth around]]" and was portrayed as saying that entrepreneurs and employers deserve no credit for building their businesses.<ref>Multiple references:
*Zuckerman, Mortimer B. (July 16, 2010). [https://www.usnews.com/opinion/mzuckerman/articles/2010/07/16/obamas-anti-business-policies-are-our-economic-katrina "Obama's anti-business policies are our economic Katrina"]. ''U.S. News and World Report'' website.
*Barnes, Fred (July 22, 2009). [https://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/619dvjlm.asp "An anti-business president"]. ''The Weekly Standard''. Vol. 14, No. 38. Retrieved at The Weekly Standard website. See [[The Weekly Standard]].
*Shedlock, Mike (August 20, 2010). [http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/08/small-businesses-are-not-hiring-why.html "Small businesses are not hiring—Why should they?"] Blogspot website/Mish's global economic trend analysis.
*Wright, C. Edmund (February 12, 2012). [https://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/dear_mr_president_why_we_are_n.html "Dear Mr. President: Why we are not hiring"]. American Thinker website. See [[American Thinker]].</ref> On March 1, 2013 Obama issued [[Executive Order|executive orders]] to implement his [[Budget sequester|sequester]] of budget cuts which<ref>Bedard, Paul (February 27, 2013). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dnc-boosts-obama-job-cut-threat-of-750000-to-2-million/article/2522664?custom_click=rss "Sequester hype: DNC adds 1.25 million job cuts to Obama's 750,000"]. ''Washington Examiner'' website. Article located by [[Weasel Zippers]] website.</ref> has been widely criticized for destroying jobs in what was an anemic and fragile recovery.<ref>Foys, Bob (February 26, 2013). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-26/news/chi-20130226-foys_briefs_1_sequester-president-obama-press-secretary-jay-carney "President Obama's sequester"]. ''Chicago Tribune'' website. See [[Chicago Tribune]].</ref>

Warren L. Dean Jr., an adjunct professor of law at [[Georgetown University]] Law Center, wrote:
*{{obama income inequality}}

Obama's illegal domestic spying on political opponents and [[FISA abuse]] began in June 2012 before the November 2012 presidential election and was continued beyond his term of office by holdovers.<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/05/24/evidence-of-obama-administration-political-surveillance-beginning-mid-2012/</ref>

According to a [[NBC News]] poll, from August 2014, Obama's approval rating was a dismal 40%,<ref>Murray, Mark (August 5, 2014). [http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/poll-americans-dissatisfied-economy "Poll: Obama’s approval rating hits all-time low"]. MSNBC website. See [[MSNBC]]</ref> showing that six in ten Americans disapproved of his [[liberal]] policies. Given that liberals frequently engage in [[Liberal lies|deceit]], the actual approval ratings could be much lower. When Obama left office, the same pollsters who prognosticated a blowout win for Hillary Clinton maintained Obama's approval rating was above 50%.

===Birth certificate controversies===
: ''Main article: [[Barack Obama Controversies#Birth Certificate]]''
On April 27, 2011,<ref>CNN Political Unit (2011, April 27). "[http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/27/white-house-releases-obama-birth-certificate/ White House Releases Obama Birth Certificate]." ''CNN''.</ref> a long-running controversy surrounding Obama's birth was largely put to rest<ref>Winter, J. (2011, April 29). "[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/29/expert-says-obamas-birth-certificate-legit/ Expert: No Doubt Obama's Birth Certificate is Legit]." ''[[Fox News]]''. Tuchman, G. (2011, April 25). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-25/politics/birthers.obama.hawaii_1_birther-controversy-obama-opinion-research-corporation?_s=PM:POLITICS Obama Birther Claims Have No Merit]." ''CNN''. (2011, April 27). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42779923/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-releases-detailed-us-birth-certificate/ Obama Releases Detailed U.S. Birth Certificate]." ''MSNBC''.</ref> when Obama had his long-form birth certificate posted at WhiteHouse.gov.<ref>"[https://us-east-1.tchyn.io/snopes-production/uploads/2014/02/obama-longform.jpg Certificate of Live Birth]." Originally ordered by Obama to be posted on ''WhiteHouse.gov'', but it is no longer there.</ref>[[Donald Trump]], who had been critical of Obama for allowing the divisiveness to linger was then leading Republicans in polls for the upcoming GOP primary<ref>James, F. (2011, April 15). "[https://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/04/15/135446314/poll-donald-trump-birther-darling-leads-gop-field-at-26 Donald Trump, Birther In Chief? Poll Has Him Leading GOP Field with 26 Percent]." ''NPR''.</ref> and has been credited with bringing final resolution to the issue. The birth certificates of Michelle Robinson, which would disclosure her birth-sex, and the two children which would clarify their birth parentage, however, remain undisclosed.

The following is a synopsis of previous events leading up to the release:

Hillary Clinton top advisor [[Sidney Blumenthal]], and his son, Max Blumenthal, were the origin of the rumors in 2008 that Barack Hussein Obama was a Muslim in order to stir up fear among white Democrats and women, intended for Hillary's benefit.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-great-islamophobic-crusade/ The Great Islamophobic Crusade], CBSNEWS, December 19, 2010. cbsnews.com</ref> McClatchy Washington Bureau Chief James Asher relayed, "Mr. Blumenthal and I met together in my office and he strongly urged me to investigate the exact place of President Obama’s birth, which he suggested was in Kenya."<ref>https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article102354777.html</ref> Snope's has identified a claim that a 1991 promotional booklet by Barack Obama's then-literary agency, Acton & Dystel, touted Obama as "born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii" as being true.<ref>http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/booklet.asp</ref>

[[Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign|Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign]] team then began spreading [[Islamophobic]] rumors that Obama was a [[Muslim]] schooled in a ''madrassa'' as a child in Indonesia.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/05/bill-clinton-barack-obama-bromance-long-slow-making Bill Clinton and Barack Obama: an alliance long and slow in the making], Gary Younge, ''Guardian'' UK.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080506093354/http://www.stop-obama.org/?page_id=23 Who is BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA?] Mission Statement, stop-obama.org</ref> A group registered as People United Means Action (PUMA) was made up of Hillary Clinton supporters who not only opposed Barack Obama's nomination but also sought to delegitimize his presidency.<ref>https://youtu.be/bifsEkjTAc8</ref> PUMA members charged that the media directed [[sexism]] and [[misogyny]] at Clinton during the 2008 primary campaign and expressed anger at [[Democratic Party]] leaders' failure to speak out or otherwise respond appropriately.

Hillary Clinton had received a majority of votes in the 2008 Democratic primaries and PUMA felt the [[Superdelegate]]s robbed Hillary of the nomination.

'''Retribution killings'''

Obama transformed the Bush administration War on Terror from a preventative measure against terrorism to a cry for vengeance, mob bloodlust, and retribution killings which spawned a fresh, new, and larger cycle of violence.

On May 1, 2011, Obama misled the public when he announced <ref>Obama, B. (2011, May 2). "[https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead Osama Bin Laden Dead]." ''White House''.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf1SLhNoUNY Nobel Prize Winner with a kill list].</ref> that Osama bin Laden was "killed in a firefight" after a U.S. special operations group infiltrated a compound in [[Abbottabad raid|Abottobad]], Pakistan.<ref>Baker, P., Cooper, H., & Mazzetti, M. (2011, May 1). "[Bin Laden is Dead, Obama Says]." ''The New York Times''. "[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Osama_Bin_Laden/ Target Bin Laden: The Death of Public Enemy #1]." ''ABC News''. ''[[NPR]]''. "[https://www.npr.org/series/135908383/osama-bin-laden-dead Special Series: Osama Bin Laden Killed]."</ref> Attacks, murders, and kidnappings of Americans have since escalated as reprisals for bin Laden's death. [[Al Qaeda]], once broken and on the run, operates openly as the jihad has now become global. Relations with Pakistan, a longtime ally throughout the Cold War and War on Terror, became strained. The government of Pakistan denied White House claims it allowed Americans to kill Muslims on its territory.<ref>''Associated Press'' (2011, May 10). "[https://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/10/pakistani-president-claims-bin-laden-deal/ Former Pakistani President Claims There Was Never Bin Laden Deal With U.S.]." Retrieved from ''Fox News''.</ref> For all his duplicity and criticism of the War on Terror, Obama experienced only a temporary blip in approval ratings.<ref>Dao, J. & Sussman, D. (2011, May 4). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05poll.html For Obama, Big Rise in Poll Numbers After Bin Laden Raid]." ''New York Times''. ''Pew Research Center'' (2011, May 2). "[https://www.people-press.org/2011/05/03/public-relieved-by-bin-ladens-death-obamas-job-approval-rises/ Public 'Relieved' by Bin Laden's Death, Obama's Job Approval Rises]." Jones, J.M. (2011, May 5). "[https://www.gallup.com/poll/147437/obama-approval-rallies-six-points-bin-laden-death.aspx Obama Job Approval Rallies Six Points to 52% After Bin Laden Death]." ''Gallup''.</ref><ref>''[[CBS News]]/Associated Press'' (2012, May 1). "[https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57424622/1-year-after-osama-bin-laden-killed-still-no-answers-from-pakistan/ 1 Year After Osama bin Laden Killed, Still No Answers from Pakistan]."</ref>

An NBC investigation revealed Obama was informed of bin Laden's whereabouts one full year before he attempted to use it as an election year issue. NBC further reported that there was no "firefight" at all, contradicting what the president told the nation.<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3077864/NBC-investigatin-says-bama-DID-edit-role-Pakistan-killing-Bin-Laden-change-facts-credit.html NBC investigation claims Obama knew where bin Laden was ONE YEAR before 2011 raid and backs Seymour Hersh's claim Pakistan intelligence hid al-Qaeda chief], [[Daily Mail ]]</ref> As early as the day after bin Laden was executed, it was learned bin Laden was not armed in the alleged "firefight" that Obama claimed took place.

'''Defends Mohammad'''

After the [[Benghazi terrorist attack]] which his administration knowingly and fraudulently blamed on the creator of an irreverent YouTube video critical of the founder of Islam, Obama made a speech at the UN in which he said, {{Cquote|The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.<ref>https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/25/remarks-president-un-general-assembly</ref>}}
Four Americans died in the terrorist action intended to commemorate the [[9/11 attack]]s. The attack occurred on the US Consulate at Benghazi, part of the territory of the United States. Administration officials did nothing to repel the attack in progress while huddling to discuss the domestic political ramifications for the upcoming presidential election, less than two months away. The creator of the video was jailed on bogus charges unrelated to the video. In 2015, a series of terrorist attacks in France, Denmark and the United States claimed the lives of at least 15 people with dozens injured, including security and police officers, motivated by Muslim extremists defending what, in their view were, unflattering depictions of the founder of Islam, [[Mohammad]].

'''Voting irregularities'''

According to Stanley Kurtz - author of ''Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism'' (2010) Obama in 1995 sought and obtained the endorsement of a left-wing third party, the [[New Party]] in his quest to be elected to the Illinois State Senate.<ref>Kurtz, S. (2012, June 7). [https://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302031/obamas-third-party-history-stanley-kurtz Obama's Third-Party History]. ''[[National Review Online]]''.</ref> Obama's "Fight the Smears" campaign has denied this, as has [[Politico]]'s Ben Smith.<ref name=pollack>Pollack, J.B. (2012, June 7). [https://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/06/07/Obama-Caught-Lying-Again-He-WAS-Member-of-New-Party-Says-Kurtz Obama Caught Lying Again: He WAS Member of 'New Party', Says Kurtz]. ''Breitbart.com'' Smith, B. (2008, October 25). [https://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/The_dread_New_Party.html The Dread New Party]. ''[[Politico]]''.</ref> Others who claim he was affiliated with the New Party/ACORN include [[The Blaze]]'s Billy Hallowell,<ref>Hallowell, B. (2012, June 7). [https://www.theblaze.com/stories/report-new-documents-show-obama-was-a-member-of-the-far-left-new-party/ News Docs Reportedly Show Obama Was a Member of the Far-Left 'New Party']. ''The Blaze''.</ref> [[Breitbart News Network|Breitbart]]'s Joel Pollack, [[Human Events]]' Erick Erickson,<ref>Erickson, E. (2008, June 10). [http://www.humanevents.com/2008/06/10/obama-and-the-new-party/ Obama and the New Party]. ''[[Human Events]]''.</ref> Newsbusters' P.J. Gladnick,<ref>Gladnick, P.J. (2008, October 12). [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/10/08/will-msm-report-obama-membership-socialist-new-party#ixzz21JfE3z1z Will MSM Report on Obama Membership in Socialist New Party?] ''[[Newsbusters]]''.</ref> Rick Moran at AmericanThinker.com,<ref>Rick Moran. [https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/06/obamas_alliance_with_marxists.html Obama's Alliance with Marxists], ''American Thinker'', June 03, 2008.</ref> and various writers at [[Discover the Networks]] (which include Kurtz and Erickson).<ref>[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7434 NEW PARTY (NP)], ''[[Discover the Networks]]''.</ref>

Kurtz in 2012 has claimed to find minutes of the New Party Chicago chapter that say, "''Barack Obama, candidate for State Senate in the 13th Legislative District, gave a statement to the membership and answered questions. He signed the New Party 'Candidate Contract' and requested an endorsement from the New Party. He also joined the New Party.''"<ref name=pollack /> Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod responded to Kurtz with silence and when asked if that meant "yes or no", Axelrod stated, "You can take that as I have no idea what you are talking about."<ref>Pollack, J.B. (2012, June 7). [https://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/06/07/Exclusive-Axelrod-Plays-Dumb-on-Obama-and-Socialist-New-Party Exclusive: Axelrod Plays Dumb on Obama and Socialist New Party]. ''[[Breitbart.com]]''.</ref>

'''"You didn't build that"'''===
{{main|You didn't build that}}
On July 13, 2012, at a campaign event in [[Virginia]], Obama attacked [[capitalism]] in a speech that immediately stirred up controversy. Speaking about the government's role in the success of private business, he said:<ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/13/remarks-president-campaign-event-roanoke-virginia Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke, Virginia], White House</ref>
{{cquote|If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business - you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.}} The [[Romney]] campaign has used "If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that" in ads to show America that Obama believes it is government that creates business rather than hard-working individuals. The Obama campaign has alternatively stated that the sentenced was poorly worded since he was not giving a scripted speech and that when Obama said "that" he was referring to roads and bridges. Obama points to a later portion of his speech in which he said, "The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together," to support his claim.

'''Results'''

On November 6, 2012 Barack Obama won reelection with 332 electoral votes to Mitt Romney's 206.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/map/ 2012 Presidential Election], Politico</ref> Obama received 51% of the popular vote (65,899,660 votes) to Romney's 47% (60,932,152 votes).<ref>[https://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2012/2012presgeresults.pdf Official 2012 Presidential General Election Results], [[Federal Election Commission]]</ref>

==2009–2017: Presidency==
{{See also|Obama administration|Biden family corruption timeline}}
The [[liberal claptrap]] that elected Obama seems silly today. It was claimed, for example, that Obama had millions of followers on Twitter, when allegedly some 70% of them were fake.<ref>Jackson, David (August 24, 2012). [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/obama-has-millions-of-fake-twitter-followers/1#.UDfQVqA2et_ "Obama has millions of fake Twitter followers"]. USA Today website/The Oval blog. See [[USA Today]].</ref> And although the [[lamestream media]] promoted Obama as a great orator, in fact, he relied almost entirely on teleprompters for his speeches and press conferences, and at one point even had teleprompters set up for him in a middle school classroom in order to speak to the media.

[[File:Obama and George H. W. Bush.jpg|thumb|right|300px|President Barack Obama meets with former President [[George H. W. Bush]] in the Oval Office, Feb. 15, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza).]]
Five years into Obama's presidency the number of people holding jobs still was 3 million below the all-time high of 138 million<ref>The effectiveness of [[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009|Stimulus]] and deficits: [http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=112811 Job growth under President Obama's first term;] Source: [[United States Department of Labor]].</ref> workers – despite an increase of 10 million people in population over the same period of time.<ref>[https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=112809 U.S. Population growth during Obama's first four years in office.] Source: [[U.S. Census Bureau]].</ref> Despite the "Hope and Change" rhetoric, from 2007 to 2017, the rate of Americans ages 10 to 24 who died by [[suicide]] rose by 56 percent, from 6.8 deaths per 100,000 persons to 10.6.<ref>https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/why-has-there-been-a-56-percent-increase-in-suicide-among-young-americans-in-just-10-years/</ref> Under Obama and Senate Democrats<ref>The Democrat-controlled Senate did not propose, vote on, or pass a budget for nearly five years. [https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/23/politics/senate-budget-bill/index.html Senate passes its first budget proposal in four years,] Ted Barrett and Alison Harding, CNN, March 23, 2013.</ref> budget management, the United States suffered its largest [[Federal budget deficit|deficit]]s<ref>Edwards, B. et. al. (2009, November 6). [https://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10708/11-06-mbr.htm Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2009]. ''[[Congressional Budget Office]]''. Delisle, E.C. et. al. (2010, November 5). [https://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/118xx/doc11873/NovemberMBR.pdf Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2010]. ''[[Congressional Budget Office]]''.</ref> in history and its credit-worthiness downgraded from [[Standard and Poor's]]. Obama assured Americans that unemployment would not rise above 8% if his [[economic stimulus]] program was adopted, however, it rose and stagnated in the 8-10% range<ref>Di Leo, L & Lynch, S.N. (2010, August 20). [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476104575439172480870774.html Jobless Claims Jump in New Sign Recovery is Sputtering]. ''Wall Street Journal''.</ref><ref>[[United States Bureau of Labor Statistics]]. [https://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LNS11300000&years_option=specific_years&include_graphs=true&to_month=1&from_month=2 Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey]. ''[[United States Department of Labor]]''. Data extracted on: July 19, 2010 (4:31:11 PM).</ref> for the entirety of his first term.

Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen, writing in the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', noted, "Rather than being a unifier, Mr. Obama has divided America on the basis of race, class and partisanship." The commentators also note Obama's approach to governance has encouraged [[radical left]]ists to pursue a similar strategy on his behalf. Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, acknowledged that the [[Obama administration]] has taken to polarizing America around the issue of race as a means of diverting attention from other issues, saying, "Having one's opponent [[race card|rebut charges of racism]] is far better than discussing [[Unemployment|joblessness]]."<ref>Berry, M.F. (2010, July 20). [https://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Mary_Frances_Berry_91E3D9D5-C40D-440C-9D48-1C50CBC60C87.html Energy Arena, Driving the Conversation: Contracting Out U.S. Security? And will Branding Tea Party Racist Work?] ''[[Politico]]''.</ref> Caddell and Schoen, who worked for President Carter and Clinton, respectively, further stated, "Mr. Obama has also cynically [[class warfare|divided the country on class lines]]. He has taken to playing the populist card time and time again. He bashes Wall Street and insurance companies whenever convenient to advance his programs, yet he has been eager to accept campaign contributions and negotiate with these very same banks and [[corporation]]s behind closed doors in order to advance his political agenda... President Obama's divisive approach to governance has weakened us as a people and paralyzed our political culture."<ref>Caddell, P.H. & Schoen, D.E. (2010, July 28). [http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748703700904575391553798363586.html Our Divisive President]. ''Wall Street Journal''.</ref>

Obama appointed numerous communists and [[Red diaper baby|red diaper babies]] to important administration positions.<ref>McQuillan, Karin (June 3, 2019). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/barack-obama-populated-the-us-government-with-communists Barack Obama populated the US government with communists]. ''LifeSiteNews'' (from the ''American Thinker''). Retrieved June 4, 2019.</ref> He abused his presidential power several times during his presidency.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (June 12, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/06/12/pollak-joe-biden-democrats-loved-obamas-abuses-of-presidential-power/ Pollak: Joe Biden, Democrats Loved Obama’s Abuses of Presidential Power]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 12, 2019.</ref>

===Domestic policy===
Obama's economic [[stimulus]] package in response to the [[Crash of 2008]] took seven years to return [[unemployment]] to historically acceptable levels. Economic growth remained below 2.0% throughout his two terms as poverty and income inequality increased.

Obama sought to end the "schoolhouse-to-jailhouse pipeline" by bribing public school districts through grants for not having law enforcement authorities arrest students for arrestable offenses – this policy led to a major school shooting in Florida over a year after he left office.<ref>Multiple references:
*Richardson, Valerie (March 5, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/5/nikolas-cruz-avoided-police-scrutiny-help-obama-po/ Obama policies to end ‘schoolhouse-to-jailhouse pipeline’ helped keep Nikolas Cruz off police radar]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
*Sperry, Paul (March 1, 2018). [https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2018/02/28/obama_administration_school_discipline_policy_and_the_parkland_shooting.html Behind Cruz's Florida Rampage, Obama's School-Leniency Policy]. ''RealClear Investigations''. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
*Evans, M. Catharine (February 26, 2018). [https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/02/how_federal_funding_kept_nikolas_cruz_from_getting_arrested_and_unable_to_purchase_firearms.html How federal funding kept Nikolas Cruz from getting arrested and unable to purchase firearms]. ''American Thinker''. Retrieved March 5, 2018.</ref>

Under Barack Obama's lack of leadership, an Inspector General appointed by Obama discovered, for the first time in history, that the top two personnel appointed by Obama to head the [[FBI]] had both violated the law.<ref>https://sharylattkisson.com/2019/09/indicting-a-sandwich/</ref> Additionally, the Obama Administration prosecuted more whistleblowers as spies than other administrations.<ref>Mora, Edwin (October 3, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/10/03/flashback-obamas-war-on-whistleblowers-more-prosecuted-as-spies-than-ever-before/ Flashback–‘Obama’s War on Whistleblowers’: More Prosecuted as Spies than Ever Before]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved October 3, 2019.</ref>

====Obamacare: 8 years of stagnant growth====
[[File:CRIMINALS-600x400.jpg|right|350px|thumb|President Obama and [[Chuck Schumer]] with Democrat megadonor and convicted [[rape|rapist]] [[Harvey Weinstein]].<ref>https://usbacklash.org/harvey-weinstein-caught-on-recorded-nypd-phone-sting-telling-his-sexual-assault-victim-it-wont-happen-again/</ref> Schumer, who shepherded Obamacare through Congress, later called it a mistake.<ref>https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/11/chuck-schumer-passing-obamacare-in-2010-was-a-mistake/449700/</ref> ]]
{{main article|Obamacare}}
Not wanting the [[Financial crisis of 2008]] "to go to waste," America embarked on a grand socialist experiment. Thanks to "stupidity of the American voter" in the words of the bill's author, Obama passed his signature legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on March 10, 2010. Also known as Obamacare. In keeping with his progressive ideals, the bill used coercive measures to force Americans to buy insurance they didn't want or need.

The employer mandate – the requirement that employers pay 50% of a workers insurance – held down new job creation and wages. Overall [[GDP]] growth barely exceeded 1% throughout Obama's years, while population continued to grow at a 2.5% rate, thus steadily impoverishing the nation as a whole.

The act originated in the Democrat-controlled House, was amended and passed the Senate just prior to Sen. [[Ted Kennedy]]'s death with no Republicans and 44 Democrats voting to oppose. 60 Democrats in total lost their seats afterward in the 2010 Midterms.

In what was construed as a de facto rejection of the bill, [[Massachusetts]] voters elected a [[Republican]] candidate, [[Scott Brown]], who promised to vote against the bill if given the chance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/scczbaciweaamvs/sqdcjqy/p1/thefix/senate/scott-brown-wins-massachusetts-senate-race.html|work=Washington Post|author=Chris Cillizza|date=January 19, 2010|title=Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race|language=English}}</ref> After Obama made a promise to issue an [[executive order]] that would ultimately prohibit the use of taxpayer subsidies to pay for [[abortion]] services,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sboxugoa/sjwewdpoy/p1/2010/mar/22/nation/la-na-healthcare-passage22-2010mar22/3|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=English|title=House passes historic healthcare overhaul|date=March 22, 2010|author=Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook}}</ref> the Democratic [[House of Representatives]] would pass the bill as it left the Senate 219–212, with 34 Democrats and all other parties dissenting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/swxn/sfsaszlku/p1/2010-03-21/politics/health.care.main_1_health-care-entire-house-democratic-caucus-pre-existing-conditions?_s=PM:POLITICS|date=March 21, 2010|author=Alan Silverleib|work=CNN|language=English|title=House passes health care bill on 219-212 vote}}</ref>

The [[individual mandate]] required everyone to purchase health care insurance or suffer punitive measures, with the typical [[Marxist]] provisions for exemptions and transfer payments from taxpayers to protected classes of Democrat voters. The individual mandate was upheld by the [[Supreme Court]] with Chief Justice [[John Roberts]] – himself the victim of Obama era [[FISA abuse]] – casting the tie-breaking vote.

The forced transfer of wealth from job creation to healthcare (including illegal immigrants) impoverished the country and left a generation of younger Obama supporters unemployed or underemployed.

====Economic policy====
[[File:Keynes.jpg|thumbnail|right|190px|[[Barack Obama]] advocates the use of discredited [[Keynesian economics|Keynesian economic concepts]]<ref>[http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/fabian-john-maynard-keynes-the-stealthy-enemy-of-human-freedom/ John Maynard Keynes the stealthy enemy of human freedom]</ref><ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-02-22/deathbed-of-keynesian-economics-will-be-in-u-k-matthew-lynn.html Deathbed of Keynesian Economics will be in the UK]</ref><ref>[http://www.iwf.org/inkwell/show/23102.html Will the G8 Repudiate the Philosophy of Living Beyond Our Means?]</ref><ref>[http://www.keynesatharvard.org/book/KeynesatHarvard-ch09.html KEYNES AT HARVARD Economic Deception as a Political Credo BY ZYGMUND DOBBS]</ref>]]

{{see also|Obamunism|American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009}}
Critics of the Obama administration have coined the word "[[Obamunism]]" to describe Barack Obama's [[socialism|socialistic]] and "[[fascism]] light" [[economic planning]] policies.<ref>[[Benito Mussolini]] defined fascism as the wedding of state and corporate powers. Accordingly, trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] labels [[Obama administration corporate bailouts|Obama's corporate bailouts]] as being "fascism light" in nature.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/shoyazuxrvzm/srst/p1/articles/daily-intel/2009/07/20/obamunism-inc|work=The Big Money|publisher=Washington Post.[[Newsweek]] Interactive Co. LLC|language=English|title=Obamunism, Inc.|author=David Sessions|date=July 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sndlobjsqjkxhdorzklbov/sbcd/p1/small-business-interviews/gerald-celente-6944|author=Jim Blasingame|title=Is the government creating a bailout bubble?}}</ref> Obamunism can also refer to Obama's [[Obama administration fiscal policy|ruinous fiscal policies]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|reckless monetary policies]].<ref name="gerard">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sjraxnucybwxm/p2/article/120883-monetary-policynot-obama-s-stimulusis-what-needs-watching|title=Monetary Policy-Not Obama's Stimulus-Is What Needs Watching|author=Gerard Jackson|date=February 16, 2009|work=Seeking Alpha}}</ref><ref name="bam">{{cite web|work=[[New York Post]]|date=May 17, 2009|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/scczblb/smno/p1/seven/05172009/postopinion/editorials/bams_wise_words_169731.htm|title=BAM'S WISE WORDS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/slxv/snqlfvftx/syhfw/p1/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/|title=Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures|work=The Foundry|publisher=[[Heritage Foundation]]|author=Conn Carroll|date=March 24, 2009}}</ref> As seen in his own actions, Barack Obama instructed his advisors to find loopholes that would enable the president to act as a [[dictator]] by pushing through legislation and increases in spending without congressional authority.<ref>Naked Emperor News (2011, October 12). [https://www.theblaze.com/stories/executive-dictatorship-obama-instructs-advisers-to-push-through-stimulus-projects-without-pesky-congressional-authorization/ Exclusive Dictatorship: Obama Instructs Advisors to Push Through Stimulus Projects Without Pesky 'Congressional Authorization']. ''[[The Blaze]]''.</ref>

Nevertheless, budgets passed under President Obama have included the smallest average annualized growth of federal spending (1.4%) since before President Reagan. Federal spending grew an average of 8.7% per year during Reagan's first term and an average of 8.1% per year during George W. Bush's second term.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sbomdbt/smno/p2/sites/rickungar/2012/05/24/who-is-the-smallest-government-spender-since-eisenhower-would-you-believe-its-barack-obama/|title=Who Is The Smallest Government Spender Since Eisenhower? Would You Believe It's Barack Obama?|publisher=[[Forbes]]|author=Rick Ungar|date=May 24, 2012}}</ref>

[[Wall Street]] firms and banks that were bailed out were among Obama's biggest campaign supporters.<ref>''OpenSecrets.org''. [https://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638 Barack Obama: Top Contributors]. The Center for Responsive Politics.</ref> Therefore, the Obama administration bailouts of corrupt, unproductive, and reckless Wall Street firms was hardly surprising, and many argue that it was not helpful in making the United States economy more productive and prosperous by encouraging more risk taking through letting banks off with a slap on the wrist. Others argue that bailing out the banks kept credit flowing and prevented a much deeper recession and a total collapse of the financial system. The government will recoup some though not all of its capital infusions over time. A 2005 study found that government corporate bailouts are often done for mere political considerations and the economic resources allocated exhibit significantly worse economic performance than resources allocated using purely business considerations.<ref>Faccio, M. et. al. (2005, March 1). [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=676905 Political Connections and Corporate Bailouts]. ''Social Science Research Network''.</ref> Proponents of [[free market]] capitalism said Bernanke should not have bailed out failing firms and instead should have allowed free market capitalism to quickly recover as it did in the depression of 1920 without government intervention (free market capitalists assert that government intervention drags out economic recessions and depressions).<ref>Woods, T.E. (2009, April 10). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czcUmnsprQI Why You've Never Heard of the Great Depression of 1920]. ''[[Ludwig von Mises Institute]]''. Hosted on ''YouTube''.</ref>

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

During what the [[White House]] billed as [[Recovery Summer]], one half million workers per week continued losing their jobs. His signature legislative achievement, [[ObamaCare]],has been found to be [[unconstitutional]]<ref>Schoenberg, T. & Fisk, M.T. (2010, December 13). [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-13/u-s-health-care-law-requirement-thrown-out-by-judge.html Obama's Health-Care Law Ruled Unconstitutional Over Insurance Requirement]. ''Bloomberg''.</ref> by several judges and constitutional by others, and is credited as a major cause of uncertainty, high [[unemployment]],<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33220 Obamacare: Unemployment You Can Believe In], [[Human Events]]</ref> lagging job creation,<ref>Foster, J.D. (2010, August 5). [http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-medicare%E2%80%99s-finances-shadowed-by-uncertainty/ It’s Official: Medicare’s Finances Shadowed by Uncertainty]. ''The Foundry''. [[Heritage Foundation|The Heritage Network]].</ref> and risk of a credit default crisis.<ref>Samuelson, R.J. (2010, March 29). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/28/AR2010032802353.html With health bill, Obama has sown the seeds of a budget crisis]. ''Washington Post''.</ref><ref>Cramer, J. (2010, March 19). [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2010/03/19/mad-money-cramer-health-care-passage-will-topple-stock-market 'Mad Money' Cramer: Health Care Passage 'Will Topple the Stock Market']. ''[[Newsbusters]]''.</ref>

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

[[Jeffrey Tucker]] wrote, "President Obama's economic policy has been catastrophic for liberty, enterprise, and the American dream—the very archetype of what not to do to end recession."<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118186176/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=anncoulter-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1118186176 Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future]</ref>

According to conservative investigative journalist [[Peter Schweizer]], Obama weaponized the regulatory process to help his friends buy businesses that had been devalued through Obama Administration policies.<ref>Kraychik, Robert (March 20, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/radio/2018/03/20/smash-grab-schweizer-explains-how-obama-weaponized-regulations-enrich-buddies/ ‘Smash and Grab’: Schweizer Explains How Obama Weaponized Regulations to Enrich His Buddies]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 20, 2018.</ref>

'''Stimulus'''
[[File:Black uc.png|right|250px|thumb|Black Unemployment under Barack Obama and the veto-proof Democrat congress.]]
{{See also|Recovery Summer}}
In early 2009, Obama lobbied Congress and the public to pass a sweeping Stimulus package<ref>(2009, January 3). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28479998/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-urges-congress-pass-stimulus-plan/ Obama Urges Congress to Pass Stimulus Plan]." ''Associated Press''. Parsons, C. & Nicholas, P. (2009, February 10). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28479998/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-urges-congress-pass-stimulus-plan/ Barack Obama Sternly Urges Congress to Pass Economic Stimulus]." ''Chicago Tribune''.</ref> known as ''The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009'' (H.R. 1).<ref>"[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1: Bill Text Versions: H.R. 1]." 111th Congress (2009-2010). ''[[Library of Congress]]''. "[https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204335,00.html The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Information Center]." ''[[IRS]]''.</ref> The report of the Congressional Budget Office mandated by law stated that the legislation would ultimately harm the economy.<ref>Dinan, S. (2009, February 4). "[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/04/cbo-obama-stimulus-harmful-over-long-haul/ CBO: Obama Stimulus Harmful Over Long Haul]." ''U.S. News''.</ref> Contrary to his promise of bipartisanship,<ref>Dinan, S. (2009, March 28). "[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/28/mccain-obama-breaks-campaign-promises-shuns-bipart/?page=all McCain: Obama Breaks Promise of Bipartisanship]." ''[[Washington Times]]''.</ref> the bill passed the House 244–188 on January 28, 2009, with 11 Democrats voting with the entire Republican caucus against,<ref>Calmes, J. (2009, January 28). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29obama.html House Passes Stimulus Plan With No G.O.P. Votes]." ''The New York Times''.</ref> and received just 3 Republican votes when passing the Senate 61–37.<ref>Herszenhorn, D.M. (2009, February 10). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/washington/11web-stim.html Senate Approves Stimulus Plan]." ''The New York Times''.</ref> One third of the massive $838 billion bill consisted of [[Backdoor spending authority#Backdoor tax expenditures|backdoor tax expenditures]]<ref>(2009, February 11). "Senate Passes $838 Billion Stimulus Bill." ''Associated Press''.</ref> and the rest direct [[new spending]] on "just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years."<ref>(2009, January 28). "[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310466514522309.html A 40-Year Wish List]." ''Wall Street Journal''.</ref> In responding to criticism of the broken bipartisanship promise at the time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously quipped, "We won the election. We wrote the bill."<ref>Kane, P. (2009, January 23). "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203961.html Stimulus Plan Meets More GOP Resistance]." ''Washington Post''.</ref> On February 18, 2009, the Stimulus was signed into law by Obama.<ref>(2009, February 17). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29231790/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-stimulus-lets-americans-claim-destiny/ Obama: Stimulus Lets Americans Claim Destiny]." ''Associated Press''.</ref> In August 2009, Republicans and Democratic Senator David Obey drew attention to mistakes on the Recovery.gov site claiming millions of Stimulus jobs created that didn't exist. Obama responded by saying the errors just indicate his accounting is an "inexact science".<ref>(2009, November 18). "[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/18/obama-calls-stimulus-data-errors-issue-says-focus-job-growth/ Obama Calls Stimulus Data Errors 'Side Issue,' Says Focus Is on Job Growth]." ''[[Fox News]]''.</ref>

'''[[Sequestration]]'''

According to [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning journalist [[Bob Woodward]] of the ''[[Washington Post]]'', Obama misled the American people in a Presidential debate only two weeks before the 2012 election when he said, "The sequester is not something that I’ve proposed,”<ref>[http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-22/opinions/37238840_1_jack-lew-treasury-secretary-rob-nabors Obama’s sequester deal-changer,] By Bob Woodward, ''Washington Post'', February 22, 2013.</ref> when in fact his chief budget negotiator and current Chief of Staff, [[Jack Lew]], made a call to Democrat [[Harry Reid]] at 2:30 pm on July 27, 2011 with the proposal after clearing it with Obama,<ref>[https://dailycaller.com/2012/10/22/fact-check-woodward-wrote-that-obama-administration-proposed-sequester/ Fact-check: Woodward wrote that Obama administration proposed sequester]. [[The Daily Caller]]</ref> as fully documented in Woodward's book, ''The Price of Politics''. Federal Reserve Chairman [[Ben Bernanke]] warned of immediate jobloss of about 750,000 jobs – about the same level as under George W. Bush<ref>[http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=109262 Monthly Jobloss under George W. Bush, Jan 2007 - Jan 2009]. See also [http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=109266 Initial Unemployment Claims] over the same period, annualized. Source: [[U.S. Department of Labor]], Bureau of Labor Statistics.</ref> – if Obama's budget and economic plans were allowed to take effect.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2013/02/26/news/economy/bernanke-burden-recovery/ Bernanke: Spending cuts add 'significant' burden to recovery,] By Annalyn Kurtz, CNN February 26, 2013.</ref>

Woodward, who's reporting on [[Watergate]] is credited with toppling the administration of [[Richard Nixon]], told Wolf Blitzer of CNN he was told by a senior White House official he'd regret talking about the President Obama's positions on the sequester.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/bob-woodward-obama-sequester-white-house-reporting-price-politics-2013-2 Bob Woodward: White House Threatened Me On Sequester,] businessinsider.com</ref>

'''Spreading poverty and raising the debt'''

Following the 2011 debt ceiling standoff between Obama and House Republicans,<ref name=Swann-Aug>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sbbzacrcqujtxiwqq/swxy/p2/servlet/BlobServer?blobheadername3=MDT-Type&blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3DUS_Downgraded_AA%2B.pdf&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobheadername1=content-type&blobwhere=1243942957443&blobheadervalue3=UTF-8 |title=United States of America Long-Term Rating Lowered to 'AA+' on Political Risks and Rising Debt Burden; Outlook Negative |publisher=[[Standard and Poor's]] |date=August 5, 2011 |accessdate=April 3, 2013}}</ref> the United States Government's credit rating was, for the first time in its history, downgraded from AAA to AA+, and [[poverty]]<ref>[https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2009/pov09fig04.pdf Figure 4: Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959-2009]. ''[[U.S. Census Bureau]]''. Current Population Survey, 1960 to 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.</ref> increased markedly. By and large, his programs, said to combat the recession, unemployment, slow growth, and deficits, have failed<ref>"The vast majority (73%) of respondents reported the fiscal stimulus enacted in February 2009 has had no impact on employment to date. While 68% also believe a jobs bill, such as the one recently enacted into law, will have no impact on payrolls, 30% do believe it will boost payrolls moderately". [https://www.nabe.com/press/ind1004.pdf Industry Survey], ''National Association for Business Economics'', April 2010, p. 2.</ref> leaving the country saddled with an $18 trillion [[national debt]] and climbing.<ref>During Obama's first two years in office, the rate of new U.S. federal debt added per year to its total tripled the rate of new debt accumulated by Bush to place the U.S. on a war footing, and during Obama's first six years in office, the total National Debt has nearly doubled ($7.5 trillion added). See [[National Debt]].</ref> One of his most well-known tactics was blaming someone else, such as George W. Bush, for all his failures instead of taking responsibility. Also on the domestic front, Obama passed an expensive [[health care]] bill in 2010 with no national consensus or [[bipartisan]] support and 34 Democrats dissenting. Recently, the [[Congressional Budget Office]] wrote an open letter to [[John Boehner]], the Speaker of the House, outlining the effects of repealing [[Obamacare]] and explaining why a net loss of over 100 billion dollars would occur from the repeal.<ref>[http://cbo.gov/publication/43471 Letter to the Honorable John Boehner providing an estimate for H.R. 6079, the Repeal of Obamacare Act], Congressional Budget Office</ref>

During Obama's presidency, the national debt nearly doubled, going from $10.6 trillion to $19.9 trillion.<ref>Meyer, Ali (January 21, 2018). [https://freebeacon.com/politics/obama-leaves-office-debt/ Obama Leaves Office Having Added $9.3 Trillion to Debt]. ''The Washington Free Beacon''. Retrieved May 16, 2018.</ref>

====Illegal immigration====
[[File:Obama detention.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A U.N. report cited Obama for holding 100,000 children in cages.<ref>https://qz.com/1291470/photos-immigrant-children-detained-at-the-placement-center-in-2014/</ref><ref>https://www.theepochtimes.com/media-outlets-retract-story-claiming-trump-administration-has-detained-100000-children-in-migration-related-us-detention_3151966.html</ref>]]
The Obama Administration was weak on [[illegal immigration]]. It established the [[Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals]] program (DACA)<ref>Munro, Neil (July 21, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/07/21/daca-seven-facts-obamas-amnesty-decree/ DACA: Seven Facts About Obama’s Amnesty Decree]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 21, 2017.</ref><ref>Nolte, John (September 5, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2017/09/05/14-things-msm-wont-tell-daca/ 14 Things the MSM Won’t Tell You About DACA]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 6, 2017.</ref><ref>Klein, Aaron (September 3, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/03/obama-administration-usurped-constitution-bypassed-congress-grant-de-dacto-amnesty-dreamers/ How the Obama Administration Bypassed Congress to Grant De Facto Amnesty to Young Illegal Aliens]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 3, 2017.</ref> in 2012, which gave protection and work permits (jobs which could have gone to American citizens) to illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. In his 2013 memoir, liberal Democrat U.S. Representative [[Luis Gutiérrez]], an ally of Obama on immigration issues, stated that Obama did not believe that DACA was legally possible until he enacted it.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (September 5, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/05/luis-gutierrez-daca-2013-obama-said-illegal/ Luis Gutiérrez on DACA in 2013: Obama Said It Was Illegal]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 6, 2017.</ref> The Obama Administration was able to give green cards to about 40,000 of those DACA illegals.<ref>Munro, Neil (September 1, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/01/daca-backdoor-granted-green-cards-45000-illegals/ 45,000 Illegals Using DACA Backdoor to Get Green Cards]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 1, 2017.</ref><ref>Binder, John (September 26, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/26/feds-confirm-40k-illegal-aliens-shielded-by-daca-already-given-amnesty/ Feds Confirm 40K Illegal Aliens Shielded by DACA Already Given Amnesty]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 26, 2017.</ref> Additionally, it was reported the administration let 2.2 million deportable illegal immigrants, including 400,000 with criminal convictions, remain on the streets,<ref>Price, Bob (April 22, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/04/22/report-ice-failures-under-obama-administration-leave-more-than-2-2-million-supervised-aliens-on-streets/ REPORT: ICE Failures Under Obama Administration Leave More Than 2.2 Million ‘Supervised’ Aliens on Streets]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref> while releasing 68,000 with criminal records in 2013 alone.<ref>Mass, Warren (April 1, 2014). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/17963-obama-administration-releases-68-000-illegal-immigrant-criminals Obama Administration Releases 68,000 Illegal Immigrant Criminals]. ''The New American''. Retrieved June 8, 2018.</ref> He nearly doubled the number of illegal immigrant juveniles with the EB-4 visa, which gave them legal status.<ref>Binder, John (May 30, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/05/30/obama-nearly-doubled-number-juvenile-illegal-aliens-given-amnesty-says-expert/ Obama Nearly Doubled Number of Juvenile Illegal Aliens Given Amnesty, Says Expert]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 30, 2017.</ref> The Administration "administratively closed" up to 200,000 deportation cases, meaning those illegal immigrants were free to go where they wanted in the U.S.<ref>Bedard, Paul (August 28, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/200000-deportation-cases-quietly-closed-under-obama/article/2632724 200,000 deportation cases quietly 'closed' under Obama]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved August 28, 2017.</ref> The administration also obstructed deportation cases<ref>Bedard, Paul (October 9, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/group-memo-shows-obama-team-obstructed-deportation-cases/article/2636910 Group: Memo shows Obama team obstructed deportation cases]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved October 9, 2017.</ref> and blocked 550,000 illegals from deportation.<ref>Bedard, Paul (December 6, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-blocked-deportation-of-550000-illegals-more-than-atlantas-population/article/2642694 Obama blocked deportation of 550,000 illegals, more than Atlanta's population]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved December 6, 2017.</ref> The Obama Administration issued 140,000 U visas, which are given to illegal immigrants who testify against criminals in court and allow them to eventually gain citizenship, massively expanding the program.<ref>Munro, Neil (June 27, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/27/u-vsa-becomes-backdoor-amnesty-for-200000-plus/ Obama Backdoor Amnesty Provided ‘U visas’ For 140,000 Illegal Aliens]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 28, 2017.</ref> The Obama Administration's failure to close an immigration loophole caused over 250,000 illegal minors to be separated from their parents,<ref>Binder, John (June 19, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/19/immigration-loophole-separated-more-than-quarter-million-child-border-crossers-under-obama/ Obama’s Inaction on Immigration Loophole Separated More Than Quarter Million Child Border Crossers]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 19, 2018.</ref><ref>Spiering, Charlie (June 21, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/21/obama-criticizes-trump-for-family-separation-but-fails-to-acknowledge-role-in-child-detention/ Obama Criticizes Trump for Family Separation, but Ignores Own Record of Separating Families]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 21, 2018.</ref><ref>Duke, Selwyn (June 22, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/29349-obama-separated-families-and-detained-kids-media-said-nothing Obama Separated Families and Detained Kids, Media Said Nothing]. ''The New American''. Retrieved June 22, 2018.</ref> and those minors faced significantly worse conditions in their holding facilities than under the Trump Administration, which also took tougher action.<ref>Price, Bob (June 20, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2018/06/20/trump-vs-obama-two-approaches-to-migrant-families-and-minors/ Trump vs. Obama: Two Approaches to Migrant Families and Minors]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 20, 2018.</ref>

In 2014, President Obama announced the [[DAPA]] program, which would have expanded protections from deportation to a total of about 5 million illegal immigrants. This order was blocked by a federal judge,<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/17/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-obama-immigration-executive-action.html Federal judge temporarily blocks Obama's immigration executive action]. ''Fox News''. February 17, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref> upheld by an appeals court,<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/11/09/appeals-court-rules-against-obama-immigration-plan.html Appeals court rules against Obama immigration plan]. ''Fox News''. November 10, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref> and a split 4–4 Supreme Court ruling upheld the appeals court ruling.<ref>de Vogue, Ariane; Kopan, Tal (June 23, 2016). [https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/23/politics/immigration-supreme-court/ Deadlocked Supreme Court deals big blow to Obama immigration plan]. ''CNN''. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref>

Under President Obama, [[Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] released 564 convicted sex offender illegal immigrants, in many cases because various countries refused to accept them back.<ref>Price, Bob (May 22, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/05/22/obamas-ice-released-nearly-600-sex-offenders-countries-refused-deportation/ Obama’s ICE Released Nearly 600 Sex Offenders after Countries Refused Deportation]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 22, 2017.</ref> In May 2017, a whistleblower revealed that the Obama Administration knowingly let illegal immigrant [[MS-13]] gang members into the country.<ref>Dinan, Stephen (May 24, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/24/whistleblower-dhs-knowingly-let-ms-13-gang-members/ Obama admin knew gang members were part of illegal immigrant surge: Whistleblower]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved May 24, 2017.</ref><ref>Saavedra, Ryan (May 24, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/05/24/obama-let-admitted-ms-13-members-whistleblower-says/ Obama Let in Admitted MS-13 Members, Whistleblower Says]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 25, 2017.</ref> In January 2018, the DHS inspector general reported that the Obama Administration did not identify and arrest terrorist aliens classified as "highest risk" due to them not being screened.<ref>Mora, Edwin (January 11, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/01/11/ig-obamas-ice-missed-opportunities-arrest-high-risk-terror-linked-aliens/ IG: Obama’s ICE ‘Missed Opportunities’ to Arrest High-Risk Terror-Linked Aliens]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved January 13, 2018.</ref><ref>Harrington, Elizabeth (January 16, 2018). [https://freebeacon.com/national-security/obamas-ice-didnt-follow-procedure-for-checking-illegal-immigrants-ties-to-terrorism/ Obama’s ICE Didn’t Follow Procedure For Checking Illegal Immigrants’ Ties to Terrorism]. ''The Washington Free Beacon''. Retrieved January 16, 2018.</ref>

The Obama Administration moved illegal migrant teens across state lines so they could have [[abortion]]s.<ref>Freiburger, Calvin (October 24, 2018). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/obama-admin-moved-illegal-immigrant-teens-across-state-lines-for-abortions Obama admin moved illegal immigrant teens across state lines for abortions, emails reveal]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved October 24, 2018.</ref> Its policies led to an increase in illegal immigration.<ref>Munro, Neil (May 23, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/23/senate-hearing-obamas-daca-and-flores-orders-spiked-illegal-migration/ Senate Hearing: Obama’s DACA and Flores Orders Spiked Illegal Migration]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 24, 2019.</ref>

After assuming office in 2017, the [[Trump Administration]] made [[Donald Trump achievements|a large change in its policies]] towards illegal immigration compared to the Obama Administration.<ref>Llorente, Elizabeth (April 17, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/17/sessions-immigration-policies-mark-big-change-from-obama-policies.html Sessions' immigration policies mark big change from Obama policies]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 18, 2017.</ref> Secretary of Homeland Security [[John Kelly]] of the Trump Administration strongly criticized the Obama Administration for its failures regarding illegal immigration and national security.<ref>Munro, Neil (April 18, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/18/dhs-kelly-sacred-duty-protect-america/ DHS Kelly Slams Obama’s Policies, Proclaims ‘Sacred Duty’ To Protect America]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 18, 2017.</ref><ref>Mora, Edwin (April 21, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/04/21/dhs-chief-obama-nothing-truly-secure-border/ DHS Chief: Obama Did ‘Nothing’ to ‘Truly’ Secure Border]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 21, 2017.</ref>

'''Rising migration levels'''

Because of the Obama Administration's [[open borders]] policies, total migration into the U.S. in 2016 and 2017 reached record high levels, at 1.75 million people per year.<ref>Dinan, Stephen (October 31, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/31/total-immigration-us-ties-all-time-record/ Total immigration to U.S. ties all-time record]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved November 1, 2018.</ref><ref>Munro, Neil (October 31, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2018/10/31/obama-migration-record-almost-one-migrant-for-every-two-graduates-in-2016/ Obama’s Migration Record: Almost One Migrant for Every Two Graduates in 2016]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 1, 2018.</ref>

====Soft-on-crime====
The Obama Administration failed to act upon warnings by federal drug investigators and state officials about the growing problem of illegal fentanyl as the drug killed 70,000 people between 2013 and 2017.<ref name="SlowFentanyl"/> In fact, the administration softened its enforcement against "low-level nonviolent drug offenses."<ref name="SlowFentanyl">Llorente, Elizabeth (March 13, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-administration-slow-to-answer-early-alarms-about-fentanyl-report Obama administration slow to answer early alarms about fentanyl: report]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 13, 2019.</ref><ref>Hayward, John (March 14, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2019/03/14/obama-administration-refused-declare-public-health-emergency-fentanyl/ Obama Administration Refused to Declare Public Health Emergency for Fentanyl]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 14, 2019.</ref>

====War on police====
:{{See also|Riots during the Obama Administration}}
Cop killings increased dramatically in Obama's final years.<ref>https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/police-killed-line-of-duty-increase-2016/</ref> But the groundwork was laid in the early months of Obama's presidency when he made a televised statement that the police "acted stupidly". Obama gave encouragement to [[Black Lives Matter]] and the [[Antifa]] terrorist organization.

====Attacks on Christian religious freedom====
[[File:Schlafly phyllis.jpg|thumbnail|right|140px|[[Phyllis Schlafly]]'s book ''No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom'' documents Obama's attack on religious freedom.<ref>[http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/obamas-attack-on-religious-freedom-its-worse-than-you-think Obama’s Attack on Religious Freedom: It’s Worse Than You Think], ''Crises Magazine''</ref>]]
When first running for office Obama angered religious conservatives with his comment about working-class voters in old industrial towns. Obama said, "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/apr/14/barackobama.uselections2008 Obama angers midwest voters with guns and religion remark], The Guardian</ref>

The Obama administration has been widely criticized for his policies which encroach on religious freedom in areas such as: health care, freedom to dissent on matters relating to the [[homosexual agenda]], religious freedom in the military and religious freedom in other spheres of American life.<ref>
*[http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/obamas-attack-on-religious-freedom-its-worse-than-you-think Obama’s Attack on Religious Freedom: It’s Worse Than You Think], ''Crises Magazine''
*[http://dailysignal.com/2016/01/21/obamas-hypocrisy-on-religious-freedom/ Obama’s Hypocrisy on Religious Freedom]
*[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/15/us-military-losing-christians-because-of-hostile-c/?page=all U.S. military ‘hostile’ to Christians under Obama; morale, retention devastated], ''Washington Times''
*[http://www1.cbn.com/beltwaybuzz/archive/2015/10/08/senator-seeks-answers-from-obama-on-religious-freedom Obama and Religious Freedom], ''CBN News''
</ref>

In addition, the Obama administration has been criticized for promoting religious freedom for [[Islam|Muslims]] and restricting religious freedom for Christians.<ref>[https://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2015/10/29/the-obama-administration-religious-freedoms-fro-american-muslims-not-american-christians-n2072727 The Obama Administration: Religious Freedoms for American Muslims, Not American Christians], Townhall</ref>

====Environment and energy====
{{See also|Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster}}
President Obama authorized offshore oil drilling in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref>[https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0430/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-imperils-Obama-s-offshore-drilling-plan Gulf of Mexico oil spill imperils Obama's offshore drilling plan,] By Mark Clayton, ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', April 30, 2010.</ref> stating, "oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills"<ref>White House Press Release, [https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-a-discussion-jobs-and-economy-charlotte-north-carolina Remarks by the President in a Discussion on Jobs and the Economy in Charlotte, North Carolina,] Office of the Press Secretary, April 02, 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 3 May 2010.</ref> and was widely criticized for his mishandling of the "[[Gulf oil spill disaster|worst environmental disaster]] in US history."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-Oil-slick-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-is-set-on-fire Worst environmental disaster in US history,] Maryann Tobin, ''Examiner'', April 29, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/ Conscience of a Liberal: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault,] Paul Krugman, ''The New York Times'', April 30, 2010.</ref> The Administration spend vast sums of taxpayer money on futile environmentalist efforts, including $4.1 million on a study that attempted to find a connection between pollution and obesity.<ref>Bleau, Hannah (June 15, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/06/15/report-obama-administration-spent-over-4-million-on-study-aimed-to-link-pollution-to-childhood-obesity/ Report: Obama Administration Spent over $4 Million on Study Aimed to Link Pollution to Childhood Obesity]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 16, 2019.</ref>

The Obama Administration enacted many environmental regulations and used scientific studies to back up the supposed need for the regulations, but after the [[Trump Administration]] began undoing the Obama-era rules, many of the merits of the studies were found to be dubious.<ref>Lucas, Fred (December 26, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/26/junk-science-studies-behind-obama-regulations-under-fire.html 'Junk science'? Studies behind Obama regulations under fire]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved December 26, 2017.</ref>

====Labor law====
Obama's first act of office was to sign the [[Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2009)|Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act]] – effectively nullifying the [[Supreme Court]] case ''Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'', which ruled that Ledbetter had to have filed a pay [[discrimination]] suit within 180 days of the first time Ledbetter was paid less than her male peers;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sboxugmc/snop/p2/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html|work=The New York Times|language=English|title=Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> the law made corporations subject to suit within 180 days of each time the employee was unfairly paid.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sfkwpawu/sjoxh/spfpv/p1/grossman/20090213.html?=features|work=FindLaw|author=Joanna L. Grossman|date=Feb. 13, 2009|language=English|title=The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009}}</ref>

'''9/11 responders'''

On January 2, 2011, Obama signed the James Zadroga [[9/11]] Healthcare and Compensation Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/slxv/sliyi/sklm/p2/articles/wnyc-news/2011/jan/02/obama-signs-zadroga-act-law/|publisher=New York Public Radio|title=Obama Signs Zadroga Act into Law|author=Fred Mogul|date=January 2, 2011|work=wNYC|language=English}}</ref> The act, which afforded 9/11 first responders who were sickened by the dust from the collapse of the [[World Trade Center]] health care and compensation, passed [[Congress]] after its sponsors agreed to scale down the pricing from 7.4 to 4.2 billion dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/slxv/sliyi/sklm/p2/articles/wnyc-news/2010/dec/22/zadroga-911-bill-passes-senate/|publisher=New York Public Radio|work=wNYC|language=English|title=Congress Approves 9/11 Health Bill|date=December 22, 2010}}</ref>

'''Diversity over safety'''

During the Obama Administration, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] issued new hiring rules for air traffic controllers which placed achieving diversity over ensuring that new employees were talented, educated, and even knew what they were doing.<ref>Multiple references:
*[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/06/02/obama-era-faa-hiring-rules-place-diversity-ahead-airline-safety-attorney-tells-tucker-carlson.html Obama-era FAA hiring rules place diversity ahead of airline safety, attorney tells Tucker Carlson]. ''Fox News''. June 2, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
*Duke, Selwyn (June 5, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/29215-danger-in-the-skies-obama-dumbed-down-air-traffic-controllers-with-diversity-rules Danger in the Skies: Obama Dumbed-down Air-traffic Controllers With “Diversity” Rules]. ''The New American''. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
*Haverluck, Michael F. (June 3, 2018). [https://www.onenewsnow.com/politics-govt/2018/06/03/obama-put-diversity-over-safety-at-faa Obama put diversity over safety at FAA]. ''OneNewsNow''. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
*Poor, Jeff (June 2, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/06/02/aviation-attorney-to-tucker-carlson-faa-is-putting-diversity-ahead-of-safety/ Aviation Attorney to Tucker Carlson: FAA Is Putting Diversity Ahead of Safety]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 6, 2018.</ref>

====Meeting with an atheist group====
:''See also:'' [[Atheism and American politics]]
The Obama administration became the first administration to met with an [[Atheism|atheist]] group. It met with the Secularism Coalition for America which is a coalition which represents the [[American Atheists]], the American [[Secular Humanism|Humanist]] Association, and the Military Association of Atheists and [[Freethought|Freethinkers]].

According to the ''USA Today'', the group met with the White House officials to "discuss problems that they believe are fueled by religion."<ref name="content.usatoday.com">[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/02/atheists-meet-with-white-house-officials/1#.VypYTzEn_7Y Atheists meet with White House officials], USA Today</ref> Among the issues the group discussed were the issues of "military proselytizing" by [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] Christian members of the military and faith-based initiatives<ref name="content.usatoday.com"/>

====Gender politics====
{{main article|Don't Ask Don't Tell}}
Candidate Obama promised to repeal a policy that originated with President Clinton and passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress that prohibited inquiries into military personnel's [[sexual orientation]] while barring openly gay [[homosexuals]] from serving in the military. [[Liberals]] expressed anger when time passed and no effort to repeal the law was seen;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sboxugbdjxfbbnwt/svwx/p2/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/|work=[[Washington Times]]|title=Obama to delay ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal|language=English|author=Rowan Scarborough|date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> in fact, Obama's [[justice department]], as part of their duty to defend all laws passed by any administration, filed a brief arguing against the [[Supreme Court]] granting a [[writ of certiorari]] to a gay soldier challenging the law (the writ was not granted). In response, the soldier, James Pietrangelo II, a former Army infantryman and lawyer, said, "(Obama's) a coward, a bigot and a pathological liar. This is a guy who spent more time picking out his dog, Bo, and playing with him on the White House lawn than he has working for equality for gay people."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Time Magazine]]|publisher=Time Inc.|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/snwtf/sklm/p1/time/nation/article/0,8599,1903545,00.html?imw=Y|title=Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout|author=Mark Thompson|date=Jun. 09, 2009}}</ref>

On December 15, 2010, a bill was introduced in the [[House of Representatives]] to repeal the law – it passed a day later by a vote of 250–175;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/saun/sncfau/szhvdv/p1/evs/2010/roll638.xml|title=FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 638|work=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref> it passed the Senate three days later 65–31.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/saun/sndlzrg/smno/p2/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00281|work=The U.S. Senate|title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 2nd Session|language=English}}</ref> Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 on December 22.<ref name="g dadt">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/spa/swl/symvrgqly/sqrs/p1/world/2010/dec/22/obama-repeals-dont-ask-dont-tell|work=[[The Guardian]]|language=English|title='Don't ask, don't tell' repealed as Obama signs landmark law|date=22 December 2010}}</ref> The [[Pentagon]] itself could not immediately implement the repeal and questioned whether it would hurt combat readiness.<ref name="g dadt"/>

On the day Rev. [[Jim Jones]] left for [[Jonestown]], [[Harvey Milk]] wrote to Jones and said "my name is cut into stone in support of you - and your people."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=24taDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT254&lpg=PT254&dq=%22my+name+is+cut+into+stone+in+support+of+you+-+and+your+people.%22&source=bl&ots=ynq76x7v9F&sig=ACfU3U1baSHsO8-hnZ5MVbDiNeBbUn9TbQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiz8vLNi6XgAhWG1IMKHfWVCZQQ6AEwB3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22my%20name%20is%20cut%20into%20stone%20in%20support%20of%20you%20-%20and%20your%20people.%22&f=false Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death], Lillian Faderman, Yale University Press, May 22, 2018.</ref> President Obama honored Milk posthumously with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] on the anniversary on his death.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKOv8HA76o President Obama Honors Harvey Milk With Presidential Medal of Freedom], youtube.</ref>

====Civil service corruption and the revolving door====
Obama criticized the "revolving door" of government and business.<ref>"We need to close the revolving door that lets lobbyists come into government freely, and lets them use their time in public service as a way to promote their own interests over the interests of the American people when they leave." [https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-welcoming-senior-staff-and-cabinet-secretaries-white-house REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN WELCOMING SENIOR STAFF AND CABINET SECRETARIES TO THE WHITE HOUSE,] January 21, 2009. [[White House]]</ref> After appointing [[Peter Orszag]] his first Budget Director to dole out the stimulus cash, Orszag resigned to become Citigroup's Vice Chairman of Global Banking. Citigroup was the recipient of $476 billion in [[bailout]] money - more than any other bank - after the disastrous [[Financial crisis of 2008]].<ref>[http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2011/03/citibank_received_more_bailout.html Citigroup Received More Bailout Money Than Any Other Bank,] By Nitasha Tiku, 3/16/11.</ref> Before the bailout, Orszag's expert opinion of the chances of a mortgage meltdown was 1 in 500,000.<ref>[http://www.pierrelemieux.org/stiglitzrisk.pdf Implications of the New Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Risk-based Capital Standard,] by Joseph E. Stiglitz, Jonathan M. Orszag and Peter R. Orszag. Fannie Mae Papers, Volume 1, Issue 2, March 2002, Conclusion p.6.</ref>

===Foreign policy===
[[File:Obama and the media.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[Ben Rhodes]] is the Assistant to the President for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting, and Deputy National Security Advisor to [[Susan Rice]]. Rhodes is also the brother of David Rhodes, President of CBS News.]]
Obama launched a global anti-Christian jihad with his support for [[al-Qaeda]] and the [[Islamic State]] to overthrow the governments of Libya and Syria. The Black African [[slave trade]] was revived in Libya after Obama removed [[Muammar Gaddafi]], an ally in the [[War on Terror]].<ref>[https://womensenews.org/story/international-policyunited-nations/150527/un-sex-violence-envoy-focusing-syria-iraq UN Sex Violence Envoy: Focusing on Syria, Iraq]</ref><ref>[https://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/06/barack-obamas-top-10-apologies-how-the-president-has-humiliated-a-superpower Barack Obama's Top 10 Apologies: How the President Has Humiliated a Superpower], Heritage Foundation</ref> Obama, who was raised a Muslim<ref>[https://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2007/01/was_obama_blood.html Was Obama bloodied by madrassa story?]</ref><ref>[http://www.danielpipes.org/11952/obama-muslim-childhood Obama's Muslim Childhood]</ref> and is not a descendant of slaves, criticized Christians and the Crusades as reports of thousands of women and girls being captured, sold, and raped flooded in.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/579393/ISIS-Michelle-Obama-prostitute-justifies-raping-slave-girls-Koran ISIS calls Michelle Obama a PROSTITUTE and justifies raping slave girls with the KORAN]</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-speech-at-prayer-breakfast-called-offensive-to-christians/2015/02/05/6a15a240-ad50-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html Critics pounce after Obama talks Crusades, slavery at prayer breakfast], Washington Post</ref> Additionally, Obama overemphasized political correctness in U.S. national security policy, something disliked by CIA officials.<ref>Dorman, Sam (November 5, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/media/book-cia-staff-obama-white-house CIA staff complained about Obama White House's political correctness, new book claims]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved November 5, 2019.</ref>

The number of jihadis worldwide has grown by a factor of 4 or 5 at least, since Obama took the reins of power as Commander-in-Chief.<ref>The number of Islamic extremists susceptible to jihadist recruitment during the George W. Bush administration worldwide was estimated at 12,000; the Islamic State alone by 2015 had estimates of a standing army of jihadis as high as 70,000 to 200,000.</ref> Remarkably, the ''[[New York Times]]'' was critical of Obama's incessant boasting about the killing of [[Osama bin Laden|bin Laden]].<ref>Baker, Peter and Shear, Michael D. (April 27, 2012). [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/us/politics/critics-pounce-on-obamas-trumpeting-of-bin-laden-death.html "Obama trumpets killing of Bin Laden, and critics pounce"]. ''The New York Times'' website. See [[The New York Times]].</ref> With the complete disengagement of American troops from [[Iraq]] and the assassination of [[Osama bin Laden]], the [[Islamic State]] arose and recruitment of global [[jihad]]is multiplied exponentially.

Obama entered his second term mocking and ridiculing the idea that Russia was America's prime geo-strategic competitor; by the closing days of his presidency, Obama was in a panic fanning the flames of a Third Red Scare. Vladimir Putin and Russia had thoroughly embarrassed Barack Obama on the world stage as Obama withdrew America from its traditional role of global leadership and repudiated the idea of [[American exceptionalism]]. Respect for America degenerated in the world as issues such as transexual bathrooms occupied more of Obama's time and attention than the 12 million homeless refugees Obama had driven from their homes in his failed "[[Arab Spring]]" policy. Having been thoroughly rebuked politically with the election of Donald Trump, as a [[lameduck]] Obama attempted to coverup [[DNC]] scandals uncovered by [[Wikileaks]] by scapegoating Vladimir Putin and fostering an atmosphere of paranoia about Russia, the future, and a Trump presidency.

'''Commander-in-chief'''

As Senator, Obama was highly critical of President Bush and promised change. As President, Obama tripled down in Afghanistan, widened the war into Pakistan, multiplied by drone attacks, bombed Yemen and Somalia, and started an undeclared NATO war in Libya. On presidential war powers, surveillance questions, Guantanamo, detention policy and habeas corpus, Obama similarly stayed the course or expanded Bush's precedents. In a speech on May 19, 2011, Obama fully embraced the [[Bush Doctrine]] of preventative war.<ref>Krauthammer, C. (April 19). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-news-in-obamas-speech/2011/05/19/AF4dFN7G_story.html The News in Obama's Speech]. ''Washington Post''.</ref>
From the Boston Globe:
<blockquote>
'The New America Foundation, which tracks the strikes, has listed 23 raids since the beginning of April 2011, all but one in Pakistan’s tribal regions of North and South Waziristan. A June 20 attack was reported in Kurram, an area north of North Waziristan along the Afghanistan border.'
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
'The drone program has become increasingly controversial as the Obama administration has expanded its use beyond the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Lethal missiles have been launched from unmanned aircraft in at least five countries in addition to Pakistan: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and, most recently, Somalia. The military’s Joint Special Operations Command used a drone last June to attack what officials said were two senior members of the Al Shabab militant group on the Somali coast.' <ref>DeYoung, K. (2011, July 4). [http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/07/04/cia_halts_drone_launches_from_pakistan_base/ CIA Halts Drone Launches From Pakistan Base]. ''[[The Boston Globe]]''.</ref>
</blockquote>
A commentator says:
<blockquote>
'Obama is commendable when he says he wants to avoid war. His policies, however, favor war by destabilizing the Middle East making it extremely hostile and favoring radical Islam over America’s ally, Israel, and American interests in the region... The president has chosen a very dangerous path for every American and one that promises great difficulty for Israel.' <ref>[http://www.thejerusalemconnection.us/blog/2012/03/14/obamas-words-disguise-his-israel-foreign-policy-actions.html Obama's words disguise his Israel foreign policy actions.]</ref>
</blockquote>
By Obama's third year as Commander-in-Chief, over 1200 American troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan - significantly more than the number who died during President [[George W. Bush]]'s term of office. And growing numbers of civilian contractors also rose. In the first half of 2010, 250 contractors reportedly died in Iraq and Afghanistan - more than the 235 military personnel who fell during the same period.<ref>https://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/05/24/114662/what-price-war.html#ixzz1Nz07pg5O</ref>

'''National Defense'''

President Obama signed into U.S. law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), only after his administration successfully lobbied to remove language from the bill that would have protected American citizens from being detained indefinitely without trial.<ref>Aaron Dykes. [http://www.infowars.com/president-obamas-ndaa-signing-statement-i-have-the-power-to-detain-americans-but-i-wont/ Obama’s Signing Statement on NDAA: I have the power to detain Americans… but I won’t], Infowars.com, January 1, 2012.</ref> After the legislation cleared Congress, the ACLU commented that if President Obama signed the bill it "will damage both his legacy and American’s reputation for upholding the rule of law," while executive director of the ''Human Rights Watch'' blasted the President for being ‘on the wrong side of history,’ noting that "Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law."<ref>President Decides to Sign Ill-Conceived National Defense Authorization Act. [https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/12/14/us-refusal-veto-detainee-bill-historic-tragedy-rights US: Refusal to Veto Detainee Bill A Historic Tragedy for Rights], ''[[Human Rights Watch]]'', December 14, 2011.</ref><ref>[https://www.aclu.org/national-security/white-house-backs-away-defense-bill-veto-threat White House Backs Away from Defense Bill Veto Threat], ''[[ACLU]]'', December 14, 2011.</ref>

Section 1031 of the NDAA bill, which itself defines the entirety of the United States as a “battlefield,” allows American citizens to be snatched from the streets, carted off to a foreign detention camp and held indefinitely without trial. As reported by Infowars.com, the bill states that “any person who has committed a belligerent act” faces indefinite detention, but no trial or evidence has to be presented, the White House merely needs to make the accusation.<ref>Paul Joseph Watson. [http://www.infowars.com/obama-administration-demanded-power-to-indefinitely-detain-u-s-citizens/ Obama Administration Demanded Power To Indefinitely Detain U.S. Citizens], Infowars.com, December 12, 2011.</ref><ref>S.1867 [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c112:2:./temp/~c1122VN0Iv:e548990: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Engrossed in Senate [Passed Senate] - ES)], ''[[Library of Congress]]'' THOMAS, 112th Congress (2011-2011), Accessed January 25, 2012.</ref><ref>Text of S.1867 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. [http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1867/text?version=es&nid=t0:es:281 Sec. 1031. Affirmation of authority of the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force.], [[U.S. Congress]], ''OpenCongress.org'', (Accessed January 25, 2012).</ref>

The Obama Administration accidentally allowed the chipmaker AMD to ship sensitive and important technology to China, despite the significant national security risks.<ref>O'Keeffe, Kate; Spegele, Brian (June 27, 2019). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-tried-to-stop-china-acquiring-world-class-chips-china-got-them-anyway-11561646798 How a Big U.S. Chip Maker Gave China the ‘Keys to the Kingdom’]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved June 29, 2019.</ref>

'''Afghan conflict'''
{{main article|Afghanistan War}}
American deaths in [[Afghanistan]] more than doubled in Obama's first few years compared with the preceding eight years of George Bush <ref>Chesser, S.G. (2012, July 12). [http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41084.pdf Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians - CRS Report for Congress]. Pg. 3. ''Congressional Research Service'''.</ref> as he increased troop strength for no discernible purpose and to "win" unstated objectives. Against his own Defense Secretary's advice, Obama [[Libyan uprising 2011|attacked Libya]] and forced [[regime change]] without Congressional authorization in violation of the post-Nixon era reform measure, the [[War Powers Act]].

After he took personal credit for killing [[Osama bin Laden]], the [[U.S. State Department]] warned of increased risk to the lives and safety of Americans.<ref>''KABC-TV/DT'' (2011, July 27). [http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8273909 Risk of anti-US violence up after Osama bin Laden's death]. On ''ABC7 News''.</ref> Bin Laden's successor, [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] confirmed the [[Benghazi Attack]] which took place on the anniversary of 9/11 and killed more Americans, was motivated by al-Qaeda's desire for revenge.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2012/09/12/world/africa/libya-attack-jihadists/index.html Pro-al Qaeda group seen behind deadly Benghazi attack], By Nic Robertson, Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister, CNN, September 13, 2012.</ref> Bin Laden's death, as Obama's advisers warned, freed up jihadis who swore an oath of allegiance to the 9/11 mastermind to swear allegiance to rival and competing factions. The competing factions advocated the immediate establishment of the Islamic State, rather than after the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy and retaking of Mecca. As was well known, bin Laden always held a controversial and minority position among jihadis on the strategy for global jihad by attacking the United States first. Bin Laden's killing, intended as an election year gimmick, brought Obama no improvement in approval ratings and spawned unprecedented growth in global terror and jihadi recruiting.

Obama needlessly escalated troop strength<ref name="pbs">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/slxv/sbla/sjkl/p2/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/themes/strategy.html#ixzz1LhWNImZp|title=Obama's New Strategy (March '09)|author=George Packer, Seth Jones, David Kilcullen, Rory Stewart, Andrew Exum, Col. Andrew Bacevich (Ret.)|work=[[PBS]]|language=English}}</ref> and defense costs in Afghanistan from $43.5 billion in George Bush's last year to $113.7 billion for 2011.<ref>Congressional Research Service, quoted in Gregory Anthony, ''What price war?''</ref> Adviser to General [[Stanley McChrystal]] David Kilcullen wrote, "One of the big strategic shifts is the use of language now which talks about Pakistan and Afghanistan as the same theater. Now we talked about Af-Pak long before the Obama administration came about, but the public use of that term, and the description of it as the Afghanistan-Pakistan campaign, sends a new message to people about how the administration is going to think about Afghanistan and Pakistan."<ref name="pbs"/>

'''Bowe Bergdahl swap'''
{{See also|Muslim agenda of the Obama administration}}
When [[Barack Obama]] released five Taliban commanders from the [[Guantanamo Bay]] prison in exchange for American deserter Bowe Bergdahl in 2014, he assured Americans that the enemy combatants would not be allowed to return to Afghanistan. 6 American soldiers lives were lost searching for the American deserter.<ref>https://nypost.com/2014/06/02/six-soldiers-died-searching-for-deserter-pow-fueling-backlash/</ref> Upon Bergdahl's return, Obama celebrated Bergdahl as a heroic “POW,” a designation the Pentagon never gave him. Khairullah Khairkhwa, one of the five released from Guantanamo, sat across the table from Joe Biden’s personal representative in [[Moscow]] in the spring of 2021, where Mullah Khairkhwa was part of the Taliban delegation that negotiated the terms of the US withdrawal. Mullah Khairkhwa is the mastermind of the Taliban takeover, even though the Pentagon classified Khairkhwa as too dangerous to release.

Khairkhwa assured the Biden junta that the Taliban would not retaliate against Afghans who worked with the US military or the US-backed government in Kabul. However, reports out of Kandahar and Kabul soon after the fall of Afghanistan indicate the Taliban was going door to door with a kill list to wipe out their enemies. Mullah Khairkhwa previously served as the Taliban’s interior minister prior to 2002, where he oversaw Islamist punishments, including beheadings and stonings.<ref> https://nypost.com/2021/08/16/taliban-leader-was-freed-from-guantanamo-in-2014-swap-by-obama/</ref>

All five of the terrorists in the Bowe Bergdahl swap assumed prominent positions in the Taliban interim government announced on September 11, 2021:<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2021/09/07/four-gitmo-detainees-released-in-berghdahl-swap-are-now-taliban-ministers-for-afghan-government-interim-government-will-be-officially-introduced-on-sept-11th/</ref>
*Acting Minister of Information and Culture: Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah
*Defense Deputy Minister: Mullah Mohammad Fazil
*Acting Director of Intelligence: Abdul Haq Wasiq
*Border and Tribal Affairs Minister: Mullah Norullah Nori
*Acting Governor of Khost Province: Muhammad Nabi Omari<ref>https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-09-11-from-the-cells-of-guantanamo-to-the-ruling----the-story-of-5-officials-in-the-taliban-government.H1rAUgatGY.html</ref>

====Libya and rebirth of the slave trade====
{{main article|Libyan uprising 2011}}
In February 2011, the political unrest that spread through the Arab world showed up as protests in Libya. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, leader of Libya for 41 years, responded to the violence<ref>[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28376.htm There Was No Libyan Peaceful Protest, Just Murderous Gangs and Nic Robertson]</ref> with legitimate steps.<ref name="nyt libya">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/sboxugmc/sjubjjp/p1/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/libya/index.html|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Inc.|language=English|title=Libya — Protests and Revolt (2011)}}</ref> The [[United Nations Security Council]] voted to impose [[sanctions]], and later passed a resolution to protect civilians. Obama, without approval from Congress and over the objections of his own National Security staff,<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gates-libyan-no-fly-zone-means-attacking-libya/ Gates: Libyan no-fly zone means attacking Libya], CBS News</ref> directed American forces to take out Libya's air defense system.<ref name="nyt libya"/> Secretary of Defence [[Robert Gates]], National Security Adviser [[Tom Donilon]], Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough, and [[White House]] counterterrorism chief [[John O. Brennan]] all opposed the action. Obama later said, "if we waited one more day Benghazi, a city nearly the size of Charlotte, could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world."<ref>{{cite web|author=Barack Obama|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/slxv/sazy/sjkl/p2/2011/03/28/134935452/obamas-speech-on-libya-a-responsibility-to-act|title=Obama's Speech On Libya: 'A Responsibility To Act'|date=March 28, 2011|publisher=National Public Radio ([[NPR]])|language=English}}</ref> [[Alan J. Kuperman]], in an editorial for the ''[[Boston Globe]]'', suggested this statement was false, writing, "intervention did not prevent genocide, because no such bloodbath was in the offing. To the contrary, by emboldening rebellion, US interference has prolonged Libya’s civil war and the resultant suffering of innocents."<ref name="kuperman">{{cite web|author=Alan J. Kuperman|work=The Boston Globe|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/swyeebp/sivdvconx/p2/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions|title=False pretense for war in Libya?|date=April 14, 2011}}</ref> Kuperman, a professor of public affairs at the [[University of Texas]] who authored a book called ''The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention'', further stated that the rebels had tricked the world into thinking a bloodbath was at hand and that Obama had lied to the American people in order to act on this theory.<ref name="kuperman"/>
<blockquote>
Gaddafi [never] threaten[ed] civilian massacre in Benghazi, as Obama alleged. The “no mercy’’ warning, of March 17, targeted rebels only, as reported by ''The New York Times'', which noted that Libya’s leader promised amnesty for those “who throw their weapons away.’’ Gaddafi even offered the rebels an escape route and open border to Egypt, to avoid a fight “to the bitter end.’’ <ref>[http://politicalcartel.org/2011/04/17/libya-and-the-obama-doctrine/ Libya and the “Obama Doctrine”.]</ref>
</blockquote>
Gaddafi wrote to Obama and told him he bore no ill will. "We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," he wrote. "Despite all this you will always remain our son whatever happened. We still pray that you continue to be president of the USA. We endeavour and hope that you will gain victory in the new election campaign."<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/06/gaddafi-obama-nato-libya?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 Gaddafi begs Obama to halt 'unjust war' ], [[The Guardian ]]</ref>

'''Syria and Obama's "red line"'''

In 2012, during the [[Syrian Civil War]], President Obama stated that if the Syrian dictator, President [[Bashar al-Assad]] used [[chemical weapon]]s against Syrians, that would be unacceptable and cross a red line. However, after it was confirmed that Assad did use weapons against his people, Obama did practically nothing. He went to Congress to authorize a military strike, but this request was rejected (he had the ability to order a military strike without Congress's approval). Later, the Obama Administration (particularly [[Susan Rice]])<ref name="RiceTakesHeat">Chakraborty, Barnini (April 7, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/07/susan-rice-obama-colleagues-take-heat-for-past-claims-on-syria-chemical-weapons-purge.html Susan Rice, Obama colleagues take heat for past claims on Syria chemical weapons purge]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 7, 2017.</ref> and the mainstream media<ref>Nash, Charlie (April 7, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/04/07/politifact-pulls-2014-mostly-true-rating-of-john-kerrys-claim-of-eliminating-syrian-chemical-weapons/ PolitiFact Pulls 2014 ‘Mostly True’ Rating of John Kerry’s Claim of Eliminating Syrian Chemical Weapons]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 7, 2017.</ref> claimed they had worked with Syria to remove its chemical weapons. In April 2017, Syria again used chemical weapons against its people, proving their claim wrong.<ref name="RiceTakesHeat"/> The new president, [[Donald Trump]], unlike Obama, quickly ordered a large airstrike against a Syrian airbase.<ref>Griffin, Jennifer; Tomlinson, Lucas (April 7, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/07/us-missiles-target-syria-airfield-in-response-to-chemical-weapons-attack.html US missiles target Syria airfield in response to chemical weapons attack]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 7, 2017.</ref>

'''Turkey'''

President Obama attempted to overthrow the legitimate government of Turkey, a vital NATO ally. Turkish President [[Recep Erdoğan]] repeatedly warned Obama's support of [[Kurd]]ish forces and [[ISIL]] threatened the NATO alliance. Turkey slowly began establishing closer ties with Russia.

====Hillary Clinton and the FBI's collusion with Russia====
:{{See also|Uranium One bribery scandal}}
Obama and his administration had a weak stance on Russia.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (July 22, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2018/07/22/pollak-media-let-obama-alums-off-the-hook-on-russia/ Pollak: Media Let Obama Alums off the Hook on Russia]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 22, 2018.</ref> He and Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] tried to "reset" relations with Russia, and he mocked [[Mitt Romney]] for calling Russia the most dangerous geopolitical threat to the U.S. in a 2012 debate. According to Brett Bruen, the White House director of global engagement from 2013 to 2015, the Obama Administration ignored his warnings about Russia.<ref>Morton, Victor (March 26, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/26/brett-bruen-obama-official-says-nsc-slept-his-2014/ Obama official says NSC slept on his 2014 Russia warning]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved March 26, 2018.</ref> Obama criticized president of [[Russia]], [[Vladimir Putin]] for carrying out a referendum for the seizure of [[Crimea]] to Russia.<ref>[http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-calls-rethinking-crimea-vote Obama calls for a 'rethinking' on Crimea vote]. [[Cybercast News Service]]</ref> After taking office in 2017, [[Donald Trump]] took several actions against Russia that Obama never went so far as to do.<ref>Berger, Judson (December 26, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/26/trump-administration-ends-2017-confronting-russia-after-year-collusion-accusations.html Trump administration ends 2017 confronting Russia after year of collusion accusations]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved December 26, 2017.</ref>

'''Cuba'''

During his presidency, Obama instituted a major détente with the oppressive Communist dictatorship of [[Cuba]], despite its failed leftist governance and human rights violations.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/obamas-cuban-detente-1418862551 Obama’s Cuban Detente]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. December 17, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref><ref>Spetalnick, Matt; Gardner, Timothy (December 13, 2016). [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-whitehouse-idUSKBN1422U6 Obama to press Trump to preserve Cuba detente: White House]. ''Reuters''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> In August 2015, the U.S. and Cuba reopened each other's embassies.<ref>Frumin, Aliyah (July 1, 2015). [http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/obama-announces-historic-deal-cuba Obama announces historic deal with Cuba]. ''MSNBC''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/08/14/kerry-in-havana-for-reopening-us-embassy-tough-negotiations-ahead.html Kerry marks opening of US Embassy in Havana, critics rip 'diplomacy for show']. ''Fox News''. August 14, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> In September 2016, Obama nominated the first U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in 55 years.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/27/obama-nominates-first-us-ambassador-to-cuba-in-more-than-45-years.html Obama nominates first US ambassador to Cuba in more than 55 years]. ''Fox News''. September 27, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.</ref> Obama did everything in his power to normalize relations with the failed dictatorship, but the [[United States embargo against Cuba|U.S. embargo against Cuba]] remained in place due to opposition from the Republican-controlled Congress.<ref>Spetalnick, Matt; Marsh, Sarah (October 14, 2016). [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-idUSKBN12E1H3 Obama eases restrictions on Cuba, lifts limits on rum and cigars]. ''Reuters''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> No one knows the extent of underground bunkers of Soviet-era weapons consisting of [[AK-47]]s and [[MANPAD]]S stockpiled between 1959 and 1986 when the collective stated foreign policy aims of Cuba and the Soviet Union were armed revolution and violent overthrow of the United States government and the capitalist system. The United States remains unprepared for trade talks and lifting travel restrictions on tourists.

Despite Obama's support for mass immigration and amnesty for those who immigrated illegally, he ended the "wet foot, dry foot" policy that allowed Cuban refugees to legally stay in the U.S.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/12/obama-reportedly-to-scrap-wet-foot-dry-foot-policy-for-cuban-refugees.html Obama announces end to 'wet foot, dry foot' policy for Cuban refugees]. ''Fox News''. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>

Liberal mainstream media regarded Obama's private meetings with the murderous thugs who run Cuba as a breakthrough in relations.

'''Guantanamo Bay'''
{{main article|Guantanamo Bay}}
One of Obama's campaign promises was that he would close the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba - detainees would be flown to other countries while the ones awaiting trial would enter the American court system. Two days after taking office he signed an order directing the military to do so.<ref name="salon">{{cite web|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/swywmf/slmn/p2/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/25/obama_guantanamo_rhetoric|work=Salon|title=The Obama/Gitmo timeline|author=Natasha Lennard|language=English}}</ref> But, in November 2009 Obama admitted that his self-imposed deadline of January 2010 would be missed, and in March 2011 the president went back on his campaign promise, signing an executive order to create a formal system of indefinite detention for the prisoners.<ref name="salon"/>

Obama ultimately failed to close Guantanamo Bay, although he continually attempted to reduce the number of detained terrorists held at the base, even in the last days of his presidency.<ref>Saxena, V. (January 6, 2017). [http://www.westernjournalism.com/obama-to-release-18-hardened-gitmo-terrorists-before-leaving-office/ Obama To Release 18 Hardened Gitmo Terrorists Before Leaving Office]. ''Western Journalism''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref><ref>Ryan, Missy; Tate, Julie (December 28, 2016). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/with-final-detainee-transfer-obamas-guantanamo-policy-takes-its-last-breath/2016/12/28/dfdf8cb2-cd0f-11e6-a747-d03044780a02_story.html?utm_term=.62bebcb1f672 With final detainee transfer, Obama’s Guantanamo policy takes its last breath]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>

====Anti-Israel policies====
Obama has had very poor relations with the conservative [[Israel]]i Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], and he disregarded U.S. commitments to the country.<ref>Klein, Aaron (May 9, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2018/05/09/klein-obama-accuses-trump-flouting-agreements-ex-prez-just-betraying-israel/ Klein: Obama Accuses Trump Of ‘Flouting’ Agreements, But Ex-Prez Did Just That By Betraying Israel]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 9, 2018.</ref> During the very tight and closely-watched 2015 elections, the Obama Administration attempted to influence the election—in order to elect a pro-Hamas leftist government in the nation and defeat Netanyahu—by financing a liberal pro-Palestinian political organization.<ref>Klein, Aaron (July 13, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/07/13/israeli-lawmakers-fume-obama-administration-intervention-defeat-netanyahu/ Israeli Lawmakers Fume Over Obama Administration ‘Intervention’ to Defeat Netanyahu]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref> Netanyahu decisively won the election, despite opposition from left-wing world leaders such as Obama.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-claims-victory-as-vote-count-shows-likud-further-ahead/ Netanyahu scores crushing victory in Israeli elections]. ''The Times of Israel''. March 18, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref>

On December 23, 2016, Obama broke over 35 years of American policy by abstaining from a UN vote and allowing a blatantly anti-Israel resolution to pass, showing his true anti-Israel stance.<ref name="StrikeAgain"/><ref name="FedUpDrastic"/> On December 28, 2016, just a few weeks before the [[Trump Administration]] was to take office and a few days after the anti-[[Israel]] resolution was adopted, Kerry gave a major 72-minute<ref>Hanchett, Ian (December 28, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/video/2016/12/28/nbcs-neely-kerry-speech-firing-a-flare-across-israel-he-wanted-to-give-it-for-some-time-but-wh-blocked-it/ NBC’s Neely: Kerry Speech ‘Firing a Flare’ ‘Across Israel’ He Wanted To Give It ‘For Some Time’ But WH Blocked It]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref> speech viciously attacking Israel and paying worthless lip-service to American "support" for the nation.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (December 28, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/12/28/kerry-on-israel-peace-un-resolution/ Kerry Attacks Israeli Government, Defends UN Resolution]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref> Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] responded harshly but appropriately to the Administration's blatant betrayal.<ref>Key, Pam (December 28, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/video/2016/12/28/netanyahu-i-must-express-my-deep-disappointment-with-john-kerry-israelis-do-not-need-to-be-lectured/ Netanyahu: ‘I Must Express My Deep Disappointment’ With Kerry — ‘Israelis Do Not Need To Be Lectured’]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref>

Despite these actions, the U.S. House passed a motion on January 5, 2017, condemning Obama's allowing of the UN resolution.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/05/house-overwhelmingly-votes-to-condemn-un-resolution-on-israel-settlements.html House overwhelmingly votes to condemn UN resolution on Israel settlements]. ''Fox News''. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.</ref><ref>Cortellessa, Eric (January 6, 2017). [https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-house-passes-repudiation-of-un-security-council-resolution-on-israel/ US House passes motion repudiating UN resolution on Israel]. ''The Times of Israel''. Retrieved January 6, 2017.</ref> Additionally, Republican President-elect [[Donald Trump]] voiced strong support for Israel during this time.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (December 23, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/12/23/trump-hints-defunding-un-anti-israel-vote/ Trump on UN Anti-Israel Vote: ‘Things Will Be Different After Jan. 20’]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 6, 2017.</ref><ref>Swoyer, Alex (December 29, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/12/29/trump-im-very-very-strong-on-israel/ Trump: ‘I’m Very, Very Strong on Israel’]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 6, 2017.</ref>

Soon before leaving office, Obama bypassed Congress and gave the [[State of Palestine]] $221 million.<ref name="221MLastHours">[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/24/us-quietly-sent-221m-to-palestinians-in-obamas-last-hours.html US quietly sent $221M to Palestinians in Obama's last hours]. ''Fox News''. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.</ref>

====Pro-Iranian policies====
In contrast to his anti-Israel policies, Obama took a friendly stance toward Iran, helping negotiate the [[Iran nuclear deal]] with the country, something Obama's successor, President Trump, chose to reverse. The Obama Administration actively worked to give Iran access to American banks, and Iran got $150,000,000,000 from Obama, and they gave it to terrorists.<ref>Multiple references:
*Taylor, Guy (June 6, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/6/obama-hid-efforts-to-aid-irans-windfall/ Obama hid efforts to aid Iran's windfall]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
*[https://www.onenewsnow.com/ap/politics/report-obama-administration-lied-about-iran-deal Report: Obama administration lied about Iran deal]. ''OneNewsNow'' (from the ''Associated Press''). June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
*Edson, Rich (June 6, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/06/06/obama-administration-allegedly-gave-iran-access-to-us-financial-system.html Obama administration allegedly gave Iran access to US financial system]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved June 8, 2018.</ref> According to a high-ranking Iranian official in 2018, the Obama Administration granted U.S. citizenship to 2,500 Iranians during the nuclear deal negotiations, including the friends and family of Iranian government leaders.<ref>Irvine, Chris (July 2, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/07/02/obama-administration-granted-citizenship-to-2500-iranians-during-nuclear-deal-iran-official.html Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians during nuclear deal: Iran official]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved July 2, 2018.</ref>

An Iranian militia leader who led an attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq in 2019 had been invited to the White House by the Obama Administration in 2011.<ref>Multiple references:
*Nolan, Lucas (December 31, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2019/12/31/iranian-militia-leader-who-led-raid-u-s-embassy-baghdad-previously-visited-obama-white-house/ Iranian Militia Leader Leading Iraq U.S. Embassy Raid Listed as Obama White House Guest]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
*Singman, Brooke (January 2, 2020). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iraqi-official-spotted-outside-embassy-attack-visited-obama-white-house-in-2011 Iraqi official spotted outside embassy attack visited Obama White House in 2011]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
*Dibble, Madison (January 2, 2020). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/obama-gave-white-house-welcome-to-iran-backed-leader-of-us-embassy-attack-in-baghdad Obama gave White House welcome to Iran-backed leader of US Embassy attack in Baghdad]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
*Boyer, Dave (January 2, 2020). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/2/hadi-al-amiri-leader-us-embassy-siege-iraq-was-gue/ Leader of U.S. Embassy siege in Iraq was guest of Obama at White House]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
*Boyer, Dave (January 3, 2020). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/3/chief-of-iran-backed-embassy-siege-met-with-obama-/ Chief of Iran-backed embassy siege met with Obama, Biden]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved January 3, 2020.</ref>

====Opposition to U.S. sovereignty====
[[File:Xi Obama.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Obama with Chinese dictator [[Xi Jinping]]; Winnie-the-Pooh was banned from [[China]] after this meme appeared on [[social media]].<ref>https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/812125/china-censors-block-winnie-the-pooh-because-of-his-uncanny-resemblance-to-president-xi-jinping</ref>]]
{{See also|War on Sovereignty}}
Preferring international cooperation and equality to American [[sovereignty]] and independence (despite the U.S.'s obviously superior geopolitical position), Obama intentionally reduced American power and strength during his presidency. One of his actions as president was to give up the nation's control of [[Domain name|internet domain name system]] and transfer control over to an international organization in 2016.<ref>Solomon, Howard (October 3, 2016). [https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/new-era-in-internet-governance-starts-as-us-cedes-control-of-domain-name-system/386903 New era in Internet governance starts as US cedes control of domain name system]. ''IT World Canada''. Retrieved October 14, 2016.</ref><ref>Lieberman, Eric (September 24, 2016). [https://dailycaller.com/2016/09/24/obama-admin-wants-to-surrender-us-control-over-internet-to-global-bureaucracy/ Obama Admin Wants To Surrender US Control Over Internet To Global Bureaucracy]. ''The Daily Caller''. Retrieved October 14, 2016.</ref>

Obama also entered the U.S. into the [[Paris climate agreement]] and attempted to have it join the [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]], which was under negotiation. Both of these agreements would have reduced American sovereignty and [[self-governance]].

Obama also endorsed the United Nations 2030 Agenda in 2015, which called for "a 'new universal agenda' for all of humanity" and served as a major step toward a [[one-world government]].<ref>Hohmann, Leo (September 30, 2015). [https://www.wnd.com/2015/09/obama-puts-u-s-on-fast-track-to-world-government/ Obama puts U.S. on 'fast track' to world government]. ''WND''. Retrieved December 26, 2017.</ref>

===Congressional relations===
Obama has maintained tense relations with Congress throughout his term as president. Each of his budgets was voted down, and many of his judicial appointments have not come to a vote. When Supreme Court Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] died on February 13, 2016, Obama made a point of addressing the nation to say that he would nominate a replacement, which drew criticism and rebuke from Republican Senators and Presidential candidates. Obama executive action in areas such as immigration policy drew extensive criticism as infringing upon Congressional legislative powers.

===Scandals===
Obama turned the [[Justice Department]] into a cesspool of corruption.<ref>[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nymagazin.com%2Fen_US%2Fobamagate-si-reforma-fbi-ului-tiberiu-dianu%2F]</ref>

Obama was complicit in the whitewash of Hillary Clinton's email investigation. In fact, Obama himself crafted the language of "careless," reducing the charge of gross negligence punishable by 10 years in prison down to nothing. Obama himself had much to hide; he knew of Hillary's illegal email server. Obama communicated with Hillary on her illegal server at least 30 times, including from the territory of a "hostile foreign power," presumably Russia, where their communication was most certainly hacked.

When the disgraced Obama appointee as FBI director whitewashed the incident by saying Hillary communicated with "a senior government official," it was Obama himself and his complicity in the reckless handling of classified information that Comey was covering up, not just Hillary. Over the course of his presidency, Obama cost taxpayers $35 million to cover his Christmas vacations.<ref>Harper, Jennifer (December 23, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/23/inside-the-beltway-aloha-the-35-million-obama-chri/ Memories of Christmas past: The $35 million Obama travel bill]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved December 24, 2018.</ref> FBI deputy director [[Andrew McCabe]]'s special counsel [[Lisa Page]] 's sworn congressional testimony confirms that the FBI was acting on orders from the Obama Justice Department to clear Hillary Clinton of [[felon]]ious behavior and violations of the Espionage Act so that she could be nominated as the DNC 2016 presidential candidate.<ref>[https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/03/13/lisa-page-obama-doj-ordered-fbi-not-to-charge-hillary-clinton-no-collusion/ Former FBI Lawyer Lisa Page Said Obama DOJ Ordered FBI Not To Charge Hillary Clinton], [[CBS]], March 13, 2019.</ref>

====Fast and Furious====
:''Main article:'' '''[[Operation Fast and Furious]]'''
[[File:Eric Holder.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Eric Holder]] is the First Attorney General in US history held in [[criminal]] [[Contempt of Congress]]. He resigned in light of the Fast & Furious revelations<ref>[https://www.americanthinker.com/2011/10/fast_and_furious_in_a_rotten_nutshell.html#ixzz27iRBCN28 Fast and Furious in a Rotten Nutshell], Ronald Kolb, ''[[American Thinker]]'', October 7, 2011,</ref> and other scandals.]]
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Mexican drug related gun murders skyrocket during Obama's Fast and Furious campaign<ref>https://archive.is/RyT8w</ref>
|-
| 2006 || 62
|-
| 2007 || 2,837
|-
| 2008 || 6,844
|-
| 2009 || 11,753
|-
| 2010 || 19,546
|-
| 2011 || 24,068
|-
| 2012 || 18,061 (by October 31, 2012)
|-
| 2013 || 23,640 killed in 2013 (through to March 2014)
|}
Before Obama's Fast and Furious operation was exposed, the number of dead victims in drug cartel violence has been estimated as high as 160,000 deaths.

The ''Washington Post'' reported that White House officials stopped a requirement for gun dealers to report bulk sales of high-powered semiautomatic rifles commonly used by illegal drug cartels. [[Justice Department]] officials had asked for White House approval to require thousands of gun dealers along the border to report the purchases to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives. ATF investigators expected to get leads on suspected arms traffickers. Senior law enforcement sources said the proposal from the ATF was held up by then White House chief of staff [[Rahm Emanuel]].<ref>Horwitz, S. & Grimaldi, J.V. (2010, December 17). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/17/AR2010121706598.html White House Delayed Rule Meant to Stop Gun Flow to Mexico]. ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Gun dealers had been required for decades to report the sales of multiple handguns to the ATF.

====IRS scandal====
:{{Main article|IRS scandal}}

====Aid to Benghazi rebels====
A March 29, 2011 article in the ''[[Washington Post]]'' included these paragraphs:
{{Cquote|"It’s almost a certitude that at least part” of the Libyan opposition includes members of al-Qaeda, said Bruce Riedel, a former senior CIA analyst and adviser to President Obama. Riedel said that anti-Gaddafi elements in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi have had “very close associations with al-Qaeda” dating back years....I would hope that we now have a good sense of the opposition in Libya and can say that this is 2 percent, not 20 percent,” Riedel said. “If we don’t, then we are running the risk of helping to bring to power a regime that could be very dangerous.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/libyan-opposition-includes-a-small-number-of-al-qaeda-fighters-us-officials-say/2011/03/29/AFRlXWyB_story.html Libyan opposition includes a small number of al-Qaeda fighters, U.S. officials say], Washington Post</ref>}}
[[File:Mass beheading of Christians in Libya.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Gadaffi was an ally of the US against the jihadis until Obama armed the jihadis to overthrow Gadaffi. One of their first acts was the mass beheading of Christians.]]
This set off a fierce debate in the [[Obama administration]] over the wisdom of arming terrorists.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/world/africa/30diplo.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Washington in Fierce Debate on Arming Libyan Rebels], The New York Times</ref> It is now known sometime prior to March 31, 2011,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/world/africa/31intel.html?_r=2&hp C.I.A. Agents in Libya Aid Airstrikes and Meet Rebels], The New York Times</ref> at the urging of Hillary Clinton<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19policy.html?_r=3&hp& Obama Takes Hard Line With Libya After Shift by Clinton], The New York Times</ref> and over the objections of his National Security Council, Obama signed a Presidential Finding authorizing support for the rebel jihadis.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/30/us-libya-usa-order-idUSTRE72T6H220110330 Exclusive: Obama authorizes secret help for Libya rebels], [[Reuters]]</ref>

By October 2011, [[Libyan rebel fighting group]]s with support from [[NATO]] overtook the capital and toppled the government. Gaddafi was captured and brutally and sadistically murdered.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPzeLLL9V-c Leading from behind - a critique of Obama foreign policy]</ref> The jihadis were immediately recognized by the U.S. and the U.N. as the new legitimate government. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, announced [[Sharia]] will be the source for all legislation and all laws conflicting with Sharia are null and void.<ref name="Sharia">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8861608/Libya-Al-Qaeda-flag-flown-above-Benghazi-courthouse.html Libya: Al Qaeda flag flown above Benghazi courthouse] - [[Daily Telegraph]]</ref> Abdel Rahim al-Kib, the country's interim prime minister, echoed Jalil's words days later.<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail/207953.html New Libyan PM backs Islamic sharia law]</ref> The al Qaeda flag was flown above the Benghazi courthouse, and reports surfaced that the Libyan jihadis had imposed Sharia law in some parts of the country even earlier.<ref name="Sharia" /> By February 17, 2013, four foreign nationals were arrested for distributing Christian literature, a charge that could carry the death penalty.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/17/libya-arrests-suspected-foreign-missionaries Libya arrests foreign 'missionaries' Four foreign nationals accused of distributing Christian literature] a charge that could carry the death penalty, Chris Stephen [[The Guardian]], Sunday 17 February 2013.</ref>

In 2014, the Obama Administration gave a $200,000 grant to a Sudanese group with ties to [[Al Qaeda]].<ref>Pappas, Alex (July 27, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/07/27/obama-administration-approved-200g-grant-to-group-with-al-qaeda-ties.html Obama administration approved $200G grant to group with Al Qaeda ties]. 'Fox News''. Retrieved July 27, 2018.</ref><ref>Kirkwood, R. Cort (July 28, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/29656-obama-administration-funded-al-qaida-front Obama Administration Funded al-Qaida Front]. ''The New American''. Retrieved July 28, 2018.</ref>

====Benghazi massacre====
[[File:Benghazi attack.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Amb. Stevens was specifically in Benghazi to oversee and facilitate transfer of captured weapons from the Gadaffi regime to groups in Syria which ultimately became the [[Islamic State]]. Few people had knowledge of this program beyond Stevens, Clinton, and Obama. Once the mission was completed, Stevens was expendable.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/REAL-Benghazi-Story-White-Hillary/dp/1531817130</ref>]]
:{{main|Benghazi Attack}}
With several U.S. embassies besieged on the anniversary of the [[September 11 attacks]], White House Press Secretary [[Jay Carney]] declared there was no reason to believe the attack on the sovereign territory of the United States consulate in Benghazi, less than two months before the [[2012 Presidential election]] which killed Americans, was a terrorist attack.
{{Cquote|The unrest that we’ve seen around the region has been in reaction to a video that Muslims, many Muslims, find offensive.}}
This became the official White House line. Between laughs with [[Jon Stewart]] on [[Comedy Central]], Obama said the death of Americans was "not optimal".<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/10/18/Obama-Benghazi-murders-not-optimal Interview with Jon Stewart of the ''Daily Show''], Breitbart.com</ref> When pressed by reporters, who pointed out evidence that the violence in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, Press Secretary Carney argued “the unrest around the region has been in response to this video.”

Leading suspected jihadis in the murders and terrorist attack were the local Benghazi branch of Ansar al-Shariah, known to have ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023114113/http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/10/19/when-an-obama-adviser-called-benghazi-an-al-qaeda-hotbed/?cxntfid=blogs_political_insider_jim_galloway When an Obama adviser called Benghazi an al-Qaeda hotbed]</ref> A commander of the terrorist group boasted jovially about the attack over drinks with reporters for the ''New York Times'' in Benghazi.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/world/africa/election-year-stakes-overshadow-nuances-of-benghazi-investigation.html?pagewanted=2&ref=world Election-Year Stakes Overshadow Nuances of Libya Investigation], The New York Times</ref><ref>[https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/frappe-libya-attack/ Frappe-Sipping Libyan Militant Laughs at U.S. Manhunt for Benghazi Killers], [[Wired (magazine)]]</ref>

====Funding the Islamic State====
Two more Americans were killed, along with 35 others, after being taken hostage by rebel jihadists in Mali shortly after the Libyan upheaval.<ref>[http://world.time.com/2013/01/21/algeria-37-foreigner-hostages-killed-in-attack/ Algeria: 37 Foreigner Hostages Killed in Attack], Associated Press, Jan. 21, 2013. ''[[Time Magazine]]''.</ref>

Hillary Clinton testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the wake of the Benghazi murders under her stewardship, that weapons and fighters equipped by the Obama administration made their way to [[Mali]] and [[Algeria]]:
{{cquote|There is no doubt that the Algerian terrorists had weapons from Libya. There is no doubt that the Malian remnants of AQIM [Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb] have weapons from Libya.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-says-militants-used-weapons-libya-algeria-attack-154222664.html Clinton says militants used weapons from Libya in Algeria attack] [[Reuters]], Jan 23, 2013.</ref>}}

====1MDB scandal====
After the 2012 election, Obama's chief fundraiser continued raising money for Democratic candidates. [[Frank White, Jr.]] and [[Pras Michel]] formed a joint venture with [[1Malaysian Development Berhad]] (1MDB), wholly owned by the Malaysian government. The venture supposedly was to invest in green technology and solar panels, but corrupt officials of 1MDB were more interested in buying influence with the [[Obama administration]] and the [[Democratic party]],<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/suspect-malaysian-fund-tied-to-lobbying-of-white-house-1476403764 Malaysian Fund 1MDB Linked to White House Visit], By Bradley Hope and Colleen McCain Nelson, ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', Oct. 13, 2016.</ref> and White and Pras likewise were not interested in providing a renewable source of electricity or solving the problems of [[poverty]] for Malaysia's 30 million people.

Malaysians have a median household income of $4500, so the theft of $4.5 Billion by [[globalism|globalists]] pushing green technology and Democrats looking for foreign money to finance their campaigns cause they can't sell their ideas at home, had a devastating impact on the Malaysian people, economy, and political culture.
[[File:Hunter-Obama-1024x717.png|right|300px|thumb|Hunter Biden meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office. ''Official White House Photograph'']]
White and Pras got two anonymous investors to lend a half of a Trillion dollars for a little over a two-year period. They formed a joint partnership agreement with 1MDB to build a green technology solar plant. White and Pras owned 49%, 1MDB controlled 51%. White was supposed to have provided financial advice. His advice turned out to be for 1MBD to buy out his 49% for $69 million six months after the agreement was signed, without White's entities investing any of the half Trillion he borrowed.<ref>"The crucial evidence from the records available (illustrated above) shows that the Private Equity fund Yurus, set up by White, registered the entire US$69 million it received from 1MDB as additional profit, implying it had not invested any of its original US$505 million fund in the venture." [https://medium.com/@sarawakreport/1mdb-sleaze-casts-shadow-over-us-democrats-on-eve-of-obama-visit-investigation-1MDB Sleaze Casts Shadow Over US Democrats On Eve Of Obama Visit], ''Sarawak Report'', 15 November 2015.</ref> Portions of the $69 million were then donated to Democrat Senate, Congressional, and Gubernatorial candidates. The $69 million Democrats stole from the people of Malaysia during the Obama presidency is only a fraction of the corrupt deals 1MDB did all over the planet. Much of the $4.5 Billion embezzled was laundered through U.S. banks, and has become the largest investigation ever under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Act.<ref>https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-loretta-e-lynch-delivers-remarks-press-conference-announcing-significant</ref>

====Biden-Ukraine scandal====
:{{See also|Biden-Ukraine scandal}}
Vice President [[Joe Biden]] oversaw the disbursement of $1 billion allocated by the U.S. to the new government of Ukraine. In 2014, Biden's son [[Hunter Biden]], was appointed to the board of directors of Burisma Holdings, the largest oil and gas company in Ukraine. Hunter Biden was hired by [[Mykola Zlochevsky]], who served as Ukraine's ecology minister in the previous administration. Hunter Biden was paid $166,000 per month. The money was split with the nephew of [[Whitey Bulger]].

Zlochevsky came under investigation by the new administration for alleged embezzlement of $5 billion while ecology minister. The prosecutor traced payments made to Hunter Biden. Vice President Biden threatened the new Ukrainian administration to withhold $1 billion in U.S. allocated funds unless the prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden was fired.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/world/europe/corruption-ukraine-joe-biden-son-hunter-biden-ties.html</ref>

Biden bragged about having caused the firing of the [[Ukraine]] prosecutor to a [[CFR]] conference.
[[File:Joe Biden at CFR meeting 2018 2.jpeg|left|300px|thumb|Biden at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]: "‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money'...Well, [SOB], he got fired."<ref>https://haciendapublishing.com/articles/deep-dark-secrets-rich-famous-and-powerful-cliff-kincaid</ref>]]
U.S. banking records show Hunter Biden's firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners LLC, received regular transfers — usually more than $166,000 a month — from Burisma from spring 2014 through fall 2015, during a period when Joe Biden was the main U.S. official dealing with Ukraine. Biden threatened Ukrainian President [[Petro Poroshenko]] that the [[Obama administration]] would pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, sending Ukraine toward insolvency, if it didn't immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin who was investigating his son, Hunter. Biden recounted,
{{quotebox-float|"'You’re not getting the billion'. I’m going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money'...Well, [SOB], he got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time."<ref name="thehill.com">https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/436816-joe-bidens-2020-ukrainian-nightmare-a-closed-probe-is-revived</ref><ref>https://www.cfr.org/event/foreign-affairs-issue-launch-former-vice-president-joe-biden</ref>}}
Yuriy Lutsenko, who replaced Shokin as the prosecutor looking into Burisma, said the evidence in the Burisma case he'd like to present to [[William Barr]], particularly the vice president's intervention.

Between April 2014 and October 2015, more than $3 million was paid out by Burisma to an account linked to Biden's and Devon Archer's Rosemont Seneca firm, according to the financial records placed in a federal court file in Manhattan in another case against Archer. The bank records show that, on most months when Burisma money flowed, two wire transfers of $83,333.33 each were sent to the Rosemont Seneca–connected account on the same day. The same Rosemont Seneca–linked account typically then paid Hunter Biden one or more payments ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 each. Ukrainian prosecutors reviewed internal company documents and wanted to interview Hunter Biden and Archer about why they had received such payments, but couldn't because of Joe Biden's intervention.

On September 4, 2019, former Prosecutor General [[Victor Shokin]] made a sworn affidavit outlining Joe Biden's shakedown.<ref>https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-Statement</ref>

====Spygate====
[[File:170509-andrew-mccabe-ac-1043p c043e7050b32e4ad26bd45b92eb651eb.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg|right|275px|thumb|McCabe (left) with co-conspirator Attn. Gen. [[Loretta Lynch]] (right). McCabe took $700,000 from a Clinton campaign operative to fix the email investigation and save Hillary's nomination. Lynch colluded with Bill Clinton at the Phoenix tarmac meeting to whitewash Hillary's email investigation and meddle in 2016 election.]]
:{{See also|Obamagate timeline|FBI scandal|FISA abuse|Crossfire Hurricane|Biden-Ukraine scandal}}
In the Obama-era political surveillance programs, the lines between the CIA and FBI were blurred. They wworked together through contractors.<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/04/25/president-obamas-2016-political-surveillance-coverup-had-two-parallel-tracks/</ref> The Obama administration had been conducting illegal surveillance on American citizens since 2012, shortly after the IRS scandal was exposed. On March 9, 2016, the [[NSA]] FISA compliance officer discovered the illegal collusion between the FBI and CIA to spy on American citizens. Between March and July 2016, the CIA used foreign intelligence allies in [[Italy]], the [[U.K.]] and [[Australia]] to create an illusion of Russian involvement with the Trump campaign. This operation was based on earlier more innocuous contacts from various countries, weaponized and redeployed in what everyone calls “spygate”. This track successfully culminated with the start of the FBI's Operation Crossfire Hurricane.<ref>[https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/03/08/doj-political-surveillance-from-the-irs-in-2011-to-the-fisa-court-in-2016/ DOJ Political Surveillance – From the IRS in 2011 to the FISA Court in 2016], Posted on March 8, 2020 by sundance. theconservativetreehouse.com</ref>

On July 31, 2016 FBI deputy head of the [[counterintelligence]] division [[Peter Strzok]] began an investigation into [[Donald Trump]]. Two days later Strzok had this exchange with [[Lisa Page]], an attorney in FBI deputy director [[Andy McCabe]]'s office:
{{Quotebox-float|'''Lisa Page – He’s not ever going to become president, right? Right?! Strzok - No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it.'''
}}
On September 2, 2016, Lisa Page wrote about preparing talking points for Dir. [[Jimmy Comey]] because “[[POTUS|potus]] [Obama] wants to know everything we’re doing.”<ref>https://theblacksphere.net/2018/02/fbi-text-message-potus-wants-know-everything/</ref> The text raised questions about the extent of Obama's personal involvement in on ongoing the FBI investigation.<ref>https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/fbi-texts-obama-wants-know-everything-we-re-doing-n845531</ref>

[[Susan Rice]] sent an email to herself about a secret [[Oval Office]] meeting where the ''[[Clinton-Steele dossier]]'' was discussed;<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/index.html</ref><ref>https://apnews.com/152579d488a740b2a8d39fbe2f34506d</ref><ref>https://apnews.com/a82309544e9e465fa2ad4f83e5a48540</ref> (the email was written and sent to herself 15 minutes after Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20):<ref>https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-graham-uncover-unusual-email-sent-susan-rice-herself-president-trump-s</ref> {{Quotebox|"On January 5, following a briefing by [[IC]] leadership on Russian hacking during the 2016 Presidential election, [[President Obama]] had a brief follow-on conversation with FBI Director [[Jim Comey]] and Deputy Attorney General [[Sally Yates]] in the Oval Office. [[Vice President Biden]] and I were also present. President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities "by the book". The President stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book. From a national security perspective, however, President Obama said he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia. [Redacted section] The President asked Comey to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team. Comey said he would."<ref>https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2018-02-08%20CEG%20LG%20to%20Rice%20(Russia%20Investigation%20Email).pdf</ref>}}[[File:112 2016 b4-napo-comey-hoove8201 c0-389-1420-1216 s885x516 (1).jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Jimmy the Weasel]] beside [[J. Edgar Hoover]]. Under Obama the FBI returned to the use of sexual innuendo and domestic spying on political opponents.<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/04/19/comey-trump-cnn-news-hook/</ref>]]At the conclusion of the briefing, Obama asked Sally Yates and James Comey to remain. Together with Susan Rice, is where the “by the book” CYA comment comes into play. The 90-day surveillance period under the FISA warrant had just a bit over two weeks left to run — it was set to expire just as Trump was to take office. (Reporting suggests that there may also have been a [[FISA]] warrant on [[Paul Manafort]] around this time.) The Obama administration was confronting a deadline if the FISA warrant was to be renewed while Obama was still in power. The officials in the meeting needed to figure out how the investigation could continue despite the fact that its central focus, Trump, was about to be sworn in as president. Rice's “by the book” bunkum is transparent: Obama officials claimed to adhere to a book that forbade consultations between political leaders and investigators. But here they were consulting. So Rice tried to cover their tracks in her email: She revises history such that the consultation morphs into a mere friendly reminder that Obama wanted everything done by the book.<ref>https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/susan-rice-email-president-obama-russia-investigation/</ref>

The [[Russia collusion hoax]] was predicated on the unverified premise that [[Wikileaks]] was a front for [[KGB]] activity. Nonetheless, Obama commuted the sentence of [[Chelsea Manning]] who passed [[national security]] secrets to WikiLeaks two days before Obama left office.

On March 4, 2017, after becoming president, Trump tweeted:
<blockquote>How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!<ref>https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump</ref></blockquote>
and
<blockquote>Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!</blockquote>

Members of the mainstream media called this wiretapping claim an "astonishing and reckless accusation".<ref name=wiretap>{{cite news|url=https://server5.kproxy.com/servlet/redirect.srv/sruj/scczbaciweaamvs/suvw/p2/opinions/the-trump-experiment-may-come-to-an-early-tipping-point/2017/03/05/87d38b3a-0055-11e7-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?utm_term=.edb071c61986|title=The Trump Experiment may come to an early tipping point|first=EJ|last=Dionne Jr.|work=Washington Post|date=March 5, 2017|accessdate=March 5, 2017}}</ref> It was later all found to be true and accurate. Nixon resigned over attempting to spy on the opposition party at the [[Watergate]] hotel; Obama got away with it on scale no one could ever imagine.

====Final Mueller report====
According to ''[[USA Today]]'', "[[Obama]] blew it big time" in regards to Russian efforts to meddle in the [[2016 presidential election]]. Mueller's final report flatly states that [[Russia]] began interfering in American democracy in 2014.<ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/04/18/mueller-report-collusion-trump-russian-election-interference-democrats-takeaways-column/3505946002/</ref> Over the next couple of years, the effort blossomed into an attempt to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. The [[Obama administration]] knew this and did nothing. [[National Security Advisor]] [[Susan Rice]] told her staff to "stand down" and "knock it off" against the Russians.<ref>https://www.yahoo.com/news/stand-obama-team-blew-response-russian-meddling-100024634.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=tw</ref><ref>https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/why-the-hell-are-we-standing-down/</ref> Obama was singularly focused on the nuclear deal with Iran. Obama wanted [[Vladimir Putin]] in the deal, and to stand up to him on election interference would have, in Obama's estimation, upset that negotiation.<ref>https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/19/opinions/mueller-report-obama-jennings/index.html?no-st=1555716010</ref>

According to DCWhispers {{quotebox|Obama had his hands all over this attempted [[coup]] of a duly elected [[President of the United States]]. The reasons for that are likely many, but perhaps a foundational reason is this—Barack Obama has never considered himself to be one required to follow U.S. law. He has always been inclined to see himself as a person of the world, not of a single nation and a single nation’s laws. Some have argued he is openly defiant of said laws, thinking them a byproduct of a deeply flawed America of which he has little if any loyalty toward. Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda is the antithesis of Obama’s “America Bad” world view and he could not abide seeing his legacy of relegating the United States to secondary world status overtaken by an outsider who was not beholden to the rules of the elite political class in D.C.

And so, Mr. Obama once again weaponized the federal government in an attempt to destroy a political opponent. The fact this was a shocking violation of the law meant little because all of America’s laws mean so little to the now former president.<ref>http://dcwhispers.com/report-dirty-dealings-of-dirt-devils-who-concocted-trump-russia-probe/#SHCy4bth9xbL6Ifx.99</ref>}}

===Pardons and commutations===
According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, President Obama issued 1,928 grants of clemency, with 1,716 being commutations, more than any other U.S. president.<ref>Bedard, Paul (September 5, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-broke-the-record-for-commuting-jail-sentences-1716/article/2633400 Obama broke the record for commuting jail sentences, 1,716]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved September 6, 2017.</ref> Obama pardoned [[Chelsea Manning]] who allegedly [[collude]]d with [[Julian Assange]] of [[Wikileaks]], who allegedly colluded with Russia to interfere in the [[2016 presidential election]]. Manning was pardoned four days before Obama left office as the Russia collusion investigation was getting under way.

===Controversies===
:''Main article: [[Barack Obama Controversies]]''
Several major controversies have dogged Obama throughout his political career and have received major media coverage and prominence.

'''Obamaisms'''

Obama's bizarre gaffes, or [[Obamaisms]], were frequent and embarrassing, but typically unreported by the [[liberal media]]. Some examples are: spelling respect as R-S-P-E-C-T when he was attempting to sing that line from [[Aretha Franklin]]'s famous song, spelling Ohio as O-I-H-O, and saying that we built the Intercontinental Railroad instead of the Transcontinental Railroad, saying "How's it going, Sunshine" when he was in the city of Sunrise, Florida.<ref>Kurtzman, Daniel (March 6, 2014 or aft.) [https://politicalhumor.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama-isms.htm "Obamaisms: Dumb quotes and gaffes by Barack Obama"]. About.com website/About entertainment/Political humor/Funny political jokes/Political gaffes.</ref> Many hardworking American businessmen took offense to a 2012 campaign speech about the economy where, referring to infrastructure improvements, he said "[[You didn't build that]]." Obama offended [[Poland]] by referring to the [[Nazi]] death camps there as "Polish death camps." Later Obama apologized.<ref>Sink, Justin (June 1, 2012). [https://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/europe/230419-obama-letter-says-he-regrets-polish-death-camp-gaffe "Obama apologizes in writing for 'Polish death camp' verbal gaffe"]. The Hill website/Policy/International.</ref> Gaffes are inevitable for people with a high profile, but several of Obama's were very revealing ("you didn't build that"), and they show how the [[mainstream media]] tends to emphasize the gaffes of conservatives as opposed to liberals.

'''Famous quotes'''
*"I continue to believe that [[Donald Trump]] will not be president." (stated when asked by a reporter a month prior to Election Day)<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4iZSW_76TE Democrats and Media Agreed: There Was No Way Donald Trump Could Be Elected], Video</ref>

===Election meddling===
By custom, President Obama stayed neutral during the primaries, even though his close friend and Vice President [[Creepy Uncle Joe]] [[Biden]] was seriously considering a Presidential campaign.

Once Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination, Obama campaigned for her and also attended fundraisers. Obama publicly criticized the Republican candidate, [[Donald Trump]] who had previously spent years claiming that Obama was not born in the United States.

===Last days and transition===
:{{See also|Trump transition|FISA abuse}}
[[File:Susan-rice-email-1-2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A smoking gun email linking Barack Obama to illegal domestic spying on political opponents and civil rights violations.]]
In a stunning repudiation of Obama's policies, Republican businessman [[Donald Trump]] was elected over Democrat [[Hillary Clinton]] – Obama considered it a personal insult.<ref>Huston, Warner Todd (May 3, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/03/obama-considered-trumps-election-personal-insult/ Report: Obama Considered Trump’s Election a Personal Insult]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.</ref><ref>Kafozoff, Kristian (May 3, 2019). [https://www.theepochtimes.com/obama-considered-trumps-2016-win-as-personal-insult-new-updates-from-book_2905270.html Obama Considered Trump’s 2016 Win As ‘Personal Insult’: New Updates From Book]. ''The Epoch Times''. Retrieved May 3, 2019.</ref> In a frantic attempt to leave some sort of legacy, Obama issued a very large amount of far-Left executive orders and regulations which revealed his true political views if any doubt remained.<ref name="ActionsSpree">Lucas, Fred (December 26, 2016). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/26/spree-obama-actions-revives-gop-concerns-over-midnight-regs-agenda.html?refresh=true Spree of Obama actions revives GOP concerns over ‘midnight’ regs, agenda]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved December 26, 2016.</ref> These orders included blocking large areas of the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]] and [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] oceans from oil and gas drilling, effectively barring the U.S. from real [[Energy Independence|energy independence]]; breaking the record of pardons and commutations in a single day for criminals (many of them were sentenced for drug-related crimes), showing his soft stance on crime and drugs; ending the defunct NSEERS program to register male immigrants from North Korea and [[Islam]]ic countries (the necessary, beneficial, and useful program was suspended by the Obama Administration in 2011<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/22/obama-ditches-registry-focused-on-immigrant-men-from-muslim-countries.html Obama ditches registry focused on immigrant men from Muslim countries]. ''Fox News''. December 22, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.</ref>); attempting to transfer even more terrorists out of [[Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp|Guantanamo Bay]]; allowing an anti-[[Israel]] resolution pass in the [[United Nations]]; enacting a record amount of unnecessary, useless, and job-killing regulations; and even more.<ref name="ActionsSpree"/> Obama added 120,000 illegal immigrants to the DACA program in the last three months of his presidency.<ref>Binder, John (May 16, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/05/16/obama-stamped-120k-dreamers-trump-takeover/ Obama Stamped 120K DREAMers Before Trump Takeover]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 16, 2017.</ref> Obama made these actions knowing that Trump, who had almost completely opposite political views on these issues, was going to enter the [[White House]] in such short a time.

Although all of Obama's actions were worrisome, his actions in regards to Israel were particularly noteworthy. He broke over 35 years of American policy by abstaining from a UN vote and allowing a blatantly anti-Israel resolution to pass, showing his true stance concerning Israel.<ref name="StrikeAgain">[https://worldisraelnews.com/israel-fears-obama-will-strike/ Israel fears Obama will strike again]. ''World Israel News''. December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.</ref><ref name="FedUpDrastic">Berkowitz, Adam Eliyahu (December 26, 2016). [https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80855/fed-up-with-obamas-trickery-netanyahu-takes-drastic-actions/#VbVlRMtkx4zLRc3f.97 Fed Up With United States Trickery, Netanyahu Takes Drastic Actions]. ''Breaking Israel News''. Retrieved December 26, 2016.</ref> Soon before leaving office, Obama bypassed Congress and gave the [[State of Palestine]] $221 million.<ref name="221MLastHours"/>

Obama continued to believe that he could have successfully "won" a third term as president had he been able to run.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/26/obama-could-have-won-third-term.html?refresh=true Obama: I could have won third term]. ''Fox News''. December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.</ref> Regardless of the factuality of that claim, Democrats lost 1,042 seats—including U.S. House, Senate, state governorship, and state legislative seats—during his eight years in office.<ref name="1,000Seats">[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/27/democrats-lost-over-1000-seats-under-obama.html Democrats lost over 1,000 seats under Obama]. ''Fox News''. December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.</ref> Obama also believed that "the Democratic Party has stayed pretty grounded in fact and reality" despite its negative policies that suggest otherwise.<ref>Lawler, David (December 26, 2016). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/26/barack-obama-says-democrats-will-not-disintegrate-like-labour/ Barack Obama says Democrats will not 'disintegrate' like Labour under Jeremy Corbyn]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved December 26, 2016.</ref>

Obama made Trump's transition much harder and rockier than it could have been by his leftist executive orders, decisions, and comments during the transition period.<ref>Swoyer, Alex (December 28, 2016). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/12/28/donald-trump-responds-to-president-obamas-many-inflammatory-statements/ Donald Trump Responds to President Obama’s ‘Many Inflammatory’ Statements]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref><ref>Scott, Eugine (December 28, 2016). [https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/28/politics/trump-obama-statements-not-smooth-transition/ Trump: 'NOT' a smooth transition after Obama 'roadblocks']. ''CNN''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref>

Obama received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service from [[Secretary of Defense]] [[Ash Carter]], an Obama appointee in the same administration.<ref>Huston, Warner Todd (January 4, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/04/president-obama-awards-himself-distinguished-public-service-medal/ President Obama Awards Himself Distinguished Public Service Medal]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 7, 2017.</ref> Although the award was created in 1947, the only other presidents to have received the medal (all during their tenure) are [[Bill Clinton]], a left-wing Democrat, and [[George W. Bush]], who holds [[RINO]] positions on certain issues.

In an interview, Obama claimed that "we are probably the first administration in modern history that hasn't had a major scandal in the White House,"<ref>[https://insider.foxnews.com/2017/01/13/president-obama-60-minutes-no-white-house-scandals-during-my-administration Obama: I'm the 1st Modern President Without a Major Scandal]. ''Fox News Insider''. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 16 2017.</ref> and Obama's Chief of Staff [[Denis McDonough]] claimed likewise,<ref>Shelbourne, Mallory (January 15, 2017). [https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/314396-obama-chief-of-staff-most-proud-we-are-scandal-free Chief of staff: Obama administration 'historically free of scandal']. ''The Hill''. Retrieved January 16, 2017.</ref> despite the strong and massive evidence to the contrary.<ref>Dickens, Geoffrey (January 16, 2017). [https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/geoffrey-dickens/2017/01/16/ The Seven Most Undercovered Obama Scandals]. ''[[NewsBusters]]''. Retrieved January 16, 2017.</ref><ref>Hemingway, Mark (January 9, 2017). [https://www.weeklystandard.com/the-obama-era-had-scandals-aplenty/article/2006197 The Obama Era Had Scandals Aplenty]. ''[[Weekly Standard]]''. Retrieved January 16, 2017.</ref>

====Massive increase in regulations in 2016====
In addition to his other actions in 2016, Obama massively increased the number of federal regulations during his last days in office.<ref>Harper, Jennifer (May 30, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/30/inside-the-beltway-obamas-unprecedented-surge-of-r/ Inside the Beltway: Obama’s unprecedented ‘surge’ of regulations]. '' The Washington Times''. Retrieved May 30, 2017.</ref><ref>Lawler, Joseph (May 31, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/new-rules-surged-in-obamas-last-year-to-3853-most-pages-in-federal-register-ever/article/2624503 New rules surged in Obama's last year to 3,853, most pages in Federal Register ever]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved May 31, 2017.</ref> More regulations were finalized in every year since 2005, and they cost the economy $2 trillion.<ref>Sherfinski, David (May 31, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/31/obamas-regulations-in-2016-to-drain-economy-by-2-t/ Obama’s regulations in 2016 to drain economy by $2 trillion]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved May 31, 2017.</ref>

==Post-presidency==
:{{See also|2020 Democrats' attacks on Barack Hussein Obama}}
Obama made an ungraceful departure from office claiming on October 18, 2016, Donald Trump's complaints of lies spread about Trump were corrosive to American democracy and an invented [[conspiracy theory]].<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/18/politics/obama-trumps-rigged-election-claim-whining-before-the-games-even-over/</ref> Less than two months later after Trump had won, Obama claimed he himself had been derelict in his duty and had fallen asleep at the switch allowing Russian hackers to steal the election for Donald Trump.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/us/politics/russia-hack-election-trump-obama.html</ref>

Obama acquired a lavish celebrity lifestyle after ending his presidency.<ref>Varney, James (June 17, 2019). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/17/obama-endorsement-coveted-ex-president-writes-own-/ Hobnobbing Obama raking in the cash post-presidency -- while still dabbling in politics]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved June 19, 2019.</ref> He spent much of his time vacationing in exclusive and elite locations around the world.<ref>Bennett, Kate (March 17, 2017). [https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/where-in-the-world-is-barack-obama/ Barack Obama is probably lying on a beach in a deserted paradise right now]. ''CNN''. Retrieved March 18, 2017.</ref> He spent much time with left-wing celebrities, such as spending [[Good Friday]] 2017 on a $300 million yacht with celebrities such as [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[Tom Hanks]], and [[Oprah Winfrey]],<ref>Hudson, Jerome (April 17, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/04/17/barack-michelle-obama-join-oprah-springsteen-hanks-on-david-geffens-yacht/ Good Friday: Obamas Join Winfrey, Springsteen, Hanks on David Geffen’s Yacht]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 27, 2017.</ref> and in Italy in 2019 with [[George Clooney]].<ref>Huston, Warner Todd (June 25, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/06/25/jet-setting-obamas-seen-hobnobbing-with-the-clooneys-on-ritzy-lake-como/ Jet Setting Obamas Seen Hobnobbing with the Clooneys on Ritzy Lake Como]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 25, 2019.</ref> Obama did not give any mention of [[Independence Day]] on his Facebook or Twitter on that day in 2017 while he was visiting [[Seoul]].<ref>Huston, Warner Todd (July 5, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/07/05/july-4th-no-mention-independence-day-barack-obamas-twitter-facebook/ On July 4th: No Mention of Independence Day on Barack Obama’s Twitter or Facebook]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 5, 2017.</ref> In addition, Obama accepted a $400,000 speech backed by Wall Street,<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/27/obama-spokesman-defends-reported-400000-wall-street-backed-speech.html Obama spokesman defends reported $400,000 Wall Street-backed speech]. ''Fox News''. April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.</ref> something that stunned even many liberals.<ref>Wallace, Christopher (April 27, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/27/obamas-400g-wall-street-speech-leaves-liberal-base-stunned.html Obama's $400G Wall Street speech leaves liberal base stunned]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 27, 2017.</ref> Despite the criticism over the speech, Obama gave another $400,000 speech shortly afterward.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/28/obama-reportedly-pulls-in-another-400g-for-speech.html Obama reportedly pulls in another $400G for speech]. ''Fox News''. April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.</ref> [[Bernie Sanders]] described Obama's speaking fees as "unfortunate."<ref>[https://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/04/28/unfortunate-bernie-sanders-criticizes-obama-for-accepting-400k-for-wall-street-speech/ ‘Unfortunate’: Bernie Sanders criticizes Obama for accepting $400K for Wall Street speech], [[The Blaze]]</ref> In May 2017, Obama traveled to Italy to give a speech on [[global warming|climate change]], but used pollution-heavy transportation to get to his destination.<ref>Zanotti, Emily (May 21, 2017). [https://heatst.com/politics/obama-speaks-on-global-warming-then-spews-co2-with-private-jet-13-car-motorcade/ Obama Speaks on Global Warming, Then Spews CO2 With Private Jet, 13-Car Motorcade]. ''Heat Street''. Retrieved May 22, 2017.</ref> On June 6, 2017, Obama gave a $400,000 speech to the Chamber of Commerce in [[Montreal]] in which one of the topics he spoke about was "warning against income inequality and the concentration of wealth."<ref>Starr, Penny (June 7, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/07/obama-warns-income-inequality-delivering-7700-minute-speech/ Obama Warns Against Income Inequality While Delivering $7,700-a-Minute Speech]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 7, 2017.</ref> After leaving office, Obama bought a house in D.C. for $8.1 million.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/31/obamas-purchase-d-c-house-for-8-1-million-new-report-says.html Obamas purchase D.C. house for $8.1 million, new report says]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved June 7, 2017.</ref><ref>Bennett, Kate (June 2, 2017). [https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/politics/obama-house-kalorama/index.html Obamas purchase their DC rental house for millions]. ''CNN''. Retrieved June 7, 2017.</ref> In August and September 2017, Obama made a combined $1.2 million from three Wall Street speeches.<ref>Shelbourne, Mallory (September 18, 2017). [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/351138-obama-making-big-money-speeches-to-wall-street-firms-report Obama making big-money speeches to Wall Street firms: report]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved September 18, 2017.</ref><ref>Yilek, Caitlin (September 18, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-making-400000-speeches-to-wall-street-firms-report/article/2634736 Obama making $400,000 speeches to Wall Street firms: Report]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved September 18, 2017.</ref><ref>Kight, Stef W. (September 18, 2017). [https://www.axios.com/trump-wants-a-july-4th-military-parade-2486828811.html Obama to make $1.2 million from 3 Wall Street speeches]. ''Axios''. Retrieved September 18, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/19/obama-cashes-in-on-wall-street-appearances-report-says.html Obama cashes in on Wall Street appearances, report says]. ''Fox News''. September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.</ref> In late 2019, the Obama family bought a mansion in Martha's Vineyard for $11.75 million.<ref>Multiple references:
*Calicchio, Dom (December 5, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obamas-pay-11-75m-for-marthas-vineyard-home-report Obamas pay $11.75M for Martha’s Vineyard home on nearly 30 acres: report]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
*Kurtz, Judy (December 6, 2019). [https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/473343-obamas-buy-home-in-marthas-vineyard Obamas buy home on Martha's Vineyard]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
*Bleau, Hannah (December 6, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/06/obamas-officially-purchase-11-75-million-waterfront-mansion-in-marthas-vineyard/ Obamas Officially Purchase $11.75 Million Waterfront Mansion in Martha’s Vineyard]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved December 6, 2019.</ref> Despite Obama's opposition to Trump's plan to build a wall along the U.S.–[[Mexico]] border in order to secure it, it was reported in early 2017 that he was building a wall around his new mansion, obviously to keep unwanted people out.<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-building-a-wall-around-his-new-dc-house/article/2611130 Obama building a wall around his new DC house]. ''Washington Examiner''. January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.</ref>

Several of Obama's failures as U.S. president were revealed shortly after he left office, as it was found that [[Syria]] continued to possess chemical weapons after Obama stated they were gone, that the Obama administration misrepresented the release of some Iranian prisoners, and that the Obama Administration had unmasked [[Trump Transition]] officials (See: [[Barack Obama Controversies]] and [[Obamagate timeline]]).<ref>Shepherd, Todd (April 29, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obamas-first-100-days-as-ex-president/article/2621662 Obama's first 100 days as ex-president]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved May 1, 2017.</ref> It was reported in May 2017 that the Justice Department under Obama likely discriminated against veterans – in violation of federal law requiring the government to give preference to veterans in job hiring – by attempting to influence them to withdraw their applications.<ref>Dinan, Stephen (May 17, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/17/obama-doj-refused-hire-veterans-jobs-investigation/ Obama’s Justice Department refused to hire military veterans for jobs]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved May 19, 2017.</ref>

Many of the candidates that Obama campaigned for in the [[2018 midterm election]]s lost.<ref>Lowe, Tiana (November 7, 2018). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/obama-loses-again https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/obama-loses-again]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved November 7, 2018.</ref>

While the state of [[Iowa]] once played a key role in Obama's election, by 2019, Democrat candidates almost never mentioned his name in the state.<ref>Simonson, Joseph (April 9, 2019). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/barack-who-iowa-propelled-obama-to-the-white-house-now-no-one-speaks-his-name Barack who? Iowa propelled Obama to the White House — now, no one speaks his name]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved April 9, 2019.</ref> By 2019, Obama became disliked even by left-wing Democrats.<ref>Miller, S.A.; McLaughlin, Seth (August 3, 2019). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/aug/1/obama-presidential-legacy-attacked-joe-biden-2020-/ Why Democrats are tossing Obama under the bus]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved August 3, 2019.</ref>

===Obama Foundation===
Obama started his own foundation, the Obama Foundation, and set to work on building his presidential center and library.<ref>Berger, Judson (May 3, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/03/clinton-obama-return-to-public-eye-with-new-ventures.html Clinton, Obama return to public eye with new ventures]. ''Fox News''. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.</ref> Obama's 2018 budget request, which was over $1.1 million, made him the most expensive U.S. president in the country's history.<ref>Multiple references:
*Rodriguez, Katherine (September 2, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/02/obama-is-the-most-expensive-ex-president-for-american-taxpayers/ Obama Is the Most Expensive Ex-President for American Taxpayers]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
*Dinan, Stephen (August 31, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/aug/31/obama-will-top-bush-most-costly-ex-president/ Obama will top Bush as most costly ex-president]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
*Caralle, Katelyn (September 1, 2017). [https://freebeacon.com/politics/obama-most-costly-former-president-2018/ Obama Poised to Be Most Costly Former President in 2018]. ''The Washington Free Beacon''. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
*Bohon, Dave (September 2, 2016). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/26826-obama-most-expensive-ex-president-ever Obama Most Expensive Ex-President Ever]. ''The New American''. Retrieved September 2, 2017.</ref> It was reported in June 2018 that construction work related to his presidential library would cost Illinois taxpayers nearly $200 million.<ref>Shaw, Adam (June 16, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/06/16/work-related-to-obama-presidential-center-to-cost-illinois-taxpayers-nearly-200-million.html Work related to Obama Presidential Center to cost Illinois taxpayers nearly $200 million]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved June 16, 2018.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, Katherine (June 16, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/16/report-obama-presidential-center-cost-taxpayers-200-million/ Report: Obama Presidential Center to Cost Taxpayers Nearly $200 Million]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 16, 2018.</ref> Despite promising not to cut down any trees in Jackson Park, where the library was planned to be built, the Obama Center and Chicago Park District began removing trees anyway for work related to the library construction.<ref>Huston, Warner Todd (August 11, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/08/11/obama-center-breaks-promise-remove-trees-jackson-park/ Obama Center Breaks Pledge Not to Remove Trees in Jackson Park]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 11, 2018.</ref> Obama did a $50 million deal with the [[cultural Marxist]] [[child pornography]] vendor [[Netflix]] corporation.<ref>https://archive.is/AfHZz</ref>

In retirement Obama turned to pushing [[UFO]] tinfoil hat conspiracy theories<ref>https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2021/06/08/from-tinfoil-hat-to-vindication-the-verification-of-a-conspiracy-theory/</ref> about little green men and life on other planets on behalf of the [[military-industrial complex]].<ref>https://consortiumnews.com/2021/06/04/media-using-ufo-report-to-stir-arms-race/</ref>

===Subversive activities===
:{{See also|2020 Marxist insurrection|Obama FISA abuse|}}
In an interview with Roland Martin in 2015, Rep. [[Maxine Waters]] said:
{{quotebox|'''Roland Martin:''' Come 2016 that’s it.

'''Maxine Waters:''' Well, you know, I don’t know. And I think some people are missing something here.
The president has put in place an organization that contains a kind of database<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/?s=%22secret+project%22</ref> that no one has seen before in life. That’s going to be very very powerful, and whoever…(crosstalk)

'''Roland Martin (interrupts):''' In terms of [[Organizing for America]] that he’s now shifted to a 501(c)4.

'''Maxine Waters:''' That’s right. That’s right. And that database will have information about everything on every individual in ways that its never been done before and whoever runs on the [[Democratic party|Democratic]] ticket will have to deal with that…it’s very powerful what he’s leaving in place.<ref>https://theblacksphere.net/2020/06/obama-planned-for-the-riots/</ref>}}
''[[The New York Post]]'' reported in early 2017:<ref>https://nypost.com/2017/02/11/how-obama-is-scheming-to-sabotage-trumps-presidency/</ref>
{{quotebox|When former President Barack Obama said he was “heartened” by anti-Trump protests, he was sending a message of approval to his troops. Troops? Yes, Obama has an army of agitators — numbering more than 30,000 — who will fight his Republican successor at every turn of his historic presidency. And Obama will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House.
In what’s shaping up to be a highly unusual post-presidency, Obama isn’t just staying behind in Washington. He’s working behind the scenes to set up what will effectively be a shadow government to not only protect his threatened legacy, but to sabotage the incoming administration and its popular “America First” agenda.
He’s doing it through a network of leftist nonprofits led by Organizing for Action. Normally you’d expect an organization set up to support a politician and his agenda to close up shop after that candidate leaves office, but not Obama’s OFA. Rather, it’s gearing up for battle, with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country.
Since Donald Trump’s election, this little-known but well-funded protesting arm has beefed up staff and ramped up recruitment of young liberal activists, declaring on its website, “We’re not backing down.” Determined to salvage Obama’s legacy, it’s drawing battle lines on immigration, ObamaCare, race relations and climate change.}}
While Obama worried that Trump was now president, he left enough swamp rats in DC to keep his operation running. Still, he was forced to have a more hands-on approach to OFA than intended. The article continues:
{{Quotebox|Obama is intimately involved in [[OFA]] operations and even tweets from the group’s account. In fact, he gave marching orders to OFA foot soldiers following Trump’s upset victory.
“It is fine for everybody to feel stressed, sad, discouraged,” he said in a conference call from the White House. “But get over it.” He demanded they “move forward to protect what we’ve accomplished.”
“Now is the time for some organizing,” he said. “So don’t mope.”
Far from sulking, OFA activists helped organize anti-Trump marches across US cities, some of which turned into riots. After Trump issued a temporary ban on immigration from seven terror-prone Muslim nations, the demonstrators jammed airports, chanting: “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!”
Run by old Obama aides and campaign workers, federal tax records show “nonpartisan” OFA marshals 32,525 volunteers nationwide. Registered as a 501(c)(4), it doesn’t have to disclose its donors, but they’ve been generous. OFA has raised more than $40 million in contributions and grants since evolving from Obama’s campaign organization Obama for America in 2013.
OFA, in IRS filings, says it trains young activists to develop “organizing skills.” Armed with Obama’s 2012 campaign database, OFA plans to get out the vote for Democratic candidates it’s grooming to win back Congress and erect a wall of resistance to Trump at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.<ref>https://nypost.com/2017/01/30/obama-says-hes-heartened-by-backlash-to-trumps-ban/</ref>}}
Obama told aides that the nationwide riots following the death of [[George Floyd]] are “a tailor-made moment” to help his former vice president Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump.<ref>https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/06/obama_admits_it_riots_and_protests_are_tailormade_for_electing_joe_biden.html</ref>

===Covid superspreader event===
In total disregard of local and state regulations, [[Center for Disease Control]] Guidelines, the lives, health, and safety of invited guests, neighbors, and townspeople, Obama held a megalomaniacal birthday party with 700 guests at his exclusive, walled, [[Cape Cod]] mansion in the summer of 2021.<ref>https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2021/08/01/obama-will-reportedly-host-a-potential-superspreader-event-for-hundreds-of-guests-on-marthas-vineyard-for-his-60th-birthday/</ref>

==Legacy==
There is no scientific evidence that the oceans ceased to rise with the election and swearing-in of Barack Obama, as he famously claimed.<ref>https://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/another-obama-failure-he-wasnt-able-slow-the-rising-sea-levels/</ref>

In September 2016, a [[Parasite|parasitic]] worm, the [[Baracktrema obamai]], was named after Obama.<ref>Kaplan, Sarah (September 9, 2016). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/09/09/scientists-like-barack-obama-so-much-that-they-named-a-parasite-after-him/ Scientists like Barack Obama so much that they named a parasite after him]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved September 9, 2016.</ref> As of December 2016, at least 15 schools in the United States have been named after Obama. [[Illinois]], a very liberal state, enacted a law making August 4 "Barack Obama Day," and it almost made the day a paid holiday for its state workers despite its dire financial situation caused by leftist policies.<ref>Multiple references:
*Huston, Warner Todd (August 7, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/08/07/illinois-makes-obama-birthday-state-holiday/ Deep Blue Illinois Makes Obama’s Birthday a State Holiday]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
*Carter, Brandon (August 6, 2017). [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/345523-illinois-makes-barack-obama-day-a-state-holiday Illinois makes 'Barack Obama Day' a state holiday]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
*Siciliano, John (August 6, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/barack-obama-day-is-official-holiday-in-illinois/article/2630769 'Barack Obama Day' is official holiday in Illinois]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
*[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/07/illinois-governor-signs-law-to-honor-barack-obamas-birthday.html Illinois governor signs law to honor Barack Obama's birthday]. ''Fox News'' (from the ''Associated Press''). Retrieved August 7, 2017.
See also:
*Gearty, Robert (August 4, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/04/illinois-celebrates-first-official-barack-obama-day.html Illinois celebrates first official 'Barack Obama Day']. ''Fox News''. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
*Rodriguez, Katherine (August 4, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/08/04/illinois-residents-celebrate-first-annual-barack-obama-day/ Illinois Residents Celebrate First Annual ‘Barack Obama Day’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 5, 2018.</ref> Obama's greatest legacy may be stoking anti-police [[hatred]] among a minority [[criminal]] element of black Democrat voters.

Conservatives strongly criticized Obama for his far-left and negative policies and the negative impact of those policies.<ref>Scaliger, Charles (February 23, 2017). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/25433-barack-obama-s-legacy Barack Obama's Legacy]. ''The New American''. Retrieved June 20, 2018.</ref><ref>Adelmann, Bob (January 20, 2017). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/25183-is-obama-worst-u-s-president Is Obama Worst U.S. President?] ''The New American''. Retrieved June 20, 2018.</ref><ref>Vargas, Mark (September 16, 2018). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-legacy-of-barack-obama-and-its-not-a-good-one The legacy of Barack Obama (and it's not a good one)]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved September 16, 2018.</ref> [[Dinesh D'Souza]] wrote, "Obama's legacy is to double the national debt & dramatically reduce US influence in the world."<ref>https://twitter.com/dineshdsouza/status/760447860638789632</ref> During Obama's 8 years in office, Democrats lost over 1,000 seats in the federal and state governments.<ref name="1,000Seats"/> Obama abused his power by using [[surveillance]] tools granted under the [[Patriot Act]], intended to fight terrorism and [[Al Qaeda]], against domestic political opponents and the [[Republican party]]. Obama may best be remembered for his use of coercion, [[police state]] tactics and [[authoritarian]] tendencies.

Upon assuming office, President [[Donald Trump]] wiped out much of Obama's last-minute regulatory actions through [[Congressional Review]].<ref>Korte, Gregory (March 27, 2017). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/27/trump-signs-four-bills-roll-back-obama-era-regulations/99690456/ Trump signs four bills to roll back Obama-era regulations]. ''USA Today''. Retrieved March 28, 2017.</ref><ref>Pollak, Joel B. (April 15, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/15/trump-congressional-review-act-legislative-milestone/ Trump’s Use of the Congressional Review Act Is a Legislative Milestone]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 15, 2017.</ref> Trump also adopted a stronger foreign policy.<ref>Llorente, Elizabeth (April 14, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/14/ex-obama-officials-say-hesitation-to-use-force-in-syria-elsewhere-emboldened-adversaries.html Ex-Obama officials say hesitation to use force in Syria, elsewhere, emboldened adversaries]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 14, 2017.</ref><ref>Collinson, Stephen (April 14, 2017). [https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/14/politics/donald-trump-military-afghanistan/index.html Trump carves out tough commander-in-chief posture]. ''CNN''. Retrieved April 14, 2017.</ref>

Many commentators have noticed similarities between Mr. Obama and Breaking Bad's [[Walter White]], including ''The New York Times'',<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/fashion/barack-obama-bryan-cranston-table-for-three.html?mcubz=0</ref> Politico,<ref>https://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2013/12/obama-is-hooked-on-breaking-bad-180326</ref> and USA Today.<ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/12/30/obama-television-shows-breaking-bad-house-of-cards-homeland/4247651/</ref>

Former Obama [[HUD Secretary]] [[Julian Castro]] and Joe Biden sparred over who was the heir to the Obama legacy in the Democratic pre-primary [[2020 presidential election]] debates. Obama withheld his support from his former vice president, [[Biden's age]] presumably being the main factor. Castro argued, "I'm fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you're not."<ref>https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/13/julian-castro-attacks-joe-biden-health-care-im-fulfilling-legacy-barack-obama-youre-not/</ref>

In an article entitled, ''If God doesn’t do something soon, he’s going to owe Sodom & Gomorrah an apology'', Tom Tillison wrote, "Oppose 9-year-old drag queens in post-Obama America and the [[liberal media]] is sure to tag you with a “[[homophobe]]” label."<ref>https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/10/27/drag-kids-debuts-if-god-doesnt-do-something-soon-hes-going-to-owe-sodom-gomorrah-an-apology-844721</ref>

When millions of minorities defected from the [[Democrat plantation]] in the [[2020 presidential election]], Obama launched a racist attack against [[Hispanic]]s.<ref>https://thepoliticalinsider.com/barack-obama-blasts-hispanics-who-voted-for-trump-they-ignored-the-presidents-racism-because-they-oppose-gay-marriage/</ref>

He owns two dogs, named [[Bo (Dog)]] and Sunny.

===Scandals===
Obama denied the existence [[Barack Obama Controversies|of any scandals]] "that embarrassed us" during his presidency.<ref>Spiering, Charlie (February 27, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/02/27/obama-didnt-scandal-embarrassed-us-presidency/ Barack Obama: ‘We Didn’t Have a Scandal that Embarrassed Us’ in My Presidency]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved February 27, 2018.</ref> In May 2018, he repeated his claim that the Administration "didn't have scandals" and was less corrupt than other modern administrations.<ref>Manchester, Julia (May 24, 2018). [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/389188-obama-jokingly-brags-i-didnt-have-scandals-during-my-presidency Obama jokingly brags: 'I didn't have scandals' during my presidency]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved May 24, 2018.</ref> He repeated these false claims in March 2019.<ref>Chaitin, Daniel (March 6, 2019). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/obama-brags-in-canada-my-team-never-experienced-scandal-made-mistakes-of-integrity Obama brags in Canada: My team never experienced scandal, made 'mistakes of integrity']. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved March 6, 2019.</ref> In July 2018, he gave a speech in [[South Africa]] calling for [[basic income]], saying he wanted to pay more taxes, and advocating for other left-wing ideas such as criticizing income inequality despite admitting he was very wealthy.<ref>Multiple references:
*Newman, Alex (July 24, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/africa/item/29624-in-south-africa-obama-outlines-globalist-agenda-for-humanity In South Africa, Obama Outlines Globalist Agenda for Humanity]. ''The New American''. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
*Singman, Brooke (July 17, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/07/17/obama-slams-populist-right-wing-billionaires-touts-liberal-push-for-universal-income.html Obama slams populist 'right-wing billionaires,' touts liberal push for 'universal income']. ''Fox News''. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
*Caplan, Joshua (July 17, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/07/17/barack-obama-preaches-wealth-redistribution-in-south-africa/ Barack Obama Lectures World on Racial, Wealth Inequality in South Africa]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
*Boyer, Dave (July 17, 2018). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jul/17/obama-surprised-his-wealth-wants-pay-more-taxes/ Obama says he's 'surprised' by his wealth, wants to pay more taxes]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
*Hoft, Jim (July 18, 2018). [https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07/obama-ridicules-the-rich-theres-only-so-big-a-house-you-can-have-obamas-just-bought-8-1-million-house/ Obama Ridicules the Rich: “There’s Only So Big a House You Can Have” …After Obamas Just Bought $8.1 Million House]. ''Gateway Pundit''. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
See also:
*Pollak, Joel B. (July 17, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/07/17/barack-obama-government-individual-south-africa/ Barack Obama in South Africa: ‘Government Exists to Serve the Individual, and Not the Other Way Around’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
*Lee, Tony (July 17, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/07/17/obama-concedes-new-international-elite-out-of-touch-for-exploiting-lower-cost-immigrant-labor/ Obama Concedes ‘New International Elite’ Out of Touch for Exploiting ‘Lower-Cost Immigrant Labor’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 17, 2018.</ref> He also advanced his [[War on Sovereignty|anti-nation-state agenda]] in the speech,<ref>Munro, Neil (July 17, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/economics/2018/07/17/obama-abolish-the-nation-state/ Obama: Abolish the Nation-State!] ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 17, 2018.</ref> and he praised the country's racist strongman leaders.<ref>Newman, Alex (July 25, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/africa/item/29634-amid-racist-land-grabs-obama-praises-south-african-strongman Amid Racist Land Grabs, Obama Praises South African Strongman]. ''The New American''. Retrieved July 25, 2018. See also:
*Newman, Alex (July 29, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/africa/item/29658-obama-slams-trump-while-deifying-communist-terror-leader Obama Slams Trump While Deifying Communist Terror Leader]. ''The New American''. Retrieved July 30, 2018.</ref> On September 7, 2018, Obama made a speech in which he harshly criticized President Trump, breaking his promise not to publicly make such statements.<ref>Multiple references:
*Spiering, Charlie (September 7, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/07/bitter-barack-obama-breaks-months-of-silence-to-trash-donald-trump/ Bitter Barack Obama Breaks Months of Silence to Trash Donald Trump]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
*Schallhorn, Kaitlyn; Shaw, Adam (September 7, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/07/obama-returns-to-campaign-trail-with-fiery-speech-trump-counters-fell-asleep.html Obama returns to campaign trail with fiery speech; Trump counters, 'I fell asleep']. ''Fox News''. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
*Duke, Selwyn (September 8, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/30014-obama-s-back-slamming-trump-and-projecting-his-own-sins-onto-gop Obama’s Back, Slamming Trump and Projecting His Own Sins onto GOP]. ''The New American''. Retrieved September 9, 2018.</ref> He also tried to take credit for the strong economic growth under President Trump.<ref>Byas, Steve (September 13, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/item/30062-obama-brazenly-tried-to-take-credit-for-better-economy-under-trump Obama Brazenly Tried to Take Credit for Better Economy Under Trump]. ''The New American''. Retrieved September 15, 2018.</ref> Obama made speeches criticizing [[nationalism]] and promoting [[globalism]].<ref>Caplan, Joshua (September 28, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/28/barack-obama-lectures-europeans-about-nationalism-in-denmark/ Barack Obama Lectures Europeans About Nationalism — in Denmark]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 28, 2018.</ref> On November 2, 2018, Obama called on Florida voters to vote Democrat because it would help [[Cuba]].<ref>Spiering, Charlie (November 3, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/03/cuba-first-barack-obama-says-florida-democrats-help-make-cuba-great-again/ Cuba First: Barack Obama Says Florida Democrats Will Help Make Cuba Great Again]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 3, 2018.</ref> In a speech in Berlin in April 2019, Obama referred to himself 392 times, a personal record and more than doubling his previous record.<ref>Gage, John (April 8, 2019). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/barack-obama-refers-to-himself-a-record-breaking-392-times-in-berlin-speech Barack Obama refers to himself a record-breaking 392 times in Berlin speech]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved April 8, 2019.</ref>

==Quotes==
*''Never underestimate Joe Biden's ability to screw things up.''<ref>https://wabcradio.com/2021/08/16/report-former-pres-obama-allegedly-said-dont-underestimate-joes-ability-to-f-things-up-biden/</ref>

==Further reading==
*Margolis, Matt; Noonan, Mark (2018). [https://www.amazon.com/Worst-President-History-Legacy-Barack/dp/1682618137/ ''The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama'']. New York: Bombardier Books. ISBN 978-1682618134.

==See also==
*[[Obamagate timeline 2009-2015]]
*[[Obamagate timeline|Obamagate timeline 2016 election year]]
*[[Russiagate timeline 2017]]
*[[Russiagate timeline|Russiagate timeline 2018]]
*[[Political positions of Barack Obama]]
*[[Barack Obama and uncharitableness]]
*[[Barack Obama and abortion]]
*[[Ukrainian crisis]]
*[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]
*[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]
*[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]
*[[Obama doublespeak]]
*[[Obama inauguration]]
*[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]
*[[Barack Obama's Muslim Heritage]]''
*[[The Honorable James David Manning]]
*[[Essay:The Obama Manifesto]]
*[[Obama syndrome]]
*[[Barack Obama's past dog meat eating and 2012 election campaign]]
*[[Barack Obama's "Last chance at dinner" fundraising letter]]
*[[Barack Obama is the antichrist speculation]]
*[[Essay: Does Barack Hussein Obama care if America defaults on credit?]]
*[[Essay:The lie that we are safer under Obama]]
*[[Essay: Foes Want Obama to Fail, A Republican Perspective]]
*[[Essay:Impeach Obama]]
*[[Benghazigate timeline]]
*[[Obama's second term agenda]]
*[[ObamaRail]]
*[[Obama sequester]]
*[[Obama (disambiguation)]]
*[[Essay: President's speech after the defeat of two tyrants]]
* [[Unconstitutional]] [[Executive amnesty]] via Obama [[Executive Order]]s
* [[Universal health care]] for [[Illegal immigration|illegal aliens]] via [[ObamaCare]]
*[[FusionGPS]]
*[[Deep state coup]]
*[[Crossfire Hurricane]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

==External links==
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Profile] on the ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
*[http://barackobamadoubletalk.com/ Barack Obama Doubletalk]
*[https://archive.is/73G5z Statement from Senator Obama on Russia's Decision to Recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as Independent States, Chicago, IL | August 26, 2008]
*[https://hotair.com/archives/2013/07/03/national-journal-obama-facing-crisis-over-incompetence/ National Journal: Obama facing crisis over incompetence]
*[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]
*[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]
*[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/09/americas-first-muslim-president/ GAFFNEY: America's first Muslim president?] Washington Times
*[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-l-esposito/barack-obama-and-islam_b_212519.html Barack Obama and Islam.] by [[John L. Esposito]].
*[https://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth.]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm Barack Obama on the issues.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO8qZP_iU9I Obama - The Anti-Israel President]
{{USPresidents}}
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{{Deep State}}
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Talk:Coronavirus

2021-09-24T00:12:55Z

Conservapedia Guard: /* Military World Games */

Chinese experts who reported to the [[WHO]] claim the illness is spreading so fast that not enough technicians are trained or facilities exist to test for the disease. Further, only the most sick who report to emergency rooms are tested and treated first. Because of the incubation period, people without symptoms have to wait in ER waiting rooms. Healthy people showing up for testing then may become infected.

Because of the seriousness of this issue, I suggest avoiding (1) inserting panic type wording in the article, and (2) avoiding conspiratorial langauge of its origins (although it may in fact be a bio-weapon). Experts suggested (a) it has the potential of becoming a global epidemic, requiring (b) "draconian" restrictions on population movements. Educating readers on basic facts is crucial at this point; discussion on a "travel ban" will fall into place by its own in coming weeks and months ''without'' pushing a political agenda. Those who have opposed "travel bans" in the recent past will be left to hang out to dry without our help.

For now, lets concentrate on what the holy "scientists" and "experts" are saying. If it continues doubling every 6 days without public health intervention, my estimate is 7 million infections in 3-4 months. This is potentially as big a life changing event as 9/11 was, [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 03:21, 27 January 2020 (EST)
:With a fatality rate of 3-5% of 7 million infections, that would 225,000 to 380,000 deaths in four or five months. ''[[The Guardian]]'' reports today there may already be [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/26/coronavirus-could-infect-100000-globally-experts-warn 100,000 infections rather than the 3000 reported]. We are on the verge of a real panic here unless we get a handle on facts quickly. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 15:34, 27 January 2020 (EST)

:Looks like these projections were not far off. [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/] [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Live Free or Die]] 00:04, 8 June 2020 (EDT)

== 'Unclean' animals ==

Firstly, this is extremely problematic, to focus on the Biblical notion of 'unclean' as it ignores Acts 10.

Secondly, dooes the writer of this article advocate *not*, for example, eating pigs and shellfish?
:In all honesty guy, does anyone in their right mind want to sit at a table and eat a bowl of soup with a dead bat in it?[https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10828531/chinese-bat-soup-coronavirus-video/]

=== User: Conervative's response ===

[[File:Prophet Moses.jpg|right|150px]]
'''[[Asian atheism|East Asian atheists]] have''' live cats and exotic animals in cages in their food markets, which medical authorities believe likely caused the Wuhan [[coronavirus]][https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-virus-china-bans-food-markets-selling-live-animals-wolves-2020-1]. Modern, medical authorities in [[China]] are now using the [[Mosaic Law|Mosaic principle]] of [[quarantine]] to help contain the epidemic.[https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/01/china-quarantine-coronavirus/605455/] See: [[The Bible and health]]

If the Chinese, atheist leaders instituted better quality control in terms of a food delivery system instead of having a barbaric and cruel cat slaughtering industry, perhaps this epidemic may have never happened. See: [[Cat slaughtering practices in China]] and [[Dietary practices of atheists]]

China, which has the largest [[atheist population]] in the world, is now paying a tribute to [[Moses]] by having the largest quarantine in human history! See: [[China and atheism]] [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 12:22, 27 January 2020 (EST)

:It may be [https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/did-china-steal-coronavirus-canada-and-weaponize-it a bio-weapon from Canada]. It's too early to make any definitive conclusions on its origins. Because of the real imminent danger, the focus right now should be on informing the public on wcahat it is and preventative measures. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 15:23, 27 January 2020 (EST)
::That camels are mentioned in the opening sentence of the article is.....a little odd. Some scientists have speculated that the disease jumped from a wild animal at a wet market, but that's about as specific as the published sources are willing to get. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 21:53, 30 January 2020 (EST)

== Questionable Facts ==
This article needs work. Most of the assertions are made without the required references. Many are of dubious value. For instance, the claim, “There is no known treatment…” is false. The CDC lists treatments for the coronavirus. [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/prevention.html]
The death claim, and the math associated with the claim, appear to be without merit. During the SARS-CoV outbreak in China, 2002, the death rate was 9.6% from 8098 probable cases. [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html] --[[User:JLind|JLind]] ([[User talk:JLind|talk]]) 20:17, 28 January 2020 (EST)
:Please, go ahead and expand. For unsourced claims add {{citation needed}} or your references. Thanks. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 01:23, 29 January 2020 (EST)
::The halls of the hospitals across China are crammed with coronavirus patients. And that's true not just in the cities that make the news, but in hundreds of other places as well. It was the same in 2003 with SARS. Eight thousand cases? That number has no relationship to reality. If the real infection rate is vastly higher than reported, that would suggest that the real death rate is lower than reported. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 22:14, 30 January 2020 (EST)
:::There will be 1000 dead by Sunday, 10,000 in two weeks, and one million in three weeks, according to the chart here. [https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/british-airways-ends-all-flights-china-virus-spreads-middle-east?utm_campaign=&utm_content=ZeroHedge%3A+The+Durden+Dispatch&utm_medium=email&utm_source=zh_newsletter] This is "science"'s best estimates for a "novel virus" that nobody knows anything about. Of course, "science" right now is watching how fast people are dropping dead, as that is the only "research" they can do. Then, believe it or not, we have CNN, ''NYT'', and ''WaPo'' to inform us of "facts" coming from the unquestionably reliable Communist government of China. Meanwhile, Medicare For All advocates lead Democrat polls, while the Chinese single payer system doesn't have trained technicians to test for the unknown virus, let alone enough masks or disposable hazmat uniforms for first respondents.
:::But don't panic, yet; impeaching Trump is still our first priority. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 23:08, 30 January 2020 (EST)

:::Coronavirus may ultimately prove to be the [[CCP]]'s "[[Chernobyl]]". [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 00:23, 31 January 2020 (EST)

A puzzling sentence fragment:
*Prior to the government importing the virus from China into the United States.
Was this meant to blame a government, such as the U.S., for some deliberate or negligent act? I wish the text were a little more clear. (Could it mean ''allowing infected people to enter the country''? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 09:28, 22 March 2020 (EDT)

:It's an Introduction to the next two citations (in reverse order):
:*"Dr. William Walters, Executive Director and Managing Director for Operational Medicine for the Bureau of Medical Services at the U.S. Department of State, made the decision to bring the patients back to the US." [https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/obama-holdover-obscure-government-arm-helped-cause-daniel-greenfield/]
:*"President Trump was furious about the repatriation of confirmed infected cases without his authorization." [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-furious-americans-infected-with-coronavirus-flew-back-in-u-s-without-his-permission-report]

:It's an effort to get ahead of the inevitable blame game that fake news and NeverTrumpers will lay on Trump's doorstep (also known as 'spin narrative'). Now elsewhere we also mention the fact that 340,000 Chinese students are in the US, and that over 2300 flights left Wuhan environs during and after the Chinese New Year holidays, so that needs some tightening up to show that the US outbreak did not necessarily begin with the Repatriation of US citizens from China and the Crown Princess.

:Ultimately, we'll lay the [[CCP virus]] or [[ChiCom Flu]] blame where it belongs. Here's two good cites in the past two days on that subject. [https://www.theepochtimes.com/heres-why-the-ccp-owns-this-pandemic_3279720.html] [https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-the-chinese-governments-curse-upon-the-world/] [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 10:40, 22 March 2020 (EDT)

== Snakes and alternative theories ==

Now that researchers have [https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/22/health/snakes-wuhan-coronavirus-outbreak-conversation-partner/index.html traced the virus to snakes], I would suggested cutting back on the "alternative theories." [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 23:37, 31 January 2020 (EST)
:The article says "might" come from snakes. More research may need to be done. Right now, they are probably focusing on coming up with a vaccine and slowing down the infection rate. I don't know how important it is in terms of coming up with a vaccine for scientists to know the exact animal type in terms of its origin.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 00:17, 1 February 2020 (EST)
::The Chinese are sharing information about the virus. I doubt they would do that if they were intent on creating some biological weapon. It is probably just conspiracy theory bunk. People come up with conspiracy theories sometimes when they don't want to take the time to think things through in terms of determining causes for things.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 00:22, 1 February 2020 (EST)
:::If it stays, it's listed as a "bio-weapons theory", and stress on the theory part. And if it is indeed a bogus conspiracy theory - which I think it may be - stress that, too. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] ([[User talk:Karajou|talk]]) 05:59, 1 February 2020 (EST)

==Timestamp==
*4,846 views, up 2,600 from yesterday. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 14:44, 2 February 2020 (EST)

==Methodolgy==
When speaking about the number of reported infections, it should be qualified as "confirmed infections". [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 14:07, 6 February 2020 (EST)

== Naming: It's a coronavirus, but not THE coronavirus ==

It might be a little late to point out a naming concern, but I don't know if this page should really be called "Coronavirus." A coronavirus is a type of virus which has "crown-like" tips. There are many strains of viruses, which are classified as "coronavirus."<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7782/</ref> It would be better if we could try to be a bit more encyclopediac and professional about this, and use this strain's name, COVID19. The into to this article does a good job of pointing this out, but as you continue into the text, and especially as you look at [[:Template:Coronavirus]], you can see incorrect terminology. --[[User:DavidB4|DavidB4]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 17:59, 17 March 2020 (EDT)
:I'd change the title it to '''Wuhan virus''' or '''Wuhan coronavirus'''. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 07:09, 18 March 2020 (EDT)

::That would work--I'd be fine with that option. --[[User:DavidB4|DavidB4]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 18:15, 18 March 2020 (EDT)

:::I don't see an issue. The first words of the article are "Coronavirus is a family of several viruses", which makes the title accurate for this important page. If there is an issue, it is that there is no page specifically for [[COVID-19]], which needs to be created. [[User:Progressingamerica|Progressingamerica]] ([[User talk:Progressingamerica|talk]]) 19:41, 18 March 2020 (EDT)
:::::Good point. Coronavirus is the virus, COVID-19 is the disease caused by coronavirus. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:04, 22 March 2020 (EDT)
::::Eventually, we should separate coronavirus from THIS particular strain of coronavirus, but not just yet. This is a portal page to the current crisis.

::::When that is done eventually, it needs to be made absolutely clear in no uncertain terms - the term virus may be ambiguous or a misnomer. There certainly are two extremely different types of viruses in the modern world: (1) those that occur in nature; and (2) those engineered in a laboratory. So the thoughts conjured up by the term 'virus' itself in common usage and understanding are incorrect.

::::This is no way is 'conspiratorial' or quackery; in our modern world opium occurs in nature and opioids are engineered in labs. Which is responsible for 'the opioid epidemic' - God and nature, or science and laboratories? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 10:57, 22 March 2020 (EDT)

::::My recommendation: Fill up the current mainspace with factual detail related to Coronavirus, both the hard scientific facts and the social/economic crisis. When that is outlined or complete, then we'll discuss renaming and spinoffs. Keep in mind this page is a Portal, and you don't want to create confusing or unnecessary forks at a time when there is high interest and traffic, [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:10, 22 March 2020 (EDT)

::::As to PeterKa's suggestion, "''I'd change the title it to '''Wuhan virus''' or '''Wuhan coronavirus'''''", Absolutely not. That plays into the ChiCom/DNC/fake news propaganda, branding Coonservapedia as "racist". It is suicide for anything we are trying to achieve. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:15, 22 March 2020 (EDT)
:::::"Ebola" is named after a river in Africa. Then there is West Nile Virus and Ross River Fever. None of them are as racist as yellow fever. Don't let yourself be stampeded by irrational accusations of racism. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 03:52, 25 March 2020 (EDT)
::::::You don't walk into the line of fire, either. You circle around and toss a hand grenade into the pill box. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 10:25, 25 March 2020 (EDT)
:::::::The G-7 foreign ministers are holding up a statement over this issue: [https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142456248 G-7 failed to agree on statement after U.S. insisted on calling coronavirus outbreak 'Wuhan virus']." It seems that the Europeans see virus naming yet another way to make an anti-American gesture. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 01:13, 26 March 2020 (EDT)
::::::::Good. Let's see if the handgrenade Trump and Popmeao tossed in the G7 pillbox does any good. But the Euro G7 members aren't the main target; they're just commie fronts for the CCP. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 02:57, 26 March 2020 (EDT)

{{reflist}}

== Exaggerated death numbers ==

Shouldn't there be a note about how the fatalities from the Coronavirus may have been exaggerated? I know [[Candace Owens]] pointed out that there were a few instances where the hospital workers simply listed a deceased version as being killed by Coronavirus due to their happening to have it on them, even when their time of death was most likely unrelated outside of that bit (eg, a baby being smothered by its mother, or someone who was in hospice before the coronavirus outbreak). [[User:Pokeria1|Pokeria1]] ([[User talk:Pokeria1|talk]]) 08:29, 12 April 2020 (EDT)
:Oh yes, but not necessarily in those terms, "maybe". The factual evidence for such needs to be laid out. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:56, 12 April 2020 (EDT)

The evidence was provided on Talk:Main Page. Please keep abreast of that page when updating information that appears in the news; it serves as a valuable digest. Here is a copy:

===Inflated United States Wuhan virus death counts===

"Well, Dr. Birx just said it. Anyone in U.S. who dies with Covid 19, regardless of what else may be wrong, is now being recorded as a Covid 19 death." —Brit Hume

VargasMilan (talk) Wednesday, 06:07, 8 April 2020 (EDT)

I'm not going to reprint the directive, but it says the federal government is aiming for 50% accuracy on Wuhan virus reports. The reason is to compensate health care providers with Wuhan virus payments in exchange for the loss of business they are suffering from people not wanting to get infected at their establishments. VargasMilan (talk) Thursday, 01:12, 9 April 2020 (EDT)
:I suggest beginning a page on [[CCP virus in the United States]], or some such title and add the speculative information there. For now, it coud go in [[CCP_global_pandemic#United_States]] as the information is more fully developed and rounded off into its own subheading. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 13:51, 12 April 2020 (EDT)

== Shi Zhengli ==

This article has nothing about [[Shi Zhengli]] yet, although speculation is mounting that the virus might have escaped from her lab. Shi has authored so many papers on bat coronavirus that ''Scientific American'' has dubbed her "bat woman." That there was a lab in Wuhan specializing in this type of virus at the time of the outbreak might not be a coincidence. At least those are the lines along which Shi herself was thinking: "“I had never expected this kind of thing to happen in Wuhan, in central China.” Her studies had shown that the southern, subtropical areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan have the greatest risk of coronaviruses jumping to humans from animals—particularly bats, a known reservoir for many viruses. If coronaviruses were the culprit, she remembers thinking, “could they have come from our lab?”"[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/] Shi runs a civilian lab that publishes the results of its research, so I find it unlikely that this virus is some kind of genetically engineered bioweapon. You can get the conspiracy theory version of what happened from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le_rfTdayLs&t=1s the ''Epoch Times''] while a debunking is [https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-not-human-made-in-lab.html here]. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 22:37, 13 April 2020 (EDT)
:Conspiracy theory? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 22:51, 13 April 2020 (EDT)
:Actually, it does have Shi Zhengli. "''On January 23, 2020 the Wuhan virus exploded. While Wuhan announced the lockdown of the city, Dr. Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, who had isolated the bat virus, spliced it, and made it transmissible to humans, provided the official Chinese communist cover story that the virus arose in nature.''" [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 00:35, 14 April 2020 (EDT)
::You want the article to state as a fact that Shi genetically engineered the Wuhan virus as a bioweapon? That's a step beyond what ''The Epoch Times'' is doing. Perhaps you should check out the article in ''Live Science'' that I linked to above. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 01:42, 14 April 2020 (EDT)
:::Read the Shi Zhengli article. All the evidence is there: "''[https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/lab-made-coronavirus-triggers-debate-34502 If the new virus escaped, nobody could predict the trajectory. Propagation could happen anywhere.]"'' [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 02:01, 14 April 2020 (EDT)
::::The article you linked to has nothing to do with Shi or Wuhan. It is about a study in North Carolina that was done back in 2015. The Wuhan lab sent out grad students to collect blood samples from bats in southern China and isolated the coronaviruses. One these virus might have escaped from the lab. Or at least that's Shi's explanation of what happened. The scientists at her lab understood that the new virus could be was likely to be a SARS-like global pandemic back in December. That's a big admission on her part and does not conform to the party line. In any case, a first hand account is always valuable. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 02:37, 14 April 2020 (EDT)
:::::Watch the whole video from ''The Epoch Times'', [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le_rfTdayLs&t=1s 1st documentary movie on the origin of CCP virus, Tracking Down the Origin of the Wuhan Coronavirus] with 1.46 million views in 6 days, all 55 minutes, and then we'll talk. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 03:45, 14 April 2020 (EDT)
::::::The scientific community seems to be pretty convinced that this virus could not have been genetically engineered. [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9 Here] is a full-length multi-author research paper in ''Nature'', one of the most prestigious journals: "However, since we observed all notable SARS-CoV-2 features, including the optimized RBD and polybasic cleavage site, in related coronaviruses in nature, we do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible." [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 17:52, 15 April 2020 (EDT)
:::::::Oh. Ok. Who's that, some WHO experts? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 18:57, 15 April 2020 (EDT)
:::::::Me personally, I'll implement screening for scientific experts; if they test negative for communist or leftwing ideology, and demonstrate allegiance to a spiritual higher power other than science, I'll deem them credible enough to pay attention to. But given the record - scientists gave us the nightmare of nuclear weapons and now this, a sentence or two of scientific gobbledgook is meaningless in this situation. Send all all your scientific experts back to the drawing board and have them come up with something meaningful and useful. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 19:03, 15 April 2020 (EDT)
::::::::This story has risen up the foodchain to [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/coronavirus-wuhan-lab-china-compete-us-sources Fox News]. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 20:23, 15 April 2020 (EDT)
:::::::::Bottomline: In the 4 billion year history of the human species, it's just not credible to allege that bat coronavirus was never transmissible to humans until 4 years after ''Scientific American'' credited Shi Zhengli with the honorary title of Batwoman for isolating the virus and engineering a patch to make it transmissible to humans. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 23:32, 15 April 2020 (EDT)
::::::::::SARS and MERS are also bat coronaviruses that transmitted to humans.[https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-sars-bats-animals-to-humans-2020-1] [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 23:46, 15 April 2020 (EDT)
:::::::::::Bingo. That's when Shi Zhengli and the Chinese military took interest in this particular virus. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 23:54, 15 April 2020 (EDT)

==Ann Coulter==
Ann Coulter is calling the claim that covid-19 originated in a Wuhan lab a "conspiracy theory."[https://twitter.com/AnnCoulter/status/1250613364092534785] She blames bat-eating and "primitive Chinese customs." Of course, it's not really about bat eating. The disease didn't go directly from bats to humans. It must have gone through a third animal, possibly a pangolin. Pangolins are anteaters from Africa. They are brought to China illegally for wealthy people who like exotic meats. Perhaps the virus started with a horseshoe bat in Yunnan. Eating wild animals is associated with Guangzhou and the Cantonese (near Hong Kong). Various writers have interviewed dozens of people familiar with the Huanan Market. The market was selling camels, koalas, crocodiles, and peacocks.[https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/huanan-seafood-market-in-wuhan-sells-camels-koalas-crocodiles-peacocks-and-peacocks-etc-before-closure/] But there are no reports of bats or pangolins. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 00:47, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
:Shutting down wet markets is an issue related to the WHO. Coulter appears to be angling for an appearance on CNN where she can spew more CCP propaganda. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 01:00, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
:And Chinese wet markets aren't going away anytime soon, given the Global Depression China put the world in. It's not surprising; Chinese progressive communists, inside and outside government, who got rich since China's WTO admission and U.S. [[MFN]] status, refused to "share the wealth" with the poor, the oppressed, the down trodden, and even the ordinary people of China. Instead, Chinese progressive communists used their wealth to expand greater mass surveillance technology, build gulags, and assert control over the people. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 01:05, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
::Chinese wet markets are not the problem. It is wildlife animal sales (live wild animal sales) at wet markets that is the problem. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpoJGYlW54 [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 02:47, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
:::I watched the video. It is quite interesting. It shows that eating wild animals isn't a primitive Chinese custom, contrary to Coulter. It is a modern form of conspicuous consumption by the ''nouveau riche''. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 07:49, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
::::The problem here again is, from the opening line of the video, "It was News Years Eve and health official in China admitted they had a problem...." -- not true. It was health officials in Taiwan that contacted the WHO on News Year Eve and told them Covid 19 was transmissible between humans. The WHO claims "China" contacted them, and two weeks later said Chinese officials said it ''was not'' transmissible. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 10:49, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
::::Once again, you're ignoring the simple fact that bats were not sold in the Wuhan wet market. Unfortunately, both of you are furthering Communist Chinese propaganda by discussing wet markets in this context at this moment in time. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 10:59, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
::::Let's go one step further: for months the term "Wuhan Seafood Market" was used, to describe a wet market in an inland city where seafood is rare. Seafood, with a very limited shelf life, would have to be trucked in from the coast. CCP propaganda takes advantage of the cultural ignorance Westerners have of China.
::::These simple facts attest to the gullibility of Westerners, and effectiveness of CCP propaganda - (1) no one is questioning the assertion that China contacted the WHO on New Years Eve; (2) no one reports the fact Taiwan told the WHO the virus is transmissible, whereas the WHO accredits China as saying it wasn't transmissible 14 days later; (3) no one bothered to correct the fact that a "Seafood" market did not exist in Wuhan; (4) no one reported the evidence from Chinese student researchers, in support of the "conspiracy theorists" at ''The Lancet'', that bats were not sold at the Wuhan wet market (misreported as "Seafood" market} nor did the virus arise in the market.
::::I for one sympathize with Western reactions; nothing is more frustrating than to have an enormous body of research forcibly thrust upon you that disrupts what you'd rather be doing. The mind looks for shortcuts and rationalizations to digest conflicting and confusing bits of information. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:26, 16 April 2020 (EDT)

::::In reviewing all the evidence, I would suggest the mis-translation of "wet market" to "seafood market" originates with Google translators. It was suspect from the beginning: ''How could a seafood market exist in an inland city where lakes and rivers are too polluted to provide a food source for the city, and the residents who eat live animals are too poor to pay the freight of luxury food items trucked in from the coast?'' But the brilliant geniuses at Google Translate, along with the brilliant geniuses in mainstream media are just plainly too stupid to question their own common sense. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:41, 16 April 2020 (EDT)
:::::According to the ''[http://news.foodmate.net/2012/09/214347.html Wuhan Evening News]'', the city buys 1.3-1.5 billion yuan ($210 million) worth of seafood a year. The Huanan Market is the "largest seafood and aquatic products wholesale trading market in central China." So, yes, it really is a seafood market. In Chinese, the name is 武汉华南海鲜批发市场/Wǔhàn huánán hǎixiān pīfā shìchǎng. This translates as "Wuhan South China Seafood Wholesale Market." (The article recommends that you eat more seafood as a cure for gout. This is such a stereotype-confirming touch that I had to mention it.)
:::::Every theory that's been floated concerning the origin of the covid-19 pandemic has been convincingly debunked. [https://gulfnews.com/world/coronavirus-did-not-jump-from-wuhans-seafood-market-heres-the-evidence-1.1586936434717 It wasn't the Huanan Market]. [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/ It wasn't Shi Zhengli's lab]. [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9 It wasn't genetic engineering]. [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25731 It wasn't pangolins], etc. The virus developed in a bat in a cave in rural Yunnan in the far south. Then, for no obvious reason, it begin infecting humans near a bat coronavirus research lab in central China. Bats and humans don't interact much and disease rarely passes between them, at least not directly. The bat caves of Yunnan are 800 miles from Wuhan. Yet that's the story as it stands. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 06:23, 17 April 2020 (EDT)
::::::Oh. So you're quoting a Communist-controlled media entity to establish facts. You should get job with CNN. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:38, 18 April 2020 (EDT)
::::::Let me introduce one more theory that your friends at Google and Microsoft have been censoring: some medical scientists are not even certain 2019-nCoV is even a [[virus]], making all assumptions about the [[pathology]] of viruses moot. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:43, 18 April 2020 (EDT)

===Unit 731===
Read this article [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731]
:''Unit 731 ... was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) of World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Imperial Japan....Unit 731 and its affiliated units (Unit 1644 and Unit 100 among others) were involved in research, development and experimental deployment of epidemic-creating biowarfare weapons in assaults against the Chinese populace (both civilian and military) throughout World War II..''
What is the point of mentioning this? Active biological warfare was conducted against the Chinese population from 1937-1945; in 1949 when the Communist Party came to power, based on their experience, biological warfare was considered an accepted part of modern warfare and incorporated into Chinese Communist military doctrine. China has no tradition of "forgive and forget," and communism is based on the doctrine of scientific progress. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 12:01, 18 April 2020 (EDT)

== Wuhan Center for Disease Control ==

While the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the internationally-connected level 4 lab that Shi Zhengli works at, gets all the attention, there is another lab closer to the Huanan Market that also has bat coronavirus: "[https://coercioncode.com/2020/02/18/china-coronavirus-wuhan-center-for-disease-control-whcdc-laboratory-research-facility-a-mere-300-yards-from-wuhan-wet-fish-market/ China Coronavirus : Wuhan Center for Disease Control (WHCDC) Laboratory: Research Facility A Mere 300 Yards from Wuhan Wet Fish Market]." This lab "kept disease-ridden animals in laboratories, including 605 bats." I assume the reason the U.S. and France helped with the upgrade of WIV was the hope that China would move it's dangerous research to that lab. But it seems that things didn't work out that way. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 10:47, 18 April 2020 (EDT)
:There's much to be investigated here; the Wuhan CDC was a local or provincial entity, while the virology lab was a national or national party-level controlled entity. Also, it appears there may have been some overlap in staffing, personnel, and sharing of facilities between the two. By the time any sort of outside or internal investigation can ever establish and make public any facts, the CCP (should it still exist by then) will have restructured its organization. Reports already claim the Chinese military has taken direct control of the virology lab after the outbreak, and as alluded to earlier, there is overlap between national party-level controlled institutions and local level entities. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|De Plorabus Unum]] 11:35, 18 April 2020 (EDT)

== Costa Rica ==

Spain, Italy, and now Costa Rica all seem to be able to prescribe HCQ without suffering a constitutional crisis: "[https://qcostarica.com/hydroxychloroquine-the-drug-costa-rica-uses-successfully-to-fight-covid-19/ Hydroxychloroquine: The Drug Costa Rica Uses Successfully To Fight Covid-19]." The Costa Ricans steer clear of azithromycin because of cardiac issues. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 03:00, 20 May 2020 (EDT)

== Covid-19 compared to seasonal flu ==

If you leave out the old age homes of New York City, mismanaged by Governor Cuomo, covid-19 was a seasonal flu. See "[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/28/coronavirus-hype-biggest-political-hoax-in-history/ Coronavirus hype biggest political hoax in history]." The mortality rate is between 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent compared to 0.1 percent for the flu, according to this article. It occurs to me that this makes theories about lab leaks and bioweapons a lot less likely. The virus could have circulated in backwater China without anyone noticing for quiet some time. The outbreak was more about mass hysteria than pandemic, a modern version of the [https://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518 dancing plague of 1518]. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 21:11, 7 June 2020 (EDT)
:Nobody's buying the wet market theory cause the CCP isn't even pitching it anymore. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Live Free or Die]] 21:19, 7 June 2020 (EDT)
::Perhaps some villager in Yunnan got infected at the secret coronavirus bat cave: "[https://nationalpost.com/news/world/cave-full-of-bats-in-china-identified-as-source-of-virus-almost-identical-to-the-one-killing-hundreds-today Cave full of bats in China identified as source of virus almost identical to the one killing hundreds today]." The cave is 900 miles from Wuhan. But if the disease has a low mortality, it could have circulated for a while before anyone noticed. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 22:22, 7 June 2020 (EDT)
:::The consensus seems pretty strong - it came from a lab. To avoid sanctions at this point the CCP must allow outside inspectors in. Not that it would do any good since the [[PLA]] has taken over the lab and has plenty of time to scrub the location. It's too late.

:::De-coupling relations will take awhile. The [[D10]] organization is already being formed which is the G7 + India, South Korea, and Australia. Air travel is cancelled. Next will be cancelling student exchange programs - the D10 nations will not be training any more microbiologists for the PLA. Businesses need more time to withdraw, but the government of Japan is already granting taxbreaks to companies to withdraw. Other D10 countries probably will follow this model.

:::Then there's the Global Magnitsky Act - John McCain's legacy. This means once all D-10 nations severe commercial relations (over the next two years roughly), smaller economies outside the D10 likewise may face sanctions from all D10 countries if they continue trade with the CCP.

:::The big question is, can the CCP survive this upheaval internally? Make no mistake, none of this is happening cause of a dispute or misunderstanding over whether the virus came from a wet market or not. If it did, the CCP would have shown evidence to contradict the evidence of lab origins by now.

:::The CCP right now is biding its time and pulling out the stops in hopes to defeat Trump; but if Trump wins, and Xi overcomes internal challenges on policy, they have to decide on escalating the dispute to blackmail their way back into the global trading system with either a bio or conventional attack. (The blackmail strategy is almost certain with a Trump defeat).

:::We got 40 million unemployed, but except for the Democrats and violent revolution, there is hope for a comeback; China by contrast has way more than 40 million now more or less permanently unemployed, unless young people begin returning from the cities to farm villages and rice paddies to eat. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Live Free or Die]] 23:04, 7 June 2020 (EDT)

:::As to wet market claims, the evidence is the same as how the FBI got a FISA warrant against Carter Page; the FBI leaked BS to Yahoo News about Page, than cut and pasted the Yahoo News article into a FISA warrant claiming it was independent corroborative evidence. CCP did the same thing - fed world media BS talking points which remains the only evidence of wet market origins - contradicted by independent lab investigations outside of China. It's just not worth inflaming world public opinion and starting WWIII over. A phased de-coupling is in order, while being ever alert to more Chinese hostile deception. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Live Free or Die]] 23:25, 7 June 2020 (EDT)

== Covid-19 is not a synonym to the virus ==

I may be a parodist, but the following real error exists in the definition:

" Covid-19 or the Wuhan coronavirus as CNN refers to it,"

Covid-19 is the name of the disease casue by the virus, but not of the virus itself. As is AIDS to HIV - AIDS is the disease, HIV is the virus that causes it.

YOu may ban me now, but please fix this. Look it up if you don't believe me. --[[User:Greg Jones|Greg Jones]] ([[User talk:Greg Jones|talk]]) 14:16, 22 September 2020 (EDT)
:No sh** Sherlock. And what do you know about Covid and/or coronavirus from CNN? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]]
:And why split hairs? Since racism is a characteristic of all Democrats, and all Democrats are racists, and fascism is a characteristic of liberalism and all liberals are fascists, why can't they be used interchangeably? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 14:27, 22 September 2020 (EDT)

== State Department factsheet ==

Pompeo's State Department is hard at work getting out the truth: "[https://www.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/ Fact Sheet: Activity at the Wuhan Institute of Virology]." RaTG13, the percusor virus to covid, was "sampled from a cave in Yunnan Province in 2013 after several miners died of SARS-like illness." This is two years earlier than previously reported. In this version of the story, the virus was taken from an abandoned mineshift rather than from a bat cave. In the earlier version, it sounded like Shi Zhengli came across RaTG13 in the course of investigating bat coronavirus. But now it seems that the virus was already suspected of causing human illness when it was first sampled. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 10:03, 17 January 2021 (EST)
:Is this interpreting it to say it was transmissible to humans by nature, and not modified in the lab? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 12:41, 17 January 2021 (EST)
::The Wuhan virus has a protein hook that makes it vastly more infectious than RaTG13. That the precursor is also infectious makes the genetic engineering theory more plausible. If the precursor was just some random virus in the inventory, no one would select it as a target of gain-of-function research. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 08:16, 18 January 2021 (EST)
:::That fact has been known since last May. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 16:23, 18 January 2021 (EST)
:::IMO, with the change of regime in D.C., we should stop pussyfooting around and refer to covid as a bio attack. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 16:24, 18 January 2021 (EST)

== DRASTIC ==

[https://drasticresearch.org/ DRASTIC] sounds like a source we should be following. See "[https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-how-amateur-sleuths-broke-wuhan-lab-story-embarrassed-media-1596958 Exclusive: How Amateur Sleuths Broke the Wuhan Lab Story and Embarrassed the Media]." Some highlights:

* "a cluster of eight SARS-related viruses mentioned briefly in an obscure section of one WIV [Wuhan Institute of Virology] paper had actually also come from the Mojiang mine. In other words, they hadn't found one relative of SARS-CoV-2 in that mineshaft; they'd found nine." Information on only one these viruses (RaTG13) is available. The genome of this virus 96 percent consistent with the covid.
* WIV took down it's main virus database on September 12, 2019, shortly before the start of the pandemic. This database is administered by Shi Zhengli. The lab's other databases were taken down soon afterward.
* DRASTIC found a full length thesis on the original infections in Mojiang: "[https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6981198-Analysis-of-Six-Patients-With-Unknown-Viruses.html The Analysis of 6 Patients with Severe Pneumonia Caused by Unknown Viruses]." They also established the coordinates of the mine.
* They found that WIV was actively studying RaTG13 in 2017 and 2018, although Peter Daszak has denied this. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 01:37, June 4, 2021 (EDT)

== Putting it all together ==

If nothing else, the covid episode has taught us that you can infect the world with Franken-virus for a just a few million dollars. If China wanted to do a biological attack, they'd engineer it in a military lab and not leave a paper trail in the civilian literature. Surely they can afford to pony up the $7 million that they got from Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak. The Wuhan researchers wanted a grant, Daszak had money. That might have been as far as the Chinese thought about this issue. Was Daszak acting on behalf of Bill Gates, who has morphed into a Bond villain trying to kill us all?

Now we learn that Fauci lifted the ban on gain-of-function research in 2017. This was a well-kept secret until recently. It allowed the NIH to fund Daszak as a cutout. If this arrangement was on the up and up, why wasn't there transparency and oversight? One witness said that he attended all of Fauci's covid meetings. Fauci never once brought up gain-of-function research. Judging from his email, the possibility that covid was man-made was on Fauci's mind almost from the beginning.

Finally, why did the media do a U-turn on the lab leak issue? Supposedly, it was because of the ''Wall Street Journal's'' reported that three lab workers fell sick in November 2019 of a SARS-like virus, several weeks before the first on-the-record covid case. That's certainly a good reason to suspect a lab leak. But it's been reported before. IMO, they must have known that Fauci's emails were about to be declassified. I wonder which judge did this. [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 07:17, June 4, 2021 (EDT)
:A few weeks ago, covid was the most mysterious virus. Now it's on its way on its way to being to one of the best documented. We have yet another blockbuster deep dive on its origin. This one is in ''Vanity Fair'': "[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins]." Insiders knew that Wuhan was one of only three labs in the world that did genetic manipulation of coronaviruses. The other two are in Galveston and Chapel Hill. So "lab leak" was an explanation that popped into the minds of a lot of people right at the beginning of the outbreak.{{cquote|Dr. Richard Ebright, board of governors professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers University, said that from the very first reports of a novel bat-related coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, it took him “a nanosecond or a picosecond” to consider a link to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.}}
:Wuhan researcher Shi Zhengli also thought lab leak. She immediately headed back to her lab to check her virus samples.
:Daszak decided he had to put a stop to that kind of thinking. He organized [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30418-9/fulltext a letter published in ''The Lancet'' on Feb. 19, 2020] to "strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin." Anyone who mentioned lab leaks was a conspiracy theorist. This is the language of intimidation, not science. The medical community fell into line and stopped thinking naughty thoughts for the next year.
:In the early days of the epidemic, the Wuhan lab's BSL-4 rating was widely touted. This was highly misleading. The part of the lab where Shi's experiments took place was rated as BSL-3, and substandard BSL-3 at that. A well-maintained dentist's office in the U.S. could qualify for a BSL-3 rating. Perhaps the BSL-4 section of the lab was reserved for military research.
:The Obama administration banned gain-of-function research in October 2014. It proved to be a fateful decision. Ralph Baric and other gain-of-function researchers began working with Shi so they could continue their research, even though the Wuhan lab could scarcely be considered a secure facility at that time. Fauci lifted the ban in December 2017, in the closing days of Obama administration.[https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/nih-lifts-funding-pause-gain-function-research] [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 22:50, June 4, 2021 (EDT)

::The Chinese government knowingly and wittingly released the virus to the world. This fact is indisputable. The question of an accidental release is moot. Why did an accidental leak also serve China's foreign policy purposes? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 14:11, June 5, 2021 (EDT)
:::The Chinese media has gone back to being incredibly boring. Perhaps it is an attempt to avoid an Olympic boycott. They now have what they wanted all along, namely Hong Kong and trade advantages. See "[https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-china-watcher/2021/06/03/xi-defangs-the-wolf-warrior-493098 Xi defangs the ‘Wolf Warrior’]." [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 12:49, June 8, 2021 (EDT)
::::We made it past May without an attack on Taiwan. That still leaves this October. Wildcard in the scenario: Biden has pushed North Korea back into the CCP camp. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 13:00, June 8, 2021 (EDT)

==Case study==
The first posting on this talk page was made by me on Jan. 27, 2020, four days after the CCP could no longer deny an epidemic. I wrote, "avoiding conspiratorial language of its origins (although it may in fact be a bio-weapon)." What happened? my advice was ignored and other editors fill the page up with [[CCP]] & [[MSM]] conspiracy theories about bat stew.

Are we conservatives thinking people? or are we just sheeple who will fall for any line of fake news crap simply because it appears in the MSM for four consecutive days? Do we even pay attention to who these sources are? It's been the same story over and over again with WMD, Trump-Russia, election fraud, and now a bio-attack upon the United States.

This is a testament to the sorry state of communication between editors, which has been discouraged by management from the founding. Proposals for reform have been dealt with harshly. So what does that leaves us? ''The New York Times''? CNN? and the CCP for credible sources?
Next go-round with global crisis (which may be sooner than you expect), I hope we allow for some discussion of issues and qualifying sources before going off half-cocked with communist talking points to mislead out readers. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 13:39, June 5, 2021 (EDT)
:Just as an FYI, there were plenty of editors on here who have been reporting stuff NOT relating to NYT, CNN, WaPo, or anything issued directly or indirectly from the CCP, such as myself and Northwest, and if anything we went out of our way to denounce communist propaganda, and not just with COVID, but even with other stuff such as election fraud (and just as an FYI, you yourself didn't exactly help with that bit, as I can cite with your undoing several of Northwest's edits, including some that up and out stated Biden was a usurper back in January while implying you would report him to DHS.). [[User:Pokeria1|Pokeria1]] ([[User talk:Pokeria1|talk]]) 19:54, June 5, 2021 (EDT)
::Bottomline: Four days after the biggest crime in modern history, conservative editors allowed themselves to be sucker-punched by people they knew were proven liars. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 03:55, June 6, 2021 (EDT)
:::Like I said, you yourself didn't help with that, since you actually blocked and undid quite a few edits trying to condemn Biden as a usurper and implied you'll sic the DHS on editors back in January. Now, I will acknowledge that [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] right now has been sounding more left-wing lately, though I'm suspecting since SamHB implied that "Conservative" is actually a conglomerate of users rather than an actual single user that a leftist must have infiltrated the account.

:::The only time we should actually CITE left-wing rags is if they actually acknowledge for once something Conservatives agree are right, likely breaking ranks from the left in the process. Case in point, [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/this-endless-myth-making_b_151217 Huffington Post made an article back in 2009] where they condemned Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, which is not something most leftists even back then, let alone today, would have done (Castro and Che were not exactly hated by the left, being huge icons for them). Unless it fits into that bit, we shouldn't cite left-wing MSM sites, period. [[User:Pokeria1|Pokeria1]] ([[User talk:Pokeria1|talk]]) 06:42, June 6, 2021 (EDT)

::::Ok Mr. God-is-angry, tell me what a Canadian has to fear from DHS and why he/she/it should be concerned? [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 13:02, June 8, 2021 (EDT)

== Military World Games ==

It seems that China used the International Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019 to spread the virus to other countries. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/us/coronavirus-brady-sluder-spring-break.html Chinese whistleblower claims first COVID outbreak was INTENTIONAL and happened in October 2019 at Military World Games in Wuhan - two months before China notified the world about virus]." The article mentions blood samples taken Italy in September 2019 that that later tested positive for covid. I don't know if I buy that, but I suspect the virus was in circulation before the games. The Chinese wanted the first reported outbreak to be in a country other than China so that they could evade blame.

Here's a September 2020 report about the blood samples from Milan: "[https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/covid-was-circulating-in-italy-in-september-2019-new-study-shows/ar-BB1b27FL Covid was circulating in Italy in September 2019, new study shows]." [[User:PeterKa|PeterKa]] ([[User talk:PeterKa|talk]]) 19:13, September 23, 2021 (EDT)

:Yes, the recent Australian SkyNews documentary also says the virus was probably released as early as September 2019.

:IMO, if you look at the timeline of trade talks, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-timeline-idUSKBN1ZE1AA] sometime after June 2019 the boys in the [[Politburo Standing Committee]] went ahead with Plan B when it became obvious they were getting stuck with a $350 billion a year tariff bill if they wanted to keep trade at the same level, which of course, upset and destroyed the whole Communist party system and its control over China. [[User:RobSmith|RobS]][[User talk:RobSmith|Free Kyle!]] 19:49, September 23, 2021 (EDT)

::As mentioned before, the SKYnews Australia docu made it clear: it was an attack, not an accident. I find that convincing. [[User:Conservapedia Guard|Conservapedia Guard]] ([[User talk:Conservapedia Guard|talk]]) 20:12, September 23, 2021 (EDT)

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2021-09-24T00:08:57Z

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