Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

https://www.conservapedia.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=MarkJamesW Conservapedia - User contributions [en] 2026-09-23T18:23:53Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.35.14 https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:MarkJamesW&diff=1060154 User:MarkJamesW 2013-07-08T23:14:34Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>Hello everyone, I am [[User:MarkJamesW|Mark]] , and I am a part-time contributor here at Conservapedia. I will be editing this page once in a while, so (administrators) please don't delete! :)<br /> <br /> Thank you all, and note, this page is a work in progress. If I make a mistake or break a rule, please let me know on my [[Talk:MarkJamesW|talk page!]]<br /> <br /> [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 19:09, 8 July 2013 (EDT)</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:MarkJamesW&diff=1060152 User:MarkJamesW 2013-07-08T23:13:37Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>Hello everyone, I am [[Mark Williams|User:MarkJamesW]] , and I am a part-time contributor here at Conservapedia. I will be editing this page once in a while, so (administrators) please don't delete! :)<br /> <br /> Thank you all, and note, this page is a work in progress. If I make a mistake or break a rule, please let me know on my [[Talk:MarkJamesW|talk page!]]<br /> <br /> [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 19:09, 8 July 2013 (EDT)</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:MarkJamesW&diff=1060151 User:MarkJamesW 2013-07-08T23:11:47Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>Hello everyone, I am [[User:MarkJames| Mark Williams]] , and I am a part-time contributor here at Conservapedia. I will be editing this page once in a while, so (administrators) please don't delete! :)<br /> <br /> Thank you all, and note, this page is a work in progress. If I make a mistake or break a rule, please let me know on my [[Talk:MarkJamesW|talk page!]]<br /> <br /> [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 19:09, 8 July 2013 (EDT)</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:MarkJamesW&diff=1060150 User:MarkJamesW 2013-07-08T23:10:16Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>Hello everyone, I am [Mark Williams|User:MarkJamesW] , and I am a part-time contributor here at Conservapedia. I will be editing this page once in a while, so (administrators) please don't delete! :)<br /> <br /> Thank you all, and note, this page is a work in progress. If I make a mistake or break a rule, please let me know on my [talk page|Talk:MarkJamesW!]<br /> <br /> [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 19:09, 8 July 2013 (EDT)</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:MarkJamesW&diff=1060149 User:MarkJamesW 2013-07-08T23:09:29Z

<p>MarkJamesW: Created page with "Hello everyone, I am User:MarkJamesW , and I am a part-time contributor here at Conservapedia. I will be editing this page once in a while, so (administrators)..."</p> <hr /> <div>Hello everyone, I am [[|Mark Williams|User:MarkJamesW]] , and I am a part-time contributor here at Conservapedia. I will be editing this page once in a while, so (administrators) please don't delete! :)<br /> <br /> Thank you all, and note, this page is a work in progress. If I make a mistake or break a rule, please let me know on my [[talk page|Talk:MarkJamesW!]]<br /> <br /> [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 19:09, 8 July 2013 (EDT)</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=YouTube&diff=1029926 YouTube 2013-01-17T22:57:53Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>'''YouTube''' is a popular [[Internet]] site that lets people upload videos for the general public to watch. The "YouTube Generation" was named ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'' magazine's ''[[Person of the Year]]'' for 2006.<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html</ref><br /> In October 2006, Youtube was purchased by [[Google|Google Inc.]] <br /> <br /> The site has gained recognition as the best video sharing site on the web. A major flaw of the site is its poorly worded terms of conditions, which can warrant the deletion of almost any video that takes a stance against any religion or social agenda, deeming it as "hate speech". An example would be showing surgical operations but preventing showing abortion videos. YouTube is consistent when removing undercover videos that exposes dishonest counseling practices at [[Planned Parenthood]] [[abortion]] centers. <ref>[http://www.lifenews.com/nat5165.html YouTube Removes New Undercover Video Exposing Planned Parenthood on Abortion] LifeNews.com, June 25, 2009</ref> Also, they are known for censoring videos critical of Barack Obama or ones that show children singing praises of Obama by indoctrination. In addition, videos were censored if they were deemed anti-Islamic. <ref>[http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22835_Jawa_Report_Video_Censored_by_YouTube&only Jawa Report Video Censored by YouTube, Littlegreenfootbalss.com, October 4, 2006]</ref> In addition, YouTube's community guidelines claim that material depicting shocking or disgusting (gory) content is prohibited, however countless videos get past the radar as long as they don't accumulate a large amount of attention.<br /> <br /> On July 23, 2007, YouTube hosted an interactive debate between the [[Democratic]] candidates in the [[2008 Presidential Election]], in which YouTube users submitted videos of themselves asking questions. A similar debate involving the [[Republican]] candidates occurred on November 28. This led to controversy, as they used a question submitted by [[Keith Kerr]], who has ties to [[Hillary Clinton]]'s campaign.<ref>http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23698</ref><br /> <br /> Slate states that YouTube may be operating at a loss of nearly half a billion dollars a year. <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2216162/</ref> Suggesting that it may be a loss leader for parent company Google or perhaps an investment in changing the landscape of information flow in the public. Attempts to reduce the costs and increase profitable content have been met with hostility.<br /> <br /> The most popular video on YouTube is Gangnam Style by South Korean rapper Psy and has surpassed a billion views. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0</ref><br /> ==Controversy==<br /> <br /> Controversy arose after people such as [[Michelle Malkin]] claimed that YouTube censored [[conservative]] content, <ref>http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/04/banned-on-youtube-3/</ref>. This led the creation of a pair of video-sharing websites: [[QubeTV]], an alternative site whose origins are reminiscent of the creation of [[Conservapedia]] by people who believed [[Wikipedia]] to be [[liberal]], and the Christian alternative, [[GodTube]], which has been renamed <ref>[http://mashable.com/2009/03/10/tangle/ GodTube is Born Again as MySpace-Like Tangle] Mashable</ref> "[http://www.tangle.com/ Tangle]".<br /> <br /> On August 6, 2007, a group of music publishing companies announced a [[lawsuit]] against YouTube for its hosting of [[copyright]]ed content without providing proper compensation to the copyright holders when the videos containing the content were viewed.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070806/ap_on_hi_te/youtube_music_publishers;_ylt=AmjdpxJDZVebD_Qp.hhWImKs0NUE</ref><br /> <br /> In May 2009, in response to the suspension of the account of young Star Wars fan, Lukeywes1234, for being under the age of 13, a group of users from the sites ebaumsworld and 4chan, among others, launched an "International Porn Day" raid on YouTube. They managed to upload thousands of explicit videos which were often tagged to show up in searches containing words such as Jonas Brothers, Twilight, Hanna Montana, High School Musical and John McCain. It could take a couple of days for all porn to be removed from the search results, said parent company Google. <ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10245847-83.html?tag=newsFeaturedBlogArea.0 YouTube battling 'Porn Day' campaign] CNet News, May 20, 2009</ref> The delay was in part due to the raiders sowing confusion amongst YouTube users by purposely flagging non pornographic videos as containing inappropriate material.<br /> <br /> == Christian/Creationist YouTube video evangelism ==<br /> <br /> Many YouTube users are vehemently anti-conservative, however videos directed at conservatives will usually garner high ratings, as with videos directed at liberals. Christian comments on some videos frequently attract insults by atheists. <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52405</ref> In order to combat this vicious slander, Conservapedia has started [http://www.youtube.com/user/conservapediavideos its own YouTube channel].<br /> Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) is one of the world's largest evangelism organizations within Christendom and has over 25,000 full time missionaries. In 2006, Alan Beeber of CCCI predicted that [[internet evangelism]] will result in more conversion than all other forms of evangelism for CCCI combined.<ref>http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/pdf/issues/LWP0206.pdf</ref> <br /> <br /> YouTube is a popular online video sharing site that provides a method distributing Christian/creationist videos across the world. The YouTube search engine is the second largest search engine in the world.<ref>http://www.tgdaily.com/trendwatch-features/39777-youtube-surpasses-yahoo-as-world%E2%80%99s-2-search-engine</ref>There is a widespread problem with [[Atheistic bullying|atheist cyberbullying]] on YouTube toward [[Christian]] and [[creationism|creationist]] YouTube channels. [[CreationWiki]] has developed a web page entitled [http://creationwiki.org/Creationist_YouTube_video Creationist YouTube video] designed to show creationists how to thwart [[atheist bullying|atheist/evolutionist cyberbullies]]. Also, one popular Christian YouTube channel, [[shockofgod]], was shut down several times by atheist cyberbullying through false reports but [http://creationwiki.org/Creationist_YouTube_video he was able to thwart their cyberbullying using some effective tactics].<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kax-zAJxi-U</ref> These false reports are not isolated incidents, many atheists will try this deceitful tactic to block out [[creation science]].<br /> <br /> == See Also ==<br /> * [[2008 YouTube presidential debates]]<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <references/><br /> {{liberalism}}<br /> [[Category: YouTube]]<br /> [[Category:Google]]<br /> [[Category:Websites]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=YouTube&diff=1029925 YouTube 2013-01-17T22:57:16Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>'''YouTube''' is a popular [[Internet]] site that lets people upload videos for the general public to watch. The "YouTube Generation" was named ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'' magazine's ''[[Person of the Year]]'' for 2006.<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html</ref><br /> In October 2006, Youtube was purchased by [[Google|Google Inc.]] <br /> <br /> The site has gained recognition as the best video sharing site on the web. A major flaw of the site is its poorly worded terms of conditions, which can warrant the deletion of almost any video that takes a stance against any religion or social agenda, deeming it as "hate speech". An example would be showing surgical operations but preventing showing abortion videos. YouTube is consistent when removing undercover videos that exposes dishonest counseling practices at [[Planned Parenthood]] [[abortion]] centers. <ref>[http://www.lifenews.com/nat5165.html YouTube Removes New Undercover Video Exposing Planned Parenthood on Abortion] LifeNews.com, June 25, 2009</ref> Also, they are known for censoring videos critical of Barack Obama or ones that show children singing praises of Obama by indoctrination. In addition, videos were censored if they were deemed anti-Islamic. <ref>[http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22835_Jawa_Report_Video_Censored_by_YouTube&only Jawa Report Video Censored by YouTube, Littlegreenfootbalss.com, October 4, 2006]</ref> In addition, YouTube's community guidelines claim that material depicting shocking or disgusting (gory) content is prohibited, however countless videos get past the radar as long as they don't accumulate a large amount of attention.<br /> <br /> On July 23, 2007, YouTube hosted an interactive debate between the [[Democratic]] candidates in the [[2008 Presidential Election]], in which YouTube users submitted videos of themselves asking questions. A similar debate involving the [[Republican]] candidates occurred on November 28. This led to controversy, as they used a question submitted by [[Keith Kerr]], who has ties to [[Hillary Clinton]]'s campaign.<ref>http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23698</ref><br /> <br /> Slate states that YouTube may be operating at a loss of nearly half a billion dollars a year. <ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2216162/</ref> Suggesting that it may be a loss leader for parent company Google or perhaps an investment in changing the landscape of information flow in the public. Attempts to reduce the costs and increase profitable content have been met with hostility.<br /> <br /> The most popular video on YouTube is Gangnam Style by South Korean rapper Psy and has surpassed a billion views. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0<ref><br /> ==Controversy==<br /> <br /> Controversy arose after people such as [[Michelle Malkin]] claimed that YouTube censored [[conservative]] content, <ref>http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/04/banned-on-youtube-3/</ref>. This led the creation of a pair of video-sharing websites: [[QubeTV]], an alternative site whose origins are reminiscent of the creation of [[Conservapedia]] by people who believed [[Wikipedia]] to be [[liberal]], and the Christian alternative, [[GodTube]], which has been renamed <ref>[http://mashable.com/2009/03/10/tangle/ GodTube is Born Again as MySpace-Like Tangle] Mashable</ref> "[http://www.tangle.com/ Tangle]".<br /> <br /> On August 6, 2007, a group of music publishing companies announced a [[lawsuit]] against YouTube for its hosting of [[copyright]]ed content without providing proper compensation to the copyright holders when the videos containing the content were viewed.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070806/ap_on_hi_te/youtube_music_publishers;_ylt=AmjdpxJDZVebD_Qp.hhWImKs0NUE</ref><br /> <br /> In May 2009, in response to the suspension of the account of young Star Wars fan, Lukeywes1234, for being under the age of 13, a group of users from the sites ebaumsworld and 4chan, among others, launched an "International Porn Day" raid on YouTube. They managed to upload thousands of explicit videos which were often tagged to show up in searches containing words such as Jonas Brothers, Twilight, Hanna Montana, High School Musical and John McCain. It could take a couple of days for all porn to be removed from the search results, said parent company Google. <ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10245847-83.html?tag=newsFeaturedBlogArea.0 YouTube battling 'Porn Day' campaign] CNet News, May 20, 2009</ref> The delay was in part due to the raiders sowing confusion amongst YouTube users by purposely flagging non pornographic videos as containing inappropriate material.<br /> <br /> == Christian/Creationist YouTube video evangelism ==<br /> <br /> Many YouTube users are vehemently anti-conservative, however videos directed at conservatives will usually garner high ratings, as with videos directed at liberals. Christian comments on some videos frequently attract insults by atheists. <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52405</ref> In order to combat this vicious slander, Conservapedia has started [http://www.youtube.com/user/conservapediavideos its own YouTube channel].<br /> Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) is one of the world's largest evangelism organizations within Christendom and has over 25,000 full time missionaries. In 2006, Alan Beeber of CCCI predicted that [[internet evangelism]] will result in more conversion than all other forms of evangelism for CCCI combined.<ref>http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/pdf/issues/LWP0206.pdf</ref> <br /> <br /> YouTube is a popular online video sharing site that provides a method distributing Christian/creationist videos across the world. The YouTube search engine is the second largest search engine in the world.<ref>http://www.tgdaily.com/trendwatch-features/39777-youtube-surpasses-yahoo-as-world%E2%80%99s-2-search-engine</ref>There is a widespread problem with [[Atheistic bullying|atheist cyberbullying]] on YouTube toward [[Christian]] and [[creationism|creationist]] YouTube channels. [[CreationWiki]] has developed a web page entitled [http://creationwiki.org/Creationist_YouTube_video Creationist YouTube video] designed to show creationists how to thwart [[atheist bullying|atheist/evolutionist cyberbullies]]. Also, one popular Christian YouTube channel, [[shockofgod]], was shut down several times by atheist cyberbullying through false reports but [http://creationwiki.org/Creationist_YouTube_video he was able to thwart their cyberbullying using some effective tactics].<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kax-zAJxi-U</ref> These false reports are not isolated incidents, many atheists will try this deceitful tactic to block out [[creation science]].<br /> <br /> == See Also ==<br /> * [[2008 YouTube presidential debates]]<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <references/><br /> {{liberalism}}<br /> [[Category: YouTube]]<br /> [[Category:Google]]<br /> [[Category:Websites]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:United_States_Secretary_of_Defense&diff=1029838 Talk:United States Secretary of Defense 2013-01-17T02:52:14Z

<p>MarkJamesW: Let's fix this page!</p> <hr /> <div>== Let's fix this page! ==<br /> <br /> No offense, but this page is a disgrace! I've just finished updating the info, (Robert Gates isn't the Sec-Def anymore, lol!) So, now that it is updated, we need to spruce it up and make it more...wiki(ish). Add some pictures, etc! <br /> <br /> [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 21:52, 16 January 2013 (EST)</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_Defense&diff=1029827 United States Secretary of Defense 2013-01-17T01:15:11Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>The '''United States Secretary of Defense''' is the head of the [[Department of Defense]]. The current Secretary of Defense is [[Leon Panetta]], who was nominated by [[President of the United States of America|President]] [[Barack H. Obama]] on July 11, 2011, and approved by the US Senate shortly after.<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> The Secretary of Defense position was created in 1947 by President [[Harry S Truman]] along with the creation of the National Military Establishment (which became the DoD in 1949), which replaced the Secretary and [[Department of War]]. [[James Forrestal]] was appointed as the first Secretary of Defense.<br /> <br /> ==Duties==<br /> The Secretary of Defense is the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DoD, and for the execution of approved policy. Under the direction of the President, the Secretary exercises authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense.<ref>[http://www.defenselink.mil/odam/omp/pubs/GuideBook/DoD.htm DoD Organizational Structure]</ref><br /> <br /> ==Secretaries==<br /> {|class=wikitable<br /> !colspan=3|Secretaries of Defense<br /> |-<br /> |[[Donald Rumsfeld]]||January 20, 2001|||December 18, 2006<br /> |-<br /> |[[Robert Gates]]||December 18, 2006|||July 11, 2011<br /> |-<br /> |[[Leon Panetta]]||July 11, 2011|||Incumbent<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> [[category:United States Department of Defense]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Obama_Administration&diff=1029823 Obama Administration 2013-01-17T01:11:25Z

<p>MarkJamesW: /* Gay Rights */</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Obama Administration''' is the Executive Department portion of the U.S. government controlled by the liberal, [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Presidents of the United States|President]] [[Barack Hussein Obama]]; it began on January 20, 2009 for a term of four years, and then again for four more. [[File:Obama-poll.jpg|thumb|330px|Excitement for Obama was very high before people understood his plans; enthusiasm has plunged as criticism becomes sharper and strong opponents grow more numerous than strong supporters]] Under Obama's stewardship the United States has suffered the largest [[Federal budget deficit|deficit]]s<ref>http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10708/11-06-mbr.htm</ref><ref>http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/118xx/doc11873/NovemberMBR.pdf</ref> in history and a credit downgrade from the rating agency Standard & Poor.<ref>http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/04/18/the-sp-outlook-and-obama/</ref> [[Poverty]]<ref>http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2009/pov09fig04.pdf</ref> increased to levels not seen in 50 years.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2010-09-16-poverty-rate-income-numbers_N.htm</ref> When his [[economic stimulus]] program was adopted unemployment rose and stagnated in the 10% range, <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476104575439172480870774.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</ref> leaving tens of millions without [[hope]] of finding a job.<ref>[http://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 United States Department of Labor], Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data extracted on: July 19, 2010 (4:31:11 PM).</ref> During what the [[White House]] billed as [[Recovery Summer]], one half million workers per week continued losing their jobs. His signature legislative achievement, [[ObamaCare]], the federal courts have found to be [[unconstitutional]]<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-13/u-s-health-care-law-requirement-thrown-out-by-judge.html</ref> and is credited as a major cause of uncertainty, high [[unemployment]],<ref>http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33220</ref> lagging job creation,<ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-medicare%E2%80%99s-finances-shadowed-by-uncertainty/</ref> and risk of a credit default crisis.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/28/AR2010032802353.html</ref><ref>http://www.thestreet.com/story/10703361/cramer-obamacare-will-topple-the-market.html</ref> Since the rejection of his party's agenda in the [[2010 Midterm elections]], Obama has continued [[class warfare]] as a major theme of his remaining two years and cornerstone of his re-election bid.<br /> <br /> While 'turning the page' on the War on Terror, the rate of terrorist attacks in the United States has gone from three under President George W. Bush's eight years in office ([[9/11]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center|World Trade Towers]], the 9/11 attack on [[Pentagon]] and the 9/11 hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania) <ref>During Bush's last year http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335500,00.html</ref> to at least four per year<ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-detroit-airline26-2009dec26,0,7673563,full.story</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/05explode.html?_r=1&ref=us</ref><ref>http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/25/2009-05-25_small_bomb_goes_off_outside_upper_east_side_starbucks.html</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/04recruit.html?_r=1&ref=us</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/politics/20hood.html</ref> and the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security Preparedness Group reports [[Al-Qaeda]] leadership has become increasingly ‘Americanized’.<ref>http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/news/press-releases/2010/09/bipartisan-policy-center-report-finds-homegrown-terrorism-presents-key-c</ref><br /> <br /> President Obama authorized offshore oil drilling in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref>[http://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,<br /> {{Cquote|oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills"<ref>White House Press Release, [http://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><ref>''[http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2010/04/30/president_obama_committed_to_endangering President Obama must reinstate moratorium on offshore drilling,]'' [[Greenpeace]] USA blogs, 30 Apr 2010.</ref><ref>http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/04/28/obama-katrina-spill/</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>[http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/?src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman Conscience of a Liberal: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault,] Paul Krugman, ''New York Times'', April 30, 2010.</ref> <br /> <br /> A Republican revival took form as the party won gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, and the Democrats continued in disarray in New York, Texas and California. Even more dramatic was the win by Republican [[Scott Brown]] of the Senate seat held by the late [[Edward M. Kennedy]] in Massachusetts, which was widely interpreted as a referendum on Obama's policies. By the Spring of his second year only 38% of voters surveyed said Obama deserves re-election, with 55% wanting someone new. A [[Gallup Poll]] had the president's support slipping among Hispanics and African-Americans. A large majority of Americans, 69%, believe the nation is on the wrong track.<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html</ref><br /> <br /> <br /> ==Economic Policy==<br /> The Obama administration initially followed what fiscal conservatives and libertarians call [[Obama administration fiscal policy|ruinous fiscal policies]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|reckless monetary policies]].<br /> [[File:Varvel-11-19-09.jpg|thumb|330px|right|Gary Varvel pokes fun at VP Biden's outlandish claims]]<br /> <br /> ===Background===<br /> Following the [[Recession of 2008]] Obama declared that failure to pass his [[Economic stimulus]] would turn a "crisis into a catastrophe," and promised [[Unemployment]] would not rise above 7.8%.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1910208,00.html Obama's Stimulus Plan: Failing by Its Own Measure,] Stephen Gandel, ''TIME'', July 14, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31165217/ Obama promises economic relief this summer], AP, 6/8/2009.</ref> The House on Jan. 28 passed a stimulus package‎ of $819 billion in [[Direct_spending#New_spending|new spending]] and tax increases, despite unanimous Republican opposition. A revised bill passed the Senate with three Republican votes. A compromise bill known as the "[[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009]]" was passed, providing for $789 billion in new spending and stimulus.<br /> <br /> Detroit spread gloom on Feb. 17 as GM starkly warned of impending bankruptcy unless it gets more aid. By August, both Chrysler and GM had entered bankruptcy, and come out again in much smaller size, as they closed a fourth of their dealerships, slashed wage rates, and repaid creditors with 29 cents on the dollar. The government gave Chrysler away free to Fiat of Italy, which acquired ownership without investing any money. Meanwhile the part makers, which employ more workers than the Big Three automakers, verged on disaster and begged for billions. The "[[cash for clunkers]]" proved to be a boondoggle for the rich at a cost of $3 billion to the Treasury.<br /> <br /> ===Obama policies problematic, say economists and public===<br /> In the view of 51 mostly conservative economists polled by the ''Wall Street Journal'' in July 2009, the Obama administration's economic program is problematic. President Obama and Treasury Secretary Geithner both got an average grade of 70 out of 100 for their handling of the financial crisis, but those grades varied widely.<ref>Obama scored 59 in March 2009, Geithner 51, and Bernanke 71. See Phil Izzo, "Obama, Geithner Get Low Grades From Economists," [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123671107124286261.html ''Wall Street Journal'' March 11, 2009]</ref> Former President Bush and ex-Treasury chief Paulson received average grades of 50 and 60, respectively, when economists were asked how they handled the crisis while in office. By contrast, Fed chairman Bernanke scored much better, with an average grade of 85.<ref>Phil Izzo, "Few Economists Favor More Stimulus," [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124708099206913393.html ''Wall Street Journal'' July 10, 2009] </ref><br /> [[Image:Stim1.jpg|thumb|380px|Cartoonist Chuck Asay summarizes the debate]] <br /> <br /> The economists were pessimistic, predicting the economy would shed another 2.8 million jobs over the next 12 months after the presidents program was passed.<ref>The Unemployment rate climbed to 9.5% in June 2009, then hit 10,2% in October, as the GDP fell at an alarming -6.4% annual rate in the first quarter of 2009.</ref> Economists see a one-in-six chance that the U.S. will fall into a depression, defined as a decline in per-person GDP or consumption by 10% or more. They gave equally poor marks to the efforts of other countries to end the recession.<br /> <br /> The economists, however, were broadly supportive of the Federal Reserve. Over 85% agreed that its proliferating lending programs are well-designed, well-executed and helping the economy.<br /> <br /> In June 2009 public opinion was favorable toward Obama personally, but increasingly dubious about his plans to overhaul health care, bailout the auto industry and close the prison at Guantánamo Bay. With a positive job approval rating of 63% , Mr. Obama had the backing of Democrats and independents alike, with only 23% of Republicans expressing approval. Support for Obama's foreign policies and terrorism policies originally was high at 57-59%. <br /> <br /> Billionaire [[Warren Buffett]], former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, and former Clinton Treasury Secretary [[Robert Rubin]] constituted Obama's transition team of Economic Advisers.<ref>[ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=aSzNv81CYh0c Obama to Meet With Buffett, Daley, Economic Advisers], Bloomberg, Nov. 6 2008.</ref> Rubin was being sharply criticized for his role in the collapse of [[Citigroup]] which needed $45 billion in federal [[bailout]] money.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0930738020090109 Robert Rubin quits Citigroup amid criticism], Reuters, Jan 9, 2009</ref> Buffett, after the inauguration, spoke out against the administration's declared objective of not allowing "a crisis to go to waste" [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/03/buffett_hits_obama_congress_on.html] and Obama's massive tax increase on the needy and those least able to afford it. [http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/buffett-cap-and-trade-is-a-regressive-tax/]<br /> <br /> ==== FY 2010 Budget ====<br /> [[Image:Budget-cbo.jpg|thumb|250px|left]]<br /> The Democratic controlled Congress by a party line vote in late April passed the budget Obama proposed in late February. It called for $3.4 trillion in [[Direct_spending#New_spending|new spending]], not counting the $787 billion in stimulus spending approved in February, nor the trillions in loan guarantees to banks. The 2010 budget allocated $1.2 trillion for defense, and an additional $130 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nondefense spending increased by 8% or $40 billion. The budget allowed the Obama health plan, which had not yet been written, to move through Congress on a fast track with no risk of filibuster. <br /> <br /> The Tax Foundation says that 44% of all tax filers have no tax liability and most of those will get a check from the government, especially from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)<ref> EITC is a conservative idea first proposed by Milton Friedman, enacted under Republican presidents Ford and Reagan.</ref> and credits for college tuition and child care. The ''Wall Street Journal'' noted about Obama's plan that, "Once upon a time we called this 'welfare'". <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html</ref><br /> <br /> The Budget assumes a federal deficit of $1.75 trillion for 2009, or 12.3% of GDP--the highest deficit in percentage terms since World War II. The budget reordered priorities to provide national health care and raise the federal spending on schools. <br /> <br /> The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the Obama plans will raise the national debt far more than Obama admitted. The CBO says the Obama plan will cause total deficits over the next ten years of $9.3 trillion, compared to Obama's estimate of "only" 7 trillion. The annual GDP by contrast is about $15 trillion.<ref> Jackie Calmes, "New Deficit Forecast Casts Shadow on Obama Agenda," [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/washington/21deficit.html?th&emc=th ''New York Times'' Mar. 20, 2009]</ref> Senator Jedd Gregg says that Obama's budget will double the national debt in five years and triple it in ten. <ref>http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/mar/25/judd-gregg/judd-gregg-says-obamas-budget-doubles-national-deb/</ref><br /> <br /> Obama proposed a carbon [[cap and trade]] system, increasing taxes for families and businesses. The cost to energy consumers would be an additional $645 billion between 2012 and 2019, which will result in higher prices. Rep. John Boehner said, "Let's just be honest and call it a carbon tax that will increase taxes on all Americans who drive a car, who have a job, who turn on a light switch, pure and simple."<ref>see [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123566843777484625.html comment from conservative newspaper]</ref><br /> <br /> The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee was conservative Democrat [[Kent Conrad]] of [[North Dakota]], a deficit hawk who said he was "very uncomfortable with the build-up of debt" and urged Obama to make good on his promise to overhaul federal retirement and health-care programs. Conrad called for "more discipline on the spending side."<ref> [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/28/AR2009022801960.html?hpid=topnews ''Washington Post'' Mar. 1, 2009]</ref><br /> <br /> The Obama Administration based its domestic policies on the assumption of a rapid economic recovery generating the tax revenue needed to fund [[Direct spending|permanent new spending]] program for [[Obamacare]] and "greening the economy". Administration forecasts were more starry-eyed than private sector forecasts. Both parties agree that stimulus spending is needed to deal with the recession but Congress is unlikely to approve permanent new spending programs unless the economy improves, since a large number of conservative Democrats were elected who may vote with Republicans to keep down spending and deficits.<ref> Peter S. Goodman, "Sharper Downturn Clouds Obama Spending Plans," [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/business/economy/28recession.html?_r=1&th&emc=th ''Washington Post'' Feb. 27, 2009]</ref><br /> <br /> ==== FY 2011 Budget ====<br /> Obama's first two budget deficits (FY 2009 and FY 2010) were more than $1 trillion, or 9% of [[GDP]]. The [[Democrat]]ic Congress failed to pass, and President Obama did not sign, a budget for fiscal year 2011, as required by law. But the administration continued spending anyway with a deficit projected to be at least another $1 trillion again for 2011. Combined with a shrinking economy, the publicly held federal debt increased by over 20% of GDP in Obama's first two years, and was projected to increase by another 7% in 2011. Experts warned the President that deficits of this size were not sustainable in the long run because the federal debt cannot indefinitely grow faster than economic output. Eventually a greater and greater share of national income would be devoted to interest payments, until eventually the government would be forced to finance the debt through money creation ([[inflation]]) or [[default]].<br /> <br /> The president emphasized his proposal to freeze for three years non-defense [[discretionary spending]]. Economist Martin Feldstein observed the president's plan would not apply to [[backdoor spending]]: increases in [[mandatory spending]] programs and [[tax ependiture]]s -- new tax rules that substitute for increased government spending,<ref>[http://www.nber.org/feldstein/wsj02182010.html How Obama Should Shrink His Deficit], Martin Feldstein, ''Wall Street Journal'', February 18, 2010. Retrieved from nber.org </ref> like refundable tax credits.<ref>[http://www.concordcoalition.org/publications/facing-facts/1996/0913/back-door-entitlement The Back-Door Entitlement], The Concord Coalition.</ref><ref>[http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/10-27-11_Obamacares_Subsidies_and_Tax_Distribution_Final.pdf Impact of the Obamacare Tax Credits], House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Staff Report, October 27, 2011. <br><small>"The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that Obamacare’s refundable health insurance tax credits and Medicaid expansion will increase the nation’s debt burden by $1.36 trillion in the first seven years that these provisions are fully implemented...85 percent of filers who claim the credit will end the year with zero or negative income tax liability. Since the tax credit is refundable, nearly all 11.3 million of these filers will have negative income tax liability and will no longer pay the cost of government by contributing federal income taxes....For example, a family of four at 200 percent of the [Federal Poverty Level] (about $48,677 in 2016) cannot pay more than 6.3 percent of their income for health insurance...The CBO estimates that the average cost of the reference insurance plan (the plan used to calculate the tax credit) will be $14,100 for family coverage in 2016. Therefore, a family of four that qualifies for a credit in 2016 and that makes $48,677 would be required to pay about $3,067 for health insurance (6.3 percent of household income). The difference, $11,033, is the value of this family’s refundable tax credit...According to the CBO, 20 million Americans will receive health insurance tax credits in 2020 at a cost of $130 billion."</small></ref><br /> <br /> ==== FY 2012 Budget====<br /> Obama was roundly criticized for ignoring recommendations of his own Deficit Reduction Commission in his proposed 2012 Budget.<ref>http://www.askheritage.org/where-does-obamas-budget-proposal-fall-short/</ref> Obama's proposals did nothing to address the burgeoning budget deficit responsible for lagging job creation and the persistent [[unemployment]] which has become the hallmark of his time in office.<ref>http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MOJ3VG0.htm</ref> In response to [[Republican]] counter-proposals, rather than address substantive issues of reform, Obama descended into ''[[ad hominem]]'' attacks against advocates of improving the delivery of government services.<ref>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/04/24/112725/obama-paints-rep-ryan-as-the-gop.html</ref><ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/23/the_unhappy_president_109638.html</ref><br /> <br /> Rather, Obama proposed increasing spending, taxes, and debt to historic highs, and doubling the [[national debt]] over pre-[[2008 recession]] levels, with no significant proposal to reform the underlying problems. Obama's proposal failed to meet his own pledge to cut the deficit in half during his first term.<ref>Barack Obama, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/remarks-of-president-barack-obama-address-to-joint-session-of-congress “Address to Joint Session of Congress,”] February 24, 2009. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov, April 27, 2011.</ref><br /> <br /> ===Obama Care===<br /> :''Main article: '''[[ObamaCare]]'''''<br /> With a monopoly on power in Obama's first two years, the Democratic Congress moved to create a government run insurance program that would put private sector insurers out of business. Obama proposed funding the program with higher taxes "on wealthy Americans". <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-health-care26-2009feb26,0,1056744.story</ref> The new law mandates private citizens to purchase health insurance under the threat of legal sanctions for non-compliance.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/02/senate-democrats-trim-cost-health-care/</ref> Critics dubbed the law [[Gestapo care]].<br /> <br /> Obama was unconvincing to most Americans. Few saw any advantage in his proposals, and everyone can see the monumental costs. Contrary to his campaign vows for openness and transparency in government, Obama cut closed door back room deals with big drug companies and insurers, and was not upfront with the American people. Polls show a steady decline in support for [[Obamacare]] as the public learned more about it. (By contrast, he had 57% approval on health issues in April 2009).<ref> ''Washington Post'' July 20, 2009</ref> Conservative Democrats in Congress--who call themselves "[[Blue Dog Democrats]]"--were reluctant to sign on to any proposal costing a trillion dollars over the next decade. The controversy lowered Obama's overall approval and was a major factor in the [[2010 Midterm elections]] which ousted the Democratic majority from the House.<br /> <br /> ===Tax increases===<br /> On January 1, 2013 President Obama permanently increased taxes on the middle and [[working class]]es by raising the payroll withholding 2%, effectively costing working families and anyone with a job on average $1000 per year. <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324581504578231721868759336.html </ref> <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/president-obamas-unspoken-payroll-tax-increases/2012/07/25/gJQArLRq9W_blog.html Fact Checker ''Washington Post'']. </ref><br /> <br /> ===Bailouts===<br /> After spending over a trillion dollars in cash and guarantees (by Bush and Obama combined), the [[bailout]] of the financial system by October 2009 seemed to have rewarded the big banks but failed to stimulate the economy and job creation. Obama started to decline in the polls, as independents and Republicans became increasingly critical. A firestorm erupted in March when it was learned that AIG insurance company, now 80% government owned, was paying $165 million in bonuses to the traders that had caused $60 billion in losses. Geithner was appointed to the Treasury largely on the basis of his work at the New York Fed, where his most important action was to design the bailout of AIG. Under Geithner AIG received $170 billion from the government.<br /> [[Image:Toxic-assets.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Geithner plans to sell toxic assets to Wall Street]]<br /> With major banks on the verge of failure, Treasury Secretary [[Timothy Geithner]] unveiled yet another massive bailout program in mid-February. Trillions would be spent to move toxic assets out of the banks, but few details were provided. The widespread reaction was very negative, and Geithner lost more of his credibility as a problem solver. Geithner finally came back with a plan on March 23 that did not need additional funding or approval by Congress. The Treasury used $100 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), as well as new capital from private investors, in order to generate $500 billion to buy toxic loans and assets. The program could potentially expand to $1 trillion over time. In June some of the major banks started to repay their federal loans.<br /> <br /> [[Image:Jobs09q1.jpg|thumb|250px]] [[Image:Job-loss-09.jpg|thumb|250px|US job losses January 1-March 31, 2009]]<br /> <br /> The Federal Reserve in June said conditions deteriorated in many regions of the country, with commercial real estate and labor markets in deep trouble. The Fed did not forecast a significant boost in economic activity in 2009. Despite costly government efforts to encourage borrowing, it remained very difficult for consumers and businesses to obtain loans.<br /> <br /> The General Motors bailout, which Obama promised would make taxpayers money, resulted in an $11 billion loss;<ref>http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/taxpayers-to-lose-at-least-11-billion-on-general-motors-bailout/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OTB+%28Outside+The+Beltway+%7C+OTB%29</ref> however Democratic Congressional seats in the areas affected that recieved the aid, remained Democratic in the [[2010 Midterm elections]] despite the persistent high unemployment among workers who were not directly employed in the auto industry in those same districts.<br /> <br /> ===Education===<br /> To the angst of liberal supporters, the administration's first proposals for school reform relied heavily on Bush-era ingredients and adds others that make unions gag. They include standardized testing, school accountability, performance pay, and charter schools -- all of which are integral to Obama'a $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" grant competition to spur innovation. Liberals dislike all these new ideas. "It looks like the only strategies they have are charter schools and measurement," protested Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "That's Bush III."<ref> See [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092403197.html Nick Anderson, "Unions Criticize Obama's School Proposals as 'Bush III'"], ''Washington Post'' Sept. 25, 2009</ref><br /> <br /> Obama and the Democrats successfully killed the Washington D.C. school voucher program which granted school choice to primarily poor African-American and minority families and children.<ref>http://articles.cnn.com/2009-03-11/politics/martin.vouchers_1_vouchers-school-choice-democrats?_s=PM:POLITICS</ref> After the 2010 Midterm elections the [[Republican]]s revived the program.<ref>http://www.bluecollarphilosophy.com/2011/03/republicans-care-more-about-poor-children-than-democrats-d-c-vouchers-restored-in-house-vote.html</ref><br /> <br /> ===Internet Regulation===<br /> Before the Obama administration began forcing its [[big government]] agenda into all spheres of the economy, the [[Internet]] was open and adaptive because it was free of government regulation.<ref>Conn Carroll. [http://blog.heritage.org/2010/12/27/if-the-fcc-had-regulated-the-internet/ If the FCC Had Regulated the Internet], blog.heritage.org, December 27, 2010.</ref> A ''[[Rasmussen Reports]]'' survey found that only 21 percent (21%) of likely U.S. Voters wanted the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) to regulate the Internet as it does [[radio]] and [[television]]. Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters said they believe that the FCC would use its regulatory authority to promote a political agenda.<ref>The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on December 23, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/december_2010/just_21_want_fcc_to_regulate_internet_most_fear_regulation_would_promote_political_agenda Just 21% Want FCC to Regulate Internet, Most Fear Regulation Would Promote Political Agenda], ''[[Rasmussen Reports]]'', December 28, 2010/</ref> But [[President Obama|President Obama's]] appointed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, along with three other Democrats on the commission, helped craft a plan to impose so-called "[[net neutrality]]" rules on [[Internet service providers]], by taking an unprecedented step to expand government's reach into the Internet by attempting to regulate its inner workings.<ref>James Gattuso, “FCC’s Christmas Gift for the Internet: Net Neutrality Regulation,” The Foundry, December 1, 2010, at [http://blog.heritage.org/2010/12/01/fcc%e2%80%99s-christmas-gift-for-the-internet-net-neutrality-regulation http://blog.heritage.org/2010/12/01/fcc%e2%80%99s-christmas-gift-for-the-internet-net-neutrality-regulation].</ref><ref>'[[Net neutrality]]' sounds nice, but the [[World Wide Web|Web]] is working fine now. The new rules will inhibit investment, deter innovation and create a billable-hours bonanza for lawyers. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703395204576023452250748540.html The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom], ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', By Robert M. McDowell, December 19, 2010.</ref><ref>The Federal Communications Commission approved a plan to regulate the [[Internet]] despite warnings that it could strangle industry investment and damage an economy that is still struggling to recover. [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/21/fcc-poised-pass-network-neutrality-rules/ FCC Approves Plan to Regulate Internet], [[Fox News|FoxNew.com]], Published December 21, 2010.</ref> In doing so, the agency will circumvent [[Congress]] and disregard a federal court ruling; a federal appeals court in [[Washington D.C.]] previously ruled that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 did not authorize the FCC to regulate Internet use, and therefore that the FCC had no statutory authority to do so.<ref>Lachlan Markay. [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2010/12/21/opponents-fccs-new-internet-regulations-vow-swift-recourse Opponents of FCC's New Internet Regulations Vow Swift Recourse], ''[[NewsBusters]]'', December 21, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://blogs.findlaw.com/courtside/2010/04/fcc-and-net-neutrality-supporters-lose-case-against-comcast.html F.C.C. (and Net Neutrality Supporters) Lose Case Against Comcast], By Joel Zand on April 6, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/12/Red-Tape-Under-the-Tree-FCC-Plans-Internet-Regulation-for-Christmas Red Tape Under the Tree: FCC Plans Internet Regulation for Christmas], heritage.org, Published on December 17, 2010 by James Gattuso.<br /> *WebMemo On [http://www.heritage.org/Issues/Regulation Regulation], ''[[The Heritage Foundation]]''.</ref><br /> <br /> As the Obama administration moved to implement big government policies by regulating use of the Internet, President Obama put plans in motion to give the [[Commerce Department]] authority to create an Internet ID for all [[Americans]]. The Obama administration wants to create a national "Internet ID" card to expand its goal of a government-controlled system.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/08/report-obama-administration-plans-create-internet-id-americans/ Obama Administration Reportedly Plans to Create Internet ID for All Americans], [[Fox News|FoxNews.com]], Published January 08, 2011.</ref><br /> <br /> ==Foreign Policy==<br /> <br /> ===Guantanamo Bay===<br /> On November 16, 2008, in an interview with Steve Kroft of [[CBS]]'s ''[[60 Minutes]]'' program, Barack Obama promised to close [[Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility]] by [[Executive Order]], "to regain America's [[moral]] stature in the world."<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQXZoM__vU0 60 Minutes: Obama Reiterates Promise To Close Guantanamo Bay]. Youtube.</ref> A press release on January 22, 2009 claimed Obama ordered closing the camp within the year. <ref>http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=barack+obama+guantanamo+bay&aq=4&oq=Barack+Obama+g&aqi=g10</ref> In January of 2013 President Obama signed an authorization refusing to allow the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo.<ref>[http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2013/1/8/4_years_after_vow_to_close Years After Vow to Close Gitmo, Why Has Obama Signed NDAA Bill Barring Transfer of Its Prisoners?].</ref> As of the president's second inaugural, the promise to regain America's moral stature remained unfulfilled.<br /> <br /> ===Libya===<br /> [[File:Obama Nobel Peace Prize winner.jpg|thumb|right|'''Nobel Peace Prize winner'''.<br>An Arab depiction after Obama attacked Libya.]]<br /> :''Main article : [[Libyan uprising 2011]]''<br /> Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] advocated a no-fly policy, President Obama said he wanted it as an option, and Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]] warned against it.<ref>''[http://liveweb.web.archive.org/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gates-clinton-libyan-fly-zone-difficult/story?id=13037200 President Obama Wants Options as Pentagon Issues Warnings About Libyan No-Fly Zone,]'' [[ABC News]], March 3, 2011. Earlier, on February 25, Gates warned that the U.S. should avoid future land wars like those it has fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, but should not forget the difficult lessons it has learned from those conflicts.</ref><br /> <br /> Prof. [[Alan J. Kuperman]] writing in the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' observed,<br /> {{cquote|President Barack Obama grossly exaggerated the humanitarian threat to justify military action in Libya. The president claimed that intervention was necessary to prevent a “bloodbath’’ in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city and last rebel stronghold. But [[Human Rights Watch]] has released data on Misurata, the next-biggest city in Libya and scene of protracted fighting, revealing that Moammar Khadafy is not deliberately massacring civilians but rather narrowly targeting the armed rebels who fight against his government. Misurata’s population is roughly 400,000. In nearly two months of war, only 257 people — including combatants — have died there. Of the 949 wounded, only 22 — less than 3 percent — are women…. Nor did Khadafy ever threaten 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.’’ Khadafy even offered the rebels an escape route and open border to Egypt, to avoid a fight “to the bitter end.’’<ref>Alan J. Kuperman, [http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions “False Pretense for War in Libya?”], [[Boston Globe]], April 14, 2011.</ref>}}<br /> <br /> The Congressional Research Service reports that the legality of President Obama's [[Libya#Libyan_uprising_2011|Libyan operation]] may depend, at a minimum, on both authorization for the operation and the extent to which the manner of execution of the operation comports with relevant international law. The Charter of the United Nations, in Article 2(4), prohibits the “threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence” of a member state under most circumstances, and many practitioners and observers have wondered whether President Obama's establishment of a no-fly zone would constitute a violation of this prohibition.<ref>''[http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41701.pdf No-Fly Zones: Strategic, Operational, and Legal Considerations for Congress],'' Congressional Research Service, March 18, 2011, p. 6-8 pdf.</ref> In addition to international authorization, the [[War Powers Resolution]] of 1973 states that the President’s powers as Commander in Chief to introduce U.S. forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities can only be exercised pursuant to (1) a declaration of war; (2) specific statutory authorization; or (3) a national emergency created by an attack on the United States or its forces. It requires the President in every possible instance to consult with Congress before introducing American Armed Forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities unless there has been a declaration of war or other specific congressional authorization. The War Powers Act also requires the President to report to Congress any introduction of forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities, Section 4(a)(1); into foreign territory while equipped for combat, Section 4(a)(2); or in numbers which substantially enlarge U.S. forces equipped for combat already in a foreign nation, Section 4(a)(3). Once a report is submitted “or required to be submitted” under Section 4(a)(1), Congress must authorize the use of force within 60 to 90 days or the forces must be withdrawn.<ref>Ibid, p. 9 pdf.</ref><br /> <br /> [[Democrat]]ic Representatives Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Donna Edwards (Md.), Mike Capuano (Mass.), [[Dennis Kucinich]] (Ohio), [[Maxine Waters]] (Calif.), Rob Andrews (N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), [[Barbara Lee]] (Calif.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) “all strongly raised objections to the constitutionality of the president’s actions” during a Democratic Caucus meeting.<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51595.html</ref> Senator [[Rand Paul]] (Ky.) alleged the actions show "contempt" for Congress, and along with Sen [[Mike Lee]] (Utah) introduced a resolution quoting candidate Obama’s own words when the he told the ''[[Boston Globe]],''<br /> {{cquote|The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gop-senators-obama-s-libya-bombing-showe</ref>}}<br /> <br /> ===Afghanistan War===<br /> {{main article|Afghanistan War}}<br /> The Afghanistan War is the NATO operation in [[Afghanistan]], 2001 to the present, to destroy the [[Taliban]] and prevent the formation of a base for Islamic militants to attack American interests. President Obama has declared it to be the central front in the war on terrorism and has ordered a buildup of American troops to fight a stubborn insurgency led by the Taliban. He has doubled American forces and is supported by most Republicans, but is opposed by many liberal Democrats, who fear another quagmire like Vietnam. [[File:Af-UStroops.jpg|thumb|left|350px]]<br /> <br /> Conditions have turned much worse in late summer, as the much heralded national election was marked by widespread fraud and pessimism is spreading. Increasingly the main justification for the war, now 8 years old, is to prop up the shaky regime in neighboring [[Pakistan]]. NATO commander [[Stanley McChrystal]] has requested 30,000-40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan. Obama, unused to such responsibility, dithered for three months before approving the urgent request. By early 2010 the US will have over 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, triple the number when Obama took office. Conservatives have applauded the buildup.<br /> <br /> American policy was increasing set by Defense Secretary [[Robert Gates]], originally appointed by President Bush in 2006 and reappointed by Obama in 2009. Gates fired the commander General David McKiernan in May, 2009, replacing him with McChrystal. Gates insisted on dropping the old strategy of hunting down insurgents and instead adopting a '''counterinsurgency''' strategy that focused on protecting local civilians and training Afghan soldiers and police to take over the job. Gates convinced Obama, who ordered 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan in Dec. 2009, with a deadline of 18 months, at which time a transition to Afghan responsibility would begin. Liberals thought Obama and Gates were making a big mistake--heading into another quagmire like Vietnam. However liberal Democrats in Congress will not try to block Obama's proposals, at least at this point. <br /> <br /> Democrats are split not in two but in three: a small number of hawks who agree with his decision; a large number of doves who oppose it; and a sizable group that is uneasy with the Obama surge but willing to loyally support his decision. Most conservatives, on the other hand, see victory in Afghanistan as a vital national goal and approve the new strategy, while voicing objections to the 18 month deadline. Polls in mid-December show Republicans overwhelmingly supported the war, with 71% saying the country was doing the right thing compared to 21% who said it was not. By contrast, Democrats were evenly split, with 47% supporting the war and 46% opposing it.<br /> <br /> Each 1000 American soldiers in Afghanistan cost a billion dollars a year; Speaker Pelosi has indicated that there will be no tax surcharge to pay for the operation.<br /> <br /> ===Iran===<br /> During the 2008 campaign Obama promised direct talks [[Iran]]ian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]], a staunch enemy of the United States, who has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," <ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070927213903/http://www.iribnews.ir/Full_en.asp?news_id=200247</ref> and dismissed the [[Holocaust]] as a "myth." <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4529198.stm</ref> President Obama has supported Iran's nuclear program, which some argue is being used to develop weapons-grade material. <ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_ok_iran_nukes/2009/04/06/200157.html</ref> <br /> <br /> In 2009 Ahmadinejad was reelected to a second term after a controversial and disputed election. Charges of alleged voter fraud from the government resulted in massive protests in Iran and around the world. The government responded by violently suppressing the protesters, killing over 250 of them.<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/25/opposition-alters-tactics-to-avoid-protest-deaths/</ref> Conservatives criticized Obama for failing to provide more vocal support for the pro-democracy protesters.<br /> <br /> ===Iraq===<br /> {{main article|Operation Iraqi Freedom}}<br /> On February 27, 2009 President Obama announced a deadline to withdrawal combat troops from [[Iraq]] by August 2010. However, 35,000 to 50,000 troops known as a "transitional force" to defend "civilian intersts" will remain. In June 2009, U.S. troops began to pull out of Iraq's major cities.<ref>http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKrTBxDcg3RzbLdAkUnob12YI4WwD9959L780</ref> Conservatives are generally pleased that Obama has continued the successful Bush policies.<br /> <br /> ===Bahrain===<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|250px|President Obama bows before Saudi King Abdullah.]]<br /> Three days after [[Egypt]]ian President [[Hosni Mubarak]] resigned people in the small Gulf state of Bahrain took to the streets in the capital city of Manama. One month into the uprising, [[Saudi Arabia]] sent military and police forces across the border connecting the Saudi mainland to Bahrain. Since then, the protesters, the press and human-rights organizations have suffered increasingly violent repression. Bahrain is home of the [[U.S. Navy]]’s 5th Fleet, tasked with protecting the Strait of Hormuz, the [[Suez Canal]], and supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.<ref>http://peaceandjustice.org/article.php?story=20110414100300387</ref> Press spokesman Jim Carney stated the [[White House]] position, "This is not an invasion of a country."<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/14/us-bahrain-usa-invasion-idUSTRE72D6RB20110314</ref> <br /> <br /> Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, stated, "Hundreds of people are in jail for practicing their freedom of expression. People are tortured for expressing their freedom of expression. Thousands of people sacked from their jobs. ... And all that, because one day, a month ago, almost half of the Bahraini population came out in the street demanding [[democracy]] and respect for [[human rights]].”<br /> <br /> ===Eygpt===<br /> During the Egyptian revolution of 2011, Obama Special Envoy Frank Wisner, Jr., flew to [[Egypt]] to persuade President [[Hosni Mubarak]] to cling to power.<ref>http://www.zerohedge.com/article/obama-special-envoy-cairo-calling-mubarak-stay-uncovered-be-mubarak-payroll</ref><br /> <br /> ===Mexico===<br /> :''Main article:'' '''[[Fast and Furious]]'''<br /> In May 2012, President Obama promised Mexican President [[Felipe Calderon]] that his administration would assist Mexico in curbing drug cartel violence, which has led to 30,000 deaths in Mexico. "President Calderon and I . . . stand together against the drug cartels that have unleashed horrific violence in so many communities," Obama said on May 19. "Mexico can count on the United States as a full partner in this effort. <br /> <br /> The ''[[Washington Post]]'' has reported however that White House officials stopped a requirement for gun dealers to report bulk sales of high-powered [[semiautomatic rifle]]s 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 White House chief of staff [[Rahm Emanuel]].<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/17/AR2010121706598.html</ref> Gun dealers have been required for decades to report the sales of multiple handguns to the ATF.<br /> <br /> ==Environmental policy==<br /> [[File:Slide 6569 89213 small.jpg|right|300px|thumb|President Obama waited nine days before his first response and photo-op in the Gulf oil spill disaster.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/opinion/01sat1.html</ref>]]<br /> :''Main article : '''''[[Gulf oil spill disaster]]'''<br /> <br /> The ''[[New York Times]]'' has reported since January 2009 the [[Obama]] administration has approved at least three huge oil and gas lease sales, 103 seismic blasting projects and 346 oil drilling plans.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/14agency.html?partner=rss&emc=rss U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits,] Ian Urbina, ''New York Times'', 13 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.</ref> Documents from the [[Department of Interior]]'s [[Mineral Management Service]] (MMS) show that permission for those projects and plans was granted without getting the permits required under federal law.<ref>''NYT'', ibid.</ref> Federal records show one of the permits issued was for the well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on 20 April 2010, killing 11 workers<ref>''NYT,'' ibid.</ref> and resulting in nearly 30 million barrels of [[crude oil]] dumped into the [[Gulf of Mexico]], contaminating shorelines and killing wildlife, and by far the largest environmental disaster in the history of the [[United States]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28flow.html Estimates Suggest Spill Is Biggest in U.S. History,] Tom Zeller, Jr., ''New York Times, 27 May 2010.</ref><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>http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/law_order_corporate_crime_unit_20100518/</ref><br /> <br /> President Obama personally approved offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico<ref>[http://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> and was widely criticized for his slow reaction to the drilling disaster. While authorizing offshore drilling<ref>[http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/?src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman Conscience of a Liberal: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault,] Paul Krugman, ''New York Times'', April 30, 2010.</ref> the president stated, "oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced."<ref>White House Press Release, [http://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><ref>''[http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2010/04/30/president_obama_committed_to_endangering President Obama must reinstate moratorium on offshore drilling,]'' [[Greenpeace]] USA blogs, 30 Apr 2010.</ref><ref>http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/04/28/obama-katrina-spill/</ref><br /> <br /> BP's exploration plan received in the Obama administration's MMS field office on 23 March 2009 states "no mitigation measures other than those required by regulation and BP policy will be employed to avoid, diminish or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources." It declared any spill would have only "sub-lethal" effects on fish and marine [[mammal]]s but it was "unlikely that an accidental oil spill would occur from the proposed activities."<ref>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/initial_exploration_plan050410.pdf</ref> BP was granted a “categorical exclusion” by the Obama administration from a detailed environmental impact statement required under [[law]]<ref>[http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/nepa/nepaeqia.htm The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended.]</ref> according to reports in the ''[[Washington Post]].''<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050404118.html U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study,] Juliet Eilperin, ''Washington Post,'' 5 May 2010.</ref> <br /> <br /> BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was inspected by the Obama administration's [[Minerals Management Service]] (MMS) only two weeks before it exploded<ref>White House Press Office, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/press-briefing-bp-oil-spill-gulf-coast Press Briefing on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Coast,] 29 April 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 12 May 2010.</ref> killing 11 people and dumping 30 million barrels of oil in the Gulf. The rig had been awarded the ''Safety Award for Excellence'' in 2009 by the Obama MMS.<ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=66303 Democratic Leader Hoyer Doesn’t Know Whether Obama Administration was Prepared for Oil Spill,] Matt Cover, CNSNews.com, May 20, 2010.</ref><ref>MMS Thought Deepwater Horizon was Award-Winningly SAFE, The Project on Government Oversight, Exposing Government Corruption, 29 April 2010.</ref><br /> <br /> The Obama [[Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) gave BP the green light to apply its dispersant, Corexit as cosmetic relief to the spill.<ref>[http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/05/epa-bp-dispersants Why Is the EPA Letting BP Use Dirty Dispersants?], Kate Sheppard, ''Mother Jones'', 19 May 19 2010.</ref> Corexit was found to be 10 to 20 times more [[toxic]] to human and wild life than a dozen other dispersants approved by the EPA.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/business/energy-environment/13greenwire-less-toxic-dispersants-lose-out-in-bp-oil-spil-81183.html Less Toxic Dispersants Lose Out in BP Oil Spill Cleanup,] <br /> Paul Quinlan, ''Greenwire'', May 13, 2010. Retrieved from nytimes.com 25 May 2010.</ref> Corexit is manufactured by Nalco of Naperville, Illinois, a company's whose current leadership includes several executives from BP. "It's a chemical that the oil industry makes to sell to itself, basically," said Richard Charter, a senior policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife.<ref>''Greenwire'', ibid.</ref> At Congressional hearings investigating the Gulf oil spill disaster, [[Democratic]] Representative Jerrold Nadler of [[New York]] raised the prospect of "thousands and thousands of people getting sick or dying" as a result of the Obama administration's sanctioned use of the dispersant.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/science/earth/28workers.html Worry About Dispersant Rises as Men in Work Crew Complain of Health Problems,] Leslie Kaufman and Elizabeth Rosenthal, ''New York Times'', 27 May 2010.</ref><br /> <br /> ===Cozy relationship with oil industry===<br /> <br /> As Senator, and while running for president, [[Barack Obama]] has received more money from BP's [[Political Action Committee]] and individuals connected with BP than any other candidate over the past two decades, according to [[Federal Election Commission]] disclosure records.<ref>[http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0505/obama-biggest-recipient-bp-political-action-money-20-years Obama is biggest recipient of BP’s political action cash in the last 20 years,] John Byrne, 5 May 2010. Retrieved from rawstory.com 9 May 2010.</ref><ref>Jake Tapper, Political Punch, [[ABC News]], 5 May 2010. [http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/white-house-idea-that-bp-given-special-exemption-because-of-campaign-cash-to-obama-silly-and-ridiculous.html?cid=6a00d8341c4df253ef0134807669a3970c]</ref><ref>http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/04/on-thursday-oil-giant-bp.html</ref><br /> <br /> ==Gay Rights==<br /> The Obama Administration is currently a fervent supporter of [[Gay rights]] and everything LGBT. During Obama's first term in office, he took no official action on [[LGBT]] related issues, however, during the [[2012 US Presidential Election|2012 US Elections]], Obama officially declared support for gays. After his reelection on November 6th, 2012, he was quick to become a supporter of the [[It Gets Better]] project, causing Obama's approval rating to go down even further.<br /> <br /> Currently, Obama is working hard on promoting the [[Liberal]], [[homosexual]], and anti-Christian agenda in the United States and abroad.<br /> <br /> {{cquote|<br /> “proud to be the first President to appoint openly [[LGBT]] candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration,”}}<br /> <sub>-Barack Obama</sub><br /> <br /> ==Senior Staff==<br /> Bill Daley replaced [[Rahm Emanuel]] as chief of staff in early 2011; Emanuel retired under a cloud to run for Mayor of Chicago after allegations that favors were promised to Rep. [[Joe Sestak]] in the [[Jobsgate]] scandal; [[Robert Gibbs]] was ousted as press secretary in the wake of the disastrous [[2010 Midterm elections]]; Gregory Craig was dispatched in less than one year as White House counsel after the botched handling of the Guantanamo closing and was replaced by Robert Bauer;<ref>http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1940537,00.html</ref> old Chicago friends [[Valerie Jarrett]] remained while [[David Axelrod]] fell victim the midterm White Hoiuse shake up and returned to Chicago to head up fundraising for Obama's 2012 election bid.<br /> <br /> In private White House strategy sessions Dana Milbank of the ''[[Washington Post]]'' reported Emanuel was bitterly opposed the effort to close the Guantanamo Bay prison early, arguing that it wasn't politically feasible. Obama overruled Emanuel. Emanuel fought against the plan to send [[Khalid Sheik Mohammed]] to New York for a trial. Emanuel lost. On health care Emanuel argued for a smaller bill with popular items that could win [[Republican]] support and opposed the public option as a needless distraction. Obama disregarded that strategy and sided with Congressional liberals who hoped to ram a larger, less popular bill through Congress with Democratic votes only. Milbank writes,<br /> {{Cquote|Obama's first year fell apart in large part because he didn't follow his chief of staff's advice on crucial matters...Obama's problem is that his other confidants -- particularly Valerie Jarrett and Robert Gibbs, and, to a lesser extent, David Axelrod -- are part of the Cult of Obama. In love with the president, they believe he is a transformational figure who needn't dirty his hands in politics.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021904298_pf.html</ref><ref>[http://video.foxnews.com/v/4080748/obamas-right-hand-man/?playlist_id=87249]</ref>}}<br /> <br /> [[Anita Dunn]] was the White House Communications Office Director until she her [[Maoist]] sympathies became public and was replaced by [[Dan Pfeiffer]].<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_fox_dunn_beck/2009/11/10/284292.html Obama Aide Who Slammed Fox News Resigns, NewsMax.com, November 10, 2009]; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CypgH32gGVo&feature=related Video of Obama Communications Director Claiming Mao One of Her Favorite Political Philosophers']</ref><br /> <br /> ===Jobsgate===<br /> :''Main article:'' [[Jobsgate]]<br /> Jobsgate refers to the scandal where former President [[Bill Clinton]] was asked by someone in the [[White House]] to offer Congressman [[Joe Sestak]] a federal job in exchange for his withdrawal from the [[Democratic]] primary election against incumbent U.S. [[Senator]] [[Arlen Specter]].<ref>Jeffrey Lord. [http://spectator.org/archives/2010/03/16/specter-opens-door-on-white-ho Specter Opens Door on White House Felonies], ''The American Spectator'', March 16, 2010.</ref><ref>Tim Shoemaker. [http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=33660 Jobsgate: Obama's Watergate?], ''Campaign For Liberty'', March 18, 2010.</ref> Under [[America|American]] [[law]], it is a federal crime to offer someone a federal position in exchange for favors.<ref name=stonewall>Jeffrey Lord. [http://spectator.org/blog/2010/03/17/gibbs-jobsgate-stonewall-day-2 Gibbs' Jobsgate Stonewall: Day 23], ''The American Spectator'', March 18, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://vlex.com/vid/acceptance-solicitation-obtain-appointive-19190192 Watergate to Jobsgate], ''VOX'', March 17, 2010.</ref> Joe Sestak's allegation that President Clinton carried the message from the White House for a job if he were to drop out of the [[Pennsylvania]] [[2010_Midterm_Elections#Democratic_incumbents|Senate primary]] race against Arlen Specter may be an impeachable crime.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/25/congressman-white-house-job-offer-sestak-impeachable-offense/ Congressman: White House Job Offer to Sestak May Be an 'Impeachable' Offense], FOXNews.com, May 25, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593482,00.html Rove on Sestak-White House 'Job Offer': Somebody Broke the Law], ''[[Fox News]]'', May 25, 2010.</ref><br /> <br /> ==Cabinet==<br /> Obama proceeded rapidly with cabinet choices. Obama has drawn heavily on [[Clinton Administration]] leaders to fill his Cabinet, along with Bush appointees Gates, Jones and Geithner. His national security team (Biden, Clinton, Gates, Jones) all supported the Iraq war, although Obama made opposition to the war central to his campaign. So far no leaders of the left-wing of the Democratic party have been appointed to any major position, which has stunned antiwar and left elements.<br /> <br /> A growing failure of leadership emerged in the Treasury department in March, as it proved difficult to assemble a leadership team. Dozens of senior Treasury jobs are empty; apart from the Secretary, the first 3 names were sent to the Senate for confirmation on March 8 and two other top nominees withdrew their names. Secretary Geithner is overwhelmed with multiple major responsibilities without any senior officials in place. He does have about 50 informal aides. The result was poorly thought out proposals that won no support, and lengthy delays in responding to the increasingly serious financial crisis. Analysts debated whether the display of incompetence was due more to Geithner or the White House.<br /> <br /> With a worldwide [[swine flu]] epidemic threatening, the Administration finally filled the job of Secretary of Health and Human Services on April 28. The flu epidemic petered out but policy initiative has been lagging because of the long delays in filling top posts. The confusion caused by weak leadership was underscored in November when runaway advisory boards recommended cutting back on health programs for women, such as mammograms, at a time conservatives were warning that medical care would be rationed under the proposed plans. <br /> ===Cabinet Scandals===<br /> [[Image:Cabinet09.jpg|thumb|300px]]<br /> Scandal has already tainted the cabinet. [[Bill Richardson]] was nominated for Secretary of Commerce but had to withdraw when he became a party to a criminal investigation. The nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, [[Timothy Geithner]], was confirmed after a humiliating televised session in which he admitted not paying $34,000 in federal income taxes. [[Tom Daschle]] withdrew his nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services because he had avoided $140,000 in federal taxes over a period of years, and paid them only after he had been named to the cabinet.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/us/politics/31daschle.html?ref=us Robert Pear, "Use of Free Car Lands Tom Daschle in Tax Trouble," ''New York Times,'' Jan. 30, 2009] </ref><br /> <br /> Scandal also ruined the career of Nancy Killefer, nominated by President Obama to be the federal government's first chief performance officer. She too had evaded paying her taxes. <br /> <br /> It was not a scandal but an embarrassment for Obama on Feb. 12, when New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg, who had agreed to join the cabinet as Secretary of Commerce, dropped out. Gregg cited irreconcilable differences, and observers pointed out that Obama's staff planned to take the 2010 Census out of the Commerce Department's jurisdiction, weakening the secretary and politicizing the census.<br /> <br /> In July, [[Steven Rattner]], the czar for the auto industry who lead the Presidential task force that restructured General Motors and Chrysler, was forced to quit when he came under investigation for paying million-dollar bribes to get state business in his previous job. Rattner was to pay $6.2 million in a settlement with the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] for his involvement in a New York State Pension Fund pay-to-play scandal.<ref>http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/101118/business/business_rattner_settles_sec</ref><br /> <br /> ===Senate Scandals===<br /> <br /> Even more damaging to liberal Democrats were scandals involving the Senate seats of Clinton and Obama himself. In New York Gov. [[David Paterson]] came to office in 2008 after a sex scandal forced the resignation of his predecessor. Paterson damaged himself and his Democratic party by dangling an appointment to Caroline Kennedy, who was unable to make up her mind. He finally rejected her and turned to the most conservative Democrat in the entire Northeast, Rep. [[Kirsten Gillibrand]]. She is a [[Blue Dog Democrat]] known for her defense of gun rights and opposition to the Obama stimulus package. <br /> <br /> It was much worse in Illinois, after Gov. [[Rod Blagojevich]] (a Democrat) sought to sell the Obama seat. Obama refused to bargain, so Blagojevich tried to auction it off, and was caught in FBI wiretaps. He was arrested and will face criminal trial in federal court, and was promptly impeached by the state legislature, with all the conservatives and Republicans there unanimous in calling for his ouster. Before he was forced out, Blagojevich named a light-weight replacement, [[Roland Burris]]. Democrats in Washington at first promised they would keep Burris out because of his tainting by the governor's maneuvers; they relented and were forced to seat Burris.<br /> <br /> Burris admitted in February that he lied under oath to the Illinois legislature about his contacts with Blagojevich. Calls have been made for a perjury investigation that may lead to Burris's expulsion from the Senate..<ref>Natasha Korecki and Dave McKinney, "Illinois lawmakers mull Burris perjury probe," [http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/illinois_lawmakers_mull_burris.html ''Chicago Sun-Times'' Feb. 14, 2009] </ref><br /> <br /> ===Important Officials===<br /> {|class=wikitable<br /> !colspan=3|Important Officials<br /> |-<br /> |[[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]]||[[Joseph Biden]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Chief of Staff]]||[[William Daley]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of State]]||[[Hillary Clinton]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of the Treasury]]||[[Timothy Geithner]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of Energy]]||[[Steven Chu]]|||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of Defense]]||[[Robert Gates]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]]||[[Eric Holder]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of the Interior]]||[[Ken Salazar]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of Commerce]]||[[Gary Locke]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of Health and Human Services]]||[[Kathleen Sebelius]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of Veterans Affairs]]||[[Eric Shinseki]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Secretary of Homeland Security]]||[[Janet Napolitano]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Office of Management and Budget|Budget Director]]||[[Peter Orszag]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[Council of Economic Advisers]]||[[Christina Romer]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[National Economic Council]]||[[Lawrence H. Summers]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[National Security Advisor]]||[[James Jones]]||Confirmed<br /> |-<br /> |[[CIA Director]]||[[Leon Panetta]]|||Confirmed<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ===Supreme Court===<br /> [[File:Sotomeyr2.jpg|thumb|250px|Sotomayor's parents came from Puerto Rico; her mother was a WAC in the US Army in World War II]]<br /> <br /> Obama got an early pick for the Supreme Court when liberal Justice David Souter retired. He quickly names Court of Appeals Judge [[Sonia Sotomayor]] in May 2009. She was born to a poor family of migrants from Puerto Rico, and after attending Princeton and Yale Law School made it to the top through very hard work. She is the first American of Puerto Rican descent named to a high office on the mainland and her nomination marked a watershed in the national recognition and acceptance of all Latinos.<br /> <br /> ==Czars==<br /> The Obama administrations has more than 30 "czars" (a term used informally to refer to high-level executive branch officials who advise the president on a particular area of policy but do not have cabinet posts), who will oversee combined budgets totaling more than $1.7 trillion.<ref>[http://glennbeck.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/06/09/rise-of-the-czars/ Rise of the Czars], The Glenn Beck Blog, ''Fox News.com'', June 9th, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/cavuto-czars-helm-suckers/ Czars at the Helm and We're the Suckers], Neil Cavuto, ''Fox Business.com'', June 05, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29391/ List of Obama's Czars], GlennBeck.com, August 21, 2009.</ref><br /> <br /> Glenn Beck warns Obama's 'shadow government' is growing in size and power.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=5861557&referralPlaylistId=playlist] Glenn Beck has a discussion on Obama circumventing constitutional checks and balances.</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=5862590&referralPlaylistId=f909db77f0ad31bbfd35cb7e6a04f50204809c04]</ref><br /> <br /> [[Van Jones]], a longtime radical organizer, resigned in September 2009 as Green Czar when it was revealed he had endorsed a 9-11 conspiracy theory that claimed, "people within the current [Bush] administration may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war." <br /> <br /> {|class=wikitable<br /> !colspan=2|Czars<br /> |-<br /> |[[Border Czar]]||[[Alan Bersin]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Car Czar]]||[[Ron Bloom]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Cyber Czar]]||[[TBA]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Drug Czar]]||[[Gil Kerlikowske]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Economic Czar]]||[[Paul A. Volcker]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Energy and Environment Czar]]||[[Carol Browner]]<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/12/obama-climate-czar-has-socialist-ties/</ref><br /> |-<br /> |[[Government Performance Czar]]||[[Jeffrey Zients]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Great Lakes Czar]]||[[Cameron Davis]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Green Czar]]||vacant|-<br /> |-<br /> |[[Health Czar]]||[[Nancy-Ann DeParle]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Homeland Security Czar]]||[[John Brennan]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Intelligence Czar]]||[[Dennis Blair]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Manufacturing Czar]]||[[Ron Bloom]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Pay Czar]]||[[Kenneth R. Feinberg]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Regulatory Czar]]||[[Cass R. Sunstein]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Science Czar]]||[[John Holdren]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Technology Czar]]||[[Vivek Kundra]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[Urban Affairs Czar]]||[[Adolfo Carrion, Jr.]]<br /> |-<br /> |[[WMD Policy Czar]]||[[Gary Samore]]<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Presidential Actions==<br /> Presidential Actions (Executive Orders, Presidential Memoranda and Proclamations) are listed on the White House website, on the [http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/PresidentialActions/ Presidential Actions] page.<br /> <br /> *[[Executive order|Executive Orders]] are listed [[Obama Administration/Executive Orders|here]].<br /> *Presidential Memoranda are listed [[Obama Administration/Presidential Memoranda|here]].<br /> *Proclamations are listed [[Obama Administration/Proclamations|here]].<br /> <br /> ==112th Congress (2011 - 2013)==<br /> After the drubbing the president's party took in the [[2010 Midterm elections]] and ouster of [[Nancy Pelosi]] as [[Speaker of the House]], Obama solicited former President [[Bill Clinton]] for advice on dealing with the new [[Republican]] majority. President Clinton endorsed extending the "tax cuts for the rich" of former President [[George W. Bush]], which lowered rates for everyone below the level of President Clinton's tax hikes. Obama followed Clinton's counsel and signed on to extending the Republican across the board tax reductions including a 2% "payroll tax holiday", or reduction in the amount of Social Security withholding taxes from workers paychecks.<br /> <br /> Longtime Chicago friend and operative [[Rahm Emanuel]] resigned under a cloud of suspicion surrounding the [[jobsgate]] scandal, and was replaced by [[William Daley]]. Many other "Clinton retreads", as the press dubbed them, were also brought back into government. One crtic observed, "Mr. Obama failed to notice that President Bill Clinton saw his strongest period of [[economic growth]] only after his [[Clinton health care plan|health-care takeover]] and [[stimulus bill]]s were defeated, welfare rolls were pared, the capital gains tax was cut, and the budget was balanced."<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703983104576262763594126624.html?mod=djemBestOfTheWeb_h</ref><br /> <br /> == Overweight Obama administration officials ==<br /> <br /> ''See also:'' [[Overweight Obama administration officials]]<br /> <br /> [[Image:LarrySummers.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Larry Summers]] served as Director of the [[White House]]'s [[National Economic Council]] (NEC)]]<br /> Below is a list of present and past [[Obama administration]] officials who have had problems with being overweight: <br /> <br /> 1. Regina M. Benjamin - U.S. Surgeon General<ref>http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/06/06/food_guide_efforts_are_a_waste/</ref> <br /> <br /> 2. Katherine Archuleta - Political director<ref>http://newsone.com/nation/newsonestaff4/katherine-archuleta-obama-2012-campaign-director/</ref><br /> <br /> 3. [[Larry Summers]] - former Director of the [[White House]]'s [[National Economic Council]] (NEC)<br /> <br /> === Michelle Obama's Healthy Eating Initiative ===<br /> <br /> [[Michelle Obama]] made the liberal media news cycle by promoting healthy eating from the White House garden. The food network filmed “Iron Chef America" showcasing Michelle's healthy food, cooking five dishes using the secret ingredient: produce from the [[White House]] garden. The two-hour special showed the chefs picking sweet potatoes, broccoli, fennel and tomatillos from the White House garden. An issue came to light that the foods were actually prepared in [[New York City]], speculating that the entire show was just staged to look like produce from her garden. <ref>[http://michellemalkin.com/2010/01/14/everythings-staged-michelle-obamas-garden-food-was-fake/ Everything’s staged: Michelle Obama’s garden food was fake, Michelle Malkin, January 14, 2010]</ref> Also, her campaign against obesity has not stopped her and Barack from [http://conservapedia.com/Liberal_hypocrisy#The_Obamas_and_obesity taking their children out for ice cream while on vacation].<br /> <br /> In Michelle Obama's first interview on the [[Fox News]] network, she would tout her responsible-eating initiative for kids. She would highlight the Obama Administration's $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative and her "Let's Move" campaign, which educates the danger of obese children and healthy eating. <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61I5E820100219 U.S. launches program to end "food deserts", February 19, 2010]</ref> She would tie the promises of the program to saying it would create 5000 jobs and pointed out that childhood obesity is a threat to national security. She urges children and parents to just skip "food desserts".<br /> <br /> She would promote healthy eating initiatives for schools. Barack sought and passed legislation costing more than $4 billion. It is a horrible example of nanny state politics with draconian requirements on what can or cannot be sold at school bake sales and at the school cafeteria.<br /> <br /> === Michelle Obama greeted an overweight U.S. Surgeon General for the MyPlate initiative ===<br /> In June of 2011, [[Michelle Obama]] greeted an overweight U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin as they introduced the MyPlate initiative.<ref>http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/06/06/food_guide_efforts_are_a_waste/</ref><br /> <br /> === Barack and Michelle Obama and a burger joint ===<br /> <br /> In August of 2011, [[Barack Obama]] and his staff ate a high calorie meal at a burger joint. Obama said concerning his wife, "Michelle eats here all the time".<ref>http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obama-celebrates-debt-deal-with-1700-calorie-staff-lunch-at-burger-joint/</ref><br /> <br /> ==See also ==<br /> *[[Overweight Obama administration officials]]<br /> *[[Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay: Blow The Nomination]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[Muslim agenda of the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Barack Obama's unlawful acts]]<br /> *[[Raymond Davis Affair]]<br /> <br /> Satire:<br /> <br /> *[[Essay: Obamanomics - Voodoo pedophile influenced economics|Obamanomics - Voodoo pedophile influenced economics]] - [[satire]]<br /> *[[Essay: Obama's multi-disciplinary economic thinking|Obama's multi-disciplinary economic thinking]] - satire<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> *[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/obama-unveils-national-security-team/ Obama Unveils His National Security Team], Fox News, December 1, 2008<br /> *[http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/us-imf-idUSTRE75G2VD20110617 IMF cuts U.S. growth forecast, warns of crisis.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|2}}<br /> [[Category: Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> [[Category:Obama Administration]]<br /> [[Category:United States Government]]<br /> [[Category:Liberalism]]<br /> [[Category:Corruption]]<br /> [[Category:Obama Presidency]]<br /> [[Category:Afghanistan War]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_Defense&diff=1029821 United States Secretary of Defense 2013-01-17T01:05:33Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>The '''United States Secretary of Defense''' is the head of the [[Department of Defense]]. The current Secretary of Defense is [[Leon Panetta]], who was nominated by [[President of the United States of America|President]] [[Barack H. Obama]] on November 8, 2006 and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate Armed Services Committee on December 5, 2006.<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> The Secretary of Defense position was created in 1947 by President [[Harry S Truman]] along with the creation of the National Military Establishment (which became the DoD in 1949), which replaced the Secretary and [[Department of War]]. [[James Forrestal]] was appointed as the first Secretary of Defense.<br /> <br /> ==Duties==<br /> The Secretary of Defense is the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DoD, and for the execution of approved policy. Under the direction of the President, the Secretary exercises authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense.<ref>[http://www.defenselink.mil/odam/omp/pubs/GuideBook/DoD.htm DoD Organizational Structure]</ref><br /> <br /> ==Secretaries==<br /> {|class=wikitable<br /> !colspan=3|Secretaries of Defense<br /> |-<br /> |[[Donald Rumsfeld]]||January 20, 2001|||December 18, 2006<br /> |-<br /> |[[Robert Gates]]||December 18, 2006|||Incumbent<br /> |-<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> [[category:United States Department of Defense]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Chuck_Hagel&diff=1029820 Chuck Hagel 2013-01-17T01:04:34Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Officeholder<br /> |name=Chuck Hagel<br /> |image=Ghdur76.jpg<br /> |party=[[Republican]]<br /> |spouse=Lilibet Hagel<br /> |religion=Episcopalian<br /> |offices=<br /> {{Officeholder/senator<br /> |state=Nebraska<br /> |terms=January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2009<br /> |preceded=[[J. James Exon]]<br /> |former=n<br /> |succeeded=[[Mike Johanns]]<br /> }}<br /> }}<br /> '''Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel''', born October 4, 1946 (age {{age|1946|10|4}}), was nominated in January 2013 by [[Barack Hussein Obama]] to be [[Secretary of Defense]], most likely because of Hagel's agreement with Muslim views about the Middle East. (See [[Obama's Religion]]) Earlier Hagel was the senior [[United States Senator]] from [[Nebraska]]. A member of the [[Republican Party]], he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002. In September 2007, Hagel announced he would retire at the end of his term in early 2009 and said he would not seek a rumored bid for the [[White House]].<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/08/politics/main3244230.shtml CBS News, September 8, 2007, "Sources: Hagel Won't Seek Re-Election"]</ref><ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/us/politics/08cnd-hagel.html New York Times, September 8, 2007, "Hagel to Retire at End of Term, Aides Say"]</reF><br /> <br /> Hagel is a [[Vietnam War]] veteran, having served in the U.S. Army infantry, attaining the rank of Sergeant (E-5) from 1967-1968. Hagel served along with his brother Tom Hagel as an infantry squad leader with the [[U.S. Army]]'s 9th Infantry Division. While serving in [[Vietnam]], he received the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After returning from Vietnam, Hagel worked as a bartender and radio newscaster while finishing college. Hagel is a current nominee for the office of [[Secretary of Defense]] of the United States.<br /> <br /> ==Political views==<br /> Chuck Hagel is known for being a [[liberal]] [[Republican]]. In December 2005, Hagel made a much-publicized statement: "I took an oath of office to the Constitution, I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president." According to a SurveyUSA poll, Hagel has a 10% higher approval rating among Nebraska Democrats than Republicans. Together with [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] Joseph Biden and Carl Levin he proposed a non-binding resolution to the Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which rejected President Bush's policy as "not in the national interest" in a 12-9 vote. On domestic issues Hagel is known to have a more [[conservative]] record. He votes pro-life, supports [[2nd amendment]] rights and has a "Taxpayer's Friend" voting record. On [[Illegal Immigration]] he is more [[liberal]] and supports an amnesty guest worker program and even voted to allow illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. He is also more liberal on national security issues, which gave him the media's stamp of approval because he would always vocally attack his party and his president. Another issue he is liberal on is his advocacy of earmarks. Hagel currently operates ties with the [[Bilderberg]] group.<br /> <br /> Hagel voted with 78 other Democrats and Republicans to authorize the Iraq war, but later changed his mind called the Iraq another Vietnam, voted for withdrawal, voted to defund the war.<br /> <br /> ==Possible 2008 presidential candidacy== <br /> Hagel had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2008 presidential election. Hagel has talked about entering the possibility of an independent run with New York City Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. "It's a great country to think about -- a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation," Hagel said on CBS's Face the Nation.<br /> <br /> ==Electoral History== <br /> '''2002 Nebraska United States Senatorial Election'''<br /> *Chuck Hagel (R) (inc.),83%<br /> *Charlie A. Matulka (D), 15%<br /> <br /> '''1996 Nebraska United States Senatorial Election'''<br /> *Chuck Hagel (R), 56%<br /> *Ben Nelson (D), 42%<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <sup><references/></sup><br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://hagel.senate.gov/ Official Senate website],<br /> *[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/h001028/ Voting record]<br /> *[http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Chuck_Hagel.htm Hagel On the Issues]<br /> {{DEFAULTSORT: Hagel, Charles Timothy}}<br /> [[Category:Republican Party]]<br /> [[Category:Former United States Senators]]<br /> [[Category: 110th United States Congress]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Bilderberg_group&diff=1029819 Bilderberg group 2013-01-17T01:02:58Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>The '''Bilderberg group''' is an international organization made up of [[political]], [[financial]], [[academic]] and [[military]] heavyweights that comes together annually to discuss world affairs. The name was chosen from the Dutch hotel where it held its first meeting in 1954. <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20010.html Bilderbergers excite conspiracists] Politico, March 15, 2009</ref> From the outside, conspiracists believe Bilderberg members are a '''"shadowy, elitist cabal intent on installing a one-world government that subverts the will of the [[American]] people."''' The group meets once a year by annual invitation-only conference and includes 150 [[North America]] and [[Western Europe]] influential figures. No other events are held and no policy statements are issued. Bilderberg meetings are closed to the press, participants are asked not to publicly discuss the proceedings and the attendee list is only occasionally released. <br /> <br /> === Obama administration ===<br /> The following people have ties to Bilderberg:<br /> <br /> * [[Paul Volcker]]<br /> * [[Larry Summers]] <br /> * [[Timothy Geithner]]<br /> * [[Kathleen Sebelius]]<br /> * [[Hillary Clinton]]<br /> * [[Ben Bernanke]] <ref>[http://www.infowars.com/bilderberg-ben-and-the-globalist-agenda/ Bilderberg Ben and the Globalist Agenda, InfoWars, June 8, 2008]</ref><br /> * [[Chuck Hagel]]<br /> <br /> Representative [[Ron Paul]] fears the group’s influence. "And my biggest concern is what they preach: [[Keynesian economics]] and interventionism and world planning," and "They do believe in a powerful centralized government."<br /> <br /> === External Links ===<br /> * [http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-picks-bilderberger-for-health-secretary.html Prison Planet.com]<br /> * Thousands of Bilderberg videos can be found at YouTube<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> [[Category:International Political Organizations]]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=United_Nations&diff=1029818 United Nations 2013-01-17T00:59:48Z

<p>MarkJamesW: /* Criticism */</p> <hr /> <div>{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"<br /> |-<br /> | colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: large;" | '''United Nations<br /> <small>الأمم المتحدة<br> 联合国<br> Organisation des Nations unies<br> Организация Объединённых Наций<br> Organización de las Naciones Unidas</small>'''<br /> |-<br /> | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Image:UN1.jpg|center|200px]]<br><br /> |- <br /> ! Headquarters<br /> | International Territory, within New York City, New York.<ref> There are some caveats; It is administered by the United Nations, and Subject only to International Law, but is still part of the United States.</ref><br /> |- <br /> ! Official Languages<br /> | [[Arabic]] [[Chinese]] [[English]] [[French]] [[Russian]] [[Spanish]]<br /> |- <br /> ! Membership<br /> | 193 Member countries, as of Jan. 2012<br /> |- <br /> ! Leaders<br /> |<br /> *Secretary General = Ban Ki-Moon<br /> *General Assembly President = Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser<br /> *Security Council President = Baso Sangqu<br /> |-<br /> | colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" | <br /> <br /> United Nations Charter signed 26 June 1945 <br /> <br /> Entry into force of Charter 24 October 1945 <br /> |}<br /> <br /> <br /> The '''United Nations''' is a [[globalism|globalist]] organization of countries all over the world, originally created to facilitate cooperation in [[international law]], international security, economic development, and [[human rights]]. It was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 51 countries, replacing the League of Nations, founded in 1919. The UN currently has 192 members, including almost all the countries in the world. Non-members include [[Taiwan]] and [[Vatican City]]. Switzerland finally joined in 2002.<ref> [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/GA10041.doc.htm]</ref> The United Nations typically supports [[liberal]], [[environmental]] and even [[socialist]] ideals.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kincaid|first=Cliff|url=http://www.aim.org/aim-report/the-plan-for-socialist-world-government|title=The Plan For Socialist World Government|accessdate=2010-02-06|publisher=Accuracy in Media}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations|title=United Nations|accessdate=2010-02-06|work=Wikipedia|publisher=Wikimedia Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middletownca.com/LIBERAL-EQUALS-SOCIALIST.htm|title=Liberal equals socialist equals communitarian equals fabian society equals Agenda 21|accessdate=2010-02-06|publisher=middletownca.com}}</ref><br /> <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> The term "United Nations" was widely used during [[World War II]] to denote the allied powers making war against Germany and Japan, but the actual UN was created in 1945. It was designed by the U.S. State Department. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] envisaged "four policemen", Britain, United States, Soviet Union, and [[Republic of China]] to be the major forces on what later became the UN Security Council to enforce the peace worldwide. This was deemed a modern approach to replace the old [[spheres of influence]] as they were called during the age of Imperialism. <br /> <br /> US Secretary of State Cordell Hull said at the time while selling the idea to Congress, "there will no longer be need for spheres of influence, for alliances, for balance of power, or any other of the separate alliances through which in the unhappy past the nations strove to safeguard their security or promote their interest." <br /> <br /> American enthusiasm for the UN soured after the [[Soviet Union]] vetoed most resolutions of the Security Council. However the Soviets boycotted the UN in 1950, allowing the UN to officially sponsor the [[Korean War]]. In practice, the U.S. made all the decisions for the UN regarding that war. When the Soviets returned in 1951, soo too did stalemate, and the UN played a minor role in the [[Cold War]].<br /> <br /> The western military alliance of [[NATO]] began in 1949 and played a much greater role in US foreign policy commitments and decisions during the [[Cold War]] than the UN ever did. The one exception was the [[Korean War]], which was fought under UN auspices since the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN in 1950.<br /> <br /> ==Organization==<br /> [[Image:Int Atomic Ag.jpg|thumb|Flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency]]<br /> The main deliberative organ is the '''General Assembly''' which usually meets annually in September with representation by all member states. The General Assembly votes on the annual budget of the United Nations, elects members to other UN organs and committees, and makes non-binding recommendations to member states through resolutions.<br /> <br /> The '''[[Security Council]]''' handles matters relating to international peace and stability. It consists of five permanent members (USA, UK, France, Russia and PR China), and ten temporary members, which are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The Security Council decides by vote. On substantive issues, nine members must support the proposal, including all five permanent members, giving each permanent member an effective veto power. The chair of the Security Council rotates each month among its members, in alphabetic order.<br /> ===International Court of Justice===<br /> The '''International Court of Justice''', based in [[The Hague]], was founded to settle conflicts and disputes over questions arising from the [[international law|interpretation of treaties]] among member states. It only may entertain <ref> International Court of Justice, [http://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1&p2=6 How the Court works], retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref> cases where all parties to the case in question have agreed to recognize the jurisdiction of the Court. The Court also advices other organs and agencies of the United Nations on questions of the interpretation of treaties.<br /> ===Other Sections===<br /> The '''United Nations Economic and Social Council''' is a deliberative and advisory organ dedicated to promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. It cooperates with the [[International Monetary Fund]], the World Bank Group and similar international agencies.<br /> <br /> The '''United Nations Secretariat''' is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the UN system. The head of the Secretariat is the [[Secretary-General]], who is nominated by the Security Council and appointed by the [[General Assembly]] for renewable five-year terms. The current Secretary-General is [[Ban Ki-moon]], the former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. It is customary to let the position rotate among the different world regions.<br /> <br /> ==Criticism==<br /> The U.N. has at various times in its history been accused of inefficiency and waste, which some critics have attributed to its cumbersome and excessive bureaucracy. Probably the most controversial issue with the United Nations is the Oil-for-Food scandal.<br /> <br /> As a meeting place for many different nations, the UN can only act as a mechanism for international consensus. The UN has been unable to act in a clear and decisive way when confronted crises in which this consensus is not present. Recent examples include the [[Iran]]ian nuclear program and the genocides in Darfur, Sudan and Rwanda. Because each of the five permanent members of the Security Council have a veto, and because they often disagree, many times no action can be agreed upon. Typically but not always this division includes the [[United States]] on one side with either [[China]], [[Russia]] or both on the other. Other times the Security Council has been able to agree but lacks the will or means to enforce its resolutions. A recent example is the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Crisis, where no action has been taken to enforce the provisions of Resolution 1559 and Resolution 1701 to disarm terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. There usually are no consequences for violating a Security Council resolution.<br /> <br /> [[Alex Jones]], a [[paleoconservative]] believes that the United Nations is plotting to take over the world along with the [[Bilderberg]] organization. Some believe the United Nations will be the one world government mentioned in [[Revelation]].<br /> <br /> Inclusion on the old United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) of nations such as Sudan and Libya, whose leaderships have dubious records on human rights, and Libya's chairmanship of this Commission, has been a highly controversial issue.<br /> [[Image:un_building.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The UN headquarters, on the east side of Manhattan, opened its doors on January 10th, 1951.]]<br /> <br /> The U.N. has been accused of hypocritical conduct and double standards. The U.N. condemns Israel for its conduct toward the Palestinians, yet it refuses to condemn China for its conduct toward the Tibetans. <ref>[http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=C0058CAB-F932-4EB8-B2C1-2C8CABB01F53 The U.N.'s Hypocrisy in Tibet], [[Joseph Klein]], ''[[Front Page Magazine]]'', March 28, 2008</ref><br /> <br /> The United Nations has on many occasions ignored the plight of people across the world, especially in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Current examples include the UN's inaction toward the Sudanese government in Darfur, the Chinese government's ethnic cleansing in Tibet, and the Israel-Arab conflict. <ref> IBD Editorial, [http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=291423057524689 U.N. Fiddles As China Torches Tibet], retrieved 30 March 2008.</ref> <br /> <br /> During the Rwandan genocide the UN did not authorize UNAMIR to intervene or use force to prevent or halt the killing.<br /> <br /> ===Promoting Abortion===<br /> The Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) pushes countries to promote [[abortion]].<br /> <ref>[http://www.lifenews.com/int620.html United Nations Committee Pushes Countries to Promote Abortion in CEDAW Mtg], [[Samantha Singson]], ''[[Life News]]'', February 15, 2008</ref><br /> <br /> ===Arab-Israel dispute===<br /> [[File:Bnai-brith.jpg|thumb|300px|''B'nai B'rith'' magazine gives a Jewish view of the UN, [http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=25994 winter 2009 online]]] A General Assembly resolution led to the partition of Palestine in 1947, but the UN was useless in preventing armed Arab aggression against the new State of Israel in 1948. Increasingly the General Assembly became a forum for Arab attacks on [[Israel]].<br /> <br /> The UN has taken a one-sided approach to issues relating to the [[Israel]]-Arab conflict. Israel has consistently been singled out by the UN for uniquely critical treatment. In 1975 the General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that "Zionism is racism" <ref>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/a06f2943c226015c85256c40005d359c/761c1063530766a7052566a2005b74d1!OpenDocument 16/12/1991, A/RES/46/86, Elimination of racism and racial discrimination/Zionism]</ref>, and UN-sponsored meetings supposedly opposing [[racism]] have criticized Israel (which grants equal political and religious rights to Arabs) while suppressing all criticism of those Arab countries (where non-Muslims are second-class citizens and [[anti-Semitism]] enjoys state support). <br /> <br /> Unlike other refugee groups, the Palestinian Arabs have their own agency within the United Nations, and are beneficiaries of special events such as an "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People."<ref>[http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/palestinian/ UN Web Site for International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, retried June 29, 2007]</ref> Israel was excluded from membership in any of the UN's regional groups until 2000. In effect, this meant Israel was forbidden from serving on UN bodies such as the Security Council. Israel's recent permission to participate more fully within the UN as a member of the Western European and Others regional group is temporary and subject to renewal. Israel is allowed to participate only in the New York operations of the UN and is excluded from the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna which handle such issues as human rights and arms control. Censure of Israel has apparently been instituted as a routine agenda item for various UN bodies such as the Human Rights Council. The 1975 Resolution 3379 qualified Zionism as a form of racism (later revoked with Resolution 4686).<br /> <br /> ===Defending Islam===<br /> The United Nations Secretary General [[Ban Ki-moon]] condemned [[Geert Wilders]]'s controversial film "[[Fitna]]", while stating "freedom of expression is not at stake here." <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2844232220080328?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true U.N.'s Ban condemns Dutch film as anti-Islamic], ''[[Reuters]]'', March 28, 2008.</ref> <br /> <br /> The U.N.'s Human Rights Council passed a resolution that directs the body’s expert on free speech to report on “individuals and news media for negative comments on Islam.” <ref>[http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=F00A83C1-8D4A-4A7B-9545-9A63091D8294 The United Nations: Islam’s Gestapo], [[Stephen Brown]], ''[[Front Page Magazine]]'', April 11, 2008</ref> This suppression of free speech at an organization purporting to fairly represent the world's nations in a common forum is one of numerous actions in the past decade that has undermined U.N. [[credibility]].<br /> <br /> ===Contemporary US Criticism===<br /> Some American critics view the UN as an agent for eroding the [[Sovereignty]] of the [[United States]] and instead promoting forms of [[One-world government|world government]]. Some claim that President [[Bill Clinton]] rejected and ignored the position of the United Nations when he ordered U.S. military "police actions" in foreign countries. President [[George W. Bush]] also rejected the inaction of the UN when he authorized military action against the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] in [[Iraq]] for ignoring various UN resolutions. Some commentators now feel that it has since devolved into a radical debating society which has ironically blocked most of the goals for which it has been formed. <ref>[http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20030501faessay11217/michael-j-glennon/why-the-security-council-failed.html Why the Security Council Failed], Michael J. Glennon, ''Foreign Affairs'', May/June 2003.</ref><br /> <br /> == U.N. Commissions==<br /> One of the major reasons the United Nations is considered by some to be useless is the Security Council. Along with other countries elected for a term of years, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France all have a permanent seat, along with the power to veto any decision made by the Security Council. When combined with the Security Council's role as voting on most major issues, including military intervention, and the tendency for most resolutions introduced to be vetoed by one or more nations, the Security Council and by extension the United Nations has become ineffective. The U.N. at times places member states in commissions or positions of importance which many believe they don't deserve. The following is a sample of some of those nations and the positions of importance they have been placed in (this list does not include members that are on those commissions and deserve their place).<br /> <br /> The following programs expose the U.N.'s incompetence by placing unworthy member states in positions of importance; <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/03/04/hypocrisy-display/ U.N. Hypocrisy On Full Display, Fox News, March 4, 2011]</ref><br /> <br /> ===U.N. Human Rights Council===<br /> Mission: "…responsible for promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all….”<br><br /> Members: Saudi Arabia, China, Vice-Presidents: Cuba, Angola. Libya was kicked off in February.<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Commission on the Status of Women===<br /> Mission: “…set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide."<br><br /> Members: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice===<br /> Mission: “…set…out global strategy to prevent crime and promote stable criminal justice systems...and improving the efficiency and fairness of criminal justice administration systems."<br><br /> Members: Libya, Russia, Sudan, Iran, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Women===<br /> Mission: “…support, address and contribute to gender equality and the empowerment and the advancement of women…”<br><br /> Members: Executive Board: Libya, Saudi Arabia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, China<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Economic and Social Council===<br /> Mission: “…responsible for: promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress…encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms…"<br><br /> Members: Saudi Arabia<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development===<br /> Mission: "...to promote dialogue and build partnerships for sustainable development with major groups include[ing] women, youth, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, local authorities, workers and trade unions, business and industry, the scientific community, and farmers…"<br><br /> Members: Angola, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Commission on Social Development===<br /> Mission: “….promoting full employment and decent work for all...Improving public sector effectiveness....National and international cooperation for social development..."<br><br /> Members: Cuba, Egypt, Zimbabwe<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations===<br /> Mission: “…The consideration of applications for consultative status [with the UN]…submitted by NGOs…”<br><br /> Members: Sudan, Cuba, Pakistan, China<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)===<br /> Mission: “…promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all…security of tenure and equal access to economic resources for all, with a specific focus on gender equality.”<br><br /> Members: Governing Council: Iran<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Committee on Information===<br /> Mission: “To promote the establishment of a new, more just and more effective world information and communication order…based on the free circulation and wider and better-balanced dissemination of information…”<br><br /> Members: China, Libya, Kazakhstan, Iran<br /> <br /> ===U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF)===<br /> Mission: “….advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential…”<br><br /> Members: Executive Board: Sudan, China<br /> <br /> ===U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees===<br /> Mission: “…safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.”<br><br /> Members: Executive Committee: Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan<br /> <br /> ===U.N. World Food Programme===<br /> Mission: “advocate policies, strategies and operations that directly benefit the poor and hungry."<br><br /> Members: Executive Board: Sudan<br /> <br /> ==UN Peacekeepers Child Sexual Abuse==<br /> The United Nations since its founding has been enmeshed in various scandals.<br /> <br /> In July 1997 the UN announced an investigation into [[United Nations Peacekeeping Force]]s in [[Cote d'Ivoire]] on charges of widespread sexual abuse with a large number of underage girls. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/21/un.ivory.coast.reut/ U.N. suspends peacekeepers amid sex abuse charges], CNN, July 21, 2007.</ref> More than 300 members of UN peacekeeping missions around the world have been investigated for sexual exploitation and abuse since 2004, including some stationed in [[Congo]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Haiti]]. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6909664.stm UN probes 'abuse' in Ivory Coast], BBC, July 23, 2007.</ref><br /> <br /> === Incidents ===<br /> *1998 - Bosnia <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=YVWZRGS4V2AGJQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2002/04/25/wbos25.xml Teenagers 'used for sex by UN in Bosnia'], By Stewart Payne, London Telegraph, 25/04/2002.</ref><br /> *2003 - Nepalese troops accused of sexual abuse while serving in DR Congo. Six are later jailed<br /> *2004 - Two UN peacekeepers repatriated after being accused of abuse in Burundi<br /> *2005 - UN troops accused of rape and sexual abuse in Sudan <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/03/wsudan03.xml UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan], By Kate Holt in Juba and Sarah Hughes, London Telegraph, 04/01/2007.</ref><br /> *2006 - UN personnel accused of rape and exploitation on missions is Haiti and Liberia<br /> *2007 - UN launches probe into sexual abuse claims in Ivory Coast<br /> <br /> ==Notable roles of U.S. Ambassadors to the U.N.==<br /> * 1981-1985, Jeane Kirkpatrick - Denunciated the Soviet Union for the Sept. 1, 1983 shootdown of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] in international airspace just west of [[Sakhalin]] Island. <br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> * Pubantz, Jerry, ed. ''Encyclopedia of the United Nations'' (2nd ed. 2008), useful basic guide to all activities<br /> * Weiss, Thomas G., and Sam Daws, eds. ''The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations'' (2009), 848pp; articles by scholars [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Handbook-United-Nations-Handbooks/dp/0199560102/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Weiss, Thomas G. ''The United Nations and Changing World Politics'' (6th ed. 2009), 504pp; solid college textbook [http://www.amazon.com/United-Nations-Changing-World-Politics/dp/0813344352/ref=pd_sim_b_3cerpt and text search]<br /> ==External links==<br /> <br /> *[http://www.nysun.com/article/56061 UNDP Officials Said To Hamper Probe Into Counterfeit Cash], By Benny Avni, ''The New York Sun'', June 7, 2007.<br /> *[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00972:@@@D&summ2=m& H.R. 972 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005] - Title I: Combatting International Trafficking in Persons - (Sec. 101); Directs the U.S. Secretary of State, prior to voting for a peacekeeping mission, to notify the appropriate Congressional committees respecting measures taken to prevent Peacekeeping personnel from involvement in human trafficking or sexual exploitation.<br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/United Nations|Articles about the '''United Nations''' from previous "In the news" ]]<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> *[http://www.un.org/ United Nations] - Official site<br /> *[http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=1813833 All about the United Nations Budget] June 2006<br /> *[http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/May/theuae_May569.xml&section=theuae&col UN General Assembly President Shaikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa calls for Islamic texts re-interpretation,]Khaleej Times Online, 19 May 2007.<br /> *[http://www.rescue007.org/ International Committee for the Rescue of KAL 007 Survivors]<br /> <br /> ===Sites critical of the U.N.===<br /> *[http://www.unwatch.org UN Watch]<br /> *[http://www.unisevil.com/temp213.htm UN is Evil]<br /> *[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/united-nations/ What Liberals Say - Category: United Nations], [[Accuracy In Media]]<br /> <br /> [[category:United Nations]]<br /> [[Category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]<br /> [[category:diplomacy]]<br /> [[category:Cold War]]<br /> [[category:Human Rights]]<br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> *[[Jeane Kirkpatrick]]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/></div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Public_schools_in_the_United_States&diff=1029816 Public schools in the United States 2013-01-17T00:48:57Z

<p>MarkJamesW: /* Liberal bias in textbooks */</p> <hr /> <div>[[File:800px-Warning signs at CHS.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Because of violence, vandalism, and other undesirable elements, this public school has a glaring sign warning of the on-campus surveillance cameras at its parking lot entrance.]]<br /> '''[[Public schools]] in the [[United States]]''' have become predominantly [[liberal]] and [[atheistic]]<ref>[http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_exodus_from_public_schools_gets_helping_hand.htm Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand], Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998</ref><ref>For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61806]</ref><ref>From 2004 to 2006, a [[public school]] banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref><ref>[[Atheists]] routinely impose their views on [[public schools]], though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in [[Illinois]] "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moment_of_silence_bothmay30,0,7722271.story]</ref> <br /> government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend $411.5 billion annually at a cost of $10,770 per student.<ref>[http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=15&cSectionID=97 Statistics about education]</ref> [[Liberals]] censor [[classroom prayer]], the [[Ten Commandments]], sharing of [[faith]] in classrooms during school hours, and teaching [[Bible]]-based [[morality]].<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> Mandatory [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual indoctrination]] is common as early as elementary school in more [[liberal]] states.<ref>http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html</ref> The failures of underperforming public schools are paradigm of [[socialism]], along with [[landfills]] and the [[Canada|Canadian]] healthcare system.<br /> <br /> The following are characteristics of US public schools:<br /> <br /> *30% of public school students fail to graduate from [[high school]],<ref name="graduate">"Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm]</ref> and more than 40% of minorities fail to graduate;<ref>"Only 71 percent of kids graduate from high school within four years, and for minorities the numbers are even worse -- 58 percent for Hispanics and 55 percent for African Americans," [Bill Gates] wrote. "If the decline in childhood deaths [in developing countries] is one of the most positive statistics ever, these are some of the most negative."[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901353.html?wpisrc=newsletter]</ref> the real drop-out rate may be 50%.<ref>http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47272207.html</ref><br /> *Nearly 70% of students leave high school unqualified to attend four-year college, and many are unable to hold a steady job.<ref name="graduate"/><br /> *A 2007 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 77% of students between eighth and 12th grade had used illicit drugs.<ref>According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20081207/NEWS08/812070305/1002]</ref> Fatal overdoses are common but underreported.<ref>Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DB123EF932A25750C0A9629C8B63 Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old [[public school]] student was an exception to the underreporting].</ref> Public schools are required to present [[Drug education|drug "education"]] to kids.<br /> *More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)</ref><br /> *About half of the viable pregnancies among girls attending public school end in [[abortion|abortions]] and about half end in birth. Public schools "[[Sex education|educate]]" kids about sex.<ref>"There is zero shame [to [[teenage pregnancy]]]," the school nurse observed.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121203507.html]</ref><br /> *"About 160,000 students miss school daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]].<ref>One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref> <br /> *20% of students had been dangerously "[[binge drinking]]" in the previous 30 days, and 50% of seniors regularly drink illegally, according to a 2007 study of Ottawa County, Michigan.<ref>The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press: Ottawa County confronts teen drinking, By Greg Chandler, December 04, 2008[http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_county_confronts_teen_d.html]</ref><ref name="Oregon">http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html</ref><br /> *10-20% of students become [[Addiction|addicted]] to [[cigarettes]]<ref name="Oregon"/><ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/</ref><br /> *35% of students are overweight<ref name="health">http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/29/students-health-needs-attention/</ref><br /> *Health screening of public schools in Memphis, Tennessee, found that nearly 10% of students have mental health problems<ref name="health"/>.<br /> *More than 10% of public high schools have a [[Homosexual Agenda|pro-homosexual]] student club<br /> *The majority of public school students are completely ignorant about the [[Bible]], even as [[Bible history|history]] and literature<br /> *California public schools, largest in the nation, now rank at the bottom in academic achievement.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/us/us_california_broken_schools/2009/06/21/227552.html High-Spending California School System Collapsing] AP, June 21, 2009</ref><br /> ''See Also: [[Public school culture]]''<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> <br /> In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and the first American [[kindergarten]] didn't exist until 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> ==Views on morals==<br /> <br /> ===So-called "character education"===<br /> <br /> In response to the perception that public schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_199910/ai_n8866284]</ref> The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."<ref>http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story</ref> The impact of the removal of morality from the [[public school]] curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."<ref>http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html</ref> Liberal politicians are the most frequent opponents of initiatives designed to build moral fiber in the public school system, with organizations like the [[ACLU]] and teacher's unions devoting a significant amount of their resources towards this end. In 2010, a school board in [[North Dakota]] decided to change the name of their mascot from the "Satans." Liberals unrolled a large-scale media campaign that blanketed the district with pro-Satan propaganda in an attempt to keep the name, but they were unsuccessful. <ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-perspec-0311-things-20120311_1_devil-man-great-deceiver-native-americans</ref><br /> <br /> === Prayer ===<br /> <br /> :''See also: [[Classroom prayer]]''<br /> <br /> The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] stated, "Nothing in the [[First Amendment]] converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1998<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref> <br /> <br /> In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref> <br /> <blockquote><br /> Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The guidance reflects the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed.<br /><br /> The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.<br /> The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the Clinton administration and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.<br /> </blockquote><br /> <br /> ===Teaching the Bible in Public Schools ===<br /> The [[National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools]]<ref>http://www.bibleinschools.net/</ref> (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.<br /> <br /> ==Suppression and intolerance of Christian views==<br /> [[Activist judges]] have proclaimed that teaching [[creationism]]<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/482/578/case.html</ref> and [[intelligent design]]<ref>www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf</ref> in public schools is unconstitutional because they claim that such teachings would amount to a government establishment of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.<ref>''See'' ''Kitzmiller'', 400 F.Supp.2d at 765</ref><br /> <br /> ==Educational outcomes==<br /> <br /> ===Declining literacy ===<br /> Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after [[World War II]], students' [[literacy]] levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.<ref>''Utne Reader'' (July-August 2000), 28-9.</ref><br /> <br /> ===Liberal bias in textbooks===<br /> :''See also: [[Textbook bias]]''<br /> <br /> [[Textbook]]s (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic [[liberal bias]] exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life&mdash;[[marriage]], [[religion]], [[politics]], and [[business]]. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread [[secular]] and [[liberal]] mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]"<ref> ''Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks'', [[Paul C. Vitz]], Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X</ref>.<br /> <br /> Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]". <ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref><br /> <br /> Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[Creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.<br /> <br /> ===Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers===<br /> Due to the strength of the nation's teachers' [[Labor union|union]], it is nearly impossible to fire a bad performing teacher with [[tenure]]. The process can take years and involves countless steps to even attempt. The union claims that the protections are needed against arbitrary and malicious lawsuits.<br /> <br /> The New York public schools system has approximately 700 teachers accused of insubordination to sexual misconduct. They remain in seclusion from the classroom but are paid full salaries until their cases are heard, sometimes from months to years later. All because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_rubber_rooms/2009/06/22/227959.html 700 NYC Teachers Paid to Do Nothing] AP, June 22, 2009</ref><br /> <br /> [[File:Pathtodismissal.JPG|center|thumb|800px| Flow chart for firing teachers in the nations second largest [[school district]], Los Angeles Unified School district]]<br /> <br /> ==Graduates==<br /> === Before 1962 ===<br /> Given that public schools educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school-sponsored prayer in 1962. Here is an impressive list of people who attended public schools ''before'' the banning of school-sponsored prayer.<br /> <br /> *[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois<br /> *[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas<br /> *[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California<br /> *[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan<br /> *[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas<br /> *[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri<br /> *[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas<br /> *[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.<br /> *[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref><br /> *[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref><br /> *[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref><br /> *[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref><br /> *[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref><br /> *[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref><br /> *[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. <ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref><br /> <br /> === After 1962 ===<br /> Here is a mostly unimpressive list of people who attended public school ''after'' school-sponsored prayer was banned in 1962:<br /> <br /> *[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981; dropped out of college.<ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm<br /> </ref><br /> *[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/<br /> </ref><br /> *[[John Sununu]], former one-term Senator from [[New Hampshire]], graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's;<ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html</ref> claiming to be [[pro-life]], Sununu arranged for the nomination of [[David Souter]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], where he then repeatedly voted on the side of [[abortion]]<br /> *[[John Edwards]], indicted in 2011 on allegations arising from his affair with a mistress, was a former one-term Senator from [[North Carolina]] and two-time unsuccessful candidate for nomination for president, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref> <br /> *[[Spike Lee]], producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref><br /> *[[Laura Bush]] attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964); came out in support of [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] in 2010.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/laura-bush-supports-gay-marriage-abortion/story?id=10629213</ref><br /> *[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964, and became the only president impeached in the 20th century.<br /> *Anthony Weiner, a congressman who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after first denying but then confirming an indecent use of [[Twitter]], graduated from a public high school in [[Brooklyn]].<br /> *[[Steve Jobs]], founder of [[Apple Inc.]], graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA in 1972; his colleague, [[Steve Wozniak]], graduated from the same high school in 1968.<br /> *[[Eminem]], a [[liberal]] [[rapper]], repeatedly failed 9th grade in public school and ultimately dropped out.<br /> *[[Alan Colmes]], a liberal news commentator, attended public school in [[New York City]].<br /> *[[Sarah Palin]], vice presidential candidate on the [[Republican Party]] ticket in 2008 and favorite of some [[Tea Party]] groups, went to [[Wasilla High School]] and graduated in 1982 and then attended 5 different colleges before becoming more [[conservative]] later in life.<ref>http://outhouserag.typepad.com/outhouserag/2008/09/sarah-palin-198.html</ref><br /> *[[Rick Perry]], [[Texas]] governor, infringed on [[parental rights]] by requiring young girls to receive an HPV vaccine.<br /> *[[Kenneth D. Cockrell]], [[Texas]] Graduated from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, Texas, in 1968. A veteran of five spaceflights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,560 hours in space.<ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.htmll</ref><br /> *[[Russell Alan Hulse]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref><br /> *[[Richard Axel]], [[New York]] Graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, in 1963. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel</ref><br /> *[[Hugh David Politzer]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref><br /> *[[Christine O'Donnell]] graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987.<ref>[http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363&nclick_check=1 "Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'", ''Delaware Online'']</ref><br /> *[[Scott Walker]] graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1986.<ref>[http://walworthcountytoday.com/news/2010/sep/07/rock-county-close-home-walker/ Ames, Ann Marie, "Rock County Close to Home for Walker", ''Walworth County Today'', Sept. 7, 2010]</ref><br /> *[[Paul Ryan]], an establishment [[Republican]], graduated from Joseph A. Craig High School, Janesville, WI in 1988.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/16/politics/wis-ryan/</ref><br /> *[[Sharron Angle]] (born 1949) graduated from Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.<ref>[http://www.sharronangle.com/sharron-angle-biography "Sharron Angle, Biography"]</ref><br /> *[[Jon Huntsman]], Republican Presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah, attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before he dropped out in 1978 to pursue a career as a rock and roll keyboardist.<ref>[http://www.jon2012.com/jon]</ref><br /> *[[Michelle Bachmann]], Republican member of the House of Representatives graduated from Anoka High School, Anoka, Minnesota in 1974.<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/local/north/129276683.html?refer=y]</ref><br /> *[[Mike Huckabee]], former Republican Governor of Arkansas, graduated from Hope High School, Hope Arkansas, in 1974.<ref>[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108]</ref><br /> *[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], Prime Minister of Israel, Graduated from Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 1967. <ref>[http://cheltenhamalumni.org/BIOS/netanyahu-benjamin.htm]</ref><br /> *[[Rand Paul]], Republican Senator, Graduated from Brazoswood High School, Clute, Texas in 1981. <ref>[http://politics.laws.com/rand-paul]</ref><br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> <br /> *[[Public school culture]]<br /> *[[Teacher Pay]]<br /> *[[Atheism and public schools]]<br /> *[[Parental rights]] (focusing on the rights of parents to control the education, upbringing and disclipline of their children)<br /> *[[Education in the United Kingdom]]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|2}}<br /> <br /> [[category:Schools]]<br /> [[category:United States History]]<br /> {{Liberalism}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1610/466/Dumb_As_A_Rock:_You_Will_Be_Absolutely_Amazed_At_The_Things_That_U.S._High_School_Students_Do_Not_Know.html Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Know]<br /> *[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/03/28/9-notorious-teacher-sex-scandals/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058?test=latestnews 8 Bizarre Teacher Scandals You Won't Believe]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Public_schools_in_the_United_States&diff=1029815 Public schools in the United States 2013-01-17T00:48:36Z

<p>MarkJamesW: /* Liberal bias in textbooks */</p> <hr /> <div>[[File:800px-Warning signs at CHS.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Because of violence, vandalism, and other undesirable elements, this public school has a glaring sign warning of the on-campus surveillance cameras at its parking lot entrance.]]<br /> '''[[Public schools]] in the [[United States]]''' have become predominantly [[liberal]] and [[atheistic]]<ref>[http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_exodus_from_public_schools_gets_helping_hand.htm Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand], Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998</ref><ref>For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61806]</ref><ref>From 2004 to 2006, a [[public school]] banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref><ref>[[Atheists]] routinely impose their views on [[public schools]], though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in [[Illinois]] "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moment_of_silence_bothmay30,0,7722271.story]</ref> <br /> government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend $411.5 billion annually at a cost of $10,770 per student.<ref>[http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=15&cSectionID=97 Statistics about education]</ref> [[Liberals]] censor [[classroom prayer]], the [[Ten Commandments]], sharing of [[faith]] in classrooms during school hours, and teaching [[Bible]]-based [[morality]].<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> Mandatory [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual indoctrination]] is common as early as elementary school in more [[liberal]] states.<ref>http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html</ref> The failures of underperforming public schools are paradigm of [[socialism]], along with [[landfills]] and the [[Canada|Canadian]] healthcare system.<br /> <br /> The following are characteristics of US public schools:<br /> <br /> *30% of public school students fail to graduate from [[high school]],<ref name="graduate">"Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm]</ref> and more than 40% of minorities fail to graduate;<ref>"Only 71 percent of kids graduate from high school within four years, and for minorities the numbers are even worse -- 58 percent for Hispanics and 55 percent for African Americans," [Bill Gates] wrote. "If the decline in childhood deaths [in developing countries] is one of the most positive statistics ever, these are some of the most negative."[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901353.html?wpisrc=newsletter]</ref> the real drop-out rate may be 50%.<ref>http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47272207.html</ref><br /> *Nearly 70% of students leave high school unqualified to attend four-year college, and many are unable to hold a steady job.<ref name="graduate"/><br /> *A 2007 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 77% of students between eighth and 12th grade had used illicit drugs.<ref>According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20081207/NEWS08/812070305/1002]</ref> Fatal overdoses are common but underreported.<ref>Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DB123EF932A25750C0A9629C8B63 Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old [[public school]] student was an exception to the underreporting].</ref> Public schools are required to present [[Drug education|drug "education"]] to kids.<br /> *More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)</ref><br /> *About half of the viable pregnancies among girls attending public school end in [[abortion|abortions]] and about half end in birth. Public schools "[[Sex education|educate]]" kids about sex.<ref>"There is zero shame [to [[teenage pregnancy]]]," the school nurse observed.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121203507.html]</ref><br /> *"About 160,000 students miss school daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]].<ref>One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref> <br /> *20% of students had been dangerously "[[binge drinking]]" in the previous 30 days, and 50% of seniors regularly drink illegally, according to a 2007 study of Ottawa County, Michigan.<ref>The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press: Ottawa County confronts teen drinking, By Greg Chandler, December 04, 2008[http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_county_confronts_teen_d.html]</ref><ref name="Oregon">http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html</ref><br /> *10-20% of students become [[Addiction|addicted]] to [[cigarettes]]<ref name="Oregon"/><ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/</ref><br /> *35% of students are overweight<ref name="health">http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/29/students-health-needs-attention/</ref><br /> *Health screening of public schools in Memphis, Tennessee, found that nearly 10% of students have mental health problems<ref name="health"/>.<br /> *More than 10% of public high schools have a [[Homosexual Agenda|pro-homosexual]] student club<br /> *The majority of public school students are completely ignorant about the [[Bible]], even as [[Bible history|history]] and literature<br /> *California public schools, largest in the nation, now rank at the bottom in academic achievement.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/us/us_california_broken_schools/2009/06/21/227552.html High-Spending California School System Collapsing] AP, June 21, 2009</ref><br /> ''See Also: [[Public school culture]]''<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> <br /> In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and the first American [[kindergarten]] didn't exist until 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> ==Views on morals==<br /> <br /> ===So-called "character education"===<br /> <br /> In response to the perception that public schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_199910/ai_n8866284]</ref> The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."<ref>http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story</ref> The impact of the removal of morality from the [[public school]] curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."<ref>http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html</ref> Liberal politicians are the most frequent opponents of initiatives designed to build moral fiber in the public school system, with organizations like the [[ACLU]] and teacher's unions devoting a significant amount of their resources towards this end. In 2010, a school board in [[North Dakota]] decided to change the name of their mascot from the "Satans." Liberals unrolled a large-scale media campaign that blanketed the district with pro-Satan propaganda in an attempt to keep the name, but they were unsuccessful. <ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-perspec-0311-things-20120311_1_devil-man-great-deceiver-native-americans</ref><br /> <br /> === Prayer ===<br /> <br /> :''See also: [[Classroom prayer]]''<br /> <br /> The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] stated, "Nothing in the [[First Amendment]] converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1998<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref> <br /> <br /> In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref> <br /> <blockquote><br /> Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The guidance reflects the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed.<br /><br /> The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.<br /> The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the Clinton administration and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.<br /> </blockquote><br /> <br /> ===Teaching the Bible in Public Schools ===<br /> The [[National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools]]<ref>http://www.bibleinschools.net/</ref> (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.<br /> <br /> ==Suppression and intolerance of Christian views==<br /> [[Activist judges]] have proclaimed that teaching [[creationism]]<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/482/578/case.html</ref> and [[intelligent design]]<ref>www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf</ref> in public schools is unconstitutional because they claim that such teachings would amount to a government establishment of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.<ref>''See'' ''Kitzmiller'', 400 F.Supp.2d at 765</ref><br /> <br /> ==Educational outcomes==<br /> <br /> ===Declining literacy ===<br /> Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after [[World War II]], students' [[literacy]] levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.<ref>''Utne Reader'' (July-August 2000), 28-9.</ref><br /> <br /> ===Liberal bias in textbooks===<br /> :''See also: [[Textbook bias]]''<br /> <br /> [[Textbook]]s (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic [[liberal bias]] exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life&mdash;[[marriage]], [[religion]], [[politics]], and [[business]]. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread [[secular]] and [[liberal]] mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]"<ref> ''Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks'', [[Paul C. Vitz]], Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X</ref>.<br /> <br /> Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]". <ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref><br /> <br /> Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.<br /> <br /> ===Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers===<br /> Due to the strength of the nation's teachers' [[Labor union|union]], it is nearly impossible to fire a bad performing teacher with [[tenure]]. The process can take years and involves countless steps to even attempt. The union claims that the protections are needed against arbitrary and malicious lawsuits.<br /> <br /> The New York public schools system has approximately 700 teachers accused of insubordination to sexual misconduct. They remain in seclusion from the classroom but are paid full salaries until their cases are heard, sometimes from months to years later. All because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_rubber_rooms/2009/06/22/227959.html 700 NYC Teachers Paid to Do Nothing] AP, June 22, 2009</ref><br /> <br /> [[File:Pathtodismissal.JPG|center|thumb|800px| Flow chart for firing teachers in the nations second largest [[school district]], Los Angeles Unified School district]]<br /> <br /> ==Graduates==<br /> === Before 1962 ===<br /> Given that public schools educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school-sponsored prayer in 1962. Here is an impressive list of people who attended public schools ''before'' the banning of school-sponsored prayer.<br /> <br /> *[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois<br /> *[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas<br /> *[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California<br /> *[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan<br /> *[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas<br /> *[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri<br /> *[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas<br /> *[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.<br /> *[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref><br /> *[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref><br /> *[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref><br /> *[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref><br /> *[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref><br /> *[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref><br /> *[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. <ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref><br /> <br /> === After 1962 ===<br /> Here is a mostly unimpressive list of people who attended public school ''after'' school-sponsored prayer was banned in 1962:<br /> <br /> *[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981; dropped out of college.<ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm<br /> </ref><br /> *[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/<br /> </ref><br /> *[[John Sununu]], former one-term Senator from [[New Hampshire]], graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's;<ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html</ref> claiming to be [[pro-life]], Sununu arranged for the nomination of [[David Souter]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], where he then repeatedly voted on the side of [[abortion]]<br /> *[[John Edwards]], indicted in 2011 on allegations arising from his affair with a mistress, was a former one-term Senator from [[North Carolina]] and two-time unsuccessful candidate for nomination for president, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref> <br /> *[[Spike Lee]], producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref><br /> *[[Laura Bush]] attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964); came out in support of [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] in 2010.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/laura-bush-supports-gay-marriage-abortion/story?id=10629213</ref><br /> *[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964, and became the only president impeached in the 20th century.<br /> *Anthony Weiner, a congressman who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after first denying but then confirming an indecent use of [[Twitter]], graduated from a public high school in [[Brooklyn]].<br /> *[[Steve Jobs]], founder of [[Apple Inc.]], graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA in 1972; his colleague, [[Steve Wozniak]], graduated from the same high school in 1968.<br /> *[[Eminem]], a [[liberal]] [[rapper]], repeatedly failed 9th grade in public school and ultimately dropped out.<br /> *[[Alan Colmes]], a liberal news commentator, attended public school in [[New York City]].<br /> *[[Sarah Palin]], vice presidential candidate on the [[Republican Party]] ticket in 2008 and favorite of some [[Tea Party]] groups, went to [[Wasilla High School]] and graduated in 1982 and then attended 5 different colleges before becoming more [[conservative]] later in life.<ref>http://outhouserag.typepad.com/outhouserag/2008/09/sarah-palin-198.html</ref><br /> *[[Rick Perry]], [[Texas]] governor, infringed on [[parental rights]] by requiring young girls to receive an HPV vaccine.<br /> *[[Kenneth D. Cockrell]], [[Texas]] Graduated from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, Texas, in 1968. A veteran of five spaceflights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,560 hours in space.<ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.htmll</ref><br /> *[[Russell Alan Hulse]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref><br /> *[[Richard Axel]], [[New York]] Graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, in 1963. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel</ref><br /> *[[Hugh David Politzer]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref><br /> *[[Christine O'Donnell]] graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987.<ref>[http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363&nclick_check=1 "Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'", ''Delaware Online'']</ref><br /> *[[Scott Walker]] graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1986.<ref>[http://walworthcountytoday.com/news/2010/sep/07/rock-county-close-home-walker/ Ames, Ann Marie, "Rock County Close to Home for Walker", ''Walworth County Today'', Sept. 7, 2010]</ref><br /> *[[Paul Ryan]], an establishment [[Republican]], graduated from Joseph A. Craig High School, Janesville, WI in 1988.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/16/politics/wis-ryan/</ref><br /> *[[Sharron Angle]] (born 1949) graduated from Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.<ref>[http://www.sharronangle.com/sharron-angle-biography "Sharron Angle, Biography"]</ref><br /> *[[Jon Huntsman]], Republican Presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah, attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before he dropped out in 1978 to pursue a career as a rock and roll keyboardist.<ref>[http://www.jon2012.com/jon]</ref><br /> *[[Michelle Bachmann]], Republican member of the House of Representatives graduated from Anoka High School, Anoka, Minnesota in 1974.<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/local/north/129276683.html?refer=y]</ref><br /> *[[Mike Huckabee]], former Republican Governor of Arkansas, graduated from Hope High School, Hope Arkansas, in 1974.<ref>[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108]</ref><br /> *[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], Prime Minister of Israel, Graduated from Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 1967. <ref>[http://cheltenhamalumni.org/BIOS/netanyahu-benjamin.htm]</ref><br /> *[[Rand Paul]], Republican Senator, Graduated from Brazoswood High School, Clute, Texas in 1981. <ref>[http://politics.laws.com/rand-paul]</ref><br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> <br /> *[[Public school culture]]<br /> *[[Teacher Pay]]<br /> *[[Atheism and public schools]]<br /> *[[Parental rights]] (focusing on the rights of parents to control the education, upbringing and disclipline of their children)<br /> *[[Education in the United Kingdom]]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|2}}<br /> <br /> [[category:Schools]]<br /> [[category:United States History]]<br /> {{Liberalism}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1610/466/Dumb_As_A_Rock:_You_Will_Be_Absolutely_Amazed_At_The_Things_That_U.S._High_School_Students_Do_Not_Know.html Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Know]<br /> *[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/03/28/9-notorious-teacher-sex-scandals/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058?test=latestnews 8 Bizarre Teacher Scandals You Won't Believe]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Public_schools_in_the_United_States&diff=1029814 Public schools in the United States 2013-01-17T00:47:49Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:800px-Warning signs at CHS.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Because of violence, vandalism, and other undesirable elements, this public school has a glaring sign warning of the on-campus surveillance cameras at its parking lot entrance.]]<br /> '''[[Public schools]] in the [[United States]]''' have become predominantly [[liberal]] and [[atheistic]]<ref>[http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_exodus_from_public_schools_gets_helping_hand.htm Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand], Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998</ref><ref>For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61806]</ref><ref>From 2004 to 2006, a [[public school]] banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref><ref>[[Atheists]] routinely impose their views on [[public schools]], though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in [[Illinois]] "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moment_of_silence_bothmay30,0,7722271.story]</ref> <br /> government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend $411.5 billion annually at a cost of $10,770 per student.<ref>[http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=15&cSectionID=97 Statistics about education]</ref> [[Liberals]] censor [[classroom prayer]], the [[Ten Commandments]], sharing of [[faith]] in classrooms during school hours, and teaching [[Bible]]-based [[morality]].<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> Mandatory [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual indoctrination]] is common as early as elementary school in more [[liberal]] states.<ref>http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html</ref> The failures of underperforming public schools are paradigm of [[socialism]], along with [[landfills]] and the [[Canada|Canadian]] healthcare system.<br /> <br /> The following are characteristics of US public schools:<br /> <br /> *30% of public school students fail to graduate from [[high school]],<ref name="graduate">"Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm]</ref> and more than 40% of minorities fail to graduate;<ref>"Only 71 percent of kids graduate from high school within four years, and for minorities the numbers are even worse -- 58 percent for Hispanics and 55 percent for African Americans," [Bill Gates] wrote. "If the decline in childhood deaths [in developing countries] is one of the most positive statistics ever, these are some of the most negative."[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901353.html?wpisrc=newsletter]</ref> the real drop-out rate may be 50%.<ref>http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47272207.html</ref><br /> *Nearly 70% of students leave high school unqualified to attend four-year college, and many are unable to hold a steady job.<ref name="graduate"/><br /> *A 2007 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 77% of students between eighth and 12th grade had used illicit drugs.<ref>According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20081207/NEWS08/812070305/1002]</ref> Fatal overdoses are common but underreported.<ref>Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DB123EF932A25750C0A9629C8B63 Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old [[public school]] student was an exception to the underreporting].</ref> Public schools are required to present [[Drug education|drug "education"]] to kids.<br /> *More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)</ref><br /> *About half of the viable pregnancies among girls attending public school end in [[abortion|abortions]] and about half end in birth. Public schools "[[Sex education|educate]]" kids about sex.<ref>"There is zero shame [to [[teenage pregnancy]]]," the school nurse observed.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121203507.html]</ref><br /> *"About 160,000 students miss school daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]].<ref>One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref> <br /> *20% of students had been dangerously "[[binge drinking]]" in the previous 30 days, and 50% of seniors regularly drink illegally, according to a 2007 study of Ottawa County, Michigan.<ref>The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press: Ottawa County confronts teen drinking, By Greg Chandler, December 04, 2008[http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_county_confronts_teen_d.html]</ref><ref name="Oregon">http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html</ref><br /> *10-20% of students become [[Addiction|addicted]] to [[cigarettes]]<ref name="Oregon"/><ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/</ref><br /> *35% of students are overweight<ref name="health">http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/29/students-health-needs-attention/</ref><br /> *Health screening of public schools in Memphis, Tennessee, found that nearly 10% of students have mental health problems<ref name="health"/>.<br /> *More than 10% of public high schools have a [[Homosexual Agenda|pro-homosexual]] student club<br /> *The majority of public school students are completely ignorant about the [[Bible]], even as [[Bible history|history]] and literature<br /> *California public schools, largest in the nation, now rank at the bottom in academic achievement.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/us/us_california_broken_schools/2009/06/21/227552.html High-Spending California School System Collapsing] AP, June 21, 2009</ref><br /> ''See Also: [[Public school culture]]''<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> <br /> In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and the first American [[kindergarten]] didn't exist until 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> ==Views on morals==<br /> <br /> ===So-called "character education"===<br /> <br /> In response to the perception that public schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_199910/ai_n8866284]</ref> The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."<ref>http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story</ref> The impact of the removal of morality from the [[public school]] curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."<ref>http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html</ref> Liberal politicians are the most frequent opponents of initiatives designed to build moral fiber in the public school system, with organizations like the [[ACLU]] and teacher's unions devoting a significant amount of their resources towards this end. In 2010, a school board in [[North Dakota]] decided to change the name of their mascot from the "Satans." Liberals unrolled a large-scale media campaign that blanketed the district with pro-Satan propaganda in an attempt to keep the name, but they were unsuccessful. <ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-perspec-0311-things-20120311_1_devil-man-great-deceiver-native-americans</ref><br /> <br /> === Prayer ===<br /> <br /> :''See also: [[Classroom prayer]]''<br /> <br /> The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] stated, "Nothing in the [[First Amendment]] converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1998<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref> <br /> <br /> In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref> <br /> <blockquote><br /> Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The guidance reflects the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed.<br /><br /> The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.<br /> The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the Clinton administration and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.<br /> </blockquote><br /> <br /> ===Teaching the Bible in Public Schools ===<br /> The [[National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools]]<ref>http://www.bibleinschools.net/</ref> (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.<br /> <br /> ==Suppression and intolerance of Christian views==<br /> [[Activist judges]] have proclaimed that teaching [[creationism]]<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/482/578/case.html</ref> and [[intelligent design]]<ref>www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf</ref> in public schools is unconstitutional because they claim that such teachings would amount to a government establishment of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.<ref>''See'' ''Kitzmiller'', 400 F.Supp.2d at 765</ref><br /> <br /> ==Educational outcomes==<br /> <br /> ===Declining literacy ===<br /> Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after [[World War II]], students' [[literacy]] levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.<ref>''Utne Reader'' (July-August 2000), 28-9.</ref><br /> <br /> ===Liberal bias in textbooks===<br /> :''See also: [[Textbook bias]]''<br /> <br /> [[Textbook]]s (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic [[liberal bias]] exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life&mdash;[[marriage]], [[religion]], [[politics]], and [[business]]. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread [[secular]] and [[liberal]] mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]"<ref> ''Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks'', [[Paul C. Vitz]], Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X</ref>.<br /> <br /> Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]". <ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref><br /> <br /> Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexuality:homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[Creationism:creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.<br /> <br /> ===Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers===<br /> Due to the strength of the nation's teachers' [[Labor union|union]], it is nearly impossible to fire a bad performing teacher with [[tenure]]. The process can take years and involves countless steps to even attempt. The union claims that the protections are needed against arbitrary and malicious lawsuits.<br /> <br /> The New York public schools system has approximately 700 teachers accused of insubordination to sexual misconduct. They remain in seclusion from the classroom but are paid full salaries until their cases are heard, sometimes from months to years later. All because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_rubber_rooms/2009/06/22/227959.html 700 NYC Teachers Paid to Do Nothing] AP, June 22, 2009</ref><br /> <br /> [[File:Pathtodismissal.JPG|center|thumb|800px| Flow chart for firing teachers in the nations second largest [[school district]], Los Angeles Unified School district]]<br /> <br /> ==Graduates==<br /> === Before 1962 ===<br /> Given that public schools educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school-sponsored prayer in 1962. Here is an impressive list of people who attended public schools ''before'' the banning of school-sponsored prayer.<br /> <br /> *[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois<br /> *[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas<br /> *[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California<br /> *[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan<br /> *[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas<br /> *[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri<br /> *[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas<br /> *[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.<br /> *[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref><br /> *[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref><br /> *[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref><br /> *[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref><br /> *[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref><br /> *[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref><br /> *[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. <ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref><br /> <br /> === After 1962 ===<br /> Here is a mostly unimpressive list of people who attended public school ''after'' school-sponsored prayer was banned in 1962:<br /> <br /> *[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981; dropped out of college.<ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm<br /> </ref><br /> *[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. <ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/<br /> </ref><br /> *[[John Sununu]], former one-term Senator from [[New Hampshire]], graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's;<ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html</ref> claiming to be [[pro-life]], Sununu arranged for the nomination of [[David Souter]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], where he then repeatedly voted on the side of [[abortion]]<br /> *[[John Edwards]], indicted in 2011 on allegations arising from his affair with a mistress, was a former one-term Senator from [[North Carolina]] and two-time unsuccessful candidate for nomination for president, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref> <br /> *[[Spike Lee]], producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref><br /> *[[Laura Bush]] attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964); came out in support of [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] in 2010.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/laura-bush-supports-gay-marriage-abortion/story?id=10629213</ref><br /> *[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964, and became the only president impeached in the 20th century.<br /> *Anthony Weiner, a congressman who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after first denying but then confirming an indecent use of [[Twitter]], graduated from a public high school in [[Brooklyn]].<br /> *[[Steve Jobs]], founder of [[Apple Inc.]], graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA in 1972; his colleague, [[Steve Wozniak]], graduated from the same high school in 1968.<br /> *[[Eminem]], a [[liberal]] [[rapper]], repeatedly failed 9th grade in public school and ultimately dropped out.<br /> *[[Alan Colmes]], a liberal news commentator, attended public school in [[New York City]].<br /> *[[Sarah Palin]], vice presidential candidate on the [[Republican Party]] ticket in 2008 and favorite of some [[Tea Party]] groups, went to [[Wasilla High School]] and graduated in 1982 and then attended 5 different colleges before becoming more [[conservative]] later in life.<ref>http://outhouserag.typepad.com/outhouserag/2008/09/sarah-palin-198.html</ref><br /> *[[Rick Perry]], [[Texas]] governor, infringed on [[parental rights]] by requiring young girls to receive an HPV vaccine.<br /> *[[Kenneth D. Cockrell]], [[Texas]] Graduated from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, Texas, in 1968. A veteran of five spaceflights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,560 hours in space.<ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.htmll</ref><br /> *[[Russell Alan Hulse]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref><br /> *[[Richard Axel]], [[New York]] Graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, in 1963. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel</ref><br /> *[[Hugh David Politzer]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref>http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref><br /> *[[Christine O'Donnell]] graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987.<ref>[http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363&nclick_check=1 "Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'", ''Delaware Online'']</ref><br /> *[[Scott Walker]] graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1986.<ref>[http://walworthcountytoday.com/news/2010/sep/07/rock-county-close-home-walker/ Ames, Ann Marie, "Rock County Close to Home for Walker", ''Walworth County Today'', Sept. 7, 2010]</ref><br /> *[[Paul Ryan]], an establishment [[Republican]], graduated from Joseph A. Craig High School, Janesville, WI in 1988.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/16/politics/wis-ryan/</ref><br /> *[[Sharron Angle]] (born 1949) graduated from Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.<ref>[http://www.sharronangle.com/sharron-angle-biography "Sharron Angle, Biography"]</ref><br /> *[[Jon Huntsman]], Republican Presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah, attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before he dropped out in 1978 to pursue a career as a rock and roll keyboardist.<ref>[http://www.jon2012.com/jon]</ref><br /> *[[Michelle Bachmann]], Republican member of the House of Representatives graduated from Anoka High School, Anoka, Minnesota in 1974.<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/local/north/129276683.html?refer=y]</ref><br /> *[[Mike Huckabee]], former Republican Governor of Arkansas, graduated from Hope High School, Hope Arkansas, in 1974.<ref>[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108]</ref><br /> *[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], Prime Minister of Israel, Graduated from Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 1967. <ref>[http://cheltenhamalumni.org/BIOS/netanyahu-benjamin.htm]</ref><br /> *[[Rand Paul]], Republican Senator, Graduated from Brazoswood High School, Clute, Texas in 1981. <ref>[http://politics.laws.com/rand-paul]</ref><br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> <br /> *[[Public school culture]]<br /> *[[Teacher Pay]]<br /> *[[Atheism and public schools]]<br /> *[[Parental rights]] (focusing on the rights of parents to control the education, upbringing and disclipline of their children)<br /> *[[Education in the United Kingdom]]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|2}}<br /> <br /> [[category:Schools]]<br /> [[category:United States History]]<br /> {{Liberalism}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1610/466/Dumb_As_A_Rock:_You_Will_Be_Absolutely_Amazed_At_The_Things_That_U.S._High_School_Students_Do_Not_Know.html Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Know]<br /> *[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/03/28/9-notorious-teacher-sex-scandals/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058?test=latestnews 8 Bizarre Teacher Scandals You Won't Believe]</div>

MarkJamesW https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:MarkJamesW&diff=1029813 User talk:MarkJamesW 2013-01-17T00:43:48Z

<p>MarkJamesW: </p> <hr /> <div>{{welcome}}[[User:Brenden|brenden]] 19:37, 16 January 2013 (EST)<br /> <br /> Thanks, Brendon! Have a good one! [[User:MarkJamesW|MarkJamesW]] 19:43, 16 January 2013 (EST)</div>

MarkJamesW