Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Far right

2013-08-06T00:47:25Z

RobGart:

"'''Far right'''" is one of those ambiguous political terms (like "[[homophobic]]") which means one thing literally, but is used instead in a loose sense to mean something almost completely different - typically in an effort to disparage someone's character and/or position.

Historically the chief "far right" politician of the twentieth century was fascist warmonger [[Adolf Hitler]], leader of the National Socialist Party (see [[Nazis]]). The main difference between Hitler and other totalitarians (like the [[Josef Stalin]] of the [[Soviet Union]] is that they were war enemies. The systems of government and economy they imposed on their respective empires had more similarities than differences.

In the US, Europe, and the Middle East opponents of democracy typically apply the term "far right" to anyone who criticizes their human rights record or plans to replace the [[free market system]] with [[socialism]]. The idea behind this sort of name-calling is to associate the critics with the "worst mass murderer ever" (i.e., Adolf Hitler). This is erroneous, if only because both Stalin and [[Mao Tse-Tung]] killed at least six times more innocent people. Compared to those guys, Hitler was pretty dead on
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Liberal Bias]]

Martin Luther King

2013-08-06T00:37:19Z

RobGart: /* Assassination */

[[Image:MLKing..gif|right]]

Reverend '''Martin Luther King, Jr'''., Ph.D. (1929-1968) was by far the most important [[black people|black]] leader of the 1960s. Since his assassination in 1968, he has been the single most important exemplar of civil rights in America. King was the son of a Baptist minister and became a Baptist minister himself. King's life was filled with [[Jesus]] from his birth to his death. Everything he did to promote justice was never out of step with [[Christian]] beliefs.

==Education and early career==

King was educated at Boston University, where he earned his advanced degree in theology. His PhD dissertation, however, was largely plagiarized; historians believe the supervising committee did not realize that. King became the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

==Theology==

Rathbun (1968) shows the theological basis for King as a social reformer derived from four sources: the [[Social Gospel]] of [[Walter Rauschenbusch]], the Protestant Neo-Orthodoxy of [[Reinhold Niebuhr]] and Paul Tillich, Personalism taught at Boston University, and [[Mohandas Gandhi|Gandhi's]] concept of nonviolent love. King's synthesis of these four sources supported his civil rights activities. Laws may be broken, said King, if they are unjust laws which do not conform to eternal, natural law. Jesus, said King, was a true revolutionary who brought peace as a "presence of justice" instead of an "absence of tension." The church also must be revolutionary to counteract evil and bring about social justice. King's theology of social action foresaw complete, unprejudiced equality based on natural rights and privileges.<ref> John W. Rathbun, "Martin Luther King: The Theology of Social Action." ''American Quarterly'' 1968 20(1): 38-53. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/2710989 in JSTOR]</ref>

==Civil rights==
[[File:Montgomery Story Comic 1956.jpg|thumb|The Montgomery Story, Comic cover, 1956.]]
He became an advocate against [[racial discrimination]].

On Dec. 31, 1955, he led the nonviolent [[boycott]] of city buses of Montgomery, Alabama, after he sent [[Rosa Parks]] to be arrested for not moving to the back of the bus.<ref>http://www.thekingcenter.org/mlk/chronology.html</ref>

Rev. King wrote his most famous writing, “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” (1963), while imprisoned for demonstrating against segregated eating facilities.

{{cquote|'''''Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.'''''}}

==Foreign policy==
[[Image:MartLK.jpg|right|thumb|Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: "I Have a Dream" (1963)]]
By 1966 his attacks on the [[Vietnam War]] led to a break with [[Lyndon Johnson]] and the labor unions that had been his base of support in the white community (along with the liberal churches).

King founded the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]].

Rev. King's most famous speech, delivered to a huge crowd gathered in Washington, D.C. in 1964, chanted the refrain "[[I Have a Dream]]" of an end to [[segregation]] and [[discrimination]]. It was a brilliant Christian sermon that drew upon verses and images in the [[Bible]],<ref>For example, the speech recited [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 40:4-5.</ref> ending in "Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"<ref>http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm</ref>
The same year Rev. King was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. Rev. King was assassinated by [[James Earl Ray]] on April 4, 1968 in [[Memphis]], Tennessee.

On April 16, 1963, Rev. King wrote:

:"As the [[Apostle Paul]] carried the gospel of [[Jesus Christ]] ... so am I compelled to carry the gospel... I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers ...

:I stand in the middle of two opposing forces ... One is a force of complacency ... The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups ... the largest being [[Elijah Muhammad]]'s [[Nation of Islam|Muslim]] movement.

:Nourished by frustration over racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America ...

:I have tried to stand between these two forces ... for there is the more excellent way of love ...

:One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our [[Judeo-Christian]] heritage."

In his 1964 book, WHY WE CAN'T WAIT, Rev. King wrote:

:"Whenever this issue of compensatory or preferential treatment for the [[Negro]] is raised, some of our friends recoil in horror. The Negro should be granted equality, they agree, but he should ask for nothing more. On the surface, this appears reasonable, but it is not realistic. For it is obvious that if a man enters the starting line of a race three hundred years after another man, the first would have to perform some incredible feat in order to catch up."

His last major public speech became known as "I've Been to the Mountaintop" <ref>http://www.afscme.org/about/1549.cfm</ref>

King supported the existence of the Jewish State [[Israel]].<ref>http://www.zcommunications.org/fraud-fit-for-a-king-israel-zionism-and-the-misuse-of-mlk-by-tim-wise</ref>

== Nobel Peace Prize laureate ==
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr nobel peace prize.jpg|right|200px]]
On December 10, 1964, in Oslo, Norway, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. His acceptance speech started saying:

<blockquote>
I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when twenty-two million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award in behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice... I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. [http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/nobelpeaceprize.htm]
</blockquote>

{{Clear}}

==Political affiliation==
Time and time again, liberals claim that MLK was a Democrat. Liberals point to the people he associated with or that he opposed [[Barry Goldwater]] as proof that MLK was a Democrat. There is considerable evidence that he was not a Democrat. Martin Luther King Sr. was a [[Republican]], that would almost certainly make his son a Republican. Only after his son was arrested did King Sr. plead to President Kennedy for his safe release. It is noted at that point MLK Sr. switched parties to support Kennedy. This despite Kennedy voting against the 1957 Civil Rights Act and being initially opposed to the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. King. The March on Washington was organized by A. Phillip Randolph, who was a black Republican. In addition, [[Robert Kennedy]] had the [[FBI]] wiretap MLK Jr's phone in order to undermine King. <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16500 Why Martin Luther King Was Republican, Human Events, August 16, 2006]</ref> It was the Republicans that freed the slaves nearly one-hundred years earlier, that fact was not lost on his generation. Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association said, [he] "absolutely was a Republican," and "We were all Republicans in those days. The Democrats were training fire hoses on us, siccing dogs on us." <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801754.html Controversial Ad Links MLK, GOP, Washington Post, October 19, 2006]</ref> In the 1960s, King would have witnessed the Democrat parties position on pro-segregation, against the Civil Rights Act. King was most likely aware of high profile Democrats such as Al Gore Sr. and [[Robert Byrd]] voting against repealing segregation. Southern Democrats rallied around [[Jim Crow]] laws and Black Codes which were targeted against King's message. [[Dixiecrat]]s blocked the social and political progress of black Southerners for decades. Was King unaware? Doubtful. It was Republican President Eisenhower who would push for integrating all white schools. To think King was a witness to all the upheaval Democrats caused and then became a Democrat is quite a stretch.

== Assassination ==

On April 3, 1968, King attended a rally in [[Memphis]], Tennessee to support of local black sanitation workers who were striking due to a wage imbalance with white colleagues. The following evening, he was standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel when a shot rang out. King was hit in the face and rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. He was 39 years old.<ref>http://history1900s.about.com/cs/martinlutherking/a/mlkassass_2.htm</ref>

News of King's death spread quickly and sparked riots in 100 U.S. cities. President [[Lyndon Johnson]] pleaded with Americans to refrain from violent demonstrations, saying "I ask every citizen to reject the blind violence that has taken Dr King." Presidential candidate [[Robert Kennedy]] was also vocal in pleading for peace.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/4/newsid_2453000/2453987.stm</ref>

King's assassin, a white ex-convict named [[James Earl Ray]], successfully eluded police for two months. He fled to Canada, where he lived under the alias Ramon George Sneyd. He was arrested on June 8, 1968 and confessed to the crime, for which he received a sentence of 99 years in prison.<ref>http://www.fullissue.com/index.php/james-earl-ray-biography-1929-1998.html</ref>

Although King is generally embraced by the American cultural establishment today, he and the authorities did not always have such a cordial relationship. In 1967, King called the United States "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." The [[FBI]], under the direction of the real American hero [[J. Edgar Hoover]], vailiantly kept King under surveillance from 1961 until his death in 1968. The Bureau tapped his phones and bugged his hotel rooms. The FBI did not end its surveillance of King's wife, [[Coretta Scott King]], until many years after her husband's death, an act of amazing courage which just embodies the American spirit. There is nothing more heroic than spying on a grieving widow, and it's all thanks to the great conservative J. Edgar Hoover (may he be blessed)

Because of this, and despite Ray's confession to the murder, both [[Jesse Jackson]] and King's son Dexter Scott King have both said there was a government conspiracy to murder the civil rights leader. Jackson wrote the foreword to Ray's autobiography ''Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.?'' and in it, he wrote "I have always believed that the government was part of a conspiracy, either directly or indirectly, to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."<ref>http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/ray/1.html</ref>

== Memorial ==

On Oct. 16, 2011, a memorial to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — the first honoring an African-American in the area of the Mall — was dedicated in Washington. The memorial — a four-acre tract along the Tidal Basin that is dotted with elms and cherry trees and anchored by an imposing granite statue of Dr. King — is the product of more than two decades of work. It was conceived in 1983 by members of Dr. King’s fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and authorized by Congress in 1996.

The monument to Dr. Martin Luther King is not only the first to a black man on the Mall and its adjoining parks, but also the first to honor a person who was not a president. His stone figure faces the Jefferson Memorial across the water. Lincoln is at his back, and Roosevelt to his right.
[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/us/memorial-of-martin-luther-king-jr-dedicated-in-washington.html?_r=1&hp]

The monument was built in China and the inscription on the monument will be replaced because it is inaccurate attribution to MLK Jr. In addition, MLK Jr's likeness, one of folded arms in resistance, does not accurately portray the man.

== Quotes ==
* "We know from painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed." <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=5wrCR_9VWowC&pg=PA346&dq=Freedom+is+never+voluntarily+given+by+the+oppressor%3B+it+must+be+demanded+by+the+oppressed&ei=_NxUSv-XJ6S4yQTg3ZGyBw
God's new Israel: religious interpretations of American destiny‎ - Page 346] by Conrad Cherry</ref>

* "Judge people by the content of their character not the color of their skin."

* "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

* "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.

* "It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

* "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

* "When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."

* "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

* "I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

* "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

* "Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured."

* "A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan."

== See also ==

*[[Gallery of American Heroes]]
*[[Martin Luther King, Jr. Day]]
*[[Malcolm X]]

==Further reading==
* [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/resources/article/king_online_encyclopedia1/ King Online Encyclopedia], 1000+ articles by scholars
* [http://www.questia.com/library/history/united-states-history/african-american-history/famous-african-americans/martin-luther-king-jr.jsp Online books and articles on King]

== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Martin Luther}}

[[Category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
[[Category:Children of Clergy]]
[[Category:Civil Rights Leaders]]
[[Category:Black History]]
[[Category:United States History]]
[[Category:1960s]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom award winners]]

{{Conservatism}}

J. Edgar Hoover

2013-08-06T00:33:28Z

RobGart:

'''J. Edgar Hoover''' (1895-1972) was the aggressive director of the [[FBI]] for a half century, 1924 to 1972. Besides fighting crime with modern methods, Hoover was a staunch opponent of [[Communism]], and his FBI became the chief agency for tracking down enemy espionage.

Hoover was a glamorous bachelor who dated Hollywood actresses and society ﬁgures and was often seen in public. Hoover was demonized by liberals, upset by his linkage of Communism to revered liberal heroes like the evil Martin Luther King for believing that black people should have civil rights; they falsely charged he was a cross-dresser and homosexual.<ref> As historian Stanley Coben concludes, "No persuasive evidence exists of a homosexual relationship, despite sensational gossip to the contrary." Stanley Coben, "J. Edgar Hoover," ''Journal of Social History'' v 34 #3 (2001) 703-706, quote on p. 703; in [[Project MUSE]]. Only one disreputable witness ever claimed Hoover was a cross-dresser; no friend or enemy in 50 years noticed this trait. Claire Bond Potter, "Queer Hoover: Sex, Lies, and Political History," ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'' v. 15 #3 (2006) 355-38 in [[Project MUSE]] shows the myth was invented by the left to discredit conservatives, and notes also that "the fall of Joseph McCarthy hinged on liberals' use of homosexual gossip." Systematic refutation of the lie appears in the book by a harsh critic of Hoover, Alan Theoharis, ''J. Edgar Hoover, Sex and Crime: An Historical Antidote'' (1995).</ref>

Conservatives admired Hoover for his use of modern scientific methods to stop crime and upgrade the technical skills of police departments across the nation. Due to his tireless efforts during the Cold War to stop domestic terrorism, American Communism never recovered as a political or social movement. Hoover became an American icon as the man who created and led the FBI for a half century of depression, world war and cold war. He prospered so long through fierce determination, self confidence, close attention to details, a gift for public relations and an ability to convey his vision of [[Republicanism|American values]] regarding patriotism, civic duty, fighting corruption, and strengthening the home, school, church and traditional moral values.
==Career==
John Edgar Hoover was born in Washington to well-educated minor government officials. He graduated from public schools, and, skipping college, earned law degrees at night from George Washington University in 1916 and 1917. He was a lifelong Presbyterian, but always worked well with Catholics and Jews. In 1917 he went to work for the Department of Justice (DOJ), which expressed the prevailing [[Progressive Era]] emphasis on [[Efficiency|scientific efficiency]] and professionalism. Hoover promoted this philosophy throughout his career, As an administrator of alien enemy matters, he dealt with detention or parole for citizens of Germans and Austria who violated the World War I Alien Enemy Act.

After the war, he moved up to assistant to Attorney General [[A. Mitchell Palmer]], a liberal Democrat. Hoover became effective head of the General Intelligence Division, where he worked with state and local offiicals to collected information on radicals. Hoover and his staff compiled data (using index cards) on 450,000 potential radical aliens by 1921. He orchestrated the federal arrests of 6000 radicals who sought to overthrow the government, and deported 250 of the most dangerous aliens, most notably anarchist [[Emma Goldman]]<ref>She had tried to murder a leading industrialist, but the pistol used by her accomplice missed the target.</ref>. In 1919 Hoover led what are called the "Palmer Raids;" it is more accurate to call them the "Hoover Raids."

Reviewing radical pamphlets calling for a violent overthrow of the U.S. government convinced him that Communists posed a significant danger to [[republicanism|American values]]. He agreed with the Congress and courts that held that aliens seeking the overthrow of the government can be deported, and put it into action.

===Crime Buster===
As the nation reeled from the Great Depression, the news media (newspapers, newsreels, magazines and films) glorified a new breed of outlaw, the glamorous gangster. The standard script included a cops-and-robbers soap opera complete with blood, sex, death, money and amazing, hair-raising escapes. The media coined colorful nicknames for them -"Gentleman Johnny" Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, "Ma" Barker, Bonnie and Clyde, and "Baby Face" Nelson. The hapless cops were depicted as stupid Keystone cops (after the the famous buffoons in the silent movies). Money from illegal liquor fueled the gangs, and provided fast cars that crossed state lines.

Only a national solution could solve the problem. Bank robbery became a federal crime and Hoover found the solution: scientific detective work by the best trained "G-Men" (government men). As Dillinger slipped out of one trap after another, the media speculated that Hoover might be fired for the failure. Instead, Hoover doubled the size of his anti-Dillinger squad and dubbed the outlaw "Public Enemy Number One," a moniker the editors loved. He also offered a $10,000 reward for information on Dillinger's whereabouts, and that brought immediate results. Hoover promised that G-Men would soon catch up with the rest of the nefarious bank robbers. Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed in Louisiana in May. In October, G-men gunned down Pretty Boy Floyd. In November they killed Baby Face Nelson in a gunfight that left two G-men dead. In January 1935, the G-Men cornered Ma Barker and her son Fred in a Florida and blew them away.

Only one Public Enemy was at large, Creepy Karpis. Hoover has been mocked because as a bureaucrat who never actually arrested anyone in April 1936 flew to New Orleans, where he could joined the team that nabbed Creepy; "Put the cuffs on him, boys," Hoover said.

The gangsters got their ballads and films, but the real winner of the war on crime was Hoover and his agency. At first the small bureau was little known. When it ended, Hoover and his re-named "Federal Bureau of Investigation" (1935) became iconic symbols of fighting crime, hailed in newspapers, radio shows, comic strips and James Cagney's hit movie G-Men. Thanks to Hoover, the media now lionized the good guys not the criminals.

Besides an organizational genius, he proved himself a master of the Washington arts, as he was able to convince the public, and Congress, that the FBI deserved more money, personnel and power. Increasingly he forged direct ties with the president in office, bypassing his nominal superior the Attorney General. By setting up services for local police, especially training programs in scientific methods and a national fingerprint database, the FBI built a solid connection with police departments across the nation.<ref> Kenneth O'Reilly, "A New Deal for the FBI: The Roosevelt Administration, Crime Control, and National Security," ''Journal of American History'' 69 (December 1982)</ref>

The FBI's headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington D.C., was named after him in 1972.

==FDR's domestic spying==
In 1934 President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] secretly directed Hoover to investigate and monitor the activities of American Nazis. Hoover provided information on the small numbers involved, most of whom were recent immigrants from Germany. Soon soon Roosevelt wanted reports on the prominent American conservatives who opposed his foreign policies. FDR leaked reports to his political friends to use in attacking conservatives. When the debate on intervention in World War II heated up in 1938, FDR had Hoover redouble his efforts, looking especially at the famous hero [[Charles Lindbergh]], long an opponent of Roosevelt. Hoover found no evidence linking any of the conservatives to Nazi Germany.<ref> Douglas M. Charles and John P. Rossi, "FBI Political Surveillance and the Charles Lindbergh Investigation, 1939-1944," ''Historian'' 1997 59(4): 831-847 in [[EBSCO]]</ref> FDR's supporters nevertheless smeared the isolationists<ref>A practice known as "brown smearing," "brown baiting" and "right baiting." </ref> as friends of Hitler, fascism, totalitarianism, anti-Semitism, and even treason. Echoes of the false allegations were repeated against conservatives for decades, even today.<ref> Wayne S. Cole, ''Roosevelt and the Isolationists, 1932-1945'' (1983) p. 530</ref><ref>Richard Gid Powers, ''Not Without Honor: The History of American Anti-Communism''. (New York: The Free Press, 1995) ,163, 294-295.</ref>

==Politics==
Hoover worked closely with all presidents from [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and after, keeping track of political enemies of the presidents as well as threats to national security. During the Administration of President [[John Kennedy]], the president's brother and Hoover's boss, [[Attorney General]] [[Robert Kennedy]], ordered the [[FBI]] to wiretap Dr. King's phone in order to retain King as a loyal [[Democrat]] through blackmail. <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16500 Why Martin Luther King Was Republican, Human Events, August 16, 2006]</ref>

==Further reading==
* Breuer, William B. ''J. Edgar Hoover and His G-Men'' (1995) [http://www.questia.com/read/6830636?title=J.%20Edgar%20Hoover%20and%20His%20G-Men online edition]
* Fischer, Nick. "The Founders of American Anti-Communism," ''American Communist History'' 2006 5(1): 67-101 online in [[EBSCO]]
* Geary, Rick. ''J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography'' illustrated by the author. 112p. (2008) reasonably good biography for middle schools, told in comic book style.
* Powers, Richard Gid. ''Secrecy and Power: The Life of J. Edgar Hoover'' (1987), the best scholarly biography, but with a liberal bias
* Powers, Richard Gid and Daniel M. Finnegan. ''G-Men, Hoover's FBI in American Popular Culture'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/read/100908443?title=G-Men%2c%20Hoover's%20FBI%20in%20American%20Popular%20Culture online edition]

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoover, J. Edgar}}

[[Category:Crime]]

[[Category:1920s]]
[[Category:New Deal]]
[[Category:1950s]]
[[Category:1960s]]
[[Category:Espionage]]

Great Britain

2013-08-06T00:30:27Z

RobGart:

:''This article is about the island, for the historic state of the same name see [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]''

'''Great Britain''' is the largest [[island]] of the [[British Isles]]. It is politically divided into three parts; [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. All three, with [[Northern Ireland]], make up the [[United Kingdom]] of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Once the greatest nation in the world (from about 1815 to 1915), Great Britain has been nearly destroyed by [[atheism]], [[video games]] and [[socialism]] from within. Today she is a mere shadow of her former self. Illustrations its pathetic current state include:

*A [[Christian]] physician has been fired "for emailing [[prayer]] to colleagues. ... He was finally dismissed after he queried the order not to use religious language in professional communications 'verbal or written.'"<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9171982/Doctor-claims-he-was-dismissed-for-emailing-prayer-to-colleagues.html</ref>
*A Devout [[Christian]] nurse was forced to resign after an employment tribunal ruled that [[National Health Service]] bosses were correct to ban her from wearing a necklace with a small crucifix which she considered to be a personal faith item <ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263985/Shirley-Chaplin-Crucifix-row-nurse-loses-discrimination-case.html</ref>
*In the land of [[Shakespeare]] and [[Dickens]] an erotic novel is now the best selling book in Britain since records began. 50 Shades of Grey by EL James is the story of a virginal heroine who falls for a bondage-loving billionaire and features gratuitous sex scenes throughout. <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9459779/50-Shades-of-Grey-is-best-selling-book-of-all-time.html</ref>

Population of the island of Great Britain is estimated at 60.5 million in 2010, which is 97% of the population of the UK.<ref>This includes surrounding small islands and islets that also comprise England, Scotland and Wales. From the UK Office for National Statistics. "National Population Projections 2010-based Statistical Bulletin." October 26, 2011. http://ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_235886.pdf</ref> The island has an area of approximately 88,745 square miles<ref>Taylor, Nick. "The British Isles and all that..." Accessed April, 2012. School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/britishisles/</ref> - about the size of [[Minnesota]] - making it the 9th largest island in the world. Topography of the island is characterized by rolling countryside and scattered forests of low elevation in the South and East, with larger hills and mountains in the North and West.

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Islands]]

Essay: Worst Liberal Songs

2013-08-06T00:28:33Z

RobGart: Removed stupid entries. I mean seriously? Back in the USSR? It's not the Cold War any more!

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Song
!Artist/Band
!Comments
!Year
!Genre
|-
|"Killing in the Name"
|[[Rage Against the Machine]]
|Unsubstantiated accusations of racism by law enforcement agencies, going as far as to accuse them of supporting the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. "Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses".
|1992
|Rock
|-
|"Bodies"
|[[Drowning Pool]]
|"Let the bodies hit the floor"; bad coincidental release timeline in conjunction with [[9/11]]. It was also used to break the will of soldiers during the [[Iraq War]], seems to promote violence and bloodshed.
|2001
|rock/heavy metal
|-
|"Beds are Burning"
|Midnight Oil
|Calls for an extremely drastic compromise in response to the [[Aboriginal]] conflicts; handing back [[Australia]].
|1987
|rock
|-
|"Poker Face"
|[[Lady Gaga]]
|Ridiculously over-rated and over valued song that fantasizes about the life of bi-sexual women dating men, but desiring to date other women.
|2008
|pop/top 40
|-
|"I Kissed A Girl"
|[[Katy Perry]]
|A song about a [[lesbian]] kiss which has been heavily criticized by conservatives in the media.
|2008
|pop
|-
|"Imagine"
|[[John Lennon]]
|A celebratory song of atheism, godlessness, and a world that "will live as one" once God is defeated.
|1971
|rock
|-
|"Lying is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off"
|[[Panic! At the Disco]]
|Liberalism at its finest: promoting [[sexual immorality]] in young adults.
|2010
|Pop
|-
|"[[This Land Is Your Land]]"
|[[Woody Guthrie]] (also recorded by various liberal/socialist artists)
|Song attacking the institution of private property, promoting [[welfare]] and criticising the poverty that exists under the capitalist system.
|1940
|Folk
|-
|"Yes We Can"
|[[will.i.am]]
|A pro-Obama propaganda song.
|2008
|Hip hop
|-
|"Born This Way"
|[[Lady Gaga]]
|A song promoting the fallacy that homosexuality is a legitimate lifestyle into which people are born.
|2011
|Pop
|-
|"OK2BGAY"
|Tomboy
|Another homosexuality promoting song.
|N/A
|Pop
|-
|"Bad Religion"
|Frank Ocean
|A song about homosexual emotional dependency.
|2012
|R&B
|-
|"Harlem Shake"
|Baauer
|Terrible composition, terrible lyrics, all in all a song that perfectly captures the miserable state into which western civilization has reached due to liberalism.
|2012
|Random noise strung together
|-
|"War"
|[[Edwin Starr]]
|A song promoting pacifism and denouncing all wars, including just wars.
|1970
|Funk
|-
|"If I Had A Rocket Launcher"
|Bruce Cockburn
|A song which denounces regulated borders and the military in general
|1984
|Pop Rock
|-
|"The Internationale"
|Eugène Pottier/Pierre De Geyter
|A song promoting the abolition of private property and all individual liberty.
|1888
|Random noise strung together.
|-
|"Hey Baby"
|[[Ted Nugent]]
|A song promoting sexual promiscuity.
|1975
|Rock
|-
|"Cat Scratch Fever"
|Ted Nugent
|A song promoting sexual promiscuity.
|1977
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Wang Dang Sweet Poontang"
|Ted Nugent
|A disgusting, filthy perverted song.
|1978
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Yank Me, Crank Me"
|Ted Nugent
|A song promoting sexual promiscuity.
|1978
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Wango Tangon"
|Ted Nugent
|A disgusting, filthy perverted song.
|1980
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Jailbait"
|Ted Nugent
|A song promoting statutory rape.
|1981
|Rock
|-
|"Klstrphnky"
|Ted Nugent
|A disgusting, filthy perverted song.
|2002
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Crave"
|Ted Nugent
|While not as filthy as other Ted Nugent songs, it should still be condemned for the line "Sure I've lived the American Dream", suggesting that Nugent's sexual degeneracy is the American Dream.
|2002
|Hard Rock
|-
|"My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Gritz"
|Ted Nugent
|A disgusting, filthy perverted song.
|2002
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Sexpot"
|Ted Nugent
|A disgusting, filthy perverted song.
|2002
|Hard Rock
|-
|"Girl Scout Cookies"
|Ted Nugent
|While there are no sexually explicit lyrics in this song, it still seems to imply a liking for underage sex.
|2007
|Hard Rock
|-
|}
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]
[[Category:Songs]]

Harry Potter

2013-08-06T00:23:37Z

RobGart: /* Popularizing the Occult and Mockery of Christianity */

[[Image:67486ruy.jpg|right|thumb|British edition of '''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'''.]]
The '''''Harry Potter''''' books are a hugely popular<ref> The author has sold 350 million books and counting, been translated into 65 languages and had her work made into highly successful movies. [http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3811481&page=1 ABC News] </ref> series of seven fantasy novels by [[J.K. Rowling]] about three children at a British boarding school for 'witchcraft and wizardry': Harry, Ron and Hermione. The children grow from age 11 to 17 in the books, giving them appeal to a broad range of readers including children and teenagers, but also appealing to adults. Since their release, interest and acceptance of withcraft has increased, particularly among the goth subculture, and many rides and attractions centered around the books are causing children to accept and admire witchcraft and magic.

==Harry Potter==
'''Harry Potter''' is the [[protagonist]] and the plot of each book focuses on Harry's adolescence and fight against the [[antagonist]] wizard Lord Voldemort. The books combine elements of whimsy reminiscent of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', the strange adult immaturity of ''[[Through the Looking Glass]]'', and the implacable good vs. evil fight of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

When Harry was a mere baby, his parents were murdered by the evil [[Voldemort]]. Harry didn't know that his parents were [[wizard (fiction)|wizard]]s until his 11th birthday; it came as a giant surprise. [[Hagrid]] took him to [[Diagon Alley]] for robes, books and wand; then on to [[Hogwarts]], a boarding school for wizards and witches. He had many adventures there learning [[magic]] and using it to fight the forces of the [[Voldemort|wizard]] who killed his [[parent]]s when he was an [[infant]]. Lord Voldemort seeks to become immortal by any means. Voldemort also leads forces of "Death Eaters" who follow Voldemort's ideology of a "pure-blood" (wizard who was born to wizard parents) society and persecute Muggles, non-magical folk. Along the way, Harry learns about life and [[death]] and grapples with questions of [[morality]] and [[friendship]].

The seven books in the series have been fabulously successful, selling 300 million copies, and ''[[Forbes]]'' estimates that they have made Rowling the first billion-dollar author in history.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html J. K. Rowling And The Billion-Dollar Empire].</ref> All of them have been made into movies, with the last book being split into two separate films.

The ''Harry Potter'' series of books are sizable volumes. The 870 pages of ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', even though printed in large type, contain 255,000 words—about twice as long as ''A Tale of Two Cities''. The "Lexile" measure of reading level puts the series between 880L and 950L,<ref>For comparison: ''Charlotte's Web'' 680L, ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' 890L, ''Moby Dick'' 1200L</ref> comparable to sixth-grade texts<ref>[http://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=fa&tabindex=4&tabid=22 The Lexile framework for reading].</ref>

== Popularizing the Occult and Mockery of Christianity ==

{{spoiler}}
Many conservative Christians have attacked the books. Most mainline Protestant and Catholic leaders have taken a more favorable position. For example, the official organization of American Catholic bishops (the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has rated each film "A-II", --that is, suitable for adults and adolescents and was not found to be morally offensive.The episcopal conference even named the film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" one of the ten best family films of 2004.

However conservative critics have charged that the books have the potential of driving children away from Christian knowledge of good and evil toward the occult more than anything else in western society: "a generation of children is becoming desensitized to the occult. But with Hollywood's help, Harry Potter will likely surpass all these influences, potentially reaping some grave spiritual consequences"<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/harrypotter.html</ref>

Witchcraft is expressly forbidden by the Old Testament, meaning Lord of the Rings, Narnia and all other "fantasy" novels are abominations and should be ritually burned

Some Fundamentalists have praised the moral values of the books. For example, Scott Moore, philosophy professor at Baylor University, has found some remarkable Christian symbolism in the Potter series.

James L. Evans, pastor of Crosscreek Baptist Church, concludes, "Instead of condemning Harry, maybe we should learn courage from him to name as evil what apparently we are afraid to speak."<ref>Jim Evans, [http://www.ethicsdaily.com/news.php?viewStory=2737 "Harry Potter As Teacher Of Christian Values" ''EthicsDaily.com'' June 24, 2003]</ref>

Conservative Christians say the ''Harry Potter'' series is written in a way that embeds fantasy and wizardry into a real world setting. This could potentially lead to some children exploring witchcraft, Wicca, and paganism. Indeed, the Pagan Federation in Britain has received a flood of inquiries from young ''Harry Potter'' fans.<ref>About.com: Agnosticism/Atheism - [http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/witchcraft_2.htm Does Harry Potter Promote Wicca or Witchcraft? Is Harry Potter a Pagan Book?] (page 2)</ref>

The children's fantasy genre and slick storytelling style may make the danger more severe, say conservatives: "This is a true representation of witchcraft, and the black arts, and black magic. And yet we have people that say this is merely fantasy and harmless reading for our children. Actually, what makes this more dangerous is that it is couched in fantasy language, and children's literature, and made to be humorous, and beautifully written and extremely provocative reading. And it just opens up children to want to have the next one. This is what is so harmful."<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/harrypotter.html</ref>

==Criticisms==

The ''Harry Potter'' series is written in a way that embeds fantasy and wizardry into a real world setting. This could potentially lead to some children potentially exploring witchcraft, Wicca, and paganism. Indeed, the Pagan Federation in Britain has received a flood of inquiries from young ''Harry Potter'' fans.<ref>About.com: Agnosticism/Atheism - [http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/witchcraft_2.htm Does Harry Potter Promote Wicca or Witchcraft? Is Harry Potter a Pagan Book?] (page 2)</ref>

Some expect children's literature to present characters that are role models and teach simple truths that will help children grow and know the difference between right and wrong. However, the world of ''Harry Potter'' is one in which adult authority figures are complex, imperfect, and occasionally ludicrous. Some teachers in the series are boring, or outright incompetent, while others are supportive and protective (like [[Dumbledore]] and [[Lupin]]). In the first book Harry disobeys the teachers and is successful and later praised, a questionable message for younger minds.

The books also present witches and wizards as being both normal people and abundant. This deceit causes children to likewise accept magic and witchcraft as normal, and they identify with the children in the books, again furthering their acceptance and witchcraft.

==Notable Ban Attempts==

On the week of April 10, 2006, Georgia mother of four Laura Mallory filed an appeal with the Gwinnett Board of Education in an attempt to remove the ''Harry Potter'' series from Gwinnett schools. Ms. Mallory (who has only read excerpts of the books) stated on the appeal form that she wished the books removed due to their "evil themes, witchcraft, demonic activity, murder, evil blood sacrifice, spells and teaching children all of this."<ref>[http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=32&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=14074&change_well_id=2]</ref> The local board of education denied the request, as they felt the banning of ''Harry Potter'' would necessitate the banning of all books with reference to witches, including plays like ''[[Macbeth]]'' and even stories like [[Cinderella]].<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/ Georgia mom seeks ban on Harry Potter]</ref> Ms. Mallory has since appealed the ruling twice to no avail.<ref>[http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5022462&nav=8fap]</ref> <ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16204853/from/]</ref> <ref>[http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/011807dnentpotterprotest.a89cec.html]</ref>

Similar concerns have been voiced by Christian cartoonist [[Jack Chick]], pastor and author [[Dave Hunt]], the British group [[Christian Voice]] and various others. None of these has resulted in any form of legal action.

==Series titles==
*''[[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]]'' (original title as published in England and all other English-speaking countries other than U.S.A: ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'')
*''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]''

Also, three companion books have been made to go along with the series: ''The Tale of the Beedle the Bard'', ''Quidditch Through the Ages'', and ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them''. ''Quidditch Through the Ages'' and ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' are both written under pen names, but all three are written by J.K. Rowling. <ref>www.jkrowling.org</ref>
==Further reading==
* Brown, Nancy Carpentier. ''The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Harry-Potter-Catholic-Family/dp/1592763987/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254259810&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* Cherrett, Lisa. "Harry Potter and the Bible" (2003) [http://www.harrypotterforseekers.com/articles/hpandthebible.php online version]
* Cockrell, Amanda. "Harry Potter and the Witch Hunters: a Social Context for the Attacks on 'Harry Potter'", ''Journal of American Culture'' 2006 29(1): 24-30, in [[EBSCO]]
* Colbert, David. ''The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter'' (2nd ed. 2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Worlds-Harry-Potter-revised/dp/0425223183/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263210737&sr=1-20 excerpt and text search]
* Granger, John. ''Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Harry-Potter-Serious-Reader/dp/0972322124/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263211376&sr=1-27 excerpt and text search]
* Granger, John. ''Looking for God in Harry Potter'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/How-Harry-Cast-His-Spell/dp/1414321880/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254259810&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search, 2nd edition under ''How Harry Cast His Spell'']
* Heilman, Elizabeth E., ed. ''Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter'' (2nd. ed. 2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Perspectives-Potter-Elizabeth-Heilman/dp/0415964849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263211512&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Neal, Connie W. ''The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Harry-Potter-Spiritual/dp/0664231233/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263211376&sr=1-33 excerpt and text search]
* Thomas, James W. ''Repotting Harry Potter: A Professor's Book-by-Book Guide for the Serious Re-Reader'' (2009)
* Whited, Lana A., ed. ''The Ivory Tower And Harry Potter: Perspectives On A Literary Phenomenon'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Ivory-Tower-Harry-Potter-Perspectives/dp/0826215491/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]
==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Harry Potter Universe]]
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Ghost Stories]]

Mario

2013-08-06T00:21:46Z

RobGart: /* Appearance */

'''Mario''' is one of the most recognizable [[video game]] characters in the world, serving as the mascot of the video game company [[Nintendo]]. Mario is a plumber who usually goes on adventures saving Princess Peach. He has a brother named [[Luigi]]. Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto, and was originally a carpenter called '''Jumpman'''. Mario has appeared in over 100 games since 1981's ''Donkey Kong''. Mario is an extremely recognizable character, and at one point was more recognizable than [[Mickey Mouse]].

==Appearance==

Mario is known for his famous red cap, blue overalls, and white gloves. He has a mustache and a rather large nose. In Super Smash Brothers Brawl (SSBB), he is given blue denim overalls, instead of his usual plain blue overalls. He bears a striking resemblance to Joseph Stalin, showing that Nintendo are obviously trying to indoctrinate our good American kids

==Abilities==

In most games he can jump particularly high, can grow to become Super Mario by eating (touching) mushrooms, obtain the ability to throw fireballs by grabbing flowers or become temporarily invincible by grabbing stars. In various games, including Super Mario Bros. 3, he can also fly by obtaining special items that vary from game to game.

==History==
Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto as one of his attempts to create a best-selling video game for Nintendo. Mario began as "Jumpman" in the video game ''Donkey Kong'' in 1981. He then appeared in ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' ,as the villain and Mario Bros. in 1983, which began Mario and Luigi's portrayal as Italian-American plumbers. Since then, Mario has then appeared in many other games for Nintendo consoles and handhelds. The first Mario console game was ''Mario Bros'' for the Atari and other consoles, followed by ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' for the [[NES]].
==Games==
===Donkey Kong===
''Donkey Kong'' is an arcade game released by [[Nintendo]] that the protagonist, [[Mario]], known at the time of release as Jumpman, must save Princess Pauline from the primate antagonist [[Donkey Kong]]. The game repeats four stages that after the final stage is completed, the four stages repeat and get more challenging each time they are played and more points are earned.

===Super Mario Bros.===
''Super Mario Bros.'' ([[ESRB]] ratings: E) is one of the most well known [[video games]] in the industry. It is a platform game created by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], first released in 1985. It features the intrepid [[Mario]] in his adventures through Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach from [[Bowser]]'s hands. It is the game that has sold the most copies worldwide and numerous ports, sequels and other merchandise has been made out of it.

It lacks any kind of realistic [[violence]] and can be enjoyed safely by the whole family.

The player controls Mario (or possibly [[Luigi]] in two-player mode) and must reach the goal in each side-scrolling level which is populated by numerous obstacles such as enemies, pitfalls and other hazzards. The player may obtain a red [[mushroom]] (increasing Mario's side and allowing him to be hit twice before losing a life), a fire flower (allowing Mario to throw bouncing [[fire]] [[ball]]s to eliminate some enemies), a bouncing [[star]]called Starman (making Mario invisible and eliminating enemies he comes in contact with), a green mushroom (giving Mario an extra life) or coins (collecting 100 of these will grant Mario an extra life). Most enemies are defeated by jumping on them directly and by throwing fire balls or [[shell]]s (obtained by jumping on Koopa Troopas, turtle-like enemies and Buzzy Beetles, a beetle-like equivalent) at them or The player travels through eight worlds, each consisting of four levels, the last one being a castle where an impersonation of Bowser dwells and must be defeated by reaching an [[axe]] and destroying the bridge he is standing on or by throwing enough fire balls at him, when he does, the player encounters a humanoid mushroom who tells him that the princess is in another castle (with the exception being the last one, where he finds the princess). The player may encounter warp [[pipe]]s that allow him to skip levels or even whole worlds.

Super Mario Bros. was the first original Mario game for the NES (previous Mario games on the NES such as ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario Bros.'' were ports of pre-existing arcade games), and was bundled in with the NES in a cart with ''Duck Hunt''. Along with ''[[Pac-Man]]'', it is one of the few games to be constantly republished. The game spawned numerous sequels including ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''Super Mario World'', which are regarded by many as two of the greatest games of all time. The game is generally regarded as the most innovative video game of all time.
[[Category:Mario Brothers]]
[[Category:Video Games]]

Video games

2013-08-06T00:05:19Z

RobGart: Removed obvious parody and added some reasonable statements

A '''video game''' is any electronic game, typically addictive and violent, which is played on a computer or console. As some wake up to how harmful violent video games are, the video game industry declined in 2012,<ref>http://www.nbc12.com/story/20289219/us-video-game-sales-drop-11-pct-in-november</ref> most likely due to the ending of this generation of consoles, though it remains much bigger than Hollywood. '''''Video games may be one of the biggest causes of bright young men dropping out of college, and also committing heinous acts of violence and ending their own precious lifes!'''''.

Video games have been linked to [[Young Mass Murderers|murders by young people]] and other [[violence]], stress-induced health problems (including unexpected heart attacks), [[obesity]],<ref>[http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ Childhood Obesity] Department of Health and Human Services, retrieved Sept 18th 2011</ref> and [[sexual immorality]]. Several prominent murderers in recent years were inspired by video games.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-316491/Teenager-gets-life-Manhunt-murder.html</ref> [[Young mass murderer]] [[Adam Lanza]] was "immersed in a perverse video game world" and "killed himself to prevent law enforcement from taking his 'points.'" He plotted his rampage far in advance and "learned the principles of ... the tactical reload" from his [[video games]].
Video games has also been used as "murder simulators" by American army, in order to desensitize young man, into triggering the gun better, and with less doubt, thus killing enemies more efficiently.
<ref>http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lupica-lanza-plotted-massacre-years-article-1.1291408#ixzz2NuWeFMNO]</ref>

After a murderous rampage by another video game user in Norway:
{{cquote|A number of Norway stores have pulled violent video games from sale - including several Call of Duty games and World of Warcraft - in the wake of the massacre carried out by Anders Behring Breivik on July 22.}}<ref>http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/871121-norway-stores-pull-violent-video-games-including-call-of-duty-after-massacre#ixzz1erUdaLo5</ref>

== Nature of Video games ==

The games vary greatly in type and complexity, but all games are alike in that they translate player input (from a controller, mouse, keyboard or motion sensor) into onscreen actions. Games are usually stored on some sort of digital media - ROM cartridge, [[CD]], [[DVD]], or even cassette tape for early computer games - though older or more inexpensive games may have dedicated chips which are pre-programmed to play certain games only. In recent years, game developers have moved to digital distribution, allowing anyone with a credit card or [[Paypal]] account to purchase games online. On PCs, this is often done through Valve corporation's Steam service, or Electronic Arts' Origin service, while the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have their own digital distribution services.

Home consoles are classified by ''generation'' to indicate their relative power and date of release. The current major consoles (XBox360, PS3, Wii) are considered ''seventh generation''. Handheld consoles are not generally put into generations due to their more irregular release schedules.

Video games have also been shown to help people to become more attuned to their surroundings and increase coordination, and in the future may be used to treat people with visual problems and to train soldiers. <ref> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_videogames.html </ref>

== Various genres ==

Video games in the course of their existence have grown from the simple arcade style games, and have become more detailed and separated from one another. Genres can now include [[first person shooters]], [[racing]], [[Simulation game|simulation]], [[role-playing]], [[sports]], [[action]], [[strategy]], [[masssively multiplayer online]], [[puzzle]] and many others. Even then, games can combine genres, such as ''Mass Effect'' (Role Playing and Third Person Shooting), or not fit nicely into any genre, like ''The Mystery of the Druids''. The most popular genres tend to be shooters, action, and roleplaying games. Many video games are based off of movies, such as Star Wars.

== Popularity & Controversy ==

Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the video game industry continues to grow with its original player base.

Video games are addictive activities targeted at teenagers, sometimes with tragic results.<ref>Some claim that 2/3rds of videogamers are over 18 years old, but far more people are over that age and a much higher percentage of minors are videogamers.[http://www.pan-o-matic.com/blog/?p=45 Only a third of videogamers are under 18]</ref> Certain genres of games are becoming increasingly violent and offensive, attracting the attention of legislators in many states to protect the exploitation of children by them. Games such as ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' are very violent, sexually explicit, and feature [[criminal]] behavior. These games are rated "M 17+" for "Mature," but courts have stricken down laws preventing retailers from selling them to children, under an interpretation that the First Amendment protects offensive video games even for children.<ref>http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/148962.html</ref> After a ''Conservapedian'' filed an [[amicus brief]] with the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] to consider this issue, it surprised [[liberal]]s by granting ''[[certiorari]]''.

However, in 2011, the Supreme Court denied a ban on the sale of violent video games in California, claiming they were protected as they "qualify for First Amendment Protection" and pointing out that there has historically been no shortage of violent imagery in children's fairytales, classical literature, and comics. Writing for the majority, Justice Scalia pointed out that "disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression", and continued that any effects of violent video games on children "are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media".<ref>[http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/08-1448.pdf BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, ET AL. v. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION ET AL.]</ref>

It has also been suggested that it is the role of parents to regulate what their children play, and that laws restricting video game vendors are an effort to replace parents' decisions with the government's decisions.<ref> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/45083/ </ref> <ref> http://www.gameculture.com/2010/11/10/editorial-parental-responsibility-and-today039s-media </ref> <ref> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-games28-2009feb28,0,1556900.story </ref>

===Violence===

Most of the controversy comes from the rising trend toward violence in video games, as pioneered by ''[[Doom (video game series)|Doom]]'', ''[[Quake]]'', and the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series.

Some people point out that violent video games cause violent behavior in some children. The effects of violent video games on the developing psyche of children and adolescents vary greatly and of course have much to do with the mental stability of the subject in question.
Serious crimes have often been associated with video games. For example, a 14-year-old brutally murdered a video arcade employee one morning and his cousin stands trial for murdering the store manager when he entered the store shortly thereafter.<ref>http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1212467732102240.xml&coll=1</ref>
In the [[United States|USA]], all retail games carry ratings from the [[ESRB]], a video game ratings organization.

Some claim that kids who don't play video games at all seem to show more violent tendencies. Of course, as expected, those who played violent video games for large amounts of time also showed violent tendencies, however the study claims that this is a "risk marker", not an actual cause.<ref>http://wii.qj.net/New-research-reveals-kids-who-don-t-play-videogames-at-all-are-more-at-risk-of-violent-tendencies/pg/49/aid/118505 New research reveals kids who don't play video games at all are more at risk of violent tendencies</ref> The so-called "violent tendencies" could also be linked to the frustration that comes with failing at a video game, violent or not. After all, several major sporting events have caused riots, due to the emotional investment of the audience and their frustration at the result which may also be associated.

Multiple studies have shown a correlation between violent video games and levels of real life violence, caused by playing some of the aforementioned video games.<ref>http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html</ref>

===Sexuality===

Although nudity is not prominent in [[western]] video games, there are various products containing sexually-suggestive material. One reason for the relative lack of explicitly sexual material in western games may be the refusal of retailers including [[Wal-Mart]]<ref>http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=440903</ref> (the leading distributor of video games in the United States) and [[Toys R Us]]<ref>[http://www.toysrusinc.com/safety/practices/ See Toys "R" Us's video games policy]</ref> (the world's largest toy themed retailer) to sell games carrying an "Adults-Only" rating. One notable target of controversy is the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series after a third-party mod was released that allowed the player to engage in a mini-game containing explicit sexual material. Mods are, as "third-party" would imply, fan-made and are not the responsibility of the game's developer. Other sources of this criticism relate to the game ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' as it was one of the first games where a female character (the protagonist) is depicted and advertised as a sex symbol.<ref>Ashley, Robert. "The Secret History of Videogame Sex." Official Playstation Magazine Feb. 2006: 96-99.</ref>

== Video Games & Society ==

As video games become more popular, their impact on society becomes ever more present. A prime example of this is the massive ad campaigns for the [[Halo (game)|Halo]] series, as well as [[Grand Theft Auto]]. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.

Due to their popularity, various corporations have begun placing advertisements for their products within the context of the game. [[Second Life]], an Internet-based virtual world, has attempted to blur the lines between real-world and virtual world, and companies such as Adidas, Reebok, and Dell have set up virtual stores selling real-world products within the game. [[Reuters]] also operates a news bureau reporting news in the game.

== Education in Video Games ==

While most popular video games are experiencing an increase in violence, language, and sexuality, other gamers and game developers are beginning to view video games as an educational opportunity. Firaxis Games, a noteworthy video game development company, has been creating a video game series called ''Civilization'' for nearly a decade. <ref> http://www.firaxis.com/company/ </ref> Civilization is a simulation game that allows the player to lead a nation from ancient times to modern day. It features a dynamic military system, politics, trading, and historical content. It has been recognized for its unintentional educational properties. <ref> http://www.firaxis.com/community/teacher.php </ref>

Microsoft Flight Simulator is another example of a video game being recognized for its unique educational properties. <ref> http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/product/Pages/InfoEducators.aspx </ref>

The popularity of several of the favourite sports video games has led to an uptake in children wishing to take part in them. If an adult plays video games with their children, they can learn about their child's personality and interests.

== Faith in Video Games ==

Faith in Video Gaming has, as a rule, either led to the creation of new and dynamic antagonists, or video games that are mediocre, such as ''Spiritual Warfare'' and ''Bible Adventure'' for the Nintendo, or ''The Bible Game'' for various systems. ''Bible Adventure'' in particular is infamous for its poor design and playability.

The Bible, or other such religious texts, tell a story spanning many different viewpoints. Turning these ideas into a video game, however, most often leads to games that tend to bore most video game audiences.

Religion has, however, taken a prominent place amongst the various heroes and villains in video games. The ''Breath of Fire'' series and the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' games, in particular, use a god as a main antagonist in many of its incarnations. Other games to use religion in some way include the ''Final Fantasy'' series, ''[[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]]'', ''Black and White'', ''Heaven and Hell'', ''Xenogears'', ''Okami'', and the ''Tales'' series, particularly ''Tales of Symphonia''. Unfortunately, many (not all) of the aforementioned games (And nearly any Role Playing game from East Asia) present religion (or it's respective church and followers) as evil, fake, or having ulterior and nefarious motives.

Games may include a fictional religion as part of the setting if the use of a real religion may invite undesirable controversy.

Video game reviewers have sometimes unjustly attacked and reviewed games where real-world religion plays a notable role. One of the most prominent examples of this is the game ''[[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]]''.<ref>http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/left_behind</ref>.

==See Also==
*[[Young mass murderers]]
*[[Video game controversy]]
*[[Jack Thompson]]
*[[Video game industry]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.whattheyplay.com/ What They Play - the parent's guide to video games]
*[http://www.leftbehindgames.com/index.php Left Behind Games - a Christian, family friendly video game company]

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Video Games]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Essay:Worst Liberal Movies

2013-08-05T23:49:04Z

RobGart: /* Social */ Ed Wood? Are you having a laugh?

While many [[Essay:Greatest_Conservative_Movies|great conservative movies]] are produced every year, [[Hollywood values|Hollywood]] continues to create many movies which promote, normalize and aggrandize bad behavior and poor values. Below is a list of some of the more egregious examples:

==Political==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''Game Change''
|2012
|Not Rated
|Liberal haters playing conservatives in a HBO movie about [[Sarah Palin]]. Many debunked controversies are highlighted in the plot. Both [[John McCain|McCain]] and Palin call it fiction.
|NA - TV
|-
|''[[Frost/Nixon]]''
|2008
|R
|A liberal movie meant to further tarnish the reputation of [[Richard Nixon]].
|$18,622,031
|-
|''[[W.]]''
|2008
|PG-13
|A movie designed to denigrate the role of Christianity in US politics and particularly in the life of [[George W. Bush]].
|$25,534,493
|-
|''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]''
|2004
|R
|A Michael Moore movie, which distorts the tangential link between the Bush family and the Bin Laden family.
|$119,194,771
|-
|''The Motorcycle Diaries''
|2004
|R
|A fawning monument to communist [[Che Guevara]].
|$16,781,387
|-
|''The Contender''
|2000
|R
|Political movie turned into pro-[[Al Gore]] propaganda by liberal studio executives and [[Hollywood values]].
|$17,872,723
|-
|''V for Vendetta''
|2005
|R
|Blatantly glorifies [[anarchism]], [[socialism]], [[communism]] and [[homosexuality]].
|$70,511,035
|-
|''Dead Man Walking''
|1995
|R
|A senseless criticism of capital punishment, with an ending that left some liberal viewers even more confused.
|$39,363,635
|-
|''Nixon''
|1995
|R
|A historically inaccurate biography of Richard Nixon directed by liberal filmmaker [[Oliver Stone]].
|$13,681,765
|-
|''Milk''
|2008
|R
|An extremely pro-[[gay]] biography of openly homosexual politician [[Harvey Milk]].
|$31,841,299
|-
|''[[Capitalism: A Love Story]]''
|2009
|PG-13
|A typical Michael Moore hatchet-job where he relentlessly attacks America's capitalist economy with claims of alleged financial inequality.
|$14,363,397
|-
|''The China Syndrome''
|1979
|PG
|The movie depicts a meltdown of a fictional nuclear power plant. The film greatly over-hypes this risk of a nuclear meltdown and the resultant damage. This film along with the Three Mile Island incident (which occurred shortly after the film's release) are often credited for killing the nuclear power industry in America.
|$51,718,367
|-
|''[[SiCKO|Sicko]]''
|2007
|PG-13
|Another Michael Moore film which spread many falsehoods about American healthcare while unduly glorifying the so-called benefits of socialized healthcare. Memorably referred to Cuban healthcare as being better than American healthcare.
|$24,540,079
|-
|''Apocalypse Now''
|1979
|R
|Overindulgent anti-war diatribe. Portrays US servicemen as corrupt, incompetent drug-users.
|$78,784,010
|-
|''Fair Game''
|2010
|PG-13
|Another Bush bash flick starring communist Sean Penn. 2010 film rehashes the lead up to the war in Iraq and Valerie Plame's role. Typical un-American Hollywood film "The narrative that Karl Rove and Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff Scooter Libby were nefarious behind-the-scenes players intent on destroying innocent reputations while pushing the nation into war on false pretenses."
|$9,540,691
|-
|''Recount''
|2008
|Not Rated
|The 2008 HBO movie on the 2000 Presidential elections and its aftermath in Florida. A look into how the Republicans stole the election and the role of its party members that made it happen. Republicans are portrayed as ghoulish and cited as manufacturing demonstrations. Both the real Warren Christopher and James Baker contend the film’s portrayal of the former is hopelessly untrue.
|NA - TV
|-
|''Redacted''
|2007
|R
|Brian De Palma’s 2007 fictional anti-Iraq War film funded by Mark Cuban. The film is credited with inspiring a terrorist attack that killed two U.S. servicemen in Germany.
|$65,388
|-
|''U-571''
|2000
|PG-13
|Had a plot which was based on the first capture of a German Enigma machine in World War 2. However, in the film the capture is made by Americans. In fact the first Enigma machine was captured by the British in 1941 prior to the Americans entering the war.
|$77,122,415
|-
|''Born on the Fourth of July''
|1989
|R
|Radically anti-[[Vietnam War]] film.
|$70,001,698
|-
|''Zero Dark Thirty''
|2012
|R
|Promotes feminism and down plays the role [[George W. Bush]] had in the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.
|
|-
|}

==Social==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''Dazed and Confused''
|1993
|R
|Promotes promiscuity and drug abuse.
|$7,993,039
|-
|''Howl''
|2010
|R
|Film about homosexual poet, [[Allen Ginsberg]]. Promotes the homosexual agenda and the idea that writing about pornography is protected under the first amendment and has literary value.
|
|-
|''Glen or Glenda''
|1953
|Not rated
|Promotes cross dressing and transsexualism.
|N/A
|-
|''[[Avatar]]''
|2009
|PG-13
|A movie with many destructive messages. The movie promotes environmentalism, claiming that nature is God, and feminism. It also ridicules the military and large businesses. The hero of the film also forms a rather creepy romance with the native princess, who is of another species, perhaps a symbol for bestiality.
|$760,507,625
|-
|''Blow''
|2001
|R
|Glorifies the life of drug dealer, and suspected murderer, George Jung.
|$52,990,775
|-
|''Pineapple Express''
|2008
|R
|Shows drug abuse to be "cool".
|$87,341,380
|-
|''The Organizer''
|1963
|Not Rated
|Italian film that promotes unions. The movie also promotes infidelity.
|Unknown
|-
|''Natural Born Killers''
|1994
|R
|Riddled with violence, drug abuse and sexual references, this movie's main characters are brutal serial killers who are viewed as heroes.
|$50,282,766
|-
|''[[Brokeback Mountain]]''
|2005
|R
|Showing that [[liberals]] will shoehorn the homosexual agenda into anything, even cowboys.
|$83,043,761
|-
|''Boogie Nights''
|1997
|R
|Made the porn industry and exploitation of women look cool.
|$26,400,640
|-
|''The Social Network''
|2010
|PG-13
|Glorifies the gossip website [[Facebook]], which feeds narcissism and destroys marriages. Also portrays drug use and misogyny in a positive light.
|$96,962,694
|-
|''The Day After Tomorrow''
|2004
|PG-13
|Overdramatic, nonsensical portrayal of the consequences of fictional [[climate change]].
|$186,740,799
|-
|''The People vs. Larry Flynt''
|1996
|R
|Idealizes [[pornography]] mogul [[Larry Flynt]] and argues that pornography is protected by the [[First Amendment]].
|$20,300,385
|-
|''But I'm a Cheerleader''
|1999
|R
|Portrays [[homosexuality]] as a legitimate lifestyle, attacks and ridicules [[reparative therapy]] and religious people.
|Unknown
|-
|''Orgazmo''
|1997
|NC-17
|Portrays the porn industry in a positive light, mocks Mormons and the religiously devout.
|$602,302
|-
|''Rent''
|2005
|PG-13
|Promotes [[homosexuality]] and transvestitism as normal lifestyle.
|$29,077,547
|-
|-
|''Pink Flamingos''
|1972
|NC-17
|Embraces horrifying people, who engage in such acts as incest and [[beastiallity]], as well as promoting the homosexual agenda, since it stars transvestite Divine and shows homosexuals in a positive light. This film has toilet humor, finding it funny when a character literally eats poo, and extremely offensive language, one character is even named after a racial slur against white people. Characters promote anarchy and violence as an everyday thing. A very graphic film, even for most liberals, showing close ups of genitalia unlike any non porno film. Liberals call it a comedy, but it is more like an act of Satin.
|$7,000,000
|-
|''Kids''
|1995
|NC-17
|Pornographic film concerning five underage teenagers in New York City engaging in graphic sex, violent acts, [[drug]]/[[alcohol]] use and homosexual activities.
|$7,412,216
|-
|''[[Clerks]]''
|1994
|R
|Filled with constant vulgar profanity. Previously rated NC-17 before being appealed for an R rating.
|$3,151,130
|-
|''Clerks 2''
|2006
|R
|Sequel to the liberal comedy, filled with more profanity and even more disgusting acts that could not be in the budget of the original film.
|$24,148,068
|-
|''The Kids Are All Right''
|2010
|R
|Portrays homosexuality and gay parenting as normal lifestyle.
|$20,811,365
|-
|''The Day After''
|1983
|Not Rated
|Attacks the military and conservative politicians, and encourages negotiation with communists.
|NA - TV
|-
|''The Princess and the Frog''
|2009
|G
|Promotes feminism.
|$104,400,899
|-
|''Project X''
|2012
|R
|Shows teen drinking, [[drug]] use, sex, vulgar profanity and anarchic behavior to be "cool".
|$54,731,865
|-
|''Boys Don't Cry''
|1999
|R
|Glorifies the choice of a young girl to embrace homosexual and transgender life choices, dishonesty and pre-marital relations; as well as unfairly caricaturing and exaggerating natural reactions to her perversion; all in aid of promoting the [[homosexual agenda]].
|$11,533,945
|-
|''Beginners''
|2011
|R
|Promotes homosexuality and "[[coming out of the closet]]".
|$5,790,894
|-
|''Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle''
|2004
|R
|The adventures of the pot-smoking duo that play up ethnic stereotypes.
|$18,250,550
|-
|''American Pie''
|1999
|R
|First installment of a long-running film franchise primarily dealing with teenage sex and alcohol. It relies on jokes about sex and bodily functions.
|$102,561,004
|-
|''There's Something About Mary''
|1998
|R
|Contains gratuitous sex and jokes about bodily functions.
|$176,484,651
|-
|''Philadelphia''
|1993
|PG-13
|Homosexual agenda setting drama.
|$77,446,440
|-
|''Jackass: The Movie''
|2002
|R
|Essentially a montage of ridiculous stunts and pranks with no coherent story.
|$64,255,312
|-
|}

==Schlockumentary==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|Almost any movie by [[Michael Moore]]
|
|
|
|
|-
|''[[An Inconvenient Truth]]''
|2006
|PG
|[[Al Gore]]'s [[global warming]] alarmist [[schlockumentary]].
|$24,146,161
|-
|''[[The Road We’ve Traveled]]''
|2012
|Not rated
|[[Tom Hanks]] directs & narrates Barack Obama's supposed achievements
|NA
|-
|''[[Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup]]''
|2009
|
|[[Truthers]] Dylan Avery and Korey Rowe blame America for 9/11
|Unknown
|-
|''Super Size Me''
|2004
|PG-13
|Blames obesity on great capitalist paragons like [[McDonald's]] and [[Sodexo]].
|$11,536,423
|-
|''[[Religulous]]''
|2008
|R
|"Comedian" Bill Maher tries to convince the audience of the folly of all religion, with special focus on Christianity.
|$13,011,160
|-
|''[[Jesus Camp]]''
|2006
|PG-13
|Baselessly attacks Conservative Christianity; incited liberal vandalism of the Bible camp shown in the film.
|$902,544
|-
|''Inside Job''
|2010
|PG-13
|A 2010 film by Democrat donor Charles Ferguson that blames the Great Recession on Wall Street, deregulation, the Bush Administration. The film whitewashes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's role and claims the financial system corrupted politics. Capitalists are the bad guys.
|$4,312,735
|-
|''[[The 11th Hour]]''
|2007
|PG
|Environmental schlockumentary produced and narrated by actor Leonardo DiCaprio which endorses the theory of Anthropogenic global warming.
|$707,343
|-
|''[[Bowling for Columbine]]''
|2002
|R
|A 2002 schlockumentary directed by and starring leftist propagandist Michael Moore. It is a pro-gun control film, and distorts facts in favor of gun control.
|$21,576,018
|-
|''The Tillman Story''
|2010
|R
|A liberals view of the circumstances surrounding the death of football star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman. The film portrays each and every fact as sinister. Plus, each and every fact is evidence of a conspiracy. Typical Hollywood George W. Bush bashing flick. The bias was clear, make Tillman a liberal atheist anti-war hero that was cannon-fodder for the government. Tillman's actions speak louder than any twisted accusations presented in this documentary.
|$802,535
|-
|''Better This World''
|2011
|Not Rated
|2011 documentary "feature length lie" is a PBS film regarding the thwarted domestic terrorist attack at the 2008 Republican National Convention and liberals attempt to re-write history.
|NA - TV
|-
|''Winter Soldier''
|1972
|Not Rated
|The 1972 film about U.S. troops from Vietnam put on record as baby killers, human rights violators, and general disservice to America. This myth was propagated by a few anti-war activist liberal actors that never did see combat in Vietnam and some were never in the country. The initial result was to hold hearings in Congress over the matter. All allegations were proven fabrications, falsehoods, and lies.
|Unknown
|-
|''Lost in Tel Aviv''
|2008
|Not Rated
|A film depicting a couple intent on making a filthy [[South Park]]-esque cartoon as heroes.
|Unknown
|}

==Anti-Religious==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''Dogma''
|1999
|R
|Mocks religion and [[Catholic]]ism in particular, with cheap smutty jokes and portraying [[God]] as female.
|$30,652,890
|-
|''The Golden Compass''
|2007
|PG-13
|Based on the atheistic ''His Dark Materials'' series.
|$70,107,728
|-
|''Priest''
|1994
|R
|Blatantly anti-Catholic and pro-gay.
|$4,165,845
|-
|''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''
|2006
|PG-13
|Promotes the false theory that Jesus Christ married [[Mary Magdalene]].
|$217,536,138
|-
|''Inherit the Wind''
|1960
|Not Rated
|Hollywood perpetuated complete lies about the Scopes Trial in this film in order to smear Christianity, including: portraying William Jennings Bryan as being ignorant, harsh and punitive, based on a false portrayal of his actions and testimony, falsely claiming that at the end Bryan, in a senseless fit of madness, died in the courtroom amid caring and reasonable Darwinists and falsely portraying the Darwinists in a positive light and the Christians as deceitful. In real life, Bryan and the Christians won the trial and were charitable to the end, while the Darwinist Darrow was deceitful in reneging on his deal to take the witness stand after Bryan did.
|Unknown
|-
|}

please add more!
[[Category:Essays about Liberals]]
[[Category:Cinema]]
[[Category:Hollywood]]
[[Category: Worst Liberal Movies]]

Superman

2013-08-05T17:13:47Z

RobGart: /* Liberal Multicultural Superman */

[[Image:ARoss Superman.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Superman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Superman''' is a fictional character created in the mid-1930s by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and currently published by DC Comics under a variety of titles. The first comic book superhero, Superman spawed a pantheon of other similar characters, and a comics industry in which Superman alone was selling at well over a million copies as early as 1942<ref> [http://www.nostalgiazone.com/doc/zine/05_Q1/funnybusiness.htm Nostalgiazone.com]</ref>; he would later star in books, radio, animation, television, and film. Superman is seen as a symbol of America, reflected in his red and blue costume and marketing material describing his mission as the protector of "truth, justice, and the American way".

==Comics lore==
Superman is the last son of Krypton, a distant planet much larger than Earth with a red sun. Raised by two [[Methodism|Methodist]] [[Kansas]] farmers, Superman was blessed by his alien heritage with great powers. In his initial appearances, his power set consisted of being "faster than a speeding bullet", "more powerful than a locomotive", and "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound". Since then, his powers have been expanded to include incredible strength, super speed, flight, invulnerability, super breath, super intelligence, heat-ray eyes, freezing breath, passing through matter, unaided interstellar travel, and various forms of superhuman senses (super-hearing; x-ray, heat, telescopic, and microscopic vision) - Superman's excessive and ever-changing powers are often the subject of criticism or parody. He is severely weakened by green [[kryptonite]], can be reduced to normal human levels of power by light from a red sun, and is vulnerable to [[magic]].

He lives a secret double life, posing as the "mild-mannered reporter" Clark Kent. He specifically works in the news [[media]] so he can more easily hear about and attend the scenes of crimes. In most continuities, Superman is romantically involved with Lois Lane, a fellow reporter, and his best friend is teenage cub reporter, later photographer, Jimmy Olsen.

==History==
Superman was the creation of two teenagers from Cleveland, Ohio: Jerry Siegel and Joseph Shuster, both children of Jewish immigrants. They were students at Glenville High School when they met in 1931, a pair of shy, awkward and unpopular kids who shared an interest in the adventure and science fiction stories of the pulp magazines of the day, and comic strips, specifically a genre called the adventure comic, such as Phillip Nolan's ''Buck Rogers'', Alex Raymond's ''Flash Gordon'', and Edgar Rice Burroughs' ''Tarzan''. Jerry was the writer, submitting articles for the school newspaper. Joe was the artist, his illustrations complementing Jerry's work. The pair not only developed into a good friendship, but into a powerful collaboration as well; one would go to the others house each night to discuss, plan, sketch, and hatch out new stories and refine current ones. Their plan was to create a comic strip and live comfortably on the fame and fortune it would provide, but two events would curtail it considerably: the [[Great Depression]], which threw millions of Americans out of work, and the death of Jerry's father on June 2, 1932, as a result of an armed robber.

In 1932 the boys created a periodical, titled simply ''Science Fiction''. An anthology magazine, it was by mail-order only, and was printed off a mimeograph machine the boys had access to. The January, 1933 issue had a story called "The Reign of the Super-Man"<ref>http://archive.org/stream/ReignOfTheSuperman/RSM#page/n0/mode/2up</ref>, in which the central character was a bald villain who used his mental powers for personal gain. "As a science-fiction fan, I knew of the various themes in the field," Siegel said. "The superman theme has been one of the themes ever since Samson and Hercules; and I just sat down and wrote a story of that type—only in this story, the Superman was a villain."<ref>http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2012/06/1933s-reign-of-superman-first-superman.html</ref>

A few months after publication, their idea of a powerful villain evolved into a powerful hero. They were familiar with the legendary strongmen of mythology, so naturally their hero would have physical, rather than mental, power. Eventually, they decided on an alien from a doomed planet, who appeared on earth "Moses-like", with fantastic strength and abilities, who would fight for the common man; the death of Jerry's father also weighed in, with the result that their new character would appear in the nick of time, someone powerful enough to right all wrongs<reF>[http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-08-25-superman-creators_N.htm ''USA Today'' Online]</ref>. The boys' first attempt at publishing their character would occur a year later, with a boast of "the most astounding fiction character of all time" on the cover, as the hero comes to the rescue of someone at the mercy of an armed robber. With the name "Superman" bestowed on him, they intended to follow in the same direction that other comic artists have done: do a daily and Sunday strip for syndication in newspapers. Despite being ground-breaking - no previously-published fictional character had even come remotely close to what would eventually be called a "super hero" - the boys were repeatedly rejected by the publishers they had submitted it to.

But one medium held some promise. In the news stands at the time, alongside the papers and the magazines, was a new format: the comic book. In it's original form, the comic was simply reprints of the daily and Sunday strips, and at 10 cents it was a cheap way for newspapers to gain additional money. Among the early entrepreneurs who saw a potential was Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, the founder of National Allied Publications, the precursor to D.C. Comics. In 1935 he had published ''New Fun'', a comic book with all-original material in it. His intention was to continue creating original works, but there was a catch: he wanted people who could work cheap, such as struggling artists who were young and rather naive. Siegel and Shuster were hired as storyboard artists, and the pair would create several characters for the company, among them "Slam Bradley", a private eye and the first star of ''Detective Comics'' #1 in 1937.

A year later, new management took control of National Allied Publications; ''Detective Comics'' was a hit and they wanted another one, and they decided to take a chance on Siegel and Shuster's creation. ''Action Comics'', the company's fourth title and intended to be an anthology of multiple stories within one issue, was sent to the stands in April, 1938; on the cover was Superman, appearing before the public for the first time brandishing an automobile over his head, despite having been placed there by accident as a result of a publishing deadline.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/13/nyregion/jack-liebowitz-comics-publisher-dies-at-100.html</ref> The initial printing of 200,000 had quickly sold out; the number sold would quickly rise into the millions within months.

==Today's comic value==
Due to the requirements of [[World War II]], scrap paper was among the things needed for the war effort, which resulted in many comic books being recycled; as a result, only 100 examples of ''Action Comics No. 1'' are known to exist. "It's the Holy Grail of comic books," said comic expert Stephen Fishler, referring to the recent placing of one on the auction block. "This is the one that started it all. There was no such thing as a super hero before it. No flying man. Comics weren't even that popular. It's the single most important event in comic book history." <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,501704,00.html ''Fox News'' Online: "Holy Grail of Comic Books' Looks to Fetch Six-Figures at Auction"]</ref><ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/02/26/2009-02-26_supermans_debut_in_action_comics_no_1_co.html ''New York Daily News'' Online: "Superman's debut in Action Comics No. 1 could fetch $400G"]</ref> The first example of Superman in comic form - indeed, the first comic superhero ever printed - ''Action Comics No. 1'' in "fine" condition can fetch upwards of $125,000 at auction [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,364626,00.html]; several examples have fetched more than $1,000,000. <ref>[http://www.nostomania.com/servlets/com.nostomania.CatPage?name=Top100ComicsMain ''Nostomania'''s Top 100 Comics]</ref>

==Liberal Multicultural Superman==
In 2011, DC Comics have stated that Superman intends to renounce his U.S. citizenship before the United Nations in Action Comics No. 900, “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy … ‘truth, justice and the American way’ - it’s not enough anymore.” DC Comics issued a statement saying "Superman announces his intention to put a global focus on his never-ending battle, but he remains, as always, committed to his adopted home..." <ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/29/take-your-global-citizenship-and-shove-it-superman/ PICKET: Take your global citizenship and shove it, Superman, Washington Times, April 29, 2011]</ref> Superman, a symbol of American exceptionalism, now leads moral relativism by joining the “blame America first” league, however, since Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton, he isn't really bound to an American nationality in the first place. These developments have been rendered defunct, as the Superman series, along with every other ongoing DC series, has been relaunched as part of "The New 52" reboot, thus eliminating all previous DC canon, including the renunciation of Superman's American identity.

==Links==
*[http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=max%20fleischer%20AND%20superman The Fleischer Studios ''Superman'' cartoons of the 1940s, from the Internet Archive]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:DC Comics Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic Characters]]

HBO

2013-08-05T17:09:43Z

RobGart:

'''HBO''', an abbreviation of '''H'''ome '''B'''ox '''O'''ffice, is a non-standard cable television network. It was founded in 1972 by Charles Dolan, who is also the founder of [[Cablevision]]. As a dedicated provider, not intermixed with [[broadcast]] television, HBO faces comparably low restrictions on content, [[obscenity]], [[profanity]], and other decency regulations, and uses its freedom to create television shows with a more ''[[film noir]]'' feel to them.

Examples of programming include:
*''Rome'' - a show chronicling the rise of [[Augustus Caesar]], from the death of [[Julius Caesar]], to the death of [[Marc Anthony]]. The show ran two seasons to critical acclaim. Profanity, nudity, and sexuality are common.
*''Big Love'' - a [[drama]] following the lives of a [[polygamy|polygamist]] [[Mormon]] family in [[Utah]], struggling to differentiate themselves from a family history that connects them with an abusive polygamist compound. The show, while ''prima facie'' glorifying polygamy, instead seeks to prove that it is impossible to practice in a principled manner. Profanity and sexuality are common.
*''True Blood'' - a [[dramedy]] in which Vampires walk among humans as equals, made possible through artificial blood called "True Blood". There are also werewolves and witches. The show tries heavily to deconstruct the conservative Southern States of the USA, tools in this are sex, obsenity, profanity, murder. Christian are portayed as moronic fanatics. In the show evolution is a fact.
*''Treme'' - A [[drama]] portraying the problems of the people of [[New Orleans]] after the [[Hurricane Katrina]].
*''Sex and the City'' - the name says it all. The show has no basis other then sexual "adventures" of four New York women in their mid-thirties. Two follow-up movies were produced.
*''In Treatment'' - a daily drama about a psychologist and its patients.
*''The Sopranos'' - a drama about an Italian-American [[mobster]] family. Often credited for the developement of the "Quality Television Series".
*''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' - a sitcom starring [[Larry David]], the co-creator of ''[[Seinfeld]]''. Profanity, nudity, and sexuality are common.
*''Game of Thrones''- A high fantasy drama about dynasties in the fictional realms of Westeros and Essos. One of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of all time, known for its unpredictable plot and complex characters and story arcs.
*''The Wire''- Critically lauded Crime drama. The highest rated scripted TV show on IMDB.

[[category:Entertainment]][[Category:Television]]

Game of Thrones

2013-08-05T17:05:04Z

RobGart: Removed major spoilers and no, it doesn't "glamorize".

{{uncited}}'''Game of Thrones''' is a [[fantasy]] [[television]] series based on the 'Song of Ice and Fire' series of [[novel|novels]] by George R. R. Martin, with each season roughly following one of the novels.

The stories are set in the [[fiction|fictional]] world of 'Westeros' and includes such places as 'King's Landing', 'Winterfell' and 'The Wall. The series produced by [[HBO]] uses mostly [[British]] [[actor|actors]] and capitalizes on the use of difference between the southern and northern accents spoken in the U.K. The show is also known for its unpredictable plot, such as the deaths of several major characters.

== Grey Characters ==

There are no absolute [[good]] or [[evil]] characters in the stories. One of the most popular characters 'Tyrion Lannister', a [[dwarf]], is intelligent, cold and calculating but also has great sympathy for fellow outcasts and the mistreated.
[[Category:Television Shows]]