Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Honduras

2009-09-29T00:30:55Z

Wayne:

{{Country
|name =''República de Honduras''
|map =Honduras.jpg
|flag =Flag of Honduras.png
|arms =Arms of Honduras.png
|capital =Tegucigalpa
|capital-raw =
|government =Democratic constitutional republic
|government-raw =
|language =Spanish
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|monarch-raw =
|president =Roberto Micheletti (interim)
|president-raw =
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|area =43,278 sq mi
|pop =7,483,763 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =
|gdp-year =$21.74 billion (2005)
|gdp-pc =$3,009 (2005)
|currency =Lempira
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'''Honduras''' is a country in [[Central America]], and one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere [http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/9476.pdf]. Its most recently elected leader was ousted in a coup. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/29/world/main5122602.shtml]

==Geography==
Honduras is located roughly in the middle of [[Central America]], sharing borders with [[El Salvador]], [[Guatemala]], and [[Nicaragua]]; its water boundaries are the [[Caribbean Sea]] and the Golfo de Fonseca, an arm of the [[Pacific Ocean]].
*Area: 112,090 sq. km. (43,278 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Virginia.
*Cities: Tegucigalpa (capitol; pop. 1,150,000); San Pedro Sula (800,000-900,000).
*Terrain: Mountainous.
*Climate: Tropical to subtropical, depending on elevation.

==People==
About 90% of the population is [[mestizo]]. There also are small minorities of [[European]], [[African]], [[Asian]], [[Arab]], and indigenous Indian descent. Most Hondurans are [[Roman Catholic]], but [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches are growing in number. While [[Spanish]] is the predominant language, some [[English]] is spoken along the northern coast and is prevalent on the Caribbean Bay Islands. Several indigenous Indian languages and Garífuna (a mixture of Afro-indigenous languages) are also spoken. The restored [[Maya]]n ruins near the [[Guatemala]]n border in Copan reflect the great Mayan culture that flourished there for hundreds of years until the early 9th century. Columbus landed at mainland Honduras (Trujillo) in 1502, and named the area "Honduras" (meaning "depths") for the deep water off the coast. Spaniard [[Hernando Cortes]] arrived in 1524.
*Population (2006 est.): 7.3 million.
*Growth rate (2006 est.): 2.16%.
*Ethnic groups: 90% mestizo (mixed Indian and European); others of European, Arab, African, or Asian ancestry; and indigenous Indians.
*Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant minority.
*Language: Spanish.
*Education (2003): Years compulsory--6. Attendance--88% overall, 31% at junior high level. Literacy--76.2%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--29.64/1,000. Life expectancy--66.2 yrs.
*Work force: Services--42.2%; natural resources/agriculture--35.9%; manufacturing--16.3%; construction/housing--5.6%.

==Government==
The 1982 constitution provides for a strong executive, a unicameral National Congress, and a judiciary appointed by the National Congress. The president is directly elected to a 4-year term by popular vote. The Congress also serves a 4-year term; congressional seats are assigned the parties' candidates in proportion to the number of votes each party receives in the various departments. The judiciary includes a Supreme Court of Justice (one president and 14 magistrates chosen by Congress for a seven-year term), courts of appeal, and several courts of original jurisdiction--such as labor, tax, and criminal courts. For administrative purposes, Honduras is divided into 18 departments, with municipal officials selected for 4-year terms.

===Political Conditions===
Reinforced by the media and several political watchdog organizations, concerted efforts to protect human rights and civil liberties continued. Organized labor now represents approximately 8% of the work force and its economic and political influence has declined. Honduras held its seventh consecutive democratic elections in 2005 to elect a new president, unicameral Congress, and mayors. For the first time, as a result of the newly reformed Electoral Law, voters were able to vote for individual members of Congress, with photos of each candidate on the ballot, rather than party lists. For the electoral period 2006-2010, 31 women were elected to Congress; 27 of them chose women as their alternates for a total of 58 women in the legislature, an unprecedented number in the political history of the country.

===Political Parties===
The two major parties are the slightly left-of-center Liberal Party and the slightly-right-of-center National Party. The three much smaller registered parties--the Christian Democratic Party, the Innovation and National Unity Party, and the Democratic Unification Party--hold a few seats each in the Congress, but have never come close to winning the presidency.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President--Roberto Micheletti (interim president)
*Minister of Foreign Relations--Milton Jimenez Puerto
*President of Congress--Roberto Micheletti
*Ambassador to the United States--Roberto Flores Bermúdez
*Ambassador to the United Nations--Ivan Romero Martinez
*Ambassador to the OAS--Carlos Sosa Coello

===Foreign Relations===
Honduras is a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the Central American Integration System (SICA), the Conference of Central American Armed Forces (CFAC), and the Central American Security Commission (CASC). During 1995-96, Honduras--a founding member of the United Nations--served as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council for the first time. Honduras is currently a member of the UN Human Rights Commission. Honduras is a party to all UN and OAS counterterrorism conventions and protocols.

Honduras is a strong proponent of Central American cooperation and integration, and continues to work towards the implementation of a regional customs union and Central American passport, which would ease border controls and tariffs among Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.

In 1969, El Salvador and Honduras fought the brief "Soccer War" over disputed border areas. The two countries formally signed a peace treaty in 1980, which put the border dispute before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In 1992, the Court awarded most of the disputed territory to Honduras, and in January 1998, Honduras and El Salvador signed a border demarcation treaty to implement the terms of the ICJ decree although delays continue due to technical difficulties. However, Honduras and El Salvador maintain normal diplomatic and trade relations. Honduras also has unresolved maritime border disputes with El Salvador, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and Cuba.

==Defense==
With the cessation of the 1980s civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the Honduran armed forces refocused their orientation toward combating transnational threats such as narcoterrorism and organized crime. Honduras supports efforts at regional integration and deployed troops to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 1999, the constitution was amended to abolish the position of military commander in chief of the armed forces, thus codifying civilian authority over the military. Former President Flores also named the first civilian Minister of Defense in the country's history.

==Economy==
Honduras is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America, with nearly two-thirds of Hondurans living in poverty. Although historically dependent on exports of coffee and bananas, the economy has diversified over the past 20 years with the development of non-traditional exports such as oriental vegetables, cultivated shrimp, melons, and tourism, and the establishment of a growing maquila industry (primarily assembly of apparel for re-export). The maquila industry employs approximately 130,000 Hondurans. Honduras also has extensive forest, marine, and mineral resources, although widespread slash-and-burn agricultural methods and illegal logging continue to destroy Honduran forests. Family remittances from Hondurans living abroad (mostly in the United States) have risen significantly, to an estimated $2.3 billion in 2006, which represents 15% of the country's foreign exchange earnings and over 20% of its GDP.

The exchange rate through the first quarter of 2007 was 18.89 Honduran Lempira to the dollar, a slight devaluation from the 2005 rate of 18.92. Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, was estimated at approximately 6.0% in 2006 and was projected to remain at that rate in 2007. International reserves totaled $2.6 billion in 2006, up from an estimated $2.23 billion in 2005. Unemployment was estimated at around 28% in 2005.
*GDP: $22.3 billion (PPP) or $9.3 billion (official exchange rate).
*Growth rate: 5.5%.
*Per capita GDP: $2,900 (PPP).
*Per capita income: $ 894.00
*Natural resources: Arable land, forests, minerals, and fisheries.
*Agriculture (14.1% of GDP): Products--coffee, bananas, shrimp and lobster, sugar, fruits, basic grains, and livestock.
*Manufacturing (18% of GDP): Types--textiles and apparel, cement, wood products, cigars, and foodstuffs.
*Services (53.2% of GDP).
*Trade: Exports (goods)--$1.95 billion: apparel, coffee, shrimp, bananas, palm oil, gold, zinc/lead concentrates, soap/detergents, melons, lobster, pineapple, lumber, sugar, and tobacco. Major market--U.S. (54.4%). Imports (goods)--$5.00 billion: fabrics, yarn, machinery, chemicals, petroleum, vehicles, processed foods, metals, agricultural products, plastic articles, and paper articles. Major source--U.S. (37.5%).

Beginning in late 1998, the United States helped conduct a massive reconstruction effort following the devastation left by [[Hurricane Mitch]], which also allowed thousands of displaced families to obtain permanent shelter. Basic infrastructure (water and sanitation, and bridges, including over 1,250 kilometers of roads) along with critical social infrastructure (schools and 123 damaged health clinics) lost or damaged during the storm had been rebuilt when the program was largely completed by the end of 2001.

In 2005, Honduras reached completion point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, qualifying the country for multilateral debt relief.

==History==
[[File:Honduras - Copan.jpg]]

Mayan Ruins of Copan.

====Independence====
Honduras and other Central American provinces gained independence from Spain in 1821. The country was then briefly annexed to the Mexican Empire. In 1823, Honduras joined the newly formed United Provinces of Central America federation, which collapsed in 1838. Gen. Francisco Morazan--a Honduran national hero--led unsuccessful efforts to maintain the federation. Honduras' agriculture-based economy was dominated in the 1900s by U.S. companies that established vast banana plantations along the north coast. Foreign capital, plantation life, and conservative politics held sway in Honduras from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.

====Military Rule====
Authoritarian Gen. Tiburcio Carias Andino controlled Honduras during the Great Depression, until 1948. In 1955--after two authoritarian administrations and a strike by banana workers--young military reformists staged a coup that installed a provisional junta and paved the way for constituent assembly elections in 1957. This assembly appointed Ramon Villeda Morales as President and transformed itself into a national legislature with a 6-year term. The Liberal Party ruled during 1957-63. In 1963, conservative military officers preempted constitutional elections and deposed Villeda in a bloody coup. These officers exiled Liberal Party members and took control of the national police. The armed forces, led by Gen. Lopez Arellano, governed until 1970. Popular discontent continued to rise after a 1969 border war with El Salvador, known as "the Soccer War." A civilian President--Ramon Cruz of the National Party--took power briefly in 1970 but proved unable to manage the government. In 1972, Gen. Lopez staged another coup. Lopez adopted more progressive policies, including land reform, but his regime was brought down in the mid-1970s by corruption scandals. The regimes of Gen. Melgar Castro (1975-78) and Gen. Paz Garcia (1978-82) largely built the current physical infrastructure and telecommunications system of Honduras. The country also enjoyed its most rapid economic growth during this period, due to greater international demand for its products and the availability of foreign commercial lending.

====Seven Consecutive Democratic Elections====
Following the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua in 1979 and general instability in El Salvador at the time, Hondurans elected a constituent assembly in 1980 and voted in general elections in 1981. A new constitution was approved in 1982, and the Liberal Party government of President Roberto Suazo Cordoba took office. Suazo relied on U.S. support during a severe economic recession, including ambitious social and economic development projects sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Honduras became host to the largest Peace Corps mission in the world, and nongovernmental and international voluntary agencies proliferated.

As the 1985 election approached, the Liberal Party interpreted election law as permitting multiple presidential candidates from one party. The Liberal Party claimed victory when its presidential candidates, who received 42% of the vote, collectively outpolled the National Party candidate, Rafael Leonardo Callejas. Jose Azcona Hoyo, the candidate receiving the most votes among the Liberals, assumed the presidency in 1986. With the endorsement of the Honduran military, the Azcona administration ushered in the first peaceful transfer of power between civilian presidents in more than 30 years.

Four years later, Nationalist Rafael Callejas won the presidential election, taking office in 1990. The nation's fiscal deficit ballooned during Callejas' last year in office. Growing public dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living and with widespread government corruption led voters in 1993 to elect Liberal Party candidate Carlos Roberto Reina with 56% of the vote. President Reina, elected on a platform calling for a "moral revolution," actively prosecuted corruption and pursued those responsible for human rights abuses in the 1980s. He created a modern attorney general's office and an investigative police force, increased civilian control over the armed forces, transferred the police from military to civilian authority, and restored national fiscal health.

After winning the 1997 election by a 10% margin, Liberal Carlos Roberto Flores Facusse took office in 1998. Flores inaugurated programs of reform and modernization of the Honduran government and economy, with emphasis on helping Honduras' poorest citizens while maintaining the country's fiscal health and improving international competitiveness. In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras, leaving more than 5,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced. Damages totaled nearly $3 billion. President Flores and his administration successfully managed more than $600 million in international assistance. Flores also moved judicial and penal reforms forward, establishing an anticorruption commission, and supporting passage of a new penal code based on the oral accusatorial system and a law that created an independent Supreme Court. Flores also established a civilian Minister of Defense.

Ricardo Maduro Joest of the National Party won the 2001 presidential elections, and was inaugurated in 2002. During his campaign, President Maduro promised to reduce crime, reinvigorate the economy, and fight corruption. Maduro's first act as President was to deploy a joint police-military force to the streets to permit wider neighborhood patrols in the ongoing fight against the country's massive crime and gang problem. Maduro was a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism and joined the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq with an 11-month contribution of 370 troops. Under President Maduro's guidance, Honduras also negotiated and ratified the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), received debt relief, became the first Latin American country to sign a Millennium Challenge Account compact with the U.S., and actively promoted greater Central American integration.
[[File:Manuel Zelaya.jpg|thumb|Removed President Manuel Zelaya Rosales]]
Jose Manuel "Mel" Zelaya Rosales of the Liberal Party won the November 27, 2005 presidential elections with less than a 4% margin of victory, the smallest margin ever in Honduran electoral history. Zelaya's campaign theme was "citizen power," and he has vowed to increase transparency and combat narcotrafficking, while maintaining macroeconomic stability. The Liberal Party won 62 of the 128 congressional seats, just short of an absolute majority. Zelaya was inaugurated on January 27, 2006.

On June 28, 2009, Zelaya was removed from power by the Honduran military after he had ignored a Supreme Court order to reverse the firing of his armed forces chief [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCgN8Fgqu2B0]. Leftist leaders within Latin America - among them [[Hugo Chavez]] and [[Fidel Castro]], as well as [[United States]] president [[Barack Obama]], have condemned his removal in what they call a "coup"; however others have noted that his removal was justified as he was taking his country left and attempting to alter the Honduran constitution in a similar fashion to what Chavez has done to [[Venezuela]] in an effort to keep himself in power [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124658463338890161.html]. Roberto Micheletti currently serves as interim president. In late September 2009, the government suspended civil liberties and silenced opposition broadcasters in order to protect democracy and free speech <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,556381,00.html</ref>

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] here: }}} [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1922.htm].
|}

[[Category:Central American Countries]]
[[Category:Mayan world]]

Talk:Sacha Baron Cohen

2009-09-27T21:22:54Z

Wayne: /* Anagram */

==Anagram==
Borat is a common Slavic name, which is why it was chosen for this movie. It has nothing to do with being an anagram of "abort". --[[User:ERiggs|ERiggs]] 16:06, 27 September 2009 (EDT)
:They could have easily chosen any other common Slavic name. [[User:TimH|TimH]] 17:20, 27 September 2009 (EDT)
::Would you make the same claim about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights -- TABOR? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 17:22, 27 September 2009 (EDT)

== Why delete? ==
This article concerns a valid, noteworthy topic of interest to conservatives. You may not agree with the subject, or its presentation, but is that really the criteria for removal? Conservatives, too, might want to know what the controversy is. [[User:Menkatron|Menkatron]] 11:44, 15 March 2007 (EDT)

Talk:Sacha Baron Cohen

2009-09-27T21:22:39Z

Wayne: /* Anagram */

==Anagram==
Borat is a common Slavic name, which is why it was chosen for this movie. It has nothing to do with being an anagram of "abort". --[[User:ERiggs|ERiggs]] 16:06, 27 September 2009 (EDT)
:They could have easily chosen any other common Slavic name. [[User:TimH|TimH]] 17:20, 27 September 2009 (EDT)
::Would you make the same calim about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights -- TABOR? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 17:22, 27 September 2009 (EDT)

== Why delete? ==
This article concerns a valid, noteworthy topic of interest to conservatives. You may not agree with the subject, or its presentation, but is that really the criteria for removal? Conservatives, too, might want to know what the controversy is. [[User:Menkatron|Menkatron]] 11:44, 15 March 2007 (EDT)

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

2009-09-27T15:33:26Z

Wayne: what a mess.

The '''International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia''' (ICTY) (Full name: ''International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991''), is the [[United Nations]] organization designed to bring justice to the former [[Yugoslavia]]. The tribunal is located in [[The Hague]].

== Origin ==
The tribunal was established by [[UN Security Council]] resolution 827. It was passed on 25 [[May]] 1993 in the face of the serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991, and as a response to the threat to international peace and security posed by those serious violations<ref>http://www.un.org/icty/glance/keyfig-e.htm</ref>.

== Jurisdiction ==
The tribunal has the authority to prosecute and try four types of offences committed in the former Yugoslavia since 1991:
*Grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
*Violations of the laws or customs of war.
*[[Genocide]].
*Crimes against humanity.
They only have the authority to try and prosecute individual people and not organizations, political parties or governments (ex. they cannot try "[[Serbia]]"). They can take over national investigations and proceedings if it is in the interest of international justice<ref>http://www.un.org/icty/glance/keyfig-e.htm</ref>.

== Accomplishments ==
The following is a list of accomplishments taken from the ICTY's official website[http://www.un.org/icty/glance-e/index.htm]:
*Spearheading the shift from impunity to accountability

*Establishing the facts

*Bringing justice to thousands of victims and giving them a voice

*Strengthening the Rule of [[Law]]

----

Its accomplishments in international law include;

*It has expanded upon the legal elements of the crime of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 by further defining the test of overall control, identifying the existence of an international armed conflict, and also the extended and exact definition of protected persons under the Conventions

*It has narrowed the differences that are perceived between the laws or customs of war applicable in internal and in international conflicts, thus approaching both standards for the protection of individuals

*It has identified a general prohibition of torture in international law which cannot be derogated from by a treaty, internal law or otherwise

*It has made significant advances in international humanitarian law pertaining to the legal treatment and punishment of sexual violence in wartime

*It has specified crucial elements of the crime of [[genocide]], in particular the definition of the target of such crime, a group or part if a group of individuals

*It has made several pivotal determinations with regard to crimes against humanity committed against civilians, in particular that this crime can be committed not only as part of, but also just during an armed conflict, thus identifying a wide scope of protection

*It has specified the definitions of enslavement and persecution as parts of crimes against humanity, resulting in the first convictions after [[World War II]] for enslavement on the basis of a broadened definition

*It has identified and applied the modern doctrine of criminal responsibility of superiors, so-called command responsibility, clarifying that a formal superior-subordinate relationship is not necessarily required for criminal responsibility

*In the same vein, it has removed uncertainty about the level of knowledge to be expected from a superior, whose subordinates were about to commit crimes he did not prevent, or about crimes actually committed by them

*It has made numerous contributions to procedural law issues, some of which are in the areas of protective measures for witnesses, the confidentiality and disclosure of information relevant for the national security of States, guilty pleas of accused, and duress as a defense

*It was the first tribunal established under Chapter VII of the UN Charter as a measure to maintain international peace and security

*It was the first truly international war crimes tribunal

*It was the first international criminal court to enforce the existing body of international humanitarian law, and in particular judicially determine its customary law aspects

*It has created an independent system of law, comprising of elements from adversarial and inquisitory criminal procedure traditions

*It has established the most modern court facilities in the world, the layout and technical equipment of which will be copied and taken as a model in other modern courtrooms, for example the ICC and the Special Court for [[Sierra Leone]]

*It has established, developed and maintained an effective victims and witnesses programme

*It has established a unique legal aid system, and groomed a group of defense attorneys highly qualified to represent accused in war crimes proceedings

*The Tribunal has created a Judicial Database of all its jurisprudence, soon to be available on the internet, providing access to a vast amount of decisions and orders in and international procedural and criminal law

== Criticisms==
The ICTY has received much criticism in its short years of existence<ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/tribunals/yugo/2005/1120sham.htm The Hague Tribunal:The Political Economy of Sham Justice]</ref> <ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/tribunals/yugo/2005/1113success.htm Jury Still Out on Tribunal's Success]</ref> <ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/tribunals/yugo/2005/0107longtrials.htm Lengthy Hague Trials Under Scrutiny]</ref> <ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/tribunals/yugo/2006/0721reconciliation.htm The Hague Tribunal and Balkan Reconciliation].</ref>

Common criticisms include:
*The failure of the tribunal to prosecute non-[[Serb]] offenders
*The failure of the court to promote reconciliation, many view it as impeding reconciliation
*The failure of the court to give trials of reasonable length
*The failure to apprehend indictees, such as [[Ratko Mladic]]. However the court has no power to arrest individuals
*The cost of sustaining the court

== References==
<references/>

== Links ==
[http://www.un.org/icty/ Official Website]

[[category:United Nations]]
[[category:law]]

Jaco Pastorius

2009-09-26T22:55:33Z

Wayne:

'''John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III''' (December 1, 1951–September 21, 1987) was an [[American]] [[jazz]] musician and composer famous for his abilities on the electric bass guitar. He was known for using a fretless bass and incorporating a style that included natural and artificial harmonics, chords, notes in the higher register, and a strong sense of playing in the "groove." He is widely considered to be the greatest and most influential electric bassist of all time.

From 1976 to 1982, he was a member of the jazz fusion band Weather Report (though he only played two tracks on their 1976 album "Black Market"). During this period, he also collaborated with artists such as Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, and Al Di Meola. His 1976 self-titled debut album is often praised as a landmark album for the bass guitar, with "Donna Lee", "Continuum", and "Portrait of Tracy" being stand-out tracks.

"Portrait of Tracy", arguably his most famous composition, is frequently labeled as a bass standard. The song consists almost entirely of artificial harmonics, giving it an ambient and relaxing tone not commonly heard on the bass.

In the early 1980s, Jaco's health began to deteriorate, and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He also began to abuse alcohol, which led to a sharp change in his personality. On September 11, 1987, while trying to enter the Midnight Bottle Club in Wilton Manors, Florida, he got into an altercation with bouncer Luc Havan that quickly turned violent. Jaco was hospitalized with severe brain damage, and fell into a coma. After spending ten days on life support, he died on September 21 after developing a brain hemorrhage.

Jaco's debut album earned two Grammy nominations. In 1988, he was became only the fourth bassist to be inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame, joining Milt Hinton, Charles Mingus, and Ray Brown); he is the only electric bassist to be so honoured.

User talk:RJJensen

2009-09-25T16:16:56Z

Wayne: /* "Revert vandalism" on the Chavez article */

[[/Archive 1]]

Haha, yeah the rain has been murderous all week long! I had the misfortune of planning to drive into Athens today, only to find all the roads underwater! I didn't realize until you messaged me that my talk page has the info intended for my user page, so thank you for your inadvertant help (also, yes, it appears my grammar died while I was writing it!) Are you from the area as well? Always good to meet a fellow southerner who understands the Obama Crisis. There are so many hayseed liberals down here it makes me sick! Don't worry tho, you won't hear me crying out for a confederate south:) Long live a STRONG CONSERVATIVE UNION, with a surplus export of integrity! [[User:RoyP|RoyP]] 20:33, 21 September 2009 (EDT)
::thanks for the update. I'm actually a Yankee now living in Montana, but I have had a strong interest in the South since I studiesd with C. Vann Woodward some years back.[[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 20:36, 21 September 2009 (EDT)
:::I can forgive a Yank, I used to be one (Mt. Vernon, Washington)! Unfortunately, that town's Conservative fervor lives solely in the words of one Glenn Beck (that man's done for intelligent conservatism what Sean Penn did for photographers dentistry.) [[User:RoyP|RoyP]] 20:45, 21 September 2009 (EDT)
::::Now, what kind of a snide insult is that? Beck is a thoughtful, honest fighter for the conservative cause, and if people are angered at the government by his exposés, all the better for the nation. Both he, and those of us who respect him, are intelligent people. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 20:59, 21 September 2009 (EDT)
:::::Forgive any intrusion or stamping upon your own loyalties. But surely you must admit that the movement suffers from a lack of Irving Kristol or William Buckley type figures. I long for the days when conservatism nakedly confessed that the intellectuals were the brains of the movement while the power of the people were its fists. OF COURSE a weapon must be weighted properly, with the correct balances, but it is only in retrospect that people might discuss its craftsmanship and the components which constituted it. I would venture to say that anyone slain by Excalibur would comment on anything but the sharpness of its blade, which in this most basic analogy, would comprise the incisive wit of conservatives who have lived and then gone to meet God in heaven. The fires of anger burn with intense heat in the belly of American conservatism, but to stoke these fires, as Beck often does, produces little but flash and smoke. It will be some current or future leader, a Reagan-type, I pray, who shall light his torch with such a flame and bring it to the halls of Congress or to the Obama home and say, "See, this same flame has burned for ages now let it singe you!". God, conservatism, the side of moral right; all are the same, and united they are all consuming. But it must take SOMEONE...a prophet, a politician who does God's work, a priest with God's word in him...someone, SOMEONE must carry that torch. [[User:RoyP|RoyP]] 21:15, 21 September 2009 (EDT)

== Quakerism category ==
Thanks for setting it up! I'll try to contribute a few more new articles to insert. --[[User:MarkGall|MarkGall]] 14:20, 22 September 2009 (EDT)

== "Revert vandalism" on the Chavez article ==

Does [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Hugo_Chavez&curid=5224&diff=703420&oldid=703401 this edit] really count as "vandalism"? Or would it be more fair of you to qualify it as a different point of view? A point of view that may be criticized, perhaps, one that may or may not be backed up by whatever evidence is cited--but where is the "vandalism"? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 08:44, 25 September 2009 (EDT)
::it's vandalism--it was designed to attack and denigrate and damage a CP article. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 10:10, 25 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Introducing a different point of view--with a citation, no less--is denigrating and damaging to the article? Is the article that fragile? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 10:25, 25 September 2009 (EDT)
:::that was his goal. to sabotage the article by making it contradictory. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 10:38, 25 September 2009 (EDT)
::::Would it not add to the credibility of the article and the site as a whole to engage with the ideas that the editor brought to the table on their own merits--or lack thereof-- as opposed to dismissing them as vandalism? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 12:16, 25 September 2009 (EDT)

User talk:RJJensen

2009-09-25T14:25:57Z

Wayne: /* "Revert vandalism" on the Chavez article */

User talk:RJJensen

2009-09-25T12:44:38Z

Wayne: /* "Revert vandalism" on the Chavez article */ new section

Talk:Homosexuality obsession

2009-09-22T22:04:13Z

Wayne: /* JPatt?!?!? What are you doing!?!?! */ new section

Oh goodness. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 19:15, 14 November 2008 (EST)
:Goodness it is indeed. -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 19:58, 14 November 2008 (EST)
::What then, does that make [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Search&ns0=1&ns2=1&ns4=1&ns120=1&redirs=0&search=homosexual&limit=50&offset=0 this] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Search&ns0=1&ns2=1&ns4=1&ns120=1&redirs=0&search=gay&limit=20&offset=0 this]? {{unsigned|CPAdmin1}}

:::Depending on the article, more of the same, I'd say. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:16, 14 November 2008 (EST)
:::Seriously, though. This article has no citations and has a LOT of statements which need them. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 20:19, 14 November 2008 (EST)
::::Tim, we may have several articles on homosexuality, but that's because we're exposing the liberals and the gay agenda. It's hardly our fault that they've aided the infiltration of homosexuality into the mainstream, but it's our duty to point out how this infiltration is occuring and the dangers of letting it proceed unchecked.
:::: HelpJazz, many of these points are taken up in the other articles. As my edit summary said when I created this article, it's more of a place to collect the general observations. -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 21:28, 14 November 2008 (EST)
:::::If that's true then we either don't need this article, or you can port over the references from those articles (assuming those articles have references...). [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 21:53, 14 November 2008 (EST)
::::::Cite, cite, cite. HelpJazz, again, it doesn't take much work to find these references. The subject is pretty pervasive. I've added some cites to give the article some grounding, I'm sure others can find a wealth of other citations. It's nothing to ''obsess'' over :-P -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 00:10, 15 November 2008 (EST)
:::::::It's a little better, but still a long ways to go. I'd explain what I mean, but the page is locked so it won't matter for a week.
:::::::The reason I let you do the work is 3-fold, but the most important reason is that if I teach a man to fish he can feed himself for a lifetime :) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:29, 15 November 2008 (EST) <-- Dreams of a day when people cite things without having to be asked
I woke up and found the article locked. NO FUN! :( I was going to touch it up today. -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 15:36, 15 November 2008 (EST)
:Too big a target for ironic vandalism, it seems. It should settle down when they get their kicks. [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 17:50, 15 November 2008 (EST)
::Sigh. They don't give up, do they? -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 06:32, 16 November 2008 (EST)

== Latest vandalisms ==

I must say, they had a point. Maybe the section on Wikipedia should be removed? --[[User:Vittu|Vittu]] 12:17, 26 November 2008 (EST)
:Kind of ironic, huh? [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 12:29, 26 November 2008 (EST)
::The real irony is the liberal vandals obsessing over this article. Now THAT's funny. -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 16:36, 27 November 2008 (EST)

==[[Moral equivalence]]==

Pointing out evil is nothing at all like pushing people to tolerate it. The two are as different as night and day. Discuss major changes like [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Homosexual_obsession&diff=577491&oldid=576521 this] beforehand. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 11:42, 4 December 2008 (EST)

== Irony ==

At the risk of being labeled ''obsessive'' like someone in the above discussions, does anyone else see the irony in [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Search&ns0=1&ns2=1&ns4=1&ns120=1&redirs=0&search=homosexual&limit=50&offset=0 this], [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Search&ns0=1&ns2=1&ns4=1&ns120=1&redirs=0&search=gay&limit=20&offset=0 this], and [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:PopularPages&limit=200&offset=0 this]? I really, honestly hope there's another active editor out there who gets this. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 22:52, 16 March 2009 (EDT)
:I'm sorry, but the irony is lost on me. We are reporting on liberal behavior, in this case their obsession with homosexuality, and on the destructive nature of the homosexual movement. These are important issues to address publicly before they become too strong. Do you think [[Lot]] was obsessed with sodomy when he warned that God was angry with the actions in Sodom and Gomorrah?
:Since you bring up [[irony]], do you also consider it ironic that mainstream Hollywood and television has been artificially promoting homosexual characters (the [[token gay]]) to make it seem like they commonly exist among the general public, when in fact most decent people have not actually willfully encountered homosexuals? They make it seem like everyone has a gay friend or uncle or mailman, which is ironic to me, considering I don't have any gay friends, relatives, dentists or firefighters. Just good, honest, Christians. If you can't spot the liberal homosexual obsession, then you've already been duped, I'm sad to say. I'd encourage you to read some more insights, if you can bear the "irony". -[[User:Foxtrot|Foxtrot]] 17:00, 17 March 2009 (EDT)
::"An irony that is lost on the publishers" indeed. --[[User:Jfavor|Jfavor]] 21:55, 19 May 2009 (EDT)

== JPatt?!?!? What are you doing!?!?! ==

Redirecting the article on homosexual obsession to Sarah Palin? Is this a mistake? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 18:04, 22 September 2009 (EDT)

Rachel Maddow

2009-09-22T01:36:20Z

Wayne:

'''Rachel Maddow''' (b. 1973) is a [[left-wing]] American radio and television commentator for [[Air America]] radio and [[MSNBC]] cable television. She has a bachelors degree from [[Stanford]] University, and a doctorate from [[Oxford]]. (She went to Oxford as a [[Rhodes Scholar]].) Maddow is one of the few [[lesbian|gay]] personalities in the mainstream news media. Like almost everyone at the MSNBC network, she has an immoral world view, and uses her position in the media to advance her [[homosexual agenda]]. As a hysterical opponent of former U.S [[President George W. Bush]], she continues to oppose [[Conservative values]] and the [[Republican Party]], while being a slavish supporter and follower of [[Barack Obama]]. There has never been a single instance where she has criticized Obama or his socialist policies in the slightest. She has dedicated several shows to defending welfare and is most likely an extremist socialist herself.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddow, Rachel}}

==See Also==
*[[Homosexuality]]
*[[Homosexuality_in_the_media|Homosexuality in the Media]]
*[[Hollywood values]]
*[[Tammy Bruce]]
[[Category:Broadcasters]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Liberal Activists]]

{{Liberalism}}

Counterexamples to an Old Earth

2009-09-21T15:45:37Z

Wayne:

It takes only one "counterexample" to disprove the theory of an [[Old Earth]]. As with any logical proposition, one contradiction disproves the proposed rule.

Potential counterexamples to the theory of an [[Old Earth]] include:

* the [[moon]] is receding from the [[Earth]] at a rate suggesting it would have been too close billions of years ago
* spiral galaxies appear to be young, and proposals of the existence of dark matter are needed to reconcile them with belief in an old universe
* the massive [[Great Lakes]] are receding in volume too rapidly
* freshwater lakes are known to be relatively young<ref>Ice Age theories were developed to explain this, but massive freshwater lakes exist even near the equator</ref>
* The [[Earth]]'s [[magnetism]] is changing at too fast a rate for the Earth to be old. The Earth's magnetic field is weakening in strength by 5% every 100 years through the process of the reversal of polarity. This has occurred some 170 times over the last 76 million years. The last time this happened was approximately 770,000 years ago<ref>[http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/tour/AAmag.html Earth's Magnetic Field and its Changes in Time], from [[NASA]]</ref>. Exponential decay at that rate is not compatible with an old Earth, since it would have required the Earth's magnetic field to be impossibly large at the times postulated by old-Earth theory.
* the existence of inland salt-water lakes, such as [[Mono Lake]] and the [[Great Salt Lake]], suggest a recent global [[flood]]

== References ==

<references/>

== See also ==

* [[Counterexamples to Evolution]]
[[Category:geology]]

Counterexamples to an Old Earth

2009-09-21T15:42:14Z

Wayne: Added detail from NASA article.

It takes only one "counterexample" to disprove the theory of an [[Old Earth]]. As with any logical proposition, one contradiction disproves the proposed rule.

Potential counterexamples to the theory of an [[Old Earth]] include:

* the [[moon]] is receding from the [[Earth]] at a rate suggesting it would have been too close billions of years ago
* spiral galaxies appear to be young, and proposals of the existence of dark matter are needed to reconcile them with belief in an old universe
* the massive [[Great Lakes]] are receding in volume too rapidly
* freshwater lakes are known to be relatively young<ref>Ice Age theories were developed to explain this, but massive freshwater lakes exist even near the equator</ref>
* The [[Earth]]'s [[magnetism]] is changing at too fast a rate for the Earth to be old. The Earth's magnetic field is weakening in strength by 5% every 100 years: This has occurred some 170 times over the last 76 million years. The last time this happened was approximately 770,000 years ago<ref>[http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/tour/AAmag.html Earth's Magnetic Field and its Changes in Time], from [[NASA]]</ref>. Exponential decay at that rate is not compatible with an old Earth, since it would have required the Earth's magnetic field to be impossibly large at the times postulated by old-Earth theory.
* the existence of inland salt-water lakes, such as [[Mono Lake]] and the [[Great Salt Lake]], suggest a recent global [[flood]]

== References ==

<references/>

== See also ==

* [[Counterexamples to Evolution]]
[[Category:geology]]

Sarah Palin

2009-09-20T23:31:08Z

Wayne: vandalism

{{Officeholder
|name=Sarah Palin
|image=Sarah Palin.jpg
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=[[Todd Palin]]
|religion=Christian
|offices=

{{Officeholder/governor
|state=Alaska
|terms=December 4, 2006-July 26, 2009
|preceded=[[Frank Murkowski]]
|former=n
|succeeded=[[Sean Parnell]]
}}
}}

'''Sarah Louise Heath Palin''' (pronounced pay'-lynn) (born February 11, 1964) served as the [[conservative]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Governor]] of [[Alaska]] from 2006 through 2009. She is the youngest person to hold this office as well as the first woman to do so in the state's history. On July 3, 2009 Palin announced that she will resign as Governor of Alaska. <ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/palin_not_running/2009/07/03/231789.html</ref> Executive power was transferred to [[Lieutenant Governor]] [[Sean Parnell]].
Palin was Senator [[John McCain]]'s Vice Presidential running mate in the [[2008 Presidential Election]]<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/palins_vp_selection_speech.html Acceptance Speech by Palin]</ref>, and the first woman to appear on a Republican Presidential ticket.

She brought a [[populism|populist]] image and a record of cutting wasteful spending and reforming government to McCain's ticket. In the summer of 2007, she was the most popular governor in America, after cutting 13% of [[Alaska]]'s budget.<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/851orcjq.asp</ref> She is strongly [[pro-life]] and a prominent spokesperson for [[special needs]] children. She favors more competition in health care, and pushed for abolishing the [[certificate of need]] regulations that interfere with opening new medical clinics.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090403253.html?referrer=emailarticle</ref>

Married for 20 years, Sarah Palin's husband is a member of the United Steelworkers Union and her eldest son (of five children) is in the [[United States Army]], scheduled to go to Iraq. In an appearance on August 30, 2008 in Washington, Pennsylvania, she was greeted by a surprisingly large crowd as she promoted the new McCain-Palin ticket.

She earned her Journalism degree from the University of [[Idaho]]<ref>http://www.adn.com/palin/story/516085.html</ref> and worked in the media and the utility industry before beginning her public service 14 years ago.

==Personal Background==
[[Image:Sarah Palin Todd Trig.jpg|thumb|right|In this April 23, 2008 file photo, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, left, and her husband, Todd Palin, hold their baby boy Trig in Anchorage, Alaska. 
''Photo courtesy of Newsmax.com'']]
Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. Palin attended Wasilla High School where her extracurricular activities included captaining the basketball team which went on to win the state championship <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008</ref> after graduating in 1982. She went on to college, after attending several institutions she received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Over the course of her 44 years in Alaska she has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla. To earn money for college, Palin entered beauty pageants.

She is married to [[Todd Palin]], part Yupik [[Eskimo]], who is a lifelong Alaskan, works at a non-management union job in the oil industry, and also as a commercial salmon fisherman. He is a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world's longest snowmobile race.

Sarah Palin is a [[Labor union | union]] member, a [[moose]] hunter and holds a membership in the [[NRA]].<ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/mccain-to-name-running-mate-on-friday/ McCain Names Alaska Gov. Palin as Running Mate] Fox News, August 29, 2008</ref> Todd and Sarah have five children together: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig.

Palin has been widely praised among conservatives for acting on her [[pro-life]] beliefs in the case of her youngest son, Trig, who was diagnosed with [[Down syndrome]] in the fourth month of her pregnancy. After researching the condition, she and her husband agreed to continue to pregnancy:
: "[My husband Todd said,] we shouldn't be asking 'Why us?' We should be saying 'Well, why not us?' We've both been very vocal about being pro life. We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential. I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?" <ref>http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/05/gov-sarah-palin.html</ref> <ref>[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29242 Canadian Doctors 'Fear' Sarah Palin's Choice May Start a Trend] Catholic Online, Septmeber 11, 2008</ref>

Trig was born on April 18, 2008, four months before his mother was announced as the vice-presidential candidate. Palin wrote:
:"This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together, and get everyone focused on what really matters ... Those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells [us] is 'normal' or 'perfect.'"<ref name="people">[[People magazine]]</ref>

:"It's a sign of the times to be able to do this," she said. "I can think of so many male candidates who watched a families grow while they were in office. There is no reason to believe a woman can't do it with a growing family. My baby will not be at all or in any sense neglected."<ref>Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-10-4082128881_x.htm]</ref>

Palin's older son, Track, serves in the U.S. Army, and was deployed to [[Iraq War|Iraq]] in September 2008. Palin says, "I'm proud of him but I worry."<ref name="people">[[People magazine]]</ref>

In September of 2008, Palin announced that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant. After having been given the choice, Bristol bravely chose to keep the child. Palin stated "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents."<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080901/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_daughter Palin says 17-year-old daughter is pregnant]</ref> Bristol has since gone on to promote abstinence as a realistic choice for teenagers, stating, "[A]bstinence is the only way you can effectively, 100% foolproof way you can prevent pregnancy."<ref>http://www.lifenews.com/nat5025.html</ref>

[[Image:Palin Family..jpg|thumb|left|Palin family members at the announcement of Palin's vice presidential selection, August 29, 2008. From left: Todd, Piper, Willow, Bristol, and Trig.]]

==Political Career==
Palin was elected to two terms on the Wasilla City Council, and then two terms as the Mayor / Manager of Alaska's fastest growing community (Population: 5400 in 2000)<ref>[http://wasilla.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm Wasilla Population and Demographics]</ref>. During her time as mayor, Palin hired a Washington lobbying firm to help secure $8 million in congressionally directed spending projects, otherwise known as earmarks.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-31-palin-bridge_N.htm Palin backed 'bridge to nowhere' in 2006]</ref> Ms. Palin's leadership qualities were recognized when she was elected as President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. In 2002, she ran for Lieutenant Governor, but came in second in a four-way race. Later that year, when [[Frank Murkowski]] resigned his [[Senate]] seat to become [[governor]], she interviewed for the opening. Instead, Murkowski appointed his daughter to the seat. From there, she went on to run for governor and won, becoming the first female governor of Alaska and its youngest.

In 2003, then-Governor Mukowski appointed Palin to serve as Panel Ethics Commissioner of Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's [[non-renewable energy|non-renewable]] resources: [[oil]] and [[gasoline|gas]]. She resigned in 2004 as a protest over the "lack of ethics" of fellow panelists who had ignored her complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest. In a similar vein, Palin took a great political risk by revealing that Randy Reudrich, chairman of the state Republican party, was doing political business on state time. She did this to fulfil a [[conflict of interest]] statement that required her to report such things; to omit the revelation would have been dishonest. But it turned out that this action endeared her to the people of Alaska.<ref>[http://churchformen.blogspot.com/2008/09/people-around-world-are-asking-who-is.html Sarah Palin, a friend of mine] </ref>

To help cultivate influence and political clout in the state, Palin served from 2003 - June, 2005 as one of three directors of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.", a 527 group that raised funds from corporate donors.<ref>[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html#more Palin Was a Director of Embattled Sen. Ted Stevens's 527 Group]</ref> The stated purpose of the group is, "To increase the number of Republican women in elected offices and in appointed governmental and political positions, including advisory and regulatory commissions through training and education."<ref>[http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/ted_stevens_excellence_in_public_service_inc.asp Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.]</ref>

She ran for Governor in 2006 on a clean government platform, and accomplished a political rarity in defeating the incumbent Governor [[Frank Murkowski]] in his own Republican primary. Palin went on to defeat former Governor [[Tony Knowles]] in the general election.

She has also served on the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. She was named one of Alaska's "Top 40 Under 40", Alaska's Public Works "Person of the Year", and was recently inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society at Alaska Pacific University.

Palin has served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the State, and stays active as a marathon runner, sports team mom, hockey manager and school volunteer. A lifetime member of the [[NRA]], she enjoys hunting, fishing, and Alaska history. <ref>http://gov.state.ak.us/bio.php Alaska Governor Sarah Palin</ref>
===Resignation===
In July of 2009, Governor Palin shocked Alaska and the nation with her announcement that she would not seek a second term, and would resign her office effective July 26, 2009.

In her own words:

{{cquote|'''Some say things changed for me on August 29th last year – the day John McCain tapped me to be his running-mate – ''I say others changed''.'''

Let me speak to that for a minute.

Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations – such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters’ questions.

Every one – all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We’ve won! But it hasn't been cheap - the State has wasted thousands of hours of your time and shelled out some two million of your dollars to respond to “opposition research” – that’s money not going to fund teachers or troopers – or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the “politics of personal destruction” … Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight. And what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn’t cost them a dime so they’re not going to stop draining public resources – spending other peoples’ money in their game.

It’s pretty insane – my staff and I spend most of our day dealing with this instead of progressing our state now. I know I promised no more “politics as usual,” but this isn’t what anyone had in mind for Alaska.

If I have learned one thing: life is about choices!

And one chooses how to react to circumstances. You can choose to engage in things that tear down, or build up. I choose to work very hard on a path for fruitfulness and productivity. I choose not to tear down and waste precious time; but to build up this state and our country, and her industrious, generous, patriotic, free people!

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and “go with the flow”.

Nah, only dead fish "go with the flow".

No. Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to build up.

And there is such a need to build up and fight for our state and our country. I choose to fight for it! And I'll work hard for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government; strong national security for our country and support for our troops; energy independence; and for those who will protect freedom and equality and life... I'll work for and campaign for those proud to be American, and those who are inspired by our ideals and won't deride them.

I will support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the right reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all. Inside Alaska – or Outside Alaska.

But I won’t do it from the Governor’s desk.

'''I've never believed that I, nor anyone else, needs a title to do this - to make a difference... to help people. So I choose, for my State and my family, more "freedom" to progress, all the way around... so that Alaska may progress... I will not seek re-election as Governor.'''

And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn’t run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks… travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade – as so many politicians do. And then I thought – that’s what’s wrong – many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and “milk it”. I’m not putting Alaska through that – I promised efficiencies and effectiveness! That’s not how I am wired. I am not wired to operate under the same old “politics as usual.” I promised that four years ago – and I meant it.

'''It’s not what is best for Alaska.'''

'''I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional and not so comfortable.'''

'''''With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election… I’ve determined it’s best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration – with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future – can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.'''''

My choice is to take a stand and effect change – not hit our heads against the wall and watch valuable state time and money, millions of your dollars, go down the drain in this new environment. Rather, we know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time, on another scale, and actually make a difference for our priorities – and so we will, for Alaskans and for Americans.

Let me go back to a comfortable analogy for me – sports… basketball. I use it because you’re naïve if you don’t see the national full-court press picking away right now: A good point guard drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her eye on the basket… and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can win. And I’m doing that – keeping our eye on the ball that represents sound priorities – smaller government, energy independence, national security, freedom! And I know when it’s time to pass the ball – for victory.

I have given my reasons candidly and truthfully… and my last day won’t be for another few weeks so the transition will be very smooth. In fact, we will look to swear Sean in – in Fairbanks at the conclusion of our Governor’s picnics.

I do not want to disappoint anyone with my decision; all I can ask is that you trust me with this decision – but it’s no more “politics as usual”.

Some Alaskans don’t mind wasting public dollars and state time. '''I do. I cannot stand here as your Governor and allow millions upon millions of our dollars go to waste just so I can hold the title of Governor. And my children won’t allow it either.''' <ref>[http://www.gov.state.ak.us/exec-column.php Executive Column: Palin's resignation announcement]</ref>}}

==Record as Governor==
===Energy and Oil===

A strong supporter of harnessing [[oil]] and natural [[gas]] resources, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) in March 2007, which would be the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope.<ref>http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/29/palin-alaska-gasline-inducement-act-nears-completi/</ref> It received bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Palin in June. In August of 2008 she signed legislation giving state authority to award TransCanada Corp a license to build and operate a multibillion-dollar pipeline to ship natural gas from the North Slope.<ref>http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2e84b1e8-9a4a-4558-ad05-21b517c50fae</ref> As Governor, Palin created a new subcabinet that will develop policies to reduce greenhouse gases and help the state adapt to [[climate change]]. She supports oil production in ANWR, connecting it with national security.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GE11URmmnc</ref>

In 2007, over the objections of oil companies, Palin worked with the Alaska state legislature to approve a major increase in taxes on the oil industry. <ref>[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008103325_alaskatax07.html Windfall tax lets Alaska rake in billions from Big Oil]</ref> The state then gave Alaskans a $1200 check to pay for increased gas prices, using the increased revenues from the tax.<ref>[http://hotair.com/archives/2008/08/11/palin-backed-alaskan-windfall-profits-tax/ Palin backed Alaskan windfalls-profit tax]</ref>

Palin also announced on May 21, 2008 that the state would challenge a recent listing of [[polar bears]] as a threatened species as she and other Alaska elected officials feared such a listing would cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts. Palin's belief is that there is not enough evidence to support a listing, asserting that polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation.

===State Economy===
[[Image:Govp_2008stos_large.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Gov. Sarah Palin delivering her 2008 State of the State address]] At first, Palin supported the Gravina Island Bridge Project, otherwise known as the "Bridge to Nowhere". In September 2006, during a stop in [[Ketchikan]] as part of her gubernatorial campaign, Palin stated, "OK, you've got Valley trash standing here in the middle of nowhere," Palin said, according to an account in the Ketchikan Daily News. "I think we're going to make a good team as we progress that bridge project."<ref>[http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html Palin touts stance on 'Bridge to Nowhere']</ref> The $398 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan, on Revillagigedo Island in southern southeast Alaska, to its airport on nearby Gravina island. The Anchorage Daily News also quoted her in an October, 2006 article as saying yes, she would continue state funding for the bridge because she wanted swift action on infrastructure projects. "The window is now while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist," she said.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080831/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_bridge_to_nowhere;_ylt=Am.NkRx1mLWk9A34FLhn8IADW7oF Critics: Palin used 'Bridge to Nowhere' for gain]</ref> Palin announced her opposition to the project in a 2007 press release.

She has stated her opposition arose because of the excessive amount of pork-barrel spending in the project, and that she would not fund the $329 million that was short for the budget.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/22/alaska.bridge.ap/</ref> This reversal cost her the support of prominent Alaskan Republicans like Former state House Speaker Gail Phillips, who said, "You don't tell a group of Alaskans you support something and then go to someplace else and say you oppose it". Palin instead said that the best option would be to upgrade the ferry system. However, the money that was retained from the earmark was not used for the ferry system, but was spent building a road on Gravina Island that links to the site of the canceled bridge.<ref name="bridge">http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN3125537020080901 Palin "bridge to nowhere" line angers many Alaskans</ref>

Prominent Alaskan politicians criticized Palin for not "giving back" money earmarked for the project. These critics included her Republican campaign coordinator in Ketchikan, who stated that "She said 'thanks but no thanks,' but they kept the money".<ref name="bridge" /> However, state governments do not "give back" money in the manner proposed.

Three times during Palin's time as mayor, earmark funding for projects in Wasilla were noted in [[John McCain]]'s list of "objectionable" spending in 2001 and 2002. McCain's list of spending approved without normal budget scrutiny identified a $500,000 earmark for a public transportation project in the city and a $1 million earmark for an emergency communications center while $450,000 was set aside for an agricultural processing facility.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,6145252.story McCain had criticized earmarks from Palin]</ref> Palin, of course, as mayor of a small town had no ability to put these items in a Congressional bill, but her town did benefit from earmarked spending given to Alaska.

=== Foreign Policy ===
[[Image:Ftwainwright_govp_05s.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Governor Sarah Palin visits Strykers at Fort Wainwright, where she is briefed on how the troops are trained and what the training grounds provide.]]
Palin is Commander in Chief of the Alaska Army [[National Guard]]. In 2007 she visited troops in [[Germany]] and [[Kuwait]]. According to Major General Craig E. Campbell, the adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard who commands the roughly 3,800 state militia members, the Alaskan governor is not in the site's chain of command and has no authority over its operations. He told the Associated Press on August 31st that he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. He went on to state that the entire operation is under federal control.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/31/ap/politics/main4401854.shtml GOP Cites Palin's Skill, But How Relevant Is It?]</ref>

During her first major interview, with ABC's [[Charlie Gibson]], Gibson asked Palin if she agreed with the "[[Bush Doctrine]]". Palin responded, "In what respect, Charlie?" Gibson followed, "What do you interpret it to be?" Palin answered with another question, "His world view?" Gibson still refused to answer directly but instead stated it was the doctrine Bush had proposed in September of 2002, before the Iraq war. Palin gave a response concerning Bush's attempt to eradicate Islamic extremism. Gibson then explained that the Bush doctrine refers to the right of anticipatory defense, a right to a preemptive strike against any country that we think is going to attack us. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpJsQch9uZo Asked about the Bush Doctrine...Palin is Clueless]</ref> What Gibson did not point out is that he himself once gave a definition of the "Bush doctrine" (a concept made up by the press that has no clear definition) that was similar to Palin's answer. Indeed it has been pointed out since that there are actually four different versions of what the Bush doctrine is and the term and meaning changes over time and place.<ref>http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/12/palins-definition-of-bush-doctrine-hits-the-gibson-mark/</ref>

===Legislature Investigation===
In August of 2008, the [[Alaska]] state legislature began an investigation of Palin and her staff for potential abuse of power in regards to a firing of Commissioner of Public Safety Walter Monegan. Legally, Palin could dismiss Monegan at any time as he serves at the pleasure of the governor. Monegan was dismissed from his position in July of 2008, which Palin's political opponents claim was due to Monegan's refusal to fire trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law who had a history of complaints including tasering his 10 year old stepson.<ref name="pc">http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212168861.shtml</ref> Palin says she released Monegan due to differences on budgeting. In an interview Monegan said that he was never told specifically by Sarah Palin to fire the state trooper Mike Wooten. <ref name="pc" />

Palin has denied the charges and, as is customary, the State of Alaska has hired a lawyer to represent her office in the investigation. August 25th, the Legislative Council voted 12-0 to hire Hollis French as the investigator. <ref>[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=59d_1220063478 Investigation into Governor Sarah Palin's abuse of powers] CBS 11, August 30, 2008</ref> The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 and the House Judiciary Committee voted 7-0. The State's attorney released this statement:<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cvn_palin_troopergate Palin hires attorney for Troopergate investigation]</ref>

:The governor of every state gets legal counsel and this attorney is part of a weeks-old effort to provide this governor defense in a series of outlandish politically motivated charges. This legal defense is neither new nor uncommon nor at all political. It is a matter of her job and is not recent and it is not related to her selection on the McCain-Palin ticket.

The McCain campaign came out with a picture that includes three lead state Democratic legislators investigating the Branchflower probe, known as ‘Troopergate'. The photo shows the three of them at [[Obama]] headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska in July. The McCain campaign said the whole investigation is politically tainted and compromised. Republican Rep. John Coghill of North Pole called on managing investigator, legislator French to step down from the probe, saying he no longer had confidence in his objectivity. "These statements cause me to think that the report is already written even though the investigation is only just begun and the most important witnesses have not even been interviewed,” Coghill wrote in a letter calling for French’s replacement. “The investigation appears to be lacking in fairness, neutrality and due process.” <ref>[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2078644/posts McCain Camp has pictures of "troopergate" investigators at Obama Headquarters] FreeRepublic.com, September 9, 2008</ref> Democratic State Senator Kim Elton, head of the legislative council overseeing the investigation, said the decisions made by Sen. Hollis French "have been appropriate, bipartisan ... and unchallenged" and that French has called the comments he made last week "regrettable".<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/palin.investigation/ Head of Palin trooper probe will stay, lawmaker says]</ref> Lawyer Thomas Van Flein called the investigation "unlawful and unconstitutional" and said the man hired to run it, former prosecutor Stephen Branchflower, has a conflict of interest because he is a friend of the fired commissioner. <ref>[http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/522488.html Palin's attorney calls investigator biased] Ap, September 11, 2008</ref> 

The investigation issued its report for the Alaska State Legislative Council on October 10, 2008, concluding that Monegan's refusal to fire the trooper was not the sole reason he was dismissed, but was likely a contributing factor. The author of the report, Stephen Branchflower, focused on two questions of the inquiry: did Palin fire Walt Monegan improperly, and was the firing solely because of his refusal to fire her ex brother-in-law. "Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired," Branchflower wrote.<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4998X420081011</ref> Based on this, Branchflower claims that "I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act."<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/DOWNLOAD.pdf Page 8</ref>

In accordance with the second question the report focused on, Branchflower wrote, "I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety," Branchflower wrote. The second finding of the report reads: "In spite of that, Governor Palin's firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads." Branchflower also dismissed the Palins' assertions that they were afraid of Wooten because of threats they said he made. "Such claims of fear were not bona fide and were offered to provide cover for the Palins' real motivation: to get Trooper Wooten fired for personal family related reasons," he wrote. <ref>http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10692757?source=most_viewed</ref> A preemptive response to this report was issued by the McCain/Palin campaign on October 9th, in which the campaign's own investigation concluded that Palin "acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan".<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4998X420081011</ref>

In the end the "October Surprise" predicted by the head of the commission came to pass. Although the commission was asked not to release its findings until after the election to avoid political posturing, they refused to do so. Apart from tarring and feathering Palin, the report made no recommendations for any further inquiries or punishment, as it was understood that there was no case to do so. No direct reports of Sarah Palin abusing her power were ever produced or asking for the official to be fired were ever produced, but that didn't stop the report from drawing its conclusions based upon conjecture without evidence. Indeed, after the hoopla over the report subsided, the state personnel board released its finding that exonnerated her of any wrongdoing.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081104/ap_on_el_pr/palin_troopergate</ref>

==Vice Presidential Candidate==

[[Image:Mccainpalin.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Sarah Palin vice presidential announcement, 08/29/08.]] On August 29, 2008, Palin was announced to be the Vice Presidential nominee for Republican Senator John McCain <ref>http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/sarah_palin_vp/2008/08/29/126138.html</ref>. The selection was a surprise, as those in the media were expecting [[Minnesota]] Governor [[Tim Pawlenty]] or former [[Massachusetts]]'s Governor [[Mitt Romney]]. Palin adds youth and executive experience to the ticket. She is the second female Vice Presidential candidate of a major party in U.S. history and the first one on a Republican ticket. The first was [[Geraldine Ferraro]], who the Democratic Party put on the ticket under [[Walter Mondale]] in 1984.

Palin's speech before the Republican convention on Wednesday, September 3rd was watched by over 40 million people. She had as many people turn in to see her as watched Obama's acceptance speech on the final day of the Democratic convention. Palin has also been attacked by the press on a level not seen since [[Dan Quayle]], although she ultimately handled it much better.
===Democrat Responses===
In a possible problem for the Democratic ticket, a majority of people believed that the press was trying to hurt Palin<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/story/rasmussen/20080904/pl_rasmussen/palinmedia20080904;_ylt=AqErk__wZIKdoVvqUXdr44Nh24cA</ref> and that type of unwarranted attack could have backfired into more support for the McCain/Palin ticket especially with unaffiliated voters believing the press is purposely attacking Palin by a 49% to 32% margin.

Many Democrats had advised the Obama campaign to ignore Palin, fearing that emphasis on her inexperience will backfire against Obama himself.<ref>[http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/capital/2008/09/05/tips-for-obama-ignore-palin-dis-mccain Matt Coopoer, "Tips for Obama: Ignore Palin, Dis McCain," Sept. 5, 2008, ''Conde-Nast Portfoloio.com'']</ref> She participated in a debate with the Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden on October 2, 2008, ending up being declared the winner by most credible news sources that are not influenced by liberal bias. Palin "kept Joe Biden on the defensive" and "ended up dominating [the debate]".<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14234.html</ref>

During a campaign event in [[Virginia]], Barack Obama said of the McCain/Palin ticket's similar policies, "...You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig."<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_lipstick_mccain/2008/09/09/129274.html</ref> Given the fact that she's stated "The difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull (is) lipstick" and the fact that only a female candidate would wear lipstick, the McCain camp released a web ad implying that the comment was targeting Governor Palin. The ad featured video clips of Gov. Palin convention speech, Obama's remarks at the campaign event, and a clip of Katie Couric commenting on pervasive sexism in the campaign. After extensive discussion in the news media, the ad was removed from McCain's website and other video sites following a copyright claim by CBS news. <ref>[http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/CBS_takes_down_McCain_webad_suggests_its_misleading.html?showall]</ref>

Palin is a lightning rod to the established [[liberal]] women's movement. She, like many high profile conservative females, have taken much abuse from the left. Palin has been forced to set up a legal defense fund to help pay for fees related to an onslaught of ethic complaints, which are always frivolous. <ref>[http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/18738 Palin blasts Obama administration: Government wants to "control the people"] CNN</ref> Because she is retiring from being governor of Alaska, the anti-American liberals pat themselves on the back in glee. Liberals don't understand yet, probably never will, that she is ''the'' typical conservative that the majority of Americans identify with. Her principles and her outlook on Americanism is a model for all future leaders.

Palin said of the people who have filed the complaints:
{{cquote| <big>'''Those are the folks who want to tell me, they want to tell you, to sit down and shut up. We will not do that. I just can't, because I love my state. I love my country.'''</big> }}

===Impact on Ticket===

In the run-up to the Vice-Presidential debate on October 2, 2008, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center attempted to measure the degree to which Palin impacted the GOP ticket positively or negatively in September.<ref>http://people-press.org/report/456/obama-regains-lead</ref> The survey compared the answers to two identical questions about her qualifications and overall favorable/unfavorable rating between polls taken in early and late September. The results show that public opinion of Palin has fallen significantly since the Republican convention, particularly in the public's opinion of her qualification to be Vice President. Faced with a barrage of negative press attacks after her nomination, some prominent Republicans like [[Mitt Romney]] believe that the isolation of Palin from the media in September was a mistake, and are calling for an increase in unscripted encounters with the press and public to counter that perception. According to Romney, "Holding Sarah Palin to just three interviews and microscopically focusing on each interview I think has been a mistake. I think they’d be a lot wiser to let Sarah Palin be Sarah Palin. Let her talk to the media, let her talk to people." <ref>http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/09/30/doubts-about-palin-grow-even-among-conservatives/</ref> Exit polling from the election itself had the final say on the matter of her impact on the ticket. For those who considered her nomination on the ticket to be unimportant, 57% voted for Obama. For those who considered her nomination to be important, 53% voted for Obama, thereby showing a positive overall impact on the ticket. Considering that exit polling tilts Democratic, the actual impact may have been greater.

==Future political prospects==
It is suspected that Palin may spend the next four years building a base for a 2012 run for the Republican nomination against Barack Obama. Given her personal charisma and Reagan-esque connection with average, conservative Americans, she may be able to pull off a resounding victory. <ref>[http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/120308/new_363163237.shtml Sarah Palin hits Republican talking points while stumping in Georgia]</ref> Conservative groups have speculated possible running mates, including [[Michelle Bachmann]] and [[Sean Hannity]]. Others suspect she may again seek nomination as the Vice-presidential candidate,

==SarahPAC==

On January 27, 2009 Palin formed the political action committee (PAC) SarahPAC. The organization supports "energy independence and reform" and will endorse candidates who "share Governor Palin’s ideas and goals." <ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=azCCxotgdG1E&refer=home</ref>

==Beliefs==
Palin filled out a policy questionnaire for the Eagle Forum Alaska during her 2006 gubernatorial race. One question asked, "Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?" Palin responded, "Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support." Yet [[public schools]] still resist teaching abstinence and instead promote sexual behavior by teenagers.

Another question asked, "Are you offended by the phrase 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?" Palin replied, "Not on your life. '''If it was good enough for the founding fathers''', it's good enough for me and I'll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance."

Many liberals ignorant of the history of "under God" have tried to ridicule Palin's remark, even calling her an "idiot" for it.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2008/sep/01/week</ref><ref>The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892, and George Washington's phrase "under God" was added to it in June 1954.</ref> In fact, the origin of the phrase "under God" is the General Orders of [[George Washington]] on July 2 and 9, 1776: "The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army" (July 2); "the peace and safety of the Country now depends, under God, solely on the success of our arms" (July 9).<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/264xqezm.asp?pg=2</ref> George Washington was indeed a [[Founding Father]], and the Founding Fathers made no secret of their Christian faith and unfailing belief in God in the [[Declaration of Independence]] and later writings.

Palin also believes that students need to learn of the controversy surrounding the [[Theory of evolution|Theory of evolution]], and that discussing Creationism should not be banned from schools. During the 2006 campaign for the Alaskan Governorship, Palin was answering a question from the moderator near the conclusion of Wednesday night's televised debate on KAKM Channel 7 when she said, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."<ref>http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html</ref> She later clarified her position by stating "I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum." She added that, if elected, she would not push the state Board of Education to add such creation-based alternatives to the state's required curriculum. As of September 2008 she has kept that pledge.

In an example of liberal mockery, the [[Huffington Post]] attempted to make light of Sarah Palin's creationist beliefs, highlighting the creationary belief that [[dinosaur|dinosaurs]] and man coexisted.<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/28/palin-claimed-dinosaurs-a_n_130012.html</ref> SNL likewise did a skit in which they had her refer to the Museum of Natural History as "that evolution museum".

==Church Life==
Sarah Palin was baptized as a Roman Catholic and, at age 12, she was rebaptized in the Wasilla Assembly of God church. <ref>{{cite web
|accessdate=2008-08-30
|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-mccainveepbio30-2008aug30,0,2159346.story
|title=Palin has risen quickly from PTA to VP pick
|author=Decker, Cathleen and Michael Finnegan,
|work=Los Angeles Times
|date=August 30, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Gorsk| first = Eric
| url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g4-w_DCWffagBaQb8Il9a0R2hkPAD92SL7E00
| title = Evangelicals energized by McCain-Palin ticket
| publisher =Associated Press
| date = 2008-08-30
| accessdate = 2008-08-30}}</ref>

Palin attends the Wasilla Bible Church<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Pepper |title=Regarding Governor Palin: A Letter from Pastor David Pepper |url=http://churchontherockak.org/Regarding-Sarah-Palin.html |publisher=Church on the Rock |accessdate=2008-09-04}}</ref>, an independent congregation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wasillabible.org/faq.htm |title=Wasilla Bible Church FAQ |accessdate=2008-09-05 |work= |publisher= |date= }}</ref><ref name="miller">Lisa Miller and Amanda Coyne. "[http://www.newsweek.com/id/156679 A Visit to Palin's Church: Scripture and discretion on the program in Wasilla]." ''Newsweek''. Sept. 2, 2008.</ref> when at home and the Juneau Christian Center when in Juneau as governor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement Concerning Sarah Palin |url=http://www.jccalaska.com/images/10000/3000/582JU/user/palin.htm |publisher=Juneau Christian Center |date=2008-09-03 |accessdate=2008-09-04}}</ref>

==Popularity==

Whether or not people say that they like Sarah Palin, they gravitate to see her. She earned the highest TV ratings at the Republican convention when she spoke, even surpassing McCain's acceptance speech, and matched Obama's acceptance speech when he was in front of a Greek temple with a stadium of people. As a Vice Presidential candidate, that was unprecedented. Likewise her Vice Presidential debate with Joe Biden had more viewers than any of the three debates between McCain and Obama. Finally, her brief appearance on Saturday Night Live gave the show its highest ratings in 14 years, and was actually the third highest ranked show for the week based on the number of people who tuned in originally to watch her, 17 million, even though it ran at midnight.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/20/ustelevision-tvratings</ref>

==References==

{{reflist|2}}

==External Links==
[[Image:Palin.JPG|thumb]]
*[http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ State of Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin Official Website]
*[http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=864bb9006da3f010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD National Governor's Association - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin]
*[http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=27200 Project Vote Smart - Governor Sarah H. Palin]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Sarah_Palin.htm Sarah Palin On the issues]
*[http://parentingfreedom.com/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-mother-and-first-female-vice-president-pictures-children-parenting/ Sarah Palin: Mother and First Female Vice President], ''Parenting Freedom'', September 03, 2008
*[http://churchformen.blogspot.com/2008/09/people-around-world-are-asking-who-is.html Sarah Palin, a friend of mine]
*[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDE3MmE5MDVmMGM1YjQ2NmVhMjJkN2I2ZTcxMzhlNjU=&w=MA== I Still Hate You, Sarah Palin] National Review Online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palin, Sarah}}

[[Category:Alaska Governors]]
[[Category:Republican Governors]]
[[Category:United States Mayors]]
[[Category:Women]]

Liberals and uncharitableness

2009-09-20T21:15:53Z

Wayne:

[[Image:228130875 35181424e3.jpg|thumb|right|175px|[[United States|American]] liberals give less to charity than American conservatives.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html</ref> In addition, [[per capita]] [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] in the United States give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists.[http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/102-atheists-and-agnostics-take-aim-at-christians][http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200310/ai_n9340592/][http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=2] ]]. [[Liberal]]s are uncharitable relative to [[conservative]]s. In March of 2008, [[George Will]] wrote at [[RealClearPolitics]] concerning the [[United States]]:
{{cquote|Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives....

If many conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, Brooks, a registered independent, is, as a reviewer of his book said, a social scientist who has been mugged by data. They include these findings:

-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).

-- Conservatives also donate more time and [[Blood donation|give more blood]].<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html</ref>}}

[[Atheism|Atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] often reject [[Bible|biblical]] [[morality]] (and therefore [[conservative Christianity]] ) and hold to [[moral relativism]].<ref>http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=152</ref> Therefore, it is not surprising that [[per capita]] atheists and agnostics in [[United States|America]] [[Atheism and Uncharitableness|give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists]].[http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/102-atheists-and-agnostics-take-aim-at-christians][http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200310/ai_n9340592/][http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=2] These figures do not, however, take into account volunteer work that may be done by these same people. Many argue that the actual volunteer work has equal or greater value to monetary donations.
== Liberal politicians and uncharitableness ==
The political magazine featured an article which focused on [[liberal politicians and uncharitableness]] and the article exposed the hypocrisy of the liberal politicians it featured.<ref>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c5_1238044128&c=1</ref>

[[Barack Obama]] has also been criticized concerning [[Barack Obama and uncharitableness|his charitable giving]].

==See Also==
*[[Barack Obama and uncharitableness]]
*[[Liberal politicians and uncharitableness]]
*[[Atheism and Uncharitableness]]
*[[Social Darwinism]]
*[[Theory of Evolution, Liberalism, Atheism, and Irrationality]]

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

[[Category:Liberalism]]
[[Category:Charity]]

Talk:Economics Lecture Four

2009-09-20T21:12:23Z

Wayne: /* MJ "was unsuccessful after he switched teams late in his career." */ new section

Re. your question on the Irish Famine - the actual number who died is usually judged to be between 750,000 and 1m[http://www.irelandinformationguide.com/Irish_potato_famine][http://www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/irish/irish_pf.html]. [[User:TadghOB|TadghOB]] 12:40, 12 June 2009 (EDT)

The Giffen Legend seems to be a perfect example of people irrationally holding on to a theory, even when there is no evidence to support it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 16:20, 25 August 2009 (EDT)

== MJ "was unsuccessful after he switched teams late in his career." ==

Jordan came back with the Wizards in 2001 at age 38 with two gimpy knees. Could you still ball as well at 38 as you could when you were 24? [[User:Wayne|Wayne]] 17:12, 20 September 2009 (EDT)

Arctic

2009-09-20T17:01:31Z

Wayne:

The '''Arctic''' is the large region of the [[Earth]] of permanent [[ice]] at the [[North Pole]] as opposed to the southern region called the [[Antarctic]].

The [[Arctic Circle]], is an imaginary line located at 66º, 30'N latitude, and as a guide defines the southernmost part of the Arctic. The climate within the Circle is extremely cold and much of the area is usually covered with ice.

[[category:Geography]]

Alfred Tilton

2009-09-20T17:01:02Z

Wayne:

'''Alfred Tilton''', or '''Joseph Paquett''', posed as a [[Canadian]] immigrant but was actually an ''illegal'' Soviet Military Intelligence ([[GRU]]) Officer in the [[United States]] in the late 1920s.

==References==
Inserted statement of Nicholas Dozenberg, hearings 8 November 1949, U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Un-American Activities, 81st Cong., 1st and 2d session.
*“Comintern Apparatus Summary Report,” 15 December 1944, FBI Comintern Apparatus file (FBI file 100-103581), serial 3702.
* John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, ''Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America'', Yale University Press (1999).

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilton, Alfred}}
[[Category:KGB Agents and Sources]]

Abstinence denial

2009-09-20T16:59:56Z

Wayne: /* Falsehoods */

'''Abstinence denial''' refers to two phenomena, deliberate denial by [[liberal]] and [[abortion|pro-abortion]] groups of the efficacy of [[abstinence]]-only programs in preventing disease, and denial from [[ignorance]] by those who have been convinced by the propaganda.

== Falsehoods ==
Liberals claim that [[virginity pledge|abstinence pledge campaigns]] are ineffective when compaired to programs that involve both abstinence and information about a variety of birth control methods. However, surely numerous studies disprove this.

== Motivation ==
Groups such as [[Planned Parenthood]] have enormous interest in promoting sexual promiscuity, as their profits rely on it. Likewise, pharmaceutical groups selling drugs such as [[Gardasil]] and various forms of [[birth control]] cannot profit when abstinence is used.

The liberal [[entertainment]] industry relies on immoral consumers to purchase its products with immoral sexual content (television, film, etc.) Denying abstinence's efficacy is thus part of a wider attack on [[Christian]] morality.
<ref>The Heritage Foundation, ''The Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs in Reducing Sexual Activity Among Youth'', by Robert E. Rector, April 8, 2002 [http://www.heritage.org/Research/Abstinence/BG1533.cfm]</ref>
== References ==
<references />

== See also ==
* [[Deceit]]
* [[Abstinence]]

[[category: liberalism]]

{{liberalism}}

Quebec

2009-09-20T16:58:39Z

Wayne: /* Economy */

'''Quebec''' ('''Québec''' in the French language) is the largest [[province]] in [[Canada]] geographically, and the second most populous after [[Ontario]]. The English name is Quebec. The capital is [[Québec City]] and the largest city is [[Montreal|Montréal]] (Montreal). Quebec entered Confederation in 1867 and has a total area of 1,540,680 km2. The population of Quebec was 7,546,131 in 2006, approximately 23.4% of the national total.<ref>[http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/provinces/p/quebecfacts.htm Canadaonline]</ref>

Quebec traces its roots to French colonization of North America prior to the British conquest of Canada in 1760 during the [[French and Indian Wars]]. Quebec still retains a unique French-language culture, although it has had little connection with France since the conquest. The "[[Quiet Revolution]]" of the 1960s dramatically changed the province; it modernized rapidly and the Catholic Church lost much of its innfluence, along with a large portion of its membership. A new sense of French nationalism emerged, calling for an independent nation, and meanwhile forcing out most of the great business and banking corporations that were run by English Canadians (they moved to [[Toronto]]).

The official language of the province is [[French]], although many residents are bilingual, speaking both French and [[English]]. Laws and regulations must be written in both English and French as per the Constitution Act of 1867. The provincial government has severely restricted the use of English in signage and schools.

==Economy==

The per capita provincial income in 2001 was $28,756 (Cdn).<ref>[http://www.dec-ced.gc.ca/Complements/Publications/ADT2003/en/2.html The Economy of Quebec and its Regions]</ref>. This has lagged behind the overall growth of Canada, in part because of the successive separatist governments who did not create a stable environment and their policies of large government intervention. The economy has a large aerospace and manufacturing sector, however mineral extraction and forestry also play a large role.

==Recent history since 2000==
The separatist movement has waned recently, and since 2003 Québec has been governed by a pro-federalist party. On March 26, 2007, the Liberal Party of Québec, led by [[Jean Charest]], was elected to a minority government, with Mario Dumont's Action Démocratique Québec forming the official opposition. The former official opposition, the Parti Québecois led by André Boisclair, finished the election in third place.

==History==
The '''history of Quebec''' stretches from the French explorers and settlers of the 17th century to a modern secular province of Canada in the 21st century that stresses a commitment to the French language and asks whether it should be independence of [[Canada]]. The official name is "Quebec" since Confederation in 1867; previous names include "[[New France]]," (1534 to 1763), "Province of Quebec" (1763-91), "Lower Canada" (1791-1841), and "Canada East" in the Province of Canada (1841-67). From 1783 to 1867 it was part of the [[British Empire]] informally called '''British North America.'''<ref> Along with Nova Scotia, Cape Breton (annexed to Nova Scotia in 1820), Upper Canada (Ontario), St John's Island (Prince Edward Island), Newfoundland, the Hudson's Bay Company Territories, and some land belonging directly to the Crown.</ref>

===New France===
For a history of Quebec prior to 1763, see [[New France]].

===British Colonial rule===
The Anglo-French imperial rivalry, particularly the [[French and Indian War]] of 1754-1763, (the [[Seven Years War]]) found France and and Britain at war yet again. The key to control of North America was the fortress at Quebec, which the British were determined to capture. In 1759 Major General James Wolfe, exploiting Britain's superior navy, seized Quebec City after a long and destructive siege. Montreal surrendered in 1760, and three years later the Treaty of Paris transferred New France to British control.

The British renamed the colony the Province of Quebec as British officials replaced royal officials who returned to France. Otherwise there was little change. Merchants prospered in the towns, while the seigneurs as a class declined slightly. The habitants prospered for they had a hungry new market for their wheat in London. A few sent sent their sons to the seminaries in Quebec and Montreal or to the collèges classiques. These private schools, established after 1800, prepared young men for careers as priests, teachers, lawyers, and doctors, thereby creating for the first time an intellectual class that proved central to Quebec's political development. Some French Canadians took minor government posts; most remained in agriculture. Entrepreneurial immigrants from America and England came to monopolize trade and commerce, which centered in Quebec City and Montreal.

London's plan was to assimilate the 80,000 or so French-speaking Canadiens, attract English settlers from America, introduce English laws and procedures, create freehold tenure (by which farmers would own land not merely rent it), impose anti-Catholic oaths, and set up an elected legislature. But the Americans did not arrive and the French wanted no part of British legal or political forms. The first governor, Sir James Murray, recognized reality, allowed Mgr Jean-Olivier Briand to become the Catholic bishop (1766) and provided lower courts where Canadiens could be jurors and lawyers.

A central theme in French Canadian historiography, especially as developed by the scholar Abbe [[Lionel Groulx]] in the mid-20th century, was the British Conquest of 1759. France abandoned Quebec, and rejected its own past by its anti-Catholic [[French Revolution]]. The Quebeckers became victims of British oppression and were targeted for assimilation. The short and long range goals of the people became simply "La Survivance", the survival of the nation. Groulx argues the energies of the people had to be fully mobilized for this struggle, with the Church taking the lead as an anti-colonial and passive resistance movement dedicated to the preservation of the true religion in North America.<ref> See Ronald Rudin, ''Making History in Twentieth-Century Quebec.'' (1997). ch 1</ref>

====Quebec Act, 1774====
{{main|Quebec Act}}

In 1774 the British Parliament, threatened by restless American colonies, sought Canadiens' loyalty by passing the [[Quebec Act]]. It became the Magna Carta of French-Canadian liberties, for it guaranteed basic rights, with an oath of loyalty to the Crown replacing the anti-Catholic oaths. The Roman Catholic Church gained official recognition, and the the Act enabled it legally to collect the tithe (a 10% tax on farm produce). Government was vested in a governor and a legislative council, which had full power of internal legislation and taxation. The French civil law was restored in place of English common law, although English criminal law was retained. In addition, the French language received official approval. Finally, the boundaries of Quebec were extended to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. British concessions strengthened conservative Canadiens and made them loyal to the British Crown at the moment when revolution was sweeping the American colonies. Indeed, the Americans were especially angry with the Quebec Act because it gave Catholics generous new rights while Britain was cutting back on the rights of Americans.

When the Americans went to war with Britain in 1775 they called upon Canadians to revolt, and sent small armies in 1775-76 to remove British power. Many habitants sympathized with the Americans and formed regiments that fought under [[George Washington]]. Others supported the British; most remained neutral. The British repulsed the Americans, who retreated home. Quebec then became a base for the invasion of New York that was decisively defeated with the surrender of the main British army at Saratoga in 1777.

====Loyalists settle the Eastern townships====
After the victory of the American Revolution, 50,000 or so [[Loyalists]] (American colonists loyal to the British Crown), migrated north to Canada. They brought along several thousand black slaves, for slavery was legal until 1833. Most Loyalists went to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but about 6,000 arrived in Quebec, especially in the "Eastern townships" south of Montreal.<ref> See article in [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002491 ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)]</ref> Their demands for a separate colony and English law led to the division of 1791, with ''Upper Canada" (later Ontario) separated from Quebec, which became '''Lower Canada'''.

The Anglican Church launched a well-funded initiative to build churches and support missionaries in the Eastern townships, thereby building loyalty to the Empire. The are enjoys abundant rainfall, numerous water mill sites, accessible conifer forests, plentiful supplies of fire wood, good grazing land, and rich mineral deposits. However, the growing season for crops is short, and much of the soil is also generally thin and rocky. Most of the best land fell into the hands of absentee proprietors by 1800, and they fought incessantly with squatters. Outside markets were relatively inaccessible before the arrival of the railway around 1850. The English-speaking agricultural and entrepreneurial elite began to transfer its capital and skills westward, replaced by French speaking farmers and Irish Catholics fleeing the Potato Famine in the 1840s. The "bonne entente theory" of sociologist Leon Gerin argues that the new Francophone arrivals were influenced by their enterprising and independent-minded Yankee neighbours. By 1870 they were a majority, and by the 21st century only 10% are Anglophone (and most of them are Irish). In the 1840s, school reforms required compromise with the strong localist traditions of the Eastern Townships region. The inhabitants displayed strong lingering American traditions. Local fund-raising for schools was a hotly contested issue throughout the 1840s, with many prominent citizens actively opposing levying taxes for that purpose. School taxes diminished the role of affluent individuals who supported local schools and made possible the subsidization of poorer, neighbouring schools. Educational control remained local despite legislation enacted in 1846, which repealed prior acts and required school commissioners to assess property.<ref> J. I. Little, ''State and Society in Transition: The Politics of Institutional Reform in the Eastern Townships 1832-1852.'' (1997)</ref> In the late 1840s Yankees felt that union with the United States would end their economic isolation and stagnation as well as remove them from the growing threat of French-Canadian political domination. Leading proponents of this genuinely bipartisan movement were careful not to appear disloyal to Britain, however, and they actively discouraged popular protest at the local level. Fearful of American-style democracy, the local elite also expressed revulsion toward American slavery and militaristic expansionism. Consequently, the movement died out in the Eastern Townships as it did in Montreal after Britain expressed its official disapproval and trade with the United States began to increase thanks to the opening of the [[Grand Trunk Railway]].<ref>J. I. Little, "The Short Life of a Local Protest Movement: the Annexation Crisis of 1849-50 in the Eastern Townships." ''Journal of the Canadian Historical Association'' 1992 3: 45-67. Issn: 0847-4478 [http://www.erudit.org/revue/jcha/1992/v3/n1/031044ar.pdf online edition] </ref>

Besides the Eastern townships, the western portions of Quebec (which later became Ontario) were attractive to many thousands of nonpolitical [[Yankees]] from New England. Most French habitants were content with their location along the St. Lawrence, and few moved west.

====Catholic Church====
Hardy (2007) examines the period from 1760 to 1840, showing the Catholic Church at all times exerted considerable influence in parishes and that Catholic habitants were respectful of the demands of their faith. By 1800 the Church adopted new ways to transform religious practice. It received the state's support, and after 1840 it benefited from the support of elites that emerged from the failed rebellions. From that date forward, the Church was given responsibility for the public education system. Consequently, the school became the most effective way to indoctrinate the populace, disseminate Catholic values, and transmit the Church's new directions in religious practices. The religious culture that gradually emerged from this vast acculturation offensive was a direct result of the continuation and outcome of actions undertaken by the clergy during the first half of the 19th century. The new religious culture was defined by the respect of mandatory religious practices; the enticement of indulgences used to soften the fires of purgatory; the wealth of devotion and religious ceremonies, which now covered the entire year and dictated a rhythm to the social calendar; and the manifestation of faith through processions, pilgrimages, actions, postures, and behaviors, which were visible testimonies of faith. This behavioral model quickly became the norm during the second half of the 19th century, and any deviation from it brought the community's sharp disapproval.<ref>René Hardy, "Regards sur la Construction de la Culture Catholique Quebecoise au XIX Siecle," ''Canadian Historical Review'' 2007 88(1): 7-40. Issn: 0008-3755 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]] </ref>

===Province within Canada===
Ignace Bourget, Bishop of Montreal from 1840 to 1876, played a central role in strengthening French Canadian culture once Quebec became part of the English-dominated Canadian Federation, at the same time assuring the Catholic Church a dominant position in French Canadian cultural identity.<ref> See [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=39507&query=Bourget ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography''] </ref> Deliberately drawing on Rome rather than France for inspiration, he presided over the expansion of the Church's activities in Quebec, seeking to make religion more accessible to the people through an emotional appeal. By helping to create a network of religious, social, and even economic institutions for the Quebecois, Bourget contributed to the emergence of a traditional culture in a modern, urban space which would define French Canadian identity until the Quiet Revolution at the end of the 1960s.<ref>Roberto Perin, "L'eglise et L'edification D'une Culture Publique au Quebec," ''Etudes D'histoire Religieuse: Société Canadienne D'histoire De L'eglise Catholique'' 2001 67: 261-270. Issn: 0318-6172 </ref>

====Political culture====
From 1840 to 1873 Montreal politics were dominated by wealthy English Protestants who also participated in provincial and federal politics. From 1873 to 1914 was a transition period with French Canadians generally in the majority in the city council, and with the mayors drawn from a wider variety of backgrounds. A new political type emerged after 1914, his power based on popularity rather than wealth, on social appeal rather than status, who views politics as a career.<ref> Guy Bourassa, "Les Elites Politiques de Montreal: De L'Aristocratie a la Democratie," ''The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science'' Vol. 31, No. 1. (Feb., 1965), pp. 35-51. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0315-4890%28196502%2931%3A1%3C35%3ALEPDMD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R in JSTOR]</ref>

From 1867 to 1940, the Catholic Church played the primary role in Quebec in the development of both public education and family assistance, and the church actively promoted a virulent form of antistatism that opposed any government involvement in social affairs. A theological justification for antistatism explained that only the father, as head of his family, should be directly concerned with his family's welfare and with his children's education, which was controlled by the Catholic Church. Conservative politicians were content to ally themselves with the Church against any forms of liberal social interventionism. While there were some exceptions to the rule - primarily the social legislation passed by the Liberal government of Adélard Godbout during World War II - the role of the state did not really begin to change until 1945, when the national government of [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] passed family assistance legislation.<ref> Ralph Heintzman, "The Political Culture of Quebec, 1840-1960," ''Canadian Journal of Political Science'' Vol. 16, No. 1. (Mar., 1983), pp. 3-59. </ref>

While scholars often emphasize traditionalism, ruralism, and antistatism as the dominant factors of Quebec's political culture prior to the 1960s, some Quebecois embraced progressivism early in the 20th century. Municipal government reform, one of the hallmarks of the progressive movement, cropped up in Canada's largest city, Montreal. It was led by Anglophones and remnants of Quebec's Parti Rouges, but support for reform came from a wide section of Montreal's French-speaking population.<ref> Alan Gordon, "Ward Heelers and Honest Men: Urban Quebecois Political Culture and the Montreal Reform of 1909." ''Urban History Review'' 1995 23(2): 20-32. Issn: 0703-0428 </ref>

The first decades of the 20th century saw an accelerated urbanization, which made anonymity possible and facilitated an escape from social constraints for those individuals who so wished. Emigration to New England also offered a safety valve, as hundreds of thousands moved there permanently, finding work in the textile factories. This freedom from religious retribution and constraints played an important role and became a mitigating factor in the decline of the religious culture, a culture that slowly unraveled before being swept away by the Quiet Revolution.

====Duplessis era====
Maurice Duplessis<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002468 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> was premier of Quebec during 1936-39 and 1944-59 and leader of the National Union Party (UN). Until his death in 1959 he ran an authoritarianism government, with antilabor policies. He feared communism, cared little for industry, and promoted agriculture, which he considered a panacea for industrial evils. A Catholic and a French Canadian nationalist, he was a provincial conservative.

The most prominent nationalist spokesman in the era was Lionel Groulx (1878-1967), a Catholic priest whose histories of Quebec presented a conservative mission for the province.<ref> See Susan Mann Trofimenkoff, "Lionel Groulx," in [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Params=A1ARTA0003472 ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)]</ref> As professor of Canadian history at the Université de Montréal (1915-1949) he directly influenced the intellectual leaders of the era. The true Quebec, he argued, was based on the supremacy of the Church and family that challenged liberalism at all points. His organicist concept of the nation, in which the nation is understood as a "collective individual" with structured thought, brought Groulx to treat the individual as subordinate to the societal group. From this outlook, Groulx defended tradition and promoted a conception of education that aimed to foster the development of the national feeling of belonging. His conception of the state was also antiliberal, particularly because it rejected the distinction between the political and religious spheres. Groulx found Duplessis distasteful, and welcomed the economic developments of the Quiet Revolution, realizing too late that it would destroy the Church's central role.

===The Quiet Revolution of the 1960s===
The Quiet Revolution (Révolution Tranquille) of the 1960s saw a radical nonviolent transformation in the politics, society and economy of Quebec. A traditional people modernized the economy and the social structure, threw off Church control, rejected Anglo control of Quebec's economy, and finally sought, but failed, to gain independence from Canada. The Revolution was strongly promoted by the governments of Liberal Premier [[Jean Lesage]] (1960-66) and Premier [[Daniel Johnson]] (1966-68) of the opposition Union Nationale party. The government nationalized hydroelectric utilities, created crown corporations, and undertook to provide the educational, health care, and social services formerly under Church control. The Quiet Revolution has resulted in the ascendency of an enormous civil service in Quebec that is directed by a middle class technocracy allied with business interests to insure control of the state.

=====Political upheaval=====
In the 1950s Duplessis came under attack from a small but influential group of well-educated young French Canadian reformers, who took over and revived the Quebec Liberal Party.

In 1960 reformers defeated the Union Nationale and formed a government under Liberal [[Jean Lesage]]<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004642 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> with the slogan "Maitres chez nous" (Masters in Our Own Home). Reelected in 1962 by promising to nationalize the giant hydro-electricity industry, the Quebec Liberals initiated the '''Quiet Revolution'''--a program of economic, political, and educational reforms aimed at both modernizing the province and intensifying its French characteristics. In response to their demands for greater autonomy, Ottawa conceded an "opting-out" formula whereby Quebec was not required to participate in such federal welfare programs as the Canada Pension Plan,<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001236 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> but could instead receive an amount of federal money equal to that which would have been spent in the province under the Pension Plan. This "special status" for Quebec irritated many English-speaking Canadians, although it fell far short of satisfying the rapidly growing French Canadian separatist movement, which advocated complete independence for Quebec. Some separatist leaders began to resort to terrorism, and in 1963 there was a series of bombings in the English-speaking districts of Montreal.

Faced with a serious crisis, the national government of Prime Minister [[Lester Pearson]] appointed a royal commission to investigate the problems of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada. The commission's report documented the economic disadvantages suffered by French Canadians and recommended full recognition of both French and English as equal official languages at the federal level and in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario. In administrative policy the Pearson government favored "cooperative federalism," meaning continuous consultation between federal and provincial departments of government, as well as fairly frequent full-scale federal-provincial conferences.

In 1966 the Lesage government in Quebec was defeated by the Union Nationale under Daniel Johnson,<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004149 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref> which claimed to be even more vigorously nationalist than its opponents.<ref> Lesage's party won 47% of the vote to Johnson's 41%, but the Union Nationale won 56 seats vs 51 because its vote was concentrated in rural constituencies which were overrepresented. Claude Ryan, "Quebec Changes Governments". ''Foreign Affairs'' 1966 45(1): 148-161. Issn: 0015-7120 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref> Meanwhile, the Liberal government in Ottawa, which had been reelected in 1965, secured the final adoption of a distinctive national flag featuring the maple leaf as the nation's symbol. Another important piece of legislation was the National Medicare Act, which provided for joint federal-provincial financing of universal health care insurance.

Quebec's "psychological secession" from Canada came in five stages: the Quiet Revolution of 1960, the 1980 sovereignty-association vote, the constitutional process of 1980-82, the Meech Lake Accord process of 1987-90, and the 1992 Charlottetown Accord referendum. The 1995 referendum for independence, saw the narrow victory for the "no" side. Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001606 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref> announced three policy initiatives that promised to change unemployment insurance, to recognize Quebec as a distinct society, and to empower Quebec and certain other Canadian regions to veto changes to the federal constitution. French-speaking Quebecois gradually replaced ethnic consciousness by allegiance to a "national state" on the territory of the province of Quebec. The '''Parti Québécois''' (PQ) emerged as a dominant nationalist party, formed in 1968.<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006123 article in ''Canada Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref> PQ succeeded in passing two important charters, the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (1975)<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009340 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref>, and Bill 101, Charte de la langue française (1977)<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000744 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref>, marked this significant evolution of Quebecois collective identity. Bill 101 made French the official language of the government and of the courts in Quebec; more controversially it made French the normal language of the workplace, of instruction, of communications, of commerce and of business. Education in French became compulsory for immigrants, even those from other Canadian provinces. The failure of the 1980 referendum on independence, and the 1982 economic crisis, led to the return to power of Robert Bourassa's Liberals in 1986.

The national government in Ottawa refused to countenance independence. Under the leadership of Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]]<ref> See [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=42553&query=quebec ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography''] </ref>, himself a leader in the Quiet Revolution, Ottawa countered with the concept of a single Canadian nation. Trudeau's actions culminated with the 1982 Constitution and the national Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which Quebec never endorsed and still is considered illegitimate by many Quebecers. The root problem is that Canada, as it is conceived by Anglophone Canadians, does not seem compatible with an enduring Quebec identity.<ref> Louis Balthazar, "Canada in the Setting of the New Nationalism
Quebec and the Ideal of Federalism," ''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,'' Vol. 538, Being and Becoming Canada. (Mar., 1995), pp. 40-53. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28199503%29538%3C40%3AQATIOF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N in JSTOR]</ref>

====Quiet Revolution: Social upheaval====
In social terms, the [[Quiet Revolution]] undercut the authority of the Catholic Church in taking away the schools and indeed the unquestioned authority of parish priests. The Union Nationale, the political party of Duplessis, together with the Catholic clergy, had actively propagated an ideology of conservatism: the Quebecois were destined to be peasants, to guarantee the survival of the Catholic religion and of the French language in North America. Gauvreau (2005) however reveals also a positive role that minority elements of the Church played in the origins of Quebec's Quiet Revolution. He argues that Catholic youth movements played a major positive role in the origin of the most profound of Quebec's multiple "quiet revolutions," beginning with the Catholic youth movements in the 1930s. They introduced "personalism", a philosophical movement from France that was a kind of neo-Thomism. In creating an active youth movement reformers inside the Church in effect repudiated much of the historic traditionalism of a peasant society, such as patriarchal families and sexuality focused solely on producing large families rather than companionate marriages.<ref> Michael Gauvreau, "From Rechristianization to Contestation: Catholic Values and Quebec Society, 1931-1970," ''Church History,'' Vol. 69, No. 4. (Dec., 2000), pp. 803-833 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0009-6407%28200012%2969%3A4%3C803%3AFRTCCV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q in JSTOR]; </ref>

The exodus from Catholicism began by 1960, with church attendance in Montreal plunging in half in the decade of the 1960s, with even faster declines in rural parishes. Young couple rejected the Church's renewed opposition to birth control. The Quebec independence movement focused on language and culture, and no longer saw Quebec as the stronghold of Catholicism.

The Parent Report on education in the province of Quebec (1963-66) was a key part of the Quiet Revolution that modernized and democratized education in Quebec. The report's attempt at democratizing manifested itself through its recommendations to open access to all levels of education; to create the Ministry of Education as a central authority responsible for all aspects of education; to replace local, religion-based educational authorities with local and regional authorities whose members would be elected directly by the parents rather than the general public; and to reorganize education finance in order to make it more equal. The article assesses the degree to which these recommendations were implemented.

The Quiet Revolution moved the socialization of youth from private and social milieus, primarily the Church and family, to the public sphere, shaped by government policy, resulting in a more self-conscious socialization process. This process includes an emphasis on a shared francophone history and culture and on the importance of the French language to that culture. With new challenges to the institutionalization of the société distincte the state increasingly operates as a key agent of socialization.

====Politics====
On May 20th, 1980 a separatist government held a referendum on declaring independence from Canada. This was defeated by a 60% to 40% vote. A second referendum was held on October 31st, 1995 and saw the separatist side lose again, but by less than two percentage points.

In the 1993 national elections the Progressive Conservative Party collapsed and the official opposition became the avowedly separatist '''Bloc Québécois''', a new party formed in 1991 for the national parliament.<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000829 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref> Inside Quebec the PQ regained power in 1994 under the resolutely nationalist leader Jacques Parizeau, and called for a referendum in 1995 it was convinced would lead to immediate independence. Preparations were made for diplomatic recognition and an army, but the "no" votes prevailed by 1%, largely because of the intense opposition of non-Francophones.<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0010730 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)], and Gregory S. Mahler, "Canadian Federalism and the 1995 Referendum: a Perspective from Outside of Quebec." ''American Review of Canadian Studies'' 1995 25(4): 449-476. Issn: 0272-2011 </ref>

The separatists were narrowly defeated in the 30 October 1995 referendum by 53,500 votes. Anglophones (English-speakers) and immigrants voted "no" as they vigorously sought to maintain Quebec's allegiance to the Canadian government. Francophones, using language with racial undertones, continue to foster the cause of an independent Quebec. Led by charismatic Lucien Bouchard, the separatists displayed an insensitivity toward those outside their ethnic group and ignored the difficulties independence would place on the debt-ridden, economically depressed province.<ref> J. A. S. Evans, "The Present State of Canada." ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' 1996 72(2): 213-225. Issn: 0042-675x Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref>

===Economy===
Before the 1960s the business and banking of Montreal and smaller cites was Anglophones; but by 2000 the business community was largely Francophone, particularly in management and the elite. Some large corporations relocated their headquarters to Toronto and retained their Anglophone character. Globalization strengthened the use of French. Foreign investment in new business increased, but the majority of foreign investment was in existing businesses. The provincial government implemented policies that supported successful exporting as well as other measures to stimulate an entrepreneurial business class. The Quebec government established offices across the U.S. to promote trade, direct investment and tourism. The Parti Québécois has always experienced a lack of American support in its struggle for sovereignty, especially during the [[Bill Clinton]] administration in the 1990s. Agriculture, mining, and forestry declined, however.<ref> Joseph Lemay, "The Impact of the Quiet Revolution: the Business Environment of Smaller Cities and Regions of Quebec 1960-2000." ''Québec Studies'' 2002-03 (34): 19-30. Issn: 0737-3759; William F. Averyt, "Quebec's Economic Development Policies, 1960-1987: Between Étatisme and Privatisation." ''American Review of Canadian Studies'' 1989 19(2): 159-175. Issn: 0272-2011 </ref>

==Bibliography==
===Surveys===
* [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ ''The Dictionary of Canadian Biography''] (1966-2006), thousands of scholarly biographies of notables who died by 1930
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCESubjects&Params=A1 ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)] reliable detailed encyclopedia, on-line free
* Armstrong, Robert. ''Structure and Change: An Economic History of Québec'' (1984)
* Dickinson, John Alexander, and Brian Young. ''A Short History of Quebec'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Quebec-Alexander-Dickinson/dp/0773524509/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199373095&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search]
* Eccles, W. J. ''The Canadian Frontier, 1534-1760'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=10657323 online edition]
* Heintzman, Ralph. "The Political Culture of Quebec, 1840-1960," ''Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique,'' Vol. 16, No. 1. (Mar., 1983), pp. 3-59. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0008-4239%28198303%2916%3A1%3C3%3ATPCOQ1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M in JSTOR]
* Lanctot, Gustave. ''A History of Canada'' 3 vol Toronto. 1963. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=3115015 Volume One: From its Origins to the Royal Régime, 1663; online], [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98311761 Volume Two: From the Royal Régime to the Treaty of Utrecht, 1663-1713, online]
* Linteau, Paul-André, René Durocher, Jean-Claude Robert, and Robert Chodos. ''Quebec: A History 1867-1929'' (1983) ''Quebec Since 1930'' (1991), standard 2 vol textbook.
* Moogk, Peter. ''La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada a Cultural History'' (2000) to 1763 [http://www.questia.com/library/book/la-nouvelle-france-the-making-of-french-canada-a-cultural-history-by-peter-moogk.jsp online edition]
* Trofimenkoff, Susan Mann. ''Dream of Nation: A Social and Intellectual History of Quebec'' (1982)
* Wade, Mason. ''The French Canadians, 1760-1945'' (1955), standard history, 1136pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=8474052 online edition]
* Young, Brian and Dickinson, John A. ''A Short History of Quebec: A Socio-Economic Perspective.'' (3rd ed. 2002. 238 pp.

===Before 1867===
* Brecher, Frank W. ''Losing a Continent: France's North American Policy, 1753-1763'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Continent-American-1753-1763-Contributions/dp/0313307865/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205993021&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Creighton, Donald G. ''The Commercial Empire of the St. Lawrence, 1760-1850'' (1937) [http://www.questia.com/read/96753630?title=The%20Commercial%20Empire%20of%20the%20St.%20Lawrence%2c%201760-1850 online edition]
* Dechêne, Louise. ''Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal'' (1974; English ed. 2003), highly influential study from [[Annales School]]
* Egnal, Marc. ''Divergent Paths: How Culture and Institutions Have Shaped North American Growth.'' (1996). 304 pp. economic historian compares Quebec to U.S. 1750-1850
* Gossage, Peter. ''Families in Transition: Industry and Population in Nineteenth-Century Saint-Hyacinthe.'' (1999). 299 pp.
* Greer, Allan ''The people of New France'' (1997)
* Greer, Allan. ''The patriots and the people: the rebellion of 1837 in rural Lower Canada'' (1993)
* Greer, Allan. ''Peasant, Lord and Merchant: Rural Society in Three Quebec Parishes, 1740- 1840.'' (1985)
* Innis, Harold A. ''The Fur Trade in Canada'' (1930)
* Jaenen, Cornelius. ''Friend and Foe'' (1976) brief survey of French-Indian relations in the 16th & 17th centuries.
* Manning, Helen Taft; ''The Revolt of French Canada, 1800-1835: A Chapter of the History of the British Commonwealth'' (1962) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/the-revolt-of-french-canada-1800-1835-a-chapter-of-the-history-of-the-british-commonwealth-by-helen-taft-manning.jsp online edition]
* Miquelon, Dale. ''New France, 1701-1744: A Supplement to Europe'' (1989)
* Moogk, Peter. ''La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada a Cultural History'' (2000) to 1763 [http://www.questia.com/library/book/la-nouvelle-france-the-making-of-french-canada-a-cultural-history-by-peter-moogk.jsp online edition]
* Ouellet, Fernand. ''Lower Canada, 1791-1840: Social Change and Nationalism'' (1980), synthesis by leading scholar
* Pritchard, James. ''In Search of Empire: The French in the Americas, 1670-1730.'' (2004). 484 pp. includes Louisiana, the Caribbean, etc.
* Trudel, Marcel. ''The Beginnings of New France 1524-1663'' (1973)
* Wrong, George McKinnon. ''The Fall of Canada: A Chapter in the History of the Seven Years' War'' (1914), 272pp [http://books.google.com/books?id=KfJBAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:history+intitle:canada&lr=&num=30&as_brr=1 full text online]
* Young, Brian, ''George-Etienne Cartier: Montreal bourgeois'' (1981)

===Since 1867===
* Armstrong, Elizabeth H. ''The Crisis of Quebec, 1914-1918'' (1937)
* Betcherman, Lita-rose ''Ernest Lapointe: Mackenzie King's Great Quebec Lieutenant'' (2002) 438pp
* Behiels, Michael D. ''Prelude to Quebec's Quiet Revolution: Liberalism Versus Neo-Nationalism, 1945-1960'' (1985)
* Black, Conrad. ''Duplessis.'' (1977). 743 pp.
* Bothwell, Robert. ''Canada and Quebec: One Country, Two Histories.'' (1995). 269 pp.
* Clarkson, Stephen, and Christina McCall. ''Trudeau and our times'' (2v., 1990–94)
* Cohen, Andrew, and J. L. Granatstein, eds. ''Trudeau's shadow: the life and legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau''. (1999).
* Couture, Claude, and Vivien Bosley. ''Paddling with the Current: Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Etienne Parent, Liberalism, and Nationalism in Canada'' (1998)
* Gagnon, Alain-G., ed. ''Quebec, State and Society'' (3rd ed. 2004) 500pp; readings by experts
* Gagnon, Alain-G. and Montcalm, Mary Beth. ''Quebec beyond the Quiet Revolution.'' (2000) 221 pp.
* Gauvreau, Michael. ''The Catholic Origins of Quebec's Quiet Revolution, 1931-1970'' (2005)
* Grace, Robert J. ''The Irish in Quebec: An Introduction to the Historiography.'' (1992)
* Langlois, Simon, ed. ''Recent Social Trends in Quebec, 1960-1990.'' (1992). 606 pp.
* McRoberts, Kenneth. ''Quebec: Social Change and Political Crisis.'' (1988).
* Neatby, H. Blair. ''Laurier and a Liberal Quebec: A Study in Political Management'' (1973) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=8104462 online edition]
* Quinn, Herbert F. ''The Union Nationale: A Study in Quebec Nationalism'' (1963) 254 pgs. [http://www.questia.com/read/2983146?title=The%20Union%20Nationale%3a%20A%20Study%20in%20Quebec%20Nationalism online edition]
* Robinson, Gertrude. ''Constructing the Quebec Referendum: French and English Media Voices.'' (1998). 262 pp.
* Saywell, John. ''The Rise of the Parti Québécois 1967-76'' (1977) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=1347933 online edition]
* Stevenson, Garth. ''Community Besieged: The Anglophone Minority and the Politics of Quebec.'' (1999). 363 pp.
* Thomson, Dale C. ''Jean Lesage and the Quiet Revolution.'' (1984). 501 pp.
* Young, Robert A. ''The Struggle for Quebec: From Referendum to Referendum?'' (1999). 210 pp.

===Montreal===
see also [[Montreal]]

* Atherton, William Henry. ''Montreal, 1535-1914'' (1914) [http://books.google.com/books?id=RT1KUs2ax0sC&dq=intitle:montreal+date:1900-1922&lr=&num=30&as_brr=1&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 complete text online]
* Baillargeon, Denyse. ''Making Do: Women, Family and Home in Montreal during the Great Depression.'' (1999). 232 pp.
* Germain, Annick and Damaris, Rose. ''Montréal: The Quest for a Metropolis'' (2000). 306 pp.

===Historiography===
* Gagnon, Serge. ''Quebec and Its Historians, 1840-1920.'' (1982). 161 pp.
* Havard, Gilles, and Cécile Vidal, "Making New France New Again: French historians rediscover their American past," ''Common-Place'' (July 2007) v 7 #4 [http://www.common-place.org/vol-07/no-04/harvard/ online version]
* Ouellet, Fernand. ''Economy, class & nation in Quebec: Interpretive essays'' (1991), historiography
* Rudin, Ronald. ''Making History in Twentieth-Century Quebec'' (1997) [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Bh5dDMnmFdQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=historiography+quebec&ots=qc1xuagw7u&sig=jy5eKg_vKpxz_0NKEdvWnGQ8EKM excerpts and text search]
* Vidal, Cécile. "The Reluctance of French Historians to Address Atlantic History," ''The Southern Quarterly'' 43:4 (2006): 153-189;

===Primary sources===
* Cameron, David R., ed. ''The Referendum Papers: Essays on Secession and National Unity.'' (1999). 430 pp
* Cook, Ramsay, ed. ''French-Canadian Nationalism: An Anthology'' (1969)
* Lamonde, Yvan and Corbo, Claude, eds. ''Le Rouge et le Bleu: Une Anthologie de la Pensée Politique au Québec de la Conquête à la Révolution Tranquille'' (1999). 576 pp.
* Lévesque, René. "For an Independent Quebec." ''Foreign Affairs'' 1976 54(4): 734-744. The author was president of the Parti Québécois. Issn: 0015-7120 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]
* [http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/docs/index.htm Primary sources--texts]
* [http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/stats/index.htm Primary sources--statistics]]
== External Links ==
* [http://www.bonjourquebec.com/ Quebec Tourism]

====Notes====
<References/>

[[Category:Canadian Provinces]]
[[Category:Canadian History]]
[[category:Quebec]]
[[category:Canada]]

Ontario

2009-09-20T16:57:16Z

Wayne:

'''Ontario''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] province, the third largest province by size, and the largest by population. Ontario rests between [[Manitoba]] and [[Québec]]. It is bordered by the American states of [[Michigan]], [[New York]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Minnesota]]. It also borders on Hudson Bay to the north. It contains the southernmost point in Canada, Middle Island, which is further south than some points of [[California]]. Ontario has the highest GDP in Canada and is the center of Canada's manufacturing industry. The vast north of Ontario has many mineral deposits and large forests.

[[Toronto]] is the capital of Ontario, and the largest city in Canada. [[Ottawa]], the capital of Canada is located on the Ontario-Quebec border.
Ontario's current Premier is Dalton McGuinty, of the Liberal Party.
==Further reading==
* [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ ''The Dictionary of Canadian Biography''] (1966-2006), thousands of scholarly biographies of notables who died by 1930
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCESubjects&Params=A1 ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)] reliable detailed encyclopedia, on-line free
* Baskerville, Peter A. ''Sites of Power: A Concise History of Ontario.'' Oxford U. Press., 2005. 296 pp. (first edition was ''Ontario: Image, Identity and Power,'' 2002). [http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=112191064889930 online review]
* Craig, Gerald. ''Upper Canada. The Formative Years 1784-1841'' (1968), the standard scholarly history of Ontario before 1841
* Hall, Roger; Westfall, William; and MacDowell, Laurel Sefton, eds. ''Patterns of the Past: Interpreting Ontario's History.'' Dundurn Press, 1988. 406 pp.
* Halpern, Monda. ''And on that Farm He Had a Wife: Ontario Farm Women and Feminism, 1900-1970.'' (2001). 234 pp.
* Johnson, J. K. and Wilson, Bruce G., eds. ''Historical Essays on Upper Canada: New Perspectives.'' (1975). . 604 pp.
* Kilbourn, William.; ''The Firebrand: William Lyon Mackenzie and the Rebellion in Upper Canada'' (1956) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99227317 online edition]
* Landon, Fred, and J.E. Middleton. ''Province of Ontario: A History'' (1937) 4 vol. with 2 vol of biographies
* Mays, John Bentley. ''Arrivals: Stories from the History of Ontario.'' (2002). 418 pp.
* Montigny, Edgar-Andre, and Lori Chambers, eds. ''Ontario since Confederation: A Reader'' (2000).
* Moss, Mark. ''Manliness and Militarism: Educating Young Boys in Ontario for War.'' (2001). 216 pp.
* Noël, Françoise. ''Family Life and Sociability in Upper and Lower Canada, 1780-1870.'' (2003) 384pp
* Noël, Françoise. ''Family and Community Life in Northeastern Ontario: The Interwar Years'' (2009)
* Noel, S. J. R. ''Patrons, Clients, Brokers: Ontario Society and Politics, 1791-1896.'' (1990).
* Ontario Bureau of Statistics and Research. ''A Conspectus of the Province of Ontario'' (1947) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99258086 online edition]
* Parr, Joy, ed. ''A Diversity of Women: Ontario, 1945-1980.'' (1996). 335 pp.
* Rawlings-Way, Charles, and Natalie Karneef. ''Toronto'' (2007) , guide book
* Rogers, Edward S. and Smith, Donald B., eds. ''Aboriginal Ontario: Historical Perspectives on the First Nations.'' Dundurn, 1994. 448 pp.
* Schull, Joseph. ''Ontario since 1867'' (1978), narrative history
* White, Graham, ed. ''The Government and Politics of Ontario.'' 5th ed. (1997). 458 pp. university textbook
* White, Randall. ''Ontario since 1985.'' Eastendbooks, 1998. 320 pp.
====notes====
<references/>

== External Links ==
* [http://www.ontariotravel.net/ Ontario Tourism]

[[Category:Canadian Provinces]]
[[Category:Canadian History]]

Ontario

2009-09-20T16:56:50Z

Wayne:

'''Ontario''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] province, the third largest province by size, and the largest by population.. Ontario rests between [[Manitoba]] and [[Québec]]. It is bordered by the American states of [[Michigan]], [[New York]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Minnesota]]. It also borders on Hudson Bay to the north. It contains the southernmost point in Canada, Middle Island, which is further south than some points of [[California]]. Ontario has the highest GDP in Canada and is the center of Canada's manufacturing industry. The vast north of Ontario has many mineral deposits and large forests.

[[Toronto]] is the capital of Ontario, and the largest city in Canada. [[Ottawa]], the capital of Canada is located on the Ontario-Quebec border.
Ontario's current Premier is Dalton McGuinty, of the Liberal Party.
==Further reading==
* [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ ''The Dictionary of Canadian Biography''] (1966-2006), thousands of scholarly biographies of notables who died by 1930
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCESubjects&Params=A1 ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2008)] reliable detailed encyclopedia, on-line free
* Baskerville, Peter A. ''Sites of Power: A Concise History of Ontario.'' Oxford U. Press., 2005. 296 pp. (first edition was ''Ontario: Image, Identity and Power,'' 2002). [http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=112191064889930 online review]
* Craig, Gerald. ''Upper Canada. The Formative Years 1784-1841'' (1968), the standard scholarly history of Ontario before 1841
* Hall, Roger; Westfall, William; and MacDowell, Laurel Sefton, eds. ''Patterns of the Past: Interpreting Ontario's History.'' Dundurn Press, 1988. 406 pp.
* Halpern, Monda. ''And on that Farm He Had a Wife: Ontario Farm Women and Feminism, 1900-1970.'' (2001). 234 pp.
* Johnson, J. K. and Wilson, Bruce G., eds. ''Historical Essays on Upper Canada: New Perspectives.'' (1975). . 604 pp.
* Kilbourn, William.; ''The Firebrand: William Lyon Mackenzie and the Rebellion in Upper Canada'' (1956) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99227317 online edition]
* Landon, Fred, and J.E. Middleton. ''Province of Ontario: A History'' (1937) 4 vol. with 2 vol of biographies
* Mays, John Bentley. ''Arrivals: Stories from the History of Ontario.'' (2002). 418 pp.
* Montigny, Edgar-Andre, and Lori Chambers, eds. ''Ontario since Confederation: A Reader'' (2000).
* Moss, Mark. ''Manliness and Militarism: Educating Young Boys in Ontario for War.'' (2001). 216 pp.
* Noël, Françoise. ''Family Life and Sociability in Upper and Lower Canada, 1780-1870.'' (2003) 384pp
* Noël, Françoise. ''Family and Community Life in Northeastern Ontario: The Interwar Years'' (2009)
* Noel, S. J. R. ''Patrons, Clients, Brokers: Ontario Society and Politics, 1791-1896.'' (1990).
* Ontario Bureau of Statistics and Research. ''A Conspectus of the Province of Ontario'' (1947) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99258086 online edition]
* Parr, Joy, ed. ''A Diversity of Women: Ontario, 1945-1980.'' (1996). 335 pp.
* Rawlings-Way, Charles, and Natalie Karneef. ''Toronto'' (2007) , guide book
* Rogers, Edward S. and Smith, Donald B., eds. ''Aboriginal Ontario: Historical Perspectives on the First Nations.'' Dundurn, 1994. 448 pp.
* Schull, Joseph. ''Ontario since 1867'' (1978), narrative history
* White, Graham, ed. ''The Government and Politics of Ontario.'' 5th ed. (1997). 458 pp. university textbook
* White, Randall. ''Ontario since 1985.'' Eastendbooks, 1998. 320 pp.
====notes====
<references/>

== External Links ==
* [http://www.ontariotravel.net/ Ontario Tourism]

[[Category:Canadian Provinces]]
[[Category:Canadian History]]

Lake Huron

2009-09-20T16:56:02Z

Wayne:

'''Lake Huron''' is one of the five [[Great Lake]]s found in [[North America]]. It forms a natural border between eastern [[Michigan]] and [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. The largest island on an inland [[lake]], Manitoulin Island, is located in Lake Huron. Georgian Bay, is a large bay attached to Lake Huron, separated by the Bruce Peninsula.

[[category:United States]]
[[category:Great Lakes]]

Satan

2009-09-19T21:29:06Z

Wayne: Undo revision 701947 by CharlieHa (Talk) VANDAL

[[Image:GustaveDoreParadiseLostSatanProfile.jpg|right|thumb|Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.]]
'''Satan''' (from the Hebrew "ha-satan", meaning the "accuser", "tempter", "persecutor", "calumniator" or "adversary") was a member of the [[divine council]] of God referenced in the [[Old Testament]] in [[Job]]. He is referenced 11 times in Job and 4 other times in the Old Testament. The [[New Testament]] mentions Satan 34 times in all starting with the first book [[Matthew]] and ending with the last [[Revelation]]. In the Christian tradition he rebelled against [[God]] and is now the enemy of God and man alike. He is the father of lies and no good is found in him. He leads a host of fallen angels (or [[demon]]s) who know their days are numbered before they will be cast in the [[lake of fire]] and they seek to take as many humans as possible with them. Those who worship Satan are called [[satanism | Satanists]].

The three classic defenses against Satan are:

* mockery, which Satan cannot withstand due to his pride
* sunlight or exposure, from which Satan hides
* the [[Holy Spirit]], meaning "The Advocate" (i.e., defense lawyer), or the [[Armor of God]]<ref>Ephesians 6:1-17</ref>.

Note that Satan lacks self-restraint, which often leads him to failure. In addition, Satan delights in [[deceit]], even to the point of causing his downfall.

== History and Goals ==

In [[Christianity]] Satan's goal is to lead people away from the love of God, by tempting or tricking them. The only sources of supernatural power in the world are from either God (good) or Satan (evil). In the book of [[Genesis]], Satan takes the form of a snake and tempts Eve with fruit from a tree. This causes sin to come into the world. Satan, in the Book of Job, listens to God speak highly of Job and accuses Job to God before the host of angels that Job praises God only because he is blessed and would curse God if he was forced to suffer. God allows Satan to do what he will except to spare his life, and Satan causes Job to suffer immensely. (Job remained true to God through his hardships; Satan accused him further and punished him further, but could not get Job to break).

[[Jesus]] makes references to demonic possession on multiple occasions that He then casts out. Some believe that Satan is able to possess and control living humans on Earth even today. The Catholic church believes that priests (and sometimes only bishops) are able to [[exorcise]] this possession through Jesus.

In the [[New Testament]], Satan tries to tempt [[Jesus]] in the desert, and fails. Jesus warns extensively to beware of Satan as does [[Paul]].

Satan, is also called by several different names (the Devil, deceiver, Bealzebub, Beelzebul, Lucifer, Dis, [[Asmodeus]], Abaddon, "Old Scratch," the Crooked One, etc).

The notion of Satan, or an evil force, is noted in many if not all of the major world religions.

== Lucifer ==

'''Lucifer''' is a name literally meaning "Son of the Morning" (or "Light-Bearer"), and is mentioned in the [[Bible]] only in the [[book of Isaiah]] (Isaiah 14:12). Though in Christian tradition Lucifer is equated with Satan, the immediate context of the passage is Isaiah's prophecy against the king of Babylon, and the name "Lucifer" was not present at all in the original manuscripts (in the Latin Vulgate, the phrase "Son of the Morning" was transliterated as a proper name).

Whomever Lucifer may be, the Isaiah makes strong prophecy against him, condemning him for 5 pronouncements:

* I will ascend into [[heaven]]
* I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
* I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north
* I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
* I will be like the most High

Those who take this passage to be a reference to Satan believe that it gives more history of what caused his downfall, that he was created by God as one of His most powerful angels (possibly a Seraphim), but that he fell from grace after he in his pride rebelled against his Creator. Some, however, believe that there is no grounding to interpret the passage as a history of Satan, citing that the passage uses highly figurative and poetic language that was meant as a prophecy against Babylon and nothing more.

[[Image:Paradise Lost 12.jpg|right|thumb|''The fall of Lucifer'' by Gustave Doré.]]

== Jewish Views ==

In the Jewish tradition, Satan is an angel who faithfully serves God as a prosecuting attorney - one who accuses men of wickedness and impiety. At the direction of God, Satan may be permitted to test these accusations, such as in Job. In this view, Satan's goal is not to lead men away from their faithfulness to God, but merely to reveal the true depths of their devotion, although in [[I Chronicles]] 21:1 Satan provoked [[David]] to take a [[census]] of the people of Israel against the will of God and 70,000 men are slain because of it.

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[category:Abrahamic Religions]]
{{DivineComedy}}

United States of America

2009-09-19T17:24:20Z

Wayne: Undo revision 701895 by Scotsman (Talk)

{{Country
|name =''United States of America''
|map =US map.PNG
|map2 =Loc of United States.png
|established=1776
|flag =50 star flag.png
|arms =United States arms.png
|capital =Washington, D.C.
|government =Federal Republic
|language =English
|official =n
|president =Barack Hussein Obama
|area =3,718,695 sq mi
|pop =301,554,000 (2007)
|gdp-year =$13.049 trillion (2007
|gdp-pc =$44,333 (2007)
|currency =dollar
}}
The '''United States of America''' (commonly referred to as '''the United States''', '''the USA''', '''the US''', '''the States''', or simply as '''America''') is a North American nation that consists of a federal union of fifty individual states, along with territories and a capital district. Founded originally as 13 colonies in the [[British Empire]], they united to become a nation on July 4, 1776 with the [[Declaration of Independence]]. After defeating Britain in the [[American Revolutionary War|War of Independence]], the U.S. expanded westward thanks to rapid growth from high birth rates, low death rates and high immigration from Europe and Africa (slaves). It wrote a Constitution in 1787 that remains in effect today and is based on [[republican]] political principles. The Americans created the world's first political parties, and, since abolishing slavery in a bloody [[American Civil War|civil war]] in the 1860s, has been committed to democracy at home and abroad. Its capitalist economy grew rapidly, becoming the largest in the world by the 1870s. After defeating Communism in the [[Cold War]], the U.S. emerged as the world's only [[superpower]], boasting the largest economy and most powerful military. It exerts enormous cutural and intellectual influence worldwide, and in return is the target of the enemies of democracy and capitalism.

==Overview==

The United States has borders with [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]]. It is otherwise bounded by the [[Pacific Ocean]], the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Two of the fifty states, [[Alaska]], an exclave, and [[Hawaii]], an archipelago, are not contiguous with any of the other states. Puerto Rico, which is largely self governing, is part of the U.S., as are several smaller territories in the Pacific Ocean, such as Guam. Each of the 50 states has a certain level of sovereignty under the federal system.

At over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.6 million km²), the U.S. (including its non-contiguous and overseas states and territories) is the third largest country by total area. It is the world's third most populous nation, with over 350 million people.

==The Constitution and Politics in the United States==

[[Image:76485685i79.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The drafting committee presenting the [[Declaration of Independence]] to the [[Continental Congress]], painted by John Trumbull 1817–1819.]]

Between 1776 and 1788, the United States was governed according to the [[Articles of Confederation]]. The [[Founding Fathers]] formally established the current structure of the United States by ratification of the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1788. Since 1789, that constitution has been the basic governing document.

The U.S. is politically dedicated to [[republicanism]] with its commitment to civic virtue, and opposition to corruption and aristocracy. Another characteristic is its strong emphasis on [[federalism]] and states' rights. The United States invented popular parties in the 1790s; currently the two major political parties are the [[Democratic Party]], and the [[Republican Party]]. Minor parties are of little importance.

=== The Role of Religion in Government ===
see [[Religion and U.S. Government]]

==History==
===Thirteen Colonies===
see [[Thirteen Colonies]] [[Image:Pop1750.jpg|thumb|400px]]
===American Revolution===
see [[American Revolution]]

The American Revolution arose from the conjunction of multiple factors. The British victory in the French and Indian War ended the threat that foreign powers might attack the colonies; Britain's protection was no longer needed. At the same time Britain needed revenue to pay the war debts, and looked to the rich, fast-growing colonies for funding. The fatal mistake was to not ask the colonial legislatures; instead Britain imposed taxes without consultation.

Meanwhile the Americans had been adopting a new political philosophy, called [[republicanism]] that stressed civic virtue, fear of corruption, and disdain for aristocracy (there were no aristocrats in America apart from occasional British visitors). Republicanism alerted Americans to their constitutional rights as Englishmen--one right was the people through their elected officials set the taxes. To Americans this meant their colonial legislatures, because they were not represented in the British Parliament. The British replied haughtily that Americans were "virtually represented" somehow. The tax on stamps in 1765 incited near rebellion, as the 13 separate colonies began meeting together and sharing their grievances. The stamp tax was repealed but others followed, especially the tax on tea. Americans boycotted tea and merchants refused to order it, except in Boston. There a well-organized group of patriots dumped the tea in the harbor at the [[Boston Tea Party]]. London was livid and sent troops and stripped Massachusetts of its self government and suspended the historic rights the colonists were so proud of. Now all 13 colonies started organizing shadow governments called "Committees of Correspondence" that prepared for the day "patriots" 9or "Whigs") as they called themselves could assume all functions of local government. That day came when the British sent troops from Boston to seize gunpowder and the patriots gathered there. The American "Minute men" (militia) had trained and planned for the day and they back at Lexington and Concord, and defeated elite British troops. The war had begun.

The 13 colonies, now organized as the "Continental COngress" now became a national government, as the shadow governments in each colony took control and ousted all royal officials. Congress set up a Continental Army and gave command to Virginia leader [[George Washington]]. he took charge in Boston, and forced the British to leave in spring 1776. All 13 colonies were now under Patriot control, and they listened as [[Tom Paine]] explained in ''Common Sense'' that America was a strong and powerful nation in its own right and no longer needed a foreign king. Congress called on the colonies to make themselves states and write new constitutions. On July 4, 1776, Congress unanimously declared the independence of a new nation, the United States of America.

King [[George III]] could not abide the insolent Americans and he sent his small army and large navy to reconquer his lost colonies. They did capture New York City, but little else. The powerful Royal navy gave the British command of the seas and the ability to land troops anywhere and capture any specific place, but the shortage of British soldiers, and the very long 3000 mile supply line, meant that the British could only hold a few points at any one time. Hiring German soldiers (Hessians) was necessary, but they were not enough, for the Patriots always had more available soldiers. The British expectations that Loyalist would rise up and overthrow the Patriots was a chimera; the Loyalists did provide some help to British invasion forces, but were never strong enough to operate on their own or control any territory.

France, humiliated by Britain in the 1760s, was stronger now and wanted revenge. It secretly armed and financed the Americans. In 1777 the British sent a large army to invade New York and cut off the revolutionary states of New England. The plan was a disaster as the American militia captured the entire British invasion force at Saratoga. Encouraged by diplomat [[Benjamin Franklin]], the French now recognized the United States, signed a treaty of alliance, and entered the war against Britain. Later it brought in Span and the Netherlands as allies; Britain's diplomacy was so bad that it had no allies at all, and now was militarily matched or surpassed by the allies. The British invasion of the South in 178-81 was designed to bring out Loyalist support, but it failed and the second major British army was captured at thew [[Battle of Yorktown]]. The British Parliament revolted at their reckless king and his incompetent government and sued for peace, which was achieved on terms favorable to the U.S. in 1783. About 20% of the Loyalists removed to Canada, but the others stayed, and the new peaceful nation resumed its rapid growth.

=== New Nation===

In 1783, when the Treaty of Paris concluded the war of independence, the American population totalled some three million citizens and slaves living on about one million square miles of land. Tens of thousands of [[Native Americans]] also lived in the [[Northwest Territory]] and the Southwest.

The Thirteen original states are [[Connecticut]], [[Delaware]], [[Georgia]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]] (including [[maine]]), [[New Hampshire]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[North Carolina]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Rhode Island]], [[South Carolina]] and [[Virginia]]. In 1790, an agreement between supporters of Jefferson and those of [[Alexander Hamilton]] resulted in the creation of the [[District of Columbia]] from part of [[Maryland]]; it has served as the national capital since 1800. The remainder of the 1783 territory was eventually organized as the states of [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], [[Michigan]], [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]].

=== Expansion===

In 1803, [[French]] emperor [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] took advantage of a lull in his war with Great Britain to sell the [[Louisiana Territory]] to the United States, more than doubling the nation's land area. This territory would later be organized as the states of [[Minnesota]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Montana]], [[Wyoming]], [[Nebraska]], [[Iowa]], [[Missouri]], [[Arkansas]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Louisiana]] proper. President Jefferson commissioned [[Lewis and Clark]] to explore the new territory from 1802 to 1804.

The U.S. seized, then purchased [[Florida]] from Spain in 1819. [[Texas]] joined the United States in 1845 after winning its revolution against Mexico.

After victory the [[Mexican American War]] of 1846-48, the U.S. purchased via the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] territory that became the states of [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]] and [[Arizona]]. In 1846 the U.S. and Britain agreed that the 49th Parallel (degree of latitude) would serve as the boundary between the U. S. and [[British Columbia]] (now part of Canada). The American portion became the states of [[Washington]], [[Oregon]] and [[Idaho]].

In 1867, the U.S. purchased [[Alaska]] from [[Russia]]. It became a state in 1960.

Hawaii became an independent republic in 1894 and voluntarily joined the U.S. in 1898, becoming a state in 1960.

As a result of the [[Spanish-American War]], in which the United States took control of the [[Philippines]] and annexed [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Guam]]. The Phillipines became independent in 1946, after the U.S. reconquered the islands from Japan in World War II. [[Puerto Rico]] has occasionally held referenda that ratified its continuing unique "Commonwealth" status as part of the United States. The residents of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. Guam continues as a U.S. owned territory with full citizenship for its inhabitants. The people of Puerto Rico and Guam have a vote in presidential primaries and a voice, but not a vote, in Congress.

[[Image:56eugyjnm.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The [[White House]], the official home and workplace of the [[President of the United States]] of America.]]

== See Also: ==

*[[Flag of the United States of America]]
*[[Pledge of Allegiance]]
*[[Famous American artists]]
*[[List of 50 states]]
*[[Americas]]
*[[America (continent)]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/america.htm America]
*[http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/flags_of_us_states.htm Flags of the U.S. States]
*[http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf Interactive map test of the 50 U.S. states]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{USstates}}
{{Nb US universities}}
[[Category:North American Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Racism

2009-09-19T16:51:47Z

Wayne: /* Racism and President Obama */

'''Racism''' is [[prejudice]] and [[discrimination]] based on [[race]].
An example is a claim that of inferiority or superiority based on the color of one's skin. Another example was the [[Jim Crow]] laws.

Racism has come to mean the hatred of another person because of the color of his or her skin, or perceived difference in origin. The doctrine of [[substantive due process]] in United States constitutional law can be used to invalidate racist laws. Alternately, the [[Equal Protection|equal protection]] clause of the [[Fourteenth Amendment]] can be used to do the same. ''See e.g.'' [[Brown v. Board of Education]], 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
[[category:psychology]]

==Opposition to racism==
[[Laird Wilcox]] wrote:
*There is a [[humanist]] anti-racism that focuses on [[reconciliation]] and [[healing]], that works to bring people together, that functions openly and honestly without the use of [[dossier]]s, [[spies]], specious [[lawsuit]]s, [[disinformation]], and that recognizes the [[right]]s of individuals whether they agree with one another or not. This is the anti-racism of good neighbors, of people helping people, of community goodwill, and of the realization that we are all [[human being]]s. ... On the other hand there is a vindictive and corrupt anti-racism that focuses on paybacks and [[punishment]], that demonizes and degrades its critics, that attempts to carve out [[special rights]] for its constituency, that opposes free and open discussion of ideas, that attempts to silence, [[censor]] and stifle its opposition through intimidation and harassment, and encourages [[law enforcement]] scrutiny of opponents because of their alleged [[values]], opinions and beliefs.<ref>''The Watchdogs: A Close Look at Anti-Racist "Watchdog" Groups'', Laird Wilcox, Editorial Research Service, 1999, pg. 3. ISBN 0-993592-96-5.</ref>

==Racism and President Obama==
In 2009, some on the political far-left began a campaign to portray those expressing any sort of opposition to President Obama as being motivated by racism.

Maureen Dowd wrote an op-ed piece slamming Representative Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst as racist, ridiculously claiming she "heard.. an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!"<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13dowd.html?_r=1</ref>

One of the most obsessive purveyors of the racism claim is MS-NBC's Keith Olbermann.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rhk_r3oqVw</ref>

Former president Jimmy Carter also lent his voice to the racism charges.<ref>http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/09/17/2009-09-17_jimmy_carter_gets_flak_for_racism_charge__even_from_white_house.html</ref>

These attacks continue despite the White House's assertion that "[t]he President does not believe that criticism comes based on the color of his skin."

According to noted conservative commentator [[Glenn Beck]], Obama is a racist with a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." <ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/07/29/2009-07-29_fox_news_glenn_beck_president_barack_obama_is_racist_with_deepseated_hatred_of_w.html} </ref>

== See Also ==
*[[Ku Klux Klan]]
*[[Nazism]]
*[[Reverse racism]]
*[[Evolutionary racism]]

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/racism/ What Liberals Say - Category: Racism], [[Accuracy In Media]]

Permanent revolution

2009-09-19T12:07:51Z

Wayne: /* Further reading */

'''Permanent Revolution''' is a plan for the overthrow of capitalism throughout the world, as envisioned by Bolshevik leader [[Leon Trotsky]] in 1905.

Marxist theory from the days of Karl Marx had stated that the socialist revolution would automatically happen some years after capitalism and the bourgeoisie had triumphed over feudalism. It would happen when the industrial proletariat, organized by the party, overthrows capitalism in advanced industrial states. Thee revolution, according to this theory, could not happen in undeveloped countries like Russia in 1905 because they had not yet reached the proper stage of development.

Yet the left hoped to start a revolution in Russia--it almost succeeded in 1905 and did succeed in 1917. Trotsky was there to adjust Marxist theory to real life. He argued for an immediate seizure of power everywhere in order to telescope the bourgeois and socialist revolutions into one seamless sequence. That was "permanent revolution." Trotsky maintained that revolution would spread worldwide after the international proletariat's aid to the Russian workers, who in turn would 'export' the revolution abroad.

[[Joseph Stalin]] had an opposing viewpoint. Stalin's thesis on socialism in one country, launched in 1926, brought Trotsky into conflict with the Bolshevik leadership, eager to exploit his real and alleged divergences from Marxism-Leninism. Trotsky broke with Stalin by 1928 and was expelled from Russia. Before he was murdered at Stalin's command in 1940 Trotsky preached "permanent revolution" as a rallying cry for the anti-capitalist far left. His ideas caused considerable disruption in the Communist movement. In China [[Mao Zedong]] adapted Trotsky's ideas to his need to base a revolution on he peasantry.

[[Paleoconservative]] historians in recent years have alleged that [[Neoconservatives]] believe in the Trotskyite Permanent Revolution because most of them came out of the Trotskyite cause in the 1930s. That is false. There are four fundamental flaws in the paleoconservatives' attack: most of the neoconservatives were never Trotskyites; none of them ever subscribed to the right-wing Socialism of Max Shachtman; the assertion that neoconservatives subscribe to 'inverted Trotskyism' is misleading; and neoconservatives advocate democratic globalism, not permanent revolution.<ref>See King (2005) </ref> Thus very few neoconservatives ever were Trotskyites, and even those discarded permanent Revolution when they rejected all forms of Communism.<ref> [[Irving Kristol]] for a while was a Trotskyite. As he noted, "I’ve been a neo-something: a neo-Marxist, a neo-Trotskyist, a neo-liberal, a neo-conservative and, in religion, always a neo-orthodox, even while I was a neo-Trotskyist and a neo-Marxist."</ref>
==Further reading==
* James, C.L.R. ''World Revolution 1917-1936: The Rise and Fall of the Communist International.'' New York: Pioneer Publishers, 1937.
* King, William F. "Neoconservatives and 'Trotskyism'." ''American Communist History'' 2004 3(2): 247-266
* Thatcher, Ian. "Leon Trotsky and 1905" ''History Review,'' Sept 2005, Issue 52, pp 21-25, in [[EBSCO]]
* Trotsky, Leon. ''The Age of Permanent Revolution: A Trotsky Anthology'' ed. by Isaac Deutscher (1965); primary sources
* Van Ree, Erik. "Socialism in One Country: A Reassessment." ''Studies in East European Thought,'' June 1998, Vol. 50 Issue 2, p77-117
====references====
<references/>
[[Category:Communism]]

The Scotsman

2009-09-18T01:36:26Z