Copy of `IRC Politics - Political terms`

The wordlist doesn't exist anymore, or, the website doesn't exist anymore. On this page you can find a copy of the original information. The information may have been taken offline because it is outdated.

IRC Politics - Political terms Category: General technical and industrial > Politics Date & country: 29/04/2011, USA Words: 237

abolitionist
one who favors doing away with slavery.

absolutism
the principle or the exercise of complete and unrestricted power in government.

acid rain
a theory that pollution rises into the atmosphere and chemicals are returned to earth in the rain.

ACLU
American Civil Liberties Union. Nonprofit, nonpartisan litigation and lobbying organization which, among other activities, defends "freedom of expression, privacy, due process, and equal protection on behalf of anyone, no matter how unpopular the issue.

ad hominem
appealing to a prejudice or emotion, to discredit what someone believes. Instead of addressing the opposing side's argument or position, you make a personal attack on their character.

affirmative action
laws mandating increased numbers of women and minorities, especially in employment.

altruism
sacrifice of the self for the welfare of others.

amendment
an alteration of or addition to a bill, constitution, etc.

anarchist
one who seeks to overturn, by violence, society and government, with no intention of establishing another orderly system.

Anarchist (libertarian)
this anti-american faction is made up of far-left extremists from the communist, socialist democrat, and environmentalist movements. They condemn capitalism, advocate intolerance and violence, utilizing terrorist methods to implement change.

Antifederalist
a person who opposed the adoption of the proposed U.S. Constitution.

Anti-Semitearbitrary
one who discriminates against or who is hostile toward or prejudiced against Jews. Sometimes used as a label for those who criticize Israel or it's policies, in order to intimidate and stifle disagreement.

Articles of Confederation
the constitution of the 13 American colonies, adopted in 1781 and replaced in 1789 by the U.S. Constitution.

atheism
the doctrine or belief that there is no God or gods.

attorney general
the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department.

autarky
national economic self-sufficiency.

autocracy
a government where uncontrolled or unlimited authority is in the hands of one person.

axis-of-evil
countries to be attacked; Bush administration hitlist (currently includes Iran, North Korea, and possibly now Syria -

bear market
a declining or tending toward a declining in prices.

bigotry
intolerance of anyone else's creed, belief, or opinion.

bill
a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature.

Bill of Rights
a formal statement of the fundamental rights of the people of a nation; such a statement incorporated in the U.S. Constitution as Amendments 1

bi-partisan
representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions.

blow-back
the threat of American-made weapons being turned against American troops

Blue Dog Democrats
Democrats that frequently take Republicans or Independents political positions.

budget
an itemized estimate of expected income and expense and a plan of operation based on such an estimate.

bull market
a rise in prices. Characterized by favorable prospects for the economy.

bureaucracy
officials using fixed fules and a hierarchy of authority characterized by red tape, delay or inaction

Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS)
The term BDS refers to a seriously paranoid state-of-mind, that affects some liberals. They blame President George W. Bush for virtually every ill in the world.

cabinet
a council advising a sovereign, president, etc.

capitalism
an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained by private individuals.

casuistry
application of general ethical principles to particular cases of conscience or conduct.

caucus
a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on party policy

censorship
suppressing books, plays, music, newspapers, speech, etc. because they are considered morally or politically objectionable.

chancellor
the chief minister of state as in Germany.

chaos
a state of utter confusion and disorder.

CIA
Central Intelligence Agency. The U.S. federal agency that coordinates governmental intelligence activities.

circuit court
the court of general jurisdiction in some states.

civil rights
the rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional Acts.

civil war
a war between political factions or regions within the same country.

class
dividing society into groups where the members of each group share basically the same economic and political characteristics.

Climategate
In 2009 there was a hacking of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the Univ. of East-Anglia, in Norwich, England. Over a thousand emails were taken and the contents placed on the Internet for all to see. Controversy arose because the emails revealed that several climate scientists had colluded to withhold scientific information, interfered with the peer-review process to prevent dissenting scienti...

Code Pink
Women for Peace

collateral damage
bystander casualties, ecological destruction and environmental contamination with potential to keep causing both

collectivism
centralized control of the social and economic elements of a society, especially the means of production.

communism
a system of social organization in which a totalitarian state, run by a single self-appointed political party, controls all economic and social activity.

competition
two or more entities, such as corporations, vying for the greatest amount of profits, prizes, acknowledgments, etc.

congress
the national legislative body of the U.S. consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

conscription
the draft. Mandatory enrollment in the military.

Conservative
Represented by the Republican party, or political Right. One who generally favors economic liberty, free markets, private property, privatization of business and lower taxes. They claim to want less, or limited Government. They respect the dignity of the individual, prefering personal freedoms over equality. They support a strong national defense and their champion is probably Ronald Reagan.

conspiracy
an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons.

Constitutional Convention
the convention of representatives from each of the colonies (except Rhode Island) that met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame the U.S. Constitution.

Continental Congress
one of two continental assemblies that first met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, and afterward met from 1775 to 1789, during which period the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation were adopted.

creationism
the belief that God created the universe, including all life, in its present form precisely as stated in the Bible in the book of Genesis.

cyber terrorism
a surprise attack by a foreign terrorist group, or individuals with a political agenda, using computer technology and the Internet to cripple or disable infrastructure.

Darwinism
the theory that the origin of the species is derived by descent, with variation, from parent forms, through the natural selection of those best adapted to survive in the struggle for existence.

debunk
.to expose a sham or falseness by presenting a truthful explanation

Declaration of Independence
the public act by which the Second Continental Congress on July4, 1776, declared the colonies to be free and independent of England.

decriminalization
the elimination of criminal penalties for the possession or use of something.

deficit
the amount by which a sum of money falls short of the required amount.

democracy
a form of government to which the supreme power is vested in and exercised directly by the people or by their representatives elected under a free electoral system.

democrat
One who advocates social and economic equality and government efforts, through tax-supported programs, at achieving this equality. Democrats favor liberal or progressive positions, some of which include opposition to the Iraq war, diplomacy over military action, globalism, welfare programs targeted to the poor, global warming, affirmative action, balanced budget and unionized labor.

democratic republic
a nation that favors states' rights rather than a strong national government.

depression
a prolonged and very severe recession. The economic crisis which began around the time of the stock market crash in October 1929 and continued through the 1930s.

determinism
a philosophical concept which postulates that all events, including human actions, are predetermined.

dialectic
the art or practice of a logical discussion as of the truth of a theory or opinion.

dictator
one who assumes absolute control without the free consent of the people.

disinformation
false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth

doublespeak
language deliberately constructed to disguise its actual meaning

doublethink
maintaining a contradiction in mind as one speaks the opposite of one's own belief.

Dow Jones Industrial Average
a weighted average of thirty stocks chosen by Dow Jones and Company as representative of the size and financial performance of the premier corporations in America.

downsize
reduction of employees

earmarks
a term used to describe a very specific type of pork barrel spending. The earmark is usually a reward offered to politicians to get their votes on bills they would not otherwise support. A good example is the Obama Health care bill; Sen. Ben Nelson D-NE was given the "Nebraska Kickback" for his vote; and Sen. Mary Landrieu D-LA received what was called the "Louisiana purchase" for her vote. Th...

Ecoterrorist
political terrorism; a person who uses sabotage, arson and violence in order to achieve environmentalist aims

egalitarian
characterized by the belief in the equality of all men.

eliminationist
originally a term used to describe Hitler's plan to eliminate the Jews. Today it is often used to describe a group of environmental radicals who have apocalyptic environmental views that treat humans as a disease. Many believe animals are more important than humans. Eliminationists support programs for humans, such as: forced abortions, putting sterilizing agents in drinking water, other means of...

embedded reporters
reporters who are absorbed into an advancing military unit, and who may even dress like soldiers, so that

empirical
depending upon experience or observation alone, without using science or theory.

Enlightenment
a trend during the 18th century that favored the power of human reason. It was believed that knowledge could only come from observation guided by reason and that through reason, continuing progress in knowledge, achievement, and morality could be sustained. Further, that through education, human nature could be changed for the better.

Environmental terrorism
political terrorism; the use of sabotage, arson and violence in order to achieve environmentalist aims. The Unabomber, Chaim Nissim and James Jay Lee were all environmental terrorists. Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Earth Liberation Front (ELF), Greenpeace and Earth First! are organizations that support violent tactics.

environmentalism
advocating working towards the protection of air, water, animals, plants, and other resources from pollution and its effects.

equality
the state in which all people, regardless of their individual characteristics and abilities and without any special privileges or advantages, have the same opportunities for economic, social, etc. achievement.

ethnic cleansing
the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group, also known as Genocide .

Eugenics
improving the human gene pool by discouraging procreation by persons with undesirable traits.

evolution
a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations; also : the process described by this theory

executive branch
one of the three main branches of the U.S. government which consists of 10 offices and 14 departments which are led by the President.

fascism
a totalitarian governmental system that emphasizes nationalism and racism and is led by a dictator.

FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigations. A federal agency charged, by the Attorney General, with investigating certain types of violations.

FCC
Federal Communications Commission. A board that regulates broadcasting and interstate communications.

Federal Reserve System
the U.S. federal banking system that is under the control of a central board of governors (Federal Reserve Board) with a central bank (Federal Reserve Bank) in each of the 12 districts. It has wide powers in controlling credit and the flow of money.

federalist
one who advocates a strong central government.

feminism
the doctrine of advocating social and political rights for women equal to those of men. (see NOW)

food police
individuals or groups who use a political bias as a standard to determine what is, and is not, healthy or appropriate for

free enterprise
an economic idea which states that a capitalist economy can, through supply and demand, regulate itself in a freely competitive market without governmental interference.

free shit
a slang term for welfare, food stamps, social security, Medicaid, public education, foreign aid and other items financed with taxpayer money and given by government to people who claim to have a need for them.

free speech
the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.

GDP
measures the value of all goods and services produced within a given nation's borders no matter what the producer's nationality.

Gestapo
the German state secret police during the Nazi regime.

Global Warming
an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect supposedly resulting from pollution

Global Warming Movement
a name given to an environmental movement that claims that humankind is to blame for any increase in the average temperature of the Earth.