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Steve Cohen (politician)

Stephen Ira Cohen (born May 24, 1949) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from TN's 9th congressional district since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes the western three-fourths of Memphis. Cohen is Tennessee's first Jewish congressman and since 2023 has been the dean of and only Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.

Early life and education
Cohen was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 24, 1949, the son of Genevieve (née Goldsand) and pediatrician Morris David Cohen. He has two older brothers, Michael Corey and Martin D. Cohen. He is a fourth-generation Memphian and a grandson of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Poland. His immigrant grandfather owned a newsstand. Cohen contracted polio when he was five, and the disease caused him to shift his attention from sports to politics at an early age. When he was 11, John F. Kennedy made a campaign stop in Memphis, and Cohen took a picture of Kennedy sitting on a convertible. Cohen describes Kennedy as his political hero; the picture still hangs in his office.

In 1961, Cohen's family moved to Coral Gables, Florida, where his father took a residency in psychiatry at the University of Miami. From 1964 to 1966, the Cohens lived in Pasadena, California, where Dr. Cohen completed a fellowship in pediatric psychiatry at the University of Southern California. Cohen, who had been attending Polytechnic School in Pasadena, returned to Florida in 1966 to graduate from Coral Gables Senior High School before returning to Memphis where his father had established his private psychiatry practice.

Cohen graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. At Vanderbilt, he was a member of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. In 1973, he graduated from the Memphis State University College of Law (now the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law) with a Juris Doctor. Cohen is unmarried and lives in a Midtown neighborhood.

Early career
From 1978 to 2006, Cohen was the sole practitioner of his own law firm, practicing civil and criminal law.

While serving as a legal advisor for the Memphis Police Department from 1975 to 1978, Cohen rose to political prominence when he was elected vice president of the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1977 at age 27. Cohen was then elected to serve as a commissioner on the Shelby County Commission, serving from 1978 to 1980. During his time at the commission, he was instrumental in the creation of The Med, a community-funded regional hospital. In 1980, Cohen served as an interim Shelby County General Sessions Court judge. He has also served as a delegate to the 1980, 1992, and 2004 through 2016 Democratic National Conventions.

Tennessee Senate
Cohen was elected to the Tennessee Senate in 1982, representing the 30th district, which includes parts of Memphis. He held that position for 24 years.

For 18 years, Cohen strove to repeal the ban on lotteries in the Tennessee State Constitution. His efforts were successful in 2002, and a state lottery program designed to provide college scholarships for Tennessee students was adopted the following year. The lottery program is the best-known accomplishment of Cohen's Senate career, having raised over $2 billion for scholarships, afterschool programs, pre-K, technical center grants, and energy-saving capital programs in K-12 schools as of 2012. Cohen also sponsored legislation relating to expansion of community access to healthcare, protection of animal rights, reinstatement of voting rights, graduated driver licenses, and funding for the arts. He sponsored the T-Bo law, the nation's first-ever statute providing for damages up to $5,000 in cases of intentional or negligent acts resulting in the death of a companion dog or cat. He has won six awards from the Humane Society as of 2011.

Cohen sponsored and passed legislation providing funding for the construction of the Autozone Park baseball stadium, creating the Holocaust Commission, and providing permanent funding for the arts with Tennesseans for the Arts license plates. He was awarded the Bill of Rights Award from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Bird Dog Award for Ethics from Tennessee Common Cause in 1992.

In 1994, Cohen ran for governor of Tennessee, but finished fifth in the Democratic primary with 4.95% of the vote. The nominee, Phil Bredesen, lost the general election to U.S. Representative Don Sundquist, but succeeded Sundquist in 2003.

In March 2005, Cohen was one of three members of the Tennessee Senate to vote against the Tennessee Marriage Protection Amendment, which prohibited same-sex marriage statewide and was approved by Tennessee voters via a referendum in November 2006. During debate on the amendment, he offered several amendments to it, all of which failed, including the proposed addition of an "adultery clause", which said, "Adultery is deemed to be a threat to the institution of marriage and contrary to public policy in Tennessee." Cohen won the Political Leadership Award from the Human Rights Campaign.

1996
Cohen ran for the United States House of Representatives seat for the 9th district in 1996, when 22-year incumbent Harold Ford, Sr. retired. The then 26-year-old Harold Ford, Jr., the incumbent's son, was his opponent in the Democratic primary. Reflecting on the race, Cohen said, "I'd spent 14 years in the [state] Senate, had the experience, and didn't like the idea of [the seat] being handed down like an heirloom."

Cohen lost the primary to Ford by 25 points. Noting that Ford, an African-American, did much better than Cohen in majority black precincts despite his inexperience, Cohen said, "It is impossible for a person who is not African American to get a large vote in the African American community... against a substantial candidate. The fact is, I am white, and it doesn't seem to matter what you do." Later, he admitted that his statement was "impolitic" but also noted that "race is still an important factor in voting."

Cohen returned to the State Senate after the election. Tennessee state senators serve staggered four-year terms, and Cohen did not have to run for reelection to the Senate until 1998.

2006
In 2006, Cohen ran again for the 9th district seat; Ford was not running for reelection. Cohen was the first candidate in the race with significant name recognition outside the Memphis area, but had 14 opponents in the primary. The Commercial Appeal, Memphis's daily newspaper, endorsed Cohen in the race. The crowded primary was largely due to the district's demographics. The 9th is a heavily Democratic, black-majority district, and it was considered very likely that whoever won the primary would be the district's next representative.

Cohen won the August 3 primary by a 4,000-vote margin, despite being outspent 2 to 1 by the runner-up. In fact, six Democrats raised more money than he did. He carried many of the district's predominantly black precincts by healthy margins. He faced Republican Mark White and independent Jake Ford (the younger brother of Harold Ford, Jr.) in the general election in November.

Though the ninth district is heavily Democrat, Jake Ford was seen as a serious contender for the race because of his significant name recognition among Memphis's black voters. Ford had skipped the Democratic primary because he felt it was too crowded, but said he would caucus with the Democrats if elected. The Ford family has been a significant force in Memphis's black community since the days of E.H. Crump. It seemed that the real race was between Cohen and Ford. White was not a serious factor, and would have faced nearly impossible odds even in a two-way race with Cohen.

Cohen was endorsed by the mayor of Memphis, W. W. Herenton, and the mayor of Shelby County, A.C. Wharton, both of whom are black and members of the Democratic Party. He was also endorsed by many local Democratic activists who had long felt that Harold Ford, Jr. was too moderate.

But many of the city's politically influential black pastors refused to support Cohen, and the area Black Ministers Association overwhelmingly voted to endorse Jake Ford. The Ford family itself was split. While Harold Ford, Jr. remained neutral (despite rumors of collusion between the brothers' campaigns), their cousin Joe Ford, Jr., an entertainment lawyer, strongly endorsed Cohen after finishing third in the primary. Harold Ford, Sr. strongly supported his younger son.

On October 8, 2006, Cohen, Ford, and White participated in a televised debate in Memphis. Issues discussed included Iraq, medical marijuana, education, and the Tennessee Marriage Protection Amendment. Ford attacked Cohen's record in the State Senate, including his opposition to the Marriage Protection Amendment, support for medical marijuana, and his voting attendance record. Cohen responded by standing by his public record, pointing out Ford's lack of experience in public office, and indicating that Ford had been to jail and had dropped out of high school.

Cohen won the election by a decisive margin, with 60% of the vote to Ford's 22% and White's 18%. Sixty percent of Cohen's votes were from African-Americans.

2008
Despite Cohen's strong performance in the black community, many of the city's politically active blacks felt chagrined at being represented by him. Besides some sentiment that the 9th should be represented by a black Democrat, his socially liberal views also gave them pause. For example, Cohen's support for a hate-crimes bill drew particularly strong opposition from most of the city's black ministers because it included a sexual orientation provision. Cohen noted that every member of the Congressional Black Caucus voted for the bill, and Harold Ford, Jr. had voted for it in the previous Congress. Still, many of the city's black ministers tried to rally behind a consensus black candidate to challenge Cohen in the Democratic primary.

Cohen faced four challengers in the August 7 primary. His major opponent was Nikki Tinker, a lawyer who had finished second to Cohen in the 2006 primary and a former aide to Harold Ford, Jr. Tinker received the endorsement of the city's Black Ministerial Association.

At a June 2008 campaign event, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Cohen "the conscience of the freshman class", adding, "He is a progressive and an important member of the Transportation Committee, which provides the infrastructure for jobs that will make America more competitive in the global economy."

The campaign quickly turned ugly, with Tinker putting together a raft of negative ads. One attacked Cohen for voting against a proposal that would have removed a statue and the remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate lieutenant-general who was involved in the founding of the Ku Klux Klan, from the Medical Center park. The ad falsely implied that Cohen had ties to the Klan by juxtaposing him with a white-clad Klansman. Another ad accused Cohen of "praying in our churches" while voting against school prayer during his tenure in the State Senate. Tinker's campaign later removed the ads from its YouTube account amid criticism from a number of sources.

On the day the primary was held, Barack Obama denounced Tinker's ads, saying they "have no place in our politics, and will do nothing to help the good people of Tennessee." Harold Ford, Jr. also denounced the ads.

The primary had been marred by antisemitic rhetoric for months before the August vote. In February 2008, Rev. George Brooks, a Tinker supporter, distributed literature in the district that stated that "Cohen and the Jews HATE Jesus" and urged the defeat of an "opponent of Christ and Christianity." Another minister, Robert Poindexter of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, said he was supporting Tinker because Cohen was "not black, and he can't represent me. That's just the bottom line."

Cohen won the primary with 79% of the vote to Tinker's 19%. In his victory speech, he said his victory proved "Memphis has come a long, long way" from its racially divisive past. The win virtually assured him of a second term; no Republican even filed, and any Republican challenger would have faced nearly impossible odds. Cohen was reelected with 87.9% of the vote against three independent challengers, including Jake Ford (who won 4.8%).

Cohen endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary on February 4, 2008, the day before the Super Tuesday primaries. On September 10, 2008, while speaking on the House floor, Cohen compared Obama's work as a community organizer to Jesus' work.

2010
Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton challenged Cohen in the 2010 Democratic primary. In a guest column in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Herenton wrote that while he hoped the campaign would focus on issues rather than race or religion, "it remains a fact that the 9th congressional district provides the only real opportunity to elect a qualified African-American to the all-white 11-member delegation representing Tennessee in Washington." Herenton also denied having supported Cohen in his 2006 bid against Jake Ford, writing, "I did not support Steve Cohen the individual for the 9th congressional district. I supported an idea that was bigger than him as an individual. I supported the principle of fairness." During the 2006 campaign, Herenton endorsed Cohen, saying, "Steve Cohen is the best-qualified candidate for this leadership role". While Cohen's commanding win in the 2008 primary suggested that he had strong support among the district's African-American community, Herenton was easily his highest-profile opponent to date.

In September 2009, Herenton drew controversy when he said in a radio interview that Cohen "really does not think very much of African-Americans" and that "[Cohen]'s played the black community well." In addition, Herenton's campaign manager Sidney Chism told The New York Times that Cohen's Memphis-area seat "was set aside for people who look like me. It wasn't set aside for a Jew or a Christian. It was set aside so that blacks could have representation." The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) criticized Herenton for these remarks, calling them "unacceptable in a Democratic primary or anywhere in our political discourse."

Obama endorsed Cohen for reelection, saying, "Congressman Cohen is a proven leader in the United States Congress and a strong voice for Tennessee. Together, we passed historic health care reform and together we're continuing the fight to renew our economy and bring jobs back to the American people. I am proud to stand with Steve and support his reelection to Congress."

In the unofficial election results, Cohen won 79% of the vote to Herenton's 21%. It was the first time Herenton, elected to a record five terms as mayor, lost a race for public office. This all but assured Cohen a third term. In the general election, Cohen defeated Republican challenger Charlotte Bergmann, taking 74% of the vote to Bergmann's 25%.

2012
Cohen was challenged in the Democratic Primary by Tomeka Hart, an African-American member of the Memphis School Board and Memphis Urban League President who was undefeated in elections up to that point. Cohen won the primary with 89.2% of the vote on August 2, 2012 —the highest vote total in the district in recent history and the highest percentage vote for a white candidate running for office in a majority African-American district in history.

Obama endorsed Cohen on April 5, 2012, saying, "Congressman Steve Cohen has worked with me on jobs bills, health care, and other issues of importance to the middle class. He also never fails to pitch me on the city of Memphis, whether it's Booker T. Washington High School, Memphis basketball, or barbecue. I urge you to vote for Steve Cohen, a tireless advocate for the 9th district". In the general election, Cohen defeated Republican businessman George Flinn, winning 75% of the vote.

2014
Cohen defeated prominent African American attorney Ricky Wilkins in the Democratic primary by a two-to-one margin, winning every precinct.

2016
Cohen defeated his Republican opponent, Wayne Alberson, in the general election, 78.7% to 18.9%.

2018
Cohen won the Democratic primary against two opponents with almost 91% of the vote. He defeated Republican Charlotte Bergmann and Independent candidate Leo AwGoWhat in the general election with 80% of the vote to Bergmann's 19.2% and AwGoWhat's 0.8%.

2020
Receiving almost 91% of the vote, Cohen won the Democratic primary against two opponents, AwGoWhat and Corey Strong. In the general election, he won 77% of the vote, defeating Bergmann and three independent candidates (Dennis Clark, Bobby Lyons and Charles Shappley).

2022
Cohen was reelected.

Tenure
Cohen is easily the most progressive member of the Tennessee delegation, and arguably one of the most progressive congressmen ever to represent the state. He has a lifetime rating of 4.3 from the American Conservative Union; for most of his tenure he has had the lowest ACU rating of any lawmaker from Tennessee.

He is the first Jew to represent Tennessee in Congress, the first white Democrat to represent a significant portion of Memphis since freshman George W. Grider was defeated by Republican Dan Kuykendall in 1966, the first Jew to represent a majority black district, and one of the few white congressmen to have represented a black-majority district. Before being elected, Cohen told reporters that he would seek to become the first white member of the Congressional Black Caucus, but later decided against joining after members of the CBC (influenced by co-founder Bill Clay) indicated that they would not allow a non-black to join.

Book curriculum
In January 2022, when the board of trustees of McMinn County Schools in Tennessee, in a 10-0 decision, removed the Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust graphic novel Maus from its curriculum for 8th grade English classes, overriding a state curriculum decision, Cohen was critical of the decision and said he hoped to see it reversed.

Budget
Cohen voted against prioritizing spending in the event the debt limit was reached. He voted to create an $825 billion economic recovery package as well as an additional $192 billion anti-recession stimulus in 2009. He supported additional stimulus packages and bailouts, such as the GM and Chrysler bailout.

Cohen supports raising Senate salaries. He also supports extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. He opposes any move to privatize Social Security.

Gun control
Cohen supports a ban on private gun sales without a background check and on "fire sales" of firearms, but supports the right to bear concealed firearms. He supports educating children on gun safety through a school program. Cohen was also one of 80 House members to sign a letter to Obama urging him to ban the importation of military-style semiautomatic firearms.

Energy
To expand funds available for research and development of alternative energy sources, Cohen supports an excess profits tax on oil companies. He supports investments in solar, wind, and hybrid cars. He supports offering tax credits and incentives to companies that adopt renewable and clean energy methods. He supports the regulation of oil and gas prices and seeks to criminalize oil cartels like OPEC. He opposes offshore drilling and seeks to revoke tax incentives for exploration of oil and gas.

Environment
Cohen is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He supports environmental conservation. He opposed a resolution that would bar the EPA from regulating emissions, and opposes allowing offshore drilling. He also supports the expansion of public transportation and train lines.

Cohen has said there are several more animal species that should be classified as endangered and thus receive protection. He believes outdoor classroom experiences should be expanded through massive federal funding.

Healthcare
Cohen believes adequate healthcare is a basic right and has opposed any cuts to healthcare funding. He has voted several times to extend healthcare coverage through federal funding.

On May 10, 2012, at a House subcommittee hearing on asbestos trust transparency legislation, Cohen described plaintiff's attorneys who contacted him about the illness of his friend Warren Zevon as "parasites." He said that Zevon—who died from asbestos-related cancer—did not seek a lawyer and did not want damages. In spite of Cohen's feelings, he spoke against the bill.

Cannabis
Cohen has supported a number of efforts to legalize cannabis in Congress. He cosponsored the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act when it was first introduced in 2011 and every year that it has subsequently been introduced. Other legislation he has cosponsored includes the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, Marijuana Justice Act, Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act, and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. Cohen has also introduced the CARERS Act in multiple years (2015, 2017, and 2019) to legalize the medical use of cannabis. He was the headline speaker at Marijuana Policy Project's annual gala in January 2010.

Government reform
Cohen supports limiting campaign donations and disclosure of amounts coming from lobbyists.

During his first month in Congress, Cohen supported the "100-Hour Plan" in the House, which included raising the federal minimum wage, requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower Medicare prescription drug prices, and reducing interest rates for student borrowers. He also cosponsored House Concurrent Resolution 23, which "[expresses] the sense of Congress that the President should not order an escalation in the total number of members of the United States Armed Forces serving in Iraq."

On February 27, 2007, Cohen introduced a resolution in the House that apologizes for African-American slavery and the system of Jim Crow laws that persisted for 100 years after the abolition of slavery. He noted that no president has officially apologized for allowing slavery. The bill had 36 cosponsors. The resolution passed on July 29, 2008, marking the first time a branch of the federal government had officially apologized for the institution of slavery and its aftermath. Cohen was honored with the D. Emelio Castelar Work Recognition Award by the Vida Foundation in Madrid, Spain for his work on the slavery apology bill and served as the keynote speaker for their international symposium on the abolition of slavery and the slave trade.

Cohen supported the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act (H.R. 2919; 113th Congress), a bill that would require the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) to prepare a report each year on the amount of fees and other expenses awarded by federal courts to nonfederal entities when they prevail in a case against the United States. An original co-sponsor of the bill, he argued that "Americans have a right to know what their government is doing and their government has a duty to be as transparent as possible."

Civil rights
Cohen received the American Bar Association's Day Award along with Representative John Lewis, Senator Olympia Snowe and Senator Richard Lugar. The ABA recognized him for his efforts to improve access to the justice system by providing more funding for the Legal Services Corporation, which provides legal counsel for low income individuals and families. Cohen dedicated the award to Dr. Benjamin Hooks and Dr. Dorothy Height during his acceptance speech.

Cohen sponsored the SPEECH Act banning the practice of libel tourism, rendering libel lawsuits unenforceable if the judgments were issued in a nation where the legal standard for libel is set lower than our own. The Senate Sponsor was Senator Patrick Leahy. The bill passed both houses of Congress in July 2010 and was signed into law by President Barack Obama the following month.

Abortion
Cohen supports legal abortion. He opposes the repeal of federally funded abortions and supports a focus on preventing pregnancies with the availability of emergency contraceptives if needed.

Iraq War
In 2006, he opposed Republican policy regarding the War in Iraq.

Cohen made a trip to Iraq from October 4 to 7, 2007, as part of a congressional fact-finding delegation. He said that his impression was that Iraq was "not in very good shape" and that its economy has been "ravaged." Cohen met with soldiers who complained that long deployments are causing divorces. When he raised this concern with General David Petraeus, Petraeus told him that the claims were being exaggerated. After meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Cohen described him as "overly optimistic", noting his "bizarre" statement that sectarian war in Iraq was over.

Afghanistan infrastructure
In 2012, Cohen sponsored the Cohen Amendment reducing infrastructure funding to Afghanistan. The Afghan Infrastructure Fund has been plagued with problems, with millions of taxpayer dollars disappearing. When another member of the House said the funding was essential to bringing our troops home, Cohen replied, "The truth of the matter is that it has nothing to do with whether we can bring our troops home or not. The truth is that we cannot account for where this money is going, and it is likely going into the pockets of the top one-half of one percent in Afghanistan. The infrastructure holds up well enough there to deploy and redeploy our troops, so it's good enough to bring them home permanently." The amendment passed 228–191 and is the first piece of legislation reducing funding to Afghanistan.

National Guard & Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act
Cohen sponsored and co-authored, along with J. Randy Forbes, Dana Rohrabacher, Jan Schakowsky, and Jerrold Nadler, The National Guard & Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act, which allows qualifying members of the National Guard and reservists to bypass the often onerous means testing required under current bankruptcy law if their financial hardships were caused by deployment. President Obama signed the bill into law in December 2011.

Judicial recommendations
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assigned Cohen to serve on the House Judiciary Committee, which was his first choice for a committee assignment, as well as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

As there are no Democratic U.S. Senators from Tennessee, President Obama asked Cohen to recommend judicial nominees. Cohen recommended Bernice Donald for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals alongside John Fowlkes and Sheryl H. Lipman for District Court Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. All three have been confirmed by the United States Senate.

TVA recommendations
Cohen recommended Bishop William Graves, V. Lynn Evans, and Ron Walter for the Board of Directors at the Tennessee Valley Authority. All three were nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate. They are the only African-Americans on the TVA Board. Evans and Walter, both from Shelby County, represent the only time two residents of Shelby County have been on the TVA Board simultaneously.

U.S. Attorney
Cohen recommended Ed Stanton III to President Obama as U.S. Attorney for Tennessee's Western District. Stanton was confirmed in August 2010.

Votes
Cohen has sponsored 16 bills since January 4, 2007, of which 13 died in committee and two were enacted. He has co-sponsored 762 bills during the same period.

Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector Project
Cohen announced in 2012 that Memphis is to be awarded a $15 million TIGER IV Grant for the Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector Project. The project will add a dedicated sidewalk to the Harahan Bridge connecting Tennessee to Arkansas, allowing people to walk or bicycle over the Mississippi River. The project has drawn praise from many in the business community, including FedEx founder Fred Smith.

Helsinki Commission
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed Cohen to the Helsinki Commission in 2011. "Congressman Steve Cohen is a leader in promoting civil rights and opportunity of all Americans, and he brings this same passion to the promotion of human rights and democracy around the world", she said. "The Helsinki Commission is a focal point for security and cooperation among nations and leaders, and Congressman Cohen's voice is sure to strengthen and advance the commission's work."

Armenian issues
Although his family has no knowledge of any Turkish heritage, Cohen's mother's birth certificate states his maternal grandfather was born in Turkey when it was part of the Ottoman Empire. He is a member of the Congressional Caucus on US Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans. He had consistently opposed congressional recognition of the Armenian genocide on pragmatic grounds, believing that recognizing it officially in Congress would damage relations with Turkey.

On August 6, 2008, one day before the Democratic Congressional Primary, a confrontation between California-based documentary filmmaker Peter Musurlian and Cohen erupted. During a press conference at Cohen's home, Musurlian was asked to leave by Cohen's staff and Cohen himself. Cohen then put both hands on Musurlian's arms and forced him out of the home after Musurlian refused to leave.

In October 2017, Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, said, "Reps. Stivers, Cohen, and Sessions—in stripping out language about the Armenian Genocide from a bill about Turkish-Armenian relations—are, effectively, carrying Turkish President Erdogan’s water in Washington, advancing his shameful denial campaign even as he’s doubling down on his government’s anti-American actions and attitudes."

2011 Nazi controversy
In a speech on the House floor on January 18, 2011, Cohen said of the Republican effort to repeal the Obama administration's health care reform law:

They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like Goebbels. You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie and eventually, people believe it. Like blood libel. That's the same kind of thing. The Germans said enough about the Jews and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust. You tell a lie over and over again. And we've heard on this floor, government takeover of health care.

According to Cohen's hometown paper, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he was "accused of upsetting the newfound atmosphere of civility in the House" following the assassination attempt on Representative Gabby Giffords. Republicans, as well as many in the media and in the Jewish community, expressed outrage and demanded that Democrats condemn Cohen's comment. Ron Kampeas of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency wrote that "someone needs to carpet Cohen, pronto, for his rhetoric." His remarks were also condemned by the National Jewish Democratic Council, which issued a statement saying that "invoking the Holocaust to make a political point is never acceptable—on either side of the aisle. Cohen's comments and similar comments made by others are not helpful as our leaders and citizens conduct a joint effort to advance civility in our political discourse. We implore Cohen and all our leaders to choose their words carefully as we move forward."

In response to the controversy, Cohen said, "I said Goebbels lied about the Jews, and that led to the Holocaust. Not in any way whatsoever was I comparing Republicans to Nazis. I was saying lies are wrong."

Cohen later expressed regret for his remarks:

"I would certainly never do anything to diminish the horror of the Nazi Holocaust as I revere and respect the history of my people. I sponsored legislation which created one of the first state Holocaust Commissions in America and actively served as a Commission member for over 20 years. I regret that anyone in the Jewish Community, my Republican colleagues or anyone else was offended by the portrayal of my comments. My comments were not directed toward any group or people but at the false message and, specifically, the method by which it has been delivered."

Boycott of Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress
In March 2015, Cohen boycotted the speech of the Prime Minister of Israel to Congress, writing: "While Americans and members of Congress may disagree on anything, even foreign policy, providing a forum of such immense prestige and power to the leader of another country who is opposing our nation's foreign policy is beyond the pale. It endangers the negotiations, insults the good faith of the other nations involved in the negotiations and emboldens Iran who may well view this schism in our government as an opportunity for advantage. While we can disagree with our President, we as a nation should be as one on our foreign policy and any disagreements should be presented in a respectful, appropriate and time-honored manner."

In response, Israeli journalist Caroline Glick wrote in an opinion column in the Jerusalem Post: "Radical leftist representatives who happen to be Jewish, like Jan Schakowsky of suburban Chicago and Steve Cohen of Memphis, are joining Netanyahu's boycotters in order to give the patina of Jewish legitimacy to an administration whose central foreign policy threatens the viability of the Jewish state."

Impeachment matters
In 2009, Cohen was in the unanimous majority voting to adopt all four articles of impeachment against Judge Samuel B. Kent. All House members participating in the vote voted in favor of each article, with the exception of one member who voted "present" on the fourth article. In 2010, he was also in the unanimous majority that approved all four articles of impeachment against Judge Thomas Porteous. He was also appointed and served as an impeachment manager for Porteous's impeachment trial.

On August 17, 2017, Cohen stated plans to bring forward articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump owing to Trump's series of comments about a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, five days earlier. Cohen stated on his website:

"I believe the President should be impeached and removed from office. Instead of unequivocally condemning hateful actions by neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Klansmen following a national tragedy, the President said 'there were very fine people on both sides.' There are no good Nazis. There are no good Klansmen."

On August 15, Trump had commented on the rally, saying that there were "very fine people on both sides" but explicitly excluding "the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally". No articles of impeachment were introduced at this point.

On October 31, 2019, Cohen voted for the resolution to establish procedures for public hearings in the then-ongoing impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. On December 18, 2019, Cohen voted for both articles of impeachment against Trump in Trump's first impeachment.

On June 30, 2020, Cohen and 35 cosponsors introduced a resolution (H.Res.1032) on the House floor calling for the impeachment of Attorney General William Barr for many instances of alleged malfeasance.

On December 13, 2021, Cohen voted for the article of impeachment in the second impeachment of Donald Trump.

"Holocaust distortion"
On April 25, 2018, 57 House members, including Cohen, released a condemnation of what they called "Holocaust distortion" in Ukraine and Poland. They criticized Poland's new Holocaust law, which would criminalize accusing Poles of complicity in the Holocaust, and Ukraine's 2015 memory laws glorifying the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its pro-Nazi leaders, such as Roman Shukhevych.

Russian meddling
In July 2018, Cohen said that Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections amounted to "an act of war", which the U.S. needed to counter with "cyber attacks against the Kremlin". Speaking to Hill.TV's Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball, he argued that Russia "invaded our country" by attacking free elections, and thus should be "crippled" by a retributory cyber attack that would have "made Russian society valueless".

Israel
Cohen voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Media
Cohen has been interviewed on The Colbert Report and is a frequent guest on MSNBC's Up with Chris Hayes and Current TV's The Young Turks. He has also appeared on Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, on which Ventura confronted him for co-sponsoring H.R. 645, which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national emergency centers, otherwise known as Federal Emergency Management Agency camp facilities, on military installations.

Cohen became the subject of media attention when during the 2013 State of the Union address he accidentally publicly tweeted at model Victoria Brink, "pleased u r watching. ilu", and then deleted the tweet. He later explained to reporters that Brink was his daughter and that he had only learned of her three years prior. In July 2013, CNN facilitated a DNA test with Cohen, Brink, and the man who raised her, John Brink. The test revealed that John Brink was in fact Victoria's father. Cohen said in a statement, "I was stunned and dismayed."

During a 2018 open congressional hearing of FBI agent Peter Strzok, Cohen said, "If I could give you a Purple Heart, I would... This has been an attack on you and a way to attack Mr. Mueller and the investigation that is to get at Russian collusion involved in our election." Veteran groups criticized his comment, as the Purple Heart is given to wounded soldiers. Cohen apologized for his comments, saying "I regret mentioning the Purple Heart medal at yesterday's hearing. My intent was to speak metaphorically to make a broader point about attacks against the FBI and Special Counsel Mueller's investigation into a Russian attack on our country."

Cohen became the subject of media attention when he branded Attorney General William Barr "Chicken Barr" after Barr did not appear for a House Judiciary Committee hearing and then decided to eat from a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken during the hearing.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on the Judiciary
 * Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice (Chair)
 * Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
 * Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
 * Committee on Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
 * Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife
 * Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
 * Subcommittee on Aviation
 * Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
 * Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
 * Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
 * Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
 * House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee

Former assignments

 * Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2019-2021)

Caucus memberships

 * Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
 * Congressional Progressive Caucus
 * United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
 * Congressional Arts Caucus
 * House Baltic Caucus
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title: Steve Cohen (politician)


text:
Philippe Huttenlocher

Philippe Huttenlocher (born 29 November 1942) is a Swiss baritone.

Life and career
He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He first studied violin at the conservatory in Neuchâtel, and then voice in Fribourg. In 1972, he won the international singing competition in Bratislava.

He is married to the soprano Danielle Borst.

He has had a long association with the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne and Michel Corboz. He is known for his interpretations of Bach and Charpentier. He has made many recordings, particularly of sacred music.

Along with Nina Hagen, he sings Lars Von Trier's Europa Aria, at the end of the film Europa (film) (1991).

Selected recordings

 * Marc-Antoine Charpentier : Te deum H.146, Beatus vir H.224, "Tenebrae Facta Sunt" H.129, Chœur symphonique et Orchestre de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, conducted by Michel Corboz. LP Erato 1977 report CD 1980
 * Marc-Antoine Charpentier : Le Jugement dernier H.401, Beatus vir H.224, Alain Zaepffel, contre-ténor, Chœur symphonique et Orchestre de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, conducted by Michel Corboz. LP Erato 1974 report CD Erato ( H.224 remplacé par H.193) 1980
 * Marc-Antoine Charpentier : Messe pour les Trépassés H.2, Prose des morts H.12, Élèvation H.234, Motet pour les Trépassés à 8 H.311, Miserere des Jésuites H.193, Chœur symphonique et Orchestre de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, conducted by Michel Corboz. 2 LP Erato 1973 report CD Erato (sans H 193)
 * Marc-Antoine Charpentier, David et Jonathas H.490, Paul Esswood, David, Colette Alliot-Lugaz, Jonathas, Philippe Huttenlocher, Saül, Roger Soyer, Achis, Antoine David, Joabel, René Jacobs, La Pythonisse, Pari Marinov, L'Ombre de Samuel, Maitrise de L'Opéra de Lyon, Enfants de la Cigale, de Lyon, et du lycée musical, English Bach Festival Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Michel Corboz. 2 CD Erato 1981.
 * Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, Titon et l'Aurore, Jennifer Smith, Ann Monoyios, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Philippe Huttenlocher, Les Musiciens du Louvre, conducted by Marc Minkowski, 1 CD Erato (1992) (OCLC 39039271)
 * Marin Marais, Alcione, Tragédie lyrique, Jennifer Smith, Gilles Ragon, Philippe Huttenlocher, Vincent Le Texier, Véronique Gens, Les Musiciens du Louvre, conducted by Marc Minkowski, 3 CD Erato 1990

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Philippe Huttenlocher


text:
User talk:Shahirshamsir

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[[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 22:23, Dec 3, 2004 (UTC)

Malaysiancopyright
Hi Shahirshamsir. I noticed you created Malaysiancopyright, and uploaded four images that have this tag. I don't understand the point of this tag; it basically says we can't use the images at all, and they have to be deleted. Two of the images that have this tag are photographs---did you take them? dbenbenn | talk 21:47, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Hi there. About the copyright thing, I meant to indicate that the images are sourced from within Malaysia. The photos are taken by friends who has given permission. Could you suggest a better copyright tag? I will gladly correct the tags.shahir 05:12, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

 * Just ask your friends to release the photos under the GFDL, then write on the image description page something like
 * My friend NAME took this picture and releases it under the GFDL.
 * dbenbenn | talk 12:30, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

Image deletion warning
I've replaced the image Image:Flag of johor.gif, uploaded by you, with Image:Flag of Johor.svg. The original has been listed for deletion. Hope this is OK. –Mysid ( talk ) 11:28, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Image Tagging for Image:Mohamad_hamzah.jpg
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Malaysian copyright
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Image copyright problem with Image:Royal_Malaysian_Navy_crest.gif
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File source problem with File:PrPwildtypestructure.JPG
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File:Portchestercastle outer courtyard.jpg needs authorship information.
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File:Portchestercastle inner courtyard.jpg needs authorship information.
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File source problem with File:Portchestercastle outer courtyard.jpg
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File source problem with File:Portchestercastle inner courtyard.jpg
Thank you for uploading File:Portchestercastle inner courtyard.jpg. I noticed that the file's description page currently doesn't specify who created the content, so the copyright status is unclear. If you did not create this file yourself, you will need to specify the owner of the copyright. If you obtained it from a website, please add a link to the website from which it was taken, together with a brief restatement of that website's terms of use of its content. However, if the copyright holder is a party unaffiliated from the website's publisher, that copyright should also be acknowledged.

If you have uploaded other files, consider verifying that you have specified sources for those files as well. You can find a list of files you have created [ in your upload log]. Unsourced and untagged images may be deleted one week after they have been tagged per Wikipedia's criteria for speedy deletion, F4. If the image is copyrighted and non-free, the image will be deleted 48 hours after 13:30, 5 May 2011 (UTC) per speedy deletion criterion F7. If the file is already gone, you can still make a request for undeletion and ask for a chance to fix the problem. You may wish to read the Wikipedia's image use policy. If you have any questions or are in need of assistance please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. Sfan00 IMG (talk) 13:30, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Possibly unfree File:Plaque commemorating those killed in Operation Tiger.JPG
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ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:54, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Shahirshamsir


text:
User talk:Aeconley

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia! Hope you like it here, and stick around.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

 * To sign your posts (on talk pages, for example) use the '~' symbol. To insert just your name, type ~~~ (3 tildes), or, to insert your name and timestamp, use ~~~~ (4 tildes).
 * Try the Tutorial, and feel free to experiment in the test area.
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 * Remember Neutral point of view
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Good luck!

[[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 22:23, Dec 3, 2004 (UTC)

Thanks for the welcome and the tips Aeconley 22:25, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Question
What does 'rv' stand for? Just curious.. you put, as summary to an edit of Rude Messages, 'rv to Thray's DB' Chaz 01:22, Dec 4, 2004 (UTC)

It's shorthand for "revert." I use it when I reset a page back to an earlier version. Aeconley 01:40, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)

207.102.176.111
It seems User:207.102.176.111 is gone now, so I won't block the IP. Don't want to hit innocent people on the same IP. Feel free to contact me if he returns. [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm|(talk)]] 19:41, Dec 4, 2004 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I figured they were gone and reverted their last damage. That article had been vandalized out of that IP range before, so I suspect they'll be back (it's a school, so it could be anyone, including, as you say an innocent.) Aeconley 03:28, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Aeconley


text:
Thomas Penfield Jackson

Thomas Penfield Jackson (January 10, 1937 – June 15, 2013) was an American jurist who served as a United States District federal judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Education and career
Born in Washington, D.C., Jackson graduated from Dartmouth College with an Artium Baccalaureus degree in the class of 1958, and from Harvard Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 1964. He served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1961. He was in private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1964 to 1982. He served as President of the District of Columbia Bar Association.

Federal judicial service
Jackson was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on May 24, 1982, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Judge Oliver Gasch. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 24, 1982, and received commission on June 25, 1982. He assumed senior status on January 31, 2002. His service terminated on August 31, 2004, due to retirement.

Terry A. Anderson case
in 2000, as presiding judge, he ruled in favor of Terry A. Anderson and awarded Anderson $324 million from frozen Iranian assets due to Anderson's captivity in Lebanon under Shia Hezbollah militants of the Islamic Jihad Organization who are designated by the United States State Department as Iranian government supported terrorists. The basis of Anderson's case was from a 1996 anti-terrorism law which allowed United States citizens, who are victims of terrorism abroad, to sue foreign governments for damages.

Microsoft case
Jackson is perhaps best known to the public as the presiding judge in the 2001 antitrust United States v. Microsoft case. Jackson was the first in a series of judges worldwide to determine that Microsoft abused its market position and monopoly power in ways that were highly detrimental to innovation in the industry and consumers of the products. The summary paragraph in his findings of fact is quoted below.

"Most harmful of all is the message that Microsoft's actions have conveyed to every enterprise with the potential to innovate in the computer industry. Through its conduct toward Netscape, IBM, Compaq, Intel, and others, Microsoft has demonstrated that it will use its prodigious market power and immense profits to harm any firm that insists on pursuing initiatives that could intensify competition against one of Microsoft's core products. Microsoft's past success in hurting such companies and stifling innovation deters investment in technologies and businesses that exhibit the potential to threaten Microsoft. The ultimate result is that some innovations that would truly benefit consumers never occur for the sole reason that they do not coincide with Microsoft's self-interest."

Microsoft attempted to show that Jackson's conduct during the case demonstrated that he unfairly favored the prosecution, but they failed to do so in court proceedings. He did speak to a reporter off the record after the evidence in the case had been heard but prior to issuing his conclusions of law, and this was contrary to judicial rules. Speaking with that reporter he expressed unfavorable opinions and statements about Microsoft and its employees which he had developed as a result of hearing the evidence and witnesses in the trial. Speaking about Microsoft executives, he compared them to "stubborn mules who should be walloped with a two-by-four" and "gangland killers", referring to a murder case he presided over four years earlier:

"On the day of the sentencing, the gang members maintained that they had done nothing wrong, saying that the whole case was a conspiracy by the white power structure to destroy them. I am now under no illusions that miscreants will realize that other parts of society view them that way.'"

The judge also characterized Microsoft leader and co-founder Bill Gates as a Napoleon, "unethical", as well as comparing him to a "drug trafficker" repeatedly caught as a result of telephone wiretaps. However, it was private meetings with journalists released after the verdict but during the appeal that caused the appeal to be granted.

Jackson's order that Microsoft be divided into two companies, one owning the Windows operating system and the other owning Microsoft's various application software products, including the Internet Explorer web browser, was reversed on appeal. Eight of his factual findings about Microsoft's monopolistic practices against the Sherman Antitrust Act were upheld. During the appellate hearing, Harry Edwards, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, stated that judges have no right to "go run off our mouths" about cases they hear. "The system would be a sham if all judges went around doing this."

Jackson, in spite of the findings of the appellate court, continued to deny that any such bias existed and insisted that any perception of bias in the minds of observers was created by Microsoft. His statements were a response to several evasive tactics Microsoft used at the trial, including falsifying video evidence, non-responsiveness on the stand, and denying allegations contained in evidence.

When an unrelated case involving Microsoft and charges of discrimination was assigned to him in 2001, Jackson recused himself from the case. The recusal has been called into question by some commentators, as other cases have warranted a "slap on the wrist" of the judiciary, such as the Marion Barry trial in 1990 where Jackson said, "that he had never seen a stronger government case and was upset that some jurors would not vote to convict." The appeals court upheld the verdict, but commented that "It is worth noting that the district court judge could have recused himself in this case. The recusal option was a compelling one."

Post judicial service
Until his death, Jackson was a partner at the law firm of Jackson and Campbell, P.C..

For many years after his retirement from the court, Jackson served on the Board of Trustees for St. Mary's College of Maryland. He was very active on the board and also played key roles in the establishment of the Center for the Study of Democracy at the college, where he also served on the advisory board. Jackson was often on the campus, working with professors and delivering class and seminar lectures free of charge and also mentoring students.

In 2014, St. Mary's College of Maryland established the Thomas Penfield Jackson Award for Civic Responsibility and Democratic Citizenship in his honor. The award will be given yearly to students demonstrating exceptional citizenship and scholarship.

Jackson died of cancer at his home in Compton, Maryland on June 15, 2013.

title: Thomas Penfield Jackson


text:
HMS Caistor Castle

HMS Caister Castle was one of 44 Castle-class corvettes built for the Royal Navy during World War II.

Design and description
The Castle-class corvette was a stretched version of the preceding Flower class, enlarged to improve seakeeping and to accommodate modern weapons. The ships displaced 1010 LT at standard load and 1510 LT at deep load. They had an overall length of 252 ft, a beam of 36 ft and a deep draught of 14 ft. They were powered by a pair of triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines developed a total of 2880 ihp and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 kn. The Castles carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 6500 nmi at 15 kn. The ships' complement was 99 officers and ratings.

The Castle-class ships were equipped with a single QF 4 in Mk XVI gun forward, but their primary weapon was their single three-barrel Squid anti-submarine mortar. This was backed up by one depth charge rail and two throwers for 15 depth charges. The ships were fitted with two twin and a pair of single mounts for 20 mm Oerlikon light AA guns. Provision was made for a further four single mounts if needed. They were equipped with Type 145Q and Type 147B ASDIC sets to detect submarines by reflections from sound waves beamed into the water. A Type 277 search radar and a HF/DF radio direction finder rounded out the Castles' sensor suite.

Construction and career
Caistor Castle was laid down by John Lewis & Sons at their shipyard in Aberdeen on 26 August 1943 and launched on 22 May 1944. She was completed on 29 September and served as a convoy escort until the end of the war in May 1945. After the war, Caistor Castle was in reserve at Devonport from 1947 until 1948. She represented the Reserve Fleet at the 1953 Coronation Review and served in the Second Training Squadron at Portland from February 1953 until 1955. Caistor Castle was then placed in reserve at Devonport before being sold for scrap to Arnott Young in 1956; the ship arrived at Dalmuir in March to be broken up.

title: HMS Caistor Castle


text:
User talk:Atomic645

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia! Hope you like it here, and stick around.

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[[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 22:24, Dec 3, 2004 (UTC)

Image:Worldisland.jpg
Hi, please add a source for this photo. Thuresson 17:54, 21 December 2005 (UTC)

Image Tagging Image:Paulinebonaparte1780-3.jpg
Thanks for uploading Image:Paulinebonaparte1780-3.jpg. I notice the 'image' page currently doesn't specify who created the content, so the copyright status is unclear. If you have not created this media yourself then there needs to be an argument why we have the right to use the media on Wikipedia (see copyright tagging below). If you have not created the media yourself then it needs to be specified where it was found, i.e., in most cases link to the website where it was taken from, and the terms of use for content from that page.

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File source problem with File:M198112340009.jpg
Thank you for uploading File:M198112340009.jpg. I noticed that the file's description page currently doesn't specify who created the content, so the copyright status is unclear. If you did not create this file yourself, you will need to specify the owner of the copyright. If you obtained it from a website, please add a link to the website from which it was taken, together with a brief restatement of that website's terms of use of its content. However, if the copyright holder is a party unaffiliated from the website's publisher, that copyright should also be acknowledged.

If you have uploaded other files, consider verifying that you have specified sources for those files as well. You can find a list of files you have created [ in your upload log]. Unsourced and untagged images may be deleted one week after they have been tagged per Wikipedia's criteria for speedy deletion, F4. If the image is copyrighted and non-free, the image will be deleted 48 hours after 17:42, 28 August 2010 (UTC) per speedy deletion criterion F7. If you have any questions or are in need of assistance please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. Sfan00 IMG (talk) 17:42, 28 August 2010 (UTC)

Proposed deletion of File:Plinebnp.jpg

The file File:Plinebnp.jpg has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern: "Unused, superseded by File:Pauline Bonaparte.jpg."

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the file's talk page.

Please consider addressing the issues raised. Removing will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and files for discussion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. --Minorax «¦talk¦» 02:13, 24 November 2022 (UTC)

title: User talk:Atomic645


text:
User talk:Megamantn

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia! Hope you like it here, and stick around.

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[[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 22:24, Dec 3, 2004 (UTC)

If anyone else has something to say to me, Edit this Page and speak away.

[[User:Megamantn|Megamantn (talk)]] 5:42, July 4, 2005 (Eastern Daylight time)

You're absolutely correct about Amy Katcher of WDEF-TV, formerly of WTVC-TV.. I was just about to make the change to her listing. Calvin Sneed

License tagging for Image:PREVUE.JPG
Thanks for uploading Image:PREVUE.JPG. Wikipedia gets thousands of images uploaded every day, and in order to verify that the images can be legally used on Wikipedia, the source and copyright status must be indicated. Images need to have an image tag applied to the image description page indicating the copyright status of the image. This uniform and easy-to-understand method of indicating the license status allows potential re-users of the images to know what they are allowed to do with the images.

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This is an automated notice by OrphanBot. If you need help on selecting a tag to use, or in adding the tag to the image description, feel free to post a message at Media copyright questions. --OrphanBot 21:07, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

title: User talk:Megamantn


text: Category:Russian royalty

title: Category:Russian royalty


text:
User talk:Tobacman

WikiProject Automatic Archival Notification
Hi, by the suggestion of User:Radiant!, I am in the progress of programming a bot that will remove any project listed within Category:WikiProjects, and place at the top of the page should the page has not been edited within a period of 6 months and the discussion page has not been edited for 2 months. If you have any objections, please let me know on my userpage. This notification is because you have a WikiProject that resides on your own User space. As I prefer not to touch people's user spaces, I would very much like your input in the matter. -- AllyUnion (talk) 05:47, 2 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * ICan you take a look at WikiProject_Keywords? I think this should be discussed at Wikidemia. I have a moderated forum set up there for a similar topic. Thank in advance. Quinobi 22:56, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

More on stats?
Statistically speaking : an agenda for tomorrow would be grand. +sj + 16:35, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Fundraising committee
Greetings! I have been tasked by the board of the Wikimedia Foundation to select the initial membership of the newly-created Fundraising committee. Your qualifications in this area have convinced me that you would be a perfect candidate for advisorship. If you accept this nomination, then do nothing. If you would instead prefer to be a consultant or volunteer or not involved at all, then please move or delete your name accordingly at Fundraising committee. Thank you. --Daniel Mayer 04:22, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

Crash space during Wikimania
Hello,

You have put an information on Wikimania webpage, that you are offering crash space.

I'd like to attend Wikimania, and I am wondering if you can accomodate me. I have no big demands. Just a place on your floor is absolutely OK.

Polimerek 22:02, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

Some info about me:

I am the treasurer of the Wikimedia Poland Society and its board member for the first year, elected on August 2005.

I am a chemist from Centre of Molecular Studies of Polish Academy of Sciences, involved in editing Polish Wikipedia, sometimes English and recently uploading chemical pictures to Commons.

My story with Wikimedia projects begun one month after launching polish edition of Wikipedia (at 2001), as a 7th registered user. Several weeks later I have also joined English Wikipedia, but I have registered there one year later, and have never been very active there.

In Polish Wikipedia I was mainly involved in editing chemical articles, translating basic meta articles from English Wikipedia, and also many articles for various other areas of knowledge. I don’t know exactly how many articles I have written from 2001 but my estimation it is in between of 1000 serious content additions and much more minor editions. Currently, I am responsible for maintaining Chemistry Wikiportal and category chemistry on Polish Wikipedia.

I am also admin of Polish Wikipedia almost from its beginning. I am administering articles for deletion, featured articles and Questions of newbies. I am also a member of informal "cleaning department" on Polish Wikipedia.

 * My page on Polish wikipedia: pl:Wikipedysta:Polimerek
 * My page on meta: meta:User:Polimerek
 * My page on Commons: commons:User:Polimerek
 * My personal, private web page: (in Polish only)
 * My "offical" web page on Polish Chemical Society portal: (in English)

my e-mail polimerek at gmail com

Cheers,

Polimerek 20:55, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

Crash space
Hi! It's not sure yet, but I hope to be at Wikimania 2006. I'm going to present some ideas about starting a political party based on wiki ideas, some software to access Wikipedia on the Nokia 770, and possibly tell something about Wikipedias in languages such as Quechua, Wolof, Bambara and Fulfulde. Currently I'm living in Lima, but after Wikimania I will continue my travels in the US and Canada, hitchhiking and CouchSurfing. Please let me know if you have some couch or place on the floor for me during Wikimania, possibly At kasper DOT s oure n AROBASE gmail dotcom. Guaka 23:26, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

 * Hi Guaka, I expect it would be fine to crash on my couch during Wikimania. Let me confirm with my roommates.  What was your email address again?  I was not able to decipher from your post.  Also, what would your dates of arrival and departure be?  I hope to meet you in August.  Tobacman 18:10, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

 * Great! Ok, here it comes again in a different variation: kasper D O T souren A T gmail D O T com. I am not sure about my date of arrival, but I was planning on at least attend some developer days. And I will at least try to arrive hitchhiking, from NY, so it's hard to give an exact date. I wanted to stay till the end of the conference. Guaka 18:22, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

Room for one more? (Wikimania)
Tobacman, I was wondering if you have room for one more during hacking days? I'm staying in the Cambridge dorms for the main event, but I need a crash space from July 31-August 2. Can I stay at your place? :)

Kyle Credentials: Personal Webstite Wikimedia Staff

 * Kyle, I will be madly busy those days, but it will be fine for you to stay at my place. I look forward to meeting you then.  Jeremy
 * Great, Thanks so much! Can you email me so we can exchange contact information? kyle at xkyle dot com. KyleAnderson 06:13, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

Images rather than / as well as PDFs for stats?
Hi Tobacman, Saw your post on wikitech-l about the stats. I like the graphs (who doesn't?!), but can I maybe suggest making them into images rather than (or if you prefer as well as) PDFs? That way they can be embedded straight onto the report page and viewed all at once, rather than having to be downloaded one-by-one and viewed individually in an external app. Just a thought :-) -- All the best, Nickj (t) 05:03, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Good idea. They're now all up here, which is somewhat better; we'll try to get them in-line somewhere soon.  Tobacman 21:52, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Looks good. If it helps for inlining, there's an upload script that can be used to make uploading data from a command line easier. -- All the best, Nickj (t) 02:20, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Crash space for a mum with a baby
Hi Tobacman, My name is Rani, a mummy geek from Indonesia. I'll be coming down to Cambridge for wikimania, expect to be in Cam from 2 aug to 7 aug. I wonder if the crash space offer is still available? Note i will be coming with my 1 year old baby, but we're pretty much flexible in terms of sleeping arrangement. Thanks! Meutia Chaerani 07:28, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Hi Rani-- Tiga orang sudah mau menginap disini selama Wikimania. Silahkan gabung juga, tapi mungkin kalian lebih nyaman di tempat lain.  Tolong kasih tahu...
 * Sampai ketemu! Jeremy
 * Hi Jeremy, terimakasih banyak. Saya sudah hubungi SJ dan dia bilang saya masih bisa dapat kamar di Gropius Dorm. Kamar di Dorm cukup bagus karena dekat dengan Wikimania, dan juga ada "privacy", khususnya untuk bayi saya. Terimakasih atas balasan anda, dan semoga kita bisa berjumpa di Cambridge. Salam! Meutia Chaerani 06:36, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

FundCom
Would you also be interested in being a full member? We are a bit short in that area. The board nixed one of the people on my suggested list due to him already being on two other committees. --mav 11:22, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Mav, I am honored by the invitation. Any special skills I have are in designing and conducting statistical analyses.  As a committee member, what would I be expected to do?  If my responsibilities would be focussed around statistical work, I would accept enthusiastically.  Jeremy

Crash space...
All sorted, thanks, I'm staying in the dorms. Sorry I put my request in the wrong place, not sure how or why that happened... after 9000 edits you'd think I wouldn't make that sort of mistake! ++Lar: t/c 18:12, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Congratulations!
A klein bird told me congratulations are in order. Wow! What great news! Best wishes & all that! Jkbaum 01:39, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks!! Jean and I couldn't be happier :)  Jeremy 23:36, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
 * Ahh, so the actual wedding will be anticlimactic? (:  +sj + 01:21, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks
Thanks for the note, but all I did was automatic unicodification. - Stephanie Daugherty (Triona) - Talk - Comment - 01:17, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Fundraising graphs
Hi. For the translation of the fundraising report graphs, I wonder if you could be so kind to provide versions without text, and with dates in YYYY-MM-DD format, and "x 1000 USD" instead of "Thousands of USD", etc. Or, if that's not possible, maybe you could provide the raw data, so I or someone else can plot the graphs again. TIA. Greetings. --Angus 18:43, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Hi Angus. Thanks for your help with these translations.  I've created versions of the figures without text and with YYYY-MM-DD dates, as you suggested, and will upload to _blank.png, for each of the s that are currently in the fundraising report.  However, while preparing those figures, I realized the easiest thing may be for the translation request to specify the text in the figures that needs translating, and then for me to create figures with the translated text strings.  I put the list of those strings at meta:Translation_requests/WMF/Fundraising_report_figuretext; I trust your judgment about whether to use the blank png's or to translate the strings. Jeremy Tobacman 00:51, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Thank you! I'll be translating the strings later today. Maybe in the future, when we have more people editing WMF pages, we'll switch to the blank ones for accessibility reasons. But for now, if we aren't going to write a description of each graph (an I think we have a lot more important things to do), it doesn't make any sense to be blind-accessible only on the titles, and it looks better with the labels inside the graph :). Greetings. --Angus 10:28, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Fundraising graphs II
Hi, I couldn't find out what utility did you use to create those graphs? I think they are really nice and I would like to create something similar for my thesis. :) Thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Nejko (talk • contribs) 23:15, 19 January 2007 (UTC).
 * Nejko-- Thanks! I used the (commercial) statistical software package Stata.  As of v8 and v9, the graphics packages are all right.  Jeremy Tobacman 23:39, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

commons:User:Tobacman
I assert to be the same user as commons:User:Tobacman Jeremy Tobacman 01:10, 18 February 2007 (UTC)

Style note
Hi, just a small note based on your edit at orthogonality. One should not put links in section names, they should be put in the text where appropriate instead. This is a small thing, but I thought I'd let you know for the future. Cheers, Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 03:34, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

In re: Category:Information economics
Hello Tabacman. I don't mind if you move or delete this category, but before you take any further action, I would like to know: Are you going to delete the information economics article and/or move and merge its contents into contract theory and its related articles? Or do you simply wish to delete the category? Please let me know. --Eastlaw 07:13, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

 * All right then, feel free to put the category up for deletion. If you need any help in editing any of the articles, let me know.  I'm not sure how much new information I will be able to contribute though, as I am not an expert in this particular branch of economics.  --Eastlaw 05:05, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

 * I suggest NOT deleting information economics yet. Please see my comments on that Talk:Information economics and Talk:WikiProject_Economics. --Rinconsoleao 15:02, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

SatyrBot and Logic
Hi, Zvika - Thanks for the comments. I've asked WP:Logic to review some of the categories for misplaced banners (see here). Sorry for the over-tagging! -- SatyrTN (talk | contribs) 14:45, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

ill logic
Sorry for this. Completely uncalled for. Paul August ☎ 02:07, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
 * /me tips his hat again, in solidarity. Jeremy

customer tiering redirect to price discrimination
Hi Tobacman, I think you put in the redirect, no? Was hoping you could explain a little. Seems to me that price discrimination might be one manifestation of customer tiering, but there could be others too. E.g. a service organisation might choose to provide different levels of service based on expected duration/profitability of the customer relationship, without charging different prices per se. One example would be an airline choosing to upgrade a frequent flier rather than an infrequent customer, although both might have paid the same price for their tickets for that particular flight. Another would be a hotel chain offering additional facilities, eg use of a gym or snack facility. Net, I think price discrimination could be a good "see also" but it's an incomplete explanation of tiering. Regards, --AndrewHowse 15:02, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

 * Hi Andrew, Yes, I put in the redirect. I was concerned that "Customer tiering" may be a neologism, as it has only a couple hundred google hits, and so thought it might not yet deserve an article of its own. Plus, the redirect seemed better than a red link, as the concepts are closely related.  If you can make a good article out of it, go ahead. Jeremy Tobacman 16:25, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

 * hi there. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say! I guess you saw the request at Requested_articles/Business_and_economics; I wrote a couple of lines there but didn't go back and write a bit more for a stub. I'll do that and add a see also for price discrimination. --AndrewHowse 19:32, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

MediaWiki_talk:Anonnotice
Neat stuff going on there; log out and view the new randomized messages. A couple people are working on adding the ability to measure click throughs on a per message basis. There is no limit to the number of messages that can be displayed either. --mav 16:02, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Contract theory
Hello again, Tobacman. On the above subsection, which you kindly added a while ago, would you consider defining (or even just labelling) terms in formulas? It don't think it would be hard to track them down in the usual sources (though I could certainly be mistaken here), but I believe in honoring the Wiki source (you in this case) by so requesting. (One little WP:Style point: headings are standardly [without a good reason othewise, such as a book title] in lower case after the first word, thus "Moral hazard" above.) BW, Thomasmeeks (talk) 13:40, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Thx for the suggestion: Done.  Jeremy Tobacman (talk) 23:51, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Search cost
Hi Tobacman. You'll see that I've put some text on the "Search cost" page. I've replaced your "redirect" with a "see also". I expect you know a lot more about the subject than me so please check that it's OK, if you have time. I was aiming for a plainer and briefer introduction than the more complex and theoretical discussion in Search theory. --Northernhenge (talk) 21:46, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Requesting your input at WikiProject Economics/Featured Article drive
Since you are a member of WikiProject Economics, I would like to direct your attention to WikiProject Economics/Featured Article drive. We are currently deciding on an economics-related article to bring to Featured Article status and we would like your input. Thanks! Gary King ( talk ) 15:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Science, Natural Law, and Disambiguation Pages
Hello there. Regarding your two questions, WP:DAB suggests that the articles to be disambiguated should in principle be able to have the same name. I don't think that anyone will type in "natural law," see the article science, and say "that's what I was looking for," though they might be looking for either natural law or physical law. And there are still natural law theorists, so I don't think that it is fair to say that it is simply a historical question or that "natural law" is now solely the purview of empirical scientists.  RJC  TalkContribs 15:29, 7 January 2010 (UTC)

WikiProject Economics census
Hello there. Sorry to bother you, but you are (titularly at least) a member of WP:WikiProject Economics, as defined by this category. If you don't know me, I'm a Wikipedia administrator, but an unqualified economist. I enjoy writing about economics, but I'm not very good at it, which is why I would like to support in any way I can the strong body of economists here on Wikipedia. I'm only bothering you because you are probably one of them. Together, I'd like us to establish the future direction of WikiProject Economics, but first, we need to know who we've got to help.

Whatever your area of expertise or level of qualification, if you're interested in helping with the WikiProject (even if only as part of a larger commitment to this wonderful online encyclopedia of ours), would you mind adding your signature to this page? It only takes a second. Thank you.

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ArbCom elections are now open!
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Barack obama listed at Redirects for discussion
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title: User talk:Tobacman


text:
Civil union in New Zealand

Civil union has been legal in New Zealand since 26 April 2005. The Civil Union Act 2004 to establish the institution of civil union for same-sex and opposite-sex couples was passed by the Parliament on 9 December 2004. The Act has been described as very similar to the Marriage Act 1955 with references to "marriage" replaced by "civil union". A companion bill, the Relationships (Statutory References) Act, was passed shortly thereafter on 15 March 2005, to remove discriminatory provisions on the basis of relationship status from a range of statutes and regulations. As a result of these bills, all couples in New Zealand, whether married, in a civil union, or in a de facto partnership, now generally enjoy the same rights and undertake the same obligations. These rights extend to immigration, next-of-kin status, social welfare, matrimonial property and other areas. Non-married couples are not however permitted to adopt children, although people in non-marital relationships can adopt as individuals.

History
Both the Civil Union Bill and the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill were promoted as part of their Ministerial responsibilities by the Labour MPs and Ministers David Benson-Pope and Lianne Dalziel. The Civil Union Bill was treated as a conscience issue by most parties, including the largest parties on the left and right, and passed its third and final reading by 65 votes to 55.

During consideration of the bill, various amendments were proposed. These included making the issue subject to a binding referendum, (a motion moved by New Zealand First MP Ron Mark who voted for the first two readings of the Bill, but against in its final vote). Another was to replace it with a "civil relationships" bill that would allow any two people to register any personal relationship and to gain joint property rights (moved by National MP Richard Worth, a consistent opponent of the bill). These proposals were dismissed by supporters of the bill as delaying tactics rather than serious proposals and were defeated in Parliament by a block vote of Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives.

The Relationships (Statutory References) Bill was also treated as a conscience vote and passed by 76 votes to 44 votes.

Civil Unions came into effect on Tuesday 26 April 2005 for licence applications and at least two couples had applied for licenses by 9:30 that morning. The first civil union ceremonies were performed on Friday 29 April 2005 (marriage and civil union licences need to be applied for at least three working days before the ceremony).

Public opinion
Before passage, the New Zealand public supported the bill, with opinion polls indicating around 56 per cent in favour. The bill was controversial in some quarters, attracting strong opposition from the evangelical Destiny Church and the Catholic Church in New Zealand. However, not all Christians were opposed to the Bill. Christians for Civil Unions played a role in the debates along with other Christian groups including the World Student Christian Federation.

In the build up to the vote, there were several instances of anti-gay and lesbian protests and rallies as a way of dissuading public favour. The most publicised rally was the 'Enough is Enough' march through central Wellington, terminating at Parliament, in August 2004. The march was organised by the Brian Tamaki-led Destiny Church and involved thousands of church members and supporters, many wearing black shirts, marching down Lambton Quay punching the air with their fists and chanting 'enough is enough'. Also present on this march were members of the Christian Heritage Party and white supremacist group National Front. Victoria University of Wellington's UniQ and other queer groups held a counter-rally in response, and were joined by transgender Member of Parliament Georgina Beyer.

Other protest action saw a theology student cover the windows of David Benson-Pope's South Dunedin electoral office with posters denouncing the bill. These bore the message 'Civil Unions Is (sic) Not Gay Marriage. Yeah Right' in a parody of Tui beer advertisements. Three months after the Civil Union Act came into effect, a Herald-DigiPoll survey revealed that a plurality of people who expressed an opinion either way were happy with the legislation. When asked "whether they were happy or unhappy with the way the law allowing civil unions is working," 46% said they were happy, 35.7% were unhappy, and 18.1% were undecided or refused to comment.

Conservative Christian groups such as Family First New Zealand have questioned the low uptake of civil unions. LGBT organisations claim that this criticism is unfounded as there are fewer divorces after incompatible civil unions than with heterosexual marriages, particularly amongst Christians in the Southern US, who have displayed a higher than average divorce rate. This suggests that LGBT community members and heterosexuals who enter civil unions give more prior deliberation than those who enter heterosexual marriages.

Numbers
As at 31 December 2012, 2455 civil unions were registered to New Zealand residents. These comprised 1920 same-sex unions, of which 1131 had been between females and 789 had been between males, and 535 opposite-sex unions. In addition, 474 civil unions were registered to overseas residents. 124 civil unions had been dissolved.

Forced civil unions
In 2012, National Party MP Jackie Blue submitted a member's bill, the Marriage (Court Consent to Marriage of Minors) Amendment Bill, to address the problem of forced marriages of 16 and 17-year-olds. There are about 80 applications per year for marriages between 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill was picked up by fellow National MP Jo Hayes after Blue left Parliament, and was drawn from the ballot on 13 April 2017.

The bill required 16 and 17-year-olds who wish to marry to apply to the Family Court for the consent of a Family Court Judge, in place of consent from a parent or guardian, and set out how the court is to consider the application. At the Select Committee stage, the bill was broadened to cover civil unions and de facto relationships in addition to marriages, and was retitled the Minors (Court Consent to Relationships) Legislation Bill. The bill passed its third reading on 8 August 2018, received Royal Assent on 13 August and came into force the following day.

title: Civil union in New Zealand