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- intelligent design, n.
- Deliberate design in the natural or physical world, attributed to an intelligent entity (usually identified as God); the appearance of this. In later use (freq. with capital initials): a theory which posits this. Cf. design n. 5.
- The term is now used chiefly with reference to a modified form of creation science which promotes teleological explanations while minimizing the use of religious terminology. Its proponents typically claim that many biological systems are too complex to have evolved incrementally by undirected mutation and natural selection, or show evidence of patterns which cannot be adequately explained by the action of natural processes.
- First cite: 1816 J. B. Sumner Treat. Rec. Creation I. ii. 21 We must oppose all the deductions of reason and daily experience, if we for a moment remove from our system the operation and agency of intelligent design.
- —OED, Third edition, September 2003; online version March 2012. [3]
- design, n.
- 5. Fulfilment of a prearranged plan; adaptation of means to an end. Chiefly in theological contexts, with reference to the belief that the universe manifests divine forethought and testifies to an intelligent creator, usually identified as God (cf. intelligent design n., argument from design n. at Phrases 3).
- First cite: 1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 141 Either out of Design, or Simplicity.
- P3. argument from design n. Theol. an argument for the existence of an intelligent creator (usually identified as God) based on perceived evidence of deliberate design in the natural or physical world (cf. sense 5).
- First cite: 1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. ii. 12 The argument from design remains as it was.
- —OED, Third edition, January 2012; online version March 2012. [4]
- creationism, n.
- 2. The belief that mankind and all kinds of living organism, or, more widely, the earth and the physical universe generally, originated in specific acts of divine creation as related in the Bible or other sacred book rather than by natural processes as described by science, in particular evolution. Cf. creation science n. at creation n. Compounds, intelligent design n., evolutionism n. (a).
- First cite: 1860 Rambler Mar. 370 He [sc. Darwin] talks as if some extra-scientific, unknown, and arbitrary creationism was the only antagonist to his natural selection.
- —OED, Third edition, November 2010; online version March 2012. [5]
- evolutionism, n.
- Belief in or advocacy of a scientific or philosophical theory of evolution; spec. (a) acceptance of the occurrence of evolutionary change during the history of life, the Earth, etc.; (b) (adherence to) a philosophical doctrine which supposes evolution or development (esp. inherently progressive development) to be a fundamental principle of human or of universal history; (c) the application of evolutionary assumptions or principles in a particular sphere or field of study (cf. developmentalism n.). In the context of religious responses to scientific theory, often contrasted with creationism.
- First cite: 1869 T. H. Huxley in Sci. Opin. 28 Apr. 487/1 The three schools of geological speculation which I have termed Catastrophism, Uniformitarianism, and Evolutionism.
- —OED, Third edition, March 2008; online version March 2012. [6]
- The American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonprofit based in Washington, brings together state legislators, companies, and advocacy groups to shape “model legislation.” The legislators then take these models back to their own states. About 1,000 times a year, according to ALEC, a state legislator introduces a bill from its library of more than 800 models. About 200 times a year, one of them becomes law. The council, in essence, makes national policy, state by state.
- —Greeley, Brendan; Fitzgerald, Alison (December 01, 2011). "Pssst ... Wanna Buy a Law? When a company needs a state bill passed, the American Legislative Exchange Council can get it done". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
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- Koch Industries Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corp. are among companies that would benefit from almost identical energy legislation introduced in state capitals from Oregon to New Mexico to New Hampshire -- and that’s by design.
- The energy companies helped write the legislation at a meeting organized by a group they finance, the American Legislative Exchange Council, a Washington-based policy institute known as ALEC.
- The corporations, both ALEC members, took a seat at the legislative drafting table beside elected officials and policy analysts by paying a fee between $3,000 and $10,000, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News.
- The opportunity for corporations to become co-authors of state laws legally through ALEC covers a wide range of issues from energy to taxes to agriculture. The price for participation is an ALEC membership fee of as much as $25,000 -- and the few extra thousands to join one of the group’s legislative-writing task forces. Once the “model legislation” is complete, it’s up to ALEC’s legislator members to shepherd it into law.
- —Fitzgerald, Alison (July 21, 2011). "Koch, Exxon Mobil Among Corporations Helping Write State Laws". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- Kim Thatcher, a Republican state representative in Oregon, introduced a sharply worded anti-cap-and-trade bill this year that said, “There has been no credible economic analysis of the costs associated with carbon mandates.” Apparently, that view is widely shared. Legislation with that exact language has been introduced in dozens of states, including Montana, New Hampshire, and New Mexico.
- It’s not plagiarism. It’s a strategy. The bills weren’t penned by Thatcher or her fellow legislators in Helena, Concord, and Santa Fe. They were written by a little-known group in Washington with outsize clout, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Corporate benefactors such as Koch Industries and ExxonMobil (XOM) help fund ALEC with membership dues and pay extra for a seat at the legislative drafting table.
- Among ALEC’s prominent members are Pfizer (PFE), Wal-Mart (WMT), Bayer (BAYZF), and Visa (V), according to ALEC annual meeting documents provided by an attendee. The organization’s legislative agenda includes limiting the power of unions, fighting environmental regulations, and overturning President Obama’s health-care reform law. ALEC says it gets about 200 state laws passed each year. The corporate influence is hard to trace and can produce a return on investment that would make a hedge fund manager drool.
- —Fitzgerald, Alison (July 28, 2011). "A Stealth Way a Bill Becomes a Law. With the help of a quiet D.C. organization called ALEC, corporations pen GOP legislation". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- Coca-Cola Co. has terminated its relationship with a conservative group seen by some as an incubator for a string of new state voter ID laws and a marketer of laws like Florida's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense statute.
- The Atlanta-based soft drink maker said its focus with the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, was on combating "discriminatory" food and beverage taxes, not on issues "that have no direct bearing" on its business.Coca-Cola declined to respond to additional questions, including whether it had already paid membership for the year.
- ALEC brings together state and federal lawmakers, who pay $100 for a two-year membership, and corporations, which pay between $2,500 and $25,000 for an annual membership. The legislators and corporate representatives draft templates of legislation that can be used by lawmakers and lobbyists as models for state or federal legislation.
- Koch Industries, whose top executives Charles and David Koch are prominent supporters of conservative causes, is one of the largest corporations supporting Washington-based ALEC.
- —Gamboa, Suzanne (April 05, 2012). "Coca-Cola ends ties to conservative law writers". Businessweek. Bloomberg. The Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
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- The American Legislative Exchange Council describes itself as a nonpartisan champion of free markets. But if you spend some time at an ALEC conference (Bloomberg Businessweek did, for an article last year) you will be hard-pressed to find many Democrats. And when the entire conference meets for lunch, you will hear from the podium nothing that would seem out of place in a press release from Eric Cantor's office. Last year in New Orleans, for example, Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisana, told an ALEC annual meeting, "Defeating the president is crucial to defending our economy," and "Obama has been a disaster." I didn't hear anyone boo. What I did hear was the sound of fevered applause when the conference played a videotaped greeting from Ronald Reagan.
- I’m not saying it's wrong to feverishly applaud Ronald Reagan. I am saying that only in the most thinly defensible, legalistic sense can ALEC call itself "nonpartisan." And the council doesn’t really support free markets, either. It supports the companies that fund it. This is an important distinction, because the corporations that donate to ALEC aren't doing so to protect markets. They're protecting favored tax treatments and pushing regulations that lock in their market positions. As best as we were able to determine in reporting our piece last year, corporations propose bills at the state level and then push them up to ALEC, which has both corporate and legislative members. ALEC pushes the legislative members to the foreground, stamps the bills as "model legislation," and then the corporations push them back out to other state legislatures. This may not be the case with all ALEC legislation, but it certainly was with the bill we followed.
- —Greeley, Brendan (April 13, 2012). "Why Are McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Intuit Fleeing ALEC?". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- A conservative organization that helped spread a Florida law that allows people to use deadly force rather than retreat when they feel threatened said Tuesday that it was abandoning the task force that developed the measure.
- The American Legislative Exchange Council's move comes as the group has been criticized for the "Stand Your Ground" law, which gained national attention after the shooting death of teen Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watchman.
- The group wants to refocus resources away from its public safety panel in order to concentrate on economic issues, said the group's national chairman, Indiana Rep. David Frizzell.
- The decision comes as several major companies, including Coca-Cola Co. and McDonald's Corp., decided to drop their financial support.
- "While we recognize there are other critical, non-economic issues that are vitally important to millions of Americans, we believe we must concentrate on initiatives that spur competitiveness and innovation and put more Americans back to work," Frizzell said in a prepared statement.
- —Baker, Mike (April 17, 2012). "Legislative group turns focus amid Martin backlash". Businessweek. Bloomberg. The Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- Few people know the American Legislative Exchange Council by name, but they may know the laws the organization develops.
- For decades, the group of lawmakers and private sector officials has worked closely to draft legislation that focuses on everything from the fairly mundane, like tax policy and cable TV regulations, to the controversial, such as voter ID laws and Florida's "Stand Your Ground" statute.
- That last one pulled it into the spotlight in recent weeks after the death of teen Trayvon Martin. The law gives people wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat during a fight, and ALEC -- as the group is known -- has worked in recent years tried to spread it to other states.
- —Baker, Mike (April 18, 2012). "Martin's death spurs scrutiny of legislative group". Businessweek. Bloomberg. The Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- "If you don't mind me, if I can address this from a broader issue, you've touched on another great example. We have clearly over 800 pieces of model legislation, and they're all there. John, me, my other, the rest of the ALEC staff, even the ALEC board, we don't know who's reaching in and grabbing what. It's a library service to members, should they choose to want to use it. ... And they use it, and they don’t even tell us, and they may not go on the floor and say this is ALEC legislation, they have to go through, you know, what, the bill becomes theirs, so we have no idea."
- But now it looks like ALEC did have an idea, it did know who was reaching in and grabbing what, and it knew this in detail. On Monday, Common Cause, an advocacy group for sunlight and government accountability, filed a whistleblower complaint to the IRS, arguing that ALEC lobbies for corporations and thus has violated its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as a charity. In a response, a lawyer for ALEC said that the complaint "mostly ignores applicable law and distorts what it does not ignore." As part of the complaint, however, Common Cause released a number of documents it pulled from state legislators through FOIA requests. If you’re interested in ALEC, they make great reading, particularly minutes of task force meetings for the past two years. These meetings are closed to the press and the public.
- —Greeley, Brendan (April 30, 2012). "Did the American Legislative Exchange Council Give Me the Full Story?". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- On May 11, 2012, about 20 state legislators from 15 oil- and gas-rich states are scheduled to meet in a hotel conference room in Charlotte. Representatives from major energy companies will be there, too. Oil and gas lobbying groups will give presentations to the lawmakers on fossil fuel prices and the need for modernizing the nation’s power grid. But no “lobbying” will take place. What happens in Charlotte will be called education.
- For three decades, the American Legislative Exchange Council, the meeting’s host, has brought together corporations (including Pfizer (PFE), AT&T (T), and ExxonMobil (XOM)) and state legislators to write what it calls model bills—pieces of legislation the industries would like to become law. Often this means protecting favored tax treatment or keeping regulations at bay. ALEC has also approved model bills on social issues, including gun control and voter registration. The bills then get passed around among the 1,800 mostly Republican legislators who are ALEC members. They introduce the model bills about 1,000 times a year in state capitols around the country, the group says. About 200 become law. ALEC pays for the meetings through membership fees (called donations) that corporations pay. The legislators receive travel stipends (called scholarships) to attend the meetings. ALEC is registered with the IRS as a nonprofit that provides a public service, not as a lobbyist that seeks to influence.
- —Greeley, Brendan (May 03, 2012). "ALEC's Secrets Revealed; Corporations Flee". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
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- Bobby Jones, an AFSCME representative from New Hampshire, asked Braly if she would commit to cutting ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a conservative nonprofit group that brings together lawmakers and private sector organizations to develop legislation and policy.
- ALEC has taken criticism from unions and liberal activists for a number of issues. It has drawn heat, in particular, for its support of so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws that are a point of contention in the wake of the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Several companies that have previously supported ALEC financially, including Coca-Cola Co. and McDonald's Corp., have said they are no longer members.
- —Murphy, Tom (May 16, 2012). "Protesters disrupt WellPoint annual meeting". Businessweek. Bloomberg. The Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- "Mississippi today took a significant step to rein in the troublesome practice of awarding contingency fee contracts to plaintiffs' lawyers who are also major campaign contributors to the state attorney general," Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform, said in a statement. "Such 'pay-to-play' schemes enrich lawyers at the expense of taxpayers and raise significant concerns about conflicts of interest, favoritism, the use of a public entity for personal gain and fairness in prosecutions."
- [Mississippi attorney general] Hood though, said that the bill is really an attempt to make it harder for states to prevent corporate wrongdoing.
- "In the past eight years the office has recovered more than $600 million for our taxpayers from wrongdoers without costing the taxpayers one dime," he said. "However, the huge corporate interests that paid for and supported this bill through the American Legislative Exchange Council have decided that they did not like having to pay what they owed the taxpayers of Mississippi."
- The Mississippi attorney general could still hire outside lawyers and could still pay them on contingency, under the law. However, the attorney general would be bound by law to publish outside legal contracts, and those lawyers would have to keep time and expense records, down to six-minute intervals. Hood currently publishes contracts voluntarily.
- —Amy, Jeff (May 23, 2012). "Bryant signs law limiting attorney general's power". Businessweek. Bloomberg. The Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) is the latest company to withdraw from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a corporate-funded public policy group under attack for pushing voter-ID and "Stand Your Ground" state laws.
- About a dozen companies, including Coca-Cola Inc. (KO) and Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), previously ended their membership in the group under pressure from ALEC opponents.
- "Historically, we found value in working with ALEC and its legislative members on issues related to tax, commerce, and economic development," Maggie Sans, a Wal-Mart vice president, said in a letter to ALEC.
- "Previously, we expressed our concerns about ALEC’s decision to weigh in on issues that stray from its core mission 'to advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets,'" Sans said. "We feel that the divide between these activities and our purpose as a business has become too wide. To that end, we are suspending our membership in ALEC."
- —Salant, Jonathan (June 01, 2012). "Wal-Mart Joins Companies Cutting Ties With 'Free-Market' Group". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
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"On December 8, 2011, the racial advocacy group founded by Van Jones, Color of Change, announced a call to boycott ALEC corporate members for their alleged support of voter ID laws."[1]
- "Unfortunately, America already resembles that ideal world envisioned by ColorofChange, though Buchanan and his followers have shown some signs of fighting back against black and Hispanic racial advocacy."
—Daugherty, Jason (January 10, 2012). "MSNBC Caves in to Pro-Black Group, Suspends Buchanan". American Renaissance. New Century Foundation. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "The czar in question is Van Jones, a founding board member of Color of Change, an extremist racial grievance group that tries to stir up racial antagonism in order to promote a socialist agenda."
—Vadum, Matthew (August 12, 2009). "Race-Baiting Group Hitting TV's Glenn Beck Was Founded By Obama's Communist Green Jobs Czar". NewsBusters. Media Research Center. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Color of Change is a Racial Indignation Machine founded by 9/11 truther and confessed Marxist Van Jones, who's probably most infamous for being President Obama's Green Jobs Czar before being forced out of that position after a number of very disturbing revelations about his racially divisive, radical past were broadcast at BreitbartTV and elsewhere."
—Nolte, John (May 06, 2011). "Van Jones' Color Of Change Targets Trump; Demands Racial Loyalty from Black 'Apprentice' Stars". Big Hollywood. Breitbart.com. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)- "Coca-Cola severed ties with ALEC earlier this month at the demand of the radical racial pressure group Color of Change."
—"Coca-Cola Doubles-Down on Becoming Target of Special Interests, Endures Bitter Taste of Its Folly" (Press release). National Center for Public Policy Research. April 25, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "There was yet another sign of racial disharmony in the Democratic Party today, as the leader of the influential black online advocacy group ColorOfChange.org lashed out at Hillary Clinton, calling her claim to owning the white, blue-collar vote 'race baiting.'"
—Fears, Darryl (May 9, 2008). "ColorOfChange Leader Accuses Clinton of 'Race Baiting'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "The companies began dropping their memberships after the black advocacy group Color of Change launched an online campaign calling on Coca-Cola to end its support."
—Bravender, Rob (April 5, 2012). "ALEC support wanes: Kraft abandons conservative group". Politico. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "A black advocacy group called Color of Change pointed to the different treatment handed out to Marman, who is black, and Armstrong, who is white, and said it was a clear instance of race discrimination."
—Gumbel, Andrew (September 30, 2011). "Actor Leisha Hailey thrown off flight for kissing girlfriend Camila Grey". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "The campaign is organized by Color of Change, a black advocacy group that has highlighted Fox's use of racial stereotypes before."
—Edwards, Jim (August 12, 2009). "Geico, Others Join Ad Boycott of Fox's Beck Over 'Obama Is Racist' Remarks". CBS News. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "African American political advocacy group Color Of Change has called for MSNBC to fire longtime analyst (and even longer-time lightning rod) Pat Buchanan for what it called his 'white supremacist ideology.'"
—Shapiro, Rebecca (October 25, 2011). "Color Of Change Urges MSNBC To Fire Pat Buchanan". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Color of Change, an African-American advocacy group, successfully pressured at least six major corporations, including Coca-Cola Co. and McDonald's Corp., to drop their support of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative nonprofit that has promoted laws modeled on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law."
—Lorber, Janie (April 17, 2012). "Organizations Use Trayvon Martin Case to Lobby for Racial Profiling Legislation". Roll Call. Economist Group. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Civil rights group ColorOfChange.org is launching a campaign calling for corporations to stop funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)."
—"Civil Rights Group Launches Campaign Urging Corporations to Stop Bankrolling ALEC and its Role in Voter Suppression" (Press release). ColorOfChange.org. December 8, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "ColorofChange.org, a civil rights group, discovered in ALEC’s now-public library a model bill for voter ID laws passed by 34 states."
—Greeley, Brendan (May 03, 2012). "ALEC's Secrets Revealed; Corporations Flee". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)- "A civil-rights advocacy group, ColorOfChange, has been pressuring corporations nationwide through online petitions to drop ties to ALEC and is claiming success, though those that leave have not attributed the departures to ALEC's political leanings."
—Kam, Dara (April 10, 2012). "Major corporations drop support of 'stand your ground' group". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Coca-Cola and other member companies in ALEC were targeted last year by the civil rights group ColorOfChange for their support of the organization, which also is behind what ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson calls "voter suppression laws" in many states."
—Liston, Barbara (April 05, 2012). "Coke withdraws from advocacy group that backs gun laws". Chicago Tribune. Reuters. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)- "Coca-Cola's announcement came hours after a civil rights group, ColorOfChange.org, launched an online drive calling on Coca-Cola to stop underwriting the ALEC agenda on voter ID laws in several states."
—Overby, Peter (April 05, 2012). "Boycotts Hitting Group Behind 'Stand Your Ground'". NPR. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)- "Rashad Robinson, director of ColorofChange.org, a civil rights organization in the coalition, says they are trying to put ALEC's corporate members on the spot."
—Overby, Peter (April 13, 2012). "Companies Flee Group Behind 'Stand Your Ground'". NPR. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Stephanie Brown, national field director of the NAACP's Youth and College Division; Jasmyne Cannick, a social commentator and community organizer; and James Rucker, co-founder and executive director of the online civil rights group ColorOfChange.org, talk with Michel Martin about the NAACP and what the civil rights movement looks like today."
—"NAACP Marks 100 Years". Tell Me More. NPR. February 12, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "The companies' actions came after a civil rights group, ColorOfChange, spotlighted the firms' ties to ALEC."
—Schouten, Fredreka; Moore, Martha (April 13, 2012). "Corporations under pressure on political spending". USA Today. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Several of those companies have since cut ties with the organization in recent weeks. ColorOfChange, an online civil rights group, led much of the charge."
—Olorunnipa, Toluse; Bolstad, Erika (April 17, 2012). "Influential national group halts push for Stand Your Ground laws". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "...said James Rucker, co-founder of ColorofChange.org, an online civil rights group that he said has an e-mail list of 800,000."
—Thompson, Krissah (December 28, 2010). "Civil rights activists jump online". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Other organizations, like the civil rights group Color of Change, continue to pressure the corporate backers behind ALEC, which stands for the American Legislative Exchange Council."
—Condon, Stephanie (April 20, 2012). "Liberals keep up the pressure on ALEC". CBS News. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "In recent weeks, companies that have supported the state legislative group — many of them listed on the ALEC Web site — found themselves in the glare of a national protest organized by the government watchdog Common Cause, the civil rights organization Color of Change and other groups."
—Hamburger, Tom (April 12, 2012). "Trayvon Martin shooting spurs protests against companies with ties to legislative group". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "The companies have come under fire from protests put together by groups including Common Cause and the civil rights group Color of Change."
—Reske, Henry (April 13, 2012). "Stand Your Ground Legislative Group Loses Corporate Support". Newsmax. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Thanks to a campaign by civil rights group Color of Change, several companies cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council in recent weeks."
—Trinko, Katrina (April 20, 2012). "Cherry Picking Whom to Offend". National Review Online. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- "Civil-rights group Color of Change helped lead public campaigns against ALEC and its affiliated companies for its support of such laws."
—Rapoport, Abby (April 17, 2012). "ALEC Gives In, But There's No Reason to Celebrate". The American Prospect. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
