In your #1, I do not know what you are referring to.
In your #2, what was Sharpton specifically talking about? I missed the debate, as I have no time to listen to mental midgets.
Baal was the ancient god of fertility of the babylonians. It may have been to him that the israelites were building images when Moses came down from the mountain.
Sharpton was talking about the election of 2000 among other things. Point being, the other side sure seems to see it as a civil war.