Aaron Douglas played for Vols and Bama before dying because of drugs jh39
Aaron Douglas was a lineman for Alabama and I have already written about another Bama lineman by the name of Barrett Jones who was a teammate of Aaron’s. Here are the two links below:
This Saturday is the famous “Third Saturday in October” series between Tennessee and Alabama but Aaron Douglas will not be there. Here is a story that ran in the paper yesterday.
View full sizeKarla Douglas hugs her son, Aaron Douglas, during his high school senior night.
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — The clothes still embrace his scent.
Journals preserve his handwriting, and the words reveal the creative flow of his mind.
Each time Karla Douglas and David Douglas begin packing away his room, vivid memories of their son open their emotions.
Karla seeks therapy. David goes hunting to think. Five months after Aaron Douglas died from a drug overdose at a house party in Florida, his parents still weep often for their son.
Aaron was an offensive lineman at Alabama when he died May 12, his body discovered on a second-floor balcony after a random visit to a house party in Fernandina Beach, Florida, where he was vacationing.
The thought of Aaron alone in his most vulnerable moment has been difficult for his parents to grasp.
Aaron was 21, but had always been “Momma’s boy,” Karla said. He once said in a song to his father, “Pops, you’re the man for always having my back.”
“He died all alone on that balcony,” Karla said, “and we were not there to help him.”
***
Aaron Douglas, wearing 77, was a 6-foot-7, 275 pound offensive tackle at Alabama.
Aaron wanted to earn a college degree and play in the NFL. At 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, he was a physical phenomenon with enough talent to compete for the starting offensive left tackle spot at Alabama. After starting his career at Tennessee, he would have been at the center of attention during this rivalry week.
Aaron also challenged himself through music, penning rap lyrics he could pound out through his mouth. He hoped one day to own a recording studio.
Football and music were his passions, and he would cling to them living in the sparse desert landscape of Yuma, Arizona, one of the nation’s small border towns in the southwest corner of Arizona on the California border.
This was the place where he would wrestle back control of his world.
“His decision to go 1,989 miles away from home was a welcoming challenge,” Karla said. “He grew as a player and a person, and we saw a young man excited about life and football again.”
***
David Douglas (pictured), was an offensive lineman for Tennessee. Aaron Douglas, his son, followed in his footsteps and took No. 78 after he moved from tight end to offensive line.
The way Aaron’s collegiate career began was a dream for his parents. He attended Tennessee, where mom and dad had been athletes.
When Karla and David were married, Phillip Fulmer promised their yet-to-be-conceived son a football scholarship.
Aaron thrived in orange and white, making the transition from tight end to tackle. When he learned he was moving to the offensive line, he called David, then switched to jersey No. 78, the number his dad wore in college.
On the football field where linemen such as Anthony Munoz had been carved, Aaron proved worthy by earning freshman All-American honors in 2009.
But off the field, Aaron’s world had unraveled.
As a redshirt freshman, he began abusing prescription drugs, Karla said. She said Aaron was introduced to them by “several upperclassmen.”
“This had been going on, undetected, for months and after the third coaching change in less than two years, Aaron fell into severe depression,” Karla said. “We were so proud of him when he acknowledged his problem and asked for help.”
That’s how Aaron made the decision to leave Tennessee and regroup at Arizona Western, a junior college with a reputation of offering football players a place to resurrect their collegiate careers.
“Before he left for AWC, he spent many days and nights writing and recording ‘Lyrical Rehab,'” Karla said. “And out in Yuma with no car and not much to do, he also spent many hours writing and recording. We saw him grow from a tired, depressed, hurt boy into a smiling, happy, focused young man.”
***
Not surprisingly, Aaron thrived in a place void of the many signs of life he was accustomed to in Tennessee.
On the field, he earned All-American honors recruiting interest from some of the nation’s top programs. The process energized Aaron because he never truly experienced it coming out of high school. Most programs assumed he was a lock for Tennessee.
Aaron ultimately signed with Alabama last winter and joined Matadors’ teammate Jesse Williams, who is a starting defensive end with the Crimson Tide.
“We were friends in junior college,” Williams said last month. “After transferring here, we kind of stuck together.”
***
Aaron was brought to Alabama to compete for the starting left tackle position vacated by two-year starter James Carpenter, now with the Seattle Seahawks. He competed throughout the spring with Alfred McCullough.
After three weeks, Alabama experimented with Barrett Jones, who made the move from right guard. Few could have anticipated the move would stick, especially due to circumstances out of their control.
“I still think about it when I see the locker,” Jones said. “It’s weird to see him gone.”
***
Aaron Douglas with his younger sister, Ashley.
“May 12 was like any other day,” Karla said. “Ashley (Aaron’s younger sister) off to school. Karla to work, and David working in his office. … Around 10 (a.m.), coach (Jeff) Stoutland called David to see if we had heard from Aaron. We both started calling and texting him over and over. Coach Stoutland called David again, and David heard concern and worry in his voice and asked what was going on.”
Word began to spread before Stoutland’s call through various websites.
Karla was on her way to a 12:30 p.m. appointment when her husband called. Stoutland had conveyed Internet reports that Aaron had been in a fatal car accident or died at a party.
“I pulled into the parking lot and called information for the police station,” Karla said. “I spoke with an officer and I recall him saying, ‘We have him. He is deceased, and we haven’t released anything to the media.'”
***
Social media left clues to the last hours of his life. Police later filled in some holes.
Aaron Douglas, 21, died May 12, according to a Florida medical examiner’s report due to a “multiple drug toxicity” of methadone, diazepam and carisoprodol.
Karla and David both stressed Aaron had no issues with drugs at AWC or Alabama.
Rodney Young Odum, 50, was arrested in August and charged with manslaughter and sale/delivery of a controlled substance (Methadone). He has pleaded not guilty. Four others were charged with throwing an open house party.
Witnesses said Aaron was seen as late as 2 a.m. at a house party he attended while on vacation. Staying in Jacksonville, Aaron answered a call from two local women, then directed his taxi to drive him to the home where he later died.
His last words are like scattered bread crumbs. On his Facebook page his last entry was May 10: “Anyone who’s in Jacksonville, FL hit me up.”
On May 11, Douglas wrote on his Twitter account about meeting a person, who “accomplished 12 purple hearts” in Vietnam. He later sent a Tweet about the Miami Heat’s performance against the Boston Celtics. Then he wrote, “Bout to kick it with my new friends Emily!!”
His final message: “Who’s still up right now?!?”
Police responded to a call at 8:13 a.m. after a male resident and others discovered Aaron’s body on a second-floor balcony “apparently deceased.”
Aaron was pronounced dead at the scene.
***
Alabama is wearing stickers on its helmets to recognize two tragedies. The houndstooth ribbon acknowledges the April 27 killer tornado outbreak across the state. The No. 77 recognizes the death of Aaron Douglas.
This week, Aaron’s parents will attend the Third Saturday in October wearing crimson and white.
They anxiously anticipated the day they would watch their son face their alma mater for the first time playing for Alabama.
Aaron started for the Volunteers in 2009 when Alabama defeated Tennessee 12-10 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a win preserved by a Terrence Cody blocked field goal in the final moments.
Those thoughts will be weighing on the minds of some.
“I wasn’t in the country when it happened. (Aaron’s death) kind of hit me by surprise,” Williams said. “I came back from working out in Australia and my dad told me. It was a bit of an emotional thing. I feel really bad for his family and everything they’ve had to go through. I try and go out there and represent not only myself, but Aaron as well when I’m playing. I just wish all the best for his family.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban, who has two children, said the loss has affected the entire program, and has made him come to terms with a unique approach.
Alabama is wearing black stickers on its helmets with Aaron’s No. 77, and the media guide has a portrait of Aaron on Page 3, the years of his life 1989-2011 below.
The school also has left his locker vacant.
“I never had a player die before,” Saban said in July. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and a completely different feeling talking in front of our team now. Maybe you take it for granted that they’re all always going to be there. It’s probably the same thing with your children at home if you’ve ever lost one. These things all have a tremendous impact and change the perspective of things.”
***
Aaron’s Facebook account remains a living tribute to his memory.
Dozens of people posted self-portraits holding candles, a virtual candlelight vigil on Sept. 19, which would have been his 22nd birthday.
There are photos of Aaron through the years. A painted portrait of him at Tennessee with an embrace with his mother in the background.And a video rap tribute for Aaron and his younger sister, Ashley, who shared the same birth date.
Aaron’s father dreamed about his son every night for two months and still does on occasion. He now has a tattoo over his chest that reads, “RIP AD.”
What Karla and David remember about Aaron: He was tough. Aaron gave himself a cross tattoo when he was 15.
“He played most of his high school senior season with completely torn labrums in both shoulders and would not have surgery to not let his team down,” Karla said. “He had foot surgery the week after the A-Day game to remove a golf-ball-plus-sized bone. The doctor was amazed that he was walking, much less finished spring at Alabama.”
They said Aaron was kind and sensitive.
“He was always thinking of others,” Karla said. “He had a genuine smile that would go straight to your heart and he shared it.
“He stood up for people when they were being ridiculed or bullied. Every negative word that was said or written about him ripped his heart in two. When fans in Neyland booed the 2009 team, it hurt him to the core.”
Aaron could handle the criticism.
“When it got malicious and hateful,” Karla said, “he could just never understand why people had to be so cruel and hurtful.”
And he was their son.
“For the first few weeks after his death, I put his cologne on one of his favorite hoodies and slept with it,” Karla said. “I have two shirts in my closet to see and touch and I have listened to many of his songs, so I can hear his voice.
One of the songs, ‘Keep Your Head High,’ played at his service, Aaron says, ‘Momma I love you and you have your son back.’ This brings comfort along with tears.”
Aaron Douglas has first Alabama spring football practice Lane Kiffin praises RT Aaron Douglas In the last part of July, then I spent the next few days researching the “27 Club.” It was very sad to read about these famous musicians that all died at age 27 because of suicide or drugs. Just a few weeks ago I read about Aaron Douglas […]
cc ‘Janis Joplin’ 2/5 from True Hollywood Story (Janis was having affair with Pigpen) Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals), Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (vocals, harmonica), Bob Weir (guitar, vocals), Phil Lesh (bass), Mickey Hart (drums), Bill Kreutzman (drums). Grateful Dead “Don’t Ease Me In” Live @ Canadian National Exhibition Hall Toronto, CA June 27th, 1970 Grateful Dead […]
Recently Amy Winehouse joined the “27 Club” when she died of a drug overdose. The “27 Club” is a group of rockers that died at age 27. Unfortunately Jimi Hendrix died at age 27 in 1970 and Janis Joplin did the same three weeks later. Today we are going to look at her life and […]
JIMI HENDRIX : FINAL INTERVIEW . The other day when Amy Winehouse died she joined the “27 Club” which includes other famous rockers who died at age 27. Most of them died because of drugs. Unfortunately Jimi Hendrix joined the club for the same reason. Something special for all music and Beat Club-Lovers on YouTube: […]
Brian’s Blues, Brian Jones on guitar in the early stones years. unreleased track Brian Jones died at age 27 just like Amy Winehouse did. I remember like yesterday when I first heard the song “I can’t get no satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones. I immediately thought about Solomon’s search for satisfaction in the Book of […]
The Rise And Rise Of Kurt Cobain part 1/3 Amy Winehouse joined the “Club 27 the other day with her early death. I am going through the others one by one. Today is Kurt Cobain. 7. Kurt Cobain very rarely does an artist come along and not just upset the “apple cart” but drops […]
Jim Morrison – Feast Of Friends – (The Doors Documentary) (1969) (Paul Ferrara) 1/4 I was saddened by the recent death of Amy Winehouse and her inclusion into the “27 Club.” This series I am starting today looks at the search that each one of these entertainers were on during their lives. Today I look […]
Amy Winehouse’s family speaks out Parents, Public Braced for Amy Winehouse’s Death Through Five-Year Fade Posted Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:13pm PDT by Chris Willman To Amy Winehouse’s family, the singer/songwriter’s death was not unexpected. It was “only a matter of time,” her mother, Janis Winehouse, was quoted as saying in the Sunday Mirror. She’d […]
Drama: Members of the press and local residents watch as Winehouse’s body is taken to the van I read this article in Christianity Today about Amy Winehouse a couple of years ago and it rings more true today than ever. How to share your faith using Amy Winehouse‘s ‘Rehab’ by Jane Dratz, Guest ColumnistPosted: Monday, February […]
Papa Roach – Last Resort (Censored Version) This series of posts concerns the song “The Last Resort.” Amy Winehouse died today and it was a tragic loss. That really troubled me that she did not seek spiritual help instead of turning to drugs and alcohol. This post today will give hope to those we feel like […]
I am in the middle of a series on the Papa Roach song “Last Resort” which deals with suicide and then today I hear this sad story about Amy Winehouse. Inside Amy Winehouse’s troubled life With the news that British R&B star and tabloid target Amy Winehouse has died from as yet undisclosed causes, […]
Papa Roach – Last Resort (Censored Version) Amy Winehouse died at the young age of 27 and she had lived a life filled with drug and alcohol addiction. This series on Papa Roach is meant to provide answers to those who feel trapped. Hopefully it will people to avoid troubles like Amy Winehouse experienced. Today I […]
Steve Jobs, the late Apple founder and digital pioneer, told President Obama in a 2010 meeting that his anti-business attitude and enthusiasm for federal regulations could spell doom for his re-election bid, according to an upcoming biography of the iconic entrepreneur.
Jobs specifically cited a number of impediments to job creation and future economic growth, including onerous business regulations and stubborn teachers’ unions preventing reform of the country’s education system.
The Huffington Post, which obtained an advance copy of the book – titled “Steve Jobs” – said the man “seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.”
“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where “regulations and unnecessary costs” make it difficult for them.
Jobs also criticized America’s education system, saying it was “crippled by union work rules,” noted Isaacson. “Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform.” Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
If Obama did not become more business friendly, Jobs warned, he would be “headed for a one-term presidency.”
Jobs’s legacy, wrote Heritage President Ed Feulner, is antithetical to the president’s approach to governing. The man “was a living refutation of all that liberals constantly tell us about our country,” Feulner wrote.
Steve Jobs was raised as a conservative Lutheran but he chose to leave those beliefs behind. Below is a very good article on his life. COVER STORY ARTICLE | Issue: “Steve Jobs 1955-2011″ October 22, 2011 A god of our age Who was Steve Jobs? A revered technology pioneer and a relentless innovator, the Apple […]
COUNTER-DEMONSTRATION: At Kappa Sigma house in Fayetteville. The Drew Wilson photo above went viral last night — at least in Arkansas e-mail and social media users — after the Fayetteville Flyer posted it in coverage of an Occupy Northwest Arkansas demonstration in Fayetteville. The 1 percent banner was unfurled briefly on the Kappa Sigma frat […]
(If you want to check out other posts I have done about about Steve Jobs:Some say Steve Jobs was an atheist , Steve Jobs and Adoption , What is the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life? ,Steve Jobs versus President Obama: Who created more jobs? ,Steve Jobs’ view of death and what the Bible has to say about it ,8 things you might not know about Steve Jobs ,Steve […]
(If you want to check out other posts I have done about about Steve Jobs:Some say Steve Jobs was an atheist , Steve Jobs and Adoption , What is the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life? ,Steve Jobs versus President Obama: Who created more jobs? ,Steve Jobs’ view of death and what the Bible has to say about it ,8 things you might not know about Steve Jobs ,Steve […]
It is strange that the New Yorker Magazine did no research. (If you want to check out other posts I have done about about Steve Jobs:Some say Steve Jobs was an atheist , Steve Jobs and Adoption , What is the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life? ,Steve Jobs versus President Obama: Who created more jobs? ,Steve Jobs’ view of death and what the Bible […]
According to published reports Steve Jobs was a Buddhist and he had a very interesting quote on death which I discussed in another post. Back in 1979 I saw the film series HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? by Francis Schaeffer and I also read the book. Francis Schaeffer observes in How Should We Then Live: The Rise […]
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address Uploaded by StanfordUniversity on Mar 7, 2008 It was a quite moving story to hear about Steve Jobs’ adoption. Ryan Scott Bomberger (www.toomanyaborted.com), co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, an adoptee and adoptive father: “As a creative professional, [Jobs’] visionary work has helped my own visions become reality. But his […]
I have written several posts on Steve Jobs and they are listed below. Today I want to look at the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life. Below are the words of – R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.: “Christians cannot leave the matter where the secular world will […]
I loved reading this article below. (Take a look at the link to other posts I have done on Steve Jobs.) David Boaz makes some great observations: How much value is the Post Office creating this year? Or Amtrak? Or Solyndra? And if you point out that the Post Office does create value for its […]
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address Uploaded by StanfordUniversity on Mar 7, 2008 Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death […]
Things you may not know about Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs leans against his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle/Corbis) For all of his years in the spotlight at the helm of Apple, Steve Jobs in many ways remains an inscrutable figure — even in his death. Fiercely private, Jobs concealed most specifics about […]
Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011. I personally am very grateful to him for helping the world so much with his ideas and I have written about that before. Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute noted: He’s built a $360 billion company. That presumably means at least $352 billion of wealth in the […]
Did Steve Jobs help people even though he did not give away a lot of money? (I just finished a post concerning Steve’s religious beliefs and a post about 8 things you may not know about Steve Jobs) Uploaded by UM0kusha0kusha on Sep 16, 2010 clip from The First Round Up *1934* ~~enjoy!! ______________________________________________ In the short film […]
Obama’s Budget Worsens Debt Problem, but The Heritage Plan Solves It
Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.
Spending in the President’s budget proposal for 2012 would drive the debt to 87 percent of the economy by 2021. In contrast, Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity solves the debt problem through strong budget reforms, lowering debt to 58 percent of GDP in just 10 years.
DEBT AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP
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Source: President’s Budget: Congressional Budget Office and White House Office of Management and Budget; Heritage Plan: Calculations by the Center for Data Analysis based on current projections, data provided by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and CDA policy models.
The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More
Authors
Emily GoffResearch Assistant
Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor
America’s Founding Fathers Deist or Christian? – DavidBarton 3/6
Robert Treat Paine Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.
Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.
[W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . .
Will of Robert Treat Paine
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Signer of the Constitution
To the eternal, immutable, and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever, Amen!. . .
Will of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Rufus Putnam Revolutionary War General, First Surveyor General of the United States
[F]irst, I give my soul to a holy, sovereign God Who gave it in humble hope of a blessed immortality through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner. I fully believe that this body shall, by the mighty power of God, be raised to life at the last day; ‘for this corruptable (sic) must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.’ [I Corinthians 15:53]
Will of Rufus Putnam
Benjamin Rush Signer of the Declaration of Independence
My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!
Benjamin Rush, The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, George Corner, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the American Philosophical Society, 1948), p. 166, Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.
Roger Sherman Signer of the Declaration of Independence,Signer of the Constitution
I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.
Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273.
Richard Stockton Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God, the universal defection and depravity of human nature, the divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior, the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit, of Divine Faith, accompanied with an habitual virtuous life, and the universality of the divine Providence, but also . . . that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state; that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially, even in this life; that as Almighty God hath not been pleased in the Holy Scriptures to prescribe any precise mode in which He is to be publicly worshiped, all contention about it generally arises from want of knowledge or want of virtue.
Bill Clinton is funny, there is no doubt about that
I first met Bill Clinton in 1983 in a small meeting in Little Rock at the Excelsior Hotel where he later had the run in with Paula Jones in May of 1991. Clinton was late for our meeting with 30 small business owners and he was very funny when he got there. He said he had a crisis in government and he had a very important meeting. It was with Hillary!! Then he went through the room and called almost everyone by name. I was amazed at his memory and humor.
The Arkansas Times Blog had this up a few days ago and it is very funny.
Bill Clinton and Funny or Die team up for this funny promo with Ben Stiller, Matt Damon, Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Jack Black, Ted Danson,and Mary Steenburgen
Funny or Die never seems to have trouble getting A-list stars to appear in their low-budget web projects. But it may have outdone itself with its latest video, which is packed with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, alongside a former U.S. president, no less.
The video premiered Saturday on two giant screens at the Hollywood Bowl during a concert benefiting the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, and Funny or Die posted it online midnight Tuesday.
The premise has Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen making up the Clinton Foundation’s Celebrity Division. Kevin Spacey may or may not be part of that team.
Christin Trogan, who produced the video, said each star dedicated about two hours to the project and that it was shot over five days last month. While it appears most of the actors are in the same room at the same time, that was only the case with Stiller, Danson and Steenburgen.
“It was long days for the crew, for sure, creating that continuity and that world where they’re together, right down to the littlest things, like where a bagel was placed,” Trogan said.
Clinton was shot at his Foundation office in New York, where he is shown reprimanding Spacey for commandeering his desk, though Spacey’s end of the conversation was shot in California. Black was also in California while the rest of the cast was in New York.
The five-minute video is called Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Brainstorm.
The sketch was written by Funny or Die staff writer Alex Fernie, though the actors ad-libbed here and there and others contributed ideas and dialogue. If there were any stars who declined the opportunity to appear in the video, Funny or Die isn’t saying.
“It was one of those things where, when we were going through the bits, we had certain people in mind, and we got really lucky that they were able to be part of it,” Trogan said. “It was almost like some other force was blessing this video and enabling it to come together.”
Josh Greenbaum directed the short, which he co-wrote with Alex Fernie.
Democrats are toutinga compilation polling data out from Public Policy Polling that shows Gov. Mike Beebe has the highest approval rating of any governor in the country. Of those Arkansans polled, Beebe is approved of by 59 percent with only 22 percent disapproving. He truly seems to be the teflon man. Most Arkansans have made up their minds that they like him.
Sen. Mark Pryor, on the other hand, is one of the least liked Senators in Washington, according to the polling firm’s chart. Only 29 percent of Arkansans polled approve of Pryor, while 46 percent disapprove. Only two Senators, John McCain (R-AZ) and Bill Nelson (D-NE), come out worse.
It should also be noted that the data from the various states was not conducted at the same time. The polling data used from Arkansas was from January 2010 – which is why Sen. John Boozman is not listed. It would be interesting to see if these numbers have gone down any especially considering what the economy has done over the last year and half – illustrated by this chart from Roby Brock.
Also in April of this year, Talk Business and Hendrix College polled Beebe and Pryor in a statewide survey. At the time, Beebe had a job approval rating of 67%-22%. Pryor only held a 40%-36.5% positive approval rating. Click here to access those results.
______________
That makes my post a while back even more true now:
It is my view that if the economy keeps stinking that Republicans will have a field day in November of 2012. However, the same principle holds true that challengers to Democrats will be very successful in Democratic primaries.
In Arkansas many have longed for another Clinton in the White House. Could it happen? It is my view that it is a foregone conclusion that the Republicans are heavy favorites to take the Senate back and win the presidency in 2012. Nevertheless, it would not surprise me if there are some big surprises in the Democratic primaries. Matthew Dickinson wrote a fine article, “Run Hillary, Run,” Salon, August 4, 2011 and in that article he makes three points:
1. “To begin, her stint as secretary of state has done wonders for her approval rating, as indicated by Gallup poll surveys dating back to her time in the White House.”
2. “Her second advantage relates to the first: She’s not part of the mess at home. She didn’t weigh in on the stimulus bill, or healthcare, or the banking overhaul, and she certainly bears no responsibility for the state of the economy.”
3. “This leads to a third point: buyer’s remorse. It’s not one she can directly bring up (after all, she’s above politics), but others will certainly remind voters that she did warn you. Remember that 3 a.m. phone call?”
Senator Mark Pryor is part of the establishment too and will face the same problems that President Obama faces in 2012, but that could not be said about Mike Beebe. Beebe is very popular and won with overwhelming numbers in Arkansas when many other big names in the Democratic party went down like Broadway and Lincoln.
Dr. Jay Barth with Hendrix College comments on our latest poll results on Arkansas politics (clip from Talkbusiness) Talk Business reported today in the article “Poll Shows Beebe Strength, Pryor Shaky,” the following: A new Talk Business-Hendrix College Poll shows Gov. Mike Beebe (D) maintaining his high job approval rating, while Sen. Mark Pryor (D) […]
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor at the 2009 Democratic Party Jefferson Jackson Dinner, Arkansas’s largest annual political event. Mark Pryor is up for re-election to the Senate in 2014. It is my opinion that the only reason he did not have an opponent in 2008 was because the Republicans in Arkansas did not want to go […]
The Sixty Six who resisted “Sugar-coated Satan Sandwich” Debt Deal (Part 20)
This post today is a part of a series I am doing on the 66 Republican Tea Party favorites that resisted eating the “Sugar-coated Satan Sandwich” Debt Deal. Actually that name did not originate from a representative who agrees with the Tea Party, but from a liberal.
Rep. Emanuel Clever (D-Mo.) called the newly agreed-upon bipartisan compromise deal to raise the debt limit “a sugar-coated satan sandwich.”
“This deal is a sugar-coated satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see,” Clever tweeted on August 1, 2011.
“First, thank you to the hundreds of constituents who have called, e-mailed and posted comments on my Facebook and Twitter pages. This was a difficult vote, but because of the comments and calls, I cast it with the confidence that it was the right vote for the eighth district of Georgia. My constituents know, as well as I do, that we should do all that we can to keep from defaulting on our obligations. However, a leader in the White House would have never allowed the discussion of a default to begin with and would have prioritized spending before this crisis came to a head.
“While this bill included some of the main principles of my preferred “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill it did not include enough of them. As families across Georgia have realized – you can only spend as much as you take in. “Cut, Cap and Balance” as well as the “Boehner Plan” required the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment before allowing the President to raise the debt limit a second time. Unfortunately, this requirement was left out of the compromise. Additionally, this bill includes cuts, insisted upon by the President, which would disproportionately fall in the area of defense, to the exclusion of other areas that are the true drivers of our national debt. The uncertainty surrounding these defense cuts could have a devastating impact on thousands of jobs in Middle Georgia – a risk I’m not willing to take at a time when our unemployment rate continues to hover near double digits.
“Middle Georgians sent me here to fight for the personal freedoms, individual liberties and economic opportunities for our generation and the next. I will never cease in that effort. Unfortunately, this bill falls short of those goals and that is why I voted against it.”
I like the overall approach of Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan. As I recently wrote, it focuses on lower tax rates, elimination of double taxation, and repeal of corrupt and inefficient loopholes.
After all, Europe’s welfare states began their march to fiscal collapse and economic stagnation after they added a version of a national sales tax on top of their pre-existing income taxes.
But it seems that I was too nice in my analysis of Mr. Cain’s plan. Josh Barro and Bruce Bartlett are both claiming that the business portion of Cain’s 9-9-9 is a value-added tax (VAT) rather than a corporate income tax.
In other words, instead of being a 9 percent flat tax-9 percent sales tax-9 percent corporate tax, Cain’s plan is a 9 percent flat tax-9 percent sales tax-9 percent VAT.
Let’s elaborate. The business portion of Cain’s plan apparently does not allow employers to deduct wages and salaries, which means — for all intents and purposes — that they would levy a 9 percent withholding tax on employee compensation. And that would be in addition to the 9 percent they presumably would withhold for the flat tax portion of Cain’s plan.
Employers use withholding in the current system, of course, but at least taxpayers are given credit for all that withheld tax when filling out their 1040 tax forms. Under Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, however, employees would only get credit for monies withheld for the flat tax.
In other words, there are two income taxes in Cain’s plan — the 9 percent flat tax and the hidden 9 percent income tax that is part of the VAT (this hidden income tax on wages and salaries, by the way, is a defining feature of a VAT).
This doesn’t make Cain’s plan bad from a theoretical perspective. The underlying principles are still sound — low tax rates, no double taxation, and no loopholes.
But if I was uneasy when I thought that the 9-9-9 plan added a sales tax on top of the income tax, then I am super-duper-double-secret-probation uneasy about adding a sales tax and a VAT on top of the income tax.
Here’s my video on the VAT, which will help you realize why this pernicious tax would be a big mistake.
This Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation video explains why a value-added tax would be a dangerous money machine for big government. The evidence from Europe also shows that VATs actually lead to higher income taxes. www.freedomandprosperity.org
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Again, this doesn’t make Cain wrong if we’re grading based on economics or philosophy. My anxiety is a matter of real-world political analysis. I don’t trust politicians with new sources of revenue. Whether we give them big new sources of revenue or small new sources of revenue, they will always figure out ways of pushing up the tax rates so they can waste more money trying to buy votes.
Gene Healy is a vice president at the Cato Institute and the author of The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power.
Added to cato.org on October 11, 2011
This article appeared in The DC Examiner on October 11, 2011
Memo to the Rick Perry campaign: If your guy can’t win an exchange with Mitt Flippin’ Romney over who’s stuck to principle more consistently, his debating skills need serious work.
That’s what happened at Sept. 22’s Republican debate in Orlando. After deflating Perry with a “nice try,” Romney brazenly proclaimed, “One reason to elect me is that I know what I stand for, I’ve written it down. Words have meaning.”
“I’ve written it down” — I love that. I’m put in mind of the great New Yorker cartoon, featuring a Washington bigwig behind an enormous desk, the Capitol looming through his office window. “I keep my core beliefs written on the palm of my hand for easy reference,” he tells his visitor.
[I]f there’s any case to be made for Romney, it’s that he’s a full-spectrum panderer.
With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie out and Perry floundering, it’s looking ever more likely that the alternative to President Obama will be a candidate who needs a cheat sheet to remember his core beliefs.
Taking to heart the Stoic principle that we shouldn’t lament what we can’t control, I’m going to try to convince you — and myself — that things could be worse.
In their 2007 editorial endorsing Romney, National Review argued — hilariously — that the former Massachusetts governor was a “full-spectrum conservative.”
But if there’s any case to be made for Romney, it’s that he’s a full-spectrum panderer. Paradoxically, Romney’s faults — his incessant flip-flopping and desperate quest for approval — might make him a less-dangerous-than-average president.
True, from a limited-government perspective, Romney’s stated platform is pretty awful. You can judge a candidate’s budget-cutting bona fides by the specificity of his proposed cuts.
Romney’s only gotten specific on what he’ll spend. He wants 100,000 new troops and a minimum of 4 percent of GDP lavished on our already outsized military.
On the campaign trail, Romney has savaged Obama’s proposed Medicare cuts — the sign “keep your hands off our Medicare” is “absolutely right,” he insists — and he has attacked Perry for questioning the constitutionality of Social Security.
The good news, I suppose, is that there is no better reason to take Romney at his word here than there is anywhere else.
Romney’s strategically timed ideological conversions are well-known. On the road to the presidency, he’s had convenient epiphanies about stem-cells, gay rights and immigration, and gone from being a staunch gun-controller to, in 2007, buying a lifetime NRA membership and awkwardly bragging about blasting rabbits with a single-shot .22 rifle (do those come with laser sights?).
But, having suffered through two ideologically charged presidencies in a row, to many Americans the poll-tested pandering of the Clinton era doesn’t look so bad by comparison.
Our 42nd president wanted national health care, but the country wanted welfare reform and prosperous normalcy — and the country got what it wanted.
Before this year, no one would have mistaken House Speaker John Boehner for a Tea Partier. Yet the political facts on the ground have forced him into a more confrontational posture than he’d otherwise favor.
Given how far the Republican Party and the electorate as a whole have shifted toward distrust of big government and crony capitalism, a pliable president, desperate for approval, might be restrained from doing too much harm, and even forced to do some good.
If Romney becomes president, the governor who pioneered the individual mandate will be pressured to push its repeal.
As David Brooks recently argued, “The strongest case for Romney is that he’s nobody’s idea of a savior.” He’s right: no one could possibly build a cult of personality around a candidate who’s so transparently insincere.
These aren’t inspiring reasons for a Romney candidacy, but, over the last decade, Americans may have gotten their fill of presidential inspiration.
I really like Rick Perry because he was right when he called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme” which it is. How did he do in the last debate? You be the judge by watching his response above. Rick Perry’s Moment Posted by Roger Pilon Last night POLITICO Arena asked: Who won the Reagan debate? My […]
I am not too pleased with Mitt Romney and the article below shows one good reason to oppose him. Can Mitt Romney Escape His Romneycare Albatross? by Doug Bandow Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. A former special assistant to Ronald Reagan, he is the author of Foreign Follies: America’s New […]
Dodd and Frank are the real villians of the mortgage mess and I knew that 3 years ago after reading this article below. Who did the Democrats get to clean up this mess? You guessed it. What a joke. Who Are the Villains of the Mortgage Mess? by Daniel J. Mitchell Daniel J. Mitchell is […]
Reagan’s statement concerning 1982 tax increase is responded to by Republican Candidates in this clip below: Washington Could Learn a Lot from a Drug Addict Concerning spending cuts Reagan believed, that members of Congress “wouldn’t lie to him when he should have known better.” However, can you believe a drug addict when he tells you […]
I really like Ron Paul a lot and the reasons I like him are in this article below and in the clip above. Ron Paul’s Success Posted by David Boaz The Washington Post reports that Ron Paul “is enjoying a surge in support and the most high-profile campaign of his life. ” Paul’s unwavering ideals […]
Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan did steal the show at the Republican debate of October 11, 2011. Take a look at this article below: The Republican presidential debate in Hanover, N.H. (AP) There was one clear winner from Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, based on the simple metrics of name recognition: businessman Herman Cain’s “9-9-9 Plan.” Virtually […]
Mitt Romney is not a true conservative. Exhibit #1 Romney wants to start trade wars. Romney for Panderer-in-Chief? by Gene Healy Gene Healy is a vice president at the Cato Institute and the author of The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power. Added to cato.org on October 11, 2011 This article […]
Ron Paul speaking at Values Voter Summit In this speech above Ron Paul repeats his view that we should not have a Dept of Education and the article below does the same thing. Beating Back Big (Ed.) Brother? Posted by Neal McCluskey It certainly seems quixotic to try to reverse the federal invasion of American […]
This issue concerning Mitt Romney’s religion is heating up. Baptist pastor taken to task Russ Jones and Chad Groening – OneNewsNow – 10/10/2011 11:05:00 am Popular radio and television commentator Glenn Beck wrapped up the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, Sunday in a wave of anti-Mormonism comments lodged towards GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. […]
Steve Brawner made the comment: For now, the Occupy movement doesn’t seem to be offering a lot of concrete solutions for the nation’s problems, and until it does, it won’t accomplish much.
Captain America is a loyal reader of Brawner and he pointed to a great article on the subject and here it is:
A couple years back, liberal bomb-thrower Michael Moore produced a film called “Capitalism: A Love Story.” The funny thing: many of my free-market-loving friends kind of liked the film.
Moore, you see, spent the documentary attacking the tendency of big businesses (especially big banks) to beg for government protection and taxpayer handouts. The libertarian & conservative objection to Moore’s film, of course, was the title. Moore pinned “capitalism,” (which most people interpret as involving the free market) with all the sins of everyone who seeks a profit.
This is the standard conflation committed by the likes of Thomas Frank and Frank Rich. Whether it’s sleight-of-hand or downright confusion, I can’t know.
When I was down at Occupy Wall Street last week, I felt like much of the angry talk aimed at “capitalism” was really about corporatism and crony capitalism. Bailouts were a frequent target. “They don’t play by the same rules,” was the gyst of many objections. Yes, plenty of communists occupied the park, along with some straight-up regulate-`em! liberal wonks, but the complaints about Big Business often involved not just “profits” but gaming the political system as well.
Fred Smith at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (where I served as the Warren Brookes Journalism Fellow in 2005-2006) writes in U.S.A. Today that the Occupiers ought to train their sights more broadly on government-business collusion against the consumer, taxpayer, and small businessman.
Smith also dings the Occupiers for naivete:
Tea Partiers distinguish capitalism from crony-capitalism. Occupiers confuse them. In fact, some Occupiers seek their own form of cronyism — an expanded government that will help the “right” beneficiaries, such as students and homeowners, instead of bankers and automakers.
This sentiment is nothing new. Ralph Nader always notes that government helps big business but then argues for more government to fix the problem. How can this be wise, when government favoritism encouraged crony-capitalism in the first case?
I have written a lot about Steve Jobs recently and I wanted to link those posts below. Here is an interesting article for those who think that government officials are smart as those like Steve Jobs who are able to survive in the private market place and thrive. Indian Bureaucrats Are No Steve Jobs by […]
Here is some video and pictures of the Occupy Arkansas March of October 15, 2011 followed by an excellent article by Jason Tolbert. Steve Brawner has rightly said: For now, the Occupy movement doesn’t seem to be offering a lot of concrete solutions for the nation’s problems, and until it does, it won’t accomplish much. […]
Steve Jobs was raised as a conservative Lutheran but he chose to leave those beliefs behind. Below is a very good article on his life. COVER STORY ARTICLE | Issue: “Steve Jobs 1955-2011″ October 22, 2011 A god of our age Who was Steve Jobs? A revered technology pioneer and a relentless innovator, the Apple […]
Demonstrators march through the streets of Little Rock on Saturday in a protest organized by Occupy Little Rock. (John Lyon photo) Occupy Arkansas got cranked up today in Little Rock with their first march and several hundred showed up. It was unlike the pro-life marches that I have been a part of that have had […]
COUNTER-DEMONSTRATION: At Kappa Sigma house in Fayetteville. The Drew Wilson photo above went viral last night — at least in Arkansas e-mail and social media users — after the Fayetteville Flyer posted it in coverage of an Occupy Northwest Arkansas demonstration in Fayetteville. The 1 percent banner was unfurled briefly on the Kappa Sigma frat […]
I found this article interesting from the Wall Street Journal: OCTOBER 10, 2011 The Corporate Exec: Hollywood Demon Nazis are getting old, moviemakers don’t want to offend foreign audiences, so corporate types top the list of evil stereotypes By EDWARD JAY EPSTEIN It is not surprising that pop-culture protesters are now intent on occupying Wall […]
The Arkansas Times Blog reported today: Around 100 were on hand for tonight’s Occupy Little Rock planning meeting, the second since the group formed in Little Rock earlier this month. Organizers and attendees struggled with a somewhat complicated voting-by-hand-signals process, but the assembly did get some key points ironed out, including the start time and […]
Left leaning blogs like Blue Arkansas have praised the “Occupy Arkansas” but I wonder if they know about some of the crazy things the leaders of this movement have said. Jason Tolbert noted on October 7, 2011: Max Brantley with the Arkansas Times reports on the efforts currently under way to organize an “Occupy Arkansas” […]
By Izzy Gould | Tuscaloosa Bureau al.com
View full sizeKarla Douglas hugs her son, Aaron Douglas, during his high school senior night.
Aaron Douglas, wearing 77, was a 6-foot-7, 275 pound offensive tackle at Alabama.
David Douglas (pictured), was an offensive lineman for Tennessee. Aaron Douglas, his son, followed in his footsteps and took No. 78 after he moved from tight end to offensive line.
Aaron Douglas with his younger sister, Ashley.
Alabama is wearing stickers on its helmets to recognize two tragedies. The houndstooth ribbon acknowledges the April 27 killer tornado outbreak across the state. The No. 77 recognizes the death of Aaron Douglas.
Obama’s Budget Would Send Federal Debt to Levels Not Seen Since World War II
Obama’s Budget Would Deepen Already Unprecedented Deficits
The Daily Hatch 