Monthly Archives: November 2011

Dear Senator Pryor, why not pass the Balanced Budget Amendment? (Part 16 Thirsty Thursday, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

November 17, 2011 – 12:23 am

Dear Senator Pryor, why not pass the Balanced Budget Amendment? (Part 16 Thirsty Thursday, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

Dear Senator Pryor,

Why not pass the Balanced  Budget Amendment? As you know that federal deficit is at all time high (1.6 trillion deficit with revenues of 2.2 trillion and spending at 3.8 trillion).

On my blog www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did not see any of them in the recent debt deal that Congress adopted. Now I am trying another approach. Every week from now on I will send you an email explaining different reasons why we need the Balanced Budget Amendment. It will appear on my blog on “Thirsty Thursday” because the government is always thirsty for more money to spend.

Congressman Walsh Issues Statement on His Vote Against Debt Deal

08/01/11

WASHINGTON–  Today, Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-08) voted against the latest debt ceiling deal brokered by President Obama and Congressional leaders.

“Last night’s deal shows how far the debate has moved in just a few months,” said Congressman Walsh. “At the beginning of this debate President Obama demanded a blank check increase in the debt limit with no spending cuts attached.  When that didn’t work, he insisted on huge tax increases on American families and job creators. The Republican Party, however, stood strong and refused to pay for reckless spending withmoretax increases.”

“While I give my Republican leadership all the credit in the world, I cannot support this latest deal: it spends too much and cuts too little.  While this deal will cut $2.4 trillion from the national debt over the next 10 years, Washington will still add another $7 trillion to the national debt over that same period.”

“The fact that there are only $7 billion in cuts next year, an election year, shows how blatantly political this bill is.  We need to be slashing reckless spending now and in the future, not just when it is politically convenient for the President.”

“Democrats still don’t get it and refuse to make the spending cuts necessary to avoid a credit downgrade. I have made it clear from day one that I will never vote for an increase in the debt ceiling unless it fundamentally and structurally changes the way Washington spends money. I believe that the way to do that is through statutory spending caps and a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.”

Uploaded by on Jun 14, 2011

Our country’s debt continues to grow — it’s eating away at the American Dream. We need to make real cuts now. We need Cut, Cap, and Balance.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in spending out of control | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Veterans Day 2011 Part 7:You have heard of Jimmy Doolittle, but what about Leon A. McDaniel?

November 16, 2011 – 11:58 pm

https://i0.wp.com/www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/large/c29738-13.jpg

President Reagan and Senator Barry Goldwater present the fourth star to General Jimmy Doolittle during a White House ceremony in the Indian Treaty room, OEOB. 6/20/85.

I love the movie “Pearl Harbor” with Ben Affleck and it tells the story of Jimmy Doolittle.  He was born in 1896 and died in 1993. He is pictured above with Ronald Reagan.  He enlisted in the army in World War I and became an aviator. After the war he earned a Ph.D. in engineering and remained in the Army Air Corps as a test pilot until 1930, when he became head of aviation for Shell Oil Co. In 1932 he set a world air speed record. Returning to active duty during World War II, he led a daring raid on Tokyo (1942), for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He commanded air operations on many fronts, including attacks on Germany in 1944 – 45. After the war he remained active in the aerospace industry. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1989.

Here is a clip from the movie “Pearl Harbor” about Doolittle.

WWII Battle of Leyte Gulf

This was published earlier in the Saline Courier.

(I have known McDaniel’s daughter, Linda Matyskiela and her husband, Terry, for 10 years as the owners of Bobby’s Country Cookin’ in Little Rock. Here is a story about Linda’s father Leon McDaniel. Both Leon and his wife Joyce recently passed away, but were able to read and enjoy this article when it was published two years ago.)

A little after noon, Japanese standard time on Aug. 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito’s announcement of Japan’s surrender was broadcast over the radio in Japan. Some Japanese soldiers, crushed by the surrender, committed suicide, and well over 100 American prisoners of war were also executed by the Imperial Japanese Army. Nevertheless, the USA had arrived at Victory over Japan Day, or VJ Day.
Getting to this day did not come easy for the United States. Major sacrifices had to be made by our soldiers, and many of them were from Arkansas.
I wanted to recognize the service of just a fraction of the dedicated soldiers that have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Today I wanted to start with Leon A. McDaniel.
Currently McDaniel, 84, lives in Mount Ida with wife Joyce of 64 years, but he was born and raised in Nimrod in Perry County.
McDaniel joined the Navy at age 17 and served from October 1943 until August 1946. He was based in San Francisco and served 23 months on the USS George Clymer APA 27. The USS George Clymer was a Marine and Army transport ship and was involved also in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
After boot camp, McDaniel was trained to be the coxswain of the landing crafts. The coxswain is the person in charge of the steering of a boat.McDaniel drove both the larger crafts that landed the tanks on the beaches and the smaller crafts that landed the troops on the beaches. McDaniel said he transported many Japanese POWs to ships that took the Japanese to POW camps.

Guam
The Second Battle of Guam was from July 21 to Aug. 8, 1944, and resulted in the capture of the Japanese held island of Guam. The battle started with the Americans numbering 36,000 and the Japanese 22,000. It ended with 1,747 Americans killed and over 18,000 Japanese killed. There were 485  Japanese POWs taken captive.
When the USS George Clymer was anchored off Guam from July 21 to Aug. 21, every other day at dusk Leon McDaniel would be responsible for driving the landing craft around the ship that carried the commanders of the task force. His all-night duty would end at dawn. It was his duty to make sure Japanese divers or torpedo boats did not surprise-attack the ship.

Leyte
The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought from Oct. 23 to 26, 1944,  in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar, and Luzon. It was and still is the largest naval battle of all time.
The Imperial Japanese Navy brought together almost all of its remaining major naval vessels in an effort to keep the Americans from cutting off their supply lines to their fuel reserves.
After their defeat at Leyte, the Japanese had to keep the majority of their surviving large ships at their bases because they did not have enough fuel to operate them. This remained the case for the rest of the Pacific War. Another interesting fact is that the Battle of Leyte Gulf is the first battle in which kamikaze attacks occurred.
McDaniel remembers that the morning of the invasion of Leyte, 16-inch shells from battle ships and bombs from airplanes hit the invasion site every three seconds for approximately two hours. During the bombardment, McDaniel drove his landing craft along with hundreds of others, carrying tanks and troops and rendezvoused away from the ships until the shelling stopped. They were ordered then to land troops and tanks.
On the first night in Leyte, the USS George Clymer was anchored off the beachhead of Leyte. McDaniel and others had to stay in their landing crafts tied to their ships. The air raid warning was sounded. A smoke screen was laid out all over the convoy of several hundred ships. This was done to keep Japanese bombers from seeing the ships. The difficulty of breathing and seeing your hand in front of your face was described as very trying and difficult by McDaniel.
The second night of the smokescreen, several landing craft were untied from their ships to find the outer edges of the screen. But instead of finding the outer edge, they became lost in the screen, and McDaniel did not know whether they were close to their own ships or close to the Japanese beach somewhere. When the screen lifted they were able to relocate their ship and eased back in without anyone realizing they were gone. McDaniel said it felt like being back at home once they were reunited with their ship.
During the three days in Leyte, there was a constant bombardment of the Island. The third night, as the ships were being escorted out, the sound of bombs, shells, planes, thunder and lightening echoed through the air as they left.
Japan had lost more than 10,000 men while the United States lost nearly 2,000.

(Next post we will look at some more war stories from Mr. McDaniel.)

Battle of Leyte Gulf part 2

Battle of Leyte Gulf part 3

Related posts:

Veterans Day 2011 Part 7:You have heard of Jimmy Doolittle, but what about Leon A. McDaniel?

President Reagan and Senator Barry Goldwater present the fourth star to General Jimmy Doolittle during a White House ceremony in the Indian Treaty room, OEOB. 6/20/85. I love the movie “Pearl Harbor” with Ben Affleck and it tells the story of Jimmy Doolittle.  He was born in 1896 and died in 1993. He is pictured […]

Veterans Day 2011 Part 6 (A look back at Okinawa)

This portion below appeared in an article I did for the Saline Courier about 18 months ago: I went to the First Baptist Church in Little Rock from 1983 to 1997, and during that time I became friends with Walter Dickinson Sr. In fact, we used to attend a weekly luncheon together on Thursdays.  Just […]

Veterans Day 2011 Part 5 (A look back at the “Battle of the Bulge”)

The Lost Evidence: The Battle Of The Bulge (1/5) This article was published in the Saline Courier about 18 months ago: When we celebrate July 4th we are focusing on the freedoms that so many soldiers have fought for over the last 234 years. That focus has been highlighted for me since my son Hunter […]

Veterans Day 2011 Part 4

  This is taken from an article that appeared in the Saline Courier about a year ago: Bravery is not just limited to one generation, but Americans have had it in every generation. It makes me think about those who are currently serving in our military. Jon Chris Roberts who is graduate of Benton High […]

Veterans Day 2011 Part 3 (A look back at World War 1)

I was born in Tennessee and everyone in Tennessee knows the name of Alvin York. Above is a clip about his accomplishments in War World I. Cara Gist of Shannon Hills tells me that her grandfather Herbert S. Apple of Salado, Arkansas (near Batesville) fought in World War I. He served in France and fought […]

Veterans Day 2011 Part 2 (Bataan Death March)

My longtime friend Craig Carney is originally  from Jacksonville, and  he told me a couple of years ago about a friend of his parents from Jacksonville, Arkansas named Silas Legrow. Legrow  was going to speak at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History on April 17, 2008 about his experience in the March of 1942 when […]

Veterans Day 2011 (Black Hawk Down and North Little Rock’s Donavan “Bull” Briley)

The Background Facts of The Black Hawk Down (1/7) Uploaded by WarDocumentary on Feb 14, 2011 The movie Black Hawk Down was based on an actual event that took place in Mogadishu, Somalia. This documentary explains the event. _______________________________ On October 3, 2003 my son  played quarterback at the Arkansas Baptist High School Football game […]

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in War Heroes | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Brummett on Wall Street Occupiers

November 16, 2011 – 9:20 pm

Below is a portion of an article by John Brummett published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and my response to it.

Speaking for the occupiers

By John Brummett

…But it seems to me that, while they surely vary, these occupiers don’t necessarily protest anybody’s greed. That’s a personal flaw. Nor do they protest anyone’s success. That’s a personal victory.

Instead they rise against unfair and destructive governmental policy that inordinately favors the already-rich at the expense of everyone else, thus fashioning and exacerbating an unhealthy, unsustainable and undemocratic gap between the rich few and the other many.

How big a gap is too big? If the gap is bigger than it would be naturally, essentially and inevitably without political favoritism and artificial political enhancement—that’s when it is too big.

By wealth-favoring political practices and public policies, I cite:

Across-the-board tax cuts that lavish the richest with most of the manna.

Concessions to a global economy by which American corporations pay no price for abandoning American workers and by which corporations are judged by a stock price or dividend instead of local community responsibility. Many of our job losses result from a pattern by which corporations secure themselves against another American economic meltdown by hoarding record profits generated in partnership with compliant, moneyaddicted politicians.

An incestuous Washington culture in which you can hardly tell the elected politicians from the corporate policy advocates. The only thing voters accomplished by defeating Blanche Lincoln was to make her more money and perhaps more influential. Now she spouts her banal platitudes for pay from the National Association of Independent Business.

Campaign finance laws that enable the richest and the corporations to remain anonymous as they contribute unrestricted sums to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or other propagandizing front groups inundating us with cynical mailers and television advertising to perpetuate the pro-rich government.

Generally speaking, the occupiers’ complaint is not that there are spectacularly rich people in America. It is that some among these richest people can ruin the nation’s economy with irresponsible wagering on a scheme drawn from inflated American home mortgages. It is that these offenders can then get bailed out by the rest of us via the government, which permitted and even encouraged the abuse in the first place. It is that these offenders can then enjoy the government’s blessing as they traipse right back into their big-bonus bonanzas. It is that regular people, mere innocent pawns, find themselves paying the real price—foreclosed on and laid off.

It becomes tactically essential to the perpetuation of these pro-rich policies to miscast this uprising by portraying it in political terms as irresponsible poor people warring resentfully against noble rich people. So “class warfare” becomes the right wing’s hollow and dishonest charge.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at jbrummett@arkansasonline.com and read his blog at brummett.arkansasonline.com.

This article was published November 15, 2011 at 5:25 a.m.

I think that unlike the Tea Party which is focused on just a full issues, the Occupy Wall Street crowd really is not sure about what direction is heading yet. Nevertheless, there are some statements and actions of their members that I would like to comment on.
 
First,  I wonder how peaceful this movement is. Jim Lendall is one of the organizers and back in April he stood on the steps of the state capitol at a “Make Them Pay Rally” and called for erecting guillotines and placing them in front of corporations like Bank of America to remind these business leaders that the rich leaders of the French government of the 1700’s were beheaded during the French Revolution because of their greed. Also the downtown branch of Bank of America reported that a large brick was thrown into a glass window near the first floor entrance of the bank.
 
Second, how big is this movement compared to conservative movements? Every year I take part in the “March for Life” which is a pro-life march that takes place every January. Last January we had over 5000 marchers, but the Occupy Little Rock March had only 300 marchers.
 
Third, both the Occupy Little Rock crowd and the Tea Party both are mad that the bailout was available because of cronyism. This is one area that I have in agreement with the Occupy Little Rock group, but we must take the next step. The Tea Party has done that by discouraging the larger role the federal government has been taking in recent years by controlling our lives with increases spending. The Tea Party has correctly condemned the federal deficit spending of the politicians in Washington D.C. as the primary problem. The Occupy Little Rock crowd never mentions that issue because their answer is to spend more money. If the USA is to avoid the fate of Greece.  Why does the federal government think it has the money to bail out anybody?
 
Fourth, the Occupy Little Rock crowd thinks we need more regulations and taxes on the big bad corporations.  There are two points here. If we raise taxes on those corporations then they will raise their prices on their products and we end up paying the higher prices at the retail stores. Also more regulations will hurt upstarts like Steve Jobs who started as a poor teenager in a garage with an idea. Steve Jobs later grew his company to over  350 billion dollars in sales and the  company  made a lot of money for lots of Americans who worked for him. Furthermore,  Steve Jobs also provided various products to the public that changed life for billions across the globe. Is that the type of progress that the Occupy Little Rock crowd is opposing?
 
Fifth, the Occupy Little Rock crowd talks about the system in our country that punishes the poor and helps the rich, but the facts clearly show that  the ability to move from poor to rich is more abundant here than any other country in the world.  Just consider Steve Jobs who was mentioned in the point above.
 
I have enjoyed Mr. Brummett’s articles, and they are very good at engaging the main issues of our day from the liberal perspective. As a conservative his articles have always challenged me to be able to defend my own views. His praise of the Occupy Little Rock crowd overlooks the fact that their answer is to tax the “rich” more, but  once the government is through with the rich then they come looking for you and me. I am not happy about them trying to occupy my wallet more than do now.  
By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in spending out of control, Taxes | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

The Cato Institute: The state of the economy under Obama

November 16, 2011 – 1:43 pm

The Cato Institute: The state of the economy under Obama

It is truly said how far to the left our country has gone.

Happy Fiscal New Year (with an Unhappy Obama Hangover)

Posted by Daniel J. Mitchell

Today, October 1, is the first day of the 2012 fiscal year.

And if you’re wondering why America’s economy seems to have a hangover (this cartoon is a perfect illustration), it’s because politicians had a huge party with our money in FY2011.

We don’t have final numbers for the fiscal year that just ended, but let’s look at the CBO Monthly Budget Report, the CBO Economic and Budget Update, and the OMB Historical Tables, and see whether there’s anything worth celebrating.

o The federal government spent about $3.6 trillion in FY2011, more money than any government has ever spent in a 12-month period in the history of the world.

o The FY2011 budget is nearly double the burden of federal spending just 10 years earlier, when federal outlays consumed “only” $1.86 trillion.

o The federal budget in FY2011 consumed about 24 percent of national output, up sharply compared to a spending burden in FY2001 of “just” 18.2 percent of GDP.

o Defense spending is too high, and has increased by about $400 billion since 2001, but the vast majority of the additional spending is for domestic spending programs.

o Federal tax revenue in FY2011 will be about $2.25 trillion, an increase of 7-8 percent over FY2010 levels.

o Economic stagnation has affected tax revenues, which are lower than the $2.6 trillion level from FY2007.

o Federal receipts amount to about 15.3 percent of GDP, below the long-run average of 18 percent of GDP.

o The Congressional Budget Office does predict that revenues will rise above the 18-percent average – without any tax increases – by the end of the decade.

o Record levels of government spending, combined with low revenues caused by a weak economy, will result in a $1.3 trillion deficit.

o This is the third consecutive deficit of more than $1 trillion.

o The publicly-held national debt (the amount borrowed from the private sector) is now more than $10 trillion.

With budget numbers like these, no wonder America has a fiscal hangover.

And let’s be blunt about assigning blame. Yes, Obama has been a reckless big spender, but he is merely continuing the irresponsible statist policies of his predecessor.

Fortunately, there is a solution. All we need to do is restrain the growth of federal spending, as explained in this video.

___________________

But we also know that it is difficult to convince politicians to do what’s right for the nation. And if they don’t change the course of fiscal policy, and we leave the federal government on autopilot, then America is doomed to become another Greece.

The combination of poorly designed entitlement programs (mostly Medicare and Medicaid) and an aging population will lead to America’s fiscal collapse.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, President Obama, spending out of control | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Will Dooley be given enough time to turn Vols around? Arkansas loss energizes foes of Dooley jh84

November 16, 2011 – 9:58 am

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley reacts as Arkansas scores their seventh touchdown of the night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley reacts as Arkansas scores their seventh touchdown of the night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

When I went to hear Johnny Majors speak the other day at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, I took note that Majors really liked Dooley and thought he would succeed. However, Majors said the administration may not give him enough time.

On the way to the Tennessee game from Little Rock on Saturday morning I stopped at a truckstop in Ozark where a bus load of Tennessee fans were. They were in the men’s room talking about Dooley. One said, “We have never been 0-5 in the SEC before in my whole life. We need to get a new coach!!” Several others disputed with that and said that Dooley needed another year to show improvement. We will just have to see what happens.

Below is an article from the Knoxville Newspaper:

Five thoughts on SEC football as the season approaches the two-minute drill:

A tip of the visor to Georgia and Mark Richt. Left for dead — by many of their own fans — after an 0-2 start, the Bulldogs have only one bit of unfinished business left to wrap up their first appearance in the SEC championship game since 2005.

All Georgia has to do is beat Kentucky on Saturday and Richt will be grand marshal of the parade from Athens to Atlanta.

When Georgia lost to South Carolina on Sept. 10, it looked as if Richt might be wearing tar and feathers on a one-way trip out of Athens.

Tennessee fans can only wonder how different things might have been if the schedules had been flipped. The Bulldogs played Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State from the West, who are a combined 5-14 in SEC play.

Tennessee played Alabama, LSU and Arkansas, who are a combined 19-2, the two losses against each other.

Maybe you hadn’t heard about The SEC-Southern Conference Challenge.

What other explanation for Saturday’s schedule with four SEC foes stepping down against FCS teams from the Southern Conference.

There’s South Carolina-Citadel, Florida-Furman and Auburn-Samford. The marquee match is 9-1 Alabama against 9-1 Georgia Southern.

Hey, Tennessee wants in on the act. The Vols would rather play Chattanooga than Vanderbilt this week.

Can a coach get fired after two years?

No, I’m not talking aboutDerek Dooley. Kentucky’s fortunes have declined precipitously since Joker Phillips replaced Rich Brooks.

The conditions that have led to Tennessee’s dire straits have been well documented. Kentucky’s situation has been a picture of stability in comparison, Phillips the coach-in-waiting as Brooks played out his string.

Phillips won’t get fired after two years, but a significant segment of the Big Blue fan base has already cut bait.

There is great defense in the SEC this year, but isn’t there some bad offense, too?

Nine SEC teams rank 76th or worse in total offense, and that includes No. 1 LSU (79th).

Kentucky is 118th, Ole Miss 113th. In spots 96-99 are, respectively, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt. South Carolina is 86th.

In scoring offense, seven schools rank 68th or worse, including Florida (82), Auburn (84), Tennessee (102), Ole Miss (109) and Kentucky (113).

Which brings me to UT’s five-game run without a second-half score.

Bad things are repeating themselves.

Exhibit A: Tennessee’s first possession of the second half at Arkansas was sabotaged by a sack (minus-11 yards), followed by a shanked punt that gave Arkansas great field position for a touchdown drive.

We’d seen that sequence before. Against Georgia, the Vols started the second half with a bad shotgun snap (minus-15 yards), followed by a short punt that gave the Bulldogs field position for a touchdown drive.

Exhibit B: Dooley gambled on fourth-and-1 at his 40 against Arkansas and lost. The Razorbacks took over and threw a 40-yard TD pass on their first play.

At Alabama, Dooley gambled and lost on fourth-and-1 at his 39. The Tide took over and threw a 39-yard TD pass on the first play.

While I’m at it, at the end of the first half at Arkansas, Justin Worley threw an interception at the 1. Against South Carolina, he was intercepted at the 2.

Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/strangemike44 and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange.

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley reacts as Arkansas scores their seventh touchdown of the night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley reacts as Arkansas scores their seventh touchdown of the night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley looks at the point after attempt that put Arkansas ahead 49-7 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley looks at the point after attempt that put Arkansas ahead 49-7 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Pictures from Arkansas’ 49 to 7 victory over Tennessee (Part 1)

November 16, 2011 – 8:10 am

My son Wilson and I enjoyed the game and we had great seats on the 40 yard line.  

Tennessee defensive back Izauea Lanier is unable to stop Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright from scoring at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee defensive back Izauea Lanier is unable to stop Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright from scoring at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Tennessee wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett fails to catch a pass against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett fails to catch a pass against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Arkansas safety Tramain Thomas intercepts a pass for Tennessee wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Arkansas safety Tramain Thomas intercepts a pass for Tennessee wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley is sacked by Arkansas linebacker Jerico Nelson at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley is sacked by Arkansas linebacker Jerico Nelson at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

____________________________

See larger Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino talks to officials at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino talks to officials at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Arkansas safety Tramain Thomas intercepts a pass for Tennessee wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Arkansas safety Tramain Thomas intercepts a pass for Tennessee wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Tim and Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Christians in a secular world (Part 1)

November 16, 2011 – 7:38 am

I have  alot of respect for both of the Hasselbecks.

Sharing Her View

by Dan Ewald

Copyright Christianity Today International

She’s the baby of the bunch on ABC television’s morning chatfestThe View, while he’s the second-string quarterback for the New York Giants. Not your typical Christian couple by any stretch, but they’re not afraid to share their faith with others.

Elisabeth and Tim Hasselbeck met at Boston College, where Tim majored in administrative studies, when he wasn’t playing football, and Elisabeth studied design and eventually worked as a shoe designer for Puma. That is, until the second season of the hit reality showSurvivorcame calling and turned her life around. In November of 2003, Elisabeth (née Falarski) beat the odds and parlayed her 15 minutes of fame as a Survivor contestant into a bona fide broadcasting career as a co-host on The View.Today’s Christianchatted with the Hasselbecks from their Manhattan apartment as their baby, Grace, cooed in the background.

Tell us about your journey of faith.Elisabeth: Both my mom and dad operated on a strong faith base. Faith was pretty much embossed in my brain, but it’s been stronger at some times than others. In high school you start to question things. I think any institution you’re part of for a long time, if you don’t start to question it, you’re too complacent. I think the famous quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” is absolutely true.Tim: Growing up I was always around [Christianity] and I didn’t realize, like a lot of Christians, that I was allowing God only in certain areas of my life. In school or football, I had no problem praying, asking for God’s help. In other areas, I felt He didn’t need to know about this or that. “I’ve learned so much from these women. they’ve made me clarify my thoughts. being challenged by them is an unbelievable gift.”—Elisabeth HasselbeckFour or five years ago I was playing in the NFL Europe. It was one of the most difficult times of my life because things football-wise weren’t turning out well. I was reading in Matthew 6 where it talks about worrying. I realized it was talking to me: You need to let go because you’re not in control. From that point on, I was a different person. I was able to trust that everything was going to work out. I’d always gone to church every Sunday and had always believed, but it didn’t really take over my life until that point.

Here is a story about what happened on “The View” yesterday:

You know there are going to be fireworks when super-liberal Bill Maher visits “The View,” particularly on a day when vocal Republican Elisabeth Hasselbeck has a bone to pick. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, she was still stewing over Maher’s comments from last February, when he joked on his HBO show that Lara Logan (who was brutally attacked in Egyptian riots) should be replaced by Hasselbeck.

At the time, Hasselbeck played the clip on “The View” and said, “I try to only debate real men over the airways but will depart to address Billy Maher” before expressing her outrage.

Hasselbeck was clearly heated as soon as Maher hit the stage, but she waited until Maher said one brief comment about the Jerry Sandusky rape case before she jumped into, you know, talking about herself. “I just wanted to go back to a time that bothered me, not for my personal reasons but for women,” she says. “Forgive this idiotic Republican for bringing this to your brilliant mind, but in February of last year, Lara Logan was in Egypt and she was brutally attacked there… I sit with incredible comedians and the best in the business in terms of broadcasting. You can’t sit here and tell me right now I’m wrong for saying, ‘That wasn’t that funny.'”

Maher countered with, “We do a comedy show for an audience that’s perhaps different than your audience. You are a public figure. It was not aimed at you personally, but when you are a public figure, you are out there and you’re fodder for comedians to make comments on.”

He noted that in comedy, “Somebody has to be out on the edge to know where the edge is.”

To which Hasselbeck retorted, “Thanks for being the hero.”

Zing.

Tim & Elisabeth Hasselbeck get personal

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, talk show host

Birthdate: May 28, 1977

Birthplace: Cranston, Rhode Island

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Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 10)jh78

November 16, 2011 – 7:05 am

FB: The Best of Johnny Majors at Iowa St

I got to hear Johnny Majors talk on 11-7-11 and he talked about the connection that Arkansas and Tennessee had with their football programs. Two years ago I got to hear Frank Broyles speak at the Little Rock Touchdown Club and he said that too. As you know Broyles was probably the best coach since Bear Bryant to produce assistant coaches that later became head coaches. In fact, Arkansas actually went 11-0 in 1964 and won the national championship. Johnny Majors was an assistant on that team with Barry Switzer and both of them later coached national championship teams (Majors in 1976 at Pittsburgh and Switzer had 3 teams at Oklahoma and Switzer also led the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl win). In this article below you will see that Doug Dickey did very well at UT after getting his training at Arkansas under Broyles. However, I never understood why Doug Dickey left the UT job for Florida.From Uncle Everette After the 1963 season, Doug Dickey, then a top assistant
to Frank Broyles at Arkansas, became the Vols’ head coach,bringing the “T” formation with him to Knoxville.Dickey’s first Tennessee team finished 4-5-1, but hopeswere high as the Vols narrowly lost to Auburn and Alabama,tied Louisiana State at Baton Rouge and upset favoredGeorgia Tech at Grant Field.Middle guard Steve DeLong won the Outland Trophy andDickey’s staff recruited a freshman class which would helplead the Vols out of the wilderness. One of that year’srecruits, wide receiver Richmond Flowers fromMontgomery, Ala., was the first of a number of track-footballathletes who brought a new dimension of speed to theVol program.In 1965, Dickey’s second team finished 8-1-2 and earneda Bluebonnet Bowl bid, UT’s first bowl game since 1957.The season’s pivotal moment came in the aftermath of theAlabama game. The Vols had tied Alabama, 7-7, inBirmingham and spirits were high on the Knoxville campus.Line coach Charley Rash put a note in each of his linemen’smailbox that night after the game: “Play like that everyweek and you’ll go undefeated.”Two days later, Rash, Bill Majors and Bob Jones werekilled in an early morning car-train collision in westKnoxville. Nearly 40 years later, persons connected with theVol program still praise the way Dickey handled the tragedy,pulling everybody together and keeping the Vol programgoing.One of the most memorable moments of that, or anyother season, was the 37-34 “Rosebonnet Bowl” victoryover UCLA at Memorial Stadium in Memphis, so named byVol broadcaster George Mooney because of the post-seasondestinations of the two teams.It was a classic offensive shootout that was finally settledwhen Vol quarterback Dewey Warren ambled aroundleft end for the winning score and Bobby Petrella grabbed alast-ditch Bruin aerial.In 1966, there was an addition of 5,895 seats to thenorth stands, which increased stadium capacity to 58,122.There was also a new scoreboard at the north end, with a“countdown clock,” replacing one that was really a clock,complete with minute and second hands. Tennessee’s 8-3record, including an 18-12 Gator Bowl win over a Syracuseteam which featured running backs Larry Csonka and FloydLittle, presaged what was to come in 1967.The Vols lost their opener to UCLA, a nocturnal affair atthe Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but came back to wintheir remaining nine games and the SEC Championship,earning an Orange Bowl date against Oklahoma. The Volsswept Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana State and Mississippi,defeating the Tide for the first time since 1960 and theRebels for the first time since 1958. The Vols finished No. 2in the final polls and were selected as national championsby Litkenhous. One other note, the Vols’ 41-14 win overVanderbilt in December was the last game played on theNeyland Stadium grass until September 1994.In 1968, artificial turf came to Neyland Stadium. Withthe new turf and the demise of the grass field came a6,307-seat east upper deck and new auxiliary east sidescoreboard. The addition raised capacity to 64,429.In the first game played on Tartan Turf against VinceDooley’s Georgia Bulldogs, Nashville’s Lester McClainbecame Tennessee’s first African-American to play in anSEC varsity football game.The Vols rallied for a 17-17 tie that day in an exciting finishled by quarterback Bubba Wyche. Runner-up in the SECin 1968, Tennessee won the crown again in 1969 with a 9-1 record and played in the Gator Bowl. Linebacker SteveKiner (1967-69) was named to the College Football Hall ofFame in 1999.

___________________

Johnny Majors has a lot of respect for Derek Dooley and he hopes the Tennessee adminstration give him time to dig himself out of the hole that inherited.

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley watches play against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley watches play against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Johnny Majors - Hall of Fame Class of 1999
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Johnny Majors – Hall of Fame Class of 1999
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“Woody Wednesday” Allen acts silly in 1971 interview (Part 2)

November 16, 2011 – 12:11 am

“Woody Wednesday” Allen acts silly in 1971 interview (Part 2)

Woody Allen interview 1971 PART 2/4

Uploaded by on Jul 21, 2008

Woody Allen interview from 1971, just after the worldwide release of ‘Bananas’

________________________

Looking at the (sometimes skewed) morality of Woody Allen’s best films.

In the late ’60s, Woody Allen left the world of stand-up comedy behind for the movies. Since then, he’s become one of American cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers. Sure, he’s had his stinkers and his private life hasn’t been without controversy. But he’s also crafted some of Hollywood’s most thought-provoking comedies. Philosophical, self-deprecating and always more than a tad pessimistic, Allen adds another title to his oeuvre this Friday with Midnight in Paris. Whether it will be remembered as one of his greatest or another flop is too early to say, but its release gives us a chance to look back at some of his most indispensable works.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Allen continues the art-as-salvation theme in Hannah and Her Sisters, an ensemble drama about family and infidelity. The film tells three stories, one of which stars Allen as a hypochondriac named Mickey. Terrified of death, Mickey begins a search for meaning that takes him first to Catholicism and then the Hare Krishna movement. But it’s in a darkened movie theater playing the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup that he finds all the meaning he needs to face life. From a Christian perspective, this is a far from ideal conclusion—and yet, it’s not without an element of truth. The bulk of the Bible is historical narrative, not a list of rules, and Christ often used stories to communicate His message. In this, and every other movie where Allen finds life’s ultimate answers in art, we can disagree—but only partly.

Related posts:

“Woody Wednesday” Will Allen and Martin follow same path as Kansas to Christ?

Several members of the 70′s band Kansas became committed Christians after they realized that the world had nothing but meaningless to offer. It seems through the writings of both Woody Allen and Chris Martin of Coldplay that they both are wrestling with the issue of death and what meaning does life bring. Kansas went through […]

Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop were prophetic (jh29)

Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop were prophetic (jh29) What Ever Happened to the Human Race? I recently heard this Breakpoint Commentary by Chuck Colson and it just reminded me of how prophetic Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop were in the late 1970′s with their book and film series “Whatever happened to the human […]

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By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Little Rock native David Hodges co-wrote song for “Breaking Dawn” movie

November 15, 2011 – 5:16 pm

Little Rock native and Arkansas Baptist High School graduate David Hodges co-wrote a song for the blockbuster movie “Breaking Dawn” that comes out this Friday.

 
 
 
By Leah Collins, Dose.ca Nov 1, 2011
OMG. Christina Perri went from a regular Twihard to a Twihard with a song on the Breaking Dawn, Part 1 soundtrack. How'd she do it? Says Perri, "I just dreamt it."
 
 

OMG. Christina Perri went from a regular Twihard to a Twihard with a song on the Breaking Dawn, Part 1 soundtrack. How’d she do it? Says Perri, “I just dreamt it.”

Photograph by: Getty Images, Getty Images

The first two topped the Billboard 200 chart, and between the three of them, they’ve sold 4.5 million copies in the Unites States alone. If you’re an artist interested in reaching a large audience — one who likes their vampires sparkly and their music moody — you’ll want a spot on a Twilight Saga soundtrack.

Singer-songwriter Christina Perri features on the latest, the original motion picture soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (the disc is due Nov. 8). A self-identified “Twihard” who waited in line eight hours for New Moon tickets and tattooed “Bitten” on her wrist long before she scored a hit with 2010 single “Jar of Hearts,” Perri’s new Breaking Dawn-inspired love ballad — the waltzing, orchestra-backed “A Thousand Years” — is the second single off the latest Twilight compilation.

So what, then, is the secret of landing a spot on a Twilight Saga soundtrack?

“Ohmigosh. Magic? I dunno,” says an earnest Perri over the phone. “I just dreamt it.”

Dreaming, after all, gets results for the L.A. musician. Every new year, a bit before the ball drops, Perri says she makes a “little list of dreams.” You could call them resolutions. “It’s a list of things I would love to happen and affirm to the universe,” the 25-year-old explains. “It’s very hippie of me.”

In 2010, her list featured the following: quit smoking, meet Jason Mraz, land a record deal. According to Perri, she checked off every entry — though that last item was accomplished in unusually spectacular fashion. In June 2010 a then-unknown Perri got one of her songs into the hands of a So You Think You Can Dance choreographer. That song, “Jar of Hearts,” was featured in a routine on the show. The piano ballad charted on Billboard soon after. One month later, she was performing live on the program and being flown to New York to sign a deal with Atlantic Records. Calling her an overnight sensation would be apt.

The top item on her 2011 list? Land a song on the Breaking Dawn soundtrack — a goal that was hardly a secret thanks to her saying as much, repeatedly, to the press and her team (she notes that Atlantic Records holds a partnership with Chop Shop, the company helmed by Twilight‘s music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas). Still, saying you want a song in Breaking Dawn and actually landing the opportunity are two totally different things, but this summer, Perri was given the chance to affirm the power of good old fashioned goal setting.

She was asked to write a brand new song for the film, and to prepare, she and co-writer David Hodges — whom she’d worked with previously on her May 2011 debut, Lovestrong — were invited to a small preview screening of Breaking Dawn, Part 1.

Perri admits she’s become emotional after watching every Twilight movie so far. “Ye-e-eah, I’ve cried after all of them,” she says. Breaking Dawn, Part 1 was no exception.

“Ohmigod, I was such a dork,” remembers Perri. “It was so funny, everybody was all like Hollywood, and on their Blackberries, and very professional, and I sat right up front and cried my eyes out the whole time. … I cried because the movie is so good and I cried because I felt so lucky to be there.”

As for the Hollywood types pecking out BBMs, and any other assorted members of Team Twilight, Perri explains that everyone left her in her own creative world when it came to songwriting. “They just said ‘Here’s the movie, and whatever inspires you please submit.’ It was so loose,” she explains. And Perri didn’t slack on filling that request.

“It’s funny, I feel as though I could’ve wrote ‘A Thousand Years’ without having seen the movie because I am such a big fan,” says Perri — but actually getting the chance to preview it left her overwhelmed with fangirlish inspiration. “The vibe, the characters, the wedding, the honeymoon, the whole — the movie is just so phenomenally wonderful that I left there on such a high that we ran straight to my house and just knocked it out really fast.”

Fast like one day.

“I just decided to take my favourite part of the movie and just write about it,” Perri says — and by Taylor Lautner’s abdominals, thank goodness she’s not obsessed with Breaking Dawn’s birthing scene.

“Take away all the fluff and Robert Pattinson and vampires — you don’t need any of that when you read this book. Or the whole series. To feel the real, pure love that’s there,” Perri says of what she loves about the Twilight Saga.

“I wrote it [‘A Thousand Years’] solely [thinking] about the purest form of love between Edward and Bella, or between any man and woman about to get married, and feeling you found your soul mate,” she says. “Everyone’s saying it’s Edward and Bella’s love song and it has a lot to do with the wedding, but I didn’t make it about the wedding. I made it about the love — the feelings, the emotions, the fear. So I wanted to make it able to be at any part of the movie. I didn’t specifically write it for one thing, but when I sat down at the piano — ohmigod, that’s what came out. It was just the purest form of the love story that got me.”

Perri still doesn’t know where “A Thousand Years” will appear in the film. “They tell me nothing. They’re secret service, the Summit studio.” But with its placement, at least, guaranteed, she could use a late addition to her 2011 wish list: “Make a good impression on the cast of Breaking Dawn.” Leading up to the film’s release, she’ll travel to a few cities in the U.S. with members of the cast to do promo.

“I haven’t met any of them, and I’m going to be on a jet with them. I can’t imagine it yet, I’m actually terrified,” she says. “Ohmigod. I’m still not sure how I’m not going to pee my pants.”

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is due in stores Nov. 8.

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