Yearly Archives: 2011

Transcript and video of Republican Debate June 13, 2011 New Hampshire (Part 10)

June 23, 2011 – 3:41 am

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney answers a question as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, left, and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, listen during the first New Hampshire Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., Monday, June 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Republican Presidential Debate In New Hampshire pt.10

KING: We’re in the closing moments of our Republican presidential debate here on the St. Anselm College campus, Manchester, New Hampshire. Time flies when you’re having fun. One last segment with the candidates.

Let’s kick off by going down on to the floor, WMUR’s Jennifer Vaughn.

VAUGHN: Hi, Mr. Cain. This one is for you. Public opinion polls consistently result in low approval ratings for Congress as a whole. And early polls show a lack of enthusiasm for this field of candidates. Most of you will say that you don’t watch polls, but shouldn’t you pay attention to public sentiment? And aren’t these polls a direct reflection of what voters are and are not looking for?

CAIN: Yes. I happen to believe that the polls do represent a barometer, because it’s way too early. Secondly, probably a lot of the people don’t know us yet, because it’s still real early in the process.

So as people get to know us more and more, I think they’re going to find that this really is a good field of candidates, at least in my opinion. But the people that know the most about everybody up here, they don’t see this as a weak field, and neither do I.

KING: All right. It is likely that the Republican nominee for president is standing on the stage tonight. If you win the nomination, you’ll have to make the choice that a nominee makes, and that is picking a running mate.

Governor Pawlenty to you, look back on 2008 and the process. President Obama made a pick. Senator McCain made a pick. Who made the best choice?

PAWLENTY: Senator Biden has been wrong about every major strategic decision in the modern history of the international conflict and military. Look at his judgment about partitioning Iraq, for example. Now we have Iraq being probably one of the shining example of success in the Middle East.

If Vice President Biden would have had his way, we would have had a partitioned Iraq and probably more mayhem in the Middle East. I think Governor Palin is a remarkable leader. I think she’s qualified to be president of the United States.

I think she’s equally as qualified or more qualified, and would have been as strong of a president as Joe Biden. He’s wrong on everything.

KING: Go ahead, Governor.

ROMNEY: John, any one of the people on this stage would be a better president than President Obama. He has failed in job one, which was to get this economy going again. He failed in job two, which was to restrain the growth of the government. And he failed in job three, which is to have a coherent, consistent foreign policy.

We’ve had presidents in the past that had bad foreign policies. This is the first time we’ve had a president that doesn’t have a foreign policy. And this hit or miss approach has meant a couple of successes, like getting Osama bin Laden — congratulations — but a lot of misses, like throwing our friends under the bus. And that’s why any of these people who gets better known by the American people will serve as president with distinction over the future.

KING: If that is you, if there is a President Bachmann, and you’re only allowed to hire one of the candidates on the stage, which one would it be and why?

ROMNEY: Don’t choose the old guys.

BACHMANN: Well, maybe we’ll have to have an “American Idol” contest and go from there. We’ll let the audience decide.

KING: Let the audience decide. Congressman Paul, if you were the president of the United States and you could pick one, but just one of these gentlemen and the lady, to join your administration, who would it be and why?

PAUL: Join the administration?

KING: Yes.

PAUL: I would think everybody would qualify.

KING: You only get to pick one. It’s about choices.

PAUL: I have to pick one? Hum? Let me look — let me look them over. I would have to do a bit more quizzing. I would have to — they haven’t even told me how they feel about the Federal Reserve yet. They haven’t told me about the foreign policy. So I have to do some more quizzing.

KING: We’re down to our last minute. I want to try to get to everybody. I want to start with you, Senator Santorum. What have you learned in the last two hours.

SANTORUM: I think what Hermann said. We have a great field of candidates. I was very impressed by what I heard. I hope everybody else was. These are folks that answered the questions that were asked of them.

KING: Congresswoman?

BACHMANN: In the last two hours, I’ve learned more about the goodness of the American people — from the question from John, his three sons that are serving in the Navy, his wonderful service. Everyone who asked a question has talked to me about —

KING: Don’t mean to interrupt you.

GINGRICH: I think once again, New Hampshire is proving why it’s first in the nation as the primary, because the questions are so good.

KING: Governor?

ROMNEY: And New Hampshire is proving that the issue people care most about is getting this economy growing again, so that we can have rising housing prices again. People can have the kind of incomes they deserve. They don’t have to wonder whether the future is brighter than the past. People in New Hampshire love the future.

PAUL: I’ve learned with the group here that disagrees on some issues, we can talk about it and be civil to each other.

KING: Governor?

PAWLENTY: I learned that if you trust the people, our future is bright and I learned that the Boston Bruins have more heart than the Vancouver Canucks.

KING: Mr. Cain?

CAIN: What I’ve learned is that all of these candidates up here share one thing in common. And that is, it’s not about us. It’s about the children and the grandchildren. We’re not that far apart on all of the big issues.

KING: I want to thank all seven of our candidates tonight. I want to thank “The Union Leader,” WMUR and St. Anselm College for having us. We have a feisty campaign to come. Please pay attention at home.

I want to thank everybody here. I’m John King. I’ll see you tomorrow on “JOHN KING USA.” Anderson Cooper continues our coverage. Post-debate analysis right now.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Will Maria Shriver’s marriage survive Arnold Schwarzenegger’s admission of infidelity? I hope so (Part 34)

June 23, 2011 – 3:30 am
Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger

FILE – In this April 4, 2011 file photo, actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, poses after receiving the insignia of Chevalier in the Order of the Legion of Honor during the MIPTV (International Television Programme Market) in Cannes, southern France. Schwarzenegger delayed his Hollywood comeback Thursday, May 19, 2011 as he braced for what could be a costly divorce prompted by revelations that he had an affair and child with a housekeeper who worked for his family for 20 years

Schwarzenegger’s Love Child Bombshell

Maria Shriver Asks – How Do You Handle Transitions in Your Life?

Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to his wife several months ago that he had fathered a child about 10 years ago with a member of their household staff. Maria moved out, but has not filed for divorce. In the you tube clip above she comments:

“Like a lot of you I’m in transition: people come up to me all the time, asking, what are you doing next?” she said, adding: “It’s so stressful to not know what you are doing next when people ask what you are doing and they can’t believe you don’t know what you are doing.”

“I’d like to hear from other people who are in transition,” she said. “How did you find your transition: Personal, professional, emotional, spiritual, financial? How did you get through it?”

Mrs. Shriver has asked for spiritual input and I personally think that unless she gets the spiritual help that she needs then she will end up in the divorce court. I am starting a series on how a marriage can survive an infidelity. My first suggestion would be to attend a “Weekend to Remember” put on by the organization “Family Life” out of Little Rock, Arkansas. I actually posted this as a response to Mrs. Shriver’s request on you tube.

Here is an article I found very helpful:

The Freedom in Forgiveness

If you’re like many people, you may want to be free of past offenses, but you still carry bitter memories of or hard feelings toward those who have wronged you.

by Grace Ketterman, M.D., David Hazard
If you’re like many people, you may want to be free of past offenses, but you still carry bitter memories of or hard feelings toward those who have wronged you. Take comfort: Forgiving even the worst offenses against you is not impossible. You can find freedom from the past and peace that comes from God by learning to really forgive from the heart.

Forgiveness is easier to grasp when broken into a five-step process.

Admit the Pain

Offenses always cause pain; our pride makes us deny it. Some take an attitude, “Who cares? You’re insignificant in my life. You can’t hurt me!” This insulates us from the acute pain of the moment, but it allows the infectious agent of resentment, like toxic bacteria, to enter our soul where it festers, creating a spiritual disease of bitterness. Such a condition gradually estranges us from others and even from God.

Denying pain keeps us from starting on the path to forgiveness. But the degree of pain required in this exercise is bearable. Honestly experiencing it long enough to understand the exact nature of the offense is actually the beginning of healing.

Work Through Confused Feelings

When an offense has occurred, we often need to clearly and carefully sort out responsibilities in a particular incident. As children, we believe the world revolves around us. Although this tendency is strongest in our formative years, it also persists somewhat into adulthood. When traumatic events occur, kids believe it’s mostly their fault. (“If I hadn’t made Dad angry, he wouldn’t have had a heart attack and died.”)

As adults we need to develop firm ground within ourselves — to set boundaries and defend them when limits are violated.

Seek Information

Once we’re clear as to who’s responsible for what, the next step is to discover why the offender hurt us. This keeps us from dwelling single-mindedly on how we were hurt or how we wish to see the other person punished. If appropriate, we may need to ask friends or family members for information. Or we can use our imagination and place ourselves in the offender’s position.

What we’re not doing is looking for an excuse. No reasoning can excuse, for example, crimes against humanity such as torture, rape, extortion, blackmail, murder and the like. But gathering information is important.

Consider Rita’s experience. Her husband had an affair with an emotionally disturbed woman. He eventually broke off the relationship and tried to repair the damage he’d done to Rita, whom he still loved. But Rita couldn’t forgive her husband or the other woman. It was bad enough he’d had an affair — but to choose such a wretchedly unhappy and abused woman added insult to injury.

Inadvertently, Rita learned a bit about the other woman’s history. As a little girl, she’d often been made to bend naked over the bathtub while her father beat her with a belt until blood ran down her legs. As Rita heard this story, she found tears running down her cheeks. Any child raised by such a criminally abusive father might wind up seducing men in a desperate search for love. This information also lent credibility to her husband’s story that he’d first befriended the woman because he felt sorry for her; he then felt affectionate toward this “hurting soul.” … Eventually, the lines between affection and sexual involvement blurred. Further searching unearthed events in her husband’s life that explained his vulnerability to such a strange relationship.

It didn’t happen overnight, but the more Rita understood the facts, the more she was able to relinquish her anger and pain. She could truly forgive and sincerely pray for the woman. Understanding was not condoning the affair. And much work had to be done to heal her husband’s past to prevent further offenses.

But for Rita, the restoration process took a step forward when the truth was known.

Allow Information to Become Insight

Once the facts are clear, we might imagine that forgiveness occurs automatically. Too often, however, our humanity gets in the way. Our self-protective and vengeful impulses can pitch us into rounds of self-pity, bitterness and anger.

It takes heroic effort to move beyond our own pain to understand what prevents us from saying, “I forgive you.”

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom describes the most extreme abuses imaginable perpetrated on her and the other inmates of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Months after the war was over, Corrie was traveling through Germany speaking in churches about God’s love and forgiveness. Inwardly, though, she knew her words had a hollow sound.

After speaking in a church in Munich, she was approached by a man she recognized as one of her former guards, a particularly cruel one. He now reflected a semblance of humanity and smiled brightly as he talked about his newfound faith in God. Looking Corrie in the eye, he held out his hand. “Fraülein, if you can forgive me, then I’ll know what you say is true — that God forgives me.”

Gripped by a terrible conflict, Corrie wanted either to turn her back on this man or do violence to him. In her mind’s eye she could see her father and sister, who were both killed by the Nazis; she’d wanted to forgive those who were responsible. And this moment brought insight as to why she’d been unable to do more than speak hollowly about forgiveness. She was daily reliving the horror of the camp.

Corrie also realized that she would continue to be haunted by old feelings and memories if she did not move beyond them. This was her chance. But could she do it?

Her arm remained frozen at her side, while the man’s remained outstretched. As he stared at her, Corrie prayed for strength she could not find in herself. Giving her will over to God, unable to change it on her own, coldly she stuck out her hand and clasped the palm of her former enemy.

“In that moment,” she later wrote, “something miraculous happened. A current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.”

Forgiveness is a gift of God’s grace. What Corrie described — the healing of one heart, the freeing of another — is a true miracle. The wonder of it is that God gives us insight into our own heart and involves us with Him in the freeing of another.

Choose to Relinquish the Whole Event

It was, interestingly, in a psychiatry class that I (Grace) learned relinquishment.

The class was discussing how to let go of past tragedies and trauma that hurt and scar. One man, Lou, had been weeping copiously, obviously reliving some pain of his own.

“Lou,” the professor said, “I want you to wrap up that handkerchief and hold it tightly in your hand.” After a long silence, he said, “Now, let it fall.” The bunched handkerchief landed on the floor.

In a few moments, Lou reached down to pick up his handkerchief. But another student observed him and suggested that this was the way we all tried to “pick up our old burdens again.” With a smile now, Lou left the handkerchief there.

We all saw that it’s our choice — an act of our will — that sets us free from burdens of the past.

It seems that human beings have always had trouble with the idea of forgiving someone who has wronged them. It’s just not natural to us. But Jesus Christ, the master of forgiveness came to show us a new way, a supernatural way, to live. He teaches us how to adopt new attitudes of the heart that help us live “above” our natural impulses.

You, too, can be healed and set free as you learn to walk the path of forgiveness. The gifts of personal wholeness in Jesus Christ can be yours, even when you think forgiveness is impossible. The question is, are you willing to begin?

From When You Can’t Say “I Forgive You”, published by NavPress, www.navpress.com. Copyright © 2000, Dr. Grace Ketterman and David Hazard. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

Weekend To Remember Conference Testimony

Here’s a couple who went to a FamilyLife Conference and how it made a difference in their marriage.

Chip Ingram – Three Ways to Improve your Conflict Resolution Skills (pt 2)

Why is conflict so hard to resolve? Whether in your marriage or other relationships – conflict can be a huge barrier that most of us would rather avoid. I want to share with you some common mistakes in conflict resolution and three important realizations that will bring fresh perspective to even the most difficult conversations. If you want to learn more, you can listen to the full message on conflict resolution from our guest speaker Tim Lundy here: http://www.venturechristian.org/files/sermons2/t032011.mp3

______________________________________________

The clip above has some material that originally came from a video from Family Life. I have mentioned this organization several times in this post. Contacting them would be a great place for Arnold and Maria to begin their recovering. I am hoping that Maria realizes that this family is worth saving. It will take a lot of forgiveness and she will have to turn to Christ for his supernatural help to make it happen

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

Brantley claims Barton is wrong about darwinism pt 5

June 23, 2011 – 3:20 am

On June 9th Max Brantley on the Arkansas Times Blog referred to a Mother Jones Article that noted:

On Wednesday, Right Wing Watch flagged a recent interview Barton gave with an evangelcial talk show, in which he argues that the Founding Fathers had explicitly rejected Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Yes, that Darwin. The one whose seminal work, On the Origin of Species, wasn’t even published until 1859. Barton declared, “As far as the Founding Fathers were concerned, they’d already had the entire debate over creation and evolution, and you get Thomas Paine, who is the least religious Founding Father, saying you’ve got to teach Creation science in the classroom. Scientific method demands that!” Paine died in 1809, the same year Darwin was born.

Here is the  fifth part of the series that I started a few days ago about the founding fathers’ views on the origin of man. Below is an portion of an article by David Barton, “The Founding Fathers on Creation and Evolution.” 

While uninformed laymen erroneously believe the theory of evolution to be a product of Charles Darwin in his first major work of 1859 (The Origin of Species), the historical records are exceedingly clear that the evolution-creation-intelligent design debate was largely formulated well before the birth of Christ. Numerous famous writings have appeared on the topic for almost two thousand years; in fact, our Founding Fathers were well-acquainted with these writings and therefore the principle theories and teachings of evolution – as well as the science and philosophy both for and against that thesis – well before Darwin synthesized those centuries-old teachings in his writings.

Nobel-Prize winner Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) explains: “The general idea of evolution is very old; it is already to be found in Anaximander (sixth century B.C.). . . . [and] Descartes [1596-1650], Kant [1724-1804], and Laplace [1749-1827] had advocated a gradual origin for the solar system in place of sudden creation.” 1  ( Bertrand Russell, Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Limits (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1948), pp. 33-34.)…

Benjamin Franklin

It might be judged an affront to your understandings should I go about to prove this first principle: the existence of a Deity and that He is the Creator of the universe; for that would suppose you ignorant of what all mankind in all ages have agreed in. I shall therefore proceed to observe that He must be a being of infinite wisdom (as appears in His admirable order and disposition of things), whether we consider the heavenly bodies, the stars and planets and their wonderful regular motions; or this earth, compounded of such an excellent mixture of all the elements; or the admirable structure of animate bodies of such infinite variety and yet every one adapted to its nature and the way of life is to be placed in, whether on earth, in the air, or in the water, and so exactly that the highest and most exquisite human reason cannot find a fault; and say this would have been better so, or in such a manner which whoever considers attentively and thoroughly will be astonished and swallowed up in admiration. 21

That the Deity is a being of great goodness appears in His giving life to so many creatures, each of which acknowledges it a benefit by its unwillingness to leave it; in His providing plentiful sustenance for them all and making those things that are most useful, most common and easy to be had, such as water (necessary for almost every creature to drink); air (without which few could subsist); the inexpressible benefits of light and sunshine to almost all animals in general; and to men, the most useful vegetables, such as corn, the most useful of metals, as iron, & c.; the most useful animals as horses, oxen, and sheep, He has made easiest to raise or procure in quantity or numbers; each of which particulars, if considered seriously and carefully, would fill us with the highest love and affection. That He is a being of infinite power appears in His being able to form and compound such vast masses of matter (as this earth, and the sun, and innumerable stars and planets), and give them such prodigious motion and yet so to govern them in their greatest velocity as that they shall not fly out of their appointed bounds not dash one against another for their mutual destruction. But it is easy to conceive His power, when we are convinced of His infinite knowledge and wisdom. For, if weak and foolish creatures as we are, but knowing the nature of a few things, can produce such wonderful effects, . . . what power must He possess, Who not only knows the nature of everything in the universe but can make things of new natures with the greatest ease and at His pleasure! Agreeing, then, that the world was a first made by a Being of infinite wisdom, goodness, and power, which Being we call God. 2221. Benjamin Franklin, The Works of Benjamin Franklin, Jared Sparks, editor (Boston: Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason, 1836), Vol. II, p. 526, “A Lecture on the Providence of God in the Government of the World.” (Return)

22. Benjamin Franklin, The Works of Benjamin Franklin, Jared Sparks, editor (Boston: Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason, 1836), Vol. II, pp. 526-527, “A Lecture on the Providence of God in the Government of the World.”

Here are some other posts about David Barton’s word on the unconfirmed quotes that have been attributed to the Founding Father and Barton’s effort to stop the Righteous Right for using these quotes in the future:

Unconfirmed Quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson

HALT:HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com Part 6 David Barton:Were the Founding Fathers Deists? In 1988 only 25% of Christians voted but that doubled in 1994. Christians are the salt of the world. The last few days I have been  looking at this issue of unconfirmed quotes that people think that the Founding Fathers actually said and the historical evidence […]

Two Unconfirmed quotes attributed to Noah Webster

HALT:HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com Part 5 David Barton: Were the Founding Fathers Deists? First Bible printed in USA was printed by our founding fathers for use in the public schools. 20,000 Bibles. 10 commandments hanging in our courthouses. The last few days I have been  looking at this issue of unconfirmed quotes that people think that the Founding […]

Unconfirmed Quote attibuted to Patrick Henry

HALT:HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com Part 4 David Barton: Were Founding Fathers Deists? Only 5% of the original 250 founding fathers were not Christians (Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen, Joe Barlow, Charles Lee, Henry Dearborn, ect) In the next few weeks I will be looking at this issue of unconfirmed quotes that people think […]

Samuel Adams Unconfirmed Quote was Confirmed Eventually

HALT:HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com Part 3 David Barton: Were Founding Fathers Deists? American Bible Society filled with Founding Fathers Here is another in the series of  unconfirmed quotes that people think that the Founding Fathers actually said and the historical evidence concerning them. David Barton has collected these quotes and tried to confirm them over the last 20 […]

Unconfirmed Quote attributed to Ben Franklin

HALT:HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com Part 2 David Barton on Founding Fathers were they deists? Not James Wilson and William Samuel Johnson In the next few weeks I will be looking at this issue of unconfirmed quotes that people think that the Founding Fathers actually said and the historical evidence concerning them. David Barton has collected these quotes and […]

Unconfirmed Quote attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville

HALT: HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com Part 1 David Barton: Were the Founding Fathers Deists? Religious holidays, Court cases, punishing kids in school for praying in Jesus name In the next few weeks I will be looking at this issue of unconfirmed quotes that people think that the Founding Fathers actually said and the historical evidence concerning them. David […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in David Barton | Edit | Comments (0)

Supreme Court never said It.

Halting Arkansas Liberals with Truth David Barton goes through American History and looks at some of the obscure names in our history and how prayer and Bible Study affected some of our founding fathers In the next few weeks I will be looking at this issue of unconfirmed quotes that people think that the Founding […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in David Barton | Edit | Comments (0)

Lots of Fake Quotes of Founding Fathers in Circulation

HALT: Halting Arkansas Liberals with Truth   ___ I wanted to thank Gene Lyons for bringing this issue of fake quotes of the Founding Fathers to our attention because it should be addressed. In April 8, 2010 article “Facts Drowning in Disinformation,” he rightly notes that Thomas Jefferson never said, “The democracy will cease to [

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in David Barton | Comments (0)

Balanced Budget Amendment the answer? Boozman says yes, Pryor no, Part 35 (Input from Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute Part 7)

June 23, 2011 – 12:01 am

Classic Ron Paul: “We have not seen any sincere effort to cut any spending”

4/24/1997, C-SPAN

Photo detail

Steve Brawner in his article “Safer roads and balanced budgets,” Arkansas News Bureau, April 13, 2011, noted:

The disagreement is over the solutions — on what spending to cut; what taxes to raise (basically none ever, according to Boozman); whether or not to enact a balanced budget amendment (Boozman says yes; Pryor no); and on what policies would promote the kind of economic growth that would make this a little easier.

Dan Mitchell wrote a great article called “Why a Tax Limitation/Balanced Budget Amendment is Needed to Control Spending,” Cato Institute, Feb 19, 1997. I will be posted portions of that article the next few days. Here is the seventh portion:

Are Deficits and Debt Inherently Bad?

Contrary to rhetoric, borrowing is not evil. There have been times in which government borrowing has been in the national interest. Winning World War II, for instance, probably would have been impossible if the government had not been able to tap private credit markets. Similarly, the limited extent to which President Ronald Reagan’s restoration of the U.S. military added to the national debt was a small price to pay for the collapse of communism.

There are analogies from the private sector as well. Almost all households and businesses go into debt at some point. Consumers borrow to buy cars, families borrow to build homes and send their children to college, and businesses borrow to expand productive capacity. There is nothing wrong, either morally or financially, with these decisions.

Although deficits and debt are not necessarily bad, politicians certainly have abused the privilege. Like profligate consumers who use credit cards to live beyond their means, many politicians see government borrowing as a way to increase federal spending for programs that are not in the nation’s best interests. The difference between the irresponsible consumer and the irresponsible politician is that bad behavior on the part of the consumer leads to a bad credit rating and a sharply reduced ability to borrow money. Politicians escape a similar fate because they can pass the costs of a bill on to the next generation. By requiring a supermajority vote to issue new debt, however, the balanced budget amendment will impose a similar restriction on such fiscally reckless politicians.

Do Deficits Really Stimulate the Economy?

Opponents of a balanced budget requirement, particularly those in the Clinton Administration, argue that deficit spending is a useful tool to jump-start a sluggish economy. By limiting deficits, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and others claim, the balanced budget amendment somehow will make economic downturns more likely. This argument is based on the economic theory known as Keynesianism. According to this theory, which first influenced policymakers in the 1930s and remained popular into the 1970s, politicians can stimulate economic growth by borrowing money and increasing government spending.9 Critics from the beginning noted that this theory did not make sense, but politicians liked Keynesian economics because it gave them a quasi-respectable rationale for increased spending.

Ultimately, reality proved to be the undoing of Keynesian economic theory. The economic stagnation of the 1970s showed that deficit spending — especially when combined with rising taxes and inflation — was not a recipe for growth. Moreover, the success of President Reagan’s supply-side tax cuts further undermined the case for Keynesian policies by showing that improved incentives were the key to growth. Nonetheless, there are some who still cling to Keynesian theory.

Despite the accumulated evidence, both from the United States and from around the world, the Administration may believe that deficit spending truly is good for the economy. Even though all versions of the balanced budget amendment contain provisions that allow for supermajority approval of deficits and debt, the White House has launched an extensive lobbying campaign against the amendment.

ENDNOTE

Keynesian theory also favors using monetary policy to fine-tune the economy; but just as the Keynesian view on deficits has fallen into disfavor, so has this notion of manipulating monetary policy.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute | Comments (0)

Balanced Budget Amendment the answer? Boozman says yes, Pryor no, Part 34 (Input from Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute Part 6)

June 23, 2011 – 12:01 am

Classic Ron Paul: “I expect deficits to explode, not come down”

4/9/1997, C-SPAN

Photo detail

Steve Brawner in his article “Safer roads and balanced budgets,” Arkansas News Bureau, April 13, 2011, noted:

The disagreement is over the solutions — on what spending to cut; what taxes to raise (basically none ever, according to Boozman); whether or not to enact a balanced budget amendment (Boozman says yes; Pryor no); and on what policies would promote the kind of economic growth that would make this a little easier.

Dan Mitchell wrote a great article called “Why a Tax Limitation/Balanced Budget Amendment is Needed to Control Spending,” Cato Institute, Feb 19, 1997. I will be posted portions of that article the next few days. Here is the sixth portion:

How Soon Would a Balanced Budget Amendment Take Effect?

Before a balanced budget amendment can take effect, it must clear two major hurdles. First and foremost, it must obtain two-thirds support from both houses of Congress. Should this occur, the amendment would be sent to the states for ratification. To become part of the Constitution, it would need to be approved by both chambers of three-fourths, or 38, of the state legislatures.4 If an amendment is approved by Congress and ratified by the necessary number of state legislatures, there probably would be a grace period of two years between ratification and actual implementation. Many supporters would like to time the amendment to take effect in 2002 because that is the target date for balancing the budget, but the actual timing will depend on overcoming the obstacles that exist.

Would the Amendment Solve America’s Economic Problems?

A balanced budget amendment does not guarantee sound economic policy. All it does is make it difficult for politicians to finance their spending by borrowing money. Supporters of the amendment believe that restricting debt will result in smaller government, and scholarly evidence demonstrates that the economy will grow faster if the size of government is reduced.5 It is also possible, however, that a simple balanced budget requirement could lead politicians to finance their spending through higher taxes. Such financing policies almost certainly would dampen the economy’s performance. Moreover, because of lower incomes, lost jobs, and reduced profits, tax increases have never generated the amount of new revenues that politicians expected;6 thus, a balanced budget amendment could trigger a dismal cycle of more taxes, followed by more debt, followed by more taxes, followed by more debt, and so on.

For this reason, requiring a supermajority in order to raise taxes to balance the budget is critical. More specifically, a supermajority means there would be no bias in favor of tax-financed spending, and the likelihood of a continuing spiral of taxes and debt would be greatly diminished.

To be fair, the constitutional majority requirement in the amendment proposed by Senator Craig and Representatives Stenholm and Schaefer could require a supermajority of those voting if some members are absent. For example, 51 votes would be required in the Senate even if only 90 Senators were available to cast their votes. In this case, for instance, a tax increase would need the approval of 57 percent of Senators present. This also would be true in the House, where passage would require 218 votes. The problem with a “constitutional” majority to pass tax increases, however, should be clear: If all Members of Congress were available for a vote, a tax hike could pass with a simple majority.

Would a Balanced Budget Lead to Lower Interest Rates?

Some proponents of a balanced budget amendment argue that eliminating the deficit would lead to dramatic reductions in interest rates. The scholarly research,7 however, indicates that these claims are, at best, greatly exaggerated. Although it is almost certainly true that reductions in government borrowing will put downward pressure on interest rates, it appears that the impact is too small to measure. Simply stated, in world capital markets in which trillions of dollars exchange hands every day, changes of $30 billion, $40 billion, or $50 billion in the U.S. budget deficit are not large enough to make a measurable difference.

This can be seen by comparing interest rates and budget deficits over the past 20 years. During this period, budget deficits have experienced significant shifts up and down with changing fiscal and economic circumstances. As Chart 4 illustrates, however, interest rates do not respond as the theory predicts. Indeed, instead of rising when deficits increase and falling when deficits decline, the opposite seems to be the case. This does not mean that higher budget deficits lead to lower interest rates; it means simply that other factors, such as monetary policy, tax policy, and overall demand for credit, are much more important than shifts in the U.S. budget deficit.8

End Notes:

  • Nebraska has a unicameral legislature.
  • See Kevin Grier and Gordon Tullock, “An Empirical Analysis of Cross-National Economic Growth, 1951-80,” Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 24 (1989), pp. 259-276; see also Robert Barro and Xavier Sala-I-Martin, Economic Growth (New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995), p. 494.
  • For more detail on flaws in the current revenue-estimating process, see Daniel J. Mitchell, “How to Measure the Revenue Impact of Changes in Tax Rates,” Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1090, August 9, 1996.
  • Charles I. Plosser, Further Evidence on the Relation Between Fiscal Policy and the Term Structure (Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester, 1986).
  • For more detail on the lack of a relationship between interest rates and the deficit, see Daniel J. Mitchell, “Taxes, Deficits, and Economic Growth,” Heritage Foundation Lecture No. 565, May 14, 1996.
By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute | Comments (0)

USA wins 1-0 over Panama

June 22, 2011 – 8:48 pm

E. Hatcher: I guessed it correctly before the game. USA 1-0!!!

Goal.com reported:

HOUSTON – United States men’s national team coach Bob Bradley pulled out all the cards on a bizarre night in the Lone Star State.

In the end, he looked like a genius.

After being frustrated by a disciplined Panama squad, Bradley inserted Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu in the second half and watched both players set up a Clint Dempsey goal to lift the U.S. to a 1-0 victory over Panama at Reliant Stadium on Wednesday.

The American’s, who suffered an embarrassing defeat to Panama in the group stage, advance to the Gold Cup final for the fourth straight time and will play either Mexico or Honduras next weekend in Pasadena, Calif.

The U.S. controlled possession early on but its only real scoring opportunity in the first half came at the 25th minute when Steve Cherundolo played a nice ball to Juan Agudelo, who headed it off the post. It only had three shots in the first 45 minutes.

That’s when Bradley decided to make the changes.

Donovan, who came off the bench for the second straight game, entered after halftime for Sacha Kljestan. Adu made his first national team appearance in two years when he came in at the 66th minute for Agudelo.

It only took 10 minutes before both midfielders made a big difference.

The 22-year-old Adu, who was the most surprising selection for the team after being considered a bust by many, set up Dempey’s goal in the 76th minute when he found a streaking Donovan down the right side of the field. Donovan carried the ball into the box before dishing it to a lunging Dempsey at the far post.

Panama had all its opportunites in the second half but failed to capitalize.

After having much success with the 4-2-3-1 formation against Jamaica, Bradley used pretty much the same lineup against Panama. The only change was made up front, as Agudelo replaced the injured Jozy Altidore as the team’s lone striker.

Altidore suffered a hamstring injury in the quarterfinals and will be out for 4-6 weeks. He was having a solid tournament, recording two goals and one assist in the team’s three group-stage games.

For the second straight game, Bradley opted to have Donovan come off the bench. The star midfielder had originally lost his starting position prior to the Jamaica match due to a lack of sleep after attending his sister’s wedding California a day earlier.

Panama was without arguably its most dangerous player in Blaz Perez, who along with Luis Tejada caused the American defenders several problems in the previous meeting. Perez was a suspended after picking up a red card against El Salvador.

_________________________

I think that we did just enough to get by. That is certainly not a good thing for it won’t last in the championship, I promise. Unless the United States get it together we will not win the Gold Cup. I believe that the US is going to play Mexico in the finals and we all know they have talent. Chicharito is one of the best player’s of all time in CONCACAF history. He and the rest of the Mexican team will bring a big challenge for the United States on June 25!!!

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

Pro-abortion Ark Times article refuted here (Part 2)

June 22, 2011 – 5:58 pm

Superbowl commercial with Tim Tebow and Mom.

The Arkansas Times article, “Putting the fetus first: Pro-lifers keep up attack on access, but pro-choice advocates fend off the end to abortion right” by Leslie Newell Peacock is very lengthy but I want to deal with all of it in this new series.

 

click to enlarge ROSE MIMMS: Arkansas Right to Life director unswayed by fears of return of illegal abortion.
  • ROSE MIMMS: Arkansas Right to Life director unswayed by fears of return of illegal abortion.

Rita Sklar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, said,”Women’s bodies are used as a political football and it’s time that stopped.” 

___________________________

Is this debate really about the woman’s body? Does the woman even have the same blood type as the unborn baby? Or is this about a life being snuffed out? Take a look at this moving story that Arkansas abortionist Dr. William Harrison told below about the lady that will soon “finish her doctorate at the University of California at San Francisco.”

I used to write letters to the editor a whole lot back in the 1990’s.  I am pro-life and many times my letters would discuss current political debates, and I got to know several names of people that would often write in response letters to my published letters. One of those individuals was a Dr. William F. Harrison from Fayetteville. Later I found out from reading an article by David Sanders that Dr. Harrison was an abortionist. Dr Harrison died from leukemia on September 24, 2010. Here is a post from Jason Tolbert from July of 2010:

KFSM in Fayetteville is reporting that abortist William Harrison is closing the doors to his abortion clinic in nothwest Arkansas for health reasons. In an ABC News story a few year ago, Harrison said he had performed over 10,000 abortions and was comfortable with the taking of life.

I now write a column for Stephen Media in a spot once held by conservative David J. Sanders who is currently running for the Arkansas House of Representatives.  Sanders shadowed Harrison in his abortion clinic and wrote of series of columns on the experience.  I think these are prehaps Sanders’ best work…

Harrison is sure that what he does is right, but he confessed to the enormous costs that come in his line of work. There were threats against his wife and children and staff. He commented that if he “had known” everything – the threats, the risks – that would take place over the years, he might not have decided to provide abortions.

Some years ago, a 16-year-old daughter of a close friend of the family had gotten pregnant. “Their Baptist minister had advised her parents that she shouldn’t have an abortion and that (if she did) she would regret it the rest of her life. But had I had the choice, at the time, I would have advised (the mother of the teenager) to have that child aborted,” he said as he stared at his desktop.

“Well, she had her baby. She’s as smart as a whip,” he said. Now, years later, that baby is grown and about to finish her doctorate at the University of California at San Francisco.

I asked him if that sent chills up his spine. His response: “Absolutely.”

If you would like to know my the #1 abortionist in the world changed to a pro-life advocate then check out these posts: 

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 11)

ABORTION – THE SILENT SCREAM 1 / Extended, High-Resolution Version (with permission from APF). Republished with Permission from Roy Tidwell of American Portrait Films as long as the following credits are shown: VHS/DVDs Available American Portrait Films Call 1-800-736-4567 http://www.amport.com The Hand of God-Selected Quotes from Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D., Unjust laws exist. Shall we […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 10)

Dr. Bernard N. Nathanson, a leading pro-life advocate and convert to Catholicism, died at the age of 84 on Monday a week ago in his New York home, after a long struggle with cancer. The Hand of God-Selected Quotes from Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D., Chapter 12 is titled To The Thanatoriums, an allusion the Walker […]

On eve of Shutdown Republicans cave on demand concerning eliminating Planned Parenthood Funding

The pro-life position is very important to a great many of the freshmen members of the House of Representatives. As you can see above in the clip from the film series Whatever Happened to the Human Race? by Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop, the unborn baby is a child, but we are treating many […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 9)(Donald Trump changes to pro-life view)

When I think of the things that make me sad concerning this country, the first thing that pops into my mind is our treatment of unborn children. Donald Trump is probably going to run for president of the United States. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council recently had a conversation with him concerning the […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 8)

My sons Wilson (on left) and Hunter (on right) went to California and visited Yosemite National Park with our friend Sherwood Haisty Jr. March 21-27. Here they are standing in front of the tallest waterfall in North America. The only surviving founding member of NARAL, Dr. Bernard Nathanson gives his testimony of NARAL’s foundation of […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 7) Have you wondered why we have abortion in the USA?

“Jane Roe” or Roe v Wade is now a prolife Christian. She’s recently has done a commercial about it.   _______________________________ I have often wondered why we got to this point in our country’s life and we allow abortion. The answer is found in the words of Schaffer. Philosopher and Theologian, Francis A. Schaeffer has […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 6)

Modern man’s humanist thought has brought us to the point now that many people realize that they could not find final answers and that would lead to despair. Many people then took leaps into the area of non-reason to find some kind of meaning in life. Some people actually tried to look at communism and […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 5)

Modern man’s humanist thought has brought us to the point now that many people realize that they could not find final answers and that would lead to despair. Many people then turned to trying to find answers in the area of non-reason. There were no fixed values and they just held on to the two […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 4)

Richard Land on Abortion part 3 On the Arkansas Times Blog this morning I posted a short pro-life piece and it received this response: We have been over this time and again SalineRepublican, and I think we all know the issue: when does the right of a woman to control her own body yield to […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 3)

Vice Admiral C. Everett Koop, USPHS Surgeon General of the United States Francis Schaeffer Main page Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop put together this wonderful film series “Whatever happened to the human race?” and my senior class teacher Mark Brink taught us a semester long course on it in 1979. I was so

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 2)

This is such a great video series “The Silent Scream.” I have never seen it until now and I wish I had seen it 30 years ago.  Take a look at the video clip below. I wanted to pass along a portion of the excellent article “Bernard Nathanson: A Life Transformed by the Truth about […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 1)

Sherwood Haisty is taking my sons Hunter and Wilson to Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area this morning where Dr. John MacArthur is pastor. They will be attending both Sunday School and Worship. I wanted to pass along a portion of the excellent article “Bernard Nathanson: A Life Transformed by the Truth about

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Jason Tolbert, Prolife | Comments (0)

Pro-abortion Ark Times article refuted here (Part 1)jh52

June 22, 2011 – 4:46 pm

The Arkansas Times article, “Putting the fetus first: Pro-lifers keep up attack on access, but pro-choice advocates fend off the end to abortion right” by Leslie Newell Peacock is very lengthy but I want to deal with all of it in this new series.

 

click to enlarge ROSE MIMMS: Arkansas Right to Life director unswayed by fears of return of illegal abortion.
  • ROSE MIMMS: Arkansas Right to Life director unswayed by fears of return of illegal abortion.

Before Roe v. Wade, there was “Bloody Mary.”

Women who lived in Arkansas in the 1960s and whose friends had had abortions (or who’d had them themselves) will remember the woman who for a couple hundred dollars would terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

“Bloody Mary” wasn’t a health professional. She lived on Lake Hamilton and performed abortions in her home there. A woman this reporter interviewed recently remembered driving one of her friends there.

She and the others who made the trip — including the father — dropped off their friend at a house where, the woman remembered, a Confederate flag flew. The abortionist herself wore overalls and a hat with a Confederate flag on it. The crew — all teen-agers — nervously drove around a bit before going to back to pick up their friend.

“She’d been stuffed with gauze way up,” past the cervix, the woman recalled.

“She was having incredibly painful contractions and bleeding all over the place.” They got her back to Little Rock, and though she tried to keep her situation from her parents, the bleeding was massive. She had to go to the hospital, suffering from infection and blood loss. “Bloody Mary” had apparently used instruments to force open the cervix and wedged in “tons of gauze, multiple rolls,” the girl told her friends.

“The very doctor who had sent her to the abortionist had to take over her care,” the woman recalled.

“Bloody Mary” is no myth, and she wasn’t the only abortionist to endanger a girl’s life with a botched abortion. This writer, too, knew high-school girls who visited an abortionist, with life-threatening outcomes.

Rose Mimms, the head of Arkansas Right to Life, shook her head sadly when she heard the stories. Abortion is as old as mankind is, she said. If she succeeds in her battle to make abortion illegal again, yes, she said, women will still seek abortions and, yes, they might suffer. She recalled her mother talking about women using knitting needles, and that the expression was “to knock these babies.”

But she dismisses claims made previously that thousands could die. And she believes legal abortion is dangerous, too. “They’ll die regardless.”

And, in Mimms’ view, thousands of unborn children will live. No longer will women thwart the Father’s will, the plan He has for every fetus conceived.

_____________________

It seems to me the real argument lies in the personhood of the unborn baby. If it is just a piece of material that is lifeless then the pro-life crowd has no argument. However, if it is a person then the pro-choice crowd has no argument.

My pro-life evidence lies in the lives of two of the most abortion supporters of the 1970’s. Why did they change to the pro-life view? Check out the links below for the answers.

“Jane Roe” or Roe v Wade is now a prolife Christian. She’s recently has done a commercial about it.

_______________________________

I have often wondered why we got to this point in our country’s life and we allow abortion. The answer is found in the words of Schaffer.
Philosopher and Theologian, Francis A. Schaeffer has argued, “If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” Francis Schaeffer, How Shall We Then Live? (Old Tappan NJ: Fleming H Revell Company, 1976), p. 224.

Below is a clip from the film series “How Then Shall We Live?”

The Hand of God-Selected Quotes from Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D.,

Reasoned Audacity

Bernard Nathanson, M.D.

Silent Scream, The Hand of God is “semi-autobiographical…for the study of…the…demise of one system of morality…and the painful acquisition of another more coherent, more reliable [morality]…[with] the backdrop …of abortion. p. 3.

“We live in an age of fulsome nihilism; an age of death; an age in which, as author Walker Percy (a fellow physician, a pathologist who specializes in autopsying Western civilization) argued, “compassion leads to the gas chamber,” or the abortion clinic, or the euthanist’s office.” p. 4.

“I worked hard to make abortion legal, affordable, and available on demand. In 1968, I was one of the three founders of the National Abortion Rights Action League. I ran the largest abortion clinic …and oversaw tens of thousands of abortions. I have performed thousands myself.” p. 5.

“The Hippocratic Oath states the following,

I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner, I will not give to a woman a pessary [a device inserted in the vagina, thought erroneously to initiate an abortion] to produce an abortion.

The oath is unambiguous on these matters.” p. 48.

“The World Medical Association meeting at Geneva, in 1948, in the aftermath of the revelations of the Nazi medical experiments, revised the oath marginally to include the pledge, “I will retain the utmost respect for Human Life from conception.”…in 1964 restated the theme : “The health of my patient will be my first consideration.” p.50. The unborn baby in an abortion procedure is not considered a patient.

Related Posts: 

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 11)

ABORTION – THE SILENT SCREAM 1 / Extended, High-Resolution Version (with permission from APF). Republished with Permission from Roy Tidwell of American Portrait Films as long as the following credits are shown: VHS/DVDs Available American Portrait Films Call 1-800-736-4567 http://www.amport.com The Hand of God-Selected Quotes from Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D., Unjust laws exist. Shall we […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 10)

Dr. Bernard N. Nathanson, a leading pro-life advocate and convert to Catholicism, died at the age of 84 on Monday a week ago in his New York home, after a long struggle with cancer. The Hand of God-Selected Quotes from Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D., Chapter 12 is titled To The Thanatoriums, an allusion the Walker […]

On eve of Shutdown Republicans cave on demand concerning eliminating Planned Parenthood Funding

The pro-life position is very important to a great many of the freshmen members of the House of Representatives. As you can see above in the clip from the film series Whatever Happened to the Human Race? by Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop, the unborn baby is a child, but we are treating many […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 9)(Donald Trump changes to pro-life view)

When I think of the things that make me sad concerning this country, the first thing that pops into my mind is our treatment of unborn children. Donald Trump is probably going to run for president of the United States. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council recently had a conversation with him concerning the […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 8)

My sons Wilson (on left) and Hunter (on right) went to California and visited Yosemite National Park with our friend Sherwood Haisty Jr. March 21-27. Here they are standing in front of the tallest waterfall in North America. The only surviving founding member of NARAL, Dr. Bernard Nathanson gives his testimony of NARAL’s foundation of […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 7) Have you wondered why we have abortion in the USA?

“Jane Roe” or Roe v Wade is now a prolife Christian. She’s recently has done a commercial about it.   _______________________________ I have often wondered why we got to this point in our country’s life and we allow abortion. The answer is found in the words of Schaffer. Philosopher and Theologian, Francis A. Schaeffer has […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 6)

Modern man’s humanist thought has brought us to the point now that many people realize that they could not find final answers and that would lead to despair. Many people then took leaps into the area of non-reason to find some kind of meaning in life. Some people actually tried to look at communism and […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 5)

Modern man’s humanist thought has brought us to the point now that many people realize that they could not find final answers and that would lead to despair. Many people then turned to trying to find answers in the area of non-reason. There were no fixed values and they just held on to the two […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 4)

Richard Land on Abortion part 3 On the Arkansas Times Blog this morning I posted a short pro-life piece and it received this response: We have been over this time and again SalineRepublican, and I think we all know the issue: when does the right of a woman to control her own body yield to […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 3)

Vice Admiral C. Everett Koop, USPHS Surgeon General of the United States Francis Schaeffer Main page Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop put together this wonderful film series “Whatever happened to the human race?” and my senior class teacher Mark Brink taught us a semester long course on it in 1979. I was so

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 2)

This is such a great video series “The Silent Scream.” I have never seen it until now and I wish I had seen it 30 years ago.  Take a look at the video clip below. I wanted to pass along a portion of the excellent article “Bernard Nathanson: A Life Transformed by the Truth about […]

Abortionist Bernard Nathanson turned pro-life activist (part 1)

Sherwood Haisty is taking my sons Hunter and Wilson to Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area this morning where Dr. John MacArthur is pastor. They will be attending both Sunday School and Worship. I wanted to pass along a portion of the excellent article “Bernard Nathanson: A Life Transformed by the Truth about

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Prolife | Comments (2)

Predictions on Gold Cup Semifinals by W. Hatcher and E. Hatcher

June 22, 2011 – 3:34 pm

 

Wilson Hatcher picks Mexico to win 3-2 and the USA to win 2-0.

Everette Hatcher picks Mexico to win 4-1 and the USA to win 1-0.

US looks to apply lessons learned

 

 

Carlos Bocanegra (R), Armando Cooper during the US and Panama’s June 12 meeting.

 

 
 

Ives Galarcep is a 12-year veteran of the American soccer beat. He created and operates the popular American soccer blog, Soccer By Ives, which was voted Best American Soccer Blog by U.S. Soccer in 2008 and 2009. Ives was also recently voted Best Football Writer by SoccerLens. 

 

Updated Jun 22, 2011 7:42 AM ET

As much as the US men’s national team will be looking for a measure of revenge in its CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal against Panama on Wednesday night (live, 6:30 p.m. ET, FOX Soccer Channel), the ultimate goal for the Americans remains the same as it was when the tournament began two weeks ago.

The goal: get to the Gold Cup final and a likely battle with arch-rival Mexico. A chance to win a trophy, and defeat its biggest rival in the process, is clearly at the top of every American player’s wish list.

/fe/flash/sIFR/fs-sifr-unitedsans.swfRecent History

 

 

The US’s most recent meeting with Panama is their only blemish on a otherwise clean, if not exactly convincing, record.

DATE COMPETITION FINAL
6/12/2011 Gold Cup 2-1, PAN
7/18/2009 Gold Cup 2-1, USA (aet)
6/16/2007 Gold Cup 2-1, USA
11/10/2005 World Cup Qual. 2-0, USA
7/23/2005 Gold Cup 0-0, USA (PK)

 

 

The United States is one step away from reaching that goal, but it is a tricky step indeed. Standing in the way is a confident and dangerous Panama side that has already beaten the USA this Gold Cup, handing the hosts their first group stage loss in tournament history.

“We aren’t going to be taking them lightly,” said US captain Carlos Bocanegra. “They already showed what they can do if you don’t play well against them, and we’re not planning on having that happen again.”

As much as some American players talked about exacting some revenge on Panama, you could argue that the Central Americans have more to be seeking vengeance for than the United States. Panama has been eliminated from the past three Gold Cups by the United States.

From a brutal penalty kick loss in the 2005 final, to an overtime loss in the 2009 quarterfinal, a group that could be called Panama’s best generation of talent in its history has been denied Gold Cup glory by the United States for the past six years.

The United States won’t be worrying about history too much but will also be careful not to repeat recent history; namely, the 2-1 loss to Panama that led to some serious soul-searching and just might have lit a fire under the US men’s national team, which has won both matches since (without allowing a goal in either).

The rematch will have its differences. For starters, Panama will be missing top striker Blas Perez, who was issued a red card in Panama’s penalty shootout win versus El Salvador. Secondly, the United States will have had the chance to study the mistakes of the first meeting and work toward ensuring they aren’t repeated.

“It’s going to be a completely different game,” said U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey. “We conceded early and they kind of sat back and tried to catch us on the counter. I think a fair result would’ve us getting back into the game because we pressed them the whole game after (going down).”

/fe/flash/sIFR/fs-sifr-unitedsans.swfThe Missing Man

 

One of the best strikers in the region, Panama’s Blas Perez will be missed on Wednesday, having scored in each of Panama’s last three matches against the United States:

DATE PLACE FINAL
6/16/2007 Foxborough, MA 2-1, USA
7/18/2009 Philadelphia, PA 2-1, USA
6/12/2011 Tampa, FL 2-1, PAN

 

 

The United States will come in as a heavy favorite even after having lost to Panama, and plenty stacks up in the US team’s favor. The squad is relatively healthy, except for forward Jozy Altidore. The team is playing well, coming off a pair of matches that saw good ball movement and the creation of many good chances. Panama comes in off a grueling penalty shootout victory against El Salvador. The Canaleros will direly miss Perez, who had scored in each of Panama’s past three matches against the United States.

If anything, the best lesson the United States gained from the Panama loss was that patience was key in dealing with opponents content to sit back and counter. Panama worked that approach perfectly, but it also did so against a US team that clearly came out flat. Against Jamaica, the Americans showed patience and the ability to break teams down with a possession game.

Altidore’s absence, though costly, may have opened the door for a better possession game by the United States, as Juan Agudelo is better equipped for the type of quick and creative interplay sparked by the 4-2-3-1 formation, particularly with Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan working passing triangles with the likes of Alejandro Bedoya and Sacha Kljestan, who have both looked shark during the Gold Cup.

The question now is whether the United States can avoid a slow start and press Panama from the start as it did against Jamaica. The Americans really wore down Jamaica, particularly in midfield, but Panama has better passers and is also playing with the confidence that comes with being the only team besides Mexico to remain undefeated at this point in the tournament.

If the Americans can start strong, Panama’s unbeaten record will fall, and the United States will face Mexico for the third straight Gold Cup final. Another slow start, however, and the United States could fall behind again and face another rough fightback.

That’s a lesson the U.S. team doesn’t sound too interested in learning a second time.

Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.

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

Glen Campbell has Alzheimer’s disease (Links to Famous Arkansans Series)

June 22, 2011 – 2:41 pm
Glen Campbell Reveals Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
June 22, 2011
Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell has revealed his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease to People magazine. Campbell, 75, and wife Kim have gone public prior to his farewell tour this fall. “Glen is still an awesome guitar player and singer,” Kim told the publication. “But if he flubs a lyric or gets confused on stage, I wouldn’t want people to think, ‘What’s the matter with him? Is he drunk?'” Campbell was diagnosed six months ago, although he had been suffering from short-term memory loss for years, according to the People story. Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His hits include “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Gentle on My Mind,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Galveston” and “Wichita Lineman.”

__________________________________

Below is a post that I did earlier on Glen Campbell in my “Famous Arkansans Series.”

Glen Campbell

Inducted in 1996

 (b. 1936) – A native of Delight in Pike County, the famous pop/country singer and songwriter hosted his own TV variety shows, “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” (1969) and “The Glen Campbell Music Show” (1982). His hit recordings include: “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Gentle on My Mind.” He appeared in the movies “True Grit” (1969), “Any Which Way You Can” (1980), “Uphill All The Way” (1985), and “Family Prayers” (1993). Campbell, who in 1960 was a session musician playing on recordings by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley and counless others, now headlines concerts throughout North America and the British Isles. www.glencampbellshow.com

Glen in an interview with Jim Gaver talks about his PBS special and TV shows like Shindig

Previous posts on “Famous Arkansans Series”:

Senator Pryor asks for Spending Cut Suggestions! Here are a few!(Part 3) (Johnny Cash, Famous Arkansan pt A)

  Senator Mark Pryor wants our ideas on how to cut federal spending. Take a look at this video clip below: Senator Pryor has asked us to send our ideas to him at cutspending@pryor.senate.gov and I have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Here are a few […]

Candidate #3:Donald Trump Republican Presidential Hopefuls(Part 1)(Charlie Rich, Famous Arkansan)

Donald Trump at CPAC Conference 2011 David Gibson in his article “Donald Trump, Family Values Conservative–Believe it or not,” PoliticsDaily.com, wrote about a month ago: Donald Trump stole the show on the first day of the Conservative Political Action Conference — stealing the spotlight is his specialty, after all — and he did it by […]

Senator Pryor asks for Spending Cut Suggestions! Here are a few!(Part 2) (Harry Thomason Famous Arkansan)

Senator Mark Pryor wants our ideas on how to cut federal spending. Take a look at this video clip below: Senator Pryor has asked us to send our ideas to him at cutspending@pryor.senate.gov and I have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future. (This latest email went at […]

Alternatives to Fayetteville Finger out there? (part 16)(Billy Bob Thornton)

I certainly hope there are some alternatives to the Fayetteville Finger out there. Jason Tolbert reported that there seems to be an impasse. As predicted, the House State Agencies rejected both the Senate compromise map (linked here) passed yesterday with 20 votes and the so called “Luker Amendment” (linked here) named after its author Sen. […]

Senator Pryor asks for Spending Cut Suggestions! Here are a few!(Part 1) (Al Green, Famous Arkansan)

  Senator Mark Pryor wants our ideas on how to cut federal spending. Take a look at this video clip below: Senator Pryor has asked us to send our ideas to him at cutspending@pryor.senate.gov and I have done so (at 4:04 pm CST on April 7th, 2011, and will continue to do so in the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Famous Arkansans | Comments (0)