Yearly Archives: 2011

Is soaking the rich fair?

November 22, 2011 – 1:52 pm

Five Key Reasons to Reject Class-Warfare Tax Policy

Uploaded by on Jun 15, 2009

President Obama and other politicians are advocating higher taxes, with a particular emphasis on class-warfare taxes targeting the so-called rich. This Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation video explains why fiscal policy based on hate and envy is fundamentally misguided. For more information please visit our web page: www.freedomandprosperity.org.

Is soaking the rich fair?

Soaking the Rich Is Not Fair

by Jeffrey A. Miron

Jeffrey A. Miron is Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University and Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. Miron blogs at JeffreyMiron.com and is the author of Libertarianism, from A to Z.

Added to cato.org on September 2, 2011

This article appeared on The Huffington Post on September 2, 2011.

What is the “fair” amount of taxation on high-income taxpayers?

To liberals, the answer is always “more.” Liberals view high income — meaning any income that exceeds their own — as the result of luck or anti-social behavior. Hence liberals believe “fairness” justifies government-imposed transfers from the rich to everyone else. Many conservatives accept this view implicitly. They oppose soak-the-rich policies because of concern over growth, but they do not dispute whether such policies are fair.

But high tax rates on the rich are not fair or desirable for any other reason; they are an expression of America’s worst instincts, and their adverse consequences go beyond their negatives for economic growth.

The liberal hatred of the rich is a minority view, not a widely shared American value.

Consider first the view that differences in income result from luck rather than hard work: some people are born with big trust funds or innate skill and talent, and these fortuitous differences explain much of why some people have higher incomes than others.

Never mind that such a characterization is grossly incomplete. Luck undoubtedly explains some income differences, but this is not the whole story. Many trust fund babies have squandered their wealth, and inborn skill or talent means little unless combined with hard work.

But even if all income differences reflect luck, why are government-imposed “corrections” fair? The fact that liberals assert this does not make it true, any more than assertions to the contrary make it false. Fairness is an ill-defined, infinitely malleable concept, readily tailored to suit the ends of those asserting fairness, independent of facts or reason.

Worse, if liberals can assert a right to the wealth of the rich, why cannot others assert the right to similar transfers, such as from blacks to whites, Catholics to Protestants, or Sunni to Shia? Government coercion based on one group’s view of fairness is a first step toward arbitrary transfers of all kinds.

Now consider the claim that income differences result from illegal, unethical, or otherwise inappropriate behavior. This claim has an element of truth: some wealth results from illegal acts, and policies that punish such acts are appropriate.

But most inappropriate wealth accumulations results from bad government policies: those that restrict competition, enable crony capitalism, and hand large tax breaks to politically connected interest groups. These differences in wealth are a social ill, but the right response is removing the policies that promote them, not targeting everyone with high income.

The claim that soaking the rich is fair, therefore, has no basis in logic or in generating desirable outcomes; instead, it represents envy and hatred.

Why do liberals hate the rich? Perhaps because liberals were the “smart” but nerdy and socially awkward kids in high school, the ones who aced the SATs but did not excel at sports and rarely got asked to the prom. Some of their “dumber” classmates, meanwhile, went on to make more money, marry better-looking spouses, and have more fun.

Liberals find all this unjust because it rekindles their emotional insecurities from long ago. They do not have the honesty to accept that those with less SAT smarts might have other skills that the marketplace values. Instead, they resent wealth and convince themselves that large financial gains are ill-gotten.

Jeffrey A. Miron is Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University and Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. Miron blogs at JeffreyMiron.com and is the author of Libertarianism, from A to Z.

 

More by Jeffrey A. Miron

The liberal views on fairness and redistribution are far more defensible, of course, when it comes to providing for the truly needy. Reasonable people can criticize the structure of current anti-poverty programs, or argue that the system is overly generous, or suggest that private charity would be more effective at caring for the least vulnerable.

The desire to help the poor, however, represents a generous instinct: giving to those in desperate situations, where bad luck undoubtedly plays a major role. Soaking the rich is a selfish instinct, one that undermines good will generally.

And most Americans share this perspective. They are enthusiastic about public and private attempt to help the poor, but they do not agree that soaking the rich is fair. That is why U.S. policy has rarely embraced punitive income taxation or an aggressive estate tax. Instead, Americans are happy to celebrate well-earned success. The liberal hatred of the rich is a minority view, not a widely shared American value.

For America to restore its economic greatness, it must put aside the liberal hatred of the rich and embrace anew its deeply held respect for success. If it does, America will have enough for everyone.

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

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 1)

November 22, 2011 – 12:45 pm

Tyler Wilson

Earlier I wrote about where I think Arkansas could win a national championship with just two more wins.

Below is a portion of an article by Jim Harris of the website Arkansas 360:

What kind of college football polling world do we live in now that a No. 3 Arkansas could win Friday at No. 1 LSU and still find itself looking up at both LSU and No. 2 Alabama when the next BCS poll came out? Mark Schlabach, author and ESPN.com columnist, agreed Monday that it doesn’t make sense in the way we once viewed college football rankings, but we’re in a new day. His fellow ESPN college football writer, Brad Edwards, said as much Sunday that Arkansas could be left out of the BCS mix.

Maybe a lot of the national pundits have possessed the same thought Schlabach admitted he felt a couple of weeks back when he said, “When did Arkansas become a BCS contender? When did I miss the memo?”

Well, guess what, guys? This isn’t a No. 8 or 9 Arkansas going into Baton Rouge on Friday, or a 7-4 Arkansas like in 2007 that beat the No. 1 Tigers in triple overtime. Schlabach, who spoke Monday to the Little Rock Touchdown Club (and still has the Razorbacks projected for the Cotton Bowl online), admitted that everything about the BCS could be mixed next week even more than it’s been after this past week’s upsets. He’s not ruling out the Razorbacks shaking it all up.

Arkansas became a contender when Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Oregon all lost over the weekend. Schlabach was in Ames, Iowa, to see Oklahoma State go down to Iowa State in two overtimes. And still, the Cowboys are rated No. 2 in four of the six computer polls used in the BCS calculations. “If Oklahoma State is No. 2, then Georgia is No. 4,” Schlabach said.

LSU has a perfect 1.0 rating a top the BCS, leading in every poll — both the voting polls by the media and the coaches, as well as the computer rankings. The question now is just how much LSU would drop in all those calculations if it were by No. 3 Arkansas upset at home on Friday. In 2007, LSU still made the SEC Championship Game and won, and found its way back into the BCS title game picture, and won it all over Ohio State.

Georgia, which didn’t win the SEC East that year because it had lost early in the season to Tennessee, but may have been the SEC’s best overall team at season’s end, played Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and finished the year No. 3.

Before computers became part of determining the national champion, it would be cut and dried that Arkansas would move up at least to No. 2, LSU would fall, and perhaps Alabama would move to No. 1. If you’re name was Notre Dame, you could beat the No. 1 and jump several spots to No. 1, as the Irish have done in their history.

Schlabach, who still forecasts LSU to play Alabama in the championship game poses this scenario: Arkansas beats LSU, Alabama plays Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and loses, and LSU and Alabama still play for the national championship and Georgia goes to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC’s champion and automatic qualifier for a BCS bowl. He doesn’t expect that to happen, he only speculated what might happen.

Arkansas, still ranked No. 3, goes to the Capital One Bowl?

Or how about at Arkansas at No. 3 being left out of the BCS bowls while No. 15 Michigan, perhaps at at-large team from the Big Ten, gets a spot in the Sugar Bowl against Houston, perhaps?

It’s a head-scratcher that Schlabach, who grew up outside South Bend, Ind., and attended Georgia before starting his journalism career at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, finds troubling about the system now.

“They’re likely to make some changes to the BCS next summer,” he said.

That may not be in time for Arkansas this year.

None of this matters if Arkansas doesn’t go into Baton Rouge and pulled the upset of the season, of course. Maybe we should all worry about the fallout after this weekend.

Incidentally, a betting line that started at 14 points for LSU has dropped to 12.5 already, we’re told. Apparently a lot of people have already thought two touchdowns between the two might be a bit much. Alabama, meanwhile, is a 21-point favorite to win the Iron Bowl in Auburn. “This Auburn team might be the worst one they’ve had in 10 years,” said Schlabach, who covered the SEC out of Atlanta before moving to ESPN.com. He still resides in Georgia, but is on the road throughout the season. He’ll get this weekend off, however, he said, and watch what all transpires in TV.

Related posts:

Video and story on Iowa St victory over Oklahoma State

Several pieces of the puzzle have to come together for Arkansas to have a chance at the national title. This was a big piece!!! Mark Schlabach of ESPN wrote this article below: AMES, Iowa — So what happens now? We’ve spent the past few weeks wondering what would happen to the BCS national championship race […]

Razorbacks’ road to national championship just got more simple

[+] Enlarge Before the BCS standings came out yesterday, it was the common belief that the Arkansas Razorbacks were possibly going to finish 11-1 and miss out on a BCS bowl, but now that has all changed. Arkansas is sitting pretty at number 3 and I no longer hope Auburn beats Alabama so we can […]

SEC week 12: SEC dominates BCS, Vandy gets ripped off by refs

This is an article on the SEC week 12: By Chris Low As it turns out, the weekend was a productive one for the SEC, even if there were more than a few shaky performances around the league against lesser opponents.Here’s a look at what we learned in Week 12:1. BCS takes on SEC flavor: Brad […]

Why is this victory over the Vols so sweet? Probably because of 71 and 98!! jh85

  Above is a picture from my camera at the game. Photo I have wondered why this victory meant over Tennessee meant so much to our Razorback Nation. I guess the answer is simply that we have lost so many close heartbreaking games to the Vols over the years and the 1971 and 1998 games […]

 

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

Suggestions from a conservative to the Super Committee

November 22, 2011 – 8:32 am

I love the Heritage Foundation.

THE SUPER COMMITTEE: Deficit-Reduction Solutions

November 16, 2011

America’s Spending and Debt Crisis

  • It’s the Spending: Washington has a spending problem. While tax revenue is projected to climb above its historical average level of 18.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2021, government spending is projected to increase to 26.4% in the same period. Driven by the three largest entitlement programs—Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid— total federal spending will explode from 24% of GDP in 2011 to nearly 35% by 2035.
  • Government Debt Growing at Unsustainable Levels: Publicly held debt more than doubled from $5 trillion at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2007 to a staggering $10.1 trillion in FY 2011. Today it’s nearly 70% of GDP and is on track to hit 185% of GDP by 2035.
  • Our National Defense Is at Risk: Defense spending, excluding war costs, is only 3.7% of GDP—under the 60-year average—and will be cut further under the Budget Control Act, exacerbating our readiness crisis.

Revenue and Spending Projections

Solutions for the Super Committee

  • Set Priorities and Make Bold Decisions:Whether it reaches its $1.5 trillion target or goes beyond it, the super committee should be bold. At the same time, it should avoid flawed policies that will do more harm than good. Federal spending and revenue should be balanced at the level of tax revenues to avoid deficits adding to national debt.
  • Fully Fund National Defense:Providing for America’s national defense is the primary duty of the federal government. The super committee should ensure full funding for America’s armed forces rather than making additional cuts.
  • Transform Entitlements:Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are the largest drivers of medium- and long-term deficits and debt. These programs should be structurally reformed to make them financially sustainable while also assuring economic security for the nation’s seniors and younger generations.
  • Do Not Raise Taxes: Tax hikes should be a nonstarter to any deficit reduction plan. They harm the economy and keep government spending high. Merely discussing the prospect of tax hikes makes America’s businesses less willing to take risks, buy new equipment, expand, and hire new employees.

How to Rein in Long-Term Spending

  • Repeal Obamacare: The health care law’s Medicaid expansion and costly new health care entitlement are partially offset by unwise cuts to Medicare provider reimbursement rates and new taxes, but it will nevertheless add to deficit spending. These flawed policies will exacerbate existing concerns in health care entitlement programs.
  • Reform Medicare: Medicare should be transformed from an unsustainable, open-ended, defined-benefit program to a premium-support program that allows retirees to select health plans that best suit their needs in a competitive market. This will spur better care at lower cost.
  • Reform Medicaid:Medicaid should be converted to provide direct support to low-income families to purchase their own private health insurance, and states should be given greater latitude to administer the program to better serve the most vulnerable members of society: the elderly and disabled.
  • Reform Social Security: Social Security benefits should be preserved for today’s seniors, and the program should be transformed to real insurance by moving away from a stream of benefits for every single American to a flat benefit above poverty targeting those who need it the most.

For more information, please visit http://SavingTheDream.org.

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

“Tip Tuesday” Advice for Gene Simmons

November 22, 2011 – 7:25 am

Last Tuesday night I watched Gene Simmons Family Jewels and I commented how I  was struck by the good advice that his son Nick gave him. He told him that he grew up thinking that his father was the best. However, now that the marital infidility has come out, it has made Nick think long and hard about what other things in his father’s life are not like he thought they were.

In today’s sermon at church I heard our pastor say that Randy Alcorn said one of the main reasons he did not want to have an affair was:

  • Hurt to and loss of credibility with my beloved daughters, Karina and Angela. (“Why listen to a man who betrayed Mom and us?”)

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT NICK SAID IN THE PROGRAM LAST TUESDAY!!!!HE GREW UP THINKING HIS FATHER HUNG THE MOON AND NOW HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT IS AUTHENTIC ABOUT HIS FATHER’S LIFE ANY MORE.

Today I went to my church, Fellowship Bible Church and heard one of our teaching pastors, Brandon Barnard, deliver a message on Sexual Purity.

He started off the sermon by reading three chapters from Proverbs. Here are the verses:

Proverbs 5:1-23

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 5

Warning Against Adultery

1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3For the lips of a forbidden[a] woman drip honey,
and her speech[b] is smoother than oil,
4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to[c] Sheol;
6she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it. 7And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”

15Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

19a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated[d] always in her love.
20Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[e]
21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
and he ponders[f] all his paths.
22The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Proverbs 6:20-35

English Standard Version (ESV)

Warnings Against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[c]
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,[d]
but a married woman[e] hunts down a precious life.
27Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.
30People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

Proverbs 7:6-27

English Standard Version (ESV)

 6For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
8passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.

10And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[a]
11She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
12now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
13She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him,
14“I had to offer sacrifices,[b]
and today I have paid my vows;
15so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”

21With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
22All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[c]
23till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng.
27Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.

Then Brandon made several points concerning the scriptures. Probably the most powerful point he made was referring to the exercise that Randy Alcorn had challenged all men to make. This below is my advice to Gene Simmons.

In light of all the sexual immorality and high profile infedility, Randy Alcorn shares with us his list that counts the cost of Sexual immorality.

As Christians, this is a timely reminder.

The original link is at http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2009/06/counting-cost-of-sexual-immorality.html

Here is the excerpt:

Personalized List of Anticipated Consequences of Immorality

  • Grieving my Lord; displeasing the One whose opinion most matters.
  • Dragging into the mud Christ’s sacred reputation.
  • Loss of reward and commendation from God.
  • Having to one day look Jesus in the face at the judgment seat and give an account of why I did it. Forcing God to discipline me in various ways.
  • Following in the footsteps of men I know of whose immorality forfeited their ministry and caused me to shudder. List of these names:
  • Suffering of innocent people around me who would get hit by my shrapnel (a la Achan).
  • Untold hurt to Nanci, my best friend and loyal wife.
  • Loss of Nanci’s respect and trust.
  • Hurt to and loss of credibility with my beloved daughters, Karina and Angela. (“Why listen to a man who betrayed Mom and us?”)
  • If my blindness should continue or my family be unable to forgive, I could lose my wife and my children forever.
  • Shame to my family. (The cruel comments of others who would invariably find out.)
  • Shame to my church family.
  • Shame and hurt to my fellow pastors and elders. List of names:
  • Shame and hurt to my friends, and especially those I’ve led to Christ and discipled. List of names:
  • Guilt awfully hard to shake—even though God would forgive me, would I forgive myself?
  • Plaguing memories and flashbacks that could taint future intimacy with my wife.
  • Disqualifying myself after having preached to others.
  • Surrender of the things I am called to and love to do—teach and preach and write and minister to others. Forfeiting forever certain opportunities to serve God. Years of training and experience in ministry wasted for a long period of time, maybe permanently.
  • Being haunted by my sin as I look in the eyes of others, and having it all dredged up again wherever I go and whatever I do.
  • Undermining the hard work and prayers of others by saying to our community “this is a hypocrite—who can take seriously anything he and his church have said and done?”
  • Laughter, rejoicing and blasphemous smugness by those who disrespect God and the church (2 Samuel 12:14).
  • Bringing great pleasure to Satan, the Enemy of God.
  • Heaping judgment and endless problems on the person I would have committed adultery with.
  • Possible diseases (pain, constant reminder to me and my wife, possible infection of Nanci, or in the case of AIDS, even causing her death, as well as mine.)
  • Possible pregnancy, with its personal and financial implications.
  • Loss of self-respect, discrediting my own name, and invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment upon myself.

I’m older now, turned 55 a few days ago. My daughters are grown, with children of their own. But the list of consequences of immorality is larger than ever. I have two sons-in-law and four grandsons. Many people have read my books, so the circle of people I would be letting down has grown. (For resources on this subject, see my book The Purity Principle, and my booklet Sexual Temptation: How Christian Workers Can Win the Battle.)

It would still break my heart to let down my Lord Jesus and my wonderful wife. That’s why I’m more careful than ever to avoid the little compromises and indulgences that could lead to moral disaster.

If we would rehearse in advance the ugly and overwhelming consequences of immorality, we would be far more prone to avoid it.

Other related posts:

Advice to Gene Simmons Part 3, Fellowship Bible Service July 24, 2011

Last Tuesday night I watched Gene Simmons Family Jewels and I commented how I  was struck by the good advice that his son Nick gave him. He told him that he grew up thinking that his father was the best. However, now that the marital infidility has come out, it has made Nick think long and hard […]

Does Gene Simmons need advice? (Part 2)

Last night I watched Gene Simmons Family Jewels and I was struck by the good advice that his son Nick gave him. He told him that he grew up thinking that his father was the best. However, now that the marital infidility has come out, it has made Nick think long and hard about what […]

Advice for Gene Simmons

I watched with great interest the first episode of Gene Simmons show two days ago when his wife left him because of his repeated unfaithfulness. Nerve editors are divided on the subject of Chelsea Handler, by which I mean that I find her kind of funny and Ben made a barfy face when I said […]

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

Locker room scene hits internet from Vol/Vandy game

November 22, 2011 – 7:02 am

I am involved with my relatives in a football pickem contest every week and the winner gets 50 dollars from a local newspaper. It is a fun time when we all get to pick the winners of 10 football games every week. I knew the Vandy at Tennessee game was going to be close this week, but I picked Tennessee because of the tradition that Tennessee has. I have discovered that many times the tradition rich team will find a way to win. (By the way, I also picked Oregon to beat Stanford too.)

One thing I was surprised to see a few days later was a scene from the Tennessee locker room hit the internet. Everyone knows what coaches say behind closed doors but you just expect to see it on the internet.

Franklin: UT’s celebration will remain open wound

  • TERESA M. WALKER – AP Sports Writer (AP)
  • Posted November 21, 2011 at 3:43 p.m., updated November 21, 2011 at 4:32 p

NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt’s James Franklin says he won’t soon forget the Commodores’ latest and perhaps most painful loss to Tennessee.

The coach says the way the Vols celebrated their 27-21 overtime win – which included coachDerek Dooley boasting how the Vols always beat Vanderbilt – will be a wound he leaves open until next year.

And luckily, there’s video available for the Commodores to watch over and over again.

“We’ll watch it as many times as we have to watch it next year,” Franklin said Monday. “That’s a wound I’m going to leave open. It’s not going to heal. I’m going to leave it open all year, and we’ll discuss it next year.”

Franklin said he knows his Commodores hurt themselves plenty with four turnovers and bad penalties last weekend. The final turnover was Eric Gordon’s interception return for a touchdown that officials reviewed, which theSoutheastern Conference admitted two hours later was messed up. Tennessee should have gone on offense instead.

The Vanderbilt coach said Monday he prefers to see the Vols’ celebration as a sign of respect.

“Some people act like they won the Super Bowl, and they beat a team that the two previous years had won four games total,” Franklin said. “Obviously, we’re winning, closing the gap and threatening some people and making some people uncomfortable. We’ll leave it at that. We’ll move on. We’ll have a lot of discussions about this next year when the time’s right.”

Three hours’ away in Knoxville, Dooley was disappointed video of what happened inside Tennessee’s locker room was shared, but he called it the world today.

“It’s like there’s no sacred place, and I think probably all the 120 coaches out there in football have a side to them where they loosen to the team that they don’t do in the public,” Dooley said. “Am I excited after a win? I always am. After a win is emotional, and certainly when you win a close game down to the wire, it’s exciting. You take those things for what they are. It’s a postgame, emotional, have a little fun, and then you close the door on it when you leave.”

Franklin called it a tough loss and said as rewarding as this season has been that it may be his most challenging with the tough losses combined with unusual situations. Four of Vanderbilt’s losses in the SEC this season have come by a combined 19 points.

“You can’t turn it over, especially on the road and especially early in the game and allow the momentum to swing like that. When you have four turnovers, three interceptions and a fumble, it’s hard to recover from that,” Franklin said.

The Commodores also racked up seven penalties for 46 yards, including a costly flag on lineman Josh Jelesky for a low block nowhere near a play that wiped out a huge gain by Chris Boyd down to the Tennessee 1. Franklin said he had never seen a play go from the 1 to the other 1 in two plays.

“There’s been more freakish things happen in this season than I’ve ever been around,” Franklin said.

“All I can do is coach that kid and put him in position and emphasize how important it is not making those mistakes. It wasn’t just that play. It was six or seven plays. There’s no doubt that was a dramatic one,” Franklin said.

Franklin’s bigger challenge now is rallying his Commodores (5-6) needing a win Saturday at Wake Forest (6-5) to be bowl eligible. It’s something only the Commodores thought could happen in Franklin’s first year, but now their first road win would extend their season with their second bowl game in four years.

“We’re in a one-game season,” Franklin said. “Truly, I’ve been saying that all year. We’re in a one-game season. We win this week, we’ll have more opportunities in the future probably more so than ever. The argument that I’m making is that we’ve got a one-game season, and we truly do. We win this week we’ll have more opportunities, and we’ll see what happens.”

Defensive tackle Rob Lohr said they have no problem refocusing on Wake Forest.

“We want to prove ourselves,” Lohr said. “Nobody wants to lose, let alone the way we did. So we need to bounce back this week and get a W so we can go to a bowl game.”

___

AP Sports Writer Beth Rucker in Knoxville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

To see Tennessee’s celebration in the locker room celebration see YouTube

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

Mangino speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 3)

November 22, 2011 – 6:33 am
Mangino at a 2007 KU basketball game

Eric Mangino is a fine coach. Here is a portion of an article by Jim Harris:

STRANGE YEAR: Mark Mangino noted the unusual college football season, from six more more teams being in the mix to make the BCS Championship Game in the second half of November, to the great success the 72-year-old Bill Snyder has had in his second turn at Kansas State, to the problems that surfaced last week at Penn State that cost Joe Paterno his job.

Mangino and Bob Stoops, as well as ousted Arizona coach Mike Stoops, were on Snyder’s staff in the 1990s.

A native of Pennsylvania, Mangino said Paterno’s firing after the allegations of child molestation by a former Penn State assistant coach hit home.

Mangino has seen a lot of the strange 2011 strike close to home. He was an assistant for a year under Jim Tressel at Youngstown State, where Mangino played. Tressel, of course, lost his job this year in all the irregularities that surfaced at Ohio State starting last December.

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

John Hancock’s Thanksgiving proclamation

November 21, 2011 – 4:08 pm

America’s Founding Fathers Deist or Christian? – David Barton 1/6

I enjoyed this and wanted to pass it on from Wallbuilders:

John Hancock – 10/05/1791

The following is the text of a Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise, issued by John Hancock (Signer of the Declaration of Independence), while he was serving as governor of Massachusetts. The proclamation was issued October 5, 1791 and was declaring November 17, 1791 the day of Thanksgiving.

 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

By His EXCELLENCY
John Hancock, Esq.
GOVERNOR of the COMMONWEALTH
of Massachusetts.
A PROCLAMATION,
For a Day of Public Thanksgiving.

In consideration of the many undeserved Blessings conferred upon us by GOD, the Father of all Mercies; it becomes us no only in our private and usual devotion, to express our obligations to Him, as well as our dependence upon Him; but also specially to set a part a Day to be employed for this great and important Purpose:

I HAVE therefore thought fit to appoint, and by the advice and consent of the Council, do hereby accordingly appoint, THURSDAY, the seventeenth of November next, to be observed as a Day of Public THANKSGIVING and PRAISE, throughout this Commonwealth:—Hereby calling upon Ministers and People of every denomination, to assemble on the said Day—and in the name of the Great Mediator, devoutly and sincerely offer to Almighty God, the gratitude of our Hearts, for all his goodness towards us; more especially in that HE has been pleased to continue to us so a great a measure of Health—to cause the Earth plentifully to yield her increase, so that we are supplied with the Necessaries, and the Comforts of Life—to prosper our Merchandise and Fishery—And above all, not only to continue to us the enjoyment of our civil Rights and Liberties; but the great and most important Blessing, the Gospel of Jesus Christ: And together with our cordial acknowledgments, I do earnestly recommend, that we may join the penitent confession of our Sins, and implore the further continuance of the Divine Protection, and Blessings of Heaven upon this People; especially that He would be graciously pleased to direct, and prosper the Administration of the Federal Government, and of this, and the other States in the Union—to afford Him further Smiles on our Agriculture and Fisheries, Commerce and Manufactures—To prosper our University and all Seminaries of Learning—To bless the virtuously struggling for the Rights of Men—so that universal Happiness may be Allies of the United States, and to afford his Almighty Aid to all People, who are established in the World; that all may bow to the Scepter of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the whole Earth be filled with his Glory.

And I do also earnestly recommend to the good People of this Commonwealth, to abstain from all servile Labor and Recreation, inconsistent with the solemnity of the said day.

Given at the Council-Chamber, in Boston, the fifth Day of October, in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-One, and in the sixteenth Year of the Independence of the United States of America.

JOHN HANCOCK.

By his Excellency’s Command,

JOHN AVERY, jun. Sec’y

GOD save the Commonwealth of MASSACHUSETTS!!
By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in David Barton, Founding Fathers | Comments (0)

Veterans Day 2011 Part 9:Roy “Roxy” Oxenrider survived Korean War’s Toughest Battle

November 21, 2011 – 9:30 am

Picture of Roy after he had recovered at the hospital.

Picture of Roy below in the hospital recovering from his injuries followed by a picture of Roy encouraging another soldier who was in the hospital:
 Below is an article that was published in November of 2010 in the Saline Courier:

Saline County War Hero

Bryant resident Roy “Roxy” Oxenrider Survived Korean War’s Toughest Battle in 1950 

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir took place in Korea from November 26, 1950 to December 11th. The United Nations (UN) forces included soldiers from  South Korea, United States, and the United Kingdom. The UN forces numbered 25,000 soldiers and 2836 were killed and 7500 suffered cold related injuries. The Chinese had 120,000 soldiers and 35,000 killed.

 China had entered the conflict just days earlier and huge numbers of Chinese Soldiers swept across the Yalu river, surrounding the UN troops at the Chosin Reservoir. A huge battle in freezing weather followed, and the UN troops were able to cut through Chinese lines in what can be described as a fighting withdrawal. 

Roy Oxenrider has been a Saline County resident for over 30 years and currently both he and his wife Mildred live in Bryant. He was born near Harrisburg, PA. Below is his story concerning his experience in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir: 

On September 13, 1949, age 17, I entered the U.S.Army through the recruiting center in Philadelphia, PA. After basic training in Ft Knox, KY, I was sent to Ft Benning, GA for advanced infantry training with the 3rd Division. Four days after the Korean war broke out, my name was posted on the board for duty in Korea.

I was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32 Regiment, 7th Division, Company A. On December 1, 1950 the weather started to clear around noon and the Corsairs appeared to give us cover. Someone yelled, “Able Company on the road.” I jumped out of my foxhole and started toward the road and realized my ROK soldier,  Joung He Su, was not by my side, this was unusual. I was between the road and railroad near the front of the truck column when I turned to look for Joung He Su. As I turned, I heard a plane and just looked up in time to see a napalm dropping from the bottom of the plane, prematurely hitting in our perimeter area. I jumped for a nearby foxhole but did not make it all the way in. You could smell the scorch of my clothing. The men coming across on their way to the front of the truck column were hit by napalm. There were 10 to 12 men completely on fire and several others with blotches of fire on them. We yelled for them to roll in the snow. I believe Joung He Su to be one of those that was on fire because I did not see him anymore. We still were having to fight hand to hand with the Chinese as the men were burning.

A machine gun had started firing on us and small arms fire was coming from the high ground on the left. We managed to cut down enough of them to move up to take our place at the rear of the truck column. The trucks were not moving. A Chinese MG on the high ground to the left was firing. It was accompanied by a hail of small arms fire. My squad went down the bank on the right side of the road to the edge of the reservoir. We used the bank for cover to get behind the MG to knock it out. As we moved along the reservoir edge we came to a little opening, like a cove. As I started across the open space, the MG switched fire zones. I was shot through both thighs, and knocked to the ice. There was no pain. Perhaps because of the extreme cold, I did not yet know that I had been hit. 

My buddy and squad leader, Harold Verseman, was behind me, and said, “Come on, Roy, get up. We got work to do.” I thought my feet had slipped from under me on the ice, but as I tried to rise, I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed. I called to Harold, “I can’t get up, I’ve been hit.” Harold turned, came back through a storm of bullets, the ice chipping and shattering around him and me as well. He got me by the arm and pulled me to the bank out of the line of fire. How he escaped being hit, I will never know. Of one thing I am certain, Harold Verseman saved my life. I could not have gotten off the ice by myself. I had dropped my carbine. Harold called a medic, turned to get my carbine, but it was gone. Someone had picked it up. He turned, and said, “Roy. I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He left at a run for the head of the column. 

The medics cut my pants in a cross pattern, bandaged my legs, and carried me up the bank to a truck. They moved other wounded forward in the truck bed. I was placed parallel to the tailgate. My head was on the driver’s side. By this time, a Corsair plane had knocked out the Chinese MG. The truck began moving. I was in the last truck in the column. One thing that sticks in my memory is the courage of the soldier/truck drivers who manned those improvised ambulances loaded with wounded. Any man who slipped into the seat of one of those trucks was committing suicide. All knew it, but it stopped none. The trucks never lacked drivers. As one was hit he would be dragged out, another took his place. I think they deserved our nations; highest award. The Medal of Honor. Each of those guys was a hero. There was only one narrow road. The Chinese could concentrate fire on the driver. They had the advantage of the high ground on the left, looking down the driver’s throat. Blown bridges and road blocks also slowed the column. It was a nightmare scenario. 

By the time we reached the first blown out bridge our fifth driver had been killed or wounded. This time the truck went into a shallow ditch on the right and leaned at a 45% angle, exposing the rear of the truck to direct enemy fire. The Chinese were firing into the truck, wounding and killing already wounded men. The bullets sounded like great gravel thrown against the truck, only much louder. My arm was jammed against the tailgate, as bullets hit the steel it felt like my arm was being torn off.  The Chinese were now streaming down the hillside. John Parker of A Company got out, followed by a wounded officer. I kept trying and finally was able to roll over the top of the tailgate. As I felt, my rib cage hit on the trailer hitch, knocking the wind out of me. I thought, this is it. I can’t move. The Chinese will shoot me because I can not walk. 

This thought enabled me to roll into the ditch and crawl into the brush with the wounded officer and Parker. We hid until dark. We heard screams, grenades and shooting. We knew no one else would get off that truck alive. That scene haunts me to this day. Some of those men stuck fast, frozen in the their own blood. I knew there was nothing I could do. Nevertheless, the self questioning has never stopped. I can still hear those cries for help. The bitter cold helped some like myself because blood froze so that one did not bleed to death, but to others it was tragic.

The officer wanted to follow the road. Parker and I did not agree with him. We parted. Parker had no shoes, only socks. He had suffered a stomach wound at the perimeter. The medics had removed his boots since he was unable to change his own socks, and placed his feet in a sleeping bag to prevent frostbite. I had extra socks under my shirt and an extra pair of insoles. We put the insoles on the bottoms of the first pair of socks, then pulled on the second pair to hold the insoles. It wasn’t much in that -25 degree to -40 degree weather, but better than what he had. When it is that cold, a few degrees did not seem to make much difference. I had regained some feeling in my left leg. Finding a tree limb for a crutch, we followed the RR, moving cautiously throughout the night. At one point, the Chinese walked by us. We lay doggo among the dead, there were so many they never noticed us. We left the RR, too many Chinese. We must have gone around the back (west) side of Hill 1221.

Next day we would go a short distance, stop, listen, then go on again. We did this all day. After dark we came to a village. It must have been Sasu. John was in bad shape. he could not walk. His feet were frozen. Pushing open the door of a L-shaped Korean house, I remember the frightened faces of the elderly couple who lived there. There were three other GI’s in the hut, one badly wounded. We decided we three unwounded would leave early in the morning to find our lines. I left my .45 pistol with one round for John, and promised the two of them to send help if we found anyone. Next morning, December 3rd, in total darkness, the three of us left. I moved very slowly, but the other two men did not leave me. 

 Throughout the morning we were fired upon by the Chinese. About 10 AM several marines stood up and zeroed in on us with their rifles. I thought, My God, we have come this far, and now our own people are going to shoot us. They came out to us, two marines slung their rifles, picked me up, carried me bodily for some distance. They loaded us into a 3/4 truck that was brought out of the Marine perimeter. We told them about our other two buddies in the Korean village, and they promised to go find them. In 1988, scanning some morning reports I had requested, I learned that John Parker was flown out on December 3rd on the same plane I was on. I don’t remember leaving the truck. Perhaps I passed out.The next memory is being loaded onto an airplane. My litter was dropped in loading. I came to for a brief few seconds. A temporary airstrip had been completed at Hagaru-ri. We were flown from there to a clearing station, then to Osaka Army Hospital in Japan. In an article I later read, one of the pilots described the wounded evacuees as filthy, unshaven, stinking from dried blood, the smell of smoke, gun powder and unwashed bodies. He was not critical, merely literal and honest in his description.Roy Oxenrider received three battle stars, the Purple Heart Metal, National Defense Service Metal, Field Medical Badge, United Nations Service Metal, Korean War Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Metal, and the Combat Infantry Badge.

Everette Hatcher is a regular contributor of the Saline Courier and he is the fourth generation in his family to work in the broom manufacturing business. Everette and his wife Jill have four children and live in Alexander.  
 
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By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events, War Heroes | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

What does Johnny Majors’ 71 Iowa have in common with another SEC team in 2011? jh72

November 21, 2011 – 9:06 am

They both lost to #1, 2 and 3 ranked teams in the same year (Iowa St in 1971 and Tennessee in 2011). As an Arkansas fan I take great pride in other schools complaining about having to play us. Did you know that Iowa State’s staff included head coach Johnny Majors who had left the Arkansas staff to take the position in 1968, but also Arkansas native Larry Lacewell and former Arkansas coaches Jackie Sherrill and Jimmy Johnson. Look at this article today from Knoxville:

John Adams: Testing UT: 1, 2, 3

By John Adams

Sunday, November 20, 2011

You knew Tennessee’s schedule would be difficult way back in preseason. You didn’t know it would be as hard as 1-2-3.

LSU is No. 1. Alabama is No. 2. Arkansas is No. 3.

Those rankings provide glaring evidence that all of UT’s football shortcomings aren’t related to coaching changes, player attrition or injuries to its two best offensive players.

Getting up when you’re down is hard enough under normal circumstances. There’s nothing normal about the SEC, especially this season.

An exceptional league is now more exceptional than ever. It’s enough to make Missouri and Texas A&M have second thoughts.

It’s also enough to make you realize second-year coach Derek Dooley is in the midst of the most difficult rebuilding job in UT history.

You can’t gauge the progress simply by checking the record. You also have to check the rankings.

The Vols will head into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Kentucky with a 5-6 record. Half of those losses have come against the three highest ranked teams in the top 25.

There’s more to it than that. Two of the Vols’ other three loses came against nationally ranked South Carolina and Georgia.

The schedule isn’t a one-year fling. Last season, the Vols played five teams that finished in the top 25. Three of those teams finished in the top 10.

No wonder, the Vols still could finish the season with back-to-back losing records for the first time in 100 years.

Former Tennessee coach Johnny Majors can relate better than anyone to Dooley’s plight. And that’s not just because he also faced a major rebuilding job at UT when he returned to his alma mater in 1977.

Even before Majors revitalized UT football or turned Pittsburgh into a national power, he made Iowa State a competitive program in the old Big Eight.

In 1971, Majors’ Iowa State team lost only three regular-season games. It lost them to the top three teams in the country — Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado.

UT’s 2011 schedule has been even more arduous.

That doesn’t excuse how badly the Vols played in a 49-7 loss at Arkansas nine days ago. It does add perspective.

Each letdown and slipup is magnified when your talent is down and your schedule is up. There’s no margin for error or injury when that schedule is a virtual top-10 tour.

The best teams can win on a bad day. Teams like UT can get embarrassed on a bad day.

You can look beyond UT and see that. But you don’t have to look far.

Just check out the Vols’ longtime East rival. Florida enters Saturday’s game with Florida State at 6-5. The Gators could finish with no better record than the Vols. And they didn’t start the season with nearly as many disadvantages.

They had one coaching change, not two. They also are only two years removed from winning the SEC East and coming up one game short of back-to-back national championships.

Florida didn’t suffer injury-induced attrition comparable to UT’s loss of wide receiver Justin Hunter, who has played in only three games, or quarterback Tyler Bray, who has missed half the season. But it played a significant segment of the season either without quarterback John Brantley or without him at full strength because of a leg injury. It also was impacted by an injury to running back Jeff Demps.

A turn of the ankle here, a pulled hamstring there, and the next thing you know you’re down four touchdowns against Alabama. That’s life in the SEC.

It can be as hard as 1-2-3.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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

Video and story on Iowa St victory over Oklahoma State

November 21, 2011 – 8:43 am

Several pieces of the puzzle have to come together for Arkansas to have a chance at the national title. This was a big piece!!!

Mark Schlabach of ESPN wrote this article below:

AMES, Iowa — So what happens now?

We’ve spent the past few weeks wondering what would happen to the BCS national championship race if No. 2 Oklahoma State lost to No. 5 Oklahoma in the Dec. 3 Bedlam game in Stillwater, Okla.

[+] EnlargeIowa State celebrating

AP Photo/Charlie NeibergallIowa State notched its biggest win in program history Friday night.

We’ve pondered what would happen if No. 1 LSU lost to No. 6 Arkansas in Baton Rouge, La., on the day after Thanksgiving, or maybe even against No. 14 Georgia a week later in the SEC championship game.

If the Cowboys lost to the Sooners, which they’d done in each of the past eight seasons, would No. 3 Alabama play LSU again in the Jan. 9 Allstate BCS National Championship Game?

If not Alabama, then what about No. 4 Oregon? The Ducks lost to the Tigers 40-27 in their Sept. 3 season opener and haven’t lost since.

Or, even better, what would happen if LSU and Oklahoma State both lost?

Well, let the debate begin.

Somehow, Bedlam arrived two weeks early, and it was delivered by the most unlikely of teams. Iowa State, which had been 0-56-2 against opponents ranked in the top six of the Associated Press top 25 poll since 1936, stunned the No. 2 Cowboys 37-31 in double overtime at Jack Trice Stadium.

The Cowboys, who only had to win at Iowa State and then beat Oklahoma at home to punch their tickets to the BCS title game, had a chance to defeat the Cyclones in regulation. But after OSU intercepted a tipped pass at the Iowa State 29 with the score tied at 24 with 3:16 to play, Cowboys kicker Quinn Sharp narrowly missed a 37-yard field goal wide right with 1:17 to go.

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After the teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, the Cyclones intercepted Heisman Trophy candidate Brandon Weeden for the third time on the first play of the second overtime. Three plays later, Iowa State running back Jeff Woody plowed into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown, giving the Cyclones their biggest win in school history.

“Once I got in the end zone, I realized the enormity of what happened,” Woody said. “Senior night. Friday night on ESPN; only show in town. We’re 0-for-history [against top-six teams]. We need a sixth win to go bowling, and on ESPN.com they say we’ve got a 12 percent chance of playing in a bowl. All those things combined together create the perfect storm.”

On a cold night in America’s heartland, the Cyclones turned the BCS race into an absolute mess.

“We knew when we got on the field, it was our time,” said Iowa State quarterback Jared Barnett, who completed 31 of 58 passes for 376 yards with three touchdowns, while running 14 times for 84 yards. “It was our time to shock the world.”

It was a nightmare for the Cowboys, who might have been playing with heavy hearts after OSU women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke, assistant Miranda Serna and two others were killed in a plane crash Thursday. The Pokes committed a season-high five turnovers against Iowa State.

[+] EnlargeBrandon Weeden

AP Photo/Charlie NeibergallHeisman candidate Brandon Weeden threw three costly picks in the loss.

“Obviously, it’s a real tough loss for our team, and I hated it for the guys,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “But it’s real simple: If you lose the turnover battle in such a big fashion, it’s definitely difficult to win games, especially on the road. We had five turnovers. And with five turnovers, it’s quite difficult to overcome.”

Weeden didn’t labor through the game, completing 42 of 58 passes for 476 yards with three touchdowns, but his three interceptions were costly. Running back Joseph Randle lost two fumbles, and the Cowboys failed to cover an onside kick in the third quarter.

“They’re just mental errors,” OSU receiver Tracy Moore said. “Fumbles aren’t something Joe does and throwing picks isn’t like Brandon. You can blame it on the weather, but that’s not what we do. I don’t expect it to happen in the next game. Those are the things that happened just in this game and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

With two more weeks to play in college football’s regular season, the Cowboys might not be entirely out of the BCS championship race. But their loss at Iowa State certainly pushes them to the back of the line.

As many as five teams — LSU, Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma and Arkansas — could end up being in the mix to play in New Orleans. The Tigers still have to play at Ole Miss on Saturday, host Arkansas next week and then play in the SEC championship game if they win the first two. Alabama plays FCS foe Georgia Southern at home Saturday and at No. 24 Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 26, which is never a given regardless of the teams’ records.

The Ducks might be tested by USC at home on Saturday night and then host rival Oregon State in the Nov. 26 Civil War. Oklahoma still has three games to play — at No. 22 Baylor on Saturday, home against suddenly dangerous Iowa State next week and then at Oklahoma State.

The Razorbacks host Mississippi State on Saturday before playing at LSU next week.

With so many games left to be played, there’s still a lot left to shake out.

But there’s little doubt the Cyclones mucked it up pretty good on Friday night.

“We know this isn’t the end of the road,” Iowa State receiver Darius Darks said. “It didn’t surprise us.”

Hang on. College football might have plenty of more surprises in store for us.

Mark Schlabach covers college sports for ESPN.com. You can contact him at schlabachma@yahoo.com.

Follow Mark Schlabach on Twitter: @Mark_Schlabach

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