Yearly Archives: 2012

Misquotes, Fake Quotes, and Disputed Quotes of the Founders

July 12, 2012 – 8:30 am

1 Of 5 / The Bible’s Influence In America / American Heritage Series / David Barton

2 Of 5 / The Bible’s Influence In America / American Heritage Series / David Barton

3 Of 5 / The Bible’s Influence In America / American

Heritage Series / David Barton

4 Of 5 / The Bible’s Influence In America / American Heritage Series / David Barton

5 Of 5 / The Bible’s Influence In America / American Heritage Series / David Barton

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3 Of 3 / Faith Of The Founding Fathers / American Heritage Series / David Barton

________________Many inauthentic quotes attributed to the Founding Fathers have been in circulation for much of the 20th century. These are still being used frequently, especially by those in the religious right.

Fortunately we have many of the letters, diaries, and notes written by the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson wrote many letters daily. John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary every day for 18 years straight. During the 1787 Constitutional Convention, James Madison wrote notes in shorthand which he converted into longhand every night. Newspapers of the day are also a good source. Actually, George Washington’s farewell Presidential Address in 1796 was only a newspaper article. In sum, our prolific Founders left us with many sources of material.

Misquotes

If one quotes the actual words of a Founding Father but does not give the context, then he is guilty of misquoting.

John Adams (1735-1826) “This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it.”

John George and Paul Boller, Jr. in their book They Never Said It set the record straight:

Adams did indeed make the statement, but only to repudiate it. In a letter to Thomas Jefferson about religion on April 19, 1817, he mentioned reading some polemical books that reminded him of the way his boyhood minister, Lemuel Bryant, and his Latin schoolmaster, Joseph Cleverly, used to argue ad nausea about religion, and he told Jefferson: “Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been on the point of breaking out, ‘this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!!’ But in this exclamation, I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in public company–I mean hell.”

 Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) “I therefore beg leave to move–that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that article.”

This is exactly what Franklin said at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. However, many in the religious right ignore that fact that his motion was tabled and never voted on. For instance, Tal Brooke comments, “It was Benjamin Franklin who called the Constitutional Convention to prayer with a powerful statement of their debt to God. As mere men, they could not presume to undertake so great a task without petitioning Him for guidance. America abounds with Christian evidences from its earliest days.”

Actually this version of the Franklin prayer motion originated with a letter written in September of 1825 from William Steele to his son, Jonathan. The letter told about William’s recollection of a conversation with General Jonathan Dayton, a member of the Constitutional Convention. This incorrect account later appeared in the National Intelligencer, and other sources as well. According to Steele, Dayton recalled that “the motion for appointing a chaplain was instantly seconded and carried.” However, James Madison in a letter to Thomas S. Grimke (January 6, 1834) stated that Franklin’s “proposition was received and treated with the respect due to it; but the lapse of time which had preceded, with consternations growing out of it, had the effect of limiting what was done, to a reference of the proposition to a highly respectable Committee… That the communication [Steele’s account of Dayton testimony] was erroneous is certain; whether from misapprehension or misrecollection, uncertain.”

We should learn a lesson from James Madison. It is one thing to correct a person who is mistaken about historical details, but it is quite another to accuse someone of intentionally fabricating a story. Note that Madison stopped short of doing the latter.

Fake Quotes

A fake quote is an inauthentic quote attributed to a Founding Father. The late Robert S. Alley, former professor at the University of Richmond has rightly stated that “proving that a quotation does not exist is a daunting task…” However, evidence exists that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the following quote is not authentic.

James Madison (1751-1836) “Religion …[is] the basis and foundation of government.”

This fake quote is taken from Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance. The subject in this sentence is not “Religion,” but actually the “Declaration of those rights ‘which pertain to the good people of Virginia.'” Nevertheless, this inauthentic quote has been circulated for many years.

Disputed Quotes

A disputed quote may actually be authentic, but no primary source has been found. Some scholars would put the following two quotes in the previous category of “Fake Quotes” while other scholars may hold out hope that a primary source will be found.

James Madison (1751-1836) “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves…according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

Possibly this quote was originally given by Bishop James Madison (a cousin) or from James Madison’s father, James Madison, Sr., but this is pure speculation. There is always a distant chance that a quote could turn up from a primary source that was found in someone’s attic. In fact, a primary document from James Madison surfaced as late as 1946, but don’t hold your breath till that happens again. The fact remains that there is not a shred of evidence that links James Madison to this quote. Moreover, Paul F. Boller, Jr. in a personal letter to me stated, “The Madison quote about the Ten Commandments sounds un-Madisonian. I’ve read a lot of Madison, and I know he didn’t express himself that way…Sometimes the questionable quote can’t be found in any of the writings that have survived of the person who is supposed to have made the statement. The Madison quote doesn’t appear in any of Madison’s writings.”

Christian apologist Gary DeMar wrote concerning his research concerning the quote:

I credited this quotation to Madison in the first edition of the first volume of God and Government. Nearly every book written by a Christian author to support the Christian America thesis claims Madison as the quotation’s author. I have searched in vain for the quotation’s original source. American Vision even contacted a Madison scholar for help. He was not familiar with the quotation. Further study led me to the January 1958 calendar published by Spiritual Mobilization. What was Spiritual Mobilization’s source for the quotation? None was listed. Additional detective work led me to another James Madison, a cousin of President Madison. Madison served as president of William and Mary College and was the first Protestant Episcopal bishop of Virginia. Is he the source of the quotation? Very possibly. Christians should stop attributing of the quotation to President James Madison until we find out.

 It is my opinion that this disputed quote attributed to Madison has been the one used more than any other by the religious right. This is probably due to the fact that the Supreme Court banned the display of the Ten Commandments in the public school rooms in the case Stone v. Graham in 1980.

George Washington (1732-1799) “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

Several years ago, I was guilty of using this disputed quote, and the late Professor John George of the University of Central Oklahoma, Political Science Department, told me that there is not a shred of evidence to link Washington to this quote. Professor George was a leading expert on this subject, and he co-authored They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions with Paul F. Boller, Jr. of Texas Christian University.

I had copied this disputed quote off of a bumper sticker that my friend from church had on his truck. However, I was surprised at my friend’s reaction when I told him he should remove his sticker. He said,  “Is Professor George a Christian? If not then he probably has an axe to grind.” I later discovered that Professor George had corrected many atheists too. Nevertheless, I tried to find someone in the religious right who also had some knowledge on the subject.

So I called up the company that specialized at putting out bumper stickers with quotes from the  Founding Fathers dealing with God. The owner of the company actually spent a whole year researching the Washington quote and he said he concluded that Washington did not say it. He commented, “Washington did not talk that way. He did not use the word ‘Bible’ any that I can remember, and I believe, I have read everything available that Washington wrote.”

This fellow was a Christian lawyer, and he said he could no longer sell the Washington bumper sticker even though it made up 90% of his sales. Again I went back to my friend, but he replied, “That fellow is not a historian. David Barton has studied the history of the founding fathers for over 20 years. I have a lot of respect for Barton.”

Then I contacted Barton’s organization, Wallbuilders Inc of Aledo, Texas. They mailed me the “Unconfirmed or Questionable Quote” list and it featured the Washington quote. Furthermore, it recommended not using this quote until it is authenticated.

When confronted with this opinion from Barton my friend responded, “I am not going to take my bumper sticker off until I have an explanation of how the quote could have possibly been mistakenly attributed to Washington in the first place.”

Then I received a few weeks later an updated “Unconfirmed Quote” list from Wallbuilders, and under the Washington disputed quote is this explanation:

There is a very real possibility that the quotation has its origin in an 1835 biography by James K. Paulding. In a description of Washington’s character, with supporting quotations, Paulding declares Washington to have said, “It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being.” The similarities are obvious; a paraphrase of these quotes could have easily generated the words in question. However, we have not been able to trace Paulding’s cite to a more scholarly reference. He offers no footnotes.

I thought my friend would finally back down when I showed him this evidence, but I was about to learn something about human nature. I explained to him that this quote originated around 1835 when someone read Paulding’s book A Life of Washington. This is because it contained another unconfirmed quote of Washington which also had the words “impossible” and “govern.” Obviously a paraphrase took place at that time. My friend replied, “Are you 100% sure it is a bad quote? If not then I am going to continue to use it!”

Needless to say I have learned a lot about people’s tendency to ignore evidence when it goes against their presuppositions. Furthermore, I have quit trying to convince my friend that a disputed quote should be shelved until it is authenticated. He truly believes if Washington were here today he would say it now even if he didn’t say it the first time.

  Everette Hatcher is a businessman in Little Rock, and his blog is www.thedailyhatch.org . He is a conservative Republican and he has confronted over 30 religious right authors over their misuse of disputed quotes. (The article above has been recommended by unlikely advocates such as the atheist Farrell Till of the Skepitcal Review.)

(Update: You will notice above in the section labeled “Fake Quotes” that I linked a comment by the late Dr. Robert Alley to an article by Rob Boston of Americans United published in 1996. I posted earlier how I was the source for the two articles that Rob Boston wrote on David Barton but unfortunately he implied that Barton made up these quotes. Fortunately I was given the opportunity to set the record straight in The Freedom Writer.

Later I got several board members of Americans United to contact Boston on my behalf and voice their opinion of how unfair Boston had been to Barton in his article  “Consumer Alert”. On March 7, 1997, I spoke with Barry Lynn the executive director of Americans United. Lynn was very gracious on the phone and  promised to consider an article from me in response to the slanted  “Consumer Alert” article Boston had written earlier. Americans United board member Dr. Paul Simmons of Louisville helped me write the aritcle, but ultimately it was never published until today.)

George Washington (Lansdowne portrait) by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, 1796

George Washington (Lansdowne portrait) by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, 1796
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Founding Fathers | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Nancy Carlton on climate change

July 12, 2012 – 7:45 am

Patrick J. Michaels on Climate Change

Uploaded by on Nov 18, 2008

Cato Institute Senior Fellow Patrick J. Michaels discusses climate change on various television programs. Michaels is a research professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia and visiting scientist with the Marshall Institute in Washington, D.C. He is a past president of the American Association of State Climatologists and was program chair for the Committee on Applied Climatology of the American Meteorological Society

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Mitt Romney earlier held the view that we had to take an aggressive view concerning climate change but has lightened up on that view since then.  I have big doubts concerning climate change and I am willing to say that I don’t know for sure but now the facts indicate to me that global warming is happening. It may just be a cycle that includes periods of cool downs too in the past.

Below is an interesting article that I wanted to pass along.

Check your calendar – Is it 1984 yet?

Living in Quadrant 2 is the same as living in Saline County, he thought to himself. Vaguely he could still perceive the term “Saline County”, even though all his neighbors had forgotten it.

From his dingy window overlooking the People’s Ministry Headquarters in Bentonia, he could see the lines of uniformed workers already waiting impatiently to be let into their work stations.

He knows that the main reason they are anxious to get inside is that their breakfast rations are laid out for them in the entry hall, to be picked up on the way to their cubicles. It’s a good thing that the food is neatly cut into perfect squares, each with its complete nutrition, low fat, high fiber, artificial taste, designed by a GS-12 dietitian, for quick consumption and zero waste.

This Orwellian, far-fetched scenario may seem like a total outlandish exaggeration when compared with the reality of 2011 in Saline County, Arkansas. But have you seen how quickly things are changing? If you have read George Orwell’s “1984”, look around you and see literature come to life!

“Newspeak” is the language of Orwell’s land of Oceania, where the government has taken over the language and is changing it rapidly to incrementally conform the thinking of all citizens to the official view handed down by the administration. Couldn’t happen here, you say?

Tell me where the following terms came from: Smart Growth. Green Economy. Sustainable Development. Undocumented Workers. Climate Change. Kinetic Military Action. Carbon Footprint.

This is your government telling you how to think. Business must not grow for profit – it must grow “smartly”. It must conform to a thousand regulations. It must not leave behind any unsightly traces. It must be globally fair and internationally lawful.

The economy mustn’t be robust. It must be environmentally pure. It must be inoffensive to other countries. It must be controlled. It must be manipulated.

The environment has been exalted by our government and the media to a higher status than people. Indeed a huge part of “Smart” and “Sustainable” projects to many futuristic thinkers in this world involves many, many fewer human beings than now inhabit this planet. The United Nations and I.C.L.E.I. have dire plans for the human race. Do yourself a favor and go to http://www.freedomadvocates.org. Look at the ICLEI Primer. Read the articles. See what is about to happen to our “unalienable rights” if the globalists get their way. The attack on America started decades ago. The dumbing down of our people by controlled media and public education which has been saturated with globalist attitudes and values is sucking the lifeblood from our nation. By the way, in case you think that surely nobody in our fair state would be radical enough or stupid enough to allow this ICLEI monster into our local governments – Pulaski County, North Little Rock and Fayetteville, Arkansas have all three already signed on. Check it out.

On another front, Al Gore and his merry band of junk scientists have convinced our schoolchildren that evil America is drowning the baby Polar Bears, when in truth the Polar Bears are thriving. Someone slipped up and told the truth about the global farce that is Climate Change. Will Al Gore give back his Nobel Peace Prize?

We have to stop the “death by regulation” and the organized brainwashing that is being perpetrated on us by Big Government.

As I am emphatically the Conservative columnist, you may ask,”What does this have to do with Conservatism vs. Liberalism?” Pretty much everything. For some reason, most Liberals seem to have an appetite for big government. They strive for the bliss they feel will come when government levels every playing field to the point that no one person even feels the need to try to excel anymore. Big Government left unchecked could easily become the “Big Brother” of Orwell’s “1984”. Maybe not in every detail, but the complete stifling of freedom would be the same.

I find some comfort in knowing that I am not sounding this alarm alone. Besides the Freedom Advocates website I gave you, also look at http://securearkansasnetwork.org for plenty of good local information.

If you don’t want to wake up some morning living in Quadrant 2 and lining up to get your rations along with your comrades, do some research.

Let’s make sure that we can continue to sing “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” without having to lie.

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

The best quarterbacks in the SEC in 2012? (Part 4)

July 12, 2012 – 6:58 am

I think Tyler Wilson is the best quarterback in the SEC, but what do others think?

247 sports notes:

First in a series that goes position by position to rate the best players and units in the Southeastern Conference. Today: the quarterbacks.

Aaron Murray at GeorgiaGeorgia’s Aaron Murray will be the top rated quarterback in the SEC heading into the 2011 season.

In a league that’s known for its defensive linemen, it’s hard to overlook the quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference. This is a glamour position in the nation’s number one football league but this year there is no Tim Tebow or Cam Newton on the horizon. Even though there is only one returning starter with star quality stats in Georgia’s Aaron Murray, there is no lack of talent heading into 2011.

Now that spring football is over, here is an early look at the quarterback position, rating by units and individually.

SEC EAST

1. Georgia:Aaron Murray is the top returning quarterback in the league after throwing for 3,049 yards and 24 touchdowns (only eight picks) as a redshirt freshman in 2010. Murray won’t have the luxury of throwing to A.J. Green in 2011, but the Bulldogs will have competent receivers. If Murray gets the protection, he should build upon last year’s work to become an All-SEC type this year. Sophomore Hutson Mason is the backup but he threw only 17 passes last year. Behind him is talented freshman Christian LeMay, whose problems in high school kept him from playing as a senior, and redshirt freshmen Greg Bingham and Parker Welch.

2. Florida:John Brantley is the incumbent and now that he will have the chance to run a pro style offense instead of the spread and get his coaching from Charlie Weis, he should be substantially better in 2011. Although Brantley didn’t have a great spring game, he will benefit from three months of working in the film room with Weis before practice begins again in August. Given Weis’ track record with quarterbacks, Brantley could be the most improved player in the SEC next season. Behind him are athletic redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy and touted freshmen Jeff Driskel, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, and athletic Jacoby Brissett, who could play Division I basketball as well as football.

3. South Carolina:Stephen Garcia’s future at South Carolina is completely up in the air but even if the oft-troubled Garcia doesn’t come back, South Carolina should be in very good hands. Conner Shaw backed up Garcia last year and while he doesn’t have the arm strength that Garcia has, he’s less likely to throw into double coverage, too. He will be backed up by junior Seth Strickland, sophomore Andrew Clifford and redshirt freshman Dylan Thompson. Whoever quarterbacks the Gamecocks will be able to hand the ball off to Marcus Lattimore, the best running back in the conference and maybe the country, and throw to Alshon Jeffery, arguably the best wide receiver in the nation. That should take the pressure off and considering it’s Steve Spurrier who will be coaching the position, figure South Carolina will be productive at quarterback.

4. Tennessee: A quarterback controversy is entirely possible in Knoxville. The incumbent is Tyler Bray, who threw for 18 touchdowns and 1,849 yards as a true freshman, but Bray was 5-30 in the spring game while Matt Simms, who threw for eight touchdowns and 1,460 yards last season, threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown in the spring game and was much, much sharper. Bray will be given every chance to retain his starting job but if he falters, Simms has SEC starts under his belt. Neither quarterback got any real separation in the spring. Freshman Justin Worley, who enrolled early, showed a strong arm and good decision making skills in the spring. The other quarterback on the roster is Nash Nance, who redshirted last year as a freshman.

5. Kentucky:Morgan Newton at and watched senior Mike Hartline last season but when Hartline was ineligible to play in the bowl game, Newton took over and completed 21-36 passes for 211 yards. He threw for six touchdowns and 706 yards as a true freshman in 2009. Newton had a good spring that had some Kentucky observers comparing him to former UK standout Andre Woodson, who threw for 71 touchdowns and 7,224 yards as a starter in 2006-07. Newton’s backup figures to be true freshman Maxwell Smith, a strong armed kid from California who enrolled early and played well during spring practice.

6. Vanderbilt: The good news for new coach James Franklin is that he has a two-year starter in Larry Smith. That’s also the bad news because Smith has never completed more than 50 percent of his passes and he has averaged a little more than 5.0 yards per attempt. Those numbers better improve if Franklin intends to improve Vandy’s anemic offense. The backup is Jordan Rogers, who redshirted last season. He’s never been healthy since he’s been at Vandy but he’s a far better passer than Smith and with a good August, he could take over as the #1 QB. Rogers’ brother is Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rogers. Sophomore John Townsley and redshirt sophomore Charlie Goro back up Rogers and Smith.

SEC WEST

1. Arkansas:Bobby Petrino is such a good quarterbacks coach that whoever he lines up under center figures to be one of the best in the SEC. Tyler Wilson spent the 2010 season backing up Ryan Mallett, but he showed what he could do against Auburn last year when Mallett went down with a concussion. All Wilson did was complete 25-34 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns. He comes into the season having thrown for 740 yards and seven touchdowns in his two years of apprentice work. Now Wilson is ready to start and considering he will be throwing to the nation’s best set of wide receivers and can hand the ball off to Knile Davis, who ran for 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, he figures to have something close to an All-SEC season. Behind Wilson are backups Brandon Mitchell, who impresses everyone with his strong arm and quick feet, and freshman Jacoby Walker, another big arm type who can run the ball as well.

2. Mississippi State: A year ago, who would have thought that Chris Relf would establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC? Everybody knew he could run the ball but he proved he can be a capable passer as well in leading the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record that included a smashing bowl win over Michigan. Relf threw for 1,776 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 701 and five more out of Dan Mullen’s spread option offense. If Relf improves on those numbers, he could contend for All-SEC. Mullen has an experienced backup in Tyler Russell, who threw for 635 yards and five touchdowns last year as a redshirt freshman. Redshirt freshman Dylan Favre, the nephew of Brett Favre, had an outstanding spring and in the fall, Mullen brings in highly regarded Dak Prescott, a terrific athlete with outstanding size (6-4, 230).

3. LSU: On the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday, Les Miles went on and on about the strides Jordan Jefferson made in the spring under new offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe. Jefferson is a terrific athlete who is better known for running the ball (383 yards and six touchdowns in 2010) than throwing it although he did throw for 17 touchdowns and 2,166 yards as a sophomore in 2009. If Jefferson can hold his position and actually excel, it would allow Miles to redshirt big arm juco transfer Zach Mettenberger, the former Georgia signee. Senior Jarrett Lee, who has started nine games and thrown 18 touchdown passes in his career, is a capable backup. Metterberger has the best physical tools of the three but Miles has made it very clear that he would be most comfortable with a senior starter at quarterback. In the all, those three will be joined by athletic Jerrard Randall, who might end up at another position before his career is through.

4. Alabama: A.J. McCarron always looked good in his relief appearances for Greg McElroy (completed 30-48 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns) but now he has to prove he can be the starter. That’s going to be a tough job since he couldn’t distance himself in the spring from redshirt freshman Phillip Sims. Mark Ingram is gone from the offense as is Julio Jones, but Alabama has competent receivers in Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks, and tailback Trent Richardson figures to have a monster season, so neither McCarron or Sims will have to be great. All they will have to do is avoid fumbling and throwing the ball to the other team to be competent. Freshman Phillip Ely will make all the road trips but he’s got to spend his first year in the weight room getting strong enough to play Division I football.

5. Auburn: No one will have a greater statistical dropoff at the quarterback position than Auburn. Auburn doesn’t have one quarterback capable of matching Cam Newton’s Heisman Trophy stats of 2,854 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to go with 1,473 rushing yards and another 20 touchdowns and no one is sure there are any two who could put up those numbers. Barrett Trotter, who ran for 68 yards and passes for 64 more last year, ended the spring locked in a battle with redshirt freshman Clint Moseley, but no one would be surprised if they have to take a backseat to hotshot freshman Kiehl Frazier, who spent four years in high school running the Gus Malzahn offense at a very high level. Frazier has the strong arm to throw the ball in the SEC and he runs the ball better than either Trotter or Moseley.

6. Ole Miss: When senior Nathan Stanley left the program during spring practice that pretty much left the Ole Miss quarterback job a tossup between juco transfer Randall Mackey and West Virginia transfer Barry Brunetti. Mackey finished the spring just ahead of Brunetti, but in the spring game, Brunetti threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns while Mackey threw for 151 and one touchdown plus threw an interception. Also in the mix is juco transfer Zach Stoudt and athletic freshman Maikhail Miller. The quarterback position figures to be like the rest of the Ole Miss team, a real question mark for 2011.

RATING THE STARTERS:

1. Aaron Murray, Georgia
2. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
3. Chris Relf, Mississippi State
4. John Brantley, Florida
5. Jordan Jefferson, LSU
6. A.J. McCarron, Alabama
7. Conner Shaw, South Carolina
8. Tyler Bray, Tennessee
9. Morgan Newton, Kentucky
10. Barrett Trotter, Auburn
11. Larry Smith, Vanderbilt
12. Randall Mackey, Ole Miss

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

Ringo Starr on tour 2012 (Part 3)

July 12, 2012 – 6:28 am

I went  to a Ringo Starr concert on July 4, 2012 at Orange Beach, AL and enjoyed it very much and here are some of the songs I heard that night:

Concert review – Ringo Starr at Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Tuesday 21st June 2011, 12:52PM BST.

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Birmingham
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band,  Birmingham
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band,  Birmingham Symphony Hall, Concert review by Phil  Gillam

Yes, yes, of course it was terribly ‘cabaret’ at times, but what were you  expecting, for goodness sake? This is Ringo.

Now, you might say there are two types of performer in popular music: the  artist (such as Bob Dylan) and the entertainer (such as Engelbert Humperdink).  Ringo has never professed to be an artist, but he’s never stopped being an  entertainer. And entertain is what he did supremely well last night.

“If you don’t know this next song, you’re in the wrong venue,” he told the crowd as  he launched, into Yellow Submarine.

Surrounded by top-notch, if ancient, musicians – all of whom were major  players in their time – Ringo, a sprightly 70 years old, gave us energetic  renditions of Honey Don’t, Back Off Boogaloo, Photograph, and of course  With A Little Help From My Friends.

Starr has suffered down the years at the hands of critics.  But it turns out  the mop-top caricatures of John the thinker, Paul the romantic, George the  mystic and Ringo the clown were pretty accurate after all.

Last night he proved he was still the clown, still the master entertainer,  and still, a much better drummer than many give him credit for. Ringo . . .  you’re fab.

Photos – Jason Sheldon /  Junction10 Photography

Read more:  http://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/2011/06/21/concert-review-ringo-starr-at-symphony-hall-birmingham/#ixzz1zlqZ0umd

Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach at their wedding 1981«

_____________________-

Ringo Starr – “Wings” 1/31/2012 Craig Ferguson

Here is a song off of the new album “Ringo Starr 2012.”

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

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

July 12, 2012 – 6:00 am

Dear Senator Pryor,

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

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

In this paper below you will read:

America cannot raise taxes to continue overspending, because tax hikes shrink our economy and grow our government. America cannot borrow more to continue overspending, because borrowing puts an enormous financial burden on the American children of tomorrow. A BBA will help address this long-term problem because, after the multi-year process for securing ratification of the BBA by three-quarters of the states, the BBA will keep federal spending under control in subsequent years.

Washington has not been able to cut spending so the BBA is needed to force Washington to do the right thing. Your father David Pryor was the governor of Arkansas and he knew what it meant to have a balanced budget by mandate.

Thank you again for this opportunity to share my ideas with you.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

Balanced Budget Amendment: Cut Spending Later, Cut Spending Now

March 31, 2011

 

Two key principles should govern congressional consideration of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that requires the federal government to balance its budget:

  • First Principle: A Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) is important to help bring long-term fiscal responsibility to America’s future when the BBA takes effect after ratification by three-quarters of the state legislatures; it is equally important for Congress to cut spending nowto address the current overspending crisis.
  • Second Principle: An effective BBA will include three elements to: (a) control spending, taxation, and borrowing, (b) ensure the defense of America, and (c) enforce the requirement to balance the budget.

Cuts for the Future, Cuts for the Present

Federal spending is out of control—both obligations for the future and spending right now.

Congress must get spending under control in the long term. America cannot raise taxes to continue overspending, because tax hikes shrink our economy and grow our government. America cannot borrow more to continue overspending, because borrowing puts an enormous financial burden on the American children of tomorrow. A BBA will help address this long-term problem because, after the multi-year process for securing ratification of the BBA by three-quarters of the states, the BBA will keep federal spending under control in subsequent years.

Congress also must get spending under control in the short term. Federal overspending is not simply about the future, but also about the present. Under the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Submission, measured by the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government will spend $1.2 trillion more than it will take in, a gargantuan burden of additional debt forced on future generations to pay current bills.

Thus, America needs both a Balanced Budget Amendment for the long term and deep cuts in federal spending starting right now, without waiting for a BBA to take effect. As Congress considers budget resolutions, appropriations bills, appropriations continuing resolutions, and debt limit bills, Congress should take every opportunity now to cut federal spending, including for the biggest overspending problem: the ever-growing entitlement programs.

Congress should recognize that the best way to encourage state legislatures to ratify a BBA is to demonstrate, through consistent congressional cuts in spending, that the American people have the will to accept spending cuts to balance the budget.

Elements of a Successful Balanced Budget Amendment

A successful BBA will:

  • Control spending, taxing, and borrowing through a requirement to balance the budget.The BBA should cap annual spending at a level not exceeding either: (a) a specified percentage of the value of goods and services the economy produces in a year (known as gross domestic product, or GDP), or (b) the level of revenues. To ensure that Congress cannot simply balance the budget by continually raising taxes instead of cutting overspending, the BBA should require Congress to act by supermajority votes if Members wish to raise taxes. Any authority the BBA grants Congress to deal with economic slowdowns, by waiving temporarily the requirement that spending not exceed the GDP percentage or revenue level, should specify the amount of above-revenue spending allowed and require supermajority votes.
  • Defend America. The BBA should allow Congress by supermajority votes to waive temporarily compliance with the balanced budget requirement when waiver is essential to pay for the defense of Americans from attack.
  • Enforce the balanced budget requirement. The BBA should provide for its own enforcement, but must specifically exclude courts from any enforcement of the BBA, so unelected judges do not make policy decisions such as determining the appropriate level of funding for federal programs. A government that spends money in excess of its revenues must borrow to cover the difference. Therefore, to enforce the requirement to balance the budget, the BBA should prohibit government issuance of debt, except when necessary to finance a temporary deficit resulting from congressional supermajority votes discussed above.

America is in a fiscal crisis. Our government spends too much. Overspending must stop immediately. Overspending will stop only if Congress cuts spending now, including with respect to the ever-expanding entitlement programs. For the future, Congress and three-quarters of state legislatures can adopt and ratify a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to anchor the American willingness to live within a balanced budget.

David S. Addington is Vice President for Domestic and Economic Policy, and J. D. Foster, Ph.D., is Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the Economics of Fiscal Policy, at The Heritage Foundation.

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

Open letter to President Obama (Part 112)

July 12, 2012 – 4:07 am

Dan Mitchell on Austerity in Europe 2012

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

In order to balance the budget we must make deep cuts. Take a look at the study refers to below by Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute in his fine article on the French mess. Raising taxes has not worked in the thirty countries studied. As President it is your job to make sure we don’t continue to head down this pass of trying to raise taxes on the job creators.

Having written several times about crazy French statism, you will understand why I like this cartoon.

Though, to be fair, France hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s being bailed out (it’s probably just a matter of time).

If you want some good analysis of the situation in Europe, Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center hits the nail on the head in her column in today’s Washington Examiner.

France has yet to cut spending. In fact, to the extent that the French are frustrated with “budget cuts,” it’s only because the increase in future spending won’t be as large as they had planned. The same can be said about the United Kingdom. Spain, Italy and Greece have had no choice to cut some spending. However, in the case of these particular countries, the cuts were implemented alongside large tax increases. …This approach to austerity, also known in the United States as the “balanced approach,” has unfortunately proven a recipe for disaster. In a 2009 paper, Harvard University’s Alberto Alesina and Silvia Ardagna looked at 107 attempts to reduce the ratio of debt to gross domestic product over 30 years in countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. They found fiscal adjustments consisting of both tax increases and spending cuts generally failed to stabilize the debt and were also more likely to cause economic contractions. On the other hand, successful austerity packages resulted from making spending cuts without tax increases. They also found this form of austerity is more likely associated with economic expansion rather than with recession. …While the debate over austerity continues, the evidence seems to point to the conclusion that austerity can be successful, if it isn’t modeled after the “balanced approach.” It’s a lesson for the French and other European countries, as well as for American lawmakers who often seem tempted by the lure of closing budget gaps with higher taxes.

This is similar to my recent analysis, and Veronique also is kind enough to cite my analysis of how the Baltic nations have done the right thing and cut spending.

There are obvious lessons from Europe for the United States. If politicians don’t reform entitlement programs, we’re doomed to have our own fiscal crisis at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Only there won’t be anybody there to bail us out.

_____________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

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

A way to understand the current federal budget

July 12, 2012 – 12:20 am

I got this off the internet.

U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
New debt: $1,650,000,000,000
National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
Recent budget cut: $38,500,000,000

Now, remove 8 zeros and pretend it’s a household budget

Annual family income: $21,700
Money the family spent: $38,200
New debt on the credit card: $16,500
Outstanding balance on credit card: $142,710
Total budget cuts: $385

Sort of brings the true issue “home” doesn’t it?

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

Barrett Jones of Alabama

July 12, 2012 – 12:09 am

Alabama Coach Nick Saban speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

FR111446 AP

Alabama Coach Nick Saban speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

___________

Yesterday I talked about Alabama in the SEC football preview and I today I am profiling their best player.

I really respect Barrett Jones for his work on and off the football field.

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 Photo 1 of 3
In a friendly game of keep away, University of Alabama football player Barrett Jones demonstrates why he is a formidable opponent on the football field. The mission team he led to Nicaragua visited several schools to share the love of Christ with the children.  BP Photo.Photo Terms of Use
 
JINOTEGA, Nicaragua (BP) — Barrett Jones, a 6-foot-5-inch, 300-pound football player for the University of Alabama would stand out anywhere.But his love for God and his commitment to sharing the Gospel also make him stand out from most of his peers.”I don’t want to be known as a football player who happens to be a Christian, I want to be known as a Christian who happens to play football,” said Jones, an All-American for the 2011 national champion Crimson Tide.

At Shalom Baptist Church in Jinotega, Nicaragua, Barrett Jones, University of Alabama offensive lineman, shares a message on how God — not sports, money, success or relationships — can fill a person’s heart. Rafael Castro translates. BP Photo

A longtime member of Bellevue Baptist Church of Cordova, Tenn., near Memphis, Jones organized and led a team of 31 of his friends and family members on a mission trip to Jinotega, Nicaragua, during his spring break, March 11-16.

The team participated in several nightly revival services at Shalom Baptist Church in Jinotega and visited three public schools and an orphanage. At each location, they gave their personal testimonies, presented the Gospel story and interacted with the children by playing sports and games and simply reflecting God’s love.

The 21-year-old Jones made his priorities in his testimony at the revival service at Shalom Baptist on March 13.

“Tonight, I want to talk to you a little bit about what I’m really passionate about,” he told the crowd, “and that’s not football — it’s Jesus Christ.”

This is the third mission trip Jones has organized and led — the past two spring breaks he has taken mission teams to Haiti where they constructed bathrooms for refugees, painted a school building and built a basketball court.

“I love this trip [to Nicaragua] because it’s all about presenting the Gospel — that’s the main purpose of it,” Jones said. “It’s not to build a school — those [were] great trips, too.

“But this is the most important kind of trip,” Jones said, “… to present the Gospel. This trip could have an eternal effect, hopefully, on some people’s lives.”

Jones has garnered an impressive list of academic, athletic and community service honors and awards. He graduated as an accounting major in three years with a 4.0 GPA in the University Honors Program. He will play his fourth season at the Alabama Crimson Tide as a graduate student in accounting.

He is involved in Campus Crusade for Christ and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In 2011, his football prowess was recognized with the Outland Trophy as the most outstanding interior lineman, the Wuerffel Trophy for exemplary community service as well as athletic and academic achievement, and 2011 SEC Scholarship Athlete of the Year.

Between classes, study, football practice and games, spring break is the only free time Jones has during the year.

“[People always] say, ‘Man, that’s awesome that you’re giving up your spring break to go on mission trips,’ and I say to them, ‘I’m not giving up anything.’

“This is the most fun I could ever have … to go on a trip like this and experience this with likeminded Christians and spread the Gospel … that’s what I love to do, and I’m not just saying that.

“I’ve been to the beach a million times,” Jones said, “and I don’t really remember one specific beach trip. But I remember every second and every day of every mission trip I’ve ever been on.”
–30–
Laura Fielding is a writer for the International Mission Board.

See larger Alabama center Barrett Jones speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Photo by Butch Dill

Alabama center Barrett Jones speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

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

Open letter to President Obama (Part 111)

July 11, 2012 – 12:59 pm

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

If our country is the grow the economy and get our budget balanced it will not be by raising taxes!!! The recipe for success was followed by Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s when he cut taxes and limited spending. As far as limiting spending goes only Bill Clinton (with his Republican Congress) were ability to control the growth of government better than Reagan.

I had the pleasure of hearing Arthur Laffer speak in 1981 and he predicted all the economic growth that we would see because of the Reagan tax cuts and he was right. Unfortunately in California today they have forgotten all of those lessons!!!

President Obama’s fiscal policy is a dismal mixture. On spending, he wants a European-style welfare state. On taxes, he is fixated on class-warfare tax policy.

If we want to know the consequences of that approach, we can look at the ongoing collapse of Greece. Or, if we don’t like overseas examples, we can look at California.

If the (formerly) Golden State is any example, it turns out that having high tax rates doesn’t necessarily translate into high tax revenues. Here’s a blurb from an editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal.

California Controller John Chiang reported last week that April tax collections were a gigantic 20.2%, or $2.44 billion, below 2012-13 budget projections. …Among the biggest surprises is a 21.5% or nearly $2 billion decline in personal income tax payments from what Governor Jerry Brown had anticipated. This reinforces the point that when states rely too heavily on the top 1% of taxpayers to pay the bills, fiscal policy is a roller coaster ride. California is suffering this tax drought even as most other states enjoy a revenue rebound. State tax collections were up nationally by 8.9% last year, according to the Census Bureau, and this year revenues are up by double digits in many states. The state comptroller reports that Texas is enjoying 10.9% growth in its sales taxes (it has no income tax), while California can’t seem to keep up despite one of the highest tax rates in the land.

The WSJ editorial suggests a supply-side response, but you won’t be surprised to learn that the state’s kleptomaniac governor is pushing an Obama-style soak-the-rich tax hike.

This would seem to suggest that California should try cutting tax rates to keep more people and business in the state, but Sacramento is intent on raising them again. Governor Brown and the public-employee unions are sponsoring a ballot initiative in November to raise the state sales tax by a quarter point to 7.5% and to raise the top marginal income-tax rate to 13.3% from 10.3%. This will make the state even more reliant on the fickle revenue streams provided by the rich. Meanwhile, an analysis by Joseph Vranich, who studies migration of businesses from one state to another, finds that since 2009 the flight of businesses out of California “has increased fivefold due to high taxes and regulatory costs.”

I’ll be very curious to see what happens this November when the people of California vote in the referendum. Will they be like the morons in Oregon, who approved a class-warfare tax hike? Or will they be like the voters of Switzerland and reject class warfare?

Sadly, I suspect Oregon will be their role model – even though that decision hurt the Beaver State’s economy.

But while voters can impose higher taxes, they can’t repeal the laws of economics. So if California voters do the wrong thing, they will learn a hard lesson about the Laffer Curve.

And then, as this cartoon demonstrates, they’ll learn the ultimate lesson about not biting the hand that you mooch from.

___________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

The Laffer Curve, Part III: Dynamic Scoring

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

The best quarterbacks in the SEC in 2012? (Part 3)

July 11, 2012 – 11:42 am

I think Tyler Wilson is the best quarterback in the SEC, but below is what others think.

Football Nation states:

published Friday, May 4th, 2012

SEC should be stronger at quarterback

 
 
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Becoming a starting quarterback in the Southeastern Conference last season was accompanied by great peril.

Clint Moseley replaced Barrett Trotter as Auburn’s top quarterback during the seventh game, leading the Tigers to a 17-6 win over Florida, and made his first college start the following week at LSU. Moseley never had a chance in Baton Rouge, getting sacked six times and having an interception returned for a touchdown in a 45-10 humbling.

“I don’t want to say it wasn’t that bad,” Moseley said after the game. “It was awful.”

It was awful for a slew of SEC quarterbacks last season, with a record nine league teams feeling the need to make performance-based changes. Even league champ LSU, which made a switch by dumping Jarrett Lee for Jordan Jefferson after its overtime win at Alabama in early November, experienced volatility under center.

Only Alabama’s AJ McCarron, Tyler Wilson of Arkansas and Georgia’s Aaron Murray started wire-to-wire, but the league should be more stable at the position in 2012 with all but LSU and Texas A&M returning quarterbacks who made multiple starts in 2011.

“I think there are a lot of good quarterback prospects in our league,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “AJ played better and better as the year went on, and hopefully he’ll be one of those guys in our league this year. Georgia has a very productive, experienced quarterback. Tennessee has a productive, talented quarterback. Arkansas has a very productive, talented quarterback, and some other people have some guys who can be good as well and have played some and will continue to develop.

“The league will be better because of that offensively.”

Stellar quarterback play was expected to be somewhat infrequent last year following the departures of Auburn’s Cam Newton, Alabama’s Greg McElroy and Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett. Those were three of the top seven quarterbacks nationally in passing efficiency in 2010, with Newton winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Tigers to a 14-0 record and the national championship.

Yet the struggles last year were profound, as youth and inexperience often were no match in a league that produced four of the nation’s top five defenses: Alabama, LSU, South Carolina and Georgia.

“There were not a lot of proven guys, and when you play a lot of proven teams, it’s hard for anybody on offense to look better,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “The quarterback is the one guy getting harassed by these defensive linemen and edge rushers, and he’s the guy trying to throw it into a tight window against cornerbacks playing receivers a little tighter.

“You try to find someone to pick on, but it’s hard to find someone to pick on in our league. So the quarterback just has to be more precise in what he does. Sometimes you have to manage bad situations, but that is part of the learning process.”

The SEC did not have a quarterback rank among the top 20 in efficiency, though Wilson (22nd), South Carolina’s Connor Shaw (23rd), McCarron (25th) and Murray (26th) came close. Shaw replaced the troubled Stephen Garcia and finished with a flurry, throwing eight touchdown passes and one interception in the last three games to cap South Carolina’s first 11-win season.

Seeking to join the ranks of upper-echelon SEC quarterbacks are Tennessee’s Tyler Bray and Vanderbilt’s Jordan Rodgers. Bray missed five games last season due to a broken thumb, getting replaced by Matt Simms and then Justin Worley, but heads into this season with the league’s top crop of receivers.

Rodgers, the brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, replaced Larry Smith and led the Commodores to the Liberty Bowl. He was a disaster in Memphis, however, completing 4 of 14 passes for 26 yards and an interception before being pulled.

“I think it is a real positive when you have some opportunities like that for growth,” Vandy coach James Franklin said. “He spent a lot of time thinking about it and watching film, and the two of us have had some really good discussions. I think we’re going to be much more on the same page this year, as well as my coordinator and quarterbacks coach.”

The most scrutinized league quarterback this season will be Zach Mettenberger, who joins a loaded LSU lineup looking to atone for a 21-0 loss to Alabama in the BCS championship game.

Auburn’s Moseley threw more interceptions returned for touchdowns against Georgia and Alabama, and he nursed a shoulder injury this spring while battling Kiehl Frazier in a race that will head into preseason camp. Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel took turns starting and struggling at Florida last season when John Brantley was hurt, and that pair came out of spring neck-and-neck as well.

No league team had a more wide-open competition this spring than newcomer Texas A&M, which had four quarterbacks in the hunt to replace NFL top-10 pick Ryan Tannehill.

“I think whenever you have a returning quarterback and a guy who has some experience, it’s huge,” Franklin said. “I’ve been in this game for a long time, and I don’t care if you’re in Pop Warner, little league, high school, college or the NFL, if you have a guy at that position, you have a chance. He has the ability to make everybody on your team better, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

“The league in general will always be great on defense, and when we have returning quarterbacks, I think it makes for an even more exciting year in the SEC.”

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette photo

Arkansas senior quarterback Tyler Wilson was a first-team All-SEC selection last season, but no league quarterback ranked among the top 20 nationally in passing efficiency.

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