In Part 1, we examined The Character God Requires of people in leadership. He cares greatly about a nation’s political life, for God Himself ordained human government. Without government, society would descend into anarchy. He desires us to live “a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2) and to pray for “kings and all that are in authority,” that we may indeed do so.
Does God want this just so we’ll have a comfortable, trouble-free life? No. Rather, He knows that when order and good government prevail, that’s the best atmosphere for families to flourish, children be discipled in the faith, and the Gospel shared freely with the lost.
As we said, it is inconceivable that God would have ordained government, then told His people to remain aloof from it.
Now let’s look at The Choice God Respects.
God allows us to choose wicked leaders
It may surprise you, but He gives us that choice! God sets standards but allows us to choose wicked leaders contrary to His own will.
“They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold they made idols for themselves — that they might be cut off.”Hosea 8:4
“They set up kings but it wasn’t My will,” God is said. We get the leadership we deserve. Wicked rulers are God’s “reward” — the natural consequences — for wicked people.
The prophet Samuel said to Israel,
“And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which you have chosen you, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” 1 Samuel 8:18
God says, “You’re going to choose a king, the wrong king, then you’re going to come crying, ‘God, have mercy,’ but I will not hear you because of the king you have chosen.” God allows us to chose even wicked leaders.
The Consequences God Reveals “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”Proverbs 29:2
By our vote we’re either going to have righteous or wicked leaders. There are consequences when we choose wicked leaders. We’re either going to rejoice or weep.
May I tell you with a broken heart that America is in desperate trouble? God has taken down the protective hedge from this nation. Will oceans of tears, rivers of blood, and seas of sweat be the price we’ll pay for turning our backs on Almighty God? Oh, that there would be a mighty spiritual awakening and return to God.
The Control God Reserves
God has not lost control because we have leaders who are out of control. Be assured — wherever man rules, God still overrules.
He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, when He will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.Isaiah 40:23-24
Politicians come and politicians go, but God endures as King of kings over all nations. We didn’t vote Him in, and we’ll certainly not vote Him out. He is King forever.
If Americans turn their backs on God and continue to support policies that fly in the face of Scriptural principles, thwarting God’s stated will at every turn, then…even where God does not rule, God will overrule.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.Psalm 33:10-11
One day I had lunch with Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered so much under Nazi persecution. I decided I would not talk much but just listen. She captured my imagination when said, “There is no panic in heaven, only plans.” I love that. Friend, the Holy Trinity never meets in emergency session. Where man may rule, God still overrules.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord and as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever He will.Proverbs 21:1
Even ungodly rulers become instruments in the hand of Almighty God. Remember how He used Pharaoh in the Old Testament? And the Persian king Cyrus? Even Pilate…when Jesus was condemned. Wherever man rules, God still overrules. Jesus told Pilate, “You don’t have any power but that which is given you of above.” When men shake their fists in His face with wicked decrees, God still rules from heaven. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
As we approach this important election, remember —
– The character God requires (godly, wise, honest, discriminating, protective)
– The choice God respects
– The consequences God reveals and…
– The control God reserves
The answer is not in the school house, state house, or White House. It’s in the church house, with God’s people. We must —
– Pray for revival.
– Plan for survival.
– Look for His arrival.
Prepare your children that life may not be like it was when you grew up. Get serious, get an open Bible and build into them the truth of God’s Word. Above all, look for His arrival. Jesus is coming.
You ask, “Pastor, is that escapism?” Call it what you will, but I’m looking for Jesus to come. Friend, one day our King is coming.
This is my Father’s world. God has sworn by Himself that one day He will put His King, the Lord Jesus, upon the holy hill of Zion. Our hope is not in Washington, it is in Heaven.
Kingdoms come and kingdoms go, but our Lord rules over all. I love Jesus Christ. I’m not ashamed to call him King. No matter what happens in upcoming elections, the day will come when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
__________
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 Long War against God-Henry Morris, part 1 of 6 Uploaded by FLIPWORLDUPSIDEDOWN3 on Aug 30, 2010 _________ Do you think the theory of evolution is true? Check out this short article by Adrian Rogers: “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which […]
Same old story it seems. Kentucky pulls out another close victory over the Vols. This is not the only story I am talking about today. Kentucky’s Alex Poythress (22) shoots between Tennessee’s Josh Richardson, left, and Yemi Makanjuola during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, […]
7 years ago on November 15, 2005 Adrian Rogers passed away. This is a series of posts about the life and ministry of Adrian Rogers. Adrian Rogers Memorial – Come To Jesus Uploaded by jonwhisner on Jan 20, 2011 This video is from Adrian Roger’s Memorial Service held at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN in […]
It pays to remember history. Today I am going to go through some of it and give an outline and quotes from the great Southern Baptist leader Adrian Rogers (1931-2005). Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times started this morning off with some comedy: From pro golfer John Daly’s Twitter account following last night’s Republican debate, […]
Adrian Rogers – [1/2] How to Come Back When You’re Down Adrian Rogers – [2/2] How to Come Back When You’re Down Here are 5 thoughts by Adrian Rogers: Many have asked how should Christians respond to what happened in America on September 11. And after much prayer and reading through God’s Word, I’d […]
In a friendly game of keep away, Barrett Jones demonstrates why he is a formidable opponent on the football field. The mission team he led in Nicaragua visited several schools to share the love of Christ with the children. Special to the Courier ______________ I have written about Barrett Jones several times before in 2011 […]
Dr Rogers was fond of this quote he got from Robert G. Lee: ”Sin will take you farther than you want to go, Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.“ _________________ Pay Day – Someday by Dr. R. G. Lee Uploaded by BereanBeacon on […]
Kelly’s contribution on the record is relatively minor, duetting with Bing on only the final chorus. Nonetheless, the single is co-credited to her and became her only gold record and 21st gold record for Bing Crosby.
True Love is the name of C.K. Dexter Haven’s yacht, on which he and Tracy Lord honeymooned off the coast of Maine. They are fictional characters in the play The Philadelphia Story, on which the musical is based. Bing Crosby later owned a 55-foot Constellation yacht which he named the True Love.
The song used in “Midnight in Paris” I am going through the famous characters that Woody Allen presents in his excellent movie “Midnight in Paris.” By the way, I know that some of you are wondering how many posts I will have before I am finished. Right now I have plans to look at Fitzgerald, Heminingway, Juan […]
“It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.” It’s said that all the religions in the world could be wrong, but only one can be right. ‘Truth’ must be true for everyone, or it isn’t true for anyone; and more than that, a truth remains true whether it is believed or not. People used to believe the world was flat – that didn’t change the truth though. Truth is never purely subjective, but open to objective assessment. So, what is truth? The most important question anyone can ask – though just asking it won’t necessarily lead us anywhere. The Roman governor Pilate asked Jesus Christ the same question, and then handed him over for execution, famously washing his hands of the responsibility. No, if we are going to seek out truth, we must be willing to follow where it leads. Some people want to be drifters rather than seekers. Real seekers are on a quest for truth.
“but surely all religions lead to God?”
Many hope to find meaning and purpose through religion. But there are many faiths, and many paths a seeker may take in pursuit of truth. Aren’t they all heading in the same direction? But if we start asking some basic questions we discover how radically different they are. Does the source or essence of the religion come from outside a person or from within? Is it derived from an external power or an inner energy? If it is from outside, what is the nature of this power or cosmic force? Is ‘God’ a thing or a person? Is ‘God’ one or many?
Let’s take for example Islam, Judaism, and Christianity? Aren’t they pretty much the same – they all worship one God? A closer look reveals important differences…
To a Muslim, God is above and beyond this world, not involved in the daily lives of his followers, but to be worshipped and obeyed so as to avoid judgement.
To a Jew, God is within reach and has a plan for the world and Israel in particular. He communicated with his people through specific individuals – priests, kings and prophets. He is concerned, compassionate, jealous, loving, forgiving.
To a Christian, God is personal and perfectly revealed in the life of Jesus Christ – the human face of God. Christianity builds upon the Jewish understanding of God; He is a tri-unity – Father, Son and Spirit – above and beyond the world – yet fully engaged within it and desiring us to know him personally.
Some might think that if all good people follow their own religious pathways it would bring about unity of the faiths, mutual respect, and cooperation leading to world peace. Could all these paths lead to the same destination? If that were the case, there’d be no need to argue about which religion is the true one. But what if all paths do not lead to the same destination? As we’ve seen, religious traditions and beliefs differ significantly from one another. Some teach that there are many gods, others that there is only one; some that God is personal, others that God is not. They cannot all be true, and thus it cannot be true that all religions lead to the same destination.
Christianity is the only religion that claims man cannot earn his way to God, but that it is a gift of God through faith. But Christianity’s claim to exclusivity is not for a ‘religion’ – but for a person; that Jesus Christ is the only true Saviour. Even membership of the Christian church does not automatically lead to salvation; only a personal faith response to Christ. Only Christianity teaches that Jesus is God. He cannot be both God and not God. The claims of Jesus are unique. ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’. There are really only three possible responses to his claim – to believe him, to disbelieve him or to withhold belief. The choice is ours.
In his youth, goalkeeper Iain Brunnschweiler played guitar alongside Coldplay drummer Will Champion in a little-known Southampton band called Fat Hamster.”
Brunnschweiler recalled: “We were quite young when we first knew each other, about 12 or 13 years old, and we used to go to the youth activities group at Highfield Church. Will lived in Portswood and I lived in Glen Eyre and we got together with another lad, David Milln, to form a three-piece band. I played the guitar and tried to sing, but I was absolute rubbish!”
While former Hampshire Cricket wicket-keeper Brunnschweiler went on to excel in sport, his old bandmates followed musical careers.
“Will went off to university at UCL in London and met up with Chris Martin and the others to form Coldplay and David’s now a successful drum and bass DJ called DJ Sciphi,” said the 27-year-old, who combines his Totton goalkeeping duties with the role of assistant coach at Hampshire Cricket.
He laughed: “Out of the trio, you’ve got one who plays in one of the world’s biggest bands, one who’s had some singles out as a DJ and me who’s got nothing to do with music any more.Recording a song for Wembley with Totton is the height of my musical career!”
Up to this point many people may be saying that this is all based on some pretty flimsy evidence. However, one of the most revealing things came out when Chris wrote the song “Viva La Vida.” He had previously said he left Christianity because of the biblical view of eternal damnation but what does Chris do with the evil king in the song “Viva La Vida?” Q Magazine asked Chris Martin about the lyric in this song “I know Saint Peter won’t call my name.” Martin said, “It’s about…You’re not on the list… Its always fascinated me that idea of finishing your life and then being analyzed on it…That is the most frightening thing you could possibly say to somebody. Eternal damnation. I know it. It’s mildly terrifying to me. And this is serious.”
Maybe we have heard the last of this journey from Chris?
Coldplay 6-22-12 Dallas, TX Best Opening.MOV Published on Jun 23, 2012 by jaimenolga 1 of Don’t miss the second song of this clip!! It was incredible! (One eye watching you song was great.) Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show Photo Gallery News […]
Coldplay Live in Dallas – Lover’s in Japan Ball Drop Published on Jun 23, 2012 by TheRyanj64 Live From the American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas June 22, 2012 Coldplay – Lover’s in Japan Ball Drop Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show […]
Coldplay – Yellow (Live) @ American Airlines Center Published on Jun 23, 2012 by Crwdickerson Coldplay Performing Yellow @ American Airlines Center Dallas June 22, 2012 Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show Photo Gallery News Sports Lifestyles Comments (0) 3/11 Chris […]
Coldplay “paradise” Dallas Texas 6/22/12 ( Floor View ) Published on Jun 23, 2012 by ccam cher Awesome concert Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show Photo Gallery News Sports Lifestyles Comments (0) 9/11 Chris Martin was brought up as an […]
Coldplay – In My Place (Live in Dallas) June 22 2012 Published on Jun 24, 2012 by maimiaa Coldplay performing at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show Photo Gallery News Sports Lifestyles Comments (0) […]
Viva La Vida Published on Jun 23, 2012 by TheRyanj64 Coldplay’s Viva La Vida at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 22, 2012 __________ Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show Photo Gallery News Sports Lifestyles Comments (0) 5/11 Chris […]
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto/Hurts Like Heaven (Live) @ American Airlines Center Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show Photo Gallery News Sports Lifestyles Comments (0) 2/11 Published on Jun 24, 2012 by Crwdickerson Coldplay Performing Mylo Xyloto/Hurts Like Heaven @ […]
Coldplay-DALLAS-2012-”Opening, Mylo Xyloto, and Hurts like Heaven!” Published on Jun 24, 2012 by ColdplayDALLAS2012 1:10 is where the concert starts! Sorry for the shaking and sound audio! It was really loud! AND AWESOME! Please THUMB UP and COMMENT if u went to this coldplay concert! And I also hope that this will get a few […]
As far as I know they have never done an interview together. Therefore, I have included separate interviews that they have done below and I have some links to past posts I have done on them too. Shane Warne – Chris Martin Interview (Part 1) Uploaded by HandyAndy136 on Nov 24, 2010 Originally broadcast on […]
As far as I know they have never done an interview together. Therefore, I have included separate interviews that they have done below and I have some links to past posts I have done on them too. Ellen Catches Up with Gwyneth Paltrow Uploaded by TheEllenShow on Oct 14, 2010 It’s been several years since […]
As far as I know they have never done an interview together. Therefore, I have included separate interviews that they have done below and I have some links to past posts I have done on them too. Gwyneth Paltrow & Robert Downey Jr. on Jonathan Ross 2010.04.23 (Part 1) Coldplay: Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland […]
The Arab Israeli Conflict – part 5 : Suez Crisis 1956 & Tripartite attack on Egypt I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is […]
As far as I know they have never done an interview together. Therefore, I have included separate interviews that they have done below and I have some links to past posts I have done on them too. Ellen Catches Up with Gwyneth Paltrow Uploaded by TheEllenShow on Oct 14, 2010 It’s been several years since […]
The Arab Israeli Conflict – part 4: Egyptian Revolution 1952 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: […]
The Arab Israeli Conflict – part 3 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing on […]
The 6 Day War Of 1967 Part 1 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
… The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 8/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 7/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 6/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 5/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 4/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 3/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 2/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
The Birth Of Israel (2008) – Part 1/8 I have posted before about the religious views of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Now it appears they have rejected their agnostic statements of the past and have decided to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Here is a post from the Huffington Post: After appearing […]
Katheryn Elizabeth “Katy” Hudson[1] (born October 25, 1984), known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, philanthropist, and actress. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Having had very little exposure to mainstream pop music in her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teen and released her debut studio album, Katy Hudson (2001). She also recorded a second solo album which never received release.
Perry has received numerous awards and nominations. She has also been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and was named by Billboard as 2012’s Woman of the Year.[2] She remains the only artist to spend 69 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100.[3] She has ventured into celebrity endorsement and released fragrances Purr, Meow and Killer Queen. She made her film debut voicing Smurfette in The Smurfs (2011). Perry was ranked at number fourteen on Billboard’s list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing more than $11 million.[4] She was spotlighted in her own 3D autobiographical film, Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012), which concentrated on her life as a touring artist and the breakdown of her one-year marriage to English comedian Russell Brand.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was born in Santa Barbara, California,[5] to devout Pentecostal pastors Keith Hudson and Mary Perry. She is the second of their three children,[6] and has Irish, Portuguese, English, and German ancestry.[7] She has a younger brother named David (whose stage name is Hudson)[8] and an older sister named Angela. Her mother’s half-brother was director Frank Perry.[9]
As a child, Perry attended Christian schools and camps.[6] She was incorporated into her parents’ ministry,[6] singing in the church between the ages of nine and seventeen.[10] She grew up listening to gospel music,[11][12] and in an interview she said, “Growing up I wasn’t really allowed to listen to a whole lot of what my mom would call, secular music,”[10] She learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug.[13] She took her GED during her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music.[14] Perry initially started singing “because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do].”[14] She took cassette tapes her sister Angela practiced with and rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of their parents. They suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen.
Career
1999—2006: Career beginnings and Katy Hudson
Perry performing on her guitar, an instrument she learned to play when she was just starting her recording career
At 15, Perry’s singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills.[15] In Nashville, she started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans how to craft songs and play guitar.[10][12] Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album.[16] Performing as Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel rock album in 2001.[15] She supported this album with The Strangely Normal Tour, accompanied by Phil Joel, LaRue, Luna Halo, Earthsuit and V*Enna.[17] The album was unsuccessful as the label ceased operations at the end of 2001.[16]
At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for Island Records.[18] Growing up listening to mostly Country Gospel, she had few references when she began recording songs.[10] Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette;[10] Ballard produced Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, which had a “huge influence” on her.[15] She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one of her songs to Ballard, who then helped develop her songwriting over the next few years.[10] The album was initially planned to be released during the Fall of 2004 along with a promotional DVD, according to a promotional video on the Java Records website.[19] The album was due for release in 2005,[15][16] but Billboard reported it also went nowhere.[16] Subsequently, Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group.[20] Some of her collaborations with Ballard, including “Box”, “Diamonds”, and “Long Shot”, were posted on her official MySpace page.[21] “Simple”, one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.[22][23]
Kelly Clarkson later used “Long Shot” and “I Do Not Hook Up” for her 2009 album All I Ever Wanted.[24] Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision and did not put her in the “driver’s seat”.[16] Instead, one of Columbia’s ideas was to pair her with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved,[25] she caught the attention of the music press. Her burgeoning music career led to her being named “The Next Big Thing” in October 2004 by Blender magazine.[16] With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own, titled Fingerprints.[26] Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her from the label.[16] In 2004, Perry and Kaya Jones provided backing vocals on Mick Jagger‘s song “Old Habits Die Hard“, which won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[27] While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R company called Taxi Music. In 2006, she was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.‘s single “Goodbye for Now“.[28]
2007—09: Breakthrough with One of the Boys
Perry performing in August 2008
While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company’s publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended her to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom.[29] At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act.[29] Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star and, at the start of 2007, extended discussions with Columbia resulted in her signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on to form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, One of the Boys.[29]
The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being “very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally” and so one of the executive’s first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke.[29] The results were the songs “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold“. Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management.[16] A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to “Ur So Gay“, aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by “Ur So Gay” was later released to create online buzz and press story.[6][16][30] This was a successful move that brought Perry to the attention of Madonna,[16] who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ‘s JohnJay & Rich morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, Wildfire, on the episode “Life’s Too Short“.[31]
In the next step of promoting the album, Perry undertook a two-month tour of radio stations. “I Kissed a Girl”, was released on May 6, 2008. Her A&R, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme had met with strong resistance at the label: “People said, ‘This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'”[30] Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label’s radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record; otherwise, she would have likely been dropped again. Capitol’s SVP of Promotions, Dennis Reese, saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville, which is in the Bible Belt. After playing it for three days they were inundated with enthusiastic calls.[30] With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to “establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn’t seen as just a one-hit wonder.”[16] The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.[16] On June 12, 2008, she appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless,[31] posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine Restless Style.[32] Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, “Another Night in the Hills” from Gavin Rossdale‘s 2008 solo album Wanderlust.[33]
One of the Boys was released on June 17, 2008, to mixed critical reviews.[34] The album has reached number nine on the Billboard 200,[35] and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[36] “Hot n Cold” became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100,[16] as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009.[16] “I Kissed a Girl” earned her a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards.[37] She was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears.[38] She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted,[39] and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards.[40] On February 9, 2009, both “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold” were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million.[41] The Guinness Book of World Records recognized her in its 2010 version as the “Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist,” for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.[42]
Perry in 2009
The Matrix’s self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team’s label “Let’s Hear It” during her solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, “I Kissed a Girl” had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of One of the Boys had been dispatched. Despite their communication, The Matrix was released on January 27, 2009 onto iTunes.[43] In January 2009, Perry embarked on her first headlining world tour, the Hello Katy Tour, visiting North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Beginning on January 23, 2009, and ending on November 28, 2009, the tour consisted of 89 concerts. During that time, she also opened select concerts for the band No Doubt, on their Summer Tour 2009.
In June 2009, lawyers acting for Perry opposed the then-recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry, who uses her own name to market loungewear.[44] Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which she denied on her blog.[45] Katie Perry reported on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer’s lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark.[46] During the summer of 2009, Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Get Him to the Greek; her scene, in which she kisses Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the film. Discussing the issue with MTV, she hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience.[47] In 2009, she was featured on two singles: in August, a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3‘s song “Starstrukk” (the idea for the collaboration having come after Perry’s tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act, the song being released by iTunes on September 8, 2009); and, thereafter, in December, on “If We Ever Meet Again” from Timbaland‘s album Shock Value II.[48] In October 2009, MTV Unplugged revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, “Brick by Brick” and a cover “Hackensack” by Fountains of Wayne.[49] The album, released on November 17, included both a CD and a DVD,[50] and debuted at No. 168 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
2010—12: Teenage Dream, film debut, and Part of Me
Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show The X Factor on June 28, 2010.[51] She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfill the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. Perry’s third studio album Teenage Dream was released on August 24, 2010, in the United States. It topped the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 192,000 units.[52] The album has since sold over two million copies in the US, being certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was preceded by the May release of its lead single, titled “California Gurls” featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, which picked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks.[53][54] “Teenage Dream” was released in July as the album’s second single, and also topped the Hot 100. In October, “Firework” was released as the third single from Teenage Dream. It became the album’s third consecutive number one on the Hot 100. As a result, she became the first female in eleven years to have three consecutive number-ones from a single album.[55]
In November 2010, she released her first fragrance Purr. It is packaged in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores.[56] In February 2011, Perry embarked on an extensive world tour in support of Teenage Dream. It was titled the California Dreams Tour and including 124 shows in Europe, Australasia, Asia, North America and South America. It earned over $59 million.[57] That same month, a remixed version of “E.T.” featuring rapper Kanye West was released as the fourth single from Teenage Dream. It topped the Hot 100 chart for five non-consecutive weeks.[58] With “E.T.” at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.[3] In June, the album’s fifth single “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” topped the Hot 100. This allowed her to achieve a record for being the first female to achieve five number one Hot 100 songs from one album, and she tied with Michael Jackson‘s record. Additionally, Teenage Dream boasted a record-breaking six number-one songs on BillboardAdult Pop Songs chart.[59] In October, “The One That Got Away” was released as the sixth single from Teenage Dream, peaking at three on the Hot 100. Teenage Dream became the third album in history to produce six top five hit singles,[60] “The One That Got Away” became the album’s seventh track to reach the top of the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, the most by any album and setting a new record in the chart.[61]
In July 2011, she made her film debut in the 3D family film The Smurfs as Smurfette. The Smurfs earned $557,771,535 worldwide during its theatrical run, though received many negative reviews from critics. The week of September 17, 2011 marked Perry’ 69th consecutive week in the Top 10 with single “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”.[62][63] On September 23, 2011, she performed, along with Elton John, Brazilian Claudia Leitte, and friend Rihanna, on the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2.[64] She performed for 100 thousand people, a show that received high praise from critics and audience alike.[65] Perry hosted Saturday Night Live on December 10, 2011 with Robyn serving as the episode’s musical guest. Perry’s work on the episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised her comedic timing and the episode’s digital short which featured Perry and Andy Samberg, however some critics noted that Perry’s performance in the episode was overshadowed by cast regular Kristen Wiig.[66] Her second fragrance Meow was released December 2011.[67] Also in December, she was elected the Artist of the Year by MTV, for their performance on the charts worldwide and won the record during the year.[68] Also that month, she revealed plans to release a Barbie doll that represents her style.[69][70]
On January 5, 2012, Perry was named the sixth best-selling digital artist in the United States, with sales of 37.6 million units according to Nielsen SoundScan.[71] That month, she became the first artist to have five songs sell over 5 million digital units.[72] Later that month, EA Games recruited her to promote their new expansion pack The Sims 3: Showtime.[73] In March 2012, Teenage Dream was re-released under the title Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It was preceded by the February release of “Part of Me“, which became the album’s seventh single released and sixth single overall to top the Hot 100.[74] “Wide Awake” was released in May as the album’s eighth and final single, peaking at number two.[75] In June, she revealed plans to launch her own record label, which would be under Capitol Records.[76] In July, her movie Katy Perry: Part of Me was released to theaters under Paramount Pictures.[77][78] It garnered positive critical reviews and grossed $30 million worldwide at the Box Office.[79][80] That September, it was announced that Perry would take home the 2012 “Woman of the Year” Award at Billboard’s Women in Music event, which took place on November 30, 2012 in New York City.[2] She also supported Barack Obama during his campaign for re-election in November 2012.[81]
2013: Prism
Perry told Billboard in late 2012 about her upcoming album: “I know exactly the record I want to make next. I know the artwork, the coloring and the tone….. I even know what type of tour I’m doing next. I’ll be very pleased if the vision I have in my head becomes a reality”. However, Perry mentioned that she does not want the album to be a “Teenage Dream 2.0”, stating: “That would be silly. It’s not of any interest for me to try and outdo myself at every corner. Eventually you just like pop, explode”.[82]. Even though Perry initially said that the record would contain “darker” elements, departing from her previous sound, she later clarified, stating: “There’s not really any darkness on the record, there’s definitely some textures and colors but I think I was saying that when I saw going through a different phase, but I really let that light in”.[83]Diplo,[84]Sia Furler, Klas Åhlund, Greg Kurstin, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Emeli Sandé, Greg Wells, Juicy J, Sarah Hudson, Cirkut, Stacie Orrico, and Bonnie McKee have collaborated with her on the album.[85] Songs that have been recorded for the album include “Double Rainbow”, [85]Bad Photographs”,[86] “It Takes Two”, “Unconditionally”,[87] “Roar“, “Dark Horse”, “Walking on Air”,[88] “By The Grace of God”, “This is How We Do”, “Ghost”, “International Smile”, “Love Me”,[89] “Legendary Lover”, and “Birthday”.[90]
Perry reprised her role as Smurfette in The Smurfs 2, which was released in theaters on July 31, 2013.[91] Like its predecessor, it received many negative reviews from critics. She released her third fragrance, Killer Queen, in August 2013, through Coty, Inc.[92] On July 29, 2013, it was announced that Perry’s fourth studio album would be titled Prism, and is due for release on October 22, 2013.[93] “Roar” made its debut as the album’s lead single on August 10, 2013.[94] Perry recorded a duet with John Mayer, titled “Who You Love”, for his album Paradise Valley, which was released on August 20, 2013.[95] She closed the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards by performing “Roar” live for the first time on August 25, 2013 in a special performance under the Brooklyn Bridge.[96]
On August 20, 2013, due to Perry teaming up with Pepsi and MTV, fans were given the opportunity to unlock song titles, lyrics, and snippets from Prism by tweeting #KATYNOW. After fans heard the two snippets, they chose which one they wanted to be released in full before the album is released.[97]. The two snippets were “Dark Horse” and “Walking On Air”. On August 25, 2013, at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, Pepsi announced “Dark Horse” feauturing Juicy J won, 64% to 36%.[98]. The same day, a 21-second teaser of the official “Roar” music video was released.[99]. “Dark Horse” will be released via iTunes on September 17, 2013.[88] Perry later tweeted: “Dark Horse ft Juicy J is just a PREVIEW of #PRISM when released on Sept 17, NOT the 2nd single”.[100] On September 4, 2013, Billboard announced that “Roar” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[101] The official full length music video for “Roar” was released the following day.[102]
Rolling Stone ranked Perry 7th in its global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.[104]Men’s Health dubbed her the “sexiest woman of 2013”.[105] She is a sex symbol[106] and is known for her unconventional style of dress,[13] which is often humorous, bright in color, reminiscent of different decades, and often includes food-related themes[107][108] such as her trademark peppermint swirl bra.[103] Her transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain‘s portrayal in the 1997 film Lolita.[15] She defines her fashion style as “a bit of a concoction of different things”.[13] Her fashion has caught the attention of designers.[6]
In June 2008, a photo of her posing with a switchblade was criticized.[109] The picture was defended as only an effort to give her a “sexy, harder edge”.[109] She later posed with a spoon, mocking the criticism.[110]
Perry is Pentecostal and an avid supporter of gay rights. According to Dosomething.org, she voted no on Prop 8 (California’s Nov 4, 2008, amendment declaring that marriage is defined as a union solely between a man and a woman).[111] Through Twitter and by performing at his rallies, Perry supported President Barack Obama in his run for re-election in 2012 due to his stance on same-sex marriage,[112] and believing in “equal rights for all”.[113]
She is also known for philanthropy. In October 2012, she performed “Firework” with a fan who has autism on Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars”.[114] In early April 2013, she worked with UNICEF to assist children in Madagascar with education and nutrition.[115] Later that month, she appeared in a video clip for the “Chime For Change” campaign that aims to spread female empowerment.[116]
Musical style and themes
Her first album is within the gospel music genre.[6][16] She related that her perspective in music was “a bit enclosed and very strict”, and everything she did was church-related.[6] Her second album, One of the Boys, is described as “secular” and “rock,” and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots.[6] Her next album, Teenage Dream, featured more pop songs in contrast to Boys.[13] Many of her songs have been described as EDM or electropop,[117][118] and she herself has been credited as an electropop artist.[119] In her childhood, Perry was introduced to the music of Alanis Morissette and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the English band Queen.[25] In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; “Without you I wouldn’t be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl.”[120] Queen’s song “Killer Queen” inspired her to pursue a career in pop music after her first album.[6] She also described that Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette’s collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.[15] Perry has also listed Madonna as a significant influence, saying “I want to evolve like Madonna.”[121][122]
Perry has a contraltovocal range.[123] She is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. She is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life, and has said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak.[10] Most of the themes in One of the Boys deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and “puking into toilets”.[15] Her mother Mary once reportedly told English tabloid Daily Mail that she disliked her daughter’s music, calling it “shameful and disgusting”.[6][124] She said Mary was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information.[124] Perry has written songs for other singers, including Ashley Tisdale (“Time’s Up”), Selena Gomez & the Scene (“Rock God” and “That’s More Like It”), Jessie James (“Bullet” and “Girl Next Door”) and Lesley Roy (“Slow Goodbye”).
Her songs “Ur So Gay” and “I Kissed a Girl” have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as “lezploitational“.[6] MTV mentioned criticism about her using “bi-curiosity” as a way to sell records.[124] Perry responded to the controversy surrounding “Ur So Gay”: “It’s not a negative connotation. It’s not, ‘you’re so gay,’ like, ‘you’re so lame,’ but the fact of the matter is that this boy should’ve been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever….. It wasn’t stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends.”[125]
She first met Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when she filmed a cameo appearance for his film Get Him to the Greek.[132] The two began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[133] The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India.[134] They married on October 23, 2010, in a traditional Hinduceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India.[135] After 14 months of marriage, he filed for divorce on December 30, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.[136][137] After reaching an agreement on financial issues, a judge granted the divorce request in February 2012. The divorce became effective in July 2012 following a mandatory six-month waiting period.[138] Her autobiographical movie revealed that the disagreement over starting a family led to the end of the marriage.[139] In June 2013, she revealed in an interview with Vogue that Brand divorced her via a text message and never spoke to her again.[86]
News/ Katy Perry Sings With Mick Jagger at Rolling Stones Concert—Watch Now by Rebecca Macatee Today 5:45 AM PDT The Rolling Stones & Katy Perry – Beast Of Burden – Live – By Request Published on May 12, 2013 The Rolling Stones and special guest Katy Perry perform ‘Beast Of Burden’ at the Las Vegas […]
Katy Perry Dedicates Song to Tim Tebow at Super Bowl Party Sun, Feb. 05, 2012 Posted: 07:01 PM EDT Flamboyant pop star Katy Perry dedicated suggestive song “Peacock” to evangelical quarterback Tim Tebow at a pre-Super Bowl party Saturday night. Perry, the daughter of Christian ministers, said “This one goes out to Tim […]
Thompson Twins – If You Were Here (Live in Liverpool) Uploaded on Jul 9, 2006 Live in Liverpool 1983 ____________________ Sixteen Candles Final Scene Movie Ending Video if you were here i could deceive you and if you were here you would believe but would you suspect my emotion wandering, yeah do not want a […]
Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool (Live on SNL) Bankrupt! (2013)[edit] On April 5, 2011, the band posted a blog update on their website entitled “Songwriting…” that revealed CCTV stills of a studio in which the band was working.[19] The band has stated in interviews that the album is going to be a departure from the pop sounds […]
Lykke Li – Tonight Lykke Li – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? SEE RANK Lykke Li Soundtrack Official Photos » Trivia: Lykke Li has played sold out shows in Central Park (NYC), throughout the rest of the US Europe and the UK, and has appeared on television in the US and Europe including Jimmy Fallon, Conan […]
Lykke Li ”I’m Good, I’m Gone” Uploaded on Jan 30, 2008 Acoustic live version with guests: Robyn, Adam & Bebban (Shout Out Louds), Daniel (The Concretes), Lars (Laakso) and Mikael (Hjalmar). Director: Ted Malmros + Christian Haag Album “Youth Novels” out jan 30 2008. ________________________ Lykke Li – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Wikipedia has […]
The Daylights (Music Group) Part 2 Uploaded on Mar 23, 2011 Maggie Mae’s on 6th Street in Austin, Texas. _____________________ Ep 8: “The Daylights” on Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith Uploaded on Oct 14, 2010 The Daylights perform live on our Streamin’ Garage stage. Hosted by Curt Smith of Tears for fears, ; Stripped […]
The Daylights (Music Group) Part 1 Both Ricky and Ran Jackson went to school at Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas and here is a fine story on them at this link. _______________ The Daylights – Guess I Missed You.wmv The Daylights “Terra Firma” Music Video Uploaded on Nov 7, 2007 Music Video for The Daylights and […]
The Poison – The All-American Rejects Avril Lavigne and Tyson Ritter from All American Rejects Talk Almost Alice The All-American Rejects – Dirty Little Secret Tyson Ritter, the leadsinger of the All-American Rejects has admitted that he was a jerk for the last couple of years when he lived a sexually impure life by sleeping […]
The Poison – The All-American Rejects Avril Lavigne and Tyson Ritter from All American Rejects Talk Almost Alice The All-American Rejects – Dirty Little Secret I got to see the All-American Rejects in concert on 12-13-12 in Little Rock and I have written about it several times already. Tyson Ritter, the leadsinger of the All-American […]
Amy Winehouse died at age 27 and unfornately joined the “27 club” which is made of famous rockers that died at age 27. Pete Ham was a member of Bad Finger which was one of my favorite groups that I followed. “Come and get it” was my favorite song of theirs. ___________________________________ Badfinger perform a […]
Does Government Have a Revenue or Spending Problem?
People say the government has a debt problem. Debt is caused by deficits, which is the difference between what the government collects in tax revenue and the amount of government spending. Every time the government runs a deficit, the government debt increases. So what’s to blame: too much spending, or too little tax revenue? Economics professor Antony Davies examines the data and concludes that the root cause of the debt is too much government spending.
Taking from the rich and giving to the poor is no way to grow the economy and running up our national debt doesn’t help either.
Here’s a Gary Varvel cartoon with the exact same message.
Instead of great minds thinking alike, this is a case of great cartoonists thinking alike. Though they probably have great minds as well.
But I don’t want to make too many fawning comments since I would modify both of these cartoons so that the kids were looking at papers that said “Medicare” and “Social Security” instead of “debt.”
It’s always important to focus first and foremost on the disease of spending, after all, and not the symptom of red ink.
Last but not least, I can’t resist linking to this comedian’s video, which includes some very good economic insights about work incentives.
Max Brantley is wrong about Tom Cotton’s accusation concerning the rise of welfare spending under President Obama. Actually welfare spending has been increasing for the last 12 years and Obama did nothing during his first four years to slow down the rate of increase of welfare spending. Rachel Sheffield of the Heritage Foundation has noted: […]
I have put up lots of cartoons from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. I think Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times Blog was right to point out on 2-6-13 that Hillary […]
I thought it was great when the Republican Congress and Bill Clinton put in welfare reform but now that has been done away with and no one has to work anymore it seems. In fact, over 40% of the USA is now on the government dole. What is going to happen when that figure gets over […]
Again we have another shooting and the gun control bloggers are out again calling for more laws. I have written about this subject below and on May 23, 2012, I even got a letter back from President Obama on the subject. Now some very interesting statistics below and a cartoon follows. (Since this just hit the […]
watch?v=llQUrko0Gqw] The federal government spends about 10% on roads and public goods but with the other money in the budget a lot of harm is done including excessive regulations on business. That makes Obama’s comment the other day look very silly. A Funny Look at Obama’s You-Didn’t-Build-That Comment July 28, 2012 by Dan Mitchell I made […]
I have written a lot about this in the past and sometimes you just have to sit back and laugh. Laughing at Obama’s Bumbling Class Warfare Agenda July 13, 2012 by Dan Mitchell We know that President Obama’s class-warfare agenda is bad economic policy. We know high tax rates undermine competitiveness. And we know tax increases […]
Dan Mitchell Discussing Dishonest Budget Numbers with John Stossel Uploaded by danmitchellcato on Feb 11, 2012 No description available. ______________ Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute has shown before how excessive spending at the federal level has increased in recent years. A Humorous Look at Obama’s Screwy Budget Math May 31, 2012 by Dan Mitchell I’ve […]
Sometimes it is so crazy that you just have to laugh a little. The European Mess, Captured by a Cartoon June 22, 2012 by Dan Mitchell The self-inflicted economic crisis in Europe has generated some good humor, as you can see from these cartoons by Michael Ramirez and Chuck Asay. But for pure laughter, I don’t […]
Another great cartoon on President Obama’s efforts to create jobs!!! A Simple Lesson about Job Creation for Barack Obama December 7, 2011 by Dan Mitchell Even though leftist economists such as Paul Krugman and Larry Summers have admitted that unemployment insurance benefits are a recipe for more joblessness, the White House is arguing that Congress should […]
Dan Mitchell hits the nail on the head and sometimes it gets so sad that you just have to laugh at it like Conan does. In order to correct this mess we got to get people off of government support and get them in the private market place!!!! Chuck Asay’s New Cartoon Nicely Captures Mentality […]
Cato Institute scholar Dan Mitchell is right about Greece and the fate of socialism: Two Pictures that Perfectly Capture the Rise and Fall of the Welfare State July 15, 2011 by Dan Mitchell In my speeches, especially when talking about the fiscal crisis in Europe (or the future fiscal crisis in America), I often warn that […]
John Stossel report “Myth: Gun Control Reduces Crime Sheriff Tommy Robinson tried what he called “Robinson roulette” from 1980 to 1984 in Central Arkansas where he would put some of his men in some stores in the back room with guns and the number of robberies in stores sank. I got this from Dan Mitchell’s […]
I have put up lots of cartons and posters from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. Amusing Gun Control Picture – Circa 1999 April 3, 2010 by Dan Mitchell Dug this gem out […]
We got to cut spending and stop raising the debt ceiling!!! When Governments Cut Spending Uploaded on Sep 28, 2011 Do governments ever cut spending? According to Dr. Stephen Davies, there are historical examples of government spending cuts in Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and America. In these cases, despite popular belief, the government spending […]
I have put up lots of cartons and posters from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. On 2-6-13 the Arkansas Times Blogger “Sound Policy” suggested, “All churches that wish to allow concealed […]
Gun Free Zones???? Stalin and gun control On 1-31-13 ”Arkie” on the Arkansas Times Blog the following: “Remember that the biggest gun control advocate was Hitler and every other tyrant that every lived.” Except that under Hitler, Germany liberalized its gun control laws. __________ After reading the link from Wikipedia that Arkie provided then I responded: […]
On 1-31-13 I posted on the Arkansas Times Blog the following: I like the poster of the lady holding the rifle and next to her are these words: I am compensating for being smaller and weaker than more violent criminals. __________ Then I gave a link to this poster below: On 1-31-13 also I posted […]
The government predicts that the renewable energy surcharge added to every consumer’s electricity bill will increase from 5.3 cents today to between 6.2 and 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour — a 20-percent price hike. German consumers already pay the highest electricity prices in Europe. But because the government is failing to get the costs of its new energy policy under control, rising prices are already on the horizon. Electricity is becoming a luxury good in Germany.
As is so often the case with government intervention, the promises from politicians about low costs were a mirage.
Even well-informed citizens can no longer keep track of all the additional costs being imposed on them. According to government sources, the surcharge to finance the power grids will increase by 0.2 to 0.4 cents per kilowatt hour next year. On top of that, consumers pay a host of taxes, surcharges and fees that would make any consumer’s head spin. Former Environment Minister Jürgen Tritten of the Green Party once claimed that switching Germany to renewable energy wasn’t going to cost citizens more than one scoop of ice cream. Today his successor Altmaier admits consumers are paying enough to “eat everything on the ice cream menu.”
Perhaps the most shocking part of the story is that Germans are being forced to pay $26 billion in subsidies to get less than $4 billion of green energy.
For society as a whole, the costs have reached levels comparable only to the euro-zone bailouts. This year, German consumers will be forced to pay €20 billion ($26 billion) for electricity from solar, wind and biogas plants — electricity with a market price of just over €3 billion. Even the figure of €20 billion is disputable if you include all the unintended costs and collateral damage associated with the project. …On Thursday, a government-sanctioned commission plans to submit a special report called “Competition in Times of the Energy Transition.” The report is sharply critical, arguing that Germany’s current system actually rewards the most inefficient plants, doesn’t contribute to protecting the climate, jeopardizes the energy supply and puts the poor at a disadvantage.
Here’s what it means for ordinary people.
In the near future, an average three-person household will spend about €90 a month for electricity. That’s about twice as much as in 2000. Two-thirds of the price increase is due to new government fees, surcharges and taxes. …Today, more than 300,000 households a year are seeing their power shut off because of unpaid bills. Caritas and other charity groups call it “energy poverty.”
Not surprisingly, politically well-connected interest groups are the ones reaping the benefits.
…the renewable energy subsidies redistribute money from the poor to the more affluent, like when someone living in small rental apartment subsidizes a homeowner’s roof-mounted solar panels through his electricity bill. The SPD, which sees itself as the party of the working class, long ignored this regressive aspect of the system. The Greens, the party of higher earners, continue to do so. Germany’s renewable energy policy is particularly unfair with respect to the economy. About 2,300 businesses have managed to largely exempt themselves from the green energy surcharge by claiming, often with little justification, that they face tough international competition. Companies with less lobbying power, however, are required to pay the surcharge.
Let’s conclude with an ominous excerpt from the article. Even though prices already are very high, energy will get even more expensive in the future.
If the government sticks to its plans, the price of electricity will literally explode in the coming years. According to a current study for the federal government, electricity will cost up to 40 cents a kilowatt-hour by 2020, a 40-percent increase over today’s prices.
And isn’t it nice to know that Obama is doing everything he can to impose these policies in the United States?
This cartoon from Michael Ramirez is a perfect summary of Obama’s policy.
P.S. I don’t like being the bearer of bad news, but green-energy subsidies are just one part of the statist/green agenda. The IMF, for instance, has recommended a huge carbon tax (about $5,500 per year for a family of four!) for the United States. A few gullible folks think this might not be a bad idea if the money gets used to lower other taxes, but they’re the same people who get suckered into buying oceanfront property in Kansas.
I have put up lots of cartoons from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. President Obama is from Chicago and sometimes I think he plays ball like the Chicago political bosses did […]
I have put up lots of cartoons from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. Al Gore spoke in Little Rock yesterday at the Clinton Library Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times […]
Obamanomics: A Legacy of Wasteful Spending Published on Aug 12, 2012 by CFPEcon101 This mini-documentary from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation highlights egregious examples of wasteful spending from the so-called stimulus legislation and explains why government spending hurts economic performance. **Links to additional reading material** Thomas Sowell, “Stimulus or Sedative?” http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/03/09/stimulus_or_sedative_104… Veronique de […]
The government shouldn’t pick winners and losers in the private market place like President Obama has done. The 10 Most Revealing Solyndra Emails Lachlan Markay August 3, 2012 at 12:40 pm On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a bombshell report, 18 months in the making and 147 pages long, detailing its investigation […]
The Economic Case for Tax Havens Uploaded by afq2007 on Sep 10, 2008 Statist politicians and international bureaucracies such as the OECD and UN routinely attack tax havens, claiming that they lead to “harmful tax competition.” Yet at no point do critics bother to provide any evidence for this claim. This mini-documentary from the Center […]
I have put up lots of cartoons from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. Obama’s 9-9-9 Plan and other Jokes about Energy Policy March 3, 2012 by Dan Mitchell I get agitated when I think about”energy policy” […]
I have put up lots of cartoons from Dan Mitchell’s blog before and they have got lots of hits before. Many of them have dealt with the economy, eternal unemployment benefits, socialism, Greece, welfare state or on gun control. The Corrupt Nexus of Big Business and Big Government February 18, 2013 by Dan Mitchell I did a video […]
We got to cut corporate welfare out of the budget too!!! JULY 23, 2013 5:40PM Feds and the States Tag-Teaming on Corporate Welfare By TAD DEHAVEN In a recent op-ed for the Indianapolis Star I discussed the symbiotic relationship between federal and state government when it comes to doling out corporate welfare subsidies. The focus was primarily on Indiana, but […]
John Stossel notes how good intentions lead to bad results when the government is involved. Why do we keep on giving the government more money when they waste so much? We should be putting more time in staying out of the small businessperson’s way!!!! The Reverse Midas Touch of Government January 6, 2013 by Dan Mitchell […]
As a PhD student, I provided research assistance to the Baylor historian Barry Hankins as he wrote his biography of Francis Schaeffer (Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelical America [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008]). At the time, I remember asking Professor Hankins if the family had been cooperative. They had not. Having read Colin Duriez’s treatment of Schaeffer, I think I know why. The family was cooperating with him, so much so that this book could be considered an authorized biography. Duriez’s portrayal is very powerfully personal, more so than anything I have read save Schaeffer’s own books, which are self-revelatory to some degree.
An Authentic Life features a number of unforgettable scenes from Schaeffer’s life. The reader who has a jaundiced view of Schaeffer as some kind of plastic-mold religious right stereotype will encounter a complex man who had a powerful instinct for justice. As a teenager, young Fran had a job with RCA Victor where he worked in the factory. The women posted along the production line were mistreated and overworked. One day, a woman stopped her work and began calling for a strike. She was soon joined by Schaeffer, who jumped up on a counter, yelling in his piercing voice, “Strike, Strike” (p. 24). This was, after all, the same man who would one day criticize comfortable American Christians for their addiction to personal peace and affluence and their non-compassionate use of wealth.
The pioneer of Christian worldview had a hard road to ministry. His father asked to speak to him at 5:30 a.m. on the morning he was to leave for college and pre-ministerial studies. When they met, his father bluntly told Schaeffer that he did not want a minister for a son and did not want him to go. The young man asked to go pray about it. Tearfully, he tossed a coin three times with each outcome landing in favor of going on to college at Hampden-Sydney. He informed his father, “I’ve got to go.” Just before slamming the door on his way out, his father promised to pay for the “first half year” (pp. 25–26). Time would bring the father to share his son’s beliefs.
Duriez’s book is full of similar interesting vignettes from Schaeffer’s life. One theme stands out very clearly. Francis Schaeffer was a man filled with love for the so-called “little people” who were not valued by the world. While he was still a young minister, we discover that he tutored a young boy with Down Syndrome twice each week and took great delight in every increment of progress. He felt the boy’s forward steps were just as important, in his wife Edith’s words, “as talking to any university student about his intellectual problems” (pp. 50–51). This event perfectly foreshadows his later powerful insistence upon the importance of the sanctity of life, an area in which he was far ahead of the main body of evangelicals and fundamentalists.
Connecting the young Schaeffer to the more famous, older man is a great strength of Colin Duriez’s book. It has become well-accepted to break Schaeffer’s life up into segments and to characterize him as three different people. There is the young, fire breathing fundamentalist eager to “be ye separate” from the impure compromisers; the artsy, compassionate, bohemian founder of L’abri in Switzerland; and then the old man, brushing off his best instincts and returning to his fundamentalist roots to fight for the doctrine of inerrancy and “Christian America.” While it is possible to reach such a conclusion by looking at his early career and then considering the chronological development of his publications, this book rejects that approach by portraying Schaeffer as a consistent personality throughout.
The man who cared enough to tutor a little boy with Down Syndrome is also the man who told his church in St. Louis that he would resign if a black person ever came to his church and felt unwelcome. The budding intellectual who answered the existential questions of college students in Europe is also the agitator who took up the cause of the unborn and became arguably the finest shaper of and advocate for a potent evangelical critique of modern culture. Two sentences in the book make this point about Schaeffer brilliantly: “It was not a new Schaeffer that was emerging. His theology, honed over many decades since the passionate articles of the later forties and early fifties, was that of the lordship of Christ over every area of life—the womb as well as the university seminar room” (p. 182).
If one could ask for anything more from this book, it would be on the subject of Frank (AKA Franky Schaeffer). As Francis Schaeffer’s son has aged, he has increasingly distanced himself from his father’s legacy. First, Frank converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church. More significantly, he wrote thinly disguised novels about his family life that were unflattering to his father and then made a massive turn left politically, ultimately supporting Barack Obama despite his laissez faire policies on abortion. One suspects this topic was left alone for two reasons. The first is that, as I wrote above, this book feels like an authorized biography with the family’s full cooperation. They probably did not want this story to include the later years of Frank Schaeffer. The second is that the book very likely neared completion during the time of Frank’s increasing heterodoxy. Regardless, readers hungry for more on this front should look to Os Guinness’s powerful rejoinder to Frank in the journal Books and Culture (March 1, 2008; available at http:// www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2008/marapr/1.32.html).
Duriez’s book is an important contribution to Schaeffer scholarship and will challenge those who have portrayed an interesting Schaeffer with a unique voice who morphs into a conventional Christian rightist over time. Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life deserves a wide readership and may well be the standard in the field for some time to come. Hunter Baker
Houston Baptist University
Houston, Texas, USA
(Wade Payne/ Associated Press ) – Tennessee defensive back Justin Coleman (27) is pursued by Western Kentucky wide receiver Taywan Taylor (2) as he runs for a touchdown after intercepting the ball in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Earlier I stated that I thought Austin Peay (even though they have the best school chant “Let’s go Peay!!!”) was 2-9 last year and no match for the Vols and this week I predicted that Petrino’s team would take Tennessee down to the wire. I WAS WRONG!!! I guess I was influenced by the fact that I was present in Fayetteville a few years ago when the Petrino coached Hogs spanked the Vols. As you can see below the Vol fan blogger who posted the article was also there and he took great joy in his Vols laying 52 on Petrino today.
We’re a passionate, slightly crazy, often irrational bunch. So you’ll probably nod your head when I say I heard some form of all of those things listed above at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, and you’ll probably nod because you said a few of them yourself.
There’s nothing rational about what happened in Western Kentucky’s five turnovers in six offensive snaps bonanza. It’s similar to the Vols having zero penalties last week: sure to be a leading conversation point among the faithful, certainly impressive, but of somewhat limited value going forward. Granted, the Vols committed just two penalties today and certainly appear more disciplined – bonus points to the offensive line’s statuesque performance and Justin Worley for going deep on WKU’s offsides penalty – but lack of penalties don’t always lead to greatness. Alabama was 7th best in the nation in penalty yards per game last season, sure, but 11-win Florida and Oregon were 114th and 117th, respectively.
In the same way, Tennessee did create most of Western Kentucky’s turnovers – only the first one was sort of a fluke play in my opinion – and the Vols have now picked up half as many turnovers in two games as they had in all of 2012. But the Vols aren’t going to see seven turnovers again this year, certainly not five in six plays (let alone four in four plays, which has never happened before) and I’m not sure anyone has kept this stat, but I’d wager an average starting field position of our own 45 yard line might be a school record.
So the main takeaway from this game is weirdness, which was followed by a brief spell of, “Oh no we’re really terrible!” and then an entire half of, “Alright, maybe we’re okay.” In the game that was supposed to teach us more than any of the others we’ll play this month, the weirdness made lessons hard to see. But between the overreactions on both ends of the spectrum, at least a few truths about this Tennessee team are trying to emerge. Let’s look at a few overreactions from Saturday and the truth that lies a little closer to center:
“We would’ve lost without all those turnovers!”
First, no. The Vols got 31 during the weirdness but won by 32 and ended the game two yards short of 39 (side note: I was in Fayetteville two years ago when Petrino handed us the worst loss of my lifetime, and it was terrible, so I wouldn’t have felt bad about sticking another one in there at all. But we’ll take 52.). Second, turnovers are very much part of the game, and credit a young (and recovering in the case of Brian Randolph) secondary for making so many plays.
But the second half made all of us feel better, both because Tennessee faced at least some level of adversity – as much as you can face with a two touchdown lead at halftime – and responded with good football. UT’s three scoring drives to put the game away in the second half: 5 plays 59 yards, 8 plays 75 yards, 8 plays 80 yards. No flukes there, only domination led by a ground game that finished with 240 yards on 45 carries for 5.3 per. Tennessee’s identity last week was a dominant ground game, and today was no different when we needed points most. It was a little choppy early, but the Vols bounced back, dare we say made halftime adjustments, and finished the day looking good the way we thought they would.
“Justin Worley is terrible!”
I think Tennessee fans are convinced our quarterback has to either be Peyton Manning or Evil Crompton. There is no middle ground. If he’s not a Heisman candidate, he sucks. Casey Clausen was terrible. Erik Ainge was terrible. Crompton was terrible until the Georgia game. Matt Simms was terrible. Tyler Bray plays with the arm of a god and the brain of a child in the backyard, so he’s terrible too.
Look friends, relax. Anytime I hear people complaining about how bad our offense is – 382 yards on just 64 plays today, by the way – I want to remind everyone that the Clawfense wasn’t that long ago. You’ve seen terrible and you’ve seen it recently, at quarterback and in general. Worley isn’t that, at least not given the sample size we have thus far. Let’s find a different word.
I’m fine with “limited” or, even better, “inexperienced”. This kid doesn’t have to be a hero. By the way, Worley in the second half: 8 of 10, 107 yards, a touchdown and a bad decision on an end zone interception. That came on third down, but so did his touchdown to Brendan Downs and the five-wide strike to Josh Smith on 3rd and 4 at the 19 with the Vols leading 38-20 and the outcome still in doubt. After struggling on third down in the first half, he rebounded fairly well…and third down is one of the few times we know we’re going to need him to be big.
Worley doesn’t appear capable of winning games for us, but we’re not asking him to. Let’s give him a few more snaps before we decide he’s terrible and we need to play the guys who, you know, aren’t capable of beating him out in practice.
“The defense is the same as last year!”
Western Kentucky got 393 yards in 70 plays. But again, you’ve seen terrible recently: the 2012 defense gave up less than 393 yards only twice (Georgia State, Akron).
Some of this conversation will depend on how much you believe in Bobby Petrino, who again called a game that took advantage of mismatches that hurt Tennessee’s defense at times. The Hilltoppers were forced into third downs 15 times but converted 8 of them, and that’s too many. Among those eight: 3rd and 13 on the opening drive, 3rd and 9 on WKU’s first touchdown drive, 3rd and 14 on the first drive of the second half. That is, of course, too many, and this is a defense that needs to get off the field whenever it can despite seven turnovers today.
However, after the joy of the first quarter and the frustration of the end of the first half, the defense played a pretty good ballgame in the second half. WKU got three points, and even better, Tennessee turned the Hilltoppers away in the red zone a bunch throughout the game: in six red zone appearances, Western Kentucky got two touchdowns, two field goals, and threw two interceptions.
We’ve mentioned this before, and it’s a great and critical stat: last year the Vols gave up points in the red zone 91.4% of the time. There was no bending, only breaking. But this same coaching staff at Cincinnati gave up points in the red zone just 70.0% of the time, 12th best nationally. And even better, last year the Bearcats gave up just 17 touchdowns in 40 red zone visits, one of only 19 teams in college football that gave up more field goals than touchdowns in the red zone.
Tennessee needs to get off the field, and we had some issues on third down against WKU. But the Vols also need to bend but not break, give up three and not six, and force big turnovers. And we’ve seen a bunch of that as well. In two games the Vols have allowed eight red zone trips, and only given up two touchdowns. That’s a very good sign regardless of competition.
Look, this was a win every bit as important as we thought it was coming in, and should be celebrated as such. If you’re feeling more bad than good after a 32 point win over a bowl eligible team with an elite playcaller, you should try enjoying life more. The Vols have some clear issues and are still growing. But today wasn’t nearly as bad as some are making it out to be, and no matter how bad next week could get, there are signs of life here that could carry us forward as this team continues to grow this season. Butch Jones is 2-0 and we’re moving in the right direction. We are in no way there yet and we’ve got miles to go. But today was an important step. Let’s enjoy it.
Alabama last year had to play Tennessee and Kentucky from the East and their conference record was 1-15 while LSU had to play Florida and Georgia and their record was 14-2. Doesn’t seem fair does it? In the old days Tennessee would have been a top 10 team almost every year and playing them as […]
SEC has proved how good we are, but it doesn’t mean every team in the SEC could win a national title in 2013. David Climer: Titles can’t erase SEC football’s weaknesses Alabama players celebrates after their 32-28 win in the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP […]
ESPN’s final recruiting rankings are not as good as others as I have seen. I do have a hard time with Missouri (38) having such a good ranking when other services had the tigers tanking their class this year compared to other SEC schools. However, Kentucky (36) is almost as bad when there is vast […]
Nick Saban Streeter Lecka We finally found a Top 25 in which the SEC is more dominant than the USA Today Coaches’ Poll: the post-Signing Day recruiting class rankings. ________ I have to say the SEC is really doing well these days. Everyone expects Alabama is going to be on top on most years […]
I am not so mad anymore about Arkansas being ranked number 64 in recruiting this year while Auburn is #20 and Tennessee is #30 and even Kentucky is doing better than us. That is because they racked up lots of players when they had coaches during the year while we had John L. Smith. What […]
It is no surprise that John L. Smith and Derek Dooley may be heading out the door at the end of this season. That was expected by most people that watch SEC football. However, could Gene Chizik of Auburn being out the door too? If that happens then I must admit that I did not […]
I am very happy with the new football schedules that the SEC released for next year. It is a stand alone schedule that will not affect the final decision that make concerning the rotation in the 2014 schedule and beyond. 2013 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule Date Opponent Time/TV Tickets Saturday 04/06/13 G-Day Spring Game […]
Arkansas defensive tackle Jared Green (57) and linebackers Alonzo Highsmith (45), and Tenarius Wright (43) attempt to tackle Alabama running back Eddie Lacy (42) as offensive lineman Barrett Jones (75) looks on during second quarter action of an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/David Quinn) ___________ When you […]
On 2-25-13 we lost a great man when we lost Dr. C. Everett Koop. I have written over and over the last few years quoting Dr. C. Everett Koop and his good friend Francis Schaeffer. They both came together for the first time in 1973 when Dr. Koop operated on Schaeffer’s daughter and as a result they became close friends. That led to their involvement together in the book and film series “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE?” in 1979.
This chapter was written by the former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. C. Everett Koop.
Abortion [killing infants before birth], infanticide [killing infants after birth], and euthanasia [killing adults] stand before us like dominoes; the first to fall has been abortion on demand. It is a grave issue. Nothing like it has separated our society since the days of slavery.
It simply isn’t true. Abortions in the United States for rape, incest, to protect the life of the mother, or to void a defective fetus comprise less than five percent of all abortions. The rest are performed just for convenience. And we’re talking about one million abortions a year.
Rape practically never results in pregnancy. Studies in Pennsylvania and Minnesota concerning rape and pregnancy show that as many as five thousand rapes have occurred successively without a single pregnancy . .
Most people do not know that the younger the mother is the more likely she will suffer sterility later if she has an abortion. Studies in Canada indicate that sterility is as high as thirty percent among women fifteen to seventeen years old who have had abortions . .
Protection of the life of the mother as an excuse for an abortion is a smoke screen. In my thirty-six years in pediatric surgery I have never known of one instance where the child had to be be aborted to save the mother’s life.
When a woman is pregnant, her obstetrician takes on the care of two patients—the mother-to-be and the unborn baby. If, toward the end of the pregnancy complications arise that threaten the mother’s health, he will take the child by inducing labor or performing a Caesarian section.
His intention is still to save the life of both the mother and the baby. The baby will be premature . . The baby is never willfully destroyed because the mother’s life is in danger.
Infanticide was the second domino, and it fell very silently. Unless you know someone who talks about his work in an intensive care unit for newborns, there is no way the public would know about this. Abortion is legal. Infanticide is murder.
It is still illegal in every state in the union; yet for some reason when a newborn baby is starved or in some other way allowed to die, the law turns its back. It isn’t that the law doesn’t know about it because reputable medical journals publish papers where authors acknowledge that they have engineered the deaths of babies under their care . .
Corruptive forces are exerting an influence on medical men and women in this country. Some obstetricians admit that they abort because the patient wants them to, even if it is not medically required . .
Zoologists and biologists say life is a continuum from fertilization until the death of the organism, whether earthworm or baboon or fox or pigeon. Is it different for man?
We’re just smoke-screened to death.
The medical profession must not let itself be pushed by society and by our social planners into the role of social executioner. For as the medical person becomes an abortionist, he becomes the social executioner of the unborn.
As he allows infanticide in his intensive care unit, he becomes the social executioner of the newly born. In days ahead, he may well be required to commit euthanasia and become the executioner of the elderly.
“Parental rights are [now legally] gone. Spousal rights [of the husband] are gone. The rights of the child are gone. Legally, a minor child may now have an abortion without her parents’ knowledge; but, technically, she cannot have her ears pierced for earrings without parental consent.
Abortion is an atrocity changing the whole thought process of our country. More than a million unborn lives a year cannot be violently terminated without taking its toll on us as a nation.
Japan has records of more than fifty million legal abortions since World War II. That country is less than one percent Christian. Here in America we will destroy a larger number than that in the same amount of time, and we’re supposed to be a Christian country.
I have spent thirty-six years in the practice of pediatric [infant and child] surgery, longer than anybody else now practicing in this country . .
Some raise Exodus 21 as a proof text that God doesn’t regard the unborn child in the same way as He does the newly born child. But if you read the text carefully, you will find it says that if a man in an argument with another man accidentally strikes a woman and she has a premature birth, there is to be a fine. Nothing here is premeditated.
But if any further mischief is done—and I take that to mean a deformity of the baby or the death of the baby—then the old law applies of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Francis Schaeffer checked the exegesis [meaning] of these verses with five Hebrew scholars and was convinced that God means just that, and in no way does He mean to down-grade the worth of the unborn child.
The story of the incarnation leaves no room for doubt. The angel told Joseph, “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” From the moment of conception God had entered human life. The soul that I am has also existed from the moment of conception . .
I have always been interested in the fact that when the preborn John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb because of the presence of the Lord in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:41,44), He—the Lord—was a very tiny baby. [John was six months older than Jesus, and already well-enough developed for vigorous movement.] He would not have been discernible as an individual at that time, but He certainly was a Person.
Our churches must get educated. That means they’ve got to find somebody who can talk to them about the origin of life. Many of our people don’t realize that by the twenty-first day—before most women even know they are pregnant—the baby’s heart demonstrates its first feeble beats.
By the sixth week the adrenal gland and the thyroid are functioning. A child’s fingerprints are indelibly in place by the twelfth week. Abortion kills a developing human being! No matter how old or how large the organism is when he/she leaves the womb, that emergence—by whatever means—is still a birth. .
An orthodox Jewish law student gave up a year of his time at Boston University to go to Akron [Ohio) to fight legislation through the courts. He sought passage of an ordinance requiring that a woman know what the unborn child she is aborting looks like by having the physician show her a picture of a fetus of the same gestation [age] he thinks her child is.
The ordinance passed. It also asked that the woman not have the abortion until twenty-four or forty-eight hours have gone by after she has signed the papers for operative permission.
But the pro-abortion forces do not want the pregnant woman to know what she is aborting and they don’t want her to have the time to think it over.
But this idea is contrary to everything happening in this country; there is a tremendous movement now for informed consent. Legally, if you bring a child to me for a hernia repair; I can’t tell you that he should be operated upon or even schedule him for admission unless I tell you all of the possible good and bad results from that hospitalization.
With abortion, the counseling is not done, and the clinics do not tell you about alternatives to abortion; but worse yet, the pro-abortion people get terribly upset if somebody pushes for informed consent . .
I believe that infanticide, now practiced illegally behind closed doors, will become legal and eventually, for certain types of deformity, may become mandatory.
I believe that through the Living-Will, passive euthanasia will become so much a part of our culture that after we’ve had it for five years or so we will adopt active euthanasia.
So, what will be next? The parallels that can be drawn between Germany with its holocaust and America here and now are frightening. We are too close to the abyss. We are right at the edge.”—C. Everett Koop, M. D., as told to Dick Bohrer, in“Moody Monthly,” May, 1980. Reprinted by permission.
When Obamacare was originally pitched to congress many pro-life representatives were promised by President Obama that Obamacare would not provide abortions but that simply is not true anymore. Take a look at this editorial cartoon below.
Dr. C. Everett Koop on Baby Doe, euthanasia, abortion Uploaded on Nov 3, 2008 Dr. Koop answers questions on Baby Doe, euthanasia and abortion during interview at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL http://www.christianethics.org Dr. Koop On 2-25-13 we lost a great man when we lost Dr. C. Everett Koop. I have written over and over […]
Newsmaker Interview with Surgeon General C. Everett Koop Published on Feb 25, 2013 The PBS NewsHour interviewed former Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, on the anniversary of the first surgeon general’s report on smoking. Jim Lehrer interviewed Koop for a newsmaker conversation for the The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour from the surgeon general’s office in Washington […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop on Baby Doe, euthanasia, abortion Uploaded on Nov 3, 2008 Dr. Koop answers questions on Baby Doe, euthanasia and abortion during interview at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL http://www.christianethics.org Dr. Koop Joycelyn Elders was the first black Surgeon General of the USA and I have a picture of her with Dr. C. […]
Newsmaker Interview with Surgeon General C. Everett Koop Published on Feb 25, 2013 The PBS NewsHour interviewed former Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, on the anniversary of the first surgeon general’s report on smoking. Jim Lehrer interviewed Koop for a newsmaker conversation for the The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour from the surgeon general’s office in Washington […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop on Baby Doe, euthanasia, abortion Uploaded on Nov 3, 2008 Dr. Koop answers questions on Baby Doe, euthanasia and abortion during interview at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL http://www.christianethics.org Dr. Koop. C. Everett Koop On June 8, 1988 Ralph Dunagin of the LA Times came out with the funniest editorial cartoon I […]
Dr. Koop Gary Brookings of the Richmond Times Dispatch did a very funny editorial cartoon about the time in 1988 when Dr. C. Everett Koop sent the unapproved mail piece out to millions of homes about AIDS. There were many such cartoons at the time since everyone knew Dr. Koop got the mail piece out […]
Dr. Koop with Hillary Clinton In 1980 I really was influenced at my highschool by a teacher of mine named Mark Brink. He introduced me to the film series “Whatever happened to the human race?” by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop. In this film series that came out in 1979 they dealt with […]
Dr. Koop On 2-25-13 we lost a great man when we lost Dr. C. Everett Koop. I have written over and over the last few years quoting Dr. C. Everett Koop and his good friend Francis Schaeffer. They both came together for the first time in 1973 when Dr. Koop operated on Schaeffer’s daughter and […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop is pictured above. Francis Schaeffer: “Whatever Happened to the Human Race” (Episode 1) ABORTION OF THE HUMAN RACE Published on Oct 6, 2012 by AdamMetropolis Dr. Koop On 2-25-13 we lost a great man when we lost Dr. C. Everett Koop. I have written over and over the last few years […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop with Ronald Reagan. Dr. Koop was delayed in his confirmation by Ted Kennedy because of his film Whatever Happened to the Human Race? 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 […]
In the film series “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE?” the arguments are presented against abortion (Episode 1), infanticide (Episode 2), euthenasia (Episode 3), and then there is a discussion of the Christian versus Humanist worldview concerning the issue of “the basis for human dignity” in Episode 4 and then in the last episode a close […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop with Ronald Reagan. Dr. Koop was delayed in his confirmation by Ted Kennedy because of his film Whatever Happened to the Human Race? Watch the film below starting at the 19 minute mark and that will lead into a powerful question from Dr. C. Everett Koop. This 1979 film is WHATEVER […]
Dr. Koop was delayed in his confirmation by Ted Kennedy because of his film Whatever Happened to the Human Race? Francis Schaeffer February 21, 1982 (Part 1) Uploaded by DeBunker7 on Feb 21, 2008 READ THIS FIRST: In decline of all civilizations we first see a war against the freedom of ideas. Discussion is limited […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop was appointed to the Reagan administration but was held up in the Senate in his confirmation hearings by Ted Kennedy because of his work in pro-life causes. I was thinking about the March for Life that is coming up on Jan 20, 2013 and that is why I posted this today […]
High resolution version (11,426,583 Bytes) Description: The photograph is signed by President Ronald Reagan with the inscription “To Chick Koop, With Best Wishes.” Chick, from chicken coop, was the nickname Koop gained will attending Dartmouth College in the mid-1930s. Koop maintained a cordial relationship with President Reagan, despite his disappointment over Reagan’s refusal to address […]
Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop were prophetic (jh29) What Ever Happened to the Human Race? I recently heard this Breakpoint Commentary by Chuck Colson and it just reminded me of how prophetic Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop were in the late 1970′s with their book and film series “Whatever happened to the human […]
Dr. C. Everett Koop I was thinking about the March for Life that is coming up on Jan 20, 2013 and that is why I posted this today Secular leaps of faith 39 Comments Written by Janie B. Cheaney August 15, 2011, 2:17 PM I’m willing to cut Ryan Lizza some slack. His profile […]
Francis Schaeffer: “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” (Episode 2) SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS Published on Oct 6, 2012 by AdamMetropolis The 45 minute video above is from the film series created from Francis Schaeffer’s book “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” with Dr. C. Everett Koop. This book really helped develop my political views concerning […]
I truly believe that many of the problems we have today in the USA are due to the advancement of humanism in the last few decades in our society. Ronald Reagan appointed the evangelical Dr. C. Everett Koop to the position of Surgeon General in his administration. He partnered with Dr. Francis Schaeffer in making […]
The best pro-life film I have ever seen below by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop “Whatever happened to the human race?” Over the years I have taken on the Ark Times liberal bloggers over and over and over concerning the issue of abortion. I asked over and over again for one liberal blogger […]
Francis Schaeffer pictured above._________ The best pro-life film I have ever seen below by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop “Whatever happened to the human race?” Over the years I have taken on the Ark Times liberal bloggers over and over and over concerning the issue of abortion. I asked over and over again […]
The best pro-life film I have ever seen below by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop “Whatever happened to the human race?” On 1-24-13 I took on the child abuse argument put forth by Ark Times Blogger “Deathbyinches,” and the day before I pointed out that because the unborn baby has all the genetic code […]
PHOTO BY STATON BREIDENTHAL from Pro-life march in Little Rock on 1-20-13. Tim Tebow on pro-life super bowl commercial. Over the years I have taken on the Ark Times liberal bloggers over and over and over concerning the issue of abortion. Here is another encounter below. On January 22, 2013 (on the 40th anniversary of the […]
The best pro-life film I have ever seen below by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop “Whatever happened to the human race?” Francis Schaeffer pictured above._________ The 45 minute video above is from the film series created from Francis Schaeffer’s book “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” with Dr. C. Everett Koop. This book really […]
Dr Richard Land discusses abortion and slavery – 10/14/2004 – part 3 The best pro-life film I have ever seen below by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop “Whatever happened to the human race?” Over the years I have taken on the Ark Times liberal bloggers over and over and over concerning the issue […]
Dr Richard Land discusses abortion and slavery – 10/14/2004 – part 3 The best pro-life film I have ever seen below by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop “Whatever happened to the human race?” Over the years I have taken on the Ark Times liberal bloggers over and over and over concerning the issue […]
On January 20, 2013 I heard Paul Greenberg talk about the words of Thomas Jefferson that we are all “endowed with certain unalienable rights” and the most important one is the right to life. He mentioned this also in this speech below from 2011: Paul Greenberg Dinner Speech 2011 Fall 2011 Issue Some of you […]
It is not possible to know where the pro-life evangelicals are coming from unless you look at the work of the person who inspired them the most. That person was Francis Schaeffer. I do care about economic issues but the pro-life issue is the most important to me. Several years ago Adrian Rogers (past president of […]
I have spent alot of time talking about Woody Allen films on this blog and looking at his worldview. He has a hopeless, meaningless, nihilistic worldview that believes we are going to turn to dust and there is no afterlife. Even though he has this view he has taken the opportunity to look at the weaknesses of his own secular view. I salute him for doing that. That is why I have returned to his work over and over and presented my own Christian worldview as an alternative.
Woody Allen has made many movies in his time, and still averages around one movie per year. Allen is a director you either love or hate – I happen to love his films – but I am sure this list will have some very extreme comments from both perspectives. This list compiles not only the obvious choices but also some not so obvious ones.
10
Small Time Crooks (2000) trailer
Woody Allen stars, along with Tracy Ullman, in this funny film about a husband and wife who try to steal money from a bank. They do this by buying a neighboring pizza place, and turning it into a cookie shop so they can tunnel under it and inside the bank. The plan gets shot down when people actually want to buy cookies from the fake shop. It’s a hilarious piece of work that has a good start, a weak middle and a strong ending.
Small Time Crooks 10
9
Deconstructing Harry
1997
In this film Woody Allen plays a writer who finds out he’s getting an award from his school and he decides he doesn’t wanna go alone. He takes along his best friend, a prostitute, and his son (against his ex-wife’s wishes). Also in the film we see characters from the stories he’s written come to life, such as Robin Williams as a literally out of focus man. Another hilarious moment is Billy Crystal as the devil. If this sounds as crazy as anything, it is.
8
Manhattan Murder Mystery
1993
This film stars Woody Allen and reunites him with long time co-star Diane Keaton. It also brings back Alan Alda who was previously in Crimes and Misdemeanors. In the film Woody Allen and Diane Keaton play a married couple who discover a murder, and decide to play detectives a la The Thin Man. It’s a brilliant piece of film because of its sense of realism, and the fact that it could happen in real life.
7
Zelig
1983
Zelig
Woody Allen makes a farce on documentaries in this film. He plays Leonard Zelig, a human chameleon who can blend into any background and is seen at many of the most historical events in history. This film also stars Mia Farrow as a psychiatrist who tries to cure him of his changing. It’s funny seeing Allen change face and form, and even language, as he morphs into whoever he’s around at the time.
6
Sleeper
1973
Sleeper (1973) – Trailer
In this hilarious film about the future, Woody Allen plays Miles Monroe, a jazz musician who is frozen and not defrosted until two hundred years in the future. He doesn’t know how to deal with it since everything has changed so much. He pretends to be a robot and kidnaps Luna, who is played by Diane Keaton, and they try to figure out how to destroy an evil dictator. It’s full of laughs and funny to see what a comedian’s idea of the future was like.
5
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex
1972
The film was based on a book by Dr. David Reuben, published in 1969. The film is comprised of a series of sketches on the subject of sex, including Woody Allen as a court jester trying to seduce a queen and a cross dressing husband. It’s a real trip to watch.
4
Take the Money and Run
1969
WOODY ALLEN TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN CELLO MARCHING BAND SCENE
This movie is like Zelig in the sense that it’s another documentary style parody. Woody Allen plays an escaped convict who is trying to escape, for good, from the law. He meets a girl that he really likes and everything seems to work out, until he tries to rob a bank with terrible results (they can’t read his hold up note). It’s a humorous film that keeps the laughs going every second it can.
3
Bananas
1971
Bananas (1971) – Trailer
In this film Woody Allen plays a products tester for a large corporation who feels his life is going nowhere. Then he gets on the subway and is mangled by a young Sly Stallone, in his first major film appearance. However, he meets a female activist, played by Louise Lasser, and things start looking up. When they break up he takes a trip to a little country called San Marcos, where the revolutionaries decide to assassinate the ruler of the country. Eventually, Allen becomes ruler of San Marcos and goes back to the US after getting involved in what is one of the funniest courtroom scenes ever. There’s a great cameo by Howard Cosell and much much more.
2
Play it Again, Sam
1972
Play It Again, Sam trailer
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton supposedly met when they were auditioning for the play that this movie was based on, and they both found each other delighted by their sense of humor. If that is true then it’s no question why they ended up doing a film of the play in 1972. The premise is a very uncool man, played by Woody Allen, tries to emulate one of his great movie heroes, Humphrey Bogart, so he can meet women. To the extent that Bogart himself (played by Jerry Lacy) is giving him dating advice. He has a female friend (Linda) who is played by Diane Keaton, she is married to Dick who is played by Tony Roberts. He is a businessman who never pays any attention to his wife, and Woody Allen figures that he should be with Linda instead of him. The hilarity starts when Woody Allen’s character is set up on several dates which led to very humorous results. A real hilarious picture.
1
Annie Hall
1977
Annie Hall – Movie Trailer
Yes, this film has probably won the most awards, and received the most nominations so far of any of Woody Allen’s films. If you’ve seen it already, there’s no need to go into much details, but the basic story is about Woody Allen’s character, Alvy. Alvy happens to be a stand up comic, much like Allen himself who started in the same field, and his relationship with Annie Hall, played by Diane Keaton. It is one of his funniest films, and it has been parodied several times in tv shows and other media. One of my favorite scenes is when Woody is standing in line for a movie and a man who teaches film is behind him. He is trying to explain the plots and sub plots of director Marshall McLuhan’s films, and Allen actually brings him forth to speak to the guy, telling him that he knows nothing of his work and how he got to teach a course in anything is nothing short of amazing. If you haven’t seen this film go see it immediately, and if you don’t enjoy it the first time then wait a while and see it again, it will grow on you.
Manhattan
1979
This is probably the best known Woody Allen film on the list, and for that reason I have made it a bonus item instead of ranking it (where it would probably take top spot). If you have never seen a Woody Allen film, this is the one to see. Isaac (Allen), 42, has divorced Jill. She is now living with another woman, Connie, and is writing a book in which she will reveal some very private points of their relationship. Isaac has a love affair with Tracy, 17, when he meets Mary, the mistress of his best friend, Yale. This film features some stunning cinematography and really is worth the watch.
Related posts:
I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and I have done over 30 posts on the historical characters mentioned in the film. Take a look below:
I have spent alot of time talking about Woody Allen films on this blog and looking at his worldview. He has a hopeless, meaningless, nihilistic worldview that believes we are going to turn to dust and there is no afterlife. Even though he has this view he has taken the opportunity to look at the weaknesses of […]
I have spent alot of time talking about Woody Allen films on this blog and looking at his worldview. He has a hopeless, meaningless, nihilistic worldview that believes we are going to turn to dust and there is no afterlife. Even though he has this view he has taken the opportunity to look at the weaknesses of […]
Woody Allen video interview in France Related posts: “Woody Wednesdays” Woody Allen on God and Death June 6, 2012 – 6:00 am Good website on Woody Allen How can I believe in God when just last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of an electric typewriter? If Jesus Christ came back today and […]
I have spent alot of time talking about Woody Allen films on this blog and looking at his worldview. He has a hopeless, meaningless, nihilistic worldview that believes we are going to turn to dust and there is no afterlife. Even though he has this view he has taken the opportunity to look at the weaknesses of […]
A surprisingly civil discussion between evangelical Billy Graham and agnostic comedian Woody Allen. Skip to 2:00 in the video to hear Graham discuss premarital sex, to 4:30 to hear him respond to Allen’s question about the worst sin and to 7:55 for the comparison between accepting Christ and taking LSD. ___________________ The Christian Post > […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1 If you like Woody Allen films as much as I do then join me every Wednesday for another look the man and his movies. Below are some of the posts from the past: “Woody Wednesday” How Allen’s film “Crimes and Misdemeanors makes the point that hell is necessary […]
I really enjoyed this documentary on Woody Allen from PBS. Woody Allen: A Documentary, Part 1 Published on Mar 26, 2012 by NewVideoDigital Beginning with Allen’s childhood and his first professional gigs as a teen – furnishing jokes for comics and publicists – WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY chronicles the trajectory and longevity of Allen’s career: […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 3 Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007 Part 3 of 3: ‘Is Woody Allen A Romantic Or A Realist?’ A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, Crimes and Misdemeanors, perhaps his finest. By Anton Scamvougeras. http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/antons@mail.ubc.ca ______________ One of my favorite Woody Allen movies and I reviewed […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 2 Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007 Part 2 of 3: ‘What Does The Movie Tell Us About Ourselves?’ A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, perhaps his finest. By Anton Scamvougeras. http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/antons@mail.ubc.ca _________________- One of my favorite Woody Allen movies and I reviewed it earlier but […]
I have spent alot of time talking about Woody Allen films on this blog and looking at his worldview. He has a hopeless, meaningless, nihilistic worldview that believes we are going to turn to dust and there is no afterlife. Even though he has this view he has taken the opportunity to look at the weaknesses of […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1 If you like Woody Allen films as much as I do then join me every Wednesday for another look the man and his movies. Below are some of the posts from the past: “Woody Wednesday” How Allen’s film “Crimes and Misdemeanors makes the point that hell is necessary […]
I have spent alot of time talking about Woody Allen films on this blog and looking at his worldview. He has a hopeless, meaningless, nihilistic worldview that believes we are going to turn to dust and there is no afterlife. Even though he has this view he has taken the opportunity to look at the weaknesses of […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1 Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007 Part 1 of 3: ‘What Does Judah Believe?’ A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, perhaps his finest. By Anton Scamvougeras. http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/antons@mail.ubc.ca _____________ One of my favorite films is this gem by Woody Allen “Crimes and Misdemeanors”: Film Review By […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 3 Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007 Part 3 of 3: ‘Is Woody Allen A Romantic Or A Realist?’ A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, Crimes and Misdemeanors, perhaps his finest. By Anton Scamvougeras. http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/antons@mail.ubc.ca ______________ One of my favorite Woody Allen movies and I reviewed […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 2 Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007 Part 2 of 3: ‘What Does The Movie Tell Us About Ourselves?’ A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, perhaps his finest. By Anton Scamvougeras. http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/antons@mail.ubc.ca _________________- One of my favorite Woody Allen movies and I reviewed it earlier but […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1 Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007 Part 1 of 3: ‘What Does Judah Believe?’ A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, perhaps his finest. By Anton Scamvougeras. http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/antons@mail.ubc.ca _____________ Today I am starting a discusssion of the movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors” by Woody Allen. This 1989 […]