Category Archives: Current Events

Open letter to President Obama (Part 241)

February 18, 2013 – 5:32 am

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

Dear Mr. President,

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

Letting the Federal Reserve continue to print money is not the way to go.

If We Can’t End the Fed, Can We at Least Subject It to Competition?

April 8, 2012 by Dan Mitchell

Ron Paul has made “End the Fed” a popular slogan, but some people worry that this is a radical untested idea. In part, this is because it is human nature to fear the unknown.

But there are plenty of examples of policy reforms that used to be considered radical but are now commonplace.

Statists used to argue that the flat tax was unworkable, but there are now about 30 nations with a version of this simple and fair tax system.
Leftists used to argue that personal retirement accounts were impractical, but dozens of nations now have this common-sense reform, ranging for Australia to Sweden.
Self-styled progressives used to say that air traffic control system needs to be a government monopoly, but our Canadian neighbors privatized their system and now have more safety and efficiency.
Defenders of the status quo used to claim that school choice was a radical idea, but it’s hard to defend that position since nations such as Sweden, Chile, and the Netherlands have adopted competitive systems.

This list could go on, but the pattern is always the same. People assume something has to be done by government because “that’s the way it’s always been.” Then reform begins to happen and the myth is busted.

But is money somehow different? Not according to some experts.

Here’s some of what John Stossel wrote in a recent column.

Why must our government make currency competition illegal? …Competition is generally good. Why not competition in currencies? Most people I interviewed scoffed at the idea. They said private currency should be illegal. But impressive thinkers disagree. In 1975, a year after he won the Nobel Prize in economics, F.A. Hayek published “Choice in Currency,”which has inspired a generation of “free banking” economists. Hayek taught us that competition not only respects individual liberty, it produces essential knowledge we cannot obtain any other way. Any central bank is limited in its access to such knowledge, and subject to political pressure, no matter how independent it’s supposed to be. “This monopoly of government, like the postal monopoly, has its origin not in any benefit it secures for the people but solely in the desire to enhance the coercive powers of government,” Hayek wrote. “I doubt whether it has ever done any good except to the rulers and their favorites. All history contradicts the belief that governments have given us a safer money than we would have had without their claiming an exclusive right to issue it.” Former Federal Reserve economist David Barker discussed this idea recently with me. “There are a lot of ways that private money might be better,” Barker said. “It might have embedded chips that would make it easier to count.” The chips would also prevent counterfeiting. There used to be private currencies. A businessman who sold iron and tin made coins that advertised his business. The Georgia Railroad Co. also produced its own currency. This became illegal in 1864 — Abraham Lincoln was a fan of central banking.

Stossel’s historical references are particularly important. As I explain in this video, many nations – including the United States – used to have competing currencies.

Uploaded by afq2007 on Mar 21, 2011

The Federal Reserve has existed for almost 100 years and it has created depressions, recessions, inflation, and bubbles. This CF&P Foundation video explains the origin of central banking and mentions possible alternatives that will be discussed in subsequent mini-documentaries.

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And if you want a thorough analysis of the Fed’s performance, I urge you to watch this George Selgin speech. Then ask yourself whether we would have been in better shape with private currencies.

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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

Who’s on first!!!

February 18, 2013 – 1:42 am

Uploaded by Swancourt on Feb 16, 2007

Abbott and Costello perform the classic “Who’s on first?” baseball sketch in their 1945 film “The Naughty Nineties” first performed as part of their stage act. Still find this really funny

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From Wikipedia:

Who’s on First?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For the Blackford Oakes novel, see Who’s on First (novel).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

Who’s on First? is a vaudeville comedy routine made most famous by Abbott and Costello. In Abbott and Costello’s version, the premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello’s questions. In this context, the first baseman is named “Who”; thus, the utterance “Who’s on first” is ambiguous between the question (“which person is the first baseman?”) and the answer (“The name of the first baseman is ‘Who'”).

[hide]

[edit] History

“Who’s on First?” is descended from turn-of-the-century burlesque sketches that used plays on words and names. Examples are “The Baker Scene” (the shop is located on Watt Street) and “Who Dyed” (the owner is named Who). In the 1930 movie Cracked Nuts, comedians Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey examine a map of a mythical kingdom with dialogue like this: “What is next to Which.” “What is the name of the town next to Which?” “Yes.” In English variety halls (Britain’s equivalent of vaudeville theatres), comedian Will Hay performed a routine in the early 1930s (and possibly earlier) as a schoolmaster interviewing a schoolboy named Howe who came from Ware but now lives in Wye. By the early 1930s, a “Baseball Routine” had become a standard bit for burlesque comics across the United States. Abbott’s wife recalled Bud performing the routine with another comedian before teaming with Costello.^[1]

Bud Abbott stated that it was taken from an older routine called “Who’s The Boss?”, a performance of which can be heard in an episode of the radio comedy program It Pays to Be Ignorant from the 1940s.^[2] After they formally teamed up in burlesque in 1936, he and Costello continued to hone the sketch. It was a big hit in 1937 when they performed the routine in a touring vaudeville revue called “Hollywood Bandwagon”.^[1]

In February 1938, Abbott and Costello joined the cast of The Kate Smith Hour radio program, and the sketch was first performed for a national radio audience that March.^[1] The routine may have been further polished before this broadcast by burlesque producer John Grant, who became the team’s writer, and Will Glickman, a staff writer on the radio show.^[3] Glickman may have added the nicknames of then-contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean to set up the routine’s premise. This version, with extensive wordplay based on the fact that most of the fictional baseball team’s players had “strange nicknames” that seemed to be questions, became known as “Who’s on First?” By 1944, Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted.

Abbott and Costello performed “Who’s on First?” numerous times in their careers, rarely performing it exactly the same way twice. They did the routine for President Franklin Roosevelt several times. An abridged version was featured in the team’s 1940 film debut, One Night in the Tropics. The duo reprised the bit in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties, and it is that longer version which is considered their finest recorded rendition. They also performed “Who’s on First?” numerous times on radio and television (notably in The Abbott and Costello Show episode “The Actor’s Home”).

In 1956 a gold record of “Who’s on First?” was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York. A video (taken from The Naughty Nineties) now plays continuously on screens at the Hall.

In the 1970s, Selchow and Righter published a Who’s on First? board game.

In 1999, Time magazine named the routine Best Comedy Sketch of the 20th century.^[4]

An early radio recording was placed in the Library of Congress‘s National Recording Registry in 2003.

In 2005, the line “Who’s on First?” was included on the American Film Institute‘s list of 100 memorable movie quotations.

[edit] Sketch

The names given in the routine for the players at each position are:

First Base: Who
Second Base: What
Third Base: I Don’t Know
Left field: Why
Center field: Because
Pitcher: Tomorrow
Catcher: Today
Shortstop: I Don’t Care/I Don’t Give a Darn/I Don’t Give a Damn

The name of the shortstop is not given until the very end of the routine, and the right fielder is never identified. In the Selchow and Righter board game, the right fielder’s name is “Nobody”.^[5]

At one point in the routine, Costello thinks that Naturally is the first baseman:

Abbott: You throw the ball to first base.
Costello: Then who gets it?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: Now you’ve got it.
Costello: I throw the ball to Naturally.
Abbott: You don’t! You throw it to Who!
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: Well, that’s it—say it that way.
Costello: That’s what I said.
Abbott: You did not.
Costello: I said I throw the ball to Naturally.
Abbott: You don’t! You throw it to Who!
Costello: Naturally.

Abbott’s explanations leave Costello hopelessly confused and infuriated, until the end of the routine when he finally appears to catch on. “You got a couple of days on your team?” He never quite figures out that the first baseman’s name literally is “Who”. But after all this he announces, “I don’t give a darn!” (“Oh, that’s our shortstop.”) That is the most commonly heard ending, which varied depending on the perceived sensibilities of the audience. The even milder “I Don’t Care” was used in the version seen in the film The Naughty Nineties. A recording of the obvious “I Don’t Give a Damn” has also turned up on occasion.

The skit serves as a climax for an Abbott and Costello radio broadcast which begins with Costello receiving a telegram from Joe DiMaggio asking Costello to take over for him.^[6]

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Ark Times blogger claims California is better than Texas but facts don’t bear that out (3 great political cartoons)

February 16, 2013 – 7:42 am

I got on the Arkansas Times Blog and noticed that a person on there was bragging about the high minimum wage law in San Francisco and how everything was going so well there.

On 2-15-13 on the Arkansas Times Blog I posted:

Couldn’t be better (the person using the username “Couldn’t be better) is bragging on California while Rick Perry just got finished with a recruiting tour of the state because so many California businesses are continuing to leave there for low tax Texas.

It has been a joy to watch Jerry Brown destroy the state with his liberal philosophy. At least he is not a Rino like Arnold. The liberals in California are getting a dose of their own medicine and the Phil Micklesons of the world will be relocating soon. Is that the utopia you are referring to?

Couldn’t be better responded:

Saline, Perry got zero (0) businesses because companies care about their employees also and Gov Goodhair has destroyed the Texas school system which no one thought could be made worse but he showed that there is no level of education that can’t be further destroyed by stupid Republicans.

Taxes aren’t the only reason anyone move but I know that Republicans only care about their money and people really don’t matter. Most Californians actually read and can see what the Tea Pot brains have done to Texas and the only good news is that in 20 years, when they start to rebuild Texas based on no oil or gas, that the Democratic Hispanic majority do care about families and their kid’s education. In the interim, Austin will continue to survive in their Alamo mode.

On 2-16-13 I responded:

You are correct that Perry’s recent trip has not produced any immediate results. The Houston local CBS station reported on 2-13-13 that Rick Perry is empty handed so far on this one trip to California where he met with 20 business leaders who had expressed interest in moving to Texas where there are less taxes, and red tape. The fact that these business leaders requested Perry to come is not a good sign for California.

When you try and tax and spend too much then the business community will try and relocate to another state. That is exactly what is happening in California today.

Sometimes I wonder what planet liberals are from. The economy of California was the strongest in the nation in the 1970′s when Ronald Reagan was the governor, but after the green movement and other liberal regulators got a hold of it, things went south fast.

I could give you countless stories about people I know that have told me that their customers are in California, but they build their warehouses in surrounding states and ship their products into California. They tell me that you would have to be crazy to try to build a warehouse in California because of all the red tape you have to put up with.

President Obama has raised taxes on the rich just like California Governor Jerry Brown did. How is that working out for Jerry? Now businesses are leaving California for Texas. How do I know this is true? Look at what Dan Mitchell had to say recently on his blog:

Indeed, in the last five years Texas has gained 400,000 new jobs while California has lost 640,000. The Lone Star State’s rate of job growth was 33 percent higher than California’s last year, even as the Golden State finally pulled out of the recession. …Texas’s legislature has just trimmed its $188 billion two-year budget by 8 percent, and the state may have more revenue than it can legally spend because it is barred from raising outlays more than the rate of economic growth.

_____

Let me get you something to laugh about. Dan Mitchell posted three funny cartoons about people leaving California for Texas.

Texas vs. California

February 11, 2013 by Dan Mitchell

I’ve been pointing out the differences between California stagnation and Texas prosperity for quite some time.

And since California voters approved a new 13.3 percent top tax rate last November, I expect the gap to become even wider.

Simply stated, California is the France of America and Texas is the Cayman Islands of America.

So it’s understandable that the Governor of Texas is telling employers in California that his state has a better climate for job creation.

John Fund of National Review opines on this bit of competition between states.

Texas governor Rick Perry knows how to start a rumble. Last week, he spent a mere $24,000 on radio ads in California, urging firms there to move to Texas, with its “zero state income tax, low overall tax burden, sensible regulations, and fair legal system.” …He begins a four-day barnstorming tour of California today, touting Texas’s virtues to business owners. …several observers acknowledged that Perry has gotten the better of the battle.

Texas is clearly doing better on jobs, and it’s easy to avoid higher taxes when you obey Mitchell’s Golden Rule and restrain the burden of government spending.

Indeed, in the last five years Texas has gained 400,000 new jobs while California has lost 640,000. The Lone Star State’s rate of job growth was 33 percent higher than California’s last year, even as the Golden State finally pulled out of the recession. …Texas’s legislature has just trimmed its $188 billion two-year budget by 8 percent, and the state may have more revenue than it can legally spend because it is barred from raising outlays more than the rate of economic growth.

Here’s a very good Steve Breen cartoon about Perry’s fishing trip to the west coast.

And remember my post about Phil Mickelson threatening to leave the state? Well, Chip Bok has a humorous take on that looming departure.

I’ve already written about the exodus of jobs from California, and expect even more in the future.

P.S. Texas is far from perfect. There’s a good bit of crony capitalism in the state. But there’s also some bad policy in the Cayman Islands, so the analogy is appropriate.

P.P.S. This “coyote” joke about California and Texas is the fourth-most viewed post in the history of this blog.

P.P.P.S. Here’s a photo that shows the California bureaucracy in action, and a cartoon featuring archaeologists from the future.

California’s One-Man Laffer Curve

January 22, 2013 by Dan Mitchell

I’ve already condemned the foolish people of California for approving a referendum to raise the state’s top tax rate to 13.3 percent.

This impulsive and misguided exercise in class warfare surely will backfire as more and more productive people flee to other states – particularly those that don’t impose any state income tax.

We know that people cross state borders all the time, and it’s usually to travel from high-tax states to low-tax states. And we’ve already seen some evidence that the state’s new top tax rate is causing a loss of highly valued jobs.

This mobility of labor and talent is one of the reasons why California is going to get a very painful lesson about the Laffer Curve.

Politicians (with help from short-sighted voters) can raise tax rates. But they can’t force people to earn income.

Now it looks like one of the super-rich is fed up and looking to make himself less vulnerable to California’s kleptocrats.

Here are some excerpts from an ESPN story.

Phil Mickelson said he will make “drastic changes” because of federal and California state tax increases. …The 42-year-old golfer said he would talk in more detail about his plans — possibly moving away from California or even retiring from golf… Mickelson said. “I’ll probably talk about it more in depth next week. …There are going to be some drastic changes for me because I happen to be in that zone that has been targeted both federally and by the state and, you know, it doesn’t work for me right now. So I’m going to have to make some changes.” …”If you add up all the federal and you look at the disability and the unemployment and the Social Security and the state, my tax rate’s 62, 63 percent,” said Mickelson, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe. “So I’ve got to make some decisions on what I’m going to do.”

He’s actually overstating his marginal tax rate. I suspect it’s closer to 50 percent.

California politicians got too greedy and now they may get 13.3 percent of nothing

But so what? It’s still outrageous and immoral that government is confiscating one-half of the income he generates.

Heck, medieval serfs were virtually slaves, yet they only had to give at most one-third of their output to the Lord of the Manor.

I hope he’s serious and that he escapes from the Golden State’s fiscal hell-hole.

And if he does, what will it mean for California government finances?

Well, here’s what Wikipedia says about his income.

According to one estimate of 2011 earnings (comprising salary, winnings, bonuses, endorsements and appearances) Mickelson was then the second-highest paid athlete in the United States, earning an income of over $62 million, $53 million of which came from endorsements.

Now let’s bend over backwards to make sure we’re not exaggerating. Notwithstanding the Wikipedia estimate, let’s assume his annual taxable income will be only $40 million for 2013 and beyond.

With a 10.3 percent top tax rate, California would collect about $4.12 million per year. And Mickelson apparently thought that was tolerable.

But guess how much the politicians will collect if he leaves the state? I’m tempted to say zero, but they may still get some revenue because of California-based tournaments and other factors.

Find Phil Mickelson

I can say with great confidence, however, that California won’t collect $5.32 million, which is probably what the politicians assumed when they seduced voters into approving the 13.3 percent tax rate.

After all, that assumption only works if Mickelson is willing to be a fiscal slave for Jerry Brown and the rest of the crooks in Sacramento.

As such, I’ll also state with certainty that California’s politicians won’t collect $4 million if Mickelson leaves for another state. Or $3 million. Or $2 million. Or even $1 million.

The best they can hope for is that Mickelson decides to stay in the state while also reducing his taxable income. In that scenario, the politicians might still pocket a couple of million dollars.

Not as much as they collected when the tax rate was 10.3 percent, and far less than what they erroneously assumed they would get with a 13.3 percent rate.

Regardless of Mickelson’s ultimate decision, California is going to be in trouble because most rich people – whether they’re golfers, celebrities, investors, or entrepreneurs – have considerable control over the timing, level, and composition of their income. And they can afford to move.

This is why you don’t want to be on the downward-sloping portion of the Laffer Curve. Everyone’s a loser, both politicians and taxpayers.

So we’re going to see the Laffer Curve get revenge on California and I’ll be first in line to say “serves you right, you blood-sucking parasites.”

If you want more information, here’s my video on the Laffer Curve.

And if you want to watch the full three-part series, they’re all included in this Laffer Curve lesson that I put together for the President. He seems oblivious to real-world evidence, but others may find the information useful.

The $822,000-per-Year Bureaucrat and the Death of California

December 11, 2012 by Dan Mitchell

Over the years, I’ve shared some outrageous examples of overpaid bureaucrats.

The chief bureaucrat of a low-income California city getting almost $800,000 per year.
Cops in Oakland getting average compensation of $188,000.
A school superintendent in New York raking in more than $500 thousand of annual compensation.
A Philadelphia bureaucrat, after working only 2-1/2 years, nailing down a guaranteed pension of $50,000 per year.
A New York school bureaucrat simultaneously getting a $225,000 salary and $300,000 pension.
California taxpayers being forced to pay a fired bureaucrat $550,000 for unused vacation time.
An employee of the New Jersey Turnpike system raking in annual compensation of $320,000.

Hopefully we’re all disgusted when insiders rig the system to rip off taxpayers. And I suspect you’re not surprised to see that the worst example on that list comes from California, which is in a race with Illinois to see which state can become the Greece of America.

Well, the Golden State has a new über-bureaucrat. Here are some of the jaw-dropping details from a Bloomberg report.

The numbers are even larger in California, where a state psychiatrist was paid $822,000, a highway patrol officer collected $484,000 in pay and pension benefits and 17 employees got checks of more than $200,000 for unused vacation and leave. The best-paid staff in other states earned far less for the same work, according to the data.

Wow, $822,000 for a state psychiatrist. Not bad for government work. So what is Governor Jerry Brown doing to fix the mess? As you might expect, he’s part of the problem.

…the state’s highest-paid employees make far more than comparable workers elsewhere in almost all job and wage categories, from public safety to health care, base pay to overtime. …California has set a pattern of lax management, inefficient operations and out-of-control costs. …In California, Governor Jerry Brown hasn’t curbed overtime expenses that lead the 12 largest states or limited payments for accumulated vacation time that allowed one employee to collect $609,000 at retirement in 2011. …Last year, Brown waived a cap on accrued leave for prison guards while granting them additional paid days off. California’s liability for the unused leave of its state workers has more than doubled in eight years, to $3.9 billion in 2011, from $1.4 billion in 2003, according to the state’s annual financial reports. …The per-worker costs of delivering services in California vastly exceed those even in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio.

Actually, it’s not just that he’s part of the problem. He’s making things worse, having seduced voters into approving a ballot measure to dramatically increase the tax burden on the upper-income taxpayers.

I suppose the silver lining to that dark cloud is that many bureaucrats now rank as part of the top 1 percent, so they’ll have to recycle some of their loot back to the political vultures in Sacramento.

Cartoon California Promised Land

But the biggest impact of the tax hike – as shown in the Ramirez cartoon – will be to accelerate the shift of entrepreneurs, investors, and small business owners to states that don’t steal as much. Indeed, a study from the Manhattan Institute looks at the exodus to lower-tax states.

The data also reveal the motives that drive individuals and businesses to leave California. One of these, of course, is work. …Taxation also appears to be a factor, especially as it contributes to the business climate and, in turn, jobs. Most of the destination states favored by Californians have lower taxes. States that have gained the most at California’s expense are rated as having better business climates. The data suggest that many cost drivers—taxes, regulations, the high price of housing and commercial real estate, costly electricity, union power, and high labor costs—are prompting businesses to locate outside California, thus helping to drive the exodus.

Yet another example of why tax competition is such an important force for economic liberalization. It punishes governments that are too greedy and gives taxpayers a chance to protect their property from the looter class.

California burdensome government causing some of business community to leave for Texas

December 24, 2012 – 1:54 am

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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, spending out of control, Taxes | Edit | Comments (0)

Arkansas Times blogger picks California business environment over Texas, proves liberals don’t live in real world(Part 2)

May 6, 2011 – 9:33 am

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with his family I posted a portion of an article by John Fund of the Wall Street Journal that pointed out that many businesses are leaving California because of all of their government red tape and moving to Texas. My username is SalineRepublican and this is […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Arkansas Times | Edit | Comments (0)

John Fund’s talk in Little Rock 4-27-11(Part 4):Responding to liberals who criticize states like Texas that don’t have the red tape that California has

May 4, 2011 – 9:20 am

John Fund at Chamber Day, Part 1 Last week I got to attend the first ever “Conservative Lunch Series” presented by KARN and Americans for Prosperity Foundation at the Little Rock Hilton on University Avenue. This monthly luncheon will be held the fourth Wednesday of every month. The speaker for today’s luncheon was John Fund. John […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in President Obama | Edit | Comments (0)

California dismal experience of trying to soak the rich

January 7, 2013 – 12:01 am

Is our country learning from history? California keeps raising their taxes on the wealthy and people keep moving from California to Texas. What does our federal government do? They also have been raising taxes on the wealthy lately. Take a look at this excellent video below and then read a great article by Dan Mitchell […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama, Taxes | Edit | Comments (0)

Dan Mitchell: Maryland to Texas, but Not Okay to Move from the United States to Singapore?

July 24, 2012 – 10:07 am

You can’t blame someone for leaving one state for another if they have a better an opportunity to make money. Maryland to Texas, but Not Okay to Move from the United States to Singapore? July 12, 2012 by Dan Mitchell I’ve commented before about entrepreneurs, investors, and small business owners migrating from high tax states such […]

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

California has forgotten the lessons of Ronald Reagan

May 25, 2012 – 6:33 am

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

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

Gene Stallings on Texas A&M joining the SEC jh14b

September 7, 2011 – 8:37 am

Gene Stallings used to interview the boys that dated his daughters. He asked his future son-in-laws if they played sports. He wanted to know if they had competed at something. Below is an article on what Stallings thinks about Texas A&M joining SEC. Stallings: SEC best fit for A&M By Troy Schulte Wednesday, September 7, […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged gene stallings, little rock touchdown club, natural ties, sec schools, southwest conference | Edit | Comments (0)

Craig O’Neill Texas prank

July 29, 2011 – 10:06 am

This week I watched on tv the replay of the last game in the series with Texas. It was the 1991 game in Little Rock against Texas. Right before that game Craig O’Neill pulled a prank on the Texas Athletic Dept. Listen to the clip above. The Arkansas Times Blog reported: Craig O’Neill tells all […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Arkansas Times, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Arkansas Times blogger criticizes Texas and their approach to business

May 5, 2011 – 9:46 am

I posted a portion of an article by John Fund of the Wall Street Journal that pointed out that many businesses are leaving California because of all of their government red tape and moving to Texas. My username is SalineRepublican and this is how “Couldn’tBeBetter” responded this morning: Saline, if Texas is so great, don’t […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Arkansas Times | Edit | Comments (0)

SEC still on top in the recruiting game but getting more dominant than ever!!!

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama, Taxes | Comments (0)

Was Ft Hood killing workplace violence?

February 15, 2013 – 1:16 am

In Little Rock just a few feet away from where we went shopping the night before a National Guard recruiter was killed by a muslim extremist. President Obama does not want to admit that terrorists have killed anybody on U.S. soil. Take a look at this article about the Ft Hood killing.

Debra J. Saunders, Feb 14, 2013

Treatment of the Fort Hood Victims

In 2010, Kimberly Munley sat next to Michelle Obama as President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address. Munley was invited as a hero of the 2009 Fort Hood shootings. As a civilian police officer, Munley fired back after Maj. Nidal Hasan allegedly opened fire in an attack that killed 13 adults and wounded 32. Munley was shot three times. Her partner, Mark Todd, fired the shots that brought down Hasan and ended the carnage.

Three years later, Munley told ABC News reporter Brian Ross, she feels “betrayed,” as Obama broke his promise to care for the Fort Hood victims.

Because the government classified the injuries not as “combat-related” but as the result of “workplace violence,” the wounded troops are not eligible for Purple Hearts. They claim they are not being given the priority they deserve from Veterans Affairs.

“It was no different than an insurgent in Iraq or Afghanistan trying to kill us,” Shawn Manning told ABC. Manning should know. He was deployed twice to Iraq. He was hit by six bullets, and his wounds led him to retire from the military. As a veteran, he complained, he is being treated as if he were downtown and got hit by a car.

Munley, Manning and other victims — both military and civilian — are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against federal and military officials. Attorney Reed Rubinstein says they are outraged at their noncombat Veterans Affairs status. Ditto the snail’s pace of military courts; three years after a public slaughter, Hasan has yet to go to trial even though he wanted to plead guilty. Then there’s the military’s political correctness that allowed Hasan to remain in the Army and even be promoted to major when he should have been booted out before the shootings.

As a Senate committee reported in 2011, the FBI knew Hasan had been in touch with Anwar al-Awlaki — who was killed by a U.S. drone in Yemen in 2011 because he was a terrorist leader. Hasan had given a pro-Osama bin Laden lecture at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. A colleague branded Hasan a “ticking time bomb.” The report concluded the FBI and Department of Defense “collectively had sufficient information to have detected Hasan’s radicalization to violent Islamist extremism but failed both to understand and to act on it.”

There is something pathetic about the military’s refusal to call the attack an act of terrorism. “The pattern of response to Fort Hood and the pattern of response to (the recent attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya) is not dissimilar,” Rubinstein said. After both attacks, Washington tried to paper over the role of organized terrorists.

Military law expert Geoffrey Corn, a professor at the South Texas College of Law, told me that if the military branded the Fort Hood shootings as terrorism, it could complicate the jury selection process and otherwise hinder the prosecution’s efforts.

But Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, sees the shootings as terrorism “clearly.” McCaul plans to reintroduce legislation to force the Pentagon and Obama administration to recognize the Fort Hood victims’ combat status.

It is Rubinstein’s hope that “one way or another,” America does right by Munley, Manning and the rest. “Whether it’s through Congress or the courts or the pressure of public opinion, this treatment, the way the government has given them the back of the hand, will not stand.”

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

“Woody Wednesday” Woody Allen on the Emptiness of Life by Toby Simmons

February 13, 2013 – 7:48 am

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. Take a moment and read again a good article on Woody Allen below. There are some links below to some other posts about him.

September 3, 2011 · 5:16 PM

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Woody Allen on the Emptiness of Life

In the final scene of Manhattan, Woody Allen’s character, Isaac, is lying on the sofa with a microphone and a tape-recorder, dictating to himself an idea for a short story. It’ll be about “people in Manhattan,” he says, “who are constantly creating these real unnecessary, neurotic problems for themselves” because they cannot bear to confront the “more unsolvable, terrible problems about the universe.” In an attempt to keep it optimistic, he begins by asking himself the question, “Why is life worth living?” He gives it some thought. “That’s a very good question,” he says, “There are certain things, I guess, that make it worthwhile.” And then the list begins: Groucho Marx, Willie Mays, the second movement of Mozart’s ‘Jupiter Symphony,’ Louis Armstrong’s recording of Potato Head Blues, “Swedish movies, naturally,” Flaubert’s Sentimental Education, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, “those incredible apples and pears by Cézanne, the crabs at Sam Wo’s … Tracy’s face.”

This list acts as an important hinge in the film’s narrative, the point at which Isaac suddenly becomes aware of his feelings for Tracy and resolves to go after her. But within the list there is also something far greater being communicated, something which, I believe, can be described as the central subject of nearly every Woody Allen film, or, perhaps, as the thing that compels him to make films in the first place. Isaac is conveying here a belief in the sheer power of art, its ability to provide a sense of worth to an otherwise empty existence. Art, Woody Allen seems to be saying, is the only valuable response – or the only conceivable response – to the dreadful human predicament as he sees it.

~ ~ ~

“My relationship with death remains the same: I’m strongly against it.”

~ ~ ~

Recently, at the Cannes Film Festival, Woody Allen was asked about what motivates him. He simply laughed and said, “Fear is what drives me.” Work, for Allen, is a wonderful distraction from the “terrible truth” – the ostensible meaninglessness of life, the apparent futility of all human endeavour, the inevitability of sickness, the unescapable prognosis of death. Film-making, like the “unnecessay, neurotic problems” dreamt up by the characters in Isaac’s short story, diverts Allen’s attention away from this reality, from the fear that presents itself when he stops to think about the fact that eventually everybody dies, “the sun burns out, and the earth is gone, and … all the stars, all the planets, the entire universe, goes, disappears.” So this fear is the reason for his prolificity, the impulse behind all of his artistic achievements. Manhattan, Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Sleeper came about, first of all, as distractions, projects that prevented him from having to “sit in a chair and think about what a terrible situation all human beings are in.”

I believe there’s a lot of truth in Woody Allen’s perspective. We distract ourselves constantly, we refuse to think about the meaning of our existence, we skirt around the inevitable. Certainly – and he acknowledges this – Allen is not the first person to have hit upon this truth. It’s been recognised by thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, Sartre, the Buddha and the writer of Ecclesiastes. And Allen knows, too, that one can’t live in a perpetual awareness of this fact. Such a life would be crippling torment. Indeed, it’s this very torment that Tolstoy found himself in after having realised that there was “nothing ahead other than deception of life and of happiness, and the reality of suffering and death: of complete annihilation.” After realising, in other words, the sheer absurdness of human existence, the meaninglessness of life without God. In his Confession he writes:

My life came to a standstill. I could breathe, eat, drink and sleep and I could not help breathing, eating, drinking and sleeping; but there was no life in me because I had no desires whose gratification I would have deemed it reasonable to fulfil. If I wanted something I knew in advance that whether or not I satisfied my desire nothing would come of it.

We can’t live like this, says Woody Allen. We must provide ourselves with necessary delusions in order to carry ourselves through life. He remarks that, in fact, it’s only those people whom he calls “self-deluded” that seem to find any kind of real satisfaction in living, any peace or enjoyment. These people can say, “Well, my priest, or my rabbi tells me everthing’s going to be all right,” and they find their answers in what he calls “magical solutions.” And this recourse to the “magical” he dismisses as nonsense.

It’s worth comparing Woody Allen’s pessimistic agnosticism with the utopian atheism of someone like Richard Dawkins. Evidently, the former worldview is entirely consistent with non-belief in God, but it’s not clear that the latter is. In fact, it appears unfounded, false. Dawkins removes God from the picture entirely, yet clings persistently to a belief in life’s meaning, grounding this meaning, it appears, in natural selection. There’s a contradiction here in Dawkins’ thought. On the one hand, he claims that science “can tell us why we are here, tell us the purpose of human existence,” yet, on the other, he insists on characterising natural selection itself as a blind mechanism, containing “no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pointless indifference.”

Whilst I myself do believe in God and don’t share Woody Allen’s agnostic belief, I can respect his consistency, his willingness to acknowledge an existence without God for what it really is: “a grim, painful, nightmarish, meaningless experience.” His worldview follows naturally from what Heidegger termed the state of human “abandonment,” the absence of God in all human affairs. Dawkins’ worldview, however, doesn’t – it’s an embarrassing mishmash of strict empricist and naturalistic belief with what really amounts to a kind of foggy mysticism, a belief system according to which human beings can create for themselves an objective purpose. What he fails to realise is that this purpose is nothing more than a delusion, a mere appearance of purpose. It might get us up in the morning, but, once again, it’s no more real than the neurotic problems dreamt up by Isaac’s characters.

~ ~ ~

“It is impossible to experience one’s death objectively and still carry a tune.”

~ ~ ~

Let’s return to Woody Allen’s seemingly affirmative opinion of art. Given his lifelong insistence on the belief that human existence is “a big, meaningless thing,” how are we to make sense of Isaac’s list? Is it really possible to reconcile Woody Allen’s adament nihilism with his invocation of the power of art, its ability to stand firm in the face of such a “terrible truth”? The point to be made, I believe, is a very subtle one. In that same interview at Cannes, Allen talks about the role of the artist as he sees it: essentially, they must respond to the question that Isaac poses, “Why is life worth living?” Faced with the emptiness of life, they must try to “figure out – knowing that it’s true, knowing the worst – why it’s still worthwhile.” Allen isn’t, I believe, claiming that art can provide objective meaning to life. Such an assertion would conflict with his unswerving pessimism. Instead, he’s saying that the essence of art, what animates it, what inspires it to flourish, is a courageous struggle against this “terrible truth.” The artist, he says, must confront the futility of life, look at it in the face, embrace it in all of its hopelessness and despair, and provide humanity with an honest reply. The question we should ask in response, then, isn’t, ‘Can Woody Allen justify his belief in objective meaning as embodied in art?’ I don’t think he believes in objective meaning, a necessary purpose for human existence. Rather, the question should be, ‘Is it possible for the artist to look squarely at the human predicament and supply humanity with a worthwhile answer?’

And this, I want to say, still isn’t possible. As we’ve seen in the example of Tolstoy, one can’t live one’s life in full awareness of its apparent futility, of the imminence of death, of the falsity of one’s happiness, and yet carry on as normal. One would end up utterly debilitated. And if this is indeed how artists have been living for centuries, confronting the inevitable, facing the dismal truth, then art itself is an inexplicable phenomenon.

~ ~ ~

“On the plus side, death is one of the few things that can be done just as easily lying down.”

~ ~ ~

The answer isn’t to appeal to art as something that can provide human existence with objective meaning. Such a ‘faith in art’ would merely beg the question, ‘But why is art so special?’ How can art, if viewed as just another custom, an event within the world, give purpose and value to human life? How can that which is within the world give meaning to that which is also within the world? Meaning, I believe, can only come from without, from a personal God who transcends the world, yet is immanent within it, actively involved in human existence, instilling it with significance and worth. One of the purposes of art, I believe, is to reflect the being and glory of God, who is the ground of being itself. Far from art being an escape from a “terrible truth” or a desperate attempt to confront and suppress nihilism, it should be seen as an affirmative activity, an act of creative celebration to be enjoyed in the company of our good Creator God.

Here is a complete list of all the posts I did on the film “Midnight in Paris”

What can we learn from Woody Allen Films?, August 1, 2011 – 6:30 am

Nihilism can be seen in Woody Allen’s latest film “Midnight in Paris”, July 31, 2011 – 6:20 am

Movie Review of “Midnight in Paris” lastest movie by Woody Allen, July 30, 2011 – 6:52 am

“Midnight in Paris” movie review plus review of 5 Woody Allen classics (video clips from Annie Hall), July 29, 2011 – 6:33 am

Leo Stein and sister Gertrude Stein’s salon is in the Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris”, July 28, 2011 – 6:22 am

Great review on Midnight in Paris with talk about artists being disatisfied, July 27, 2011 – 6:20 am

Picasso painting “The acrobat” in Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris”, July 26, 2011 – 6:17 am

Review of the latest Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris”

July 25, 2011 – 5:01 am

Critical review of Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, July 24, 2011 – 5:56 am

“Midnight in Paris” movie review, July 23, 2011 – 5:52 am

Not everyone liked “Midnight in Paris”, July 22, 2011 – 5:38 am

“Midnight in Paris” film review, July 21, 2011 – 5:05 am

Review of Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, July 20, 2011 – 5:53 am

All my posts on Woody Allen’s movie “Midnight in Paris” (Part 40), July 19, 2011 – 8:51 am

“Midnight in Paris” one of Woody Allen’s biggest movie hits in recent years, July 18, 2011 – 6:00 am

Woody Allen’s movie “Midnight in Paris” explores “golden age fallacy” (Part 39) July 17, 2011 – 5:59 am

(Part 38,Alcoholism and great writers and artists) July 16, 2011 – 5:47 am

Woody Allen’s search for God in the movie “Midnight in Paris”(Part 37) July 15, 2011 – 5:44 am

(Part 36, Alice B. Toklas, Woody Allen on the meaning of life) July 14, 2011 – 5:16 am

(Part 35, Recap of historical figures, Notre Dame Cathedral and Cult of Reason)July 13, 2011 – 5:42 am

(Part 34, Simone de Beauvoir) July 12, 2011 – 6:03 am

(Part 33,Cezanne) July 11, 2011 – 6:15 am

(Part 32, Jean-Paul Sartre)July 10, 2011 – 5:53 am

(Part 31, Jean Cocteau) July 9, 2011 – 6:15 am

(Part 30, Albert Camus) July 8, 2011 – 5:48 am

(Part 29, Pablo Picasso) July 7, 2011 – 4:33 am

(Part 28,Van Gogh) July 6, 2011 – 4:03 am

(Part 27, Man Ray) July 5, 2011 – 4:49 am

(Part 26,James Joyce) July 4, 2011 – 5:55 am

(Part 25, T.S.Elliot) July 3, 2011 – 4:46 am

(Part 24, Djuna Barnes) July 2, 2011 – 7:28 am

(Part 23,Adriana, fictional mistress of Picasso) July 1, 2011 – 12:28 am

(Part 22, Silvia Beach and the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore) June 30, 2011 – 12:58 am

(Part 21,Versailles and the French Revolution) June 29, 2011 – 5:34 am

(Part 20, King Louis XVI of France) June 28, 2011 – 5:44 am

(Part 19,Marie Antoinette) June 27, 2011 – 12:16 am

(Part 18, Claude Monet) June 26, 2011 – 5:41 am

(Part 17, J. M. W. Turner) June 25, 2011 – 5:44 am

(Part 16, Josephine Baker) June 24, 2011 – 5:18 am

(Part 15, Luis Bunuel) June 23, 2011 – 5:37 am

(Part 14, Henri Matisse) June 22, 2011 – 5:54 am

(Part 13, Amedeo Modigliani) June 21, 2011 – 5:29 am

(Part 12, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel) June 20, 2011 – 5:58 am

(Part 11, Rodin) June 19, 2011 – 9:50 am

(Part 10 Salvador Dali) June 18, 2011 – 2:57 pm

(Part 9, Georges Braque) June 18, 2011 – 2:55 pm

(Part 8, Henri Toulouse Lautrec) June 18, 2011 – 2:45 pm

(Part 7 Paul Gauguin) June 18, 2011 – 11:20 am

(Part 6 Gertrude Stein) June 16, 2011 – 11:01 am

(Part 5 Juan Belmonte) June 16, 2011 – 10:59 am

(Part 4 Ernest Heminingway) June 16, 2011 – 9:08 am

(Part 3 Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald) June 16, 2011 – 3:46 am

(Part 2 Cole Porter) June 15, 2011 – 7:40 am

(Part 1 William Faulkner) June 13, 2011 – 3:19 pm

I love Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, June 12, 2011 – 11:52 pm

“Woody Wednesday” The heart wants what it wants”jh67

October 19, 2011 – 12:00 am

I read this on http://www.crosswalk.com which is one of my favorite websites. Life Lessons from Woody Allen Stephen McGarvey I confess I am a huge film buff. But I’ve never really been a Woody Allen fan, even though most film critics consider him to be one of the most gifted and influential filmmakers of our […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged cavalier attitude, chuck colson, film buff, woody allen | Edit | Comments (0)

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 6)

October 17, 2011 – 12:55 am

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 6) This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference: My son Hunter Hatcher’s 15th favorite song is “trouble.” Even though […]

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

“Woody Wednesday” Allen once wrote these words: “Do you realize what a thread were all hanging by? Can you understand how meaningless everything is? Everything. I gotta get some answers.” jh31

October 12, 2011 – 12:35 am

Woody Allen, the film writer, director, and actor, has consistently populated his scripts with characters who exchange dialogue concerning meaning and purpose. In Hannah and Her Sisters a character named Mickey says, “Do you realize what a thread were all hanging by? Can you understand how meaningless everything is? Everything. I gotta get some answers.”{7} […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events, Francis Schaeffer | Edit | Comments (0)

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 5)

October 10, 2011 – 12:02 am

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 5) This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference: Hunter picked “Don’t Panic,” as his number 16 pick of Coldplay’s best […]

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

Steve Jobs’ view of death and what the Bible has to say about it jh55

October 7, 2011 – 7:19 am

(If you want to check out other posts I have done about about Steve Jobs:Some say Steve Jobs was an atheist , Steve Jobs and Adoption , What is the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life? ,Steve Jobs versus President Obama: Who created more jobs? ,Steve Jobs’ view of death and what the Bible has to say about it ,8 things you might not know about Steve Jobs ,Steve […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged book of ecclesiastes, inescapable conclusions, pixar animation studios, ravi zacharias, stanford commencement address. | Edit | Comments (0)

“Woody Wednesday” A review of some of the past Allen films jh32

October 5, 2011 – 12:23 am

I am a big Woody Allen fan. Not all his films can be recommended but he does look at some great issues and he causes the viewer to ask the right questions. My favorite is “Crimes and Misdemeanors” but the recent film “Midnight in Paris” was excellent too. Looking at the (sometimes skewed) morality of […]

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

Good without God?

October 4, 2011 – 7:00 pm

(The signs are up on the buses in Little Rock now and the leader of the movement to put them up said on the radio today that he does not anticipate any physical actions against the signs by Christians. He noted that the Christians that he knows would never stoop to that level.) Debate: Christianity […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Arkansas Times, Current Events | Tagged atheist group, crimes and misdemeanors, humanist manifesto ii, woody allen movie, www youtube | Edit | Comments (0)

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 4)

October 3, 2011 – 12:54 am

Dave Hogan/ Getty Images This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference: For the 17th best Coldplay song of all-time, Hunter picks “42.” He notes, “You thought you might […]

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

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

The Truth about Abraham Lincoln

February 12, 2013 – 8:17 am

I really enjoyed the movie and I looked up a lot about the characters mentioned in the movie Lincoln and found all of them correctly represented in the movie. However, today on the Heritage Foundation blog there is an article by Julia Shaw that states, “Representative Joe Courtney (D–CT) recently penned an open letter to the man who wrote the movie Lincoln. The film depicts a divided Connecticut state congressional delegation, with three members voting to uphold slavery. Courtney declares that cannot stand. He clarifies that, in 1865, Connecticut’s representatives voted unanimously to abolish slavery. Lincoln writer Tony Kushner doesn’t apologize for the error. Lincoln is a work of fiction, he says, and real events were exaggerated to add to the drama.”

I totally missed that, but then the same article goes on and debunks 5 other fictions about the man Abraham Lincoln. This would have been the week Lincoln would have turned 204.

The Legend of Abraham Lincoln: Fact or Fiction?

Julia Shaw

February 12, 2013 at 3:00 am

Photo credit: Paul Horsted Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom

Representative Joe Courtney (D–CT) recently penned an open letter to the man who wrote the movie Lincoln. The film depicts a divided Connecticut state congressional delegation, with three members voting to uphold slavery. Courtney declares that cannot stand. He clarifies that, in 1865, Connecticut’s representatives voted unanimously to abolish slavery.

Lincoln writer Tony Kushner doesn’t apologize for the error. Lincoln is a work of fiction, he says, and real events were exaggerated to add to the drama. (The writer of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has yet to clarify that his portrayal of the 16th President as a vampire slayer is also fictional.)

Historical accuracy is crucial. So as we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 204th birthday this week, let’s separate the fact from fiction about Honest Abe:

1. Lincoln was a tyrant.

Fiction.

Many who make this claim rely primarily on his decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus at the beginning of the Civil War. As The honorable Frank J. Williams explains, Lincoln defended his decision on constitutional grounds: Since the Constitution does not specify who may suspend habeas corpus “in cases of rebellion or invasion” (Article I, Section 9), he as President did so because Congress was not in session. When Congress did reconvene, Lincoln requested it retroactively approve all the emergency measures he had taken since the commencement of the war, and Congress did.

Critics of Lincoln also fail to mention the most impressive piece of evidence against the tyranny claim: free and competitive elections were held in the midst of the war in 1864. Democrats openly campaigned on a pledge to end the war and drop the slavery issue. They were trounced at the polls.

2. Lincoln didn’t really care about slavery. He was only interested in preserving the Union.

Fiction.

Lincoln believed that slavery was evil and absolutely incompatible with the central American truth of equality. He also believed that it was wrong for a political official to exceed the constitutional authority granted to him. In reality, Lincoln was able to abolish slavery while preserving the Union.

As President of the United States, Lincoln had only the powers granted to him in the Constitution, and the power to abolish slavery was not one of them. Lincoln’s unwillingness as President to abolish slavery unilaterally in the states should be contrasted with his eagerness to outlaw slavery in the territories. Since the Constitution gives the national government power to govern territories—but not to govern states’ domestic policies—Lincoln adamantly opposed allowing slavery in the territories.

3. Lincoln was the father of big government.

Fiction.

President Obama invokes Abraham Lincoln’s legacy to support the vast expansion of the federal government. Yet by any measure, Lincoln was not the father of big government, as Allen C. Geulzo’s Special Report explains.

Ballooning budgets? Nope. The budget expanded to cover the cost of the war, but then shrank again.

Numerous civil servants? Not at all. The entire State Department was staffed by 33 people in 1863, including the Secretary of State, William Seward, and the department’s four security guards.

Expansive bureaucracy? Think again. Between the 1850s and the end of the Civil War, the federal government added seven new agencies (only one of which had any sort of extensive power, and all were lightly staffed) with a total of 22 agencies (there isn’t room to list all of the agencies, commissions, boards, and departments we have now).

If you really want to blame a president for big government, begin with number 28. It’s a Wilsonian world, regrettably.

4. Lincoln’s greatest legacy was preserving the Constitution.

Fact.

Lincoln was deeply committed to the framework of limited government set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He stated that he “never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” Lincoln vindicated the Constitution against the twin heresies of secession and nullification. Lincoln affirmed the two central principles of the Union: divided sovereignty and equal citizenship based on the natural rights of individuals. His true legacy is therefore preserving the Constitution and the Union.

I am loath to close, dear readers. There are too many facts and fictions to discuss. Though passion, movies, and misguided speeches may have strained our understanding of Lincoln, it must not break our bonds of affection.

Happy birthday, Mr. Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln quotes Part 2

December 7, 2012 – 5:26 am

Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) Spielberg’s film follows 56-year-old Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, from January of 1865 until his death in April. The portrait on the left was taken in 1864. _________- Lincoln quotes: “If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop […]

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

Abraham Lincoln quotes Part 1

December 6, 2012 – 5:59 am

Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) Spielberg’s film follows 56-year-old Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, from January of 1865 until his death in April. The portrait on the left was taken in 1864. _________- Lincoln quotes: ABRAHAM LINCOLN QUOTES (Including Sources) <!img src=”quotables.gif” width=”364″ height=”80″ alt=”Abraham Lincoln Quotes”> <!img src=”quotables.gif” width=”364″ height=”80″ alt=”Abraham Lincoln […]

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

Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

December 3, 2012 – 6:42 am

Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) Spielberg’s film follows 56-year-old Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, from January of 1865 until his death in April. The portrait on the left was taken in 1864. _________- From David Barton’s website: Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Abraham Lincoln – 03/04/1865 Fellow-Countrymen:At this second appearing to take the […]

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

New movie about Abraham Lincoln (Part 6)

November 20, 2012 – 7:31 am

13 September 2012 Photo by Film Frame – © 2012 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Titles: Lincoln Names: Tommy Lee Jones I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. Most of my posts were concerning the movie “The […]

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Christian Review of new movie about Abraham Lincoln

November 19, 2012 – 7:00 am

8 October 2012 Photo by Larry Busacca – © 2012 Getty Images – Image courtesy gettyimages.com Titles: Lincoln Names: Steven Spielberg, Sally Field, Gloria Reuben, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tony Kushner Steven Spielberg, Sally Field, Gloria Reuben, S. Epatha Merkerson and Tony Kushner at event of Lincoln I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in […]

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New movie about Abraham Lincoln (Part 5)

November 19, 2012 – 6:52 am

13 September 2012 Photo by David James, SMPSP – © 2012 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Titles: Lincoln Names: Daniel Day-Lewis Characters: Abraham Lincoln I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. Most of my posts were concerning […]

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New movie about Abraham Lincoln (Part 4)

November 13, 2012 – 7:24 am

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

New movie about Abraham Lincoln (Part 3)

November 7, 2012 – 6:23 am

8 August 2012 Photo by David James – © 2012 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Titles: Lincoln Names: Daniel Day-Lewis Characters: Abraham Lincoln I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. Most of my posts were concerning the […]

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

New movie about Abraham Lincoln (Part 2)

November 6, 2012 – 7:58 am

13 September 2012 Photo by Film Frame – © 2012 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Titles: Lincoln Names: Daniel Day-Lewis Characters: Abraham Lincoln I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. Most of my posts were concerning the […]

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New movie about Abraham Lincoln (Part 1)

November 5, 2012 – 3:57 pm

13 September 2012 Photo by David James, SMPSP – © 2012 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Titles: Lincoln Names: Daniel Day-Lewis Characters: Abraham Lincoln Still of Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. […]

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More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 8) “Some Democrats that voted for amendment”

November 27, 2012 – 6:56 am

I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. Most of my posts were concerning the movie “The Conspirator” which is one of my favorite movies. I enjoyed reading about all the historical people involved with Lincoln. Boston Corbett is the man who shot […]

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More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 7) “Alexander Hamilton Coffroth”

November 26, 2012 – 4:14 pm

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

More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 5) “Elizabeth Keckley”

November 26, 2012 – 7:56 am

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

More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 6) “Mary Todd Lincoln”

November 23, 2012 – 8:09 am

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

More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 4) “Wells A. Hutchins”

November 21, 2012 – 6:23 am

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

More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 3) “Robert Todd Lincoln”

November 20, 2012 – 6:17 am

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

More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 2) (Pictures of historical figures)

November 19, 2012 – 6:55 am

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

More about the historical characters mentioned in the movie “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg (Part 1)

November 18, 2012 – 11:52 am

13 September 2012 Photo by David James, SMPSP – © 2012 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Titles: Lincoln Names: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert Lincoln Characters: Robert Todd Lincoln I have written a lot about Abraham Lincoln in the past as you can tell from the “related posts” noted below. Most of my […]

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

Television interview of witness who saw Lincoln shot

January 4, 2012 – 11:08 am

Pretty amazing video clip: Samuel J. Seymour, Last Surviving Witness Of Lincoln Assassination, Appears On Television In 1956 (VIDEO) Thanks to YouTube, this gem in American history has been preserved. In February 1956, two months before his death, 96-year-old Samuel J. Seymour appeared on the CBS television show “I’ve Got A Secret.” His secret: […]

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

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Founding Fathers | Comments (0)

SEC football recruiting Part 1

February 12, 2013 – 7:39 am

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 difference between them on other websites like Rivals.

Alabama (1), Florida (2), Ole Miss (5), Texas A&M (8), and Georgia (10) are in about everyone’s top ten. Auburn (11) did very well according to everyone too. South Carolina (17), Vandy (22), and Miss St (25) hung in there pretty good. Tennessee (29) and Arkansas (31) did excellent considering the fact that their coaches had to come in there at the last second and throw something together.

SEC football recruiting roundup 2013

February 8, 2013 – 8:09 am

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 […]

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

SEC Football Recruiting

January 29, 2013 – 8:22 am

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 […]

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SEC football coaches on the hot seat

October 29, 2012 – 11:33 am

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 […]

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SEC Football Schedules for 2013 Part 1

October 18, 2012 – 4:05 pm

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 […]

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SEC Football roundup for Sept 29, 2012

October 5, 2012 – 2:49 pm

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Tour of SEC Football Sept 22, 2012 (Lester McClain honored)

September 25, 2012 – 2:14 pm

Photo by Michael Patrick, copyright © 2012 Tennessee’s A.J. Johnson (45) takes down Arkron’s Jawon Chisholm (7) during during first half action against Akron Saturday, Sep. 22, 2012. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Photo by Michael Patrick, copyright © 2012 Akron head coach Terry Bowden during second half of their 47-26 loss to Tennessee Saturday, Sep. 22, […]

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SEC football as strong as ever

September 20, 2012 – 7:13 am

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 […]

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Tour of SEC football games Sept 15, 2012

September 16, 2012 – 1:54 pm

Photo by Adam Brimer, Knoxville News Sentinel The Volunteer waves the Power T flag during the Vol Walk down Peyton Manning Pass outside Neyland Stadium before the Vols’ matchup against _____________- My son Wilson and I got pretty wet during the Arkansas- Alabama game. We got to visit with Rex Jones at halftime. His two […]

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Recap of SEC football from Sept 8, 2012

September 12, 2012 – 6:34 am

I don’t have anything good to say about the Hogs’ performance last Saturday but some other SEC teams did pretty well. I am looking forward to the Tennessee Florida game since both teams looked very good last week. QB TYLER BRAY (Tennessee) — Completed 18-of-20 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns in Tennessee’s 51-13 win against […]

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SEC football championship game history

August 21, 2012 – 2:13 pm

I have been hoping that Arkansas could win the SEC Championship game but after 20 years we still haven’t done so. Wikipedia reports that four times have appeared at least five times. They are Florida (10), Alabama (7), LSU (5) and Tennessee (5). Arkansas does have 3 appearances but no wins. Florida has the most wins […]

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Conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr. meets Harvard professor of economics John Kenneth Galbraith

February 11, 2013 – 4:51 am

William Buckley vs Keynesian Economist

Uploaded by MetrazolElectricity on Mar 17, 2011

Conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr. meets Harvard professor of economics John Kenneth Galbraith

____________

Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr. “President Kennedy and Prime Minister Macmillan: Part I”

Uploaded by firinglinevideos on Nov 11, 2011

DVD on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064EGOB0/
Streaming on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JITYMW/
Taped on Nov 17, 1989
Guests: Alistair Horne, Arthur Schlesinger, and John Kenneth Galbraith

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

SEC football recruiting roundup 2013

February 8, 2013 – 8:09 am

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 and that was true again this year when they came in first again.

I also consider Florida (4), LSU (7), Georgia (12) and Texas A&M (10) as schools with tremendous recruiting advantages due to the population around them. Some people would say that Texas A&M only thrives when Texas is down but I don’t believe that because there are so many great players in Texas that there are plenty to go around.

Auburn (11) is a school that I can’t figure out. There is not a lot of population near the university but the school did a great job recruiting this year. I give Gus Malzahn a lot of credit for that.

Tennessee (25), Arkansas (22) and Auburn (11) did a great job of bouncing back after not having a returning set of coaches. They are probably the most amazing stories. However, the true test of these programs will be the performance of these coaches next year when they may be able to get into the top 10 in recruiting because they will have a whole year to develop relationships.

South Carolina (21) has done a great job of recruiting the last few years and I give their head coach a lot of credit for that and the same could be said for Hugh Freeze who probably deserves the most credit in the SEC for the performance of Ole Miss (6) this year in recruiting.

Below is a fine article that I read on SEC recruiting:

If grading the NFL Draft the day after it ends is a futile exercise, grading Signing Day before the players hit campus is practically impossible. Of course, that won’t prevent us from trying. Based on 247Sports’ composite ratings:

1. Alabama

The rich get richer. Nick Saban, winner of three of the last four national championships, brought in 26 new recruits, including 6 of the 33 prospects given five stars. The Crimson Tide added the nation’s top inside linebacker recruit, Reuben Foster, despite the fact that he has an Auburn tattoo. They also received letters of intent from arguably the nation’s best wide receiver (Robert Foster), the nation’s best tight end (O.J. Howard), one of the country’s best outside linebackers (Jonathan Allen), and arguably the best offensive tackle (A’Shawn Robinson). When Alabama went slumming for four-star recruits, they landed quarterback Cooper Bateman, tackle Leon Brown, and running back Altee Tenpenny, who was widely considered the best prospect in Arkansas. At this point, Alabama doesn’t even reload. It simply maintains.

More: The inside story of how Alabama recruited Tenpenny

2. Ohio State

The Buckeyes didn’t match Alabama for five-star quality, but nearly made up for it in four-star quantity. Urban Meyer’s first full class as coach in Columbus features 25 players, including 19 four-star recruits. The crown jewel, safety Vonn Bell, appeared set for Tennessee until a Signing Day switch-up put him in scarlet and gray. The Buckeyes also signed the top recruit in Missouri (running back Ezekiel Elliott), the top recruit in Ohio (wide receiver Jalin Marshall), and the top recruit in New Jersey (cornerback Eli Apple). Outside linebacker Mike Mitchell is considered by some the best linebacker recruit in the country. And in dual threat quarterback J.T. Barrett, Meyer has an ideal trigger man for his run-heavy offensive attack.

3. Notre Dame

Brian Kelly saw what elite talent can do in the BCS National Championship Game. Wednesday, he went about evening the playing field. The Irish landed the nation’s top outside linebacker (Jaylon Smith) out of their backyard and the nation’s top defensive tackle (Eddie Vanderdoes) from much further away. Notre Dame will always recruit nationally, but Kelly cast the net especially wide in 2013: the Fighting Irish’s 23 commitments come from 15 different states and the District of Columbia. Four-star offensive tackles Steven Elmer and Hunter Bivin could bookend the Irish offensive line for years.

More: National Signing Day coverage Find your school’s SB Nation community

4. Florida

The Gators had two of their three stars on campus long before Signing Day, as five-star outside linebacker Alex Anzalone and running back Kelvin Taylor enrolled a month ago. All that was left for Will Muschamp was to sign the nation’s best defensive back, the Tampa-based Vernon Hargreaves III, and a boatload of four-star talent across the board. Florida got three of the nation’s best defensive tackles (freshman Caleb Brantley and JUCO teammates Darious Cummings and Jarran Reed) and one of the best offensive tackle prospects (Trenton Brown). Aside from taking a project at quarterback (three-star prospect Max Staver), the Gators largely filled depth concerns across the roster.

5. Michigan

It was an uneventful Signing Day in Ann Arbor, where head coach Brady Hoke had locked up 17 four-star commitments long before formal signatures were available. Hoke clearly addressed his desire to return Michigan to its pro-style past. Running back Derrick Green, widely considered one of the best running backs in the nation, should step in immediately to contribute in the Wolverines’ revamped backfield. Four-star quarterback Shane Morris will have to dethrone Devin Gardner, but should join Green by 2014. Cornerstone tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman is one of six offensive linemen in the class, four of which earned four-star grades. On the defensive side, Michigan stocked up inside with defensive tackles Henry Poggi and Maurice Hurst Jr., defensive end Taco Charlton, and inside linebacker Ben Gideon.

6. Ole Miss

Anyone who disputes that a program can create momentum in recruiting and capitalize on Signing Day need only look to Oxford, where Ole Miss went from the middle of the SEC pack to the top six in one morning. The Rebels got the nation’s top recruit (defensive end Robert Nkemdiche), top offensive lineman (tackle Leremy Tunsil), and second-best safety (Tony Conner) to add to the country’s best receiver (Laquon Treadwell) and best JUCO recruit (defensive tackle Lavon Hooks). Hugh Freeze’s class is slightly top-heavy — 16 of Ole Miss’ 27 recruits have three-star ratings — but that top tier rivals Alabama for the nation’s best.

More: The inside story of how Ole Miss landed Nkemdiche

7. LSU

For the second consecutive year, LSU failed to land a five-star commit. However, the Bayou Bengals’ four-star-heavy haul of 28 commitments was enough to get them into the top 10. Cornerback Tre’Davious White is considered one of the nation’s best. He will be joined in the Tigers’ defensive backfield by four-star cornerbacks Jeryl Brazil and Rashard Robinson. LSU also stocked up in the trenches with defensive tackles Greg Gilmore and Maquedius Bain, defensive ends Frank Herron, Tashawn Bower, Michael Patterson, and Christian LaCouture, and offensive linemen Ethan Pocic, Josh Boutte, Andy Dodd, and Fehoko Fanakia. A pair of quarterbacks, Hayden Rettig and Anthony Jennings, round out a class light on skill position talent.

8. Florida State

The Seminoles battled coaching changes throughout the 2013 recruiting season, but managed to get letters of intent from 22 players, including five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas and eight four-star recruits. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is ranked as the top recruit in Tennessee, halfback Ryan Green may be the nation’s best running back, and DeMarcus Walker is one of the country’s five best defensive ends. Four-star wide receivers Levonte Whitfield and Isaiah Jones each received four stars, and wideout Jesus Wilson and tight end Jeremy Kerr also signed on with the Seminoles.

9. UCLA

__________________

Five tiny classes

5. San Jose State

The Spartans have no real history from which to build a recruiting reputation and lost their coach, but SJSU needed to capitalize on an 11-win season and a bowl game. Instead of consolidating that success in recruiting, San Jose State landed a class of just 10 players, with only two of the 10 receiving a three-star rating.

4. Northern Illinois

The two-time MAC champion and Orange Bowl runner-up ran into many of the same problems that San Jose State had: A coaching change put recruiting on hold, and the new staff could not recover. The results: A BCS bowl team signs 14 recruits, with 10 holding one- or two-star ratings.

3. Stanford

The Cardinal only signed 12 players due in large part to a remarkably small number of graduations. Quarterback Ryan Burns, linebacker Peter Kalambayi, and wide receiver Francis Owusu look like early contributors, but the sheer lack of offers, coupled with Stanford’s academic limitations, brought the Cardinal class into the nation’s bottom half. On a per-player basis, however Stanford’s class is strong.

2. Boston College

The Eagles were truly terrible in 2012, going 2-10. They also replaced their coach. Neither of those is an excuse for a class that had just 15 signees, 11 of them with three-star ratings. Boston College’s class is ranked 91st, 11 spots behind the next-lowest BCS team. Steve Addazio has a lot of work to do, and not a lot of pieces to work with in his first year at the helm.

1. Georgia Tech

It was a banner year for talent in the state of Georgia. Yet, while the rest of the SEC and ACC got fat on the Peach State, Georgia was limited in its in-state recruiting and Georgia Tech was practically inept. The Yellow Jackets got one four-star in-state prospect in offensive tackle Shamire DeVine, a handful of three-star players from throughout the South and Mid-Atlantic, and little else. No quarterbacks in the class, no real help on defense, and just 14 commits, all despite beating USC in a bowl game.

___________________________

Any concerns that new coach Jim Mora Jr. wasn’t equipped for the college game were muted by his first full class. The Bruins, helped somewhat by scholarship reductions at Southern Cal, landed 18 four-star recruits in a class of 26 players. Safety Tahaan Goodman, inside linebacker Isaac Savaiinaea, and defensive end Kylie Fitts highlight the class, but U.S. Army All-American quarterback Asiantii Woulard was UCLA’s biggest prize on Signing Day. Woulard, who is a Florida native and was committed to South Florida until early January, announced his intent to play for the Bruins Wednesday. He joins a class heavy on interior linemen and defensive players.

10. Texas A&M

The Aggies were the recipients of one of Signing Day’s biggest surprises, when four-star defensive end Daeshon Hall decommitted from Washington and signed a letter of intent with Texas A&M. Hall joins a class with a staggering 32 commitments, including five-star wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones, four-star defensive tackles Justin Manning and Isaiah Golden, and quarterbacks Kohl Stewart and Kenny Hill. The Aggies went heavy in the passing game on both sides of the ball, signing seven wide receivers and five defensive backs.

11. Auburn

Gus Malzahn may be an offensive coach, but Auburn focused on the defensive side of the ball Wednesday. The Tigers added two five-star prospects on the defensive front (defensive end Carl Lawson and defensive tackle Montravious Adams) and stole borderline five-star defensive end Elijah Daniel from Ole Miss. While the quality was on the defensive line, the quantity came on offense, where Malzahn signed a handful of receivers, a trio of halfbacks, and four-star quarterback Jeremy Johnson.

12. Georgia

Mark Richt signed 32 recruits, including 18 four-star prospects, but the story might be the players Georgia wasn’t able to keep in the state. Just two of the state’s top 15 players — quarterback Brice Ramsey and safety Tray Matthews — signed with the Bulldogs. Alabama, Auburn, and Ohio State were as successful among Georgia’s home talent. The Bulldogs were able to land South Carolina’s best player (wide receiver Tramel Terry) and one of Virginia’s best prospects (defensive tackle John Atkins). A solid class that could have been much, much more if their in-state talent stayed home.

13. Clemson

Even though the Tigers lost Robert Nkemdiche’s verbal commitment, head coach Dabo Swinney was able to land a five-star cornerback (Mackensie Alexander), a top defensive end (Shaq Lawson), and two top outside linebackers (Wayne Gallman and Dorian O’Daniel). Halfback Tyshon Dye is also among the nation’s best. Of Clemson’s 23 commitments, 11 are rated four-star or better.

14. USC

The Trojans only signed 12 players due to scholarship restrictions and decommits, but managed to add four five-star commitments in pro-style quarterback Max Browne, defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow, and safeties Su’a Cravens and Leon McQuay III. Halfbacks Ty Isaac and Justin Davis could contribute quickly for Lane Kiffin.

15. Oklahoma

Halfback Keith Ford, one of the best prospects in Texas, highlights the Sooners’ 2013 class. Bob Stoops left the Big 12 footprint in search for defensive backs, and came back with four-star safeties Ahmed Thomas and Hatrari Byrd and cornerback L.J. Moore. The Sooners also landed another pro-style quarterback out of Texas in Cody Thomas. The Sooners also got some help on the defensive line, with four-star defensive end D.J. Ward and tackles Quincy Russell and Kerrick Huggins.

16. Texas

The Longhorns took a demerit for signing a remarkably small class — just 15 players — and failing to match their usual in-state dominance. Texas got just one five-star commitment (offensive guard Darius James) and a boatload of additional help on the offensive line, with four additional linemen rated with four stars: Tackles Desmond Harrison and Kent Perkins, guard Rami Hammad, and center Jake Raulerson. There are strikingly few skill players in the class: No running backs, no quarterbacks, two wide receivers.

17. Miami

You have to hand it to Al Golden. Facing the possibility of sanctions for the last two seasons, Golden and his staff keep reeling in some of the ACC’s top talent. The Hurricanes signed 17 recruits Wednesday, including eight four-star prospects. Golden went to his old stomping grounds in the Northeast to get defensive end Alquadin Muhammad and quarterback Kevin Olsen. He farmed his home territory for much of the rest, signing four players with four-star ratings out of Florida.

18. Washington

The Huskies loaded up on skill position talent and defensive linemen. On offense, Washington added four-star wide receivers Darrell Daniels and Demorea Stringfellow, four-star quarterback Troy Williams, and three-star receiver John Ross and running back Lavon Coleman. Defensively, defensive tackle Elijah Qualls is the center of a cluster of three four-star defensive linemen. Steve Sarkisian also landed a pair of cornerbacks, Kevin King and Jermaine Kelly.

19. Oregon

The Ducks were largely able to hold their class together despite Chip Kelly’s departure for the NFL. Five-star running back Thomas Tyner is the centerpiece, while wide receivers Darren Carrington and Tyree Robinson join the vaunted Oregon receiver corps. On the defensive side, four-star outside linebackers Tyrell Robinson and Danny Mattingly and defensive end Torrodney Prevot give the Ducks depth and pass rushing ability.

20. Virginia Tech

The Hokies did what the Hokies usually do: A handful of top talent, like five-star cornerback Kendall Fuller, four-star safety Holland Fisher, running back Drew Harris, and dual-threat quarterback Bucky Hodges, with 15 three-star projects, nearly all recruited from the mid-Atlantic. Tech also added depth on the offensive line, with three recruits signed.

21. South Carolina

South Carolina has officially returned from the stratosphere of 2010 and 2011, with a solid if unspectacular class. Outside linebacker Larenz Bryant, arguably the top player in North Carolina, joins linebacker Skai Moore and defensive tackle Kelsey Griffin at the core of the class. On the offensive side, quarterback Connor Mitch and running back David Williams should be the future Gamecock backfield.

22. Arkansas

Welcome to the SEC, Bret Bielema. Arkansas’ class of 23 commitments, including five-star running back Alex Collins, four-star quarterbacks Austin Allen and Damon Mitchell, tight end Hunter Henry, and interior linemen Denver Kirkland and Reeve Kohler, would put Bielema’s former team in the top of the Big Ten’s second tier. Instead, he’s in the SEC’s bottom half.

23. Nebraska

Bo Pelini addressed areas of need, landing two four-star linebackers (Marcus Newby and Josh Banderas), two four-star running backs (Terrell Newby and Adam Taylor), a pass rushing defensive end (Randy Gregory), and a quarterback for the inevitable graduation of Taylor Martinez (Johnny Stanton). It is not good enough to compete with the conference’s top two, but it’s precisely the class Nebraska needed.

24. Mississippi State

The Bulldogs got the nation’s second-best defensive end, five-star-rated Chris Jones. They got two top safeties in Justin Cox and Ashton Shumpert. They got four-star wide receiver Fred Ross, four-star tackle Jake Thomas, and a dual-threat quarterback perfect for their system in Cord Sandberg. Yet, they look to be miles behind their in-state rival. A good class for a program on the rise, but not enough to keep up with the conference.

25. Tennessee

The Vols signed 21 commitments, including five players with four-star ratings. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs should find a home in new coach Butch Jones’ system, and receivers MarQuez North and Ryan Jenkins give him some targets. Tennessee was hurt when five-star safety Vonn Bell, long thought to be a probable Volunteer commit, went with Ohio State.

Look through SB Nation’s many excellent college football blogs to find your team’s community.

SEC has 7 teams in top 12 in football recruiting, Ark is last in SEC!!!

February 5, 2013 – 6:00 am

It is really troubling to me that my Arkansas Razorbacks are 14th in the SEC in football recruiting this year and there are only a couple of days left till signing day. Alabama came in and got our best running back from North Little Rock high and I was told yesterday that Hunter Henry of […]

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

Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast Part 3 #6 Arkansas v. #3 Ole Miss wrapped up 1962 football season in 1963 Sugar Bowl.

January 30, 2013 – 7:01 am

America’s Game – 1962 Ole Miss Rebels National Champions – John Vaught I am doing a series on the “Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast.” I enjoyed watching the Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast on ESPN on 1-27-13 with my mother. She went to Ole Miss in the early 1960′s. Also living in Little Rock my […]

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

SEC Football Recruiting

January 29, 2013 – 8:22 am

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

Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast Part 2 Both Arkansas and Ole Miss had racial problems in 1960′s while also have their best years in football then

January 29, 2013 – 8:21 am

Ole Miss Applauds 1962 Undefeated Rebels I am doing a series on the “Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast.” I enjoyed watching the Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast on ESPN on 1-27-13 with my mother. She went to Ole Miss in the early 1960′s. Also living in Little Rock my wife has relatives that were also […]

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

Hogs mentioned in national football recruiting article (Lane Kiffin is an idiot by the way)

January 25, 2013 – 7:40 am

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

How good is Arkansas doing in football recruiting in 2013?

January 18, 2013 – 8:19 am

It is truly sad that Arkansas is ranked #62 in recruiting in the 2013 football class so far. The thing that troubles me the most is that there are 4 schools in the SEC that have brought in new coaches and Arkansas is one of them. However, what upsets me most is that the other […]

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

Passionate about football and the game of life

January 12, 2013 – 2:29 pm

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 […]

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

Why does the “Lucy move the football” reference apply to Republicans on the fiscal cliff?

December 20, 2012 – 7:04 am

I truly do wonder how smart our elected representatives are in Washington. I got up on 12-20-12 and read this article below from the Heritage Foundation with the reference to Charlie Brown getting fooled by Lucy again when he runs up and tries to kick the football and of course she moves it again. Liberals […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, Milton Friedman, President Obama, Ronald Reagan, Speaker of the House John Boehner, spending out of control, Taxes | Edit | Comments (0)

Info on Bret Bielema Arkansas Razorbacks’ new football coach

December 5, 2012 – 6:53 am

Here are some articles that tell us a little about Bret Bielema the new Razorback football coach. Did leave for Arkansas because his grace period was running out at Wisconsin? The second article discusses the style of play that Bielema will bring to Arkansas and it is a positive article that predicts good things for […]

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

Bret Bielema new razorback football coach

December 4, 2012 – 1:51 pm

Matt Jones just said on 103.7 the buzz “Overtime” radio show at 1:49pm that Bret Bielema is the latest name to be linked to the Arkansas football coaching job. Matt Jones pointed out that Wisconsin has lost only 10 times in the last 3 years and only one loss was over 10 points and the […]

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

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Skillet is a Christian Heavy Metal Band from Memphis Part 3

February 8, 2013 – 7:34 am

Skillet – Awake and Alive

Uploaded on Sep 27, 2010

I really have enjoyed reading about this band from Memphis.

Skillet (band)

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Skillet
Skillet performing at a promotional acoustic show in Denton, TX in 2006
Background information
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Rock,^[1] Christian rock/metal,^[2]^[3] alternative rock,^[4] hard rock,^[2] nu metal,^[5]^[6] symphonic metal (recent),^[5] industrial music (early),^[7] grunge (early)^[7]
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Ardent, Lava, Atlantic, ForeFront, Fair Trade Services (formerly known as INO)
Associated acts	Seraph
Website	skillet.com
Members
John Cooper Korey Cooper Jen Ledger Seth Morrison
Past members
Kevin Haaland Ben Kasica Trey McClurkin Lori Peters Jonathan Salas Ken Steorts

Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. The band currently consists of husband and wife John (lead vocals, bass) and Korey Cooper (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), along with Jen Ledger (drums, vocals) and Seth Morrison (lead guitar). The band has released eight albums, two receiving Grammy nominations: Collide and Comatose.^[8] They are planning on releasing their 9th Studio Album in early 2013. Awake has been certified Platinum and debuted on No. 2 on the Billboard 200, with Comatose certified Gold by RIAA.

Skillet went through several line-up changes early in their career, leaving founder John Cooper as the only original member remaining in the band. They have sold over 2 million albums in the U.S. alone^{[not verified in body]} and are known for a relentless touring schedule, which garnered them a top five ranking in the Hardest Working Bands of 2011 by Billboard.com.^[9]

[hide]

[edit] Band history

[edit] Self-titled and Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1996–99)

Skillet formed in 1996 with two members: John Cooper, former vocalist for Tennessee progressive rock band Seraph, and Ken Steorts, former guitarist for Urgent Cry. The two bands met through touring together, but those bands disbanded soon after, so John and Ken’s pastor encouraged them to form their own band as a side-project.^[10] Coming from different styles of rock music, they decided to name the experiment Skillet. After Trey McClurkin joined the band as a temporary drummer. Skillet was only together for a month when they received interest from major Christian record label ForeFront Records. In 1996 they released a self-titled debut Skillet. It was well-received, and the trio continued to write new material as they toured the United States. One topic that comes up often among fans and the band itself, is the name ‘Skillet’. John Cooper, the lead vocalist, explains that it was a joke at first. Each starting band member was already in a separate band, and all decided to start a side project. Since each other band had a different sound and style to it, the side project was said to be like putting all of those styles in a big skillet to come up with something unique. Hence the band name ‘Skillet’. The band name is still somewhat of a joke between the band members, especially Cooper, who claims to still not like the title.

Skillet recorded their follow-up album throughout 1997, titled Hey You, I Love Your Soul, which was released in April 1998. Their second effort was a change in style from the band’s first release. With this release, Skillet would abandon their post-grunge approach for a lighter alternative rock and style. His wife Korey was enlisted soon after to play keyboards live in order to alleviate John’s live performance duties.

[edit] Invincible, Ardent Worship, and Alien Youth (2000–02)

Shortly before the band began recording for their third album, Invincible, Steorts left the band to be with his family and launch Visible Music College, a modern music ministry college located in Memphis, and Kevin Haaland joined the band as their new guitarist. Korey Cooper joined the band permanently and played keyboards for the recording of Invincible. Because of this change, the musical style on Invincible changed to a more electronic sound.^[11] Soon after the release of Invincible in early 2000, Trey McClurkin parted ways with Skillet, and Lori Peters filled the drummer’s position.

The band released their first worship album, and fourth album overall, Ardent Worship in late 2000. The band kept much of their sound from Invincible on their next album Alien Youth.^[11] With little time between touring and recording, Skillet released Alien Youth on August 28, 2001, which was the first album that John Cooper took on production duties. Before the release of Alien Youth, Haaland left the band, and Ben Kasica took over on guitar. The first single, the title track, was a major hit in the Christian market and drove Skillet into their first headlining shows.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Collide (2003–05)

In 2003, Collide was released by Ardent Records. It caught the attention of Andy Karp, the Head of A&R of Lava Records, and in 2004 the rights to Collide were bought by Lava Records, a division of Atlantic Records. On May 25, 2004, Collide was re-released under Lava Records, with an added track, “Open Wounds”. Collide was yet another musical shift for the band. Citing P.O.D. as inspiration for the musical shift on Collide, Cooper said, “Well I’m one of these song writers, everything I hear goes through my John Cooper filter of what I like and what I don’t like. […] All these things […] have been an influence on me.”^[12]

[edit] Comatose (2006–08)

Skillet’s album Comatose was released on October 3, 2006. It features the singles “Rebirthing,” “Whispers in the Dark,” “Comatose,” “The Older I Get,” “Those Nights,” “The Last Night“, and “Better Than Drugs”. The album debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the US Top Christian Albums chart.^[13]

In January 2008, Skillet announced that their drummer, Lori Peters, was retiring from the band, feeling that “it’s time for her to come off of the road and start a new chapter in her life.”^[14] Peters’ last concert with Skillet was on December 31, 2007.^[15] However, during the 2007 Christmas season, she took the time to train Skillet’s next drummer, Jen Ledger.^[15]

On October 21, 2008, Comatose Comes Alive was released; a CD/DVD combo featuring live recordings of the band’s May 9, 2008 concert in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was shown on the Gospel Music Channel on December 5, 2008. Skillet’s Comatose Comes Alive CD also had a B-side with “Live Free or Let Me Die” as a single, also with five acoustic tracks which purchasers could download by inserting the CD in their computer.^[16]

The Comatose album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA on November 3, 2009.^[17]

[edit] Awake (2009–11)

Skillet announced that they went into the studio January 12 to finalize the new record with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson. They added two songs (“Hero” and “Monster“) from the new record to their setlist on April 2, 2009 in Evansville, Indiana as part of their Comatose Tour 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Skillet’s most recent studio album is Awake.^[18] The album contains twelve songs and was released on August 25, 2009.^[19] It charted at No. 2 on the Billboard top 200 selling around 68,000 units in its first week.^[20] “Monster” was released as a single on July 14, 2009. Contrary to popular belief, John Cooper stated that “Hero” was not the album’s lead single. It was, however, released as a single in March 2010.^[21] They also released a deluxe version with the extra songs “Dead Inside” and “Would It Matter”, along with the original, radio edit of “Monster” that does not have the distorted growl as in the single and in the CD. A remix on “Monster” was featured on one of their popular podcasts.The song “Hero” was used in the publicizing of the first football game of the 2009 NFL season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, and the song “Monster” was used in the episode “Jason: The Pretty-Boy Bully” on MTV’s Bully Beatdown. “Monster” was the theme song for the WWE event WWE Hell in a Cell while the song “Hero” was the theme song for WWE Tribute to the Troops and Royal Rumble 2010, as well as both songs being included on the official soundtrack for the WWE video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. It is also the opening theme song for the AHL team the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland, Ohio and serves as the opening theme of the Fresno Monsters of Fresno, California. “Monster” was aired at the beginning of several ACC football games on Raycom Sports during the 2009 season. In the first week of April 2010, it was released for the Rock band music store in Rock Band 2^[22] It also tied the record for highest-charting Christian album on the Billboard 200 with Underoath‘s 2006 release Define the Great Line and Casting Crowns‘ 2007 release The Altar and the Door, as all three albums debuted at No. 2.^[23]

Skillet was nominated for six Dove Awards for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards.^[24]^[25] Awake was certified gold July 2, 2010.^[26]^[27] Also in 2010, Ardent released The Early Years, a collection of their songs from 1996 to 2001. On November 12, Skillet released an iTunes sessions EP consisting of songs from Comatose and Awake.^[28] “Monster” was certified gold a day later.^[29]

On February 14, 2011, Skillet officially announced that longtime lead guitarist Ben Kasica would be leaving the band. Kasica was with the band for 10 years, contributing to the albums Alien Youth, Collide, Comatose, and Awake as well as the live album Comatose Comes Alive. He played what was planned to be his last concert with the band on March 20.^[30] The band announced that they had chosen solo artist Jonathan Salas as their new guitarist, but Salas confirmed he had left the band on April 9 via Twitter.^{[citation needed]} Kasica returned and continued touring until a new guitarist was trained.^[31] On April 16, Seth Morrison replaced Kasica as the lead guitarist, and now tours full-time with Skillet.^[32]^{[unreliable source?]}

Skillet announced the release of Awake and Remixed EP in early March 2011. The remixes were mainly done by Korey Cooper and Ben Kasica. On March 2, 2011, Skillet unveiled the album artwork for the album. John Cooper says the idea was conceived when Korey Cooper and Ben Kasica remixed the song Monster for their popular podcast. The four-song EP was released on March 22.^[33]

“Awake” was nominated for and won the “Top Christian Album” Award at the Billboard Music Awards 2011, and the song “Awake and Alive” was announced to be on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon Soundtrack in May 2011.^[34]

[edit] Rise (2011–present)

On June 21, 2011 John posted to his Twitter account that the band rehearsed new music for the first time and that they are getting ready for a new album.^[35] At a question and answer session before a concert, John Cooper said that they would be recording a new record in January/February 2012. However, the band was then scheduled to headline the WinterJam Tour. In January 2012, Skillet announced that they will not be touring for most of the summer so that they can record the new album.^{[citation needed]} They plan to enter the studio at the conclusion of the Winter Jam eastern tour, approximately in May, for a release in late 2012.^[36]

During a July 18, 2012 interview with RadioU, John Cooper stated the band currently had 61 songs written and would be heading into the studio in October to record the album with Howard Benson for an early 2013 release.^{[citation needed]}

In an interview with CCM Magazine, John Cooper described the new album as “a roller coaster ride”. He states: “We have aggressive tracks, artsy and musical tracks, which is new territory for Skillet. A couple songs are classic American heartland anthems, and a couple songs are signature symphonic-classical rock Skillet. Guitars are dirty and edgier, with absolute shredding solos by Seth.” One of the songs mentioned in the interview was titled “Salvation”.^[37]

In a Interview on January 26, 2013 In Beaumont TX, John Cooper announced that the new album will be titled Rise and will be coming out in May 2013.^[38]

[edit] Touring

Skillet performing live on April 12, 2008 at Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana.

In the middle of 2006, Korey Cooper took a break from performing, due to her pregnancy with their second child. Her rhythm guitar and keyboard roles were temporarily filled by two people: Andrea Winchell (who would later become the Coopers’ nanny) on keys and Chris Marvin (lead singer/guitar of The Spark) on guitar.

Skillet toured with Ron Luce and Teen Mania Ministries on their Acquire The Fire Tour across the United States and Canada in 2007. When they returned, Skillet had plans to co-headline the Justice & Mercy Tour with Flyleaf, but the tour was postponed and ultimately canceled after a number of shows due to Flyleaf lead vocalist Lacey Mosley‘s vocal problems. They then toured with Luce’s Global Expeditions program on a summer missions trip with teenagers to Mexico. In 2008 they joined Teen Mania Ministries and toured with Acquire the Fire.

Skillet joined Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Seether on the first half of their tour in fall 2007.^[39] Then Skillet headlined their own Comatose Tour alongside Thousand Foot Krutch and traveled to approximately 30 cities. The tour started on March 28 and ran through May 11, 2008.^[40] Skillet toured again from April 2009 through June 2009 with Decyfer Down and Disciple. This tour was called Comatose Tour 2009 (essentially a second branch of the 2008 Comatose Tour). In fall of 2009, Skillet began touring with Hawk Nelson, Decyfer Down, and The Letter Black to promote Skillet’s album Awake. The Awake & Alive Tour encompassed 52 cities from October through January.

Skillet performing live on July 1, 2010 at Cornerstone Festival (Illinois).

Skillet appeared at the 2009 Night of Joy Christian Rock festival at Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.^[41] This marked the band’s first absence from Universal Studios Orlando‘s Rock the Universe in five years due to conflicting schedules. However, they were able to perform the following year, in 2010. On September 26, 2009, Skillet appeared at Awakening Music Festival in Leesburg, Virginia, alongside Jeremy Camp, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Disciple, Decyfer Down, and others. Skillet also played at the Super Dome in New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering in 2009.

Skillet headlined two separate Rock the River tours, run by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and hosted by Franklin Graham. Those tours were Rock the River: Midwest in the summer of 2009 and Rock the River: West in the summer of 2010.

In January 2010 they toured with Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown through the East Coast of the United States.^[42]^[43] They also announced on their live chat with fans on December 5, 2009 that they would be touring with TobyMac in March and April 2010. This was later expanded upon as the “Awake Tonight Tour” named after both artists’ new albums.^[44] House of Heroes joined them on the tour as the opening act.

In April and May the band continued on a second branch of their Awake and Alive tour with The Letter Black and Red.^[45]^[46] In April it was also announced that the band would be touring with Creed and Theft in August and September 2010.^[47]^[48] In October the band will be co-headlining the “Monsters of Annihilation Tour” with Papa Roach. Trapt and My Darkest Days will be supporting acts.^[49] They toured again with TobyMac in November and December as the 2010 version of the Winter Wonder Slam tour.^[50] On July 4, Skillet played at Creation Festival East and John Cooper called it the best show of Skillet’s career.^[51]

In January 2011, Skillet confirmed that they would be touring with Stone Sour and Theory of a Deadman on the Avalanche Tour. The tour began at the end of March 2011 and concluded on May 8 in Jacksonville, FL. Other supporting acts include Halestorm and Art of Dying.^{[citation needed]} The band had a small international tour in January and February 2011 visiting Australia,^[52] New Zealand’s Parachute Music Festival,^[53] and Japan.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2011, the band continued their Awake and Alive tour with Disciple, We As Human, and Manafest.^{[citation needed]}

Announced in October 2011, Skillet are headlining the 2012 Winter Jam tour for the central and eastern parts of the United States.^[54]^[55]

[edit] Band members

Current

John Cooper – lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar (1996–present)
Korey Cooper – vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (1999–present)
Jen Ledger – vocals, backing vocals, drums, percussion (2008–present)
Seth Morrison – lead guitar (2011–present)

Former

Kevin Haaland – lead guitar (1999–2001)
Ben Kasica – lead guitar (2001–2011, 2011)
Trey McClurkin – drums, backing vocals (1996–2000)
Lori Peters – drums (2000–2007)
Jonathan Salas – lead guitar (2011)
Ken Steorts – lead guitar (1996–1999)

Touring^[56]

Billy Dawson – rhythm guitar (2000)
Faith Stern – keyboards, vocals (2002–2003)
Chris Marvin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2002–2003, 2005–2006)
Andrea Winchell – keyboards (2005–2006)
Jonathan Chu – violin (2008–present)
Tate Olsen – cello (2008–present)
Scotty Rock – bass (2009–2011)

[edit] Timeline

[edit] Discography

Main article: Skillet discography

Studio albums

Skillet (1996)
Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1998)
Invincible (2000)
Alien Youth (2001)
Collide (2003)
Comatose (2006)
Awake (2009)
Rise (2013)

This is a list of major releases only. Additional releases including EPs, live albums, singles, compilation albums and videos may be found at the full discography article.

[edit] Awards and recognition

Grammy Award nominations

2005 nominee, Best Rock Gospel Album: Collide^[57]
2007 nominee, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: Comatose^[8]

GMA Dove Awards

2008 Rock Recorded Song of the Year: “Comatose” at the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards on April 23, 2008.

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

Who’s on First?

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Sketch

What can we learn from Woody Allen Films?, August 1, 2011 – 6:30 am

Movie Review of “Midnight in Paris” lastest movie by Woody Allen, July 30, 2011 – 6:52 am

Leo Stein and sister Gertrude Stein’s salon is in the Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris”, July 28, 2011 – 6:22 am

Great review on Midnight in Paris with talk about artists being disatisfied, July 27, 2011 – 6:20 am

Critical review of Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, July 24, 2011 – 5:56 am

Not everyone liked “Midnight in Paris”, July 22, 2011 – 5:38 am

“Midnight in Paris” one of Woody Allen’s biggest movie hits in recent years, July 18, 2011 – 6:00 am

(Part 15, Luis Bunuel) June 23, 2011 – 5:37 am

I love Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, June 12, 2011 – 11:52 pm

Five tiny classes

5. San Jose State

4. Northern Illinois

3. Stanford

2. Boston College

1. Georgia Tech

Skillet – Awake and Alive

Contents

[edit] Band history

[edit] Self-titled and Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1996–99)

[edit] Invincible, Ardent Worship, and Alien Youth (2000–02)

[edit] Collide (2003–05)

[edit] Comatose (2006–08)

[edit] Awake (2009–11)

[edit] Rise (2011–present)

[edit] Touring

[edit] Band members

[edit] Timeline