Category Archives: Current Events

“Music Monday” People in the Johnny Cash video “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”

February 4, 2013 – 6:56 am

Wikipedia noted:

Johnny Cash recorded a version of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” on American V: A Hundred Highways in 2003, with an arrangement quite different from most known gospel versions of the song.

A music video, directed by Tony Kaye,[1] was made for this version in late 2006. It featured a number of celebrities, including:

In order of appearance; Iggy Pop, Kanye West, Chris Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Patti Smith, Terrence Howard, Flea, Q-Tip, Adam Levine, Chris Rock, Justin Timberlake, Kate Moss, Sir Peter Blake, Sheryl Crow, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson, Amy Lee, Tommy Lee, the Dixie Chicks, Mick Jones, Sharon Stone, Bono, Shelby Lynne, Anthony Kiedis, Travis Barker, Lisa Marie Presley, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Corinne Bailey Rae, Johnny Depp, Graham Nash (holding photos of Johnny Cash), Brian Wilson.

It also briefly features archive footage of Cash himself. The video was shot entirely in black and white. Since its release, both the song and video have seen moderate airplay.

The video won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

The video was also covered by Rebel Son, Adding a little bit more upbeat sound to the song, Released on the “All my Demons” album.

The Johnny Cash version can also be heard in the following:

  • In the opening of the second mission of the video game Battlefield 3
  • In a 2011 commercial for Jeep Grand Cherokee
  • In the 2007 documentary:The Most Hated Family in America.
  • As bumper music for the Alex Jones radio show.
  • In promotional commercials for the hit CW series Supernatural.
  • In the trailer for the 2006 documentary Deliver Us from Evil.
  • As entrance music for UFC Fighters Spencer Fisher and Jason Lambert, as well as professional wrestlers Tyson Dux, Brodie Lee, and “The Southern States Outlaw” Michael Cross.
  • As the entrance song for left handed relief pitcher Joe Beimel of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • As the entrance song for Lance Berkman, right fielder of the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • As the entrance song for Arizona State pitcher Josh McAlister.
  • EastEnders used the recording in a 2008 promotional video for Max Branning‘s Judgement Day.
  • During the opening sequence and closing credits of David Ridgen‘s documentary Mississippi Cold Case made for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  • In the release trailer of the game Splinter Cell: Conviction.[2]
  • In 2010, the recording was used in the opening titles sequence of the ITV (UK) series Father and Son.
  • As of June 16, 2010, a sample of the rhythm from this version is used as background music for a series of television commercials for the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee; most notably the “Manifesto” advertisement.[3]
  • In a video entitled “The Death of Liverpool FC” intended to highlight the protest against the owners of the club at the time.[4]
  • Rapper RL sampled this version in his track, entitled “God’s Gonna Cut Us Down”, on his album “T.H.R.E.E.”
  • In a trailer for the Coen brothers‘s film True Grit.
  • In December 2010 in a trailer for ESPN‘s 30 for 30 film Pony Excess.
  • In March 2011 in the Being Human episode “Though the Heavens Fall,” as performed by Detroit Social Club.
  • Sampled by J-Clash on the track “Cut You Down” [5]
  • In a dramatic scene of Republic of Doyle, season 2, episode 9.

  • TIMBERLAKE’S BRAINSTORM: JOHNNY CASH VIDEO WITH KANYE, JIGGA, DEPP, OTHERS

    CLIP ALSO STARS BONO, CHRIS MARTIN, TERRENCE HOWARD, CHRIS ROCK, ADAM LEVINE, AMY LEE, TOMMY LEE.

    If Justin Timberlake adds any more titles to his résumé, we’re not going to be able to fit them all onto a single line. The singer/actor/dancer/producer/clothing designer has tacked video-treatment writer onto his long list of recent endeavors, courtesy of the moody new clip for the Johnny Cash song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.”The concept for the all-star video came to Timberlake while he was taking a break from recording with producer Rick Rubin, who helmed Cash’s award-winning Americanalbum series and Timberlake’s “(Another Song) All Over Again.”

    “We were in the studio and we took a break to listen to the new Johnny Cash album [American V: A Hundred Highways], which was not yet released at that point,” Rubin said. “And when we got to that song, [Justin] said, ‘Stop!’ ”

    Timberlake then laid out a plan for a video to accompany the spare, moody song, which would feature a series of stars dressed in Cash’s signature black. “And he said, ‘I’m signing up to be the first one,’ ” Rubin said.

    Timberlake tops a list of 36 stars who appear in the clip, including Iggy Pop, Kanye West, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, actor Terrence Howard, Anthony Kiedis and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Rock, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Kate Moss, Sheryl Crow, Woody Harrelson, Amy Lee of Evanescence, Tommy Lee, the Dixie Chicks, Keith Richards, Bono, (+44)’s Travis Barker, Kid Rock, Jay-Z and Johnny Depp.

    “I had no idea yet how to market the album, which I’d just finished, since Johnny [Cash, who passed away in 2003] was not there and I wasn’t thinking about doing a video,” Rubin said (see “Johnny Cash Dead At 71”).

    Inspired by Timberlake’s brainstorm, Rubin called up acclaimed video director Mark Romanek, who helmed the award-winning clip for Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” (see “Johnny Cash Says Unlike Most Videos, ‘Hurt’ Wasn’t Too Painful”). Though Romanek loved the concept and added some ideas to it, he couldn’t sign on due to scheduling conflicts, so he suggested controversial director Tony Kaye (“American History X”). Kaye, who directed the time-tripping clip for the Chili Peppers’ “Dani California” (which is from an album also produced by Rubin), hasn’t directed many rock videos, but like many of the celebs in the shoot, he’s among the luminaries in Rubin’s thick address book of friends and professional acquaintances.

    “I got together with Tony — he loved Johnny and he’s really interested in the idea of music driving images,” Rubin said. Once they agreed on the concept, Rubin asked a few friends to make a list of the 10 coolest people on the planet. “At least five of the people in the video were on everyone’s list,” he said, “and Iggy was on a lot of lists, so it just felt right to open with him. I don’t know what that message is, but it just feels right.”

    Like the other stars, punk icon Pop is filmed wearing all black. The film’s lightning-fast, blink-and-you-might-miss-it series of quick-edit shots (many of which are close-ups of the stars’ faces) contrast with the slow tempo of the song.

    The video progresses through a series of quick mini-dramas, most of which were improvised, including Howard in a limo reading a Bible, Rock singing along with the lyrics, Timberlake staring at the camera, Depp standing on a balcony playing guitar, and Bono leaning on a graffiti-filled wall between angel’s wings and a halo while wearing a paper hat. The segments were filmed in Los Angeles, New York, London and (in Richards’ case) Amsterdam.

    Rubin said that for many of the artists in the clip — who also include Kris Kristofferson, Patti Smith, Q-Tip, Dennis Hopper, the Clash’s Mick Jones, Sharon Stone, Shelby Lynne, Lisa Marie Presley, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Corinne Bailey Rae, Graham Nash and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson — their reactions capture reflective moments spurred by hearing the song for the first time. Lynne sheds tears in an intense closeup, and a serious-looking Kid Rock stomps and claps his hands along to the funereal beat. “Each person got to design their own moment,” Rubin said. “But Tony was looking more for the instant emotional impact than a pre-planned skit. Nobody was asked to lip-sync, so pretty much everything was spontaneous.”

    After a slide-show-like recap of all the famous faces, the clip ends with Rubin and actor Owen Wilson sitting somberly in the back of a limousine.

    We get Iggy and Bono, but what’s Wilson’s connection to the whole thing? “It just made sense that if I was honoring Johnny, I’d have a friend there with me,” Rubin said.

    He also said Kaye has directed a clip for the Cash tune “Help Me” that is not celebrity-driven, but is equally gripping and slated for release in the coming months.

  • Related posts:

  • Johnny Cash (Part 4)

    I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978.  Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony. The Man Came Around   “Being a Christian isn’t for sissies,” Cash said once. “It takes a real man to live for God—a lot more man than to live for the devil, […]

    Johnny Cash (Part 3)

    I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978.  Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony. The Man Came Around   A Walking Contradiction Cash’s daughter, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, once pointed out that “my father was raised a Baptist, but he has the soul of a mystic. He’s […]

    Johnny Cash (Part 2)

    I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978 at a Billy Graham Crusade in Memphis. Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony. The Man Came Around Cash also made major headlines when he shared his faith on The Johnny Cash Show, a popular variety program on ABC […]

    Johnny Cash (Part 1)

    I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978. Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony. The Man Came Around Johnny Cash was not ashamed of his Christian faith—though it was sometimes a messy faith—and even got some encouragement from Billy Graham along the way. Dave Urbanski | […]

  • People in the Johnny Cash video “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”

    Wikipedia noted: Johnny Cash recorded a version of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” on American V: A Hundred Highways in 2003, with an arrangement quite different from most known gospel versions of the song. A music video, directed by Tony Kaye,[1] was made for this version in late 2006. It featured a number of celebrities, […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast Part 6

February 4, 2013 – 6:48 am

 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 present and involved at Central High during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School Crisis. It is amazing that the neighboring states Arkansas and Mississippi both were a part of history like this.

James Meredith, Central Figure In Ole Miss Integration, Reflects On 50th Anniversary, Resents ‘Civil Rights’ Moniker (PHOTOS)

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS 10/01/12 01:

James Meredith Ole Miss

In this Oct. 2, 1962 photo provided by the University of Mississippi, James Meredith, right, attends class for the first time in Peabody Hall on The University of Mississippi campus, in Oxford, Miss. Meredith, the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi after integration, says he doesn’t plan to participate in the university’s commemoration of his history-making enrollment 50 years ago, which prompted a state-federal standoff, sparked deadly mob violence and ultimately ended.

JACKSON, Miss. — James Meredith is a civil-rights icon who hates the term “civil rights.”

It’s as if civil rights were somehow set apart from – well, rights.

“When it comes to my rights as an American citizen, and yours, I am a triumphalist and an absolutist. Anything less is an insult,” said the black man who 50 years ago inflamed the anger of white Mississippi by quietly demanding admission to the state’s segregated flagship university.

Now 79 and living in Jackson, Meredith sees himself as a messenger of God – a warrior who crippled the beast of white supremacy by integrating the University of Mississippi.

These days, he frequently wears an Ole Miss baseball hat in public. When the university’s football team recently played the University of Texas in Oxford, Meredith was a guest in the chancellor’s stadium skybox, and the crowd applauded when that was announced over the loudspeakers.

Yet he says he doesn’t plan to participate in the university’s commemoration of his history-making enrollment, which prompted a state-federal standoff, sparked deadly mob violence and ultimately ended the university’s official policy of racial segregation.

The university says Meredith has been invited to take part in events to mark the anniversary, including a walk that student leaders will take Monday to retrace his first day on campus.

Meredith says he doesn’t see the point.

“I ain’t never heard of the French celebrating Waterloo,” he told The Associated Press. “I ain’t never heard of the Germans celebrating the invasion of Normandy, or … the bombing and destruction of Berlin. I ain’t never heard of the Spanish celebrating the destruction of the Armada.”

Asked to clarify, Meredith said: “Did you find anything 50 years ago that I should be celebrating?”

Ole Miss administrators today don’t shy away from the history of a half century ago. For the past year, Ole Miss has sponsored lectures and other events to commemorate Meredith’s Oct. 1, 1962, enrollment and the ensuing changes that have made the university more diverse.

In a state with a 37 percent black population, Ole Miss now has a black enrollment of about 16.6 percent, and the current student body president, Kim Dandridge, is black – the fourth black person elected to the post.

University officials are careful to say the events are for commemoration, not celebration.

Mississippi’s segregationist governor in 1962, Ross Barnett declared that no school would be integrated on his watch. He denounced the federal government as “evil and illegal forces of tyranny” for ordering Ole Miss to enroll Meredith, a 29-year-old Air Force veteran who had already taken classes at historically black Jackson State College.

But even as Barnett whipped the white populace into a segregationist frenzy, he privately negotiated with President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, to try to save face as it became clear that federal authorities would escort Meredith onto campus and make sure he enrolled.

In the face of Mississippi’s defiance, federal authorities deployed more than 3,000 soldiers and more than 500 law enforcement officers to Oxford. An angry mob of students and outsiders yelled and hurled bricks. Tear gas canisters exploded amid the oaks and magnolias. Two white men were killed. More than 200 people were injured, including 160 U.S. marshals.

In his new book, “A Mission from God: A Memoir and Challenge for America,” Meredith and co-author William Doyle recall the court battle and mob violence.

“I chose as my target the University of Mississippi, which in 1960 was the holiest temple of white supremacy in America, next to the U.S. Capitol and the White House, both of which were under the control of segregationists and their collaborators,” Meredith writes.

“I reasoned that if I could enter the University of Mississippi as its first known black student, I would fracture the system of state-enforced white supremacy in Mississippi. It would drive a stake into the heart of the beast.”

At Ole Miss today, many fraternities and sororities remain all-white or all-black, but it’s common to see students socialize across racial lines. When Dandridge ran for student body president, she said race was not an issue because the only other candidate also was black.

“Students don’t really look at color when they choose their friends,” said Dandridge, who’s the only black member of her sorority, Phi Mu.

“I want people to know that this university has made a lot of progress,” she said in a phone interview from Oxford.

Ole Miss has distanced itself from some Old South imagery. Although its sports teams are still called the Rebels, the university a few years ago retired the Colonel Rebel mascot, a cane-wielding, white bearded old man who looked to many observers like the caricature of a plantation owner.

Meredith – who sometimes goes on campus wearing a white suit that bears more than a passing resemblance to Colonel Reb’s outfit – saw the change as an effort to downplay his triumph over the old Ole Miss. He suggested that he “captured” the colonel when segregation fell.

Meredith writes that although people consider him a “civil rights hero,” that’s not how he sees himself: “I’ve always found the rhetoric of mainstream civil rights leaders and organizations to be far too timid, accommodationist and gradualist. It always seemed to me that they behaved like meek and gentle supplicants begging the oppressor for a few crumbs of justice, for a few molecules of citizenship rights.”

During an hour-long AP interview at a Jackson restaurant, two white men interrupted to shake Meredith’s hand. Both men, who were strangers to Meredith, appeared to be in their 40s.

“Thank you for all you’ve done over the years,” one man said. “Thank you for your message.”

However, when the man mentioned Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Meredith shook his head and replied: “Bobby died and still didn’t get it.”

The man looked puzzled. Meredith chuckled, and the man walked away.

Rather than talking, for the umpteenth time, about what things were like in 1962, Meredith expounds on what he sees as his current mission from God. He wants every black congregation in Mississippi to take responsibility for each child born within two miles of the church and make sure each receives a good education and proper moral upbringing.

“The real problem in Mississippi is almost a complete moral breakdown,” Meredith told the AP. “In order to move Mississippi from the bottom to the top, all we have to do is just get people to do a little more what they know, to practice a little more of what they preach.”

Meredith is now memorialized by a bronze statue near the University of Mississippi’s main administrative building. Yet he calls it “hideous,” and wants it destroyed.

Meredith says the monument glosses over the magnitude of Mississippi’s resistance to his exercise of what should have been recognized as his obvious, inherent rights as an American citizen.

It was, he said, a war.

“Mississippi has so humiliated me – they ain’t never acknowledged that there was a war,” Meredith said.

Chancellor Dan Jones says the university won’t destroy the statue, which was dedicated in 2006.

In a letter to Meredith in August, Jones wrote that the monument recognizes Meredith’s courage.

“Your determination to enroll under the most difficult conditions and to successfully complete your degree in the midst of constant hostility was a turning point in the life of our University, State and Nation,” Jones wrote. “It was instrumental in changing lives not just for black Americans, but for all of us.”

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

“Woody Allen Wednesdays” can be seen on the www.thedailyhatch.org

February 4, 2013 – 4:54 am

Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1

If you like Woody Allen films as much as I do then join me every Wednesday for another look the man and his movies. Below are some of the posts from the past:

“Woody Wednesday” How Allen’s film “Crimes and Misdemeanors makes the point that hell is necessary (jh 14)

Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1 Adrian Rogers – Crossing God’s Deadline Part 2 Jason Tolbert provided this recent video from Mike Huckabee: John Brummett in his article “Huckabee speaks for bad guy below,” Arkansas News Bureau, May 5, 2011 had to say: Are we supposed to understand and accept that Mike Huckabee is […]

According to Woody Allen Life is meaningless (Woody Wednesday)

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} […]

“Midnight in Paris” wins academy award “Woody Wednesday”

Bananas (1971)    en cast ex-wife, Louise Lasser (the duo were married from 1966 to 1969), as his romantic lead in this quirky comedy. When asked why he chose to title the movie Bananas, Allen quipped, “Because there are no bananas in it.”  “Midnight in Paris” is one of Woody Allen best works. Woody Allen […]

Woody Wednesday” Will Allen and Martin follow same path as Kansas to Christ?

Several members of the 70′s band Kansas became committed Christians after they realized that the world had nothing but meaningless to offer. It seems through the writings of both Woody Allen and Chris Martin of Coldplay that they both are wrestling with the issue of death and what meaning does life bring. Kansas went through […]

Why am I obsessed with Woody Allen?

I guess the reason I have spent so much time on Woody Allen is because in so many films he discusses the big questions in life. His movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors” is a perfect example. Check out my earlier post Nihilism can be seen in Woody Allen’s latest film “Midnight in Paris” . September (1987) The director […]

Woody Allen films and the issue of guilt (Woody Wednesday)

Woody Allen and the Abandonment of Guilt Dr. Marc T. Newman : AgapePress Print In considering filmmaking as a pure visual art form, Woody Allen would have to be considered a master of the medium. From his humble beginnings as a comedy writer and filmmaker, he has emerged as a major influential force in Hollywood. […]

“Midnight in Paris” has become Woody Allen’s most successful movie at box office (Woody Wednesdays)

The dvd sales of “Midnight in Paris” which went on sale in December have gone through the roof (look at the bottom of this post) and this summer we learned this fact below: ‘Midnight in Paris’ becomes Woody Allen’s all-time biggest hit. How the heck did that happen? by Owen Gleiberman Categories: Annie Hall, Bridesmaids, […]

Agnostic Allen notes, “The people who successfully delude themselves seem happier than the people who can’t” (Woody Wednesday)

Woody Allen interviews Billy Graham on Religion This article below makes we think of the lady tied to the Railroad in the Schaeffer video. Dr. Francis schaeffer – The flow of Materialism (Modern man sees no hope for the future and has deluded himself by appealing to nonreason to stay sane. Look at the example […]

Woody Allen interviews Billy Graham (Woody Wednesday)

A surprisingly civil discussion between evangelical Billy Graham and agnostic comedian Woody Allen. Skip to 2:00 in the video to hear Graham discuss premarital sex, to 4:30 to hear him respond to Allen’s question about the worst sin and to 7:55 for the comparison between accepting Christ and taking LSD. ___________________ The Christian Post > […]

“Woody Wednesday” Allen acts silly in 1971 interview (Part 4)

“Woody Wednesday” Allen acts silly in 1971 interview (Part 4) Woody Allen interview 1971 PART 4/4 Uploaded by captainvontrapp on Jul 21, 2008 Woody Allen interview from 1971, just after the worldwide release of ‘Bananas’ ________________________ David Mishkin God and Carpeting: The Theology of Woody Allen by David Mishkin March 1, 1993 This is an […]

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Sad that political left will edit video tape in order to falsely accuse Jason Rapert of racism!!!!!

February 2, 2013 – 9:18 am

I am never surprised at what liberals will say. Being on the Arkansas Times Blog and debating gun control, and abortion over and over and over and over again like I have in the past has made me aware of what liberals will do to take one for the team even if deep down they know it is a hack job.

I can understand national publications like the Huffington Post, NY Magazine, and other liberal blogs being mislead by this hack job on Jason Rapert done by The Nation, but it is truly amazing to me that Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times Blog who prides himself in always being completely honest would buy into this hack job on Jason Rapert. Brantley lives here in Arkansas and he should be able to get to the bottom of this.  It clearly comes down to being on the liberal team that opposes pro-life laws and he will take up for those who are involved in the hack job if they are prochoice. In his weekly podcast at the 7 min mark Brantley said he listened to Rapert’s comment in context and contends  it was a racial comment. Furthermore on his blog Brantley asserted, “Rapert defenders contend he was talking about minority political interests, not minorities, references to the Obama birth certificate, Muslims and a Ramadan event notwithstanding.”

But the truth always does come out eventually. John Lyon of Stephens Media did have a balanced article that included an explantion from Jason Rapert and Jason Tolbert also gave both sides.

JasonTolbert on his blog www.tolbertreport.com reported:

The comments receiving focus have to do with a portion of Rapert’s speech where he discussed “minorities.” Here, context is key.

Here is the quote The Nation posted in an edited video (emphasis mine)…

“I hear you loud and clear, Barack Obama. You don’t represent the country that I grew up with. And your values is not going to save us. We’re going to take this country back for the Lord. We’re going to try to take this country back for conservatism. And we’re not going to allow minorities to run roughshod over what you people believe in!”

____________

Tolbert continues:

So what did he mean by minorities?  A separate portion of the video (see below) sheds light on this (again emphasis mine).  Before the above remark, Rapert addressed the case in which the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned the ban of gay foster parents saying…

“Here in Arkansas we tried to do something about our values on that. We said ‘You know what. Where we have foster children, we want them to be in a good home with a mommy and a daddy.’ Do ya’ll think that’s alright? Well, right here the other day a bunch of your Supreme Court Justices just struck it down – said your vote don’t count. I am here to tell you that we are a people who is ruled by a majority in this country. And I am tired of minority interests that are running roughshod over you and me.”

______________

Tolbert went on to say:

It is clear with that context from earlier in the same speech that Rapert was talking about courts overturning the votes of the majority of voters in favor of the minority of voters and not talking about an ethic group.

“The majority of people in Arkansas oppose the policies of President Obama, including his health care law,” Rapert explained further to me Friday evening. “Those Arkansans that support the President’s policies are in the minority, and in 2011 it was those minority political viewpoints that our leaders were using to govern hardworking Arkansas taxpayers who hold common sense conservative ideals. I resent any false accusation or false allegation that personally attacks me or my family, or attacks my character in order to advance a political agenda. We saw too many of these types of personal attacks from Democrats in 2012 and voters rejected those attacks by electing conservative majorities to the Arkansas legislature.”

The explanation fits in line with the full unedited version of the video.  It is also worth noting that Rapert just won a heated re-election campaign with a ton of money spent on opposition research.  The fact that his opponent did not ever mention this video, which has been posted for almost two years now, and never charged Rapert with all sorts of racism speaks volumes.

“The point of the article was to attack the legislation. It is another example of liberals trying to kill pro-life legislation, and we’ve seen that before here in Arkansas,” said Rapert. “The baseless charge of racism is desperation. A man should be judged by the fruits he bears in his life and my life and works show clearly I am no racist. This attack is about the Heartbeat Bill and the fact that it is very close to passing in our state.”

__________

Another hack job supported by liberals like Max Brantley. Brantley of the Arkansas Times Blog said in his weekly podcast, “I had to laugh because his (Rapert’s) defenders said instantly, ‘Jason Rapert is talking about political minorites, not the black Negro president, but you have to listen to the whole tape..”

RAPERT WAS TALKING ABOUT MINORITY POLITICAL INTERESTS AND NEVER ONCE MENTIONED THE RACE OF OUR PRESIDENT BUT HIS POLICIES.

Many liberals actually truly do argue for abortion rights over human rights. Prochoice advocate Elizabeth Williams came out and said that on 1-23-13 in her article on Salon. We hear reasons for abortion such as poverty,and  child abuse,  but why not consider adoption? Instead, the political left will stop at nothing to push the pro-abortion agenda. Why not stop and take an honest look at when life begins for the unborn child and when she begins to feel pain?

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Max Brantley of the Ark Times takes on Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute today concerning Obamacare. I have posted many links to Cannon’s articles in the past on my blog and on the Arkansas Times liberal blog. The finest article written in my estimation was written on Nov 20, 2012 and here is a […]

Taking on liberal Ark Times Blogger about America’s debt problem

Is the USA endanger of going broke? The answer is yes, although liberals don’t want to admit it. Elwood from the Arkansas Times Blog objected, take a look below: How many paid attention to Cager Griffin on AETN debates using the familiar FEAR TACTIC of “AMERICA IS BROKE” in danger of becoming another “GREECE?”  …Fayetteville […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Prolife | Comments (4)

Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast Part 5

February 1, 2013 – 6:28 am

James Meredith Remembers

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 present and involved at Central High during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School Crisis. It is amazing that the neighboring states Arkansas and Mississippi both were a part of history like this.

Ole Miss reflects on the 50 years since integration

Jerry Mitchell, (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger11:09a.m. EDT October 1, 2012

The morning after the riot in September 1962, the University of Mississippi resembled a war-torn town with smoke rising from bombed-out cars.

Now the same campus is celebrating the event with posters: “50 Years of Integration: Opening the Closed Society” and “50 Years of Courage.”

History professor Charles Eagles worries the university is doing more celebrating than remembering.

“They’re celebrating 50 years of integration that followed 100 years of forced segregation,” said Eagles, author of The Price of Defiance: James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss. ”It’s like the university is celebrating redemption without confronting and admitting its sin.”

Susan Glisson, executive director of the William Winter Institute of Racial Reconciliation at the university, said events recognizing the 50th anniversary are “important first steps, but they should be seen as first steps. If we don’t learn the lessons in the past, nothing substantively changes, and with a 33% poverty rate among Mississippi children, we have much yet to learn and to do.”

And much of that poverty can be traced to the subjugation of more than a third of the state’s population.

When James Meredith entered the University of Mississippi in Oxford in fall 1962, Mississippians got swept up in a “hysterical wave of fear,” recalled former governor William Winter.

“We allowed ourselves to suffer along with everybody else,” he said. “We were victims of the system as much as black folks. We were all in bondage. (Meredith) helped free us all.”

The true story of what happened during the riot that began Sept. 30, 1962, was obscured then by “dishonest” media accounts, Winter said. “President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy were portrayed as villains.”

That riot ended with two deaths and injuries to more than 200 others, most of them federal marshals assigned to protect the Lyceum.

Some arrests took place with regard to the riot, but no one was convicted. No arrest took place in the death of French journalist Paul Guihard, who was shot in the back at almost point-blank range.

More needs to be done to teach students what led to this tragedy, Eagles said. “We need to teach what the ‘closed society’ was like.”

A century after the outcome of the Civil War swung on the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, another conflict climaxed at Ole Miss, said David Sansing, author of The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History.

”The outcome of the civil rights movement was determined by Meredith’s admission at Ole Miss,” Sansing said.

What will determine the outcome in Mississippi’s race relations now is whether we can go beyond the law’s demands to establish deeper relationships across racial lines, said Neddie Winters, president of Mission Mississippi, a Christian-based, interracial movement committed to improving race relations. “Reconciliation means a total change.”

Meredith’s work as a trailblazer “really provided the pathway for an ongoing dialogue about race in a serious manner,” said Jackson State University political professor Leslie McLemore. “It caused Mississippi and some of the other states to examine where we were, who we are and where we are going.”

As a result, “Ole Miss has never been the same institution,” he said. “And I think you can say that of the rest of the institutions of higher learning in Mississippi.”

Today, minorities make up a fourth of the student populations of the university and the University of Mississippi Medical Center combined, and African Americans are two-thirds of those minorities. More than a third of the students at Delta State University and Mississippi University for Women are minorities.

Although Mississippi universities are more integrated, “you still don’t have the interracial society one would have expected,” McLemore said. “There are still a lot of challenges, but there are conversations about the challenges.”

Even as Ole Miss recalls what happened in 1962, history continues to be made.

This fall, Courtney Roxanne Pearson became the first African American chosen as the school’s homecoming queen. Earlier this year, Kimbrely Dandridge became the first African-American woman elected Associated Student Body president.

And a half-century after his admission, the relationship between Meredith and his alma mater remains as enigmatic as the man himself.

At the 40th anniversary celebration, officials honored him, but he never spoke. Years later, the university honored him with a statue. He has since asked the university to tear it down. Last week, he declared he wouldn’t attend the 50th anniversary events.

Myrlie Evers-Williams — the widow of Medgar Evers, who was denied admission to the university’s law school in 1954 — said the names of many who paved the way in the civil rights movement are being forgotten, including Constance Baker-Motley, who represented Meredith in his legal battle.

Donald Cole, an assistant to both the provost and chancellor at Ole Miss, said many freshmen arrive on campus “unaware of our history as an institution, unaware of our state’s history.”

Cole knows a little about his institution’s history. In 1970, Ole Miss expelled him and other African-American students after their protest at an Up With People concert.

Their complaint? They wanted the university to hire more minority faculty. Twenty-three years later, that wish became a reality when Cole joined the faculty.

He believes the university is positioning itself to be a voice for racial reconciliation, but acknowledges that challenges exist, including the recruitment of more minorities to faculty and administrative positions.

Ole Miss wants to change its image from one mired in old black-and-white footage, he said. “We want the world to know we’re a 21st-century university.”

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Wally Hall forgiven Bobby Knight yet?

January 31, 2013 – 9:43 am

I read this on Wally’s blog today.

When Arkansas plays Alabama tomorrow night the color analyst will be Bobby Knight, which has sent a few inquiries as to why I don’t write or say his name.
Obviously, I do now.
I did go about 10 years I would not say or write his name.
What happened was about 14 years ago when he came to Little Rock to speak at a fundraiser for UALR, featured as a family night get together, Knight, of course, was foul-mouthed and then he started in on something I had written and said I had to be the son of a prostitute.
My mom, 75 at the time, heard it on the news that night and cried for a week. No one had ever called her a prostitute.
A few years ago my former pastor, and still close friend, Robert Lewis asked with a smile if I thought my not writing Knight’s name showed forgiveness on my part.
Since then I have written his name, but not very often.
My mom is 89 now and doesn’t remember it, but that isn’t unusual for her any more.

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By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast Part 4

January 31, 2013 – 7:24 am

ESPN Films 30 for 30: Ghosts Of Ole Miss

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 present and involved at Central High during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School Crisis. It is amazing that the neighboring states Arkansas and Mississippi both were a part of history like this.

By

(Featured Columnist) on October 30, 2012

ESPN Films Ghosts of Ole Miss: 30 for 30 Recalls Emotional Undefeated Season

 
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Source: IndieWire.com

Ole Miss went undefeated in 1962. But that isn’t even what many remember that season for. 

In 1962, James Meredith made his debut for Ole Miss, becoming the the first African American not only to play at Ole Miss, but to attend Ole Miss.

And he wasn’t welcomed with open arms. Instead, he was welcomed with violence and rioting, to the point where President John F. Kennedy had to send backup to campus to put a stop to it.

ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary, Ghosts of Ole Miss, explores that emotional season and everything that came with it—the exhilaration that accompanies an undefeated campaign, as well as the turmoil that accompanied the civil rights movement and Meredith’s personal journey with the Rebels.

The film, directed by Fritz Mitchell, perfectly weaves the exhilaration and the heartbreak, according to ESPN Films vice president and executive producer Connor Schell. He told IndieWire.com in a press release:

Ghosts of Ole Miss will shed light on a significant time in our country’s civil rights history while weaving in a sports story not familiar to most. Fifty years later, the topic resonates with all Americans and we are proud to showcase such an important story as part of the 30 for 30 series.

According to the press release, Ghosts of Ole Miss will include interviews with James Meredith, other players from the legendary 1962 team and students who were present for the rioting.

The timing of the documentary is especially significant right now, in light of the on-the-field struggles Ole Miss is currently facing. During a year in which the SEC is the most formidable conference in college football, the Rebels are far from intimidating at 2-2 in conference play, 5-3 overall.

Still, that is a vast improvement over 2011, when Ole Miss went winless in conference play and 2-10 overall, losing seven straight games to close out the season. The Rebels haven’t been decent since a 9-4 season in 2009—and even then, they went 4-4 in SEC games.

This documentary serves dual purposes. It brings to mind the Rebels’ only undefeated season in school history, which is the kind of magic Ole Miss fans need to recall right about now, when the team is in the midst of the types of struggles a storied SEC program isn’t accustomed to enduring. 

But it also brings to mind the fact that football isn’t everything, and winning isn’t everything. The most exciting, most accomplished season in Ole Miss history has been permanently overshadowed by the dark and devastating social issues that occurred simultaneously. 

It’s not often that football brings about a life-or-death situation—which it did in 1962, when there were two fatalities in the Ole Miss riot—but this was one of those times. And yet, in the end, an undefeated season—which Meredith was a part of—served as the ultimate victory at the conclusion of a horrible tragedy. 

What does Ghosts of Ole Miss teach us? That life doesn’t depend on football, but that doesn’t mean that football can’t heal.

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

“Woody Wednesday” Great Documentary on Woody Allen

January 30, 2013 – 7:35 am

I really enjoyed this documentary on Woody Allen from PBS.

Woody Allen: A Documentary, Part 1

Published on Mar 26, 2012 by

Beginning with Allen’s childhood and his first professional gigs as a teen – furnishing jokes for comics and publicists – WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY chronicles the trajectory and longevity of Allen’s career: from his work in the 1950s-60s as a TV scribe for Sid Caesar, standup comedian and frequent TV talk show guest, to a writer-director averaging one film-per-year for more than 40 years. Director Bob Weide covers Allen’s earliest film work in “Take the Money and Run,” “Bananas,” “Sleeper,” and “Love and Death”; frequent Oscar® favorites such as “Annie Hall,” “Manhattan,” “Zelig,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Purple Rose of Cairo,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Husbands & Wives,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” and “Mighty Aphrodite”; and his recent globetrotting phase with “Match Point,” “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” and his latest success “Midnight in Paris.”

Woody Allen: A Documentary, Part 2

Italy Woddy Allen New Film

US Director Woody Allen is seen in central Rome, Thursday, July 14, 2011, during the shooting of his latest movie “The Bop Decameron”. Spanish actress Penelope Cruz will act in the comedy that will also feature among others Roberto Benigni, Jesse Eisenbergh, Ellen Page and Judy Davis. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

 Fine article below:

 Woody Allen searches for meaning of life in new documentaryBY NEAL JUSTIN • Minneapolis Star Tribune stltoday.com
 
November 19, 2011 2:15 pm  •  BY NEAL JUSTIN • Minneapolis Star Tribune

Early in PBS’ “Woody Allen: A Documentary,” a two-part film made with the subject’s cooperation, the young comic is seen on a variety of talk shows, doing a falsetto voice on a game show, boxing a real kangaroo and dueting with a talking dog. “Nothing was beneath me,” recalls Allen.

Fans may consider Allen one of the most consistent, entertaining filmmakers ever to pick up a camera. Others may have dismissed him as a creep after he married his girlfriend’s adopted daughter.

But the Allen in this 3 1/2-hour piece, directed by Robert Weide, is a comic who would once do anything to get to the top, even if it meant getting clobbered by an angry marsupial.

Weide’s running theme — as he explores Allen’s canon and interviews dozens of big names, including Diane Keaton, ex-wife Louise Lasser, Martin Scorsese and Mira Sorvino — is that Allen is always looking for the meaning of life.

In the early days, he thought he could come closest by getting laughs, either as a gag writer for New York newspapers while still in high school, or by doing rapid-fire bits on “The Dick Cavett Show.”

The film suggests that Allen changed tactics after the first film he wrote, “What’s New Pussycat?” He was dismayed by the finished product, and vowed to direct — and control — his own work after that. For better or worse, that’s exactly what he’s done.

Sean Penn talks about being petrified that Allen was going to fire him after his first week on “Sweet and Lowdown.” Penn kept his job, and nabbed an Oscar nomination.

Weide, best known as a regular director on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” doesn’t sugarcoat the disasters, most notably “Stardust Memories.” He even explores Allen’s relationship with wife Soon-Yi Previn.

The result is a film that will give Allen fans whole new reasons to gush — and detractors some fresh ammunition.

‘Woody Allen: A Documentary,’ 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday on PBS

By Everette Hatcher III | 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 wife has relatives that were also present and involved at Central High during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School Crisis. It is amazing that the neighboring states Arkansas and Mississippi both were a part of history like this.

#6 Arkansas v. #3 Ole Miss wrapped up 1962 football season in 1963 Sugar Bowl. Wikipedia reported the top ten rankings of each team in the 11 week season of 1962:

AP Poll

While the AP Poll began ranking 25 teams in 1989, it ranked only 10 teams in 1962.

  Preseason Week 1
Sep 24		 Week 2
Oct 1		 Week 3
Oct 8		 Week 4
Oct 15		 Week 5
Oct 22		 Week 6
Oct 29		 Week 7
Nov 5		 Week 8
Nov 12		 Week 9
Nov 19		 Week 10
Nov 26		 Week 11
(Final)		  
1. Ohio State (41) Alabama (1–0) (14) Ohio State (1–0) (18) Alabama (3–0) (23) Texas (4–0) (21) Texas (5–0) (23) Northwestern (5–0) (34) Northwestern (6–0) (24) Alabama (8–0) (22) USC (8–0) (20) USC (9–0) (19) USC (10–0) (42) 1.
2. Texas (1) Ohio State (0–0) (19) Alabama (2–0) (19) Texas (3–0) (20) Alabama (4–0) (24) Alabama (5–0) (18) Alabama (6–0) (15) USC (6–0) (6) USC (7–0) (17) Mississippi (8–0) (15) Wisconsin (8–1) (9) Wisconsin (8–1) (5) 2.
3. Alabama (3) Texas (1–0) (3) Texas (2–0) (3) Penn State (3–0) (3) USC (3–0) Northwestern (4–0) (8) USC (5–0) (1) Alabama (7–0) (9) Mississippi (7–0) (3) Wisconsin (7–1) (7) Mississippi (8–0) (12) Mississippi (9–0) (2) 3.
4. Michigan State (2) Penn State (1–0) (3) Penn State (2–0) USC (3–0) (1) LSU (3–0–1) USC (4–0) (1) LSU (5–0–1) Mississippi (6–0) (9) Wisconsin (6–1) (8) Texas (8–0–1) (3) Texas (9–0–1) Texas (9–0–1) 4.
5. LSU LSU (1–0) Georgia Tech (2–0) Mississippi (3–0) (1) Mississippi (3–0) Wisconsin (4–0) (1) Texas (5–0–1) Texas (6–0–1) (1) Texas (7–0–1) Minnesota (6–1–1) (1) Alabama (8–1) Alabama (9–1) (1) 5.
6. Mississippi (2) Michigan State (0–0) USC (2–0) LSU (2–0–1) Ohio State (2–1) (2) LSU (4–0–1) Mississippi (5–0) (1) Arkansas (6–1) Missouri (7–0–1) Alabama (8–1) Arkansas (9–1) Arkansas (9–1) 6.
7. Purdue Mississippi (1–0) (1) Mississippi (2–0) Washington (2–0–1) Arkansas (4–0) (1) Mississippi (4–0) Michigan State (4–1) (1) Missouri (6–0–1) Arkansas (7–1) Arkansas (8–1) LSU (8–1–1) LSU (8–1–1) 7.
8. Duke Georgia Tech (1–0) Washington (1–0–1) Arkansas (3–0) (1) Northwestern (3–0) (3) Washington (4–0–1) Arkansas (5–1) Wisconsin (5–1) Minnesota (5–1–1) LSU (7–1–1) Oklahoma (7–2) Oklahoma (8–2) 8.
9. Penn State USC (1–0) Miami (FL) (2–0) Purdue (1–0–1) Washington (3–0–1) Arkansas (4–1) Washington (4–0–2) LSU (5–1–1) Northwestern (6–1) Penn State (8–1) Penn State (9–1) (3) Penn State (9–1) (2) 9.
10. Washington Missouri (1–0) Army (2–0) Ohio State (1–1) Wisconsin (3–0) Michigan State (3–1) Auburn (5–0) Minnesota (4–1–1) LSU (6–1–1) Oklahoma (6–2) Minnesota (6–2–1) Minnesota (6–2–1) 10
By Everette Hatcher III | 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 could you expect with him?

New SEC coaches play catch-up in recruiting

 

The Southeastern Conference football programs with new head coaches have been easy to spot in the league recruiting rankings this winter. They’re toward the bottom.

Before Tennessee’s Butch Jones, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Arkansas’ Bret Bielema and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops can turn around the autumn fortunes at their respective schools, they must assemble their inaugural signing classes. Recent history has shown that coaches do what they can in their first few weeks and then make the most of their second batch of signees.

“I think for Bielema and Butch Jones and Stoops, this class is going to be the hardest,” said longtime recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg, who is now with Scout.com. “It’s a short recruiting window, and recruiting is about relationships. Let’s face it, Stoops has never been a head coach before, and Butch and Bielema have been at Midwestern teams but are now coaching in the SEC.

“It’s going to be difficult, but those athletic directors had to make the best hires for the long term. It’s not about recruiting as much as it is picking a coach who can turn things around. When all things are equal and they have a full year to recruit, like they will with the 2014 class, all three of those programs should do well.”

Scout.com had nine SEC teams in its top 25 entering the weekend, headed by Texas A&M at No. 3, LSU at No. 5, Georgia at No. 6, Florida at No. 7 and Alabama at No. 8. None of the teams with new coaches were in the top 25, with Auburn 27th, Tennessee 42nd, Arkansas 55th and Kentucky 58th.

“I think Auburn is in a little better situation considering Malzahn knows the program and has put together a killer staff with more SEC ties than the others,” Newberg said. “I think it will be easier for them in that regard, but it’s harder at the same time because of big brother in the state and because no one knows what’s going to happen with the NCAA.”

Compiling a top-10 national class has been next to impossible for SEC first-year coaches, as it’s been done once in the past decade according to both Scout.com and Rivals.com. Tennessee’s 2009 class under Lane Kiffin was headlined by running back Bryce Brown, safety Janzen Jackson and receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, and it was ranked No. 8 by Scout.com before imploding.

In 2010, Derek Dooley signed a class for the Volunteers that Rivals.com ranked No. 9 nationally. That class had quarterback Tyler Bray, receivers Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers, tailback Rajion Neal, offensive linemen Ja’Wuan James and James Stone and defensive end Jacques Smith.

Tennessee’s 2010 class mostly stuck together but went just 16-21 in three seasons.

“You’ve got to become very familiar with the high school programs and the talent in your state first, and then probably work out from there,” said Alabama receivers coach Mike Groh, who was the recruiting coordinator last winter when the Crimson Tide landed tailback T.J. Yeldon, receiver Amari Cooper and defensive backs Landon Collins and Geno Smith. “That’s usually the starting point. You identify the position needs your team has and then who those players are that you think you have a great chance to get and who has an interest in your program.

“It’s a challenge for any program going through a transition.”

Alabama, which will be seeking its third consecutive national championship this year, plays all four SEC teams with new coaches. The Tide have won three of the past four BCS titles, and they have finished No. 1 four of the last five years in Rivals.com’s team rankings.

Such a streak would seemingly result in prospects feeling there were not as many opportunities at Alabama compared to other programs, yet the Crimson Tide are compiling another elite class.

“I would just simply look at how many freshmen we do play each and every year,” Groh said. “I think if you look at that number statistically, it would say that we are not afraid to play young players, and I think it speaks to our ability to develop a young player to where he can be very effective.”

The schools with new coaches have a long path to get to where Alabama is right now. Auburn and Tennessee each has a national championship in the BCS era, but a disappointing first-year class could put both programs even further behind the rival Tide.

And good first-year classes are getting tougher to assemble because most prospects have made their decisions.

“There are less official visits in January than there were a decade ago, because the process has accelerated so much,” Newberg said. “I remember when schools would host two dozen kids in a weekend and we would spend Sunday calling 100-plus kids to figure out how the visit with. Times have changed.”

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)