Category Archives: Current Events

Red Tails: What is the actual history?

January 11, 2012 – 12:36 pm

I love to learn through movies the history of our nation. Take a look at this article.

The Tuskegee Airmen Heritage - History & Legacy

Origins

Prior to the Tuskegee Airmen, no U.S. military pilots had been black. However, a series of legislative moves by the United States Congress in 1941 forced the Army Air Corps to form an all-black combat unit, much to the War Department’s chagrin. In an effort to eliminate the unit before it could begin, the War Department set up a system to accept only those with a level of flight experience or higher education that they expected would be hard to fill. This policy backfired when the Air Corps received numerous applications from men who qualified even under these restriction

s.

The U.S. Army Air Corps had established the Psychological Research Unit 1 at Maxwell Army Air Field, Alabama, and other units around the country for aviation cadet training, which included the identification, selection, education, and training of pilots, navigators and bombardiers Psychologists employed in these research studies and training programs used some of the first standardized tests to quantify IQ, dexterity and leadership qualities in order to select and train the right personnel for the right role (bombardier, pilot, navigator). The Air Corps determined that the same existing programs would be used for all units, including all-black units. At Tuskegee, this effort would continue with the selection and training of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Training

On March 19th, 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron (Pursuit being the pre-World War II descriptive for “Fighter”) was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois. Over 250 enlisted men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground support trades. This small number of enlisted men was to become the core of other black squadrons forming at Tuskegee and Maxwell fields in Alabama.

In June 1941, the Tuskegee program officially began with formation of the 99th Fighter Squadron at the Tuskegee Institute, a highly regarded university founded by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama. The unit consisted of an entire service arm, including ground crew. After basic training at Moton Field, they were moved to the nearby Tuskegee Army Air Field about 16 km (ten miles) to the west for conversion training onto operational types. The Airmen were placed under the command of Capt. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., one of the few African American West Point graduates. His father Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. was the first black general in the U.S. Army.

During its training, the 99th Fighter Squadron was commanded by white and Puerto Rican officers, beginning with Capt. George “Spanky” Roberts. By 1942, however, it was Col. Frederick Kimble who oversaw operations at the Tuskegee airfield. Kimble maintained segregation on the field in deference to local customs; a policy the airmen resented. Later that year, the Air Corps replaced Kimble with Maj. Noel Parrish. Parrish, counter to the prevalent racism of the day, was fair and open-minded, and petitioned Washington to allow the Tuskegee Airmen to serve in combat.

In response, a hearing was convened before the House Armed Services Committee to determine whether the Tuskegee Airmen “experiment” should be allowed to continue. The committee accused the Airmen of being incompetent —- based on the fact that they had not seen any combat in the entire time the “experiment” had been underway. To bolster the recommendation to scrap the project, a member of the committee commissioned and then submitted into evidence a “scientific” report by the University of Texas which purported to prove that Negroes were of low intelligence and incapable of handling complex situations (such as air combat). The majority of the Committee, however, decided in the Airmen’s favor, and the 99th Pursuit Squadron soon joined two new squadrons out of Tuskegee to form the all-black 332nd Fighter Group.

 

Combat

The 99th was ready for combat duty during some of the Allies’ earliest actions in the North African

Campaign, and was transported to Cassablaca, Morocco, on the USS Mariposa From there, they traveled by train to Oujda near Fes and made their way to Tunis to operate against the Luftwaffe. The flyers and ground crew were largely isolated by racial segregation practices, and left with little guidance from battle-experienced pilots. Operating directly under the 12th Air Force and the XII Air Support Command, the 99th FS and the Tuskegee Airmen were bounced around between three groups, the 33rd FG, 324th FG, and 79th FG. The 99th’s first combat mission was to attack the small but strategic volcanic island of Pantellaria in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and Tunisia in preparation for the Allied Invasion of Sicily in July 1943 The 99th moved to Sicily while attached to the 33rd Fighter Group, whose commander, Col. William W. Momye, fully involved the squadron, and the 99th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its performance in Sicily.

The Tuskegee Airmen were initially equipped with P-40 Warhawks briefly with P-39 Aircobras (March 1944), later with P-47 Thunderbolts (June-July 1944), and finally with the airplane that they would become most identified with, the P-51 Mustang (July 1944).

On January 27th and 28th 1944 German Fw190 fighter-bombers raided Anzio where the Allies had conducted amphibious landings on January 22nd. Attached to the 79th Fighter Group, eleven of the 99th Fighter Squadron’s pilots shot down enemy fighters, including Capt. Charles B. Hall, who shot down two, bringing his aerial victory total to three. The eight fighter squadrons defending Anzio together shot down a total of 32 German aircraft, and the 99th had the highest score among them with 13.

The squadron won its second Distinguished Unit Citation on May 12-14, 1944, while attached to the 324th Fighter Group, attacking German positions on Monastery Hill (Monte Cassino), attacking infantry massing on the hill for a counterattack, and bombing a nearby strong point to force the surrender of the German garrison to Moroccan Goumiers.

By this point, more graduates were ready for combat, and the all-black 332nd Fighter Group had been sent overseas with three fighter squadrons: the 100th, 301st and 302nd Under the command of Col. Benjamin O. Davis, the squadrons were moved to mainland Italy, where the 99th FS, assigned to the group on May 1st, joining them on June 5th The Airmen of the 332nd Fighter Group escorted bombing raids into Austria, Hungary, Poland and Germany.

Flying escort for heavy bombers, the 332nd racked up an impressive combat record. Reportedly, the Luftwaffe awarded the Airmen the nickname, “Schwarze Vogelmenschen,” or “Black Birdmen.” The Allies called the Airmen “Redtails” or “Redtail Angels,” because of the distinctive crimson paint on the vertical stabilizers of the unit’s aircraft. Although bomber groups would request Redtail escort when possible, few bomber crew members knew at the time that the Redtails were black.

A B-25 bomb group, the 477th Bombardment Group, was forming in the U.S. but completed its training too late to see action. The 99th Fighter Squadron after its return to the United States became part of the 477th, redesignated the 477th Composite Group.

By the end of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen were credited with 109 Luftwaffe a

ircraft shot down, a patrol boat run aground by machine-gun fire, and destruction of numerous fuel dumps, trucks and trains. The squadrons of the 332nd FG flew more than 15,000 sorties on 1,500 missions. The unit received recognition through official channels and was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission flown March 24th, 1945, escorting B-17s to bomb the Daimler-Benz tank factory at Berlin, Germany, an action in which its pilots destroyed three Me-262 jets in aerial combat. The 99th Fighter Squadron in addition received two DUCs, the second after its assignment to the 332nd FG. The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded several Silver Stars, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars and 744 Air Medals

In all, 992 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1940 to 1946; about 445 deployed overseas, and 150 Airmen lost their lives in training or combat.

 

Postwar

Far from failing as originally expected, a combination of pre-war experience and the personal drive of those accepted for training had resulted in some of the best pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Nevertheless, the Tuskegee Airmen continued to have to fight racism. Their combat record did much to quiet those directly involved with the group (notably bomber crews who often requested them for escort), but other units were less than interested and continued to harass the Airmen.

All of these events appear to have simply stiffened the Airmen’s resolve to fight for their own rights in the US. After the war, the Tuskegee Airmen once again found themselves isolated. In 1949 the 332nd entered the yearly gunnery competition and won. After segregation in the military was ended in 1948 by President Harry S. Truman with Executive Order 9981, the Tuskegee Airmen now found themselves in high demand throughout the newly formed United States Air Force.

Many of the surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen annually participate in the Tuskegee Airmen Convention, which is hosted by Tuskegee Airmen, Inc,

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Robert Jeffress interviewed by Bill Maher

January 11, 2012 – 12:14 pm

Dr. Robert Jeffress a Featured Guest on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” (10/14/11)

Uploaded by on Oct 15, 2011

Dr. Robert Jeffress was a featured guest on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday night, October 14. The pastor talked with the controversial political satirist about the Protestant Reformation; being saved by faith, not works; Mormonism and why he’d vote for Mitt Romney instead of Barack Obama; the power of prayer; and the killing of terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

___________________________

Here is an interesting article:

jeffress.maher.screenshot

On Friday night's episode of Real Time, host Bill Maher commenced the show with an interview with Robert Jeffress, the infamous Rick Perry-supporting Baptist pastor who made headlines last week at the Values Voters Summit by calling Mormonism a "cult."

Jeffress said, “…Mormonism has never been a part of historical Christianity. It’s never been considered by that… They have their own set of doctrines, they have their own book of revelation, they came 1800 years after the church. I think Mormons are good, moral people but they’re not part of Christianity”

Historians have traced the beginning of the Baptist sect, of which Jeffress is a minister, to 1609.

Maher, a well-known atheist who starred in the documentary film Religulous, naturally agreed.

But, it was Jeffress’ comments on the Catholic Church and other doctrine that could rankle some more. Jeffress said, “We’re not saved by our good works, we’re saved by our faith alone” and,”there are some problems with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

Jeffress also stated that the parts of the Bible attributed to the Apostle Paul were just as important as the words of Jesus and that Karl Rove “has been after him with a meat cleaver” since he made controversial statements at the Values Voters Summit.

Watch the full interview below, originally uploaded by Mediaite on October 14, 2011.

Roxanne Cooper is the publisher of Raw Story. She has 20+ years experience in media management, marketing, and advertising and has held positions with AlterNet, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, LA Weekly, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and Stars & Stripes. From 2004-2008, Roxanne published the popular political blog Rox Populi. She lives in San Francisco and you can follow her on Twitter at @AlterRox.
By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Privatize the post office

January 11, 2012 – 7:55 am

The Arkansas Times rightly jumped on Republicans for whining about the local post office branches that were closing.  (It is sad to me that Republican Presidential Candidates are not very brave about offering any spending cuts.) The real answer is privatizing the post office.

Here is a good article from the Cato Institute:

 

The USPS is proposing to close 3,700 post office locations across the country, as mail volume falls and the agency is losing billions of dollars.

Kudos to Postmaster Patrick Donahoe for cutting costs, but he missed at least one location. He should add to his list one of the two offices in my neighborhood, which are only a mile apart.

For its story today, the Washington Post went looking for citizens who would complain about the reform, and they found some. One lady in Chevy Chase, Maryland, groused that the post office near her is “part of the culture of the town.” Boy, does that town’s culture ever need help if a sterile government office plays a key role!

Anyway, my neighborhood lost its “culture” when the Borders book store closed last weekend. But that’s life; things change. Maybe a cool new café will open up in the Chevy Chase post office location. I don’t know why people take for granted the huge dynamism we have in arts, society, and the business world, yet they want the government to be a fossilized dinosaur.

Donahoe is trying to cut post office costs, but he does need to expand his horizons to consider more fundamental reforms. On Larry Kudlow’s TV show last night, I pointed to privatized European post offices and expanding postal competition as a good model for the United States, but Donahoe was dismissive. Meanwhile, Susan Collins, who oversees the USPS in the Senate, is even grumbling about Donahoe’s limited reforms.

Will we have to wait until mail volume plummets another 20 percent for U.S. policymakers to get serious about postal reforms?

For more information, see www.downsizinggovernment.org/usps.

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

List of 13 times hogs finished in top 8 in football polls

January 11, 2012 – 7:22 am

These are the years that Arkansas finished in the top 8 in a major poll 13 times according to Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

Year, Record, Rank, Polls, Coach

64, 11-0, 2, AP/UPI, Broyles

65, 10-1, 2, UPI, Broyles

69, 9-2, 3, UPI, Broyles,

77, 11-1, 3, AP/UPI, Holtz

2011, 11-2, 5, AP/USA, Petrino

62, 9-2, 6, AP/UPI, Broyles

68, 10-1, 6, AP, Broyles

75, 10-2, 6, UPI, Broyles

60, 8-3, 7, AP/UPI, Broyles

54, 8-3, 8, UPI, Wyatt

61, 8-3, 8, UPI, Broyles

79, 10-2, 8, AP, Holtz

82, 9-2-1, 8 UPI, USA, Holtz

In 1964 the Hogs won the FWAA national championship.

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported today the following:

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas rode its 29-16 victory over No. 8 Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl to the No. 5 spot in the final Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls released Tuesday.

The Razorbacks (11-2), who posted their third 11-victory season in school histo r y, f i n –

ished with their highest final ranking since the 1977 team went 11-1 and wound up No. 3 after beating No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Arkansas’ only two losses came to BCS national champion Alabama and runner-up LSU, the Hogs’ SEC West rivals who finished Nos. 1 and 2 in the final rankings of both polls.

Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino declined a request Tuesday for comment about the Razorbacks’ final ranking, but following the Razorbacks’ Cotton Bowl victory Petrino said he was “very proud” of his football team.

“I’m proud of our seniors, group of young men that have really set the standards for how we’re going to work and operate here at the University of Arkansas,” Petrino said at the time. “A great job by them the entire week.”

The Razorbacks have ranked higher than No. 5 in the final AP poll only three times: No. 2 after their only undefeated season (11-0) in 1964 and No. 3 in 1965 and 1977.

The 1964 team, which defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl and was awarded the Football Writers Association of America national title, finished behind Alabama in the final AP poll, which was released before the Crimson Tide lost 21-17 to Texas in the Orange Bowl.

Arkansas is likely to project as a top-10 team to start 2012, despite losing key personnel such as receivers Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs, defensive end Jake Bequette, linebacker Jerry Franklin and safety Tramain Thomas.Running back Knile Davis, who missed the entire season after injuring his knee in preseason practices, announced Tuesday that he will return to Arkansas next season.

Davis was among a handful of Arkansas juniors — along with quarterback Tyler Wilson, running backs Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo, receiver Cobi Hamilton and defensive end Tenarius Wright — who filed paperwork with the NFL Draft advisory board.

All are expected to return in 2012.

Sports, Pages 17 on 01/11/2012

Print Headline: Arkansas winds up at No. 5

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Tim Tebow and John 3:16

January 10, 2012 – 7:43 am

Very interesting article below:

The NFL bans eye-black messagers. Tebow’s numbers did the preaching on Sunday. (Lynn Sladky/AP)

 

You ever feel like there’s too much Tim Tebow news? Neither do I. Here’s a roundup of some of the most interesting Timbits from the aftermath of the Denver Broncos 29-23 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

• The fact that Tebow had 316 yards passing and averaged 31.6 yards per pass in the game didn’t escape notice on Sunday night. Tebow wore “John 3:16” on his eye black in the 2009 BCS Championship game and has since become identified with the famous Bible message. The coincidental stats caused millions of fans to perform Google searches on the Bible passage in the past 24 hours. Here’s one more unbelievable stat: John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that the final quarter-hour television rating for the Broncos-Steelers game was, you guessed it, 31.6.

(John 3:16 reads: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”)

• Will Brinson of CBSSports.com has some more fun with Tebow numbers.

• Tebow earned $250,000 for the victory based on an incentive written into his contract. Since he took 70 percent of the team’s snaps this season, he is entitled to a quarter-million dollars for every Broncos playoff victory.

[Related: Broncos given no choice but to embrace Tim Tebow]

• Twitter announced that 9,420 tweets per second were sent immediately after Tebow’s overtime TD pass. That set a new sports record for the social media site.

Related posts on Tebow:

Tom Brady, Coldplay, Solomon and the search for satisfaction (part 1)

Tom Brady “More than this…” Uploaded by EdenWorshipCenter on Jan 22, 2008 EWC sermon illustration showing a clip from the 2005 Tom Brady 60 minutes interview. To Download this video copy the URL to http://www.vixy.net Tom Brady is still searching for satisfaction in his life. Over the years I wanted bands like Kansas and Coldplay […]

“True Satisfaction,” Tebow has it, Brady would like to have it

Tom Brady “More than this…” Uploaded by EdenWorshipCenter on Jan 22, 2008 EWC sermon illustration showing a clip from the 2005 Tom Brady 60 minutes interview. To Download this video copy the URL to http://www.vixy.net Below you will see several video clips of both Tom Brady and Tim Tebow. Evidently despite all the super bowl […]

Sound off on Tebow

Denver quarterback Tim Tebow reacts after Broncos running back Lance Ball scored a touchdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. (Associated Press/Jack Dempsey) I think Tebow is fine Christian man who believes in telling others about Christ and he lives a morally pure life unlike many others in our society. Therefore, […]

Joy Behar and her liberal friends on “The View” gang up on pro-life Elisabeth Hasselback

“The View” Fights over Abortion Uploaded by RandomClips2008 on Jun 14, 2009 Hot-Topics The ladies on “The View”sit down and talk about President Obama’s commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame and talk about how the crowd got a little riled over Abortion protesters. They then continue on the abortion subject which leads to […]

SNL mocks Tebow and endorses Romney: Is Mormonism true?

I was saddened that SNL proclaimed Mormonism true in a skit Saturday. The archaeological record is obvious that Joseph Smith was wrong in many of the details he put in the  Book of Mormon and he assumed that the Indians in the North America had the same surroundings that the Jews did in the middle east 2000 years […]

Tebow’s team goes down to defeat, what next?

I knew this day would come soon. I was asked this morning if I thought God was pulling for the Broncos and I responded, “No I do not. Many think that and for them it will be said that that devil Tom Brady brings the Tebow winning streak to a halt.” Sure enough New England […]

Tim Tebow verses and interviews

Another good article I read on Tebow: By PATTON DODD On a brisk Thursday evening in mid-November, I sat high in the stands at a Denver Broncos home game, covering the ears of my 4-year-old son as the fans around us launched f-bombs at Tim Tebow, the Broncos’ struggling second-year quarterback. Mr. Tebow was ineffective […]

What is God doing with Tim Tebow? Fellowship Bible pastor of Little Rock ponders…

Everyone is wondering if this amazing fourth quarter comeback streak will end for the Denver Broncos and their quarterback Tim Tebow. At the December 11, 2011 early service at Fellowship Bible Church, pastor Mark Henry noted: How many of you have been watching the drama behind Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow is the starting quarterback for […]

 

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.
By Everette Hatcher III, on December 22, 2011 at 8:09 am, under Current Events. No Comments
Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. Edit
By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Knoxville newspaper says Hogs, Bama and LSU will stay in top 10 in 2012

January 10, 2012 – 7:15 am

Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams runs back a punt for a touchdown against Tennessee at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)<br /><br />

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams runs back a punt for a touchdown against Tennessee at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

A Knoxville newspaper concedes the fact that the SEC West will stay dominant in football in 2012 and Arkansas, Alabama and LSU will stay in the top 10 again in 2012. Below is the article:

John Adams: SEC football hierarchy won’t change in 2012

John Adams
  • By John Adams
  • govolsxtra.com
  • Posted January 9, 2012 at 8 p.m.

Alabama and LSU reminded the rest of the SEC what they’re up against when they played for the BCS national championship Monday night.

The Tide and Tigers have emerged as the dominant programs in collegefootball‘s most dominant conference. That’s not based solely on their latest get-together.

In the last five years, the two programs have combined to win 107 of 133 games and play for four national titles. Both have succeeded in surpassing Florida, which began the SEC’s run of six consecutive national championships in 2006.

And they should begin the 2012 season as the most likely teams to extend that streak.

Something else shouldn’t change in 2012: The SEC West should be clearly superior to the East.

LSU will return so much talent — especially in the secondary, at running back and in the defensive line — you will hardly miss their outgoing players. Moreover, quarterback Zach Mettenberger, a former Georgia signee and junior college transfer, could be a better passer than the two seniors he played behind this season.

Alabama will lose more, particularly if its best juniors decide to leave early. But the Tide might have the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, another testament to how coach Nick Saban keeps replenishing his talent. The program’s usual areas of strength will remain strong: defense, offensive line and running back.

You can’t rule out Arkansas against giving the West three top-10 teams. Tyler Wilson is the best quarterback in the conference, Bobby Petrino will develop another impressive receiving corps despite all the losses, and the return of injured Knile Davis will boost the running game.

Don’t forget about 2010 national champion Auburn, either. The Tigers might have lost offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and running back Michael Dyer, but they have an abundance of young talent.

Georgia will be a clear-cut favorite to repeat as the East winner.

The Bulldogs have as accommodating of a schedule as a title contender could hope for in the SEC, quarterback Aaron Murray is back to run their offense, and there’s depth at wide receiver and a wealth of talent at linebacker.

The anticipated addition of heralded high school running back Keith Marshall should aid a rushing attack that relied mainly on freshman Isaiah Crowell, whose durability is more of an issue than his talent.

Despite the loss of two prominent juniors (wide receiver Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery) to the NFL, South Carolina still looks most capable of challenging the Bulldogs. The return of injured running back Marcus Lattimore and the development of quarterback Connor Shaw as a running and passing threat will bolster the offense. The defense can build around pass-rushing ends Devin Taylor and Jadeveon Clowney and big-hitting backs DeVonte Holloman and D.J. Swearinger.

Tennessee can’t help but improve after winning only one of eight SEC games. A more favorable schedule and a healthy passing combination of quarterback Tyler Bray and wide receivers Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers should have the Vols battling Missouri for third in the East.

Here’s an early, early guess as to how the divisions will play out:

EAST

Georgia: The Bulldogs won’t have to play Alabama, Arkansas or LSU from the West.

South Carolina: Former coach Lou Holtz used to talk about changing the culture in Columbia, but Steve Spurrier has actually changed it.

Tennessee: The Vols will return more starters than any other team in the East.

Missouri: The Tigers will have some offensive firepower, but the conference didn’t do its rookie member any scheduling favors.

Florida: A disappointing 2011 season coupled with another highly ranked recruiting class should convince more Gators fans that Will Muschamp is the second coming of Ron Zook.

Vanderbilt: Back-to-back bowls aren’t out of the question.

Kentucky: Back-to-back non-bowl seasons are likely.

WEST

LSU: Imagine the 2011 team with a better passing attack.

Alabama: The Tide’s first five seasons under Saban haven’t been much different from their first five years of the Bear Bryant era.

Arkansas: Will still have the SEC’s most eye-catching offense.

Auburn: A porous defense should be much improved.

Mississippi State: Needs more consistent play at quarterback.

Texas A&M: Plenty of starters returning, but its first season in the SEC could be traumatizing.

Ole Miss: The Grove will continue to thrive under new coach Hugh Freeze.

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

Get Copyright Permissions © 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

Related posts:

Nice to be feared: Knoxville news paper glad Vols don’t play hogs in 2012

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011 Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams runs back a punt for a touchdown against Tennessee at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011 Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams breaks past Tennessee defensive back Brian Randolph to […]

Petrino upset with Miles over field goal

I remember when USC beat Arkansas 70 to 17 back in 2005. The score was 49 to 7 in the first half and USC could have made it 100 to 7 if they wanted to but they put in their subs in the 3rd quarter. However, Wally Hall said they ran up the score because […]

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 3)

Earlier I wrote about where I think Arkansas could win a national championship with just two more wins. Below is a portion of an article by Jim Harris of the website Arkansas 360: AND ON BOBBY: Schlabach, on Arkansas’ coach: “I said when he was hired that Bobby Petrino would make Arkansas a contender for […]

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 2)

Earlier I wrote about where I think Arkansas could win a national championship with just two more wins. Below is a portion of an article by Jim Harris of the website Arkansas 360: STILL THERE’S LES AT LSU: Schlabach, in saying that LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in the country, had high […]

After blowout at Arkansas, Vols coach Dooley felt like celebration after Vandy win was warrented

I saw the end of the Tennessee/Vandy game on tv and my brother-in-law went to the game (pictures from him below). I have written about the game earlier on this blog so I will not go into that again. I just wanted to comment on the video clip above. I think it is fine that […]

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

Earlier I wrote about where I think Arkansas could win a national championship with just two more wins. Below is a portion of an article by Jim Harris of the website Arkansas 360: What kind of college football polling world do we live in now that a No. 3 Arkansas could win Friday at No. […]

Mangino speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 2)

Mangino at a 2007 KU basketball game Eric Mangino is a very good speaker. Here is a portion of an article by Jim Harris: Jim Harris’ Notebook: Mangino Ready To Return; Big Week For Central Arkansas by Jim Harris 11/14/2011 at 3:37pm It’s easy for fans who don’t follow Kansas football closely to forget just […]

Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 11)jh79

Interview with Johnny Majors after 1982 Kentucky game Below is a picture of Lane Kiffin with Johnny Majors. I enjoyed hearing Johnny Majors speak at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on 11-7-11. He talked a lot about the connection between the Arkansas and Tennessee football programs. It reminded me of what Frank Broyles had said […]

Will Dooley be given enough time to turn Vols around? Arkansas loss energizes foes of Dooley jh84

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011 Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley reacts as Arkansas scores their seventh touchdown of the night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

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

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

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Recent tweets from www.thedailyhatch.org @everettehatcher

January 10, 2012 – 5:46 am

Here are some recent tweets.

thedailyhatchorg ‏@everettehatcher

Adrian Rogers and John MacArthur did a great job showing what the the Bible has to say about alcohol. They made sense. https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/11/15/adrian-rogers-on-wisdom-from-proverbs-on-alcohol/ …

 

7 years ago today Adrian Rogers went to be with the Lord. I have a series of posts I did about his ministry. https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/11/14/rrthe-life-and-ministry-of-adrian-rogers-part-1/ …

Joe Speaks of Waldron escaped twice from the Germans during WWII and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. A true hero. https://thedailyhatch.org/2011/06/08/war-hero-joe-speak-and-d-day-pictures/ …

 
 

Leon McDaniel of Arkansas endured the 2nd battle of Guam and the Battle of Leyte Gulf of World War II. What a war hero! https://thedailyhatch.org/2011/11/16/you-have-heard-of-jimmy-doolittle-but-what-about-leon-a-mcdaniel/ …

 
 

Walt Dickinson told his girlfriend in 1941 he would come back after the war and marry her. They are still married today https://thedailyhatch.org/2011/11/15/veterans-day-2011-part-6-a-look-back-at-okinawa/ …

 

Silas Legrow of Jacksonville, Arkansas in 1942 participated in the Bataan Death March in the Philippines. A true hero. https://thedailyhatch.org/2011/11/11/veterans-day-2011-part-2-bataan-death-march/ …

 
 

Donavan Bull Briley from North Little Rock was a true hero and his story is told in the movie “Black Hawk Down” https://thedailyhatch.org/2011/11/10/veterans-day-2011-black-hawk-down-and-north-little-rocks-donavan-bull-briley/ …

 
 

Maybe the speaker of the house can get Obama to cut spending if he took a stand on not increasing the debt ceiling https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/11/07/open-letter-to-speaker-of-the-house-john-boehner/ …

 
 

John MacArthur “..the Democratic Party, has now made Romans 1, the sins of Romans 1, their agenda..” https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/10/13/john-macarthur-on-romans-1-and-the-democratic-party/ …

 
 

A possible message from Milton Friedman to Obama? “A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither.” https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/11/06/warnings-from-milton-friedman-to-usas-newly-re-elected-president/ …

 
 

Ever seen the first 5 minutes of “Whatever Happened to the Human Race” (Episode 4) THE BASIS FOR HUMAN DIGNITY? https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/11/07/francis-schaeffer-whatever-happened-to-the-human-race-episode-4-the-basis-for-human-dignity/ …

 
 

H Hanegraaff “the Bible depicts preborn children as living beings who are fully human (see, e.g., Ps. 139:13-16).” https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/11/07/obama-why-i-am-glad-you-were-defeated-hank-hanegraaff-on-the-issue-of-abortion-part-1/ …

 
 

Sad story about family friend of ours who left the Bellevue Bapt parking lot and was killed by drunk driver last week. https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/10/08/family-friend-killed-by-drunk-driver-3/ …

 
 

Paul Ryan referred to the Kennedy tax cut and Biden mocked him but Ryan responded that he was closer to JFK than Biden. https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/10/11/the-whole-industrialized-world-followed-reagans-lead-on-taxes/ …

 
 

Did you know that Reagan went into office with a plan to control inflation from Milton Friedman and he did it!! https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/10/03/1980-presidential-debate-reagan-v-carter-video-and-transcript-second-issue-inflation/ …

 

Several questions I hope are asked of Obama tonite. One would be: Are you proud you doubled the number on foodstamps? https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/10/03/10-questions-the-heritage-foundation-would-ask-in-the-presidential-debate/ …

 
 

Heard Terri Blackstock’s testimony on AFR today and how her husband Ken came to Christ. He heard Adrian Rogers sermon https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/10/03/terri-blackstocks-testimony/ …

 

Mark Pryor wanted spending cut ideas. I sent him 161 suggestions but he didn’t take any of them, but he emailed me back.https://thedailyhatch.org/2012/09/06/senator-mark-pryor-responds-to-my-email/ …

 
By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

“Tip Tuesday” is an advice column intended for Gene Simmons concerning his relationship to women

January 10, 2012 – 12:53 am

Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed

John McArthur

The Truth About Divorce, #2 (Mark 10:1-12)

On the show Gene Simmons has been arguing the point that he admits that he is selfish, but he still feels he has the right to be selfish. In the conclusion of the final episode of the year on July 24th he drops to his knees and proposes marriage to Shannon. However, before doing that he apologizes for the selfishness that he so long thought he deserved to have. As we have learned through the episodes this means that he has had numerous affairs through the years while on tour with his band KISS.

He may have thought these other ladies had positive things to offer him but the Bible makes it clear that we are to be committed to our one spouse.

Brandon Barnard in his message on sexual purity at Fellowship Bible Church on July 24, 2011 makes much of this issue. He points out THE PATHWAY OF IMPURITY IS PROMISING BUT DECEIVING. Then he read these scriptures below:

Proverbs 5:4

English Standard Version (ESV)

4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
    sharp as a two-edged sword.

Proverbs 7:18-20

English Standard Version (ESV)

18Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Christopher Hitchens’ debate with Douglas Wilson (Part 8)

January 10, 2012 – 12:19 am

Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson Debate at Westminster Theological Seminary, Part 8 of 12

Douglas Wilson

There are a few slight confusions that I would like deal with briefly within the scope of my first few paragraphs. Weather permitting, I would then like to take just a short space to address the central point which you have (again) missed. The remainder of my time will be spent on your claim concerning the origin of ethical imperatives. I would like to do all this in order to set the stage for our unfolding discussion of the central reason why Christianity is good for the world— it is good for the world because Jesus died for the life of the world.

First, the confusions. The point of citing Psalm 14:1 was not to infer that I thought you were “dumb.” In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, folly is a moral question, not a matter of intelligence. I am quite prepared to cheerfully grant (and not for the sake of the argument) that you are my intellectual superior. But our discussion is not about who has more  horsepower under his intellectual hood—the point of discussion is whether your superior car is on the right road. A fast car can be a real detriment on a dark night when the bridge is out. And you insist on continuing to wear the sunglasses of atheism.

Now the second confusion concerns your citation of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The popular name for the parable should have been a giveaway—you acknowledge that the protagonist of the story was “from Samaria,” but you miss that this was an ethnic and racial issue and not a question of where he happened to live. The man beat up by the side of the road was a Jew, the priest and Levite who passed by on the other side were Jews, and the man who stopped was a despised half-breed, a Samaritan. But you say that it was probable that the Samaritan was a Jew, which inverts the whole story and indicates to me that you have not really been reading the text very closely (Luke 10:27-37). But to answer your point in even bringing the story up, the Samaritan did not need the teaching of Jesus to do what God desired here. Jesus cited the story as an exposition of the second greatest commandment, which is to love your neighbor as yourself. A certain lawyer had asked Jesus to “define neighbor” in order to justify himself, and Jesus then told this story to illustrate the point of an ancient law. So the duty to love our neighbor was revealed to Old Testament writers about a millennium and a half before the Samaritan fulfilled it in his charitable act.

You say, incidentally, that this kind of law was bringing coals to Newcastle—Moses came down from the mount and told people that murder, theft, and perjury were wrong, and all the assembled rolled their collective eyes. “We already knew that!” But the problem is that ancient man didn’t know that, and modern man still doesn’t know it. To state some of the issues that are subsumed under just one of the three categories you mention is to point to controversies that continue down to this day. Consider some of the issues clustered under the easiest of these three to condemn—murder. We have abortion, infanticide, partial-birth abortion, euthanasia, genocide, stem-cell research, capital punishment, and unjust war. Murder is the big E on the eye chart, and we still can’t see it that clearly.

Man, both ancient and modern, certainly knows the entire law of God if it is his own ox being gored, but the purpose of a law code is to have one standard in place for all parties when individuals want to set aside the standards of civilized life to suit themselves. And we need as much help with that as ancient man ever did.

Now we really need to address the point you continue to miss. I am not talking about whether atheists must do evil, or if they can do evil. I have denied the former, and you have now granted the latter. But that is not the point. We are not talking about whether your atheism compels you to run downtown this evening to shoot out the street lights. I grant that it does not. And we are not talking about whether atheists can do vile things. You grant that they can. We are talking about (or, more accurately, I am trying to talk about) whether or not atheism provides any rational basis for rational condemnation when others decide to misbehave this way. You keep saying, “I have come to my ethical position.” I keep asking, “Yes, quite. But why did you do so?”

So the point is not whether we could rustle up some nice places governed by atheists or some hellholes governed by Christians. If given a choice between living in a Virginia governed by Jefferson and living in a Russia under the czars, I would opt to live under your beloved Jefferson.

Fine. But this is not a concession, because it is not the point.

Take the vilest atheist you ever heard of. Imagine yourself sitting at his bedside shortly before he passes away. He says, following Sinatra, “I did it my way.” And then he adds, chuckling, “Got away with it too.” In our thought experiment, the one rule is that you must say something to him, and whatever you say, it must flow directly from your shared atheism—and it must challenge the morality of his choices. What can you possibly say? He did get away with it. There is a great deal of injustice behind him, which he perpetrated, and no justice in front of him. You have no basis for saying anything to him other than to point to your own set of personal prejudices and preferences. You mention this to him, and he shrugs. “Tomayto, tomahto.”

I am certainly willing to take the same thought experiment. I can imagine some pretty vile Christians, and if I couldn’t, I am sure you could help me. The difference between us is that I have a basis for condemning evil in its Christian guise. You have no basis for confronting evil in its atheist guise, or in its Christian guise, either. When you say that a certain practice is evil, you have to be prepared to tell us why it is evil. And this brings us to the last point—you make the first glimmer of an attempt to provide a basis for ethics.

You say in passing that ethical imperatives are “derived from innate human solidarity.” A host of difficult questions immediately arise, which is perhaps why atheists are generally so coy about trying to answer this question. Derived by whom? Is this derivation authoritative? Do the rest of us ever get to vote on which derivations represent true, innate human solidarity? Do we ever get to vote on the authorized derivers? On what basis is innate human solidarity authoritative? If someone rejects innate human solidarity, are they being evil, or are they just a mutation in the inevitable changes that the evolutionary process requires? What is the precise nature of human solidarity? What is easier to read, the book of Romans or innate human solidarity? Are there different denominations that read the book of innate human solidarity differently? Which one is right? Who says?

And last, does innate human solidarity believe in God?

Related posts: 

Christopher Hitchens’ view on abortion may surprise you

Christopher Hitchens – Against Abortion Uploaded by BritishNeoCon on Dec 2, 2010 An issue Christopher doesn’t seem to have addressed much in his life. He doesn’t explicitly say that he is against abortion in this segment, but that he does believe that the ‘unborn child’ is a real concept. ___________________________ I was suprised when I […]

Christopher Hitchens discusses Ron Paul in 3-2-11 inteview

Max Brantley in the Arkansas Times Blog reports that Ron Paul is leading in Iowa. Maybe it is time to take a closer look at his views. In the above clip you will see Chistopher Hitchens discuss Ron Paul’s views. In the clip below you will find Ron Paul’s latest commercial. Below is a short […]

Evangelicals react to Christopher Hitchens’ death plus video clips of Hitchens debate (part 3)

DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 07 Below are some reactions of evangelical leaders to the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death:   Christian leaders react to Hitchens’ death Posted on Dec 16, 2011 | by Michael Foust   DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 08 Author and […]

Evangelicals react to Christopher Hitchens’ death plus video clips of Hitchens debate (part 2)

DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 04 Below are some reactions of evangelical leaders to the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death: Christian leaders react to Hitchens’ death Posted on Dec 16, 2011 | by Michael Foust DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 05 Author and speaker Christopher […]

Evangelicals react to Christopher Hitchens’ death plus video clips of Hitchens debate (part 1)

DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 01 Below are some reactions of evangelical leaders to the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death: Christian leaders react to Hitchens’ death Posted on Dec 16, 2011 | by Michael Foust Author and speaker Christopher Hitchens, a leader of an aggressive form of atheism that eventually […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Atheists Confronted | Comments (0)