Americans are blessed to have inherited a constitutional republic. If we are to keep it, we must vigilantly preserve the Constitution upon which it stands. As 2011 draws to a close, we made a list (and checked it twice!) of the year’s most important constitutional trends.
Nice: Congress begins to rediscover its (atrophied) constitutional muscles
Congress kicked off the year with unprecedented reverence for the Constitution. Congress began the session with a ceremonial reading of the Constitution on the house floor, and then adopted a new rule that requires any proposed bill to cite its constitutional authority. While admirable, these measures have thus far failed to achieve their intended result. The potential solemnity of the reading ceremony was tainted by petty disputes and goofy mistakes (an entire section was skipped) and the citation rule has become little more thanan exercise in box checking. Congress still has a long way to go, but its newfound constitutional courage marks a welcome change from Pelosi’s “are you serious?” approach to the Constitution.
Nice: Grassroots Constitutionalism Stays Strong
Of course, Congress didn’t just decide to prioritize the constitution on a whim. The credit lies with the American people who have become fed up with government excesses. From their spontaneous origins in 2009, grassroots movements such as the Tea Party had gained enough strength by the 2010 elections to send Congress a strong message to respect the Constitution. From the many Constitution Day festivals across the nation to the numerous Tea Party rallies and the joint CNN/Tea Party primary debate, 2011 saw everyday Americans continue their efforts to restore limited, constitutional government.
Naughty: Constitutional Lawmaking Undermined
One of the most disturbing trends of 2011 was the Obama Administration’s willingness to skirt the Constitution’s law making process. In September, the Obama administration openly bypassed Congress by unilaterally issuing waivers to exempt states from the requirements of No Child Left Behind. Even more outrageous, Obamacare waivers (giving relief from the law’s most costly provisions) were given almost exclusively to political allies of the administration such as labor unions and Harry Reid’s home state of Nevada. Fully 20% went to unions and businesses (including luxury restaurants and financial firms) in Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district in San Francisco.
Thanks to YouTube, this gem in American history has been preserved.
In February 1956, two months before his death, 96-year-old Samuel J. Seymour appeared on the CBS television show “I’ve Got A Secret.” His secret: he witnessed Abraham Lincoln’s assassination when he was five years old.
Sure enough, Seymour has been widely recognized as the last surviving person in America who had been present at Ford’s Theatre the night of Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865.
According to the Washington Times, Seymour attended the Ford’s Theatre performance as a young boy with family friends. He was told upon arriving in Washington, “Sammy, you and I and Sarah are going to a play – a real play. And President Abraham Lincoln will be there.”
Seymour’s recollection of the event includes a shot ringing out, someone in the President’s box screaming and Lincoln slumping forward in his seat. He also caught a glimpse of John Wilkes Booth jumping from the box to the stage.
A Maryland native who later lived in Arlington, Seymour died on April 12, 1956, three days before the anniversary of Lincoln’s death.
next Like many other southerners, my two grandfathers told me about their grandfathers who fought in the Civil war. My great, great grandfather from Mississippi actually was released after the war in Union City, Kentucky near the Tennessee state line. There he had to walk back to his home in Oxford, MS. My other great, […]
Confederate soldier Julius Howell Interview What The south Fought For Confederate soldier Julius Howell talking about his capture and imprisonment at the Union prison camp at Point Lookout, Md. Howell was born in 1846 near the Holy Neck section of Suffolk, in the Holland area. He was the youngest of 16 children, the son of […]
The American Civil War Part 1 The Union I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim with Confederate veterans,” by Jake Sandlin that ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 15, 2011. It took 81 years before more people to gather in Little Rock for another event (Bill […]
Ken Burns discusses his Emmy winning series The Civil War – EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim with Confederate veterans,” by Jake Sandlin that ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 15, 2011. It took 81 years before more people to gather in Little Rock […]
Civil war veteran soldier footage, captured between 1913 and 1938 Civil war veteran soldier footage, captured between 1913 and 1938. Our other greatest generation. God bless both sides of this war who both tested and saved our union. _____________________________________________ I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim […]
This is colour video of Albert Woolson, the last Union veteran of the US Civil War; he is also the last absolutely confirmed veteran of that conflict from either side. This footage, as far as I know, is the very last footage taken of a US Civil War veteran at all. I believe at least […]
A montage of archival footage from the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim with Confederate veterans,” by Jake Sandlin that ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 15, 2011. It took 81 years before more people to gather in […]
Here is another fine article on the subject of the religious beliefs of Geore Lucas and how it affected what his characters like Darth Vader and what they had to say.
A long time ago, in a movie multiplex not so far away, a child looked up and asked: “Mom, Dad, is the Force the same thing as God?”
Children have been asking that question for 20 years. The simple answer is “yes.” But this raises another question: Which god or God is at the center of the “Star Wars” universe?
The trilogy’s creator was well aware that his work invaded turf traditionally reserved for parents, priests and preachers. George Lucas wrote “Star Wars” shortly after the cultural revolution of the ’60s. He sensed a spiritual void.
“I wanted it to be a traditional moral study, to have some sort of palpable precepts in it that children could understand,” said Lucas, in a recent New Yorker interview. “There is always a lesson to be learned. … Traditionally, we get them from church, the family, art and in the modern world we get them from the media — from movies.”
Lucas set out to create a modern mythology to teach right and wrong. The result was a fusion of “Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe” and Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” of Arthurian legends and Japanese samurai epics, of Carlos Castaneda’s “Tales of Power” and the Narnia tales of C.S. Lewis. Along the way, Lucas sold $1.3 billion worth of tickets and “Star Wars” merchandise sales have topped $4 billion. Now, a revamped “Star Wars” is back in theaters, to be followed by its sequels, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “The Return of the Jedi.” A trilogy of “prequels” is set to begin in 1999.
The impact of Lucas’ work has led some researchers to speak in terms of a “Star Wars” generation. A modern preacher who wants to discuss self sacrifice will be understood by more people if he refers to the death of Jedi knight Obi Wan Kenobi, rather than that of St. Stephen.
“It was natural that my generation would latch on to these stories,” said Jason Ruspini, webmaster of the unofficial “Star Wars Home Page,” one of nearly 1,000 “Star Wars” Internet sites. “They were much more attractive and appropriate than the ancient myths of Judeo-Christian theology. How could these draconian and antiquated stories possibly compete with the majesty and scope of the Star Wars universe?”
Lucas grew up in the 1950s in Modesto, Calif., reading comics, escaping to movies and watching TV. Although he attended a Methodist church with his family, biographer Dale Pollock notes that he was turned off by the “self-serving piety” of Sunday school. Lucas also visited the housekeeper’s German Lutheran congregation, where he was impressed by the elaborate rituals.
Traces of these experiences are woven into his work. “The message of `Star Wars’ is religious: God isn’t dead, he’s there if you want him to be,” writes Pollock, in his book “Skywalking.” Lucas puts it this way: “The laws really are in yourself.”
The faith in “Star Wars” is hard to label. The Force is defined as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us.” It contains both good and evil. Jedi master Yoda clearly teaches a form of Buddhism. Yet the Lucas liturgy also proclaims “May the Force be with you,” a variation on the Christian phrase “May the Lord be with you.” The plot includes other symbols and themes from biblical faith. Lucas has embraced both “passive Oriental philosophies and the Judeo- Christian ethic of responsibility and self-sacrifice,” according to Pollock.
Thus, some Christians hail “Star Wars” as evidence of a cultural search for moral absolutes. On the World Wide Web, others use the films as glowing icons that teach Eastern philosophy. Welcome to the theological mall.
At the end of Pollock’s book, Lucas acknowledges that, by setting his goals so high, he is asking to be judged by very high standards. The creator of “Star Wars” explains that one of his least favorite fantasies is about what will happen when he dies. Perhaps, he said, he will come face to face with God and hear these words: “You’ve had your chance and you blew it. Get out.”
Terry Mattingly teaches communications at Milligan College in Tennessee. He writes a weekly column for the Scripps Howard News Service. Article used by permission of the author.
LONDON — Olympic fencer and movie sword master Bob Anderson appeared in some of film’s most famous dueling scenes – though few viewers knew it.
Anderson, who has died at age 89, donned Darth Vader’s black helmet and fought light saber battles in two of the three original “Star Wars” films, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”
Anderson, who worked with actors from Errol Flynn to Antonio Banderas during five decades as a sword master, fight director and stunt performer, died early New Year’s Day at an English hospital, the British Academy of Fencing said Monday.
Vader, “Star Wars'” intergalactic arch-villain, was voiced by James Earl Jones and played by six foot six (1.98 meter) former weightlifter David Prowse, but Anderson stepped in during the key fight scenes.
“David Prowse wasn’t very good with a sword and Bob couldn’t get him to do the moves,” said Anderson’s former assistant, Leon Hill. “Fortunately Bob could just don the costume and do it himself.”
The scenes worked beautifully, although Anderson, then nearing 60, was several inches shorter than Prowse.
Few knew of Anderson’s role until Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, said in a 1983 interview that “Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader’s fighting.”
“It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told (director) George (Lucas) I didn’t think it was fair any more,” Hamill told Starlog magazine. “Bob worked so bloody hard that he deserves some recognition. It’s ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by one man.”
Robert James Gilbert Anderson was born in Hampshire, southern England, in 1922, and was drawn to fencing from an early age.
“I never took up the sword,” he said in an interview for the 2009 documentary “Reclaiming the Blade.” “I think the sword took me up.”
Anderson joined the Royal Marines before World War II, teaching fencing aboard warships and winning several combined services titles in the sport.
He served in the Mediterranean during the war, later trained as a fencing coach and represented Britain at the 1952 Olympics and the 1950 and 1953 world championships.
In the 1950s, Anderson became coach of Britain’s national fencing team, a post he held until the late 1970s. He later served as technical director of the Canadian Fencing Association.
His first film work was staging fights and coaching Flynn on swashbuckler “The Master of Ballantrae” in 1952.
He went on to become one of the industry’s most sought after stunt performers, fight choreographers and sword masters, working on movies including the James Bond adventures “From Russia With Love” and “Die Another Day”; fantasy “The Princess Bride”; Banderas action romps “The Mask of Zorro” and “The Legend of Zorro”; and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Fencing academy president Philip Bruce said Anderson was “truly one of our greatest fencing masters and a world-class film fight director and choreographer.”
Hill remembered him as “a splendid man, a great man who gave so much to fencing that can never be repaid.”
Anderson is survived by his wife Pearl and three children. Funeral details were not immediately available.
The Bhagavad-Gita may well have been Yoda’s manual for teaching Luke Skywalker the way of the Jedi.
BY: Steven J. Rosen
At first glance, it might seem that “Star Wars” and Hinduism have little in common. The “Star Wars” films are modern science-fiction classics, created as entertainment. They make use of futuristic spaceships and imaginative weapons that the real world has not yet seen. Hinduism, for its part, is an ancient religious tradition-or, more explicitly, a family of religious traditions, such as Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism–meant for spiritual enhancement and personal fulfillment. What, if anything, do the films have to do with the religion?
My thesis is simple. Lucas, the creator of “Star Wars,” was heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell, the famed mythologist. Campbell’s preferred stock of philosophical stories comes from India. This is well known. Campbell explained the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the principal epics of contemporary Hinduism, to Lucas, who digested their many stories and gave them back to us as “Star Wars.” Lucas himself says that he was “influenced by Eastern myths.” Here’s one example I use in my forthcoming book, drawing on the first film of the series, which was released in 1977:
A beautiful princess is kidnapped by a powerful but evil warlord. With determined urgency, a mysterious non-human entity delivers a distress call to a budding young hero. The youthful hero, a prince, comes to the princess’s rescue, aided by a noble creature that is half-man and half-animal. In the end, after a war that epitomizes the perennial battle between good and evil, the beautiful maiden returns home. The valiant efforts of the prince and his comrade, who were assisted by an army of anthropomorphic bears in the fight to return the princess to safety, are duly rewarded, and peace and righteousness once again engulf the kingdom.
In the Eastern part of the world, the story evokes memories of the Ramayana, an ancient epic from which many of India’s myths and religious traditions originate: The princess is Sita, kidnapped by the power-mad Ravana. Her loving husband Rama, the archetypal hero who, as the story goes, is Vishnu (God) in human form, soon becomes aware of her plight and anxiously pursues her.
How did he learn of Ravana’s nefarious deed? The good-hearted Jatayu, a talking vulture-like creature, sworn to protect the princess, sees the demon-king abduct Sita. He attempts to rescue her on his own, but Ravana mercilessly cuts him down. Luckily, Rama happens upon the dying Jatayu, who manages to recount all that has taken place before he expires.
After a period of intense grieving, Rama engages his devoted half-human/half monkey companion, Hanuman, in a lengthy search for the princess and, after a complex series of events, they wage war to get Sita back. Aided by an army of Vanaras (bears and monkeys who have anthropomorphic characteristics), Rama rescues Sita from Ravana. The forces of the underworld defeated, Rama-raja (the kingdom of truth and righteousness) reigns supreme.
In Western countries, the story would remind most readers of the first “Star Wars” movie. Here, too, the princess–this time, Princess Leia–is kidnapped. In the “Star Wars” universe, evil incarnates as Darth Vader, who holds Leia against her will. Artoo-Deetoo (R2-D2), an android, carries a desperate cry for help. The princess, just before being captured, managed to conceal a holographic message in the droid’s memory banks. Thus, through this futuristic robot, she asks for the assistance of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a master among the mystical Jedi knights, hoping he would come to her aid.
Luke Skywalker, a farm boy from the planet Tatooine, is the one who first receives this message, however, and it is he who turns to the retired Obi-Wan to alert him to the princess’s plight. Luke himself is reluctant to travel into unknown territory, into a world of action and intrigue. But Obi-Wan convinces him to go, telling him that “the Force” will protect him.
The two team up with Han Solo, a renegade space cowboy, and Chewbacca, a “half-man/ half-monkey” creature who devotedly assists them. By the end of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, in the company of legions of bear soldiers, they wage a war to end all wars–Darth Vader and his evil empire are defeated and the princess is returned to safety.
Is it a stretch to say that Lucas was directly and/ or indirectly influenced by the Ramayana? This author, obviously, thinks not. And there are many other parallels between Star Wars and Hindu tradition as well. Consider the example of the relationship between Yoda and Luke–a dead-ringer for the traditional Guru/ disciple relationship, especially as depicted in the ancient Hindu text, the Bhagavad-gita.
Yoda teaches Luke self-control, the importance of restraining the senses. Every Jedi, he says, must overcome desire and anger. The Gita must have been Yoda’s sourcebook: “A faithful man who is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge–and who subdues his senses–is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.” (4.39) Again, “By the time death arrives, one must be able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and overcome the force of desire and anger. If one does so, he will be well situated and able to leave his body without regret.” (5.23)
It is interesting, too, that Yoda locates the source of the Jedis’ strength as flowing from “the Force,” which he essentially defines as the ground of all being. Indeed, Yoda tells Luke that all ability comes from the Force, but that this is especially true of the Jedis’ supernatural powers. The Gita also says that all power flows from the “Force,” i.e., the metaphysical source of all that is: “Of all that is material and all that is spiritual, know for certain that I am both the origin and dissolution. . . .Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. . . . I am the ability in man.” (7.6-8)
Yoda’s name is closely linked to the Sanskrit “yuddha,” which means “war.” Accordingly, he teaches a chivalrous form of warfare, imbued with ethics and spirituality, to the Jedi knights. The non-aggressive but valiant ways of these knights are exactly like those of Kshatriyas, ancient Indian warriors who emphasized yogic codes and the art of protective combat. In this, Yoda resembles Dronacharya from the Mahabharata, who, in the forest (again like Yoda), trains the Pandava heroes to be righteous protectors of the innocent.
In the Ramayana, Vishvamitra Muni, as Rama’s spiritual master, teaches the great avatar (incarnation of God) to be adept in the art of war, but he also teaches him that fighting must always be based on yogic principles–he teaches Rama while they are living in the forest as well. Both Dronacharya and Vishvamitra seem like earlier incarnations of Yoda.
In this sense, and in many others, the Hindu scriptures may be the ultimate guidebooks for aspiring Jedis: Consider the Bhagavad-gita yet again: Lust, anger, and greed, the Gita tells us, are deeply embedded in our consciousness. Just ask Anakin. And deep-rooted habits are not always easy to overcome. Nonetheless, in the Gita, Krishna helps us through the darkest of battles by explaining the source of our dilemma, the gradual steps by which we delude ourselves, and by putting us in touch with the spiritual element lying dormant within our hearts. He tells us that those who are enamored by materialistic life begin simply by contemplating the objects of the senses.
Again, just ask Anakin. Such contemplation naturally leads to self-interested action and, finally, attachment. This, in turn, gives rise to anger. Why anger? Because everything in the world is temporary, and so we eventually lose the objects of our attachment. Anger, Krishna says, leads to bewilderment, and bewilderment to loss of memory. At this point, intelligence is lost. We can watch this happening to Anakin in “Attack of the Clones” and, further, in the latest film, “Revenge of the Sith.”
Other connections to Hinduism are also apparent in the prequels. For example, the idea of midi-chlorians, or living cells found in high concentration in Jedi blood, resonates with the idea of Paramatma, or the Lord in the Heart. Vaishnava Hinduism uses this concept to explain how God (the Force?) exists inside our bodies as a symbiont, as it were, allowing living entities to commune with Him. Also, young Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi priest, wears a shikha, or a tuft of hair, on the back of his head. While this religious symbolism is found in several ancient monastic traditions, it is nowhere as pronounced as in the Vaishnava Hindu tradition. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna teaches that intelligence means good memory and fine discretion–both of which fall away when we adopt a materialistic and self-centered approach to life. This vicious cycle puts us in a non-spiritual frame of mind, in which we forget who we are and what life is really all about. Krishna refers to this as “a material whirlpool” that drags people ever lower; it is a complex downward spiral that begins, as He says in the Gita, simply by one’s contemplating the objects of the senses. (2.61-64) Krishna thus tells Arjuna not to be fooled by sensual stimulation and, instead, to control his senses for a higher purpose. This, indeed, is the teaching of the Jedi and a lesson that is valuable to each and every one of us.
Can people learn this Hindu wisdom from watching “Star Wars”? Most likely not. They’ll have to go to established religious texts and the paths traversed by the sages. But something is definitely afoot here. More than 70,000 people in Australia, in a census poll, declared that they are followers of the Jedi faith, the “religion” engendered by the “Star Wars” films. Despite the extremism and absurdity of this statistic-of people adhering to a faith concocted in a fictional film series-experts see in it a manifestation of the movies’ spiritual dimension.
In light of this enthusiasm, it’s not surprising that the “Star Wars” universe continues to grow. Lucas is now re-mastering the entire series into special 3-D versions, updated for modern times. New TV shows based on “Star Wars” are planned for upcoming seasons. And you now learn of parallels between this consequential film epic and one of the earliest religious traditions known to humankind. What’s next?! Only the Force is likely to know!
Reviewer: Edwin L. Carpenter Source: Theater Writer: Woody Allen Producer: Letty Aronson Director: Woody Allen Genre: Comedy Runtime: 100 min. MPAA Rating: PG-13 Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kurt Fuller, Kathy Bates
Synopsis:
Midnight in Paris is a romantic comedy that follows a family travelling to the city for business. The party includes a young engaged couple that has their lives transformed throughout the journey. The film celebrates a young man’s great love for Paris, and simultaneously explores the illusion people have that a life different from their own is better.
Dove Worldview:
This one has some funny moments for sure. You have to understand the plot to understand the humor though. In this one, Gil Pender is a romantic, a writer who dreams of living in Paris. In fact, he is there on business along with his fiance’, who spends more time with an old boyfriend named Paul then with Gil. She just can’t understand his desire to take walks in the rain and his dream of being a novelist instead of the successful screen writer that he is. She also can’t comprehend his daydreams of 1920s Paris. When he finds himself in a certain part of the city one night and the clock strikes twelve he soon is shocked to learn he has traveled back to his dream time, Paris in the 1920s. He meets Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald as well as Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, and a woman he could fall in love with.
He always winds up back in the present when morning breaks but on one occasion he and the woman he falls for winds up in another time frame, the 1890s. She longs to remain in that time frame but he points out that he might have to get dental work done, and they didn’t have proper pain medication back then!
Owen Wilson is likable in his role as Gil and the movie makes a point that no matter what time one lives in, there are always problems to deal with. Despite the nice themes including being true to one’s self, and the opening sequence which includes shots of the Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, the Seine River and nice cafes, sadly there is use of strong language and the sex rating hits a three in content, due to some frank sexual comments. It should be noted that there are a few political comments too which some viewers will not appreciate. We are unable to award this movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.
Sex: Frank sexual comments and a few innuendos; kissing; a woman talks about having moved in with her boyfriend; an unmarried couple live together and the woman admits to having an affair while in Paris with her old boyfriend. Language: Chr*st-1; JC-1; For Chr*st Sake-1; G/OMG-10; H-3; D-1 Violence: A few disagreements. Drugs: A lot of drinking scenes including wine and champagne and comments about wine tasting; cigarette smoking; a character admits to being drunk; a few scenes of characters riding in cars including a taxi and drinking; a character takes medicine for panic attacks; a comment about “coke” spoons. Nudity: Cleavage; some hookers raise up skirts; a nude drawing of a woman nude from the waist up. Other: Political comments about former President Bush and right wingers who are “air-heads” and “demented” and “fascists”.
Confederate soldier Julius Howell talking about his capture and imprisonment at the Union prison camp at Point Lookout, Md. Howell was born in 1846 near the Holy Neck section of Suffolk, in the Holland area. He was the youngest of 16 children, the son of a prominent Baptist minister. His daddy wouldn’t allow him to join the army until he was 16½, he says in his account.
He saw action guarding the Blackwater River against Yankees until his regiment was called to help defend Richmond in 1864. By then, he was a corporal and courier for two generals.
In April 1865, Howell was taken prisoner at the battle of Sailor’s Creek and was transported to Point Lookout, Md., a notorious Union prison. He was there when he heard about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
“I arose pretty early,” he says. “There were 20,000 of us there. I saw a flag pole, and a flag stopped halfway.”
The youth, a slightly built man with bright red hair, knew what it meant.
“I stuck my head in a tent and said, ‘Boys, there must be some big Yankee dead.’ ”
A guard told the men later that the president had been shot. Howell says he felt no hatred toward Lincoln, only kindness.
“We didn’t fight for the preservation or extension of slavery,” he says. “It was a great curse on this country that we had slavery. We fought for states’ rights, for states’ rights.”
After the war, Howell taught at Reynoldson Institute in Gates County, N.C. He soon left teaching and went to the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a history degree. From there, he went on to Harvard and got a doctorate in history.
Howell was a history professor at the University of Arkansas. He eventually headed the department. In 1901, he was named president of Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, where he served for 50 years.
Howell was forever loyal to the South. He became state commander of the Tennessee Confederate Veterans and, in 1940, was named commander-in-chief of the national United Confederate Veterans.
In 1942, Life magazine did a spread on Howell. Several photos of the old gentleman show him dressed in his Confederate uniform. Because legislators wanted to hear more from the Confederate veteran, Howell addressed the combined Congress of the United States in Washington in 1944, when he was 98, and that is when it is believed this tape was made.
Four years later, in February 1948, on his 102nd birthday, the city of Bristol threw a party. His old friend, actress Mary Pickford, and her family attended.
Howell, who had never been sick a day in his life, died the following June.
Julius Howell was the great-great-uncle of former ANV Commander Russell Darden.
next Like many other southerners, my two grandfathers told me about their grandfathers who fought in the Civil war. My great, great grandfather from Mississippi actually was released after the war in Union City, Kentucky near the Tennessee state line. There he had to walk back to his home in Oxford, MS. My other great, […]
Confederate soldier Julius Howell Interview What The south Fought For Confederate soldier Julius Howell talking about his capture and imprisonment at the Union prison camp at Point Lookout, Md. Howell was born in 1846 near the Holy Neck section of Suffolk, in the Holland area. He was the youngest of 16 children, the son of […]
The American Civil War Part 1 The Union I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim with Confederate veterans,” by Jake Sandlin that ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 15, 2011. It took 81 years before more people to gather in Little Rock for another event (Bill […]
Ken Burns discusses his Emmy winning series The Civil War – EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim with Confederate veterans,” by Jake Sandlin that ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 15, 2011. It took 81 years before more people to gather in Little Rock […]
Civil war veteran soldier footage, captured between 1913 and 1938 Civil war veteran soldier footage, captured between 1913 and 1938. Our other greatest generation. God bless both sides of this war who both tested and saved our union. _____________________________________________ I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim […]
This is colour video of Albert Woolson, the last Union veteran of the US Civil War; he is also the last absolutely confirmed veteran of that conflict from either side. This footage, as far as I know, is the very last footage taken of a US Civil War veteran at all. I believe at least […]
A montage of archival footage from the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I really enjoyed the article “REBEL GRAY’S GOLDEN DAYS: In 1911, LR filled to the brim with Confederate veterans,” by Jake Sandlin that ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 15, 2011. It took 81 years before more people to gather in […]
The Kiss bassist – who claims to have slept with over 2,000 women and has for a long time vowed never to marry – popped the question to the actress-and-former-Playboy model, in Belize recently.
In video footage for their reality show ‘Gene Simmons Family Jewels’, he asks Shannon: “I come with so much baggage, but you’re the only friend I’ve got, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved, you’re the only one I love, and the only one I ever will love. I’ve never said those words to anybody, and I don’t ever wanna…
“It’s funny, they used to watch movies where they say I can’t live without you but for me it’s true.”
He then gets down on one knee and says “will you marry me,” at which point Shannon is crying.
Gene, 61, and Shannon, 54, have been together for 27 years and have two children, Nicholas, 22, and Sophie, 19.
___________________________
Above you read that Gene Simmons has gone to bed with 2000 women. However, he is engaged to be married to the mother of his children. The point of contension in the past has been his infidelites. Will he be faithful to his wife? There is a strong warning from the Bible concerning this.
In the Fellowship Bible Church worship service on July 24th, Brandon Barnard read Proverbs chapters 5, 6, and 7 and when he finished he said that was strong and explicit. This warning that comes to us comes with power and intensity. I know when we talk about this, it is talking about the adulterous woman, and Proverbs is speaking to sons, but you have to take the universal context and that is that sexual pressures are coming on all of us. Men and women are engaging in pornography and affairs and romantic fantisies, but when you read Proverbs 5, 6, 7 so you there is the warning STAY AWAY FROM THIS. DEATH IS THERE AND TRAPPING IS THERE AND IT WILL TAKE YOUR LIFE. WE HAVE TO CHOOSE IF WE ARE GOING TO WALK THIS PATH OF IMPURITY OR THIS PATH OF PURITY. ALL OF US HAVE DEALT WITH THIS IN OUR LIVES MAYBE IN MORE WAYS THAN WE CARE TO ADMIT. We just can’t sweep everything under the carpet and go on doing life. We have to deal with it.
He started off the sermon by reading three chapters from Proverbs. Here are the verses:
Proverbs 5:1-23
English Standard Version (ESV)
Proverbs 5
Warning Against Adultery
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding, 2that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge. 3For the lips of a forbidden[a] woman drip honey,
and her speech[b] is smoother than oil, 4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to[c] Sheol; 6she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it. 7And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house, 9lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless, 10lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, 11and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed, 12and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof! 13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors. 14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well. 16Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you. 18Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated[d] always in her love. 20Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[e] 21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
and he ponders[f] all his paths. 22The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Proverbs 6:20-35
English Standard Version (ESV)
Warnings Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[c] 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,[d]
but a married woman[e] hunts down a precious life. 27Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned? 28Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched? 29So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished. 30People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, 31but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house. 32He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself. 33He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away. 34For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge. 35He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
Proverbs 7:6-27
English Standard Version (ESV)
6For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice, 7and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense, 8passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house 9in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
10And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[a] 11She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home; 12now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait. 13She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him, 14“I had to offer sacrifices,[b]
and today I have paid my vows; 15so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. 16I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen; 17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon. 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.”
21With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him. 22All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[c] 23till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth. 25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths, 26for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng. 27Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
____________________________________
Pictured above is Gene with his son Nick. Does Gene want to follow what Proverbs says or not? If he doesn’t then will his son also fall down the same trap? It is a powerful question. That is why Solomon directed these warnings to his son!!!!
This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference:
My son Hunter Hatcher’s 4th favorite song is “Fix You”
“This came out right before my senior year of high school. Takes me back and the bridge is the best coldplay bridge of all of their songs hands down.”
Coldplay is a British alternative band that has been around since 1998. The band has produced five albums and sold around 50 million albums. The socially active band whose lead singer Chris Martin is married to actress Gwyenth Paltrow has produced some extremely popular songs, but many of the less popular songs deserve high praise as well. This below compilation is my view of the top 10 songs by Coldplay.
1. Yellow-This 2000 song released as a single from the album Parachutes was inspired by the beautiful stars in the sky that the band saw one night during a break from recording. The song begins saying “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do”. Stars have always seemed to inspire poetic beauty and this would especially be a perfect song to serenade your love. After writing the song Martin felt that there was some word missing. While searching for inspiration within the recording studio Martin saw a Yellow Pages book, and the word ‘Yellow’ filled the missing void. ‘Yellow’ helped surge Coldplay into mainstream popularity and set the stage for future hits.
2. In my place- This 2002 song from Coldplay’s second album “A Rush of Blood To the Head” won best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal at the 45thGrammys. The song features a beautiful soothing melody while Martin sings about a man’s unreciprocated love for a woman. ‘In my place’ that is where he will be waiting for his love to come to him if she changes her mind. If ‘Yellow’ is the song you want to serenade your love with, then ‘In my place’ is the song you listen to after a breakup
3. The Scientist- “The Scientist” was another single the band released in 2002 (in the UK) and 2003 in the US from the album “A Rush of Blood to the Head”. The scientist referred to in the rather odd title is not really mentioned in the song but instead it alludes to science “Questions of science, Science and progress, Do not speak as loud as my heart.” This piano ballad shows off Martin’s beautiful voice and nice falsetto. This emotional song also has a very interesting music video implementing reverse narrative and Martin actually had to learn to sing the song backwards. The Scientist won a few MTV VMA awards and received a 2004 Grammy nomination.
4. Clocks- This 2003 song also off the album “A Rush of Blood To The Head” won the 2004 Grammy for Record of the year. However, originally the song was not intended for this album since 10 songs were already on “A Rush of Blood To the Head” and Clocks was left to be included on Album #3. This song, like others from the band, sings about a dysfunctional relationship asking about “Am I a part of the cure/Or am I part of the disease?” But where exactly does the title Clocks come from? In poetry and song clocks have always been associated with time, change, and even death. The lyrics seem to suggest that time is running out with few options “Confusion never stops, Closing walls and ticking clocks”. While the lyrics are great, my favorite part of the song is the piano melody especially at the beginning and when Martin again hits a falsetto for the long “yooooooooooooo ohhhhhh Yoooooooooooo ohhhhhh” that nearly sends chills down your spine
5. Speed of sound-This song released in 2005 is off the album X&Y and won an award for Best British single in 2006. The piano based melody and the beauty of Chris Martin’s voice make this song very soothing and almost hypnotic. Martin stated the lyrics of this song were inspired by a feeling of awe and wonder after the birth of his daughter Apple. The lyrics also allude to faith in what cannot be seen “If you could see it then you’d understand/ah when you see it then you’ll understand.”
6. Viva la Vida- This is one of the more recent song on the list was released in 2008 and reached number 1 on Billboard Hot 100. Viva la Vida which means ‘live the life’ in Spanish also won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2009. The musical composition of the song is somewhat different because it is more upbeat and implements strings and percussion as opposed to the typical Coldplay songs that use piano or guitar. The rhythm is very catchy and the lyrics are some of the most interesting I have recently heard. I never could actually figure out half of the things that were being said in the song until I researched the lyrics. Basically the song is about a King who once was on top of everything but now ‘sweeps the streets he used to own’. It also includes religious undertones saying “I know St. Peter won’t call my name”. In an interview with Q magazine Martin said the idea of your life being judged once you’re dead was always fascinating to him and it’s a common theme in all religions. Since St. Peter won’t call his name, apparently the King was not so good possibly because he never had as he says ‘an honest word’.
7. Fix you-This song from the X&Y album wasn’t as popular as other Coldplay songs but has some of the most beautiful lyrics. The song was supposedly written for Martin’s wife Paltrow after her father died, but the song is can be very comforting in times of tragedy, hardship or a broken heart. The song uses an organ at the beginning that had been given to Martin by Paltrow’s father, but he didn’t discover how beautiful a sound it made until he played it after his death. However, despite whatever hardship whoever listening may have, there are words of encouragement “Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.”
8. Violet Hill- This song also from the 2008 album X&Y and can be viewed as an anti-war song. The song is from a soldier’s point of view essentially about politics, war, and religious hypocrisy. The soldiers don’t want to be used for a cause that they don’t believe in “I don’t want to be a soldier/ with the captain of some sinking ship.” Violet Hill not only borrows rhythms from The Beatles but the road Violet Hill is actually near Abbey Road. I especially like the decrescendo at the end with only the piano and Martin softly singing. I also suggest everyone see the dancing politician’s version to this song on youtube. Overall though, Beautiful melody, beautiful lyrics…What’s not to love?
9. Gravity- This song was written by Martin and performed live by Coldplay in 2002 but ultimately the song was given to the band Embrace. Coldplay re-recorded this song in 2005 and it makes one wonder why the song was not always kept with them. This song is simple, with mainly the piano and Martin singing for the first five minutes and some drums and background singers added in after that, but the simplicity remains. This song is peaceful and soothing and could definitely put you to sleep, but not out of boredom.
10. Trouble- This 2000 song from the “Parachutes” album was written as a result of Martin’s reflection about his own bad behavior. Once again, the song begins with Martin singing and playing the piano. There is something very magical about his voice in this song, almost haunting. If someone asked for an apology through writing and performing this song, how could you not forgive them?
Most Coldplay fans will be familiar with all of these songs. However, for those of you who are just casual listeners of the band, you should definitely add these songs to your Ipod and you may change from a casual to avid fan.
Dave Hogan/ Getty Images This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference: For the 17th best Coldplay song of all-time, Hunter picks “42.” He notes, “You thought you might […]
The best band in the world. Below I have linked some articles I have earlier about the search for meaning in life the band seems to involved in. Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion formed Coldplay in 1996 while going to University in London. The young band quickly established themselves in the […]
I am presently involved in the counting down of the best Coldplay songs of all time, but I am also in a series here reviewing the upcoming songs on Coldplay’s new cd that will be released soon. Here is a review from Rolling Stone: Coldplay Debut new song ‘Charlie Brown’ June 6, 2011 Coldplay debuted […]
Great documentary on Coldplay. I have written a lot on Coldplay the last few years and I see something spiritually happening with the group as they continue to search for a deeping meaning in life. Coldplay Max Masters – Part 1 of 7 Uploaded by thepostbox on May 6, 2009 The ASTRA Award winning music documentary […]
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 […]
This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference: Hunter has chosen the song “Viva La Vida” as his number 18 pick. Hunter noted, “The violin synth is a […]
Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall Published on Jun 28, 2011 by ColdplayVEVO The new single, taken from Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall EP (featuring two more new tracks). Download it from http://cldp.ly/itunescp Music video by Coldplay performing Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall. (P) 2011 The copyright in this audiovisual recording is owned by […]
The 2012 GOP primary/caucus schedule is nearly set in stone. The calendar dates below are believed to be accurate unless last minute changes occur to the schedule. Always check with your local board of elections to verify election dates, times and locations ahead of time. Note that “Super Tuesday” in 2012 falls on March 6th, however, it is a little less “super” than it has been in years past.
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*Missouri: Missouri will hold a primary on February 7th, 2012, which will not count for delegates toward the 2012 GOP convention. The Missouri Republican Party will hold a caucus on March 17th, 2012, which will determine the delegates sent to the 2012 GOP convention – See report from CNN
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I have talked a lot about spending cuts on this blog. Here is a great article on this very subject: A Guide to the Presidential Candidates’ Proposals to Cut Spending Posted by Tad DeHaven Over at Downsizing the Federal Government, Chris Edwards and I have regularly complained that most policymakers have been insufficiently specific when it comes […]
I saw Ron Paul on Jay Leno last night: As President, Ron Paul will lead the way out of this crisis by: * Vetoing any unbalanced budget Congress sends to his desk. * Refusing to further raise the debt ceiling so politicians can no longer spend recklessly. * Fighting to fully audit (and then end) […]
It appears that Ron Paul may win in Iowa according to Mike Huckabee (Arkansas Times Blog). Ron Paul was right in my view when he noted that Obama is beating himself and ANY OF THE REPUBLICANS WOULD BEAT HIM IN NOVEMBER. In the clip above you will see comments from Ron Paul from the latest […]
Is Ron Paul racist? Judge for yourself by reading this article in Reason Magazine that goes over the 2001 Texas Monthly article that Ron Paul refers to often. Related Posts: Immigration views of Ron Paul and Milton Friedman December 23, 2011 – 1:59 pm Two very wise men below: Milton Friedman – Illegal Immigration – PT […]
Two very wise men below: Milton Friedman – Illegal Immigration – PT 1 (1 of 2) Professor Friedman looks at the dynamics of illegal immigration. See part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfU9Fqah-f4http://Libertypen.com _______________________________________ Back in 1980 I read the book “Free to Choose” by Milton and Rose Friedman. I noticed that Milton made it clear both in […]
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 […]
Below is a portion of an article I read concerning Ron Paul’s social views. Ron Paul (Cheryl Senter/AP) Saint Paul: Inside Ron Paul’s effort to convince Christian conservatives that he’s their man By Chris MoodyPolitical Reporter By Chris Moody | The Ticket – Fri, Dec 9, 2011 ‘Does it take some explanation? Yes. Can it be […]
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich appears at a news conference before a tea party rally in New York Saturday. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) Who would have thought that the mainstream candidate Mitt Romney would fall to third in the polls in Iowa behind Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul? I am not too happy with Newt because […]
DES MOINES, IOWA– Ron Paul’s presidential campaign released a comparitvely edgy new ad Monday that will air on local and cable networks across Iowa and New Hampshire. The spot touts Paul’s call to cut a trillion dollars from federal budget in his first year in office. Played over a rock track, a man’s voice in the […]
Herman Cain’s campaign was at the highest point a few weeks ago when it seemed that he would fly right into the Republican nomination and probably defeat Obama for the right to be President of the United States. However, things went south when it was revealed that he had given money to Ginger […]
I have loved reading Thomas Sowell’s articles for many years. I remember when Milton Friedman brought him into the discussion in his film series “Free to Choose.” I have put some links below to some of those episodes. Many papers across the country carried this story below from Sowell. Basically he points out in the […]
You can get a good comparison of the candidates from this clip above. Below is a very good summary of the candidates from early this summer. The 2012 Contenders and the Debt Ceiling by Michael D. Tanner Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and coauthor of Leviathan on the Right: How […]
Uploaded by JasonTcpa on Oct 28, 2011 Herman Cain on Foreign Policy “The Cain Philosophy” _________________________________ Jason Tolbert had a fine report on Cain’s recent speech in Northwest Arkansas: Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain spoke Thursday evening to a record northwest Arkansas crowd, which he brought to their feet with several standing ovations during his […]
I do like Michele Bachmann a lot and I love what she has to say in the article below too. Slate.com vs. Tea-Party/Christians/Bachmann Posted by Andrew J. Coulson Slate worked itself into a lather yesterday over the insidious education policy implications of Michele Bachmann’s Iowa Straw Poll victory: As recently as a decade ago, Republicans […]
I really like to read Dan Mitchell’s opinions. Grading Perry’s Flat Tax: Some Missing Homework, but a Solid B+ Posted by Daniel J. Mitchell Governor Rick Perry of Texas has announced a plan, which he outlines in the Wall Street Journal, to replace the corrupt and inefficient internal revenue code with a flat tax. Let’s […]
What words could best describe the most baleful influence on the global economy in the year 2011? How about “governmental dysfunction?”
The European banking crisis that has threatened global finance is about nothing more or less than the failure of the governments of Greece, Italy, Portugal, et al., to control their budgets, raising doubts about the value of their bonds. Rather than trim their bloated public sectors, they have preferred to beg for bailouts.
The U.S. government has run deficits exceeding a trillion dollars for the last three fiscal years, forcing it to borrow heavily from the Federal Reserve, China and Japan. Despite warning signals from credit-rating agencies, Washington is doing no better than the Europeans in bringing spending under control.
Private banks in the U.S., Asia and Japan have been enlisted to help finance massive public deficits. As a Christmas present to beleaguered governments, the European Central Bank on Dec. 21 pumped $640 billion into European banks. French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested pointedly that they use it to buy sovereign debt. So much for the ECB’s one-time resolve to hold the line on sovereign-debt bailouts.
U.S. and Japanese banks, whose main business once was lending to the private sector, also are responding to various inducements to load up on government-issued paper. In simple terms, governments are increasingly plundering the private sector to raise cash. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve’s low-interest-rate monetary policy is doing little to help the banks and doing a lot to put public pension funds in jeopardy. Teachers, policemen, firemen and the like won’t be able to count on the benefits defined in their contracts if the funds continue to have extreme difficulty in getting a decent return on investments.
Corbis
The Republican House and its budget chairman, Paul Ryan, have at least put the budget problem on the agenda. But hopes for big achievements have been disappointed. Congress finally passed the fiscal-year 2011 budget last April—six months late—but with only a minuscule cut in discretionary spending. Unsurprisingly, Congress once again missed its Sept. 30 deadline for passing a new budget.
The fiscal-year 2012 appropriation bills offer no hope of reform. According to a Heritage Foundation analysis, the drafts now moving through Congress spend more than the House Budget Resolution last spring—a resolution that called for only a $30 billion reduction from FY 2011 discretionary spending of $1.0498 trillion. Obsolete or ineffectual departments like Agriculture, Commerce, Labor and Education will still receive their accustomed share of taxpayer billions.
Budgetary stasis is unhappily only part of the problem of dysfunctional government. Federal regulatory agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency in particular, have gone out of control. Washington is still laboring under the hallucination that it can change the climate of the planet (they assume it needs to be changed) by writing rules and regulations. The latest EPA brainstorm will force the shutdown of enough coal-fired power plants to put the nation in danger of serious power shortages. Scare tactics, like posing a nonexistent threat of mercury poisoning, is part of the game.
And then there is Dodd-Frank, that massive law passed in 2010 to punish “Wall Street” for a 2008 financial meltdown that was mostly the fault of the bill’s two authors, Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank. They were the two main defenders in Congress of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored enterprises mainly responsible for poisoning the world securities market with toxic mortgage-backed securities.
Dodd-Frank left it to regulators to write the detailed rules for how banks and securities houses will henceforth run their businesses. And boy, do those guys know how to write rules. The proposed guideline for just one of the many strictures in Dodd-Frank runs 288 pages. It deals with the so-called “Volcker rule,” which will prohibit banks from trading securities for their own account. Former FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair, writing in Fortune, describes it as a “Rube Goldberg contraption of regulation,” noting that the Glass-Steagall Act, which applied something similar to the Volcker rule from 1933 until it was repealed in 1999, ran to only 32 pages.
The Pelosi-Reid Congresses from 2007 through 2010 were responsible for such effusions. There’s also ObamaCare, yet another massive bill that turns over the vital details to the federal bureaucracy. Businesses, doctors and hospital administrators can only await with fear what confusions and delusions the bureaucrats produce out of their efforts to mastermind the many millions of decisions that must be made daily in a vital and complex industry.
Judging from opinion polls showing increasing public contempt for what goes on in Washington, voters are frustrated by their seeming inability to get the attention of the beast. The ups and downs in the polls of the Republican presidential candidates reflect an anxiety over whether any of them are up to the job.
Of course, there is a president now, Barack Obama. But he resigned from active duty last summer, preferring to spend most of his time giving speeches in his campaign for re-election. Like the Republicans, he too is running against the government. That’s a curious position to take, given that what he is running against is very much his creation.
Mr. Melloan, a former columnist and deputy editor of the Journal editorial page, is author of “The Great Money Binge: Spending Our Way to Socialism” (Simon & Schuster, 2009).
![[melloan]](https://i0.wp.com/si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-RF117_melloa_D_20111230154931.jpg)
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The Daily Hatch 