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I share with you my personal top fifteen favorite artists among all of those featured on The Joe Show over the past thirteen months (number of plays that artist has received on the show indicated in parentheses). Plus a special new song from Matt Stevens.
I've been pretty vocal for the past several months about my support of Fred Thompson for the Republican Presidential nomination. Two weeks or so ago, Fred pulled out of the race, and I struggled with the decsion of where to put my support. In last week's show, I announced that I was now supporting Rudy Giuliani for the nomination. Three days later, he withdrew and endorsed Senator John McCain.
I am once again in the position of having to decide who to support for the Republican nomination for President. That decision gets harder each time I make it. Ron Paul is a no-brainer -- meaning that I'd have to have no brain to throw my support behind him. John McCain and Mitt Romney are the front runners, but I'm not completely sold on either of those.
McCain's a war hero, and he would certainly not pull us out of Iraq before the job is finished. That's a good thing, but I'm having a hard time thinking of any other good things about McCain in the White House.
Romney is a proven success at both business and government, and has experience as Commander In Chief of the Massachusetts National Guard. But for some reason I'm not completely sold on him, either.
And then there's Mike Huckabee -- a former Baptist Minister and former Governor of Arkansas. He's truly a conservative and presents himself well, but I don't think most Americans see it that way. I think many Americans, even those who say they want someone who believes in God, are afraid to have a Baptist Minister in the White House.
So where does a Conservative Christian like me throw his support? Not Ron Paul. Not John McCain. Not Mitt Romney. And not Mike Huckabee. Unless....
I was thinking today, and I think I know what kind of ticket I could get behind and support. I also think it's the only ticket that has a chance at this point of defeating John McCain for the nomination. I don't know how -- or why -- John McCain pulled out in front of the pack, but somehow he did, and now we have to figure out how to deal with it. And this is how.
Romney/Huckabee. I think if Huckabee would drop out of the race and endorse Romney, those Conservatives who are voting for Huckabee will give their vote to Romney. I can't think of a primary yet where McCain has beat Romney by more than Huckabee's percentage of the vote. And if Huckabee dropped out before Super Tuesday, and openly endorsed Romney, I think we might see one heck of a fight in the Super Tuesday primary states, and maybe -- just maybe -- Romney could pull it off.
Now, I'm not a big fan of Romney. He could probably do a decent job in the White House, but I don't feel comfortable just yet putting my support behind him. But I certainly don't think McCain is the right man for the job. And if Romney could pull it off, and offer the VP slot to Huckabee, we might just be able to make it through the next four years with a Republican in the White House.
But it has to happen quick. If Huckabee is still a candidate come Super Tuesday, I'm afraid that McCain will sweep the primaries and lock up the nomination before I even get a chance to vote in the Indiana primary on May 6. And if that happens, well, I'll just have to cast a symbolic vote for Fred Thompson.
This week's show is going to be a little bit different from what you've heard in the past on The Joe Show. Before I explain why, and what you'll hear, I want to talk for a moment about the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.
This past week, Fred Thompson announced his withdrawal from the race. I have been a supporter of Fred Thomspon since before he was a candidate for President. I have always thought that he had the most solid political platform and stood for sound conservative principles.
After hearing the announcement of his withdrawal, I was faced with the decision of what candidate to put my support behind. I gave this some serious consideration. Knowing that the Democratic candidates were completely out of the picture for me, I had to decide whether to stand behind the best candidate, or the candidate with the best chance to win in November. Whether to choose a solid candidate, or a candidate with solid, widespread support.
Both John McCain and Mitt Romney have a solid backing of supporters. They've been the most successful in the primaries and caucuses, and many in the media have virtually declared this a two-man race.
Both Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee are experienced, conservative candidates. Both speak well and seem to perform solidly in the debates.
And then there's Ron Paul. But I don't intend to completely throw away my support. Sorry Ron.
After giving it much thought and consideration, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one candidate that I can in good conscience stand behind right now. One candidate that I have long thought could be a solid, successful President. One candidate that I've supported since long before Fred Thompson even became a grass roots movement. It is for this reason that I have chosen the candidate with the most experience, the most real-life tested wisdom, the best leadership skills, and the truest patriotism of them all.
It is for all of these reasons that I now stand strongly in support of America's Mayor for President. Rudy Giuliani stood strong under adversity and led this nation's largest city -- and the entire nation, by extension -- through the most difficult, tragic moments of our nation's history. Because he built a sound, strong management team in New York City that had the ability and autonomy to think on their feet while at the same time understanding the importance and the need to remain accountable to the people that they served, New York -- and the nation -- was able to bounce back, come together, and stand united against the enemy. It was as much for the leadership of Rudy Giuliani as for that of President George W. Bush that the United States remained united against an unseen enemy.
There is no candidate that can bring to the Oval Office the combination of wisdom, knowledge, foresight, experience, and sound business judgement that Rudy can. All of the other Republican candidates possess some of those traits, but not one has demonstrated a solid grasp on the whole picture as Rudy has.
But there is one concern that you might hear voiced by other conservatives. One issue that has long been a matter of great importance among conservatives and liberals alike. One issue that has been the deciding factor for many Americans when deciding how to cast their vote on election day.
Abortion. Regrettably, Rudy Giuliani has taken a pro-choice stance on abortion. Regrettably, because his stance on this one issue could be the thing that keeps him from taking the oath of office next January. I have given this issue great consideration. I am firmly and unmovably opposed to abortion, at any time and for any reason. I do not feel that there is ever a situation when abortion is justified.
I have considered this greatly, and thought long and hard about Rudy's stance on the issue of abortion, and I have come to this conclusion: it really doesn't matter. Now, before you go off thinking I've lost my mind, hear me out.
Abortion matters. Life matters. Protecting these innocent unborn babies from murder matters. What doesn't matter is what the President thinks about abortion. You see, the American form of democracy is such that there is nothing one man can do to change the law on abortion. The President, for all of his supposed power, cannot effect change on the issue of abortion without the broad support of Congress and the Judicial system. It was the Judicial branch of our government that legalized abortion, and every conservative, pro-life politician since has been unable to do anything to change that. Only you can change that. Each and every one of you, individually. Which is why today's episode of The Joe Show is different.
Today's episode of The Joe Show is about abortion. The rest of the show will feature an artist who has been featured on the show before -- Scot Longyear -- in a way you've probably never heard him before. In addition to being an accomplished independent musician, Scot Longyear is my friend and pastor. Last week he presented a very thought-provoking discussion on abortion. Today, I share that with you.
I hope you will take the time to hear it out. Regardless of your stance on the issue of abortion, this discussion is sure to make you think. And shortly after the discussion begins, you'll hear the song "Amazing Grace." I have added this song into the discussion to fill a long period of silence. During this period of silence, there was a visual presentation. Scot will explain that, and it will become clear to you what the visual presentation was. Imagine, as you hear "Amazing Grace," sitting in a silent church for the full three minutes, experiencing the visual presentation that Scot describes. It was a very moving experience.
I hope you enjoy today's show. More importantly, I hope you can keep your finger off the next track button and hear this show through to the end. If not for yourself, give it a listen for the 46 million innocents who lose their lives to abortion every year.
Average Joe American Exclusive! Always by Evan Agee of Richmond, Indiana used with permission of the artist IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK: this segment this week is being replaced by a review of Chosen by Ted Dekker
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS
Ted Dekker is at it again with his tale of the Circle, an epic saga that began with the trilogy Black, Red and White, and continued through Showdown, House, Saint, and even Skin. The latest volumes in this saga are Chosen and Infidel. Though these latest works are targeted at young fiction readers, they're sure to be gobbled up by Ted Dekker fans of all ages.
Chosen starts off with the hero of the Circle saga, Thomas Hunter, choosing new lieutenants for the Forest Guard from a group of sixteen and seventeen year olds. Times are tough and dangerous, and the 400,000 member strong Horde army is closing in.
One thing disturbs me early in the story -- and I'm actually writing this before finishing the book, so it may be cleared up -- but in book three of the trilogy, White, Thomas Hunter's wife Rachelle has passed away and gone on to be with Elyon, and Thomas has remarried the converted Horde princess, Chalise. As Chosen opens in a stadium filled with spectators, we discover that one of the spectators is Hunter's wife, Rachelle. With this volume set some thirteen years in the future, I'm hoping for some clarification in the coming pages.
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Having done some research into the confusion surrounding Thomas's wife at TedDekker.com, I have come to the conclusion that Thomas still being married to Rachelle in Chosen is probably legit.
During the Circle trilogy, there is a point in which Thomas Hunter -- the Thomas in Bangkok, not the dream Thomas -- goes to sleep, and Thomas of Hunter lives out fifteen years of his life in the Forests. It seems that I remember reading somewhere when The Lost Books were first announced that they would take place during that fifteen year period to fill in the rest of that story line.
This sets my mind at ease a bit, and seems credible. I was a little concerned because I havr never known Ted Dekker to make such a significant slip as to resurrect someone from the dead.
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In Ted Dekker's book Skin, there is a scene where it first begins to become apparent that the book is indeed interwoven with The Circle trilogy. A scene where, as a reader, I thought that Elyon as a boy had crossed into the town of Summerville.
The stories become more interwoven the more I read. About halfway through Chosen, we learn that it was not the boy Elyon at all who had crossed into Summerville, but young Johnis from Chosen. It's this kind of cross-integration among the many, many Dekker novels making up the Books of History Chronicles that makes readers like me keep pining away for the next volume in this epic saga. What J.R.R. Tolkien did for Middle Earth, Dekker does for Other Earth.
When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder -- and money tighter -- since his father died and the family bakery closed ... Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.
What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.
Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. ...
"Like the sweater that stars in this new holiday treat, Beck's story will keep you warm even after you've closed the book." --Richard Paul Evans
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