Author defends claim that the repressive Iranian Islamic regime utilizes oil profits to support international terrorism in the US and in the Democratic Party. A WND Book.

Herod the Great provides this memoir from Hell because he wishes to set the record straight. Herod finds historic figures in Hell to help him, including his son Herod Antipas, who ruled during Jesus' crucifixion, Cleopatra, who at first befriended and then turned on Herod, Marc Antony, who made him AKing of the Jews. We also meet such characters as Caesar Augustus, Pontius Pilate, Pope Leo X, Martin Luther, and Henry VIII. In this memoir, Herod solves some mysteries regarding the lives of various Roman emperors, John the Baptist, Jesus, and John, the beloved apostle. For example, in conversations with his son Antipas, Herod discovers what is meant by the apostle John being called Athe one Jesus loved in two books of the Bible. Herod also provides a new interpretation of the Book of Revelation. He explores the philosophies of his reign including Epicurean, Stoic, and Neoplatonic thought, providing the reader with an additional educational experience. While the book focuses on the life of Herod, its scope is larger in order to provide a proper context for the subject matter. For example, since Herod is overthrown at one point by Antigonus of the Hasmonean line of Jews, it is important to understand that the Hasmoneans were direct descendants of the Maccabees who freed the Jews from Greek rule. Since Nero's suicide precipitates the Jewish revolt and subsequent destruction of the Herod's Temple for the Jews, the circumstances of Nero's self-destruction are laid out. The distinguishing features of the book include Herod's first person narrative, his conversations with other historical figures, a portrait of life in Hell including its path to redemption, research documented in footnotes, and a detailed history of Herodian dynasty set into context including interaction with the Roman Empire, the Jews of Antiquity, and the Christian leadership.

Herod the Great provides this memoir from Hell because he wishes to set the record straight. Herod finds historic figures in Hell to help him, including his son Herod Antipas, who ruled during Jesus' crucifixion, Cleopatra, who at first befriended and then turned on Herod, Marc Antony, who made him AKing of the Jews. We also meet such characters as Caesar Augustus, Pontius Pilate, Pope Leo X, Martin Luther, and Henry VIII. In this memoir, Herod solves some mysteries regarding the lives of various Roman emperors, John the Baptist, Jesus, and John, the beloved apostle. For example, in conversations with his son Antipas, Herod discovers what is meant by the apostle John being called Athe one Jesus loved in two books of the Bible. Herod also provides a new interpretation of the Book of Revelation. He explores the philosophies of his reign including Epicurean, Stoic, and Neoplatonic thought, providing the reader with an additional educational experience. While the book focuses on the life of Herod, its scope is larger in order to provide a proper context for the subject matter. For example, since Herod is overthrown at one point by Antigonus of the Hasmonean line of Jews, it is important to understand that the Hasmoneans were direct descendants of the Maccabees who freed the Jews from Greek rule. Since Nero's suicide precipitates the Jewish revolt and subsequent destruction of the Herod's Temple for the Jews, the circumstances of Nero's self-destruction are laid out. The distinguishing features of the book include Herod's first person narrative, his conversations with other historical figures, a portrait of life in Hell including its path to redemption, research documented in footnotes, and a detailed history of Herodian dynasty set into context including interaction with the Roman Empire, the Jews of Antiquity, and the Christian leadership.

Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was a statesman and lawyer who embodied the golden age of oratory in America by mastering each of the major genres of public speaking of the time. Even today, many of his victories before the Supreme Court remain as precedents. Webster served in the House, the Senate, and twice as secretary of state. He was so famous as a political orator that his reply "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!" to Senator Robert Hayne in a debate in 1830 was memorized by schoolboys and was on the lips of Northern soldiers during the Civil War. There would have been no 1850 Compromise without Webster, and without the Compromise, the Civil War might well have come earlier to an unprepared North. Webster was also proficient as a ceremonial speaker, in which role he advanced Whig virtues and solidified support for the Union through civil religion. This provided a transcendent symbol for the nation and became the metaphor for the working constitutional framework. While several biographies have been written about Webster, none has focused on his oratorical talent. This study examines Webster's incredible career from the perspective of his great speeches and how they created a "civil religion" that moved citizens beyond loyalty and civic virtue to true romantic patriotism. Craig R. Smith places Webster's speeches into their historic context and then uses the tools of rhetorical criticism to analyze them. He demonstrates that Webster understood not only how rhetorical genres function to meet the expectations of the moment but also how they could be braided to produce long-lasting and literate discourse.

An avid high school debater and enthusiastic student body president, Craig Smith seemed destined for a life in public service from an early age. As a sought-after speechwriter, Smith had a front-row seat at some of the most important events of the twentieth century, meeting with Robert Kennedy and Richard Nixon, advising Governor Ronald Reagan, writing for President Ford, serving as a campaign manager for a major U.S. senator's reelection campaign, and writing speeches for a contender for the Republican nomination for president. Life in the volatile world of politics wasn't always easy, however, and as a closeted gay man, Smith struggled to reconcile his private and professional lives.

In this revealing memoir, Smith sheds light on what it takes to make it as a speechwriter in a field where the only constant is change. While bouncing in and out of the academic world, Smith transitions from consultantships with George H. W. Bush and the Republican caucus of the U.S. Senate to a position with Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca. When Smith returns to Washington, D.C., as president and founder of the Freedom of Expression Foundation, he becomes a leading player on First Amendment issues in the nation's capital. Returning at long last to academia, Smith finds happiness coming out of the closet and reaping the benefits of a dedicated and highly successful career.

Smith examines the major canons of classical rhetorical theory by demonstrating their influence on Christian speakers. He begins by explaining why charisma has become a misused term. He then explores why writing about charisma has been so difficult in terms of the academic prejudice in favor of objectivity and reason. He then constructs a three- level definition of charisma to replace the current one.

After analyzing the charisma of Jesus in terms of the three personae he developed as teacher, human, and messiah, Smith argues that his power arose from this rich development of character. The textual charisma of the Gospel narrators is explored in terms of their narrative techniques, and Smith then examines the concept of "ethos," the use of emotion in persuasion, and explicates the theories of leading existential thinkers to develop advanced notions of human responsibility and transcendent spirituality. These two notions are used to refine and improve previous definitions of charisma. Smith then establishes a matrix that crosses levels of charisma with different types of identification. This work will be of particular interest to scholars, students, and researchers involved with Christianity, philosophy, and persuasion.

Like no other orator in American history, Daniel Webster dominated the Federal courts, the Congress, and the public speaking circuit. In this book, Smith offers a close study of the rhetorical techniques and powers of persuasion that gave Webster a uniquely influential voice in the political, legal, and social affairs of the young republic. The volume includes the edited texts of six speeches that illustrate the range of Webster's achievements, together with a chronology of his speeches and an annotated bibliography. In his introduction, Smith examines Webster's early training and accomplishments in the field of oratory and discusses the Aristotelean principles upon which the present analysis of Webster's work is based. Smith begins with Webster's forensic speeches before the Supreme Court and in the famous Knapp-White murder trial. He next considers Webster's gift for ceremonial speaking, by analyzing examples of his eulogies, dedication addresses, and other commemorative speeches. Two chapters focus on his deliberative speech-making, with special emphasis on analysis of the audience Webster spoke to, the Webster-Hayne debate, and Webster's speeches endorsing the Compromise of 1850. Among the edited works presented are Webster's presentations in McCulloch v. Maryland, a milestone in American constitutional precedent; in the Knapp-White murder case; his Eulogy to Adams and Jefferson; Webster's second reply to Hayne; and his Seventh of March Address. The author stresses that Webster's importance goes beyond his considerable impact on constitutional thought and the political life of the nation. His speeches are unequaled as models of effective and literate public address, and his arguments, values, style, and use of evidence have much to tell us about American consciousness during the antebellum era. Written by a noted speechwriter and scholar specializing in rhetoric and First Amendment issues, this book is an appropriate choice for speech communication classes or studies in speech communication, American public address, and rhetorical criticism, as well as antebellum U.S. history classes.

This book is a unique examination of the phenomenon of the call. Characterizing the call as a rhetorical event, the book identifies how speakers can use eloquence in the service of truth. Authors Craig R. Smith and Michael J. Hyde offer the rare combination of a phenomenology of the call linked closely to eloquence and explore this linkage by examining the components of eloquence, including examples of its misuse by George W. Bush and Donald Trump. The bulk of the text examines case studies of eloquence in the service of truth including epideictic, forensic, and deliberative eloquence, with examples drawn from addresses by Barack Obama, Daniel Webster, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Chase Smith, Susan Collins, and Mitt Romney. The authors also examine the Epistles of St. Paul, the writings of St. Augustine, and the preaching of Jonathan Edwards. Finally, the book explores eloquence in filmic narratives and dialogic communication between artists and writers, concluding with a study of the sublime and how it is evoked with awe using the work of Annie Dillard.

"How can the immigrant of yesterday be lionized as the very foundation of the nation's character, while the immigrant of today is often demonized as a threat to the nation's safety and stability?" ask volume editor Vanessa B. Beasley in her introduction to this timely book.

As the nation's ceremonial as well as political leader, presidents through their rhetoric help to create the frame for the American public's understanding of immigration. In an overarching essay and ten case studies, Who Belongs in America? Explores select moments in U.S. immigration history, focusing on the presidential discourse that preceded, address, or otherwise corresponded to events.

These chapters, which originated as presentations at the Texas A&M University Conference on Presidential Rhetoric, share a common interest in how, when and under what circumstances U.S. presidents or their administrations have negotiated the tension that lies at the heart of the immigration issue in the United States. The various authors look at the dual views of immigrants as either scapegoats for cultural fears, especially during trying times. U.S. presidents have had to navigate between these two motifs, and they have chosen different ways to do so. Indeed, as these studies show, their words have sometimes been at odds with their deeds and policies.

Since 9/11, few issues have more public significance than how America views immigrants. The contributors to this volume provide context that will help inform the public debate, as well as the scholarship, for years to come.

Vanessa B. Beasley, an associate professor of communication at the University of Georgia, is the author of You, the People: American National Identity in Presidential Rhetoric, also published by Texas A&M University Press. Her Ph.D. is from the University of Texas at Austin.

"Basically, all parts are character parts. The problem of the actor is to protect the differences in a character: to identify that the character being portrayed has his own personality traits. He has to find things within himself to establish these differences. Im best when I portray not good guys, or bad guys, but human guys. These are the people I understand." Arthur Kennedys words speak volumes about the kind of actor he was, one sought by both Hollywood and Broadway to be in dramas involving real people struggling with real problems, and one whose talents were recognized with several Academy Award nominations and the winning of a Golden Globe and a Tony award. This work covers Kennedys film and stage career, film-by-film and play-by-play, and provides pictures, synopses, and commentary for each one. Acting anecdotes from Kennedy himself or from his peers in film and on stage, such as Errol Flynn, Elia Kazan, James Cagney, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, and many others, bedizen the commentary. Among the films and plays included are Joy in the Morning, Henry IV Part I, Strange Alibi, High Sierra, Bad Men, Desperate Journey, Cheyenne, The Window and Champion.