Man arrested for growing marijuana with his son's help

WEST VALLEY CITY -- A West Valley City man is busted after police discover he's growing marijuana with his teenage son. Joseph Feichko, 41, told police he grew marijuana with his son so he would be considered a "cool dad."

Now police say he's facing several charges, including child endangerment.

Read the full article on ksl.com:
ksl.com - Man arrested for growing marijuana with his son's help

Judge Sotomayor - Racist, Gun Hater, Constitution Trampler

This Judge Sotomayor scares me.... There are several reasons why, but the main reason is that she thinks that her job is not to just enforce the laws, but to set policy. She also thinks that states don't have protection of gun ownership under the 2nd amendment, but it only applies to the federal government. And that white males know less than Latino females because of the richness of their lives.

Here is one notable incident.

At a 2001 U.C. Berkeley symposium marking the 40th anniversary of the first Latino named to the federal district court, Sotomayor said that the gender and ethnicity of judges does and should affect their judicial decision-making. From her speech:

"I wonder whether by ignoring our differences as women or men of color we do a disservice both to the law and society....

"I further accept that our experiences as women and people of color affect our decisions. The aspiration to impartiality is just that - it's an aspiration because it denies the fact that we are by our experiences making different choices than others....

"Our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging. Justice O'Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am also not so sure that I agree with the statement. First, as Professor [Martha] Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." [U.C. Berkeley School of Law, 10/26/2001] [Source: CNN.com]

You can read more details from the following BLOG/News posts:

The Judge Speaks: A Sotomayor Sampler (Wall Street Journal)
Sotomayor’s Anti-Gun Crusade
Sotomayor’s Notable Court Opinions and Articles (The New York Times)
Sotomayor's resume, record on notable cases (CNN Politics.com)

Video Thursday - Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

Church Response to California Supreme Court Decision on Proposition 8 - LDS Newsroom

The Church issued the following statement following the California Supreme Court Decision on Proposition 8:

Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court is welcome. The issue the court decided was whether California citizens validly exercised their right to amend their own constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The court has overwhelmingly affirmed their action.

Read full story at:
Church Response to California Supreme Court Decision on Proposition 8 - LDS Newsroom

The Sensitive no-chest Modern Man

As most of you know (because you follow my wifes blog at momzoo), we are home schooling our oldest daughter (Punk #1). In doing so momzoo has been reading A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century. It has given her a lot of insight. There is a home companion to it as well, called A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion. This book has given us additional insight.

Not only has it helped us with home schooling, but it also makes a case for what has happened and why the United States has moved from the founding fathers ideals. The book discusses how we have changed from the "inner-directed" American to the "Teenager Society" American.

"Meet the new type of American. The organization-pleasing employee, the outer-directed father, the peer-responsive mother, the "be-in-the-popular-crowd" teenager, the impress-the-Jonese neighbor, the keep-up-appearances church member, the check-the-polls politician, the increase-our-ratings reporter, the bottom-line-businessman preacher, the for-profit teacher, the gone-to-Florida grandparent, the sex-partner intern, the anti-morality revolutionary professor, the multi-cultural college student, the sensitive no-chest modern mane, the fully-fulfilled-by-my-career-dont-need-men woman, the wealth-is-success young single "Friends". The frontiersman has been displaced by "patio man," as David Brooks put it, and the pioneer mother by "Ellen" and "desperate housewives". [pg 4, A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion]

Society has moved to where "one's beliefs are the result of one's peers rather than one's parents, grandparents, church traditions or national patriotism." America is moving away from being proud of our ancestors to trying to separate ourselves from our ancestors. From standing up for your Church beliefs to trying to change the Church to fit peer beliefs. We have stopped em brassing American and patriotism to trying to improve or change it.

I hope we have not gone to far into the "Teenager Society", but can still pull our moral compass not from what is popular (peer pressure), but from traditions of Church, Family, and Nation.

We were driving to a family function yesterday and a song came on the radio. The song was written by Toby Keith, called "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue". And while I was listening to that song, I remembered how it was a herald of freedom after the attacks on 9/11. But now it is unpopular to think that way. It is really sad to me that the trend in the US is moving away from being "Proud to be an American". We have lost our fight. Society no longer believes in an America that makes the World a better, safer, freer place. Everyone has shifted from what can American do to help the World to what can American do to help ME. Instead of us trying to be strong as a Society and Nation, we are trying to be strong and Individuals. We need to remember, that it was not an individual that won the revolutionary war, and individual that abolished slavery in the US, or an individual that made this great country. It was the nation as a whole, and until we can move back to the traditions of Family, Church, and the Founding Fathers, we will not be able to get ourselves out of this mess.

We need to join together and do what we can do to BUILD AMERICA, instead of individualizing our selfs and seeing what America can do for us.

This is the beginning....

We have officially started down the slippery green slope.

"Obama Announces First Nationwide Regulation of Greenhouse Gases" as reported by the Washington Post. It estimates that the cost of cars will increase the cost of manufacturing by $600-$1,300 per car. Of which will be passed on to the consumer.

Makes lots of sense to increase the cost of production on an industry that is already having economic turmoils and problems.

Why to go. How many more jobs are going to be cut or eliminated because of GREEN policies. If we are to go as green as Spain, we will see a cut of 2.2 jobs for every 1 green job created.

Abortion debate: Gallup says more Americans pro-life | csmonitor.com

Abortion debate: Gallup says more Americans pro-life csmonitor.com

Sweet.... Maybe things are looking up for our country.

Things as They Really Are - Elder David A. Bednar

My Brother-In-Law (Elder Chadd Johnson - currently on a mission) wrote in one of his letters about a CES fireside (May 3rd 2009) that Elder David A. Bednar talked at. I have listened to it several times since he mentioned it. And I want to talk a few minutes about it. If you want to read the entire talk (which I suggest you do), they have finally posted the transcript on LDS.ORG. I suggest that everyone reads it.

Elder Bednar talks about our bodies and Satan tries to get us to misuse our bodies, by violating the law of chastity, using drugs, disfiguring ourselves, and worshiping the idol of a false body image. He also talks about how, "Satan also strives to entice the sons and daughters of God to minimize the importance of their physical bodies." The main way he does this is by trying to get us to disconnect from our bodies and live in a virtual world.

"Today I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes.

If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience."

What I got from his talk is that if you would not do it in real life, then you should not do it in a virtual setting. He also talks about not hiding behind a fake mask on-line. That we should not do things on-line because we think that no one knows who we are, or we can hide behind an avatar. Elder Bednar stated, "The Lord knows who we really are, what we really think, what we really do, and who we really are becoming. " Just because we think we can hide on-line, does not mean that the Lord does not know who we are and what we are trying to do.

He gives us two questions we should ask ourselves when we engage in on-line activities, or any type of activity.

1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

This talk has really made me think about my on-line activities, the games I play, and what I really do with my spare time. I hope that I can remember to ask these two questions each time I start an activity on-line.

But I do want to point out that he also stated, "neither technology nor rapid change in or of itself is good or evil; the real challenge is to understand both within the context of the eternal plan of happiness." We just need to be careful in how we use the technology.

You can download the audio for his talk as well from the CES website on LDS.ORG.

If you have read/heard this talk, please leave a comment and let others know your impressions and thoughts on it.

Bailout Fallout hits Utah

Here is a list of the Dealerships that are on the block that will be hit by the Chrysler Bankruptcy. Chrysler has asked the US Bankruptcy court to reject dealer agreements for 789 dealers, including these 10 in Utah. Remember, the federal government gave these guys money to avoid this. They just posponed it for several months.

Barber Bros Motors Co INC - Spanish Fork, UT
Cutrubus Motors INC - Ogden, UT
Davis Motors INC - Tremonton, UT
Layton Dodge Incorporated - Layton, UT
Lunt Motor Company - Cedar City, UT
Painter Sales and Leasing - Nephi, UT
Painter Sun Country Chr. INC - St George, UT
Parkway Motors - Cedar City, UT
Robert H Hinckley INC - Ogden, UT
Tri State Motors - Cedar City, UT

Source: Exhibit A from the bankruptcy filing.

Marriage Under Attack

A recent study by the US Center for Desease Control has found that nearly 4 in 10 US births were to unmarried women in 2007.

Studies Key Findings:

• Childbearing by unmarried women has resumed a steep climb since 2002.
• Births to unmarried women totaled 1,714,643 in 2007, 26% more than in 2002. Nearly 4 in 10 U.S. births were to unmarried women in 2007.
• Birth rates have risen considerably for unmarried women in their twenties and over, while declining or changing little for unmarried teenagers.
• Nonmarital birth rates are highest for Hispanic women followed by black women. Rates for non-Hispanic white and Asian or Pacific Islander women are much lower.
• Most births to teenagers (86% in 2007) are nonmarital, but 60% of births to women 20–24 and nearly one-third of births to women 25–29 were nonmarital in 2007.
• Teenagers accounted for just 23% of nonmarital births in 2007, down steeply from 50% in 1970.
  

You can read the full report on the cdc.gov website.

Some related sudies:
Increase in Unmarried Childbearing Also Seen in Other Countries
Teen Birth Rates Up Slightly in 2007 for Second Consecutive Year

Gun Ownership Reduces Crime

A recent commentary by Ronald G. Manoni on NewsTime.com points out some good facts. Please read his article for the full details.

1. Less that 1% of crimes using guns are obtained at gun shows, while 39.2% are purchased from illegal street dealers.
2. There is no connection with the effectiveness of firearms laws and violent gun crimes.
3. Guns are used 65 times more often to prevent a crime than commit one.

"While gun ownership has soared, violent crim has dropped... private ownership of guns reduces crime."

First Celebrity Swine Flue Fatality

And we ALL know who gave it to him.....

[Disclaimer: Someone emailed this picture to me, so I don't know who to give credit for it.]

Germany to ban paint ball guns?

Germany after a 17-year-old high-school graduate gunned down 15 people and himself are now proposing stronger gun laws. Using a gun that was legally licensed, but illegally stored that he stole from his father. Germany is looking to making it so that all gun storage use biometric controls. This still would of not stopped the shooting. They already require all guns to be stored in guns safes, etc. This gun was not stored correctly and was already in violation of law. Requiring biometrics on gun storage boxes would not of stopped this shooting.

But they are now also planning on banning, "simulated combat games, including laser tag and paint ball, in which players use infrared sensors or compressed air guns and paint pellets to eliminate each other from play." The fine for playing such a game would be $6,700.

This is an example of government feeling they need to look good by trying to be pro-active. The new gun laws, if they would of been active, would of done nothing to prevent this incident. Once again, it is not the gun itself that killed the people, it was the 17 year old who used the gun that killed the people.

Instead of blaming the gun, lets find out what made the kid kill his classmates and himself. I think his local community failed him, and more gun control is not the answer.

You can read teh full Associate Press article here.

Funny Editorial Cartoonist

Steve Sack is a Editorial Cartoonist for Star tribune (Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota). You can find an archive of all his Editorial Cartoons on the StarTribune.com website.

Obama Flip Flop

In a previous post "Obama Change 1", I quote Uncle Bama, from a 60 minute interview he did saying:

And that we shouldn’t worry about the deficit next year or even the year after. That short term, the most important thing is that we avoid a deepening recession.

Now today he is saying:

We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits don't matter and waste is not our problem. We can no longer afford to leave the hard choices for the next budget, the next administration -- or the next generation.

What??? Which one is it -- we need to worry about the deficit and not worry about future generations, or we should worry about the deficit and future generations?

My personal opinion is that he will say whatever he thinks the American public wants him to say. (Or what the writer of the week wants him to say.) Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. You either worry about the deficit, or you don't. So Uncle Bama, which statement is the correct one? Or am I mistaken and that in the last 4 months the deficit started to matter, but was unimportant before.

Netflix DEAL!

We use netflix and have disconnected our Dish. We now only watch DVDs and don't get regular TV. They have sent me a special offer for friends and family. If you are intrested in checking out Netflix for a month free, all you have to do is click here. Offer expires 6/15/2009.

If you are not using them, it is worth the free month. We are currently signed up for the plan that allows us to have unlimited DVDs two at a time. So we basically can have 2 DVDs at any time, and can have as many as we can during the month. We probably watch 3-4 a week. It only takes them 1 day to receive them, and a day to ship them. So if you put it in the mail on Monday, you usually get the next DVD on Wed.

Today when I was listening to the Book of Mormon on my way to work, there was a term that I had not noticed used before. In 3rd Nephi when the Lord is visiting the Nephites, he says the following:

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. [ 3 Nephi 24:17 ]

This is the first time I noticed the word Jewels. This started me thinking. How are jewels made? We always hear about the refiners fire and we are compared to Gold, Sliver, and hard Iron. But this is the first time I noticed that we are compared to jewels. The analogy is that we are raw stones that are then polished and cut during our lives. It is actually a pretty cool and easy to understand analogy.

Here are a couple more scripture references that use the term jewel and crown.

D&C 60: 4 For I, the Lord, rule in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels, all men shall know what it is that bespeaketh the power of God.

D&C 101: 3: Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels.

Isa. 62: 3: Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Mal. 3: 17: And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Slippery Slope.... Gun Control Without Gun Laws

The great Eliot Spitzer has an idea for Gun Control. Remember, this is the Former Governor of New York that was found to frequent prostitutes. Now he has given Obama advice on how to Control Guns without having to worry about the people, or congress. The full article can be read on line at Slate Magazine.

His idea is simple.... Since the US government buys guns by the crates, then they should control who the gun manufactures sell to.

Modern government is not only a lawmaker. Indeed, the most effective executive powers may not derive from statutes at all. The government that President Obama oversees is also a gigantic, well-funded procurement agent. And it can—and should—use that power to change American gun policies. Specifically, the government buys lots of guns, for sheriffs, patrol officers, and detectives; for FBI agents, DEA agents, IRS agents, Postal Inspectors, immigration agents, and park rangers; and for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and spies. The government buys guns by the crate.

His justification for this is...

In this era of government ownership of financial institutions, we are getting more used to the notion that government as an economic actor can exercise its power in differing ways. After all, firms that received TARP money are subject to a bevy of pay restrictions—wisely constructed or not—and were forced to cancel showy parties and retreats.

If we can use a capital infusion to a bank as an opportunity to control executive compensation and to limit use of private planes, why can't the government use its weight as the largest purchaser of guns from major manufacturers to reward companies that work to keep their products out of criminals' hands? Put another way, if it is too difficult to outlaw bad conduct through statutes, why not pay for good conduct? Why not require vendors to change their behavior if they want our tax dollars?

The slippery slope has started. Notice his logic here. Because the government has already started to own financial institutions, then the public is use to government ownership. Why not use that momentum to bypass the people and congress and force gun control by economic sanctions on the private sector.

If President Obama wants to devise a creative way to limit gun violence, he will use his power as the world's largest consumer to require the cooperation of gun manufacturers. If government cannot legislate the conduct it wants, then it can use market power to buy it. For the money we are spending, we should buy not only guns but some peace from gun violence.

We can't do it legally because of this funny thing call the Second Amendment. So we need to think of a "creative way" to control guns. Anyone else see a dangerous mindset here? Here is just one example of a politician that thinks that because we have government control in one area, that is justification for government control in another area.