BioHazardBlog

End of an ERA...

2011-03-31T12:56:00.001-06:00

This BLOG is now a dead BLOG. I will no longer be updating this blog. I have moved to a new location. You can find my new blog at:

http://www.dadzoolife.com/

I have moved most of my post to this new location. Please update your bookmarks, and any links that you have to this old blog so you can stay up to date.

Thanks,
Mike Kieffer

Church Ladies With typewriters . . .

2011-03-30T13:58:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine sent this to me... I had to post it.

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.

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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

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Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..

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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered..

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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM . All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.

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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM . Please use the back door.

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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM .... The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours..

Technology - When does it cross the line?

2011-03-25T10:29:00.000-06:00

First, I want to apologize for the length of this post. This is something I have been thinking about for a while, and found my thoughts wordy.

In the Star Trek universe, there is a race of beings called the Borg. The Borg goes around the universe assimilating cultures into their collective. During the process, the people of the culture become part machine and part organic. The Borg’s goal is to create a universe full of super beings. After the process of merging the technology with the organic, it then becomes impossible to separate the two. If you remove the technology, then the organic dies because it can no longer support itself without the technology.

I am reminded of the Borg every time I see someone connected to a device via a blue tooth headset. It is now not uncommon to see people walking around the store talking to themselves. At one time, it was considered rude to be on the phone in public, but now that simple politeness has been eliminated. You can no longer hide from the phone.

I have been part of technology since I could first get my hands on it. I worked on computers that people today would laugh at. I was there when the 8088 processor started hitting the market. My first computer was an 8086, now we are light years ahead of that technology. I remember 5.25 floppy disks, and when hard drives were considered big if they could hold 10 Megabytes. Now we have mobile phones that make this technology look like a 2 year olds drawing.

We have integrated technology so well into our society, that it now cannot be separated. Everyone expects to be able to hook up to the internet and access any type of information that they want to access. They have to have constant access to text messaging and to email. We are not to the point we have been assimilated like the Borg, but a lot of people would be lost if the technology were removed.

I think that technology has its place, and it has made life easier for some of us. In the IT field, I can tell you that technology has made things harder for some as well. Now that email is considered a business critical application, my work has been getting more and more complicated over the years. If email goes down, the company has a very hard time being productive. I am now even at the point that I would prefer to talk to co-workers via email than on the phone.

Technology has helped society a lot, but I think that it has also hurt society in several ways. The purpose of this post is to discuss a couple of those ways. Technology has become a substitute for some of the things we need as humans. As technology gets smaller, cheaper and easier to use, it has started replacing humanity with a Borg sense of assimilation.

One of the biggest places where technology has impacted society is in the building of families. The trend I have noticed in the last few years is a moving from family members for support and entertainment to technology for that support and entertainment. Here are a few examples that I have noticed in the last little while.

NOTE: Please do not take offense to what I say in the next part of this post. I may not agree with some of you, but that does not mean that I don’t like you and think you are good people. Some people just do things differently then I think they should be done. Just like some of you think that having 6 kids is crazy, even more so when Momzoo and I talk about having more.

First, Punk #2 was involved in her 5th grade science fair. Her project (“The wrath of grapes” – A study of which fabric cleaner gets grape stains out the best) was selected to go to the district meet. I went to the High School with her the night they presented their projects. While we were waiting for the judging to finish, and the medals to be given out, I spent some time people watching. (People watching can be one of my favorite things to do.) There was a family in front of us. It was a family of 5 – Mom, Dad, and three kids. Out of the 5 family members, 4 of them were on mobile devices. They were either playing games, or texting friends. The Mom was the only one not connected, and was watching her husband play Angry Birds with a very bored look on her face. In the first two rows of the auditorium, we counted 18 people using mobile devices out of 50 people. Was this Family event bringing the family closer? In the case of this family, I would say it was not. Sure they were there to support a fellow family member, but instead of talking about their day, their interests, their dreams, and their aspirations, they were all too busy using technology. It was a moment lost where a family unit could be strengthened. Momzoo and I are going to be putting some rules in place that make cell phones and mobile devices banned from such activities. It is not good enough for the family to just be together, but they need to interact with each other as well.

Second, as DVD players and TVs get smaller and cheaper, they are now popping up everywhere. The other day I saw a Van, pulling into the local grocery store, with 4 video screens playing a movie. I was amused with this. Has society gotten to the point that we now need to entertain our family with technology during a drive to the grocery store? I hear people say that they use it to keep the kids occupied so they don’t fight, etc. Sounds to me like technology is being used to replace parenting. Why do people think it is so bad to say, “You kids settle down, or I am going to turn this Van around”? Momzoo and I have decided that we will not be putting a DVD player in our Van, or our cars. The temptation has been there, but we feel it is more important for the family to interact with each other instead of letting technology help pass the time. It is amazing what you can learn by engaging your kids in conversation during this time, or just listening to them while you are driving. Time in the car use to be used as a bonding experience, people use to take road trips to get closer. Now society takes road trips because they are required for the destination. Soon no one will know how to play the ABC game, I spy, or the Doubles Game while driving. They may be annoying, but they are things the kids will remember, and keeps them watching the scenery and paying attention to what is going on around them, instead of what movie is currently showing.

Third, technology can be a BIG waste of time. Instead of spending time reading good books, interacting with family members, it is not unusual to see people spending every “FREE” minute they have using technology. Don’t get me wrong, I love computer games. I have been known to spend hours in a dark room with a computer game. I am working on this, and have made some pretty good improvements on this front. But I think that technology has taken a real toll on our young kids. The other day, (I have seen this twice now from different kids) a kid was writing a letter. They were writing “we” in their letter. But they spelled the word “wii” instead. It may sound funny and cute, but think about it. We now have a piece of technology that has replaced the word we. Instead of we being a group of people to interact with, we is now a gaming console. I have also recently seen one of my kids be made fun of because we don’t own a “wii”. Gaming systems have now become a status symbol. Yeah, I know you can get wii fit is supposed to be good for you. But do you really think it is a valid replacement for riding a bike, roller blading, or taking a hike in the mountains?

We have also heard about the impact of texting on our youth. We have been warned and warned about it. Sexting is an increasing issue. People think that they can say whatever they want when texting. Search the news, and you will constantly see articles about kids getting in trouble because they are sexting each other. It has even gotten to the point that the x-generation is unable to interview correctly. They don’t have the skills needed to sell themselves face to face. Their social filter is never developed, and they are having a hard time reading face to face non-verbal communication.

Children need to be introduced to technology, they have to know how to use it to compete in the world, but as parents we need to find a way to stop the technology from harming instead of helping our kids. Do kids really need a cell phone? Do kids really need to have the ability to text their friends 24 hours a day 7 days a week? Do we really need to just give them technology to entertain them so they are quiet?

There are only 24 hours in a day. As technology takes up more and more hours per day, it pushes other things out. We need to make sure that technology does not push the import things out of our lives. Technology should not replace family and religion.

Ask, and it shall be given you....

2011-01-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

SPOILER NOTICE: If you have not read the book Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, and you plan on reading it, you probably do not want to read this post. I am quoting from that book, and the quote may give some of the story away.

One of the themes that goes through the book is reference to the scripture, "Ask, and it shall be given you..." Towards the end of the book, the main character says something that gave me a lot of insight into that scripture. (I think it is funny how sometimes you get insight in political and religious views from a non political or religious book. That is one of the powerful tools an author can use.) The character Will Tweedy says the following:

"Grandpa didn't think Jesus meant, by that, that we should ast God for things, or for special favors. He said we could trust that in the nature of things, without astin', we'll get lots of blessin;s and happy surprises and maybe a miracle or two. When Jesus said ast and you'll get it, He meant things of the spirit, not the flesh. Right now, for instance, I could ast, 'Lord, please raise Grandpa from the dead,' but it wouldn't happen. But I can say, 'Please, God, comfort me.' and I'll get heart's ease. Grandpa said Jesus meant us to ast for hope, forgiveness, and all like that. Ast, 'Hep us not be scared, hep us not be greedy, give us courage to try.'"

Will continues, "Ast any such and God will give it to you. But don't ast Him not to let fire burn, or say spare me from death. At least, uh, that's what Grandpa said."

There are also scriptures that tell us that with faith we can move mountains, and that with faith anything is possible. But there is always the disclaimer of, if it is God's will. I personally don't know anyone that could move a mountain with faith. I know that I could not do it. This book made me think. How often do we pray for more money, a bigger house, and for other monetary blessings? We may even pray for the Lord to guide us to friends, family, etc that need our help. But how often do we pray that the Lord would calm our hearts, bring peace to our minds, have His Spirit talk to the Spirit of child who needs comfort? This is one thing I am going to do more in the next year. I am going to pray more for the Lord to calm my spirit, give me peace when things may be hard, and to remove anger from my soul.

I think that Will is right. That the Lord wanted us to ask for things of the Spirit as well as things of the world. But I think that if we ask for things of the Spirit, they will be more in line with the Will of the Lord and we will be more likely to see our prayers answered. If we ask to have anger, greed, resentment, bad thoughts and feelings removed, and replaced with calm, peace, and contentment, we will see the Lord work miracles in our lives.

New Sweeping Legislation - The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA)

2011-01-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC (AP) - Congress approved sweeping legislation, which provides new benefits for many Americans. The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA), signed into law by President Barack Obama shortly after its passage, is being hailed as a major victory by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition.

"Roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society," said Obama, a longtime AWNA supporter.

"This is why many of them voted for me. We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they do a better job, or have some idea of what they are doing," said Obama.

President Obama pointed to the success of the US Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 80 percent of postal employees lack job skills, making this agency the single largest US employer of Persons of Inability.

Private sector industries with good records of nondiscrimination against the Inept include retail sales (72%), the airline industry (68%),and home improvement "warehouse" stores (65%).

President Obama has also set an example, personally selecting hundreds of Nonabled people for top government positions, including many cabinet-level jobs.

Under the Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million "middle man" positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance.

Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given, to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations which maintain a significant level of Persons of Inability in top positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.

Finally, the AWNAA contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Nonabled, banning discriminatory interview questions such as "Do you have any goals for the future?" or "Do you have any skills or experience which relate to this job?" and "Are you awake?"

"As a Nonabled person, I can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them," said Mary Lou Gertz, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, MI due to her lack of notable job skills.

"This new law should really help people like me."

With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Said Obama, "It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her adequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this great nation."

And my father dwelt in a tent

2011-01-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

6. Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel. 1 Nephi 1:6

I have always wondered why Nehi told everyone that his father dwelt in a tent. I also think that everything in the scriptures, no matter how minor it may seem, was put there for a reason. It was not easy for Nephi to write on the plates. It would take time and resources to do so. So why would he waste the time to tell us that his father dwelt in a tent? The reason I came up with was the fact that he wanted us to know what type of sacrifice that his family had to give up in order to follow what the Lord told them to do. In chapter 3 he continues to say: "... for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord." (1 Nephi 3:16)

Nephi and his family gave up a lot of stuff because the Lord commanded them to do so. We are familiar with the story of them going back to get the brass plates. The riches the left behind were so great that they made Labon want them, and to take them by what ever means he could. They left behind a lot and then dwelt in a tent because the Lord told them to.

I recently had a hard time giving up some of my riches. At Christmas, I was given some money and a gift card that I could use to buy what I wanted. So I went to Target and purchased a computer game. When I was at checkout, the clerk asked me for my ID. I thought that was funny and went home. While I was going home I wondered why she asked for my ID. When I got home I noticed that the game I just purchased had a rating of M on it, or 17+. I had a battle in my head over that rating. We have been trying hard to keep that type of stuff out of our home, but I REALLY wanted to play this game. So the game went back to the store, and I purchased something that the entire family could have fun using.

I have not been asked to live in a tent, and I have not had to give up a lot of my riches. 10% is really not that much if you think about all that the Lord has given you. But it made me think. I had a hard time giving up a M rated game. Would I have a hard time giving up something of more value, or would I be able to follow the Lord's commandment if it included living in a tent?

During the last few weeks, I have been listening to the 2010 October General Conference on the way to work. And something hit me pretty hard in a couple of the talks. In the first session, Elder Claudio R. M. Costa gave a talk by the title of, "Obedience to the Prophets." In this talk he references a talk by President Ezra Taft Benson (when he was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles). The talk he referenced was given at a BYU devotional in the Marriott Center in 1980. The talk called, "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet" included 14 things that we should know about the prophet, and the importance of having a living prophet on the Earth today. (I am not going to list the 14 fundamentals here, because I want to you to back and read them yourself).

Then, later that day there was a talk by Elder Kevin R. Duncan called "Our Very Survival". Elder Duncan then gives the same reference that Elder Costa did, and then lists the 14 fundamentals again. I then started to think, why do you think that two of the brethren would quote the exact same fireside by President Benson? I think that it is because we needed to hear it twice for it to sink in.

It makes me wonder what commandment the Lord is going to give through his prophet that we may find hard to listen to. Why is it so important for us to know what type of revelation the Lord and give us through is prophets? Will we be willing to live in a tent, and to forsake what the Lord asks us to give up. If the prophet gave us a laundry list of things to remove form our lives, would we get rid of those riches and live in a tent if commanded to? Are we going to be to prideful to give up our M rated computer games... If we can't do that, then how are we suppose to give up the hard things if asked? Like Pride, Jealousy, and the other sins that many of us want to keep as riches.

Elder Scott gave a talk entitled "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character", on the same day of Conference. In his talk he talks about how important it is for us to have Faith and Character to be able to do what the Lord asks us to do. "The bedrock of character is integrity. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to recognize the direction of the Spirit and to be obedient to it. Your consistent exercise of faith builds strong character. A secure foundation for your growing character is laid by making Jesus Christ and His teachings the center of your life." We need to be able to have Character so when the Lord asks us through his prophets to do something that may be hard, we will have the strength to be obedient to it. Elder Scott continues:

Material things do not of themselves produce happiness and satisfaction and the joy of attainment on earth. Nor do they lead us to exaltation. It is nobility of character, that fabric of inner strength and conviction woven from countless righteous decisions, that gives life its direction. A consistent, righteous life produces an inner power and strength that can be permanently resistant to the eroding influence of sin and transgression. Your faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commandments will strengthen your character. Your character is a measure of what you are becoming. It is the evidence of how well you are using your time on earth in this period of mortal probation.

He also tells us that "character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used." We need to develop character and be obedient by using our faith so that we can do what the Lord asks us to do. Even if he asks us to give up our riches and go live in a tent.

Elder Scott continues, "Neither Satan nor any other power can destroy or undermine your growing character. Only you could do that through disobedience. A sterling character is converted into worthless ashes when eroded by deceit or transgression."

Lets make sure that we keep our Character and Faith strong, so that when the Prophets tell us to do something we can be obedient to those commandments. So that our character is not eroded by deceit or transgression.

Why the Gun is Civilization

2010-12-07T10:24:00.001-07:00

This essay has been floating around the internet. It has been attributed to several authors, but the real author is Marko Kloos and was written on March 23, 2007 [Source]. He has granted permission to those who wish to use it for non-profit reasons. I have not heard a better pro-gun essay, and wanted to post it here as well. (If someone sends you this via email, and it is not attributed to Marko Kloos, please let them know who the really essay writer is.)
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Why the gun is civilization.

By Marko Kloos

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that’s it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we’d be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger’s potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat–it has no validity when most of a mugger’s potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that’s the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there’s the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don’t constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that’s as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn’t work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn’t both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation…and that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

Random Religious Questions....

2010-12-01T12:14:00.002-07:00

I have a couple of questions that I have been pondering that I would like to share, and then give what I think may be the answer to these questions. I am by no means saying that what I think is the truth. But we have been told to liken the scriptures to ourselves and these are the things that the scriptures have told me.

The first question came to me while reading 2 Nephi 4:18-21. In those versus Nephi talks about how he is "encompassed about" by temptation. He then says, "And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins..." Everyone talks about how great a man Nephi was, and how we all should be like him. Why does Nephi talk about how his sins make his "heart groaneth"? Had Nephi not repented of his sins? What sins could Nephi of committed that make his "heart groaneth" when he thinks of them?

I think the answer is because Nephi really understood the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He may of repented of his sins, but he still knew that those sins caused Jesus Christ to "bleed at every pore." D&C 19:17-18 reads:

17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink

I would guess that the sins that Nephi committed were small in nature, but he understood that those sins caused some of the pain that Jesus Christ had to suffer so that we could return to live with our Heavenly Father.   Someone had to suffer for our sins. Christ suffered for them, so that we could have repentance. He suffered for every sin, no matter how small, or how insignificant it may of seemed. Even the smallest sin caused Jesus Christ pain and suffering. And I think that Nephi knew this, and that is why even small sins made his "heart groaneth".

The second scripture I found was in Alma 32.   In Alma 32, Alma is teaching the "word of God unto the people".    While teaching he notices a group of people that have been kicked out of the synagogues because of the "coarseness of their apparel."   Alma then ignores the people in the synagogue and then turns his full attention to the poor behind him listening. In Alma 32:13 he talks about how the people were blessed because they were compelled to be humble. But then in the following versus, he talks about how those who are not compelled to be humble are "much more blessed" than those who were compelled to be humbled. This make me start to think, why would God bless one group more than he would bless the other? I think the answer is this. God is not blessing one group more than the other. But the one group is blessed more because they did not sin. Those who "without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe" are more blessed. Not because God thinks they are better, or wants to punish them, but because they were unable to receive as many blessings from God.

Those who sin, and then are compelled to repent are indeed blessed less than those who have not sinned and accepted the truth without being compelled. They did not have to go down the road of repentance, and tasted of its sorrow.  They have been able to receive blessings from God while the sinner missed out on those same blessings. This is how the sinner that eventually becomes humble is less blessed than the one who believes from the beginning.

D&C 130:21 reminds us of this principle: "And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." The more laws that we obey, the greater our blessings will be. It is not that God gives more blessings to one individual over another, but that the individual does not obtain blessings because of lack of obedience. Therefore, the ones that are not compelled to be humble and follow the gospel do indeed receive less blessings then those that follow the gospel from the beginning.

Having said that, I think that everyone has room to repent. The LDS church as a wonderful program on Addiction Recovery. The recovery program has 12 steps. (It is based off of the AA addiction recovery program).   When people hear about additions, they usually think of Word of Wisdom issues. But after seeing this program work in others lives, I think it is beneficial to anyone who has any type of addition. I think that everyone has some type of addiction they are struggling with. It may not be a Word of Wisdom issue (smoking, alcohol, drugs) or a moral issue (pornography, inappropriate sexual behavior) but could be something like pride, R rated movies, computer games/online activities, etc.

Everyone would benefit from this program.

I have been on a Joshua Creek kick lately, a mix of country and gospel. I really like this song, and find it to be appropriate for this post. The song is called "I Love You, Son".

Holy Ghost or Must My Crazy Mind.

2010-11-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have had several things happen this past week that have made me as the question. "Was that a prompting from the Holy Ghost, or was that just my crazy mind giving me a suggestion."   And then the second question that I have had, is "How can I tell the difference?"

Let me tell you the two stories that prompted the question.

On Monday I was given the task of installing a new computer program. I had the maintenance window scheduled, and had started to do the install.   Things did not go as planned. During the install the program would not install correctly, and kept giving me the same error. At that point I thought to myself that I should re-run a script that was ran before to see if that would fix the error.   I did not re-run the script, and because of that I worked on it until Thursday.   I gave up, and called Microsoft for help. $259 later, and 4 hours of waiting for a call back, the tech told me to re-run the script.   The script was re-ran, and it then gave an error message that made everything make sense. The software I was trying to install was the wrong version, and after installing the correct version, everything worked as planned.   Man, I wasted 4 days worth of work because I did not listen to the thought I had to "re-run the script".

Also during the week, I was about to leave the sub-division when I was prompted to go check the tire on the van. We have had a slow leak over the last month on the van, and a little air every couple of weeks fixed the problem. I had not had a chance to take the Van to the shop to get it fix. Well I get to work, and get on the phone with Microsoft for the first issue, when Momzoo calls and tells me she has a flat tire. That was the same day I was prompted to check it on my way into work. Her an the neighbor changed the tire, she was able to get to her appointment, and then took it to the shop to get it fixed. There was a nail in the tire. Man, I really let that one go. If I would of listened, and went back to check the tire, I would of been able to change it for Momzoo and been able to make her day a little easier.

So then the question come to me. "How do you tell if it is the Holy Ghost that is giving you the prompting, or if it is your own crazy thinking?"   You will never guess what we were talking about in Elders Quorum Sunday... You guessed it, the difference between the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and the influence of the Holy Ghost. Well, I thought I would ask the other Elders what they thought, and asked that question.   Here is what I have learned from the Elders in my ward, as well as from my pondering the question over the weekend.

One of the things that come up was that sometimes even the general authorities my have a hard time recognizing the Spirit. Jeffery R Holland tells the following story in an article entitled, President Thomas S. Monson: Man of Action, Man of Faith, Always “on the Lord’s Errand”. This article can be found in the Feb 1986 Ensign, page 10.

Twenty-three-year-old Tom Monson, relatively new bishop of the Sixth-Seventh Ward in the Temple View Stake, was uncharacteristically restless as the stake priesthood leadership meeting progressed. He had the distinct impression that he should leave the meeting immediately and drive to the Veterans’ Hospital high up on the Avenues of Salt Lake City. Before leaving home that night he had received a telephone call informing him that an older member of his ward was ill and had been admitted to the hospital for care. Could the bishop, the caller wondered, find a moment to go by the hospital sometime and give a blessing? The busy young leader explained that he was just on his way to a stake meeting but that he certainly would be pleased to go by the hospital as soon as the meeting was concluded.

Now the prompting was stronger than ever: “Leave the meeting and proceed to the hospital at once.” But the stake president himself was speaking at the pulpit! It would be most discourteous to stand in the middle of the presiding officer’s message, make one’s way over an entire row of brethren, and then exit the building altogether. Painfully he waited out the final moments of the stake president’s message, then bolted for the door even before the benediction had been pronounced.

Running the full length of the corridor on the fourth floor of the hospital, the young bishop saw a flurry of activity outside the designated room. A nurse stopped him and said, “Are you Bishop Monson?”

“Yes,” was the anxious reply.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “The patient was calling your name just before he passed away.”

Fighting back the tears, Thomas S. Monson turned and walked back into the night. He vowed then and there that he would never again fail to act upon a prompting from the Lord. He would acknowledge the impressions of the Spirit when they came, and he would follow wherever they led him, ever to be “on the Lord’s errand.”

There are two things that I learned from this story. First, always listen when the Spirit talks to you, and Second, anyone can be confused by the promptings of the Spirit.

One of the Elders pointed out two Scriptures. John 14:26 - "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."   Notice the wording... He will teach you ALL things, bring ALL things to your remembrance.   It does not say he will only bring some things, or important things. But his role is for ALL things. D&C 42:17 continues this by stating, "For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son." The Comforter (Holy Ghost) also knows ALL things.

So how does knowing this help you recognize the Spirit? It gives you the knowledge that he knows all things, and can therefore prompt you at any time about anything. It does not have to be life altering, religious in nature, etc. It can be about anything, and at anytime.   Like the two examples I gave, they are not religious in nature, and would only save me some time. But they were something that the Spirit thought I needed ot know.

Another comment that was made was that if we are in doubt, pray about it. If you have a question about if the prompting you are receiving is from the Holy Ghost, or something you are making up in you mind, you should pray about it. Ask our Heavenly Father if it is truly a prompting from Him.   If you believe in prayer, He will confirm the prompting to you.

I hope that these insights help someone feel and understand the promptings of the Spirit. This is something tha I do not do as often as I should, and will be looking for ways to be better at it in the future. I am going to try to listen more intently, and to act on those promptings. Because no matter what the prompting is, little or small, there is a reason for it.

Our duty to keep and bear arms... - Thoughts by Richard Kohler

2010-11-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine prepared these notes, and I wanted to share them. I was going to post them on inside84045.org, but felt that because of the religious nature of the notes this was a better place to post them.

Feel free to share them...

Title: Notes On: Our duty to keep and bear arms at all times: to defend ourselves, our families, friends; to preserve life and liberty even unto bloodshed.

You can read the notes in PDF for by going to: http://www.inside84045.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Self_Defense_-_Our_duty.pdf and reading it from the media library there.

God's Love

2010-10-17T22:31:00.000-06:00

A year ago, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sent me a letter for my birthday. Since my birthday is coming around again this year I wanted to talk a little bit about that letter. Elder Johnson said something in his letter that has had me thinking since I read it.

"One thing I've learned recently is the love the Lord has for his children. I guess I always knew it, but now I feel it! I'm sure you know what I mean. When you feel something it is the spirit manifesting the truth of it all the time. That is the goal. " Elder Johnson - October 26, 2009

That one comment about "now I feel it", made me think. I have felt the spirit of the Lord on a lot of occasions. When I was married in the temple, during the birth and the baptisms of my children, and it has testified of the truth during other church meetings. But have I ever really felt the love of the Lord? This blog post is to help me find the answer to that question. Have I ever felt the Love of the Lord? I am not talking about the manifestation of the Spirit that testifies of truth, but the feeling that the Lord and our Heavenly Father loves me. I have felt love a lot of times. I have felt the love of my wife, my parents, family members, and my children. But have I really ever felt the love of the Lord?

Lets start by defining what God's Love really is. God, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, our eldest brother are two different beings. The scriptures tell us that they are one in purpose, and that Christ is like the Father and that they are as one. (3 Nephi 28:10). By studying some of the attributes of our Heavenly Father and Christ, we get an idea of what their love would be like.

In a revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet in April 1830, we are told that: "By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them;" (D&C 20:17). I think that we can take these attributes and then apply them to the Love that our Heavenly Father and Christ have. We learn that their love is infinite, eternal, everlasting, and unchangeable. We could also say that because both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are perfect, then their love must be a perfect love as well.

In the first book of Nephi, Nephi's father Lehi tells his sons about visions he has had. Nephi wants to know the meaning of the visions his father had, so he prays to God. God tells him what he wants to know, and in chapter 11 we are give more information on the love of God. "Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things." (1 Nephi 11:22). Not only is his love perfect and everlasting, but it is the "most desirable" thing we could want to have.

We also learn that it is very important for us to have and show love.

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 22:36-40)

Why do you think that loving God and our neighbors are on the top of the list of commandments? If you ask most people, they would tell you that it is because it is a way for us to sacrifice and to put aside the natural man. That by loving God and others, we show that we really do indeed love God. I think it has more of a meaning than that. I think that by loving God and our neighbors, we are actually feeling Gods love. Let me explain.

In John chapter 4, we are told alot about love. He adds to the doctrine taught in Matthew.

7: every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God
8: for God is love
10: Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
11: God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us
16: God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
21: That he who loveth God love his brother also

I think I finally understand. Elder Johnson is really feeling the love of God, what better way to feel the love of God than to be serving your fellow men on a mission. By serving and loving them, you are feeling the love of God. The more you share and show love, the more you will feel the love of God. (Note: Just think, the more children you have, and the more love you show them, the greater the love you will feel from God. Maybe that is also one of the reasons the Church has such a positive stance to wards families.)

Elder Gene R Cook of the Seventy in a talk called, "Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love" stated the following:

Recognizing, Receiving, and Conveying God’s Love

How, then, can we better “clothe [ourselves] with the bond of charity … of perfectness and peace”? May I share with you three suggestions

1. Recognize His love. “Pray … with all the energy of heart” for this gift. Do so in meekness with a broken heart, and you will be filled with hope and love from the Holy Ghost Himself. He will reveal Christ to you.

It is part of the gift of charity to be able to recognize the Lord’s hand and feel His love in all that surrounds us. At times it will not be easy to discover the Lord’s love for us in all that we experience, because He is a perfect, anonymous giver. You will search all your life to uncover His hand and the gifts He has bestowed upon you because of His intimate, modest, humble way of granting such wonderful gifts.

Ponder with me a moment the following majestic gifts: the glories of all creation, the earth, the heavens; your feelings of love and joy; His responses of mercy, forgiveness, and innumerable answers to prayer; the gift of loved ones; and finally the greatest gift of all—the Father’s gift of His atoning Son, the perfect one in charity, even the God of love.

2. Receive His love in humility. Be grateful for the gift and especially for the giver of the gift. True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him. As you come to truly know the Lord, you will find an intimate, sacred relationship built on trust. You will come to know He understands your anguish and will, in compassion, always respond to you in love.

Receive it. Feel it. It is not enough just to know that God loves you. The gift is to be felt continually day by day. It will then be a divine motivator throughout your life. Repent. Remove any worldliness from your life, including anger. Receive a continual remission of your sins, and you will bridle all your passions and be filled with love.

3. Convey His love. The Lord’s response to us is always filled with love. Should not our response to Him be in kind, with real feelings of love? He gives grace (or goodness) for grace, attribute for attribute. As our obedience increases, we receive more grace (or goodness) for the grace we return to Him. Offer Him the refinement of your attributes, so that when He does appear you will be like Him.

As a man first immerses his thoughts in love and conveys those feelings to God, man, or self, a magnified portion of that attribute will surely follow from the Spirit. That is true of all godly attributes. Righteous feelings generated by a man seem to precede the increase of those feelings from the Spirit. Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. The Lord has told us to love one another as He loves us, so remember: to be loved, truly love.

Elder Cook finishes by saying:

Brothers and sisters, as an especial witness of Christ, I bear testimony to you again of the overwhelming love of God for each of us personally. Magnifying that gift from God will bring a new heart, a pure heart, and ever-increasing love and peace. As we increasingly think and act like Him, the attributes of the natural man will slip away to be replaced by the heart and the mind of Christ. We will become like Him and then truly receive Him.

The scriptures and the prophets tell us that if we love one another, then we will in turn feel the love of Jesus Christ and the love of our Heavenly Father. I guess that if I want to feel the love of God more in my life, that I better stop thinking about myself and start showing more love to wards those around me.

In his talk, Elder Cook talks about the Destroyers of Love,

"Yet there stands the devil, the destroyer of this love, replacing it with anger and hostility. My friend William felt that way: hostile. It seemed that whatever happened, it was the Lord’s fault—an illness, a death, a wayward child, a personal weakness, an “unanswered” prayer—all of which hardened his heart. His inner anger, which could flare up in but a moment, was directed toward God, his fellowman, and himself. From his heart emanated unbelief, stubbornness, pride, contention, and a loss of hope, love, and direction. He was miserable!

These destroyers of peace blinded William to God’s feelings for him. He could neither discover nor feel God’s love. He did not see, especially in those dark moments, that God was richly blessing him even still. Instead, he returned anger for love. Have we not all felt that at times? Even when we have merited love the least, He has loved us the most. Truly, He loves us first.

If we want to feel of Gods love, we also need to remove anything from our lives that takes away from the love and peace we can show to others. If we watch, listen, or participate in things that are contrary to Gods will, we will not be able to feel his love.

But we must always remember, just because our lives may not me in order for us to constantly feel the love of God, that does not mean that He does not Love us. We just need to find what in our life is stopping us from being able to see that love. If we do that, we will taste of his love, and it will be the "most desirable" thing we could want and seek. It is a never ending cycle. The more you love others, the more you feel the love of God, and the more you desire that feeling. We just need to remember that Satan is trying to stop us from feeling that love, and trying to make us think that other things are more desirable than it.

President packer... Cont.

2010-10-15T08:43:00.000-06:00

A lot has been said and a lot will be said about President Packer's talk from Conference Oct 2010. Someone forwarded this link to me:

http://gaymormonguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/president-packers-talk-from-gay-mormon.html?spref=fb

This is a blog post by a Gay Mormon and his presepective on the talk. It think that the author of this blog understands the post better than I did. Please give it a read, he has a very insightful insight.

Everlasing punishment

2010-10-14T09:13:00.001-06:00

In the Book of Mormon, there is a King/Prophet named Benjamin, that while serving his people helped them keep peace for a long time. He is about to die, so he is addressing his people one final time. I would say that this is the first account of a General Conference in the scriptures. King Benjamin has everyone gather in family groups around the Temple. He then builds a tower so that as many people as possible can hear him. (We now use mass media). Then has the words written down so that those who could not hear him can read his words. (The Ensign, and Internet are used now.) Sounds like what the Church is doing today twice a year. Gather the saints, give them counsel and doctrine, and then writing it down so people who could not hear can read it.

During his final words, he says this Mosiah 2:31-36:

31 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done. As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father, and have prospered, and have been kept from falling into the hands of your enemies, even so if ye shall keep the commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall have no power over you.

32 But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.

33 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.

34 I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem;

35 And also, all that has been spoken by our fathers until now. And behold, also, they spake that which was commanded them of the Lord; therefore, they are just and true.

36 And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—

He makes the point that the keeping the Lords commandments have kept them safe for generations. Notice that he also passes the office to someone else and says that by following the next prophet we can also be protected. Then he points out that if they start to have contentions among themselves that things are going to change.

He also mentions that everyone knows this expect for the little children. I think that he is implying that we need to keep educating the children, or we will also lose our peaceful state.

I think that this scripture applies to us now. There has been a lot of contentions among the saints concerning Prop 8, and President Packer's recent conference talk. We need to make sure that we do not "list to obey the evil spirit", and that we teach our children what the prophets have said. (As a member of the LDS Church, I have sustained President Packer as a Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and have agreed to support him in his calling. By supporting him, I also agree to follow his warnings and council.)

King Benjamin in those versus then tells us, "ye have known and have been taught all these things, if you should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, you do withdraw yourself from the Spirit of the Lord, that it my have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved--" I think this warning still stands. If we go contrary to what the prophets have spoken then we lose blessings, the promise of prosperity, and will not be preserved.

NOTE: I just want to make something clear. I am not saying that homosexuals will get Everlasting punishment. The people that will get Everlasing punishment are those that fight the council and words of the prophets. Those that harbor the spirit of contention and cause fighting between the saints of the Church. That applies to both Heterosexuals and Homosexuals.

President Packer said WHAT?

2010-10-08T11:45:00.001-06:00

There has been a lot of "wars, and rumors of wars" over what President Boyd K Packer said in the Oct 2010 General Conference about the stance the Church has on Homosexuality. The wars have started because of a talk entitled, "Cleansing the Inner Vessel." In that talk President Packer says:

We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage. We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. From the Book of Mormon we learn that “wickedness never was happiness.” Alma 41:10

Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father.

First I want to point out, that no where in his talk does he say that we DON'T LOVE anyone, and that we should PERSECUTE anyone or HATE them. As an apostle of the Lord, he is giving us advise and telling us about things in the world that we should avoid and not justify.

There are a couple of things I want to remind people of when they respond to this talk. There are a couple of misconceptions that people are using to, "kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God." (D&C 121:38)

First, who's church is it....

A lot of people forget when they are trying to persuade people to fight against the words of President Packer that this is not President Packer's church. This is not President Monson's church, your church, my church or the member's church. We all may belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), but it is not our church. We need to remember that this is the Lord's church. It is a church that is not lead by men, but lead by Jesus Christ himself and our Heavenly Father. If you don't have a testimony of who is really in charge of this church, then you need to get down on your knees and ask the Lord to testify with his spirit and the Holy Ghost to let you KNOW it is His church. This church is not the church of man, it is the church of GOD.

Second, GOD does not change...
A lot of people are also confused on this topic. Yes, it is true that GOD does not change. There are a lot of scriptures that say He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and forever". Yes, God's nature is unchangeable. And there are a couple of things that GOD cannot do. He cannot deny His Son, and He cannot lie. If He does either of those, He will exist to be God. (Titus 1:2) He also can't rob justice from mercy or mercy from justice. (See Alma 42). But I have yet to find a place in the scriptures where it says His doctrine, or His church cannot change. In fact, there are a lot of scriptures, old and new, that say the opposite.

Adam and Eve in the garden had a different law than they had after the fall.   The Israelites had a different law before the 10 commandments.   After Christ came to the Earth and gave the ultimate sacrifice, the law changed again. It changed from "an Eye for an Eye" to "turn the other cheek" (Matt 5:39, 3 Nephi 12:39).

My point is that the Gospel of God's church does change. It changes over time. But it changes because God changes it, not because man thinks that God should change it. This principle is also taught in the scriptures. Remember these concepts? "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10,13). Or how about the concept of milk before meat? "For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive'" (D&C 19:22).  As we become a more religious society, God gives us more doctrine, and laws to help us achieve the ultimate goal, and that is to become perfect has He is, and to return to live with Him. But there are MORAL laws that he will never change or consider changing.

The reason I bring this up is that some people think that because God has changed in some of his doctrine, namely the practice of polygamy (polygamy is still an eternal law) and blacks holding the priesthood, that he will change his view on homosexuality.  BUT, the Lord will not change his stance on a MORAL issue, the Lord has told us through his prophets that it is an "impure and unnatural" practice.   It does not matter how many people protest it, God will not change his doctrine on a MORAL issue.   (Do you really think that homosexuality brings us closer to God?) The practice also goes against the first law given to Adam and Eve to "multiply , and replenish the earth..."

There are a LOT of things that the Church has taken a stand on. They have a very strong stance against Murder, Adultery, Fornication, Bestiality, Incest, Rape, Necrophilia. All of which are also choices that people have made, and are moral issues. I don't see anyone trying to get the church to change its stance on any of these. Some people have a harder time with temptation than others. There are some people who become addicted to drugs after one use, and others that can stop at any time. That does not mean that God should change his stance on either of those. Everyone has their trials, but that does not mean that God should approve of actions because they are what man or people think should be OK to do.

God does not change, the administration of His church does change, and will change. But he will not change his stance on a moral issue. No matter how hard people protest, or say that something should be, does not make it so. President Packer makes ths point at the begining of his so called hate talk.

Fifteen years ago, with the world in turmoil, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the fifth proclamation in the history of the Church. It is a guide that members of the Church would do well to read and to follow.

It states in part: “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

“The Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them.

“And the Gods said: We will bless them. And . . . we will cause them to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” (Abraham 4:27-28)

This commandment has never been rescinded.

Third, why all the HATE....

If I hear one more person tell me, that because the church has taken a stance on something that they are preaching Hate, I will SCREAM. Show me where in any of the official doctrine of the church where we are told that we are to HATE someone because of a sin, or immoral practice they are engaging in. Not once in President Packers talk does he say we should HATE anyone that is struggling with homosexuality. I see the exact opposite in the talk. He talks about how God suffered for us so we could overcome sin. And that if we live what God has told us that we will be happy. Not once does he preach hate.

Where is all the talk of Hate when the church takes a stand against Murder, Adultery, Drugs.... Just because the church says that something is wrong does not mean the church preaches HATE to wards those that are struggling with that sin.

Being intolerant of an action does not mean someone is intolerant of the person participating in that action. You can truly HATE a sin, but LOVE the sinner. Because you HATE the sin, does not mean that you automatically HATE the sinner. If you are being true to the teachings of the church, we are taught the total opposite. We are taught that EVERYONE is a child of God, and has a divine potential. We are also taught that EVERYONE is a brother and sister of God, and they deserve our love as a brother and sister. But we do not have to LOVE or tolerate behavior that we are taught is contrary to Gods plan.

In conclusion....
We have to remember why God has a church on earth, and why we are given commandments. Some of them are to test our faith, but ALL of them are to help prepare us to return to live with him again. I think that President Packer said it best, in the talk he is getting blasted for, at the end he said:

President Joseph Fielding Smith told me of a repentant woman struggling to find her way out of a very immoral life. She asked him what she should do now.

In turn, he asked her to read to him from the Old Testament the account of Lot’s wife, who was turned to a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) Then he asked her, “What lesson do you gain from those verses?”

She answered, “The Lord will destroy the wicked.”

“Not so!” President Smith said that the lesson for this repentant woman and for you is “Don’t look back!” (Boyd K. Packer, The Things of the Soul (1996), 116)

Strangely enough, it may be that the simplest and most powerful prevention and cure for pornography, or any unclean act, is to ignore and avoid it. Delete from the mind any unworthy thought that tries to take root. Once you have decided to remain clean, you are asserting your God-given agency. And then, as President Smith counseled, “Don’t look back.”

I promise that ahead of you is peace and happiness for you and your family. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home. And I invoke the blessings of the Lord upon you who are struggling against this terrible plague, to find the healing that is available to us in the priesthood of the Lord. I bear witness of that power in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Note, he does not call down the wrath of God on those who "struggle against this terrible plague". He calls down the blessings of God. Where is the HATE?

Wandering in the desert

2010-10-05T12:38:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel that life is like wandering in a desert. You have no idea where you are, where you have been, or where you are going? The only thing you know is that it is hot and you think you have been here before.

After Lehi, his family, and Ishmael's family left Jerusalem and were traveling in the wilderness, the Lord directed them in their travels with a Liahona. Nephi describes it as such.

And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness. [1 Nephi 16:10]

Alma later in the Book of Mormon talks about the Liahona to his son Helaman.

38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.

39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.

40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. [Alma 37:38-40]

Notice how Alma said that "there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship." The Liahona was a gift from God, not something that a man could create. Alama continues to say that the Liahona is a type for Christ and his words. Elder W. Rolfe Kerr of the Seventy talks about this in his talk, "The Words of Christ - Our Spiritual Liahona".

Elder David A. Bednar in a talk dated, May 2006 titled "That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us" talks just about that subject.

As we strive to align our attitudes and actions with righteousness, then the Holy Ghost becomes for us today what the Liahona was for Lehi and his family in their day. The very factors that caused the Liahona to work for Lehi will likewise invite the Holy Ghost into our lives. And the very factors that caused the Liahona not to work anciently will likewise cause us to withdraw ourselves from the Holy Ghost today.

He then continues:

As we study and ponder the purposes of the Liahona and the principles by which it operated, I testify that we will receive inspiration suited to our individual and family circumstances and needs. We can and will be blessed with ongoing direction from the Holy Ghost.

The Liahona was prepared by the Lord and given to Lehi and his family after they left Jerusalem and were traveling in the wilderness (see Alma 37:38; D&C 17:1). This compass or director pointed the way that Lehi and his caravan should go (see 1 Ne. 16:10), even “a straight course to the promised land” (Alma 37:44). The pointers in the Liahona operated “according to the faith and diligence and heed” (1 Ne. 16:28) of the travelers and failed to work when family members were contentious, rude, slothful, or forgetful (see 1 Ne. 18:12, 21; Alma 37:41, 43).

The compass also provided a means whereby Lehi and his family could obtain greater “understanding concerning the ways of the Lord” (1 Ne. 16:29). Thus, the primary purposes of the Liahona were to provide both direction and instruction during a long and demanding journey. The director was a physical instrument that served as an outward indicator of their inner spiritual standing before God. It worked according to the principles of faith and diligence.

Just as Lehi was blessed in ancient times, each of us in this day has been given a spiritual compass that can direct and instruct us during our mortal journey. The Holy Ghost was conferred upon you and me as we came out of the world and into the Savior’s Church through baptism and confirmation. By the authority of the holy priesthood we were confirmed as members of the Church and admonished to seek for the constant companionship of “the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17).

As we each press forward along the pathway of life, we receive direction from the Holy Ghost just as Lehi was directed through the Liahona. “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do” (2 Ne. 32:5).

The Holy Ghost operates in our lives precisely as the Liahona did for Lehi and his family, according to our faith and diligence and heed.

“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God. …

“The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth” (D&C 121:45–46).

And the Holy Ghost provides for us today the means whereby we can receive, “by small and simple things” (Alma 37:6), increased understanding about the ways of the Lord: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

When King Benjamin was waxing old, he gave his sone Mosiah several items. One of those items was the Liahona. He had this to say about it:

18 ..and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.

17 Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty. [Mosiah 1:16-17]

After reading this, I was struck with the impression that if I feel like I am wondering through the desert, then I need to get my Liahona working again. From these talks and scripture references, that means I need to get back to the basics. If I concentrate on Faith, Prayer, and Scripture Study, then the Lord will help me with my personal Liahona to be led out of the desert or wilderness. The Liahona of today is the Holy Ghost, and as we do things that interfere with its workings. And by interfering with its workings, we incur the displeasure of God, and are smitten with sore afflictions until we are stirred up to remembrance of our duty.

I was then thinking of how to illustrate this to my children. How do I show them that when we are not allowing the Holy Ghost into our lives, we become lost, and don't know where the path out of the desert is. The thought then came to me to use a compass. If you put a strong magnetic field by the compass, you can then make it point in the wrong direction, it won't port North. Fighting, and the things of the world are like the magnetic field, they will interfere with the compass, and we will not know what the Lord wants us to do.

We as parents need to be diligent in not allowing magnets to enter our homes that will interfere with our personal Liahona. If we do, we can find ourselves wandering through the desert or wilderness with no direction. Or we can find that what we thought was North was being changed by a magnetic field.

Spiritual Anorexia

2010-09-30T09:13:00.000-06:00

For my birthday, my mother-in-law gave me a couple of CDs. One of those CDs is a talk by Hank Smith. The name of the talk is "My Soul Hungered and My Stomach Growled!". This talk reiterates one of the concerns that Momzoo and I have been having lately. We feel that there is a trend in the LDS church to do what is popular, and if you don't agree with what is said, you just don't do it and eventually the Church will change its stance on it. If you would like to read more about that, you can go to "The misfit Cygnet". This is one example of a BLOG that Momzoo has found that have the same opinion. The concern we have is that people are not listening to the advice of the General Authorities, and eventually they stop giving that advice, and people then think they have changed their mind. I think an example of this happening is when Joseph Smith lost the manuscript. Eventually the Lord told him to do what he wanted to do. We know what happened after that.

In the talk by Brother Hank Smith, he mentions two talks. So I got onto lds.org and found the two talks that he mentions. I would like to share portions of those talks in this post.

The first talk is called "Answer Me" by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. This talk was published in the November 1988 Ensign. The talk is about questions that the Lord has asked in the scriptures and Elder Maxwell then gives the answers to those questions. In this talk, Elder Maxwell says:

Why is our life-style sometimes blurred and out of focus when we have been told clearly what “manner of men” and women we ought to be? (3 Ne. 27:27; see also 2 Pet. 3:11.) Of course, as individuals, we are free to choose! But wrong choices will make us less free. Furthermore, erosive error gradually makes one less and less of an individual. God and His prophets would spare us that shrinkage.

Elder Maxwell then talks about some behaviors that LDS members are participating in that people are starting to think are OK. One example was that of LDS members driving across the border to Gamble, when the Church has come out against it. Those members then try to justify it.

Elder Maxwell then says, "Crowds cannot make right what God has declared to be wrong." In other words, you can't think that because a Crowd of members is doing something that it is not wrong. We need to be vigilant and do what we have been told to do, no matter who or how many people try to make it right.

I can think of a lot of things that crowds are trying to make LDS members think are not wrong. Some of them include, stay at home mothers, our fight against homosexuality, the rules in "For the Strength of Youth", the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". All of which are under attack from outside the LDS faith and also, more sadly, from inside the LDS faith.

Brother Smith then talks about another talk. This talk is by Elder Jeffery R. Holland, and is called, "He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things". In this talk, Elder Holland talks about "metaphysical hunger", and how we can keep our souls from dying. Elder Holland makes this point:

It is that in our contemporary success and sophistication we too may walk away from the vitally crucial bread of eternal life; we may actually choose to be spiritually malnourished, willfully indulging in a kind of spiritual anorexia. Like those childish Galileans of old, we may turn up our noses when divine sustenance is placed before us. Of course the tragedy then as now is that one day, as the Lord Himself has said, “In an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended,” and we will find that our “souls [are] not saved

The bread Elder Holland is talking about at this point is the Savior. He is referencing when the Savior said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever."

By following the crowds, and acting like wrong things are good, are we indulging in "spiritual anorexia."

There are a lot of things that the prophets have told us, then they have told us again, and then they have told us again. Just because after telling us something three times and we don't listen, it does not mean that the crowd has made something the Lord has said wrong.

General Conference is this weekend. Lets listen, read, and ponder what the General Authorities have to tell us. And then do everything we can to do what they say. We need to stop the spiritual anorexia that we are seeing today, and do what the General Authorities tell us to do to feast and not be hungry.

Wanna be...

2010-09-26T23:05:00.000-06:00

I recently had a communication with someone on FaceBook. This particular person is pushing, or trying to get the community to vote against someone during the election this November. After pushing for some information and asking for details, this person said the following:

What ever Mike, it's not all about you. I really could care less about your wanting to hear details, who are you, but a wanna be. get over your self....

Was I just called a "Wanna be"? A "Wanna be" for what? And that was when I came to the conclusion that yes, I am a "Wanna Be!" And I am very proud of being a Wanna Be. But I am a Wanna Be of action, not a Wanna Be that just sits around and things about what I wanna be with out action.

Yes, I am guilty as charged.... I am a BIG WANNA BE!

I WANNA BE the best husband I can.
I WANNA BE the best father I can.
I WANNA BE a productive member of society.
I WANNA BE an example to the youth.
I WANNA BE a man of Character.
I WANNA BE a statesman.
I WANNA BE a constitutional scholar.
I WANNA BE educated in the classics and philosophy.
I WANNA BE .......

The list goes on. There are a lot of things that I WANNA BE in life, and I will achieve some of them, but will fall short in some of them as well. But I think the best thing is that I WANNA BE Christlike, and live a Christlike life.

So yes, I am a big WANNA BE.

The Old Man Wept

2010-09-26T00:12:00.000-06:00

Momzoo and I for our date night went to Costco in Lehi to pick up some bread. That was not the only thing we did, but we needed to get some to get us through the weekend. When we were there we saw a booth for a local company called Cultural Hall home decor. You can visit their website at: http://www.culturalhall.com/index.html

I found the print called "The Old Man Wept", and fell in love with it. As most of you know, I like Benjamin Franklin, and I liked this picture. I suggest that you check out their exhibit if you live in Utah. They have a list of Costco locations they will be visiting over the next couple of months on their website. Most of the pictures are LDS art. (Momzoo really likes the panoramic picture they have of the Bountiful Temple.)

After doing a little research on this, I found that the painting was first done by Dal Parson. He tells us more about how he came up with the painting. You can read more about the painting on his website: http://www.delparson.com/gallery_pages/old_man_wept.html

The painting depicts 5 men that were there during the signing of the US Constitution. The 5 men in the picture are: James Wilson, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and James Madison.

I would love to find quotes from James Wilson and Roger Sherman for the website http://www.foundingfatherquotes.com/ that I try to keep up to date. If you have any quotes from them, please either email me at submit@foundingfatherquotes.com or leave a comment below.

Corruption

2010-09-24T13:00:00.000-06:00

In a convention speech given by Benjamin Franklin on June 2, 1787, he discusses the topic of salaries and political figures.

There are two Passions which have a powerful Influence in the Affairs of Men. These are Ambition and Avarice; the Love of Power, and the Love of Money. Separately each of these has great Force in prompting Men to Action; but when united in View of the same Object, they have in many Minds the most violent Effect. Place before the Eyes of such Men a [Post] of Honor that shall at the same time be a Place of Profit, and they will move Heaven and Earth to obtain it.

The point I think the Ben was making is that if you give people positions of power and money, then the people that will be drawn to those positions are those who have a LOVE for money and power. Is that the type of person we really want to create laws for us?   This reminds me of two other quotes that I have heard. The first one was by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton (Lord Acton). Lord Acton wrote a letter to the Bishop Madell Creighton in 1887, in that letter he wrote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."   Another phrase is by William Pit, in the UK House of Lords in 1770, he said, "Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.".

So, the question is. Why have we put both Money and Power in the hands of our political elect? We are setting them and ourselves up for a down fall.   Do you think that maybe term limits on not just the US President, but on Congress, as well as Judges could solve this problem?

Lord Acton also said this, "It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people to govern others. Every man is the best, the most responsible, judge of his own advantage."   The more people we give the ability to rule over us, the harder fall we set ourselves up for.   Who knows better how to govern ourselves then ourselves? So why are we giving that right to so many corruptible men?

The Obama Administration has created more and more places where power and money meet. Do we really need more positions in the government?   We have let them create positions to oversee or Health Care, our Financial Matters, how we use Energy, what we Teach our kids.   With all of these positions of for profit power, we are asking for trouble. We are asking for men to be corrupt, and for men that seek after both those things to govern us.

I am also reminded of a scripture that discusses just this thing. The scripture is talking about the priesthood of God. The scripture says that there are many called, but few are chosen. It then answers the question of why they are not chosen.

35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. [D&C 121:35-37]

I think that we should take what the Lord is telling Joseph Smith on March 20, 1839 while he was being held as a prisoner in the Liberty, Missouri jail to heart.

When a man has been called (or elected to office in this case), and it has been discovered that he has not been chosen (or he is seeking the honors of men, to gratify pride, has vain ambitions, or exercise control) that he needs to be removed from that office.   We also should not be putting people in a position where they cannot be removed from office.

Come this November, we will have a chance to vote.   If you think a person that is up for election is in it for Money, Pride, Control, then you should say to yourself, Amen to the authority of that man. We should only elect those men to office that are trying to make our country a better place for us.

Anyone that is running or is up for vote or election that you feel does not have your best interest in heart, should not get your vote.   We should withdraw from them, and remove any authority they may currently have, or desire to have.

GET OUT AND VOTE... It is your ethical and moral obligation to elect those who are just men.

How to live your life...

2010-09-23T16:29:00.000-06:00

25. ... exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord; and that which is evil cometh from the devil.

26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should acome unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an coffering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Omni 1:25-26

Signs of a Bad Economy

2010-09-17T08:24:00.000-06:00

I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

I ordered a burger at McDonald's and the kid behind the counter asked, "Can you afford fries with that?"
CEO's are now playing miniature golf.

If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

McDonald's is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.

A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .

Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore.

The Mafia is laying off judges.

Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

Congress says they are looking into this Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great!! The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear!

Boy Touch.... Girl Touch....

2010-09-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend was a FUN weekend. After the regular Saturday and Sunday events, we had a day to ourselves. If you can call it that. Momzoo and I went to one of the local fruit stands to buy several boxes of tomatoes. Then she spent the day making tomato soup, stewed tomatoes, and today she will be making tomato sauce. The rest of the family got to let their hair down. (I am sure that we will see a post by Momzoo on her canning activities shortly.)

Our family discovered a fun game, it started when Momzoo and I were attacked by a bunch of kids while we were laying in bed. Momzoo I think is getting a little annoyed with it. At the local elementary school, they play what they call "Boy Disease, and Girl Disease". Basically it is a game of tag, where if you are a girl, you can run up to someone and say Girl Touch (or Girl Disease) and then you have this until you are touched by a boy that yells Boy Touch (or Boy Disease). Because there are only two boys in our house, and one of them is a 3 year old, we spent most of our time yesterday with Girl Disease. So we modified the rules a little. The touch only lasts for an hour, and then the effects are gone.

On two occasions, one of the neighborhood boys would come over to play and I would have them hurry up and boy touch me so I could then tag the rest of the family as boys. I bet the other neighbors got a kick out of watching us all of a sudden break out in a Boy Touch and Girl Touch war. I would go running out of the house with the girls all in tow. I would eventually be unable to keep the girl hoard off me, and would get girl touched.

My 10 year would remember exactly when I would revert back after the hour time limit. When we were out looking for tomatoes, she called Momzoo. Momzoo just said I will take care of it, then acted like she needed to whisper in my ear. I thought that she was going to tell me about something that was going on at home, or let me know about some accident that Punk #2 just told her about. At that point she just said Girl Touch, and kissed me on the cheek. Punk #2, made sure that Punk #5 was girl touched, and then called to have mom Girl Touch me.

This morning also had a round of Boy and Girl disease, needless to say, by the time I left from work, I had Girl Disease and they were coming up with a plan to get me when I got home.

The highlight of the day was when my 9 year old and I were working on my model train set. We were creating some trestle for one of the bridges. I showed her how to finish some of the details on the trestles I had started to make. When she told me that she liked days when we were all home so she could spend time with her Daddy. It is times like that when it feels like the universe is in alignment and everything is good.

In the moment.

2010-09-03T10:26:00.002-06:00

In the movie Star Trek: Insurrection there is a scene where Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and an alien woman, Ba'Ku, named Anij (Donna Murphy) live in the moment. Because of the Ba'Ku's long life, they have learned the ability to slow time. Or to live in a moment for a time. Two times in the move, Anij and Picard both slow down time to live in the moment.

Anij: Have you ever experienced, a perfect moment in time?

Captain Picard: A perfect moment?

Anij: When time seemed to stop, and you could almost live, in that moment.

Captain Picard: Seeing my home planet from space, for the first time.

Anij: Yes. Exactly. Nothing more complicated than perception.

Anij: ...We've discovered that a single moment in time can be a universe in itself, full of powerful forces. Most people aren't aware enough of the now to even notice.

I have been thinking a lot lately about living in the moment. Or being happy with what you have now and enjoying it. I am not saying that you can't dream, but I also think that you need to be happy with what is happening in the moment or the now as well.

I have a cousin that I think does a very good job of living in the now. She is always happy (but her Dad does say that she sometimes has her moments). This cousin has had a hard life, when it comes to medical issues. She has been in and out of hospitals, has had organ transplants, cancer scares, and the list goes on. I have to give her a lot of credit. She is one of the only people I know who if she turned grumpy, and lost her faith in God, people would probably understand. But she is just the opposite. She Loves God, and does everything she can to be like him. And she is one of th most positive and up-beat people I know. Her family has live outside of Utah longer then they have lived in Utah (or at least it seems that way to me), so I am an outsider. Every time I have been around her, she has always been in good spirits. She is an inspiration to me. She is the perfect example of someone who is living in the now. Not living in what was, or what could be, but what is happening now.

When we take road trips as a family, we avoid the Highways. During our recent trip to OK, we bypassed all the big cities, and avoided the interstate as much as possible. Momzoo and I feel that if we are going to go cross country, that we should see the country, and not see it traveling at a very high rate of speed. And it paid off, we got to see the CO Rocky Mountains, the plains of KS, and the forests of OK. It was worth the extra few hours. Which brings me to my next point. With the completion of the Pioneer Crossing in Lehi and Saratoga Springs, you now have the option of using a 6 lane road to go from redwood road in Saratoga Springs to the interstate. I have started using this new road and have been able to cut about 10 minutes off my drive time each way. But I still take some of the back roads before I get on Pioneer Crossing. I have a co-worker that thinks I am crazy because on the average I can save another minute by using redwood road instead of the back roads. Yes, I could maybe save 2 more minutes a day. And yes, that could maybe save ma a days worth of time over a year. But why concentrate on where I am going, when I can concentrate on where I am now. Yes, I could maybe save a couple of minutes a day, but then I would not be able to enjoy the early morning sun on the wheat fields, or the Jordan river as I cross it. I will give up the couple of minutes to be able to keep sight of nature for a little longer.

I have heard the saying that Life is a Journey, Not a Destination. I would have to agree with that, if you spend so much time thinking about your destination, or where you are coming from, you can't enjoy the now. We need to slow life down a little so instead of zipping past it at high speeds with only the destination in mind, we enjoy the journey and take in the now.

The Mexican Fisherman

2010-09-02T15:20:00.000-06:00

The Mexican Fisherman

Author Unknown

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.

Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.

The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Source: http://www.inspirationpeak.com/shortstories/mexicanfisherman.html

The Tendency to Faith

2010-08-31T14:36:00.001-06:00

The Tendency to Faith

James O. Mason, “The Tendency to Faith,” Ensign, Apr. 1974, 21

Geneticists believe that the variations produced by chromosomal division and recombination is a matter of chance. However, they speculate about the possibility, sometime in the future, of controlling the genetic makeup of the individual, in the hope of preventing inherited diseases. But can the genetic code, with its unlimited variability, be intelligently programmed by understanding an application of divine law so that chance is not the determining factor? And is it possible that variation is being intelligently controlled to relate to our premortal development so that the physical body would develop not only to look like the spirit but to have the physical and character attributes that correspond to an eternal personality?

Such attributes as faith, obedience, discernment, and being heirs to the priesthood could thereby have their proper physical and spiritual setting.

President Stephen L Richards commented on this subject:

“It seems to me … that there runs in some blood strains a higher susceptibility to the refining and saving influence of testimony than in other strains. I don’t know that I understand it, but I have thought that the significance of the ‘blood of Israel’ is that there is in that great blood strain, following the blessings and promises of God, a susceptibility to the influence of the Holy Spirit that does not run in other strains. Science has made some rather remarkable discoveries upon the inherited traits and qualities that go with blood strains. … I believe that it [testimony] is inheritable, and the tendency to faith may descend from father to son. It seems to me that Paul had that in mind when writing to Timothy. He said in substance: ‘I do perceive in thee the faith that was in thy grandmother Lois’ [See 2 Tim. 1:5], thus recognizing that this tendency to faith, this susceptibility to testimony, courses along in the very blood strains of the race.” (Conference Report, October 1925, pp. 118–19.)

My wife’s patriarchal blessing includes these words that indicate the close relationship between the living and their forebears—“… but what you are and what you may become is not entirely of your own doing, but the righteous men and women who make up your ancestral line. …”

The quotations cited indicate, therefore, the close relationship between premortality and our mortal spiritual and physical characteristics. We have developed eternal attributes, and our physical body, through genes, as carriers of heredity, serves to complement the characteristics and attributes of the spirit. Those of us who have been honored with the priesthood (D&C 86) are direct legal heirs through the lineage of our fathers. It must be stressed that as legal heirs we must be worthy and receive that priesthood in mortality by the laying on of hands by those possessing that sacred authority. The Lord declares that our life and the priesthood have remained, and must remain, through our lineage until the restoration of all things spoken of by the mouths of the holy prophets since the world began. We thus inherit the right to the priesthood and in turn have the privilege of passing that right on to our children.

Dr. James O. Mason
commissioner of Church Health Services
(address to eighth annual genealogical research seminar, BYU, Aug. 2, 1973)

Just something to think about.....

Share with thy neighbor

2010-08-26T18:18:00.000-06:00

There is a lot of talk in religious and political circles the last little while about giving to your neighbors. But there are some things that you should not share or give to your neighbors.

Some of those things you share with your neighbor are a result of violations with Saratoga Springs City ordinances.

City Ordinance 19.06.090 requires all residential lots to have front yards landscaped within (1) year and backyards within (2) years after receiving a Certificate of Occupancy.

City Ordinance Section 19.16.040 (10b). Weeds shall not be permitted to reach a height of more than six inches at any time.

These two sections of Saratoga Springs law have become a sounding board for several un-identified people in the community. There have been a lot of accusations flying about ordinance officers, and neighbors a like.

So then you must ask yourself, why the ordinance? Why require people to keep weeds below 6 inches and to actually finish landscaping their yards after 2 years of "Certificate of Occupancy"?

FIRE HAZARD

Mayor Love I think summed it up best when she said:

I do not like nor believe it is the governments business to get involved with personal lives including mine (as a resident of Saratoga Springs). It is however mine and the councils duty to keep our residents safe. Here are the ordinances that were set by the council before I became a council member and the "weeds" ordinance that was designed to keep residents safe from fire speading to homes. [SOURCE]

Yes, fire hazard is a huge reason for wanting to keep yards weed free. Anyone who lived in the Lake Mountain Estates Subdivision will tell you about the fires we had several years back. One of them burned to the edge of my property, but because I was fully landscaped, and could turn on the sprinklers, and with the help of the fire department, no property damage occured. I was glad that I did not have a bunch of tall weeds around my house at that time.

EXPENSE TO NEIGHBORS

But I think that there is a lot more reasons for this ordinance. One of them is the fact that you give to your neighbors those weeds. Here is a perfect example. We had a neighbor that was in compliance with the ordinance that lived next door to us. This neighbor moved and since then the new residents managed to kill the lawn and replace it with a lovely lawn of weeds. Below is a picture of this neighbors yard from the sidewalk in front of my house.

As you can see, they do keep the weeds nice and green, they water it and the mow it. But it still is over 90% weeds. We have spent a lot of money and time in our yard to keep our grass green, and the weeds under control. But the neighbors insist on sharing their weeds with us. Below is a picture of our grass that is closest to our neighbor.

But then some may say that we have a weed problem in our entire yard. But that is not the case as illustrated by the following picture, taken at the same time, about 40 feet from the property line.

To show you in prospective of where each of the photos are taken, I have included this picture of our front yard. Each of the above picture areas are marked in this photograph, so you can see that the weeds in the first picture are a product of the weeds in the neighbors yard.

Not only are you in violation of city Ordinance, by you are also treading on the freedoms of your neighbors. You are requiring them to purchase weed killer, and or spend time removing weeds that are a direct result of the ordinance being violated.

EROSION

Erosion is another major issue for people who are not following the ordinances. Everyone knows that having a landscaped yard will keep the erosion down on your yard. I am not just talking about erosion caused by water, but also erosion caused by wind. By having a fully landscaped yard, you cut down on the amount of dust that is created by the wind blowing over an non landscaped yard. LandscapePlanet.com gives a lot of examples of what you can do to stop Soil Erosion, and all of them include types of landscaping. They suggestion you plant vegetation, use matting, apply a layer of mulch (bark, etc), and use retaining walls or edging. [SOURCE]

There have been a lot of people who have had their window wells filled with water. And the majority of them have been the product of no landscaping, incorrect landscaping of their own property or neighboring lots.

PROPERTY VALUE/ABILITY TO SELL

Everyone knows that a house without landscaping will sell for less that a house of the same size that is fully landscaped. It is also not much of a reach to say that a house that sits next to a house that is not landscaped has less of a value than one equal to it that is by a fully landscaped yard. People just don't like weeds, or having weeds next to their property. When you sell your house, you need to work on what is called curb appeal. Having your house not fully landscaped, or the houses around you not fully landscaped reduces your curb appeal and in turn the value or ability for you to sell your house.

Why is curb appeal so important in selling your home? It forms potential buyers’ first impressions of your home. Curb appeal sets the tone for your entire home. Buyers associate the condition of the exterior and landscape with the condition of the interior. Your home's curb appeal must invite buyers to view the rest of the property. In a buyer's market, curb appeal can mean the difference between a home that sells quickly for the asking price and a home that sells after months of sitting on the market for below the asking price. [SOURCE]

Having a house next to you that is not fully landscaped is like having a neighbor that has dogs that bark all night long. Both of them are a violation of City Ordinances, and both of the cause you money, time, and stress to deal with. Part of being a good neighbor is not being a burden on your neighbors. By not landscaping your yard, you are a burden to your neighbors and cause them to spend time and money that they should not have to spend.

Office Prank - Windows 3.11 (for Workgroups)

2010-08-25T15:08:00.000-06:00

In the office I work in, if you are gone for more than a couple of days, you will have a joke played on you. It can be anything from your computer systems missing, you LCD monitors replaced with huge CRT monitors. Your office can be turned into a cardboard box. Last year when I went on vacation, they did this to my cubical - Office Prank 2009.

This year they got almost the entire IT team to help out. This is an OLD DELL OpiPlex GX1, with a small hard drive and a extra small monitor. They dug a 7 inch monitor out of the basement. When I came back to the office, all my other stuff had been replace with this. The cool thing is, what the OS was that was running on it. From the picture, does anyone want to take a guess? Yup, the installed DOS 6.0 and then loaded Windows 3.11 on the computer.

Nothing like working in an old OS and Application.

Are you stimulated yet?

2010-08-25T09:14:00.000-06:00

In honor of the 44th President of the United States , Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor: “ Barocky Road ."

Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes.

The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient.

The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow.

The cost is $100.00 per scoop, two scoop minimum.

When purchased it will be presented to you in a large, beautiful cone.

The ice cream will then be taken away from you and given to the person in line behind you, at no charge. You will also be required to buy ice cream for their entire family if they will not work or are here illegally.

You are left holding an empty cone, with no hope of getting any ice cream, and your wallet is empty, but you did get the “change” that was promised.

Are you stimulated yet?

Just about anything.

2010-08-20T12:24:00.000-06:00

Momzoo that other day was shopping at Barnes and Noble and found a notebook that she fell in love with. It is an old leather notebook that has pages without lines (momzoo's is the top one, in the picture above) . She has since started to just write and doodle in this notebook during the day, before she goes to bed, etc.

I don't look in her notebook unless she lets me, and when she does, I am amazed at some of the drawings, doodles, and thoughts that she has put to paper.

Then I was at Barnes and Noble before our trip to OK, and I decided that I wanted to purchase one as well. (I also picked up the last two books in the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix). I then did my first doodle in the book that night. It was of a tree, with the names of our kids at the bottom of the tree. I find it handy to have a place that I can write whatever I feel like writing. I have done several pages since then, one where I identify what is identity and what outside influences define our identity. I then wrote the word SELF in the middle of the page and then wrote what I believe forms my idea of self. I found it a very enlightening process.

Momzoo and I are reading (well she has read it, and I am listening to it) a book called And They Were Not Ashamed. In Chapter 11 of the book, the author Laura M. Brotherson gives you an exercise that she says will help you find who you are and develop your identity and your feel of self. She suggests that you read your Patriarchal Blessing and then write the insights it gives you in the following three areas:

Who Am I
My Promises, Gifts and Blessings
Counsel and Warnings to Me

I suggest that everyone goes and gets some type of notebook, it does not have to be a leather one like Momzoo and I purchased. It can be just a scrap of paper, but then start to write your feelings, questions, etc that you have. This process will help make them more concrete and allow you to really start thinking about things. If you have a Patriarchal Blessing, I suggest that you do that above exercise. Read it, and then write down the points in it for each of the three categories.

The other night, Momzoo and I sat in bed for some time and each wrote in our notebooks. The next day we both commented on how we each enjoyed sitting together and just thinking and writing about things.
Below is an example of one that you cay buy from Barnes and Noble. You can also find them at most of your local book stores. Barnes and Noble, I think, has a better selection than Borders, but that is my personal opinion.

Thanks to Momzoo for taking the top two pictures. She really has a talent for photography, maybe that is something I need to encourage development of more in her. :) I wonder what she could do with some classes under her belt.

Regrets....

2010-08-19T10:13:00.000-06:00

There is a movie called Back to the Future that stars Michael J Fox as a character named Marty McFly. Marty comes from a family of "Geeks" because of something his Dad (George McFly) did or did not do when he was in High School.   Marty gets that chance to go back in time with the help of Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd). In the process he encourages his Dad to stand up to Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). Because of this one change, when Marty returns home, his life is totally different because of the self confidence that George now has because of his confrontation with Biff.

Is there anything in your life that you wish you could change, that you wonder "if I would of just done this, everything would be different?"

When I was in Jr. High School, I hated Gym class. I grew fast when I hit Jr. High, and I had a hard time getting my fast growing body to do what I wanted it to do. From the time I was in 6th grade to the time I went to High School, my shoe size went from a 9 to a 13. I was not very athletic, and had a hard time in gym class. The only classes that I really did good at involved science or computers. One day we were playing touch football on the field next to the school. I was given the position of lineman because I was taller and bigger than most of the boys in my class. All I knew is that I was suppose to stand in one place, and not let the other kids get to the guy with the ball. I was protecting the quarterback when one of the other teams players tried to knock me down. Instead of me going down, he went down and went down hard. I was just standing there, not knowing what really was happening. And this kid was now sitting on the field with a look on his face that said, "What was that for." I thought nothing of it, and continued to play the game.  When we were in the locker room, this boy came up to me, and without warning hit me square in the face with his fist. My reaction was that of surprise, and I called him something that was not very nice. He then hit me in the face again, and then again. At that point my nose was bleeding, so I just walked away.   I went to the principals office to get my nose taken care of.   Well, we both were suspended from school for the rest of the day and the following day. When my mother found out about it, she went to the school and the principal told her this. "I am glad the Michael did not fight back, he would of wasted the boy who hit him. He is a lot bigger than the other boy." He then gave my mother a sob story about how the boy was going through a hard time, his parents were getting divorced, and since he was an A student and I was a C student, it had to of been more to the story.

I have thought about that incident a lot of times. What in my life would of been different if I would of instead of calling him a name, taken my fist and hit him with it. Even if it would of been in the stomach. What would my life be like now, what would my sense of self be? Would I be more aggressive, and would of played more sports? Of would if of pushed me over the edge so that I always wanted to fight?

There have also been several movies written where someone tries to fix something they have done in past and have messed up the future by doing so.   We are a collection of our experiences, and by changing any of those experiences, we change who we are.

Today I was listening to the radio and heard a song by Darius Rucker (Sorry Momzoo, I know you still see him as the singer for Hootie and the Blowfish, and not a country singer). The name of the song is Learn To Live. The song starts out with a picture of a little boy climbing up on his Grandpa's knee and listening to stories, the little boy says "and i'd hang onto every word that he would breathe." In this song, there is one line that hit me hard today.   The grandpa at the end of the song says, "all those mistakes I thought that I was making, led me right here to you sittin' on my knee."   We are the result of our mistakes and our triumphs.   Why would we want to change that? Would we really want to give up who and what we are to do something over?

The chorus of the song is:
We can't have regrets.   We need to live to learn so that we can learn to live. We may do some stupid things, but if we pull ourselves up by our boot straps afterwards, those stupid things can give us character and allow us to LEARN to LIVE.

You gotta live to learn
You gotta crash and burn
You gotta make some stances
and take some chances
You gotta live and love
and take all life has to give
You gotta live and learn
You gotta live and learn
so you can LEARN to LIVE
Learn to Live

Muskogee OK??

2010-08-17T08:41:00.000-06:00

Why a trip to Muskogee OK? I have been asked that a few times in the last week or so, so here is the answer. I can only think of a few things in my life that I regret doing. One of them happened almost three years ago. I had a Vasectomy. Aimee and I after having our first boy and fifth child had the procedure done. It was a mistake. After talking about it we both came to the conclusion that neither of us really felt good about it. But both of us were relying on the other to make the decision. So the decision was made, but neither of us really wanted to have it done. COMMUNICATION is necessary in a relationship. We both figured that the other had a better reason than we did. So we went ahead and had it done.

Alot has changed in our relationship since then. We have gotten rid of some extra baggage and in the process have come closer as a couple. And during the course of becoming closer we talked about the vasectomy and both realized that it was a mistake. So the quest went on how to fix the problem. We decided that it had to be a Microscopic Vasectomy Reversal. After looking into it, we found that the procedure in UTAH was VERY expensive, and there were few doctors that would to the microscopic version of the procedure. So we went looking on the internet. That is when we found Dr. Wilson in Muskogee OK. His price was GREAT, and Aimee had a BLOG world friend that had used his services and was very pleased with it. So we traveled to OK to get it done. (He is booked out 3 months, and has people waiting to get a time.)

What did I learn from the process? 1- I can spend 48 hours in the car with Aimee and enjoy every minute of it. 2- The procedure hurts. 3- (the most important), that you need to have open communication with your spouse. If you have any doubts, or comments, you need to share them. The vasectomy in the first place was a mistake, and it could of been avoided if both of us felt comfortable enough to talk about it.

Aimee and I have found ourselves counting out kids, and looking for a sixth child. We will be leaving a restaurant, or church and will look for the sixth kid. Now that we have both started communicating like we should we know that there is at least another little Kieffer kid waiting to come down to Earth.

If you have any doubts about something that is going to impact your future, make SURE that you discuss them with your spouse. Don't assume that the other knows better or more than you do. Communication is a must, or you will regret your choices. We were lucky, we had the resources needed to get the reversal done. I don't know what we would of done if we would not of come up with a way to get it reversed.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't do anything unless BOTH of you agree 100%, especially for something this important.

Honest

2010-07-19T12:27:00.000-06:00

Any LDS member that has or had had a temple recommend, has had to answer a list of questions before they are given the OK to go into the temple. The list includes things like do you Believe in God, live the Law of Chastity, keep the Word of Wisdom, and pay a full tithe.   But I think that the hardest question to answer is "Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?".

This one always makes me think. Most people probably think that it reads, "Are you honest in your business dealings with your fellowmen?"   I think that being honest in your business dealings is included, but just is part of it. I think it is ALL your dealings with fellowmen. Those dealings include business, social, friendship, etc.

I constantly hear stories of people who I think would have to answer no to this question.  Do you collect money from someone to perform a service, and then days later file for bankruptcy? Is that being honest with your dealings? Are you trying to hide income, or finding loopholes to avoid taxes? Is that being honest in all your dealings?

I think that this is one of the questions that makes a person better than another person (not in the sense of pride, but in the sense of adding to humanity).   If you are always honest in your dealings with your fellowmen, then you are adding to humanity, and not taking away from it. Imagine what the world would be like if you were honest in all your dealings.   If any time you interacted with someone, you were honest in those interactions.

If all business transactions were based on honesty, and nothing hidden in the transaction. If you were honest to your family and relatives in all your dealings.   What would the world be like? If everyone were honest in all their dealings, this world would be a better place. I did a blog entry about this earlier "Society - Is based on Lies" I think that it still applies. When do you think that society will get to the point when everyone will be honest with everyone else? Do you think that society will ever be able to reach this point?

Temper Tantrum

2010-07-12T09:37:00.002-06:00

No one likes seeing a kid throw a Temper Tantrum. And it is even worse when a parent decides that they need to re-enforce the behavior and set up a precedence.    I have heard someone say that, "A temper tantrum is not funny when a three year old does it, and is ridiculous when an adult does it."

Now lets take this on a bigger scale. Lets say that a group of people get upset about something that the government does.   Then this group of people riot because of it. With the recent verdict of Johannes Mehserle, adults throw a Temper Tantrum in downtown Oakland. In the process they Loot the following businesses: Subway, Foot Locker, Sears, Far East National Bank, Rite-Aid drugstore, Luka's Taproom, Ozumo Japanese, Oaksterdam University, Oakland Coin and Jewelry Exchange, Whole Foods, Grace Beauty Supply, JC Jewelry, the Acura dealership showroom, Wells Fargo, California Bank and Trust, US Bank and Bank of the West.[*]

In response, the DOJ does not look into the riot participants, but is now looking to "determine whether or not the shooting merits federal prosecution."[*]   So in other words, they are supporting the Temper Tantrum of the people who rioted after the verdict. What message does this really send?   It sends the message that if you don't like something that happens, throw a temper tantrum and the government will give you what you want. And heck, in the process you can get a nice big screen TV, and a new pair of running shoes. You are then equipped to do it quicker next time, and watch the aftermath in style.

There are other ways to disagree... Some people just need to learn how to disagree appropriately.

Why Do I Need a Rifle?

2010-07-07T11:02:00.001-06:00

This is a article repost by Larry and Stacey Mudgett. You can find the original article on their website: mudgettminute.blogspot.com

You have done your research and selected a full size open carry pistol and a compact concealed carry pistol. You have received professional instruction in the serious use of these weapons. You are now confident in your ability to defend yourself and your loved ones and that confidence is based upon skill not illusion. Have you achieved preparedness? That depends on what you are preparing to survive. If your goal was to enhance your ability to protect your family from a random criminal attack, you have no doubt met that goal.

In 1965 I was witness to the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. The trigger was a traffic stop and arrest by a Highway Patrolman. The riots lasted 6 days. The official death toll was 34 but Police Officers and National Guard Troops quietly said that the number was much higher. More than 1,000 people were injured. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed most of which were burned to the ground after being looted. I watched Chief William Parker appear on television and state, "looting is a felony and the penal code (in 1965) says we can shoot felons." He was sending a message to his Officers and the National Guard. Within a few hours a number of looters and arsonists were shot and the riot was over. I cannot imagine a Police Chief having the courage to take such action today.

In 1968 as a result of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. riots broke out in 60 U.S. cities. These riots lasted 4 days and 5,000 Army Troops from Ft. Bragg were deployed to keep the peace. Already back from Viet Nam, I was stationed at
Ft. Ord, assigned to the 41st Experimental Infantry Battalion and was trained in riot control and placed on standby. Los Angeles was one of the cities to experience rioting. Usually referred to by LAPD officers who worked the riot as the 68' mini riots.

In 1976 I was deployed to the LAPD Harbor Division due to a Ship Explosion in San Pedro Harbor. When the ship blew up many people thought that it was a nuclear attack and they were looting the stores before the glass stopped falling out of the windows.

One night in the 1980's, the event coordinator at the LA Coliseum failed to request extra police patrol for a Moto Cross. We (Metro) were called to deploy around the Coliseum but it was too late. A few hours with insufficient police patrol had led to "law of the jungle." Hundreds of cars sat with their windows smashed and the radios ripped out. There were robberies, rapes, kidnappings, and shootings. South West Division Desk took hundreds of crime reports. People were lined up out the door, out to the street and around the corner, waiting to report crimes.

On 4-29-92 I was assigned to SWAT/Metro on long term loan to the Police Academy. Late in the afternoon training was suspended and I was called back to Metro Division. I drove home and picked up additional weapons and ammunition. I drove to Central Facilities and picked up the SWAT truck and drove to the command post. We were assigned to the Rodney King riots for 6 days. We had gun battles with looters and gang members who were just using the riot as cover to shoot at the police. Two officers standing to my right observed a suspect in a crowd of looters pull a gun and they promptly shot him. I waded into the crowd and drug the suspect to the sidewalk and helped handcuff him before he died. Although the violence broke out in the "Black community," Hispanics quickly took advantage of the chaos. Most of them were illegal aliens and spoke no English. I asked Hispanic arrestees if they knew what started the riot and they said that they did not even know who Rodney King was. They simply saw an opportunity to steal. On the last day I was injured in an altercation with a looter (he lost). I eventually required left shoulder surgery as this was not the first such injury to my left shoulder due to an altercation. The cost of this riot was about 1 billion in damage, 53 people were dead and over 2,000 were injured.

The point we are making here is that civilization is much more fragile than you may imagine. In 1977, New York had a major riot because the power went out. The press called it "the night of the animals." Detroit had a pretty good riot some years back because the Bulls won the NBA championship. So what does all of this have to do with you? These things always happen somewhere else, right? Try to imagine rioting on a national scale. That could not happen here? What would start such widespread civil unrest?

We have recently seen extensive rioting in France by Muslims. We are currently seeing riots in Greece, with police officers being firebombed by people who are unhappy because their government is bankrupt and wants to cut their pension benefits. The looting and lawlessness that occurred in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina has been well documented. Is it really so hard to imagine that such things could occur here? If you look up the history of riots and civil unrest in the U.S. you will be very surprised by the frequency and the level of the violence.

An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack by North Korea or Iran could plunge our entire nation into the 19th century with little or no law enforcement or military help for months or even years. A world wide crop failure could cause food riots and looting on a scale never seen before. A coordinated terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction in multiple cities could start a deadly panic. Political assassination could result in wide spread rioting far beyond what occurred after the murder of MLK Jr. La Raza is calling for a violent revolution encouraging Hispanics to rise up and attack the "Gringos." Muslim clerics are teaching Jihad in Mosques all over this country. Many economists believe that our government is going bankrupt and the whole financial system is near collapse. How would you and your neighbors react if the federal government declared an emergency and called for all guns to be confiscated and all stored food to be taken to a central location for "Redistribution" by the government. What if you refused to comply? Is it that hard to imagine widespread civil unrest? What is hard to believe, is the fact that it has not yet started.

Now consider hundreds of hungry, angry looters, including gang members and other criminals sweeping through neighborhoods looting, killing and burning what they cannot carry off. Many of these people will be armed. Some will have rifles. Under these worst case scenarios, how effectively will you be able to defend your family armed only with a hand gun. You will need several things in order to mount an effective defense during a large scale wide spread lawless situation. A semi automatic military type rifle, similar weapons for each member of your family who is capable of being trained and coordinated tactical plans with your neighbors who are similarly armed and trained. The only thing that will stop such an attack is over whelming force which will cause the criminals to move on to a less prepared neighborhood.

Do you remember the news footage of the Korean shop owners standing guard on the roof of their stores in LA during the riots. They survived and so did their shops while buildings all around them were looted and then burned to the ground. These citizens used military semi automatic rifles to defend their lives. When nearby Metro Officers were ambushed and came under fire from gang members they used rifles to kill the suspects and win the fight. Generally, rifles have a far greater effective range than handguns. They hold more ammunition than handguns. Their ammunition is more powerful thus capable of disabling or stopping an assailant more quickly than a handgun. Rifles are generally capable of penetrating objects that are often used for cover. You do not want to be fighting people who have rifles when you are armed with only a handgun. Any rifle is better than no rifle but a military semi automatic is the most effective rifle in this role.

In this discussion we must also consider why the founding fathers included the second amendment in the bill of rights. They were very clear in their writings. The primary purpose of the second amendment was to insure that the Army could never be better armed than the citizens so that the government could never control the people by force. Well at least that is one scenario we do not have to worry about, right? We have nothing to fear from our own government?

The history of the 20th century could be summarized in a few sentences. 100 million civilians ( historical estimates range from 55 million to nearly 200 million) were first disarmed and then murdered by their own governments, usually with the cooperation of their own military. 100 million civilians murdered in China, Germany, Poland, Russia, Armenia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Rwanda, Ukraine, Uganda and other countries and nearly all of these governments who committed genocide were socialist or Communist. These kinds of things could not happen here. Americans are somehow different from people living in other countries. Perhaps, but let us take a critical look at our own history.

As we well know the First Colonists came from England. The roots of the early Americans were the British. During the revolutionarily war thousands of American Patriots were captured by the British and chained on prison ships. They were treated so badly that nearly all of them (12,000) died in captivity. The cruelty that was bestowed upon prisoners of war during the American Civil War by Americans on both sides is well documented. At least 56,000 American prisoners were killed or allowed to die by their fellow Americans. During WWI thousands of German Americans were imprisoned by the American Government. Thousands of Japanese and German Americans were incarcerated by their own American government during WW II. So what is it that makes America so different from the rest of the world that imprisoning or murdering some of its own citizens is not possible? I missed that in my reading of American history.

Our founding fathers knew history and human behavior and believing that the greatest threat to liberty is an out of control government, they wrote the second amendment to the Constitution. If you do not yet understand why you need a rifle I can only assume that I am wasting my ink. To you I say, good luck. Hopefully you will be protected by better Americans. If you agree that you need a rifle but know little about the subject please read on.

A bolt action hunting rifle might make an accurate counter sniper rifle but will lack the volume of fire needed to engage multiple targets. Just as with handguns there are pros and cons to every tool. Each person needs to examine the use that they envision for the rifle. The size of the shooter is a consideration as well as his tolerance to recoil. Ammunition, magazine and parts availability should also be a factor in selecting a rifle.

Stacey and I have considerable experience with rifles. Most of the 9,000 LAPD Officers did not have rifles. Only 300 handpicked well trained Patrol Officers were issued M-16s. Stacey was among them. I was the Chief Instructor who created and ran the Patrol Rifle Program. I carried and used the M-16 in Viet Nam. I was trained and qualified with the M-14 in the Army. I used a variety of rifles during my 14 years with LAPD SWAT. We will pass on some general information about some of the more appropriate rifles for your consideration.

The Russians call the AK-47 "the peoples rifle." Far from perfect the AK-47 has been produced and used in greater numbers than any other rifle. They are cheap to manufacture and very reliable. I do not like the way the safety operates and I have always been disappointed with the lack of accuracy. If you already have one it should suffice. I have owned two semi automatic versions of the AK but I could not accept the poor groups. I agree with the phrase, "only accurate rifles are interesting." This rifle is chambered for the 7.62 X 39 MM cartridge which has less recoil than the .308 win (7.62X51 MM). There are variations of the AK in other calibers. Civilian versions of this rifle are known by a slightly different designation (AKM, etc.) depending on the manufacture.

The Ruger Mini-14 is a handy little carbine in .223 cal. Flatter shooting and more accurate than the AK-47, it is available in a variety of configurations. I have owned several and have few complaints. This is a particularly good choice for people living in jurisdictions such as California which generally prohibit possession of the AR-15.

The AR-15 is the civilian version of the M-16 and is available in a plethora of variations and produced by numerous gun makers. Usually in .223, it can be found in several other calibers. This gun has much to offer the armed citizen. Ammunition, magazines and parts may be compatible with the rifles carried by our military troops and local police officers. The recoil is minimal making the rifles easy to shoot for all adult members of the family. The AR-15 is usually very accurate and ammunition is light and easy to carry. The .223 cartridge does not hit as hard as the .308 will but still works fairly well. This rifle could be called the "American- people's rifle," due to its widespread use.

The M-1A is the civilian version of the military M-14. This rifle is usually found in .308 Winchester. I have owned several of these rifles and used and qualified with the M-14 in the Army. They are currently in service with special ops units in the middle east. The big advantage of the M-1A is the powerful .308 cartridge which offers more range and will penetrate barriers far better that the .223. On the negative side the M-1A is heavier than most AR-15 rifles, the ammunition is heavier, there is a bit more recoil, and ammunition is more expensive. A great choice for some but not the best rifle for everyone. There are many other rifles available but these are some of the most common.

Rifles or Carbines in handgun calibers (.357 Magnum or .44 Magnum) can be useful to perhaps 125 yards. They have many advantages but limited range could be a problem. Shotguns are very specialized. With buck shot or slugs, shotguns can be difficult to shoot accurately. Buck shot spreads about 1 inch per yard or less. As a result the pattern is so tight at close range that the combat shotgun must be aligned almost as carefully as a rifle. At longer ranges the pattern may be so large that it becomes ineffective. Shot guns do not hold a lot of ammunition. In our opinion shotguns are most useful in very specific circumstances by expert shooters. That is why so many police departments have abandoned the shotgun, or limit its use, in favor of a patrol rifle which is easy to use and has more reach.

We hope that these comments are useful. Our intention is to get your research started in the right direction. There are more books and magazine articles on the subject of rifles than you could ever read. Do not forget that buying the right equipment is only the first step. The rifle without professional training may be of little use. Remember to check state and local laws regarding restrictions on the use and possession of certain rifles.

The authors of this article intend this to be a general guide in understanding the role of the rifle in the self defense battery. The authors cannot be responsible for the use or misuse of information contained in this article. We strongly suggest that you receive professional training before using any firearm.

"We carry handguns to defend ourselves and our loved ones from an unexpected deadly threat. When we have been forewarned that deadly force will be required we arm ourselves with a rifle."

Larry and Stacey Mudgett

Comments are closed for this post, please leave them on Larry and Stacey's website: mudgettminute.blogspot.com

I Want to Buy a Gun- Which Gun Should I Buy?

2010-07-07T10:54:00.001-06:00

This is a article repost by Larry and Stacey Mudgett. You can find the original article on their website: mudgettminute.blogspot.com

What gun would you recommend for me? Stacey and I are asked this question at least once a week. The person asking the question is probably expecting a simple answer, such as, “the perfect gun for you is the ‘Spaceman 2500’.” Instead, we start by asking the “potential gun buyer” (PGB) some questions. “I want to build a house, which tool should I buy?” The PGB will usually just give us a blank stare. “Which hammer should I buy?” Another blank stare will usually follow. Then we will explain that a gun is a tool, much like other tools. Each tool is designed to do different jobs. If you are building a house and framing walls you do not want a tack hammer. If you are installing molding you do not want a sledge hammer. Asking, “which gun should I buy,” is like asking which car should I buy? If you are 6’7” you probably do not want to buy a subcompact. If you haul hay for your horses you probably do not want a sports car.

I once received a call from a friend (Don) who asked me what firearm he should buy for home defense. Don and his wife would both have access to the weapon. Don had given this subject some thought and gave me a list of characteristics that he expected to find in his new gun. Don said that the gun must be small enough to conceal. It must be powerful enough to stop a determined attacker. It must not have too much recoil. It must not be expensive and it must be simple to operate. Don had been a professional pilot for 40 years. I responded to his inquiry with a hypothetical question. “I want to buy an airplane. I want this airplane to carry lots of passengers. I want it to be fast. I want it to be easy to fly. The aircraft must be able to operate from short runways. I want it to be cheap to operate and inexpensive to purchase.” Don replied, “Many of those requirements are in conflict with each other. There is no such airplane. “If there were such an airplane it would do all things well and there would be no need for any other airplane to exist.” I responded, “Don, many of your handgun requirements are in conflict with each other. There is no such gun. If there were such a gun it would do all things well and there would be no need for any other gun to exist.”

A PGB should start by asking himself several questions. What do I want this gun to do for me? Is it for self defense? Will I carry it concealed? How large are my hands? Will I seek professional training? Once trained, how often will I practice? Do I know what level of recoil I can tolerate? Who else in my home will have access to this firearm? Would my spouse have the necessary skills to use this firearm? Once you have made this list you should prioritize your requirements.

A powerful gun will generate more recoil. A small caliber gun with minimal recoil will deliver minimal power to the target. A smaller gun will generally be harder to control than a larger gun in the same caliber. A larger gun will be harder to conceal. As in most things one tool (gun) may not be sufficient.

Many times a PGB will decide that he should select a medium size gun. This gun is thought to be a good compromise, being easier to shoot than a true compact gun and more concealable than a full size gun. Compromises are often disappointing. This middle size gun may turn out to be too large to conceal and more difficult to shoot well than the full size version.

If your purpose for acquiring a handgun is self defense, you will need at least two pistols. First you need a full size pistol. By full size, we mean a gun that would commonly be carried by a uniformed police officer or solider. This gun would probably have a barrel length of 4 to 5 inches. This is the gun that you will use for your initial training. The size of this gun will help to reduce felt recoil. The 4 to 5 inch barrel will result in higher velocity and more energy than a smaller version of the same gun. In addition to using this gun for initial training, you may decide to keep this gun in your vehicle or in a lock box on your night stand. On special occasions you may elect to carry this gun concealed but the size of the weapon will preclude you from carrying it full time.

The second handgun you will need is a much smaller version of your full size weapon. Ideally, this “compact concealed carry handgun” will operate and function in the same manner as your full size gun. Such compatibility is desirable but not always possible. The small size of this gun will make it harder to shoot well. This pistol will serve as your 24-7-365 firearm. This gun is small enough that you should never fail to carry it on any occasion that doing so is lawful.

You are better armed with a compact pistol on your hip than with a full size pistol located where you cannot reach it. I remember asking fellow police officers, “What gun do you carry off duty?” They would sometimes respond, “I carry my full size uniform pistol off duty.” My follow up question, “where is it now,” would often illicit an unsatisfactory answer. “It is at home,” or “it is in my car.” A small frame .38 or a 10 ounce .380 pistol in your hand will be more useful than a .45 auto at home in your gun safe. Many a good person has been killed just out of reach of the handgun that they should have been wearing. Small guns encourage concealed carry.

“The purpose of a handgun is to protect you and your loved ones from an unexpected deadly threat.” If you knew there was going to be a lethal confrontation you would leave the area, wait for the police, or obtain a shoulder weapon. As we know, criminals do not usually make appointments with their future victims. We defend ourselves with handguns because they are portable, concealable, and we are able to have a handgun on our person at all times.

If you select a revolver for your full size handgun, finding a small compact revolver will not be difficult. There are a plethora of small frame short barreled revolvers available. Simi automatic pistols are made with different types of trigger actions, safeties, de cocking levers, magazine release buttons and slide lock levers. If you select semi automatic pistols, you should try to find a full size pistol and a compact pistol which have similar controls.

In terms of calibers, it is our experience that bigger calibers tend to incapacitate attackers more quickly than smaller calibers. With that said, we recommend that you defend yourself with the most powerful caliber that “you can control and shoot well.” Remember that a hit with a small caliber is preferable to a miss with a larger caliber and a hit with a larger caliber is better still.

Let us briefly compare semi automatic pistols to revolvers. Each type of handgun has its strengths and weakness , especially for the new shooter. The revolver is generally considered to be easier to manipulate because there is no manual safety which must be disengaged prior to firing, and reengaged after firing. There is no de cocking lever which must be activated to "un cock" the pistol after firing. There is no slide to operate which can be difficult for some shooters. Checking the condition of a revolver may be easier than checking the condition of a semi automatic. Some semi automatic pistols fire the first shot by trigger cocking and subsequent shots are fired from a cocked condition. This necessitates learning to control two types of trigger action. In many ways the semi automatic is a bit more complicated to operate correctly and requires more training and more follow up practice to remain proficient.

The semi automatic pistol generally holds more cartridges, is faster to reload and when fired in the single action mode (already cocked) it can be easier to shoot accurately. In a struggle a revolver can be fired with the muzzle pressed into the attacker (not necessarily advised). Under these circumstances a semi automatic pistol will possibly come out of battery, (the slide may become unlocked) momentarily preventing the pistol from firing. Conducting certain training drills can be accomplish more easily with the revolver. The revolver may use a much wider variety of ammunition than a semi automatic because the semi automatic uses the recoil energy of its cartridge to function. A semi automatic requires full power ammunition in order to function properly.

The revolver does not rely on the power of its ammunition in order to function. Therefore you can use a very low recoil, low noise cartridge for initial training in a revolver and then work up the power scale gradually until you can control full power combat loads. As you can see revolvers and semi automatics each have their strengths and limitations. Research is the key. You can find books and articles about any handgun. You should consider which type of handgun appeals to you and will give you confidence. Guns that you enjoy shooting will encourage you to practice and correct practice will help you to develop the skills necessary to successfully defend yourself.

Frequently, Stacey and I will be approached by someone who asks, “I just bought a ‘Spaceman 2500’ for self defense. What is your opinion of this gun?” Often we must reluctantly reply, “sorry, but we do not think much of the ‘spaceman 2500’. There are a lot of problems with that gun. We wish you had asked us before you acquired it.” Ask before you buy.

A handgun carried for self defense must be reliable and you must have confidence in your ability to use it properly. A quality handgun will last several life times if properly cared for. You are buying a tool which may be in your family for generations. Do not skimp. Do the research. Talk to as many knowledgeable people as you can before making a purchase. Carefully consider how you intend to use these new tools. Prioritize your requirements and make an intelligent decision based on reason, not emotion. If the appearance of a particular gun appeals to you, this may be a consideration, but should not the primary consideration, in making your selection. Compromise may lead to purchasing a gun which does nothing well. You will need at least two handguns for self defense.

Here is a brief list of some of the guns that Stacey and I have used during our careers.

Full size:
S&W K frame revolvers such as the M-66 .357 Magnum with 4" or 6" barrel.
Colt M-1911 .45 ACP
S&W 4506/4566 .45 ACP
Glock M-22/23 .40

Compact concealed carry:
S&W J frame (5 shot .38/.357 Mag) revolvers with 2 " barrel such as the M-638.
Ruger LCP .380
Colt Pony .380 (discontinued)
S&W M-12 .38 Spec (6 shot) Alloy frame (discontinued).
Note: There are now numerous small .380 and 9 MM pistols available for concealed carry. Many of these are new in the market place.

Additional: At 6'4" and 220 pounds, when properly attired I would comfortably carry guns from the following list and did so on a daily basis:
Colt 1911 (Light Weight) Commander .45 ACP
Glock M-27 .40
S&W M- 457 .45 ACP
S&W K frame M-64/65 3" barrel .38 special/.357 Magnum
S&W M-3913 9MM

What has worked well for Stacey and I may or may not work well for you. We hope that we have given you a starting point in your quest to find appropriate defensive handguns which will meet your specific needs.

This article is meant only as a general guide for potential gun buyers. The authors cannot be responsible or liable for the use or misuse of any information contained in this article. The authors suggest that you consult with recognized experts in the field of firearms before selecting a specific firearm and that you seek competent professional training before using any firearm.

NOTE: Comments have been turned off for this post, please leave them on Larry and Stacey's Website: mudgettminute.blogspot.com

Bloomington Lake - Bloomington, Idaho - Bear Lake Valley

2010-06-29T12:17:00.000-06:00

On our family vacation this year, we went to a little lake called Bloomington Lake. This lake is only a short hike from the trail head (but it has some steep grades, and was some of the trail was covered with snow).

Minnetonka Cave

2010-06-27T23:15:00.001-06:00

I have always had a love for Caves. I guess it started when my older sister took me to a cave when I was in Junior High (I even did a science fair project on water in caves when I was in 9th grade). I have not been able to visit them as often as I would like. During a recent vacation we had the opportunity to visit Minnetonka Cave in Idaho, in the Bear Lake valley. Here are some pictures of that cave that I took. I hope you enjoy them, there are some pretty cool formations. See if you can see the different formations.

NOTICE: There are a lot of pictures on this page, and they may take some time to download. If you would like a higher resolution picture of any of these, let me know. I am not the best at taking cave photos, but some of them turned out pretty good.

The first picture is for the grandparents so they can see their grand kids. :)

Obama - stretches his arms

2010-06-16T10:49:00.001-06:00

From an address made by the President of the United States in regards to the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company’s recklessness. And this fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent third party. [Whitehorse.gov]

First some facts. BP Oil is not a US company, it is a UK based company. The oil rig is 50 miles off of the US coast, which puts it outside of US territorial or Contiguous zones.[*]

Having said that, what RIGHT does the President have to inform a NON US company that it has to spend its money a certain way?

What RIGHT does the President have to give that money to a third party for control?

Turn the table. How would the US President and a US company respond to another country informing us what we must and will do.

Don't get me wrong, I think that the Oil Spill in the Gulf is a bad thing, and needs to be cleaned up. But I don't think that the US President has any right to tell BP Oil how to handle the cleanup, and force them to pay individuals. Heck, why not just make them give the money to Fanny Mae or Freddie Mac, we know how well they keep track of money.

I guess one way to make sure the US stays competitive, is to force a competitor out of business.

The Overton Window - Not the book Glenn Wrote.

2010-06-14T12:44:00.001-06:00

NOTE: I have moved my blog to a different site. Please make comments on this post at: www.dadzoolife.com. If you are bookmarked to this site, pleas update that bookmark. Thanks...

Everyone has probably heard that this week Glenn Beck will be releasing his new book "The Overton Window". This is a work of fiction that Glenn has written. This post is not about the book, that Glenn wrote, but about the concept of the Overton Window and what it is.

First off, the Overton Window concept is named after Joseph P. Overton (4 Jan 1960 - 30 June 2003). In short, it is about a window in the political world. This windows applies to most political idea or concept. Basically, if an idea falls inside of this window, then the politician that votes for it will hold the support of the population. But if a politician votes for something that is outside of the Overton Window, then he will be considered unpopular and removed during the next election.

Wikipedia says this about it:

At any given moment the “window” includes a range of policies considered to be politically acceptable in the current climate of public opinion, with “acceptable” defined as something a politician can recommend without being considered too “extreme” or outside the mainstream to gain or keep public office. Overton arranged the spectrum on a vertical axis with policies defined as “more free” at the top and “less free” at the bottom, where “free” is defined as less subject to government intervention. When the window moves or expands, it means that ideas previously not considered politically acceptable have become so, and possibly that ideas previously considered acceptable are no longer.

The degrees of acceptance of public ideas can be described roughly as:
Unthinkable
Radical
Acceptable
Sensible
Popular
Policy
The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public so that the window either “moves” or expands to encompass them. Opponents of current policies, or similar ones currently within the window, likewise seek to convince people that these should be considered unacceptable. [ Source: Overton Window - Wikipedia]

You can read more bio information about Joseph P. Orton, and view some of the articles, etc that he has written by going to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Joseph P. Orton.

There is another good article about the Overton Window written by Joseph Lehman, President of the Mackinac Center. In this article, I want to point out a couple of comments he makes about the Overton Window.

"He [Joe Overton] observed that any collection of public policies within a policy area, such as education, can be arranged in order from more free to less free (or from less government intervention to more). To avoid comparison with the left-right political spectrum, he arranged the policies from bottom (less free) to top (more free)."

Note, that items are arranged in a top-down fashion, instead of a left right fashion. This is to eliminate the terms of right and left wings, and makes everything a basis of free and less free.

Many believe that politicians move the window, but that's actually rare. In our understanding, politicians typically don't determine what is politically acceptable; more often they react to it and validate it. Generally speaking, policy change follows political change, which itself follows social change. The most durable policy changes are those that are undergirded by strong social movements.

I have always felt that this is true. That it is not really the politicians that can make the changes, but the flow of people under those politicians. If you want something to change, you have to get the Overton Window to either expand, contract, or shift. By doing this, you make it acceptable for the current politicians to vote in favor or the item you want policy for. Most politicians will not vote for something outside of the Overton Window, because it will risk their ability to be re-elected, or may even get them kicked out of office.

Joseph then goes on to explain:

Lawmakers who support policies outside the window are one of two kinds — true leaders who have the rare ability to shift the window by themselves, or politicians who risk electoral defeat because they are perceived as out of touch. This explains why key lawmakers in 2009 and 2010 were reluctant to support a massive federal health care bill seen as unpopular with the people. Officeholders knew a vote outside the window would subject them to the political Furies, as in fact it has.

One thing that needs to be addressed as well, is that the Overton Window can be different on a national level then it is on a local level. A perfect example is with recent US Senate race in Utah.   Even though TARP may of been considered in the national Overton Window, it was not in the Overton Window in Utah. So when Bob Bennett voted for the first TARP, he voted outside the window, and in turn was labeled as "out of touch", and lost the US Senate GOP primary nomination. (At least in my mind that is what happened, as a State GOP Delegate, that is why I voted to block his primary party nomination.)

If you really want to have a say in the political process, you need to move the Overton Window. And to do that, you need to have people accept the policy you want, then the Overton Window will shift, and the politicians will be able to vote for it.

I think what we are seeing in our country, with the tea party movement and other movements, is that the Overton Window has shifted under the politicians, and that the politicians are looking at a different Overton Window than the population.   This in turn is making them look Out of Touch with us.  This is why we are seeing policies being passed that the majority of the US does not agree with. The politicians are passing policies based on their Overton Windows, not the Overton Windows of their election base.

My take on the current Overton Window is that over the years it has shifted from what our founding father's Overton Window was. Because of this, we are seeing a huge shift in the public Overton Window to move it back to the original founding fathers views. And in the process, the politicians are either ignoring that shift, or are trying to fight the sift.   This will eventually lead to the politicians being labeled as "Out of Tough" and they will be removed from office.   My hope is that the politicians view of the Overton Window and the publics view of the Overton Window will align again, and we will start seeing policies and changes that the majority can believe in.

Thoughs... Comments....

If you want more info on the book that Glenn wrote, you can find it here:

For more resources on the concept of the Overton Window, see these links:
Overton Window - Wikipedia
Why the Right-Wing Gets it--and Why Dems Don't
The Overton Window - A Model of Policy Change
Craxy Like a Fox?
The Overton Window, Illustrated - I dont agree with the left right diagram.

Our national Athem - The Star-Spangeld Banner - Verse Four (The Forgotten Verse)

2010-06-09T16:29:00.000-06:00

The second verse of The Star-Spangeld banner

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heaven-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must,

When our cause it is just,

And this be our motto, "In God is our trust."

And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

(Francis Scott Key, 1779-1843)

Generational Pattern, what pattern are you building?

2010-06-06T23:16:00.001-06:00

Husbands, fathers, and grandfathers, how consistently do we show our love and respect for our mothers, wives, daughters, and for all women? There is no real manhood without real respect for womanhood! No man can be exalted who demeans women. Surely no man who is brutal or disrespectful to a wife or mother or any woman is worthy of his priesthood! A lack of sufficient love for our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters constitutes a major failure for which no other successes can ever fully compensate! Since our sons and grandsons will treat women much as we do, what kind of generational pattern are we building? [Neal A Maxwell "I will Arise and Go to My Father - Ensign Sept, 1993]

"Since our sons and grandsons will treat women much as we do, what kind of generational pattern are we building?" I would even take it another step. Since our daughters, and granddaughters will see how we treat women, how will they expect their husbands to treat them? If we can't show respect to our wives and mothers, how can we raise daughters that will seek to have respect from their husbands? Imagine if you heard your daughter say, "It is ok for him to treat me that way, that is how my father treated my mother. Don't all men treat women that way?"

If we don't show respect to the women in our lives, how can we expect others to show them respect? Not only does it damage the views of our sons, but it also damages the views our daughters will have. It truly does create a generational pattern that is destructive to society.

Piano Recital and Dinner afterwards

2010-06-03T15:32:00.000-06:00

Things that make me smile (stolen title from Momzoo)

2010-05-25T20:14:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the fun things we have flying around in our backyard. Every year, we try to put up several bird feeders for the birds. I have to admit, this year we have had a bigger variety so far then previous years.

Going... Going.... Gone!

2010-05-17T14:29:00.000-06:00

I recently picked up a new hobby. I have started a N scale model train layout in our basement. The layout will include mountains, trees, and a small city called Blue Sulfur Springs. It gets is name from the Blue Sulfur Yellowstone type hot pot that I am going to include in the layout. It will be the new home for the RW railroad (most of you that follow my blog will be able to tell me what the RW stands for). In the process of getting this new hobby up and running, I purchased an Exxon gas station. The gas station is made of plastic and required assembly. I thought I had some model cement hanging around the house somewhere. And after searching from the upstairs to the dungeon, I was unable to find any in the house. So the quest started. I needed to find some model cement so I could put the newly purchased gas station together.

When I was growing up, I put a lot of plastic models together. They ranged from cars, airplanes, old galleon ships, to the starship Enterprise. Well, Ok, some of them may not of been childhood endeavors, but I was raised loving model building. I remember being able to go to the local grocery store and being able to buy model kits, paints and glue. Having remembered my childhood, I started looking for the model cement. I went to two different craft stores. Both of them told me that they no longer carry model building supplies or kits. I then went to Target and Walmart and found the same thing. The only place I could find that had model cement was the local Hobby store. Lucky for me, there are two of them in the Orem area. And to my surprise I found out that there is a new type of glue, because kids started huffing the old type. But lucky for me the store still carries the old type as well as the new type. So I purchased a new tube, of the old cement I remember, for $1.99 including tax.

I then put the Exxon gas station together and it is now ready for me to dub the first building in Blue Sulfur Springs. I also now have the glue needed to build the sawmill and the other small town buildings as I get them.

I then started thinking. Why was it so hard for me to find model glue, when 30 years ago it was in every grocery store. What has changed over the last 30 years to make the demand go down for model kits and building supplies?

I think that the lack of model supplies and kits shows a trend that our society is moving towards. Instead of the younger generation spending time building things, they are spending their time destroying things in a virtual world. If you were to ask a pre-teen boy now days what he likes to do with his spare time, what would his answer be? Would he want to build things with Legos, or put a model together? I think that he would prefer to play Modern Warfare, Assassins Creed or World of Warcraft and see how l33t he is and who he can pown. Our younger generation has turned into a generation of destroyers instead of builders. This mentality is especially evident by something that my 6 year old told me the other day. One of the neighborhood boys her age is now saying that he wants to grow up to be an assassin. He does not want to be a doctor, policeman, or the common my generation answers, but wants to be like the popular video game Assassins Creed. A video game that makes being an assassin a good thing, because they have a code of ethics or a creed they have to follow. Instead of saving lives and building society better, his dream is to become a l33t assassin. What does that have to say about our society?

Last night I was talking to some of our neighbors after the kids were pretending to be in bed. One of these neighbors is an educator for 26 years (I think that is how long). I asked her if she had seen a change in the mentality of kids over the last 26 years. She told me that over the last 26 years she has seen them go from being able to think and build things, to a generation that relies on their parents to build and think for them. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of very bright kids that still come up with innovative ideas and solutions to problems, but I would say the majority of them now have the mentality of just letting others supply them with what they need.

As a parent, our goal is to help our children go from a state of complete dependence to a state of independence. In previous generations the age that children achieved independence was at a very young age. At the age of 14 a girl could run a house hold, and a boy had started his training in a trade or vocation. A perfect example is George Washington. At age 17 George Washington was commissioned as the first Surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia. At the age of 20, he was appointed as a Major in the Virginia militia. At 21, he was a Master mason in the Freemasons. The rest is history.

Instead of our society being a society of adults, that are independent, we are becoming a society of children that are completely dependent on others. Instead of hearing people say they can do things, we now hear people say that it is too hard for them to do it. Instead of a society that pulls themselves up with their boot straps, they want others to gently help them keep the status quo. How many times have you heard of people not doing things because it would be to hard? Getting an education is to hard. Working for things before we by them is to hard. The list goes on.

Ask yourself who should be responsible for the following for myself and my family?

Education
Food
Security
Health Care
Wealth

If you were to ask your grandparents or great-grandparents, they would ultimately tell you that THEY were responsible for these things. Ask someone of the upcoming generation and they would tell you the GOVERNEMNT, or someone else is responsible. There is no personal responsibility in the raising generation.

By the time we start actually raising adults and bringing society back to a level where people are responsible to themselves there will be such a debt burden on that generation that they will be under the yoke of it for generations to come.

It is time that Americans stop relying on others, and become more independent and responsible for their own actions and for their own futures. DON’T RELY ON SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE YOUR FUTURE FOR YOU!

Just my two cents.

BTW, if you want to see the progress of my N Scale model train set, you can go to http://rwrailroad.blogspot.com/, it even has a 24/7 webcam. You can watch the city and land scape develop over time.

Selfishness = less liberties

2010-05-03T12:43:00.001-06:00

This is going to be a short post, but I hope that it stimulates thought and maybe some conversation in the comments section.

I would say that ALL laws (laws that restrict your liberties) are created because of selfishness. They are either created because of the selfishness of the law giver, or because of the selfishness of someone that then required the law. Laws are created to protect the majority from the selfish minority.

Just imagine what type of world this would be if everyone just dropped being selfish and look at the ways their actions effect others.

Laws/Ordinances restrict and remove liberties, and would not be necessary if everyone worked on being less selfish.

UVU's US Senate Debate: Youtube

2010-04-13T12:04:00.000-06:00

Thank you for those of you who showed up to UVU's US Senate Debate! Every candidate, with the exception of Sam Granato (D), attended the debate. One hundred and thirty GOP state delegates were counted but we estimate that number to be at least 150. We didn't anticipate such a large and enthusiastic crowd to show up. We're sorry that the event went longer than we advertised and we're also sorry for those of you who had trouble finding parking or a place to sit. In the future we won't underestimate the involvement of GOP delegates!

If you couldn't attend for any reason click on the links below to watch the debate on youtube in its entirety. We had difficulties filming/editing/posting the videos so Mike Lee's campaign was generous enough to allow us to use their videos. Each candidate was given an opportunity to respond to the questions asked.

Introductory Comments Part 1
Introductory Comments Part 2
Introductory Comments Part 3
Question to Bob Bennett
Question to Scott Bradley
Question to Tim Bridgewater
Question to David Chiu
Question to Merrill Cook
Question to Cherilyn Eagar
Question to Leonard Fabiano
Question to Jeremy Friedbaum
Question to Mike Lee
Question to Christopher Stout
Closing Statements

We conducted an unannounced exit poll. While there were some who declined to participate these are the results of the nearly 200 who did:

Mike Lee: 49.4%
Cherilyn Eagar: 16.6%
Tim Bridgewater: 16.3%
Scott Bradley: 7.3%
Bob Bennett: 6.7%
Merrill Cook: 1.9%
Christopher Stout: 1%
Leonard Fabiano: .5%
Jeremy Friedbaum: .3%
David Chiu: 0%

Gratefully,
James Davis
On Behalf of UVU's Student Government, College Republicans, & Young Americans for Liberty

People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.

2010-04-12T11:51:00.000-06:00

Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero) January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman Constitutionalist. Cicero has been quoted for saying the following:

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero - 55 BC

I really like this quote, so I decided I wanted to see if it was in fact said over 2000 years go. There has been a lot of discussion about if Cicero really said it. Some people say it was from a work of fiction called A Pillar of Iron (1965) by Taylor Caldwell. It was also quoted in The Chicago Tribune (20 April 1971) by John H. Collins. The original source has not been found, so it has not been proven to belong to Cicero or anyone else. Having said that, I still like the quote, and like the points it makes.

Balance budget
Surplus in treasury
Reduced public debt
Politicians should be controlled.
Assistance to foreign lands curtailed.

A lot of what he said is now being said by the majority of conservatives. And then he finishes by saying "People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.", some say he said it this way, "The mobs should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence." Both of which I agree. I think that society on a whole has turned to the government for assistance and subsistence instead of learning to work for themselves. All of these government programs are breeding a lazy population that can be heard to say, "the government will help me out of this." or "I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car, or paying my mortgage.." But what Americans should be saying is, "How can I get myself out of this." or "What can I do to make more money and pay for my mortgage and gas." It is a sad state of affairs when people can make more money on government programs instead of their own labor. When you can sit on your couch, and have all your needs taken care of, there is little to no reason to get off the couch. I think that Benjamin Franklin says it, "I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it." (On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor, 1776)

Just one more point to think about... Once the population is so dependent on the government, and the majority of American's don't have the basic skills needed to support themselves, what happens if the government falls? Who will the unprepared turn to for their assistance and subsistence?

Comments?

Health Care Bill Creates - Commissioned Corps and Ready Reserver Corps

2010-04-05T16:19:00.000-06:00

Remember when Obama said this:

"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Barack Obama, July 2, 2008, Colorado Springs, CO.

Well, this is what the Health Care bill says;

See the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, page 1312: SEC. 5210.

13 SEC. 5210. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS.

14 Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42

15 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows:

16 ‘‘SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE

17 CORPS.

18 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Service

20 a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve

21 Corps for service in time of national emergency.

22 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—All commissioned officers

23 shall be citizens of the United States and shall be ap24

pointed without regard to the civil-service laws and

1313

HR 3590 EAS/PP

1 compensated without regard to the Classification Act

2 of 1923, as amended.

3 ‘‘(3) APPOINTMENT.—Commissioned officers of

4 the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the

5 President and commissioned officers of the Regular

6 Corps shall be appointed by the President with the

7 advice and consent of the Senate.

8 ‘‘(4) ACTIVE DUTY.—Commissioned officers of the

9 Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to

10 call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including

11 active duty for the purpose of training.

12 ‘‘(5) WARRANT OFFICERS.—Warrant officers

13 may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of

14 providing support to the health and delivery systems

15 maintained by the Service and any warrant officer

16 appointed to the Service shall be considered for pur17

poses of this Act and title 37, United States Code, to

18 be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned

19 Corps of the Service.

20 ‘‘(b) ASSIMILATING RESERVE CORP OFFICERS INTO

21 THE REGULAR CORPS.—Effective on the date of enactment

22 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all indi23

viduals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this

24 section (as such section existed on the day before the date

1314

HR 3590 EAS/PP

1 of enactment of such Act) and serving on active duty shall

2 be deemed to be commissioned officers of the Regular Corps.

3 ‘‘(c) PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESEARCH.—

4 ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Ready Re5

serve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional

6 Commissioned Corps personnel available on short no7

tice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve pro8

gram) to assist regular Commissioned Corps per9

sonnel to meet both routine public health and emer10

gency response missions.

11 ‘‘(2) USES.—The Ready Reserve Corps shall—

12 ‘‘(A) participate in routine training to meet

13 the general and specific needs of the Commis14

sioned Corps;

15 ‘‘(B) be available and ready for involuntary

16 calls to active duty during national emergencies

17 and public health crises, similar to the uni18

formed service reserve personnel;

19 ‘‘(C) be available for backfilling critical po20

sitions left vacant during deployment of active

21 duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as

22 for deployment to respond to public health emer23

gencies, both foreign and domestic; and

24 ‘‘(D) be available for service assignment in

25 isolated, hardship, and medically underserved

1315

HR 3590 EAS/PP

1 communities (as defined in section 799B) to im2

prove access to health services.

3 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—For the purpose of carrying out the

4 duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps

5 under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated

6 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for

7 recruitment and training and $12,500,000 for each of fiscal

8 years 2010 through 2014 for the Ready Reserve Corps.’’.

Is this what Obama was refering to? A well funded Civilian Corps?

Senate candidate debate - My take on it.

2010-04-05T09:40:00.000-06:00

(Notice the above picture, kinda funny how much POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE is in the debates now compared to what they were. Makes you wonder if it is not about who spends or looks the best as opposed to who has the best moral values.)

I attended a debate held by UVU on Friday April 2nd, 2010. The debate was held in the UVU Library. The room that the debate was located in had a very nice view of Utah Lake and I could even see the sub-division I live in on the west side of the lake. My eye sight was not good enough to actually see the street I live on, but you had a nice view of the south end of Saratoga Springs.

The debate had several non republican candidates there as well. And I will have to admit, after the State GOP convention, I am going to seriously look into Scott Bradley of the Constitution party. He deserves a closer look in my opinion. But back to the debate. There were 10 candidates there. 8 Republican, 1 Constitutional, and 1 Democrat. I am going to first give my views/impressions on the 8 Republican candidates, and then I will give my view on the non-republican candidates. There are several other write ups on this debate as well. The Daily Herald has an article on it, as well as KSL.com.

First, here is a list of those that attended. (Click on the name to visit their websites, if they have one.)

C -- Scott Bradley
D -- Christopher Stout
R -- Bob Bennett
R -- Tim Bridgewater
R -- David Chiu
R -- Merrill Cook
R -- Cherilyn Eagar
R -- Leonard Fabiano
R -- Jeremy Friedbaum
R -- Mike Lee

First, my take on the Republican candidates.

Bob Bennett
As the incumbent, Senator Bennett has a heavy challenge ahead of him. Almost all of the candidates at one time or another directly jabbed at the Senator. My feelings to wards Senator Bennett have not changed because of the debate, but I am going to look a little more into his view points.   During the debate, he talked about Earmarks and how the Executive Branch (Obama Administration) could spend money that congress did not spend on earmarks. I have sent him an email asking him to clarify this statement.

One of the questions asked the candidates was what three things they would do for Utah when they got into office. Almost everyone mentioned items on the federal level. Mr. Bennett then spent his time reminding everyone of the questions, and that they should of talked about state issues, not federal, but then did not answer the question.

I am still opposed to Bob Bennett at this time, the biggest hurdle or problem I see with Senator Bennett is the fact that he voted on the first TARP or Bank Bailout. And in the process made the comment that he was going to go against what the majority of the people in his state were telling him. You can view more information about this at: http://www.turdacrat.com/2010/03/bob-bennett-turdacrat/.

Tim Bridgewater
I am impressed with Tim Bridgewater. I am going to be following his platform more closely over the next few weeks. I was impressed with the way he handled himself and how hard he pushed the US Constitution in the debate.   I have asked him some follow up questions via email and will post them when I receive an answer.

David Chiu
I will not be voting for David Chiu as a delegate, and here are the reasons.  Almost every question in the debate he returned to his military son. Not every question needs to be answered with reference to the military and to current military conflicts.   Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate what the US Military has done, is doing, and will be doing.   I just think that there needs to be more to a person than their view of the Military and that their son is a Marine.

Merrill Cook
I did not like Merrill when he was a member of Congress before. The entire debate was about Bob Bennett and also what he did in Washington before that needs to be fixed because he was not there again. (On a non debate side, he also lost my vote at a Meet the Candidate event held in Eagle Mountain on the 25th of March. During that event, he sat on the sidelines on his cell phone, while those delegates around him were struggling to hear. He even answered another call after he was asked by several people to please take it outside. He showed little or no consideration for anyone else at attendance.)

Leonard Fabiano
Mr. Fabiano is a good man, I like most of his viewpoints, but I personally don't think he has a loud enough voice to push for Utah.  He is a good man, and believes in the Constitution, but I don't think he has what it will take to make the changes needed in the Congress.

Jeremy Freidbaum
I wanted to give Jeremy a running chance, I really did. He looks like the under dog in the race, and I wanted to give him all the support I could. I listened to him, and believe the he has a very strong understanding and knowledge of the Founding Fathers.   During the debate, it came out that he is what is called "A Birther".  The birthers are a group of people that believe that Obama should not be President because he is not a legal citizen of the US. To this I say, maybe he is, maybe he is not, but now that he is the President, and accepted by Congress, it is a mute point. If congress were to push for him to be removed because of this, it would split the country more than it is already split. I think that more attention needs to be made on actual things that can be changed, instead of chasing ghosts.

Cherilyn Eager
Call me a sexist, but if I hear her one more time tell me that what Washington needs is a Conservative Female, I am gong to scream. Anyone that tells me that I need to vote her into office because she is a female, has lost my vote. I believe that someone should be voted on because of their moral principles and what they are planning on doing for our country. I don't think that because someone is a female and is trying to protect her children and grandchildren make her any better of a candidate than a male trying to protect his children and grandchildren. I also believe that a male can fight the abortion fight as well as a female can. (I sent her an email about this, and she has responded to me. I will be posting it in the next few days.)

Mike Lee
Mike Lee did well at the debate. He made his points, and I think handled himself very well. I really like Mike Lee and his view on the constitution and other items. I do need to look more into this view on Free Trade, but that is for another post.

Now on to the non republican candidates.

Christopher Stout
Mr Stout was the only one in the debate that had people heckle him.   I thought it was a credit to him to show up to the debate.   He was outnumbered, and the majority of the people were republican delegates that were there to hear republicans.   But the one comment he made that irritated everyone, including me was his stance on the Constitution. First, he claimed the document was out dated and a changing document. His logic was because the Amendments were added that the document was changing. Sorry, but I have a hard time swallowing that view point. The amendments don't change the constitution, then just help define it. The second point he made was that it is not Congress that should worry about if something is Constitutional, but it is for the Judicial branch to decide. So he pushed the viewpoint that Congress should pass laws with no consideration for the Constitution, and let the judges remove the laws if they are un-constitutional. Sorry, but this seems like a way to say, lets see what we can get away with.

Scott Bradley
I liked what Mr Bradley had to say.   He is very constitutional minded, and is very knowledgeable about the constitution.

I have not made my final decision yet, but as it stands right now, I am leaning to wards Mike Lee or Tim Bridgewater.

2010 SR03 Election Information - Who is running (State Positions)

2010-03-25T12:20:00.001-06:00

Note: This information is for 84045 residents, specifically those who live in the SR03 precinct.

US Senate Election 2010

Robert F Bennett Salt Lake City UT 84104 (801) 524-5933 Republican
info@bennettforsenate.com http://www.bennettforsenate.com/

Scott N. Bradley North Logan UT 84341 (435) 753-8844 Constitution
liberty1787@comcast.net http://www.scottbradleyforsenate.com/

Tim Bridgewater South Jordan UT 84095 (801) 244-0037 Republican
tim@timbridgewater.com http://www.timbridgewater.com/

David Y Chiu Provo UT 84604 (801) 616-1463 Republican
chiusrightforussenate@gmail.com

Merrill Cook Salt Lake City UT 84103 (801) 323-0135 Republican
cook506@msn.com http://www.merrillcookforsenate.com/

Cherilyn Eagar Sandy UT 84090 (801) 592-4245 Republican
cherilyn@eagar4senate.com http://www.eagar4senate.com/

Leonard J Fabiano South Jordan UT 84095 (801) 302-8149 Republican
joe@texscan.com

Jeremy Friedbaum Provo UT 84604 (801) 375-1995 Republican
jfeditor@iname.com

Sam F. Granato Salt Lake City UT 84106 (801) 433-0940 Democratic

Mike Lee Alpine UT 84004 (801) 350-7814 Republican
mlee@mikelee2010.com http://www.mikelee2010.com/

Christopher Stout US Senate Salt Lake City UT 84107 (801) 892-9700 Democratic
info@stout2010.com http://www.stout2010.com/

US House (District 3)

Jason Chaffetz Alpine UT 84004 Republican
jason@chaffetz.com http://www.jasonforcongress.com/

Karen Hyer US Provo UT 84603 (801) 373-9636 Democratic
info@hyerforcongress.com http://www.hyerforcongress.com/

Joseph L. Puente South Salt Lake UT 84106 (435) 262-0941 Unaffiliated
joepuente@live.com http://www.joepuente.org/

Jake Shannon Salt Lake City UT 84103 (801) 635-4488 Libertarian
info@jakeshannon.com http://www.jakeshannon.com/

Douglas Sligting Riverton UT 84065 (801) 253-7379 Constitution
douglas@dentalbranding.com

Govenor

Peter Corroon Salt Lake City UT 84102 (801) 953-0752 Democratic
donald@votecorroon.com http://www.votecorroon.com/

Gary R. Herbert Salt Lake City UT 84111 (801) 328-2010 Republican
gary@garyherbert.com http://www.garyherbert.com/

Richard Martin Provo UT 84604 (801) 426-6600 Republican
kmartinsvcs@msn.com http://www.richardmartingovernor.com/

W. Andrew McCullough Midvale UT 84047 (801) 565-0894 Libertarian
wandrew@prodigy.net http://www.andrewmccullough.org/

Daniel Van Oaks Jr. Alpine UT 84004 (801) 756-4246 Republican
dan@danoaks.com http://www.danoaks.com/

"Superdell" Schanze Salt Lake City UT 84117 (801) 631-1731 Republican
info@totallyawesome.com http://www.totallyawesome.com/

Lieutenant Governor

Greg Bell Salt Lake City UT 84111 (801) 328-2010 Republican
greg@garyherbert.com http://www.garyherbert.com/

State House (District 56)

Lori A. Bonner Lehi UT 84043 (801) 766-0439 Democratic
loribonner@yahoo.com

Kenneth W. Sumsion American Fork UT 84003 (801) 404-8225 Republican
electkensumsion@yahoo.com

Utah Republican US Senate Race

2010-03-25T11:26:00.002-06:00

As an elected State GOP Delegate for SR03, I need to pick someone that I feel should represent the Republican party during the November 2010 election. The list below are the current Republican party members that are running for the seat currently held by Bob Bennett (click on the name to see their official website). Over the next few weeks, I will be looking at information on all of these candidates to make a discussion on who I feel will represent my beliefs and the beliefs of the Republican Party the best. I will be attending a meet the candidate meeting tonight and hope that all of them will be in attendance. (I will let you know how that goes, and who I have a chance to talk to.)

Bob Bennett
Tim Bridgewater
David Chiu
Merrill Cook
Leonard Fabiano
Jeremy Friedbaum
Cherilyn Eager
Leanard Fabiano
Mike Lee
James Williams (Not on LT Governor site, will get more details)

A list of all candidates can be found on the UT Lieutenant Governor website

(Note: these are currently listed in order of last name, not in order of who I feel I will be voting for. That list will be totally different.)

Here are a list of principles/items that I will be evaluating each candidate for. This list was taken from the Utah County Republic party Platform.

These are the things I will be asking the candidates about:

Right to Bear Arms.
Support Local Government.
Fiscal Responsibility.
National Sovereignty.
National Defense.
Personal Agency and Accountability.
Immigration

Other Resources: (here is a list of other websites and resources you can use to get information about the caucus process, and the Republican party.)

Utah County Republican Party website
Utah Republican Party website
Utah Voter Registration Information website

Tyranny

2010-03-25T10:33:00.000-06:00

Picture by: Raymon Swanland - Tyranny of the Night

The above picture does not have anything really to do with this post except for the name. But I thought it was a really cool picture, so I added it.

Tyranny: Opressive power; opressive power exerted by government.

Thomas Jefferson said, "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

James Madison said, "The very definition of tyranny is when all powers are gathered under one place."

I propose two questions for consideration.

Do you fear the government?
Is all power in one place?

I can honestly say that I have started to fear the government. If they can pass a HUGH spending bill, which the majority of the voting public don't want, then what is stoping them from doing other things? I say I fear them, but I still think that they are not out to get me, they just think that they know what is better for me than I do.

I don't think this has happened completely, but I don't see the power of the government actually coming from the people anymore. The ruling class in Washington has seperated itself so far from the little guys that they now don't hear what we say or want.

My Caucus Speech

2010-03-24T08:48:00.000-06:00

William Ellery, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a representative of Rhode Island stated:

“To be prosperous is not to be superior, and should form no barrier between men. Wealth ought not to secure the prosperous the slightest consideration. The only distinctions which should be recognized are those of the soul, of strong principle, of incorruptible integrity, of usefulness, of cultivated intellect, of fidelity in seeking the truth.”

I believe that William states what is really needed from a political leader.

Strong Principles
Incorruptible Integrity
Usefulness (goals that are useful to the country that they serve)
Cultivated Intellect
Fidelity in seeking the truth

I believe that it is our duty to make sure that wealth, and other factors don’t interfere with these attributes. We need to elect people with incorruptible integrity that will seek and stand for the truth.

Another key attribute that I feel needs to be taken into consideration when selecting anyone for public office is their love for the CONSTITUTION.

Alexander Hamilton on Aug 28, 1794 said it best, “A sacred respect for the constitutional law is the vital principle, the sustaining energy of a free government.”

I believe that the Constitution defines rights that are not subjected to actions by another person or group. These rights are natural rights, or rights that God has given to every man. Government should not be giving us rights, rights come from God. Once we let government tell us what rights we have and don’t have, then we put our faith and control in the hands of man instead of in the hands of God.

The Constitution does not grant us rights, it is designed to limit the control or the rights of the government. The founding fathers knew that there would be a time when government would seek to control every aspect of our lives. It is our responsibility to make sure that people are elected to government offices that also view our rights as God given, and not something that government can take way or grant.

The problem is that those with those attributes are members of the Silent Majority. The group of the American people that has now yet stood up and made their voices heard. But with the current happenings in Washington, this is no longer the case. The Silent Majority is not so silent anymore. Movements have started. We are seeing grassroot movements spreading. We see the 9/12 project, the Tea Party, the Patrick Henry Caucus, and many others. I think that the line written in the journal of General Yamamoto after the bombing of Pearl Harbor said it best, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with terrible resolve.”

The silent majority has been awakened, the American people are now filled with a terrible resolve to stop the injustices that we are currently seeing.

We need to evaluate every candidate to make sure they have

Strong Principles
Incorruptible Integrity
Usefulness (goals that are useful to the country that they serve)
Cultivated Intellect
Fidelity in seeking the truth

AND A LOVE FOR THE CONSTITUTION, and the limiting power it puts on Government.

In conclusion, I would like to share another of my favorite quotes.

Benjamin Franklin, in one of his Silence Dogood Letter’s, stated that, “It is undoubtedly the Duty of all persons to serve the Country they live in, according to their abilities.” This is why I want to be an active member in this caucus. I feel that it is my duty to serve to the best of my abilities.

Clinging to my guns....

2010-03-20T09:48:00.000-06:00

I finally was able to shoot my Springfield XD 40.

I really enjoyed shooting it. I put 50 rounds through it this time around.

While we were out, I got a chance to shoot a neighbors SIG 556 as well.

Conservative vs Liberal - A conservative view

2010-03-17T09:16:00.000-06:00

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.

If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone..

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who's to blame and who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended".

Utah State Legislative Re-Cap... State Rights

2010-03-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

If there has been a theme for this session of the legislature. I would say that the theme for this session has been state rights. Here is a recap of some of the actions done by the state legislature that are a push back to the federal government and a message to them that Utah wants to keep its freedoms and rights in Utah.

They also did a lot of transparency work, and limited a lot of what they can and can't do. Here is a list of a lot of the Ethics actions.

You can get a complete list of all of the bills that passed by going to the le.utah.gov website.

Why did I buy a Springfield 40 S&W Sub-Compact?

2010-03-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

I have been asked several times why I purchased a Springfield and not a Glock. I have taken both shooting, and I like the feel of the Springfield a little better than the Glock, and I also like the safety features of the Springfield better.

But first, lets discuss how the gun handles. I have very big hands. I thought for sure that there was no way I could use a sub-compact and feel comfortable with it. So when I went to the store I was set on buying a full size XDM, but I tried the sub-compact. I have to be honest, I would not of bought the sub-compact if it did not come with the extended magazine. But with the extended magazine I liked the gun better than the full size XDM. Below is a picture of me holding the gun with the standard magazine, and then one with the extended magazine.

Notice that the lower part of my hand and my pinkie finger hang under the gun with the standard magazine. But when I have the extended magazine the gun fits nicely in my hand. The reason I felt I had to have a gun that fit nicely in my hand was because I thought I would have a tendency to move my hand up higher on the grip, and that would increase the chances of my hand getting caught by the guns action.

Now, for safety reasons, I am going to stress that you use snap cap rounds when you try loading, unloading, or handling your gun to get use to it. DO NOT USE REAL AMMO. Below is a picture of what snap caps look like in a clip.

Some of the XD models are equipped with a thumb safety which can be operated by both right and left handed shooters. The sub-compact model that I purchased does not come with this thumb safety. (NOTE: The thumb safety does not count as an action when determining if the gun is loaded. In Utah a gun is considered loaded if there is only one action to shoot the gun. ie, if you pull the trigger the gun will fire. The safety does not count as an action, so you cannot consider the gun unloaded if you can pull the trigger and it will fire even if the slide safety is on.)

The second safety feature I like is the trigger safety. The trigger safety locks the trigger from moving backward. The trigger safety is a lever located in front of the trigger. It is shown in the picture below.

The third safety feature I like on the Springfield's is the grip safety. The grip safety is located at the top rear of the firearm grip. The grip safety must be depressed to be deactivated. So in order to shot the gun you must have the grip safety and pull the trigger safety before pulling the trigger. The grip safety is shown below.

But these three safety devices are not the only things that make the Springfield a very safe gun to own. There are two indicators that will let you know if the gun is ready to fire.

The first indicator is the Loaded Chamber indicator. This will let you know if there is a round in the chamber. When the loaded chamber indicator is up, the firearm is ready to fire. The next picture is a picture of the fire indicator down, or the firearm does not have a round chambered.

Notice how the metal piece just below the chamber is flush with the top of the gun. The next picture shows the loaded chamber up, or the firearm is ready to fire.

Notice how now the indicator is up, it is not flat with the top of the gun.

The second indicator is the striker status indicator. This indicator is in the rear of the slide. When the firearm is cocked, the pin will protrude out of the rear of the slide. (Note: The cocking indicator does not always mean that the firearm is loaded, both the chamber indicator and the cocking indicator have to be showing for the gun to be ready to fire. NEVER TRUST A SAFETY OR AN INDICATOR!!! ALWAYS ASSUME THE FIREARM IS LOADED, AND READY TO FIRE). The following picture shows the striker indicator without the gun being cocked.

Notice that there is not a silver pen in the middle of the loaded striker status indicator. The picture below shows what it looks like when the firearm is cocked.

Notice that the round hole now has the silver pin in it. This indicates that the gun is cocked.

These are some of the reason I chose to purchase a Springfield over the Glock. But as noted before, always treat a firearm as if it is loaded and ready to fire. Keep your finger away from the trigger, and when you pick up a gun, make sure the magazine is not in it, and that there is not a round in the chamber.

Next, I will show you what this firearm looks like when you field dress it and then reassemble it.

HARD DRIVE CRASH.....

2010-03-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

If you have ever taken a hard drive apart, this is what it is suppose to look like. Where I work we go through a lot of hard drives, and one of the tasks I have been given is to wipe the data from the drive, and then to destroy the ones that cannot be completely cleaned. This is one that I opened to take what can be recycled out. The drives that we are able to wipe are then sold to a computer recycle.

My girls have had fun helping me with the dead drives. They have fun playing with the magnets and other parts you can remove from the drive. Today they opened one of the hard drives, and we can see what a REALLY GOOD hard drive crash will do the platters.

Notice how the heads have completely ground off the top layer of the platters. Compare this picture to the one above it, and you will see what I am talking about. The crash was so bad, it turned part of the platters to dust.

That black stuff, is the surface of the drive that has been scrapped off. I have probably taken apart over 100 drives, and have only seen two of them that have crashed this spectacularly.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't take all of them apart, some of them get used for target practice. You can see what a .22 will do to a hard drive on a previous post that I have made. http://biohazard-blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/plinking-ruger-10-22-death-of-hard.html.

So you will see what a 40 S&W bullet can do to a hard drive... :) I have thought about taking them out with other things like sledge hammers, saws, freezing, welding, fire, etc. I guess I will have to see what I can do when the weather warms up.

Springfield XD 40, 3 inch, 2 Tone

2010-03-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally broke down and purchased a handgun. I was debating between the 9mm or the 40mm, and was pretty sure I was going to get a Springfield XDM instead of the XD, but when I went to the store, and handled this baby, I had to have it.

I do not really like the feel of the gun in my hand unless it has the extended magazine in it. The extended magazine gives the gun an additional inch or so in handle length. But because this is a sub-compact, it will be easy to carry and use if needed. It came with a holster, magazine holsters, cleaning accessories, gun lock, standard magazine, and an extended magazine.

Of course, I had to buy some ammo, and a box of Snap Caps 40 S&W 5Pk. The snap caps allow you to practice with the hand gun. They are designed to allow you to load, chamber a round and fire, without hurting the gun or anyone around.

Here are a couple more pictures of the hand gun with ammo. The one extended magazine has the snap caps in it.

I also purchased hollow point rounds for personal protection, and a bunch of full metal jacket rounds for practicing.

I have yet to of fired the gun, but plan on doing that soon. Other things keep coming up.

A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain - Benjamin Franklin

2010-03-08T10:21:00.001-07:00

A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain

Whatever is, is in its Causes just
Since all Things are by Fate; but purblind Man
Sees but a part o' th' Chain, the nearest Link,
His Eyes not carrying to the equal Beam
That poises all above.
Dryd.

To Mr. J. R.

SIR,

I have here, according to your Request, given you my present Thoughts of the general State of Things in the Universe. Such as they are, you have them, and are welcome to 'em; and if they yield you any Pleasure or Satisfaction, I shall think my Trouble sufficiently compensated. I know my Scheme will be liable to many Objections from a less discerning Reader than your self; but it is not design'd for those who can't understand it. I need not give you any Caution to distinguish the hypothetical Parts of the Argument from the conclusive: You will easily perceive what I design for Demonstration, and what for Probability only. The whole I leave entirely to you, and shall value my self more or less on this account, in proportion to your Esteem and Approbation.

SECT. I. Of Liberty and Necessity.

I. There is said to be a First Mover, who is called GOD, Maker of the Universe.

II. He is said to be all-wise, all-good, all powerful.

These two Propositions being allow'd and asserted by People of almost every Sect and Opinion; I have here suppos'd them granted, and laid them down as the Foundation of my Argument; What follows then, being a Chain of Consequences truly drawn from them, will stand or fall as they are true or false.

III. If He is all-good, whatsoever He doth must be good.

IV. If He is all-wise, whatsoever He doth must be wise.

The Truth of these Propositions, with relation to the two first, I think may be justly call'd evident; since, either that infinite Goodness will act what is ill, or infinite Wisdom what is not wise, is too glaring a Contradiction not to be perceiv'd by any Man of common Sense, and deny'd as soon as understood.

V. If He is all-powerful, there can be nothing either existing or acting in the Universe against or without his Consent; and what He consents to must be good, because He is good; therefore Evil doth not exist.

Unde Malum? has been long a Question, and many of the Learned have perplex'd themselves and Readers to little Purpose in Answer to it. That there are both Things and Actions to which we give the Name of Evil, is not here deny'd, as Pain, Sickness, Want, Theft, Murder, &c. but that these and the like are not in reality Evils, Ills, or Defects in the Order of the Universe, is demonstrated in the next Section, as well as by this and the following Proposition. Indeed, to suppose any Thing to exist or be done, contrary to the Will of the Almighty, is to suppose him not almighty; or that Something (the Cause of Evil) is more mighty than the Almighty; an Inconsistence that I think no One will defend: And to deny any Thing or Action, which he consents to the existence of, to be good, is entirely to destroy his two Attributes of Wisdom and Goodness.

There is nothing done in the Universe, say the Philosophers, but what God either does, or permits to be done. This, as He is Almighty, is certainly true: But what need of this Distinction between doing and permitting? Why, first they take it for granted that many Things in the Universe exist in such a Manner as is not for the best, and that many Actions are done which ought not to be done, or would be better undone; these Things or Actions they cannot ascribe to God as His, because they have already attributed to Him infinite Wisdom and Goodness; Here then is the Use of the Word Permit; He permits them to be done, say they. But we will reason thus: If God permits an Action to be done, it is because he wants either Power or Inclination to hinder it; in saying he wants Power, we deny Him to be almighty; and if we say Hewants Inclination or Will, it must be, either because He is not Good, or the Action is not evil, (for all Evil is contrary to the Essence of infinite Goodness.) The former is inconsistent with his before-given Attribute of Goodness, therefore the latter must be true.

It will be said, perhaps, that God permits evil Actions to be done, for wise Ends and Purposes. But this Objection destroys itself; for whatever an infinitely good God hath wise Ends in suffering to be, must be good, is thereby made good, and cannot be otherwise.

VI. If a Creature is made by God, it must depend upon God, and receive all its Power from Him; with which Power the Creature can do nothing contrary to the Will of God, because God is Almighty; what is not contrary to His Will, must be agreeable to it; what is agreeable to it, must be good, because He is Good; therefore a Creature can do nothing but what is good.

This Proposition is much to the same Purpose with the former, but more particular; and its Conclusion is as just and evident. Tho' a Creature may do many Actions which by his Fellow Creatures will be nam'd Evil, and which will naturally and necessarily cause or bring upon the Doer, certain Pains (which will likewise be call'd Punishments;) yet this Proposition proves, that he cannot act what will be in itself really Ill, or displeasing to God. And that the painful Consequences of his evil Actions (so call'd) are not, as indeed they ought not to be, Punishments or Unhappinesses, will be shewn hereafter.

Nevertheless, the late learned Author of The Religion of Nature, (which I send you herewith) has given us a Rule or Scheme, whereby to discover which of our Actions ought to be esteem'd and denominated good, and which evil: It is in short this, "Every Action which is done according to Truth, is good; and every Action contrary to Truth, is evil: To act according to Truth is to use and esteem every Thing as what it is, &c. Thus if A steals a Horse from B, and rides away upon him, he uses him not as what he is in Truth, viz. the Property of another, but as his own, which is contrary to Truth, and therefore evil". But, as this Gentleman himself says, (Sect. I. Prop. VI.) "In order to judge rightly what any Thing is, it must be consider'd, not only what it is in one Respect, but also what it may be in any other Respect; and the whole Description of the Thing ought to be taken in:" So in this Case it ought to be consider'd, that A is naturally a covetous Being, feeling an Uneasiness in the want of B's Horse, which produces an Inclination for stealing him, stronger than his Fear of Punishment for so doing. This is Truth likewise, and A acts according to it when he steals the Horse. Besides, if it is prov'd to be a Truth, that A has not Power over his own Actions, it will be indisputable that he acts according to Truth, and impossible he should do otherwise.

I would not be understood by this to encourage or defend Theft; 'tis only for the sake of the Argument, and will certainly have no ill Effect. The Order and Course of Things will not be affected by Reasoning of this Kind; and 'tis as just and necessary, and as much according to Truth, for B to dislike and punish the Theft of his Horse, as it is for A to steal him.

VII. If the Creature is thus limited in his Actions, being able to do only such Things as God would have him to do, and not being able to refuse doing what God would have done; then he can have no such Thing as Liberty, Free-will or Power to do or refrain an Action.

By Liberty is sometimes understood the Absence of Opposition; and in this Sense, indeed, all our Actions may be said to be the Effects of our Liberty: But it is a Liberty of the same Nature with the Fall of a heavy Body to the Ground; it has Liberty to fall, that is, it meets with nothing to hinder its Fall, but at the same Time it is necessitated to fall, and has no Power or Liberty to remain suspended.

But let us take the Argument in another View, and suppose ourselves to be, in the common sense of the Word, Free Agents. As Man is a Part of this great Machine, the Universe, his regular Acting is requisite to the regular moving of the whole. Among the many Things which lie before him to be done, he may, as he is at Liberty and his Choice influenc'd by nothing, (for so it must be, or he is not at Liberty) chuse any one, and refuse the rest. Now there is every Moment something best to be done, which is alone then good, and with respect to which, every Thing else is at that Time evil. In order to know which is best to be done, and which not, it is requisite that we should have at one View all the intricate Consequences of every Action with respect to the general Order and Scheme of the Universe, both present and future; but they are innumerable and incomprehensible by any Thing but Omniscience. As we cannot know these, we have but as one Chance to ten thousand, to hit on the right Action; we should then be perpetually blundering about in the Dark, and putting the Scheme in Disorder; for every wrong Action of a Part, is a Defect or Blemish in the Order of the Whole. Is it not necessary then, that our Actions should be over-rul'd and govern'd by an all-wise Providence? -- How exact and regular is every Thing in the natural World! How wisely in every Part contriv'd! We cannot here find the least Defect! Those who have study'd the mere animal and vegetable Creation, demonstrate that nothing can be more harmonious and beautiful! All the heavenly Bodies, the Stars and Planets, are regulated with the utmost Wisdom! And can we suppose less Care to be taken in the Order of the moral than in the natural System? It is as if an ingenious Artificer, having fram'd a curious Machine or Clock, and put its many intricate Wheels and Powers in such a Dependance on one another, that the whole might move in the most exact Order and Regularity, had nevertheless plac'd in it several other Wheels endu'd with an independent Self-Motion, but ignorant of the general Interest of the Clock; and these would every now and then be moving wrong, disordering the true Movement, and making continual Work for the Mender; which might better be prevented, by depriving them of that Power of Self-Motion, and placing them in a Dependance on the regular Part of the Clock.

VIII. If there is no such Thing as Free-Will in Creatures, there can be neither Merit nor Demerit in Creatures.

IX. And therefore every Creature must be equally esteem'd by the Creator.

These Propositions appear to be the necessary Consequences of the former. And certainly no Reason can be given, why the Creator should prefer in his Esteem one Part of His Works to another, if with equal Wisdom and Goodness he design'd and created them all, since all Ill or Defect, as contrary to his Nature, is excluded by his Power. We will sum up the Argument thus, When the Creator first design'd the Universe, either it was His Will and Intention that all Things should exist and be in the Manner they are at this Time; or it was his Will they should be otherwise i. e. in a different Manner: To say it was His Will Things should be otherwise than they are, is to say Somewhat hath contradicted His Will, and broken His Measures, which is impossible because inconsistent with his Power; therefore we must allow that all Things exist now in a Manner agreeable to His Will, and in consequence of that are all equally Good, and therefore equally esteem'd by Him.

I proceed now to shew, that as all the Works of the Creator are equally esteem'd by Him, so they are, as in Justice they ought to be, equally us'd.

SECT. II. Of Pleasure and Pain.

I. When a Creature is form'd and endu'd with Life, 'tis suppos'd to receive a Capacity of the Sensation of Uneasiness or Pain.

It is this distinguishes Life and Consciousness from unactive unconscious Matter. To know or be sensible of Suffering or being acted upon is to live; and whatsoever is not so, among created Things, is properly and truly dead.

All Pain and Uneasiness proceeds at first from and is caus'd by Somewhat without and distinct from the Mind itself. The Soul must first be acted upon before it can re-act. In the Beginning of Infancy it is as if it were not; it is not conscious of its own Existence, till it has receiv'd the first Sensation of Pain; then, and not before, it begins to feel itself, is rous'd, and put into Action; then it discovers its Powers and Faculties, and exerts them to expel the Uneasiness. Thus is the Machine set on work; this is Life. We are first mov'd by Pain, and the whole succeeding Course of our Lives is but one continu'd Series of Action with a View to be freed from it. As fast as we have excluded one Uneasiness another appears, otherwise the Motion would cease. If a continual Weight is not apply'd, the Clock will stop. And as soon as the Avenues of Uneasiness to the Soul are choak'd up or cut off, we are dead, we think and act no more.

II. This Uneasiness, whenever felt, produces Desire to be freed from it, great in exact proportion to the Uneasiness.

Thus is Uneasiness the first Spring and Cause of all Action; for till we are uneasy in Rest, we can have no Desire to move, and without Desire of moving there can be no voluntary Motion. The Experience of every Man who has observ'd his own Actions will evince the Truth of this; and I think nothing need be said to prove that the Desire will be equal to the Uneasiness, for the very Thing implies as much: It is not Uneasiness unless we desire to be freed from it, nor a great Uneasiness unless the consequent Desire is great.

I might here observe, how necessary a Thing in the Order and Design of the Universe this Pain or Uneasiness is, and how beautiful in its Place! Let us but suppose it just now banish'd the World entirely, and consider the Consequence of it: All the Animal Creation would immediately stand stock still, exactly in the Posture they were in the Moment Uneasiness departed; not a Limb, not a Finger would henceforth move; we should all be reduc'd to the Condition of Statues, dull and unactive: Here I should continue to sit motionless with the Pen in my Hand thus ------ and neither leave my Seat nor write one Letter more. This may appear odd at first View, but a little Consideration will make it evident; for 'tis impossible to assign any other Cause for the voluntary Motion of an Animal than its uneasiness in Rest. What a different Appearance then would the Face of Nature make, without it! How necessary is it! And how unlikely that the Inhabitants of the World ever were, or that the Creator ever design'd they should be, exempt from it!

I would likewise observe here, that the VIIIth Proposition in the preceding Section, viz. That there is neither Merit nor Demerit, &c. is here again demonstrated, as infallibly, tho' in another manner: For since Freedom from Uneasiness is the End of all our Actions, how is it possible for us to do any Thing disinterested? -- How can any Action be meritorious of Praise or Dispraise, Reward or Punishment, when the natural Principle of Self-Love is the only and the irresistible Motive to it?

III. This Desire is always fulfill'd or satisfy'd,

In the Design or End of it, tho' not in the Manner: The first is requisite, the latter not. To exemplify this, let us make a Supposition; A Person is confin'd in a House which appears to be in imminent Danger of Falling, this, as soon as perceiv'd, creates a violent Uneasiness, and that instantly produces an equal strong Desire, the End of which is freedom from the Uneasiness, and the Manner or Way propos'd to gain this End, is to get out of the House. Now if he is convinc'd by any Means, that he is mistaken, and the House is not likely to fall, he is immediately freed from his Uneasiness, and the End of his Desire is attain'd as well as if it had been in the Manner desir'd, viz. leaving the House.

All our different Desires and Passions proceed from and are reducible to this one Point, Uneasiness, tho' the Means we propose to ourselves for expelling of it are infinite. One proposes Fame, another Wealth, a third Power, &c. as the Means to gain this End; but tho' these are never attain'd, if the Uneasiness be remov'd by some other Means, the Desire is satisfy'd. Now during the Course of Life we are ourselves continually removing successive Uneasinesses as they arise, and the last we suffer is remov'd by the sweet Sleep of Death.

IV. The fulfilling or Satisfaction of this Desire, produces the Sensation of Pleasure, great or small in exact proportion to the Desire.

Pleasure is that Satisfaction which arises in the Mind upon, and is caus'd by, the accomplishment of our Desires, and by no other Means at all; and those Desires being above shewn to be caus'd by our Pains or Uneasinesses, it follows that Pleasure is wholly caus'd by Pain, and by no other Thing at all.

V. Therefore the Sensation of Pleasure is equal, or in exact proportion to the Sensation of Pain.

As the Desire of being freed from Uneasiness is equal to the Uneasiness, and the Pleasure of satisfying that Desire equal to the Desire, the Pleasure thereby produc'd must necessarily be equal to the Uneasiness or Pain which produces it: Of three Lines, A, B, and C, if A is equal to B, and B to C, C must be equal to A. And as our Uneasinesses are always remov'd by some Means or other, it follows that Pleasure and Pain are in their Nature inseparable: So many Degrees as one Scale of the Ballance descends, so many exactly the other ascends; and one cannot rise or fall without the Fall or Rise of the other: 'Tis impossible to taste of Pleasure, without feeling its preceding proportionate Pain; or to be sensible of Pain, without having its necessary Consequent Pleasure: The highest Pleasure is only Consciousness of Freedom from the deepest Pain, and Pain is not Pain to us unless we ourselves are sensible of it. They go Hand in Hand; they cannot be divided.

You have a View of the whole Argument in a few familiar Examples: The Pain of Abstinence from Food, as it is greater or less, produces a greater or less Desire of Eating, the Accomplishment of this Desire produces a greater or less Pleasure proportionate to it. The Pain of Confinement causes the Desire of Liberty, which accomplish'd, yields a Pleasure equal to that Pain of Confinement. The Pain of Labour and Fatigue causes the Pleasure of Rest, equal to that Pain. The Pain of Absence from Friends, produces the Pleasure of Meeting in exact proportion. &c.

This is the fixt Nature of Pleasure and Pain, and will always be found to be so by those who examine it.

One of the most common Arguments for the future Existence of the Soul, is taken from the generally suppos'd Inequality of Pain and Pleasure in the present; and this, notwithstanding the Difficulty by outward Appearances to make a Judgment of another's Happiness, has been look'd upon as almost unanswerable: but since Pain naturally and infallibly produces a Pleasure in proportion to it, every individual Creature must, in any State of Life, have an equal Quantity of each, so that there is not, on that Account, any Occasion for a future Adjustment.

Thus are all the Works of the Creator equally us'd by him; And no Condition of Life or Being is in itself better or preferable to another: The Monarch is not more happy than the Slave, nor the Beggar more miserable than Croesus. Suppose A, B, and C, three distinct Beings; A and B, animate, capable of Pleasure and Pain, C an inanimate Piece of Matter, insensible of either. A receives ten Degrees of Pain, which are necessarily succeeded by ten Degrees of Pleasure: B receives fifteen of Pain, and the consequent equal Number of Pleasure: C all the while lies unconcern'd, and as he has not suffer'd the former, has no right to the latter. What can be more equal and just than this? When the Accounts come to be adjusted, A has no Reason to complain that his Portion of Pleasure was five Degrees less than that of B, for his Portion of Pain was five Degrees less likewise: Nor has B any Reason to boast that his Pleasure was five Degrees greater than that of A, for his Pain was proportionate: They are then both on the same Foot with C, that is, they are neither Gainers nor Losers.

It will possibly be objected here, that even common Experience shews us, there is not in Fact this Equality: "Some we see hearty, brisk and chearful perpetually, while others are constantly burden'd with a heavy Load of Maladies and Misfortunes, remaining for Years perhaps in Poverty, Disgrace, or Pain, and die at last without any Appearance of Recompence." Now tho' 'tis not necessary, when a Proposition is demonstrated to be a general Truth, to shew in what manner it agrees with the particular Circumstances of Persons, and indeed ought not to be requir'd; yet, as this is a common Objection, some Notice may be taken of it: And here let it be observ'd, that we cannot be proper Judges of the good or bad Fortune of Others; we are apt to imagine, that what would give us a great Uneasiness or a great Satisfaction, has the same Effect upon others: we think, for Instance, those unhappy, who must depend upon Charity for a mean Subsistence, who go in Rags, fare hardly, and are despis'd and scorn'd by all; not considering that Custom renders all these Things easy, familiar, and even pleasant. When we see Riches, Grandeur and a chearful Countenance, we easily imagine Happiness accompanies them, when oftentimes 'tis quite otherwise: Nor is a constantly sorrowful Look, attended with continual Complaints, an infallible Indication of Unhappiness. In short, we can judge by nothing but Appearances, and they are very apt to deceive us. Some put on a gay chearful Outside, and appear to the World perfectly at Ease, tho' even then, some inward Sting, some secret Pain imbitters all their Joys, and makes the Ballance even: Others appear continually dejected and full of Sorrow; but even Grief itself is sometimes pleasant, and Tears are not always without their Sweetness: Besides, Some take a Satisfaction in being thought unhappy, (as others take a Pride in being thought humble,) these will paint their Misfortunes to others in the strongest Colours, and leave no Means unus'd to make you think them thoroughly miserable; so great a Pleasure it is to them to be pitied; Others retain the Form and outside Shew of Sorrow, long after the Thing itself, with its Cause, is remov'd from the Mind; it is a Habit they have acquir'd and cannot leave. These, with many others that might be given, are Reasons why we cannot make a true Estimate of the Equality of the Happiness and Unhappiness of others; and unless we could, Matter of Fact cannot be opposed to this Hypothesis. Indeed, we are sometimes apt to think, that the Uneasinesses we ourselves have had, outweigh our Pleasures; but the Reason is this, the Mind takes no Account of the latter, they slip away un-remark'd, when the former leave more lasting Impressions on the Memory. But suppose we pass the greatest part of Life in Pain and Sorrow, suppose we die by Torments and think no more, 'tis no Diminution to the Truth of what is here advanc'd; for the Pain, tho' exquisite, is not so to the last Moments of Life, the Senses are soon benumm'd, and render'd incapable of transmitting it so sharply to the Soul as at first; She perceives it cannot hold long, and 'tis an exquisite Pleasure to behold the immediate Approaches of Rest. This makes an Equivalent tho' Annihilation should follow: For the Quantity of Pleasure and Pain is not to be measur'd by its Duration, any more than the Quantity of Matter by its Extension; and as one cubic Inch may be made to contain, by Condensation, as much Matter as would fill ten thousand cubic Feet, being more expanded, so one single Moment of Pleasure may outweigh and compensate an Age of Pain.

It was owing to their Ignorance of the Nature of Pleasure and Pain that the Antient Heathens believ'd the idle Fable of their Elizium, that State of uninterrupted Ease and Happiness! The Thing is intirely impossible in Nature! Are not the Pleasures of the Spring made such by the Disagreeableness of the Winter? Is not the Pleasure of fair Weather owing to the Unpleasantness of foul? Certainly. Were it then always Spring, were the Fields always green and flourishing, and the Weather constantly serene and fair, the Pleasure would pall and die upon our Hands; it would cease to be Pleasure to us, when it is not usher'd in by Uneasiness. Could the Philosopher visit, in reality, every Star and Planet with as much Ease and Swiftness as he can now visit their Ideas, and pass from one to another of them in the Imagination; it would be a Pleasure I grant; but it would be only in proportion to the Desire of accomplishing it, and that would be no greater than the Uneasiness suffer'd in the Want of it. The Accomplishment of a long and difficult Journey yields a great Pleasure; but if we could take a Trip to the Moon and back again, as frequently and with as much Ease as we can go and come from Market, the Satisfaction would be just the same.

The Immateriality of the Soul has been frequently made use of as an Argument for its Immortality; but let us consider, that tho' it should be allow'd to be immaterial, and consequently its Parts incapable of Separation or Destruction by any Thing material, yet by Experience we find, that it is not incapable of Cessation of Thought, which is its Action. When the Body is but a little indispos'd it has an evident Effect upon the Mind; and a right Disposition of the Organs is requisite to a right Manner of Thinking. In a sound Sleep sometimes, or in a Swoon, we cease to think at all; tho' the Soul is not therefore then annihilated, but exists all the while tho' it does not act; and may not this probably be the Case after Death? All our Ideas are first admitted by the Senses and imprinted on the Brain, increasing in Number by Observation and Experience; there they become the Subjects of the Soul's Action. The Soul is a mere Power or Faculty of contemplating on, and comparing those Ideas when it has them; hence springs Reason: But as it can think on nothing but Ideas, it must have them before it can think at all. Therefore as it may exist before it has receiv'd any Ideas, it may exist before it thinks. To remember a Thing, is to have the Idea of it still plainly imprinted on the Brain, which the Soul can turn to and contemplate on Occasion. To forget a Thing, is to have the Idea of it defac'd and destroy'd by some Accident, or the crouding in and imprinting of great variety of other Ideas upon it, so that the Soul cannot find out its Traces and distinguish it. When we have thus lost the Idea of any one Thing, we can think no more, or cease to think, on that Thing; and as we can lose the Idea of one Thing, so we may of ten, twenty, a hundred, &c. and even of all Things, because they are not in their Nature permanent; and often during Life we see that some Men, (by an Accident or Distemper affecting the Brain,) lose the greatest Part of their Ideas, and remember very little of their past Actions and Circumstances. Now upon Death, and the Destruction of the Body, the Ideas contain'd in the Brain, (which are alone the Subjects of the Soul's Action) being then likewise necessarily destroy'd, the Soul, tho' incapable of Destruction itself, must then necessarily cease to think or act, having nothing left to think or act upon. It is reduc'd to its first inconscious State before it receiv'd any Ideas. And to cease to think is but little different from ceasing to be.

Nevertheless, 'tis not impossible that this same Faculty of contemplating Ideas may be hereafter united to a new Body, and receive a new Set of Ideas; but that will no way concern us who are now living; for the Identity will be lost, it is no longer that same Self but a new Being.

I shall here subjoin a short Recapitulation of the Whole, that it may with all its Parts be comprehended at one View.

1. It is suppos'd that God the Maker and Governour of the Universe, is infinitely wise, good, and powerful.

2. In consequence of His infinite Wisdom and Goodness, it is asserted, that whatever He doth must be infinitely wise and good;

3. Unless He be interrupted, and His Measures broken by some other Being, which is impossible because He is Almighty.

4. In consequence of His infinite Power, it is asserted, that nothing can exist or be done in the Universe which is not agreeable to His Will, and therefore good.

5. Evil is hereby excluded, with all Merit and Demerit; and likewise all preference in the Esteem of God, of one Part of the Creation to another. This is the Summary of the first Part.

Now our common Notions of Justice will tell us, that if all created Things are equally esteem'd by the Creator, they ought to be equally us'd by Him; and that they are therefore equally us'd, we might embrace for Truth upon the Credit, and as the true Consequence of the foregoing Argument. Nevertheless we proceed to confirm it, by shewing how they are equally us'd, and that in the following Manner.

1. A Creature when endu'd with Life or Consciousness, is made capable of Uneasiness or Pain.

2. This Pain produces Desire to be freed from it, in exact proportion to itself.

3. The Accomplishment of this Desire produces an equal Pleasure.

4. Pleasure is consequently equal to Pain.

From these Propositions it is observ'd,

1. That every Creature hath as much Pleasure as Pain.

2. That Life is not preferable to Insensibility; for Pleasure and Pain destroy one another: That Being which has ten Degrees of Pain subtracted from ten of Pleasure, has nothing remaining, and is upon an equality with that Being which is insensible of both.

3. As the first Part proves that all Things must be equally us'd by the Creator because equally esteem'd; so this second Part demonstrates that they are equally esteem'd because equally us'd.

4. Since every Action is the Effect of Self-Uneasiness, the Distinction of Virtue and Vice is excluded; and Prop. VIII. in Sect. I. again demonstrated.

5. No State of Life can be happier than the present, because Pleasure and Pain are inseparable.

Thus both Parts of this Argument agree with and confirm one another, and the Demonstration is reciprocal.

I am sensible that the Doctrine here advanc'd, if it were to be publish'd, would meet with but an indifferent Reception. Mankind naturally and generally love to be flatter'd: Whatever sooths our Pride, and tends to exalt our Species above the rest of the Creation, we are pleas'd with and easily believe, when ungrateful Truths shall be with the utmost Indignation rejected. "What! bring ourselves down to an Equality with the Beasts of the Field! with the meanest part of the Creation! 'Tis insufferable!" But, (to use a Piece of common Sense) our Geese are but Geese tho' we may think 'em Swans; and Truth will be Truth tho' it sometimes prove mortifying and distasteful.

London, 1725

Turdacrat

2010-03-04T09:04:00.001-07:00

Turdacrat (noun) [turd-ah-krat]

a mean, contemptible narcissistic person who views themselves as one of the ruling class.
a narcissistic individual that believes that their policies/ideals that are offensive to propriety should be regarded with wonder by a lower class of individuals.
a politician that believes they need to save the working class from themselves while passing legislation that the working class views as turd legislation (legislation that is offensive to honesty or propriety or that just stink).

Turdacrats don't have to be in public office, they can also be found shoveling their turd ideas (ideas that are offensive to honesty or propriety or just plain stink) on the Huffington Post, and other turdacrat blogs. They can also sometimes be found on the freeway, driving their look at me cars, while weaving in and out of traffic with little regard to the lower class drivers on the road.

Using Turdacrat in a sentence:

Pelosi is a true turdacrat.
Did you see that turdacrat, driving that Cadillac, just pull in-front of me talking on the phone?
The current Health Care Bill is being driven by a bunch of turdacrats.
Did you read that turdacrat's blog post on the Huffington Post?

Make sure you visit the new turdacrat website.

Priestcraft amoung us?

2010-02-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

A huge stumbling block that I think (this is the gospel according to MK) we will see in the last day is that of "False Prophets" and "Priestcraft". I think we need to be very vigilant and remember where divine revelation comes from, and return to the basics of the gospel. Spending to much time worrying about the unknown leaves your faith, hope, and charity in a venerable place.

Jesus warns of this in Matthew 24:11,24

11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. [Source]

In The Doctrine and Covenants Section 33:4, the Lord revels to Joseph Smith, Ezra Thyre and Northrup Sweet the following:

And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds. [Source]

So what is priestcraft? Dallin H. Oaks in a October 1985 BYU devotional address, "The Desires of Our Hearts"

The Book of Mormon illustrates this same principle in its definition of priestcraft, the sin committed by those who preach the gospel to gain personal advantage rather than to further the work of the Lord:

Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion. [2 Nephi 26:29; see also Alma 1:16]

Priestcraft is not a sin that is committed solely on the basis of our desires because it involves acts. Those acts becomes sinful only when they are done with the wrong desire, to get gain or praise. The sin is in the desire, not in the act. [Source]

Elder Oaks then adds to his definition in June 1992 a BYU fireside, "Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall".

Another illustration of a strength that can become our downfall concerns the charismatic teacher. With a trained mind and a skillful manner of presentation, a teacher can become unusually popular and effective in teaching. But Satan will try to use that strength to corrupt the teacher by encouraging him or her to gather a following of disciples. A Church or Church education teacher or LDS university professor who gathers such a following and does this "for the sake of riches and honor" (Alma 1:16) is guilty of priestcraft.

Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion. [2 Nephi 26:29]

Teachers who are most popular--and therefore most effective--have a special susceptibility to this form of priestcraft. If they are not careful, their strength can become their spiritual downfall. They can become like Almon Babbitt, with whom the Lord was not well pleased because, as the revelation states,

He aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people. [D&C 124:84] [Source]

When we hear things that do not come directly from the scriptures or the voice of a prophet, we need to look at the source of the doctrine. That doctrine should be prayed about and pondered before being followed. Satan is very crafty, and will try to do anything to lead us down an easy, or slightly wrong path, if it takes us off the path that the Lord wants us to follow.

Some of my (very few) readers will know of what/whom I am talking about, but I am not going to mention any names at this time. Just be weary of following doctrine that does not come directly from official revelation channels. Make sure you find out everything you can about the person giving the doctrine, especially if the doctrine predicts the future or adds revelation to things already revealed.

The Great Edible, Choke-able Egg

2010-02-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Great Edible, Choke-able Egg

The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement on Feb, 22, 2010 at 12:01am (ET). "The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults."

The statement is entitled "New AAP Policy on Choking Prevention". In their statement, they are pushing "recommendations for government agencies, manufacturers, parents, teachers, child care workers and health care professionals to help prevent choking among children." Here are their guidelines that they suggest that Federal Government implement policies for.

Warning labels on foods that pose a high choking risk.
A recall of food products that pose a significant choking hazard.
The establishment of a nationwide food-related choking-incident surveillance and reporting system.
Food manufactures should design new food and redesign existing food to minimize choking risk
CPR and choking first aid should be thought to parents, teachers, and child car providers.

One of the foods that they say causes choking hazards is the Edible Egg, not to be confused with the non-edible eggs. Following their guidelines, the Federal Government (HR BILL 37589372) has purposed the following regulations on Eggs, and on Egg growers (people who have chickens for eggs).

All eggs have to have a choking hazard label placed on them before they are sent to the public for sale as a food item. This label will include English, Spanish, and visual warnings about the choking hazard that eggs pose.
All eggs currently in supermarkets will be recalled so that the warning label can be affixed to them, and their shape can be redesigned.
The Federal Government over the next 10 years will make it mandatory that all eggs no longer have an egg shape, but a more friendly, non choking shape. It is suggested that all eggs that are produced be the size of a pea so that they do not cause a choking hazard to anyone under the age of three. They are going to use money that has already been set aside for green jobs. These monies will be used to genetically enhance chickens so that they lay eggs in accordance to the new Federal Regulation. Any chicken that is not able to follow the new regulations will not be allowed to produce eggs.
All eggs are now to be registered in the National Egg registry so that surveillance and reporting can be established to track choking related egg incidents. Each egg will be required to be bar coded so that any egg can be found in the food supply chain at any time. If an egg does choke someone, they will then be able to recall all eggs that were produced during the same time frame by the same egg grower.

Of course, this is not a true bill, but illustrates my point. PARENTS need to be PARENTS. Use common sense. Don't let your kids eat hot dogs, toys, or coins that cause choking. There does not need to be regulations, mandatory food changes made. Just watch your kids, and don't feed them things that could cause a choking hazard. According to their research, that includes peanut butter. I am sorry, but putting a choking hazard label on foods, toys, coins, etc does not keep a three year old from putting them in their mouth. I don't think there are may three year olds that can read well enough to understand a warning label about choking hazards. AND PLEASE don't spend any of my money (tax money) coming up with studies, regulations, and programs to stop this growing problem. We don't need the government telling us what shapes our food can be in, how big of pieces our food should be, etc... PARENTS, use common sense, and teach your kids not to put things in their mouths.

Meeting the Challenges of Today - My Thoughts

2010-02-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I have been reading/listening to talks while I am on the treadmill, and my favorite recent talk is called "Meeting the Challenges of Today" by Neal A. Maxwell. This talk was given at a BYU devotional on October 10, 1978. The reason I picked this talk at first was its reference to the founding fathers and its reference to secularism and establishing irreligion as the state religion. But that talk has more to do with fore ordination and how we should prepare for what is to come. I want to highlight several points in his talk, and then give my impressions on those points.

First he warns about the irreligion being the state religion.

We are now entering a period of incredible ironies. Let us cite but one of these ironies which is yet in its subtle stages: we shall see in our time a maximum if indirect effort made to establish irreligion as the state religion. It is actually a new form of paganism that uses the carefully preserved and cultivated freedoms of Western civilization to shrink freedom even as it rejects the value essence of our rich Judeo-Christian heritage.

President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had "never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life" (CR, April 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ.

We are seeing this. Where "Resistance to abortion will soon be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened." We are seeing a time when religion and the belief in Christs prophets is ridiculed by the Secular irreligion groups.

However, if people are not permitted to advocate, to assert, and to bring to bear, in every legitimate way, the opinions and views they hold that grow out of their religious convictions, what manner of men and women would they be, anyway? Our founding fathers did not wish to have a state church established nor to have a particular religion favored by government. They wanted religion to be free to make its own way. But neither did they intend to have irreligion made into a favored state church. Notice the terrible irony if this trend were to continue. When the secular church goes after its heretics, where are the sanctuaries? To what landfalls and Plymouth Rocks can future pilgrims go?

He then goes on to say that we will loose some of the battles, but "others will step forward, having been rallied to righteousness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds--a majority which was, till then, unconscious of itself."

Fore ordination

This is a topic that I have always had a hard time understanding, I have always felt like the Church was forcing me to be good with this topic. That we are required, and forced to fit what God wants us to be like, not what we can be like. This talk opened my mind with that respect. It is not that God created the plan and is forcing us to act, but he has seen the past, present and future, and has developed the plan in an organized way that allows us to achieve it.

The combined doctrine of God's foreknowledge and of fore ordination is one of the doctrinal roads least traveled by, yet these clearly underline how very long and how perfectly God has loved us and known us with our individual needs and capacities. Isolated from other doctrines or mishandled, though, these truths can stoke the fires of fatalism, impact adversely upon our agency, cause us to focus on status rather than service, and carry us over into predestination.

Elder Maxwell continues:

Yet, though fore ordination is a difficult doctrine, it has been given to us by the living God, through living prophets, for a purpose. It can actually increase our understanding of how crucial this mortal estate is and it can encourage us in further good works. This precious doctrine can also help us to go the second mile because we are doubly called.

In some ways, our second estate, in relationship to our first estate, is like agreeing in advance to surgery. Then the anesthetic of forgetfulness settles in upon us. Just as doctors do not de-anesthetize a patient in the midst of authorized surgery to ask him again if the surgery should be continued, so, after divine tutoring, we agreed once to come here and to submit ourselves to certain experiences and have no occasion to revoke that decision.

Of course, when we mortals try to comprehend, rather than merely accept, fore ordination, the result is one in which finite minds futilely try to comprehend omniscience. A full understanding is impossible; we simply have to trust in what the Lord has told us, knowing enough, however, to realize that we are not dealing with guarantees from God but extra opportunities--and heavier responsibilities. If those responsibilities are in some ways linked to past performance or to past capabilities, it should not surprise us.

This is what Elder Maxwell has to say in conclusion.

Now, as I prepare to conclude, may I point out what a vastly different view of life the doctrine of fore ordination gives to us. Shorn of this perspective, others are puzzled or bitter about life. Without gospel perspective life would be a punishment, not a joy--like trying to play a game of billiards on a table with a rumpled cloth, with a crooked cue and an elliptical billiard ball (from Sir William S. Gilbert's libretto of The Mikado). (Perhaps the moral of that analogy is that we should stay out of pool halls.) In any event, pessimism does not really reckon with life and the universe as these things "really are." The disciple will be puzzled at times, too. But he persists. Later he rejoices over how wonderfully things fit together, realizing only then that, with God, things never were apart.

Elder Maxwell continues;

The doctrine of fore ordination, therefore, is not a doctrine of repose; it is a doctrine for the second-milers; it can draw out of us the last full measure of devotion. It is a doctrine of perspiration, not aspiration. Moreover, it discourages aspiring, lest we covet, like two early disciples, that which has already been given to another (Matthew 20:20–23). Fore ordination is a doctrine for the deep believer and will only bring scorn from the skeptic.

Elder Maxwell has given me more insight into the idea of fore ordination. We are not being forced down a road. The Lord has taken what he has, and has made a plan that will work, we just need to have faith and follow the prophets and fit into the plan where we are suppose to fit.

Here is my favorite quote from this talk. "Let us be perceptive without being pompous. Let us have integrity and not write checks with our tongues which our conduct cannot cash."

You can download this talk in MP3, PDF, or HTML format from speeches.byu.com.

Week of Love - Final Post

2010-02-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading a talk recently by Jeffery R. Holland called "How Do I Love Thee". (This is the talk I am going to base my Charity talk on for Sunday this week) In that talk, he talks about the title of his talk.

I have taken for a title to my remarks Mrs. Browning's wonderful line "How do I love thee?" (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese [1850], no. 43.) I am not going to "count the ways" this morning, but I am impressed with her choice of adverb--not when do I love thee nor where do I love thee nor why do I love thee nor why don't you love me, but, rather, how. How do I demonstrate it, how do I reveal my true love for you? Mrs. Browning was correct. Real love is best shown in the "how," and it is with the how that Mormon and Paul help us the most.

I think that Aimee fits the title of this talk, and the comments that Elder Holland made perfectly. She does not have any conditions on her love for me and our 5 kids. It is never when, where, or why do I love them, but always How do I demonstrate it. She demonstrates her love with every action she does. There are times when she needs her own time, and looks forward to the kids going to bed. But once they are in bed, she still does not stop with the how. She is always doing dishes, doing laundry, or letting her husband rub her back and shoulders as she works on a baby blanket for a neighbor.

Elder Holland says that Charity is the pure love of Christ, and that no one but Christ has done it perfectly. I would have to say that Aimee is a very close second. She shows charity on weekly, daily, and every second of her waking hours.

NFL or NBA

2010-02-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

In the past year!!!

36 have been accused of spousal abuse

7 have been arrested for fraud

19 have been accused of writing bad checks

117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting

21 currently are defendants in lawsuits,

And,

84 have been arrested for drunk driving

Can you guess which organization this is? NBA or NFL?

The correct answer is:

Neither,it's the

United States Congress!

The same group that cranks out Hundreds of new laws each year Designed to keep the rest of us in line.

First Couples Photos

2010-02-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

The toll on the First Couple can be great. Here are some pictures of what the First Couple looked like going into the Presidency, and what they looked like after their term in office.

Taxes are our Doom.

2010-02-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Tax his land,

Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,

Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax..

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

Week of LOVE - Part Three and Four

2010-02-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have to say I am sorry, because I did not get a post in yesterday for the "Week of Love" (best Barry white voice please when saying Week of Love). But I took my better half shopping for a treadmill, and out to lunch. And then I had to put the treadmill together last night. We bought the Horizon GS1050T, you can purchase the ProForm version at amazon.com (Proform 1050T Treadmill). Right now they are having a great sale on them at Sports Authority as well (SportsAuthority.com). Now before I get booed off the stage, I want everyone to know that Aimee has wanted a treadmill for 10 years now, and all I have done is gotten her hand-me-down ones. This is the first one we have had that she can actually train to run on, which is what she wants to do.

Having said that, the Treadmill brings up a couple of items that I want to praise Aimee for. The first one is why we need the treadmill. No, I am not praising her for our Humpty and Dumpty figures, but for her ability to cook. Aimee is an excellent cook. All you have to do is visit her Momzoo BLOG and you will see what I am talking about. She can cook and bake like nothing else. I love this about her, instead of wanting to feed us what is easy and not necessarily good for us, she spends the time to cook a meal from scratch almost every night. (Friday nights are an exception, some of the time, because it is date night). I come home lots of times to the smell of sweet corn bread cooking, bread baking in the oven, or my favorite sweet and sour chicken. When the kids have their birthday dinner (a tradition at our house), they get to pick what they want to eat for that dinner. These birthday dinners have never been requests for store/restaurant prepared foods, they are always requests for things that Aimee cooks. (Kallie this year did want the BIG CHOCOLATE CAKE from Costco this year.) My favorite treat that she makes is a New York style cheese cake. It is the BEST I have ever tasted, and it has taken her some time to prefect it. I have to agree with her Mom, Sisters, and Brothers when they gave her the nickname of "Betty Crocker". Aimee takes the time to prepare and try new things to have a healthy and happy family. (Check out a typical 2 week menu that Aimee cooks for us.)

The next thing I want to praise Aimee about is her thirst for knowledge and reading. The joke in our house is, "It is as hard to keep Aimee in books as it is to keep the kids in shoes." Everyone knows that with kids keeping them in shoes can be a challenge. They grow so fast and need new ones, they loose them, or the just wear them out. Aimee is the same with books. She reads them very quickly, but she never looses them, but they do get worn out over time. There is not a book in our house, except for mine, that she has not read at least twice. Some of our books have been read hundreds of times and show that in their bindings. It is not uncommon to see Aimee doing her Mom/Wife duties and not have a book close at hand. She reads while eating (only when we are not eating as a family), she will read in the shower (something I have not mastered yet), and there is always an open book by her nightstand so she can read before she goes to sleep. Her favorite anniversary present is a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble and me being willing to spend several hours with her looking through books. I love this about Aimee. She has been to every country in the World, has been in every era in History, and has read up on anything she finds interesting. If she has a question, or wants to learn more about something, we will have a book in the house on it within the week. But this love for reading has also improved the family. We have had kids that had a hard time reading, but Aimee's love for reading has worn off on them. Our kids carry books around all the time now as well, and some of them stay up WAY to late reading in their beds. The kids love to go to Student/Educator/Parent night at the school, not to see their teacher, but to buy a book at the book fair. I have never been a fast or fluent reader, but since I have married Aimee, I have read more books in the last few years than I have the rest of my life. I have found that reading is enjoyable, it just has to something I want to read about.

Aimee always finds time to cook a good meal, and 99% of the time tasty as well, or to increase her knowledge by reading good books.

All HAIL King Obama

2010-02-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Once again, Obama shows that he knows more, and can get more done than Congress. He has bypassed congress with an executive order, and plans on making appointments during Congress recess.

First, he has created a fiscal commission because Congress did not do it quick enough.

"I've also called for a bipartisan fiscal commission. Unfortunately this measure, which originally had received the support of a bipartisan majority of the Senate and was cosponsored by Senators Conrad and Gregg, Democrats and Republicans, was blocked there. So I'm going to be creating this commission by executive order." [Source]

Second, he is going to use what is called a recess appointment because Congress will not approve his nominations.

"If the Senate does not act -- and I made this very clear -- if the Senate does not act to confirm these nominees, I will consider making several recess appointments during the upcoming recess, because we can't afford to allow politics to stand in the way of a well-functioning government." [Source]

As always, our President does not care what the people say or think, and does not care what Congress thinks, or what the Supreme Court thinks. He feels that what he wants done is best for everyone and he will bypass as many checks and balances as possible.

Week of Love - Part 2

2010-02-09T09:33:00.001-07:00

The second post of "The Week of Love" (once again, say it with your best Barry White voice), is Aimee's (aka Momzoo) ability to improve herself and her family.

In todays world, it is common place, and even encouraged to stagnate, and to stay where you are. There are a lot of factors that make it easier to stay with the status quo and not to improve and change. Society does not always push you to become a better person. In fact, I would say that society tells you to do the opposite. Follow the easy path, and if you fail, then someone else will pick you up and carry you. (Oh, this is not suppose to be a political post).

Aimee has an inner drive to be better and to help those around her be better. Over the past couple of years our family has made some major changes to become more self sufficient, and to become better. Here are some examples. We are eating healthier, instead of eating packaged processed food (which is really easy to do now days), Aimee pushes the family to eat healthy, and sometimes she does have to push. As part of that, we also raise our own chickens, and our green grass is being replaced by garden boxes and other plants. Last year, we put up several fences, but not your typical fences. These fences are designed for grapes, blackberries, and raspberries.

Another area she has help the family grow is with tasks. One of her main goals is to make our daughters and son become productive members of society and to give to society and not drain on society. To do this, she has setup stewardships for each family member. Every week, each family member has a stewardship that they are responsible for. We also have after dinner assignments, and the kids are responsible for feeding and watering the animals as well. Like all children, they do sometimes complain, but they are learning some valuable traits.

She also is home schooling our oldest daughters. And in the process she is instilling the desire to learn. Our oldest daughter use to hate to read, but now she likes to do it. She has made both of their lives better by teaching them values as well as giving them an education.

I don't know how she does it. At times, I just want to let everything slide and do what is easy. I think Aimee is the same way, and would at times like to throw her hands up in the air and say she is done. But she has an inner drive that does not allow her to do that. And because of that inner drive, she will continue to become a better person, and in the process she will raise up those around her.

Thanks Aimee, you make those around you better every day.