Cannon vs. Jacobs: "MY DAD IS MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN YOUR DAD!!!"

No one would generally think of Utah as being tapped into the political heartbeat of the nation. Issuewise, its not. But political-movenmentwise I feel like it is.

You have to be uber-conservative or uber-liberal. There is no inbetween. Why would you want an inbetween?

For most of my life I've found refuge during political conversations being a moderate. If there is one thing I've learned, it is that you never rule out the possibility that there is a really good justification for the other side's position. I personally think it's cool finding out that people who think differently than me aren't crazy.

I don't know if any of you out there in LYMAland are following the Cannon/Jacobs race for the 3rd Utah district. A bunch of the radio adds for Jacobs just seem to be screaming, "He's a liberal!! Burn HIM!!!" Can you actually win on a "I'm more conservative than you platform"? Well the incumbant is in 3rd place right now... I guess so.

My question is: When did it become so unpopular to be moderate?

If you're conservative - you find friends.

If you're liberal - you find friends.

If you're moderate - Don't admit it or else both sides will hate you . . . you . . . YOU COWARD!!!

(PS. We can dispense with the "Taylor you're a moderate, I'm not your friend anymore" comments thank you very much)

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From the Filthy Mind of Judy Blume

Yesterday while checking stuff out on wikipedia I was looking up famous books to see what interesting facts I could learn about them and I noticed that a lot of them were on this list.

Wow, People have way too much time on their hands. A few posts back I commented on Chris' post about the FCC's purposed new decency fines. I said something along the lines that if you don't want to see something on TV then don't watch it. Now I realize that it is not always that easy with TV, it is pumped into your home for free and you or your kids can accidentally stumble across something that you find objectionable pretty easily. But with books YOU HAVE TO READ A BOOK. Trust me I know that this is no small feat. The argument that if you don't like you don't have to look at it applies way more in the world of literature than in TV. The accidentially stumbled on something horrible counter argument all but disappears.

I do realize that most of these books are for high schoolers and younger, so a lot of the controversy is probably that they are assigned reading and that maybe they don't have as much of a choice as it seems (although, as someone who wrote six papers about the "book" Jurrassic park I also know that "assigned reading" is a very subjective term (the main difference is that there are terydactyls in the book, mention that and you are golden (look three parentheticals in one))). Come on though, the kids books on this list either deal with wizards and magic or real life stuff that kids and teens will face. If your kid doesn't know that Harry Potter is not real and not evil he might be a little too sheltered, and as far as the real life issues (puberty, teasing, mischeif,etc.) they are going to see it anyway, so they might as well learn about it and have a chance to talk about it with their parents who have the responsibility of teaching them that stuff anyway. This poost is getting kind of long so maybe I will save my other thoughts for the comment board. Meet you there.

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Jokes in Prayer?

What did the bra say to the hat? You go on ahead, while I give these two a lift. Imagine saying that line in a prayer. I have to admit I hadn’t really ever thought about telling jokes while praying, or even being too light-hearted for that matter, until last night.

I went to a R.S. enrichment night and a girl bore her testimony about prayer. She said she often tells jokes while praying to our Heavenly Father. At first I thought, “That’s a little weird.” But the more I have thought about it, she might actually be on to something.

Prayer for me has always been very serious. I have used prayer to fervently ask for things I think I need and for protection for my family. I have prayed for emotional well-being and spiritual uplifting. I have given thanks for blessings received. I have spoken with my Heavenly Father with deep gratitude and love for Him and His son. Never have I been sarcastic in any way. I guess I thought it a waste of time. Now, I’m not so sure.

In a conference address given by Joseph B. Wirthlin, he said to give thanks for small things like the sound of a loved ones’ voice, or the taste of your favorite food. To me, I would never think to pray for these things. I guess I have always felt they are too inane for prayer. I think though, what this girl was really saying is that, the Lord does care about every aspect of our lives. He loves each of us and wants to listen to us even if what we say may seem trite.

I think we as children of God probably benefit more from prayer than God. Granted, He wants to hear from us and be a part of our lives on earth, I think we need prayer more than He does. After all our primary purpose on earth is to work out our salvation and it is through prayer that we can do this. So, if our lives seem so crazy and stressed, maybe a little laughter with our Father in Heaven is just what we need.

When I was little my Dad was a ward missionary and he would sometimes teach inmates at the county jail. I have never forgotten a story he told my family after one such visit. He said he was in a room full of prisoners and they were taking turns telling why they were there. One prisoner simply said, “I stopped saying my prayers.”

As a child this frightened me. I thought if you stopped saying your prayers you would go to jail, but I have since learned this isn’t the case. I believe prayer is such an integral part of our lives here. I feel differently now about prayer. I think it can be so much more than what I have always done.

One last thought….In 3 Nephi 1:13 Nephi was praying with a heavy heart and the Lord said to him, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer….” So, maybe when we are down, all we need is a little “good cheer”.

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Standing on Principle

Here’s what bugs me about politics: inconsistancy. Conservatives yell and scream at the mere suggestion of excessive government regulation. They hurl epithets at those crazy liberals who, they say, would have the government raise our children.

But yesterday, the house passed a bill that sent indecency fines for broadcasters soaring, from $32,500 per incident to $325,000. Now maybe indecency isn’t the best thing in the world to have on TV, but maybe these parents who are so worried about nipples in prime time should follow their own advice and take some responsibility. Nobody is forcing your children to watch TV. Nobody says you can’t turn the TV off and have your kids read a book. Or, even less drastic, you could have your kids change the channel to more “decent” programming.

Perhaps I’m way to idealistic for my own good, but do people really have to act so self-servingly? Can’t politicians stand for whatever principle they get behind in campaigns even when its easier to pander to the masses?

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Where do you draw the line....with a Prophet?

I must admit that I have been extremely surprised at many of the responses to the letter from the First Presidency asking us to contact our Senators to support marriage between a man and a woman. I understand that this is an emotionally charged and extremely complicated issue. It is not the issue at hand that has surprised me. I, myself am still a little at a loss of what to think. I know that God loves all his children, regardless of what their hair color, religion or gender preference is.

What surprises me is the negative attitude many have taken against the First Presidency for issuing this statement. I've read blogs/comments that state the First Presidency has no idea what it is talking about, or they have no understanding of the actual effect of this ammendment or the real agenda of the politicians. One article written by a BYU Professor basically called the First Presidency a bunch of liars ( for which I am sure his tenure at BYU will not be much longer).

I know for myself, that sometimes Church leaders mix their personal beliefs with Church Doctorine and we've discussed this in past posts ( like Genius or Apostle....) but I do not think that the First Presidency has made this a personal issue. I believe that they are speaking out because the Lord instructed them to. The Prophet and Apostles proclaimed truth in the Proclamation on the Family YEARS ago. It has a specific part stating that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. No one blinked when they read that part when the proclamation first came out. There was a resounding, "DUH." Who would have thought years later that we would be debating about gay marriage? Not me, anyway.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I find it interesting that people are so willing to dismiss the First Presidency in anything that has to do with politics. When President Hinckley asked the members of the church to re-read the Book of Mormon, no one ( at least that I was aware of ) said, "President Hinckley doesn't know what he's talking about. What a stupid idea." or "President Hinckley doesn't understand the real issue at hand here..." etc. Millions of members of the Church opened their books and had great experiences.

I know the Prophets and Apostles are not perfect. They are men. But they are men called of God. Every Conference we raise our hands and sustain them as our leaders. But I wonder if you can really say that you fully support them and then pick and choose what counsel you will actually follow. " I support the Prophet, but only as long as he sticks to topics D, G, and A."

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A Call for Prophetic Lawmaking

Well I'm pretty sure I haven't hit that elusive “real world" quite yet (as opposed to the “not-so-real world” of a law stuent), but the first period has ended and I've decided to take off my skates and spend my summer cloistered deep within a federal agency while the proverbial zamboni machine smoothes the ice over.

During this past year as a 1L I felt like I was always looking up at laws - trying to decode which situations fit under their umbrella and which won't. In my two weeks of humble interning, however, I’ve had a much different experience: I'm looking down (or better, out) at laws, worrying more about future policy implications and how the entire landscape will look in ten years. And while those pesky factctual scenarios that I muddled through case by case still play a role in the analysis, they have become, at best, supporting actors in my mental theatre. And honestly, after a year dieting on nothing but cases, this new way of seeing things is a welcome change.

One thing this new vantage point has got me thinking about is the legislative process in general and the almost prophetic qualities that legislators must possess in order to make good policy. Just about any sort of theorizing (scientific, philosophical, legislative, etc.) involves an element of prediction. If Newton, for example, concludes that the gravitational constant of a falling body near earth is 9.8 m/s, then he not only means that to be true right now and everywhere, but he also means for it to be true tomorrow and in 473 years.

If prediction is an essential aspect of science or philosophy, then it is all the more important in legislation which, some would argue, affects people more directly than the gravitational constant of a falling body. Whether (and how) the government should regulate the internet, for example, and what words/concepts it uses in choosing how to regulate it, directly affects jobs and income and innovation. So if Congress passes a law or if an agency creates a regulation, and a year later a technological sea-change occurs, the governement has to scramble to shoehorn new and unforseen concepts into out-dated legislation (if such shoe-horning is even possible). Needless to say, it seems that a lot rides on a legislator’s ability to predict the future and legislate accordingly.

All this may be stating the obvious, and this is certainly not an attempt to create some paradigm shifting political theory here. Mostly, I just thought I’d share my excitement about seeing the legal world from a different view. It’s a nice change.

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If you want to increase voter turnout...

Here...

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Justice, Mercy, and Schizophrenia

I've been here at the Public Defender's office for three weeks now, and I've seen some really fascinating issues daeling with our criminal justice system. One thing that has become very apparent to me is that mental illness is a huge issue in criminal justice, and there are a lot of difficult decisions to be made in the area.

Recently I was in the court house watching our trials and there were ack to back defendants suffering from pretty severe schizophrenia. One was violation of probation terms, and his illness obviously had a lot to do with it. He forgot appointments, missed classes, etc. The other had done something more serious, but again, the illness had a lot to do with it. Both got pretty harsh sentences and I found myself feeling really sorry for these guys, but at the same time realizing two things.

One-It probably wasn't safe for them or others to just put them back on the streets and Two-they really had violated the law and it didn't seem right just to let them off without and consequences (even though at times when I saw their illness that is what I was hoping would happen.)

It is a really hard problem to deal with, how do justice and mercy work together for people who really don't know exactly what they are doing? I was mostly thinkinng about it in a legal sense, but I guess that the same problem could exist in the spiritual sense. I don't think that there is an answer, but any thoughts?

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Maybe the "Sheep not of this fold" were in Japan??????

I found this link at timesandseasons.org. CRAZY.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25689-2201183,00.html

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Some Days Are Just Special

The day has come. I now hold in my hand the envelope that will change my life forever. It contains my filled out order form to become a Washington Capitals season ticket holder. Dreams do come true.

As long as I can remember I have looked up to the great people who can take 8(pro football) to 81 (major league baseball) nights each season and dedicate them to the team, and as I walk by the mailbox this morning, I will join those ranks. My wife and I will be that wierd couple (thanks again for letting me do this dear) that you see when you go to one or two games a year who wears matching jerseys and has a deep, meaningful conversation about whether or not Halpern will have that breakout season, or if Alex can really match that fabulous rookie year, or how much longer will Ollie really play? (these conversations will probably contain more cursing than I am representing here). I might let my hair grow a little too long, but just in the back. We will receive two of every free prize given out at Verizon Center this year, and we will be disgusted with you and every other phonie who only comes to a few games each year, not truly appreciating the great atheletes that we have right in our midst, because we will be the greatest people on earth, hockey fans.

And also I get a free autographed replica stick for signing up early.

Let's Go Caps.

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