Why am I Still a Mormon?

I have spent the greater part of my life not only studying the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (the Mormon Church), but also in reading all the anti-Mormon literature I come across. 

In doing so, I have waded through some really interesting stuff. Stories of gold digging, séances, magic mushrooms, plagiarism, men on the moon, collusion,  polygamy justifying adultery, narcissistic behavior, piles of arrests, imprisonment, etc. These fables continue to be expanded and embellished with each telling. He said, she said, she said, he said, accusations abound from every quarter.

From my observation, the only consistent facts that continue to rise to the top are: 

1. Those who would slander and malign Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church generally have a spirit of anger, hatred and lack of reverence for both the commandments of God and the laws of man.
2. Those who support or sustain Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church generally are more even tempered, compassionate, and live lives that tend to be in harmony with the laws of God and the land.

But, I digress, back to the accusations of corruption, collusion, and deception.

No, wait a minute, there is no way for me to untangle the jumbled web of contradiction, innuendos, and implied falsehoods. I wasn’t there when Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. I wasn’t there when Joseph received any revelations or taught the principle of polygamy. I was not to know if he was a gold digger. I was not there to know if Joseph was an adulterer.

So, if I can’t unravel, expose, and document the truth or error of the Restoration, why am I still a Mormon? If I can’t prove it, why do I still believe and live it?

There is a simple answer. The Holy Ghost continues to tell me it is true.

Well, the intellectual readers just left.

You see, when I am kind, thoughtful, generous, and compassionate, I feel the Spirit confirm to me again that it is true. Whenever I am angry, rebellions, selfish, and depressed, doubts arise.

Then, if I begin to believe my doubts; I cease to pray, I don’t read the scriptures, and I stop serving others. But when my testimony is strong; I seek guidance from God through the Spirit, I have hope in the Atonement of Christ, I find joy in reading God’s word, and depression flees. I am aware of those around me who need love and encouragement. Serving God by serving others brings immense joy to my life. Those around me are ignited by the Spirit I bring, they are happier, more fun to be with, and they brighten my day even more.

When I believe it is true and exercise my faith that it is, the Holy Spirit confirms to me that it is true, and I am filled with indescribable joy. This happens all the time and it is not restricted to just me. Anyone can do it. Jesus said that if any man would do his will he would know of the doctrine, whether it was of God or whether it was of man.

I am still a Mormon because I prefer happiness and joy over depression and despair, direction and confidence over apathy and doubt.

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, . . .

Crazy California, the perennial leader in Socialistic pogroms, er, programs, sorry, has once again lead the way, passing another law to protect someone from being offended.

I somehow missed the Amendment 1.1 to the Bill of Rights that guaranteed citizens could not offend one another. I know we encourage Kindergarteners to be kind, but now we need Big Brother Jerry Brown to make sure adults talk nice too.

The LA Times reported this morning that Governor Brown signed into law a bill that restricts all school districts in California from using the name "Redskins" as a team name or mascot. It also cautions school nurses and dermatologists to exercise caution when diagnosing patients with any illness that manifests "red skin". It is important for them to add a verbal "space" between the words to not be in violation of the new mandate.

Ironically, the new law only restricts the usage of the term "redskins" and then, only in connection with team names and mascots. School districts can still freely use titles such as: Indians, Warriors, Savages, Squaws, Papooses, Nits, Lice, etc., for team names and mascots.

Districts can also still use the R-word for the name of a school, after-school enrichment programs, awards for excellence and achievement, as well as, offensive tirades by teachers and student against Native American students.

The scuttle-but is that the law was created and passed to place more pressure on the Washington Redskins to change their team name. Can't see how that will make one bit of difference. You can be sure that if the Redskins ever were to change their name from pressure, the next step will be to exact reparations from the team to compensate the Native Americans for insults and injury the R-name has cause over the last 300 years.

There is no one like those with a tomahawk to grind, that can create a law, that makes a bigger mess, than what they tried to fix.

You Catch More Bears With Honey Than With Vinegar

The old adage teaches us that you catch more bears with honey than with vinegar.

My experience has shown that there are 2 different camps that vocally oppose the Mormon Church.
1) Christians who honestly feel that faith alone will bring us the Grace of God and they sincerely want to save us from our errors.
2) Former members of the Mormon Church who don't want to live the Gospel and search for every opportunity to rationalize their rebellion.

Both groups are usually so well versed in their dogma that rational dialog proves to be pointless in changing lives. What does make a difference, is sincere acts of caring, concern, and service. In other words, simply living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The best example of this is a recent documentary by Bryan Hall called "Us and Them, Religious Rivalry in America". After crossing the country searching for the reason behind the animosity, Mr. Hall realizes that the solution to all the cacophony is the honest implementation of the Gospel.

Rather than arguing with protesters at General Conference, we should be giving them water, hot chocolate, donuts, cookies, blankets, etc., to make their stay easier and more comfortable. Kind words of appreciation for their unwavering faith in Christ will go further to positively impact the heart than heated dialogue and caustic confrontation.

We defend the Savior better by sharing understanding and compassion, lifting up the arms that hang down, and encircling all people with the arms of love. We can not teach positive principles using negative techniques.

So, when someone confronts you about the Church; listen quietly to their concerns, sincerely express your love for them, and share your simple testimony of your love for your Savior and your gratitude for his Atonement in your life.

That is the Savior's way.

You're Not Special, We Are All Special

But if we are all special, then no one is special.

There have been many misconceptions and a few outright lies shouted by both sides of the homosexual/gay-rights/same-sex-marriage issue. Those who broadcast falsehoods are just plain wrong and often border on evil. Make no mistake, they exist on both sides of the fence. The particular whopper I wanted to address is homosexuals as a protected class of people.

This hype over gays being special, unique, and in need of protected status is bogus. It is akin to the radical racists who claim that everyone hates them because of their race. I harbor a particular distaste for most racists, (those who claim others are racists,) but it is because they are conniving, whining, manipulating operatives with subversive agendas; it is not because of the color of their skin. So, here's a news flash: gays are not special.

They are special to their parents, their children, their friends and associates, but they are not a special sub-set of mankind that requires preferential treatment or accommodations. The leaders of this movement want us to feel they are special because they want us to publicly and openly accept their way of thinking and living. But they are just like everybody else. Homosexuals are homosapians, with strengths and weaknesses, challenges and opportunities.

The lesbian couple in Oregon who sued Sweet Cakes by Melissa over the emotional stress of their rejection, obviously have issues that were present long before they walked into the cake shop. When you are doing something that is different or repulsive to many people, feeling hurt because you weren't accepted is like a smoker complaining of their cough. Not that we should be offensive to those who are different, but people also need to accept responsibility and the responses to their unorthodox actions.

God told a prophet over 2000 years ago, "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble". We all have challenges to overcome, phobias that need to be faced, and proclivities that should be controlled. We are all swimming in this soup together and we need to provide the support and help to others we can.

Recognizing the un-specialness of those with challenges is important to healing and health. Assigning a special classification prolongs the problem, it doesn't help with healing. Some individuals, such as children, the mentally challenged, or those with crippling diseases, need to be afforded special treatment and consideration. But rational adults, who have made their life choices, must accept the consequences of their actions, including acceptance or rejection.

The Lord also declared that we should have no sexual relations except with our husband or wife to whom we are legally married. The only reason he told us this is that sexual relations in any other setting; fornication, adultery, homosexuality, promiscuity, etc., will not bring us the happiness most of us are seeking. It is the same with abortion, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, murmuring, backbiting, lying, stealing, coveting, and a host of other actions. 

Sin is simply, any action which brings sorrow or pain to ourselves or to others. As a loving father, God advises us to avoid those behaviors. We may have a propensity to deviant behavior, and unwelcome thoughts may spontaneously pop into our minds at any moment, but it is our reaction, not the thought that defines us. The question is, do we change the thought and thereby dictate our actions, or do we foster, fertilize and fantasize upon the thought until it becomes a deed?

God's solution is to come unto him and his beloved son, Jesus Christ for strength and direction. 

The Apostle Paul told us "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." I think that sometimes, the escape he provides is from the cords that bind us, after we have succumbed to temptation, but the escape is none the less real.

The Prophet Nephi told his father, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Jesus Christ told Joseph Smith while he was wrongly imprisoned, "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; . . ."

The promises for all mankind are that we can become the best we can be, we can find the happiness we seek, and we can help others achieve the same. May God continue to guide us to him, I pray in the name of his son, Jesus Christ.

How the Votes on Same-Sex Marriage Stack Up

The current legality of same-sex marriage, as defined by 5 Supreme Court Justices, has brought to a head the discussion of marriage, equality, and non-traditional societal behavior. President Obama has stated, as with Obamacare, that this is now the law of the land, “Get used to it!” 

(Although he never told the homo-sympathetic crowd before the ruling, that marriage was legally only between a man and a woman as defined in the Defence of Marriage Act so they should “Get used to it!”, but I digress.)

There have only been 2 States, Oregon and Massachusetts, where the popular vote passed same-sex marriage. The other states who passed bans had 1-3 Federal Judges overturn the vote of the people, who had already rejected it soundly. 

Public opinion polls project that a majority of the people in the US support same-sex marriages, but if you count the votes cast so far, it paints a different picture. 

(Remember that polls are taken from a small demographic group, often less than 1000 people. The area you choose to poll your voters can dramatically shift the outcome of the poll. A poll of 1000 people in downtown Salt Lake City, predominately Democrat, and 1000 people in Utah County, predominately Republican, will be diametrically opposed.)

The number of times State Legislatures voted to prohibit same-sex marriage, (some States have voted more than once on the subject.)

• For a ban – 52 times
• Against a ban – 17 times

 Popular vote to support a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage:

• Banning same-sex marriages – 32 times
• Bans to same-sex overturned by Federal Courts - 18
• Not to support ban same-sex marriages – 2 times
• Percentage of voters nationwide banning same-sex marriage – 66.57%
• Percentage of voters nationwide supporting same-sex marriages – 33.43%

Since this is still a Judicial ruling interpreting the Constitution and not actually part of the Constitution, I expect to see multitudes of court and legislative challenges defining and re-defining this decision. Who knows where it will eventually end up. 

Voting statistics from Wikipedia, 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_legislation_in_the_United_States

Was Jesus a Narcissist?

When I was a young boy, those trying to discredit Jesus would claim there was no proof that he even existed other than the Bible, and it was merely a collection of myths and fables. No Jesus, no miracles, no Son of God, no commandments. That argument bit the dust as more and more archeology and historical evidence substantiated that he was born, taught and died in Judea.

Then the Anti-Christs postulated that Jesus supported their particular life style because he never personally said, "Thou shalt not be gay." He also said to, "Love everyone," so he was inclusive of everyone and didn't condemn wickedness as present-day Christians love to do. Since Jesus loved everyone, he must have accepted their lifestyles and beliefs.That hasn't gone over too well as so many of those who preceded and followed him were insistent that while we must love everyone, certain standards of behavior were required for us to be happy.

Now, the current rage is to claim that Jesus was a Narcissist.

Sam Vaknin, an Israeli, writer has lead the way in trying to humanize Jesus as a simple narcissistic teacher who destroyed the lives of all those he touched. The humor in this is that Mr. Vaknin is a diagnosed and admitted narcissist. He claims to be an expert on the subject. I guess it takes one to know one?

Ironically, Mr. Vaknin's own written papers declare that narcissists are not real personalities but a false self, therefore "The False Self replaces the narcissist's True Self and is intended to shield him from hurt and narcissistic injury by self-imputing omnipotence ... The narcissist pretends that his False Self is real and demands that others affirm this confabulation," (Vaknin S., The Dual Role of the Narcissist's False Self). Since he also claims to be a genius with an IQ of 180, it looks like the diagnosis is correct.

Mr Vaknin is certain that this unfortunate situation of self-delusion creates a condition that can never be cured because narcissists are not real people but a deluded false self they have created.

To put this into everyday English, he says he is a broken personality with the need to force everyone to his way of thinking and unfortunately, he can never be fixed, never become normal and never be sane.

Back to his vilification of Jesus.

Claiming that Jesus is narcissist begins with one very large assumption, that Jesus was a mortal man and not the Son of God. If this is true, then his actions and teachings are certainly the product of a narcissist and the disruption to the lives of his followers is unforgivable.

The point the author missed was that while he is attributing all these negative narcissistic characteristics to Jesus, he concedes that Jesus actually did perform miraculous acts of service for the people of his day. This assumption is made because Mr. Vaknin never questions the actions of Jesus, (healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, even raising people from the dead,) only his motives. He even chides Jesus for threatening to withhold healing from those who did not adore and worship him, a narcissistic trait. He never claims Jesus was a charleton, fooling the people into believing they were healed.

Does that mean that Mr. Vaknin actually believes that Jesus healed the lame, gave sight to the blind and raised people from the dead?

Does that also mean that Jesus actually did rise from the dead and appeared to over 500 people in the 40 days after his death?

Does that mean that Jesus really lives today in a celestial world, so elevated from our own that we can scarce comprehend it and someday we can live there too?

If Jesus, who is all knowing, omnipresent, and omnipotent, claims to be all knowing, omnipresent, and omnipotent, is that narcissism or integrity?

Reminds me of a quote by my son, Jeremy: Arrogance is when you think you're right based on assumptions, confidence is when you know you're right based on evidence.

So, a narcissist is one who thinks they are right based on their assumptions, as defined by Mr. Vaknin. If Jesus really healed afflictions and raised the dead, including himself, then he spoke with confidence because his real self was the Son of God.

Jesus was not a narcissist, he was the Son of God.

Legality versus Truth

I have read scores of articles written by both proponents and opponents of the decision last week by the United States Supreme Court declaring that marriage between gay couples should be legal in all states. Vicious, apologetic, angry, compassionate; they spanned the gamut of all the emotions.

Personally, I agree with Justice Roberts that since God created and designed marriage, he is also the only one qualified to re-define it. A majority of judges, regardless of their elevated opinion of their social mores, is simply not qualified to do so. Of course those who do not think God exists, respectfully, at times, disagree with me. Regardless, that has always been the situation. Those who don't believe in absolute truth have always been at odds with those who do.

Historically, self-appointed despots and kings, generally aligned laws to coincide with their personal will. Imprisoning or killing opponents, taking productivity from the people to support the monarchy in the form of taxes, ravishing and plundering the enemy, or their own people, all of these actions were legal, but they were not right.

In the United States, it was legal for centuries for some people to own other people as slaves or indentured servants. The owner was permitted to do virtually anything they wanted to these people. Beatings and murder were accepted as a right and a privilege. Even though it was legal, it wasn't right.

The consumption of alcohol and tobacco has been legal since the founding of the 13 Colonies. Alcohol was banned for a few years, but the underground abuse created more problems than before. As a result, accidental deaths, violence, unwanted pregnancies, and people rotting away from preventable cancers and other debilitating diseases plagues us even today. Even though their use is legal, it is not right.

Many large corporations, in league with municipalities, create complicated schemes to acquire property and resources from those least able to protect themselves ,allowing the corporations to become even more powerful and greedy. Even though it is legal, it is not right.

There are absolute truths regarding fidelity, chastity, promiscuity, and pro-creation. They fly in the face of our animalistic desires. They frustrate those who can't think of anything but the moment or themselves.

I would like to fly unassisted through the sky or swim down to the ocean's floor. Regardless of the sincerity or intensity of my desires, there are absolute truths that compel me to restrain myself. Gravity and oxygen are truths I can't ignore.

There are absolute truths that declare that violation of the laws of pro-creation, chastity and fidelity will bring negative consequences. We already have children of same sex couples lamenting the damage they had from not having a father and a mother in their lives. I just hope we don't have to make all the mistakes there are before we accept the truth.

I can not predict all the effects of the Court's rulings. There are those who are opposed to any contrary voices and would love to leverage this decision to the abolition of all opposition to their social agenda. It would not be the first time truth has been ruled illegal.

I take solace in the words of Gamaliel, speaking to the Sanhedrin as they were trying to convict the early Apostles, "Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it;"

Obama Taught in His Youth to Hate the United States

There sure is a lot of vitriol and hatred being thrown around in this article about Rudy Giuliani's comments. I have to say that regardless of the veracity of the messenger, the message seems to be true.

1. Obama was surrounded by socialists and communists while growing up; his father, step-father, his grandfather, Frank Marshall Davis, Saul Alinsky, etc.

2. Obama was raised the first 9 years of his life in a Muslim home in an Islamic country, Indonesia.

3. Obama was raised as a teen-ager in a white home, in a white neighborhood, not in the ghettos of Chicago.

4. His policies are socialistic in nature; government job creation, "you didn't build that", Obamacare, redistribution of wealth, etc. Programs to take money from someone who earned it and give it to someone who didn't.

5. Proud supporter of gun control. Every dictator, socialist, communist, or banana republic despot's first order of business is gun control

6. Detests saluting his own Presidential Marine Corps honor guard, even though they would lay down their lives, along with the Secret Service, if he was threatened while in their care.

7. To further his agenda, he has circumvented laws, created flimsy excuses, or ignores any criticism.

8. He has openly stated that if Congress will not implement his plans, he will go around them with Executive Orders and Departmental Decrees. If I remember correctly, King George of England, did the same thing back in the 1770's, disbanding the Colonial Assembly more than once when they challenged his policies.

9. He has expressed his continual shame for the United States, their policies, and accomplishments. Not only locally, but he has traveled the world expressing how bad the United States has been in the past.

10. He has been instrumental in trading a suspected traitor, (Bowe Bergdahl, who was charged with desertion) for the release of 5 known and avowed terrorists. Most of them are actively planning damage to this country again.

11. He, along with Hillary Clinton, allowed the Libyan Government to collapse and did nothing while 4 American Citizens died in Benghazi.

12. He is trying to negotiate and talk nice with organizations and mosques that have ties to, as well as members of, terrorists groups, by inviting them to the White House. These same groups insist that they will never capitulate to any demands other than the ones they have already stated publicly, namely; the destruction of the US and Western Europe, along with the implementation of Sharia Law worldwide.

13. His economic policies have destroyed thousands of private businesses in this country.

14. He is spinning the unemployment numbers to make him look good. He states that the rate is around 6%, but if you factor in all those who have simply stopped looking for work and are relying on government assistance, the real number is around 12%, the same as it was when he took office. All his programs have done is removed people from unemployment and moved them to welfare, food stamps, and permanent unemployment checks.

So, I am not sure that Obama really has the best interests of the United States of America at the forefront of all he does. His Hope and Change mantra appears to be changing the US from all that made us the leader in the world into another banana republic taking orders from terrorists and despotic rulers. I respect the Office, even if I detest the person who resides there presently.

Anarchy in America

The legacy of President Obama will likely be "Anarchy in America". For those who may not understand the word, "anarchy" is when laws are unenforceable, there is not police protection or government structure, and everyone is on their own.

In Ferguson, New York and now Baltimore, we are watching people tear their towns and cities a part while the police look on with orders to "stand down". People are hurt, businesses are burned, a new generation of lawlessness is ushered in.

How did this start? Poverty, neglect of the inner cities, too much free stuff? It is hard to tell if they are the cause or the effect. Are people poor and uneducated because they are neglected or are they neglected because they are poor and illiterate?

We have been grappling with these social issues for decades and none of the "oh, you poor baby" programs inaugurated in by Democratic Progressive Liberals seems to have reduced the size of the city slums nor increased the number of gainfully employed minorities.

But then again we can ask the question, "Why is it that the majority of the devastatingly poor neighborhoods, rife with drugs, crime, and murder, are primarily black? Why don't we also have vast inter-city waste lands inhabited by Latinos, Asians, Filipinos, or Iranians? Why are blacks the poster children for oppression and poverty?"

Does everyone in the world really just hate blacks?

Our black/white President, and his Progressive cronies, have set an example of ignoring the rule of law and doing what they feel is best or the will of the people, whether it is or not. Examples:

Executive orders from the President intentionally written to by-pass Congress.
Laws on the books that the Attorney General refuses to enforce.
Open invitations from the President for non-citizens to illegally enter this great Country.
Then giving them food, shelter and education denied many life-long citizens.
Complicite in ordering the police to stand-down while gangs destroy property and threaten lives.

President Obama is teaching the black youth of this country that they will not be held accountable for any laws they break. Even those arrested in the Baltimore Riots are being released because the 48 hour holding period has expired.

Instead of listening to Obama's horrible example, kids should be listening to Toya Graham, the mother who was filmed smacking her 16 year old son when she caught him throwing rocks as the police. 

There are many reasons why not all parents can be there every minute to teach their children, but we can have neighborhood mentors, as well as professional and political examples of integrity, hard-work, and service. 

The good people of this country need to say this is enough, we are fed up with the greedy, economically ignorant socialites and politicians setting the example for our children. 

We need to shine. 
We need to set the example. 
We need to be honest. 
We need to work hard. 
We need to require our children to follow our example.

Stand up, be an example for good. 

There are absolute truths that absolutely bring happiness when followed and absolutely bring sorrow when ignored.

Photo courtesy of:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/29/we-shouldnt-condone-the-baltimore-riots-but-lets-stop-calling-them-senseless/

If You Don't Like Where It's Going, Get Off the Bus

This is the 2nd time in a month that Muslim students and their supporters have stopped the showing of "American Sniper."

An article by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton in the Right Wing News, details the travesty.

"Earlier this month the University of Michigan cancelled a showing after Muslims called the subject of the record-breaking film, the late Chris Kyle, a “racist” and “mass killer” — only to reverse themselves after a huge outcry that included their new football coach Jim Harbaugh."

"Last weekend, another Michigan college, Eastern Michigan University, planned to show two screenings of ‘American Sniper.’"

"But during the first showing, four protesters climbed onstage at the Student Center Auditorium chanting anti-American slogans and demanding the screening be stopped. The four were briefly arrested.’"

"But during the first showing, four protesters climbed onstage at the Student Center Auditorium chanting anti-American slogans and demanding the screening be stopped. The four were briefly arrested."

So it is now okay to go into a theatre to a show you are not required to attend and demand that it be shut down because you don't like or agree with the movie. This is so incredible. People actually believe that they have the right to dictate to others what they can and can't watch.

I realize that these both happened at universities and were done by college students, but students grow up, (sometimes) and get jobs (sometimes), get married (sometimes), and vote (maybe). Why didn't anyone; parents, teachers, mentors, or police teach them to respect the rights of others.

I truly want everyone to be a Christian, Mormon specifically, but I will never have anyone consider it if I burn their flag, ban them from doing the things they like, and disrespecting everything they hold dear. No, I try to be kind, understanding, compassionate, industrious, and a good example of how happiness if achieved by living the teachings of Jesus. 

The United States of America is the only country ever that had to put up a fence to keep people out. No one has a God-given right to remain here. Unless you are a convicted felon, any of us can go almost anywhere we want, do almost anything we want and become almost anything we want to become.

So, if you don't like American values, food, movies or dress, it is in your best interests to go someplace where others have the same values, food, movies, and dress that you prefer.

If you don't like where it's going, get off the bus!

The Myth of White Privilege

I am tired of the false labels that zealous people love to hang around the necks of those they perceive to be different. If they can't make a convincing argument for their beliefs, they hang a negative label on their opponent.

"Homophobe", "racists", and now "white privilege" are labels designed to make the "others" feel guilty that they are not as wonderful as the "intellectually enlightened".

I loved a quote from Stephi who responded to a blog about "white privilege". 

"There is no such thing as white privilege, the phrase is a lazy misappropriation of class privilege, and the concept is utterly rejected outside the USA. If white privilege really existed, it would be a social privilege that applied to all white people regardless of wealth or social station, this clearly isn’t the case."

In over 60 years of life I have learned one very important lesson:

Everyone else's perception of us is usually better than our own.

I have lived and travelled mostly in the western United States, with random trips to nearly every other part of this Nation and countries in Europe. I have met and spoken with many people from many different walks of life. The message always remains the same. 

If you think you are a loser, nearly everyone else shares your attitude about you. If you believe you are a valuable, participating citizen, most others will agree.

Where you live makes a tremendous difference as to how you see the world. A young black man in Salt Lake City can be just as overwhelmed as a young white male in Nigeria. A 16 year-old Protestant girl on her own in Cairo would have just as much trepidation as a Muslim woman in Rome. Whenever we see ourselves as a minority or find ourselves outside our culture, it is easy to feel threatened. By seeing the best in others and being our best selves, we overcome our fears and excel in what ever environment we are a part of.

There are some narrow-minded people that at first glance will place you in a pigeon hole that resembles the last person they met who looked or acted like you. If you act as they expect you to act, you will remain in that pigeon hole. If you act the best you really are and can become, they will move you to a more elevated position in their minds and hearts.

The writer and philosopher, Johann Wolfgang Goethe said, "Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is, but treat a man as he can and ought to be, and he will become what he can and ought to be."

If we act as we were, we will always be seen as we were, but if we act as we can and ought to be, then people will see us as we can and ought to be.

Idiots, bigots, and victims are not confined to any particular race or locale, but they are most skillfully surpassed by those who do their best and treat everyone else as though they are important.

A still from "The Illusionist"

The parable is often told of a man who was sitting along the road at the entrance to a town.

A stranger happened by and asked, "What kind of people live in this town?"

The man responded, "What kind of people lived in the town you came from?"

"They were all liars, and thieves," the traveler responded. "I hated everyone of them."

"That's what kind of people live in this town, too," the man replied.

A short time later another man happened by and asked, "What kind of people live in this town?"

The man responded, "What kind of people lived in the town you came from?"

"Oh, they were the warmest, kindest people I have ever known," the traveler voiced, "I hated to leave that place." 

"That's what kind of people live in this town, too," the man replied.

Physics tells us that if you conduct an experiment to see if light is a particle, it will act like a particle. If you test to see if it is energy, it will act like energy.

If you spend your entire life digging a hole to stand in, 

you shouldn't complain when you can't see the sun. - dlm

We each have the ability to change or remain as we are. Neither prisons, enemies, friends nor family can prevent us from becoming what we truly believe and want to become.

We will always see in others what we are looking for. Look for the good, look for their potential. Most of those who don't succeed, have never been taught that they could. We seldom realize how the small acts of kindness and approbation we give away each day, change the lives of so many of those we associate with.

Be the mentor, love without reservation. Follow the example of the greatest mentor ever, who said, "Love one another as I have loved you."

What if Everyone Was on Welfare?

When my son was a Missionary in Boston, Massachusetts, he spent 2 years contacting and teaching people about the Mormon Church. He had the opportunity to work with many people in the Boston Housing Projects. 

While there, he noticed a peculiar thing; each of the project buildings housed hundreds of families and yet, building after building had no one that held a job. Everyone lived of welfare, food stamps, disability, or some other form of assistance. 

The most ironic discovery was that neighbors would meet together to teach other residents how to best utilize the welfare system to receive as much as possible.

So, the questions arises, What if everyone was on welfare?

Except for a few altruistic individuals who have to be productive to remain sane:

• There would be no one would grow any food.
• There would be no one to make food.
• There would be no one to build homes.
• There would be no one to sell food.
• There would be no one to rent an apartment from.
• There would be no one to sell you a home.
• There would be no one to teach our children.
• There would be no taxes for the Government to re-distribute.
• There would be no convenience stores to rob.

The only remaining option would be for the Government to step in and assign everyone a task so that;

• Food would be produced.
• Food would be processed.
• Food would be sold.
• Homes and apartments would be sold and rented.
• There would be taxes to re-distribute.
• There would be convenience stores to rob.

Question: Which country today does this sound like?

1. Russia
2. China
3. Cuba
4. All of the above

Reminds me of a story in the Reader's Digest years ago.

“In our friendly neighbor city of St. Augustine, (Florida), great flocks of sea gulls are starving amid plenty. Fishing is still good, but the gulls don’t know how to fish. For generations they have depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from the nets. Now the fleet has moved. …

“The shrimpers had created a Welfare State for the … sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish for themselves and they never taught their children to fish. Instead they led their little ones to the shrimp nets.

“Now the sea gulls, the fine free birds that almost symbolize liberty itself, are starving to death because they gave in to the ‘something for nothing’ lure! They sacrificed their independence for a hand-out.

“A lot of people are like that, too. They see nothing wrong in picking delectable scraps from the tax nets of the U.S. Government’s ‘shrimp fleet.’ But what will happen when the Government runs out of goods? What about our children of generations to come?

“Let’s not be gullible gulls. We … must preserve our talents of self-sufficiency, our genius for creating things for ourselves, our sense of thrift and our true love of independence.” (“Fable of the Gullible Gull,”Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1950, p. 32.)

Courtesy of RI Future

Lest you think the St Augustine story is an anomaly, another article a few years ago from Houma, Louisiana, explains how another group of these Welfare Gulls move from one gravy train to another:

Gulls head inland as spill curbs easy meals

HOUMA — In his four decades of business on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Mike Voisin says he’s never seen a seagull at Motivatit Seafood’s Palm Avenue oyster-processing plant. But today they’re taking over.

The scavenging gulls are on the plant’s roof and in the plant’s trucks, which carry discarded oyster shells from the high-pressure shucking operation. They ride a conveyor belt carrying shucking remains out of the plant while pecking hungrily at the barnacled shells.

They’ve been scavenging at his oyster shells for the last month.

“It’s the darnedest thing because we’ve never seen a seagull here since, well, I don’t even remember,” Voisin said. “Not in the 40 years I’ve been here. They must be really hungry.”

Voisin said he believes closures of bayou seafood-processing plants and the docking of commercial-fishing vessels that would normally attract flocks of hungry gulls have sent them elsewhere for their meals.

Melanie Driscoll, director of bird conservation for the Audubon Society’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative, said she has received reports of more and more gulls heading inland, prowling around restaurants where they haven’t been seen before.

“I’ve heard a lot from locals,” Driscoll said. “There’s a sense that the gulls may be hungry because they basically had a buffet, and now it’s no longer there.”

Photo courtesy of  Daily Mail.com

Welfare parasites begin to think that anything the want is theirs, as this lady in South Shields, England found out recently. 

So, What if everyone was on welfare?

Now you know.

"They Were Born That Way?" So What?

Using the excuse, "I was born that way," is a non-scalable alibi.

My sons are all computer developers, they write code for different companies for the Internet. A common complaint of novice developers is when they write code that won't scale. Their code works when they try it on the test servers using 1000 hits or users, but when they launch it into cyberspace, the application crashes. They review the code, test it again, roll it out, and it bursts into flames as it crashes to the floor.

The problem usually lies in having the server execute individual operations rather than batching operations together. The server has no problems performing several thousand operations a second, so on the test server everything looks good. But when mounted in the real world on a popular site, it can be hit with hundreds of thousands or even millions of operations a second. When the server becomes so over-whelmed with unfinished tasks, it can't continue and it shuts down.

"I was born that way" is a good reason to continue to act the way we always have; it is positive procrastination justified. It really doesn't make any difference what the behavior is, it is not a justifiable reason to remain the way we are.

There is a reason for every person's condition, but there is no excuse for them to remain that way.

Let's just see if this scales to the real world?

• Alcoholics are born that way and shouldn't change.
• Kleptomaniacs are born that way and can't change.
• Homosexuals are born that way and shouldn't be expected to change.
• Pedophiles are born that way and can't be expected to change.
• Maniacal tyrant murders like Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussian, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot were born that way and we shouldn't expect them to treat us otherwise.
• Greedy, self-serving capitalists like the Koch brothers or George Soros were born that way have every right to manipulate governments to their advantage.

Humm . . . doesn't look like it fits all cases. Maybe if one-size fits all, it doesn't fit anyone?

Maybe, just maybe, we can become something different that the way we were born? Or maybe we can take what we are and become someone so much better.

What about Jennifer Bricker? Born with no legs, she was inspired by gymnast Dominique Moceanu and became a world-class tumbler. Watch her interview as she explains why being "born this way" never prevented her from being the best she could.

Gabe Adams, an 8 year-old boy, also born with no arms or legs, coined his own motto, "I can do anything with a smile". 

And finally, Nick Vujicic, no arms or legs either, is a motivational speaker, traveling around the world sharing hope and the dream that we can change ourselves to become what God wants us to be. He has even married the girl of his dreams and continues to strive to be a better person each day.

The thing they all have in common is supportive friends and family who never placed limits on them, never accepted that because they had disabilities, they couldn't do the things they wanted, and never gave up on them. This kind of support will enable anyone to overcome any short-comings or weaknesses they were "born with". Obesity, anorexia, anger management, un-natural attractions, low self-esteem, alcoholism, drug dependency, you name it, you can change it or manage it.

Most of these issues never leave us, just as Jennifer, Gabe and Nick will never be able to grow new arms and legs. But, our fears and limitations can be controlled, not coddled. We can let the elephant play quietly in the corner while we immerse ourselves in greater things.

Did these three become what they did because of their birth or in spite of it?  We will never know, but this much we do know, they learned to "do anything with a smile".

There is a reason for every person's condition, but there is no excuse for them to remain that way.

It's Not Capitalism, It's Cronyism

Many of you may have been wondering why the progressives have such a disdain for capitalism. It is maligned with such quips as:

• You didn't build that!
• Greedy Capitalist Pig.
• The Decade of Greed.
• Rich Republican donors.
• The Koch brothers are buying America.

In his movie, "Capitalism, A Love Story" Michael Moore ended with the quote, "Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy." Actually he doesn't know what he is talking about. Capitalism is an economic system, Democracy is a form of government. We can't have an economic system with out a government and vice versa.

Capitalism, as espoused first by Adam Smith, is simply a system where the producer profits from their productivity and efforts. If I spend the time to gather resources, create a product or service someone else deems of value, and I sell it to them for more than the cost to produce, I realize a profit in the difference between my expenses and the sales price. 

• If I price the items for less that the cost to produce, I loose money and go out of business.
• If I price the items too high, someone else emerges to sell it for less, and I loose business.
• If I create items that no one wants or needs, no one purchases them and I go out of business.

Smith explained that these "natural laws" of business would keep capitalism in check and provide the greatest good for the society. Supply and demand as well as competition keep the playing field balanced.

Michael Moore and other elitists celebrities do this all the time with their work, but refuse to acknowledge they are capitalists. Mr Moore finances a movie or documentary such as "Capitalism, A Love Story". He hires others to help him film and distribute the product, sells it to the public, and then he keeps the difference between the cost of the film and the revenue generated, his profit. He profits handsomely from the very system he maligns. It grossed over $14 Million dollars.

So whether you are; 1) a sole proprietor who makes and sells products or services, 2) an employer who hires other people to help with the production and distribution of the products or services, or 3) an employee who works for a company to produce products or services where you are paid for your productivity, you are a capitalist.

There is a moral obligation with capitalism to share proportionally the profits with those who helped to create them; but competition from other companies selling at a lower price or hiring away employees for a better wage, keeps employers looking out for the welfare of those working for them.

So, what has gone wrong? It is not capitalism that has failed, it is the introduction of cronyism.

Cronyism is profiting from our relationships with others. It has nothing to do with our productivity or efforts. We are dependent on whether or not we make our benefactor happy. This is how Socialism, Communism, and Monarchys survive.

Cronyism was the name of the game in the Middle Ages in Europe. The kings were accepted by the people as the Divinely appointed rulers of the country. Kings owned everything, including the people. They divvied out property and power to the nobility, comprised mostly of those who helped them to gain power. As long as the nobility fulfilled the wishes of the king, they retained their property and power, regardless of their productivity. One false step could forfeit, for them and their posterity, any claim to the prestige they enjoyed and it would be given to another. "Game of Thrones" ring a bell?

It has often been at play in the politics of the Untied States. Every time there is a newly elected President, he brings with him a gaggle of supporters to whom he owes his office. In gratitude, he bestows appointments, offices, and powers to help him govern the country. There are justifiable reasons for bringing along your supporters. A new President often brings a new focus, new direction or new ideology to the country. It is important for his success to surround himself with those who share his vision. This is wise leadership. But when he rewards donors with positions they are neither qualified nor capable of handling, it is cronyism.

Today our country is rife with Cronyism and its companion, incompetence. A few examples to accentuate the point.

President Obama appointed the following people to positions in the government:

• Timothy Geithner - Nominated for Secretary of the Treasury failed to properly pay his taxes from 2001-2004. A 2006 audit by the IRS revealed the error, but Geithner didn't pay the back taxes until he was nominated for the Cabinet position. Was he really qualified to hold this position?
• Tom Daschle - Nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services but it seemed the former Senate Majority Leader had problems doing his taxes. He used a donated car and driver for 2 years without reporting the "income" to Uncle Sam. Fortunately, he declined the appointment when this information was made public.
• The average government employee spend up to 1/2 of their day at work watching porn or facebooking. The greater their salary, the more time spent surfing.

In an article entitled, "From Bad to Worse: US Taxpayers Keep Losing Money on Solyndra", it tells the story of how a company that was in financial trouble received over $537 Million dollars for research and development. In less that 2 years, the company folded and only about $27 Million of the $500 Million was projected to be repaid to the American People. The public has no idea where the rest of the money went.

Speaking of energy companies, "Obama's Green Energy Bets Keep Coming Up Short", lists 19 energy companies with government loans and their status as of a year ago.

Over 10 Billion dollars of American Taxpayer's money that was risked and most of it lost. Again, where did the money go? The most popular way to thank donors and sponsors is to finance their failing companies so they can siphon off enough for retirement while the ship sinks.

That is the beauty of Cronyism. Welcome to America.

Photos courtesy of:

http://02varvara.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/

http://www.rpc.senate.gov/policy-papers/obamas-green-energy-bets-keep-coming-up-short_update

PC Police In The NFL, $11,000 For The "N" Word That Didn't Happen?

Colin Kaepernick is mad. $11,025 mad. It is bad enough to have a bad day and lead his San Francisco 49er's to a loss against the Chicago Bears. But to add insult to injury, one of the referees threw a red flag claiming that Kaepernick called Lamarr Houston a nigger. (Sorry, just reporting the truth.) This seems a little odd since few white men would want to call Houston names when he is 6' 3'' and weighs 300 pounds. That is asking for a thumping.

The whole issue was clouded as Kaepernick reported on Sunday, that Houston claimed Kaepernick did not say it, but starting Tuesday morning, after Houston was cited for the exact offence Monday night, he remembered that it was said on Sunday. Oh, the power of the PC Police over a big, black man in a small room with a single light bulb.

Whether either or both are lying is of really no consequence. Stupid things people do and say under tremendous stress are usually forgiven (unless you are Mel Gibson). San Francisco received a 15 yard penalty. Infraction noted, penalty paid.

Wrong.

Then next day, the NFL dropped a fine of  $11,025 on Kaepernick. So now it is not only rude and insensitive to use negative stereotypes of blacks and Native Americans, it is punishable by a fine, a big fine at that.

These publicity stunts by small, very small, offended groups of minorities, are gaining traction rather than being shown for the shallow, silly media grabs they really are. Any mature person would not be intimidated or put down by antiquated stereotypes that have long since lost their punch.

I was in a KFC in Las Vegas years ago when a clerk called me a "cracker" under her breath. Everyone in my group was incensed that she would stoop so low, but I laughed at her ignorance.

1. She didn't have the courage to say it spitefully to my face, 
2. She had no idea that my ancestors never owned slaves, 
3. Practice as I might, I never mastered the use of a whip. 
4. Actually, if she were being maligned by any other weak-minded, bigoted bully, I would be the first to step in and protect her.

The antics by the NBA to force the sale of the LA Clippers for some ignorant comments made by Donald Stirling, the self-imposed sale of the Atlanta Hawks by Bruce Levenson over an email he sent to his staff 2 years ago and the cacophony over the Washington Redskins are all part of this charade.

In the case of Stirling, the recording of his conversation without his permission and knowledge, compounded by releasing it to the public, should have brought criminal charges against his girl friend, according to California Law. For the past 30 years, no one was ignorant of the bigoted, self-promoting character of Stirling, so why now?

As for Levenson, I am sure he saw the hefty prices offered for the sale of the Clippers and decided that it was best cash out while fanaticism was hot. The Hawks are toward the bottom of the profitability chart, barely $7.3 million average over the last 5-year period, home game attendance numbers are falling and they only played 3 home playoff games last year where they did 6 the year before. Looks like a good time to get out.

I read the email he sent in 2012. It was a honest demographic study of the strengths and weaknesses of their fan base. Suggestions were made to increase profitability by discouraging the black market and push the white college crowd because they spend more than the typical black market. Sound business advice for increased profits. The owners need to decide if they want to promote the team to all of Atlanta or just to those who pay the most. That is not racism, it is financial prejudice.

As for the insanity surrounding the Washington Redskins, I just don't understand it. If someone named their team "David Mefford is a blithering idiot", I might be offended, but I would have to accept the truth of the statement. Since I don't have any copyright privilege for the name, I couldn't do any thing to force them to change it.

Isaiah spoke of our day when people would be an offender for a word:

Isaiah 29: 20-21. . . and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that repoveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

Professional sports, the Great American past time has now become the Great Progressive Target.



Bibliography:

The NBS's Most And Least Profitable Teams
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2013/01/23/the-nbas-most-and-least-profitable-teams/

Source: Ref say Coling Kaepernick used racial slur
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/colin-kaepernick-49ers-refs-racial-slur-bears-loss-fine-092114?cmpid=paid:fscom:ad:outbrain:nfl

Lamarr Houston says Colin Kaepernick did us N-word
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/lamarr_houston_says_colin_kaepernick_did_use_n_word/17344925

Photo courtesy of:
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/colin-kaepernick-49ers-refs-racial-slur-bears-loss-fine-092114?cmpid=paid:fscom:ad:outbrain:nfl