I Guess I'm the Oddball

The New Standard of Patriotism
President Obama never hugged the flag enough

I get it. I understand.

I know why you like trump so much. Whatever he accomplishes or doesn't, it's just the way he says things. He uses that bigly edgy voice to bash Democrats, Illegal Aliens, the Liberal Elite, Government Workers, Godless Scientists, Abortionist Proponents, Muslims, Secular Humanists, Mexicans, it goes on and on.

I get that you are not racist because if only "those" people behaved like you, like real Americans, then they would be OK. That would be like Congresswoman Mia Love living in Saratoga Springs, Utah and acting just like all her neighbors regardless of her darker shade of skin. It's like Raul Labrador, Congressman of Idaho who may have come from a Puerto-Ricana family but went to BYU and goes to church and acts just like all the other Mormons and has conservative credentials for the non-Mormon Idahoans. You love the guy! You're not racist!

Scouting and Bullying - the Gay Policy

As a Scout, I was bullied as a Gay. There were some bullies who called me "fag," "faggot," "little faggot," and "queer." These words out of the mouths of bullies are becoming as socially unacceptable as the "N___" word. And, thank Heavens!

Scouting isn't about bullying. It should be the exact opposite as a place for team-building and citizenship skills in a diverse society which is the ideal of melting-pot USA. And there still is a lot of bullying.

It probably is a natural inclination for groups of boys to ostracize the outcast. I still hear modern Scouts "jokingly" (actually, bullyingly) call each other "Gay" --the targets no more Gay then I was as a teen even if a bit of an outcast or loner. My role as leader has been to nip that in its bud, stop it in its tracks, whatever it takes to kindly yet forcefully teach that such talk and bullying behavior is unacceptable.

And Scouting isn't about sex. Well, at least it's not supposed to be. But I've heard the crudest language and sexual jokes among Scouts and sometimes leaders. On an excursion to Philmont Scout Ranch years ago, there was a Playboy passed around. Sure, I looked. And I played with the cards bought in San Francisco Chinatown with bare-breasted women on them. We kept making jokes about the "stacked deck." OK, not by best moments, but far from the worst as well.

Standing for Something (You Don't Agree With)

We have some really good friends who are dedicated home-schoolers. I don't agree with home-schooling. I think that in spite of the best intentions, no parent is able to provide the wide diversity of specialized knowledge that a variety of teachers can in the public schools. It also tends to undermine the purpose of public schools which is to give every child an opportunity for a basic education to be a functioning member of a self-governing democratic republic. The socialization skills with children of different backgrounds also help in the melting-pot ideal of America.

Still, we love our friends dearly. We never debated our differing views on home-schooling. I'm not even sure of their actual reasons for doing it.

At their request, I once participated in a conference where home-schooling families got together to hear presentations on a variety of subjects. I was asked to do a session on the Founding Mothers concentrating on Abigail Adams and her influence on husband John through their rich trove of correspondence. It was fun!

Communi-phobia

As I continue to walk my own fine line not fighting for or against same-sex marriage. Most of the criticism I have received is from those on the "against" side who seem to use the teachings of the Prophets to condemn me for "not hating gays enough." I don't think that's the message of the Prophets at all.

Anyhoo, I thought I would like to note that there are a lot of messages popping up on the internets linking Gay Marriage to Communism. Even on claimed LDS affiliated sites. Yep, more evidence of the paranoid style in American politics.

We're Not Done Yet!

"I'm not dead yet . . . . I feel happy. . . .I feel happy."

[Clonk]

Yeah, I can cut and paste more email with Anonymous/D. As long as I don't have to address the Republican clown car with Romney waiting aside the road for it to crash.

Grant Vaughn
to D

While still not blogging, and enjoying telework especially when I can't link to office computers, I note this for the record that there will at least be half a win for same-sex marriage.

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. US Cons. IV.1.

That's pretty clear and concise language from the Constitution even if there is nary a word in there about marriage. If same-sex marriage is legal in one state, it has to be recognized in all just like they have for Nevada and Maryland quickie weddings (there used to be blood tests, etc. in most states). So, it they have to be recognized in all, some states just won't allow it to happen in that state - the wedding, that is, not the state of marriage.

Simple and straight forward preserving both the right for whomever to marry, and states rights, to some degree, in a federal union (of states - not gays)

Apologies

Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have apologized for a few things. In 2012 President Gordon B. Hinckley gave a personal apology to a visiting African American Clergyman for the church's past teachings and prohibitions based on race. I have made my own personal apologies for past racism in my life on this blog

In 2007, on the 150th Anniversary of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency apologized for the Mormons involved in that horrific tragedy. He also apologized to the Paiute People as they have frequently been blamed for the atrocity when it was organized and led by local Mormon leaders. Church historians also published a detailed historical account of the massacre using information from LDS Church Archives among many other sources. I have highly recommended the book on this blog. You can still get it at Amazon.

And the LDS Church has apologized for the horribly embarrassing actions of individual members who submit names of Holocaust Victims for vicarious ordinances in the Temple. Access to Church genealogical systems are cut off for the individual offenders and the Church has tagged Holocaust Victims' names to prevent them from going to the Temple, but sadly, some slip through when members disobey the restriction.

Passionate, Moderate, Cultural Wars?

Your guess is as good as mine. There is something happening here. I'm not quite sure what it is.

My views on the Culture Wars have been expressed on this blog. I don't have all the answers. But my attempts to be moderate have liberalized me for the most part, but not entirely. Mainly, I've just tried to stay out of it.

This week, there was a press conference on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Elder Todd D. Cristofferson, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and Sister Neill Marriott.  You can see it all and other information at Mormon Newsroom.

And here is a YouTube version I can add here:

Tenth Circuit Upholds Religious Marriage But Not Polygamy!

Probably not the headline you were expecting today. While this blogger supports the Family Proclamation, I wish to note some interesting aspects of the decision in the Federal Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upholding the Federal District Court in Utah in ruling that Utah's Amendment to its State Constitution on Marriage is invalid under the U.S. Constitution.

As I had predicted, this ruling has no effect on anyone's religious beliefs or practices regarding marriage. The Court seemed to go out of its way to so state:

Live-Blogging LDS General Conference Spring 2014 - Saturday AM

Here we go! We're just about through all the Mormon movie and book ads.

Watch it LIVE here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng&cid=HPTU040114644

Pres. Uchtdorf conducting. We have a "Firm Foundation" singing in the choir.

Of course I could always get called away to Saturday chores. I did spend 3 hours in the garden last evening when I got home so I wouldn't feel so guilty sitting here today. I decommissioned the snow blower for the season first trying to drain out the gasoline. Then, reading the instructions "Don't drain the gasoline - Let it run until it stops with all the gas burned out" OK, a little eco-unfriendly, but we killed it off in a bout an hour while I did other Spring gardening chores. I just had this brilliant flash with our fence still down since the great East Wind blow down of a while back that maybe I could plant a hedge of lilacs. The wind can't blow them down! We could have a trestle gate with roses over it. Yeah! OK, prayer . . . .

"Let Us Have Peace"

Yes, those are the words of U.S. Grant from his first Inaugural Address. General Grant and the Fourteenth Amendment may be vindicated as so far, Utah Governor Herbert has not ordered state troops to fire on Ft. Douglas that overlooks Salt Lake City from the Wasatch foothills to the East. As Grant won a bloody war to secure the United States and establish Constitutional protections of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all the people of the United States, we now face a Constitutional crisis that our nation will endure without resort to civil war.

I'm highly suspicious that Judge Shelby of the U.S. District Court, District of Utah, planned ahead to issue his decision on same-sex marriage for the week before Christmas. He may have hoped that the spirit of the season would temper any adverse reaction to the ruling. It's not over yet as a legal question until the Supreme Court eventually decides the issue as it certainly will. But as even most of the opponents of same-sex marriage believe that it will eventually happen, I wish it would happen sooner rather than later so that we can stop arguing and all calm down to deal with the inevitable and get over it. It is not worth civil war and it is not worth tearing families apart, least of all at this season of the year.

NOT The End of the World

Last night I dreamed a dream. I sat in an LDS cultural hall - that's the basketball/banquet court behind the chapel. I was with some familiar, church friends not just from my present ward. It was some sort of symposium on the new history presented by the church (for examples, see polygamy and race and the priesthood in Gospel Topics). After a speech, there was an open mike for people to ask questions or make comments. There were quite a few people lined up. They were friendly enough, but not members or friends of the church. They spoke as outsiders. I commented to my friends that someone should speak up for the church. I got up and got in line. I came to the mike. I was alone . . . .

No recollection remains of what I said. So, what the heck, I'll say it here (not in an official capacity for the church!)

This has been an amazing and challenging time with the federal courts of Utah on matters relating to sacred principles of marriage in which the church has played a substantial historical role. One recent ruling decriminalized polygamy as practiced by certain groups based on Mormon tradition (not the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more like reality TV). The other ruling, of just yesterday, struck down Utah's laws and a recent voter-approved state constitutional amendment as violating principles of freedom and liberty for same-sex marriage partners protected by the U.S. Constitution.

The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage

The recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and allowing lower court decisions to stand overturning Proposition 8 in California makes for a dramatic shift in American society. This brief analysis is to consider some of the possible ramifications of the decision. While not a full legal analysis, it does have a lawyer’s insight in areas potentially impacting Mormon practices past, present, and future. The purpose of this post is not to advocate for gay marriage.

To be clear, the Supreme Court has not declared a Constitutional right to gay marriage. The High Court found DOMA to be unconstitutional because it was enacted to deny federal benefits to a defined group. The motivation for the designation was congressional animus in the attempt to limit benefits to traditional “Judeo-Christian” marriages of one woman and one man. Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority in the DOMA decision, does not declare gay men and women a protected class under a traditional civil rights analysis. In addition Justice Roberts writing for the majority in the Prop 8 case punted on procedural grounds to allow same-sex marriages to go forward in California. With the decisions, there is strong indication that a current majority of the court is prepared to declare same-sex marriage a constitutional right, but that has not happened yet.