Getting Ready for the Big Parade!

With  little more spirit of levity than I felt on the eve of the last shutdown, I have some proposals for the uniform the gentleman in the White House may want to consider for his big military parade:

These above would be excellent choices for the whole crowd! Melania, Jared, Ivanka, and the other gentleman could all choose their own shade. We know Melania would look good in blue. Peach seams right for Jared. Ivanka and her dad would have to fight over pink and green.

The Shutdown Stupidity

Let's be very clear on the reasons for the shutdown.

While I expected a series of continuing resolutions to keep the government funded until we have a new Congress in 2019, there are a few issues that have come to a head because of trump's mismanagement of the presidency and abysmally poor negotiating skills.

1. Racism. trump's vile language of just a few days ago in negotiations with both Republican and Democratic members of Congress clearly reveal what we all know and some won't admit, that trump is a disgusting racist. He said it. He wants more immigrants like Norwegians instead of from "s***hole" or "s***house" countries like Haiti or "Africa." The LDS Church has recently condemned racism and "white supremacy" in the strongest of terms.

Hiraeth 2016: Dydd 21, Edinburgh, Sore Feet, Hadrian's Wall, and Hamilton

After getting home I was officially diagnosed with bone spurs. While they may help to keep me out of Vietnam and make me President some day, they are an extreme pain. The hike up Yr Wyddfa (Mt. Snowdon) did me in. After wandering around Edinburgh for a day, my feet would go no further. I went and sat in the Museum of Scotland (free internet). My wife went with the group to climb Arthur's Seat (still on my bucket list with better shoes and ibuprofen).

Our group with healthy feet on Arthur's Seat

I did see a few more sites in Edinburgh.

To prove I was in Scotland

Best Legal Letter Ever

In typical bully fashion, the 2016 Republican Nominee for President of the United States had his lawyers write to the New York Times threatening a lawsuit for publishing claims of the Nominee's sexual assaults. The response back from the lawyers for the Times is, perhaps, the best legal letter ever written. Here it is:

The Founders Meme

Cruising the interwebs recently, I've found some really great memes by some guy named "Anonymous!" I hope he keeps up the good work!

LDS Church Statement Supporting Religious Pluralism Includes Islam

My stress point was about to break with the increasingly divisive rhetoric of Republican Presidential Candidate Trump regarding Muslims. Great relief came when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) released a statement supporting religious freedom and pluralism, specifically mentioning Muslims, in an apparent rebuke to Trump and his supporters.

If I can illustrate simply:

THIS:

Greatest Threat to Freedom of Religion

No, it's not any "sinning" that threatens Constitutional order. It's people who classify who is and who is not "religiously qualified" under our Constitutional system. Hint: Read the Constitution, Article VI, Clause 3:

no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Republican Presidential Candidate Ben Carson just blew that test. He doesn't think a Muslim would qualify to be President under the Constitution:

An Even Better GIF from Last Night's SOTU

President and Senator Kirk (R. Ill.) Fist Bump

Remember when FOX News suggested Obama's fist bumping just might possibly mean something sinister? Well, here's proof positive that it doesn't. Initiated by Senator Kirk, Republican of Illinois, this was a friendly greeting on the floor of the House just before the President's SOTU message.

The President even broke through the Joint Chiefs to go out of his way to first shake hands with the Senator as you can see in this slightly longer clip.

Live Blogging Republicans (Thurs.)

Something has happened. Bloggers (including me) and the Press (mainstream, liberal and evil as many believe it to be) are calling out the Republicans on lies. No longer are false equivalences ruling the day as in, "Republican leader says this, and Democratic leader says that." Maybe it's a move from the whole "Crossfire" mentality of lining up proponents or experts equal on each side to duke it out and not change a single mind. I give some credit to James Fallows at The Atlantic who has been calling out "false equivalencies." So, I will give him a link here. If  anyone wants to jump in and explain why the lies we called aren't, feel free. I'm not afraid to make corrections.

Of course, one spokesman for the Romney campaign said that they don't care much about fact checking. I hope they will. And I certainly hope the Dems will pay attention to facts and the truth. If they do (and I'm not entirely hopeful) they could revive the enthusiasm about Obama and help fulfill the hope so many had (and so many Republicans claim they had) that President Obama was going to make things different. We'll see. I'll hold them accountable too.

Live-Blogging Republicans (Wed.)

This isn't even as much fun as the debates. I don't know how long I can tough it out.

I will make the commitment that in watching the Democratic Convention next week (there is no "Democrat" convention by the way), I will try really hard to call out their errors. I admit my preferences, but I will take off my blinders. And for heaven's sake, I hope they don't pound the dog on the car theme like the Republicans are pounding how they "built it." (At least the dog story is true unlike the manipulation of the President's words even if inartfully expressed.)

Well, I'd better get to blogging. John McCain is up. He just called Governor Romney his friend.

Live-Blogging Republicans (Tues.)

Political party conventions are like a sporting event. Everyone gets to cheer their team and trash-talk the opponents. The funny part is that each team takes the field on their own to run up the score for a few days then the other team gets their chance. It's hard to keep score that way.

Just FYI, I'm sticking with Nate Silver's 538 for score keeping even if I've surpassed my ten free views for the month on the NY Times website. They let you get on the main page and only sometimes when you click to read more of a particular posting will the notice pop up to invite you to pay. It's as if the NY Times thinks they built the internet by themselves or something.

Anyway, keep on clicking. I'll have a few updates through the evening. Or I might just give up with all my grouchiness and annoyances.

Who's Your Senator? New Mexico Edition

The Honorable Gentlewoman B

The Honorable Gentleman A

The Honorable Gentleman D

The Honorable Gentleman C

Answers after the jump:

Utah Legislature Pizza Special: Hold the Pepperoni!

The Utah State Legislature is in special session! Oh, no! Actually, I hate being the eternal optimist, but I just don't think it's as bad as all that. People, especially Congressman Matheson, are pretty upset that they just sliced him out of the Congress with their pizza knife to form a new Congressional District. And that is a shame. Yet he's used to a difficult election every two years. Now he will have his option to go after a state-wide office, maybe Governor, maybe Senator to replace Orrin Hatch. And there's a chance he could even make it.

The gerrymandering charge may be valid. Yet the Republicans seem to have a fool-proof defense in articulating four districts with a mix of rural and urban without having to articulate a Salt Lake/Park City only district that could be a Democratic stronghold. With no extensive racial minority neighborhoods anywhere in the state, except for small, urban pockets of Hispanics and Polynesians in West Valley City, and a real scattering of Indian Tribes throughout the state, there is no clear manipulation that would dilute the vote of suspect classes. For good or ill, mildly progressive, Democratic neighborhoods on the east side of Salt Lake County and up to Park City, don't count as a protected class.

Odd Brushes with History at the OK Corral and a Tragic Day in Memphis

Two good reads came from History Book Club recently, Hellhound on his Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assasin by Hampton Sides and The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral-And How it Changed the American West, by Jeff Guinn.

My dad took us to Tombstone when we were kids and it was a fascinating place to drink sarsaparilla and stand in the shadows of the Earps and Clantons at the OK Corral (even if it did really happen just down the street.) Even then, my dad, Western fan that he is, wisely cautioned that it isn't always easy to tell who were the good guys and who were the bad guys.

Utah's Lollipop Guild

Utah Senator Mike Lee
Current Mayor of the Munchkin City

Long-time Conservative and
Wannabee-Munchkin Orrin Hatch
and Wannabee-Hatch Jason Chaffetz

I know I'm being less than charitable here, but I'm trying to make a moderately passionate point.  I leave out my own Congressman Rob Bishop because, while positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably conservative, and my favorite guy to yell at during patriotic, community parades, he has successfully maintained just the sliver of independence from the Utah Munchkin Caucus.

The President Is Playing the Lollipop Guild for Suckers

Yes. While it is an artificial and unnecessary crisis, it is a real crisis with significant risks. But it is not all as it seems. And it is certainly not as the Lollipop Guild (AKA tea party) believes or wants it to be.

Sarah Palin's Big Speech

Not yet scheduled, but as I have long predicted, Sarah will one day give the big speech announcing she will not seek the Republican nomination. I thought I would get my draft out there in case she wants to use it.

(With many, many apologies to Sirs Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber)

A hush falls on the crowd as figures are seen on the balcony of the Casa Ice-ada. The the cry goes up from the crowd! "PALIN, PALIN, PALIN!" The voices of women and children rise to take over the chant, "Sarita, Sarita, SARITAAAAAAA!"

Huntsman Pledges not to sign any Pledge

Jon Huntsman, with no chance to be the Republican nominee in 2012, still might just possibly be a VP candidate and could be the Republican standard bearer in 2016 when the party stops steeping in dogmatic tea. He recently said that he would not sign all the popular pledges among the Republicans trying to out do each other on their litmus tests and creeds. The only pledges he is concerned about is the one he made to his wife at marriage and the pledge he makes to the flag. Now there's a true American!

Republicans will cut off their Pose to spite their Base

I thought of that this morning after I had already posted last night. Since it ain't over 'til the fat party sings, I can still make the prediction and we'll see how it comes out.

Let me just state a few more basic premises. While a good Treasury Secretary can be very creative in a pinch (think Lincoln's Salmon P. Chase and FDR's Henry Morganthau - assisted by BYU-grad Mariner S. Eccles at the Federal Reserve). It is still the responsibility of the Congress to raise money and authorize the spending and borrowing of such.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!! with "Strange Exhibitions of Feeling"

President George Q. Cannon gave a pretty good run-down on the Latter-Day Saints and politics more than a hundred years ago:

The discussion of politics has brought to the surface many strange exhibitions of feeling among members of the Church. Such exhibitions would have been deemed incredible a short time ago. Many have yielded to a spirit that produces anything but harmony and love, and there is considerable danger that this agitation may almost prove too strong an ordeal for the faith of many. . . .

Well. . . apparently not much has changed. The whole quote is at Keepapitchinin which I heartily recommend.