In Which Senator Mike Lee (R. UT) Pushes My Button

Disappointed that my regular Friday-lunch, co-worker friend was not around today, I hoofed it up to Jimmy John's for my usual No. 5. Walking back to the Federal Building, I got in an elevator with some already aboard. I pushed No. 6 and it didn't light up so the man in the corner pushed it again, being nice, I guess. Had he spent more time in the Federal Building, he would know that Elevator No. 1 doesn't light up for floor No. 6 on the left of the door, but it does on the right. Maybe the guy will get a clue and raise an issue with GSA or stop defunding the government or . . . Wait! That's Senator Lee!

Dang! I can't believe there's a pic of Senator Lee with the same Skousenite Constitution held by the Malheur Occupiers!

Cliven Bundy and the Contract Citizens of the United States

While his two sons languish in jail and the Finicum Family moves forward preparing for a tragic funeral, Cliven Bundy continues his vendetta against the People of the United States.

Having the form of legality by denying the authority thereof. And he can't spell "Malheur."

From Cliven Bundy's Blog dated Sunday, January 31, 2016, I copied the following:

With money and fear we will justify the assassination of LaVoy Finicum and make political prisoners of all that dare to lift their hand. (We can, we will kill.) This is our livelihood and we will protect our right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, so help me Devil!

Constitution-Choosing and the Red Ghost of Skousen

You may notice that the copy of the Constitution on the left is the one seen recently in the pockets of several of the armed occupiers of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The one on the right is the edition published by the Government Printing Office [now, Government Publishing Office] and is available for free from any Senator or Congressman's Office. When I get them, it's usually a handful at a time as I'm going off to share and teach Scouts the non-Skousenite doctrines of the Supremacy Clause, the 2nd Property Clause in Article IV, and the Fourteenth Amendment (among more of the basics). (You can also go online at the National Archives.)

They both seem to be accurate copies of the Constitution as Amazon advertises the one on the left:

"proofed word for word against the original Constitution housed in the Archives in Washington, D.C."

What Amazon does not tell you, unless you read far down into the less favorable reviews, is that the one on the left includes commentary and selective quotes from the Founding Fathers in support of the extreme, right-wing agenda of the publisher, the National Center for Constitutional Studies, successor in interest to W. Cleon Skousen's Freemen's Institute. There are even ads in the back for more publications of the NCCS.

Mormon Church Condemns Armed Protesters at US Wildlife Refuge in Oregon

As President Uchtdorf once said, "Stop it!"

I don't want to hear any more allegedly scriptural arguments for extreme right-wing political views. That includes the teachings of W. Cleon Skousen. It includes the political preachings of past leaders of the LDS Church that in any way be used to justify resistance to the Constitutionally established government of the United States. That includes the false teachings of lobbyist/legislator Ken Ivory arguing that the states have a valid and legal claim to the federal public lands, they do not. That includes the erroneous idea of posse comitatus a bizarre reading of medieval Anglo-Saxon law of England (not the US!) that the county is the supreme authority of the people. It includes any crazy idea that the Fourteenth Amendment somehow created a class of citizens different than the alleged white Christian founders of the United States. I don't want to hear any more offensive argument that somehow our Constitutionally elected President, Barack Obama, is not legitimate because of where he was allegedly born or who his parents were.

It has appalled me that members of my own religious faith have held and promoted such erroneous ideas - not just because they threaten my livelihood as a public servant employed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and not because my life may be threatened by those who would promote violence against law-abiding officers of the United States performing our Constitutional duties. It is because it breaks my heart and my soul to see such people misuse the sacred scriptures and doctrines of my church to such ridiculous purposes.

SKOOZEN ALERT!!!

Sigh. I've tried so hard to stay away from political blogging. But someone has to do it. I had no idea until I ran across something in an article about Ben Carson that he was a devotee of W. Cleon "SKOOZEN" (well, that's how Dr. Carson pronounces the name, and he's a brain surgeon!):

Glenn Beck: Losing His Religion?

Something is up.

Both Anonymous D and the blogger, Chris Henrichsen, have noticed. Read Henrichsen's piece here. D has this weird fascination with Beck and actually listens to him sometimes.

President Obama: the Fulfillment of "Prophecy"

First off, I don't believe in these prophecies. Anonymous D and I were discussing the state of the world again and he suggested the idea that people will find what they are looking for out of life. If you are expecting everything to be evil and depraved, sure enough, they surround you!

It led me to think about some of the political prophecies I heard as a kid about how we would all wake up as communists one day. I keep pinching myself, but I still haven't woken any uncontrollable urges to sing The Internationale or shoot capitalists.

So, I ask you to consider the following. Think about what unique historical occurrences have happened in recent years and see if they don't make Barry Goldwater a prophet, at least to some:

Why I Continue My Fight

Time for a little open-heart reflection and explanation why I continue my fight against Senators Cruz, Lee, & Paul along with the tea-party Representatives and the political entertainers Beck & Limbaugh.

I've read a little history and seen enough old news reels to wish somebody had stood up to Senator Joe McCarthy earlier. I also wish more people had stood up to Cleon Skousen too. Even Ernie Wilkinson could have used a bit more of a kick in the rear when he imposed his anti-communist spy-ring on my alma mater. So I'm standing up to the demagogues now in hopes of saving them and their followers from worse abuses like those we've known in the past in this very country. And they've mostly come from the extreme Right.
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Bottom line, what I fight against is the demagoguery that pulls in some very good friends and family that I care about.

Sheer Lunacy

"I am Moon, the Great and Powerful!"

Big sigh. It's always more disturbing to see troubling images than just to imagine them. MediaMatters.org put up an extensive rundown review of Glenn Beck's "Man in the Moon" show and, yeah, it's kind of disturbing. In a separate piece they also put up a whole bunch of pictures from the moonstruck extravaganza. If you had any doubt that Beck is somehow connected to the tea party, unrestricted gun enthusiasts, survivalists, President-haters, fringe elements, etc., those pictures should clear it up for you. It is troubling that this was in Utah. Even more troubling are some pretty clear links to the LDS fringe.

Mormon Conspiracy Theorists

Well, leaving the infamous Bro. Beck to the side for a moment, Anonymous D and I have been highly entertained this week by the LDS Church debunking anti-government conspiracies about modifications to the Church's welfare canning operations. The Church put out this statement:

Over the past several weeks, misinformation and unnecessary concern has been circulating on blogs, over social media channels and by email regarding changes in operations at the Church’s home storage centers, which are located in the U.S. and Canada. No home storage centers are being closed, but the Church is making welcomed modifications in its operations at most of these centers that will help to better serve the needs of members of the Church, as well as significantly improve efficiency.

There's a bit more to the statement you can find at the link above or by going to Newsroom at LDS.org.

Anonymous D and I went to some of the websites spreading "misinformation" which I decline to link here. But you can find them. One has a special 3-DVD course you can buy on home storage for only $150!! It also has gun training for women, etc. Another is by a Cleon Skousen wannabe who I just don't think is brazen enough to get as far as Bro. Skousen (SLC Police Chief, Teaching at BYU, etc.) But you can buy this new guy's books on his site too!! (Seems to be a common theme here I'll leave for now.)

Anyway, D had some great insights I wanted to share, so take it away D!

Likening Freemen and Kingmen unto US

The doctrinal and missionary chapters of the Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon are just great! But I have to admit I just don't have the same love for the war chapters. I'm not a big war guy anyway. And I've seen a lot of interpretations "likening the war scriptures unto us" especially for the defense of the youth of Zion which isn't so bad. And occasionally, usually someone like Anonymous D, will point out that in the war chapters the good guys always stand for defensive, never aggressive war - and only when God approves. I get really annoyed, though, at the use of those scriptures to promote political ideologies, particularly from the far right (Skousen's Freeman Institute comes to mind).

So I thought I would do a little "likening" of my own. Please do not consider this as pure doctrine. It's just some of my own little thoughts that may offend some. But if the right wing can do it, so can I.

My text is Alma 51:2-8 with slight "likening." You can compare the original here.

2 Nevertheless, they did not long maintain an entire peace in the land, for there began to be a contention among the people concerning President Obama; for behold, there were a part of the people who desired that a few particular points of the Obamacare and Stimulus laws should be altered or repealed in their entirety.

YTREBIL: That's "Liberty" Backwards

This is the problem I have with the the Libertarian/Conservative viewpoint as evidenced by the newest attention to old revelations about Ron Paul. We apparently see the world differently--frontwards or backwards. And who is to tell what side of Alice's looking glass we are on?

It's a simple difference in perception. Paul and other conservatives, particularly those of a Libertarian bent, or in LDS culture, the followers of Skousen and the ultra-conservatives, are offended by classifications of people by groups that give them "special rights." (Of course, if it is a group under "states rights doctrine," that is somehow OK).

The Liberal Mormon and the Irony of Romney & Huntsman

I'm not saying that Romney and Huntsman are liberal. That would just be silly. But I am struck by the odd situation that in spite of the very strong political conservatism that runs through cultural Mormonism, when I see Huntsman and Romney in the midst of the Republican field for the presidential nomination, they are the sanest members of crazy-town. And I don't think I''m the only one that has noticed.

Now, both of them certainly have their problems and are unlikely to get my support in a general election. Huntsman just pegged Romney accurately as a "well-oiled weather vane" which also does in Huntsman's promise to run a "positive" campaign. But there is a basis for rational, progressive politics in Mormonism, even if you set aside Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as most Mormons and conservatives tend to do anyway.

The Constitution Is Not Dead

Do you realize the implication of those like Justices Scalia and Thomas, along with Beck and the late Skousen who argue against a "living Constitution?" I hope they are not saying the Constitution is dead. I much prefer a living Constitution to a dead one.

As far as I can tell, I don't believe those who promote a living Constitution believe it is a "free-for-all" to interpret however we want. To draw a little scriptural analogy, which many on the right are so fond of anyway in spite of the First Amendment and the "no religious test" of Article VI, why can't we "liken the Constitution unto us" and consider its principles as applied to our current situation?

Osmonds Save Utah!

OK. Probably over the top and rather late as I wasn't paying attention and I missed this one. But for the record, I will take whatever victories I can get, however incremental, that move us away from extreme conservatism. This is in the right direction. The good people of South Jordan in Republican convention elected Aaron Osmond to fill the State Senate seat vacated by everybody's favorite anti-gay, old grouch, Chris Buttars.

Glenn Beck, Skousen & the Utah Legislature: Proof-Texting for the "Constitutional Compound Republic"

Bear with me. I don't know if this is at all helping you, but this blogging about my problems with the Utah Legislature certainly helps me to organize my thoughts. I feel like I've discovered an important key to understanding Beck, Skousen, and the extreme conservatives who dominate Utah state government..

Most LDS missionaries learn fairly quickly that "Bible-bashing" gets you nowhere. Either the Spirit is there to convert or it isn't. And spirited discussion using scripture as fighting words to prove a certain point doesn't bring a good spirit. The technique for this is "proof-texting" or pulling scripture often out of context to argue or prove a particular preconceived view or doctrine. A better process is to read and share scripture to learn, teach, and then testify with the Holy Spirit.

Even Real Conservatives Question the "Constitutional Compound Republic" of HB220

First off, let me thank Senator Mark Madsen (R-Eagle Mountain) and all the other Skousenite-Beckians in the Utah Legislature for increasing the hits on my blog. Apparently, the term "Constitutional Compound Republic" is so rare in the real world, that my blog actually gets hits when people google for a definition.


Let me share an interesting piece from "Imaginative Conservatives" on Madison and the Compound Republic that I found by searching the term myself. I'm way behind these guys on intellectual smarts, but they certainly point out that Madison, like all the other Founders, had all kinds of varying opinions on the Constitution and government. (And Madison really was trying to do a sell job to promote a much stronger national government). It doesn't mean he wasn't inspired, it just lends support for my argument that you can "proof-text" pretty much anything you want out of the statements of the Founders to support political dogma.

W. Cleon Skousen (& Ken Ivory)

This has been gnawing on me for some time. I feel a need to address my thoughts on this controversial figure in 20th Century Mormonism who is posthumously enjoying a bit of revival with his books and philosophies promoted by TV Personality Glenn Beck. As a blogger, I have the opportunity to address this however I choose. And I choose not to give a detailed historical, political or religious argument. There is some of that out there in the cyber-marketplace of ideas. Feel free to "google" (or "bing" or "yahoo" or whatever) to see what is there - and there's nothing wrong with going to his own books and documents as I have done to a limited extent. Here, I merely want to give my own thoughts and feelings acknowledging as many of my prejudices and shortcomings as I can even as there may be many I haven't yet recognized.

I am a child of the Cold War. My first exposure to Skousen was in my grandparents' living room where I noticed on their library shelves of a few, mostly church books, a large, red volume by Skousen entitled The Naked Communist. I was intrigued. I first wondered how a book with two evil things in the title could be in my grandparents' house. "Naked" perhaps being more tempting than "Communist," I took the opportunity when no one was looking and sneaked a peak. Well, there wasn't a lot of naked stuff in there, at least not from a boy's perspective of fleshy things. However, I was a serious child given to reading and even with some interest in history. So there I was reading along a lot of excitable language about how bad Communists were and how they were infiltrating our government, society and our very thoughts. Of course I already knew some of that because, well, I was a child of the Cold War.