Musical Socialism

Last night, I went to the annual awards ceremony of the jazz music program my two youngest boys are in. I won't name it here because of the title to this piece and I don't want to unnecessarily politicize the Director. I continue to take responsibility and flak for my passionate moderation seen by some on the right to be as evil as Mau-Mau Marxism.

Anyway, the Director said something interesting last night. In getting a little emotional about how much he respects his students for their talent and their basic goodness even more, he said that music education is so important because it teaches good citizenship as a lesson in civics. My ears perked up.

Whistling Utah's Dixie

Out for a run before the dawn yesterday, I remembered I had my camera in my luggage so I went back to get it. It was worth it.

The Santa Clara River flowing into the Virgin
Note the broken bluffs towards Zion National Park in the distance

On the Border by the Lamanites

Kansas City, Missouri Temple

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently dedicated a new Temple in Kansas City, Missouri (no, not that Temple!) And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just announced a $4 million settlement with a Questar company to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act in the Unitah Basin, Utah. In my mind, of course, these things connect.

Boys Will Be Boys

Actually, that's an odious phrase to me. My parents never liked it and I don't either. My parents expected better and I tried to deliver (and neither Catholic nor Jewish moms are any match for Mormon moms in imposing guilt). In age, I fall between Governor Romney and President Obama and I think I knew guys in high school just like both of them:

Yes, the caption is in the original

"cool" but highly inappropriate behavior

While far from any prep school culture, the three public high schools I attended all had good-looking, fun-loving guys who loved to joke around like the young Mitt is above (and to the left). No pictures have yet surfaced of his "fun" with the gay kid he went after with scissors to cut his hair. I was the kind of kid that got picked on sometimes, apparently without regard to any sexual orientation. And I didn't like hanging out with guys who did that sort of joking around.

Family Totems

As wonderful as it would be to have a Great Hall decorated with the chivalrous exploits of your dad and granddad in defense of the King, we are blessed in our family to have several of the artworks of my dad gracing our home. Recently, I realized that these are landscapes of locations we hold dear with significance to our family history and some occasional adventurous exploits even if not on the field of battle. It helps that some of them are actual totems:

OA Longhouse at Camp Omache, Chief Seattle Council, BSA
circa 1963, © Larry K. Vaughn

As evidence that this great scene is connected to my family, here's a couple of contemporaneous photos:

Hawaiian Bureaucrat Battles Birtherism

As a long-time federal employee, and I know that makes me spawn of satan for many of you out there, I can't help but appreciate a classic case of the bureaucratic stall imposed on someone who very much deserves it - the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona.

The hero of our story is Deputy Attorney General, Jill T. Nagamine, of the beautiful State of Hawaii, the Rainbow State. Here she is (on the right) litigating with Orly Taitz, Birther Extraordinaire. (Nagamine won.)

Davis County Conference

Regional Conference turned out to be all 35 65 Stakes in Davis County. At least we could watch by delayed transmission at our regular church time in our own building.

President Uchtdorf gave the statistic that there are 223,000 members in the 35 65 Stakes. US Census quick facts for Davis County say our 2010 total is 306,479 people in the whole county, so by my calculator (assuming I'm pushing the right buttons) that's 68% LDS. Of course statistical analysis being what 14% of people know it is, I don't know if the membership number includes children of record. It likely does not distinguish or exclude less-active members who do not attend meetings. But you get the general idea that there are a lot of Mormons in Davis County.