blog648

We've Moved...

2009-02-20T15:50:00.001-07:00

Hey! Let's bring back the Great Depression!

2009-01-29T11:53:00.003-07:00

The Great Depression was so much fun, let's do it again!

Don't think that's such a good idea? Then why are we doing exactly the same things that brought on the First Great Depression?

http://blog648.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/oh-thisll-work/

A note about the River Trail Ward photoblog...

2009-01-21T11:29:00.002-07:00

I regret to inform anyone who might be interested that the River Trail Ward photoblog has been discontinued by request. Sorry.

Happy Birthday, Noelle

2009-01-21T08:12:00.009-07:00

Blogger tells me I've exceeded my photo quota and can't upload any more images.

Consequently I've started a new blog on Word Press. The new blog is blog648dashtwo . Check it out.

Happy Birthday, Bradley

2009-01-13T13:00:00.001-07:00

Today, Jan. 13 is Bradley's birthday.

Here's Brad with Noelle and Chris when he was about 6 months olds.

Here he is a few months later, after he'd learned how to walk, in fact run.

Here he is at the Calgary Stampede, guzzling an Orange Chrush.

One thing about Brad was that he always did everything with a lot of gusto. He always talked loud, almost like he was shouting. Of course, he had 3 older siblings, so I guess he figured he had to compete for attention. And he never walked anywhere, it was always on the dead run. If it was some place he wanted to go to, he wanted to get there fast. You could always tell when Brad was happy, because you could hear him. If he was unhappy or sad, he was quiet. Or, another possibility was, if he was quiet he was getting into something he wasn't supposed to. He couldn't resist flavored Chap Sticks. He thought they were candy or something. One time we caught him hiding in the coat closet with a butter knife, scooping out one of my Chap Sticks.

Here's Brad at Huck Finn Day in Spanish Fork.

Chris and Brad won blue ribbons at the Cub Scout Space Derby.

Brad is married to Jodi, and they have three boys of their own.

Being a father has matured Brad in a lot of ways, but in some ways he's very much like that little boy of long ago.

Happy Birthday, Bradley. I love you, son.

Can Israel Bomb Its Way To Peace?

2009-01-01T14:25:00.004-07:00

Has Israel learned its lesson?
by Jeff Jacoby
The Boston Globe

"The hard truth is that no matter how much Israelis crave peace, they cannot achieve it through concessions and compromises and "road maps" - not when their enemies view such overtures and agreements as signs of weakness, and as proof that terrorism works. For 60 years, Israel has had to contend with the hostility of its neighbors and the heavy costs of war; its yearning for peace is understandable. But there will be no peace without victory, and no victory without fighting for it."

...

"Whether this strong rhetoric will be backed up by strong action in the long run remains to be seen. Yesterday, the Israeli cabinet rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour truce. Perhaps, at long last, the lesson has been learned: With an enemy like Hamas, which boasts that it "loves death" and "drinks blood," truces and deals are illusory. If Israel seeks lasting peace, it must first win a lasting victory."

Read More Here

Israel can't bomb it's way to peace.
by Rosa Brooks
The Los Angeles Times

"In a strictly military sense, Israel will "win" this battle against Hamas. For all its threats and bravado, Hamas is weak, and its weapons -- terrorism, homemade rockets -- are the weapons of the weak. Since 2001, Hamas has fired thousands of unguided Kassam rockets at Israel, but the rockets have killed only a handful of Israelis."

...

"Israel has no viable political endgame here: There's just no clear route from bombardment to a sustainable peace. But the damage caused by this new conflagration won't be limited to the Israelis and Palestinians. Israel's military offensive already has sparked outrage and protests throughout the Arab world. The current crisis also may destabilize some of the more moderate Arab governments in the region -- in Egypt, for instance -- where leaders now face popular backlash if they don't repudiate Israel."

...

"It's time for the United States to wake up from its long slumber and reengage -- forcefully -- with the Middle East peace process. Only the U.S. -- Israel's primary supporter and main financial sponsor -- can push it to make the hard choices necessary for its own long-term security, as well as the region's. In January 2001, the Taba talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority came achingly close to a final settlement, but talks broke down after Likud's Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister on Feb. 6, 2001. Sharon refused to meet with Yasser Arafat, and newly inaugurated President George W. Bush had no interest in pushing Israel toward peace."

"Eight years later, Israel faces another election, and we're about to swear in a new president. When he takes office, Obama needs to push both Israelis and Palestinians to sit back down, with the abandoned Taba agreements as the starting point. Here's to a less bloody 2009."

Read More Here

My own view is that the Palestinians, particularly Hamas, do not want peace. They boast that they love death and drink blood. They make no bones about wanting to wipe Israel off the map. They have sought war, not peace, and now they have it. Hamas has no hope of bringing Israel to its knees militarily. Their hope is that the rest of the Arab world and Iran will take up their cause and attack Israel. When all the Israeli Jews are dead, then, and only then, will there be peace in the Middle East.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Yule, yawl.

AP Global Warming Cult Propaganda Debunked

2008-12-17T11:27:00.002-07:00

James O’Brien, an emeritus professor at Florida State University who studies climate
variability and the oceans, said that global climate change is very important for the
country and that Americans need to make sure they have the right answers for policy
decisions. But he said he worries that scientists and policymakers are rushing to make
changes based on bad science.

“Global climate change is occurring in many places in the world,” O’Brien said. “But
everything that’s attributed to global warming, almost none of it is global warming.”

He took issue with the AP article’s assertion that melting Arctic ice will cause global
sea levels to rise.

“When the Arctic Ocean ice melts, it never raises sea level because floating ice is
floating ice, because it’s displacing water,” O’Brien said. “When the ice melts, sea level
actually goes down. I call it a fourth grade science experiment. Take a glass, put some
ice in it. Put water in it. Mark level where water is. Let it [melt]. After the ice melts,
the sea level didn’t go up in your glass of water. It’s called the Archimedes Principle.”

If you're interested, read more here.

UAV

2008-12-08T10:49:00.006-07:00

As in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

Actually, it's Christian's RC car. Chris entertained the kids by driving it around the back yard.

It spent a lot of time in the air.

Chris blogs about his RC car at Busted Rustler. Check it out.

Birthday Party

2008-12-08T10:03:00.006-07:00

Our grandson Dutch turns one year old later this week, but yesterday was his birthday party.

Here he learns to operate his new ATV.

Skylar taught him how to pop a wheelie.

Opening another present.

Happy Birthday to Dutch!

Happy boy.

Jacob pulls Hattie and Dutch up the hill in Dutch's new Radio Flyer, with some assistance from Uncle Jared.

Jacob checks out the back yard slide, with Hattie coming up behind.

Hattie liked it too.

Here's the birthday boy in his new red wagon.

Aunt Jodi with little baby Anson.

Here's crafty Auntie Susan who's busy working on a little brother for Hattie.

Here are the kids on the neighbors' backyard merry-go-round.

Hattie really liked the merry-go-round.

She rode it for several minutes. When she got off, she was dizzy and didn't realize it. She staggered like a little drunk and fell down several times. It was hilarious. Too bad I didn't have video.

Hattie enjoyed the big wheel, too.

Farmington Funeral

2008-12-08T09:35:00.005-07:00

On Saturday Laura and I drove up to Farmington and attended the burial service of Laura's Aunt Melita, who passed away recently at the age of 96.

We were able to find the grave marker of Laura's grandparents, George and Mamie Baird, who passed away before Laura was born.

It was good that we were there, because we had to represent Laura's mom, who wasn't able to attend. The thing about funerals is that it brings family and friends together who haven't seen each other for many years.

Here are Laura and her cousin Chris Coombs, viewing a CD memorializing his mother.

This is another cousin, Dennis Coombs.

And here are Carly and her daughter Julia, with Shelby. Carly and Shelby are Laura's nieces. We get to see them a little more often than the other extended family members.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T09:21:00.004-07:00

I know it's kind of late to post about Thanksgiving, but we celebrated quietly at our home. And we had visitors. This little girl was one of them. Her name is Hattie.

She came with her mom and dad to share our Thanksgiving meal.

First she had to wake up from her nap.

And once she had a little juice, she was back to normal.

Twenty Shots, Twenty Kills.

2008-11-24T19:05:00.005-07:00

Last week a 30 man platoon of U.S. Marines was ambushed by a 250 strong insurgent force in Farah Province, Afghanistan. The end result was that a humvee was destroyed and one Marine was knocked unconsious. But the insurgents suffered heavy losses over an 8 hour battle. When the smoke cleared, their stronghold was destroyed, fifty of their number were dead and others were wounded. The remainder had abandoned their weapons and fled the battlefield. Twenty of the dead died under the rifle of a single Marine marksman, a young corporal who has since been nominated to receive the Silver Star.

Read more.

Target: First Amendment

2008-11-24T09:48:00.005-07:00

An article in National Review Online points out that gay-rights activists have targeted the LDS Church in a cynical effort to exploit the fact that there's still a lot of Anti-Mormon bigotry out there. They've vandalized churches, sent suspicious white powder in the mail, left a burning copy of the Book of Mormon on a Church doorstep, but their ultimate target is the First Amendment. They want to legislate total moral conformity to their view on gay rights, regardless of personal beliefs or religious views. And they're fighting imagined slights with very real bigotry and hypocrisy.

"Churches oppose same-sex marriage in part because it represents an implicit threat to freedom of conscience and belief. California already had one of the broadest civil-unions laws in the country. There was little in the way of government-sanctioned privileges that a state-issued marriage license would confer. But the drive for same-sex marriage is in practice about legislating moral conformity — demanding that everybody recognize homosexual relationships in the same way, regardless of their own beliefs. Freedom of conscience, or diversity of belief, is the last thing the homosexual lobby will tolerate..."

Where do they go from here? Gay activists are already using the legal system to try to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Mormon church. If you believe that churches and synagogues, priests and rabbis won’t eventually be sued for their statements on sexuality, you’re kidding yourself. Chai Feldblum, a Georgetown University law professor and gay activist who helps draft federal legislation related to sexual orientation, says that, when religious liberty conflicts with gay rights, “I’m having a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win.” A National Public Radio report on the conflict noted that if previous cases are any guide, “the outlook is grim for religious groups.”

"Given their cavalier disregard for the freedom of conscience, it’s little surprise that the gay lobby is equally disdainful of democracy: They began pursuing legal challenges to Proposition 8 practically before they were done tallying the votes. Lamentably, the state attorney general defending the will of the people will be former Jerry Brown, the liberal former governor who was an open opponent of the measure and tried to sabotage it. The legal challenges will be heard by the same state Supreme Court that overturned California’s previous law forbidding gay marriage back in May. There’s a real possibility the will of the people will be spurned a second time, democracy be damned. They’ve already burned the Book of Mormon. The First Amendment is next."
(Italics mine).

Read more...

11 November, Veterans Day

2008-11-11T11:25:00.002-07:00

We are flying the flag today in honor of Veterans Day. To all who have served our country honorably, a sincere "Thank You".

10 November, Marine Corps Birthday

2008-11-10T10:11:00.004-07:00

On 10 November, 1775, the Continental Marines began recruiting at Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, Pa. The United States Marine Corps has honored that date as its birthday ever since.

In honor of my Marine brothers, both present and past, we're flying the flag today at blog648.

Semper Fi

More pics

2008-11-09T19:29:00.004-07:00

Thanks for the pics, Mindy!

Happy Birthday, Cindy!

2008-11-08T08:49:00.003-07:00

Today is Cindy's birthday. Happy Birthday, daughter!

Here's my favorite birthday picture, Cindy at age one, defending her cake from one of her older brothers.

Here she is at age 4 celebrating with her very best friend, Summer Schoenrock.

Now she's all grown up, with a baby of her own. And here he is, Elmer Kai.

For more pictures and stories about Cindy, go here.

Frogs Croak

2008-11-07T11:34:00.004-07:00

Here are Chris and Susan at last night's game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes were very lucky to pull off a last minute victory over the Horned Frogs of TCU.

Did anyone notice how the "blackout" uniforms the Utes were wearing made them look an awful lot like the San Diego State Aztecs? Now, why would anyone want to look like the Aztecs?

Yeah!! Go Aztecs!! Beat the Utes!!

How’d this happen? And Why? And What Now?

2008-11-07T10:07:00.002-07:00

Robert Stacey McCain wrote yesterday that Obama, the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, was elected to the presidency by 20% of conservatives and 60% of moderates. How did he accomplish it? By hiding his liberalism behind moderate and vague platitudes. In a post McCain (the other McCain) entitled "The Triangulation of Hope", he wrote:

"What does this mean? It means that two decades of rhetorical fudging and policy incoherence have obscured the meaning of our political lexicon. George Bush the elder promised a "kinder, gentler" conservatism, raised taxes and signed onto a minimum-wage increase. Bill Clinton cleverly (and duplicitously) "triangulated," promising a middle-class tax cut he never delivered, vetoing welfare-reform twice before signing it, taking credit for a balanced budget that was mostly the result of a reduced military and Republican opposition to his spending proposals. The "compassionate conservatism" of George W. Bush has introduced still more confusion. In what sense are the No Child Left Behind Act and Medicare Part D "conservative" policies?

Considering that the Republican 2008 candidate, John McCain, had opposed tax cuts, collaborated with Russ Feingold on campaign finance regulation that helped Democrats achieve a decisive fundraising advantage, and collaborated with Ted Kennedy on an amnesty bill that infuriated conservative voters, it isn't hard to see why Obama so easily veiled his liberalism behind vague platitudes."
....

"Beginning Jan. 20, Obama must stop promising and start delivering, and with his army of online "progressive" activists demanding that he and the Democratic Congress enact liberal policies, what he aims to deliver won't be easily mistaken as "conservative." Republicans have triangulated themselves into the wilderness, and they'll stay there a long time, if they support Obama's radical agenda."

You can read the post, including the comments, here.

Britain is committing national suicide...Are we going there, too?

2008-11-06T10:35:00.002-07:00

Melanie Philips has an article in National Review Online in which she points out how thrilled the Brits are that America will start to look like them and the rest of Europe now that Barack Obama has been elected. But Britain is well on it’s way to committing national suicide, and we need to avoid going in that same direction.

"Obama has talked about remedying what he sees as the flaws in the U.S. Constitution which promotes only "negative liberties," or freedom from something rather than positive rights to something. Well, through human-rights legislation Britain has exchanged its historic concept of "negative" liberty — everything is permitted unless it is actively prohibited — for the ‘positive’ European idea that only what is codified is to be permitted. As a result, freedom has shrunk to what ideology permits. Equality legislation has cemented a "victim culture" under which the interests of all groups deemed to be powerless (black people, women, gays ) trump those deemed to be powerful (white people, men, Christians). Since this doctrine holds that the "powerless" can do no wrong while the "powerful" can do no right, injustice is thus institutionalized, and anyone who queries the preferential treatment afforded such groups is vilified as a racist or bigot.

All this constitutes a profoundly illiberal culture in which no dissent is permitted, group is set against group and intimidation is the order of the day. And this also happens to be the culture of ACORN, of the radical groups funded by the Annenberg Challenge and Woods Fund, and the ‘educational’ or criminal justice ideas of William Ayers, endorsed by Barack Obama."

....

"Obama believes America has to expiate its sins: both its original, Founding sins of slavery and racism, and its latter-day sins against the world of Islam. Britain likes the sound of that. It wants America to be humbled. Nations, it thinks, cause wars. Arrogant, hubristic, imperial nations like Bush’s America cause big and horrible wars. By contrast transnational institutions — such as the sacred UN or EU — promote civilised "engagement" with the enemy to discuss grievances and reach compromises. So it is thrilled that Obama will get out of Iraq and talk to Iran and may even force wretched Israel (which Britain blames for Everything Bad in the World) to give away the disputed territories and half of Jerusalem to the Arabs. The fact that such actions would leave Iraq in chaos, empower Iran still further, destroy Israel’s security and imperil the free world doesn’t trouble it at all. And if Obama, under the responsibility of office, should change from an appeaser to a war leader in America’s national interest, then Britain’s new found love for America would revert once again into rage and disdain."
....

"The British Conservatives think that, to regain power, they have to show they have broken with cultural conservatism and go instead with the way society has changed — gay rights, green politics, anti-racism. What they have failed to grasp is that such change has turned values such as right and wrong, good and bad on their heads and has produced a sentimentalised, cruel, oppressive and perverse society — one where burglars go scot-free but householders are prosecuted for putting the wrong kind of garbage in the trash can, and where people are too frightened to protest at the erosion of British, Christian, or Western values because of the opprobrium that will follow."

It’s an interesting article and it’s worth reading the whole thing.
Read more...

ELECTION DAY: Tuesday, November 4, 2008

2008-11-04T08:02:00.002-07:00

We're flying the flag here at 648 because today is Election Day, 2008. If you're an American citizen and you're registered to vote, please do so.

If you're an alien living in this country illegally, don't bother.

Halloween Update: Grandkids

2008-11-03T12:36:00.007-07:00

Here are some pictures I borrowed from Jodi's blog.

This is Izac (the vampire) and Jake (the ninja). If you click on the picture you can see an enlarged version. Because Izac's eyes are so blue, they often turn red in the flash, and that's what happened here. It's a great Halloween effect.

I agree with Jodi; Anson is the cutest little bee ever!

According to Jodi this is after the candy. Izac looks ready for a nap, Jake looks like he's still high from all the sugar, and Anson's loving all the attention.

Check out Jodi's blog.

Happy Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T10:55:00.006-06:00

Halloween came to our house this year in the form of neigborhood children dressed in their scariest costumes. Okay, some of them weren't all that scary.

Here are a few of the Burningham children, accompanied by their guardian angel Rachel Wilkey. Brett and Jill Burningham are in the background.

Here are Christian, Taylor (rear) and Tyler.

John Clark came by, with his children, while his wife took care of "door duty" at their house.

These are the boys from next door and across the street. As you can see, I have great neighbors.

Here's a scary monster, accompanied by not so scary Mom & Dad.

Here are some more neighbor children.

We got a few older children, too.

Here are some more, wearing their disguises.

Here is a trio of Halloween "street performers".

Kayla Larson came by with some of her friends.

Sami Meinhart came by, accompanied by her "Rehab Reject" friend.

Obviously this boy had visited a lot of houses before he got to us, judging by the level of candy in his bucket.

Here's a trio of kids I didn't recognize, but they were cute. Check out the girl on the left, taking a bubble bath.

An imperfect document that reflects deep flaws...

2008-10-29T12:54:00.000-06:00

"But I think it is an imperfect document, and I think it is a document that reflects some deep flaws in American culture…it also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day."– Barack Obama on the U.S. Constitution

This man wants to be your president. In order to take the oath of office he must swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Happy Birthday, Izac

2008-10-24T21:39:00.007-06:00

It was Izac's 8th birthday, and so he invited guests to his party.

Here he get's his picture taken by his mother Jodi in preparation for the pinata whacking.

Everybody got to take 3 good whacks.

Some of the younger ones like Jourgen Danzie didn't have to wear a blindfold.

It wasn't long before candy was scattered all over the ground and kids were scrambling for it.

Later, all the younger guests gathered on the trampoline while Izac opened their presents.

The guests included cousins and friends from school.

Little Dutch loved being right in the middle of everything.

We sang Happy Birthday to Izac.

Then he blew out the eight candles on the birthday brownies.

Here mother Mindy managed to coax out a smile from our grandson Dutch, age 10 months.

And then another.

Anson watched all the goings on with wide eyes. I'm sure he'd never noticed this many people, especially noisy children in one place before. He seemed quite content to sit in Bev's arms and watch it all.

Here is Dutch, who has mastered the art of crawling forward instead of backward, now.

Red Sky at Morning...

2008-10-21T09:45:00.002-06:00

Fall Color on the Nebo Loop

2008-10-02T15:11:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures I took up on the Nebo Loop, south of Payson, Utah. Elevation, according to signs posted on the roadside, was about 9,000 ft.

This view is looking west down Santaquin Canyon, with the southern tip of Utah Lake visible.

This is a panorama shot made from several shots and stitched together to form a panorama. It's looking west down Santaquin Canyon from the Nebo Loop Road, south of Payson.

The aspens are at the peak of their color right now. The maples, in the lower canyons, are probably a little past peak color.

Happy Birthday, Christian

2008-09-18T09:42:00.003-06:00

It's the Big Three Oh for Chris. Here he poses with his sweet little daughter.

Here's a link to last year's post, if you're interested. http://blog648.blogspot.com/2007/09/happy-birthday-chris.html

Happy Birthday, Laura

2008-09-11T08:46:00.002-06:00

Sept. 11, 1947.

Happy Birthday to the love of my life.

We're flying the flag today

2008-09-11T08:12:00.001-06:00

Today is the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001. In honor of the innocent who perished in those attacks, we're flying the flag today. May God bless them and grant them rest, and comfort their families and loved ones they left behind. Let us never forget that there are people in the world who hate us because we are Americans, and because we are free, and they'll do anything they can to kill as many of us as possible.

Man Rules

2008-08-29T17:33:00.005-06:00

These are our rules! Please note...these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say WHATEVER you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as motorcycle racing or physics.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight. But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Yes, I got this list off the internet. And partly it's a response to this post on Jodi's blog: http://jodipetsblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/you-know-your-married-when.html

GMC Canyon Rental

2008-08-13T14:48:00.002-06:00

Laura and I had to do some driving around in the West Jordan area a couple of days ago, so we rented a pickup truck, a GMC Canyon, with a crew cab.

It has a 5 cylinder engine, something new.

It was very comfortable, with A/C.

We decided it made sense to put the miles on a rental and be comfortable rather than put the miles on our own cars. The A/C isn't working in the Cherokee, or rather, it works when it wants to, for about 15 minutes.

The rental place, Enterprise, only had two vehicles available: this pickup and a Toyota Tundra. This was a good choice.

Lunch at Red Robin

2008-08-12T09:30:00.007-06:00

Yesterday Laura and I drove up to Red Robin and met Laura's sister Wendy and her girls for lunch.

Laura and Wendy

Jack and Laura

Wendy's daughter Amy and her two boys, Owen and Luke.

Here's Wendy's daughter Carly with Andy and Audrey.

Here's Carly's baby daughter Julia, age 2 months.

Audrey decides what to color while Owen chows down.

Andy, Audrey and Owen.

After lunch, the kids played in the fountain nearby.

Andy and Owen

Andy, Owen and Audrey.

After a few minutes ( long enough for everyone to get good and wet) the kids were gathered up and we all trooped back to the cars.

Bye bye!

Family Pictures at the Park

2008-08-04T21:43:00.005-06:00

Yesterday we went to Brad and Jodi's and had dinner. Yummy. That's right, Brad cooked and it was great.

After dinner the boys mounted their bikes and showed that, yes, they can too ride their bikes.

Daddy Brad coaxed a tiny little smile out of Anson.

Then we went to the park and took some family pictures.

Here are Jacob and Izac monkeying and mugging on the monkey bars.

We told them to not be quite so cheesey with their smiles, so this is what we got.

Isac on top of the covered slide.

Brad with his boys. Don't ask me how we got that smile out of Anson. It was rare.

Jakie hanging out on the monkey bars.

Brad & Jodi.

Hattie and Jake's Birthday

2008-07-26T19:50:00.007-06:00

Birthday girl Hattie, age 2, thinks little Cousin Dutch is kind of a cute baby. Dutch, age 7 months, think Hattie's kind of all right, too, especially if she hands over that soda.

Little Cousin Anson, age 7 weeks or so, chilling out in his underwear.

Hattie got to ride all the way to the party with the pinata in her lap. She really became attached to it, and had no idea what a pinata is all about.

She took a couple of half-hearted hits at it, for the cameras.

Birthday Boy Jacob, age 4, was next, and he took some pretty good whacks at it.

Older kids like Izac had to wear a blindfold.

When the pinata broke and spilled it's contents, all the kids dived for the candy.

All the kids, that is, except for Hattie, who wasn't expecting her pinata to be destroyed. She wailed inconsolably. Her pinata, and her heart, were irretrievably broken.

It would take much more than a few miserable peices of candy to mend her broken heart. It would take time. Lots of time.

And Birthday Cupcakes and Birthday Candles.

And singing "Happy Birthday".

And watching Jacob blow out his Birthday Candles.

She hadn't quite grasped the concept of blowing out Birthday Candles, so Mama Susan had to temporarily confiscate the sucker.

Here you go Hattie, blow 'em out!

Yay, I did it!

Pinata? What pinata?

Didn't I see some Birthday Presents around here somewhere?

Hey, look what I got!

Thanks, Papa, for, um, whatever this is!

Here are some airplanes that I don't have to put together!

Hattie: Look Daddy, Papa and Grandma gave me my very own cell phone.

Mommy: I'm going to have to take the batteries out of that annoying noisy toy phone and hide 'em!

Oh, look. Bubboos!

Thank you Aunt Carla!

Tank

2008-07-26T19:28:00.005-06:00

This is Jared and Mindy's youngest. His name is Dutch and he's seven months old. He's a tank. Jared told me he weighs about 24 lbs.

He's pretty good natured, not fussy at all.

It appears that he likes to eat.

The only time I saw him get cranky was when Mama Mindy was a little slow delivering the vittles.

"Don't mess with me, big guy!"

Here's Aunt Carla holding and feeding him while he contemplates taking a nap.

Okay, his tummy's full...

Snore.

Here's Grandpa and Dutch. Look, we're practically twins. Well, 60 years apart, is all.

All buckled up and ready to hit the road.

I wish that big guy would quit flashing that thing.

Independence Day, July 4th 2008

2008-07-04T12:13:00.006-06:00

We're flying the flag here at 648 in honor of our nation's independence, which was declared 232 years ago today by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. God Bless America.

There are flags flying all over Utah Valley.

And jets, too.

Later tonight there will be fireworks. Here are some pictures from last year.

Here's wishing you and yours a happy and safe Independence Day.

"SCOTUS should have kept quiet on DC gun ban," whines SL Tribune

2008-06-29T10:13:00.002-06:00

In an unsigned editorial, the Salt Lake Tribune claims the Supreme Court couldn't have found their conclusion based on a fair reading "of the plain language of the amendment" in the Heller v. DC gun ban case.

"The U.S. Supreme Court's holding Thursday that the Second Amendment enshrines in the Constitution an individual right to keep firearms in the home outside the context of a state militia was wrongly decided and turned decades of settled judicial precedent on its head. No fair reading of the plain language of the amendment or its history could have reached the conclusion the court announced."
...

"Justice Scalia, perhaps as the price of winning over the deciding vote, wrote that the newly minted individual right is not unlimited. "It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose," he wrote. (Utah Legislature, please note.) Concealed carry can be prohibited, guns can be banned from schools and government buildings, and firearms sales can be regulated, Scalia opined. Unfortunately, Thursday's decision declares open season on all kinds of other gun laws, and the courts now will become the range officers on a firing line of lawsuits. It would have been better to leave Second Amendment precedent alone and let legislatures and city councils determine the best gun policies for their communities."

You can go here and read the whole editorial if you're interested. The comments are running about 57% in opposition to the editorial.

THINK FAMILIES ARE FOREVER? WELL, THINK AGAIN.

2008-06-27T12:03:00.003-06:00

Texas has a bounty on kids' heads, and they're probably not the only ones.

Kurt Schulzke at I Perceive blog, describes how it's set up in a shocking post. He shows how the Texas courts have taken all the power unto themselves, legislative, executive, and judicial, in stacking the deck against Texas families that might fall into their net. It's a system that turns Child Protective Services into a state sanctioned mercenary racket designed to take kids away from their families and put them on the market for adoption.

Texas courts and CPS collaborating to take children from parents? Sounds like conspiracy theory. Evidence? Try this November 2007 Texas Supreme Court Order creating out of thin air — utterly without legislative authority — the Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families.

This Order and recent conduct by various Texas judges, especially Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill, cast doubt on whether the people of Texas can realistically trust the Texas courts to impartially decide child protection cases. The deck is heavily stacked against families and in favor of “child protection” mercenaries who make money grabbing and selling kids while traveling the country teaching others how to do it with a minimum of fuss.

The process that created the Commission and its charter reveal the Texas Supreme Court wielding all three fundamental constitutional powers: legislative, executive and judicial. Through the Commission chaired by a Supreme Court Justice, the Court legislates by creating regulations and then implements these regulations throughout the “collaborative” Texas “child protection” system. Later, it rules on child protective cases. In essence, the Court helps mix the CPS pudding, delivers it and announces how good it is.

Please go here and read the whole thing.

Brainwashed!

2008-05-31T19:48:00.005-06:00

A few days ago the Salt Lake Tribune published a comment by Rebecca Walsh that pointed out that the ACLU hasn't been particularly valiant in defense of the women's issues that have clearly come to the forefront of the Texas/FLDS child custody case in recent weeks. If I remember correctly, she characterized the ACLU response as "waffling".

Ms. Antoinnette Billings of Cottonwood Heights has taken umbrage, and responded with a Public Forum Letter, which I have linked and quoted in its entirety, along with my own comments.
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_9431788

FLDS women brainwashed
Public Forum Letter
Salt Lake Tribune
5/30/2008

Rebecca Walsh confuses feminists with the American Civil Liberties Union in "Feminists waffle in FLDS case" (Tribune, May 25). Polygamy is inherently sexist. It fosters the control of women. Feminists have no role in the defense of women in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Feminism rightfully selects issues that address a woman's right against subordination. It would be appropriate to assist the FLDS women in a variety of ways, but not in their "choice" to allow abuse to perpetually rain upon their children. There is no "choice" to defend when brainwashing begins at birth.

The notion that a woman gains power in polygamy is an acquiescent lie. It is something she achieves through the manipulation of her husband in the performing of her childbearing and household duties. Manipulating one's spouse instead of communicating as adults has no place in any equal partnership. Manipulation belongs in the repertoire of wily, whining children. In the adult, it is found in the dishonest and immature.

An issue of "waffling" or "conflict" does not exist.

Antoinette Billings
Cottonwood Heights

There were many comments, and I added my own.

This charge of being brainwashed is a clever but vacuous argument, designed to discredit anyone who chooses to oppose a particular point of view, in this case, a feminist one. It's manipulative, dishonest, and deceitful. It's a clever way of saying "the choice you've made is stupid, so you must be stupid."

Today's feminists are a generation who have grown up having been thoroughly indoctinated in the feminist dogma. In other words, they've been brainwashed, too.

The problem with this kind of argument is that it dehumanizes the people who are being targeted. If you've been brainwashed, the argument would logically flow, then you shouldn't be allowed to make choices, you shouldn't be allowed to vote, you shouldn't be allowed to make personal decisions, such as who to marry, or when, and you shouldn't be allowed to have children. If you've been brainwashed, then it's alright for the state to take away your children and put them up for adoption, hopefully by people who've been indoctinated in a more acceptable dogma.

If you're interested, you can go to the link and read all the comments. Be warned, some of them are pretty tedious.
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_9431788

Incidentally, here are some dictionary definitions of brainwashing and propaganda:

brainwashing
1 : a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas
2 : persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship

propaganda
: the spreading of ideas or information to further or damage a cause; also
: ideas or allegations spread for such a purpose

To be honest, I believe there's been an inordinate amount of brainwashing and propaganda going on for several decades, in the news media, in public schools and on college campuses, and it's a liberal, leftist, socialist idealogy that has been promoted. The purpose, I suppose, is to establish this idealogy as the approved, acceptable social dogma, to which all civil society must ascribe.

To counter this trend, many conservative parents have started sending their children to private schools, or began homeschooling. And to counter that trend, there's a movement afoot to make homeschooling in California illegal. If Illiberal liberals don't like something that's going on, they just criminalize it.

Hattie Mae Charming

2008-05-31T17:41:00.004-06:00

Hattie Mae, who's 22 months old, came to the hospital to visit her newborn cousin Anson. It took her a few minutes to wake up from her nap and perk up her usual charming smile, but she managed.

Here she poses with one of her favorite people, her mom.

And here is little cousin Anson, one day old.

Anson was more interested in sleeping than meeting his relatives.

Anson may have been the center of attention, but with this great smile, Hattie Mae held her own very well, thank you.

Blogger wonders why LDS Church seems to be AWOL in Texas/YFZ custody case.

2008-05-30T01:53:00.005-06:00

"It is a matter of some curiousity to me personally that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, normally so quick to offer aid and comfort to victims of oppression and natural disaster, have apparently offered nothing to these people, not even kind words. To date, I have heard only assertions that those FLDS are not connected with 'us' in any way. Where is the Good Samaritan?" --Kurt Shulzke, I Perceive blog

It took me a while to formulate a response from my own personal perspective. Here it is:

Being a member I can give a little insight, from my own perspective, as to why the LDS Church has had so little to say in this matter. The LDS Church has renounced polygamy as a practice, but not as a doctrine. The Church excommunicates members who practice polygamy, and refers to the polygamous offshoots as apostates. Most of the polygamists refer to the LDS Church as apostate since they no longer practice polygamy. The LDS Church actively proselytizes among all other people, but they make no effort to proselytize among apostate groups. Early Church history documents that much of the persecution the Church endured was stirred up by apostates, so the Church is reluctant to take a bullet, so to speak, for apostates.

The Church is damned if they do, and damned if they don't, in this case. If they step up and say this is a case of religious persecution, critics of the Church are poised to say the Church is defending polygamy and is against the rule of law, and that they have a secret desire to re-establish the practice of polygamy. If they step up and say Texas is doing the right thing by prosecuting these people, other critics will say that the Church is delighting in the persecution of its enemies. The Church, I'm sure, wants to avoid that perception at all costs. So the Church has been content to keep silent, except for the steadfast disavowal of any relationship with the FLDS.

But even Judge Walther has dragged the LDS Church into the middle of this mess. While in the shelter in San Angelo, CPS didn't allowed private prayer time for fear that the FLDS mothers would use the time to coach the children to avoid answering CPS questions. Judge Walther suggested that LDS representatives could supervise the prayer sessions. But she didn't understand the tension that exists between the two faiths. FLDS members would resent it and view it as an intrusion, and LDS members would wonder why they should be asked to spy on the FLDS for CPS. Let them do their own spying. They seem pretty adept at that anyway. Understand that this is my personal perception of the rock and a hard place that the LDS Church finds itself in with this difficult situation.

It's safe to say that the way the FLDS practice this tenet of their religion makes most Latter-Day Saints very uneasy. Forced or arranged marriages of 13 or 14 year old girls to 50 + year old men or cousins or uncles is as repugnant to present day Mormons as it is to Baptists or any other group. Plural marriage as practiced by 19th century Mormons was voluntary, and even the first wife had a say, as I understand it.

My own view of this whole thing is that this seizing of all the children was wrong, and motivated by prejudice and bias, and CPS has run a ruthless hate campaign against the FLDS group, knowing that if they can get the rest of us to despise these people enough, they just might get away with this horrible abuse of power. If there have been crimes committed, prosecute the guilty, prove the crimes in court and punish them apropriately if convicted. But this business of taking all the children before any crimes have been proven punishes the innocent before the guilty.

Newborn Grandbaby

2008-05-28T09:14:00.002-06:00

Meet Anson Riley Petersen, born at 1:46 p.m. Mountain Time yesterday, 27 May 2008. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 oz.

Mother Jodi and baby (and daddy Brad) are all doing great.

So far he hasn't been very fussy at all. We were there for well over an hour and he hardly even whimpered. Quite content to just lie there and sleep. Brad laid him down and uncovered him to see if he'd object. Nope. ZZZZZZZ.

So he tickled his feet. He didn't like that very much, and objected. "Daddy, quit picking on me!"

Soon he was right back in Slumberville.

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-26T10:58:00.003-06:00

In honor of all who have honorably served our nation, we're flying the flag today at blog648. Thank you.

I borrowed a tribute Ronald Reagan paid to The Unknown Soldier in 1984 that was published in the Salt Lake Tribune.

"About him we may well wonder, as others have: As a child, did he play on some street in a great American city? Or did he work beside his father on a farm out in America's heartland? Did he marry? Did he have children? Did he look expectantly to return to a bride? "We'll never know the answers to these questions about his life. We do know, though, why he died. He saw the horrors of war but bravely faced them, certain his own cause and his country's cause was a noble one; that he was fighting for human dignity, for free men everywhere. "Today we pause to embrace him and all who served us so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks. We can be worthy of the values and ideals for which our sons sacrificed - worthy of their courage in the face of a fear that few of us will ever experience - by honoring their commitment and devotion to duty and country."

- PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN at Arlington National Cemetery, May 28, 1984, to commemorate the tomb of the Unknown Soldier who fought during the Vietnam War.

You can read tributes that others have paid to Veterans here: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9381037

Unshackle FLDS Girls

2008-05-25T15:17:00.005-06:00

FLDS moms and kids prepare to board buses at the YFZ ranch in Texas on 5 April 2008.

Photo from Captive FLDS Children website.

http://www.captivefldschildren.org/

Here is a Public Forum letter that appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune entitled "Unshackle FLDS Girls."

I am a 15-year-old girl with a cell phone and iPod. Call me spoiled. I like sports, boys and dancing. I still play with my dog. It wasn't that long ago that I believed in Santa Claus and gave my mom painted rocks for Mother's Day.

I can't imagine being married at this age, let alone having a baby. I'm pretty sure those FLDS girls are just like me in most ways. They want to enjoy their youth, friendships and all that modern life has to offer, and not be handed over to some gross old guy and forced to sleep with him. Helloooo?

Hooray for the Texas authorities who raided the Yearning for Zion ranch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Maybe they can take the girls to Great Clips hair salon and then to the mall for a new pair of shorts. It's about time someone stepped in to stop this robbery of precious childhood.

Ellen Sliwinski
Salt Lake City

As you can imagine, there were many colorful responses, some applauding this young lady, others mocking her. You can go to the link and read the comments if you like.
http://www.sltrib.com/Opinion/ci_9370217

I commented also. Here's my response:

"Do you know that when they were first taken to the shelter, those FLDS girls were not allowed to pray if they wanted to? Nor were they allowed to close the door when they went to the bathroom.

A teen age boy got up to give a talk, and officers took him away and locked him in a utility closet. They left him there overnight, then took him away in the morning.

I suspect if they took these girls to the mall, they might have to shackle them together to keep them from running away. I suspect they would have to be forced to get haircuts, and they'd have to hold them down to strip those prairie dresses off and put those new shorts on.

Yes, it's a shame someone didn't step in sooner and free these girls from their oppressors."

My YFZ Photo Gallery

2008-05-15T14:52:00.003-06:00

Here's an interesting photograph I borrowed from the Grits for Breakfast blog. It's unattributed, but appears to be a phone-camera image that was taken surreptitiously. It's a fairly ambiguous photo. Does it show young FLDS boys who are caught in a sinister opressive cult that will precondition them to become predatory males and child rapists? Or are they prisoners of the state, incarcerated for no other reason than that their parents practice a strange, unpopular religion and their mothers wear odd, 19th century dresses and hairstyles?

My YFZ gallery is growing. Here's another photo, also borrowed from GFB, of a young girl being bused away into state foster care.

Here's another of my favorites, a Deseret News photo featuring a Baptist missionary, a former FLDS "escapee" who can't wait to take as many of the FLDS children into her care as the state will allow, so she can convert them and save their souls from hell.

Here are some links for more background:

http://texaslastfrontier.com/prairie_fire_journal/blog1.php
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/04/96681.html
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64356
http://www.lewrockwell.com/fisk/fisk39.html
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/05/what-does-texas.html?loc=interstitialskip
http://www.texascivilrightsproject.org/?p=239
http://iperceive.net/judge-barbara-walther-madame-defarge-of-san-angelo-texas/

2008 Spring Salon of the Springville Museum of Art

2008-05-15T10:17:00.010-06:00

Every year I try to get to the Springville Art Museum for their Spring Salon, which features works by Utah artists, as well as famous former Utah artists.

This is "Who" by Jeff Hein, a Salt Lake City artist who, incidentally, is a friend of my son and his wife. Jeff is clearly a "talented boy", as my wife Laura said. He has a studio and art acadamy in Salt Lake City and is opening another in Provo, in partnership with several other artists.

This is the Step Down Gallery in the front of the museum. It's kind of the unofficial place of honor. Really large pieces are usually displayed in this gallery.

Another view of the Step Down Gallery.

This is a work by Justin Taylor, one of the artists working with Jeff Hein at the Bridge Acadamy in Provo.

Here is "Call of the Wild", by Chris Paul Miles. It received a merit award, and in my view deserved at least that.

This is, um, the "Step Up Gallery" just off the Step Down Gallery.

This is a piece by a well known Utah artist who works in bronze and features little children. L'Deana something. Well known to all but me apparently, because I can't remember her last name. She has several pieces in the permanent collection at the museum.

Here is a large charcoal drawing that looks very nearly photographic.

Heron II

One of my favorite paintings in this year's show. I like the use of the bright red drawer contrasting with with the white knob and the shadow to give the whole composition a distinct 3-dimensional quality. Did I bother to remember the name of the artist, or the title of the work? Sorry, no. I didn't take notes and it's gone down the memory hole.

This very large painting was another of my favorites. The following day when I returned to the Museum it was not in it's place, and it's name plaque was gone, too. Perhaps it was being photographed for the catalogue, but no one I talked to seemed to know what happened to it.

Another view of the Step Up Gallery. It actually has a name, but I never pay attention to those things.

The Hallway Gallery, just off the Step Up Gallery. Yes, I'm making these names up as I go.

This is not a thrown clay pot. The medium is wood. Nice job.

This is the Whimsical, Slightly Wierd Gallery, where whimsical, slightly wierd art objects seem to gravitate.

I liked this whimsical, slightly wierd piece. I didn't get the title or the artist's name.

This reminds me of the float bulb in a toilet tank. That's not a value judgment. I already said I liked the piece.

It seems like every year at least one artist submits a work with a "Tree of Life" theme.

Leaving the Whimsical, Slightly Wierd Gallery and entering the Land of the Truly Strange, where truly strange "objets d'art" seem to gather at the annual show. I think the actual name of this gallery is the West Gallery, but calling it the Wild West Gallery would be misleading.

This peice was suspended from the cieling and was entitled "Cleave Unto...". Again, that's not a value statement. I didn't say I didn't like it.

Yeah, I like red.

This piece was stuck over in a dark corner where we almost missed it. Laura did a double take and then asked me "Is this, uh, artwork?" I assured her it was intentional, and showed her the name and title plaque. I've forgotten the title, except that the word "light" appeared in it. The large glass tube in the center changed to different colors as we watched. Kinda cool.

This was a large, "wall sized" piece. Striking, if for nothing but it's size.

This was a small, bright piece suitable for hanging on a pillar. By Shirley Hancock Nelson of North Ogden, it was entitled "the Painter".

I think it's interesting that the museum shows the year of birth of each artist, and they leave a blank space for the death date, as if they expect that to happen at any moment. I've never seen a death date on a work displayed in the annual Spring Salon. I assume that dead artists don't bother to submit their work.

Back in the Slightly Wierd Gallery; I realize that art is a highly subjective endeavor. My dad used to say really obnoxious things about work that he considered unworthy of consideration. His favorite quip: "I've seen better art on toilet paper!", followed by an evil smirk. For some reason, this piece reminded me of my dad and what he used to say. The artist is Frank McEntire of Salt Lake City, and the piece is entitled "Lord of Hosts". Clearly Mr. McEntire considers some aspect of Mormonism to be, um, "birdcage worthy". And yes, that is a value judgment, on both our parts, I suppose.

Incidentally, the fact that this work, or any work was exhibited, is a value judgement on the part of somebody.

"Birth of Spring" by Jack Moford of American Fork.

"Rub-a-dub-dub, Three Men in a Tub".

No, I'm kidding.

Leaving the Whimsical, Slightly Wierd Gallery, heading for the Wild West Gallery. Which by the way, is not in the West Gallery.

"Gentlemen's Foursome", by Arnold Friberg. Incidentally, you can click on any of the photographs for an enlarged view.

This work is called "the Mittens". I have been to this exact location and tried to take this same picture many times.

Obviously, I didn't photograph every piece that was in the exhibit. I have neither the time nor the inclination to do that. I photographed works that struck me in some way. I know that every year the powers that be at the museum decline to exhibit hundreds of works submitted for the annual Salon. Often, Laura and I have noted with surprise that a certain piece received an award of merit or second place or something like that and wondered why. And then again, other pieces that we liked and viewed as worthy of an award didn't receive one, and we wondered why not. So clearly, art is a subjective endeavor. Still, as we left, I thought I would have liked to have seen some of the works that were rejected for this year's show. I'm not sure that's a value judgment.

Have a nice day. Thanks for viewing.

Comments from the blogosphere on YFZ Debacle

2008-05-14T07:58:00.002-06:00

Scott Henson is a Texas blogger who writes about the Texas criminal justice system, and has covered the YFZ debacle relentlessly in his blog, GRITS FOR BREAKFAST. As enlightening as his own articles are, some of the comments by readers are equally revealing. Here's a small sample:

Comments at Grits For Breakfast

"if...the 'nature of some of the [adult] marital relationships' was a reason DFPS took the kids, they were woefully beyond the scope of their authority! There are only four reasons DFPS can seize a child:

1. an immediate danger to the physical health or safety of the child,
2. the child has been the victim of sexual abuse.
3. the parent or person who has possession of the child is currently using a controlled substance,
4. the parent or person who has possession of the child has permitted the child to remain on premises used for the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Notably, non-traditional (or rather, ultra-traditional) family structures or strange religious beliefs are simply not on the list of reasons the state can take your kids. That appears to be exactly what happened, though."

Grits For Breakfast
__________________

An anonymous commenter on the process of reporting suspected child abuse:

"Law inforcement refers them [suspected abuse cases] to CPS. If the suspected abuse is happening in the context of a government institution the complaning witness is told that CPS doesn't have jurisdiction."

If CPS itself is neglecting the care of a child who investigates this? After months of investigation and the damage is already done a court tells CPS, 'Don't do that or we'll be forced to tell you not to do that again.'"

Anonymous
______________________

Belated Wishes For a Happy Mother's Day, Especially to FLDS Moms

2008-05-12T08:45:00.004-06:00

Scott Henson at Grits For Breakfast appeals for readers to think about the FLDS mothers and kids who've been separated by the state of Texas, and to pray that perhaps by Fathers Day the state will have sent most of the children home and just keep the ones that may have actually been abused.

He also provided a link to this Houston Chronicle article that highlights sharp differences some mental health workers had with CPS over the way they treated FLDS mothers while in San Angelo.

From the Houston Chronicle:

Mental health workers sent to emergency shelters in San Angelo last month to help care for the hundreds of women and children removed from a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch have sharply criticized the Child Protective Services operation, telling their governing board it unnecessarily traumatized the kids.

The CPS investigation of suspected child abuse and its decision to seek state custody of all 464 children punished mothers who appeared to be good parents of healthy, well-behaved and emotionally normal kids, workers said in a set of short and unsigned written reports made at the request of the board after a briefing Tuesday.

All nine reports by employees of the Hill Country Community Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center expressed varying degrees of anger toward the state's child welfare agency for removing the children from their community, separating them from their mothers or for the way CPS workers conducted themselves at the shelter.

A few described ongoing tension between the two groups of social workers, including threats by CPS to have interfering MHMR workers arrested.

"I have worked in Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse programming for over 20 years and have never seen women and children treated this poorly, not to mention their civil rights being disregarded in this manner," one wrote.

All the MHMR workers described themselves as impressed by the mothers they worked with. Many of them described child welfare workers as high-handed, rude or uncaring toward the mothers and overzealous in their concerns that they might escape or harm their keepers.
________________________________________________

Read the whole article. It's disturbing.

Some may consider this entire thing a tempest in a teapot, but I think it has ramifications for all of us. If states can trample the human rights and dignity of people who are not favored for whatever reason, but particularly for religious reasons, then who is next, and how far will we go down this road?

By the time this whole thing is over, the FLDS children involved will have been harmed and traumatized much more by the state of Texas than by living the tenets of this strange, unpopular religion.

I think one thing that I find disturbing about this situation is the suspicion lurking in the back of my mind that the overarching motivation for this highhandedness on the part of CPS is a genuine, sincere but unexpressed concern for the welfare of the immortal souls of these FLDS kids. In other words, they're worried that if these kids are left in this horrible cult, their souls will burn in Hell.

I don't think this suspicion is unfounded. I can't shake the image of the Baptist buses hauling the kids out of the ranch, and the fact that the CPS incident commander at the San Angelo shelter was Kevin Dinnin, the president of Baptist Children and Family Services, a fact that I find unsettling.

In recent years, certain Baptist groups have sent missionaries to Utah with the express intent of converting Mormons. These people have not been shy about expressing their belief that unrepentant Latter-Day Saints will burn in hell.

Last month an article appeared in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, highlighting a Baptist missionary who is looking forward to taking as many FLDS children into her care as possible in order to convert them and save their souls from hell.

I don't think it's out of line to wonder if this missionary mindset hasn't permeated Texas state government, particularly the DFPS. I find it hard to believe it hasn't.

Stupid Headline

2008-05-10T18:38:00.003-06:00

Stupid headline: Kearns man shot battling burglar
Actually it should read: Kearns man shot while battling burglar

The man went into his house, knowing the burglar was close by because he could hear him breathing. Not smart.

The gun grabbers are jumping on this because in their view it supports the notion that owning a gun will get you shot.

What it illustrates is the need to have a CFP and to be carrying the firearm on your person when you leave the house.

From the Salt Lake Tribune:
A Kearns man was shot while fighting a burglar in his own home Thursday.

Chad R. Morley, 27, returned home to the 6000 South block of 6070 West in unincorporated Kearns about 9:15 a.m. after meeting his father for morning coffee. Piled near his front door was a "bunch of high-dollar merchandise," such as his laptop computer and other electronics, Morley said.

"I could sense someone was in there, hear a pant of breath," he said.

Morley went to get his gun, which was hidden in the living room, and, as he turned, saw the burglar hiding behind his door.

The two men fought. When Morley looked around to avoid a table, the burglar hit him over the head with something.

Hand slippery with blood, Morley couldn't stop the robber from shooting him in the upper arm with his own gun. The bullet tore through muscle and cracked the bone.

After the shot, the robber ran away, and Morley called for police from a neighbor's house.

Illegal Religion in America

2008-05-04T01:01:00.004-06:00

It has occurred to me that the thing that we should all be concerned about here is that the state of Texas has come very close, in fact dangerously close to criminalizing a belief. These people (FLDS) are being vilified in the press for what they believe, or at least what people think they believe, and not for any acts that have been charged or proven. CPS has justified taking the children based on what they (CPS) think the FLDS believe, not on anything they actually did, or can prove they did. CPS convinced Judge Walther to sign off on removing all the children based on abuses CPS thinks the FLDS might commit in the future, based on what they think they believe.

They have successfully made the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a de facto illegal religion.

Think about that. Here in the United States of America, an illegal religion.

I just can't get my head around that.

I guess I'll have to reread the U.S. Constitution. I could swear I saw something in there about religion somewhere.

Actually it's not the first time it's happened in America. But who would have thought such a thing could happen here in this country in this century? Certainly not I.

Forty-One FLDS kids with broken bones, oh my!!

2008-05-02T15:50:00.003-06:00

We've all read the headlines and seen the press reports, and I'll tell you why I think they're salacious and misleading.

Forty-one out of 463 is 8.8%, according to my desktop calculator. That has to be less than the usual number in a normal population.

But maybe my family wasn't normal. I had five kids, and they all survived to adulthood, although there were times when I was sure some of them would never live to see 21.

Let's see, my oldest boy at age 10 broke his arm when he fell off the roof. I know, that's prima facie evidence of child abuse and neglect right there. What was he doing on the roof, you might ask. Disobeying his father. I told him not to go up there.

My oldest daughter spent two days in a hospital with a concussion when she fell off a pool slide when she was a toddler. What was she doing on a pool slide? Well, she thought she was going to have a bit of fun. Mom and Dad turned their backs for a few seconds and she made a break for it. She was sure she could climb that ladder no problem.

When my third child, second son was 2 1/2 he broke his leg when he fell out of the back of the neighbor's pick-up. What was he doing in the back of a pick-up? Well, it was parked in front of the neighbor's house and a half-dozen neighborhood kids were playing in the back of it, including my boy. He got bumped into, lost his balance and toppled over the tailgate, after catching his foot on the side rail momentarily. I didn't see the accident, but that's what the kids who were there told me. The doctor at the hospital had some questions for me as he filled out a questionaire after my son was admitted.

My fourth child, third son made several trips to the emergency room, as did the other two boys, to get patched up or stitched as the result of various accidents, most of which involved bicycles, skateboards or swingsets. The emergency room doctor at the Payson hospital got so he knew my boys by name because we were in there so often.

My youngest daughter had an accident on her bicycle when she was nine, and she had a skull fracture and spent some time in the hospital. My ex-wife had moved out of state with the younger kids, and she never told me about this. I learned about it nearly a year later from one of my kids. Apparently my ex had not wanted to worry me.

At any rate, I don't think my kids have had anything but a fairly normal life for middle-class American kids. And I think it's accurate to say that 300% of my kids have required emergency medical attention due to a fairly normal array of minor and semi-major accidents that have occurred in their lifetime.

So to me, the 8.8% of FLDS kids in custody who've had broken bones that could possibly indicate physical abuse is clearly salacious and misleading. And keep in mind that one of the kids broke her arm while she was in state custody in San Angelo. They're kids. They break a lot of stuff, including the occasional bone.

Texas is running this salacious PR offensive because they need some cover, and if they can inspire the rest of us to hate the members of this cult, America will turn a blind eye to the injustice that is being perpetrated by the state of Texas.

I thinks it's working.

Check out these links for more background:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2008/05/misleading-pr-initiative-by-dfps.html

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9115950

http://www.examiner.com/a-1347693~Baby_snatching_by_Arlington_County.html

The thief doesn't always run away, as in the commercial

2008-05-02T11:50:00.002-06:00

http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/18472794.html
Suspect in St. Paul break-in caught by homeowner
by Pat Pheifer

Jon Sokol wasn't trying to be a hero when he confronted a burglary suspect who had brazenly broken through the front door of his home in St. Paul.

Sokol, 49, said his adrenaline was flowing as he crept up the stairs, revolver in hand, from the basement bedroom he shares with his wife.

His wife had been awoken at about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday by their alarm system and initially thought Sokol had -- again -- opened the door to get the newspaper without turning off the alarm. But there he was, sleeping right next to her.

Then she heard footsteps. "I think there's somebody in the house," Sokol recalled her whispering. "I'm thinking to myself, 'Noooo.'"

Sokol said he'd gotten to the second step when he saw somebody cross the room upstairs. "Oh my, there is somebody in our house," he thought.

"I grabbed our gun, which we keep for protection," he said.

"As I stepped around the corner, he hit me ... right between the eyes," Sokol said. "And I fired the gun.

"Down on the ground he went and I insisted, in a not very nice way, that he not move," he said. "I held him at gunpoint until the police arrived."

Michael G. Spencer, 31, of St. Paul, has been charged in Ramsey County District Court with two felony counts of burglary. He has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for theft and burglary as recently as last year.

According to the criminal complaint, Spencer feigned "unconsciousness, but finally responded ... that he had not been shot" after police arrived at 5 a.m. Wednesday at the Sokols' home in the 1400 block of Carroll Avenue.

Spencer is being held in the Ramsey County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Sokol said the burglar had a knife, but Sokol doesn't know if he was hit by that or a fireplace poker that he noticed had been moved.

He ended up with a small cut on his forehead and a somewhat shattered sense of security. He and his wife dead-bolted themselves in their bedroom Wednesday night, and still he stayed awake all night keeping watch while his wife slept.

The neighborhood has been on guard lately, he said. Two vehicles were vandalized a block from the Sokols' house last week, and on the night of the burglary, two other vehicles were vandalized and a porch was broken into.

Sokol said he doesn't know the defendant and doesn't know why his house was targeted. It's well-lit, he said, and has signs front and back about the alarm system.

"It's a happy ending, I guess," Sokol said. "The good guy's still alive, for the time being. And the bad guy is captured. It turned out like you see in the movies."
Pat Pheifer • 651-298-1551
________________________

Have more than an alarm system. Have a gun and be prepared to use it.

Here's why the YFZ raid is no Short Creek '53

2008-05-02T11:16:00.002-06:00

CPS has much more power now than they did in 1953. Now CPS is terrified of returning a kid to an abusive situation and having that kid wind up dead. They'd much rather break up a thousand families than have one kid get killed.

CPS actions are under the radar because they are considered civil actions and don't have to comply with Constitutional prohibitions against illegal searches and siezures or abide by rules of evidence or any of that silly legal stuff. They don't have to prove criminal activity by the parents, only that they believe the evidence shows that the kids are being abused, or that they might be abused in the future, and if they can convince the judge of that, that's all it takes.

The YFZ parents are never going to see their kids again until they age out of the system. The fathers will never be allowed to see their kids. The only chance the mothers have of regaining custody of their children is if they leave the ranch, divorce or renounce their husbands, and renounce their religious faith, and convince the case worker assigned to their case that they're sincere, and not just going through the motions. This is about religion, and has very little to do with saving the children from harm. If you're a member of this sect, you'll not be allowed to keep your children by the State of Texas.

The only criminal prosecutions that will come of this case might be the two men who were arrested during the raid and charged with interference or disorderly conduct. No one will be charged with rape or incest or abuse of any kind, because the criminal due process threshold of evidence is higher and Constitutional prohibitions have to be complied with in criminal cases, even in Texas. All of the evidence siezed in the raid will be inadmissable because the warrant was based on a fraudulent phone call, and it won't stand up in court.

What will happen to the YFZ ranch? They'll probably go on. The men will probably quit marrying underage girls, but the polygamy will continue, they may just claim their "spiritual wives" are just girl friends and the sex is consentual. Unless the state of Texas can successfully criminalize other aspects of their behavior, I don't see much more happening between Texas and the FLDS.

And BTW, Texas has a 180 year history of older men marrying teen-agers as young as 14. No one ever considered it sexual assault on a minor. It was simply a grand old pioneer tradition. There are tens of thousands of teen-age girls having sex with older men in Texas right now. Texas is never going to go after those men. Only if they incorporate underage sex into their religion will Texas lift a finger to put a stop to it. There's just too much history behind the practice. This statute was aimed specifically at the FLDS, and they are the only target of this law.

So let's face it. Texas has succeeded in making the FLDS sect a de facto illegal religion. I didn't think that was possible in the United States of America. Not in my lifetime.

But then I forgot. In the late eighteen-thirties the governor of Missouri ordered the state militia to exterminate the Mormons and drive them from the state. They were forced out of their homes and off their lands, at gunpoint. A few years later the Mormons were driven from Illinois after Joseph Smith was assassinated. In the 1880's, Idaho passed a state law that Mormons couldn't vote in elections. State legislators were embarrassed a few years ago to find that those laws were still on the books and had never been repealed.

America will turn a blind eye to this, and the abuse of power will just keep getting worse. Texas DFPS is convinced if they can get you to hate this group of people enough, they'll be home free and out of the woods. They're going to get away with this because not enough people care about the rights of a wierd offshoot Mormon cult to get very fussed about it.

Check out these sites for more background. http://www.johntfloyd.com/comments/april08/13a.htm
http://www.johntfloyd.com/comments/april08/22a.htm

Have a nice day. Thanks for reading.

Help!

2008-04-30T11:25:00.001-06:00

Here's the story about a South Carolina teen who's been arrested in a plot to bomb his school. He wanted to die, and then kill Jesus after he got to heaven.

Yeah, I think he may need some help.

Here's a link to the story if you're interested.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/29/national/main4056750.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4056750

Texas Hostage Crisis, Day 25

2008-04-28T12:35:00.004-06:00

Former FLDS member Mary Mackert, now a Baptist, talks about her life in the FLDS faith Sunday at the Central Faith Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)

Baptist missionary looks forward to deprograming, converting FLDS child hostages
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695274460,00.html

One of Grits For Breakfast's commenters responded to his Yippe Ki Yi Yay ditty with one of his own:

"How about this takeoff on "Git along little dogies"?

Yippee ki yi yay,
Git along little Mormons.
It's your misfortune
And none of my own.

Yippee ki yi yay,
Git along little Mormons.
You know CPS will
Provide a new home.

Peace from a Baptist brother who resents linking 'Baptist' and 'bigot' as though they were synonymous.
Rev. Charles Kiker"

I couldn't let that stand. Here is my response:

I think it's interesting that Rev. Kiker resents linking Baptists and bigots, but doesn't mind blurring the line between polygamists and mainstream Mormons who don't preach or practice polygamy. Your little ditty about little Mormons reinforces stereotypes that don't fit, and confuses people who don't know (or care) about the distinctions.

The reason it's of concern is because many are confusing mainstream LDS with this FLDS sect, and persecution has already begun. A group of LDS missionaries eating lunch in a San Angelo restaurant were threatened by a man brandishing a knife. An LDS couple in Victoria were shocked to find that neighbors had vandalized their property by spray painting anti-Mormon slogans and threats.

Judge Walther demonstrated her own ignorance about the distinctions when she suggested mainstream Mormons be called on to monitor FLDS prayer sessions, a request that baffled and offended many mainstream Mormons, who resent being tarred by the same broad brush.

With the combination of the Baptist Church buses and this little ditty about little Mormons penned by a Baptist minister, it looks pretty obvious that the Baptists are at the center of this bigoted crusade to stamp out this strange, unorthodox sect.

Furthermore, there's a former FLDS lady who's converted to the Baptist Church and has received a calling to the FLDS, and is eager to receive as many of these FLDS children into her care as possible so she can begin deprograming them and converting them to be Baptists.

Hint: If you don't want to be labeled a bigot, don't act like one.

Texas Hostage Crisis, Day 24

2008-04-27T22:47:00.005-06:00

Some child hostages hospitalized, the rest now scattered all across Texas

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9075298
Incidentally, to give you an idea about the vast distances that we're talking about here, Eldorado is 384 miles from Houston.

Two Texas child hostages unaccounted for, but Texas DFPS "not worried"
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695274226,00.html

There's a blogger in Texas who is a former Director of Police Accountability at the Texas ACLU. He's been blogging about the FLDS raid since it happened and has had a steadily growing sence of unease with the propriety of how and why it went down like it did and how it got as far out of control as it did. He says that any actual crimes that were committed wil not be successfully prosecuted because of the way this was handled. CPS may get away with kidnaping these kids, but eventually there will be legal repercussions.

The blog is called Grits for Breakfast.
He wrote a poem that I think is appropriate. Here it is:

I'll never forget that sad April day
When the Baptists brought buses and
Cops hauled us away
From our home on the ranch
Where the kids used to play
And sing "Ki Yi Yippe Ki Yay"

I'll never forget how we all knelt and prayed
While men with machine guns
Filed in like a parade
By the hundreds, an army
Swarmed God's holy place
Singing "Ki Yi Yippe Ki Yay"

I'll never forget hearing Judge Walther say
That my parents' beliefs were
Abusive per se
And I needed protection
From them and their faith
She sang "Ki Yi Yippe Ki Yay"

So they brought in more buses and swept me away
Into foster care, now the Judge
Says I am safe
But I don't feel that way
All alone and afraid
Singing "Ki Yi Yippe Ki Yay Ki Yay"
Singing "Ki Yi Yippe Ki Yay"

None of this is about protecting children from harm. It's about stamping out a despised lifestyle of a wierd group of people that is guilty of rejecting mainstream American values in a spectacularly strange way. The driving force behind this effort is an odd combination of Bible belt bigotry and liberal feminist moral revulsion. It's a rescue attempt of people who see no need to be rescued. It fits the definition of genocide because it entails removing the children and youth from the population.

http://www.johntfloyd.com/comments/april08/13a.htm
http://www.johntfloyd.com/comments/april08/22a.htm

Texas Hostage Crisis, Day 21

2008-04-24T11:44:00.004-06:00

Salt Lake Tribune Bagley Cartoon

Culture Shock: Plyg Kid Hostages Face Tough Adjustment

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

The youngsters are being moved out of the crowded San Angelo Coliseum and will be placed in temporary facilities around Texas - some as far away as Houston, 500 miles off - until individual custody decisions can be made.

Those decisions could result in a number of possibilities: Some children could be placed in permanent foster care; some parents who have left the sect may win custody; some youngsters may be allowed to return to the ranch in Eldorado; and some may turn 18 before the case is complete and be allowed to choose their own fates.
___

So if parents renounce their religion and leave the sect, they may win back custody of their kids.

How much of their religion do they have to renounce?

Do they have to prove they're legally and properly married, not just spiritually married? If they're not legally married, will that disqualify them, and why would it?

Will they have to show excommunication documents, or copies of letters resigning their membership in the FLDS Church? Will they have to affirm that they no longer believe in the doctrines of the FLDS Church? Or will they be allowed to affirm only that they won't do anything illegal, such as consent to allow their underage children to be married or engage in sexual activity, i.e., spritual marriage. Will they be required to renounce polygamy as a doctrine they believe in?

There is so much about this case that is just plain wrong. The US Supreme Court has ruled that authorities can regulate religious practice, and that was settled in the 1890s. But to regulate religious belief is wrong, and flies in the face of the First Amendment.

The US Supreme Court has also ruled that consenting adults have a constitutional right to sodomy. If that's the case, then it seems reasonable that consenting adults have a constitutional right to fornication and adultery. Consenting adults can have sexual relations with as many adult partners as they want, but they can't marry more than one of them (at a time).

Prohibitions against polygamy were enacted with the intention of enforcing them against the Mormons and their offshoots, and no one else. I've never heard of Muslim polygamists being prosecuted in this country. And it seems insanely schizophrenic to give constitutional protections to consenting adults who want to commit fornication and sodomy with multiple partners, while denying other consenting adults the privilege of engaging in plural marriages as part of their religious beliefs. That alone has made laws against polygamy unenforceable. To enforce them makes a mockery of the Constitution.

Either repeal the laws against polygamy, or enforce them. Don't leave them on the books if they're not enforced. If you repeal polygamy laws, do so with the resolve that illegal activity such as underage marriages (child rape), child abuse, torture, welfare fraud, racketeering, tax evasion, etc. will be vigorously prosecuted, and then follow through.

And let's do something about the immunity that CPS has from Constitutional prohibitions against illegal searches and seizure of property and kids on the basis of fraudulent or false information by calling it a civil action instead of a criminal one. The potential for abuse of power is obvious.

Punish the Guilty, Let the Innocent Go Free

2008-04-23T22:29:00.003-06:00

This is how I feel about the FLDS situation in Texas.

If there has been sexual abuse of minors, then charge the perpetrators with crimes, prove the charges in a court of law and put the guilty in prison. Don't punish the innocent. Let them go free.

If there are people who are guilty of polygamy or welfare fraud, prove it in a court of law and put the guilty in prison. Don't punish the innocent. Let them go free.

If they teach their children principles that you find repugnant, such as that their children will go to hell if they abandon their faith, that's none of the states business, and doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. You can't justify taking these kids away because they are taught things that you find objectionable, or because your sense of moral outrage has been offended.

You can't take kids away from parents because they wear strange clothes and long underwear or have odd hairstyles or because they hold to beliefs that don't conform to your standards. If they've done something illegal, fine, prove it in a court of law and put the guilty in prison. Don't punish the innocent. Let them go free.

Taking all the kids away before any crimes have been proven is punishing the innocent along with the guilty. It's a travesty and a sham. To date, not one single person has even been charged with a crime. Constitutional rights have been trampled by the state of Texas, and even if some people are eventually found guilty of crimes, none of this kidnaping and hostage taking is justified.

I've seen comments made where people have said they believe these men should be castrated and the women sterilized, and they should never be allowed to have any more children. This prosecution has taken on the hysterical tones of the Salem witch trials, and has turned into a witch hunt and a religious persecution. You can't tell me these people aren't being persecuted for their religious beliefs.

All I'm saying is put the guilty in prison and let the innocent go free. This is a horrible injustice and a moral outrage.

Texas Hostage Crisis, Day 20

2008-04-23T11:57:00.002-06:00

Texas DFPS plans to re-educate, de-program FLDS child hostages

From the Deseret News:

Darrell Azar, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said the following:

"We'll start to assess what their educational needs are, what level of mental and physical health care they'll need, counseling, set up a curriculum for their education," he said. "We'll set up a plan for each one."

As the child custody process goes forward, individual plans could include visitation from their parents, but Azar said that's "not a bridge we've crossed yet." On Tuesday, Azar said the other children in the coliseum appeared to be doing well, despite having stayed in a makeshift shelter for so long.

"We're trying to get these children into a more normal setting as quickly as possible so they can be provided what they need to flourish and we can continue investigating what happened in their lives," he said

_______________________________

So they're going to continue investigating what happened, presumably because they don't know what happened, but based on what little they already know, or think they know, they're completely comfortable with the notion that they should take all 437 children hostage and begin re-educating and de-programming them.

It would all make perfect sence to me if this were happening in a communist country, or Nazi Germany, or any place where we didn't have a Constitution that guarantees individual rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, assurances of due process and equal protection under the law.

Oh, wait...This isn't America, it's Texas. That's right, don't mess with Texas.

Texas FLDS Hostage Crisis Continues, Day Nineteen

2008-04-22T10:48:00.007-06:00

LDS Church declines opportunity to spy on Texas FLDS hostages
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695272878,00.html

Salt Lake Tribune editorial points to government's "heavy burden of proof" in Texas FLDS hostage crisis
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9005771

Texas begins moving child hostages into foster homes
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695272825,00.html

Number of FLDS child hostages jumps to 437
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695272744,00.html

Texas harming FLDS child hostages, Utah group says
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695272632,00.html

Judge asks LDS to spy on FLDS hostages during prayers
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695272498,00.html

Local LDS Stake President baffled by request to spy on hostages
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695272746,00.html

Texas officials couldn't take children hostage earlier because they were home schooled
http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_9012668

Okay, I admit, the mainstream media aren't calling the children hostages, but that is in fact what they are, and I will continue to call them that. The state of Texas has not incarcerated a solitary adult male in relation to the original complaint. They have been unable to produce solid evidence of abuse of any kind, other than to say they've been "indoctrinated". They have the alleged underage teen brides in custody, and have had them for 19 days, yet none have stepped forward to say they are victims of sexual or physical abuse. They will continue to hold these children hostage until they are successful in coercing someone into stepping forward and claiming that they are victims of abuse. In truth, all 437 of these children are victims of abuse--by the state of Texas.

This is simply outrageous.

Texas Judge Orders CPS to Have LDS Supervise Prayer Sessions

2008-04-21T18:28:00.003-06:00

"SAN ANGELO, Texas -- The Texas judge overseeing the polygamous FLDS sect's case today refused to make any ruling that would allow breast-feeding mothers to remain with their children in state custody. Judge Barbara Walther did rule on requests that women and children currently being held in San Angelo be able to pray together privately. She told Texas Children Protective Services (CPS) to find a member of the mainstream Mormon church to supervise group prayer sessions with FLDS women and children. Those sessions would occur in the morning and evening. Walther was addressing a request for temporary restraining orders filed by attorneys for four of the nursing mothers, but on behalf of all mothers there. The request asked the court to stop Texas child-welfare workers from separating mothers and children, to allow private prayer, and to give the women and children telephone access to their lawyers." --Salt Lake Tribune

This little bit of news just made my jaw drop to the floor. Presumably she means for Texas CPS to find someone in their organization who is LDS to supervise group prayer sessions with FLDS women and children.

Apparently the judge just doesn't get it. The LDS Church considers the FLDS group to be apostates and heretics. Their culture is very different from the mainstream LDS Church. I can't imagine an active LDS person feeling comfortable about "supervising" an FLDS prayer session, nor can I imagine that the FLDS women would be any more comfortable with an LDS supervisor than with a non-Mormon present. This is just amazing to me. If Judge Walther truly wants to be sensitive to FLDS sensibilities, this approach is simply non-sensical.

I've watched this media circus unfold over the last 18 days and have tried to hold off on making a judgment about the rightness or the wrongness of the raid and the fact that 416 children have been taken into custody. But frankly, I'm alarmed at how low the bar is for justifying the taking of so many kids into custody, based on such apparently flimsy evidence. Yet, no adults have been charged with a crime or taken into custody based on the original complaint. And the continued custody is justified by the fact that children are in danger of abuse because they are subject to indoctrination by their parents.

What exactly is indoctrination? Isn't it simply parents teaching their children their beliefs? Don't parents have the right, in fact, the responsibility to teach their children? Apparently you only have that right in Texas as long as you don't belong to a cult that holds strange beliefs and whose adherents don't wear strange clothes and funny hairstyles. Supposedly, there've been all these horrible crimes committed, but this case hasn't dealt with any of that.

They're in the process of taking DNA samples from parents and children, but then what? If they can prove that a man has fathered children by multiple women, will that prove in a court of law that they are guilty breaking laws regarding polygamy? No, because they can't prove they're married. There's no law against having sex with multiple partners. There are laws against having sexual relations with underage partners by men over a certain age. And if they won't accept notarized birth certificates proving the ages of teen-age brides based on the fact that they could be falsified records, why would marriage records be any more valid? So the only thing they can go on is the age of the bride when she conceived, and if you won't accept birth certificates, how can you establish age? And if none of the victim child-brides will step forward and admit they are victims, how do you establish that there is systemic abuse? Texas CPS can't establish their case, so they're going to hold their children hostage until someone comes forward and admits that they were abused. But if someone steps forward and admits there was abuse, what's going to happen? They're going to lose their children. No one's going to do that.

Let's face it, the powers that be in Texas have decided that this is an evil religious cult that needs to be stamped out, and that's what they're going to do, and they're going to do it by taking the children away and reprogram them into a suitable culture where they'll have a chance to grow up and be "normal". But if they're not successful in prosecuting adult males who have sexual relations with underage partners, this is just going to keep happening, and the FLDS people will only be further entrenched in their belief that they are a persecuted people. This is not going to go away without Texas becoming a total fascist police state. And if that happens, then who's next?

To Carry A Spare Magazine, Or Not Carry At All?

2008-03-23T08:46:00.004-06:00

I belong to an online forum called Bersa Talk, which is a community for Bersa brand handgun enthusiasts. On a recent thread the question was posed: "Is it standard to carry a spare magazine, or just the one fully loaded mag with one round in the chamber?"

I responded that I carry a spare mag if I think to grab one before I leave the house. After the Trolley Square shooting last year, it makes sense to me that one magazine just might not be enough. And after a recent home invasion in West Valley, in which 5 thugs invaded a home and held the occupants at gunpoint while they hauled out their valuables, it might not be a bad idea to carry a spare magazine on your person, at home.

Dozens of others responded one way or another. It turns out that many do carry a spare. As often happens on internet fora, there was eventually a little bit of topic drift as the debate warmed up and strongly held views were expressed and defended. In the latter stages of the thread, it was dominated by two participants who were sparring back and forth, and the topic became whether some people shouldn't carry a gun at all. Here's a segment that I found particularly interesting:

RF: From a statistical standpoint, not carrying AT ALL, AT ANY TIME, is...defensible.

GB: Interesting assertion, and one that evolution, grand design, or whatever has settled upon as racial survival strategies for a large number of species. It manifests itself as relatively unarmed prey species that congregate in large numbers in herds, flocks, schools, or whatever the appropriate term might be. Anyway, the principle is that even with predation which will certainly claim a large number of the herd, flock, school or whatever -- enough will survive to ensure the survival of the species into the next generaton. It is all fine and good if you are one of the survivors. "Baaa" says the sheep(le)! It ain't so good if you are one of the culls who gets predated. A better personal survival strategy is to recognize the existence of the predators, be vigilant and prepared to fight back against them. That way your personal odds of survival become markedly greater than that of the unarmed herd, flock, school or whatever. Oddly enough, the presence of sufficient numbers of members of the herd who are vigilant and prepared to fight back against the predators increases not only their own chances of survival but that of the entire herd. It is the tact that is taken by such animals as elephants, bison and baboons.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to get at is that while the not carrying at all, ever, is defensible ("Baaa"), it is not optimal. It does nothing to combat ever increasing predation. It is largely based on the premise that life is cheap. That individuals in the herd may be sacrificed to the predators as long as there are enough who survive to insure survival of the herd, and that should there not be enough survivors then the herd itself will die as nature dictates. Personally, I don't hold to that "life is cheap" mindset that this necessarily implies. Certainly not my life or my loved ones.

RF: If you have a normal lifestyle...the chances you will be involved in a true life-or-death self-defense scenario are very remote indeed.

GB: That chance is remote, yes. But non-zero. And, as society continues to coarsen and the value of life is held in ever less regards by those who engage in lives of crime, that chance become greater over time. The point is that the cost of being caught without carrying when you truly need it is so high that the remote chance argument is negated. Same thing as with catastrophic health insurance. Same thing as having homeowner's insurance, flood insurance or a fire extinguisher. Since the cost of not carrying could very well be your life or the life of a loved one, carrying is justified even if the odds of needing to use it is remote.

RF: Some call CCW [carrying a concealed weapon] 'paranoid' behavior.

GB: No more paranoid than someone who has a fire extinguisher in the pantry, or who takes out flood insurance. It is actually the act of viewing the world as it is, and not of viewing the world through rose colored glasses. It comes from actually contemplating worst case scenarios and being prepared for such in a rational manner.

RF: Others think it necessary to be prepared no matter the risk-small or large... Call it what you will-it's all about choice, and risk/benefit.

GB: It should be a choice, and from the pro-carry folks it is normally treated as exactly that. The vast majority of pro-carry people have no desire to coerce people who do not wish to carry to carry anyway. It is viewed as a personal choice, as it should be. However, the actions of the anti-carry folks is not so -- they seek not only to not carry themselves, but to take away the option of carry from those who wish to do so, by way of legal means or by way of societal pressure, stigmatizing those who desire to carry as being "paranoid" or anti-social.

RF: I choose to carry intermittently, and believe the choice I have made as to carry mode satisfies that risk/benefit analysis.

GB: Yes, that is your prerogative. Personally, I choose to carry whenever possible in the most optimum manner feasable, since it is impossible to predict with absolute certainty when a true sociopath, psychopath, or other variety of violent criminal may choose to attack myself or [family member]. That lack of certainty and the cost/risk analysis that I have undertaken leads me to do just that. The cost of an unprepared for encounter is just too high, and the risk of one is non-zero and ever increasing.

It was a lively conversation. If you're interested in reading the whole thread, here's a link: http://bersatalk.com/forums/1/55676/ShowThread.aspx

And here's a link to Bersa Talk: http://bersatalk.com/

Draper Resident Longs for Divine Revelation On Immorality of Bearing Children

2008-03-14T11:20:00.004-06:00

This forum letter appeared yesterday in the online version of the Salt Lake Tribune:

I usually don't listen to men in robes and funny hats, but today the Vatican decreed that polluting the planet is a sin. High fives for stating the obvious. Since the leading causes of pollution are overpopulation and undereducation, are we likely to see a change in the Catholic Church's policies on birth control? Without following through with a plan of action, this edict rings hollow.

Meanwhile, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tries to control every aspect of our lives except for the ones that truly matter. Anyone who has tried to breathe in the Salt Lake Valley this winter knows that pollution is choking us to death. I hope the new Mormon prophet might soon have a divine revelation that it is immoral to bring more than two or three kids into a dangerously overpopulated world.

Todd Ouzts
Draper

It was followed by literally dozens of comments, some agreeing, others disagreeing or taking issue with the obvious Catholic and Mormon-bashing. I added my comment, which was addressed to the original letter rather than a response to all the other comments. Here's my response:

Mr. Ouzts seems to have the idea that religious and moral codes are empty and false, and that human life is meaningless. When God becomes a nihilist, then we'll hear about that longed for revelation about the immorality of multiplying and replenishing the earth.

Latter-Day Saints view the planet as the earthly abode for God's spirit children during mortality. Naturally it makes sense to take care of the earth, and it's part of our mortal stewardship to do so, not only for ourselves but for future generations. The phrase "multiplying and replenishing the earth" isn't only about procreation, it's about renewing resources and using them wisely. But let's do it sensibly, not in such a way that we bring back the dark ages, or destroy our economy, or doom millions in developing countries to darkness, poverty and despair. Climate change alarmism is a nihilistic creed, and much more harm will come from it than good.

If you're interested in reading the entire comment thread, go here.

Help Bless Heather's Heart

2008-02-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Harsh Political Realities

2008-02-21T11:05:00.003-07:00

An awful lot of conservatives have expressed dismay over the strange turn of events in the primaries that seem to have catapulted candidates to front-runner status that mere months ago were considered likely also-rans, even dead in the water.

Ann Coulter points out some harsh realities in our political environment that didn't exist back when Ronald Reagan was being courted to run for political office. The article is titled "How to keep Reagan out of office", and it appeared online in the World Jewish Review.

What a bizarre coincidence that a few years after the most draconian campaign-finance laws were imposed via McCain-Feingold, our two front-runners happen to be the media's picks! It's uncanny — almost as if by design! (Can I stop now, or do you people get sarcasm?)

By prohibiting speech by anyone else, the campaign-finance laws have vastly magnified the power of the media — which, by the way, are wholly exempt from speech restrictions under campaign-finance laws. The New York Times doesn't have to buy ad time to promote a politician; it just has to call McCain a "maverick" 1 billion times a year.

It is because of campaign-finance laws like McCain-Feingold that big men don't run for office anymore. Little men do. And John McCain is the head homunculus.

You want Reagan back? Restore the right to free speech, and you will have created the conditions that allowed Reagan to run.

As usual, read the whole thing.

HB473 to Allow Open Carry By Permittees

2008-02-20T08:34:00.003-07:00

Open carry is a bad idea--but it shouldn't be illegal.

That's my take on a bill coming before the Utah State Legislature that will clarify the right of concealed weapon permittees to openly carry firearms in public places in Utah.

In a Salt Lake Tribune article entitled: "Bill would allow concealed-weapons permit holders to carry firearms openly", HB473 would stipulate that it's not illegal for CCW holders to carry in full view.

"The proposal would ensure that concealed-weapons permit holders are not required to conceal their firearms. It would allow permittees to openly carry loaded weapons into schools, colleges, hospitals and other public arenas. Proponents say the measure only "clarifies" existing law to ensure a right permittees already have, while opponents say open-carry would result in "untenable situations" at schools. "

Apparently current gun laws allow permittees to open carry anyplace where it's legal to carry concealed, but it's not totally clear. In other words, the law has been poorly written, and doesn't properly convey the intent of the legislators.

"I'm not saying [open-carry is] a great idea; I'm just saying it's not illegal," said gun-rights lobbyist Clark Aposhian. "This [legislation] is not creating new law. It's a definition of an existing ability permit holders already have."

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff spoke at the hearing, saying existing weapons laws can reasonably be read to both allow and prohibit open-carry on school grounds.

"I'm not taking a side," Shurtleff said in a Tuesday interview. "You just can't have different agencies interpreting the law differently. It should be clarified so everyone reads it the same way."

Additional confusion exists as to whether an inadvertent display of a concealed weapon, such as could occur when an armed man opens his coat to reach for a phone or wallet, constitutes a violation of the law, Shurtleff added.

Well, I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV or the internet, but if I understand correctly, Utah state law doesn't currently require law abiding citizens to have a permit in order to openly carry firearms. There are limitations, of course. For example, if you don't have a Concealed Firearm Permit, you can't openly carry a loaded gun inside a motor vehicle.

I'm not sure this is a fight worth fighting, because the rights of concealed carry permit holders is pretty well settled here in Utah. What this does is open up another can of worms regarding the rights of people to carry openly. Gun rights activists are going to have to fight and win battles all over again that they've already fought and won.

I'm not sure what the language of HB473 actually says, but my feeling is that it should state that open carry by permittees is not illegal in any area in the state that concealed carry is permitted. Also inadvertent, unintentional exposure of a concealed weapon isn't an illegal act.

Now, here's why I think open carry is a bad idea.

1. There is a strong counter-culture in society that is strongly opposed to regular citizens owning and carrying guns. Openly carrying firearms needlessly stirs the pot and riles up those people who would take any opportunity to strengthen gun control laws and confiscate all guns not issued by law enforcement or the military. The Second Amendment doesn't exist for these people. The fact that gun control laws only disarm the public and give career criminals a safe work environment is just so much rhetoric, to their way of thinking.

2. Openly carrying firearms marks a person as a target for theft or even worse. It's illegal for criminals to possess firearms, and a favored way of gaining possession of guns is to steal them. There have been many documented instances where people openly carrying guns were robbed and "relieved" of their hardware. Also, open carry marks you as a target for any person with criminal intent to shoot you first. A recent example comes easily to mind: the case of the digruntled citizen who entered a city council meeting, walked up to the armed police officer who was present, gunned him down, and then went to work on the city council unmolested.

I say it shouldn't be illegal to inadvertently or unintentionally expose your legal carry weapon, but let's keep them concealed if we can. The last thing I want is to be the focus of attention when I carry a gun into a room full of people.

Dennis Prager Asks Some Questions About School Shootings

2008-02-19T10:24:00.004-07:00

In an article that appeared online at Jewish World Review, Dennis Prager asks some hard questions about recent trends in news coverage of shootings at universities. Mr. Prager has his own take on each of these questions, and I suggest you read the column for yourself.

Question 1: Why are murderers always counted in the victims tally? The day after the mass murder of students at Northern Illinois University (NIU), the headline in the closest major newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, was: "6 Dead in NIU Shooting."

"6 dead" included the murderer. Why wasn't the headline "5 killed at NIU"? It is nothing less than moronic that the media routinely lump murderers and their victims in the same tally.

My take is that the mindset of our media gatekeepers is that the dead perpetrator is not the real "bad guy". Gun Violence is the real bad guy, and the dead perpetrator is just another unfortunate victim.

Question 2: Which of these three options is more likely to prevent further murderous rampages: a) making universities closed campuses and increasing the police presence on campus (as the president of NIU has promised to do); b) making guns much harder to obtain; or c) enabling specially trained students and faculty to carry concealed weapons on campus?

...Of course, there is virtually no chance that the uniformly left-thinking individuals who run our universities will ever consider ... [option c]. To do so would mean abandoning what is essentially a religious-like conviction that guns are immoral rather than the people who use them immorally.

It's part of the narrative, isn't it? Guns are evil, not people (except for evangelical Christians, conservatives and Republicans).

Question 3: Why are "shooter" and "gunman" used instead of "killer" or "murderer"?
If a murderer used a knife to murder five students, no news headlines would read, "Knifeman Kills Five." So why always "shooter" and "gunman"?

Obviously, since the narrative is that guns are bad, not people, phrasing it this way focuses attention, and also the blame, on guns and gun violence, instead of placing responsibility for the evil act upon the actor.

Question 4: Why is "murder" never used to describe homicides involved in these university massacres? And why is "murderer" never used to describe these murderers? Why has "kill" become the only word allowed for deliberate homicide?

Perhaps it has something to do with our compunction to not try and convict people in the press before they are actually convicted in a court of law. And it's easier to throw the perps in with the victims if they're not classified as murderers. Remember, guns are evil, not people, and it's easier to sell that narrative if we don't call them "murderers".

Question 5: Would the press note killers' religiosity if they were all Christian?

I don't think think there's any question that they would, and of course, they'd be right to do it. Mr. Prager makes a valid point in his article. Read the whole thing here.

Storm Damage, All Fixed Up

2008-02-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Recently I posted about a storm that came in and blew the siding off the back of our house. Here's a picture of the damage.

We notified our builder, Fieldstone Homes, about the damage right away, via an internet warranty request. About 90 minutes later we received a call from the warranty representative, and she was at our house within the hour to inspect the damage. She assured us that the damage would be repaired and the siding replaced within the next day or two. And before she left, she took care of a couple of other warranty items inside the house. She was cheerful, competent and reassuring. I was impressed. Her name was Annette.

And she didn't disappoint. The damage occurred on Monday, and there was a siding crew at our house Wednesday morning, ready to go to work. That was around 9:30 or 10 a.m.

They were done by noon.

Yes, I'm happy.

Just a note about the color in the photographs: the first picture (of the damage) was taken at mid-day and shows the color most accurately. It's called sand. The pictures of the repaired siding were taken just before sunset, and the light was a lot "warmer" and makes the house look yellow. The only time the house looks like this is right after sunrise and just before sunset. Photographers call this kind of light "sweet light" because it is bright, warm and dramatic. It's the best time to shoot landscapes. Most calendar pictures of places like the Grand Canyon and Arches National Park, etc. are shot at this time of day because of that.

Major League Baseball Umps in a Snit Over Background Checks

2008-01-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

According to this AP story, the umpires are unhappy about the league conducting background checks.

"Umpires are livid that Major League Baseball has sent investigators to their hometowns, asking neighbors a series of questions that include whether the ump belongs to the Ku Klux Klan. "

"Baseball stepped up background checks last August, after it became public that the FBI was investigating NBA referee Tim Donaghy for betting on games. Donaghy pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce, and he awaits sentencing."

Some of the questions that neighbors are being asked:

Does he live within his means?
Does he beat his wife?
Does he throw wild parties?
Have you seen the police at his house?
Does he belong to groups such as the Ku Klux Klan?
Does he grow marijuana plants?

My take on this tempest in a teapot is that no major league umpire should be upset about these questions as long as the answer to all of them is "no".

If the answer is "yes", well then the umpire and the league might have a problem.

Sports officiating is a vocation where the standards of performance are pretty high. Let's face it, the standard is perfection. Coaches, players, spectators and media all expect umpires and referees to get every call right, and if they don't, they're suspected of incompetence.

Major league baseball has a vested interest in protecting the integrity of their product. Umpires have to be not only competent at a high level, but their personal lives have to be above reproach. I think the leagues have every right to know the answer to all of the above questions and many more. Above reproach doesn't mean that having to answer these questions is beneath their dignity.

Storm Damage, We Got Some

2008-01-29T09:29:00.001-07:00

About 8:15 yesterday morning I heard a loud thumping on the side of my house. It sounded like the wind was ripping the siding off. Sure enough, that's exactly what was happening.

Actually, this is the back of the house. We were expecting a storm any minute, but at this time the skies were only partly cloudy, and we had sunshine. However, the wind was pretty boisterous. I wasn't too concerned about the house until I saw this. We've had strong gusts before and nothing like this has ever happened.

About 8:30 I sent in a warranty request to our homebuilder, Fieldstone Homes. I got a call about 10 a.m. and a warranty rep was on our doorstep an hour later to survey the damage. She assured me that they would have a crew on site in the next two days to repair the damage and replace the siding. That was good to hear. Our one year warranty expires in mid-February.

Update: the siding was replaced Wednesday morning before noon, (two days after the damage was done). So everything's back to normal. I'll post pictures later.

Steven Colbert, TV Comic, But Not Exactly A Comedic Genius

2008-01-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've watched local and national news coverage of President Hinckley's passing with considerable interest. I think it's accurate to say that coverage has been respectful, for the most part, and in some instances, particularly on the local level, even reverent.

I caught the Colbert Report late last night just as he began his "tribute" to the late president of the Mormon Church. He said it was obvious Gordon Hinckley was in perfect health at the time of his passing, so he wondered why no one seemed interested in delving into the mystery of his sudden death, because it seemed apparent to him that Hinckley had been murdered.

And who would benefit from Hinckley's death? Clearly it was Thomas S. Monson, who is likely to be named the new Mormon Church president. Why was that significant? Because Mitt Romney, a Mormon, could possibly be our next U.S. President, and then Romney would take his marching orders from Monson, just as John Kennedy had taken his from the Pope. Clearly Monson was looking forward to the time that Romney would be his personal puppet.

Now, Steven Colbert is a comedian whose schtick is to mock politicians and world leaders and make light of subjects and situations that most people take seriously. I get that. And apparently Colbert's studio audience thought this routine was hilarious. But I found myself squirming uncomfortably. I wasn't laughing. It didn't seem very funny to me.

Undeterred by my discomfort, Colbert plunged ahead. He claimed that if Barack Obama were to win the election and move into the White House, he would be taking orders from his spirtual leader, Oprah. Or more accurately, he said, "the Pope-rah", and here he showed an image of Oprah wearing a papal mitre on her head.

For the first time in this comedic routine, I laughed out loud. Okay, I said, that was funny. But for me, it seemed like it took a long time to get there.

I'm not sure how funny our Catholic friends may have found this part of the routine. I'm a little reluctant to ask anyone. But it seems strange that in these times of sensitivity and political correctness, it's quite okay to mock people of faith such as Catholics and Mormons, while certain other ethnic and religious groups are stictly off limits.

What's up with that?

On Banning the Death Penalty

2008-01-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

Dennis Prager, in a column at the Jewish World Review today had this to say about New Jersey's recent banishment of the death penalty:

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, in explaining his state's abolition of the death penalty, announced that he knew "from my heart and from my soul" that no murderer should be put to death.

As it happens, I know from my heart and from my soul that not putting any murderer to death is a cosmic injustice; it cheapens the worth of human life and greatly diminishes the revulsion society feels toward murder.

___________________________

Nevertheless, whatever the ultimate source of opposition among some opponents of capital punishment, in the case of Gov. Corzine and many other abolitionists, their hearts are the ultimate source of their opposition to taking the life of any murderer. And in such cases, it remains fair to say that such hearts are indeed different from the hearts of those of us who feel equally strongly that keeping all murderers alive is a cosmic injustice, an insult to the murdered and an ongoing nightmare to those who loved the murdered.

Amen, and amen.

I'm Done With Google Ads--DONE!

2008-01-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

There, now I feel better. Thanks for letting me vent.

Help Heal Heather's Heart

2008-01-14T12:37:00.001-07:00

Heather and Jestin Dorius is a couple in our neighborhood with four young children. Heather, age 31, has had serious heart problems for 11 years or so. Heather has had two dangerous episodes in a six-month period that were life threatening. If she has another episode she is not likely to survive. There’s a surgical procedure available that has a 90% success rate, but it’s very expensive, and the Dorius family doesn’t have health insurance. We’re trying to raise $40,000 to $60,000 by February so she can have this surgery performed around Valentine’s Day.

Heather and Jestin are not poor or indigent. They don’t need clothing, food, shelter or transportation. They are both gainfully self employed; she’s a realtor, he’s an electrical contractor. They’re simply a good solid middle class family who can’t get health insurance because of her pre-existing medical condition. No insurance company wants to take on a client who’s 100% likely to need expensive medical care.

If you can help, please go to Help Heal Heather's Heart and make a donation. If you’re not comfortable with paypal, email me at p_t_max@myway.com and I’ll email you directly with contact information where you can send a check.

For more information and background, please go to the Dorius Family Blog.
If you can spare a donation, God bless you. If you can’t, God bless you, too. Thanks for your time.

Happy Birthday, Bradley

2008-01-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

Two young pups

"Anything you guys can do, I can do, too!"

Brad took it upon himself to guard the snacks at his older brothers soccer games. Here he is keeping a close watch on a cookie.

Brad's first birthday present.

I came home from work and took my hat off, and Brad grabbed it and put it on and struck this pose. I grabbed my camera and snapped this shot, one of my favorite.

Brad the Crush guzzler
First birthday cake

Brad on the slide at the city park.
Bradley recharging at Lagoon Day.

Pinewood Space Derby winners!

Brad's Birthday Bike

Bulldog 64

Fall 2000

Petersen Family All Grown Up

Brad is married to Jodi and they have two boys of their own, with another baby on the way.

When Bradley was a youngster it was pretty hard to miss him because he was not quiet and shy. He had so much enthusiasm that it seemed like whenever he went somewhere, it was on the dead run, and every time he said anything, it was at the top of his lungs. If Brad was unhappy, he was usually pretty quiet, but if he was happy, you knew it because he was loud.

Since he's grown up, Brad's personality hasn't changed very much. He's enthusiastic, gregarious and loves life. He's a grill chef at Carabba's Restuarant in Orem, and the people there love him because he works hard and loves his job. If you want a good meal, go there some week night and sit at the pasta bar and watch him work. It's a double treat.

Happy Birthday, Brad, and many more.

New Feature: Labels

2008-01-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

I've added a new feature to blog648: "labels". Or at least I've activated the function, since the labels feature has been available for quite a while, now. Over on the sidebar is a section titled "My Issues", and there I've listed all the categories that my posts fall into. Most of the categories actually are issues, but others are subjects that I feel are important, but not actually "issues". I've listed them by frequency rather than alphabetically. So if you're interested in posts about my family, click on "Family", and it will bring up all the posts in the blog with that label attached, all on one page. It's a work in progress, and I'm not done with it yet. Bear with me.

Sean Taylor Died Because He Took A Knife To A Gunfight.

2008-01-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins football player who was gunned down in his home last year, died because he took a knife to a gunfight. The NFL contributed to the circumstances of his death by insisting on a "no guns" policy for NFL players, putting all their people at risk of being unarmed victims.

Sean Taylor, awakened in the middle of the night by the noise of someone breaking into his home, armed himself with a machete to protect himself and his family. His attacker was armed with a firearm, and shot and killed him.

What if Sean Taylor had had a gun? Chances are better than even that he'd still be alive today. But all he had was a large knife, and now he's dead. He never had a chance.

The four young thugs who were bent on robbing Taylor are primarily responsible for his death. But the league is complicit because they foster an attitude of disarmament and submission among their personnel. NFL players have a high profile, are often famous, wealthy, and thanks to the NFL, unarmed and unprotected.

This is only the beginning, folks. There will be much more of this as long as the NFL clings to this insane policy. In an article at Reasononline this league policy and the weak rationale behind it are discussed at length. Read the whole thing.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

And a safe holiday. If you're traveling, be careful. Drive carefully.

Should Proprietors of "Gun-Free Zones" Where Shootings Occur Be Shielded From Liability?

2007-12-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

This columnist laments the fact that the vast majority of media reports of incidents like these rarely ask why these shootings most often occur in "gun free zones", but he also advocates that those who block peoples rights to self-defense, and therefore their right to life deserve to pay a financial penalty.

From an op-ed column in the Las Vegas Review by Vin Suprynowicz:

Nebraska issues permits "allowing" qualified individuals to carry concealed handguns. (The Second and 14th amendments reaffirm that carrying a weapon is a right, not a privilege -- states have no more legitimate power to require a "permit" for weapons carrying than they have to require a "permit" to attend church or publish a newspaper.)

Leaving aside this "permitting" scheme, Nebraska law allows property owners, such as the Westroads Mall, to post signs banning permit holders from legally carrying guns on their property.

...

The question is not whether private property owners have a right to bar firearms on their property -- they do.

...

Rather, the first question here is whether our government agencies are making it fully clear to the managers of buildings otherwise open to the public -- such as Clark County's courthouses and public libraries -- that they will not be shielded from the financial repercussions should employees or customers die under circumstances where they could otherwise have defended themselves and others with their own firearms.

...

If you frequent public buildings or work for an employer who bars you from carrying your otherwise legal self-defense weapon, consider advising your loved ones in writing that -- in the event you should die under circumstances where you could have saved yourself and others with your handgun -- you want the proprietor sued personally.

Guns save lives. Since banning guns costs lives, shouldn't the individuals who ban self-defense -- not the victimized taxpayers -- pay the price?

It's an interesting column. Read the whole thing.

By the way, I've put up a poll over on the sidebar. If you have an opinion regarding proprietor liability, be sure to vote.

We Can Barely Predict the Weather--Yet We Want to Control the Climate?

2007-12-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

From a report published in the Canada Free Press:

Climate scientists at the University of Rochester, the University of Alabama, and the University of Virginia report that observed patterns of temperature changes (‘fingerprints’) over the last thirty years are not in accord with what greenhouse models predict and can better be explained by natural factors, such as solar variability. Therefore, climate change is ‘unstoppable’ and cannot be affected or modified by controlling the emission of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, as is proposed in current legislation.

These results are in conflict with the conclusions of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and also with some recent research publications based on essentially the same data. However, they are supported by the results of the US-sponsored Climate Change Science Program (CCSP).
________________________________

The report is published in the December 2007 issue of the International Journal of Climatology of the Royal Meteorological Society [DOI: 10.1002/joc.1651]. The authors are Prof. David H. Douglass (Univ. of Rochester), Prof. John R. Christy (Univ. of Alabama), Benjamin D. Pearson (graduate student), and Prof. S. Fred Singer (Univ. of Virginia).
_________________________________

Co-author S. Fred Singer said: "The current warming trend is simply part of a natural cycle of climate warming and cooling that has been seen in ice cores, deep-sea sediments, stalagmites, etc., and published in hundreds of papers in peer-reviewed journals. The mechanism for producing such cyclical climate changes is still under discussion; but they are most likely caused by variations in the solar wind and associated magnetic fields that affect the flux of cosmic rays incident on the earth’s atmosphere. In turn, such cosmic rays are believed to influence cloudiness and thereby control the amount of sunlight reaching the earth’s surface and thus the climate." Our research demonstrates that the ongoing rise of atmospheric CO2 has only a minor influence on climate change. We must conclude, therefore, that attempts to control CO2 emissions are ineffective and pointless. – but very costly.

So--we can barely predict the weather 5 days out, and we want to control the climate. We'll bring back the Dark Ages before that happens.

A Proud Day For New Jersey--And New Jersey Murderers.

2007-12-17T13:35:00.001-07:00

AP photo/M J Schear

New Jersey Democrats: Proudly working to defend the rights of New Jersey's murderers.

New Jersey’s governor Jon Corzine signed legislation banning the death penalty today and commuted the sentences of 8 convicted murderers to life imprisonment without parole.

Families of murdered victims opposed the legislation, and Republicans had sought exceptions for murderers of law enforcement officials and those who murdered rape victims and children. Democrat legislators would have none of that.

Read the AP Story here.

Capital Punishment for capital crimes. If a killer is put to death, he will never kill again. There is genuine deterrent value in that fact alone.

Google ads vs. "my" ads.

2007-12-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Again, let me remind you that I have no control over Google ads that appear at the top of this blog, so they don’t necessarily represent my point of view.

However, ads that appear in the sidebar are there because I placed them there, and I heartily endorse those products, businesses and people.

So far, I have never received any monetary consideration for ad space on my blog. However, I'm not saying that will never change.

Okay, I'll admit it--I have issues. Here they are.

2007-12-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

"Anthropogenic Climate Change" Activism is a Socialistic Fraud. We’ll bring back the Dark Ages before we control the climate or have any appreciable effect on climate change.

Gun Control/Second Amendment/Gun Rights/Self-Defense: Law abiding citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. "Bear arms" means to carry firearms. Law abiding citizens have a constitutional right to carry guns. Disarmed citizens aren’t citizens at all, but rather are unarmed subjects of a tyrannical government and potential victims at the mercy of criminals and thugs. Law abiding citizens have a natural right, indeed a moral obligation to defend themselves, their families, their homes and property from harm, theft, destruction or mischief.

Main Stream Media Bias/Liberal Dominated Old Media/New Media/First Amendment Freedoms–The First Amendment was designed primarily to protect the rights of citizens to free speech and free exercise of religious liberties, not as the media would have us believe, to protect the rights of an elite "professional" media. Because the media is dominated by liberals and Democrats, it has morphed into a bizarre , unelected "fourth branch of government" that has arrogated to itself the exercise of checks and balances on the "other" three branches. They have a liberal agenda to push, and they don’t let little things like facts get in their way.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act/Campaign Finance Reform/McCain-Feingold/Term Limits/Usurpation of First Amendment Freedoms–This act didn’t do what is was touted to do, keep big money and big donors out of the political campaign financing process and prevent them from buying political influence. People have quickly found ways around those provisions. Instead the BCRA very effectively curtails First Amendment liberties and entrenches a permanent class of professional politicians in Congress by making it extremely difficult for challengers to get elected. It makes it virtually illegal to mention incumbent Congressional members by name in campaign ads within 60 days of a Congressional election. Congress never should have passed this law, but they knew it was an incumbent protection law disguised as campaign finance reform. President George W. Bush should have vetoed this travesty of a bill, but cravenly chose not to fight Congress and signed the legislation. The Supreme Court should have overturned it on the grounds that it abridges First Amendment freedoms, but they tucked their robes between their legs and fled. The American people were betrayed by all three branches of the government in this case. Checks and balances were non-existent when it came to the BCRA. McCain/Feingold should be repealed and term limits set and imposed, but it won’t happen because Congress is a den of thieves.

Government is too big and Taxes are too high. Democrats have always been "tax and spend". Republicans have touted themselves as being conservative and fiscally responsible, but lately have been "spend and spend". Pork Barrel politics has got to end. Congress is a den of thieves.

The Constitution means what it says and says what it means. It’s not a "living document" with hidden meanings and rights emanating from "penumbrae" or any other absurd gyrations of elitist rhetoric.

Capital punishment for capital crimes. If a killer is put to death he will never kill again. There is genuine deterrent value in that fact alone.

Hate crimes legislation is bad policy because it divides society into protected and non-protected classes of citizens vying for political clout, and negates "equal protection under the law". With the deplorable backlog of cases in America’s courts, there’s the genuine possibility that "hate crimes" against minorities and homosexuals would be given prosecutorial priority, while equally serious crimes against "non-protected" classes of victims would languish in the backlog.

The Long War/The Global War On Terror/National Security, etc. We need to fight all forms of tyranny, especially Islamofacism and terrorism, not surrender to it.

The problems with Social Security can be alleviated significantly if Congress will do one thing: Refrain from plundering the funds to finance pork. Put the money in a fund to pay current and future entitlements and don’t touch it for any other purpose. That condition by itself would go a long way toward fixing the problem. But Congress is a den of thieves, and they can’t resist taking money that doesn’t belong to them.

Earthly legislatures have no authority to repeal the laws and commandments of God.

The Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3-17) are good rules to live by.
1. Don’t worship other gods.
2. Don’t make or use any image for the purpose of worship.
3. Don’t profane the name of God.
4. Keep the Sabbath.
5. Treat your parents honorably and respectfully.
6. Don’t commit murder.
7. Don’t commit adultery, fornication or other sexual sin.
8. Don’t take what isn’t yours, neither through embezzlement, fraud, thievery, burglary or robbery, or any other exercise of unrighteous dominion.
9. Be honest and truthful in all your dealings.
10. Don’t covet what doesn’t belong to you, neither wealth, property, political power or personal relationships.

I’m not saying that the Ten Commandments should be incorporated lock stock and barrel into our civil code. However, legislatures and courts should cease and desist from waging war on religion and religious expression in the public square.

The basic building block of society is the family, and families are built on the foundation of marriage. I support a Constitutional amendment stipulating that marriage is between one man and one woman. If gays want to live together in "social unions" or whatever, I’m okay with that. But don’t call it marriage or give it the same legal status.

Gays should have the right to serve openly in the military as long as heterosexual servicemen’s rights are protected equally. Any sexual harassment or quid pro quo should be prosecuted and guilty perpetrators dismissed from the service without pension benefits.

Abortion for convenience is wrong and immoral. It’s pre-natal infanticide and a deliberate violation of the Sixth Commandment.

If tissues and organs can be grown without killing fetuses, I’m for it. But why should research be paid for by taxpayer dollars? Again, government is too big and taxes are too high.

The United Nations Opposes Democracy and Rights to Self-Defense or Individual Gun Rights. It has morphed into a dictator’s club and den of thieves where human rights are routinely trampled and abused. We should quit funding the UN, withdraw from membership and expel it from our shores.

The Law of the Sea Treaty surrenders U.S. sovereignty. Our government should not be a party to it.

Update: Dutch Ryan Petersen

2007-12-15T17:17:00.001-07:00

Born Monday 10 December 2007, 1:04 a.m.

7 lbs. 5 oz. 19 inches.

He looks healthy, ruddy and robust. We're thrilled.

GLOBAL WARMING--It's Not About Saving the Planet.

2007-12-15T10:35:00.001-07:00

The “Anthropogenic Climate Change ” movement is not about saving the planet from catastrophic pollution and disaster. It’s about political power and redistribution of wealth. It’s a socialist scam. What it will do is bring an end to industrial progress and prosperity, create massive worldwide poverty and therefore a (perceived) need for more socialist programs. It’s at it’s heart nihilistic. It’s in no way beneficial to mankind or the planet.

BALI, Indonesia – A global tax on carbon dioxide emissions was urged to help save the Earth from catastrophic man-made global warming at the United Nations climate conference. A panel of UN participants on Thursday urged the adoption of a tax that would represent "a global burden sharing system, fair, with solidarity, and legally binding to all nations."

"Finally someone will pay for these [climate related] costs," Othmar Schwank, a global tax advocate, told Inhofe EPW Press Blog following the panel discussion titled "A Global CO2 Tax." Schwank is a consultant with the Switzerland based Mauch Consulting firm.

Schwank said at least "$10-$40 billion dollars per year" could be generated by the tax, and wealthy nations like the U.S. would bear the biggest burden based on the "polluters pay principle."

The U.S. and other wealthy nations need to "contribute significantly more to this global fund," Schwank explained. He also added, "It is very essential to tax coal."

The UN was presented with a new report from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment titled "Global Solidarity in Financing Adaptation." The report stated there was an "urgent need" for a global tax in order for "damages [from climate change] to be kept from growing to truly catastrophic levels, especially in vulnerable countries of the developing world."

The tens of billions of dollars per year generated by a global tax would "flow into a global Multilateral Adaptation Fund" to help nations cope with global warming, according to the report.

But others are raising their voices in opposition to a global tax, claiming that it's futile.

However, ideas like a global tax and the overall UN climate agenda met strong opposition Thursday from a team of over 100 prominent international scientists who warned the UN that attempting to control the Earth's climate was "ultimately futile."

The scientists wrote, "The IPCC's conclusions are quite inadequate as justification for implementing policies that will markedly diminish future prosperity. In particular, it is not established that it is possible to significantly alter global climate through cuts in human greenhouse gas emissions." The scientists, many of whom are current or former members of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sent the December 13 letter to the UN Secretary-General.

Others let it slip what it's really all about: redistribution of wealth.

The environmental group Friends of the Earth, in attendance in Bali, also advocated the transfer of money from rich to poor nations on Wednesday.

"A climate change response must have at its heart a redistribution of wealth and resources," said Emma Brindal, a climate justice campaigner coordinator for Friends of the Earth.

This is incredible bald faced insanity. Read the whole thing. And check out all the links.

WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA, DID.

2007-12-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

When I was in my first marriage I started putting money into the company employee savings plan, a 401(k). After a few months we got a statement in the mail, and for the first time, my wife became aware that we had $900.00 tucked away in that plan. She wanted that money, and she pestered me and hounded me to get it out for over two months. I told her that the taxes and penalties for early withdrawal would cost us $300, but she didn’t care. I finally relented, withdrew the money, and she took the $600 and "paid off the Mastercard", or something like that. And I forgot about putting money away in the company savings plan.

That woman and I parted company a few years later at her request, and the first thing I did was to start putting money away in the company 401(k) again. With the company match, and by watching and managing my investments carefully, that nest egg grew until four years ago when I was able to combine it with a company buy-out and retire comfortably at the age of 56.

I regretted that our marriage ended the way it did, but some things are just not meant to be. If I had stayed in that marriage, I’d be over 60 years old now, with no savings and no prospects for a comfortable retirement. I didn’t see it then, but when she demanded a divorce, it was my lucky day.

I remarried 11 years ago, to a lovely woman who had never been married before. She had always managed her own financial affairs, and we never even thought about merging our bank accounts or other financial matters. In fact, we’d been married for four years before it occurred to me that I should put her on the company health insurance, and she should do the same with me where she worked, and we’d be double covered. And because she’s always maintained a stellar credit rating, when it came time to find a home, we were able to finance the purchase of a brand new home with no income other than our monthly withdrawals from our retirement funds.

Marriage is a partnership, and ideally, it should be one that works for both parties. Saving should be a part of that partnership, and saving for retirement should be part of your saving strategy.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda, did. Thank heaven.

Announcing a New Arrival, Baby Dutch.

2007-12-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Some time earlier this week, we hear, our new grandson arrived.

As you can see, he has lots of curly blond hair.

His name is Dutch. Other than that we don't know much about him. We haven't heard anything of birth weight or length, or even the time and date of birth. We'll see if we can find out more.

A couple of years ago their mother gave birth to twins, a boy and girl, who were premature. They didn't survive, and we were all heartbroken. Naturally we're thrilled that this little guy was born full term and appears healthy, even robust.

Welcome, little one.

Update: Incidentally, for more details about our other recent arrival, grandson Elmer Kai Barrientos, check out my daughter Noelle's blog.

National Review Endorses Mitt.

2007-12-11T15:22:00.001-07:00

You read that right. National Review has endorsed Mitt Romney. Yes, I agree. It's a big deal.

From the endorsement essay:

We believe that Romney is a natural ally of social conservatives. He speaks often about the toll of fatherlessness in this country. He may not have thought deeply about the political dimensions of social issues until, as governor, he was confronted with the cutting edge of social liberalism. No other Republican governor had to deal with both human cloning and court-imposed same-sex marriage. He was on the right side of both issues, and those battles seem to have made him see the stakes of a broad range of public-policy issues more clearly. He will work to put abortion on a path to extinction. Whatever the process by which he got to where he is on marriage, judges, and life, we’re glad he is now on our side — and we trust him to stay there.

For some people, Romney’s Mormonism is still a barrier. But we are not electing a pastor. The notion that he will somehow be controlled by Salt Lake City or engaged in evangelism for his church is outlandish. He deserves to be judged on his considerable merits as a potential president. As he argued in his College Station speech, his faith informs his values, which he has demonstrated in both the private and public sectors. In none of these cases have any specific doctrines of his church affected the quality of his leadership. Romney is an exemplary family man and a patriot whose character matches the high office to which he aspires.

More than the other primary candidates, Romney has President Bush’s virtues and avoids his flaws. His moral positions, and his instincts on taxes and foreign policy, are the same. But he is less inclined to federal activism, less tolerant of overspending, better able to defend conservative positions in debate, and more likely to demand performance from his subordinates. A winning combination, by our lights. In this most fluid and unpredictable Republican field, we vote for Mitt Romney.

Hat tip: Matt Drudge and Hugh Hewitt.

Ward Christmas Party (With Santa Claus).

2007-12-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Last night was the ward Christmas party. I took pictures. We had a special visitor, and most the kids were thrilled. Here a charming little girl tells Santa she's not only cute, but good, too.

"Hey, weren't you just here?"

"No, that wasn't me, honest!"

This little guy's shirt read "Dear Santa, Define Good..."

This little guy was having none of this Santa Claus business. Give him a scary Jack O'Lantern and trick or treat any day.

This little boy, a twin, tried to bribe Santa with money.

This charming little girl explains to Santa all the things that are on her list.

This little girl thought Santa was pretty entertaining.

This little guy was thrilled to show Santa what was on his list.

There are lots more pictures over at the R T W photoblog. Check it out.

MEET MISS UTAH, DECORATED COMBAT MEDIC.

2007-12-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here’s my choice for Miss America, Sgt. Jill Stevens, a decorated combat medic and veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Hat tip: Gateway Pundit.

Paul Greenberg Calls Bubba On His Revisionist Memory.

2007-11-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

In a recent post I referred to an ABC News story that quoted Bill Clinton as saying he’d always been opposed to the war in Iraq, but offered evidence to the contrary.

Paul Greenberg has an article online at the Jewish World Review which he calls "Slick Willie Rides Again", and in which he goes into more detail.

Was his ex-post-facto support for that war just an innocent lapse of memory, or of character? Me, I've always had the greatest respect for Bill Clinton's memory.

Now he's back playing games with the past again. But never fear, should the long light of history reveal that in the end this long, long struggle in Iraq has bolstered freedom and stability in that always-volatile part of the world, rest assured, Bill Clinton will have been for it all along.

It's well worth reading the whole thing.

The Face of Facism: Sudanese Muslims Call For Teacher's Execution in Blasphemy Case

2007-11-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

Thousands of Muslims gathered in Khartoum's Martyr's Square and demanded the death of a British school teacher convicted of blasphemy because she allowed her students to name a toy bear after Islam's most highly esteemed prophet.

Gillian Gibbons was sentenced by the court to 15 days in jail and deportation. The maximum penalty under Sudanese law is 6 months in jail, a fine and deportation. But protesters gathered in the square and chanted: "No tolerance! Kill her. Kill her by firing squad!" and "Shame on the U.K." Even her defense attorneys have received death threats.

Gibbons had allowed her 7 year old class members to vote on names for the toy. Their overwhelming choice was Muhammed.

The school where she worked regrets her deportation because she was a good teacher.

So Islam is the religion of peace and tolerance? I don't think so. And I don't think this is the end of the story. Before this blows over, someone will die at the hands of some fanatical nut job in the name of Islamic honor. These people don't teach or practice tolerance and love, but they glorify hate, practice intolerance and preach murder. Despicable.

And by the way, calling the haters on their hatred does not make me an Islamophobe, nor a hater. But I do despise this silly uproar over a teacher's minor faux pas. It's taking political correctness to ridiculous extremes. Capital punishment for capital crimes. To borrow a phrase from HRC, this requires the "willing suspension of disbelief."

You can read the A. P. story here.

Freshly Picked

2007-11-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

All photos for this post were provided by Susan Petersen

My daughter-in-law, Susan Petersen has gone into business for herself. She sews handmade blankets, quilts, diaper bags, handbags, baby clothes and lots of other stuff. She calls her little business "Freshly Picked", and she has a website. Check it out. If you like what you see, be sure to leave a comment and tell her I sent you.

Here's a sampling of things that she has made and posted on her blog. I'm sure a lot of the items you see here have already been sold, but this should give you a good idea of the kind of things she sews. She doesn't have a store but works at home and goes to bazaars and farmers markets and she's been quite successful.

She'll be at the Beehive Bazaar in Provo on next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. The address is 425 W. Center St. It's the Covey Center for the Arts. The hours for Friday are 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. and for Saturday it's open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you see her, tell her I said hi.

Here's her contact information:

Susan Petersen

email: suezpetersen@gmail.com
http://www.freshlypicked.blogspot.com/
http://www.freshlypicked.etsy.com/
801 502-6623

BYU Cougar Fight Song Ad

2007-11-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

For four days after the Utah-BYU football game Google has taunted me by posting an ad for the Utah Utes Fight Song ringtone on my blog.

Finally, tonight, they post one for the BYU Cougar Fight Song. 'BOUT TIME!!!

Papa Jack's Bacon Chili Cheese Nachos

2007-11-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

1/2 can Nalley’s Chili Con Carne with beans
1 generous fistful of nacho or tortilla style corn chips
2 slices of bacon
1 tsp of Tabsco Habanero Sauce
3 or 4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
1 generous dollop of sour cream
1 generous dollop of salsa

Put the bacon on a paper plate, cover with a paper towel and nuke in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Pour half the can of chili in a large cup or small microwaveable bowl, cover with paper towel and nuke for 1 minute.

Cut bacon into bite size pieces and mix into chili and Tabasco Habanero Sauce. If preferred, mix bacon grease into chili. Nuke for another minute or so.

Place corn chips on plate and break into bite size pieces.Pour chili and bacon over chips, place cheese over chili and nuke until cheese is melted.

Top with generous dollop of sour cream and another of salsa.

Accompany with preferred beverage. Mine is Diet Dr Pepper.

Yum!

Serves one.

If you want more, use the whole can of chili and double up on everything else.

Double yum!!

Yes, like is good.

Bill Stumps For Hill, Claims He Was Always Against the Iraq War. Huh?

2007-11-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

That’s what he said yesterday while campaigning for his wife in Iowa. But other people’s memories aren’t quite so fuzzy, and they’re saying "Not so fast!"

From ABC News via Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters come the following:

"So, you're sitting there as President, you're reeling in the aftermath of [September 11], so, yeah, you want to go get bin Laden and do Afghanistan and all that. But you also have to say, well, my first responsibility now is to try everything possible to make sure that this terrorist network and other terrorist networks cannot reach chemical and biological weapons or small amounts of fissile material. I've got to do that. That's why I supported the Iraq thing." ("His Side Of The Story," Time, 6/28/04)

"'Saddam is gone and good riddance,' former President Bill Clinton said yesterday. Clinton also said Bush should not be faulted if banned weapons of mass destruction aren't found. 'I don't think you can criticize the President for trying to act on the belief that they have a substantial amount of chemical and biological stock. ... That is what I was always told.'" (Joel Siegel, "W Fought A Good Fight, Clinton Says," [New York] Daily News, 4/16/03)

"I supported the president when he asked the Congress for authority to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iraq." (Former President Bill Clinton, Remarks At Tougaloo College Commencement, Jackson, MS, 5/18/03)

And then this comment from Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters blog:

Those who profess an undefinable discomfort with a Clinton return to power may find more definition for that discomfort after this display. It's not the equivocation that has people squirming; it's the ease with which Bill Clinton can issue flat-out lies. In fact, the fact that he issues such researchable and exposable lies and still has the chutzpah to use them on the stump that may worry people most of all. Does he really think that the media will allow those statements to go unchallenged?

The pattern here is really unmistakable. In the early days of the war, Bill had no problem climbing onto the Bush bandwagon, claiming support for the war. Now that it has proven as unpopular as it is, Bill wants to rewrite history and claim that he always opposed it, despite his record of public support. He will say anything to match up with the public sentiment of the moment, showing himself as a man completely without reliable principles.

That's the problem for Hillary, who almost completely lacks his campaigning skills and needs his assistance in connecting to voters. Her reliance on his campaigning winds up associating herself with his lack of honesty and credibility. When his slickness combines with her high negatives, Democrats should consider the likely result -- a general-election disaster.

I'm In Business!

2007-11-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

I designed this business card for my neighbor, who's a realtor. She provided the logo, the slogan and the pretty face. I provided the house key and did the photography and the Photoshop work. What do you think? Would you buy a home from this lady?

The black border does not appear on the card. I just added it for the purposes of this blog.

"Gun Owners Are Cowards And Idiots."

2007-11-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

The bottom line is this - If you feel that you couldn't live in a major city without a gun, then you live in fear. And there's a word for people who live in fear. The word is "Coward." And Coward + Gun = Dangerous Idiot.

Got that? If you live in a large city, and you have a gun, you must be a coward, and also an idiot. A dangerous idiot.

The tortured logic is astounding.

I read the above comment in a blog called Classical Values. The post was about Barack Obama's recent comment about people in rural Iowa being likely to need guns but city dwellers neither need nor should be allowed to own guns. Most commenters agreed that Mr. Obama was up in the night, except for the very last commenter.

Guns are dangerous and evil. If you live in a large city and own a gun, you must be a coward and a dangerous idiot. I'm still trying to get my head around that.

People, guns don't kill people. Gun control laws kill people by disarming the law abiding public and guaranteeing career criminals a safe work environment.