POLYGAMY BOOKS

Do Women Really Prefer Obama over Romney?

2012-04-20T14:58:26Z

DO WOMEN REALLY PREFER OBAMA OVER ROMNEY?

According to the polls, the answer is yes. But assuming the polls are correct, why do women prefer Obama over Romney? I have to admit, I’m perplexed. Is it an issue of good looks, skin color or religion? Or is it because of social issues and economics?

Democrats claim they have been more conscious and attentive to women’s issues than Republicans. That may be true in the past but the proposition here involves personalities – individuals. Is it possible that women, who Democrats say are more apt to be liberals, prefer Obama because he is a Democrat?

I have noticed over the last 20 years women becoming more prominent and active in government and in every other aspect of our culture including the military. The only place I see where women are oppressed is in the prostitution trade, Mormon fundamentalism and Islam.

I predict women will play a major role in the 2012 Presidential Election. According to a Fox News poll the gap among women between Obama and Romney is narrowing, down to only 8 points. But the polls seem to change from day to day so I don’t know how reliable they are. Already Ann Romney is playing a major role, thanks to Hillary Rosen. The Obama accusation that the Republicans are at war with women is false and I think the women are slowly wising up to the Obama demagoguery.

When Hillary Rosen blamed Ann for being out of touch with the economy because she had never worked a day in her life, meaning held a job outside the home, she was severely excoriated by both Republicans and Democrats. Rosen immediately became a liability to the Democrats and was promptly “thrown under the bus.” Rosen had been a loyal Democrat strategist for years, but after one misspoke, she was dumped, saying she was now a “stay at home mom.” So much for Democratic appreciation – mess up once and you’re out on your butt.

Van Jones, an African American and alleged communist, who worked in the White House as an Environmental Adviser, conveniently resigned after making statements concerning Bush and 9-11 that were every bit as controversial as Rosen’s statement. But Jones wasn’t thrown under the bus like Rosen. He was quietly transferred and is currently an outspoken advocate for Color of Change, a Black political organization – indicating that in the Obama Administration there may be one standard for Blacks and another for Whites.

A Fox Contributor thought that it was unmarried, young working women that were the group behind Obama. But as the realization that working women’s taxes will be going up, gas at the pumps climbing to unprecedented costs, and food at the super market climbing – the young working gal is apt to change her mind. And according to pundits, the jobless economy has affected women much more than men.

Ann Romney seems as comfortable and articulate behind a mic as her husband. This I suspect is a result of her LDS background where giving talks to large audiences is common place. Her looks and composure suggests she would make a darn good First Lady. And of course she appears to be free of any controversy which will make it hard for her antagonists to find fault. Criticizing her for staying at home raising a wonderful looking family has already backfired.

The Romney family is typical of LDS families, where family and clean living is a high priority. Mitt won’t have to tout LDS family principles, the voters will be able to observe it. This, I think, should appeal to all women.

Some women chose a vocation knowing that they will need to divide their time between occupation and family. For example, you see many women in the legal and medical profession. You can almost pick any industry and you will find women, many are there by choice as well as necessity. There are many women who enter the political arena after their children are raised. These are intelligent women who are not going to be swayed by liberal demagoguery concerning women’s health, abortion and contraceptives. Of course there are going to be women like Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nancy Pelosi on the Democrat side. But place them beside women like Michelle Buchman, Ann Romney and Nikki Haley and the contrast is unmistakable.

Class Warfare has already started and is well underway. Obama is going to attempt to energize the socialists, communists, the Muslims, “have nots,” the under educated, the drones who make receiving entitlements their occupation, the unions and the professional poor who don’t pay income tax. Furthermore, I think Obama has surreptitiously weakened our economy with the goal of manipulating potential voters into becoming dependent upon a liberal government. And how does he do it? By bankrupting the government with exorbitant debt, raising taxes, making it difficult to create jobs and weakening our military. For example Obama has vetoed the Keystone Pipeline, at the same, wants to help Brazil become oil productive so we can buy their oil.

I think of Obama as the trillion dollar President because he has spent a trillion more than government takes in. Even one with a sixth grade education can see that’s not good. How many businesses can survive when they spend twice as much as they take in? None! How does Obama do it? By printing more money and borrowing from China. Let me give you an example of what printing money does. When I was in high school back in the late forties, gas at the pumps was 27 cents a gallon. Now in places it is $4.00. Give Obama another 4 years and gas will be $10 a gallon.

The Roots of Obama's Rage

2012-04-15T16:56:57Z

Book Report:

The Roots of Obama’s Rage

Dinesh D’Souza

From a conservative, patriotic point of view, D’Souza’s The Roots of Obama’s Rage, is a fantastic book both in content and readability. D’Souza also confirms my contention that it takes someone who came from another country to become an American to really appreciated and love what America is all about. Dinesh D’Souza, a native of India, is one of those exceptional Americans. He has not only dramatically diagnosed the driving force behind Barak Obama but poignantly reminds us of the greatness of America and the tragedy that will befall America if Barak Obama is allowed to continue to change America into a second rate country.

Yes, a second rate country. D’Souza makes the argument very effectively using Obama’s own words. I don’t want to reveal too much because The Roots of Obama’s Rage ought to be required reading for every sincere conservative, Republican and patriot. But I will tell you this: it has to do with anti-colonialism and the dreams of Obama’s father. The father’s dreams became Obama’s goal and Obama’s record as president confirms that Obama’s mission is turning his father’s dream into reality – an anti-American reality.

This is pretty strong language, suggesting that the President of the United States has an agenda that is not in the best interest of America. On second thought, what I think D’Souza is telling us is that Obama seems to think that “second rate status” is good for America.

The last chapter is unexpected. For me it was the best chapter because D’Souza vindicates America in a way that is unimpeachable.

Would you like to know why Obama sent back to the UK a bust of Winston Churchill, a gift to the American people? Would you like to know why Obama bowed before a Saudi Prince, and snubbed Benjamin Netanyahu? Would you like to know if there was a surreptitious motive behind Obama’s stimulus package, Obama Care, raising taxes (especially among the rich), drastically cutting the military, curtailing domestic oil production, and increasing the National Debt? All of which is a receipt for lowering the status of America to that of a Third World Country. Then get a copy of Roots of Obama’s Rage.

Read it and see if you don’t wonder as I did, why on Earth we elected this man? And why on Earth we would reelect him?

There is a lot going on in our Country now!

2012-04-12T15:04:18Z

There is a lot going on in our Country now!

As a concerned citizen I’m watching with interest how events play out. But in this blog I’m only going to concentrate on a couple of domestic issues.

First, the Trayvon Martin shooting. State Attorney and special prosecutor, Angela B. Corey, gave a press release today (4-10-12) that reminded me of Rahm Emanuel’s statement, “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” or words to that effect. Corey’s preamble dragged on as she patted her team on the back and assured the public that they would not be pressured. But at least three times she mentioned that they would be seeking justice for Trayvon, or words to that effect.

You may think I’m racist, I don’t care, but I think if it had been a white boy that was killed it wouldn’t have made the first page. And I think that charging Zimmerman with Second Degree Murder is a way of avoiding potential riots and terrorism. This terrible event is just what the Black racists and Black Panthers have been waiting for.

Bill O’Reilly had Sentite Jackson, daughter of the Reverend Jessie Jackson, on as a Fox News contributor and pundit. He asked her about the animosity of Sharpton and the Black Panthers and if they should apologize for jumping the gun. She replied that there was still a lot of pain in the Black community, implying that jumping the gun should be justified. I suspect that the pain she was referring to is a perpetual pain that will always be brought up to justify Black baited political and social affirmative action which I submit is a euphemism for coercion.

I’m not defending Zimmerman. All of us with law enforcement backgrounds know the Zimmerman type. He had no business with a gun in his possession. But the facts so far indicate that he had retreated and was pursued by Trayvon, who was probably provoked and I suspect, was going to teach Zimmerman a lesson.

In any event I’m concerned with the one-sided outrage on the part of the Black community and men like Al Sharpton. Because of the one-sided concern for the deceased, which is a tragedy, escalating the race card by men like Sharpton and Black Panthers, I predict will tend to polarize America more than rally it around alleged Black impotency. To the contrary, I think that being Black in America today is an asset.

Next, although it isn’t funny, I have to laugh at the predicament Bobby Petrino, the Arkansas Razorback coach that got fired got in when he let his Y-chromosome rule his brain. The winning football coach got in a motorcycle accident. The problem is that his mistress, Jessica Dorrell, was a passenger on the bike. Petrino is married with four children.

How many prominent men over the years have ruined their career and reputation when their Y-chromosome overpowered social convention. The only one I can recall who came out smelling like a rose is Bill Clinton.

I have been around a long time and know from experience the power of the Y-chromosome. For nearly a decade I investigated sex crimes as a deputy sheriff. Excluding perversion, when it comes to promiscuity we have two standards in this country, one if you get caught, and one we applaud if you don’t get caught. Promiscuity is part of the human condition and it is about time we reassessed our taboos against sex. It is a convoluted, controversial subject, but on one hand we extol sexual prowess (advertisement for example, a sexy lady selling cars), and on the other hand we condemn it. When we glorify sexual supremacy we tend to drive the sexually inadequate towards acts of perversion. The sex urge is probably the most powerful biological predisposition in the human condition and we treat it as if it were social curiosity. Sexual deprivation can lead to personality disorders and promiscuity. Lucky are the man and woman who are sexually compatible.

As for North Korea test launching an intercontinental missile under the pretext it is a satellite, I hope we shoot the damn thing down. It an opportunity to test our antimissile defense.

Santorum's Suspension Speech

2012-04-11T20:05:30Z

Santorum’s Suspension Speech

Santorum’s suspension speech April 10, 2012, was mostly about himself as opposed to defeating Obama, solidifying Republicans and restoring or preserving America’s prominence in the world. The message I got is that he, Santorum was the better man, God’s choice, but he was out spent and out maligned by his “unnamed” opponent.

Rick deliberately didn’t mention Mitt Romney. Nor did he ask his supporters to get behind Romney. What he did say is that he would “continue to fight,” and would do what he could to defeat Obama. Of course the best way he could help defeat Obama is to get behind Romney.

I was interested in how conservative pundits like Charles Krauthammer and Steve Hayes would evaluate Santorum’s exit speech. They too noticed that Mitt Romney’s name was conspicuously not mentioned but applauded Santorum for seemingly coming out of nowhere to become a formidable contender. They predicted that his good showing would help his political career and that he was wise to drop out before the Pennsylvania primary because he was apt to lose, and losing in his home state would not help his future. They seemed to all agree that there was still some percolating animosity against Romney but that it would eventually subside and he would rally behind Romney.

Newt Gingrich, bless his soul, is not giving up and suggested that Santorum ought to have sent his entire delegates over to him – an extremely improbable act - causing the pundits to wonder why Gingrich was hanging on.

The race for the Republican Presidential nominee seems to be over and it has been very interesting from a behavioral point of view. In comparing the emotional stability and common sense decorum between Republicans and Democrats, Republican conservatism seems to be the most stable. But was fascinated me is how prominent ego and religion played in the Republican race – to the point that rhetoric got downright nasty at times – even unchristian.

The Republican candidates were presumed to be the top of the line, the Republican best – men of wisdom, brilliance and integrity. Instead they showed us their foibles, and to my dismay, their constituents applauded and joined in. Once the mud started flying, it became a mud fight and you either fought back or dropped out.

I think Romney is the best man. Enough voters discerned it, and in spite of Romney’s religious faith, which he never touted, voters had enough sense to bring the race to a close. But Romney is not without his weaknesses. Although I think he is head and shoulders above Obama, and has the background to turn America around, his selection of a Vice President candidate will be crucial. The Vice President will need to balance Romney out to the satisfaction of the religious right and independent voters.

WHO WILL BE THE VICE PRESIDENT?

The pundits are second guessing. Santorum and Gingrich will be lucky to get a cabinet job. My guess for Vice President (and why not join in the fun) will either be Chris Christie or Paul Ryan. Christie was the first power player to endorse Romney and in spite of his size which some pundits think is a distraction, he tells it the way it is in a manner unmistakable. Paul Ryan is a budget expert and could be instrumental in getting Washington back on track. But because so many people vote emotionally, as we see with Joe Biden, the most capable individual is not always selected. Romney will be encouraged to take into consideration religion and ethnics – the Blacks, the Espanics, the religious rights, the Jews, the unions, the poor, the rich, the handicapped …. The only group he won’t have to worry about offending is the atheists.

However, I reserve the option of changing my mind. A lot can happen between now and the Convention. Let’s see who Romney thinks will appeal most to the undecided and independent voter because according to the pundits, that is who will decide who our next President will be.

Is Religion Just A Front For These Men?

2012-04-10T13:43:15Z

IS RELIGION JUST A FRONT FOR THESE MEN?

Are the following men really religious ministers, pastors and reverends, or are their religious credentials nothing more than fronts for their political activism. Each time I hear anything about these men or see clips of them on television, they are ranting about some perceived racial injustice or political unfairness. And of course their latest rant has turned the shooting of Trayvon Martin into a racial controversy. It is a shame that we allow such men to manipulate a nation into an emotional frenzy before knowing all the facts.

Let’s talk about Al Sharpton first. Wikipedia labels him as an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist and television radio talk show host. In 2004 he was a Democratic nominee for President of the United States. But have you ever heard him give an authentic religious sermon? And just exactly what church house does he preside over? It seems the only time we see or hear Al Sharpton is when he thinks some African American has been victimized.

Next comes Jesse Jackson. He too is a Baptist minister and is often introduced as the Reverend Jesse Jackson. But like Sharpton he has made a good living as a Black civil rights activist. And like Sharpton he once ran for President of the United States. But when you see or hear Jackson on television the subject is either political or racial.

How about Jeremiah Wright? It appears he actually presides over a church (Trinity United Church of Christ) in Chicago. This is the Pastor that was Barak Obama’s mentor. This is also the Pastor that is on record saying, “God damn America.” According to the journalists who have researched Jeremiah Wright he uses his church for political and anti-American rhetoric, more or as much, as religious rhetoric. But let us not forget, it was Pastor Jeremiah Wright that influenced Barak Obama to become a Christian. And Obama defended Wright until Wright’s speeches became so vitriolic that he became a liability.

These men are supposed to be Christians but when they prejudge a situation without knowing all the facts, or twist the facts to their advantage, in my opinion it is unchristian.

Now we come to a real piece of work, Louis Farrakhan, leader of the African-American, Nation of Islam. Although Farrakhan is supposed to be aligned with the Sunni sect, he seems to have created his own version of Islam. Farrakhan is noted for his anti-American rhetoric and activism more than he is for promoting Islam or saving souls.

So you won’t think I’m bigoted and picking on African Americans – following are a couple of White guys who have stepped down from the pulpit and become experts on morality and politics.

Pat Robertson is a right wing Christian, Republican television evangelist who also had ambitions about running for President. Unlike the ministers above Robertson is inclined to interject God into social, racial and natural events like hurricanes. What he has in common with the fellows above is his political activism. Is he a religious leader or political activist, it’s hard to determine.

Jerry Falwell spent more time talking about God than any of the above. His forte’ was virtue. Like Robertson he was far to the right and influenced the true believer’s vote.

Religious leaders like lawyers and journalists it seems are experts on every subject. But some like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson spend more time politicking than preaching and looking for excuses to drive wedges between the Blacks and Whites, knowing that political correctness will tend to insure that the White will lose and the Black win. Racism can be big business.

Wright and Farrakhan seem to have a pathological dislike for white men and America. Yet they speak English, a white man’s language - they have been educated in white man schools - they enjoy all the rights of white men - and they live in America, a country that allows them to hate white men and America. Take Michelle Obama for example. She is an African American who has the benefit of an American education that Africans in Africa can only dream of. But only after it looked like her husband, Barak, may become the President of the United States, did she admit in a public speech, “… for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country.” She attempted to explain why she made that comment, but her explanation was pathetic and racist – but being Americans we forgive the ‘First Lady.’

Even though some of these guys have attended ministry schools, it seems as though the ministry was a stepping stone to political and moral activism. I think it is rather obvious that the bread and butter of guys like Sharpton and Jackson is pontificating, meaning making a mountain out of a mole hill and turning the pulpit into a soap box. I find it interesting that these guys can find plenty wrong with White men and America but the slaughter and rape of their African cousins by other Africans seems to go unnoticed.

Are Memories better than what was Reality?

2012-04-06T17:21:13Z

Are Memories better than what was Reality?

As senior citizens we all have memories. For those of us of the Korean War era, our memories go back to the forties and fifties when we were adolescents, teenagers and young men and women. Memories are events that have stuck in our brains waiting to be recalled. We don’t store away in our brains everything that happened to us, only those events that made an indelible impression. To a large degree, what we are today is how we handled those past events.

Those past memorable milestones may have been good or bad. For example I don’t remember everything that happened in my four Navy years. There was some scary times but for the most part, my memories are of the good, learning times. When I went in the Navy I was only interested in adventure and seeing the world. I was not interested in a formal education or career. It was only many years after my honorable discharge, reflecting back, that I understood how important those four years were. When I came out of the Navy I was ready to go to college, get married and settle down. After seeing some of the worst of the world, I had more appreciation for my country and my home town.

I know that the Armed Services did the same thing for hundreds of thousands of other young men like me. I sincerely believe that every eighteen-year-old would benefit from three to four years in one of the four branches of the military. But being of the old school I have reservations about women and homosexuals in the military. In any event, it is my firm opinion that our United States Military has made many more men than it has broken.

Life is not just about events, it’s about opportunities, alternatives and mentors. How many of us can think back to an event or opportunity that drastically changed the direction of our lives. I know I can.

Why are memories important? Because it seems that at the time we didn’t realize or understand the significance of an event. Youth has a way of taking life changing decisions for granted. It is not until we are much older and reflect back on those events that we appreciated their significance.

There is one thing about memories. We tend to embellish. We tend to make the bad events sound worst, and we tend to make the good events sound better. Nevertheless, each of us are the consequences of opportunities and events. I can go back and point out four or five events that touched my life and brought me to where I am today.

There are people so caught up in the present and making plans for the future that they have no time for, or interest in the past. And then there are those that live in the past, mostly older people who feel impotent in the present and fear the future. Fifteen years ago I was encouraged to attend a monthly luncheon of retired deputy sheriffs. I was busy with a family business and working as a civil investigator and writing books. Reluctantly I attended one of the luncheons. In one sense it was good to see old friends. But in another sense it was depressing because all they wanted to talk about is their declining health and past cop experiences. I hadn’t slowed down. I hadn’t succumbed to the rocking chair and television. I felt like I was still making something happen. I never went back to those depressing luncheons.

On the other side of the coin, the past, more explicitly history, matters a great deal. The more ignorant we are of our history, the more apt history will be repeated. Every grade school student should be taught the history of their country. As it stands, many Americans under the age of 30 don’t know who America fought during War I or War II. Far too many of our youth don’t know the difference between the Revolutionary and Civil War. And for those siblings who do know, how many are not interested in the wars their fathers and grandfathers participated in? Not many. So yes, the past is important as long as it doesn’t undermine the present, but knowing the past can make for a better future.

I for one, having been born in 1933, think I have lived during a special time in the history of the world. As a kid most of the farm work was done by horse power. During the fifties, in the West, we hunted rabbits and pheasants where now there are subdivisions and shopping malls. Government was small, regulations few and people seldom locked the doors to their houses and cars. There were no freeways, no computers, cell phones or microwave ovens. Steam propelled trains were the primary means of interstate travel. And best of all, kids spent much more time outside than inside. It was a great time to be alive and I won’t apologize for talking about it.

An Interlude of Bliss

2012-04-02T04:02:01Z

An Interlude of Bliss

Have you ever experienced a moment of intense euphoria, a special, singular event that eclipsed all other joyful experiences? I’m not talking about erotic orgasms, those biological compulsions that fiction writers exploit, trying to out-erotic or shock each other. I’m talking about an incident that transcends the biological, an emotional moment of elation that can only be described as phenomenal because it is without equal.

The word, spiritual, comes to mind, but not to be confused with church. Church is more of a perfunctory, Sunday social event. But that doesn’t mean a spiritually minded, church-going individual couldn’t experience a unique epiphany with his God. As for me, after twenty-plus years of church going I felt more spirituality working in my garden.

An interlude of bliss is not something you can manufacture or confabulate. It is something that happens, without expectation. Mohammad’s miraculous, magical journey on a horse-like animal to the seven heavens where he landed in the presence of Allah (described in the Hadith and only anecdotal in the Quran) falls short of an interlude of bliss. Joseph Smith, like Mohammad, before they became prophets were first visited by an angel, Mohammad conversed with Gabriel of Biblical fame and Joseph Smith came face to face with Moroni of Book of Mormon fame. Both became buddies to angels before actually meeting deity. According to the accounts, if indeed they actually happened, those supernatural encounters were designed to establish the two mortals as prophets – with the authority to create a new religion and rule over it. A blissful interlude is personal, reverential, not meant to become a public affair. I would not count Mohammad and Smith’s alleged supernatural encounters interludes of bliss.

I unraveled my brain going back to my earliest memories as a child, then worked my way to the present looking for an event I could really call an interlude of bliss. I came up empty. The closest I could come was a memorable event while deer hunting.

When I turned 15 my Dad bought me a 30:30 Winchester, Model 94. a lever action carbine with buckhorn sights. In those days you were supposed to be 16 before you could legally hunt deer. But we were going hunting on the summer range of our in-law’s sheep and cattle ranch – two sections of private property, a forest of quacking aspen, pine and meadows at the west end of the Uinta Mountains high above Oakley, Utah. It is a beautiful location. Nestled in a thick stand of quaking aspen is a pine log cabin large enough to accommodate a dozen hunters. It was like going back a hundred years. Inside the cabin was a double bunk bed made of lodge pole pine, a coal burning stove, sink, drain board and a large table with wooden chairs. At the opposite end near the beds was the fire place made of smooth, river-stones. My Dad and I slept on the bottom bunk. Our top cover, warding off the cold, was a huge bear rug – the bear had been killed a few years prior while ravaging sheep for sport. A respectable distance above the cabin was the outhouse, a two holler. Below the cabin near a dry creek bed was a ¾ inch metal pipe driven into the rocks. The clear water that trickled out was sweeter and more refreshing than soda pop. I loved every second of the hunt and that first night of revelry, when the adults gathered around coal oil lamps and the flickering fireplace, bragging of past hunts, lucky shots, five point bucks, and singing The Strawberry Roan while one of the party strummed a guitar. I loved the cabin, the smell of gun oil, the forest, the horse named Jezebel that was used to pack the deer out. It was more than an adventure for a 15 year-old kid, it was better than fiction. But as wonderful as all that was, it was not the interlude I’m leading up too.

The owners of this huge ranch, Frank and Bud Gillmor, were the brothers of my stepmother. Besides the summer range they owned several sections in Wasatch County near Park City and Salt Lake County where their head quarters was located north of the Airport. The winter range for the sheep was in Rush Valley, Tooele County. I went to work for them. In those days the sheep were herded or trailed to the Summer Range from the Winter Range in Tooele County. As a result, when not in school, I was helping with the sheep, lambing in the Spring and driving sheep or cows somewhere between the Summer and Winter Range. I also helped move camp on the summer range (three herds of 2000 ewes and lambs per herd) and helped move the herds to the various parts of the high mountain range. I didn’t know the range as well as Frank and Bud, but I knew it well enough that each year I never failed to get my deer.

I looked forward to the deer hunt each fall. But when I turned 18 we were at war in a place called Korea, so me and a friend joined the Navy, like the sign said, “Join the Navy and see the world”; my Dad took pictures of each hunt and sent them to me. Four years later when I once again took up the annual hunt, this time I was 23, an adult, and instead of being an observer, I was a participant in the night-before-the-hunt party.

Nothing had changed. The water still trickled out of the metal pipe. Even Jezebel hadn’t changed although four years older.

I like to hunt by myself. Where the others sat on the mountain passes or overlooked the bed grounds, I hunted in the timber, following stealth-like, the deer trails I use to dream about while far out to sea.

The deer hunting season comes in late October when the dollar-size, yellow leaves of the quaking aspen have already floated to the forest floor. But before the leaves are transformed into rich loam, they give off a distinct odor, slightly pungent, especially during the early morning hours when they are still damp from the night’s dew. I find the smell of quaking aspen leaves pleasing, but it’s a double treat when the aspen are aligned alongside Douglas Fir or Blue Spruce. The aroma on a crisp morning, just as the sun climbs above the mountain peaks is unprecedented.

It was just such a morning that I sat on a log in a small clearing, my 30:30 Winchester resting on my lap. The sun’s rays filtered through the thick growth of trees, elucidating the white bark and black splotches on aspen trunks. I was haloed above by deep green pine branches. I looked around me, the context was serene, no wind, no sound, a perfect calm. I thought that I was the first human to have invaded this particularly beautiful spot and selfishly did not want to share it with any other human.

A sense of absolute tranquility engulfed me. It was a peacefulness that was new to me for I am inclined to be the nervous type, always on the move. But it felt good, a hard to describe intoxication brought on by the mountain smells, crisp clean air and panorama of green pine, white bark, a bed of yellow leaves, warm sun rays and blue sky. And then I understood. But it did not come as a thought but as an experience. I had been accepted, at that splendid moment, I was one with Nature. Just another creature in the vast scheme of what, I did not know or care.

I’m not sure how long I sat there soaking in the tranquility – maybe minutes, maybe an hour. It was so peaceful and quiet, not even a chipmunk or blue jay was about. Suddenly my reverie was interrupted by the stirring of leaves on the high ground to my left. I sat motionless except for the turning of my head, my hands resting on the Winchester. A few moments later the big ears and head of a doe emerged from the quacking aspen. Cautiously she picked her way down the trail, then hesitating, her ears alert, scanning for sounds of danger. And then she strolled into the small clearing, followed by another doe and three yearling fawns.

A deer relies on smells and sounds over eye sight. I am told they are color blind and if you stand perfectly still they may not notice you. It proved amazingly true. They were not 20 feet away completely oblivious to my presence. It was the only time I think I came close to a feeling of bliss for I felt both awed and privileged. The animals were magnificent, and I thought, why would I want to kill such beautiful creatures. And then all five stopped, standing unconcerned, as if to allow me to momentarily admire their superb quaintness.

A slight breeze began to waft from the north and I thought that the deer might any minute smell my presence, when a shot rang out from above. The lead doe instantly turned her head in that direction. Two more shots rang out, echoing throughout the canyon. The ears on all five deer laid back against their necks and they trotted single file down the trail. In seconds they had disappeared, leaving me to ponder ….

Did I get my buck that season? Yes, but it was the day before my brief interlude with Nature. Had I experienced that intervening event with the does and fawns the opening morning of the hunt, I don’t think I could have in good conscious shot a buck.

I experienced interludes of peace and oneness with Nature several times after that, both in the mountains and out on the desert while hunting arrowheads. Were those intervals blissful, euphoric, meaning an overwhelming sensation of joy? Not really, they were merely peaceful moments, a oneness with Nature, but only if I felt I was in a spot where no other human had tread. Those precious moments happened when I was younger, in my forties, after I had sowed my wild oats, but the memories still linger. Now, with ATVs and helicopters, there are few places on Earth you can truly say, “I was the first one here.” Now my sanctuary with Nature is in the shade, in a lawn chair, overlooking my garden, my faithful Golden Retriever by my side.

Our Goose-stepping Neighbors

2012-03-31T14:59:21Z

Our Goose-stepping Neighbors

North Korea is getting ready to launch a missile; they say it’s really a rocket that will put a satellite in orbit. And each time Fox TV does a story about North Korea they show North Korean soldiers goose-stepping in perfect formation.

Have you noticed that the Iranian military also has goose-stepping soldiers. And China does also.

A Goose-stepping military is for show only. Of course when I saw the North Koreans goose-stepping, then the Iranians and Chinese goose-stepping my first thoughts were of Hitler and his goose-steeping Waffen-SS. But what is it about goose-stepping? It is obviously an uncomfortable way of marching besides being stressful.

Prussia is the origin of the goose-step. Russia adopted it, so did Benito Mussolini but the Italians didn’t care for it. According to the Internet 30 countries have at one time or another adopted goose-steeping for military ceremonies, ostensibly because it symbolized discipline and efficiency. But I think there is a psychological motive that has not been fully exploited.

Goose-steeping soldiers convey aggression and arrogance. It reminds me of a combine gobbling up fields of wheat leaving in its wake a long line of chaff. Look at the countries that proudly display their military in that fashion: Nazi Germany, North Korea, Iran, China. The goose-step epitomizes the aggressive and belligerent nature of those countries.

There is something alien and unnatural, even alarming evil about any country that countenances the goose-step.

The Moral Landscape and Religion

2012-03-26T01:03:42Z

“THE MORAL LANDSCAPE” AND RELIGION

A few blogs ago I quoted from Sam Harris’ book, The Moral Landscape,” then suggested that we humans have a predisposition towards a belief in supernatural phenomenon. Harris’ thesis makes the argument that science is capable of establishing a universal social morality without relying upon religion; primarily because each religion has its own version of morality such as the wide moral gap between Islam and modern Christianity. Harris’ argument has a lot to overcome because it appears that a general consensus of Americans believe morality is the exclusive realm of religion.

A few months ago I commented on the premise of neurologist, Dean Hamer who in his book, The God Gene, made the argument that we humans have a predisposition towards “spirituality.” Hamer made a distinction between spirituality and religion, contending that religion was a byproduct of spirituality. When one stops to ponder Harmer’s thesis, it is based on a sound, scientific foundation. The many sects in Christianity alone and their competing doctrines tend to support Hamer. For example, if religion was a purely genetic happening, there would probably only be one religion. If there was in fact only one jealous, all-powerful, all-knowing god, there would probably only be one religion. But as we see in the USA, a predominately religious country, that if you have a good imagination, fortitude, a working knowledge of Christianity and can convincingly lie with no feelings of guilt, you can create a profitable religion that will be protected by the First Amendment. Narcissistic personalities are particularly adept at passing themselves off as religious icons or political moguls.

Sam Harris quotes other scientists. Consider the following:

“The psychologist Justin Barrett (likens)religion to language acquisition: we come into this world cognitively prepared for language: our culture and upbringing merely dictate which languages we will be exposed to. We may also be what the psychologist Paul Bloom has called “common sense dualist” – that is, we may be naturally inclined to see the mind as distinct from the body and, therefore, we tend to intuit that existence of disembodied minds at work in the world. This propensity could lead us to presume ongoing relationships with dead friends and relatives, to anticipate our own survival of death, and generally to conceive of people as having immaterial souls. Similarly, several experiments suggest that children are predisposed to assume both design and intention behind natural events – leaving many psychologists and anthropologists to believe that children, left entirely to their own devices, would invent some conception of God. The psychologist Margaret Evans has found that children between the ages of eight and ten, whatever their upbringing, are consistently more inclined to give a Creationist account of the natural world than their parents are.

The psychologist Bruce Hood likens our susceptibility to religious ideas to the fact that people tend to develop phobias for evolutionarily relevant threats (like snakes and spiders) rather than for things that are far more likely to kill them (like automobiles and electrical sockets). And because our minds have evolved to detect patterns in the world, we often detect patterns that aren’t actually there – ranging from faces in the clouds to a divine hand in the workings of Nature. Hood posits an additional cognitive schema that he calls “supersense” – a tendency to infer hidden forces in the world, working for good or for ill. On his account, supersense generates beliefs in the supernatural (religious and otherwise) all on its own, and such beliefs are thereafter modulated, rather than instilled, by culture.

Dualism, that the mind and brain or separate, primarily that the mind like the soul is independent of the body and continues to exist after the body dies, is a belief probably sanctioned by 90% of Americans – because according to the Internet, 90% of Americans believe in the God of Abraham. Belief in God and dualism go hand in hand. I have found that challenging the belief in dualism can induce an emotionally charged response. Furthermore, the belief in dualism is so strong that it takes rational effort to question, analyze and disbelieve dualism.

The mind, soul, personality and an immaterial, intelligent spirit are synonymous. My problem with dualism is that disease, drugs and with injuries to the brain, the personality often changes drastically. So which mind or soul continues to exist after the body dies, the one before the brain was damaged or the dysfunctional mind? It is an intriguing subject. There are historical incidents where the brain is damaged through no fault of its own and the victim turns into a cruel and criminal person. Does that mean his afterlife will be in hell?

I find the term “supersense” interesting. I suspect that this is where the many conspiracy theories come from. Stupid conspiracies like the Truther conspiracy that implies that President Bush and the CIA knew 9-11 was coming and did nothing to prevent it.

Whoever it was that coined the phrase, “What you believe is not always what the belief really is,” or words to that affect, hit the nail on the head. To put it poignantly, we are a combination of three premises: what our genes predispose us to be, our environment and how the rational part of our brain deals with it all. It is genes that determine our sex, it is our environment that influences our social and religious beliefs, and it is the brain that questions it all.

Science came about when bold, thinking beings began to doubt and experiment. As science progressed, indirectly deprecating debilitating religious beliefs, religion restructured and accommodated. In fact religion has used scientific technologies like transportation and television to further its agendas.

I think Harris’s proposition of a universal morality is possible but not probable. A universal morality would mean a loss of beliefs that are transformed into power and wealth. It would also mean a loss of identity and purpose for millions of true believers. Islam gave the lowly tribesman in Afghanistan identity, meaning and purpose not to mention a sense of superiority. He is not apt to want to give that up to become just like everyone else. Also in our DNA is the proclivity towards aggressiveness and competition making religion and morality a commodity (an article of commerce) that is analogous to a shopping mall with a hundred retail stores competing for the dollar and soul.

The danger of a universal morality is that it could lead to a generic sociology like a one world order, in other words, socialism – where no one fails or wins. Our physiology is not structured that way.

In a sense there already exists a universal morality among sound thinking individuals. It comes under headings like “integrity” and “self-actualization.” It is something that cannot be mandated or enforced by government. It means becoming all you can within the context of what you have to work with. A ubiquitous morality can only realistically be obtained by a medium between selfishness and selflessness independent of religion and politics.

On second thought, a universal morality is nothing but an ideological conundrum - an unattainable ideal.

The God Who Wasn't There

2012-03-21T15:25:42Z

THE GOD WHO WASN’T THERE

When the glory of ancient Egypt waned and its mighty stone edifices and temples were ravaged by earthquakes and sandstorms, Osiris, Ra, Horus and the other Egyptian gods became no more, as if they had never existed. Where once the Great Ra reigned supreme, a new creator-ruler called Allah is now worshiped in Egypt.

On Mount Olympus there once resided a conglomeration of gods, like Hallmark Greeting Cards, one for every occasion. The King of the Gods was mighty Zeus; of the lesser gods were Venus, Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite and many others. But where was the mighty Zeus and his surrogates when irascible Vesuvius belched and prosperous Pompeii was obliterated by superhot volcanic dust and ash. And just as it happened in Egypt, a new god emerged called Jehovah and is currently worshiped. This new God became so popular that a city called the Vatican was erected in His honor -- or was it in honor of the Pope and his Cardinals?

So what does Osiris, Zeus, Allah and Jehovah have in common? Belief and edifices in the form of monuments, temples and cathedrals conspicuously erected with the view of skewing the favor of deity, or impressing and controlling the laity.

A belief in god is paradoxical. Where was God during the Holocaust? But it was the more faithful, and the more hopeful that survived in Auschwitz, Birkenau, Belzec, Chelelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor, and Treblinka. The survivors didn’t give up.

In Mexico and South America we have the Incas, the Mayans, and the Aztecs. Each culture had many gods. The most ruthless god of the Aztecs was Chicomecoatl, goddess of food and produce. Each September a young girl was sacrificed in her honor, the lucky victim’s head decapitated and her blood poured over the statue of Chicomercoatl, the corpse was also skinned and worn by a priest. The moon goddess, Coyolxauhqui, also sought the blood , heart and head of captive warriors.

A characteristic of a god is its power over life and death, and some gods it seems thirst for the blood of humans and animals. According to the Quran, Allah desires the blood of non believers. The Christian Eucharist ritual involves the consuming of the flesh and blood of Christ. Blood being the “life force” it was believed to be the only sacrifice that would appease the gods, and not just modern gods but ancient, pagan gods. But when the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish and disease finished them off, the Christian Conquistadors also conquered the many blood thirsty Aztec gods.

Every past culture has had its gods or god, and when each culture vanished, so did its gods.

Where was God when in March 2011 a devastating earthquake hit Japan, sending a giant tsunami that literally killed thousands. Where was God September 11, 2001? Was Allah with the Muslims who drove the airplanes into the Twin Towers? And for every parent that has lost a son or daughter, we can ask, where was God? And for every child that has lost a mother or father are we not justified in asking, where was God?

Where was God during the 1862, Salem Witchcraft Hunts? I’ll tell you where: He was in the minds of the super righteous, Christian Puritans.

There was a time when God was blamed for hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. The belief being God was punishing sinners. In the insurance industry, when Mother Nature did some damage like a landslide or tornado it was classified as “An Act of God.” But there was never any evidence that God was ever there.

God doesn’t exist without belief. He doesn’t exist without conscious, thinking organisms. Nor does he exist without fear. The Aztecs believed that if they did not sacrifice young girls their God would do them harm. Our forefathers thought that lightning and thunder was a sign of God’s anger. But as our learned researchers looked for natural causes of things blamed on God, as culture refined, so did God. Priests no longer condemn and punish rational thinkers for believing the Earth is round, not flat.

If you were to go back to ancient Sumer, when civilization as we know it suddenly appeared, and made a list of every god in every culture that has come and gone you will find a god for every situation. How much more real are today’s god than yesterday’s gods. And when it comes to Allah, who did he learn the god business from, the Aztec gods?

I cannot offend a god, I can only offend the believer in a god. The concept of god is purely subjective – it is in belief where the power lies – belief in a god, not god in and of himself. It is belief that shapes god and gives god character. There cannot be a concept of god without belief, and an imam, prophet, pope, shaman, oracle or priest that articulates god. For example, who is it that dishes out god’s punishment or blessings? It is either Mother Nature or the fanatical believer – as we see in Allah’s Islam. The antecedent of Allah is Mohammad and the Quran. Without Mohammad there is no Allah. Without Joseph Smith and his Book of Mormon, there is no Mormonism.

From a biological point of view the notion of god is a concept that exists only in the mind. This concept has apparently been passed on in one form or another since 4500 BC, the time of Sumer. Associated with the concept of god is an afterlife, a heaven or hell. The ubiquitous notion of an afterlife has been verified by archeologists who have excavated the burial sites of cultures long gone in all part of the world, including ancient caves high in the Himalayas. The conclusion is easily drawn by the artifacts found in those long forgotten graves, items that the deceased was supposed to take with him into that hoped for afterlife. But the bones and artifacts are still where they were deposited, chafed by centuries of neglect, having gone nowhere – frustrated by no resurrection.

The logical explanation for a ubiquitous notion of a god is that it is passed along by our superstitious ancestors in our DNA. From a rational point of view my brain tells me that god is a concept conjured by man. Yet something inside my brain also says there is something -- some power or some essence out there that is larger than life. But this I do know, that that something is no respecter of persons, cultures, religion or politics.

When all is said and done, when science and logic fall short and bullets fly, and bombs burst, when all other alternatives fail, we turn to prayer and hope with all our heart, that a kind, loving and forgiving God will be there. We can’t help ourselves. It’s in our DNA.

God Forbid We Upset the Muslims

2012-03-17T23:55:15Z

God Forbid We Upset the Muslims!

The killing of 16 civilians in Afghanistan by an American Army Sgt. Is tragic. President Obama has promised the Muslims a speedy investigation and disposition, calling it a heinous murder. Of course he wants to appease the Muslims, that’s to be expected, but consider the following observations and predictions.

Army psychiatrist, Nidal Malik Hasan, on Nov. 13, 2009, killed 13 and wounded 29 of his fellow soldiers. The final disposition of the matter has not yet been resolved, meaning so far he has not gone to trial. Obama called it “workplace violence” avoiding the word “murder” or “act of war.”

What do you want to bet that the soldier in Afghanistan is vilified, prosecuted and executed much, much sooner than Hasan?

I am interested in the soldier’s motive. Is he a psychopathic killer, was he under some stress, was it ideologically motivated? Or did he just flip his wig? And did alcohol have something to do with it? Will we ever know the truth?

And what happened to the Muslims that snuck up behind 6 unsuspecting soldiers and shot them in the back of the head? I haven’t heard a thing, have you? Is there one standard for Muslims and another standard for us?

Another observation: Did you notice how long it took the Afghans to mobilize into a mob after the shooting of civilians compared to the instantaneous mobilization which went on for days when the Quran was mistakenly burned. Furthermore, the outrage over the killing of civilians is not nearly as violent or bombastic – indicating that slandering Muslim ideology is more heinous than the killing of civilians. The Quran has a higher priority than human life. God forbid we upset the Muslims!

Leon Panetta is now in Afghanistan trying to appease Karzai, who now wants American soldiers to continue to help build his country but to do so unarmed. The only times American soldiers leave their base is during patrol or humanitarian missions. I suspect there are Afghans who appreciate the help our service men have given them, but I also suspect they are afraid to say it publically. I say we ought to get the hell out of Afghanistan and fight the Taliban from the air.

Syria: We should stay away. Who are the rebels anyway, we don’t know? Look what happened in Egypt and Tripoli. If the Muslims want to kill each other that’s their business.

Last Tuesday night I listened to an interview of Santorum by Greta Van Susteren. She asked Rick what he would do in Afghanistan as it applies to the murder of 16 Afghans. His reply echoed the same response as Obama. He really didn’t answer the Greta’s question, he generalized. I have yet to hear an explicit plan from Rick concerning the economy or foreign affairs. It seems you can’t nudge him away from denigrating Romney for being successful and pandering to the super religious conservatives. And why should he? It is the religious right, a minority in the overall scheme of things that keeps him in the race. The way he has proffered his campaign, waging the unsuccessful against the successful, I think he ought to cross the street and become a religious democrat.

Just to show you how fickle and emotional the voters are in Mississippi and Alabama, according to the exit polls, they thought Romney had the best chance to beat Obama, but voted for Santorum because he best represented their religious values.

I once thought after listening to Ronald Regan that Republicans were more reality orientated than Democrats, but after following this Republican race for the nomination, the outright prevarications directed at each other, and the voters that eat it up, I have to rethink my assessment of the human condition. I have no confidence in either the far right or left. They defy logic.

Santorum is

Santorum is a Whiner

2012-03-15T14:52:21Z

Santorum is a Whiner

Did you watch Bill O’Reilly last night (3-14-12)? He refuted Santorum’s complaint to NBC News Anchor, Brian Williams, that Fox was giving Romney more coverage than him. Apparently, Brian Williams recently interviewed Rick and Rick reportedly said with certainty, because he has seen it, that Fox favored Romney and was not being fair to him. O’Reilly asked Laura Ingram for her opinion and she thought that Fox was every bit as fair to Santorum as any other Presidential candidate. In fact, O’Reilly had Santorum on his show one more time than he did Romney.

I watch Fox TV every night. I listen to Fox radio every morning. I rarely watch the liberal news stations. It is my observation that Santorum has gotten more publicity than Romney. Take Glen Beck for example. Beck has interviewed Santorum dozens of times and has endorsed Santorum over fellow Mormon, Mitt Romney.

If you watch Hannity you will have to agree that Hannity has had Newt on his program far more than he has Romney or Santorum, but probably Santorum more than Romney. All the news anchors are talking about Santorum more than Romney, noting that Romney has not been able to garner the ultra conservative vote, and Santorum has.

There is no doubt that Santorum is the sentimental favorite of the far right that calls themselves the “true conservatives.” The reality is that the far religious right found in the Bible Belt wants their Christian values to be more prominent and influential in the Executive Branch – and they are suspicious of Mormons – mistakenly considering the LDS Church a cult.

The fact of the matter is that Romney’s LDS faith is a liability but pundits are reluctant to acknowledge it for fear of being labeled a bigot. Romney has shown that he is every bit as capable of debating Obama as Gingrich. In spite of the animosity from the super religious right his character, stature, economic know how and executive experience has made him the front runner. Romney’s supposedly Christian, conservative contenders have attempted to denigrate him for being successful and attracting wealthy donors – a democratic strategy. To hear them talk success is sinful. In my opinion these so called “true conservatives” are placing their religious principles over kicking Obama out of the White House.

Santorum has actually done very well, far better than I thought he would when I first saw him debate. For him to go on a liberal news TV program and whine about not being treated fairly by Fox, a conservative news network that is on his side, does not do much for his character.

This morning on the Glen Beck radio show a woman called up and said she thought the reason Romney did poorly in Mississippi and Alabama was because he was a Mormon. She said she had heard several people say that no way they would vote for a Mormon. This ladies opinion is in concordance with the experience of Mormon missionaries tracking in the deep South. Mormons are not well received. But what surprised me is that Glen Beck, supposedly a devout Mormon, he and his sycophants made fun of her, deprecating the idea that bigotry against Mormons existed among evangelical Christians.

Thoughts About the Christian Right

2012-03-14T13:55:55Z

Thoughts about the Christian Right

The voting just ended in Mississippi and Alabama.

According to the exit polls in Mississippi and Alabama 38% of voters believe the Republican candidate should share their religious principles. These are the people Rick Santorum has pandered too and it has paid off. It is that element of the electorate that keeps Rick in the Race. And apparently Rick shares their super righteous, conservative views for he said that Jack Kennedy’s separation of church and state speech made him puke.

Mississippi and Alabama are Santorum territory, or should be. But according to the polls Romney is doing better in those states than expected. One pundit predicted he might win Mississippi.

If Newt doesn’t win the popular vote in Mississippi and Alabama he says he won’t be detoured from forging on, indicating he is ego driven and a spoiler.

Let’s say the Christian Right are able to squeak Rick into the candidacy, and he should beat the odds and be elected President. It is my opinion that because of his Christian sense of superiority and determinism he will polarize Congress even more than Obama did. The Country will not be much better off.

The further right you go and the further left you go, both paths being elliptical, at some point the two will meet – completing the circle. You won’t be able to tell one from the other because the driving force of both will be ideology at any cost – which equates to tyranny and dictatorship.

Mitt’s antagonists portray him as a moderate, acting on the axiom that if you keep repeating a falsehood long enough people will eventually believe it. But the truth is, at least from my perspective, Mitt resides half way between a conservative and moderate – meaning he is more flexible, more adept at negotiating, and more wise, knowing when to bet or fold, and the most capable candidate to bring Congress together in the best interest of the Country. But as we have seen, the super right are generally more energized than the rational thinker. Emotion often trumps the rational.

If the polls are correct and Romney does well in Mississippi and Alabama it mean people are starting to vote more rationally than emotionally. And another thought, Santorum seems to think the Gingrich supporters will rally behind him if Newt drops out. I think he is counting eggs before they hatch. A lot of Newt’s supporters will go for Romney even though it appears its Newt’s animosity towards Romney that keeps him in the race.

Religious Bigotry

2012-03-10T16:23:09Z

REACHING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

In this morning’s Salt Lake Tribune there was an article quoting Rev. O’Neal Dozier, pastor of The Worldwide Christian Center Church at Pompano Beach, Florida, stating that Romney’s LDS faith in the past was raciest and denigrated Blacks, Jews and Christians and if he were the Republican candidate Obama would have a field day attacking Romney’s religion. Pastor Dozier is an Honorary Chairman of Santorum’s campaign and is touted by the Santorum’s campaign as one of the conservative leaders that endorsed Santorum.

Is it just a coincidence that Pastor Dozier’s use of the power of suggestion appears just before voting starts in the Bible belt? I don’ think so.

Of course this is the right time for the super religious right to come out with bigoted comments against the Romney. And the article made it sound like Santorum approved of these salacious comments as they go hand in hand with his social, religious conservative platform. If Santorum does approve of Pastor Dozier and his bitter rhetoric then Santorum has reached to the bottom of the barrel in finding fault with Romney – a platform that is rooted in denigrating Romney.

I wonder if Pastor Dozier realizes that if one were so negatively inclined he could do to Christianity what he is trying to do with Mormonism by bring up a scandalous past. For example, what about the Crusades, Inquisition and Salem Witch Hunts. Every religion has his skeletons.

I am not a Mormon but I know the LDS faithful are just at patriotic and Christian as any other Christian sect. And I hope the negative attacks on Romney backfire on Pastor Dozier and the Santorum campaign if they endorse this bigoted Pastor who calls himself a Christian.

The Well-being of Conscious Creatures

2012-03-07T23:00:05Z

THE WELL-BEING OF CONSCIOUS CREATURES

I like books that induce one to think. I like literature that tends to play down religion’s role in morality because religion tends to believe it has a monopoly on morality. When it comes to religion, morality and authority I’m an iconoclast. Consider the two following quotes which has reference to morality and well-being:

I think there is little doubt that most of what matters to the average person – like fairness, justice, compassion, and general awareness of terrestrial reality – will be integral to our creating a thriving global civilization and, therefore, to the greater well-being of humanity.

How have we convinced ourselves that, on the most important questions in human life, all views must count equally?

The above quotations are from Sam Harris’ book, The Moral Landscape, “How Science Can Determine Human Values.”

“Well-being” and how it can be achieved is the theme of the book. The second of the two above quotations pertains to political correctness and religion. Why religion? Because religion, no matter the sect, professes proprietorship over morality -- morality and well-being are inseparable. Because morality is inconsistent among religious sects, Sam Harris suggests that science is in a position to determine a “moral landscape” that will best benefit all mankind.

This mode of thought is both provocative and cognitively productive because the consensus of thinking both by clerics and scientists is that morality is the exclusive realm of religion and taboo for scientists. As for me this is thinking right down my alley – I decided a long time ago that an individual doesn’t have to belong to a church to be morally responsible. Besides, after reading The Selfish Gene and The Meme Machine I came to the conclusion that it is genes and memes that are the driving force behind human behavior – not some unseen or unheard supernatural essence that resides in a blind place in the sky.

What is morality? The acceptable norms and mores of a group or culture. Which brings us to whose culture and whose morality? With such diversity, how can one standard of group morality serve all of humanity? The first quotation by Sam Harris is an excellent start: fairness, justice, compassion, and general awareness of terrestrial reality – the end being, universal well-being.

But what does Sam mean by “terrestrial reality?” I’ll give you my point of view: world reality – the world as it really is, no illusions, no promises, no excuses, only facts – the good and the bad facts and how they improve or hinder individual well-being.

Let’s take religion for example, say Islam. If you are Jewish or Christian does the Quran provide for your well-being? Let’s say you’re a Muslim. Does the Quran and Hadith show compassion towards women? Is the Quran fair? Of course not. Nevertheless, Islam would like to be the standard of well-being for all mankind but is it really well-being? If we use Harris’ criteria, absolutely not!

Let’s look at Mormon fundamentalism. It too would like to be the standard for all mankind. But like Islam it is unfair to women, discriminates against non believers and is illusionary.

Most religious sects are ideological corporations and are structured to benefit the corporate well-being and not necessarily the well-being of individuals. Corporation comes first, the well-being of individuals, if it happens, is a byproduct. Sam Harris uses Catholicism as an example. Its doctrines are structured to perpetuate its power and authority and those who oppose it or do not conform are expendable. The same can be said of Islam and Mormonism. With Islam, non conformists are killed.

Sam points out that in Catholicism women are excommunicated if they attempt to usurp male dominance by becoming priests, but do not excommunicate priests who molest children. We can examine almost all religious sects and find examples of unfairness and intolerance – but unfairness, intolerance and bigotry in religion are tolerated by governments because of the vote and church support, and that is a fact. The First Amendment, unfortunately, permits oppressive religious beliefs like polygamy, but prohibits the practice. The Quran advocates cutting the throat of infidels, Jews and Christians. In the USA you can believe that gruesome Islamic doctrine but the practice is prohibited. But what is really disturbing is the attitude of far left liberals and the religious, far right concerning salacious and inflammatory moral diversity.

Sam Harris points out that it may be wrong in Boston to force women to wear the burka but we cannot say it is wrong for Muslims in Kabul. To demand that medieval cultures like Islam conform to our version of feminine equality “would be culturally imperialistic and philosophically naïve.” This he says is the common view of anthropologists.

In support of Harris’ assessment of anthropologists, Israeli anthropologist Joseph Ginat (University of Haifa), and Social Psychologist, Irwin Altman (University of Utah) made a study of Mormon Fundamentalism, publishing their results as: Polygamous Families in Contemporary Society. The book concentrates on the day to day lives of polygamists and does not address the coercive nature of the religion which is the driving force behind Mormon polygamy. As anthropologists their interest was in the culture – a unique culture that should be preserved – from an academic point of view.

Harris articulates the liberal view of moral relativism as follows: “In practice, relativism almost always amounts to the claim that we should be tolerant of moral difference because no moral truth can supersede any other.”

In other words, liberals seem to agree that we should not interfere with the moral beliefs and practices of other established cultures like Islam or the moral standards of primitive, African and South American tribes. The various Christian sects tacitly agree, presumably because they don’t want government or society to interfere with their version of morality – Mormon polygamy as an example. Harris suggests that this kind of thinking amounts to “masochistic depths of political correctness.” And of course he is directing his comments towards secular liberalism and the religious right. He says its “learned psychopathy.” He also calls it “learned credence to the claim that a universal morality requires the support of faith-based religion.”

Harris uses the following quote by anthropologist Donald Symons to support his thesis, which he took from Steven Pinker’s book: The Blank Slate.

If anyone person in the world held down a terrified, struggling, screaming little girl, cut off her genitals with a septic blade, and sewed her back up, leaving only a tiny hole for urine and menstrual flow, the only question would be how severely that person should be punished, and whether the death penalty would be a sufficiently sever sanction. But when millions of people do this, instead of the enormity being magnified millions-fold, suddenly it becomes “culture,” and thereby magically becomes less, rather than more, horrible, and is even defended by some Western “moral thinkers,” including feminists.

This is powerful rhetoric brings the issue close to home. We in the West think female circumcision is barbaric but it is condoned by Islam along with other moral practices that we consider abominable. When Muslims migrate they take their perverse morality with them and the liberal population in the host countries like Holland seem reluctant to confront those tragic, “immoral practices.” Why? Because they think moral oppression is good for the well-being of the victims? No! It’s because they are afraid of violent reactions. So what we see is “cognitive dissonance” on a national level that tolerates oppression under the banner of religion.

I think Sam Harris makes and excellent case for a morality of science which to me means genes, memes and the brain. It would be a morality based on neurological facts and psychological reasoning predicated on a foundation of well-being, not faith, although I predict that in the case of modern Christianity there will be some concordance.

The problem with faith is that in so many cases it lacks reality. Take the Muslim who turns himself into a human bomb. He is motivated by the illusion that he will be pleasing Allah and rewarded with an afterlife (Paradise) where he will be comforted by 73 virgins, plenty of leisure, lots of sex, and the best foods. I suspect that if we knew the actual circumstance of the Muslim bomber we would find that he has little to no prospects for a positive, productive future. His peers will convince him it is the fault of Israel and America, and that if he blows himself up along with some innocent civilians he will automatically be catapulted to the presence of Allah and those vivacious virgins, just waiting to shower him with lust. Furthermore, his mother, father and siblings will be given preferential treatment.

Although I am only a third of the way through The Moral Landscape, so far I agree with Harris, however, in a chaotic and uncertain world, illusion and fantasy appeals to the downtrodden, oppressed and the impotent among us. Illusion, fantasy and religious beliefs can be the means of escaping from life’s congenital trials. And what is the main teaching of religion? That an afterlife can be much happier and more rewarding than a miserable terrestrial life, a euphemism for hope. But even a euphoric, worry-free afterlife has its price in this life. For example, with most religions the ticket to heaven requires your mind, money, time and absolute loyalty. Nevertheless, the American Religious Identification Survey reports that 59% of Americans believe in God. In the Bible belt it could be as high as 83%. That’s a lot of faith (illusion).

Sam Harris has his work cut out for him showing that science has a better receipt for well-being than illusion, fantasy and religion. But history has shown that Homo sapiens often prefer delusions over reality. In any event, it’s mighty thought provoking. I’ll keep you posted.

You're Damn Right I'm Intolerant

2012-03-03T16:22:25Z

When It Comes to Islam, You’re Damn Right I’m Intolerant

I’m as intolerant of Islam and radical Muslims as they are of us, Judaism, Christianity and secularism. Islamic scripture, if you can call it scripture, is an ideology that condemns all other ideologies and faiths that are incompatible with the Quran, Surrah and Hadith.

You can call me an Islamophobe all you want because the word is a no brainer term designed to label non believers who object to Islamic aggression as INTOLERANT. The Muslims have taken a page from the social democrat’s “political correct dogma” and turned it against us. And guess what? There are Americans that not only go along with this BS but advocate it.

Today is March 2, ’12, and for the last several days every time I turn on the news I see pictures of Afghan demonstrators acting like crazy men thirsting for the blood of the soldiers who unknowingly burned their precious Quran. I’m tired of American politicians apologizing, bowing, coddling and tip towing around Islam for fear they will offend radical Muslims and their coercive religious beliefs.

Today I watched and listened while Megyn Kelly of Fox News interviewed Ret. Gen. Jack Keane, former Army Vice Chief of Staff. The good General just returned from Afghanistan where he said our military had things under control and in spite of the Afghans who are demonstrating, the vast majority of Afghans are supportive of our military and want us there. If this is true, you would never know it. I’m sure there are Afghans who are supportive, probably mostly women, but when they keep their opinions to their selves, their opinions are meaningless. What it tells me is the radicals and militants have the upper hand and the passive Muslims are scared to death, and for good reason, to voice their opinions.

Where are the apologies for the cowardly assassinations of our service men? And what has happened to the assassins? Apparently in Afghanistan the unintentional burning of a desecrated Quran is far more nefarious than the murder of six unsuspecting Americans and the destruction of millions of dollars worth of property. Afghan Islam confirms to us Westerners that Islam is a ruthless, oppressive, unforgiving, childish, prejudicial and ungodly Ideology.

Obama has gone on record saying his apology calmed things down in Afghanistan. Obama has a way of saying things as if everything he says is sacrosanct and should automatically be believed. Four American soldiers have since been shot in the back of the head. His apology did not calm things down it escalated things because Muslims interpret apologies as a sign of weakness. Muslims don’t negotiate, they get what they want by mob violence. INTIMIDATION. God forbid we should upset the barbaric Muslims!

The other day the Obama administration gave Egypt 5 million dollars in ransom for the release of 6 American NGOs. (Non Government Organization) So, is Obama going to continue to give Egypt their annual 2 billion in foreign aid? In order to appease the poor sensitive Egyptians I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama ups the ante and throws in an extra million or two.

Have we forgotten 9/11, forgotten Fort Hood, the 1983 Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut, and the sneak attack on the USS Cole? Have we forgotten that Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has threatened to wipe Israel off the map?

Islam is so hypocritical, claiming to be a religion of peace, yet how many Christian churches and Jewish synagogues are there in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan? And why, since Mubarak was ousted and The Muslim Brotherhood came to power, are Christian churches being burned in Egypt?

Israel in the Middle East is like a tall tulip in an onion patch. Tiny Israel is more virtuous and valuable to the United States than Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Morocco and Libya put together. According to the experts we have enough oil underground to be self sufficient. What else have these Muslim countries got to offer? Nothing but a corrupt, tyrannical religion.

According to an article in the Deseret Morning News (3-3-12) in the last decade mosques in the USA have grown by 74%. There are currently 2011 mosques and growing. The reason is an influx of immigrants from Somalia, Iraq, West Africa and Bosnia. Then of course there is the money, American Muslims are apparently able to raise lots of money. According to experts on the subject, much of the money is coming from Saudi Arabia – meaning we are stupidly importing Islam, and the objective of radical Islam is to supplant our Constitution with Sharia Law.

This morning I see a newspaper headline: “Obama says he’s not bluffing on Iran.” I couldn’t help but chuckle, visualizing Ahmadinejad shaking in his boots? We know that for the last 9 months everything Obama does is geared towards his reelection. Therefore this tough stance is purely political. But when you think about it, if we will inevitably go to war against Iran, now is probably the time to do it with the chaos going on in Syria, Egypt and Libya. I don’t think the Saudis will mind one bit if Israel and the USA blacks Ahmadinejad’s eyes and kicks him in the ass.

My Mentor

2012-03-02T19:09:29Z

I had picture to go along with this article but I could not cut and past them to his article. Sorry

My Mentor

He sits on the shelf above my computer screen watching my every move. As you can see there is a hint of a smile on his face and a discerning gleam in his eyes. When I am on my best behavior, that is, doing what is right that smile broadens slightly and his eyes convey approval. But if I stray from what he taught me, that slight smile turns upside down. I don’t know how he does it, because it is a mere photograph, but when I stray from the straight and narrow his countenance conveys disapproval.

You see, in the winter months when I’m not working on my little farm, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer writing, reading and researching. Not only that I have my own TV on a desk to my left. All I have to do is swivel my chair and I can watch the news, the military channel, history channel, nature channel, GOP debates, or whatever. So you see, he is able to observe my actions and monitor my thoughts throughout a good portion of my day.

Now you might think that spending so much time in my little office I couldn’t get into much trouble, but you see, I am a muckraker and iconoclast. I have a blog and I exchange emails with many friends and relatives and am inclined to say things where others may disagree. Furthermore, I keep a bottle of scotch handy for medicinal purposes and have been known to take a nip just before bedtime. Sometimes, depending upon my mood, I might take two or three nips and that is when my mentor is most apt to show his disapproval.

But this little essay isn’t about me but my mentor. Who is this guy and why is he my mentor?

He is my Grandpa on my Father’s side. I was named after him with the hope I would follow in his footsteps. But I didn’t, even though I’m the third Llewellyn to bear his name. Grandpa’s son, called Jack, it was hoped would follow his father’s profession, but he didn’t either. I named one of my sons John Rees, after Grandpa, but not with the expectation that he emulate Grandpa’s profession. And my son passed on the name to one of his sons.

Grandpa Llewellyn was a prominent medical doctor and one of the original founders of the Salt Lake Clinic. He was born a poor farm boy in the town of Fountain Green during the horse and buggy days. As a youth he herded cows barefoot and in his leisure time was a voracious reader – reading whatever was available.

Grandpa was the Grandson of Rees Rees Llewellyn, a Welch convert to the LDS Church, who with his bride, Ann, in 1856, pushed and pulled a handcart from Iowa to the Great Basin. I have a letter Grandpa wrote to his Grandpa dated Sept. 8, 1902, when he was a young college student at Provo, Utah.

Grandpa first became a school teacher in Price, Utah where he met Grandma Hazel. He then put himself through medical school and sold newspapers on the streets of Chicago to help pay for his schooling. He did all that on his own, with no help from government or rich relatives.

In 1932 Grandpa took Grandma on a world tour. In 1933, the year I was born, he was in Berlin on Hitler’s birthday and witnessed an endless parade of “brown shirts” celebrating Der Fuehrer ‘s birth. At the time, he thought, “This man Hitler bears watching.”

In the twenties and thirties farmers sired sons to help on the farm but when the sons grew up the farms couldn’t support all the sons. So the boys left home to find jobs in Carbon County coal mines and the Salt Lake County smelters in Midvale and out Magna way. These were Grandpa’s patients, many with lung diseases from the dust of the coal mines and smelters. The working conditions of the miners in those days were sever and it caused Grandpa to become a democrat – he told me democrats were for the little guys like the poor miners who worked in unhealthy conditions. But I think if Grandpa was alive today he would be a Republican. Looking up at his photograph he smiles approval. Grandpa was always afraid of socialized medicine and would really be upset over Obama Care. He didn’t like the thought of some liberal politician telling doctors who spent a minimum of eight years learning their profession, not to mention the cost, how to treat the sick and how much he should get paid. Grandpa wasn’t concerned with getting rich but in curing the sick. I think if her were alive today he would say our economy and politics were sick. (His smile confirms what I just said.)

Grandpa was what was known as a bedside doctor. In those days the doctor went to the homes of the sick, not at all like it is today. As a young doctor he would brave the elements in his Model T-Ford to care for a patient in some remote mining camp in Tooele County. When the smelter town of Garfield was in its heyday Grandpa was its only doctor. Garfield, the property owned by the smelter owners, no longer exists. (A history of Garfield, Utah can be found on Google.)

Grandpa and Grandma raised four boys and two daughters. My Father was the oldest. When I was seven my Mother was killed. Me and my little sister went to live with Grandpa and Grandma. At the time he resided at Murray, Utah, on a little farm. He and Grandma taught me to work, much to my chagrin. He taught me to fly fish for trout, a fond, indelible memory, and he took my sister and I to baseball games. We were not coddled and were taught to work for what we got.

But I suppose my most sacred memories were as a boy of 9 and 10 during War II. Grandpa had a large window built in the old stucco house so he had a picture book view of Mount Olympus. In the winter evenings when he got home, with a fire burning in the fireplace, Grandpa in his rocking chair, and me on the footstool or floor, we would listen to the news on the radio while munching on pine nuts. I can still hear the unique voices of news commentators, Walter Winchell and Kaltenborn. And I was always impressed when Winchell ended his commentary by saying, “… and all the ships at sea.” I would try and visualize a ship all alone in a vast, stormy sea. Little did I know that one day I would spend three and one half years aboard a lonely ship in a the vast stormy Pacific.

The prominent magazines in those days were Look, Post and especially Life. I would thumb through Life Magazine looking at all the war pictures, asking questions. He always had time to answer my persistent questions. I remember seeing a picture of an old man named Gandhi, dressed in what looked like a diaper, laying on a blanket. “Why is that man dressed that way?” I asked, for I knew he must be important to have his picture in Life. Grandpa said, “He’s a great man,” and went on to explain why.

Dr. Llewellyn never forgot his roots. Some of his best friends were ranchers, miners, truck farmers and just plain everyday guys. He loved animals, especially horses, cows and dogs. He was partial to bull dogs. I remember Bugs, Tony and Jingling, a toy bull, his last dog.

He was generous with his money and treated hundreds of poor people without any expectation of pay. Yet he made enough money to purchase a 12 acre farm where he hoped to raise blooded milk cows, but his sons had no interest in farming. He donated enough money for the local church to erect a new wing. But when the home teachers caught him playing penny ante poker with a doctor friend in the privacy of his home and told him he was going to hell, Grandpa never went back to church.

He was every bit the family patriarch and his word, which was usually profound and correct, was sacrosanct and non negotiable. None of his sons, although heads of their own families, ever opposed Grandpa’s decisions. And as expected he was a firm believer in an education.

When I was thirteen my Dad married, me and my sister went to live with our Dad and our Stepmother. But Grandpa, who only lived three blocks away at the time, was still the patriarch. When I turned age 18 and registered for the draft, a buddy and I decided to join the Navy. My Dad was okay with my decision, but family protocol dictated that I needed to inform Grandpa.

Before writing the next words I look up at Grandpa and he’s smiling. Mischievously I take a shot of scotch and he immediately frowns. There are no words exchanged between us, there’s no need, facial expressions suffice. I know exactly what he’s thinking, and I suspect he knows what I’m thinking. And I know from his expression he is waiting to see what I write next.

Grandma’s photograph is to Grandpa’s left. Their photographs are joined by a hinge, like the spine of a book. She too is watching me, waiting to see what I write. They were lifelong companions and as far as I know, never exchanged a harsh word. Grandpa was the head of the family, and Grandma was the head of the house. Growing up, Grandma always referred to Grandpa as my Dad, because until my Dad married my stepmother, I seldom saw him. And she was right, because whatever attributes I may have that are social redeeming, I owe to Grandpa.

It took all the courage I could muster to tell Grandpa I was joining the Navy. “Grandpa,” I said, “I’m joining the Navy.” The Korean War was on and our justification for joining the Navy was to avoid being drafted by the Army and exiled to a fox hole. Besides, the sign at the recruiting station said, “Join the Navy and see the world.” We wanted to see the world.

He looked at me for a few seconds as I trembled inside, fighting not to show it. “Oh no you’re not,” he said matter of factly, “You’re going to college.”

He picked up the phone and started to dial, saying: “The President of Westminster College is a friend of mine. I’m going to enroll you here and now.”

I look up at the photograph of Grandpa and he is smiling. Tears form in my eyes. It is as if I’m reliving this important event and I don’t want to disappoint my Grandpa, who lovingly raised me under difficult circumstances. The death of my mother was very traumatic for me and my sister. But I was not interested in college and was determined to join the Navy.

I said as calmly as I could and with as much conviction as I could,”Grandpa, I’m sorry but I’m joining the Navy.”

He quit dialing and looked at me, looking hard into my eyes. I didn’t flinch. It was one of those momentous moments that you never forget for I loved him so; still, I was rejecting his counsel. He hung up the phone and said calmly, “I guess you are not ready to go to college. Maybe when you get out of the Navy you’ll be ready to go to college.” As a matter of fact, after two years in the Navy I was good and ready to go to college. Even before I was discharged I came home on leave and enrolled at the University of Utah.

I looked up at Grandpa’s photograph and his countenance said I wrote truthfully. I sighed with relief. He was right; I was wrong but I had to learn the hard way. I was so naïve that I thought the ships at sea anchored at night while everybody slept. I learned fast. And like a dumb youth I was afraid I would not see action before the Korean War ended, and after six months of Navy life thought I should have joined the Marines, which I almost did.

A few months before I was honorably discharged Grandpa suffered a major stroke. His specialty as a doctor was stroke victims and he always feared that he too some day would suffer a stroke. One half of his body was paralyzed and he needed help walking, eating and going to the bathroom. And you could see by his expression how he hated to be a burden and dependent upon the help of those who for years he had helped.

He had another stroke and became too much for Grandma and was put in a rest home. After a week or two he had another stroke and was little more than a vegetable. In a few days the family was summoned as the end was near. It was a sad time for us all. My Dad and his brothers couldn’t bear to see him in such a pathetic state, so I stayed with him until he passed away. It’s ironic that a few years later Grandma had a major stroke. I was the first one in the family by her side and the last one to see her before she passed on - to be with Grandpa.

The years flashed by. I was married when Grandpa and Grandma died. Since then I have divorced, married, divorced and married a third time. When Grandpa’s youngest daughter, Yvonne, grew deathly ill she gave me the photographs of Grandpa and Grandma that now stare down at me. As a result we, that is, Grandpa, Grandma and me have reestablished a close relationship. Although I have outlived them both, meaning I am now older than they were when they died, nevertheless, they are still my Grandpa and Grandma – no matter the age, and I am still the boy they nurtured.

Grandma was more spiritual than Grandpa, and on rare occasions went to church without him. When Grandpa died she had his body dressed in LDS Temple Robes. I had never seen Temple Robes and was shocked when I saw him dressed in white garb and a green apron around his waist.

In looking at Grandma’s photograph as I write this I can see she doesn’t approve of my talking about the Temple Robes because they are supposed to be sacred, but Grandpa’s expression is neutral, he doesn’t seem to mind. I discern that Grandpa and I share the same feelings about religion and the LDS Church – and as I check his face, there is a smile.

If you have followed my blog you will have noticed I have not been too kind to Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. Although Grandpa smirks, Grandma wonders why I shouldn’t leave well enough alone. I love Grandma too and don’t want to offend her but I have a mischievous streak.

The picture of Grandpa below is in front of the cellar at the Murray, Vine Street home. This is how Grandpa looked when he was not doctoring. Seeing him this way it is hard to imagine him being a prominent Salt Lake City physician. One of his patients was President Heber J. Grant, the seventh President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I remember a large painting President Grant gave Grandpa in appreciation of his medical skills. It was a landscape. I don’t know whatever happened to it.

Grandpa and Grandma appreciated good paintings. I remember he purchased a book about 5 inches thick with copies of all the famous painters, artists like Rembrandt, Monet and Picasso. He had two original oil paintings, both landscapes. I particularly liked one, a landscape by Moran: a pond with cattails and Mount Olympus in the background. He also had two large copies of Pinkie and Blue Boy. Before Grandma died she pasted the name behind each painting who she wanted to have it. Moran was a well known Nineteenth Century American artist and did several painting of well known locations like the sculptured cliffs in Echo Canyon. I looked up at Grandma. She could tell what I was thinking, “Who got the Moran painting of the pond?” But her expression said, “I’m not going to tell you.” All the precious artifacts in Grandpa and Grandma’s house, like the clock on the mantel that chimed on the hour, have apparently gone in a dozen unfamily directions, mementos that would be very important to me, my sister and cousin Bob. But then that’s the way of things. But even more precious than Moran’s painting are the photographs of Grandpa and Grandma.

You may think I’m hallucinating or in my old age becoming a little psychotic but there is no question that there is a rational, emotional connection between me and those photographs of my Grandparents. In my mind they are still alive but in another sphere and in some surreal way we communicate and discuss my thoughts and writing, especially where it concerns the Llewellyn family. When I’m in my little office working on the computer I’m not alone. Grandpa and Grandma are with me. And as I glance up at them, I can see they approve – their approval is important to me.

And believe it or not, Grandpa Llewellyn informs me that I must record my thoughts of the Fryer family, which I plan to do because my Mother’s parents, Grandpa and Grandma Fryer were also instrumental in my upbringing and what I am today – whether you like what I am or not.

The Verse of the Sword

2012-02-25T19:44:06Z

THE VERSE OF THE SWORD

Afghans have been rioting now for five days over the burning of the Koran. Why was the Koran burned? The Air Force said it was a mistake. Detainees had been using the Koran to pass “subversive” messages to each other.

To us Westerners, rioting over something that seems so trivial to us is beyond comprehension. How shallow the lives of Afghan Muslims must be that they take to the streets, behaving like maniacs, killing, and plundering. It is a sign of abject impotence on the part of Muslim men. For a religion that is supposed to be superior to all other forms of belief, they act like idiots.

The riots support the contention that Islam is a religion that revolves around hatred. The Koran is a document that discriminates against non believers, women and encourages hatred. Therefore it cannot be defended on intellectual terms, causing Muslims to resort to violence. Have you noticed that in Afghanistan it is only men that are rioting, as opposed to Egypt, which is more secular, where women are demonstrating?

When the Afghans were fighting against the Russians we became their allies. Now they are fighting us using the weapons we gave them to fight the Russians. The Obama Administration is attempting to find an honorable way to pull out of Afghanistan and pretend we didn’t leave like the Russians. Whatever good we did like elections and freeing women and children to have an education will be for naught when we leave. Warfare in Afghanistan is a way of life and will always be a way of life as long as foreigners remain in their country. Islam, as medieval as it is, is the Afghan’s only means of dignity – and a scant receipt at that.

I for one am tired of our politicians trying to appease the unappeasable. Muslims can insult us, hang in effigy our leaders and burn our flag. They invade our embassies, target our civilians and kill us whenever they can and we continue to appease and apologize for being civilized Americans. And to my consternation, Muslims who are Muslims first and Americans second, overtly conspire to replace our Constitution with Sharia Law – while Obama cronies like his United States Attorney General, Eric Holder, sit on their thumbs allowing Islam to make us look like fools under the flawed flag of diplomacy. Muslims only understand and respond to power and force – diplomacy and apologies are signs of weakness. If they agree to negotiate it is only a ruse, a tactic to buy time, and then they will strike.

When a reformed Muslim terrorist tries to warn us about Islam, why don’t we listen? How many 9/11s must we suffer before we get the message? What makes us think we know more about Islam than the Israelis? Why don’t we take the following seriously?

“The Verse of the Sword has abrogated (annulled) one hundred and twenty four Quranic verses, and all that came in the Quran on matters of forgiving and ignoring unbelievers, have been replaced (Mansookh), by the verse of the sword.” (Why I Left Jihad, by Walid Shoebat, Page 53)

And what is the verse of the sword: Consider the following from the Quran:

“When the sacred months are passed, kill those who join other gods with Allah wherever Ye shall find them, besiege them, and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush.”(9:5)

“Make war upon such of those whom the Scriptures have been given as they believe not in Allah, or the last day, and forbid not that which Allah and His Apostle have forbidden.” (9:29)

“make war on the infidels who dwell around you and let them see how harsh you can be.” (9:123)

“I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers!” (8:12-13)

“Be patient with unbelievers until you have strength …” (Surah 4:101)

Barak Obama, if you won’t defend Americans and America against an oppressive Islam, move over and let somebody who will.

Pundits say Obama has raised one billion dollars to use towards being reelected. That means he has one billion dollars with which to buy his reelection - Chicago type politics.

Blue Eyes versus Brown Eyes

2012-02-21T01:24:09Z

Blue Eyes versus Brown Eyes

A few years ago I read where a psychology teacher conducted an experiment by separating blue eyed students from the brown eyed students and then introduced rhetoric that pitted the blue eyes against the brown eyes. What started in fun got suddenly personal where genuine animosity was generated between the two groups. Each thought the other was inferior and sullied. When the teacher tried to explain it was just an experiment and there was no reason to believe that blue eyes were anymore superior in anyway than brown eyes, it took a while for the animosity to subside.

What the experiment showed is how easy it is to form prejudices and biases, and how likeness gravitates towards likeness. The political bullies of the world use this tactic to divide, manipulate and conquer.

My first wife had blue eyes, mine are brown. We did not have a good marriage and eventually divorced. I couldn’t help wonder if blue eyed women were incompatible with brown eyed men. Of course the idea is nonsense – or is it? My current wife is brown eyed and we get along just fine, as long as I yield to her desires.

It seems we Homo sapiens have a predisposition to segregate and invent justifications for discriminating against others. Take the American Indians for example, the Cheyenne raided the Dakotas and vice versa. The Civil war was fought over economics and ideology. The Nazis demonized then slaughtered the Jews. The Japanese slaughtered the Chinese during War II. But before a shot was fired, the Japanese convinced themselves that the Chinese were an inferior race that deserved to be conquered, just like the Nazis, who falsely demonized the Jews. And the discrimination and persecution goes on. Look at tiny Israel surrounded by Muslims who vow to wipe them off the face of the Earth, just because they are Jews, an inferior race, and because the Muslim’s mentor, Mohammad, said so.

The mythical Robinhood of Sherwood Forest stole from the rich and gave to the poor and in our hearts we applauded. Butch Cassidy was thought of as a Robinhood-type, so was Jessie James. Were they really that benevolent or was it our imagination, or was it wishful thinking. When we turn killers and thieves into folk heroes, is it a way of projecting our own latent desires? In other words, do we see in these folk heroes something we identify with or would like to be? Something that may be guiltlessness, bravery, lust, or hatred.

There has always been antipathy between the rich and the poor, the serf and the land lord, the commoner and the nobleman, the plebeian and the aristocrat, the fief (feudal lord) and the vassal. It is easier to create pejorative rhetoric between the rich and the poor than turning blue eyes against brown eyes. And education doesn’t seem to matter. The more educated you are the better equipped you are to articulate convincing derogatory insinuations. And I think we see that very thing happening in the current political climate.

Is it a sin to be wealthy? Only if you are a Republican. From the poor liberal point of view there is the assumption that wealth is always obtained at the expense of the poor. But when a fellow Republican makes the same insinuation about another Republican, what does it tell you? It appears that the animosity against the rich man is stronger than the rich man’s desire to create an environment where the ambitious poor can also become rich. But it seems the envious poor isn’t interested in how the rich man gained his wealth, not even if it was due to hard work and sacrifice.

I remember years ago in a college class hearing the term, “philosopher kings,” government by the most intelligent. There are currently two politicians who think that because they are the most intelligent they should rule, that they should be President of the United States. One is already President and wants another term. The other campaigns to take his job and portrays himself as the only one intelligent enough to do it.

So here we have disparagement between the most intelligent and the less intelligent. If I remember right Woodrow Wilson was thought to be very intelligent. Dwight D Eisenhower was an average student. FDR was a plutocrat. Bill Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar, but Slick Willy didn’t use his intelligence to lord it over lesser intellects, besides he liked fast foods and was able to connect with the middle class. Harry Truman was a man of principle, unafraid to do the right thing. He was neither noted for wealth or intelligence – but smart enough to make some of the toughest decisions ever made by a President.

The point is we have had Presidents with blue eyes and brown eyes, wealthy presidents and just ordinarily principled Presidents. We have had Presidents who were instrumental in building this great country like Thomas Jefferson, Presidents who under extreme stress, bloodshed and faith who held the Union together like Abraham Lincoln. Presidents who inspired us to destroy our oppressors like FDR and Truman. Presidents who made us economically and militarily sound like Ronald Reagan. But our country today is teetering between socialism and capitalism. As Americans we must choose a man who will return us to a self-sufficient economy and a strong national defense. There are still dangerous enemies abroad and among us who hate us because of our wealth and successes – an attitude that can be traced to that ubiquitous debate between the rich and the poor, success and failure.

It is interesting how the GOP candidates are conducting their campaign. The most outspoken voices in the Republican electorate are coming from the Tea Party people and the religious right. Consequently the GOP candidates are placed in a position where they must tailor their speeches to appeal to the Tea Party and religious right. And in an attempt to convince this powerful few that he is their man, he castigates the opponents. But there is one thing wrong with this scenario. Not many turned out to caucus or vote. In fact in the case of Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado the turnout was so embarrassing low, 4% and less. Why? Could it be apathy or a message from the Republican (silent) majority that they don’t like how the campaign is being conducted?

I fear that when the idealistic Republican voters demand that their candidate conform absolutely to their ideals, ideal takes precedence over winning the general election. Put another way, ideal takes precedence over practicality. It is a blue eye/brown eye characterization. It must be their way or no way – blue or brown - because their way, although it has merit, it is a minority way.

Of the four remaining candidates one is more practical than the others. One naively believes that if America isolates itself the rest of the world will leave us alone. Another is a remnant of the philosopher kings, cunning and wise to the ins and outs of Washington politics. The current leader of the pack, according to the polls, was a United States Senator and at the moment seems to most epitomize the vision of the Tea Party and religious right. He is practical except when it comes to disparaging the competition. He seems to think that the way to rise to the top is by belittling his conservative opponents. Like Glen Beck, it is sometime difficult to tell if he is talking politics or preaching Christianity – as if belief and worship of Jesus Christ is a winning strategy and qualifies one to be President.

Once the fault finding started it became epidemic, over shadowing the practical, the solutions and the visions to recover American greatness. And like a chorus, they chastise the most practical among them for being successful and making money. They blame his political successes, like the win in Florida and Nevada, on his ability to raise money to publish negative ads, as if they wouldn’t do the same if they had the ability.

I am not a Mormon, but was one once, and probably know more about the religion than most true believers. Although I question Mormon authority, as I question all religious authority, I embrace their virtue and values. Religion is like the blue and brown eye disputations, except where Mormons are concerned, with some super righteous Christians, Mormon eyes are black, but political correctness prevents them from saying it publically. So they find more politically correct slander with which to smear Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney is very much as religious as Rick Santorum and very much a family man, but how often do you hear him touting his Christian roots? When have you heard him suggest he is more Christian than the others?

I think Mitt Romney is the best equipped to kick Barak Obama out of the White House. He has both secular and executive experience. He has been successful and knows what it takes to be successful in the public sector. He knows what is needed to create jobs. I believe him when he says he will repeal Obama Care. I believe him when he says he will do whatever is necessary to create jobs and balance the budget. I believe him when he says he will stand up to China and Islamic imperialism. And I believe him when he says he will stand by Israel and secure our borders. And I believe him when he says he will build a military so strong and ferocious that no hostile nation will dare challenge it. And I think Mitt Romney has the credentials and the pluck to shrink big government. And lastly, if Mitt Romney will adhere and conform to LDS attributes he should make a great president, for he has the personality and stature to go along with it.

And what are Latter-day Saint attributes: a self-sufficient work ethic, strong family values, charity, honesty, clean living, the Golden Rule and patriotism. Are not these the same attributes of the Tea Party and religious right? You may not like how Mormons find Jesus, that is their path to Jesus, but their Americanism and virtues are above dispute because they are synonymous with the Christian values hailed by most Christian sects. Furthermore, LDS patriots firmly believe in separation of church and state. Mitt Romney will show no more attention to the LDS Church than he will Catholicism or any other Christian faith.

In conclusion, the eyes of LDS Church members are not black, they are shades of blue and brown.

PS: In watching the news tonight, as the price at the gas pumps keep going up, along with everything else that’s dependent upon fuel, like the transportation of food, there are more of the middle class joining the ranks of the poor, than middle class joining the ranks of the rich. Under the Obama administration the middle class is being decimated. With the price at the gas pump rising, the cost to heat our houses and keep the lights on climbing, it doesn’t leave much left over for food, clothes and entertainment. If Obama is not kicked out of office by the time of his second term there will only be two classes in America, the rich and the poor.