Free At Last: The Nielsen Dismissal
I wrote this in response to another blog entry. Click here to see rightascension's entry.
BYU is in an interesting position. Its sponsoring organization was, at one time, considered a cult and very outside the mainstream of the American cultural and religious experience (for lack of a better word). However, perhaps beginning with the quest for statehood, "The Church" has been striving for acceptance and recognition nationally and internationally. It calls the Founding Fathers of the country which once dispossessed it INSPIRED, as well as the Constitution they penned, which guarantees certain freedoms. Among those freedoms are freedom of the press and freedom of speech. However, the establishment clause allows people to worship as they wish and has allowed religions to operate with a fair amount of autonomy.
Hence, BYU's gordian knot. It operates as part of an autonomous religious entity but it competes with other universities within, accepts monies from, and prepares students for the larger secular culture. Because of its religion status it is able to play by two sets of rules, applying the one(s) which suit its mission as situations arise. This in-and-not-of-the-world status leaves the institution open to criticism whenever secular-vs.-non-secular decisions have to be made. It will never be able to please the entire community. Are these decisions policy driven, inspiration driven, ego driven, economically driven, politically driven or just haphazard reactions? Who knows, outside of those making the decisions. The decision not to rehire someone who expresses his or her personal views, without consultation with an employer whose position is just the opposite, isn't such an unusual thing. It's not like the employee is a whistle blower, having discovered an illegality, or is it?
I guess I'm most confused by Nielsen's blurting it out, calling attention to himself and the issue, in a forum where he knew he'd receive the most support statewide. Does he think that the LDS Church is a democratic republic? Was his letter a declaration of independence? If it was then I guess he got what he wanted, his independence
SUAS
Mexican Mafia
I previously wrote an entry regarding immigration entitled, Follow the Dollar. In it I asked some questions about immigration and even suggested annexing Mexico. The recent visit of Mexican President Fox, coupled with my own exposure to many adolescents who are in Utah illegally, causes me to reflect upon lessons we should have learned from America's history. I
Exorcizing Exclamations about Education
Education issues, i.e., splitting districts, charter schools, vouchers and all the rest, provide for interesting debate. Hopefully, the best ideas, and not something else, will float to the top. Unfortunately, some of the most vocal participants come to the debate with minds made up. Dialogues become monologues, devolving into emotional, ideological, ax-grinding blame games where a few "empowered" mudslingers short-sightedly trash something that only may need some adjustments.
I understand the need for demons. It
Our Ignorance-Their License
When things were going well during the Clinton regime, we Americans, for the most part, were withdrawing from the world and basking in our good fortune and indulgences. The media focused on stories that enhanced market share, which generally were NOT to be found on the international page. We chose to remain ignorant because we only wanted to hear good news or gossip.
We were broadsided by 9-11 in part because our political leaders, along with the media, distracted us with Monica and pandered to us about what a good job they were doing with an economy that was essentially doing well on its own. Who knows what might or might not have happened had Americans truly been aware of the resentment our foreign policy in the Middle East had aroused over the previous forty years.
What did happen is that we had to be jolted into awareness, as is usually the case, by a crisis. And as we ran out to read the Koran and brush up on our geography, the sore (I mean Gore) losers and the rabid Clinton haters churned up their power-mongering blame game. In the meantime many of us have taken the easy path of joining in, almost blindly, as the radio talk shows and major media outlets form our opinions for us.
We listen to paid, bottom-line entertainers instead of reading thoughtful, informed commentary by scholars or primary sources. Why should we think when we can turn the knob and get the adrenaline rush that a good dose of hate or anger can provide! If we think as we observe, we may hesitate and question spoon-fed assumptions. I recently compared us to sheep but, in our world of information and communication, perhaps parrots would be a more apt analogy.
We live in a world where everyone can watch events unfold in real time almost anywhere on the planet, yet we've spawned a culture of Jay Leno
National INsecurity: Feeding America
Speaking of addictions, someone please stop me from writing so much in here! I have tomatoes to plant and kids who wonder what Dad's up to on the computer.
Anyway, this entry was prompted by a Thomas Friedman editorial. This is my twist on some of his thoughts.
Addicts, dealers and suppliers rely on South America and various Asian countries for the drugs that aren
Global Night Commute: Invisible Children and Invisible Herald
Geezo. Again, a fairly important event in Provo (at least for the participants and for the children in Uganda) and where's the Herald? The Deseret News was there, along with other state-wide media entities. Click HERE for the Deseret News article. (I honestly do NOT work for the DesNews.)
The background for the event last night, the Global Night Commute, is contained in my Invisible Children posting.
Too bad more people didn't show up. And too bad the the Herald didn't pick up on it.
If BYU had been in session there would have been more than a thousand participants. The invisible children of Uganda is a growing issue: it has legs. We will continue to hear more about it unless another domestic crisis bumps it off the stage.
SUAS
Mormons vs. Democrats
The following is my response to a response to my last entry. I'm posting it as a new entry because sixty or so people had already read the other entry prior to Annonymous's response. His/her response is worth going back and revisiting the entry. Click HERE to do so.
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Man, you're really good!!! It's very clear to me that you've not only thought this through but that you are very adept at expressing your thoughts. I'll try to address your points in order, hopefully with a portion of the clarity you've used to make them.
1. Congressional Peer Pressure: I can't imagine the pressure our representatives must face to fall in line with their party and its leaders. I'm not sure I remember an instant when Senator Hatch has ever questioned anything any republican adminstration, particularly this one, has done. He may have. I hope he has but I'd need a memory jog to recall the occasion. As far as the party platforms you'll have to convince me that they are more than documents of appeasement written by and for the extremists in both parties. Don't national candidates begin by appealing to the most active members of their parties, the ideologues and special interest groupies, first? Then, isn't it rush to the center, wherever that happens to be or projected to be come election day? The center is rather fluid and Utah's center is not the national center. Anyway, I'm fairly certain that republican and democratic leaders alike would rather see someone of their own party not falling into line on every issue than have the congressional seat occupied by someone of the other party.
I reckon, at times, it comes down to a matter of loyalty to personal principles and constituents versus the party and special interests. Does it bother you that Howard Stevenson is a paid lobbyist and a legislator at the same time? Does it bother you that, according to the Herald's poll, Sen. Hatch accepts money from the gaming industry? I'm sure my implications are simplifications and that there are extenuating circumstances, but it grates on me. I've voted for Hatch, scouts honor. Hopefully, whoever is elected to any office will be forthcoming in his or her intentions and will have the strength to echo and reflect the concerns and character of the people s/he represents. Wouldn't it be great if they could be statesmen rather than politicians!
2. Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage: Hot potato. I think they are lightening-rod issues used by both sides to polarize and inflame. Card-carrying Mormons don't have much of a choice on these issues, which is okay. These are moral issues and the holy texts and doctrines of most religions don't leave much wiggle room. But if you were going to compare the LDS official stance on abortion to that of Christian fundamentalists, Mormons come off as liberals. Mitt Romney will have a very difficult time in the southern primaries.
I'm not trying to dodge the issues by blowing smoke in your face, but I wonder if competetent, independent Democrats might have a place in the debate over these issues. What would happen if we somehow were able to elect independent statesmen on both sides of the aisle. Actually, Im not at all dissatisfied with Senator Bennett.
3. Mormons Versus Democrats: I think the battles between secular and spiritual are best resolved in our own hearts. Each person needs to make his peace with his religion and his situation. I'm not sure where I'm going with this one except to say that I think Mormon Democrats emphasize different aspects of Christianity and constitutional ideals. In a way, they are more about equality (Jefferson) whereas their counterparts emphasize freedom (Adams). Both parties have elitist tendencies, especially when they are in control for very long. Democratic leaders and their sponsoring groupies can become more equal than others. Republicans and their contributors sometimes seem to have more freedom than others.
4. Political Naivete: I am naive and not nearly as passionate as you think. I guess that stems from not knowing the answers. I am an idealist when it comes to human nature. I choose to believe that people will do the right thing until they have proven otherwise.
5. Converting Mormons to the Democrats: I think most faithful Mormons are a combination of democratic and republican values. I think the Republican Party has packaged itself better in Utah and has assumed the role of The Only True Party. But the GOP, as in Hegel's dialectic, is sowing the seeds of its decline. Power corrupts. It's inevitable. The GOP will lose its "Mandate of Heaven" and I can only hope there will be enough ethically-grounded statesmen among the Democrats, particularly on the national level, to keep the ship of state afloat.
6. Conclusion: I've been active in both political parties. I'm a registered Republican. I can attend the caucus meetings and the conventions of both parties. I couldn't do so if I were a registered Democrat. I'm sure if the Democrats were in power that they might make similar rules. But before any party affiliation, I am an American. I'm grateful for this and other mediums in a country where freedom of expression is valued.
I'm sure you were not threatened or offended by my original posting (you seem very secure and self-assured) because no offense was intended. The same goes for this response. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, especially with such eloquence and insight.
| I hope the above entry clarifies, or muddys, my political stance to the satisfaction of my detractors. 
Where Was The Herald?
Where was the Herald the other night? Or did I just miss the article about the County Democratic Convention on Tuesday? I searched in here and couldn
The Romantic, The Rational and The Religious
I can't believe people are reading my entries and even responding, or at least telling me why they are not. I'm writing too much and need to lay back. But this place is addictive, especially to someone as full of, umm...digested grass as I am.
Anyway, as I read other people's entries I feel I have to respond. And, as is the case with my previous entry, this entry is a copy of one such response. The topics are religion and violence, written by HonestlyAbe. Click HERE to go to his entry. The following is my response:
I'm wondering how much of it (violence, wars and the like) we can lay at the feet of religions. Isn't there just something in human nature that yearns for identity, even community? Doesn't religion fill that need? However, there seems to be something else in our psyche that makes us think, or want to believe, that our way is the best way, that we are or ought to be the champions. I'm not sure where this better-than-thouness originated, but it's played out at all levels, from high school rivalries to the geo-political playing field.
Enter the demagogue who reinforces our lofty self-perceptions (these guys do really well during times of economic and social unrest) and whips us into a frenzy. Once a scapegoat has been identified, it seems mankind is capable of all kinds of inhumanenss. I can think of nothing more frightening than mob mentality. We become capable of all sorts of destructive behaviors when our emotions are aroused.
When we're running on emotion the rational is subdued. Religions, for the most part, are in the romantic-emotional realm. If it (religion, faith, diety) could be examined under a microscope, if eveyone could see and talk with God in person or even chat with Him in Yahoo, then it would be part of our physical-sentient-rational world. We'd have to find something else to blame for all the fighting.
For my part, the only part of which I can speak with any credibility or expertise, I like my religion. It provides a safe and loving community for my children. I also like it because it, or the way I've chosen to interpret it, allows me to accept beliefs of other religions as having divine origins. It speaks of revelation as being an intellectual as well as an emotional experience, a powerful and convincing combination. My religion, the organization, continues its evolution through painful and intolerant (tribalistic) growth stages, as do most religions, and finds itself being used to sell everything: books, DVD's, real estate...you name it. However, I hope its doctrines encourage me to study and question as much as fall in lock-step with everyone else. Maybe I'm living in a bubble, but don't pop it, not yet.
It's okay if you pop my bubble and point out all my contradictions. I just thought that saying not to was a cute way to end my comment. Any comments or insights YOU share are more than welcome.
SUAS
All We Like Sheep
I wrote the following comment to another blog entry written by the articulate and thoughtful rightascension and thought I might use it as an entry of my own. His point, or at least part of it, was that maybe Utahns need to reconsider re-electing party-first leaders who seem to blindly support the war in Iraq. Click HERE to go to rightascension's original entry. The following is my comment to his entry:
Is it possible for people, so accustomed to not asking questions, to doubt that our nation and its leaders are being led by God? Don't things happen for a reason? Why should we try to control what God has ordained? We don't have to think, just pick the party that invokes diety the most and then vote straight ticket.
Even if the war seems like a mistake, maybe it's a chance to send missionaries there. Isn't it time we had some martyrs of our own?
Stop rocking our boat. If it had been Clinton who got us into this mess you may have had a point. He belongs to that godless party. Those who rely on the arm (or other parts) of flesh must be watched more closely.
As a sidenote, Tuesday evening the Utah County Democratic Convention will be held in the Provo City Council Chambers at 7 PM. There will be a Women's Caucus at 6 PM. I think all are invited but I would hope that no one would come and try to hijack or republicanize the debate. Utah Democrats are clinging to the center as it is and don't need anymore tugs from the right.
If you're interested in viewing voting preferences in a very UNscientific webpoll,or better yet, if you wish to voice your own voting preference, go to my Political and Social Issues site.
I hope only the offensive are offended by my lifting the title of this entry from Isaiah ...or was it Handel?
SUAS
We Need a Watch-Blog Dog!
Anyone else tired of clicking on what appear to be interestingly-titled blogs and finding you can
Invisible Children
One of my students brought me a DVD entitled Invisible Children last month.. It was one of the most heart-rending documentaries I have ever seen. It dipicts the plight of children in northern Uganda who live in fear of being kidnapped, tortured and conscripted as soldiers, child soldiers, in one of the most bizarre wars you can imagine. Another student commented that ninety-five percent of what she does or worries about lost all its importance as she watched the movie.
In my last entry I said the movie was food for the soul. I hope I didn
Immigration: Following the Dollar?
Wiretapping: The Human Factor
I've been impressed by the quality of writing I'm finding at this site. It seems that there are a few journalists or should-be's who make rather insightful, or is it inciteful, observations. I commented on an entry in another blog earlier today. The author outlined historical precedents of presidents who suspended citizens
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