An example of Mormon intolerance

Paul Rolly, a columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, reported this past week that Senator Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D, Nevada) was invited to give a fireside talk at an LDS stake center last weekend. Reid agreed to speak about his spiritual awakening and conversion to the Mormon faith.

Rolly goes on to report that when word got out that Reid would be speaking, organizers of the fireside received emails and phone messages threatening that if Reid spoke, they would heckle him inside the chapel and harass him with demeaning signs and slogans. The fireside was cancelled for fear the meeting would turn violent.

Who are these people? What has happened to some members of my church? How can so many Mormons have been deceived by the forces of narrow-mindedness, intolerance, and hatred?

I have often thought that the violence in the world that seems to have its roots in the Muslim faith, could be greatly ameliorated if the believers and leaders of that faith would speak out courageously, strongly, and often, in favor of tolerance and against hatred and violence.

This incident makes plain the need to promote tolerance and civility among our own. Here is a link to an official LDS press release on the topic of civility in civic discourse. Clearly, more of our members need to read it.

Black is White

I just heard the most astonishing thing on a radio station that calls itself "Family Values Radio." Some "conservative" commentator was going on about how "the liberals" never answer or discuss the "issues" that conservatives "lay down." Instead, he said, "the liberals" just attack the conservative speaker. Liberals, he claimed, avoid discussing issues in favor of just attacking conservatives personally.

The astonishing thing, of course, was that the person speaking was doing exactly what he claimed was so reprehensible. How can he get away with this?  Are the listeners of "Family Values" Radio" so naive that they don't recognize when their opinions are being so blatantly and shamelessly manipulated? Scary.

Money vs. Morals

"The mere presense of large sums of money pushes people past their moral limits, making them more likely to lie, cheat and steal." This comes from a study in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes as reported in the December 2009 issue of Psychology Today ("The Green Monster" p. 17).

It is always interesting when science demonstrates what scripture already tells us. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 TImothy 6:10)

This scientific finding is especially interesting in the current political climate wherein Utah Mormon Republicans are worshipping corporations and pushing so-called "market solutions" to every problem. At least we now know what the market solutions are: lie, cheat, and steal.

Senator Bennett: Blind or Co-opted?

Republican senator Bob Bennett from Utah has started the TV ads for his 2010 campaign already. Why not? As a member of the Banking, Appropriations, and Rules Committees, he has plenty of corporate money to start his campaign early. Besides, he is terrified about the crazies in his party that don't think he is "conservative enough." (These are the same people that brought us Congressman "Fence out the Mexicans!" Chafetz).

Predictably, the 76 year old "Junior Senator" from Utah began his campaign by using his TV dollars to stir up fear about "ObamaCare." The line from the commercial that is the most revealing is when he says, "Health care reform should be based on free market principles not government bureaucracy!"

How can he (and most of the Republicans in Washington) have possibly missed the fact that it is their sacred "free market principles" that have created the problem in the first place??? Either the Senator is completely blind to the actual workings of the market, or he is actively working to protect the cruel, selfish, corrupt system we have now.

This morning on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" Democratic National Committee Chair Tim Kane said that the reason the Republicans are universally opposed to health care reform is because they are "shills for the insurance industry." It seems to me that Governor Kane has accurately described Sen. Bennett with this description.

Time for the Republicans to "Go Home"?

With number of lies being told about health care, followed this past week by the ridiculous fear-mongering about the President's proposed address to America's school children, even some prominent Republicans are growing disgusted at the Republicans.

Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) who is now the conservative host of the MSNBC show "Morning Joe" recently posted the following series of Twitter messages. They were published on the web by the Washington Independent.

"Dear GOP, argue the issues and avoid the insults...or just shut up. Enough with the conspiracy theories. Shouldn't our beliefs be enough?

GOP leaders in my home state are accusing the POTUS of trying to "indoctrinate America’s children to his socialist agenda." Seriously?

WHERE ARE THE NATIONAL GOP LEADERS SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THIS KIND OF HYSTERIA?

Indoctrination of socialism? The president as a racist? Death panels? Seriously? That's all you've got? If so, it's time for you to go home

I'm just naive enough to believe that a party that shows restraint at home, restraint abroad and respect for the Constitution wins elections

Perhaps that party just doesn't exist."

"Dangerous, Dishonest, and Self- serving"

The following quotation is used to conclude the book Broken Government (p. 200-201) by John W. Dean. He is quoting an "old friend from the Nixon White House" whom he describes as "a life-long Republican." The opinion expressed here is very telling and I believe we should all take the advice given. I added the bold type.

"Just tell your readers that you have a source who knows a lot about the Republican Party from long experience, that he knows all the key movers and shakers, and he has a bit of advice: People should not vote for any Republican because they're dangerous, dishonest, and self-serving. While I once believed that Governor George Wallace had it right, that there was not a dime's worth of difference in the parties, that is no longer true. I have come to realize that the Democrats really do care about people who most need help from government. Republicans care most about those who will only get richer because of government help. The government is truly broken, particularly in dealing with national security, and another four years, and heaven forbid not eight years, under the Republicans, and our grandchildren will have to build a new government, because the one we have will be unrecognizable and unworkable."

Straight Up Lies

"All politicians stretch the truth, massage it into the best fit with their message. But, let's face it, John McCain is running a campaign almost entirely based on straight up lies. Not just exaggerations or half truths but the sort of straight up, up-is-down mind-blowers we've become so accustomed to from the current occupants of the White House.

"John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest and race-baiting campaign of our lifetimes. So let's stopped being shocked and awed by every new example of it. It is undignified. What can we do? We've got a dangerously reckless contender for the presidency and a vice presidential candidate who distinguished her self by abuse of office even on the comparatively small political stage of Alaska. They've both embraced a level of dishonesty that disqualifies them for high office. Democrats owe it to the country to make clear who these people are. No apologies or excuses. If Democrats can say at the end of this campaign that they made clear exactly how and why these two are unfit for high office they can be satisfied they served their country."

The above is quoted from Josh Marshall at the "Talking Points Memo" blog.