Thanks be given to God

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; — for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; — and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; — to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

George Washington

Source: The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789

Think Happy Thoughts

Who cares if the economy sucks, gays are angry, and America voted in a socialist president without knowing what they were doing, there is still a great deal to be positive about, right?

For example, with a slow economy the saints are able to see the wise counsel of loving prophets with respect to these times and have our testimonies bolstered in a living prophet who speaks for Christ. The fact that gays are angry, not at the voters of California, but at Mormons across the country, is a sign that we have done the right thing and should not be ashamed of defending truth regardless of how unpopular it may appear in the media. In fact the reaction of the gay community and their supporters is a pretty good sign that Satan is pissed at how things went with some parts of the election. And just Because we will slowly slip towards a repressive government is no reason to think that God is unaware of such things and will not make sure that a way will be provided for his work to be done. No unhallowed hand can stop this work from progressing-remember.

Perhaps these thoughts arise with our getting close to Thanksgiving. In any case, I think it is healthy and relevant to spirituality to be aware of good things happening in the midst of bad things. Not that the bad things aren't there, or are not relevant, but that we are a part of something better and stronger than all the garbage that is happening in the world.

I re-realized how "happy" thoughts are often grateful thoughts or expressions of gratitude. Maybe this is why people often give what people refer to as Thank-a-mony's on fast Sunday. These people are wanting to express their happiness for the gospel and it just simply comes out as a giant verbal thank you card to Jesus. No matter, I hope everyone has a good thanksgiving. Thanks for reading the blog. We enjoying bringing it to you.

This is James signing off for the holiday. Be back Monday after a good bit of turkey in my gut. Anyone else who wants to write, please do so. We want more participation from our readers and this is your chance.

Should the president be able to pardon

It has been a while since anyone has started a presidential pardon discussion. Mainly because George W. Bush hasn't really done much pardoning so it is more out of sight out of mind. In fact, to date, Bush has pardoned less than half the people that Clinton or Regan pardoned. And maybe I am wrong with this, but should the president's have power to over through the justice system? Is that the presidents part of the checks and balances system? Is it a good thing?

Is there something wrong with the idea of a pardon or does it leave room for a sort of secular repentance? There are plenty of cases that can be made that Christ obtained the power of the eternal pardon if you will. However within the frame work of God's work, Christ paid the penalty for these sins and is given the stewardship to hand out forgiveness where he may. In the case of a presidential pardon, who paid the price? A crime was committed and punishment was removed. Does mercy rob justice in this case?

Just some things I was thinking about...

To each his own

I'm glad this guy is not my neighbor. Seems like a good enough cause, just not an experiment I would want to be around.

Heavy Metal Monk

Perhaps some of you have been "enlightened" on this guy but I thought it would would be fun to share him with the rest of you who have not. His name is Brother Bonizzi and he is monk... by day. He also is the lead singer of Italian heavy metal band Fratello Metallo (translates to Brother Metal). Not the image people are used to seeing, but a fun one nonetheless.

Check him out on the video below. He chooses to express his love for God through heavy metal music. Not exactly the scene I think is conducive to the spirit, but they are, as we all are, allowed to worship how and what we may. I just have to wonder why he is okay with flashing the devil horns with his hands.
Heavy Metal Monk

Can the economy fix itself?

I don't know about you, but I saw a sign for 1.87 a gallon for gas and about wet myself. For the first time in what seems like at least three years I spent less than 20 bucks to fill up my tank. I see that as a great thing for the economy, and the government didn't have to do a thing to regulate it that way.

I am not ignorantly stating that the government had nothing to do with it, but it wasn't mandated or regulated that way. For me, I believe that this is one of those things that happens in a somewhat free market. To paraphrase the 80's sitcom theme song, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take em' both and there you have the facts of life." These feelings are especially relevant considering all the money that the government doesn't have flowing into the hands of corporations that haven't exactly earned it. If the American people have to live tighter and operate leaner in a changing economy, then so should the lending industry, the auto industry, and any other industry that is getting inline for a hand out. And for those of you in Phoenix AZ, that means your city too.

It is my opinion that when Lehi taught his sons that there must be opposition in all things, both good times and bad times, he emphasized that this was the plan of our Heavenly Father to experience those things. Without the bad we would not know or appreciate the good and vice versa. There are challenges in prosperity, and there are challenges in adversity. There are benefits to both as well. This is a time of economic opportunity, just not the same opportunities that were there two years ago. The efforts and pressure people are feeling to bailout everyone having a hard time seems a little like taking God and his plan out of the equation. It is almost like people are asking for repentance in a financial sense, but are not willing to go through the Godly sorrow, or in some cases, the "period of excommunication" as part of that process. We shouldn't be seeking to abolish justice or the people will cease to feel penalties for their actions.

Our economy is just as much a problem of bad lending as it was a problem of bad buying. So to make the tax payers pay a penalty while the lending industry receives none is following the path of a lower god. Apparently this generation needs our own great depression. In another 80 years there will probably be a need for another because as a society we tend to forget the lessons of those times. There was prosperity that preceded the great depression and there was prosperity that preceded our time now. It was prosperity that took out the Nephite civilization. Why do we feel the laws of God don't apply to us? Can we think that this time is anything less than the humbling we deserve as a people?

The way for this economy to be fixed is not by creating more problems or reliance on the government of the future. It is by letting the businesses figure out a creative solution to their OWN problems in order to survive. If there is no risk for business then there is no reason to do what is best for the consumer. What is best for the consumer is best for a government of the people and for the people. One day I hope Washington will see that and act accordingly.

Take a step back on the gay issue.

A couple months ago as I was driving to Las Vegas to pay homage to my other god gambling I watched the sun setting to my left cast its last rays of light over the hills in front of me. I was struck by how much more definition I was able to see in the landscape when shadows became more visible. In the light of midday when everything is the brightest landscapes have a tendency to look flat tricking people into thinking that not only is the terrain flatter then it actually is but it also washes out all the color that is actually present in the landscape. At sunset though all the canyons, holes and color become clear to us and we see the world the way it actually is.

I was thinking about this in perspective to the persecution the church and its members have been getting on the gay marriage issue. For a number of years society has flirted with the idea that the gay community is nothing more then a bunch of well dressed do-gooders who while acting a little flamboyant are good for the communities they live in. They do make over’s for the men and restore old neighborhoods and get down to some good old fashioned girl talk. But now under new lighting we see the way many of them actually are. For years they have called the religious community the ones filled with hate and repression but as is often the case with liberals and socialists the very sins they accuse their opposition of are the ones they actually indulge in to get their way.

This change in lighting while difficult in some respects for us to see given the history of the church with persecution will in my opinion only more sharply define the true people of God from the counterfeits. Now more sharply people can see the actual lifestyle of hate and repression our opposition represents. Maybe now people will ask “yea if the gay community cares so much about the world where are the charitable organizations representing them that even come close to those of the LDS people?” maybe now the elect of God who have been deceived by the subtle craftiness of men will ask “Are these really the tolerant people I have held up as oppressed?” Just Maybe people with actual critical thinking skills will see the double standard of who can and cannot express their views in this society as a sign post telling them who is actually on the side of free speech and who actually represents operation.

Fight this I think we should, we should stand up to these people and their tactics with everything we have in us. In no way do I think that Mormons will go out and bash queers the way they have gone out and bashed us. But just like the election showed who doesn’t actually have conservative/constitutional beliefs this experience should show us who our true friends are in the religious world. Will other churches let us take the popular fall for this or will they actually grow a pair and stand up with us?

In no way do I see this as a harkening of the second coming, no more then that Joseph Smith being called as a prophet was. Much like every generation I think we have a tendency to want to believe it will be our day that sees the end. Looking to a resolution where God confounds our enemy’s and we stand back saying “I told you so” is what we would all like to see happen. More often then not I think God is waiting for us to put on our big boy pants and do the confounding ourselves.

Captain Moroni would say Yes On Prop. 8

With all the vandalism being done to LDS meeting houses in Utah and in other states, along with all the protests against the LDS church's involvement in the anti-gay marriage effort outside of sacred temples, I couldn't help but think that this has all been done before. Even yesterday's blog alluded to such things. So I went to the Book of Mormon and did some research into the story of Captain Moroni and Zerahemna in Alma 43 and 44.

If you recall the story, the Lamanites had a strong force that was coming to attack and enslave the Nephites. As they came and fought the Nephites they were soon overcome because the Lord supported the righteous cause of the Nephites which was... liberty and freedom of religion.

Starting in Chapter 44:1-6 (copied from the church's website) it says, "Moroni said unto ^aZerahemnah: Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do ^bnot desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you.

2 Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the ^ayoke of bondage. But this is the ^bvery cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion.

3 But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us ^abecause of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.

4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are ^afaithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.

5 And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you, ^aby our faith, by our religion, and by our ^brites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our ^cwives and our children, by that ^dliberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us—

6 Yea, and this is not all; I command you by all the desires which ye have for life, that ye ^adeliver up your weapons of war unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will ^bspare your lives, if ye will go your way and come not again to war against us."

Now I am not sure what you read into this passage, but I was able to make a clear parallel to the situation with the recent "war" over marriage. The saints were called upon to defend the truths and practices that we know to be true from God, not man or government. Such legislation would cause us to loose our freedom of religion as we now currently enjoy it.

I am not seeking to prophecy or anything, but it seems like history is repeating itself and if that is so, there are principles that can be used to show us what is to come; to keep us prepared. As Moroni's story continues there arose Amalickiah who through deception and lies made his way to power. In Chapter 46:8-9, "Thus we see how ^aquick the children of men do ^bforget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do ^ciniquity, and to be led away by the evil one.

9 Yea, and we also see the great ^awickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men."

Obama is no anti-christ, but there are some similarities to Amalickiah. He is already seeking to legalize abortion, grant the right to homosexual marriage, and tax us into "charity". We have seen a great many members of the church flattered by his words. His cause is the cause of socialism and the destruction of agency; Satan's plan. So is there a parallel? I think so. What does the future hold? If the Book of Mormon can be used as a sign of things to come, there will be a constant and unending set of attacks that we, as a people and as families, must be prepared stand in battle on the side of liberty and freedom. Moroni fought to preserve the cause of freedom and free government to such a degree that some of the followers of Amalickiah were put to death if they did not abandon the ways of oppression and agency ending evil (Alma 46:35). Draw your own conclusions. As for me and my house, I think we need to kick up our "defenses" so as the time comes upon us we are prepared to fight for the cause of truth.

p.s.- (hypothesis) 72 years after these events took place Christ was born.... does that mean in 72 years we can see the second coming?

Bartering liberty for a handout

I've been reading Ezra T. Benson's book An Enemy Hath Done This and I have to say I am highly impressed. It's both disheartening and reassuring that his generation struggled with the same conflict that our society battles today. I guess it makes sense, considering this is the conflict which has been taking place from the beginning.

My issue with the liberal agenda is that it espouses the very ideals which Satan proposed in the pre-existence. Yes, you heard me right, and you may read it again if you like. I'm saying if you are a Democrat or liberal in general you support a party in line with the ideals of Lucifer.

Satan's plan was coerced equality and a guaranteed existence culminating in salvation. The clincher? Satan would take the Father's glory upon himself. How absurd?! Now explain to me how a political ideal, and more specifically the Democratic party which gives home to the agendas which support the destruction of un-born infants, supports homosexuality, and guarantees that the State will provide all because you're too incompetent to provide for yourself is any different? Furthermore, a party which presented a candidate who, when called "The One" or the "Messiah" accepted it without any reservations.

This quote from Dean Alfange sums it up:

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents God gave me – not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say – “This, with God’s help, I have done.” All this is what it means to be an American.

Blessings come at all times

I recently moved into a new ward and my wife and I were customarily asked to speak in Sacrament meeting. After we spoke and through the course of fellowshipping with our new ward, I chatted with a ward member who pointed out something that I wanted to share with everyone. He stated that regardless of who is president of the United States we are still entitled to blessings from the Lord.

To me that thought meant, in part, that no matter how many people think that members of the church are bigots for supporting prop 8, or how many people think that I should wear a tin foil hat for making remarks about fat people (read the "all sizes" posting with accompanying remarks if that needs some background), we are all connected to a perfect being who is clear, just, and merciful in dealing with us.

It also meant, if we pay our tithing under Barack Obama we are entitled to the same blessings as under any other leader. If we do all we can to build the cause of Zion, the Lord will still sustain us even though mobs are combining quite literally in fulfillment of Joseph Smith's "Standard of Truth" prophecy.

I share this as a transparent message of real hope, not the hope that Obama, or any other political candidate is unqualified to deliver. As much as I didn't like the outcome of the election in many ways, it was nice to see a nation give a crap about their country. I just hope that over the next four years a solid education on the issues is able to be instilled in all of these new voters so as to not repeat the same mistakes.

Gevernments Should Be Affraid of Their People...

I was cooking dinner last night and my sister-in-law was sitting at the table working on homework with her friend. They had an assignment for their government class where they were given some situations and had to choose a side and then label the decision as two of many options. Ex.: Are you for or against the death penalty for convicted criminals? Then label whether your answer is an example of individual rights, economic law, democracy, etc., etc., etc. One of the questions they read was about the government having power to bug telephones, read emails, and investigate suspected terrorists. My sister-in-laws friend said that she didn't think it was right while my little sis. said that she would want them to if it was a terrorist. I decided to chime in at this time letting them know that thanks to the Patriot Act their government was already doing that. Both girls looked at me as though I had just told them that President Bush and all the other elected officials spend their weekends killing baby ducks. Just another example of how well educated the up and coming voters are but what really bugged me was that my sister's friend then said that it made her feel scared. I asked her if she was scared of her government and she said yes. This is something that has been bugging me for a while and I decided to get this off my chest here. People should not be afraid of their governments, Governments should be afraid of their people. This is a quote from one of my favorite movies although I don't think that V for Vendetta writers were the first to pen it.

Our nation may be one of the only nations where the democratic process really works. Yet this does not bring a sense of pride to me at this time because I feel concerned for our nation as a whole and it has very little to do with Bush and his administration or the President Elect Obama. I worry for the same reasons as all of you and that is because none of us have any idea where this nation is headed and where we will even be next week. The saddest part is that we are the ones that put ourselves here. The democrats can't complain about Bush because they are the ones who could not come up with a candidate to beat him, just like the Republicans can't complain about Barrack because look who they put up for president as well. The fact of the matter is that we can not blow things out of proportion and we really need to focus on keeping the faith instead of trying to rely on the s storm raging outside. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is times like this that a strong testimony will bring you through the darkness of the outside and keep you heading in the right direction. And if the end of the world is in the cards in the next four years, which I don't think is going to happen, then a strong testimony will be the only thing that really matters... well a strong testimony and maybe a closet full of fire power.

"We come in all sizes", so they say.

My wife and I were going through and seeking out grants that are available so that I can go back to school and finish my degree. In going through the long list of questions to best determine what a person qualifies for through fastweb, we came across an organization that was awarding a grant to a person that is willing to further the cause of their organization. That organization is called NAAFA or The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

Advance Fat Acceptance are you kidding me? Is it proper for a non-profit organization to be working for such a goal? It strikes me as counter productive. On top of that it hardly seems like a moral use of resources. Should we not take the money that is being used to advocate acceptance of fat people and put them into a gym or some other method of fixing their problem? Am I wrong here? Who is donating to this organization Spandex?

This reeks of government "intelligence" to me. Rather than seek to fix the problem, lets create a sense of acceptance as if that will somehow make the problem go away.
I realize I am not in the best of shape, but I hardly think that anyone who is truly overweight is happy and wants to stay that way. I don't think I would want to be accepted and viewed as surrendering to such a state. They may cry the pathetic song of sympathy and acceptance, but deep down (in some cases deep, deep, down) no one wants to be accepted at such a level.

On the other hand I think I have found a way to manipulate the liberal ideology that is obviously behind "acceptance" advocacy groups such as this one. Liberals should not support NAAFA because fat people are a contributing factor to global warming. You can't have it both ways, either the fat people have to go, or you have to advance the cause of harming the environment. So which is it liberals.... fat humans, or the earth?

We are going to play a new game; it’s called “who is actually a conservative and who isn’t?”

Back a few months ago during the primary season I had a conversation with a co-worker who was an ardent McCain supporter who told me that McCain was our only hope for the presidency. At that point I told him McCain would lose because he is just as liberal as the opposition and you cant out liberal a liberal. Flash forward a few months and I still haven’t been able to find him at the office. I think he is still sleeping off the hangover he earned drinking away his sorrows.

After last week the realization of something I already knew set in, as young Libertarian/Conservatives there is no one who actually speaks for me. There are few if any politicians who speak for us and our values. There are even fewer groups or grass roots organizations that offer us the chance to organize with other like minded people to put forward a representative that does actually speak for us. Is this because people like me who value hard work and individuality are too busy making a living or being self dependent to organize?

What I do know though is that there are people we have considered our allies who have got to go, we can no longer hold our noses and vote for the lesser of two evils. That very philosophy has done nothing but grind under my skin for years because the lesser of two evils supposes a couple things #1 The only choices we have are evil and #2 If I choose the lesser of two evils I am still choosing evil. Ayn Rand said and rightly so that “In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit.” (FYI if you have not heard of Ayn Rand you need to read Atlas Shrugged.) How long as “Republicans” have we sold our values to those who desire nothing more then the power our votes give them?

Take for example Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prop 8 passed in California last week and is clearly a “conservative Republican” driven issue. Does the governor back up the people who got him elected? No he comes out with this insight “It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end, I think that we will again maybe undo that, if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward from there and again lead in that area." So now he fights against his base on global warming, spending, tax increases and now gay marriage. How long will we suffer these people?

It’s high time we ride “Republicans” like this out on the rails. We as young conservatives and librarians need to organize ourselves so that our voice can not only be heard but so we can find politicians that actually speak for us. We are the ones who tell them what to do and not the other way around. If Republicans want to represent us they can as long as they get in line and actually fight for what we believe. If not they need to be steam rolled.

This preaty much summs it up.

Vladimir Putin is going to tap dance on this guys balls and I am going to sit back and say "He isn't my president." To think that a guy who was a "community organizer" could stand up against people who have made their way whacking anyone who stands in their way is astounding. But the average voter didn't even know that Obama is an avid smoker, that couldn't be a result of the media carefully guarding their candidate could it?

Share the pie!

Glenn Beck had a nice little segment on his show about the whole Obama socialist thing. I found the clip on you tube and I wanted to share it. Pay attention to the author that is the guest interview on the show. I think it sounds like a great read. Video first:

One reason I bring this video up is that some schmuck on the site posted a comment that said the following:

Person 1:
Under Bush we all got "Stimulus checks" redistribution of wealth, we "nationalized banks", we "nationalized insurance companies", we "nationalized brokerage houses", and we gave trillions in welfare to Iraq...

And now you're worried about socialism? Welcome to last year.
-- end quote---

Not bad actually.... except for the fact that you just made a point for the right not the left with that statement. Look how well that is all going-not so well. Therefore, case and point, the redistribution of wealth, not so grand.

Then this uneducated person said:

yes we all want PIE, but in this sh!@y economy right now it needs to be BALANCED out.(SHARE THE PIE)


To which I replied:
"If the economy is as bad as you put it, then doesn't it seem to reason that there is less pie to go around? So sharing it would basically leave the people that have earned pie with less pie than what they earned? Sounds like punishment for the employed citizens and justification for the raping of American wallets?

Plus who says it needs to be balanced out? Who? Isn't it a higher law to earn your own pie than to expect it from another?" Should we not be aiming a higher law, a higher standard?

I need to keep off posting stuff I know. It can be aggravating and addicting. But as for the video, kudos to Glenn Beck on this one. I think he got it spot on.

SNL on Olbermam

It is about time that SNL took a stab at the stupidity of the "leftist" media. I am not a fan of Keith Olberman. His shown on MSNBC is the most ignorant sounding of the liberal media. So here is a decent laugh at least for the first 2 minutes of the skit. The rest kind of rambles a little. Enjoy it for your friday morning light post.

Alright comrades lets start rounding up the dissenters.

Plans for the commune are going smashingly. With the Election of the socialist I decided to speed things up a bit because I just don't I know for sure when the other shoe will drop.

Anyways it became clear that our socialist brother is keeping the change we can believe in band wagon going by selecting his first advisor one Rahm Emanuel. Yea this guy is all about bringing new life to old Washington, wait, he has been around Washington his whole life and was an advisor to Clinton? I thought we wanted changing faces in Washington? I mean there was the Whole selecting as his VP the second longest "serving" senator but know this? The consolation though is that most of the people who voted for socialism this election have no actual idea who either of these people are and won't bother to research who they are. If it's not on MTV or Entertainment Tonight they don't know or care.

Another change we can sink our teeth into, the Socialist earned more many for this run then anyone in history. So can we know change it from "big money Republicans" To "big money Democrats?" Some how I doubt it.

As for the hope part of the socialist message the what I will call "people who actually keep the world moving" expressed their hope in the new president by pulling their money out of everything they could. The markets took the biggest tumble ever after the election of a new president. I guess they didn't get the memo on how socialism in America is a good thing. Not like all those people who are know for advancing the path of humanity over in Kenya? They partied all day over the election.

So here is your clue phone ringing, when people in a backward third world country celebrate the election of our president and people who have money and capital to actually accomplish something start pulling their money out what's the story?

One final note, at work yesterday two people joined me in the break room, one white and one black. The white one looked at the black one and said "high five for finally having a black president." That pretty much said all I needed to know about what happened to our country Tuesday. Freedom as I know it is dead and the lame TV watching masses have taken it over.

The government won't take my money.

So I applied for a passport the other day at the local post office. I figured it was 100 bucks for the passport, 15 bucks for the pictures. $115 bucks total. Simple right? After I took my picture and gave the worker the requisite information and paperwork; he then gave me the total of $116.05. I asked if the additional 1.05 was for taxes or something. He informed me that because I was paying in cash there was an additional $1.05 fee for the postal money order that needed to be made up to pay for the passport.

So wait a second - a government agency isn't taking a government issued federal reserve note? Instead I have to pay with a money order at the post office? Am I missing something here? Shouldn't the government be willing to take their own money? The only explanation I could see here would be that $75 went to the State department and the remainder went to the postmaster for the service. Two different places that the money needed to go. In fact the money order was made for $75 dollars. However, it still made no sense because the attendant responded if you pay with a check it saves the 1.05 money order fee. So if I wrote one check out for $115 it would be okay, even though it is going for three things. But since I paid with cash (much more easily divisible to the various agencies for the various services) it needs to be converted to a money order as if the cash was worth less than the money order - to the State Department!!!!

Can someone provide logic to this wonderfully backwards bureaucracy? If cash is no good anymore then why issue it? I just paid $116.05 for $115 worth of service because I paid in cash. It cost me more to pay in cash than if I had written a check. Since when did cash cost more than other forms of currency? Cash is supposed to be the base form of currency. That's like being rejected if you ask for change of 4 quarters for a dollar bill because that dollar bill is worth less than a dollar?

Please bring back the gold standard if we can. I would like to know that at some point this isn't one big giant monopoly game and that money has some sustainable value. Should they print on the bottom next to "In God We Trust" the fine print of "additional charges may apply in the use of this note"?

I can understand if this was a utility company, or something that wasn't a government agency. But this is the State Department not taking a federal reserve note. Please God bless the USA. We could sure use it.

Just the facts please

I wanted to make sure that we share this to see what the next four years have in store for us.

As you know, part of what got Barack Obama elected was to see the troops pulled from Iraq. Perhaps these points of interest will help shed light on how well Mr. Obama has done in the past. These were passed onto me and I feel that it would be best if you heard them and make up your own minds.

Pull out of Iraq!?? Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago!!

Body count: (Just In the last six months)
292 killed (murdered) in Chicago; and they have a gun ban.
221 killed in Iraq.

Chicago.... Who Runs it:
Senators: Barack Obama & Dick Durbin
Rep: Jesse Jackson Jr.

Illinois Gov: Rod Blogojevich,
Illinois House leader Mike Madigan,
Illinois Atty.
Gen. Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike),
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (son of Mayor Richard J. Daley)

.....the leadership in Illinois.....all Democrats.

Of course, they're all blaming each other! Can't blame Republicans; they're aren't any! State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country.

Cook County (Chicago) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. (Look 'em up if you want).

Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country.

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois.

And he's gonna 'fix' Washington politics for us!Get real! Wake Up America!

Remember to vote today!

Just a reminder to get out and vote today. I have also provided a link to the church's stance on politics for those that need reminding. Of course we have been quite clear on our opinions, but it is time to make your opinions known through voting. So get out there and VOTE!!!

Could you support him?

I know we have been doing a good bit of Obama bashing lately so I think it would be best if we change the tides for a moment. With election day being tomorrow and all, and with John McCain or any other candidate trailing in the polls, the likely hood of Barack Obama being the next president is becoming more and more real. So I want to know, can you support and salute him as president?

As latter-day saints, to what degree are we to support him as president if he represents Satan's policies, while also remembering that we are to be obeying and honoring our presidents and other magistrates - sustain the laws they create? Are those two ideals mutually exclusive in this case?

Would not paying any tax increases be an acceptable form of protest? Would not going to a government doctor teach them a lesson? No, that's crazy talk. But how can we then save our rights? How then can our voice be heard? Is the apocalypse not a war amongst nations but all nations against themselves - if so is this the start of ours? I am interested to see how this plays out. However I for one think it is time to embrace The Barack. As much as I don't like it, lets start to deal with reality and work to fix it-God knows Barack isn't.