He's alive!!!!

So, the big news is that Barack Obama finally was able to produce a birth document from Hawaii. The irony of the whole thing is that he said that, "We do not have time for this kind of silliness." Really?! So you have the time to make your NCAA final four predictions, you have time to pick out a dog, but you don't have time to produce the document supporting your legal legitimacy to be President of one of the most powerful nations on the planet?!!

Give me a break Obama!!!!

People get their birth certificates all the time in much faster than two years+!!!! No wonder we aren't out of Afghanistan yet! It took him over two years to get a birth certificate!

In case you want to hear his official position on the issue here is the transcript. Of course the most recent individual to address this issue is presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, who came out strongly. The reality is that Obama is full lies on this issue. How do I know this? For one, In the above linked transcript of the press release he claims that many people have signed affidavits to the effect that the birth certificate is real and it exists. However, if you see for yourself, the date on the stamped and submitted certificate to the media is dated April 25, 2011. So, no matter what you claim other people saw, they did not see this same document that was submitted two days ago.

Who is to say that this wasn't forged?! Seriously, two years people. If the document is real, it is more a confirmation, no, a declaration, that Barack Obama is bar far one of the most in competent individuals to ever set foot in the White House. It should not take the President of all people, this long to produce something that people have questioned for so long. Who let him take the oath of office without seeing this? Why were so many of his loyal supporters so willing to side step such a clear legal prerequisite? Does the law not matter anymore?  In a time when terrorism is at its peak, we need to be MORE vigilant, not less, on such simple issues.

(Plus did anyone else know that african was a race? - see his birth fathers information)

Thinking Aloud: Dr. Hadley Arkes

In my daily travels yesterday I came across the radio program on BYU's Classical 89 station. During the day is a half-hour program where a variety of topics and guests come on to discuss different topics ranging from religion to politics. This is not hype talk radio like Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. The issues are discussed, dare I say, academically.

Yesterday's program featured Dr. Hadley Arkes, the Edward Ney Professor of American Institutions at Amherst College, who was asked about Abraham Lincoln as a "Founding Father," his own faith, moral truth, and reason. I was deeply impressed by the ability of Dr. Hadley Arkes to share very reasonable approaches to many issues both politically and constitutionally. He approaches the topics of liberalism, abortion, and even goes so far as to talk about the ability of individuals to balance reason and religion as it relates to Mormon Theology and other faiths.

I was so impressed with the program that I wanted to share it with you all. So here is a link (click here) to listen to this episode. Dr. Arkes has written a few books which I am interested in finding. If you are interested in more information on Dr. Hadley Arkes, click here.

Where have all the good Mormon's gone?

"And in ^athat day shall be heard of ^bwars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall ^cfail them, and they shall say that Christ ^ddelayeth his coming until the end of the earth." D&C 45:26

While on a flight to Long Beach, CA on JetBlue, I watched one of the complimentary video presentations that play as the plane first takes flight. This particular set of programming was centered on broadway and some of the theatrical shows currently playing. As the shows ticked by and various actors and producers were interviewed, lo and behold who should I see but actor Will Swenson. (See picture below)

Some in the LDS world may have seen Will in such movies as Singles Ward, Singles Ward 2, the RM, and the Sons of Provo flick. Now the world knows him as Tony Award Nominated Will Swenson, star of "Hair" on Broadway. For those unaware of why this is significant, Hair is as strong a piece celebrating moral counter culture and includes a nude scene, a rare thing in popular theater. Most of Will's entries in the world of IMDB and Wikipedia make clear that he no longer practices his Mormon faith.

Then on TV the other day I noticed actor K.C. Klyde following in the footsteps of fellow Mormon actor, Kirby Heyborne, who at one point appeared in multiple beer commercials. KC has appeared in "The Best Two Years" and "Christmas Angel" and has appeared on a very highly visible Super Bowl Commercial for Budweiser. While on a much better position than Will Swenson as far as church standing, I wonder at what point on the road to success that Kirby and KC chose to support beer commercials?

I suppose I am being a bit harsh, but at the same time, what moral position can we as a people keep in the world if some of our most public faces chose to abandon their beliefs for "a good gig?"

How to be: President Monson @ April Priesthood Session 2011

Last night before going to bed I took the time to watch President Thomas S. Monson's sermon from the April 2011 Priesthood Session of General Conference. I don't generally consider Pres. Monson the type of individual to speak strongly on social issues as they relate to doctrines. However, since becoming president of the Church, either by nature of his calling, or because that is what the Lord has inspired him to share, President Monson has become stronger and clearer in his language.

Some of the points that stuck out to me include the portions where Pres. Monson reflects on how there seems to be a greater divide between the values and morals of the church and the values and morals in society. At a point in his earlier life, President Monson said that these standards often overlapped or were congruent. Today, that has changed.

Today the priesthood is more needed now than ever. To hear his presentation confirms his position as Prophet and mouthpiece of the Lord on the earth, but his advice is practical if we are to find happiness in a society and world that will continue to deteriorate. I encourage you to give this presentation a good viewing if not a second viewing.

Here is the full video of his sermon:

Addiction is a choice

I have battled with the concept of agency this last week as I have had to deal with my sister entering yet again, the judicial system of this great land. Upon my first visits and in talking with her repeatedly on the phone from her cell pod, I came to realize that at some point the choices that lead up to addiction as well as the impact that drugs and gangs can have on what would otherwise seem to be innocent bystanders.


My sister has been inactive and into drugs and gangs now for over half of her life. Seeing as she is only 26 years old such a statistic paints only a portion of the challenges that have faced our family for years. From right before the time I left for the mission field to the time I came home my sister only lived at home for a period of 4 months total. During my two years mission she was arrested 4 times or had run away from home multiple times. A majority of her actions while I was away were kept from me at the request of my parents hoping to keep my mind on the work and not on "sister issues" that were out of my sphere of influence.


Years have gone by and other incarcerations have continued as well as a brief 8-9 month stint in a "troubled individual" facility in southern Utah. Today we are now faced with yet another bout with addiction and incarceration. Most who have known her from a child have maintained the line, "this is not who she really is, she is a better person than this." While I agree that this is the case with most people, I have been powerfully challenged in this thinking as of late. At what point does someone's acts truly define who they are; not their potential, but who they are?


I believe addiction is a choice. People chose to become addicted by the very nature of the activities they chose to engage in. I also believe that addiction is something that people can overcome. People can change should the chose to. People say addiction is a sickness. I suppose there is some merit to this except many people have sicknesses that they did not chose to have. Sometimes people just get cancer, or they get a cold, etc. Addiction doesn't happen by accident. I realize that addiction is difficult. In fact, during my time at LDS Family Services as a service missionary I came to have a love and respect for those who are choosing to overcome their addictions. They are some of the strongest people I have met. I do not envy these tests in life.


During my jail visits I can't help but have the scripture enter my head time and time; its from John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." One of the aspects of addiction that so strongly echo's the influence of the adversary, Satan, is the idea that addiction isn't a choice, that this is something you have no control over, and that you were never going to become addicted in the first place. These lies are what keep people in addiction. A different set of lies are what got them there.

With so many addicts ending up homeless, jobless, and without family relations because of drugs, it is no wonder that we also find some of the greatest, most noble individuals among their ranks. The elect of God are the ones that are the greatest challenge to the work of the adversary and so they also tend to be challenged with his most entrapping tools. May we not forget to pray for those in addiction of whatever kind. Even though addiction is still a choice, we all still have a responsibility to help one another to over come these tremendous challenges.