AI: Here be dragons

Great literature allows the reader to vicariously live and learn about other times and places. It challenges us to think critically and engage with new ideas. The genre of science fiction, specifically, can ask us to think about technology and its uses (and abuses). Often, a science fiction story is a cautionary tale about a … Read more

5th Sunday lesson on the Constitution

Many of us on the LDS Left were apprehensive about the Fifth Sunday in May, 2026. Our regular Sunday School time was going to be spent with the adults and youth together in a lesson entitled “Celebrating the Founding of the United States and the US Constitution.” Contrary to what many on the Right have … Read more

Resisting the AI snake

Previously in this blog I pointed out that AI is a tempting, seductive, snake that will make us stupid and steal our agency for the benefit of selfish billionaires. You can read that post here. I am not a Luddite. I use computers constantly and even have a Master’s degree in Educational Technology. However, this … Read more

The Illusion of Truth

“The Big Lie” is a propaganda technique in which an outrageous falsehood is repeated constantly until the public accepts it as truth. The premise is that since no one would presume to invent such a massive lie, it must be true. Of course, people like Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, and other more recent politicians, … Read more

How many times did you vote for him?

In a democratic republic, the voting public chooses the people who are put into public office and given the powers and responsibilities of governing. Therefore, it follows that the citizens of a republic share the responsibility for the policies enacted, and the actions taken, by the government in their name. 2016 – Strike One If … Read more

The 7 Elements of Indoctrination

Most people don’t want the truth. They want to be right. And if the truth gets in the way of being right, their minds will do something odd – they will lock down. And according to the philosopher Chris Ranalli, when this happens, we should start to call it indoctrination. Jonny Thompson Indoctrination isn’t just … Read more

AI is the serpent in our garden

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods…. –Genesis 3:4-5 In the familiar story known as “The Fall of Man” the serpent enticed Eve to partake of the fruit … Read more

10 Keys to Fascism

If anyone doubts Republicans want a dictatorship, all you have to do is look at their actions. They’re using 10 keys to fascism in the hope, conscious or not, of unlocking a future where they and they alone are in power. It’s not just Trump’s big lie about the stolen election or the Jan. 6 … Read more