Once upon a time there were four little pigs. They heard there was a Big Bad Covid in the area looking to infect anyone it could. This Big Bad Covid made people huff and puff and struggle to breathe. The four little pigs each chose to make different plans. The first little pig did several … Read more
What is the ethical and moral responsibility of a person who sees and understands the truth when others do not? What if those who do not see the truth criticize and ridicule the one who does? What if the blind ones actively persecute the one who sees? Knowing the truth Joseph Smith had this problem … Read more
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24:24 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a serious problem among its members – at least in Utah. Approximately half of them have … Read more
We can be shocked by the events of January 6th, but we shouldn’t have been surprised. Anger and cynicism toward the Federal government has been stoked by conservative media and the Republican Party since at least Ronald Reagan. History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued … Read more
One of the hallmarks of Democracy is the peaceful transfer of power from one elected administration to the next. This is especially important when the outgoing and the incoming administrations are from opposing parties. It is, of course, difficult to lose a hard-fought contest, but the mature response is always for the loser to stand … Read more
When a new presidential administration takes office in the United States, there is a large turnover of employees in the Executive Branch of the Federal government. There are two categories of employee: the political appointees and the career civil servants. The political appointees come and go, while, of course, the career civil servants provide continuity … Read more
If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what’s false, then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work. And by definition our democracy doesn’t work. We are entering into an epistemological crisis.” Barack Obama Information is only as good as the quality of your sources. Social media in particular is … Read more
In the election of 2020, nearly 73 million Americans voted for autocracy over democracy. Most of these people are under the brain-numbing influence of lies, manipulation, and conspiracy-thinking. The frightening thing is that even without Trump in the White House, they could still be a potent and dangerous political force. Currently, the most obvious effect … Read more