And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? Genesis 4:9 When caught in an infraction, our first human tendency is to make an excuse and/or to blame someone else. As parents we see this in our children and soon realize that … Read more
Look closely at these two photographs. Which picture shows the most people? Yes, the one on the left is Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. The other is Trump’s inauguration in 2017. Both photos were taken from the top of the Washington Monument at noon on January 20th of their respective years. The pictures were taken … Read more
You have probably heard that “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” but, while the phrase flows nicely across the tongue, it is not precisely true. If you think about it, this idea takes the responsibility for evil choices away from the corrupt person and assigns it to that person’s position. How convenient it must … Read more
The American republic could die, just like Rome. Wavering for some time on the verge of becoming a complete oligarchy, America is on the verge of flipping from a democratic republic to a strongman or autocratic form of government, something that’s happened to dozens of democracies in the past few decades, but never before here. … Read more
I was in a social situation the other day with a group of people I mostly knew. One of the guests, whom I didn’t know, was wearing a T-shirt that had a picture of an American flag. Above the flag it said, “Welcome to America.” Below the flag it said,”NOW SPEAK ENGLISH.” This shirt offended … Read more
We in the United States like to think that we live in a representative democracy. We are attracted to Lincoln’s optimistic idea that America stands for “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” We have been taught that, despite the wrangling that occurs, our political processes eventually result in government policies … Read more
Recently in my Elder’s Quorum meeting, the Instructor asked us to look through 4 Nephi, Chapter 1. The chapter describes a society that, following Christ’s visit to the Americas, had 200 years of peace and prosperity. The Instructor asked us to point out the defining characteristics of that society. I immediately noticed verse three. And … Read more
In a New York Times interview on May 4, 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “discussed her concern that Mr. Trump would not give up power voluntarily if he lost re-election by a slim margin next year.” That this could possibly happen is supported by the fact that, in October 2016, Trump would not promise to … Read more