Last week I encouraged all Mormon Democrats and other left-leaning members of the Church of Jesus Christ to stand as witnesses against the lies, inhumane policies, and corruption of the Republican Party and the right-wing media. (See “Mormon Democrats need to stand as witnesses“). To “stand” in this context does not mean rising to one’s … Read more
It has become clear to me recently that the reason rampant wickedness causes great civilizations to fall is because wicked societies allow selfish incompetents to take over the government. Then, when a crisis comes along, it gets mishandled and turns into a disaster. (Yes, the coronavirus pandemic is what helped me see this). In the … Read more
We now live in a state of “malignant normality.” Lies, assertions, accusations, misinformation, and disinformation flow freely and routinely from the White House and from Fox News. They then get amplified by elected Republicans and through social media to a gullible public. The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting the danger of this situation. A few days … Read more
On January 21,2010 the Supreme Court decided that “Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections.” This was the infamous “Citizens United” decision. People generally don’t know that the organization called … Read more
Some moments are defining. For example, one may be a selfish, careless driver – speeding, failing to signal turns, cutting people off during lane changes – and you may get away with it for a while. But what if one hits a parked car with no witnesses around? Do you leave a note with your … Read more
If you are charged with protecting the sheep, don’t lie down with the wolves. Anonymous What do the people in these two pictures have in common? The people in their best dress, and on their best behavior, are waiting patiently and politely to go in to General Conference and hear the inspired words of a … 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