How to treat the Islamic State?

What is the Book of Mormon response to Islamic State? 

The scriptures don't talk about Islamic State directly, obviously, but there are principles we can learn to guide our actions. 

There is evil in the world and it must be resisted. But how? What is the proper response? In the stories from the Book of Mormon the people were physically separated from their enemies in different lands. Nephites are the good guys in the north and the Lamanites are the bad guys in the south. The Nephites were often invaded and many people were killed.   The Nephites were always focused on defense. They never invade the south. There is an expedition worth noting that went to the Lamanites to reclaim their lands, led by Zeniff. They wanted those lands because that is where they had all come from. The group was small and could never have taken over all the south but they wanted to establish their kingdom there. This is the story of the bad King Noah, Abinadi, and Alma. The people, led by Limhi, ended up enslaved to the Lamanites and were miraculously rescued and led back north to the Nephite lands. In all the wars mentioned in the Book of Mormon, that is the only reference to something that could be called military action in enemy territory. 

The focus on defense is evident but is never stated as policy. The people defend their lands and recover cities they have lost but they never invade.  The Lord has said that he will deliver his people. At the end of their history the north is overrun. The Nephites always lose when they attack the Lamanites. Was this due to geography? No, it is a problem with motive. They sought vengeance. Attacking enemies isn't the answer. Although, according to Teancum, killing their leaders is an option.

The most effective thing was the missionaries. When the sons of Mosiah taught the Lamanites they changed the hearts of many.

Another important lesson learned is to shelter those that join your side. The Ammonites were bad guys turned good and would have been slaughtered had the Nephites not taken them into their lands and protected them with their armies.

So we need to find a way to defend against Islamic state and shelter those that need it. 

bad ideas

Some ideas should not be introduced.  Once thought, they cannot be un-thought. If encountered they must be strictly rejected by adhering to true principles.  Thoughts are altered by exposure to ideas, good or bad. Bad ideas lead to bad things and the innocent must be protected against them.  Perhaps one may think this is a form of censorship. Yes, I think bad ideas should be censored. There must be a word that represents the protection of innocence without the negative connotation of censorship. The only way to combat the bad thought is by correct principles that let you recognize the idea as negative and destructive. Then a logical choice to avoid the bad is easy to make. So good principles must be taught. The difficulty of introducing evil before a principle is understood is that it can often cause confusion.

Example: I have heard and read that copycat suicides are a real thing. Once the mind is opened to the possibility of death by suicide then it becomes an option. When a young person kills them self then others see it and consider the option of suicide. If they do not know it is wrong then it may be an alternative they choose to deal with problems.  Copycat suicides are a real thing. A bad idea leads to more bad results.  Because of the danger, action must be taken. There is urgent and immediate response: education, counseling, hot lines. Quiet conversations that explain principles are effective. The worst thing you can do is advertise it. Loud media coverage only spreads the contagion to more people.

Agreed? I would be glad to hear arguments against this.

Because if one's thoughts can be altered about killing oneself by just hearing about it then I think it only a small leap to consider that it change one's opinion about same sex attraction.

Kate's Faceplant

One time we went out and Katherine did a faceplant. First question- which one? Yes, she was an adventurous lass and often got hurt. She frequently got herself in sticky situations. On a nice evening Linette and I went out for ice cream with Dan and Casey in Phoenix. We were standing outside on the sidewalk enjoying talking and treats. It must not have been summer. I don’t recall if Linette was holding Asher or if he was old enough to try to follow Katherine around. That was his favorite thing to do but it took a long time before he was good at it. Most likely he was sitting and eating his ice cream, preparing the bulk he would need to stretch to 6’-3” later on. Katherine was climbing up and down a wood slat bench and jumping off. She had crashed so often in her life that Linette and I had become immune to such behavior. She was wearing sandals, I think. Linette loved salt water sandals. On one of her jumps the front of her shoe caught in the wood slat as she leapt forward. Her foot stuck fast and her momentum catapulted her face first down onto the concrete. Four adults gasped. This was going to be a bad one. Were we going to finish our ice cream on the way to the urgent care center? How many teeth would she lose? Sprained ankle? Well, a bloody nose for sure. We were all too far away to catch her, with just enough time to lean forward. Then someone kicked the diaper bag. Just right. Katherine faceplanted into mom’s magic bag filled in diapers and bounced right up to climb the bench again.

We all looked at each other and let out our breath. Yikes, that was close. No broken bones were likely but the fall would have ended a delightful evening. I turned to congratulate someone on the soccer skills. It was a perfectly timed, perfectly aimed kick. Right under her nose, just in time, without overshooting. I didn’t see who did it. Everyone denied touching the bag. Odd. I wasn’t even sure where it had come from. I swear we had left it next to the bench. We questioned each other and laughed. None of us new what had just happened and Asher wasn’t telling. 

I think Dan was the first to suggest something incredible had happened. We didn’t know what exactly but it was unusual, perhaps miraculous. I think it was angelic protection after having had time to think about it. It was nice to think that we could receive such simple assistance and didn’t need to deal with tears that night. We were grateful that the accident was avoided. It was a small miracle but loving proof that even the insignificant events, like ice cream night, don’t go unnoticed. 

The video is not the most honest three minutes on TV

Rebuttal to the “Most Honest Three Minutes in Television”

Great acting sure, but terrible ideology. This 3 minute youtube video is edited, less convincing in it’s original form with him hallucinating about the lady in the audience writing him cue cards. 

First, I am sick of the profanity.  His language is unacceptable. 

The video is about a forum, apparently on a college campus, where a conservative, a liberal and a TV show guy are being asking questions, moderated by a fourth person. The left are right are shown to be endlessly bickering. A girl asks why America is great. The first answer from the is the best. America is the greatest nation because of freedom. Short and simple. If our standing is diminished, it is because of loss of freedoms. The man in the video (Will?) claims that all countries have freedom. Not true, and which would you move to?  None.  He lists some great countries and I am glad that they are allies. They have some freedom but they are less free than the United States. I would love to visit Australia, but they have a gun control problem, in that the government restricts gun ownership. Perhaps because everyone knows that Australia is entirely peopled with thieves. 

Will lists some stats about education, none of which are meaningful. Are these numbers from mandatory, high stakes testing that we all revere so much? What matters with his statements is results. US produces the best equipment, cars, technology etc. The US is not 178th in infant mortality. It’s a lie but the numbers on infant mortality are misleading. US has the best medicine and the highest regard for human life.  We try to save even the most hopeless of cases and have incredible success. We are constantly improving and teaching the rest of the world how it is done. There are some bad numbers for infant deaths in the US but in most countries these don’t even count as viable pregnancies.  Stats and lies. I am not sure what being fourth in labor force even means.  

Where do we lead the world? He lists three. First, incarceration rate. Maybe we need to get some religion back in schools and teach people some good behavior. Impossible to say what he meant by this. Does he think we have an increase in bad ethics or unlawful imprisonment? Not sure. Is it about drugs? If so, I have little sympathy; the marijuana obsession needs to stop. Second, Americans believe in angels. Good, I am Christian so I believe in angels and I think it is a good thing if people do. Third, defense spending. I think we spend too much on weapons but much of our budget is spent defending the next twenty five countries combined. We don’t use the funds to attack them. And again the numbers he gives are not correct. The two countries behind us are not our allies.  That would be Russia and China and they are currently being aggressive militarily.  

We don’t wage war on the poor. He says we used to wage war on poverty instead. Yeah, that was tried.  A huge socialist failure. It was never designed to help the poor, and they still are poor. That is the goal of socialism. Will lists a lot of good things that America has done. Art, building, technology, space exploration. He says, “We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed.” I don’t get it. Informed is pretty vague. Informed about what? What are we not informed about now? He says in the next sentence “by great men” but he doesn’t say who they were and why they were revered. I think Washington is great but some think that Marx or Cronkite was. It’s meaningless without some context. My guess is that if you find his statement profound it is because you are thinking of someone you think is great and you would love to have learned from them. But I am certain it is not the same revered person as the liberal was thinking of when he wrote the script. 

I think America is still the greatest country in the world. We have problems, and I agree with him that the first step in solving a problem is recognizing it. One of the biggest problems, in my opinion, is that people don’t value liberty.

Thoughts on Trek Part II

Thoughts on Trek, Part II - Wait

The hardest trial on trek seemed to be waiting. Our children didn’t mind the dust, the cold, the lack of smartphones, the pulling, the heat, the food, the rain, the amateur acting. The only complaint was stopping once we had begun to roll. Or while waiting for our turn to join in line. Is standing still the greatest struggle? We stopped often, rarely knowing why or for how long. We would stop and start with little warning. Occasionally we knew the cause. For example, when the cart just ahead had to re-tie a rope that broke. One time a girl got hurt and we waited while she was treated. I tried to share what info I knew about the delays. But mostly we didn’t hear or see any reason for the traffic jam. We just stopped. And waited. Why was that hard?

Mostly I think it was because they were young and impatient, hoping to plow through and be done. Overcoming impatience seems to come easier with age.  I tried to think of some other lessons to be learned.

I think we must be careful about our trials of faith. Could we be like Naaman? Perhaps we need someone to remind us that humility is required. Naaman went to Elisha to be healed but when told that the cure was to wash in the Jordan he went away in a rage. His wise servant stopped him, saying “If the prophet had bid thee [to] do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”  Naaman washed and was healed. Elder Faust gave this explanation in his Oct 2001 address.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/some-great-thing?lang=eng

He are two quotes from that talk,

“We do not prove our love for the Savior only by doing “some great thing.” If the prophet personally asked you to go on a mission to some strange and exotic place, would you go? You would probably make every effort to go. What about doing your home teaching?”

“May we all be faithful in doing the day-to-day, ordinary things that prove our worthiness, for they will lead us to and qualify us for great things.”

Everyone pulling the cart was pleased with their accomplishments of pulling up a hill and over rocks, through the mud. That was a great thing. We must also be prepared for day-to-day waiting. We must never be looking to do a great thing and over look daily scripture study and prayer.   

We must be also patient in our faith. This was a great talk about waiting upon the Lord from Elder Robert D Hales in the Oct 2011 conference.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/waiting-upon-the-lord-thy-will-be-done?lang=eng

He says that we must stand fast in our trials. To be immovable in our faith. To have hope and to trust. This is especially hard when we don’t understand the cause or the purpose of our trial. He concluded with this. “I bear my special witness that our Savior’s promise is true, for He says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” May we wait upon Him by pressing forward in faith, that we may say in our prayers, “Thy will be done,” and return to Him with honor.”

 Those boys could surely run and not be weary. I am certain that patience will come.

Thoughts on Trek Part I

Thoughts on Trek, Part I - Go to Work
A few words I wanted to share with our group but couldn’t find the source while on the trail: I later found the quote from Elder Christofferson in 2014 General Conference that I had in mind. You may recall his funny story about the man who wouldn’t accept personal responsibility. When offered corn while on the way to his grave because he refused to feed himself, he turned it down because the husks were not removed. Right after that, Elder D. Todd Christofferson had this to say: “It is God’s will that we be free men and women enabled to rise to our full potential both temporally and spiritually, that we be free from the humiliating limitations of poverty and the bondage of sin, that we enjoy self-respect and independence, that we be prepared in all things to join Him in His celestial kingdom.
I am under no illusion that this can be achieved by our own efforts alone without His very substantial and constant help. “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” And we do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help—divine aid can be ours every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience. But I know that beyond desiring His help, we must exert ourselves, repent, and choose God for Him to be able to act in our lives consistent with justice and moral agency. My plea is simply to take responsibility and go to work so that there is something for God to help us with.”
https://www.lds.org/…/10/free-forever-to-act-for-themselves…
We have to do something if we wish for God to help us. We will never see miracles playing video games and bingewatching Netflix. Trek was something hard that required help and so the evidence of His assistance can be more evident. Our Father wants us to grow and to become. We have to learn to want the same thing.

More marxism in education reform

My rebuttal to an article written by Bill Raden. http://www.psmag.com/…/what-if-education-reform-got-it-all-…

I will try to answer the points in the order of the article. 

War has never been declared on America’s public school, but it is about to be over Common Core. The left has assaulted and taken over public education, any push back is then considered a declaration of war. Stupid premise which I don’t accept. 

The author appears to be a marxist, tying everything back to money. The education argument fails because the author is really only talking about money. $$$

Reformation is declared to be a failure. Truthfully, it hasn’t been tried. Vouchers and charter schools are a type of reformation. I see little else but mandated curriculum. 

Income inequality is just another word for socialism. People don’t like to be called socialists so they talk about income inequality. I don’t care about income inequality. It is a good thing. It is preferred to have those with more that have an opportunity to help those in need. It is also true that there is always some one richer than me. Seeing as I follow the commandment not to covet then it is no concern of mine. Another important point is that the money equates to their personal property to which they have an established right. 

The author says that teachers are assumed to take the blame for the problems. I don’t think that is ever the case. Everyone blames the administrators and the boards and yet they are never held accountable. The problems with government education have nothing to do with dedicated teachers. I disagree with this assumption of blaming teachers and the conclusions based on it. 

Test scores are not the problem. If the test scores bother you then stop testing. The numbers have little value. Just teach the kids what they need to know. Only government statisticians need those numbers and they shouldn’t be involved in education. I believe in a wall of separation between government and schools. 

Raden talks about resources $$$ but this is the system that the education establishment has set up. They made the stupid rules, I don’t see why they are upset that they don’t work. Yes, privileged (marxist word) have more resources. So what? 

One point he gets right is that education can lead to better pay. $$$ Immigrants worked in factories so their children could go to college and be doctors. Unfortunately, it is easy to undo. The children of doctors smoked pot and decided to waste their parents money. The problem isn’t education or finances but morals and virtue. And those subjects are not allowed in government school because it looks too much like religion. 

Primary education is supposed to be set up to improve “life outcomes” for children but all the important factors are left out, like intact families, religious communities and consequences. 

Author complains about California school results but I would be curious to know his position on English language requirements and the ability of schools to review legal status of students. Our current system makes it impossible because they are forced to accept Spanish speaking illegal aliens. The system makes inquiring about citizenship a criminal activity and then complains they need more money. That doesn’t lead me to believe they are concerned about learning. As a side note, it is funny to hear California get beat up for not spending enough on education. $$$ They spend a vast amount. every state seems to be ranked the lowest in spending somehow. 

Ellie Herman complains that there is not enough money for poor schools and that they have no libraries and enrichment activities as a form of apartheid. She must not know what apartheid really is. 

There is an admission from the study that finds “that parenting and home enrichment matter as much as, if not more than, what happens in the K-12 classroom, especially in forming a child’s cognitive ability and personality in the years before children start school.” Then why do you need money? Just go away and leave the children with their parents. What matters most is the home but let’s get those kids in daycare and all day kindergarten as soon as possible. And of course we need more money. 

If you claim that schools are doing their job but society isn’t then solution is not to fix schools but to fix society. That can’t (and shouldn't) be done by government because it would necessarily infringe on freedom, property and virtue. These are the things that government is organized to protect. We need a religious revival, not another budget over ride.

In the last paragraph the author pretty much says it all. The problem is not enough socialism. If only we take over everything, then it will all work great. I will just add a few words to make it clear. “I think fundamentally the problem is that other developed nations have social systems that support families and children in a variety of ways: with [government] childcare, with good [government] health care, with [government] recreational opportunities—with lots of things that support healthy development.” My guess is that they are interested in the development of more productive drones.