http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/11/26/playing-chicken-china/#content
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Re: Hi,
Please disregard this email. Methinks there is a hacker or worm at work. I'll look into it.
On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 8:47 PM, Jeff Baird <jeff.a.baird@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi,
How are you doing recently?
I find a website sell electronic products with very resonable price, Like Laptops, DC, Cellphones, Motorcycles etc. Their products are original quality with very low price as a wholesale business supplier .placed an order of Apple iphone on the website: geprod.com
Hope everything goes well.
Best regards!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
FBI files shed light on Ezra Taft Benson, Ike and the Birch Society
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/50349153-78/benson-hoover-fbi-society.html.csp
Copyright 2010 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
His letter to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was packed with political dynamite, so Ezra Taft Benson marked it "personal-confidential."
Benson — the only man to serve in a presidential Cabinet and later lead a worldwide church, the Mormons — was attempting to convince Hoover that the John Birch Society was a clear-thinking anti-communist group. So he wrote how it had convinced him that a friend of theirs had been a tool of the worldwide communist conspiracy.
That friend was none other than former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, for whom Benson had served as secretary of Agriculture from beginning to end of his eight-year presidency.
"In my study of the [communist] conspiracy, which I am sure is weak compared with your own, the consequences of Mr. Eisenhower's actions in dealing with the communists have been tragic," Benson wrote.
He argued to Hoover, whom he viewed as a friend and fellow fighter of communism, that Eisenhower helped communism's spread more than he hurt it, perhaps because it had been the expedient thing to do for an ambitious politician.
"What difference does it make if your house is burned down by an ignorant man, a person who wants to get warm fast, or an arsonist?" he wrote about the former president. "There is little difference."
He said because freedom was threatened by soft stands against communism, he pondered making public such feelings "even at the risk of destroying the influence of men who are widely respected and loved" — including Eisenhower.
That and other letters in Benson's thick FBI file, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, suggest that Benson was an early tea partyer — one who would become an inspiration 50 years later for that modern movement.
Like the current tea partyers, Benson worried about threats to freedom and the Constitution. He feared that too many powerful officeholders — up to and including the U.S. president — were not standing up for the Constitution, and instead aided its enemies, out of ambition, expediency or other, more sinister motives.
The New Yorker magazine, in its Oct. 18 issue, included Benson as one of the tea party's ideological founding fathers — which it called its "confounding fathers" —noting how Benson's public writing and speeches are quoted and admired by commentator Glenn Beck, an icon of the movement.
(It also noted how Beck, who is LDS, actively promotes the works of the late Utah author/activist Cleon Skousen, who denounced communist corruption in the U.S. government while defending the John Birch Society.)
The FBI files on Benson show a behind-the-scenes battle in which he sought to persuade the bureau not to condemn the John Birch Society, formed in 1958 by Robert Welch and named for a missionary-turned-soldier killed by Chinese communists after World War II.
Interestingly, files also show that Hoover's FBI twice spied on Benson — possibly for Eisenhower — to determine whether he might resign from the Cabinet during times of widespread criticism. Files also show that Hoover lied in later years to avoid Benson, seeking to distance himself from Benson's support of the Birch Society.
—
Looking back » Benson's son, Reed, and Reed's wife, May Hinckley Benson, said in a recent Salt Lake Tribune interview in their Provo home that they are not surprised about the views contained in the FBI files.
They watched up close as Ezra Benson formed a hatred of communism because it destroyed personal and religious liberty. He sometimes expressed frustration to them that Eisenhower and America were not doing more against it.
"When he felt he was right, he was amazing" in how hard he would fight, May Benson told the newspaper.
They said his hatred of communism was rooted in his experience as a new apostle sent by the LDS Church to oversee its relief efforts in Europe after World War II. Benson later wrote that he watched half of the continent quickly fall to communism and lose the right to worship freely.
Reed Benson said that when his father was chosen as Agriculture secretary, he knew one of the first cells of communists found in the government had been in that agency. So, FBI files show, Benson took what was then an unusual step (although routine now) and asked Hoover to conduct a background check on him to ensure his loyalty.
The only problems found were a few parking and speeding tickets. Files show that Benson wanted the same scrutiny for his top aides; the FBI did background checks on them, too.
—
Early controversy » Just after taking office in 1953, the Utahn became the first member of the new Cabinet to create controversy by attacking government farm subsidies — worrying aloud that they were too socialistic, which upset many farmers and their members of Congress.
Major media at the time — including the Saturday Evening Post and The Nation — conjectured that Benson was "expendable" or might be "promoted to an ambassadorship."
The news media were not the only ones looking into whether Benson might go. Hoover's FBI was also doing a little spying into that. For example, a Nov. 20, 1953, FBI memo says that an undersecretary of state (whose name was censored from released files) informed the FBI that "the president is a little 'teed off' with Secretary of Agriculture Benson" because he "has not been successful in quieting the farmers, cattlemen, dairymen and Capitol Hill."
The FBI memo said "the matter has now been passed to the White House and … the president is unhappy about the whole thing." It added that the State Department source said, "It looks like Benson will be the 'fall guy.' "
Why would Hoover and the FBI care whether Benson departed? Others have charged through the years, and FBI files have shown, that Hoover sometimes investigated politicians of the era to use the resulting information to strengthen his own hand with presidents.
While Benson weathered calls for his resignation in 1953, another similar storm came in 1957-58 over his attacks on dairy supports. Again, the FBI did some spying into whether he would resign, talking to aides and even Benson himself in passing. Whether Benson would go voluntarily would be of interest to the White House, but censors blacked out exactly where reports of the spying were sent. Benson ended up staying during all of Eisenhower's administration.
—
Friends and allies » Amid the spying by Hoover, the FBI director managed to leave the impression with Benson that they were friends and fellow fighters against communism.
Files show they exchanged copies of books and speeches. Hoover sent messages of encouragement when Benson was sick and when his stepmother died. He wrote a note of thanks for Benson's service when he left the Cabinet. He also once invited Benson to have his son, Reed, apply to become an FBI agent.
In turn, Benson invited Hoover to speak at an LDS Church general conference (which Hoover declined), to attend a concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Benson's wife, to allow the LDS Church's Deseret Book Co. to print a compilation of Hoover's speeches (which did not happen), and even to attend a song recital by one of Benson's daughters.
"I realize that only in the next life will we fully appreciate all you have done to preserve freedom in this country," Benson wrote Hoover in 1965. "I am most grateful for your exposure of the communist conspiracy and for the wonderful organization you have established in the FBI."
—
Frustrations » But Benson was not so happy with others in the Eisenhower administration.
Reed Benson said his father tried to persuade the State Department, for example, to rethink its support of Fidel Castro in Cuba after Agriculture attachés warned Benson that supporting him could lead that country to communism.
He was also upset at Eisenhower's orders for Benson to take Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to an agricultural experiment center near Washington in 1959. Benson said in a 1967 speech, "I opposed his coming then, and I still feel it was a mistake to welcome this atheistic murderer as a state visitor."
With such frustrations, Benson became involved with the John Birch Society once he had left office. After Reed Benson lost a run for Congress in 1962, he said the society approached him, and they found they shared beliefs.
"The John Birch Society believed in less government, more individual responsibility and a better world," Reed Benson told The Tribune.
When the society offered Reed a job as its Utah coordinator, FBI logs show that his father made a phone call wanting to know what the bureau felt about the group. It was the beginning of Benson's defense of the society.
An agent wrote, "I informed him off the record … that to my knowledge the FBI has not investigated the John Birch Society."
The agent added in summary of the conversation, "Benson has reached the conclusion the society is doing a lot of good in combating communism and feels that it is patriotic in its motives."
Benson also told the agent that he hoped to soon meet with Hoover in Washington "to confer with him about the menace of communism and the role of the Birch Society."
Because of that, officials at FBI headquarters wrote a briefing paper to prepare Hoover in case Benson called.
Calling the society "probably the most publicized right-wing extremist group in the country," they recommended keeping Benson away from Hoover — including lying, if necessary, to say that Hoover was unavailable to talk to Benson.
—
Godless communism » On May 17, 1965, Ezra Taft Benson wrote to Hoover with a plea. "Word has come to me, not yet fully confirmed, that some of our liberal 'soft-on-communist' groups are planning to put pressure on you to come out with a statement against the John Birch Society." He urged Hoover not to do so.
"It is my conviction that this organization is the most effective non-church group in America against creeping socialism and godless communism," Benson wrote.
Hoover, however, in response to a question at a news conference soon thereafter, said he had little respect for the society or its founder, Robert Welch.
After Hoover's disavowal of Welch, Benson decided to meet with Hoover to explain his support of the society and how Welch's writings had convinced him that Eisenhower aided communism.
Files show that Hoover's aides twice told Benson that he was unavailable for such a meeting — as memos had advised them to do. So Benson wrote Hoover the sensitive "personal-confidential" letter of May 28, 1965, outlining his conclusions about Eisenhower.
Benson also soon sent a book by Welch titled The Politician, noting it was what led him to his conclusions about Eisenhower.
In the book, Welch argues that Eisenhower was either ignorant, a politician blinded by opportunism or was "consciously aiding the communist conspiracy" — and said it really didn't matter because "they all come to the same end … namely tragedy."
Benson wrote Hoover that he inscribed the following words on the flyleaf of the book after he first read it:
"Have just finished this shocking volume. ... While I do not agree with all or the extent of some of the author's conclusions, one must agree that the documented record makes the thesis of the book most convincing.
"How can a man [Eisenhower] who seems to be so strong for Christian principles and base American concepts be so effectively used as a tool to serve the communist conspiracy?
"I believe the answer is found in the fact that these godless communist conspirators and their fellow travelers are masters of deceit — who deceived the very elect. How our people need to be alerted and informed."
Benson added that he hoped the $1 book would be made available widely.
"This story must be told even at the risk of destroying the influence of men who are widely respected and loved by the American people. The stakes are high. Freedom and survival are the issues," he had written in his copy of the book.
Benson also wrote of Eisenhower: "I presume I will never know in this life why he did some of the things he did which gave help to the [communist] conspiracy. It is not my divine prerogative to know the motives of men. It is easier, however, to judge the consequences of man's actions."
—
Noncommittal » Hoover sent back only a short note: "It was indeed thoughtful of you to furnish me your views regarding the John Birch Society and its head." He concluded simply, "I have taken note of your impressions."
Such impressions would lead Hoover to take the advice of aides and largely cut contact with his friend.
That included declining an offer to have the LDS Church-owned Deseret Book Co. publish a compilation of Hoover's speeches. Aides warned that because of Benson's letters, "If we were to go along with this project, it could in some way be used to the advantage of the John Birch Society."
Still, Benson kept up cordial correspondence with Hoover over the following years — and sent him John Birch Society materials on several occasions. In 1971, he again requested a meeting with Hoover while Benson was in Washington for a few days for a church conference.
FBI headquarters staff also frowned upon that request.
"It is not believed that the director should take time from his busy schedule to meet with Mr. Benson, as it is very possible that he would bring his son Reed Benson with him for that meeting," who, the memo said, was then the national director of public relations for the John Birch Society.
When Reed Benson called to check on the availability of Hoover to meet with him and his father, FBI memos say, "The director indicated at the time he was booked solidly" — as memos from staff had suggested he should say.
Hoover died only a few months after that last requested meeting. Benson would live another 22 years — enough time to ascend to the presidency of his church and to see the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. He spoke little of that fall, however, focusing on more spiritual matters of his church, including urging LDS members to constantly read the Book of Mormon. Benson died at age 94 in 1994.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Home Defense in Kearns
0
Comments
Comments
Video embed:
Audio
KEARNS -- Prosecutors must decide whether a Kearns homeowner acted in self-defense when he shot and killed an apparent burglar in the middle of the night. Less than 24 hours later, police arrested an accomplice in the burglary who told them the same chain of events.
Friends, family shocked by Poulton's death
People who knew the accused burglar who was shot to death early Monday morning say they are stunned. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Poulton's father says he has no idea what his son was doing at that home or what went wrong.
Police say Poulton was killed as he and 18-year-old Derek Sego tried to break into the home near 5600 South and 5100 West. Lt. Don Hutson of the Unified Police Department says the homeowner was unaware of another burglar, but investigators were able to track Sego down after talking with acquaintances of the young men.
Pam Marrs, who manages the Sconecutter restaurant in Kearns where Poulton worked, says he was well-liked.
18-year-old Derek Sego
19-year-old Kyle Poulton
Marrs says Poulton was supposed to be at work Monday night.
"He worked a lot with me," she said. "He was a really good worker, did everything I told him. So, I don't know, it's just sad."
Poulton's father says his son was the youngest of four children, had a job and was considering joining the military. He says the family can't understand what he was doing.
Several people gathered for a small candlelight vigil late Monday night. Some of them had known Poulton since grade school and said they never believed he would do anything like this.
"That's not the Kyle that I know," said Elese Tschaggeni. "That's not who I grew up with."
Police: Attempted break-in led to shooting
Around 3 a.m., police say the Kearns homeowner heard noise and saw a person trying to break in the rear glass door. Earlier, a mysterious ring of the doorbell had awakened the family. The homeowner told police at that time, he went outside to look around; so when he later heard the noise out back, fearing an intruder, he armed himself with a handgun.
"He fired one round through the glass," Hutson said. "The person ran away, and he immediately called 911."
Police found Poulton dead in the street.
After further investigation, police arrested Sego on burglary charges and obstruction of justice. Police say Sego admitted he was trying to break into a window when Poulton was shot, and he ran.
Neighbors defended the homeowner.
"What do you do when someone is trying to break into your house?" asked Jason Dickinson.
Natalia Neaniffe said the homeowner had two young children in the home.
"Sometimes you do whatever it takes to cover their safety," she said.
So far, Unified police say evidence and the story from the other accused burglar match the homeowner's version of events.
"This homeowner had two small children in the home," Hutson said. "Clearly, someone was attempting to break into the home, and this is something that is going to have be looked at by the district attorney's office."
Lawyer: State law will likely protect homeowner
A local attorney and author believes the homeowner will not be charged with a crime. Mitch Vilos says Utah's self-defense statute allows someone "to use deadly force to prevent the commission of a forcible felony; and burglary is a forcible felony."
The author of the book "The Self-Defense Law of all 50 States" says an intruder doesn't have to be in the home to open fire. Vilos says the burglar just has to be trying to get into the home.
But Vilos says a gun-toting homeowner shouldn't go too far. He said, "Once that force against you has ceased, you have a responsibility to stop using force."
Vilos encourages all gun owners to brush up on the law. He says Utah has one of the strongest home-defense laws in the nation
Meanwhile, Poulton's family says they are hoping to have his organs donated.
------
Story written with contributions from Jed Boal, Sam Penrod and Cleon Wall.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Don't forget to vote!
Don't forget to vote!
On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 2:17 PM, Jeff Baird <jeff.a.baird@gmail.com> wrote:
You're probably getting sick of political signs, phone calls, ads etc. But for those who may be interested, here are my recommendations for the upcoming election. If you feel I'm wrong on an issue or candidate, please let me know what I'm missing, and we can chat about it. I've tried hard to look at principles, not parties in making my decisions. In this election, it's very important that people show up and vote, and as always, the more educated we are on the issues and candidates, the better.Utah's 1st Congressional District - Rob Bishop2nd Congressional District (If you're in my neighborhood, this is our district) - Morgan Philpot3rd Congressional District - Jason ChaffetzUS Senate - Mike LeeDepending on what Utah House district you're in (http://www.le.state.ut.us/house/districtinfo/newmaps/state.htm):Ken SumsionCarl WimmerState Senate (District 11) - Howard Stephenson
Amendments to the ConstitutionA: I'm voting Yes -- Clarifying the law to ensure secret ballotsB: Yes - Eligibility for Legislative Office, clarifies to ensure person lives in districtC: Yes - Tax Exemption for non profit groups with water rightsD: No - Legislative Ethics Commission. I worry about a non elected body, having power over the state government. If there are ethics problems, let's solve them through the established channels, not through an unelected group. Additionally I don't think we need additional commissions (bureaucracies).
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Re: (For what it's worth) My Recommendations for November 2nd
Forgot one. Paula Hill for Alpine School District
On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 2:17 PM, Jeff Baird <jeff.a.baird@gmail.com> wrote:
You're probably getting sick of political signs, phone calls, ads etc. But for those who may be interested, here are my recommendations for the upcoming election. If you feel I'm wrong on an issue or candidate, please let me know what I'm missing, and we can chat about it. I've tried hard to look at principles, not parties in making my decisions. In this election, it's very important that people show up and vote, and as always, the more educated we are on the issues and candidates, the better.Utah's 1st Congressional District - Rob Bishop2nd Congressional District (If you're in my neighborhood, this is our district) - Morgan Philpot3rd Congressional District - Jason ChaffetzUS Senate - Mike LeeDepending on what Utah House district you're in (http://www.le.state.ut.us/house/districtinfo/newmaps/state.htm):Ken SumsionCarl WimmerState Senate (District 11) - Howard Stephenson
Amendments to the ConstitutionA: I'm voting Yes -- Clarifying the law to ensure secret ballotsB: Yes - Eligibility for Legislative Office, clarifies to ensure person lives in districtC: Yes - Tax Exemption for non profit groups with water rightsD: No - Legislative Ethics Commission. I worry about a non elected body, having power over the state government. If there are ethics problems, let's solve them through the established channels, not through an unelected group. Additionally I don't think we need additional commissions (bureaucracies).
(For what it's worth) My Recommendations for November 2nd
You're probably getting sick of political signs, phone calls, ads etc. But for those who may be interested, here are my recommendations for the upcoming election. If you feel I'm wrong on an issue or candidate, please let me know what I'm missing, and we can chat about it. I've tried hard to look at principles, not parties in making my decisions. In this election, it's very important that people show up and vote, and as always, the more educated we are on the issues and candidates, the better.
Utah's 1st Congressional District - Rob Bishop
2nd Congressional District (If you're in my neighborhood, this is our district) - Morgan Philpot
3rd Congressional District - Jason Chaffetz
US Senate - Mike Lee
Depending on what Utah House district you're in (http://www.le.state.ut.us/house/districtinfo/newmaps/state.htm):
Ken Sumsion
Carl Wimmer
State Senate (District 11) - Howard Stephenson
Amendments to the Constitution
A: I'm voting Yes -- Clarifying the law to ensure secret ballots
B: Yes - Eligibility for Legislative Office, clarifies to ensure person lives in district
C: Yes - Tax Exemption for non profit groups with water rights
D: No - Legislative Ethics Commission. I worry about a non elected body, having power over the state government. If there are ethics problems, let's solve them through the established channels, not through an unelected group. Additionally I don't think we need additional commissions (bureaucracies).
Monday, October 18, 2010
Come Out to Vote!!
Lehi 07th Precinct caucus attendees, Please help us get Morgan Philpot elected. He needs our help. Talk to your Friends and neighbors and remind them to vote. Put up yard signs. Volunteer at a phone bank. Republican Morgan Philpot will win the Congressional seat if Republicans and Independents get out to vote on November 2. In three weeks, control of the U.S. Congress may come down to one or two seats. UTAH'S GRASSROOTS REPUBLICAN AND INDEPENDENT VOTERS MAY DECIDE WHO SITS IN THAT SEAT PLEASE HELP US FIRE NANCY PELOSI AND JIM MATHESON Right now we are contacting everyone in the Second Congressional District to simply tell the the truth. Matheson is a Democrat and he votes with Nancy Pelosi's Democrat Congress 93% of the time. and Republican Morgan Philpot is ready to step in and start dismantling the federal machine that is burying our grandchildren in debt. It's up to citizens like us to drive this process and it has to start right now. Please take a shift in one of our call centers Located throughout Utah We have phones and computers set up for you. You only need to bring yourself, and a friend! (And maybe a snack to share, just to make it even more fun!) Here are the call center hours and contact information for Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Wasatch, and Washington Counties: Salt Lake County Call Center & Campaign Office 1218 East, 7800 South, Sandy Contact Damion Nielsen, 202.378.3605, damion.nielsen@gmail.com Mon 9 am - 6 pm Tues–Fri 9 am - 9 pm Sat 9 am - 4 pm Utah County Call Center 915 South 500 East, Suite 100, American Fork (If traveling on I-15, take exit 276, go west on 500 East, then take the first left into the parking lot.) Contact Becky Pirente, 801.362.7392, pirente@gmail.com Mon 9 am - 6 pm Tues - Fri 9 am - 9 pm Sat 9 am - 4 pm Davis County Call Center 4102 S 1900 W, Bldg 7, Roy Contact Bob Stott, 801.544.5271, bobstott71@comcast.net Weekdays 1st shift will work-Monday through Friday- 10 AM to 2 PM2nd shift will work- Tuesday through Thursday-5 PM to 9 PMSaturdays 1st shift will work - 9 AM to 1 PM2nd shift will work -1 PM to 5 PM3rd shift will work - 5 PM to 9 PMWasatch County Call Center Contact Aaron Gabrielson, 801.319.6876, aaron@redmondinc.com Washington County Call Center Contact Damion Nielsen, 202.378.3605, damion.nielsen@gmail.com Come and win with us! Regards, Becky Pirente Call Coordinator 801.362.7392 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
President Packer, Red Herrings, and the Pro-LGBT Propagandists
http://www.connorboyack.com/blog/president-packer-red-herrings-and-the-pro-lgbt-propagandists
In his revealing book Propaganda, Edward Bernays, widely considered to be the father of the trade, discussed how leaders do and should guide the opinions of the masses through carefully-controlled messages. Propaganda, he argued, was a necessary element in business, government, and society as a whole. Remarking on its historical use previous to that time, and specifically in relation to government, Bernays wrote:
…the manipulators of patriotic opinion made use of the mental clichés and the emotional habits of the public to produce mass reactions against the alleged atrocities, the terror, and the tyranny of the enemy.
Propagandists since that time have learned from and emulated many of the tactics Bernays discussed and advocated. Indeed, many organizations who remain a minority, yet who have successfully led public opinion to reverse their previous opinions regarding them, have employed such methods, including deceptive advertising, infiltration of key communication positions, and the dissemination of tightly controlled information, crafted to yield a desired response. It is, as Bernays also wrote, "enlightened expert propaganda through the creation of circumstances, through the high-spotting of significant events, and the dramatization of important issue."
Today has produced a case study worth highlighting.
This past weekend, Latter-day Saints worldwide tuned in for their semi-annualGeneral Conference, an event attracting millions of faithful Mormons eager to listen to and learn from their leaders. One of many addresses has unsurprisingly yielded swift reaction from those opposed to its declarations. Beginning his remarks on Sunday morning, President Boyd K. Packer first noted that there exists so much confusion (propaganda?) in the world, that our youth hardly know which way they can walk.
Continuing, Packer began to elaborate on The Family: A Proclamation to the World, the plague of pornography, the divine nature of marriage, and the issue of homosexuality as it relates both to individual life and actions, and marital union. He emphasized that the commandment to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth has never been rescinded. He noted that love is truly only realized when the sacred, procreative powers are employed within the bounds of a legal and lawful marriage—one between man and woman.
Satan is "impotent", President Packer explained, not being able to create life. Seeking to make all miserable like unto himself, Packer explained that Satan "seeks to degrade the righteous use of the life-giving power by tempting you into immoral relationships." As can be inferred from the balance of his remarks, he was referring not only to extra-marital heterosexual relations, but homosexual relations as well—both the relationships themselves, as well as those "counterfeits for marriage" many are seeking today.
"We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong," President Packer said.
The retaliatory response to his remarks is coming primarily from the comments that directly followed the above. He said:
Some suppose that they were "preset" and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so. Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, he is our Father.
…
You can, if you will, break the habits, and conquer the addiction, and come away from that which is not worthy of any member of the Church.
He continued:
If we're not alert, there are those today who not only tolerate but advocate voting to change laws that would legalize immorality, as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God's laws and nature. A law against nature would be impossible to enforce. For instance, what good would a vote against the law of gravity do? There are both moral and physical laws irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of the world that cannot be changed. History demonstrates over and over again that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and cannot be changed by ballot.
The propagandaists spared no time in responding. Within 24 hours, the Human Rights Campaign issued a press release saying that this servant of the Lord "should know better" than to make such comments:
Words have consequences, particularly when they come from a faith leader. This is exactly the kind of statement that can lead some kids to bully and others to commit suicide. When a faith leader tells gay people that they are a mistake because God would never have made them that way and they don't deserve love, it sends a very powerful message that violence and/or discrimination against LGBT people is acceptable. It also emotionally devastates those who are LGBT or may be struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identify. His words were not only inaccurate, they were also dangerous.
Affirmation, the group for gay and lesbian Mormons who has tried in the past few years to establish a dialogue with the Church on these issues, spoke out thusly:
Elder Packer's remarks in General Conference were not only ill-advised and contrary to fact, but were mean-spirited and will be perceived by many as bullying. We see no potential for good coming from his words and much possible damage, to the church, to individuals, and to families. The LDS Church should be a source of love, compassion, and conciliation, and not of fear and unfeeling petty hatred.
To be sure, there may very well be valid responses to President Packer's remarks, and concern about the practical application of the standards he discussed. Why, then, do I refer to these remarks as propaganda? At no time did Packer tell homosexuals that "they are a mistake", or that "they don't deserve love". His words are not dangerous, contrary to fact, mean-spirited, or based on "fear and unfeeling petty hatred".
That these groups would even dare to so hastily issue such a conglomeration of poorly-constructed thoughts and emotionally-based opinions shows that they either did not view President Packer's talk, or if they did, their perspective is so heavily jaded that they inferred from his remarks things he never said.
In short, these groups have placed horrible words in President Packer's mouth, ascribing to him things he stated, nor which accurately characterize his discourse in the slightest. Unable or unwilling to respond directly to his arguments, they set up red herrings which they can comfortably attack.
If such advocacy groups are concerned about the harm Packer's remarks will have in the LDS/LGBT relations, they need only look inward, for it is they who have blatantly and unapologetically lied. They have egregiously claimed that Packer will be responsible for the suicides of struggling individuals, and explicitly stated that his teachings were based on fear and hatred, and that he claims, essentially, that "God hates fags".
This is propaganda at work. Surely, the LGBT masses will make no effort to read or view President Packer's talk, and thus their interpretation of what was said will rely upon those whom they trust—the "enlightened experts" to which Bernays earlier referred.
Interestingly, Bernays recognized that propaganda was merely a tool used by all sorts of people. Often, it was and is deliberately misused and achieve and devious result. Yet, he noted that it "becomes vicious and reprehensive only when its authors consciously and deliberately disseminate what they know to be lies."
Thus can be labeled the organizations which have pounced on President Packer's discourse thus far: vicious and reprehensive propagandists consciously and deliberately disseminating lies.
***************
Monday, September 27, 2010
New Food Rules: A Guide to your Government Regulated Diet
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/new-food-regulations-a-guide-to-your-government-diet/
As Glenn mentioned on his Fox show this evening, new government regulatory crackdowns on certain foods and beverages across the country are forcibly shaping new dietary habits for many Americans. To make things easier, we thought we'd consolidate and break down a number of the bureaucratic overreaches for you.
How is government working to limit your scrumptious individual liberties? Let us count some of the ways…
- As we've reported, officials in Boston, Mass., are contemplating a ban on "sugary" beverages from the vending machines of all city municipal buildings in an attempt to whittle down public employees' waistlines.
- Likewise, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom used his executive order power to ban sodas and other sugary beverages from public building vending machines, replacing them with diet drinks and soy milk products.
- In a separate executive order, the San Francisco Mayor also single-handedly banned the use of city funds to purchase bottled water. "[Bottled water manufacturers] are making huge amounts of money selling God's natural resources. Sorry, we're not going to be part of it," he said.
- In New York, a Brooklyn Democrat introduced a bill in the state legislature earlier this year to ban the use of salt in restaurant cooking.
- The New York Times dubbed the state of California a "national trendsetter in all matters edible" when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill in July to ban trans fats from the state's 88,000 restaurants. "Under the new law, trans fats, long linked to health problems, must be excised from restaurant products beginning in 2010, and from all retail baked goods by 2011." Other places that have banned trans fats include New York City, Philadelphia, Stamford, Conn., and Montgomery County, Md. — a suburb of Washington, D.C.
- In perhaps one of the most outrageous cases of regulations restricting small business, health officials in Oregon shut down 7-year-old Julie Murphy's roadside lemonade stand in August for failing to secure a $120 "temporary restaurant" license.
- Kids may also be also be getting the shaft in San Francisco where officials are launching a campaign to ban "Happy Meals" or any other meals that come with a toy. The so-called "Healthy Meals Incentive" would ban toys if the food contains too much fat, sugar or salt. It wouldn't be the first time meal-time toys would be nixed in California; earlier this year, Santa Clara County approved an ordinance "to break the link between unhealthy food and prizes."
- New York City has banned school bake sale as part of a new wellness policy that also limits options in vending machines and student-run stores. Proceeds from the ventures generally used to help help finance school-related activities like pep rallies and proms.
- Under state laws in Texas, a single piece of candy landed a 10-year-old Brazos Elementary School student in detention for a week in May.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)