Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Obama at 100 Days



I figured as an amateur journalist/blogger I would give my perspective on President Obama's first 100 days. This assessment will not be comprehensive. I will attempt to share a few things that have stood out to me the most, focusing on the good, but not disregarding the disappointing. I will ignore the “soap bubbles” of his presidency, such as the hubbub that has gone on over Obama’s dog or the gifts he has given to foreign politicians. This post will focus on transparency, vision, and equity, followed by a few things he may have done better.

Transparency. From Day 1 Obama has not just shed a new light on the government, he has turned the spotlights on it. A few examples: disclosing the torture memos that authorized CIA agents to torture terrorist suspects, closing Guantanamo Bay, freezing salaries of overpaid White House officials, holding an online town hall meeting where anyone could submit and vote on questions for him to answer, and holding 10 major press conferences. There is a genuine integrity that he has brought to the government. This is so very different than the last eight years where politicians had dark meetings in dark corners about which Geneva Convention treaties they could violate, how they could confuse the American public into thinking we were warring terror when we were warring for their agendas, etc. etc. Transparency is key to a strong democracy, and Obama knows that. The man himself is transparent. He is not afraid to say he made a mistake (which he admitted after appointing Tom Daschle), something difficult for any politician to do. He is not afraid to meet with his constituents in town halls, late night talk shows, or online. He’s one of us, and he’s for us.

Vision. I admire the fact that Obama has not refrained from addressing the environment, immigration (I’ve been stewing over that recently, a possible post is on the way), healthcare, and foreign policy in the midst of a major financial crisis. He has addressed these issues (keeping many more promises than he has broken, according to politifact, which is impressive considering the state of the economy. It is clear he means action—as long as he and Congress can agree. He has called for a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by August 2010. He has addressed the Muslim community tactfully and cordially, telling them that we are not their enemies. He has had a host of other positive encounters with American antagonists (Chavez among them), and encounters where he has rightly apologized on behalf of the country to American allies. He has hosted a healthcare summit, made it easier for people to sue for pay discrimination (his first bill), and launched an effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Equity. He is a thoughtful person, as I've said before. I recommend you read “Dreams From My Father”; I read it over the last months and it shows what deep person we have in the oval office. And he wrote it just after law school, way before he thought or knew he would be the president (Disclaimer: it does have some of what I consider inappropriate language from conversations he had in teenage years). He wants to hear the voice of the people (as seen with the online town hall meetings), he reads ten letters a day from constituents, and he has Republicans and former democratic opponents (at least the ones that could handle being on a team of rivals) in his Cabinet.

Disappointments. In other words, I think we’re on the right track. Now, for a few disappointments (inevitable since we don’t have identical political philosophies). I’m disappointed in him providing federal funding for NGOs to perform and provide information on abortions (though the FOCA act that many people are concerned about does not exist). I am also skeptical of his $3.6 trillion budget proposal for 2010, though he understands much better than I about why the government would need that money. I have mixed feelings on his interaction with the auto industry which many think was too meddlesome. I do think something needed to be done to control the mess the auto industry, the bankers, and corporate executives are in and quell their greedy behavior. Finally, I did not agree with Obama signing a spending bill with earmarks, though I recognize the need to get the government through 2009.

He’s through 100 days. Here’s hoping that he keeps bringing the right changes to Washington, the U.S., and the world in the next four years.

I could have packed this post with links, but to be honest, I got a little lazy. If you want them, let me know and I'll stick them in. More Abe footage coming soon, which I know is what everyone really wants to see.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!

What a beautiful earth we have! My very favorite thing is to be outside with the people I love. I wish every day were earth day. If you don’t think right now is a good time to buy a Prius or change your roof to solar panels, here are some easy ways to help take care of this beautiful earth. The following post offers an ecclesiastical endorsement for those interested.
-Re-use plastic bags, even sturdy baggies
-Better yet- buy reusable shopping bags
-Use 1/2 dryer sheets and 1/2 paper towels
-Use cloth napkins
-Use fluorescent light bulbs
-Buy in bulk
-Buy on sale
-Don't waste food odds and ends
-Turn off lights you’re not using
-Unplug appliances when not in use (even when they’re off they still use a little electricity)
-Be sensitive about your water use—don’t have the faucet or shower on full power
-Don’t take short-cuts—stay on sidewalks and marked trails
-Go through your closet and donate clothes and shoes you’re not using (check out freecycle for a way to donate)
-Use second-hand items when possible
-Repair what you can (like shoes)
-Eat vegetarian one day a week, or when you can
-Plant a garden- even some herbs in a planter box if you don’t have space for more
-Buy local or organic
-Recycle
-Organize your schedule so you can do all your errands at once
-Turn down heat and AC
-Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation
-Turn off the computer and play outside!
There are lots of great websites to checkout-This one has tips for sustainable living, this one shows you how your diet can effect the environment, and this one shows how many earths it would take if everyone lived like you. I don't know how they could really calculate that, but it's interesting to see which habits have the biggest effect on the environment.
Feel free to share any of your own ideas for how to take care of this beautiful earth!

When Shall The Earth Rest?

D&C 136:27 Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his steward.

Brigham Young – the Earth should be beautified. “There is a great work for the Saints to do. Progress, and improve upon, and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labours you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the meantime, continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ.”[i]

Prof. George B. Handley (BYU) – significance of spiritual character of all life. “The notion that physical matter and all living things have some living spiritual character grants a sacred identity to the nonhuman realm, and this would seem to give us pause to consider the ethics of our use of such inspirited material.”[ii] “[T]the Mormon conception of our premortal life and its suggestion that we witnessed and may have participated in the very creation of the world under Christ’s direction [gives] a unique opportunity to always remember our intimate relationship with creation.”[iii]

Ezra Taft Benson – warning against greed and overconsumption. “[W]e are morally obligated to turn this land over to those who succeed us – not drained of its fertility, but improved in quality, in productivity, and in usefulness for future generations. I am sure our Heavenly Father expects us to use these precious natural resources wisely, unselfishly, and effectively – both our soil and our water….[iv]

Ezra Taft Benson: The Church has urged its members to be efficient users of our resources and to avoid waste and pollution, and to clean up their own immediate environment, or that over which they have control.”[v]

Gordon B. Hinckley – lament that we make the Earth ugly. “This earth is His creation. When we make it ugly, we offend him.”[vi]

Orson Pratt – we are to be tested as stewards. “This land, about which I have been speaking, is called in some places in the revelation of God to the Prophet Joseph, the land of our inheritance. . . . If we shall be unwise in the disposition of this trust, then it will be very doubtful, whether we get an inheritance in this world or in the world to come.”[vii]

Neal A. Maxwell – we have covenanted to take good care of the earth. “The instructions to Adam and Eve about the garden earth … have not been rescinded. They were, and we are, to dress it-not destroy it. They were to take good care of it instead of abusing it. Our increasing interdependence on this planet makes some forms of individual selfishness the equivalent of a runaway personal bulldozer. If we have no concern for the generations to follow, the means are at hand to tear up the terrain much more than was ever possible anciently.”[viii]

Joseph F. Smith: “As children of God, it is our duty to appreciate and worship Him in His creations. If we would associate all that is truly good and beautiful in life with thoughts of Him, we would be able to trace His handiwork throughout all nature.”[ix]

Gordon B. Hinckley: “Can any man who has walked beneath the stars at night, can anyone who has seen the touch of spring upon the land doubt the hand of divinity in creation?”[x]
M. Russell Ballard: “Think of what would happen if all of us took time to look carefully at the wonders of nature that surround us and devoted ourselves to learning more about this world that God created for us….”[xi]

“To truly reverence the Creator, we must appreciate his creations. We need to plan to take time to observe the marvels of nature. Today, we can easily become surrounded by brick buildings and asphalt surfaces that shelter us from real life around us.[xii]
“[T]hose who feel no reverence for the creations and the divine attributes of God likely will have little appreciation for other sacred things. Such a lack of veneration for God’s creations may diminish until a person becomes totally insensitive to the feelings of others.[xiii]

Douglas L. Callister: “It pleases our Father in Heaven when we, also, pause to note the beauty of our environment, which we will naturally do as we become more spiritually sensitive.”[xiv]

Alexander B. Morrison: “[O]ur current way of life is simply environmentally unsustainable. The immensely complex and still not fully understood systems that sustain life on earth are being destroyed by human activities.”[xv]

Neal A. Maxwell: “True disciples … would be consistent environmentalists – caring both about maintaining the spiritual health of a marriage and preserving a rain forest; caring about preserving the nutrient capacity of a family as well as providing a healthy supply of air and water…. Adam and Eve were to “dress the garden,” not exploit it. Like them, we are to keep the commandments, so that we can enjoy all the resources God has given us, resources described as “enough and to spare” (D&C 104:17), if we use and husband them wisely.[xvi]

First Presidency Message--We should conserve natural resources. During the “energy crisis” of the 1970s, the First Presidency issued the following statement: “We reaffirm our suggestion to the Church members a year ago to join car pools, observe prescribed speed limits, lower thermostats where feasible, and eliminate unnecessary consumption of electricity or fuel….”[xvii]

These quotes come from a lengthier study on the topic by my Dad. If you're interested I can send you the undiluted 14 page version.
_____________________________________________
[i] Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 8:83, June 12, 1860.
[ii] George B. Handley, “The Environmental Ethics of Mormon Belief,” BYU Studies, 40, no. 2 (2001): 187-211.
[iii] Handley, “The Environmental Ethics of Mormon Belief,” 195.
[iv] Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc. 1988), 645.
[v] Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1977), 79.
[vi] New Genesis: A Mormon Reader on Land and Community at frontispiece (1998).
[vii] Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 21:151, November 1, 1879.
[viii] Neal A. Maxwell, That Ye May Believe (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992), 75.
[ix] Joseph F. Smith, Juvenile Instructor, 39:627-28, October 15, 1904.
[x] Gordon B. Hinckley, “Be Not Faithless,” Ensign (May 1978), 59.
[xi] M. Russell Ballard, “God’s Love for His Children,” Ensign (May 1988), 57.
[xii] Ballard, Ensign, 59.
[xiii] Ballard, Ensign, 58.
[xiv] Douglas L. Callister, “Seeking the Spirit of God” Ensign (Nov. 2000).
[xv] Alexander B. Morrison, Visions of Zion (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993), 77-78.
[xvi] Neal A. Maxwell, A Wonderful Flood of Light (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990), 103.
[xvii] “Energy Crisis: First Presidency Encourages Conservation of Fuel; Reports From the Saints Around the World,” Ensign (February 1974): 67

Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Many Faces of my Favorite As

Abe is becoming more and more expressive. Here are a few faces, including the "Evans scowl" he inherited from Ariel's family. Ariel's not bad herself.





Monday, April 13, 2009

He Lives!


My identity, first and foremost, is that of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Beyond that I am a husband and a father, followed by a son and a brother. My racial, political, professional, educational, and cultural identities all fall into distant places. If someone knows me, I want them to know me as a believer.

Jesus Christ does live. He is the Son of God. I have received an indelible witness of this in my heart by the power of the Holy Ghost. To deny Him would be to deny myself, for without Him I truly am nothing. As Amulek teaches, “according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish.”

I want the world to know through blogging, airplane discussions, my journal, formal testimony-bearing and the many other means of communication available today that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of my body and spirit, and of the world. Last week Elder Holland’s challenge moved me deeply. I do not want Christ to ever be alone again, and I will stand by His side so He is not.

His mercy and power are evident every day in the temporal and spiritual. The Atonement can be seen in the pure eyes of my son, felt in the healing of a sickness, displayed in the love of my wife, and above all, manifest in the cleansing of sin and strength to overcome it.

He lives!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

D.C. Bound!

Andrew was offered a very nice internship with the G.A.O. in Washington D.C., so that's where we're headed this summer! We're really excited! We'll be staying with my aunt and uncle in Virginia. Anyone been to D.C. lately? What are your recommendations for not-to-be-missed sites? We're also going to drive there, and are wondering where we should stop along the way. Getting there's half the fun, right?
We're definitely going to stop in Nauvoo to see my dear cousin Liz who is a missionary there right now, but beyond that, we're not sure where to go. Any suggestions? World's biggest fryingpan, fattest pig, tallest door, great lookouts, small museums, etc.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Yesterday was Andrew's 25th birthday! He's a quarter-of-a-century-man.

He's cheerful,
helpful,
spiritual,
wonderful,
friendly,
humble,
thrifty,
brave,
generous,
strong,
smiley,
good with babies,
charitable,
handsome,
musical,
a hard worker,
diligent,
thoughtful,
funny,
happy,
and everything else wonderful!
We love you, Andrew!!

Thanks, love! I love you! Let me just add that Ariel threw me a swingin' SURPRISE B-day party! Burgers Supreme, Nickelcade, family, and MPA friends! We even got a party room! A little boy's dream come true!

It could not have been better, and I could not be happier!