"We had a great last night sneaking about in snow covered Olympia. We paid another visit to the bigots over at the Mormon Church. We covered their building with messages in spray paint, such things as there is no sin in your desire, love who you want to love and love how you please, sex is fun! Its not shameful, queer and trans insurrection and many, many, many, many others. We also left them a surprise, its a pretty big one, we think theyll notice it within a few days. The Mormons are an atrocious bunch and, well, it just felt amazing to $@#! up their holy place, especially on an early Sunday morning with the snowflakes glistening in the street lamps."
If you haven't figured it out, the BC$ (Bowl Championship Series) is another one of my pet peeves. Here's a great video by Nike that takes a jab at the BC$
After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.
“Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work–including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule–our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking.”
Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated ,”The US only had two major victories–Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren’t influenced by head-to-head contests–they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event.”
German Chancellor Adolph Hitler said “Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks.” Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn ’style points’ to enhance Germany’s rankings. Hitler protested “Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces.”
The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented, “France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2.”
Japan finished with the #3 ranking having victories over powerhouses Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.
Oh, and they plan on galling in "gay" to work as a protest to Prop 8.
Excerpt: About 25 teachers plan to take Wednesday off and to have their work covered by substitutes while they discuss ways to introduce gay issues to their students and volunteer at the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, Craig said. A letter telling parents why so many teachers would be out went home Monday.
While at first glance you may think this video is fairly harmless and even funny, the sole purpose of this video is to cast those of us who feel it is important to protect families into a less than favorable light and paint us as hypocrites and evil doers.
Excerpt: It's amazing. Hollywood liberals, who shout "McCarthyism!" as a first resort, see nothing wrong with this. If Jews were attacked in this way for giving too much money to a political cause, Barbra Streisand would already have a French passport.
Never mind that Proposition 8 carried nearly every demographic slice of voters. Put aside the fact that the Catholic Church and scores of other Christian churches supported it too. Discount the inconvenient truth that bans on gay marriage have now passed in 30 states. It's all the Mormons' fault.
Richard Raddon, the director of the Los Angeles Film Festival who has been at the center of controversy ever since it was revealed almost two weeks ago that he had contributed $1,500 to the campaign to ban gay marriage in California, resigned from his post over the weekend.
MIAMI – A judge on Tuesday ruled that a strict Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting.
California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) confirmed Monday that it will investigate allegations that the LDS Church failed to report nonmonetary contributions to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.
An independent nonprofit organization, Californians Against Hate, called for the investigation after the measure passed earlier this month, effectively ending same-sex marriages in that state.
"They read my letter and I guess came to the conclusion that there's something worth looking into," said Fred Karger, who heads Californians Against Hate, which was formed to track donations in support of the ballot initiative. "I'm hopeful that the LDS Church will cooperate and share all the records and all the information they have about their activities in the Proposition 8 campaign."
Here's a fantastic editorial by the national review:
Excerpt:
To date, 30 states have voted on initiatives addressing same-sex marriage, and in every state traditional marriage has come out on top. But somehow the fact that Mormons got involved during the latest statewide referendum constitutes a bridge too far? In truth, Mormons are a target of convenience in the opening salvo of what is sure to be a full-scale assault on much of America’s religious infrastructure, which gay activists perceive as a barrier to their aspirations. Among religious groups, Mormons are not the biggest obstacle to same-sex marriage — not by a long shot. But they are an easy target. Anti-Mormon bigotry is unfortunately common, and gay-rights activists are cynically exploiting that fact.
The gay movement has created a website to help them in their inquisition. They have pasted the names of many people who donated to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign, in an attempt to encourage their community to not patronize them.
If you live in California, I would strongly encourage you to use this list against them and patronize these businesses. And when you do, let them know you appreciate their stance on protecting families and children.
Good news! The California Supreme Court denied requests to stay the implementation of Proposition 8.
In a nutshell the lawyers for the gay community and various other parties requested the California Supreme Court to issue a "stay" on Prop 8, which would basically put the measure on hold until the Supreme Court heard arguments and decided on the legality of Prop 8. The gay community were hoping they would be able to continue to enter into same sex marriages while the legal battle was raging.
Thankfully, this request was denied. For now, Prop 8, is the law.
One other major victory in the Courts decision to allow Real Parties of interest to defend this measure. So now the same group who got this measure passed can defend it. If they did not allow this, the it would be left up to Attorney General Jerry Brown to defend the measure, and since he actively opposed it in the first place, it would have been catastrophic if this case depended on him.
My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders:
My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to share this with you. As most of you know, I am aTemple ordinance worker and work the morning shift in the LA Temple every Saturday. Today, I had the privilege of translating sister Martz-the new assistant Matron's-message during our devotional. She started like this "The prophet Joseph Smith said that no unhallowed hand would be able to stop this Work from progressing. These past few weeks when mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord has protected His house". She went on to say that those, like her, who were inside the Temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary and terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the House of the Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant. After Proposition 8 passed, the Temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those opposing it. They were warned that more than 5000 people would come to the Temple and burn it to the ground, and stop Its work.
The first Thursday when the mob came, the new LA Temple President called the Salt Lake City Temple Offices for instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and to insure the safety of those attending the Temple by closing the gates. The assistant Matron said today, that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that the mob chose that Thursday to come since they had only one person coming to receive his own endowment that day, which he received in time to leave
before trouble started. The LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the Temple Presidency's summons and patroled the grounds and kept the mob from entering the same. Most of them had never been there before and expressed their surprise at how beautiful and peaceful all around was. They were invited to come back during the Christmas season to see the lights and they promised they would.
On Thursday, November 13th, sister Campbell, a secretary in the Temple, was opening the mail and upon opening a large manila envelope found inside a smaller one. When she opened this one, a white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be related to the demonstrators and feared the worst-ANTRAX. She contacted the President, who in turn called the Salt Lake CityTemple office again for instructions. The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once again in the grounds to investigate, and the Temple once again had to close from around 11:30 AM to 5PM. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the people there wherever they were found at the time. Those in the parking lot had to remain in the parking lot. Those entering theTemple had to remain in the first floor and those already upstairs were taken to the Celestial Room.
Then, the miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day is a Microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances every day. He was the first to say the white powder in the envelope was only talc, and put every one at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was impressed to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said "They said we can't go down but no one said we can't go up, and I have many people in the Celestial room with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they do some sealings?" As it happened, there were four sealers present that day and they ran four sealing sessions non stop while the Temple was closed. Downstairs, someone else thought to invite those in the Lobby to do some initiatories, which they promptly did for all those hours too, brothers and sisters alike.
Among those waiting in the parking lot there was a large group of young men and women with their leaders who had come to do Baptisms for the dead, and who waited patiently all those hours and decided when the Temple was reopened to go ahead and fulfill their assignment instead of driving back home. The Temple reopened in time for the 5:30 PM session. The next day when recording the ordinances, they discovered that they had performed 2000 sacred ordinances on Thursday, only one less than the day before when three stakes had been visiting the Temple. Once again the assistant matron reminded us of the words of the prophet Joseph Smith, "No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing...".
But, this is not all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple President was set apart by President Uchdorft of the First Presidency, he received a blessing and these words were pronounced: " The time has come for the LA Temple to come out of obscurity and become an Ensign for Righteousness to the world under your Presidency." The pictures of the Temple have been shown on TV, newspapers and the internet, not only in this country but worldwide. People of other faiths have called and sent letters to the Temple thanking the Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting how impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the Temple looks . One minister of an African American church, who by his own admission had harbored ill feelings against the mormons before said " I am impressed by your integrity and Christ like behavior, and even if I am not ready to consider you my brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be first cousins!".
I asked the assistant matron if I could share her comments and she said to go ahead. I can only add my own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the power and authority of God on earth. God Lives and Jesus, His only Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to redeem His people. I am grateful to know this and I pray we stand firm, steadfast and immobile while the prophecies of the signs before His Coming are fulfilled. "Be not afraid, only believe" He has said, and also " What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." I testify that this is true and testify it in the Holy Name of Whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ. Be faithful and safe is my humble prayer. Your sister in Christ,
Here's a great article about the current situation with Prop 8
Excerpt: In Oakland, California, a mob gathered outside a Mormon temple in such numbers that officials shut down a nearby freeway exit for more than three hours.
In their midst was a San Francisco Supervisor who said “The Mormon church has had to rely on our tolerance in the past, to be able to express their beliefs.” He added, “This is a huge mistake for them. It looks like they’ve forgotten some lessons.”
Apparently Mormons don’t have the same rights as other Americans, at least not if they don’t vote the way gay activists want them to vote.
Here's a letter I sent to Michele Dinello, the Director of Corporate Communications for Subway. This letter was sent as a response to this:
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid66446.asp
Dear Ms. Dinello,
I am writing today to express my dissatisfaction with the manner that Subway handled the recent event of a franchisee donating their personal funds to exercise their opinion in a democratic ballot measure.
I understand the fine line between keeping everyone happy and giving the impression that a company is being fair to all people, but the way you caved to the the political extortionists of the gay movement leaves me a bit dismayed.
The gay movement, which represents a very small section of society, is currently engaged in a campaign of vandalism, hate crimes, and terrorism, to strike fear into the hearts of those people who do not agree with them. By their actions it is clear that they do not respect people's opinion, nor the democratic process.
By buckling to the rantings of an insignificant blogger, you have helped them in their quest to silence those who do not agree with them. By your actions, it is apparent to me that Subway supports and is now providing material funding to an organization that has little regards for society, democracy, and the freedom of expression— a group who will use all the tools at their disposal, including hate and terrorism, to silence any an all who disagree with them. Think I'm exaggerating? Here's a few of many examples:
A religious group is attacked in San Francisco and needs a police escort to get them out of the area safely: (read the description on this video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrRxFoBSPng
Here's a nice compilation of the vandalism, hate and bigotry of the gay movement. (The music is a bit dramatic, but you get the idea) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWeg6AkYNQY
A more extensive collection of crimes and acts of hate and bigotry by the gay movement can be found on my blog http://renman.blogspot.com/ .
Now, you may be thinking that these examples are just a few bad apples in the group, but it is important to note that to date, not one gay movement organization has condemned these actions in an official press release or statement.
So what I would like from you and from Subway is :
1. A statement and press release clarifying that Subway does not support nor tolerate any organization that uses fear or engages in hate crimes or acts of domestic terrorism against any group of people, including people of religion, or that try to thwart the democratic process.
2. A statement clarifying that Subway not only respects the rights of its employees, franchisees, and vendors to become involved in the lawful exercise of the political process, but that you encourage it.
3. A statement that Subway will not apply any pressure or retribution against any employee, franchisee, or vendor who chooses to exercise said rights.
As far as I'm concerned, the religious arguments against same sex marriage is enough. However, sometimes you want a secular argument as well. Here is a fantastic letter written with a non-religious argument against same-sex marriages.
If you live in California, or know someone who does, please go to this site to sign a petition to encourage Gov. Schwarzenegger to respect the will of the people on Prop 8.
Excerpt: Last night, under the veil of fog, we visited the Church of Latter Day Saints. We left their locks glued with anarchist messages scrawled in spray paint over their boring veneer.
We did this to show our solidarity with all who are resisting heterosexism everywhere, hopefully to spur them into action; and also because we are angry at the amount of money and propaganda that the Mormon church pumped into the homophobic Proposition 8 campaign. From their disgusting commercials to their despicable sermons to those gross lawn signs, we are sick of this parade of bigotry. The Church has to pay.
Read the description below (caution it's graphic) before watching the video (which is also graphic, so turn your speakers down):
THIS VIDEO WAS NOT POSTED BY ANY MEMBER OF THE GROUP JHOP. HOWEVER, BELOW IS AN ACCOUNT OF ONE OF JHOPSF'S TEAM MEMBERS WHO WAS THERE.
November 14, 2008
I went to the Castro (the homosexual district of San Francisco) with JHOPSF (I have been with the Justice House of Prayer San Francisco since April 2008.) like we usually do on Friday nights.
Normally, we sit on 18th and Castro, and someone plays the guitar, and we all worship God.
Sometimes a person will yell at us, or maybe a few. Sometimes people will ignore us. Sometimes people will let us pray with them.
This time was not a normal night. It was the first time we'd been back in the Castro to do our normal outreach since California Proposition 8, which defined marriage as "one man with one woman" was passed. We played the guitar and sang together and worshiped the Lord. After just singing and worshiping God for a while, Roger decided that we should all hold hands in a circle and continue singing. So we did.
Someone (Actually a person who came up and hugged and kissed some of us who he knew from the past) convinced some people that we were there to protest against the no on 8 campaign.
Then some guy who was dressed up like one of the sisters (The sisters of perpetual indulgence is a group of men who dress up like nuns and call themselves the spiritual authority of the Castro.) took a curtain-type thing (Which I think they use to curse people) and wrapped it around us.
Then a crowd started gathering. We began to sing "Amazing Grace", and basically sang that song the whole night. (At some points we also sang "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" and "Oh the Blood of Jesus".) At first, they just shouted at us, using crude, rude, and foul language and calling us names like "haters" and "bigots". Since it was a long night, I can't even begin to remember all of the things that were shouted and/or chanted at us. Then, they started throwing hot coffee, soda and alcohol on us and spitting (and maybe even peeing) on us. Then, a group of guys surrounded us with whistles, and blasted them inches away from our ears continually. Then, they started getting violent and started shoving us.
At one point a man tried to steal one of our Bibles. Chrisdene noticed, so she walked up to him and said "Hey, that's not yours, can you please give it back?". He responded by hitting her on the head with the Bible, shoving her to the ground, and kicking her. I called the cops, and when they got there, they pulled her out of the circle and asked her if she wanted to press charges. She said "No, tell him I forgive him." Afterwards, she didn't rejoin us in the circle, but she made friends with one of the people in the crowd, and really connected heart to heart. Roger got death threats. As the leader of our group, people looked him in the eyes and said "I am going to kill you.", and they were serious. A cop heard one of them, and confronted him. (This part is kinda graphic, so you should skip the paragraph if you don't want to be offended.)
It wasn't long before the violence turned to perversion. They were touching and grabbing me, and trying to shove things in my butt, and even trying to take off my pants - basically trying to molest me. I used one hand to hold my pants up, while I used the other arm to hold one of the girls. The guys huddled around all the girls, and protected them. Soon after, the cops came and stood between us and the mob. When it was getting more heated, the cops were like "You guys should leave." and Roger said "We want to stay." Someone tried to steal my backpack, but I tapped a cop on the shoulder, and said "Hey, that's my bag." and he got it from him and gave it to me. Others weren't so lucky. Probably half our team got their jackets stolen.
Eventually, as the crowd was getting more and more uncontrollable, the cops were afraid for our lives, so they escorted us to our van. (The cops were very nice to us from start to finish.) Our van was parked pretty far because it was hard to find parking that day. As the cops escorted us, the mob followed us, until the cops formed a line, and held off the people so we could drive away. We took the long way home, just in case anyone tried to follow us.
When we got home, we prayed and sang more, and then prayed over each-other. Please know my heart. All of what we do is for the Love of Jesus Christ, and the love for those in the Castro. The Bible says to love God, and then love people. We can only love because He loved us first. We can't hate the people because they are just broken and blinded by the spirit of this age. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities and Powers. It's not a political thing, we just love the people.
Kevin Hamilton's Letter on Proposition 8 and the Mormon Church
Dear Friends,
In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our young people have been especially subject to mean-spirited comments by high school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong. In fact, we did everything that a civic-minded American can and should do. I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better. For example:
1. Mormons make up less than 2 percent of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.Mormon voters were less than 5 percent of the yes vote.
2. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6 percent of the yes vote and 2.4 percent of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African-Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70 percent of black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims -- all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or herself. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States' Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof?" The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do -- we spoke up, we campaigned and we voted.
Hold your heads up high -- you did a great job on this most important cause. We will have more opportunities in the future to participate in our democratic process. Let's remember the lessons learned and do an even better job next time.
These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in no way reflect official church policy or doctrine.
Federal officials have launched a preliminary inquiry into whether recent acts of vandalism against Mormon temples and meeting houses are hate crimes, a department spokesman said Friday.
"We are looking into whether these acts are intimidating people into not going into houses of worship," said Juan Becerra, of the Salt Lake City FBI. "The right to worship is a basic civil right."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints actively supported the passage of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California.
Since the Nov. 4 election, seven houses of worship in Utah have been vandalized, according to Becerra.
Thursday, envelopes filled with an unidentified white powdery substance were delivered to two Mormon temples, one in the Los Angeles area and one in Salt Lake City.
Preliminary results showed that the white substance tested negative for known hazardous biological agents and toxins. The final report should be available next week.
Becerra said federal agents are working with Salt Lake City church officials and local law enforcement.
Sacramento church officials have stepped up security at the Rancho Cordova temple.
Ten church buildings in the region have been vandalized since the election, said Lisa West, spokesperson for the church in the Sacramento area. "That's more than we usually get in an entire year."
Demonstrators gathered in front of a Mormon temple in Newport Beach on Sunday to protest passage of Proposition 8. They were targeting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many members of which poured money into the campaign for passage of the proposition.
"We're not asking churches to sanctify marriages," said Ron Fichter of Laguna Beach. "To me it's just basic human rights."
Fichter, 64, said he came out as gay in 1965, was in the Navy for six years, and took part in one of the first gay marches in Washington, D.C., more than two decades ago.
"We've come a long ways, but we have a long ways to go," said Fichter.
Gay rights activists demonstrated in front of the Vallejo Church of Latter-day Saints on Sunday morning.The group, numbering about a dozen, continued Saturday's rallies across the country, during which thousands gathered to protest the passage of Proposition 8.
Prop. 8 banned gay marriage -- legal since June -- through an amendment to the state constitution indicating that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
The group began their protest as members of the church began to enter shortly after 8 a.m. There was a brief confrontation with church officials, who asked the protesters to leave a church-owned sidewalk on Los Santos Court and move to a Tuolomne Street sidewalk.
"These protesters are welcome to do whatever they want in terms of a peaceful protest, but we will not tolerate them on our personal property," said Thomas S. Mortensen, the church's bishop.
Even if Proposition 8 is overturned in the courts and same sex marriages receive legal secular recognition, the gospel of the Church will not change. Let me repeat, secular arguments do not trump spiritual imperatives.
The gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints , and of many other Christian and other faith based churches, do not and will not recognize marriage other than between a man and a woman. This will never change.
Does this mean there may be hard times ahead for for the Church, for individual Latter-day Saints, and for churches and members of other faiths? Without question. Everything we believe will be challenged and attacked.
So the members of the GLBT community have begun scouring the supporter lists for Prop 8 and have begun protesting anyone who has supported the measure. Their first target. An employee of a restaurant who had the audacity to donate $100 to supprt Prop 8. Read about it here:
This is getting ridiculous. The GLBT bigots are now protesting a business because an employee had the nerve to voice an opinion that differed from theirs. If anyone within the sound of my voice lives near El Coyote, I think it would be a good time to patronize their restaurant. http://www.elcoyotecafe.com/
Excerpt:
Hundreds of protesters converged on El Coyote on Beverly Boulevard on Wednesday night, and the picketing got so heated that LAPD officers in riot gear had to be called.
All because Marjorie Christoffersen, a manager there and a daughter of El Coyote's owner, had contributed $100 to the Yes on 8 campaign.
Christoffersen, who is Mormon, met with protesters Wednesday and at one point broke down in tears, said Arnoldo Archila, another El Coyote manager. But the activists were not satisfied with her explanation and continued to post protests about her on the Web.
Since the people of California voted to reaffirm the sanctity of traditional marriage between a man and a woman on November 4, 2008, places of worship have been targeted by opponents of Proposition 8 with demonstrations and, in some cases, vandalism. People of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights. These are not actions that are worthy of the democratic ideals of our nation. The end of a free and fair election should not be the beginning of a hostile response in America.
The Church is keenly aware of the differences of opinion on this difficult and sensitive matter. The reasons for this principled stand in defense of marriage have already been articulated elsewhere. However, some of what we have seen since Californians voted to pass Proposition 8 has been deeply disappointing.
Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues. People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal. Efforts to force citizens out of public discussion should be deplored by people of goodwill everywhere.
We call upon those who have honest disagreements on this issue to urge restraint upon the extreme actions of a few that are further polarizing our communities and urge them to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other.
The only group that is coming to people's homes and places of worship and terrorizing them is the GLBT movement. Yet here is their highly controversial video that is full of lies and scare tactics. MSNBC, and Comedy Central should be ashamed for showing such filth.
This video speaks for itself. The "Tolerance" movement, tries to silence an elderly woman who has the audacity to have a differing opinion than the GLBT's. Watch the whole thing as the attack happens towards the end of the video.
(KSL News) A suspicious envelope containing an unknown white powder was found this afternoon at Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City.
It was found inside an office in the entrance area to the Salt Lake Temple. That is in an area open to the public.
They have since placed the letter into a black bag.
Both Salt Lake City police and fire departments are on the scene and have closed off the area, including eastbound lanes of North Temple between State Street and Main Street.
They are not evacuating the temple but are not allowing anybody inside.
Scott Freitag of the Salt Lake City Fire Department says someone in the office opened the envelope, saw the powder and called the fire department.
"We don't have any indication there's any sort of threat with it," Freitag says. "So we're just going to go in now. Our Hazmat team will go in and take a look at it, see if they can make any determination of what it is by looking at it. Most likely it will have to be tested."
I came across this quote today that I thought was appropriate in relation to Prop 8, (and the Steve Young news), abortion and other similar matters. What's even more interesting is that Elder Maxell said it 30 years ago, yet it is as he was speaking for our time.
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'
"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.
"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....
"Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."
--Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Meeting the Challenges of Today," BYU Devotional, October 10, 1978.
I came across this article today, that I found very interesting:
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Both the Massachusetts Superior Court and the California Supreme Court by a one-judge margin redefined what marriage has always been in every culture and every religion for more than 5,000 years of recorded history.
Why does this matter?
As I wrote about in my book, "The Criminalization of Christianity," Jeffrey Satinover, who holds an M.D. from Princeton and doctorates from Yale, MIT and Harvard, was on my radio program one day and I asked him about where we are in history. He explained that according to the "Babylonian Talmud" – the book of rabbis' interpretation of the scriptures 1,000 years before Christ, there was only one time in history that reflects where we are right now. There was only one time in history, according to these writings, where men were given in marriage to men, and women given in marriage to women.
Want to venture a guess as to when? No, it wasn't in Sodom and Gomorrah, although that was my guess. Homosexuality was rampant there, of course, but according to the Talmud, not homosexual "marriage." What about ancient Greece? Rome? No. Babylon? No again. The one time in history when homosexual "marriage" was practiced was … during the days of Noah. And according to Satinover, that's what the "Babylonian Talmud" attributes as the final straw that led to the Flood.
On my Faith2Action radio program on Thursday, Rabbi Aryeh Spero verified this to be true.
Rabbi Spero spoke of God's compassion before the Flood, in hopes people would repent and turn back to His ways. He showed patience for hundreds of years.
But, he said, the Talmud's writings reveal that "before the Flood people started to write marriage contracts between men, in other words, homosexual 'marriage,' which is more than homosexual activity – it's giving an official state stamp of approval, a sanctification … of homosexual partnership."
In fact, he said, "the writings indicated that it wasn't even so much the 'straw that broke the camel's back,' but that the sin in and of itself is so contrary to why God created the world, so contrary to the order of God's nature, that God said then and there 'I have to start all over … to annihilate the world and start from the beginning. …'"
Rabbi Spero went on to say, "Even in ancient Greece they did not write marriage contracts between men. There was homosexuality, and it was wrong, but there was not an official 'blessed' policy. … Marriage is 'sanctification' (not simply a partnership)." He said to confer the title of sanctification and holiness upon this behavior is "probably one of the greatest sins of all that one does against God's plan for this world."
The one time it happened was: "During the days of Noah." When I first heard this, my mind immediately went to a verse I've heard many times but never with such relevance. The verse is found in Matthew 24:37. It reads:
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. – Mathew 24:37 (NIV)
For protecting the family, and exercising our constitutional right to vote, we are threatened, vandalized, hated, defamed, and called despicable names. Names such as bigot, hater, liars, scum, and worse. As a child I learned a little phrase that I think is quite appropriate: "It takes one to know one."
Excerpt: "This is not just a matter of some people blowing off steam because they're not happy with a political outcome. This is criminal activity," he said. "The homosexual lobby is always calling for 'tolerance' and 'diversity' and playing the role of victim. They claim to deplore violence and 'hate.' Here we have homosexuals inciting, and directly threatening, violence against Christians."
LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) ― A fire outside a Littleton church is being investigated as a bias-motivated arson that may have stemmed from the church's position on a gay marriage amendment in California.
Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies responded to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, some three hours after a church member found a burning copy of The Book of Mormon on a door step.
No damage to the church was reported.
The caller who reported the fire told authorities that an LDS regional facilities manager indicated the incident may have been in retaliation to the church's stance on Proposition 8.
The measure passed last week bans same-sex marriage in the California constitution.
Here's a scary account of an incident when the gay militant group Bash Back, stormed Mount Hope Church, a peaceful little church in Michigan this week. If this happened to me, I'm not sure I would have been as Christ-like as these good folks:
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Prayer had just finished when men and women stood up in pockets across the congregation, on the main floor and in the balcony. "Jesus was gay," they shouted among other profanities and blasphemies as they rushed the stage. Some forced their way through rows of women and kids to try to hang a profane banner from the balcony while others began tossing fliers into the air. Two women made their way to the pulpit and began to kiss.
Their other props? I'll let them tell you in their own words... from another of their liberal blogs:
"(A) video camera, a megaphone, noise makers, condoms, glitter by the bucket load, confetti, pink fabric...yeh."
The video camera they put to good use as they attempted to provoke a violent reaction. The image of the pink-clad folks above is one of theirs, stating in a picture worth more than a thousand words the goals of the Michigan left.
The "open minded" and "tolerant" liberals ran down the aisles and across the pews, hoping against hope to catch a "right winger" on tape daring to push back (none did). And just in case their camera missed the target, they had a reporter in tow. According to a source inside the church yesterday there was a "journalist" from the Lansing City Pulse along for the ride, tipped off about the action and more interested in getting a story than in preventing the vandalism, the violence and anti-Christian hatred being spewed by the lefties.
37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, Matthew 24: 37-38
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Just as foretold, our days actually are fast resembling the days of Noah, especially notable for their pattern of corruption and violence. (See Matt. 24:37; Gen. 6:11.) No wonder the adversary steadily promotes all the ancient sins, not because he is uninventive but because his harvest is so constant. Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Behold, the Enemy Is Combined’ (D&C 38:12),” Ensign, May 1993, 76
----------------------------------- No one need tell you that we are living in a very difficult season in the history of the world. Standards are dropping everywhere. Nothing seems to be sacred anymore. The traditional family is under heavy attack. I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah.…We see similar conditions today. They prevail all across the world. I think our Father must weep as He looks down upon His wayward sons and daughters. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Standing Strong and Immovable,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, 10 Jan. 2004, 20
----------------------------------- We live in a season when fierce men do terrible and despicable things. We live in a season of war. We live in a season of arrogance. We live in a season of wickedness, pornography, immorality. All of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah haunt our society. Our young people have never faced a greater challenge. We have never seen more clearly the lecherous face of evil. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Living in the Fulness of Times,” Liahona, Jan 2002, 4–6
----------------------------------- I know of nothing in the history of the Church or in the history of the world to compare with our present circumstances. Nothing happened in Sodom and Gomorrah which exceeds in wickedness and depravity that which surrounds us now. Boyd K. Packer, "The One Pure Defense," Address to CES Religious Educators • 6 February 2004
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The artistic director of the California Musical Theatre resigned Wednesday, after gay and lesbian artists threatened a boycott for his support of a ban on same-sex marriage.
"I am leaving California Musical Theatre after prayerful consideration to protect the organization and to help the healing in the local theatre-going and creative community," Scott Eckern said in a statement.
I'm tired of having music play when my cellphone rings. It isn't very professional to have some song play when I'm meeting with a client, so I decided I just wanted a simple phone ring, but I also wanted something vintage and classic. So imagine my surprise when I quickly found this great site by David English that has several different vintage telephone ringtones. http://www.beepzoid.com/old-phones/
One of my favorite blogs is The Art of Manliness. They have so much good information on all aspects of how to be a real man. Well, today they have a great article that is near and dear to my own heart. I highly recommend you stop by and read How To Be A Renaissance Man.
Sick of the big guy stomping all over the rights of the little guy. Well the small town of Malad, Idaho is fighting the juggernaut Rocky Mountain Power who wants to run their ugly 150' tall towers right through farms and ranches that have been owned by families for well over 150 years. Stop by and visit this site and help the FIGHT THE POWER!!!Rocky Mountain Power Company Sucks!
As if Eli Manning didn't have enough pressure, now it appears the economy rests on his shoulders as well. What? you say. Well it the theory goes that when an NFC team wins the Superbowl the next day the stock market does good. When and AFC team wins the market doesn't do so good. As funny as this sounds, this indicator has an astonishing 85% accuracy rate and has been the source of several studies. It's not like I needed another reason to cheer against the Patriots this weekend, but now that I know the economy depends on them losing, I'll cheer for the Giants even that much more.
There's a new site called the Parent's Field Guidehttp://www.parentsfieldguide.com. At that site, there are several articles on the many facets of raising children. They have great advice and the database of the articles, which are often written by experts in the field, are growing daily. So if you need advice on raising children, I suggest you pay them a visit.
