I Voted for Fluoride in the Water, but...

Now I have reservations about the fluoride being added to our municipal water supply. This is based on new research done by a committee of the National Research Council and a piece in this month’s Scientific American. Reuters also released published about the journal article.

Essentially, here in many parts of America we are getting too much of a good thing it seems. Fluoride is found in many foods and drinks aside from our drinking water. The highest fluoride containing things in American diets are black tea at 3.73 parts per million, raisins at 2.34 ppm, 2.02 ppm in white wine, 1.09 ppm in apple flavored juice drinks, 0.91 ppm in brewed coffee, 0.71 in tap water, 0.61 in chicken soup, 0.60 in Diet Coke, 0.45 ppm in beer and down to my favorite, chocolate ice cream, at 0.23 parts per million.

There seems to be sufficient results from real scientists studying this subject to suggest groups in our population are at risk. Too much fluoride in a child’s system result in the condition called fluorosis. The teeth are mottled, granite-like in appearance and are permanent. Ironically, from the land of lead paint on our Thomas the Tank Engine toys, a Chinese study has found excess fluoride in the diets of children leads to lowering of IQ’s. I would not buy any Chinese toothpaste anyway as they have already killed some Central Americans. This fake Crest was imported with official Crest logos and names into Panama and it had enough poison in it for some who were susceptible to the radiator coolant additive died from it.

For other kids, excess fluoride, could be linked or in medical jargon be a ‘risk factor’ to osteosarcoma or bone cancer. In adults there could be a risk of reduced thyroid function due to high levels of fluorides in one’ intake. Hyperactivity in young rats given high dosage levels of fluorides was observed by scientists at an institute in Boston MA.

I think in our house, given these latest reports from credible scientists, we may change our water filters and substitute with those capable or removing fluoride from our water. It appears we are getting too much of a good thing. Those right wing nut jobs and Birchers of the 60”s, who thought this was a Communist conspiracy, may have had some real basis for concern.

A Solution to End the War on Terror...

To bring to an end the worldwide war on terror, imagine the following dialogue between “W” as Josey Wells, and Osama as Ten Bears. The question here – is George up to it?

"Ten Bears: These things you say we will have, we already have.
Josey Wales: That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another.
Ten Bears: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see, and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life."

Men can live together without butchering one another.

The Burden of the Mormon Curse of Ham

I have ordered, from Amazon, a 2 volume work entitled “The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery,” edited by Junius Rodriguez. These two volumes have some relevance and importance to members of the LDS faith and their Black brothers. Specifically, there is an entry titled “The Curse of Ham”, edited by Dr. Albert Wachtel of Claremont College in CA. We should note that Professor Nibley taught at Claremont before coming to BYU.

Mormons should embrace and accept his advice concerning the misinformation about this supposed ‘Curse of Ham’ promulgated by Church leaders for more than one hundred and thirty years following the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. It may be a difficult task for Mormons to accept scripture over the statements of ethnically biased leaders of those times including Orson Hyde, Heber C. Kimball, Brigham Young, James E. Talmage, Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie among many others. Let me quote from Professor Wachtel in a newspaper article: “No association between sin and skin exists in the (Bible) text. A reasoned analysis demands that race be declared an irrelevancy. But the issue at hand is not rational. Alas, it is a matter of faith, long held claims, compounded by a concern for appearances. The present saints of the Mormon Church are reluctant to contradict beliefs on which their predecessors made pronouncements. Not only did those figures mistakenly think Black people were cursed through Ham, but they also mistakenly associated Black people with fratricidal Cain…The way out of the Mormon dilemma is to profess deeper faith in the advanced morality of the first scripture on which their beliefs rest. That scripture suggests that the family of Cain drowned in the flood, since Noah’s family, the only survivors, were descended from Adam’s third son Seth.”

Further, he suggests nowhere in the Hebrew text does it present any grounds for invoking Cain and no moral value system based on skin color. There simply is no basis for connecting the dots of skin color to sin, neither the fratricide of Cain nor the episode of Noah’s drunken and naked state.

Inasmuch as many of us have friends, family members who are Black and we have a serious candidate with African ancestry for the office of the presidency of the US, perhaps as a New Year’s resolution we can distance ourselves from this racial mythology of an earlier era much in the same way that President Spencer W. Kimball did with lifting the priesthood ban in 1978 and also putting to rest the Adam God theories of Brigham Young.

A personal note here to those who are close and have been, particularly my former business partner, James B. Moore, deceased, and Brother in the Gospel, I say thank you for not holding this against us.

A Mormon's Prediction for the US to be Nuked

The decision to use atomic weapons near the close of WWII on the Japanese civilian populace has been fractious lingering to this day. Having visited the Peace Memorial at Hiroshima several years ago I found it both a chilling and very moving experience. Given the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the rise of the terrorists in our age some have said it is not a matter of ‘if’, only ‘when’ a weapon would be loosed on America. The ability to accomplish this has become much easier. For example, the bomb dropped on Nagasaki weighed more than 10,000 lbs. Today’s weapons are so much smaller. They have shrunk in proportion with computer hardware. The first 1 gigahertz Mac was deemed to be a super computer and was for a time banned from sales to the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations. After all those Macs could calculate and crunch the numbers for missile trajectories. Time was when whole rooms at the Merrill Engineering Buliding of computers could not move as quickly as the Intel Duo Pro Mac I am using to post this piece on my blog.

Popular authors, as in Tom Clancy, have written about a doomsday scenario for the US in the book and film, “The Sum of All Fears” where terrorists gain control over a weapon and detonate it on US soil. Perhaps the most sobering statement and prediction growing out of the Hiroshima atomic bomb was made two days after the attack by then First Counselor in The First Presidency, J. Reuben Clark, I quote: “Its (the atomic bomb) use to kill will become the aim and practice of all nations. Sometime our children’s children will have it turned against them, that they, too, may be exterminated, annihilated. When that time comes they will have no moral weapon against it, for we, their ancestors, will have cursed hmanuty by its first use; they may (also) have no physical weapon to combat it. And humanity may be as depraved and Christian virtue as dead then as now. Our posterity must pay the penalty, to the last farthing.”

A sobering if not frightening appraisal by a very intelligent and wise man as to the nature of man, politics and of the world. Truly he was one of the great leaders and thinkers in the 20th Century LDS Church.

The First Presidency Condemns War

At the height of WWII on the 3rd of October 1942, the First Presidency of the LDS Church, President George Albert Smith, First Counselor J. Reuben Clark and Second Counselor David O. McKay issued a statement published in the Deseret News renouncing war and the requirement of proclaiming peace. In part the statement read, “We renew our declaration that international disputes can and should be settled by peaceful means. That is the way of the Lord.
We call upon the statesman of the world to assume their rightful control of the affairs of nations and to bring this war to an end, honorable and just to all. Animated and led by the spirit of Christ, they can do it. The weeping mothers, the distraught and impoverished wives, the fatherless children of the world, demand this be done. In this way only will enduring peace come; it will never be imposed by armed force. Hate driven militarists and leaders with murder in their hearts, will, if they go though to the end, bring merely another peace that will be but the beginning of another war.
We call upon the Saints the world over to pray to God constantly in faith, nothing doubting, that He will bring His purposes speedily to pass and restore peace again to the earth to bless His children.”

Three things stand out about this First Presidency message. First, it flies in the face of common sentiment and views about WWII. Cessation of hostilities was the requirement to bring about a negotiated peace with the combatants, namely Adolph Hitler and General Tojo. Second, war does not bring peace and is no solution in resolving international conflicts. Peace brought about through war is only a temporary condition, a respite, while the stage is set for the next conflict. Lastly, those prosecuting this war, on both sides, which must include the several leaders even heroes of the ‘greatest generation’, could be included in the category of ‘hate driven militarists’. Credit for the writing of this statement has been assigned by historians to President J. Reuben Clark. Perhaps not many know that he had a long career prior to his call as a General Authority in the US State Department. At the time of his call he was the US Ambassador to Mexico. Had Gov. Alf Landon of Kansas defeated FDR in one presidential election Ambassador Clark would have been named Secretary of State in the Landon administration.

Christmas is a time of hope and peace yet sadly the message is lost upon so many in this land and this church. Perhaps, if nothing else we can agree at least to “pray constantly in faith” to restore peace again to all of Heavenly Father’s children.

Mitt and Mike -- Different sides of the same coin?

It seems a few of my friends and family members, (siblings, not my children), are exhibiting a religious prejudice or animosity toward Gov. Huckabee. Maybe it is payback for the decades even a century and a half of perceived ill treatment at the hands of the traditional Protestants and now the evangelicals towards Mormondom. I am certain it has something to do with Mitt’s slipping and Mike’s surging in the polls. It seems to me we have given Gov. Mike the same treatment many in Mormondom are unhappy about with the reception Mitt has received from Pat Robertson and many others on the right.

I wonder if Mike knows his Arkansas history very well. Do you suppose he knows about some others from Arkansas who came earlier to our mountain meadows a hundred and fifty years ago? Maybe we could dust off the welcome mat for Mike and see what he is about before we so easily dismiss him -- all the time complaining how the radical right has dissed Mitt.

Unlike Mitt, Mike seems to be a real guy and he is the same today as he was a few years ago when he was running for his state office. Mitt seems to have some credibility issues, i.e. who has talked with God, if any since Moses, and if he 'saw' his dad march with Dr. King among others

Catholics 1 -- Mormons 0

This in the Trib today may have been missed by some but it merits consideration. The Rev. John Wester, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake, spoke before a business group in St. George recently. He said the real answer to closing chasms in the debate over immigration, is found "in changed policies and changed hearts. Whatever side you're on, pro or con [on immigration]. We need to bring a sense that we are all children of God." He made five points. Those points are:

1. Remember all people are God's children.
2. Show hospitality to family, friends and strangers and treat everyone with dignity.
3. Listen to people and realize each person has a story peculiar to his or her life.
4. Ensure churches are involved in the immigration debate because they are global in scope and vision.
5. Be generous and remember that to whom much is given, much is demanded.

Regrettably, I have not heard anything on this level of charity or compassion toward the undocumented in any LDS General Conference or over any pulpit in Mormondom.

Appropriate words for this Christmas Season and any time of the year.

A Christmas Card

John Adams on America and George W

Our second president observed this and it applies to our forty third and America in the 21st Century:

"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak, and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws."

Wal Mart and Child Abuse in China

A piece brought to light on Mother Jones News documents the abuses of Wal Mart and a Chinese Christmas ornament factory where children work in sweat shop conditions up to 15 hours a day and 7 days a week. They are paid 1/2 the Chinese minimum wage of 26 cents per hour. Wal Mart said they would investigate but they have done nothing to date. The conditions of this Wal Mart supplier were brought to light by sympathetic temporary Chinese high school workers who brought in cell phone cameras to take pictures of the abuse.

If you bought your ornaments at Wal Mart, take them back. Boycott this place that always offends and exploits always. As Americans perhaps we should better control our passion to consume which creates such a burden on the innocent and only fattens the purses of a few.

War and Children this Christmas

“Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, and love me, I pray; Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.” So the lyric goes for the 3rd stanza of the Christmas Hymn, ‘Away in a Manger’. That is my prayer for this little Iraqi boy and so many, many, others who are caught up in the ugliness of war.

Please God bless all these dear children wherever they are….

Chill Music for Eddie F.

What a pleasant discovery while watching a Long Island PBS affiliate last night. For the first time I heard and saw a very talented trumpeter, Chris Botti. I now have three albums downloaded on my IPod. He is to smooth jazz and the trumpet what Andrea Bocelli is to opera and vocal music. In fact, they perform a duet together on one of the albums. One critic quoted in Wiki said, "Botti's music was a cut above much of the 'outright elevator muzak genre' of Kenny G.... Botti is capable of a lot more." I never liked Kenny G and grew weary hearing it at a local restaurant in Bntfl. I no longer frequent.

Eddie, I hope you too have discovered Botti. His music is a powerful counteractant. Load up your IPod and let go of some Mormon weltschmerz even only for a few tracks.

The Legislature and Ancient Astronauts

It is with some dread that a few of us await the start of the next legislative session. Already the artists on the hill are at the drawing boards creating new looney toons. Let’s hope none pass as law. The Tribune published a piece (Trib article) about a bill that would deny worker’s comp to the undocumented. Many of these persons work in difficult circumstances and perform the work most of us gringos would reject.

Sadly, our congress has been unable to address the matter of immigration forcing states and even communities to shoulder the role of immigration enforcement.

Critics say this bill like so many others is flawed and too broad. The only ones it will hurt are those who are injured, their families as well as add to the burden of the hospital ER’s.

I wish the legislature would just confine their activities and debates to the topics of evolution, creationism, flat earth theories, the lost 10 tribes, ancient astronauts and maybe Sasquatch. Just leave the rest of us alone to live our lives.

Sausages, Chocolate Brownies, Immigration and Mozart

Saturday previously my boys and I cleaned the church building. I had my three Latino Deacons and my grandson J. As a reward for their service I promised them breakfast following our several hours of vacuuming, emptying the trash and cleaning the glass. They chose the Golden Corral in Layton. Austin is one of the brightest boys of the group. Without any adult controls, and the only rules are just don't waste any food, he loaded a plate with breakfast sausage. I watched him down a dozen links. Maybe they were out of eggs, so I was curious to see what would be on his second plate, maybe hash browns and scrambled eggs? The second plate came and was filled with chocolate brownies, at least six of them. Desert was next and he had two kinds of soft serve ice cream.

Last night we had a court of honor for the boys as I also serve as an assistant scoutmaster. Austin was the only boy who remembered to bring his assigned cookies. He brought 30 with him. A dozen he had purchased with his own money, but 18 he had baked himself. They were his favorite -- pumpkin cookies. They were good. I asked Austin, and he is only 12, how often he made cookies and baked them. He said he makes the cookies for he and his grandmother for their family activities. Austin's mother abandoned him at birth and he never knew his father, doesn't even know his name. In addition to Austin's cooking skills he keeps a 4.0 average at Centerville Jr. High and plays Mozart piano concertos. Austin is a bright fellow and one of those whom many would want to send back to where ever they came from. At least he was born in America. My life has been enriched because of my association with Austin and his peers.

Thankful for water heaters and immigrants

After playing with the dog Taja this morning, (she belongs to K, A , and kids), I went to the sink to wash my hands before starting breakfast. I generally am the breakfast cook at our house. Besides, RA has more important things to do, namely, apple, cherry, lemon meringue, peach, pumpkin pie, as well as the turkey and stuffing.

Just a simple turn of the valve and the hot water was coming from the faucet.

I am grateful for many things. I am grateful our friend Martha is battling and surviving her cancer. I am grateful for Kelly who taught me intellectual honesty, whose influence by and large has resulted in all of our kids having the same intellectual honesty, as well as being compassionate Arepublicans. I note with anticipation that it will be only a year and some weeks until ‘W’ exits the White House stage while the props are crashing around him. Truly, as Jimmy said he is the worst president we have ever had.

I am profoundly grateful for life, for my family, my grandsons and health, also I must include Gordon B. Hinckley, who aside from my father and Grandpa Henderson is the most admired man in my life. Soy agradecido tambien para la ceremonia del velo en Español and mis Latino amigos y hijos. Thanks for good friends, for freedom, for Bridge - who can exercise her agency on any Sunday even in Cache Valley. Add immigrants to my list, also George Harrison’s music. I too ‘don’t need no wah wah’. I am entranced with the Redwood forest, love my brother George who taught me to dive for abalone. W.P. Lyon - my grandfather is a personal hero. He survived an 1844 excommunication at the hands of a small man, William Marks, in Nauvoo. I require and appreciate hot peppers, Sweet Mayans, Walla Wallas, hunting, and most significantly the love and patience of an eternal partner and companion, but as I gazed out the window seeing the frost in the field and upon the grass in the yard, I am grateful for hot water and water heaters.

My gratitude for water heaters is both immediate and iconic for the contributions of so many who have gone before and how enriched my life is in so many ways. When great Uncle Parley built this house in 1890 it had no water heater, just a stove in the kitchen that might have been one of those ‘wet backs’, meaning some copper pipe that snaked its way through the stove back, that heated water when the fire was lit. It was not until 1889 that an immigrant fellow and mechanical engineer named Edwin Rudd in Pittsburg developed the first modern water heater. Thank you Edwin Rudd for my hot water on this day of gratitude.

My animal is not going to BYU

I did my part in preserving wildlife by shooting a deer today. We had permits on land held by the owner as a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit, (CWMU). He is allowed to sell buck tags to high rollers, mostly from out of state, and then he has to allow a few cheap guys like me to draw out on a lottery basis to hunt does. The number of doe tags issued is based upon the previous year's deer census. The game biologists determine how many deer the land can support and in that way the herds are maintained with adequate food and range. Our license fees are used to support the Division of Wildlife Resources who look after the animals and try to restrain and control the crazies out there. The hunting area is near East Canyon Reservoir.

I use a .338 Lapua. It is favored by a number of countries in the European Union as the sniper rifle of choice. It propels a 250 grain slug at 3200 FPS. It has an effective range of 1000 yards. The gun was developed for the Navy Seals in the '90's and was designed in Finland. Currently the ammunition is hard to find and not available at the local outlets. I would imagine like a lot of other things it is being used up in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My animal is at the butcher and will be processed into little white packages. The hide will be tanned for the advent of some mission style furniture making in the future. Chairs and a couch are scheduled when we have enough of them. My Peruvian friends will be cooking the heart as they have an incredible recipe for this called Antecuchos de Corazon.

Que bueno!

Nixon and Kissinger on Reagan

Many of us have known this all along, no seceret, the emperor was naked, at least mentally. I am happy to see someone on the right, including Henry Kissinger, aptly characterize Reagan's "negligible" mental abilities. From Mother Jones News:

"Nixon on Tape: Reagan Was "Shallow" and of "Limited Mental Capacity"

Richard Nixon, say what you will of this criminally minded president, was a keen observer of politics. But he seems to have underestimated fellow Republican Ronald Reagan (or the American public). On the morning of November 17, 1971, Nixon, while meeting with National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office, shared a few sharp--and negative--comments about California Governor Ronald Reagan, who had recently told Kissinger that Nixon had a "real problem" with conservatives who believed Nixon was not sufficiently hawkish on foreign policy matters.

For years, the Presidential Recordings Program of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia has been transcribing and analyzing the tape recordings Nixon secretly made in the White House. Even though it's been 33 years since a disgraced Nixon left office, his tapes are still being processed by the National Archives, and the Miller Center has only recently gotten to the tape of this particular conversation. According to the newly created transcript of the meeting, both Nixon and Kissinger believed Reagan was not the brightest bulb in the GOP. Here are some key excerpts:

President Nixon: What's your evaluation or Reagan after meeting him several times now.

Kissinger: Well, I think he's a--actually I think he's a pretty decent guy.

President Nixon: Oh, decent, no question, but his brains

Kissinger: Well, his brains, are negligible. I--

President Nixon: He's really pretty shallow, Henry.

Kissinger: He's shallow. He’s got no...he's an actor. He--When he gets a line he does it very well. He said, "Hell, people are remembered not for what they do, but for what they say. Can't you find a few good lines?" [Chuckles.] That's really an actor's approach to foreign policy--to substantive....

President Nixon: I've said a lot of good things, too, you know damn well.

Kissinger: Well, that too.

Later in the 24-minute-long discussion, the two discussed the possibility of Reagan running for president:

President Nixon: Can you think though, Henry, can you think, though, that Reagan with certain forces running in the direction could be sitting right here?

Kissinger: Inconceivable.

So much for Kissinger's powers of prognostication. As they were finishing up--after discussing other matters--Nixon slammed Reagan again:

President Nixon: Back to Reagan though. It shows you how a man of limited mental capacity simply doesn't know what the Christ is going on in the foreign area. He’s got to know that on defense--doesn't he know these battles we fight and fight and fight? Goddamn it, Henry, we've been at--

Kissinger: And I told him--he said, “Why don't you fire the bureaucracy?” I said, “Because there are only so many battles we can fight. We take on the bureaucracy now, they're going to leak us to death. Name me one thing that we have done that the bureaucracy made us do.”

President Nixon: The bureaucracy has had nothing to do with anything.

Kissinger: No, no. They've made our lives harder. They've driven us crazy. But that doesn't affect him.

Shallow, negligible brains, limited mental capacity? Well, Reagan did manage to get elected twice, and he served out his two terms--a feat Nixon did not accomplish. And Kissinger happily served on Reagan's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board."

Scouting for Dollars

This guy makes $214,000.00 a year. Unless something changes I am no longer contributing to FOS, (Friends of Scouting).
The Morning News ran an article today about this leader of the Great Salt Lake Council. Take the pledge and do not give any more $$ to the BSA until there is full disclosure of salaries and steps are taken to rein this excess in.

Thanks to others who have posted on it or I would have missed it since I only read the Trib. This is the story in the News.

BTW, I am serving in my fourth Scout Troop as Scoutmaster or Assistant. I will continue because I care about boys and not scouting. It has been slowly dying for years as an organization.

No Somos Todos Mendigos?

To my Mormon friends and relatives -- This daily scene plays out in nearly every metropolitan area in these Estados Unidos of laborers crowding to get a day's work. Like the postmen, neither wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor hail keeps these men from their every day task. The economics are brutal, either you work or you do not eat. Juxtapose, if you will, the words of King Benjamin over this image:

"19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are arich as pertaining to the things of this world."

Mosiah 4:19-23

Swords, plowshares, and sawdust...

About ready to start the staining and hand rubbed tung oil urethane finish.

Utah made guns and Hillary Clinton

This week we visited a local factory here in Utah that manufactures assault rifles. Business is very good and it may be for another couple years. Our guide said if Hillary was elected in '08 they likely would be closing. Estimates based on availability are two to four hundred weapons manufactured per week. Their latest shipment of assault rifles came to them from the Malaysian Army. The weapons come in pieces, sawed in half, and then they are stripped of useable parts such as barrels, clips and furniture. For the non familiar -- furniture means the stock and forearm rest. These stocks can be wood, metal or some high impact plastic. They can be rigid, telescoping or folding. Some weapons even come with built in wire cutters in their furniture, such as one one of these Galils pictured. That's something every homeowner needs for self defense -- the ability to cut through the barb wire of your neighbors compound before you assault his house.

Based on the comments of our guide there is great demand for these kinds of weapons and waiting lists grow longer daily. Particularly in demand are the Heckler and Koch .308 assault rife and the 9 mm Uzzis. In addition, Kalishnikov variants, Galils and Valmets are re-manufactured and highly prized.

If this is Utah and this is only one of several manufacturers here one has to wonder how many thousands of these guns are being sold each week to homeowners, sportsmen, Republicans, and Second Ammendment supporters. The recent tragic shootings in Finland underscores the high price of gun ownership. The US rates number one in the world for gun ownership, 90 weapons for every 100 citizens. Yemen is second at 61 guns per one hundred civilians. Iraq's populace ranks only 5th in the world, but they have neater stuff like RPG's and shoulder launched SAM's. Think what an RPG could mean for home defense and for sporting men everywhere.

Go Hillary!

More Oreos for the Eyres...

Wonder why Richard Eyre is making those dumb Oreo ads? Seems the Eyres should disclose the fact they are planning on openning a chain of private schools to be subsidized by Utah's new voucher law if it takes effect. More Oreos for the Eyres. All of this from an Eyre family member close enough to call him 'Rick', but who will remain anonymous.

Why am I bothered by the rich, Republican and righteous of this state? Here's to you Richard and Linda -- Consider this, all of my children are card carrying Democrats. Put that leaf between the pages of your scriptures and press it!

Weekend Plans...

Today is Friday. I like Fridays. The week is over. I will be making sawdust in the wood shop. The grandkids are coming over. Tonight is movie night. We are reprising ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ on the big screen with the digital projector. Tomorrow I cook pancakes for everyone. Grandson J wants strawberry jam, not syrup on his. Later, I birthday shop with daughter M and will have lunch at Cafe Trang. I like their new Asian fusion menu, enjoying sushi before the main course of flat noodles, scallions, ginger and tofu arrives.

Lord -- help he understand how I can do this when there is such evil in the world.

Given the trauma, blood loss, and possibility of infection I doubt this fellow survived. Do you suppose he had grandkids? What were his plans for the weekend?

The caption from the Chicago Sun Times about this photo reads: “Suicide bombing in Pakistan_An injured man is carried away from the site of a suicide bombing Thursday that killed at least 21 people in Pakistan. Islamic militants were blamed in the attack.” (AP photo by Mohammad Iqbal / October 25, 2007)

Words for this picture...

Mormons and Americans - warlike people

Once in awhile I get annoyed, even from some of my close friends who are Republicans and Mormons. Recently, I received a rather sappy collection of vignettes from one of my friends. It included a purported conversation between Collin Powell and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Supposedly our imperial interests in Iraqi geography are only for enough room to bury our dead, etc. There was something more about the French and aircraft carriers. I responded to him not in a very polite way and quoted from a 1976 Bicentennial speech by Spencer W. Kimball, then president of the LDS Church. Probably the strongest anti war statement of any Mormon General Authority in a generation. Here is a portion of it for any who have not had the pleasure of reading it recently:

"We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel -- ships, planes, missiles, fortifications -- and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan's counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior's teaching:
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;_"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:44-45).
We forget that if we are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us -- and this is the special promise to the inhabitants of the land of the Americas (see 2 Nephi 1:7) -- or he will fight our battles for us (Exodus 14:14; D&C 98:37, to name only two references of many). This he is able to do, for as he said at the time of his betrayal, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53). We can imagine what fearsome soldiers they would be. King Jehoshaphat and his people were delivered by such a troop (see 2 Chronicles 20), and when Elish's life was threatened, he comforted his servant by saying, "Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them" (2 Kings 6:16). The Lord then opened the eyes of the servant, "And he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (vs 17).
What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in faith; to carry the gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies.
We must leave off the worship of modern-day idols and a reliance on the "arm of flesh," for the Lord has said to all the world in our day, "I will not spare any that remain in Babylon" (D&C 64:24)."

Mendocino and the Market Street Broiler

Last night we had very mediocre salmon at the Market Street Broiler in SLC. I think I would rather eat fish sticks at McDonalds than pay $120.00 for the food we did not enjoy here. Fish from the school lunch program was as good as what we did not finish last night. It was way overcooked and very salty. Maybe they were experimenting with salmon jerky recipes?

It is nice to look at the photos and I can think about planning the next trip. For the uninitiated this is the village of Mendocino CA. A few Hollywood movies and TV series have been filmed there. In 'Murder She Wrote' it was Cabot Cove Maine. Some days I wish I were in California instead of here for better restaurants and the scenery. The Mendo Cafe among a number of others has very good food whether you are a vegan or an omnivore. I like salmon that is barely cooked, juicy and not overly salted. My Boy Scouts for their Cooking Merit Badge can cook better fish than we experienced last night.

Mendocino is less than an hour drive down the coast on Highway 1 from our house in Westport.

The last image

This is the last image of the modifed deck before we packed it up and left our house in the redwoods. The fence that is starting is recycled from the deck and replaces a metal screen.

We have another 40' to replace but that will have to wait until December.

The view from the back deck

Two work in progress photos of the back deck here in the Redwoods. This first portion may be complete with one more session tomorrow. The telescope remains in the box and may have to wait. The hot tub is calling and RA says the stars are out.

So little time and so much to do...

Bush and Right Guard are killing us...

A couple of friends of mine are dealing with serious cancers. One wonders why? Is it in the genes, did parents or grandparents have any cancers, maybe siblings? Maybe it is environmental.

It seems George W. Bush and our Republican dominated Congress for the last dozen years have consistently cut funds to any agency that might protect America while approving the highest defense budgets in a generation. The Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission have all seen serious cuts to their budgets along with being politicized by George W. Consequently e-coli is sold by my favorite store I love to hate, Wal Mart, with their Topps brand ground beef. A woman in Utah County gets a severed mouse head in her green beans and Wal Mart offers her $100.00. This woman says she is still shopping there, maybe not buying any more green beans though.

My brother in law is a doc and has seen his share of cancer patients. He told me about a web site, a cosmetics data base where you can check out all of things we rub under our arms, put on our faces and wipe our baby’s bottoms. It is an organization called the Environmental Working Group. Right Guard Sport Deodorant, for example, contains toxic chemicals linked to cancer according to this site’s research. Huggies brand baby wipes should be avoided for similar reasons. This site has had more than 30 million hits or searches in three years for consumer products such as cosmetics.

According to the experts cancer causes about 13% of all deaths here in the US. Medical science tells us nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents.

Find out what’s in the stuff you pour on, wipe, spray, rub and spread, as your government is not protecting you. The greater threat to America and its people is in the White House, not hiding in the remote mountains of Pakistan. More than 550,000 will die this year from cancer in America. That is 1500 per day.

Here in the Redwood Forest...

The view from the deck was enhanced to some degree today as we have acquired an 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. It has the computer driven mount capable of locating up to 40,000 celestial objects, plus the ability to compensate for the earth's rotation making astrophotography possible.

We have two DVD's to watch, also the lumber store is delivering a truck load of deck materials as I am starting on the rehab and replacement of our back deck here in the redwoods. The hot tub is filling and I have downloaded Bruce Springsteen's latest album.

So little time and so much to do.

Killing Iraqis is like hunting bears.

A decade ago one of our suppliers paid my way to hunt bears in Alberta Canada. I had no idea what it was about but I went along. I learned two things. First of all, hunting bears is a sick sport. Secondly, I do not like the taste of bear meat.

A friend sent me this article today from the NY Times. It seems that snipers in our military use the same sick methods utilized by Canadian guides in killing bears. This is how it works. You set out bait and wait in a tree stand or other protected area until the bear or Iraqi comes along to take the bait and then you shoot him. There is no warning, just a simple execution. For bears the enticement is a bucket of slop wired to a tree. The bucket has a few holes drilled in it so the the goop can drip out slowly. The bucket is filled on a regular basis for several weeks before the season opens. The bear may come along every day expecting to be fed. For Iraqis it can be weapons or booby trapped artillary rounds placed by our military. Of course only insurgents would try and pick up a 155mm howitzwer round or an abandoned AK rfile.

The moral of the story is if you are an Iraqi never pick up an AK that looks abandoned, neither an artillary round, and if you are a bear trust me, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

I regret I 'engaged' a bear in Canada. Engage is a military euphemism for killing.

No Republicans allowed!

This is an accurate rendering of the Noyo King. It is a 25’ design by marine architect and boat builder Sam Devlin. I bought the plans more than a year ago and almost gave up the idea of building one but recently my brother moved back to Utah and now lives next door. He is willing to help me construct it. I have about 6 months before I can start laying it out in my garage though. It is constructed largely of marine plywood and hardwoods covered with epoxy and glass fiber. Six months will give me enough time to complete all of the household carpentry projects ordered by the Home Secretary.

I think I can recruit a few more shipwrights to assist and the construction should not take us more than a year. The first cruises will be in Utah. I would like to go to Lake Powell and drive it up to the mouth of Dark Canyon for some camping and hiking. Following successful shake down cruises in Utah we will trailer it to Northern CA where it will be dipped in Salt water at Noyo Harbor. For any landlubbers Noyo Harbor is in Ft. Bragg CA on the Mendocino Coast. That means it is about three and a half hours driving time by car from San Francisco.

Persons with experience in boatbuilding, navigation, piloting, fishing and cooking may apply immediately.

He runs like the wind...

He is 13, Hispanic, and does pretty well at the junior high running the mile. His first week running he came in 5th place. He might have done better but his feet hurt. The only shoes he has are a pair his mother bought him for every day use. They look fine but they are not running shoes. There is no arch support, just flat bottom insides. The next week he borrowed a pair of more typical athletic shoes from a friend and moved up to 3rd place behind two ninth graders. The shoes were better but they were not as good as they could be. Saturday we were at a service project doing yard work for one of the older members of our Hispanic congregation. I asked how the running was progressing and after getting a full report suggested we visit Famous Footwear and look at their selection. He has never tried on any Nikes or Brooks. The Nikes felt good and a pair looked really 'cool', but he saw a pair of Asics on display for $94.00. I suggested he try them on as he was reluctant. "Wow", he says, "like walking on air."

This week he runs again and I think he will run on air -- maybe first place.

The Fancher Murders, 150 years ago today...

“At first light, gunfire ripped through the morning calm, raining fire on the camp. A child who survived the attack later wrote. “Our party was just sitting down to breakfast of quail and cottontail rabbits when a shot rang out from a nearby gully and one of the children toppled over, hit by the bullet.” The deadly barrage struck down between 10 and 15 victims, killing seven of them…” so goes the account from Will Bagley’s 2002 book, “Blood of the Prophets”.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the very sad and despicable event of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The finger of blame for the murders of the members of the Fancher party has been pointed from the least to the highest in Mormondom. Only one participant was ever tried and executed for the crimes committed by Southern Utah Mormons and Indian helpers. Now the descendents of John Doyle Lee want to raise money to buy the statue of Lee, which has been languishing at a sculptor’s gallery for more than three years, and move it to a historical site honoring him and other early pioneers according to a Tribune article. The thought of that at best is an ill conceived and inappropriate one.

It was the eyewitness testimony of an adopted Indian son of Apostle Jacob Hamblin that would put Lee before a firing squad and into his coffin. Albert Hamblin, from the vantage of a nearby tree top, saw him shoot at point blank range two young women deemed 'too beautiful' to kill by the Paiutes.

The truth of the matter likely will not be fully discovered and understood in spite of the several books published to date about this episode in Mormon History. Insider Richard Turley’s book will not be out until next year. Whether or not guilt is assigned to the hierarchy of the leadership of the faithful is a matter for personal introspection and interpretation. History records that a number of inflammatory speeches were made by President Brigham Young and especially senior Apostle George A. Smith throughout the territory. These speeches fanned the hysteria and hostility toward all outsiders, mobocrats and Missourians in particular. The Fanchers were neither. Parley Pratt's death in Arkansas added to the fires of hatred toward outsiders. He being the latest victim of a Gentile. In truth Parley had taken the man's wife after converting her. Legend has it that Apostle Smith advised the Saints in Parowan to plant fruit trees in their public square and that 'bones made good fertilizer', reportedly saying, “As for the cursed mobocrats, I can think of nothing better that they could do than feed a tree in Zion.”

For those descendents of the Fancher and Baker party the murder of your ancestors 150 years ago is not forgotten on this day. We must not forget what happened at Mountain Meadows.

ATM's and Astronomy

"And, I Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees; And I saw the stars, that they were very great…"

From the Nasa web page their "Spitzer Space Telescope has detected enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times inside the collapsing nest of a forming star system. Astronomers say the water vapor is pouring down from the system's natal cloud and smacking into a dusty disk where planets are thought to form.

The observations provide the first direct look at how water, an essential ingredient for life as we know it, begins to make its way into planets, possibly even rocky ones like our own."

I want to be an ATM soon. For the uninitiated that is amateur telescope maker. Last week we gazed through a friend's 12 1/2" Newtonian Reflector. He built it himself and it only made me realize more my 8" Celestron needs to be replaced. He will teach me how to grind the mirror. We saw the double stars in the handle of the Big Dipper, the Moons of Jupiter, our own lunar landscape, a star cluster and the Andromeda Galaxy, 'and they were very great'.

"the silence and emptiness that is so great..."

This from a Time Magazine article worth reading, maybe even the new book out about her:

“On Dec. 11, 1979, Mother Teresa, the "Saint of the Gutters," went to Oslo. Dressed in her signature blue-bordered sari and shod in sandals despite below-zero temperatures, the former Agnes Bojaxhiu received that ultimate worldly accolade, the Nobel Peace Prize. In her acceptance lecture, Teresa, whose Missionaries of Charity had grown from a one-woman folly in Calcutta in 1948 into a global beacon of self-abnegating care, delivered the kind of message the world had come to expect from her. "It is not enough for us to say, 'I love God, but I do not love my neighbor,'" she said, since in dying on the Cross, God had "[made] himself the hungry one — the naked one — the homeless one." Jesus' hunger, she said, is what "you and I must find" and alleviate. She condemned abortion and bemoaned youthful drug addiction in the West. Finally, she suggested that the upcoming Christmas holiday should remind the world "that radiating joy is real" because Christ is everywhere — "Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor we meet, Christ in the smile we give and in the smile that we receive."

Yet less than three months earlier, in a letter to a spiritual confidant, the Rev. Michael van der Peet, that is only now being made public, she wrote with weary familiarity of a different Christ, an absent one. "Jesus has a very special love for you," she assured Van der Peet. "[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."

The two statements, 11 weeks apart, are extravagantly dissonant. The first is typical of the woman the world thought it knew. The second sounds as though it had wandered in from some 1950s existentialist drama. Together they suggest a startling portrait in self-contradiction — that one of the great human icons of the past 100 years, whose remarkable deeds seemed inextricably connected to her closeness to God and who was routinely observed in silent and seemingly peaceful prayer by her associates as well as the television camera, was living out a very different spiritual reality privately, an arid landscape from which the deity had disappeared.”

Brix index and Wal Mart

Regional officials from Wal Wart met with our city government recently and were told by our mayor we were all happy to have them open their new super center in Centerville. Maybe his memory is not so good or maybe he is just trying to be polite, but 72% of the residents in a poll conducted among residents of Centerville by Dr. Raymond Briscoe in 2004 said they did not want that big box here. As the store’s grand opening gets closer I am wondering what I will do to non-observe this event. Somehow I find no comfort in the words of our city manager Steve Thacker when he offered we were going to have the ‘finest Wal Mart in all Utah.’ Several other communities have taken that title away from us though as new and better Wal Warts are being constructed in Utah with better looking fake stone and archways.

Friday I planted 10 bushes and trees in my yard including two Pluots. If you have not discovered this very sweet fruit I recommend trying them. Maybe with the addition of these trees and bushes we can drown out the noise of happy shoppers driving on Main Street to the big box. At least we can reduce CO2 emissions with our new foliage and can look forward to new fruit in a couple years. It is a pleasant experience growing one's fruit and vegeys or getting it from local sources. If only I could grow pineapples in the green house I would not have to buy them at Target.

From a web site I found this about Pluots: “Pluots are a hybrid of a plum and an apricot. They mainly retain the characteristics and flavor of a plum. Their skin is a light reddish-yellow color with small speckles. Every year they become more available in stores across the U.S. as demand and production rises. This fruit has one of the highest brix level readings on a refractometer, meaning that it has a very sweet taste!”

Too bad Wal Mart leaves me with such a sour taste...

Children who are soldiers...

More than forty years ago the Reverend Martin Luther King offered this:

"One day...

Youngsters will learn words they will not understand.

Children from India will ask:
What is hunger?
Children from Alabama will ask:
What is racial segregation?
Children from Hiroshima will ask:
What is the atomic bomb?
Children at school will ask:
What is war?

You will answer them.
You will tell them:

Those words are not used any more,
Like stage coaches, galleys or slavery -

Words no longer meaningful.

That is why they have been removed from dictionaries."

Regrettably our lexicon of hurtful and evil words has not diminished over the decades. We have new words that speak of horror, terror, and death. Death comes from the muzzles of AK-47's brandished by an 11 and 12 year old boys. In Asia, Africa and South America there are by UN estimates 300,000 children who have been kidnapped at gunpoint and forced into government and rebel militias to fight and die. They will never knowing the peaceful life of a child like my grandsons. More civilians have died in Iraq under US occupation than in the brutal reign of Saddam by a 2:1 margin. Where is the outrage? Where is the action by America and the Bush Administration?

Read more if you want at Refugees International

Mormons wrote the book on torture...

Two Mormon psychologists from Spokane WA developed the techniques and wrote the manual for the unlawful torture techniques used by the CIA and DoD at 'Black Sites' in Thailand and other places. The article about these “two knuckleheads" who practice "voodoo"psychology, according to someone familiar with their craft, is found on line from a
Vannity Fair article by Katherine Eban. Brothers James Elmer Mitchell and Bruce Jessen are raking in the big bucks, driving Beemers, buying dream homes in Florida and have medals given them by the CIA. Their manual is being used at Gitmo, and they are responsible for the training of the guards at Abu Ghraib as well as additional “Black Sites” operated by the CIA.

Others involved in the interrogation business were revulsed by their crude, degrading, and inhumane techniques developed by Mitchell and Jessen. Associates referred to the two of them and their associates as the ‘Mormon Mafia’. The sad irony in all of this is that their techniques don't work and they have had no success in gathering intelligence of any value.

I am ashamed as an American and as a Mormon.

A Liberal in the best sense of the word... James E. Faust

He was also a life long Democrat because of his belief in and commitment to championing the causes of the poor and the less empowered. We shall miss his wisdom, compassion and voice of reason. Imagine also, he once served as a Utah State Legislator. His kind has not passed that way often.

Coprolite is s*#t

I saw a sign like this recently and appreciated the humor. Coprolite for the uninitiated is fossilized dinosaur poop or for that matter any poop that has been fossilized. One of my favorite things to do is to visit the local rock shop, Rock Pick Legend , at 1017 South Main Street in Salt Lake. I went by there today and bought a polished sample for a family member. I like to give dinosaur poop to my friends and family.

They have a number of fine samples of coprolite that are cut and polished. Many other local rock specimens are found there from Utah and the intermountain area as well as other places in the world. Utah has an abundance of dinosaur poop and much of it is found between Moab and Lake Powell. It can be very small in size, almost BB, and so large it would be impossible for one man to lift in its petrified state, as big as a washing machine I have been told. Analysis of the poop by paleontologists can determine if the dinosaur was carnivorous or an herbivore. I have never seen one, but I understand some samples of coprolite have bone fragments encased and fossilized within the dung. If you don’t have anything to do and you find yourself on 10th South and Main in Salt Lake stop by and check out their petrified doodoo. You will not be disappointed.

Nazis, Lord Voldemort and the Albanian Forest

Albania is a very old country. Its language is unique and unlike any other. It is an Indo European language with ancient roots but different than Greek, Serbian or Russian. Throughout its history Albania has withstood the wars and occupying armies of its neighbors, including the ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Greeks, Ottomans, Italian Fascists, and the Communists.

We don’t hear much about Albania in America. It is a small country and far away and has not oil to interest Bush and Cheney. Its history is an ancient one. I am not sure many areas or people can boast of such a long history with a distinct language. Archaeological research suggests that the lands that are today inhabited by Albanians were first populated in the Paleolithic Age over one hundred thousand years ago.

Some may be aware of the contested Serbian province of Kosovo under UN or NATO supervision. Albanians are the the ethnic majority but were massacred by the convicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic in the years after the collapse of the Communist government of Yugoslavia. Albania is also mentioned in the latest Harry Potter novel as Lord Voldemort, a.k.a. Tom Riddle, hid in an Albanian forest for several years prior to his return to England.

The past couple weeks we have had an Albanian young lady with us in California. She is remarkable in many ways and maintains a 3.9 GPA at the university. She taught herself to speak English by studying alone an English Book of Mormon. In addition she speaks Russian and Italian. Her Spanish is good enough to get around in any Spanish-speaking environment.

From one source I discovered that Albania is unique in another way. This pertains to the Holocaust, quote: “…it was the only European country occupied by the Nazis that ended World War II with a larger Jewish population than before the War. The Albanian response to the Holocaust is especially notable because it was Europe’s only largely Muslim country. Even so only a Jewish family of six was deported and killed during the Nazi occupation of Albania. Not only did the Albanians protect their own Jews, but they provided refuge for Jews from neighboring countries. The Albanians refused to compile and hand over lists of Jews. Instead they provided the Jewish families with fake documents and helped them disperse in the Albanian population.” They were also helped in this by the Italians who refused to cooperate with th SS.

Thanks E. for introducing a little bit of your country and culture to us. It is worth knowing something more about Albania than what appears in the latest J.K. Rowling installment of Harry Potter.

America the Beautiful?

No. 1 son posted this on his blog, Shenpa Warrior



"Sunday, July 29
"America the Beautiful (maybe some day)"
Today in church for the closing hymn we sang “America the Beautiful,” and I seriously had a hard time. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with patriotism, but it was difficult for me to feel patriotic singing words like “O beautiful, for heroes proved in liberating strife,” when we continue to invade countries that didn’t attack us first.

“Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!” This line bothered me quite a bit too. Are we talking about America or Heaven?

Maybe the song is how America should be. It’s just hard for me to feel patriotic when there are so many problems, and I’m so much better off than Mexicans, or Africans or whoever. I think the only way we can truly be grateful to live in this prosperous country and not be arrogant is by doing our best to help others, whether they live next door or in Darfur, whether they are legal or illegal, whether they watch Fox News or the “liberal” mainstream media. We're all immigrants."

My comment:
I refused to have the BSA troop in Centerville, plant for dollars, the US flag in my yard on the high and holy days for America for this reason and others. I gave them a donation, 2X what they asked on condition they would not post any flags on my property. Our history is a bloodthirsty one. We took, stole and murdered our way across North America, bringing death, disease, and destruction wherever we went. Our history is a metaphor of the American Bison and those (the indians) who lived from them. Ours wars, other than WW I and II, have been wars of exploitation and imperialism. We stole Florida, Texas and the Southwest including CA from the Mexicans. The Spanish American War was faked up over the explosion of a Battleship Maine in Havana Bay. Viet Nam was a trumped up and escalated war by LBJ who had the DOD fake reports of NVA attacks on the destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy. In Iraq, W led us all down the path, (Hillary voted for it, Obama did not), because of WMD and the Al Qa'ida connection that never existed. What we really were after is the oil in Iraq, just an extension of the land grabs of previous conflicts and imperialistic notions. Shame on us for what we have allowed America to become.

Independence Day, 28 de Julio

The 28th of July is observed as national day of independence in Peru, independence from Spain. Because I have many Peruano friends and also enjoy their food and culture I am making Chicha Morada today. As I am cooking this our house is filled with a wonderful aroma. The recipe for this drink is very old and was made by the Incans and other of the indigenous peoples of South America. It relies of the maiz morado or purple corn from the plains of Peru. In addition, pineapple, oranges, lemons, cinnamon and other things are added to it for flavoring. I will be drinking it to celebrate this independence day with my friends coupled with my prayers for the end of tyranny and oppression around the world including those of my friends who live here in the Estados Unidos. They live under the burden of ethnic prejudice, the fear of ICE agents and deportation, yet they are a happy and wonderful people. Here’s to you all y mi hijos en Peru Miguel y Renzo. May the Lord preserve you and protect you always. Thank you for the richness you have all brought to my life and my family.

We cannot forget...

Number one son told me of this this article on LDS.Org. September this year marks the 150th anniversary of the slaughter of the Fancher wagon train members at the site near Cedar City called the Mountain Meadows. A new book is to be available soon, written by insiders, Richard Turley and Ronald Walker. I have read the Juanita Brooks, Bagley and Denton books. Brooks was the best of the lot, but Bagley and Denton had information not available to Ms. Brooks. I liked this article and it deserves to be read and pondered. I hope it will get some attention in Church discussions. I am glad it will be published in the Ensign. We need to understand, if we can, how good people could do something so terrible. The capacity of unquestioning religious zealots and believers of that day perhaps helps us understand the death squads in Iraq and other places today.

As I have read the accounts in the aforementioned books I was struck by the similarities in how people are moved so efficiently in and out of the Conference Center and other Church venues and the efficiency with which the Mormons choreographed this very cold blooded massacre. It was chillingly altogether too familiar.

I met a great grandson of Jacob Hamblin recently at the Bountiful Temple. We discussed his grandfather and his role in bringing John D. Lee to justice. His was the sole testimony at the trial to convict Lee. Jacob had an Indian son who saw Lee cruelly murder two young ladies, shooting them at point blank range while they begged for mercy and their lives. The indians would not do the deed because of their beauty.

We owe it to the Fanchers and their descendents not to forget.

Back Pain is a Democratic Thing

This morning I had a two-hour session at the New England Baptist Hospital's Spine Clinic. It has been two months since I first came to NEBH and started therapy. I was measured and tested in several ways again today including motion and flexibility. Because of my progress I got lots of 'attaboys'. Couch potatoing and babying one's back I have found from personal experience are not solutions for lower back pain mitigation. In an earlier post I noted these people have been written up in the Wall Street Journal, LA Times and the NY Times. "Therapeutic exercise has been shown to decrease pain and is primarily used to provide the patient with the experience to safely and effectively function despite back pain," according to the head physical therapist Lisa Childs. I, like many other sufferers from back pain are or had become kinesiophobic. We were afraid to move or be active lest we further deteriorate already painful vertebrae and discs. Thanks to the folks at NEBH my couch potato days are over.

I have been going to the local Excel in Bountiful. Their trainer thought these people in Boston were a little nuts and told me I could injure my back from the exercises they had given me here. Few trainers and only 10% of the back docs in the US are aware there are better ways for treatment of back pain than surgery and painkillers. This new therapeutic approach is to stretch yourself and do more in terms of yoga like stretching, weight training and exercise. The rewards will follow. Of course everyone needs to see their own doc and have an MRI or x-rays. In consulation with a qualified doctor and a program like NEBH miracles happen. It has been more than a month since since my last Celebrex.

Our hotel where we stayed is in Brookline, not far from the clinic. Brookline is the birthplace of JFK who also had a bad back from a WWII injury. The National Park Service maintains the home where he was raised. Back pain is both Democratic and something that can be diminished with effort and guidance. Other pains in the backside will not diminish for another year and half.

Chicha Morada

Twice now in two days I have had Chicha to drink for lunch, both times at a Peruvian restaurant here in Boston. The food is terrific and I regret SLC does not have a good Peruvian place either to get Chicha or comida de Peru. When I get home I am going to start working on good recipes for making Chicha. Of course if I leave it at room temperature for a while before consuming it I will not be driving anywhere. I will consult with a couple Peruanos for their advice and testing. Bountiful does have a Peruvian store so I might find the necessary main ingredient, the blue corn. The stuff comes bottled already but I do not like it much. Good Chicha is really special. One Peruano also told me it reduces blood pressure so that is a good thing.

A little research tells me some interesting things about Chicha. It was part of the Incan culture and women went to schools to learn how to make it. It was made from several types of corn or maize, generally yellow corn. Only the Chicha Morada is non-alcoholic. Chicha is a Spanish word but predates the conquistadores and was found in other cultures including the Aztecs and Mayans. Chicha Morada is made with the blue corn but other things are added to it such as pineapple, or orange jucie, or strawberries. What we had here in Boston had apple juice and small pieces of apples added to it. The best I ever had was con mi hijo de Peru en Lima.

Most of all I enjoy drinking Chicha Morada because it is so pleasant and reminds me of the good times I have shared with mis amigos Peruanos.

Salud!

A little boy and his family need help...

If you are inclined and feeling generous to help a little boy with a big problem you can visit a web site and learn about his rare Rigid Spine Muscular Dystrophy. Through a PayPal link on that site you can make a much appreciated donation. Remember this could be your son or in my case a grandson. Be generous. In the face of all of the energy we all expend every day bashing Bush, Cheney, Hillary, Edwards, Rocky, managed health care, as well as the legislature, it is perhaps time to do something very positive and meaningful. Take a moment and think how good this will feel to have contributed to someone, largely anonymously, who is not listed on and neither a recipient of the fast offering deposit slip at your local LDS ward. There is something about being anxiously engaged and not commanded in all things to bring to pass good things. Here is a chance to help a little boy cough, to keep him alive. How much do we take that simple physical reflex for granted? How simple is it for us to cough?

Thanks for thinking and doing something about it!

Update on the reunion

Grandson J took along the DVD of 'Napoleon Dynamite'. We watched it on the laptop. It is a sweet movie. Gosh, we stayed at the Preston Plaza Motel, in the very room where Napoleon Dynamite slept. This is the motel where John Heder, like the star of Napoleon Dynamite, lodged during the filming of that movie. #1 daughter stayed in the 'Principal's' room. If you ever stay in Preston Plaza Motel be certain to ask for room #41. It was Napoleon's room. His likeness gazes down on you from a poster, just like this one, above the relatively uncomfortable king size bed.

The in-laws were great, a good time was had by all, and I hugged a couple Republicans.