Comments on: Some nice comments about Mormons in tense times

By: Jared [Visitor]

Jared [Visitor] — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:49:34 +0000

I’m still trying to practice the Christian virtue of forgiving and etc after watching Lawrence O’Donnell recent tirade against “mormons”.

I appreciate your bringing Michael Novak’s article to my attention. These kinds of remarks get lost in our fallen world.

By: Sarah [Member]

Sarah [Member] — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 01:53:16 +0000

This is true. One would hope that we could learn from their examples and recognize that what they both thought mattered in the end is worth striving for before you’re old, grey, and living hundreds of miles apart from one another.

And by “minor” I mean “in the grand scheme of things,” not “things that don’t matter much to me right this second.” There’s always stuff that seems like it’s worth fighting about. I don’t think it’s often actually worth it, in the final analysis.

By: jimbob [Visitor]

jimbob [Visitor] — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:04:05 +0000

“I love it when people embrace the spirit of brotherhood and behave with civility despite relatively minor political differences. Like the letters John Adams and Thomas Jefferson wrote to each other in their old age.”

I agree with the sentiments, Sarah, although I personally struggle putting them into place. That said, I’m not sure I’d use your example: Jefferson and Adams only patched things up after decades of horribly villifying each other, and their detente came at a time when neither had much to lose politically by patching things up. And I don’t think either ever thought their differences were minor.

By: Sarah [Member]

Sarah [Member] — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 06:08:14 +0000

I love it when people embrace the spirit of brotherhood and behave with civility despite relatively minor political differences. Like the letters John Adams and Thomas Jefferson wrote to each other in their old age.

By: Geoff B [Member]

Geoff B [Member] — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:38:49 +0000

Nothing makes me happier than herds of Toyota Prii moving across the landscape like buffaloes in “Dances With Wolves.” Oh, to wear a feather in my hair like Kevin Costner and do a “renewable energy” dance around a windmill! Oh, to join in Alberto Gonzales protests with politically correct young students dressing in orange! Oh, to be able to rent a sense of humor!

By: Naismith [Visitor]

Naismith [Visitor] — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:10:56 +0000

"...do people spend all their time going through life looking for negative things to say?"

No, Geoff, it's just that not all of us see the same things as "nice."

I smile when I see three Toyota Prii in line at a stoplight.

I rejoiced to visit Taiwan recently, and see how small businesses were thriving, in large part because of a single-payer health insurance plan that allows entrepreneurs to follow their dreams (unlike the US where such aspirants are often thwarted because they have to keep slaving for MegaCorp in order to keep their family's health coverage.

I was delighted to see college students creatively and with dignity protesting Alberto Gonzales' speech (dressing in Guantanamo orange and silently falling on the stage writhing in pain).

To me, those are all very positive things that make me feel good about the future of the world.

You like hearing nice comments about people who have been rude and obstructed legislation that would do much good, etc.

If you want to carry on like that, fine. But why do you think that you should be able to say it without anyone expressing a different view? And why do you feel compelled to call them names when they do?

By: Naismith [Visitor]

Naismith [Visitor] — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:01:07 +0000

"Naismith continues on the naughty -- not nice -- list for Christmas."
"Boo on all of you!"

Well, thanks so much for modeling the behavior that you want us to emulate:)

And for the record, I am not a partisan. I vote for folks of either party. I would have considered Hatch's behavior at the Thomas hearings rude if he had been a Democrat.

Just because I do not consider him to be a paragon of Mormonism does not make me "naughty."

By: Jacob J [Visitor]

Jacob J [Visitor] — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:14:18 +0000

Thanks for posting these, I hadn’t seen them.

By: Sarah [Member]

Sarah [Member] — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:55:17 +0000

I smiled when I read both of those on NRO. I like it when people say nice things about one another.

By: Jacob M [Visitor]

Jacob M [Visitor] — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:17:45 +0000

Geoff B – Thanks for this post. And sorry that the comments have been trashed by those who don’t like it when someone they don’t like is called nice. (Boo on all of you!) It is heartwarming to think that these gentlemen have obviously been touched by members of our church. Let us be those type of people ourselves.