This is a poem by Camila B., a 14-year-old freshman in high school.

By Camila B.

Sometimes you look in the mirror and The Uglies creep into your brain.
They’re little animals picking at your ears,
entering your head when you feel insecure.
They take over your eyes, clouding you sight,
They take over your mind, confounding your common sense
They scheme destruction, dining on your defeat.
Suddenly your face looks too tired,
Your lips too chapped,
Your teeth too yellow,
and your skin too pasty.
Suddenly your smile takes a U-turn
And your eyes lose their spark.
You look miserable, your heart beats faster, waiting for that darkness the Uglies blind you with.
There’s only one cure.
Close your eyes, count to ten and smile.
Repeat to yourself how wonderful you are,
and when your eyes open, picture the person you really are inside and out,
and thank God that the “Pretties” and “Smileys” and “Happies” overuled the “Uglies”, “Saddies” and “Frownies” before it was too late.

Apparently there is a conservative uprising against Sen. Bob Bennett in Utah.  Challenger Mike Lee appears to have a chance to oust a sitting senator.  I have to admit, I’m stunned.  Sen. Bennett seemed like a pretty conservative senator.  But apparently not conservative enough, if you read this article.

I’d like to hear from Utah readers.  What do you think about this matchup?  Do you have a problem with Bennett?  What is Mike Lee’s reputation?

If you want to see an important part of the future of the Church, come to Asia.

I stood in a meetinghouse lobby in Hong Kong this morning watching people stream into the chapel to watch General Conference. There were missionaries from around the world, and there were members from around the world. The electricity, the feeling that something extremely important is happening in the Lord’s kingdom, was tangible.
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This is a guest post by John Fowles.

I was shocked today to read a description of the behavior of our fellow Latter-day Saints in Nevada who call themselves political conservatives or Republicans.  From what I gather, a Stake Presidency in Nevada invited Harry Reid to speak at a “Why I Believe” fireside (Harry Reid has spoken at other such firesides in other stakes and at other functions).  Members of that stake were apparently outraged at the suggestion that a Mormon with a different political viewpoint than their own might bear testimony.  A member of the stake described what happened in her personal blog, The Backordered Life. (note: The link to the blog has been removed at the request of the blogs’ author.)

Members of her stake apparently threatened to protest with signs and to heckle Harry Reid from the audience (in a fireside about a person’s testimony! — I would guess that these same people are the type who would strongly discourage clapping after a musical number at a fireside). It seems that Senator Reid even received some threats of violence causing concern for his safety that ultimately got the fireside canceled. Members of the stake allegedly sent emails to the Stake Presidency saying that Harry Reid was the most evil man on the planet and that the Stake Presidency must be evil too to have even considered letting him bear his testimony:

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I’m wondering if the entire country will soon be channeling Joseph Smith’s supposed white horse prophecy.  Rush Limbaugh led his show today by saying that “America is hanging by a thread.”  Setting aside whether or not this is hyperbole (it certainly is), where did Limbaugh get that particular phrase?  Is it possible he took it from Glenn Beck’s conversation with Orrin Hatch?    The Elders of the Church sure are getting around a lot lately.  Of course, the use of that particular phrase could be pure coincidence — it’s a pretty common image.

Anyway, now is the chance for the majority of Bloggernaclites to gloat about the passage of the health care bill.   Meanwhile, the majority of Latter-day Saints will continue to oppose such measures.  If you’re going to gloat, or even if you’re going to lament that America is hanging by a thread, please be nice.  Your comments are hanging by a thread.