“We engage in the election the same as in any other principle; you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin; to vote for wicked men, it would be sin. Choose the good and refuse the evil. Men of false principles have preyed upon us like wolves upon helpless lambs. Damn the rod of tyranny; curse it. Let every man use his liberties according to the constitution. Don’t fear man or devil; electioneer with all people, male and female, and exhort them to do the thing that is right. We want a President of the U.S., not a party President, but a President of the whole people; for a party President disfranchises the opposite party. Have a President who will maintain every man in his rights.” Hyrum Smith…History of the Church, Vol.6, Ch.15, p.323

(I hope it is not necessary to point out that “good men” in the 19th century can mean “good women” in the 21st century.  “Wicked men” can also mean “wicked women.”)

[Above – BYU Advisory Council on Campus Response to Sexual Assault: Sandra Rogers, Jan Scharman, Ben Ogles and Julie Valentine]

Earlier this year there was sturm und drang regarding the manner in which rape victims have been treated by BYU, with the matter splashing briefly onto the national stage. On May 21, M* featured posts by me (The Relief Society might have handled it better…) and by Michael Davidson (lazy reporting on the BYU rape scandal).

I was pleased to note the story about BYU’s updated policies regarding Title IX led the most recent BYU Today e-mail, with a link to both the Q&A regarding the recommendations as well as a link to the pdf for the full report.

The main outcome was a recommendation that reporting victims, the accused, and witnesses should be granted amnesty from university discipline unless the health or safety of others is at risk. Continue reading →

“The Ring must go to Boromir.  Taking it to Mount Doom is too risky, and the chance of success is nil.  You can’t win that way.”

“But Gandalf said it was the only way to ensure . . .”

“Gandalf is dead; he is of no use to us now.  Sauron will overrun the world of men and destroy us all unless we retaliate in kind, with the kind of power he respects – the kind of power that can defeat him.”

“But the ring is evil and may well corrupt Boromir.” Continue reading →

The #MormonMafia has people in the highest (and lowest) levels of government.

I was once a member of the dreaded #MormonMafia.

When I lived in Arizona, my assignment was to volunteer with the Chandler Police Department, where I did terrible things like:

Continue reading →

Evan McMullin, the Mormon #neverTrump candidate supported by well-known neo-conservatives in Washington, is surging in Utah.  The chances of his winning Utah are quite high.

I am #neverMcMullin, and I wrote this post about why, but I will admit that McMullin taking Utah instead of Trump and Clinton would be mostly a good thing.  I can understand the arguments of my friends who are voting for McMullin at the very least to send a protest vote against the horrible Hillary and the terrible Trump.

Still, I want to point out that McMullin’s signature issue — his policy in Syria — is fatally flawed and dangerous.  McMullin will not be the next president, but Hillary probably will.  When you look at the big picture, McMullin’s Syrian policy is basically HIllary’s Syrian policy.  They are both wrong, and they are risking a war with Russia over a country that is not central to U.S. interests.  I feel compelled to speak out in opposition.

Continue reading →