Laugh at this!

I just blogged over at Political Derby

I will say this, in involves being laughed at by someone in my Congressman's office, tweeting it, facebooking it, and then calling the Glenn Beck show.

An Issue for Thought

In my reading and studying of the issues yesterday I found something that really disturbed me. Apparently yesterday a bunch of people "re-enacted" a handcart trek to LDS Church HQ and presented the Church with a petition to change its stand on the g.ay m.arriage issue. The website I ended up on had a y.outube link as well. This group has produced a short film using the words of Brigham Young regarding the M.artin and W.illie H.andcart c.ompanies and "bringing them in from the plains". They used this analogy to justify their beliefs that the Church needs to "bring in from the plains" memebers of the Church who are g.ay. Hence the handcart trek as well.

First, I don't think it's right to use this example of pioneers in the battle over g.ay m.arriage. It twists the truth and is not a good foundation on which to base an argument. We believe the Lord speaks thru his prophets, and that their words are His words and that the issue of g.ay m.arriage and h.omosexuality in general has been made perfectly clear. It's wrong -- just as heterosexual immorality is wrong--, but you can change and come into full fellowship if you want. We want everyone to come in 'from the plains' as it were, but to keep the commandments and uphold and sustain the leaders of the Church. That's not to say that we should blindly follow, we don't; but do the things you need to do to bring your life into harmony with the Lord.

The other thing is this, and I think this can apply to generally as well; God has given us commandments and standards to live by, and to uphold. It doesn't mean he loves us less when we sin or fall short. But because we do sin and fall short, he's not going to change things to give us a break or make it easier. Or change because people signed a petition. Life is hard, and we're not guaranteed sunshine and lollypops all day long. There are going to be hard days and we all will have some overwhelming hurdle(s) to overcome in our lives, call it our own personal Abrahamic trial if you will. But, there are people placed in our paths to help us overcome sin and to help us realize the atonement of Christ, repentance, faith, fasting and prayer. Each of us will have our trials, but those are meant for our betterment and good.

In the end it saddens me deeply when members of the Church come out in open opposition and rebellion to the teachings of the Lord and the leadership of the Church. Sometimes the Lord does and will ask us to do the seemingly impossible, but with him it's never going to be impossible. He will always be there to support us as we try to live the standards that he has set.

Frustration

It's frustrating to say the least.

What is frustrating?

Congress.

I could end this blog post right here, right now and you'd all agree, clapping and screaming.

Let me explain further.

I just called my Congressman. I live in Northern New Mexico, the third district, which is about as blue as congressional districts come. Once a Democrat, always a Democrat here. I was born a Democrat, my father was a Democrat, and my grandfather was a Democrat...you get the picture.

I am not a Democrat, nor will I ever be one. I am a HUGELY disgruntled Republican, with very Libertarian and Conservative leanings.

This morning my Representative, Ben Ray Lujan, gave an interview on one of our local TV stations. Besides looking like a bumpkin in one of those stupid bolo ties, he was frustrating to no end. He likes to parrot his party's line on everything, healthcare, green energy, the wars etc. I'm beginning to think he is just a shell and is being remotely controlled by a Wii in the Speaker's office.

Apparently, since I am a Republican I want the status quo on healtcare reform. At least that's what he said. He went on to say that all the Republicans want is for things to stay the same, and that they've blocked legislation and change and so on.

Oh, lord in heaven, please help me contain my anger!

I don't want to status quo. I really do not. I realize the system is flawed, not broken, but flawed. And if we're going to fix it, then let's fix it right, so it works for as many people as possible. It bothers me that my neighbors can't afford health insurance. It bothers me that little kids with serious medical issues are "uninsurable". It bothers me that I've lost friends over this issue. It just bothers me.

There are good ideas out there, ideas and real reforms that would really work, that would really fix the system and make it work better for all of us. Of course none of those involve the government. The government cannot, nor should it, solve our problems. When the government gets involved things only get worse.

It bothers me that our President, Sen Reid, and Rep Pelosi, talk about bipartisanship, and yet they have shut the GOP out of the process, or only had one or two token Republicans in the planning, have barred the media from things, have had closed door meetings and so on. They need to remember that 48% of the country did not vote for Hope and Change last year, and while we have "majority rules" in this country, we still have the concept of "respecting the minority" and the rule of law. Those things seem to have gone by the wayside right now, and it's frustrating. (I know I keep using that word, but that's all I have!!)

With that said, I gave up on calling Rep. Ben Ray Lujan a long time ago, but today, I could not sit silent. I looked up his number and called his Washington office. First, sorry kid who answered the phone, I fear I might have been a bit rude. However, with tears in my eyes, I told that kid how I felt.

I know, I know, I cry when I call my congressman. How goofy is that?

But I am worried. Really worried. We can't afford what has been proposed, even with all of the smoke, mirrors and fuzzy math to make the numbers work the way the politicians want them to work. I'm not ok with shackling my son and possible grandchildren with mountains of debt they will never be able to pay, with money that will be worth nothing for something that is going to stink on ice. We are the United States of America, we defeated Communism, we sent a man to the moon, we invented rock and roll, bubble gum, the television, the internet, the computer, tailgate parties, we have the Fourth of July for pete's sake! We can do better that this!

I don't know what to do at this point. I feel like my representative does not care to listen to ALL the voices in his district. I feel beaten and bruised by the name calling, the mischarachterizations and the half truths that the Democrats make about the Republicans. (Granted the GOP has done their fair share of this, but that's a story for another day). I am frustrated that the things that would truly fix our nation's ills are being ignored. And I am frustrated by a Congressional Representative that has no vision past what Speaker Pelosi and his party tell him.

I know things in the NM-3 are bad. I know, I've been in the trenches here and I know the poverty, the apathy, the lack of opportunity, but the last thing this place needs is more government, or more "reform". The best thing for the people of this district would be to show them how to help themselves, how to get out from the yoke of government welfare so that they could excel.

So, I will continue to scream into the high desert, and hope that I will be heard one day. I don't have much hope for that, but it's all I can do for now.

November

You already knew I was not a Halloween person, so it was totally ok that we hosted the GERM OF THE WEEK, rather than do anything fun over the weekend.

Here is what I will share: Zicam works, even though I did get sick, I didn't get as sick. And curse you FDA for banning the Zicam swabs. Those are the best things ever and I would rather not smell than taste. But don't tell the FDA that the oral mist kills your sense of taste, they'll ban it, for sure.

Again we had to turn our clocks back. I swear this Daylights Savings Time is an exercise in futility. Take it from an Arizona native, where we smartly refuse to observe DST. It's easier this way.

And I decided long ago that we were not going to be the family that came to church sick. What is it with the Mormons and the "must be at church unless bleeding to death" mentality? Really, let's share the gospel, our testimonies and our faith, but not our germs.

So here we go week.....

What's not helping you...

I just love it, when discussing the topics of the day, being called a racist. I just LOVE it! I mean really people!

Here's another thing, hurling insults really does not help your argument or make me want to have any sort of compassion for you. When you do that you look like and idiot plain and simple. The other thing is this....you can tell who really knows what is going on and those who are droning out to NBC and the other mainstream media.

But as a bonus for myself, I walked away when the insults were hurled.

The last thing is this...there are a lot of uninformed people out there....I wish I could help them all wake up and see the reality of the times.

Obama Movies

My post for this week is up at Political Derby. This week's theme: Obama Movies courtesy of twitter. There were so many more than those that I listed...the first night that the hashtag appeared there were some brilliant offerings. However, twitter crapped on me and wouldn't let me go back that far.

Anyway...feel free to add on...

Crossroads and Eternal Rounds

I think there is some sort of old saying that relates to Mormon Doctrine about life or eternity being one eternal round. That's the truth. In my struggle with my humanness, I often find myself at a crossroad. I always feel like I am coming back to this crossroad, so the road has to be round, right? Right.

What is at that cross road, or I'm sure Robert Frost would mention something about roads diverging in a yellow wood....

I struggle with who I am and what I want to be. I know we all do, welcome to the human condition. There are time in life and I think I am in one of those times when I don't really like who I am, or who I've let myself become. And I've accepted the fact that I am more like Scarlett O'Hara than Melanie Wilkes, and I will always be that way. But as Scarlett struggled with trying to be good, like Melanie, or her mother, so do I. I want to be good, to help others, to always be kind and so on...but I fail miserably most of the time.

Then I wonder, and I've been wondering a lot lately, what is my purpose right now? I don't know. I have to say, taking care of a baby is not the end all be all of my existence, and I don't enjoy it all the time, I yearn for something more. I feel guilty about that too. There are women who do enjoy motherhood all the time. I don't think I am one of those women -- here is where I will say as well God Bless Michelle Duggar. I also think maybe this was the reason for my fertility issues. God knew I would feel like this so best delay having kids so as to shorten the misery. Well, not misery, but you get the point. Is that bad?

I went to BYU Women's Conference two years ago(see also here and here, it was the right meeting at the right time. The theme of the conference was, "For Thou hast come to the kingdom, for such a time as this", which is a scripture taken from the Book of Esther. I was at a really low point, kinda like now. One of the things I remember was the talk Wendy Watson Nelson gave. She talked about how we all agreed in the pre-existence to come to earth to work. We all had a job to do, and only we could do it. I believe in that, I totally do. However, I just feel like there is more, and I need to know, be it in my ward or in my community. The thing is praying to find out and then accepting that answer no matter what. I think that is what is scaring me right now. I came away from that meeting ready to do what ever I was asked to do, and I did and have.

Here is were the 'one eternal round' comes in. Like I just said, I feel like I am at that cross road again and I need to ask the Lord again, what is the next step for me. I know we all have something to contribute. My VTs came today and shared with me Sis Nelson's talk from that Conference, so I know this what I need to do and the crossroad I'm at.