One Way to Read It

At one point in my life, when I was a teenager, I did not take very good care of my things, and my parents did not have the money nor the desire to buy me new things. For this reason my clothes were very ragged and old. One summer, I was invited to a birthday party, and I did not go, because I was so ashamed of my clothes. I was ashamed to be seen by my friends. In life we sometimes get out of our pajamas and dress for success. Looking good feels good. But I realized that being ashamed of our clothing might be a good attitude to have. We could use the money we spend on fashion for something better. What will be really important is the clothing we wear on the last day. Will we be ashamed at our garments? Not unless it is the unanswered prayers of beggars that stain them. Our clothes need be washed white in the blood of the Lamb. That is what is most important.

My brother's wife gave birth to her first baby. I am an uncle of a baby so beautiful, and yet so similar in features to my gnarly-looking brother. She carried him for nine months, then her water broke on Super Tuesday. It was eight in the morning and the first thing she said was "We have to vote." My brother laughed and took her to the hospital. He then went to cast his vote for Barack Obama. He labored for over twelve hours to bring that boy into the world. He's a little thing. But he's got big hands, and big feet. Big for a baby. He curls up into the size of a football, and means more to us than winning the Super Bowl. He is helpless, he is wonderful. She will nurse him and coo him to bed for months. They will change countless diapers and feed him spoonful by spoonful, until he grows strong enough to feed himself. They will cheer and laugh when he struggles to take his first steps. They will teach him everything they know, and he will ask questions ...

My cousins waited for five hours to see his body. The line of people shuffled along a city street for a dozen blocks, coming to pay their respects. Lauren said he was so short. "His coffin was this big." She said, stretching her hands out. "And he wasn't wearing his glasses." A little old man, dead, his body wrapped in the robes of the holy priesthood. He was the High Priest of the church of Jesus Christ. He was the mouthpiece of God on earth. He was funny. He was gone. Thousands came to pay their respects. Others to catch a last, or perhaps a first, glimpse of a man who had inspired them, and taught them the words of Christ. But he wasn't there. He had left to go join his dear missed wife who had died a few years ago. Those many people saw only a body, which formerly housed the spirit of a great man. The body was short, having never grown tall, and shrunken by the years. It was wrinkled, with creases from the many laughs upon its cheeks, and cr...

Wesley Snipes will probably go to prison because he didn't pay millions of dollars in taxes for over a decade. He wrote a 600 page manifesto on why he is exempt from taxes. It reminded me of the movie Stranger Than Fiction when Maggie Gyllenhaal refuses to pay the taxes that would support the war. This gave me an idea. As I understand it, we give the government our taxes in a lump sum. They then divvy it up and decide how to spend it. How about this: When we pay our taxes, we mark off a checklist of things that we want our tax money to be spent on. We could check boxes for education health care military retirement transportation etc. That way, American citizens would once again have a voice. The government would serve the people, instead of subjecting them. And our government would not be able to keep on funding a war that the majority of people refused to pay for. The government is powerful because they take our money. If our voice were heard on how that money is spent, we...

I wanted to include the word "Mormon" or "convert, you sac" in my blog title, but couldn't come up with anything that wasn't preachy, cheesy, or taken. The church is important to me, and I would like everyone to consider it who hasn't already/lately. Other titles I considered were chairsarelazy, or recycledfartswarmmyhouse. Recycling is important to me too. The Savior will come again, burn the wicked, and save us all. But I believe that if we pollute our planet, many of us will die horrible cancerous deaths before he comes

McCain's website says: "The reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion." The Church website says: "Abortion is a most serious matter and should be considered only after the persons involved have consulted with their local church leaders and feel through personal prayer that their decision is correct. The Church has not favored or opposed legislative proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion." Obama's website says: Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. I say: I think abortion ends a human life, and could be murder. It is a terrible sin.

[Kathy made some good points, so I changed some of the text] In 1846, the same year Brigham Young and the Mormons were kicked out of the United States for practicing their religion, Henry David Thoreau refused to pay his taxes because the government used the money to fund war and slavery. Thoreau spent a night in jail. His act of civil disobedience influenced Ghandi and later Martin Luther King Jr. The government does not always do right, and when it is on the wrong path, it is our duty to refuse obedience to wickedness. This has led me to rethink the sermon on the mount in a political light: If the taxes you pay fund war, you are guilty. If you live in excess, and another goes without, you are guilty. If you vote in ignorance, you are guilty. If you buy a product for less than it is worth, and sell it for more than it is worth to get gain at the expense of the poor, you are an adulterer and have turned away from God to whore after money. Those are all that I can think of for now. I...