Getting married too early

I get hooked on marriage reality shows. Married at First Sight, 90 Day Fiancee. Even The Bachelor. There is a new one I just found-about getting married really early. Eighteen-twenty two years old. 

I see this happening a lot with religious people. Because they don't want to "live in sin" they get married much earlier than people in the outside world. I know there is a lot of pressure in the church to get married young. So much pressure in fact that those who don't get married often wrongly think there is something wrong with them. 

Getting married young is fine, and it can work out of it's done correctly. Sadly though, I can think of several people I know personally where it didn't work out and they were on the wrong side of a divorce, sometimes multiple ones. Sure they are in the minority but divorce is so soul shattering and painful that it worries me when people do things that make it more likely. 

Again just to be clear-getting married early won't assure a divorce, but it does make the likelihood higher. Simply because when you are young you still need to have room to grow personally and find out who you are, much less who someone else is and if you are compatible with them. You are not the same person at 22 that you will be at 42 and you don't want to be. Sometimes it's for the better. In fact, it usually is.You'll mature and realize what you really want. If you marry young, you better pray your spouse also matures and grows the way you do. 

This "no Wi-fi" sign.

This sign right here is a fraud. It went "viral" several years ago. I want you to think about that. It went "viral". A sign complaining about how bad wi-fi is went viral.

Going back to 1995 would suck for many reasons, not the least of which is the lack of technology. If you've been a regular reader to my blog (and I thank you so, so much for it!)  you'll know that I think nostalgia is totally overrated. We over romanticize the past while ignoring everything that made it bad. This sign does that.

In 1995 we were stuck in our little worlds. If you didn't make friends in your small town, often times there really wasn't many more options. You were stuck with either loneliness or trying to form false friendships. I know, I had both happen to me. As I tried to fit in I found myself sacrificing my own interests and personality to my own serious detriment. Thank God for college, which opened up experiences of a bigger world for many of us.

But not all people can go to college. Even if they move, some people are still dealing with feeling alone. The internet is many things, but at it's core it's a way to connect with other people. No matter what your interest is, there is a page/forum/something for you to at least try and reach out with others who share your values or interests. You can have good conversations over wi-fi, you can have them face to face too. 

So if you want to live in 1995, go for it. Turn off the internet (but read my blog!). I do too sometimes. Usually when I go to the beach,  on road trips,  to Disney etc. 

Just don't look down your nose on the people on use wi-fi, like this arrogant little sign is trying to do. In my view it's because the restaurant is too cheap to pay for wi-fi.

Abortion and moderation

I'm sympathetic to the pro-life side. In my dream world I wouldn't outlaw abortion but I would restrict it, especially when it comes to late term and minors. In a sane society everyone would find it appalling that a thirteen year old can't get her ears pierced but can terminate a pregnancy. 

On the flip side, the pro-life radicals are without question the most delusional people out there. Some demand a full ban on abortion and are too stupid to realize that that will never happen, so they never take any pleasure of joy in even small wins for the pro-life side. The left forces change very well: it accepts mini-goals until the job is done. Gay marriage is the perfect example of that. Several states had laws against it until the supreme court finally (and correctly in my view) overturned the bans. Radical pro-lifers simply aren't capable of thinking like that. 

Radical pro-chociers are also deluded in their own way. They apply no value at all to the unborn child/fetus/whatever you wan to call it because they place such a high value on "choice". I know where they are coming from, for sure. At first it does seem troubling that another person can make life choices for you or forbid you from making them on your own. 

Abortion is a tired issue. It's such a highly charged subject that I don't think you'll ever change someones mind on it. Most topics are like that-you need to examine the issues by yourself and have the backbone to see if you are wrong-and sadly virtually no one does that anymore. 

Terror watch lists and assault weapons

During the Bush years many people on the left justifiably were afraid that a terrorist watch list would be abused by politicians, especially that horrible, nasty, demonic George W Bush and his evil puppet master Dick Cheney. The left thought a terror watch list was Orwellian and disturbing. The ACLU correctly was very concerned.

Now the left sees they can advance their anti gun agenda by using the terrorist watch list, so the end justifies the means with them, like it does with people of all political stripes. It's creepy and incredibly troubling.

No, I don't want terrorists buying guns either. First off, there is no such thing as an "assault weapon". Assault is a verb and again, a gun by itself can't do anything. Since anti-gunners are frightened by any gun that looks scary, they made up a term that has gained traction in popular culture. I don't think anyone needs an AR-15 to go hunting or for home/personal defense. But I don't make the rules and support your right to own one fully.

I share the concern that the terrorist watch list will be used to suppress otherwise innocent people from doing things they have every right to, wether it's buying a gun or flying on a plane. It's fairly obvious that the government is inefficient and corrupt and if you think it can't be used against you when the other side comes to power, you are wrong.

Scripture Sunday Mosiah 8:16

Do LDS believe in weird things? You bet we do. One of the things we believe in is that our high up leaders are "prophets, seers, and revelators." That means many things, and Mosiah describes seers as someone "who can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall things be revealed or rather, shall secret things be made manifest and hidden things come to light."

We don't believe that Thomas Monson by himself can accurately predict the stock prices or lottery numbers. Nor can he see if the USC Trojans will play in the Rose Bowl this year. However we do believe that God can reveal whatever He wants to though the church leaders and He does-so generally active and faithful LDS take what they say very seriously.

Brexit

You have certainly heard of the "Brexit" by now. The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and in turn, the people gave the elites a giant slap in the face. 

Virtually every elitist from the conservative Tory leader (and current Prime Minster) David Cameron to the former Labour Prime Minster Tony Blair was in favor of staying in the European Union. Cameron announced his resignation the day after the election results and he had no choice. He campaigned hard to remain in the European Union and even though the vote was close he really had no choice but to resign. 

I'm ethnically English even though I have an Irish last name. The first question I asked my biological mother when I met her was "What nationality am I?" It's uncouth to even notice that in 2016, but I don't care. It's still interesting to me. While I don't claim to be an expert, I do pay attention to politics in general because it effects all of us and I pay attention to what happens in the United Kingdom. Last year when they had the Scottish referendum I watched the campaign and results around the clock. 

I think the European Union is a bureaucratic disaster that takes political power away from the local countries and puts in Brussels. Margaret Thatcher said something along those lines during her last speech in the house of Commons as Prime Minster. I recommend watching it on Youtube. It's a dynamic defense for the free market and against socialism. It can be viewed here.|

This one is for you Maggie! 

Album of the weekend

Alanis Morissette-Jagged Little Pill

Sometimes success can be a double edged sword. While Jagged Little Pill was not the first album Alanis Morissette released, it is by far her most well known. It's an outstanding album for sure, even though it's never been my personal favorite. I owned it of course-you can't be Generation X and not own it or know someone who did. it broke though barriers and genres as well. Everyone who liked music even if it was country or pop or rock or alternative had this album. Things would never be the same for Morrissette and that is both good and bad. Virtually no one could ever recreate the sales or critical acclaim she had with this album and expect the next one to do the same. 

Is this album good? Yes, very much so. Musically it's a diverse march through post grunge alt-rock combined with truly original sounding songs like "Ironic" and "All I Really Want". The most well known song is, of course "You Oughta Know" which celebrates how every girl must have felt in her life towards her ex at least for a moment. I had that song dedicated to me once at a school dance. Morrisette brought angst ridden riot grrrl rock to the mainstream. 

But here is a dirty little secret that I am going to reveal for the first time: I owned it because everyone else did, but it was never one of my favorites. I'm a huge fan of the original bands associated with the riot grrrl movement. Bikini Kill and L7 in particular. I always thought Morrisette wasn't edgy enough and even though I think her sound (with this album in particular) is innovative and unique it has never been a personal favorite. That doesn't mean it isn't good, it means it's just not my thing. This album is rightfully considered a landmark album and I share that view. It's just not my taste. 

Dealing with bullies

Everyone thinks that bullying ends in childhood, but it doesn't. Childhood has the worst kind of bullies because you have no choice but to deal with them on a daily basis. A third grader can't just avoid the class bully-they have to deal with them very single day. As you grow up you realize that bullies never go away, they just come in different versions.

Some say that the best thing to do is ignore bullies, but I disagree with that. You have to confront them or else they only get bolder and worse-they keep bullying others as well as yourself. 

The Reverend Billy Graham was one of the greatest men of all time. He had many soul inspiring and wonderful quotes, but a good one was when he said "Courage is contagious. Taking a stand inspires others to take a stand." He was right, as he almost always is. 

Aside from Reverend Graham, another one of my idols will always be the kid in the Emperor's New Clothes. When an arrogant Emperor is strutting around like (well, an Emperor) a little kid yells out what everyone else is thinking. The little kid is courageous and it turns out, so is everyone else around the him. 

It's best to stand up to bullies of all types whenever you can. Don't draw the sword at every slight, but when you stand up to them (even if you stand alone) you'll feel better about yourself and maybe even inspire others to do the same. 

Westboro Baptist "Church"

The Westboro Baptist "Church" is hated by so many people that it's hardly brave to say you are against them. Are they repulsive? Yes. Disgusting? Yes. Abhorrent to good taste, morals and decent behavior? Yes. Are they also marginalized by virtually everyone in society today? Yes. 

The WBC is disliked by 99.9% of mainstream churches. Catholics, Methodists, LDS, Evangelicals, Lutherans and yes-even Baptists-have spoken out vehemently against this vile groups actions. There is no church out there (perhaps a few fringes) that supports their practice, theology or delivery. 

What I find most troubling about them is that stupid people think the WBC is part of mainstream Christianity. They'll use the WBC as an indicator that all Christians think like they do. It's nonsense of course, but the people who hate Christians will look anywhere to find something that feeds their stereotype. The WBC is also incredibly dense and they don't know (or care, probably) how they are viewed, so they just feed in to the stereotype that all Christians are like them. I don't expect rational thought from Christian haters or the WBC, so I shouldn't be surprised overall 

A final though. I classify the WBC counter protestors as "protesting for beginners". Since it doesn't require great bravery or courage to counter protest the monsters at the WBC, you aren't doing anything that puts you at great risk. Everyone agrees with you. Sure it's fun to protest them, and I'll be right with you. But I don't delude myself into thinking I'm Tank Man at Tiananmen Square when I'm doing such. 

LDS and marrying non-LDS

A friend of mine asked me a question about Mormons recently, and that's not uncommon. Being in a very small minority religion not many people know active, open Latter Day Saints. Since active Saints tend to be very busy and hang around with other active Saints, it's rare when people in the outside world feel close enough to talk to one and ask them questions because of the entire "don't talk about religion and politics" thing. I do not pass myself off as the oracle of all things LDS nor do I claim to know everything about the LDS church either.

The question he asked was if his Catholic son could marry a practicing LDS girl. Wow, that is such a tough question. The first answer is yes, she can. She can do whatever she wants. When people ask "Can LDS drink alcohol?" the answer really is "Yes, they can, but the church forbids it so most LDS do not drink." The word can just means "are able to". 

I am not saying the LDS church allows it members to drink alcohol. What I am saying is that the church can't physically stop you from drinking alcohol. 

But it'll be complicated. Since LDS place a high value on being married in an LDS temple and non members can't enter the temple, she wouldn't be able to have a temple marriage. So that's strike one. Strike two is that their kids would have to be raised either Catholic or LDS but either way it would be the opposite of one parents faith. So it'll be difficult. If one person advances in their own faith they might want a spouse who shares it. So that's strike three. Luckily marriage isn't baseball so it isn't three strikes you are out. It's three strikes and it'll be very difficult.

It'll also probably cause issues within your family, and to be totally honest I've never understood that. Religion should be a personal thing. You should join a church because you think it's true, not because your parents forced you to join as a kid. Obviously your parents have every right to raise you in the faith they want to raise you in. As an adult though, you should be able to choose whatever faith makes the most sense to you or no faith at all. Yes, I know it's not that simple. 

Alligators and parenting

Like everyone else I'm deeply saddened by the toddler that was killed by an alligator at Disney World. It's horrible, it's a tragedy and something very important to remember-it's an accident.

No one is giving much sympathy for the alligator that was killed, unlike the gorilla that was shot a few weeks ago. I guess gorillas are viewed as more cuddly and lovable than alligators. Personally I've always loved reptiles and I think they get a bad rap. But that's just me.

The odds of being attacked by an alligator in Florida is about 1 in 2.8 million. In other words, it's probably not going to happen. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use common sense near water. Some people down here don't let their kids swim in anything other than pools, and while I don't agree with that, I don't disagree either.

That brings me to parenting. I am not a parent so take this with a grain of salt-but the most annoying thing about this situation is everyone judging the parenting skills of both the parents in the Cincinnati Zoo incident and the recent Disney incident. Accidents happen-yes, even to you and yes, even deadly ones. Parents have many moments of revelation in their parental journey, but two huge ones must be the realization that you aren't raising the next Einstein and two, even the best parents aren't perfect, they try for good enough. When the first baby is born most parents are convinced that their kid will be "the one" that cures cancer and brings peace to a fractured world. Next they think they'll be perfect parents who will never make mistakes. The best parents quickly realize that both thoughts are untrue. 

The alligator attacking the toddler really could have happened to any family. There but for the grace of God go you in this case. This poor family has suffered enough and the last thing they need are nasty people saying "Oh, you were negligent! That's not what I would have done!" Actually, it's probably exactly what you would have done. 

Scripture Sunday Mosiah 26:2

You will encounter people in life who don't believe in the gospel and there is nothing you can do or say. It's just life. To be blunt, the people who don't believe in the gospel think that we are delusional at best. That's the nature of religion. If you believe, you don't need an explanation. If you don't believe, no explanation will do. 

LDS believe that God will harden the hearts of the nonbelievers to the point where they won't be able to see the truth. If it was up to me personally I'd happily get rid of that-I'd like to think everyone has a chance at all times-but it's not up to me. 

Overrated bands II

Journey-You know those people on Facebook who post about how much they love their boyfriend/girlfriend and this time, he/she is "the one"...even though they've known each other for a grand total of two weeks? Journey is their band. I have a sentimental side and goodness knows I like things than can be over the top-Kiss being one of them. While everyone seems to know that Kiss can be cheesy at times, and no one claims that Kiss is highly artistic-Steve Perry (the lead singer of some of their wretchedly bad bigger hits) strikes me as the kind of guy who would throw a diva like fit if someone didn't call him an "artist". Journey is a cutout bin band who think of themselves as the Jesus and Mary Chain or The Smiths.

Aerosmith-As everyone knows, I'm from New England. And all of the New England states have a law that states, "If you live here, Aerosmith will be your favorite rock band." The penalty for violating this law is five years in jail and an immediate loss of the right to call yourself a "New Englander". Well I am screwed, because I never liked Aerosmith. While I admit they have had a long career with the exception of one song (Dream On) their music just never spoke to me. Their music sounds oddly dated. Even their recent stuff sounds like it belongs in a different era. While it's true, good music is good music and transcends time, I don't think that applies to Aerosmith.

Bon Jovi-Don't punch me please. I've seen fans like their favorite band before, but I have never ever seen fans defend a band more than I see with Bon Jovi. I think it's the New Jersey thing. Things from the East Coast tend to get overrated Now before you hit the roof and start screaming that I "know nothing about music" just for expressing my opinion I want you to name one song by Bon Jovi that is great that isn't "Living on a Prayer." I admit it-"Living on a Prayer" is a great song even though I don't personally like it. Having just one great song makes you a one hit wonder. Bon Jovi is a one hit wonder that got very lucky. Flame on.

U2-Bono was stopped a concert and started clapping slowly. He said "Every time I clap my hands, a child dies in Africa." In a wonderful bit of English humor, a woman in front row yelled "Then stop bloody clapping!" U2 might be a decent band, but they've always suffered from "Bruce Springsteen disease." I can't take you seriously when you lecture me about poverty when you sit in first class sipping Veuve Clicquot Yellowboam Ostrich Limited Champagne ($975.00 a bottle). Maybe my dislike of their ideas taints my dislike of their music, I admit that. Then again, in 2016 you don't hear many people talking about them when it comes to "classic rock". I get the feeling U2 is one of the bands people only admit to liking around friends but don't have any of their albums (or can't even name another one) aside from "The Joshua Tree"

Album of the weekend

Buckcherry-self titled 

Remember how I said that the band Firehouse was a decade too late? Not that they are bad-they aren't. They are actually quite good-but they came on the scene when hair bands were dying out and grunge was taking over. 

Buckcherry is sort of a hair band, and they are about fifteen years too late. Like Motley Crue, Guns and Roses and LA Guns, Buckcherry is from the decadent city of Los Angeles. LA seems to have it's own world when it comes to music. While it does have a great punk scene (Bad Religion, NOFX, Suicidal Tendencies) it's more known for it's glam rock, in my view. A charismatic front man, over the top yet sometimes gritty songs and a lot of hair spray are just some of what makes a hair band. 

Buckcherry has it all. They are among the first postmodern hair bands to have a following. The band they remind me most of is Guns and Roses. Open drug references, power ballads, and songs about innocence lost. I've seen them live about four times and they are fantastic. Energetic and outgoing, these guys play hard and fast. 

While they are well known for "Crazy Bitch", "Sorry" and "Lit Up" their first album is full of great songs, with "Lit Up" being one of them. "Check Your Head", "Borderline" and "Baby" are also right up there. Their debut album is also their best. 

Political differences in families

First off, it should come as no surprise that I'm not a liberal. I'm not conservative either even though I sound like it just because I'm not a liberal. That shows a lot on liberalism-usually conservatives tolerate dissent better. If you don't agree with liberals on almost all issues you are viewed as deficient in some way. Joe Lieberman, the former Connecticut senator comes to mind. He was a liberal on everything but foreign policy and the left hated him. When republicans stray form orthodox conservatism the right generally tolerates it better. 

So I'm the only non-liberal in my family. It's come up on my Facebook. They've said my views are "shameful" and blocked me-which is odd, given how tolerant they claim to be. A few won't shake my hand or greet me at events, and that's okay as well. My biological grandparents (whom I've met twice) have made snide comments here and there, and that's obnoxious. Then they wonder why I'm not terribly close to them. 

Luckily I am very, very close to a few members of my family regardless of political issues and differences. We either don't talk about it or we actually find common ground after discussion.

I would try to avoid talking about religion and politics with family, even though I discuss both in great detail with my friends, even those who I disagree with. It is of great interest to me that my friends whom I disagree with are more tolerant and accepting than some members of my family. That's another reason why I think friendship is just as important as family because it involves choice. 

Don't feel guilty about not being close to your family. I've noticed that many people (in particular LDS, for sure) feel guilt if they aren't best buds with their cousins, sisters, brothers, etc. Of course it's true that you shouldn't go out of your way to create strife and anger with them-but you shouldn't beat yourself up either if you don't swap recipes and talk every day either. 

Can only the wealthy be church leaders?

It can seem sometimes that only wealthy people are invited into church leadership. Caveat-I'm a naked capitalist-make as much money as you want, spend it how you want, you owe it only to yourself and family. In fact, I think envy is as crippling as a sin as adultery, even though no one wants to talk about it anymore. 

I see a lot of church leaders as doctors, lawyers, wealthy businessmen, etc. Again, there is nothing wrong with that. In my personal, subjective view- I'd like to see a few truck drivers, cops, maids, cashiers at retail stores, gas station attendants-people with a less glamorous job-in leadership positions.  That is not pejorative or insulting to leadership. As we all know, God can qualify a retail store cashier, bus driver or a surgeon as the next prophet if He choses too. 

Joseph himself was not an educated man. He was certainly a "rough stone". Thankfully, God called him to restore the church. It's my hope and prayer that in the future we'll have some true diversity in the quorum of the twelve apostles. Not just diversity of skin color-though that is important-but diversity of background, education, and experience. 

Life continuing after great tragedy

No, this isn't my attempt to trivialize or downplay the awful attacks that happened on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Like everyone else, I am in prayer for the victims and am personally still brooding about what happened.  It was a heinous act of barbarity that will never be forgotten.

You can't be like Dr. Faustus and stop time, not even for a moment. These terror attacks-while gruesome, disturbing and painful-are on the decline.  A big reason you hear about them more is how connected we are in 2016, and that is a very good thing. The more connected we are to each other the more we recognize the humanity in one another. That might sound naive, but it isn't. In fact it's the least naive thing in the world. We have more options for news, so obviously we hear more about the bad things that happen. Terrorist attacks don't happen to us every day. They still remain rare.

We will never forget the victims of 9/11, the Paris attacks, or the Orlando attacks. Sadly though, we will forget who did it. Should we forget the perpetrator? No. We need to remember who did it so we take precautions to make sure it didn't happen again.

Orlando shooting

First off I am in prayer for the victims of this senseless tragedy. Again, innocent people died for no reason. Second, I'm disgusted by what is happening already. The left blames guns, the right blames Islamic terrorism. No one is blaming the individual. The world has already seen attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and now you can add Orlando to the list no city wants to be on.

I blame the individual and yes, I blame Islamic terrorism. Both of them are responsible for this. No, guns are not the problem and no, all of Islam is not the not the problem. When you blame all gun owners you are just as bad as those who blame all of Islam. When you blame all of Islam you are just as bad as those who blame all gun owners. 

We as a culture need to take a serious look into many things. How to curb gun violence without restricting innocent peoples right to defend themselves. How to keep America free and welcoming to migrants and refugees without letting people in who plan to kill us. Sure, I'm all for letting in women and children. What I'm not in favor of us letting in people who want to kill us. If you let someone into your house that is obsessed with killing you and your family, you are an idiot-not a good and faithful Christian. 

Fighting ISIS where they live will do nothing. In case our "leaders' can't figure it out, this attack (as did the one in Paris, as did the one in San Bernedino) happened on American soil. Even if ISIS was magically vanquished tomorrow certain people who were already radicalized would continue to plan attacks of great horror.  

Scripture Sunday 2 Nephi 10:23

Rejoice Ladies and Gentlemen, this part of scripture is one of my favorites because it talks about the thing I love the most. Freedom. We have the ability to right or wrong. Some people don't like that fact-they wish people could only do right. But it doesn't work that way. In fact, it's because of evil that we choose to do Good. CS Lewis writes some amazing stuff about the study of free will and good and evil. I strongly recommend both him and this scripture. 

We can choose death, or we can choose the way of eternal life. It was one of the first scriptures I highlighted.

Christopher Hitchens

Hitchens is a writer I admire, for sure. He's not a personal favorite of mine but I do enjoy his counterculture edge, dislike of authority and in his later years his iconoclasm. He wasn't pro-life life, but he was somewhat anti-abortion. He wasn't pro-guns really, but he was anti gun control. We all know he was everyones favorite fundamentalist Christian.

I'm not an atheist. That shouldn't be a surprise. Of course I've had my doubts to the existence of God, and every believer should admit they have as well. Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian who said "A frantic orthodoxy is rooted not in doubt, but in faith. It's when you are not sure that you doubly sure." I totally agree with him on that issue, one hundred percent. I do believe that those who radical and frantic in their beliefs are acting out of doubt and and not certainty. 

Hitchens was a radical atheist, and while no atheist would ever admit it I believe the Niebuhr quote applies to them as well. It is to the believers credit that they doubt their faith but atheists don't do that. That doesn't mean that an atheist can't be moral and a believer can't be a scumbag. 

While we are talking about Hitchens it's important to remember that Hitchens did not have a deathbed conversion. No, not at all. Sadly Sadly some people die as atheists, it's a sad fact. 

Album of the weekend

Megadeth-The World Needs a Hero

Megadeth, the greatest thrash band of all time, is more remembered for it's early albums from the mid 80's to early nineties. Killing is my Business and Business is Good is correctly known as one of the greatest thrash albums ever recorded. So are Peace Sells, Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction. They lost a step during the late 90's with some weak albums like Risk and Cryptic Writings and like the time in the 2000's before Dystopia just came out (Endgame, Thirteen and Super Collider are mediocre at best, Dystopia is superb) many people thought they were done as a band.

The World Needs a Hero is another five star, outstanding album by the masters of thrash. "Moto Psycho" and "Recipe for Hate...Warhorse" are the best two songs on the album, on par with the songs on Peace Sells and Countdown. The complexity and difficulty of Megadeth songs are legendary and they are a joy to listen too. It's like watching Leonardo Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa in it's musical form. 

Uber

Upfront-I have an Uber but I've never used it. I live pretty rural and I'm not sure they even work out here. It's a good thing to have though in case I go to a city. 

Uber is under attack by certain cities and it's easy to know why. Uber is new and the government fears new things. They did the same with e-cigarettes and they'll do the same with any other technology that comes around that they can't control. 

Governments operate on tax money. They need taxes to do anything. Since governments don't usually create things (and when they do, it's usually a disaster) they only exist by taxes and fees. I'm not an anarchist-in fact, I think anarchy is a foolish, naive and dangerous-but I do think we are overtaxed, over regulated, and over licensed. Welcome to the nanny state. 

Uber is none of the governments business. If free people want to engage in a service voluntarily-what business of the governments is it? In New York City I suspect the taxi cab monopoly is to blame for threats on Ubers existence. After all, if you really want to see who your enemies are-follow the money and see who you are not allowed to critique.  

People who say Uber is dangerous don't see the big picture. You hear about the small minority of Uber drivers who are breaking the law but you don't hear about the thousands who don't. When planes don't crash it's good, but it's not news. 

Become a revolutionary. Use Uber whenever you can.       

The musical Rent

Rent is without question one of the greatest musicals of the 90's, and probably of all time. It's filled with great songs like "La Vie Boheme", "Take Me or Leave Me", "One Song Glory", "Tango Maureen", "Happy New Year" and of course the theme song, "Rent". It was among the first musicals to deal with drug use, HIV, homosexuality and the general declining quality of life in pre-Guliani New York City

Rent is misunderstood in many ways. Primarily I think it's about Roger and Mark and their friendship. They are the first characters you are introduced to and most of the plot revolves around them in some way. Maureen is one of my favorite characters (I love her quirkiness and anti-authority edge) but she is first introduced as Mark's ex. Roger's ex, April who is deceased when the play begins is also crucial to the play because we find out Roger is HIV positive through the backstory of April and his relationship. 

I used to view the characters with much more sympathy in my 20's then I do now at 36. Roger and Mark expect to live rent free in a building another character owns. Benny apparently promised them the place at least for a little bit-but Roger and Mark still seem very entitled to me. 

Rentheads (die hard fans of the musical) think the play is a giant middle finger "the man" and an unapologetic statement of love for the Bohemian lifestyle. It is partially that, but Larson also saw some of the drawbacks of that lifestyle. When a homeless women asks a benevolent, compassionate artist for a dollar, she isn't surprised when he doesn't have one. When Mark isn't exactly welcome at the local Life Cafe, it's because he skipped out on the bill. No wonder he's not given the welcome mat there. The chew and screw was funny when I was in college if I could talk my way into doing the dishes or get the number of the waitress but now I think it's a deadbeat thing to do. 

Rent will, of course, always be considered groundbreaking-and it is, in many ways. I'll always love it, even though I do look at differently.

Zoos

Zoos have been in the news recently, and by now you've surely heard about the death of that gorilla. If you haven't well here is the quick story: A child fell into the gorilla pit at a zoo in Cincinnati. The outrage over both the zoos actions and the "negligence" of the mother has been huge. Like the popular meme says, everyone has become an expert in zoos, parenting, and tranquilizer shots. 

I've always been uncomfortable with the concepts of zoos. I admit it's a catch-22. You have all your needs apparently taken care of-food, shelter, security-but the animals do really lose their freedom. The natural world is apparently thought of to be "peaceful" by some people (idiots only). In reality, the natural world is incredibly violent. Most animals die before their first birthday and many are killed by their own species. In other words life in in the wild is truly solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and most importantly-short. We look at a cute little puppy or kitten and think "cuddly pet" while a bald eagle or an alligator looks at our cuddly pet and thinks "lunch". 

In life, you often are presented with two unpleasant outcomes to your choices. Accidents happen and sometimes you really do need to accept that the "least worst" option is the best. Once that baby fell in the gorilla enclosure, there was no other option. The gorilla had to be shot. A quick note on guns-aiming for the "leg" or "arm" only happens in the movies and it would have made the gorilla furious, thus putting the baby at an even greater risk. Animal life is important, in fact some of us are vegetarians and support animal rights charities as much as we can-but human life must be viewed as more important. 

Social media and catching you at your worst

I love social media. In fact, I've defended it several times against attacks from people who don't understand it. Generally these are people who post about how bad Facebook is from their Facebook page, or post about their kid having too much screen time from their own iPads. I know I've said that phrase or something like that many times and I apologize, but it's still one hundred percent true. 

I was reading a post in a baseball group where a mom posted about another women making a rude comment towards her apparently special needs son. The mom was understandably upset and she took a picture of the women who was apparently acting like a mega bitch. 

But we don't know the entire story. For all we know maybe the woman who said something regrettable was having a terrible day. Maybe she had gotten into an argument with her own kid, husband, boyfriend. She might have been late to the baseball game, stuck in traffic and the kid behind her might have been acting obnoxious. Look, if you've never been frustrated by a kids behavior-in particular a total strangers kid-you are either lying or you don't get out much. 

Even though it sounds like I am, I'm really not justifying being a nasty person to anyone, especially a child with special needs. If I captured your behavior twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, put it on camera and had emotions and personal feelings involved, I could make you out to be a monster too. Social media is a truly wonderful thing and I absolutely love it, but the dark side is that it can capture you at your worst and make you out to be a psychopath. 

Of course the best way to avoid being portrayed as a bad person is not to act like one. Remember that agenda of rage former CFO who berated the poor girl who worked in the drive in at Chick-Fil-A? He was a condescending arrogant bully, and his behavior cost him dearly. 

It can happen to anyone, really. 

Scripture Sunday 1 Nephi 22:26

Righteousness is a very important topic in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What kind of behavior is righteous, how to be righteous, righteous anger (ever seen Jeffery Holland lay the smack down on sinful behavior? It's a blast). 

You'll often hear the saying "The devil made me do it." It's just a saying of course but in reality the devil has absolutely no power over you whatsoever. I do believe in the reality of devils. I see many Christians who apparently believe in God but they choose not to believe in devils or sin. I don't get it. 

This verse also talks about the rightenouss of the people. Many believers feel that America has fallen into an irredeemable situation, but I don't believe it. First off to feel that way is to turn your back on God because even if America has fallen, there is always redemption available and second America really hasn't fallen in the first place. 

Muhammad Ali

Rest in peace eternal champion. 

This is a tough day for all of us. Muhammad Ali, warts and all, will always be one of my heroes. His arrogance was never based in cruelty. It was based in the simple fact that he really was the greatest. It's hard to be humble when you are the greatest. Believe me, I know. 

He crossed generations. My Pepere was a huge boxing fan and my father was a fan as well. They'd tell me stories about the style of Muhammad Ali. He was the first heavyweight who had the agility to dance around the ring like a flyweight but he had the strength of a heavyweight. 

Defensively he was brilliant. He created the "rope-a-dope" defense. Where you leaned against the ropes and got the stuffing beaten out of you-then hoped/waited until your opponent got tired and proceeded to then knock him out. It's still used today and Ali invented it. 

We all know that Ali had trouble outside the ring. In the Vietnam era he stood up against the war, and it cost him several years in his prime. The true fight of the century will never be Mayweather-Pacquiao, it will always be Ali-Fraiser I. 

And Ali lost fights. He lost to Ken Norton, Leon Spinks, Joe Fraiser, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. Even the greatest of all time lost sometimes. 

The world lost the first modern sports icon today. 

RIP. 

Album of the Weekend

Metallica-St. Anger

St Anger is better than Load/Re-Load. It's not the best Metallica album but it's the most underrated and over bashed album I've seen. St. Anger isn't a passionate album-I totally disagree with the critics that say it "brings back passion" to Metallica-but that just shows how good they were at one point. Imagine if they released St. Anger in the early 80's when they still had the edge and hunger. That they can do this good without those factors shows how good they were. 

It's hard to sing about anger and rage when you live in mansions. No, that doesn't mean rich people can't write great music. It also doesn't mean that you shouldn't be compensated for your artistic production. What it does mean is "What do these guys have to be angry about? That their housekeeper didn't dust the the ivory fireplace?" 

Oddly though, this album still has some really great songs. "Some Kind of Monster", "Frantic" and "Invisible Kid" are pretty good. They have the longer style thrash metal sound that is certainly adequate. While it's true the album misses Jason Newstead badly, their longtime producer Bob Rock fills in for him. As a metaphor for the entire album-Bob Rock is no Newstead but it's the best they can do at the time period.

The Dali Lama and the Pope

Recently I posted a story on Facebook about the Dali Lama, a man I've always had great respect for. I referred the Dali Lama as "His Holiness", which is the proper title for him. I am not a Buddhist, obviously. 

I should have known better, but someone was offended/confused/having a bad day and said "Uh, Tim, his holiness?" Yes, that's what I called him. I also think the Pope should be addressed like that and a Jewish Rabbi should be addressed like that. Same goes for Hindu ascetics and Muslim clerics.  This man was also a Mormon but sadly a much different one than I am. 

I am fully confident that if anyone said anything negative about Smith Jr, this guy would be mortally offended. However he doesn't see that basic respect goes a long way. If you want people to respect your beliefs (respect doesn't demand agreement) you need to respect theirs, or at least fake it. 

It's cool and hip to say that you "don't care" what others think of you. To a small degree I understand that and I used to think the exact same way. But if you don't care what others think of you, why should they care what you think at all? 

People moving to Canada if Trump is elected....

First off, this isn't about idiot celebrities. I highly doubt that 90% of them will leave America if Trump gets elected. Celebrities are usually deeply deluded people. When they achieve great success in one field, they think their opinion on everything carries huge weight. It doesn't. 

Your eighteen year old nephew who thinks that Trump is "rich and mean" and that "Canada is so peaceful man" won't move either. One-Canada probably doesn't want him. In order to emigrate it's actually somewhat difficult. You need to be a "skilled worker" or a wealthy investor/entrepreneur type. Most 18-24 year olds aren't either one. 

I'm no expert in Canadian immigration law, so I don't know how everything works. Oddly though, most people who aren't experts in Canadian culture and immigration law are incredibly naive about both. Canada isn't a paradise where there is prejudice and everything is wonderful. Granted, it's more politically liberal than the US, but original sin ins't political, and even liberal countries can have serious problems. 

The spectacular website Listverse says it much better than I ever can. This list explains some of the misconceptions about Canada.