Album of the weekend

Quiet Riot-Metal Health 

The first album from Quiet Riot was pop rock, and it wasn't very good. The second album from Quiet Riot I never heard until very recently, and I didn't like that either. I was stunned because their original guitarist, Randy Rhoads worked with Ozzy Osbourne for some albums that I absolutely love. So it was with serious trepidation that I even bothered listening to their third, Metal Health. 

It's surprisingly good. Nothing you haven't heard before (I don't mean that you've never heard the songs-believe me, you have) but that doesn't mean it's bad. One of the songs on the album is an anthem of rock music that I really like-Come on Feel the Noise. The sad part for Quiet Riot is that their most well known song was originally done by Slade, a pioneering British glam band. They do have some decent songs of their own on this album-Bang Your Head and Love's a Bitch. 

While this album isn't exactly a masterpiece of glam rock, it's certainly worth a second look. Sad that their biggest hit was a cover and they never took off on their own though. 

Is punk dead?

This great article asks a troubling question? Like the title says, "Has the true spirit of Punk gone up in flames?"

It starts off by telling us that that the son of the former Sex Pistols manager is going to burn about 5,000,000 pounds (English money, not weight)  of memorabilia. He's going to be doing this to protest the corporate sponsorship of a punk festival in London. He's got a point, but he's fighting a losing battle. Everything in music today is sponsored by a corporation. The guy burning it apparently sold his own company to a larger corporation, so he's hardly innocent. Like the author of the piece says, being the son of the manger of the Pistols also leads to massive entitlement.

"In some ways, punk should die."-said Jello Biafra, the grandaddy of punk and the founder/lead singer of the Dead Kennedys. He and the author of this amazing piece are both right-the true spirit of Punk is dead-but not for reasons of corporate sponsorship. It's because punk has become mainstream and we are no longer outraged by anything.

Corporate sponsorship ruins punk? Not really. These bands are entitled to receive money for the fruit of their labor and we all need to eat and pay bills. Like the article says, Henry Rollins uses the money he gets to tour and sign indie bands. Is there something strange about Johnny Rotten sneering on a MasterCard? You bet there is. Thirty years ago he would have told MasterCard to bugger off. Taking corporate money is fine, but it's how you use it that makes it punk or not, in my view. Henry Rollins uses it to further the career of some great bands. Johnny Rotten takes the money and uses it to tell the Queen of England to go to Hell. Both actions are incredibly punk.

Punk is also about making people uncomfortable and outraged. When the Pistols released God Save the Queen it created "the last moral outrage" in England. Now, we've been morally outraged by so much for so long who has the energy? No one shocks or offends us anymore because we've seen so much offensive and shocking behavior. Madonna simulating sex on stage is now just kind of sad. Forty years ago she was edgy. Even the (often disgusting) acts of GG Allin would be seen as just more of "welcome to the new boss, same as the old boss."

My personal view? Well there is a popular bumper sticker that says "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism". It's correct in theory. Too bad it's only said by idiots when their party is out of power. Dissent is the high form of punk. Punk today is about rebelling against all authority and all of mainstream. If you want to be punk you need to think for yourself. Jackasses think that "thinking for yourself" means "being a mainstream member of the green party, because that's so counter culture man". Bullshit. Punk is being able to critique everything.

Going from "mistress" to "wife"

Obviously this is influenced by Brad and Angelina, but it's been on my mind for a long time.

We've all made mistakes in our personal life. Sometimes those mistakes can be very serious and hurt people we love. We all make mistakes but no one is entitled to mistakes. It's a big difference that few people understand. No one is perfect, and by me saying that I mean that I am the weakest of the weak and the biggest hypocrite out there.

Going from "mistress" to "wife" almost never ends well for anyone. It doesn't end well for your first wife (and the genders can be reversed on this, of course) and if you upgrade the current mistress to wife status, it probably won't end well in that case either. Why? The feelings you have for your new love are the same feelings you've had for your "old love". The feelings that you think have faded for your "old love" will also fade for your "new love". If you remember this and live by it, you will save yourself a lifetime of pain and agony.

Society today loves to talk about trusting your heart, gut, instincts, etc. You are free to do this and if they work for you, they work for you. It's not an inherently bad thing/immoral thing to do. The older I get though the more I think you should follow your head, not your heart though.

Brad and Angelina

No, I don't like people who obsess about celebrities either. Of course there are other things to discuss and think about and of course people who only talk about the latest Hollywood news are boring and superficial. It's not my number one topic of discussion either.

But guess what? Arrogantly looking down on those dirty people who :: gasp :: like celebrity gossip is obnoxious. In fact, it might be the only thing more obnoxious than people who talk about celebrities all the time. It's like Nicklback. Yes, Nickleback is pretty bad and a band I don't like either. But one of the quickest ways to show how cool you are and to show how much you know about music is to say "Nickleback sucks." Guess what? We know this. Imagine someone saying "The paintings of Monet are beautiful." and expecting all of us to be surprised.  When you say "Oh, people who are interested in celebrities are fools." Guess what? We sort of know this too.

The other issue with people who say this is that they are trying to get their self worth by showing how much smarter they are than those idiots who have a different interest than they do. Maybe they don't have the ability to be introspective but they might have boring interests and hobbies too. I've seen people who post about sports 24/7 (and I am a big sports fan) take shots at people who follow celebrities.

In other words, we are all individuals and we all have hobbies that someone else might find boring.  The wonderful show "Tattoo Nightmares" taught me a very important lesson. An artist on the show said "I don't know how getting a dead parakeet (tattoo)will honor your parents, but then again he might think some of my tattoos are weird."

I don't get how someone can obsesses over a celebrity but then again someone might think some of my hobbies are weird.

Presidential debate

So there is a big presidential debate tonight, huh? It is supposed to get huge ratings. I'm sure that not only political junkies but even regular, normal people are going to watch tonight. What I'm not sure of is if it'll change their minds.

Trump and Hillary are very polarizing. You either love them or hate them. It's sort of like the Grateful Dead. You either have teddy bear tattoos dancing your upper arm and drape yourself in tie dye on the weekends or you think those who do the tie dye/ Grateful Dead thing are insane. Yes, Kiss is the same way. You either love them or you hate them. While there are exceptions, they are few and far between. Ask yourself-do you know anyone who just sort of likes Hillary or Trump? Or the more interesting question, do you know anyone who just sort of dislikes Hillary or Trump?

I can see why they are so polarizing.  Trump is like Vince McMahon-you never know what he'll say or do. Hillary is dull and boring and has the charisma of a mortician.  I view her more as the nagging, evil headmistress of an English boarding school. Trump is two steps above carny trash. Totally unlike anything in politics. 

Will a debate actually change your mind? No, of course not. The guy you didn't like before lost and the girl you liked won. It seems to happen a lot, doesn't it? I can't think of a single person who said "I never liked Trump/Hillary before but they are killing it tonight. I'm going to vote for them now." Like a large part of politics, debates are to energize the base and other than that-they are all smoke and mirrors.

Scripture Sunday Alma 39 1-19

This passage reminds me of the famous "prodigal son" parable. We've all heard the story of the two brothers. One who is faithful, true and loyal and the other who spends his money on wine, women and song. When asked why he gets nothing for being true, loyal and faithful the father sort of brushes the good brother aside. I never thought that was fair really. Shouldn't the faithful brother at least get the pat on the head?

Luckily in this passage, he does. Alma references the loyal brothers in trying to correct the wayward ones behavior. I like that Alma does that, but I admit that there is nothing more annoying and frustrating than parents pointing out the behavior of another child and comparing them.

Another interesting thing in this passage is that it appears to have happened when the wayward son was on a mission. Alma mentions that the "ministry he was called was to declare glad tiding to his people." Perhaps this passage is talked about in the missionary training centers.

Wallis Simpson

Remember her? Probably not. Few do. I never knew who she was until very recently. Several years ago I found out I was English (ethnically, I was adopted as a baby) and I started reading everything I could about the monarchy. I knew almost nothing about the British Monarchy before a few years ago. Now that I've started I enjoy reading about the English Civil War and the Edward VIII abdication fiasco. 

"Be careful what you wish for, you might get it"-One of those sayings that gets more true the longer you live. Wallis Simpson was a mistress of Edward VIII, the king of England for about one year. In 1936 he abdicated to marry her, a twice divorced American woman. In 2016 we find that strange, but at the time the English public couldn't accept her being divorced. The government threatened to resign and that would have lead to a constitutional crisis. Since Edward wanted to marry Wallis, he abdicated the crown so he could do so. 

By all accounts, their marriage was "difficult". Simpson seemed to realize that the union would not be a happy one. She wrote that "you and I will only create disaster together". Simpson wanted a royal life with servants, lavish parties, and that lifestyle. What she got was a basically life in a golden palace. She viewed Edward as a "Peter Pan" who was unable to grow up. They seemed to have bored each other. 

The entire situation is interesting. Edward is widely considered a romantic because he "gave up" so much to be with her. In reality, she gave up much more. Her second marriage was to her true love. The letters she wrote him during the abdication crisis are heartbreaking. She seems to realize that she destroyed everything by agreeing to be first the kings mistress than his wife. It's a tragic case, not a romantic one. 

Album of the Weekend

Nine Inch Nails-Pretty Hate Machine

Like many music fans, we've become a little jaded. We've heard many songs that sound alike even from different bands. We have our favorite genres and we obsess over them, sometimes rarely reaching out to other ones. Obviously I include myself in this. For too long I listened to just punk and metal. I rarely listened to other genres.

Nine Inch Nails changed that. When they first came out the had a very original sound that unless you were a big fan of industrial alternative, you probably never heard before. Nine Inch Nails has the reputation for being underground but in reality they brought that style to the mainstream. Their album, "Pretty Hate Machine" is a wonderful mix of both the industrial sound combined with alternative. It even sounds a little techno, even though I've only personally heard a little techno.

Reznor has stated before that you can stage dive and mosh to this album, and you certainly can. The best song, "Head Like a Hole" is certainly a moshable song. My issue with Nine Inch Nails is that they always seem to have this need to slow things down and perform a ballad-which they don't need to do. If they focused on what they are good at they'd be even better.

Are we really one nation?

The answer to this is an obvious no.

And that's okay.

First and foremost, we are a nation of individuals. That means we all have common interests and values, but different opinions on everything. America truly is a glorious melting pot of all types of people, and we should be celebrated for that. America is like that boyfriend you never treated well then he finally smartened up and told you to hit the road. You are still stuck dating losers and he's found himself a woman who will treat him right.

That doesn't mean there is no divide here. We are deeply divided between red and blue states, city and country, liberal and conservative. One side wants the other to accept their values, shut up and move on while the other side just wants to be left alone to live our lives. I'll let you decide which is which.

A popular politician said there is no red America or blue America. He was totally wrong. There is a divide that is growing, not shrinking.

I'm not sure we will ever be one nation in the sense that we'll agree on everything. The partisan divides in America are just too deep right now.

Thin skinned millennials?

Like I've mentioned before I'm not of the age where I complain about millennials all the time. Oddly, those who usually complain about millennials all the time raised them. So I would think that older generations are at least partially to blame. In reality though (and to paraphrase one of my all time favorite novels, "Bright Lights, Big City",  I think it's just another version of the same old story).  Every generation from the dawn of time complained about future generations, and I'm fully confident that very, very few had the ability to self critique and admit that previous generations are, at least, partially to blame if the ones after them are truly that bad.

I have noticed that several people on my Facebook complain quite often about millennials and other young people being "thin skinned" and easily offended. One guy complains frequently about it. He's a big college football fan. If you say anything about his team, he goes crazy. He's also religious. If you say the slightest thing about his religion (even if it's not offensive in the least) he's goes crazy. I am one hundred percent certain that if he is like this, at least some other people his age (late 40's, early 50's) are as well.  

It's not just college football and religion, and it's not just him. I've seen people bitch about thin skinned others than simply fall apart and go into fits of screaming rage when someone says they don't like their favorite band or musical. Really? Journey and Phantom of the Opera inspire this much loyalty? 

His hypocrisy doesn't bother me. To a degree we are all hypocrites and just pointing out his hypocrisy doesn't mean he is wrong in what he says. His lack of self awareness is what I find most amusing. 

I love Facebook. One of the reasons I like Facebook is it allows me to see personality traits in others that aren't really the greatest. No, this guy isn't a bad person but I don't want to be like him in that aspect of life. 

Marriages "bringing families" together

Does marriage bring families together? I'm not sure it does.

Firstly, the nature of the internet is to take exception to everything, be offended, and think that the writer is a fool/ignorant/racist/ etc. So upfront, I know this is just my personal opinion and no, I'm not saying anything negative about people who are in this situation. 

In my immediate family growing up my grandparents met each other at my parents wedding, and I don't think they ever saw each other again. In fact, the only interaction I remember seeing that involved one from the other side  going to another event was when my paternal grandfather died in 2007 (some thirty years after my parents were married) one of my moms sisters went to the wake. That doesn't mean they didn't get along. I never heard anyone in either family ever mention the other side. 

There are so, so many misconceptions about marriage out there today. The older I get the more I am convinced that there are 10,000 ways to have a happy marriage, and just because you don't understand or like it doesn't mean it doesn't work for the couple involved. If a couple doesn't think their families will get along, it shouldn't stop the impending nuptials. 

Buying non-LDS approved gifts for friends

Like we all know, serious LDS choose not to drink alcohol or use tobacco products. These products are forbidden by a chapter in  the scriptures. It is popularly known as the "Word of Wisdom". 

For many LDS, this is not really an issue. Some LDS don't have many close friends outside the church. The reason for this is two fold. One-people usually have friends that share their interests and values. This isn't an LDS thing, it's a life thing. No, that doesn't mean that we only have friends who share our values and interests, and yes, it's a generality, but that doesn't mean it's not generally correct. 

The second reason is that LDS communities tend to be a bit isolated from non-LDS communities. No, that isn't an insult it's just a statement of fact. It's also totally understandable. As the world gets more and more secular and in some cases even hostile to religion, religious people of all types will shrink from it. It's not a good thing for society or religion. Like it or not religions do a huge amount of good in the secular world, even if you don't agree with some of their social values. Study after study shows that religious people do more volunteering and donate more to charity than secular people. 

For those of us who are converts, we tend to have more friendships outside the church. These people don't always follow the same rules and make the same lifestyle choices as we do. For me that is no problem at all-after all if they don't expect me to live by their rules, how dare I expect them to live by mine. If my friends enjoy an expensive bottle of wine or a box of cigars, of course I'll buy it for them. They don't expect me to drink it or smoke them and they aren't forcing me to. 

Scripture Sunday Jacob 2:35

This scripture is a smackdown to arrogant men who stray too far from teachings. To be upfront, I do think that religious people are at times, both anti-male and anti-female. Many, many religious people assume that men are the only ones who can commit grave sin while women are always pure and innocent. I know this firsthand growing up orthodox Catholic. We had it drilled into us that men are always sexual predators who will do nothing but force you to have sex. Women have no sex drive and exist only to fight off mens advances and have babies. If a couple has premarital sex it's aways the fault of the man. What garbage. 

 If you think women are always pure and innocent then you are, in fact, anti-women. Original sin doesn't skip genders. 

But scripture is what it is and this one can be only be read as a situation where the men screwed up. Apparently they did something that caused their wives and children great pain and God is unhappy with them. God lays the smack down because of it. This could be read as a warning for men to be careful on how they treat women and children-and they should. But in reality, women should also be careful how they treat men and children. Both genders should have the ability to engage in self critique because it truly is the only way you grow. 

Just keeping it real

Don't mistake "keeping it real" for "having no manners". While it would be nice to tell everyone what you are thinking all the time, I've seen people say they are being "authentic" when in reality, they are just being rude. Am I'm telling you to lie? I guess that's one way of looking at it-but remember that your mom said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Example: You don't get along with someone at a party. Everything you say between each other leads to an argument or a fight. Sure, you could "keep it real" by pecking and nagging at each other-and it'll lead to an uncomfortable situation, thus ruining the social gathering for everyone involved. Mission accomplished. After all, you were just "keeping it real", right?

Another example: Your sweet little nephew wants to be an artist. His drawing lacks any real talent, but he's only forth grade and we've all got to start somewhere. When he asks you how his drawing looks, "keep it real" and absolutely crush him. Make him cry if you can. Afterwards tell his parents you were just trying to toughen him up for the real world.

Those are just two examples. You can also "keep it real" by telling your co-woker that the dress she is wearing makes her look fat. Or you can tell the guy losing his hair that he's getting old and looks terrible. There are a whole bunch of fun things you can do that show the world how truthful and "authentic" you are.

I'm not saying that you should never tell the truth-but I am saying that diplomacy and basic manners go a long way in life.

Album of the weekend

Metallica-Ride the Lightning

Creeping Death, one the final songs on the album, it a good indicator of what kind of Metallica fan you are. If you like that song, you probably like old school Metallica more. It's faster, it's more crisp and you can easily see it on Kill em' All or Master of Puppets. Ride the Lightning is an underrated Metallica album. Everyone knows it for the (ironically overrated!) song Fade to Black, but few people remember that the other songs on the album like "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Fight Fire With Fire" and yes, "Creeping Death" are here.

Those of us who love metal usually have strong feelings about Metallica and their albums. You rarely find someone who is agnostic about them. I am no different. To me Metallica is like the girl with the curl in her hair. When they are bad, they are very, very bad. When they are good, they are perfect.

Being LDS and having a dark sense of humor

After getting caught in his latest hedonistic act, the writer Evelyn Waugh was asked "How can you call yourself a Christian?" His response? "Just think how much worse I'd be if I wasn't a Christian." Wit. You either have it or you don't.

Speaking of wit and dry senses of humor, you might has if an LDS can have a dark sense of humor. The answer is of course they can.  Don't confuse "dark" with "vulgar" the two are different, and an LDS can enjoy bawdy and vulgar comedy as well. A dark sense of humor might not be for everyone and it doesn't have to be. Just having a dark sense of humor doesn't make you a bad person either. In fact, having a dark sense of humor is generally a good coping method for the more tragic things that can happen to you in life.

Dark senses of humor are like a taste in transgressive fiction. Those who don't have it love to think the worst of those who of us who do. Books like "American Psycho" and "Lolita" are landmarks of transgressive fiction and have a dark sense of humor/subject matter. Ironically, both books are often talked about by people who have never bothered to read them or simply totally miss the point. It's a sad life truth that ignorant people are the quickest to judge

My favorite Youtube channels

Aqualung Game Reviews-Aqualung Game Reviews is an independent video game reviewer who focuses only on the the classic games. I'm not talking about N64 classics-I'm talking Atari 2600 and NES classics. He's also incredibly funny and insightful. He doesn't just review the games, he walks though them. For some games that's an incredible challenge. The Mega Man series is known for many things but one thing it's known for more than anything is it's difficulty. I should know. I've been playing these games for almost thirty years and I am still terrible at them. In Mega Man 3 I can't get by those famous disappearing blocks in the Magnet Man stage. Aqualung has mastered classical gaming. His channel is such a treat. 

Musical Hell-Do you like musicals? You aren't alone. They might be the red headed stepchild of the music world because of how over the top and cheesy they can be, but Musical Hell knows this and thrives on it. She reviews only the worst musicals to see if they live up to their terrible reputations. Dave Barry said there is nothing better than watching  good critic tee off on a bad movie/restaurant. If he could listen to the Musical Hell channel (and he should) he would have a ball. Her critique of "At Long Last Love" and "Mame" are two of the best ones she has done, but she doesn't have any bad videos really. 


Fair Mormon-If you want to understand Mormonism from it's intellectual side, this is the station for you. These guys will talk about any subject under the sun. They'll interview scholars, LDS bishops, former bishops, missionaries who returned early than went back on the mission, writers, amateur historians-basically anyone who has something interesting to say about Mormonism. I admire the men and women who run this page because they won't mince words or duck from the dark sides of LDS history. The controversies, the good the bad and the ugly-these guys do it all. 

Colin Kapernick II

ESPN reported that Kapernick jerseys are selling like hot cakes. I don't know why hot cakes sell so well, but anyway.

I wonder if Kapernick did it for the money. He says he is giving the jersey sales to charity. He might be, but he's hardly begging for food and shelter. He's clearly popular and the jersey sales are showing it. To stick it to the man and show how hip you are sure is profitable in the long run, isn't it? In fact, now that he is making money with jersey sales will he be viewed as a rich guy who is selling out? If an NFL player told Kapernick to sit down and shut up (yes, yes, Kapernick has every right to say whatever he wants and act how he wants) and saw his jersey sales skyrocket because of it, how would people view him? 

I think we all know the answer. Kapernick is sticking it to the man, and anyone who speaks out against him is just shilling for the man. 

Sorry for talking about it again. In our media culture stories have a short shelf life but he's still in the news and the story really does several issues. Our worship of athletes/celebrities (yes, I'm just as guilty of that, in particular with musicians and writers), patriotism, racial tension...it's all represented in the Kapernick saga.  

9/11 books

The three books you must read about 9/11 are "The Cell" by John Miller, "The Looming Tower" buy Lawrence Wright, and Perfect Soldiers by Terry McDermott.

I don't do the 9/11 conspiracy bullshit. I've mentioned my disdain for those whack jobs and if anything, it's grown deeper as time goes on. Yes, there is a difference between being a "skeptic" of the government story and thinking that missiles brought down the twin towers, but if you are looking for "9/11 Truth" (ironically the "truth" is that 19 suicidal Islamic militants killed 3,000 people. No conspiracy at all) you need to read these books. 

The Cell was written by a journalist for ABC news. Not really known as a hotbed for cutting edge journalism, I was surprised at John Millers credentials. He interviewed Bin Laden pre 9/11 and unlike Dan Rather interviewing Saddam it was actually real journalism. He (Miller) was also a hard boiled journalist who was allowed to drink with cops in New York City in the 80's. Basically he was what journalists were before they became ass kissers for the elite. The Cell basically focuses on the 9/11 terrorists while they were in America. It tells the gripping story not of what radicalized them-though it does touch on that-but their daily life in America. They walked among us and were part of our society without us knowing it. The Cell reads like 60 Minutes back during the Mike Wallace years. 

"The Looming Towers" is longer and much more in depth. It's the graduate version of 9/11 popular books. Wright goes into detail about the history of radical Islam, starting with Sayyid Qutb (a radical cleric whom Bin Laden patterned himself after) and his effect on Islamic countries. Wright is a great writer and the research and study he did for this book is incredible. It's a commitment to read it because it's a little dull in some parts, but history is like that as well. 

"Perfect Soldiers" is the most terrifying of the three books. McDermott has a way of humanizing the terrorists that you still think about for a long time after you finish the book. Like McDermott says (in a much better way than I ever could) we want to think that evil acts are done by psychopathic monsters. People with red eyes, pitchforks and devil horns. That's not how evil works,and McDermott shows how normal the 9/11 hijackers were. It's scary. You can see radicalism happening to neighbors you share apartments with-white, black, yellow and green. Human evil doesn't discriminate.

Scripture Sunday Mormon 5:23

On that day back in 2001, I wish I had known this verse. It would have given me great comfort. 

Thankfully we are all in the hands of God, who can take away our worry and sadness. 

Never forget. 

Women changing their name after marriage

I have some strong feelings about this one. They've moderated over time, but I still feel strongly about it.

I don't get it. At all. I didn't understand it at 13, I don't understand it now. I used to think that women who didn't change their name were just unquestioning dupes of a patriarchal society. I was arrogant in my belief. As a young person, aren't we all at least slightly arrogant in our beliefs? Perhaps not arrogant but more certain. God knows I've moderated my beliefs on most issues since I was younger. It's a good thing-it means you are developing and having more life experiences.

Anyway, I never understood why it was a tradition/custom that only women changed their names when they got married. It is troubling to me because I believe it goes back to when women were properties of their husband, which is truly a disgusting way to think. Maybe there are good reasons for women to change their names, and of course a woman should do whatever she damn well pleases. But it's still a strange tradition to me.

Album of the weekend

The Cranberries-To the Faithful Departed

I don't understand why people dislike or downplay The Cranberries. They were a great band that the nineties just sort of chewed up and spit out. They had a much more alternative rock based sound that their biggest hit  "Linger" made them out to have as well. You can't judge them based on that one song,

Listen to the song "Salvation" on this album. It's a great song and it's hard, fast, and very intense. It reminds me of "Zero" by the Smashing Pumpkins, another incredibly good song known for it's intensity and passion. Many people love the Pumpkins, not many people love the Cranberries. The other great song on this album is "I Just Shot John Lennon", which also has the same sound as "Zero" and "Salvation". Another song that is totally unlike their most "popular", top 40 songs.

The Cranberries are a great band and vastly underrated. I strongly advise giving them another chance.

The number one thing not to do as a religious person

It's not being self-righteous which is sinful in it's own right.

It's not finding fault and sin in everything, though that really is obnoxious.

The number one thing to not do is be overly defensive and think that everything is an attack on your religion and it is your sole job to defend the faith at all costs. It is not your job to carry a righteous flaming sword and cut down everything you see as an insult. Not only is this exhausting it's also foolish.

When you convert to a new religion it's easy to think that you know more than people who have been in the church for years. You don't. You have new passion and energy which they might not have and they should enjoy and learn from you-but you lack experience in the church that they have. What is new to you is not new to them.

When you don't convert and have been part of a religion for your entire life it's easy to forget that other people think differently than you. it's also easy to view even the most innocent comment as a direct assault to everything you hold dear. Simply put-chill out. Take a joke and roll with the punches.

And sheathe your flaming sword.

Dani Mathers and body shaming.

Often times some people think that women are not capable of cruelty or evil. I am not trying to get into a gender war and I know it's terribly un-pc of me to say, but yes, both genders are capable of being little monsters. 

Dani Mathers, the Playboy centerfold who took a picture with some smartass comment about the body of another women, is one of those women who is truly vile. I can assure you this wasn't the first time that she said something rude and obnoxious about someone else. I never saw Mean Girls, but Mathers is beyond that because she's old enough to know better. The bigger issue is like the ESPN reporter who tore into a tow truck driver-Mathers thought she could get away with this. No normal person would do something so nasty. 

I think the "shaming" movement is mostly garbage. Sometimes a little shame is a good thing because it means you won't do the same wrong thing again. This is apparently "body shaming" or something, and it's a totally legit movement. We should accept our bodies as beautiful in their own way,  no matter who we are or what they look like. This poor woman who Ms. Mathers body shamed (I feel so young using that term) was ten thousand times more beautiful than Mathers ever will be. 

Mathers career is ruined and that's karma working in all it's glory. 

The Rob Lowe Roast

For a women who wrongly thinks she is funny, Ann Coulter looked totally out of place and uncomfortable during the Rob Lowe Roast. I can't stand her either but watching her take punch after punch in the roast got very uncomfortable.  Eventually no matter how you feel about someone watching them take repeated blows to the head with a baseball bat just gets uncomfortable.

Jeff Ross, Rob Lowe himself and David Spade apparently reached out to Coutlers people to apologize  for this massacre. That speaks incredibly highly on them. They did something that no one in the audience would be capable of. I get it, it's a roast and it's a roast on an adult network. It's not for the faint of heart or those who are easily offended or take themselves too seriously. Judging from her reactions, Coutler takes herself very seriously and was way out of her league that night.  


The two things I've "learned" watching it? Tolerant people love to bully others who don't agree with them (I already knew that one) and someone who prides herself on being tough and saying unbelievably cruel things (even in jest) can be just as fragile and thin skinned as the tolerant pc babies she hates. 

Melissa Click

Want more proof that the bad guys have won again? Melissa Click, the "professor" that asked for "muscle" to remove a journalist during the University of Missouri disturbances last year has been re-hired by Gonzaga, a college in Washington.

Am I surprised by this? Of course not. When she was fired from the University of Missouri I was shocked. Colleges aren't known for their integrity and bravery when it comes to doing the un-pc thing. These are the same places that provide trigger warnings and safe spaces to hothouse flowers that can't handle anything they don't already agree with. So when I heard that her original college let her go I was surprised. Then again, they don't have much of a choice. Their enrollment and reputation has taken a beating since the problems they've had on campus.

I mentioned before that my college couldn't fire a professor who got arrested for exposing himself to a woman. If women's groups on campus actually cared about the rights of women, they'd be protesting daily against this perv and I'd be right with them, one hundred percent.

But remember-it's a college. They don't care about doing what is right. Only what is convenient.

Scripture Sunday Alma 22:16

If a believer tells you that they haven't been in situation like the one being described, they are probably lying. All Christians or all types have have been on their knees before calling for God for assistance. 

Part of being a human is making mistakes. That shouldn't be a surprise. Too many Christians fear the punishment of their church but in reality as long as you repent and ask for forgiveness in any way possible-it's real, it's there and it's yours for the taking. 

Always failing at relationships

Name someone you know who always complains about not being able to find a "good man" or a "good woman." I have a lot of compassion for them. It's a tough world out there and dating is especially difficult because of all the games people play.  I know all the games you play, cuz I play them too. Immortal words of George Michaels right there folks. 

But I am beginning to think that with those people who can never find a partner they are satisfied with-the issue is with them, not single people. "Oh, I can't find a good man." Well, why not? Are your standards too impossibly high? Or are you such an unpleasant person that you can't find a "good man" to put up with you? When a guy complains that he can't find a woman who will put up with him-well, maybe if you stop being an ass, that'll solve the problem.

Life can provide you with bitter pills and uncomfortable truths sometimes. One of them is that a lot of problems you have in life are of your own making. Yes, it's true, sometimes bad things do happen to good people and sometimes you truly are a victim of bad timing and circumstances. But like a wonderful meme says, sometimes bad things happen because you act stupidly and make bad decisions.

Album of the Weekend

Megadeth-Rust in Peace

Another genre defining album from the greatest thrash band of all time, Megadeth "Rust in Peace" is a tour de force of incredible song after incredible song. From the opening track of "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" to the next song "Hangar 18" (probably my all time favorite song, period) to the next song "Take No Prisoners" every song on this album is a classic, bordering on iconic.

Dave Mustaine will always be one of my idols. He has struggled with loss, addiction, failure-everything bad basically-and has thrived over it. He's had personal setbacks, professional setbacks (yes, we all have had those) combined with a metal illness, drug addiction and being in the public eye. Throughout all that he's continued to write incredible music (for the most part). Combining deeply philosophical, theological and political issues while playing incredible sounding music.

Rust in Peace is the greatest Megadeth album of all time, which means it's the greatest trash album from the greatest trash band ever. A must have.

Tim Tebow

If you say something good about Tim Tebow, you are a Christian fundamentalist and probably anti-gay marriage, pro-life, and you hate women too.

If you say something negative about Tim Tebow, you are an atheist heathen who burns bibles, punches believers and spends your time in internet chat rooms preaching about how much smarter atheists are than we foolish believers. (Think atheists don't preach? Think again).

Tebow is without question the most polarizing sports star out there. So it's impossible to be objective about him. Most people either love him or you hate him. Part of the hate is based in jealousy. Like him or not, he's an incredibly nice guy who does a huge amount for charity. He also was a very accomplished athlete who competed on a high level.

Sadly though, his skill set never translated well to pro football. He won some games and that is impressive, but professional coaches never thought he could throw the ball well enough to be a long term success in the NFL. Did his Christian faith hurt him? In my view, only slightly. Some other quarterbacks and athletes are vocal Christians and they had long careers. Eventually only your stats matter in the pros.

Now he's trying to play baseball. I think he's in for a rude awakening. In baseball you need more than an athletic skill set, you need a baseball skill set. You need to know how to hit a curveball and deal with pitchers who have plans and methods on how to get you out. At his age (30) and not having played professional baseball ever-he can't just be plugged into the majors. He will need to humble himself and play in rookie ball, probably below the "A" level.

I do wish him the best but if he thinks baseball can be played as an afterthought after failing at professional football, he is very wrong.