BYU valedictorian comes out as gay in speech

A BYU student came out as a member of the homosexual community in his speech.  I'm happy for him, and I'm happy that he's comfortable enough with his himself and his sexuality that he can announce this to the entire class. I'm glad that even at BYU people are coming to terms with the changing customs. Hopefully, his classmates cheered and applauded his courage-they should have, because what he did takes major backbone.

The only negative, and it's a small one, is that now the graduation will be about his sexuality rather than the accomplishments that everyone achieved. No, it's not a big negative, I said it's a small one, but I don't want everyones accomplishments lost in this discussion about his sexuality. It concerns me that people will misread what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't support him, and like I said, the negative is very small but also needs to be addressed. Hopefully everyone in this class will be remembered for what they accomplish and his announcement, while positive, will be part of the larger picture.

Quarterbacks insensitive tweets. From 8th grade

You read that correctly. Because people who love to be offended have way too much time on their hands, they found things someone Tweeted about when this recently drafted QB was in 8th grade. Dead serious.

Things like this are why people distrust and dislike mainstream media. I can assure you that if I poked around in your dirty laundry, especially very old dirty laundry, I could find things you are ashamed of saying as well. Anyone judging or critiquing the kid now for what he did when he was in 8th grade needs to take a long, hard look at themselves.

Scripture Sunday 2 Nephi 26:28

No, I'm not naive. There are groups and cliques present in all churches and the LDS church is no different. Sadly, wherever there are humans gathering, there will be factions and groups. Part of our fallen condition is to seek out people who we think are like us, and sometimes we are very superficial when we are doing so. However there are several passages in the Book of Mormon that caution us about splitting up our church. 

"Behold I say unto you, Nay, but all men are privileged the one like unto the other and none are forbidden." I love this passage. Not only does it equalize all of us in the eyes of God, but it should equalize all of us in the eyes of the church. From the prophet to the newest member in church, spiritually and in the view of the Almighty all of us are the same. 

Trump swings back to sanity

One of my many problems with the President is his support for the anti-vaccine crowd, who I view as the most dangerous people out there. Are you pro-life but against vaccines? Then guess what, you aren't really pro life because vaccines save lives too. Are you against guns and vaccines? Guess what, you aren't really for saving lives because vaccines....save lives.  In fact, on my Facebook I have ban rule. Anyone talking about about anti-vaccine garbage gets the immediate ax, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

However Trump seemed to go back into reality-suggesting that people get the measles shot. I can't say how much I support him. Thank God he's finally reached a point of sanity that many of his followers simply can't grasp. I don't care how anti-Trump you are-he's right about this, and I hope he opens his mind the scientific evidence that vaccines save lives.

Album of the weekend

High Spirits-You Are Here

I downloaded this album on a whim, partially because it was under ten dollars and partially because I read about them somewhere and wanted to check them out. This band is not thrash metal by any stretch, but it's clear they've been influenced by it. The songs are short but still have great guitar solos and a metal sound to them. To me it sounds different-but it's a positive kind of different, almost like a mix of punk and metal.

Others may not hear it, but the lead singer has a moody sound to his voice that I just love. A great compliment to a band is seeking out their music after listening to one of their albums. That's what I intend to do after I stop listening to this one.

Should we arm teachers?

I'm much more sympathetic to the pro gun side than I am to the anti gun side. For many reasons, I think a more armed society is a more polite society. Gun bans do absolutely nothing but make people sitting ducks, totally unable to defend themselves from an armed lunatic. If everyone was well trained and carried a firearm, crime would probably plummet and we'd be living in a much safer society.

But I'm not naive. I don't think the second amendment will protect you from a tyrannical government. Your 12 gauge shotgun won't do anything against an M2A2 Bradley tank. And arming random people without training them will cause extreme damage. You'll see people leaving loaded firearms in places where anyone can get them. You'll see overly paranoid people shooting first and asking questions later. You'll have people shooting at a bad guy and missing. You'll see people shooting at a bad guy and hitting a good guy. In other words, putting more guns in school without properly training teachers is a terrible idea. It takes more than five hours to make yourself fully prepared to defend yourself and others against an armed predator. .

Britney Spears mental health issues

It should be obvious but in case it's not, I'm not a fan of her music. I have nothing against her personally and think she is probably a good person. Is she washed up? Yes, but many of my favorite bands are way past the stage so I can't really say anything about it. What I can say something about is people making fun of her mental illness problems.

Look, I get it, we do live in an over sensitive society that loves to play the victim and claim moral superiority by talking about how offended we are over certain topics. I'm not offended by people making stupid jokes about her mental state, I just think they are crass and rude. If it even needs to be said, yes, you have every right to make jokes about any topic, and yes, I have every right to say that those jokes are tasteless and tacky.

Sense of humor is notoriously subjective and we all turn into snowflakes when someone hits a nerve. In theory anything can be made fun of, from me being adopted to her mental problems. But there is a huge difference between just pointing and laughing and making a funny joke.