Dirty Politics

Politics is a messy thing. Self-governance as a people united of, by, and for each other is a high ideal rarely obtained. The political choices are almost always the least bad of bad options. Progress is generally made only through compromise. And of our political aspirants we often want to ask, "Why are your doing this?" "What for?" "What's in it for me?" and "By what authority?"

In Recovery from Walking Pneumonia

Hello, Codeine, my old friend
You're here to cure my lungs again
because the doctor said I've got the grip
That pneumonia let my lungs to slip

And the yellow crud is alive in my mucus cough
work is off
and I'm home in silence . . .

Trump Didn't Pay Any Taxes!

He says that makes him smart.

I pay taxes, so I must be pretty dumb.

The Clintons pay taxes. They've released years of tax returns. The Obamas pay taxes. The Bushes pay taxes. Even wealthy businessman, Mitt Romney, contrary to the false assertions of Harry Reid, paid taxes. Are they all dumber than Donald Trump?

Hamilton Saves the Union through Music

There is some kind of WWF contest on TV Monday night. Andy Kaufman is back wrestling a woman again or something. Maybe it's Roller Derby. Regardless of the high entertainment value of Hillary vs. the Donald in the ring, the real hope for America lies in Hamilton, the Musical.

PBS will be showing a special on the Musical phenom on October 21st, just a couple of weeks before the presidential election.

Joseph Smith on The U.S. Constitution - A Call for Protection of Minority Rights as in the Fourteenth Amendment

I've written some on this before including a guest opinion piece in the Salt Lake Tribune. Now that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Historian's Office has published the Council of Fifty Records, we can see for the first time, the full quote from Joseph Smith as recorded in that Council.

Joseph Smith on 11 April 1844: