clwnuke

@dprh You got that all wrong! It's BYU's defensive strategy called "Planned Confusion". The idea is that you offer so many open paths down the field that there is a moment of "confusion" in which the opposing player hesitates and can be tackled.
It usually works until the opposing team realizes that it doesn't matter which hole in the line you choose, they are all good .., 🙁

If BYU wants to win games, any game, every player on the team needs to realize that they are never competing against an opponent - they are competing against themselves. It isn't Utah they need to beat, it's mental mistakes and errors they need to beat.
I will be forever grateful for one particular JV soccer coach in my life who worked us into the ground every practice, to a point that we literally hated this coach for his endless demands of perfection in every skill. He was young and had played for the US Olympic team before blowing a knee. He yelled, he pushed, he made you work until your legs and body collapsed to the ground gasping for air. We practiced longer than any other team on the field, often hitting the locker room soaked with mud from diving headers at the end of practice in the rain, walking fully clothed into the showers to rinse off.
He didn't care about winning. For the first several games of the season he demanded that we not score a goal, but that we work the ball down to a point where we could obviously attempt a goal shot, and then turn around and work the ball around the entire field again, and again, and again. Opposing coaches were perplexed.
He taught us that the way to really win was by demanding excellence from yourself - every minute of every game you were to give give every ounce of energy and thought you could muster from the deepest parts of your soul. Play smart, play hard, and play with solid sportsmanship! He demanded that you complement the good plays of the other team, help them up if they fell down, and he would bench you for the slightest unsportsmanlike conduct. He said that you didn't need to hate the other team in order to do your best.
When he finally turned us loose to actually score, we never lost a game. At the end of the season we played the Varsity team before the went to state playoffs. We beat them 3-1, and that was the only day during the entire year that the Varsity team stayed on the field longer than we did. I've never forgotten those lessons.
I have kids who graduated from BYU, Utah, and Utah State so I guess I'm happy no matter who wins - and I will hoping that every player does his best.

Max Hall still hates me.

Let me break it down for you:
1. UofU and BYU are rivals, thus the Holy War is a play on words.
2. BYU hasn't beat the UofU since 2010 in football
3. Thus, UofU is living rent free (play with words) in the heads of BYU players -- thus the reason they are still losing. Or as any sport player knows, when you are in the head of your opponent you are winning.

Interesting perspective @Vort.  I've experienced some less than light hearted rivalry while attending basket ball games between the two down in Provo (never could get football tix.)  I would not say either set of fans is innocent, though I suspect the minority are the problem.
 
That said:

 

These are the types of decrees that are clear signs that the Constitution will hang by a thread.

President Dementia-Biden-Vaccinista now thinks the Labor Department has emergency powers to mandate private companies to require vaccines. What a croc!
This should be a rather short court fight before it is stayed.

On a more serious note, I think this is highly likely in the future as the legal reasons to keep it unlawful seem to be on ever more shaky ground.

Then those who wanted to polygamize would polygamize and the rest of us would listen to our wife

President Dementia-Biden-Vaccinista now thinks the Labor Department has emergency powers to mandate private companies to require vaccines. What a croc!
This should be a rather short court fight before it is stayed.

The historical trend for Presidents (Rep and Dem) to issue more and more Executive Orders and administrative rules, often with dubious legal foundations concerns me. In other countries those types of actions have often been a prelude to the rise of a dictator or a coup - who often justify their actions by saying that they needed to act without checks and balances because it was an emergency.
Politics & Power 101: Create the crisis, then solve it by taking away people's freedom and independence.

I make no secret that I feel people should get vaccinated and that we should wear masks and social distance.  I think this is the right thing to do, and personally what I espouse.  I think their is a great amount of evidence to support it.
here is a mandate that the news is reporting came out today which supposedly will effect 2/3 of the American Population.  I know that people who are against vaccines (they've been around forever against measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, and many other vaccines) have been around for many years, a sign of how anti-science many in the United States have become.  I know that we can require them for schools, but normally these mandates are NOT from the executive branch.
I think that he CAN enforce it upon Federal employees, but mandating that any business with over 100 employees I think may be beyond the purview of his power.  I don't know that this will be something that he can actually DO.  Something seems off with the mandate.  I imagine there will be lawsuits against it rather rapidly (I could also be wrong, but I expect there will be a lawsuit or two that state he cannot force a private business or company or one that is majority owned by an individual or family, to perform such a thing or other such relations to be one that pops ups).

Too far for me.
And I"m one who believes to quite an extent that the antivaxx community is evil and likes to flatter those in it. I think every person of age without contraindications (I get it, I get it, exceptions exist) should get vaccinate because it's the intelligent thing to do. I think the COVID vaccines are an answer to prayers.
But too far. 
But I, too, doubt how enforceable this will be.

I am a bit unclear on the word mandate and its meaning / enforcement / punishment.
I remember back in the day when we used to vote.

@mikbone I believe that one source of confusion for your brother is when the issue is boiled down to the basic statement above. The question is follow what? Let's condense the two statements down to the possible "what" portions:
January 12th 2021
In word and deed, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has supported vaccinations for generations. As a prominent component of our humanitarian efforts, the Church has funded, distributed and administered life-saving vaccines throughout the world. Vaccinations have helped curb or eliminate devastating communicable diseases, such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus, smallpox and measles. Vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life.
As this pandemic spread across the world, the Church immediately canceled meetings, closed temples, and restricted other activities because of our desire to be good global citizens and do our part to fight the pandemic.
Now, COVID-19 vaccines that many have worked, prayed, and fasted for are being developed, and some are being provided. Under the guidelines issued by local health officials, vaccinations were first offered to health care workers, first responders, and other high-priority recipients. Because of their age, Senior Church leaders over 70 now welcome the opportunity to be vaccinated.
As appropriate opportunities become available, the Church urges its members, employees and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization. Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination. In making that determination, we recommend that, where possible, they counsel with a competent medical professional about their personal circumstances and needs.
_________
August 12th 2021
We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.
To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.
We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders. Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.
___________________
Now let's analyze the action words "urge" and "recommend". Is this a mandate, or a command to "follow"? No, not in the strict sense. I think you could possibly classify it as an "instruction", but if you call the Church office building and ask that question you will be given a clear statement that there is no requirement for members to be vaccinated. They will refer you back to the portion in red above. So per the statements and church instruction:
#1 - The Church is not responsible for your health care, you are.
#2: - If people choose to be vaccinated it should not be because President Russell M. Nelson was vaccinated, it's because you read his urging and recommendation, and you discussed the matter with your spouse (which was mentioned in the original release letter reporting), sought competent medical advice, and determined what was correct for your "personal circumstances and needs".
Everything else is pride loudly proclaiming "I'm more righteous than you because I don't need to be commanded in all things!"
IMHO, there would have been no reason to add the language "In making that determination ..," to the original statement if it was pre-determined what the "correct" outcome should be.
The bottom line to me is that everyone who considered the issue carefully, and reached a personal decision to either be vaccinated or not, has followed the Prophet. So when you brother says "Your either follow or don't" I believe he is mistaken in what we were actually supposed to do.
Joseph Smith still had an occasional beer or wine after the Word of Wisdom was revealed, because it was not yet a requirement of the Church to follow. That doesn't shock me, but it does sometimes shock other people until they understand the Spirit in which the Word of Wisdom was given. It wasn't black or white.
I firmly believe that I have followed the counsel given, and I am at complete spiritual peace with my determination to be vaccinated once the Covaxin or Novavax vaccines are available in the United States. Until that time, I mask, I wash, I respect others - and I have not infected a single individual (if the antibody tests are reasonably accurate) - which is more than many vaccinated people can say. At some point I'm sure I will get Covid, and when I do I will isolate. I feel that I am doing my part. I don't know your brother, but I think most people can see the issue in a broader perspective if given the chance.
I share your hope that your brother might feel God's love once again and return to the safety and peace of the True Shepherd's fold.
Curiosity question: Of your family members who are currently inactive, do any of them still believe in the doctrine that they are sons and daughters of God? I find that this specific doctrine seems to have a particular holding power among many who have left Church activity.

Yup still believe in God and the Atonement.  It would take a mighty change of heart and a large helping of humble pie to get my brother back in the fold though.

Part of this thread is why I like JP:
 

'Rolling Stone' Caught Peddling Fake News About Ivermectin 'Horse Dewormer' Overdoses Overwhelming ERs

https://pjmedia.com/uncategorized/megan-fox/2021/09/05/rolling-stone-caught-peddling-fake-news-about-non-existent-ivermectin-overdoses-but-hasnt-even-corrected-the-headline-n1476231
"Rolling Stone magazine is in hot water for publishing fake news about an alleged rash of Ivermectin overdoses that they reported were taking over the emergency rooms in Oklahoma."
" .., the story was totally false. The doctor Rolling Stone quoted, Dr. Jason McElyea, isn’t even working at the emergency room he claimed was overrun by nonexistent Ivermectin overdoses. Rolling Stone issued an update:
UPDATE: Northeastern Hospital System Sequoyah issued a statement: Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months. NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose."
Amazing how the press ran with this without even checking the story out or its sources.

There has never been a successful vaccine for the common cold, or for HIV, despite many efforts. Perhaps the most promising technology I've ever read about that would treat a multitude of virus strains is called DRACO (double-stranded RNA activated caspase oligomerizer). 
Despite DRACO's excellent lab results, it has never been able to attract industry funding to complete development. Skeptics may attribute that to the reluctance of pharmaceutical companies to pursue any solutions that do not provide an ongoing money stream (i.e. develop therapeutics, not cures) but only the developing researcher at MIT (Dr. Todd Rider) would know.
COVID is a double stranded RNA virus and would theoretically be cured by the administration of DRACO, but the US government has not pursued advancing the technology. That does confuse me.

Just for the record - I do have a legal prescription for Ivermectin, and a supply on hand in case I get COVID. It has become too expensive to take prophylactically (demand has doubled the price in recent weeks), but I have taken the recommended dosage.
Ivermectin is tasteless, and most people probably won't notice anything after taking it unless they are sick to begin with.

@JohnsonJones A great set of articles and thoughts on the deep feelings related to this issue.
After reading those, I searched for more and found several. What was interesting to me was the divide - the pro-vaccine arguing that the comparison is wrong, and the anti-vaccine arguing that the comparison is real.
Maybe the issue is that the persecuted (real or perceived) and the persecutors always see the issue differently?
But IMHO here's the kicker, once all the mandates are in place, and the unvaccinated are all forced to stay in tents and isolated camps in Nevada because they lost their jobs and had to sell their homes, and they aren't allowed in stores, or hospitals because their health insurance is being denied, and they can't go to BYU football games, and their internet connections are taken away to prevent them from spreading accurate "misinformation" - the vaccinated majority will likely assume that they are now safer and will act with less regard for Covid safety - so the situation will get worse rather than better. I guess we will see??
 
 

My wife and I were prescribed ivermectin last month.  By a doctor, not a veterinarian.