JohnsonJones

It's not just one side, it's both sides.
Sure, one side is encouraging people in ways that will have them decrease the population by their lifestyle choices.
The other is making it TOO EXPENSIVE for people to WANT to have families.
Which is worse?
The one that tries to convince them to CHOOSE a lifestyle that is against a family?
Or the one that makes it IMPOSSIBLE to do so without living on welfare or other state subsidy (which ironically those who support such price increases are also against).
Last time we saw this type of stuff on this type of scale it took a world war to get us out of it.
Anyone who think this is only one side (Conservative or Liberal) isn't paying attention.  The adversary OWNS both sides.  His solution is that no matter which side you choose, it's HIS side.
In such a situation one needs the spirit and prayer to choose the right or, as the Prophet has warned, without the spirit we will also be lost among most of the western population which is so consumed by these things today that the things of the Lord are tossed aside in favor of the world's morality and pressures.

Guatemalan Tostada.
They have meat on them as opposed to some places in Mexico.
Most likely my last post perhaps for awhile...as I'm going on my summer research trip soon.  Not to Mexico or Central America though.
Maybe the last one I take forever as well (this or next years perhaps, I'm getting upwards in age to the point that it's actually becoming harder than it has been ever before). 

By the way folks, I started the video at the end of the LDS presentation.  In the 30 min before y'all started watching, she made the legal, moral, and common-sense cases for why the temple should be allowed, and also pre-addressed many of the opposing points.  If anyone is actually thinking the opposing lady's presentation is going without substantive consideration or refutation, just start the video earlier.
This is the first time I've sat through a long video like this, but it's my understanding that no matter where we try to put a temple, people will show up to oppose and present arguments.  For that matter, whenever any human tries to do anything in any neighborhood or town or city, there will be opposition.  

I think JJ did a good job of summarizing.  There is a concern about favoritism which (depending on legal arguments) could be real or imaginary.  And there are specific zoning rules to consider. But that may be more procedural, more than legal.
The things that I found to be foolish arguments were the subjective arguments: eyesore, doesn't fit into the community (especially when the neighboring residents are largely LDS) decrease the "character" of the neighborhood... Decrease land value???  Really?
I'm reminded of the Denver temple (actually in Littleton, CO).  It sits nested in a subdivision which is surrounded by light commercial zoning.  It looks like it fits perfectly.
She also made an argument about the heat island effect from the asphalt parking lot.  I'd think that the Church would be perfectly happy with a concrete parking lot, especially in such a sunny/hot climate as LV.  And although she said that concrete also contributes to heat island, it really doesn't -- at least, not nearly as much as a house or commercial building with composition (asphalt) shingles. And if we're comparing to native sand (Las Vegas is not known for its abundant greenscapes) it is about the same as concrete.
And if she's thinking it will otherwise remain undeveloped, then she's asking for HUGE HOA fees to upkeep that greenspace -- and I'd guess that they already have several parks if it is a large subdivision.

It is my impression that we are in the last-days.  We do not have to guess as much as we need to be aware of the warnings of prophets.  When I was young, strange encounters were just a LG thing.   I developed a theory that the primary (only) cause of homosexuality was masturbation.  Like Jacob in the Book of Mormon – because of the tenderness of the Latter-day Saints I do not intend to discuss these problems in detail.   Only to caution the tendency of the “natural man” for pleasure.  I believe the problems today to have advanced to be products of masturbation mixed with pornography. 
My theory is that the more individuals learn to pleasure themselves, the less they will have to deal with the hassle of other’s personalities and quirks.   The more selfish individuals become the more dealing with others is a hassle, and the more dealing with others is a hassle, the more individuals are susceptible to violence.   The result is that LGBTQ+ will inevitably turn violently on itself – especially for those that find violence as a outlet for pleasure.  Thus, I believe societies with tendencies towards LGBTQ+ or support of LGBTQ+ will inevitably violently destroy themselves.  What concerns me the most about such violent self-destruction is that innocent children will suffer first and the most.
As I understand the closing events of the Last-days – that the societies of man will be divided into two groups.  One is symbolically represented by Zion and the other symbolically represented by Babylon.  I had thought that the war between good and evil would take place between these two possibilities.  I currently think that there will be war everywhere.  But only in Zion will anyone find peace with one another while they yet must deal with those that hate Zion.
 
The Traveler

In my selfish manner, I've hoped that any book I've read I get to take with me.  Sure, it's not physical, but if we have a perfect memory of all our guilt (and thus probably other things as well) in the hereafter, I have this though that any book I've read I'll also have a perfect memory of.
We could reproduce them there!
Terribly infantile of me...I know.
The other thought that crossed my mind is that we are just one world.  Imagine all the other worlds and the histories they have.  If they have a library of those histories, there could be an eternity of history to study and read!
I must admit, I also love libraries.

You know, they tend to get a bad rap.  But they are actually a lot more accurate than pop culture acknowledges.

Back to the topic:
I'd like to tell you the story of my wife's grandmother.  She's in her late 90s.  So, that puts her birth about 20 years after Susan B. Anthony died.  And she fit right in with modern feminists today.  But she had some noticeable differences.
She married in the temple.  She raised 5 children.  Remained married to the same man until his death a few years ago.  She had a career spanning several decades and was also an involved mother.  She had many awards that came from her profession.  So, she was fairly well accomplished.  And all of her children are still members of the Church and actively attend. 
Unfortunately, the results don't end there.  Of her grandchildren only three remain active outside of my wife's branch.
For Grandma's other children: Their only son got divorced twice and is now single with no active children.  One daughter divorced and remarried with only two children still active.  The other daughters married outside the faith and have children who were either never baptized or all left the Church except one.
Of my wife's branch, all but one are active and very strong members of the Church.
Years ago, we were at a family reunion celebrating their 70th anniversary.  And at a point where we were all mingling, Grandma said, "If I had it to do all over again, I never would have had any children."  This was a matter-of-fact statement in front of all her children, spoken as casually as if she were talking about the weather.
Fast forward.  After her husband died.  She came home to an empty house.  And after many days, she began wondering why her children never come to visit her.
The stories of her motherhood are sketchy.  I hear some good tales, some bad.  Some stories where she sacrificed.  Others where she neglected.  So, I don't know her whole story.
What I can say is that after an entire lifetime of condemning the Church and its policy on women and the priesthood and roles of mothers, how much were the children (much less the grandchildren) inspired to believe in such a belief system?
The grandfather was pretty much the model father.  All the children agree on that point.  He did things like teach my wife how to make stained-glass windows.  That sounds like a "crafts" project that a mother or grandmother would teach.  But this man saw it as a hobby that a man does in his shop.  He created memories with his children and grandchildren.  Grandma made memories of her going to work and teaching all the daughters to be working mothers and the son to be a weakling.
At another family reunion, Grandma made a comment about how large her posterity was.  The funny thing about that...
Most of the other branches of the family had working mothers.  But not my MIL.  Of all the grandchildren, most of those with working moms lost their children in the gospel.  I believe that all the other active cousins and spouses are fewer than those from my wife's branch.  And when considering great-grandchildren, it's not even comparable.
While it is possible to be a successful working mother while prioritizing family, there is always something that is lost.  One generation was able to do it with minimal disfunction.  The second generation paid the price for trying to imitate it.  I hope that Pres. Johnson is able to prevent that from happening.

Taser 99% of the time.

I would tell you my ratio, but division by zero is undefined.

Pepper spray is pretty effective if it gets into the eyes.  Taser failures are typically due to one probe not penetrating.  Tasers are sometime effective simply by pulling it out and the subject becoming compliant just from the threat of it being used.  If the taser hits properly you aren't fighting anything, you will have complete muscle lock up.  Some people are unaffected by pepper spray.
 
I've had one pepper spray failure.  That was due to only getting one eye.
I've had three partial failures with the taser.  Two were due to doing what is called a drive stun where no probes are deployed.  Did not have the desired effect.  The third I only got one probe in the guy.  He had baggy clothing and the second probe got caught up in the clothing.
 

Books are an interesting and valuable commodity.   I would say that of all my material possessions, I covet them the most.  However, I am not sealed to any of my books and I have no plan to take them with me when I finish my travels and return home.
 
The Traveler

Quick listen on my part.  Skipped through it somewhat.
I.  Asks all in favor who support the temple to stand up.  2/3s of those attending stand up.  all on the chair's left.  The 1/3 on the chair's right do not stand up.
II.  Gives Valerie 27 minutes to speak
      A.  Normal Laws do not allow churches in U or R districts.
              1.  Does not have compatibility with the surrounding areas.
               2.  Are restricted to a 19 ft ceiling height, but temple will have a 35 foot ceiling height.
      B.    The neighborhood is zoned as residential zoning.  The Temple is a commercial zoned building.
               1.  In order to do so they had to change the laws and make a loophole.
                     a.  This loophole is not done for any other religion,
                     b.  There is separation between the government and religion
                     c.  Showing favoritism to a specific religion is forbidden by the constitution and other laws.
                     d.  They did this by spot zoning which is illegal in some states (but I note, obviously not nevada).
             2.  This was done by Spot Zoning and as such indicates corruption and favortism.
                    a.  Once again, showing favoritism to a specific religion is not allowed by the law
             3.  This is putting a commercial zoning in the middle of a residential neighborhood and detracts from it being a residential neighborhood.
                         1.  It will be a substantial burden on the neighborhood due to several factors (lighting, obstructing view, etc).
                         2.  Worship for the church could be anywhere else, even a normal commercial area rather than a residential.
         C.  Goes on long winded rant restating the above items over again.
III.  Calls in others who are for the temple, they also have equal time.
         A.  First up is the Stake president of the area around where the temple will be built.
               1.  He lives 1700 feet from the spot.
               2.  He is in favor of the Temple
               3.  His membership in the stake also live in the area around the temple (implies they are the majority).
               4.  The members want the temple.
 
        B.  Others come up and basically reflect what the Stake President says (implying that most of those in that neighborhood actually want the temple there).
        C.  Others come up for and against.  Most of those against are saying it will be an eyesore, light pollution, etc.
 
I have summarized the arguments as I spottily heard them and listed them above.
I think the lady who is opposed to it may actually have a case...IF SHE HAS THE MONEY TO PAY FOR A LONG EXTENDED LEGAL BATTLE WITH THE CHURCH (which I find doubtful).  I think she has valid points of favoritism of the government to a specific religion as well as spot zoning (due to said favoritism and an inclination of investigation to see if corruption was also involved because of that).
I don't think most of the other items they complain about will have any weight (burden to the neighborhood, etc).
That said, I expect she doesn't have the money to spend on it, and that since the majority of the neighborhood is in favor of the temple being built, it will be built.
PS: Motion was approved.  Goes to City Council meeting on July 17th.

I see it as literal, but also symbolic of how our own judgements will go before the judgement seat.  You will have the accuser, the advocate, and the Father.  The accuser will point out things (such as, he lived such an easy life, if it had been harder, he would have sinned...etc), which then the defender will point out how this is untrue. 
The trial is actually our mortality and our mortal life. 
And of course, the point is, none of us will get through this life/trial sinless.  Even the most perfect of us (who are not the Savior of course) will end up sinning in some way.

Well, luckily I married a great spouse that understands that Books are my life.  She would never do that to me.  However, if I had a spouse that did that, I think that may be the point of breakage for me (which is why it was important to marry someone who at least respected my love of books). 
Some of the Books I have for history are irreplaceable and from what I understand, quite valuable these days as well.
It would be like tossing money down a drain.
(though honestly, I think of the ones that I've actually had appraised, though those are newer books rather than the older ones in my personal library, the most expensive one was appraised at was around 2500-4000 dollars, depending on who would buy it...etc).

Don't worry, it's not hard to keep up with my family, not sure why people want to...most have surpassed us, so...no worries there!
Your son is a Draftsman???
That's phenomenal.  Is Texas behind the rest of the Nation in Engineering disciplines and such?
Most firms that have been hiring around us have gotten rid of draftsmen these days.  With the programs they are using and the things that they are utilizing, the need for draftsmen seems to have fallen off a cliff.  We no longer even offer such programs at our university the demand is so low, and helping those who were trained in it seems to be better suited to cross training them to a different field then having them persist as such.
Kudos to your son, but I know in many areas that's a very limited career field these days. 
Even when it was still somewhat being useful over a decade ago, the average pay wasn't more than $15-$20 an hour for what we were seeing in the experienced draftsmen as the computer programs and other items were already hitting that field rather hard. 
It hit a couple of the men in our stake rather hard as well and over the past decade most have stopped being draftsmen and moved to connected fields.  When I was serving in leadership it was particularly dire for two families were invested with, as they lost their jobs and were have a tough time finding new ones. 
It must be vastly different in Texas it sounds like.
I'm not really replying to your post, but using it as a jumping off point to respond to the thread's topic.
I am conflicted to some degree about the topic.  I believe mothers should raise their children.  I believe that the lack of mother's in the home have led to a LOT of our societal decay in the West and the failure of morality in our young people (95+% will have marital relation before they are actually married for example).  We see more and more of the younger people simply not having the morals we would think were basic decencies in our day.
I am also a hypocrite.  Let me explain.  I had an incredibly brilliant daughter.  IQ tested over 160.  Extremely intelligent girl.  She literally was the most brilliant child in the area, and the opportunities for her were endless.  I encouraged her to pursue education.  I knew she could be highly successful if she put her mind to it, but when I talk success, I wasn't thinking of her as a home maker, but in the working world. 
And, I was right.  She WAS brilliant.  She was absolutely a wonder to behold.  Then she had children and tried to be a SAHM.  She was absolutely miserable.  Terribly miserable.  Miserable to the point that there was concern for her mental health in a very serious manner.  The best cure was for her to be with someone close to her peer, and that wasn't with the other SAHM generally.  She went back to work and she LOVED it.  She LOVED being at the job. 
I love my daughter.  I want the best for her.  I do not have all the answers.  All I know is that as she tried to be a SAHM it was a terrible thing for her personally.  I can see with her kids how it has affected them.  There are some that have a hard time with the Church.  It probably would have been better if they had a mother that was always home for them, but I don't think that was possible, at least not if we wanted my daughter to still be alive today. 
I don't have the answers.  I can't say that I did the best thing with my kids.  Perhaps it's my fault for encouraging my daughter when she was younger to pursue life and what she could do with it.  I don't know, but I know that the Lord loves her and her children just as much as anyone else. 
 

On the other hand, if your 70-year-old mother had voluntarily donated her basement as a place for goons to keep their Jewish sex slave . . .
We have a strong western tradition of at least giving lip service to the distinction between civilian and military; and the notion that a populace is often not accountable for the acts of its government.  But when you see the public opinion polls about the number of Palestinians (and Palestinian supporters in Europe and the USA) who support the 10/7 attacks . . .
I don’t know.  It makes me reconsider the OT conquest narratives.  Could it be that sometimes, an entire culture is simply beyond rehabilitation/reconciliation; and for the sake of self defense, all that’s left to do is to give them the most humane death your resources permit?

The problem with your assessment is that when the bombings took place the militaries had already been defeated and the cities were defenseless.  I have been to some of the sights where this bombing took place.  In Dresden a brick church (cathedral) (among many of the buildings destroyed) that were not directly bombed were brought down by the intense heat as the city burned that melted the bricks.  60 years after the bombing the damage was so extensive that repairs were still taking place in civilian areas burned.  I have also visited Hiroshima.  The epicenter of the damage was not the seaports but the city itself.  The economy of Hiroshima is mostly agriculture - not military.   Unlike London (I have visited Churchill’s bunker), that was bombed extensively wjere most buildings remained standing, the cities I mentioned were bombed so heavily nothing was left alive (so I was told).
My point is – that as horrible as the destruction and loss of life in Gaza – what we did in the mentioned cities to end WWII was much worse.  No one wins a war.  Whatever the loses are in Gaza it is not enough for Hamas to surrender and forever end the conflict – or for that matter allow the nation of Israel to even exist or allow any Jew to live anywhere without being harassed.  When I was in the middle east I could not find and single Muslem that did not want to live in peace and allow Israel the same.  However, the banking structure of the “West” is a problem and I have yet to find a Muslem anywhere that does not believe Satan is in direct control of societies burdened by compound interest (think credit cards and mortgage).
There is a disconnect between western societies and the Muslem world and it seems to me that leaders on both sides are exploiting the disconnect and that the matters are moving rapidly towards getting worse rather than better.  That our current administration (Biden in particular) is not willing to expand or even continue the Abraham Accords is, in my mind, the greatest blunder of our generation and time.  But then – all this is – I believe – prophesy that we LDS (or any Christian) should expect.  What ever one’s individual status is – I would suggest a renewal of covenants and repentance.
 
The Traveler

There has never been a Palestinian State.  The Middle East has always been multicultural.  One would think that those trying to live there would figure out how to get along with other cultures.  Having visited Israel – I was amazed with how many religions are tied to the area.  The only place I discovered would not allow an established secondary religious worship facility was anywhere under Palestinian authority.
I have also visited Vatican City and I experienced that no one enters that city without permission and crossing a check point – It is was not easier than passing check points in Isarel.
 
The Traveler

Let's be clear about what happened. Two Jordanian immigrants, one of whom was apparently on a watch list, attempted to enter Quantico base. They failed. They didn't have the proper credentials to enter, and barriers at the checkpoint were sufficient to stop them when they tried to proceed without authorization. Both men are now in ICE custody. Looks like the base security worked exactly how it was supposed to. 
Link
So, are they illegal immigrants or are they asylum-seekers? Which is it? Because it can't be both. Exploiting the asylum program can be argued as morally unethical, but that's not the same as illegal. IIRC, the 9/11 hijackers were here legally. 
How do you differentiate Palestinians from other Arab immigrants/citizens? It's naive to assume that other Arab Americans won't stand in solidarity with Palestinians, and there are 10x more Arab Americans living legally in the US than there are known* Palestinians.
*Palestinians are a stateless people, so their numbers in the US, even prior to the current genocide, are likely underreported. Those who immigrated here had their origin documented, but most of those immigrated over 40 years ago. So, quite a few of today's census-documented Arab Americans are conceivably second generation Palestinian citizens who check the "Arabic" box on the census. 

Anyone wanna summarize the arguments, for those of us without the patience to watch the video?  🙂

The issue with Snopes is that after co-founders David and Barbara Mikkleson divorced, David got the company and immediately got a lot less transparent about how the company was doing its research and fact-checking. This newfound lack of transparency, combined with several fact-checks that critics felt were taking liberties with various definitions, led to questions as to the site's continued accuracy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes#Plagiarism_by_co-founder_David_Mikkelson
Matters came to a head when an investigation revealed that David Mikkleson had been plagiarizing and writing articles for the site under a presumed name. 60 total articles had to be retracted due to this, with Mikkleson ultimately having to step down from his ownership position. 

Ok, that's fine, but her diary entry doesn't say her father sexualized her - that's a leap you're making, not the diary.  It might well be true, or even likely, but I wouldn't call it damning.  
I'm probably just parsing words here.  It's a minor point in the overall news - Biden's daughter said dad showered with her.  The number of people who say otherwise, are watching their evidence crumble away.

If you lived in Utah, that would mean that you have to cross the street to watch it.

Live here on earth is very abundant.  So abundant that perhaps our understanding of life in this universe is skewed beyond realistic possibilities.   The Drake Equation would indicate that intelligent life is so abundant that we should have discovered intelligent life already.  Currently, it is roughly believed that life will exist anywhere it is possible.  This is how things seem to pile up here on earth.  I am of a different thought – Earth is extremely rare, perhaps even a statistical improbability.
There are 4 planets in our solar system that could harbor life in the Goldilocks zone from the sun – that is according to the theories we have concerning life.  But life as we know it only exists on our earth.  But even on earth life is not easy.  Every organism must struggle unceasingly for survival.  Over 99% of the species of life that have evolved on earth are now extinct.   Intelligent life is even rarer.  As an intelligent species we have barely evolved literacy and yet it is widely circulated and believed that our intelligent species on earth will likely destroy itself (and perhaps lots of other life) within the next 15 years.  The point here is that even on this planet life as we know it is very fragile.
But there is even more.  Earth is unusually oriented for life as we know it.  It is relatively abundant in heavy elements beginning with carbon all the way through plutonium.   These elements are only created (as far as we know) when a star goes supernova.   Because of the half life of very heavy elements, we know that the earth could not have been created here in our solar system.  The best explanation is that the earth was created somewhere closer to the interior of the Milky Way Galaxy and then very quickly flung out to be captured by our sun.  But that is somewhat of a stretch because of the near circular orbit of the earth around the sun. 
Recent discoveries point to more uncertainties for life.  Our sun gives off powerful solar winds.  There is not a clear indication of how our earth was set up with a magnetic sphere protecting the earth from the sun’s powerful solar winds.  Never-the-less the solar winds are necessary for life to exist even though it is because of the solar winds that the other planets in the Goldilocks zone have lost their atmosphere and the water they were created with.  But beyond the reaches of our solar system, beyond the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt and into deep space there is deadly cosmic (gamma) radiation.  In addition, our solar system is traveling at a high rate of speed into this cosmos.  At the outer edge of our solar system that is a war going on with that cosmos and the solar winds are our front-line soldiers keeping the gamma rays from destroying the DNA of every living thing on earth.
It does not look like the Drake Equation takes all that is necessary into account.  If there is intelligent life anywhere else in our universe – statistically it will not be anything like life here on earth.  There is no way for life as we know it to evolve anywhere else – the universe is far to hostel.  Both for any possible generation of life as well as the evolution of such life.  Thus, the technology of any such intelligent life will be indistinguishable from magic or divine miracles.  If we are to continue to survive and evolve we are completely dependent of the intelligence that engineered this extremely slim probable opportunity.   Hopefully such intelligence is a merciful G-d because if it is not then we are doomed along with all our hope and potential.
 
The Traveler