Schools are NOT "safe sex" zones

Robert Keith Bryan, a local public school teacher, clearly took advantage of his students. He was convicted of improperly touching young girls and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

I cannot imagine any teacher justifying touching any student under their clothing, as Bryan did. (Apparently, neither could the jury!) He was, perhaps, in denial about his sexual predilections. (Maybe he still is.) He "got his jollies off", apparently, touching young girls in seemingly "casual" ways. He thought he could get away with it. (And he did! For a long time!) But he was only kidding himself. His lust was transparent to others. (Touching a student on her chest, under her shirt, is a clear give-away!)

Whatever psycho-sexual stage of development Bryan "missed" or became "fixated" on, I hope he transcends it. He needs help. I wonder if he'll get that help in prison. (I've heard prison inmates dish out horrible abuse to pedophiles. Will that "help" Bryan?)

What's even more difficult to imagine is how anyone "deserves" to be compensated $650,000 of public money for merely being touched in passing, even inappropriately (on the thigh or chest, for example). 

I, personally, would let almost anyone, anywhere, for any reason, at any time, touch me on my chest -- or almost anywhere else! -- for a few seconds, for $650,000! Call me a pervert or a prostitute, but, truth be told, I'd probably let them do it for a lot longer for a lot less! (And so would you!)

Don't get me wrong. What Bryan did was very disordered. The impulses that inspire pedophiles are unnatural, even unimaginable, to "normal" people. But I've had several doctors touch me in unmentionable places, many times since my youth -- putting their hands and fingers in places where the sun don't shine -- and not one of them ever paid me for the privilege! Certainly not over half a million dollars! (In fact, as uncomfortable as it usually was for me, I've always had to pay them!)

Bryan's punishment (and rehabilitation) would be much better served at the "working" end of a baseball bat. Only unrelenting, intense, overwhelming, vomit-inducing fear and pain can effectively "reorient" any child molester. (Or any other molester, for that matter.) The punishment needs to be so severe and so devastating that no molester would ever consider repeating the abuse! Without experiencing such gut-wrenching anguish, Bryan frankly has no reason to repent. He may still be entertained (even in his own mind!) by his inordinate affections.

In other words, Mr. Bryan needs to have the living shit beaten out of him. 

For his own good.

(The "old" ways are preferable to the "new"...and they are certainly less expensive, more efficient and effective!)

The "void" created by overwhelming pain "driving out" inordinate lusts and affections from a pedophile's (or any addict's) heart and mind needs to be filled with overwhelming love for something else for the "transformation" to be permanent. That love serves as the new "addiction" (or healthy "outlet" for the addict's energies and preoccupations). Having "cleaned house" of "demons", as it were, the "landlord" must "refurnish" with something else, something better, before vagrants, vagabonds, and squatters bring their own junk and take over, "occupying" the space.

Corporal punishment (or being beaten to within an inch of your life) is not the only way to experience sufficient anguish to fully repent. One who comes into the presence of God (or His holiness) perceives his own unworthiness and utter impending destruction and likewise experiences the self-same, heart-rending, body-piercing, mind-altering pain and anguish that potentially induces a full and complete recovery. In fact, this kind of repentance is preferable to the former, as it comes from within, voluntarily, rather than from without, involuntarily, and the holy Being inducing such sentiments is, Himself, the embodiment of perfect love. The perfect "light" to fill any void of darkness.

(That has been my experience with repentance, at least.)

Because actual pedophiles (like Bryan) are too expensive and destructive to society and school districts to tolerate, people are "on the lookout" for them and non-pedophiles (who likewise work with children) are now being prosecuted, persecuted and falsely accused. 

The witch hunt for pedophiles at Coachella Valley Unified, Desert Sands Unified and other school districts is so intense and pervasive that otherwise innocuous teacher comments like "You must be hot!" and "You behaved. It was a good day!" are characterized as "sexual harassment" and inordinate "flirtation"!

Awful children have learned from experience that accusing teachers of sexual misconduct allows them to get away with (and get) almost anything. (Administrators have learned this, too.)

Simply touching a sleeping (or talkative) student on the shoulder -- to tacitly say "Wake up!" or "I see what you're doing, get back to work!" -- is now labeled as "sexual assault" (if the student is failing and wants to get a passing grade).

A male teacher -- sitting alone at his desk, rubbing his face, trying to remember if he shaved or not that morning while his students take a test -- is described as "leering" at students and "stroking himself in a sensual and most improper manner" -- especially if he reacts to a female student cheating! 

Complimenting a cheerleader who asks "How do I look?" by saying "I like your new uniform" risks further allegations of impropriety from unwitting (and paranoid) parents.

I've experienced all of this as a teacher.

The school yard is a not a "safe" or "innocent" playground, but a minefield of impropriety. (I say this to the uninitiated.) 

At one high school I taught at in this valley, I saw scantily-clad females "pole dancing" -- literally in cages! -- for a school assembly. (Who advised these students? That person should be fired!) I walked out of that assembly in disgust. I saw black students simulating intercourse while dancing to music in the school courtyard at lunch time. When an offended Hispanic cafeteria worker complained to the principal, saying "Mr. _____, they're f***ing!", the principal pointed toward the cafeteria and told her "Get back to work!" (He said nothing to the students.) When a group of boys gathered around a cell phone, I stood on a concrete bench nearby to see what they were looking at. (They were looking at pornography.) I called a security guard to intervene, but he commanded me to get down from my perch and did nothing to stop the students. After I complained to the principal, I was fired.

At a middle school where I taught, colleagues discovered 8th graders having sex in a bathroom. I personally heard an adult performer, a "rapper", at that school tell an auditorium full of middle schoolers "Put my cock in your mouth," several times. (He said it was part of his "act".) I complained, but the administration did nothing. The school dances were nothing short of simulated orgies, replete with vulgar, pornographic music and simulated (if not actual) sex acts performed on the dance floor. Chaperones were encouraged to "look the other way". (Students don't like being interrupted, interfered with or observed while they're "doing it" and they complain if teachers stop them, getting the teachers in trouble!) When I complained about this sexual abuse of (and by) minors, I was threatened with violating their "civil rights" and was, again, removed from my job!

Many schools today are run by the ULTIMATE child molesters. These "administrators" and "counselors" teach our kids it's "okay" to fornicate, giving them free condoms and even access to abortions, if the children want them (without telling their parents). Heaven help the poor teacher who accidentally touches a student on the butt! But administrators enable the actual rape of children and the abortion (murder!) of grandchildren without any consequence!

Teachers like Bryan go to prison for years for touching children while millions are doled out in compensation for much less than what "administrators" routinely approve of and "administer".

Such is our sick and twisted world.

I sympathize for those victimized by Bryan. But I am not so naive as to believe that he is the only "perpetrator", or even the worst. 

Sexual conduct (and misconduct) is rife in our society -- at home, in church, at school and on the playground. There is groping and fondling and even intercourse happening everywhere, among adults and students alike. 

A woman I dated (before I married) told me how she "seduced" her married high school history teacher (in Utah!) -- having sex with him on the floor by his desk -- while his twin brother taught seminary across the street!

I had one principal threaten me with sexual harassment if I ever opposed his policies. A colleague walked in on that principal and found his secretary straddling his lap! (Both were married to others.) Another colleague -- a vice principal, later promoted to principal -- engaged in numerous affairs, despite having a wife and children of his own. These are the people running our schools!

Not all students are "innocent" either.

I had a former student "flash" me at my desk -- in a room full of students! -- under the guise of "informing" me that she was "cutting" herself, leaving nothing to the imagination. I had a student say to me in front of an entire class: "Mr. Carter, are those keys in your pocket...or are you just happy to see me?" (That happened 22 years ago, during my first year of teaching -- in Utah by the way -- among mostly Mormon 8th graders!) When I thought I had wisely replied "Those are my keys," the student unexpectedly responded: "Mr. Carter, I want to hold your keys!" (That became a running "joke" they "played" on me throughout the year. I didn't have the maturity or sophistication as a new teacher to put a crushing "stop" to it.)

I've seen and heard students do far, far worse than that. Not every student is sexually abused or as adventurous as some, nor is every teacher a lecher or morally compromised. But who among us would not be "rattled" by a student popping up on social media, asking for help with homework, only to have that disappear (off camera), then reappear stark naked, saying "I want you to f*** me"?

How would you handle such an event (without blowing up everyone's lives)? 

I'm reminded that even righteous Joseph, who appropriately responded when propositioned by Potiphar's wife, was still thrown into prison.

Some "traps" just can't be avoided. 

There are laws against such things. But sometimes "addicts" are "made", "injected" with "heroin" against their will. These have to fight their way back to "sobriety" at great cost.

I'd be a millionaire if I collected on every "debt" owed to me by those who have abused me. 

But I'd be a pauper again if I had to "pay" every debt I owed.

***

UPDATE (Sunday, March 26, 2017): This is unrelated, and yet has everything to do with what I wrote above. 

I went to a bar and restaurant last night with a friend. I didn't dance, eat, drink or even talk with any of the other patrons. I simply observed, then left. There were several "beautiful" people there. I wasn't interested in any of them or in anything I saw going on there. 

Why?

Because my cup was already "full". I have a wife and wonderful children of my own at home. My wife can be lots of fun! (We've done our share of dancing and other stuff.) But there's something noble and virtuous about womanhood and motherhood that is completely disassociated from the kind hedonism and "partying" I saw on display last night. I couldn't even imagine sharing that experience with anyone but my wife. 

Not everyone is so fortunate. The world is filled with "starving", desperate, lonely people. Even "attractive" people, "rich" people, "smart" people, "successful" people feel the aches and pains of loneliness, deprivation and "unlove" that come to all of us at some point (maybe many points) during our lives.

My "cup" was "full" last night, even though I was alone. I came to see what "life" was like "out there" for my friend and for others. I came away feeling very grateful for what I have. (Even if what I have is much, much less than what I used to have!) 

I won't call what I saw last night "vacuous". There's a time and place for each of us to "celebrate", to let our hair down (those of us who still have hair!), kick up our heels and just be a little "crazy"! (It's very therapeutic, in fact!) A life "punctuated" by such moments benefits from the occasional "exclamation mark". 

But an endless stream of such marks (!!!!!!!!!!!) lacks all understanding. 

I have a wife I love and children I adore. They mean EVERYTHING to me. My joys and sorrows, labors and pleasures, wrecks and rebuildings are made sweeter, even endurable, by knowing she and they are there for me and with me. I don't know what I would do without them. 

Actually, I do know. I've lived a "lifetime" already without them. And during that lifetime, I missed them terribly. Like many of those on the dance floor I saw last night, I yearned to have my "cup" filled to overflowing with love and passion and excitement (like I have now) only to find it "empty". 

The kind of love I seek and yearn to appreciate in its entirety can't be found in a bar, a restaurant or a dance hall. It transcends time. The woman I want to be with isn't "just" someone who can wiggle and gyrate to flashing lights or pulsating sounds. She's not "just" a ravishable beauty. She's a mother, a saint, a caregiver, a lover, a friend and confidant, a soulmate and companion through thick and thin. Frankly, she is the "other half" of that dynamic duo of servants known as "king and queen" to a endless progeny of souls seeking holiness and immortality in Christ.

You won't find that in a nightclub, I imagine. (At least, I never have.)

Doctrine of Christ Conference vs Religion

Nobody reading my blog will be unaware of the Doctrine of Christ Conference being held this weekend, March 18-19, in St. George, Utah. My posting here, therefore, is superfluous. I am going and, of course, you are invited to come with me.

All the information you need is here.

Why this conference?

For me, it is, primarily, an opportunity to fellowship and worship with like-minded (and like-hearted) individuals who have come to understand several truths. (These people are, in fact, now my "church".) The truths they embrace, for the most part, include the following:

Religious organizations can't "save" us. They can have a powerful effect on us. They can guide, support and discipline us. (And, thus, preserve us from a host of evils in countless ways.) 

But no religion, by itself, has power over life and death, the cosmos, etc. Such knowledge and power we ascribe only to God. Religion -- any religion -- isn't God. No book is God. No prophet is God. Only God is God. 

And only God has power to raise us from the dead. 

Those who attend this conference recognize that Jesus Christ, the Son of God -- or the only perfect manifestation of God the Father in the flesh in this world -- is, in fact, God to us. By His merits, following His Father's footsteps, Jesus, the Creator of all created things in this world, has fulfilled His foreordained mission and become our Savior, our Lord, our King and, by adoption, our Eternal Father. 

I don't look to anyone else but Jesus Christ for my salvation and perfection. Because He lives (having gained power over death and hell), I expect to receive from Him (and Him alone) the power of eternal lives: to rise once again in mortality (or in physical form) to live and move and have being. I expect to be with Him again, someday -- for I have followed Him thus far -- and I wish to receive from Him that promise that our association will continue forever.

Those who attend this conference understand that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. More importantly, they believe the words of another today who claims to know Him personally: that Jesus said "I am the way, the record of the truth, and the means for eternal lives, worlds without end: no man comes to the Throne of the Father without me. If you follow me, you will come to the Father’s Throne through me and will thereafter be like him forever." (Testimony of St. John the Beloved)

I believe this.

In this world I want to interact with Jesus in the tabernacle of my spirit (in my "quickened" flesh) to be instructed, directed and inspired by Him: to serve Him, obey Him, follow Him and do His bidding. (Principally that involves serving others.) I do not expect to see or find Him, however, in the desert at this conference. (Though Jesus said His advent to the world would be universally recognized -- and not some "hidden" or "secret" affair -- that would not preclude Him from meeting with us this weekend, if He so chose to do.)

Nevertheless, I lack sufficient faith that Jesus intends to interact with me now. I am filled with self-doubts and disbelief. I am weighed down and dismayed by my own personal circumstances, judging myself to be unfit. I hardly know what to do with myself now.

Like Laman and Lemuel, I am inclined to exclaim: "The Lord maketh no such thing known unto" me! (See 1 Nephi 15:9.) More than one (inspired) person has indicated to me that, when this happens, when communication with heaven is placed on "hold", it's because we've stopped listening. We don't want to hear what heaven has to say.

I confess, hearkening to God lately hasn't been all that pleasant! I'm sure Abinadi wasn't "tickled pink" by the flames (in any pleasant sense) after he obeyed God's command to preach to king Noah and his court about repentance and faith in Christ. Following God has brought me enormous grief of late! (But that's what I asked for: an experience that would bring me closer to Christ.)

I acknowledge this grief, but I also recall that every lasting joy I have ever experienced has likewise come from knowing, serving and obeying Him. 

Perhaps if someone like Joseph Smith took me by the hand, as it were, and said to me: "Come! Let us go up and meet the Lord together!" I would be inspired. (That's what Joseph did with each of the Three Witnesses, introducing them to the heavenly keeper of the golden plates.) I have interacted with Jesus (by the power of His Holy Spirit) in the past. I therefore have full confidence (and recollection) that He is real and divine (though I have not handled Him in the flesh). A lot of water has passed "under the bridge" since then and I have "gone back to fishing," as it were, in many ways. (That's where "religion" helps keep us on the "straight and narrow", as it were...even when that "straight and narrow" is heading in the wrong direction! Most religions, if not all, are now heading in the wrong direction. Thus practicing any "religion" can be damning.)

The Denver Snuffer-produced, Testimony of St. John the Beloved "going back to fishing" account of Peter and his brethren (correlating with KJV John 21) portrays not "backpedaling" but something else entirely: Peter and his brethren are ushered into the presence of God and partake of heavenly things. Subsequent translators of John's record no doubt misunderstood these things, having never experienced them for themselves, and therefore altered the record to make it something more "palatable". As in the game of "telephone", this account has become what we have today, something quaint and charming and instructive -- worthy of any General Conference talk -- but infinitely less than what the record once suggested.

At this conference, I hope to mingle with and hear from those who have seen and spoken with Christ themselves. I hope to be reinvigorated with hope in Him once again. (That is the major purpose of Christian fellowship: to strengthen believers and to convict the unbelieving and disbelieving by the bearing of pure testimony.) 

The goal of the Christian priest ought not be merely to preach of Christ -- thus interjecting himself between us and Deity -- but rather to inspire us to come unto Christ ourselves. (Then to get himself out of the way!) 

Those I know of who claim to have met and currently interact with Christ do just that: they seek not to be followed, but urge all to come unto and follow Christ. THIS IS ONE MARK OF A TRUE MESSENGER. Those who build up churches to themselves, called after their own names, or who cannot testify of meeting, knowing and being saved by Christ personally (or of otherwise experiencing the powers of heaven) are universally witting or unwitting frauds. Except in the most indigent of circumstances, a minister for Christ ought to receive his "wages" from Christ and not from those he ministers to. (Those "wages" will be paid in the form of "treasures in heaven".)

That's about it. This conference will be a weekend of renewal and reflection for me, a chance to "meet and greet" with many, to form new friendships and to rekindle old ones. I hope to strengthen and be strengthened by my brothers and sisters in Christ. I may even bring a change of clothing. (In case I feel the urge to be re-baptized!)

It's a conference for those who wish to come unto Christ, to receive the doctrine of Christ, which is, namely, to believe Christ; to repent of all sin; to be baptized by water and His Spirit; to be cleansed and tutored by Him; to walk in a newness of life leading to eternal life (or lives, as the case may be). 

If I persist in following Jesus Christ, I have faith that He will "awaken" me not just to the possibilities of this life or to an understanding of who I am and who He is, but to receive the promise from Him, steadfast and unmoveable, that He will raise me up again at the Last Day, to live with Him, worlds without end, eventually to receive of His fulness and His glory, even as He received of His Father. 

I want to be with, be like and be even as Christ is. Huge shoes to fill, I know! Who can fill them? 

Only God.

I cannot be Christ in this life. (That's not my calling.) But I can be as Christ. I can be one who keeps the Father's commandments, who seeks to do his Father's will, who begins to call upon God to do His work and to be His hand. That's my goal. 

We must not lose sight of that. Anything less is mere religion. And religions don't "save" anyone.

No much anyway.

  

Becoming as God

Log's Cabin is generally an insightful blog. His latest post, particularly so.

"The primary effect and outcome of love is that we reconcile all conflicts in favor of the other. To love God with all our heart, soul, and might, therefore, means to reconcile every conflict between us and God in God's favor. If he asks us to do something we don't wanna do, we do it anyways. Our own purposes, goals, plans, desires, whatever, take second place to our executing the least of God's commands or requests. Also, we seek to advance God's purposes, so we teach his commandments, and not our own precepts nor doctrines, without fearing what men can do to us. And we accept all that it pleases God to inflict upon us, without trying to avoid it."

This policy, applied scrupulously, makes one a pauper in this world...but a god in the next.

The Key to Seeing Christ

Joseph J. Dewey posted the following observations on Facebook. I don't know to whom to attribute these words, other than to him (and God, for they are revelatory to me).

***

THE KEY TO MANIFESTATION

There are two approaches to seeking entrance into the highest spiritual realms. One that is popular these days in the LDS remnant movement is to seek some sort of personal visitation from Jesus as a sign their calling and election is sure.

If this approach has, as its main intent to receive a sign, then the seeker may be entering a problem area and be in danger of illusion. After all, Jesus spoke these words:

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.” (Matt 16:4)

When Joseph Smith had his first vision he was not seeking any sign, but merely asking for greater knowledge.

The seeking of greater knowledge is the real key to true spiritual manifestations, void of deception. After all, Joseph said that “a man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge.”

Jesus gave an important key that needs to guide the true servant. He said:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” (Matt 24:42-47)

The word “watch” here comes from the Greek GRĒGOREŌ, which literally means to “rouse yourself from sleep, or to be awake or aware.”

The accepted servant therefore must be eternally vigilant and seek to serve his fellow men and his God. And what should be his attitude?

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt 16:24-25)

Seeking a sign that you will be exalted in heaven is seeking to save your eternal life. Of course we all want that as well as to continue our physical life, but one who truly wants to be one with Christ and an accepted servant must not put saving himself first. He must put all things out of his mind except for serving his Lord, which in turn means serving his fellow men and women.

This quote gives the attitude required:

“If you follow the highest you know there will come a time when you will be visited by a Presence, either visible or invisible. It will come at a time that you least expect it and a time when perhaps you feel the least prepared spiritually, but it will come. 

“To dream and wish for the experience will only delay the happening. But if you take the highest you know and go forward in the vineyard of the Master and serve with no end in sight, in season and out of season, in good times and bad. If you serve with love in the dark of night with the same strength as in the light of day, if you continue with loving service through the fiery darts of hate, malice and betrayal and above all if it appears that even your Master and your God seem to completely ignore you as if you do not exist... 

“Through all this you will continue to serve with the highest you know. You continue even if God himself seems to be your enemy putting every obstacle possible in your path and laughing at you as you stumble and fall. You rise up and continue. The time comes that it will not seem to matter to you any more if friends, God or the Masters approve of you or not. It matters not if you are some great chosen one or are looked upon by the Master as the least and most needy of the brethren. You will now serve for the sake of selfless love alone because the need is out there and you sense the need. 

“When this stage is reached in your being one of the Great Ones will take notice and speak: 'Behold, the servant! He has become as one of us. Let us invite him into the circle of higher friendship, brotherhood and service.' 

“But even here the invitation comes not as you expected. All your expectations are shattered and soon replaced by newer ones and the groping in the dark is replaced by walking the path with vision. The reward for your selfless service is sight and as you see the path ahead your heart is filled with joy for that which you see is not what you imagined, but more than you imagined.”

This gift to the servant is best described in this scripture:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)

How this promise is fulfilled will be revealed in a powerful manner to those who are prepared to lose their life in service as guided by the Spirit.

***

After the foregoing was posted on Facebook, my friend Mike Forrest made this wry (but doubt-inducing) observation, demonstrating there must always be two, competing, even contradictory "narratives" or "choices" to embrace, in other words, opposition in all things:

"I wonder if Enos was aware of these philanthropic requirements before he went hunting for wild beasts."

I replied:

"Interesting juxtaposition of "contraindicating" data. Pbbbst! Now I'm frustrated again. (You devil!)"

But Mike Jensen chimed in:

"Signs come after trials of faith. Like Moroni, I find it sad that greater manifestations, revelations, angel support seen or unseen, 2nd Comforter dealings, C&E's, throne experiences, etc are not more common."

That led me to conclude:

"Perhaps when a 'critical mass' of those experiencing these things arises, Mike -- or even when just one (like Joseph Smith) takes us 'into the woods', as it were, and kneels down with us and REASSURES us that IT WILL HAPPEN TODAY, then we -- like the blind man, feeling the Savior's own spittle mixed with dirt, making mud, and having it applied to our darkened eyes -- will begin to believe with sufficient faith (not unlike not-disbelieving Enos, who BELIEVED his father's witness!) to move the heavens to act on our behalf!

"For the just shall live by faith...and the faithful shall be just." 

The REAL climate change deniers

I am a physics and chemistry teacher. (Crass appeal to authority!) What most people don't understand is that humankind contributes only 5% to the total global CO2 picture. In other words, take away humans (and all their cows, cars, etc.) and 95% of all CO2 in our atmosphere would continue to be produced naturally.

They also don't understand that CO2 is a "trace" gas. Only about 4 out of every 10,000 "air" molecules are CO2 molecules. Yet those 4 molecules are responsible for virtually all life on earth. Without them, there would be no vegetation, hence no animal life, hence no us. More CO2 is good for us! Less? Disastrous! There have been epochs of earth's history when the CO2 content of our atmosphere was hundreds of times higher than it is now. (But never much lower.) And life was good back then! Taking CO2 out of the atmosphere wouldn't just be silly and wasteful. It would be deadly for us.

The Sun is the Earth's great "thermostat". (Duh!) When the oceans heat up (by the Sun), they release dissolved (absorbed) CO2 gas (and water vapor) into the atmosphere. The net effect is cooling, reflecting more light back into space. When the oceans cool, they absorb (trap) more CO2 gas (and water). The net effect is to allow more solar radiation to reach the Earth's surface, warming it up.

Positively divine.

Water vapor carries eight times more thermal energy, per molecule, than CO2 does. And there is hundreds of times more water vapor in the atmosphere than there is CO2. Consequently, CO2's "contribution" to "greenhouse gas" is miniscule compared to water.

Yet no one is suggesting we get rid of the water in the atmosphere! That would be preposterous! (Getting rid of the little CO2 we have is even more preposterous!)

Fools manipulate public opinion for their own nefarious purposes as ancient priests manipulated the people by their knowledge of solar eclipses. Only, today, our political / scientific "fools" know even less about Earth's workings than a lowly high school science teacher. 

Al Gore got a "D" in physical science in college. He couldn't be more ignorant about how the world actually "works". His vaunted "knowledge" is fictional. He has learned to say only the lines he needs to say to trick you into thinking he knows anything about what he's talking. His "An Inconvenient Truth" was an artful deception. Too bad. There are many better (counter) arguments.

But few will encounter them...because the profit from being a global warming "prophet" is just too tantalizing.

Making an offender for a word (or a picture)

Marine Le Pen -- France's own aspiring Donald J. Trump -- is running for president of France. As a member of the European Parliament, she has enjoyed immunity from prosecution...until now. That immunity was lifted by the EU, paving the way for her political opponents (controlling French government and siding with the EU and global governance) to prosecute her for...get this..."tweeting of images of Islamic State atrocities."

Apparently it is illegal in France to publish pictures that might offend someone.

She tweeted three pictures of Daesh (or ISIS): (1) decapitating journalist US journalist James Foley, (2) burning alive someone in a cage and (3) crushing someone with a tank -- all under the caption "This is Daesh", by implication, condemning ISIS.

The comments made below by readers of this article speak for me:

"How can any society expect to defeat these barbarians if they hide their atrocities from the own public?? We witnessed the same thing here in America, when they stopped showing the World Trade Center, and the people jumping to their deaths to escape the fire. This effort was led by the Liberals, with the media going along with it."

"The EU will do anything to stop the rise of independence within its borders. Le Pen may stop illegal Muslim immigration, and Merkel won't stand for that."

"Sounds like the French don't want people to see the truth. Radical Islamic Terrorism is a very real thing. I hope she wins the election. The world needs more La Pen's and Trumps to counter the liberals out there."

"This is a joke! Actually it's insanity! Psychotic communist dogma that is far worst than anything that the Soviet Union put in place. - Are you telling me one can't say anything bad about the enemy because it might offend them? Even if it's true! I know Sweden has idiot laws like this where the facts are irrelevant, but France? The European Parliament couldn't care less about Foley's family. This is just a way the reds keep the Nationalists from speaking the truth. If Le Pen tolerates this nonsense, it is national and racial suicide."

"Not a surprise. This is the same Europe where, if a citizen is gang raped in the street in broad daylight, she's charged with incitement if she dares report the incident to the police. Much like in India. In Germany, if you have anything remotely negative to say about the invaders you risk losing your job, having your kids taken away from you, your home destroyed by a mob and being thrown in prison."

They're Comin' to America!

Katie Gooden eloquently advocates not building a wall along America's border:

"Having just seen this come up again, I want to make clear to everyone - if you're for a closed border, than you're advocating for a policy that if it had been consistently implemented throughout history would have had the baby Jesus turned back at the Egyptian border to be murdered. 

Yeah, I mean that. Because that is a patently obvious and truthful statement. Sometimes people need to break the law. Sometimes they have no choice but to flee, even if it is "illegal" for them to do so.  

Mary and Joseph found themselves in that position when King Herod decreed - legally - that all boy children under two be brought to him to be put to death.  

Mary and Joseph disobeyed that law. I think we all know what part of "illegal" they didn't understand, the part where to obey the law meant to violate their conscience and consign their baby - Jesus the Christ - to death.  

They fled to Egypt. Fortunately there was no wall to stop them. No guard dogs, armed guards, drones, tanks or all the other sick things we have on our southern border.  

Modern families often encounter similarly dangerous situations to that which Mary and Joseph suffered. Drug wars, actual wars, terrorism, gangs, weather disasters, they make life untenable and they need to flee or watch their families die.  

Or maybe it's "just" a case of economic hardship and so they come for work so that their kids can have a chance. Like Mary and Joseph wanted their kid to have a chance.  

When you tell such to "stay and fix your country", then you're telling Mary and Joseph to "stay and reform King Herod". Both make as little sense. Those who say it can't even reform their own comparatively freer nation, let alone those dictatorial war torn hell holes."

She goes on to make a compelling argument. Read it! Maybe you'll be tearing apart Trump's wall in no time!

But how do the Katies of this country intend to prevent terrorists and drug dealers from simply driving over our border to blow us up or sell us blow? Modern Israelis -- descendents of the Jews she speaks of -- were being blown to bits by Palestinian terrorists until they built a very secure wall...and the bombings stopped.

Walls do not PREVENT access, they CONTROL it. You have a front door, don't you? I assume you USE it, that it's not there "just for show". 

We have embassies in foreign lands (including Mexico and Canada) to ensure that the oppressed may flee to U.S. for succor and credentials to emigrate from oppressors, if need be. 

Do not confuse the BORDERLESS "boundaries" of Egypt and Israel with modern-day "states", complete with socialist welfare programs. Even the "America" of Emma Lazarus' day DIDN'T have an income tax! Or Social Security! Or welfare! Or Medicaid! Or practically ANY government-funded "benefits"! When the immigrants of that day beat a path to our shores, they came looking for a job, not a handout. (The job was the handout!)

You should visit the government job services / welfare offices here in Southern California. Not a white-skinned creature in the joint. Nary an English-speaker either. The "welfare" side is packed with hundreds of foreign-looking and foreign-sounding peasants. Every day. 

The "jobs" side? 

Like a library on SuperBowl Sunday.

Are you prepared to give these people a job? (No? Then how about your job?) Are you willing to provide them food to eat and a place to sleep in your house? (No? Then why not your bed?) 

If not, then stop pawning them off onto the rest of U.S. to support so you can feel self-righteous about how "compassionate" you are toward Baby Jesus! 

The Nephites (tentatively) welcomed erstwhile "enemy" Lamanites into Nephite-controlled lands, but ONLY AFTER taking a vote of the people (Did we get to vote?) and ONLY AFTER the would-be "refugees" swore off ALL hatred and violence toward the Nephites. 

Do these immigrants (and children of immigrants) blowing up office buildings, night clubs, airports, parade routes, recruiting centers, and military bases while shouting "Allahu akbar!" ("God is the greatest!" in Arabic) pledge fidelity to Americans, rather than their destruction? 

Does EVERY Muslim immigrant coming to America pledge "peace" today? Hardly! I know of MILLIONS who pledge America's overthrow and death to every Jew! 

My first Muslim school yard acquaintance (when I was 14) told me he looked forward to the day when ALL Americans would become Muslim and people like me (Christians) would be converted or killed. I even asked him: "Would you kill even me?" He said he would...if I didn't convert!

We're not talking Baby Jesus here "Comin' to America". We're talking King Herod! Remember, it was the Arab Muslims who sided with the Nazis -- their philosophical "brethren" -- during WWII. The Nazis were defeated (and "re-educated"). As Ann Coulter has called for doing with Muslims, Americans invaded Nazi-held lands, killed their leaders and (re)converted them to Christianity. 

THAT'S how we won the war.

The Muslim Arabs, however, remain a rabble, and unrepentant. They continue their murderous exploits -- and persecutions of Jews, Christians and other "infidels" -- today.

Do you lock your doors at night but demand we don't protect our own border? 

If so, then you're a damned hypocrite. (And maybe even a soon-to-be dead one.)

***

UPDATE: I'd like to add here I DON'T want to see a wall built along America's southernmost border. It would be an eyesore, an irrelevancy and a wasteful expense. A wall wouldn't secure America from the kind of terrorism and "social services rape" we're now experiencing anyway. It would just keep the poorest of the poor from trekking across the desert or swimming the Rio Grande.

If trans-border security (from drug dealers and would-be newborn Americans, gardeners and dishwashers) is what we want, we can "protect" against that by changing the law. Legalize recreational drugs (thus "drying up" the black market for them). Eliminate "anchor baby" status. (It's not constitutional, anyway.) And do away with all forms of government "freebies" for new immigrants.

If we did this in the "land of the free and home of the brave", we'd still have immigrant newborns, gardeners and dishwashers, we'd just be a lot freer and braver!

A tale of two seers

About the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith's translation:

I think -- yeah, I know, who cares what I think? -- you will find the funerary texts to be just that: funerary texts. Abraham referred to them (or something like them) when he wrote his own writings.

The Egyptian texts we have today were like "postcards" to Abraham. He took them (or something like them) with him back home to Palestine, after his travels in Egypt. Those texts were meaningful to Egyptians (being written in "Egyptian"), but Abraham gave them "new" meaning: what he understood them to say and portray about the cosmos. 

Writings back then were precious, even in foreign languages! Abraham used these (or similar) texts to teach truths to his children and to Pharaoh, who likely made a gift to Abraham of funerary texts like these. Abraham mentions this interaction with Pharaoh in his own writings.

Joseph Smith was positively stymied initially trying to "translate" the Book of Abraham (BoA) from the Egyptian papyri by "traditional" means. (He tried for weeks but couldn't do it!) Only after he abandoned that effort directly -- and relied upon "channeling" the Book of Abraham (as he had with the Book of Mormon, JST, Book of Moses, etc.) -- was Joseph able to "translate" the work. Only afterward did Joseph and his associates undertake to compose the Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar (EAG) -- a book intended to "reverse-engineer" the BoA and thus unlock to everyone the "secret" of Egyptian hieroglyphs. (They were unfamiliar with the Rosetta Stone at that time.)

But since the BoA wasn't derived from the funerary texts themselves, this effort proved unproductive as well.

Abraham's writings were something very different from what Joseph Smith and his companions held in their hands and perused. Abraham had written different documents. 

In the same way, Denver Snuffer has recently "translated" the Testimony of St. John the Beloved. Does anyone imagine Denver has in his possession actual ancient texts? Denver has "channeled" this knowledge by faith, through the medium of the Holy Ghost, which testifies of all truth, as Joseph Smith did.

Even Joseph Smith thought he should be able to use the BoA (and the EAG derived from it) to read other Egyptian (even non-Egyptian!) texts. Joseph used the EAG to "successfully" interpret just one symbol from the (fake) Kinderhook plates! Joseph "translated" the only symbol he found on the plates that resembled something included in the EAG. In other words, Joseph Smith was as "duped" by the EAG -- and the "translation" process -- as anyone else! 

And that's astonishing! Because if Joseph KNEW he was an imposter, he wouldn't have been "taken in" by his own deception!

By all appearances, Joseph honestly thought the EAG was an accurate, reliable "translation" of real Egyptian hieroglyphics!

Funny...that God could give Joseph Smith the power to "re-create" actual writings of Abraham -- without documentation of any kind! -- but NOT the knowledge to know that what he did have in his possession wasn't what he thought it was!

Joseph was a fool for Christ's sake! And yet he had the humility to become a fool. That's why Joseph never explained to anyone how he "translated" anything "by the gift and power of God" (even though others certainly saw him "looking" into his hat, etc.). Joseph didn't "understand" it himself! In short, he trusted in the Lord with all his heart and leaned not unto his own understanding; in all his ways he acknowledged God and God directed Joseph's paths.

The things of God are not to be understood by the "natural" man. (They are "foolishness" to him.) God works with power and by faith. (Is that faith "provable" to those who don't believe? Generally not. God mercifully withholds manifestations of "fact" from those who would reject them, for their own good.)

But there are those who know the "facts" -- who have seen and known for themselves, who have built the barges and the boats and have felt the wounds and wielded the swords -- those of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of righteousness.

Do not be dismayed that the Egyptian documents we see do not correspond to the BoA. They never did! They weren't supposed to! They "inspired" Joseph Smith -- just as Dumbo's feather "inspired" Dumbo -- to "see" things AS THEY REALLY WERE long ago. Just as Denver Snuffer has seen them.

Joseph was a seer. So is Denver.

Believe it or not.

But the "proof" is in the "pudding". (You'll just have to "taste" it for yourself.)

Lights Out

On August 21, 2017, America will be plunged into total darkness -- from sea to shining sea -- by an eclipse. The last total eclipse to make American landfall occurred in 1979. (I remember it!) The last to traverse the entire continent, however, occurred 99 years ago.

220 million Americans live within one day's drive of this event. It will skirt Salem, Idaho Falls, and Jackson Hole; make a "direct hit" on Casper before splitting the difference between Kansas City and St. Louis; then blow by Nashville on its way to Charleston.

The totality of darkness (by duration and degree) will be greatest in Illinois and Kentucky: over 2 minutes and 40 seconds!

This maybe-once-in-a-lifetime event (for most of U.S.) will be worth skipping school and taking a day or two off from work to see.

In Oregon, the full eclipse will make landfall at 10:15 am. Stars will shine. Planets will come into view as if at night. The earth will be bathed in total darkness for 1 minute and 50 seconds! (A partial shadow of this eclipse will fall on Salem and four other state capitals.)

In Idaho, the complete shadow will embrace Idaho Falls and Rexburg for 1 minute 49 seconds and 2 minutes 17 seconds, respectively! (Those in Boise and Pocatello should relocate; they are NOT in the line of totality.)

At 11:35 am "night" will fall in Wyoming as the moon's shadow passes over the southern edge of the Grand Teton National Park for 2 minutes and 20 seconds! Weather permitting, this will be, perhaps, the most wondrous spectacle of nature in all of North America that day.

The eclipse will then cut through Nebraska...but nobody lives in Nebraska, so I'll skip it.

At 1:06 pm, St. Joseph (just an hour's drive north of Kansas City) will experience totality for 2 minutes and 38 seconds! This show will get even better as it heads eastward. (Those living in St. Louis should head southward to see it.)

From there the eclipse will pass over states too far from California -- and anyone I know -- for me to care. (If you live in those states, here's some helpful information for you.)

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm

This eclipse will cross America at supersonic speeds, moving to the east coast from the west in just 1 hour and 33 minutes. (It will look from outer space as if a giant hand had drawn a "slash" across the whole of the U.S..) 

Another "American" eclipse will make landfall on April 8, 2024, with the zone of totality passing, surprisingly, through the same regions of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. (Is God trying to tell U.S. something?)

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024/

I, for one, will be travelling with my family (if at all possible) during that week of August 21, 2017. I've been looking forward to this event for over 20 years (when I first found out about it...and met my wife). This date seemed so impossibly far away back then! 

But now it's here. And so are we. 

I pledged to see it with my loved ones. I hope I have that opportunity.

Looks like Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons will be our vacation spot this summer!

Hope to see you there!