Prop. 8, Four Years Later

We all knew this day would come.

Even as the votes were tallied and California voters opted to pass Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and a woman, those of us on the fight's frontlines knew it wasn't over. A sigh, perhaps, of temporary relief - we cleared one hurdle, won one battle. But we knew the fight wouldn't end until the case was ruled on by the Supreme Court.

And that time is now.

Prop. 8 is a tender subject for me. In many ways, being as involved hands on as I was really, truly changed my life for the better - but it wasn't about marriage, then or now.

For me, it was about integrity.

I believe in prophets. I believe in continuing revelation. I accept that while I may not see what lies ahead for us, and I may not understand what the consequences of varied courses of action may have, I do know that God has called men to be prophets, seers, and revelators. They are watchmen on the tower, and they receive guidance from God regarding how to act and advise for the best of God's children.

It's easy to follow the prophet when his requests aren't all that demanding. But what do you do when they truly test your soul and commitment and endurance?

As my hero Neal A. Maxwell put it, "Not shrinking is more important than surviving."

Well, I've never been one to shrink.

And so, while I know it's an unpopular stance, and while I know I may lose friends over this, I want to once again reaffirm that I support Proposition 8. There's a plethora of reasons I could give, supported and driven by hours upon hours of research I pored into the issue in 2008, but at the end of the day, it comes down to this: men who I sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators specifically asked my peers and myself via satellite broadcast in October 2008 to get involved in support of Proposition 8. I personally walked out of that fireside with strong, bold, clear direction about how specifically I was supposed to engage. My friend Heather and I hopped online immediately upon returning home and set up Preserving Marriage, springboarding from the LDS Church's website PreservingMarriage.org, as a group blog for several of our friends and ourselves to share insights and reasons for supporting traditional marriage. I spent hours of my evenings making phone calls; I spent Saturdays walking the streets of San Juan Capistrano to go door to door, explaining why the proposition made sense.

It wasn't easy. For one thing, some of my dearest, favorite, cherished friends are gay. I love them. I want them to be happy, and I know that they want marriage. I support them in their relationships. For another thing, getting involved in this made my friends and me targets of hatred and vitriol. Some even lost their livelihoods over it; goodness knows we all lost friends over the issue. Clearly "tolerance" only applies when you're arguing on one side of the issue. For those of us on the other side, no holds were barred in mocking, shaming, scorn, and insults.

But still, I knew that I aligned my actions with my belief in following the prophets, and regardless of what anyone else thinks on the matter, I know in my heart that I did what God asked. And I know that my life has been enriched immeasurably for acting with faith, integrity, and courage.

Meanwhile, I wish people could see the issue from my side of the line. It's not about hate or fear or homophobia or any negative emotion. It's about a firmly rooted belief in God and trust in His word. He is not a fickle God, and what He declares, He does for a reason. Yes, I understand that that line of reasoning doesn't hold up in today's forum of ideas -- in fact, the irreligious would argue it isn't "reasoning" in the first place. I don't care. I believe that respect is a two-way street. I would never shun or shame someone for taking a stand because I understand and respect that they reached that conclusion from a life experience that differs from mine. I would hope others would permit me the same space and freedom.

And so, honestly, when it comes to the court ruling... I'm ambivalent. I will be shocked to see Prop. 8 upheld. I just plain don't think it will happen. But regardless of that, I am proud to have taken a stand when it wasn't easy or popular because I knew it was right according to the beliefs I profess. I don't expect others to understand, but I hope they will appreciate that integrity, and I hope they will understand it's possible to unfailingly love all of God's children, regardless of their actions and choices, while still toeing the line God has drawn.

Presidential Truthiness

Do we love how Washington had his dollar-bill head even as a boy? Kinda creepy, Grant Wood. Kinda creepy. 

Happy birthday to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln! While I don't think that all U.S. presidents merit celebrating today (Harding? Hayes? Carter?), these two are definitely winners. I was pondering these two great men earlier today, and you know what I realized they both have in common (besides February birthdays)?

Honesty.

Think about it. "Honest Abe." George Washington and that whole cherry-tree legend (which, ironically, is actually not true of itself - made up by Parson Weems and all... but still, I'm sure G-Dub was plenty honest himself).

This makes me wonder - is honesty so rare in politicians that it became a defining trait for two of our nation's finest?

(Need I even ask that question? Is the Pope Catholic? Does, as my friend Mike so delicately puts it, a bear crap in the woods?)

So, in the spirit of good, ol'-fashioned American honesty, I wanted to share some fun--and true--presidential factoids, courtesy The Mental Floss History of the United States (and my own trivial knowledge gained as an American studies major / American Heritage TA):

• George Washington was the only president who lacked a political party--and, in fact, he warned against them in his farewell address. I wonder if that correlates with how he seems to be the only president who escaped snarky nicknames. Dirty political name-calling: an American tradition since 1798.
• Washington was also the Founding Father to free his slaves.
• John Adams and his family got lost in the woods around the White House when moving in. Whoops!
• My personal favorite, James Madison, was our shortest president ever at 5'4 (which has long saddened my tall heart. Ah, Jemmy. We were never to be!).
• John Quincy Adams had a habit of swimming nekked in the Potomac each morning, a fact which journalist Anne Royall exploited: she sat on his clothes until he agreed to grant her an interview!
• Andrew Jackson survived an assassination attempt when the would-be assailant's two guns both misfired, after which Jackson beat the culprit senseless.
• The shortest presidency honor goes to William Henry Harrison, who caught a cold after delivering the longest inauguration speech ever and died just barely over two months later.
• Abraham Lincoln gained respect as a formidable wrestler during his days as a flatboat ferrier on the Mississippi. He was also the tallest president at 6'4. (Swoon!)
• Andrew Johnson was buried with his head resting on a copy of the Constitution. 
• Ulysses S. Grant was not the president's real name. He was born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but the congressman nominating him to the Military Academy got his name wrong, and Grant went with it.
• There were a few wifeless presidents, either from being bachelors or widowers. The only one to wed while in office, however, was Grover Cleveland -- and to a woman less than half his age at that! (She was 21; he was 49. Ewwwww. Creeper!)
• William Howard Taft was the largest president to occupy the Oval Office. In fact, on more than a few occasions he actually got stuck in the White House bathtub!
• Lyndon B. Johnson liked Fresca so much that it was on tap at the White House.
• Richard M. Nixon funded his first congressional campaign with wartime poker winnings.
• Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital.
• George H.W. Bush is distantly related to fellow presidents Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Gerald Ford, as well as to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

More important than trivia (is there such a thing?) are these wise words from the past -- truthiness, indeed! -- that our current leaders should heed:

• "The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." -- John Adams
• "The less government interferes with private pursuits, the better for the general prosperity." -- Martin van Buren
• "I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free." -- William Henry Harrison
• "Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters." -- Grover Cleveland (a wise creeper, apparently)
• "We Americans have no commission from God to police the world." -- Benjamin Harrison
• "Unlike any other nation, here the people rule, and their will is the supreme law." -- William McKinley
• "The world is not going to be saved by legislation." -- William Howard Taft
• "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." -- Ronald Reagan

Thoughts on Election Day

Hey, friends!

Remember once upon a time, when I used to actually blog a lot? Ah, the good ol' days... No, seriously, sorry I've been such a slacker! Things have been busy busy, but in the spirit of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to work to blog every day for the month of November (since I lack the creativity to write a novel in a month, but daily blogging seems doable).

And with that in mind... here's a thought on tomorrow's election:

VOTE.

The voter turnout for midterm elections is abysmal. Seriously, it's usually in the 30%-40% range. How pathetic! Men and women have shed their blood across the globe to secure the blessings of liberty for their posterity - us. What a waste it would be to not utilize that gift by stepping up and opining on who should be leading the country - "driving the car," to evoke the analogy Obama seems to adore. However, I think he'll see that the GOP is not composed of Slurpee-sipping do-nothings; conversely, we're ready to call the tow truck and winch ourselves out of the ditch instead of pushing it further in.

But let's not get all partisan. ;) Sorry, folks. Well, you know me... so that shouldn't be surprising, especially considering how much time I've spent in the last month devoted to campaigning (I'm a Philpot Phan! If you're in the Utah 2nd Congressional District, please join me in sending Morgan to Washington. Matheson's not representative of our district's values!)

But, really. No more politics. Instead, enjoy this video that shows how dirty campaigning has always been a part of the American system. You think the mudslinging's bad now? Try Jefferson vs. Adams circa 1800:

The Mormon Conspiracy?

I found this clip through Meridian Magazine and thought it was such a classic Michael Medved response. What a great guy!!!

A little backstory, but I interned with Michael in 2003 - he's the reason I spent a summer in Seattle. What an amazing experience it was! Anyways, I hope that I contributed to his positive impression of Latter-day Saints. We talked about the gospel just about every time we had a conversation - even over dinner when I was a guest in his home for Shavout, a Jewish holiday. Michael even wished everyone a happy Pioneer Day on July 24th that year!

So, this clip gives me warm fuzzies, especially in the midst of all this anti-Prop. 8 hate. It's true that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its members to be active citizens, not only in politics but in humanitarian service to our fellow man.

That's definitely a conspiracy the world needs more of!

Religion and America: A Prop. 8 History Lesson

During my days at BYU, I TA'ed for American Heritage, a US history / political science / economics / current events GE, for three years, so between taking it once and then teaching it six times, I've pretty much got the class indelibly drilled into me forever.

One of the things that we discussed was the widening circle of rights, and how eventually, if you stretch those circles far enough, one person's right will inevitably butt up against another's. It's precisely what's happening right now!

It is absolutely harrowing to me to see that what my professors said was down the road is right before my eyes.

And for those of you who hated on American Heritage... well, I told you so! ;)

It was probably the most important class we took in college, regardless of major. People just don't know their history! They don't know what they're talking about! I'm so sick of hearing about a "Constitutional right" to marry. So I sat down last night and reread the Constitution, something I think every American should do from time to time. Most of it is about how the government is set up to function, until you get to the Bill of Rights, or the first 10 amendments. Let's review the First Amendment, shall we?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I think it's worth noting that the original wording of the First Amendment proposed by the Senate on March 9, 1789, is that "Congress shall not make any law establishing any religious denomination." The second version stated "Congress shall make no law establishing any particular denomination." Notice the nuanced difference. For the Founders, the terms "religion" and "denomination" are interchangeable. As a writer, I can appreciate why they would leave one and not both. It would have been redundant in their eyes to have both!

Fisher Ames, the Founding Father who offered the version we now know as the First Amendment, wrote in an 1801 magazine article that he was concerned that the Bible might eventually take a backseat in the classroom: "Why then, if these new books for children must be retained, as they will be, should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book?"

And he's the one who finalized that Congress shall not make a ruling on religion!

I respect the protestors' First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly - but their argument should be directed to the government, not the Church. And even then, the people. voted. twice. on. this. Against every odd they stacked against us. Their reaction is so irrational!

Now, an oft-ignored fact by those who shout about a "separation of church and state" is that, first of all, that phrase is NOWHERE to be found in any of our Founding documents. The concept came from the personal writings of Thomas Jefferson, in an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, a group that constituted a religious minority in Connecticut:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

The place where religion is addressed explicitly in the Constitution is in the last clause of Article IV of the Constitution, which stipulates that "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

As Dr. Frank Fox (my academic idol!) wrote:

While a few of the Framers were religious skeptics, most were committed churchmen - and even the skeptics appreciated religion's power to promote civic virtue. The question was, how to bring such power to bear? Some delegates argued for a mild religious test, requiring officeholders to embrace mainstream Christianity.

Experience had shown, however, that religious tests, however mild, had the effect of cementing an official tie between church and state. Several of the Framers regarded such a tie as desirable. No republican society, they argued, could succeed without some official religion. But most of the delegates took the opposite view. Official religion worked two kinds of mischief, they said. It opened the way for the official church to corrupt the political system, and conversely opened the way for the political system to corrupt the official church. Those delegates representing states where a religious establishment still persisted could testify to the baneful effects.

By prohibiting a religious test, the Framers aimed not to destroy the influence of religion on politics but to purify it. The theory went something like this. All believers, now lacking any official capacity, were welcome to exert their influence on govermnet in any way they saw fit - just as any citizens were. And since no denomination stood to gain by the way of patronage, the motives of all must be relatively pure. The only real message a church might have under the Constitution would be to urge integrity, responsibility and a sacralized civic virtue.

And thus we see that the Founding Fathers merely wanted to keep America from facing the issues of a state religion that they had seen in England. They were not men against religion. Some were more devout than others, but that isn't to say they were all secular men, as is so often taught in schools these days. One has only to read George Washington's farewell address to see his view of the importance of religion in America:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

There is much more I could say on the issue, but I'll end with that for today.

Well, one more thought.

Do you know what the first public school law was in America?

"The Old Deluder Satan Act," passed in 1642. It began "It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the scriptures, as in former times..."

I'm just sayin'.

Palin for (Vice) President!

I know, I know - enough about the election already, right?

Two weeks to go, kids! Kind of crazy - this is such a HUGE election. I'm definitely excited for Nov. 5 to see how everything turns out (and to get back to the usual swing of things!).

So, I just have to say, I love Sarah Palin! After Romney was out of the running for the presidential election, I was pretty blah on the whole thing. McCain's not exactly Mr. Charisma, but, then again, Obama's got charisma - and stands pretty much opposite of all my beliefs. Seeing as we're not in high school anymore and this vote actually MEANS something, well, my vote is for the candidate who shares my values - and Obama, that is not (say no to socialism!).

The dismal election brightened for me on Aug. 29 - the day that I first heard the name "Sarah Palin." Ah, yes, I remember it well - Tina and I were getting ready for the day before driving from Phoenix to Tucson, and lo and behold, the news was all about this Alaska governor / hockey mom.

I fell in love.

I won't go into all the info on why I'm a Palin fan, but, gosh, I just like her! I love the breath of fresh air she's brought into the election and really hope that she wins. Er, that McCain wins. Yeah. Some combination thereof.

Anyways, enough of my political soapbox.

So, I love SNL! It's so fun during the election season, even if they do swing too left for my tastes. I have to say, the Sarah Palin stuff is CLASSIC - especially when Palin made an appearance this weekend!

I just finally watched it thanks to the amazing Hulu - and, to share the awesomeness, here it is. Love or hate Palin, you're sure to get a chuckle out of these fantastic sketches. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: these are just my views. Agree or disagree, that's fine - know that I still love ya', and I would fight to the death to protect your freedom of speech to voice your views, regardless of whether I share them. :)

Preserving Marriage for California's Future

Please check out this new blog my friends and I are writing in support of Prop. 8, Preserving Marriage for California's Future.

With this blog, I hope to correct misinformation and spread the word on why it's important to support the California Marriage Amendment.

Deciding to support Prop. 8 wholeheartedly wasn't an immediate and easy decision for me - one of my best friends is gay, and we've had many conversations over the last year about our mutual desire to settle down and raise families. I still want that every bit as much for him - I don't feel that a Yes vote on Prop. 8 and that desire are mutually exclusive, either.

Prop. 8 is a 14-word definition that limits marriage as between a man and a woman in California. It has no effect on same-sex couples' rights as outlined in Section 297.5 of the Family Code (which give them the "same rights, protections and benefits" as married spouses).

• At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal either way, but I feel that more individual rights will be lost if the marriage definition expands, and here's why:
• Marriage is an integral part of the public education curriculum - if Prop. 8 fails, educators will be mandated to teach same-sex marriage without distinguishing it from traditional marriage, and this conflicts with parents who want to teach their children otherwise, based on long-held Judeo-Christian values.
• Churches that don't support same-sex marriage would risk losing their rights, including tax-exempt status.
• Even defining heterosexual marriage as "traditional" is considered hate speech for California state employees already.
• Doctors will be forced to perform artificial insemination for same-sex couples despite their personal beliefs and values - even if other doctors are willing instead - or face lawsuits (which has already happened).
• Faith-based adoption agencies that refuse to place children with same-sex couples will have to shut down (which happened in Massachusetts).

Please take the time to study out this issue, whether or not you're a California voter. California is a trend-setting state, so this election's outcome will have a ripple effect. Please read up on it. Comment on the numerous blogs and news articles out there. Talk to the Californians in your life. If you're a Californian at school, be sure to register to vote absentee.

Beyond all of the sociopolitical ramifications, I feel that marriage is an institution ordained of God wherein a man and woman can raise a family. Gender is an essential part of that plan - men and women are soooo different, children need both examples to be whole. I understand that there are divorces - remember, I grew up the product of one! - but even so, I've learned distinct lessons in masculinity and feminity from my parents and stepparents in ways that can only be learned within that family structure.

Changing the definition of that basic marital relationship will have far-reaching effects - please don't fail to think these out.

Get Involved!!!

Props to Lauren and Micah for posting this video - it gave me goosebumps! I couldn't agree more. This election cycle is critical for voters of any faith. Stand up for your beliefs. Make your voice heard. Life is too precious for apathy.

Hillary and Sarah - Live from New York!

Gotta love when SNL gets in on the political action. Check out this fantastic SNL clip on Hulu - enjoy!