Confessions

I have an obsession with pomegranates. I have Pomegranate peach shampoo and conditioner, Midnight pomegranate hand sanitizer and body wash, pomegranate gum and yes, I ate a pomegranate today. I just like it.

I loved the Twilight books, but did NOT like the movie. I found it disappointing and will probably get crap for saying so. But if you aren't crazy obsessed and watch the movie with some discernment you will realize the movie is not that great.

I am a geek for sci-fi. I used to plan my schedule around watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, I have actually read novels based on Star Trek, and I have been to opening night of all the Star Trek movies since First Contact. One of my favorite shows is Firefly with the accompanying movie Serenity.

One of my favorite things is marathons of America's Next Top Model. I like seeing what they do for the photographs. There are some "interesting" concepts for themes. They put them in graves, hang them from buildings, dress them as men, it cracks me up.

I love Joel McHale!! The Soup on E! is so funny and that guy is hysterical.

Another of my favorite shows is What Not To Wear on TLC. The best part is that I am pretty sure that I am guilty of a lot of the things that the show complains about.

I have never liked Seinfeld. I don't think it's funny. I cannot bring myself to watch an entire episode.

I don't like red licorice. I would much rather have black licorice.

I like Hot Tamales in my popcorn. I won't eat Hot Tamales by themselves, but they are fabulous in movie theater popcorn. Yummy.

I am a chocolate snob. Tootsie rolls are NOT chocolate and white "chocolate" is NOT chocolate! While we are on the subject dark chocolate is the best and only way to go. I don't mind milk chocolate, but why dilute something so delicious with milk?

A Little Laughter

Learning Lessons

http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081110hate.html

Thank goodness for Brigham Young

I spent the weekend before the election in Grand Junction, Colorado with some friends encouraging people to vote. It was great to get out of Utah for a while and just experience a "foreign" culture. One where people don't stare with disgust at the Obama '08 sticker on my car, ask me to park in a different parking lot or just generally give me a look that promises a good shanking later. I didn't have to worry about getting derogatory e-mails concerning my political candidate of choice or tiptoe around everything I said. And to share it with two of my friends was great. People were so accomadating and kind. We stayed overnight in a house belonging to someone who left us a key and told us to make ourselves at home.

Navigating around Grand Junction was often difficult and extremely confusing. The streets often had two names, a letter and an actual name. F Street was also Patterson, Unaweep was also D Street. The best part was the fractional streets. F 1/2, F 1/4, F 3/8. Seriously F and 3/8! Who does that? Apparently a name just wasn't sufficient. Not to mention that house numbers ALSO included fractions. 2650 1/2 and the like. Luckily the houses only had 1/2, we didn't have to worry about anything completely ridiculous like 7/8 or 2/5. Luckily we drove around our first day with a nice woman who had driven down from Salt Lake before and knew her way around better than we did. After that we were okay, but there is something to be said about the brilliance of how the streets of Utah have been laid out. Thank goodness for Brigham Young!

Statements of Fact for LDS Supporters of Proposition 8‏

The following was sent to me by a friend:

Dear Friends,

In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our young people have been especially subject to mean spirited comments by high school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong. In fact, we did everything that a civic minded American can and should do. I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better. For example:

1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California . There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California . Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

Choosing Sides

With the elections past I was hoping for a little peace but alas it is not so. As a liberal Mormon, I admit that I had some reservations about the whole Prop 8 controversy. I spent 5 days in San Diego only a week before the election and it definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things. I admit that I had not heard a lot about the proposition mostly because I didn't realize the impact it was having on people in California. I was conflicted because even as I stand behind the standards of my chosen faith, I also believe that people no matter their race, gender or religion should have equal rights, whether I agree with how they choose to live or not. This thinking can often get me into trouble because at what point does tolerance become acceptance?

I finally had the chance to hear both sides of the argument while in CA. The friend that I was staying with had been involved in the "Yes to Prop 8" campaign and we also spent some time with someone who was involved in the opposite side. I got to listen to them discuss the finer points of the proposition which was good because I had some misconceptions. The most important is that Prop 8 took away the rights of same-sex couples regarding insurance, adoption, and the basic rights as a human being. I have read the actual text for the law and studied both sides and can tell you that it is NOT true. Once I discovered this it made my decision somewhat easier.

Here is my final thinking and I will explain why. If I was a resident of California, I would have voted yes to Prop 8. First and foremost while I am lucky enough not to deal with same-sex attraction, I am no stranger to the dilemma. I will admit that I don't understand and probably never will, but that is okay. I still love the people I know and accept them for who they are and it doesn't mean that I agree with it. Second, my religion is very important to me. It has truly helped define who I am and guides me on a day to day basis. The thing I find interesting is that this is the FIRST time in modern history that the LDS church has taken a position in politics. That alone was important for me to see. I don't think that the leadership did it because they are bigots or want to be divisive. The simple truth is that we believe that as the values of the world change around us, we should not. We live in the latter days and I had to decide for myself who I want to stand with in the end. I am not a bigot and I take offense to anyone who suggests that because I am Mormon that I am.

It's a tough issue for sure, but I wish people would stop placing the "blame" on the LDS church for standing up for something it considers important. As the gap between the values of the world and those of reilgion widen, there are going to be more instances like this when it will no longer be acceptable to be on the fence and sides will need to be chosen. Which side will you choose?