Defense of Truth

Ron Paul Photo from: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about/ Sean Hannity photo from: http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/150507_ron_paul_debate.html I like Congressman and former multiple-election Libertarian party presidential candidate Ron Paul . I do. I admire him for his straight talk, and even more for the fact that he actually does walk it too. I had a conversation with a brother of mine (who I respect immensely and who has researched and thought through many of the aspects of his affiliation with Ron Paul's ideals) at our family reunion recently that helped me understand what appeal he might have in the Republican primary. So between that and a recent Michael Medved interview with him, where he answered so frankly and unapologetically that I almost had a hard time reminding myself that this was a politician, I think it's time I finally address his candidacy and policy positions. First, I espouse the fundamental libertarian ideals on most issues. I think Ron Paul is right on...

Image from: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bantjes.com/marian/pictures/su_grain-elevators.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/002007.html&h=369&w=350&sz=40&hl=en&start=17&sig2=7ksbgBegz682zSMkyJkSRg&tbnid=kWVW9oKZa6ctrM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=116&ei=j2DDRoTYGpOQeayeuMAJ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsask%2Bwheat%2Bpool%2Belevator%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX OK now I'm divided. Upon arrival in Canada for a family reunion my uncle almost had me convinced that socialism isn't a complete failure. Let's be honest, my conservative friends, you are quite right that the economic freedom in a free-enterprise system guarantees the most prosperity, and that alternatives which abridge such freedoms are misguided and are eventually self-defeating. But the dire analyses you make about how terrible things are in socialist countries are often biased and self-serving. Canada's health care ...

Excuse me a little bold language here, without meaning to be harsh, but firm: I have serious doubts as to the qualifications of the historians cited in the PBS special "the Mormons". The same guy who claimed that there was no archeological evidence either for the story of the Exodus or for the Book of Mormon (topic I dealt with here ), made the fantastic claim that the 1830s in America were a time of crisis for the nuclear family. After an hour on various Google searches, I can find no evidence to substantiate that claim. Gold rushes around that time period DID cause a number of families in the East to be more or less temporarily broken, but I don't believe census records on the number of households containing nuclear families reduced so drastically as to support the idea that Joseph Smith's insistence on the sealing of families could be reasonably seen as a reaction to it. And the other female historian makes the nonsensical claim that the question of the celestial s...

Part of my creed as a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (nicknamed the Mormons ) came as a response of founding prophet Joseph Smith to a journalist who was essentially asking what made us different. The text goes as follows: "We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men [sic] the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." I've had this eleventh verse in a series now known as the thirteen Articles of Faith memorized since I was about 10 years old, and still regard it as a profound and profoundly tolerant moral code for how I should regard the deeply held beliefs of others. This does not mean that I should not use all the persuasive powers I can muster to bring those with false beliefs into a knowledge of a true basis for judgment--this was the essence of my reason for volunteering to serve a two-year mission in the Côte d'Ivoire as I did--bu...

Image from: http://www.theatricalcombat.com/Image%20Files/gallery/stickysituation/sticky3.jpg Intellectuals often feel a certain affiliation to cosmopolitanism. They are by and large concentrated in cities (and even there within universities), and are products of the modern refinement and departmentalization of knowledge and inquiry. Their thoughts, concerns and communications span the globe, but are generally so focused at an elite audience that between their cloistered mental departments and the smallness of their community they must formulate and nourish defensive attitudes and stances against the various localisms they must participate in but see beyond. In a quintessentially postmodern way (which is still quite modern nevertheless), they often choose to defend against localisms by celebrating the rootlessness of their modern condition--by celebrating ALL localisms. This is the elite sort of cosmopolitanism Friedman describes in his insightful article which I referenced weeks ago. ...

(Sarko photo from www.smh.com.au/.../2007/04/23/1177180510779.html ) So I guess I'm a little late getting with the times on the technology behind a good traffic generating blog, but in fairness to myself I'm doing this with my own particular goals in mind. My goal is to craft my points enough not to feel ashamed posting them for the grand general public at large, and through that crafting process, think through an issue for my own benefit. To that end, longer posts may be more advisable, but traffic is still desirable since the third part of the goal of making my arguments public is for the comments, and the honing and refining that can come with them. So here's the tripartite plea: If you read something you like, COMMENT, and point out specifically what that was. If you read something you don't like, COMMENT, and point out specifically what that was. If you didn't see something you think I should have included, COMMENT, and point out specifically what that was. An...

I have plenty of material to get to on the topic of global climate change, but for now let me respond to a caller who caused Rush Limbaugh to rant for nearly a half hour on his nationally syndicated radio show yesterday (full transcript here , but will be archived by 6M next Wednesday). While I wish he would change his terminology sometimes, Limbaugh's analysis of this issue is founded in correct principles. First, let individuals and groups be responsible in their decisions as to how they are affecting the environment around them. As a former Chief Scout (the Canadian equivalent of the Eagle), I believe firmly in the majesty of nature and of God's creation, and my default attitude toward such beauty is to take only pictures from it and to leave only footprints on it. With that basic conservationist philosophy explained, I also believe that we were put on this earth to be stewards of the resources it contains, animal, vegetable, and mineral. This means that we will be held acc...