What are your thoughts on this?:

– Darrell Scott - Father of two victims in the Columbine massacre. His daughter died; his son lived through it. This is what he had to say to the House Judiciary Committee on the issue of gun control (he testified on May 27, 1999 [the massacre occurred on April 20, 1999]):

“Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

“The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart.

“In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA – because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question “Why?”
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

“Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

“As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA — I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”

Newt's "Record"

Recently Newt's extra-marital "record" has been in the spot light. Should it matter? Does his "record" affect your vote? Does his "record" cause you any concern about his abilities to be president?

Romney or Newt?

If I had to vote today, I would vote Romney... but I don't want to. Since the first debate of the republican primary race, I have told Jackie that I like Newt. I was always troubled by Romney's inability to give a straight answer - which ability he has radically improved. My vote was always for Newt until I learned of his extra-marital record and I concluded that although he is a great debater, I don't trust him to run our country; if he cannot keep the crucially important marital vow, how can we trust him to keep a vow to defend our country and our laws?
My delema is now this: if Romney gets elected, he will not be able to fix the economy like he says he can. It will be a great disappointment. He will be playing with broken pieces. Romney has good intentions and believes he can help the economy. Unfortunately, no individual can fix our economy until they focus on the major source of problem: OUR PEOPLE.
The people of our country are "broken." Until we, as a people, start being true to our spouse, our children, and any other relationships, including saving in stead of consumer debt, we cannot "fix" the economy. In other words, the economy is not broken because of too much government or bad policies, the economy is broken because the people lack integrity.
Change in government will only go so far; the change must be in the people, in the family.
Thus, I would vote for Romney... but I hope Newt wins to save Romney from experiencing the frustration and failed expectations that await the next republican president.
If you had to vote today, who would you vote for and why?

Ok, briefly. Socialsm is not good. It is not good for choice, families, industry, and under only very specific cercumstances is it sustainable. Socialism is clearly the cousin of commnunism, and inevitably leads to communism. Given, socialism has it merrits, and capitalism is far from perfect, and America is far from being truly capitalistic. For the sake of argument, America is capitalism. The proof is in the pudding. Aaron, you live in Germany, one of the most succesful socialist economies on earth. Is life better there? Is is easier to raise a family? Is the environment more conducive of the gospel of Jesus Christ? There are less poor, that is evident. There are also less families, that is also evident. Capitalism would be great if we took care of our poor, but we do not, instead we rack up debt trying to keep up with the Joneses. This is why our economy is struggling at the moment. Shortly put, we are not keeping the commandments of God, and the Book of Mormon tells us repeatedly what happens if we, as a nation, do not keep God's commandments. Maybe a discussion is needed about what is truly important for a nation. Is it freedom, opportunity, healthcare, food, shelter, protection, equality?

After watching much of the inauguration festivities, I told Jackie that seeing so many people gather to celebrate the success of Obama reminds me of a story in Helaman wherein the wickedness of the people is shown by the fact that they gather together to mourn the death of their wicked chief judge (Helaman 9:10). Obama gave a great speech and it is wonderful and historical that we elected an African-American and thereby distance ourselves from some of our gravest offenses as a nation. Reviewing the joy seen in the massive crowds gathered for the inauguration I wondered if I am misjudging Obama—maybe I am way off.
After long consideration and more research I determined that I am not way off. Although many of Obama’s positions and policies are correct, there are some glaring problems with what Obama stands for and the direction he wants to take our country. I take issue with Obama’s stance on the following issues: Abortion, euthanasia, same-sex couple rights, trade, and taxes (specifically progressive taxes). I have a problem with Obama’s clear intentions to make our system more socialist. Furthermore, I find certain “controversies” surrounding Obama to be significant, such as issues with flag pins and saluting the flag, his obscure religious beliefs and practices, and statements made in relation to the bible and homosexuality.
I will post more and address each issue mentioned specifically above as time permits.

ObamaNation or Abomination?

Obama said in Chicago on December 18 2008: "I think it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It is something that I have been consistant on and something that I intend to be consistant on during my presidency". What a joke. Even the gays are starting to realize something is not right with Obama. When I heard him say that I wanted to ask "So Obama, what are some things that you intend NOT to be consistant on?" He is not even president yet and already his true colors are starting to shine through. How about the attempted selling his senate seat, are we to believe he was not involved? These are his buddies. Corruption is today's word for "Secret Combination", and let's just keep in mind that The Book Of Mormon is written for our day.

Socialism: So what do we think? Is socialism a good thing? What are the merrits of socialism? What are the problems? It SEEMS that socialism goes hand-in-hand with ideas that are detrimental to family, such as abortion and same-sexmarriage? Is there truly a correlation, or is it imagined?