The Ethan Jolley Report

The Ridiculous Needs More Ridicule

2009-09-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking for a long time about the best way to get the message of dissatisfaction to the "Untouchables" (very appropriate for Chicago politicians, don't you think?) in our government. Apparently they look at angry and vocally concerned citizens as the crazy, right-wing, loony fringe. When they or their socialist policies are met with any kind of disagreement, there is usually a kind of condescending, passive-aggressive response. In public, on television usually, there seems to be this verbal effort to be bi-partisan and diplomatic. Then, particularly with Barack Obama, they go to their venues of comfort, filled with their supporters (such as the AFL-CIO Labor Day rally or whatever it was), and vehemently insist that "they" will not win. In the particular case mentioned, I believe it was in regards to the struggle to pass Obama's ideal health care plan and "they" referred to those who haven't swallowed it whole.

I think the thing that frustrates and disorients people the most, generally speaking, is when their ideas that they hold so dear are ridiculed, especially when they expect them to be embraced. So when you have a very liberal, statist politician who is trying to foist very untenable policy on a people, I think the best remedy is satire, and lots of it. We need lampooning the likes of which have never been seen before. There are funny people out there and they can do this.

Satire is a great mode of criticism because it is not vitriolic and therefore usually not able to be simply dismissed out of hand. People love to laugh and messages seem to be received better when accompanied by laughter and light-heartedness. I am not suggesting that people themselves are made fun of. I don't think that is the right thing to do at all. I am talking about their ridiculous actions, attitudes, ideologies, and speech. There is plenty of material here.

Take a look at one I discovered today that I really like. Not all of it is "laugh-out-loud" funny, but it is humorous and I think we need more of it.

http://optoons.blogspot.com/

If we can laugh at the absurd that constantly spews forth from Washington D.C. and our respective state and local government seats, while embracing and vocally supporting the common sense ideas if, when, or where they occur, we might be able to have more pull with our fellow citizens.

Letter to Salt Lake Tribune

2009-08-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

As amazed as I am, I am told this letter will be published in the liberally slanted Salt Lake Tribune in the coming days (probably on Saturday).

There sure seems to be a lot of those who simultaneously support every agenda and initiative of Big Government yet believe that their own lives will somehow go untouched. It is as though they believe that they will be rewarded for their unconditional loyalty. Here’s the question we must ask ourselves: Am I willing to be the first to allow my freedoms to be limited, assuming that becomes necessary? If I am going to ask my fellow Americans via the government to pay for the welfare of all, I must stand ready to make the sacrifices that are asked of me. If I am not willing to be first in line for that duty, I cannot ask my neighbor to fund these programs. We all must understand that our country, in spite of its reckless fetish for spending, does not have unlimited means. There is always a day of reckoning and we will pay for our loose purse with our wealth, blood, or freedom. Make no mistake: freedom is not free.

Obama's Religious Fervor for Health Care

2009-08-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: "There's been a lot of misinformation in this debate and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness. These are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation, and that is that we look out for one another."

Is President Obama right? Sort of.

Yes, we do have a moral obligation to take care of each other. We are our brothers' (and sisters') keepers.

At the same time, I cannot take money from you to pay for my brother's medical care. That is immoral. The morality of not stealing from my neighbor for any reason at all trumps the morality of providing medical care for by brother. Sorry, that is just the way it is.

I don't think President Obama agrees with that.

To him, though, I don't think this is about providing medical care to the poor in the first place. It is a great cause to campaign upon. It has been that way for a long time. Please understand I am not a proponent of the poverty or suffering of my fellowman. Yet I believe that those poor and unfortunate uninsured or underinsured souls continue to be used as a pawn in a political game whose goal is to amass power and wealth for the rich rulers.

If Obama really believed in the moral obligation to provide life, health, and comfort to others, why wouldn't he be giving his millions to that very cause rather than standing at his pulpit and preaching to us of our moral obligation to do it. (Oh, and by the way, you should trust us, the government, to handle the transaction because we handle your money so responsibly).

President Obama, do not stand there and tell me what my moral obligation is. You don't like me telling your people of their moral obligation to protect life against frivolous abortions. Yes, let's make a deal. You stick to your constitutionally defined role of protecting my life, liberty, and property and I will stick to my divinely mandated role of taking care of my brother (which I do very well on my own, thanks). If he starves or freezes to death or dies of a curable disease because of my neglect, my consequence for that is surely an unpleasant one. But neither I nor God will hold you, President Obama, responsible for being derelict in my duty.

You can be absolutely sure, Mr. President, that God will hold you accountable for abusing your power in making what is not your duty the tool for enriching yourself and those who put you there. That, my friend, is called corruption. We Americans don't look kindly on that sort of thing, so tread carefully.

Good Article from the WSJ

2009-08-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

I thought this article by Dorothy Rabinowitz was a good one. It speaks for itself, but I wanted to emphasize the end point. It is the quiet listeners outside the action who government should really fear. I hope that those quiet listeners will not tune out, but will step in when it counts.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342653428074782.html

Open Letter to the Politicians

2009-06-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

This letter was read on the air by Glenn. I pretty much agree with everything here, so I am posting it. You can replace her personal information with mine and the message would otherwise remain unchanged. (Except I was never a Democrat and was a Republican in name only.)

I am Janet Contreras, a concerned, home-grown American citizen. I am 53, and I have been a registered Democrat all of my adult life. Before the last Presidential election, I registered Republican because I no longer feel the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. I now no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me.
There must be someone, please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me you are there and are willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please do it now.
You might ask yourselves what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me? These are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
* Illegal Immigration—I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S. I am not a racist. This not to be confused with legal immigration.
* TARP Bill—I want it repealed and no further funding supplied to it. We told you “NO!” but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze! Repeal!
* Czars—I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the Czars. No more Czars. Government officials answer to the process not the President. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
* Cap & Trade—the debate on global warming is NOT over, there IS more to say.
* Universal Health Care—I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
* Growing Government Control—I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Please mind your own business; you have enough to do with your REAL obligations. Let’s start there.
* ACORN—I do not want ACORN or its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them on every real estate deal that closes. Stop all funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audit and investigation. I do not trust them with the taking of the census or with taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before the taxpayers get any further involved with them. It walks like a duck and talks like a duck—hello… stop protecting political buddies. You work for the people. Investigate.
* Redistribution of Wealth—No. If I work for it, it is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth I support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do want me to hate my employers? What do your have against shareholders making a profit?
* Charitable Contributions—although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities where we know our needs best and can use local talent and resources. Butt out, please. We want to do this ourselves.
* Corporate Bail Outs—knock it off! Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we will be better off just getting to it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful, like ripping off a band aid. We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us a chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
* Transparency and Accountability—how about it? No really, let’s have it. Let’s say we give the “buzz” words a rest and have some straight, honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with cleaver wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
* Unprecedented Quick Spending—stop it, now. Take a breath. Listen to “The People.”
Let’s just slow down and get some more input from some “non-politicians” on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law.
I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant nor a violent person. I am a mother and grandmother. I am a working woman. I am busy, busy, busy and tired, tired, tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawns and wash our cars on weekends, and be responsible, contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same, all the while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding our Constitution and believed in the checks and balances to keep you from getting too far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think that I find humor in hiring a speed reader to unintelligibly ramble through a bill you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not! It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face! I am not laughing—the arrogance!
Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it, but you expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children? We did not want that TARP bill. We said “NO!” We would repeal it if we could. I am not sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all the recent spending. From my perspective, it seems that you have all gone insane.
I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back!
You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington.

I might be getting caught up in the drama

2009-06-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

As I look at my attempts to get people together for our own little neighborhood 9/12 project, listen daily to Glenn Beck's radio program and just about any other conservative radio show in our area, watch my blood pressure goes up, and feel like my head might actually explode, I have to wonder if maybe I'm getting sucked into the vortex of a drama or if this is just my version of caring about the future.

This might explain my reluctance to call myself a "leader" in a movement meant to rein in the recklessness of a government that seems to be drunk on its own power. In both our meetings to date, I was careful to emphasize that this wasn't about me. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that if they had something to say, I wasn't going to let that voice get stifled. I'm just now wondering if maybe I should be stifling my own a little more.

I wonder these things because I know my propensity to get caught up in drama. When I started the Carterville 9/12 Project, I committed to myself to be level-headed, to look at the facts, to be bound by principles in how I act and by nothing else. So I'm stepping back now and taking a look at myself, at my actions, my words, my direction.

So I ask: Is it just me, or is this government really being reckless with their power? Am I buying into a crazy right-wing conspiracy to start some kind of new revolutionary war which just isn't at that point yet?

When I was a new parent, stark warnings seemed to come from every angle to not shake the baby, no matter how frustrated I got. With our first child, I couldn't really understand how anybody could ever shake their own child and inflict life-threatening injuries. Then we had our second, bless her heart. She cried loud, long, and often as an infant. I finally got to that point where I understood how a father or mother could lose their cool and shake their precious child. I was close. I put our daughter down quickly and walked away. I understood how it could happen, and it scared me. (I love her with all my heart even though, to this day six years later, I find myself getting comparably upset and have to give myself a time-out.)

A father who will not put some distance between himself and his wailing child, and allows himself to get caught up in the "drama," could very well act rashly and do irreversible damage to his precious child. I may not be able to imagine myself taking up my arms and going out against our government now, but who is to say that someone who is normally calm and level-headed and unlikely to rise up in rebellion would never do that under certain circumstances?

Thus, we must all be very deliberate, careful, and measured in our attitudes and actions. Temperance and moderation must prevail in all conditions. Heaven knows, it isn't prevailing in the halls of Congress or in the White House.

Check out the Carterville 9/12ers Blog

2009-05-13T11:10:00.001-07:00

To the right is a link to our group's blog. I hope you'll take a look at it and even become a part of it if you want. We have members in Utah, New York City, and Pensacola, Florida (Skype works really well).

The Carterville 9/12ers

2009-04-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The Meetup Group linked to below is no longer active. Please go to c912ers.blogspot.com for the same group information.

Thanks!

****

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to be doing my own little "9/12 Project" and indicated that I would share more of the details later on.

This last Saturday, April 25, the Carterville 9/12ers held our first meeting. If you want to know more about our group, see http://www.meetup.com/Carterville9-12ers/pages/About_the_Carterville_9-12ers/.

Our first meeting went really well. We had roughly 20 people attend and all who attended had very positive feelings about what we are trying to accomplish. My brother and sister and their spouses even attended via videoconferencing from Pensacola and Manhattan. Our group will begin by becoming more familiar with the Constitution and by reading The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen.

I truly hope this is just the beginning. I know people are busy and have a lot on thier plate, but what is the value of our freedom to keep doing those other activities? I think it is absolutely essential that concerned citizens who care band together to make our government what it needs to be. There is no other way. The only reason corrupt politicians continue to be elected is because most everybody says something like "I'm too busy to bother with politics and my voice doesn't matter anyway." The corruption has worn people down, understandably, so it is going to take people who care to help kindle or rekindle patriotism and political activism in the hearts of our fellow countrymen.

I'm trying to do that with this group. With God as my helper, I'm not going to go down without a fight. This is my country and there is no way I'm going to let some sell-out-two-bit politician, or group of sell-out-two-bit politicians, destroy it without any resistance.

Are You a 9-12er?

2009-03-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

A while back (August 2008), I posted a list of items representing the proper role of government. It was extracted from an article written by Ezra Taft Benson, former Secretary of Agriculture to Pres. Eisenhower in the 1960's. That article, as relevent today as ever, was linked to in my post. I encourage you to go back and read it.

My thoughts have lately been consumed with the state of our economy, our God-given, constitutional rights as citizens of the United States of America, and other themes in common with those ideas. It is nearly impossible (if not impossible!) to make sense of it all. Things change in our country and world at a lightning pace, things that potentially affect all of us. Keeping up on it all is hard enough, let alone making sense of it and drawing conclusions from and connections between events.

I also sent out email messages to friends and family regarding my beliefs and feeling that we need to stand up and be guardians of our liberty. After all, if we don't, who will? It is up to us as citizens to watch our government and make sure they are promoting the general welfare and generally doing what they have been hired to do.

I see our government as a pavilion which protects us as individuals and collectively as a sovereign nation as we, as individuals, pursue life, liberty, and our own pursuit of happiness. That is their entire role in my estimation. I think the constitution supports that view. There should only be enough money in government to support its true cost. That means getting rid of all lobbyists and congressional perks and benefits that extend beyond their terms of service. Government should only be involved in the regulation of industry to the extent that individuals' (and their businesses') rights are protected. (Some environmental policies are therefore necessary... for the protection of individual rights of health and happiness). There should be no benefit, profit, or gain of any kind for a politician to be involved in the regulation of industry.

I think our government leaders have been corrupted by the system we have allowed them to install, particularly in Washington. They seem daily to be tripping over each other to blame parties, politics, politicians, and "greedy corporate America" for their failures. (And often they are right!) They continue to enact wasteful and tangential legislation that does nothing but expand their power and influence where it does not belong. Most egregious, though, is that they seem to have forgotten to whom they are really accountable. And if we're looking for someone to blame for that, well, we can look in the mirror.

The time has come for us to find our voice. I believe part of that voice can be our letters, emails, or phone calls to their offices. But that can only be part of it. Individual voices must be joined with a common voice which will be loud enough to get their attention.

As noble as the missions and ideals of third political parties and candidates are, the answer, I believe, is not to align ourselves with a party or a leader (i.e. Libertarian, Constitution, Ron Paul, etc.). Obviously a good and worthy candidate to represent the People is a necessary and natural result of the process, but that person is not the cause. That party is not the cause.

The cause is Principles. We need to unite around principles. The candidate must espouse those principles and it must be evident in their life, in their work, in their public service. Where a severe deficit in principle exists, that person cannot really be the ideal candidate. I'm not calling for a perfect person here, just somebody who ernestly embodies the principles that are the basis for a free people.

That is why I am uniting around the 9.12 Project. I know already that when people hear the name, or the person who is primarily responsible for launching it, TV and Radio personality Glenn Beck, I know that many people will dismiss it right off the bat. What I would tell those people is that Glenn Beck himself is not about making himself the central figure in this movement. He wants the central figure to be me, and you, and our neighbors. He wants the People to be the movers and shakers. His role is to be a national voice. He has already established that and it can only help the cause of the 9-12ers. But it isn't about Glenn Beck. I don't agree with everything he says, I don't agree with all his approaches to issues or all his conclusions. Sometimes he bugs me. (My wife would never believe that). What I do agree with is the principles and values that are the basis of the 9-12 project. So I support this because of those things. I invite you to support it too, to be a part of it, and if you aren't a part of that, be a part of something that unites people around correct principles, not parties or politicians. Then select your candidates because of the principles they live by, not the fake promises they like to make.

See http://www.the912project.com/ for more information.

I would be interested in knowing what you are a part of to make sure the corrupt crop of politicians are replaced with God-fearing patriots.

As for my part in the 9.12 Project, I am trying to organize a family and community group where the United States Constitution can be discussed, founding principles learned, and the 9 principles and 12 values applied individually and as a group. More details to come.

The 912 Project
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with whom I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The Twelve Values
1-Honesty
2-Reverence
3-Hope
4-Thrift
5-Humility
6-Charity
7-Sincerity
8-Moderation
9-Hard Work
10-Courage
11-Personal Responsibility
12-Gratitude

Thanks Congress, but No Thanks

2009-02-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I like to imagine what it might be like to sort of, you know, put federal government in their place. Anybody who knows me very well knows by now that I am not too impressed with the direction President Obama is taking this country, and even less impressed by the direction our Congress has been taking us for the last several years. Comments on the Internet about their performance are usually very vitriolic and are normally one of two flavors: Democrats are the best thing ever and Republicans stink, or the other way around. I think those arguments are silly. How can you logically point a finger at one side or the other? They're all complicit in our current situation.

I think the solution to the federal government sticking their oversized proboscis in the business of the American people and their greasy palms in their wallets is quite simple. The states simply say to Obama-Pelosi-Reid et al. a simple "Thanks, but no thanks." Then, after talking the talk, we'd walk the walk. Here's what I mean.

First, the states would not accept any "stimulus" money from the federal government. No matter how badly we are hurting, we just don't take it. This would have to be a mandate from the people to the state and local leaders. The message would be this: "We don't take welfare from the feds." Then the local governments, businesses, and public would work it out in the classic free-market way: those that cannot survive, fail.

Second, you are going to have states, like California, that have put themselves in a bad situation that probably will take the money. Fine. You take the money, California, and you, alone, are responsible for the debt that is incurred. Responsible states, like Alaska, that have built up a reserve will not pay for your stupidity. You are on the hook for it. Take what you want, but when the bill comes due it will have your name at the top. I understand that a state is no more and no less than the people who live there. Government doesn't produce, so the taxes from your people will have to pay for it. If people move out of your state and stop paying your taxes, too bad. I guess you go bankrupt and watch as your state is absorbed piece-by-piece by your surrounding, solvent states. Goodbye California, hello New Alaska.

The question is, why can't the states just say no to the federal government? Why can't they just tell it that they have no interest in its help? The fact is, the states can work it out on their own if they just will. Our Founding Fathers would be absolutely astounded at the ridiculous nature of this federal bailout. That isn't what the federal government is supposed to be doing!

Furthermore, the states have the power to tell the federal government that it has very few powers granted it by the constitution and this stimulus isn't part of those powers. They do this by NOT ACCEPTING THE MONEY!!! Yes, the feds can have some taxes to defend us from foreign enemies and provide some other necessary functions, but the states need to get some cajones, if you know what I'm saying, and tell the feds that they need to trim the fat from the budget (mostly by cutting the welfare for special interests and/or campaign donors). Our federal government is a run-away train the only thing that is going to put the brakes on it is lots and lots of people, in the form of states, telling them to STOP THE SPENDING! If we hit a depression, so be it. The only thing worse than a depression is a government that thinks it needs to stop it and will go to any length to do that.

How did the federal government get to be so independent of the people who allow it to exist in the first place? For one reason and one reason alone: We allowed it to happen. Well, we can rein it back in if we will. We just have to be willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to make that happen.

I know this is a simple approach. That is why a whole bunch of experts would say "it won't work." I disagree. I think we need a simple approach to this. I think we need real leaders who will stand up for the right principles and allow the consequences to happen, knowing that things will be better, at least for our progeny. Think of the American Revolutionary War. Our soldiers were not being paid much, or anything at the end, they were ill-equipped, outnumbered, out-flanked, and out-everythinged by the Brits. Where was their strength?

First, they had a real leader, George Washington, who was not in it for his own personal power or glory. He saw the need for a complete breakaway from England, wanted liberty for the people and their posterity, and was willing to go to the extreme without giving up principles. He inspired those sad and pathetic troops to give it all so we could be unencumbered by what? By oppressive government determined to make the colonies dependent on it. They said no, I say no. I see very little difference between an oppressive mother-state trying to keep its colonies dependent and subservient, and an oppressive federal government determined to make the states dependent on it. Those colonies, may I remind the reader, were part of England. Our states are part of the United States of America. The colonies were a small part of the holdings of the British Empire. The states, and here is our strength, is all the federal government has.

I do not wish to be an enemy or a traitor of our great land. I love it. I love what it is supposed to be, though, and not what it is becoming. I love what it has been, and not what it is now. I believe in it. But I'm not naive enough to believe that we don't now have, nor will we never have domestic enemies, whatever their motives. Corruption in Washington, the constant backscratching that happens there, is making domestic enemies of the state out of our so-called leaders. It has to stop. I think it will be, must be, the voice of the people through their states that will halt this ridiculous spending until the next election. Then, if they haven't returned to principles, our government leaders will be fired and we will have representatives that will at least know that we are not tolerant of the corruption.

I know this has been a long essay. I have only one more thing to add. There are people that we say are in high places with lots of cash and hence lots of influence. We erroneously believe that because we lack the cash and hence the influence which they have, that we are not able to effect change. Yes, maybe they can pay off politicians. Maybe they can more easily get into a position of candidacy themselves. Who chooses the leaders though? Ultimately, We the People have the power, don't we? We get to choose who makes and enforces these laws, and who appoints people to judge. The government belongs to us. I am not going to condemn Barack Obama wholesale, or any member of congress, just because of their party or platform. If they violate principle, though, that is when I will not stand still. I feel like they are violating principle. Even though I have a lot of responsibilities in different areas, I resolve to be as involved in the choosing of men and women of principle as I can possibly be.

Proposition 8

2008-10-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

My little entry here is only one of thousands of comments about this particular issue. I wanted, nevertheless, to add my two cents.

I have read a lot of the online postings on news websites about this proposition and people's opinions, reactions, and intentions regarding it. I have had an hour-long conversation with my younger brother Will and a shorter conversation with Erin about it. I have pondered it in my heart. I have questioned myself whether I was being hateful in my arguments. I have prayed about it, mostly to plead for the preservation of righteous and wholesome marriage in this country.

I still have the same opinion after all that.

I am for Proposition 8, even though I'm not voting for it.

I know God loves his children, all of them, even the ones who are deviating from His perfect pattern of families. I have no doubt of that. I am certain he sorrows over the iniquity of His children, obviously because He loves them.

His prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, the only one on the earth authorized to speak for the Lord to all the inhabitants of the earth has sustained what the prophets before him have spoken: marriage right now is for one man and one woman. Perhaps at various times it was commanded for a man to take more than one woman to wife, but the prophet at that time spoke for the Lord when that was needful. Never before and never hereafter has it been or will it be proper or right for members of the same sex to marry or engage in sexual relations one with another. That is the standard set by the Lord communicated by His prophet.

My stand is with the Prophet of the Lord. I raised my hand to sustain him as my prophet. I did that because I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that he is God's mouthpiece. Therefore, I support and sustain his position on this issue. I certainly have compassion for the homosexual, but I cannot vary from that which is right because of that.

Pickens Plan

2008-09-17T10:05:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday I attended a town hall meeting at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The featured speaker was T. Boone Pickens. He was there to present his energy plan to whoever would come and listen. 2000 people showed up. They filled the hall. I don't think that is the whole number of those who are concerned about energy and where we get it from. I can tell you that those in attendance were fired up about this issue.

Mr. Pickens has a lot of good, viable ideas in my opinion. (For what it is worth... and it ain't worth much) The biggest piece of his plan is replacing a large chunk of oil usage with natural gas usage (particularly with transportation of goods) and a large chunk of coal usage with wind power and solar power (focusing first on wind power). To see more details, I'd take a look at his website pickensplan.com.

One thing he said that really caught my attention was his plan to publish in major newspapers and other media outlets lists of governors and federal legislators who support Pickens' plan, another plan, or no plan at all. He is personally contacting all these politicians to get their support or to at least find out if they have an alternative plan. This way we can know if our elected leaders have a plan for energy independence. If they don't, well, they ought to be kicked out of office. I hope that the majority of voters are watching for this information so they can make a good choice.

The reason this stood out to me is because that is how we need to run our country. It doesn't have to be a specific plan for energy independence. T. Boone Pickens himself, who stands to make a profit on this plan while doing good for our country, said he would follow any plan rather than his own if it is better. The point: there aren't any other plans out there. Our politicians are sitting on their hands doing nothing, devising nothing, following nothing. I don't know what they are doing. But it ain't much.

We all need to get behind a plan NOW. I recommend taking a look at Pickens' plan and see if you can get behind it. If you can, let your legislators and governors know that you stand behind it and ask them if they have a plan if they aren't going with Pickens.

Broken American Male

2008-08-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have recently finished reading an excellent book entitled The Broken American Male by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. I think it is important to note the subtitle "And How to Fix Him." I always like to read Rabbi Shmuley's work. I find it enlightening, entertaining, and inspirational. He can get a little repetetive at times in his books, but overall they are excellent.

The reason I liked this book so much (and the reason it caught my attention) is because I have long felt broken. I have felt like a failure, I have been driven into depression, and the thought of suicide has even crossed my mind on more than one occasion. You may be asking "How can that be? With all the great blessings you have, what would take you down such a dark road?" I have asked myself that very question. It seemed absurd to me too. But I couldn't shake the broken, hopeless feelings no matter how I tried to count my blessings.

The biggest driver, in Shmuley's opinion, for this broken feeling among so many of American males is the soulless capitalism that engulfs our culture and society. There is intense pressure to become wealthy at any cost. Beyond that is the pressure to matter in society or to leave a big imprint on the world before you leave it. I can agree with that. He wants the reader to understand that he is not opposed to the great blessings and opportunities our capitalist economy affords us. To be enveloped in it to the extent "success" dictates, however, is ruining families and hence it is destroying individual men. There must be balance in our prosperity.

Theologically and doctrinally I don't agree with all of Shmuley's viewpoints. That can be easily ascribed to a fundamental difference in faiths. He is an orthodox Jew and I am a Latter-Day Saint. Yet I agree whole-heartedly with his premise and his solutions.

Without going into too much detail, the main solution he proposes is for each man to define for himself what success really is, and to not base his definition on the shifty ground of wealth and fame. After all, money can be easily lost, and fame, well, look at Michael Jackson. Men get intoxicated by their riches and their power and they often become delusional, which explains Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot and many others. (It even explains Bill Clinton, but that is another story.) Many if not all of those who are deceived by their apparent "success" believed that they would be changing the world into a new model of their creation and that it would follow that model even after their death. Again, they were delusional.

The only way for a man broken by this faulty ideal to heal is to reject the faulty ideal and adopt one that has real substance. He needs to find a cause that will endure. He needs to have a family to love and that will love him. That must be his anchor to something with soul and with the capacity to heal.

My personal belief is centered in Jesus Christ and His ultimate healing power. Eventually everybody will come to know that he is the Son of God, the Savior of all mankind. Until then, and continuing thereafter, grounding ourselves in the family is our only hope. If we are careful to observe, the family is exactly what society mocks and derides. It knows that family will be its soulless power's demise.

The question is, what am I doing now that I have read the book? The information in the book was not new to me. Most of it agrees with the doctrine I have been taught my whole life. I have been praying for help out of my hopeless despondency for a long time. I think this book was, in part, an answer to my prayer. Even thought it didn't reveal anything to me, it sort of encouraged and inspired me to have more faith.

I need more faith to abandon society's definition of success and to adopt my own. I know most people would disagree with my definition of success, they would probably mock it too. They would say I am delusional and that I'm making something up to compensate for my weakness and inability to achieve "real success." That is exactly what Satan has been taunting me with since day one. To them I would say that my success is dependent on rejecting that notion. In other words, that "real success" is in reality completely irrelevant.

The reason? All ought to realize at some point in their life that the gifts of this world are ethereal and elusive. If a person bases their whole worth on success in terms of the world's gifts, he is just setting himself up for eventual heartbreak. Even the most rich and the most famous will eventually lose it all. Nobody in heaven is going to be impressed with things you amassed on earth. Jesus said, "Lay not up unto yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt," (notice he didn't say might corrupt) "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Families, sealed together by the power of God's priesthood, are the only things that will endure death. They are your treasures in heaven.

It has been very liberating to redefine success, even after only a few weeks. It has allowed me to set priorities in my life that really matter and that I really care about. I hope my family feels more loved by me, because I certainly love and treasure them more. It has allowed me to feel more energized by life and not so downtrodden by setbacks. It has given me true perspective and a greater reverence for God and His Gifts. It has especially given me more gratitude for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His love and sacrifice for me. Suddenly everything that was so dreary and dying, has vibrant color and is thriving. Let the world mock me for this. It won't change the way I feel about things.

Eight Wonderful Years

2008-08-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Erin!

I have been married for eight wonderful years to this beautiful and marvelous woman and I look forward to the rest of eternity with her at my side. You are an inspiration to me!

The Proper Role of Government

2008-08-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

The other day I came across a speech (I think it is a speech, maybe just an article) written 40 years ago by the then Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson. (He also happens to be a former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the church I belong to). In this speech, he outlines the proper role of government, specifically the Federal government.

Here is a link to that piece: http://laissez-fairerepublic.com/benson.htm

I recommend reading that, signing your name at the bottom, framing it, and hanging it up in your house (It could take some serious wall space, just be advised). Hang it right next to the Constitution. Don't have a copy of the Constitution hanging up? Get one of those framed and hang it up too.

I completely stand by the ideals set forth in this article. I have felt this way for a long time and I am glad to see that it was proclaimed 40 years ago and that its relevancy hasn't changed one bit.

If you don't have time to read the whole thing right now, here is a 15-point summary, a creed if you will, that basically summarizes it:

FIFTEEN PRINCIPLES WHICH MAKE FOR GOOD AND PROPER GOVERNMENT
As an Independent American for constitutional government I declare that:
(1) I believe that no people can maintain freedom unless their political institutions are founded upon faith in God and belief in the existence of moral law.
(2) I believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and that no legislature and no majority, however great, may morally limit or destroy these; that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property and anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.
(3) I believe that the Constitution of the United States was prepared and adopted by men acting under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact between the peoples of the States of this nation which all officers of government are under duty to obey; that the eternal moral laws expressed therein must be adhered to or individual liberty will perish.
(4) I believe it a violation of the Constitution for government to deprive the individual of either life, liberty, or property except for these purposes:
(a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice;
(b) Protect the right and control of private property;
(c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation’s defense;
(d) Compel each one who enjoys the protection of government to bear his fair share of the burden of performing the above functions.
(5) I hold that the Constitution denies government the power to take from the individual either his life, liberty, or property except in accordance with moral law; that the same moral law which governs the actions of men when acting alone is also applicable when they act in concert with others; that no citizen or group of citizens has any right to direct their agent, the government to perform any act which would be evil or offensive to the conscience if that citizen were performing the act himself outside the framework of government.
(6) I am hereby resolved that under no circumstances shall the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights be infringed. In particular I am opposed to any attempt on the part of the Federal Government to deny the people their right to bear arms, to worship and pray when and where they choose, or to own and control private property.
(7) I consider ourselves at war with international Communism which is committed to the destruction of our government, our right of property, and our freedom; that it is treason as defined by the Constitution to give aid and comfort to this implacable enemy.
(8) I am unalterable opposed to Socialism, either in whole or in part, and regard it as an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a denial of the right of private property for government to own or operate the means of producing and distributing goods and services in competition with private enterprise, or to regiment owners in the legitimate use of private property.
(9) I maintain that every person who enjoys the protection of his life, liberty, and property should bear his fair share of the cost of government in providing that protection; that the elementary principles of justice set forth in the Constitution demand that all taxes imposed be uniform and that each person’s property or income be taxed at the same rate.
(10) I believe in honest money, the gold and silver coinage of the Constitution, and a circulation medium convertible into such money without loss. I regard it as a flagrant violation of the explicit provisions of the Constitution for the Federal Government to make it a criminal offense to use gold or silver coin as legal tender or to use irredeemable paper money.
(11) I believe that each State is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution and it is destructive of our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to regulate or control the States in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself.
(12) I consider it a violation of the Constitution for the Federal Government to levy taxes for the support of state or local government; that no State or local government can accept funds from the Federal and remain independent in performing its functions, nor can the citizens exercise their rights of self-government under such conditions.
(13) I deem it a violation of the right of private property guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to forcibly deprive the citizens of this nation of their property through taxation or otherwise, and make a gift thereof to foreign governments or their citizens.
(14) I believe that no treaty or agreement with other countries should deprive our citizens of rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.
(15) I consider it a direct violation of the obligation imposed upon it by the Constitution for the Federal Government to dismantle or weaken our military establishment below that point required for the protection of the States against invasion, or to surrender or commit our men, arms, or money to the control of foreign or world organizations of governments.

I think that says it all. I plan to memorize this list because this is what it is all about. If we want to keep our freedom, we MUST (and I say that without any equivocation) stand up for each and every principle listed there. No matter how inconvenient life might become, it could become a whole lot worse if we stand idly by and let these principles get trampled upon and eradicated from our government.

I think what we need to understand is that it isn't just the terrorists in some far-off land that want us destroyed. There are domestic enemies as well. There are people right here in our own country who claim to espouse the principles of good government, yet they turn around and try to legislate or court mandate principles of bad government, such as social welfare programs (including universal health care), military neuterization, central bank authority without controls, eminent domain, banning of firearms for private citizenry, etc.... The list goes on and on. There are those who believe the Constitution and ideals of the Founding Fathers are passe. They want a new law, a new constitution that will bring this country down economically and as a beacon of truth, justice, and freedom. They have this as their agenda even though they sound like they are for the principles of individual liberty. They are devilish and I will not stand for my country to be destroyed by these enemies. They are treasonous and if we do not watch out for them and take them down early, our very liberty could be destroyed.

Our government is our agent to do what we collectively need to do. They are to enforce what we collectively need to enforce. We are not owned by our government, our government is owned by us and politicians should never even have the slightest notion that it works the other way. It is up to us to make sure that they are not under this illusion.

There it is.

Texas Gov't Needs A Lesson

2008-05-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the news about the plight of the FLDS women and children in El Dorado, Texas with interest. I should make it clear that I do not condone how the men of that religious group treats their women, and mostly their young women. There seems to be a lot of evil happening there. That concerns me and it needs to be handled. Yet, the same entity which needs to take care of that problem, is grossly mishandling it right now.

Rounding up 400+ people, separating children from their mothers (regardless of the age of those mothers) to be placed in foster care, forcing DNA testing on all of them, and who knows how many other common-senseless acts is entirely the wrong way to handle the real issue. While it may be possible that every single mother in that group was wed and bred too young, it does not give license to our government to sever families and traumatize children, among whom are some of the mothers. If the Texas government will do it to them, other state governments might not feel so shy in the future about doing the same to some of the groups in their residence.

Our government is forgetting its place. Do they need to enforce laws and protect the innocent? Of course! That is exactly what they are supposed to do. Perhaps the Texas government officials believe that is what they are accomplishing. Individual rights, though, are being trampled by a heavy-handed officiary, and there should be a public outcry against their methods. They need to be taken to task. Officials (including judges where necessary) need to be released from their government duties and possibly serve jail time for their miscarriage of justice. Due process is being ignored because someone feels compelled to flex their political muscle. If they are willing to do it to them, who says you, or I, won't be next?

Our laws are set up to handle crime on a case by case basis. Gathering DNA samples on more than 400 individuals might be necessary to accomplish that. But tearing apart mothers from their children is not necessary to do that. Don't punish the innocent with bureacracy because you are trying to build your case. Gather up the men and put them in jail and take the time necessary to build your case (assuming, of course, you have just cause). You can put a halt to illegal behavior in that manner just as well.

We Need to Make Our Voices Heard

2008-04-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

I've got a very good friend, with whom I served in the church when we lived in Ogden, Utah, who entered the "blogosphere" to share thoughts and feelings about the great United States of America. He feels that it is a land that needs to be preserved by people who are trying to be good, strong, citizens. Those people, imperfect as they may be, need to stand up and speak out against the evil permeating our culture at every turn, and affect government policy as far as they are able. He is now the bishop (like a Priest in a catholic congregation) up there now. I have a lot of admiration for him and what he is trying to accomplish. He has inspired me to be, as Gandhi once said, "the change [I] wish to see in the world." His name is Ken Coman. I've linked to his blog if you want to take a look.

I'm one of those imperfect people who is not going to stand idly by and allow wicked men and women lay waste to this great country. I don't promise this blog will only stay on that theme of preservation, but I hope to evoke it often.

Who am I, and why would you care what I have to say?

Those are very good questions. I am just like most people on this earth. My name is Ethan Rux Jolley. I care about making life happy for myself and those I love. I care about life being a happy one for people I haven't even met (and whom I hope I will come to love). I want a safe, clean place for my children, and their children and children's children, to grow up. I want a country that is goverened justly by people who want the same thing for their families. If they don't, I want a government that at least knows its place. I want a government that knows it governs by my consent, and yours, and that of your neighbor.

Why is this so important to me? Because I believe in the God-given liberty all men, women, girls, and boys should enjoy. This liberty is so precious to me. It was paid for by the blood not only of men, but of God, even Jesus Christ. He gave us this precious gift. It is because of His great and eternal sacrifice that you and I have the blessings which we have, the greatest being that we can choose to follow good or evil.

I choose good.

I don't know if anybody is ever going to read these posts. I might be writing them for my own benefit. It is good for a man to know where he stands. And publishing it somehow makes it more official.

I have a family. My wife, Erin, and I care for three beautiful souls: Emily, age six, Greta, age 5, and Jase, age 3. My sweet wife has been chronicaling our life with another blog, also linked to on this page. I invite you to see that if you wish.

I invite you, dear reader, to make comments if you wish to the ideas posted here. Feel free to agree or disagree. I would be interested to know your thoughts.