Ukraine Invasion - Russia vs US in World Leadership

In March of 2014 Russian troops under the administration of Vladimir Putin crossed the border and invaded Ukraine.  This was a timely strategic move for Putin which has catapulted his image and influence across the globe.  This in the wake of the 2014 Winter Olympics which just took place in Sochi, Russia.  The United States and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) response has all the power of a snowball in a lit kiln.  What are we to do and what role should the United States play?

President Vladimir Putin has an incredible influence over many affiliated with the G8.  Though not able to chair, the European Union represents a host of nations in Europe.  Most of these nations are at the mercy of Russia and by extension Vladimir Putin.  The lifeline of these nations, being natural gas, is funneled from Russia.  So, in reflection little word or action is expressed by those European nations to adversely influence this flow.  This was proven at a recent NATO meeting where several nations expressed the facade of warning but without an wind to drive it forward.  This pretty much sums up the extent of aggressive cooperation from the European Union - understandably but regrettably.

The Russians have a mighty naval force.  As part of President Putin's narcissistic mind and the need to express a communist aggression, he knows that the Black Sea access via Ukraine is very important if not crucial to his design of intended influence to regional countries and around the world.  Not only this but he views the dissolution of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) as a monumental catastrophe of the modern era.  I believe his ultimate design is to reign in the former "glory" of communism in that part of the world.  The result being that the Russian empire be extended into every former Soviet republic.

The United States response has been very passive and non-demanding.  This reveals a lot about the United States and where we stand in the eyes of the world in the foreseeable future.  A military action by the United States against Russia will never happen.  The consequences of that makes any sane mind shutter and cringe.  There is no way the US could have any viable naval or air affect in such a Russian influence dominated area.  Yet what weapons do we have that may sway the actions of Vladimir Putin?

Before we get to that let me explain the moral and economic obligation the United States has to the world.  Against popular belief among the Obama Administration we are not a nation of bullies.  We have no more undesirables than any other nation.  The fact that we are a prosperous country endowed with the tools of liberty and freedom can either foster envy or hatred among nations.  In my opinion up until the end of the Reagan era we held a moral compass to the world.  Most of the civilized nations looked up to us as an example, a blueprint of the realization of capitalism coupled with a humanitarian and compassionate people.  Throughout the 90's and on in to the new century the United States began a steady decline of not only morality but also global economic influence.  The resolve of the United States and the leadership displayed by President George Bush following September 11, 2001 temporarily revived some of that authority.

The United States of America has at its foundation the basis of freedom, liberty and the means by which a citizen can become prosperous and industrious unto their happiness.  They have the ability through the sweat of their brow to grow their influence and to leave a well-mannered legacy.  The Constitution of the United States has, stenciled in its very fabric, the light that provides that safe harbor for nations bearing through rough waters.  Every child born under the banner of the Constitution has an innate greatness which we are not only obligated to share but also compelled to exhibit unto all nations.  Morality is the compass of humanity by which mankind is to live by and treat one another.

The world shall always have the need to have a worthy moral and economic example to look up to and lean on for direction.  If the United States fails in it's God-given calling to live up to this mantle - all will be lost.

The world is driven by economics.  Nations are either mass consumers or wealthy producers of goods and services.  In today's world those who hold the purse and influence are those who produce mass amounts of energy.  This includes primarily oil and natural gas.  For various reasons through deals made in smokey rooms behind closed doors the United States has become mass consumers and importers of energy.  It's actually an easy process given the rapid expansion of commerce, business and the need to transport goods and people all over the country.  Unfortunately this has caused a dependency on foreign nations that supply the US with high demand oil resources.  The travesty of this outcome is that the moral and economic lighthouse that America provides has diminished with this dependency in the eyes of the world including Americans.

There is a way to win this.  There is a way to suppress the aggravation of Vladimir Putin who depends heavily on the Dollar which we freely distribute throughout the world for energy.  At the same time there is a way for the United States to gain back the mantle entrusted to United States of America since its inception.

America needs to be producers once again.  Producers independent of foreign influences should be free to cultivate the vast energy resources which God has placed right under our feet.  This will launch us into a new economic era that will benefit the entire world.  This production will provide much needed jobs able to support families.  It will build cities and motivate innovation and industry.  Turning the US percentages into the favorability of energy independence is key in bringing us back into a proper light of moral and economic power.

Bringing home the investment of the Dollar will not only strengthen our currency but also decrease the pull other countries have on our influence and prosperity.  Russia's Vladimir Putin wants to expand and needs our Dollar influence around the globe to do it.

Reinvest the Dollar here at home - collapse the aggressive threat of tyrants against the United States and our allies and those we've covenanted to protect.  Why?  Because we've not only strengthened the Dollar at home but also made our chief protectors great and mighty once again - the United States military.

Catholics and Mormons at Mardi Gras

Here nestled in Southwest Iowa sprawls out a small community of around 5,000 people.  We have about 21 different denominations of Christian sects in this town.  In a nutshell we have a lot of Catholics, Protestants and a handful of Mormons.  In particular though, the Mormons and the Catholics have enjoyed a great relationship over the past several years.  I am grateful for their invitation to attend their Mardi Gras 2014 celebration.  The food was great, the door prizes intriguing and the company brotherly.

It is a busy time of year for the Catholic faith.  After Mardi Gras they will soon begin their Lenten season on Ash Wednesday.  Eventually the Shenandoah Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and St. Mary's Catholic Church will soon have another memorable joint activity in 2014.  Fond memories still linger of our time together during our Feast and Song as I'll name it back in 2010.  We also had a warm holiday together for song and food for Christmas in 2011.  Even amidst the efforts to bring our people together it is paramount to remember that we are all striving for the same hope - the full embrace of our Father in Heaven and the celestial accompaniment of friends and family.

Before I close this brief remark I would like to add something regarding the Catholic Lent practice of fasting and abstinence.  This one practice that Mormons and Catholics share may be among the most precious among the children of men.  I believe it to be vital to bringing the spirit - to the Spirit of God, that we may further assure our very being unto His will and not ours.

Though practiced in varied ways, denying the body of specific pleasures for a time is not only cleansing but a journey of the soul.  It serves as a reminder of the dependence or desire you really had for that which you've willingly abstained from.  It serves as a reminder that through Jesus the Christ who was stripped of even dignity we can overcome the body and magnify the spirit.  True devotion to this practice also enhances compassion.  We are to love the Lord with all our heart and to love our neighbor.  Fasting and abstinence allows us to see with spiritual eyes.  They allow us to forget ourselves in the service of our fellow man.  Without these practices man would forever have been cut off from the presence of the Father.

If we all look past the superficial dogma and stereotyping of other faiths that have culminated over the ages we will see one another as we truly are - children of God in all shapes, sizes and colors.  We Latter-day Saints look forward to mingling once again with our Catholic neighbors and friends of St. Mary's.  With the assault on Christianity churches are falling one-by-one to the ills of the world and the demands of political pressure.  Those who are devout and steadfast must find the humility and power to stand side-by-side with other devout Christians in defending the institution of marriage and the divine design of the family.  I don't say this passively.  If we fail in this endeavor then we fail altogether and have frustrated the spiritual progress of man.

Calamity of Being Politically Terminally Negative

It's quite obvious that public life in the shadow of politics is not an easy path to take.  On the one hand you have the ability to legislate policy, usually along with a council of others, for the betterment of the community, state or country in which you live.  Being in the spotlight also means you gain enemies faster than you gain allies.  Negativity is easy to come by and assume.  It's the positive that we actually have to put forth the effort to see and share.  It isn't necessarily that you are a bad leader or even that your policies that you support are adversely affecting those whom you govern.  It boils down to the here and now of what people want.

During my time on the Council I've had my share of disappointments and hardships.  Entering office at the commencing stages of a new water plant, immediately, approvals of budgets and water plant finance issues were scrutinized by many members of the public.  This is good!  It shows that there are those who are paying attention and providing a community "checks and balances" on whom they elect.  Though encouraging that there are people who actually participate in the critiquing of elected officials, a proper perspective also needs to be employed while keeping emotions in check.

We all do it!  We all judge prematurely the works of officials whom we've elected.  At least most of us do it.  At the same time the vast majority of us do it without a proper perspective in considering the office officials hold and the information they are privy to.  Ultimately we fail to keep our emotions in check thus producing attitudes that this guy is evil or that guy is a puppet.  Though these conceptions may be true, it is also probable that things aren't what they seem.  At least not to the degree we feel the plight may be.  Anyone who can't agree with that simple fact seriously has their eyes veiled at no more than two inches in front of their face.

The issue that exacerbates the already frustrating job of public life are those people who threaten, excessively question or portray a terminal character of negativity.  There are always a select few who carry this view who cannot be reasoned with and to whom nothing can satisfactorily be explained.  They simply want the attention and desire to be seen and guise it all under the benevolent umbrella of "being a watchman of the public funds."  Again it is outstanding that there are people who take the initiative to watch and learn what their elected officials do.  The canker of public life are in those select few who take it to an unhealthy emotional extent or level where their rantings benefit no one.

Being negative of all facets of life is not healthy for the person or anyone else - even those whom you wish to gain support from.  If you exercise a positive attitude you will be better armed to employ proper judgement and the ability to see or perceive that other perspective that elected officials have according to their office and the sustaining vote from the people.  Not only will you be advancing the cause of your good health but you will be immensely helping your public officials use better judgement in their decision making affecting the area which they are called to govern.  How??  By discharging a better attitude you increase the outlook of everyone around you.  You relieve the pressures on others.

It's a matter of faith!  Faith is extremely hard to live by for people who are constantly negative in concert with like-minded people.  When I speak of the affects of carrying a positive attitude they don't physically "see" the evidence of it in their mind.  That's part of what faith is.  It's the ability to believe in that which is not seen but is true nonetheless.  Therefore, without even the smallest degree of faith certain people lull in the mires of the here and now and see only the negative aspects of life.

It is my hope that elected officials will be strong and strive to keep a good outlook amidst those few who hang on their heels to drag them down.  There are many who are legitimate in their questions and there are those who are not.  May we as a nation of liberty and freedom live up to the mantle that we as everyday citizens are called to occupy.  Whether elected by the people or the people being governed we all have a responsibility to uphold the precepts of the Constitution of the United States and to execute a positive outlook at all times from which free enterprise and our capitalist system flourish.

Captain Phillips Movie and Horn of Africa Maersk Alabama 2014

The movie "Captain Phillips" was quite moving and emotional.  It brought to our homes the reality of the dangers working the waters around the Horn of Africa.  Places such as Somalia and the countries and islands of the area are a hot bed of anxious adventurer pirates that actively seek, not too unlike Al Qaeda, for opportunities to capture ships and/or hold working men and women hostage.  All their efforts for nothing more than money.  In 2009 they succeeded in briefly hijacking a Maersk Line container cargo ship that was bound for Mombasa, Kenya.  Opportunities like this are difficult to deprogram from the minds of the countless who are already in destitute and poverty stricken situations.

It is enlightening to witness from the comforts of our homes in America the various movies based on actual events.  World Trade Center is among them.  It stirs sympathetic feelings and new appreciation for not only the working men and women who put their lives in harm's way daily, but also the military, Navy Seals and first responders who may be called upon to rescue civilians or resolve a potentially deadly situation.  Unfortunately it is the price of progress in a fast world needing goods and services shipped around the globe in a timely fashion.

In February of 2014 it seems the storyline and danger of the Maersk Alabama continues from it's commencing piracy chapter from 2009.  Apparently two former Navy Seals were found dead recently aboard this very ship.  These men were employed by the Trident Group who are a collective of experts dealing with maritime security.  It is still early for hard information but could this be stemming from an ongoing effort of a faction in the Seychelles islands bent on retribution?  It's entirely possible.  Needless to say that the Maersk Alabama is a modern testament that lives are still at stake as ship pass through the Horn of Africa.

This post is not intended to rehash the details of this incident.  There are much better places to visit for that.  Here it is the desire to express the urgency of the moment.  In an effort to thwart opportunists it is important to realize the extent being made to secure many of the products that you bring into your home.  The divisions between countries who prosper and those who do not grow every day.  Bitterness and hatred heaps up against the United States.  This offensive attitude is often a result of jealousy and envy for American prosperity.  Around the Horn of Africa natives see this displayed often with the ships that pass by.  Let's not be misunderstood.  This does not validate attacking container ships from any country.  It does, however, illustrate that to these desperate opportunists they view these gems of the sea as quick money sold to the highest bidder.

What does the future hold for security in international waters?  With growing dissension among the ranks of nations from the elite powers down to even third world countries, entities such as the Trident Group will be an increasing necessity upon troubled waters.  Not all the product carried comes to the United States.  In fact, through the Horn of Africa only a fraction of that product sees our domestic ports.  Nevertheless, in order to be proactive in securing our homeland and our citizens abroad it is essential to produce our various products within our United States boundaries.  This would include above all - energy.

It is vitally important that we support the armed security aboard these vessels.  Millions benefit from the movement of these containers and assuring that passage remains imperative.  We are not going to change the minds or alter the paths these natives are choosing by the day.  So long as the desire for money darkens the heart of the young and their countries remain in political unrest, then further elaborate plans will be carried out on shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa and elsewhere around the globe.  As far as the United States is concerned the more we resolve to produce more of our goods and fuels within our boundaries the less we'll be relying on foreign support.  Yet, like I said, only a fraction of that product reaches U.S. ports.

Shipping lines have taken great strides in updating and securing their vessels for the safety of their product and more importantly their staff.  After all these incidences of piracy cost the shipping industry about $7 billion in cost.  It is evident that more needs to take place since there is obviously still interest from opportunist tribal factions.  Cautiously, the news of late has been encouraging.  Since 2006 piracy has fallen to it's lowest level.  Many attribute this to armed security personnel stationed on at least 80% of all containers ships and tankers.  Clearly this is an effective deterrent for the vast majority.

Piracy and terrorism are real problems and costly ones at that.  We need to be supporting these men as the fight continues.

Gender X 50 for Social Acceptance

I am a dog.  I have always been a dog.  I feel a kinship when I see a dog wag it's tail.  I understand the language of a dog.  In fact, when I go to a park I have this uncontrollable urge to create landmines there.  Though born a male human being.  I feel it is my right to be known and accepted as a canine with entitled rights.  This situation is the world we are headed to.  Welcome to the age of 50 gender types as announced by Facebook.

Let's first do some housekeeping.  First, as a disclaimer for the powers that be I do not and never shall advocate the creation of, or placement thereof, of landmines.  Second, I got rid of my Facebook account in August of 2013.  I find no reason for it and it festers and distracts the mind and body from more productive and active positive uses.  Now that we have that out of the way.....

The above scenario with the dog is not a light-hearted attempt to make fun of this "multi-gender" world.  It is a foresight of what is to come.  This will come to pass and you can mark my words on it.  Is it really any different than the gender outlines on Facebook and elsewhere?  Let's get real here.  Not long ago the United States took a dangerous road by legislating sexual orientation in relation to marriage and family.  That debate and judicial debacle continues today.  Now, when life couldn't get any more confused we have entered an era where legislating the world to fully accept and lock arms with who people "are" isn't enough.  Now, people will be compelled by law to accept and lock arms with who people "think" they are.  This is a grievous path to take.

Gone is the time when people knew they had problems and issues and worked to straighten their lives out in order to find happiness, family and personal industry.  Where has the personal initiative and accountability gone?  Where is the innate drive that we've been given to work out our obstacles instead of gleefully add to them?

I don't care and refuse to give one grain of sand about your own personal problems and doubts.  If you want counseling, advice or just need to bend an ear I'm hear and willing to listen.  If you don't want those things then I really don't need to know them.  Furthermore, I don't need your problems, issues or orientation advertised for me to see.  That, my friends, is called having a prideful heart.  To advertise your situation for the purpose of recognition and/or acceptance is a further testament of an inner confidence issue.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry doesn't need to know that your were born a female yet live your life feeling you are a male.

I'll say this only once and not out of apology.  I am not bashing what people are feeling and definitely not their orientation.  I am, however, against the path we are on where it becomes a fad to come out and express every little feeling you have at the moment and demand that the rest of the world accepts it.  When you head down that road of multi-minority acceptance and be made to believe that the multi-minority is really the majority, and that their voice should be made law, then you have completely broken down the rule of law and order and chaos and anarchy ensues.

These are difficult times.  The confusion is easy to understand.  We are in an ever-growing population with an ever-growing diversity.  Though we have the Internet most of us feel more alone than ever.  We reach and struggle for an identity that we too often feel is out of reach.  In that effort we latch on to every short term fix we can in order to feel not only important but valid as a person being with equal rights and opportunities.  Though we may not show it we become depressed at the core and wallow in that which we feel, not necessarily is right, but rather what we are comfortable doing or feeling.  In my opinion this applies to the "50 genders."

Well, I hate to break the news to you but we all go through this self actualization.  We all come up short in the end.  Yet with all our problems and obstacles we fight through them with the prize of victory ahead.  We admit to our own shortcomings in body, heart and mind.  Instead of wallowing in the mire we reach for the tree branches that we may pull ourselves out with a little help from those around us.

We have reached the core of the problem.  It is the most basic ID card that I never thought would be questioned.  Your birth was not an error.  Even with handicaps and deficiencies you were born according to your spirit and your mission here.  At the core let us first identify our body that we've been given, and acknowledge that we are a son or daughter under the Most High with a design and purpose that, if achieved, will magnify and perfect that body.

If your body is male then your spirit is male.  If your body is female then your spirit is female.  This is basic and not an error.  Live your life in constant correction according to who you were born - a male or female.  You must be resolute in your decisions.  To waiver in your views is to build your house on a sandy foundation.  It will not stand!

In conclusion, I reject and fear this new shade of dark we've entered.  To come to a point where we question our very gender (which there are only two) is a very noticeable dangerous sign that we are headed for trouble in a very cataclysmic way.  

Head of Mormon Church President Thomas Monson Questioned Over Basic Christianity

I believe in unicorns.  Their ability to fly at 30,164 feet is their way of showering humanity with untold blessings.  Will you test and prove these blessings with a little financial support?  With that support I will encourage others to observe the legendary unicorns and their incredibly awesome powers.  Through those powers coupled with the faithfulness of the people devoted followers may find healing in their lives.  Scientifically, the nature of the unicorn cannot be proven.  Yet, it is my belief that when you see a double rainbow in the morning sky it is proof that the great unicorn, Barnaby, is ever watching over us.

Confused?  Well, you should be.  The above claim is no less than what the offended and disaffected are charging President Thomas S. Monson of in their allegations springing up in this month of February in the year of our Lord 2014.  Yesterday I had read that charges of fraud were taking place regarding the doctrine of tithing as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Today I read that the scope is enlarged to encompass specific teachings including Adam and Eve - Adam and Eve!!?

Let's go back to the first paragraph.  First off, isn't it a matter of my own free choice to believe in someone asserting the powers of the unicorn?  Did you know that there are certain Asian sects that believe God is blue?  Did you know that there are diverse places that regard the cow as sacred?  What about the modern moderate that loves to hug trees and view their own God as only the spirit of the earth and nature?  When we take these into consideration what is so outlandish about the unicorn?  And yes, there are even organizations of tree huggers that solicit funds for their cause which they are lawfully free to do.

No, I do not believe in unicorns and I am not asking for money.  Let's get that out of the way before the "powers that be" find me in contempt or violation.  Again, people being offended... I do, however, believe in the scriptural law of tithing.  I also believe in Adam and Eve as our first mortal parents.  In fact, contrary to several other beliefs I believe Adam and Eve are to be revered for their choices.  They knew that if the law of God was not transgressed the human family couldn't be.  My free choice to study the doctrines of the Church allow me to build a foundation upon which to erect a productive and faithful life.  Living those doctrines either proves or disproves the promises of those doctrines.  It's nothing new - it's called life!  I can choose to take it or leave it without having to call "foul" by being offended.

In the LDS Church the law of tithing is taught.  At the same time, at the heart of all the teachings is the person's liberty and freedom to choose.  You don't have to pay tithing at all, but as taught in order to grow spiritually and temporally that law needs to be observed.  There is no coercion and there is no one at the end of the year coming after you or sending you a bill or invoice for funds to remit.  THAT particular practice does take place in several religious organizations though.

As many know I put out my thoughts in a blog post yesterday after hearing the initial allegation regarding tithing.  I had no plans to continue publishing my thoughts regarding the matter.  However, after hearing that basic Christian tenets such as Adam and Eve are being included in this farce I couldn't resist but to voice out again.  This is bull and accelerates what I predicted in yesterday's post that the Christianity package is soon to be on trial and thus comes the persecution of the Christian regardless of sect or persuasion.

I don't use the word proud but I will say that I am confident in my allegiance to the Latter-day Saint faith.  It is the rock which is built through the power and authority of Jesus the Christ.  I believe that the prophet, seer and revelator Thomas Monson holds all the keys of the Church and stands as the mouthpiece of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of the world.  I trust in him because all his teachings bring no emphasis to himself but instead to God the Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  This separates him from others whom many claim him to be just like.  They won't be named here because they are unworthy to be named in the same publication as the Lord's Anointed.

In finality, I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Yet, I don't shove down the throats or expect anyone else to subscribe to my beliefs.  As demonstrated above my beliefs are proven by me and have shown to satisfy my progress in this life.  I believe that should be the journey of every human being - to pursue happiness through the liberties of freedom and the agency to choose and to leave this life content in their works...

President Monson the Latest in Alleged Fraud by the Offended

It is sad to see the spiral of human conscience as people retract from personal responsibility seek ire against their neighbor.  The cancer of our species is the relinquishing of our backbone in order to pander and pamper those who claim to be offended and thereby feel entitled to a pacifier.  This post is a quick reaction to rumors that President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been served by the courts of England.
To Be Offended
Apparently, anti-Mormon groups may have successfully turned their farce of charges into a legal action.  Though I don't fear success of this lawsuit, it does announce to the heart and mind the direction we are headed as a civilization.  When was the turning point in our history when someone chooses a different path at some point in their life and all of the sudden became so bitter and hateful as to seek frivolous damages against that organization or entity they once allied with?  Mark my words, this path of slapping a diaper on every person who cries wolf will one day evolve into a people's beliefs being put on trial.

The case of this particular claim is that the LDS Church leadership knowingly preaches the doctrine of tithing which they know is false.  Knowing a principle is false and asking people to pay into tithing constitutes fraud in their minds.  Well, good luck proving that!

It all comes down to people of low worthiness striking back because they now feel naked, exposed, vulnerable, unworthy and thereby feel they can't achieve the heights they once reached for in the Church.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is among the last organizations that holds parameters of worthiness for its members.  These guidelines are set in order for them to progress spiritually and temporally.  These guidelines of worthiness direct the member in paths leading to self reliance, thrift, industry, compassion, love, growing devotion to God through service to others and sacrifice.  Yes, part of spiritual ascension is learning to sacrifice that which we covet the most - money.

Money is not bad or good.  It is neutral and its worth depends on what we use it for.  The Church uses funds to build up the Kingdom of God.  Funds issued from faithful members of the Church are used to erect sacred temples, build and maintain meetinghouses and a variety of other uses.  God knows that these things are necessary in order to grow the influence of Jesus Christ in the lives of an ever growing population.  Unfortunately many people fail to see the purity of the intent of tithing and that it is a law of God set forth in holy scripture.

Qualifications of worthiness are proven even in the former members of the Church many of whom now comprise the core of anti-Mormon groups.  Just consider the fact that there is no other organization in the entire world that has as many individuals and groups who actively seek to destroy it.  Why is this?  It's worthiness, of course!  We all have our pride pricked a little when we fail or find a journey too hard to endure.  Pride is the downfall of all nations, both past and future.  Pride is what we often blanket ourselves with in order to feel comfortable and important.  When that get compromised in the least we strike back as a viper toward its prey.

Again, I don't fear that this case will be successful.  I don't believe we are quite at the point yet where court sponsored witch hunts for Christians will take place.  That time will be soon enough.  Obviously, this post addresses my point that we need to keep our pride in check and move on in life when we think we are being "offended" or downtrodden.  Just because we might give up choose to forsake our beliefs because of our unworthiness, doesn't mean we have to actively seek to destroy that system of faith that has proven to uplift and work for millions of other people around the world.
Update on this story in Day 2
To desire to trash the faith of millions in order to succor the mired heart of the one is a textbook definition of pride in my book.