"That Evil May Be Done Away"

The most recent issue of BYU Political Review is well worth reading. In particular, I suggest that you read Why Europe is Losing the Fight Against Trafficking, Technology and the Rise of Modern Slavery, and Adoption and Corruption in Guatemala.

Against Secret Combinations
"Secret combinations" is a term used by the Book of Mormon to describe conspiratorial organizations that seek to exploit human beings. These three articles in the Political Review seem to me to be describing an increase in activity that would fall under the "secret combination" categorization. This is quite significant, given this scriptural warning:

Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you.... For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies.... Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved (Ether 8:24-26).

To accompany those readings, why don't we look at the 18th Chapter of the Revelation of John, with slight modifications:

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven.... And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon/Los Angeles/Denver/Chicago/New York/Las Vegas/Miami the great is fallen.... And the politicians and consumers of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come."

And the salesmen and retailers of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The dollars and Euros, and blood diamonds, and of fancy wristwatches, and fine denim, and corduroy, and silk, and polyester, and all plastics, and all manner devices of silicon, and all manner devices of most precious memory chips, and of processors, and huge hard drives, and wireless capabilities; and perfumes, and colognes, and hand lotions, and bath beads; and soft drinks, and oil, and chocolate chip cookies, and Nutella, and beef, and chicken; and SUVs, and hybrid cars, and sweatshop laborers, and souls of men. And the foods that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were sugary and fattening are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

The manufacturers and salesmen of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, "Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine denim, and corduroy, and polyester, and decked with credit cards, and precious cell phones, and jewelry! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought."

And every truck driver, and all the UPS fleet, and pilots, and as many as trade by interstate or by air, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "What city is like unto this great city!" And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, "Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had trucks on the highway and planes in the air by reason of her high cost of living! for in one hour is she made desolate."

Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.... And the voice of pop artists, and rappers, and the music of guitarists, and drummers, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no employee, of whatsoever work he does, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a lawnmower shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a street lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the boyfriend and of the girlfriend shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy CEO's and senators, gang leaders and governors were the great men of the earth; for by their advertisements and propaganda were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

The Endorsement You've All Been Waiting For!

Endorsements, endorsements, endorsements! Everybody's getting into the endorsement business these days: Romney just endorsed McCain[1], Oprah's all for Obama[2], Bill Clinton endorsed Hillary Clinton[3], and my sources tell me even Oscar the Grouch is on the verge of endorsing somebody![4]

So what the heck, why not jump into the fray and endorse somebody myself? I've got all the right qualifications of former enemy-ship, pop culture cred, has-been status, and dumpster dwelling. So, who's it gonna be? Huh? Huh?

Well, just read the press release:

THE INTERNET. Feb. 12, 2008. After much speculation about which candidate would receive his support, irrelevant blogging personality and unemployed college graduate Josh Hansen unveiled his endorsement for President of the United States in 2008.

"After much deliberation and several late-night pizza runs, I am granting my weighty endorsement to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois," he announced at the press conference to a few cheers and scattered applause. "In addition to his undisputed status as the feel-good candidate, the senator shares many of my specific policy objectives, which I will now outline to you."

Hansen -- a well-known opponent of free markets, free trade, and prosperity -- cited Obama's love of factory jobs[5][Q1], profligate spending habits[6], and paternalistic policies[Q2][Q3] as factors. "The rise of high tech and the decline of unskilled labor, the abundance of educational opportunities for all citizens, and the unprecedented economic expansion that Americans have suffered in the last twenty years are unacceptable, and 'we, the people' have had enough," Mr. Hansen cried to an audience of reporters, politicos, and muppets. "They've shut our factories down, and who for, what for? For Google, that's who. For cheaper manufactured goods, that's what."

He elaborated his hopes with a further lament: "Senator Obama's thorough repudiation of free trade is our only hope of returning to blue collar bliss. The 'paradise lost' of strangled productivity must be regained." Warning against claims that disruptive economic adjustments in the short-run would lead to greater long-term prosperity[7], Hansen reminded listeners of the importance of living "for the moment. Looking too far into the future is the great danger of our time. Foresight never helped anyone to eat a doughnut in the here and now."

Mr. Hansen added his support for irresponsibility in Iraq. "I fear that our glorious defeat in Vietnam is being forgotten. The legacy of defeat must not be abandoned; only an abdication of responsibility in Iraq can prove that America's foreign policy a consistent one of aborted intervention." He also admitted his amusement at the thought of Iraqis "duking it out" in a post-bailout free-for-all.

Rising to his greatest height of oratory elegance, the ex-student urged the faithful onward. "The 'better angels of our nature'[8] resonate with Senator Obama's cry of protectionism, paternalism, and defeatism. It is a glorious message of hope in the face of progress, security in place of opportunity, and surrender when confronted with the threat victory. Turn not back from the noble cause, but fight on, for great shall be our victory!"

Photos come from references [1], [2], [3], and [4].

References
[1] Romney Endorses McCain - Capital News 9
[2] Oprah in Des Moines - The New York Times Politics Blog
[3] The Shamelessness of Bill and Hillary Clinton - Telegraph.co.uk
[4] Oscar the Grouch - Muppet Wiki
[5] Barack Obama's Feb. 12 Speech - New York Times
[6] Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions - washingtonpost.com
[7] Commanding Heights: Lawrence Summers on PBS, The Importance of NAFTA - PBS
[8] Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address - WikiSource

Quotations
These excerpts are by Barack Obama and come from a blog post carried by his website: Obama's Economic Policy Address at the Janesville GM Assembly Plant.

[Q1] It’s a Washington where decades of trade deals like NAFTA and China have been signed with plenty of protections for corporations and their profits, but none for our environment or our workers who’ve seen factories shut their doors and millions of jobs disappear; workers whose right to organize and unionize has been under assault for the last eight years.

[Q2] A few weeks ago I offered an economic stimulus package based on a simple principle – we should get immediate relief into the hands of people who need it the most and will spend it the quickest. I proposed sending each working family a $500 tax cut and each senior a $250 supplement to their Social Security check. And if the economy gets worse, we should double those amounts.
Neither George Bush nor Hillary Clinton had that kind of immediate, broad-based relief in their original stimulus proposals, but I’m glad that the stimulus package that was recently passed by Congress does. We still need to go further, though, and make unemployment insurance available for a longer period of time and for more Americans who find themselves out of work. We should also provide assistance to state and local governments so that they don’t slash critical services like health care or education.

[Q3] [We would] help those who are facing closure refinance their mortgages so they can stay in their homes. And I’d provide struggling homeowners relief by offering a tax credit to low- and middle-income Americans that would cover ten percent of their mortgage interest payment every year.

Driven by Cruelty

Strange how a nation whose people pride themselves so much in fair treatment of each individual can be so driven by cruelty against those they refuse to understand. Here's an honest assessment by the Wall Street Journal: Mormons Dismayed by Harsh Spotlight.

Faith in America

I just watched Mitt Romney's speech on "Faith in America" and was quite impressed. I was impressed how he framed his ideas in terms of the moral foundation of the Declaration of Independence - much as Lincoln framed his arguments against slavery not in any formalism in the Constitution, but on the Declaration. I was impressed by his bold declaration of belief in his Mormon faith, and his unwillingness to reduce that faith to mere "tradition." I was impressed by his articulation of religion as a dynamic force in American public life, his interpretation of constitutionally-established religious freedom as neither a religion of secularism nor an endorsement of any one particular religion. He did this in a manner much clearer and more inspiring than I've ever seen before. While I remain decidedly undecided as far as which candidate to support for president next year, I will certainly consider this.

Followup Links

These links seem relevant to my previous post:

• Myths and Realities of the George Bush Presidency
• Incumbent Politicians vs. The Long Tail [Very interesting initial analysis, though he goes a bit weird with the Virtual Federalism thing]
• The World Has Changed, Why Won't the Fund and the Bank? [On the relevance of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund]