Mormons' Love-Hate Relationship With America

It's interesting... take a provocative headline, a loosely written, scattered article with quotes by a couple of kooks, an attempt to turn the suffering of Americans into an anecdotal sideline.... and the comment gates open wide for every rumor, juvenile retort, regurgitation of the same 'ol spin and bi as, mixed with a smattering of actual h@. tred. In a blog filled with folks who claim to be progressive and tolerant, in a country founded on principles of freedom. My ancestors simply wanted to live in peace and worship according to their faith, the way all Americans are guaranteed by the Constitution. They were mobbed, beaten, imprisoned, murdered and driven from their homes in the winter by neighbors, fellow Americans and Christians. People who should have known better.



I'm no different than you. We often share the same views on a host of varying subjects. And gratefully I don't have to keep a lookout for mobs. But reading comments like these makes it very clear the underlying intolerance is still there. Feces based on gossip is still being flung. People who are otherwise decent have a bad experience, see something on the net, read it, believe it and use it to cause damage. They equate different with dangerous and feel justified in being offensive.



We have a long way to go before we live up the the ideals of the founding fathers. Before we treat each other with tolerance. Before we are worthy of the name Americans.
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Anderson Cooper Comes Out: 'The Fact Is, I'm Gay'

What's important is being comfortable in your own skin. Being true to yourself, kind and tolerant toward others. Finding love. That's what matters. Having a press conference or telling the world on tv isn't coming out. It's showboating. Feeding ego, raising ratings. That doesn't make anyone courageous or a hero. Real coming out is actually an inward thing... when you can finally be honest with yourself, not with millions of folks you don't know.
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Planet's Evaporating Atmosphere Tied To Eruption Of Exoplanet HD 189733b's Parent Star

Here's one... The universe is vast, and amazing like our own world. And while we've learned much from studying both, we've only scratched the surface. The more we learn, the more apparent how much more there is we don't understand yet. In other words, the more we know... the less we know. No one has a lock on truth. Not scientists, not religious, nor any other field of study. It behooves all of us to have an open mind. To be willing to learn, because every year something we thought true becomes understood differently. Everyone can look into the expanse of space, and the depths of the oceans, and feel awe. It's so silly to close our minds and and feign superiority over someone else. Both are destructive and self-limiting. And completely against the processes by which we learn.
About Space
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Protecting Mothers and Children From HIV: A Call to Action

Good article and message, Dr. Goosby. May I add my two cents...

Education... So many areas of Africa live by old traditions that prevent women from having rights or protecting themselves. And if children are known to be infected they are often mistreated by family and friends, and even abandoned to die.



Second... pharmaceutical companies making untold billions developing ever more expensive long-term treatments. We understand enough about HIV/AIDS now to be doing trials of cures. Other diseases as well. We've been promised for half a century and more that we're on the "verge of a cure" for (insert disease here). But since profits rule the industry there are no cures. Why save and improve a person's life with one treatment when you can keep them going indefinitely for a few thousand a month! What the world needs are manageable prices, donated treatments and an open-minded reward system for cures, without regard to who developed them or what profits would be made or lost.
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Frank Ocean And The Eagles' Don Henley: Odd Future Member Caught In 'Hotel California' Dispute

Where's the mention of Don Felder? He wrote the music for Hotel California, arranged it, and did the stunning acoustic revisit later. He has first position in the writers' credit, followed by Henley and Frey, who together wrote the lyrics. Yet it's always about Henley. Just like the Eagles are always about the two reigning egos, the rest are nameless support dogs who eat their scraps. The new guitarist on their last tour played all the notes, but the finesse and magic were missing. Felder gave the music its heart and soul. Without him the Eagles are largely just a nostalgia act.
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Black LGBT Celebrities: 11 Living Legends (PHOTOS)

Seems a little one-sided when some races and groups are encouraged to celebrate themselves­, wave banners, put up icons and heroes and shout to the world how wonderful they are for their particular difference­. But if other races and groups did the same thing there'd be cries of intoleranc­e. In a time when we need to work together more than ever, we continue to separate ourselves. Us vs them. Tolerance can't be won that way, but through taking down walls, shaking hands and sitting together at the table.
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Rick Santorum On Opposition To Abortion In Cases Of Rape: 'Make The Best Out Of A Bad Situation'

I think abortion should be treated as a serious issue, a last resort. Too many use it like another form of birth control. A casual fix for an inconvenie­nce.



There are situations where it should and must be considered­, as should other alternativ­es, like the long waiting lists and high fees for those who want to adopt.



But no one has a right to force their beliefs on everyone. And how can someone honestly expect a child, or anyone else, to love and raise a product of ra. pe or in cest? How can they guilt anyone into a life of continual renewal and reminder of the crimes against them? How can any decent person condemn a child to never being able to receive the love and nurturing they need to grow up healthy and whole? And there's the answer... this candidate has no decency. He puts on a show to pander for votes, but in the end he cares nothing for anyone but himself.
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