Life Is

Annie,

I thought you might get a chuckle out of this, given our recent conversation.

-Max

Subject: Life Is

He says:

Life is a battlefield. Sometimes you get shot at, sometimes you get pieces shot off of you, but if you pull yourself together and keep moving forward, in spite of all the Adversary can send against you, and reach the finish line with your precious charges intact: this is victory.

She says:

Life is a garden, full of wondrous plants and animals to nurture. Some are flashy, others are small and ugly and easy to overlook but when given a little water and sunshine and human kindness they grow into something wonderful: this is victory.

They stare at each other in mutual incomprehension. This is love.

--
Rock Is Dead. Long Live Scissors!

"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

Monogamy & Me

Dear J.,

Sometime during the past year I became persuaded, unwillingly, that a truth I had darkly suspected for some time about myself was actually true: I am not, and presumably men in general are not, actually monogamous by nature. If we appear to be monogamous it is a secondary emotion, a consequence of empathy for and desire to avoid causing pain to our partners--a logical and not an emotional choice--but our basic nature is to treat relationships on an individual basis: I can be completely and totally in love with Sarah[1] and it has nothing to do with anyone except Sarah, and I can at the same time be mildly attracted to Sue because of who she is, and at the same time I can admire, respect, and love Sally on her own merits. These feelings are not mutually exclusive except to the extent that, for instance, Sarah and Sally each feel threatened by my feelings for the other, in which case circumstances force me to choose between them. Part of love is wanting what makes the other person happy, and so obviously if Sarah is unhappy if I love Sally and vice versa, loving both is an inconsistent state of affairs and can't actually exist for long. In practice, here in the mortal realm the choice is simplified by the temporal ordering: typically you'll find that I've made a commitment to Sally prior to ever meeting Sarah (e.g. we're married) so the relationship with Sally takes precedence.

Of course, this propensity to treat relationships individually doesn't always relate to marriage. You'll see it crop up in other places, such as dealing with children (fact: you don't have the same relationship with all your children, and with some you get along better than others). You'll also note that Heavenly Father is renowned for his ability to have personalized, completely individual relationships with all of his children... and Heavenly Father is male. Significant? I don't know, maybe all celestial beings are like that.

As always, I may be completely wrong about this whole topic, but this is my best understanding from the data that I have available to me here and the thinking I've been able to do. If I'm wrong it will be pointed out to me eventually by someone or other or something.

-M.

[1] To pick a name out of a hat.

--
Rock Is Dead. Long Live Scissors!

"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

Stories

I think you should read this:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/lost-heroes-of-the-war-on-terror-gallant-deeds-and-untold-tales/

-Max

--
Rock Is Dead. Long Live Scissors!

"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a
man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and
desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although
he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F.
Smith (manual, p. 69)

Wise words from my older sister

Facebook status update:

Corinne Wilson is so happy that Tim took her to see Marriage of Figaro at McCaw Hall. A man that has sat patiently through 3 hours of opera music is a man that has proven his true love.

;)

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

The mysteries of the female mind ("Musings..." continued)

On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 10:05 AM, ... wrote:
>  I don't know if women feel very secure around me
>cause that thought never came to mind, that it would
>be important to them.  I will see about mulling over
>how to implement the idea.

This is one reason men have to learn how to listen for the sake of listening. It makes a woman feel safe if she can, for instance, have a grouchy crabby day without feeling that it's going to make a man think less of her. It also makes her feel safe if she can talk about her feelings (e.g. "our house is too small") without him jumping up to try to change things that she knows can't be changed right now ("we can't afford it"). It makes her feel safe when she can just be herself.

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Musings on womankind

On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 11:02 AM, ... wrote:
> I agree.  I'm still hopeful that you and I will find a woman
> worth marrying that reciprocates such feelings.

Well, obviously yes. Simple logic says that in an infinite universe, anything which exists in quantities greater than 1 exists in infinite quantity. I know of more than one (though currently fewer than five) girls whom I would be willing to marry, if she wanted us to. Ergo, there are an infinite number, and sooner or later one of them will reciprocate the feeling and we probably will get married. That's all in the far future, though, and not really something that should concern us in the here-and-now. We've always known things are going to turn out well in the long run.

In other words, I'm currently optimistic about individual relationships, not just the far future. I'm gradually realizing that women are far more security-driven than men are. Regardless of whom you eventually marry, regardless of whom W----- eventually marries, current data suggests that inasmuch as you show unconditional love[1] for W-----, there's a part of her that appreciates it[2] and you have a good chance of being friends in the long-term. With her as an individual, not just some random fungible woman. To me that's a cheerful thought.

To put it yet another way, current evidence is that your friendship with W----- is based on something fundamentally solid: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/88/40#40. Of course we won't know for sure until all the data are in and the world is over.

-Max

[1] Using the conventional terminology. I'd pick a different word for it myself, but I think you get the idea.

[2] Which isn't to say that she doesn't have other feelings as well. E.g. she may appreciate knowing that you will always be there for her, but simultaneously feel bad for not being attracted to you, etc. Women are emotionally complex.

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Benjamin F. Johnson journal

[Interesting story. K. would appreciate the logic, I think. I hate to admit it, but I think I can understand it now too, which I would not have said five years ago.]

And with these industries another seemed to force itself upon me, and the writing of it may prompt reflection. We are taught charity, and to refrain from judging, as we may not know the motive of another; and looking back, I realize that in my "strait jacket" of prejudice, I may have been uncharitable towards others. As example. I was so adverse to the use of ardent spirits that I could disfellowship or despise those who would make or sell it, without pity–almost a marvel in me. Father Miller, an old soldier of 1812 owned a place joining ours and ran a distillery. Buying his place, I could suffer loss unless we ran the distillery for a time. At first I felt repugnance at the thought, but a voice within said, "you have judged others, and the Lord would now prove you," and I felt confident the hand of the Lord was in it. So I laid off my straight jacket, and went into the distillery, but did not forget my prayers. My son B. Farland, about 16, was my principal help and became expert. Many came to buy whiskey to whom I had none to sell. Elderly people got it, and perhaps a second glass, but no more, and I made it to myself a field of mission labor, especially to the young; and it was said my words & example had a lasting effect upon many. From the wild carrot and from Sorghum, we made spirits which we sold in quantity where it would do no harm to our people. But we did not continue it long, when winter approached we ceased it entirely.

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Piracy: macro effects

 

According to NATO, piracy's recent peak actually came in 2003, with approximately 450 acts worldwide. In the last few years, it's hovered more in the 250-to-300 range, but 2009 gives all indications of being a banner year. Most estimates say the Somali pirates alone pulled in about $150 million in ransom in 2008, and that was only from tapping about one in every 100 cargo ships.

Given those odds, you can expect the shipping companies to continue resisting the calls for armed guards on ships. It's simply easier to write off what are, to them, paltry costs from the occasional ransom payment.

But here's the rub for navies worldwide: Container traffic, while temporarily depressed by the economic slowdown, is expected to continue growing by leaps and bounds in the years ahead, much like it doubled over the last decade. Prior to 9/11, less than 1 percent of containers were seriously inspected, and even today I'd be amazed to come across figures that seriously suggested double-digit percentages were being achieved consistently by anybody, despite the many promises by politicians to have 100 percent transparency in the future.

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

George McGovern

Remember that article I sent you from McGovern a year or so ago on accountability and the subprime crisis? I originally read the article, thought to myself, "This writer talks good sense." Then I noticed it was by George McGovern and went, "Hunh. I didn't think Democrats thought this way."

 

Well, I thought this article was interesting too. It's about compulsory arbitration in labor disputes: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124165379013293871.html

 

I'd be interested to know more about this man.

 

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

States rights

This just signed into law in Montana:

 

HOUSE BILL NO. 246

 

INTRODUCED BY J. BONIEK, BENNETT, BUTCHER, CURTISS, RANDALL, WARBURTON

 

AN ACT EXEMPTING FROM FEDERAL REGULATION UNDER THE COMMERCE CLAUSE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES A FIREARM, A FIREARM ACCESSORY, OR AMMUNITION MANUFACTURED AND RETAINED IN MONTANA; AND PROVIDING AN APPLICABILITY DATE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

 

Section 1. Short title. [Sections 1 through 6] may be cited as the "Montana Firearms Freedom Act".

 

Section 2. Legislative declarations of authority. The legislature declares that the authority for [sections 1 through 6] is the following:

 

(1) The 10th amendment to the United States constitution guarantees to the states and their people all powers not granted to the federal government elsewhere in the constitution and reserves to the state and people of Montana certain powers as they were understood at the time that Montana was admitted to statehood in 1889. The guaranty of those powers is a matter of contract between the state and people of Montana and the United States as of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.

 

(2) The ninth amendment to the United States constitution guarantees to the people rights not granted in the constitution and reserves to the people of Montana certain rights as they were understood at the time that Montana was admitted to statehood in 1889. The guaranty of those rights is a matter of contract between the state and people of Montana and the United States as of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.

 

(3) The regulation of intrastate commerce is vested in the states under the 9th and 10th amendments to the United States constitution, particularly if not expressly preempted by federal law. Congress has not expressly preempted state regulation of intrastate commerce pertaining to the manufacture on an intrastate basis of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition.

 

(4) The second amendment to the United States constitution reserves to the people the right to keep and bear arms as that right was understood at the time that Montana was admitted to statehood in 1889, and the guaranty of the right is a matter of contract between the state and people of Montana and the United States as of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.

 

(5) Article II, section 12, of the Montana constitution clearly secures to Montana citizens, and prohibits government interference with, the right of individual Montana citizens to keep and bear arms. This constitutional protection is unchanged from the 1889 Montana constitution, which was approved by congress and the people of Montana, and the right exists as it was understood at the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-5103-Wisconsin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d2-Montana-draws-a-deep-line-for-states-rights

 

It's a novel approach.

 

-Max

 

--

"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

 

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

 

 

Hiroshima

Did you know we dropped leaflets on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (as well as 31 other cities) 5 days prior to the bombings, warning civilians that we were going to destroy "one or all" of the targeted cities? Interesting presentation.

http://www.pjtv.com/video/Afterburner_/The_True_Story_of_the_Atomic_Bombs/1808/

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."