News and Politics
Politics – Current Events – Media
If Glenn Beck followed his own instructions, he’d be an ex-Mormon
Well known LDS political pundit Glenn Beck recently told his radio listeners that they should leave churches with the words “social justice” or “economic justice” on their websites: I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you... Read More »
The Tebows and Other Good Omens
I never expected to see the day that Kate Michelman, past president of NARAL, would write, “all sorts of well-educated and progressive people are comfortable calling themselves pro-life.” Michelman’s opinion piece in the Washington Post is fascinating not only for her openly acknowledging the eroding support for her movement (she says recent polls... Read More »
Actions for Haiti
I think that viewing the magnitude of human trauma in Haiti right now is similar to trying to mentally envision the difference between a 1000 and a 2000 sided object – we can’t really do it. 4 people like this post.Like Read More »
Bizarro World Meets Utah County
A Utah County today’s residents would hardly recognize: A onetime famed FBIman, Reed Ernest Vetterli, whose career could yield a dozen detective yarns, is in the middle of his hardest case: trying to get elected to Congress as a Republican in Utah’s heavily New Deal Second District. His platform: support the President in the war;... Read More »
Midwest
Utah is not part of the Midwest. Idaho is also out. That is all. 1 people like this post.Like Read More »
Same-sex Marriage and Change
Will same-sex marriage change the institution of marriage? Melissa Harris-Lacewell writes in The Nation that maybe, hopefully, it will. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
The Nasty Side of Christian Ethics
The language of turning the other cheek and Christian ethics in general can really get quite nasty. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Gays and the Church: Whose Ox is Being Gored?
When people talk about Prop 8 or gay-Mormon relations generally, a common theme is that a smaller, less powerful group is the victim of an unfair attack from a larger and more powerful aggressor. This theme is used repeatedly on both sides of the debate. It was a central theme in Elder... Read More »
Peace Prize Shock
At first I thought it might be a joke of some kind. I waited for a “just kidding” qualification from the radio news announcer. Then the news item finished. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Barack Obama. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
When Should We Fear Discourse?
In Nephi Anderson’s short story, “On the Border-land of Light,” his protagonist meets a woman who knows little of Mormons: “Have you never been down in the lower valley?” he asked. “No, never. You see we were afraid of the Mormons at first,… 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Remembering Ted Kennedy
I was sad to hear of the passing of Ted Kennedy this week. While his policy views often stood in stark contrast with those held by many Latter-day Saints in the United States, he was, nevertheless, a consummate legislator who truly knew how to put political differences aside and reach across the aisle to... Read More »
Baseball History and Personal Significance
Yesterday, baseball history was marked when the Phillies’ Eric Bruntlett recorded the rarest play in the game–the unassisted triple play. If you think about it, there is a bit of a life lesson in this. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
A Mormon Don Quixote
Last week I was in Cedar City for my annual visit to the Utah Shakespearean Festival, which has brought a lot of pleasure to my family for the past 24 years, thanks to the nearly 50-year-old impossible dream of a returned missionary, Fred Adams. His success is, today, an interesting counterpoint to other impossible... Read More »
Notes From All Over For Week Ended August 2
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What I Found Interesting and Unusual in the Pew Report
For Pioneer Day, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religious & Public Life released its report on Mormonism, based on responses to its 2007 Religious Landscape Survey. I was surprised that the initial coverage was so mundane, but when I read the report, so many details were fascinating! 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Notes From All Over For Week Ended July 25
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Notes From All Over For Week Ended July 18
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The Question of Pacifism
I’m not, by nature, a pacifist. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Notes From All Over For Week Ended July 11
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Notes From All Over For Week Ended July 4
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Explaining the Puzzle of Cross-State Differences in Bankruptcy Rates
Bankruptcy rates vary alot across states. With a fairly simple statistical model, Lars Lefgren and I explain about 70% of these differences in a paper just published in the Journal of Law and Economics. For cross sectional work using survey data, where you are looking across states at a point in time, explaining 70%... Read More »
Morality Polling
Suppose you take a “wisdom of the crowds” approach to morality (not that you should). Well then what could be more informative than a poll telling you what actions are morally wrong and what aren’t? Enter Gallup’s recent poll… Tip: Adultery is still wrong. Polygamy also out. 0 people like this... Read More »
Notes From All Over – through June 27
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Notes From All Over – through June 20
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Notes from All Over – through June 14
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Where Will National Mormon Politicians Come From?
That may sound like the introduction to a bad joke, but I actually have a serious answer. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Notes from All Over – through June 7
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Live Free or Die
It’s been a good week for the gay rights movement. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Political Sentiments and Religious Sentiments
My own politics ocillate between liberalism (in the grand historical sense) and conservatism. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »
Whenever did empathy become a bad thing?
The Sotomayor nomination has put the strangest ideas into circulation. The latest rallying cry is that — brace yourself — she is a judge who might have empathy. Oh, no! This is apparently a very bad thing. 0 people like this post.Like Read More »





