The Dead Kennedys

Aw, the Kennedys. As the world mourns the loss of the last Kennedy son I have mixed feelings. On the one hand there is plenty to disdain, for me most of my apprehension has to do with the Kennedy sons being notorious adulterers (although I’m not sure if Joseph Jr., the oldest son was an adulterer but there is no doubt the other three were). But there are a few characteristics about the four Kennedy brothers that I admire greatly.

For starters, all four, Joseph Jr., John, Robert, and Ted all came of age during the time of the military draft. Coming from fabulously wealthy families they could have easily avoided serving but unlike so many other wealthy young men (Mitt Romney I’m looking in your general direction) they were not drafted but chose to serve their nation’s military. In fact, Joseph Jr., the pride and joy of the Kennedy family, would die in a fiery crash over the Pacific Ocean in 1944 at the age of 29.

John and Robert both served in the Navy during World War II though John’s military record was a little more heroic than Robert’s. Ted dragged his feet a little more but rather than taking an officer’s commission like his brothers he enlisted as a Private in the Army (WHOAH!) during the Korean War though he never saw combat. Now that the draft is gone who serves in the military?

Well, let’s see, we got poor people, immigrants, and numskulls like myself who thought he was getting a free pair of socks that say "Army" on the side. Not too many millionaires serving in the armed forces today and I don’t know if any of the four Kennedy brothers' children served in the military.

That’s beside the point. The fact is the Kennedy brothers did not have to serve their country but they did. These four could have chosen the playboy life as they were rich and handsome and had access to anything and everything. The remaining three chose public service. Not business, banking, law, medicine or any illustrious career but they chose public service. Sure, we can be cynics and suggest they were just trying to quell some sort of power hunger but this brings us to the next point.

We all know the ultimate end to both John and Robert. They were murdered in cold blood. Gunned down in their prime. They had it all, wealth and fame but they chose to serve the public and gave their lives doing so. I respect that. Sure, there were some things about those two that makes me shake my head but it is hard to argue with their sincerity when they died while serving America.

Which brings me to the final characteristic that I admire greatly. Ted Kennedy died last week, still sworn in as a US Senator. He worked to the very end. I would love to work until the end comes. Over the past year I have met with dozens of men who just seemed to sit on their couches the last 10 years of their lives and it scares the bajeezers out of me. I do not want to end up like that, I want to be like Senator Kennedy and be working up to the end or as close as possible.

So those are my feelings about these complicated men. They were given so much at birth but chose a route dedicated to public service. Sadly, only a few of their children have chosen public service, most have taken the family’s money and ran with it. Too bad, because clearly there is something enigmatic in their genes and as a nation we could use more of their talents.

P.S. Eunice Kennedy, sister of the four brothers died recently as well. This is another person that I greatly admired. When she was in her prime the mentally challenged were treated even more horribly than they are today. But she established the Special Olympics and broke all sorts of barriers. I volunteered as a bowling coach for two years, it was a great experience (I once saw a mentally challenged gentleman, his name was Butch, bowl 11 strikes in one game!). The Special Olympics, what a legacy for Eunice Kennedy! Can you imagine a world without the Special Olympics?

Passing Time and the News

I once took a history course on American pop culture. The professor pointed out that at least a few of the students in the class were the last generation that will remember what used to happen to TV around midnight. Do you remember? Believe it or not they all went to a screen with colored bars sometimes accompanied with an annoying screeching sound. Are you that old?

Well, today thanks to cable TV the fun never ends. On news stations they are forced to fill the time with everything but nothing. One of the more annoying things that they do is turn to us, the public, to tell them what to think. This do this through emails, voicemails, twatters, texting and polls. So when I saw this clip I laughed out loud because it is truly a pet peeve of mine. Check it out.

Playing the Hitler/Nazi Card

One of my historical pet peeves is when someone plays the “Hitler Card.” That is when someone compares something here in the USA to Nazi Germany. There is absolutely no comparison and there will never be a responsible way to make this comparison. Hitler and the Nazis killed five million Jews, Gypsies, and mental retards among others all the while sucking the entire world into the most devastating and expensive war the earth has ever seen. Other than the mostly pre-USA germicidal genocide of the Native Americans nothing that has happened in North America can even begin to compare to such atrocities.

Not long ago my sister sent me an article where this brain donor “journalist” compared President Obama’s proposed volunteer corps to the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany. Volunteer corps…Nazi Germany, really?! Volunteers cleaning up parks! Nazis! Really?! Politics aside would you ever be comfortable making such a comparison?

More recently intellectual giants Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck compared the proposed healthcare reform to Nazi Germany. Healthcare reform…Nazi Germany, really?! Healthcare reform! Nazis! Really?! Again, politics aside would you ever be comfortable making such a comparison?

Thankfully I am not the only one that feels this way. Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek and author of a fantastic book called American Gospel was so annoyed by the recent comments from wisemen Limbaugh, Beck, and others that he wrote an editorial on the subject. Meacham pointed out such absurd comparisons are made by men and women on both sides of the isle to further their own agenda.

• 1960, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley accused Republicans of “Hitler-type propaganda” when they wanted a recount of the Kennedy – Nixon election.

• 1964, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate referred to LBJ’s Great Society as the kind of system that “came to life in Germany three decades ago when Adolf Hitler offered the people a welfare-state program, with promises to build everything they needed.”

• 1982, feminist writer Gloria Steinem wrote: “A return to a strong family life, women’s primary identity as mothers, tax penalties for remaining single, loans for young married couples and subsidies for childbearing, prohibition of prostitution and homosexuality, contraception, and abortion: all these were issues that the Roman Catholic Church…and the Nazi Party could agree on.”

• 1995, Democratic Congressmen Charles Rangel and Major Owens compared Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America to Nazi Germany.

• 1995, The National Rifle Association called law-enforcement officials “jackbooted [slang for Nazi storm troopers] government thugs.”

One of my own discoveries was a comment by former General Relief Society counselor and former Desert Books CEO Sheri Dew in a 2004 speech to a conservative religious coalition. Now Sister Dew wrote an excellent biography on President Hinckley that I enjoyed so much that I actually read it twice on my mission so it was disappointing and disheartening to see her absurd remarks.

• While talking about same-sex marriage and homosexual parents she declared, “At first it may seem a bit extreme to imply a comparison between the atrocities of Hitler and what is happening in terms of contemporary threats against the family—but maybe not.”

Oh, Sister Dew, conservative Christians are ruining the way you talk! If that is how you have to speak to make these Religious Right nut-jobs your friends then they’re not your friends! Sure, she was just trying to fit in with a bunch of religious zealots who have little or no respect for the Mormon faith but such a comment is ignorant and insulting as Hitler’s Final Solution included ending the lives of thousands of homosexuals so to even make a comparison is awfully inappropriate and insensitive.

Furthermore, those are fighting words coming from a woman who has never been married in a church that emphasizes the importance of marriage. This is another reason why Mormons should stay far and clear from the Religious Right, we don’t want to be associated with such intolerant loonies and quite truthfully we don’t fit in so we need to stop trying! Come on…were better than these exploiters!

At any rate Meacham finished his article fiercely by explaining, “the example of Hitler should not be invoked lightly or often. In this case less is more; to deploy Nazi imagery as a matter of course diminishes one of humankind’s most potent lessons of its meaning and power. The summer of 2009 has not been our finest hour on this front.”

What do you think? Is it acceptable to compare any actions of a democratically elected government in the United States to Hitler and the Nazis? The President Bush won the election through a court decision, his administration dragged the country into an illegal war, they fired numerous US attorneys because they were not loyal enough to the Republican Party, authorized the use of torture, held enemy combatants without trial, and spied on their own citizens’ phone calls and emails but even then, comparing such behaviors with the actions of the Nazis is ignorant and baseless.

Or is this yet another scare tactic? You know, a cheap way to shoot down another’s opinion or idea by using emotionally charged imagery and without actually doing any research on the subject at hand? Blah, blah, blah…are you getting as sick of my preaching as I am?

Maddie Cake

Our dear sweet niece Maddie decided to grace us with her presence for one sweet day this summer. Oh, how I wish she lived by us.

Dan could constantly yell at her for not knowing what happened in Salem, Mass.

Heidi could be enlightened by her cute fashion style.

And Henry could smile at her all day...dreaming of grabbing and pulling her long lovely hair.

But alas, we are not that lucky. She would rather live with her parents...there.

But we did show Maddie a good time.

First we showed Maddie how to wave 'hello':
Then we took Maddie to the Library where Henry read her his favorite book:


And Henry showed Maddie how to sit up like a big boy:


We were able to take Maddie to Rocket Park.

Maybe next time we'll be able to spend more than 16 hours with her.

We love you Maddie Cake.

Arrested Development

I just finished watching all 53 episodes of “Arrested Development” perhaps the funniest TV comedy sitcom ever. I do this every 6 months or so and though it takes me a few weeks to work through every episode I discover new jokes every time. Rumors have been swirling since “Arrested Development’s” cancelation that it was going to be made into a feature film. These rumors were once again suggested by Jason Bateman in July.

I have so many questions. The actors and actresses said the only way they would do the movie was if everyone came back to revive their roles so we can count on George, Lucille, GOB, Michael, Lindsay, Buster, Tobias, George Michael, and Maeby but what about all of the supporting characters that made the show so hilarious? If a film is made a lot of questions could be answered. For example:

Are George Michael and Maeby still married?

Would the movie include Annyong? He showed his true intentions on the show but technically they would have to at least mention him since he is their adopted brother.

What about “Uncle” Jack? Granted he was not really their uncle but they all called him their uncle. I wonder if Dragon still carries him everywhere?

What about Franklin Delano Bluth? GOB got him into the legal system so in their world Franklin exists as long as someone has a hand up his…you know.

Then there is the forgotten Bluth, Steve Holt. He would have to be there at least once to yell out “STEVE HOLT!”

By the way, was Nellie an actual family member or just a prostitute, I’m not sure if this was ever explained.

Too bad Rita never married Michael or else we would probably see her again, unfortunately now that everyone knows she is a MRF there wouldn’t be much sense in brining her back to Wee Britain. But wow, what a whirlwind romance, eh?

Of course there were a lot of family friends that would need to revive their roles. I mean could you imagine a feature film without Lucille II, vertigo or no vertigo?

What about their long time attorney Barry Zuckerkorn? Sure the Bluths fired him but I’m not sure if Bob Loblaw could adequately defend the Bluths with or without the assistance of Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog.

Then there are the troublemakers and protagonists of the series. So far Maggie Lizer lied about being blind and lied about being pregnant, what else could she lie about?

Will we encounter Kitty Sanchez again and if so will she flash Michael? I wonder if they would blur out the image on a feature film?

Speaking of flashing, I’m interested to learn more about Phillip Litt and his “Girls With Low Self-Esteem.” It would be awesome if Tobias and Litt go to the Never-Nude Conference they talked about. Maybe while there they might meet one of the Never-Nudes serving in German Parliament, after all, as Tobias exclaimed, “There are dozens of us! Dozens!”

I’d suggest bringing back White Power Bill but I’m pretty sure he’s dead after Tobias psychotherapied him over the side of the prison wall.

I don’t think super boring and super serious Wayne Jarvis who was a one-time defender but now prosecutor of the Bluths has given up yet. He wants their number.

What about the hired muscle, will we see any of them? I would enjoy seeing Tobias’s acting coach Carl Weathers and bounty hunter/party planner ICE again but I would be really happy if Gene Parmesan returned. He never received adequate screen time. Plus I love Lucille’s reaction whenever he showed up.

Do you think the Bluths will ever hire Dr. Fishman (the very literal man) again?

Finally there are a few other loose ends. I’m dying to know how parenting is going for Officer Carter and Officer Taylor.

And what is the status of Tony Wonder and the Magician’s Alliance? Are they still blacklisting GOB?

Could we be honored with another Motherboy Pageant? I hope so because number XXX was not enough.

Are there any more lessons J. Walter Weatherman could teach the family?

Whatever happened to Ann? You know, Ann?

And what episode is complete without banner, perhaps they’ll bring back the “Mission Accomplished” or “You’re Killing Me Buster” banners.

What did I miss? Oh, yeah the most important thing. If this TV show is made into a feature film what will it be rated? Heidi and I have done well at avoiding Rated-R movies so it will break my heart if “Arrested Development” is Rated-R. Besides, I think it is funnier with the bleeps because you can never figure out exactly what they are saying.

If you are an “Arrested Development” fan what or who do you hope the movie includes?

FEAR MONGERING!!!

I have been following MSNBC's Keith Oberman since he was an ESPN reporter while I was in high school. I really appreciated Olberman's recent attack on fear mongering on the subject of health care reform. From a religious perspective everything I have been taught and studied throughout my life makes it crystal clear I have nothing to fear in this life. God and my judgment before Him is the only fear I should have so when fears surface I should refute them and shake them off as soon as possible. I absolutely HATE IT when politicians, spokespersons, media, and other public figures take advantage of American citizens that are uneducated on the issues (and sometimes flat-out ignorant). Please, please, please watch this clip because Olberman made so many good points about the unethical use of fear as a way to get one's way.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Beauty Marks

It's no question that some of the most beautiful people in the world have moles. That's why they call them beauty marks.

Here are a few examples of celebrity beauty marks:

Natalie Portman rocks her mole.

Enrique is just as hot with or without the mole (he had his removed.)

Cindy, we can't forget about probably one of the most famous beauty marks, next to Marilyn's of course.

And then there's me.
I am moley. Very very moley. I get it from my mom.

I've circled them, just in case you were having a hard time seeing them. My dermatologist says that looking at me gives her a mole overload. I hope that's a good thing.

I've had a mole on my tummy since I can remember. It's been good to me.
It has been my beauty mark in a way.

It was with me when I was younger.

It grew with me.


It has never, ever betrayed me...
until now.
And today I had to say goodbye to it.


I kind of grew accustomed to it being there.
And it made me sad to say goodbye.

This is the fourth mole that I have had removed since Henry was born.
I am slowly being picked away at.
Soon there will be nothing left of me.
(If you notice my abdomen is not quite symmetric because of the tumor that was removed from my right side...I thought I'd point that out....)

So long old friend.
I will miss you.
Now, let's just hope you come back benign.

Viva Las Vegas

On December 9, 1997 I loaded my luggage into Sam's car and drove away from my home. As I looked back at my home I think deep down I knew I would never step foot into my boyhood home again. When I returned to Utah a couple years later I realized I no longer fit in. Within a few years Heidi and I moved to the glimmering Las Vegas Valley.

Yep, Las Vegas is a dirty city with a combination of trash and dust but man, it became the my home and I miss it. Sure, it has a lot of downsides. You think being sunny everyday would be a good thing but trust me, it's exhausting. And there are loads of trashy billboards, strip clubs, drug problems, a troubled economy, and obnoxious tourists but for most of my adult life it was home and I love and miss Las Vegas. Here are my top reasons why I miss Sin City.

1. The People: There are a lot of wonderful people there. I even miss the freaks, oh, the freaks, how I miss you. Including KISS cover bands and cross dressers covered in tattoos. But all of these people were there for us when Heidi and I were brought to our knees during a very difficult time and we will never forget that.

2. Gravel: I miss the sound that walking on gravel makes. You know kind of like a crunching or crackling sound. I don't know when was the last time I saw or walked on gravel now that I think about it.

3. The Desert: There is something humbling about driving through the Mojave Desert in a small, air-conditioned metal cocoon when the outside temp is 100+ degrees. Many times we talked about how powerful the desert can be, it is one of those terrains that if stranded you could end up dead. An 11-year old boy died from desert exposure at Death Valley last week so yeah, it is humbling to live in an environment where Mother Nature puts you in your place.

4. Neon Lights. It doesn't matter where in the Las Vegas Valley you live you will see neon lights, frequently, and on everything. I miss their bright, intense glow.

5. So many people travel to Las Vegas and miss out on the beautiful natural world that surrounds the man-made strip. My favorite destinations include Lake Mead, Mt. Charleston, Red Rock, and the Wetlands. Sure, Texas has the ocean, bayous, and wildflowers but what can I say, I'm a mountain guy.

6. Dog Fancier's Park: Recently a new dog park opened near our current home but I miss our dog park in LV, the park that started it all. We took Bentley to that park before we even got Myla. We met so many neat people and dogs there and probably spent hundreds of hours talking with the Rosses and Andersons. Plus we miss events like Pet-a-Palooza and Strut Your Mutt. We just haven't found anything like that here.

7. On holidays and when visitors came to town we made trips to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden. I miss that place and best of all it was free so check it out if your in Vegas. We even saw an Oompa Loompa once, but he was in a cage and didn't look good.

8. Sports. Let me explain, Houston might have a professional football, basketball, and baseball team but the tickets are outrageously expensive and the crowds are unpleasant. But the Las Vegas 51s, Wranglers and Gladiator tickets were inexpensive and the crowds were bearable. You could pay for inexpensive seats but still find yourself up close.

9. UNLV: Hardly a prestigious university but I loved it there. Heidi's Radiology Club really came through for her when she needed help the most and academically I reached all new levels. Plus I miss hearing the band play Viva Las Vegas even if some of the teams were...well, not very good.

10. Sidewalks: You might think sidewalks are in every city, at least on busy roads, but you'd be wrong. At least in LV you can pretty much walk anywhere safely on a sidewalk. Just ask Heidi about this one.

11. Sunflower Market: The produce department was awesome, they had all sorts of food in bulk and you could even buy ear candles. Best part of all is that Sunflower Market is not all that expensive, we have never found a replacement.

12. Bowling Alleys: I'm not a good bowler but once you have been exposed to the bright, luxurious 100 lane bowling alleys the smoke-filled dark and dank traditional bowling alley really turns you off to the "sport." Oh, the giant movie theaters are cool but movies do cost more there.

13. Bagel Stores: Serious, I know of one restaurant in our current area that makes bagels. What gives? But if you ever want a donut or kolache Houston is the place for you!

14. Real Slot Machines: The first convenience store I entered in Houston had slot machines in it and I did not even realize they should not be there because I was so used to seeing them. They don't even pay out but sure enough there are always a couple idiots playing them. I never thought I'd miss slot machines in gas stations and grocery stores but I do because at least they were real.

15. Las Vegas Clark County Library District: There are less than 2 million people in Clark County, NV and just over 4 million in Harris County, TX so who do you think would have the better public library system? Practically every book, CD, audio book, and movie we ever wanted to watch was available and they would even transport it to your local library within a day or two, here it could take a week or two.

16. The Strip: Not actually going to the strip, that got old real fast. But for some reason I enjoyed heading west and seeing the Strip up ahead with those strange hotels comprising my skyline. Come to think of it I think I saw at least part of that odd boulevard every single day while living in LV.

17. D.I.: Yep, Desert Industries. We made regular trips to the ultimate second-hand thrift store. Sure we had a Saver's, Goodwill, and Salvation Army but D.I. had the best selection and prices and ours was only a couple miles away.

18. T-Ball: Our Stake Primary T-Ball Season was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Nothing beats watching Primary kids play T-Ball. Now that is some good sports action. I have never lived in another Stake that has such an activity.

19. Mormons: I love being a Mormon...I just don't want to live in a community where everyone or almost everyone is Mormon. On the other hand, I want to live in a community where there are lots of Mormons but most of the people are not Mormons. Get it? Not too many and not too few. It was nice living in a community where most everyone knew who Mormons were and what they believed but were not members themselves. I once read that Mormons make up about 13% of the county, that sounds about right.

20. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department: OK, this is less about Metro and more about Texas police departments. I mean cops here live up to pretty much every negative stereotype about cops as possible including eating donuts, being overweight, and spending most of their days pulling people over for rolling through 4-way stops on an abandoned street. At least Metro spent most of their days doing real police work like nabbing prostitutes, harrasing the homeless, busting meth-heads, and chasing down unruly tourists.

So, will we ever head back to LV? We'd love to, particularly Paradise but the economy needs to improve, the housing market has to stabilize, and the right opportunity has to present itself. But I would return to my adopted home in a flash if the possibility was there. What about those that have left LV? Do you miss it or are you happy to be free of southern Nevada's scalding grip?

Double Standard?

On March 10, 2003 Natalie Maines, lead singer for the country group the Dixie Chicks made this statement in the middle of a concert in England:

"Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."

Outrage followed. How could these women make such an unthinkable statement on foreign soil during the lead up to the Iraq War?! Either Maines was lucky or clairvoyant but millions of Americans would eventually join her in being ashamed by President Bush and the actions of his administration.

But that is besides the point. Maines made one stupid comment during a concert, big deal, you should have heard the stuff The Offspring said during a concert of theirs I attended! It's not like they got on national TV and totally made outrageous, unsubstantiated and overall boneheaded comments, right?

Fast forward to July 28, 2009 when every Mormon's favorite conservative talk show host, Glenn Beck rambled on about the current US President. He described the president as having proved "over and over again" to have a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture...I'm not saying he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem...This guy is, I believe, a racist."

You might be saying to yourself, "No, Glenn Beck is an honest man who loves his country so much and is smart enough to know such a dumb notion isn't true!" Alas, it is true. For those who can't believe Brother Beck would say something so inflammatory here is the clip, it's less than 30 seconds:



Now the double standard. We all saw what happened to the Dixie Chicks for making a random, obscure statement. People burned their albums, t-shirts, and other memorabilia (check out the documentary Shut Up and Sing). They received countless death threats and boycotts and this was after they apologized four days after the unfortunate remark concert saying:

"As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect."

So what gives? Beck proved himself an idiot by declaring that a half-white man who was raised by a white mother and white grandparents in a predominantly white community has a "deep-seated hatred" of white culture yet Beck never apologized. At least I couldn't find one and I even stomached his website for a few minutes looking for one.

FOX News released this wishy-washy "apology" for their employee's stupidity:

"Glenn Beck expressed a personal opinion which represented his own views, not those of the Fox News Channel. And as with all commentators in the cable news arena, he is given the freedom to express his opinions."

OK, fine, it was his opinion and we are free to make our own opinions heard. But why were the Dixie Chicks threatened with lynchings, sniper shootings, and had their names smeared through the mud for expressing their opinion? I don't see anybody burning Beck's books, t-shirts or any of other crappy stuff you can buy on his webpage like this tacky coffee mug available online for a paltry $19.95?

Wait a minute...Glenn Beck, a Mormon hero known for defending our faith sells coffee mugs?!

Anyhoo, seriously, why the double standard? Beck's comments were a lot more unfounded than Maines's so why has there been so little outrage? Is it because the Dixie Chicks are women and he is a white man or is it because so many Americans still feel a little queezy about a black president or is there a whole other reason I am missing here?

But let's be honest, Beck does it for attention and money and it is that simple. He loves thinking he is some sort of hero to America and loves his bags of money. He knows he's a moron without a college education and though he can be self-deprecating, a quality we should all emulate (I'm serious, it is a good characteristic) he doesn't really care about anything as long as he gets attention and a paycheck. But in the words of the great American political icon, Sarah Palin, I wish he "would just quit makin' stuff up!"

Family History

Recently President Monson and Elder Oaks along with Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid (also a member) visited President Obama at the White House. They presented President Obama with a five volume family history. President Monson noted the US president's "heritage is rich with examples of leadership, sacrifice and service. We were very pleased to research his family history and are honored to present it to him today."

For the past three US presidents, Obama, Bush, and Clinton, the church has presented similar family histories. A number of questions and thoughts come to mind. First of all though I don't do family history I'm proud to belong to a faith that includes some of the world's most renown family historians. Recently I met with a non-LDS patient's family and noticed a book on doing one's own genealogy on their coffee table. Sure enough it was written by a professor of family history at BYU and they were convinced this was the ultimate resource in doing family history.

Obama probably has the most interesting and challenging history. Not only did they have to trace his Midwestern heritage but they had to dig into Kenyan records. That could not have been easy but it must have been fascinating watching these two very different family histories, one European the other African, merge into one.

Clinton would have been interesting too. Keep in mind Clinton's original given name was William Blythe III and his father was killed in a car accident three months before Slick Willy was born. So did the church do his biological and adopted father's history or just the Clinton side? Good thing they met with Clinton before the Lewinsky debacle or else that could have been a little awkward.

Let's face it, Bush's American Aristocratic lineage was probably the dullest and easiest to produce. However, the Bush family also has a proud and successful history serving the country for multiple generations.

I appreciated Senator Reid's remarks when he said, "I thank President Monson and Elder Oaks for sharing our religion’s tradition of genealogical research with the president and his family...Recognizing the president and first lady's deep regard for family, I am honored that our church can have any part in documenting their family history."

Furthermore I appreciate President Obama's efforts at asserting the importance of fatherhood and demonstrated that family history is another way of bonding with our children when he remarked, "I enjoyed my meeting with President Monson and Elder Oaks. I'm grateful for the genealogical records that they brought with them and am looking forward to reading through the materials with my daughters. It's something our family will treasure for years to come."

What do you think? Which president has the most interesting family history? Whose was the most challenging? Which president was most likely to sit down and actually look over the provided material? Makes me wish I had a bigger interest in genealogy.

Mad Men

We don't have cable. But we do have a library. It is at this said library that we have checked out many cable television series that we don't normally see.

One of these series is MAD MEN, shown on AMC.

We love Mad Men. It makes me want to live back in 1960. We decided to Mad Men ourselves.

Here is Dan during a busy day at Sterling Cooper.

Here is Heidi leaving work for a night in Manhattan.

I sometimes wish that life was simpler, like it was back in 1960. Not that there wasn't complicated interpersonal relationships back then, but life in general was just simpler. There wasn't internet, cable, facebook. The things that distract our lives didn't exist back then. Instead people filled their time with card night with friends. Horseback riding on Saturdays. Tennis. Sitting around listening to the radio. And I just love how people spoke back then too...so polite.

Has anyone else seen this show? If so what do you think. I love it! I'm mad about Mad Men.