Murder on a Summer Day

In May 1835, after a six day trial, five men were acquitted of murder. These weren't random thugs but important members of the community. They included Thomas Sharp a newspaper editor, Colonel Levi Williams of the local militia, Jacob Davis an attorney and state senator, Mark Aldrich a land agent, and William Grover another lawyer. They were the only five men ever brought to trial for a double murder and a double attempted murder that took place on June 27, 1844, 166 years today.

Who were they accused of murdering and trying to kill? None other than the Mormon leaders Joseph Smith Jr. and Hyrum Smith. John Taylor was shot several times but Willard Richards was lucky to walk away uninjured. The five men put on trial were selected out of a list of sixty-five known participants that gathered at Carthage Jail to finally do away with the Mormon prophet. The vast number of those involved in the double homicide was exactly why these men got away with the murder. After all, how could it be proved a specific man fired the fatal bullets?

But that's beside the point. I keep going back to the same question. How did these five intelligent, educated, and sophisticated men ever get involved in what was essentially a 19th century hate crime? These men were "pillars of the community" not the local ruffians. The best I can come up with is the simplest but most likely answer. These normally good and reasonable men were confronted with something different than them, they felt threatened and overreacted.

So, how about today? I can't help but wonder if we Mormons fail to remember this important lesson. It is simply wrong to treat those that are different poorly. We were (and continue to be) victims of intolerance but some days I get the feeling were guilty of perpetrating the same un-Christian behavior. Here are a few examples I have seen:

One of the first type of jokes I remember learning were "Jew jokes." Can you believe that? And this wasn't just a relic from my childhood. I remember being stunned after my mission to hear some of these jokes from other returned missionaries. I was hardly innocent, I was guilty of telling these type of jokes until I joined the army and I actually met a Jew for the first time.

Or I remember the story from a fellow missionary from Washington state. Apparently before his mission he went to BYU and was embarrassed by the homophobic undertone he encountered in the dorms. He told me about an incident when a student journalist wrote an article sympathetic to homosexuals in the university newspaper. According to my fellow missionary his peers were so livid they wanted to hunt this guy down and teach him a lesson. You know, good old mob violence.

And how about the disdain so many Mormons show to Democrats, progressives, and other liberals. It sounds silly but I'm serious. Rory Reid, a Nevada politician, son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and a BYU grad was asked by a Las Vegas newspaper if he was ever treated poorly by his fellow Mormons for being a Democrat. He shared a story about taking his kids to his local ward house for a Halloween Trunk or Treat only to find in one trunk a cardboard cut out of his father, Senator Reid, hanging by a noose with the word "DEVIL" written across the image's chest. "Try explaining that to your kids," Mr. Reid quipped.

I feel fortunate I no longer live in Utah because when I was there I think I forgot that I belong to a minority group despite said group being the dominant culture in the state. The last thing I want to do is forget that my religious roots are largely established in reaction to intolerance. As one of my college professors explained we can't forget that our people were driven from the United States until we Mormons jumped the border to Mexico to escape persecution. We "jumped" the border? Go figure.

Haircut

This is hair cut #5 for Henry.
His hair is crazy. It's a lot like mine.
Henry gets so sweaty and hot here, especially with the 95% humidity.
I decided it was time.
To cut it ALL off.

I guess I didn't really mean it to be this short.

Don't worry it will grow back.

Household Chores

If you're like most couples you argue about who does what chores and who does the most. Heidi and I do all the time. It turns into kind of a competition for us. After some careful calculations here is the amount we do each chore:

Job (Percentage Daniel does it-Percentage Heidi does it)

Load/Unload Dishwasher (90%-10%)

Clean Kitchen (75%-25%)

Mop (5%-95%)

Bathrooms (5%-95%)

Make Bed (15%-85%)

Clean Litter Box (90%-10%)

Pick Up Dog Poop (90%-10%)

Bathe Dogs (50%-50%)

Bathe Henry (5%-95%)

Vacuum (10%-90%)

Carpet Clean (95%-5%)

Babysit Henry (60%-40%)

Cook Meals (60%-40%)

Laundry (15%-85%)

Change Henry's Diapers (20%-80%)

Walk the Dogs (60%-40%)

Clean Cars (96.5%-3.5%)

Well...what do you think? Fair trade off or is one of us being taken advantage of? We argue about this all the time so I would love an outside opinion set us straight. Who needs to pick up the slack? If you ask me it's June Bug...fuzzy little free loader.

Twitter of Death

Just after 12am last Friday the following "tweet" was sent out:

"A solemn day. Barring a stay by Sup Ct, & with my final nod Utah will use most extreme power & execute a killer. Mourn his victims. Justice"

A few minutes later:

"I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner's execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims."

And finally:

"We will be streaming live my press conference as soon as I'm told Gardner is dead. Watch it at..."

Those messages were sent by Utah State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff immediately before and after convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner was gunned down by a Utah firing squad.

Is it me or is there something ghoulish about announcing the state-sanctioned murder of a man on a thing called "Twitter?" The logo for Twitter is a cute little smiling bird for crying out loud! Oh, and next to these "twats" about the man who was just gunned to death is a photo of A.G. Shurtleff grinning like an idiot.

I'm not a fan of the death penalty. There is something inherently...well...I don't know...something inherently un-Christian about the death penalty. It seems so Old Testament and I am more of a New Testament kind of guy and Jesus couldn't be more clear about peace, love, and forgiveness. I guess there is one state sponsored execution in the New Testament but...well...you know the cross and all.

Today I read an article by Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. He is also not a fan of the death penalty but admitted he was oddly tolerant of the firing squad:

If citizens really long for the death of another human being, then let it be as messy and horrible as taking a life really is. And if doing so bothers us, perhaps we shouldn't be executing the person at all!

We have used technology to avoid the ugliness of execution for a very long time. First it was the electric chair which was supposed to be "more efficient" than hanging. Now we send in teams of people dressed in white coats who in a macabre parody of hospital procedure, strap someone to a gurney, hook up an IV and let the "drugs" do their job. If that isn't twisted, I don't know what is.

Was Gardner a psycho killer? Absolutely. Am I suggesting they should have given this lunatic a second chance? Absolutely not. Do I mourn for the death of this man? Not really, but we should always be sad when a life is taken prematurely no matter the circumstances. I hope I never hate someone so much that I rejoice in seeing them die.

It must be the social worker in me but Gardner should have been locked up for his crimes never to see the outside of a prison again. Now that is the punishment that keeps on giving. Instead they gave Gardner exactly what he requested, execution by the firing squad.

Lost and Cancer

During the 2004-2005 television season the network abc introduced the world to the drama-mystery "Lost." You know, that maddening show about a plane that crashes on a mysterious island and slowly one-by-one the remaining passengers are killed off? You know, that one?

Anyway, we never saw an episode during the regular season but during the summer of 2005 abc began showing the entire series and that is when Heidi and I began watching. We had the time. You see, it was during this summer that Heidi was neck-deep in her chemotherapy and we had a lot of time to watch TV. We became enraptured by "Lost" (although Heidi lost patience after the third season or so) and watched it on Wednesday evenings at home, while in the hospital, and during the day after the DVDs were released.

There was a time where our lives loosely revolved around the show. Rightfully so. The characters were going insane and so was I during this particularly stressful period of my life. We also felt "Lost" but instead of living on a beautiful tropical island we were urbanites in the township of Paradise, Las Vegas.

I just finished watching the final episode of the series. Granted, I'm still processing the outcome (not sure if I get it) but there is some unexpected closure in my life. "Lost" began when Heidi had cancer and the show was always linked to that period of time so now that it is over, in a silly way I feel like that unpleasantness is behind me.

Now this might sound weird but in some ways I miss that period of time. There was a certain aura of quietness, solitude, and humility. There was something liberating about being brought to my knees in supplication. I couldn't get any lower. I mean come on, my young, beautiful wife was having her body pumped full of poisons that could possibly kill her in an effort to treat a disease that could possibly kill her. I had no fears because one of my greatest fears was coming true! Though it was an incredibly stressful period of time it was oddly peaceful. I wonder if Heidi agrees?

Nightmares of a Crystal Meth Addict

I don't know why I think this is so funny....maybe it's the twinks, gypsies, grown men in wedding dresses, or maybe it's Teddy Rubskin wearing mascara, or the human bath mats...
It makes me laugh.

Good Things Utah Part II

Recently I commented on the overabundant consumption of pornography in Utah. I know I shouldn't but I find this funny in a ironic kind of way. Heidi immediately questioned why I hate Utah. Well, I don't. I have never said I hate Utah, in fact, about a year ago I wrote on reasons why I miss Utah and after a recent trip to the Rocky Mountain state I can add a few more. Here is my updated list on why I like (and miss) Utah:

1. Utah mountains, canyons, and valleys are some of the best and my favorite.

2. Nickelcade has ruined regular priced arcade games for me forever. Supposedly other states have similar arcades but I've never seen them.

3. Crisp bean burritos...Heidi got me hooked on these and Taco Time is centered in Utah.

4. Fry sauce, sure it's made of mayo, ketchup and pickle juice but it sure taste good.

5. TRAX. Houston is the epitome of poor public transportation and the Houston Metro area is 3 times the size of Utah yet the Wasatch Front has a better public transportation system.

6. Fall is my favorite season and the best falls I have ever seen has been in Utah.

7. The grid system for addresses rocks. Brigham Young was inspired, go figure?

8. I miss Strawberry Days including the rodeo, strawberries and cream, and the freaky carnival.

9. Sports. I'm a Jazz fan and root for them every time as long as they are not playing the Celtics. OK, I'm going to admit something huge. I am a BYU football fan and will cheer for the Cougars 99.9% of the time. I went to countless games as a young man and loved them. I even went to a game against Tulane at the Superdome in New Orleans last year. However, I will never be caught dead wearing any BYU clothing.

10. I'm not a huge fan of alcohol, it ruins far more lives than helps. In 2008 43% of all traffic related fatalities occurred as a result of drunk driving in top ranked Texas (alcohol consumption here is a ridiculous and out of control). Utah had the lowest in the nation at 20% (still appalling). Now that is something to brag about. Still not a fan of the no-alcohol-sales on Sunday rule, that's just silly.

BONUS 11. While on the WofW, smoking deaths in Utah are the lowest in the nation year after year. Strange that this is even a problem knowing what we do.

So, with all these wonderful aspects of the Beehive state you think I'd be running back to my native state as quickly as I could. Like many I have conflicted feelings about where I was born. I think there are two big reasons why I can't/won't ever go back.

First, I am proud of my Mormon faith but have come to appreciate the fact that we make up a very small minority group in the USA. When one lives in a state where more than 60% are LDS how on earth are we supposed to fulfill the "every member a missionary" calling. There are so many people that would represent our faith better than I but most of them are in Utah!

Second, I drove away from my house about three weeks after my 19th b-day. I don't know why but I knew it would never be the same. When I came back from my mission everything had changed and I didn't like it. I like my memories where they are and every time I go back to Utah I feel like some of my treasured memories are replaced by something that has changed.

But hey, to each their own.

Is it worth it?

I'm kind of sad right now. Is this a turtle? I think it is (was) a turtle. I was jogging on the treadmill and the news program I was watching just kept showing animals drenched in oil. I've admitted it before and I'll admit it again, I am an animal lover...always have been. I love their innocence, beauty and the way they are both simple and complex.

This is one of my favorite birds. It's a brown pelican. I have found them so fascinating since I first saw them diving into the water and break-neck speeds from the Galveston Island causeway almost two years ago. So it depresses me to see such an entertaining and handsome creature drenched in goo. Even worse, we pumped this goo out of the earth to satiate our never-ending consumption.

Now how are we supposed to explain that one to God. "Well God, I needed more gas to put into my Jeep and that's more important than your creatures. Right? I mean, you did give us this earth to occupy it's your fault we use and abuse it to fulfill our own consumptive needs."

Aside being one of the worst man-made disasters in US history let's not forget where all of this began. This photo is of a very expensive oil platform going up in flames while burning eleven men to death. Just like that, eleven families ruined. And for what? Is it worth it? When should we move on, I mean when is our incredible technological advancements going to pay off making things such as oil drilling, strip mining, and factory farming a thing of the past? I love this quote:

Memo to oil apologists: When VHS supplanted Betamax, nobody shed a tear. when word processing software replaced typewriters, nobody shrieked about a socialist revolution in the steno pool. And when the jet engine replaced the propeller, there were no protests...about a vast supersonic conspiracy. Face it: Technology changes. And the petroleum-based economy is dead. It's built on antiquated technology that's killing us and our planet. Oil has served its purpose. It was great while it lasted, and it got us to a point where we have the industrial and technological wherewithal to chart a new course.

-Martin Luz

So to finish here is an older photo of Henry next to a sea turtle that despite suffering serious injuries when it was run over by a boat was it was saved and resides in the Texas State Aquarium. Too bad there isn't more room for some of the most recent victims to our "superior technology."

Sand-ur-day

We went to the beach on Saturday to enjoy the nice weather and to view the Sandcastle competition. There wasn't as many castles as there were sculptures...but it was pretty cool.

One of Dan's favorites

The second place winner

Alice in Wonder "Sand"

Welcome to "Sand City"
(a.k.a Las Vegas)

There were so many contestants!

Dan's favorite.

The fam in front of the winner
(too bad the person that took the picture cut out the whole sculpture!)

Henry was so excited about the water...
and fearless!

Stay Gold

This is my niece Amelia. Isn't she beautiful? Amelia graduated high school today.

"Why", do you ask, "are you writing about Amelia, when you have had two brothers and a sister, numerous cousins and another niece graduate high school too?"

It's because this year it is different. Amelia graduated in 2010.
I graduated in 2000. It's been 1o years.

I don't really remember anything too significant about my graduation. I sat forever waiting for my name to be called. I was in the last group of 15 or so kids. That's what you get for having a last name that starts with W. Then we went to Applebee's for dinner. My grandma ordered a Diet Coke. I went to the graduation party that night, and that was it.

High school was done.

My plan was to go to college and bite my time until my missionary came home,
and then I would go on with my traditional life.

I guess then at that moment I didn't realize the enormity of ending high school. I really didn't appreciate what it signified. Ending high school was ending an era of innocence. Ending high school was the end of life as I knew it. For me at least high school was a sense of normalcy. I went to school, I had a job, I hung out with friends, I had to be home by 11pm. I felt then that my decisions were huge and the burden that they brought were insurmountable. Now, looking back, a lot of that stress and worry was so meaningless. so minuscule.

I never could have imagined what real responsibility would bring. I never could have guessed all the real life crap that I have gone through. Part of me still wishes that I could surround myself with that naive blanket again and crawl back into the commons area at Davis High.

But then again.

Maybe the best advice I got that night, remains written in my yearbook,
"Stay out of trouble, make a lot out of your life in the future. Stay gold."

Porn, porn, and more porn

As a clinical social worker I have tried to help men and women with their addictions. Obviously one can be addicted to anything, especially if the "addiction" is causing distress in a person's life.

One issue I encounter regularly is pornography, specifically the internet variant. Sure, much of the world see's no harm in this activity. But very few would suggest porn is not inherently wrong. It is degrading, exploitative, and just sad.

However, to see someone spiral in and out of this addiction is fascinating so I find these kinds of charts interesting. Boy, #4 demonstrates that we US Americans have serious issues, don't we? Oh, my favorite statistic is #9, sorry Utah, I gotta throw my punches every opportunity I can.

P.S. Despite my abhorrence for pornography I don't think it should be criminalized unless it involves children, unknowing, or unwilling participants. Ain't America great.


Via: Online MBA