It was a busy weekend, but I did get a chance last night to sit down with the book Life of Pi.  I have to admit, I am curious as heck where this thing is headed.  Unfortunately, the Life of Pi needs to compete with RockBand, the Wii, my family, and my abbreviated social calendar.

What story am I reading?  The story I think I am reading is Pi, a young Indian boy, is learning the zoo keeper trade with life lessons peppered throughout the zoo.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a well written book and if it continued to be simply a story of a boy growing up around the zoo that would be fine with me and a worthwhile read.  But, I know there is more of a philisophical context to this book.  So I flipped to the back cover of the book to reorient myself with the book’s intentions.  Sure enough, the marketing department for Publisher xyz decided to bill this as a journey of a boy’s soul on a raft with a powerful tiger.  Then I fell asleep.

I hear some conservatives say they will vote for McCain because it’s better to vote for someone with whom you agree 80% then <25%.  I reject this nonsense.  Voting for McCain enables the Republican party to continue its own drift to the left.  I say, let’s elect Obama in 2008 and give America four years of Left wing ideology.  Let them see what socialism looks like up close and personal.  Watch as these big bad corporations are taxed for turning their evil profits so they can redistribute their profits to those the government belive most deserving.  If Obama wins in 2008, I would bet my left arm a conservative, and a Reagan conservative wins in 2012.  Elect McCain in 2008, and we still end up with a liberal in the white house, and we guarantee ourselves a liberal in 2012.  America needs a wakeup call every 30 years.  In 1976 Carter showed America what liberalism looked like.  That paved the way for 8 years of Reagan and 4 years of Bush.  In 1776, when our fore fathers declared independence, they too knew that the next 4+ years of their lives would collectively be worse, but they knew they would emerge the other side better.  So I say, Obama, take the this plane into the mountain so we can rise from the ashes like Phoenix of old.  (Oh, and did I mention… He’s for change!)

The Supreme Court ruled today that the D.C. gun ban is unconstituional.  This is a definitive case that allows the people of DC to exercise their individual right, as protected in the Bill of Rights.  I personally hold a Concealed Weapons Permit and retain weapons for the defense of my home.  I am also a law abiding citizen.  I have never been arrested nor have I ever used my guns in any threatening manner (strictly hunting and recreational shooting).  There are many arguments associated with why guns should and should not be allowed.  I don’t engage in any of these debates.  As the title of my blog indicates, Molon Labe.

*Update* Read the opinion here.

In what many conservatives hope is a sign of things to come, a “Conservative” Republican lost his seat in Congress yesterday.  This despite endorsements from President Bush and Senators Hatch and Bennett.

This Republican primary election serves as a wakeup call to Republicans.  Many considered Cannon, a six term Congressman, extremely conservative.  However, he favored a guest worker program for illegal aliens.  Chaffetz hammered Cannon for this and Utah’s 3rd District responded.  Whether Chaffetz proves better or worse remains to be seen, but what it is clear that Utah put all incumbent Republicans on notice: fail to live up to their conservative ideals and you are gone.

*Note* This story received national air time today on the Mike Church Show.  Mike, a champion of conservatism and individual liberty, consistently warns Republicans to represent our individual liberty or get voted out of office.

We heard a lot of talk about Mormons and Mormonism in the last few months as Mitt Romney ran for president.  As a Mormon myself and someone who loves to talk politics, I will attempt to put my side of the story out there for others to read and consider.

First, “Mormon” is a nick-name given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is not offensive, but it can be slightly misleading to those unfamiliar with the church as the name itself does nothing to dispel the myth that Mormons are Christians.  You might have heard that Mormons are not Christians.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Those that say we are not Christians really mean that we believe differently than they do (we are another religion afterall :)  ).  They exclude us by definition.  That is to say, these people say “if you do not believe everything I do about Jesus, than I will not share Christianity with you.”  They speak as though they have authority to admit and expel people from Christianity.  But they really have no power or witness save their own self.  I believe most of these people are well-meaning Christians who have are simply misinformed about our faith.

I accept Jesus Christ as my personal, Lord and Savior.  I know that it is only through him, not Joseph Smith, not Brigham Young, not Moses, not Peter, not the Pope, not my Bishop, and not through my own works that I can be saved.  I love Him with all my heart and I have felt the saving power his blood brings me.  He changed my heart and because of Him, I will live again.  I also know that not all men will be saved.  For Christ only saves those who follow Him.  We do not save ourselves, HE saves us, but as he said in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Mormons believe in strong families.  We believe in honoring and sustaining the law of the land.  We respect local laws and are good citizens in the nations we live.  Are we polygamist?  No.  The so-called FLDS church you hear about are as much Catholic as they are Mormon (that is, not at all).

Why do Mormons send out missionaries?  I was one of these people.  We respect that others have their religion and we don’t want to give the church a bad name by acting pushy on your doorstep.  We are excited about the message we have to deliver and would love to share it with you.  Mormons believe the true Church of Christ that Christ himself founded when he was alive was taken away from the Earth because of the wickedness of the people.  Later, God himself appeared to Joseph Smith and gave him the instructions and the Book of Mormon (hence the name Mormon).  We believe the Bible to be the word of God.  We love it and read it every Sunday (and during the week, too, but not as often as I should).  So if you see a missionary on a bike, honk and wave (but not just one finger :)  ).

Mormons are people like Steve Young, Harry Reid (see, not all Mormons are conservative), and Gordon Jump from WKRP in Cincinatti.

So that’s it for now, maybe i will add more if I feel it necessary or if I get a lot of comments or questions.  Please feel free to ask me anything about Mormonism.

Getting the Book I took my 3 year old daughter, Anna, to get an ice cream at McDonalds.  As we drove by the South Jordan Library, I remembered the library previously notified me that my copy of The Life of Pi arrived.  Anna and I pulled into the library, got the book (and a host of others), got the ice cream, washed the car, and returned home.  I had little intention of reading the book tonight, but a rare Utah thunderstorm caused me to pull the power on the computer and TV.  So as I sat here in what felt like the 1800’s (no computer or tv) I saw the book.  So I started it.  And so far, I can say I am excited.  The writing is good, and at least one of the points made by the main character “Pi” is one which I love to debate, but I will save that for another post.

I am only about 20 pages into the book, but so far we know that Pi had a hard life.  Kids teased him incessantly about his name in school.  Gee, I wonder what that would be like?  He worked at a zoo and he is a good student.  Oh, and there are one paragraph italicized chapters in the book that appear to be narratives of another story line (or a parallel universe?).  Anyway, if Vince, oops, I mean VD, recommends it, it has got to be good.  Stay tuned for more of my takes on The Life of Pi.

In an update to an earlier blog, Obama dropped the fake presidential seal.  Somebody should really explain to him why this is different than wearing a Rex Grossman jersey to a Chicago Bears game.

What is he thinking?  This photo is wrong in so many ways.  First, Barry, if you are going to pretend you are president, get a podium that fits you, or mix in a step ladder.  You look like it’s bring your bitter American child to work day.  Second, why did I have to Photoshop Jeremiah Wright in for you?  [I can no more deny him than I can deny the black culture.]

Stop pretending to be president and crawl back to Chicago where you can play with Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Flager, and the rest of your slimey friends.  Now, beat it.  Oh, and by the way, we are going to drill now, drill here, and pay less.

We watched Kung Fu Panda tonight.  I attended the movie expecting nothing.  Not only did my kids enjoy the movie I found it awesome.  I am a sucker for Kung Fu movies of all varieties.  From artistic movies such as House of Daggers to Jackie Chan to the Segal movies.  I love the choreography of martial arts.  The makers of this movie choregraphed this perfectly.  I caught myself just smiling as I watched the fight scenes.  The movie uses great pacing to keep you alternatley laughing and awed by the choreography.  I will definitely buy this for my home when they release it.

In engineering we talk of attribute data and variable data.  Here’s an example of each…

“I am strong.” - Attribute data

“I can do 50 pushups”. - Variable data

In both cases I am describing the same condition.  In the United States we define race as Attribute data.  We say that we are white, latino, black, Asian, pacific islander, etc.  We don’t say my skin contains x% melanin.  People call me white and they are surprised to learn that my great-grandfather was a black man and a slave in Alabama.  Would I call myself black?  No.  Would I call myself white?  Yes.  So I wonder if it were my grandfather who was black would I still be white?  What if it were my father who were black?  Where is the line?  When do people like me cross the line from black to white to asian to latino?  (By the way, I also have Native American ancestry).    The funny thing is that you probably do too.  Surprised?  Let’s put it this way, the only reason I know this information is because I am actively involved in geneology.  Nobody told me about my great-grandfather, I found the record in the US Census.  In fact, my white Mother denied it could be true while my father indicated there was always a rumor that he was part black (he did not know his own father).

So, I ask again, is Obama black or white?  It turns out, he can be whatever he wants. Search for an objective definition of race.  You will find none.  Race is less about skin color and genetics and more about self-identification.  I located a fascinating treatment of race at PBS’s site.  Take the race quiz.  I bet you can’t properly identify the people’s race.

Please understand race remains a real issue in the United States.  I recognize that your skin color in America affects how some treat you.  There remain very real and bitter issues.  I simply find it fascinating that for all of the very real ramifications of race in America, no one defines it.   To that end, I imagine if Senator Obama’s dear mother were alive today, she would say, “I am so proud that I gave birth to the first black President of the United States.”