Stuff that "Bugs"

Am I just getting old and cranky?

Stuff that is bugging me!


1. Scouts

This could be a big huge entry unto itself this week. But rather than airing the specifics of my irritation on the internet I will just say that no one should ever give me a calling in Scouts! I have a laundry lists of complaints, 'nuff said.



2. Yesterday I got an email from a welling meaning member of my Stake asking me to add my name to a petition that we needed to send to President Bush, or the FCC or someone (that part was completely unclear, as I should mention was the part where you tried to figure out how this magical petition that you were suppose to forward, was every going to end up in the intended proper hands) and the petition was to ask the FCC and the President and Congress and whoever else wants to listen to not banish LDS Conference and Music and the Spoken Word from the television. WHAT? This just sounds really weird to me. I am looking at a petition with over a thousand names on it, I am looking at this very long list of people it was just forwarded to and I am thinking....this sounds really weird. The email goes on to say that this bill (I can't remember Rtwenty something twenty something) is to try to pass it so that the mention of God cannot be made on the airwaves. In addition this bill is being sponsered by head atheist Madelyn O'Hare (who I happen to remember is dead). WHAT? So I am suppose to add my name to this list because if I don't all kinds of terrible things will happen. Also - the liberals are about to take over the country, yada yada yada. WHAT? AND at the bottom above the petition names it says "sign to return prayer to our schools!". WHAT? Clearly the whole email looks like a hodge-podge of other weird emails I've gotten before. So I spend two seconds looking up the facts.

It's a hoax.

This hoax has existed in some form since 1975. The bill referenced in the email was knocked down in 1975 and has never been brought up again. No one ever took it seriously to begin with. The FCC has received over 3 million pieces of mail about this since 1975...people KEEP perpetuating this rumor over and over.

And by the way - why is it that mormons never realize that one of the families who sued over the prayer in school was a mormon family in Texas who felt persecuted by public prayers asking for 'help' from God to deliver this same mormon family from the evil grips of their church. THIS is why prayer in schools is not such a hot idea.

Which brings me to my next point:

3. TEXAS & the Polygamists


I am not going to just believe every cruddy thing I am hearing about these poor people in Texas. Warren Jeffs might be a complete jerk and I am sure there are probably some girls who end up in polygamist marraiges who are less than thrilled about it all. BUT I am not going to quickly condemn every father and mother in this compound because the authorities in Texas tell me I should. Did you hear the news yesterday about the bed found in the temple? Crap like that has been said about mormons forever, and not just the polygamist kind- who knows what they found. Could it be an alter? We don't know and the deputy of the deputy of the Sherrif who heard it from an alleged 'source' needs to quit putting these terrible ideas out without substantiation.

A woman from a different polygamist community in Utah yesterday made a wise comment. She said something along the lines of "Most men know it's very unwise to take a wife who isn't 100% committed to a polygamist marriage. It's hard enough as it is. The law is not on the side of our husbands. They know that if one thing goes wrong a woman can call tapestry or the authorities and something exactly like this raid in Texas is always a possibility. "

Maybe it's my polygamist roots showing, but I think the way this thing is playing out is just entirely wrong.

"The authorities in Texas say that the mothers are staying voluntarily in custody."

Really? Or could it be because they will have to LEAVE THEIR CHILDREN there if they decide to leave 'custody'. What mother is going to do that?

And well meaning baptists have taken in these children - some have said the following "they don't even know what crayons are! they just stare at them!"

REALLY? Or do you think maybe they don't feel like coloring right now when their families have been completely ripped apart.

I could go on for days.

I am not saying that I agree with the lifestyle of these people and I am not saying that there isn't any abuse going on - there might be. BUT I guarantee you taking 400 children from their parents is massively over-reaching.

The only thing I can't figure out is why the FLDS church decided to build in the same county as WACO? Did they not learn anything from the Branch Davidian fiasco? Or were they naive enough to think that could never happen again and the local baptists of Texas would just leave them alone?