Elder Marlin Jensen on Political Affiliations Among the Latter-day Saints

For your consideration . . .
I paid some money yesterday and got an official copy of the following from the archives of The Salt Lake Tribune:

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE GOP Dominance Troubles Church; It hurts Utah, says general authority, disavowing any perceived Republican-LDS Link; LDS Official Calls for More Political Diversity

Author(s): DAN HARRIE THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Salt Lake Tribune Date: May 3, 1998 Page: A1 Section:

COPYRIGHT 1998, THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The LDS Church, through a high-ranking leader, is making its strongest public statement to date about the need for political diversity among members, while expressing concerns the Republican Party is becoming the "church party."

" There is sort of a division along Mormon/non-Mormon, Republican/Democratic lines, " says Elder Marlin Jensen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. "We regret that more than anything--that there would become a church party and a non-church party. That would be the last thing that we would want to have happen."

Jensen said major national political parties may take stands that do not coincide with teachings of the 10 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that should not put them out of bounds for members. . . .

Jensen . . . was designated by church officials to respond to The Salt Lake Tribune's request for an interview on the topic of partisan imbalance in Utah and among LDS members. . . .

In an hour long interview at the church's worldwide headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City arranged and overseen by LDS media-relations director Mike Otterson, Jensen discussed leaders' views about the seeming demise of two-party politics among members. Among the concerns he aired:

--The LDS Church's reputation as a one-party monolith is damaging in the long run because of the seesaw fortunes of the national political parties.

--The overwhelming Republican bent of LDS members in Utah and the Intermountain West undermines the checks-and-balances principle of democratic government.

--Any notion that it is impossible to be a Democrat and a good Mormon is wrongheaded and should be "obliterated." . . .

Jensen, who was called as a general authority in 1989, said high church officials lament the near-extinction of the Democratic Party in Utah and the perception--incorrect though it is--that the GOP enjoys official sanction of the church. . . .

"One of the things that prompted this discussion in the first place was the regret that's felt about the decline of the Democratic Party [in Utah] and the notion that may prevail in some areas that you can't be a good Mormon and a good Democrat at the same time," Jensen said.

"There have been some awfully good men and women who have been both and are both today. So I think it would be a very healthy thing for the church--particualrly the Utah church--if that notion could be obliterated." . . .

"There is a feeling that even nationally as a church, it's not in our best interest to be known as a one-party church," Jensen said. "The national fortunes of the parties ebb and flow. Whereas the Republicans may clearly have the upper hand today[1998], in another 10 years [2008] they may not." [!] . . .

Jensen said it is time for LDS members to take a broader view of political affiliation.
"We would probably hope that they wouldn't abandon a party necessarily because it has a philosophy or two that may not square with Mormonism. Because, as I say, [parties] in their philosophies ebb and flow," Jensen said.

"You know, the Republicans came very close last time to bringing a pro-abortion plank into their platform. That was maybe the biggest battle of their [1996 national] convention," he said. "Which shows that if you're a pure ideologue, eventually you're going to have trouble in either party."

"Everyone who is a good Latter-day Saint is going to have to pick and choose a little bit regardless of the party that they're in and that may be required a lot more in the future than it has been in the past. But I think there's room for that and the gospel leaves us lots of latitude."

(Italicized portions of the above were added by me.)

adiós mi músico

royal caribbean
Originally uploaded by german.

My favorite trombone player is leaving tomorrow for a six-month gig on one of these. California to Mexico for three months, then three months in the (royal) Caribbean after Christmas.

I think that I will be listening to his CDs.

A lot.

(Thank you to german for the photo.)

The Quotable Bugs Bunny

I always think of this when my brain goes awry. Gotta keep laughing.

For Mothers of Teenage Girls on Mother's Day

For mothers of teenage girls: Hang in there, it gets better. It gets so, so much better. Meanwhile, rest assured that others understand your challenges, as witnessed here:

Comments Scam

I have been spammed in my comments box on my previous post by Kalar. (Do not click on his link.) I am going to have to add comment moderation, so it will take a while for your comments to show up from now on. Sorry.

Thank you to this photographer for the tug-of-war with the devil vintage postcard photo.

Dead over Live

Does anyone else think it a sad commentary on our culture that when you put the word "chickens" in the search box at flickr you get shot after shot of disgusting looking food and very, very few photographs of the actual living birds?

Wuzgonnabee

Here is the Wuzgonnabee Jake's Quilt, with the stack of squares for his new and improved quilt on top. The first quilt just didn't turn out well enough to leave the family, so I am remaking it: same fabrics, same design, more experienced quilter.

Identified

After four sessions with a PhD Psychologist, the diagnoses are in: I have bipolar disorder and AD/HD.

I'm glad to have that part completed, and to soon begin medication and therapy. Stress plays a huge factor in my symptoms, so I am looking forward on learning how to better deal with the parts of my life which are beyond my control.

If anybody knows of a book out there titled something like How to Parent Your AD/HD and Bipolar Drug-Addicted Adult Child When You Have Bipolar Disorder and AD/HD Yourself, please let me know where I can buy it. (Unfortunately, I don't think that such a book exists.)

I am thankful for informed and kind professionals, for modern medications, for books and experienced others, and, especially, for a loving God who hears and answers prayers. I have great hope for a shining future. I'm on my way.

Health Update

So, what is my life like these days? Here is a little of it. I have wanted to post something about this for a while, but couldn't figure out how to do it just right. The bottom line is that in getting help for my daughter's depression, it became clear that both she and I have bipolar disorder. We are both being seen by a psychiatrist and a psychologist, and we feel very hopeful about getting healthier in the days and years to come. (After all, we didn't just get it, we have had it, and will now get help.) Anyway, as I am pretty mind-numb just now, my daughter agreed to tell you what having bipolar disorder means for her. (I am sure I will have more to say in future posts.)

Here she is:

Uhh.. okay.
Bipolar, for me, is a fluctuation between four different things: a depressed state, a manic state, an anxious state, and a "normal" state. Then there's also differences and fluctuations in physical, emotional, and mental energy.

I'm pretty sure my mom and I are fast-cycling in our Bipolar. For three or four days we will have a baseline of one of the four states. Then within those days, there are other, maybe "mini states" that happen. For example, I'll be feeing a baseline depression, a manic state on top of that, and have low physical energy. I think I go through three different cycles within a day. Usually normal in the morning, anxious in the afternoon, and manic at night. Depression just likes to turn up whenever it can.

I have no idea if I'm explaining this well. Umm..

When you're depressed, you feel hopeless. Everything looks dark. You can't possibly feel happy, and when you do, it's extremely short-lived.

My manic state is usually what people would consider "hyper". I have fast moving thoughts, and I'm generally pretty perky. I laugh a lot. The downside is that I am agitated. I twitch and move a lot. I'm also quick to anger and I lash out without thinking.

Anxiety is just that fluttering, scared, unsettled feeling. I guess that could be part of manic, but it gets so extreme for me, I put it in a different category.

And normal. ♥ Normal is when nothing is really taking you over. You are generally in control of your emotions and impulses. When I'm normal I'm at peace and pretty happy.

A couple weeks ago I had a baseline normal state and I'd go through mini cycles throughout each day, but life was much more manageable. I'd feel anxious, but it wasn't overwhelming.

I guess the big sucky part about bipolar is that you're REALLY overwhelmed by any type of emotion. It's like you're feeling it as strongly as you possibly can, and there's nothing you can do about it.

I'm on a medication called Lamictal. It helps to keep my lows and highs at a less extreme level. Instead of constantly switching above or below the line, swinging like crazy, I can stay pretty close to that happy medium.

But I guess.. even though I'm feeling bitter about it today, bipolar is also a really cool thing. Since you experience all type of emotions and fatigue, you can really empathize with other people's problems. I think there was also some study that bipolar people are more likely to be creative, but I don't know about that.

That's enough. I tried, mom.

Never Give Up

Sans Auto's post today has a link to one of the most moving videos I have ever seen. Proof that things are never hopeless, when there are others who care (as there always are). Follow the link to the video here.

Three Shirt Quilts

This is where I have been lately. Whenever I have had a moment, I have been working on these three quilts, each pieced together with different shirts once belonging to FarmBoy's father, who just passed away. I made one for each of my husband's siblings, and hurried to get them finished in time for his sister's visit from Massachusetts. Tonight we all shared a meal at a brother's home, and I surprised the family with the quilts, which were tied and laundered in the knick of time, just this afternoon.
As shown in the close-up, I left labels on some of the shirt pieces, and used the buttons from the shirts to embellish the spots where the quilts were tied.

Grandpa's Funeral

Grandpa's funeral was this afternoon, and it couldn't have been nicer. He had a military farewell, here at the Tahoma National Cemetery. He will be buried very close to my dad, and we were able to put flowers on Dad's grave today, too. What a blessing to have such a reverent and beautiful place for our fathers.

Grandpa is Gone

Grandpa passed away early Monday morning. What a blessing that he was here on Father's Day, as were relatives from far away. How we cherish this four-generation picture captured that last time we were all together. Rest in peace, Grandpa.

Oops! It's a Wall-Hanging

I realized one day that most everything that I know how to do, I learned by making mistakes. (Kind of sobering when applied to mothering. But that's a topic for another day.) This month's big boo-boo was hand-quilting with embroidery floss instead of quilting thread. I thought colored floss would make this baby quilt especially cute, which it did. But it also made it too delicate for regular use, which I learned after quilting around the edges of all 241 patches. So I sewed loops to one end and christened it a wall-hanging.

This one is to decorate the nursery of the next baby in the family, due in January. I guess I'll call it The Wall Hanging Quilt. (And I will be making another baby quilt before the baby comes. With quilting thread, for sure.)

Epitaph

Right among the headstones at the National Cemetery where my dad is buried was this round marker, seen below. FarmBoy said that it is the sort of headstone he would like to have when his time comes. He said that it was perfect, except he would like an E and D added to the word DRAIN.

We have experienced more bumps in the road this week, but I have tried to spare him by setting up appointments with psychologists and psychiatrists on my own. He has plenty on his plate with helping to care for his dad, who is in the hospital again, along with his numerous church responsibilities.

I am very thankful for good and caring professionals, and for good insurance, and for a very kind husband who does so much for his family and others (and who keeps his sense of humor).

Visiting Dad at the National Cemetery

Today we visited my dad's grave site, as we do every fourth of July, at the National Cemetery in Covington. He passed away on July 4, 2000. Our visits are the best part of Independence Day for me. I am so glad my dad is where he is now, though I still miss him a lot. It's beautiful, isn't it?

July Fourth at the Nursing Home

This is what Independence Day looks like at a nursing home in Puyallup, where we visited my father-in-law today. Red, white, and oh-so-blue.

Vegetable Rows and Cottage Whimseys

I was thinking today about the vegetable garden at our former home, off on the southeast edge of our third-acre lot, and also of the cottage-style flower beds, above, which we had in front of the house.

My husband, having come from a background as a farmhand, was a wonderful gardener, and we always had a great vegetable garden, with sweet corn, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes--oh, can FarmBoy grow tomatoes!--which we enjoyed in countless delicious summer feasts.

My contribution to the yard was the front cottage garden which I started one week when FarmBoy was away. I bought a little thyme and some lavender, but primarily I began with old-fashioned plants I admired in the gardens of friends, which they happily divided and shared. Then, once the garden got going, it was mostly populated by volunteers, little plants that just showed up and which I gratefully nurtured along.

At first, seeing my volunteers, FarmBoy, with his background in vegetable gardening, would declare, "That's a weed. Pull it out." I'd stand guard over the plant before him, facing down his menacing hoe, and reply, "A weed is merely a plant that is growing where someone doesn't want it to grow. I want that there, therefore, it is not a weed." In time, he understood; we compromised. Soon we each had our gardens. He had his rows of neatly manicured vegetables, and I had my artfully arranged collection of native and transplanted pretty things.

I was thinking today that those two distinct gardens stand for me as a metaphor for our current educational system. The best schools are like the vegetable garden. Each plant in my husband's garden was respected and treated for its individual qualities, and because he carefully watered and weeded his plot the result was an admirable harvest. The vegetable garden was a great place to grow sweet corn, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. It was a beautiful thing.

But, then, there were the others, those I gave a home to in my cottage garden. Some sorts of plants don't thrive in rows, or even respond well to watering. Some, although glorious in a mountain meadow or with their feet in the shallows of a pond, appear to be weeds when growing among the vegetables. Some don't produce anything consumable, but are merely beautiful. Some just don't belong in a vegetable garden.

I'm glad I had a place for those others. Where is the place for such others in the school-gardens of our modern world?

Loft Converted

This is what the loft looks like this week, with company here. No sewing for me; can't get to the closet. Doing lots of other fun stuff instead, and having a great time.

No Ordinary People

I keep thinking that I need to be fabulous. When rubbing shoulders with those who are fabulous reminds me that I am quite ordinary, I like to remember how C.S. Lewis honored those such as I. As he said, "There are no ordinary people." See his quote here. Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Thank you for so much.