Man of God

While visiting Korea in 2005, I had the opportunity to hear President Hinckley relate a portion of the following experience:

I was in Seoul, Korea, in May of 1961 when a coup occurred. The president of the nation fled for his life as the military took over the affairs of the country. I was awakened in my hotel room at 4:30 in the morning by the sound of cannon fire in the street below. From my window I watched shells hit the wall and break the windows of the government building which stood next to the hotel. I turned on the radio. I discovered it had become the first target of those taking over the government. The newspapers followed. Freedom of the press was abridged. Freedom of speech was muzzled. Freedom of assembly was denied. These were primary targets in taking control of the nation and its people. . .

[Such events] stand as evidence to each of us of the inspired vision of our forebears two centuries ago in demanding a written Constitutional prohibition against the enactment of any law concerning an establishment of religion, the free exercise thereof, freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The world lost a great champion of freedom today, an advocate for all humanity, and a true man of God.

Music Review - Radiohead's "In Rainbows"

The great thing about blogging is that I can write about absolutely whatever I feel like. One day I might write about politics, the next sports, another day I might write about the war in Iraq, and who knows, maybe that same day I'll complain about the potholes that have reduced 90th South between State Street and I-15 to a worse surface quality than most unimproved roads.

And so it is that today I'll be reviewing a recent music purchase.

Radiohead's latest album In Rainbows originally garnered attention for its unconventional release. The album was first made available through its own dedicated website, and people could download the album for whatever price they felt it was worth.

Most people chose to pay nothing.

The band then released their album to iTunes (standard pricing was applied) and made a hard copy available through traditional retailers (the disc was priced less expensively than most new releases).

I missed the boat on the web release, but I prefer to keep a hard copy of each of my favorite bands' albums anyway, so I recently purchased the album at a music store in Layton.

After my first listen I found myself empathizing with the freeloaders from the first release: I actually paid money for this?

Of course, the first listen to most albums is probably the most difficult: the songs are unfamiliar and you find yourself enduring them, rather than enjoying them, as you impatiently wait to hear the next song. You tend jump to conclusions too soon and end up rendering judgment prematurely.

This is probably especially true with Radiohead. The first listen is truly the most painful: a hurdle to be overcome, rather than a delicious treat to be savored.

My first listen left me disappointed. I felt the band had not evolved. I questioned their ability to compose a coherent song. Aside from the one song I'd heard on the radio, I didn't feel that any of the tracks really stood out. My patience for the artistic antics of the band was wearing thin, and my few remaining hopes that the band might approach anything as good as The Bends ever again seemed to be lost.

Then, amazingly, I found myself actually wanting to hear the album again. Songs were sticking in my head. I listened to the album several times, from start to finish, and even on shuffle. In Rainbows slowly began to come into focus.

This is a good album. Radiohead will never be the band they were in 1995, but this is probably a better CD than anything since OK Computer. And there are actually quite a few tracks that standout. Here are a few:

• Bodysnatchers - From the title alone, this track shows promise (what a quintessentially perfect title for a Radiohead song?). This is probably the most upbeat song on the album - if you can call a song about being "trapped in this body and can't get out" upbeat. And it’s nice to see they can still rock the guitar.
  
• Reckoner - This song is an exercise in layering audio tracks, and somehow still managing to make Thom's whiny, haunting vocals sound as though they belong. For a glimpse of the beauty of this song, scroll forward to 3:15.
• Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Best lines: "Words are blunt instruments / Words are sawn off shotguns"
• Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Another beautiful track. The guitar nicely complements the nautical theme. This is one of the band's most hypnotic arrangements since "Let Down" - just as beautiful, and just as disturbing.
• All I Need - Is it desperation or codependence? "I am an animal trapped in your hot car / You are all I need". Cascading musical wizardry begins at 2:50.

The best thing about this album is that, while it nicely complements the last three albums, it succeeds where those efforts failed: In Rainbows actually pulls the assortment of colorful and diverse tracks together to form a vivid and compelling musical display. In Rainbows is as brilliant as its title might suggest.

First in the west

Iowa had the nation's "first caucus" (and I complained ad nauseum about it)...

Wyoming's Republicans caucused later that week (but no one noticed)...

New Hampshire quickly responded with the nation's "first primary"...

Then Michigan voters turned out to vote in a mostly Republican primary...

All the while, South Carolina's pimping their "First in the South Primary" - trying to send the message to Republicans across the rest of these United States that they might as well not even turn out to Super Tuesday or anything else, because South Carolinians were this good at predicting the party's nominee.

I used to live in South Carolina. It's a great state. Beautiful. Lovely people. But I hope the Republican party chooses as its nominee someone other than the Palmetto State's pick - just to shut them up.

And so my heart was warmed today when I read this bit about nearby Elko, Nevada:

Starting Thursday evening with a visit by Sen. John Edwards and continuing Friday with a morning stop by Mitt Romney and afternoon rallies for Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, residents of Elko (population 18,183) had a rare opportunity to see, hear and question some of the contenders for the nation's highest office.

This level of personal interaction and attention by each of these candidates in a town so far off of the beaten path, and in a region of the country that has been almost totally ignored by politicians for far too long... this is a wonderful thing.

It is also great to see the Democratic candidates spending so much time in the Silver State. I'm not a registered member of any political party. In a lot of ways I think the two party system fails America. But I firmly believe that it is far better to have two parties than to have only one (I'm looking at you, Utah).

It's nice to see the chaos created by all of these states moving around their primary/caucus dates, as they try to get a little love from the two parties. I support anything that might ultimately disrupt the Iowa/New Hampshire cartel.

Congrats, Nevada, for being "first in the west."

Soccer elevated

The DesMoNews has a nice article today about the new Real Salt Lake stadium under construction in Sandy.

As a fan of the team, it gives me great joy each day to drive past the stadium as I commute to and from work. I wonder, however, how non-fans feel. I imagine that most are probably indifferent, maybe don't even notice the hulking steel structure rising from among the field and trees of that area. There are also many, I'm sure, that are offended by the structure. Maybe it's an architectural disagreement, but most likely it's political.

So while the soccer stadium may symbolize to many everything that is wrong in Utah politics - backdoor dealing, catering to big businesses while ignoring voter sentiment - this structure symbolizes something quite different to me.

I see myself waiting to meet friends at the base of the "Spanish steps" and then climbing those grand staircases in anticipation of the view of the green pitch that awaits me at the top. I see years of entertainment drawn from the roller coaster ride that is the Major League Soccer season - the thrill of a great save, the masterful choreography of a commanding midfield, and the disappointment and heartbreak of a late goal scored by an opposing team. I see 21,000 fans rising from their seats to applaud 90 minutes of fast-paced soccer. And because I'm a Sandy resident, I can see my children one day walking across a stage down on the pitch, wearing cap and gown, as they graduate from my own alma mater, Jordan High School.

To me this soccer stadium symbolizes community, and I think this is no mistake. The very design of the structure seems to communicate: This is our house!

License plate elevated

I haven't posted anything in far too long, although I've been writing behind the scenes quite a bit. This is my attempt to break out of this writing slump. I'll write about something that I've been watching quite a bit lately. I think I've withheld judgment for long enough now.

So by now everyone's seen the new "Life Elevated" license plates. When I first started noticing these plates, the Salt Lake Valley was in between winter storms, and cars were covered in slush and salt. This made for an awful first impression. Rather than something fresh and interesting, the new plates looked old and dingy - and too busy.

The second plate is not a far cry from the old Delicate Arch plate. The most obvious difference is the new stylized "Utah" logo. Less noticeably, the colors have also been updated (compare to old here). I've always thought this was a nice design, and I actually think this is a slight upgrade from the old design.

The "Greatest Snow" plate, however, featuring Olympic skier Heidi Voelker, leaves something to be desired. I really like both elements of the design - the red rocks of Dixie, and the snowy mountains of the north - but I wish Utah would have committed more fully to one or the other because the two together just don't seem to complement each other very well.

I would have preferred two (or more) new plates: retain the red rock header for one, and switch out the skier for something more in line with the southern Utah theme. On the other, replace the petroglyph header with the mountains that are currently subdued and hidden behind the skier. Colorize those mountains, and make the sky blue.

Maybe we wish it weren't so, but as often as I find myself staring at the rear end of other vehicles, I can't help but think that license plates are one of the best places for a state to advertise itself. To that end, I really think Utah could have done better by showcasing its diversity on individual plates, rather than trying to cram everything onto one.

That's funny...

On Saturday, Salt Lake was among ten cities nationwide to experience "No Pants 2K8." Anywhere between 50-70 people boarded TRAX trains and made themselves at home, so-to-speak.

"My pants were uncomfortable, so I decided to take them off," explained one TRAX rider. Her friend offered another explanation, "She's lying. She forgot her pants" (source).

One surprised out-of-towner reported, "This doesn't figure in my view of Utah at all." (source)

Life can get a bit heavy at times, and it's nice to be reminded every so often to take life a little less seriously. :)

More guns are NOT the answer

The DesMoNews has an article today on the violence that's recently beset our traditional sanctuaries: churches. The article touches on the LDS Church's hardline stance against guns in their churches.

Of course, it didn't take long for some nut (See "Og") to comment that "more guns equals less crime" and to imply that gun-free churches actually invite gun violence.

More guns are not the answer. If anything, more cell phones are a better answer.

I'm a soldier in the Utah National Guard and I've worked closely with Lehi PD several times in the past. I know that LPD is well-equipped to respond to these sort of events, and will respond with swiftness if alerted. Calling 911 should be citizens' first course of action!

While serving in Iraq I never feared for my life as much as when one night our camp was alerted to an intruder. My fellow soldiers instantly donned "full battle rattle" and "locked and loaded" their rifles - yet they had not been ordered to do so. Coordination and communication is key to a proper defense, and this deployment lacked both. We had a certain job to do in Iraq and a "perimeter defense" was not it. It was something we'd never even talked about, much less received training on. Moreover, there was a Quick Reaction Force nearby whose job it was to respond to these sort of threats. That night I feared fratricide more than an enemy bullet.

Drawing from this and other similar experiences, I believe that a ragtag band of armed but untrained and uncoordinated vigilantes poses a great threat to public safety, and it is a grave mistake to write a blank check to "guns rights" supporters to carry guns wherever they desire. Law abiding and well-intentioned though you may be, I don't know you and I don't trust you.

Leave the crime fighting to the professionals.

By the way, that is a church service, and those soldiers are armed. While in Iraq, I attended church services each Sunday armed with the good book in my left hand and my rifle in my right.

I much prefer worshiping without arms.

Snow!

So it snowed today in Baghdad for the first time in recent memory.

There is truly something magical about that white stuff. It's one of my favorite things about living in Utah.

I'm glad Baghdad got a taste of it. :)

Betrayal on TRAX

If true, this is a truly disturbing story.

On Tuesday, the DesMoNews reported that a woman riding a southbound TRAX train Thursday night (DMN did not specify the date) was sexually assaulted and then severely beaten by a man before they both exited the train at Midvale Center station.

This is bad enough, but the woman told KUTV that this all occurred in the presence of roughly 15 witnesses who did nothing... or averted their eyes.

The woman told KUTV: “I turned my face and he just socked me right in the face. I felt my nose break instantly.” Midvale police confirmed that the woman "was bleeding profusely" and her nose had suffered "a substantial break."

She continued: "There was somebody sitting right next to me on the other side. So he had seen the whole thing.”

I often ride on these late southbound TRAX trains and in my experience these trains are almost always packed. The crowd naturally thins out somewhat as the trains move down the line, but given that the assault began at 4500 South and continued until the two individuals debarked at 7720 South I would be absolutely shocked if there were fewer than 15 other people on the train, witnessing this event.

Nevertheless, Midvale police had no witnesses, according to the DMN.

Most disturbing is the total absence of moral courage among any of the passengers on that train. For probably close to 15 minutes these people watched this disgusting scene... and did nothing.

Police respond quickly to these sort of incidents and could have intervened if anyone had bothered to give them a call... but no one did.

Or riders could have stood up together and nipped this whole thing in the bud... but alas, this was Salt Lake, not Shanksville, PA.

Instead, if the reports are true, on this night TRAX riders betrayed one of their own.

Absolutely sickening.

We must do better than this.

Granite State Debate

I happened to catch the second half of the debate the other night while flipping through the channels. So I missed the Republican side of the discussion, but here are my thoughts on what the Democrats had to say:

1. Richardson is obnoxious. Even though he may be the only candidate with experience in hostage negotiations with tyrannical aliens from outer space I still tire of hearing about it every time he opens his mouth.
2. Edwards just strikes me as an angry individual that could really use a hug... maybe from an old friend?
3. Clinton remains unlikable but also seems to be the only candidate that is realistic about an exit from the War in Iraq. For all of their bravado when it comes to talking about seeking out and executing justice upon our enemies, none of the other candidates seem to grasp just how complicated this situation is.
4. Obama is the opposite of Clinton: the most likeable, the most interesting to listen to. Still, I thought he lost points when he avoided the "what have you said that you would take back if you could" question. Is he so perfect that he feels he hasn't misspoken, even slightly?
5. For that matter, really only Richardson scored points on that question - and he came off as honest and truly funny with his story about his favorite Supreme Court justice. Edwards tried to dig himself out of a sexist hole, but found himself dug deeper, and Clinton, like Obama, avoided the question altogether. Guess she really doesn't care if anyone likes her.

We'll see what the voters think today.

Final gripes about the Hawkeye State and its overinflated self-opinion

The Carpetbagger Report writes that "the Iowa caucuses are much too silly" and calls them "a secretive, undemocratic process, that avoids democratic norms, and discourages participation."

Reuters, in an editorial roundup, provided this description for the event: "a double distortion mirror."

Ruth Marcus, for the Washington Post, asked, "Who elected Iowa?"

And finally, the Pensito Review claims that "the Iowa caucuses, like the electoral college, are irrelevant." Well, I'm not sure irrelevant is quite the right word, but I appreciate the token opposition.

Anyway, I think I've finally reached burnout on this issue. On to New Hampshire!

(Apologies to Wyoming, from one inconsequential state to another.)

Wild Card Weekend

Go Skins!


Update: Well, as a 90s Seattle band once sang, it's over now. Honestly I never thought they'd make it this far. It was an exciting run, but all good things must come to an end, I suppose.

On the positive side, the Seahawks rank as my #2 team - if still a distant second to the Redskins. It's not a bad consolation prize to have my other favorite advance.

But I would still have preferred to watch my #1. :(

Go Hawks!

More on Iowa

Following up on yesterday's rant, I ran across a couple of interesting pieces today.

First, Gil Troy is Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal. Writing for George Mason University's History News Network Troy said:

Many fundamental rituals which we now see as sacred are actually political improvisations – and some of them are quite new. Party hacks should remember this lesson as they deprive party members in Michigan, Florida and other states of their democratic rights to select the presidential nominees.

Troy goes on to detail the accidental origins of the early Iowa Caucus, and calls for an end to the "New Hampshire/Iowa Monopoly."

I also came across this Q&A from The Chronicle of Higher Education with Christopher C. Hull, Adjunct Professor of Government at Georgetown University. He writes:

Even if Iowa voters hold relatively extreme beliefs, they tend to vote strategically in the caucuses, and that often means choosing candidates with more moderate views. Remember, the caucuses are dominated by party activists. They’re thinking very strategically.

Interesting, but he fails to answer the question posed to him on whether Iowa's disproportionate importance and influence on presidential elections is a good thing for the US. Whatever the case, I'm still not convinced that it's a good thing.

Iowa's political monopoly

On The Nightside Project last night, Ethan put to words the question that I've been kicking around in my mind lately: "Who does Iowa think they are?"

I've heard various appraisals of Iowans lately claiming that they "take their responsibility seriously" to guide America's electoral decision-making. Yesterday the Deseret Morning News posted an article announcing that "Iowans like scrutinizing candidates at length."

So what about the rest of us? We're just disinterested? Apparently the other 49 states only like to wade into the shallow end of the political pool, while Iowa monopolizes the deep end.

I've asked questions similar to Ethan's of a lot of different people lately, but no one can give me a very good explanation of why Iowa is deserving of so much attention every four years. Iowa is a small state (not much larger than Utah - 7 electoral votes to our 5... which should be 6) and is not demographically representative of the rest of the United States. It would seem that another state or states would better serve as a political barometer for the US.

I don't like the maneuvering that allowed Iowa to rise to prominence, and the state's caucus seems far too exclusionary and convoluted to really claim to represent the voters' interests. Nevertheless the Republican and Democratic parties have clearly made their bed in the Hawkeye State and seem to have become so entrenched in the Iowan ground war as to be averse to any change of venue. And so it is that these parties hold the rest of the country, and our political process, hostage in Iowa, waiting for Iowans to tell us all how we should think and vote.

I am not opposed to the type of campaigning that takes place in Iowa - in fact I am envious - but I think the disproportionate amount of time and money spent in that state is a waste, and unfair to the rest of the United States.


PS: This is my first time blogging. I welcome your feedback!