Tribute to a great blog

On the heels of its greatest victory, RSL suffered a stinging defeat this week when RSL Fortaleza Menina decided to discontinue The RSLFM Report, after the site was taken offline by Blogger for terms of service violations.

The end of The RSLFM Report is a tragedy for RSL Nation. The site was truly one of a kind. No one currently sounding off in the RSL blogosphere is possessed of such eloquent perspective as FM, nor is anyone as plugged in to the greater world of soccer that both surrounds and permeates our team. FM performed a tremendous service, and to say that her contributions will be missed is a terrific understatement.

For my part I really enjoyed the times that I was able to contribute to her blog, both in producing original content and participating in the online discussions. I was proud to be associated with such a great site, and more recently I really appreciated the increased traffic and awareness that RSLFM.com created for my own blog.

While she is not without enemies, she yet has many friends among the RSL Nation, and I can only hope that we haven’t truly heard the last from the great RSLFM.

Don't mess with Texas

This whole ordeal in Texas just has never sat well with me. I really can't see how every child at the YFZ ranch was in "significant risk of harm" or "victims of abuse and neglect." That's just a statistical impossibility.

A few days ago a Texas state representative, speaking at a news conference said the following:

"We have a saying here: 'Don't mess with Texas.' I'm going to change it up and say, 'Don't mess with the children of Texas.'"

I have a real problem with this statement. These children are not property of the state of Texas.

I think the representative’s statement is actually quite telling. He draws a clear distinction between the state of Texas, and the YFZ ranch. His words mark the FLDS as outsiders - newcomers in need of a little Texas-style orientation. His bravado is repugnant. “Don’t mess with Texas,” he says, and pretends that this is about the children. The reality is that Texas wants nothing to do with this strange polygamist sect that occupies a sprawling ranch outside of Eldorado. Texas is embarrassed by the YFZ ranch, and feels threatened by the religion that calls it home.

My sympathies toward the FLDS cause extend only so far as I believe they are entitled to their First Amendment right to freely practice their religion. I don’t agree with the practice of polygamy, but frankly I have a hard time simply discounting it as an illegal activity. Judeo-Christian theology supports the practice of plural marriage, with many examples of the custom recorded in holy writ. Westerners may be uncomfortable with the practice, but other cultures around the world still follow this custom, and there are even examples of similar behavior in the animal kingdom. Hell, gay marriage isn’t exactly legal in the state of Texas, but I don’t see government and law enforcement officials doing the same thing to that community as they’ve done to the FLDS - nor should they.

Underage marriage, sexual or physical abuse - these are all crimes worthy of prosecution, but I do not believe that the practice of polygamy itself poses a “significant risk of harm” to children, nor do I believe the practice makes children in such families “victims of abuse or neglect” by default. I believe that each criminal case or allegation of criminal behavior must be investigated separately, and prosecuted on its own merits. I believe the “guilty by association” approach that has resulted in the confiscation and relocation of these 400 plus children - now property of the state of Texas - is in opposition to the rights guaranteed by the US constitution, and flies in the face of the freedoms that our country champions to the world.

I cannot accept the implication that there are no children living in the state of Texas in greater need of state intervention than these children. This operation is a tremendous waste of state resources, an injustice to the displaced children, an affront to the good families in the FLDS community, and an attack on religious freedom.

I wasn't born here, but...

I'm an Army brat. I was born in Germany, and spent most of my childhood living in places like Virginia, South Carolina, South Korea and Texas.

I eventually landed in Utah as a teenager, and have lived here off and on for the past 15 or so years. My family is originally from Utah, going back to the early days of the state. My ancestors even helped to settle Springville, and to this day there's an avenue in the city that bears our family name.

I've really enjoyed each place that I've had the opportunity to call home. Every place has its own character, and there have been things that I've liked and disliked about each place as well. In Virginia I lived just outside of DC, so there were tons of sights to see. Korea is just a beautiful country, with a rich culture. And Texas is just so damn proud that it's practically infectious.

In fact, there's a popular bumper sticker in Texas that says, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could."

Contrast that sentiment to the self-loathing that infects Utah like a plague. In my experience, Utahns are more likely to claim another state as their home, even if they've spent most of their lives in Utah and have only briefly lived in their adopted hometown. Utahns complain about the weather, they complain about the politics, the public schools, the beer, the roads, the traffic, the LDS religion and Temple Square. Park City likes to call itself an "independent republic." Salt Lake is simply conflicted - in a state of perpetual identity crisis, torn between church, state, and metropolis - somehow unable to reconcile its three main identities. Sandy was apparently feeling insecure enough about itself that it felt like it needed to rebrand, complete with an ad campaign (read my previous post on that subject here). All this, and we famously continue to lead the nation in our use of anti-depressants, and at an alarming rate.

If Texans' pride is contagious, I think the same can be said of Utahns' self-deprecation. Utah's economy is good, we consistently score high in livability assessments, our cities are safe and clean, we're home to expansive diverse and amazing wilderness areas, and distinct four seasons. But we hate ourselves. We hate our state. And we're extremely depressed about it all.

I'm almost surprised that I haven't seen any bumper stickers announcing, "I was born in Utah, but I'll get the hell out of here just as soon as I can!"

It is time for Utah to recognize that we have a problem, a mental illness, if you will. We need to wake up and realize that this is a nice place to live, and that we've got a lot going for us. We've certainly got things that we can work on, but we need to find a healthier, more positive approach than the negative, self-destructive path that we're on right now.