Irrrrrreland!

With any luck, this will post automatically right around the time I am looking at this:

I'm in Ireland for vacation, still trying to recover my sanity a little bit.  I sometimes feel like my life lurches from chaos to insanity to disaster.  Whenever I think of chaos, I think of a poem by William Butler Yeats.  I think it's appropriate to share it here, because (a) Yeats was Irish, and (b) it's National Poetry month.  Enjoy!

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

- William Butler Yeats

If anyone can explain to me sufficiently what the last stanza of the poem is talking about, I would appreciate it.  I vacillate on whether I understand this poem or not, I just feel like the first stanza is an accurate description of chaos.  In the meantime, look forward to posts I have planned on gun control, sequester, and other issues of the day.  Also, brace yourselves - the Ireland Pictures are coming soon to a blog near you!

Tax to the Max

Today in the United States, it's tax day (or at least, it is for those individuals who choose to file on time).  It's a time when tax accountants like myself do this:

Yes, I am happy to be done with busy season, which actually hasn't been too terrible this year.  But still, happy to be done.

On a more serious note, however, I am really grateful that taxes provide the following things, among many others:
- Clean Drinkable Water
- Public Education
- Food inspections
- Roads, Public Transit systems
- Protection of my minority religion and free speech rights
- Public defense

Could government do a better job at all of these things?  Of course!  But the point is that there is always something we could do better!  I'm grateful to live in America on this tax day.  And true to form, I approve of the income tax system (as do most Democrats in a recent poll).  Of course it could be a lot better and simpler than it is, but then I would be out of a job.  So go ahead, complain about paying taxes - it's your right as Americans.

Meanwhile, I'll just be over here, dancing a jig and grateful that busy season is over (for a while, at least).

Iron, Lady

You may have heard by now that Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" of Britain, passed away today at age 87.  She was the first (and so far the only) female prime minister of the U.K.  While I listened to the news on my way into work this morning, it was a teensy bit jarring to hear her described as a "statesman."  She was a stateswoman, thank you very much.  It reminded me of just how embedded it is in our culture to assume that the man is the leader.  Many pronouns - "chairman," "congressman," "spokesman" to name a few - assume that the leader is a male.  Syntax (and punctuation, see below!) matter.  We often take this gender exclusive language without thinking about it, but it never seemed to occur to "Maggie" that she wasn't fit for leadership.  She just assumed that she knew what to do, and went about getting it done.

Baroness Thatcher and I disagree on many things.  However, I greatly admire her toughness and resolve in the face of obstacles - she had the courage of her convictions.  I like what Roger Ebert said about seeing her in a room full of powerful men: “Invisible psychic threads of respect and yearning extended toward her from the men,” he wrote. “When she spoke, they fell silent….It was the most remarkable display of personal authority I have ever seen.”

In a world that too often told women to "iron, lady" (i.e. stay home) she was instead an Iron Lady who wanted to lead.  She wasn't afraid that it wasn't ladylike, or that she might offend people by standing up for herself.  She simply saw the problem and thought she had the solution.

Margaret Thatcher Addresses Congress, 1985

You can read the full text of her speech here.  RIP, Maggie.  Thank you for being a strong, determined woman who had the courage to lead - you inspire stateswomen on both sides of the political spectrum to enter the arena and let our voices be heard.

E is for Easter (and That's Good Enough for Me)

"We All Need Saving" - BYU Vocal Point

After a cross country move, I got to attend a church Girl's Camp in California when I was 11 (almost 12).  Camp Liahona was a wonderful experience, as it brought together girls from several congregations, ages 12-18, for outdoor activities, crafts, and hiking.  Each year, you would get to go on a progressively longer hike.

The fourth year hike, when I was 14 or 15, was a 17 mile hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Our plan was to hike up to the campsite and stay there for a few days and then hike back.  This meant that we had to carry everything with us - food, mess kits, sleeping bags, clothes, etc.  We had those big, official hiking backpacks filled with stuff to carry up - some of it our individual stuff, some of it for everyone.

If you knew me, you would know that I am not the best hiker - in other words, not in great physical shape.  But I knew this hike was coming, and I honestly did try to prepare.  I bought new hiking boots and broke them in taking walks around a loop through a nearby development that went up and down a mountainside.  I weighed in with my backpack to make sure it wasn't too heavy.

Feeling pretty good, I set off with the group on the morning of the hike.  Very quickly, it became apparent that I was the slowest hiker of the group.  I fell far behind, and when the group would stop for a rest, I would catch up just in time for them to be ready to go.  Kind leaders stayed behind to help me, sharing water when my canteen ran out and providing encouragement in difficult parts of the uphill climb.  The scenery was beautiful and provided a respite during the moments we stopped.

After what seemed like years (probably just a few hours), we were almost there.  All that remained was one last, steep hill.  As I recall, it was only about three-fourths of a mile.  However, I had reached the end of my rope, and simply didn't know if I could make it.  Blisters had formed, and I was very very tired.  Suddenly, a pig-tailed girl appeared, running down the hill.  It was my friend "Jane" - she had already finished the hike, but knew that I was still coming, and she had run down to take my backpack from me so that I could make it to the top.

This simple experience means a lot to me (I'm tearing up as I write this).  Jane had already reached the top.  She could have rested, or gone swimming, or had something to eat.  Instead, she turned around to save me in a moment of extreme need.  To me, this is the Atonement of Christ.  Jesus has gone on before, but turns back to help and save us in our moments of despair and desperation.  Easter is a beautiful time to remember his sacrifice of love for each of us.  Easter is not about bunnies, or chocolate, or Easter egg hunts.  It is about the promise of a new beginning - a rescue from our fever blistered journey along life's path that seems arduous.Easter is about triumph after tragedy, hope after helplessness, and victory after vanquishment.    I'm grateful to know that Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!  I hope we can find the beauty in the journey, be grateful for those who help us along the way, and Always remember Christ.


Okay, maybe Easter is a little bit about chocolate:

My Easter Cake (yes, sometimes I like to pretend like I am five years old)

On Angst

This post will probably offend people on both sides of the gay marriage debate.  Ye have been warned, all ye who enter here.

Don't judge me, but I don't have a position on gay marriage.  I am torn by several factors, and also find myself lacking analogies to explain my thoughts - in short, I have angst on this subject.  Naturally I have no desire to think of myself as a bigot, but I find myself uncomfortable in the pro gay marriage camp.  In case you missed it, the word "bigot" got thrown around a lot on Facebook this week in this debate.  The whole issue has lead me to ask myself this question: "is it possible to be against gay marriage and not be a bigot?"  Some of the commentary implied that the only non-bigoted option was to support gay marriage.

I decided to look it up, and found that dictionary.com defines "bigot" as "a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion."  Many of my friends don't support gay marriage, but I would not use these terms to describe them.  Yet it seems that, for many supporters of gay marriage, to be against gay marriage is to be an intolerant slimeball.

Many of the slogans or pictures implicitly or explicitly classed gay marriage opponents in the same category as those who opposed interracial marriage several decades ago.  Several openly mocked religious people who opposed gay marriage.  I found both of these types of comments offensive.*  To me, the two issues are qualitatively different.  Biracial marriage had existed at other times and in other cultures.  However, as far as I am aware, no culture in the past has recognized a relationship between two people of the same gender as a marriage.**  Gay marriage is a fundamental redefinition of "marriage" - it may be a redefinition that you agree with, but a marriage relationship has (for centuries and millennia) been only between people of opposite genders.  I realize that "it's always been this way" may not be sufficient justification to keep something intact, but...something holds me back from fulling endorsing gay marriage.  I don't know whether it's conscience or culture.

I feel like I lack a good comparison for explaining gay marriage.***  Here's the closest I came up with, and I realize it has many limitations and imperfections.  Mormons believe that God cares about who we have sex with.  To the modern world, that seems crazy - why would God care if we have sex?  I believe it's because he loves us, and chastity is an eternal principle.  The sacred powers of procreation are to be used only in a marriage relationship.  In other words, Mormons don't believe in premarital sex.  The sexual revolution, birth control, and other modern conventions have so permeated our society that premarital sex is pretty much a given for most people, but for me, it is not something I choose to do.  Now, that DOES NOT mean that I shun people who live with their boyfriend or girlfriend, or that I get to force other people to live my beliefs - we live in a pluralistic society and everyone should be able to do what they want.  But what if there was some sort of government endorsement for premarital sex?  Would I want to allow that?  No, because I believe it is a sin.  I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but that is what I believe.  Again, that doesn't mean I can pass laws endorsing my view of sin, but neither does it mean that you get to pass a law that would force me to accept premarital sex as okay.  Gay marriage strikes me as somewhat analogous to this situation.  I believe gay people should be free to have gay relationships, but I don't know if I can sign on to the idea that the government (of which I am a part) should endorse their union as a "marriage."  I've read several posts by other Mormon liberals who feel that eventually the church will accept gay marriage.  Why do they think this? It's not like the sexual revolution happened and then Mormons said: "oh yeah, premarital sex?  Totally okay."  I don't think the standards of God change based on our cultural norms.

Now, I have to say that when this issue came up in my home state several years ago, I voted against the anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendment because I felt it was overly broad and harsh.  I can understand gay people wanting the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital or commit to a relationship.  I can only imagine how hard it is to be gay and Mormon, and my heart hurts for those who feel they have to choose between their religion and their sexuality.  I just don't know if I support gay marriage.  I don't know what I believe and I am admitting that.

Here's what I do believe, in no particular order:
- "Gay" should never be used as a derogatory term or insult.  When used this way in high school it always made me cringe.
- Being gay is not a choice.  Same-sex attraction is not something an individual can choose.
- Employers shouldn't be able to fire you because you are gay, or harass people because of their sexual orientation.
- Gay marriage will not affect my future heterosexual marriage - that will be between me and my husband in our eternal covenant relationship with God.  Gay marriage is not going to destroy marriage.
- Eventually I think gay marriage will happen - the social change has already happened to a large degree.

The thing is, a bigot never realizes they're a bigot.  I could be a bigot, and I could be wrong about any or all of this.  If so, I apologize in advance.

* Note: there are plenty of offensive things said by the anti-gay marriage camp.  I am in no way equating my pain to the pain of discrimination and offensiveness that gay people have faced and continue to face in many cases.
** This is not to suggest that there have not been gay people throughout history - there certainly have been.
*** Another analogy would be polygamy - but the irony of a Mormon relying on cultural definitions of marriage as between two people is self-evident.

Happy Half Birthday, Frodo!

Frodo Baggins and my brother Biggins have something in common (besides their love of adventure).  They share a birthday, which is September 22.  So today is their half birthday.  As a very special birthday present to them (half a year early, I might add), Molly Mormon Democrat has become a Twit.  Well, okay, I was always a twit, but now I have a twitter account to prove it.

You can tweet me at @MollyMormonDem, or whatever it is people do with Twitter nowadays.  I may even follow you back if I can figure out this new medium.  I decided that the only reason I wasn't on Twitter was that it made me feel morally superior to those whose thoughts could be expressed in 140 characters or less.  I realized that feeling morally superior is a really judgmental and terrible rut to be in, and I should at least try Twitter before I dismiss it as a medium.  Eventually, I may create a personal account that I have my real name on and share with my friends, but I like the anonymity of my blog name for now.

Happy 27 1/2 years, Biggins!

Recommended Reading

You know, because I am too lazy for an actual post - here are some things I found interesting over the past couple days:

Steven Pearlstein of The Washington Post asks: Is Capitalism Moral?  (Reminds me of this blog post of the good old days)

The Good Folks at the Tax Policy Center talk about Corporate Welfare.

An awesome Mormon blog tackles faith and not having all the answers.

And, I'mma let you finish, but Google Reader was the best of all time, and this was a great tribute piece.  I shall miss Google Reader!

Finally, this is why I like Pinterest:


I realize it makes me a terrible person, but I don't like talking to people.