For those interested, I am also taking orders for my PRO-VOUCHER yard signs. I borrowed my son's crayons and made them myself. They are really cool looking, and they have catchy slogans like the following:
1) Edward Kennedy, Nancy Palosi, Moveon.org, Joseph Stalin and Charles Manson are all opposed to school vouchers. Don't be like them. Join our 90% plus Active Mormon Legislature, an enthusiastic Governor Jon Huntsman, and the Hosts of Heaven in voting to protect our noble Utah law granting parents the choice in deciding how to best educate their children. Support vouchers! (A bit on the long side, but I am confident that passing motorists can catch it all if they read fast.)
2) Vote for vouchers, or be damned!
3) Don't be like all those dumb public-school-educated L-worders out there. Vote for vouchers!
4) What would Ronald Reagan do? Vote for vouchers!
5) Satan's plan is to take away your choice, just like the anti-voucher evil doers. You are either for us or against us. Vote for vouchers!
6) The Utah Axis of Evil: The UEA, the Utah Democratic Party, and Rocky Anderson -- all opposed to vouchers. Need I say more?
Or, my personal favorite:
7) Go ye out from among the wicked. Vote for vouchers!
Please place your orders on my blog. I look forward to hearing from you. Working together, we can protect the rights of Utah parents to raise their children according to what they think is best. That is all I want.
Better be careful, AW. If your son's crayons were public school property, you may wind up accused of using state resources for political purposes, and you'll be denigrated at a town meeting on the subject...
I would have thought that you, of all people, would be on board with vouchers. (Boy, aren't we full of surprises? You think you know somebody...)
As for your question, I honestly believe that there has been plenty of impropriety and manipulative advocacy on both sides. The truth is that vouchers will be neither as good nor as bad as either side claims.
I support vouchers because I want to put as many tools in the tool box as I can for parents. I want to empower parents, not governments or teachers unions.
Some people want parents and private schools to be accountable to government. I want the government and public schools to be accountable to parents.
Besides, though I am a passionately committed Mormon, I am far from self-respecting. (Let's be honest, I'm pathetic.)
Take care, buddy, and have a great Conference weekend.
If you do not care about yourself, your state, or the Republican party, then please at least care about the woman you married.
Please stop dragging her out in front of the world and humiliating her while you make a public spectacle out of yourself.
Right now your priority should be your wife, your posterity, and repenting of your sexual transgressions -- not some selfish and deluded attempt to clear your name or salvage a destroyed political career.
Do not kid yourself. I am not condemning you because you suffer from a possibly inherited biological condition. In my belief system all of us have been granted God given strengths and weaknesses, talents if you will. Now, it is up to us to use these talents well -- to develop them by overcoming our weaknesses and increasing our strengths.
I do not believe that we will be held accountable for what we have been given, as much as for what we do with what we have been given. And, as difficult as it is, I do not believe that it is any harder for you as an alleged homosexual to be morally clean than it is for me as a certified heterosexual. We both have been given as much as we can handle.
We are all in this together. We are all imperfect. We all sin. And, we all need to repent.
I am striving to do my best. When I fall, I strive to pick myself back up, to confess my sins to all the offended parties, and to not return to my mistakes as a dog returns to its vomit.
Am I doing better than you? I do not know that. God reserves making such judgments for himself. Only he knows what he has given each of us, and only he knows what is fair to expect.
All I know is that his judgments will be just and fair. In the mean time, I believe that each of us is expected, not to judge one another, but rather to speak with moral clarity -- to condemn the sin but not the sinner.
That is what I am trying to do now.
God bless you, dear brother. Please seek what is truly lasting and beautiful in this life. Please do not be deceived by the world and its false teachings. You cannot do wrong and feel right. Come to Jesus and be healed in him. He loves you, more than you can you can even imagine. He understands your trials and sufferings perfectly. He is both merciful and just. Trust him. He will not let you down.
I was actually trying to show some largess by saying I believed that “there has been plenty of impropriety and manipulative advocacy on both sides.” But, it appears that I have unintentionally offended you.
Please forgive me, Rob. I think that you are fine man. I am not accusing you of anything, nor have I been cataloging the various alleged improprieties I have observed. But, if you must know, two thing were on my mind while I was jotting down my comments above:
1) KTVX, Channel four, ran a story recently about a parent who claimed that she had been harassed at a parent/teacher conference by an anti-voucher school teacher. Of course, the teacher denies the parent’s account, saying that she just happened to have some anti-voucher literature on her desk, and inadvertently began fanning herself with it during their conversation. Now, even if I rejected the parent’s version of what happened and relied only upon the teacher’s account, I would still maintain that what the teacher was inappropriate.
2) In much of the anti-voucher media I have encountered the false claim that if the current bill passed there would be “no accountability” as to how the voucher money would be spent. Of course there would be accountability – it’s just not the kind that people on the left like. As I said before: “Some people want parents and private schools to be accountable to government. I want the government and public schools to be accountable to parents.” Accountability apparently means something different to each of us, depending upon our political ideology.
Anyway, my friend, Conference is starting so I need to go. But, I hope this answers your question.
I'm not offended AW. I'm just frank. I know most of the people who have been involved with Utahns for Public Schools and I can testify without any hesitation that there has been no impropriety on their part. How do I know? I have watched this issue with a front row seat.
If I have missed something please let me know.
Maybe there is a compromise down the road, but not with PCE, and not with this particular legislation.
BTW, It was quite humbling to listen to Elder Hales talk (I think it was Elder Hales) on the the personal revelation of truth.
Being frank is a virtue. I am glad that you are the way you are. Please continue doing exactly as you are. We need people like you in this world.
Elder Hales talk was quite moving for me too. We don't often hear detailed accounts from behind the scenes of the brethren seeking revelation. It really was humbling to hear him. What a blessing! I love Elder Hales.
I love you too, Rob. (No, Larry, not it THAT way. Please just drop this whole line of humor. Thanks, friend.)
18 comments:
For those interested, I am also taking orders for my PRO-VOUCHER yard signs. I borrowed my son's crayons and made them myself. They are really cool looking, and they have catchy slogans like the following:
1) Edward Kennedy, Nancy Palosi, Moveon.org, Joseph Stalin and Charles Manson are all opposed to school vouchers. Don't be like them. Join our 90% plus Active Mormon Legislature, an enthusiastic Governor Jon Huntsman, and the Hosts of Heaven in voting to protect our noble Utah law granting parents the choice in deciding how to best educate their children. Support vouchers! (A bit on the long side, but I am confident that passing motorists can catch it all if they read fast.)
2) Vote for vouchers, or be damned!
3) Don't be like all those dumb public-school-educated L-worders out there. Vote for vouchers!
4) What would Ronald Reagan do? Vote for vouchers!
5) Satan's plan is to take away your choice, just like the anti-voucher evil doers. You are either for us or against us. Vote for vouchers!
6) The Utah Axis of Evil: The UEA, the Utah Democratic Party, and Rocky Anderson -- all opposed to vouchers. Need I say more?
Or, my personal favorite:
7) Go ye out from among the wicked. Vote for vouchers!
Please place your orders on my blog. I look forward to hearing from you. Working together, we can protect the rights of Utah parents to raise their children according to what they think is best. That is all I want.
Love,
A.W.
AW, how can any self respecting Mormon vote for vouchers with all the impropriety that has come from Parents for Choice?
I guess the ends justify the means.
Amen, AW. Amen
You forgot Osama Bin Laden.
A.W.,
That is one of the funniest comments that I've ever read on any blog. Thank you.
I'm also going to cast a vote for Funniest Comment of the Year.
Better be careful, AW. If your son's crayons were public school property, you may wind up accused of using state resources for political purposes, and you'll be denigrated at a town meeting on the subject...
http://accountabilityfirst.blogspot.com/
Dear E.T. Benson,
I would have thought that you, of all people, would be on board with vouchers. (Boy, aren't we full of surprises? You think you know somebody...)
As for your question, I honestly believe that there has been plenty of impropriety and manipulative advocacy on both sides. The truth is that vouchers will be neither as good nor as bad as either side claims.
I support vouchers because I want to put as many tools in the tool box as I can for parents. I want to empower parents, not governments or teachers unions.
Some people want parents and private schools to be accountable to government. I want the government and public schools to be accountable to parents.
Besides, though I am a passionately committed Mormon, I am far from self-respecting. (Let's be honest, I'm pathetic.)
Take care, buddy, and have a great Conference weekend.
Love,
A.W.
Dear pramahaphil, CraigJ, Jeremy, Jesse, Referendum One,
Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate the fun and fellowship. Take care, my friends, and have a great weekend!
Love,
A.W.
Too funny, AW! One suggestion: Put Slogan #1 on State Street in Sandy. Motorists will have plenty of time to read it.
alienated wannabe
You seem like my kind of gay, I mean guy. Do you want to go do the public toilet toe tap with me?
"I honestly believe that there has been plenty of impropriety and manipulative advocacy on both sides."
Name the incidents of impropriety AW.
Larry,
If you do not care about yourself, your state, or the Republican party, then please at least care about the woman you married.
Please stop dragging her out in front of the world and humiliating her while you make a public spectacle out of yourself.
Right now your priority should be your wife, your posterity, and repenting of your sexual transgressions -- not some selfish and deluded attempt to clear your name or salvage a destroyed political career.
Do not kid yourself. I am not condemning you because you suffer from a possibly inherited biological condition. In my belief system all of us have been granted God given strengths and weaknesses, talents if you will. Now, it is up to us to use these talents well -- to develop them by overcoming our weaknesses and increasing our strengths.
I do not believe that we will be held accountable for what we have been given, as much as for what we do with what we have been given. And, as difficult as it is, I do not believe that it is any harder for you as an alleged homosexual to be morally clean than it is for me as a certified heterosexual. We both have been given as much as we can handle.
We are all in this together. We are all imperfect. We all sin. And, we all need to repent.
I am striving to do my best. When I fall, I strive to pick myself back up, to confess my sins to all the offended parties, and to not return to my mistakes as a dog returns to its vomit.
Am I doing better than you? I do not know that. God reserves making such judgments for himself. Only he knows what he has given each of us, and only he knows what is fair to expect.
All I know is that his judgments will be just and fair. In the mean time, I believe that each of us is expected, not to judge one another, but rather to speak with moral clarity -- to condemn the sin but not the sinner.
That is what I am trying to do now.
God bless you, dear brother. Please seek what is truly lasting and beautiful in this life. Please do not be deceived by the world and its false teachings. You cannot do wrong and feel right. Come to Jesus and be healed in him. He loves you, more than you can you can even imagine. He understands your trials and sufferings perfectly. He is both merciful and just. Trust him. He will not let you down.
Love, Your Brother,
A.W.
Dear Rob,
I was actually trying to show some largess by saying I believed that “there has been plenty of impropriety and manipulative advocacy on both sides.” But, it appears that I have unintentionally offended you.
Please forgive me, Rob. I think that you are fine man. I am not accusing you of anything, nor have I been cataloging the various alleged improprieties I have observed. But, if you must know, two thing were on my mind while I was jotting down my comments above:
1) KTVX, Channel four, ran a story recently about a parent who claimed that she had been harassed at a parent/teacher conference by an anti-voucher school teacher. Of course, the teacher denies the parent’s account, saying that she just happened to have some anti-voucher literature on her desk, and inadvertently began fanning herself with it during their conversation. Now, even if I rejected the parent’s version of what happened and relied only upon the teacher’s account, I would still maintain that what the teacher was inappropriate.
2) In much of the anti-voucher media I have encountered the false claim that if the current bill passed there would be “no accountability” as to how the voucher money would be spent. Of course there would be accountability – it’s just not the kind that people on the left like. As I said before: “Some people want parents and private schools to be accountable to government. I want the government and public schools to be accountable to parents.” Accountability apparently means something different to each of us, depending upon our political ideology.
Anyway, my friend, Conference is starting so I need to go. But, I hope this answers your question.
Love,
A.W.
I'm not offended AW. I'm just frank. I know most of the people who have been involved with Utahns for Public Schools and I can testify without any hesitation that there has been no impropriety on their part. How do I know? I have watched this issue with a front row seat.
If I have missed something please let me know.
Maybe there is a compromise down the road, but not with PCE, and not with this particular legislation.
BTW, It was quite humbling to listen to Elder Hales talk (I think it was Elder Hales) on the the personal revelation of truth.
Rob,
Being frank is a virtue. I am glad that you are the way you are. Please continue doing exactly as you are. We need people like you in this world.
Elder Hales talk was quite moving for me too. We don't often hear detailed accounts from behind the scenes of the brethren seeking revelation. It really was humbling to hear him. What a blessing! I love Elder Hales.
I love you too, Rob. (No, Larry, not it THAT way. Please just drop this whole line of humor. Thanks, friend.)
Love,
A.W.
Alienated Wannabe:
I have nothing to repent of. I'm not gay. I have never been gay...
Beside you don't flush a carreer like I have, down the toilet!!!!
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