I usually won’t spend a lot of time talking about people on this site unless I feel they really have earned the distinction. Mr. Spencer has crossed the line from the political to the dogmatic in such an overt way that I felt compelled to address his claims.

I’m going to refrain from addressing the claims of divine endorsement for Mr. Spencer because I believe that most people are wise enough to see such silliness for what it is without any help from me. Instead, I’d like to focus on the claims he has made regarding his position and why it contrasts with that of Jason Chaffetz.

The Bush Tax Cuts

Mr. Spencer has said we should not make the Bush tax cuts permanent because they are hurting families. Mr. Spencer obviously has not been watching the news in the last four years. Nationally, unemployment has been at it’s lowest level in decades, which means that more families have a better income than we have seen in years. How is it that we can have almost non-existent unemployment, but still our families are hurting as a result of the tax cuts?

Mr. Spencer also implied that Jesus would vote to repeal those tax cuts out of compassion. Mr Spencer obviously believes in a very different Jesus than the one I know. Did the Jesus of the Bible teach that we should support governments that engage in legal plunder to benefit those who will not work at the expense of those who will? Or that we should support governments that will usurp the role of the Church in caring for the poor and the needy? Was Jesus a Socialist? If you are Christian, and especially LDS, you must answer a resounding NO!

Jesus believed in obeying the law of the land correctly. An example of this is found in Matthew 17: 24-27.

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay atribute?

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Jesus questions Peter’s submission to a law which did not apply to him. The tribute spoken of was a tax collected on foreigners (strangers), which did not apply to citizens (children). Initially, the United States operated on a tax system very similar to this. It wasn’t until the Progressives (Socialists) came into power in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that we began to tax the “children.” Socialism was not what the Founders envisioned.

Immigration

Mr. Spencer wants you to believe that Jason Chaffetz’s plan is to round up all 12 million or so illegal aliens and hold them indefinitely in a concentration camp-like tent city. Mr. Spencer is simply incorrect about Jason’s plan. We all know rounding up 12 million or more people into one place is a logistical impossibility. Jason knows it too. But it is interesting to note that each time in our history that we have begun to rigorously enforce our border laws, and arrest a good number of people, an even larger number of those here illegally return to their home country of their own volition.

You see, there is no way for them to know if they will be arrested next or not. Rather than take that chance, they prefer to exit the country. It works every time. There is never a need to round up everybody.

Mr. Spencer would have us believe that Jesus would want a “very compassionate” immigration policy. But he doesn’t go into detail on what that entails, so we are left to only guess at what he means.

But “compassion” is always the buzz word trotted out by those who apparently don’t believe we should be enforcing our laws for one reason or another. Mr. Spencer wants us to equate compassion with not rounding people up, which means with not enforcing our border laws. But we LDS believe in honoring, obeying and sustaining the law–even if we disagree with it. We don’t believe in flouting the law for compassion’s sake. In fact, we believe just the opposite.

Let no man break the alaws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.

We can see that God’s position in the scriptures is one of obedience. We may not break them ourselves, but the result is the same if we allow them to be broken by others and we do nothing.

We believe that agovernments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men baccountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. (D&C 134: 1)

A careful study of the issues brought up by Bennion Spencer indicates that he is not in line with the mainstream of thought in Utah’s Third Congressional District, even though he actually lives in the district. It also shows that he is not in line with Christian doctrine on government. There are several more points to cover, but they will be addressed in the next post.

“They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a ^atree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” –Isaiah 65:22

What greater condemnation of Socialism could there be than from God himself? One witness from the Old Testament, and one from the current dispensation through Joseph Smith.

I heard a young LDS guy on the radio a few months back who was convinced that Socialism was the United Order. It was troubling to me. How many of the Latter-day Saints think that Socialism is akin to the United Order? I’d like to hear from you. Post your comments to this post below.

The California State Supreme Court this week struck down the public initiative, passed overwhelmingly in 2000, which strictly defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The precedent is historic and frightening. The effect of this ruling is to say that four unelected men or women, largely unaccountable for their actions, can overturn the will of the people at a whim.

Of course, the useful idiots of the Left call this “Justice,” and in their meager intelligence equate this ruling to that in Brown v. Board of Education. Reason breaks down that argument in a moment. The Left attempts to make of these two issues one question of discrimination. They cannot be tied this way.

The discrimination that was struck down in Brown is wrong because skin color or race is a condition of birth that cannot be helped or changed. Brown is bad law with good intentions.

The alleged discrimination being targeted by the justices is not unjust because homosexuality is not a condition of birth. The many formerly gay men are proof that sexuality can be changed. It is a question of will. The California ruling goes far beyond judicial activism. It falls well into the realm of judicial tyranny and usurpation of power.

Earl Warren used the power of the Court to enforce the provision in the Declaration of Independence which holds “that all men are created equal.” In this decision in California, the effect is the exact opposite–all men are not created equal, and some have more rights than others.

This violation of the principles of the Declaration will not stand. One of two things will happen. Either the voters will overturn the ruling by ballot initiative in November, or the people will not be able to overturn the ruling, the decent people of California will refuse to live under judicial tyranny and will leave, and those who remain will destroy themselves. Either way, marriage will not be defiled.

The Book of Mormon informs us that the Nephite government was brought down due to the sedition and treason of the judges, the lawyers and the high priests. No government can long endure when the judges and lawyers no longer honor and sustain the law. By enacting this law unlawfully from the bench, the justices blatantly disobeyed a greater law, which sets a balance of power in the state governments.

Some have argued that this will not go to the US Supreme Court because it’s a state issue. However, the Constitution guarantees to every state a Republican form of government. Therefore, the US Supreme Court should step in to uphold the will of the people under the banner of protecting and upholding the republican government in California. It is unfortunate that this will never happen.

The useful idiots of the Left will continue to say that this was justice being enacted. They completely ignore the founding principles of this nations for this moment of expedience. The separation of Church and State only goes one way for them; Religion may not influence government, but government can dictate religious practice and observance “in all cases whatsoever.” Sound familiar?

These people approve of tyranny when it agrees with their agenda. They are tyrants themselves. Their desire is the enslavement of their fellow men. As seditionists and traitors, they have no business claiming the benefits of this country. I would not defend them against expatriation. In fact, I would encourage it.

Chaffetz is know for his role as campaign manager in Jon Huntsman’s successful bid for the governor’s seat in Utah. Chaffetz later was named Gov. Huntsman’s Chief of Staff. During that time, Chaffetz was instrumental in engineering the end of the standoff between the state government and environmental activist groups over Utah’s Legacy Highway.

Chaffetz recently criticized Gov. Huntsman’s positions on Global Warming, calling the climate hype “a farce.”

The conclusion drawn by Oliver “Buzz” Thomas in USAToday is frightening. In his April 21st editorial, “Might our religion be killing us?“, Mr. Thomas openly states that among others Mormons, with our encouragement for large families, and Catholics, with their opposition to birth control and abortion, are hastening the extinction of the Human Race.

Don Feder, who is not LDS, writes a rebuttal that can be found on Meridian Magazine, and at his website, GrassTopsUSA. I would strongly encourage you to read Mr. Thomas’ editorial, and then Mr. Feder’s response.

Mr. Thomas questions how these organizations can claim to be led by God when they espouse doctrines that are so obviously harmful to our environment. The arrogance is really astonishing. In Mr. Thomas’ opinion, he and his Green Leftist friends are obviously the holders of the correct doctrine, and religions are simply pretenders when it comes to knowing the mind of God. He never even pauses to consider whether he might be wrong. I mean, Christian religions have only been around for about 2,000 years. What would they know?

In his response, Mr. Feder correctly points out that “All of the left’s crusades begin with proselytizing and end in coercion.” Put another way, the Left ends up killing people to further their ends, regardless of what those ends are. The Left pretends to be peaceful and benevolent; that’s just a mask to lure the world into complacency. They convince the people to put them in power. They begin carrying out actions to meet their goals. The opposition stands up in protest, and then begins to disappear, one by one. Years later, the news headlines expose the Progressive movement for what it really was–a screen for murderers and psychopaths. It is a repeat of every revolutionary movement in the world’s history. As Isaiah says, quoting the anti-christ, “there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.”

The Book of Mormon warns Americans about this very thing.

Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

Are we listening? Are we awakening? It is time to stop these murderers before they come into power. If we should allow them to come into power, God says he will not protect us. We chose our destiny, and he will not intervene.

The irony is that at this very moment in history, we are also talking about 15 year old Miley Cyrus appearing partially nude in Vanity Fair magazine. Many of the same people who are clucking away about the poor children in Texas are silent where Miley is concerned.

How long will it be before Miley gets arrested for drugs or alcohol? Before she gets pregnant?

Maybe the whole situation in Texas isn’t about protecting the children…maybe it’s just about religion. It seems this has happened before. Why is there no outrage at the power the government claims to take children from their parents without due process? Simply because they are different, they shouldn’t have the same rights we do, right?

“Last year, CPAC gave me the sendoff I needed.  I was in single digits in the polls, and I was facing household Republican names.  As of today, more than 4 million people have given me their vote for President, less than Senator McCain’s 4.7 million, but quite a statement nonetheless.  Eleven states have given me their nod, compared to his 13.  Of course, because size does matter, he’s doing quite a bit better with his number of delegates.

“To all of you, thank you for caring enough about the future of America to show up, stand up and speak up for conservative principles.

“As I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever.  We face a new generation of challenges, challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future.  I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st century – still a great nation, but no longer the leader of the world, no longer the superpower.  And to me, that is unthinkable.  Simon Peres, in a visit to Boston, was asked what he thought about the war in Iraq.  ‘First,’ he said, ‘I must put something in context. America is unique in the history of the world.  In the history of the world, whenever there has been conflict, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses. One nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and took no land.  No land from Germany, no land from Japan, no land from Korea.  America is unique in the sacrifice it has made for liberty, for itself and for freedom loving people around the world.’  The best ally peace has ever known, and will ever know, is a strong America.

“And that is why we must rise to the occasion, as we have always done before, to confront the challenges ahead.  Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the attack on the American culture.

“Over the years, my business has taken me to many countries.  I have been struck by the enormous differences in the wealth and well-being of people of different nations.  I have read a number of scholarly explanations for the disparities.  I found the most convincing was that written by David Landes, a professor emeritus from Harvard University.  I presume he’s a liberal – I guess that’s redundant.  His work traces the coming and going of great civilizations throughout history.  After hundreds of pages of analysis, he concludes with this:

“If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference.  Culture makes all the difference.

“What is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history of the world?  We believe in hard work and education.  We love opportunity: almost all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunity – opportunity is in our DNA.  Americans love God, and those who don’t have faith, typically believe in something greater than themselves – a ‘Purpose Driven Life.’  And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our freedoms and our country.  The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our nation’s strength and they always will be.

“The threat to our culture comes from within.  The 1960’s welfare programs created a culture of poverty.  Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven’t given up.  At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility.  They fight to strip work requirements from welfare, to put more people on Medicaid, and to remove more and more people from having to pay any income tax whatsoever.  Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug.  We have got to fight it like the poison it is.

“The attack on faith and religion is no less relentless.  And tolerance for pornography – even celebration of it – and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare programs have led to today’s grim realities: 68% of African American children are born out-of-wedlock, 45% of Hispanic children, and 25% of White children.  How much harder it is for these children to succeed in school and in life.  A nation built on the principles of the Founding Fathers cannot long stand when its children are raised without fathers in the home.

“The development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and father.  Such a family is the ideal for the future of the child and for the strength of a nation.  I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some in my state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded history.  It is time for the people of America to fortify marriage through Constitutional amendment, so that liberal judges cannot continue to attack it.

“Europe is facing a demographic disaster.  That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality.  Some reason that culture is merely an accessory to America’s vitality; we know that it is the source of our strength.  And we are not dissuaded by the snickers and knowing glances when we stand up for family values, and morality, and culture.  We will always be honored to stand on principle and to stand for principle.

“The attack on our culture is not our sole challenge.  We face economic competition unlike anything we have ever known before.  China and Asia are emerging from centuries of poverty.  Their people are plentiful, innovative and ambitious.  If we do not change course, Asia or China will pass us by as the economic superpower, just as we passed England and France during the last century.  The prosperity and security of our children and grandchildren depend on us.

“Our prosperity and security also depend on finally acting to become energy secure.  Oil producing states like Russia and Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran are siphoning over $400 billion per year from our economy – that’s almost what we spend annually for defense.  It is past time for us to invest in energy technology, nuclear power, clean coal, liquid coal, renewable sources and energy efficiency.   America must never be held hostage by the likes of Putin, Chavez, and Ahmadinejad.

“And our economy is also burdened by the inexorable ramping of government spending.  Don’t focus on the pork alone – even though it is indeed irritating and shameful.  Look at the entitlements.  They make up 60% of federal spending today.  By the end of the next President’s second term, they will total 70%.  Any conservative plan for the future has to include entitlement reform that solves the problem, not just acknowledges it.

“Most politicians don’t seem to understand the connection between our ability to compete and our national wealth, and the wealth of our families.  They act as if money just happens – that it’s just there. But every dollar represents a good or service produced in the private sector.  Depress the private sector and you depress the well-being of Americans.

“That’s exactly what happens with high taxes, over-regulation, tort windfalls, mandates, and overfed, over-spending government.  Did you see that today, government workers make more money than people who work in the private sector?  Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best opportunities are for bureaucrats?

“It’s high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a weed-whacker to government regulations, to reform entitlements, and to stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unions in our government.

“And finally, let’s consider the greatest challenge facing America – and facing the entire civilized world: the threat of violent, radical Jihad. In one wing of the world of Islam, there is a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate.  These Jihadists will battle any form of democracy.  To them, democracy is blasphemous for it says that citizens, not God shape the law.  They find the idea of human equality to be offensive.  They hate everything we believe about freedom just as we hate everything they believe about radical Jihad.

“To battle this threat, we have sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world.  But their numbers have been depleted by the Clinton years when troops were reduced by 500,000, when 80 ships were retired from the Navy, and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25%.  We were told that we were getting a peace dividend.  We got the dividend, but we didn’t get the peace.  In the face of evil in radical Jihad and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military might – raise military spending to 4% of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, re-shape our fighting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve.

“Soon, the face of liberalism in America will have a new name.  Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the result would be the same if they were to win the Presidency.  The opponents of American culture would push the throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the Constitution.  Economic neophytes would layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy and opening the way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.

“Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign.  You are with me all the way to the convention.  Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976.   But there is an important difference from 1976:  today, we are a nation at war.

“And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror.  They would retreat and declare defeat.  And the consequence of that would be devastating.  It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child’s play.  About this, I have no doubt.

“I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know.  But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror.  If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win.  And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

“This is not an easy decision for me.  I hate to lose.  My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President.  If this were only about me, I would go on.  But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.

“I will continue to stand for conservative principles.  I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in.  And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face evil extremism.

“It is the common task of each generation – and the burden of liberty – to preserve this country, expand its freedoms and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.

“To this task, accepting this burden, we are all dedicated, and I firmly believe, by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope.  America must remain, as it has always been, the hope of the Earth.

“Thank you, and God bless America.”

Read more here, and my thoughts here.