2021 Passes Away, No One Attends Funeral

I read a poll this morning from Rasmussen reporting that a whopping 48% of respondents said they had a horrible 2021 and couldn't wait for it to be over. Well, they won't have long to wait. Just a few more ticks of the clock and we begin 2022.

Tonight Times Square will only admit those who are fully vaccinated

 
There is something fascinating to note in the human spirit. No matter what year a poll like that might be taken, most would say they were happy to see the old year pass away, and they would welcome with a positive attitude the commencement of the New Year most warmly. It's in our DNA, I believe, to be naturally optimistic and hopeful. The tendency is to wipe away the bad memories and embrace the good ones. 

There was much to dislike about 2021, certainly, but now we turn the page on the calendar with renewed hope for something better. Will all uncertainty disappear? No. But we are somehow refreshed in the exercise of seeing the bad memories buried. There is not a thing we can do to relive 2021 - it's six feet under, good or bad. And no one attended THAT funeral for sure.

Personally, I have been much more hopeful about 2021 than I was in 2020 when the pandemic was in full swing and there were so many variables and so many opinions and conspiracy theories. The development of the vaccines and the booster doses were most welcome in our household. COVID-19 and its variants have proven to be pesky at the very least, and deaths from contracting it continue unabated. I am grateful for the science that has tackled the problem head on.  

We have inflation now, something we haven't seen in years. 2021 was the year of the "great resignation" when many quit their jobs. Supply chain issues continue to plague us, though it seems to be getting better. The snow keeps getting deeper day by day this winter - a good sign for the water year - but digging out from under all that global warming in Woodland can be tiring for an old man like me. 

We logged in two more missionaries this year, and a temple marriage yesterday. It is so stimulating to see young people committed to doing the right things in their lives. I love my family, and I love my grandchildren especially. I'm not certain I could navigate the tricky bends in the highway of life as gracefully and skillfully as they are. 

Just when you think there shouldn't be any more wildfires out there, Colorado near Boulder is being devastated by the largest and most destructive wildfire in their history. Our daughter and her family live nearby and were packing bags last night in the event they would be evacuated. Thankfully this morning they were notified that the fire is not spreading and seems to be dying down. It's the very area they originally looked at to buy a home, then decided on Broomfield instead. It was a tender mercy to escape this disaster, and now they await news in how they can organize to help relieve the suffering. Hopefully with the Utah snowstorms we have been experiencing they will also find some real time deliverance.

What will 2022 hold for you and your family? It will all be in our hands to decide after midnight tonight. There is much that we have control over, but there will always be uncertainty. We can renew our New Year's resolutions (is that even a thing these days?), determined to get ourselves into better physical condition, and we can resolve to eat better, and we can weigh travel risks and rewards anew with more determination to find better answers than before, or we can simply pull up a comfortable chair, watch more football and basketball and munch on peanut M&Ms. It's all up to us.

Whatever your inclinations may be, I will pass along this bit of narrative I heard on the radio driving home from our grandson's wedding yesterday - if you're looking to snag a great deal on gently used gym equipment, the optimum time to buy is the last week in January. You might want to put off those resolutions at least until then.

Happiest Time of the Year

December 19, 1969

On December 19th, 2021, Patsy and I celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary. We chose to get married at Christmas time because there were a host of factors conspiring to set the date for us. I was awaiting orders for basic training at Fort Ord, CA, that were slow in coming. It was the height of the Vietnam War and she was in far-off Australia with her parents who were serving as President of the Melbourne Australia Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I got weary of waiting for my orders, and I suggested to Patsy and her parents that we move up the date. They all agreed, then it was time to find out if my Grandfather's schedule would accommodate our plans. He checked his calendar, and the date was set. 

I sat in the corridor outside the sealing room with two things on my mind before the ceremony began - I had never filled out a joint tax return, and I had never cut a Thanksgiving turkey. How strange is it that after all these years, having filed numerous joint returns and cut numerous turkeys that the memory is still so vivid? 

December 19, 2021

This year our anniversary fell on Sunday, and we were on Temple Square to attend the live "Music & The Spoken Word" broadcast. Lloyd Newell, the voice of the Tabernacle Choir, referred to us as some of the "fortunate few" who were permitted to be there for the slow return to normalcy. We were treated to vocal selections by Megan Hilty, an American singer and actress, and multitalented television and screen actor Neal McDonough who provided narration. They headlined the annual Christmas Concert recorded last week destined for release next year at Christmas on PBS and BYUtv. We were there because "we know a guy" - our son-in-law Jay Warnick is the man who is responsible for the grounds at Temple Square. The lights are limited by the construction project that is all-consuming on Temple Square.

After the broadcast, we strolled around Temple Square and peered into the deep excavation going on around the temple. The building itself is shrouded in scaffolding. Seeing it up close and personal gives one a better idea of the enormity of this undertaking. The leaders of the Church then and now have always been "big thinkers" as evidenced by what they did back then and maybe even more by what they are doing now. 

Back to the Choir broadcast. There were about 4,000 of us in attendance. It was taped, along with the three performances from last week. I was impressed with the powerful soprano voice of Megan Hilty, though I don't remember being aware of her before this performance. There is something that cannot compare with the feeling of hearing the Choir and all the guest performers who fill that enormous hall with music. We got there early and were treated with some rehearsal time before the program began. The Conference Center has certainly fulfilled the ambitions of President Hinckley who first envisioned its construction. I am certain I will never tire of listening to the Choir in that setting.

Neal McDonough was instantly familiar. He's appeared in over 100 movies over the years of his career. His narration was doctrinally drenched and Christ-centered. Lloyd Newell explained after the broadcast ended that Neal is a devout Irish Catholic, and he invited Lloyd to pray with him during the week. The McDonough family, his wife and five children, were in attendance. Their concluding number with the orchestra, the bell ringers and the buglers was rattling the rafters as the recording concluded to thunderous applause.

Here's a small snippet from the concert:

Merry Christmas to all this weekend.

A 500,000 visitor milestone

I couldn't let this day go by without acknowledging all the readers who have clicked on The Goates Notes over the years. Sometime overnight the total visitors to this site turned over 500,000 - amazing!

I pause here to talk a little bit about how I began blogging. Daughter Melanie thought I should start a blog way back when, to which I responded, "What's a blog?" I found that Google sponsored something called "Blogspot" and that's the platform I went with. I had lots of advice in those early years about how to increase readership, and I heard about algorithms and how to attract advertisers, and SEO, but clueless as I was I ignored most of it. This blog has grown organically, and it has touched readers in 26 countries that I know about based on the feedback I've received from Google. 

Along the way advertisers came along, and I started earning small dividends from it with each click on one of the ads that were installed on the site. I am still somewhat surprised at how the number of visitors has kept climbing through the years. To all of you I extend my thanks and best wishes for a very Merry Christmas season.

This has been a momentous month for our family. We had a traditional Thanksgiving feast and gingerbread house building on the next Saturday. Always a big day around here. Then we bade farewell to grandson Alex Goates, who is now in the Peru MTC, and last night a granddaughter, Molly Bayles, opened her mission call to St. Louis, Missouri, reporting March 14, 2022. That's the same mission where daughter-in-law Shauna served, and where daughter Merilee and her family are living until graduation from dental school next spring. 

We also barely returned last night from a little road trip over the weekend to hear all five Sharp grandchildren perform in a choral concert in Broomfield, CO. I'm not sure where the three girls and two boys will go with their Sharp Family Singers career from here, but they sing like angels and I can always say that I knew them when. I don't imagine there will ever be a time again when we might hear them all singing together, and it was so fun to hear a holiday choral concert to put us in the mood for the holidays. Some of Patsy's and my favorite high school memories involve singing in Lorraine Bowman's A'cappella choir and Madrigals groups at East High School. Music and Christmas are so synonymous for us. 

Equally thrilling was listening in on Sunday night to the First Presidency Christmas program featuring the full Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Instead of its traditional Christmas concert, the Choir released an album as a compilation of fifteen years of past performances of the Choir's Christmas concerts. Once again in 2021 the concert was curtailed because of the pandemic. I noted today that their new Christmas album just hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard listings. It's a sign that things on the pandemic front are slowly returning to normal and it's so heartening to have that blessing in our lives again.

We drove back home through the mountains of Colorado, stopping in Steamboat Springs along the way. Our favorite shop in Steamboat was "Cowboys and Indians" - check it out when you go through there or online by clicking their link. Like Utah, Colorado has gone a record number of days without measurable snow accumulation. I was excited to see that a big snowstorm is headed our way this week.

I can't leave this entry without acknowledging the outstanding achievements of all “Big Three" football programs this year. Utah won the PAC-12 and a berth against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. 

Utah State won the Mountain West after a dismal one-win season last year, and BYU finished 10-2 for a berth in the Independence Bowl and garnered an invite to join the Big 12 in 2023. It's been by far the biggest year in Utah football for 100 years. When you come from a football crazed state like Ohio or Texas this just doesn't seem like that big a deal, but when you're talking Utah it's about as good as winning the Super Bowl.

All three coaches are in the final round of being nominated for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors nationally, but that award will likely go to Cincinnati's head coach, Luke Fickell, for their outstanding season finishing in the top six at the end of the year and a berth in a New Year's Day bowl. (update: Jim Harbaugh at Michigan won it). Whittingham led the way for PAC-12 honors with two of his players in year-end announcements.

My year in review would have to include successful brain tumor surgery, and managing somehow to avoid contracting the COVID-19 virus. I am perpetually grateful for our family who continue to inspire us with their faithfulness and their continued love and support of us as we inevitably deteriorate over time. 

We are concluding our study of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history at the end of this year. I am continually and perpetually impressed with the achievements of Joseph Smith. His diligence and faithfulness in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against him are astounding. Next year we take up the Old Testament study. Already people are asking where they can get their hands on a good commentary on the Old Testament. My answer is to rely upon the impressions of the Holy Ghost. There is nothing intimidating about the Old Testament. It's 4,000 years of history of God's dealings with His children, and the story lines are as real as today's headlines. 

Let's look ahead with gratitude for a Happy New Year in 2022. 

And thanks for 500,000 clicks into The Goates Notes! My love to all of you.

#GiveThanks for Blessings

Helen and L. Brent Goates

It's that blessed season of the year when we can step aside from the demands of the world and #givethanks for the many blessings we enjoy. This is Thanksgiving week. I begin by giving thanks for the life of my father, L. Brent Goates, who passed to the other side this week five years ago. I love my Dad, and I still miss him every day since his passing. I find myself still reaching for the phone to check in on him, only to realize he won't be picking up the phone. Even the house he lived in has been demolished and replaced by a new home with new owners. What is left behind is a lifetime of memories of him and Mom. Giving thanks for them is a cherished part of this week's celebration.

Mom had this picture taken of them for no special reason, simply because it captured them in their "prime." They were a great example to all of us, and we still miss them when we gather as a family. 

Dad was a Utah fan for most of his adult life until he defected to the "dark side" and turned himself into a BYU fan. Some things in life are simply and emphatically inexplicable. But this week, he would be exulting in both football teams being nationally ranked. 

Whether red or blue, there has been plenty to cheer about this week, and I especially give thanks that on the eve of his 62nd birthday Kyle Whittingham officially became the winningest coach in Utah football history with 142. His team toppled No. 3 Oregon before a record crowd at Rice-Eccles stadium by a score of 38-7. Seriously, who can't be thankful for that? 

So, consistent with its history, the PAC-12 teams have once again beat up on each other this year to knock all the teams out of consideration for a national championship berth in the BCS bowls. I know it's just whimsical in comparison to all the more meaningful things in life for which I am grateful, but I will allow a little whimsy now and then. 

Utah will now contend for the PAC-12 championship in Las Vegas in December, then if they win out will likely get the Rose Bowl bid, a long-sought goal for Coach Whittingham.

This last few weeks we have been celebrating a new missionary in our family, Elder Alexander James Goates. On Sunday we gathered at their ward to hear him give his farewell talk prior to his departure for Peru. He is a great young man, excelling in areas where he has put his focus, including starting his own outfitting business and giving guided tours for fishermen in the Uintas, being a nationally recognized spikeball champ, and of course an outstanding scholar. He will be here for Thanksgiving dinner, then he will be headed out to Peru to take up his labors as a full-time missionary for the Church. We #givethanks for Alex. What a powerful example of goodness and humility!

General Ulysses S. Grant

I have been reading the complete memoirs of President Ulysses S. Grant recently. He was a contemporary of Joseph Smith, and it was his leadership during the darkest days of the Civil War that ultimately produced the victory for the Union troops over the Confederates. We often lament how divided we are today in our politics. You might want to consider reading Grant's memoirs for a little bit of perspective. He rose through the ranks as a somewhat reluctant though willing participant because he believed so ardently in the cause of holding the nation together despite the divisiveness of the country over the slavery issue. Like so many of his predecessors and successors as leaders of armies, he viewed war with absolute disdain and abhorrence because of the waste of men and material. Stories are told of battlefields so littered with dead bodies that one could scarcely walk across and find ground upon which to walk. He is a pivotal figure in our history as a nation and his words in his autobiography are inspiring. He was known in the end of the war as "Lincoln's General," and President Lincoln turned over the conduct of the war without interference from him. He would later be elected as the 18th President of the United States, and was still working on holding the fragile coalition of the states together. Grant might easily have been with the Lincolns at Ford's Theatre that fateful night, but Mrs. Grant was eager to return to their home to visit their children. Grant often lamented the fact that he had been absent, thinking he might have prevented the assassination if he had gone to the theatre that night. Booth also had Grant on his target list. So I #givethanks for heroes proved in liberating strife in our nation's history who filled such a vital role in our destiny as a free nation.

Gratitude for Living Prophets

Since the conclusion of last weekend's General Conference, my thoughts have been pre-occupied with the sweet memories of the messages of the speakers. I would have to say the very end of the conference was especially gratifying for those of us who heard President Nelson's announcement of a new temple coming to the Wasatch Back in Heber City, Utah.

Conference Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

It was the first time in recent months that the conference shifted back to the familiar confines of the Conference Center's expansive auditorium. Even though the general public was not admitted and the number of choir members was reduced in compliance with ongoing COVID-19 restrictions as a precaution, it was still powerful and edifying throughout.

I was moved to tears as emotion swelled up within me, thinking how powerful it was to hear the plain and simple truths expressed by our leaders. It has been tempting for some to proclaim the pandemic was God's way of punishing His children for disobedience, but you have never heard a Church leader make such a pronouncement. Instead, what we heard was a call for greater patience, understanding and empathy for everyone around us. There were so many gentle and loving appeals for civility and encouragement to stamp out hatred, bigotry and racism.

Elder Dale G. Renlund

Perhaps the highlight, at least for me, was Elder Dale G. Renlund's masterful address, entitled "The Peace of Christ Abolishes Enmity." In his talk, Elder Renlund spoke about his experience with the Finnish saints at the dedication of the Helsinki Finland temple in 2006. They had longed for that temple and sacrificed to bring it to fruition. In a temple committee meeting as they planned the events of the temple dedication, it was decided to allow their Russian brothers and sisters who had travelled great distances to have the privilege of attending the temple sessions on the first day of general operations. Elder Renlund explained his own father, a proud Finn, had criticized his Russian enemies throughout the years. Finns and Russians had fought wars against each other for centuries. When Elder Renlund explained what had happened to his father, he wept. He never again uttered a hateful word about the Russians until his death three years later.

The discipleship of the Finns came first, and was put above all other considerations. We have covenanted to become one in our Savior and He has broken down all barriers between us. Enmity is not of Him. 

The silly arguments that have persisted since the pandemic first was unleashed upon the world in 2019 have made me marvel at how easily we seem to be distracted. It has always been the case, it seems, that pandemics have a way of suggesting that God must be punishing someone, since its effects are unleashed in such an indiscriminate way. 

When Zion's Camp was making its way to Missouri, cholera broke out among the participants. Many died, many more became ill. Those who contracted the disease, it was thought, were in need of repentance, though no one knew the disease was transmitted from simply sharing infected cups, drinking water and utensils. 

Even the Savior was asked once, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" Note the immediate assumption that someone was a sinner if they got sick or had an impairment. The Savior flatly said, "Neither hath his man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:1-11). The Savior rendered no judgment, but sought to reach out to all who were afflicted, and He never made a value judgment about their worthiness to receive a blessing. He met them where they were in their lives, and He lifted and blessed them. We are taught to minister as He ministered "in a higher and holier way." Are you willing to make those same faulty judgments on your brothers and sisters today if they get sick with COVID-19 and you don't?

President Russell M. Nelson

President Russell M. Nelson highlighted our need for strengthening our spiritual foundation. In his Sunday morning remarks, entitled "The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation" he explained that refinements and adjustments have periodically been made to temple ordinances without changing underlying eternal doctrine. Sometimes in the temple we are guilty of focusing on the method of the instruction instead of the content. He invited us to examine our own lives to determine how we can strengthen our foundations in faith by making needed changes. The Restoration is a process, he said, not an event. The ongoing objective is how to bring the availability of temple covenants to the people wherever they live in the world. Ongoing revelation to our leaders will show the way ahead. Recent procedural adjustments have continued to be made. The Lord  wants us to have spiritual insights. He invites us to "Hear Him." 

The Lord is actively leading the Church. We must center our lives on Him. He leads through inspired living prophets among us. Of that fact I am a witness.

California Wildfires, Hurricane Ida, Smoky Skies, Kabul Afghanistan

This week I have been preoccupied with thoughts about the ongoing wildfires in the Western United States. There seems to be no end in sight. Indeed, those fires may not end until winter weather finally snuffs them out with snow and cold. Our air quality index in Utah is bumping up against the dangerously high levels of toxicity every day, and has for months. We used to be concerned about air quality in the winter with temperature inversions, but now air quality is a year-round issue. The suffering of those on the frontlines of those fires is inestimable, and is the subject of our daily prayers for their safety and deliverance. The first responders who have been battling those wildfires deserve our faith and prayers on behalf of those who suffer most. 

On the very anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that so devastated New Orleans sixteen years ago, Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm pounded into the Gulf Coast last week in another devastating natural disaster that defies description. I am agonized over those who are left behind in the wake of the destruction. It is said the storm's severity may grow worse than it was in Katrina. 

The smoky skies we are living through here in Utah are bad enough, but pale in significance compared to the other natural disasters we are witnessing. Some days the normally bright blue skies are so shrouded in smoke it is impossible to make out the outlines of the mountain tops that surround us. The winter inversions are normally confined to the bowl of the valleys in an around Salt Lake City, but this smoke has permeated even our elevated position in the Uintas. 

The smoke is the perfect metaphor for the conditions in the world when it comes to discerning between truth and error. So pervasive is this smoke that it obscures the vision, burns the eyes, and gets right down into your lungs. The ever-declining moral standards are clearly defined. 

An evidence of the debauchery can been observed in the appointment of a self-avowed atheist as the new head chief chaplain to Harvard University. Observing this obvious decline in what is happening to universities around the country, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addressed the issue at BYU Education Week, and has been sorely taken to task on the social media platforms for daring to plead with faculty and administration at the institution to remain true to their charge and their unique place in the education world. Imagine a religiously based institution daring to stand up for itself in today's toxic and smoky world. How dare Elder Holland for suggesting it! What is he thinking? Doesn't he know it's time to capitulate to growing secular pressure and cave in? Well, in fact, Elder Holland was courageous and he was right. You can have all the free speech your little heart desires out there in the world, but when it comes to going too far and violating time, manner and place restrictions with your free speech targeted against the Church, be advised that religious minorities have long-held protections against such bullying and attacks and you will be met with appropriate responses with all the loving kindness and patience the Church's leaders can muster.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at BYU

The tragedy that has unfolded in Afghanistan recently is yet another example of wickedness and evil in the world. The evacuation of US troops, Afghan civilians and American citizens has been horrible to observe as the Taliban moved into Kabul unopposed and began slaughtering the innocents at will, forcing our military to leave behind all the equipment they had used seeking to maintain some degree of order in the country. When the Russians invaded Afghanistan years ago, they learned it was a country that could not be governed except by the local Taliban chieftains. Now, presumably, we have learned the same sad lesson. That war in Afghanistan has been protracted into twenty plus years of occupation, and now suddenly the administration of Biden-Harris has declared it was time to leave. It's the longest war in which America has ever been involved. Those who have lost loved ones there may well be asking, "What was it all for?" 

In the midst of chaos we have now pulled out. Americans are weary of war. It is that very chaos in public opinion that produced the violence and the unintended consequences we have witnessed. When asked about it, President Biden took full responsibility for his decisions. We will have to see if the electorate holds him accountable. Politicians from both parties, however, have plenty of innocent blood on their hands. In the meantime we have much for which to be grateful if we are out of harm's way because of those who fight in the frontlines to preserve our freedoms. 

We have much to be grateful for, but we can also pray for those who are doing their best to relieve the suffering of others not so fortunate.

How About a Little More Happy?

It's time to leave the travails of the Boy Scouts in our rear view mirror and move on to more optimistic thoughts for the future. I was asked the other day why I would put that news front and center in my blog, and my reply was, "If I am going to chronicle our lives and times, it must include some dark clouds and thunderstorms once in a while or it wouldn't be accurate."

This summer has brought some welcome developments in our lives. Like the Olympics, we postponed for a year our family reunion due to COVID-19 restrictions. But this year we gathered for the first time in four years, and we had an unmitigated blast of fun, frivolity and spiritual feasting together. We gathered everyone - all twelve of our living children and their families were in attendance. The last time that happened was when our youngest daughter Merilee was married to Michael Litchfield, and even then it was only for about two hours for pictures at the reception. We felt as though we were all blessed for being there. Power comes when we are all united in the spirit of family love and togetherness that simply cannot be replicated on Zoom or Marco Polo. The strengthening of those family bonds was clearly in evidence.

Speaking of the Olympics, if you can disassociate from the increasing politicization of the messaging and the mind-numbing commercial interruptions, there was a lot to like. I loved watching the women's volleyball team's march to the gold. Men's basketball and women's basketball was mostly a yawner because they were expected to win, but the volleyball was fun to see. Fun to watch Rudy Gobert playing for France (they took silver), and Joe Ingles playing for Australia (they took bronze). I loved that Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda walked away with gold in men's and women's golf. They were both beset with challenging fourth rounds, and yet both triumphed through the adversity. 

Swimming and gymnastics were also inspirational for a host of reasons. Who doesn't love Katie Ledecky? She has circumnavigated the globe in the number of miles she has put in while training and competing during her life, and she says she will be there in Paris in 2024 doing it again. Men's swimming was dominated by Caeleb Dressel. Faster, indeed! 

MyKayla Skinner and Simone Biles

Watching Simone Biles wrestle with her emotional and mental challenges, then return in the last possible moment to capture a bronze medal on balance beam was humbling and motivating. MyKayla Skinner snagged silver when Biles withdrew from the vault. For both those young women a long gymnastics career has finally come to its close. Both have overcome inestimable obstacles to set an example of perseverance and consistency. And who will forget Suni Lee capturing gold for America in the all-around gymnastics final? Not many would have predicted that outcome as the games began. There are always a hundred stories of the journeys each athlete has taken to be part of the Olympics. Who were some of your favorites during the Olympics? Why do you love their stories? 

Not many people gave the Tokyo games much of a chance of happening. COVID-19 was still raging in Japan, and the groundswell of opposition to the games from the locals was deafening. But the organizers and the athletes persisted and the result was a triumph of the human spirit. We should have learned something from watching these athletes who were beset with all kinds of ups and downs in preparation for their participation. When there is a will to do in the hearts of the participants, there will be a way to prevail. 

We had our first ward summer party in a long time this summer. It was a tribute to those who put it on that the participation was so strong. Great turnout, fun activities, and great food. It's hard to imagine just how isolated we have been, but this party illustrated that we are all better together than apart. I taught the elders quorum lesson last Sunday, and for the first time in I can't remember when it was not broadcast via Zoom, perhaps a harbinger of better things to come. So fun to once again be interacting face to face.

Since the family reunion our pot gut population has retreated to I don't know where. We reclaimed our territory, I guess, and our sheer numbers have scared them all off. Maybe you can examine your personal life and decide where you can take back some territory from the varmints that may have infested your world. It's a good thing for the pot guts that they've scattered, because now I have installed a 6x scope on my .22, and now that it's zeroed in they will not survive their interactions with me in the future. What installations are you making to fortify yourselves?

President Henry J. Eyring

I loved a video that came online today from President Henry J. Eyring of BYU-Idaho in which he is urging his students to get vaccinated if they can before they return to school in Rexburg. His comments were well-reasoned, including the need to be mindful of the residents of the small communities in Idaho which would surely be impacted if an outbreak were to occur there. He also cited concerns about the limited medical and hospital resources in the community. It seems like so many other things in our society, the need for vaccinations has become a political conversation having nothing to do with public health.

I'm watching the air quality index (AQI) every day now, as smoke from California and other western states continues to fill our skies in Utah. Remarkably, we here in Utah have been able reduce the number of huge wildfires this year, but our skies are shrouded with smoke from surrounding states that is fouling our air. Today the AQI has dropped to 109 (it was 151 on Monday) where I am, but that's still a number that has profound health implications. The particulates are smaller and more toxic than the usual winter inversions we suffer in Utah. 

I saw a remark by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) the other day where he said he hoped and prayed climate change was caused by man because then we might be able to do something about it. Wherever you land on that argument, be assured that we can and we must do what we can to reduce the harmful impacts we are witnessing this summer. If it isn't COVID-19, it's a variant. If it isn't drought, it's a flood. If it isn't wildfires here in Utah, it's wildfires in California or Montana. If it isn't vaccines, it's masks. If it isn't a government mandate, it's the opposition to a mandate somewhere. The debates seem exhausting don't they?

Let's agree on this: It's been a wonderful summer, and it's made us happier than last summer. So how about taking a giant scoop of a little more happy?

The Boy Scouts Settle Sexual Abuse Cases for $850 Million

It gives me no pleasure to note the announcement this week that the Boy Scouts of America have settled sexual abuse cases in the amount of $850 million. Last year the organization declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and this latest announcement is yet another sign of its slow and precipitous decline.

Down 61% in membership since 2019, it should be obvious to even its most ardent supporters that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the right choice in distancing itself from the Boy Scouts. Its current curriculum for young men is infinitely more advantageous than the old one that included Scouting. These latest revelations about sexual abuse were long rumored and are now confirmed by the court cases that proved their veracity.

For many years, I wrote about the tenuous relationship between the Church and the Boy Scouts. I always believed we could find a higher and better path than tethering ourselves to scouting as it has compromised itself into weakness. You can read my extended reasoning here in 2003, and here in 2013 . 

Estimated at 84,000 individuals who were affected by sexual abuse at the hands of Boy Scout leaders, it was so sad for me to read that these victims are now in their 60s and 70s. It has taken all these years for this first wave of cases to be resolved for the first 16,800 who filed suits. There will be years of future court cases and potentially billions of dollars in settlements to be paid out. This first settlement is the largest child sex abuse case in U.S. history. How ironic that it has arisen from a Scout Law that advocated for moral turpitude among its members.

I can still recite the Scout Law from memory: A Scout is: Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Sadly, now if you search Google for "scout law" what you end up with is references to "scout law suits."

We are living in a day of declining moral values. As young scouts, we internalized the Scout Law as obedient participants, but now we know there were predators among the ranks of the leaders who preyed upon the youthful boys in their troops. Those facts will continue to emerge in the years ahead. There may be fewer and fewer who will be traumatized by these details, but there are still many who will feel the ripples in the pond from the actions of those perpetrators for generations yet to come. Often the victims of sexual abuse become the practitioners. 

We can agonize all we want about how wicked the world has become, but it is all a fulfillment of prophecy: "And until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise - and at that hour cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked; and in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire." (D&C 63:54).

We are moving toward that day of final separation, and it should not surprise us when these tragic stories are broadcast to the world. Black is becoming blacker and white is becoming whiter. We all have a precious gift to choose God first and discern truth from error: "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27).

I have abiding and profound confidence in the living prophets who preside in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our current Prophet uses words like invite, plead, encourage, and promise to help us find peace in this ever-darkening world around us. Read again the words of President Russell M. Nelson as he delivered the closing sermon at the General Conference in which he was sustained as the President of the Church:

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this Easter Sunday be a defining moment in your life. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

With Moroni, I exhort you on this Easter Sabbath to “come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift,” (Moroni 10:30) beginning with the gift of the Holy Ghost, which gift can and will change your life.

We are followers of Jesus Christ. The most important truth the Holy Ghost will ever witness to you is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He lives! He is our Advocate with the Father, our Exemplar, and our Redeemer. On this Easter Sunday, we commemorate His atoning sacrifice, His literal Resurrection, and His divinity.

The Wednesday Wash Line of Questions

I've had a number of random thoughts running through my fixed brain this morning. Bear with me as I hang them out to dry on the Wednesday wash line.

Governor Spencer Cox

You'd have to be a special kind of stupid to advocate for indiscriminate use of fireworks in a state like Utah this year. The winds and the dry ground are a lethal combination of fire hazard, especially where we live in the high Uintas. I hold my breath every day when the wind picks up and the air is so dry you can feel it all the way down your throat. I doubt that Utah will ever be anything but a semi-arid climate despite all the recent calls for fasting and prayer to mitigate the impact of the drought. I love the leadership of Governor Spencer Cox (R) UT in calling for fasting and prayer for more rain. But, given those facts, doesn't it just make sense to ban fireworks completely? I wonder why that hasn't made its way into the collective consciousness of our legislature yet.

Here's another thought - why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Is it just because they receive federal tax dollars to build their highways as part of building an interstate system? But why call them that in Hawaii? Which state does Hawaii connect to via an interstate highway? Um, nope, can't think of even one.

This morning I read that a recent poll concluded a solid majority of Americans still favor not overturning the infamous Roe v. Wade decision to allow abortions. You can take whatever political side of that question you choose, but isn't abortion just state-sanctioned murder of fetuses? How long will abortion remain the law of the land? I know there are heated and passionate debates about it all around the country, but come on, Americans, we can do better here can't we? Let's call abortion what it is and just label it as murder, and let's refuse to fund abortion with tax dollars. Isn't it time?

And what about same-sex marriage? As the traditional barriers we once associated with morality continue to crumble, can't we all agree that state-sanctioned marriages of anything other than one man and one woman should be re-examined? Some call it progressive plurality and hail it as coming to a more enlightened age of sophistication. I'd have to say it's something else. You can label me conservative if you like. I've been called worse.

Here's another thought along those lines - can it be much longer before we sanction polygamy or polyandry? I wonder why those ideas haven't surfaced yet in our society. Once thought abhorrent enough to drive the Mormons out of the United States and compel them to set up their community in these arid wastelands in the West, why would our "enlightened" views continue to exclude polygamists in the progressive debate? Does that make sense? Why so many seeming contradictions?

I have a "pot gut problem" at the Ranch where we live. Each year they burrow unrestrained during the winter months throughout the yard and surrounding locations. They are nourished during winter by eating the roots of healthy plants and trees above their tunnels. This year I count ten or twenty running across the road as I drive up and down our 2.5 mile driveway. The larger predators and birds of prey are their natural enemies. I watched a hawk swoop down on one this morning and snag it in its talons. Good for the hawk, but those pot guts must be elusive little varmints, because I feel I need to contribute a strong human intervention to stop them in their tracks. I bought a semi-automatic .22 caliber carbine rifle a few years ago, and that seems to be the only reasonable means of keeping them at bay and out of Patsy's flowers. I really have no problem with them on an intellectual level, but when they invade my wife's flowers, the .22 comes out and they are on my extinction radar. Then it's no longer live and let live with me. It's personal.

When pot guts are able to proliferate without being confronted, then why do we have to put up with other predators in our society too? I have a daughter who was touched inappropriately by a trusted and well-respected physical therapist when she was a teenager. She is just now coming to realize what really happened back then. Turns out what he was doing wasn't in anyone's description of "normal." She will now take steps to confront that reality with other young women who were similarly affected by his aberrant behavior. Sometimes human intervention is required in a situation where adults are allowed to prey on children for their own pleasure without fear of retribution. Like pot guts, they must be destroyed so they cannot prey upon others. The Southern Baptists are taking steps to do just that in their congregations.

Why are some people able to cover their sins for years without any consequences? Why aren't the wicked immediately punished? Why are the good people rarely rewarded instantly for their good deeds? Why does there seem to be so much injustice in the world? Why does forgiveness seem to be so impossible to grant when judgment is so much easier? Why does God permit the wicked to go on unchecked while the righteous continue to suffer at their hands? Why do the tares have to be permitted to flourish with the wheat until the final harvest? Can't we just pluck out a few tares right now?

Why doesn't everyone who has been vaccinated just wear a red "V" around their neck instead of a mask over their nose and mouth?

Why is the Second Coming so slow in coming? Why is finding a reliable plumber so hard to do? When you have a family full of really competent people - doctor, dentist, physical therapists, cosmetologists, electrician, software engineers, trona miner, educators, salesmen, attorney - why do you not have even one plumber? Why does America's GM make what appear to be big tough SUVs that can't take it on the rough ranch road, but Japan's Toyota has the right stuff that cruises over rough roads without wearing out universal joints? Why does a little wind-blown snow over the road in the winter suddenly render useless whatever vehicle you have to conquer those roads? Why do tires always need to be replaced in the summer instead of waiting until winter when new tread is really needed more?

Why does sagebrush seem so difficult to eradicate, and yet watering it can kill it? Why does a worldwide pandemic like COVID-19 have such a devastating impact upon the people living on Earth? Why does it take a pandemic to reduce us to our lowest common denominators of survival? Last week we flew for the first time in over a year, and we walked the one-mile concourse at the new SLC International Airport, which begged the question, "Where are the trams?" That place is cavernous. I learned later the answer to my question is that trams are coming in a subsequent phase of the construction.

And that might be the only answer to any of the questions that are rattling around in my brain this morning.

Lessons Learned

I am not sure where you were a year ago today, but I was undergoing what would turn into a 12 1/2 hour surgery on my brain at the U of U Medical Center in Salt Lake City. COVID-19 had forced hospitals in to a "no visitor" restriction, so at 4:30 a.m. that morning my son dropped me off at the curb and I walked through the doors of the hospital to check in all alone.

COVID-19 proved to be a formidable foe to conquer. It was hard to get any information for my wife and family. They became concerned as the hours wore on into the early evening. What could be taking so long? Finally, they received a phone call from one of the residents who had been in the operating room, who reported that the surgeon, Dr. Schmidt, had been required to do a lot more "chipping and hammering" than he had originally thought he would. 

Um, yeah, when I heard that I thought someone might want to give that resident a few tips on his bedside manner with the wives of their patients, even though it was a phone call. Turns out my particular brain surgery for the removal of a meningioma tumor (benign) involved chiseling inside my skull to remove the tumor that had adhered to the inside of my skull in the frontal lobe. It involved a little artistic advanced carpentry for Dr. Schmidt, who was more than up to the task. My vision in my right eye had deteriorated to 20/50 because of the tumor's tentacles that were wrapped around the optic nerve, so that was delicate. I went back to the ophthalmologist for a follow-up recently, who confirmed what I had known for months - my sight was restored to 20/20.

In fact, that word "restored" is an apt description of what happened to me. All the symptoms and the deficiencies caused by the compression of the brain tissue by the tumor that I had encountered for years leading up to the diagnosis and the surgery have been eliminated. Bodily functions have returned to their pre-cancerous condition. My strength in body and limbs has been restored through rehabilitation and therapy. I can now bear witness in part what the resurrection might someday look like. I know what it is to come through the dark valley of the shadow of death and back up to the mountain top of hope and sunshine.

So, what of the lessons learned? President Russell M. Nelson suggested some lessons that we might have learned during this past year in his recent General Conference address. In addition there are many sobering lessons I have learned personally that will never be forgotten. Among them:

Carl Bloch, The Pool of Bethesda

1. Never underestimate the adversary, who will destroy you in a moment if he could. I was in a weakened state unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. The doctors were pleased to inform me pre-surgery that their workup of my physical condition revealed that I had a strong heart and strong lungs. That was about all they could tell me that I was contributing to the operation. Everything else had been compromised. And Satan took full advantage of that reality. I was rescued more than once during my ordeal by ministering angels from the other side of the veil who strengthened me and protected me from the spirits who sought my destruction. I sensed there was a titanic struggle for my soul that was raging while I was so weak, and there was little I could do about it. The Savior is truly a Healer, as depicted above in Bloch's masterful painting.

2. The love we have for one another, though it may seem intangible and practically indiscernible on occasion, is in fact eternal in its nature and binds us to one another in every conceivable way. I came away from this year of isolation yearning for interaction with my family and friends. I plan to continue cherishing those relationships more than I ever have in the past. The restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether government- or self-imposed are gradually sliding into oblivion. Of course, some areas of the world are more affected than others, and we are grateful for where we are and we continue praying for nations like India where the pandemic continues to rage. I am grateful for the renewed perspective of love for others.

3. Enjoyment of the reality of home-based, Church-supported curriculum for our scripture study. This past year has seen the Church mature into a place I could only wish for many years ago when I lamented quietly and patiently in my personal journal that the Church seemed mired "in the thick of thin things," as Elder Neal A. Maxwell once expressed it. Today, we are a Christ-centered Church, and that development has been enhanced by the adversity we have passed through this last year. President Nelson saw it coming in the preparations and direction he gave for our home-based emphasis on gospel learning and application. The privilege of having the sacrament in our own homes while we were in isolation was profound and much appreciated. It has been years in the making, but it seems we are poised now to make major strides forward into the future with a laser-like focus on Christ's gospel.

4. I have learned never to take good health for granted. Recently, we were at dinner with two couples at a restaurant, something we haven't done for at least a year because of the pandemic. How rich that experience was for all of us. We are all of a certain age where it seems the main topic of conversation was health and wellness. One had recently had his third operation on a shoulder, after replacement surgeries on both hips and knees. The other had recently had a malignant skin cancer tumor removed from his neck, which followed three stents in his heart arteries that had saved his life. He joked that he's just giving up one body part at a time as he ages. We all had a story to tell, and that's what we all have to look forward to as we age. The law of entropy - that all things fail eventually - has never been more true. When you are young and vigorous, such thoughts of entropy are remote and seldom considered.

5. My love for my Savior has never been more full and complete. I was reminded of a great book that President Spencer W. Kimball wrote years ago entitled, Faith Precedes the Miracle. He is echoing the inspiration of Moroni, who wrote: ". . . it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief and all is vain." (Moroni 7:37). I have been rescued during this past year, beginning with my hours-long surgery one year ago today. I have never been so grateful for an outcome over which I had so little control. Just to be able to sit at my computer again and write the things of my soul is a gift of inestimable worth to me, all possible by the grace and goodness of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

"Give your best advice to the graduating seniors"

Goates Kids, Christmas Eve 2019

This last Christmas I was given the gift of Story Worth, a website that encourages subscribers to write their life story in bite sized pieces. Once a week I am given a topic by my family, who submit subjects they would like me to write about, and then those weekly missives will be collected and bound after a year. This week's topic was timely - "Give your best advice to the graduating seniors."

It’s the month of May, when the graduating seniors are heading out onto the vast uncharted ocean of opportunities ahead of them. They will leave behind the safety of their parents’ cocoon and learn new lessons of life. This year’s batch of high school graduates in our family includes Alex, Spencer and Molly. Rather than confine my comments just to them, I’ll invite all of you to read on as well.

There are websites that have collected all the wisdom of the world from many important and prestigious people. Those gems of wisdom are no doubt sagacious and many of those quotes form the backbone of most commencement speeches that will be given this month. But I am not one who seeks the wisdom of men as my source of advice to others.

1. Seek the Spirit. 

When Elder Bruce R. McConkie was called serve as a mission president in Melbourne, Australia, he decided they needed a mission motto. He took all his missionaries up to a nearby mountaintop and had them fast and pray together to come up with a motto they all liked and would live by. After discussing and offering up several suggestions, they agreed the most important thing they could do in their missionary experience was to seek the Spirit and to obey the Spirit’s promptings. 

As we became parents and discussed what we felt would be the best lesson we could teach our children, we concluded that if we could teach them to recognize and live by the voice of the Spirit our children would always be on the covenant path and would have the direction they needed to inherit eternal life. We did not believe in answering every question for our children. (I know that was frustrating for some.) We did not believe in holding ourselves up as the experts in everything. That would have been exhausting! Instead, we agreed together that our children would be able to navigate all of life’s challenges if they could obtain the priceless gift of the Holy Ghost. We knew we would not always be with them to counsel and guide them, and we also knew the Holy Ghost would be the only infallible guide in which they could trust unerringly in every situation. 

So my number one piece of advice is to seek the Spirit.

2. Read your patriarchal blessing frequently. 

Stake patriarchs are called to be seers to the people among whom they live. They have a direct pipeline to Heavenly Father through which you may obtain your own revelation about your life in mortality and beyond directly from God. It doesn’t matter who the man is that gives you a patriarchal blessing. You may rely upon whatever counsel and advice he gives as though you were receiving it straight from Heavenly Father. It isn’t a horoscope or a mystical magical incantation conjured up through hocus pocus or some other worldly means. It’s God’s personal invitation to you to do certain things with your life that will lead you, like the Spirit, toward eternal life. Treasure up your blessing and heed the counsel and warnings contained in it.

3. Gain all the experience you can in a variety of fields of endeavor. 

Be a generalist to start with, then hone in and focus on areas that you are most interested in as you decide which direction you will pursue in your life. Study and learn always. Never close the book on learning. Read a lot of books. Do a lot of different activities that take you beyond your comfort zone. Travel a lot if you can. Meet a lot of people. Date a lot of people, so that when you meet “the one” you’ll know her or him when you find them. Get sealed in the temple. Start a family. Don’t wait for something to come along at the “right” time when it’s convenient. Love can be messy and it might pop up at the very time you least expect it to. Don’t use a checklist of traits to apply to your future companion. Become the traits you most admire in another instead. Be engaged in doing good things for yourself and others.

In all that doing and getting and learning and exposing yourself to the world around you, make certain the things you are involved with square with what you know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. All knowledge is not the same. Some things are nice to know. Some things are important to know. And some things are absolutely essential to know. Learn to discern the differences between types of knowledge. Learn to be discerning in the sources you seek for learning. Not all the sources are reliable or can be weighted with equal value.

4. Lead others to Christ. 

Follow Christ and His teachings in your own life. A full-time mission isn’t for everyone, but it might be for you. That’s the easiest way to learn to love others and serve others. Do not discount the impact you might have on someone else. It may be many years in coming, but you will inevitably get a phone call someday from someone you touched in a way that might have seemed almost insignificant to you, but they will confirm whatever it was you did or said that had a profound effect upon them. You may have changed someone’s life without even knowing it. Read the Book of Mormon each day if you can. You will meet the Savior as He speaks to you directly from the inspired writings of the prophets. You can open the pages randomly, or you can study it chronologically or topically - it really doesn’t matter - and you will invariably find wisdom and answers to your prayers in miraculous ways.

President Russell M. Nelson

5. Follow the prophet. 

Whoever the man is that presides in this Church, the way of safety and happiness is to listen, study and pray about what the prophet has to say. President Russell M. Nelson is God's prophet on the Earth today. Look to him and the other Apostles for answers. There are no sustaining and inspired answers in politics. If you follow the opinions of men you will be tossed to and fro on the turbulent seas of men's wisdom. The only global politician in whom you can exercise your faith is the living prophet of God. 

* * *

I could go on, but five items is enough. Grandma reminded me when this topic for writing came up that at eighteen years of age we pretty well knew everything and didn’t really need much advice back then. She’s probably right about that. 

I love you all, and pray for your happiness and success in all you do.

COVID-19 - You have no power here

First thought from Patsy this morning: "Have you ever been so excited to have a shot before?" We're headed over to Heber City this afternoon to have our second jab of the MODERNA vaccine. Two weeks from now, we're told, we will be "fully vaccinated" and able to mingle with others who have been similarly blessed with fewer restrictions. I know nothing is perfect, but after one long year of being held hostage by all the restrictions and health advisories, this feels like a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card.

COVID-19 has taken its toll on our lives. The vaccines have proven to be the best control mechanism out there, and the numbers here in Utah are on a sharp downward trajectory finally. That's all good news, since the virus has risen to the top of the list of causes of death in America - more than heart attacks and cancer. To say there's no such thing as this deadly virus is silly. To say it is a government conspiracy to control the masses is likewise silly and sophomoric. 

People are free to choose how to respond to the virus - get a vaccine or not - but continuing to help one another by observing safe distancing, wearing masks and frequent hand washing is just good hygiene. 

We have chosen this past year to limit our large family gatherings, and we have hunkered down here at home to increase our chances of avoiding the virus altogether. We have attended our sacrament meetings since they opened up again, simply because the bishopric has been responsible and created a safe space in which to meet. Their precautions have made us feel secure in being there. The ward building gatherings have felt more safe, certainly, than doing something like going to the grocery store for example.

Travel will someday open up again. The airlines are desperate for your business and are offering low cost rates to lure us back into the air. Reservations for cruises are slowly inching up too as the companies come back online with more deals. We had planned a Mediterranean cruise last fall so we could see the new Rome Temple and visit the Holy Land again. Then I got my brain tumor diagnosis and surgery followed soon after that. We applied for a refund of our fares about the same time the cruise was cancelled and all of Europe shut down due to COVID-19. It took months, but we eventually received our full refund from the travel insurance policy we had taken out from AIG. We had a "consolation prize" trip last summer to Moab, Utah, that included visits to Arches National Park, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park with some of our family and we were outdoors the whole time. Now we anticipate this coming year will provide more opportunities. 

It is worth noting that from the outset, President Russell M. Nelson has stated publicly many times that the pandemic would in time subside and that it would be conquered by modern science. He took immediate and extensive precautionary steps to shut down the temples, offer suggestions to local leaders on how to conduct our meetings, and in general has given confident and expert advice on how to proceed through the pandemic's pitfalls. Those who have heeded his counsel have been blessed. Zoom meetings have become routine now, but I have to say it's not the same as actually being together face-to-face.

I suspect we have not seen the end of these overflowing scourges in the years ahead. It was unthinkable a year ago that this virus could have such far-reaching and long-lasting detrimental effects, but it has shown a determined and nasty ability to resist defeat.

Now, however, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Utah is lifting its statewide mask wearing mandate on April 10th by legislative fiat, and a growing number of Utahns are taking full advantage of the availability of the vaccines. Patsy and I are so grateful for the effects the vaccine will have on our family gatherings as we contemplate more gatherings this year. Soon, we hope, we will participate in person at baby blessings, baptisms, ordinations, and eventually be enabled to return to full-time temple worship.

That minute microscopic virus will soon have no power over us. As we emerge from the restrictions with which we have been saddled in the best interests of public safety, let us remember the sobering lessons we have learned about valuing life, our loved ones and all our friends and neighbors. As we return to normal, let's invest in hugs, kisses, and handshakes to lift and bless others. Let's more fully align our lives with the Savior, the Prophet and our family. 

The isolation we have experienced has easily produced an advanced case of cabin fever in me. I'm certain others feel as I do. The other day I went to Heber City on a couple of errands, and on a 60+ degree day I observed a lot of convertible sports cars with tops down, and their occupants taking full advantage of the sunshine and its warmth. 

It gave me renewed hope that spring cannot be far behind.

2021 - The Road Ahead

 From the moment he took the office, President Donald J. Trump has been a lightning rod for controversy, confusion, vindictive lashing out, and abhorrent behavior of every kind imaginable. Now, thankfully, his era in American politics has mercifully come to an end. It ended the way it began in total chaos and a climatic storming of the Capitol chambers in a failed attempt to overturn the outcome of the election. Did Trump have a hand in rousing the crowd of protestors ahead of the Electoral College vote tally? Well, you can be the judge of that, but for the first time in our nation's history a POTUS has been impeached a second time by the House of Representatives, and even at this late date, only days before his term expires, Donald J. Trump's legacy has a stain on it that will be impossible to remove.

Refusing counsel from everyone, Trump has resoundingly refused to even attend the inauguration ceremonies for his successor, Joe Biden, the winner of the 2020 presidential election. He finally conceded the election, but only when the Electoral College vote was completed. But he has refused to acknowledge his role in inciting the crowd assembled outside the Capitol on the day of the Electoral College vote count. He apparently tongue-lashed his Vice-President Mike Pence that morning, instructing him to "either be a patriot or a pussy." Pence's role in the Electoral College by Constitutional mandate is simply to preside over the vote count and then declare a winner. He had no authority to do anything else despite Trump's little boy tantrum. Pence was the patriot here, not Trump.

The prognosticators of doom and gloom have already begun their predictable tirade of "end of times" analysis concerning Joseph Biden's election. Some will continue to assert the claims of an illegitimate presidency based upon no evidence from Trump's lawyers in numerous court challenges to the election results. Others will assert the nation will fall apart after the failed "coup attempt" supported by Trump supporters. Biden's policy shifts will no doubt be real in an attempt to reverse Trump's. I've read the Republican Party in America will now cease to exist. All of these bold predictions can find equal and opposite counterparts in the years when George W. Bush won, and Trump upended political punditry by winning. The more things change, the more they remain the same, it would appear to me. The one constant for me is that America has not successfully committed suicide - yet.

The road ahead for us in 2021 will continue to be a battle for the hearts and minds of America. However, most hearts and minds have already been made up, and few will change their deepest-held beliefs. It remains to be seen if there are politicians who can tap into the conventional wisdom of Americans. Joe Biden will at least make a show of attempting to interpret his victory in November as reflecting the will of America. He will have both houses of Congress in his camp, just as Barack Obama did when he began his two-term presidency. Few, however, have been able to master the diversity of America. Most new presidents when they take office, pledge to reach across the aisle, heal the divide and work for harmony and unanimity of feelings. Most transitions from one party to the other are carried off without insurrection, though agitators would have it otherwise.  

2021 will also be a year when scientific breakthroughs in vaccine production will in time eradicate the persistent COVID-19 virus if enough Americans agree to take the vaccine when it is offered. Right now there seems to be a much larger demand for the vaccine than there is adequate supply. That's the right trend if the supply and distribution can keep up. The distribution of the vaccines will be problematic, because the vaccines will be administered by the government. In Utah it is being handled through the county health departments. For people 70+ years of age like me, it means expressing interest in a pre-appointment email registration for the vaccine, and the roll-out will happen over the next two months. We are being told to watch our email inbox for a sign-up opportunity. Already we are hearing government leaders in Utah pleading for patience as they figure out how to match the supply with the demand. Anytime we turn the science over to the government it seems there will be a breakdown - bet on it. So far science gets an A, government gets a C-, but guess who will be at the front of the line taking credit for the eventual success. Betcha I know the answer to that one. The doctors will be elbowed out of line by the politicians clamoring for recognition and credit.

Speaking of diversity in America, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) offered an opinion piece recently in the Deseret News entitled "The Union and the Constitution Forever." He insists there is good news in our diversity:

"The good news is, we already have a proven way to achieve this goal. The United States has always been diverse. Our Constitutional framework was specifically written for a regionally, culturally, economically and religiously diverse nation. The Constitution’s checks and balances and separated powers simultaneously empower political majorities while protecting political minorities and, most of all, individual rights.

"America’s ability to make our diversity a strength is part of what makes us the greatest nation on earth. Our job is to make sure our diversity pulls us together instead of pulling us apart.

"Given America’s wide diversity, political issues decided at the federal level are by their nature going to be the most divisive. People in the East and the West, on the coasts and in the interior, in rural and urban areas — to say nothing of “red” and “blue” states — are always going to see the world differently."

Lee concludes that the way the Founders envisioned handling diversity was not to eradicate it but to embrace it, channel it and balance it so that tyranny never asserts itself within our borders. We hear accusations of tyranny from time to time, and it may be true some would attempt to impose it, but so far America has resisted being told what to do by dictators. Just take as an example the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine. Some are still insisting that this virus is someone in China's idea of controlling the masses, and that the government conspiracy is what is keeping us all in check. They rise up in opposition to mask wearing mandates and business regulation to control the spread of the virus. Resistance for the sake of resistance regardless of reason and common sense seems to be their cry.

"This isn’t about the size of the federal government — the federal government is going to remain huge for a long time to come. Rather, it’s about the need for national consensus to validate federal policy. 51%-49% issues are controversial, by their nature. Some issues — like national security or immigration — by their nature must be decided at the federal level, no matter how controversial they are. But most issues — from education to welfare to health care to housing to infrastructure — really can be decided at lower, less divided, levels of government.

"Blue states can be as blue as they want; red and purple states can go their way too. And all Americans — across the country and across the political spectrum — would be happier not to be in a constant zero-sum battle against the other party on every single issue under the sun. The founders called this approach 'federalism.' Philosophers call it 'subsidiarity.'

"To me, it’s the only realistic way to restore trust in our public institutions, detoxify our national discourse and heal some of the wounds of our current divisions."

It's not too complicated, folks. You let the federal government do what it does best on the big issues like immigration and national security, and you let the states, cities and counties do what they do best on the local issues in the red and blue states. By design, those outcomes at the local level will be better dealt with closer to the people. We've strayed from the principles envisioned in federalism, and it's time to get back to those principles to tamp down the angst at the federal level.

Trump, it turns out, was little more than an agitator, pitting us against one another for four long years. Yes, he did some good things, balancing the SCOTUS for one, but let's see if Biden can do a better job of following the Lee model than Trump ever did.