Hydroelectricity Should not be Slighted

    I repent. The six most powerful power stations in the world are hydroelectric. We need hydroelectricity. Not long ago, I opined that the environmental concerns of many and the earthquake concerns of my own were enough for me to be against hydroelectricity. The dams can upset eco systems. And, I wondered if the weight changes they bring cause siesmic plates to shift, bringing earthquakes.

   Yes, I repent. The concerns are valid. They should be addressed. But, hydroelectricity is green energy. World-wide, it is abundant. If we are to reduce our carbon footprint, we should not turn from hydropower. As for causing earthquakes, does the weight of water really amount to that much, that it should weigh down the seismic plates and cause them to crack. Or, while the weight might seem much to simpletons such as I, is it relatively not that much?

   Many hydro systems do not require large reservoirs behind them.  To begin with, we should look to see if we can add a number of such dams, then go from there.

(Index: Climate change info)

Stories of Cain, Akish Give Insight into How Secret Societies Operate

We have two scriptural accounts of how secret combination operate. One is the story of Akish in Ether the Book of Mormon, and the other the story of Cain in Genesis in the Bible. We find in both them the same ingredients. These are how people in secret combinations operate:

1.) Satan tempts them. He appeals to their vanity, to their lust for power or acceptance, and to their desire for greatness. He puts it into their heart to seek for greatness, such as to rule the country. Satan commanded Cain, saying, "Make an offering unto the Lord." "And Cain said unto the Lord, Satan tempted me because of my brother's flocks." Jared's daughter, "thought to devise a plan," which could indicate Satan put it into her heart. At any rate, it also says Jared sought to rule the nation.

2.) To get the vanity they want, they offer up from the vanity they already have. They put their vanity on display in hopes of gaining greater vanity. The daughter of Jared knew she was beautiful, so she offered to dance. Cain offered up from his crops not because the Lord asked him to, but because Satan told him to do so. Perhaps it was a vain offering and that is why the Lord rejected it. Perhaps it was a, Look-how-great-I-am-to-give-you-this offering, instead of a humble one. Cain said, "Truly I am Mahan, the master." Thus, in both cases, they were proud and sought reason to be even more prideful.

3.) They draw others of like mind into conspiracy. Cain married daughters (plural) of his brother who loved Satan, and they became his following. It also speaks of him having "brethren" in his act, so there were more than just the daughters. Jared and his daughter drew Akish into the affair, and then Akish "gathered in unto the house of Jared all his kinfolk."

4.) They demand loyalty. "And Satan sware unto Cain that he would do according to his commands." Akish told the followers they must "be faithful unto me."

5.) They reject or seek to cover up the truth. Cain "was wroth and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord." Satan pledged Cain not to tell the truth, and made him pledge his followers. Akish sought to hide the truth, not allowing them to "divulge whatsoever thing" he had made known unto them.

6.) They are boastful. "I am fair," the daughter of Jared said. "Cain was called Master Mahan, and he "gloried in his wickedness."

7.) They seek to punish those who will not follow them. If they can, they administer death. "Swear unto me by thy throat," Satan said to Cain. And, Satan made Cain extract the same oath of his followers. "For if they tell it, they shall surely die." And, in the account of Akish, "whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish desired should lose his head . . . the same should lose his life."

8.) They swear by God. "Swear . . . by the living God," it says in the story of Akish. "Swear . . . by the heavens," it says in the story of Cain.

If We Find a Vaccine for Everything, Will We Find Ourselves in the Millennium?

   What if the world became so good at the art of creating vaccinations that it created one for every disease? Could we reach a point where there were no diseases? And, if there were no diseases, would this bring us closer to the day when death no longer would track us all down? If there were not diseases to cause the body to deteriorate, would there no longer be any cause for deterioration? Who knows. We speak of the Millennium, and of a time when humankind will live for centuries. Could the art of vaccination be the paintbrush the Lord will use to bring this about?

  Yes, every year there is a brand new strain of flu, and it takes a brand new guess to get a vaccination in place to cover it. Clearly, we need to discover a vaccine with a code to inoculate against a variety of flu strains and a variety of diseases.

  What if we found a vaccine that inoculated against all diseases? What if you could take such a vaccine, and in the twinkling of an eye -- a change taking place the second you took it -- live with no more fear of dying from disease?

Perhaps, it is Beyond Question We should Vaccinate

    Perhaps it should be beyond question that we should vaccinate. Smallpox has been swept from the world, eradicated, thanks to vaccines. Polio, measles and tetanus have largely been limited. If you can sweep a disease off the face of the earth, then, of course, that is a good thing.

   What, then, of the thought the body might become dependent upon vaccines -- that it might send signals searching for a vaccine that has been placed in the body instead of sending signals to create its own immunitities? Thus, vaccines short-ciruit the body's own natural defenses. This might possibly be true. But, even so, you then only become sick when you contact a virus without having been inoculated, same as you would if there were no vaccine. Perhaps, eventually, finding no vaccine within the body, the body does then start creating its own immunities.

Do Vaccinations Short-Circuit the Body's Ability to Create its Own Immunities?

  By taking the vaccine, do you block the body's ability to create its own immunities? Wherever did that idea come from? some might respond. Yes, there are those who argue it is better to build up natural immunities. And, yes, there are those who argue vaccinations can be unsafe.

  But, the vaccinations actually blocking the body's ability to built up its own immunities? I don't know that that theory has ever been floated. How would that happen? Maybe, the body becomes dependent on the vaccinations to create the immunities? That would be it. When the body contacts a virus, its defense systems -- having received the unasked for immunities in the past and having been able to rely on them -- send signals looking for the injected immunities -- instead of sending messages to create its own.

  It is not an altogether foolish theory. It might well be that it is wrong. But it should be considered before being dismissed. The auto functions of the body do slip into being stuck on the way they are programmed. If they found the solution already in their body the first time, the next time they are programmed to do the same -- go looking for the solution somewhere in their body -- says this theory. But, without this dependence on the vaccine, the auto functions would send a message to create an immunity. 

Could the Vaccine Start being Distributed as Early as Dec. 11?

    Pfizer's vaccine for Covid-19 could start rolling out, then, as soon as Dec. 11? We are told the vaccine should be available to portions of the high-risk population by the end of December, but could it be sooner than that? Pfizer today announced it is positioning planes to skate the vaccine out just as soon as approval is won. 

   The meeting where Pfizer is to receive the approval is Dec. 10 -- and (mark this) the vaccine could be authorized within the same day. So -- who knows -- that sounds like some people might be getting the shots three weeks from today on Friday, Dec. 11. Mark that day on your calendar, and quit messing with all these NBA and sports dates. This date, obviously too (if it comes thru) is magnificent. Perhaps, in reality, it won't come that soon . . . but, it could. It just might.

  My question, is why we have to wait for Dec. 10 for the meeting to take place? Why can't that meeting be pushed forward?  People are dying each day. Lives could be saved if we pushed that meeting forward as much as possible. 

(Some wording adjustments made 11/29/20)

Jennifer and Janice in the Great Abortion Debate

   After all these years growing up together, now the two sisters stood on stage -- thousands looking on --  opponents in the Great American Abortion Debate. Jennifer gave a gentle smile, Janice nodded, and the debate was on.

 "Janice, I've always wanted to sit you down, always wanted to explain why I'm pro-choice, why I believe it so important that a woman's rights be a woman's rights," Jennifer ventured. "Now, I get my chance."

  She looked over at her sister standing at the other microphone. She smiled softly, caringly. "Janice, a woman's body is her own. It's her domain. Of all things she owns, nothing does she own more than her body. All of these other things -- car, phone, clothes, whatever -- none of them belongs to her more than her body. Everything else came after she got here -- somebody had to give them to her, or she had to buy them. But, her body was her body right from Day One, right from birth."

  "Excuse me," Janice interjected. "Jennifer, you are great. I do want to note one thing here, though." She smiled back at Jennifer and her smile was equally as soft as that of her sister.

  "Jennifer, when you were born, that body still had a caretaker, other than you. You couldn't even take care of it on your own. Our mother had to do it. You were reliant on Mother. All the choices being made for that body were being made by Mother. "Same as before you were born."

   She paused to let what she had just said sink in, then continued, almost crying, and somewhat in a pleading voice. "Mom also provided your every need before you were born." Another pause. "The difference? You could breath. Before you were born, it was almost as if you were holding your breath. Figuratively speaking, perhaps you were. You were holding your breath to see whether Mother would allow you to be born, or whether you would be aborted."

   "Janice, Janice, Janice," Jennifer broke in, putting out her hand in a motion for Janice to stop, a touch of anger entering her voice. "We said we were going to be civil with each other, but I don't think you are being fair, nor nice."

   They stared at each other for a moment, before Janice responded. "Oh, Jen," she said. "Before we were born, Mother provided everything. But, all that she did was automatic. She fed us. She kept us warm." Another pause.

  "Agreed," Jennifer said. Another pause, and it was unclear which would speak next, each waiting for the other. Finally, Jennifer continued. "I see what you are saying. Mom took care of us both before we were born, and she just kept on taking care of us after we were born."

   "That body of yours, it was no more yours right after you were born than before you were born," Janice said, dipping her head, as if to be reverent. "But, even if it weren't 'your own,' Mother would have been wrong to take it away from you after you were born . . .  and it follows that she would have been wrong to take it away from you before you were born."

 The heart that fills with gratitude has little room for hate. 

I'm Grateful to Live in a World Such as This

 I am grateful for a wonderful world to live in, and I don't mean just the flowers and mountains and the touch of warm winds. I'm grateful for those down here who help make it wonderful. It is the fellow travelers of life who make the journey so pleasant. I find a world of wonderful people, people who care about what is going on in far-away places, places not their own, people who care about the homeless here in their home state of Utah. I find national leaders and world leaders who earnestly want to make this world better. I live in this, able to see the greatness of people both far from me, as well as those who are my neighbors. I go to church, and find people anxious to help those in need. I speak to my siblings and see their love of each other and desire to make all well with each other. I'm able to walk in a world of such people. They are the world. They make this a wonderful world to live in. When God created this world, he adorned it not just with mountains and trails and flowers. He adorned it with you. And I'm grateful to live in a world with all of you. #GiveThanks

We Listen, if We are Wise

    I feel dispirited tonight, that all our best efforts to control Covid are bearing so little fruit. I turn to Worldometers, to see how many died today. Two-thousand-one-hundred-ninety four. That's about 2,194 too many. I stop to consider if we were to take four or five of them each day, as a nation, and learn the stories of their lives, that we should measure the cost of losing them in more than just numbers. 

  But, if I am disheartened, it is that all the face-masking and social-distancing and sanitary measures seem to be coming up short. I've considered on whether those who say we shouldn't be face-mask mandating are right. I've considered on whether they are right when they say it is good that some germs get spread, so that we can build up immunities.

  I consider on the long held belief that if we mask and social distance and sanitize enough, the virus cannot spread. You need a good facemask, and some are better than others. But, if everyone wears good ones, it should certainly cut down on transmissions.

  And, our medical scientists are telling us it does. I think it wisdom to listen to them. Yes, I think it good that you and I do our own thinking, considering everything. And, I do not doubt that some medical professionals are against masking. Still, by far the majority of those in the medical field are saying the masks work. They are begging us to wear them. They are the experts. 

  We listen, if we are wise. 

 Thanks. It's a word that never wearies of friendship. It accepts friendship. It gives friendship. It is friendship. 

(Index: Quotes)

The G League Develops Few NBA Stars

The G League, is it working, is it worth it? It enters its 20th year in existence, not having produced a single bonafide NBA star. Yes, 50 percent of the players in the NBA have done stints down at the developmental level, including the likes of Rudy Gobert and Fred VanVleet, to mention just two, but not a single player who was started down at the G level has ever been called up and became a star. Nope, not one. So, what do we do with this league, do we keep it around? Do we keep sending our second-round draft choices down there, hoping they will someday develop into rotational players?

Consider Georges Niang, who as a college player at Iowa State once was on a 35-man watch list for player of the year. And, as a 2016 draftee and summer league player, he drew praise from Larry Bird. The Jazz ended up picking him up, and assigning him to the Salt Lake City Stars affiliate, where he became a first-team G Leaguer. Nothing wrong with how that turned out. Niang went on win a full-time Jazz contract, and earn a starter's position.

That's about as far as a G Leaguer can be expected to go in the NBA. Is it enough? I'd say, yes and no. If the G League can produce enough stories like that of Niang, keep it. Still, though, you'd wish it to produce more, and you'd like to see a few G Leaguers becoming stars in the NBA.

Look at the list of G League MVPs through the 19 seasons. How many do you even recognize? We'll start with last year and go backwards to 2001: Frank Mason III, Chris Boucher, Lorenzo Brown, Vander Blue, Jarnell Stokes, Tim Frazier, Othyus Jeffers, Andrew Goudelock, Justin Dentmon, Curtis Stinson, Mike Harris, Courtney Sims, Kasib Powell, Randy Livingston, Marcus Fizer, Matt Carroll, Tierre Brown, Devin Brown, and Ansu Sesay.

And, therein might lie the secret to what most needs to be done. You need to give it some star power. If we can read through the list of MVPs and not recognize but a name or two, clearly the league and its players are lacking media attention.

A couple years ago, the NBA announced it would take players fresh out of high school, offering them $125,000 to come straight to the G League and play there instead of playing in college. How can you beat that? Get paid $125,000 or play in college for a year and not receive a dime, which will it be? But, the high school players were too smart. They didn't take the bait. They realized they would be playing in anonymity in the G League, whereas they would gain exposure under the bright lights and cameras of college ball.

So, if you are going to fix the league, the first thing you should do is grab it some more exposure. For one thing, you've got to get the highlights every night on Sports Center. There is talent down at the G level. Consider that Jimmer Fredette played there and only ranked as a second-team all star in 2016 (although he was MVP at the all-star game). Start with giving the league some hype, some pizzazz, and see if that helps.

Most of the players play for only $35,000 for a five-month season. That's clearly a problem. How are you going to keep your players from jumping overseas where they command much more than that? The best G Leaguers do exactly that -- They jump to the Euro League of somewhere overseas, Jimmer Fredette being an example. However, if you developed enough hype for the G League and marketed it well, it might become a money-maker and you could afford to pay the players well. Start with the marketing, and you'll turn the league around. The G League players come in having starred at their previous levels. How are you not able to market that? How are you not able to whip up enough frenzy so this league can pay its own way?

Regardless of What Kaepernick Says, Mumia Should Remain in Prison

   Colin Kaepernick would have us free Mumia Abu-Jamal. That's the latest news on Kaepernick. Mumia killed a police officer way back in 1981. The effort to free him has become a cause celebre. This week, after news broke that Kaep had joined the long list of people calling for Mamia's release, CNN's Michael Smerconish went on air, inviting Kaep to talk to him or the slain officer's widow. Smerconish suggested the topic was something he knows a little about. You might say I wrote the book, he said, and held up a book titled, Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain, and Injustice. Even those in the neighborhood where Mumia lived do not stand behind him, Smerconish suggested.

   A closer study will/would probably show Smerconish right. A Wikipedia entry, though, gives us some insight. "Labor unions, politicians, advocates, educators, the NCAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and human rights advocacy organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have expressed concern about the impartiality of the trial of Abu-Jamal." Therein, perhaps, we get the crux of the matter. It is not that Mumia is not guilty, but that his trial might not have been fair. 

  How important is it, that we clean up our justice system, that we run it fair, that we do not run on the principle that, You're guilty, so it doesn't matter if we treat you "fair."

  Still, would it be right to free Mumia? He is clearly guilty. The trial might have been flawed, and we should see the urgency in making sure this doesn't happen, but we should still consider that perhaps Mumia should remain in prison.

  Also of interest: All the links to videos showing Kaepernick speaking -- have been taken down. "Sorry, this video is no longer available," it says. I did find one still up, but the rest have all been scrubbed. We should be concerned about this grave incursion into free speech. Kaep should be allowed to speak. What he says should not be censored. He is standing up for someone who truly wrongfully murdered a police officer -- yes -- but that should not erase his right to his opinion. 

Do We See a Likeness in Our Day

    The Latter-day Saints have a book of scripture that speaks of secret combinations. Those combinations existed in the days of the Book of Mormon, and the book indicates they were to be a concern in our day.

   The book contains a story of how a person wanted to overthrow the kingdom, and his daughter falls in league with him in conspiring how to go about it. "Is there not an account concerning them of old, that they by their secret plans, did obtain kingdoms and great glory?" she asks.

   Many among the LDS have long wondered what the secret combinations in that book are all about. They refer to them -- as does much of the book  -- as Gadianton's Robbers. It is a mystery. They also wonder at our day, wondering where and how the secret combinations -- the "Gadianton Robbers" -- might exist among us today in the United States.

   So, if the daughter of Jacob speaks of a formula that tells how to go about overthrowing the kingdom by using these secrets of old, what follows would surely be the playbook.

   And what follows is that she dances before the person who they want to get to murder the king. The person watches her dance and desires her for his wife. They tell him to bring the head of the king, and then he can have her to wife. When power is gained, those involved are sworn to secrecy, and sworn to be loyal to the new rulers. If someone opposes the new regime, they are to be killed. 

   There, then, perhaps is the formula for these secret combinations. Perhaps if we break it down, we might see relations to what could be happening in our day. Jared and his daughter got Akish by appealing to his passions, appetites and desires. He lusted to have the daughter as his wife when he saw her dance. Perhaps it was even an appeal to pride, for to have a beautiful woman can be a matter of pride. Then, they swore people to loyalty, to be faithful to the new regime. And, they covered up the truth. Even so, you establish and maintain your power through falsehood and by preventing the truth. Those who opposed them were to be killed.

Four steps: 1.) Appeal to vanity; 2.) Require loyalty; 3.) Suppress the truth; 4.) Punish those who oppose you.

Do we see a likeness in our day? 

So, Jared and his daughter got Akish by appealing to his passions, appetites, and desires. I consider on whether it equates to appealing to his pride, for to have a beautiful woman is somewhat a thing of pride. Then, you maintain your power through falsehood, even as Akish kept the truth from being known. And, you punish those who oppose you, even as Akish had them killed. Whether that is what the Gadianton robber formula is all about, we can wonder. We do see those three elements in what took place here in Ether. And, it tells us right at the beginning of that little story that they are going to use the formula of old. There is good reason to

We Must Return a Focus to the National Debt

The nation should not lose track of its national debt. It should not quit the watch. More than $27 trillion, does it stand at now. It was just under $20 trillion when Donald Trump took office. So, the growth has been close to double how fast it was increasing before Trump took office. 

   Regardless who is to blame -- or whether it is even the president who is to blame -- we need  to return to a concern for the national debt. Other things might have stolen our attention, the pandemic and social unrest, but we must get a focus back on the national debt. 

Consider on These Women Who are Pro-Choice.

   Consider on those who are pro-choice, and be not quick to cast distain upon them. Among them are those who cannot afford a child, those who humbly acknowledge they cannot provide proper care for the child. Yes, and among them are they who -- though the act might not have reached rape -- went into the night against their will, and they who were enticed by men seeking only to draw pleasure from their beds.

   What have I done? these women said in the morning, some without even knowing a child would come.

   I do not say abortion is right, even in such a fix. Nor do I say they were right in what they did. Still, consider on them. Have compassion. Consider the tears that flow from their eyes, and the heartache they go  through. Consider the host of them who are not wicked people, but rather who often are quite honorable.

   Consider that many of them -- who knows what proportion -- do not believe life begins at conception. They seek not to take a life. Consider that they are told by those they trust -- both by authority figures and loving friends -- that life does not begin at conception. However quick they are to believe, many of them are persuaded to their beliefs by others. Mistakes can draw their decisions from the friendship of others.

   Consider on these women, a wonderful bunch they are. Would we view them as our enemy? Would we distain them and cast stones at them? I think it not necessary. I think it not worthy of us. We are called to love all mankind, and told not to judge.    

The Story of Esau and Jacob is the Story of Our Day

    It's a biblical story. Esau loses his birthright, and therefore hates his brother who won it from him, and vows to kill that brother. Sounds exactly like what is happening today between the descendants of that story. The Muslims hate Christians, as well as the nation of Israel, and they are vowing to wipe the nation of Israel off the face of the earth.  

  The story of Esau's losing his birthright to Jacob laid out, prefigured, what would happen in our world. Just as Jacob gained the birthright, even so the Christian nations have ruled the world. Esau was told, though, that there would be times "when thou shalt have dominion, that thou shalt break his (Jacob's) yoke from off thy neck." Even so, we have seen the Crusades, and all the wars between the Muslims and the Christians and the Jews in Israel ever since. And, there have been times the Muslims have broken the yoke, even as the story foretold. Esau was told that, "By thy sword shalt thou live," and it has been war for his posterity ever since.

   "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him." Even so, there are those of Islam who hate Christians. There perhaps is even a rage of jealousy within them, thinking they should be the ones ruling the world. "And Esau said in his heart . . .I will slay my brother Jacob." Even so, the Muslims sometimes speak of sweeping the Jews into the sea. 

  "Bless me, even me also," Esau had cried. And, his father had replied that he would. "Thy dwelling shalt be the fatness of the land, and of the dew of heaven from above," his father promised. Even so, look at the Muslim nations today. They have the "fatness of the land." They are rich, in many ways, with oil. Dubai is one of the richest cities on earth, its becoming so only in recent decades. Dubai is a fulfillment of the story-prophecy we have seen just within the span of the last few decades, in our own day. Nor have the riches of the oil fields blessed them all along, but that too has been a fulfillment just in the last century or so. 

Perhaps I Gush too Much at the Jazz's Pick

   Perhaps I gush too much, but here goes. 

   Udoka Azubuike -- Nigerian Nightmare II -- somehow remained available for the Jazz all the way down at the 27th pick. The guy's resume is worthy the top pick in the draft. As the top player on the top team in the land, how does that square that he's but the 27th pick? The Kansas Jayhawks boasted the top defense in the nation with him anchoring it. He graduated with the highest career shooting percentage in all of NCAA history (74.9%). At 7-foot-0 and 270 pounds with a 7-foot-8 wingspan and a 9-foot-4 standing reach, this guy is a behemouth physical presence hard to match. There might be 10 bigs in the NBA beefier than him, but how many of them have such a standing reach? 

   Twenty-six picks went by without him being taken. That's almost everyone in the league passing him by. The Jazz simply engineered an unbelievable coup. They hoodwinked everyone. They even traded down and still came away with him, giving away the 23rd pick in exchange for the 27th and 38th. 

   His 75% shooting likely cannot translate into the NBA. But, if it did, he would be a more efficient scorer than Steph Curry. Curry's 3s fall at a 43% clip, so that's a little less than 15 points per 10 shots. Udoka's 75% would put him right at 15 points per 10 shots. 

   Downsides? Only 44 percent from the line, and he's not overly mobile. Only time will tell, they say, and so now though the clock has quit ticking for the Jazz to take their turn in the draft, it begins to tick all over again, ticking as we await the Nigerian Nightmare II, to see how well he can do.

Speech Should be Allowed Its Stage

   Freedom of speech is being challenged. I hear story of how YouTube is refusing to allow certain COVID-19 information from Singapore to be told. We all hear stories about sites being censored and shutdown by social network providers.

   There's a rule -- an old rule -- about when speech is to be curtailed. If you run into a movie theater, crying, "Fire!, Fire!" and everybody pours out of the theater, that's too much. I guess the YouTube, and Facebook, and Twitter owners might think that is all they are doing, protecting people from false information that causes damage.

   But, they are in error. Let these stories run. Let these videos be seen. Yes, tag them if you feel they need to be tagged. Yes, attach disclaimers suggesting the information might be in question. When you can, don't just simply say they might be incorrect, and leave it at that, but rather find experts who will respond with rebuttles. Don't let your website take a personal stand on the truthfulness of the post, if you can avoid it, just say there is concern that it might be inaccurate, and you are seeking out sources that might provide rebuttle.

   Freedom of speech remains important. Censorship remains a vice. Just because it isn't government doing the censoring, doesn't mean it is right. 

   

I Wonder, if Dr. John Littell is Right

    We hear of so many who have no clue of how they got the virus. They are masking, and social-distancing, and following all the rules . . . yet they come down with the virus, anyway.

   So, when I hear a doctor named John Littell on the radio, saying that we shouldn't be wearing facemasks all the time, this time I listen. Dr. Littell suggests virus is spread by being in the presence of someone too long, say 10-15 minutes. He suggests wearing masks all the time is not healthy, that you need to contact some flu or cold or disease germs to build up immunities.

   I hear the herd immunity argument coming in.

   And, I wonder.

   

Civility -- Like Everything -- Needs a Practice Field

    If we would have peace in our land, we should take some steps to achieve it. So, what of all the political infighting? What steps could we take to heal our land from the political division?

   Could we not only call for civility, but have a program to help bring it about? If you don't do anything, nothing will get done. So, where is a plan of action?

   I will offer one suggestion. Create debate forums. Invite all the politically inclined -- all those with strong opinions, all those who suppose the issues of our nation are important -- to participate. 

  But, wait, you are assuming this would be something it is not. I'm actually calling for something pretty much the opposite of what you are thinking. No, you wouldn't come there to argue your positions. You would come there to argue against your own positions. That's right, you would come there, and draw an issue out of a hat, and if that issue were abortion, that is what you and your opponent would debate. Then, you would draw out of the hat which side you would argue. As often as not, you would end up arguing on the side against your own beliefs.

   There might be no better way to foster civility than to ask you to state your opponent's position in a convincing way. If you can become better at stating the opposite side than those who actually believe that way, then you are likely achieving the goal of understanding and respecting how the other person feels. 

  It would also be important to encourage a comradery. Give them points in the debate when they speak well of the other person, and encourage them to like each other before and after the discussion -- I mean debate.

   This might sound silly, but it is not. We are what we practice. Football stars don't become football stars unless they practice to become them. This would provide the practice sessions for us to be civil with each other. 

   We, as a nation, need to be this. We need to be more civil with each other. We are fracturing without it. As with anything, it takes practice to achieve what you want to become. It is not wrong to have a program to get you there. It is not wrong to set practices up. If we really are serious about solving our political divide, we should be thinking in terms of an actual program such as this to bring it about. 

Account it as Coincidence, if You Will, but There's an Ominousness in it

  If the Russians did gain access to election equipment in 2016, and did program them so that when the votes were tallied at the end of the day, Trump would win, what if that programming was never changed? What if the pattern the Russians set for the computers was still in the computers?

  You'd get the same results.

  I am not an expert. I do not know enough to know that election fraud did take place. But, I do know that 2020's election-night results mirrored 2016's so much that it was freaky. The same states that voted for Trump in 2016 voted for him again in 2020. If there was an exception of a state or two, it was no more than that, just a state or two. Even the same key swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania existed. 

   Who knows why this happened. Maybe it is simply that all the Trump supporters that existed in 2016 were the same in 2020. No more dynamics than that. Still, it remains: If the computers were programmed in 2016, and they had not been changed, they would then produce the same results. And, that is what happened. 

If the Nation has Learned to Care about Injustice, Why None for Reid?

    In a day when justice is all the rage in the land, where the concern for Eric Reid? In a day when discrimination draws crowds of outrage and protest, where the concern for this football star known as Eric Reid? You know him, don't you? The good buddy of Colin Kaepernick, who knelt alongside him all those years ago in San Francisco. While Colin never did get back in the league, Eric did.

   For the past two years, he has been the star safety for the Carolina Panthers, I say "star safety," and there should be no doubt. He came into the league in 2013 riding a storm, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl as a rookie that year, and he's never let up. Last year, he set two franchise records for the Panthers as he enjoyed his best year in the league, statistically.

   In March, Reid was released by the Panthers, and has hardly since been touched again by the NFL. No one will sign him, large as his talents may be. You might point to the Washington Football Team, and how it invited him to the practice squad. Being invited to a practice squad is not the same as being invited to the active roster. It is understandable that a star in the league would reject such an affront. Yes, it is way beneath what his credentials suggest.

   In an age of justice, what is this? In an age when injustice surely results in a protest, where is the demand for justice for Eric Reid? All the protests across our land and not a whimper or whisper or word for Reid, as far as a protest for him? In a nation that has learned to care about injustice, what is this?

(Note: Added to 11/15/20 when I learned he had been invited to a practice squad.)

Who Knows if This is What Happened

   Would seem the chances of presidential recounts are fading. I'm disappointed. I would have liked to seen them -- hand counts of the paper ballots.

   I wonder if there is interference. I'll verbalize it: I wonder if there is interference by the Russians.

   Election night, every state was coming back just as it did in 2016. The states that were for Trump in 2016 were mirroring that in 2020. And, obviously, then, the states that were for Hillary in 2016, just happened to be the same ones this year that decided to vote for Biden. If there was any deviation, it was but a state or two. At that point, one wondered if ever any two back-to-back presidential elections had so closely resembled each other. Even the key swing states were the same, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

   In a way, it made sense. Americans are religious to their party these days. They don't waver as much as in the past. If you are for Trump, there is nothing that is going to change your mind. While that might have led to a lot of the mirror image of 2016, consider also another possible factor: If the Russians had changed votes in 2016, they would have had to have done it by infiltrating the vote-counting machinery. And, if they had control of certain computers in 2016 -- if they were infected then -- could it be that they are still infected. Because, if so, the two elections could understandably mirror each other.

  Early election morning, there was an ominous development. President Trump was saying we shouldn't count any votes that came in after that day. Cut off the voting. He said this before it turned out that that days votes would mirror 2016. Now, supposing the Russians were only able or interested in placing Trump on top in the votes counted that day -- and Trump knew that -- then it would make sense for him to be saying, Cut it off with the votes cast this day. From there, who knows where it goes. Maybe the Russians wanted Trump to lose. You create more chaos if he loses than if he wins, and it seems that is what the Russians are all about -- just wanting to disrupt and cause chaos. So, if they know the votes coming in after election day are going to swing things to Biden, they might like that.

  But, what if the voting was so tight and indecisive that recounts were necessary? What if hand recounts of the actual paper ballots became required? If there had been manipulation, the hand counts are going to uncover the fraud. So, if you are the Russians and you are manipulating, you don't want that. You'd steer the election away from that so you are not caught. 

   No. I'm not saying all this is what happened. Who knows. But, it is not an unreasonable thing to consider. 

   Another thing fits into this possibility. Trump's golfing on Saturday. That was the day Biden was assumed as the winner. It seemed incredulous, to me, that he was out golfing that day. Not saying this is why, but it would fit in with what we've considered above. If you want to avoid being bugged, get out of your office. If the President wants to go somewhere where no one can eavesdrop on his, one of the best places would be out on the golf course.

Trump’s Election Challenges Keep Getting Laughed Out of Court

Prosecutors ask Barr to rescind memo on U.S. vote counting irregularities -…

Rebuking Trump, DHS cybersecurity agency says no evidence of deleted, changed votes

Do the Scriptures Speak of this Day When Phones can be Monitored?

   This scripture, does it apply to our day, and to the fear we don't know if foreign or even our own American intelligence agents are listening in on our phone conversations, and tapping into us as we turn on our computers.

  "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." (Luke 12:3)

  I speak of  the conversations of mine, and of yours, being recorded and monitored by the governments and forces of the world. There was a day when if I said what I just said, you would quickly dismiss me as a delusional, fanatical, conspiracy-believing nut case. 

  These days, surely, we know these things are happening. How much, and to what extent, we may be left to speculate, but we know they are, indeed, happening.

   Take the next two verses. "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."

  I remember once meeting someone who had cause to fear for his life. He came from another country, where he had taught a topic requiring him to learn of social-issue beliefs of people -- both sides of them, which means he had to speak of dissident opinions. He fled to the U.S., yet remained fearful of his life that day I spoke to him.  

    So, the scripture speaks of the things you whisper in the closet being shouted on the housetops, and then follows with the next verse saying, Don't fear that someone should kill you. This scripture might not have been written to explain what would happen in our day, but it has likeness. It can be applied.

   I do note this scripture, Matthew 10:27, which says, "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." Here, Christ speaks of what he and his disciples learn in private later being preached by them on the housetops. The scripture I speak of above could be -- probably is -- saying nothing different. Read it again, "Whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." As for the verse that follows, about being killed, those who teach the gospel can be killed for what they teach.

  Could Luke 12:3 have two meanings? Could it yet be referring to both? I don't know. I know, though, that one way or the other, there remains a likeness to the interpretation I wonder about at the top of this column.  

The Story of Hawaii is a Wild One

   Wonder at Hawaii, at whether the kingdom there was overthrown justly by U.S. interests. Wonder at whether the U.S. not only claimed the land against the islanders' will, but forced them to become a state against their will. 

  To some of us, it appears that's what happened.

   Take the "constitution" the U.S. plantation owners forced the king to sign. Yes, there is dispute that the king was forced, but there is reason to believe it wasn't called the Bayonet Constitution without cause. At point of death, it is said, he was forced to give up much of his power, turning it over to those who pointed the guns and/or bayonets against him. 

   Being forced at point of weapon to sign a "constitution" giving away your right to govern is hardly just -- and hardly up to America standards. To call the document you are forced to sign a "constitution" is perhaps an abuse of that word.

  So, the armed militia (we as Americans often speak highly of militias, but look what this one did) forced the king to sign the document. And, what did the document do? It limited voting rights to those who held large sums of money or large amounts of property. It is said that two-thirds the islands' residents were too poor to qualify to vote. 

   In making them part of America, as we stripped them of the right to vote, did we bring them freedom, or take it away? Did we bring them self-governance, or take it from them? Did they now have self-rule, or were they now ruled by the rich landowners?

   Eventually, the American minister to the islands conspired with the American and foreign interests and landed a shipload of U.S. Marines in a show of force, and they deposed of the queen altogether (by that time the king's sister was the monarch) and we began working to make Hawaii a state. The queen was imprisoned. Somehow, the thought the U.S. would jail the leader of a peaceful and happy nation bothers me.  

   Hawaiian voters never were given opportunity to say whether they wanted to be a state. The U.S. Congress voted them in. Somehow, I wonder if after all these years, we still should give them the right to vote, the right to say whether they really do want to be part of the U.S., or would rather go back to being their own sovereign nation. Self determination requires that we finally give them a vote.

Is Trump Going Meekly by His Standards?

   If some eyes -- mine included -- weren't seeing the full blunt of President Trump's resistance, maybe now we are. 

   A fuller story of his anger with Fox News after Fox News called the Arizona tally for Biden is emerging, in a story from the Washington Post. The length he went to get Fox to change its call is now being told. "Get that result changed," he yelled at White House staffers. So, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows called the Fox News decision desk repeatedly. Holly Hicks worked her connections. Kellyanne Conway called Fox to complain. Jared Kushner had a line to the top, and reached out to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch. 

   But, alas, no movement from Fox. They didn't back down on their call of Arizona for Biden

   "On election night, I'm telling you, the news side is running the show," The Post quoted an unnamed Fox official as saying. 

   In the next two days, notable Republicans -- including a few White House officials -- were calling for accepting the results. Trump, himself, didn't make an appearance, and his tweets were receiving so little attention that it almost seemed he was meekly submitting without much of a whimper. It seemed as if some of his aides might have made a little headway in trying to persuade him to accept his loss.

   Is he? Is he not? Is he going peacefully (by his standards)?  And, what of all his followers on social media? Are they as outraged as we would expect? Or, is their anger even dialed in a bit. With the courts throwing out the lawsuits one after another, has the whole uprising been mellowed?

   And, what of the firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper? Just another firing in a long line of them? Or, might it signal more? coming on the heels of the election when all Trump's thoughts are surely on his loss and what he can do to stop it. Replacing Esper two months before Trump's own contract is up -- does it indicate he is lining up more officials to stand with him in resisting defeat?

   Where goes all this? It has yet to be played out. At this point, we cannot tell. It might have appeared he was going somewhat meekly, but maybe we haven't been seeing everything.

   Governor Herbert came out with a mask mandate. I support it. 

Natural Gas and Nuclear Energy are not Good Answers

   America seems to be going the direction of natural gas and nuclear energy as it tries to distance itself from carbon monoxide pollutants. Neither are good alternatives. Natural gas emits carbon monoxide, though a reduced amount. Plus, it emits methane, which greatly affects global warming. Nuclear energy comes fraught with the risk of nuclear accidents. Think the Three Mile Island accident in the U.S. in 1979, the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union in 1986, and the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan in 2011. I suppose I am also wary of nuclear explosions due to what I read in scripture that sound like they might be references to nuclear harm.  

(Index -- Climate change info)

Utah has Done Little in the Fight Against Greenhouse Emissions

 However many years we're into this -- this attempt to switch to alternative energy -- we don't have much to show for it.  Who would say what year it was that we began -- that we should know if it has been 50 years or however many. Still look at where we are at: Fossil fuels still account for 62 percent of our energy creation.

   Sixty-two percent. After all these years. Nuclear energy is but at 20 percent. Wind at a meager 7 percent, and solar at an even meagerer 2 percent. Yes, solar, for all we hear about it, accounts for only 2 percent of our energy production.

  Utah? We are even worse. Much worse. Sixty-six percent is from coal, and, though I don't know the percentage, natural gas accounts for yet more fossil fuel usage.

  It is said power plants fired by fossil fuels account for 38 percent of the nation's total greenhouse gas emissions. That figure might be a little old, but I would wonder if we have progressed much from it. Utah, of all states, should be a leader in being a responsible global citizen. If we can cut 38 percent of the greenhouse gases from out of the skies over Utah, why would we not do it?

   And, what are we waiting for? Decades have passed since the urgency of fighting carbon monoxide emerged. Decades. We, as a state, don't have much to show in the way of progress.

We are not Going the Right Direction with Power Plants in Utah

    Poking my head into power creation in Utah, I learn most of Utah's power comes from coal-fired plants. There are three coal-fired plants producing more than 1,000 megawatts. The only other plant producing at least 1,000 megawatts is a natural gas plant. 

  I would have thought geothermal plants were a larger component than they are. I learned the Glen Canyon Dam, which is at Lake Powell (one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the U.S.) has capacity to produce 1,320 megawatts. I do not believe any of the power generated there is used in Utah. No geothermal plant in Utah produces so much as 250 megawatts, with Flaming Gorge being the largest at 152 MG. A plant is proposed for Echo Park, which would produce 200 MG. 

   I can see large geothermal plants might not be the answer. They disturb the land too much. Water seepage creates water loss. They disturb the geological balance, I believe, and thereby can cause earthquakes. 

   We have been moving towards natural gas. Nor do I believe it the answer. Though its carbon dioxide levels are less, they are still significant pollutants. Plus, these plants release methane into the air. 

   We do have solar and wind plants, and I wonder whether those sources could provide us enough power. We also have a nuclear plant projected to be completed near Green River in 2030. I do not know its capacity.  

Bless this Land, and the Leader We have Just Elected

   I did not vote for this next president. I held out because of my fears on abortion. But, I believe he might be a good president. His words last night reflected a humble determination to overcome the challenges of our times. 

   "We may be opponents, but we're not enemies. We're Americans. No matter who you voted for, I'm certain of one thing: the vast majority of the 150 million Americans who voted, they want to get the vitriol out of our politics. We're certainly not going to agree on a lot of issues, but at least we can agree to be civil with one another. We have to put the anger and demonization behind us. It's time for us to come together as a nation and heal. It's not going to be easy, but we have to try. My responsibility as president, will be to represent the whole nation. And, I want you to know, I will work as hard for those who voted against me, as those who voted for me. That's the job. That's the job. It's called the duty of care for all Americans."

  

   He was both humble and confident. He was not boisterous, but sincere. I do not know where America may go from here, but my hope of the moment is with faith. There is cause in his words, and in the tone of his words, to have hope. And, there lies a hope for peace within that hope.

  

   Bless this land, and the leader we have just elected. 

(Blog rewritten slightly 11/7/2020)

Why not Pollution-Reduction Plants Sucking Pollution Right Out of the Air?

  We could suck pollution out of the air. Why not? Why would it not work? We could have what we call a pollution-control plant, its smokestack stretching high into the air not to emit pollution, but to suck it in and bring it down below where it would be cleaned out.

   The plant would be powered by clean energy, so it itself would not be causing pollution.

   Perhaps, a plant a couple miles away that blew air, directing the airwaves towards the anti-pollution plant. 

   We have plants that clean our water supply, literally taking feces and all kinds of foul things out of our water. Why would this principle of cleaning not be possible? While I don't know that it surely is possible, I certainly believe it is worth investigating to see if it is possible.

   Would all the carbon monoxide need to be converted to oxygen? Can that not be done artificially, but only by photosynthesis? Would we be able to have enough green plants down beneath to pull the trick? How would we remove the methane from the air? Good questions, all. My bet is that these questions could be answered. Our air could, at least to a degree, be cleaned by a pollution-control plant, or, if you prefer, call it a pollution-reduction plant.  

Let the Electoral College be What the Founders Intended

    Let us reorganize our presidential elections. Let's keep the Electoral College, but let's let each state determine how the electors will be selected. If each state legislature wants to appoint the electors, that is fine. And if, instead, the states want to let the people elect the electors, that is their choice, as well. 

   And, since the states have power to do it the way they want, they can have us vote directly for who we want to be president, not even knowing who the electors are. It is, after all, the states' right to fill the spots on the Electoral College however they see fit. They can water everything down till the Electoral College has little meaning at all, for it is their right

  This is, of course, the way we are doing it. This is what the states have decided they want to do.

   But, I did say, Let's reorganize our presidential elections. It is perfectly legal, the way we are doing it. But, it is also clearly not the way the founding fathers intended. Let's reorganize it. Let's do it the way they intended. Let's be more of the republic they envisioned.

   I like the idea of the legislators, themselves, appointing the electors. But, don't let them appoint themselves as electors. The Constitution says, "No Senator, or Representative, nor Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector." So, let's go with that.

   The idea is to elect wise people to be the electors. The idea is to elect electors who will consider the various people they are aware of, and find a person to be president who will be of the right character, demeanor, ability, and so forth.

   Thus, a republic. America becomes much more of a republic if we do it this way. And, since this is the way the Constitution set it up, it becomes more of the republic the founding fathers intended it to be. 

  

If You were the Russians and Wanted Chaos, this is what You Would do

   If you were the Russians, and you did control the election, and your real goal was just to sow discord, who would you want to win? You would want Biden, for if Biden wins, Trump will not accept the results, and you will reap all kinds of discord.

   You would want chaos. You would want to place the victory in front of Trump, then snatch it back from him. You would want accusations of ballot fraud. You would want the people to be outraged that the election was being taken from him. You would plant false stories in social media to egg on the outrage. 

   I'm just saying. I'm not saying for sure this is what is happening, and I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying that if you were the Russians and wanted to sow as much discord as you could, this is exactly what you would have happen.

   And, it is. Just saying.

 

   

The People are Entrenched in Their Parties More than Ever

    Results reflect how party is everything, perhaps more than ever. Inn countywide races here in Salt Lake County, Democrats have swept, except for our friend, Wayne Cushing, who might by a nip be re-elected treasurer. I never even heard of his opponent during the campaign. County mayor? Trent Staggs, the Republican, seemed to have way out-spent the incumbent Democrat, Jenny Wilson. (I'll have to look up the campaign spending). I thought for sure he would win. But, no, Jenny handily won re-election.

  I think our nation is more divided by party than ever before. Take Trump. Nothing has changed in four years, not as far as public opinion, that is. For a large part, those who were for Trump have never wavered. Nothing will change them. Those against him, the same. They were against him in 2016, and nothing has changed their minds. If Biden does win, it won't be by much. The results already show that state-after-state that the for Trump in 2016, went Trump, again. Mostly all the same states. Impeachment, pandemic, riots . . . all the upheaval does not change the course of the people in their politics. 

Let Utah Look at Taiwan, and Follow

    Shocking. Taiwan has had but 563 cases of COVID-19 and only 7 deaths. In all this time since Covid burst upon us, that's all.  Compare that to Florida, which is of about the same population, but which has had but about 16,000 deaths.

   Seven against 16,000.  Scramble, America. Scramble to learn what they have done differently.

  To begin with, they are mask-oriented. Their culture is not against wearing them. They don't have rave parties where thousands of youth show up in defiance of the authorities who are saying, please wear masks. 

  But, that is only part of it. They are technologically savvy. They are record-keepers. When someone goes to a doctor, their medical records pop up, with a complete history that includes their respiratory problems. They proactively seek out patients with severe respiratory symptoms and test them and treat them. 

  Yes, they are record-keepers. And, they integrate the records of those who have traveled abroad with the medical records. And, they test those who have traveled. In America, no such luck. In America, they would scream at you for sharing your travel records with the medical community. Americans share their every move on Facebook, but they will not share all the information vital to stopping Covid-19. Bless them, it is their freedom. Bless them. But, it would surely help if they realized it would do no harm to share such information. It would only help. It would not lead to the end of our freedom nor to the demise of our nation.

   Taiwan can isolate itself from the world. No one can enter who will not be tested. I think back on the early days of Covid in Utah, and of how there was an effort to monitor the borders. Seven highways into the state were identified. It was voluntary, and no one was going to toss you into jail if you didn't, but you were to register. Same with airline passengers who were not just passing through on airport layovers. If they were staying, they were to voluntarily register. 

   One wonders if it would have been so bad to make it a mandate. And, not just register them, but test them. A major inconvenience, that. But think of the inconveniences we have had, and consider that we have lived though them. Sometimes, safety is an inconvenience. Tests don't come back in a day. Testing everyone at the state line would have perhaps meant a few tent cities, and, in the border cities where hotels exist, it would have meant the overflow of those hotels.

   In retrospect, and looking at Taiwan, I say we should have done it. It does not go unnoticed on me that if we had, then students would have accounted for a large share of those entering the state. 

   Nor does it go unnoticed that the same people who decry the loss of freedom over masks and social distancing were also opposed to the registration at the borders. I wonder if it would have been an incursion on their freedom. My judgement, at this point, is that it would not. My thought is that the government does have the right to secure its borders from the disease.

   Measures work. Covid can be stopped. Taiwan shows us as much. Utah could have given itself a better chance to sidestep the virus. It could, perhaps, have been the one state to escape the pandemic. 

   So, let us take it from here. Up the record-keeping -- keeping and sharing all information necessary -- though letting people opt out if they choose (as the Constitution does guarantee them the right to be secure in their personal effects). Be quicker to test the risk groups. Take greater measures to isolate and quarantine those who contact the disease. Encourage more isolating, period. When family members step away from their homes, they run the risk of contacting the virus and spreading it to others in the family. So, let them isolate and mask as much as they can.  Step up the calls for mask-wearing and social distancing. Let every student be called in by their school, sat down, and given a cordial plea to help by masking. Should church leaders wish, let them continue their efforts to encourage people to follow the counsel. Let everyone from government leaders to neighbors calmly encourage compliance, making their pleas not with anger, but with love. 

   And, consider a mandate. If it is not an infringement of Constitutional rights -- and my thought at the moment is that it is not -- then perhaps do it. You wear a mask, or you pay a fine or go to jail

   Testing at the border? I even consider that -- yet. Yes, the damage is done once you have so many cases within your state. We still are fighting to stop the virus. Stopping more Covid from entering our state would lessen the flow of the virus. It would have some effect.    

   These are dire times, and dire measures are not wrong.

   In closing, what of the argument that Covid is no more a problem than the common cold? What of the argument that deaths are counted as Covid when they really belong to other things? What of the argument that this is all hysteria? 

   Look back to Florida, with its 16,000 deaths compared to only seven in Taiwan. How many of those 16,000 might be up for debate is one matter, but it seems surely that thousands and thousands of those deaths were from Covid. And, if they are testing so much in Taiwan, do we suppose that they are not counting the deaths as from Covid? Do we suppose they are classing them differently than we are? Seven deaths, is all. Are we suggesting there really have been thousands more, but they've counted them as deaths from the common flu, and from things we call underlying conditions?

   If you can save lives, do it. Utah can do better, and should. 

If Prisoners don't Belong There, COVID is Good Time to Release Them

  The families of prisoners are demanding their loved ones be released because of the COVID outbreak. It is unsafe, they are telling us. 

   How much safer would they be on the outside? The pandemic is at a crest. People are perhaps not any safer out of prison than in it. 

   Still, I believe there is worthiness in releasing prisoners. It is worthy to consider what each one is in there for. How many are there simply because they did not report their new addresses to probation officers? How many are there for technical issues? Yes, we have criminals who belong in prison. Yes, many belong there. But, I believe there might (I say might, for I must yet study more) also be some who are there for technical issues for which we should not be imprisoning them in the first place. 

   Leave the ones who belong there, there. But, if there are those who don't really deserve to be there, this is as good a time as any to release them. 

   Another consideration should be whether we can isolate them. If we can isolate them while they are in prison, they are surely as safe as they will be outside the prison.