Wish There Were More Concern Over Loss of Speed Week

   Canceled, for a second straight year: Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. And, to me, we as a state ought to be more than just casually concerned. We ought to be doing everything we can to see that it gets rescheduled for a little later in the year, and everything we can to ensure this doesn't happen again future years.
   And, everything we can to save the Salt Flats.
   I'm thinking it is a big enough matter that state leaders should be weighing in and calling for action. I note the Utah Legislature is to go into special session here before long, to consider the prison relocation. And, I wonder but what this is not a big enough matter to call a special session for. The Salt Flats are quite a wonder. Speed Week brings in racers from various parts of the world. I am quite an advocate of preserving anything that makes us a draw to other parts of the world. I am quite a proponent of such things that bring tourism and acclaim to Utah.
  To me, this is more than a news story and then we move on. To me, it is not enough to nod our heads, lament a little, then move forward. Forward really isn't forward if we leave this behind.

Sometimes, Our Greatest Fault is in Finding Fault

   Sometimes, our greatest fault is in finding fault. We do it incessantly. Think back on this past day, and reflect on the faults you found in others. They should have done this. They didn't do that. They sure are stupid. What were they thinking? When will they learn? We shouldn't have to tell them, We shouldn't have to put up with what they did.
   Did you have any of those attitudes towards others today?
   Donald Trump is the flavor of the week, many finding fault with him. And, most would say he found fault with John McCain. Trump suggested McCain is a hero only because he was captured. Trump said he likes people who aren't captured.
   So, does this mean Trump should drop out of the race? It's come to that. Some are calling for him to pull out. I'm just a little surprised at how hard we are on each other. How we go for the jugular. How we blow small faults into big ones.

Is this a Crime that is not Commonly Prosecuted?

   I see the Planned Parenthood controversy has prompted a congressional investigation. That is good. It should.

   But, I have not heard of an investigation by law enforcement. Why does this not warrant an investigation by the Department of Justice, or one of the federal agencies?

   Why not?

   Perhaps it has. Perhaps I just haven't found the right news story to let me know. Still, it seems if an agency investigation had been launched, the news I'm seeing would have reported it.

   When we get word of a possible crime, we investigate it, don't we? Murder, theft, larceny, arson -- when there is reason to suspect any of those things has occurred, our agencies rush to investigate. So, why not illegal abortions? If an official with Planned Parenthood spoke of crushing the bodies of fetuses in a manner that is not legal, that is a crime. It should be investigated the same as murder, theft, larceny or arson. 

   If the Planned Parenthood official spoke of receiving fees ranging from $30 to $100, that, too, suggests crimes might have been committed. The body parts of fetuses cannot be sold. We have a law against that. There can be payment for expenses, but if the payment provides a profit, it is illegal, And, $30 to $100 leaves me wondering if the expenses are being overcharged.

   I wonder how many prosecutions there have been since the law against partial-birth abortions went into effect in 2003. Surely there have been times the law has been broken. Surely there have been offenses. I wish I knew a link that told me how many there have been.

   I wonder if this is a crime that commonly is not prosecuted. 

The Four Elements of Great Poetry

   Tonight, I pause from politics to tell you how to become the world's best poet.
   First, the obvious, for to be poetry, it needs to rhyme, or have rhythm, or cadence or some such. To a large extent, how successful you are will depend on how well you master this.
   Second, the wording needs to be clever. Turn a new phrase, or say something quotable.
   Now, we can't stop just with these two elements, for the greatness of a poem comes not just in how beautiful the wording is, or the lilt with which it is written. No, a great poem is one that is understood, quickly, each line being self-evident in meaning, not requiring reading it time and time again to figure out what is meant. So, the third element of good poetry is clarity.
   Finally, a message needs to be delivered. You can write a well-cadenced poem about a dog or a field or a canyon, but if it simply says that the dog or field or canyon exists, it won't be as wonderful a poem as it will if it delivers a truth about that dog, field, or canyon. So, offer an observation, an insight. The greater the insight, the greater the poem. Sometimes, a story is told. If so, the greater the story line, the greater the poem.
   And, there you have it, the four elements of great poetry: cadence, wording, clarity, and message.
 

If Planned Parenthood Sells Body Parts for $30-$100, That's Too Much

   A couple days ago, a video was posted by the Center for Medical Progress claiming Planned Parenthood admitted to selling fetal body parts. The law says they can be donated for medical studies, but not sold for profit. Now, here's the hitch: Reasonable payments can be made for such things as transportation, quality control and storage.
   The video shows a Planned Parenthood official saying the body parts can go for $30 to $100. As the story broke, Planned Parenthood said that is all the money goes for.
   Snopes has already posted on the issue, classifying whether Planned Parenthood is involved in illegal activity as "Undetermined."
   My thought? I'm thinking $30 to $100 is too much to be considered a reasonable amount for such things as implantation (whatever that refers to), transportation, and preservation of the parts,  If the pay is $30 to $100, there seems to be room for profit, which is against the law.
   Planned Parenthood also is being accused of performing partial-birth abortions, which have been illegal since 2003. (In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld this law.) While it is time for me to go to bed without too much review of partial-birth abortions, they are late-term abortions in which, I believe the manner of pulling the body apart, or piercing it, or such was determined to be too cruel to the unborn, but I am not certain that is why partial-birth abortions are illegal.
   For my part, I am grateful for the 2003 law against partial births. And, I believe reports of violations should be investigated and prosecuted as much even as we investigate and prosecute other crimes.
   On both matters -- whether Planned Parenthood is profiting on the body parts, and whether it is performing partial birth abortions -- I have not read whether the federal government has been called to investigate. Why not?

Of Living to the Age of a Tree

   Remember Kitty Hawk, or, rather, all the people who said if God had intended us to fly, he would have given us wings?
   Remember that we once lived in a world people thought was flat?
   So, I suggest man can live indefinitely (or at least a lot longer than he currently is), and truly wonder if we are living in a day where this is about to happen. I even wonder about the Millennium, the 1,000-year period when Christ is to reign on earth and when people are to live without death.
   I wonder if modern medicine will bring it about, if we will live so long because of the advances of medicine. Will all the gene studying, gene mapping and such bring it about? Or will there be other breakthroughs, in addition to gene mapping?
   I half think it could come without gene mapping. I half think it might be as simple as contemplating on what old age is, and seeking cures. Old age, to me, seems to be a time when muscles lose their elasticity, their viability. It is a time of pinched nerves, and of inflammation throughout the body. It is a time of deterioration of skin and body, and of bones becoming bridle.
   Those are things, it seems to me, that are conquerable. Almost I wonder, if we placed all our best efforts, all our thought and resources into this, could we rather quickly find the answers?
   Move us into the Millennium within decades, or maybe even just years, if we were only to get serious about finding medical solutions. I am not scriptorian enough to know, but I wonder if the Millennium could be underway before Christ's Second Coming.
   I do not know that it will be modern medicine that brings about man living so long as he will in the Millennium. No, but, I do think it is one of the possibilities.
   And, I consider how the early descendants of Adam and Eve lived long lives. I turn open my scriptures, and read how Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan, then lived eight hundred and fifteen more years. This, without the benefit of modern medicine. To me, it does seem possible, since we have the benefit of modern medicine, to equal that life span.
 

If You Don't Want Recidivism, Give the Ex-Con a Job

   If you wanted to reform your criminals, you'd not put them at risk. If you wanted them to stay away from crime, you'd make it as easy as you could for them to stay away from crime.
  You'd give them jobs.
   I wish America would reform its criminal care system. There are so many things that could be done. We lament recidivism, yet we don't take a host of steps that could reduce it.
   Placing the ex-convicts in jobs is one of them. Of all the people out looking for jobs, the ex-con should perhaps be the person we most want to be employed. Many were in prison for crimes they committed while trying to make money. When they get out, if they don't get a good job, they are, of course, tempted to fall back on the ways of earning money that they are familiar with.
   If you don't give them a way to change, they won't change. If you don't give them a way out of their lifestyle, they will remain in it.
   So, what is the solution? Perhaps each ex-con should be assigned to a counselor at the job service office, someone who places them in a job. If that works, that is enough. But, if jobs are not being found for all the ex-cons, then we should create jobs for them. The need to provide employment is urgent enough that, if necessary, government should create the jobs. Let the job placement officers do all they can to get the person in a private sector job. But, if that fails, there must be a safety net.
    A lot of what can be done needs to take place while the prisoner is in prison. Currently, we provide educational opportunities for the prisoners. That should continue. But, we should not stop there. The education should include a lot of vocational training. The prisoner should be trained for specific jobs. And, whenever possible, the person should be trained for self-employment, as a person who has self-employment skills does not need to depend on whether someone will give him a job.