Was Israel too Quickly Provoked?

  I do not have time to study the specifics of what happened, but I think to offer a broad opinion on Israel's missile attack on Gaza. I find myself thinking of scriptures that call for forgiving your enemies, and I wonder if Israel was too quick.
   I understand missiles were being fired at Israel, and Israel was just responding. I believe only two died from Israel's missile attack, and they were Palestinian soldiers or some such. So, perhaps it was a surgically successful operation. I know Israel has shown great patience with attacks on it in the past.
   Still, I wonder. I repeat, I do not know many of the facts, to be making too solid of an opinion. Still, my general thought is that you should not be overly quick to attack.

'The Staff of Life' and the 'Energy of Life'

  There is likeness in what is said about the benefit of grains in these two statements:
   "All grain is ordained for the use of man and beasts, to be the staff of life." Doctrine and Covenants (a book of scripture in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) Section 89
   "Glucose is the energy of life." Dr. Robert H. Lustig
   Grain is a carbohydrate. It is said that grain turns to sugar upon being processed in the gut. Glucose it a type of sugar and a type of carbohydrate. A number of years ago, it was determined all carbs are not bad. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Glucose is a good one.
   It is "the energy of life," as Dr. Lustig puts it. Even so, the code of eating for the LDS people says grain is "the staff of life." I find it interesting that so many years after a prophet of God (I believe Joseph Smith, who received the revelation in Section 89, was a prophet of God) that scientists would come along many years later and come to a similar conclusion.  Yes, it can be noted that grain is not the only glucose carb. Still, it remains that grain is a glucose carb and it is such carbs that are the "energy of life."

Some Truth in the Thought, Heal the Back, Heal the Body

   I am decades behind the times. I didn't realize we already had replacement disc surgery. I ran into someone in the store who told me her son had had the surgery. I came home and word searched, to learn it has been around for about 35 years (in Europe), and the first one was performed in the U.S. in 2000.
  I wonder on this, on how discs can be replaced, wondering if more good could be done than is being done. I wonder if it is reaching all the elderly possible. Are we reaching everyone possible, period? Is the expense preventative?
  If we have reached -- or are reaching -- the age when spines can be replaced -- any part necessary -- then we are truly entering an exciting age. Messages to and from the brain travel through the spine. Chronic pain from pinched nerves can be ended. Bladder and bowel problems can be lessened. Much of the health of the whole body can be bettered if, with the flip of a switch, so to speak, we can heal the back.
   Heal the back, heal the body. Sometimes, anyway.
 

 

Our Outrage Should be with the Law, not Just the Officer

   I watch this video of a police officer killing a man. To me and many others, the killing was blatantly wrong.
   We make laws making these killings legal, then we are outraged when the officer is acquitted. Yes, we should be outraged, but we should we as outraged with the law as we are with the officer.


http://www.azfamily.com/clip/13966895/warning-graphic-raw-video-shows-deadly-mesa-police-shooting

He who runs the ship must sail the waves

We always want to be the person in charge. But, we should recognize that positions of responsibility come with the guarantee of criticism. At least, in many cases they do.

Glucose, Which is in Wheat, is 'The Energy of Life'

   I eat a lot of wheat, and that means a lot of glucose.
   "Glucose is key to keeping the mechanisms of the body in working order." -- healthline.com
   "Glucose is the energy of life." -- Dr. Robert H. Lustig in the video, Sugar: The Bitter Truth. (Lustig is a renown opponent of sugar.)
   I do not know how long ago scientists decided there are bad carbohydrates and good carbohydrates, but I see Lustig identifies glucose as a good carb.
   As I write this, it occurs to me that a belief of the church I belong to has been vindicated by this -- by the studies showing glucose is a good carb. "All grain is ordained for the use of man and beasts, to be the staff of life," it says in that section of the Doctrine and Covenants (89) known as the Word of Wisdom. ". . . Nevertheless, wheat for man."
   I would imagine, this point has been made in Sunday school classes, but it is just catching up with me.
  Too much glucose can be bad, however. At least that is what the healthline.com article says. "While glucose is important," it says, "like with so many things, it's best in moderation. Glucose levels that are unhealthy  or out of control can have permanent and serious effects."
   The article notes exercise reduces glucose levels, and my mind whips back perhaps a year ago, or almost, to a day when after a hard exercise, I found myself wondering if the exercise had actually removed sugar from by body.
   And, my mind chases back to when I ran to the pharmacy to buy monitoring device, so anxious to get it I couldn't wait another day, only to buy it and leave it unopened. Was it a blood-sugar (glucose) testing device? I rush to my room to find it, and it is, indeed, a glucose-testing machine. I do not even remember why I wanted it so bad, or why I was then interested in my blood sugar.
   But, perhaps I should use it. 

In the Jerusalem Question, Soft Words are Our Hope

   Even Pope Francis pleaded for the status quo in Jerusalem. But, while the world generally is against Jerusalem being acknowledged as the capital of Israel, perhaps the sentiment of many in America stands in favor of the move by President Trump.
  May moving of the embassy come quickly. But, may the words to the Palestinians be gentle, reassuring them that no offense is intended. As President Trump said, this is the right thing to do, and it is but recognizing the reality that Israel has the right to place its capital where it wants. That is sovereignty. Still, may verbiage to the Arabs be gentle.
  I wonder if some see this as a lost opportunity for seeking peace, they wishing that President Trump would have seen it as a bargaining chip to persuade Israel to give up East Jerusalem in exchange for recognizing West Jerusalem as the capital.
  But, I wonder if it is not best to not make such a commitment on East Jerusalem. I can see the argument for it belonging to the Palestinians, but I can also see the argument for that portion of the city remaining with Israel. That option should not be sold away at this time.
  So, speak well of the Palestinians. Offer them friendship. But, recognizing Jerusalem is the right thing to do. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem is the right thing. It should be done quickly. Not squandering East Jerusalem is the right course to take.
   But, this is also a time to speak in tones of friendship. There obviously will be anger. Whether it can be minimized by soft words, I do not know. But, I know soft words are our hope.