We Should not Jump Ship on Paris Accord

  If we have concerns about whatever governing body their might be for the Paris Accord, we should see that changes are made. But, we should not jump ship on the agreement. Too much is at stake. If anything, the Paris Accord does not go far enough in slowing climate change.

(Index -- Climate change info)

We Should Heed the Word of the Climate Change Scientists

 I did not study it much. But, I did just pause to look up how climate change predictions in an August, 1981, article in Science have proven true. Ice in the Antarctic has begun to crack and crumble. Areas prone to drought are receiving less water. My thought is, we should listen to these climate scientists who are warning us. What they are saying is proving true and we continue to be a nation of naysayers. Forgive me for saying so, but we have stones for ears, and will not give heed to the warnings of those in position to know.  

Democracy Means Little Without Discussion

 Democracy is nothing without discussion. If we do not first discuss public issues, what benefit does democracy offer? Decisions are meaningless, or of little value, if they come without thought. A vote without study, a vote without having weighed the issues, benefits us little. If you study a candidate, and where he or she stands on the issues, that is good. Study also the issues, themselves.
   Did I tell you about the president who also believed this? It is a completely fictitious story, I admit, but you might want to listen, the same, to his inaugural address. Read on, and tell me if this wouldn't be the best president we've ever had.
   "My fellow Americans. Today, as I come before you, I would like to use that term with more meaning than you are accustomed to. I would like to extend to you a hand a friendship, and partnership, and of working together with you like no one has ever offered you. You are my fellow Americans. You are my equals. And, we shall move this nation forward together, or not at all.
   "Here's is what I am proposing. It truly amounts to a different way of going about governance. We have a lot of issues -- health care, the national debt, climate change, and many others. What I would like to do is have a national discussion on each issue. I really don't plan to take much action on any of them for six month or so. And, when we do take action on an issue -- and I realize that means Congress -- it should only be after we have weighed that issue enough that we have some answers. What I will do, is take from the things you say, and make proposals to Congress. They must pass the legislation, but we, as a people, can come up with the ideas. I am a believer in this new way of going about governance. It is not a new system of government, but it is a new way of practicing it.
   "So, we will discuss things. I'm going to call for your arguments, your proposals, your ideas to all be placed in the public forum. We will have town halls all across the nation. And, perhaps we will use Facebook. How would you solve our health care crisis?  Tell us at the town hall and post it on our Internet discussion site. When we have a large body of advice, I will weigh what you have said. I will pick from among the ideas those that I like and I will select proposals that will work. Then, I will invite you to Washington, where you and I can discuss the proposals. And, we will discuss the issue some more, and debate it -- in public -- before we make a final decision on what to do.
   "We will go about solving our nation's problems this way. We will go about fixing our needs. We will solve what issues we can, and move on. Bless you all, my fellow Americans, and God bless."

A Good Patriot Seeks to Remove the Evils from His Land

There is a level of patriotism we should always offer. Support of country should exist, to some degree, despite the faults that nation might have. It is a little like a parent with a child. The parent loves the child regardless what the child does.

So it is, we should love America, even if it has warts.

But, I think this also: There is such a thing as blind patriotism. To vehemently support your country, regardless the vices of that nation, can become a vice in and of itself. Yes, you usually should go ahead and support the laws even if they seem wrong. We cannot pick and choose the laws we think just, and obey only them, for that would be chaos. Even so, a child might obey the parent, regardless though the parent be wrong. But, there is a limit. If a child's parent were to ask him to murder, we'd say that is going too far. Even so with our nation, there should be limits on our support. For one thing, if a law is unjust, while we might obey it, we need not become its cheerleader.

We speak of blind obedience and wonder whether it is good. Even so, we should not be blindly devoted to a nation, regardless what that nation does.

And, it is the same with our political parties. If we support them blindly, and regardless, that is not wise. I think it not wrong to mention this in a post on patriotism, for people are often more patriotic to their parties than they are to their nation.

The past year has seen Colin Kaepernick protest what he sees as the faults of our nation by not standing and placing his hand on his heart as the National Anthem is sung. I do not foresee myself ever doing as he does. But, I do not fault Kaepernick. In his eyes, we have faults needing correction if we are to be the nation he desires us to be.

It is not a renunciation or repudiation of our nation by Kaepernick. Rather, it is just his way of rebuking us for what he sees as our faults. If you want to correct a child, you might lightly slap his hands. I see Kaepernick doing nothing worse.

A good patriot is not the one who supports the wrongs of a nation, but the one who seeks to remove them. A good patriot seeks to cleanse the evils from his land.   

Congress Bears Some Responsibility for Flint Fiasco

   "Flint's water has been poisoned for 1000 days," reads a post on Facebook. "Cost to fix the pipes: $216 million. The U.S. military spends that much every 3.75 hours."
It seems like some kind of emergency funding could be provided. I read how President Obama, in January of 2016, declared a federal emergency in Flint, but declined to designate it as a disaster area because the disaster was man-made, and thus didn't qualify. At that point, Congress should have stepped in and sent some relief. It isn't too late. Congress still should step in and help.

If a Law is Unjust, I Might not Root for it to be Enforced

   Across my Facebook newsfeed comes this question:
   Do you support stripping federal tax dollars from sanctuary cities?
   And I reply:
   Perhaps most do. I don't. Many see this as a matter of upholding the rule of law. I see another side of it. I see the poor, the needy from other countries being offered sanctuary by certain cities. I cannot oppose that. If a person broke a law, and the law was unjust, would I be inclined not to root for him to be prosecuted? That's how I feel about this. I do not root for the poor and the needy -- those who come seeking jobs and freedom and to be rejoined with family -- I do not root for them to be prosecuted.

Is the Paris Temple Fulfillment of Prophecy?

  Is this prophecy fulfilled? I would ask, why not? In 1976, President Spencer W. Kimball promised a temple in Paris, but suggested it might come only if the people there clenched their fists and ground their teeth. He also suggested church membership there would double, and even quadruple.
  The church membership in France was about 10,000 then. Now? Almost 40,000.
   President Gordon B. Hinckley in the 1990s asked the members there to pray that the church might find a site, for finding a site was proving difficult. I do not know how much opposition to the temple there was, but it becomes one of the few temples without a spire, due to height restrictions. Anticipation of the temple through the years has been high, but no temple came until now. I would guess it has been the most significant city in the world without a temple.
   All these years later, then, after clenching of fists and grinding of teeth -- figuratively speaking -- Paris finally has a temple.