Saturday, October 25, 2008
TV Guide TV ratings are rubbish!
I always knew that the "Top 10 TV" listed in the TV Guide each week (listing the Top 10 watched TV programmes of the week) was rubbish, especially of the bias towards TV One programmes, but now I am totally convinced! New Zealand's Got Talent is a show on Prime TV at the moment and I was sure it would be in the Top 10 this past week. I know heaps of people that watch this programme. But I had a look at page 60 of the TV Guide that came out a couple of days ago and New Zealand's Got Talent is no where to be seen in the Top 10! So yes, the TV ratings in the TV Guide are a load of rubbish (and I've never been surveyed my whole life!)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
If you're a Mormon you don't have to vote Republican
It’s now less than two weeks away to what I would say is the most important election so far this century – the 2008 US Presidential Election. Even though Obama is leading in the polls it’s not a for-gone conclusion and a lot can happen over the next couple of weeks. This blog entry mainly goes out to all those Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in the States. You don’t have to vote Republican!! And here are a few reasons why you should vote Democrat.
For some strange reason LDS believe they have to vote Republican to maintain a good standing in the church. Utah (which contains about 58% LDS) is probably the most Republican state in the country. Here are a couple of examples of that. In 2004 71.5% of Utah voted for Bush (in some counties up to 89%); and back in 1992 we know that Bill Clinton easily won that election but Utah voted him 3rd behind George Bush and Ross Perot!!
I’m LDS and a Democrat, and a huge supporter of Obama. I just do not like Republicans at all. I feel they can be quite mean and nasty about things. They believe in guns and war, while Democrats care more about things such as the environment and those that are in need. You just need to watch Fox News to see how nasty Republicans can be.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is NOT a Republican church. (Perhaps members think they need to vote Republican because of what they stand for such as “family” values – hey what about guns and war??). The church reaffirms itself as being politically neutral. Here’s a statement released by the First Presidency last month:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-issues-letter-on-political-participation
Although I would love to know who the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve vote for!
There’s quite a bit out there about LDS members who are Democrat. First there’s a woman named Heather who talks about her “conversion” to Obama:
Why I (Heather) support Barack Obama...and some interesting links
http://www.zerendipity.org/2008/09/why-i-heather-support-barack-obamaand.html
Why I Support Obama--the Specifics
http://www.zerendipity.org/2008/09/why-i-support-obama-specifics.html
Bruce Young is a professor of English at BYU University (in Provo, Utah) and is also a Democrat. His blog can be found at:
http://bruceyoung-election2008.blogspot.com/
He says this:
“Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons"). The Church is officially neutral in politics and has in fact affirmed that both major parties espouse principles in harmony with Church beliefs. Yet many Latter-day Saints, especially in Utah, are convinced that only one party (Republican) and only one political philosophy (conservative) harmonize with their religion. As a Latter-day Saint, I intend to challenge that view and argue that Latter-day Saint beliefs are compatible with candidates and positions that some of my co-religionists would refuse to even consider.”
He explains why LDS vote Republican and why he is a Democrat and why he supports Obama. He also has a lot of interesting links to other sites on this issue. He says:
“By the 1990s, Church leaders were concerned about the exclusive identity of the Church and the Republican party in many members' minds. Elder Neal A. Maxwell encouraged a younger General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, to hold an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune to explain why he (Elder Jensen, who is a Democrat) believed being a Democrat was compatible with being a faithful member of the Church.”
GOP Dominance Troubles Church
http://www.kevinashworth.com/ldr/268/gop-dominance-troubles-church
http://www.utahcountydems.com/content/view/178
He goes on to say:
“Also during the 1990s, Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of the Church, made statements encouraging political diversity in the Church. Unfortunately, such statements seem to have had little effect. In fact, at the time, Republican leaders in Utah tended to react with disbelief even to suggestions coming from Church leaders that faithful Church members could appropriately and enthusiastically support the Democratic party.”
Transcript: National Press Club Q&A with President Gordon B. Hinckley, March 8, 2000
http://english2.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/pres-hinckley-politics.htm
As you may know Harry Reid is the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, a Democrat, and a Latter-day Saint. He says "I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon." Here is the transcript of a speech he gave at BYU in October 2007:
http://english2.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/reid.pdf
Here’s another interesting site to look at - Can LDS Members be Democrats? It also has such topics as Why I am LDS and a Democrat, I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon, and Why Mormons should vote Democratic (this is particularly interesting):
http://www.cachedemocrats.org/about%20us/LDS_democrats.htm
Barrack Obama gave a talk in his church on Father’s Day this year. It’s a very good speech and I can’t see anything in there which would conflict with the teachings of our church
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Apostolic Church of God
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/06/15/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_78.php
So in summing up I support Barack Obama. I do not want to see another four years of failed Bush-type politics. Yes, John McCain is not George W Bush but you need to remember he represents the Republican Party, the same party Bush is from! Obama will bring a new change to the United States and to the world as a whole, which is desperately needed! So if you are a Mormon reading this and you live in the States then please consider voting for Obama, and believe it or not you will still be considered a faithful Latter-day Saint and will not lose your salvation for voting for a Democrat!
For some strange reason LDS believe they have to vote Republican to maintain a good standing in the church. Utah (which contains about 58% LDS) is probably the most Republican state in the country. Here are a couple of examples of that. In 2004 71.5% of Utah voted for Bush (in some counties up to 89%); and back in 1992 we know that Bill Clinton easily won that election but Utah voted him 3rd behind George Bush and Ross Perot!!
I’m LDS and a Democrat, and a huge supporter of Obama. I just do not like Republicans at all. I feel they can be quite mean and nasty about things. They believe in guns and war, while Democrats care more about things such as the environment and those that are in need. You just need to watch Fox News to see how nasty Republicans can be.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is NOT a Republican church. (Perhaps members think they need to vote Republican because of what they stand for such as “family” values – hey what about guns and war??). The church reaffirms itself as being politically neutral. Here’s a statement released by the First Presidency last month:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-issues-letter-on-political-participation
Although I would love to know who the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve vote for!
There’s quite a bit out there about LDS members who are Democrat. First there’s a woman named Heather who talks about her “conversion” to Obama:
Why I (Heather) support Barack Obama...and some interesting links
http://www.zerendipity.org/2008/09/why-i-heather-support-barack-obamaand.html
Why I Support Obama--the Specifics
http://www.zerendipity.org/2008/09/why-i-support-obama-specifics.html
Bruce Young is a professor of English at BYU University (in Provo, Utah) and is also a Democrat. His blog can be found at:
http://bruceyoung-election2008.blogspot.com/
He says this:
“Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons"). The Church is officially neutral in politics and has in fact affirmed that both major parties espouse principles in harmony with Church beliefs. Yet many Latter-day Saints, especially in Utah, are convinced that only one party (Republican) and only one political philosophy (conservative) harmonize with their religion. As a Latter-day Saint, I intend to challenge that view and argue that Latter-day Saint beliefs are compatible with candidates and positions that some of my co-religionists would refuse to even consider.”
He explains why LDS vote Republican and why he is a Democrat and why he supports Obama. He also has a lot of interesting links to other sites on this issue. He says:
“By the 1990s, Church leaders were concerned about the exclusive identity of the Church and the Republican party in many members' minds. Elder Neal A. Maxwell encouraged a younger General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, to hold an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune to explain why he (Elder Jensen, who is a Democrat) believed being a Democrat was compatible with being a faithful member of the Church.”
GOP Dominance Troubles Church
http://www.kevinashworth.com/ldr/268/gop-dominance-troubles-church
http://www.utahcountydems.com/content/view/178
He goes on to say:
“Also during the 1990s, Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of the Church, made statements encouraging political diversity in the Church. Unfortunately, such statements seem to have had little effect. In fact, at the time, Republican leaders in Utah tended to react with disbelief even to suggestions coming from Church leaders that faithful Church members could appropriately and enthusiastically support the Democratic party.”
Transcript: National Press Club Q&A with President Gordon B. Hinckley, March 8, 2000
http://english2.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/pres-hinckley-politics.htm
As you may know Harry Reid is the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, a Democrat, and a Latter-day Saint. He says "I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon." Here is the transcript of a speech he gave at BYU in October 2007:
http://english2.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/reid.pdf
Here’s another interesting site to look at - Can LDS Members be Democrats? It also has such topics as Why I am LDS and a Democrat, I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon, and Why Mormons should vote Democratic (this is particularly interesting):
http://www.cachedemocrats.org/about%20us/LDS_democrats.htm
Barrack Obama gave a talk in his church on Father’s Day this year. It’s a very good speech and I can’t see anything in there which would conflict with the teachings of our church
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Apostolic Church of God
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/06/15/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_78.php
So in summing up I support Barack Obama. I do not want to see another four years of failed Bush-type politics. Yes, John McCain is not George W Bush but you need to remember he represents the Republican Party, the same party Bush is from! Obama will bring a new change to the United States and to the world as a whole, which is desperately needed! So if you are a Mormon reading this and you live in the States then please consider voting for Obama, and believe it or not you will still be considered a faithful Latter-day Saint and will not lose your salvation for voting for a Democrat!
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