Friday, October 31, 2008

FIGHT CANCER!!!

My friend and neighbor Angie started a way cool not for profit cancer project called Nana's Box. Please tell anyone you know about it. Read her story at http://nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-side-of-things.html or enter her monthly giveaways at nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com

We will be posting pictures of Halloween soon... so stay tuned!

Tye

Friday, October 17, 2008

You mission, should you choose to accept it, IS TO VOTE!

Hey everyone!

So, I have always voted Republican since I started voting about 10 years ago. My parents are good people and they told me who I was voting for and I always decided to do the same. I've never been very into politics and I've never been very informed about the issues in the world, so I took their word for it and let them (mostly my dad) study it all out.

Everyone knows that this election is tough. Nobody I know seems to be 100% for either candidate (or maybe that's how it always is but now I'm finally starting to pay attention to it).

I decided that this year, I wanted to start learning about the difference between Republicans and Democrats and about the issues that are out there so I would know who to vote for. I decided that reading the news and listening to the debates wouldn't really be helpful unless I learned some of this basic information first. So, I decided that I should talk to some people who are very democrat and some people who are very repulican and ask them why they are what they are. I've had some very insightful conversations and found out about people's passions and interests.

I am not going to summarize what people have told me about what a democrat or a republican is or what the issues are. Republicans and democrats and everyone in between are people- and they all seem to want peace in the world and happiness for their families and a safe environment to live in. It is hard to choose sides because there is much good on both sides.

Through my conversations with various awesome people, I have come to a conclusion of who to vote for. I care about all the issues that are out there- it's impossible for me to say that I only care about the issues of one or the other (dem.s or rep.s). I care about world peace, finding alternative fuel sources, animal rights, energy conservation, etc, etc. But there are some issues that take precedence over all the others. These issues are the family unit and life.

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (yep, that's my church) places particularly strong emphasis on the family.

Here are some links to some of the Church's most recent statements about marriage and the family... (If you read the article "The Divine Institution of Marriage," you will start to understand how much change could potentially happen in society if marriage between a man and a woman is changed to any other arrangement)

Letter from the First Presidency to California Latter-day Saints

This letter, regarding Proposition 8, was sent from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Church leaders in California to be read to all congregations on 29 June 2008.

The Divine Institution of Marriage

This in-depth article explains the importance of protecting the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

ProtectMarriage.com

This is the official Web site of ProtectMarriage, a coalition supporting Proposition 8.

PreservingMarriage.org

This Web site provides multimedia resources to help Latter-day Saints and others better understand the Church’s position on Proposition 8.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

This proclamation, released by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995, emphasizes the importance of the family.

Video: Discussion With Elder David A. Bednar

Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, discusses Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage with a group of young adults.

Video: Broadcast to Church Members in California

Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton talk to Californian Church members about becoming involved in supporting Proposition 8.

Video: “I Support Proposition 8”

Young adults from California discuss their involvement in preserving traditional marriage.

Video Resources: PreservingMarriage.org

Additional videos explaining the Church’s stance on this issue are available on PreservingMarriage.org


Okay it's me again. I just have one more link. Melanie sent this to me and I thought it was great. Before I saw it, I'd come to the conclusion that protecting marriage and the family was the most important issue because the fundamental unit of society is the thread that holds the people of this nation together.

The link I'm going to share with you is to a video intended for Catholic voters. Although my church places particularly strong emphasis on the family, the church does not endorse any particular candidate or any political party. My church encourages its members to study and learn about the candidates and the issues and then to make a personal choice of who to vote for.

http://www.catholicvote.com/