The Original Three

Photo of the original three taken in 1972. 

Re-creation attempt of above photograph about 25 years later.

New Study On Asymptomatic Spread

December 21, 2020

The study of 10,000,000 the pro-COVID lobby won't talk about

By Monica Showalter

Make no mistake: there are people out there who love COVID, people who view it as manna from Heaven, people who can't get enough of COVID and would extend it forever and ever.

Most are not restaurant- or gym-owners, ordered to shut down and wait.  They're the overclass, and they're about amassing money and power.

This may be why a gargantuan study on COVID transmission by asymptomatic individuals, from the city of Wuhan, China, is getting no attention, at least not here in the States.

According to the American Institute of Economic Research:

In this case, the carrier of rationality is a gigantic study conducted in Wuhan, China, of 10 million people. The article appears in Nature Communications, published November 20, 2020. 

The conclusion is not that asymptomatic spread is rare or that the science is uncertain. The study revealed something that hardly ever happens in these kinds of studies. There was not one documented case. Forget rare. Forget even Fauci's previous suggestion that asymptomatic transmission exists but not does drive the spread. Replace all that with: never. At least not in this study for 10,000,000.

The World Health Organization has also found as much, noting that asymptomatic spreading is extremely rare.  The WHO posted a video here.

Now, why would anyone listen to anything coming out of Wuhan, given the Chinese record on the matter?  Quite simply, because the city was where the problem started, and the city has since gotten back to normal.  Over in America, things are another story.  The lockdowns extend and extend, with some so-called experts saying there won't be relief until 2022.  The vaccine won't do it; the masks and stay-at-home-orders, the business shutdowns and the school closures have got to remain in place forever.

AIER notes:

We keep hearing about how we should follow the science. The claim is tired by now. We know what's really happening. The lockdown lobby ignores whatever contradicts their narrative, preferring unverified anecdotes over an actual scientific study of 10 million residents in what was the world's first major hotspot for the disease we are trying to manage. You would expect this study to be massive international news. So far as I can tell, it is being ignored. 

Now, we know THAT the experts and political leaders know this.  If they didn't, why would they, like Dr. Deborah Birx, so gladly gather for Thanksgiving, while telling the public it was just too, too dangerous and therefore not to do it?  Leftist political leaders from Gov. Gavin Newsom to House speaker Nancy Pelosi to the mayors of Chicago and Austin and more have all yelled about the importance of extending lockdowns and forcing the wearing of masks, while not bothering to obey such commands themselves.  They don't believe this stuff.  They just want you to.

The bad part about this is that this study reveals the truth of the matter — that asymptomatic transmission is not a thing.  It's not even a fact, and if the Chinese study is correct, it's simply never happened.

So all the talk and warnings about asymptomatic transmission, used as and therefore the entire rationale for locking down the country — closing the beaches, shutting the gyms, shuttering the schools, ending the sports events, canceling theater productions, saying "no" to dance performances, destroying the bars and restaurants, cutting air travel, closing down churches, shutting down museums, quarantining incoming airline passengers — is nonsense, strangling the substance of everyday American life for nothing.

The Chinese study is by far the biggest, but there are numerous other indicators suggesting the same, as the WHO official's statement indicates.  The evidence is even empirical: how many of us have gone to Walmart, Costco, or Target, wearing our flimsy masks, and catching nothing?  We have been doing this for months, and just the law of averages would suggest we should eventually get it.  But there really aren't any cases that I know about where it happened.  Stores, not wanting bad publicity about super-spreader events, have forced customers to wear masks and kept people with symptoms out.  That mere experience would empirically confirm the Wuhan study, too.

It not only shows that the extended lockdowns have been a waste, but confirms the villainy of the Democrat officials who insisted on lockdowns and continue to vow to extend them.  Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Andrew Cuomo, Phil Murphy, Tom Wolf, I'm talking about you.  Like three-card monte operators, they always have a new excuse to extend the lockdowns, while many have not followed them themselves.  What it's looking more and more like is a bid to destroy America's entrepreneurial small business class, an important driver of America's phenomenal growth; a leg up for the poor, the immigrant, and the less educated; and a reliable source for Republican votes.  These creatures are villains, the people who love COVID, the COVID lobby.  It's time to put them out of business.  -- Monica Showalter, "the Study of 10 Million the pro-COVID Lobby Won't Talk about", December 21, 2020, AmericanThinker.com

I have always known that mask wearing mandates and lockdowns are purely a political ploy to control people.  It's all about bringing Communism to the United States of America.  They scare people into compliance, destroy their livelihoods -- and independence -- and voilà, they have complete control over the people. That's communism.  That's where we are right now.  Pretty scary how fast it happened.

This article proves -- if the study is correct -- that asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 is nonexistent.  Not one documented case in a study of 10 million!  Why isn't this all over the news nonstop? It's not even mentioned.

Democrats are evil.  Especially the villainous governors and officials who have tyrannically dictated these ridiculous lockdowns and mask mandates. 

Mask mandates and lockdowns are not about keeping people safe from a devastating viral pandemic.  Mask mandates and lockdowns are only about destroying America and our precious freedoms and liberties.

That's my two cents.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everybody!  Today, we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for Him and all He has done for all of us.  I am thankful for His resurrection and atonement so that we may all return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again.

This is the picture I wanted to use for our Christmas cards this year.

Of course, Mom nixed the idea.

Christmas 1977

Christmas 1981?

Christmas 1976?

Three little sisters with three little dolls

Christmas 1980?

Merry Christmas everybody!

Happy birthday Jesus.

Hope Is Never Lost

"In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive."...

"Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief Society sisters so movingly last Saturday evening: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart."...

"Believe in miracles.  I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost.  Hope is never lost."

-- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, "Like a Broken Vessel", October 2013 General Conference

Together Forever

30 years ago today, on December 15, 1990, our family was sealed together in the Provo Utah Temple.  

It is a day I will never forget.  I remember waiting in the children's waiting room in the Temple -- even though I was already an adult -- there were toys for kids to play with.  And I remember the temple worker taking us four kids up to the sealing room where we walked in and saw our parents waiting for us to be sealed to them-- to make it possible for us to be together, not just in this life but for eternity.  It was very special.

I looked all morning for a photograph of that day on my computer files.  I couldn't find one.  I know there are some, probably in photo albums somewhere.  Anyway I found a couple family portraits from the 90s.  Close enough.  :-)

Together forever.

It's a wonderful feeling to know that I will be able to be with my parents and siblings forever, if I live worthy.

That's my two cents.

RIP Charley Pride

On Saturday, December 12, 2020 the country music world lost another legend.  Charley Pride died at age 86.

I always liked Charley Pride.  I didn't know him personally, obviously, but he came across as a true southern gentleman to me.  And he sang real country music.  I'm listening to him right now on my iTunes.  And I will be all day.  His albums will be on repeat.  :-)

My favorite Charley Pride song is "Roll On Mississippi".  I also really like "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone?".  Of course, his most well known song is, "Kiss an Angel Good Morning".  "Kaw-Liga" is a fun song too.  I don't think there is a Charley Pride song I don't like.

RIP Charley Pride.  Another great one gone. A true country music legend and a wonderful person.  Thanks for the great music, Charley.  You will be missed.

That's my two cents.

A Have Hope

Towards the end of the Book of Mormon, the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations became very wicked.  The Lamanites hunted down every Nephite who would not deny Christ.  And ended up killing all of them except one, Moroni. 

Moroni would not deny the Christ.  Therefore he ended up literally running for his life.  Always watching his back as he was being hunted by the Lamanites.

Moroni's father, Mormon, wrote some letters to his son before being killed himself.  Moroni included some of them in his last writings in the book of Moroni, the last book in The Book of Mormon. 

One of the letters teaches us the doctrine of Faith, Hope, and Charity. 

Remember, how wicked the people had become at the end of The Book of Mormon.  Dare I say they were more wicked than our society today?  Although we are quickly approaching the Nephite and Lamanite level of wickedness, at the end of The Book of Mormon.

Moroni 9: 3-5

3 And now behold, my son, I fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another.

4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them.

5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.

Mormon points out that it didn't take long for a civil and a delightsome people to quickly descend into depravity.

Moroni 9:11-15

11 O my beloved son, how can a people like this, that are without civilization—

12 (And only a few years have passed away, and they were a civil and a delightsome people)

13 But O my son, how can a people like this whose delight is in so much abomination -- 

14 How can we expect that God will stay his hand in judgment against us?

15 Behold, my heart cries: Wo unto this people. ...

Mormon continues his epistle to his son, Moroni, as he laments the wickedness of the Nephites.

Moroni 9:18-20

18 O the depravity of my people! They are without order and without mercy. Behold, I am but a man, and I have but the strength of a man, and I cannot any longer enforce my commands.

19 And they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written.

20 And now, my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold, thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth exceed that of the Lamanites. 

I included all of those quotes to show just how wicked the people were.  Yet despite the degeneracy and depravity and sheer wickedness of the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations at that time, the righteous prophet, Mormon, still had hope.

"And yet Mormon still found cause for hope—teaching us that hope does not mean ignoring or being naive about the world’s problems; it means having faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, whose power is greater and more everlasting than those problems. It means “lay[ing] hold upon every good thing” (Moroni 7:19). It means letting the Atonement of Jesus Christ “and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind” (Moroni 9:25). And until the glorious day of Christ’s Second Coming, it means never ceasing the “labor [we have] to perform … [to] conquer the enemy of all righteousness” (Moroni 9:6)."  -- Come Follow Me Manual for Individuals and Families, Moroni 7-9

The point I wanted to make, is one that Mormon wanted to teach us.  Mormon knew that we would be facing similar circumstances to what he faced.  That's why he wrote the letters to his son, Moroni.  Moroni included these letters in his last writings before he died.  It was written for us.  To help us navigate through these perilous times.

A lot of people have lost hope.  Or are losing hope in our country and election process.  They see the corruption and fraud and are watching the election being stolen from the rightful winner, President Trump. People are watching our Democracy or Constitutional Republic, if you prefer, vanish before our eyes.

But Mormon reminds us, that no matter how dire the situation, no matter how grave things look, we should always have hope and trust in the Lord's plan. 

Moroni 9:25

25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.

If we are faithful in Christ, then we need not let the wickedness of the world grieve us.   Let Christ lift us up and give us hope.  Hope that everything will work out because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are more powerful than any problems we may be facing.

A have hope.

That's my two cents.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I have been on planet Earth for half a century.  It's been quite a journey. 

I've had a good day today with lots of well wishes, kind words, and kind deeds.  Thank you to all for making my birthday so special.

I'm not going to take the time to find a bunch of pictures but I like this one.  This was taken the summer before my accident.

A picture of me 18 years ago with my favorite reptile.  Komodo dragon.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Tammy, happy birthday to me!  :-)

The Steal Is Real

Saturday morning, during broad daylight, someone stole one of our Trump flags.  Lisa had it duct taped very well to our fence.  It took some work to take it down and steal it. Unfortunately, nobody (that we know of) witnessed the theft as it happened.

These are the kind of people who want Biden in office.  Lowlife common thieves.  I don't think it's an exaggeration to call all Democrats lowlife common thieves.  They think nothing of stealing other people's personal property.  They think nothing of stealing an election.  They are all basic lowlife common thieves.

In fact I have heard some of them say that they know the election was stolen, but it doesn't matter to them as long as they get President Trump out of office.  Democrats have no moral compass.  They don't care about other people.  All they care about is their selfish agenda.  And it doesn't matter what they have to do to accomplish it.  Including stealing an election through fraud. Unadulterated massive fraud. 

Yes, they will deny it.  They will try to sweep it under the rug.  They will say, "There's nothing to see here." The media arm of the Democrat party will not cover any of the mountains and mountains of evidence of massive fraud.  The media called the election for Joe Biden in the midst of a landslide victory for President Trump.

Why?  How could they do that?  Because they already knew that massive fraud was under way, and they would do whatever necessary to ensure a Biden "victory".  And they did.  Corrupt poll workers.  Mountains of ballots produced with only Biden marked-- no down ballot voting.  Dominion voting machines programmed to switch votes from Trump to Biden.  Boarding up windows and kicking out legal poll watchers.  Poll workers ripping up ballots marked for Trump.  USPS workers dumping ballots marked for Trump.  People being told they already voted and turned away from legitimately voting because thieves requested ballots in the names of legitimate registered voters and marked them for Biden.  Dead people voting.  Out-of-state people voting.  Mail-in ballots galore marked only for Biden.  Computer software programmed to heavily weight the votes for Biden.  For instance programming every Trump vote as half a vote or three quarters of a vote.  And programming every Biden vote as one and a half or two votes.  This is easy to discover using statistics and examining the computer programming. Suitcases full of ballots being pulled from underneath tables.  Truckloads full of ballots appearing in the middle of the night being offloaded onto vote counting stations.  Biden ballots being fed into computer counting machines multiple times.  And the list goes on and on.

All of those things that I listed happened.  They have all been proven.  There is mountainous evidence to prove massive voter fraud.  I have seen some of the statistical evidence.  It is statistically impossible for it not to be fraud.  The graphs show perfect computer algorithms inserted to change the outcome in favor of Biden. There are thousands of eyewitnesses who saw the fraud first-hand. 

This was a well designed concerted effort to steal the presidential election.  Thousands and thousands of people (lowlife common Democrat operative thieves) were involved in this massive voter fraud effort.

Anybody watching the election results on the evening of November 3 easily saw that President Trump was winning in a massive landslide -- despite the pre-programmed computer weighting against him and all the other fraud that occurred in real-time.  Apparently the Democrats weren't expecting such a massive landslide for President Trump.  That's why they had to stop counting at bedtime.  President Trump was winning despite their best efforts.  So they had to stop counting and roll in the trucks full of ballots.  They had to have their computer programmers alter the software yet again to make sure that Biden came out ahead.  They had to scan the ballots for Biden multiple times.  And so on.

Working their dark, evil schemes through the night, they were able to fraudulently get their candidate ahead by morning.  If this isn't an example of secret combinations, I don't know what it is.

Because it was such a landslide for President Trump, the blatant fraud is obvious.  Anyone with half a brain cell can see it.  The Democrats have crowned themselves winners.  Because heaven knows, no one else would.  Democrats are running around telling Trump supporters to "accept the loss", "it's time to unify", "let's all come together now" etc.

Well guess what, you lowlife common Democrat thieves, President Trump didn't lose.  Try to wrap your half a brain cell around that.  President Trump won in a landslide.  So what loss is there to accept?  You, my friends, are the losers. You are cheaters.  You are thieves.

"I have to say, if I lost, I’d be a very gracious loser. If I lost, I would say, “I lost,” and I’d go to Florida and I’d take it easy and I’d go around and I’d say I did a good job. But you can’t ever accept when they steal and rig and rob."  -- President Donald J. Trump

Democrats are such hypocrites.  When things are going the way they want.  When they are "winning", they call for unity.  They "extend olive branches" to Trump supporters.  They call for peace.  But when things don't go their way, what do they do?  They spew vitriol, they spew profanity, they pull temper tantrums, they riot, they loot, they commit all kinds of violence and they cannot accept truth.

Stealing is nothing to a Democrat.  Stealing our Trump flag.  Stealing an election.  Peanuts to a Democrat.  Democrats have no morals.  Democrats are evil.  Pure evil.  Democrats think nothing of killing newborn babies.  And babies in the womb.  In fact they celebrate it.  They partied in the New York legislature when they legalized killing babies after birth.  The governor of Virginia says it's okay to let an unwanted newborn baby die as long as it is "kept comfortable".  Do you think it's a coincidence that the coronavirus kills the old, sick, and decrepit, while sparing the young and healthy?  No, it was designed that way.  These people are sick and evil.

The steal is real.  And this is just the beginning of what Democrats are capable of.  They will stop at nothing to get what they want.

But remember, truth and righteousness will prevail in the end.  Evil may win some battles, but truth and right will win the fight!

That's my two cents.

Florida Tampa Mission Christlike Affirmations

I'm a little burned out on politics right now.  So I'm gonna change gears a bit.

Several years ago I did an online search looking for the affirmations from my mission that we used to say every day.  I wanted to post it to my blog.  But I could not find them.  :-(

I knew I had the laminated card somewhere in my mission stuff.  But I couldn't go look for it and I didn't want to ask anyone else to look for me.  So I pretty much gave up on that idea.

Well, a couple of days ago I was talking to mom while she was going through some of her stuff.  She was naming off the different things she was finding.  Lo and behold she said Christlike affirmations. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  I was so excited!  I knew she had my card from my mission!

I had Lisa help me scan it right away.  It was right before transfer so I couldn't post it that day.  I'm finally getting around to it a few days later.

Many things about missions are uniform and universal.  But there are a few things that the mission president asks his missionaries to do unique to that particular mission.  One of the things my mission president wanted us to do every day was recite the following Christlike affirmations out loud.

We were each given the following laminated card.  Every morning, as part of our routine, we would recite the Florida Tampa Mission Christlike Affirmations.  Out loud.  We couldn't just read them, silently, to ourselves.  There's something about saying things out loud that reinforces what you're saying.  It's somehow more powerful than just thinking it by reading it to yourself.  The same thing is true with prayer, I believe.  It's fine to pray silently sometimes.  But it's also good to pray out loud once in a while.

I think reciting these affirmations out loud every morning helped make me a better missionary, and a better person.

FLORIDA TAMPA MISSION

CHRISTLIKE AFFIRMATIONS

I focus on Christ.  I think and act in a Christlike manner.  I soak myself in the Scriptures and feast on the words of Christ.

I know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ.  I exercise faith.  I visualize my prayers being answered and see myself reaching my goals.

I love my fellowmen.  I love the Lord and His Son, Jesus Christ.  I like and appreciate myself.  I look for qualities I like in all people.  I smile at everyone I meet.

I am trustworthy.  I am totally obedient, dependable, and honest.

I am prayerful.  I begin and end each day with prayer.  I seek inspiration from the Spirit.  My heart is full, drawn out in prayer continually.

 I testify with bold humility.  As to my strength, I am weak, but in God's strength, I can do all things.  I speak to everyone I meet about the Savior and the restoration of His church.

I am diligent.  I press forward with steadfastness in Christ.  I have a sense of urgency in being about my Father's business.  I am excited about my work.  I find, teach and baptize every week.

I am happy.  My joy is full.  I am a positive person.  My thoughts are filled with gratitude, virtue, hope, charity, and love.

I love my mission, my companions, and all the people I meet.  I savor every minute and make every hour count.

I am committed.  I always give my best efforts to find, teach, and baptize the elect.  I am patient.  I am persistent.  I am valiant in my testimony of Jesus.

***

I think these affirmations would be wonderful for everybody to recite out loud every morning to begin your day.  Just change or remove the missionary parts and these Christlike affirmations could work wonders in your life.

I do believe there is power in positive thinking and positive reinforcement.  There is power in reciting these Christlike affirmations out loud.  There is power in repetition.

I know these affirmations helped me become a better, more Christlike, missionary.  Tailor them to what you want to improve in your life.  Read them out loud every morning.  And see how your life changes for the better.

That's my two cents.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.  I hope you're all enjoying lots of good food and company.  I hope you are remembering and contemplating all your blessings on this day of Thanksgiving.

We are so blessed to live in the United States of America.  The greatest country on earth.  We are blessed to live in this promised land where we enjoy freedom and liberty.

I am so thankful for God's hand in guiding our founding fathers in setting up our government and forging our Constitution and in preserving this nation.

During this time of turmoil where evil people are trying to steal our election thereby squashing the voice of the people, we can take comfort in knowing that God's hand is guiding us and His will be done.

Even amidst all of this turmoil and evil around us, we still have much to be thankful for.  I personally am thankful for so much.

I am thankful for a loving family who sacrifices so much in my behalf.

I'm thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  For His Atonement and for His love.

I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and for His plan of happiness.  I am thankful for my knowledge of that plan, which helps me so much in navigating through the rough waters of mortality.

I'm thankful for the Gospel.  And thankful we have the fullness of the Gospel on earth right now as restored through the prophet Joseph Smith.  I'm thankful for him and his sacrifices in bringing forth the restored gospel.

I'm thankful for The Book of Mormon.  I notice a big difference in my day when I don't listen to it in the mornings.  My day goes much better when I start with listening to The Book of Mormon.  It really is a roadmap to guide us through these latter days and all the trials and evils we face.

I'm thankful to be so blessed to be born in America and for our freedoms and liberties we enjoy.

I'm thankful for a good president, President Trump, who works tirelessly to defend our Constitution and our freedoms.

I'm thankful for a living prophet, President Russell M.Nelson, and for The First Presidency and Quorum of the 12 Apostles and for all the leaders of the church.  They have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord and testifying of Him.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to come to earth to receive the marvelous gift of a body.  Even though mine is broken right now, I know one day I will be resurrected and my body will be perfected.  I am so looking forward to that day.

I am thankful for the trials of mortality, even though they can be unbearable at times.  Because I know this is how we progress to becoming more like our Heavenly Father.  By going through difficult trials we develop traits and characteristics needed to continue progressing.

I'm thankful for the beauties of the earth.  I am so blessed to live in a beautiful part of God's green earth.  Where I can enjoy many of His marvelous creations.

I have been so blessed, there is so much more to be thankful for, but that is a good start.

I hope you will all count your many blessings and reflect on all that is good in your life on this day of Thanksgiving.

That's my two cents.

Outrageous

The following is audio from a high-ranking pathologist in Canada, Doctor Roger Hodkinson.  You can hear the frustration in his voice over the ridiculous lockdowns and severe consequences to the purely political response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Roger Hodkinson, Chairman of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons committee in Ottawa, CEO of a large private medical laboratory in Edmonton, Alberta and Chairman of a Medical Biotechnology company.

I got the transcript off of YouTube.  I spent quite a while putting it in paragraph form and adding punctuation.  I didn't bother to fix capitalization.

Transcript:

the floor is yours

thank you very much and i do appreciate the opportunity to address you on this very important matter. um and what i'm going to say is lay language and blunt um it's counter narrative. and so so you don't immediately think i'm a quack, i'm going to briefly outline my credentials so that you can understand where i'm coming from, in terms of knowledge base in all of this.

i'm a medical specialist in pathology, which includes virology.  i trained at cambridge university in the uk.  i'm the ex-president of the pathology section of the medical association. i was previously an assistant professor in the faculty of medicine doing a lot of teaching.  i was the chairman of the royal college of physicians of canada examination committee in pathology in ottawa, but more to the point i'm currently the chairman of a biotechnology company in north carolina selling a covid19 test and i might you might say i know a little bit about all this.

the bottom line is simply this, there is utterly unfounded public hysteria, driven by the media and politicians.  it's outrageous.  this is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public.

there is absolutely nothing that can be done to contain this virus, other than protecting older more vulnerable people.  it should be thought of nothing more than a bad flu season.  this is not ebola it's not sars, it's politics playing medicine and that's a very dangerous game.  there is no action of any kind needed, other than what happened last year when we got i felt unwell.  we stayed home we took chicken noodle soup we didn't visit granny and we decided when we would return to work.  we didn't have anyone need anyone to tell us.

masks are utterly useless.  there is no evidence based for their effectiveness whatsoever. paper masks and fabric masks are simply virtue signaling.  they're not even worn effectively most of the time. it's utterly ridiculous seeing these unfortunate uneducated people, and not saying that in a purchaser's sense, seeing these people walking around like lemmings obeying without any knowledge base to put the mask on their face.

social distancing is also useless. because because covid is spread by aerosols which travel 30 meters or so before landing.  closures have had such terrible unintended consequences.  they should you everywhere should be open tomorrow. as was stated in the great barrington declaration that i circulated prior to this meeting.

and a word on testing i do want to emphasize that i'm in the business of testing for covid.  i do want to emphasize that positive test results do not, underlined in neon, mean a clinical infection it's simply driving public hysteria and all testing should stop unless you're presenting to hospital with some respiratory problem.

all that should be done is to protect the vulnerable. and to give them all, in the nursing homes that are under your control, give them all three to five thousand international units of vitamin d every day, which which has been shown to radically reduce the likelihood of infection.

and i would remind you all that using the province's own statistics the risk of death under 65 in this province is one in 300 000.  one in three hundred thousand.  you've got to get a grip on this the scale of the response that you're undertaking with no evidence for it is utterly ridiculous.  

given the consequences of acting in a way that you're proposing.  all kinds of suicides business closures funerals weddings etc etc. it's simply outrageous.  it's just another bad flu, and you've got to get your minds around that. 

let people make their own decisions.  you should be totally out of the business of medicine you're being led by down the garden path by the chief medical officer of hell for this province.  i'm absolutely outraged that this has reached this level. it should all stop tomorrow. thank you very much.

End of transcript.

Doctor Hodkinson says what I've been saying all along.  The overblown reaction to this coronavirus pandemic is purely political.  And the good doctor points out that it is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public.  I wholeheartedly agree with him.

The hysteria that the media and crooked, tyrannical leftist politicians have deliberately created is criminal.  We are literally living under communist rule with all of the restrictive mandates placed upon us by our governors.  People are perfectly capable of governing themselves.  That's what a free country is all about.  Freedom, agency, the ability to make our own choices is a God-given gift and central to His plan.

If all of these lockdowns, social distancing mandates, mask mandates etc. work so well, then why is the virus still spreading?  Because they don't work!  Nothing will stop a virus except vaccines and herd immunity.  It's not a difficult concept.

Doctor Hodkinson is right.  Let people make their own decisions.  This government control is outrageous.  It must stop!  Now!

That's my two cents.

We Are Going to Reclaim Freedom

President Trump's attorneys who are charged with uncovering the massive fraud that took place in our election two weeks ago held a press conference yesterday. 

Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis all did an excellent job presenting opening arguments and explaining the evidence they have uncovered thus far.

It was very encouraging.  They are working hard to see that truth is revealed and to protect our Constitution and freedoms.

I found the transcript of the press conference.  Here are some of the quotes that stood out to me.

From Sidney Powell:

"This is stunning, heartbreaking, infuriating, and the most unpatriotic acts I can even imagine for people in this country to have participated in in any way, shape, or form. And I want the American public to know right now that we will not be intimidated. American patriots are fed up with the corruption from the local level to the highest level of our government. And we are going to take this country back. We are not going to be intimidated. We are not going to back down. We are going to clean this mess up now. President Trump won by a landslide. We are going to prove it and we are going to reclaim the United States of America for the people who vote for freedom." -- Sidney Powell, November 19, 2020

I love her tenacity. President Trump won in a landslide.  They're going to prove it.  They won't be intimidated or back down.  They will reclaim the United States of America for people who treasure freedom.

 From Jenna Ellis:

"This is basically an opening statement so the American people can understand what the networks have been hiding and what they refuse to cover, because all of your fake news headlines are dancing around the merits of this case and are trying to de-legitimized what we are doing here. Let me be very clear that our objective is to make sure to preserve and protect election integrity. President Trump has been saying from day one, that this is about maintaining free and fair elections in this country. It is not about overturning an outcome. It is about making sure that election integrity is preserved and every American should want that. If every American is not on board with that, you have to ask yourself why. If your fake news network is not covering this or allowing you to cover it fairly and accurately, you should ask yourself why. This is absolutely a legitimate legal basis."

"Until you step out of your role as a journalist and actually go into a courtroom and you are a judge on a bench that has sworn an oath to be unbiased in our separation of powers, then your opinion does not matter.

"The facts matter. The truth matters. And if you are fair reporters, you will cover that fairly and appropriately and you will allow coverage of our media team here and our legal team. That is absolutely shocking, ...

"We are a nation of rules, not a nation of rulers. There is not someone that just gets to pick who the next President is outside the will of the American people. That is our task, because when we talk about voter fraud, it’s actually election official fraud. That cannot stand. The Constitution requires that the State Legislatures are the ones that make election law. It still has to go by the US Constitution. But what has happened in this case is that state and local level officials and all the way up, have changed the rules. That’s what the Democrats do. If they don’t like the rules, they change them and they change them at the last minute, they manipulate them. They want to tear down our American system.

"Our founders were so brilliant that they anticipated this, that there would be corruption. There would be foreign influence, there would be attempts to manipulate the outcome of the election, especially with who they called our Chief Magistrate. I would encourage all of you to go home and actually read Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist 6-8 and see what he described as an advocacy position to adopt and ratify the Electoral College and the process by which we select our President. We select our President through the Electoral College, not because it disenfranchises voters, but because it is a security mechanism for exactly the type of corruption that we are uncovering. Every American should be grateful and thankful that our founders had the foresight to put in those protections and provisions to make sure that your legitimate legal vote is not disenfranchised. That is what we are advocating for."

Our founding fathers were brilliant but they were also inspired by God to set up our government the way it has been established. 

“. . . I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose….” (Doctrine & Covenants 101:80.)

God knew what he was doing when he inspired our founding fathers as they wrote the Constitution and established our government.  Of course, God foresaw what would be happening now.

Continuing Jenna Ellis' quotes:

"We want to make sure to protect election integrity and your President, President Trump, we are so proud that he is in this fight, because he understands that when he swore his oath of office, he swore an oath to uphold and defend the United States Constitution. That is what he is doing and that is what we are doing. We are confident that through this multiple pathway to victory, we will get to the actual outcome that the evidence shows, but this is not about overturning an election on our part. It’s about making sure that we protect and preserve free and fair elections for all future American elections. If the United States caves to corruption or this type of election integrity disaster, then no election will be secure from here on out, and we all need to be keenly aware of that. We are the representatives here that are standing in this gap and defending President Trump and defending you, the American people at the end of the day. This is ultimately about the United States of America and we want to make sure to protect and defend that.

"As my colleagues have said, we will not back down. We won’t be intimidated. President Trump will not be intimidated. You, the American people should not be intimidated. ...This is the United States of America, and we stand proudly for President Donald J. Trump. Thank you." -- Jenna Ellis, November 19, 2020

Like she said, there is more at stake here than just overturning fraudulent election results.  This is about preserving our Constitution and our freedoms.

From Rudy Giuliani:

"I know this is a lot of information that we’ve given you, probably because we’re frustrated with what we keep reading and hearing in the censored press, which is that we have no evidence. We have no specifics. We have no backup of what we’re saying. You largely ignore the affidavits that are filed. Whether you agree or disagree with an affidavit, it’s evidence. You can’t say… I mean, you’re just lying to the American people when you say there’s no evidence. 

"That's not just a small matter.

"We have enough evidence ...to overturn this election. We have it from the affidavits of American citizens, but that’s a matter of national security that we’re talking about now, very, very serious matter of national security. Please don’t make light of it and don’t act like you knew it, don’t act like it isn’t a surprise. If that’s not a headline tomorrow, then you don’t know what a headline is. There isn’t a single person in this country that would have believed that we have states that are stupid enough to have our vote sent out of this country. You couldn’t possibly believe that the company counting our vote, with control over our vote is owned by two Venezuelans who were allies of Chavez, are present allies of Maduro, with a company whose Chairman is a close associate and business partner of George Soros the biggest donor to the Democrat party, the biggest donor to Antifa, and the biggest donor of Black Lives Matter. My goodness, what do we have to do to get you to give our people the truth?...

"I think there was uniform shock when we first heard it. I think when I first heard it, I didn’t believe it until Sidney showed me the documents. ...By the way, the character who is close to Antifa, took off all of his social media. Aha! But we kept it, we’ve got it. The man is a vicious, vicious man. He wrote horrible things about the President. He is completely biased. He’s completely warped and he specifically says that they’re going to fix this election. I don’t know what you need to wake you up, to do your job and inform the American people, whether you like it or not, of the things they need to know. This is real. It is not made up. There’s nobody here that engages in fantasies. I’ve tried 100 cases. I prosecuted some of the most dangerous criminals in the world.  I know crimes. I can smell them. You don’t have to smell this one, I can prove it to you 18 different ways. I can prove to you that he won Pennsylvania by 300,000 votes. I can prove to you that he won Michigan by probably 50,000 votes." -- Rudy Giuliani, November 19, 2020

You can tell how frustrated all of these attorneys are with the press and their blatant censorship in not covering the biggest scandal in United States history.  This makes Watergate look like child's play.  So many secret combinations and so many corrupt people in cahoots to create this type of massive fraud. 

Another quote from Sidney Powell:

"This is a massive, well-funded, coordinated effort to deprive we, the people of the United States of our most fundamental right under the constitution to preserve this Republic that we all cherish. It is of the greatest concern. It is the 1775 of our generation and beyond.

"Everybody’s against us except President Trump. And we, the people of the United States." -- Sidney Powell, November 19, 2020

This effort to fraudulently steal the election is the 1775 of our generation.  We are in a revolution against evil, power-hungry people, trying to destroy the United States of America and control we the people through Communism.

Another quote from Rudy Giuliani:

"The most important thing here is that this has been a massive attack on the integrity of the voting system in the greatest democracy on earth. The people who did this have committed one of the worst crimes that I’ve ever seen or observed. One of the things we’re the most proud of in this country is that we’ve been such a longstanding democracy based on the right to vote. They have trashed the right to vote. They’ve dishonored the right to vote. They’ve destroyed the right to vote in their greed for power and money. And there’s no doubt about it. ... This is a plan. You would have to be a fool not to realize that.

"The censorship that is going on in this country right now by big tech and by big media, is almost as dangerous as the election fraud that we’re revealing, maybe just as dangerous. We’re headed to a very bad place and it is not appropriate that a Venezuelan company counted our votes. Thank you."

This scandal is much more than just stealing an election -- which is bad enough.  And I'm certain it has gone on for decades.  I think Mitt Romney beat Obama in 2012.  I believe it was fraud that gave Obama a second term.  The only reason Trump won in 2016 was because they didn't anticipate his massive win.  The fraud they had in place for Hillary to win, did not overcome Donald Trump's landslide win.  This time, they were better prepared.  Despite President Trump winning in a more massive landslide than last election, they were able to rig the computers and create massive amounts of fraudulent ballots to overcome his landslide win. 

But it is precisely because of President Trump's massive landslide win that the fraud was easily discovered. But this is about much more than stealing the election from President Trump.

At this crossroads, this is about stealing our freedoms and destroying the greatest nation on Earth, the United States of America. 

Like our founding fathers, I truly believe that President Donald J. Trump was raised up by God to preserve our Constitution, our freedoms, and our nation.  No one else could take the kind of constant attacks that President Trump faces every day and continue to fight for truth, to fight for us and our nation. 

I am grateful for President Donald J. Trump for all he does for us as the president of the United States of America.  I am also grateful for his team of lawyers, who will not be intimidated by the left, who are fighting to preserve our Constitution, to preserve the sanctity of our elections, and to preserve our freedoms. 

That's my two cents.

The Biderman Report

For those of you who don't think we are in the midst of a communist takeover of our freedoms in the United States of America, read the following chart.

A little background information.  Doctor Albert Biderman was a sociologist who studied brainwashing techniques of communist governments on American prisoners of war.  In 1956 he published The Biderman Report of communist coercive methods for eliciting individual compliance.  A chart of coercion below is taken from this report.

These techniques are not only used by communist governments but also by abusers who want to control their victims.

The column on the right indicates the eerie similarities between the techniques used by Communists and abusers to control their victims and the COVID-19 restrictions we have all been facing this past year.

 

Just when we think we're going to regain our freedoms, these tyrannical communist governors are shutting us down again. I never thought I would see Communism in the United States of America.  But it's happening.  If we don't revolt now, it will be too late.  Especially if evil prevails and Biden is fraudulently awarded the White House. 

We need to take back our freedoms from these communist governors before we are all brainwashed into compliance and surrender all our freedoms.  Heaven knows all the liberals are already brainwashed.

President Trump is our advocate for freedom and is pushing against communism.  We need him to keep fighting for us and our nation, to preserve our freedoms and liberties.  Please keep praying for our dear president, President Trump, and for truth and right to prevail.

That's my two cents.

Secret Combinations -- Ezra Taft Benson

I posted this talk to my blog 8 years ago in 2012, after the general election.  But I think it's even more pertinent now than it was then.  So I'm posting it again. I actually reread it again this morning because so many people have been searching for it and have come to my blog to read it.  That's why I decided to post it again. 

This is a talk given by Ezra Taft Benson, who was one of the 12 apostles back in 1961 when the talk was given.  He later became Prophet and President of the Church.

This is quite a long talk but well worth the time and effort to read it.  Every American should read it.  I exhort you to read this inspired talk by a prophet of God.  

Even though the talk was given 59 years ago, it is more pertinent today.  It explains communism and its dangers.  Though the big threat back in those days was The Soviet Union, the biggest outside communist threat we face now is China. But, our biggest threat is actually from within -- the Democrat party.

The United States of America is on the brink of being destroyed from within.  We are on the verge of being overthrown by communists (Democrats).  This is why it is so important that President Trump wins the fight against the fraudulently stolen election to remain president. So we may remain a free nation.

One of the things mentioned as a way to fight communism is to have a strong military.  Under Obama our military was extremely weakened.  President Trump has built it back up to ensure our freedom. That's just one example.

President Benson recommends a book called "The Naked Communist" by Cleon Skousen.  It was originally published in 1959, an updated version was published in 2017.  You can buy it on Amazon for less than 20 bucks. I haven't read it, but it is highly rated and recommended by many.  If you're a reader, I'm sure it's worth the investment. And even if you're not a reader, it is probably still worth the investment.

So many people -- Including many members of the church -- are deceived into believing that communism and socialism are good.  Exactly what Isaiah prophesied.  Calling evil good and good evil.  Communism is evil.  Socialism is evil.  Capitalism is good.  Freedom is good.  It's a simple concept yet so many are buffaloed/brainwashed into believing that evil communism is good.

Please read the following talk by a prophet of God. And please keep praying for our great nation and our president, President Donald J. Trump.  Through our prayers, we can help preserve our nation from being destroyed by communism.

Here is the talk given by President Benson in the October 1961 General Conference. (Emphasis added).

Secret Combinations

A talk given by Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. General Conference, October 1961.

My brethren and sisters and friends, in keeping with the spirit of the keynote address of our beloved President, I desire, if the Lord will bless me, to speak to you about the American heritage of freedom–a plan of God.

I direct my remarks particularly to the men of America and more especially to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who hold the Holy Priesthood of God.

Every member of the priesthood should understand the divine plan designed by the Lord to raise up the first free people in modern times. Here is how scripture says it was achieved:

First: Prophecy is abundant that God deliberately kept the American continent hidden until after the Holy Roman Empire had been broken up and the various nations had established themselves as independent kingdoms. Keeping America hidden until this time was no accident. (2 Nephi 1:6, 8.)

Second: At the proper time, God inspired Columbus to overcome almost insurmountable odds to discover America and bring this rich new land to the attention of the gentiles in Europe. (1 Nephi 13:12; Admiral of the Ocean Sea, by Dr. Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 46-47.)

Third: God revealed to his ancient American prophets that shortly after the discovery of America there would be peoples in Europe who would desire to escape the persecution and tyranny of the Old World and flee to America. ( 1 Nephi 13:13-16.)

Fourth: God told his prophets that the kingdoms in Europe would try to exercise dominion over the people who had fled to America, but that in the wars for independence the American settlers would win. (This is a remarkable prophecy in that 2,300 years before the Revolutionary War was fought, God through his prophets predicted who would win it.) (Ibid., 13:16-19.)

Fifth: The prophets were told that in the latter days when the gentiles came to America they would establish it as a land of liberty on which there would be no kings. The. Lord declared that he would protect the land and whosoever would try to establish kings either from within or without would perish. (2 Nephi 10:8-14.)

Sixth: Having declared America to be a land of liberty, God undertook to raise up a band of inspired and intelligent leaders who could write a constitution of liberty and establish the first free people in modern times. The hand of God in this undertaking is clearly indicated by the Lord himself in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith in these words

“. . . I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose….” (D&C 101:80.)

Seventh: God declared that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired for the specific purpose of eliminating bondage and the violation of the rights and protection which belongs to “all flesh.” (Ibid., 101:77-80.)

Eighth: God placed a mandate upon his people to befriend and defend the constitutional laws of the land and see that the rights and privileges of all mankind are protected. He verified the declaration of the founding fathers, that God created all men free. He also warned against those who would enact laws encroaching upon the sacred rights and privileges of free men. He urged the election of honest and wise leaders and said that evil men and laws were of Satan. (Ibid., 98:5-10.)

Ninth: God predicted through his prophets that this great gentile nation, raised up on the American continent in the last days, would become the richest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth; even “above all other nations.” (See 1 Nephi 13:15, 30; Ether 2:12.)

Tenth: Concerning the United States, the Lord revealed to his prophets that its greatest threat would be a vast, worldwide “secret combination” which would not only threaten the United States but also seek to “overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, (Ether 8:25.)

Eleventh: In connection with attack on the United States, the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time “this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.” (Journal History, Brigham Young’s Speech, July 4, 1854.)

It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government.

Twelfth: The Lord revealed to the Prophet Nephi that he established the gentiles on this land to be a free people forever, that if they were a righteous nation and overcame the wickedness and secret abominations which would arise in their midst, they would inherit the land forever. (1 Nephi 14:1-2.)

Thirteenth: But on the other hand, if the gentiles on this land reject the word of God and conspire to overthrow liberty and the Constitution, then their doom is fixed, and they “. . . shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant.” (1 Nephi 14:6; 3 Nephi 21:11, 14, 21; D&C 84:114-115, 117.)

Fourteenth: The great destructive force which was to be turned loose on the earth and which the prophets for centuries have been calling the “abomination of desolation” is vividly described by those who saw it in vision. Ours is the first generation to realize how literally these prophecies can be fulfilled now that God, through science, has unlocked the secret to thermonuclear reaction.

In the light of these prophecies there should be no doubt in the mind of any priesthood holder that the human family is headed for trouble. There are rugged days ahead. It is time for every man who wishes to do his duty to get himself prepared–physically, spiritually, and psychologically–for the task which may come at any time, as suddenly as the whirlwind.

Where do we stand today? All over the world the light of freedom is being diminished. Across whole continents of the earth freedom is being totally obliterated.

Never in recorded history has any movement spread its power so far and so fast as has socialistic-communism in the last three decades. The facts are not pleasant to review. Communist leaders are jubilant with their success. They are driving freedom back on almost every front.

It is time, therefore, that every American, and especially every member of the priesthood, became informed about the aims, tactics, and schemes of socialistic-communism. This becomes particularly important when it is realized that communism is turning out to be the earthly image of the plan which Satan presented in the pre-existence. The whole program of socialistic- communism is essentially a war against God and the plan of salvation–the very plan which we fought to uphold during “the war in heaven.”

Up to now some members of the Church have stood aloof, feeling that the fight against socialistic-communism is “controversial” and unrelated to the mission of the Church or the work of the Lord. But the President of the Church in our day has made it clear that the fight against atheistic communism is a major challenge to the Church and every member in it.

During the general conference of the Church in October 1959, President David O. McKay, in discussing the threat of communism, referred to W. Cleon Skousen’s book, The Naked Communist, and said, “I admonish everybody to read that excellent book.” He then quoted the following from the flyleaf: “The conflict between communism and freedom is the problem of our time. It overshadows all other problems.”

The fight against godless communism is a very real part of every man’s duty who holds the priesthood. It is the fight against slavery, immorality, atheism, terrorism, cruelty, barbarism, deceit, and the destruction of human life through a kind of tyranny unsurpassed by anything in human history. Here is a struggle against the evil, satanical priestcraft of Lucifer. Truly it can be called, “a continuation of the war in heaven.”

In the war in heaven the devil advocated absolute eternal security at the sacrifice of our freedom. Although there is nothing more desirable to a Latter-day Saint than eternal security in God’s presence, and although God knew, as did we, that some of us would not achieve this security if we were allowed our freedom–yet the very God of heaven, who has more mercy than us all, still decreed no guaranteed security except by a man’s own freedom of choice and individual initiative.

Today the devil as a wolf in a supposedly new suit of sheep’s clothing is enticing some men, both in and out of the Church, to parrot his line by advocating planned government guaranteed security programs at the expense of our liberties. Latter-day Saints should be reminded how and why they voted as they did in heaven. If some have decided to change their vote they should repent–throw their support on the side of freedom–and cease promoting this subversion.

When all of the trappings of propaganda and pretense have been pulled aside, the exposed hard-core structure of modern communism is amazingly similar to the ancient Book of Mormon record of secret societies such as the Gadiantons. In the ancient American civilization there was no word which struck greater terror to the hearts of the people than the name of the Gadiantons. It was a secret political party which operated as a murder cult. Its object was to infiltrate legitimate government, plant its officers in high places, and then seize power and live off the spoils appropriated from the people. (It would start out as a small group of “dissenters” and by using secret oaths with the threat of death for defectors it would gradually gain a choke hold on the political and economic life of whole civilizations. )

The object of the Gadiantons, like modern communists, was to destroy the existing government and set up a ruthless criminal dictatorship over the whole land.

One of the most urgent, heart-stirring appeals made by Moroni as he closed the Book of Mormon was addressed to the gentile nations of the last days. He foresaw the rise of a great world-wide secret combination among the gentiles which ” . . . seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; . . .” (Ether 8:25. Italics added.) He warned each gentile nation of the last days to purge itself of this gigantic criminal conspiracy which would seek to rule the world.

The prophets, in our day, have continually warned us of these internal threats in our midst–that our greatest threat from socialistic-communism lies within our country. Brethren and sisters, we don’t need a prophet–we have one–we need a listening ear. And if we do not listen and heed, then, as the Doctrine and Covenants states, ” . . . the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people.” (D&C 1:14.)

The prophets have said that these threats are among us. The Prophet Moroni, viewing our day, said, “Wherefore the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation.” (Ether 8:24.)

Unfortunately our nation has not treated the socialistic-communist conspiracy as “treasonable to our free institutions,” as the First Presidency pointed out in a signed 1936 statement. If we continue to uphold communism by not making it treasonable, our land shall be destroyed, for the Lord has said that ” . . . whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed; . . .” (Ibid., 8:22.)

The Prophet Moroni described how the secret combination would take over a country and then fight the work of God, persecute the righteous, and murder those who resisted. Moroni therefore proceeded to describe the workings of the ancient “secret combinations” so that modern man could recognize this great political conspiracy in the last days: “Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain–and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you,

“Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; . . .

“For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; . . .” (Ibid., 8:23-25. Italics added.)

The Prophet Moroni seemed greatly exercised lest in our day we might not be able to recognize the startling fact that the same secret societies which destroyed the Jaredites and decimated numerous kingdoms of both Nephites and Lamanites would be precisely the same form of criminal conspiracy which would rise up among the gentile nations in this day.

The stratagems of the leaders of these societies are amazingly familiar to anyone who has studied the tactics of modern communist leaders.

The Lord has declared that before the second coming of Christ it will be necessary to “. . . destroy the secret works of darkness, . . .” in order to preserve the land of Zion–the Americas. (2 Nephi 10:11-16.)

The world-wide secret conspiracy which has risen up in our day to fulfill these prophecies is easily identified. President McKay has left no room for doubt as to what attitude Latter-day Saints should take toward the modern “secret combinations” of conspiratorial communism. In a lengthy statement on communism, he said:

“. . . Latter-day Saints should have nothing to do with the secret combinations and groups antagonistic to the constitutional law of the land, which the Lord ‘suffered to be established,’ and which ‘should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh according to just and holy principles.’ ” (Gospel Ideals, by David O. McKay p. 306. Italics added.)

There are those who recommend that the clash between communism and freedom be avoided through disarmament agreements. Abolishing our military strength and adopting an unenforceable contract as a substitute to protect us would go down in history as the greatest mistake free men could make in a time of peril.

President McKay declared:

“Force rules in the world today, consequently, our government must keep armies abroad, build navies and air squadrons, create atom bombs to protect itself from the threatened aggression of a nation which seems to listen to no other appeal than compulsion.” (Ibid., p. 304.)

This parallels the historic statement by George Washington when he vigorously warned:

“There is a rank due the United States among the nations that will be totally lost by the reputation of weakness. If we would avoid insult we must be able to repel it, if we would secure the peace it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.”

Some timid, vacillating political leaders proclaim that communism is something we will have to learn to live with . . . whether it is Khrushchev, or some other leader. The present communist system, they declare, will continue because there is no alternate system to replace communism. The policy of increasing power, of pushing their system outward and using the communist party, they say, will go on.

Such a negative attitude writes off the hundreds of millions behind the iron curtain as a lost cause. Surely no courageous, liberty-loving citizen will treat the communist secret combination as “something we will have to learn to live with.”

There is a more courageous and sounder point of view. President McKay expressed it in these words:

“Men will be free. I have hoped for twenty years that the Russian system would break up. There is no freedom under it, and sooner or later the people will rise against it. They cannot oppose those fundamentals of civilization and of God. They can’t crush their people always. Men will be free.” (Church Section, Deseret News, November 6 1957, in an article entitled, “President McKay receives Senator Kennedy at Church Offices.”)

What is the official position of the Church on communism? In 1936 the First Presidency made an official declaration on communism which has never been abrogated. I quote the concluding paragraph:

“We call upon all Church members completely to eschew communism. The safety of our divinely inspired constitutional government and the welfare of our Church imperatively demand that communism shall have no place in America”

We must ever keep in mind that collectivized socialism is part of the communist strategy. Communism is fundamentally socialism. We will never win our fight against communism by making concessions to socialism. Communism and socialism, closely related, must be defeated on principle. The close relationship between socialism and communism is clearly pointed out by Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina in a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, of August 6, 1961, in these words:

“. . . Both socialism and communism derive from the teachings of Marx and Engels. In fact, the movements were one until the split over methods of approach, which resulted after the Russian revolution in 1905…. The aim and purpose of both was then and is now world socialism, which communism seeks to achieve through revolution and which socialists seek to achieve through evolution.

“The industrial achievements of the U. S. are the result of an economic system which is the antithesis of socialism. Our economic system is called ‘capitalism’ or ‘private enterprise’ and is based on private property rights, the profit motive and competition.

“Both communism and socialism seek to destroy our economic system and replace it with socialism; and their success, whether through evolution by socialism or through revolution by communism or a combination, will destroy not only our economic system, but our liberty, including the ‘civil’ aspects as well….

“. . . The ‘common ground’ of socialism and communism is a factor to which the American people should be alerted. Without a clear understanding that communism is socialism, the total threat and menace of the cold war can never be comprehended and fought to victory.”

When socialism is understood, we will realize that many of the programs advocated, and some of those already adopted in the United States, fall clearly within the category of socialism. What is socialism? It is simply governmental ownership and management of the essential means for the production and distribution of goods.

We must never forget that nations may sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity.

The socialistic-communist conspiracy to weaken the United States involves attacks on many fronts. To weaken the American free-enterprise economy which outproduced both its enemies and allies during World War II is a high priority target of the communist leaders. Their press and other propaganda media are therefore constantly selling the principles of centralized or federal control of farms, railroads, electric power, schools, steel, maritime shipping, and many other aspects of the economy–but always in the name of public welfare.

This carries out the strategy laid down by the communist masters. John Strachey, a top official in the Labor Socialist party of Great Britain, in his book entitled The Theory and Practice of Socialism said:

“It is impossible to establish communism as the immediate successor to capitalism. It is accordingly proposed to establish socialism as something which we can put in the place of our present decaying capitalism. Hence, communists work for the establishment of socialism as a necessary transition stage on the road to communism.”

The paramount issue today is liberty against creeping socialism. It is in this spirit that President McKay stated:

“Communism is antagonistic to the American way of life. Its avowed purpose is to destroy belief in God and free enterprise…. The fostering of full economic freedom lies at the base of our liberties. Only in perpetuating economic freedom can our social, political, and religious liberties be preserved.” (Excerpt from Inaugural address for Dr. Henry A. Dixon, President of USU, delivered by President McKay at the USU fieldhouse, Logan, Utah, Monday, March 18, 1954.)

Again President McKay warned, citing the words of W. C. Mullendore, president of Southern California Edison Company:

“During the first half of the twentieth century we have traveled far into the soul-destroying land of socialism and made strange alliances through which we have become involved in almost continuous hot and cold wars over the whole of the earth. In this retreat from freedom the voices of protesting citizens have been drowned by raucous shouts of intolerance and abuse from those who led the retreat and their millions of gullible youth, who are marching merrily to their doom, carrying banners on which are emblazoned such intriguing and misapplied labels as social justice equality, reform patriotism social welfare.” (Gospel Ideals, p. 273.)

It is significant that 118 years ago this month the Prophet Joseph Smith, after attending lectures on socialism, made this official entry in church history: “I said I did not believe the doctrine.” (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 33.)

No true Latter-day Saint and no true American can be a socialist or a communist or support programs leading in that direction. These evil philosophies are incompatible with Mormonism, the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

What can priesthood holders do? There are many things we can do to meet the challenge of the adversary in our day.

First, we should become informed about communism, about socialism, and about Americanism. What better way can one become informed than by first studying the inspired words of the prophets and using that as a foundation; against which to test all other material. This is in keeping with the Prophet Joseph Smith’s motto, “When the Lord commands, do it.” (Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 170.)

The Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York on which President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., served as a board member, continues to supply sound freedom literature. We should know enough about American free enterprise to be able to defend it. We should know what makes it possible for six percent of humanity–living under our free economy–to produce about one-half of the earth’s developed wealth each year.

We should know why paternalism, collectivism, or unnecessary federal supervision will hold our standard of living down and reduce productivity just as it has in every country where it has been tried. We should also know why the communist leaders consider socialism the highroad to communism.

Second, we should accept the command of the Lord and treat socialistic communism as the tool of Satan. We should follow the counsel of the President of the Church and resist the influence and policies of the socialist-communist conspiracy wherever they are found–in the schools, in the churches, in governments, in unions, in businesses, in agriculture.

Third, we should help those who have been deceived or who are misinformed to find the truth. Unless each person who knows the truth will “stand up and speak up” it is difficult for the deceived or confused citizen to find his way back.

Fourth, we should not make the mistake of calling people “communist” just because they happen to be helping the communist cause. Thousands of patriotic Americans, including a few Latter-day Saints, have helped the communists without realizing it. Others have knowingly helped without joining the party. The remedy is to avoid name-calling, but point out clearly and persuasively how they are helping the communists.

Fifth, each priesthood holder should use his influence in the community to resist the erosion process which is taking place in our political and economic life. He should use the political party of his choice to express his evaluation of important issues. He should see that his party is working to preserve freedom, not destroy it. He should join responsible local groups interested in promoting freedom and free competitive enterprise, in studying political issues, appraising the voting records and proposed programs, and writing to members of Congress, promoting good men in public office and scrutinizing local, state, and federal agencies to see that the will of the people is being carried out. He should not wait for the Lord’s servants to give instruction for every detail once they have announced the direction in which the priesthood should go. Each member should exercise prayerful judgment and then act.

Sixth, and most important of all, each member of the priesthood should set his own house in order. This should include:

1. Regular family prayer, remembering especially our government leaders.
2. Getting out of debt.
3. Seeing that each member of the family understands the importance of keeping the commandments.
4. Seeing that the truth is shared with members of the family, with neighbors, and with associates.
5. Seeing that each member is performing his duties in the priesthood, in the auxiliary organizations, in the temple, and in the civic life of the community.
6. Seeing that every wage earner in the home is a full tithe payer and fulfilling other obligations in financial support of the kingdom.
7. Providing a one-year supply of essentials.

In doing these things a member of the Church is not only making himself an opponent of the adversary, but a proponent of the Lord.

In the prophecies there is no promise except to the obedient. To a modern prophet the Lord said:

“Therefore, what I say unto one, I say unto all: Watch, for the adversary spreadeth his dominions, and darkness reigneth;

“And the anger of God kindleth against the inhabitants of the earth;

“. . . I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation.

“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” (D&C 82:5-6, 9-10.)

May God give us the wisdom to recognize the threat to our freedom and the strength to meet this danger courageously.

Yes, perilous times are ahead, but if we do our duty in all things, God will give us inner peace and overrule all things for our good. God grant it may be so, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-- Elder Ezra Taft Benson, October, 1961 General Conference