Parable of the Divers / Lloyd

parable of the divers

NOTE:  In the late 1990’s a speaker in Church  read this story without attribution. He gave me a copy, and years later I posted it in this Blog written for our family. More recently readers from all over the world have been able to Google and read it here. Please note that this story and many more written by Stephen E. Robinson can be found in his book, Following Christ: The Parable of the Divers and More Good News (1995). --Lloyd Abbott (8 April 2013)

Many years ago, when I was somewhere between nine and eleven, I participated in a community summer recreation program in the town where I grew up. I remember in particular a diving competition for the different age groups held at the community swimming pool. Some of the wealthier kids in our area had their own pools with diving boards, and they were pretty good amateur divers. But there was one kid my age from the less affluent part of town who didn’t have his own pool. What he had was raw courage. While the rest of us did our crisp little swan dives, back dives, and jackknives, being every so careful to arch our backs and point our toes, this young man attempted back flips, one-and-a-halfs, doubles, and so on. But, oh, he was sloppy. He seldom kept his feet together, he never pointed his toes, and he usually missed his vertical entry. The rest of us observed with smug satisfaction as the judges held up their scorecards that he consistently got lower marks than we did with our safe and simple dives, and we congratulated ourselves that we were actually the better divers. “He is all heart and no finesse,” we told ourselves. “After all, we keep our feet together and point our toes.

The announcement of the winners was a great shock to us, for the brave young lad with the flips had apparently beaten us all.  However, I had kept rough track of the scores in my head, and I knew with the arrogance of limited information that the math didn’t add up. I had consistently outscored the boy with the flips. And so, certain that an injustice was being perpetrated, I stormed the scorer’s table and demanded an explanation. “Degree of difficulty,” the scorer replied matter-of-factly as he looked me in the eye. “Sure, you had better form, but he did harder dives. When you factor in the degree of difficulty, he beat you hands down, kid.” Until that moment I hadn’t know that some dives were awarded “extra credit” because of their greater difficulty. . . . .

Whenever I am tempted to feel superior to other Saints, the parable of the divers comes to my mind, and I repent. At least at a swim meet, we can usually tell which dives are the most difficult. But here in mortality, we cannot always tell who is carrying what burdens: limited intelligence, chemical depression, compulsive behaviors, learning disabilities, dysfunctional or abusive family background, poor health, physical or psychological handicaps—no one chooses these things. So I must not judge my brothers and sisters. I am thankful for my blessings but not smug about them, for I never want to hear the Scorer say to me, “Sure, you had better form, but she had a harder life. When you factor in degree of difficulty, she beat you hands down.”

So, enduring to the end doesn’t have much to do with suffering in silence, overcoming all life’s obstacles, or even achieving the LDS ideal (“pointing our toes” and “keeping our feet together”). It just means not giving up. It means keeping—to the best of our abilities—the commitments we made to Christ when we entered into the marriage of the gospel. It means not divorcing the Savior or cheating on him by letting some other love become more important in our lives. It means not rejecting the blessings of the atonement that he showered upon us when we entered his church and kingdom. (Stephen E. Robinson, Following Christ: The Parable of the Divers and More Good News [Salt Lake city: Deseret Book, 1995], 34-38.)

Thanksgiving in the Midst of Family / Judy

thanksgiving day

with extended family and pie

Of course Thanksgiving was wonderful! We had 20 people here--9 adults, including my brother, Michael, the Andersons and the Kleinmans, and 11 kids, if you can include Christopher and Jonathan as kids (we always have them sit at the big people's table). Lloyd had to go to work in the middle of the afternoon (bummer) and it was really hard for him to leave. Why would anyone want to leave the center of all wonderfulness--family and pie.

ben considers cal berkeley

The first part of the week Ben drove up to Berkeley because he's applying to go there next year. The program here at PCPA is a two-year program, so to get a BA, he has to go somewhere else. He's applying to BYU, Berkeley, and Irvine. I guess he really enjoyed his trip and almost as soon as he got there he found a booth that the LDS Institute kids had and they immediately invited him to a dinner and class that night. He says after meeting them he can totally see himself there.

from feast to emergency

Does everyone know that Costco has an emergency food bucket? It costs about $85 and has over 270 meals in it. Our Costco had some here but they sold out so I looked for it online and it's available there. I think that's a good idea.

from salt lake city to buy a motorcycle

- it’s all family

Last night Marty and Chad showed up, always fun. They are here to buy a motorcycle and will stay another night before heading back to Salt Lake. Fortunately Michael left for a few days so we had beds available for them.

"Happy Thanksgiving" / Judy & Lloyd

Norman Rockwell

We want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving! We are all excited about tomorrow when everyone close-by will be here, 20 people all together.

When we were living in Germany, we knew an Englishman who told us, 

"You Yanks have the right idea about a holiday--you just stay home and eat. No church, no presents, not even cards. Just the feast."

Of course there is also the idea of gratitude and gathering around to dedicate a whole day to giving personal & family thanks. Now that's a great idea for a proper holiday!

The Sooner the Better (a true experience) / Lloyd

This personal experience by Marianne Flint, “Nobody Saw Me Do It,” Ensign, Jan. 1990, 64–65, whispers to me that whatever I think to do unawares to others will be so very public when we are all gathered together a hundred or so years from now. Better to take care of things here while it’s still interpersonal.

A trip I took to New Zealand with some close friends was a great experience in every way, but the repercussions of one particular moment strengthened my testimony of the importance not only of being honest, but of repenting in this life.

We were to return home from New Zealand in three days when I backed into a parked car in our hotel parking lot. The damage was minor, scraping off a square inch of paint on the other car’s left rear side. But my heart sank as I thought of my responsibility and of the four dollars I had left to my name.

No one except a friend accompanying me had seen the accident, as it was late at night. A series of thoughts went through my mind as I walked to my room:

“This sort of thing happens all the time, and no one ever worries about it. No body damage was done to the car. No one could possibly know who had done it. I don’t have any money. What if this person tries to take advantage of the situation and charges me hundreds of dollars for a new paint job?”

I entered my room and immediately got down on my knees, intending to ask Heavenly Father to let me know that not doing anything about the situation would be all right. But the second I closed my eyes, I knew I couldn’t ask Heavenly Father to condone something that was wrong. Instead, I quickly asked him to help me do what was right.

Without even waiting for the answer I had known all along, I immediately got up from my knees and wrote a quick note explaining what I had done and where the damage was. I included my room number and asked the owner to please contact me. I slept well that night, realizing that the result didn’t matter: somehow I would make the appropriate amends for my actions.

The next morning, a very nice-looking man knocked on my door, the note in his hand. He quickly let me know that the damage was nothing to be concerned about and that he was surprised and pleased that anyone would have bothered to leave a note.

“Are you sure?” I asked, explaining that I wanted to do the right thing. He reassured me that I need not worry about it, and left.

What would have happened had I not taken these steps? I never would have been able to make amends to that man. One month later while watching a similar accident on television with my family, I received another reward besides that of peace of mind.

“That’s what I did in New Zealand,” I said to my husband, who was already familiar with the incident.

When my oldest daughter asked what I had done about it, I seriously explained that it was late at night and that, since no one had seen me, I went to my room. My list of rationalizations followed.

“Mother,” she said, looking me straight in the eye, “I know you, and you would never do that!”

Her faith in me made me eternally grateful I had repented of my error while in New Zealand. Perhaps it’s like repentance in this life instead of the next: restitution for my actions was fast and physically easy because the man and car were right there. I could simply ask him what I needed to do—and do it.

Had I tried to repent later, the process would have been longer and more difficult because I never could have made restitution. I would have had to find another way through much prayer and deliberation. I am grateful that I repented quickly of my error and didn’t disappoint myself or my daughter.

Gratitude, the Perfect Antidote / Lloyd

A local paper displayed an editorial cartoon that showed a gruffly-looking family seated around the Thanksgiving table. Each one seated was given a label:

Paying for the Bailout, College out of Reach, Healthcare in Shambles, Pension lost on Wall St., Downsized, House Foreclosed, Post-Iraq Stress Disorder, and Outsourced. And the bird on the table was labeled: Goose Cooked.

Satan is known as a slanderer, accuser, adversary, accuser, spoiler, and liar. There’s nothing really positive about this guy. Given half a chance he’ll turn joy into despair.

Today, there are reasons enough to fear. Yet tomorrow many Americans across this land and even in far away countries in military service will celebrate Thanksgiving with gratitude. They will express appreciation to their Heavenly Father for their many blessings.

I recently read a quote that suggests how gratitude can be the perfect antidote for despair and the negative cartoon I’ve described:

“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.” (Sarah Ban Breathnach quoted in Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 84–87.)

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving season. Ideally you will be with family and friends, and together you will experience a renewal of spirit that protects against the darkness.

Yay for Rain, Flossing and 3-D / Judy

first real rain in nearly 8 months -- lovely

It rained today, a real rain, the first one since last April. Hopefully, now the fire threat will diminish.

winning battles with dental floss

Also, I went to the dentist today and I was actually happy to go because for the past six months I've been flossing every day, unlike previous times when I only floss two weeks before my appointment. It's amazing the difference it made in my gums (I'm at the age when I'm interested in my gums).

And the hygienist said that flossing helps all kinds of other problems too from diabetes to heart disease. She says some doctors hold up a piece of floss and tell their patients it's one of the best tools to prevent heart disease. Who knew? I told her that to get myself motivated to floss all the time, I picture a mean-looking leprechaun and call him Perry O'Donnell-and every night I do battle with Perry O'Donnell. So far I'm winning.

3-D, an eye opener

Last night Lloyd and I went to see "Bolt" in 3-D. It was great and I'll see almost anything in 3-D. I'm convinced it's the first step to the Holosuite because almost all the previews of shows from Disney are going to be in 3-D too; it's only a matter of time. I wonder what it says that the last two movies we've seen at the theater are animated ones?

a word from our sponsor - keeping perspective

One last thing: we had our Primary program on Sunday too and there was one little girl, probably about 5 years old, with blond curls, who sang louder than anyone. She was great; she knew all the words and sang her heart out. Then when it was time for her speaking part, she said, "...and I know Jesus will come again and rule in the  M E N E L I U M."

The Criminally Insane Among Us / Lloyd

Last night I work in maximum security, forensic psychiatric hospital where I work, a patient said we either had to meet his demands right then or he would hurt himself, destroy property, or hurt someone else—including staff. His language was from the streets, pressured, and grating; and he had just finished loudly pummeling the metal water cooler.

Another patient complained because he didn’t get an increased level of hospital access privileges and demanded to know why. When reminded that he had recently inappropriately caressed one of the female staff, he yelled indignantly, “You’re taking her word over mine!”

Murder, assault, and forced sexual offenses are common convictions among the criminally insane, and I’m amazed at how well behaved they are until their demands are denied.

This is an entitled group and their tantrums mirror very young pre-socialized children and developmentally troubled older children.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association, covers behaviors noted above among the criminally insane.

Now consider the behaviors of “Bash Back,” an extremist organization currently running free in the streets.

item one - bash back in lansing, michigan

“On Sunday, November 9, a band of about 30 gays stormed a church in Lansing, Michigan. Some were well dressed and were stationed inside Mount Hope Church; others were outside dressed in pink and black. The group of self-described homosexual anarchists, Bash Back!, claims the evangelical church is guilty of “transphobia and homophobia.”

“The protesters outside the church were beating on buckets, shouting “Jesus was a homo” on a megaphone and carrying an upside-down pink cross. Fire alarms went off inside the church, protesters stormed the pulpit and a huge rainbow-colored flag was unfurled with the inscription, “IT’S OKAY TO BE GAY! BASH BACK!” The church was vandalized, obscenities were shouted and worshippers were confronted. There were no arrests. “ (http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=30504)

item two - bash back in olympia, wash

"Bash Back! Olympia Trashes Mormon Church

"Last night, under the veil of fog, we visited the Church of Latter Day Saints. We left their locks glued with anarchist messages scrawled in spray paint over their boring veneer.

"We did this to show our solidarity with all who are resisting heterosexism everywhere, hopefully to spur them into action; and also because we are angry at the amount of money and propaganda that the Mormon church pumped into the homophobic Proposition 8 campaign. From their disgusting commercials to their despicable sermons to those gross lawn signs, we are sick of this parade of bigotry. The Church has to pay.

"We as anarchists are opposed to marriage but we see that this blatantly anti-gay act as a threat to all us gay, lesbian, transgendered and queer folk. The Proposition 8 campaign was used as a medium to instill homophobic fear into the population of California so as to squash queer culture, it is dangerous to let these actions go unchecked and not confronted.

"Liberating our sexual fantasies and desires is dangerous to this rigid system, because free people enjoying themselves in a plethora of ways sexually will eventually want to enjoy themselves in other areas of life too, capitalism doesn’t want sexually liberated people because they ask too many questions and may not show up to work on time (or at all).

"The Mormon Church (just like most churches) is a cesspool of filth. It is a breeding ground for oppression of all sorts and needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed. The church reinforces sexism, transphobia, homophobia, racism, capitalism, and leaves its members emotionally wounded and unable to engage in critical thinking. The Mormon Church teaches us to hate our bodies, not to trust ourselves or our desires. This ends up deforming us as healthy sexual and communal beings. This is unacceptable.

"This is a few reasons why an affinity group of the Olympia, Washington Chapter of Bash Back! decided to attack their church with glue and paint. Let this be a warning to the Mormon church, dissolve completely or be destroyed. The choice is yours.. ~BASH BACK! OLYMPIA "http://bashbacknews.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/bash-back-olympia-trashes-mormon-church/ [link site no longer available]

comment  Had to wonder if “Bash Back” wasn't a terrorist group of street fighters not unlike “Occupy Wall Street” set up to create “news” and frighten & intimidate opposition. Let folks know just how bad things could get if they didn't get in line. A classic terrorist tactic that ideally takes off on its own, but is typically jump started with shadow organizers and outside financing. Would be interesting to learn more about the funding, organizers and instigators behind the masks.--5 May 2013] (emphasis added)

Staying Tuned In (a true experience) / Lloyd

This true story by Deborah Smoot, “Listen, Listen,” Ensign, Feb. 1990, pages 68–69 features a principle we have stressed and attempted to emulate for our children over and over, and we have watched them continue it’s emphasis with our grandchildren:  Treat each other in such a manner that you are able to clearly feel the promptings of the Spirit.  Perhaps this story will be helpful in their efforts.

It had been an aggravating, irritating, nobody-appreciates-me day. All the packing, planning, and preparation for our annual camping trip had been left to me. Taking for granted that I would see to every detail, my husband, Dave, a surgeon in training, had stayed at the hospital long past our departure time. Again.

Before we even got out of the city, the kids were restless and bored with the confinement of the station wagon’s back seat. When Dave said I hadn’t packed enough activities to entertain them in the car, I snapped.

“She’s just mad at Dad,” ten-year-old Owen told his little sister. It was then that I flipped a tape of Primary songs for children into the car cassette and attempted to smolder in silence.

But the joy of the Primary songs was contagious. One by one each family member began to sing along until even my own anger melted and I couldn’t resist joining in the chorus of “Listen, listen, the Holy Ghost will whisper. Listen, listen to the still small voice.” How quickly the music changed the mood of our little family on that desolate 62-miles stretch of freeway. How quickly and how timely.

“We need to turn around,” Dave said as a refrain from the last chorus faded.

“What for?” I asked. “What did I forget?”

“Nothing,” he laughed. “I just have this crazy, compelling feeling that we need to turn around.”

Just as we had been in unison in our song—suddenly we all felt the need to turn around. And as crazy as it seemed at the time, we followed our instincts, listened to the compelling feeling, and turned around. Shortly afterward, we reached a parked camper we had passed earlier. Now a truck was parked behind it, and its driver stood by the side of the road flagging us down. As we slowed to a stop, his frantic words tumbled out.

“There’s been an accident down there,” he said. “She was driving a motorcycle and it flipped. I think she’s dying.” He motioned to a slight body fifty yards away—a mangled motorcycle beside her. We parked the car, and my husband got out.

We had never carried a first-aid kit, but this time we happened to have an emergency kit with us consisting of medical supplies Dave had picked up at a hospital sale just three weeks earlier. For the first time in our lives, we had it in the car! Feeling helpless and scared, I huddled with the children by the side of the road as Dave grabbed the kit and waded through the grass toward the victim.

When he reached the girl, my daughter said, “We should pray.” Thankful for her suggestion, we bowed our heads. “Heavenly Father, please help Daddy. Help him to know what to do to save this girl’s life …”

As I watched my husband kneel beside the young woman and assess the situation, I was humbled. The young girl was indeed dying—unconscious and not breathing. Dave took out the last two items he had added to the kit: a tube-like device called an oral airway, and a bag that allows the doctor to breathe for the patient. He used them both. Along with his CPR skills, they probably saved her life.

When the ambulance arrived, my husband rode with the patient. In the ambulance, he was able to start an I.V. and talk over the two-way radio to medical personnel at the hospital, preparing everyone for their arrival.

I drove the car behind the ambulance as my mind raced. What if we hadn’t had the first-aid kit? What if Dave hadn’t gone to the hospital sale? What if he hadn’t been trained in CPR? And most of all, what if we had continued to argue instead of sing? Would we have then heard the “still small voice”? Would we have recognized it?

The tape in the car recorder had continued to play throughout the entire drama. Silent and shaken, the children and I listened:

“For all his creations of which I’m a part. Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.”

Housework (gag) - Flylady to the Rescue / Judy

I want to talk about something we all deal with--housework. I've always wanted a clean house, but since mine has always been full of people, it hasn't happened very often.

I used to think that even if the house were really clean, just having all those bodies around makes it look cluttered. I have to say, though, that having only adults does help--a little.

flylady to the rescue

Anyway, recently I signed up with FlyLady.net and it has helped me a LOT with keeping order. The sign-up is free and then you get daily emails, lots of daily emails. I usually scan them for the interesting stuff, delete the rest, and it takes less than five minutes. I do have to warn that you might feel overwhelmed at first with all the information on the site, but don't panic! Take things one at a time, which is what she recommends anyway--baby steps.

Here's a quote from one of the emails: 

"You can't organized clutter; you have to get rid of it! In order to find peace in your home the clutter has to find a new place to reside.

Release your clutter. Spend just 15 minutes a day decluttering. When you bring home something new; get rid of something old."

Another thing she says is keep your kitchen sink clean ALL THE TIME. And it's amazing what a difference this one chore makes.

Her basic mantra is that we have to have routines/habits in place. If we don't, we can spend all day cleaning then the place just gets messy again immediately. But if we've developed routines/habits that we do almost automatically, we can keep the mess at bay.

a daily schedule that works for me

Here is my daily schedule (to quote from an article I once wrote): think of it as B,B,C,D,F, which sounds like a poor report card but which stands for: 

Bed:  make it,  

Bathroom: a quick swish and swipe while you're in there getting ready,  

Clutter: quick pick-up, especially working on the "hot spots" that gather stuff to them--I do this pretty much all day),  

Dishes: keeping the sink clean and empty, and 

Floors: sweep daily. 

There are many other chores we have to do of course (for example, she also talks about conquering Mount Washmore), but even if I do only these five things every day, I can keep the appearance of a tidy home and not panic if someone comes over unexpectedly.

I highly recommend going to that web site and/or getting her book, Sink Reflections if you're ready to do something positive in this area. Hang in there!

Another movie analysis - Kung Fu Panda / Judy

Yesterday I watched "Kung Fu Panda" in the afternoon -- the DVD was due back that day, so I had to. It wasn't as fun as watching it in the theater, so to keep from being bored, I did the analysis I told you about earlier in Scriptwriting - Pacing a Movie Script. Since the whole movie was a little less than 90 min., all the steps took place a little sooner, but they were still there. (Spoiler alert)

catalyst at 10 min

Occurs early at 8 min. with the proclamation to the whole valley that Oogway is about to choose the Dragon Warrior and they could all come watch.

new twist at 45 min

We learn that the villain, Tai Lung, is actually the adopted son of Master Shifu and has been trained by the Master himself.

reversal at 60 mins

After Shifu has been training Po with food, and Po finally says, "I'm not hungry." Also, up to that point, Po kept denying that he was the Dragon Warrior but after this realizes he is.

climax at 90 min

A long fight scene at the end of the movie.

comment

I find I only think about this sort of thing when I'm not that interested in the movie itself, and it adds to the enjoyment. But now here’s another example of structuring the script

Mountain Meadows Massacre - A Cautionary Tale / Lloyd

Friday, 14 Nov 2008, email addressed to members of the church

“As all of you know, the protests from the “No on 8” side will continue this weekend.

“We are counseled not to hold counter-demonstrations. The other side will be looking for confrontations and if they get them, guess how the attending media will spin villains and victims?

“Please counsel our people to stay away from the demonstrations and let the police handle things. Especially encourage our most passionate supporters to stay at home. . .

“Keep things in perspective: We can paint over graffiti on our buildings and we can plant new flowers on our temple grounds, but it's more difficult to repair a reputation that has been tarnished because some member loses his temper.

Be patient and kind. Turn the other cheek. This too shall pass.”

contextual comments

1. The advice not only keeps supporters of Prop. 8 out of the camera lens attempting to add fuel to the frenzied fire, but also protects them from being caught up in the rage personally, which could get out of hand.

2. Mormons have faced this politically approved lawlessness many times in its history, especially in Missouri and Illinois. [See Missouri Governor Orders Mormons Expelled—or Exterminated and Wikipedia: Latter Day Saint martyrs. Added 5 May 2013.]

3. Since the demonstrating, vandalism, and terrorist threats began in the aftermath of Proposition 8 passing, not one politician has spoken out against it. On the contrary, in California politicians from the Governor down have been telling protesters to hang in there, that their cause is just, and that Proposition 8 will be overturned.

4. Mormons left the United States for Utah to escape State sanctioned rape, murder, and plunder. Earlier, the Prophet Joseph Smith personally petitioned United States president Martin Van Buren to intercede for his people. Van Buren replied: "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you. If I take up for you I shall lose the vote of Missouri." And just before fleeing the States, Mormon leaders wrote to every state of the Union asking for asylum. Their pleas were met with either refusals or silence.

5. Mormons endured many hardships getting to Utah, many died on the way and after arriving because of harsh conditions. But in 1857 a single event that was totally inconsistent with their theology and history, overshadowed their own just cause.

6. On September 11, 1857 local Mormon militia members in southern Utah, in the company of Paiute Indians, murdered 120 traveling emigrants, including women and older children, leaving only a few younger children to be farmed out among the Mormon settlers. This tragedy became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

7. I asked my Father about this tragedy when I first read about it in high school. His family was from Southern Utah—about an hour by automobile south of Mountain Meadows. He said that the emigrants came from Arkansas and may have participated in the earlier persecutions of Mormons. He said that people from this company expressed surprise at finding the Mormon settlement, that they thought killing off ole Joe Smith would have taken care of the Mormons once and for all, that they bragged about their own exploits in persecuting the Mormons, and that they threatened to come back and finish the job.

8. Now I don’t know what the folks from Arkansas may have said, and I don’t know how Dad learned this unless it was passed down through his family who settled in the region. But nothing said or done warranted a massacre. And in a recent study about the event, Massacre at Mountain Meadows, published by Oxford University Press, the authors ask, “How can basically good people commit such a terrible atrocity?”

9. I can tell you. They can let themselves be incited by Satan’s war cry, “Let’s you two go fight.” Any justification will do, but feelings of fear, hurt, and anger really prime the pump. And no one should figure he is completely immune to Satan’s promptings given the right conditions.

10. Currently, demonstrators in support of same-sex marriage are targeting those members of the religious community whom they blame for passing Proposition 8. And thus far that community is showing appropriate restraint. However, should Proposition 8 be overturned as politicians are promising, we may learn that many others voted to ban same-sex marriage out of hate for homosexuals, not with the objective of protecting traditional marriage. And these folks many not be so disciplined as the religious community in responding to terrorist attacks.

11. Regrettably, the political leadership in California has thus far pandered to lawlessness. Their behavior is more contemptible than that of President Martin Van Buren, who at least conceded that he was afraid to lose the vote of a loud and influential constituency by protecting life and property.

12. Whether Proposition 8 is overturned or not, the failure of politicians to uphold laws that were enacted through the established, Constitutional orderly and deliberative legislative and judicial processes have subordinated civil peace and safety to anarchy and terror. They may be jaded politicians seeking personal advantage or just cowardly. They have set the stage for a potentially more serious outbreak of violence in the future.

13. These politicians have become contributors to Satan’s agenda of civil conflict and disorder and will likely declare, "I had no idea things would get so out of hand." Such craven and criminal excuses have been repeated often and on a grand scale during my lifetime.