Dear Reader,
I have resisted posting something so direct because my faith in the political process had not yet disappeared completely. However, based on recent events, I can no longer stay silent. For those of who know me, I don't like to involve myself heavily in political debates. Today's writing goes against that normalcy; the arguments made herein are researched and I will debate the subject.
"To my beloved LDS friends and family,
Though our church emphatically defends its political neutrality, I know that most of you are conservative, due to most of you being from the Mountain West, and that you therefore mostly vote Republican. I know also that a lot of you listen to talk shows on cable news and radio or follow conservative social media channels that make out liberals and the Democratic party in general to be the Devil itself.
Know that I also consider myself a conservative. However, I try my hardest to get my facts and information from as unbiased sources as I can find, and I take every extreme argument with a grain of salt and a degree of incredulity, from either side of the political spectrum.
That said, I must let you know that, if you truly understand and have faith in the scriptures, doctrines and practices of our church, I do not believe there is any way you can rationalize voting for Donald Trump.
Let me say that again. No good Mormon should vote for Donald Trump.
Let me share with you one of the only scriptures found in our standard works that directly relates to American politics:
"Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil." Doctrine and Covenants 98:10
We are commanded to support and vote for "good", "honest", and "wise" men (and women). Anyone who will step back and make a rational evaluation of Mr. Trump will realize that he does not meet any of those three criteria.
1. Good. Mr. Trump has repeatedly demonstrated himself to be an irreverent, rude, callous, hateful, discourteous and overall unpleasant human being. He mocked a disabled reporter, insulted and threatened his opponents, and throughout his career has demeaned women in ways amounting near to sexual harassment. On top of his general demeanor, his vision and his goals are inherently destructive and discriminatory. He has proposed a fascist-style watch to be set on all Muslim-Americans. He has promised his supporters to "open up libel laws" so he can punish and persecute those who oppose him. And he has even suggested, on multiple occasions, that counter-terrorist forces should purposefully target the wives and children of terrorist suspects. If you are unfamiliar with the Geneva Convention, what Mr. Trump has suggested here qualifies as an unadulterated war crime.
2. Honest. According to Politifact, a whopping 76% of what Mr. Trump has said in public statements is at least partly false, with much of it being blatantly false. He has repeatedly contradicted himself in his own statements as well; his position on abortion changed three times in one week earlier this year. Either he is hiding his true motives and positions, or they are actually changing at that sickening frequency. Either scenario disqualifies him from being "honest".
3. Wise. While many assume that Mr. Trump is a shrewd businessman by virtue of the fact that they know his name and have seen him on The Apprentice, his business record is actually incredibly dismal. He has started multiple enterprises (Trump University, Trump Steaks, and several Trump Towers in various locations) that have all crashed, leaving their investors ruined. His proposed economic policies reflect his business incompetence: his plan to deport all undocumented Mexican immigrants in the next few years would stagger the American unskilled labor force, leaving literal millions of vital jobs empty (not to mention tearing hundreds of thousands of families apart as parents are deported while children remain). His proposed trade tariffs would drive up domestic prices so high that some economists predict it would cause a recession. His lack of wisdom is also shown in the way he responds to criticism, as illustrated above.
Donald Trump is neither good, honest, nor wise, and "whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil."
As of today [May 4, 2016], Mr. Trump became the uncontested nominee of the Republican Party. Before you plug your nose and throw your support behind him I BEG OF YOU to take a moment and consider the things I have written here. I know many of you are thinking that Mr. Trump is the lesser of two evils, and that your plan to vote for him is simply to keep Hillary out of the White House. I admit that I don't want Hillary in the Oval Office either. I will likely find and vote for a third candidate. "But wait!" you tell me, "A vote for a third party is a vote for Hillary!" Will my vote, in some very small way, help Hillary get in the White House? Perhaps. But I am not willing to pay the price to keep her out.
My vote is a representation of my endorsement, of the candidate’s policy and his character. We sustain our leaders on Sundays, not because they require a unanimous vote, but so we can announce to the church, to ourselves, and to our Heavenly Father that we accept this person in this position, that we approve, that we will follow their counsel and direction, and that we will do everything in our power to support and help them. I see no reason to consider the General Election any differently. Donald Trump may win the election, but he can never say that he had my support.
I would ask my good LDS friends to remember their own history, and the injustices and tragedies that our people suffered when the government decided that our little clique was harmful to their society. I tell you that today's Mexican immigrants and Muslim-Americans are no different from the Latter-Day Saints of the 19th century.
I cannot in good conscience cast my vote for Donald Trump, and neither should you."
I have resisted posting something so direct because my faith in the political process had not yet disappeared completely. However, based on recent events, I can no longer stay silent. For those of who know me, I don't like to involve myself heavily in political debates. Today's writing goes against that normalcy; the arguments made herein are researched and I will debate the subject.
My friend Kevin Burningham posted the following essay online. Although I cannot fully agree with the assumptions made in the first paragraph, everything else is exactly what has been going through my mind about the 2016 presidential election. I fully agree that Donald J. Trump is not fit to be President of the United States of America.
I have put in bold several key points.
I have put in bold several key points.
"To my beloved LDS friends and family,
Though our church emphatically defends its political neutrality, I know that most of you are conservative, due to most of you being from the Mountain West, and that you therefore mostly vote Republican. I know also that a lot of you listen to talk shows on cable news and radio or follow conservative social media channels that make out liberals and the Democratic party in general to be the Devil itself.
Know that I also consider myself a conservative. However, I try my hardest to get my facts and information from as unbiased sources as I can find, and I take every extreme argument with a grain of salt and a degree of incredulity, from either side of the political spectrum.
That said, I must let you know that, if you truly understand and have faith in the scriptures, doctrines and practices of our church, I do not believe there is any way you can rationalize voting for Donald Trump.
Let me say that again. No good Mormon should vote for Donald Trump.
Let me share with you one of the only scriptures found in our standard works that directly relates to American politics:
"Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil." Doctrine and Covenants 98:10
We are commanded to support and vote for "good", "honest", and "wise" men (and women). Anyone who will step back and make a rational evaluation of Mr. Trump will realize that he does not meet any of those three criteria.
1. Good. Mr. Trump has repeatedly demonstrated himself to be an irreverent, rude, callous, hateful, discourteous and overall unpleasant human being. He mocked a disabled reporter, insulted and threatened his opponents, and throughout his career has demeaned women in ways amounting near to sexual harassment. On top of his general demeanor, his vision and his goals are inherently destructive and discriminatory. He has proposed a fascist-style watch to be set on all Muslim-Americans. He has promised his supporters to "open up libel laws" so he can punish and persecute those who oppose him. And he has even suggested, on multiple occasions, that counter-terrorist forces should purposefully target the wives and children of terrorist suspects. If you are unfamiliar with the Geneva Convention, what Mr. Trump has suggested here qualifies as an unadulterated war crime.
2. Honest. According to Politifact, a whopping 76% of what Mr. Trump has said in public statements is at least partly false, with much of it being blatantly false. He has repeatedly contradicted himself in his own statements as well; his position on abortion changed three times in one week earlier this year. Either he is hiding his true motives and positions, or they are actually changing at that sickening frequency. Either scenario disqualifies him from being "honest".
3. Wise. While many assume that Mr. Trump is a shrewd businessman by virtue of the fact that they know his name and have seen him on The Apprentice, his business record is actually incredibly dismal. He has started multiple enterprises (Trump University, Trump Steaks, and several Trump Towers in various locations) that have all crashed, leaving their investors ruined. His proposed economic policies reflect his business incompetence: his plan to deport all undocumented Mexican immigrants in the next few years would stagger the American unskilled labor force, leaving literal millions of vital jobs empty (not to mention tearing hundreds of thousands of families apart as parents are deported while children remain). His proposed trade tariffs would drive up domestic prices so high that some economists predict it would cause a recession. His lack of wisdom is also shown in the way he responds to criticism, as illustrated above.
Donald Trump is neither good, honest, nor wise, and "whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil."
As of today [May 4, 2016], Mr. Trump became the uncontested nominee of the Republican Party. Before you plug your nose and throw your support behind him I BEG OF YOU to take a moment and consider the things I have written here. I know many of you are thinking that Mr. Trump is the lesser of two evils, and that your plan to vote for him is simply to keep Hillary out of the White House. I admit that I don't want Hillary in the Oval Office either. I will likely find and vote for a third candidate. "But wait!" you tell me, "A vote for a third party is a vote for Hillary!" Will my vote, in some very small way, help Hillary get in the White House? Perhaps. But I am not willing to pay the price to keep her out.
My vote is a representation of my endorsement, of the candidate’s policy and his character. We sustain our leaders on Sundays, not because they require a unanimous vote, but so we can announce to the church, to ourselves, and to our Heavenly Father that we accept this person in this position, that we approve, that we will follow their counsel and direction, and that we will do everything in our power to support and help them. I see no reason to consider the General Election any differently. Donald Trump may win the election, but he can never say that he had my support.
I would ask my good LDS friends to remember their own history, and the injustices and tragedies that our people suffered when the government decided that our little clique was harmful to their society. I tell you that today's Mexican immigrants and Muslim-Americans are no different from the Latter-Day Saints of the 19th century.
I cannot in good conscience cast my vote for Donald Trump, and neither should you."
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