I wrote an editorial for The Daily Universe last year when the Penn State scandal broke. If you'd like to read it, click here.
Showing posts with label viewpoint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label viewpoint. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2012
The Elephant on the Field
Iowa plays Penn State this weekend. Awkward... (maybe not, but it makes for a cartoon anyway.)
I wrote an editorial for The Daily Universe last year when the Penn State scandal broke. If you'd like to read it, click here.
I wrote an editorial for The Daily Universe last year when the Penn State scandal broke. If you'd like to read it, click here.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
It Gets Better
Since this is my last week at The Daily Herald, I got another turn writing "The Skinny." Instead of writing about politics this time, I went for something a little broader.
Have you seen the video "It Gets Better at Brigham Young University"?
It's really pretty amazing. I don't know if even five years ago, BYU students who identified themselves as gay would have told anybody, much less a video camera.
After the video, I had all kinds of reactions, thoughts and questions.
1) The first one was the subject of my column: I wonder if this would have been possible without social media, and not just because it was on YouTube and Facebook. I mean, with our generation's inclination to reveal anything and everything online, I think it paved the way for a video like this, and the healing and tolerance it promotes. Of course, saying too much online can backfire (I know from personal experience). But at the same time, when you see others put themselves out there and allow themselves to be vulnerable, especially with a subject like this, you can't help but feel closer to them and want to understand them.
Here's my column:
Give me unity
2) Before you reading further, you might want to read elsewhere on my blog to learn more about my philosophy on homosexuality.
If I could have interviewed someone from this video, I would have loved to ask them, "Now what?"
Each of the people in the video related their experience of being introduced to same-sex attraction, trying to fight through it because they understood that attraction was in conflict with everything they had known, becoming overwhelmed with guilt to the point of contemplating suicide, and then being blessed with healing and comfort through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and knowing that God loves them even with this inner struggle.
So, now what? Does that mean they stay in the Church and live the lifestyle it preaches, continue to live the law of chastity, and cope with and deny themselves of those same-sex attractions? Do they go so far as to overcome the attractions to such a degree that they can be married in the temple and partake of all those blessings?
Or do they interpret their new found acceptance a different way? Do they give in and follow the path of those same-sex attractions, therefore denying themselves many of the blessings that come from the restored gospel?
According to my understanding of eternal truth and God's plan for us, that first option would be the correct choice. And I think I can assume that by appearing in an "official" BYU video like this, the people in the video understand what homosexuality truly is, according to the restored gospel, and would choose the first option. But, I would just be curious to learn what happens next.
Of course, no matter what these people choose, I should still have respect, tolerance and even love for them. Whether they remain lifelong members of the Church, or find a same-sex relationship and leave the Church behind, I don't want to judge them.
3) I don't think I had ever realized how common it was for someone struggling with their sexual orientation, especially in the Church, to consider suicide. Of course I had heard plenty of stories of when the inner torment does result in suicide. But I had never put myself in those shoes as much as I did while watching this video.
4) When the people telling their stories in the video talk about the answer to their prayers, the feeling of acceptance and the message God is telling them they're okay even if they're gay, I hope it doesn't get misinterpreted.
I understood it to mean that God loves them unconditionally and perfectly, no matter what struggles or temptations they go through. Not all of us have the same temptations. Some of us may never have a problem with same-sex attraction, but instead have other weaknesses. We are all sinners. And yet God still loves us and will always be there for us. As Elder Holland said in the most recent general conference, "... however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."
However, some may think this video means endorsing the idea that homosexuality is just as righteous and congruent with God's ways as heterosexuality, and that it won't be long before God and the Church approve same-sex marriage as merely an alternative to traditional marriage.
I don't think the revelation these people gained was that kind of "okay." God still loves them, and they are still His children. But He still expects them to live the law of chastity, resist temptation and repent if they do make mistakes.
An anonymous blogger who calls himself "(Gay) Mormon Guy" explains this better than I could on his blog:
Re-post: Original It Gets Better Post
It Gets Better... at BYU
(By the way, I highly recommend his blog. It seems to be a very accurate take on how one can identify himself as gay and yet reconcile with the Church's doctrine and follow it faithfully.)
5) I'll admit, there were parts of the video that made me feel a little defensive about BYU and the Church. When the text came up about BYU being voted the worst environment for gay students by the Princeton Review, or that until recently students who identified themselves as gay were afraid to do so publicly or else be expelled from the school, it made BYU sound like a horrible villain. Of course, as the video progressed it got to its main point, that "It Gets Better at Brigham Young University." But I'm sure some people will read those statements int he video and have an even stronger conviction that BYU is an intolerant, backwards place.
Though the Church's stance on same-sex marriage will probably always be seen as intolerant and backwards to some (maybe even a majority) of people, I think most people at BYU understand homosexuality in a similar way that I do. I think most people at BYU understand that acting on same-sex attraction and temptations is a sin, but that acting on any temptation is a sin and that we shouldn't shun any particular type of sinner. We are all sinners, and we should be selfless and we should not be quick to judge. I hope anyone, no matter their sexual orientation, will feel welcome among BYU students or church members.
6) That said, the history of understanding homosexuality - or lack thereof - would be unfortunate and even cruel in the context of today. Back when most people thought of homosexuality as either completely appalling and lascivious, the result of a brain malfunction that just needed a little therapy (whether psychoanalytic or electroshock) or advice ("What you need to do is just marry yourself a nice, pretty girl, and this will all go away"), most people at BYU or the Church thought that too.
Fortunately for everybody, understanding has improved and Church leaders and members have become more enlightened on the subject. From the rest of the world's point of view, the Church might seem slow on the uptake. But any step closer to truth and knowledge is a good thing.
It is interesting to me that the understanding what homosexuality is and how it relates to society and spirituality has been a very, very gradual process for the Church (although it seems to be accelerating). For other questions, the Church received almost instantaneous answers that were well ahead of their time. The Word of Wisdom was revealed, in answer to a question, more than 100 years before science caught up and condemned smoking tobacco as hazardous and cancerous. And with the question of priesthood eligibility, the transition from the priesthood being held by only certain races to "all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color" was practically overnight.
I wonder why, on this issue, the process has been so different. I don't have any theories materialized. Do any of you?
Anyway, those are a few of my thoughts. Whatever your opinion, I hope that the video taught you something like it did for me.
Have you seen the video "It Gets Better at Brigham Young University"?
It's really pretty amazing. I don't know if even five years ago, BYU students who identified themselves as gay would have told anybody, much less a video camera.
After the video, I had all kinds of reactions, thoughts and questions.
1) The first one was the subject of my column: I wonder if this would have been possible without social media, and not just because it was on YouTube and Facebook. I mean, with our generation's inclination to reveal anything and everything online, I think it paved the way for a video like this, and the healing and tolerance it promotes. Of course, saying too much online can backfire (I know from personal experience). But at the same time, when you see others put themselves out there and allow themselves to be vulnerable, especially with a subject like this, you can't help but feel closer to them and want to understand them.
Here's my column:
Give me unity
2) Before you reading further, you might want to read elsewhere on my blog to learn more about my philosophy on homosexuality.
If I could have interviewed someone from this video, I would have loved to ask them, "Now what?"
Each of the people in the video related their experience of being introduced to same-sex attraction, trying to fight through it because they understood that attraction was in conflict with everything they had known, becoming overwhelmed with guilt to the point of contemplating suicide, and then being blessed with healing and comfort through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and knowing that God loves them even with this inner struggle.
So, now what? Does that mean they stay in the Church and live the lifestyle it preaches, continue to live the law of chastity, and cope with and deny themselves of those same-sex attractions? Do they go so far as to overcome the attractions to such a degree that they can be married in the temple and partake of all those blessings?
Or do they interpret their new found acceptance a different way? Do they give in and follow the path of those same-sex attractions, therefore denying themselves many of the blessings that come from the restored gospel?
According to my understanding of eternal truth and God's plan for us, that first option would be the correct choice. And I think I can assume that by appearing in an "official" BYU video like this, the people in the video understand what homosexuality truly is, according to the restored gospel, and would choose the first option. But, I would just be curious to learn what happens next.
Of course, no matter what these people choose, I should still have respect, tolerance and even love for them. Whether they remain lifelong members of the Church, or find a same-sex relationship and leave the Church behind, I don't want to judge them.
3) I don't think I had ever realized how common it was for someone struggling with their sexual orientation, especially in the Church, to consider suicide. Of course I had heard plenty of stories of when the inner torment does result in suicide. But I had never put myself in those shoes as much as I did while watching this video.
4) When the people telling their stories in the video talk about the answer to their prayers, the feeling of acceptance and the message God is telling them they're okay even if they're gay, I hope it doesn't get misinterpreted.
I understood it to mean that God loves them unconditionally and perfectly, no matter what struggles or temptations they go through. Not all of us have the same temptations. Some of us may never have a problem with same-sex attraction, but instead have other weaknesses. We are all sinners. And yet God still loves us and will always be there for us. As Elder Holland said in the most recent general conference, "... however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."
However, some may think this video means endorsing the idea that homosexuality is just as righteous and congruent with God's ways as heterosexuality, and that it won't be long before God and the Church approve same-sex marriage as merely an alternative to traditional marriage.
I don't think the revelation these people gained was that kind of "okay." God still loves them, and they are still His children. But He still expects them to live the law of chastity, resist temptation and repent if they do make mistakes.
An anonymous blogger who calls himself "(Gay) Mormon Guy" explains this better than I could on his blog:
Re-post: Original It Gets Better Post
It Gets Better... at BYU
(By the way, I highly recommend his blog. It seems to be a very accurate take on how one can identify himself as gay and yet reconcile with the Church's doctrine and follow it faithfully.)
5) I'll admit, there were parts of the video that made me feel a little defensive about BYU and the Church. When the text came up about BYU being voted the worst environment for gay students by the Princeton Review, or that until recently students who identified themselves as gay were afraid to do so publicly or else be expelled from the school, it made BYU sound like a horrible villain. Of course, as the video progressed it got to its main point, that "It Gets Better at Brigham Young University." But I'm sure some people will read those statements int he video and have an even stronger conviction that BYU is an intolerant, backwards place.
Though the Church's stance on same-sex marriage will probably always be seen as intolerant and backwards to some (maybe even a majority) of people, I think most people at BYU understand homosexuality in a similar way that I do. I think most people at BYU understand that acting on same-sex attraction and temptations is a sin, but that acting on any temptation is a sin and that we shouldn't shun any particular type of sinner. We are all sinners, and we should be selfless and we should not be quick to judge. I hope anyone, no matter their sexual orientation, will feel welcome among BYU students or church members.
6) That said, the history of understanding homosexuality - or lack thereof - would be unfortunate and even cruel in the context of today. Back when most people thought of homosexuality as either completely appalling and lascivious, the result of a brain malfunction that just needed a little therapy (whether psychoanalytic or electroshock) or advice ("What you need to do is just marry yourself a nice, pretty girl, and this will all go away"), most people at BYU or the Church thought that too.
Fortunately for everybody, understanding has improved and Church leaders and members have become more enlightened on the subject. From the rest of the world's point of view, the Church might seem slow on the uptake. But any step closer to truth and knowledge is a good thing.
It is interesting to me that the understanding what homosexuality is and how it relates to society and spirituality has been a very, very gradual process for the Church (although it seems to be accelerating). For other questions, the Church received almost instantaneous answers that were well ahead of their time. The Word of Wisdom was revealed, in answer to a question, more than 100 years before science caught up and condemned smoking tobacco as hazardous and cancerous. And with the question of priesthood eligibility, the transition from the priesthood being held by only certain races to "all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color" was practically overnight.
I wonder why, on this issue, the process has been so different. I don't have any theories materialized. Do any of you?
------------------------------
Anyway, those are a few of my thoughts. Whatever your opinion, I hope that the video taught you something like it did for me.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Barack-etology
This week, it was my turn again to write "The Skinny" column.
I wrote about why I think it's fine for President Obama to fill out an NCAA bracket. He gets a lot of criticism for it, but it's one of the things I like about him. And it has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. If President George W. Bush had talked to Buster Olney on ESPN about the World Series, I would have liked that too.
Anyway, before I just repeat myself, here's my article:
The Skinny: Bracketologist in chief
I wrote about why I think it's fine for President Obama to fill out an NCAA bracket. He gets a lot of criticism for it, but it's one of the things I like about him. And it has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. If President George W. Bush had talked to Buster Olney on ESPN about the World Series, I would have liked that too.
Anyway, before I just repeat myself, here's my article:
The Skinny: Bracketologist in chief
 |
| Photo from ESPN.com |
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
BTW
The Daily Herald has a column every Wednesday they call "The Skinny," not because it has to do with diet or exercise but because it actually is skinny. About 17 tiny letters wide.
Reporters take turns writing about pretty much anything they want. And even though I'm just an intern, they assigned this week to me!
I wasn't sure what to write about for a long time. But I felt like writing something political and reliving my days at the opinion editor for The Daily Universe. Immigration is a fairly easy topic for me to write about. But then the challenge came from limiting it to less than 320 words.
Here it is:
The Skinny: Yearning to breathe free
There was one phrase that was taken out, probably for space, that I thought was clever. Instead of just saying "But when the Mississippi state legislature actually proposes renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America,' the current crop of politicians don't appear to have any answers," I originally wrote, "But when the Mississippi state legislature actually proposes giving the 'freedom fries' treatment to the Gulf of Mexico by renaming it the 'Gulf of America,' the current crop of politicians don't appear to have any answers."
And look tomorrow for my stuff in The Ticket!
Reporters take turns writing about pretty much anything they want. And even though I'm just an intern, they assigned this week to me!
I wasn't sure what to write about for a long time. But I felt like writing something political and reliving my days at the opinion editor for The Daily Universe. Immigration is a fairly easy topic for me to write about. But then the challenge came from limiting it to less than 320 words.
Here it is:
The Skinny: Yearning to breathe free
There was one phrase that was taken out, probably for space, that I thought was clever. Instead of just saying "But when the Mississippi state legislature actually proposes renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America,' the current crop of politicians don't appear to have any answers," I originally wrote, "But when the Mississippi state legislature actually proposes giving the 'freedom fries' treatment to the Gulf of Mexico by renaming it the 'Gulf of America,' the current crop of politicians don't appear to have any answers."
And look tomorrow for my stuff in The Ticket!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Glory road
The opinion editor for The Daily Universe asked me to write a viewpoint about Jake Heaps' transfer:
Detour in Heaps' glory road
I held back some of my harshness when I was writing this. I do see Heaps as being kind of selfish here. It looked to him like BYU wasn't going to give him a green light to the NFL like he thought, so he took his talents to South Beach, so to speak.
Some people think it's the coaches' fault for not giving that green light. But I don't think any coach should be expected to cater to one athlete and center their game plans around him. As a former athlete of team sports and a team member in every class or job I've ever been in, I know that you fulfill your role and don't try to take matters into your own hands. You can still have a voice and be involved, but an attitude of "I know best" is usually not the best, and even if it is it just annoys people.
That said, at this stage in our lives we all are supposed to be a little selfish. We're here to plan our success for ourselves and our family, and get all the education we can so we will have more advantages compared with our competition. That's what I'm doing by going to law school. So maybe Heaps transferring and me going on to law school are similar.
And even though I wish Heaps would stick it out, I certainly don't wish for him to fail. Like I said in my viewpoint, it would be great if he transferred to a Pac-12 school and beat the Utes a couple of times for us, haha.
Unrelated point: If Heaps wasn't able to handle two years of BYU football, I wonder how he would handle two years on a mission. Am I being too harsh? What do you think? Talk amongst yourselves.
Detour in Heaps' glory road
I held back some of my harshness when I was writing this. I do see Heaps as being kind of selfish here. It looked to him like BYU wasn't going to give him a green light to the NFL like he thought, so he took his talents to South Beach, so to speak.
Some people think it's the coaches' fault for not giving that green light. But I don't think any coach should be expected to cater to one athlete and center their game plans around him. As a former athlete of team sports and a team member in every class or job I've ever been in, I know that you fulfill your role and don't try to take matters into your own hands. You can still have a voice and be involved, but an attitude of "I know best" is usually not the best, and even if it is it just annoys people.
That said, at this stage in our lives we all are supposed to be a little selfish. We're here to plan our success for ourselves and our family, and get all the education we can so we will have more advantages compared with our competition. That's what I'm doing by going to law school. So maybe Heaps transferring and me going on to law school are similar.
And even though I wish Heaps would stick it out, I certainly don't wish for him to fail. Like I said in my viewpoint, it would be great if he transferred to a Pac-12 school and beat the Utes a couple of times for us, haha.
Unrelated point: If Heaps wasn't able to handle two years of BYU football, I wonder how he would handle two years on a mission. Am I being too harsh? What do you think? Talk amongst yourselves.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sad News from Happy Valley
I wrote some thoughts about the Penn State sexual abuse scandal for today's Daily Universe:
Individuality vs. unity
Other than expressing some outright disgust over the events that have gone on, I talked about the student protests. What these Penn State students don't seem to get is that you can't just punish those who are directly responsible. They think firing Joe Paterno is an outrage. But we are meant to live in a society of mutual dependence, which means sometimes we suffer for the actions of others. We can't just think of ourselves, or blame others for everything. Becoming connected with people can be risky, but it's rewarding and, I think, one of the purposes of life.
I thought Saturday Night Live handled this scandal perfectly:
Individuality vs. unity
Other than expressing some outright disgust over the events that have gone on, I talked about the student protests. What these Penn State students don't seem to get is that you can't just punish those who are directly responsible. They think firing Joe Paterno is an outrage. But we are meant to live in a society of mutual dependence, which means sometimes we suffer for the actions of others. We can't just think of ourselves, or blame others for everything. Becoming connected with people can be risky, but it's rewarding and, I think, one of the purposes of life.
I thought Saturday Night Live handled this scandal perfectly:
Thursday, September 1, 2011
A Happy Ending
I'll give you an update of my first week at work, but first:
A happy ending - Honor and forgiveness go together
I wrote an editorial about my thoughts on Brandon Davies returning to BYU after his famous Honor Code suspension in March. My immediate reaction to the news was that I hope people notice that even though BYU and the LDS Church might hold people accountable for breaking rules that aren't recognized by the rest of the world, we can still give second chances.
One thing that was unique about the writing process on this was that the current opinion editor, Allie McCoy, actually wanted me to make it longer! That doesn't happen to me very often.
The rest of my week has been filled with running the website. Since Sunday night, a lot of the stories you see and the photos that go with them were put on the website by me! It's been busy, but pretty easy and fun.
One of the coolest things I got to do was a Cougar football podcast. I'm finishing up with editing that, and we'll post it on The Daily Universe website soon.
A happy ending - Honor and forgiveness go together
I wrote an editorial about my thoughts on Brandon Davies returning to BYU after his famous Honor Code suspension in March. My immediate reaction to the news was that I hope people notice that even though BYU and the LDS Church might hold people accountable for breaking rules that aren't recognized by the rest of the world, we can still give second chances.
 |
| Courtesy of The Daily Universe |
The rest of my week has been filled with running the website. Since Sunday night, a lot of the stories you see and the photos that go with them were put on the website by me! It's been busy, but pretty easy and fun.
One of the coolest things I got to do was a Cougar football podcast. I'm finishing up with editing that, and we'll post it on The Daily Universe website soon.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Early Edition from N'Awlins
Hey there, everybody.
I'm blogging directly from the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana, here for BYU's first Sweet 16 game in 30 years.
Although I'm here with a crew of broadcast students, it kind of feels like I'm in solo mode. Which is strange. I sure have a lot of work to do! I did two stories before I even got to the hotel, and Thursday I'm expecting to do three more.
Here's what I did for the day before the game:
Cougars will need best effort to defeat Florida
Viewpoint: Thanks for the respect
I spent a lot of time on the last one, but I think it's turned out to be one of my best editorials so far. It's basically a response to "With honor," an editorial written in Florida's student newspaper. I was very impressed with the Florida campus way of handling BYU, especially when contrasted with the San Diego State way. And Florida coach Billy Donovan and player Chandler Parsons had some nice things to say in today's press conference...and by that, I mean they had nothing to say. A reporter tried to get them into a discussion about BYU and the Honor Code and how it wouldn't work at Florida or any normal college, and Donovan and Parsons declined to participate.
(I thought the reporter was trying to maybe stir up some controversy or something...but instead, he used the non-answers to write an article that actually makes BYU look pretty good: "What if Billy Donovan, Gators had to live by the Honor Code?" I especially like the article's last line.)
I'll briefly give you the story of how I finally ended up in New Orleans:
- I tried for a 12:55 a.m. flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta. But since I fly standby (thanks to my dad, a Delta Air Lines mechanic), there's always a risk that there won't be a seat for me. And that's exactly what happened. No seat for me.
- So, I found a corner to curl up in and slept for a few hours at the airport before a 7:05 a.m. flight to Atlanta. I did get a seat on that flight.
- For some reason, as we were taxiing to the gate in Atlanta, I started feeling really sick and miserable. I was sure I would throw up. Fortunately I didn't, but I did get super sweaty and queasy. After finally reaching land for a while, I started to feel better.
- I touched down in New Orleans right in the middle of BYU's press conference at the New Orleans Arena. (I would have made it in time if I got on that 12:55 flight.) I was pretty frustrated about missing the press conference, but thanks to modern technology I knew I could find the audio online. But then, even better, the transcripts of the press conferences were emailed to me personally! That was nice. I worked on the preview story for a while at the airport, then I got picked up and taken to the arena where I finished up both stories.
- I was there later at the arena for a long time, until there weren't many media people left. One guy who stuck around working was none other than Andy Katz from ESPN. I wanted to introduce myself, and I even thought maybe he would sort of know who I was. But I still looked like someone who had spent the night in the Salt Lake airport, so I decided against it. I hope that wasn't my only chance to meet him though!
- Then, I rode the shuttle to the labyrinth of a hotel. I couldn't figure out how to get to wherever I wanted to go. But I think I have it down now.
- Tonight, I went for a walk down Canal Street and a little bit of Bourbon Street until I couldn't handle it anymore, haha. Here are some photos:
The view outside New Orleans Arena.
Statue in the hotel lobby. Also, the namesake of New Orleans' international airport.
Riverboat!
I'm blogging directly from the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana, here for BYU's first Sweet 16 game in 30 years.
Although I'm here with a crew of broadcast students, it kind of feels like I'm in solo mode. Which is strange. I sure have a lot of work to do! I did two stories before I even got to the hotel, and Thursday I'm expecting to do three more.
Here's what I did for the day before the game:
Cougars will need best effort to defeat Florida
Viewpoint: Thanks for the respect
I spent a lot of time on the last one, but I think it's turned out to be one of my best editorials so far. It's basically a response to "With honor," an editorial written in Florida's student newspaper. I was very impressed with the Florida campus way of handling BYU, especially when contrasted with the San Diego State way. And Florida coach Billy Donovan and player Chandler Parsons had some nice things to say in today's press conference...and by that, I mean they had nothing to say. A reporter tried to get them into a discussion about BYU and the Honor Code and how it wouldn't work at Florida or any normal college, and Donovan and Parsons declined to participate.
(I thought the reporter was trying to maybe stir up some controversy or something...but instead, he used the non-answers to write an article that actually makes BYU look pretty good: "What if Billy Donovan, Gators had to live by the Honor Code?" I especially like the article's last line.)
I'll briefly give you the story of how I finally ended up in New Orleans:
- I tried for a 12:55 a.m. flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta. But since I fly standby (thanks to my dad, a Delta Air Lines mechanic), there's always a risk that there won't be a seat for me. And that's exactly what happened. No seat for me.
- So, I found a corner to curl up in and slept for a few hours at the airport before a 7:05 a.m. flight to Atlanta. I did get a seat on that flight.
- For some reason, as we were taxiing to the gate in Atlanta, I started feeling really sick and miserable. I was sure I would throw up. Fortunately I didn't, but I did get super sweaty and queasy. After finally reaching land for a while, I started to feel better.
- I touched down in New Orleans right in the middle of BYU's press conference at the New Orleans Arena. (I would have made it in time if I got on that 12:55 flight.) I was pretty frustrated about missing the press conference, but thanks to modern technology I knew I could find the audio online. But then, even better, the transcripts of the press conferences were emailed to me personally! That was nice. I worked on the preview story for a while at the airport, then I got picked up and taken to the arena where I finished up both stories.
- I was there later at the arena for a long time, until there weren't many media people left. One guy who stuck around working was none other than Andy Katz from ESPN. I wanted to introduce myself, and I even thought maybe he would sort of know who I was. But I still looked like someone who had spent the night in the Salt Lake airport, so I decided against it. I hope that wasn't my only chance to meet him though!
- Then, I rode the shuttle to the labyrinth of a hotel. I couldn't figure out how to get to wherever I wanted to go. But I think I have it down now.
- Tonight, I went for a walk down Canal Street and a little bit of Bourbon Street until I couldn't handle it anymore, haha. Here are some photos:
The view outside New Orleans Arena.
Statue in the hotel lobby. Also, the namesake of New Orleans' international airport.
Riverboat!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Vegas Roundup
I'm back in Provo after a great experience in Las Vegas at the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The last game for BYU was a tough one, but not all hope is lost. It's hard to beat a good team three times in one season (evidenced by New Mexico in the same tournament).
Our Daily Universe crew was super productive. Altogether we wrote 13 stories! Here's where you can find them, in reverse chronological order:
By me:
BYU worriers can rest assured
Nothing less than phenomenal
Back on track to break the curse of the Lobos
Rams win would be a Cougars win too
Not down and out, just turning out
By one of our men's basketball writers, Steve McCall:
So close, yet so very far away
San Diego State challenges BYU a third time this year
Fredette's 52 points help Cougars get revenge on New Mexico
Cougars survive quarterfinals scare
Cougars start conference tourney vs. Horned Frogs
By one of our women's basketball writers, Whitney Brooks:
Jimmer does it again
BYU women lose last-second upset to rival Utah
Semifinal draws rivalry for Cougars
For photos, check out The Daily Universe website.
And, these stories were done here in Provo, having to do with Selection Sunday:
BYU a 3 seed, will play Wofford - by Kristian Ekenes
How to craft the winning bracket - by Kirsten Bowe
Our Daily Universe crew was super productive. Altogether we wrote 13 stories! Here's where you can find them, in reverse chronological order:
By me:
BYU worriers can rest assured
Nothing less than phenomenal
Back on track to break the curse of the Lobos
Rams win would be a Cougars win too
Not down and out, just turning out
By one of our men's basketball writers, Steve McCall:
So close, yet so very far away
San Diego State challenges BYU a third time this year
Fredette's 52 points help Cougars get revenge on New Mexico
Cougars survive quarterfinals scare
Cougars start conference tourney vs. Horned Frogs
By one of our women's basketball writers, Whitney Brooks:
Jimmer does it again
BYU women lose last-second upset to rival Utah
Semifinal draws rivalry for Cougars
For photos, check out The Daily Universe website.
And, these stories were done here in Provo, having to do with Selection Sunday:
BYU a 3 seed, will play Wofford - by Kristian Ekenes
How to craft the winning bracket - by Kirsten Bowe
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Nothing less than phenomenal
Photo by Chris Bunker for The Daily UniverseWhat a game!
Here's the viewpoint I wrote:
Nothing less than phenomenal
And that it was.
I'll never forget this game. I'll be able to tell my grandkids I was there. I was there when Jimmer made 52 freaking points in a conference game. (Wish I could have said "52 freaking points" in the newspaper, haha.)
Sometimes, it's good to be a sports writer.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Catchin' up in Vegas
Now that the long day is over, I think I'll relax and do a blog update or two.
First, I'll follow up on my brief stint as a celebrity. Since my last post about it, not too much has happened other than I did the Israel Sports Radio interview with Jasmine Marcus. It was a lot of fun, and it was great to talk to someone who was so interested. You can listen to the interview here (look for "Jumpshots with Jasmine- BYU sports editor JJ Despain, Ari Bluestein, Cornell squash club Dan O’Connor and YU basketball star Jeremy Pressman").
Oh, on my way to Las Vegas I was catching up on my podcasts. And I was sort of mentioned in one! It was the ESPNU College Basketball podcast, with Dana O'Neil and Eamonn Brennan. What was cool was that it was Dana who called me last week, but Eamonn who brought me up in the podcast. It's cool to think of all these people in Bristol talking about me.
Go to the podcast here and go to the 6:47 mark if you want to skip all the way to where I come in.
Also, a couple of friends from the newsroom are involved with a project called "Her Campus: A Collegiette's Guide to Life." It's like Seventeen magazine, but online and for college-age girls. Tiffany, Lauren and Darrian are involved with BYU's HerCampus.com site, and they have a "Campus Celebrities" section (not to be confused with the "Campus Cuties" section, haha). Anyway, Darrian asked me a few questions and I guess I'll be on their site! That should be cool. By being featured on a site somewhat linked to Seventeen, I'm well on my way to Justin Bieber's path to stardom.
The last thing is that I got some feedback from Cory Giger, the DJ at ESPN Radio 1450 AM. He sent me some direct messages on Twitter:
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First, I'll follow up on my brief stint as a celebrity. Since my last post about it, not too much has happened other than I did the Israel Sports Radio interview with Jasmine Marcus. It was a lot of fun, and it was great to talk to someone who was so interested. You can listen to the interview here (look for "Jumpshots with Jasmine- BYU sports editor JJ Despain, Ari Bluestein, Cornell squash club Dan O’Connor and YU basketball star Jeremy Pressman").
Oh, on my way to Las Vegas I was catching up on my podcasts. And I was sort of mentioned in one! It was the ESPNU College Basketball podcast, with Dana O'Neil and Eamonn Brennan. What was cool was that it was Dana who called me last week, but Eamonn who brought me up in the podcast. It's cool to think of all these people in Bristol talking about me.
Go to the podcast here and go to the 6:47 mark if you want to skip all the way to where I come in.
Also, a couple of friends from the newsroom are involved with a project called "Her Campus: A Collegiette's Guide to Life." It's like Seventeen magazine, but online and for college-age girls. Tiffany, Lauren and Darrian are involved with BYU's HerCampus.com site, and they have a "Campus Celebrities" section (not to be confused with the "Campus Cuties" section, haha). Anyway, Darrian asked me a few questions and I guess I'll be on their site! That should be cool. By being featured on a site somewhat linked to Seventeen, I'm well on my way to Justin Bieber's path to stardom.
The last thing is that I got some feedback from Cory Giger, the DJ at ESPN Radio 1450 AM. He sent me some direct messages on Twitter:
That was nice to hear from him again, although it's too bad he doesn't have that audio available. And it's nice that, even though he doesn't like the Honor Code, he's respectable about it.
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This weekend, I'm in Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament. I'm here as a sports columnist representing The Daily Universe. And I've already cranked out three editorials!
This one I wrote literally in the van while we were pulling into Las Vegas. I was very impressed to see how many BYU students were planning on coming to the tournament and supporting their Cougars, instead of writing off the season after the Brandon Davies announcement and the embarrassing New Mexico loss that followed.
Yesterday and this morning I was probably thinking more about the Colorado State vs. New Mexico game than the BYU vs. TCU game, to be honest. For some reason I've just been really intrigued by coach Tim Miles and the Rams this season. I was rooting for them to get into the NCAA Tournament, although it looks now like they've definitely missed that chance.
Anyway, I wrote this viewpoint to discuss how Colorado State could win against New Mexico (and why that would be good for us). I knew that the viewpoint would only be relevant for about six hours, haha. In fact, I don't know if it was ever published on the website, just on my blog. But I wrote it for fun, and now you guys can read it if you're interested.
This is what I wrote after it turned out Colorado State lost to New Mexico (after a really good fight). During both the BYU game and the Colorado State game, I was sort of struggling to think of what to write. But this is what I finally came up with. Hits newsstands in about six hours, but you can read it here first!
And it's too bad Colorado State didn't win, because I wrote two different beginnings to my editorial so that I would be ready for either outcome and I liked my Colorado State winning one better:
The Colorado State Rams overcame the New Mexico Lobos __-__ yesterday, even though they trailed about __ percent of the game.
Around the 12-minute mark in the second half, Wes Eikmeier made a big three that kept the Lobos from running away with a win. Eikmeier's shot was followed by a steal and breakaway layup from Pierce Hornung to take back the lead and make the score 47-46. ... New Mexico kept the game close, very close. The Lobos even grabbed the lead __ more times. But CSU coach Tim Miles and his Rams persevered and kept their finesse until the final buzzer.
While the Rams celebrated their miracle win, BYU was probably celebrating just as much.
During the conference season, BYU swept every team in the league but could not get past New Mexico. Fortunately for Cougar Nation, Colorado State nicely pushed them out of the way for us.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Rams win would be a Cougars win too
I cranked out this editorial this morning in my hotel room. It will be obsolete in about 5 1/2 hours, so I'll put it here in case it doesn't get on The Daily Universe's website in time.
Rams win would be a Cougars win too
by J.J. Despain
LAS VEGAS – The BYU vs. TCU match-up today isn’t the only game I will be paying attention to.
Rams win would be a Cougars win too
by J.J. Despain
LAS VEGAS – The BYU vs. TCU match-up today isn’t the only game I will be paying attention to.
Immediately after the Cougars and the Horned Frogs take their turn at the Thomas & Mack Center, Colorado State and New Mexico step onto the floor. Whoever wins between those two will be BYU’s next opponent (as long as TCU goes down, like it has by an average of 19.5 points to BYU this season).
Although in MWC Tournament history BYU is 3-1 against New Mexico and 1-1 against Colorado State, the Lobos have clamped down on BYU since 2009. A victory for the Rams would be almost as beneficial for BYU as it would be for them.
Granted, either team will not be a cake walk for the Cougars. Colorado State, led by coach Tim Miles, has stayed in the top four of the conference all year, earned its highest seed ever in the MWC Tournament and is working hard to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
But the Cougars have a game plan for Colorado State, while they can’t seem to brush off New Mexico. So if Colorado State can beat New Mexico, BYU will have almost as much to celebrate as the Rams will.
Colorado State and New Mexico split their season series, with the home team winning each time. The Rams are the most recent winner, with a close 68-62 win in Fort Collins on Feb. 12. But since then, the Rams went 2-4, including a 17-point loss to the MWC No. 6 seed Air Force Falcons.
Heading into both Lobos games, the Rams knew they would have to focus on rebounding. Even though Colorado State has the conference’s fourth best rebounder in Andy Ogide, New Mexico won the board battle 46-29 in January and had 14 second-chance points in their first meeting. But by February, the Rams caught up enough to get within six rebounds of New Mexico. Colorado State will need to keep up the improvement and rule the territory under the basket today.
One weapon the Rams have is their shooting. Colorado State and Ogide himself both lead the MWC in field goal percentage, with 47.3 percent for the Rams and 58.8 percent for Ogide. Adam Nigon is third-best in the conference for three-point percentage with 41.2 percent and seventh-best in three-pointers made (two spots ahead of New Mexico’s Phillip McDonald). Dairese Gary leads New Mexico with 14.5 points per game, but Ogide has him beat with 17 points per game.
As a team, though, Colorado State is behind New Mexico in scoring offense and scoring defense. So Ogide and Nigon will have to depend on the rest of their team if they are to ultimately knock out the Lobos from the tournament and keep them out of BYU’s way.
Although in MWC Tournament history BYU is 3-1 against New Mexico and 1-1 against Colorado State, the Lobos have clamped down on BYU since 2009. A victory for the Rams would be almost as beneficial for BYU as it would be for them.
Granted, either team will not be a cake walk for the Cougars. Colorado State, led by coach Tim Miles, has stayed in the top four of the conference all year, earned its highest seed ever in the MWC Tournament and is working hard to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
But the Cougars have a game plan for Colorado State, while they can’t seem to brush off New Mexico. So if Colorado State can beat New Mexico, BYU will have almost as much to celebrate as the Rams will.
Colorado State and New Mexico split their season series, with the home team winning each time. The Rams are the most recent winner, with a close 68-62 win in Fort Collins on Feb. 12. But since then, the Rams went 2-4, including a 17-point loss to the MWC No. 6 seed Air Force Falcons.
Heading into both Lobos games, the Rams knew they would have to focus on rebounding. Even though Colorado State has the conference’s fourth best rebounder in Andy Ogide, New Mexico won the board battle 46-29 in January and had 14 second-chance points in their first meeting. But by February, the Rams caught up enough to get within six rebounds of New Mexico. Colorado State will need to keep up the improvement and rule the territory under the basket today.
One weapon the Rams have is their shooting. Colorado State and Ogide himself both lead the MWC in field goal percentage, with 47.3 percent for the Rams and 58.8 percent for Ogide. Adam Nigon is third-best in the conference for three-point percentage with 41.2 percent and seventh-best in three-pointers made (two spots ahead of New Mexico’s Phillip McDonald). Dairese Gary leads New Mexico with 14.5 points per game, but Ogide has him beat with 17 points per game.
As a team, though, Colorado State is behind New Mexico in scoring offense and scoring defense. So Ogide and Nigon will have to depend on the rest of their team if they are to ultimately knock out the Lobos from the tournament and keep them out of BYU’s way.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Week of Davies
I am rapidly becoming the national media's resident expert on the BYU Honor Code.
The announcement came Tuesday night that Brandon Davies, BYU's third leading scorer, would be suspended for the rest of this season because of an Honor Code violation.
I was actually on my way to a Real Salt Lake match when it happened. I had never been to one, and I thought I'd take a chance to go before I graduate and no longer can represent The Daily Universe. (I still need to get to a Jazz game.) Anyway, here's the story I did (didn't end up making it into the paper, haha):
Real Salt Lake makes history
Anyway, back to the basketball bad news. I knew immediately that I would write a viewpoint on it on Wednesday. But it turns out I would be depended on for a lot more.
I was in the DU newsroom when there was a call on the phone for me. It was none other than Pat Forde of ESPN.com. He was looking for a campus perspective on the Davies news, and after calling somewhere at BYU was eventually routed to the campus newspaper and then to me. Forde used some of what I had to say in a column:
BYU puts principle over performance
Pretty cool to see my name on ESPN.com!
Then, I wrote my editorial, which is in today's paper:
Honoring the Code
As I was leaving the newsroom, I saw that an e-mail came from Deseret News looking for someone to do a campus story for them. I decided I was too busy, but I handed it over to our man Chuck Krebs who did a great job.
Fans' reaction to Brandon Davies suspension
(We had it in The Daily Universe too, but it looks like it's not on the website yet.)
The rest of the night I stayed in a pretty depressive state while I watched the game.
This morning, I saw that I had a Facebook message from Jasmine Marcus, who introduced herself as the host of Jumpshots with Jasmine, a radio show at Israel Sports Radio based out of Jerusalem. How 'bout that, huh? After going back and forth, I'm scheduled to be on Jasmine's radio show next Tuesday at 9 a.m. MST. From the looks of the website, it looks like you'll be able to listen there, if not live then at least soon after. Be sure to listen in!
Then, today at work, I got a call on my cell phone from Dana O'Neil, another ESPN.com writer. She wasn't writing anything else, she said she just had some questions out of curiosity. She said she got my number from Pat Forde, and that I've become ESPN's go-to guy about the Honor Code.
After that, I got a call from Cory Giger, a DJ for ESPN Radio 1450 AM in State College, PA. I wanted to call me back about a half hour later to go live on his radio show out there. Even though I wasn't too nervous to talk to Pat Forde, Jasmine Marcus, or Dana O'Neil, I was a little nervous to be on live radio. But excited at the same time. Then, I looked him up on Twitter, and he seemed like he might have some animosity toward the Honor Code and maybe toward me. So I got nervous again. Fortunately though, if he had any animosity he didn't express any of that toward me. It went well.
(One interesting question, and probably the most confrontational: He asked me what percentage of students I would predict are out having sex even though they did sign the Honor Code. I told him I know the sex and the alcohol exists around here, but to be honest I wouldn't even know where to look for it. Maybe I just don't know where to look, but I really think it's minimal around here.)
Unfortunately, I don't know where to listen to it online. The 1450 AM website is very outdated. It looks like it might show up at this UStream site eventually, but so far I haven't seen anything. I'll be sure to spread the word the moment I know.
So, even with a website and two radio shows down, that wasn't the end.
Now, there's a possibility I might be on TV.
I got a Facebook message from Sheryll Lamothe from Inside Edition. From what I know about Inside Edition, it seems a kind of gossipy, E! channel style of journalism. But Sheryll was very respectful and interested in what I had to say. She said she read my Daily Universe editorial and was interested in interviewing me for the show. All she has done so far is put me on her list of possible interviews, so nothing is set up yet. And I'm not sure how I would be on TV unless someone from Inside Edition comes to Provo. I guess that will come up later. Anyway, I'm on a TV producer's list!
As far as my actual thoughts on the whole situation, it's basically summed up in my Daily Universe editorial. There's not a whole lot to add other than that.
Originally, I thought that although Davies will be missed, I didn't think it was enough to change game outcomes. We might win by less, or lose by more, but I didn't think it would change Ws to Ls and vice versa.
But after last night, that view might not be accurate. The game against New Mexico was pretty atrocious. I don't think it was a direct result of Davies being missing, but probably indirectly. The whole team was pretty dead. And I don't blame them, I felt pretty dead too. (It doesn't help either that New Mexico was doing really well.) I hope the team can shake this off soon.
The announcement came Tuesday night that Brandon Davies, BYU's third leading scorer, would be suspended for the rest of this season because of an Honor Code violation.
I was actually on my way to a Real Salt Lake match when it happened. I had never been to one, and I thought I'd take a chance to go before I graduate and no longer can represent The Daily Universe. (I still need to get to a Jazz game.) Anyway, here's the story I did (didn't end up making it into the paper, haha):
Real Salt Lake makes history
Anyway, back to the basketball bad news. I knew immediately that I would write a viewpoint on it on Wednesday. But it turns out I would be depended on for a lot more.
I was in the DU newsroom when there was a call on the phone for me. It was none other than Pat Forde of ESPN.com. He was looking for a campus perspective on the Davies news, and after calling somewhere at BYU was eventually routed to the campus newspaper and then to me. Forde used some of what I had to say in a column:
BYU puts principle over performance
Pretty cool to see my name on ESPN.com!
Then, I wrote my editorial, which is in today's paper:
Honoring the Code
As I was leaving the newsroom, I saw that an e-mail came from Deseret News looking for someone to do a campus story for them. I decided I was too busy, but I handed it over to our man Chuck Krebs who did a great job.
Fans' reaction to Brandon Davies suspension
(We had it in The Daily Universe too, but it looks like it's not on the website yet.)
The rest of the night I stayed in a pretty depressive state while I watched the game.
This morning, I saw that I had a Facebook message from Jasmine Marcus, who introduced herself as the host of Jumpshots with Jasmine, a radio show at Israel Sports Radio based out of Jerusalem. How 'bout that, huh? After going back and forth, I'm scheduled to be on Jasmine's radio show next Tuesday at 9 a.m. MST. From the looks of the website, it looks like you'll be able to listen there, if not live then at least soon after. Be sure to listen in!
Then, today at work, I got a call on my cell phone from Dana O'Neil, another ESPN.com writer. She wasn't writing anything else, she said she just had some questions out of curiosity. She said she got my number from Pat Forde, and that I've become ESPN's go-to guy about the Honor Code.
After that, I got a call from Cory Giger, a DJ for ESPN Radio 1450 AM in State College, PA. I wanted to call me back about a half hour later to go live on his radio show out there. Even though I wasn't too nervous to talk to Pat Forde, Jasmine Marcus, or Dana O'Neil, I was a little nervous to be on live radio. But excited at the same time. Then, I looked him up on Twitter, and he seemed like he might have some animosity toward the Honor Code and maybe toward me. So I got nervous again. Fortunately though, if he had any animosity he didn't express any of that toward me. It went well.
(One interesting question, and probably the most confrontational: He asked me what percentage of students I would predict are out having sex even though they did sign the Honor Code. I told him I know the sex and the alcohol exists around here, but to be honest I wouldn't even know where to look for it. Maybe I just don't know where to look, but I really think it's minimal around here.)
Unfortunately, I don't know where to listen to it online. The 1450 AM website is very outdated. It looks like it might show up at this UStream site eventually, but so far I haven't seen anything. I'll be sure to spread the word the moment I know.
So, even with a website and two radio shows down, that wasn't the end.
Now, there's a possibility I might be on TV.
I got a Facebook message from Sheryll Lamothe from Inside Edition. From what I know about Inside Edition, it seems a kind of gossipy, E! channel style of journalism. But Sheryll was very respectful and interested in what I had to say. She said she read my Daily Universe editorial and was interested in interviewing me for the show. All she has done so far is put me on her list of possible interviews, so nothing is set up yet. And I'm not sure how I would be on TV unless someone from Inside Edition comes to Provo. I guess that will come up later. Anyway, I'm on a TV producer's list!
As far as my actual thoughts on the whole situation, it's basically summed up in my Daily Universe editorial. There's not a whole lot to add other than that.
Originally, I thought that although Davies will be missed, I didn't think it was enough to change game outcomes. We might win by less, or lose by more, but I didn't think it would change Ws to Ls and vice versa.
But after last night, that view might not be accurate. The game against New Mexico was pretty atrocious. I don't think it was a direct result of Davies being missing, but probably indirectly. The whole team was pretty dead. And I don't blame them, I felt pretty dead too. (It doesn't help either that New Mexico was doing really well.) I hope the team can shake this off soon.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Why We Love Jimmer
Here's the editorial I wrote based on the San Diego State game:
Why we love Jimmer
It had to get cut down for the paper. So, lucky for you folks, I've got the complete version right here!
Why we love Jimmer
It had to get cut down for the paper. So, lucky for you folks, I've got the complete version right here!
Last Saturday when No. 9 BYU beat Colorado State
"The Jimmer has 21 pts and it is not even halftime. Halftime is the only thing that can guard The Jimmer," Davis
The pressure from a clash between two top 10 teams, a competitive basketball conference, an opposing team's antagonistic and screaming fans, distant and unfamiliar basketball arenas and even the 20.75-foot three-point line cannot hold back Fredette. He is not subject to location, distance, or fatigue. The only concept Fredette is not impervious to is time.
In fact, Fredette not only overcomes everything on the long list of what would be obstacles to any mere mortal, he thrives on it. And he's not tuckering out anytime soon, even after a hard fought 71-58 victory over San Diego State
The Mountain West Conference schedule has only revved up Fredette's scoring output (he now averages 35.7 points per conference game), and all year his most amazing performances have been on the road. Before last night he averaged 26.7 points per game - the highest in the nation - but even more remarkable is when the home games are taken out of the equation, the average goes up, not down. Fredette averages 31 points on opponents' courts, thanks in large part to his gigantic, ridiculous long shots from deeper than downtown.
Fredette brought his road rage back to the Marriott Center Connecticut Walker
The highlight of last night's thunder dome in the Marriott Center
While "The Jimmer Show" is definitely deserving of attention from sports fans nationwide, most of Cougar Nation has another reason to root for Fredette's ever-increasing success: He has accomplished so much and has set himself up for much more, and he has done it all as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
If there's one thing we Mormons love, it's a famous Mormon. At least part of the Mormon community's support for Mitt Romney, Stephenie Meyer, Steve Young, Fredette and others is because their place in history legitimizes our religion and culture. We can prove to the world that if a Mormon can run for president, write a best-selling book, win a Super Bowl and (we hope) take a college basketball team to the Final Four. So the world shouldn't consider us weird or dangerous anymore.
Of course, we should not be begging for the world's approval. In many ways, our gospel perspective teaches us it's better to be different. Even if we're not of the world, though, we should be in the world, if nothing else to be "a city that ... cannot be hid" (Matthew 5:14). As we establish ourselves by our achievements, we invite others to learn more about the gospel and what it has to offer them. And that's a major reason why we love Jimmer.
Because when he is featured on ESPN SportsCenter, in Sports Illustrated or the Wall Street Journal, he represents each of us. The more the national spotlight shines on him, the more we "let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works" (Matthew 5:16).
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Tucson tragedy, in the eyes of a father
I was thinking a lot about President Barack Obama's speech in Tucson. When I tuned in Wednesday night, his speech had an impact on me. My wife and I were both brought to tears, especially upon hearing the story of Christina Taylor Greene, the nine-year-old girl who was killed in that Tucson shooting and has become a symbol of the optimism and innocence that our country needs so much of.
I spent enough time thinking about it that over the weekend I was able to come up with a viewpoint for today's editorial page.
In the eyes of a father
The photo above is one I sent along with the editorial, in case there was room for it on the opinion page. I guess there wasn't, but that's one benefit of a blog! As much space as I want!
I also wrote one paragraph that, although I'll admit it was a big part of my motivation to write an editorial, didn't really fit with the mood and tone of the rest of what I wrote. So I'll include that here:
"Anyone who finds fault in this speech must be so entrenched in his conservative mindset that he is not only trying to score political points, but stubbornly won’t allow any points for Obama in the process. Regardless of my political beliefs, I can trust my president and his calm manner and thoughtful leadership."
It's a little attacking, which would have seemed out of place with the overall theme of my editorial. But, here it is on my blog, in case you're interested.
(Update: I got a nice compliment via e-mail from Bruce Young, who mentioned a similar blog post he wrote about Obama's speech and the next day's speech at BYU from Condoleezza Rice. From his blog, I found out that he is an English professor at BYU. Thanks for the response, Professor Young!)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A Mathematical Lie
The rumors of President Barack Obama spending $200 million-per-day on his trip to India, it was another issue that for some reason I immediately responded to. I wrote a viewpoint, but there wasn't room for it on Tuesday's page and it was similar to other columns already published this semester.
So, it gets to be a blog-exclusive piece!
Enjoy!
A mathematical lie
‘You don’t have to make stuff up’
By J.J. Despain
There are three kinds of people in this world: those who can count and those who can’t.
When it comes to numbers in the news, they can be pretty intangible sometimes. Gigantic corporations or powerful countries get into numbers and figures that are hard for us to comprehend. A U.S. GDP increase of $151.5 billion, a national energy consumption of 86.4 million BTUs and the nearest star to our planet is 39.9 trillion miles away.
But what does it all mean? Any big number might as well be some other big number. The national debt is up to $13.7 trillion, but do we really feel a difference between 13.7 trillion and 1.37 trillion? Most of us have probably never seen a trillion of anything, except for occupied parking spaces on campus when we’re desperate for an empty one.
Big numbers usually wash over us without any effect. But one big number made a splash last week.
The rumor got rolling that President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to India was going to cost taxpayers $200 million. Each day. He had 870 hotel rooms reserved and would be accompanied by 2,000 people and a flotilla of 34 navy warships.
Those might be just big numbers. But if you think about them for a second, you will realize they are too ridiculous to be real. Is it even humanly possible to spend $200 million a day on vacation? For anybody? I doubt even P. Diddy and his entourage would be capable of such a feat.
If $200 million still seems likely to you, consider this: the entire war in Afghanistan costs only $190 million a day.
And rightfully so, before too long all these numbers about Obama’s trip were confirmed to be rumors. Wild, senseless rumors.
"We don’t speak to [presidential travel] in detail for security reasons," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a press conference. "But I will take the liberty this time of dismissing as absolutely absurd this notion that somehow we were deploying 10 percent of the Navy … in support of the president’s trip to Asia. That’s just comical."
While Morrell and the rest of the Pentagon were laughing, die-hard Obama critics like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity were perpetuating the rumors (and therefore dismantling their credibility even further).
Rush Limbaugh made Obama’s trip part of his daily radio rancor on Nov. 2.
"It’s never been done before!" Limbaugh ranted. "You take this many people, this many airplanes, the question is: are you coming back?"
Rep. Michelle Bachmann went on Anderson Cooper’s CNN show to rail against Obama and his supposedly elaborate trip, but when asked to back up her claims she had no specifics to offer.
"Well, these are the numbers that have been coming out in the press, and of course those are the numbers that I have to believe," Bachmann replied.
What press? Limbaugh’s?
Multiple news sources have traced the $200 million amount back to an unnamed Indian government official quoted in India’s version of the Associated Press. No one knows who the official is, or if his information really is official.
In fact, many of the attacks on Obama have no basis in truth whatsoever. "Birthers" demand Obama to show his birth certificate, forgetting that the State of Hawaii and Obama himself have already released ample evidence of his American birth. And I never understood how enemies of Obama can accuse him of conniving with Christian preacher Rev. Jeremiah Wright and then later condemn him for being a Muslim. Can’t Obama’s opponents at least pick one lie and stick with it?
Cooper couldn’t let Bachmann’s gossip stand.
"Michele Bachmann used up our air time last night, rather than answering questions about Medicare...and she chose to spread a story which is blatantly false," he said. "Now you’d think that if a member of Congress was going to use this figure as a fact, she would want to be pretty darn sure it was accurate, right? … There are plenty of reasons to oppose the president, plenty of things to point to as government waste and overspending. You don’t have to make stuff up."
If you want to give reasons why our president is a bad president, you can cite his takeover of General Motors, or his giving up on the public option in health care reform, or any number of things. So why resort to lies? The truth is weapon enough, and it won’t shoot you in the foot.
So, it gets to be a blog-exclusive piece!
Enjoy!
A mathematical lie
‘You don’t have to make stuff up’
By J.J. Despain
There are three kinds of people in this world: those who can count and those who can’t.
When it comes to numbers in the news, they can be pretty intangible sometimes. Gigantic corporations or powerful countries get into numbers and figures that are hard for us to comprehend. A U.S. GDP increase of $151.5 billion, a national energy consumption of 86.4 million BTUs and the nearest star to our planet is 39.9 trillion miles away.
But what does it all mean? Any big number might as well be some other big number. The national debt is up to $13.7 trillion, but do we really feel a difference between 13.7 trillion and 1.37 trillion? Most of us have probably never seen a trillion of anything, except for occupied parking spaces on campus when we’re desperate for an empty one.
Big numbers usually wash over us without any effect. But one big number made a splash last week.
The rumor got rolling that President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to India was going to cost taxpayers $200 million. Each day. He had 870 hotel rooms reserved and would be accompanied by 2,000 people and a flotilla of 34 navy warships.
Those might be just big numbers. But if you think about them for a second, you will realize they are too ridiculous to be real. Is it even humanly possible to spend $200 million a day on vacation? For anybody? I doubt even P. Diddy and his entourage would be capable of such a feat.
If $200 million still seems likely to you, consider this: the entire war in Afghanistan costs only $190 million a day.
And rightfully so, before too long all these numbers about Obama’s trip were confirmed to be rumors. Wild, senseless rumors.
"We don’t speak to [presidential travel] in detail for security reasons," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a press conference. "But I will take the liberty this time of dismissing as absolutely absurd this notion that somehow we were deploying 10 percent of the Navy … in support of the president’s trip to Asia. That’s just comical."
While Morrell and the rest of the Pentagon were laughing, die-hard Obama critics like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity were perpetuating the rumors (and therefore dismantling their credibility even further).
Rush Limbaugh made Obama’s trip part of his daily radio rancor on Nov. 2.
"It’s never been done before!" Limbaugh ranted. "You take this many people, this many airplanes, the question is: are you coming back?"
Rep. Michelle Bachmann went on Anderson Cooper’s CNN show to rail against Obama and his supposedly elaborate trip, but when asked to back up her claims she had no specifics to offer.
"Well, these are the numbers that have been coming out in the press, and of course those are the numbers that I have to believe," Bachmann replied.
What press? Limbaugh’s?
Multiple news sources have traced the $200 million amount back to an unnamed Indian government official quoted in India’s version of the Associated Press. No one knows who the official is, or if his information really is official.
In fact, many of the attacks on Obama have no basis in truth whatsoever. "Birthers" demand Obama to show his birth certificate, forgetting that the State of Hawaii and Obama himself have already released ample evidence of his American birth. And I never understood how enemies of Obama can accuse him of conniving with Christian preacher Rev. Jeremiah Wright and then later condemn him for being a Muslim. Can’t Obama’s opponents at least pick one lie and stick with it?
Cooper couldn’t let Bachmann’s gossip stand.
"Michele Bachmann used up our air time last night, rather than answering questions about Medicare...and she chose to spread a story which is blatantly false," he said. "Now you’d think that if a member of Congress was going to use this figure as a fact, she would want to be pretty darn sure it was accurate, right? … There are plenty of reasons to oppose the president, plenty of things to point to as government waste and overspending. You don’t have to make stuff up."
If you want to give reasons why our president is a bad president, you can cite his takeover of General Motors, or his giving up on the public option in health care reform, or any number of things. So why resort to lies? The truth is weapon enough, and it won’t shoot you in the foot.
Monday, October 25, 2010
BYU's get-'Rich'-quick scheme
So it was my turn again to write a football viewpoint. Coming into the BYU vs. Wyoming game, I had no idea what to write about. Then, in the second quarter I saw Andrew Rich dive for a ball and crash into one of Wyoming's card tables. That's when I knew to write about Rich and what I've observed over the season.
BYU's get 'Rich' quick scheme
Even when BYU's defense has been in trouble, Rich has been able to make things happen. Against Wyoming, Rich only had four tackles ... but that's actually a sign of progress. (Read my viewpoint to find out more.)
Here are the other two football stories:
Not pretty, but it's a win - by Sarah Gambles
BYU fans rewarded for braving rain - by Alex Hairston
The last one was about something really cool that happened. At kickoff, the stadium was basically empty. Alex, Sarah and I were talking about how empty the stadium was. But soon after, the stadium filled up a bit more and the official attendance was recorded as 60,505. When someone brought it up in the postgame press conference, Bronco Mendenhall actually teared up a little bit. It was cool to see.
We also had a cool page for an NBA preview.
Here's the page: 2010-11 NBA Preview (go to page 5)
And here are the stories:
Newness Abounds - by Dallin Turner (not one of our sports writers, but the sports expert on the copy desk)
Predicting the East - Sarah Sanders
Predicting the West - Josh Bolding
Oh, and I received the grand honor of being invited to write for the Man Stuff blog. It was started by a few guys in my ward, and at an elders quorum activity Mike Smith and I were talking about sports and journalism and he asked me if I was interested in their blog. Pretty cool. I plan on writing an introductory post soon.
BYU's get 'Rich' quick scheme
Even when BYU's defense has been in trouble, Rich has been able to make things happen. Against Wyoming, Rich only had four tackles ... but that's actually a sign of progress. (Read my viewpoint to find out more.)
Here are the other two football stories:
Not pretty, but it's a win - by Sarah Gambles
BYU fans rewarded for braving rain - by Alex Hairston
The last one was about something really cool that happened. At kickoff, the stadium was basically empty. Alex, Sarah and I were talking about how empty the stadium was. But soon after, the stadium filled up a bit more and the official attendance was recorded as 60,505. When someone brought it up in the postgame press conference, Bronco Mendenhall actually teared up a little bit. It was cool to see.
We also had a cool page for an NBA preview.
Here's the page: 2010-11 NBA Preview (go to page 5)
And here are the stories:
Newness Abounds - by Dallin Turner (not one of our sports writers, but the sports expert on the copy desk)
Predicting the East - Sarah Sanders
Predicting the West - Josh Bolding
Oh, and I received the grand honor of being invited to write for the Man Stuff blog. It was started by a few guys in my ward, and at an elders quorum activity Mike Smith and I were talking about sports and journalism and he asked me if I was interested in their blog. Pretty cool. I plan on writing an introductory post soon.
Monday, September 27, 2010
"These things always happen in threes"
(skip to 1:47)
Today's paper has my first game column. I've written opinion columns having to do with football before, but this was my first one based on a particular game. You know, like real sports columnists do. This was also my first story to appear on The Daily Universe's special football pullout page* every Monday after a game.
My column is about bad things always happening in threes. It's certainly been that way for BYU football.
1) Two big losses in a row, to Air Force and Florida State
2) Riley Nelson out for the season with shoulder surgery
3) O'Neill Chambers being suspended
The week leading up to the game against Nevada definitely did not go in BYU's favor.
Hard-luck Cougars seeing bad things come in threes
The Nevada game was my first time actually covering a BYU home game. It was very, very cool. (It would have been cooler if we won, but oh well.)
This was my view from the press box.
And here is my complimentary meal from Tucano's.
*Go to page 4.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Bummer.
A couple things frustrating me about The Daily Universe this morning. I'll try not to vent too inappropriately, and I don't mean to badmouth anybody. It's the nature of the biz for not everything to go my way. And it's the nature of any biz, so I need to keep trying to get used to it, I suppose.
1) One of the first stories David and I assigned on the very first day of class was a story about the system in place at LaVell Edwards Stadium for fans to send text messages to stadium security with concerns and issues. We assigned it to a reporter who didn't end up on the sports desk once desk assignments were made, but she still worked on the story and did a pretty good job.
David was the first actually to do the story as a front page package. The new Universe, with the enterprise editor, more involvement from the academic department and other changes, doesn't really do front packages anymore. But we started talking very early on about the story as a package, how to do photos, etc.
Then, another story came in (actually from my COMMS 377 class) that was a profile on the ROTC, and highlighting the ROTC doing pushups at the stadium every time BYU scores and (little known fact) that they are the ones who clean up the stadium after the games.
I thought that would go perfectly with the stadium security story. I forget who brought it up in front page meeting, but it made sense to me. The theme could be something about goings-on at the stadium other than the game itself. Sounded like a good idea to me. And as far as I knew, it was a good idea to everyone else.
But then yesterday in front page meeting, the faith behind the two stories diminished for some reason. First, no one thought the two stories fit together, even though we had been saying they did for some time now. Then, it was determined the ROTC story should wait until there is more photos, even though the photo desk had already found stuff to work with. And, some people thought the stadium security wasn't all that great anyway unless it were "beefed up" a little bit.
I said that I had edited the story and improved it, but I guess it still wasn't "front-page worthy." So, the only way to save the stadium security story for front page (the ROTC story was quickly abandoned) was for me to "beef it up."
I didn't know how I would do that, but I worked on it a little and added to it. There. Done.
Except that when I see the front page this morning, the security story is scooted over to the side and the front page package became a story that was mocked even by the desk it came from. Yes, the "Carp(e) diem" story had better pictures. And the headline was funny, normally it would amuse me. But to see a front page package idea for four weeks turn into barely anything in five minutes is a big letdown.
I mean, I didn't personally write either of the stories or take any of the pictures (although I am in the background of the stadium security picture). I don't have that much personally invested in the package. I just thought it was a good idea, and to see everyone suddenly change their minds is frustrating.
(The green shirt on the left? That's me!)
It reminds me of another job I had at BYU. It seemed like all we did was sit in meetings and talk about doing things. But we didn't or couldn't actually do them because we had to come up with something everyone could agree on. Which is fine. But sometimes it seemed like everyone did agree, and then out of nowhere the unanimity would vanish.
I know it's not good to just want to do everything my way. I need to be able to yield to other people's ideas, and not complain.
Something to work on.
Anyway, here's the stadium security story, by Michelle Menezes:
Stadium fans can text for security
And today's front page:
Carp(e) diem: Seizing the fish
2) Two letters to the editor were published today in response to my "Stewart gets serious" viewpoint. They were fine letters, nothing mean or insulting (like I dealt with sometimes during the spring and summer). Just definitely disagreed with me.
Both letters, especially the first one, thought Jon Stewart and I were promoting political inactivity. I don't think that's what we're going for at all. In fact, it's advocating the opposite. The Rally to Restore Sanity isn't about mediocrity, it's for moderation. Jon Stewart does want people to get involved. He just wants them to do it humanely.
The other reaction was something I sort of expected, saying basically that our country is in serious trouble and that we should be passionately fighting against what our government does. I disagree, but people can live in fear if they wish to, I suppose.
Here are the two letters:
Stewart still a joke
(Be sure to read the comment from Will Matheson at the bottom of the page)
Politically aware
1) One of the first stories David and I assigned on the very first day of class was a story about the system in place at LaVell Edwards Stadium for fans to send text messages to stadium security with concerns and issues. We assigned it to a reporter who didn't end up on the sports desk once desk assignments were made, but she still worked on the story and did a pretty good job.
David was the first actually to do the story as a front page package. The new Universe, with the enterprise editor, more involvement from the academic department and other changes, doesn't really do front packages anymore. But we started talking very early on about the story as a package, how to do photos, etc.
Then, another story came in (actually from my COMMS 377 class) that was a profile on the ROTC, and highlighting the ROTC doing pushups at the stadium every time BYU scores and (little known fact) that they are the ones who clean up the stadium after the games.
I thought that would go perfectly with the stadium security story. I forget who brought it up in front page meeting, but it made sense to me. The theme could be something about goings-on at the stadium other than the game itself. Sounded like a good idea to me. And as far as I knew, it was a good idea to everyone else.
But then yesterday in front page meeting, the faith behind the two stories diminished for some reason. First, no one thought the two stories fit together, even though we had been saying they did for some time now. Then, it was determined the ROTC story should wait until there is more photos, even though the photo desk had already found stuff to work with. And, some people thought the stadium security wasn't all that great anyway unless it were "beefed up" a little bit.
I said that I had edited the story and improved it, but I guess it still wasn't "front-page worthy." So, the only way to save the stadium security story for front page (the ROTC story was quickly abandoned) was for me to "beef it up."
I didn't know how I would do that, but I worked on it a little and added to it. There. Done.
Except that when I see the front page this morning, the security story is scooted over to the side and the front page package became a story that was mocked even by the desk it came from. Yes, the "Carp(e) diem" story had better pictures. And the headline was funny, normally it would amuse me. But to see a front page package idea for four weeks turn into barely anything in five minutes is a big letdown.
I mean, I didn't personally write either of the stories or take any of the pictures (although I am in the background of the stadium security picture). I don't have that much personally invested in the package. I just thought it was a good idea, and to see everyone suddenly change their minds is frustrating.
(The green shirt on the left? That's me!)It reminds me of another job I had at BYU. It seemed like all we did was sit in meetings and talk about doing things. But we didn't or couldn't actually do them because we had to come up with something everyone could agree on. Which is fine. But sometimes it seemed like everyone did agree, and then out of nowhere the unanimity would vanish.
I know it's not good to just want to do everything my way. I need to be able to yield to other people's ideas, and not complain.
Something to work on.
Anyway, here's the stadium security story, by Michelle Menezes:
Stadium fans can text for security
And today's front page:
Carp(e) diem: Seizing the fish
2) Two letters to the editor were published today in response to my "Stewart gets serious" viewpoint. They were fine letters, nothing mean or insulting (like I dealt with sometimes during the spring and summer). Just definitely disagreed with me.
Both letters, especially the first one, thought Jon Stewart and I were promoting political inactivity. I don't think that's what we're going for at all. In fact, it's advocating the opposite. The Rally to Restore Sanity isn't about mediocrity, it's for moderation. Jon Stewart does want people to get involved. He just wants them to do it humanely.
The other reaction was something I sort of expected, saying basically that our country is in serious trouble and that we should be passionately fighting against what our government does. I disagree, but people can live in fear if they wish to, I suppose.
Here are the two letters:
Stewart still a joke
(Be sure to read the comment from Will Matheson at the bottom of the page)
Politically aware
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Return to the Opinion Page
Rally to Restore Sanity
Inspiring, no?
For a long time, fans of "The Daily Show" have been waiting for Jon Stewart to make a response to Glenn Beck's rally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Instead of just taking another shot at Beck and the FOX News gang, he's going for something that I think is nobler.
Stewart's announcement was inspiring enough for me to write an opinion column on it. So, thanks to my fellow The Dalles Wahtonka Eagle Indian and friend Jade McDowell, there was a spot for a few words from me.
Stewart gets serious - 'Take it down a notch for America'
Unfortunately, Jade wasn't able to fit everything I wrote. Back when I was in charge of the page, if my viewpoint went a little beyond the 750-word limit I crammed it in anyway. But Jade has had some trouble enforcing the word limit, and I didn't want to receive any special treatment. Well, part of me did, but I understand.
Anyway, here's the "director's cut" version of my column:
Inspiring, no?
For a long time, fans of "The Daily Show" have been waiting for Jon Stewart to make a response to Glenn Beck's rally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Instead of just taking another shot at Beck and the FOX News gang, he's going for something that I think is nobler.
Stewart's announcement was inspiring enough for me to write an opinion column on it. So, thanks to my fellow The Dalles Wahtonka Eagle Indian and friend Jade McDowell, there was a spot for a few words from me.
Stewart gets serious - 'Take it down a notch for America'
Unfortunately, Jade wasn't able to fit everything I wrote. Back when I was in charge of the page, if my viewpoint went a little beyond the 750-word limit I crammed it in anyway. But Jade has had some trouble enforcing the word limit, and I didn't want to receive any special treatment. Well, part of me did, but I understand.
Anyway, here's the "director's cut" version of my column:
Jon Stewart has turned from political humorist to political hero.
Ever since Stewart took over the desk at “The Daily Show” in 1999, he has used his flair for unabashed mockery to expose modern politics and media for what it really is. Even though he regularly calls his show a provider of “fake news,” Stewart and his writers have become increasingly relevant as they ridicule the exploits and errors of politicians and pundits.
After Glenn Beck’s latest hijinks – the extravagant “Restoring Honor” rally held at Abraham Lincoln’s feet, on the anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech – fans of “The Daily Show” have been anticipating an equal and opposite reaction from Stewart. All last week, Stewart and his counterpart Stephen Colbert have been hinting and teasing their audience about a possible retaliation against the continuing Beck phenomenon.
But when the announcement finally came from Stewart, it went beyond satire. This time, it’s serious.
Instead of going the anti-FOX News or anti-Tea Party route, Stewart is taking the opportunity to take on the big picture. His cause evokes neither FOX News nor MSNBC, neither Sarah Palin nor Rahm Emanuel, neither conservatives nor liberals.
“We live in troubled times, with real people facing very real problems, problems that have real, if imperfect, solutions that I believe 70 to 80 percent of our population could agree to try and could ultimately live with,” Stewart said on his show Thursday. “Unfortunately, the conversation and process is controlled by the other 15 to 20 percent.”
His remedy? “The Rally to Restore Sanity,” to take place in Washington , D.C.
Stewart plans on giving a voice to the silent majority. He knows most Americans actually care less about health care reform than they do about getting their kids to soccer practice on time.
“Why don’t we hear from the 70-to-80-percenters?” Stewart asked. “Well, most likely because you have [things] to do.”
Stewart is calling for regular folks to get together and civilly discuss the issues. Instead of resorting to the incessant and wildly provoking extremes shown on the news every day, he is leading a more mundane approach.
“We will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a ‘Million Moderate March,’ where we take to the streets, to send a message to our leaders and our national media that says, ‘We are here, we’re only here though until six because we have a sitter,’” Stewart said.
Stewart is fighting a revolution against radicalism. He knows the rampant and rancorous discord in our country (although it provides plenty of fodder for his comedy) gets nothing done. He would rather promote for common sense.
There will even be protest signs available to any rally goers too busy for elaborate rally preparation. The signs proclaim passionate war cries like, “I disagree with you, but I’m pretty sure you’re not Hitler” and “I’m not afraid of Muslims/Tea Partiers/Socialists/Immigrants/Gun Owners/Gays … But I am scared of spiders.”
Stewart is obviously having some fun here. But the restoration of sanity is something we need now more than ever.
Fearmongers and name-callers may be popular these days. But as Americans, Latter-day Saints or BYU students, we should have higher class than to give ear to their theatrical, pontificated sound bytes. Why do we have to think of our government and society in terms of conspiracies, untruths and gloom and doom? Why can’t we reach for something nobler and enlightening? Why can’t we lift up, instead of tear down?
No one would disagree that our unique LDS community is predominantly Republican. But that doesn’t mean a Democrat in the White House is a sign that the apocalypse is imminent. Taxes may increase, liberal judges may be sworn in or a mosque may be built in Manhattan
The right wing is not the only side that needs to calm down. Progressives should be aware they do not have a monopoly on the answers to today’s questions. Ideas and plans based on traditional values are still viable and not outdated. And at the very least, they should realize a schoolmate uttering “under God” as he recites the Pledge of Allegiance or oil rig worker who still has the gall to “Drill, Baby, Drill” is not actually a personal, mortal threat.
What Stewart wants from you, no matter what your ideology, is fewer knee-jerk rants and more pauses of thoughtful reflection.
“I don’t know, seems like a pretty reasonable request,” Stewart humbly said.
I hope each and every BYU student or alumnus who has the means to accept Stewart’s invitation to march will do so. But even if you are stuck with armchair activism, get ready for some reasoning and moderation that – if allowed to do so – will save the country.
J.J. Despain won’t be able to make it to Washington , D.C.
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