DesNews editorial on BKP talk and reaction

[Surfah]

There's a good chance that Anderson Cooper's producers are considering this a story for his program. Anderson has been doing a special on gays and bullying, and this situation could easily be brought into that context.

Did he come out yet?

[Indy Coug]

We probably won't bother sending any letters, but I think it's a perfectly fine idea for those that would like to express their appreciation for his decades of tireless service.

[TripletDaddy]

There is some character on that facebook page posting repeatedly as Joseph Smith.

His latest offering:

Joseph Smith: my homey boyd just sayin it how it is son! you gotta problem, take it up with me. the J-O-E!
4 minutes ago · Comment · Like · Flag

[woot]

It seems quite silly to send a crusty old man letter of support or protest. He's not going to change his mind. Sending them to the church or sending letters to news stations seems fine, but seriously, what does anyone hope to gain by sending them to him directly?

[Indy Coug]

Sending them to the church or sending letters to news stations seems fine, but seriously, what does anyone hope to gain by sending them to him directly?

A warm place in their heart?

[Sleeping in EQ]

There's also a good chance that Glenn Beck's producers are considering the story for Glenn's program.

[Portland Ute]

There's also a good chance that Glenn Beck's producers are considering the story for Glenn's program.

Ugh.

[Indy Coug]

There's also a good chance that Glenn Beck's producers are considering the story for Glenn's program.

Is this idle speculation, or based on inside info?

[PaloAltoCougar]

I find the pre-printed closing salutation, "Love, ..." particularly touching.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Is this idle speculation, or based on inside info?

I have some mid-level connections at CNN and Fox, but no one close to these programs.

The story is bullish in terms of news values, though. It's timely, controversial, out on the AP wire, on the back pages of major news sites, getting plenty of clicks, and being pushed toward the media by activists. All it will take is one of the big programs to pick it up and it will be drawn into the national conversation (i.e. shouting match).

If you want the story to stay on the back pages, pray that the miners being rescued story stays relevant for a few days, or that a big story breaks.

[statman]

I think it's the "afflicted with..." part of it that some people find offensive.

Except, talk to an active LDS gay male who has same-sex-attraction, but never has acted on it. He'll tell you it's an affliction. Nothing that he asked for, wished he had, did anything wrong to get, and generally he'll tell you he was just "born this way."

The ridiculously hard part is that if you just say 'screw the gospel, screw my testimony, nothing is worth this' - it's no longer an affliction. It's only an affliction so long as you feel you have to fight against it.

It's a sad, sad situation to be in. I have utmost respect for those who remain faithful to their covenants uder such pressure. And much more compassion for those who don't than I do for most of the other straight folks who fall away. Most of that group don't make a conscious decision to leave the Church. Although, I'd wager that most of that group never had real testimonies to begin with.

(I just had my 25th anniversary missionary reunion. My MP gave a talk about finding those whom we'd served with and bringing them back to the fold. After the festivities, a bunch of us gathered to discuss things and the topic of those who'd "fallen away" came up. A few I was surprised at, but most I thought had never really been a part of "the fold" in the first place. The most saddening cases were the ones whom no one thought were not "of the fold" who consciously decided to leave because they were gay...)

[statman]

I don't know how all of the Q of the 12 prepare their talks, but I do know that I have an uncle who is not a GA - he's a writer - used to write for the Des News and Church News - has regularly helped one of the 12 write his books and his talks. I suspect others do, as well.

So it's possible that while the ideas and the principles in the talk are from the 12, some of the wording is by someone else - and it's possible that its possible impact was not fully appreciated.

If Elder Packer has a ghost writer who's very right-wing politically (yeah, a stretch I know), things could find their way into his talks that he might not have said in the same way on his own.

I too have an uncle who's an emeritus seventy. He would write first versions of conference talks for a number of the 12 - including a few in the last couple years after his emeritus status. They'd add their own stories/anecdotes, and sometimes change things a bit, but mostly, the order, flow and logic of the talks, and the words selected, were his...

[Jeff Lebowski]

http://scriptures4kids.com/

It appears that the coloring kit has been a hit:

[SuperGabers]

It appears that the coloring kit has been a hit:

OMG! LOVE IT!

[wuapinmon]

It appears that the coloring kit has been a hit:

That looks like Roger Ebert.