I realized the predicament the Republican Party was in when I got into a heated conversation with a close relative.  I had just read James McPherson’s Pulitzer-winning book Battle Cry of Freedom and was curious to find out what side a close relative sided with.  

"How can you not side with Lincoln?" pointing out Lincoln's accomplishments.  “Would you rather have our great nation divided into fifty countries?”

To my astonishment my question was met with a resounding, “Yes!”

Over the weekend, I — like many of you, undoubtedly — witnessed a lot of reactions to the Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality. I’m sure many of your Facebook feeds looked similar to mine: lots of rainbow-tinted profile pictures, neutral posts by people who are happy for those who achieved marriage equality, and scorn.

The foods we choose to eat are a product of our culture. The best parts of holidays and family gatherings are often meal times. And when we think of a holiday, we often think of the foods that accompany them: Thanksgiving and turkeys, Christmas and roasts, Memorial Day and barbecues. With the 4th of July this week, grocery stores across the nation are rapidly stocking hamburgers and hot dogs to meet the demand. Nonetheless, there are three important reasons why you should consider significantly cutting back your meat consumption, now.

Today’s Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage will undoubtedly cause all kinds of emotions from people of all walks of life. Some will celebrate, and some will not.

Contact:

Kersten Swinyard
[email protected]
801.231.9425

Crystal Young-Otterstrom
[email protected] or [email protected] 
801.652.0737

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 26, 2015

LDS Dems Stand for Marriage, Applaud SCOTUS

SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Democrats caucus of the Utah Democratic Party joins broader celebrations Friday in support of the Supreme Court decision Friday allowing same-sex marriage nationwide. In doing so, the caucus reiterates the importance of the separation of church and state and adds a call that the rights of a religion to define marriage for its own members remain inviolable. 

The supreme court has issued a fourth major ruling on the Affordable Care Act, A.K.A. Obamacare. Today I want to explain what each of those major ruling was about, where those ruling leave us today, and what action we can take in relation to those rulings.

Today’s 6-3 Supreme Court ruling in King v. Burwell means that health insurance subsidies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can and will continue, and it’s an understatement to say that that’s wonderful news. 

I've been thinking about Eric's post since last night. Eric talks persuasively about not letting the furor over the Confederate flag distract us from gun rights. At the same time, the sea change in popular opinion and establishment acceptance of the CSA's battle flag is crucial and a major victory for the United States.

In the Proclamation On The Family, the First Presidency declared:

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

Many members of the LDS Church interpret this to refer only to the protection of traditional family units by preventing homosexual marriage. I believe this can and should be interpreted as a much broader statement. There are numerous other areas where family-strengthening policies can be implemented. These might include:

I am currently sitting at my desk listening to the most recent installment of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast interview with President Obama.