General Conference, the HRC and Suicides....

After Elder Packer's....eh hem...words about homosexuality, gay marriage and whatever at Conference on Sunday, coupled with the recent run of suicides of young gay men, and of course all the Prop 8 hoopla, you can bet that Joe Solomese and HRC had something to say about it.

I got a mailer in my inbox from Joe yesterday which led me to read/listen to Boyd's...eh hem...words, which led me to post this on Facebook yesterday:

"Trying to decide who's better at inciting anger, spreading pain and just making me plain sad- Joe Solomese of the HRC or Boyd K. Packer of the 12. I think its a tie..."


I got several responses and "thumbs-up-likes", but one friend from the Holy Western Valleys with whom I've had little contact sent this:

"If you know they incite those kind of feelings, why listen to them in the first place?"

It was quickly deleted by the friend, however. I only saw it because Facebook sends immediate updates to my Blackberry every time anything happens on Facebook. Thank. God.

Anyway, I decided to respond anyway and sent this:

" I got your message on facebook, it was sent to my email account, but I see you must have deleted it from my page. I'm assuming you thought better of it, but I wanted to respond quickly anyway. Your comment was so short and brief that it would be impossible for me to genuinely discern its true intent--whether it was meant as a rebuke, as a snide and terse remark, or as a sincere question. Because of its hasty removal, I feel compelled to think it was one of the former and your better judgment dictated you delete it. Despite this, I want to respond to it as a sincere question--I listen for 3 simple reasons: 1) because in this information laden age and culture it is next to impossible not to hear unpleasant, angering or saddening things about topics you care about; 2) because words spoken- thoughts and ideas shared- have consequences, they reverberate and send ripples through lives and I believe strongly that those consequences should and must be made known and 3) I listen in the, lets face it, rather dim hope that someone with whom I disagree may say something which will help me understand the troubled and beautiful world in which we all live a little better!"

You can read the HRC letter here (its actually the press release, and a little less emotive and carefully worded than the mailer Joe sent)

And of course, you can read, watch or listen to Elder Packer's...eh hem...words at lds.org

Am I wrong to listen? Wrong to comment? Wrong to care?

Save The Great Lakes!!!!

Invasive Asian Carp Reach Great Lakes

Brilliant!!!!