Very OK Person

Can't stop thinking about that #StarTrek #TNG episode where a whole race of aliens were addicted to lentils.

@BradWitbeck I love that video for the production values alone.

No, "Mormons" aren't racist. In this lovely little clip, Matt and Joe got an enormous amount of stuff wrong about my Church and my faith. For starters, they're framing the Church as currently racist based on now disavowed and speculative explanations regarding race. Their clip doesn't even do the courtesy of mentioning that it was explicitly disavowed, let alone grapple with how it is actually contradicted by Book of Mormon teachings that all are alike unto God. Also the cursing in the Book of Mormon has nothing to do with Africans and the Book of Mormon itself had nothing to do with the priesthood ban—It talks about a curse of darkness on the Lamanites who were understood as forefathers of Native Americans, who were allowed to hold the priesthood. I suspect they leave this out because they want to paint the Book of Mormon itself as racist—either that or they just really, really don't know what they're talking about. Also, it's worth noting that the way the Book of Mormon talks about the "curse of darkness" fits in remarkably well with ancient near eastern idiomatic expressions people would use to describe their enemies and themselves. They would describe themselves as white and pure and their enemies as dark and loathsome, not necessarily as a racial thing like how we might be prone to interpret it today. The curse of Ham idea also doesn't originate from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints like they implied. It predates the existence of the Church, and it actually looks like it came back into the Church from other Protestant groups, coupled with a misunderstanding of why Joseph told Zebedee Coltrin not to baptize slaves while he was a missionary. They completely leave out any nuance surrounding things like black people who actually did hold the priesthood during the time of Joseph, like Elijah Able and Kwaku Walker Lewis. Joe Heschmeyer also presents the idea that the priesthood ban was never questioned until the issues they mention in Brazil came up, which is patently false, with Lorenzo Snow having had questions regarding it back in 1849. It's not like this sat right with every church member until suddenly they needed priesthood holders in Brazil so they changed it for convenience. That probably was an influencing factor in the end, but presenting it as the sole reason is very misleading. Now, I'm not writing all this to say that the Church has never had issues on this subject, and there's plenty to look into and try to understand the reality of the Church's history with race relations. I just think they went about this in a wildly irresponsible way. Heck, Joseph Smith ran for president on a platform opposed to slavery, and was recently recognized as "Lincoln before Lincoln" by Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., at the unveiling of a painting of Joseph that's now hanging at Morehouse College. IMO, these guys are clearly agenda driven to just smear the Church as much as possible in their review of this Godmakers clip. Sorry this got long, but this is kind of a "I don't even have time to tell you how wrong you are... actually, it's gonna bug me if I don't." situation 😂

@philipaklein Why would you tag the wall like that?

This was just sent to me — taken this morning in Sherman Oaks, one of the most Jewish neighborhoods in LA.

@ElectBlakeMoore The Democrats appreciate all your hard work in handing the first district to them.

Thank you for your service and your trust, Matt!

@TaylorPetrey Dude go be gay somewhere else

It is problematic that the Church requires greater levels of formal repentance for people who have a coffee habit than those who expressly align with white supremacy, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and ethnic cleansing. Kai Shwemmer represents the worst of Latter-day Saints. 1/

@KaiSchwemmer Lol

Very important input! Thank you Mr. Petrey, author of *checks notes* “Queering Kinship in the Mormon Cosmos”

@RepBlakeMoore Thank you for handing the new first district over to the Democrats.

I’m immensely proud to represent one of the most religious and charitable states in the nation—and that overlap is no coincidence. Churches across our state and country contribute billions of dollars to the economy by providing health care, housing, and a wide range of social services. They also strengthen our communities by helping Americans find purpose and meaning. I’m excited to introduce the Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act, which protects religious beliefs and practices and prevents the government from weaponizing tax-exempt status or federal funding eligibility against these organizations. blakemoore.house.gov/media/press-re…

@mattforney Did she ever get thunder fisted like she dreamed of?

Wrong. This woman killed New Atheism. If you're not familiar with Rebecca Watson, she's a tenth-tier atheist blogger who kicked up a stink back in 2011 when she went to an atheist conference in Dublin and some dude hit on her in the elevator. She ranted endlessly about how "creepy" he was and how "unsafe" being asked out on a date made her feel and the incident was dubbed "Elevatorgate." Richard Dawkins waded into the fracas and suggested that being hit on in an elevator wasn't the end of the world. He asked you out, Becky, you weren't interested, end of. This caused everyone to FREAK OUT at Dawkins' "misogyny" and about the supposed problem with "misogyny" in atheism in general, leading large numbers of prominent atheists such as PZ Myers and Jen McCreight to split off into Atheism Plus. Atheism Plus was atheism with a rape whistle, its adherents more focused on fighting da patriarchy then with stuff that...actually has to do with atheism. That's why atheism collapsed in on itself as a sociopolitical force. The left, per usual, ate themselves alive.

@Ninjago9101 N

Crimson Desert Detail: If you drop your loot in Crimson Desert, nearby NPCs will pick it up and start taking everything 😭

@TexChatham @OfAthenry And Nirvana.

@OfAthenry I’d add Pearl Jam, Dave Mathews, Queen, Rage, Green Day, Kenny Chesney and that pos Garth to that list.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are not good, and I'm tired of people pretending that they are.

@jkimballcook What's an extremist?

lol yes they are I appreciate the sentiment, but the GOP has absolutely been co-opted by populists and extremists

@FC121712 @QuiverQuant Derrrrrr

@QuiverQuant Impeach trump and save the stock market

JUST IN: Polymarket is now pricing in a 58% chance the Democrats win the 2028 presidential election.

@DChadwickAuthor K

Why am I so invested in Israel if I’m a non-Jew or non-Israeli? I spent years in Israel as an adolescent and experienced what goes on their firsthand. I rode Jerusalem city buses to school at the height of the first intifada. It’s a bizarre thing to sit next to a fully armed Israeli soldier and also realize that you could blow up at any moment just for existing. I also served in the United States Army during the war on terror after 9/11. It was strange to me that to see that we were fighting the same enemy the Israelis were, that that enemy had made clear what its intentions were on 9/11, and yet… the American people couldn’t seem to make the connection that the enemies of Israel and the enemies of the United States are one and the same. So when people say America First, they don’t realize that without Israel as the vanguard, fighting the enemy every day… we’d probably have a lot more 9/11s. And they’d probably be a lot worse.

@ElectBlakeMoore You gave the Democrats a house seat.

The Great Salt Lake is one of Utah’s most important natural resources, and protecting it is a top priority. That’s why I sponsored and passed the Saline Lake Ecosystems Act to establish a scientific monitoring program that helps us better understand and protect saline lake ecosystems like the Great Salt Lake. Good policy starts with good science, and we are delivering real Utah solutions to protect our environment, strengthen our economy, and secure our future. We are also seeing strong leadership across our state. We are grateful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, among others, for stepping up with more than 21,000 acre feet in water donations, long term leases, and major investments in smart irrigation and waterwise landscaping that will save hundreds of millions of gallons each year. This is what Utah leadership looks like. Real action, real results, and a commitment to protect what makes our state so unique.

@disagreebutter @extradeadjcb I hate to blackpill on this, but between the boomers and the establishment Mormons, I'm positive Blake will keep his seat in the new District 2.

@extradeadjcb Hold up...

He's not even remotely afraid of the voters He's running for another house seat, after giving his own away He needs to be utterly humiliated

@CorpseKings I think it's just okay.

Seeing this book come up a lot. Is the hype for real?

@QTRBlackGarrett I'm halfway through this book. I find it schlocky and a bit trite.

Holy fuck I’m only 5 chapters in. Biblical demons, the plague, disgraced knight with heart of gold deep deep down. Grounded Dark Fantasy to the max. I don’t even want to describe the first battle. Just read it

@CelesteMaloyUT Oh my God shut up RINO.

I am disappointed to see that the people’s voice will be stifled this November. The repeal of Prop 4 should be on the ballot to give Utahns a choice on how districts are drawn. I want to thank those who spent hours and hours working to get this on the ballot. I appreciate the efforts of @UtahCollegeReps and @UtahGOP who worked day and night to give Utahns a choice.

Yes! Our supermajority GOP Senate thinks we elected them to unanimously approve woke judges The leader of the Senate sh*tshow is @JStuartAdams If you’re a delegate, you can unseat him this year. On top of confirming bad judges, he protects rapists when they are related to him

@GrindeOptions This is bait and I'm falling for it.

Iran will lose war, U.S. will declare victory. Oil will drop to around $60/barrel. The Dow will surpass 50,000. The S&P 500 will surpass 7,500. Interest rates will be cut 3-4 times. The 10 year interest rate will fall. Unemployment will drop below 4%. Republicans will win mid terms.