Why Should We Keep Personal Journals?

Families and communities are stronger when individuals maintain personal journals. My family has much more information about my father than we do about my mother because Dad wrote his personal history, and Mom did not. Much of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was written and corrected due to personal journal entries about historical events.

President Spencer W. Kimball is well-known for his journal keeping, and he spoke or wrote about keeping journal on several occasions. In his article “The Angels May Quote from It” (New Era, Oct. 1975), President Kimball wrote the follow to remind us of the importance of keeping journals. 

“The Lord Jesus Christ Himself emphasized the great importance of record keeping to the Nephites and Lamanites.” Christ asked the people why the fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecies about the resurrection had not been recorded. “And Jesus said unto them, How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.” (3 Ne. 23:6-13; italics added).

In the same article, President Kimball gave counsel about how to start journal keeping, something even young children can do.

Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events.

President Kimball again wrote about keeping journals in his article “President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals,” New Eras, Dec. 1980, 27). He cautioned us about discounting how important the details of our lives that we consider to be “monotonous” will be to our posterity. 

People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations.”

The life of every individual is valuable to someone. It may be parents or siblings, children or grandchildren. Wise parents will keep their own personal journal and then encourage their children to do the same. By doing so, they can strengthen their extended family and their community. 

What Is the Truth About January 6th?

Four years plus a few days have passed since the Capitol riots took place on January 6, 2021. Democrats and Left-leaning news organizations have reminded Americans of the riots often in recent days. Democrats even went as far as to allow the certificates for all states to be certified without even a whimper – something that has not happened for numerous years.

The Electoral College results were certified without any problems – smooth as silk. It was obviously an act by Democrats to show that they are more responsible than Republicans. We will see how they act on January 6, 2029.

Meanwhile, the Blaze TV Staff published an article exposing five lies about January 6, 2021. It is well known that “Democrats and the legacy media have used the event to label Trump and his supporters as violent and anti-democratic, to convince the nation that Trump intentionally incited an insurrection to overturn the election results, and to rewrite history by claiming that it was ‘the darkest day’ America has ever seen.” 

Hundreds of Americans have been in prison because Democrats, Liz Cheney, and the lamestream media lied about January 6, 2021. Truth has a way of coming out of darkness, and the “narrative surrounding January 6 has been unraveling” under increased scrutiny. With increased sunshine showing on the situation, Americans now know that “nearly everything we’ve been told about January 6 is a lie.”

Glenn Beck exposes all the facets of the J6 narrative as the egregious fabrications they are.

These “bombshells” of information that disprove the J6 narrative are what should formulate the true “message of January 6,” says Glenn.

What’s the message then?

That what really happened on January 6 reveals “the truth about our government, its accountability, and the lengths that it will go to preserve its version of a story even when it is all a lie,” says Glenn.

1. Pipe bomb lies

In the afternoon of January 6, 2021, Americans were warned that two pipe bombs capable of causing “catastrophic harm” were found near the RNC and DNC headquarters….

“Now we know the investigation into these bombs was woefully insufficient. …

Surveillance footage was ignored, cameras were turned off just hours before the pipe bomb was laid, cell phone data in both places, we were told, was corrupted,” Glenn explains. The truth is, “The only thing that was corrupted was our own government and FBI.”

Bombshell reports have since revealed that “the data was not corrupted according to the cell phone companies; they were never asked to turn over the information to the FBI. … Critical leads went unpursued,” and because of this, “Four years later, questions about the bomber’s identity still remain unanswered,” says Glenn….

2. FBI informants

We also know as a fact now that 26 FBI informants were on the Capitol grounds that day but didn’t actually enter the building.

“What were they doing there? Were they infiltrating the crowd? Were they guiding its behavior? Were they acting as provocators?” asks Glenn, adding that “the presence [of these 26 informants] raises troubling concerns about how much of January 6 was actually organic and how much was orchestrated.”

3. Pelosi and media squashed Trump’s authorization of National Guard.

It has now been verified as fact that two days prior to January 6, Donald Trump indeed “authorized the deployment of the National Guard, citing concerns over potential unrest at the Capitol on January 6.”

However, his concerns went ignored.

“His offer was rebuffed by Nancy Pelosi and the Capitol police,” says Glenn, asking, “Who in the chain of command chose to disregard this presidential directive?”

Then the mainstream media ignored Trump’s offers to deploy the National Guard and instead blasted out the narrative that he “wanted the chaos.” …

4. Death of Ashli Babbitt

Ashli Babbitt, “a decorated Air Force veteran … was shot and killed on live TV by a Capitol police officer while attempting to climb through a broken window.”

And yet, “Her death was ruled justified almost immediately.”

However, bombshell reporting has since revealed that the officer who killed her, who’s long been shielded from scrutiny and hailed as a hero, actually “violated multiple procedural rules” and “is now under investigation for misconduct so severe it could lead to criminal charges,” says Glenn. “[Ashli’s] story was buried under a mountain of political narratives.”

5. Tech allies offer up data to weaponized justice system.

Glenn reveals how our corrupt justice system utilized its “allies in social media” and “high-tech global corporations” to obtain “location data” on individuals who were simply in Washington, D.C., on January 6 and use it for political persecution.

“January 6 wasn’t about Trump supporters or Democrats in the media. It was about a system that thrives on division and chaos – a system that uses fear to control us,” he explains, asking, “If federal agencies can lie, manipulate, and withhold the truth about January 6, what are they not capable of doing?”

You can hear more of Glenn’s analysis by following this link to watch his clip. 

How Is the Presidential Vote Finalized?

On November 5, 2024, American citizens voted for their choice as President and Vice President of the United States. In case of any disputes about the election, federal law requires all states to settle all disputes and choose their electors at least six days before members of the Electoral College meet in person. The Electoral College met on December 17, 2024, and Donald Trump and JD Vance received 312 votes, far more than the required 170 votes.

Federal statute also requires states to deliver the certified results of their elections to Congress by either direct mail or by messenger. The Twelfth Amendment requires a joint session of Congress to be held on January 6 “to count the electoral votes and to declare the winners of the presidential election.” If there is a delay to the process and the process is not finished by January 20, the Speaker of the House of Representatives “would serve as president until Congress certifies a winner of the presidential election.”

Congressional members met on Monday in a joint session, and Vice President Kamala Harris, as President of the Senate, presided over the meeting. The sealed certificates from each state were presented, and Harris declared Donald J. Trump to be the next President of the United States. He will be inaugurated on January 20, 2025, along with his Vice President JD Vance.

 

How Essential Is Public Higher Education?

At a time when many people are criticizing higher education, Michael Kofoed is emphasizing the value of public higher education. Kofoed is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a research fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics. 

In his article titled “Perspective: The enduring value of public higher education,” Kofoed described how public higher education began with the passing of the Morrill Land Grant College Act, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War and the GI Bill given to veterans returning from World War II.

The Morrill Land Grant College Act gave states parcels of federal land that the states could then sell to endow new universities that would focus on agriculture and engineering. This expansion of higher education ensured that the citizens of each state would have a university to gain an education, increase their employment opportunities and access applied research to generate economic growth. Communities such as Ames, Stillwater, Logan and Knoxville would soon have libraries that would rival those of ancient Alexandria and Rome.

Public higher education would expand again when veterans from World War II returned home armed with the newly passed GI Bill. This boost in financial aid for much of the middle class increased enrollments and made a university education accessible to more than the gentry class. The GI Bill was incredibly timely given the dramatic shift in the economy from a manufacturing base to a skills and ideas powered economy.

Higher education is one of the crown jewels of American institutions. It’s also one of our greatest exports as students from across the globe come here to study, more than a million in school year 2023-24.

However, like all institutions, higher education is not perfect. Recent polling shows that trust in higher education has fallen dramatically, but it’s important to remember three important facts about a college education.

First, college graduates do dramatically better in the labor market. Economists estimate that bachelor’s degree holders earned 88% more (nearly a doubling) in 2021 than those with a two-year degree or only a high school diploma, and this gap is set to widen. Some worry that too many students attend college, and student debt is a real problem, but researchers show that even a modest increase in the share of college graduates would dramatically decrease the share of low-income families….

Public institutions are especially effective at boosting income mobility….

However, public regional universities … enroll students mainly from the working and lower classes and place them in even higher paying jobs than their parents….

Second, public higher education not only serves those who attend their campuses. College education results in stronger families, better health and more pro-social behavior. College graduates also are more likely to vote and be engaged civically.

Finally, research from public higher education creates jobs and economic activity of the future. Medical schools are searching for a cure for cancer. Humanities document and preserve the arts and literature. STEM and agriculture departments create technologies to improve our lifestyles and feed our country. Even being located near a land-grant college creates spillovers that improve worker productivity and raise tax revenues. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found that, in Utah, for example, one dollar of higher education investment boosts tax revenues by three dollars.

I have long been a proponent of higher education. I worked to put my husband through his last two years of college. I began when my children were young to tell them that education was their work and that they needed to prepare themselves to attend college. Now I have a husband with a bachelor’s degree and six children and five children by marriage with bachelor’s and master’s degrees and two doctorate degrees.

By the end of this semester, I will have a bachelor’s degree. As you can see, my family is highly educated and has enjoyed high job security, mobility, and financial benefits. We follow the admonition of God to be life-long learners.

Nevertheless, I recognize the great need for people who are trained in carpentry, car repair, plumbing, and other trades. I know that a university education is not for all people, but I also know that such education brings the benefits listed above.

Who Is Pete Hegseth?

Pete Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump nominee for secretary of defense. According to Captain Douglas J. Ernest, (U.S. Army, retired), Hegseth’s nomination “offers a transformational opportunity for the United States and the world.” His reasons for Hegseth’s confirmation continue as follow.

… At a time when the global stage is fraught with unprecedented challenges, with wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza, mounting threats from Iran, and widespread geopolitical instability, America requires a leader with vision, patriotism, and adroitness, and with a heightened sense of duty to navigate these intricacies.

Hegseth, a decorated soldier, combat veteran, advocate for conservative governance, and charismatic leader, epitomizes the multidimensional qualities necessary to spearhead a paradigm shift toward global peace and security. The reasons for confirming this nomination are compelling.

As the quintessential warrior to lead the nation’s military, with an outstanding service record and the ability to restore military strength, Pete will lead form the front the Trump administration policy “America First,” with a vision to end global conflicts and guide the military toward peace through strength and strategic excellence.

Today’s global environment is one of asymmetry and uncertainty. Under the current leadership …, the United States has spiraled downward to a nation that is no longer respected on the global stage nor capable of leading other countries to peace….

In the wake of this failure, other crises have spiraled farther out of control, including the unprovoked attack on Israel and devastation in Gaza, the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has left hundreds of thousands of casualties, and Iran’s heightened belligerence. The secretary of defense has a difficult task at hand to restore America’s standing as a global leader.

Ernest discussed numerous problems caused by the lack of leadership skills in the current leaders. Among them were the Afghanistan withdrawal and the handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Then he continued his reasons for why America needs Hegseth to become the secretary of defense.

Yet in this nascent chapter of history, Hegseth’s nomination offers a serendipitous opportunity for transformational impact. This appointment signals a chance to recalibrate America’s global posture to keep the nation safe form current and potential enemies as the U.S. strengthens the resolve to lead the way to international peace and prosperity.

The U.S. has 1.3 million active-duty soldiers and 800,000 reservists, and Hegseth will lead them. Major Hegseth’s credentials corroborate his suitability for this monumental task. A Princeton-educated undergraduate with a master’s in public policy from Harvard, he embodies the duality of intellectual rigor and battlefield experience. His military service spans deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has earned the coveted Combat Infantry Badge, two Bronze Stars, and two Army Commendation Medals for valor….

Beyond the battlefield, Pete has fought tirelessly in advocacy for those who serve. As the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America, Hegseth has worked to improve transparency, increase output, and decrease wasteful bureaucratic investment within the VA system. These efforts underscore a commitment to the ethos of servant leadership, an indispensable trait for guiding America’s military toward a more parsimonious and effective model to decrease the massive waste of America’s taxpayer dollars in the name of inefficient bureaucracy.

The “peace through strength” philosophy aligns military power with the inevitability of global stability. A call for stringent measures to bolster recruitment and retention addresses areas that need more attention…. Military enlistment is down by 40% … exacerbated by misguided, unfair, illogical experimental programs and inadequate support structures for those who risk their lives and serve as patriots.

The proposed approach to these challenges is triangulated: enhancing service members’ quality of life through dismantling these losing experimental programs that decrease morale; streamlining operational strategies to increase resource use efficiency; and reinvigorating the spirit of patriotism that inspires young Americans to serve.

Pete understands the geopolitical dimensions of modern warfare with principled stances against authoritarianism, learned both by being on the battlefield and in U.S. upper-echelon educational classrooms….

There is an underlying call from Americans to bring peace to the global conflicts that destroy the lives of millions who suffer from botched U.S. foreign policy decisions, and America needs a warrior to answer that call….

In conclusion, Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense represents a pivotal moment for the United States. Significant accomplishments in military service, advocacy for military members and veterans, and a well-thought-out leadership position make this leader the foremost candidate to guide the Pentagon through these tumultuous times. By embracing a triangulated approach to military strategy, diplomacy, and innovation, a paradigm shift can be spearheaded that prioritizes global peace and security.

This appointment is not merely a choice but an imperative that ensures America remains a beacon of strength and stability in an increasingly volatile world. Strong support for this America First policy is critical. Americans have made the call to appoint a leader to tackle the inevitable challenges that lie ahead, and we demand a leader with the adroitness, vision, and resolve to navigate them. Pete Hegseth is that leader.

How Should America Bring A Decrease in Alcohol Consumption?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns a freedom that is not even mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. However, it is mentioned in a round-a-bout way in the Declaration of Independence in these famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….”

All Americans claim their right to have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” [better known as the opportunity to own property]. Yet, this right is sacrificed at the altar of another freedom – the freedom to take into our bodies whatever we choose to eat, drink, or use.

On February 27, 1833, at Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith a revelation known as the Word of Wisdom. This revelation is now known as Doctrine and Covenants 89 and is known as “a principle with promise” (verse 3).

4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation –

5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.

7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.

The principle for health is right there in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: wine or strong drinks are not good for the belly but are valuable for cleansing the body of germs. The Lord did allow the Saints to use grape juice for their sacrament service, but the grape juice was to be pure and homemade. The practice of using grape juice in sacrament meeting ended at least 80 years ago.

The above counsel to abstain from wine and strong drink was given 192 years ago by the Lord. Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the connection between alcohol consumption and the increased risk of at least seven types of cancer. He wants a cancer warning to be included on the labels of alcohol. Lois M. Collins has been reporting for a long time at the Deseret News about health, parenting, aging, and policy. 

Imbibing is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity, raising the risk of at least seven different types of cancer, according to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who said most Americans don’t recognize the danger.

Friday, Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, outlining the link and calling for warning labels about cancer on alcoholic beverages.

There is a “well-established, direct link” for at least seven types of cancer: cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box, per the advisory. That risk increases regardless of the type of alcohol consumed. The advisory. The advisory reported that 16.4% of breast cancer cases can be laid at the door of alcohol consumption, for example.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Vivek said in a news release. “This advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that “for certain cancers, like breast, mouth and throat cancers, evidence shows that the risk of developing cancer may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day,” per the advisory. “An individual’s risk of developing cancer due to alcohol consumption is determined by a complex interaction of biological, environmental, social and economic factors.”

The advisory notes 741,300 cancer cases worldwide were attributable to alcohol in 2020. Of those, 185,100 cancers were diagnosed in people who had two or fewer drinks per day. A standard drink in the U.S. has 14 grams of pure alcohol and would include 5 fluid ounces of wine, 12 of beer or 1.5 of liquor.

Advisories are public statements “reserved for significant health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action,” the release said….

A survey conducted by the American Institute for Cancer Research in 2019 among U.S. adults 18 and older found that 91% knew that radiation increases cancer risk and 89% recognized that was true for tobacco. It found 81% knew asbestos raised the risk, as did 53% regarding obesity. But just 45% knew that alcohol increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

The advisory notes that the World Health Organization and its International Agency for Research on Cancer consider alcohol a Group 1 carcinogen, its “highest level of classification” for something causing cancer in humans. Tobacco, asbestos and formaldehyde are all among Group 1 carcinogens.

The advisory included information about how alcohol causes cancer and said that alcohol contains “four cancer-causing mechanisms.”

·         “Alcohol breaks down acetaldehyde, a metabolite that binds to and damages DNA, which can allow a cell to grow uncontrollably and create a tumor.”

·         “Alcohol increases inflammation and may harm DNA, proteins and lipids through oxidation.”

·         “Alcohol messes with hormone levels including estrogen, which can lead to breast cancer.”

·         “Other carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, can dissolve in alcohol, ‘making it easier for them to be absorbed into the body, increasing the risk for mouth and throat cancers.’”

Collins’ article noted that there have been other health warnings on alcoholic beverages since 1988. One health warning says that women should not “drink alcohol while pregnant because of the risk of birth defects.” Another warning states that “drinking impairs ability to drive or operate machinery and can cause health problems.”

According to Collins, “Murthy wants Congress to change the label statement to include a warning about the cancer risk,” and the “report notes that 47 countries require alcohol warning labels related to health and safety and that South Korea requires a cancer-specific warning.” The advisory is also calling for the labels on alcoholic beverages to be “clear as far as cancer risk” and “more visible and prominent.”

In addition, the advisory calls “for a reassessment of recommended limits for alcohol consumption based on the latest evidence on alcohol and cancer risk.” It also calls for “expanded education to increase general awareness of the link between cancer and alcohol.” The types of education should include more discussion between health care providers and patients about the link between cancer and alcohol. Encouragement to decrease alcohol consumption should become popular.

 

What Is Taught in the Proclamation on the Restoration?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published this proclamation under the authority of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was presented to members of the Church of Jesus Christ and the world during the April 2020 General Conference.

The lesson was titled “The Promised Restoration Goes Forward – The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

How do you commemorate the 200th anniversary of an event that changed the world? That’s the question the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pondered as April 2020 approached, marking 200 years since Joseph Smith’s First Vision. “We wondered if a monument should be erected,” President Russell M. Nelson recalled. “But as we considered the unique historic and international impact of that First Vision, we felt impressed to create a monument not of granite or stone but of words … , not to be carved in ‘tables of stone’ but rather to be etched in the ‘fleshy tables’ of our hearts [2 Corinthians 3:3]” (“Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 90).

The monument of words they created is titled “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World.” It’s a monument not just to the First Vision but also to everything Jesus Christ has done—and is still doing—since then. The Restoration of His gospel started when one person turned to God and heard Him. It continues that same way: one heart, one sacred experience at a time—including yours.

Through my studies, I discovered the following principles in the proclamation: (1) “God loves His children in every nation of the world,” (2) The Restoration began with an answer to a question, (3) Jesus Christ has restored His Church, (4) “The promised Restoration goes forward,” and (5) “The heavens are open.”

The Church of Jesus Christ teaches in numerous ways that “God loves His children in every nation of the world,” so it is only natural that this proclamation begins with a statement about God’s love. We are all brothers and sisters, no matter the color of our skin, our ethnicity, nationality, country of origin, age, or sex. He wants all of His children to return to His presence.

The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ began with a question and God’s answer to it. The question asked by teenaged Joseph Smith was, “which church should I join?” In answer to his question, Joseph was blessed with an experience known as the First Vision in which he saw and conversed with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Joseph’s experience testifies that God hears and answers prayers – even though His answers are not usually so powerful.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restoration of Christ’s New Testament Church. Here are a few features of the New Testament Church that was restored in our day.

·         Jesus Christ told His apostles that His Church is built on revelation from God and that His apostles hold the keys to seal or lose on earth and in heaven. (See Matthew 16:15-19.) Moses, Elias, and Elijah restored priesthood keys to earth. (See Doctrine and Covenants 110:11-16).

·         Jesus Christ told His apostles to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” and that signs would follow them. (See Mark 16:15-18.) Today missionaries are sent to preach the gospel to all the world and signs follow them. (See Doctrine and Covenants 84:64-72.)

·         Jesus Christ prayed all night before selecting His apostles. (See Luke 6:12-13.) Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were given the assignment to seek the Twelve Apostles. (See D&C 18:37-38.)

·         Members of the New Testament Church lived the Law of Consecration. (See Acts 4:34-35.) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covenant to live the Law of Consecration and have all things equal among them. (See Doctrine and Covenants 70:14.)

·         Members of the New Testament Church performed baptisms for their dead. (See

1 Corinthians 15:29.) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perform baptisms for their dead in the temples. (See Doctrine and Covenants 124:31, 36.)

·         The Lord’s New Testament Church had apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. (See Ephesians 4:11-15.) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has apostles, prophets, evangelists (patriarchs), pastors (bishops), and teachers. (See Articles of Faith 1:6.)

The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ is ongoing. It started with Joseph Smith, and it continues today. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, “Sometimes we think of the Restoration of the gospel as something that is complete, already behind us…. In reality, the Restoration is an ongoing process; we are living in it right now” (“Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 59). 

The heavens were open to Joseph Smith, and they are open today. They are open to prophets and apostles who lead the Church of Jesus Christ, and they are open to individual members for guidance in their personal lives. President Spencer W. Kimball taught the following about the heavens being open.

Of all things, that for which we should be most grateful today is that the heavens are indeed open and that the restored church of Jesus Christ is founded upon the rock of revelation. Continuous revelation is indeed the very lifeblood of the gospel of the living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ….

Revelation has not ceased and will not cease. This kingdom of God has been set up for the rest of time, never to be torn down nor given to another people. It is a continuous program and will grow instead of diminish. Its doctrines are well established, but because of growth and expansion, improved ways are afforded to teach the gospel all over the world. Additional servants are called to the increasing work for a bigger world. Revelation and other miracles will never cease unless faith ceases. Where there is adequate faith, these things will continue. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, “Chapter 22 Revelation: “A Continuous Melody and a Thunderous Appeal”) 

Are Students Threatened by Gender Ideology in Schools?

Families, communities, and nations are stronger when parents understand what is happening in their schools. According to Tyler O’Neil, there is a “threat of gender ideology in schools.” He posted an article at The Daily Signal discussing the problem of schools indoctrinating kindergarteners into “trans joy” and school clinics that offer transgender “medicine” for minors. 

According to O’Neil, the historic reelection victory of President-elect Donald Trump “represented a loud rebuke to the transgender movement.” However, the “noxious ideology still has a stranglehold in many institutions” and is backed by official state policy in some cases. In fact, a new report from The Heritage Foundation states that there are at least 16 U.S. states that have “curriculum standards that force teachers’ hands on the issue.”

The report, “Gender Ideology as State Education Policy,” highlights the state-level education standards and frameworks of 16 states that encourage gender ideology, which the report defines as “the subordination or displacement of factual, ideologically neutral lessons about biological sex with tell-tale notions such as ‘gender identity,’ ‘sex assigned at birth,’ and ‘cisgender.’”

This ideology rejects biology and tradition, promoting vague notions of identity that often rely on rigid sex stereotypes that feminists have rejected for decades.

Jay Richards, director of Heritage’s DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family, and Daniel Buck, senior visiting fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, analyzed the state-level education frameworks of all 50 states.

Richards and Buck asked whether the frameworks “encourage a distinction between sex or sex organs, and gender, the latter of which is undefined or treated as a social construct?” The analysts also asked whether the policies promote the notion that sex is merely “assigned at birth” and whether they use terms such as “cisgender,” “transgender,” and “nonbinary.”

These tell-tale signs reveal the promotion of gender ideology, which not only contradicts basic biology and tradition but also poses a real danger to impressionable children.

By telling little boys that they may really be girls, schools prime them for experimental medical interventions that leave kids stunted, scared, and infertile. The fact that medical societies endorse these interventions – despite the lack of evidence that they improve children’s lives and in the face of evidence that they carry severe side effects such as the risk of cancer in teens – is a scandal of epic proportions.

Even simply teaching children that “gender identity” may be different from biological sex carries the risk of setting kids on a destructive path. These lessons are rightly controversial, and parents should be able to remove their children from any such indoctrination.

O’Neil’s article lists the states and “the specific state policy requiring each to teach gender ideology. I will list the states, and you can link to O’Neil’s article to see the state policy. However, I will include the policy of a single state because I did not expect this state to even be on the list. The sixteen states are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Wyoming’s policy is as follows: “Sexuality: the sum of the physical, functional, and psychological attributes that are expressed by one’s gender identity and sexual behavior.”

Wise parents will know the policies on gender ideology in their schools and can strengthen their family, community, and nation by rooting the ideology out of their school.

Why Was the U.S. Government Suppressing Speech and Press?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns suppression of speech and press by the U.S. government. According to an article by Gabe Kaminsky published in The Daily Signal, the Global Engagement Center (GEC) lost its congressional funding. The office was once housed within the State Department to “thwart disinformation and misinformation.” 

The GEC was founded in 2016 as a “product of an Obama-era executive order on counterterrorism,” but it “violated its mandate to work only overseas and devolved into a partisan enabler of speech suppression in the United States,” according to Kaminsky. Here is his explanation of how it happened.

Over the last two years, my investigative reporting in the Washington Examiner as well as that of Racket News journalist Matt Taibbi pulled back the curtain of the GEC’s ties to foreign and domestic nongovernmental organizations trying to defund news outlets they say peddle disinformation – including RealClear Politics.

My reporting showed that the GEC and the State Department-funded National Endowment for Democracy combined granted almost $1 million to the British Global Disinformation Index, which created a blacklist of U.S.-based websites that published content it determined to push adversarial narratives’ and the pressured advertisers to shut them down (think the Hunter Biden laptop story and COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis).

The GEC, moreover, was involved with the Election Integrity Partnership, a consortium of left-wing nonprofit groups, universities, and federal agencies that pressured Twitter and Facebook to remove GOP-aligned content in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.

The GEC also bankrolled New York-based company NewsGuard, a “misinformation” tracker that, along with the Global Disinformation Index, has found itself at the center of a lawsuit brought by The Federalist, The Daily Wire, and the state of Texas against the GEC for allegedly funding an unconstitutional “censorship scheme” that suppressed voices on the right.

Taibbi, the former Rolling Stone writer, demonstrated that the GEC pressured social media platforms in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to moderate extensive content, testifying to Congress in March 2023, “We learned Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other companies developed a formal system for taking in moderation ‘requests’ from every corner of government: the FBI, DHS, HHS, DOD, the Global Engagement Center at State, even the CIA.”

In turn, these revelations and others culminated in a high-level pressure campaign in December that resulted in the GEC losing out on a one-year lifeline through a congressional spending package.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy joined President-elect Donald Trump in demanding that House Speaker Mike Johnson – who had initially brokered a controversial deal to allow the GEC to continue to receive more of your tax dollars – remove the pro-GEC provision. Once this powerful trio came out against more GEC funding, the nail was squarely in the coffin. It didn’t help Johnson that conservative lawmakers with clout in Trump World such as Dan Bishop, Trump’s pick for a high-ranking role at the Office of Management and Budget, fervently opposed the bill.

Soon, the bill was dead. And the GEC with it….

While the GEC is no more, the employees who helped lead the office over the years are being reassigned elsewhere in the U.S. government, likely within the State Department, the agency said in a recent court filing.

The GEC’s failure to win reauthorization is a further vindication of our reporting on its seemingly unlawful activities.

But make no mistake: We will be watching to see where the federal officials accused in court of facilitating “one of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press in the history of the nation” end up next on the taxpayers’ dime. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

What Does Morning in America Mean to You?

Happy New Year, America! As Ronald Reagan once said, “It is morning in America.” Once again, a strong Republican president must clean up the mess left by a weak Democrat president. Reagan had to do it when he followed the Jimmy Carter administration, and Trump had to do it in his first term when he followed the eight-year-long Barack Obama administration.

Now Trump must clean up the even bigger mess left by the Joe Biden administration. Victor Davis Hanson explains the situation as only he can. 

A combination of two self-evident truths.

Joe Biden’s inept administration proved an ungodly disaster, not just for America but for the West as well, who looked abroad for a stronger America but found it weaker.

And second, Trump Invictus is now liberated – “In the fell clutch of circumstance / I have not winced nor cried aloud, / Under the bludgeonings of chance / My head is bloody, but unbowed.”

He is without worry over another election, or a discredited and defanged media (“so doves do peck the falcon’s piercing talons”), much less a third Nancy Pelosi-contrived impeachment.

Instead, he stalks indomitable, after failed de-balloting capers, failed lawfare vendettas, and failed assassination attempts. To quote Shakespeare of his recent visit to Notre Dame and the once hostile Euro crowd who now mobbed him, “He doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus, and we petty men / Walk under his huge legs and peep about / To find ourselves dishonorable graves.”

In sum, our weakest president is to be followed by our most audacious.

Biden’s bumbling arrogance nearly destroyed the American military in Kabul. It ruined Western deterrence. It showered the creepy Taliban with a multibillion-dollar windfall arsenal.

His lies, his incompetence, and, yes, his narcissism demoralized Americans and our allies, but at least ensured he would never reach 50% approval again.

What immediately followed from the Kabul nightmare was as bad or indeed worse: two theater-wide wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, appeasement of Iran, hammering of Israel, a nonexistent U.S. border, 12 million illegal aliens, the hyperinflation of staples, the weaponization of the executive branch, third-world lawfare, looting and shoplifting legitimized, spiking crime contextualized, and printing trillions of debased dollars normalized.

Biden sought to turn the once-preeminent U.S. military into a cruel cultural woke joke.

The trainwreck of the last four years was force-multiplied by Biden’s own feebleness, masked by the most scandalous media-politico conspiracy of suppression of it in U.S. history.

But now there is a giddy sense that restoration and normalization are not just possible but on the horizon.

The truth now is set free, and it smothers the old lying denials about the origins of COVID, about the truth of diversity/equity/inclusion, about the naked greed of the Biden family syndicate, about the dementia of Joe, about the chauvinism of three sexes, and about the joy and momentum of the fracking, gun-toting, McDonald’s veteran and border hawk Kamala Harris.

No one fears or listens to the now-defenestrated frauds and tiring dissimulators: the Bidens, a Fauci, Mayorkas, Garland, Milley, Austin, Jean-Pierre, Comey, Brennan, Clapper, or McCabe – and their old lies that Hunter is brilliant, Biden is fit as a [fiddle], no gain-in-function viruses, a bat caused COVID, the border is secure, Chinese army generals are more trustworthy than Trump, the laptop was Russian, Trump is a Putin puppet, and always their nauseating “I can’t recall,” “I don’t remember,” “I have no recollection,” and “I am not at liberty to say.”

Our allies are feeling more confident, our enemies scared.

The idea of an impending deterrent and reliable Trump administration has terrified Iran and helped collapse Syria. Israelis buoyant. Not so Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

In anticipation, the dollar reigns, the stock market stays strong.

Even Trump’s traditional enemies, whether on Wall Street, Silicon Valley, or in corporate board rooms are whispering that they secretly are delighted with their old nemesis’s dream of more and cheaper energy, less government regulation and taxation, and confidence again that everything is now possible when a government says an exhilarant yes to dreams rather than a crabby no to them.

Suddenly the woke bullies are on the run. The porous border really can be closed; illegal alien gangs and criminals will be sent packing….

Each of us, at least for this brief window of opportunity, again feels, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

It is morning in America once again, but the mess left by the Biden administration is both wide and deep. We will notice some changes right away, but extensive changes may take time. Trump and his administration can do much to bring sanity back to America, but they need the help of all Americans