Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 1107

His most famous line from the 1964 Republican convention in San Francisco

    “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.  And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”  (Barry M. Goldwater)   Posted from San Diego, California    

“ISIS opens new front in Egypt”

    https://www.commentarymagazine.com/20...   “Our objective is clear,” President Obama declared to the nation from the State Floor of the White House on 10 September 2014.  “We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL [aka ISIS or the "Islamic State"] through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.”   How’s that coming?   Posted from San Diego, California   [Read More...]

On California today

    Things are a bit out of joint here in California.   A few days ago, for example, when we dropped by Ruby’s Diner along the Pacific Coast Highway just below Newport Beach in order for me to get a date milkshake — I’ve been getting date milkshakes there for as long as I can [Read More...]

New Testament 194

    Luke 11:37-54 Compare Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-9; Luke 20:46; John 8:6   These are powerful verses against cultivating an outward appearance of righteousness without the inward attitudes that accompany the real thing.   I’ve always liked a German word that is the rough equivalent of English hypocrite:  Scheinheiliger.  A not very elegant but [Read More...]

Personal Encounters with Elder Packer (Part 2)

    Many years before, when I was still an undergraduate student at BYU, I had served on a committee with Bruce Hafen.  At that time, I think he was some sort of assistant to the University’s president — not yet the president of Ricks College, the dean of the BYU law school, the prominent [Read More...]

Happy Independence Day!

    To every American out there.  Even to those who apparently loathe and despise what it commemorates:   https://www.commentarymagazine.com/20...   And, for that matter, to everyone else.   And, for those who believe in what this republic represents, here are a few minutes of stirring beauty:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpZ3j...   Posted from San Diego, California [Read More...]

When will the super volcano under Yellowstone erupt again?

    This could be very helpful.  And it may offer some reassurance, too:   http://sese.asu.edu/news/creating-sto...   Posted from San Diego, California    

Personal encounters with Elder Packer (Part 1)

    The first time I met Boyd K. Packer was sometime in the first part of 1974, when he came to Zürich for a stake conference.  He had been an apostle for about four years by that point.   Upon arrival, he took a tour of the mission home at Pilatusstrasse 11.   I [Read More...]

Of blemishes and deformity

    In nature there’s no blemish but the mind.None can be called deformed but the unkind. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night   My wife and I attended an excellent outdoor performance of Twelfth Night tonight in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre at the Old Globe in Balboa Park.   Lots of fun.   Posted from [Read More...]

New Testament 193

    Luke 11:34-36 Compare Matthew 6:22-23   I’m sure that the Savior’s comment here presupposes and reflects an ancient theory of vision that we no longer hold, scientifically speaking.   Nevertheless, I think his essential point remains:   If our way of perceiving people and the world around us is fundamentally wrong, skewed, warped, [Read More...]