President Kimball and War

I think Mormons aren't nearly radical enough. Every single page of the Book of Mormon preaches doctrines on the subjects of war and poverty that are more radical than anything discussed in any mainstream political discourse in America
We don't need to buy in to all the crap that's fed to us to justify running around the world killing and exploiting people. The endowment makes it pretty clear that most of the mischief in this world, on all sides, is the work of Satan and his minions.
The Nietzshean rascals that run things create a bizarre coalition by conning their evangelical dupes by throwing a few fake bones their way. Mormons think that, because they share a few trivialities with evangelicals they must swallow the hideous anti-human policies and the deathly philosophies that justify them. Mormons have the Book of Mormon, continual revelation, and personal revelation. We don't need to buy in to these lame and pernicious doctrines. The author of them certainly doesn't believe them.
The Bush Doctrine has roots in an older concept invented by you-know-who, a doctrine that he taught to Cain, that you can get gain by murdering.
Our role in this world is not to be the lapdogs of modern-day Gadianton robbers and murderers. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth, the leaven, the peculiar.
Am I pessimistic? We generally muddle along with good, bad, and mediocre governments. But the Kingdom of God continues to go forth "boldly, nobly, and independent" bringing freedom, democracy, etc. in its wake to every country it visits.
You have to read Pres. Kimball's talk all the way through to realize how radical he is.

Fred Ho

http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=5784

Here is a very interesting interview with baritone saxophonist, Fred Ho, in which he talks about the role of the avant garde in society.  The most interesting idea he talks about is that guerilla-type artists thrive when the mainstream is in disarray.  I have always felt this to be the case.  So there is cause for hope in the current turmoil.