Memorial Day and the Empty Tomb

Memorial Day in the United States is a holiday that pays tribute to those who have passed on. Originally, it was a day to honor those “who died to preserve liberty” - according to one newspaper. In other words, the men and women who died while serving in the US Armed Forces.

Today Memorial Day has been extended by most Americans to remember their own deceased family members and loved ones. Therefore the holiday (last Monday in May) is the day when fresh flowers and other decorative items are piled and draped on grave sites and tombstones. It’s a conspicuously colorful day at the graveyards. Family members go to the grave sites to pay their tributes by delivering flowers and spending some moments “with their dead”. The government and the military also hold commemorative services in honor of deceased veterans and victims of wars.

Though this is a belated post, I believe that in the contemplative and pensive moments of this past Memorial Day, it would have been fitting and also more meaningful to remember one particular grave - an empty one. It is of One who also died to grant and preserve liberty, not just for a certain group country or people, but for the entire human race.

May we always remember and "visit" the empty tomb. In fact, through and by Him - who had lain in it - all other tombs will eventually be empty too.

Parker on SI Cover

"Basketball is what I do, it's not who I am." ~ Jabari Parker

"The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Parker is a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and along with leading Simeon High to three consecutive state championships and carrying an impressive 3.7 grade point average, he wakes up early three days a week for LDS seminary, carries a copy of The Book of Mormon in his backpack, and is considering serving a two-year LDS mission after his freshman year of college." Read More

Jabari’s parents are Sonny and Lola.  Sonny is from Chicago and Lola is Tongan.

Decision 2012

Notable quotes and other highlights

"President Obama hasn't run anything before he was elected President of the United States. Never ran a state, never ran a business, never ran a lemonade stand. This job's too important for on the job training,"

"In contrast, Mitt Romney's been a successful governor, a successful businessman. He's got the executive experience."

Bobby Jindal - Governor of Louisiana.

"What I would like to know is why is it OK for Barack Obama to publicly invoke the name of Jesus to justify high taxes or same-sex marriage, but when I mention that my faith leads me to accept what Jesus said regarding marriage as 'a man shall leave his mother and father, and a woman shall leave her home and the two will become one flesh,' I get whacked by the press and the pundits? I've been called a narrow-minded bigot, a homophobic hate monger, a Neanderthal, right-wing religious kook, and other things not mentionable on family television,"

Mike Huckabee - Former Arkansas Governor and host of Fox’s ‘Huckabee”


And now my TOP TEN contrasts between Romney and Obama

#10. Romney is Mexican (?); Obama is Indonesian (?)

#9. From Harvard, Romney has two degrees (Law and MBA); Obama has one (Law)

#8. Romney is considered rich; Obama is almost rich

#7. Romney was a bully, or so they say (at a private school); Obama is presently a bully, or so they say (in Washington)

#6. Romney mistreated the family dog; Obama ate someone’s dog (as a child in Indonesia).

#5. Romney’s great grandfather was a polygamist; Obama’s father, grandfather and great grandfather were all  polygamists.

#4. Romney smoked [a] cigarette as a youngster; Obama smoked dope in college

#3. Romney is not a Christian (or so they say); Obama is a Muslim (or so they say).

#2. Romney is for traditional marriage; Obama is for gay marriage

...and Number 1.....[drum roll]

#1. Romney is robotic, stiff and ... straight ; Obama is loose, flex and....gay (?)
 

Caption Time

MICHELLE: Oh stop it Barack ... and you, here, on my left.

OBAMA: : Easy for you to say Mich, but this Romney guy is keeping me up all night

MICHELLE:  Oh yeah? I thought you’re doing a more serious Al Green impression

OBAMA:  Do you think I look like Michael Jackson?

MICHELLE: You need makeup ...you can use mine .....

SECOND GUY:  Sorry “Lady” but I haven’t flossed in days.

Samoa’s Masiofo (First Lady) Upstaged ...

...in Utah, by Samoans

First, some background information.

Samoa Head of State and First Lady at Royal  'Ava Ceremony,  Utah

Some time in September last year (2011) Samoa’s Head of State Tupua Tamasese and his Masiofo (Good Lady) Filifilia visited Utah on an invitation by the LDS Church. During these such visits - as is normally the case especially where an established Samoan community is found - the dignitaries are extended the respect, love and hospitality of the expatriate community in the form of a welcome ceremony.

In this particular case, the Samoan community in Utah - through members of a couple of matai (chiefs’) councils - planned and implemented the cultural program at one of the local universities to officially welcome the Head of State and his Masiofo. The program was not well attended by the Samoan community due to the party’s short and tight itinerary. As a result, not many - including this blogger - had the opportunity to watch the program.

However, a few days ago, a video of the program was finally released and made available on Comcast’s (cable TV) local offerings.

The program included the usual lauga o le feiloa’iga (welcome speech) followed by a version of the ‘ava faatupu (royal ‘ava ceremony) all done using some modified protocols because of the indoor setting and other limitations. All of that seemed to have met a certain level of acceptance and approval for an average Samoan observer.

But then the blatant anomaly happened, at least as far as I’m concerned. The faux pas happened during the faafiafiaga (entertainment) part of the program, during the taualuga (finale).

As usual, there was a “taupou” (maiden), all dressed in traditional wear consisting of a fine mat trimmed with colorful feathers and the tuiga (traditional headdress). She was escorted by two soga’imiti (tattooed men) to center stage and started to do her siva (dance). Almost immediately, Masiofo Filifilia stood up from their raised seating, and joined the taupou and the rest of the aiuli (backup dancers). Now, at that moment, according to cultural protocols, etiquette and common sense, at the very least, the make believe taupou should immediately yield center stage to the Masiofo, and dance as an aiuli to her. Instead, the taupou kept her center position and assumed role while the Masiofo dances from the back of the stage.  Masiofo Filifilia was therefore upstaged, literally!!  It was weird, offensive and disrespectful to see the Masiofo dancing backup to a mock “taupou”.   I cringe at the sight.

It would have been fine if the Masiofo had remained seated and watched the taualuga, but the moment she gave up her seat to grace the floor, she should have been given front and center stage based on her title, position, role and honor of being Samoa's Masiofo.

Head of State being served  'ava (ceremonial drink)

Now I don’t necessarily blame the “taupou” because she seems to be one of those young girls who was born and raised in America and did not know better other than to fulfill her assigned role as in other routine performances. But the chiefs and adults who were present should have realized the impropriety and corrected it.

Moreover, money should not have been collected as part of this particular taualuga. Yet the floor was strewn with dollar bills and even worse was an old paint bucket - as the proverbial collection plate - conspicuously placed in front of the “taupou”. If the money was intended for a gift, or to supplement a gift to the Head of State and his party, then it should have been arranged beforehand to be collected away from the taualuga. Maintaining the dignity of the whole ceremony should have been the main focus of the chiefs and others who were present, and not to be distracted by the trite and mundane nature of everyday taualugas.

Personally, I feel that the taualuga for this occasion became an untoward scene and gesture.

Sa tatau lava ona taga’i toto’a e sa faafoeina lenei porokalama i tulaga nei. O le lago mate lava e tasi na te faaleaga le suau’u atoa.  E faamoemoe o le a le avevaleina ai le igoa o le Ekalesia i lenei faatamala.  Ae atonu o le a aoga aleu faapea ma mea tutupu e toe liuliu ai le tofa, ma toe afua ai le taeao ma toe sasa’a le fafao.

Why Mitt Romney Will Be a Good President

By: Karen Hughes
April 22, 2012 09:06 PM EDT
Published in Politico

Ten years ago, I walked into the White House press room and shocked the reporters there by announcing that later that summer, I would be leaving my job as counselor to the president to return to Texas. The decision was agonizingly difficult and purely personal. I believed in President George W. Bush, was committed to serving my country and loved my challenging job. But its constant demands did not allow me to be the engaged wife and mother, and I felt that was my foremost responsibility then.

But once you’ve worked in the White House, the challenges are never far from mind. Throughout this primary season, I’ve assessed the candidates. While many of my fellow Republicans understandably focus on which Republican is the best candidate to defeat President Barack Obama, I’ve looked through a different lens: Who is most capable of being a good president?

I’m interested in who has the judgment, temperament and ability to make the many difficult decisions that land on the desk of the president. I am mindful of an admonition a friend gave me when I arrived in Washington. “Don’t worry about easy decisions,” she said. “Those get made at the Cabinet agencies. Only the really hard ones come to the White House.”

Having seen the demands of the job as closely as anyone can without being the president, I’m convinced that Mitt Romney is not only the best Republican but also the best general election candidate to serve as president for four key reasons.

First, he has extensive experience making executive decisions. As governor of Massachusetts and in the private sector, Romney had to make tough choices affecting people’s jobs, lives and futures, preparing him for the world’s highest executive office. Obama is a legislator and it shows. Too often he sublets decision making to Congress, with the bad results we saw in the pork-infused trillion-dollar stimulus, the massive mess of the health care law and the regulatory morass of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms.

Second, Romney specializes in turnarounds — and Washington is in desperate need of a dramatic turnaround. When he arrived at the Salt Lake City Olympics, the organization was in chaos, in debt and tarnished by scandal. He turned it around, unifying diverse coalitions with competing interests and turned the games into a financial and diplomatic success.

He did this in the private sector as well. He rescued a number of struggling companies and brought them back to profitability and growth, creating many new jobs in the process.

Third, he’s lived a life of faithful commitment to his family and his church. He doesn’t talk about this much, probably because his Mormon faith is unfamiliar to many Americans and some view it with suspicion. But a Christian pastor friend of mine recently emailed that he is impressed that Romney lives his faith through service and significant financial contributions, and he apparently demonstrated great caring and compassion as a church leader. This tells me Romney will not be moved by the latest polls or the most effective lobbyists. He serves something greater than himself — and it’s important for a president to know that.

Finally, the No. 1 issue is jobs and the economy — and Romney understands how jobs are created and how government policies affect economic growth. Under Obama, America not only has too-high unemployment and too-low growth, but it also now has the highest corporate tax rate in the world. It also faces the prospect of job-killing record individual tax increases at the end of 2012.

People who know Romney well tell me he’s a good listener — another important quality in a president. He needs to be able to consider advice from a wide range of experts on a given subject to make informed decisions.

Romney’s been steady, well-organized and disciplined throughout the primary process. I’m convinced he’s the leader America needs to restore our confidence, our economy and our leadership in the world.

Karen Hughes was counselor to President George W. Bush. She’s now the global vice chairwoman for Burson-Marsteller.