Neal A. Maxwell

"Within the swirling global events- events from which we are not totally immune- is humanity's real and continuting struggle: whether or not, amid the cares of the world, we really choose, in the words of the Lord, to "care for the life of the soul." Whatever our anxious involvements with outward events, this inner struggle proceeds in both tranquil and turbulent times. Whether understood or recognized, this is the unchanging moral agendum from generation to generation."


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Miss Universe 2010

Evan Lysacek: "In your opinion, what effect is unsupervised Internet use having on today's youth?"
Mexico: "Good evening, Las Vegas! Well, I do believe that Internet is an indispensable, necessary tool at the present time and we must be very careful and watch over what our children watch and see- our teenagers watch and see. And we must be sure to teach them the values we'll learn as a family so that they may use Internet properly. Thank you!"

Niki Taylor: "Legislation banning certain kinds of religious clothing has caused controversy around the world. What role should a government play in determining such a personal preference."
Australia: "One of the greatest things we have is the freedom of choice. And tonight we wore our swimsuits, designed by Tala, and she said that fashion is freedom and I don't think the government should have any say in what we wear because we can all make our own personal choices!"

Tamron Hall: "Some countries still practice the death penalty. Is it acceptable and why?"
Jamaica: "Good evening, Las Vegas! Good evening, judges! I believe that life is a gift, a gift given by only one ultimate creator and I believe that none of us, as humans, have the right to take a life and I believe that we, as mere beings of earth, have no right to control what things that only one person can control and that is God."

Jane Seymour: "Many airports are now using full body scanners. How do you feel about going through a scanner that can actually see through your clothes?"
Ukraine: "I think it's a very important question of security. To avoid the type of catastrophes which we have already seen and we are well aware of them. So if that helps us to save the lives of people, then I am for it."

William Baldwin: "What is one big mistake that you've made in your life and what did you do to make it right?"
Philippines: "Thank you so much, sir, for that wonderful question. Good evening, ladies and gentleman! Good evening, Las Vegas! You know what, sir? In my twenty-two years of existence, I can say that there is nothing major, major- I mean problem-that I have done in my life because I am very confident with my family with the love that they are giving to me so thank you so much that I am here! Thank you, thank you so much!"






My ranking of the Onstage Question:
1- Ukraine

She clearly gave the best response as she was the only contestant who addressed the complication of the issue presented to her and resisted the urge to.... shall I say, opt to stay inside and paint rainbows while storm clouds are gathering outside. Well done, Ukraine. And while I'm on the subject, I've recently taken a liking to Soviet-Union-ites. They're pretty tough. A friend of such heritage recently informed me that of all demographics, people from the Soviet Union have the least incidents of depression/anxiety. Apparently, as she told me, they credit this to that fact that they are so accustomed to hard conditions that few things send them into despair. Hmmm. I don't know if that has any validity, but it makes sense.
2- Mexico
Mexico is number two because everyone did worse. She didn't even answer the question and she's sitting at number two! Had the question been, "What should we do with this over-exposed generation of Internet surfers," she would have been close to target. I guess I give her credit too, because her answer didn't offend me or reveal a gaping hole in her intellect. So, two it is.
3-Jamaica
I had a hard time deciding who did better between Jamaica and Australia. I had to give it up for Jamaica with this reasoning: While I'm entirely aghast by her offensively simplistic take on the death penalty, (not giving the slightest recognition that serial killers and evil, evil men consumed with ill will exist) I understand that for many less-guided, God-fearing people, these are tough waters to navigate. If I were less enlightened, I may be tempted to point to Elder Holland's words as proof that it's 'against my religion to support killing people.
"God's greatest concerns regarding mortality are how one gets into this world and how one gets out of it. These two most important issues in our very personal and carefully supervised progress are the two issues that he as our Creator and Father and Guide wishes most to reserve to himself."

However, I know better. I'll forgive her on the premise of her motivation in taking such a stance.
4-Australia
Again, I can't be inspired by an answer that is so clearly lacking in content. The question is obviously referring to the issue of identity and Australia completely ignored it. So, by saying she does not believe that clothing choice should ever be governed, she is also saying that no matter what harm may come, choice is what matters most. Which is pretty ironic because by defending choice so vehemently, both these girls (Jamaica and Australia) are setting themselves up to lose their agency and choice. Such a leftist philosophy.
5- Philippines
This needs no explanation. Her poor answer was laughable. I'm sure she know it. I'm sure this was the product of nerves and stage fright. You are forgiven, Philippines. But you're still the worst answer.

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