first post!

Dear Visitors:

Run. Get out while you still can.

Last chance. Seriously, go.

OK, you're still here... in that case, welcome! Hope you like politics!

This is a new blog dedicated to the discussion of all things political, from the perspective of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- whose members are commonly referred to as Mormons, or Latter-day Saints (LDS). There are five contributing bloggers (someday, six -- more on that later) from across the political spectrum. Mormons have been prominent in the news lately, thanks largely to the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, a former stake president (a stake is the Mormon equivalent of a Catholic diocese). One of the purposes of this blog is to dispel the myth that the Church requires its members to be politically conservative, as here explained by Elder M. Russell Ballard:



In other words, we come in all (political) shapes and sizes, just like everyone else. Another misconception about Mormons is that, since the Church's membership is mostly conservative, the people put little thought into their politics. In reality, Mormons have the same varied level of interest in politics as everyone else: some don't particularly care, but many are thoughtfully considering issues, policies, and candidates, and are active in local or national political spheres.

Therefore, we try politicaLDS, which is really an experiment. Like all experiments, we won't know the results until the experiment is over (or, at least, started), so be patient as we evolve.

What this is:

• A place for information;
  
• A place for strong opinions;
• A place for lively discussion and interaction;
  
• A place for respect.
  

What this isn't:

• A place for bickering;
• A place for bashing of any religion;
• A place for personal attacks.

I'm Mike, a Democrat hailing from Chandler, AZ. I'm 24, work in pension planning, have been married for 3.5 years. I'll let Joel, Kevin, Rachel and Rick introduce themselves. And we are looking for a third conservative blogger. There are really very few qualifications: LDS, interested in politics, enjoys writing and would be willing to post every 7-10 days or so. E-mail me if you're interested. EDIT, 1/22/08: We found one. :)

That's it! Comments, suggestions, anything: let somebody know. Otherwise, start your engines!

Mike