so, the forces of dissidence were out in salt lake on friday, singing lds hymns and carrying pink carnations. a soft word may turn away wrath, but the pink ribbons around the stacks of letters were a little much for me. are dallin oaks and boyd packer and david bednar so thin skinned that we have to dress up like little barbie dolls so that we don't hurt their precious little feelings? boyd has never had a problem advocating violence against gay men. and david bednar has no qualms about painting a world of dark intolerance should a measure fail which seeks to take away civil rights. tommy monson et al. are big boys. they can take honest, tough talk.

why do i stay with a church that would prefer to excommunicate me rather than actually engage in dialog with me and those who, like me, simply disagree?