Conference Preview

The Conference in Claremont is coming quickly. You can find the program here. Here is what I am looking forward to:

1. Having the chance to be the only one to present a remotely pro war point of view based on The Book of Mormon. I don't have abstracts from the other papers but their titles suggest a non violent reading of the book. I'm not quite sure where Madsen and the others create a pacifist point of view but I look forward to seeing their arguments. It will create an endless amount of posts for me here I'm sure. I also don't have the C.V.s of those involved but I think I am the only qualified military history there. (Of course they are qualified in other ways which is why it's called a "perspectives" conference.)

2. Meeting several other veterans. I seem to be the only enlisted member there but there is a veteran General Authority, a Major, and and two chaplains. Its been an amazing two years since I left and I still miss it.

3. Listening to many of the presentations such as: "Gaza in The Book of Mormon", "Zion as a Refuge from the Wars of Nations: Cultural Resource or Impediment?", "Pacifist Counselor in the First Presidency: J. Reuben Clark, 1933–61","'The Work of Death': Hugh Nibley and War", and pretty much everything about The Book of Mormon.

I plan on taking copious notes as long as I'm there since I still have a trip to Disney Land and a return trip with my daughter to consider. I am afraid this may turn into one big hippie love fest but I still look forward to the presenting, raising my profile, and discussing military matters.

War: What is it Good For?

Besides giving me a job it looks like its good for helping a bunch of hippie peaceniks pretend they know a great deal about military history and to self righteously congratulate themselves. You can check out the thread here.

On a serious note. Looking at the OP and comments makes me question how well the citizens of this country can adequately judge military matters. I mean I haven't read Chomsky but I know a great deal about the interaction between military and political power, just war theory, the necessity of a strong defense, and after my recent paper the possible righteous foundations for war. But some people are disconnected from reality, and don't have the context of history to properly judge military conflict. Since one of the state purposes of this blog is to help people understand the connections between warfare in The Book of Mormon and society I want to see how you think I can better accomplish that. And I am forming some ideas to help my readers better attain the military literacy that was so obviously lacking on the other site. Thanks for reading.

Happy Anniversary!

Two years ago today I started blogging! Although I was a bit hesitant to celebrate this since I spent much of last year in a painful daze. It kind of reminded me of this video:


All the jokes aside I can point to highlights which occurred due to this blog:

I've been blessed to preview/review multiple books. David West's Heroes of the Fallen was a joy to read. And if you look closely a part of my review posted on Amazon as well.

I have several books reviews from Oklahoma University Press. You can find those by clicking on the "book review" link on the side of the page. I'm also in the process of reviewing Brian Steed's Wars and Rumors of Wars.

I had a chance to review a fun game called "Character Match". It turns out my daughter loves all the funny looking shapes and letters. Finally, I had a chance to meet and interact with many great people. This allowed me to find out about the upcoming Claremont Conference among other things.

And of course, I have a place where I can publish my thoughts. Historian Mark Grimsley describe blogging as an "insurgent medium". I have tried to adopt his advice and establish my voice and name through nontraditional means.

So now I ask my readers, what has been your favorite memory or post from this blog?

Captain Moroni's Back Story

Michaela has an excellent post at the Scriptorium Blogorium. You can find it here.

I also want to add two items. 1. Alma 16:3 and Helaman 1:24 suggest that the Nephites needed time to raise their armies. This adds weight to Micheala's analysis. 2. The article Military Castes in The Book of Mormon suggests that Moroni would have been trained and capable to defend Nephite lands at an early age. This again strengthens her analysis.

I highly recommend this article.