So after having the opportunity/experience, in my random sitting with people at the Dfac, to have lunch with two mormons (LDS) within this week I have come to some conclusions.

First, mormons hold a grudge. They do not understand forgiveness and certainly do not understand the idea of salvation by grace. They have not gotten over the mormon trail and no matter how much we (white people) would try to compensate for the movement it would not be enough. I find this to be a common theme among mormons and some of the north american indians and black people I have dealt with. They take any and every opportunity they can to try and make us feel guilty for introducing ourselves into their space/culture. We could give each of them a fortune to last a lifetime so they could live better than most "white men" and that would not be enough. Never mind the fact that the majority of the people who are holding the grudge have never in their life experience the oppression that their ancestors did and that some of their ancestors weren't even in the group that was oppressed (aka they voluntarily relocated or weren't in the picture at all). So that's enough rant on the fact that some people can't figure out reality or attempted reconciliation.

Second, this one applies to both mormons that I spoke to. They listen but do not hear. They make no attempt to understand your opinion no matter how truthful, incitefull, knowledgeable or just plain right you may be. I have a feeling it is bred into them or beaten (metaphorically) or something to not believe the opinions of non-mormons.

All I can say is that if this is how mormons treat people in general I can not understand how anybody would join their religion. Fortunately, I have the experience of working with a few who seem to be more understanding at least on the outside. Perhaps it is their temperament which keeps those individuals able to listen or perhaps it's because they are only LDS by name and not action, I don't know but I hope by the grace of God and the Lord Jesus christ as our lord and savior that those individuals who are of the ilk of the two I have spoken to recently have an awakening that they are not practicing what their "religion" speaks of.

Anyway onto a better subject.
The above picture is a group shot of the Ft. Bliss Branch team minus a couple of individuals who were either sick or on TDY. The shot below I found interesting so I have been taking pictures of some of the unusual road signs I have recently seen that they don't teach in drivers ed.

Tank crossing!!! STAY OUT OF THE WAY!!!















Oryx crossing. Big antlers on an animal which doesn't belong here (it's not native). But has adapted well to this environment. Unfortunately it has no natural predators in the area so we the people of military have it in our job to be the predation so that the oryx doesn't destroy the desert as it is.