Miscellany

Tomorrow, Cathy and I leave for Davis. The trip from Washington to California is long, but the thought of seeing everyone will keep us going. On Sarturday, we will attend Amara's recital in Livermore. We are really looking forward to it. Can't wait to do some crafts with Amara and swap made up stories with Ethan. And, best of all, most of the family will be there!

I will be working in PLF's Sacramento Office for the week. On Saturday, June 7, Anna and Jonathan will be sealed in the Oakland Temple. What a great day that will be!!! Lots to do to get ready, but time will fly.

I was called as the ward Young Men president. A new experience for me, so I'm learning a lot. I am a bit apprehensive about the calling, but it's an opportunity to touch lives and we have a good group of youth in the ward. Cathy is still playing piano and organ. She also serves as missionary work liason for Relief Society. Cathy and I both enjoy our service in the Seattle Temple. In a week or two we will no longer be considered trainees. Yipee!

The past two weeks have been very hectic. As most of you know, the Department of Interior listed the polar bear as a threatened species and PLF seems to be the only organization gearing up to challenge the decision in court. I happen to be lead on the case so I have already received death threats. On May 15th I did a number of TV and radio spots, including the Glenn Beck Show on CNN. I don't have a link to the video, but here is the transcript. I come in about half way down, just after Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne.

When the listing came out, I held a press conference announcing our opposition which got picked up by the major media. Glenn Beck was livid about the listing and wanted an attorney on the show to discuss the listing's legal repurcussions. I got a call from the producer who asked me to drive to a studio in Seattle. The venue and time were changed several times, but we finally got things set up at Fisher Plaza under the Space Needle. I had done an interview for FOXNews a fews months ago so the staff remembered me which made the experience less intimidating. In any event, Beck was able to book Interior Secretary Kempthorne to discuss the polar bear listing and Beck decided I should be used as a counter to Kempthorne. This worked out well because I was able to hear the interview with Kempthorne and prepare some responses before I went live. Beck was clearly on our side of the issue so his questions were friendly and more or less expected. I enjoyed the experience but doing a show with Beck is a unique experience because he's looking for sound-bite answers. The tough part is giving him what he wants. You can read the transcript yourself and see how it went.