The Latter-day Liberator

Category: Society

Correcting The Liahona on the U.S. Constitution

Posted on by William H. Douglas

The Liahona, the official magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published an article on the United States Constitution in its September 2022 issue. And boy is it terrible, for numerous reasons. For example, despite having degrees in the subject the author doesn’t even have a basic understanding of human rights or the history of the Constitution and actively tries to justify government tyranny.

This article is a step by step dismantling of the Liahona article and its problems, not only in order to provide Latter-day Saints with a necessary correction for something published in a church magazine, but because such a work will serve as a solid foundation for discarding much of the same kind of dreck (from both academic and amateur sources) that the reader will encounter endlessly elsewhere whenever discussing the Constitution.

Our Harshest Trials Become Our Greatest Blessings

Posted on by William H. Douglas

My life has been filled with trials. I grew up in poverty. I’ve been homeless on multiple occasions. My family broke apart when I was young. My father was an alcoholic. I’ve lost everything I’ve owned and everyone I knew on multiple occasions. Yet, through it all, I have discovered a sublime truth about God’s power and how our deepest trials lead to our greatest blessings. This is that story.

How Vladimir Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Could Destroy Him

Posted on by William H. Douglas

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The outcome seemed inevitable. The Soviet Union was one of the most powerful nations on the planet with a military rivalled only by the United States. Yet, a decade later the Soviet Union was forced to retreat, its army broken and demoralized, defeated by a band of loosely confederated hill tribes. The cost of this humiliation was unbearable, and it shattered the foundation of the Soviet Union’s power. The Soviet Union dissolved as its subject people, seeing its army beaten and sent home with its tail between its legs by Afghani fights, decided now was the time to rebel and regain their independence. The Soviet Union collapsed forever.

These are all warnings that Putin did not heed when he invaded Ukraine. Just as Afghanistan became the graveyard of the Soviet Union, so could Ukraine become the graveyard of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime. In an effort to prove Russia’s might, Putin may have just committed political suicide and doomed his entire power structure.

Absolute Proof That Socialism is Slavery

Posted on by William H. Douglas

George Fitzhugh was one of the most influential defenders of slavery in the United States before the Civil War. A severe critic of human liberty and a free society, Fitzhugh argued that wage labor was worse than slavery and that a capitalist society did nothing but lead to the suffering and death for the millions of laborers of lived in it. In his book, “Sociology for the South,” Fitzhugh addresses the similarities between slavery and Socialism/Communism. He explains all the ways that slavery fulfills the promises and goals of Socialism, how the Socialist rejection of a free society inevitably leads to slavery, and how Socialism is the form of slavery that free societies invent to solve the ills of capitalism while still pretending to be free. As shown herein, Fitzhugh clearly explains that Socialism isn’t merely like slavery. Socialism *is* slavery and slavery *is* Socialism in very form and deed, in every way but in the usage of the word itself.

Insights Into A Free Society From America’s First Great Novelist

Posted on by William H. Douglas

In addition to be a novelist who managed to give form to the American identity in his tales, James Fenimore Cooper also had a keen insight into America’s social and political culture. His writings on politics, culture, society, and government also magnificently captured the early American ideals of liberty, humanity, and freedom, preserving the wisdom and insight into these concepts that so many of us so desperately need today, but have lost. Drawing from his work, “The American Democrat,” I explore Cooper’s insights into subjects such as social equality, liberty, the basis of good government, the limits of political power, and more. If more people understood these truths then the world would be a freer, safer, more prosperous place for all.

Music For The Revolution, Volume 1: The Mixtape of Liberty

Posted on by William H. Douglas

In church we are taught that the songs of the righteous are a prayer to God that He delights in hearing. (D&C 25:11–12) Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught that because of the power of music to direct our thoughts is so strong we should memorize hymns as a way to move our minds away from sinful and temptuous thoughts and as a way to better learn and understand the doctrines of the Restored Gospel.

The same is true when it comes to promoting the ideas and values of liberty. f we want to buttress the message and values of liberty within ourselves, our homes, our families, our children, and our friendships, we have to be more conscious about which kind of music we are listening to and willfully choose to immerse ourselves in the songs of freedom which promote liberty and avoid music that encourages ideas of subservience to people, organizations, substances, and ideas that weaken and destroy our humanity and liberty (for you cannot do the one without the other.)

In an effort to do this I thought I would share some of the music that I regularly play, music which embraces and promotes the ideals of liberty, freedom, and the worth of the individual. That way you too can fill your home with the doctrines, values, and spirit of liberty.

The Lies At The Heart of School Shooting Reports

Posted on by William H. Douglas

It seems like every month we hear about a new school shooting somewhere in the United States. Terror inducing, these reports are often followed by calls for greater government gun control from politicians, news agencies, and people across social media. Every year it just seems to get worse. But, can we actually trust these reports?

No, I’m not talking conspiracy theories like the so-called “Sandy Hook Hoax.” I’m talking about actual studies, with verifiable sources, originating with trusted agencies such as NPR, USA Today, and the ACLU. I’m talking about the independent reports they have release that have shown that out of hundred of reported school shootings less than a dozen could be verified while the vast majority of them were outright proven false.

I’m talking about cutting through the lies and distortions of news agencies to get to the manipulation and deceit at the heart of the way school shooting are reported and how that information is presented to us.

The Catastrophic Dangers of the Attitude of Servitude

Posted on by William H. Douglas

Have you ever wondered why so many submit to the obviously stupid, destructive, oppressive, and insane demands the government makes upon them? Why are people so willing to allow the ruling classes to do everything from rob them to steal their children away to be slaughtered in wars? Why do people believe what they’re told to believe and think what they’re told to think by politicos, corporate talking heads, and others who so clearly have every incentive to lie to everyone for their own gain? Why do people allow themselves to be abused constantly? And why do they lash out so violently at anyone who dares even question the ruling elites and their systems of power, nevermind those who actually challenge it?

This article is about why all these things happen and what can be done to change it.

Save Jesus Only: The Greatness of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Posted on by William H. Douglas

With December being the Christmas season I feel like we often get so caught up in celebrating the birth of Christ that we overlook the birth of the second greatest man in history – the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., born December 23, 1805. This year I wanted to take a day and celebrate his birth as well. Second only to the Savior, the Prophet Joseph is worthy of all the admiration, respect, and honor the Saints give him. This article was written to highlight some of the many ways that the Prophet Joseph was a paragon of Christianity, worthy of learning about, learning from, and following the example of in our lives.