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Sheldon Killpack’s recent DUI arrest created a lot a buzz on Utah talk radio shows these last few days. On January 15th a Utah Highway patrolman spotted Killpack driving in an erratic fashion in the Millcreek area. Killpack was pulled over, failed a field sobriety test, refused a breathalyzer test, and was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.

What is so shocking about this arrest?

Killpack is Utah’s Republican Senate Majority leader (he has since resigned).

Killpack is a member of the LDS church.

Killpack is a married man with 4 kids, ages 11 to 20.

Killpack’s father was killed by a drunk driver several years ago.

Killpack has been an advocate for Mother’s Against Drunk Driving

People are scratching their heads and asking, “Why!?”

As a psychologist and someone who has studied the characteristics of addiction, I’ll give an answer.

Addiction (or dependence as it is often called in clinical circles) has two dimensions. There is (a) physical dependence and (b) psychological dependence. Most people who become addicted to a substance, food, lifestyle, and behavior must learn to cope with these two facets of dependence. 

Physical dependence is short-lived, in most cases lasting only a few days to a few weeks. In the case of alcohol/ethanol dependence, physical dependence is short-lived, usually ending after the ethanol has completely left the body. If Killpack wasn’t drinking on a frequent basis, then I doubt that physical dependence was his problem.

It is more likely that Killpack has a serious problem with psychological dependence. Psychological dependence is a strong emotional attachment to a substance or activity. Psychological dependence can last a very long time, sometimes years and even a lifetime. Its length and severity varies significantly from one person to another. This type of dependence is what causes people to relapse into old habits. 

They say, “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” This saying is a stark warning of the dangers of psychological dependence. In the case of Killpack, it was apparently strong enough to make a politically successful conservative LDS family man screw up in a major way. 

I wish him all the best in overcoming his problem.
 
 
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The only thing worse than mass murder at a US military base is mass murder at a US military base followed by unwise comments from the nation’s top general. In my opinion, General Casey’s comments following the tragic events at Fort Hood made the situation worse, not better.

General Casey said: “As horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.” In other words, taking action against potentially hostile members of the military because of their radical religious beliefs and extreme ideologies is worse than mass murder at Fort Hood. 

It appears the nation’s top general has jumped aboard the runaway diversity bandwagon. The diversity bandwagon is the belief that we must be tolerant of all races, ideologies, and religions even if it means putting our own nation’s security and morality at risk. Enough already. Has Casey forgotten his history? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

During the early stages of WWII thousands of Japanese Americans were rounded up and put into camps. Sounds extreme, doesn’t it? But for many Americans living back then it wasn’t extreme. Were we living back then? Were we old enough to remember the fear the Japanese nation caused in America? If not, then perhaps we should not pass judgment on the government’s decision. Today we have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight which is that the camps were not needed. Yet we cannot fault the US government for taking what it saw as appropriate action against Japanese Americans during a time of national crisis. 

During the mid 1800’s the US government sent thousands of soldiers to Utah to prevent Mormon uprisings. Johnson’s army settled in a valley southwest of Lehi called Camp Floyd. 20/20 hindsight says that the army was not needed, yet we cannot fault the US government for taking action. The government thought the Mormons presented a national security risk. I’ve visited Camp Floyd several times. When I look at the graves of the soldiers who died there during their stay at the camp, I harbor no resentment as a Mormon. They were doing what they felt was needed given the circumstances. 

Today there are radical factions of Islam that are hostile toward the US government and the US Constitution. Given current circumstance, I think it appropriate to seek out members of the US military who might be sympathetic toward these radical factions. Those who harbor hostile feelings or actively affiliate with groups that are hostile toward the US should be retained until they are no longer a threat. Let history decided whether such actions were necessary. For now we’ll act in the interest of national security.

Anytime members of a particular race, religion, nationality, and ideology repeatedly demonstrate hostility toward the US government and the Constitution, it has given up freedoms and must subject itself to closer scrutiny. However, rather than take such tough measures, General Casey wants to move forward with the blinders on as if there are no problems. According to Casey’s bandwagon diversity, searching out potentially seditious soldiers is worse than the slaughter of American soldiers at a military base.   
 
 
I had a sports psychologist professor in university who specialized in sports aggression. I wonder what he would say about the BYU ladies’ soccer game against the University of New Mexico on Nov. 5, 2009.

I played a lot of high school sports and college basketball. I’ve seen a lot of aggressive play, but nothing I experienced comes close to what happened during this soccer game.  

BYU’s Carly Payne had a slugfest with NM’s Elizabeth Lambert. During the game Lambert moved in close behind Payne. Payne did not take kindly to Lambert being on her back so she gave Lambert a subtle no-look, reverse Bruce Lee elbow punch. Lambert responded with a Karate blow to the back.  
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During another play while Payne was chasing the ball, Lambert came in from behind with a “You’re going down, sucker!” slide check.
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During another play Lambert delivered a Kung Fu sideways punch to Payne’s face. Nasty.
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And just to prove that Lambert was taking on all comers, she took down BYU’s Cassidy Shumway by yanking on her pony tail.
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I know what my sports psychology professor would say. He would invoke the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis, which is that people get aggressive when they are frustrated from reaching a goal (BYU was winning during all this). Then he would say, “Where was the referee?!” The ref made no calls during these rough plays. Fortunately the league did not miss the rough play. It suspended Lambert indefinitely. Hopefully she will learn her lesson and return a better player.

Now that you’ve seen the still shots, watch the full video.
 
 
Friends, here is some shocking video of your federal tax dollars at work.

ACORN

ACORN is an acronym for Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now. It is a non-profit, government funded institution that advocates for lower income, inner city people. According to Mr. Issa, the ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, since 1994 ACORN has received “more than $53 million in federal funds . . . and under the Obama Administration, Acorn stands to receive a whopping $8.5 billion in stimulus funds."

Historically ACORN has engaged in liberal political activism. It appears that it is now engaging in a sort of organized criminal activism. You see, ACORN recently came under fire for engaging in voted fraud. Just last week in Florida, “authorities arrested 11 Acorn workers and charged them with submitting fake voter registration papers”, and two months ago GOP Representative Darrell Issa of California issued a report accusing the organization of “repeatedly and deliberately engag[ing] in systemic fraud.”

You would think that after all this negative attention, ACORN would work hard on portraying a squeaky clean image. Not so. Watch this shocking video of a “pimp” and “prostitute” asking ACORN employees at an ACORN Baltimore office for tax advice on how to set up and run a brothel with under-age prostitutes from El Salvador. The pimp is played by independent filmmaker named James O’Keefe and the prostitute is played by Hannah Giles, daughter of a conservative Christian minister.

CIO (Child Infanticide Organization) aka Planned Parenthood. 

Planned Parenthood gets nearly $100 million of taxpayers’ dollars to operate their child-murder-by-abortion centers around the country. In a sting operation, an actor acting as a 13-year-old pregnant girl receives some illegal advice from Planned Parenthood employee on how to obtain an abortion in the state of Indiana. Click on link below to view the video. 

In this final video James O'Keefe, who did the ACORN video above, reveals the racist tendencies of Planned Parenthood. He calls a Planned Parenthood office posing as a potential financial contributor who wants to finance abortions for just black babies.
 
 
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Announcer: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to America’s favorite game show - Name that Organization! That’s right folks, Name that Organization is the game everryybooodyy loves to play! 

(Audience applause) 

In this game show contestants recieve clues about the identity of a mystery organization and then must guess the name of the organization.

(Announcer turns and points at you) Are you ready!? (You nod your head.)
OK – Here we go. Let’s play!

(Cheesy game show music playing)

(Lights dim and tense music plays) 

Announcer: Ok contestant, the following are direct quotes from the mystery organization. These quotes express core beliefs held by the organization. 

Clue 1.  This movement claims that “reliable knowledge is best obtained when we query nature using the scientific method.”

Clue 2. This movement believes that “human values should express a commitment to improve human welfare in this world.”

Clue 3. This movement is trying “to encourage, wherever possible, the growth of moral awareness.”

Announcer: Sssounds pretty good, doesn’t it!? Ok, contestant, name that organization. 

(Sound of ticking clock) 

Announcer: What do you think? (You shake your head.) Can’t decide yet, huh? OK, here are your next three clues. These are affirmations embraced by the mystery organization.

Clue 4. “We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt . . ., tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than . . . irrationality.”

Clue 5. “We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves.”

Clue 6. “We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility.”

Announcer: Wow! Those sound great! Okay contestant, lock in you answer using the key pad. 

(You lock in your vote by entering three letters: B – Y – U)

Announcer: (Turning to the audience) Ladies and gentlemen, our contestant has locked in his/her vote. Now we we will present three more beliefs held by the same organization and then poll the audience on the identity of the mystery organization.

Clue 7. “We reject the divinity of Jesus, the divine mission of Moses, Mohammed, and other latter day prophets and saints of the various sects and denominations.”

Clue 8. “[We] place trust in human intelligence rather than in divine guidance.”

Clue9. “[We] reject the idea that God has intervened miraculously in history or revealed himself to a chosen few or that he can save or redeem sinners. . . . [and] that men and women are free and are responsible for their own destinies and that they cannot look toward some transcendent Being for salvation.”

Announcer: Okay audience, using your key pad, please lock in your vote on the identity of the mystery organization.

Announcer (pointing to large screen): Alright folks, we see that after the first six clues the contestant’s guess was . . .  “BYU” (audience laughs). Okay, contestant - you have the option of keeping your answer or trading it for the audience’s answer. Do you want to trade? Deal or No Deal? 

(Sound of ticking clock. You nod your head)

Announcer: (Turning to audience) Ladies and gentlemen, our contestant had decided to trade his/her response for your response! (Audience applauds.) Let’s look at the audience’s answer in our audience poll. (Pointing to the screen). Survey said . . . !

The Council for Secular Humanism! 

(Sound of bells ringing and sirens.)  

Announcer: That is correct!

You win, contestant! Thanks for playing, everyone. We’ll see you next time on . . . (audience shouts in unison) “Name that Organization!”
 
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