An open letter to the people who are fighting for freedom in the middle east...

First let me tell you who I am, I am a Christian and a conservative, born in the United States of America.  Many of you probably assume that people like me hate people like you.  First I want to clear this up, speaking for myself and fellow Christians and conservatives that I know personally.  We do not hate you, in fact we pray for you and read the news about you and hope for you and your families freedom and prosperity every day.  We respect your faith and your desire to simply be left alone.  The challenge we face is that there are people amongst you that would have us and many of our other friends literally wiped off the map.  So what do we do?  What would you do?

I personally have a large family by western standards, 8 children and a wife, I married young and have gone through many struggles, from losing a house, to having a child with epilepsy, to homeschooling my children, the daily struggle to feed them among countless others..  I have been blessed with the freedom to live as I choose and do what I will, that blessing, although I personally have not had to spill blood to maintain it, was bought with the sweat, blood and treasure of my ancestors and other great people in this country.

You now stand at a precipice, what do you do?   Do you make the leap over of your own free will?  Do you grab the powerful hand of the fundamentalists groups to help you over just to find out that they want to limit your freedoms, just as has been done thus far by the various dictators and nobility in your country?

I want you, each and every one of you to be happy.  I firmly believe that happiness can only truly be obtained by individuals when you have the liberty to do as you wish in your life and to work towards the goals you set for yourself.  You deserve to be able to worship freely!  You deserve to be able to raise your children, care for them and see them become who they want to be.  The only thing I ask of you is to not impose your specific religious doctrine on others, let them choose and be happy. 

Your God and my God are the same, let us live as children of that God not mortal enemies.  Peace be with with you my brothers and sisters.

Two quotes.

These quotes feel eerily familiar, as if we are living them today...

"Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them." -Voltaire

"The tyrant always talks as if he's preserving the best interests of his people when he actually acts to undermine them." -Ramman Kenoun

Why Glen Beck converted to the LDS Faith.

Glenn, Tania, and his two daughters from his previous marriage began attending every kind of church they could find. When Pat found out about their church tour, he insisted that they give The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a try.

“Mary [Glenn’s oldest daughter, who has cerebral palsy] was the first one to feel the Spirit,” said Glenn. “As we were walking out of the chapel, there was a Dunkin Donuts coffee calling my name. The girls didn’t like the church tour at all, but Mary asked, ‘Can we go back there?’ It stopped us dead in our tracks. She said, ‘I just feel so warm inside.’” Glenn agreed to keep going until someone said something that made him mad, which he thought was sure to happen.

But it didn’t happen, and soon Glenn was seriously investigating the Church. “There were bodies of missionaries at my front door,” he laughs. “I think for seven months they were coming. The second, maybe the third discussion that we had, they turned white because I walked in with Mormon Doctrine. I had been reading it like a novel, and I was making notes because I wasn’t going to join something I didn’t firmly believe in. I really had turned over the stones and had really looked.”

Then came the moment Glenn knew he was going to become a member. “I was sitting in Priesthood, and a guy who I had dubbed ‘The Amazing Mr. Plastic Man’—because he was the happiest guy on the planet—was teaching the concept of Zion. It wasn’t a concept that I had really seriously considered before. He asked, ‘How can it happen?’ Tears started to roll down his cheeks and he said, ‘It can only happen if I truly love you and you love me.’”

Wiping tears from his eyes, Glenn continues his story saying, “During that Priesthood lesson I realized I was at a crossroads. There was no reason why I shouldn’t join the Church, other than I didn’t want to be a Mormon. And I thought, ‘Are you really going to let coffee, swearing, rated-R movies, and all that stop you?’”

Pat baptized Glenn on October 23, 1999—an experience that would be extremely emotional for them both. “It was the longest baptism ever,” Glenn recalls with tears streaming down his face. “We were standing in the water and he couldn’t get the words out. He had watched me struggle for so long. He’d waited for so long. And I couldn’t stop crying. I had seen just a glimpse of the power of the Lord and His promises if you walk in His footsteps. I thought, ‘If I do this, He’ll carry my load.’ I couldn’t wait for that to happen.”

By joining the Church, Glenn finally found meaning in his life and a new outlook. “The great thing about the gospel is that we know the end of the story,” he says. “That’s why I’ve changed. I still have high levels of stress, but not like before. As long as I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, to the best of my ability, striving diligently to follow the Lord’s footsteps, I can lose my job. The money, the house, it’s a total byproduct. It’s an extra little perk, where ten years ago it would have been all about that. My perspective has totally changed.”

A open letter to our new President Elect, Barack Obama

Mr. Obama,


First let me congratulate you for running a very long and hard fought race. You brought many Americans together for a common cause, for this I commend you.

I am a conservative who voted for John McCain. I disagree with you on many social issues, but as the President Elect, I will support you in your office. I sincerely hope other conservatives will join me in this. I do have some specific concerns of a very personal nature that I want to address.

I am an adoptee, born to a mother of sixteen years of age in 1977. I do not know the circumstances around why she got pregnant, but I do know that she made the decision to put the value of my life and my twin brother's life ahead of her own. She made a selfless decision to give up 9 months of her life to carry us to term, and then give a my adopted parents a the gift of something they could not obtain without her help, twin baby boys.

I ask you Mr. Obama, should we not be promoting this sort of behavior? Should we not have better programs to allow more young women to give the gift of life to another, instead of taking it away?

I'm not asking you to outlaw abortion, as I know that is not something your party will allow and it does not seem to be where your mind is, what I am asking is for you to take up the cause of helping to decrease the number of abortions every year by working with other lawmakers to develop programs that promote life by supporting young mothers who wish to carry their babies to term and give them up for adoption. We can provide hope for young mothers, show them that they aren't alone, give them the chance to give a gift of life.

I sincerely hope you or one of your staff will read this and consider my words.

Sincerely,

John T. Leschorn

A turning point.

While I have limited my discussion of political hot issues, this story seemed worth posting:

So, all of the Bush haters and Obama lovers. First I know he made some mistakes, if anything we should have gone into Iraq with 2x the force we did, yeah that's right, 2x. It seems that the tide has finally turned. I hope this lasts and I hope our next president isn't a coward. We need to finish what we started to give the Iraqi people a fighting chance at their own style of democracy. I have nothing but praise for our men in arms who patrol the streets side by side with the Iraqi military. They know that at any minute they should be injured or killed, but they do it to protect the homeland and that is exactly what they are doing.

I sincerely hope that their are good leaders among the Iraqi people who are willing to put the needs of the populous above their own personal gain.

100 Not So Random Things About Me and My Progeny

Well guys, you did it, this time I am the follower.

1. What BJ didn't tell you is that just after our Patriarchial blessings we both stayed at the Patriarch's house for a stake conference.
2. I don't ever let BJ forget that I baptized him, as he may be my only ticket to the Celestial Kingdom.
3. I hate the college classroom and because about 90% of college students care more about the next weekend's parties then the next semester.
4. I always wanted a saltwater fishtank, but settled on a freshwater setup.
5. I'm also waiting for the fish to die.
6. My wife doesn't eat enough, so I eat for her.
7. I need to loose 50lbs.
8. I just hurt my back.
9. I am getting a bike this week, hope my back feels better.
10. My superhero persona was "CHIP" a cyborg guy.
11. The personas were actually drawn up by Elder Stone, a missionary who helped teach me the discussions.
12. I didn't choose my persona, but it fits.
13. I married my best friend.
14. She is one of three girls that I ever knew that fit my qualifications for marriage. (I'll bet ya'll wondering what/who they are...)
15. I'm not going to share.
16. I love living in the desert.
17. I love warm winters.
18. I dislike hot summers, but that's what AC is for.
19. I miss my friends, BJ, Cali, Corey, Shiloh, Will. (Note I put this in alphabetical order as not to offend anyone)
20. I'm looking forward to our summer reunion.
21. I've had wild ideas about us all moving back to Brazil, IN to restart the now defunct Brazil Branch.
22. Yes, I know that's silly.
23. Nauvoo will be a blast.
24. I love my kids.
25. I think the world of them.
26. Rose and Sarah will both make the kind of wifes' that would have made my list up above, still working on Hannah, Margaret and Abbey. Their husbands will be lucky men.
27. I've been called "bold" recently by a good friend, had no idea I had that trait.
28. I think perhaps I was more "bold" when this particular friend was around, this individual is good for my self confidence.
29. I still love DnD.
30. I don't play DnD any more.
31. No close social group to play with, too many kids, too little time.
32. Ammon is our super boy, does everything he is told with exactness.
33. Malachi has an awesome imagination.
34. Gabriel is very loving, forgiving and affectionate.
35. My wife loves me.
36. Oh yeah..... I love my wife. (She is reading this over my shoulders right now, just bit me.)
37. She has been a real trooper in the last 11 years.
38. We've moved 13 times. (Insanity)
39. The moves and job changes almost match up with each kid.
40. I have managed to break that habit.
41. I like bike riding. Haven't had a bike for a number of years. Will be fixed, see number 9.
42. I like hiking with my wife and all the kids, and yes we get the looks also...
43. I am learning that living in the "bubble" has unique challenges.
44. Instead of "Baptist Mormons" we have "Gap Mormons"
45. We shop at Walmart and Target and are proud of it.
46. We drive appropriate vehicles for their tasks.
47. I have a small commuter car, good gas milage lots of airbags.
48. My wife has a big Ford van, not so great gas milage, but hey with 8 kids, what else can you ask for...
49. I don't like when people drive Surburbans and Escalades for their 1 child. It's wasteful.
50. I want a jeep when I grow up to...
51. I really don't like when people commute to work in gas guzzling trucks for no reason.
52. My night vision stinks, ask will he's had to guide me out of a few hairy situations.
53. I don't ever need to wear sunglasses.
54. I love swimming.
55. I miss having a pool.
56. We have a neighborhood pool, but I feel guilty about going without my kids.
57. I think I need to worry more about my own health.
58. I'm worried about getting to 100 without boring you to tears.
59. I like to take pictures.
60. I'm a closet photographer.
61. I'm growing tired of computers.
62. I can't believe I am 30.
63. I can't believe I could be a grandparent at 40ish.
64. I'm hoping to retire at 50.
65. That's not terribly likely.
66. More like 60.
67. I'm the only Priesthood holder in my family. (Leschorn Family)
68. I am the oldest Priesthood holder in my immediate extended family, (In-Laws)
69. I've recently taken and interest in working on my family history.
70. I'm Irish/Italian/Scottish/German/French (German and French are debatable, I am from a region that was disputed for centuries by Germany and France, yep, just learned that.)
71. I feared going to my last youth conference.
72. I knew that I would meet and marry a girl at the conference.
73. Rodney convinced me to go.
74. Look what happened.... :)
75. The Cunningham girls never let me lead in dances.
76. It all changed that conference.
77. Cali should have never let me lead, it gave me to much confidence...
78. I ended up meeting and dating my lovely wife.
79. My wife still doesn't let me lead in dances, (Perhaps she is more wise for that.)
80. I don't have any non-wrinkled clothes for work tomorrow.
81. My wife is pondering teaching my 9 year olds to iron. (Scary)
82. I wish Romney stayed in the race, and Huckabee never existed.
83. I wasn't going to vote for Romney b/c he was a Mormon.
84. I was going to vote for Romney b/c he was a temple worthy Mormon.
85. My wife doesn't like 84.
86. My Dad was also pro-Romney, voted for Clinton twice.
87. I can't stand when people polarize issues in politics.
88. Right and wrong are simple, moving the population to the correct mind frame is not.
89. My wife really doesn't like 88.
90. I'm a Reagan Republican.
91. I don't watch TV with my wife.... ever.
92. We have started "blogging" together.
93. We don't have cable.
94. I want the Gov't out of my life and my paycheck.
95. I dislike liberals.
96. I was an Elder when BJ was ordained.
97. Who's first for HP? (Will, BJ or John)
98. I share my Priesthood Lineage with Will.
99. Will Baptized me. (Like you all didn't know that.)
100. I belive in Christ.

Look at the mess we got ourselves into...

I have been thinking alot about the whole tax rebate deal that just went through congress and President Bush signed.

We are in a war, an expensive one. We have a huge budget deficit.

On the other side of the issue. The american public has gone off the deep-end. Due to the loss of our industries our economy is based on consumption of goods. Our "wealth" is false, it has nothing to back it up. Like drug addicts we always want more.

Banks and lending institutions reacted to our "need". They created loans that allowed us to purchase more house then we could afford. Being addicted to more, we bit, millions of people who wanted more house than they could afford purchased houses with unreasonable terms.

So our false wealth combined with our need for more has gotten us into a heap of trouble. Our government is just a reflection of it's people.

So this is what I propose.

As a country:

We complete the war in Iraq, withdraw after we have completed our objectives within a reasonable amount of time. Offer substancial incentives via tax breaks and federal R & D money to american companies who are already beginning the process to build an infrastructure of clean energy.

This would serve two purposes, first the short term benefit, within 10-20 years, we would free ourselves of the worlds oil, drastically reducing dependence on foriegn countries and fickle governments.

Secondly as a country we would gain an advantage in the renewable engergy industry, we could then export the technology and products to other countries. We must also begin to pay down our national debt by reducing unnecessary government spending and bloated entitlement programs.

As families:

We must live within our means, not purchase more vehicle or home than we can afford. We must save, cut up credit cards. We must teach our children the value of hard work, even low paying sometimes dirty hard work.

As individuals:

We must conserve within reason. We must vote in leaders who are not on the right or left, but who are thinkers, who will look at our current problems and work with intelligence and reason. We must take responsibilities for our own actions, we must not expect the government to bail us out of every mistake. We must also continue to educate ourselves throughout our lives to be prepared for a more competitive global economy.

We must also respect each others differences and tolerate those who do not think like us. This does not mean we should be afraid to profess our theological or political views, it means that we must come together as a people and realize that our common goal is our hope for a better future for our children, one where race, gender or ethnic differences are celebrated and a fabric of unity as a nation bind us together. If we work hard together we can enjoy exploring our differences and learning from one another. We are blessed with an amazing heritage of providence, our founding fathers of many different faiths and backgrounds had the wisdom build our country on laws, of a Judeo Christian base that can ultimately give everyone basic rights to freedom, liberty and security in the pursuit of happiness. We must not allow ourselves to become another page in the history books, another failed democracy.

We must realize that life is full of compromise and unless we are willing to give a little we will not move forward as a country. Our God given democratic republic will loose its purpose as a light to the world. Once we have lost our purpose, we will eventually and inevitably loose our country and our cherished rights and freedoms.