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Don't tread on me.

This weekend I drove some friends to Bryce Canyon and Zion national park. It was incredibly lovely. One of my favorite things about living in Utah is taking folks to see the natural beauty that exists in such abundance here. It's delightful to hear their gasps and exclamations of awe and wonder.

I read in the news this morning that ISIL or ISIS executed another American.

This may seem a bit of an abrupt topic change, but bear with me.

The true strength of our country lies not in our military might, but in our ability to use our political will to lead others in amazing ways. The national parks idea is one of those ways - Yellowstone being the first land in the world set aside for preservation and perpetual enjoyment. We care very much about such things, and have an extensive and expensive series of such parks across our country. It's awesome and inspiring.

So when I hear about this execution by folks who for whatever reason have a grievance with America, it makes me feel very dismayed. I don't doubt that some of the substance of their grievances are valid. No country is perfect, and America shares its portion of things that have been done poorly. But why do this? Why act in this way? I don't get it. Truly.

I understand that people feel powerless and are acting in ways that help to assuage their frustration and impotence. I also understand that they may feel religiously or morally obligated to seek out opportunities for retribution and retaliation. But why in this way? What good can possibly come from such actions? Are we finally going to decide - you know what, they're right. We should listen and acquiesce.

If that's what they think they couldn't be more wrong. Like the Japanese discovered in WWII, we are not a country to be provoked by violence, lest you wake that proverbial sleeping lion.

There's just got to be a better way to engage in discourse, to share ideas and grievances, and to have them mediated in appropriate, non-violent ways.

Make no mistake, I understand that having a strong military is important, and that the role of the military is both strategic deterrence and powerful responses when action is required. But ultimately the use of violence on any side represents a failure for peaceful solutions. And the soldier prays most earnestly for such solutions because soldiers are the first to respond when peace disappears.

I don't have a good solution. I wish I did. I just wish we could talk more. Jaw jaw is better than war war.

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