[TruthTalk] LDS Conference and Street Preachers

[Blaine Borrowman]

I have been on Spring Vacation, which for me started right after LDS Conference in Salt Lake City last Sunday, and now have a catchup of around 250 messages, mostly TT messages.      I walked over to the conference Center to see the Street Preachers before the afternoon session on Sunday, wanting to see ol' Kevin Deagan and whoever else might be around.  Kevin had apparently just walked off carrying his sign a few moments before, however, so I did not get to meet him personally.  But I did visit a moment with my old friend and TTr, Ruben Israel.  I think I also saw Dean there, but he seemed busy and I wasn't sure it was him, and then I guess he left, because when I looked around for him after talking to Ruben, I couldn't spot him.  There were many people walking past, and it was easy to get lost in the shuffle, I suppose.    I very much enjoyed my short visit with Ruben, who was talking to a minister wearing standard attire--black suit with a high white collar.  The minister seemed very friendly, and complimentary of one of the the LDS speakers from the morning session, President Faust, the second couselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley, but unfortunately, I could not discuss much because I had not been watching TV during Faust's speech earlier in the day.    I should have hung around for awhile because when I drove past about a half hour later, I saw Kevin (I think it was him--a stout fellow with a ruddy face) rolling up his sign--but the traffic was moving steady, so could not stop.  I was wearing cutoffs, so actually felt a little out of place there anyway.  Most people except the Street Preachers were wearing Sunday-best--the people mostly looked friendly, happy  and cleancut.  Beautiful young Mormon women were omnipresent, all over the place.  I have to say Mormon women are among the most attractive in the world!!  They are so clean and virtuous looking, and look very much as if they are also smart and well-educated.  I spoke to one young woman who was walking alone, and she was graciously friendly.   She looked a lot like a lot of young Mormon women I have known--almost a stereotype, in fact.  The fact that I was wearing cutoffs and casual clothing didn't seem to phase her.  But because of my attire, she might have thought I was one of Kevin and Ruben's group, so may have been trying extra hard to be inoffensive.  (:>)  I have seen Mormon girls do that, especially with a minority person, such as a Black man or woman.   The boys (Street Preachers) were pretty much confined to certain areas, and the police were all over the place, mostly in the streets directing traffic, but apparently also there for security purposes.  I also saw a lot of men dressed in suits, just sort of hanging around--some had "security" writting on badges, but many apparently were just there for whatever reasons, maybe undercover  men.. .     I did not see anything offensive being done by anyone.  Most of the Street Preachers were standing around  with small groups talking quietly, or just standing silently by themselves.  I asked one of them his name and he would not divulge it--I then asked him if he knew Kevin Deagan, and his face brightened up, and he pointed West of where he was standing--just then the Police officer directing traffic started yelling, so I stepped on the pedal and moved on around the corner.  I went around again, and this time the cop was grinning at me with an apologetic _expression_ on his face--he said, as I drove past him with my window down, "What we have here is a failure to communicate!!"  That was an allusion to the movie, Cool Hand Luke, but I took it to refer to the Street Preachers.  But he may have just been trying to make up  for being heavy handed and yelling at me earlier?    BlaineBorrowman