“In the eyes of many, I have clearly been labeled the conservative republican “golden Mormon boy”. I have no problem with this imposed label, except for those same people who somehow think it makes me a “brainwashed”, naïve, “blind follower,” who lives in a bubble of “perfection” and doesn’t really understand the world. This is grossly inaccurate. Those who feel that way clearly have hidden wounds and “chips on their shoulders” which lead them to paint with broad strokes of self-defense. I’m sorry they were hurt or judged by someone “like me” in their past, but I am NOT that person. Having been hurt by “golden Mormon boys” in my past – namely by the CTR wearing, pictures of Prophets and Christ covering his walls, perpetrator who sexually abused me as a child – I understand this well. There comes a time in each of our lives, what I like to call the moment of “selfhood”, where we need to understand for our self’s who we are and what we believe. I have had this moment. I’m not simply a Mormon conservative – I’m Patrick John Risk, who happens to be Mormon and a conservative! I don’t follow blindly; I strike my own path having truly seen and come to believe what I try and live each day. The sooner we each stop trying to label everything and everyone in our life’s, recognizing the uniqueness of each situation and person, the sooner we’ll come to discover what it really means to live in harmony with others. You can either become a duplicate product of your circumstances, or become your own new and unique product! I choose the latter. My circumstance was that I was abused by a Mormon priesthood holder; my product was that I discovered for myself the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ found in the Mormon faith and now strive to be a worthy priesthood holder. My circumstance was that I was silenced by ultra conservative republicans for years; my product was that I’ve educated myself on the key issues of today and speak and stand boldly for those candidates (republican and democrat) that align to what I’ve learned is best for the country. #ClearJudgmentFromYourEyes #BeYourOwnProduct“