Mormon Heretic

After welcoming everyone with a “Happy New Year”, the Salt Lake Tribune posted a headline “LDS view on role of governing is distinct.”  What caught my attention was the subheadline: “Church doctrine says it is unjust to mix religion and civil government.”  As I mentioned in a previous post, even Richard Bushman has called Brigham Young’s government in Utah a theocracy, so I was curious to read the Tribune article.

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Due to a scheduling conflict, Sunstone was forced to find a new venue for this year’s conference. Rather than stay at the Sheraton in Salt Lake City as they have for the past few years, the conference moved to Weber State University in Ogden. I was only able to attend the Saturday conference, but wanted to give a recap of some of the presentations I attended.

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I’ve always believed the church has a right to make a public stand on political issues.  In protest of the church’s position on Prop 8, gay marriage proponents have floated a proposal that the church should stay out of politics, and should lose their tax-exempt status.  Now that LDS Presiding Bishop David Burton has come out in favor of a guest worker program in Utah (ultra-conservatives call “amnesty”), at least one ultra-conservative is calling for the church to lose tax-exempt status too.  According to Paul Rolly at the Salt Lake Tribune, Read more…

In the past, I’ve talked about racism, bigotry, and prejudice.  Some of these issues have dealt with the mosque at Ground Zero, immigration, or statements made by church leaders about the priesthood ban for African Americans.  Prejudice, bigotry, and racism are often used interchangeably, and there can be a lot of overlap.  (In fact, one of the dictionary definition for “bigotry” is “prejudice.”)  Some people object when the terms racist and bigot are thrown around too loosely.

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Henry Ford: Madman, Socialist, or Smart Capitalist?

On January 5, 1914, Henry Ford announced that he was paying workers on his famously productive Model T assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan, $5 per eight-hour day.  That was almost three times what the typical factory employee earned at the time.  In light of this audacious move, some lauded Ford as a friend of the American worker; others called him a madman or a socialist, or both.  The Wall Street Journal termed his action “an economic crime.”  Ford thought it a cunning business move, and history proved him right. Read more…

Last week, I discussed a bit about Marriner Eccles, prominently featured in Robert Riech’s new book Aftershock.  While most people believe the problem with the Great Recession and Great Depression was the fault of Americans relying on too much debt, Reich believes the reason Americans went into dept is the symptom of a much larger problem.  From pages 23-25, Read more…

Eccles, FDR, and James Roosevelt (FDR's son)

The Great Depression lasted from the stock market crash in 1929 until World War 2.  In the middle of this economic crisis, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Utahn Marriner Eccles to become the Fed Chair.  Robert Reich has high praise for Eccles in his latest book Aftershock, even going so far as to rate both Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan as “no Marriner Eccles.”  Frankly, I was astonished at Reich’s praise for Eccles throughout the book.  From chapter 1 to the end of the book, Reich repeatedly referred to Eccles.  On page 11, Reich gives a bit of background on Eccles, Read more…

The debate about what to do about immigration problems is a big issue in Utah and other states.  St. George’s newspaper, the Spectrum has reported that Stephen Sandstrom, a Republican from Orem is sponsoring a bill that

would allow local law enforcement to check people’s residency or citizenship status if officers have “reasonable suspicion” they have entered the country illegally. It would also allow for a warrantless arrest if an officer has a “reasonable suspicion” that the person they are facing is here illegally.

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I don’t know what to make out of Egypt.  Everyone thinks Mubarak will step down, but he hasn’t yet.  The protests are getting uglier.  So will this end more like the fall of the Berlin Wall, or like Tiannamen Square?  Will Egypt be more like Iran’s government or Turkey?  Is democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan spreading to places like Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia?  What the heck is going on in Tunisia anyway?

Feel free to answer any of these questions, because I really haven’t a clue–especially when it comes to Tunisia.

Huntsman or Romney

Apparently it is not too early to start speculating on the 2012 election.  Ambassador (and returned missionary) to China, Jon Huntsman organized a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday.  Even the Wall Street Journal is curious about Huntsman’s presidential aspirations.  Asked about Huntsman’s presidential aspirations,

“I’m sure that him having worked so well with me will be a great asset in any Republican primary,” said President Barack Obama, flashing a broad smile, as laughter broke out in the room. (Deseret News)

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US President Eisenhower with Ezra Taft Benson, Secretary of Agriculture

I’m not sure why President Benson is so popular lately.  Will at Wheat and Tares asked, Were President Benson’s Words Prophetic? In Sunday’s Salt Lake Tribune, FBI files shed light on Ezra Taft Benson, Ike and the Birch Society.  In July, I promised to talk about President Benson’s politics, and I guess the timing is right; I’m finally getting back to that post.

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I was driving to work this morning and saw a billboard titled “Remember 9/11″ with an image of the collapsed World Trade Center.  In smaller print on the right, it said “”Stand up and be heard.  No mosque at ground zero.”  You can see the sign on a video at this website.

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I wanted to get this post up sooner, but I’ve been really busy correcting final exams.  I really enjoyed the last day of Sunstone, since I was able to attend all day, rather than a session here or there.  Don Bradley gave a presentation titled “Dating Fanny Alger”, a bit of a play on words.  I remember he gave a funny line to the effect of “By all accounts, she was hot!”  Anyway, Bradley tried to pin down when the “affair” happened.  Apparently, Emma discovered Joseph and Fanny late at night in the barn.  According to Bradley, Alger appeared pregnant.  Emma threw a fit, and threw Alger out of the house.  (Apparently Alger had been working as a sort of nanny.)

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