Posted on 12/31/2011 2:59:44 PM PST by greyfoxx39
The Washington Post proclaimed in a recent headline another historic first for the United States the first female usher-in-chief at the White House. Stop the presses! The accompanying story reveals that the nominee hails from Jamaica, so its probably a two-fer. Oh boy.
The Post and other liberal organs are obsessed with firsts. The first female letter carrier to handle the Capitol Hill route will get a mention in the press. The first African-American anything is guaranteed at least a nod. You dont even have to be first to get first treatment. The last two Supreme Court nominees have been women, joining a court that had already seated two women (one retired). Nevertheless, the femininity of the candidates was cheerily chatted up. When Barack Obama became the first black nominee of a major party and then the elected president, dignified notice of an historical milestone would have been appropriate. But you know what happened the media went on an inebriated, extravagant first binge.
It isnt that Mormons have not suffered. Following the religions founding in upstate New York in 1830, the Mormons faced immediate hostility from their neighbors. Hounded by New Yorkers, the growing community moved west to Ohio, Missouri, and Kansas. In Jackson County, Mo., Mormon leaders were tarred and feathered, Mormon homes torched, and Mormon property brazenly stolen.
County after county drove the Mormons out, sometimes threatening to kill even the children if they did not evacuate, culminating, in 1838, in an extermination order issued by Gov. Lilburn Boggs. Instructing the state militia, Boggs wrote, The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public peace their outrages are beyond all description. Thousands of Mormons were forced to flee, some with just the clothes on their backs, in the dead of winter. Illinois offered sanctuary for a time, but it was in that state that the religions founder, Joseph Smith, was imprisoned and murdered by a mob.
The Mormons attempted to defend themselves, and committed an atrocity of their own, the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 (for which the militia leader in charge was tried and executed by the Mormons). But most of the time, the group was on the defensive. Throughout its first seven decades, the sect was harried, persecuted, expelled, reviled, and chased across a continent.
The practice of polygamy stirred hostility. As a Jew though, I cannot help noticing that Mormons were also hated because they seemed to prosper economically, because they rose to the top of organizations they joined, and because they were so loyal to one another.
Outsiders can surely be fair-minded enough to acknowledge that the Latter Day Saints church gets results. Utah has the nations lowest levels of welfare dependency, child poverty, and single-parent homes. Its students are among the top scorers in the nation despite relatively low levels of education spending. It ranks highest for contributions to charity by the wealthy, and among the lowest for incarceration and cancer rates. Prominent Mormons established the Marriott hotel chain, JetBlue, and Bain Capital (of course). Mormon Americans invented the television, word processing, and the hearing aid, among other things. Mormons have distinguished themselves in entertainment, sports, and politics where they have risen to prominence in both parties.
Polygamy having long since been discarded, anti-Mormon bias today, ironically, often focuses on the LDS churchs opposition to same-sex marriage. During the contest over Californias Proposition 8, which limited marriage to the bond between men and women, opponents sought to intimidate Mormons who contributed financially or otherwise to the initiative. While there has been speculation that Mitt Romneys faith might suppress support among Republicans, a recent Gallup survey found that Democrats (27 percent) were more likely than Republicans (18 percent) to say they would not vote for a Mormon candidate for president.
Mormons are obviously the wrong kind of minority. Oh, theyve been persecuted. But through a strong work ethic, self-discipline, traditional morality (yes, theres an irony there, but get over it), and group cohesion, they have triumphed for themselves and for the country. The first Mormon president would be a milestone. But dont hold your breath for the applause.
Ping
If Mitt Romney is nominated and elected, he will be the first member of a highly persecuted American minority group to be so honored.
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Oh please! Someone has been drinking the Kool-Aid.
I’m going to suggest that everything from NRO be prefaced with a BARF alert. They are actually worse than Time or Newsweak. At least those magazines dont claim to be the voice of conservatives.
NR is a worthless rag dedicated to advancing Romney and his socialistic ideas.
Is that really what the GOP wants?
"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"
"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"
"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"
"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"
"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"
Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:
Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"
Last I checked Harry Reid was a Mormon.
As Joe Biden would say “That’s a BFD!”. Sarcasm.
Mona’s been a CINO for years.
Is that really what the GOP wants?
"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"
"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"
"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"
"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"
"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"
Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:
Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"
I actually thought of putting a BARF alert on this title.
We have already had a VP who is now Mormon, Dan Quayle.
Mormons who raise money for NARAL turn me off. I think many of us could live with Bay Buchanan or Glenn Beck in the White House. Mitt Romney, anything named Udall, Orrin Hatch? Not so much.
Lived in mass during his stay of power. Somethings he did right. He cut certain porkfat out of the spending budget,but balanced it out by increasing fees and certain taxes,plus incited the godforsaken socialist medical plan.
I thought obama was the first openly socialist president.
Oh, give me a break
Here's another look at things:
* MORMONS - PERSECUTED, PERSECUTOR OR BOTH?
* Violence in Early Mormonism - Was It All Unjust Persecution?
And would Ms. Charen like to mention why Joseph Smith was jailed? Does she have an issue with martial law under a theocratic militia? That's . . . treason. Because Smith was not only the prophet, he was General of his own army, the Nauvoo Legion, and had been crowned King of the World twice. And he declared martial law against the federal and state governments after he ordered a printing press destroyed primarily for disclosing that he was a polygamist.
The Missouri Wars involved fighting on both sides (I didn't see Charen mention the Danites). Reading this it like reading the description of an Ali-Frazier prize fight that only mentions the blows struck by Ali.
"Oh, and Ali hits Frazier.""Another unprovoked blow by Ali!."
"And Ali hits Frazer again and people are even cheering"
"Oh! And Ali hits Frazier's fist with his face! How unfair!"
"And they have Frazier boxed inside these ropes! He's being persecuted! And Ali hits Frazier's fist with his stomach! Again! And again!"
"And Ali hits Frazier!"
"And there's a man in the ring WATCHING as this persecution goes on!"
"And now Frazier's down and they are raising Ali's hands and the crowd is cheering for him! Anti's! Anti's! Listen to all the Anti-Fraziers!."
This "we did nothing wrong and it was all just persecution" is detached from reality, and LDS historians have acknowledged it. But it serve Brigham Young and the church well, for his people to have a common enemy and a sense of persecution.
Uh huh...
Welcome to FR. And I’m hoping that was sarcasm, if not your stay shall be brief.
Both willing and unwilling conservatives will be drawn into the irreversible act of the legitimization, embracing and mainstreaming of Mormonism to the Christian and conservative population of America, if Romney becomes the head of the ticket for the Republican party.
There is just no way around that necessity (for most commentators and pundits) and (unconscious impulse) for reluctant others, if Romney is nominated.
Quayle is Mormon? When did THAT happen?
He left with 34% approval and turned the seat over to the democrats, and devastated the state GOP, that doesn’t spell effective Governor.
Increasing taxes and fees is what liberals do. Myth is a principleless liberal. Your argument is from a liberal point of view. FAIL.
I read it somewhere of a recent conversion on FR recently, but now I can see no evidence of it. Apologies if mistaken.
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