Many
people in the States view Utah Senator Mitt Romney’s vote to remove President
Donald Trump from office at the end of the impeachment trial early in February
as being motivated mostly by personal dislike of Mr Trump. But what if that were not the case? What if there were other reasons underlying
it that make his vote a more substantial way-marker in terms of politics? The latter is argued by Caleb Maupin:
At
the conclusion of the impeachment trial, the vote was taken, and all
Republicans voted in unison to keep Trump in office. There was however, one
notable exception. US Senator Mitt Romney was the single Republican to vote to
convict Trump on charges of abuse of power.
The
media has chalked this up to merely a personal tension between the two men. The
reality is, however, that in his longstanding tension with Trump, Mitt Romney
represents more than himself. Romney, as a US Senator from Utah, represents the
Mormon Axis. This is a center of power within the US government apparatus that
leans conservative but very much has its own agenda, competing with other
forces within the Republican Party, as well as within the FBI and CIA.
. . .
The
Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS), commonly called “The Mormons” in US
vernacular, functions as a powerful “Mystery Cult” within US society. While
Mormon missionaries knock on doors throughout America proselytizing their
faith, they are very reluctant to have open conversations about theology.
Recruitment is conducted on the basis of presenting LDS as a friendly, happy
community with prominent and influential members. The beliefs and concepts of
Mormonism, though widely public on the internet, are considered to be internal
and not for discussion with non-believers. This has been especially true after
TV programs, like South Park, and Broadway musicals like “The Book of Mormon”
subjected LDS theology to emphatic ridicule.
Mormonism
began in 1820 when a treasure hunter and alcoholic named Joseph Smith claimed
to have a vision in the US State of New York. In his vision, Smith reported
that he was made aware that he was a prophet and informed instructed that all
existing Christian churches were false. Eventually, Smith claimed to have been
visited by Angels, and presented with a book of golden plates, and giving
testimony of events that took place on the continent of North America prior to
European settlement. Mormonism preaches that Native Americans are actually a
lost tribe of ancient Jews, and that Christ visited what is now the United
States centuries ago.
In
its early years, one of the principal beliefs of the Latter Days Saints
Movement was that polygamy was an acceptable practice. As a result, LDS
adherents were constantly forced to move further westward, as its members
frequently faced legal consequences for violating US marriage laws. The
founder, Joseph Smith was killed by a hostile mob in 1844, but the faith
continued, moving further westward and eventually establishing Salt Lake City,
Utah as its headquarters.
As
Utah became a US territory, tensions with Washington DC were frequent. Federal
troops were often stationed in Utah, and many Mormons were jailed for polygamy.
In 1890, the LDS church officially abandoned polygamy. Utah was ultimately
granted statehood in 1896.
Mormonism
existed as a kind of fringe religion in US society, but began to greatly expand
during the Cold War. Starting in the 1950s, Mormons emphasized the centrality
of the United States in their theology, and joined Anti-Communist organizations
such as the John Birch Society. As a result of their alliance with the
Republican Party and anti-communism, LDS adherents became increasingly accepted
and respected in conservative circles.
. . .
Though
Mormons had presence in the FBI from its earliest days, in the 1970s after
Hoover’s death, their influence y greatly expanded within the bureau. The FBI
currently had a recruitment program specifically for LDS members. According to Business Insider:
“Mormon
missionaries are valued for their foreign language skills, abstinence from
drugs and alcohol, and respect for authority.”
In
the 1970s, the Mormons also became very prominent within the CIA. An article
from Atlas Obscura cites a report on the CIA: “One 1975 report on the CIA, for
instance, included the tidbit that one Mormon-owned PR firm made some “overseas
offices available…as cover for Agency employees operating abroad.”
As
Mormons collected data for the CIA, and helped provide cover for agents operating
abroad, their international missionary work also grew greatly expanded. The
religious sect expanded far beyond Utah, with new converts across the world.
. . .
Romney’s decision to cast
his vote in favor of removing Trump seems to indicate that the tensions between
US President Donald Trump, and a powerful faction within the US intelligence
apparatus are still ongoing. . . .
Interestingly,
in December, leaks about massive tax fraud facilitated by the LDS Church
leadership found their way to America’s front pages.
in December. Furthermore, the embarrassing revelation that Romney had set up an
alias twitter account in order to praise himself also found its way to the headlines.
It’s
very clear that the political influence and power centered around Salt Lake
City has a very uncomfortable relationship with the commander-in-chief. A kind
of back room conflict is taking place, not between political parties or even
between deep state entities, but between the LDS faction and its rivals.
It will be hard to predict
how exactly this plays out, especially as the 2020 elections get closer.
Indeed,
how will this play out? The Mormons have
positioned themselves to be a powerful community not just within the united
States or in North America but globally, whether one is speaking with regard to
economics, spying/data-hoarding, or to religion.
A
Rising Economic Power
Mormons
are generally known for being well-connected in the business world. Just how well is summarized here by Peggy
Stack:
Some Mormons — and plenty of others — were
appalled to witness their church build a $1.5 billion mall
in downtown Salt Lake City
and hear their prophet proclaim, “Let’s go shopping.”
Isn’t religion, they argued, supposed to be
about feeding the hungry and clothing the poor? How is selling Tiffany jewelry,
Nordstrom cocktail dresses and luxury condos any part of a Christian faith?
Such critics, though, fail to understand
Mormonism, says historian D. Michael
Quinn. The American-born
movement has always seen its mission as serving both the spiritual and physical
needs of its people. It doesn’t distinguish between the two.
“It’s as spiritual [for Latter-day Saints]
to give alms to the poor,” Quinn told Bloomberg Businessweek in 2012, “... as
it is to make a million dollars.”
On that last score, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints has been wildly successful, says Quinn, author of
the newly published “Mormon Hierarchy: Wealth & Corporate Power.”
The church, launched in 1830 in upstate New
York with six members, counts nearly 16 million members worldwide — and untold
billions in assets.
It wasn’t alway so. At one point, the
federal government confiscated all its properties, withholding them for nearly
a decade. Thereafter, the Utah-based faith endured cycles of near bankruptcy
every 20 to 30 years until it finally found its economic footing in the 1960s.
Quinn estimates — and estimating is about
the best even a top-notch researcher can do — the church took in about $33
billion in tithing in 2010, based on a model of projected growth rates that
followed a consistent pattern starting in the 1950s. It earns another $15
billion annually, he says, in returns on its profit-making investments. (The Bloomberg
Businessweek piece from five years ago
cited an investigation pegging the LDS Church’s worth at $40 billion.)
. . .
Utah
herself is intent on becoming a leading center for technological innovation and
entrepreneurs:
Utah Sen. Mike Lee is
pushing his S.386 green card giveaway bill, in part, because the state’s
political and business establishment is betting imported Indian graduates will
jump start the state’s version of Silicon Valley.
Their
version of Silicon Valley is called by them Silicon Slopes:
Spanning from Logan to St.
George, Silicon Slopes is a state-wide organization and the official moniker of
Utah’s startup and tech community. Thanks to the Silicon Slopes community, Utah
is a vibrant, diverse, global innovation hub with some of the greatest
entrepreneurs and companies in the world.
All
the Data One Could Need
A
crucial part of the future tech-centered economy is access to data. Here also Mormon Utah is well-seated. It is home to two major information centers,
the largest National Security Agency data collection center and the Mormon
Church’s genealogy library:
. . .
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England,
South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð,
unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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