Mormons saddle up for Bush's second coming but hope for a little humility

[T_i_B]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1393627,00.html

George Bush never campaigned in Utah. He did not need to. Without showing up, he won 71% of the vote here in November, the biggest majority in any state. This is the land of the faithful in more ways than one. The church of the Latter-day Saints dominates public and private life from its multi-steepled white stone temple in Salt Lake City, and its influence is spreading wider with every passing year.

The Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons, believe that America was first peopled by a lost tribe of Israelites and then visited by Jesus. Now they have shrugged off their polygamous past and represent the country's fastest growing religion with more than 4 million members. Their church is bigger than some of the "mainstream" Protestant denominations including the Presbyterians and Episcopalians. In President Bush's America, the Mormons are the mainstream and nearly 90% of them voted to re-elect him.

Asked about their decision to re-elect the president, a lot of Utah Mormons, like Christian conservatives in general, will say they knew in their gut he was a man of God, on whom they could rely. But when it comes to policies many of them are queasy.

"I voted for Bush. I thought Kerry was dishonest. He was evil almost," said Julie Smith, out shopping in the prosperous and devout suburb of Bountiful, just outside Salt Lake City. "I like Bush because he's a good man and I think he's got wonderful ideas, but I don't think it's worked out the way he thought it would." Ms Smith, a retired teacher, has particular distaste for the president's flagship education policy, but she is also unnerved by the downward spiral of events in Iraq particularly as it affects the local boys from the Utah national guard. "I like the idealism but I don't like what's happening. But at least he'll try," she said hopefully of the president's second term.

[Catch22Dem]

1. whatthefuckever!

I hate people like this. You know how far we could have come as a species without religion? It boggles the mind and saddens the heart to think about where we could be right now.

[ima_sinnic]

2. UGH! ignorant, lie-spewing, lie-believing, phony-sack-of-@#*^

worshipping dumbasses.

"wonderful ideas"--like robbing us of our social security funds, education funding, domestic security funding, social assistance programs, environmental protection laws, all to enrich his greed-head wealthy CEO friends?

illegally and blatantly invading and occupying a sovereign nation on a crusade to eradicate Muslims and "privatize" their oil?

F U and your stinking make-believe "god" who condones your smug, self-satisfied, woefully ignorant existence.

[Maraya1969]

3. They refer to Kerry as "evil"?

WHAT do they think is so evil about the man? He stood up and spoke out about the atrocities in Vietnam for crying out loud. That is what a good person should do.

And they also think Democrats are evil? We care about the welfare of other people in the rest of the world. We care about human rights, animal right and the earth. Most of us do not believe in trampling other countries and killing off their citizens in the name of, "whatever". Nor do most believe in the death penalty.

But gosh darn it, we believe in equal rights for gays, the privacy of women, the Constitution of the United States, and moral values that go beyond the dictates of someone's personal religions dogma. If that makes us evil count me in!




From the same article:

When Frank Pignanelli, a Salt Lake City Democrat, wrote a newspaper column before the election endorsing the Massachusetts Democrat senator John Kerry, his email intray filled with fire and brimstone. "You Democrats are the tools of Satan and are corrupting our families and children," he was told in one email

<snip>

But when it comes to policies many of them are queasy. "I voted for Bush. I thought Kerry was dishonest. He was evil almost," said Julie Smith, out shopping in the prosperous and devout suburb of Bountiful, just outside Salt Lake City. "I like Bush because he's a good man and I think he's got wonderful ideas, but I don't think it's worked out the way he thought it would."

[noamnety]

4. allow me to paraphrase

I live in a sheltered little world, so the policies for the most part don't affect me directly. Mainly what I like is for someone to tell me sweet little lies. I find it comforting.