This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Lots of pixels spilled today on those Y'all Qaida buffoons up in Oregon. Including the religious angle.

"Capt. Moroni is 'the military stud muffin' of Mormon scripture, says one U.S. religious history expert. It's also the moniker adopted by an armed man occupying a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.

"That's because some supporters and members of the Bundy clan leading the occupation are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have for years cited the Book of Mormon in their conflicts with the government and suggested that God blesses their actions.

"During the current standoff that began this weekend, one member of the occupiers told an Oregon reporter that his name is 'Captain Moroni,' a warrior-hero in the Book of Mormon who faces off against an unfeeling government. ..."

But the church ain't buying it.

Mormon leaders to Oregon militia: Your religion isn't with you — Peggy Fletcher Stack | The Salt Lake Tribune

"If Ammon Bundy and other Mormons involved in taking over a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon believe their religion is backing them, they should reconsider.

"Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 'strongly condemn the armed seizure of the facility,' spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a news release Monday, 'and are deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest that they are doing so based on scriptural principles' ...

" ... That statement echoes the church's 12th article of faith, which declares, 'We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law' ..."

More on this on today's Trib Talk.

Mormons and government conflict — Jennifer Napier-Pearce | The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... On Tuesday at 12:15 p.m., historian Paul Reeve, author Jana Riess and others join Jennifer Napier-Pearce to talk about how Mormon history, doctrine and scripture help explain the illegal occupation and anti-government movement ..."

They aren't getting much conservative political support, either.

The Oregon wildlife refuge putsch — Rich Lowry | National Review / Salt Lake Tribune

" ... What brought the Bundys to Oregon is the case of the Hammonds, ranchers who were subjected to what appears to be a vindictive and unnecessary federal prosecution. The case deserves attention and protest, but the Bundys and their allies have brought discredit to the cause with their unlawful occupation of Malheur. ..."

Or maybe too much, just in dog whistle form.

Republican candidates flirt with lawbreakers — Dana Milbank | The Washington Post

" ... So why have the militants chosen this moment to "unwind all these unconstitutional land transactions," as Bundy put it? Perhaps it's because they think the political atmosphere now condones such anti-government activity.

"You can see why they might think so. Several of the Republican presidential candidates have been encouraging lawbreaking, winking at it or simply looking the other way. ..."

Meanwhile, some of us argue that the problem is not that the government shoots too few white people, but that it shoots too many black people.

Feds are right not to get trigger-happy in Oregon — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

" ... Patience, for the time being, is the best way to avoid violence and deprive the occupiers of any more attention or sympathy. (As it would have been in many cases over the past year where people of color were killed by police.) ..."

— Is the Oregon Standoff Evidence of a Racial Double Standard? — Jamelle Bouie | Slate

"Not really. And we are in danger of drawing the wrong lessons from the fact that these armed militiamen are white. ...

" ... In any case, 'Why won't they shoot at armed white fanatics?' isn't just the wrong question; it's a bad one. Not only does it hold lethal violence as a fair response to the Bundy militia, but it opens a path to legitimizing the same violence against more marginalized groups. As long as the government is an equal opportunity killer, goes the argument, violence is acceptable. ..."

Also,

" ... This is dangerous, around-the-bend behavior. It is neither terrorism nor civil disobedience but rather some hapless play-acting of coercive protest – configured to manipulate media and delivered with a dim homily about reducing the federal government's reach. More than anything, Bundy and his cronies, citing Constitutional rights they fail to explicate, pass themselves off as apple-pie patriots, hands on the trigger and ready to fight the good fight. They have watched too much TV. ..."

" ... The bureau's fees are so much lower than the market price in part because its fees are set at a flat, national rate and can't be adjusted to match demand in local markets. Plus, the bureau sets that national grazing price using a formula, rather than any kind of bidding system or market appraisals, as some other federal agencies with higher prices2 do. As a result, in 2014, grazing fees covered only 15 percent of the bureau's costs to maintain grazing lands. The rest of the cost is made up in federal appropriations and covered by taxpayers. ..."