This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

[Video: Why Mormons identify with Syrian refugees. — Vox — Based in part on recent Pat Bagley cartoon]

What with those would-be LDS warriors standing fast up in Oregon, a lot of Utah and Mormon related news out there.

— Small Utah-born political party has rift over Oregon occupation, Mormon church stance — Lee Davidson | The Salt Lake Tribune

"Kelly Gneiting, former chairman of the small Independent American Party — a group born in Utah that won about 3 percent of the vote here in 2014 — is criticizing the LDS Church for denouncing the armed seizure of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.

"But current party leaders disagree — and removed some posts Gneiting made on the party website — causing a rift in the party that counts Cliven Bundy as a member. Bundy led a Nevada standoff with federal agents over grazing rights in 2014, and his sons are leading the Oregon occupation.

" 'The LDS Church would have denounced the [Boston] Tea Party. It would have said, "No, we're not going to do violence and throw tea into the water," said Gneiting, national chairman emeritus of the Independent American Party (IAP), who led that party for 4½ years until last year. He left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last year. ..."

— Oregon standoff has roots in Mormon fanaticism — Alex Beam | The Boston Globe

" ... Like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young preached that the American Constitution was a divinely inspired document being perverted by secular politicians in Washington. In a famous speech recorded in the church's 'Journal of Discourses,' Young said, "if the Constitution of the United States were saved at all it must be done by this people' — meaning the Mormons.

"The Bundys likewise believe that Washington politicians have hijacked the Constitution, and Ammon thinks the Mormon church agrees with them. ...

" ... The Mormon church kept quiet — too quiet — during the Cliven Bundy standoff, but not so now. ...

" ... This time the Mormons doubtless will expel Ammon Bundy — though I suspect that will be the least of his problems."

— Suppose they called an armed rebellion and nobody showed up? — Jay Evensen | Deseret News

" ... The armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon is a criminal act. All other arguments have ceased. ..."

Here's an argument that sounds familiar to Utahns:

— The folly of giving federal land 'back' to Harney County — Andy Kerr | For The Oregonian

"A small band of anti-government radicals is occupying the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon. A self-appointed 'militia' of very angry white men has converged on Burns, hoping to provoke the federal government to either give 'back' — or for Harney County to take 'back' — the federal public lands in that county.

"Federal public lands cannot be given 'back' because Harney County never owned them. Harney County has no inherent sovereignty as it is merely an administrative subdivision created by, and for the convenience of, the state of Oregon. Neither has the state of Oregon ever owned the federal public lands within its borders. If Oregon were going to insist on taking over the federal public lands within its borders, it would be dishonoring the compact between the state of Oregon and the federal government. ..."

— Refuge occupiers unwelcome at Oregon's Malheur — Martin L. Peterson | Idaho Stateman

"The new year begins with the media taking a nonstory and blowing it up into front-page stuff in The New York Times and the lead story of CNN. The story concerns a band of armed know-nothings from Nevada who have taken over the visitors center at Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge..."

— In Oregon, Myth Mixes With Anger — Nancy Langston | For The New York Times

" ... Rural communities in the West are poorer than urban communities, and environmental protections enacted since the 1980s have reduced grazing on federal lands. But locals told an interesting version of this history. Before the federal agencies came, they said, we lived in paradise. The grass was thick, the water was abundant and the towns were thriving. We were independent, working out our problems. When the feds came, they stole our resources, and our economies collapsed.

"The implication was clear: If they got rid of the federal government, they'd have control over their land and lives again.

"This version of history bears little resemblance to the actual past. ..."

— How We Would Cover the Oregon Siege If It Happened In Another Country — Joshua Keating | Slate

" ... The Bundys are followers of Mormonism, a religious sect living primarily in America's restive western regions with a history of persecution by America's protestant-dominated government. However, scholars note that the vast majority of Mormons are peaceful and that the Bundys' grievances do not appear to be religiously motivated. ..."

And here's a piece, on a different subject, that should make Utahns and/or Mormons feel less put-upon:

— Why Mormons identify with Syrian refugees — Johnny Harris | Vox [Video version above]

" ... Growing up Mormon, I knew this history well. The plight of the early members is the object of everything from Mormon music to Sunday school lessons. Consequently, while Mormons have discriminatory policies against same-sex couples and female members, they have a particular sensitivity to the plight of religious persecution. ..."