Thankfully, federal troops aren’t occupying our state — perhaps because we’re governed by the same Republicans who helped install Donald Trump. But let’s not fool ourselves: military occupation isn’t just about the other guy — it’s part of our own history.
In 1857, just 10 years after the arrival of the first settlers, President James Buchanan sent federal troops into Utah to crush what he labeled a rebellion. But Utahns didn’t roll over. They resisted. They burned the army’s supplies, lined the canyon walls with armed men, buried the temple’s foundation and abandoned their homes to relocate south. They refused to be controlled.
President Buchanan’s blunder was so costly it nearly ruined the United States financially. We are headed in the same direction under this administration.
In the face of today’s overreach and manufactured chaos, we would do well to remember, resistance isn’t un-American. Sometimes, it’s the most patriotic act of all.
Karen Matthews, Salt Lake City