Mormon Political Families & Far Right Constitutionalism

Utah Senator Mike Lee is the great-great-grandson of John D. Lee, the only person held legally responsible for the Mountain Meadows Massacre. John D. Lee was a friend of Joseph Smith & the spiritually adopted son of Brigham Young

Mike Lee: “The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution (the Green New Deal), but the serious business of human flourishing - the solution to so many of our problems, at all times and in all places: fall in love, get married, and have some kids.”

Mike Lee--who is the Center for Biological Diversity's Public Land Enemy no.1 (this list is nearly ½ Mormon politicians btw) and is tied for first in their list Congresspersons who fight the hardest against the Endangered Species Act--is also related to:

The "greatest political dynasty in the West--the Udalls. J. David Lee, Mike Lee's great grandfather, had two daughters who married into the Udall family making Mike Lee cousin to both Democratic Udalls, former senators in New Mexico, Colorado as well former Senator Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), whose mother is a Udall.

The Udalls have represented AZ. CO, & NM- the other 3 of the "4 corners" otherwise known as "Indian Country". They've also led the U.S. Dept. of Interior (Stolen/Public Lands) & Senate Indian Affairs. 

Follow the Udalls back to their Pioneer politician patriarch, David King Udall, a Mormon polygamist who helped settle Arizona & you find a family tie to another Mormon political dynasty: the Romney's.

​“In 1885, he was indicted for perjury after swearing out an affidavit to support a land claim of his neighbor, Miles Romney.” Miles is the grandfather of Michigan governor and 1968 Republican presidential candidate George Romney, and great-grandfather to 2012 presidential hopeful & sitting Senator Mitt Romney.

These families have been in power since Mormons rose to power thru land theft & Indigenous genocide.

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Keep going & we find political solidarity with a non-Mormon political dynasty of the west: the Goldwaters. Family lore has David King Udall bailed out of jail by Baron Goldwater, father of 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

Barry Goldwater is the catalyst for contemporary conservative, libertarian (ie Reaganism/Trumpism), & Neoliberal US political movements States in 1964. 

“Goldwater is the politician most often credited with having sparked the resurgence of the American conservative political movement in the 1960s. Despite his loss of the 1964 presidential election in a landslide, many political pundits and historians believe he laid the foundation for the conservative revolution to follow, as the grassroots organization and conservative takeover of the Republican party began a long-term realignment in American politics which helped to bring about the 'Reagan Revolution' of the 1980s. He also had a substantial impact on the libertarian movement.”

Racism Killed the New Deal (and Gave Us Neoliberalism)
“Presidential primary in Wisconsin. Segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace carefully avoided explicitly racial matters, instead of attacking the government itself for its 'overreach' and other aspects of the impending civil rights legislation. He warned middle class suburbanites and White working-class ethnic voters of attacks on private property rights, federal encroachments on individual market freedoms, union job protections, their children's schools, and other ways."
​“Goldwater voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but reluctantly opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, despite believing in racial equality he felt one of its provisions to be unconstitutional and a potential overreach of the federal government- a decision that considerably anguished him.”

So basically, we've got a conservative, libertarian culture that is anti federal government, welfare, civil rights, taxes, & pro states' rights, unfettered capitalism, "law & order" & nationalism all of which operate as anti-Black, anti-poor, anti-immigrant, U.S, imperial, extractive-capitalist, white-supremacy–basically the Glen Beck show

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We Need To Talk About Sen. Mike Lee's Far-Right Pocket Constitution
The pocket constitution that Mike Lee carries around is from the National Center for Consitutional Studies, founded by the Mormon far-right conspiracy theorist, and John Bircher, W. Cleon Skousen is  a go-to for right-wing militia groups.

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From Danites to DezNat, from John D Lee to Mike Lee–from the Nauvoo Legion, to the Utah Territorial Militia, to the Bundy Family Militia–from the John Birch Society to Donald Trump society–from pioneers to politicians–from libertarian to neoliberal – Mormonism has always harbor far right, white supremacist, extractive capitalist, anti-socialist/communist, settler-colonial beliefs, practices, & prominent members

From Smith, to Young, to Clark, to Benson, to Skousen, to Beck, to contemporary Mormon far right racist conspiracy theorists, & this guy:

Nathan Wayne Entrekin, who was dressed as Captain Moroni during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, poses for a photo recovered from his phone by the FBI. Entrekin has been charged in federal court for his role in breaching the Capitol.”

"Nathan Wayne Entrekin, who was dressed as Captain Moroni during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, poses for a photo recovered from his phone by the FBI. Entrekin has been charged in federal court for his role in breaching the Capitol.”

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edit:

I have been informed that Stewart & Mo Udall left the church after WWII, in part be of the Black Salvation ban (keep in mind it wasn't just priesthood it was temple rituals which = no salvation for Black Mormons)  Which also means that Tom & Mark were probably never Mormon.

Now, their legacy & power is still rooted in the land theft & genocide which means these families have a responsibility to that history, especially as they accept this legacy of Political power, they have even more responsibility to #LandBack to give up that power gained thru white-settler violence, as does nearly all the wealth & power of this nation.