Mormons are hardly discernible from the white supremacist crowd.
On a typical weekday afternoon in Mesquite, Nevada, a young girl and her grandma are sitting in a local Subway sandwich shop. In walks two men with rifles slung over their shoulders and a firearm on either side. Neither has bathed in several days. The young girl says, ‘grandma look at their guns!’ One of the disheveled men says, ‘we are fighting for liberty and freedom!’ So the young girl, clearly frightened says, ‘I think I should call the police,’ so she picks up her cell phone and dials 911 and the two men scurry away like cockroaches in a newly-lit kitchen. Perhaps these self-appointed soldiers have rap sheets that are as long as their automatic weapons? Citizens of the Virgin Valley are tired of the fifty or so self-appointed militia-folk who have descended upon their quiet Southern Nevada community on behalf of a law-breaking, tax-evading cattle rancher. These Bunkerville militia members are not exactly good for tourism, the primary draw to the Gold Butte National Conservation Area. If you look a little more closely at the Mesquite, St George, Colorado City tri-state area (NV, UT, AZ) you’d notice something a little different about the folks frequenting the shops in the area: a disproportionate number of very young women all holding babies, dressed in modest pattern dresses. You guessed it, you’ve stumbled upon one of the communities populated by the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS). These are the original “settlers” of the area and because he is related, Bundy claims he owes no federal fees.
Senator Dean Heller, yes, that’s right, Senator Heller (R-NV), a United States Senator, has essentially condoned this lawless, criminal behavior not only by Cliven Bundy, but by all the unhinged militia members whom he calls “patriots.” These folks, who are in desperate need of a shower, are simply waiting for the government to say “boo” and they’ll react by placing their womenfolk at the front lines to take the first hits. But seriously, how important are women in a Mormon community like Bunkerville? You must understand the LDS faith: women are not worthy of holding the priesthood according to scripture and their only function is to multiply, much like Cliven’s freeloading herd of cattle.
You’d think a crowd as obsessed as the Republicans are with the marriage is between one man and one woman concept would be as vehemently opposed to polygamy as they are to same-sex marriage. Strangely enough, the area’s FLDS-dominated communities, are seldom harassed by the dreaded government who has the audacity to demand taxes from Cliven. The area is truly an oddity, very isolated and will most likely remain so while Mormonism dominates. If you go to any number of these rural towns, expect to be followed by a pick up truck or two. They don’t take kindly to strangers. The area is so laden with polygamous families, one of the neighboring towns has a median age of 12.7 years! There would be far too many orphans created if these communities were raided, so they are left to the misogyny and abuse of the FLDS.
Mormons stick together, apparently that includes the fringe element of the cult. Whether it is rural polygamous families or prominent Mormons like Senator Heller, the cult rules over the laws of the land. Even though Cliven and his gang are violating Federal law, his actions will be defended by people who believe in a “higher power” than the government whose flag they seem to love to fly. We sure dodged a bullet when we rejected Willard Romney, as he would have ruled the United States based on Joseph Smith’s fables and not the Constitution these patriots all claim to love.
