Posted on 01/09/2010 9:09:37 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
...Romney’s argument with the Iowa talk-radio host starts with the two discussing their shared affinity for W. Cleon Skousen. “You and I share a common affection for the late Cleon Skousen,” the radio host says. The former governor agrees, affirming Skousen was his professor."
Who is Cleon Skousen you might ask? In answering that question, it’s hard to even know where to begin. Skousen was by turns an FBI employee, the police chief of Salt Lake City, a Brigham Young University professor, consigliore to former secretary of agriculture and Mormon president Ezra Taft Benson and, well, all-around nutjob.
Skousen was active with the John Birch Society throughout the 1960s, even going so far as to write another book titled The Communist Attack on the John Birch Society, accusing those that criticized Birchers as promoting Communism.
Skousen’s Communist paranoia may have reached it’s apotheosis in 1970 when the Mormon church and BYU in particular began receiving a tremendous amount of external pressure to change the church’s policy on denying the Mormon priesthood to blacks. Skousen, then a professor at BYU, published an article entitled “The Communist Attack on the Mormons” and noted that critics were employing Communist tactics which were “distorting the religious tenet of the Church regarding the Negro and blowing it up to ridiculous proportions.” The Mormon Church reversed course on its discriminatory practices in 1978 and began ordaining black men to the priesthood.
..."I sincerely doubt that Mitt Romney believes anything near as outlandish as many of the things Cleon Skousen espoused, and to be fair Skousen wrote on numerous topics with wildly varying degrees of intellectual sobriety."
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
The article even states that Church prophet Ezra Taft Benson was a strong supporter of the JBS. Benson served on Eisenhower’s cabinet for the full 8 years of his presidency, and was taken over the coals for his string stance against communism.
Benson’s writings attest to that as well.
I didn’t read the site, as I’m already familiar with the JBS. You can search out whatever you wish.
I think the one thing missing in this discussion is the fact that we were taught to trust in ourselves,say what you want about JBS ,but those of us raised with parents who believed,are capable,strong,independent,arms bearing patriots.
I am not a right wing conspiracy theorist but the thing my parents taught me was be prepared.Always!
The branding of people as "crackpots" and "extremists" to isolate them and their thoughts from the people is pure Alinsky, but people here willfully ignore that.
Yes well Romney may be Mormon, but his credentials are hardly “conservative.” That’s why I think it’s a valid question to ask. Will Utah go for Romney or for a conservative.
That all sounds tame compared to our current Presidents associations.
The JBS is anti communist. The press isn't. The press has a bigger voice.
whippee. He once said on a radio show blah blah
Of all the things to not like Romney for this is one of the more pathetic
Seems there are a few fringe malcontents on this board who are trying to sandbag Scott Brown's campaign in Massachusetts and and preserve Harry Reid's 60-vote super-majority.
I also believe that it would be complete suicide for him to swing center or left with as much political capitol he is trying to build among Conservatives.
As a Mormon myself, I hold Beck's views much more inline with my thinking than I do with Romney, but were I forced to pick Zero or Mitt, there would be no question.
You may be troubled with some sort of “Mormon conspiracy”, but don't sweat it, Mormons are looking out to protect the Constitution, not take it over. ;-)
Sometimes a cigar is really a cigar.
fair enough, but the whole “racist mormon” legacy of that prominent thinker *hints* at the type of thing that may deter someone from not wanting to be associated with the JBS as a whole...among other things.
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I think he said Alinky, not Lewinsky.
Ask questions of a person brought up in that movement not what wikipedia or yahoo or google says.
My parents always said be informed,ask questions for yourself,then decide what you believe.
So if NAMBLA started calling itself a Republican organization, you'd think a conservative should support them?
Let the statements and actions of the individual stand on their merit, and similarly, let the group's current behaviour be measured by the group and not one or two members.
Where do you get this "one or two members" standard? At what number do you say, "I'm seeing a trend, no matter what the organization's 'official' statements"?
Should we support ACORN because they don't explicitly state they're going to try to steal elections?
After all, "There is one in every bunch".
I've met a lot more than just one, and I've yet to meet the 'one' who is as clean of bizarre ideas as the "official" organization claims. Who should I believe, their "official" position or my lyin' eyes?
If you read the words and view the actions of even some relatively popular Republicans, and with critical thinking ask where their Constitutional authority was for their actions--even some popular actions--then you might look at history a little differently.
You have no idea how I "look at history," so this paragraph is menaingless straw.
The Democrats, especially the New Left, are even worse.
That's not the point--I can't despise both wacko leftists (who never "officially" say they're going to socialize this country--only a few in the bunch SAY it--AND wacko rightists?
I guess if your 'friends' stab you it doesn't bleed as much, but the Constitution hasn't really been followed since before 1860 and most even here would scream bloody blue murder if it was.
Again, straw, has nothing to do with the issue we're discussing.
All the lip service paid the people with the 'R' after their name won't change that.
You're making my point--they pay lip service to their anti-communist stuff, but what do they REALLy do?
Nor will demeaning those who defend the Constitution, regardless of what others have done in the past.
What have the Birchers done to protect the constitution, other than that lip service you're talking about?
Our fear of embarrassment by the MSM forces some conservatives to smear and label tens of thousands of strong, patriotic, nationalistic, righteous Americans as too conspiratorial in their beliefs to be allowed in with the more intellectual Buckley style conservatives.
I don't think that's either courageous, honest, or at all fair!!! (not that fairness matters to anyone)
By the way, I'm not voting for Romney for anything if I can help it!!! (such as he's finally the most conservative of those left standing)
And as for being a lifelong Mormon and leader at that, it's still mind boggling to me how someone so committed to his "faith" ever had to go through a "flip flop" on such a crucial issue as abortion. And his devout Mormon wife donated money to Planned Parenthood, an organization with roots in racism and eugenicism. Shouldn't Mormons be pro-life by default? Have they flip-flopped on their Mormonism too?
It is right to bring up the significance of Mormonism, Mormon ties into this particular discussion. It's clear certain people wrap themselves up in pseudo-conservative clothing, but have more interest in validating their faith into the mainstream, and establishing their religion, more than in protecting the Constitution.
That's why I analyze Beck closely.
I must say ... you make a darned good point.
Where are you getting the “racism” stuff on this subject???
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