Posted on 01/10/2012 2:52:06 AM PST by Cincinna
Much of Mitt Romney’s life as a Mormon missionary in France was not as poor or arduous as he has claimed, say those who knew him at the time.
It was a rare reflection by Mitt Romney on his life as a young Mormon, offered as proof to struggling Americans that despite being born into privilege and amassing a $250 million fortune, he too had known hard times.
A day after being labelled “out of touch” for casually offering a $10,000 bet to a rival candidate, Mr Romney told supporters he had experienced austerity as a missionary in France, using a bucket for a lavatory and a hose for a shower. “You’re not living high on the hog at that kind of level,” he said.
But the Republican presidential hopeful spent a significant portion of his 30-month mission in a Paris mansion described by fellow American missionaries to The Daily Telegraph as “palace”. It featured stained glass windows, chandeliers, and an extensive art collection. It was staffed by two servants – a Spanish chef and a houseboy.
Although he spent time in other French cities, for most of 1968, Mr Romney lived in the Mission Home, a 19th century neoclassical building in the French capital’s chic 16th arrondissement. “It was a house built by and for rich people,” said Richard Anderson, the son of the mission president at the time of Mr Romney’s stay. “I would describe it as a palace”
Tearful as he described the house, Mr Anderson, 70, of Kaysville, Utah, said Romney aides had asked him not to speak publicly about their time together there.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
correction not wife, mother.
Why would the Brits run interference for the man who is doing everything in his power to erode our alliance? I am not buying it. From the royal family to David Cameron to to common Englishman, they don’t like Obama. Furthermore, the British press is far less liberal than our own.
No. Mormons are not anti-war.
The deferments for Mormon missionaries became increasingly controversial in the late 1960s, especially in Utah, leading the Mormon Church and the government to limit the number of church missionaries who could put off their military service. That agreement called for each church ward, or church district, to designate one male every six months to be exempted from potential duty for the duration of his missionary work.
Romney's home state was Michigan, making his 4-D exemption as a missionary all but automatic because of the relatively small number of Mormon missionaries from that state. It might have been more difficult in Utah, where the huge Mormon population meant that there were sometimes more missionaries than available exemptions. Most missions lasted two and a half years, as Romney's did.
Barry Mayo, who was counselor to the bishop of the ward in Pontiac, Michigan, where Romney attended church, recalled in an interview that wards were allowed to exempt one missionary every six months from the draft. He said that he could not recall any time in which more than one potential draftee sought an exemption in the ward in a six-month period, so Romney's deferment was never in doubt.
Mayo said no records are available from the period that would show how Romney's deferment was handled. But he said he recalled "the conclusion was `we really don't have to worry about [exceeding the quota] because we were never in that situation.' "
Life can be “difficult” when one is turning his back on his country and dodging the draft. For a man who aspires to be POTUS it seems strange to note that none of his sons (4) have given any service to their country. It’s difficult to see (remembering Clinton) how a man of this ilk can send other folks’ young ones into harm’s way.
In this article, Mr. Anderson is described as tearful.
Why?
LOL, It is an inherited disease that becomes evident after age 70. I hate it when that happens. Of course with Mormonism it comes naturally every time the bosom starts burning.
In other words..it's the same in the Mormon community as everywhere when you are dealing with bullies and crooks...the younger guys tell the old guys to STHU like they do their children and women.
The old guys know when they get old that they should have done more to stop it..but they have fewer options in old age with lots and lots of regret.He knows they will likely go after him...and his family. Somebody needs to help the old guy.
Thank you. I always wondered about that - now I know.
“Aren’t Mormons anti-war? Does anyone know?”
No I think thats Quakers.
Mormons are not enthusiastic about serving in uniform, Utah has one of the very lowest enlistment rates in the Union.
No Romney man has ever served our nation in uniform during the families 170 year history here, they immigrated to the United States to serve Joseph Smith.
Neither patriotism nor the draft has ever snagged a Romney man, they have a perfect, unbroken, 170 record.
You beat me to the punch. That’s exactly what immediately popped into my head when I heard this. Correct me if I’m wrong (I’m not LDS), but I understand that all LDS young men are required to do 2 year’s of missionary service. Where’s the honor/sacrifice in that? If you’re forced to go, it’s not so deserving of awe anymore, is it? Like volunteer soldiers, those missionaries that risk their lives, fortune, or careers and who voluntarily serve those less fortunate than themselves are those who earn higher marks in my book. France is not exactly a hardship tour. Just sayin’...
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