Let me begin by stating that I am not a Mormon. I attended a Mormon church once many years ago, but outside of this my experience with the faith is through knowing many upright citizens of our country who do subscribe to the Church of Latter Day Saints. In short, I have no hidden agenda seeking to protect or in any way promote the faith through written efforts.
That said I am as much the criminal if I see inexcusable discrimination and ignore it as I would be were I in fact partaking in it. And so it becomes incumbent on me to point out discrimination, especially when its practitioners commit their slights against decency under the guise of mainstream news reporting.
Since America was first introduced to the notion of a Mormon president back when Mitt Romney declared his intention to run for our country’s highest office in 2007, cable television has unleashed a vile barrage of anti-Mormon propaganda which would make Joseph Goebbels feel a wanton thrill up his leg. The insufferable obsession of the news media with portraying Mormons as cultish, bizarre or prone to tribalism highlights a grueling downturn in press quality that seems destined to replace all free media with a monolithic information ministry specializing in hate.
So which providers are presently auditioning for a role of in the resurrected Ministry of Popular Culture? Look no further, because the dashing culprits are none other than ABC News and CNN, two of America’s largest cable networks.
CNN tops the list with its singularly despicable “Crossing the plains and kicking up dirt” article. The piece, which focuses on a liberal gay activist (and Mormon) woman, attempts to group all members of the faith into a conservative and intolerant category.
The article’s description says:
Amid Mitt Romney's presidential bid and a Mormon ad drive, Joanna Brooks -- Obama backer, feminist, gay rights advocate -- has emerged as a refreshing and admittedly unauthorized source for all things Mormon.
Really? Are Americans so inundated with stereotypes that we can’t dream up the possibility of someone belonging to the Mormon Church and holding Center-leftist viewpoints without Ted Turner’s help? I know a certain (Mormon) Senate majority leader only managed to pass the vastly unpopular Obamacare mandate and repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but that will be our little secret, alright?
To further bully LDS followers, CNN likes to group Mormon candidates together, as though they are more alike than any one else in the political spectrum. Take this commentary published after Jon Hunstman pulled out of the presidential race, entitled “Huntsman couldn’t shed mini-Romney perception.”
The author writes:
In a Republican primary focused on which conservative would emerge as the anti-Romney, Jon Huntsman was unable to position himself as anything more than a mini-Romney.
His blend of moderate and conservative positions, as well as his Mormon faith, combined to cast Huntsman as too similar to fellow Mormon Mitt Romney and therefore unable to overcome the former Massachusetts governor's huge advantage in name recognition, funding and organization.
Note the use of “fellow Mormon.” Rather than focus on the real issues which sunk Huntsman, including lackluster fundraising and his service in the Obama Administration, the writer is obsessed with trying to pin Mormonism as the cause. Sure he mentions politics to justify it as well, but the claim that Huntsman and Romney are similar is flat out false. Hunstman and Romney clashed throughout most of the debates, and specifically over foreign policy differences.
Next up is ABC News, the Hollywood network that delivers entertainment news on demand—even at the expense of the truth. Following Mitt Romney’s resounding victory in Nevada, political writers at ABC published an article titled “Large Mormon Turnout for Nevada Caucuses,” joining CNN in attempting to link Mormons exclusively to Romney’s triumph. Never mind the fact that Nevada’s Mormon population is only 11 percent versus 51 percent Catholic and Protestant, just stand in line and bend over for Ben Sherwood’s massive empire.
What’s even more disturbing is that ABC replaced the headline after a backlash in the comment section, allowing just enough time for the propaganda to get out before instating the marginally less offensive title, “Nevada Caucuses, Mormons aplenty”
America is a free country governed by a document which guarantees everyone freedom of religion, and this principle applies to presidential candidates who are Mormon just as much as it does to those who are Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim or of any other persuasion. If we sincerely believe in what the Constitution says, then this revolting discrimination must come to an end, and American citizens of all beliefs should stand up to oppose it.
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