Episode #338 – Smugly Taking the High Road




This Week in Mormons show

Summary: In the wake of the Republican National Convention and at the start of the Democratic National Convention, it's time for TWiM's political roundup, including LDS Democrats formally endorsing Hillary Clinton before the Wasserman Schultz fiasco, a Mormon praying to open one of the sessions of the convention even though the RNC got the Church's name wrong, Jeff Flake continues to be a voice of sanity in an insane world, and the Boston Globe apologizes to Mitt.<br> <br> Do pioneer trek reenactments get it wrong? Should we even do them? Did you know the Church has full-blown guidelines for them and even discourages certain activities, like organizing "raids" and sending the men off to join the Mormon Battalion even though that event happened ten years before the handcart pioneers took to the plains? There's some interesting stuff here.<br> <br> A developer intends to built Joseph Smith's utopia—complete with robots—even though locals don't seem to want it. Bloomberg has the entire story covered in the most over-described article we've read in years. This thing is a couple of paragraphs short of discussing the specific tone of a man's arm hair.<br> <br> It turns out the town around the Church's priesthood restoration and Book of Mormon translation site has not benefited much from tourism dollars. These people want buzz on par with what Palmyra gets, but they won't even buy one more fry cooker. Get it together, Pennsylvania.<br> <br> Other stuff: President Monson subpoenaed over Native American sex abuse case; President Uchtdorf visits refugees, pledges aid; noted biographer Frances Gibbons passes away; and the Church talks about Pokemon Go without ever naming it.<br> <br> Links:<br> <br> * <a href="http://www.mormonpress.com/lds_dems_of_america_endorses_hillary_clinton_for_president">LDS Democrats endorse Hillary Clinton</a><br> * <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/arizona-republican-calls-out-gop-insanity-stop-saying-hillary-belongs-in-jail/">Jeff Flake is sane</a><br> * <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/07/20/sorry-mitt-romney/OsRRuxUlldZanzewxhuSTN/story.html">I'm sorry, Mitt</a><br> * <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-newvistas-mormon-utopia/">Vermont's Mormon utopia</a><br> * <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith/4142176-155/francis-gibbons-aide-to-top-mormon">Francis Gibbons dies</a><br> * <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/news/popular-mobile-app-brings-visitors-to-church-facilities?lang=eng">Church discussed Pokemon Go</a><br> * <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/4133695-155/treks-give-mormon-teens-a-taste?fullpage=1">Pioneer Treks are goofy</a><br> * <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/pennsylvania-county-hopes-to-build-mormon-site-into-tourism-anchor-1469352601">Susquehanna history sites are not yielding a tourist boom</a><br> * <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865658640/LDS-Church-asks-court-to-void-subpoena-of-President-Monson-in-civil-case.html?pg=all">Monson subpoenaed</a><br> <br> <br>