belatedly, ANOTHER 11 september event--the mormon mountain meadow massacre

[mikekohr]

2. From the web page, "Your Heroes Are Not Our Heroes." www.brotherhooddays.com

BRIGHAM YOUNG (apostle in the Latter Day Saint movement. Young was the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death, the founder of Salt Lake City and the first governor of the Utah Territory, United States. Brigham Young University was named in his honor):

In 1857 Brigham Young ordered an armed force of Mormon men under the command of Mormon elder John D. Lee to, "...waylay our enemies, attack them from ambush, stampede their animals , take their supply trains.... to waste away our enemies." Elder Lee followed Young's order in his attack on a wagon train in the infamous Mountain Meadows massacre. The attack was deliberately fashioned to blame the attack on Paiute Indians, which helped inflame public attitudes against the First People of Utah.

Twenty years later the truth of the conspiracy was brought to light. It was widely reported at the time, that Brigham Young believed that sacrificing Lee would pave the way for Utah's admittance as a state to the United States. Lee was taken to the site of the Mountain Massacre and made to sit on his coffin. As the firing squad drew aim Lee cried out, "Center on my heart boys. Don't mangle my body." 55).

On the 150th anniversary of the slaughter, in September of 2007, Mormon Apostle, Henry B. Eyring, issued an official expression of "regret" to the Paiute People for the actions of the church that orchestrated the murders and then conspired to place blame on the tribe for the massacre. 80).

The Mormon faith decrees that American Indians are direct descendants of ancient Israelites. Mormon anthropologist, Thomas Murphy, chairman of the anthropology department at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington, conducted a scientific DNA study to determine the validity of this claim, which came up negative. On December 8, 2002, the church started excommunication hearings against Mr. Murphy for his attempts to bring light to the truth. After press coverage embarrassed the church it quietly halted its removal proceedings against Mr. Murphy 57).
additional link: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/16/local/me-mormon16 88).