# Mormon Church OKs Firing Squad Change **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 5, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752 "2003-09-05T16:45:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/141 "2003-09-09T23:05:20Z")
And yet nobody asked for sanction, minty. That you continue to believe that is truly amazing. Here, I can be nice: show me the letter where the guy in the legislature said, “Do we have your sanction to effect this change in the laws of the State of Utah?” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/142 "2003-09-10T03:10:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by minty green \* > \*\*Ah, I’m afraid I wasn’t following the hypothetical there. But I still believe the government should attempt to enact beneficial legislation, even when that legislation is opposed by a substantial portion of the population. I guess I’m just a wacky idealist that way. \*\* You’re wacky alright. One wonders what sort of idealism advocates the pissing away of government resources. I also dig the paternalism evidenced by the notion that a “substantial portion” of the electorate is unable to recognize what is “beneficial” to them. It’s all, like, far out, man. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/143 "2003-09-10T03:17:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dewey Cheatem Undhow \* > One wonders what sort of idealism advocates the pissing away of government resources. Only the best kinds, baby. > [@](#): > > I also dig the paternalism evidenced by the notion that a “substantial portion” of the electorate is unable to recognize what is “beneficial” to them. Shit, they elected you sumbitches last time around, didn’t they? And they elected that sorry sumbitch Clinton two times, didn’t they? Between those two bipratisan examples, I’m pretty confident that it ought to be bloody well obvious that a substantial portion of the electorate is suffering from recto-cranial inversion. ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Beaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Grim\_Beaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Beaker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/144 "2003-09-10T03:37:31Z")
**minty** , Am I correct in assuming you would find the waste in government resources objectionable if you disagreed with the proposed legislation? Kind of a “If you waste them and I agree with you what’s the big deal? If you waste them and I disagree with you then you suck.” situation? If so, I find that stance distasteful. Waste, when it can be avoided, should be. Regardless of whether your particular politics agrees with the reason the resources are being wasted. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/145 "2003-09-10T03:54:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Grim\_Beaker \* > Am I correct in assuming you would find the waste in government resources objectionable if you disagreed with the proposed legislation? No. Legislators are elected to legislate. While I may oppose their legislation, I can’t recall ever arguing that they’re wasting legislative resources by pushing for something I oppose. I generally hold no regard for the arguments like "How can you propose _X_ when there’s a desperate need for _something unrelated to X_. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/146 "2003-09-10T13:57:49Z")
So **Grim\_Beaker** why don’t we save a whole bunch of our precious tax dollars and have the LDS appoint the Utah legislature. I mean why have $$expensive$$ $$elections$$ when basically the LDS already knows how the people of the state really think. We would also not have to deal with politicians who haven’t bothered to memorize LDS doctrine. Win-Win. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Beaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Grim\_Beaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Beaker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/147 "2003-09-10T15:37:05Z")
**CarnalK** , I don’t really think that was called for as I made no such statements nor anything even close to that. As I said in an earlier post members of the LDS church do not vote as a single monolithic block. Though I know you’re being sarcastic I want to make clear that I would oppose any such action. And, FTR, while I’m not entirely comfortable that the church was asked specifically to comment I don’t think this action on the part of the government is as egregious an offense as some in this thread seem to think. ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Beaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Grim\_Beaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Beaker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752/148 "2003-09-10T15:42:36Z")
**minty** , > [@](#): > > No. Legislators are elected to legislate. While I may oppose their legislation, I can’t recall ever arguing that they’re wasting legislative resources by pushing for something I oppose. I generally hold no regard for the arguments like "How can you propose X when there’s a desperate need for something unrelated to X. Though I disagree with you on the issue of utilizing government resources on something unlikely to bear fruit (and against the popular will) I can at least respect a consistent position held in good faith and not based on partisanship. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormon-church-oks-firing-squad-change/199752.md?page=7)