In his April 29 letter, Ken Thomas informs us that there was a time when the LDS Church owned the whole confounded Salt Lake Valley [“Critics Are Far From Silent,” City Weekly]. Then, he indicated that LDS ownership of the “whole confounded Salt Lake Valley might encourage people like D.P. Sorensen and others of like ilk to move somewhere else.”
He seems to forget that when the LDS Church arrived here, Mexico owned the “whole confounded Salt Lake Valley.”
The Mormons were undocumented immigrants and illegal aliens trespassing on Mexican territory. They did not own the “whole confounded Salt Lake Valley,” not even Temple Square. When the area was taken away from Mexico, then the U.S. government owned the “whole confounded Salt Lake Valley,” and had full authority to govern this territory until statehood granted more authority to Utah government.
I am not disputing that the LDS Church has title to Temple Square today, but at the same time, I am not persuaded by stupid arguments. Just as the LDS Church was granted deed to the properties they occupied, they were not granted ownership of the “whole confounded Salt Lake Valley.”
D.P. Sorensen and others of like ilk, including me, are granted the same right to live in Utah by the government and Constitution of the United States. We don’t need permission from Thomas or others of like ilk to live here. If Thomas is a member of the LDS Church, why doesn’t he follow the guidance of church leaders, who urge their followers not to tell people of other faiths and political opinions to leave.
Michael Pierce
Spanish Fork
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