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EZRA TAFT BENSON - SECTION 1
Total Articles:
25
Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He strongly disagreed with the Femanist Movement and Civil Rights. He was heavily involved in the John Birch Society. In his later years the Church used him as a "Puppet Prophet" as his mind was nearly gone.
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I try to be as accurate and honest as I can but do make unintentional mistakes as I stumble along, so I think it best to review and revise as needed and do so as quickly as possible.
I would appreciate it if you would rely on this latest effort, and chuck the first draft.
Rest assured, however, that unlike the Book of Mormon,it does not contain thousands of changes in words or meaning.
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A side note on the use of the "inspired" ETB autopen signature machine and other matters:
The device was not only employed by my grandfather's First Presidency counselors to sign away his powers of attorney for running the Mormon corporate empire, it was also used regularly by my grandfather's office staff when composing and dispatching letters supposedly written and/or dictated by him to members of his own family.
I regarded the practice as an attempted deception of ETB's own kin by his appointed and anointed handlers, who thought they were doing God's work--dishonest as it was.
For instance, Benson family members were provided gift copies of my grandfather's biography, written by Sheri Dew and sanitized for public consumption by faith-promoting censors occupying the Benson inner circle.
Enclosed with each book to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren was a letter supposedly personally written and signed by my grandfather.
All the signatures--not to mention the wording of the letters--were exactly the same.
Likewise, we received fairly lengthy letters of several paragraphs containing long, complex sentences and thought patterns--again, allegedly written and signed by my grandfather.
Unfortunately, they were supposedly written by him at a time when his deteriorating mental and physical state was becoming quite apparent to family members who had actually had the occasion to visit him up close and personal.
(Not all family members, however, were willing to admit that Ezra Taft Benson was steadily slipping away. To this day, some--particularly among certain Benson women who, curiously and inexplicably enough, were among my strongest family critics when I left the Chuch--continue to exhibit profound denial that Ezra Taft Benson was significantly incapacitated in his role as "prophet").
Nonetheless, my grandfather, in reality, could not talk to us in those face-to-face encounters like he could supposedly write to us in those ghost-authored letters.
Moreover, the signatures on the letters matched exactly signatures from other letters. Compared side by side, they were obviously artifically penned.
Typically, below each "signature" would be my grandfather's typewritten name. Unfortunately, sometimes the autopenned name and the typed name on the same letter were not exactly the same. One might, for instance, say "ETB" while the other would say "Ezra Taft Benson," or some other obvious variant mismatch.
It was clear that the autopenned hand didn't always know what the typewritten hand was doing.
I also observed other deliberate efforts to misrepresent my grandfather's state of health, to both members of the Church at large and members of his own family.
For example, I saw my father, Mark, and my grandfather's personal secretary, Gary Gillespie, congratulating each other on a Church News cover photograph take of my grandfather.
It showed my grandfather, pleasantly smiling, seated in a chair, dressed in a nice Sunday suit.
It was a carefully posed, prop and crop shot.
The smile was that of a man in the twilight haze of creeping mental enfeeblement.
Efforts to manipulate my grandfather's appearance extended even to private family gatherings.
I recall, for instance, being in my grandfather's apartment one afternoon, where I asked if I could get a photograph with him and other members of the family in front of a large, idealized painting of the Benson clan commissioned while ETB was Secretary of Agriculture.
(The artist had painted a cat on the lap of my young aunt Beth, although she did not actually pose with a cat. Ironically, that approach to creating an artificial reality was to unfold as I attempted to get a family photograph in front of that very painting).
My grandfather was confined, by this time in his life, to a wheelchair, in which he sat silently and stoop-shouldered.
I was puzzled by how my father kept repositioning my grandfather's wheelchair after I had already situated him for the photograph.
I'd angle the wheelchair one way for what I though was the best lighting and composition, only to see my father, without comment, move in to abruptly change the setup.
After this had happened a couple of times and I was becoming somewhat frustrated, I realized what my dad was doing.
He was trying to keep the camera from capturing the breathing tube inserted up my grandfather's nostril.
It's a sad metaphor, really.
The Mormon Church has been, since its fanciful inception, desperately attempting to rearrange its elements, its history, its doctrine, its image and its leaders--all in a vain attempt to hide the truth from those in and out of the flock.
Only if one insists on keeping one's eyes squeezed shut can the deception be missed.
When I finally went public about the Church's relentless efforts to misrepresent my grandfather's health, I received a call from my father.
He told me that I must not talk to the press about my grandfather because, he declared, the press was an enemy of the Church.
I reminded him that I was a member of the press.
My father responded by telling me that if I ever in the future spoke to the media about my grandfather's health, he would see to it that I would never again be allowed to see my grandfather.
I was stunned.
My father sternly reminded me that it was his duty to protect his father and the Lord's prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, to look after the interests of the Kingdom and to uphold the faith.
He further reminded me that he had been specifically asked by Ezra Taft Benson to move back to Utah from Texas so that he could perform those duties, as commanded by his prophet-father.
This, for me, was a final straw among the final straws. (I had already determined that the temple ritual was a Masonic rip-off, that the Book of Mormon was a plagiarized 19th century fairy tale and that Mormon prophets weren't good at prophesying or at understanding the real world. Now, I was faced with a family showing me the exit if I didn't keep my mouth shut).
I said to my dad, "Do you realize what you are saying? In the name of protecting the Church and the prophet, you are threatening to break up this family. If that's the kind of Church this is, I want out."
It was an emotional and agonizing moment, but a defining and liberating one, as well.
My father--perhaps taken aback by my instinctive revulsion at his conditions for family unity--agreed to reconsider his threat and a few days later implored me to remain in the ranks, but by then I had seen all the light I needed to find my way to the escape hatch.
Within weeks, my wife and I had left the Church.
| A friend of mine at work is becoming an agent to expose my former Mormon brain to the myriad of other views out there in the world. He gave me a recent magazine article called "Our Godless Constitution" which I thought sounded like the complete antithesis of most Ezra Taft Benson talks. Sure enough, I quickly found a talk by Benson called Our Divine Constitution from the October 1987 General Conference. I thought I would share some of the quotes from each.
Benson - Our Divine Constitution: The Declaration of Independence affirmed the Founding Fathers' belief and trust in God in these words: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Magazine - Our Godless Constitution: Our Constitution makes no mention whatever of God. The omission was too obvious to have been anything but deliberate. Our nation was founded on Enlightenment principles. God only entered the picture as a very minor player, and Jesus Christ was conspicuously absent. The word "Creator" is used in the Declaration of Independence but it is more of a Deist term.
Benson: Alexander Hamilton, "For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest."
Magazine: Alexander Hamilton, when asked why God was not mentioned in the Constitution, reportedly said the new nation was not in need of "foreign aid." Another account says he replied, "We forgot."
Benson: James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution, wrote: "It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution." (The Federalist, no. 37)
Magazine: James Madison believed that "religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize."
Benson: John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Magazine: As an old man [Adams] observed, "Twenty times in the course of my late reading have I been upon the point of breaking out, 'This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.'" Also, when pressed by Thomas Jefferson for his personal creed Adams replied, "Be just and good."
Benson: Thomas Jefferson, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free. . .it expects what never was and never will be."
Magazine: Jefferson spoke of "the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faither of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infalliable, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time." Jefferson responded to Adams' creed saying, "The result of our fifty or sixty years of religious reading, in the four short words, 'Be just and good,' is that in which all our inquiries must end; as the riddles of all priesthoods end in four more, 'ubi panis, ibi deus.' What all agree in, is probably right. What no two agree in, most probably wrong." Jefferson also banned the teaching of theology at his school, the Univeristy of Virginia.
Magazine: Ben Franklin is described as, "He praised religion for whatever moral effects it had, but for little else."
Benson goes on and on about the Book of Mormon saying "this land" being saved for the Gentiles, how it was hid from nations, how only those led by God would find it and how it would never have a king. Someone here has already mentioned it before but what does "this land" refer to if the Limited Geography Theory is correct? How can that possibly apply to what became the United States of America if they are focuses on small areas of land south of the United States?
This feels like playing "Any Founding Father You Can Quote I Can Quote Better."
| From Amazon.COM:
If you think the John Birch Society is mainstream, you will love this book. Ezra Taft Benson was a passionate believer in Mormonism, American imperialism, the teachings of the John Birch Society and in the belief that the founding fathers created the U.S. Constitution out of divine inspiration.
This particular book does a good job of summarizing the many teachings of Ezra Taft Benson. The basic teachings of Ezra taft Benson are:
1- Mormonism is God's Plan and America was created for the furtherance of that plan
2- Communism is Satan's Plan
3- Creeping socialism will ultimately lead to communism
4- The Book of Mormon is a real record of native americans that shows us the way to live
5- As part of God's plan, the U.S. Constitution and strict interpretation of it is the main means by which Satan's plan will be thwarted.
Given that the Book of Mormon is a profoundly racist document where God curses the wicked with dark skin but turns their skin white again after they become faithful, using that book as a capstone to your religion is a dangerous matter.
As for the U.S. Constitution, like many others right wing nut-jobs, it is usually a veiled belief in states rights and in making America a land not for diversity, but conformity to a particular world view.
For a better understanding of Ezra Taft Benson and what he stood for and what his impact was on the Mormon religion, please read "Mormon Hierarchy, Extensions of Power" by D. Michael Quinn. He devotes an entire chapter to Ezra Taft Benson that is enlightening as well as frightening.
Those who follow Ezra Taft Benson to the letter just might find themselves quitting Mormonism to become "real" mormons ironically living in a communal lifestyle in Colorado City.
| Maybe it’s just the animal in me, but I love animals.
Ever since I was a kid, I have enjoyed surrounding myself and caring for a wide assortment of our fascinating non-human fellow inhabitants of the planet.
As a small boy, my first pet was a black lab.
As a pre-teenager I loved to collect, feed and share bedroom space with hamsters, turtles, horny toads and tarantulas.
Fellow creatures whose company I have also enjoyed have included collies, cocker spaniels, shih-tzus and an assortment of cats.
Reptiles and lizards have also been my friends, including turtles, iguanas, bearded dragons and uramastyx (an Egyptian lizard).
Furry little critters who have shared creature comforts in my bedroom, basement, office, laundry room and/or backyard have included rabbits, gerbils, ferrets, guinea pigs, chinchillas, degus, mice and rats.
The list of feathered roommates with whom I have inhabited the same living quarters has, at one time or another, featured cockatiels, African grey parrots, finches, love birds, parakeets, conjures and abandoned baby sparrows.
Some non-human pals with whom I am currently providing rent-free space include four African spur tortoises (which can grow up to 150 pounds and expand to three feet or so in diameter), a leopard tortoise whose spiky shell has earned her the name “Teton,” a one-winged pigeon found by my daughter, four ball pythons and a blue-and-grey macaw to whom I have bequeathed my temple name, “Ezekiel.”
Given my interest in homemade zoos, I guess I have earned the nickname “Doctor Do-A-Lot.”
So fascinated have I been with these wonderful animals that, at one time or another, I thought about becoming a biologist, a zookeeper or a fossil hunter.
My grandfather, Ezra Taft Benson, was an animal kind of guy himself.
As a southern Idaho farm boy, he milked cows, slopped hogs, raised chickens, fed lambs, rode horses and herded cattle.
Eventually, he became Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight Eisenhower.
At family reunions, my grandfather would saddle up his mount and show us how to ride. I remember seeing him beaming, sitting astride a beautiful palomino, leading colorful columns down Main Street as Grand Marshal of the Preston Rodeo Parade.
But there was one time I witnessed him handle an animal in a manner that I will never forget.
It happened one day when he and I were alone, doing chores, at our family cabin.
Back in the early 1960s, Ezra Taft and Flora Benson owned a cabin up Mill Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah.
It was a beautiful, spacious place, surrounded by fluttering aspen and nestled close to a bright, splashy creek. (Sadly, my grandparents ended up having to sell the cabin, reportedly because they lost thousands of dollars as victims of a bizarre financial scam).
Our family would often escape to this cabin hideaway for fun and relaxation. In the winter, we kids would steer our sleds and inner tubes down the snow-covered road that led up to the cabin. During the warmer months, we would ride the tire swing back and forth next to the creek and go for walks down the leafy back trails that laced the surrounding area.
My grandfather and I would sometimes take short hikes together and I remember during one of those times pointing out to him a lizard sitting just a few feet away from where we were walking along a sunlit path. He congratulated me on what he called my good eyesight, saying that he had not spotted it.
On one particular weekend, when I was about 10 years old, I had ventured up to the Benson family cabin to help my grandfather, at his invitation, do some spring cleaning. It was the first time in that period of my young life that I remember spending any extended one-on-one time with him.
My grandfather was a big, strapping man, over six feet tall. He had a commanding presence and a firm, projecting voice. As a young boy, I stood in awe of him, as seemingly did everyone else in my family.
I dare say that at times as a youth my grandfather appeared downright intimidating. At the cabin that weekend, to a boy like me, he resembled some kind of mountain man, dressed in an open-necked, checkered shirt and big leather boots.
Adding to that image, he hadn’t shaved.
This was hardly the picture I was used to. Usually I saw him as Ezra Taft Benson, Apostle of the Lord, dressed up in his dark General Conference suit and matching tie, complete with starched white shirt.
As we were busily involved cleaning the cabin (with me, as usual, dutifully following orders), my grandfather paused. Through the short, grey stubble that was beginning to sprout from his chin, he smiled and asked, “Stephen, do you think I should grow a moustache?”
Being asked by my grandfather for an opinion about anything somewhat startled me. I remember instinctively blurting out that I thought he looked better without it. He smiled back and agreed.
As we were moving objects around the family room in order to sweep its wooden floor, a small kitchen mouse darted out from behind its cover and made a mad dash toward the open door of a nearby bedroom.
I yelled out to my grandfather what I had just seen.
He ordered me to follow the mouse into the bedroom and catch it.
I had absolutely no idea how I was going to accomplish that task but had no intention of disobeying orders.
So, I did as I was told and headed faithfully into the bedroom.
The bedroom was dimly lit, with the curtains closed. In a far corner of the room was a bed. Trying to adjust my eyes, I couldn’t see any mouse.
My grandfather stood behind me in the frame of the door, holding a broom.
He told me to get down and check under the bed.
I dropped to my hands and knees and peered under the bed.
There, in a dark corner, close to the front left leg of the bed, crouched the brown-haired, black-eyed, quivering little mouse.
Both me and the mouse were scared at our respective predictaments.
I told my grandfather I had spotted the mouse.
He ordered me to move forward and grab it.
I wasn’t wearing any gloves and was afraid that the mouse might bite me.
I hesitated.
My grandfather again commanded me to move toward the objective and complete the mission.
Feeling a growing sense of unease but seeing no alternative to being an obedient Mormon boy, I pressed my stomach against the bedroom floor, spread my arms out wide, palms forward, and began inching my way, ever so slowly, toward the mouse.
As I began to close the gap between myself and the frightened mouse, I was frantically trying to figure out what I was going to do.
One thing for sure, I did not want to grab the mouse.
At the same time, I did not want to disobey my grandfather.
So, I continued to slide forward on my stomach, not knowing how to bring the situation to a satisfactory conclusion.
With my hands mere inches from the cornered mouse, the mouse decided to take matters into its own paws. It made a desperate bolt for freedom, leaping over my outstretched arms and making a beeline for the bedroom door that led back into the family room.
From under the bed, I screamed to my grandfather that the mouse was getting away.
I heard a loud WHACK! behind me.
I backed out from underneath the bed and turned around.
My grandfather was standing in the door frame, broom in one hand, the stunned mouse dangling by its tail from the closed fingers of his other hand.
Without a word, he turned away and headed into the family room.
Wide-eyed, I followed.
At the front of the family room was a large fireplace. Inside it, bright orange flames furiously crackled.
My grandfather strode toward the fireplace.
By now, the tiny mouse was beginning to stir, as it hung upside down from the large hand of my grandfather. It twisted and turned, trying desperately to get away.
My grandfather stopped in front of the roaring fireplace. I had arrived at his side, where I could feel the radiating heat.
My grandfather did not hesitate.
He threw the live mouse into the flames.
The animal landed on the end of a partially-consumed log.
Flames flickered up from beneath toward the terrified mouse.
Briefly, the little animal remained where it had been tossed. Then, it panicked and scampered toward the opposite end of the log.
Unfortunately, that end of the log was fully-engulfed in hot flames.
A finger of fire caught the mouse on the tip of its nose.
Instantaneously, flames swept over its entire, hair-covered body, turning it completely black.
Burned beyond recognition but still alive, the mouse stood frozen on the log, singed from head to tail.
Surrounded by flames, the mouse tried to breathe through scorched lungs.
Its tiny chest expanded and contracted a couple of times, like a miniature set of bellows.
Then, it fell into the flames and disappeared from view.
I was horrified and could not utter a word.
Meanwhile, there was work to be done.
Grandpa Benson turned away from the fireplace and went back to cleaning.
I joined him.
But I never forgot the mouse.
|  | "Sister Benson is Trying to Die:" Decisions and Denial--The Passing of My Grandmother, Flora Smith Amussen Benson
Article Archived: Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005, at 09:12 AM
Stored Under Topic: EZRA TAFT BENSON - SECTION 1
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Steve Benson |  | |
Sometimes I wonder why we inadvertantly cause so much needless pain and suffering to the ones we love when their physical bodies are crying out to die.
Of course, it is understandable that we often desperately, and devotedly, intervene in an effort to delay the march of death for those whom we dearly love.
We are, to be sure, distraught when thinking of our own lives robbed of the companionship and presence of a beloved family member whose departure we cannot even begin to imagine.
Understandbly, we may believe that these special people in our lives themselves wish to remain with us as long as they possibly can and do not wish to die.
We may believe that they would want to receive whatever extraordinary medical treatment necessary to keep their failing bodies alive for as long as humanly possible.
We may believe that we owe them nothing less.
But, ultimately, why may we believe this?
Is it because losing our loved ones makes us terribly, personally sad and we may have convinced ourselves that this is what they want for themselves?
These were some of the questions confronting me during the last days of the life of my grandmother--Flora Smith Amussen Benson, wife of Ezra Taft Benson.
Before she died in 1992, she had been in declining health for some time.
Crippled by cataracts, her body shrunken into a fetal position, my grandmother could barely move or communicate. Fortunately, through it all, she was cared for round-the-clock by a devoted medical staff and attended to by a loving family.
But she was in great pain.
As a family, we would regularly visit her in her Church-owned apartment, where she was permanently confined to a hospital-style bed.
I remember standing, with others, by her bedside, stroking her hair, caressing her hand and speaking softly to her. More often than not, she did not, and could not, respond.
At times she would attempt to turn her neck, looking up from her pillow in our direction through permanently fogged eyes.
As her children and grandchildren, we would attempt to keep the atmosphere pleasant (at least for us), including having our pictures taken with her. We would stand next to her, smiling and talking, while she laid there, silent and unmoving.
Over time, however, I became increasingly uneasy, feeling out of place even, in such a surreal setting. My grandmother was dying and I sensed that such activity—however well-intentioned—lacked the necessary reality, and dignity, given my grandmother's declining condition.
My grandmother died on August 14, 1992, at the age of 91, in her Salt Lake City apartment, of what was reported in the press as “natural causes.”
A few weeks after her death, on September 6th, I had a phone conversation with my parents about the circumstances surrounding her passing.
I was personally troubled by how my grandmother had died, believing that her pain and her death had been unnecessarily prolonged. I had seen her suffering during home care and in the hospital. I had heard her moan in pain. I knew that members of my family sincerely believed they were doing what was best for her but I could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that her life had been inappropriately and artificially extended, in a futile fight against the steadily-slowing tick of the natural clock within.
So strongly did I feel about this that during the phone conversation with my parents, I took detailed notes.
I was trying to understand what had taken place leading up to my grandmother's passing and how it had happened. I wanted to hear about it from those in my family who had intimately cared for and loved her. (My father, Mark Amussen Benson, was her second child).
I also wanted to know how my grandfather was faring through it all.
My parents informed me that, in the wake of her death, he had become “physically a little weaker.”
They told me that “Grandma’s health was a worry to him” but, with her passing, he had “reassurance that she’s doing well” on the other side.
In fact, “her death,” my parents said, “was some relief” to him.
“She wasn’t doing well the last year,” they acknowledged, and that fact was of “some worry to Grandpa.”
Now, my parents told me, “Heavenly Father has taken her home.”
With the passing of his companion, they said “comfort“ for my grandfather “comes from the Lord and the Holy Ghost.”
They told me that since her passing, my grandfather “sees some things we don’t see.”
They said that he “looks at the ceiling” and “maybe has had a vision of Flora.”
They further informed me that, by now, my grandfather was “moving on,” that it was “not good to dwell on it” (meaning her death). They said that thinking about her passing was “too much” for him, even though there would be “more photographs [of her] in the Deseret News.”
In order to get his mind off of it, my mother said that they planned to “take him tomorrow to see the [autumn] leaves.”
As I read over my notes, I remembered back to the night, just a few months before my grandmother passed away, when our family received urgent word that she might be dying and that we were all to gather as quickly as possible at the hospital in Salt Lake City for what could be her final hours. We all rushed to the emergency room.
My grandmother was brought into the hospital and placed on a gurney.
I, along with my father, was at her side as she was quickly moved down the hallway.
My father looked down at his mother and said, “I'm here, Mom. We love you.”
She looked up through clouded, darkened eyes and said feebly, “Mark, it hurts.”
Our family was ushered into a crowded waiting room off the main emergency area. Present were several of my grandmother’s children and grandchildren, as well as a few hospital personnel.
Her attending physician entered the room to inform us of my grandmother’s situation.
His demeanor was calm, but serious. His message, at least to me, was crystal clear.
I remember his exact words as he spoke to anxious, emotional family members gathered in the small, crowded room that night. They were gentle words, but firm:
“Sister Benson,” he said quietly as he looked steadily around the room, “is trying to die.”
I listened carefully to his assessment, while at the same time glancing at the faces of my family, trying to judge their reaction.
What the doctor was telling them didn’t appear to be sinking in.
He continued, patiently and deliberately:
“If she was my mother, I would let her go. We can give her antibiotics. That will bring her back somewhat, but she will never be the same as she was before. She will continue to decline. We can keep her comfortable with pain-killers.”
My father, expressing a common sentiment felt in the room, said that “she knows we’re here and that gives her comfort.”
I understood their pain. I was feeling it, too. But that did not erase reality.
I tried in my own outnumbered way to help the doctor get his point across to the members of my family. When he would make a statement about my grandmother’s condition, I would repeat what he said back to him, loud enough for everyone else to hear, then would ask questions of him:
“So, you’re saying, doctor, that she won’t get better? You’re telling us that she is dying?”
But it was useless.
I could tell from the physician’s expression that he knew his efforts to help our family comprehend the inevitable had been futile. He would do as my family wished and administer the drugs.
With that, he politely excused himself from the room.
“Sister Benson is trying to die.”
I have in front of me a photocopy of my grandmother’s “Certificate of Death,” issued by the “State of Utah, Department of Health.”
It reads, in part, as follows (all items noted below are matters of public record):
NAME OF DECEDENT: Flora Smith Amussen BENSON
SEX: Female
DATE OF DEATH: AUG. 14, 1992
TIME OF DEATH: 2330
DATE OF BIRTH: JULY 1, 1901
AGE (last birthday): 91
BIRTHPLACE: Logan, Utah
CITY, TOWN OR LOCATION OF DEATH: Salt Lake City, Utah
SURVIVING SPOUSE: Ezra Taft Benson
MARITAL STATUS: Married
DECEDENT’S USUAL OCCUPATION: (Homemaker)
KIND OF BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY: - - -
RACE: White
EDUCATION (Specify only highest grade completed) Elementary or Secondary (0-12) College (13-16 or 17+): 15
PART 1. IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF DEATH:
Cardiovascular Collapse
Approximate Interval Between Onset and Death: 2 days
Generalized arthrosclerosis with multiple cerebral thrombic
Approximate Interval Between Onset and Death: 20 years
PART 2. Other Significant Conditions contributing to death but not resulting in the underlying cause given in Part 1:
Hypertensions, Multiple cardiovascular events
MANNER OF DEATH: Natural
| EZRA TAFT BENSON: MORMONISM'S PROPHET, SEER AND RACE BAITER (Part Three of Three) by Steve Benson
Revealing Notes from Ezra Taft Benson's Personal Files on His Private Attitudes about Race
Ezra Taft Benson had a practice of passing on news articles and other items whose contents he found worthy of note to my father, accompanied by my grandfather's personal, handwritten notations.
From my interactions with him over several years, I observed that my grandfather was not a deep reader; he was, instead, a regular skimmer. He would underline portions of what he was perusing which he thought were valuable and then relay them on, before quickly moving on himself.
My father, in turn, would often pass these items on to me and my siblings for our edification.
While passing along information in this fashion, my grandfather rarely made special note of that with which he disagreed.
In fact, he was not particularly inclined to spend much time with sources with which he was at political/religious odds.
This trait of my grandfather's was clearly evidenced in the nature of his personal files and library. They were voluminous but overwhelmingly slanted toward what he considered the "right" ideas.
In essence, my grandfather's database was not so much a source of knowledge gleaned from a wide variety of viewpoints but, rather, a reinforcement of his already-established views.
One item that fit into this category was a photocopy of a letter to the editor, published in BYU's Daily Universe, written by a non-Mormon who was upset with boycott efforts by schools in the Western Athletic Conference against BYU because of the Mormon Church's anti-Black priesthood ban.
Passed from father to son, to grandson, it read in part:
"I am one non-Mormon who thinks the notion of the University of New Mexico's student Senate is one of the most unreasonable examples of the bigoted minds of so-called `liberals' I've ever seen.
"In the first place, BYU is a privately-endowed school. It is not supported by the taxpayers like the other universities are members of the WAC.
"Mainly, the reason for Negro athletes being at the other schools stems not from any great degree of humanitarianism on the part of those institutions. To the contrary, the reason for many, or even most, of Negro athletes being at these schools is because of their acknowledged athletic ability. The alumni preferred these schools during the past 10-15 years to give athletic scholarships to Negro athletes to assure success for their teams.
"The Negro athletes have won games for these schools, they have seen and heard the coed cheerleaders go into hysterical frenzy over their exploits-only to find, after the game was over, they were supposed to keep their place. They were led to believe that by attending otherwise predominantly `white' (a silly word, if you examine it closely) schools), the Negroes would be pals with all the other students and it didn't work out that way. Now, the more militant want their own dorms, eating facilities, etc.
"On the other hand, Brigham Young University has competed with the other members of WAC handicapped by not having black athletes on their teams, but the students, and alums, have registered no complaints. Mind you, BYU is not tax supported, therefore, I ask what the hell business it is of your sanctimonious hypocrites who the BYU administration wants to have on its campus?
"The Negroes have reached the state in their development in this country at which anyone who doesn't agree with tem is considered a `racist,' or bigot. The white students at schools such as New Mexico who voted for the expulsion of BYU from WAC don't give a real hoot about their black brothers. They just consider it the in-thing to be `liberal' about such matters."
The final paragraph of the letter was accompanied by my grandfather's handwritten notation in the margin: "Very good."
Directly across from that notation, the letter read:
"If the LDS only want to have whites for the priesthood, what business of the Negroes? Do they have members of the Black Muslims, the Black Panthers, who are `white'? As a Protestant, such as I am, can I take communion at a Catholic Church? As a non-Mason can I attend the secret sessions of the organization?
"All the more power to Brigham Young."
(Bill Mazill, "More Power to BYU," letter to the editor, reprinted from the Daily Optic, Las Vegas, New Mexico, in the Daily Universe, 12 November 1969, photocopy in my possession)
Also from my grandfather's private files, I came across a copy of a speech by then-ASBYU president, Brian Walton, delivered on 28 October 1970, at the Ernest L. Wilkinson Center on the BYU campus.
Like the preceding letter, Walton's remarks came at a time of increasing criticism directed at the Mormon Church (and by extension, BYU) for its discriminatory doctrine against Blacks.
Below are portions of Walton's speech that my grandfather underlined--indicating, as was his habit, his approval of certain ideas:
"What we are involved in is a nationwide feeling of frustration against continuing discrimination. The black man has been tied down too long. He is tired of being lied to. He is aware of the betrayal of his dignity from the Declaration of Independence until now . . . .
"Do we have to remind ourselves yet again of the almost unspeakable history of black men in America? Hopefully, as Mormons we are aware of the impact of the destruction of family ties which took place in the lives of thousands of American slaves. Surely, as Latter-day Saints, we realize and appreciated the meaning of an environment like Harlem, Watts, or Bedord-Stuyvesant. The Church is obviously aware of the importance of home environment to success in living. And why is the black man in this plight?
"With Martin Luther King we can ask:
`Why does misery constantly haunt the Negro?' . . .
"Listen to Claude Brown, author of "Manchild in the Promised Land, and an escapee from the prison that is Harlem, describe the continuing misery of the American Black Man as he moves from the degradation of the South to the new experiences of urban America. . . .
"Here now Jack Newfield describes a part of the promised land-the Bedford-Stuyvesant ghetto in Brooklyn, New
York . . . .
"For every year, 1948-1969, unemployment among Negroes and other races has been double that for white people . . . .
"In various ways Black people are saying that `the American dream has been thrown at me long enough. Now I'm gonna take my place. We will put up with the disrespect, the emasculation, the taunts, the insults, and the overall repression no longer.' . . .
"And some blacks and many whites who want to feel that they are doing something in a moral way, look at BYU and think they sell all that white America represents. WE then become what some students in the Black Student Union in Tucson referred to us as a scapegoat . . . .
"We are caught up in a social movement which is huge and ongoing . . . .
"Proposals have been made that we begin at BYU a recruitment and development program similar to that which has brought 475 Native Americans (or American Indians) to our campus this year. It is thought by some that the largest private institution in the nation should have more than a dozen black people in its 25,000-member student body. . . .
"I have decreasing tolerance for those views which seek to excuse gospel obligations with the rhetoric of `every man for himself' . . .
"Joseph Smith, the Prophet and first President of the Church, in 1844, seventeen years before the Civil War, publicly advocated freeing of the slaves and having the federal government sell public lands, if necessary, in order to obtain money to purchase their freedom . . . .
"Now to the University and what it can do. The suggestion of bring more black people to the campus raises several issues . . . .
"Would black people want to come here? Has anyone asked them if they want to come here? If is about time white men asked black men what they wanted to do rather than making decisions in a vacuum. . . .
"Who would pay for it? . . .
"Should a pilot program be set up . . .? . . .
"Does the University have the facilities . . . to cope with an influx of black people? . . .
"Are we prepared for a Black Student Union . . .? . . .
"What about other alternatives? . . .
"In an attempt to have answers provided, I have formed an investigating committee which will attempt to provide solid information regarding this topic and allow us to thereby know where we stand . . . .
"The committee is open-ended and will attempt to investigate the total situation . . . .
"I hope this evening has helped you understand `where our heads are.' . . .
"[Quoting from a First Presidency statement on `their obligations as members of the communities in which they live and as citizens of the nation']:
"'Where solutions to these practical problems require cooperative action with those not of our faith, members should not be reticent in doing their part in joining and leading in those efforts where the can make an individual contribution to those causes which are consistent with the standards of the Church.'" (Brian Walton, ASBYU President, "BYU and Race: Where We Are Now," ASBYU Convocation, Ernest L. Wilkinson Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 28 October 1970)
As a man reads, so is he.
Ezra Taft Benson, the White Supremacist
The evidence presented up to this point leads, unavoidably, to the conclusion that my grandfather was actually a White supremacist, when the term is used to describe "one who believes that White people are racially superior to others and should therefore dominate society."
(http://www.answers.com/topic/white-supremacy)
Such an assessment should not be surprising since Ezra Taft Benson was a faithful advocate of all things Mormon, and that Mormon theology is, at its roots, White supremacist in nature.
Baptist pastor Mike Schreib, in a blunt analysis of LDS doctrine entitled "Mormonism: A Religion for Dumb White People," points out what Mormon canonized scripture clearly declares: that, in the eyes of the Mormon God, White makes right:
"The Book of Mormon teaches that there was continual warfare between the Nephites who were righteous before God, and the Lamanites who were unrighteous and wicked. This wickedness eventually led God to curse the Lamanites with dark skin:
"`And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became dark and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.' (1 Nephi 12:23)
"`The skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression.' (Alma 3:6) . . .
"The Book of Mormon goes so far as to teach that if the Lamanites truly repented of their wickedness, the visible proof would be their skin once again turning white:
"`And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers...and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and delightsome people.' (2 Nephi 30: 5-6)
"(Note: Recent editions of the Book of Mormon have been changed to read, `a pure and a delightsome people.' The attempt to water down the original teaching would seem obvious.) . . .
"The second president of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young, was not shy concerning his beliefs about White superiority, or the curse carried specifically by the Negro.
`Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 110, 8 March 1863)
"Later Mormon leaders would also state the official doctrine of the Church concerning Blacks and the priesthood:
"`Negroes in this life are DENIED THE PRIESTHOOD; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty.' (LDS "Apostle" Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p. 527)
"`Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the FATHER OF AN INFERIOR RACE...Millions of souls have come into the world cursed with black skin and have been DENIED THE PRIVILEGE OF PRIESTHOOD.' (LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way To Perfection, 1931, pp. 101-102) . . .
"In early 1978, the Mormon Church found itself suffering from a massive news media campaign criticizing their attitudes towards Blacks and Non-whites. Allegations of discrimination and racism by such groups as the NAACP and ACLU were directed against the LDS church, and rightly so. The Mormon leadership began to sweat.
"If things progressed badly for them, they feared losing large numbers of their members who saw the church as a White supremacist haven, and were willing to tell the media about it. Even worse, they feared losing their federal tax exempt status from the IRS, a loss that would have devastated their financial empire. . . .
"On June 8, 1978, Mormon President and prophet, Spencer W. Kimball announced to the world a new `Official Declaration' from the Lord. Suddenly, he claimed:
" ` . . . . all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE OR COLOR.'
"This was after he and his fellow leaders had `pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful (Black) brethren...supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.'
"They told their members and the world that, `He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood . . . `
"What happened to the Black race being an `inferior race,' and that `under no circumstances' could they hold the authority of the priesthood?
"Certainly, if this was God's church he was free to give new instructions to his designated servants. Yet, we can only guess that fearing the loss of their tax benefits was a great motivator in their `long and earnest' prayer meetings. The timing couldn't have been more convenient. . . .
"Anyone who has studied these matters in detail must see that the history of the Mormon religion is a long history of racial nonsense, offensive doctrine, and well-timed `revelations' intended to help the leadership save face.
"Non-whites who would join such a religion need to open their eyes to the truth, and dumb White people who accept it ought to be ashamed of themselves!"
(http://www.believers.net/english/belief/mormon/mormon.htm, original emphasis)
Author and self-described "positive atheist" Cliff Walker also shines a light into the dark corners of Mormonism's historical doctrines replete with White supremacist teachings:
"The Mormon God's main revelation, the Book of Mormon, explains why . . . many . . . humans have dark skin . . . In 2 Nephi 5:21, Mormon scripture describes Whites: `As they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome to come upon.'
"White skin is a reward from God; dark skin is a course, the result of wickedness.
"`Their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites. And their daughters became exceedingly fair.' (3 Nephi 2:15-16)
"`O, my brethren, I fear that unless you shall repent of your sins, that their skins will be whiter than yours, when you shall be brought with them before the throne of God.' (Jacob 3:8)
"Mormonism has a shameful history of White supremacist doctrines and practices. While I denounce anyone painting an entire group with a broad brush, neither should we allow ourselves to forget things like the history of Mormonism."
(Cliff Walker, "Did Dennis Rodman Have A Point?", July 1997, http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/cliff77.htm)
My grandfather (like scripturally-faithful Mormons are today) was a White supremacist, in the sense that he believed in the inherent pre-eminence and transcendence of the White race over the Black race.
A particularly ugly piece of evidence I came across from his personal library supports that grim reality.
In 1995, I discovered a book that had belonged to my grandfather. Over the years, he had given me many books from his own collection. At the time I stumbled across this particular one, I did not recall having seen or read it before.
My grandfather's handwritten signature adorned its front cover, which was somewhat unusual. I had many of his personally-owned books and normally he would sign and/or stamp them on the inside.
From the nature of the signature, I could tell that he was proud to have owned this particular book. He not only signed his name to it, he lavished his signature-"E.T. Benson"-upon its cover, above the title, in the upper right-hand corner, in a large, bold, looping writing style--where it could not be missed.
The book was entitled Race and Reason: A Yankee View, authored by Carleton Putnam and published in 1961 by Public Affairs Press in Washington, D.C.
The book's title was in bold, black, capital letters against an orange and white background depicting shattering glass.
On its back cover were the following endorsements:
"A blockbuster . . . [A] book that ought to be read by every thinking American, North and South. It may be the opening gun in a literacy counterattack against ideas of race that have influenced the thinking of Supreme Court justices, Presidents, preachers and writers."
"[This book is what] the South most needs now for its case . . . [It] is a `categorical imperative' for Southerners . . . who know [the light's] fullness will depend henceforth on their own intelligence, literacy, authority and self-control."
"We predict that this book will be on the tongues of all informed Mississippians in the days ahead."
"Incisive, authoritative, effective . . . Mr. Putnam has put all serious and objective students of the race problem in his debt."
As I examined the book's contents, I found myself so repulsed that I stopped reading and wrote the following on its title page:
"This book is brimming with vile, racist and repugnant notions that I find deeply disturbing. I came into possession of it from my grandfather's personal library some years ago and, until recently, it remained tucked away in a dusty closet corner. I cannot condone any attempt to justify racial superiority or the segregation of the races. It is inhumane, immoral and destructive to the peace and progress of human kind. --Steve Benson, 9-12-95"
I went to the Internet and looked up the book's author and title. Not surprisingly, it came up on a White supremacist website, along with several other like-minded works, accompanied by short explanatory texts:
--Who Brought The Slaves to America?
"The Jews did! And did they get upset when the Black Muslims incorporated this into their teachings. Shatters myth of `White guilt.' Paperback. 30 pages. 14 illustrations."
--White Man, Think Again!
"A. Jacob. The White man must rule or perish. Paperback. 348 pages"
--Tracing Our White Ancestors
"Frederick Haberman. Answers many questions. 185 pages."
Links offered to other subjects included:
--"Adolf Hitler"
--"National-Socialism Leaders"
--"The Holohoax"
Then, at the bottom of the web page, was Putnam's book from my grandfather's library, Race & Reason: A Yankee View, with the teaser:
"Explains in-depth racial differences and the dangers of race-mixing. A must for all serious students. Paperback. 120 pages."
Researching further, I discovered that Putnam's book is part of an array of White supremacist literature housed at the University of Southern Mississippi under the title of "Citizen's Council/Civil Rights Collection."
The same collection also contains autographed photographs of one of my grandfather's political mentors: George Wallace.
(http://www.lib.usm.edu/~archives/m099.htm)
Digging deeper, I found that Putnam's Race and Reason: A Yankee View is listed among "Selected Right-Wing Apocalyptic, Conspiracist, Populist and Racist Texts."
That list also includes Adolf Hitler's Mein Kamp, and two John Birch works: Alan Stang's, It's Very Simple: The True Story of Civil Rights and Birch founder Robert Welch's The New Americanism.
("The Public Eye," sponsored by Political Research Associates, 1310 Broadway St., #201, Somerville, Massachusetts, 02144-1731)
I also learned that my grandfather's personal copy of Putnam's book was offered as recommended reading by none other than the "American Fuehrer" of the American Nazi Party, George Lincoln Rockwell, as a guide, he said, for ferreting out "left-wing Jews . . . [who are] . . . deliberately poisoning the minds of two generations of American students at many of our largest universities."
(George Lincoln Rockwell, "From Ivory Tower to Privy Wall: On the Art of Propaganda," circa 1966)
Most unsavory of all were excerpts from the book itself-a book, keep in mind, that was part of the personal reading material of a supposed "prophet, seer and revelator."
Examples of its racist filth abound:
"[F]rom the horrors of Reconstruction through the Supreme Court's desegregation decision . . . the North has been trying to force the black man down the white Southerner's throat . . . " (p. 9)
"[The Negro] may force his way into white schools, but he will not force his way into white hearts nor earn the respect he seeks. What evolution was slowly and wisely achieving, revolution has now arrested, and the trail of bitterness will lead far." (p. 9)
"The essential question in this whole controversy is whether the Negro, given every conceivable help regardless of cost to the whites, is capable of full adaptation to our white civilization within a matter of a few generations, or whether the record indicates that such adaptation cannot be expected save in terms of many hundreds, if not thousands of years, and that complete integration of these races, especially in the heavy black belts of the South, can result only in a parasitic deterioration of white culture, with or without genocide. . . . The sin of Cain would pale by comparison." (p. 27)
"There is no basis in sound science for the assumption, promoted by various minority groups in recent decades, that all races are biologically equal in their capacity to advance, or even to sustain, what is commonly called Western civilization . . .
"[W]hat great civilization of the kind we are seeking to develop in the West ever arose AFTER an admixture of Negro genes?. . [T]he question answers itself . . ." (pp. 36-37, original emphasis)
"The ratio of non-whites to whites in the United States as a whole . . . [is] about 10%. If completely absorbed, this would be a substantial admixture, with noticeable effects. More serious is the fact that a large part of the Negro population is concentrated in the South. Absorption in any of these states would be disastrous." (p. 37)
"When white men marry Negro women in any numbers the trend is toward a gradual change in social attitudes of acceptance, and a slow infiltration of the dominant white society by the offspring, with the consequent changing of the standards of that society, as evidenced in various Latin American countries." (p. 37)
". . . [A] thorough study of Negro-white intelligence tests DOES reveal conclusive mathematical proof of the Negro's limitations . . . .
"[T]here is not question that the frontal lobes of the typical Negro are smaller and the cerebral cortex less wrinkled than the typical white's." (p. 41, emphasis in original)
"When the chart of the Caucasoid race as a whole is laid besides the chart of the Negro race as a whole, in those attributes involved in our type of civilization, the Caucasoid will be found superior at each level except perhaps the lowest . . ." (p. 42)
"I am advocating a doctrine of white leadership, based on proved achievement . . . As far as the Negro race is concerned, if it is interested in such cultural elements as our white civilization has to offer, it should realize that to destroy or to debilitate the white race would be to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. It is a temptation as old as the human species, and always ends with a dead goose and no eggs." (p. 55)
". . . [O]ne thing is sure: crossing a superior with an inferior breed can only pull the superior down." (p. 59)
"Almost all the great statesmen of our nation's past have foreseen the danger of the Negro among us and have sought to remove it, even to the point of transplanting the race to Africa. The idea of making the Negro the social equal of the white man never entered their heads. Among those besides Jefferson and Lincoln who favored removal to Africa may be mentioned Francis Scott Key, John Randolph, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, and Henry Clay. The modern segregationist is in good company." (p. 62)
"It may be too late to return the American Negro to his biological and spiritual home, but it may not be too late to redeem in America the heritage of the white race." (p. 69)
"The Communists have made the integration movement a part of their conspiracy . . ." (p. 73)
"The white man who preaches to backward races a doctrine of equality not only demeans himself and his own race, but forfeits his opportunity to be of real service." (p.76)
"Let us not suppose for a moment that the average African Negro is about to understand our ideals, or to fight or sacrifice or die for the principle of liberty. All he wants . . . is a greater and greater share of what white men have created, regardless of his ability either to protect, manage or pay for it." (p. 80)
"The fact that it is wrong to bully, humiliate or exploit a Negro, does not make it right to integrate him." (p. 91)
". . . [T]he self-control and judgment . . . of the rank and file, including their willingness to contribute to, rather than drain, the common treasury, are the qualities which produce a stable, free civilization. These were the qualities which built the great Western democracies. There are few signs of them in Africa." (p. 93)
"The greatest of all human rights is the right of a race to protect itself against genocide, and its culture against deterioration." (p. 94)
"For the North to force him[ the Negro] on the white South is as blunt an act of hostility-of hate, if you prefer the word-as can be imagined. It has already damaged the Negro, indeed, it is damaging the whole country. The spirit of those back of the integration movement is not love." (p. 96)
"To suppose that [the development of the Negro race] has reached the point where an infusion of color in government amounting to policy control, or to a balance of power, is an acceptable or healthy thing for a previously white society [is] absurd on its face . . . The inclination of Negroes in the mass to be primarily interested in spending rather than conserving their own or other people's money, is but one of many aspects to this problem." (pp. 98-99)
"Equalitarianism spells stagnation and mediocrity for both [the individual or of society] . . . [I]t is of the very essence of this ideology to build the inferior up by pulling the superior down, and the result is invariably the same. The inferior, in gaining what has not been earned, has lost the spur, and the superior, in losing what was well deserved, has lost the crown." (p.103)
"Can you name one case in all history in which whites and Negroes in large numbers have lived together without segregation and have failed to intermarry? Can you name one case in all history in which a white civilization filed to deteriorate after intermarrying with Negroes? Can you name one case in all history of a stable, free civilization that was predominately, or even substantially, Negro?" (p. 105)
Conclusion: Ezra Taft Benson Was a Dyed-in-the-Whitest-Wool Racist
The evidence pointing to my Ezra Taft Benson as a racial bigot is overwhelming and undeniable:
- Ezra Taft Benson vehemently opposed the U.S. civil rights movement.
- Ezra Taft Benson despised the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Ezra Taft Benson's sermons and writings struck ugly, resonant chords with fellow Mormon racists, who leapt to his defense against Dr. King and in opposition to equal rights for African-Americans.
- When Ezra Taft Benson presided over the Mormon Church as its leader, the Church could not bring itself, morally or politically, to officially honor, by name, the legacy of Dr. King.
- Ezra Taft Benson publicly associated and sympathized with racists and segregationists.
- Ezra Taft Benson admired and forged strong political ties with racist politicians-notably, Strom Thurmond and George Wallace,
- Ezra Taft Benson was directed by the First Presidency to carry out racist actions against African-American members of the Mormon Church in his own stake.
- Ezra Taft Benson's personal notes and documents from his private files give evidence of his racist views.
- Ezra Taft Benson's personal conversations with me on racial matters exhibited an overall lack of understanding, depth or compassion for African-Americans.
- And, to punctuate it all, Ezra Taft Benson's personal library contained an insidiously White supremacist book, emblazoned with his handwritten signature on the front cover and full of bigoted bile.
Yes, Ezra Taft Benson was the Mormons' Prophet, Seer and Race Baiter.
| EZRA TAFT BENSON: MORMONISM'S PROPHET, SEER AND RACE BAITER (Part Two of Three) by Steve Benson
Introduction
The purpose of the following examination is to document and report the private and public views of my grandfather, Ezra Taft
Benson, on what he derisively described as the "so-called civil rights movement," the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other
related racial issues
Based on the information from a variety of sources (including many of my own personal encounters with him), it is conclusive that:
- Ezra Taft Benson was a racist, as amply demonstrated by his own words, actions, beliefs and associations
- Typical of many White racists, Ezra Taft Benson was condescendingly tolerant of Blacks-as long as they "knew their place" and
behaved as he insisted they should.
- By contrast, Ezra Taft Benson was viciously accusatory and patronizingly dismissive toward Blacks when they engaged in
activities that he viewed as politically in opposition to his (and, by extension, God's) interests and purposes. He frequently
portrayed Blacks as a threat to the American Way of Life-at least as he defined it.
Correspondence to Me from Mormon Anti-King Benson Supporters
You can tell a person by the company they keep.
For my grandfather, his company included rabid Mormon racists.
Many of them were involved in obnoxious efforts to convince fellow Saints of their supposed obligation to support the anti-King
views of Ezra Taft Benson.
One of these outspoken anti-King Mormon agitators was Shirley Whitlock of Mesa, Arizona. Whitlock, at the time, was president of
the local chapter of Phyllis Schlafly's far-right "Eagle Forum" and had worked as a political operative for Arizona's impeached
Mormon and openly racist governor, Evan Mecham.
(As a side note, Whitlock and another of Mecham's Mormon minions, Earl Taylor, wrote my grandfather, angrily demanding that I be
removed from all my Mormon Church responsibilities because of my anti-Mecham cartoons. They warned my grandfather that if I was
not removed from my Church callings, I would face a Church court. Upon receipt of their letter, my grandfather's office manager,
Gary Gillespie, phoned me at my newspaper office in Arizona, asking me why such pro-Mecham Mormon extremists could not understand
how they were making the rest of the Latter-day Saint community look like "fools." My grandfather did not act on Whitlock and
Taylor's demand that I be given the boot, although my stake president shortly thereafter did release me from my position as high
councilman because of my anti-Mecham drawings and after having received pressure to do so from a local Mormon legislator, Jerry
Gillespie [no relation to my grandfather's office manager]).
With regard to Ezra Taft Benson's views on Rev. King, Whitlock sent me the following note:
"Dear Steve:
"Contrary to your apparent belief, Ezra Taft Benson, not E.M. [Evan Mecham] is my political mentor.
"I read him agreed with him, learned from him committed to his political and religious views--long before I ever heard of E.M.
"Do YOU conclude, from the enclosed [anti-King] writing by your grandfather, that this proves HIM to be a racist bigot?
"Your judgment of same for E.M. is based on far less `evidence'!"
(Shirley Whitlock, letter to Steve Benson, 20 September 1989, original emphasis)
Enclosed with the letter was a photocopy of pages from my grandfather's book, An Enemy Hath Done This, with his King-clubbing
rhetoric highlighted for my benefit.
Ezra Taft Benson's Private Conversations with Me on the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the mid-1960s, I was in junior high school. It was a time when the nation was being rocked by the tumultuous struggle for
civil rights.
During those uncertain days, I remember my grandfather telling me that Dr. King was a tool of the Communist conspiracy and urging
me to read John Birch Society literature on King's supposed true nature and Communist-inspired agenda.
That propaganda was readily provided me by my father and mother (the latter who was a card-carrying Bircher).
My father kept thick files in his home office on his favorite conservative. One of my weekly chore (for which I earned my
allowance) was to organize and categorize their contents.
In the process of doing so, I came across Bircher articles purporting to show Dr. King's Communist connections.
I remember, in particular, a photograph of a young Martin Luther King, Jr. sitting in a classroom at the allegedly Communist
Highlander "Folkschool" training center in Tennessee, where, Birchers claimed, he and others underwent undergone Communist
indoctrination at the hands of their Kremlin-directed programmers.
That accusation was, in fact, without foundation. The school was not Communist but, rather, a progressive institution devoted to
fighting racism. It was attended by none other than Rosa Parks the summer before she refused to give up her seat on the
Montgomery Alabama, bus.
(Herbert R. Kohl, reply to Marshall Brady, New York Review of Books, 19 January 1984, http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:GF...)
Unfortunately, as a youngster in junior high school, I didn't know these facts and, thus in dutiful ignorance, was encouraged by
my father to enlighten my fellow classmates as to the "truth" about Martin Luther King, Jr.
Under my father's direction, I gathered up stacks of John Birch propaganda, (complete with the photograph of Dr. King supposedly
taking orders from Communists in that Tennessee classroom), and brought them to school to show a skeptical classmate. He took one
look at my "proof" and laughed.
I was crestfallen.
I had lost that battle to warn my friends against the coming Communist "Negro" invasion. My mother later warned me to limit my
association with Black people because, she said, they were "different."
In the Benson household, racial equality was not a topic of priority.
Orders from the First Presidency to Ezra Taft Benson to Implement Racial Segregation in Mormon Wards
The Mormon Church had confidence that Ezra Taft Benson would follow orders when it came to dealing with racial matters.
In 1940, my grandfather was appointed the first president of the newly-organized Washington [D.C.] | |
