Piece Of Art

The Mormon Conspiracy A View From The Outside by Loren Coleman Following is a posting that I first wrote for February 5, 2008, and posted on Cryptomundo.com. It stirred up discussion of a topic some would like to keep quiet. But it won't go away. Please note, I am reporting, not stating any stance, one way or another. I am highlighting an issue that is out there, being talked about in back room conversations and campfire exchanges. With this summer of 2012 bringing forth Mitt Romney as a national presidential candidate, Mormonism may or may not be a topic in politics. But it is already one within the politics of Bigfoot hunting. We should not be afraid to tackle it here again. ++++++ Look, no one wants to talk about it straightforwardedly, so let me bring this to the fore. In the journal published as a book, Intermediate States: The Anomalist 13 , I deal with a touchy subject in my article "Between Worlds: The Three Nephites." I began the essay this way: During the 2008 ...

There is something strange going on with a seemingly isolated story quietly occurring in Utah-Colorado. It has come to involve suicides, Indian artifacts, and perhaps, most covertly and confusingly, Mormons. On June 10, 2009, two dozen people* were indicted after a sweeping investigation into ancient artifacts allegedly stolen from public and tribal lands. The indicted are accused of stealing, receiving, or trying to sell American Indian bowls, stone pipes, sandals, arrowheads, jars, pendants, and necklaces. More than 100 agents were involved in the arrests of 23 people. Another person was issued a summons. All were part of a tight-knit network of people involved in illegally excavating, dealing, and collecting stolen artifacts, said Timothy Fuhrman, of the FBI office in Salt Lake City. Bureau of Land Management and FBI agents used a confidential source who in 2007 and 2008 paid more than $335,000 for 256 stolen artifacts, according to court documents. The local reaction was swift and...