The Coalition of the Willing Shrinks...Again  

Posted by Jessica in , ,

According to a Salt Lake Tribune poll done last week, Utahn's support of the war in Iraq has shrunk to 41%.

According to a poll done in August, Utahn's support of Bush was at 54%. That is a quite a drop in a period of less than 5 months.

I would venture to say that aside from the Salt Lake City area, most of Utah have been big supporters of Bush and his war. I have attended two anti-war protests in Salt Lake City and both of them drew impressive numbers. I would also like to add that aside from those who actually attended the protest, there were hundreds of cars that drove by and honked their horns in support of the protest.

Seeing as how the approval numbers for the war are dropping nationally, yet drop slower in Utah and Idaho, is there something unique to these two states that slow the disapproval of the war? Is it the Mormon population? Is it just that these two states are very Republican and Republican enough to stand by and continue to support a war that is not only unpopular but unjustified, at least in my opinion? Is it a combination of the two?

9 comments

Cameron   says January 8, 2007 at 8:16 AM

Maybe they don't agree with your opinion.

Jessica   says January 8, 2007 at 10:04 AM

Well, of course they don't agree with my opinion. But is there something about Utahns and Idahoans that makes them more supportive of this war?

Cameron   says January 8, 2007 at 2:16 PM

I was referring to your ending line,

...continue to support a war that is not only unpopular but unjustified, at least in my opinion?

Perhaps they don't care that it is unpopular, and don't agree that it was unjustified.

Jessica   says January 8, 2007 at 4:07 PM

I knew that was the part you were referring to. There wasn't much else in my post your comment would apply to. ;)

Tell me Cameron, you are LDS, does that play a big influence in your support of the war? Do you still support the war?

Cameron   says January 8, 2007 at 8:14 PM

I'm from Idaho, and I used to live in Utah, and I'm LDS, so maybe I could be the test subject for your post? :-)

I think asking if someone supports the war solely based on an affiliation is like asking a Democrat if they oppose the war based solely on that affiliation. I have always found it interesting that Democrats almost universally oppose the war. Is it because all Democrats think alike? Or is there a little partisan Kool-Aid involved?

Yes I support the war in Iraq. Do I support the war because I am LDS? Technically, the LDS Church does not have an official stance on the war. Many church members oppose it. Most LDS bloggers I have come across oppose it.

A couple of months ago I wrote about my faith and how that coorelates to my opinion on Iraq.

There are a number of reasons for support of the Iraq war. However, first and foremost I believe that if a person looks at what happened in Rwanda, or looks at what has happened and what continues to happen in Sudan and then looks to the United States for action absolutely has to support action in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was executed last week because for three decades he brutalized, raped, tortured and killed scores of people. I believe the world was in error to let it happen.

Do I believe this way because I am LDS? I don't know. I would like to believe that being LDS is not a prerequisite to feeling horror when faced with actions such as Saddam Hussein's, and not a prerequisite for feeling a call to action on behalf of those he brutalizes.

Jessica   says January 8, 2007 at 9:47 PM

Without going into a debate about the war in Iraq, let me just say that I am almost 100% positive Mormons who support the war do so because they believe it is justified. In my own naive opinion and without any evidence to back it up, I would say Mormons still support the war because they tend to support the Republican Party, its candidates, and especially GWB.

My best friend once remarked to me that the war would be necessary to fulfill one of the requirements for the Lord's second coming...the gospel being preached in all nations. It wasn't until the last year or two that I came across the quotes from Brigham Young which made me question whether the Lord would allow a war to happen simply because it could bring about the preaching of the gospel in another nation.

Or should I remove "allow" and state that according to Brigham Young, I don't believe the Lord feels that war is justification to fulfill a requirement for his Second Coming...

I'll post the quotes sometime soon so you all can see what I am saying.

Jessica   says January 8, 2007 at 9:49 PM

I just read what I wrote and I don't make much sense. I have been involved in three different, though simultaneous conversations on msn messenger for the last few hours and I can't put together a coherent thought together.

I'll post the Young quote, because it is a great one, and ya'll tell me what you think.

Cameron   says January 11, 2007 at 10:03 AM

I was waiting for the quotes you promised, but I just can't wait any longer! :-)

In response to your opining on the reasons for Mormon support of the Iraq war, I would agree that most Mormons identify with the Republican party and that would influence their support. The next question would be why do so many identify with the Republican party?

As for the second coming stuff, I think it foolhardy to think that since war is a precurser to the second coming then we should condone war. That's just faulty logic.

Jessica   says January 11, 2007 at 12:42 PM

I'll get those quotes up here in the next day or two. I am also holding off on the cop story until something happens...but I remember that you want to read it.

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