Glenn Beck, Mormons, and Mexico

Ok, so two posts related to Mormons on this blog puts me in danger of getting a gazillion hits that have little to do with Latin America (9 of 10 google searches that bring people to this site are already about Mennonites).

On March 27, UDB and talk show host Glenn Beck went on the attack against Mexico, saying that the nation is run by nothing but criminals. Coming from GOP politics it takes a lot of cajones *pun intended* to assault Mexican politics as being full of criminals and that immigration to the US is a simple attempt to flood this nation with criminals. Interesting. So all Mexicans are criminals?

In a twist of fun irony, Mr. Beck is himself a very vocal Mormon - a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In that church, if you are breaking the law you can't join in through baptism and confirmation. However, are "illegal" immigrants baptized by the LDS church? You bet your mormon crickets they are.

Take a clue from your own church, Mr. Beck, which actually has fairly interesting things to say about compassion, etc. when it comes to "illegal" immigration. As Mr. Beck puts it, his conversion to Mormonism came from a moment of contemplation on their concept of Zion - community based on love, compassion, and shared purpose "one heart and one mind," etc. Says Mr. Beck "I want to genuinely love someone the first time I met them."

Let's introduce Glenn to some Mexicans, quick.

**Again, I'm uninterested in posts about Mormons and Mormonism unless somehow directly related to Latin America.