Remember My Valley
Remember My Valley was a labor of love that was written and compiled by our valley's own Mrs. La Verna Burnett Newey who was a dedicated elementary schoolteacher and a cousin in the family who like she did for me, made life a little easier for many of her students. Her book has become a popular read; so much so that those administrating the Huntsville library requisitioned valley samaritans in hopes of getting their hands on at least one no longer in print, limited edition of La Verna's selfless endeavor--- share and share alike. Along much similar lines, Ogden Valley has its own quaint and remedial, community newspaper whose two dedicated and committed publishers /editors do their darn'dest to keep readers in tune and in touch with current and ongoing events along with a seemingly endless dusting and polishing off of this valley's past.
Good reporters do just that, report and chronicle while trying to keep their own opinions and desires to themselves. All too often credibility is compromised when there is an unrelenting concern of stepping on toes which usually is comprised of an overwhelming and stifling anxiety about stirring up negative or damning acclamations. This sets the stage for an over but also under enthusiastic reporter to instill his or her own personal beliefs and before you can say Jat Sprat or Little Boo Peep, these prejudicial influences become the determining factor on whether or not a thorough and ongoing research of a topic can be done without regards to a reporter's own religious and political affiliations. When the cold hard facts are suspended, transfixed or transformed, good reporting falls by the wayside and in return the work becomes more like a propositional purporting and quickly becomes tainted with one's own preferences which leads to propagandizing and the author's own idealistic and self-fulfilling world becomes all too apparent. Your more open minded and intuitive types like not getting stuck in the same old rut from those hectic and chaotic, childish and hellish, schoolboy and schoogirl days when all to often supposed adults looked at children as personal belongings and for those really disturbed guardians who dare not spare the rod out of fear of spoiling the child, children are to be seen and not heard and their ain'ts ain't words and you ain't suppose to say them and any noes and doing your own thinking is sure to get you scolded or reprimanded to say the very least.
Another draw back here In the Beehive State is that allowances and exceptions have been made for that fine line that is interwoven between church and state like a winding, country back road--- allowing seminary to be taught on school time just a stone's throw and a sidewalk away is a primary example--- and yet contradictorily, a consentaneous close-mindedness runs rampant when it comes to making allowances for other's beliefs outside the one and only true Church. Despite couplings of very conspicuous, impressionable, straight laced, coconscious, dedicated and committed, young missionaries tracking across the globe putting their father superior's spin on the way things were, are, and eventually will become, Mormons are still perceived by most of the outside world as being a cult at worst and bigoted at best. Whereas the inner-directed fervently quote, worship and tout our pioneer heritage that brought us here to this other Zion to escape the long arm of the law and persecution, more knowledgeable folks, those who have access to and assess the stuff that is known to those in the inner circle as anti-Mormon, have a much broader and worldly perspective of things past and present. The Mormon Church's founding prophet, Joseph Smith, the one the faithful were taught to admonish and bare witness to almost before they were able to walk, to outside eyes, had very questionable if not downright shady intentions and goals no matter how many times the faithful are provoked and incited to rise to the occasion and bare an oath stating otherwise during fast and testimonial meetings. If I were ever to retrograde, go back, become active, I'm quite sure things would be pretty much the same as far as invoking one to childhood tears during confession in front of the whole congregation is concerned and for the more collected, it might as well be a scratched record repeating the same old disclosure over and over again. In either case it would be too embarrassing for the likes of someone like me to ever participate in such self flagelation and reconciliatory amends. To most Christians, they seem to forget their own church's harried past, Smith was an opportunist with many a tall tale to tell to try and win over as many converts as possible--- plural wives included. Remanants of this bygone belief system can still be seen in today's LDS church whereas a much broader and bolder expression can be viewed by looking into the polygamist sects that are still going strong down south in LDS Fundamentalist territory despite awkward attempts by law enforcement to try and get them to clean up their act and the founding church putting out disclaimers as to any association. With the aid of his coconspirators, Smith was able to contrive a story that kept the waters roiling, baptisms, and that became the catalyst behind the martyrdom that is still so prevalent today and that was behind the quantums of pain and suffering which eventually escalated into the tragic loss of many a life. Woe to the many lost and weary souls who grieviously got caught up in this tempestuous milieu that made life such a living heaven or hell for all those living in close proximity. Growing in leaps and bounds, secretive--- insider names, oaths and handshakes--- Mormonism even threatened to overun the Freemasons before the Lodges finally had to put their foot down and to whom Mormons owe alot of their symbols and beliefs to e.g. those incorporated into the SLC Temple and Joseph's own Jupiter Stone. This no holds barred religion with its intense religious fervor very quickly became a pain in the butt to the locals with its all or nothing socialistic theocracy that was not only a threat to American democracy as they knew it but was also very disruptive to their lives and livelihoods and many decided early on down the road that they wanted no part of "Joe's" shenanigans. Bite your tongue; here in Zion it's not kosher to talk about all those unfortunate victims who just happened to be at the wrong place, "This Is [NOT} The Place", at the wrong time and got caught up in the extreme revivalism of those tumultuous and violent times which as Mormons and history endlessly points out, ended in just one more churchy, militant milieu which brought on a mass exodus to unsettled territories. Apparently Out West was the place for your self-righteous, upstanding American Immigrants who just couldn't quite seem to fit in back East, but not for this countries Native American Indian inhabitants that they labeled Lamanites which only compounded an already dire situation by bringing about even more death and sorrow by displacing yet another people. Yes, the first prerequisite for becoming a good reporter is the stark realization that there is two sides, many sides, to every story and then having the faith and courage, chutzpa, to tell it like it is and not how one might have been erroneously or purposely coerced into believing it was without taking a good, hard look at the whole picture; the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us God; seek and ye shall find... faith is faith and sometimes fiction or just high hopes whereas fact is just that, matter of fact and can quickly squelch one's dreams but dreams are what miracles are made of.
Here in Mormon Country there is a strong and overcompensatory mindset among the ruling hierarchy and the faithful to cleanup their Church's past in order for it to be perceived as mainstream Christianity. Again our fundamentalist neighbors to the south are a constant reminder of our wild and wooly past and a thorn in the side and a hindrance in attaining and sustaining our lofty goal of saving the world on all its cretins' behalf. Besides worshipping on Sunday, active members are employed throughout the week to keep the hopper, the church, hopping. Add to this the Church's endless media blitz and it's not hard to understand why the furnace is always stoked and the engine revved; what is likened to a burning in the busom. Seeing how we are one of the most conservative states outside the bilble belt and considering how good and faithful Mormons almost always vote straight republican, how ironic that this was once a democratic stronghold during the State's nescient beginnings. Bred, born and raised a Mormon, a "true blue", I myself have witnessed firsthand how church members bristle and are taken aback, become resolutely more obstinate and are schooled to reprobate any offender who has the audacity to allude to the fact that our shaky albeit historically rich--- I have to wonder how in the world anything as hate spawned and hell driven as the Mountain Meadow's Massacre could have been pawned off by those at the helm at the time as doing God's work--- background along with all of its trials, travails and tribulation, could be anything other than the direct hand and will of God. If the faithful could only admit and confess to some of the early Church's folly--- let them kid you not, things are alot better today--- instead of insisting it was all holier-than-thou, then maybe our past could become a stepping stone, a bench mark to that salvation so extenuatedly sought after. Taking all this into consideration, the frailty of recording and reporting events past and present by first cleaning them up a tad, okay grundles, or to find them utterly reprehensible not only for good Mormons but also for the prying eyes of Gentiles is understandable, seems only logical, ingenious if you will, when you take into consideration what is at stake: the hearts, minds and souls of all God's little ones; a standing and marching army not only willing to live and die for the cause, but who also must pay tithes for their allegiance and having such a great honor bestowed upon them while simultaneously being promised salvation after death--- eternal Goddess and Godshipness. All in all you can rest assured that things will be made more palatable, sugarcoated, for those impressionable and believed to be naturally disobedient tots who are our future and tommorow's leaders; who must be molded and folded into what authority figures figure is fit and proper; after all, who could know better what is best for them than inspired saints like the Seventies or the Twelve who overwhelmingingly are successful, retired business men, lawyers and doctors and such. What the hey no foul play; kids are just naturally tough and can most assuredly fend for themselves God willing or better yet, church willing. Ultimately and oft times tumultuously, things will be kept running smooth and on an even keel as long as those oodles, billions, of cold, hard earned cash keeps pouring in from those believing in buying your way to heaven. Yes sirree, it is a very high stakes game where even one's own freedom is up for grabs when God forbid and again churches willing, another holy war and moral cleansing comes to your town, your savage little world that is so offensive to those failing so miserably at abstaining and thinking pure and clean thoughts.
Another common do-gooder trait is looking down one's nose and sticking it up at those undesirables with those unimaginable--- actually, throughout their history, Christians have had very vivid and oft times extremely perverted immaginations--- and morally repulsive habits with those incredulous, savage beliefs that are so incorrigible. Reprobation reigns; we must protect our young'ns; must not leave them with the wrong, both politically and religiously, impression and again, a reporter can never be too careful of what they say or report if we are to uphold the myth that we as Americans, as Christians, have always been in the right and will always continue, thanks to our leaders, to "Choose the Right". Caution is a must, there's always that unspeakable sin of letting the cat out of the bag, letting one of those hard-hitting lessons that hit so many a foolhardy settler and pioneer right between the eyes and which cost both life and limb to both young and old alike to sink in. Yes, at all cost, better to paint a bright and awe inspiring, faith enhancing picture regardless of whether or not history keeps on repeating itself. How many have died in the name of God and Country; how many are the men who have endlessly strived to be what they were never cut out to be: saints to vie for the self-serving responsibility of saving the souls of all the world's outcasts. A major drawback to all of this magical and grandiose thinking is that those crazier than crazy, rough and tumble, tougher than nails individuals who truly stood up and died for their cause, a meager living; the ones that conquered the elements and molded and shaped Ogden Valley into a place hospitable enough to be called home and to raise a family, are not given the credit due. In their stead the honor is pompously bestowed on the really true misfits; the ones who had only their own wellbeing and selfish wants in mind which brings up another sore topic: why haven't more of this countries only true martyrs, its Native Americans, been immortalized, been entered into the Hall of Fame and into our history and religious texts? How many--- how how many... underdogs, have went unacknowledged and unappreciated and have died slow and lonely, excruciating deaths over the ages trying to earn a little human dignity and a meager income to feed, clothe and put a roof over their and their beloved ones' heads--- HOW MANY... don't we truly need to know for the betterment of man-un-kind?
Getting back to La Verna's book and how any or all of this applies to what's been occuring here in Ogden Valley: I believe what makes her book so unique was not only her genius but also her genuiness; her abilitly to set aside her own emotions, prejudices, likes and wants long enough to see how things truly are and then to tell it like it truly was. I would even go so far as to say that this quality, gift, is what made her such an outstanding teacher throughout all those wonderful and also trying years at Valley Elementary. I can only imagine the heartache she must have felt, remember the bullies, for her more tender hearted students back in those days when life was hard and one had to be tough in order to survive--- gays were unheard of and sissies were a dying breed. Mrs. Newey was undoubtedly a great diseuse as was Henry Thoreau a great orator, teacher, transcendentalist, and civil disobedient and hit the nail right on the head when he said simply to simplify, simplify, simplify and knew all too well how things get all too complicated and standoffish when you start dragging God and Country into the picture. What drives me up the wall and unpractically berserk is how people are so easily duped and will live and die for this or that principle and cause when in reality it's only about survival of the fittest which entails all of those libidinal and primordial urges which somehow get giftwrapped in saintliness--- ignorance truly is bliss. Now throw into the mix all today's teaming streams of entrepreneurial types, engineers, rocket scientist, and religionists and you have a recipe for disaster in the making; another Roman Empire--- it's no coincidence that Utah is known as the Scam Capitol of the nation--- being built brick by fast buck. And just what is the fate of all empires; again history leaves no room for assumptions or guesswork; all great empires throughout history have fell and nearly all have fell from hedonistic extravagancies from within no matter their religious beliefs or more apropos, because of them. With dollar signs in their eyes, sugarplums dancing wildly about in their heads and not carring a tinker's damn about sacrifice and a honest days work for a honest days pay, at least not for themselves, and writing off all loved one's back home--- home, what home---, the movers and shakers go about doing their dudly deeds. With so much superficialness, superfluousness and footlooseness abounding, how can we ever expect to have any social or economic cohesion or utilitarianism regardless of going to church for a month of Sundays to ask for God's blessings and to get a chance to rub shoulders with your neighbor. Is it any wonder why this country is being overrun and is teaming with Manuels, manual laborers, when our children are brainwashed from the get go into believing, the truth hurts, that they won't go anywhere without first acquiring that prestigious college diploma and that they must also become a computer wiz kid? It goes without saying that lowly, menial jobs that involve not only putting one's heart, mind and soul into it, but also alot of elbow grease, are beneath God's chosen few. Without all those hoped for peace-of-cake jobs with their exorbitant salaries, where's the station for this gravy train, these work dodgers--- they need not worry about anything as silly and life threatening as military service on the frontlines which only applies to the listless and desperately poor, those needing college tuition money--- would have to forgo their consumtive life style; would have neither the time nor the money to travel the world and the seven seas seven times over and burn up all that worthless and endless crude oil. God forbid if they were ever to stoop so low as to having to do a stint of actual physical hard labor out in the baking hot sun; why they could easily drop dead of over exertion and then hypothermia quickly set in, if ever, after a back breaking day of hard work, they were to check into one of their posh, private and very exclusive gyms or spas. Now throw on top of this the horror of not being able to travel, party and recreate anywhere, time or place they feel the need or think others are in need of being graced by their heavenly presence and we could have a real national crisis on our hands. Am I becoming even more paranoid when I wonder how in God's name they always seem to stay just one jump ahead of the rest of us lowliheads? Such self-importance intertwined with lackluster greed and opportunism is what is bringing Ogden Valley and its "simple folk" to its and our knees. Who ever put it in their high and mighty big heads and their wee litltle hearts that it is their God given right to prostitute this valley's inherent beauty along with its agrarian life-style? How god-awful but why should all this surprise anyone, after all, were talking about the world's oldest profession and who better to capitalize--- Abraham and his sons were cattle barons and cattle were the same as cold, hard, cash and so it is cattle is the root word in capital or capitalism which is a long shot from what we practice and preach today but the rich still do relish that good cut of steak when celebrating their wealth with influential people-- and gain from it all than a stampeding herd of patriarchal connoisseurs who are leaving behind a wide path of destruction and construction; resorts, condos, trophy and second homes and recreation up the ying-yang, in their wake. The icing on the cake: they call this progress and maybe their really is life on Mars which would give the poor a sorely needed vacation when the upper class jump on a Discovery or a Voyager and head off to Mars to exploit any life there also and then as another plus, have to their advantage a space station--- who knows, they just might decide to blow up this decrepit planet--- as their new central headquarters or as a trendy home away from home.
No! Hell hell no and for heaven's sake; it shouldn't all be about God and Country; that is what hate and prejudice is all about; rape and pillage; bloody murder; the annals need to be gathered and burned and replaced with common decency and respect for other's beliefs and property. This would be heaven here on earth; help resurrect the lives of those motley dead who have been rolling over in their graves over the eons for all the wrongs showered upon them by the untouchables--- God save us one and all.
[end of part I]
