On Sept. 11, 1857, 137 men, women and children traveling west to California stopped to rest at Mountain Meadows in Utah. Fearing a reprisal from the federal government, which opposed the nascent, theocratic state the Mormons had established in modern-day Utah, Mormon leader Brigham Young declared martial law in August of that year and said, “If any miserable scoundrels come here, cut their throats.” When this band of innocent pioneers entered the Mormon-controlled territory, a militia of apocalyptic Mormons slaughtered them, sparing just 17 of the youngest children.
This incident is recounted in the upcoming film “September Dawn.” Unsurprisingly, conservatives are angry, asking the inevitable question: why depict Mormon terrorists from the 19th century and not the Muslim terrorists of today?
