- Freddo on A Review: Blood Vessels: Vigilante Violence in the American West: “Thanks very much for the review. Any connection of his thesis to Mountain Meadows?” Jun 2, 17:59
- on Freedom of Reaction: How Did You Participate in Church (Or What Did Church Lead You to Think About) Yesterday, 5/31?: “Our 5th Sunday lesson was given by the two counselors in the RS presidency, and they did a great job–with an assist from Sam Brunson over at BCC. They started by asking how people felt about having the lesson at all, and in our pretty “blue” ward there was some frustration. But as we proceeded–and the teachers stuck pretty darn close to the official material–I think people realized that celebrating the Constitution, the rule of law, pluralism, and the right to pursue happiness as you see fit is actually low-key defiance of the current administration. I would not be surprised if that was President Oaks’ intention. Not that anyone came out and said anything of the kind–people were quite good about not being partisan.” Jun 2, 16:46
- on A Review: Blood Vessels: Vigilante Violence in the American West: “Sounds interesting! Can I borrow it?” Jun 2, 16:08
- on Cultural Currency and Courtrooms: How Genealogy Shaped Early America: “Thanks for this interesting report! I had understood that early Americans eschewed tracing bloodlines as too British/royal and that that only came of fashion once the first generation of Revolutionary War vets was dying out and they founded societies such as the DAR. Good to have a more full perpsective.” Jun 2, 13:57
- on A Review: Blood Vessels: Vigilante Violence in the American West: “Yeah. I’m loving that we’re starting to get more books that aren’t specifically about Mormon history that include Mormon history as part of their story, since that offers a different look at the context in which our history took place.” Jun 2, 09:11
- on A Review: Blood Vessels: Vigilante Violence in the American West: “Thanks for the review. It’s always interesting to learn more historical context.” Jun 2, 08:34
- on Freedom of Reaction: How Did You Participate in Church (Or What Did Church Lead You to Think About) Yesterday, 5/31?: “I am back in Ukraine, and I am sort of glad I missed the U.S. fifth Sunday discussion. It sounds like OP’s ward handled it by not allowing any discussion – that might have been a wise approach. In the sacrament meeting opening prayer, the sister asked for God to return to the country. The sacrament meeting speaker told of her faith amidst her evacuation from the east and the loss of her son and her joy in her daughter. She read what she styled as a poem, but was the 23rd Psalm. There were no children, as parents have taken them to safety out of the country – there is a Primary president, but no Primary. There were maybe up to 30 people in attendance, including ten or so men, but only four wore ties.” Jun 1, 19:59
- on Thoughts on Future Projects: “This post and comments strongly feel like a good ol’ boys club. Admittedly, anything related to LDS history is pretty much a branch of that club. Of these choices, I would be most interested in the Documents project if it would include historical context, what events prompted the statements, what problems were they meant to address or prevent, and include some that may have been superseded or rescinded. You are correct that you choices and commentary would likely be controversial, but it may provide insight into how these things come about.” Jun 1, 17:45
- on Freedom of Reaction: How Did You Participate in Church (Or What Did Church Lead You to Think About) Yesterday, 5/31?: “We had 3 speakers in Sacrament Meeting that all spoke in one or another about being peacemakers. Usually I get frustrated when everyone is talking about the same thing, but they all were different enough that it was quite enjoyable. I am outside the US, so we didn’t have the lesson on the US Constitution. We had a discussion about strengthening marriage that seemed to go well. Since it was a 5th Sunday, we had a Munch and Mingle. I really enjoy fellowship in that short of environment. Overall, with the good talks, the nice discussion, and the social time, I definitely felt like a “fellowcitizen with the saints”” Jun 1, 14:57
