One of our All-Time Favorite politicians and made news this week.[1]
“Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell has been charged with poaching an elk in eastern Idaho.
“Idaho Fish and Game said Rammell was in illegal possession of an elk on Dec. 8. When an officer asked Rammell for his hunting permit, he produced one for a different zone that expired in October.”
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[1] By Common Consent is proud to announce a new series, in which we highlight the extracurricular activities of Mormons from around the world.
By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog 
Mynd you,
møøseelk bites Kan be pretty nasti…Rammell is fighting back. It is claiming that he was entitled to his elk (ie. the officials couldn’t not confiscate it) and that his permit for one hunting area should allow him to hunt anywhere. Of course, it doesn’t respond to the issue that his permit had already expired.
Remember, this is the guy that tried to hold a meeting of LDS elders to discuss how to save the Constitution. His actions actual led to the Church denouncing the White Horse prophecy and the doctrine that Mormon Elders will save the Constitution as non-historical.
Great guy . . .
Ooops!
Ha.
My Bro-in-law is Fish and Game in Salmon, ID. On the small chance it was him that nabbed Rex, that BiL might go up a couple points in my book.
Awesome.
Possible defense: “I’d been chasing the elk since October, all the way from the one zone to the other.”
He likely read Nobert’s 12-2 teary story of killing a moose.
Steve – Actually, the church did not retract Joseph Smith’s statement to the effect that the constitution will hang by a thread nor that “this people will be the Staff upon which the Nation shall lean and they shall bear the constitution away from the very verge of destruction.” The White Horse prophecy is often incorrectly conflated with this statement of Joseph Smith. See the church’s reference to the White Horse prophecy here.
There’s a Greek tragedy here just begging to be written. Oedipus Rex Rammel or something.
Because of his previous interactions with the state of Idaho, I’d say he doesn’t have much of a chance. I am an Idaho elk hunter who follows the rules, and I hope they make a BIG example out of him.
It’s tough when the boys we’re gonna have to count on to save the constitution are illiterate. How will they know what it says?
Greg, I have to disagree.
The White Horse prophecy is the basis of those statements which have been repeated over and over again. BYU Studies released an analysis of it here: http://www.mormontimes.com/article/18156/BYU-Studies-addresses-errors-embellishment-of-so-called-white-horse-prophecy?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue
Of note, there were contemporaries who talked about the Constitution hanging by a thread but many believe that was the Civil War period. But, there is no evidence of the elders of zion stepping forward part that is not deeply flawed.
Steve,
Greg didn’t say the statement about the Constitution wasn’t deeply flawed–he just said that it hasn’t been officially retracted. I think on that particular point he is correct.
Mark B., you remain a dangerous man.
It would indeed be nice to see plenty of elk poaching more and more politicians.
The part about the elders of Israel has . . with respect to the Constitution the question is the when and what.
When he was caught, did they find any white paint with him? Perhaps on top of being illiterate, he doesn’t know what a horse looks like.
It should be noted that many people feel that the “White Horse” prophecy was fulfilled by Fezzik (although this belief points to a confusion that the prophecy does not refer to the US Constitution, but instead to a monarch)
It is also noteworthy that this guy has been one of the main ringleaders in Idaho pushing for lifting the endangered status on wolves, saying that they are cruel hunters that only kill for sport, and sometimes will drag wounded elk for miles. He was arrested while dragging a dead elk behind his snowmobile. It doesn’t get better than that.
Rammel should reload, not retreat. This is just one more example of the way we lose our freedoms piecemeal. The founding fathers had the freedom to harvest an elk whenever they wanted, why don’t we? Why does the Pelosi/Reid Obamanation bureaucracy insist on persecuting this patriot who did nothing but exercise his God-given free agency? Wake up, America!
If my wife can’t wear two sets of earrings and be a “good” Mormon, then same goes for huntin’, ’cause one of the former prophets said no to huntin’, too, it’s just that no one paid attention to that particular darn prophetic counsel, whereas we all jumped on the women for more ‘an one set of earrings. See Spencer W. Kimball, “Fundamental Principles to Ponder and Live”, Ensign, Nov. 1978, 43. Darn ya’ll anyway for even thinkin’ about huntin’.
There is a little bit more to this story. Rex used to own a high fence trophy “shooting” operation in Idaho. (not to be confused with hunting) He raised elk/red deer hybrids for rich bankers to come shoot in a pen. When some of the hybrids escaped the pen (during the elk rut), the state mandated that he recover them. When he was unable to recover them, the state asked hunters to kill them ASAP. State wildlife officials were worried about the potential for disease transmission and genetic dilution with respect to the local wild elk population. Rex was infuriated, and continued to have spats with officers over it. He tried to rally the livestock associations with the cry that his right to raise livestock was being trampled upon, (they’re comin’ after yer cows next!!) blah blah, blah. He vowed to get even with the state Fish and Game Department, hence the run for governor. He has had numerous altercations with conservation officers since. I’m pretty sure he knew full well that he was breaking the law in this instance. As for his white horses- I find his use of questionable LDS rhetoric to try to rally support for his ongoing personal vendetta despicable.
Mark Brown, I don’t remember anything in the health bill mentioning elk hunting laws. Did you sniff glue in middle school when Nixon was running for president?
Ah yes, the notorious LDS man in Ammon, Idaho.
“Did you sniff glue in middle school when Nixon was running for president?”
Ummm, that white powder was not glue.
Javelin, of course you didn’t see it in the bill because they hide it in doublespeak language. But mark my words, once Obamacare takes away our choice of doctors, the next step is for the death panels to ban activities where people might get injured and need medical care, like playing football and going elk hunting. It is actually all part of the Left wing’s campaign to emasculate American men, like the men in Europe. Then it will be easy to take away all our guns and round us up into FEMA camps, because American men will be too emasculated to fight back!!! Our Stake’s emergency preparedness rep told us that now is the time to get our food storage in order, so I’m pretty sure all this is going to go down any day now. By going around accusing patriots of sniffing glue instead of preparing yourself, you will be as the 12 foolish virgins—locked out!!
As an Arizonan, this warms my heart for all the wrong reasons.
Yes, well, Russell Pearce still holds the record for “vilest LDS politician of the year” in my book. Rex Rammell may have won the award last year (and certainly frustrated the leadership of the church), but I think Pearce wins (loses?) this year.
Rex is not vile, just a little nutty. He is also not elected and therefore…harmless. In that way, Idaho beats AZ.
Those Idaho Politikin’ Mormons can be a caution, can’t they?
I used to be the night auditor in the Howard Johnson in Pocatello. There was a guy running for statewide office and making a huge deal of his service – thinly veiled qualifications like “Scoutmaster, Lay Leader, and served his church full-time overseas for two years”. He stayed in the hotel when we was in Poky. Came to the desk one morning and tried to kiss hands and shake babies for a while before he checked out. He tried to tell me how he was the best qualified candiate for office, and asked if I was LDS. I replied in the affirmative, so he went on about how strong his testimony was and how we needed to get more good, old-fashioned Values back in the Guvvmint. That’s when I asked if it was okay to leave the in-room movie “Flesh Gordon and the Cosmic Cheerleaders” on his credit card.
Gave me the impression that the ones who trumpet their religion the loudest are usually the ones most out of tune.
How do we know he poached it and wasn’t smuggling the elk over our lamentably porous border with our troubled northern neighbors?
I don’t know, Chris H.–holding a meeting at the peak of campaign season for “the Elders of the LDS church” to discuss politics (thus excluding all women and all non-members) seems pretty vile to me. He may be more innocent than Pearce, and certainly, since Rammell’s not electable, he’s more harmless, but he’s still a black eye to the church.
“he’s still a black eye to the church.”
So is Reid from Nevada. Since most people who post here are left of center, they just don’t recognize how much he causes headaches for the Church outside their own political world.
How much, Jettboy? Do tell.
Tim,
I prefer to think of my opponents, whether Rammell (who played a part in getting the College Republicans and Democrats banned at BYU-Idaho…I was CD advisor at the time) or Jettboy as silly, but not vile. Hence, I might mock them or laugh at them, but I see no reason in getting angry at them.
Rammell represents the political views of a large percentage of Mormons. I am learning to deal with it.
Chris H.,
You’re right of course. “Vile” might apply to Pearce but it probably doesn’t apply to Rammell.
If Reid ever does something like host a meeting during the height of campaign season exclusively for “Mormon Elders,” or some such garbage, he’ll be a black eye. Unlike Rammell, however, I’ve never heard a general authority publicly speak out against Reid.