Elder Oaks talk

I've seen a number of liberals point to Elder Oaks' talk as "blasting" "right-wing extremists." And as being completely unprecedented as a political, American talk. Both are completely nonsense.

Of course, the way that they're attempting to link it as blasting "right wing extremists" is largely based around the "mob attack on the Capitol" hoax. Given that the media and the federal government has doubled down on promoting the hoax, I can't exactly fault them for believing that, I suppose. Five years after the popularization of the term "fake news" plenty of people still get their "news" from... the news, I suppose. Otherwise, as I've pointed out before, video clearly showing the "mob" being waved in by the police, walking peacefully through the velvet ropes, etc. shows that of course it wasn't a "mob" at all... with the exception of a few bad actors. Many of whom have been identified as left wing agitators known from Black Lives Matter mob action.

See, that's a mob. When we endured the better part of a year straight of left wing extremist mob action and a few liberals are breathlessly heading for the fainting couches over a hoax mob of right wing extremists, I think Trump supporters can confidently assert that Elder Oaks' talk doesn't apply to them. Even if Elder Oaks himself believes the right wing extremist hoax himself. His advice is universal, however—it applies to whatever specific situation is on the ground. 

It is ironic, however, that the actual supporters of mob violence are trying to utilize his talk as a cudgel... against people who only wanted to support the Constitution itself. Although from what I know of the Left, that can hardly be surprising. There's a reason why every prophet for a hundred years warned us in General Conference about Leftism, usually under the labels of socialism or communism, up through Ezra Taft Benson at least, although quotes of a similar nature can be found by Gordon B. Hinkley and Thomas S. Monson as well. I think a lot of liberals try to sweep that under the rug and pretend that it didn't happen, and that Ezra Taft Benson was some kind of political anomaly in the Church who must not have been speaking prophetically when he lambasted Leftism, but that requires accepting that same paradigm for Elders Joseph F. Smith, David O. McKay, Harold B. Lee and Heber J. Grant as well, who spoke just as pointedly about politics. For that matter, nothing that they said is inconsistent with remarks made by Brigham Young, and even Joseph Smith, and for that matter, all of the prophets, when they've expounded principles that are opposed to Leftism, albeit without the specific label. 

Similarly, Elder Oaks' talk is not some kind of fluke. Almost all of the prophets have made similar remarks about the Constitution. President Benson gave a similar talk in 1986. Elder Oaks himself gave a talk that in many respects was nearly identical to the one he gave recently back in 1992. This isn't the first time I've noticed that a General Authority has dusted off an older talk and reworked it somewhat to give it again when they felt that it was relevent to do so, but I particularly noted this one, because I was given that talk specificially by my Bishopric a few years ago to use as source material for a talk that they asked me to give for the Independence Day Sunday.