Is this the beginning?

The U.S. Census Department has decided that Utah citizens serving missions in foreign lands will NOT BE COUNTED in the upcoming census next year. Military personnel serving overseas are counted. Federal employees serving overseas are counted but LDS missionaries are not going to be counted.

Normally that wouldn't matter but the last time the census was done in the year 2000, Utah came up less than 1000 votes short of gaining another U.S. Representative in Congress. There are probably 1000 Utah missionaries in Brazil alone! A really bad guesstimate of missionaries would have put them over the top.

That year the Clinton administration wouldn't count them. This time its the Obama administration that won't count them. Do you think it might have something to do with the fact that Utah is the most reliable Republican state in the Union? Is this the beginning of the U.S. Government starting a new round of denial of civil rights to LDS Church members as was done in the late 1800's allegedly over polygamy? We'll have to wait and see.

This will be cross-posted at my political blog Rookie Political Commentator.