From My Informant: Has Ugo Perego Been "Exiled" to Rome?

[_Doctor Scratch]

Happy holidays, everyone! I'm sorry I missed all the fun surrounding Christmas. It seems there was a lot of excitement afoot: a revisiting of the 2nd Watson Letter debacle, along with a fresh revelation that some Mopologists celebrate "Smithmas." I had always assumed that this was just a way for ex-Mormons to satirize the LDS Church's elevation of Joseph Smith to savior-like status, and what do you know? It turns out that Internet Mormons really do celebrate this strange holiday! It's a Festivus Miracle!

Anyhow, on to the news. I got a fascinating late Christmas (or Smithmas?) present in my PM box, and it contained a very strange piece of "intel." This should be fairly easy to confirm or deny, hence why I'm posting it. Hopefully, someone in the know can either ask around, or zip an email over to someone at the Sorenson Foundation, or something along those lines.

On second thought: I don't want to discuss the full nitty-gritty of what I was told (which was, admittedly, somewhat speculative) before getting an answer to the following: Can anybody confirm whether or not Perego is still with the Sorenson Foundation? Or does anyone know whether or not Perego has been asked/ordered/"called" by the Church to go to Italy?

If the answers to these questions is "No," then no big deal. If "yes," however, I'll go ahead and dispense with the full details of what I was told.

[_Carton]

I have an acquaintance who worked for Sorenson until recently. I e-mailed her your news. She replied and says she heard, before she left, that Perego was going to become a CES director in Italy, but she didn't think it was going to happen until early 2012.

[_Fence Sitter]

Well Italy may be a productive place to search for Lamanite DNA. The geography there seems to fit the Book of Mormon setting quite well.

[_Buffalo]

Well Italy may be a productive place to search for Lamanite DNA. The geography there seems to fit the Book of Mormon setting quite well.

Indeed! Horses, steel, armor, chariots, wheat, and all the other problem areas disappear in relocating Zarahemla to Rome!

[_Doctor Scratch]

I have an acquaintance who worked for Sorenson until recently. I e-mailed her your news. She replied and says she heard, before she left, that Perego was going to become a CES director in Italy, but she didn't think it was going to happen until early 2012.

Wow... So it's true, then? That's fascinating. Well, this "informant" *has* been reliable in the past. In any event, I suppose I should relate the full "intel," then.

What I was told is that Perego's "assignment"/"calling" off to Italy was really a means of shutting him up. There is apparently informed speculation (as always, take this with a shaker of salt) that Perego's research into Joseph Smith's polygamous progeny came up with positive results, and so now the Church is punting him off to Rome--complete with what my "informant" described as a "villa", giant salary, and large pension--all as a means of getting him to stay utterly quiet on the matter of his research findings.

Obviously, this latter stuff is far more fantastical that the bit about Perego going to Italy, so this rumor should be treated with skepticism. Then again, it's not as if the Church hasn't taken pains elsewhere to cover up certain historical facts. And if it were to surface that Joseph Smith had sired children with his polygamous wives--during a potential Mitt Romney presidential run year--it could be a disastrous blow to the Church. (They are in the midst of huge PR campaigns....) So, this seems plausible to me, even if it remains unsubstantiated at the moment.

[_Dr. Shades]

It makes sense. The Sorenson Foundation has been quick to trumpet its findings whenever an individual has proven to NOT be a descendant of Smith. For whatever reason, they've been completely silent on the other names for whom they've tested. . . which tells me that those folks came up positive.

[_Infymus]

Dear Scratch -

Can you please, though it be known under the miles an miles of past posts here on MDB, - elaborate ( or anyone else here ) a couple of things -

A tiny history of Sorenson - and a tiny history of Perego?

It would put things in context here.

[_ldsfaqs]

It makes sense. The Sorenson Foundation has been quick to trumpet its findings whenever an individual has proven to NOT be a descendant of Smith. For whatever reason, they've been completely silent on the other names for whom they've tested. . . which tells me that those folks came up positive.

So when you're shown to be a conspiracy theory idiot, are you going to repent? Unlikely....

[_TrashcanMan79]

Dear Scratch -

Can you please, though it be known under the miles an miles of past posts here on MDB, - elaborate ( or anyone else here ) a couple of things -

A tiny history of Sorenson - and a tiny history of Perego?

It would put things in context here.

Here's a little information that may be of some help: http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/DNA.htm

[_Doctor Scratch]

Dear Scratch -

Can you please, though it be known under the miles an miles of past posts here on MDB, - elaborate ( or anyone else here ) a couple of things -

A tiny history of Sorenson - and a tiny history of Perego?

It would put things in context here.

I think the link that TrashcanMan79 posted is helpful, but in a nutshell, Perego was the key researcher looking into whether or not Joseph Smith fathered children with his plural wives. As for Sorenson: I don't know that much beyond the fact that they do research on genetics/geneology, and that this is where Perego worked.

All of this is important for obvious reasons that I've already mentioned. It goes without saying that the Church and the apologists would like it very much if they could continue to claim that Joseph Smith never had sex with his plural wives.