Despite the fact that Mormons tend to be very republic and patriotic, there always seems to be a sense that the USA is due for a strict rebuke from God...

So imagine what Utah would be like if were a theocracy and not part of the USA (or Canada). Comparisons to the Taliban are pithy and appropriate, but within North American culture, what could we expect?

The Boner

Maybe like Colorado City and Hilldale.

Somalia comes to mind, which like 1850s Utah is ruled by pirates and fanatical religious despots.

The pioneers fled into Mexico during the Mexican-American War, taking with them American resources. That was arguably treason.

Do you mean, "Suppose the US lost the Mexican-American War, and the states of Utah, California, Nevada, and Arizona never came into existence?" I suppose Mormons would have become Mexico's problem, and polygamy was just as illegal in Mexico. The Mormons were strongly anti-Catholic, which wouldn't have made them less unpopular there. Mexico would have been a much larger and more powerful nation than it is now, and they wouldn't have tolerated the Mormons, who would then be stuck between TWO nations that didn't like them.