Polygamy: the Red State Answer to Family Values

[Demeter]

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorials/141

A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL

Polygamy: the Red State Answer to Family Values. Arizona and Utah Attorney Generals Won’t Prosecute Males with Multiple Wives. Orrin Hatch Counts Polygamists as Good Buddies and Fine Men.

When doing a high school term paper on Mormonism, we recalled that Utah was admitted as a state in the 1890s only after it prohibited the practice of polygamy.

Then, a couple of years back, we reported on BuzzFlash that in a town meeting in Utah, Orrin Hatch rebuffed complaints about polygamists who married underage girls and abused their wives. As much as Hatch has left little room to astonish us with his unctuous hypocrisy, we were indeed taken aback when Hatch was quoted as responding something like, "Show me the evidence. All the polygamists I know are good people." (No, we are not making this up.)
So maybe we should have been prepared for a Reuters story on June 12th that indicated that polygamists will not be prosecuted in the states of Utah and Arizona.

"We are not going to go out there and persecute people for their beliefs," said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Adds Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff: "We determined six or seven years ago that there was no way we could prosecute 10,000 polygamists and put the kids into foster care. There's no way that we have the money or the resources to do that."

Okay, Utah became a state under the condition it prohibit men from marrying multiple wives – and now the Republican Attorney General of Utah says that polygamy is de facto legalized. In a bi-partisan nod to an odd interpretation of the law and family values, the Democratic Attorney General of neighboring Arizona regards the practice as a religious belief, not subject to prosecution.

Of course, bowing to child abuse concerns, both Attorneys General claim that they would indict polygamists who force underage brides to become wives in their harems. The problem with this concession to the rule of law by Goddard and Shurtleff is that polygamists tend to live in very closed communities – and it is extremely difficult – short of aggressive prosecutorial action – to prevent young girls from becoming wives against their will.


But then again, we don’t see Utah and Arizona rushing to overlook gay marriages. God forbid gays should marry in those two states.

[Staph]

1. Maybe we need a new religion

Perhaps the followers of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster could claim gay marriage as one of the tenets of their religion. Then the governments of the states of Utah and Arizona would allow gay marriage as a religious belief.






Of course, I still believe in Santa Claus.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. They tried something like this in Arkansas

"Our Church" said that smoking ganja (marijuana) was a part of their religious rites. But they were busted anyway.

[BattyDem]

2. They won’t prosecute males with multiple wives ...

but will they prosecute females with multiple husbands? Oh wait, let me guess ... the "religious beliefs" held by polygamists don't allow women to marry multiple men, right? :eyes:

Let's face it ... they're looking the other way while their good ol' boy buddies are getting their kicks using and abusing women! :puke:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Read this article and be prepared to be disgusted

it is about this group of polygamists and how AZ CPS have treated runaways:

http://www.janabommersbach.com/pm-fea-may04.htm

[BattyDem]

5. That's just ... despicable!

:grr:

Both Attorneys General should be charged with aiding and abetting child molesters! These guys rape, then wrap it up in a pretty package and call it "religion"

[anitar1]

6. Multiple wives and many children who are supported

by the tax payers. Healthcare, foodstamps, and other benefits, because they are regarded as single parents. "husbands" can do as they wish because the system takes care of the families. I knew a young man who was 1 of 50 children. He hated polygamy.

[northzax]

7. well, here's the thing

polygamy, as practiced in these regions, isn't technically illegal, because the civil marriage is only to one person. The rest are religious marriages that have no legal standing. there is no law that says I can't claim to be married to three women (or even three men) it's just that the state doesn't recognize more than one marriage to one (in my case) woman.

now what is illegal is the abusive practices of the communities, especially the marriage of children to adults. that needs prosecutin'