Lost to the Only Life They Knew (re: Polygamy, Sexism, American Taliban)

[DoveTurnedHawk]

<...>

Gideon is one of the "Lost Boys," a group of more than 400 teenagers — some as young as 13 — who authorities in Utah and Arizona say have fled or been driven out of the polygamous enclaves of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City over the last four years.

His stated offenses: wearing short-sleeved shirts, listening to CDs and having a girlfriend. Other boys say they were booted out for going to movies, watching television and staying out past curfew.

Some say they were sometimes given as little as two hours' notice before being driven to St. George or nearby Hurricane, Utah, and left like unwanted pets along the road.

Authorities say the teens aren't really being expelled for what they watch or wear, but rather to reduce competition for women in places where men can have dozens of wives.

<...>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/20050613/ts_latimes/losttotheonlylifetheyknew

DTH

[mike_c]

1. I don't know how to respond to this....

If it's true, the parents of Hildale and CC are damned lucky it's not up to me whether to napalm their towns. I left home when I was 15, more or less willingly, and it was not good. I don't have much patience with this sort of neglect.

On the other hand, it's hard to believe this. One or a few sick bastards I could believe, but something this systematic? That is inhuman. I hope we can learn more about this story.

on edit-- READ THE FREAKING ARTICLE!! Holy shit. Welcome to Utahistan.

[Radio_Lady]

18. My son is a Mormon and lives with one wife in Utah --

They deplore what is going on with these splinter groups. The mainstream of their religion does not condone polygamy. Utah Mormons had to give up the practice in order for the land to become a state and that was in the 1890s.

When I tell people that my son is a Mormon, the first thing they say is, "How many wives does he have?" It's not nice to hear these things. Plural marriage is NOT practiced by the majority of these good people.

My son is a great 35-year-old man with a heart of gold, and his wife is more of a daughter to me than a daughter-in-law. And there are two beautiful grandsons involved. I believe these are the mainstream people of this religion, although I firmly do NOT believe in their proselytizing people of other faiths. People find their individual paths to God and I believe my son respects my beliefs, as I respect his.

For more information on Utah's fascinating and difficult struggle to become a state, see the interesting chronology at:

http://historytogo.utah.gov/strugglechrono.html

[Name removed]

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[JRob]

17. I have always seen religion as "the evil" in our world...

a leach that attaches itself to our best philosophies and profits to ultimately manipulate the masses.

[mitchum]

30. That's because you see evil very clearly...

and I agree with you
people embrace religion out of a fear of death
people encourage religion on others as a means of control

[nashville_brook]

3. shouldn't it be a crime to abandon your children in a city, on purpose

call me crazy, but it seems like if you're gonna have a child or adopt a child or foster a child or in any way oppose abortion -- does't it seem illegal to endanger someone's life like that? aren't parent's responsible until the child is of legal age?

wow.

[amazona]

27. it is a crime in Louisiana why not in Utah?

My friend was in trouble with drugs and felt she couldn't continue to raise her teen-age boys. She called the parish and asked if she could arrange for them to be fostered. They said they could arrange it through Child Protective Services, however, they would also be required to jail her for child neglect if she gave up her children.

These people are throwing under-age teens on the street. They could be jailed for child neglect if the prosecutors had a will. Clearly, they don't really care enough to be bothered.

[Erika]

4. The area prosecutors close their eyes

These polygamous clans should have been shut down decades ago. Since many clans are direct descendants of the original Utah pioneers, eyes close. If these people don't mind impregnating young teenage girls why would they object to dropping off the young boys?

[SharonAnn]

5. Funny, I wasa just thinking about that when I read a recent article

about a "Mormon" man being charged with statutory rape for "marrying" a young teenage girl. She was one of several of his "wives".

I wondered, what happens then to the teen-aged boys? Where do they go when the older men are grabbing all the young girls?

Now we have the answer.

[Name removed]

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[True_Blue]

10. Many of the AZ politicians have polygamous roots

<snip>That there is no state statute banning polygamy may result from the Legislature's dominance by mainstream Mormons, whose founder, Joseph Smith, introduced polygamy to the Salt Lake City-based church in the 1840s. The mainstream Mormon Church officially eased away from polygamy in 1890, and now excommunicates polygamists.

Criminalizing the practice today could rekindle harsh family memories of persecution of polygamous Mormons for many Arizona families, including some of the state's most powerful political clans such as the Udalls, the Tenneys, the Farnsworths and the Flakes.

William J. Flake, co-founder of the town of Snowflake, is the great-grandfather of Arizona Speaker of the House Jake Flake, and the great-great-grandfather of U.S. Representative Jeff Flake. In 1884, William Flake was convicted and sentenced to the Yuma Territorial Prison on polygamy-related charges. After serving his sentence, he continued to live with his two wives.

House Majority Leader Eddie Farnsworth also hails from a prominent polygamist forefather. Flake and Farnsworth are joined in the Legislature's leadership by fellow Mormons Senate President Ken Bennett, Senate Majority Whip Marilyn Jarrett, Senate Minority Whip Jack Brown, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Russell Pearce. <snip>
http://www.polygamyinfo.com/plygmedia%2003%2011newtimesaz.htm

[Erika]

11. As I said, prosecutors are closing their eyes

because of the ties to the original polygamous Mormon pioneers.

[Erika]

13. great post n/t

[megatherium]

21. self-deleted

[DELUSIONAL]

8. Never forget that senate minority leader Reid is a Mormon.

His "deals" -- aren't much of a victory. His voting record is pure SHIT.

[Shallah Kali]

9. Why the heck aren't these people being charged with abandonment

and neglect for what they are doing to the boys much less the girls???? Where are the RW family values crowd now?

[Erika]

12. I will repeat, prosecutors are closing their eyes

because of the ties to the original Mormom pioneers and their practices. They would be prosecuting their ancestors and their church's original dogma.

[roguevalley]

16. This has been going on for years. These kids have to leave. Its

a crime. If the local officials didn't have their heads up their butts and the Mormon church came clean, these people would be in jail and the girls and women there would not be sex slaves married to their uncles.

[JRob]

15. They love the fetus, hate (ignore) the child...

[JRob]

14. Holy Shit! Further evidence as to why there should complete

separating of church and state...

[pokercat999]

19. Sounds like this problem could be solved with

the elimination of a few hundred old men.

[crowcalling]

20. Send in a few hungry women polygamists!

I always wondered what the young men from these families did.

Sounds more like an animal colony to me - like Lions or Elephants or Chimps, where the adolescent males are kicked out and have to live on their own or in loose association with their only hope being to beat a established male and win the harem.

Do anthropologists ever study these people?

[megatherium]

22. Be sure and read Mark Twain on Mormon polygamy --

Roughing It, Chapter 16:
http://www.mtwain.com/Roughing_It/16.html

[shochet]

33. Another great read is "Under the Banner of Heaven "

Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith
by JON KRAKAUER

[BreweryYardRat]

23. Shit, my bad, folks.

Guess I didn't look hard enough when I was trying to see if this had already been posted.

I don't have words to describe how angry I am at this piece of shit cult.

[ElectroPrincess]

24. Hey, the teen is fortunate that he can finish growing up SANE now.

[LuPeRcALiO]

25. two words:

bad religion.

:shrug:

[m0nkeyneck]

26. religions suck… all of them

this may be the extreme but it shows how ignorant people can be when they allow religion to surpass reality.

[TX-RAT]

28. Child Abandonment

If under the age of emancipation. Is in TX.

[The_Casual_Observer]

29. Charles Manson lead a cult that practiced group sex too.

Murdering people is the next logical step for their cult too.

[Name removed]

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