Elected right wing nut stands by polygamists

[katinmn]

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brf-defending-polygamy,0,4975433,print.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines
(Democratic Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen, author of "God's Brothel," helped enact a child bigamy law in 2003 that made forced marriages of minors a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison. The offense previously carried only a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail, and was rarely enforced.)

Utah State Lawmaker Defends Polygamy
By Associated Press
January 22, 2005, 3:40 PM EST

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Republican state lawmaker countered a Senate colleague's dispersal of an anti-polygamy book by passing out materials to fellow legislators defending the practice as natural and not necessarily harmful.

State Sen. Carlene Walker said she was offended by the book, "God's Brothel," that Democratic Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen distributed to legislators Tuesday.

Walker said she has known polygamists who are "fine, honest, educated, wonderful people."

"To characterize the whole polygamy community as abusive to children and the welfare system is inaccurate," she said.

The book distributed by Allen and written by Salt Lake City author Andrea Moore-Emmett tells the stories of 18 women who claim they suffered rape, incest and violence in polygamous communities.

--just a bit more--

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. sickos. I bet she defends right-wing pedophiles too.

[katinmn]

2. Comes with the territory

forced marriages of minors?
:puke:

[blondeatlast]

3. There's a cult here in AZ that does this; their exploits are

vomit-inducing indeed. They fund their little practices by getting ADC for the children (only one wife is "legal," you see, the rest are children of "single" moms).

What's worse is that the young girls are aware that there is another life for them, and they leave in droves, at great personal risk.

[blondeatlast]

4. The people who practice this ARE RW pedophiles--

they "marry" girls as young as EIGHT.

My son is eight; it breaks my heart.

[katinmn]

5. Can't Utahians dump this freak?

State Sen. Carlene Walker said she has known polygamists who are "fine, honest, educated, wonderful people."

[Toots]

8. There is a law even in Utah against polygamy so how could they

be fine honest upstanding citizens if they willingly and openly break the law. The same goes for her. How can she say she knows them without doing her sworn duty of upholding the laws of the state. If she doesn't report these people then she is an accomplice and needs to lose her elected position as a Senator. I am sure she finds no hypocrisy there though.

[sendero]

6. Polygamy...

... is one thing, forcing a minor to do something against their will is another.

I don't know why anyone would want to confuse the issue.

[Raenelle]

7. I don't see the problem with polygamy in principle.

The rule for me is consenting adults. Polygamy, like hetero- and homo-sexuality does not, by definition, involve children. We shouldn't confuse the two issues. If we do, then we are fuzzing lines just like the homophobes do when they try to connect same-sex liaisons with pedophilia. They are logically independent. Period.

I just don't really see what's wrong with consenting adults who wish to be involved in a polygamous marriage. What moral principle is being violated here? Really?

[Toots]

9. The moral principle violated here is that polygamy is illegal

When one chooses to willingly and openly break societies laws then I would call that immoral behavior. If you don't like the laws try and get them changed. I break a few laws myself but don't refer to myself as a moral person though in my mind I feel I am moreso than any Republican.

[Raenelle]

10. That intentionally or not misconstrues my point.

What moral principle does polygamy itself violate? That was the point. There is a bit of circular logic in saying it's immoral to violate whatever because there's a law against it when the issue is really to question why there is a law against it? Generally, the reference to whether or not breaking the law is moral or not is considered to be a whole other independent ethical question. So, to get out of the circular hoop, then, why should polygamy be illegal? What principle, moral or otherwise, justifies state action against polygamy?

You see? It's not that tight of logic that you have forever silenced my objection by referring to legality. You've just made a couple of extra sentences necessary by the diversion.

[sendero]

11. Lots of things..

... are illegal for no good reason. Sorry, it takes a lot more than being illegal to actually be immoral IMHO.

Conversely, there are many actions a person can take that are perfectly legal, but decidedly immoral.

[dsc]

12. Both interacial marriage and same gender sex

were against the law for several decades. Were all those people immoral too. In NAZI German controlled lands it was against the law to hide people from the SS were the people who did so anyway immoral?