Polygamy: the Red State Answer to Family Values. AZ and UT Attorney Generals Won’t Prosecute It.

[demobabe]

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.

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

[MadBadger]

1. As long as underage girls are not being used, I have no problem with polygamy.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Apparently many of the girls feel that they are being used

You may wish to read this article:

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


It seems that these polygamists are impregnating their "spiritual wives" who are legally single mothers and eligible for welfare. Many of them are married off at 14 so that they can start having children quickly--18 children per mother is not uncommon. If polygamy is winked at because of religious reasons, then perhaps AZ and UT need to reconsider their welfare laws.

[MadBadger]

5. And by used i mean being married off at all, not in used as somebody using somebody else.

[StarryNite]

10. They are being used.

They are being married off to old men against their will. They are nothing more than breeding stock to a bunch of sick, twisted men. The children are brainwashed and kept away from the rest of the world as much as possible. As the boys grow up a lot of them are driven off by the older men. Those boys are actually the lucky ones.

[demobabe]

20. That's exactly it

In addition to the women being used, the boys are seen as threats by the older guys with the young wives, so they get run off.

[Occulus]

15. Well, whoop-de-doo. I'm gay and can't get married at all.

I happen to think polygamists should be prosecuted to the fullest possible extent of the law and have their kids placed into foster care- out of state, if necessary.

[Clark2008]

2. Sigh. I wish this editorial wasn't so broadbrush.

Not all red states condone polygamy. In fact, more red states don't than do. That's like saying all blue states tax you to death when, in fact, it's just a handful.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. I didn't read it as a broad brush against red states

Just AZ and UT because they have a record of doing nothing about the polygamists. In the article cited below, it appears that AZ CPS has sent girls back to their families even when the girls have told of abuse.

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

[blondeatlast]

13. There is widespread opposition, hell, FEAR, of the cutlists in Arizona

especially rural northern Arizona.

[KamaAina]

6. Ken Doll Mitt Romney's one and only joke

when someone asked him his opinion on gay marriage, he replied, "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman... and a woman... and a woman..." Hardy har har.

[pingzing58]

7. So they prosecute a high profile case like Warren Jeffs to placate

those who know that abuse goes on all the time.  It seems like
groups such as the FLDS throw away their boys as well.

[aikoaiko]

8. Prosecute them for child abuse, welfare fraud, kidnapping, child abandonment etc

...but not for polygamy (or bygamy). Let adults live as they wish and raise they kids as they wish (except for the narrowly defined crimes).

[blondeatlast]

12. They've been trying. There is enormous opposition to them doing so

and numerous logistical hurdles to overcome.

They've worked together for years trying to find ways to effectively prosecute. After all the tremendous work they've put through, only to face the opposition of even Arizona's Democratic governor (Goddard is a Democrat as well--and an acquaintennce of mine).

[ToeBot]

9. Mark Shurtleff, most assuredly, has ambitions beyond his current station...

If he were to make polygamy the center piece of a crusade, it would rub many in the state the wrong way. It's a commonly held opinion (in Utah) that the denunciation of polygamy was only an acquiescence to man's law and not the will of god. Shrutleff is not about to offend those sympathies.

I'd heard the Mormons were gaining allot of power in Arizona politics, looks as though that's the case.

[blondeatlast]

17. In northern AZ, the cultists are deep into politics and law enforcement.

And very, very well-armed...

[ToeBot]

18. I was referring to Arizona's legislature, but I have no doubt what you say is true. nt

[blondeatlast]

19. Actaully, one of our highest profile opponents of the cult is

a Mormon out of the Mesa area, a very, very Mormon area.

[blondeatlast]

11. In both states' defense--there are untold blowbacks to aggressive prosecution.

First off, making all those childrens wards of the state would completely break the system.

All these children are already receiving AFDC.

There is TREMENDOUS support for these people in far northern AZ and the cultists are deeply embedded in the law enforcement in that region.

Go ahead, hang good people out to dry when they are facing a freaking brick wall.

Buzzflash just lost a reader. Geez.

[demobabe]

21. Uh, so what? We keep to the "status quo?"

So since all of those children are already receiving AFDC, we should turn a blind eye so abused children can grow up to abuse their children and create more harems with children on AFDC? Nobody in our country should have to grow up in a severely closed off society that promotes serious abuse.

Tell it to President Romney. I'm sure he'll agree with you.

We might as well get used to it now, since we can't do anything about voter fraud, we might as well just let the Republicans steal the elections yet again. It's status quo, after all. We've got lots of good people in Congress, but gee golly, they're just facing a brick wall.

Also tell me: if all of the children are already on AFDC, how is it going to "break the system" when they're already IN the system? They'd already be "breaking the system" being on AFDC.

[stanwyck]

14. Many Mormons are duplicitous on polygamy

publicly decrying the practice while steadfastly refusing to help rid their states of polygamy. Jon Krakauer wrote of this in his enthralling "Under the Banner of Heaven". Polygamy is not endorsed...but not prosecuted. In Utah, where many of the police and government officials are Mormon, the polygamous Mormons are given a pass.
The result? Many under-age girls are sexually assaulted and the welfare rolls are burdened by the number of women and children receiving state funds while "Dad" collects the moola for all his "families". Dad doesn't have a job.
Read Krakauer's book: it will give you chills.
(He also wrote "Into Thin Air").

[blondeatlast]

16. Why isn't the US prosecuting them? Nice that Buzzflash ignores that--it involves

two states. These cultists are embedded in the area political realm--and DEEPLY into law enforcement in both states.

They are also enormously well-armed.

For a less-wacky view of the situation, for those who really want to understand it, try this: http://www.janabommersbach.com/