Senate leader 'goes off' on Utah, polygamy - Reid asks Mukasey for Federal Task Force

[Breeze54]

Senate leader goes off on Utah, polygamy

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9085726

By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 04/28/2008 03:37:08 PM MDT

WASHINGTON --

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday slammed Utah and Arizona officials for "turning a blind eye" to polygamy and added that he is "embarrassed" for the two states whose politicians are afraid to take action
on child abuse and other crimes in those communities.

"I am a cheerleader for what is going on in Texas," Reid, D-Nevada, said on KUER's RadioWest broadcast from a Washington hotel. "I think Texas is doing what Utah and Arizona should have done decades ago."

Reid continued that, "To have what goes on in Arizona and in Utah go on year after year after year and people
turn a blind eye to it, I think it is a travesty. I am embarrassed for the two states. . . . Utah politicians are afraid
to do anything about it and I think that's wrong."

Reid's comments brought a swift reaction from an "outraged" Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "To have him come in, without any knowledge whatsoever, and to accuse Utah of doing nothing, is unacceptable," Shurtleff said in an interview. "He ought to get educated before he opens his trap, frankly."

Texas authorities raided the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' Yearning for Zion ranch in Texas
on April 3, taking custody of 463 children. The raid has prompted a political and media firestorm, including drawing Reid, the nation's highest ranking elected Mormon, into the fray.

Reid told KUER that polygamous communities have developed political power in Utah and Arizona and they are committing crimes "up and down" the region. He has asked for a federal task force to intercede because local law enforcement hasn't.

"The federal government should move in and see if they're violating federal laws, which I think they are," Reid said. "I think there are a lot of federal laws that they're going to take a look at and I think the task force would also focus attention on this and maybe bring to attention the state authorities - Utah as an example, that they should do something about it themselves and not depend on the federal government to do their work."

Shurtleff called Reid's remark about polygamists holding political clout over Utah politicians "bullcrap."

"Give one example!" Shurtleff said.

"They would not been in Texas had we not come out for them in Utah. . . . For crying out loud, we got Warren Jeffs, their prophet, serving two 5-life, consecutive sentences. How is that not doing anything? How is that bowing to political pressure?"

Shurtleff noted, though, that he would be praising Reid if the majority leader were able to get the federal government to look at whether the polygamous communities are violating federal laws. Reid sent a letter to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2007 and again last week to now-Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking the Justice Department to set up a federal task force to probe the polygamous communities.

Shurtleff says he's been asking for the same since elected in 2001, but that for Reid to say Utah hasn't done anything on polygamy problems is wrong.

"To say Texas is doing everything right and that nothing has been done in Utah, again, that's uneducated," Shurtleff said, noting the FLDS bought property and has had some presence in Texas for four years.

[tsdraegeth]

1. .

Way to go, Reid,; I'm sure you're not turning a blind eye to murdered Iraqi children, either.

[Taverner]

6. Baby steps, dude

Baby steps

He's redeemable

I hope to foot Hillary is too...

[LisaM]

2. McCain, anyone?

Seriously, has anyone asked McCain about this?

I don't care who the nominee is, McCain will be easy pickings.

[Breeze54]

11. I don't care what he thinks... but I guess

cornering him and getting a quote about it would be ammunition before the election.

[GainesT1958]

3. Extraordinary Gravitas in his saying that...

Since he is himself a CJCLDS member. Let us recall in history that Utah could not be admitted into the union as a state unless it outlawed polygamy.

B-)

[alstephenson]

4. Well, in Arizona we are WAY too busy harrassing brown people...

to pay attention to the polygamists/child abusers.
:sarcasm:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. besides, the polygamists/child abusers are white

and therefore can't be abusing welfare--only those of color do that, right? :sarcasm:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. 90 days in jail for rape

is not what I call "doing anything". Not prosecuting anyone for welfare fraud is another. Don't tell me that the mothers don't know the names of the father of their children. The state should be going after the fathers for child support, and jail them if they don't comply.

[Marrah_G]

Woooooo GO HARRY!

[Breeze54]

10. I wish I could have heard that interview and Reid raise his voice!

I don't think I've ever heard Reid lose his cool and it sure sounds like he did in this interview!
Did you read the comments at the link about this story? Many are happy that Reid had the balls to
call out Utah and AZ and are making fun of the Utah AG. Even a republican said he supports Reid on this!

[belpejic]

8. Weirdos

It's hard to believe that this stuff still happens. These folks need to obey the law just like us. Period. And I have Mormons in my family--trust me, they think these people are freaks as well.

[LeftyMom]

9. It'll be interesting to see if other prominent mormons do the same.

I wanna see if Reid's going off reservation on this one, or if we'll see more mormon politicians go on the offensive on this issue, presumably on orders from Salt Lake.

My guess is, he's on his own on this one, which would raise my (admittedly low) opinion of him a bit.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. So true, where's Mitt? n/t

[blondeatlast]

13. He's busy being President...

...of the Pat Robertson fan club.

(Pssst... You aren't supposed to remind people that he's Mormon, silly!)

[ColbertWatcher]

14. Who can forget he's Mormon...

...with those sons of his being so Mormon out and about far from Iraq.

[blondeatlast]

15. So true, so true.

:thumbsup:

[Breeze54]

17. Strapping his dog to the roof of his SUV for another road trip?

:P

[ColbertWatcher]

18. He did that because there was no room for the dog in the car?

Can you imagine if he took a trip with all his wives?


Mitt learns from his dad how many wives he can have when he grows up

[Breeze54]

19. Romney's Cruel Canine Vacation

Romney's Cruel Canine Vacation

Wednesday, Jun. 27, 2007 By ANA MARIE COX

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1638065,00.html

The incident: dog excrement found on the roof and windows of the Romney station wagon.

How it got there: Romney strapped a dog carrier — with the family dog Seamus, an Irish Setter,
in it — to the roof of the family station wagon for a twelve hour drive from Boston to Ontario,
which the family apparently completed, despite Seamus's rather visceral protest.

snip-->

Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was less circumspect. PETA does not have a position on Romney's candidacy per se, but Newkirk called the incident "a lesson in cruelty that was ... wrong for (his children) to witness... Thinking of the wind, the weather, the speed, the vulnerability, the isolation on the roof, it is commonsense that any dog who's under extreme stress might show that stress by losing control of his bowels: that alone should have been sufficient indication that the dog was, basically, being tortured."

Romney, of course, has expressed support for the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques when it comes to terrorists; his campaign refused to comment about the treatment of his dog.

As organizer of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, Romney came under fire from some animal welfare groups for including a rodeo exhibition as part of the Games' festivities. At the time, he told protesters, "We are working hard to make this as safe a rodeo for cowboys and animals as is humanly possible."

:eyes:

[boppers]

23. Mitt's decended from polygamists.

That's why his family moved to Mexico, because the church was cracking down.

As far as the last time they raided, the premise was "insurrection" and "cohabitation". The premise is a tad different now. While have one wife and two mistresses can (and should be, IMO) legal, child brides is a different story altogether.

As far as what these states have been doing lately, see:
http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy/The_Primer.pdf

[mntleo2]

16. One Thing That Bothers Me About All This .....

...I could care less about polygamy ~ between adults. I think it is giving too much legitimacy to it to call it 'polygamy'. For one thing it is impossible for polygamy to even exist in this country because you can only legally be married to one person at a time. If three ADULTS decide to stay together with two of them married and the other person a sexual partner, so what?

I am concerned about the girls who are under aged and being raped by older men. And by rape I mean with or without their consent if they are under 18 years of age, because then it IS legally considered rape. And no it is *not* polygamy, which calls it marriage when in fact it is not. It is RAPE.

If Ried and the media were truly outraged they would refer to this for what it actually is .. R-A-P-E by perverts who should go to jail and never again see the light of day for what they did to these girls. And A-B-A-N-D-O-N-M-E-N-T for throwing young under aged boys out on the street when they become "competition". These men are also S-L-A-V-E owners. They have used people for sex objects and work horses and do not pay them or they would not be getting rich literally off these women's backs. Because they use religion to control people they have betrayed God and humanity. They deserve to roast in hell. Every single one of them. PERIOD!

My 2 cents.

Cat In Seattle

[Djinn]

22. bingo

if some deluded women think sharing a man with 3 other woman is a good thing, more power to them.

My issue is when they raise their kids to believe that they will be goddesses in heaven if they become wifey #3 to a fat balding man 3 decades older than they are.

If I told my children they would suffer torture for all eternity if they did not have sex with someone of my choosing I'd be in jail, but you can tell your kids any horror story imaginable as long as it's about "god".

Even for the the girls over the age of consent, how on earth could they really do that, how would it even be possible for these girls to have made a decision when they had ZERO chance of it ever being an informed one. If they believe that eternal torment awaits them if they choose any other path then that's not religious choice that's FRAUD.

Personally I don't think any child should be indoctrinated to ANY religious belief, when they're legally adults they can believe in any fairy story they like but up until then it should be considered emotional abuse.

[ShaneGR]

20. To be fair to the Utah Attorney General.. he did put their leader in prison....

And he did force them to flee to Texas. No, he didn't shut it down. But he locked up their leader for a LONG time and forced the entire cult out of the state for the most part.

[Breeze54]

21. What about the 20,000 still there?

That's the number I'm hearing and it seems he hasn't
done much except for a few prosecutions besides Jeffs.

[trashcanistanista]

24. There is a huge FLDS polygamist cult in

Mesquite, Nevada that Reid has turned a blind eye to, so, pot ... kettle.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/9812772.html

edited for link

[Breeze54]

26. No he didn't.... You didn't even read your own article.

From your article....

Sep. 16, 2007

"The capture of the prophet sparked U.S. Sen. Harry Reid to call for a federal task force, led by the U.S. attorney general, to investigate polygamous communities. A year later, Reid said he is still waiting for a task force to form.

"Ignoring polygamy all over the West doesn't speak well about what our standard of morals should be," said Reid, D-Nev., a practicing Mormon."

Polygamy demeans women, and it is associated with child abuse and domestic violence, he said.

"It shouldn't be swept under the rug, and that's what it has been," he said. "This is wrong. I hope Jeffs is convicted."

The Mormon church tolerates the FLDS, as it does all religions, but doesn't interact with the polygamous offshoot, said Ace Robison, Southern Nevada spokesman for the church.

"We don't say or do much about it," he said. "It is what it is."

After Jeffs' arrest, then-Nevada Attorney General George Chanos committed an investigator from his office to look into FLDS activities in the state. Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said he could not reveal results of the investigation, but prosecutors never received a referral to press charges.

If state prosecutors were to receive evidence from law enforcement of polygamy or child abuse, they aggressively would pursue criminal cases, he said. Polygamy would fall under the state's bigamy law, but prosecutions under the law are rare, he said.

Las Vegas police have not received any complaints related to the FLDS members living in Clark County, said Lt. Mitch Bradshaw, head of the sexual assault unit, and District Attorney David Roger said he has not received any cases from law enforcement agencies.

----------------

He called for a Task Force!! He was ignored by then USAG Gonzalez!

He has asked again from the new USAG Mukasey.

[MiniMe]

25. Its the magic underwear. They must not be able to be prosecuted when

they are wearing their magic underwear.