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Polygamists fight to decriminalize bigamy
The Washington Post ^ | Nov 21, 2006 | John Pomfret

Posted on 11/21/2006 1:36:33 PM PST by presidio9

In her battle to legalize polygamy, the only thing Valerie hasn't revealed is her last name. The mother of eight has been on national TV; her photo along with that of her two "sister-wives" has graced the front cover of a glossy magazine dedicated to "today's plural marriages."

She has been prodded about her sex life: "He rotates. It's easy -- just one, two, three." Quizzed about her decision to share a husband with two other women: "You really have a good frame of reference when you marry a man who already has two wives." Interrogated about what it's like to live in a house with 21 children: "Remodeling a kitchen, that's no small feat with three wives and a husband involved."

All the while, the petite brunette with a smile as bright as Utah's sky has insisted that she's just like you and me: "I'm a soccer mom. My kids are in music lessons. They go to public school. I'm not under anyone's control."

Valerie and others among the estimated 40,000 men, women and children in polygamous communities are part of a new movement to decriminalize bigamy. Consciously taking tactics from the gay-rights movement, polygamists have reframed their struggle, choosing in interviews to de-emphasize their religious beliefs and focus on their desire to live "in freedom," according to Anne Wilde, director of community relations for Principle Voices, a pro-polygamy group based in Salt Lake.

In recent months, polygamy activists have held rallies, appeared on nationally televised news shows and lobbied legislators. Before the Nov. 7 elections, one pro-polygamy group issued a six-page analysis of all Utah's state and local candidates and their views on polygamy. "We can make a difference," the

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: biglove; extendedfamily; familyvalues; pelosi; polygamy
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

Couldn't agree more.


41 posted on 11/21/2006 2:14:44 PM PST by Almondjoy
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To: LexBaird
Yep, serial polygamy (divorce) is the defacto standard for today's America. Sad but true.
42 posted on 11/21/2006 2:15:17 PM PST by taxcontrol
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To: Right_in_Virginia

Actually, most polygamists that have a valid family - not on welfare, kids in school, between consenting ADULTS (not children) tend to be very VERY conservative.

Orthodox almost in their faith.


43 posted on 11/21/2006 2:16:56 PM PST by taxcontrol
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To: JennysCool

Imagine if everyone was treated as an individual under the law. Then there would be no tax issues or insurance issues or divorce issues to burden the rest of society. The government should get the heck out of the marriage business. It's a private, and for many people religious matter, that the government has no business regulating, licensing, recognizing, etc.


44 posted on 11/21/2006 2:17:16 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: taxcontrol
The current legal structure can be easily modified to handle polygamy.

You gotta be kidding.

45 posted on 11/21/2006 2:17:44 PM PST by JennysCool
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To: presidio9

No problem. I've never heard of polygamy causing any problems for anyone else. Legalizing polygamy will offer no protection to the likes of Warren Jeffs and his followers, since legalizing polygamy does not constitute legalizing rape of minors.


46 posted on 11/21/2006 2:19:10 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

Because by "normalizing" a psychological problem (homosexuality), you open a pandoras box of proselytizying, indoctrination and experimentation of young, confused, not ready for sexuality minds.


47 posted on 11/21/2006 2:19:22 PM PST by word_warrior_bob
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To: ApplegateRanch

"It is almost always seems to be about having a steady supply of younger, warmer pockets to keep "junior" warm in, on an otherwise cold, headachy night."

Bingo. That is ALL it is about. Where there is polygamy, generally there is pedophelia.

Even if not, though, In a polygamous society, the rich guys get all the chicks. Only about half the men can take a maximum of 2 wives. That leaves little girls and males for the rest. Is that a society we want?


48 posted on 11/21/2006 2:19:52 PM PST by L98Fiero (Terrorists, Communists and Liberals. All happy with a Democrat Congress)
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To: ARE SOLE

Oh your FReeper name just made me LOL hard!

Good post, too. Read here on FR about how Muslims in Russia are having at least 10 kids a piece, let's not let that be compounded x4 over here!


49 posted on 11/21/2006 2:20:23 PM PST by To Hell With Poverty
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To: JennysCool; taxcontrol
"The current legal structure can be easily modified to handle polygamy."

You gotta be kidding.

Sharia law is available.

50 posted on 11/21/2006 2:20:25 PM PST by A. Pole (Nicolas Gomez-Davilla: "The function of revolutions is to destroy the illusions that created them.")
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To: JennysCool
Not kidding at all... the concept is called community property and the precedence is set in the prenuptial agreement. Each individual states what property now and future of theirs they will retain and what they will contribute to the marriage.

When a person is divorced, the prenuptial is the governing document and the person takes what they retained, or equitable value, along with their agreed to share of the property.

The only question is what is the starting, default prenuptial agreement 50/50, equal shares, what? Not that difficult of a legal question easily fixed in law.
51 posted on 11/21/2006 2:23:36 PM PST by taxcontrol
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To: bukkdems
The problem with poligamy is that after 3 generations, you have a 50% chance of marrying a cousin.

No that does not follow.

Poligamy shuts some many men out of the gene pool:

Polygamy allows successful men to out breed failures, essentially a complete inversion of the welfare state status quo.

52 posted on 11/21/2006 2:24:26 PM PST by AdamSelene235 (Truth has become so rare and precious she is always attended to by a bodyguard of lies.)
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To: TChris
I told you so.

Starting back in 1995 when I ran for office I was saying exactly this. And here we are.

53 posted on 11/21/2006 2:25:31 PM PST by PeterFinn (Support the Troops by supporting their mission.)
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To: bukkdems
The problem with poligamy is that after 3 generations, you have a 50% chance of marrying a cousin. Poligamy shuts some many men out of the gene pool: they are driven out of the community, and can lead to severe genetic problems in a population. (Hence, the Mormons) This is called "Founder's Syndrome", where a recessive genenetic problem gets spread throughout a community.

This assumes a closed community in which everyone is practicing polygamy or polyandry. I think it's safe to assume that if they were legalized, they would not be practiced by the overwhelming majority of the population, due to the various emotional, legal, and financial issues involved.

And obviously, those closed communities which do currently practice polygamy (radical offshoots of Mormonism, I guess) can not be allowed to exert any coercion on young women, nor can they be allowed to drive off underage boys - whether polygamy is legal or not. Many of the arguments against polygamy seem to involve the coercion and child abuse found in the Mormon offshoot communities - these things are already illegal and would remain so.
54 posted on 11/21/2006 2:25:43 PM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: A. Pole
See my post 51.

While Sharia is not my preferred means of a legal system, it does point out that laws are not fixed in stone. They change all the time. As such, any short comings of law only require the majority of legislature to fix, .... or break.... depending on your point of view.

That is why it is the WEAKEST of all arguments against polygamy.
55 posted on 11/21/2006 2:26:09 PM PST by taxcontrol
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To: presidio9
According to Ambrose Bierce, the wisdom of the future would adjudge trigamy as a condign punishment for bigamists.
56 posted on 11/21/2006 2:26:52 PM PST by GSlob
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To: AnotherUnixGeek; presidio9
As with gay marriage - consenting adults, and I don't see how it can possibly harm my marriage to my wife. I don't see why either I or the government should care.

I think this thread is going to be the classical Social/Christian Conservatism vs. Libertarian Conservatism debate - so I'll give my two cents - it's time the two factions of conservatism found common ground, and the common ground is this; we all should oppose bad law! Back to Burkean Conservatism in other words!

In this case, I believe legalising polygamy would be bad law.

57 posted on 11/21/2006 2:28:19 PM PST by Irish_Thatcherite (A vote for Bertie Ahern is a vote for Gerry Adams!|What if I lecture Americans about America?)
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To: taxcontrol

Yes, but you know a thousand other things will crop up in the course of any societal "experiment" in polygamy.

Besides, as many have pointed out on this thread, you'd have to be a real doofus in the first place to want more than one spouse!


58 posted on 11/21/2006 2:28:28 PM PST by JennysCool
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To: taxcontrol

Just find a woman you don't like and buy her a house!


59 posted on 11/21/2006 2:28:52 PM PST by outofsalt ("If History teaches us anything it's that history rarely teaches us anything")
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To: AnotherUnixGeek
nor can they be allowed to drive off underage boys

Any society where most women are in polygamous marriages necessarily ends up with a large surplus of males. Unless they're killed as infants or in utero, or they're killed in warfare as teenagers or young adults, or there's a non-polygamous society available outside to absorb them, they become a socially corrosive force.

For example, they might end up flying airplanes into tall buildings.

60 posted on 11/21/2006 2:30:18 PM PST by Campion ("I am so tired of you, liberal church in America" -- Mother Angelica, 1993)
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