Posted on 02/14/2006 6:12:25 AM PST by GermanBusiness
The Violence Against Women Act signed by President Bush on Jan. 5 contains an almost unnoticed attachment.
Subtitle D, also known as the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 (IMBA), will become law when VAWA is enacted. The IMBA is an ostensibly noble measure with a surprising and ominous twist.
The scant attention directed toward the IMBA has been positive.
A headline in Washington State's The Daily Herald announced, "Mail-order brides gain protection" with the subtitle "The mother of a murdered immigrant hopes that pending federal legislation will keep foreign brides from abuse, neglect and slavery."
The "murdered immigrant" refers to Anastasia King, a "mail-order bride" from the former Soviet Union. In 2000, King was murdered by her husband in Washington State where the case created a sensation largely because the husband had violently assaulted a previous "mail-order bride."
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who championed the measure for years, introduced the IMBA to Congress.
Some parts sound reasonable. For example, U.S. consulates will provide "mail-order brides" with brochures that explain their legal rights.
Other parts sound draconian. For example, the IMBA requires American men who wish to correspond with foreign women through private for-profit matchmaking agencies to first provide those businesses with their police records and other personal information to be turned over to the women.
Corresponding with a foreigner is legal. Marrying a foreigner is legal. Immigrating spouses and their husbands go through rigorous and lengthy screening before visas are issued. U.S. laws against violence protect "mail-order brides."
Now American men who wish to pursue a legal activity must release their government files to a foreign business and foreign individuals for their personal benefit.
(Note: The act's language is gender-neutral but its clear purpose is to protect foreign women from predatory American men. Application to "male-order husbands" would be incidental as such 'brides' are relatively rare.)
The disclosure requirement is detailed under the provision entitled "Obligations of International Marriage Broker With Respect to Mandatory Collection of Information."
An international broker cannot provide contact or general information on a foreign woman to an American man unless that broker first collects and discloses to the woman the following information about the man:
Every state of residence since the age of 18; Current or previous marriages as well as how and when they terminated; Information on children under 18; Any arrest or conviction related to controlled substances, alcohol or prostitution, making no distinction on arrests not leading to conviction; Any court orders, including temporary restraining orders, which are notoriously easy to procure; Any arrest or conviction for crimes ranging from "homicide" to "child neglect"; Any arrest or conviction for "similar activity in violation of Federal, State or local criminal law" without specifying what "similar" means. U.S. law will provide foreign women with extensive government information on American suitors that is not similarly offered to American women — which it shouldn't it be either.
Contacting a woman for romantic purposes — internationally or domestically — is not a crime. Those who do so are not a priori criminals who must prove themselves innocent before being allowed an e-mail exchange.
How many American men will be impacted by the IMBA?
Freedom to commit crime, yep that's the old liberal line.
Only the ACLU argues for freedoms when it involves sacrifising the integrity of our borders, and enabling sexual predators to protect their pasts.
The law helps terrorists. They can now pose the picture of a woman in order to get information on people.
The crime of communicating with other women through an agency that provides such a service?
Your condescending attitude is staggering. Who do you think you are?
As usual, all you have to offer this discussion is hyperbole.
[Most agencies are NOT trying to find sexual hookups, go back to adult friend finder dot com.]
But it does end up happening in a lot of cases. The relationship lasts a year and gets sexual at some point.
Adultfriendfinder is not only a low-class concept...you can browse and see that it has the ugliest women around, if they are really women.
Maria Cantwell (and you) doesn't like the idea of a 50 year old man meeting a 25 year old woman and that women being attracted to him and sleeping with him.
That is what the hostility is all about.
And the rights of American males are nothing in the face of the attendant wrath.
I have no problem at all with a 50 year old, even a horribly un-attractive one, meeting and marrying a foreign women.
I do have a problem with him sending a fake or dated picture, lying about his age, lying about his income, lying about his past wives, and convining someone to leave their country to come live in his trailer.
Fair is fair, if this guy wants to use a marriage broker to converse with a woman he should have to put all the real cards on the table.
[The law helps terrorists. They can now pose the picture of a woman in order to get information on people.]
Of course. Lawyers for the largest marriage agency may determine today if men have to put their last name on the forms or not. I have no intention of my last name going around the world to someone who could be a male scammer.
This law is sick. Shame on Congress for making the backroom deal with Senator Cantwell that got this thing passed.
There is no freedom in transacting business under a false identity or lying to clients.
Foreigners ALREADY have to put their information on the line.
Your position is one of, American men are dangerous and must be controlled, and foreign women stupid and must be protected. Exactly the position of the feminazis. Could anyone be more condescending?
[I do have a problem with him sending a fake or dated picture, lying about his age, lying about his income]
What kind of liberal stick is up your butt that you are so bleeding heart about this? Are you gay? Did some man send you an outdated picture? Liberals are those who self-righteously care about what they think third parties want.
I lied to my girlfriend about my age when I met her. She found out three months into the relationship.
I was in the shower. She barged in laughing and said "You lied to me!" I chuckled and said "Please pass me that towel". She passed me the towel. I said "Is dinner ready?". She went to the kitchen to finish cooking. We had a romantic evening. She has an IQ of 150 and is drop dead gorgeous at 6 feet tall and a musical prodigy to boot.
It is not your God-damned business to legislate these things.
And if you are saying that all this has to be legislated...then we are heading toward that argument being used for American men to meet American women as well.
Welcome to the Nanny States of America.
Except I think the single male crowd in the USA might finally go ballistic if you tried to legislate that domestically. This law is a test against the world traveling American males...to see how the single males at home tolerate it. If they tolerate it...the real harsh domestic laws are to follow, guaranteed.
Background checks for Internet dating? Already a reality at Friendfinder where they are trying to make extra money by charging men to get checked and thus more desirable.
Expect this to be law very VERY soon.
No my position is one of those looking for marriage through a marriage broker should offer up proof they are willing and able.
Further my position is influenced by having seen several examples of creeps that shouldn't even be allowed near a computer involved.
This legislation with make that harder, it will also put American agencies that cater to these individuals working to hide their motives and identity out of business.
You are now saying that anyone who doesn't agree with you that liars should not be allowed to seduce foreign women is gay. Clearly you have a superior position based on the facts.
And then American women decry the injustice of being given less protection than foreign women, and thus men are required to relase their records to match.com etc. Then the men get huffy because of the blatant gender discrimination, and the women must release their records as well. Then medical records are added, for the public health concerns, of course.
Now everyone's private and personal histories are fair game for the world. My, that IS a great idea. Good thing you don't care how it is "spun".
May we ask about the "animals" here that you want to protect others from? Since you are all for full disclosure of the private details of others' lives, how about sharing, hm? Or does your conviction end at your own door, like any garden variety hypocrite?
[There is no freedom in transacting business under a false identity or lying to clients.]
The men are the clients. They are paying for the right to say "hello". The Nanny State has no business entering into the equation. No other country does this.
And England just banned smoking completely tonight. But England wouldn't do this kind of nonsense.
When they go to a site peddling marriage they are consenting to be introduced for purposes of marriage.
Anything else crosses numerous laws regarding fraud, and advertising.
If a man goes to a business which promises marriage he is consenting to be introduced for marriage, and thus can and should be compelled to prove he's willing and able.
If he doesn't like it he can use an escort service or his own darned mouth or phone.
[You are now saying that anyone who doesn't agree with you that liars should not be allowed to seduce foreign women is gay.]
Because it sounds like a man seduced you and didn't tell you he had AIDS. Now you're angry.
Seriously...you cannot legislate casanovas. If foreign women want to sleep with an American man because they love him and want to marry him...but he is only leading them on because he wants sex...you cannot legislate that.
Neither domestically nor overseas can you legislate that.
I am in love with my woman, and she has me around her little finger, but that ain't your business whether it is the other way around or not. ;-)
It sounds to me like your a fat 50+ year old convicted sex offended and liberal who leaped on FR to push your open borders garbage and try to get a law preventing you from abusing foreign women shot down.
[If a man goes to a business which promises marriage he is consenting to be introduced for marriage, and thus can and should be compelled to prove he's willing and able.]
That is your opinion.
That cannot be made a law.
You are now going well beyond Democrat Feminazi Cantwell's law.
Her staff is reading this thread, by the way. You are doing a great job helping her vindicate herself and prepare for her November reelection.
[It sounds to me like your a fat 50+ year old convicted sex offended and liberal who leaped on FR to push your open borders garbage and try to get a law preventing you from abusing foreign women shot down.]
Right. Which is why my then 23 year old girlfriend barged into the bathroom while I was taking a shower and laughingly shouted "you lied to me" when she realized I had fudged about my age when we met at a McDonalds (actually European women don't ask a man's age on the first date).
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