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New York, 9:18 AM
Thu Nov 26
64 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/26/09
The men in positions of power (there are no women who hold the priesthood) bare more than religious swords over their followers heads. They control the economic, emotional, and social power from birth until death. This is a system of abuse from start to finish.
Jessop is part of that system and indeed, a family, of patriarchs that practice extreme control over others, and will not hesitate to inflict violence and death for subversion (blood atonement). Whether or not he is guilty of this particular charge or set of charges, the pattern is clear, and traceable for about 100 years, with escalation in the past 30 or so. I hope he, and the others, are convicted and that it brings a spotlight bright as the sun upon the 'Yearning for Zion' compound and other FLDS strongholds.
I wish I wasn't so angry about this. I've lived my life in the two states most accepting of FLDS practices, and I'm infuriated that these state governments do nothing but turn a blind eye to what is happening. I understand that they go after charges they think they can win, but it still really gets me riled up. Clearly I'll never sit on a jury in one of these cases. #fdls
10/26/09
10/26/09
that being said, i hope these guys get whats coming to them, because they disgust me. #fdls
10/26/09
Perhaps we are not providing what our founders expected in the constitution, but considering they had no problem trying women and blacks in front of juries made completely of white men, I doubt they would complain. #fdls
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10/26/09
If it is financially viable and all parties are amenable, I don't see the point of making polygamy (as encompassing both polygyny and polyandry) illegal. #fdls
10/26/09
10/26/09
I think by legalizing polygamy and encouraging people to get marriage licenses from the country/state, you could eliminate some of the problems because there's a way to track these relationships and determine who is responsible for whom.
Marriage in a legal context isn't about sex, its about determining who has what rights and responsibilities towards another. People can have polyamourous relationships, but this isn't really what its about. #fdls
10/26/09
10/26/09
But then, wouldn't polygamy as a whole being illegal make it so that issue is somewhat ignored? It's just, "oh, that's an illegal type of marriage," and not, "this woman was not given another choice". #fdls
10/26/09
I know "Big Love" makes it seem like polygamists are basically standard-issue, suburban Relief Society ladies with interesting personal lives, but the majority of cases (like the FLDS in Hilldale/Colorado City) are more like Nikki's family on the compound.
Not that there aren't consenting adults making it work in the suburbs like the Henricksons, but that's not what we're dealing with most of the time. #fdls
10/27/09
You can have amenable parties even if young men are expelled from the community.
Unfortunately, I think you're right in that these practices limit choice and in many cases amount to coercision. #fdls
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10/26/09
I know that New Hampshire and Texas are the same nation politically speaking, but there are obviously other rules governing the limits and borders of different social and communital behaviours than the national borders on a map. This raises much bigger issues regarding the ability of a generalised notion of national values to have any realistic arbitration over, or relation to, a body of people who belong to diverse communities.
I'm just paying devil's advocate... according to MY moral codes, these allegations, if true, are abhorrant. #fdls
10/26/09
10/26/09
I may be making one of those things up, but yes, the Lone Star State prides itself on being "tough on crime." As well as tough on those whoring teenagers who don't listen when their health teacher tells them not to have sex before marriage. #fdls
10/26/09