Polygamist’s Second Immigration Chance

Interesting article from the Toronto Sun today, HT (Brooke Adams–Salt Lake Tribune reporter/blogger).  A Pakastani Muslim, Shaikh Akhtar Hussain, who is also a retired banking executive, is trying to immigrate to Toronto.  The problem?  Well, horror of horrors, he’s a practicing polygamist!

 

FLDS Texas Raid–One Year Later

Brooke Adams, the Salt Lake Tribune’s reporter who blogs on polygamy issues for the Trib, has a good one year later recap article in today’s Tribune on last year’s debacle in West Texas.    My posts on that disaster are here.  

 

Big Lies of Big Love

I realize Big Love is “entertainment” and not real.  After watching tonight’s episode, I also realize  that HBO and the Big Love crew have no hesitation in casting others’ pearls before swine.  A few points of clarification are in order from tonight’s episode.

 

Post Polygamous Teen Defends Practice

Is is just possible that there is a different post polygamy point of view, other than that of Carolyn Jessop?   From Canada East:

 

Canada Prosecuting Polygamy, Protecting Gay Marraige

Canada, which legally protects the rights of same sex partners to engage in state sanctioned genderless marraiges is now criminally prosecuting others who seek to practice polygamy based on their religious beliefs.  The AP is reporting (and is being picked up all over the world) that two polygamous leaders have been arrested and criminally charged in Canada, for practicing polygamy:

 

Facts on FLDS Fraud Don’t Add UP

Welfare data from Utah, Arizona, and Texas do not support claims of massive FLDS fraud against the government.

Yet six speakers at a July 24 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing — from Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid to former plural wife Carolyn Jessop — said fraud and misuse of welfare funds is a primary reason the federal government should be more involved in investigating the sect.  Reid said the FLDS have a “sophisticated, wealthy and vast criminal organization” that includes “welfare fraud.”  

 Jessop told the committee the FLDS engage in a “religious doctrine” known as ‘bleeding the beast,’ ” which she explained included applying for “every possible type of government of assistance that is available.” Author Stephen Singular, who has written a book about the FLDS, told the committee that Colorado City residents received “eight times the welfare assistance of comparably sized towns in the area.”

Hey, Harry, the nation is poised on the brink of another Depression, and you’re off investigating the FLDS–at taxpayer expense– when the data doesn’t even support the claims? And, Carolyn Jessop? Does anyone believe she has an ounce of credibility when it comes to FLDS issues?  That’s like asking Fawn Brodie to write an objective biography of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  (Cute the July 24th hearing date).

Face it, the government is still singling out the FLDS because of their peculiar and unpopular religious beliefs and practices.  You don’t hear this in reference to lifestyles in government run ghettos all over the country:

But Paul Murphy, spokesman for Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, said that while there may not be “outright fraud” by the polygamous community, there is “a resentment that taxpayers are being used to support this lifestyle.

 

Texas Supreme Court Upholds Lower Court FLDS Ruling

The Texas Supreme Court today upheld the lower appellate court ruling, which ordered the trial Judge Barbara Walther to vacate her order authorizing the removal of all the FLDS children from the YFZ Ranch.  You can read the ruling here.

 

Texas To Appeal FLDS Ruling

Well, Texas has not done anything right in this case from the inception–why start now?.  So, while I am disappointed to hear they plan to appeal the ruling, it is not really a surprise.  The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

 

Texas Appeals Court Rules FLDS Children Must Be Returned

Photo LM Otero/Associated Press

Justice is finally rearing its head in the ugly West Texas raid on the FLDS YFZ ranch.  The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that a Texas appeals court has ruled that Texas did not have sufficient evidence to seize all 400 plus children in its ludicrous actions last month:

 

The Bad Public Policy Behind The Texas FLDS Raid

This will be a rather short post, but the topic, I think is important, and worth mentioning.  I’ve posted numerous times on the problematic legal and Constitutional issues resulting from Texas’ raid on the FLDS community; however, I think the bad public policy behind this fiasco now emerges: