"Politics Make Strange Bedfellows"




"Politics Make Strange Bedfellows"
"If it is reorganization, a new deal, and a change you are seeking it is Hobson's choice. I am sorry for you but it is really vote for me or not vote at all." Woodrow Wilson October 24, 1910 Politicians . . . you've just gotta love 'em!


UTAH SUPREME COURT DECIDES POLYGAMIST ADOPTION CASE
By Ken Driggs Sunstone Magazine - Issue No: 83 September 1991 Originally published September 1991
KEN DRIGGS is a criminal lawyer in Tallahassee, Florida. He holds an LLM in Legal HIstory fro the University of Wisconsin Law School where the topic of his thesis was the legal rights of polygamous parents in Utah. THE UTAH Supreme Court on 27 March 1991 ruled that polygamists could be considered by state juvenile courts as candidates to adopt children. The 3-2 decision was further evidence of increasingly tolerant judicial attitudes toward fundamentalist Mormons who continue to practice religiously motivated polygamy. The sharply divided court made a point not to extend special protections to polygamy, but did afford polygamists the same standing as other litigants in adoption proceedings. Without mentioning it by name, they seemed to reverse a 1955 decision, In Re Black, which held that polygamists were social outcasts with no rights to their own children. The case In the Matter of the Adoption of W. A. T., et al, involved a Hildale, Utah, couple who sought to adopt the children of another of the husband's plural wives who had died of cancer. Vaughn and Sharane Fischer were legally married in 1964. A second plural wife also lived in the home and had children by Vaughn. In 1987 a third wife with six children by a previous polygamous marriage entered the home. Proceedings for Vaughn Fischer to adopt the third wife's children began in 1987 while she was still alive and appeared before the court to voice her approval. With her death from cancer, her relatives intervened and asked that the adoption petition be thrown out because of Fischer's freely acknowledged polygamy. The Fifth District Juvenile Court in Washington County agreed, largely because of In Re Black, and dismissed the petition. On appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, the case gained national attention. It was covered extensively by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Ladies' Home Journal. CNN broadcasted the oral arguments live. Read more


Polygamist Sect Shuns Bill Debate
The Associated Press Originally published Sunday, February 18, 2001
COLORADO CITY, Ariz. -- Leaders of Utah's largest polygamist sect are staying on the sidelines as Utah moves to criminalize their marriage ceremonies. The apparent unconcern of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is in sharp contrast to the show of force made by Salt Lake County followers of Owen Allred's Apostolic United Brethen at legislative meeting halls last week. Allred's followers on Friday persuaded a legislator to soften the penalties for arranging polygamous marriages. Sen. Ron Allen, D-Stansbury Park, agreed to make it a misdemeanor instead of a felony to officiate over an adult polygamous marriage. It still would be a felony under Allen's bill to arrange a marriage of a child younger than 16. Allen came under pressure as 100 supporters of plural marriage descended on the Utah Capitol Wednesday and Friday. But Dan Barlow, mayor of Colorado City and a high-ranking official of his polygamist church, says the Allen bill will not affect his community. Barlow insisted his church allows no underage marriages and that brides always get their parents' consent. Still, Barlow complained Allen's bill could be "the beginning of religious persecution. Since when did we start persecuting religious leaders?"


Two Many Wives - fight against polygamy
By Valerie Richardson Insight on the News - Washington DC Originally published May 7, 2001
Advocacy groups and legislators are cracking down on polygamy in Utah, but fundamentalist Mormons are fighting back, coming out of the closet to assert their religious beliefs. Standing at his kitchen counter, wolfing down taco pizza during his lunch hour and cradling his infant daughter, Jeremy Thompson seems to have it all: The 28-year-old doctor has six healthy children, a thriving medical practice, a comfortable home and a minivan in the garage. But he has something most modern suburbanites don't have: two wives. He may look like a typical husband, but Thompson is a practicing polygamist. Born and raised as a fundamentalist Mormon, he believes he must take more than one wife to reach the highest level of exaltation in heaven. In Utah, polygamy is outlawed both by statute and the state constitution. For the last 30 years, authorities have followed a don't-ask, don't-tell policy toward polygamists, but recent charges of underage marriage and incest within some plural families have thrust what arguably is the most persecuted religious minority in American history back into the line of fire. Alarmed by reports from an advocacy group called Tapestry Against Polygamy, the state attorney general hired a full-time investigator in October to probe the state's "closed societies." In May, the local debate is expected to draw national attention when a man with five wives becomes the first to face bigamy charges in more than 50 years. "The Legislature has become more hostile in the last two or three years because of the perception of abuse," says former state Rep. David Zolman, a rare public official who has come out in defense of polygamy. Last month, Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt signed into law the "child-bride" bill, which stiffens penalties for parents or others who coerce girls younger than age 18 into marriage. Read more


Cover-Up (Arizona Attorney General internal memo)
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published October 3, 2002
Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano's office is covering up information documenting extensive and ongoing criminal activity including rape, incest, assault, kidnapping, forced marriages of underage girls, weapons violations and welfare fraud that is rampant in the remote polygamous community of Colorado City, state records obtained by New Times reveal. Napolitano's special investigations unit has compiled information during more than two years of investigation that depicts horrifying living conditions in the small town on the Arizona-Utah border that is completely controlled by a handful of men who are leaders in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). A May 9 three-page memo prepared by the attorney general's special investigations unit and obtained by New Times portrays a brutal existence. "Rape is punishment for women and reward for men," the memo states. "Molestation is rampant, as is incest." The memo indicates that rather than enforcing state laws, Napolitano's office is seeking ways to suppress information of criminal activity in Colorado City and avoid initiating prosecution. "To protect against open records we should actively maintain our investigation file on Colorado City and maintain an official position of vigilance," the memo states. "Beyond this, it is recommended that we proceed very cautiously. The press downside is minimal and containable." Read more


Coderre to probe decision on wives
By Campbell Clark The Globe and Mail Originally published October 7, 2002
VANCOUVER -- Ottawa granted permission for three wives of a polygamist to stay in Canada permanently and an immigration official has warned that several more applications from polygamists' wives are likely on the way, according to internal government documents obtained by The Globe and Mail. Polygamy is illegal in Canada and polygamous marriages are not recognized as legitimate in the official rule book for immigration to Canada. However, the documents reveal that Citizenship and Immigration Canada granted permanent residence in 1994 to three wives of Winston Blackmore, who was leader of a polygamist community in southeast British Columbia from the mid-1980s until earlier this year. Government officials knew the women were part of a polygamous relationship, and staff at the local office in British Columbia initially turned down Mr. Blackmore's application for immigration of his three wives. However, the local decision was later overturned by federal officials in national headquarters in Ottawa. The women had asked to be accepted on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. "They were approved with instructions and concurrence from NHQ (National Headquarters)," states an internal government report on the polygamist colony prepared two years ago. The report says the women filled in "housewife" as their occupation on their applications for immigration. They stated they would receive financial assistance from Mr. Blackmore. Under marriage information, they wrote "not available." Read more


AG too soft on polygamy cases, candidate says
By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services Originally published October 8, 2002
PHOENIX -- Attorney General Janet Napolitano is ignoring polygamy and related crimes in northern Arizona to avoid political heat, her independent foe for governor charged Monday. Richard Mahoney said Napolitano, the Democratic nominee, is guilty of "political indifference" for refusing to pursue charges against people openly violating the law. He said the state should be prosecuting polygamists. "We have cancer, a spot of cancer, a malignancy in northern Arizona and our state leaders have done nothing about it," he charged. Read more


Mormon ads vex Salmon, Napolitano
By Robbie Sherwood and Chip Scutari The Arizona Republic Originally published October 10, 2002
One television ad says Republican Matt Salmon would never solve northern Arizona's polygamy problem because he is a member of the Mormon Church. Another suggests Democrat Attorney General Janet Napolitano has ignored crimes in polygamist communities and doesn't care about victims' rights. Salmon and Napolitano put aside their differences Wednesday to rip Independent gubernatorial candidate Richard Mahoney, saying he went too far when he used a woman who escaped from a polygamist clan to sound off in two inflammatory political commercials. Salmon called the Mormon Church ad bigoted and said he was disgusted by it. Read more


Polygamy Jolts Campaign for Governor
By Michael Janofsky The New York Times Originally published October 13, 2002
PHOENIX, Oct. 11 — As if a staggering budget deficit and troubled educational system were not enough campaign fodder for Arizona's leading candidates for governor, this week they found a new issue. Rather, it found them. Dick Mahoney, a political independent began running 30-second commercials this week that focus on Fundamentalist Mormons in northern Arizona who practice polygamy and suspicions that they are committing sexual abuse, domestic violence, welfare fraud and other crimes. One advertisement says Mr. Mahoney's Democratic opponent, Attorney General Janet Napolitano, has ignored the crimes. The other says his Republican opponent, Matt Salmon, a former congressman and mainstream Mormon, would ignore them if he were elected. Read more


Mahoney, aide getting death threats
By Chip Scutari and Robbie Sherwood The Arizona Republic Originally published October 17, 2002
Independent gubernatorial candidate Richard Mahoney and his top campaign aide have received death threats in the wake of television ads that injected allegations of child abuse in northern Arizona into a heated governor's race. Mahoney, who has reported the threats to the Phoenix Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said one of the callers yelled, "Pull the ad or I'll kill you!" Another threatened to shoot Mahoney. He said a total of three death threats were received by phone, all late last week. Mahoney, who began running the ads a few days before getting the threats, said he wasn't bothered by the calls at first. "It wasn't too scary until I was in the car the other night near my headquarters and a blue truck was right on my bumper for several blocks," he said. "That was weird." Read more


Polygamy Puzzle
Furor over mysterious memo masks difficulties in prosecuting illegal acts
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published October 24, 2002
The author of a purported Attorney General's Office memo describing widespread criminal activity in the polygamous community of Colorado City remains unknown more than two weeks after it surfaced. The state Department of Public Safety has begun an investigation requested by Attorney General Janet Napolitano to determine who prepared the document that depicts dangerous conditions in Colorado City and alludes to efforts by the Attorney General to avoid taking action. Napolitano says the document -- which appears to be written by a special investigations supervisor -- is fraudulent. "We actually have opened an investigation on that particular memo to determine the authenticity," says DPS spokesman Frank Valenzuela. The department's special-investigation unit is handling the case. Read more


Hatch: We need to protect our children
Polygamy surfaces at town meeting
By Rachel Olsen The Spectrum Originally published April 17, 2003
ST. GEORGE -- Crowd members became very passionate Thursday as they discussed polygamy and other issues in a town meeting with Sen. Orrin Hatch. Hatch, R-Utah, came to St. George to participate in several events Thursday and today. One of those events was an open town meeting, where residents could ask about issues pertenant to Southern Utah, said Heather Barney, the senator's spokeswoman. Several topics were discussed, ranging from the lack of facilities for veteran care to the Patriot Act, but the most heated issue was that of polygamy. Bob Curran, an anti-polygamist activist with Help the Child Brides, brought up the issue of polygamy with a question asking Hatch why an hour away "thugs" rape children and nothing is being done to stop it. "No one should be raping a child ... we need to protect our children," Hatch said. Although Hatch continually focused on the fact that no one should be abusing or raping a child, his response apparently did not appease some members of the audience. It was not until Sonya Blancke, a relatively new resident in Washington County, expressed her dismay with the breaking of laws, especially the laws broken by polygamists, that there was a little unrest. Read more


Questions postpone vote on new judge
By Angie Welling Deseret Morning News Originally published April 17, 2003
New allegations from anti-polygamy groups that Eric Ludlow avoided prosecuting child bride cases during his tenure as Washington County attorney kept the state Senate from voting on his judicial appointment as planned Wednesday. The Senate postponed the vote until April 30, when Ludlow will be present to answer questions raised since last week's hearing before the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee. He was out of town at a previously planned conference and unable to attend Wednesday's hearing. Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, committee chairman, said concerns have arisen regarding one particular answer Ludlow provided senators last week. When asked if a child polygamy case had ever come to his office, Ludlow said no. Buttars now believes that is not the case, and thinks Ludlow may have misinterpreted the question. "We want to feel very, very confident our questions are heard, (and) answered correctly," Buttars said. "And there were some remaining questions since that hearing and since he wasn't here we postponed presenting his name." Troy Bowles, of the organization Help the Child Brides, sent Buttars an e-mail outlining his concerns about Ludlow yesterday. In it, Bowles wrote: "We believe that there is a conflict of interest between Ludlow and the performance of his duty when polygamous offenders are involved." Pennie Petersen, who has four sisters married to well-known polygamists, said she also called a staff member of the committee yesterday with her concerns. Read more


Hatch spars about polygamy at town meet
By Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2003
ST. GEORGE — Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, found himself in a verbal sparring match with a couple of residents Thursday night when the pair challenged the senator's stance on polygamy. Bob Curran, director of an anti-polygamy group in St. George called Help the Child Brides, asked Hatch if he knew girls as young as 13 and 14 were being forced into marriages with older men living in the nearby twin polygamous towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. "I wouldn't throw accusations around unless you know they're true," Hatch cautioned Curran and another speaker, Sonja Blancke, who also questioned the senator on his position. "I'm not here to justify polygamy," Hatch said. "All I can say is, I know people in Hildale who are polygamists who are very fine people. You come and show me evidence of children being abused there and I'll get involved. Bring the evidence to me." Read more


System Failure
No matter who you ask – Republicans, Democrats – just about everyone will tell you that Arizona’s Child Protective Services doesn’t work. It’s so bad that the governor and county attorney have stepped in to try and fix the problem.
By Jana Bommersbach "Jana's View" Phoenix Magazine Originally published June 2003
Imagine this: Somebody walks in your front door and beats the hell out of your child. I know three things about every woman and man who just read that sentence. One: Their blood pressure immediately rose. Two: None would rest until that abuser was brought to justice. And three: Nobody would suggest that the attacking guy or gal was just having a bad day, and that they should be allowed to visit any time they want, or even babysit. Don't be absurd. People who abuse children - physically, sexually - not only need to be punished, but should also be kept away from the children they've hurt. That is why the "family reunification" policy that has governed so much of our child welfare laws has never made any sense to me. How is it that we make "keeping the family together" a higher priority than "keeping a child safe"? But that's what we do - we have for a long time. We minimize and forgive horrors done behind a family's door that we would never tolerate from a stranger. And so I was very encouraged recently to see leaders of both political parties in Arizona say that it's simply not right. Read more


Dirty Tricks
A call to an ex-gubernatorial candidate's campaign cell phone is linked to forged documents used to slam Napolitano and Salmon.
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published July 31, 2003
An Arizona Department of Public Safety investigation has linked a call to former independent gubernatorial candidate Dick Mahoney's cell phone to forged state Attorney General's office documents circulated to the press last September. The fake documents appeared to be internal AG memoranda strongly suggesting that then-Attorney General Janet Napolitano was covering up appalling conditions in a fundamentalist Mormon polygamous enclave in Colorado City. After discovering last winter that the documents were bogus, DPS investigators asked Mahoney and long-time aide Sam Vagenas to voluntarily submit to interviews after not only Mahoney's phone records but also Vagenas' were linked to a woman whose name appears in the forgeries. Mahoney and Vagenas refused to meet with authorities, and referred investigators to their attorneys. Inexplicably, the DPS did not pursue the case further, and Attorney General Terry Goddard's office declined to prosecute earlier this month, citing a lack of evidence. Read more


Whoa! Zoning change opposed
Keep truss firm out, say Apple Valley residents
By Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Monday, September 29, 2003
LEEDS, Washington County — A proposed zone change that would allow a truss company to open shop in the rural community of Apple Valley received lots of opposition at Tuesday's Washington County Commission meeting. Commissioners got an earful from those attending the public hearing portion of the meeting, held in a jam-packed Leeds Town Hall. Those against the proposal argued changing the 5-acre parcel of land in Apple Valley from its planned development zone to a manufacturing zone would cause numerous problems for area residents, including increased traffic, accidents, pollution and noise. AllcoTrades, based in Colorado City, Ariz., requested the zone change for expansion of its truss business now located in nearby Hildale, Apple Valley's closest neighbor. Read more


Colorado City plan sparks debate
By Joseph Dill Today's News-Herald Originally published November 19, 2003
State Sen. Linda Binder and District 3 Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson reacted with skepticism Tuesday to a letter sent to Binder by Board Chairman Pete Byers regarding Colorado City. Byers’ letter was sent on the heels of the Board’s 3-0 decision Monday to move forward in locating a county law enforcement facility in or near Colorado City in an effort to investigate alleged cases of polygamy, sexual assault and child abuse. The facility would include space for related state agencies such as Child Protective Services and the Attorney General’s Office. In the letter, Byers requests Binder’s assistance in finding funding and non-profit assistance in setting up a “safe house” for victims who want to report assaults. “This is the first interest Pete Byers has ever shown in the Colorado City situation,” said Binder, R-Lake Havasu City. “He has never shown the slightest interest in even educating himself on the issue.” Read more


Arizona, Utah aid teens fleeing polygamist area
Karina Bland The Arizona Republic Originally published January 31, 2004
Arizona child-welfare officials are working with their counterparts in Utah to decide what to do with children who run away from the twin polygamist communities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. Three teenagers from there are in foster care in Phoenix. This is the first time children fleeing polygamist families have been placed in state protective custody, said Flora Jessop of Phoenix, a former Colorado City resident who left as a teenager in 1986. Typically, the children have been treated like any other teenage runaways and returned home, she said. But with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the isolated communities of Colorado City and Hildale under scrutiny by law enforcement, child-welfare officials in both states are handling the cases carefully. Jessop said another half-dozen runaways are in hiding, waiting to see what happens to the three children in state care. Read more


Opponents warn lawmakers that polygamy will be next
By Raphael Lewis The Boston Globe Originally published February 10, 2004
Opponents of gay marriage stepped up their rhetoric yesterday, warning state lawmakers that Massachusetts will soon see the legalization of marriages with multiple spouses if they do not overturn the Supreme Judicial Court's ruling allowing same-sex marriages. "I think once you cross this bridge, this is a bridge gone too far," said Tony Perkins, who heads the Washington-based Family Research Council. "I think there's no turning back the clock." Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, a Princeton University professor who spoke with Perkins at a State House press conference, said the SJC's ruling Nov. 18 paved the way for further challenges to traditional marriage. He said the courts would not be able to bar other arrangements made by consenting adults, once the heterosexual union of a man and a woman is adulterated. Satinover said that what he called polyamory -- relationships involving any number of people, regardless of gender -- are "definitely the next arrangement that will be pushed just as soon as male-male unions and female-female unions are institutionalized in law." The Coalition for Marriage, a group of organizations pushing for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, called the press conference. Gay marriage supporters dismissed the polygamy argument as a myth. Read more


State Panel Backs Bill Against Polygamy
The Associated Press KVOA News 4 - Tucson Originally published February 15, 2004
Arizona legislators are acting to combat alleged child abuse associated with the polygamist enclave of Colorado City. The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved a bill backed by Attorney General Terry Goddard to create the crime of child bigamy. The bill would make it a felony for a married adult to marry a child or otherwise cohabit as husband and wife with a child. It also would make it illegal to arrange marriages or cohabitations under those circumstances. Supporters of the bill say it is aimed at polygamists who marry teen-age girls even if a second or subsequent marriage is not a valid marriage. The bill goes to the full Senate following a Rules Committee review.


Hildale fails to draw council candidates
By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published Wednesday, February 18, 2004
HILDALE -- Out of the 680 registered voters in Hildale, no one expressed any interest in filling a vacancy on the Hildale City Council. At the council's Tuesday morning meeting, Mayor David Zitting said although the city posted a public notice several weeks ago that there was a vacancy, no one responded. A seat on the council became available after Joseph I. Barlow Sr. resigned last month when he moved out of town. Barlow, who's term of office expired in 2005, submitted his resignation to Mayor Zitting on Jan. 13 after serving on the council since the town was incorporated back in 1963. Barlow was one of 20 men who were removed from their positions within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by the church's prophet Warren Jeffs. Since Barlow's open seat wasn't filled at the meeting on Tuesday, Zitting told the remaining councilors that they would need to attend all meetings; otherwise there would not be a quorum. Zitting said the city would continue to look for someone to fill the vacancy. Read more


Concerns over protecting children stall legislation
Lawyer says bill would invite suits and threaten kids
By Amy Joi Bryson Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, February 19, 2004
Although one of the most far-reaching legislative proposals to revamp Utah's child welfare system stalled this week in committee, its sponsor is determined to bring it back. "I am going to continue to work with people on their concerns, but I think this bill will help families and achieve balance," said Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan. But Alain Balmanno, the lead attorney for Utah in litigation brought against the state 10 years ago by a national children's advocacy group, said Harper's HB266 would "absolutely" invite more lawsuits and also present serious threats to the well-being of children. "You are making it impossible to protect children," Balmanno said. "If you pass Rep. Harper's bill I will have to defend this and I will lose," adding that the proposed changes would set the state back years. Balmanno said many of the provisions in the bill would violate agreements the state made when it entered into a consent decree in the suit settlement that requires certain performance standards. And Barbara Feaster, a child abuse victim who now heads U Foster Success, passionately told lawmakers children can't be ignored. She was in tears when it appeared lawmakers were poised to pass out the bill. The measure, by Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, is not dead. The lawmaker vowed to continue to address agency concerns and come to some sort of acceptable compromise. Read more


Hildale seat stays vacant
The Associated Press Originally published Thursday February 19, 2004
HILDALE -- No one wants a City Council seat that became vacant when a town leader was excommunicated and ordered out of the church-controlled town. Mayor David Zitting said that although the city posted a public vacancy notice several weeks ago, not one of the town's 680 registered voters responded. The seat became available after Joseph I. Barlow Sr. resigned Jan. 13. Barlow had been on the council since the town was incorporated in 1963. Barlow was one of 20 men who were removed from their positions within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by the church's prophet, Warren Jeffs. The men were told to leave town without their wives or property. More members have been excommunicated since that early January mass excommunication as Jeffs reportedly is trying to solidify his position as church leader. Read more


Colorado City elections today
Three candidates running for three Town Council seats; town's new mayor to be chosen by council
By Jane Zhang The Spectrum Originally published Tuesday, March 9, 2004
ST. GEORGE -- With three candidates running for three Town Council positions, the primary election today in Colorado City is anything but unpredictable. Edson Jessop, who has been a councilman since the town was incorporated in 1985, is the only candidate remaining on the official ballot. Two write-in candidates -- private school teacher Richard Allred and town library board member Donald Richter -- are running for the two remaining vacancies on the seven-member council. The mayor will be selected by the new council after a general election, which will be May 18, Town Clerk Kevin Barlow said. Dan Barlow, the mayor of 19 years until his resignation in January, filed papers in December for his re-election, only to withdraw in a letter dated Jan. 26, Kevin Barlow said. Another councilman, Richard Holm, didn't file for re-election. Read more


Primary elections held in Colorado City
By Jane Zhang The Spectrum Originally published Wednesday, March 10, 2004
ST. GEORGE -- All three city council candidates received more than 93 percent of the votes Tuesday in Colorado City's primary election, a town official said. Among the 327 valid cast votes, Edson Jessop, who has been a councilman since the town was incorporated in 1985, received 307 votes, or 93.9 percent of the vote; Richard Allred, a teacher at a private school, received 318 votes, or 97.2 percent of the vote; and Donald Richter, a member of the town library board, received 312, or 95.4 percent of the vote, town clerk Kevin Barlow said. Voter turnout was 33 percent, he said. Five ballots were sent to Mohave County to be verified. Read more


Colorado City election anything but democratic
In Our View The Spectrum Originally published Sunday, March 14, 2004
EDITORIAL They called it an election, but in realistic terms, it was anything but. The recent Colorado City primary election for city council was a sham and the truest example of the reasons behind the constitutional separation of church and state. Most frequently, this constitutional separation is cited in arguments made against prayer in school, the posting of the Ten Commandments on a courthouse wall or other religious expression by a government entity. It's been some time, however, since the influence of a church, in this case the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has been brought to question. Christian fundamentalist Pat Robertson's ecclesiastical run for the White House stirred deep religious and anti-religious fervor. Roman Catholic John Fitzgerald Kennedy's successful 1960 bid for the White House was also viewed suspiciously by those who feared he would become a papist puppet. That's a major reason why Kennedy so narrowly defeated Richard Nixon. The Colorado City situation, however, poses more danger to the residents of a small town that finds itself under the thumb of church control. The FLDS church controls most of the property in Colorado City through the United Effort Plan, a church-controlled trust. The unspoken rule? Break from the church or question authorities and you will be booted from the community, your wives and children will be taken from you and placed with other men and your future, at least in Colorado City, is over. Read more


Too Little, Too Late
The governor needs to help abused women and children in Colorado City. Now.
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published April 15, 2004
It's not every day that the governor of a state is faced with an open insurrection by thousands of religious zealots. It's even rarer when the fanatics flout the state Constitution in a hell-bent pursuit of reaching heaven by coercing teenage girls into a life of subjugation, rape and breeding. Even more unusual is the appalling fact that the rebellion is being funded by tens of millions of taxpayer dollars pouring into an incorporated town controlled by a theocracy -- a religious dictatorship that ignores the rule of law and prays for the destruction of this nation. These are the facts of life in the remote town of Colorado City, located north of the Grand Canyon on the Arizona Strip. And these are precisely the type of outrageous actions in which government is supposed to intervene, by force if necessary, to protect its citizens from human rights and constitutional abuses. This is the type of situation a governor with courage and conviction should immediately address. Unfortunately for Arizona and the thousands of children in Colorado City, Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano has exhibited neither of these characteristics when it comes to the horrendous situation in Colorado City. Instead, Napolitano is doing nothing. Read more


Legislature gives early approval to end child polygamy practices
By Howard Fisher Capital Media Services Originally published April 16, 2004
PHOENIX -- Members of the House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Thursday to legislation designed to end the practice of children being forced into polygamous relationships. SB 1335 would make it a crime for someone who already has a spouse to marry a child. It also would make criminals of those who causes such a marriage or transports or finances the transportation of a child to promote such a marriage. Arizona has a constitutional prohibition against polygamous relationships but there are no statutes specifically making that a crime. There is a law banning plural marriages but that applies only when someone obtains a state-issued marriage license while still legally married to someone else. This legislation contains a special definition of marriage to include any joining as husband and wife, whether or not there is a marriage license and whether or not it is recognized by the state. That is designed to address what happens in polygamous communities where a husband legally "marries" only one woman, with subsequent brides recognized only by the church. Child polygamy is practiced by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. That is a break-away sect of Mormons who have settled in Colorado City on the state's northern border and across the line in Hilldale, Utah. Thursday's vote came over the objection of Rep. Wally Straughn, D-Phoenix. Read more


Arizona House OKs bill targeting polygamy
The Associated Press KVOA News 4 - Tucson Originally published April 20, 2004
The Arizona House has unanimously approved legislation intended to help combat forced marriages of teenage girls in polygamist enclaves. Modeled after a Utah law, the bill would make it a felony for a married adult to marry a child. Other provisions are aimed at holding parents responsible for forced marriages of their children. The proposal has already cleared the Arizona Senate. However, it now returns to that chamber for consideration of changes made by the House. The Arizona Constitution already prohibits polygamy, but Arizona's bigamy law addresses only state-sanctioned marriages, not those recognized only by churches.


Running Scared
There are a couple of reasons Janet Napolitano won't be on John Kerry's ticket
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published May 13, 2004
Governor Janet Napolitano has finally found her man. Tucked under the right arm of presumed Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, Napolitano beamed radiantly during a Democratic party rah-rah at the Arizona Biltmore recently. Normally aloof, Napolitano never drifted far from the Massachusetts senator's side. She got the good lovin' not only from the presidential hopeful, but from a throng of folks clamoring to rub up against the reigning Democratic deity. For his part, Kerry seemed delighted that Napolitano was beside him. He needs her to deliver big-time if his next home is to be the White House. Provided Napolitano can deliver Arizona's 10 electoral votes in November, it would be only the second time that the Democratic presidential nominee has taken the state since 1948. A Kerry victory in the realm of Republican Senator John McCain would be a major blow to President George W. Bush. Napolitano has everything to gain and nothing to lose in the next six months by throwing her energy toward Kerry's election, which she vows to do. But this isn't about Janet becoming vice president on a Kerry ticket. It's about banking political capital -- which is Napolitano's greatest skill. Read more


County Attorney speaks on Colorado City and more
e-Press The Tri-States News Network Murphy Broadcasting, Inc. Originally published Thursday May 27, 2004
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. - Colorado City is just one of the issues the Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith would like to address as he runs for a full term. Smith talked about this at the recent Lake Havasu City Republican Men's Group meeting. "Generally speaking, I want to concentrate on the prosecution side and stay out of the politics as much as possible, as much as I can. Try to aggressively recruit and hire the best prosecutors. I am going to stay on that end; I am still doing trials, starting my fifth of the year on June 1st. And I just want to see us as a very strong prosecution-oriented office." Smith took over the position earlier this year when Bill Ekstrom retired. Smith also talked about victim rights, his campaign for election and future work in Colorado City. Read more


YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK
1/2 of town's cops are polygamists But state officials not pursuing criminal charges against officers
WorldNetDaily.com Originally published June 10, 2004
An eight-month investigation by the state of Utah has found more than half of the police officers in the southern town of Hildale practice polygamy – that is, having more than one spouse. "Hildale has 13 officers who are certified by Utah, seven by our records are polygamists," Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the Salt Lake Tribune. He says some on the force were aware of the illegal activity by fellow officers, but did not take any action. And though Shurtleff himself ordered the inquiry, he's not pursuing criminal charges on any of the accusations. "We just don't have the resources to start charging bigamy," Shurtleff told the paper. The attorney general, who maintains police officers need to be held to a higher standard, is instead looking to strip the officers of their ability to enforce the law. Read more


Hildale fills City Council slots
By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published June 16, 2004
HILDALE -- After months of trying to fill vacancies on the town council, the Hildale City Council finally filled the two vacancies at its meeting on Tuesday morning. Mayor David Zitting said William Jessop and Lamar Johnson were appointed to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Joseph Barlow Sr. who resigned in January. Fred Jessop, who, although he did not resign from the council, hasn't attended a meeting in at least six months, left the other position open. Zitting said he was pleased with the new appointments and pleased that the number of councilors is back up to five. In the last six months, every member of the council had to attend in order to have a quorum and Zitting spoke at the meeting about how pleased he was that everyone left on the council attended the early morning monthly meeting. Of the two newly appointed council members, Zitting said both are excellent people. "I'm just really pleased the way it turned out," he said. Since only three voting members were left on the council, in order for the council to make any decisions, the remaining members, Joseph S. Jessop, Dan Jessop and Harold Peine, not only had to be at every meeting, but agree unanimously on decisions. The two men appointed on Tuesday will serve until the next municipal election, which will be in November 2005. Zitting said Johnson and Jessop hadn't responded to the numerous advertisements in the paper but rather through communication in the community. Read more


Hatch draws the line
By Lee Davidson Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, July 13, 2004
WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch told the Senate on Monday that same-sex couples should be able to live together like married people, should have insurance and estate benefits like married people, and should be able to visit and care for each other in hospitals like married people. But Hatch, R-Utah, said he draws the line at actually declaring them married. "We ought to be able to solve those inadequacies in the law without changing a 5,000-year-plus definition of marriage," Hatch said during continuing debate on whether to pass a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage. A vote on that is expected this week, possibly on Wednesday. Both sides doubt the two-thirds majority needed for passage can be achieved. But Republicans say it is an urgent issue this election year and hope it will help energize their conservative base. The proposed amendment would define marriage as between a man and a woman but would permit states to allow "civil unions" or other arrangements to outline legal rights for gay couples. Read more


Republican squabble rules roost
Byers, challenger Basinger take spotlight in forum for District 1 supervisor’s race
By Cableb Soptelean Kingman Daily Miner Originally published Sunday, August 8, 2004
KINGMAN – A Democrat and an independent were cordial during a District 1 board of supervisors candidates’ forum Thursday night, but two Republicans sparred over a variety of issues. Challenger Richard Basinger attacked the record of incumbent Pete Byers early and often during the 90-minute forum at Mohave Community College. Basinger spoke first and spent most of 10 minutes attacking Byers’ record. Referring to “boondoggles and snafus” during the past year, Basinger noted what he said were violations of the state open meetings law. Basinger said it was illegal for the board of supervisors to correct a previous action because the corrective action took place more than 30 days after the original vote. Read more


Governor hopefuls face off
By Bob Hudson The Spectrum Originally published Thursday, August 12, 2004
ST. GEORGE -- Two ideas struck Roger Stratford as he listened to the men running for Utah governor Wednesday. "I thought they had a genuine interest in Washington County," Stratford said after Jon Huntsman Jr. and Scott Matheson Jr. had spoken to members of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce. "I'll bring my wife next time. I will take every opportunity I can to hear them speak. "I hadn't had a chance to see them face-to-face," Stratford continued. "It's much better than reading it in the paper when you can see them react." Matheson, the Democratic candidate, and Huntsman, the Republican, responded to five questions submitted to them beforehand and to four that audience members handed in as the forum proceeded. "As the general election campaign evolves, Jon and I get to be better friends," Matheson said. Each man addressed his policy on water development, school vouchers, expansion of Dixie State College, local transportation issues including the city's replacement airport, and the use of hotel room taxes to support tourism promotion. Read more


Former Mohave County Attorney returns
e-Press Tri-States News Network A Production of Murphy Broadcasting, Inc. Originally published Wednesday, September 8, 2004
KINGMAN, Ariz. - Bill Ekstrom is returning to the Mohave County Attorney's Office. The man he helped promote to County Attorney, Matt Smith, has hired Ekstrom to return to work in the Civil Division. Ekstrom retired in January, a year before his four year term of office expired. He helped convince the Board of Supervisors to appoint veteran deputy attorney Matt Smith as County Attorney. Smith has hired Ekstrom to fill the vacancy created through the departure of former Civil Division attorney Charlotte Wells. Smith said Ekstrom should return to the office by the end of the month at an annual salary of almost $77,000. The Board of Supervisors on Monday took no action on Smith's request for approving an $80,000 salary for Ekstrom. Smith said Wells had a raise coming and that Ekstrom's expertise and talent was worth as much as Wells'. No action by the Board means Ekstrom won't get Wells' raise and will return to work for $76,800. Board Chairman Pete Byers said there's been a negative public reaction about a perception that Smith and Ekstrom have manipulated the system and orchestrated a job switch to their advantage. Read more


Napolitano's mission: Learn about Mormons
By Paul Davenport The Associated Press Originally published September 21, 2004
Gov. Janet Napolitano plans to visit Salt Lake City this week to meet with leaders of the Mormon Church to learn more about the faith shared by hundreds of thousands of Arizonans. A Napolitano spokeswoman said the Democratic governor will meet Friday with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders, including President Gordon B. Hinckley and other members of the three-man First Presidency, a policy-making body that has final authority on all spiritual and worldly matters. The itinerary for the trip being made at state expense also includes touring church facilities, including Temple Square and the family history library, and being briefed on welfare programs, Napolitano spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said Monday. The governor, who was raised as a Methodist but who L'Ecuyer said now regards herself as a practicing Christian, will be accompanied by three aides, as well as Arizona Chief Justice Charles E. Jones and other state officials who are Mormon. Read more


Polygamy Likely to Play Role in Attorney General Race
Richard Piatt Reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast September 23, 2004
Polygamy is a major issue for the Attorney General and the men running to unseat him. Running the office includes many more duties, of course, but the public is constantly questioning the candidates about Utah's most commonly un-enforced crime. Utah's current Attorney General says he's taking the strongest stand in 50 years on polygamy. Just this week, Mark Shurtleff took a hard line in Southern Utah where polygamist police officer Rodney Holm was convicted of bigamy this year. Shurtleff says he agrees with Utah's Police Officer Standards and Training council that polygamous police officers should be fired when they're discovered. But with limited resources to enforce the law in general, Shurtleff agrees more can be done. Mark Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General: "Four years ago when I was running for office I didn't say the word polygamy once. That's because I didn't realize the problem of child abuse, victimization of women, and of boys, these lost boys." Read more


AG candidates address polygamy, Amendment 3
By Brian Passey The Spectrum Originally published Thursday, October 7, 2004
ST. GEORGE -- The Utah Attorney General debate Wednesday at Dixie State College's Dunford Auditorium began with a topic of concern for many southern Utahns: polygamy. Democratic candidate Greg Skordas, 47, Murray, called polygamy an embarrassment and a crime against women and children that should be prosecuted as spousal and child abuse. Current Attorney General, Republican Mark Shurtleff, 47, Sandy, talked of his efforts at fighting polygamy and related crimes since he became attorney general, including the establishment of a hotline for victims. "This is not focusing on religion," Shurtleff said. Libertarian candidate Andrew McCullough, 56, Lehi, differed from his opponents in his opinion that polygamy in a religious setting is constitutionally protected. McCullough said he would not prosecute polygamy as attorney general, but would enforce welfare and abuse cases. Skordas said despite what McCullough thought, polygamy is still a felony in Utah. Read more


Attorney General Candidates Debate
The Associated Press KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast October 7, 2004
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Polygamy became a main topic as candidates for Utah Attorney General debated in southern Utah -- an area that's home to one of the state's most notable polygamist communities. The Wednesday debate at Dixie State College's Dunford Auditorium began with discussion of the practice, which is outlawed by the state Constitution. Democratic candidate Greg Skordas called polygamy an embarrassment and a crime against women and children that should be prosecuted as spousal and child abuse. Incumbent Republican Mark Shurtleff brought up his efforts at fighting polygamy and prosecuting related crimes since he became attorney general. "This is not focusing on religion," Shurtleff said. Read more


Janet's Missed Opportunity
Governor Napolitano went to Utah, and all we got was some lousy ring kissing.
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published October 7, 2004
I've got a dreadful message for thousands of young men and women trapped in the horrors of fundamentalist Mormon polygamy in a handful of remote and desolate towns north of the Grand Canyon along the Arizona-Utah border. Governor Janet Napolitano -- the rising Democratic starlet who deftly portrays herself as a defender of women's rights, the champion of children and advocate of education -- has sold your souls for political expediency. Make no mistake: Napolitano would rather appease conservative Mormons in the state Legislature than courageously fight to free thousands of young men and women from the shackles of a practice condemned by every civilized nation on Earth. The governor had a rare opportunity last month during a historic meeting with the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) to demand they take a proactive role in helping the victims of polygamy. She punted. Napolitano never raised the sensitive topic, despite the fact that the LDS has a long, deep and continuing connection with polygamy. Read more


Attorney general hopefuls spar in Dixie
By Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, October 8, 2004
ST. GEORGE — Polygamy, rising crime rates and a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage were the main topics discussed by Utah attorney general candidates during a televised debate here Wednesday. Democrat Greg Skordas, Republican incumbent Mark Shurtleff and Libertarian Andrew McCullough squared off in a sparsely attended forum on the campus of Dixie State College. Polygamy, Skordas said in answer to a moderator's question, is "an embarrassment" to the state. "It's not so much a crime about religion as it is about crimes against women and children," he said. "Polygamy is still a crime, a felony, that is proscribed by our state constitution. And it should be enforced as a crime, but it's hard to prove crime without a victim coming forward. That's why we must prosecute it as crimes of abuse; then we'll be successful." Shurtleff said when he first ran for office four years ago, polygamy wasn't even mentioned during the campaign. "When a 13-year-old is forced to marry an old man or sleep with her daddy, that's child rape," Shurtleff said. "We're not targeting or focusing on religion. This is about protecting women and children. "The fact is, out in Hildale and Colorado City, women are treated as chattel and have no rights whatsoever. They are there to have babies. That's all. They're denied an education. Now we're finding out that men and young boys are being victimized. We have to do something to prosecute these crimes." Read more


3 attorney general candidates debate at U.
Guns on campus, Amendment 3 are among issues
By Geoffrey Fattah Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, October 21, 2004
Guns on campus was an issue that hit home for University of Utah law school students Wednesday during a debate among three candidates vying for Utah's top legal post. As the campaign season heads into the home stretch, the debate at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law moot courtroom was a chance for candidates for attorney general to clarify their positions on Utah's top legal issues, including guns on campus, defining marriage and polygamy. The issue of guns on campus has pitted the attorney general's office against the University of Utah, and the case is now pending before the Utah Supreme Court. Read more


Cannon, Babka No Stand on Polygamy
Republican Representative Chris Cannon and Democratic challenger Beau Babka have definite and opposing views on the proposed gay marriage ban. But neither was willing to take a stand regarding polygamy.
The Associated Press KSL 1160 News Radio Originally broadcast October 25, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Republican Representative Chris Cannon and Democratic challenger Beau Babka are taking no stand on the subject of polygamy. At a KUED debate taped yesterday for broadcast this evening, Utah's third U.S. House District candidates were asked whether polygamy was protected under the U.S. Constitution. The question was posed by two female polygamists in the audience, and relayed by moderator Ken Verdoia. Cannon, who supports the proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, said he doesn't know about polygamy. He said, "I don't know where we should go. I don't have an answer." Babka says he is voting against Amendment 3 because he doesn't believe the constitution should be used to disenfranchise any group of people. But he said he wasn't sure how to answer the polygamy question. He said religious freedom is important, but he is concerned about the exploitation of women and children in polygamist families.


Bush And The Mormons
By Suzan Mazur scoop.co.nz Originally published Tuesday, 26 October 2004
Dan Briody, The Iron Triangle: "So in 1989, when Mr. Marriott made it known that his company's airline catering division, then known as Marriott In-Flite Services, was on the block, one had to suspect that he knew something the rest of the world didn't know." That's J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Chairman of Marriott Corp. Briody speaks of, one of the world's most successful businessmen. Marriott's also one of the most celebrated members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the Mormon Church. While we know of George W. Bush's popularity with the American electorate who consider themselves evangelical, born-again Christians (42%) - the vote from Bush's Mormon base has not been counted. Mormons are clearly not evangelical Christians. And there are 11 million of them. They run the "biggest and best" gun shows nationwide. They tend to vote Republican. And their church is rich, because it asks its members to tithe 10% of their annual income. Read more


Supervisors to be sworn in; plans for 2005 discussed
By Jim Seckler Mohave Daily News Originally published December 30, 2004
KINGMAN -- Mohave County elected officials will be sworn in Monday to begin a new four-year term running the county. District 1 Supervisor Pete Byers and District 2 Supervisor Tom Sockwell will also be sworn in after their election victory last month. District Supervisor Buster Johnson was already sworn in last week in Lake Havasu City before Judge Randolph Bartlett. Sockwell said one of his goals is to see the construction of a law and justice center as well as the finishing of the new administration building currently under construction in Kingman. "The way the county is developing, we still need to work on the economic development, bringing large businesses into Mohave County," Sockwell said. The Bullhead City supervisor would also like to see the construction of a park in the Mohave Valley area. Pushing up the timeline for the Highway 95 bypass that would connect Highway 68 with Interstate 40 is another goal. Read more


Utah legislators get some light reading - 'God's Brothel'
The Associated Press The Arizona Republic Originally published January 18, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY - Polygamy can bring snickers, but it's no laughing matter, says a state senator who on Tuesday dropped copies of the book "God's Brothel" on Utah legislators' desks. Sen. Ed Allen, D-Stansbury Park, said he wants to dispel the notion that polygamy in Utah is only "anecdotal - or even humorous." Thousands in Utah, members of breakaway Mormon factions, quietly practice polygamy, although it has been illegal for more than a century. Allen suggested that "God's Brothel," and its personal accounts of women who escaped from polygamous marriages or families, would make good reading for legislators on Tuesday's long bus ride to hear Gov. Jon Huntsman deliver his State of the State address at the territorial statehouse in Fillmore, Utah. "I'm passing this out with no grand agenda. I simply want legislators to have more background on the problem," said Allen, who helped enact a child bigamy law in 2003 that made forced marriages of minors a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison. Before, the offense carried only 30 days in jail, and was rarely enforced, said Allen. He said the marrying of teenage girls was a common practice among some of Utah's isolated polygamist communities, until the state served notice it was cracking down. Read more


Senator: Polygamy no laughing matter
By Paul Foy The Associated Press Casper Star-Tribune Originally published Wednesday, January 19, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY -- Polygamy can bring snickers, but it's no laughing matter, says a state senator who on Tuesday dropped copies of the book "God's Brothel" on Utah legislators' desks. Democratic state Sen. Ron Allen said he wants to dispel the notion that polygamy in Utah is only "anecdotal -- or even humorous." Thousands in Utah, members of breakaway Mormon factions, quietly practice polygamy, although it has been illegal for more than a century. The book is an indictment of polygamy written by Andrea Moore-Emmett, president of the Utah chapter of the National Organization for Women. She compiled stories from 18 women who escaped from polygamous marriages or families and told of rape, incest, orgies and violence. "I'm passing this out with no grand agenda. I simply want legislators to have more background on the problem," said Allen. The books were donated by the publisher, Pince-Nez Press of San Francisco, he said. Allen, the Senate's Democratic whip, helped enact a child bigamy law in 2003 that made forced marriages of minors a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison. Read more


Senate leader passes out a polygamy primer
Allen wants to keep issue on the minds of senators
By Josh Loftin and Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Although polygamy is not the subject of any legislative bills, Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen hopes to keep the issue on the minds of fellow senators. Joking that he wanted to give senators "something to read on the bus" during their afternoon ride to Fillmore for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s State of the State speech, Allen, D-Tooele, distributed copies of "God's Brothel." He also hopes the book, written by Andrea Moore-Emmett, tells the stories of former polygamist wives and provides a history of polygamy, provides a new perspective on an old debate, even if it is not something being tackled during this session. "We're just trying to raise the consciousness level of policy makers about what happens in these communities," Allen, who was distributing in cooperation with the author and publisher, said. "There's no agenda." Sen. Parley Hellewell, R-Orem, said that he was a little bothered by the book's subtitle, which referenced "Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy." Regardless, he doubted that the book would receive any of his attention during the coming weeks. "I couldn't even tell what the book was about, and whether it was saying that Mormons practice polygamy — which they don't," he said. Read more


Harper warns of 'radical' marriages
Globe and Mail Update with Canadian Press Originally published Thursday, January 20, 2005
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper warned Thursday that if same-sex legislation becomes law, the Liberals won't be able to prevent fundamentalist groups from requesting extreme types of marriages such as polygamy. But Justice Minister Irwin Cotler quickly moved to quash those fears. "We don't see any connection, I repeat, any connection between the issue of polygamy and the issue of same-sex marriage," Mr. Cotler said Thursday. "Any attempt to make that kind of connection is simply a way of confusing distinguishable issues in every regard." Mr. Harper told reporters in Quebec on Thursday that if the Liberals don't enshrine the traditional definition of marriage in law, "radical" groups may begin launching constitutional battles arguing that it is legal for a man to marry more than one woman, as occurs in a polygamous marriage. "I think that's where we should draw the line," he said after a speech in Montreal where he endorsed tax incentives for members of agricultural co-operatives. The Tory Leader made the comments a day after the Liberals decided to launch a study into the social and legal impacts of polygamy. The study is being conducted by the federal agency, Status of Women Canada. The agency wants to ensure that the government is prepared for the possibility that groups may use same-sex legislation to challenge the legality of polygamy. Some concluded the federal government was on a pre-emptive strike against a campaign to legalize polygamy. Read more


Utah state lawmaker defends polygamy
The Associated Press Seattle Post-Intelligencer Originally published Saturday, January 22, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY -- A Republican state lawmaker countered a Senate colleague's dispersal of an anti-polygamy book by passing out materials to fellow legislators defending the practice as natural and not necessarily harmful. State Sen. Carlene Walker said she was offended by the book, "God's Brothel," that Democratic Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen distributed to legislators Tuesday. Walker said she has known polygamists who are "fine, honest, educated, wonderful people." "To characterize the whole polygamy community as abusive to children and the welfare system is inaccurate," she said. The book distributed by Allen and written by Salt Lake City author Andrea Moore-Emmett tells the stories of 18 women who claim they suffered rape, incest and violence in polygamous communities. "It's not fair to say we should ignore it," he said. Allen helped enact a child bigamy law in 2003 that made forced marriages of minors a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison. The offense previously carried only a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail, and was rarely enforced. It's believed that tens of thousands in Utah and more than 30,000 across the West continue to practice polygamy.


Utah senator passes out pro-polygamy material
The Associated Press KOLD Channel 13 - Tucson Originally published January 23, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY A Republican state lawmaker in Utah countered a Senate colleague's dispersal of an anti-polygamy book by passing out folders defending the practice. Senator Carlene Walker, of Cottonwood Heights, Utah, says she was offended by the title of the book "God's Brothel" that Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen distributed. She says she wanted to balance its views. The information she passed out came from a group of women near the Utah-Arizona state line who say it's unfair to characterize polygamists as "oppressed," "abused" or "brainwashed." Walker says she has known polygamists who are "fine," "honest" and "educated." Allen says people are misunderstanding his point of demonstrating abuses in polygamous relationships. He says he and he passed out 104 copies of the book to legislators because he wanted them to understand polygamy isn't harmless.


Judge dismisses challenge to Utah ban on polygamy
He says those who filed lawsuit face an insurmountable hurdle
By Angie Welling Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, February 17, 2005
With a handful of court rulings over the past century upholding the constitutionality of Utah's ban on polygamy, those who choose to contest the prohibition face "an insurmountable hurdle," a federal judge said Wednesday. With that, U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart dismissed a lawsuit brought last year by three Utahns — a married couple and the man's would-be second wife — challenging the state's bigamy law and seeking a court order directing the issuance of a marriage license for the man and second woman. The trio sued Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen in January 2004, claiming their constitutional rights to free exercise of religion, of association and to privacy were violated by the Dec. 22, 2003, denial of a marriage license. Attorney Brian Barnard said he intends to appeal the decision — in which, he said, Stewart offers "little or no discussion or explanation" of his reasoning — to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Noting that challenges to the constitutionality of Utah's bigamy laws are "not a new question before the courts," Stewart cited rulings that have repeatedly found the prohibition on polygamy to be in line with the U.S. Constitution. Read more


Federal judge upholds Utah's ban on polygamy
The Associated Press The Arizona Republic Originally published February 17, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY - A federal judge has upheld Utah's ban on polygamy as it applies to issuing marriage licenses. U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart emphasized his ruling was about marriage - not about personal sexual conduct. Stewart's ruling Wednesday upheld the decision of the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office to refuse a marriage license for a couple in which the man was seeking a second wife. Stewart rejected the argument that Utah's prohibition on polygamy was an unconstitutional violation of religious and privacy rights and he ruled that the state has an interest in protecting monogamous marriage. He cited rulings upholding Utah's polygamy laws stretching back to an 1878 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the polygamy conviction of George Reynolds, personal secretary to Mormon pioneer leader Brigham Young. Stewart said the Lawrence v. Texas ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned an anti-sodomy law as a violation of the privacy of consenting adults, grants no right to plural marriage in Utah. Read more


Minors could soon access medical, other services without parents' OK
By Amy Joi Bryson Deseret Morning News Originally published February 26, 2005
Utah may soon join two dozen other states across the nation that have provisions in place for minors to petition courts for emancipation, allowing them access to medical care, housing and other critical services. Despite some reservations, a majority of House legislators approved HB77 Thursday by a 44-25 vote, which will advance the measure to the Senate for consideration. Sponsored by Rep. Roz McGee, D-Salt Lake, the proposal allows minors 16 and over to seek emancipation from a juvenile court judge, provided it could be proven by "clear and convincing" evidence that the declaration is warranted. McGee said she brought the proposal as the result of two specific groups of teenagers who say established guidelines will help them make their way officially in a world where they are already on their own. Specifically, McGee said the measure will be helpful to teenagers long abandoned by their parents and living in shelters or on the streets and for those youths who flee polygamist families. Read more


Utah Conduct Commission to Judge: Three Wives and You're Out
The Associated Press Law.com Originally published March 5, 2005
The Utah Judicial Conduct Commission has recommended that a judge be removed from the bench because he is a polygamist. Judge Walter Steed, who serves in the polygamous border town of Hildale, is legally married to one woman but considers himself spiritually married to two others, and he has 32 children. Steed is a member of the reclusive Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which dominates Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz. Unlike the small Fundamentalist group, the main Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoned founder Joseph Smith's polygamy teaching in 1890. The Utah Supreme Court now gets the case. One issue is Steed's contention that the law allowing prosecutors to pursue people who consider themselves plurally married but aren't legally married is unconstitutional. Utah's attorney general and the Washington County attorney previously declined to file criminal charges against Steed.


Prosecutors address polygamy issue in Utah meeting
Miami Herald Originally published March 10, 2005
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - The attorneys general of Utah and Arizona told a two-state town hall meeting that they would not target polygamists solely for practicing plural marriage. Their remarks drew an angry reaction from polygamy opponents, who said the practice is criminal and the law should be enforced. Still, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said they would pursue criminal charges against those involved in forced or underage marriages, sexual abuse and welfare and tax fraud. The March 3 meeting drew both polygamous families and those who oppose the practice. Some wore suits and ties, while others wore the pioneer-like dresses and elaborate braids common in the polygamous communities. Polygamists contend they have a First Amendment right to practice plural marriage because it's part of their religion. They also claim they've been unfairly targeted by prosecutors because they're different. Shurtleff rejected the claim. "It's never been about religion, but we certainly won't sit back and let people commit crimes," he said. Read more


Religious Wrong
A state lawmaker's assault on the campus press is trickle-down from Dubya's White House
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published March 17, 2005
Mesa Republican Representative Russell Pearce, co-chairman of the powerful Arizona House Appropriations Committee, is launching a pitched assault on the First Amendment to the Constitution. Pearce, a member of the Salt Lake City-based Mormon Church, put language in this year's state budget bill to eliminate funding for campus publications in Arizona because they have run stories and photographs he considers offensive. The next step is for the bill, which passed on a split vote of the Appropriations Committee, to go before the full House. Pearce claims he was approached by several legislators who were outraged by sex columns in Arizona campus papers, including one in Arizona State University's State Press that gauges students' sexual techniques. The State Press column by Erika Wurst is accompanied by what Pearce considers sexually explicit photos. "If you want to be a free press, be a free press, but we're not going to subsidize articles that are over the top, and there were a lot of folks that felt [such articles were] over the top," Pearce told the Associated Press. Could Pearce, who did not return my phone calls, also have been talking to the Phoenix-based crackpot group Americans for Decency, which recently listed the State Press as the number two threat to decency in the entire state? Read more


Derail Polygamy's Money Train
A bill before the Legislature would allow the state to begin reforming a society that steals public money and abuses underage girls
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published April 7, 2005
The Arizona Legislature has the rare opportunity this session to strike a powerful blow to the heart of the fundamentalist Mormon polygamist cult that has dominated life in the isolated communities north of the Grand Canyon for more than 70 years. Lawmakers are debating legislation that would allow the state to finally seize control of the corrupt Colorado City Unified School District from the nation's largest band of polygamists who claim to be following the teachings of Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith. It's essential that the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano reach agreement on such legislation during this session. There is too much at stake to let this opportunity slip away. Napolitano needs to get off her throne and get down and dirty with legislators to make sure this bill passes. Her cowardly and aloof practice of not commenting on bills until they pass the Legislature is an abdication of the power that voters have given her -- which is to lead, not follow. The governor is intimately familiar with the crisis gripping the Colorado City schools. As state attorney general, she initiated a grand jury investigation into abuses by the polygamists that went nowhere. In the last two years as governor, Napolitano has failed time and again to take direct action to help end the sexual slavery and taxpayer rip-offs that are Colorado City's hallmark. Legislation that can begin the tedious process of reform is in danger of dying because of political infighting. Napolitano should use her bully pulpit to make sure this doesn't happen. Read more


Senate OKs bill for takeovers
The Associated Press KVOA Channel 4 - Tucson Originally broadcast Monday, May 2, 2005
PHOENIX The Arizona Senate today unanimously approved a bill to let the state Board of Education appoint receivers to take over operation of school districts deemed to be financially dysfunctional. Supporters have said the bill is a response to financial troubles of the Colorado City Unified School District. The teachers in the district serving a polygamist community in a remote area of northern Arizona went unpaid for two months last year because the district ran out of money. Critics blame the district's financial problems on, among other things, a bloated work force. The Senate last week broke a logjam on the issue by voting to limit the possible grounds for takeovers to financial situations. The bill now awaits a final House vote that could send it to Governor Napolitano.


Elephant Slayer
Napolitano deftly played politics this legislative session to fend off all GOP foes
By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published Thursday, May 26, 2005
Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano's taking it to the House -- and the Senate -- leaving no doubt about who's the most powerful politician in state government. Brash, abrasive and confident, Napolitano craftily used this past legislative session to capture the pole position for next year's gubernatorial race that's shaping up to be a laugher. With state coffers flush with cash, Napolitano seized the rare opportunity to advance her kids-come-first political agenda while thwarting a deceptive Republican effort at immigration reform that failed to include employer sanctions. Throughout the session, Napolitano shrewdly portrayed herself as the lone voice of reason overseeing a legislative madhouse that sent her scores of inflammatory, unnecessary -- and just plain stupid -- bills. Many of these she thankfully vetoed. In fact, the governor drained her pen vetoing more than 50 bills during the session. Most of the vetoes were accompanied by pithy critiques that ripped apart the logic of various legislation. Nearly three years after winning a cliffhanger over Matt Salmon in the 2002 governor's race, Napolitano's expanded her political base into a formidable fortress that's left Republicans scrambling to find a sacrificial lamb to oppose her in November 2006. At this point, the 47-year-old former U.S. attorney and Arizona Attorney General is unbeatable. It's a remarkable position for Napolitano to find herself in. Remember, Republicans have 150,000 more registered voters statewide than Democrats. Read more


Polygamy crackdown is no coincidence
Opinions The Arizona Republic Originally published July 14, 2005
For the entire 20 years I have lived in Arizona, the polygamists in northern Arizona have gone virtually unchallenged in their abuse of young girls. For the entire time I have lived in Arizona, the state has been almost under total control by conservatives. Now when we have both a Democratic governor and attorney general, these pedophiles are actually being brought to justice. Coincidence? Bob Uselton, Phoenix


Montgomery vows to address Colorado City
e-Press Tri-State News Network Originally published Monday, September 5, 2005
KINGMAN, Ariz. - Former Maricopa County prosecutor Bill Montgomery has begun the process of seeking the Republican nomination for the position of Arizona Attorney General. Montgomery said he hopes to make a difference and reduce crime. "Right now we are not preparing our state for the kind of future where our families are going to have the opportunities we want them to have," said Montgomery. One of the first issues he says he'll tackle, if elected, is the situation in Colorado City. Montgomery said that Warren Jeffs and others in the FLDS church are simply trying to clothe their illegal activities under the guise of a religious endeavor. "Enough is enough, it's got to be stopped. It's a point that I will make over the course of my campaign that people in Colorado City had better be on notice. Come November 8 next year, things had better be different, or we're coming to fix it," he said. Montgomery said he thought it would serve Arizona well to have an official review into the causes of deaths and the circumstances surrounding those deaths, and that he's concerned that there may be much more going on there than just the practice of marrying off child brides.


Utah court to decide if polygamist may remain judge
The Associated Press USA Today Originally published October 31, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday over whether polygamist Justice Court Judge Walter Steed is fit to remain on the bench. Steed contends his having three wives is protected by the U.S. and state constitutions and does not affect his judicial work. The state Judicial Conduct Commission has asked the high court to remove Steed from office, contending his behavior interferes with justice and brings a judicial office into disrepute. Steed has served as a justice court judge in the polygamous border town of Hildale since 1980. Hildale and neighboring Colorado City, Ariz., are the primary communities of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is estimated to have as many as 10,000 residents. He legally married the first wife in 1965 and married the other two in 1975 and 1985 in religious ceremonies. He has 32 children. The commission contends Steed's marriages violate the state's bigamy law. Read more


Hildale votes down off-premise beer license
By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published November 16, 2005
HILDALE - Hildale will remain a dry town after the City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to deny an off-premise beer license for the Border Store located near the Utah-Arizona border on state Route 59. "I can't allow (the beer license) with a clear conscience before our God," Councilman Dan Jessop said. Since the city incorporated on Dec. 9, 1963, no off-premise beer licenses have been granted and during that time, only one restaurant, the Mark Twain, was granted a permit to sell wine and beer. It is now, however, closed. While Don Timpson, the new owner of the Border Store, said that having beer for sale at the gas station/convenience store would help boost sales, the council wasn't convinced, citing concerns ranging from morals, drunkenness and creating an atmosphere of concern in the community. "Everyone sells beer. It's just like having Twinkies," Timpson said. Read more


Buttars’ brand of ‘design’ flawed
Letters to the Editor The Herald Journal - Logan, Utah Originally published November 24, 2005
To the editor: Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, recently announced his plans to fight for instruction of "divine design" in Utah public schools. I appreciate Mr. Buttars upholding moral standards. I too have standards I think are important to be upheld for the good of the community. When we present religious doctrine, which has no propositions that can be scientifically tested, as the equivalent of a scientific theory, we are undermining scientific standards. We are undermining our competence as citizens within a complex technological society. Here we are living in a society that is using these principles of evolution to engineer the very food we eat. How can we undermine these principles within education and then expect these students to become citizens capable of responsibly managing the technologies based on these principles? Also, the substitution of religious doctrine in place of education endangers democracy. We needn’t travel to the Middle East to find examples of this. The words "lost boys" have been surfacing within Utah more and more these days, referring to the surplus excommunicated boys cast off from Utah’s large and rapidly growing polygamous cults, the largest being the FLDS. Read more


Hildale swears in city officials
Councilmen, mayor have long history of service
By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published January 25, 2006
HILDALE - When Hildale City Councilman Dan Jessop was sworn in Tuesday morning by town clerk Ruth Barlow, he began his 42nd year as a member of the council. He started serving on the council when the town incorporated on Dec. 9, 1963. "I've been tempted to let off but I'll be around for awhile yet," Jessop said after the meeting. Jessop isn't the only one who has been with the council for years. Joseph Jessop and Harold Peine are also longtime council members and Mayor David Zitting is starting his 21st year as mayor. Zitting and councilman Lamar Johnson were also sworn in Tuesday. But unlike years past, the council and mayor are faced with a budget crisis - one that could necessitate a reduction in the size of city departments. And while looking at ways to trim the budget and cut expenditures by cutting out projects and downsizing, Zitting spoke about ways to generate more revenue for the town, which may include raising property taxes. Read more


Polygamy and public health
Deseret Morning News editorial deseretnews.com Originally published Saturday, February 11, 2006
In Utah, there are "hot button" issues and "blazing button" issues. Polygamy, for years, has been a blazing button. The state's history, a conservative belief in free choice and an unwillingness to stir up a hornet's nest in the national media have likely all contributed to the kid-glove approach lawmakers and law-enforcement officers have taken when dealing with polygamous communities. But now an issue has reared its head that may allow concerned civil servants to increase their monitoring and interaction with polygamous groups: birth defects. According to the observations of a neurologist working among the children of polygamous relationships, inter-marriage in the Warren Jeffs polygamist community has given rise to an especially severe form of birth defect called fumarase deficiency, an ailment that can cause mental retardation, epileptic seizures and other cruel effects that leave children helpless. And when innocent lives are being so adversely affected, it means the state has a vested interest. It can — and should — intervene and feel justified in proceeding with boldness. Read more


Hildale patient about filling council post
Mayor says there's no hurry to replace respected former UEP trustee
By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published February 18, 2006
HILDALE - A former United Effort Plan trustee elected to serve a two-year term on the Hildale City Council attended six meetings out of 20 during 2005, the year he ran for election. William E. Jessop, also known as William E Timpson, attended six regular and special meetings out of the 20 the City Council held, leaving 14 meetings that Jessop did not attend. The last meeting he attended was a special meeting in May 2005, the month before a 3rd District Court judge removed Jessop and five others as trustees of the UEP, the financial arm of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But despite his poor attendance record, Hildale Mayor David Zitting is not planning to rush into appointing another councilor because of the high respect he and other councilors have for Jessop and, in part, because of difficulties the city has had in the past with filling council vacancies. "I'm not in a hurry to make a change," Zitting said. "When Uncle Fred (Fred Jessop) left, it took months and months to fill that vacancy." Read more


Utah's top court boots polygamist judge Steed
By Linda Thomson and Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, February 25, 2006
The Utah Supreme Court has ousted a polygamist judge from the bench, saying his relationships with three women he considers his "wives" are clearly breaking the law and bringing his judicial office into disrepute. Hildale Justice Court Judge Walter Steed accepted the court's decision but expressed disappointment in Friday's ruling. "I had hoped that the court would see my case as an opportunity to correct the injustices that are caused by the criminalization of my religious beliefs and lifestyle, and I am disappointed that the court did not reach those issues in my case," Steed said in a written statement. Steed has been a part-time justice court judge in the polygamous border town of Hildale, Washington County, since 1980. He has been hearing cases on Saturdays, earning a little more than $300 a month. Steed was not expected to take the bench today — or any other day. "I've advised him not to hear any more cases," Steed's lawyer, Rod Parker, said Friday. Read more


The march of the Mormons
The Mail & Guardian - South Africa mg.co.za Originally published February 27, 2006
There is a quirky new drama coming to American television next month. It is called Big Love, and HBO will air it in a plum weekly slot, just after The Sopranos. Like The Sopranos, Big Love is a tale of marital strife in a dysfunctional family, only in this case the central character is not a Mafioso but a regular guy from Utah who happens to have three wives -- hence the wry title. It is another tale of American subculture. As with the Mob in New Jersey, polygamy in rural Utah may be illegal, but is nevertheless a widely accepted part of the landscape. Big Love is being heavily promoted and boasts big-screen stars. Tom Hanks is one of the producers, Bill Paxton plays the Viagra-popping husband, with Chloe Sevigny, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Ginnifer Goodwin as his three wives. Harry Dean Stanton is cast in the role of the community's sinister polygamist-in-chief. Most importantly for the audience figures, in a television-watching society somewhat jaded