When will Obama defend the religious rights of the FLDS?

Here is a quote from Obama on the proposed mosque near ground zero:

But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. ... This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.

So, when is he going to extend the protection of religious freedom to the FLDS? Their civil rights have been trampled on. When will the Department of Justice step in?

Here is a quote from the Counsel on American and Islamic Relations:

"We welcome President Obama's strong statement of support for American Muslim religious rights and hope his remarks will serve as encouragement to those who are challenging the rising level of Islamophobia in our society," Awad said. "We urge other national political and religious leaders to speak out in defense of the freedom of religion and equality of all Americans enshrined in our Constitution."

So will Obama also speak out to defend the freedom of religion when it comes to the FLDS? Better yet, will he back it up by having the Department of Justice investigate the abuses in the Great Eldorado Roundup?

Trying to label the FLDS as criminals

Here is an interesting counterpoint to those who wish to persecute the FLDS, and justify doing it by labeling them criminals. Perhaps they should look in the mirror.

Clark Howard calls out "Monopoly Public School System"

Since I first heard the Clark Howard show years ago, I really liked it. He has a great sense of humor, great advice, and overall a great show. Also, he is from Atlanta, a place that I fondly called "home" awhile back, and is a champion of "Habitat for Humanity," which I believe is an excellent charity, and I have enjoyed the times I have helped them. So, it seems we have a personal connection there.

Typically, Clark stays politically non-partisan. It is a very pragmatic stance - focus on what you can control (your finances) and not what you can not control (government). But, this week he took a real stab at a story involving a teacher calling in police, and having them remove a student from the classroom for not following the teachers dictates.

I really recommend Clark's show. I also really agree with the point he made here. Teachers should not be in the business of ordering the arrest of students. Yet one more reason to homeschool or put your children in private school. Yet another example of JRA - Javert Run Amok.

Ulysses

Recently finished Ulysses by James Joyce, went back and skimmed over it again, and then read some parts multiple times, as there is so much depth to the book. What an amazing novel. How can a day in the life of three people possibly be so interesting? Joyce was a genius, and I am not one to use that term lightly. Ironically, this picture of Joyce looks very much like a freind of mine that is also a writer I enjoy, having earned his PhD in English, with his dissertation on Southwestern lit.

When Joyce first wrote the book, it was not allowed for import into the United States. The "Inspector Javert" types of the time deemed it obscenity. Though the book was written in 1921, it was not able to be legally imported into the United States until 1933 when Judge Woolsey overturned the charge. It is fun to read from his ruling on the matter:

After I had made my decision in regard to the aspect of "Ulysses" ... I checked my impressions with two friends of mine ... They are men whose opinion on literature and on life I value most highly. They had both read "Ulysses", and, of course, were wholly unconnected with this cause. I was interested to find that they both agreed with my opinion ... that its net effect on them was only that of a somewhat tragic and very powerful commentary on the inner lives of men and women.

It is very easy to look back now, and see how stupid it was to ban Ulysses - even though I would still not recommend it for children or youth. But, we still have Javerts running around, trying to force, coerce, and terrorize people. The "Great Eldorado Roundup" is certainly an example of this, but there are unfortunately many more examples of JRA - "Javert Run Amok."

439-0!

Fight Bigotry!

Article in National Geographic

National Geographic has an article on the FLDS. It seems to me to be very well done, with the excellent photography typical of NG (as you can see above). I think it goes a long way toward quashing the stereotypes that led to the Great Eldorado Roundup. However, I do wish they had covered some of the other polygamist groups as well.

Analysis of Housekeeping and Parent Rights

I just finished Housekeeping, an intriguing novel that seems to read more like poetry than prose. It is the story of two orphaned girls, first raised by their grandma, then their great aunts, then their aunt.

The problem is their aunt is a transient who rides freight trains. Eventually, the younger sister goes off to live with a teacher, and live a "normal" life. The older sister, the narrator, is threatened by the locals to be forcibly removed from her aunt. Instead, they burn their house, and escape to the hobo life. The town assumes them dead.

In the book, the author talks of family togetherness. It is ultimately the government that force a terrible choice: break up the family, or become a drifter. It seems that too often this is the case with various government organizations. In trying to force people, they end up creating the very situation they were trying to avoid. In trying to help, they end up hurting.

I highly recommend the book for both it's artistry, and it's depth. However, it is a book that requires you take your time.

Analysis by Criminal Defense Attorney John Floyd and Paralegal Billy Sinclair

This rather extensive analysis Floyd and Sinclair really hits the nail on the head. Thanks to Hugh for pointing it out.

we do believe that polygamy is a fundamental tenet of certain religions and we have no problem with that practice, just as we have no problem with same-sex marriage, civil unions, common law marriage, or state-sanctioned ceremonial marriage. Laws should not be based on religious tenets. Laws should be secular.

Who is Christopher Clark, and how is he related to Rozita?

This is a very interesting question of who Christopher Clark is, and how exactly he relates to Rozita Swinton. Perhaps I will have more to post in the near future.

UPDATE -- Hugh McBride at Modern Pharisee came up with the answer.

He's a bartender in Albion ID, and has made statements regarding Rozita that would make it appear she is his foster child. He had a MySpace page plastered with her pictures from Thanksgiving of 2008, some of which were from the "Ace Hardware" store in Burley ID. Rozita in turn commented on that MySpace page several times. I have copies of all of them. I am unable to publish them here because someone gripes that I am infringing on copyright, and again I don't have the wherewithal to dispute that.

According to alleged or claimed foster "mom" Mary Catharine Nelson, Ms. Nelson has been in the pacific northwest as well. There are a lot of confusing stories about Rozita's youth out there, and no one with the time and money has been willing to investigate them.

Thanks for the answer, Hugh. Christopher Clark is possibly the one complaining about copyright infringement. There was a "Christopher Clark" signature on the takedown notice I received. "Chilling Effects" is slow posting takedown notices but after asking google I received a scan of the letter with personal information removed. Since it will be posted on Chilling Effects anyway, I do not feel bad about breaking out his role.

Now, it is entirely possible that someone else wrote and signed the letters. That is the reason I wanted to contact him directly. It would be nice to know if someone else was writing up the letters and signing them in his name.

I publicly invite Christopher Clark to comment on this matter.

Scoreboard: FLDS 439, Texas 0

Last child was released today. Combine that with the earlier veto, the actions of the Texas Supreme Court, and time on the Oprah Winfrey show. It seems that many crucial parts of the battle are not going the way the anti-FLDS planned. There is still a ways to go, but it is wonderful to see such amazing progress.

New Blog focusing on political concerns

I have started a new blog to better address some of the more political problems I see that are not as closely related to parental and family rights. You might find it interesting.

Innovation and Politics