Re: Texas Polygamists--sf in real life?

In article <fujn7f$e82$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
 nospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Paul Ciszek) wrote:

> In article <674sqpF2muqg9U1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> Sean O'Hara  <seanohara@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >In the Year of the Earth Rat, the Great and Powerful Keith F. Lynch 
> >declared:
> >> David Friedman <ddfr@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >>> I've been following the Texas polygamy case with interest and
> >>> commenting on it on my blog.  The first comparison that occurred to
> >>> me was with the 19th century Oneida community, which practiced an
> >>> much more bizarre marriage system--everyone married to everyone.
> >>> The FLDS is accused of matching up young women with older men;
> >>> Oneida not only did it (and young men with older women) but openly
> >>> described and advocated their system. ...
> >> 
> >>> One possibility is that the 21st century is less tolerant, at least
> >>> in some dimensions, than the 19th.
> >> 
> >> My understanding is that numerous young women in FLDS are saying
their
> >> marriages are not consensual -- in other words, that FLDS is
basically
> >> a criminal gang specializing in rape.  If these accusations are borne
> >> out, people are right to be intolerant of FLDS.
> >> 
> >
> >I haven't seen anything like that. There's the girl who called in a 
> >complaint against the compound, but she can't be found. There are 
> >the underage girls who've been taken into custody, but they're being 
> >kept away from the press -- though even if they do "consent" to the 
> >marriages, their age nullifies it. And there are the adult FLDS 
> 
> It's really quite simple:  If you see a pregnant 15 year old, or a
> 16 year old nursing mother, statutory rape has occured.

That depends both on the state (or nation) and on marital status. Canada 
raised the age limit on *** to sixteen this year; before that it had 
never been higher than fourteen. I believe the Texas limit on marriage 
is sixteen (with parental consent), so a sixteen year old nursing mother 
could be entirely legal. 

Age of consent to marry (with parent's permission) appears to be 13 
(female) and 14 (male) in New Hamp****re, 14 in Alabama and South 
Carolina, 15 in Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,  ...

http://www.coolnurse.com/marriage_laws.htm

Lots of states allow marriages at ages lower than the stated limit with 
the consent of both the parents and a judge. 

So your claim is false. 
> 
> >women who talk like Stepford Wives and claim there's nothing illegal 
> >was happening at the compound.
> >
> >The only people connected to the FLDS that I've seen speak out 
> >against it are men who were kicked out so the elders could keep the 
> >male/female ratio under 1:1.
> 
> You haven't been reading the accounts of the female escapees.

"Escapees" suggests that they were being kept in by force. Is there any 
evidence of that?

-- 
 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
 Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.
 Published by Baen, paperback in bookstores now