Friday, federal judge Clark Waddoups delivered a ruling that essentially decriminalizes polygamy in Utah. It's still illegal to have more than one marriage license, but Waddoups overturned the part of the law that made it a 3rd degree felony to cohabit with someone while legally married to another person. Attorney for the plaintiffs, the polygamist Brown family of Sister Wives fame, called this a victory for privacy in America. Monday, we're talking about the ruling and what it says about what makes a family.

You can listen live on the net here: http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/polygamy-decriminalized

Program repeats at 7 PM this evening and then available for podcast.

This Radio West Program should be interesting because for Utah to become a State the following stipulation had to be placed into the UTAH CONSTITUTION.

ARTICLE III of the Utah State Constitution states:

The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the
people of this State:
[Religious toleration. Polygamy forbidden.] First:--Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited.

http://www.archives.state.ut.us/research/exhibits/Statehood/1896text.htm

Perfectly reasonable ruling; couldn't have gone the other way. This doesn't legalize polygamy. It simply says you can't be prosecuted for a felony if you reside with someone else while still married. I'm sure many people, living with the paramour while the divorce is finalized, will be relieved! If you want to live with the paramour and the wife too; well, that's up to you. The ruling doesn't implicate polygamy, though. You can't be legally married to more than one person at a time.

So...the answer must be, get married WITHOUT the f'n license.
Who needs the government's permission to get married anyway?--(unless, of course, the gumment bennies are important).
It's called "Common Law Marriage"--been around for thousands of years--a simple contract between 2 or more people.