If anyone thinks my opposition to polygamy is mere bigotry, they can say it to my face. I'll set up the appointment. Which news channel do we prefer? Things are a bit different when people have to take personal responsibility for their claims.
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n/t
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I would say that some of the brethren look rather reptilian. But only human beings could be capable of their level of mindlessness.
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If you have the nerve.
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It's just a matter of becoming old that puts one in power. The only achievement is that of not keeling over into the funeral potatoes at those too-frequent opportunities to do so.
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I think if TSM could change things, he would probably have people use more words to express less information and put a lot of uncomfortable pauses in between those words. That's his intellectual legacy.
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It began exactly like this: "Our Dear Father in Heaven, there has been a great tragedy..." It's those extra words they love. It's as though God didn't know about it until Hinckley informed Him through publically-broadcast prayer.
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They do it because extra words are a sign that someone is "filled with the spirit." It's like saying a rose is a rose. It provides no information whatsoever but it sounds important and it's undeniably true. Picture if you will, heads nodding in the audience. "By golly that WAS who just spoke!" So when somebody gets up and raves about the "simple truths spoken today
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And thank you for giving an example of "begging the question." I a lot of people simply think it means the same thing as "raising the question." But the latter, of course, is not a logical fallacy.
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Well, we have to get the word out when and where we can. Besides, if Geraldo gives her any crap, she'll have him served to the dogs with a bit of roasted southwest chile verde.
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She's going to be talking with Geraldo about the new show on TLC. It should be very good as it always is with her.
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I'll ask Flora next time I talk to her. I've been in contact with her lately.
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The Utah State government failed miserably on this. This was one of the things that got so embarrassing that they had to do something. But even Orrin Hatch refused to do something about Ruby after we challenged him directly to do so. He has since avoided the topic of polygamy completely. The problem with Ruby was unfortunately eclipsed by the attention Jeffs was getting because after this
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The debates I've been involved with in the last few weeks have gotten me past my last sticking points. I have to thank my libertarian objectors for demonstrating how truly disempowering their conception of liberty really is. They are in a hopeless conceptual knot. Remember, empowerment is, by definition, added liberty. Philosophical disempowerment is an intellectual wasteland and that is wher
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I know her personally. This book is the real thing. The contradictory information is due to the endless character assassination the FLDS directs her way. They're cowards and she rocks their world. Flora tells it like it is in a level of detail that would make anyone squirm. She is a huge threat to the abusers in FLDS society. She also isn't ashamed of the skeletons in her closet and she l
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Today I presented my theory about polygamy, as a cause of human rights violations. I think it was very well recieved. My arguments were airtight and they sparked a very spirited debate. I was able to identify certain sticking points in my theory and figure out a better way to keep things in order. My lecture was very lively and the audience was completely engaged. I encountered the usual sna
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SusieQ, if you aren't going to point out where my reasoning goes wrong, then don't insinuate that I'm simply driven by anger. Either put up or shut up. There's a lot of emotion going on here, but a lot of honest work too. You're in no position to question my professional integrity.
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"That's what people like you are trying to do through legislation. You think you know what is better for me than I do. It's pure arrogance and FORCE. What do you have against individual freedom? Against live-and-let-live? I don't get it. You have this need to control others." ____________________________ I've made myself very clear on this already. I have nothing against individu
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"Libertarianism is for adults who take responsibility for their own choices and actions. It's more "adolescent" to expect "the government" to protect you from yourself! People need to grow the hell up." ______________________________ This is extremely naive. Do you actually believe that all adults will take responsiblity for their own choices? In this respect,
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"Do you think that buying a diamond should be outlawed?" ________________________________ That's a difficult problem indeed, but If I'm going to remain consistent about addressing indirect harms, I would have to say yes. But I'm not sure if that is the only possible solution. The diamond market could become like the illegal drug market. My good friend and mentor Deen Chatterjee h
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This addresses one of my major goals with my paper. I want to do away with the question of legalizing polygamy once and for all. Getting all of the states on board will probably be complicated, to say the least, but if we make enough racket we might convince a lot of people. My family is going to probably disown me for this, and indeed this has been keeping me from acting for several years.
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The federal government is going to have to get involved. Since it is a human rights problem, it falls in their jurisdiction. My theory is intended to force them to get involved or be guilty of inconsistency with regard to Constitutional law. I think a Constitutional amendment would be a good idea too, although such a thing can never be taken lightly.
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"I'm going to assert that the very act of making polygamy illegal is what has caused these communities to go underground and be able to commit their crimes. The cooperation of law enforcement in turning a blind eye is what is causing the suffering and lack of choice to those involved." ____________________________________ You may be right, but there is no way to know for certain. I
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I'm going public with it. I'm going to get as much attention as I possibly can. In reality, I have no illusions about completely stopping polygamy, but this is going to be a very powerful statement about the inherent injustices. I hope to stimulate a huge amount of discussion among the people who are in the business of human rights--my professional colleagues especially. Politicians are going
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Polygamists have already tried to convince me that they are doing a good service since, in the latter days, so many men will be killed in war, leaving an excess of women. Mormon fundamentalists will then serve to provide husbands for all of the unmarried women since, as they assume, more women will be worthy of the Celestial Kingdom than men anyway. As you can imagine, I thoroughly roasted th
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I don't think it's a good idea to legalize polygamy for the sake of non-religious polyamorists. Some polyamorists have contacted me and asked me to take their situation into consideration. In one case, a woman was married to a man who was profoundly disabled and unable to have sexual intimacy. So she met another man who could satisfy those needs and the three of them had a kind of working rela
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"Please help me understand your definition of Justice as a principle. I think of it simply as punishment handed out to the creeps that get caught. I think that when you talk about it as a principle that goes with the principle of liberty, it could use a little more definition and explanation for those of us who don't dabble in philosophy much." _______________________________________
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But I've argued that the concept of consent is compromised because morally-imperative polygamy forces women to be responsible for enabling the ends for the men. This and the fact that they are always in short supply puts women under considerable duress which, by definition, compromises ones ability to give proper consent.
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I'm not sure what potential harm is. It certainly isn't a concept that I have any use for in my theoretical work. It is actually indirect harm that I'm concerned with. Buying a blood diamond causes indirect harm, although it is a seemingly innocent thing. Marrying multiple women causes indirect harm because of the position of equality it causes for women and low-ranking men, to say nothing of
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If we can't agree that underage polygamous marriage is harmful and abusive, I guess we have little to discuss.
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