Yesterday Canadian authorities arrested two religious leaders in Bountiful, British Columbia on charges of polygamy. AP and the Salt Lake Tribune report on the arrest of Jim Oler, bishop of the town's FLDS community and Winston Blackmore, bishop of a competing polygamous group in the town. Blackmore was expelled from the FLDS church in 2002. Oler is charged with having two wives, while Blackmore is charged with having 20 wives. The National Post says the cases, which do not involve underage wives, is likely to be a test of the constitutionality of Canada's ban on polygamy. British Columbia's Attorneys General have feared that the laws will not survive a challenge under the religious freedom guarantee of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. (See prior posting.)
Thursday, January 08, 2009
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4 comments:
Both men are our on bail and back home with their wives and children. Hey, Texas! that's how it's done in a civilized country!
This case is indeed a test case. And I predict that unless Wally Oppal (the attourney general in charge of the case) brings charges of finacial malfeasnace, it will lose. And from what I know of him over the years, he wouldn't be all that disappointed if it did lose.
There has been a small hue and cry from a tiny group of people who object to polygamy because of their own religious biases; and they say they are complaining on behalf of the "victim wives."
Funny thing, though -- none of the "victim wives" is claiming to be a victim! Every single one of them was married voluntarily, without coercion.
And so far, none of the "victim wives" is on the list of witnesses against either of the men.
As of Friday, 09 January, 2009: Speculation is that this case will take five to seven years just to get into the courtroom! And maybe another two or three years after that for any decision. Maybe. If somebody's in a hurry. Which nobody seems to be.
And judging from letters to editors and callers on talk radio shows, public opinion is on side with the polygamists.
Polygamy is already legal in Canada. See Saskatchewan polygamy.
In Saskatchewan, do the plural union Polygamist spousess have to consent? Or does the law just allow mutiple spouses.
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