Saturday, June 18, 2005
Late To Dinner
I posted last Thursday about that wonderful haven of polygamy known as Colorado City, AZ. Now thanks to commenter Gad(d)about, I find out I am very late to the table regarding this story. There is a reporter in Phoenix who has been covering it for years.
The more I learn, the uglier this situation becomes. Because the polygamous marriages are not state sanctioned, they look to the government like unwed mothers -- thus they get welfare. Essentially, because this sect controls the community they are able to bilk the rest of us out of millions in welfare, under fraudulent circumstances. So now, in addition to turning young men out on the streets, they're stealing -- all in the name of some god I don't quite recognize.
I'm still wondering what the law enforcement hold-up is here. From the press I'm finding and my travels in the area, what's going on seems to be fairly common knowledge. I wouldn't think evidence of some sort of crime would be that hard to come up with, at least enough to gain a warrant to raid the whole town (been there, not that big) that would have to turn up something.
I always knew there were individuals that practiced this sort of nonsense up in the hills and under the radar, but we're talking a community of 10,000 here, it's a place on the map. I am having a hard time thinking our society has tolerated this for this long.
The more I learn, the uglier this situation becomes. Because the polygamous marriages are not state sanctioned, they look to the government like unwed mothers -- thus they get welfare. Essentially, because this sect controls the community they are able to bilk the rest of us out of millions in welfare, under fraudulent circumstances. So now, in addition to turning young men out on the streets, they're stealing -- all in the name of some god I don't quite recognize.
I'm still wondering what the law enforcement hold-up is here. From the press I'm finding and my travels in the area, what's going on seems to be fairly common knowledge. I wouldn't think evidence of some sort of crime would be that hard to come up with, at least enough to gain a warrant to raid the whole town (been there, not that big) that would have to turn up something.
I always knew there were individuals that practiced this sort of nonsense up in the hills and under the radar, but we're talking a community of 10,000 here, it's a place on the map. I am having a hard time thinking our society has tolerated this for this long.
