Utah Polygamist Invokes Ruling on Gay Sex

AP ^ | December 1, 2003 | MARK THIESSEN

[Kay Soze]

December 1, 2003, 7:38 PM EST

SALT LAKE CITY -- A lawyer for a Utah man with five wives argued Monday that his polygamy convictions should be thrown out following a Supreme Court decision decriminalizing gay sex.

The nation's high court in June struck down a Texas sodomy law, ruling that what gay men and women do in the privacy of their homes is no business of government.

It's no different for polygamists, argued Tom Green's attorney, John Bucher, to the Utah Supreme Court.

[Kay Soze]

Its starting!

[KantianBurke]

Sorry Dubya. Surprise visits to the troops can only delay you facing this issue for so long. How's about you deal with this?

[ChewedGum]

We expected it. And here it is. My, my that slippery slope sure is steep.

Gum

[Dan from Michigan]

A guy can have more than one wife soon? Woo hoo! (ducking)
Joking, joking....really...

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Am I completely and totally nuts... or is this precisely the sort of thing that Andrew Sullivan has been pooh-poohing might happen for weeks and weeks now...? :)

[Mr. Silverback]

Yes, I'm shocked---SHOCKED!!!---that anybody would use the "marriage is what you want it to be" ruling to change marriage to what he wants it to be. This could never have been foreseen!

[Still Thinking]

I've never understood why it would be legal to have one wife and four mistresses, but not five wives. Presumably at least the last four wives are not legally married to him, so even if they all want to look at it as a marriage arrangement, I don't understand how the law can differentiate, at least in an unfavorable way, between this situation and that of a man who has five mistresses, assuming he pays support for children resulting from those extramarital affairs.

[Poohbah]

I don't think gay sex should be outlawed.

My wife and I are very cheerful...

[Bobby777]

would you introduce one of your five wives as your better 1/6th? (since 2 become "better half" or 1/2 I went for 1/6 - thought I'd better explain the math! hehe)

[Kay Soze]

Next will be incest marriages.

With some sort of proviso not to have kids.

[AntiGuv]

The guy will lose & the Supreme Court won't grant cert. Bank it!

[Bobby777]

in Islam you can have 4 wives ... no wonder some men choose moo ha med.

[Poohbah]

would you introduce one of your five wives as your better 1/6th?

Followed by the remaining 2/3rds not speaking to you for a month...

[azcap]

Incestual marriage should be fine as long you abort the kids.

[11th_VA]

yep - down the slope we go .... Honey lock up the Sheep!

[Bobby777]

I wondered about that too with "common law" marriages as defined by the state after x number of years ... suppose 3 live together as "dating" for 7 years in California ... who becomes who's common law spouse? ... flip a coin? ... elimidate?

[Political Junkie Too]

Does that mean five times the alimony when they split up? Will only the guy have to pay, or do the remaining wives have to pay, too?

-PJ

[Poohbah]

yep - down the slope we go .... Honey lock up the Sheep!

"Wyoming...where the men are men...and the sheep are scared!"

[Bobby777]

just imagine if all 5 were mad at you at the same time ... aye carumba ...

[maro]

Some circuit court will rule for the polygamist, and then the Supremes will have to take it.

[nickcarraway]

Lawrence vs. Kansas ping

Scalia? Santorum? What did they say?

[Poohbah]

Remember...when you have a group of women living together, their cycles tend to start lining up.

Imagine all 5 having PMS at the same time.

[Agnes Heep]

Mormon wants more men.

[onedoug]

Without Judeo-Christianity, why not?

[Bobby777]

Imagine all 5 having PMS at the same time.

my guess would be one VERY dead man ... and ...

[Unam Sanctam]

And it's not just Mormons. "Polyamory" is the new left-wing sex craze.

[Plutarch]

It's no different for polygamists, argued Tom Green's attorney...

Well, yes they are. Polygamists are not organized, nor an important special interest in the Democratic Party.

[Ford Fairlane]

Next will be incest marriages.

Once upon a time, the law in Kentucky stated that the age of consent for a young lady to marry was (either 14 or 16, I dont remember which), "unless the woman has been previously married or the bride & groom are related"

[Tempest]

Yeah I can see how this is an important issue compared to National Security. . . No really. . . I can. . .

Anyways. . . I never really could figure out what wrong with homosexual relationships and why so called conservatives want the the goverment to legislate laws against it?!

I thought that one of the basis of conservatism was to remove big goverment from our private lives?!

[anniegetyourgun]

Bingo.

[AntiGuv]

The guy isn't suing for the right to sleep with multiple women in private, but rather the right to have his relationships contractualized by the state. I think I'll wait until at least one court interprets Lawrence v Texas as requiring gay marriage before I worry about any court finding in Lawrence a right to multiple, simultaneous marriages.

[Salgak]

All I can say about polygamy is in Chinese:

The ideographic symbol for "trouble" is that of a house, with two "woman" ideographs inside. . .

[Tempest]

Were as I see your point after reading the whole article it appears that this guy is a real low-life who isn't up to the responsibility of taking care of his 5 wives and countless kid, plus not all of his wives are up to the legal age of consent.

[nosofar]

Incestual marriage should be fine as long you abort the kids.

Sometime before puberty?

[tracer]

Trust me, you will be amazed at the irony of seeing the "Mormon" Church and its membership -- many of whom are legislators and judges both at the state and national levels, speaking out as the most vocal opponents of the return of polygamy in this century......

[jwalsh07]

The guy will lose & the Supreme Court won't grant cert. Bank it!

People will never be able to suck the brains out of partially born children, bank it!

Uh oh, thats exactly what people do.

Lawrence is analagous to Roe and Goodridge is analagous to Doe v Bolton. History is clear, the elitists never contract precedent it is always expanded.

No surprise here. Next up in Massachusetts will be a couple of friends or brother and sister who love each other and want access to each others government bennies. It's gonna happen and the SJC of Massachusetts has written an opinion that won't allow them to deny the request.

[jwalsh07]

I think I'll wait until at least one court interprets Lawrence v Texas as requiring gay marriage before I worry about any court finding in Lawrence a right to multiple, simultaneous marriages.

Short wait, the Mass SJC did just that.

[miele man]

If this guy is successful, I'm sure Michael Jackson will be watching this case with more than a passing interest.

[honeygrl]

shhhhh you'll interupt the homobashfest. That's much more important that limited government. /sarcasm

[KantianBurke]

IF we had a judiciary that respected state's rights then most folks could bank on silly things such as gay marriage never coming to pass in their own states. However as we had a Judicial system made up of philosopher kings who can and do disregard the Constitution at will, the only measure that will prevent gay marriage and G-d knows what else from being instituted across the land is a Federal Amendment. Hence why Bush should get involved.

[AntiGuv]

The Mass SJC ruled on the basis of state law, not federal law. You didn't really think I'd overlook something so obvious, did you?

[B Knotts]

I won't hold my breath waiting for the apologies to Sen. Santorum.

[M Kehoe]

Its starting!

And won't end until one can "marry" one's pet. The slide into Sodom and Gomorrah continues.

5.56mm

[jwalsh07]

From the decision:

"Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code." Lawrence v. Texas, 123 S. Ct. 2472, 2480 (2003) (Lawrence), quoting Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 850 (1992).

[truthandjustice1]

"My wife and I are very cheerful..."

No doubt you have a gay old time.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

And so...it begins.

[X-FID]

Once upon a time, the law in Kentucky stated that the age of consent for a young lady to marry was (either 14 or 16, I dont remember which), "unless the woman has been previously married or the bride & groom are related"

Incest will make your teeth fall out.

[truthandjustice1]

This may be the ultimate time share.

[AntiGuv]

Lawrence was superfluous to the decision, as it was to the decisions in Hawai'i, Alaska, and Vermont which preceded Lawrence. If you don't believe me, get back to me when the State of Massachusetts appeals Goodrich to the Supreme Court of the United States.

[truthandjustice1]

"Anyways. . . I never really could figure out what wrong with homosexual relationships and why so called conservatives want the the goverment to legislate laws against it?! "

Right. Homos are just a Tempest in a tea pot. Right?