DOJ files bias suit against towns home to polygamist sect

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON | Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:45pm EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday sued two towns on the Utah-Arizona border that are dominated by a polygamist Mormon sect, citing religious discrimination and civil rights violations against residents who do not share the majority faith.

The lawsuit against the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, said the towns and their joint police department and utility providers had allowed the sect to unduly influence the provision of public services, including policing.

Most of the residents of the towns are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a breakaway Mormon sect whose leader, Warren Jeffs, is serving a sentence of life plus 20 years in prison in Texas for raping two underage girls he wed in "spiritual marriages."

"City governments and their police departments may not favor one religious group over another and may not discriminate against individuals because of their religious affiliation," Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement announcing the suit.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/21/us-usa-polygamy-idUSBRE85K1QG20120621

[freshwest]

1. The DOJ at work. Will it be reported on M$M, though. I thought Eric Holder wasn't doing anything...

[siligut]

2. Maybe it will alert people to the discrimination that Mormons practice

Not all Mormons are that way, but the ones you never hear about are. I wonder if this is why this is happening now, if so, I am all for it.

[freshwest]

3. Interesting the story of Jeffs ordering all but 15 men to stop sex with all the women...

Comes out at the same time. I remember hearing about those two towns a while back, rather extreme group. Not the big city types who get along. Just cultish. Very hostile to anyone who traveled through the town for any reason. Creepy places who deny the laws of the USA.

[siligut]

4. Yes, very cultish

They are taught to believe that outsiders are evil.

[freshwest]

8. So they want isolation. Some days, I get that. But that's not good, either.

The mischief that can develop when there is no outside contact is incredible.

[Retrograde]

11. They want isolation when it suits them, government handouts otherwise

Read "Under the Banner of Heaven" for a look at some of these cults. If they decided to go off and live as a commune while taking care of their own that would be one thing. However, they want benefits for all the "unwed" mothers and their children, not to mention state and federal funds for roads, schools, etc.

[freshwest]

15. They feel entitled to take advantage of non-believers that way, huh? I don't like stuff like that.

[lindysalsagal]

16. By your definition all non-republicans are evil.

But we knew that.

[siligut]

18. While Utah has always voted Republican, I am not sure about the small cults.

I know they are anti-government, unless they are bleeding the beast, as they call receiving federal funds.

I may be misinterpreting your post, but I will clarify what I meant. The small poly communities are taught to be wary of outsiders, they believe that anyone who is not a part of their group is evil/not to be trusted.

I don't believe all non-republicans are evil, personally and the cult members are taught that non-cult members are evil, it doesn't matter what political party they belong to.

Does it make sense now?

[shanti]

14. also heard that

many of jeff's followers aren't going for this 15 men getting all the women shit either....there is a rebellion going on.

[MADem]

6. Good for the DOJ. I LIKE this work, myself. Too many perverts marrying girl-children. Gotta nip

that shit in the bud!!! You go, DOJ!!

[kestrel91316]

5. They need to have a look at ALL of small-town Utah and not just the polygamist communities.

LDS members in positions of political power are notorious for abusing that power and treating non-members like second class citizens.

[MADem]

7. I'll bet if you turn over a few rocks in those polygamist communities, you'll find connections to

those "regular" LDS folk. One hand washes the other, both wash the face--I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them do business together.

They all gotta make money, now, don't they? It's not all Ancestry.com and Marriott, Inc. paying those bills!

[gejohnston]

10. might want to check out those city slickers in SLC and Ogden too.

when asked in a job interview "what's your favorite restaurant" Denny's is not an answer. A friend of mine was stationed at Hill, his wife was asked that at several job interviews. It was a way to weed out Catholics and infidels from the base.

Some of the Polygamists have connections in SLC among the powers that be.

[kestrel91316]

13. What's the story with LDS and Denny's?? Is there an approved restaurant chain, lol?

[gejohnston]

19. from what I understand, the correct answer was supposed to be

the name or number of your ward (church)

[PoliticAverse]

12. The United States v. Irony. n/t

Last edited Fri Jun 22, 2012, 12:56 AM - Edit history (1)

[lindysalsagal]

17. I'd like to rescue the women and children from these cults

It's sexual enslavement. Period. I don't understand why we allow them to remain out of the schools. Public schools aren't perfect but they'd give those poor kids a chance.