Because I think we all need to move on as quickly as possible from the seemingly interminable and misdirected obsession over Jeremiah Wright, (which mainly is about white people who are disturbed by someone who does not look, talk, or act like them or care about making them feel comfortable) I removed my opinion piece that was in this spot last week.  I also not only turned off my television set but threatened to sell it.

However, I did like what Frank Rich said in the New York Times, so I post a link to it here.  - Arnica Montana

The All-white elephant in the room
 " . . it is disingenuous to pretend that there isn’t a double standard operating here. If we’re to judge black candidates on their most controversial associates — and how quickly, sternly and completely they disown them — we must judge white politicians by the same yardstick."  Frank Rich, New York Times

Polygamy: a rural issue

Nearly two-thirds of the teenage girls removed from a polygamist sect in Texas in April are either pregnant or have already given birth.

Of the 53 girls, aged 14 to 17, taken from the Yearning for Zion ranch in the remote west Texas town of Eldorado, 31 were either mothers or mothers -to-be. 

In addition, 41 children - about 10% -   had  broken bones or previous fractures.

Those testifying in the case have already employed strong language against the FLDS sect, saying it is an abusive belief system in which girls marry young because they are “ruthlessly indoctrinated from birth to believe disobedience will lead to their damnation.”

Women who escaped polygamy report  that the “excess” boys are routinely cast out from the compounds so that a few male leaders can keep absolute control.

   "Any woman who doesn't identify with feminist thought might spend a couple of  years working with battered women to help them access the systems that are supposed to serve them. There is no better place to realize that men and male systems are oppressing women and that they will fight to retain every inch of power they have, even to abuse their own children." - Arnica Montana

Trying to hide in rural America
Polygamy is an issue for rural citizens, rural law enforcement and judicial systems, rural service providers and rural activists because polygamist sects build compounds in rural areas in order to escape notice, interference with and prosecution of their criminal behavior, primarily the ongoing sexual assault and captivity of young girls.

The media is now focusing on polygamy since the authorities raided a polygamist sect outpost in Texas and made over 400 children wards of the state. This has promoted the most recent public discussion on the issue. 

The danger is when the media begins a sympathetic portrayal of "families ripped apart," and stories about the "conflicting values" of religious freedom and child safety appear. When that has happened in the past, the public reacts sympathetically to the polygamists, the public officials become afraid to enforce the law and the systematic abuse of children continues. (See Austin American Statesman  Sunday, April 27, "Did Texas go too far in polygamy case?") This time, the numbers of pregnant girls and other evidence of abuse should finally overwhelm all the objections, and prove that we all need to stand up against any religious cult trying to hide out in rural America in order to sexually abuse children. 

Out of sight, out of mind?

In the Eldorado, Texas case,  Child Protective Services (CPS) investigators reported to the judge that they found several pregnant underage girls at the "Yearning for Zion" compound.
CPS caseworkers initially took 18 girls, from 6 months to 17 years old, into emergency custody on April 4, and later removed all 462 children from the FLDS compound.

CSP reported they found "an overwhelming amount of evidence showing not only specific abuse against specific children, but a pattern of abuse that endangered them all." 

The compound in Texas is a 1,700-acre (a little over 2.5 square miles) community outside of Eldorado, owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).  Anti-polygamy activists revealed the existence of the YFZ Ranch outside of Eldorado back in 2004. According to reports in the Deseret News, originally, the Schleicher County sheriff was first  told the ranch was a hunting retreat. 

Predictably, attorneys for FLDS members are saying the state has no right to interfere with their religious freedom.

A district court judge said, "No religious belief allows an adult to have sex with an underage girl."

North of the border in Canada people are calling for criminal prosecution of polygamist offenders, saying the criminal offense trumps freedom of religion.

An Angus Reid poll released Saturday, April 26, shows that a strong majority of Canadians would welcome legal action against the Bountiful, British Columbia polygamous community. The highest levels of support for prosecuting the community came from BC residents, women and older Canadians.

62% believe the residents of Bountiful should face prosecution because bigamy is a criminal offense in Canada
19% think the residents of Bountiful are free to practice their beliefs under the terms of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

According to the press report, British Columbia Attorney- General Wally Oppal said he will decide "soon" what to do about the polygamous community of Bountiful. 

The FLDS Church is estimated to have 10,000 members residing in Hildale, Utah; Colorado City, Arizona; Mancos, Colorado (Montezuma County, Colorado Sheriff Department); Creston and Bountiful, British Columbia; and Pringle, South Dakota (Custer County, South Dakota Sheriff's Department), in addition to the Texas compound.

More information
Tapestry Against Polygamy
Help for victims and news stories

Law enforcement offices in areas where other compounds are located include:

Mancos, Colorado
Montezuma County, Colorado Sheriff Department

Custer County, South Dakota Sheriff's Department

Mesquite, Nevada
Clark County District Attorney

Bonners Ferry area, Idaho
Boundary County Sheriff

Update May 2, 2008.
A Mohave County leader says it's time for Arizona to follow Texas' lead and act against the polygamist community of Colorado City. Meanwhile, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said local authorities are making progress in dealing with alleged abuse in Colorado City and that he's hopeful of getting help from the federal government. 
____

  "Women who have escaped Bountiful are struggling to overcome a “lifetime of abuse, religious indoctrination,
psychological coercion as well as fear and threats of retaliation.” - Debbie Palmer, former Bountiful resident Social Justice Petition on Bountiful (PDF)

Community mental health centers, hobbled by financial limits, haven't provided enough scientifically sound care, especially in rural areas, said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He briefed reporters today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in Washington. 

Insel echoed a Rand Corporation study published last month that found about 20 percent of returning U.S. soldiers have post- traumatic stress disorder or depression, and only half of them receive treatment.  Complete story

Related story

A rural woman's
breast cancer journal

I knew nothing about breast cancer when I was told I had it. 

During my first visit to a surgeon who gave me my diagnosis, I was asked what I was going to do. It was like a test, and went like this:

Lumpectomy or mastectomy?  I said mastectomy.

One side or both?  I said both.

Reconstruction or not? I said it depended on my insurance. She said that insurance companies are now required to pay for reconstruction.  I said, okay, reconstruction. 

I ended up doing none of those things. 

A rural woman's breast cancer journal is a work in progress that includes how to find information, resources and support.
 

Environment

Friendly to the environment - but dispose as hazardous waste?

Home Depot spent $1.18 million to lobby in 2007

According to an AP story April 28, 2008, Home Depot lobbied on a massive energy bill that would, among other things, do away with the incandescent light bulb in favor of energy- efficient lighting. 

We're being urged to replace our incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent so we can be green and save about $60 a year. 

The steps to cleaning up after breaking one of these "environmentally friendly" bulbs is an exercise in hazardous waste clean-up and disposal, beginning with: 

1.  Before Clean-up: Ventilate the room.
 - Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
 - Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
 - Shut off the central forced air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

 . . .and ending with wash your hands and check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your area, as some states prohibit this trash disposal and require broken bulbs be taken to a local recycling center. 

Complete clean-up instructions in case you decide to use these bulbs anyway. 

What is eco-feminism?
"A movement working against the interconnected oppressions of gender, race, class and nature."
Ecofeminist Visions Emerging

"There is no single definition of ecofeminism, and ecofeminists may well disagree with at least some of explanations I give in this section, but there are core principles. Ecofeminists agree that the domination of women and the domination of nature are fundamentally connected and that environmental efforts are therefore integral with work to overcome the oppression of women."  The Green Fuse

Wrong then . . .
Still wrong. . .
Stop the war

U.S. Rural Soldiers Account for a Disproportionately High Share of Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

The Carsey Institute report by William O'Hare and Bill Bishop (.pdf file)

According to the Carsey Institute study, the death rate "for rural soldiers (24 per million adults aged 18 to 59) is 60% higher than the death rate for those soldiers from cities and suburbs (15 deaths per million)." Of rural areas, Vermont has the highest rate of casualties, followed by Delaware, South Dakota, and Arizona. Only 8 of our states have higher urban than rural death rates. 

ANTI-WAR
LINKS
Military Families Speak Out

Eyes Wide Open, the American Friends Service Committee's exhibition on the human cost of the Iraq War, features a pair of boots honoring each U.S. military casualty, a field of shoes and a Wall of Remembrance.

American Friends Service Committee Wage Peace Campaign
Not one more death. Not one more dollar. 

Voters for Peace
This block of anti-war voters is large enough that candidates and incumbent politicians from either major party cannot afford to ignore it. 

Democracy Rising - Stop the War Campaign
seeks to bring the troops home and end the occupation of Iraq by empowering activists so they cannot be ignored by decision makers in Washington, DC

There are people on the streets!
"Something's In the Air - But it is not on the Airwaves" 
Words and music: the media blackout on the peace & justice movement. By Chris Chandler and Anne Feeney arranged by David Roe.

Film: Why We Fight
The anatomy of the American War Machine