Supreme Hypocrisy

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Utah Supreme Court issued its opinion in the UEP Trust case. Attorneys for the FLDS argued that Judge Desleaze Lintbag had acted improperly when she reformed (with help from the Hooligans) the FLDS trust (she gutted the trust's religious intents and turned it into an unrecognizable secular trust). Rather than tackling this complaint in substance, the Court chose to dodge the issue and utilize the excuse offered to it by the State's lawyers. The excuse was that, by virtue of the assertion that the FLDS had allegedly waited "too long" to challenge the trust reformation, a legal doctrine known as "Laches" went into effect (let us not forget that on every occasion when an FLDS member appeared in a courtroom to protest the travesty, his family was besieged or he was whisked off to months of unlawful detention in a Florence, Arizona, prison [for not knowing the whereabouts of Warren Jeffs]). Laches says that you need to bring your case in a timely manner, or else a lot of water will flow under the proverbial bridge, and it can eventually become too difficult of harmful for the Court to unravel or rewind all of the undesirable consequences of the delay. In my view, the FLDS need to challenge this thinking because it appears to be a lame excuse when the ongoing and potential harm to a community is so far-reaching and devastating (not-to-mention mean spirited).

The State's office of the Attorney General is the keeper of the legal mandate, the paragon of true legal principles - the guardian of the precious rights of the citizens. So here is the State's legal theory:

"When you have a complaint against a party, you must address it expeditiously. You have to bring the matter before the court. You have to give the other party its fair day in court. You have to bring your case swiftly. You have to state what your complaint is and argue it in a timely manner. If you don't have a legitimate case, you have to fess up and acknowledge it openly. If you have witnesses who have lied and fabricated testimony, you have to admit it and accept defeat. You can't just drag your heels indefinitely and hope that some sympathetic court will entertain your arguments years down the road. You have to seek a 'speedy trial'."

So here are the words of the State's deputy AG, Craig Barlow:

“It is not my decision about retrial, that is Mr. Belnap’s in Washington County and I wouldn’t comment until a final decision has been made and none has.”

“We do not believe that a retrial is necessary before he can be extradited. No.”

“The timing [of any retrial, if there is one] is something that is going to be decided probably by Judge Christiansen and possibly Judge Shumate. Our position is pendency of the Utah charges on potential retrial are not a legal bar to extradition to Texas on the current charges filed there.”

“We don’t need him here right now and we think the great state of Texas ought to have an opportunity to try Mr. Jeffs for the crimes he has been alleged to have committed in Texas.”

Let me translate:

"We hate Warren Jeffs. The fact that his conviction was overturned was the most crushing defeat in Utah's legal history. We must find a way to get this guy. We want to let Texas get its bloodthirsty teeth into him. We want to keep him behind bars at all costs. We know we cannot ever re-try him because the charges are bogus and our witnesses perjured their brains out. We just want to pretend that we sincerely want another "crack" at him so that we can drag things out and let our constituents think that we will successfully hang these allegations over his head for years and years - let's say 75 years, after Texas is all done with him."

Laches-Schmaches, Pendency-Schmendency !!!!!

Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy?

If the shoe fits . . . .

Yes, I know you are all going to accuse me of being an inveterate cynic. A good friend pointed out an exquisite irony to me yesterday.

Harry Reid, a Mormon U.S. Senator, is pushing for a Federal Task Force to crack down on polygamist "organizations", partly because of allegations of sexual conduct with underage girls, and allegations of church interference with local law enforcement activities. Well, read this [from the Provo Daily Herald] (then read my previous post):

A Utah County LDS seminary principal was arrested Thursday [July 9, 2009] for having an alleged sexual relationship with a student.

Police say Michael Pratt, 37, engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl for the last several months. Until his arrest, Pratt was principal of the Lone Peak High School LDS seminary, where the girl was a student.

Sgt. Matt Higley, with the Utah County Sheriff's Office, said the alleged sexual abuse came to light after an individual contacted the state Division of Child and Family Services, who contacted the police. Officers then interviewed the girl, who Higley said was apprehensive about talking to police, but divulged significant details about the relationship.

"The sexual relationship, we know, started sometime around the beginning of May of this year," he said.

How the relationship began is still being investigated. According to a police affidavit, Pratt took the girl to various locations around Utah County to engage in sexual acts. The couple allegedly met in a ravine and an unoccupied home near the girl's house, at a boxcar in Provo Canyon, Rock Canyon, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Goshen and in a mine near Eureka. According to the report, Pratt was brazen in his public meeting with the girl at the warm springs near Goshen.

"Also at this location, they were skinny dipping and someone was watching him from their car," the officer stated in the report. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Maybe it's time for Harry Reid to focus his "Federal Task Force" microscope on the venerable corporate church organization he represents in his dual, political/ecclesiastical role as High Priest Senator. After all, at least as much sexual molestation and law enforcement meddling per capita likely occurs in his church as in the Fundamentalist Mormon world.

On a related note, in February of 2003, Utah AG, Mark Shurtleff, shepherded the passage of a "child-bigamy" amendment (to Utah's existing bigamy statute). The bill (HB 307) was lauded as a powerful answer to the rampant (?) "child-bride" problem in the sinister world of polygamy. Three guesses as to how many prosecutions have ensued in the last six years . . . .

1. None

2. Zero

3. All of the above

Will the Child-Bigamy law not be applied to Michael Pratt's crime because he is not a FUNDAMENTALIST Mormon, and the law was crafted to target only FUNDAMENTALIST Mormons?

Hypocrisy

Well, folks, I don't need to belabor this one - I bet several others will opine intelligently about this particular irony, so I'll try to be brief.

The LDS Church is upset about HBO's drama, Big Love. The show is preparing to air an episode including depictions of some of what goes on inside Mormon temples. I don't agree with everything Big Love's producers do. I don't agree with the trivializing of sacred ceremonies simply because "enquiring minds want to know".

In April of last year, law-enforcement officials forced their way into a sacred temple in Texas. They made hysterical allegations about sex rituals. The media pounced on this invasion with gusto. What could be juicier than a sneak peek into what a congregation of believers cherishes as most sacred?

I know the LDS Church really deeply disapproves of anyone publicizing what goes on in a dedicated, holy temple, and especially what recently happened near Eldorado, Texas. Pictures were taken, computers confiscated, and private journals and church records were seized. Much of that material was plastered all over the Internet for hungry inquisitors to devour.

To bolster the legitimacy of the LDS Church's complaint about Big Love, I searched diligently for all of the Church's vigorous denunciations of the mistreatment of the fundamentalist Latter-day Saints since last year. Sadly, I found none. Can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y ???