Distraction
Anyone?

Chick Magnet - Winston Blackmore

After decades of ignoring the de-facto legalized polygamy in Bountiful the BC government has decided it is time to bring charges of polygamy against two of the rival leaders of this fundamentalist Mormon community between the south end of Kootenay Lake and the Idaho border. While the mainstream Church of Latter Day Saints, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, decided that multiple wives weren't necessary to follow their religion, if that would keep Utah from gaining statehood, in Canada adherents have been able to continue the practice free from harassment for decades.

In the US, where the scrolls that form the basis of the religion were found in upper New York state, the church has always been conveniently able to discover new revelations when necessary for their continued participation in American society. Not only was the church able to conclude polygamy was wrong, when it stood in the way of statehood, but more recently the church's whole attitude towards African-Americans has miraculously been redefined to conform with American laws regarding civil rights (and funding from Washington DC).

There is definitely an implied or explicit pragmatic tenet of LDS that demands obedience to the state before even moral imperatives of the church when they conflict, unless of course they can use their political/financial power to effect the law as demonstrated in their recent multi-million dollar campaign to influence the Proposition 8 campaign in California to yet again bring same-sex marriage before the courts. Of course that wasn't their intention, they merely wanted to make same-sex marriage illegal, again, but that will be the result and barring (highly unlikely) a constitutional amendment, the new law they helped write and promote will in its turn be overturned.

The main reason that the polygamists in Bountiful have been left alone has been a realistic concern that the current laws against polygamy won't withstand a Charter challenge on freedom of religion grounds, and that is the exact line of defense that Mr. Blackmore and Mr. Oler will be pursuing. It is ironic that they feel their religion allows them to practice what has at times resembles forced pedophilia disguised as marriage, while the mainstream church spends unlimited sums of money to prevent other forms of unconventional relationships from being recognized - can anyone say hypocrisy?

Indeed according to an article in the Vancouver Sun the Bountiful defendants will even be using same-sex marriage in their defense. Interestingly this article is found in the "Entertainment" section of the Sun, online at least. It is appropriate, since it is apparent that the Can West mandate is to ignore stuff that isn't news (like the various Basi, Virk, and Basi trials) and distract people with celebrities and spectacles.

Two......women listed in the Blackmore indictment — Lorraine Johnson and Shalina Palmer — married each other in a civil ceremony in December 2006, five months after Canada legalized same-sex marriage. Blackmore claimed at the time to know nothing about the civil marriage between Johnson, an American, and Palmer, a Canadian. Fundamentalist Mormons believe homosexuality is a sin.

However, the legalization of same-sex marriage is one of the issues that Blackmore’s lawyer Blair Suffredine says will help his client’s defence.

In other words, same-sex marriage BAD, except for when it is in your interests to support it. Does this mean that I can marry my cat soon? I don't want to get into a discussion of the morality of same-sex marriage, group marriage or holy unions with aliens - though there are issues with the Bountiful situation, such as how much choice do the young girls have and what about the surplus "lost boys" who have no future other than as cheap labor for the patriarchs? Unless they are fortunate enough to be born as a future "patriarch," they likely can't even look forward to marrying their ONE school sweetheart, if a patriarch has his eye on her and many wind up as virtual orphans with no future worth looking forward towards.

The real issue here is since the Charter hasn't changed, why has Stonewalley Oppal continued to try new "Special Prosecutors" until he found one who would tell him to pursue charges. As BC Mary pointed out a few days ago( Diversion. Distraction. Delay. The Bedrooms of Bountiful) it most likely has to do with the upcoming election and keeping the ongoing BC Rail trial, the Sooke ALR trial, the John Les investigation and assorted other scandals (gaming, ICBC,) invisible to the people of BC. I mean the idea of a trial involving a chubby, balding fifty year old guy who sleeps with teenage girls is almost as fascinating as the Pickton trial and may no doubt be as effective for distracting attention from other legal proceedings (to use the term "proceeding" loosely, considering the lack of progress).

Our former local MLA, Blair Suffredine, is representing Winston Blackmore. It is ironic that Blair who lost his seat because he failed to EVER go against Emperor Gordo's dictacts to defend his constituents' interests re: service cuts to ferries, health care and numerous other services (which cost him his seat in 2005) is now going against that same government. Of course it seems more likely to me that his spirited defense of the Polygamists of Bountiful is actually just his way of supporting Campbell and his Cabal from outside the rarely open Legislature. This whole affair could have been dealt with much more efficiently by asking the Supreme Court of Canada for a ruling, without laying charges, but then the titallation elements would be removed and a few more people might notice some of the real issues that are either under investigation or before the courts.

With an election looming, Gordon Campbell would rather have the populace distracted by visions of old fat bald guys with harems of teenage girls than reading about the thefts of land from the ALR, the theft of BC Rail or a myriad of other issues that actually will have long term negative effects on the lives of all British Columbians, with the exception of the Maui Mafia, otherwise known as the Campbell Cabal.

And what in the hell was Justice Lizzie Bennett doing holding court in Victoria, AND WHY DOES OUR LAPDOG MEDIA FAIL TO EXPLAIN???????