OPINION — The article by Ed Kociela claiming that the sentences given to Brandon Blackmore, 12 months incarceration plus 18 months’ probation, and Emily Gail Crossfield Blackmore, seven months plus 18 months’ probation, will not impact the FLDS in Bountiful, will indeed make a difference in the tight community of Bountiful.
These two parents who took their 13-year-old daughter across an international border to marry Warren Jeffs were convicted under Sections 273.3 and 151 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Section 273.3 prohibits the trafficking of a minor into another country for the purpose of an act that is a crime in Canada. Section 151 deals with the crime this girl was subjected to – sexual assault.
Read more:
- 2 members of Canadian polygamist sect sentenced to jail in child-bride case
- On the EDge: Was justice served in Canadian polygamy case?
On July 24th, both Winston Blackmore and James Oler were found guilty of one count each of practicing polygamy a contravention of Section 293 which was found to be constitutional at the Polygamy Reference trial in Vancouver in 2010-2011.
Mr. Blackmore wrongly cites the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when he cries “religious persecution”. Canada’s Charter explicitly states in section one that all rights and freedoms must be exercised under the law. Polygamy is against the law in Canada; and, section 293 is constitutional.
Mr. Kociela writes citing past mistakes and societal mores that do not want to nor do they have the resources to tackle the huge problem of polygamy in Utah. Canada does have the resources and our societal mores have stopped turning their heads to “live and let live.”
I suggest that Mr. Kociela study up and compare Canada’s laws against the laws of the States when it comes to these egregious crimes against women and children. Eight years for a statute of limitations on sexual crimes is a joke.
Written by NANCY MERESKA, Founder, Stop Polygamy in Canada, Two Hills, Alberta, Canada.
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“Eight years for a statute of limitations on sexual crimes is a joke.”
Canada is a joke. If these canadian plygs would’ve been convicted in the US of their crimes it would have been a federal charge of sex trafficking of children and they would’ve got something like 20-30 years in federal prison. In reality I don’t know why they weren’t charged in the US (I’m not a law expert). But they aren’t exempt from US law because they’re canadians, and the most of the crime happened in the US. If these plygs didn’t have the protection of the LDS mormon church (likely the most powerful political-religious entity in the US) we’d be seeing a lot more prosecutions. Every dime you mormons pay to your LDS church is helping to enable polygamous-mormon pedophile sex cults. The official policy of the LDS church on mormon polygamy and mormon-polygamous child sex abuse is to close their eyes, cover their ears, and pretend it doesn’t exist, that is, when they aren’t actively enabling it thru some sort of LDS backroom snakery and secret dealings with plyg offshoot mormon cults. Snaky snaky is what that LDS organization is and always has been, from its inception.
I can’t tell if you are stupid or just ignorant. Why do you keep referring to these sick people as Mormons? In fact no matter what story is being written, no matter what it’s about, you have a way of bringing it around to the Mormons being at fault. What happened to you that made you so bitter. Literally shaking my head at your rediculous comments.
They worship the prophet Joe Smith same as you LDS’ers do. BELIEVE ME, THEY ARE EVERY BIT AS MORMON AS YOU, PROBABLY EVEN MORE SO. They stay more true to what Joe Smith intended the religion to be, and what that is is a polygamous sex cult. I’m an on-the-books LDS member, have been since 8yo, and it seems to me YOU DON’T KNOW THE HISTORY OF MORMONISM. I recommend you learn it, before you go spouting off that FLDS aren’t mormons. they are.