"SISTER WIVES" WHAT STARTED IT ALL... BBC meeting the Browns at a Conference to Legalize Polygamy in 2009...FIRST LOOK at the Browns Being Filmed. I Guess They Caught the Acting Bug!

This article was originally published on 7/19/11. I thought it would be interesting to "bump" it since we are in reminisce mode right now, and readers new to the blog can have a chance to enjoy. -Cynical Jinx


First, I must say, to my friend...YOU WERE SO RIGHT!!!! Thank you for teaching me and being my mentor. Without you, this blog would be what it is.

I feel like Kody right now, when he was smirking about the wedding dress... OH YEAH, I got a BOMB, I got a BOMB I am dropping today!!! Why? I am so happy I finally found this piece that started the whole "Sister Wives" concept in Kody's head, and see how it all started.

A BBC correspondent met the Browns at a Legalization of Polygamy Conference in 2009, and went to their home afterwards. After they did this, they went around and plugged for a show themselves. Also, BE SURE and read about KODY mingling with MARK SHURTLEFF, Utah's then and current Attorney General and Republican politician RIC CANTREL. See what ANNE WILDE says about sharing her husband.

Let's see, what did MARK SHURTLEFF get for going to this meeting and trying to be a fair officer of the law? oh, yeh, A LAWSUIT! KODY, I would be ashamed. You abused his fairness with you, and are trying to punish him for it. BAD KODY.

"Quest to legalize polygamy in Utah"

Kody Brown introduces his three wives and 12 children

Some 40,000 people in the US state of Utah live in illegal polygamous families in which a man takes more than one wife. These fundamentalist Mormons have now begun a campaign for a change in the law they regard as discriminatory and unfair. Humphrey Hawksley met some of the families involved.

"All right everyone, listen up," shouted Kody Brown, brushing his shoulder-length hair clear of his face.

He put both hands out in front of him, pointing towards 12 children aged between four and 14 gathered around a square table in the middle of a huge kitchen.

Six were on one end. One all alone in the middle and five with their mother stood at the other end.

"Those belonging to Janelle identify yourselves," instructed Kody who is 41. Six pairs of hands shot up with screams of "wahoo".

"And the child belonging to Meri," said Kody. Thirteen-year-old Mariah raised her hand.

"Now Christine's kids," said Kody.

A show of five pairs of hands with a loud "wahoo" from everyone including Christine herself, one of Kody Brown's three wives. The other two were out at work.

'Love them all'

After the introductions, the kitchen returned to a kind of controlled mayhem.

The boys played a board game. Three teenage girls chatted at the kitchen counter. The very young scampered around.

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Kody Brown's daughter Mariah is the same age as one of her half-sisters

Mariah got her guitar and her half-sister Madison, who at 13 was the same age, played a song on the piano.

"So do you consider all of them to be your children?" I asked Christine.

"Well my children are my children," she answered. "But, yeah, I love them all to bits and this is all my family. It's awesome."

Kody and Christine Brown live in a polygamous relationship. The house is divided into three adjoining apartments for each of the mothers and their children and as for where Kody lives.

"Well," as Christine put it, "he's everywhere."

Suprising message

I had met the Browns a few hours earlier at the Utah State Legislature where they had joined a campaign to legalise polygamy.

Under US law it is a felony, and technically the adults could be jailed and the children taken into care. But there are simply too many.

Up to 40,000 people in Utah live in polygamous families and it is a way of life that they insist is based on religious belief.

The campaign is called Principle Voices and one of the organizers was Anne Wilde, now a widow after a 33-year marriage. In her basement she keeps religious books that she used to publish with her husband.

Anne Wilde talks about her late husband and his other wives.

"This was our best selling one," she said, pulling out a slim paperback called Jesus was Married.

"This is Martha and Mary," explained Anne pointing to a picture at the front. "And then, of course, there was Mary Magdelene. You see, Jesus said follow me. He didn't say follow me in all things except marriage."

I had met Anne the evening before her big campaigning day and she was worried as to how many would turn up for fear of being identified for future prosecution. But she need not have worried.

Walking across the snow in brilliant sunshine, dozens and dozens of people living in polygamous families arrived at the legislative building.

Nestled in a snow-capped valley, Salt Lake City is the historic capital of the Mormon church. But in 1890, the mainstream church outlawed polygamy.

Those piling into a conference room to hear from the state's politicians were from a breakaway group that had refused to opt for monogamy.

"I see myself as a free man in a free society," said one father, who came with his two daughters, both aged 12.

On the podium was Republican politician Ric Cantrel who had a surprising message for people seen to be openly breaking the law.

"Your patriotism is unquestionable," he said, "and your faith inspiring. "You have no hesitation to put God's law above the law of the state with a propensity toward civil disobedience and I find that very American."

Death threats

Afterwards, Kody Brown and Anne Wilde mingled with Mr Cantrel and with Mark Shurtleff, Utah's larger-than-life attorney general, his suit jacket bulging because of the sidearm he carried after getting death threats from a much more extreme group of polygamists.

"I'm not being soft on them," he said. "But I don't have the resources to throw them all in jail. I hope they now work through the process of changing the law if they disagree with it."

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Kody Brown's family are close-knit and his wives support each other

It became clear that Utah's polygamous communities would be safe from the police as long as they stuck to other laws and, for example, did not indulge in child marriages or paedophilia.

But something was gnawing at me. Given that sexual infidelity so often leads to bitterness, even violence, how did the wives cope with that natural emotion of human jealousy?

"My relationship with my husband is only going to be great if his relationship with his other wives is great," said Christine.





 And what about the widowed Anne Wilde?

"I had such a wonderful man as a husband," she said. "I was so privileged. He was such a blessing that I was willing to share him with other good women."
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(Courtesy of: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7953270.stm)

CAST OF POLYGAMY PLAYERS

Cast of Polygamy Players   

Anne Wilde:   a polygamy advocate.  She is co-founder of Principle Voices, a polygamy advocacy group, and a member of the Utah Attorney General’s Safety Net Committee, an outreach organization created to work with polygamist families. She is also co-author (with Mary Batchelor and Marianne Watson) of Voices in Harmony: Contemporary Women Celebrate Plural Marriage.  Anne Wilde was a plural wife for 33 years, until the death of her husband.  She holds a B.A. in Business Education and is a published author.

The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB):   Also known as the Allred Group after its founder, Rulon Allred, Christine Brown’s grandfather. This Church is headquartered in Bluffdale, UT.  This is a more liberal fundamentalist group  and is the most well-known group to be currently accepting new members. The AUB is known for allowing members to make their own decisions regarding marriage, and disallowing underage marriage.  Authorization to court must be obtained by church authorities   Hus­bands are expected to consult with and obtain the consent of existing wives before considering courtship with another potential bride. 

Barbara Walther: Judge at Warren Jiffs trial

The Bountiful Group:   Formerly FLDS, this Canadian group's leader, Winston Blackmore, was excommunicated from the FLDS and took part of the group with him. They publish a newsletter called the North Star, which is available online.

Brigham Young (deceased): an American leader in the LDS movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death in 1877. He was also the founder of Salt Lake City and the first governor of Utah Territory.  Brigham Young University was named in his honor.  Young had a variety of nicknames, among the most popular being "American Moses," (alternatively the "Mormon Moses") because, like the biblical figure, Young led his followers, the Mormon pioneers, in an exodus through a desert, to what they saw as a promised land.

Centennial Park Group:  Residents of Centennial Park, AZ  and former members of the FLDS who broke off and formed their own, slightly more liberal group. They are significantly more well-to-do than their neighbors, and appear to be more loosely affiliated with any particular church. They claim no prophet, but do claim priesthood authority, and regularly hold open sacrament services.  Women dress in “modern modest” attire.  Also known as Second Warders.

Davis County Cooperative Society (DCCS) - (Kingstons):  It is called the “Davis County Cooperative Society” because it started in Davis County, Utah during the Great Depression.  Several families came together thinking they would be better off working together than working separately.  Many church members believe in the principle of plural marriage, though fewer than half of the men actually practice the principle.

Members freely choose their own life partners; marriages in this commu­nity are not arranged. Members are encouraged to take partners within their own community. This guideline can sometimes result in unions which in some states are legally definable as incestuous. Men have also been known to take partners from outside the group.  This group places a high value on family, education and self-sufficiency.

Deric Walpole:  Warren Jeffs’ defense attorney

Elissa Wall:  In December 2005, Elissa Wall filed a lawsuit against Warren Jeffs because he had forced her into an underage marriage to her first cousin when she was only 14 years old. 

Ervil LeBaron: (deceased): the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents, using the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the murders. He was sentenced to prison for orchestrating the murder of an opponent, and died in prison.  He had at least 13 wives, several of whom he married while they were still underage, and several of whom were involved in the murders.  In 1977, LeBaron ordered the killing of Rulon C. Allred, leader of the AUB, and Christine Brown’s grandfather.  Ervil LeBaron was Christine’s great-uncle (her mother’s uncle).

Flora Jessop:   an American social activist, author, and advocate for abused children.  Flora was raised in an FLDS polygamous family in the twin towns of Colorado City and Hilldale.  After years of abuse by her father she ran away when forced to marry her cousin at age 16.  She is the cousin, by marriage, of Carolyn Jessop, another former FLDS member who wrote Escape, an autobiographical account of her upbringing in, and flight from,  the polygamist sect.

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS):  This is one of the groups that followed the claims of John Woolly that authority was given to him by John Taylor to insure that polygamy was always practiced. This is the main body of Fundamentalist Mormonism. This branch is currently in crisis since it's leader, Warren Steed Jeffs has had his “troubles” with the law.  The FLDS Church is considered one of the most conservative groups. They practice what is known as "The Law of Placing", which means that church leaders are responsible for who marries whom.

Harmston Group:  (also  The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days): Their website, outdated since the community has distanced itself  from the public, is available at www.helpingmormons.org/TLC_Manti/index.html . The prophet of this Church, Jim Harmston, was a former member of the mainstream LDS church, but was excommunicated along with many other members of this group. He claims to have been made a prophet through a visitation by God. Formerly seeking new converts, this church has now closed its doors. A video tape was recently released that shows Harmston's plans to take over the city of Manti and eventually all of Utah in a sweep to prepare the world for the return of Christ. This group is considered even by polygamy advocates to be unstable and possibly dangerous.

Heroine of Paris: a Twitter user who frequently defends Robyn on Twitter and who some have speculated is an unofficial or official PR person for Robyn and /or the Brown family.

Jonathan Turley:  prominent lawyer representing the Browns in their lawsuit against the state of Utah.

Joseph LaMoine Jenson:  has been the leader of the AUB since 2005

Joseph Smith (deceased):  founder of the LDS Church, who Mormons say "restored" the Mormon Gospel. 

Kingston Group (The Latter Day Church of Christ): They are headquartered in Kingston, UT, and are known for having acquired massive wealth. Moderate, as far as fundamentalist Mormons go, this group has had one major run-in with the law, when one of the head member was accused of trying to force his daughter into a marriage with her uncle. Polygamy advocates, however, say that they are really great people who have opened up their compound to domestic violence advocates and community organizations.

Lyle Jeffs:  brother of Warren Jeffs (same mother and father).  Potential next leader of FLDS

Mary Batchelor:  polygamy activist and co-author with Anne Wilde.  Director of Principle Voices.

Mary Mackert: an author who tells her story in a series of autobiographical books about modern day Mormon polygamy, niece of Rebekah Kimbel.

Principle Rights Coalition: a coalition of Fundamentalist Mormon Communities, including: Apostolic United Brethren, Centennial Park,Davis County Cooperative Society, The Nielsen-Naylor communities,Principle Voices (www.principlevoices.org) and numerous other, independent Fundamentalist Mormons.  Their contact person is listed as Anne Wilde

Principle Voices:  a non-profit polygamy education and advocacy organization.  Their Director is Mary Batchelor

Rebecca Musser:  married at age 19 to former FLDS prophet Rulon T. Jeffs when he was 83.  Musser left the FLDS shortly after Rulon Jeffs died.  She wore red to much of Warren Jeffs trial.

Rebekah Kimbel:  sister-in-law of Verlan LeBaron, aunt of Mary Mackert.  A motivational speaker who speaks against the harms of polygamy.  Rulon Jeffs performed her polygamous marriage ceremony.

Rozita Swinton – (has had some Twitter exchanges with Robyn) the hoax caller who prompted the raids on the FLDS Texas YFZ ranch.  

Rulon Clark Allred (deceased): a homeopathic physician and chiropractor in Salt Lake City and the leader of what is now the Apostolic United Brethren, a breakaway sect of polygamous Mormon fundamentalists in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, United States. He was murdered on the orders of Ervil LeBaron, the head of a rival polygamous sect.  Allred was imprisoned for bigamy following Arizona governor John Howard Pyle's 1953 "Short Creek raid", but resumed his polygamous lifestyle upon his release.  (In addition to being Christine's grandfather, he is Robyn's children's great great-grandfather, and related indirectly to Meri and Kody, also. (more coming) A picture of RCA is in the post: "Sister Wives" Why choose Plural Marriage?

Rulon Jeffs (deceased):  father of Warren Jeffs, former Prophet of the FLDS.

Safety Net Committee:  This committee began in 2003.  It holds monthly meetings in Salt Lake City, St. George, Colorado City, and Creston, BC, Canada.  Government Agencies, non-profits and interested individuals work together to insure that people associated with polygamy have the same educational opportunities, and access to justice, safety and services as the general public.  Their original goals are to provide training and develop materials for public awareness; reduce isolation, secrecy, abuses of power and crime; and find ways to provide access and education to members of polygamous communities.  They produced “The Primer” for government agencies.

Tom Green:  a fundamental Mormon and practicing polygamist in Utah who was convicted in 2001 of bigamy, failure to pay child support/welfare fraud, and in 2002 of child rape (underage wife).  In the 1980s, while in his thirties, Green left the LDS Church, converted to Mormon fundamentalism, and became a polygamist..  He was to eventually take seven wives.  Tom Green’s publicity hungry ways have invited comparisons to the Brown family.   He was released from prison in 2007.

Warren Jeffs: – Prophet of the FLDS, recently convicted.  See numerous posts on this blog.

Winston Blackmore: – leader of the Bountiful group

Written by: TERRASOLA

**this and any other list, if you know of one that needs to be on the list, simply put it in the comments, and we'll add it!

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"Sister Wives" Anne Wilde. Mary Batchelor, Principal Voices, Safety Net.

If we are to learn about the AUB and Polygamy, you need to learn these organizations and names. *ANNE WILDE. MARY BATCHELOR, PRINCIPLE VOICES, SAFETY NET.

Which, to my humble mind, is it NOT weird they are putting out literature on how delicately to handle criminals. (Polygamy is a crime) Anonymous, Friend of Flora, and a few others have TAUGHT me, or should I say, trying to bring me out of my ignorance about this and presented some pretty disturbing things earlier on. But guess what, Each and Every fact they told me previously been shown to be TRUE, even though I so desperately didn’t want to believe them at times. PLEASE read the comment below annony. Put on the blog, to help you understand these women, and how they really treat others, before you look through the PRINCIPLE VOICES, etc. When reading some on the PRINCIPLE VOICES, my biggest concern was how they are teaching women that having plural marriage is EMPOWERMENT to be in the work force! Freeing the women! Please read below from someone who KNOWS, these women are not all light and fluffy, and have agendas.


Here's a previous comment from anonymous that I didn't want you to miss: I would not put this on here if I didn't know the person, and trust their wisdom emphatically. 
"Her name is ANNE WILDE. She is the co - president of PRINCIPLE VOICES, an organization of Mormon fundamentalist plural wives who speak out in favor of "The Principle of Plural Marriage". The goal of "Principle Voices" is to portray polygamy as something liberating and desirable for women. ANNE WILDE is the former plural wife of OGDEN KRAUT, a now deceased Mormon fundamentalist who published a lot of books claiming that Jesus was a polygamist with four wives - he co-authored these books with ANNE WILDE, who was his second wife. ANNE WILDE was a mainstream LDS woman who got divorced and was without new marital prospects. She wanted a "priesthood holder" (man) to call her "through the veil" into the Celestial Kingdom after death, so it was very important for her to get re-married. She began to read about Mormon fundamentalism, and she met and fell in love with OGDEN KRAUT, who was already married. ANNE soon became the favorite or dominant wife of Mr. KRAUT, and KRAUT’S first wife left him. ANNE's a real hypocrite - when an elderly widow approached OGDEN KRAUT and asked him to marry her solely for his "priesthood services" to ensure her "salvation," ANNE pitched a fit. The other co - president of Principle Voices is MARY BATCHELOR, Mormon fundamentalist who entered a polygamous marriage as a second wife of GARY BATCHELOR. Within about three years of MARY entering the BATCHELOR marriage, the first wife left the marriage and GARY BATCHELOR has not married another woman in over 20 years. MARY has been a monogamist for over 20 years with GARY, but she runs an organization which advocates for polygamy and decriminalization. So "Principle Voices" is run by second wives who drove their husband's first wives right out of their marriage and they ended up monogamists, but they have the audacity to tell us how wonderful polygamy is. Hypocrite much ??? 
 Safety Net/The Primer. http://familysupportcenter.org./ThePrimer2009.pdf
 PRINCIPLE VOICES Webpage: http://principlevoices.org/

 See anything hypocritical about this? Do they have a "Primer" for Drug Addicts? Treat them kindly? Please take a scan through these website and tell us what you think. The Browns believe in all of this, and friends with the women. Christine is listed as a primary write of the Primer.

Here's the problem I have with it. Why are there no NON polygamists on these committees? that and about 100 other thoughts. Yours?
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