Friday, January 20, 2006

"BIG LOVE" on HBO

After watching the first five episodes of Big Love, I want more. And I don’t want to wait until March 12th. Going into it, the idea of an HBO series about a polygamist wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. But series creators Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer have really fashioned a tale about contemporary married and family life. Specifically, the Henrickson family in Salt Lake City.

While polygamy isn’t really prosecuted, there are polygamy groups that lobby the Utah State Legislature for bills amending or tweaking the age of marital consent, and addressing issues of child welfare. The creators make a big effort to separate the mainline Latter Day Saints from the world of polygamy, but are still ready for an outcry from religious groups.
_______________

The prescreening seems to be saying that this is a hit and this will reach far more households than the New York Times. I guess watching TV is easier than reading a newspaper. Utah and polygamy will be under a microscope soon!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not to mention that 2006 is an election year in Arizona! Wait until September and October.

Anonymous said...

Hey. I'm just wondering. Will they be able to continue with the prosecution of the hildale colorado city men when Shurtleff and Goddard are voted out of office? These appear to be the dudes who are doing it all in hildale area. What if the next attorney generals dont give a crap? perhaps this could explain such aggression towards hildale area(example; UEP, Rewards put up, prosecutions, etc.) They don't have to worry about being voted on again. Just like Bush, eh?

Anonymous said...

The FBI is federal and they put up the $50,000. Then yesterday the support for HB 30 was across the board and 100%, if you can't read the writing on the wall, its time for a reality check or eye glasses!

Shurtleff was just reelected for another term and Goddard's challenger is Bill Montgomery, I suspect his opinions are already public.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the lobby efforts to decriminalize, the influence of high paid attorneys and so on, don't you think that the AUB and Kingston's could be next?

It was Allred's and AUB that acted as consultants for "BIG LOVE" coming to HBO. I suspect that their spin on the series may backfire. I think viewers might be able to seperate and link up the child brides connection, which has concerned so many activist. Keep in mind HBO means PG-13 to "R" rated sex scenes. From three older women playing wives, to a reality of underaged sister wives, HBO will link the current series with 500 past articles and set a new stage for past issues.

Then if the public considers the AUB and what their agenda was in consulting to this HBO series, scrutny of the AUB will likely follow.

As for the Kingston's that to is a promblem for Utah. As a matter of tollerance and economic interest or consideration, the state has ignore the Kingston's who marry their own in a incestuous way. Mary Ann was of course married to her uncle as his 15th wife. Her court case and others clearly identify the extent of the Kingston empire that coexists closer to Salt Lake City. A list below of businesses connected to Kingston monies a few years back;

1.West Deep Creek Irrigation & Power Co.
2. Standard Restaurant Equipment Co.
3. IA Castle Corp.
4. Latter Day Church of Christ
5. Fidelity Funding Corp.
6. K.J.E Inc.
7. Coalt Inc.
8. C.W. Mining Co. (Related entities: Co-Op Mine; Co-Op Mining Co.)
9. Standard Industries Inc.
10. Mountain Coin Machine Distributors
11. Best Distributing Amusement Games
12. N.U.B. Corp.
13. American Digital Systems
14. P.P.M.C. Inc.
15. U.P.C. Inc.
16. ANR Company Inc.
17. Hiawatha Coal Co. Inc.
18. RE Company Inc.
19. PGAC Inc.
20. Westwood Inc.
21. K.C.P.C. Inc.
22. Spectrum Inc.
23. World Enterprises
24. Little Red House Montessori
25. Michael's Shoe Repair and Men's Store
26. Holtz Inc.
27. National Business Management Inc.
28. Specialty Consulting Services Inc.
29. Spiffy Ice & Cold Storage
30. Kingston Dairy
31. Kearns Property Company
32. Kingston & Associates
33. Kwik Industries
34. Garco Industrial Park
35. AM Security Alarm Co.
36. Davis County Cooperative Society Inc.
37. Fountain of Youth Health & Athletic Club
38. Bail Bond Specialists
39. Advance Vending
40. D. U. Company Inc.
41. H.K. Engineering Inc.
42. Sportsman's Pawn Shops
43. East Side Market
44. Family Stores True Value
45. Sportsman's Bail Bond Specialists
46. Sportsman's Fast Cash 47. C.O.P Coal Development Co.

Remember the Coal Company in the news? Under paid labor and insurance claims, fighting an effort to unionize.

Yep, BIG LOVE is the pandora's box and no doubt the Allred's and Kingston's will be caught in the cross fire.

Anonymous said...

Goddard doesn't run much risk of being run out of office. He was a highly popular mayor of Phoenix, and has kept his nose clean. He enjoys good press, and hasn't even offended the Republicans. I consider myself a partisan Republican, and I would vote for him. His only baggage was being single for so long, and even the rumors that surrounded his bachelorhood have quieted.

I have no idea if he has ambitions for higher office.

Anonymous said...

I just looked up Goddard's bio on Google. It says he's a UNITARIAN! No wonder he gets along with everybody. He thinks EVERYBODY is right. OK, well not quite everybody. Everybody except those wierdos up North.

Could we maybe just re-survey the Arizona/Utah border and put it about 5 miles farther South?

Mr. Goddard: If you are reading this (and I know you or your people are), keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Per this thread about BIG LOVE on HBO, the producers need to be very careful as stated above, the AUB does make the news and acting as a consultant, may well be their undoing! In the recent article below, Allred police's abuse about as well as Warren Jeffs. What I noted as interesting in the article was Detective Rackley, one in the same who was investigating FLDS faithful Marvin Cooke for posible incest, while he lived in West Valley. Case # 00-87790, apparently she is no longer with West Valley Utah PD. The press only needs to remember Caroline Cooke who fled Colorado City in 2001. Daddy Marvin, mom Julie Darger, second wife Roberta Mackert, third wife Roberta's daughter Afton. Step daughter true, but in Utah marrying a step daughter is called "violation of trust" and is chargeable as incest. Ironic, if nothing else, that the detective has investigated abuses from both the FLDS and now the Allred's.

I know a thing or two about the AUB, I wonder what the press will dig up on or near the release of "BIG LOVE". Watch out HBO and TOM HANKS, do your homework!

Polygamist Faces Several Charges

Reported by Jill Young:

A former member of the Allred polygamous group is facing several charges of
child abuse.

70 year old Gustavo Palacios is in jail for allegedly sexually abusing his common
law wife's two girls.

The detective on this case says it's unusual because the mother of the two girls,
victimized by Palacios, may have been involved in the abuse herself, which by all
indications, may have lasted between six and seven years, and started when the
two girls were eight years old.

Owen Allred says, his group ex-communicated Palacios as soon as they heard.

Polygamous leader, Owen Allred says, Palacios became part of his group 20 years
ago.

"He sat right there and talked to me and when he told me the whole story,
'Chevrol, this is not possible. It's just not possible. I don't want to believe it," said
Allred.

And, Palacios wasn't the only one in the room at the time.

"And he says, 'yeah, it's all true'. His wife was sitting there and she's the one that
told the whole story on him," said Allred.

And, that's what detectives say, makes this case different.

"I thought it was unusual that the mother was involved with some of the abuse that
was going on. It's not very often that we get females that are perpetrators or that
they're involved in this kind of stuff," said Detective Cathleen Rackley, Salt lake
County Sheriff's office.

The girls' mother, Rebecca Baker, also his 4th common law wife, declined to
comment. But, detectives say, she has given them a statement and they will be
looking at possible charges.

Gustabo could be facing charges of rape of a child, sodomy on a child, aggravated
sex abuse of a child, and lewdness involving a child.

Neighbors describe the couple as quiet and friendly.

"My granddaughter used to play with them a few years back, and they'd come
over and come in the house and sometimes they'd spend the night. I never knew
anything was happening," said Alan Thacker, neighbor.

As for his own feelings about people who victimize children, Allred is clear.

"I don't want to be silly but I should pack a gun around so I can shoot them if it
happens," said Allred.

Sheriff's detectives say, the two girls are in state custody.

Owen Allred says, he would have reported the abuse to law enforcement, but it
was Palacios wife's sister who reported it first.

Anonymous said...

I can understand the confusion.

For most of us, there is only one woman with whom we can have relations of that sort. Never before marriage, and with just one from then on. That's simple enough for me. I can do that.

But when you make it complicated, like with divorce ordered by someone else, additional wives later on, gaining favor with your neighbors who have daughters, competing with your sons and grandsons for the pretty girls, trading daughters for wives, marrying sisters-in-law, cousins, widowed mothers, and nieces, and a culture that produces so many young widows, it's no wonder that even the farm animals don't feel safe.

Anonymous said...

I think Goddard is being carefully watched and a lot depends on what Jay and Flora do come September/October. There have been to many retained emails and recorded phone calls to shrug off the negative publicity should this become a platform issue.

The problem is, we in the press can do a search and in seconds, have every quote Goodard ever made. Below he was questioned by Utah's attorney general and his comments are not so easily erased. With Beswicks P.O.S.T complaints filed with Arizona DPS Director Garrett in October of 2000, Arizona can not paint a picture that they were unaware of the crisis before them now. Sent certified and returned signed, the P.O.S.T. complaint outlines issues, not admitted for nearly a year later.

The election hinges on the political climate come September, the willingness of the press to pursue this story and how much dialog from the year 2000 and before gets released. With BIG LOVE paving the way, I suspect this campaign will touch on this issue and more.

WHAT TERRY GODDARD said;

He and Goddard recently met with public officials in the Colorado City-Hildale area and talked with local law enforcement about a legal strategy for dealing with the widespread abuses by the polygamists. "Do you know who Dan Barlow is?" Shurtleff asked, referring to the mayor of Colorado City and a major polygamist leader. "Well, when Terry came up here, Dan Barlow picked him up at the airport and shuttled him around the area."

The Utah AG said Barlow, whose family members have been among a chosen few running things in the fundamentalist society for decades, had been bragging before the visit that he and Goddard were friends. "I asked Terry about that later," Shurtleff related, "and he said they had gotten to know each other when he was mayor of Phoenix."

From;

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2003-10-09/news/barrs.html

Anonymous said...

The truth will get out and there is far to much to hide. Allred's did us a favor by consulting in BIG LOVE! The spotlight will shine on them for a while and we might hear something other than FLDS here!

Anonymous said...

There's nothing wrong about Goddard getting a tour from Mayor Dan.

From what I can tell, Dan Barlow got along with just about everybody. He was really a pretty good ambassador. Terry Goddard gets along with just about everybody too, and id does help him to be effective.

You shouldn't hold the relationship against anybody.

If Terry Goddard is as smart as he seems, he's probably still in contact with Dan Barlow.

Anonymous said...

How does one get a sneak preview of this series?

Anonymous said...

You had to be in the know, the prescreening was to determine audience interest and it passed with flying colors.

I am more interested in "September Dawn" which like BIG LOVE will add fluff, but sex replaced by violence in a true historic event, will make a link to the old doctrine and "blood atonement" whether it applies or not!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps BIG LOVE will do for polygamy what THE SOPRANOS has done for organized crime. Who can't sympathize with poor teddy-bear Tony Soprano trying to "make his way in the world"?

Anonymous said...

I just watched all of the Big Love dvds available from Netflix. Very interesting to see how they based characters and plots on actual persons and events. Roman Grant obviously is based on Rulon Jeffs, accountant. Alby Grant, is, I guess, based on Warren Jeffs. Who is Orville Hendrickson based on?

Pawn shops salt lake city utah said...

The Episodes of "Big Love" are very interesting and they cannot be missed at any cost i am a usual viewer of it so please do not stop the telecast as it is hard to wait for long time