'MARRIAGE' NEWS- April 2006: The REAL Proposal For Marriage magazine

"Marriage In The News" is not a representation of The Real Proposal magazine...

The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.

Bush DID make history on the White House lawn. . . and every politically astute liberal knows it RenewAmerica.org, By John Haskins, Apr 30, 2006
More denial, folks. As always, every politically aware liberal and homosexual activist in the country knows what many on "Our Side" have scrambled to deny. Here's a little reality pill to nibble on: another incremental surrender DID occur and history WAS made in this White House Easter Egg Roll, in an almost irreversible way. Homosexuals, bearing their trophy children — helpless prisoners in the War Against Future Generations — were welcomed without so much as blink of an eye at a family event on a high Christian holy day. . . . Why don't pro-family people understand how much the "little" things like this advance society's acceptance of homosexual "families," homosexual child rearing and homosexual "marriages?" How blind can we be? . . . .

Bush DID make history on the White House lawn...and every politically astute liberal knows it

Money and marriage tips for managing both

Money and marriage tips for managing both Miami Herald.com- By Jodi Mailander Farrell, Apr 30, 2006

1. Full disclosure: A couple should list and share information about all finances, including salaries, savings, investment, real estate and debt. One spouse's premarriage debt or credit ratings won't affect the other's credit rating, but it can hamper joint financial moves, such as owning your first home together. Many experts advise exchanging credit reports before marriage.
2. Joint or separate? Will you keep separate bank accounts and divvy up the bills? Or will you put all your money in a joint account? Another option is to open a joint account that you each can contribute to for household expenses but also maintain separate personal accounts, which gives each of you some spending freedom. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Money issues can make or break marriage, so talk about it Sheboygan Press- By Ken King, Apr 30, 2006

Marriage matters: Tying a slip-knot Sturgisjournal.com, By James and Audora Burg, Apr 29, 2006
Would you take marriage advice from a divorce lawyer? A Minnesota attorney seems to think you should. He wrote a book, “Preparing for Divorce While Happily Married.”Not many engaged couples plan their divorce while planning their wedding. But if you follow the advice in this book, you might as well. In fact, you could save yourself a lot of time, money, and heartache and not marry at all, because you’re essentially reserving your right to say “I quit” even as you’re preparing to say “I do.” He offers so many dreadful nuggets of advice. Where do we start? . . .

How about this: begin planning for your future divorce right after the honeymoon. . . .

Lack of spiritual relationship can make marriage stale Grand Forks Herald.com (Subscription), By Naomi Dunavan, April 29, 2006
Marriage can be a doorway through which a man and woman begin a new and closer walk with God. "I think God designed it that way," Gary Thomas says, "and we have to open our eyes to that reality. . . . Thomas has noticed that the meaning of marriage has become lost to so many couples. "We get married for trivial reasons, and we divorce for trivial reasons," he says. "Many newlyweds are shell-shocked. Less than a year before, they had been head-over-heels in love. I'm finding a growing number who were wondering if they had made the right choice. That tells me they didn't make a bad choice, but that they had wrong expectations without regaining a sense of the meaning of marriage. . . . With more than half of all marriages ending in divorce, there's now a "dirty little secret" that goes hand-in-hand with divorce, Thomas says. "And that is that people are running away from the person they have become in that relationship. . . .

Lack of spiritual relationship can make marriage stale

Alethea Foster stabbed her husband's mistress.jpg

Wife's despair over her 'sham' marriage Telegraph.co.uk- UK, Apr 28, 2006
The wife who stabbed her husband's former mistress in a jealous rage described yesterday her "horror and disbelief" that their close friend was having an affair with him. Fighting back tears, Alethea Foster, 61, said she felt as if "the world had come to an end" when she realised that John, her husband of 35 years, had been sleeping with Julie Simpson, 41, for 16 years. . . . Foster told the court that before she discovered the affair, she and her husband were no longer having sex. He had told her in 1989 that he was impotent but was unwilling to seek treatment. At the same time, she became aware that he had become "obsessed" with Miss Simpson. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: I Intended to kill myself not my rival, says stabbing wife Telegraph.co.uk- UK, Apr 27, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: There are three of us in this marriage, said stabbing wife Telegraph.co.uk- UK, Apr 25, 2006

10 Things A Man Fears Most About Marriage KETV 7 Omaha- Content By i-Village, Apr 28, 2006
When James Douglas Barron's girlfriend wanted to get married, he was, well, afraid. What threw this otherwise brave man into a fit if fear? Simple. He thought long-term commitment would ruin their fun relationship. Now that they are married (and happy), James thinks his prenuptial terror couldn't have been more amiss. In his book, She Wants a Ring -- and I Don't Wanna Change a Thing he offers advice to other commitment-phobes and along the way gives women a glimpse into the male psyche. . . . Ready for some real insight from a real guy? Some are more serious than others, but here are James' top 10 reasons why men (even your man) may be afraid to get hitched:

1. The life sentence: "For better or worse." (Clank! Cell door shut!)
2. Giving up that dream of tasting the fruits of all nations (flitting from woman to woman in a glorious bath of love and lust). . .

GOP doesn't need 'marriage' to win:
Republicans will get black voters because of economic policies, not divide and conquer strategy Washington Blade.com- By Matthew Tsien, April 28, 2006
THE NATIONAL GAY & Lesbian Task Force has done it again. It issued another dubious research project, this time proclaiming that the GOP offers nothing to African-American voters besides a seductive anti-gay marriage agenda. . . . What the NGLTF research overlooks is that GOP economic policies have created an emerging black middle class, with tremendous growth in minority-owned firms, minority managers in the private and public sectors, and record numbers of minority homeowners and stockholders. For this we can thank the Republicans’ supply-side economics, which is oriented toward growing the private sector as opposed to encouraging life-long dependency on government assistance programs. .

LDS Church backs marriage amendment Salt Lake Tribune, United States - By Peggy Fletcher Stack, Apr 25, 2006
The LDS Church has joined a national religious coalition to push an amendment to the US Constitution that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. LDS Apostle Russell M. Nelson joined 50 prominent Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish leaders in signing a petition explaining why they see a need for such a constitutional amendment. "We are convinced that this is the only measure that will adequately protect marriage from those who would circumvent the legislative process and force a redefinition of it on the whole of our society," reads the petition released to the public on Monday. . . .A similar effort failed in 2004, but it did generate significant opposition to same-sex marriage that helped bring many conservative voters to the polls in some pivotal states in 2004. That same year, Utah amended its own constitution to define marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman - a move the LDS Church endorsed. The church has issued two previous statements in support of a constitutional amendment on marriage, and its position is clearly laid out in the 1994 document, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." . . . . .

Celebrities make pregnancy glamorous
From Demi and Angelina to You and Me: Pregnancy Has Become Glamorous ABC News.com- AP, By Jocelyn Noveck, Apr 24, 2006
. . . . "It's hip now to be pregnant," says Jill Siefert, a fashion stylist in San Francisco who recently added pregnancy styling to her business. "Everybody's doing it." Of course, everybody's always done it. It's just that we're hearing about it so much more now especially RIGHT now. Take the latest cover of People (perhaps they should rename it Parents). Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, new parents of Suri, are flanked by Gwyneth Paltrow and newborn Moses, and Donald and Melania Trump with newborn Barron. Inside, Liv Tyler and Jon Stewart cavort with their respective offspring, Matt Damon awaits his, Brooke Shields talks about hers. And this is only April. The coming months promise the birth of the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie baby, still in utero but already presumed unprecedentedly gorgeous. "Not since Jesus has a baby been so eagerly anticipated," New York magazine wrote. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: As Seen in People May 1, 2006

A Current Legal Affair for Maury Povich E! Online.com- By Natalie Finn, Apr 24, 2006
Maury's on-camera segments dealing with sex, drugs and scandalous behavior may be nothing compared to what one producer is claiming went on behind the scenes at the show. Bianca Nardi filed a $100 million sexual harassment lawsuit Monday against host Maury Povichand two members of his syndicated talk show's team, stating that she was exposed to a gross amount of inappropriate behavior in the nearly six years she has worked for them. The 28-year-old producer also named NBC Universal Television and Povich's production company, MoPo, in her suit. . . . Povich has been married to TV journalist Connie Chung since 1984. The couple, who also cohost Weekends with Maury and Connie on MSNBC together, have one son and Povich has two grown daughters from a previous marriage. . . .

Marriage Collapses Under GOP Leadership Human Events Online-By David R. Usher, Apr 22, 2006
Twelve years after “welfare reform,” marriage is still in the emergency room, father-absence is still the greatest problem we face, and federal government is more aggressive than ever entitling illegitimacy at the direct expense of marriage. . . . Republicans wonder why so many Americans are unhappy with them. The reason is plainly visible on Page 1 of the newspaper every day. Just read about all those single-mom strippers, imputed rapists, spousal murderers and child sexual abusers (of both sexes), and messed up children. Most "deadbeat dad" stories involve a man persecuted for more money than he makes. For every publicized deadbeat dad, there are thousands of invisible men and their friends and family who are equally upset. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: GOP doesn't need 'marriage' to win: Republicans will get black voters because of economic policies, not divide and conquer strategy Washington Blade.com- By Matthew Tsien, April 28, 2006

Did Jesus marry Mary Magdalene? Florida Baptist Witness- By Mark Rathel, Apr 20, 2006
Editor’s note: This article by Mark Rathel, a theology professor at The Baptist College of Florida, is the second of five exploring some of the claims of The Da Vinci Code in the weeks leading up to the May 19 release of the motion picture of the same name.

GRACEVILLE (FBW)–Dan Brown, in his best seller The Da Vinci Code, sets forth the view that Jesus married Mary Magdalene. His fictional characters, Harvard professor Robert Langdon and Sir Teabing, offer the following evidence in support of the marriage (pp. 243-250). First, Jewish society considered male singleness as a violation of social decorum. Second, if Jesus were a bachelor, one of the canonical gospels would have mentioned his singleness. Third, the Gospel of Philip and other Gnostic Gospels explicitly affirm the marriage between Jesus and Mary. Fourth, the Gospel of Mary records an encounter in Mary Magdalene’s words in which Peter expressed jealousy because Mary received special revelation; Jesus intended to found the church upon special teaching given to Mary. Fourth, the Catholic Church covered up the marriage by vilifying Mary as a prostitute.What does the biblical record reveal about Mary Magdalene?. . . .

Court to test the rights of cuckolds The Austrailian- By Vanda Carson, Apr 20, 2006
A LOOMING battle that could allow cuckolded men to sue deceitful wives for the cost of raising children conceived outside their marriage has been described by High Court judge Michael Kirby as opening a "Pandora's box". If the full bench of the High Court rules in favour of Victorian father Liam Magill, the court will set the ball rolling for dozens of new compensation cases, including those brought by men who learn they are not genetically related to their children and who want to recover child-support payments and other damages. Mr Magill has alleged he was tricked into paying tens of thousands of dollars to his unfaithful former wife in support of two children that were not his own. . . . Historically, the law of deceit, which is related to fraud, has only applied to commercial relationships, not those on a personal nature. . . .

Parenting Issues: Controversy Over Kid's Book Depicting Gay Marriage CBS4Boston, Boston - Apr 20, 2006
LEXINGTON-MA There's a classroom controversy in the suburbs over a children's book depicting gay marriage. A second grade teacher read the book to her class in Lexington. Some parents are outraged that the school never notified them it would be part of a lesson. It doesn't sound like this debate's going away any time soon. It's not the first time Estabrook Elementary School has been embroiled in controversy. At first, Robbin Wirthlin's son told her about what he called "a silly book he read at school." Then she realized the fairytale about a wedding had a scene she planned to discuss with him -- but not yet. . .

Controversy over kid's book depicting gay marriage

One Down: World Awaits Pitt, Jolie's Baby ABC News.com-AP, By Jake Coyle, April 19, 2006
One down, one to go. . . On Tuesday, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise aka TomKat welcomed into the world their first child together, a daughter named Suri. The name has its origins in Hebrew meaning "princess" or in Persian meaning "red rose," according to Cruise's publicist. Israeli newscasts were good-naturedly skeptical about Suri being a Hebrew word. "We seem to have learned a new Hebrew word, and from Tom Cruise, no less," said the Channel 2 anchorman. Meanwhile, Jolie is nearing the end of her pregnancy as she and Pitt lay low in the southwest African country of Namibia. . . . "They will probably go down as a marker of our generation for the saturation point of this celebrity obsession," says Corynne Steindler, the editor of gossip blog Jossip. "Had they been born on the same day or even the same week, I don't even know if the weekly (magazines) could handle it," she says. . .
'TomKat,' Brooke In Baby Irony CBS News, April 19, 2006
Irony abounded in Hollywood Tuesday, when Katie Holmes had Tom Cruise's baby on the same day Brooke Shields gave birth. Cruise and Shields were in a public spat last year after the actor criticized her for taking anti-depressants following the birth of her first child. . . .

Should men be able to opt out of parenthood?

Black Men and Child Support: Should Men Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood? AOL Black Voices- By Angela Bronner, Updated Apr 19, 2006
In April 2004, music mogul and fashion maven Sean "Diddy" Combs was ordered to pay the mother of his first child, Misa Hylton-Brim, just under $35,000 per month in child support -- the largest amount awarded in New York state history. Combs and his lawyers eventually had the sum reduced to $21,782. But even that cut rate made his royal Diddy-ness the poster papa for men who feel child support awards are becoming increasingly unfair to fathers. "A court doesn't tell me what to do to support my child," a heated Combs said to the NY Daily News after the verdict. "This is not about child support, it's about adult support.". . . . In terms of black men specifically, Wilder says that current system just increases criminalization. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Plight Deepens for Black men, Study Warns AOL Black Voices, By Erik Eckholm New York Times, Mar 22, 2006

Consumer sex: How the pro-choice movement scarred America

Consumer Sex
How the pro-choice movement scared America Townhall.com- By Jennifer Roback-Morse, Apr 17, 2006
. . . The modern view holds that sex is a recreational activity with no moral or social significance. The freedom we have come to value is to be completely unencumbered by human relationships. We are entitled to end or walk away from any relationship with a person who might legitimately make demands upon us that we don’t want to fulfill. And reproductive freedom in particular, is the right to unlimited sexual activity without a live baby resulting. I call this view of sex, Consumer Sex. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Doyle signs bill requiring marriage instruction as part of sex ed Duluth News Tribune, MN - Apr 15, 2006

Unmarried Parents On Rise In Europe CBS News (Christian Science Monitor- By Peter Ford ), Apr 17, 2006
Germany's Bild newspaper has called it "the Steffi Graf trend." And though a pregnant Graf ended up marrying Andre Agassi a few days before their son, Jaden, was born, Bild has a point. Across Europe, the number of children born to unmarried couples has risen sixfold over the past 35 years to nearly 1 in 3 of all babies, altering the face of the European family beyond recognition — and beyond recall — say demographers and social analysts. While most governments have regarded the transformation as simply a sign of the times, some experts are sounding the alarm. . . . "People these days don't expect their marriages to last, so they think 'why get married in the first place if weddings are expensive and divorce complicated?'" says Dr. Brierley, whose organization provides information to help British church leaders make informed policy decisions. . . .

Marriage, children, divorce and motherhood Yemen Times, Yemen -Apr 17, 2001
There are some women to whom marriage does not appear lustrous. Growing difficulties within marriage, messiness of divorces and the consequent challenges are deterrents to hopeful feelings about marriage. In our societies where women, in general, do not seek procreation outside marriage, the desire to have a child pushes a few of them towards the institution of marriage. Some are pushed into it to gain social or family approval. Being a single woman out of choice is not really encouraged by our kith and kin. It is considered a family shame, and it is sniggered upon by the neighbourhood and condemned by the learned leaders. In the socialist Yemen, there was some tolerance of single women. But nowadays, against the background of culture, tradition, religious revivalism and increasing socio-political instability, the trend towards marriage as a socio-religious obligation is gaining ground. At the same time, the wish to have a stereotypical life of a woman confined to the kitchen and reproduction is declining. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: A Perspective on Marriage Magic City Morning Star, ME- By R.P. Bendedek, Apr 17, 2006

The I.R.S.'s Shotgun Marriage NEW YORK TIMES (Free Subscription)- By Shari Motro, April 14, 2006
THIS tax season some 100 million married Americans will sign joint tax returns. Few understand the consequences. In signing a joint return, each spouse becomes responsible for the taxes due on both spouses' earnings for the year. That means that if a husband who is his family's sole breadwinner underreports his income and then abandons his wife, the I.R.S. can, and often does, go after the wife. Thus, the "innocent spouse" may be liable for taxes, interest and penalties on income she never earned and never owned . . . .The theory behind treating spouses as if they each earned half of the couple's combined income is that marriage is presumed to indicate economic unity between two people. It does not. . .

Hollywood Divorce Secrets: Inside four celebrity divorces TMZ.com- TMZ.com Staff, Apr 14, 2006
-- TMZ has been following five intriguing Hollywood divorces. One day an estranged couple is getting along; the next day it's an all-out war over custody, property and saving face. We have the inside track on the divorces that are making news . . . . Simpson vs. Lachey Locklear vs. Sambora Baldwin vs. Basinger Schaech vs. Applegate . . .
Marriage, Interrupted Arab News, Saudi Arabia - Apr 14, 2006
AHSA —A wedding night in the Eastern Province ended in a divorce, the daily Al-Riyadh reported. It started when family members of the bride insisted that their daughter enter the wedding hall first without her husband. The husband insisted that he enter the hall with his wife. An argument escalated until the husband ditched the whole affair, driving away in his car. . .
Q & A: No statute of limitations in marriage Monterey County Herald (Free Subscription), CA - By Tom and Ray Magliozzi, Apr 14, 2006
Dear Tom and Ray: My wife and I have been married for three wonderful years. I love her with all my heart and soul. . . . Which brings us to my need for marital help. She continues to bring up the subject of my destroying her pickup -- even three years later! Is there a statute of limitations on how long a beautiful wife, who is loved and adored beyond words, can continue to blame her loving husband for an unavoidable accident? -- Michael

TOM: Oh, Michael. The statute of limitations in a marriage is: forever. . .

Who's your daddy? And does it really matter in the end? SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE- By Mark Morford, April 12, 2006
I have a friend who has a very young and beautiful son with a woman to whom he is not married or even dating and with whom he has never actually had sex because he is quite perfectly in love with someone else and she is quite perfectly single and, well, it's sort of out of the question. My friend, however, is, as they say, good breeding stock. . . . Show me a single scientific experiment where fully 50 percent of the results turn out negative and induce collapse and emotional breakdown and childhood therapy and Xanax and alcoholism and screaming, and I'll show you a scientist who will quickly scrap the whole thing and start all over. Which is not to say it's not one hell of a lot of wicked fun to try anyway, should you be wired that way. You just gotta know your odds. But then it appears the quirky alt-family options aren't exactly gilded slabs of congenial bliss, either. Seems a funny thing happened on the way to the alternative family: People still have issues. . .

Who's your Daddy? And does it really matter in the end?

Marriage amendment picks up four Senate votes over '04

Marriage amendment picks up four Senate votes over ’04 The Hill, DC - By James Downing, Apr 12, 2006
A majority of the Senate this year will support the Federal Marriage Amendment, an outcome that both the left and the right say will energize their respective bases in November. In the summer of 2004, the effort to define marriage as between a man and a woman failed in the Senate, on a 48-50 vote. Now that Republicans have increased their majority, the amendment has collected more support. If all senators vote the way they did in 2004 and the freshmen vote as expected, the bill will attract 52 votes — well short of the 67 needed to amend the Constitution. The amendment should come before the House in late July. In 2004 the House rejected it on a 227-186 vote, far short of the two-thirds necessary. Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage, said he believes that 52 senators will vote for the amendment. He added that getting a majority of the Senate will show that “momentum is growing” for defining marriage in heterosexual terms. . .

Unpersuasive and Ridiculous:
Why I’m not “All Aboard!” with gay marriage NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE- By Catherine Seipp, April 11, 2006
. . . Yet even more than matters of right or left, the media tilts toward what concerns those in the media. That's why, unfortunately, the gay-marriage discussion won't go away. It got a new boost recently with All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise, a new HBO film that premiered last week and chronicles the first-ever vacation at sea for gay families. The idea was a brainstorm of Rosie O'Donnell and her longtime partner Kelli O'Donnell, who for the last several years have been raising four children together. I have no problem with gay adoption or gay families. But despite the oddly engaging charm of Rosie O'Donnell's new project, I continue to be against gay marriage, no matter how much she fulminates against it. "The president feels totally entitled to shame 10 percent of the population," she told the New York Times last week. At this point I sometimes think I'm actually less against gay marriage itself than I'm against arguments in favor of it. With few exceptions I find them unpersuasive and ridiculous. . .

Unpersuasive and Ridiculous: Why I'm not 'All Aboard' with gay marriage

Ali Landry Marries Member of Her Bible Study Group Starpulse.com, CT - Apr 11, 2006
Ali Landry married film director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde on Saturday in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is Landry's second marriage. She wed Saved By The Bell star Mario Lopez in April 2004 before splitting after seven weeks of marriage. The 32-year-old actress reportedly met her new husband at Bible study last year and got engaged over Memorial Day weekend. . .
It's a Boy for Gwyneth Paltrow ABC News -AP, Apr 10, 2006
It's a boy for actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Moses Martin, the couple's second child, was born during the weekend in New York City, the office of Paltrow publicist Stephen Huvane said Monday. No other information was being released. . .

Revive Your Marriage Vanguard, Nigeria -By Folake Aina, April 8, 2006
There are so many marriages that are just what you would call an “apology”, if you know what I mean. So many women have had it way up their limits and so many are on the verge of filing for a divorce. But I would like to tell every woman, that this does not have to happen to you. That is how important and timely this week’s column is. It is so possible that you are at a place right now in your marriage where you are feeling unfulfilled. Or you feel that the passion and attraction are barely there or missing altogether? Just because you are arguing all of the time doesn’t mean that you are hopeless. The fact that you are reading this column today means that you have a wealth of underlying emotion just waiting to be unleashed into your marriage. . .

Commissioner Admits to Online Sex Chats The Washington Post- By Matthew Mosk, Apr 7, 2006
A Maryland Public Service Commission member acknowledged yesterday that he used his state computer to engage in sexual conversations with an alleged prostitute but said he never committed a criminal act. Charles R. Boutin issued a statement last night expressing his shame and sorrow for his conduct, but he said in a strikingly candid news release that his actions were part of an effort to deal with his impotency after surgery for bladder cancer. . . . During his years in Annapolis, Boutin was a chief sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents the state from recognizing same-sex marriages. Del. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery) called it "ironic that someone who professed to protect the sanctity of marriage was violating the sanctity of his own marriage.". . .

Polygamist charged with rape
Jeffs arranged marriage for a child, county says Deseret News, UT, By Ben Winslow and Nancy Perkins, Apr 7, 2006
ST. GEORGE — The legal troubles surrounding the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church got much worse on Thursday, as Washington County prosecutors filed a pair of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice charges against Warren Jeffs. Authorities across the state hailed the charges filed late Wednesday in St. George's 5th District Court, which accuse Jeffs of arranging a child-bride marriage. And prosecutors expect the alleged victim to be their star witness. . . Possible charges against the man Doe married are possible, although his identity was not revealed Thursday. The FLDS Church practices polygamy, but the court documents do not explicitly state if the marriage was polygamous. . ."Members of the FLDS community have told investigators that Jeffs 'will not be subject to earthly courts,' that he 'will not allow himself to be taken alive,' and that he 'will die as a martyr,' " a motion in support of the arrest warrant said. "Jeffs is known to travel with bodyguards and is considered by the FBI to be armed and dangerous.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Court transcipt offers teen girl's view on plural marriage Scripps Howard News Service- Salt lake Tribune By Brooke Adams, Apr 5, 2006

Polygamist Warren Jeffs charged with rape

Opponents of same-sex marriage use flawed arguments Virginia Tech Collegiate Times Online Edition, VA -By Michael Hugman, Apr 7, 2006
Last week, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Alliance at Virginia Tech hosted a debate on the issue of gay marriage. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t heard about it so I didn’t attend. However, I did find out that the debater for the anti-gay marriage side, Robert Knight, has articles all over the Internet and I took the time to read some. Though I didn’t expect to find his writing particularly sophisticated, I was still disappointed. It seems that the religious right wing never gets tired of using the same old discredited arguments. . .
A confusing time to be gay in the USA Southern Voice, GA -By Kevin Naff, Apr 7, 2006
When Historians look back at the year 2006 for clues about how gays and lesbians were treated and accepted in the United States, they will discover an era of schizophrenic confusion. . .
Mother loses her children to former lesbian partner THE TIMES (UK)- By Frances Gibb, Legal Editor, April 7, 2006
TWO young sisters were taken away from their biological mother and handed over to her former lesbian partner on the orders of the Court of Appeal yesterday. In a landmark ruling that boosts the rights of same-sex partners, the two girls, aged 7 and 4, will now be cared for primarily by the former lesbian partner instead of their mother. . .
Israel, too? Supreme Court in Holy Land to hear 'gay marriage' case in late May BP News, TN - By Michael Foust, Apr 6, 2006
JERUSALEM (BP)--Israel's Supreme Court has announced it will hear a "gay marriage" case in May, raising the possibility that the land where Christ once walked will recognize "marriage" between homosexuals. . . . Oral arguments before the Israeli court will take place May 28, according to the news service. The Israel case involves a handful of homosexual couples who were "married" in Canada and returned to Israel, where they filed suit to have their "marriages" recognized there. The couples' attorney apparently is asking only that out-of-country "gay marriages" be recognized, and not that Israel itself grant licenses to homosexual couples. Nevertheless, that would be a significant liberalization of its marriage law -- and a very significant win for homosexuals in the Holy Land. Marriage law in Israel is defined by Orthodox Jewish law. . .

New website gives info on building a healthy marriage

New Website Gives Info on Building a Healthy Marriage Community Dispatch.com, By Administration For Children and Families, Apr 6, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with five universities and Child Trends of Washington, D.C., today announced the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) website. The website provides states, Indian tribes and other grantees with technical assistance, and provides resources to the general public to help build and sustain healthy marriages. . . . A total of $750 million in new funding is available over the next five years for programs to help teach couples – who have chosen marriage for themselves -- how to build and sustain healthy marriages and promote responsible fatherhood. The funding, part of this year’s welfare reform reauthorization law, includes $100 million per year for the Healthy Marriage Initiative and up to $50 million per year to promote responsible fatherhood from fiscal year 2006 through 2010. . .

RELATED SITE: www.healthymarriageinfo.org.

Man in Marriage Contract Case Back In Court KETV.com- Neb, April 6, 2006
OMAHA, Neb. -- A Council Bluffs man found guilty last week of raping his wife was in court on Thursday for a separate charge. Travis Frey entered a not guilty plea to child pornography charges. He's facing 40 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for allegedly downloading images to his computer. The trial is expected to start in late May. Frey already faces 11 years in prison for his conviction on the rape charge. .

RELATED ARTICLE: Sicko "Marriage Contract" One For The Ages
Repulsive "Wifely Expectations" pact emerges in Iowa kidnap case The Smoking Gun.com, Feb 17, 2006

Hell freezes over Townhall.com, By Mark Josephs, Apr 5, 2006
. . . .Madonna's regrets aren't just personal--she's also come to the realization that she negatively affected people's lives through her music and public persona. . . Madonna is all grown up--finally, and even offering fairly sage marital advice: "The whole point of marriage is for each and every one of us to learn how to get along with one person, and to learn to love that person unconditionally," she says. "And if you can do it with one person, then your whole attitude toward the world and humanity can change." So, the Soviet Union is gone, Madonna is preaching the most traditional of family values and apologizing for her bad behavior, Prince is adding lines about the Bible to his hit songs of yesteryear. What's next? Nothing would surprise me now. . .

Hell freezes over: Madonna is preaching traditional family values

This 'Marriage Madness' thing, it's actually happening. Really.

This Marriage Madness Thing, It's Actually Happening. Really Deadspin, NY - April 5, 2006
We didn’t listen to ESPN’s “Mike And Mike In The Morning” this morning, but we’re told the whole “Marriage Mania” business is in its finals, which means, sometime soon, two human beings will enter the bonds of holy matrimony while standing next to a sweaty Mike Golic. Anyway, they’re sending out little itineraries for each of the finalists, and we got a hold of one. It’s below. The whole thing seems a little loosy-goosy for a live radio program, let along a sacrament, but hey, what do we know?. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: UF grads win Marriage Madness contest The Gainsville Sun- By Jenna L. Tighe, Apr 7, 2006

RELATED SITE: Marriage Madness Championship April 5, 2006

The Celebrity Marriage Merry-Go-Round ABC News - Apr 4, 2006
Eminem's torturous relationship with his wife has fueled some of the most viscious lyrics he's ever recorded. Still, he remarried Kim, his childhood sweetheart on Jan. 14, 2006, five years after their divorce. Less than three months later, he again filed for divorce. . . . Hip-hop power couple Kimora Lee Simmons, a model and head of the Baby Phat fashion label, and mogul Russell Simmons have separated after seven years of marriage, Russell's agent said on March 31, 2006. "Kimora and I will remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other," Simmons, 48, said in a statement issued by his agent. . . Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Eminem: Remarrying Kim didn't fix 'underlying problems' USA TODAY.com- AP, Apr 7, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Matt LeBlanc's Other Woman People Magazine, Apr 6, 2006

Court transcript offers teen girl's view on plural marriage

Court transcipt offers teen girl's view on plural marriage Scripps Howard News Service- Salt lake Tribune, By Brooke Adams, Apr 5, 2006
As Mary tells the story of how she became a plural wife at age 16, the shock of it all is still fresh. On March 27, 2002, her father announced she would be married the next day. To whom? Mary asked. Her father told her it was "a Barlow boy" but could not recall his first name. "I was scared. I thought, 'Whatever,' I mean, I just kind of didn't understand because my father didn't even know who he was," Mary said. She said her mother later supplied the man's full name: Randolph Barlow, then 28 _ a man she had never talked to or even met. The next morning, Mary and her father, accompanied by his six wives, made the 2 1/2 hour drive from Colorado City, Ariz., to the Hot Springs Motel in Caliente, Nev. Shortly after arriving at the motel, Mary was spiritually married to Barlow as his first wife stood by. The man she says conducted the ceremony? Warren Steed Jeffs, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a religious sect located at the Utah/Arizona border that practices polygamy. . .

"Desperate Feminist Wives"
Does the Quest for Marital Equality Doom Marital Happiness? FindLaw.com- By Joanna Grossman and Linda McClain, Apr 4, 2006
Is the feminist goal of sex equality within marriage a failure? Is it a recipe for unhappiness? So it would appear, at least from a tantalizing headline in the recent Slate article: "Desperate Feminist Wives," by Megan O'Rourke. The article reported on a new study by two scholars from the University of Virginia, W. Bradford Wilcox and Steven L. Nock, "What's Love Got To Do With It?: Equality, Equity, Commitment and Women's Marital Quality." But we beg to differ - as we will explain. In this column, we'll take up the premise that the ideal of egalitarian marriage may be a recipe for unhappiness. We will put the debate over the link between marriage quality and marriage equality into historical perspective, and then ask how this modern debate might bear on a significant new federal governmental initiative: promoting "healthy marriage.". . . .

Thorny legal issues in case of HIV in marriage San Francisco Chronicle, USA -By Bob Egelko, Apr 4, 2006
The California Supreme Court will sift through the ruins of the marriage of an AIDS-infected couple today to decide what information partners must tell one another about past high-risk sexual activity. At a hearing in Los Angeles, the court will look into the legal consequences of a woman's claim that her husband -- a healthy person, by all outward appearances and his own assurances -- infected her with HIV. . . "This is not a hooker and trick in some back alley -- or a sordid affair in a cheap hotel,'' wrote attorney Roland Wrinkle. "This was a formal marriage. How can the state protect a wife's contractual and property status in dealing with her husband, yet not protect her life?'' In response, lawyers for her former husband, John B., said requiring an infected partner to disclose details of his sexual past would intrude on his privacy -- and the privacy of his former partners -- without providing any meaningful health protection. . .

Legal advice for Hollywood break-ups USA Today - By Jayme Deerwester and Korina Lopez, Apr 3, 2006
More celebrities took up residence in Splitsville last week. Joey star Matt LeBlanc filed for divorce from Melissa, his wife of three years. Rap mogul Russell Simmons and his fashion designer wife, Kimora Lee, quickly followed suit, announcing their separation after seven years of marriage. USA TODAY sizes ups some of Hollywood's recent untidy uncouplings with the help of incoming Divorce Court judge Lynn Toler and Harvey Levin, the managing editor of celebrity news site TMZ.com and a longtime legal correspondent. . . For better: . . . For worse: . . . What are they fighting over?

Tom Jones denies marriage crisis Ireland Online, Ireland, Apr 3, 2006
Welsh singer Tom Jones insists his marriage to Linda Woodward is not at breaking point, despite her refusal to attend his British knighthood ceremony at London's Buckingham Palace last Wednesday. The couple have been married for 49 years and their "open" relationship became well-documented, after Jones admitted to a string of extramarital affairs. Now, Woodward's failure to witness Jones receiving the prestigious honour from Queen Elizabeth II, has sparked fresh rumours of a split. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: WHY TOM ISN'T UP FOR IT ANY MORE Mirror.co.uk- The Mirror, By Clare Raymond, Apr 3, 2006

Tom Cruise Says Marriage Can Wait The Washington Post-AP, Apr 3, 2006
BERLIN -- American actor Tom Cruise told Germany's leading tabloid in its Monday edition that he wanted to tie the knot this summer with fiancee Katie Holmes, after the birth of their baby and the upcoming release of his new film, "Mission Impossible III." Cruise was in Germany to plug the film on the country's popular "Wetten Dass ..." ("I'll Bet ...") TV show. He said on the show Saturday that two pilots were at the ready to fly him home should Holmes go into labor. . .
Kidman free to wed in [Catholic] church The Herald Sun-AUSTRAILIA, Apr 2, 2006
NICOLE Kidman has been told she will be granted an annulment of her marriage to Tom Cruise, allowing her to remarry in a Catholic Church in Australia this year. Kidman's family had held discussions with a Catholic priest about the arrangements for her wedding to country singer Keith Urban, a source confirmed yesterday. . .

Down too long Civilrights.org- US, Apr 3, 2006
EDITORIAL- Editors, The Boston Globe
Too many black teenaged boys and young men are flailing. In the worst cases, they detach from or drop out of school. Their lives are cocktails of drugs, crime, and early fatherhood. Unemployment traps black men, especially in the cities. By the time a 30-year-old decides he wants a different life, he's hobbled by a prison record and a lack of job skills. The Bush administration justly argues that marriage is a good way to ward off poverty and stabilize families. But marriage does best at affording these protections if parents have sufficient earning power. What's really needed is a sophisticated federal and state investment in a two-step process: economic self development and then, when appropriate, marriage. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The True Crisis for Poor Black Men Lies in the Destructive Choices They Make Black AmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Mar 28, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Marriage Is for White People' The Washington Post- Joy Jones, By Mar 26, 2006

One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems
The social consequences of polygamy are bigger than you think Reason Online.com- By Jonathan Rauch, Apr 3, 2006
"And now, polygamy," sighs Charles Krauthammer, in a recent Washington Post column. It's true. As if they didn't already have enough on their minds, Americans are going to have to debate polygamy. And not a moment too soon. . . So far, libertarians and lifestyle liberals approach polygamy as an individual-choice issue, while cultural conservatives use it as a bloody shirt to wave in the gay-marriage debate. The broad public opposes polygamy but is unsure why. What hardly anyone is doing is thinking about polygamy as social policy. If the coming debate changes that, it will have done everyone a favor. For reasons that have everything to do with its own social dynamics and nothing to do with gay marriage, polygamy is a profoundly hazardous policy. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Pandora and Polygamy The Washington Post- By Charles Krauthammer, Mar 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Polygamy ban contested Desert News.com By Angie Welling Jan 13, 2004

RELATED ARTICLE: Polygamy In Jewish Law Jewish Heritage Online Magazine

What gay-marriage ruling means for other states
Massachusetts' decision puts the focus on states that don't explicitly prohibit gay marriage csmonitor.com- Christian Science Monitor, By Sara Miller Llana, Apr 3, 2006
BOSTON – In ruling that same-sex couples from states that do not allow gay marriage cannot marry in Massachusetts, the state's highest court dramatically narrowed the current battleground in the gay-marriage debate to a handful of states. If the Supreme Judicial Court had struck down a 1913 law barring nonresidents from marrying if the union wouldn't be recognized at home, opponents of gay marriage say it could have created a flood of Massachusetts marriage certificates used to demand rights in the majority of states that explicitly prohibit such unions. Gov. Mitt Romney (R) warned against his state becoming "the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage." But advocates on both sides of the battle say that the ruling does not shut the door completely as both sides scramble to sway the debate in their favor, especially in the few states that don't explicitly prohibit gay marriage. . . According to the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, 7,341 same-sex couples married in Massachusetts between May 2004 and December 2005. . .

How to end the same-sex marriage debate USA Today -Apr 3, 2006, By Jonathan Turley.

With mid-term elections approaching, politicians are once again returning to one of their favorite themes: protecting the sanctity of marriage. When same-sex marriage is raised, citizens quickly forget about rampant corruption in Congress, towering budget deficits, or even the Iraq war. Not surprisingly, therefore, a constitutional amendment has been cited as a legislative priority by both President Bush and Republican leadership. The message is clear: What politics and religion have joined, let no one pull apart. The fact is that the same-sex marriage fight is one that advocates on both sides would hate to end. Money is pouring in, membership rolls are expanding, and advocates have an issue that borders on obsession for many Americans. . . Before we enter yet another election season of spasmodic referendums and debates over same-sex marriage, one question is worth considering: What if we could end this controversy once and for all? . . . The real problem with same-sex marriage is not the qualifier but the noun. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Morals and laws are rightly intertwined USA Today.com- Editorial/Opinions, Apr 6, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage Advocates Battle in Courts The Washington Post-US (AP), By David Kravets, Apr 3, 2006

Five years of gay marriage in the Netherlands Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Apr 3, 2006
It's exactly five years this month since the first gay and lesbian weddings were allowed in the Netherlands. At the time, this was the only country in the world where it was possible for gay couples to marry. On the day itself, 1 April 2001, the international media flocked to the event and just after midnight, surrounded by their friends and families, Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen conducted the marriage of four couples, three gay and one lesbian . . . . During the first year, no fewer than 2414 gay and lesbian couples married in the Netherlands. According to Marian Baker of the International Homosexual/Lesbian Information Centre and Archive (IHLIA), there was already a large group of couples that had wanted to marry before the legislation was brought in. After the law was changed, the rate of same-sex marriages stabilised to around 1200 per year. . .

PM defends same-sex marriage laws veto The Age, Australia - Apr 2, 2006
The federal government's opposition to the ACT's proposed laws on same sex marriages are not an anti-homosexual gesture, Prime Minister John Howard says. The federal government is threatening to introduce legislation to block proposed ACT laws which register civil unions and effectively give them the same rights as married couples. Mr Howard and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock view the ACT laws as an attempt to undermine federal legislation introduced in 2004, which defines marriage as a union between a man and woman to the exclusion of all others. . . "This is not an anti-homosexual gesture. This is a gesture to support the special and traditional place of marriage as a heterosexual union for life of a man and a woman in Australian society," . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: I'm not anti-gay, says PM The Australian, Australia - By David Uren, Apr 2, 2006

Aussie PM defends same-sex marriage laws veto

Gay Marriage: Ambivalence could be a tragic mistake

Gay Marriage: Ambivalence could be a tragic mistake Salt Lake Tribune, By Bruce Wilson (Retired CIO of Universal Studios), April 1, 2006
. . . . It's certainly accurate to say that the shocking decline of traditional marriage in recent decades is the result of deeply rooted cultural problems that have little or nothing to do with gay marriage. But it's a mistake to make the leap from that fact to a conclusion that gay marriage is not a threat to traditional marriage. It's the equivalent of saying that when someone is very sick it's OK to ignore additional symptoms that might develop. And never mind treating symptoms, only the root cause of the illness matters. . . . It should be clear to everyone that marriage is in very tough shape already. Single parenthood and high divorce rates are the primary manifestations of the trouble traditional marriage is in. Selfishness, promiscuity, lack of accountability and disregard for life are just a few of the many root causes of this tragic disease. They are personality traits that are now deeply ingrained in the personalities of too many Americans. These traits will not be rooted out of the personalities of those who already possess them. Unfortunately, the root causes will therefore not be cured in our lifetime. Saving traditional marriage is a project that could take generations. . . . .

The real threat to marriage MetroWest Daily News, MA - By Rick Holmes, Apr 1, 2006
. . . It seems to me there is a need for a legal institution to clear the fog, and, as it happens, we have one: Marriage. If the state has any business in marriage, it is to clarify the rights and obligations of parenthood. Why not put it to work? Why not simply state that a father has no rights -- and no responsibilities -- regarding his child unless he is married to the mother? If the dad wants a say in adoption or abortion, marry the mother. If the mom wants the state to require child support, marry the father. If either parent wants the courts to help settle who decides what and who pays for it, get a marriage license. . . . Anyone can call themselves a family, and that’s fine with me. But only those who have accepted the legal obligations of family should be allowed to have those obligations enforced by the courts. . . .

More Marriage News: March 2006