DarkHelmet wrote:I don't like criticism of the Smarts, either. They were victimized. I think Ed Smart believes he can help other victims. Often times these parents become crusaders, like John Walsh. You don't hear people complain about him, yet he has made a career out of bringing media attention to sexual predators. I think people don't like Ed's demeanor. He seems so happy and goofy all the time, but that's just his personality. He knows more than anybody on these boards what Jaycee's parents are experiencing right now. My only complaint was that he probably doesn't see the irony in his statement.
I agree. Ed Smart and John Walsh =/ Jon & Kate + 8.
If I was in either of these guys shoes, I would do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to find my child. After I found the child, I would probably do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to help others in a similar situation. I don't fault them for what they are doing.
Jersey Girl wrote:This may be a little off topic, but I just wanted to point out that Jaycee spent over half of her life in captivity. It's possible that she adopted some of the views of her captors. I hope not, but it's possible.
I would be surprised if she DIDN'T have Stockholm syndrome
And crawling on the planet's face Some insects called the human race Lost in time And lost in space...and meaning
zzyzx wrote:Ed Smart was too damn cheap to hire contractors and licensed workers to do construction work on his house and patio. He hired ex-cons... and one of them came back and abducted Elizabeth.
Now he makes a living out of the kidnapping, milking it for all the money he can. The kid is a victim and Ed Smart is one of the victimizers and enablers. During the whole ordeal he was nauseating to watch as he played to the cameras over and over again.
I hope no one else has to go through a kidnapping but if they do I really hope they aren't like Mr. Smart, opportunists riding on the sympathetic public to make money.
Contrary to the defenders of Ed Smart so far in htis thread, I too find him to be a grandstanding opportunist. You could almost see the dollar signs in his eyes when he was hamming it up for the cameras.
from Wikipedia:
The Smart family published a book, Bringing Elizabeth Home, which was used as the basis of the television movie The Elizabeth Smart Story that aired November 9, 2003 on CBS. The Smarts claimed they wanted to avoid subjecting their daughter to the limelight, but that after realizing it was inevitable, they decided it would be preferable to allow a film authorized by them to be created, rather than allowing an unauthorized version to surface.[citation needed] A lawyer for Mitchell said the national broadcast of the television film would further delay justice and considered filing a motion. The piece characterizes Mitchell and Barzee as deranged religious zealots, and provides no background on either of them. A small but detailed section of the book Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer describes Mitchell and his kidnapping of Smart in the larger context of Mormon fundamentalism. Elizabeth's uncle, Tom Smart, wrote a book called In Plain Sight: The Startling Truth Behind the Elizabeth Smart Investigation criticizing the investigation process by the Salt Lake City Police Department, as well as the media influences that led to her recovery.[41]
Even her uncle saw the money in exploiting Elizabeth. Ed Smart is the type of individual who would have traded his young daughter for "eternal life", ala Helen Mar Kimball.
And crawling on the planet's face Some insects called the human race Lost in time And lost in space...and meaning
It's entirely possible that Mr Smart does not know about Joseph's extramarital frolicking. And if the first time he ever heard about it was in church or in seminary, then it's entirely possible he's forgotten it. We don't mention that part of Joseph's life very much lately. Or ever.
So criticizing him for not seeing a parallel seems a bit unfair.
(Nevo, Jan 23) And the Melchizedek Priesthood may not have been restored until the summer of 1830, several months after the organization of the Church.
Joseph Smith was a polygamist, who may or may not have had sex with his plural wives all of whom consented and lived normal lives.
The abductor in this case took a child against their will, raped them, had children by them, kept them in captivity for a decade, and shielded them from the outside world in every possible way.
Yet, the brilliant minds on this board try to pretend they're comparable. Special group we've got here.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
Joseph Smith was a polygamist, who may or may not have had sex with his plural wives all of whom consented and lived normal lives.
LOLOLOL. you have a very strange definition of normal.
"We have taken up arms in defense of our liberty, our property, our wives, and our children; we are determined to preserve them, or die." - Captain Moroni - 'Address to the Inhabitants of Canada' 1775
Joseph Smith was a polygamist, who may or may not have had sex with his plural wives all of whom consented and lived normal lives.
LOLOLOL. you have a very strange definition of normal.
By normal I mean normal. They had social lives. They had friends. They lived. Compare that to your abductee. I don't think it's a strange definition of normal but then I actually know something about how polygamy worked and read the reactions. The culture was different but their lives were normal.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
The Nehor wrote: By normal I mean normal. They had social lives. They had friends. They lived. Compare that to your abductee. I don't think it's a strange definition of normal but then I actually know something about how polygamy worked and read the reactions. The culture was different but their lives were normal.
From what I've read of Jaycee Dugard's case, she and her daughters also lived a "normal" life within the culture of Phillip Garrido's backyard compound. Jaycee even helped whim with his printing business. The girls went to a friends birthday party a few weeks ago, so they had social lives, they had friends, they lived. Of course I'm being sarcastic, but do you really think the girls who were coerced into secret polygamous marriages lived the same normal life of a non-mormon girl in the 1840s? Based on your definition of a normal life, Jaycee lived a normal life too.
But the thread wasn't really about comparing the two cases, but it's about the irony of Ed Smart's comments. "It makes you angry that anyone would use God as an excuse to rationalize their predatory behavior," Apologists use God as excuse for Joseph Smith's behavior. If there was nothing wrong with Joseph Smith's behavior toward women and young girls, they would not need to use God as an excuse.
"We have taken up arms in defense of our liberty, our property, our wives, and our children; we are determined to preserve them, or die." - Captain Moroni - 'Address to the Inhabitants of Canada' 1775