The federal crackdown on polygamist crime

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on increasing coordination between state and federal governments concerning crimes associated polygamy. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said some crimes committed by fundamentalist polygamist groups are almost unspeakable. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) said the crimes include statutory rape, domestic abuse, and child abuse.

Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said these polygamist groups use a religious cloak to conceal their criminal behavior, their crimes going largely unchecked by government agencies. He called the communities participants in a form of organized crime. He said he introduced a polygamy task force bill to help stop "these lawless organizations."

Brett Tolman, a United States Attorney for the District of Utah, said that aggressive efforts in his state pushed the groups across state lines and even into Canada and Mexico. He called the groups self-contained, extremely insular, and uncooperative. Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas, said better federal assistance and coordination could help track down and locate criminals, as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), the group committing the crimes, is highly mobile. Terry Goddard, Attorney General of Arizona, said the FLDS has thrived in their isolation, so overall cooperation between state, federal, and even international authorities is necessary to "prosecute to the end."

Senate Republicans: It's economics stupid!

New Mexico Republican Senator Pete Domenici said that the energy bill offered by his state's junior senator is "not a very big solution to a big problem." The reconfigured energy bill, written by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) features a component that encouraged energy companies to "use it or lose it," when it comes to lands that are already under lease. "Use it or lose it doesn't mean anything," said Domenici at a press conference with Senate Republican colleagues.

Majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has offered little debate on the bill and is not allowing much room for amendments, said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D). Domenici said that their amendments are a good way of "finding more and using less." He cited the Repubicans' strong support for electric cars. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) said that oil shale is not addressed and that other countries, like Brazil, are taking advantage of this technology while oil shale is off limits in Utah and Colorado. He called for "massive" investment to recover oil shale, which he said is equal to 800 billion barrels of recoverable petroleum.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that speculators represent about 20 percent of the problem when it comes to the current energy prices. He said that he spoke with billionaire Warren Buffet, a prominent U.S. businessman and investor, who told Cornyn that this problem will be solved with the simple law of supply and demand. Cornyn said that the Senate Republicans are dedicated to addressing the problem of supply and demand by drilling for more oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil shale of the American West.

Black gold not flowing so quickly

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) held a hearing this morning focusing on the effects of high oil prices and the nations economy before the Joint Economic Committee. Schumer and the other democrats on the committee lambasted the Bush Administration for what they said was an inability to “lesson our dependence on foreign oil,” said Schumer.

Republicans on the committee though charged that it has been democrats who deserve much of the blame for high oil prices. Specifically, Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah.) placed blame on democrats for their resistance to supporting drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR]. Directing his remarks towards Sen. Schumer, Bennett said “you made reference to ANWR and said it will take ten years and to quote that great economist Jay Leno “that’s what democrats said ten years ago” when they refused to agree to open ANWR.”

But much of the time was spent listening to the committees witnesses which included Dr. Daniel Yergin from Cambridge Energy Research Associates. According to Yergin, approximately 60 percent of our energy comes from oil and gasoline and one reason why the price of oil has risen 70 percent has been a shortage of the overall supply of oil itself. “There’s been a slow response of supply; why? One is the issue of access around the world, secondly is uncertainty about investment fiscal and regulatory regimes and thirdly a shortage of equipment and people,” said Yergin.

Yergin also attributed the shaky economic oil markets to the psychology of its consumers. “I’m really struck by this kind of pessimism about future supply,” said Yergin, “you have to have trust in the market.”

If anyone needed any affirmation though that oil would play an important issue in this falls election Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told the committee “it’s what my constituents are all talking about.”