In a Dangerous Place: A Dutch Menage a Trois

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Postby Prodigal Son » Mon Oct 03, 2005 3:06 pm

Point #1: The roman empire fell because it's economic model was based on contnuos expansion, and that forced it to reach a size the emperor could not control, given the state of communication and governance technology of the time.


Pretty much, though one could argue it was really the inability of the Roman state to reform itself that caused its eventual downfall. The Empire, for example, was largely unable to raise levies on landed wealth because landed aristocrats were, obviously, the ones most likely to rise up in rebellion against once taxes were hiked. This removed most of the wealth of the Empire out of reach of the Roman State, which was forced to pass on the costs of empire to the lower classes through a combination of heavy taxation and ruinious inflation caused by devaluation of the Roman currency. Once the empire could no longer count on regular installments of foreign tribute and booty, the system could not be sustained in the long run.

Point #2: The notion that the fall was due to lax moral standards is a myth which was presumably started and surely perpetuated by the Roman Catholic Church.


Pretty much, though the rise of Christianity was a reaction to the decline of the Roman state.

They have to have about the ugliest sex there could be.


hmmm...does an orgasm really discriminate?
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Postby shivers » Mon Oct 03, 2005 6:58 pm

Kurt wrote:They have to have about the ugliest sex there could be.


I could easily imagine worse. Be thankful I don't have photos...... only images burned in my mind.
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Postby docwatson » Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:50 pm

There is a movement on my side of the aisle called 'Patriarchal Christianity' that advocates polygyny and openly practices it. I actually had several discussions with Mrs W. about it and we did a rather in depth Bible Study and social background study and came to the conclusion that there was nothing to actually prohibit the practice beyond social custom.

In fact, you can find more information about it at http://4thefamily.us.

However, she made it *very* clear that she wasn't interested in being anyone's sister-wife!

Hey Guys, I tried! ;)
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Dutch legalizing Polygamy?

Postby SRR » Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:05 pm

Hey, we did it first. Or, turned a blind eye to it since a court case wouldn't stand up to our rights and freedoms enjoyed in B.C. Last I remember the puritans were trying to take down the polygamists on the angle of them abusing underage girls, since that's the only way they could reasonably expect them to be charged.

Yes, Bountiful B.C. is a wonderful place. Head to Creston and see the teenage girls in long skirts and long sleeve shirts and you'll see our burgeoning polyamorous community.

Legalizing polygamy was a hot-button topic during the gay marriage debates we had earlier this year and last - how can you reasonably expect to legalize marriage between people of the same sex without blowing the whole notion of marriage into a massive existential debate? Why not legalize polygamy across the country too, since it has roots far deeper within human history? Bigamy? And hell, why can't I marry my sheep?

Eventually, I hope, government will realize what it's done to marriage and strike it from the lawbooks altogether. It's a crock that so-called 'secular' governments decide the limitations of marriage anyways. The separation of church and state is still a dream until that happens.
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Postby Sri Lanky » Mon Oct 03, 2005 11:37 pm

It's ridiculous to make it illegal for a person to have sex with more than one person....this is what marriage really is.

Sex is used to control the masses...if someone controls your sexuality that means they control YOU.
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Postby Ultra Swain » Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:35 am

Everything is used top control us. Sex, god, 30 year mortgages. As long as it doesn't involve anything important like money or power. "They" will let us argue over it and throw the squeaky wheel a bone now and then only to take it back and throw it to the other side.

I must have woke up on the jaded side of the bed this morning.
Geez,am I NOT ALLOWED TO BE INTENSE FOR JUST 10 FUCKING SECONDS??!!!!!!!
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Postby kilroy » Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:36 am

Be thankful I don't have photos...... only images burned in my mind.


pshaw. if you could figure a way to get those images out of your head, i bet you could make a fair bit of money charging people to look at them.
when they ask how you feeling
you tell em you feeling like something important died screaming
you tell em you feeling like something even more important arrived breathing
something you should probably try feeding
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Postby Arctic » Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:07 am

DocWatson wrote:

There is a movement on my side of the aisle called 'Patriarchal Christianity' that advocates polygyny and openly practices it. I actually had several discussions with Mrs W. about it and we did a rather in depth Bible Study and social background study and came to the conclusion that there was nothing to actually prohibit the practice beyond social custom.


Why can't I stop my smug snickering?
Eh?
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Postby el3so » Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:44 am

Sri Lanky wrote: It's ridiculous to make it illegal for a person to have sex with more than one person... this is what marriage really is.
Nope. Nothing illegal about it.

Think polygamy does present quite a challenge re: inheritance and other legal aspects for which the marriage clausule is used to provide the easy answer for. Best to think about it as a rather unique type of contract of which only one is allowed at the same time. That's the main reason why I support same sex marriage, even if both chicks aren't hot ;-)

Love and other fuzzy-wuzzy, champagne for breakfast stuff is IMO neither exclusive nor garantueed to married couples.
skynet prompt: witty line, a bit offensive, medium levels of spelling error, Rastafy by 10 % or so
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Postby docwatson » Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:05 pm

Arctic wrote:
Why can't I stop my smug snickering?


Go ahead - I laugh about it now and remark on my own marital hubris.

After spending the last 14 of 18 months out of the country and having to deal with the drama of one wife and 4 kids, I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like with two wives and kids!

On a practical note: Life is normally difficult in a 'traditional' marriage having to juggle schedules; making appointments for one on one time is difficult enough with one but two meant that someone would have gotten pushed away in the process.

My hat goes off to my brothers and sisters who do it successfully because it's a deep, sincere, and dedicated committment for three people to share thier lives together and have kids and careers.
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