Comments on: Michigan: Adultery Punishable By Life Behind Bars

By: stella del mare

stella del mare — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:18:00 +0000

As a Michigan native, I lament a lot of the laws we’ve recently passed. This, the gay marriage ban (which effectively shuts the door on domestic partner benefits in the state as well), and the recent anti-affirmative action vote that was put into action despite the Supreme Court holding up (some of) my alma mater’s admissions policies. At least all their senators are still liberal and they reelected Jenny from the ‘Da as governor. But other than that, I haven’t much liked the way things have been looking out there.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not all for spousal cheating and I think it should be a factor when a couple gets divorced, but criminal charges? That’s fucking ludicrous.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:33:00 +0000

There is no way that such a law would ever stand. Who’d go for it? Too many suburban homes are filled with skeletons.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:19:00 +0000

Figleaf – Yeah I wasn’t trying to say that only the man would cheat you’re certainly right about the axe swinging both ways, I just decided to use a man cheating as an example because it was easier to write that way. I didn’t mean to imply that only men would cheat, and in the example I described I think the woman is just as much (or even more!) in the wrong than her husband.

By: figleaf

figleaf — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:07:00 +0000

Note: Googling around in the legal community it looks like the appeals court was sticking their thumb in the State Supreme Court's eye. (The state Supremes had recently directed all courts to slavishly stick to the dictates of the legislature. In other words it looks like one of those "fly by the book" job actions airline pilots do instead of going out on strike.)

Anyway, without knowing much about Michigan politics, it sounds like a lot of reporters are asking whether Michigan will now charge the State Attorney General with a felony for (allegedly) some sort of an affair in his past.

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Kristen: since roughly equal numbers of married men and women have affairs the axe you describe would swing both ways. That, plus encouraging someone, let alone hiring them, to commit a felony (even one as dumb as adultery) would be aiding and abetting and probably conspiracy to commit as well. Depending on local law, those charges could carry higher penalties than the nominal offense.

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Also, hmm. Evidently convicted of "homosexuality" back in the 1950s and 1960s evidently fall under California's Sex Offender Registry laws and thus are supposed to notify the police any time they change residences. (!!!) Presumably anyone convicted under Michigan's adultery statues would become sex offenders as well.

Weird world.

figleaf

By: Fusion

Fusion — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:55:00 +0000

Makes you wonder whats next...

Hmmmm

People living in addresses with odd numbers can fuck on mondays, wendesdays, and fridays. Even numbers on tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays.

Nobody fucks on sunday.

I'm moving to Canada (hey i'm only 90 miles away...not much of a move!)

By: scribe called steff

scribe called steff — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:36:00 +0000

Beth– Yeah, somethin’ fucked up. Thanks!

Grrl– Well, I’ve probably gone overboard, as I’m often liable to do with such issues, but yeah, I just don’t get the whole land of the free/cheat-and-go-to-jail dichotomy. It doesn’t compute. I think I was harsh, though, and will probably lose a few readers in the process. Such is life.

Kirstn– Yeah, and you never know what the other side of the coin is, either. If they willingly cheated, what’s the story behind it? To go and make a law against it fucking baffles me. They claim it’s the only interpretation the state laws leaves available, but I doubt that very much. They’re just being literalists. And I hate literalists. Words can be construed a million different ways. It’s the readers who fall victim to tunnel vision, not the writers. I’m sure the same could be said of laws.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 06:20:00 +0000

Thats just crazy…
And what’s to stop a wife who’s sick of her marriage for whatever reason to hire some sweet young thing to ’seduce’ her husband, and then have him thrown in jail for it?

By: grrl_05

grrl_05 — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:56:00 +0000

thanks steff, i’m proudly canadian, and i had to bring this to your attention anyway (i have Stroumboulopoulos to thank for that one)……..thank God for Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

i just wish that the people of michigan, along with the rest of the US, will fight this anachronistic view of our modern world.

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 13:40:00 +0000

Hey, Steff:
Unless you’re getting all David Lynch on me, the last part of this post has nothing to do with the first. Did you accidentally cut and paste something?
B