Just Married

On the way home today I saw a "Just Married" bumper sticker on a new car. It made me wonder how long they're going to leave it on. And which member of the marriage would take it off. At what point are you not "just married?"

I meant to blog about this long ago but take a look at this story (the URL just might give away the direction the story is going).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/3884696/Saudi-court-rejects-plea-to-annul-8-year-old-girls-marriage-to-58-year-old-man.html

Now I and everyone reading this blog was brought up in the era where we are taught throughout school, on TV, and everywhere else to accept all cultures; people are different and if you don't like it, there’s a problem with you, and not a problem with them. I definitely agree with this; I would say I'm on the extreme side of the acceptance spectrum. People should be able to do what they want as long it doesn't interfere with another person's liberty. But there’s only so far I’m willing to accept other peoples’ cultures before I have to put my foot down. There is something fundamentally wrong when young girls are sold into marriages with men old enough to be their father/grandfather is not only practiced by a significant portion of the population (though rarely to such an egregious degree) but actually government sanctioned even when there its an 8 year old. Apparently they aren't going to consummate the marriage until the girl is 18, but I'll believe that when I see it (if I were in fact there to see it. That 58 year old will be getting antsy in a couple years).

The bigger issue is how we as only slightly motivated Americans prevent things like this from happening. Is it even something that we can do anything about besides criticize from 12,000 miles away. I don’t know if there is anything else to do. I know I'm hardly taking a controversial opinion by being against arranged marriages, I thought you guys would like to see this story.