Mary Rayme's Blog

Posted by Mary Rayme

For those who think slavery in the United States ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, think again. While the notion of a man having several wives may sound like the stuff that sitcoms are made of, these religious polygamous communities brainwash and enslave women, especially, by marrying off teenage girls to old men. Some of these women end up marrying and reproducing with their fathers, grandfathers or uncles which leads to deformed and stillborn births. Today, I dedicate my blog to an unnamed 16-year-old girl who was raped and beaten by her 50-year-old husband and had the courage to call law enforcement officials who have raided the cult community and taken countless women and children into protective custody. My guess is that many of these brainwashed women and children are confused and have mixed feelings about their newfound freedom. This kind of raising of women to be child-bearers and servants to the men is more than sexual abuse or brainwashing, it is slavery. I hope that this event will bring to light something uglier than steroids used in baseball, something uglier than Eliot Spitzer's call girls; slavery is alive and most unwell in America. For more information read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer.

Posted by Mary Rayme

While researching an article about sports artists, I stumbled upon the curious case of Daniel A. Moore. Moore is a sports artist who creates oil paintings of great sports moments and sells the paintings as well as limited edition prints. In a challenge to the First Amendment Rights of all artists, the University of Alabama has waged a legal war against the artist Daniel A. Moore for three years. The University contends that Moore is violating the intellectual property of the University by creating paintings of football players wearing their school colors, red and white. This lawsuit is still pending and unresolved, and per Daniel A. Moore, the second judge in the case has recently recused himself. Will the University of Alabama sue all photographers who publish photographs of the Crimson Tide for violation of intellectual property or copyright? This is an important case to follow as it highlights the misconceptions in society today about the artist and the role of the artist. Read more here.