Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Tevye's Curse



In the classic story “Fiddler on the Roof” a man makes an arrangement for his young daughter to be betrothed to a young man that has taken interest in her. The father is poor and jumps at the idea at finally being able to afford to buy some much wanted and needed shit around the house. They negotiate the price and a deal is struck. Dad sings and dances and rushes off to tell his brat of a daughter.

She isn’t as overjoyed with the prospect because she’s in love with someone already and wants to marry him instead. The father, through visits from his dead wife while dreaming, finally allows his daughter to marry the man she wants instead of the one that would have helped the family remain financially solvent. I know what you’re thinking…what a selfish bitch.

But this is an old time story that takes place about a hundred or so years ago in a small run down European hovel of a country. It could never happen now, and certainly couldn’t happen in this country. Right?


Riiiiiigggggghhhhhhhttttttt….

GREENFIELD, Calif. - A father is accused of trying to sell his 14-year-old daughter for marriage

in hopes of getting money and 150 cases of beer in return, Greenfield police said.

Macelino de Jesus Martinez, 36, was arrested Monday on suspicion of trying to arrange to have his daughter marry Margarito de Jesus Galindo, 18, for $16,000, 100 cases of Corona, 50 cases of Modelo beer, several cases of meat, two cases of wine, 50 cases of Gatorade and 50 cases of soft drinks, authorities said.

The girl moved in with Galindo and when payments were not received, her father called police to get his daughter back.

Greenfield Police Chief Joe Grebmeier told KSBW Action News 8 that both Martinez and Galindo, who are immigrants from Mexico, face the possibility of being deported as illegal immigrants.

Grebmeier also said that both men didn’t fully understand that what they were doing was wrong.

Also, the girl told police that she willingly moved in with Galindo.

Arranged marriages are common in the section of Mexico where both Galindo and Martinez are from.

But California law prohibits arranged marriage where one or both of the parties have been coerced.

Galindo was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on suspicion of statutory rape, and Martinez was arrested and booked on suspicion of receiving money for causing a person to cohabitate.

Grebmeier said that there have been rumors of arranged marriages taking place in the Greenfield area before, but that this was the first arrest concerning the act of human trafficking in the city that he knows of.

The case will head to the district attorney’s office Tuesday.

Sadly, one of the parts that bothers me most about this story is that he called the cops because he hadn't been paid. Deedle deedle didle dumb.
Does anyone else think we might be losing the war against stupidity?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Does anyone else think we might be losing the war against stupidity?"

And you are just now figuring this out? For proof all you need to do is look at the elected president for the past 8 years. Right here is the proof there is more stupid people than intelligent ones out there.

Anonymous said...

"What if ignorance was painful?"