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Mysterious Sarah may be unnecessary in Texas bid to keep FLDS children

"We need to invade Iraq becuase they are developing weapons of mass destruction."

"There are no weapons of mass destruction but invading Iraq was the right thing to do." (No matter how big a mess it made and how wrong it was)

"We need to illegally eavesdrop on US citizen in the US to keep you all safe."

"We need to invade the FLDS's YFZ Ranch because there is a 16 year old named Sarah there that is being abused."

"We didn't find any Sarah but invading was still the right thing to do." (No matter how big a mess it made and how wrong it was)

"We need to violate the consitutional rights of hundreds of people to keep you all safe."

I sense a Texas pattern of behavior here.

Has Texas never heard of the "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine where search warrants are concerned?

Some of us were warning about this from the get-go. No "Sarah", no valid warrant. No valid warrant, and you can send the kids and moms home and give back EVERYTHING you found in that search--their scrapbooks, their cell phones, their bed sheets, and whatever else you took--even if you DID find anything incriminating.

No need to "mess" with Texas--Texas messes things up pretty well on its own.

Well there you have it. If you don't like your neighbors in Texas, make a bogus prank call to the police. Then, when the police and CPS come to their private property in an armored tracked vehicle, they can haul your neighbor's children away as if they are stray dogs with rabies.

Don't forget, if your neighbors behave in way that you don�t like (such as singing old pioneer hymns), wear clothing that isn't made by Russell Simmons or Tommy Hilfiger, have never exposed their kids to drugs, or talk in an annoying Danish or Scandinavian accent, Texas authorities can now remove the children of such illicit fanatical zealots based upon "what (they) saw out there".

Yesterday I looked into the face of human grief, the photo widely printed of an FLDS mother enduring both her own pain of separation and the knowledge of the pain her young one's felt. It was a photo that spoke eloquently to why it is so very important that loving families remain together.

As to the children, I believe there is reason to doubt both the rosy picture CPS has attempted to paint of their 'adjustment', as well as the State's ability to realistically ensure their well being. The condition of foster care is widely recognized as too often 'troubled and troubling'.

Given the decades long history between FLDS and 'the authorities' (ie, Short Creek), it is particularly unfortunate - for ALL concerned - that such tragedy is again repeating, past lessons having been lost in what appears to be a 'rush to justice'.

It seems that as with Iraq's alleged - but unfound -weapons of mass destruction, a war of sorts here has begun. I fear that all of those involved have begun a waking nightmare both lengthy and horrific, and as with any war, it is too often 'the enemy's' women and children which suffer most.

Texas can kidnap children at gunpoint from the arms of their mothers and there is nobody in Texas able to stand up to Texans. The children were never in danger. Texans should be ashamed of their officials.

I am so tired of people's comments that decry the removal of this children for whatever reasons they have.
For once, think of the children who REALLY ARE being abused and neglected, not just raised in a different religion, not just living a different lifestyle. Those who came from inside know, those making comments DON'T.

Hasn't everyone figured it out yet? The children taken by Texas CPS don't necessarily belong to the mothers in those photos. If you've seen the videos you've heard them say, "These are sweet, innocent children." not "MY children are sweet and innocent." Watch the videos again.
Until CPS figures out (birth certificates, DNA, etc.) which children belong to which mothers, how can they "return" them?

Huh - so in your opinion, Brooke, finding pregnant 13 and 14 year olds at the ranch was NOT abuse? For shame.

Thanks, Good grief and Denise, for pointing out the obvious. These children were in a situation where other children were observed to having been abused, so they were removed to be protected.

To have sex with a child right out of the arms of their brainwashed mother...is morally wrong as well as illegal!
Texas is the only state with enough guts to stand up to child molestation and abuse! It's about time!

Abuse in one family does not mean abuse in every single family occured. If your neighbor abuses her kids and someone calls it in that it is happening all over your entire neighborhood, would it be correct and fair to have your kid and every other neighborhood kid removed and put in foster care unless you could prove otherwise that you treated your kids good? This is the problem here, no due process. Its fine when it happens to people you don't agree with, but then you will also lose your freedoms when they come for you! We need to protect the rights of all US citizens while this is still a free country!

The "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine may not apply here. It's not as simple as Doug S stated, "No 'Sarah', no valid warrant."

The question is not producing Sarah, it's whether the specific facts and circumstances upon which the warrant was based would lead a reasonable person to believe that a crime had been committed, was being committed, or was about to be committed. Even an anonymous tip, if independently corroborated, can serve as the basis for a warrant.

If all of the information established probable cause, the warrant was valid. If the warrant was valid, anything observed in the process of searching within the scope of the warrant is not fruit of the poisonous tree. It's admissible.

If all of the information offered in support of the warrant does not establish probable cause, any evidence obtained as a result of executing the warrant is inadmissible. Producing Sarah is not determinative.

What is happening to our country's morals? There are HUNDREDS of CHILDREN being abused and molested and assaulted - leading terrible lives - and you all talk about "loving" families and frauds. Wake-up! Reallity is calling! These children-mothers need help. End of story. Be put in their situation for one day and then talk of the "love" these "spouses" share. Then you can talk of returning - if you still want to.

I do not disagree with Texas' efforts to protect the weak and the innocent - sweet innocent children - however, I believe there could have been a better way of carrying it out...

They should've just taken all the men.

pay heed to whats going on down there. like common sense says: you cant lump em all into one bunch. thats dangerous to the freedoms of all americans.

i agree with every thing the des news agrees with

If life on the YFZ ranch was the endless cycle of torture and sexual abuse that we are being told it was, then why weren't any of the FLDS women who spoke to the media yesterday happy that they and their children had finally been rescued from such an awful existance?

The 16 year-old accuser is nowhere to be found, and the man she accused hadn't even set foot in Texas since the 1970s. Now we're being told that none of that matters, eventhough it was the whole justification for the raid.

To be honest, I'm starting to wonder if this whole thing isn't a put-up job. I know some ex-FLDS members have said the FLDS Church is doing some pretty awful things, but then again look at what ex-LDS members say about the LDS Church and see how credible their claims are.

Children can only be taken on an emergency basis if they are in immediate danger. The young previously pregnant girls aren't exactly in immediate danger, at best only the ~11-15 y.o. virgins may be. Unless the authorities establish that they saw saw signs of recent abuse (pregnancy isn't abuse by itself), if they feel they need to remove others they should hold a regular hearing first. Texas CPS and family courts seem to have issues with due process of law. Further the law requires they make reunification the first priority. This is an attempt to do good by improper means. The end doesn't justify the means.

I guess none of you really looked at the tapes
and listen to the woman, All they say is they want there children.. When asked about abuse or anything else they change the subject or dont answer
The State will get to keep the kids
For one fact that most of the children dont even know who there mothers are.
And do you notice that NO men are speaking out
Where is Merrel Jessop.. Last I saw in Pictures he had like 8 wives and that was before Caroline got away.. so should be guess that maybe he has like 25 or more kids ... I had read somewhere when crap was going on with Warren Jeffs that he had 11 wives and like 62 kids If that is True there is someting wrong with this picture

If such a miscarriage of justice happened in my community, there would be blood shed. Texas should punish the criminals (the men who had sex with underage girls), not the mothers and their children. My wife and children know how to operate our firearms. Don't mess with Texas? Maybe it should be Don't Mess With the Texas Overlords.