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Other FLDS enclaves are feeling scrutiny

Scrutiny and more. First Texas, then the rest.

This is sick and hypothetically anyone could just start a cult and say that everything they do is "god's will" and begin brainwashing their children so there is nothing else. This should all be illeagal and all of these men need to be put in jail for their shovenism and the women need to understand that the sexual revolution has taken place--everyone should have the right to live as they choose, but these women/children have never been able to truly "choose," as those who weren't brainswashed were held captive or were too scared to run.

They either pass muster or they don't. This business of behind walls and fences and ranches is counter productive.

I have no problem with consenting adults living a lifestyle that suits them, and I think most people would agree. My understanding is that many polygamists are only legally married to one wife anyway to avoid bigamy charges. I am not a polygamist and it would never be a lifestyle that I would want, but the FLDS scrutiny has apparently hurt other polygamist families who are hard-working, law-abiding people integrated into mainstream society��many who live along the Wasatch front.

If polygamists want to fight to decriminalize bigamy, living in a secret compound or closed off communities and committing crimes against children and women is definitely not the way to go about it. Warren Jeff�s made horrible decisions that cost all polygamists any chance they had to gain public support for decriminalizing the lifestyle. Hopefully the one thing that does come out of the incident in Texas is the message to adults who do practice polygamy, that this country will not stand for abuse of any kind under the guise of religion.

Where are all of the men? They're supposed to be priestly and honored? Don't make me laugh. They've scattered like roaches.

Even though I don't agree with that lifestyle, kudos to the women interviewed on CNN and other networks.

I believe we are seeing only the tip of the iceburg. If you have watched any of the interviews of the women and looked at the pictures, you see an almost zombie-like appearance. They refuse to answer direct questions as if they did not hear the question. You do not see any interviews with the men. There is simply too much smoke here and its time we look for the fire. There is something inherently wrong with isolating people and controlling their thoughts and minds that is no longer accepted in society as a whole. I feel for the children that are trapped in this situation. When children are interviewed they don't even know their names or fathers. I can understand the frustration that the Texas authorities feel as they are struggling to help these children. Its time to get to the bottom of this issue.

if they (FLDS) could just get rid of the under-age marriages, abuses in all forms, incest, and forbidding their members to come and go as they please, they wouldn't be scrutinzed at all...

The term gets thrown around a lot, but I've never really heard a good definition for "brainwashing," much less anything that would make a legal definition. For instance, is home-schooling considered brainwashing? What about Sunday School for children? Or a political discussion around the dinner table that leans heavily to one party's ideologies?

Or perhaps you refer to insulating them from the rest of the world. Then is preventing children from seeing X-rated material considered brainwashing? What about letting them go to Disneyland unaccompanied? Or drive a car? Drink alcohol?

"shovenism is criminal." How could we have freedom to be shovenistic, not in America. This is the land of cultural moralism by majority. My advise don't go against sexual revolution.

This has nothing to do with religion. It's about dominating and controlling women.

I have no problem with consenting adults living an alternative lifestyle that suits them. My understanding is that many polygamists are only legally married to one wife anyway to avoid bigamy charges. I am not a polygamist and it would NEVER be a lifestyle that I would want, but the FLDS scrutiny has apparently hurt other polygamist families who are hard-working, law-abiding people integrated into mainstream society��some who reportedly live along the Wasatch front.

If polygamists want to fight to decriminalize bigamy, living in a secret compound or closed-off communities and committing crimes against children and women is definitely not the way to go about it. Warren Jeff�s made horrible decisions that cost all polygamists any chance they had to gain public support for decriminalizing the lifestyle. Hopefully the one important thing that does come out of the incident in Texas is the message to adults who do practice polygamy--that this country will not stand for abuse of any kind under the guise of religion.

Sorry about the duplicate post. The Dnews moderators must be a little slow this AM. :-)

The women are evasive with their answers about their husbands because they have been advised by their attorneys not to discuss them. I saw the Texas attorney general on TV saying the women have admitted to bigamy because they say they are living in polygamous "spiritual" marriages. If they are not legal marriages how can it be bigamy? He also said the "spiritually" married girls under 18 have been sexually abused because their marriages are not legal. How can it be both ways?

This phenomen has nothing to do with God or religion. This is a lifestyle for dominating male persons, but where this women come from? How were these women educated! Or were they educated at all? What fate are they going to create for their own daugther? or the father who are able to endure the sexual exploitation their own children? Many question reuqire answear!

What is brainwashing? Simple. When mothers tell their church authorities that their daughters have reached puberty, so that they might be married...that is brainwashing. When a mother allows her 14 year old son to be tossed out of the compound with only the clothes on his back and a 6th grade education to lead a life of prostitution to get food in his belly because a bunch of "royal lineage" men want multiple wives....you have brainwashing. When you allow you daughter to be married off to your brother...that is brainwashing. When you allow your daughter to marry your brother even though you know you are a carrier for Fumerase Deficiency making a pregnancy likely to end in a child with an IQ of 25...that is brainwashing. When you are 30 years old and a grandmother...that is brainwashing. When you support your prophet despite the fact that he married a 14 year old girl to her 19 year old uncle leading to marital rape...that is brainwashing. Are we clear yet? This issue isn't polygamy but child abuse, child sexual abuse, abandonment, rape, and incest.

This YFZ Ranch raid is about protecting children. The citizens of Texas and the USA have established laws to protect children. Regardless of your religion, if you abuse a child (whether you claim to be married to her or not) you will be held accountable for your actions.

Laws against polygamy may be unconstitutional, but they are laws none-the-less. Laws that protect children are and always will be constitutional. We can argue the legality of plural marriage, but we cannot argue the legality of allowing or enabling men to physically and/or sexually abuse children.

We must unite to protect these girls, regardless of our religous convictions and tenets.

I watched Larry King he was asking them, have you ever seen old man marry younger women? They were evasive. Who cares about the fact that there was zero articulation in the question.

Send them to Colorado, I will welcome them and leave them alone unless they want a neighborly relationship. Which I would have no problem with.

And the saddest part of all is that somebody has convinced somebody else that God told them to do it.

And the sheared sheep believe it.

I have a question about FLDS..

I read somewhere each family is restricted to one color for the female dress. So in theory if you study the pictures can we assume the women wearing the same color dress are all married to the same guy?