Reader comments
Texas officials drafting plans for FLDS children

There is much more to the story, the real important details are kept away from the public. Does anyone remember the Duke lacrosse team accusations? the tactics are the same here. they are conducting an obviously wrong prosecution, (or persecution) let's hope these kids are kept safe and will be restored to a peaceful life.

Many times after they make a service plan and the parents meet the requirements, CPS keeps changing the plans making it impossible for the families to meet them. At least that is how CPS in Texas operates, never worked with any families in Utah.

After the family has not met the impossible to meet plans for one year, CPS will claim the one year mark and move to terminate parental rights and claim the child is no longer bonded to their family but bonded to the foster parents.

This is typical CPS procedure. The FLDS children experienced sexual abuse which is typical for some of the children in CPS custody, but they experienced it for a different reason than the other children in CPS custody. These kids experienced abuse because the Jeffs' crew turned the FLDS into a cult-like entity. Therefore, the mothers and/or fathers would have to start therapy in order to regain custody of their children. They will have to show that they are able to support their children. They may have to get a GED. And, they may have to complete jail time. They would probably have to permanently leave the compound and renounce polygamy. There are other options, but they are too messy for CPS. If the FLDS renounced polygamy just like the LDS and if the FLDS ditched Jeffs and Jessop, it is possible they could return to the compound. Multiple wives would have to disperse. The Tom Green case allowed the wives to live in a fourplex. Although they were under the same roof, they were in separate homes. In this case, three wives could live in three different buildings that each housed two more non-related wives. I'm eager to seeTHEservicePLANS.

Finally, the FLDS will have to start being honest about their identities. When the hearings take place, the FLDS parents won't be able to petition the court to have a particular child returned to a GROUP of parents. They'll have to identify specific child/parent relationships if they want to get their children back.

For their sake, I hope they at least know the real father and mother of each child. If a child has been "adopted" by non-biological parents, let's hope they have some legal proof of the adoption.

Unfortunately, I think we'll find that this is one big happy family, afterall, and that the FLDS children are traded from family to family like so much chattel.

ACLU has issued a statement, basically finding many faults in the entire CPS fiasco.
These famlies will win, and the texas cps witchunters will finally be reigned in and seen for what they are.

The parents will need to keep diaries of all their encounters with CPS and their demands. If at all possible they should have their lawyers present. What is happening now will not look good ten years down the line when there is a regime change. As for returning to the compound, it may be the fact that someone powerful wanted the ranch which is the root of the whole mess. The state will be humiliated in the long run because they have not dealt with the FDLS children in a just manner.

On April 30, attorneys for 38 FLDS women filed an appeal with the 3rd Court of Appeals.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services was expected to respond by May 2.

There's not a whisper of recent coverage of this suit on Google News.

Did DFPS respond?

What did they say?

What is the status of the suit?

"These famlies will win, and the texas cps witchunters will finally be reigned in and seen for what they are."

The ACLU statement amounted to little more than a wait and see position. The ACLU, like most of us, are waiting to see whether CPS can produce evidence to prove that the FLDS were indeed sexually abusing there children through forced underage marriages.

Texas CPS believe they are our parents. They are spanking these children in their custody. Wow, I thought they were accusing their parents of abuse. Please write or call your elected officials to stop this clear violation of constitutional rights. My opinion is that Texas CPS is going to build a similar case against the FLDS to the McMartin Preschool Case. Kids in jail will say anything if they are told they will be reunited with their parents. Modesto, Ca

This situations seems so hopeless for the children. The CPS is requiring classes for homemaking? I think they threw that in to make the FLDS look less than capable of taking care of the children. What I have seen the houses were clean and the children well taken care off. I hope the rest of the US gets together to fight for the rights of these children and moms.

So what do you do with these children? Divvy them out to be converted by the different churches. "Let's see, this group will be come Baptist. This group will be Luthern. This girl will make a good nun..."

There is a God in the Heavens who is the Judge. Parents are given the responsibility to look after their children, and will be judged accordingly. These children remind me of my own children. They are will taken care of. They are nursed rather than bottle fed. Junk food is not a part of their lives. These children need to go back to their parents. If there is something wrong with with the parent's lifestyle, then changes can be negotiated. Why send in the 'army' to 'jail' all the children for their own good?

By the way, the 'correct' lifestyle is skin tight jeans and half the breast peaking out. The 'corrent' lifestyle says "look but don't touch". What is wrong with a modest lifestyle and loose clothing that cover a person?

The truth of the matter, is that the self-rightous Texans do not want this group in Texas, and are doing everything possible to expel them.

CPS will be able to provide enough evidence of underage marriages to show that their actions were justified. A few FLDS men will be charged. The families directly involved will have their children returned, but they will be put on probation and will have to provide proof of having a valid marriage license before a marriage involving any of their minor children is allowed to be performed. The FLDS families who have not been directly involved with forced underaged marriages will have their children returned to them with no restrictions.

I see a lot of people here in a rush to judge and asserting things as facts that have not been established as facts. There's no way anybody who isn't close to the process could know whether there was sufficient legal reason to take the FLDS children or to what extent. But in this day of bloviating talking heads on tv and the Internet, I guess ignorance can't be expected to stop people from forming and expressing opinions. :/

If I read this story correctly, these children have been placed in group facilities, not individual foster homes where they could get some sort of individual attention. Group homes have "house parents" sometimes, but other times, just employees who take care of groups of children. None of them have ANY familial type connection with the children. How is this better than being in a family--even a "group" type family? Many of the children the FLDS kids will be placed with come from much more abusive, and even criminal, family backgrounds. I don't think that's the "real world" I'd want my kids dropped into. I don't see that the kids are going to be better off than they were.

Can we not admit that the Texas authorities have made critical mistakes in handling this case? And that the FLDS have also? There is no need for all the insults and hatred in posts. If the children's welfare is our top concern, there is no reason we can't expect accountability from BOTH the parties in this horrible mess.

I think the State of Texas did the right thing. It may seem overwhelming now, but compared to the very real reality of this kind of life waiting for the girls of this sect and the liklihood of the young boys being thrown out--this is better all the way around. I am not saying that this kind of change isn't going to have a few hitches along the way, there hasn't been a raid on a FLDS compound in many years, but the fact that that kind of life has been allowed to flourish unchecked is plain wrong.

As Dr Phil told Larry King, when these babies remain with CPS they will end up in prison or on the street as has happened in the past with children left to their care.
I would recomend reading information on the Waco raid(1993). They have had the hearings, investigations ect. They all seems to have one voice "it was a mistake and should never have happened" another quote "we should make sure this never happens again" Janet Reno (I think) "The thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history"
Even Clinton said "I made a big mistake" in authorizing the raid. He did it after being preasured by the FBI I think.

After their brief exposure to the real world, it will take months if not years for all of the FLDS children to be re-indoctrinated into becoming the mindless sheep that they are supposed to be.

Some of them may even develop thoughts and desires of their own and may decide not to return to the FLDS lifestyle.

Maybe the FLDS are being held to a higher standard.
They get married.
They don't have children out of wedlock.
They don't watch television.
They have stay at home moms.
They have healthy meals.
They dress modestly.
They have clean homes.
This is all so UNAMERICAN. This had to be stoped.

I'm calling my congressman, how about you?
We need action instead of all this talk.

I have a novel idea. Why not give the kids back and mind their own business. All of this is just a BS idea of "Big Brother". Looking at a new type of government is sure looking better and better.