Reader comments
Canadian cops asked to reopen FLDS case

COSMO | 9:23 a.m. June 16, 2008

Well, the Canadians are about to start beating this dead horse again. Hate to break it to them, but the bones are sticking through. However I am not opposed
to enforcing the law, just make sure the law is being equitably enforced. They better take a close look at the Muslims; interesting practices also as they embark on another "Crusade" against those naughty, Polygamists.

mcs | 9:26 a.m. June 16, 2008

Finally! A prosecutor who values the lives and safety of children!
Now, if Terry Robertson can persuade attorney general Wally Oppal to move on this, perhaps the underage girls of Bountiful can be rescued by the law, not just their few courageous mothers.

WBM5 | 9:27 a.m. June 16, 2008

I hope they cross all their t's and dot all their i's. And catch these pedophiles!

Comments continue below

GOOD THUNDER | 9:50 a.m. June 16, 2008

LEAVE THESE PEOPLE ALONE!! Your all just trying to find someone who will ignore the truth, get pumped up by the ex's, and storm the castle, ignore evidence, etc.

Good grief.

Dead Horse | 9:57 a.m. June 16, 2008

The horse may be dead, but the child-abusing sharks are still alive. Places where the FLDS pedophiles can hide are quickly disappearing.

Either the FDLS voluntarily give up their child bride practices, or the states, and now, apparently Canada, will stop it for them.

Re: GOOD THUNDER | 10:03 a.m. June 16, 2008

Why would anybody demand that authorities turn their backs on innocent girls who are being abused?

Joey | 10:16 a.m. June 16, 2008

Enter the new age: prosecution for alleged thought crimes, persecution, kidnapping--all state sanctioned.

Where's the evidence? | 10:23 a.m. June 16, 2008

They're not going to let up are they? If it's going on, then I agree - go after them. However, other than Warren Jeffs, how do we know the magnitude of the situation?

Gal50 | 10:32 a.m. June 16, 2008

Can statistics be used to calculate how many statutory rape cases exist within the FLDS? In Texas there were about 700 FLDS, 450 children, 175 women and 75 men. Of these, there were according to the news, 20 potential statutory rape cases. Five of these were children and fifteen had become adults prior to the raid.

Bountiful has a population of about 800. A portion of these follow Winston Blackmore. This would equate to a potential of 6 children subjected to statutory rape and 17 adults who were victimized as children, for a total of 23 cases.

It could be that Winston Blackmore's followers no longer commit statutory rape, but there could be some victims as this group once followed Jeffs. It could be that Jeffs was cautious and tended to cluster his statutory rape victims in what he viewed as a safe location such as Bountiful or the YFZ compound. If they were clustered at YFZ, then there could be fewer victims in Bountiful. If they were clustered in Bountiful than there would be more rape victims than indicated by the Texas statistics.

As the alleged Texas rapists look for new homes, Canada is sending a strong message.

R | 11:39 a.m. June 16, 2008

//"The law says it is an offense for a person in a position of authority over another to touch someone if they are under 18,"//

I hope that "touch" is being used as a euphemism for sexual conduct; because if "touching" per se is a crime, then virtually every parent, day care worker, or teacher of young children would be in violation.

R | 11:46 a.m. June 16, 2008

Also, I wonder what sort of evidence came to light to justify reopening investigations in Bountiful.

truth? | 11:48 a.m. June 16, 2008

I'm still wondering why Warren Jeffs was public enemy number one. Amoung all of the mass murderers, drug lords, gang bangers, cop killers, and etc, why this dufuss of a person was such an overwhelming threat as to deserve that kind of attention? It sounds as though his trial is not moving along so smoothly though.

Re: Gal50, yeah, some of them apperently became adults well over a decade before the raid. The few who were underage would not have been so if Texas hadn't changed the age of consent just previous to the raid. Canada has been this route before, and it didn't work so well then. Having said all of that, if anyone is rapeing or otherwise molesting a child, I agree they should be prosecuted to the full extent allowed by law, but not the wholesale attack on a group or their beliefs.
Also, calling calling everyone who belongs to a group names such as pedophile, even if there is someone among the group guilty of the act, is just simply a smear tactic. Again, go after the one who is perpetrating the crime.

Boise Leon | 12:20 p.m. June 16, 2008

truth? | 11:48 a.m. June 16, 2008
I'm still wondering why Warren Jeffs was public enemy number one. Amoung all of the mass murderers, drug lords, gang bangers, cop killers, and etc, why this dufuss of a person was such an overwhelming threat as to deserve that kind of attention?

----------------------

Osama bin Laden was actually number one that month, but what is even curiouser is that there were three separate Wanted posters issued. The first got very little press. The second got more press because of the $50K reward, and then the third raised the reward to $100K.

This was in the same month that Shurtleff and Goddard issue a new guidebook about polygamous communities and how to avoid a repeat of the 1953 fiasco.

In the month prior, Mitt Romney had announced his interest in running for the President of the United States.

I contacted the Arizona and Utah investigators and they had no knowledge of who sicked the FBI on Jeffs or who guaranteed the reward.

I Google tracked Mitt and FLDS news releases for two years and found a direct correlation. Curious...

First a Mitt event followed by an FLDS event.

JND | 12:19 p.m. June 16, 2008

Hi there, Jeffs lovers. It's good to see you still in action.

Johnny Canuck | 12:29 p.m. June 16, 2008

Go RCMP. In a recent tv interview, Winston Blackmore came off as the most evasive, sleazy people I've ever seen. We've got to shut this bunch down here, so we don't simply end up with them when they bail on texas.

I wonder | 2:29 p.m. June 16, 2008

I wonder where my post has gone--the one asking for all offenders in statuatory rape cases to be indicted and tried. This is not the first time I have posted on this issue, citing actual cases I am personally familiar with, only to find my posting not shown.
If we are going to call for prosecuting the FLDS offenders (relatively few in number, nationwide), then I hope we will stop beating around the bush and prosecute the others. They are doing untold damage to people--both to their young victims, to the children the girls often bear as a result, and to society as a whole. I'd rather my tax money be spent punishing offenders and counseling victims than on planned parenthood's abortion clinics and on welfare benefits.

Anonymous | 2:44 p.m. June 16, 2008

Poligimists or Poly Gymnists as they are called out side of the communities are just a part of our lives. Most of the people in these communities were born and raised there. Poligimy is all they know. On the outside looking in it is always easier to see what is going.

Re: Boise Leon | 3:14 p.m. June 16, 2008

Are you suggesting that Mitt Romney is responsible for the investigations involving the FLDS and Warren Jeffs?

A little common sense would tell you that the last thing Mitt and his supporters would want would be a high-profile investigation causing a scandle that could create concerns about his Mormon heritage.

That might be something Mitts detractors would relish, but not Mitt and his supporters.

Your Google search is meaningless. You would find the same nebulous correlation between FLDS events and all of the other leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.

If you're going to spread rumors, you should at least have something a little more concrete than a random Google search.

Mitt and polygamy | 3:42 p.m. June 16, 2008

It was interesting to me that people raised the issue of Mr. Romney descending from a family that practiced polygamy a hundred years ago and ignored the fact that Mr. Obama's father and grandfather did! Which has nothing to do with this issue at all. Just interesting how the media operates. And never mind the congressmen and other political leaders who have children with women THEY aren't married to--of course, they don't call them spiritual wives--as if that makes a difference.

Anonymous | 3:46 p.m. June 16, 2008

I wonder if Merril Jessop is already in Canada? I hope our extradition treaty with Canada covers child sexual abuse because I predict he will be indicted.

AJ | 4:15 p.m. June 16, 2008

For those accusing the FLDS as pedophiles:

Definition of pedofile: An adult who is sexually attracted to a child or children.

Definition of child: A person between birth and puberty.

Definition of puberty: The stage of adolescence in which an individual becomes physiologically capable of sexual reproduction.

Unless there were marriages with girls who had not reached puberty, it looks like there were no child brides and thus the FLDS in general cannot be called pedophiles.

I am not saying there are no pedophiles in the FLDS, after all there are plenty who are not FLDS. But let's not paint everyone in the FLDS with the same brush.

Boise Leon | 5:47 p.m. June 16, 2008

Wouldn't it be a hoot if instead of being VP, Mitt was asked to be Attorney General of the US? The FLDS would have a better chance in Federal court for recompense from the Republic of Texas. I spent my first 20 years in Texas and yes, they still call it a Republic, not a State. You do know they believe they have the right to secede from the Union without going to war to do so, don't you?

truth? | 10:17 p.m. June 16, 2008

Re: Boise Leon. You are right, I can only find information that says Jeffs was near the top of the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Still, my point remains. Also, it's among not amoung. Disregard the fat fingering.

Anonymous | 8:08 a.m. June 17, 2008

Has anyone ever considered that this country (USA) was founded upon "Freedom of religious belief"? These people are practicing their religon, and if their beliefs differ from our own statute laws, then to bad for those outside those beliefs. We should remember and be aware, that the age of 18 for determining age of consent is just the mainstream US version of what that age should be. Other cultures in the world practice a different "age of consent", without calling it abuse. It could very well be, that age 18 is unrealistic and should be lowered to reflect the worlds average legal age. In Muslim countries, there is no "age of consent", but the persons involved must be married.

zxcvbnm | 8:42 a.m. June 17, 2008

RE Boise Leon No there Leon, Texas can't secede; the civil war kinda took care of that issue.
But Texas can divide into five states if it wishes. The five states right was a condition of the Republic joining the union.
Texas has many quirks that give its citizens a sense of pride but as a Texan I am certainly not proud of the state agencies mishandling of the YFZ affair. I am however, proud of the Texas courts restoring the rule of law. Now all we have to do is apologize and get rid of the tanks.
It seems that the LE boys have too many toys and the CPS girls rely on gossip to keep their jobs.

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