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Town's fears of FLDS easing
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one reporter wrote.
We would definitely not object to being able to openly speak with all members of the FLDS here - men, women and children, as we do with other neighbors when we meet them at the PO or store. That would be great! I can't personally say if Step Up! would host a meeting where an FLDS member spoke as we've completed our series of 3 community meetings where we were honored with excellent speakers who volunteered to help us learn more & the opportunity was never given .
We are deeply concerned for the people of the FLDS, as well as for the rest of our community, as they are under a number of leaders who have been indicted or found guilty of numerous crimes. It is our desire to educate everyone involved so we will not be vulnerable to similar crimes.
Why were they so secretive? Why wouldn't they answer the door? What were they hiding?
Doesn't anyone get it. They wany to be left alone.
Why not leave them alone? They don't bother you. You don't bother them.
If you knock on the door and they don't open it perhaps it just means they want to be left alone.
Go home and speculate about anything you wish to speculate about. Heck..write a book about what you think is going on just be sure to put it on the fiction shelf.
You could buy binoculars and stand back a distance if you want to see something.........then they might put up a fence....lol.
It is our desire to educate everyone involved so we will not be vulnerable to similar crimes.
>>>What crimes are you referring to here?
* the crime of infanticide?
* the crime of sodomy?
* the crime of fornication?
* the crime of adultery?
I don't think you'll find much of that, if any, amongst the FLDS.
You'll have to look in the mirror.
IMO the attitudes reflected by some of the posts here are a National Disgrace.
Amish are GOOD people, FLDS are BAD people.
Remember everyone, Amish prairie skirts are blue or black and they often wear white scarves, FLDS prairie skirts are pastel colored. Just a head�s up to make sure we direct our bigotry and hatred toward the right ones. This has become an issue in Colorado since Amish and FLDS live in the same area. To quote the Wet Mountain Tribune-a local CO paper
�Members of the FLDS should not be confused with the Amish and Mennonite families living here.�
"We would definitely not object to being able to openly speak with all members of the FLDS here - "
Have you offered for any of them to come to your meeting? How come all you refer to at your meetings are anit-FLDS crusaders?
By the way, indictments are not proven crimes, they are ALLEGATIONS. What crimes were you referring to that have been proved in a real court, not in Barbara Walthers (another FLDS hater) court?
Have any FLDS members committed crime in your neighborhood? Have they hurt you personally? Do they have guns?
NO! NO! NO! to all of the above. Then what are you afraid of? Sounds like you're afraid of your own shadow. "Oh, they haven't talked to me. I think they hate me." And what if.....what if....
Sounds like your community has the problem. Maybe you should look in your own back yard for the crime, or in your school.
Way to go Maura. The problem with open dialogue with flds members is the name calling starts and the gossip based accusations start flying.
Many accusations have proven false or wildly exagerated but still they have a habit of being brought up again and again. From education to simple legal rulings facts are distorted or simply ignored.
FLDS members have tried to answer questions....but the answers are twisted or misconstrued.
I think your point is good, although I think you chose the wrong crimes.
Let us see what crimes they might fall victim to.
A-an FLDS man marrying their daughter when she is 15. Well, not as long as the FLDS don't open the door, so don't worry.
B. An FLDS man beating their grandchild (from a failure to prevent crime A) and breaking his ribs. Oh wait, Sarah and her stories were a myth, well take that one off.
C. People getting fradulent welfare money. This does not directly hurt you, and as a regular citizen knowing people will try it, you can't do anything.
D. Someone marrying more than one wife. Unless you think FLDS men falsely represent that they do not have a first wife, which is not the case, this is an unlikely crime.
E. The FLDS killing all the dogs on their (the FLDS) property. The problem with this is, A. there is no compelling evidence to support this happened at Colorado City, B, I am not sure that killing dogs is criminal, and C since they do it on their property it will not hurt you as a neighbor.
Indictments are accusations not convictions. The case merely has to be plausible.
Nice of you to bring up the dogs Lambert. It seems that after an attack by a dog on a child Jeffs ordered the elimination of all dogs.
Some say cruel...others say effective. I live near a small Tx. town that had a stray dog problem. The city council declared open season on the animals. Seems like ole Jeffs fits right in here in Texas.
"They have PLENTY to hide, and the winsome-sounding line, "we just want to live peacefully" is a smokescreen for, "we just want to continue our illegal practices without interference." Read the numerous books by ex-members. Look up flds101 online and let your stomach churn....
that opinion is based on about 5,000 hours of my own research and some talking with a few ex-members"
Sounds like all your information came from FLDS haters. I guess Texas will have to keep looking for all that crime. Either the FLDS are just really good at hiding it, or it doesn't exist. I tend to lead towards the latter, since 1 by 1, all the lies about FLDS are being disproved. Texas is doing a good job at uncovering the truth, which is that there is very little, if any crime among the FLDS. At least way less than there is in "mainstream" communities.
Now the FLDS is being criticized for building a church in "pastoral land". The only thing "pastoral" in that desert are the crops and improvements made by the flds,,,,,,,,,get real.
As far as "gretchen"....she posts under several names on several sites. Same worn out accusations and little if any proof of anything. It seems that the pages of Carolyns book are getting a real workout as "gretchen" thumbs through the playbook looking for another accusation,,,,,,someone needs to buy her a new copy.
You ok with that? Because the way they raise children, there's got to be a lot of crying going on. Perhaps a good slap with a stick or belt would straighten out the adults, just like they think it will do to the children.
I'm ok with that if you are...
Perhaps if the neighbors told them the ground rules (above), they would just move out to an unpopulated area. If they're going to abuse children then they need to get out of town. (And you can't raise children in the FLDS code without abusing them so there it is.)
What if THAT MAN turns out to be a pedophile? What happens to the poor little children if THAT MAN not only likes, but also marries and rapes little 12-year-old girls? And as if that isn't bad enough, he arranges marriages for the other old men to marry little girls too. What's wrong with this picture?
Do they have guns? They absolutely have guns, beyond a shadow of a doubt!
Of course it happens in communities all across the nation.
However, there's a major difference here in that THE MAN whom all FLDSers are supposed to pattern their life after is a pedophile. He imposes pedophelia upon all the members he "has had a vision" that the old men are to marry little girls.
Just be sure that when you hear the screams that you identify them as human, we have had enough false alarms about non-existant abuse. Remember "Sarah"....the non victim of a non-crime.
This whole affair has been blown out of proportion by gossip and false accusations. Throw in a few unfounded fear and a "save the Children at all costs" mentality and every household in this country will be invaded by do-gooders with a cell phone hearing screams that do not exist.
Now there is talk of guns.....oh brother! Five rifles were found on the ranch for a population of 700 people. I can point to 5 guns per family in Texas with guns and both groups have a right to have firearms. It seems to me that flds needs to increase their inventory quite a bit just to be "normal".
Hysteria.........belts and guns.......just more unfounded fear caused by gossip mongers.
The FLDS is all about polygamy, basically treating women like broodmares.
Polygamy is AGAINST THE LAW. The group is buying huge chunks of property, not only in Westcliffe but adjacent communities as well.
Why? Because they've worn out their welcome in other states and in the case of Texas have been told not to make any long term plans about staying.
So more and more of them will show up in the Westcliffe area. They'll arrive in the dead of night, will be hidden behind tall fences and will slowly envelop the community.
One fine morning, we'll all wake up with them in charge and those of us who follow the law will be forced out.
We've all seen the pattern before, in Guyana and Waco. Sadly, society waits until it's too late, then we have a mess.
no - I'm not going to call the law. These people are expert at getting around the law, and I'll treat them the same way they treat their children. I'll be nice to them when they are proper to their children, and I'll do to them what they do to their children when they abuse them.
why would you have a problem with that? what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
You're lucky I don't stick the adults in isolation and force them to listen to stories about Santa Claus and the Easter bunny for hours and hours a day for 20 years. That would be treating them like they treat their children.
Instead I'll merely perform whatever physical acts they do to their children, but to them twice as hard. Because they're bigger. And should know better.
You know they beat their children. We all know it. You cannot impose as many rediculous rules on children, and get them to obey, without physical force at a young age. So there it is. And I'd gladly go to jail for protecting a child. Besides, no jury would convict me.
It's too bad the sermon s can't be curtailed but thats their right to drive fear of everything into their children. Must be nice to have the law on your side when destroying the future of countless children. Oh well - just more sheep. At least the children won't get physically beaten on my watch...
what? Are you kidding? or just slow? of course it exists - on a daily basis. The entire FLDS religion is based on fear. How can you possibly believe that there are no child beatings? It is impossible to get children to obey so many crazy rules without "putting the fear of God" into them at a young age - and that's done through physical violence.
You really have the blinders on. Perhaps if you weren't so biased in their favor you would see exactly what is going on to these young children.
Of course, most true "bible-thumping" people (religious zealots/extremeists) treat their children the same way, so it's not just the FLDS. The FLDS just hide more so they can get away with more.
But of course there's always you and Grandpa Phil, who both I'm sure are "spare the rod, spoil the child" kind of guys. It certainly works to keep kids in line - and the FLDS have more lines than they have common sense.
It's just too bad, after all these years, the FLDS still hasn't learned how to raise children without fear-based indoctrination.
In not too many minutes on Google, found the following, and doubt it's a complete list of leadership convictions:
Warren Steed Jeffs September 2007 In Utah, Prophet Warren Jeffs convicted on two counts of rape as an accomplice.
Seth Steed Jeffs May 2006 Pled guilty to knowingly harboring and concealing Warren Steed Jeffs
Kelly Fisher found guilty in July 2006 of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.
Vergel Jessop, 47, pleaded no contest to child abuse, in Arizona, Dec 2006
David Bateman, 49 was convicted of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.
Rodney Holm 39, convicted of third-degree felony bigamy and two counts of third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor 16 or 17 years old in August 2003.
No need for concern for the children?
"pioneer-stock kids"??? Sorry, but in case you didn't notice, it's not the 1800s anymore. The FLDS children deserve to be able to live in the 21st century, and choose their future.
I know you pine for the good ole days, Grandpa - but those days are gone. Wake up to a new world, where people can do amazing things if given half a chance. To bad these kids stand no chance at all...
And if your supposed 9 children had to follow the insanely strict rules imposed by the FLDS, you can bet that only way you'd do it is with corporal punishment.
Of course the FLDS children are well behaved. They have no mind of their own and are scared to death of what God, their "prophet", and their parents will do to them if they disobey. Anyone can raise obedient children if you put the fear of God and everything else into them.
So much for your reality, Phil.
Raise your own kids RC.......and quit the broad generalizations anout families you know nothing about. FLDS members have posted here and you seem to ignore their denial of your slanderous tripe.
If you actually spent time thinking about how all of this affects the child's future, you would maybe provide more logical comments - instead of just saying "mind your own business". That's the standard FLDS line "mind your own business".
of course, I'm assuming your grandparents didn't isolate their children and that they did in fact support them in their future endevours (sp?).
you're so worried about the parents that you couldn't care less about the children. Fine for you. Not fine for me.
By the way - it's unclear to me what I have forced on anyone. I guess you read my comments and they become force? The only forcing that's being domne is the forcing of the children to remain in FLDS subculture or leave everything they know behind.
Don't you think the FLDS kids should have the same opportunities? guess not...
I'm mostly amazed that I give an opinion about some children being isolated and indoctrinated by religious zealots and I get a "I'm gonna shoot you with my 44 magnum" response. From a guy called Grandpa. Wild.
CPS just announced a duel will be held on the steps of the TexasCapital building between Merril Jessop and Angie Voss.
Merrill will be packing a 44 mag while Angie prefers the lady Smith and wesson.
The winner will decide the educational future of the flds children and bear all expenses.
Angie will have a tank as backup of course.
oh well.
Gramps can handle it himself....he's quite capable.
By the way, bring the tank and something to tow it away with. Capable, I am.
and you never said how my comments forced anyone to do anything. Where's your indignation for the people that have been forced to follow all the crazy rules these people have? You know most of them believe the rules are hogwash but can't do anything about it because they'd lose their family.
your priorities are way out of whack. and ok - you can have a tank too.
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What a bunch of trash.
Not the article itself - that's well-written, but the premise that in this age, people are still so paranoid about what they don't understand.
Instead of walking up to the front door and sticking out their hand to say 'hello,' they get out their guns and barricade their doors because of false stories, innuendoes, and out and out lies about a peaceful living culture that prefers to be left alone and not buy into the same crap we do.
Good grief.