Barlow, better bring some t-shirts and shorts, and I'd go with a very short hair-cut. The hot time of year is nearly upon us here in Texas.

I gaurantee that the 30k they spend a day is not much in food, but rather mostly in salaries.

I know that you don't like the truth here because you will not publish my simple comments. But I would bet anyone that this raid was the result of a sick prank perpetrated by someone outside the community.

The exact same phone call was made to Arizona officials, with the same details, claiming to come from Colorado City. Read the article about it at the Arizona Republic website. (I could give the link but then you would not publish this for no good reason either)

Now I do not fault anyone who has good intentions to protecting a young girl, and (as I wrote in my other comments that you would not publish) I like any FLDS father, would want my daughter protected from an abusive man. It is not tolerated in the slightest bit by the FLDS. Their standards of kindness and caring are higher than mainstream society. I know personally from being sent out myself.

However long it takes, I hope these children will finally be given a chance to live a normal life.

Whether the 16 y/o girl who made the original phone is ever identified, or not, Texas did the right thing in investigating this tragic situation.

Anyone suggesting that not infringing on constitutional rights is more important than stopping the abuse of these children really doesn't care about the welfare of the children.

If it were their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews that were being abused, you can bet your last nickle that those same critics would be demanding that Texas authorities should have used whatever means possible to remove those children from the abusive situation they were in.

""I was told they wanted to talk to me. It's the first time I've heard from the Texas Rangers," Barlow said Friday "

Perhaps Barlow will become a guest at a Texas State Prison soon.

What's really scary is the link between the FLDS and LDS church is now so visible. The Texas Rangers carried copies of the Book of Mormon and pictures of Joesph Smith out of the FLDS compound. Those are the very things I have in my house and that makes me uncomfortable.

Hurray for Kevin Dinnin.
I enjoyed reading a somewhat positive report on these people from the compound. I appreciate Dinnin refering to these people as guest. He sounds like someone with true concerns in allowing the people to be who they are. Marleigh Meisner in her mind has already convicted these children. She reminds me of the Priests in the old Mission Schools when all the native children were taken out of their natural environment. I know some Ktnaxa nation elders who remember life in those schools. They were forbidden from even speaking their native language. They were forbidden from seeing their grand parents. The nation wanted to teach these native people how not to be Indians. They suffered far more abuse with these priests than ever in their natural environment. Marleigh keeps referring to these Mormon kids like they are wild animals, rounded up and caged. The media keeps bringing in these sex craved commentators like Flora who have all got books to sell. KUDOS to you Kevin Dinnin. Let those Mormon kids be Mormons.

What does baseball have to do with this?

Oh, *those* Texas Rangers. :-)

By any legal standard, what is occurring in Texas is a "Fishing" expedition.

Unfortunately, the "Bait" are innocent children who's only "Crime" is being Mormon which the locals have been
against since day one.

Like Cross Creek, the Elders are silent and the children's tears for their loving parents are owned by those who have abandoned them.

Can anyone imagine this happening in Boys Town if the authorities received an unsubstantiated call from a resident (Or not), there?

Plain and simple, this is a case of persecution on a massive scale and our leaders remain silent. Shame on them!

I'm building a list of Texas Officials names. I think a good "butt" kicking is in order for all the civil rights violations and lies coming from the mouths of law-enforcement.

Who expected Barlow to say "yes, I beat up a fifteen-year-old wife" after all this law enforcement going on in Texas? If they (the honorable police) can't get the girl, then I suppose it would be difficult to press charges against Barlow.

Do you think that the FLDS may have hidden the girl? It seems plausible . . .

Will he sign a contract and go to AA ?

while not defending the deplorable and unconscionable acts of these people in regards to their child molestation beliefs (I AM an active LDS member), I do NOT believe this 16 year old female, as described, exists in the form Texas officials wish us to accept.
I believe these alleged phone calls from this mysterious 16 yr old mother are a figment of an active and fraudulent imagination and are a scheme to bring this all to a head.
I would advocate a lifetime of incarceration, hard, forced manual labor and even a couple death penalties if the abuse charges are proven AS ALLEGED are correct.
If this 16 year old cannot be found, substantiated, corroberated or otherwise proven, then I suspect the charges and search warran will be a subject if intense litigation for many years.
Why cannot the phone calls be traced?
I smell a big rat here, in more ways than one!

I am glad to see that Texas officials are trying to make things as comfortable and respectful as possible for these women and children. I am grateful they seem to recognize that they are victims; not criminals. The abusers are still "free" and the victims are hopefully being kept safe but they must remember to be consistently respectful because the women and children have been emotionally, and likely physically and sexually battered. They have no confidence in their own strengths and rights. Those who are helping them must do everything possible to restore their faith in themselves and self-respect. I have no doubt the men have destroyed their spirit and any sense of autonomy they might have had so it will take much patience and education to help them to learn to survive and thrive.

This is a difficult and tragic situation. I don't believe as these people do but there are a thousand ways men can destroy women and children. People must help all abused people to find safety and confidence in themselves. They need help, understanding, love and resources if they are to escape the control of the abusers. This goes for abuse victim in any setting.

This must be so hard on the children and women. How sad that they are the property of men. I hope this can change some of the horrible things going on in that community. They need to get enough help long enough to realize that they are can make their own choices.

Why are these comments referring to these kids as "Mormon" kids? They are not "Mormons". "Mormons" are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or the LDS church. The FLDS church is not the same.

I support efforts to stop child abuse. I just hope that the situation is not that of a "prank" caller and innocent children and families have been traumatized. I definitely do not like the idea of polygamy, but in a society where "shacking up", adultery, rampid divorce rates, etc. seems to be so normal and acceptable, I don't think polygamists should be singled out. Their families and children seem to be a lot more stable than those I've seen of the aforementioned.

Underage marriages if they are happening are wrong but, I must say that my 20 years of dealings with indivuals of the FLDS group have been nothing but honorable.

Texas is spending $30,000 a day to care for these 500 people. That will be that much less paid out in welfare subsidies these men are already collecting. If all the women and children were removed permanently, how long do you think these men would stay together? So, how valuable are women and children...?
Don't you wonder what happened to the 16 y o girl who called?

What I can't figure our is that if these kids are cut off from the outside world, no TV or internet, then how did this girl find out the number for the crisis hotline and obtain a cell phone in the first place? The whole situation seems hinky to me. And to Hey, Just Wondering, that is a bad comparison. What if the Church of Scientology wanted to be called Southern Baptists--how do you think the Southern Baptists would feel about that?

It's not as simple as just choosing between protecting constitutional rights and protecting children. If any constitutional rights are violated, then evidence could be thrown out and then Texas can do nothing to protect those children.

Too many people are so eager to condemn others based on speculation. The story went around that these guys had armed guards posted at all entrances to the compound. Yet the authorities report that the only weapons found were a few hunting rifles. I sincerely hope none of the pregnant girls are as young as 15. The modest dress of the LDS women makes them to appear younger. The long dresses and finly combed hair seems to us to be somewhat childish so we naturally presume thes gals are younger than really are. That was the only evidence given by the authorities for removing these girls. "They appeared to be young and pregnant."

Get up on your history "Leaving". There are all kinds of apostate sects and little clicks that have left or are thinking of it because they can/t get over some little object, like, the FLDS. Read up on your history of both the LDS church and the Catholic Church. We have lots of splinter groups like the Protestant world who jumped ship becuase of some doctrinal or personal issue. Open the LDS Song Book and sing, "True to the Faith". Read up, pray, and serve in buiding up the Kingdom of God on Earth. Follow the true and living prophet..can't you see the difference???? Millions of people throughout the world have the Book of Mormon in their homes...SO WHAT. I wish they would read it.

These children are not givin the option to make an informed choice about their beliefs...they are told from birth that it would be "evil" to disobey the church beliefs. They are told opening up to the "outside" will condemn them. Education in these communities ends in the 5th or 6th grade.
How can anyone defend such blatant brainwashing and manipulation? They appeared to be young and pregnant because they are..it is the only thing a woman in that culture is good for.

It seems clear that the content of the phone call was a fabrication, and a simple phone call to Barlow's probation officer would have cleared it up. It is also clear to me that the most of the rumored child abuse is also mostly false, as the legal age for marriage in Texas was 14, recently changed to 16 since YFZ went in.

It is pretty clear that once again an unpopular religion is being persecuted. The state had no evidence, only rumor. On the basis of those rumors they planned a raid, and then carried out that raid the first opportunity that arose. There is no way any of the evidence collected in this fishing expedition will ever stand up in a court of law. This violation of due process should be condemned by all.

Why hasn't the ACLU taken a stand on this?

Now we know how Utah was in 1840. People agreeing with and defending the actions of a cult are very sick indeed. Just because people are nice doesn't mean they aren't criminals and abusers. It plays out everyday in Texas.

My MY Shocked and opinionated. The craftmanship we can see in the temple and other structures is marvelous for 5th and sixth graders. These people realy need to be commended. Are you Flora, or does she have a twin?

Those Girls in Florida who beat another teenager are being tried as adults. Some are as young as 14. The state of F;orida wants to put them way forever. If you are suffciently morally aware to be fully accountable when charged with a crime, then you are sufficiently morally aware to be married.

Nothing is as simplistic as you would like it to be.

They CPS hot line is recorded. It will be put into court records.

They are 4 Sarahs who meet the description of the young women. If I were DPS I would keep her under wraps.

Stop making things up, it's confusing enough as it is, without rumor mongers weighing in.

I have a cousin that is FLDS. She's a nurse. I'll have to ask her how she managed to get her nursing degree with a 5th or 6th grade education.

It appears that many of you are attributing all manner of horrific things to the FLDS because you think that's what a cult does. Reality is quit a bit different and they majority of them aren't the monsters you imagine them to be.

Please read about Saint Perpetua, 203 A.D. Roman
History, Carthage.
The similarities are interesting, to say the least.

Time to put FIDO in jail.

RE jww
FLDS Polygamist will say anything to look good. Your days are numbered buddy!

Pligkid... will you please give me the link to that Arizona Republic article or at least its title? I would like to read it.

Shame on the mainstream church for looking the other way. It seems like Mormons are so worried about their image all the time, but do they take any responsibility for their polygomamy doctrine and what it causes? I know that people make choices, but its that original teaching that gives license to some of this in my opinion.

I wonder if it would be easier to place the children back on the ranch, and keep the accused abusers out. After all the most important thing is the children's welfare...right?

Hey Jack, I'm not FLDS. My cousin is and she's a nurse. I'm not making it up, buddy.

Multiple media reports are now quoting Flora Jessop, saying that she received the new phone call from the Arizona girl describing abuse. Jessop says she then contacted authorities, relaying the content of the phone call to them.
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Texas seriously needs to find the girl who placed the original calls to their family-violence center. She is their "due cause", and without her, their actions will hard to justify, and easy to attack in court.
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Homeland Security is no doubt blushing in admiration at the composure and fortitude of the FLDS children and their womenfolk. There is obviously nothing underdeveloped or incompetent about these people. On the contrary, if America had more like them, it would be to our credit.
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FLDS got off down a dead-end path by over-competing for too-young women, but that's a correctable mistake.

These sites never fail to amuse me with a FEW sympathizes for sex abusers. Shameful!

The only people that we know, who for sure held these women and children against their will, is the state of Texas.

Polygamy is against the law everywhere in America so for that reason alone, their church should be banned and stopped, not to mention all the welfare abuse that we're all paying for.

Welfare abuse? As a mainstay of FLDS lifestyles? Please examine the photo of the Eldorado compound at the top of this page (or other numerous pics of the place). If this is an example of what a few hundred renegade worshipers can achieve with an illicit welfare-check, they are the most astonishing entrepreneurs I have ever encountered. I understand, they quarried the limestone with which they built the Temple, themselves. Very nice trick. Being a welfare-deadbeat never looked so good...
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FLDS do not marry more than one person, legally. They are just "shacking up". Yeah, they got a distinctive spin on it, but they keep it legal.

I knew a polygamist once quite well, and he said to me that they encouraged their woman to seek welfare and support. These guys hide behind the tail skirts of all woman. What really gets me is that they can't afford these large families, wive etc., yet they will tell their concubine wives to seek help from the government and STATE. It's called FRAUD, I would have no reason to lie about this, being that I am an escapee from a FLDS polygamist group.

Do the editors of this site frequently edit out comments that are critical of FLDS. I suspect so.

I'm shocked at the numerous FLDS defenders on this site. I suspect detracters are swiftly edited out.

Welfare is wrong no matter who it goes to. What do I care if it goes to a single mom who isn't married or a polygamist kid or an illegal mexican. I don't quite frankly. If they get welfare it is the fault of the government. that is why I'm strongly against government welfare. With private charity, if I find out they are giving it to an illegal or polygamist, if I am against it I can fix it now. I stop giving my money to that particular charity and bam, problem fixed. However, when charity is forced from my hand by the government and I don't like what they are doing with my money, it takes an act of god to fix the problem. Same thing with public schools and school teachers.

Why were all the FLDS children rounded up like cattle going to the slaughter house? Because of a prank call carried out by a critic of the FLDS church. This "16 year old" doesn't exist. This entire raid is based on a scam! The Texas CPS, Sheriff department and TExas justice system now know this but are unwilling to admit their mistake. They and the media are blaming the victims instead.

Where is the ACLU when you need them? Let's see if they protect all groups who's Constitutional rights are being violated not just those they carefully select.

I never thought I'd defend the FLDS but to threaten to take these children away from their mothers and put them in foster care seems exceptionally cruel. Instead of everyone elses' opinion, we need to hear from the women themselves. I would guess that for many of the kids, this situation is the most traumatic occurrence in their lives.