Good Job Sherlock! | 2:26 a.m. May 1, 2008
I have three broken bones but strangely I have no memory of time spent in the FLDS ranch.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Rick | 2:29 a.m. May 1, 2008
I still think that if you want multiple spouses all sharing in parenthood ect.. is all fine and good between concenting adults.
But the forced rapes of children.
The brain washing of kids into feeling its all they can do is breed and raise kids It is completly wrong.
All people deserve the right to know there choices and to make them withought fear or intimidation from there peers.
Cults like the FLDS need to learn your kids are not cattle. There humans who have the right to a better life
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
natejess | 3:56 a.m. May 1, 2008
The Nancy Grace show had on one of the lawyers for one of the kids last night, and shut down all of this noise of abuse. Apparently, the lawyers of these boys have not even been notified of any such abuse. Texas is just making this up as they go. How convinient for allegations to appear almost a month after these kids have been away from their parents in one on one interviews with CP-SS agents.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
re: good job sherlock! | 4:45 a.m. May 1, 2008
You're suggesting CPS is stating that only FLDS children suffer broken bones ?

Come on - although I am no flag-waving fan of CPS or most other government agencies, I seriously doubt the state of Texas would be able to 'cover up' all the civil rights violations they have been accused of.

The children are in custody, thanks to the 'Sarah' phone call (which I believe was false, according to recent reports) AND because the state witnessed what they believed to be multiple teenage girls who were pregnant. Broken bones and other injuries which may later surface will, in my opinion, strengthen Texas CPS' position that the children are better off in the long run away from YFZ where they will be afforded freedom of choice in their lives.

Comments have been made on other articles regarding the heavy work lifestyle of FLDS males and that is a possible explanation for broken bones - however, it has also been stated that even if the broken bones were not caused by abuse, child labor laws were likely violated.

I'll close by adding that I support legalizing polygamy (consenting ADULTS), but will never support the abuse of children.

Recommend
Recommendations: 0
CA | 4:56 a.m. May 1, 2008
The pile of evidence of evil deeds is threatening to topple over now and crush the men and women who perpetrated the deeds.

A 17 year old with 3 kids? Ick.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Less than 10% | 5:18 a.m. May 1, 2008
That sounds like a good percentage of kids without broken bones. Not knowing the incidence, but how many of kids get their fingers slamed in doors by siblings; broken arms, legs, collar bones. Just like the previous comment, I don't think I was ever at YFZ, but you could find evidence of a broken jaw if you knew what to look for on my xrays.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
sosueme | 5:37 a.m. May 1, 2008
Out of 460 children 41 have signs of broken bones at some point? lets take the same number out here and see how many broken bones can be found. come on texas we are waiting for real proof of abuse if you have none GIVE THOSE CHILDREN BACK, or face kidnapping charges. You three at the top of this unconstitutional raid better get ready to tender your resignations. We the people of american will except nothing less. The judge, the sheriff and the head of dcs. And if you try one more sensationalized newspaper article and our so not free press reports it we will start a press and television blackpout that will bring advertizers to their senses and americans will really see how corrupt you really are.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
JND | 6:15 a.m. May 1, 2008
Hey, all of you CPS haters. Is there anything at all that would convince you that CPS is right and FLDS is wrong? Just curious. Thanks, and I'm looking forward to your lame excuses.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Talisyn | 6:19 a.m. May 1, 2008
I have 7 brothers and sisters. Out of all of us 2 have had broken bones in childhood, making the rate of fractures 1/4 out of all of us, or 25%. The rate of broken bones or previous fractures for the FLDS kids is about 10%, according to Texas CPS official numbers. Why didn't someone take steps to remove my sibs and I from our obviously abusive home (sarcasm)? Because it's common for kids to hurt themselves, that's why. Stop making your case in the media, CPS, and do your job right. If there's abuse keep the kids, if there isn't send them back. Easy to do, isn't it?
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
in reply... | 6:24 a.m. May 1, 2008
to sosueme, I think you have it a little bit wrong here. The raid was based on evidence collected over FOUR years. And when you have how many teenage girls pregnant and with three and four children already, you don't consider that abuse??? You need to read a little more. Those people who call themselves parents don't deserve their children back. And no, I do not work for the state or DCFS, but I do applaud the actions of those in Texas who did not sit on their butts and do nothing, like the ones here in Utah did. Even my family in the Deep Southern US states don't condone this kind of behavior as far as incest, inbreeding, teenage pregnancy, etc...
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Be Afraid, be very afraid! | 6:24 a.m. May 1, 2008
I think the nationwide average of kids who have had broken bones is about 1 in 3, and that does not include broken bones from abuse. If the FLDS ratio really is 1 in 10, that is pretty good if you ask me.
"Protective" Child Services has no right to go in and steal 460 children from their mothers on the basis of a fake phonecall and no evidence.
On the other hand, the polygamist fathers should have been thrown in jail long ago. If it is against the law, enforce it.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Money source? | 6:31 a.m. May 1, 2008
To me there's a big piece of the story that's not being talked about. I understand the focus on the government agency that took away the kids (CPS), but what about the government agency(ies) that might have been sending all the supporting dollars?

I wish I could read a story from a journalist who went to all the applicable welfare agencies and was told either "Yes, we send XX dollars a month to the FLDS ranch" or "No, we have no claims from the FLDS ranch."

Recommend
Recommendations: 0
avengeance | 6:36 a.m. May 1, 2008
One must wonder why, when protecting the privacy of abused children is supposedly paramount, Texas officials are so eager to splatter pictures of these children and every possible wild allegation against the parents all over the public media.

Is polygamy (the belief that a man could be married in the sight of God to more than one woman at a time) actually illegal in Texas, or only bigamy (registering or attempting to register more than one State-sanctional marital contract with the government)?

Time to start calling CPS when you see members of the gestapo with their children (if they have any).
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Parent | 6:36 a.m. May 1, 2008
One of the news reports expounded on seeing no play things in the compound other than trampolines. Wow wee a bone fracturing machine. Take any 500 active kids out of America, access for fractures what percentage do you have? Why is it these officials will only release the incriminating evidence? I'm still sickened at the sherriffs' releasing the information about the caretakers bed in the temple so the media could have a hey day with that one.
C'mon guys give us a proper report about how those kids are struggling seperated from their moms.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
unknown | 6:44 a.m. May 1, 2008
If the girl is under 18 as cps says, why are they wanting to get custody of the baby. This is the only case i know of that they are trying to take the baby from whom the cps says is a "underage" girl, can it be that the cps are telling lies and the girl is really 18 as her mother and lawyer says. humm something to think about.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
At what point | 6:47 a.m. May 1, 2008
Does CPS know for sure how many children they have in custody? "But it was too hard to count them; they kept using the bathroom." Say what?!? You mean you weren't smart enough to count them one by one as they entered the place, or got off the bus?

My favorite was the story on the two boys earlier this week. "We haven't lost them, we just don't know where they are." A confidence inspiring statement if there ever was one.

And now this latest: Out of 460 kids ages 0 to 17, 41 of them have had a broken bone at some point in their life. Man, what a shocker. I guess we need to head down to any local elementary, middle, or high school and round up all those kids, too. I'll wager anything the percentage of kids who've had a broken bone at some point in their life is greater than 1-in-10.

From the few non sensationalized details given here and there, I believe there was child abuse going on at YFZ Ranch. But all of this other innuendo without real evidence crap that CPS keeps feeding the media makes them look stupid and incompetent.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Child Broken Bones | 6:47 a.m. May 1, 2008
The four most common causes of broken bones of Children are bicycle riding, basketball, football and roller sports. They cause about 1.5 million medically treated bone and muscle injures among children 5 to 14 years of age. I noticed in the videos from the Compound that there are no bicycles, Basketball courts, Football Fields, Skating areas, Baseball Fields, Soccer Fields, Swing Sets, Slides, Monkey Bars, etc.etc.etc...How did so many young children break their bones...Just an observation!
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Lucy | 7:14 a.m. May 1, 2008
Why do so many readers feel the need to defend the FLDS? If this were some other group I doubt the support would be so great. The LDS church ceased to practice polygamy 100 years ago so there shouldn't be personal conflict over the practice. This is illegal. These children are being raised in a COMPOUND where the adults are practicing ILLEGAL ACTIONS. Stop defending this just because your possibly had an ancestor who was a polygamist. The lifestyle in Utah wasn't practiced in the same way. These boys and girls don't have freedom to choose and need our protection not 'wink, wink, nod, nod' because we haven't quite decided if the Manafesto was inspired or not.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Denny Andrews | 7:22 a.m. May 1, 2008
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. We do have an innate sense of what we do and don't want to see happen to us, even growing up in a prison compound. I don't imagine talk alone can convince these kids to have sex with their uncles, no matter how good the story.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0
Child Rape | 7:22 a.m. May 1, 2008
"CPS officials believe that of the 53 girls believed to be between the ages of 14 and 17, more than 30 have children, are pregnant or both. Six of those girls have two children, and two have three children."

In a small, isolated community such as the YFZ Ranch, everyone knows everyone. If even one 14-year-old girl was pregnant, the whole community would know about it.

The fact that over 30 14-17 y/o girls were pregnant or already had babies shows that all of the adults at the YFZ Ranch (mothers included) knew and supported these underage girls before forced into these "spiritual" marriages.

This is a tightly controlled community, where the men control everything. None of these pregnancies happened by chance.

The truth is coming out and all of the FLDS claims of religious discrimination will be proven to be nothing but lies. They've be caught in their own web of incentuous child rape.
Recommend
Recommendations: 0

No. Utah sees a major earthquake every 350 years. Last one? 350 years ago.