Reader comments
Texas ranch probe grows

Hey, I'm all for protecting children. It my line of work I see some very bad situations and someone has to come to the aid of kids in certain circumstances.
But, this story has a couple of things that don't sit well with me.
A)It seems the authorities in TX entered this FLDS temple very quickly. What kind of precedent does that set for mainstream Mormonism?
B)Pics of Baptist church buses, hauling these kids to safety. That's a little too much religion mixed with the law. I'd like to know the whole story.

"Their singing songs, so happy and sweet and precious, it breaks the heart." these are abused children. or is it like all the other raids on fundamentalist, children who are loved by their parents. I am not a fundamentalist, but I know many and have been in their homes. I remember one on a dairy, 18 children and 3 wives. All the children were well mannered, they were dressed in simple clothes, and all the boys had a farmers sunburn. (Face tanned top of head not from protection of a hat). the children were shy, (they were not used to a visit from someone outside) but well mannered. In our zeal to wipe out the evils of child abuse, let us look to ourselves, and see how our own children are being abused by drugs, sex and a wicked culture. Fundamentalist children are not suffering this. Remember what happened on June 27, 1844. The cry was we have got to kill the traitor. While he and his people were inocent of the charges against them.

If you look in the Dictionary under the definition, overreaction, you will find this incident as well as WACO. I don't see where it says in the Constitution that government has the right to detain entire populations for a single allegation. This takes the word guilty by association to a new extreme.

I don't like child marriages as much as anyone else. If they feel that a law was broken and a child was endangered find that child and arrest that man. Do not detain an entire city of children. King Herod anyone?

I also find it sickening that the majority of people are applauding this action. These people have rights, the same rights you have. I seem to remember a time in American history where another certain sect of faith was also persecuted, murdered and run out of town because of the bigoted reactions of their neighbors and eventually their government.

"Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it."

This group needs to stop marrying off underage girls. Then, the authorities would leave them alone.

Seeing all those FLDS children hauled off in "First Baptist Church" buses and then confined at the local Baptist Church reminds me of what the Baptists used to do to Native Americans. It seems America is still willing to use "child protection" and compulsory education to destroy families and take children for assimilation in majority culture.

By the way, did you notice how law enforcement was willing to force its way into the FLDS temple? That is something our soldier will not do to mosques in Iraq unless enemy fire is coming from such sacred sites. Nice to know that peaceful American citizens are given fewer rights than foreign Muslim terrorists.

I agree with the question about using the First Baptist buses. What is the story on that. As a Christian taxpayer, I have to ask: does Texas not have enough buses to take 200 people anywhere?

Lame excuse, whatever it is. Lame.

Why did the state of Texas remove 137 children and storm the FLDS temple when the warrant with which it entered FLDS property was for one man, one 16 year-old girl, and one 8-month old baby?

I disagree with FLDS teachings - but to quote famous anti-Nazi Pastor Martin Niemoller:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn�t speak up because I wasn�t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn�t speak up because I wasn�t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn�t speak up because I wasn�t a Jew; And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

The State of Texas has abused its powers.

Why take ALL those kids if they were ONLY looking for a16 year old???

This case seems heavyhanded to me. One girl's call about abuse spurs this massive knee jerk reaction.

I cannot say if the 18 children brought up by 3 wives are having a worse or better life, certainly they may have a whiolesome and innocent upbringing. This changes if and when one of the girls turns 13 and Daddy tells her she has to go sleep and live with Great-Uncle Joe. This is just pedophilia. And, if 5000 people protect Great-Uncle Joe and hide the girl, the law has to go in there and track them down, and rescue the rest of the kids to save them from Great-Uncles Jack and John. I am shocked by the support for this fundamentalist cult - I thought the LDS church repudiated this sort of behavior!

What comes around, goes around.

I hate the idea of illegal and immoral child molestation and forced marriages. I'm not a Mormon, nor am I a polygamist.

However, I believe strongly that CPS and family courts must be held to the same standard as criminal courts: a person (and entire community)must be presumed innocent until proven guilty! If we as a nation allow this outrage to stand, how will you be able to defend *your* group from having their children removed by the state because one person in the neighborhood *alleges* abuse?

Maybe there are some sicko molesters in the group. Ok, then remove their kids. But you can't go on a witchhunt, removing *everyone's* kids, just because one or two or even most of the others have had sex with minors. Be careful what precedents you condone, because they could be used on you next!

Polygamy is a CRIME. Marrying a child is a CRIME and indicates someone may not be of sound mind. Many men join this ridiculous cult just so they can marry a child or have multiple wives tending to their needs, and NOT because they have a testimony of this nonsense. Remember, one can cultivate a testimony of anything; radical suicide bombers have a very strong testimony, I am certain. That doesn't make their actions less criminal. Polygamists are criminals and we need to eradicate this evil from the planet. Time to grow a brain and enter the 21st century. I hope law enforcement comes down with full weight and force nationwide on these radical criminals.

I was especially dismayed by the comment, "They [the children who were singing songs] seem to be doing well, considering the circumstances." We could say the same for Abraham Lincoln the morning after the play at Ford's Theater. Apparently Honest Abe wasn't complaining enough! And, whose definition of "seem" are we using?

It's true they were only authorized to look for one girl. But if they found signs of abuse among other children it would be wrong in the extreme to ignore that, simply because those children weren't named in the warrant.

As a former peds RN I know that it can be a fine line between protecting children and overprotecting them. The ultimate question is what harm is the child apt to suffer if you mistakenly leave them in the home? Sometimes children get mistakenly placed in care, and that hurts the children and their families. But if a child is mistakenly returned to the parents it can ruin the child's life.

I think that the Texas authorities are looking at the Polygamist compound's marriage practices as a form of institutionalized pedophilia. The rest of the country doesn't have the soft spot in their hearts for polygamists that we have here in Utah. They find them much more threatening.

The baptist Church busses were used (as were school busses) because they were available. Much like ward houses and stake houses are used as Amber Alert command posts in Utah. What's the problem? If the FLDS don't like Texas they can move out. The Baptist settled texas, it was a desert before they moved there. The bapist built a community with good values and now the FLDS want to change it.

I just hope something can be done for these abused women, girls and children. This a America! We do not believe in SLAVERY!

An oportunity to teach (Anonymous 10:14 above)and inform?

FLDS broke away from the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) "Mormons", oh, about a hundred years ago.

First of all who's temple is that? Warren Jeffs? then what religion when the prophet said he wasn't a prophet right on tv. Next uphold the law of the land since it has been banned since 1890 but given sanctuary over this way. No I don't feel sorry for a religion that is closer to a Jim Jones thing. And it was a 16 year old girl who broke the Kingston mockery. But here in Utah where we have a hard enough time with MLK, San Luis Valley...as long as they are lily white..well they must be right! Thanks Texas for stopping the Madness and the lord did bring this evil to light! At least the catholics and the Baptist stand for the law and what is right not no double standards on this!

I can't believe what some of you are making up.

Get a map, this place is isolated.

The DPS responded to a report, it's their job, I would be more concerned if they backed off.

The Baptist busses were available so they used them. Trust me this is Protestant country. The nearest city busses are a long ways away. Deal with it.

This is not Waco. This is not Jim Jones, the Kingstons are not here that I know of, what in heavens name does lily white have to do with anything?

Stop making things up. These people openly flaunt the laws. There is a consequence to that. The DPS should have come in long time ago. This has gone on for too long. The only overreaction is a bunch of you making things up. Let the DPS do their job. They're good people down here.