Reader comments
Fallout from FLDS raid is intense
293 comments | Read story
Carl | 12:13 a.m. April 16, 2008
Shame on Texas.
Lay-Off !!! | 12:54 a.m. April 16, 2008
Hey! Texas! Leave these kids alone!
tragic | 12:58 a.m. April 16, 2008
i will be the first to say that if children are abused...something needs to be
done...and if there are under age girls married ..with children deal with THOSE
cases..but i do not belive that all 416 kids were abused on that ranch...i have
read post of people saying their polygamist ,theyve commited a crime they do not
deserve there children..how do u figure that? this case has so many aspects to
it...and i believe will end badly for all involved..these ad litems will be more
on the side of cps..no matter what the children want..i believe SOME of these
people are being treated unfairly..they are already talking about terminating
parental rights...how can they do this so soon? we will see this go all the way
to supreme court..{and no matter what they do if they keep these children in
foster care most of the children will return to parents or family when they turn
of age anyway}
Comments continue below
Eye Dee Ten Tee | 1:36 a.m. April 16, 2008
Ooookay. They illeagaly take away cell phones to prevent witness tampering, now
remove the parents so CPS can coach the children into saying they were abused?
Don't mess with Texas' children my aching butt. That is exactly what
they are doing.
Why doesn't Texas CPS remove all Catholic children because there are a few claims of pedophilic priests? They would be following the same logic used to justify this travesty.
I'm still waiting for the ACLU to decide if this attack on religious freedom, unlawful search and seizure, ignoring habeus corpus and innocent until proven guilty is more important than keeping Bibles 500 feet away from Texas schools.
Why doesn't Texas CPS remove all Catholic children because there are a few claims of pedophilic priests? They would be following the same logic used to justify this travesty.
I'm still waiting for the ACLU to decide if this attack on religious freedom, unlawful search and seizure, ignoring habeus corpus and innocent until proven guilty is more important than keeping Bibles 500 feet away from Texas schools.
Amen! | 2:18 a.m. April 16, 2008
First Waco and Now FLDS. Sounds like Texans just like to charge into things
with their guns blazing, act first then ask questions later. Yeah, Lets just
take the kids away from all Americans, get them in a foster home and then
afterwards find out who really misses their parents vs. who felt like they were
abused! That makes Sense! Who would not want to have their kids participate in
this great test to make sure we are all perfect parents according to the
standards of a few? Better yet, lets just do that with the Judges and law
enforcement in Texas and then see if they still think they acted prudently in
this blatant attack against Freedom, due process and parents rights.
Amen part 2 | 2:19 a.m. April 16, 2008
I have no problem with them going after a couple bad apples when evidence has
presented itself first; I do have a problem with them assuming an entire group
of people is all the same and that nobody deserves to raise their own children
without even asking any questions first. What happened about innocent until
proven guilty? Perhaps Texans can start their own country where they abolish
freedom & the bill of rights, but this should not go on while they are still
part of the United States of AMERICA!
Robert | 2:37 a.m. April 16, 2008
The government is the biggest abuser of children. Do they really think the
MOTHERS were abusing the children? I think not. Comments like 'don't
mess with Texas' just show what kind of arrogance is involved here.
MikeFM | 2:47 a.m. April 16, 2008
Until recently you could get married in Texas, with parental consent, from age
14. Now it's been bumped up to 16. That'd imply that possibly no
underage girls were married.
IMO polygamy should not be against the law - it's crazy that you can sleep with as many people as you want but if you marry them then it's a crime. Maybe we should start arresting people who have affairs or pre-msrital sex. How can they even claim any of these people are polygamists if they're not legally married to more than one person? Saying you are married does not make you married in fact. We never hear about any other groups that practice polygamy but the LDS are perfectly fine targets.
It seems highly unlikely that all of these children were abused and the evidence seems altogether weak. Do they even know the original complaint was authentic? This seems like religious persecution to me. If my neighbor abuses his children, and we live in the same apartment complex and go to the same church, will you also take my children? This entire situation is wrong. At least it wasn't quite another Waco.
IMO polygamy should not be against the law - it's crazy that you can sleep with as many people as you want but if you marry them then it's a crime. Maybe we should start arresting people who have affairs or pre-msrital sex. How can they even claim any of these people are polygamists if they're not legally married to more than one person? Saying you are married does not make you married in fact. We never hear about any other groups that practice polygamy but the LDS are perfectly fine targets.
It seems highly unlikely that all of these children were abused and the evidence seems altogether weak. Do they even know the original complaint was authentic? This seems like religious persecution to me. If my neighbor abuses his children, and we live in the same apartment complex and go to the same church, will you also take my children? This entire situation is wrong. At least it wasn't quite another Waco.
Selective Outrage? | 2:48 a.m. April 16, 2008
I wonder if the same people that are so pleased with the actions of the Texas
authorities would be as pleased with them if the raids were done on suspected
abortionist offices in an effort to find underage girls that have had abortions.
The ACLU would be screaming bloody murder, for sure, even though the evidence
would show those girls would have suffered rape and abuse under the law. There
is some easy pickings for you, Ms. Meisner. The proof is in those doctors
offices just waiting for you. Or do Texas doctors get special privacy rights
that religious sects don't?
Chris | 3:23 a.m. April 16, 2008
I will never move to Texas. They should be ashamed of themselves. Comparisions
to Nazi's and sick communists are in order here.
I Hope | 3:49 a.m. April 16, 2008
I hope that every instance of Texas taking a child away from parents that
weren't abusing them is legally returned to the state ten-fold. This is
disgusting. Texas had better have some solid evidence for what they are doing,
or it will futher entrench the state's ability to meddle in family affairs
in every state. Remove abused children from abusive homes, yes. DO NOT take
416 children en masse away from otherwise loving parents - this is wrong, and
I'm surprised there is not more public outcry. Let's identify
children who have been abused and prosecute men who marry underage women. Leave
everyone else alone.
This how Nazis did it in Germany | 4:13 a.m. April 16, 2008
No one is going to stick up for men who are guilty of the alleged abuses in this
situation, if proven in a fair an unbiased trial. But consider the next group
could be a different and larger group with ties to the Mormon religion, and soon
"those crazy Mormons themselves" and then "kooky Christians and
religious people" will have to worry about allegations being the only
requirement for Gestapo like state agencies deciding lack of due process being
applied to your group because many in the country consider you weird and heard
of horrible things happening within your familes - you are a comparatively small
group of people and not the majority so what rights will you have? All someone
has to do is phone in an anonymous lie and have your children ripped away from
you. Anyone who believes there was a correct principle in the American concept
should take notice of this battle against all of our liberties. The concept of
the General public believing this horrible Nazi spokewoman's woman's
propaganda that the little cildren are so much happier and "Smiling"
and "playing" now that they have had their ties severed with their
parents is sickening.
Melinda | 4:53 a.m. April 16, 2008
I don't remember ever reading in the affidavit in support of the search
warrant that there ever was an allegation that ALL of the children at the ranch
had been abused or were in danger of abuse. Authorities would only come that
conclusion if their intent all along was to completely disband this religious
group and drive it out of TX. And for those who claim that since the parents
were polygamists and were committing a crime and so were unfit to parent these
chilren, I would ask you to find how many children are removed from their
parents' custody simply because a parent commits a crime? People shoplift,
they don't lose children. People get DUIs but don't lose their
children. People steal, embezzle, assault each other, take drugs, and even sell
themselves as prostitutes without states taking away their children. Is
polygamy, in and of itself, a greater danger to a child than these crimes? TX,
in its evangelical excesses, apparently thinks so. I don't condone
polygamy, but to round up ALL the children based on one allegation by an
anonymous caller and an informant who never witnesses underage abuse is extreme
even for TX.
How Would You Feel ? | 4:55 a.m. April 16, 2008
How would you feel if someone came into your small community and took all the
children, young, old, based on a phone call from who knows where.
Acts 28:22 | 5:00 a.m. April 16, 2008
I hope this doesn't turn into an ever escalating witch-hunt....with
children & families being the sacrifice for government agencies trying to
cover their own rear ends.
Gary Moore | 5:06 a.m. April 16, 2008
Obviously Marleigh Meisner's top priority is to act as an apologist for the
State of Texas, rather than an advocate for the best interests of children.
shadow | 5:45 a.m. April 16, 2008
Interesting attempts to make parallels between priest abuses and this case in
Texas. They are about as similar as a frog and a case of freshly poured wet
cement.
Catholic priests, and other religious leaders including Mormons, are not perfect. Some commit crimes against society (child abuse, etc.). They get reported, get caught, have a trial, and those that are guilty get punished.
In Texas, we do not know the extent of the crimes committed by old guys, etc. We have had a complaint so we have to react. By law, we must protect those who cannot protect themselves. Reaction is by law, not by choice.
Cults like this one do not have a good track record of obeying laws against child abuse, etc. etc.
You can compare the Catholic/Mormon/Protestant leaders abuses and the Texas case, but you would be wrong. Frogs vs. wet cement.
The Shadow Knows.
Catholic priests, and other religious leaders including Mormons, are not perfect. Some commit crimes against society (child abuse, etc.). They get reported, get caught, have a trial, and those that are guilty get punished.
In Texas, we do not know the extent of the crimes committed by old guys, etc. We have had a complaint so we have to react. By law, we must protect those who cannot protect themselves. Reaction is by law, not by choice.
Cults like this one do not have a good track record of obeying laws against child abuse, etc. etc.
You can compare the Catholic/Mormon/Protestant leaders abuses and the Texas case, but you would be wrong. Frogs vs. wet cement.
The Shadow Knows.
Law | 5:46 a.m. April 16, 2008
"We have a saying here: 'Don't mess with Texas.' I'm
going to change it up and say, 'Don't mess with the children of
Texas".
And to Texas I would say, "Don't mess with the U.S. Constitution!"
And to Texas I would say, "Don't mess with the U.S. Constitution!"
Anonymous | 6:05 a.m. April 16, 2008
The only verifiable abuse in this case has been by the State of Texas. This is
unconscionable. How can you haul off 500 people based on a single call of abuse
by one person? This isn't about child abuse, it's about the abuse of
power--by the state of Texas. If this action is upheld by the courts; none of us
are safe.
However, I think if this ever gets to the U.S. supreme court, they will strike it down in an instant. There is no constitutional justification for such actions.
However, I think if this ever gets to the U.S. supreme court, they will strike it down in an instant. There is no constitutional justification for such actions.
Jerry | 6:05 a.m. April 16, 2008
Using the same logic that Texas officials use I propose that we remove the
children of all muslim families. They practice polygamy and arrange for young
girls to marry older men. You better be prepared for the consequences if you
try that!
What??? | 6:12 a.m. April 16, 2008
To Tragic:
Just because some of them will return to their roots when they are "of age", does NOT mean there is no obligation to change the lives of a few. An attempt MUST be made! Stats also show that abused spouses will return MOST of the time. The attempt MUST be made!
To Eye Dee Ten Tee:
Go right ahead and sit on your "aching butt" and watch this unfold! The Catholics don't have a compound where numerous children are being kept and brainwashed that the abuse they are experiencing is o.k. and the norm. It is unfortunate that all the children need to go through this. However, there is NO other way to know which ones have been abused (and that doesn't even begin to prove which ones are at risk when they get older).
Oh, and there is a reason the ACLU has NOT stepped up in the name of "religious freedom"...they recognize that religious freedoms vs. abuse is out of their area and VERY different. The state of Texas obviously has evidence to back up their concerns!
Just because some of them will return to their roots when they are "of age", does NOT mean there is no obligation to change the lives of a few. An attempt MUST be made! Stats also show that abused spouses will return MOST of the time. The attempt MUST be made!
To Eye Dee Ten Tee:
Go right ahead and sit on your "aching butt" and watch this unfold! The Catholics don't have a compound where numerous children are being kept and brainwashed that the abuse they are experiencing is o.k. and the norm. It is unfortunate that all the children need to go through this. However, there is NO other way to know which ones have been abused (and that doesn't even begin to prove which ones are at risk when they get older).
Oh, and there is a reason the ACLU has NOT stepped up in the name of "religious freedom"...they recognize that religious freedoms vs. abuse is out of their area and VERY different. The state of Texas obviously has evidence to back up their concerns!
Re | 6:15 a.m. April 16, 2008
Tragic you stated they should only deal with the ones that have been abused.
That is what CPS is trying to determine. This takes time. And you need to wake
up if you think a few were molested but not all. If they will molest one they
will molest all!
And the age of the mothers is very questionable. You can read the citation on the Eldorado Success website and you will see about 75% would not give their birthdates. In order to get the facts you must separate the kids from the coaches. 6 women were brave enough to ask to be taken to a shelter and not back to the ranch. Why? Look at the middle and last names of the kids. I think you will notice the same names appear alot. That is why there are more cases of fumarase deficiency in the FLDS than the rest of the World. Inbreeding! Read about Fumarase if you don't know what it is. Utah and Arizona turned a blind eye for a 100 years. TEXAS WILL NOT! Go Texas! Don't mess with kids in Texas!!
And the age of the mothers is very questionable. You can read the citation on the Eldorado Success website and you will see about 75% would not give their birthdates. In order to get the facts you must separate the kids from the coaches. 6 women were brave enough to ask to be taken to a shelter and not back to the ranch. Why? Look at the middle and last names of the kids. I think you will notice the same names appear alot. That is why there are more cases of fumarase deficiency in the FLDS than the rest of the World. Inbreeding! Read about Fumarase if you don't know what it is. Utah and Arizona turned a blind eye for a 100 years. TEXAS WILL NOT! Go Texas! Don't mess with kids in Texas!!
JND | 6:16 a.m. April 16, 2008
There sure is a lot of love for these FLDS folk, considering that the official
position is that they don't have anything to do with the rest of you. And
by the way, don't mess with Texas.
Kelton Baker | 6:20 a.m. April 16, 2008
The heavy-hand of government at work. Overkill if you ask me--Don't they
also say everything is bigger in Texas? The State of Texas had one purported
case on its hands but acted against 400+ children and their mothers and families
while it was entirely possible to first adequately investigate, bring charges
and isolate those individuals involved; instead, Texas went gangbusters like
Janet Reno did Waco.
Jim Baker | 6:31 a.m. April 16, 2008
The children are wards of the state now. Most of the parents will be jailed on
trumped up charges after the apparatchiks coerce testimony from a bunch of
scared, confused kids.
The state obviously intends to build their case after the fact.
I'd mention the Constitution but everybody would just laugh. These characters can do whatever they want, and there is nothing you can do about it.
I suppose we should be grateful they didn't get everybody killed this time, though that has more to do with the restraint of the church members. The state showed up with SWAT teams and armored vehicles, obviously ready and willing to kill anyone who got in their way.
The state obviously intends to build their case after the fact.
I'd mention the Constitution but everybody would just laugh. These characters can do whatever they want, and there is nothing you can do about it.
I suppose we should be grateful they didn't get everybody killed this time, though that has more to do with the restraint of the church members. The state showed up with SWAT teams and armored vehicles, obviously ready and willing to kill anyone who got in their way.
Wells | 6:35 a.m. April 16, 2008
I just don't understand this. So the older men in this sect are marrying
young girls.... Why is Texas not going after them? Why punish the innocent
children and their mothers, who themselves may have been child brides? That this
is happening in America scares the living daylights out of me.
Douglas | 6:50 a.m. April 16, 2008
I can't wait to see the State's argument as why the 2 dozen boys
removed to foster homes are at risk. I think it goes like this: "These
boys are children of parents whose religious beliefs allow marriage of girls
under the age of legal consent". "Its all a patern of abuse, a
culture of abuse"
The criminalization of religious beliefs as opposed to the criminaliztion of certain behavior is the focus/goal of the CPS case. Regardless of what a religion sanctions (be it snake handling or underage marriage), being a member of that religion is no basis for establishing parental unfitness absence evidence the parent practices such behavior with the child in question.
If an immigrant group from Africa has religious or cultural beliefs which encourage female circumcision, membership in that religion is no basis to remove the immigrants' minor female children absent proof the parent intends to practice it upon that child, and is no basis to remove minor male children even if the same parents subject their minor female children to the practice.
But there I go trying to apply logic, common sense and that legal education to CPS and Texas, and I should know better.
The criminalization of religious beliefs as opposed to the criminaliztion of certain behavior is the focus/goal of the CPS case. Regardless of what a religion sanctions (be it snake handling or underage marriage), being a member of that religion is no basis for establishing parental unfitness absence evidence the parent practices such behavior with the child in question.
If an immigrant group from Africa has religious or cultural beliefs which encourage female circumcision, membership in that religion is no basis to remove the immigrants' minor female children absent proof the parent intends to practice it upon that child, and is no basis to remove minor male children even if the same parents subject their minor female children to the practice.
But there I go trying to apply logic, common sense and that legal education to CPS and Texas, and I should know better.
To Amen | 6:46 a.m. April 16, 2008
Amen you compared this to Waco. Waco raid was carried out by the ATF under
control of Janet Reno and the Federal Government. It had nothing to do With
Texas except like the perverts David Koresh decided to build in Texas.
The Texas Way of... | 6:53 a.m. April 16, 2008
This must be the Texas way of handling things. Didn't President Bush come
from Texas? I feel for the children. I strongly feel that something needed to be
done but this is a big move on the part of CPS Texas and I feel they should have
handled it differently, one case at a time not all countries,I mean all
households, at once.
Can't Wait | 6:58 a.m. April 16, 2008
It will be most interesting to see how many of the loving fathers will step
forward to ID their children.
Anonymous | 7:00 a.m. April 16, 2008
"The children are happy." Perhaps they are doing OK at the moment,
but this case is more complicated than appears. Although children of drug
addicts and alcoholics have connections with their parents, and issues to
overcome, they still love their parents.
You don't just take children out of the home, slap them into another environment and assume they are OK. I think there will be some huge repercussions down the road from this mass taking of children out of their homes. Does the State expect to reprogram these kids? Where is the 16-year old girl who phoned? How do we know she is a reliable source? Abuse should be stopped, but the reprogramming will be more difficult than the State thinks.
This stormtrooper method will not bode well for Texas in the future.
You don't just take children out of the home, slap them into another environment and assume they are OK. I think there will be some huge repercussions down the road from this mass taking of children out of their homes. Does the State expect to reprogram these kids? Where is the 16-year old girl who phoned? How do we know she is a reliable source? Abuse should be stopped, but the reprogramming will be more difficult than the State thinks.
This stormtrooper method will not bode well for Texas in the future.
Concerned Persona | 7:04 a.m. April 16, 2008
I support this movement wholeheartedly, dispite the downfalls the action may be
facing.
FLDS is a serverely rooted cult that obstructs the American views of justice-- giving a child, and women in general, a voice. You could plainly see that from the television interviews with live FLDS mothers. No one would come forward if Texas officials hadn't of taken action.
I just hope the poor children who were affected have the courage to step forward and have themselves liberated for good. That would make the CPS's job much easier. . . not that this kind of emotional toll is easy to deal with anyway.
FLDS is a serverely rooted cult that obstructs the American views of justice-- giving a child, and women in general, a voice. You could plainly see that from the television interviews with live FLDS mothers. No one would come forward if Texas officials hadn't of taken action.
I just hope the poor children who were affected have the courage to step forward and have themselves liberated for good. That would make the CPS's job much easier. . . not that this kind of emotional toll is easy to deal with anyway.
right is right | 7:07 a.m. April 16, 2008
Just like illegal immigrants, these people are breaking the law.
In a law-of-the-land society somebody always has to be punished.
It's the neoconservative credo.
In a law-of-the-land society somebody always has to be punished.
It's the neoconservative credo.
utah too | 7:11 a.m. April 16, 2008
fyi, the dcfs in utah uses the exact same tactics. they take innocent children
to build cases against innocent parents. just not 416 at a time. :>
Louisiana | 7:14 a.m. April 16, 2008
I imagine the men of FLDS compound are only glad that they are in Texas and not
Louisiana as that is the only state that has 2 men on death row for Child rape.
Both the adult men and adult women in this complex are guilty of child abuse.
Obviously if you have a 13 year old daughter who is consigned into marrying an
older man, both the older man and the mother and father of the child are
participants in child abuse. Not to mention the entire society there approves
and condones of this practice. If I know my next door neighbor is sleeping with
a 13 year old girl, and I don't call it in to the police, discuss it as a
good thing I want my own daughter to do in the future, even though I
haven't done it, my kids deserve to be taken from me before I get the
chance... Save the children!
GET REAL PEOPLE | 7:18 a.m. April 16, 2008
The FLDS culture is inherently harmful to the children. It is a closed society
where the children are at the complete mercy of the adults with no interaction
with the outside world. The
"rulers" are predatory men determined to have multiple wives. They can't procure women from outside so turn to the female children born into the group (at a nauseatingly early age) Young males that will become a threat of competition for the available females are cast out. The adults who may not be active participants in the abuse are willing complicent or intimidated or brainwashed and will not or can not protect their own children.
Life as it exist in the FLDS compound
IS INHERENTLY ABUSIVE TO ALL THE CHILDREN THERE.
If they have not been abused yet
IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY WILL BE.
These childrens' "families" are unwilling or emotionally unable to protect the children. They think their sick lifestyle is normal and healthy.
Your sympathy for the adults is misplaced and perverse. Think about the children instead of the fake coached "sobbing" (so-called) mothers.
"rulers" are predatory men determined to have multiple wives. They can't procure women from outside so turn to the female children born into the group (at a nauseatingly early age) Young males that will become a threat of competition for the available females are cast out. The adults who may not be active participants in the abuse are willing complicent or intimidated or brainwashed and will not or can not protect their own children.
Life as it exist in the FLDS compound
IS INHERENTLY ABUSIVE TO ALL THE CHILDREN THERE.
If they have not been abused yet
IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY WILL BE.
These childrens' "families" are unwilling or emotionally unable to protect the children. They think their sick lifestyle is normal and healthy.
Your sympathy for the adults is misplaced and perverse. Think about the children instead of the fake coached "sobbing" (so-called) mothers.
Herb | 7:19 a.m. April 16, 2008
It's long past do, lets do the exact same thing as
Texas at Hilldale & Colorado city. What a shame
Utah won't at least clean up Hilldale.plus the
new compounds in Mona, and Loa...
truth | 7:40 a.m. April 16, 2008
tragic, I would urge you to go to YouTube.com and watch the video called
"Banking on Heaven" It's by an ex member of the FLDS group.
Disturbing.
Professor | 7:38 a.m. April 16, 2008
Since children have been taken from the mothers, are we to assume all these
mothers sexually abused the children taken into custody?
According to Texas and the media it was the men involved in the sexual abusing underaged girls. Instead Texas arrested the children and mothers. Who is being abused here?
According to Texas and the media it was the men involved in the sexual abusing underaged girls. Instead Texas arrested the children and mothers. Who is being abused here?
Truth | 7:38 a.m. April 16, 2008
The difference here is that this FLDS community is teaching this! They are
telling these girls that their only way to escape eternal damnation is to
participate in polygamous marriage!
350 Lawyers | 7:38 a.m. April 16, 2008
Texas taxpayers take note - these lawyers are going to bleed your state coffers
dry over a period of many years. The FLDS will grow fat from the proceeds.
The state authorities, though their intentions may have been good (and this is debatable), will learn that they lack the power to discard rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The state authorities, though their intentions may have been good (and this is debatable), will learn that they lack the power to discard rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
John S. | 7:38 a.m. April 16, 2008
Slogans like "Don't mess with Texas" remind me of the attitude of
President Bush when he invaded Iraq. The fallout was severe for both sides. The
same thing is going to happen here. The state and CPS is going to have egg on
their face. To lie to the mothers to trick them to go on to another bus is
entirely wrong. Shame on Texas CPS.
Hum? | 7:38 a.m. April 16, 2008
Change the story slightly and reevaluate your stance on this issue.
A group of Texas officials raid a poor African-American neighborhood and remove several sexually active and abused woman and girls. Then the abused victims are locked away in an abandoned military base and cut off from everyone so layers and doctors can interrogate them.
Don�t be deceived, Texas has their share of abuse victims. Why have they singled out this group?
Who would standup for these fictitious victims and why are they not heard now? Help those in need, but safeguard the victim�s dignity and rights.
A group of Texas officials raid a poor African-American neighborhood and remove several sexually active and abused woman and girls. Then the abused victims are locked away in an abandoned military base and cut off from everyone so layers and doctors can interrogate them.
Don�t be deceived, Texas has their share of abuse victims. Why have they singled out this group?
Who would standup for these fictitious victims and why are they not heard now? Help those in need, but safeguard the victim�s dignity and rights.
Truth | 7:39 a.m. April 16, 2008
Why are you so intent on ignoring the law and letting these people break it all
they want?
michaelh | 7:53 a.m. April 16, 2008
DCFS needs massive oversight and specific standards to limit their ability to
run amok, we need laws immediately to protect us from this abusive organization.
Our children are our children they should not be able to be seized just because
some wacked out bigot thinks that we are lousy parents, especially on trumped up
charges. This is the greatest miscarriage of justice in American history.
I WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN TEXAS!!!
I WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN TEXAS!!!
TX Resident | 7:54 a.m. April 16, 2008
Until all the facts in the case are laid out and we know the truth in this
matter, I am reserving judgment on which side to take up. However, right now it
does look like the state went a bit too far in trying to determine if there was
any wrongdoing on the compound. So far it seems that every time there is some
compound with people in it, the State of Texas goes a bit too far. They did have
other options, they simply choose not to use them. Now, it is up to the courts
to determine facts and for us to pray for all those involved.
Soldiergal | 8:03 a.m. April 16, 2008
The children and women were not arrested, they were placed in safe custody, just
as any suspected abuse victims might be. So many of you keep comparing this to
Nazi Germany... don't forget that the Nazis also laid claims to the concept
of selective breeding to create a master race. How is FLDS any different than
that?
Let's also mention that these innocent young girls in "spiritual" marriages have no legal rights as spouses, so in addition to being held captive by older men, they have no legal recourse when they are abused. And their young male peers are often forced out of the community when the older men perceive them becoming threats--THAT's why they were placed in foster care, to prevent them from being abandoned later.
What would you rather have: the state rescuing your children from this kind of life, or the church coming into your home and taking your 12 or 13 year old daughter to live with some 60 year old man as his fifth or sixth "wife"? Do you really feel this is the best environment in which to raise a child? I feel sorry for you.
Let's also mention that these innocent young girls in "spiritual" marriages have no legal rights as spouses, so in addition to being held captive by older men, they have no legal recourse when they are abused. And their young male peers are often forced out of the community when the older men perceive them becoming threats--THAT's why they were placed in foster care, to prevent them from being abandoned later.
What would you rather have: the state rescuing your children from this kind of life, or the church coming into your home and taking your 12 or 13 year old daughter to live with some 60 year old man as his fifth or sixth "wife"? Do you really feel this is the best environment in which to raise a child? I feel sorry for you.
Texas shame! | 8:02 a.m. April 16, 2008
Texas has failed miserably in its handling of this situation. All these kids at
least have mothers who love them and will take care of them. They have made this
entire group guilty over the actions of one man, who wasn't even in the
same state when the allegations were made.
Hypocrites | 8:05 a.m. April 16, 2008
What a hypocritical nation! By the same measure of abuse the schools all across
the country are abusing the children! Drugs, unmarried sex, abortion,
perversion, extreme styles, immodesty, illigitimate babies, and so forth, is
spread around by means of, and in, the public schools, including in Texas.
It's also allowed to be taught to the children on TV and in movies by means
of Hollywood, which has been allowed to "police" itself. What a
messed up people America has become!
The Texan | 8:12 a.m. April 16, 2008
Headline is totally mis-leading and false. There is no 'Fallout'. Only
people who whine and complain.
The San Antonio Express ran a poll and 59% said the authorities did the right thing. 19% said they did the best they could. Only 19.2% said they did it wrong.
They did what was needed and continue to do so. Get off their backs. This is hard enough as it is. Get on the people's backs who caused the problem. The so-called men at the FLDS leadership and ranch. Put them away where they can't abuse ever again. Come to think of it, where are the men? Hiding?
The San Antonio Express ran a poll and 59% said the authorities did the right thing. 19% said they did the best they could. Only 19.2% said they did it wrong.
They did what was needed and continue to do so. Get off their backs. This is hard enough as it is. Get on the people's backs who caused the problem. The so-called men at the FLDS leadership and ranch. Put them away where they can't abuse ever again. Come to think of it, where are the men? Hiding?
Add your comment
Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.
Words Remaining
E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.
Rep. Drew Darby addresses the media during a briefing in San Angelo, Texas, Tuesday. "As a human being, none of us like human misery, nor do we like the abuse of children," he said. "We have a saying here: 'Don't mess with Texas.' I'm going to change it up and say, 'Don't mess with the children of Texas.'"
Video
Related content
- Linehan's success at WSU no accident 9:32 p.m.
- RSL spoiled ESPN's wish for L.A. win 9:12 p.m.
- BYU's old uniforms? 9:09 p.m.
- UVU downs Alcorn State in Alabama 8:59 p.m.
- Family thanks effort after cave deat 7:34 p.m.
- Fesenko out with stomach virus 7:31 p.m.
- Cowboys get past Raiders 24-7 7:30 p.m.
- The Who for the Super Bowl 7:08 p.m.
- Thursday's sports transactions 7:06 p.m.
- Holiday festivals offer family fun 6:30 p.m.
- Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
- Rivalry has had some 'turkeys'
- Cave rescuers committed to free man
- Holiday television program listings
- Highland players make special friend
- Temple Square to use LEDs
- Matt Reynolds vs. Koa Misi
- Missions teach players perseverance
- Salt Lake City woman shot
- Provo star leads Bulldogs to win
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
262 - Protests against Phoenix LDS temple210
- RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks202
- Bronco, Kyle rubber match139
- BYU records with win133
- Thunder rolls by Jazz131
- Letters: Rushing to judge Palin131
- Boys basketball rankings116
- Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin112
- Hall, Johnson matchup key102
Latest comments
I've been thinking about this man and his family all day. With today's...
Typical problems with modern day bureaucracies: it takes too long for the...
Sounds like Bronco likes to live in the past like most BYU fans do. Nothing...
I didn't know someone could be pulled over for a crooked license plate but I...
I propose an experiment for a reporter. Go this year dressed as a Ute fan...
Not all the kids family's qualify for food stamps. This isn't the...
with the most basic economic sense knows there is no recovery. Of course,...
Obama is a man running around with a fire extinguisher in a time of flood,...
The article mentioned that Albion Middle is currently in the Canyons...
Thoughts and prayers to the grieving family, especially his wife and...
Advertisements