Comments about ‘Mothers shout 'Help!' as they're bused off’

I am not a lawyer, yet it seems the constitution has been trampled here.
Unlawful search and seizure: armored vehicles taken in, children being taken from their mothers.
Right to privacy,
Right to an attorney,
Freedom of religion: the innocent still get to practice what they would like, minister client privilege,
Innocent until proven guilty,

CPS has been a joke: 416 children, then 437, then 462. Taking children to "foster centers". Those children are likely to have a miserable new life.

Crime committed: "young girls married off to older men". Please punish the men and not the mothers or children

God Bless America

The FLDS practice of forcing children into marriage is horrendous. Texas CPS bureaucrats are compounding that evil by committing religious genocide. This is no longer a free nation. It is a police state.

I wonder if these same mothers shouted "Help!" when their children were being water-boarded into compliance by their fathers (Carolyn Jessop, ESCAPE) or under-aged daughters forced to marry uncles and 1st cousins.

No matter how indoctrinated these women are, I just really cannot drum up the empathy I would under different circumstances.

These poor kids are in a lose-lose situation. How so very, very sad for them.

The FLDS lawyers (namely Rod Parker) are idiots. They want their clients to be able to break the law under the banner "religious freedom". They should have been advising their clients to practice their religion within the boundaries of the law years ago.

From the FLDS lawyer perspective, we should allow muslim jihadists to blow us up with impunity.

These guys are NUTS!

It is absolutely wrong to abuse children in any way, even by those in "authority." There is such a thing called due process of law. That process has been hurled out of the window. A state which I once was proud to call my adopted state, (being from AZ)I now disdain. These poor, poor little children, ripped from their mother's arms. These poor mother's. It's like watching a kidnapper race away with your child in their car, and you're powerless to retrieve them. Look how powerful the governments have become; where are their state and federal representatives.

Is it in the best interest of the children to put them in lifestyle they know nothing about? Although I do not agree with the FLDS teachings I have to agree that if we let this happen where will it stop. When will they come after our children for our religious beliefs? When will they disagree about the teaching that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God? When will they tell us we restrict the freedom of our children by teaching them to not smoke, drink, see rated R movies and dress modestly. When will the government tell us what we can and can't teach our children? How soon until our babies are pulled from our arms? Pray for the mothers. Just think for a moment about your child being bussed off to Babylon to be raised among strangers. You have to weep for the mothers.

"AUSTIN Forty women opted Thursday to go to a family violence shelter rather than return to the West Texas ranch where authorities allege children are unsafe because of the polygamist group's practice of "spiritually marrying" underage girls to older men.

Seven of the women who had been staying with their children in public shelters for the past three weeks returned to the Yearning for Zion ranch near Eldorado.

The number of women choosing to go to an undisclosed family violence shelter was a turnaround from last week, when six sought shelter and 51 returned to the isolated compound."

Why Would so Many LDS Members turn out in support of the FLDS if they do not agree with Polygamy? Why are so many of the Women on the Bus smiling and waving?

May I ask I simple question?? Why don't the men of the YFZ Ranch come forward and claim their wives and children? Just say to authorities, these wives are mine and these children are mine. Stand up and and be a man about it. If you broke the law, take responsibility. Fight it in court if you think you are right. Intentionally misrepresenting things, telling lies, covering things up, hiding out, is not going to help your cause. Let the chips fall were they may. You are not above the laws of this nation, regardless of how loyal you are to your faith.

Jimmy, come to Texas; we need you. And no, I'm not kidding.

Seriously, if we want to protect against child brides, then Jimmy (or Texas authorities, or Mark Shurtleff or somebody) needs to do the following:

1. Meet with Warren Jeffs and other FLDS leaders; explain that if they continue to permit or sanction child marriages, the leaders will be imprisoned, and the FLDS church will be hounded out of existence. Get them to agree to stop this practice. What's done is done, but no more.

2. Meet with FLDS mothers and local leaders. Have them agree to not permit underage marriages, and agree to report any that take place. Failure to abide by this agreement will result in both criminal prosecution and loss of their children (because now they would be criminals). Agree to live a bit more in the open; marriage certificates, birth certificates, etc.

3. With agreements in hand, return the kids to their mothers; the message has been sent. In exchange, FLDS agree not to sue Texas and tie up their courts for decades. Then we can put this sorry mess behind us.

It is painful for these women and children but what is happening is the best help they could recieve.

When you treat a severe chronic infection there is some initial pain as you drain and clean the wound but it is necessary to begin the healing.

These pitiful children need to be removed from all the adults in their lives; the actual abusers and the facilitators.

These pitiful women need to be reprogramed with appropriate values to be able to take care of and protect children in their care.

It is heartbreaking but necessary.

Wonderful headline!

The women yell "help" and the men are silent. Where's Merrill Jessop?

Thank you... It seems like there are so few of us who actually see how nuts the FLDS are! As an outsider reading the message boards, it seems as if most desnews readers condone abuse/neglect, or at least would rather see that then let the government step in. Crazy to me... I thank God for being raised in a healthy, non-abusive environment and can only pray these kids are given the same opportunities I had - whomever they end up with.

How have we allowed our legal system to become so twisted that we punish the victims (in this case, the mothers and children) while the alleged violaters run free? This is not what our founders intended.

There's no pretty way that these church prison compounds are going to be put out of business. It's just disturbing how much support they have in Utah.

Heart-breaking.
When the women of the FLDS are "convinced participants" of their sect`s correctness (go along with it), I cannot imagine ANY way to protect the children other than the present horrendous actions.
Because of the sects` practices, they have had to invent their lieing and bizarre "handling" of the "outside world".
Anyone in the state of Texas, when asked questions by law enforcement is OBLIGATED to tell the truth and "punished" if the answers are lies. This cult does NOT answer questioning truthfully. Can you IMAGINE how we could maintain ANY kind of "order" in our society if everyone is allowed to lie with impunity when questioned by law enforcement? Others cannot get away with doing so, why should we think the FLDS people can do so? Stop and think just where you are placing sympathies and why?
Do the little girls in this sect have to continue to be "used" in ways against our laws just because we don`t see that the PROBLEM is with the conduct of the sect, not law enforcement?
Do you CARE about the little girls or a maintainance of workable laws to LIVE by?

I want to know exactly how many child brides there are that are pregnant. I also want to know exactly their ages are. In court, the ages of the pregnant girls keeps rising. The State of Texas does not believe girls when they say they are adults. The State of Texas has not exactly been transparent about what their justifications are to break up so many families. I do not believe that there has been imminent danger to these children. This is a thinley veiled religious persecution and in my oppinion an outrage. If there are abuses where are the charges against the adults. Why have no rape/child molestation charges been filed? This is a disturbing situation.

Where are all the crying daddies?

I agree with "where is jimmy carter"
When I first heard of this case, I still thought the legal age to marry with parental permission in Texas was 14, 13 with court agreement. Some of these people said they "didn't know" it was against the law for under 16 to marry in Texas.
I understand ignorance of the law is no excuse, but the law was changed just because of the FLDS moving here. It was morally acceptable for Baptist or Methodist girls to marry at 14 but Texas had to put a stop to "those mormons" doing it.