Comments about ‘Ex-FLDS child bride says she testified to help others’

I deeply admire Ms. Wall. She has shown intelligence, determination, and compassion that many of us old enough to be her parent cannot hold a candle to. It is as if the FLDS has been sent a guide to lead them away from their harmful ways. One can hope that they value her message of human rights for all members of the sect and reject the message of dominance by a few their patriarchs preach.

I do not agree with Barlow about legalizing polygamy. The belief that men can become gods by fornicating with many women and producing a multitude of children is the rotten root of the FLDS' problems. No longer practicing polygamy is a necessary reform.

Lamont had sex with this child bride while she was married to Allan Steed. What pathethic hypocrites they are promoting their book. They were offered a deal by the Utah AG's office to go after Jeff's.

There was a meeting at JB's restaurant in Hurricane, Utah. At the meeting was Dick Holm, attorney Hoole, Gary Engels and someone from the Utah AG's office. Lamont was told that a custody action would be taken by CPS officials against Lamont's polygamous father (regarding a sibling with a disability) if Lamont didn't persuade Elissa to provide testimony against Jeffs.

As an additional inducement, Hoole agreed to represent them in a civil suit against Jeffs and the UEP. The deal was struck, the extorted testimony was provided by Elissa and Hoole sued as promised.

Lamont and Elissa ride off into the sunset with huge book royalty's, Jeffs is in jail (where he no doubt belongs) Hoole will get his judgement and percentage, Lamont's father keeps his disabled child and Steed is prosecuted for doing the same thing with Elissa that Lamont did.

Looks like we have material for a sequel . . .

Out of all the characters in this saga, Elissa Wall is the one who comes through as the most credible and the one with the most integrity. Her husband is right up there with her.

As I have only read an excerpt of the book, I don't know how Elissa Wall put herself back together again. Among her, her husband and her therapist if she had one, she's done a fine job.

She seems to feel mostly pain, though I have to wonder about the anger. How can she accept that no one helped her avoid this marriage and that all her family members did what was in their best interest instead of what was in her best interest?

I know that if I were in her place, I would be extremely enraged and I would not be coming across as mature as she does. I don't think I'd find it in my heart to forgive for this large of an injustice.

to the fly on the wall

You dont seem to differentiate between concentual and non-concentual relations in your comment. Rape and sex are not the same thing.

"the night she alleges she was raped"

An "allegation" is that murky word reporters are taught to use to avoid being sued for libel or slander before the allegation is proven in a court of law.

Since Warren Jeffs was tried, convicted and sentenced for rape as an accomplice, Elissa Walls was statutorally raped, at the very least; it's no longer an allegation.

How old was she when she conceived the child of her now husband? Seems he still believes in polygamy and wants it legalized. Does she? This is a bit strange to me.

Casual observation from an disinterested bystander???

I think not.

Sounds like the fly in this case is just bitter that the master fly got stuck on the fly-paper.

Warren Jeffs deserves to be in prison, along with every other child abuser who married a child bride forced into his arms by Warren Jeffs.

Anyone who profits from dishing in a book does not have integrity. She has no proof, and in fact, gives information that is difficult to believe if you listen to the whole thing. Things don't add up with her or Jessop. I'm not saying Jeffs isn't a jerk and wrong, but I do not put this women on a pedistal either! If she were really worried about helping her relatives, she'd be going about it entirely different.

The only people who have trouble believing Ms. Wall are FLDS members and their clueless supporters. Investigators believed her. Her lawyer believed her enough to take her complex case on a contingency fee. A jury of Warren Jeffs' peers believed her. Millions of people consider her credible enough to buy her book.

As for Ms. Wall's relationship with Barlow, he is the only husband she has ever had. So, there could not have been any adultery. Ms. Wall had a boyfriend who she later married. She was apparently 17 or18 when their relationship began. The circumstances she was trapped in when she met him were not her fault.

Any normal person realizes Ms. Wall is the hero in this saga and Jeffs the villain. The fact the FLDS does not is evidence of the abnormality of their beliefs and practices.

To Integrity:

You can't be serious!!!

You would believe Warren Jeffs more than you would Elissa Wall???

How would you do things differently if you were Elissa?

Your statement: "Anyone who profits from dishing in a book does not have integrity." shows complete ignorance of Elissa's true motives for writing this book.

It's not pleasant, but sometimes you have to turn over the rocks to expose the worms hiding beneath.

If even a few of Elissa's relatives and very extended family take the time to objectively look at some of their abusive practices, and to abandom them for their own good and the good of their children, the book will have accomplished Elissa's goal in writing the book.

If you can't see that, I feel sorry for you.

Well, golly gee, Interloper. I'm not FLDS, so I must be a clueless supporter -- because I certainly don't find Ms. Wall to be a hero. I find her sensationalistic, opportunistic, and pandering to voyeurs and those with an ax to grind. One reason I don't believe her is that she pretends to be afraid, to be in a pseudo "witness protection program" as if her life were in any danger from the FLDS. Hardly. Nobody credible has ever accused the FLDS of violence or revenge killings or fatwahs. She's full of baloney.

Hardly - "Nobody credible has ever accused the FLDS of violence or revenge killings or fatwahs. She's full of baloney."

So the State of Utah's accusations against Ron and Dan Lafferty weren't credible, eh?

Are you willfully ignorant or just arrogant? Perhaps both.

I never heard that Ron and Dan Lafferty had joined the FLDS. I knew Ron fairly well at one time, before he went off the deep end--in fact he saved my daughter's life in a near drowning incident. But I thought he was a member of another polygamous group from a book I read--was that wrong? Also, I remember a murder among the followers of a group in Salt Lake, maybe in the 1970's--think they were from Mexico. LaBarons maybe?
Anyone have clarification on either of these two cases?

Elissa Wall should enjoy life while she can but I don't want to be there when she meets her maker in time of judgement.

All of these LDS polygamist cults are related, both in practices and by kinship. In fact, members have often left one or the other sect for another. The biggest current example is the 'break' in Canada, where some FLDS follow Warren Jeffs and others sided with the traditional patriarch there. The important thing is that they all engage in the same disgusting and illegal practices - polygamy, incest, child marriage, child abandonment, etc.

There has been some violence among these groups. Some members are in prison for assaults and murders of folks who tried to leave their cults. Others have been on wanted lists for years, something Jeffs must have been encouraged by.

Ms. Wall is right to be concerned about her safety.

For more information about violent polygamous leader, look at wikipedia for Ervil Morrell LeBaron. He had a very violent rivalry with his brothers. Another rival polygamous leader was Rulon C. Allred, who was killed by Labaron. Polygamous groups have held grudges against each other. Knowing this, I do not doubt that retribution is something to fear

You guy have no idea what it is like intell you are a woman in the flds they tell you who you cane marry and when and if you do not do what the so call profet tell you you loss all of you family from your mother to all of you brothers and sisters and some times that is all the people you know because they spend most of your life keeping you away from every onr else so pass all the jusments you want but you have no idea intell you live it i know i lost them all and some times it get hard not to pick up the phone and call but they just treat you like a stranger so i am proud of elisa and may god bless her and her family

Perhaps, if the elders/Prophets/community leaders get together, and address these issues, and create a declaration of faith. Present this to CPS/Texas. This would go along ways to solving the child custody issues.

Their are many practices that could be slightly altered, so they comply with the law, that would allow these people to live in peace.

I think if they would make an attempt to comply - offer solutions to the accusations, things would go much smoother for them in this up hill battle to get their kids back.

Allowing Texas/CPS to come up with ultimatums may not be the solution, and appears to be causing more problems.

What we need is rational voices. The problems with the FLDS are much too significant to under rug sweep. The polygamous cults have damaged or destroyed millions of people's lives and continue to do so. (And yes, I know that the victims are often so brainwashed they will defend their cult.) As I said above, the key to solving the whole mess is ending polygamy, which is already illegal. All the other horrors grow out of the men believing they can get a first class seat in heaven by fornicating with at least three females and producing numerous children.

To former flds:

I just want to say thank you.