Comments about ‘Texas sheriff defends raid on YFZ Ranch in one-on-one interview with Deseret News’

In the 1960's, when black Americans civil rights were violated (or not enforced) by the political and business establishments of Montgomery Alabama and Selma Alabama, Martin Luthur King's view of legitimate means of non-violent protest was an economic boycott of the merchants in those areas.

May I propose that anyone who was offended by the biases, presumptions, assumptions and actions of Texas state officials boycott the State of Texas. Don't go to Texas. Don't buy goods and services from businesses in Texas.

An economic boycott of Texas and Texans is a legitimate proposal at this point in Mormon history.

Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran, your county is on the attack. With so much child abuse in your country, the officials may have to take your children and everyone else's children into custody just to protect them. Since the officials do not really know which family (FLDS, Baptist, Catholic, etc) have child abuse, then they may have to take all children.

There is no reason to investigate any particular family - just take all children everywhere. This will assure that all children are protected from child abuse. Maybe after two months every county resident's children can come home. Just don't anyone leave the state and be sure to meet with children services for counseling and follow any other restriction the judge may have.

Make sure of what your church is teaching because you might have to give up some of your United States freedom of religion.

I guess you will defend a raid on every resident in your county.

The sheriff does have the free agency choice to refuse to carry out an unconstitutional order. He might be subject to jail, but his conscience would be clear.

There are many villians here, the biggest being Judge Barbara Walther, for whom there is now an impeachment petition being signed at the gopetition website.

I keep getting e-mails from a girl in Nigeria that has some problems getting her money out of the country and into the USA.
It's possible this Sheriff could handle the exchange of cash for her.
Over the years I have known many law enforcement officers. Some very good,some very bad, and some with swelled heads from putting on the uniform.
My nephew, a retired Texas Ranger says he wouldn't touch this with a very long stick.
He is in a bad spot no matter what he does, he won't be right (according to the media) CPS will hang him out to dry and lay everything in his lap saying "well he should have told us it wasn't legal"
Remember this, A police officer can only act after the fact and then only if a law has been broken. To act in advance of a crime can sometimes leave you way out on a limb.

The Sheriff says they got a call about abuse, but to whose home did they go to take out the alleged perpatrator. I guess he had many homes, because they didn't take any man, but most all the children. Who was abusive, and who was abused? Two monthes worth of abuse. I'm sure a case will be establihed to save face, however if there was abuse by "husbands", then they need to be held accountable.

That sheriff is a shameless liar.

THANK YOU Deseret News for this interview! I was so happy to hear some of the details of this raid.

This was carried out in a calm manner - if the FLDS would have cooperated in the first place and presented the girls to be interviewed there would not have been the need to take their children. So everyone posting about how horrible it is that all these children were taken by CPS remember - it was the FLDS that caused it and brought it on THEIR OWN CHILDREN to protect their scum-bag men and their perfect Prophet.

What were they doing in the two hours they wouldn't let anyone in? How many girls were successfully taken away or hidden from authorities?

The truth will come out - the Sheriff stated that proof of crimes committed was obvious "in plain sight."

Perhaps CPS committed errors, but it seems like they tried to do this a better way, it must have been extremely frustrating trying to work with the FLDS BUT at least they erred on the side of protecting children - not of the side of protecting child rapists.

I hope some women and children were able to escape

One other thing- about this informant- it scares the bejeebeies out of me to think that maybe we have informants in our churches sent by the government, or law enforcement. It is now a reality. Thanks alot big brother! This was wrong!!

DORAN:

"..The community during this operation, and there was a time for need, we called for that help the community came out in droves and brought love, volunteerism, monetary donations, shelter. The whole community came out and supported law enforcement and supported the women and children out here."

Such love, "support", and devotion to the FLDS women and children. I suppose Doran thinks Utahns are not as smart as Texas. Unreal.

He's already talking about indirect communication through a Deputy which means he is now out of FLDS confidence as a reward for his "generosity".

Maybe the FLDS have the voting power to tip the election for him. They should shop.

There is definitely distrust and he brought it upon his own self. Doran was considered a friend and we gave him every trust but he turned out to be a traitor. I forgive him and leave judgement to God. His controvery is not with Warren Jeffs but with God who sent him here. Good luck, Doran.

I can understand the need to remove some of the children of say 10 years of age and older for questioning as well as some of the adults to a neutral setting. However, why did CPS feel it was necessary to rip children of 12 months of age and older away from their mothers? As a father of a 2 1/2 year old and an 8 month old I cringed every time I heard about this story. Kids should not be ripped away from parents where no probable cause of abuse is present. The only abuse that has been alleged is marriage of underage adults of the age range of 12 and above. No one is claiming that 2 year olds are being forced into marriage. If they aren't why did CPS need to take the younger children? Was questioning and an investigation in order? Probably, but it went far beyond what is constitutionally acceptable. That is where the Supreme Court has issues and where my disagreement lies. In short, this case turned into religious bigotry rather then CPS trying to help. And for the record, I am not FLDS, in fact, I am a former Texas resident.

Doran admits they got more than those two calls from Rozita/Sarah, and that the caller had inside information, which suggests that someone in law enforcement was feeding this to her. I wish the interviewer would have pressed him more on the details, though, such as when the first call occurred, whether it was before March 29, as it apparently was by at least a week. And then who gave Rozita/Sarah the number of that womens shelter.

why does no one but mormons and polygamists comment on this page.
this is an honest and decent man who was doing what he was paid to do, carry out a court order to protect innocent children.,
fdls tried to lie their way out of it, even told the children to lie, were still lying to the court when one said she did not know who lived in the same house as she did. nonsense.
where are the decent people on this webpage.

This sheriff should be impeached for him to defend the actions of removing the children shows what an idiot this man is.

Mormon Supporter said, "An economic boycott of Texas and Texans is a legitimate proposal at this point in Mormon history."

How is that a legitimate proposal??

And who exactly are you referring to? LDS or FLDS? FLDS don't usually refer to themselves as "Mormons".

How would not buying my products help "Mormons"?
Assuming you were effective at carrying out this so called "boycott" of Texas and Texas made goods, how would this help me, an LDS Mormon? And...if it did hurt me, a dreaded Texan, what am I supposed to do about the situation with the FLDS?

Contrary to popular belief, not all of us Texans have pick up trucks with gun racks in the back window so I can pull off my gun and restore order with "them there government folk" down in Eldorado.

I have never heard so much back peddling and double talk in my life. Ahhhh shecks sheriff....so you were in charge but not in charge. The army was just there in case ....tank and all. The caller was on the phone....the nut job in Colorado. The perpetrator was on the phone but you just could not verify him......jeez dude.....go in on an unverified call....don't verify the perpetrator.....and continue talking with the nutball caller. Yhe second warrant identified all the pregnant women as the excuse to remove everyone......yep.....pregnant adults.
Your informant sure was accurate,,, give me a break.
Bozo the clown could have conducted this inversigation better than Doran.
The Tx Supreme court ruled this was a farce. Suck it up big boy and quit trying to "awe shucks" the whole mess.
This reminds me of Boss Hog and his bunch on the dukes of hazard.
Shame on the State for relying on this guy for information and support.....he is worse than Barney.....and no Andy to keep him in check.

Perhaps the sheriff would have had better luck with the search if he'd come in the morning and spent the day looking. I think doing a search like this at night is an attempt to instill fear and to intimidate--and it sure isn't an easy way to find someone who might be hidden or hiding. Depriving people of sleep is a well-known interrogation technique, done frequently by terrorist and dictatorial governments--I hate even the hint of it to be found in America.
But, as someone with family in law enforcement, I do respect the fact that they are frequently hung out to dry by judges and CPS in cases like this--and I do know that whenever they go out on call, they are putting their lives at risk.
It still sounds like the confidential informants weren't actually on the ranch--and my guess is that they were activist ex-FLDS--which may or may not be a good thing. And I still think those calls were a hoax.
Thanks for the interview, DN--I think the sheriff's words tell us quite a bit--not all of it good.

I'm sorry, but the business about seeing "teenage or underage pregnant girls" has already been demonstrated to be a fantastic lie and it wouldn't be evidence of a crime ANYWAY.

"However, why did CPS feel it was necessary to rip children of 12 months of age and older away from their mothers?"

The answer is quite simple. Texas and the CPS were going after the FLDS and it's teachings (polygamy and underage marriage, mainly). That's what this is all about. That's why they removed all the children. They determined that such teachings amounted to abuse of boys and girls. They could have removed just the girls over a certain age who would be in danger of underage marriage. But then baby girls would someday be in the same pickle. And baby boys would someday be taught to prey on underage girls.

And they wanted all the kids, boys and girls, to be farmed out permanently to get them away from the FLDS environment and into possibly Baptist homes to get FLDS teachings out of their brains.

What Texas and CPS forgot to remember is that there has to be imminent danger of health and safety of the kids to be removed from their parents and homes. Which was not the case.

Most of the people on this page are decent. As Americans they are allowed their own view of the matter without being called "indecent"

I would consider myself a secularly-inclined, Agnostic. I see problems with all religions, particularly as a source of conflict.

Did some of the FLDS tell some lies? yes, Did CPS Baptists tell some lies in court? Yes. Does government tell lies, all governments? Yes. Is the world full of honesty? No.

Everyone has rationalizations and justifications for their actions and attitudes. This is human.

We all broke some law today, all of us, because we are so into controlling each other's lives that our legislators have given us so many existing laws that now have little purpose other than to harass. For example: Vagrancy, and some I can't mention here that invade personal life.

These are what our "decent" people wanted at the time to control someone.

Competition between people and cultures is at the root of all law and war. Competition without regard to the effects on others is the real root of evil. Money is simply how they keep score.

No one can be competitive and be truly decent, so let's be more generous.