Deseret News | Reader comments: Judge halts hearing over proposed FLDS land sale

Reader comments
Judge halts hearing over proposed FLDS land sale

realitycheck | 12:40 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

so the sheep come out of their pens. Suprised they don't just hide in their run-down shacks and pray, given how rediculously religious they are...

sell the land - these people can always send their little children to construction sites and make more money - or apply for more gov't aid - that's how they got the money in the first place...

Joey | 12:42 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

"Lindberg said she was acting on the recommendation from the Utah Attorney General's Office that the dispute should be worked out among the parties absent a judicial ruling."

...which proves she's a stooge for the AG's office.

Cats | 1:19 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

I think both Reality Check and Joey have posted comments that are really unfair.

I'm no fan of the FLDS way of life. I think it's tragic. But, to call them ridiculous is really unkind and unfair.

Joey has just made a nasty attack on the judge who is doing her best to try to be fair in resolving this situation. This trust got so out of wack due to the corruption and mismanagement of the FLDS leadership, it is really a disaster. The judge, the state, the AG and everyone else are doing their best to sort out the mess.

Let's be fair and kind to these poor people. They have been victimized by their leadership for generations. They need help.

Comments continue below

D Pope | 1:20 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

By law they have 4 years to decide on issues anyway. Most of them were not informed by the trustee and, didn't know anything until the property went up for sale. The trustee and the AG's office have not been informing the trust on issues of concerne. These people had not known that the property was being sold until a few days ago. I think there is something not right about what the AG is duing. I thing a Federal Judge needs to oversee this issue, because of prejudice.

Wait and see | 1:33 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

Looks like a few of them came out, good to see she acted as fast as she did before very many of them got there. would have been crowded.

zxcvbnm | 2:34 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

Perhaps the AG is trying to slow down the case.
We don't want a test of the religious nature of the case getting to the US Supreme court without pointing to every avenue being taken to resolve the matter. Then again The AG can argue that because of the mediation that the Church recognizes the authenticity of the new trust arrangements.

There is more to this than a simple gesture.

re D Pope | 2:37 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

don't lie. I thought that was against your religion.

Everyone knew - but Warren Jeffs told you not to do anything about it. He's in jail now so you are more inclined to attend these meetings.

don't lie.

wILLIE wATCH | 3:30 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

Anyone actually beleive Willie will work with Wisan and make it work?

He will give a speech shortly saying he wont.

Just watch.

getreal | 6:22 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

If Willie makes a speech (what am I saying? not IF, but WHEN) he'll say Wisan won't work with him, the FLDS are being persecuted for their beliefs, and all the other lies we've heard before.

Not expecting much from mediation.....

Circle City | 7:37 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

You are correct. Willie doesnt have it in him to come to the private property allotment required to settle the trust.

So this "mediation" will last perhaps a week and inevitably collapse.

The article doesnt give a time frame for mediation of the issue, which I find poor planning on her part or perhaps we didnt get the entire story from the reporter/

Drove by this AM | 7:40 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

I drove by this am and saw the crowd. Babies in blankets and carriers, lots of dresses and the guys were wearing mostly blue shirts and jeans. Pretty casual for court lol.

The cops were out in force. No demonstrations or nutty stuff. Parking was zip, people were walking from 1.5 miles away.

Now it rests on Willie to make it work. Whats the odds?...........!?

John Pack Lambert | 7:48 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

I am glad that the 3:30, 6:22 and 7:37 posters are not involved in the negotiation projects. With such premature assumptions of failure nothing would happen.
Real negotiation will occur, as long as Wisan does not have anyone on his staff who believes looking at other people can constitute a crime.

Difficult | 8:42 p.m. Nov. 14, 2008

I feel that this is a more difficult issue than some of the posters seem to think.

Many religious groups have lived communal lifestyles and held property in common--everybody from Bronson Alcott (Louisa May Alcott's father), to the Shakers, the Oneida community, and the Amana people, not to mention early Latter-day Saints.
I don't think the government has much right stopping people from owning property in common as part of their religious beliefs.

That having been said, there's considerable reason to think that the FLDS leaders weren't acting in the best interests of their followers--to say the least. And it's certainly always been a problem when a member of such a religion wants to leave and feels they have a right to property either donated or earned by their labor.

I truly hope that ALL the FLDS members can sit down and work something out--including former members who have interest in the property--and that the government can somehow facilitate a fair solution.
This may be too much to hope for--given that government doesn't usually do too well with these sorts of things and that some of the FLDS will be unwilling to compromise on issues they feel strongly about.

Not held in common! | 5:11 p.m. Nov. 19, 2008

Property in this case was _never_ held in common!

It is held by a trust -- the so-called United Effort Trust. But, the poor FLDS mopes that did all the work to build up trust assets are now united in only one thing -- their property holdings now "amount to precisely --ck." And that's precisely the problem the court is trying to deal with.

An FLDS member has the legal status of "beneficiary." FLDS leaders legally have a fiduciary responsibility to manaage trust assets for the benefit of the beneficiaries, rather than for their own benefit.

When has that ever happened?

So, since the trust has been proven to be an FLDS leadership scam, the court is now in the position of having to distribute the property of the trust to the beneficiaries. That's what is so scary to FLDS leaders. If they don't control the trust, they can't control the mopes.

That's why they send the mopes out to demonstrate.

And that's why the courts can't knuckle under.

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