Posted on 04/14/2008 10:23:50 AM PDT by ansel12
The raid on a polygamist compound in Texas could signal the beginning of the end of a lifestyle that has flown under the radar in America, according to an expert on cults.
The Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints, which operates the compound near Eldorado, Texas, along with other communities around the country -- including Colorado City, Ariz. -- fits the classic criteria of a cult, according to Rick Ross.
He says there are about 50,000 polygamists living in North America and Mexico.
``The level of harm done by polygamist groups is horrific, and, in particular, this group (FLDS) has a long history of very seriously damaging children through sexual abuse, neglect and physical abuse."
More than 400 children were taken from the Texas compound after authorities received a phone call from a 16-year-old girl, who said she had been forced to marry an older man and have his child. Arizona authorities received a similar call from a 16-year-old girl in Colorado City, but authorities said they had no power to act on the unverified call.
These children come from a ``world within our world," completely controlled by the church group, according to Ross.``Without television, without newspapers, without all the things that kids grow up with these days. All information, all associations, everything around them controlled by the organization."
The harm done to children by the FLDS church, whose leader Warren Jeffs is jailed on sex charges in Kingman, is amazing, Ross says.
As soon as children reach puberty, Ross says, ``they become so much like a commodity that has literally been passed from one community to another community... The child can be married off, her husband can take her as so much property. She is obliged to obey him and submit to him, even if he's violent, even if he's abusive."
The cult expert says, ``Out of all the groups called cults in North American that I've dealt with, some of the most horrific complaints of sexual and physican abuse have come from these polygamist groups."
He said the children taken from such groups ``are going to need counseling, they're going to need help," adding, ``The youngest children will probably do the best because they've had the least time in the group."
Jeffs' group has been funded for years by taxpayers who didn't know it, Ross says.
``Seventy percent of the people in Colorado City were on food stamps, 40 percent of the women were receiving assistance through a WIC (women's and children ) fund."
The group also got money ``through state funds, through federal funds which were accumulated for infrastructure within their township."
``When they began to basically clamp down on this group for its illegal activities, it had accumulated assets in excess of $200-million dollars," he said. ``So this was a group that grew very rich, very powerful, often through taxpayers' money."
Attorneys general from Arizona and Utah made a significant impact in the last few years when they went after Jeffs, ultimately getting Utah convictims against him for rape by accomplice in arranging marriages of under-aged girls, Ross said. Jeffs now is jailed in Kingman, awaiting trial on similar Arizona charges.
Besides physical and sexual abuse, ``there have also been violations of child labor laws, repeatedly," Ross said. ``Children as young as 12 working in dangerous circumstances with machinery that they have no business operating."
Ross said he's encouraged by the actions of Texas authorities.
``With the law now effectively going after them, their era seems to be coming to an end."
And the FLDS had them all so state magically provided none.
For a minute I thought that the government was clamping down on a cult that practices polygamy, often with 9 year old girls to 50 year old men. A cult that abuses children. A cult that kills them if they don’t follow the rules of the cult. But I was wrong. The death cult from the middle east continues to practice its evil with the government looking on kindly.
Enforcing American laws did not stop because you have heard about Islam.
I didn’t get it either.
Yikes, they interviewed a guy who is an expert in cults. Unclench a little bit.
See post 43
We need to keep an eye out for more info on that, we know about the "lost boys" of the cult, but we need more good threads on it. I'm really curious about the sex balance of the children at this branch, I bet it was not 50 50.
So you're saying pass new laws that provide the death penalty for what exactly? Rape? Child sexual abuse? I'm not exactly sure what crime you are saying should be classified as a capital crime.
It would be interesting to see if these people take any active measures at sex selection.
The home of men that need to eat, but want to be left alone to their own inner demons.
He is a Latter Day Saint himself from Arizona, where the cults origins are, he was just trying to stir things up to change subjects.
That would really screw with someone's mind. Plus, how could you attract a normal girl to want to marry you, knowing your background???
That contradicts the article I read yesterday at F.R. that the state was indeed rounding up lawyers for the kids.
Yep, and he's hitting just about every thread on this cult with the same message. Disrupting. It isn't working though, so he may as well give it up.
Texas Bar seeking lawyers for each of the 416 FLDS children
"Calling all lawyers.
The State Bar of Texas has put out a call for volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono representation for the 416 children now in state protective custody after being taken from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compound in Eldorado.
"Since the news first broke, the State Bar has been providing free online training to all lawyers volunteering to serve as attorneys ad litem for the hundreds of children taken into state custody," State Bar of Texas President Gib Walton said in a statement posted on their Web site.
The child-custody case is the largest of its kind ever in Texas history. Because of that, the State Bar (which certifies and disciplines lawyers) is coordinating efforts to recruit volunteer lawyers. A massive volunteer training session was held in San Angelo Friday, the State Bar said.
Walton said in his statement that the State Bar is trying to "help ensure that all persons involved are fairly represented and, in particular, that the children are served fairly and compassionately by our justice system."
At a court hearing next Thursday, Texas child protective services officials must prove that the children were at risk of abuse and neglect to justify their removal. The children will each have an attorney to represent them in court, which means a lot of attorneys are needed."
No reason for me to stop. I am expressing my anger against these bastards. Do you think that is wrong???
News Brief: Monday, April 14, 2008
Today, the children who were removed from the FLDS compound were moved from various shelters to a single large shelter at the San Angelo City Coliseum.
This has been in the works since last week but DFPS couldn’t move sooner because the coliseum was booked for another engagement and had to be cleaned and made ready.
Since the judge ordered DFPS to keep the children in the area, all the agencies involved are working hard to provide as comfortable an environment as possible for these children and the coliseum is the best option. It’s not a hotel, but it provides more room and is better suited for a shelter than the various buildings DFPS had been using. With the judge’s permission DFPS moved about two dozen teenage boys to a facility outside the area. All the rest of the children are at the coliseum.
While adult women with very young children remain at the shelter are this time, many of the women were taken back to the compound or to a safe place of their choice.
While DFPS understands mothers want to be with their children it is not normal to allow a parent to accompany a child or to even know child’s exact location once the child has been removed due to abuse or neglect.
This decision was not made by CPS alone. DFPS sought counsel from the attorneys of the children, mental health professionals and others. The consensus was that this is in the best interest of the children at this time.
Some of the children are sick because they arrived at the shelter already sick. Some came into state care already suffering with chicken pox, and upper respiratory infections, ear infections, etc. The state is merely providing the medical attention the children need.
Puhleaze,
I live AZ due to my wife’s health condition. I would love to move back to Southern California roots.
It’s basic for me. There is nothing worse than ruining a child’s life. If you mess with children then you deserve to die because it is the worst evil and the perpetuator does not reform.
So I can’t pissed? Thanks for treating like I am not human!
"YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS"
"Are you delusional or paraniod?"
"Is that anger? You are stupid."
"I am amazed of the stupidity of the crowd here."
============================================================ Maybe it was all your sweet talk to us that gave us the wrong impression. I accept that you are angry, but I don't have to like the way you expressed it.
This is the first time I have read nowandlater’s comment.
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