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Polygamist Sect Mothers Deny Allegations of Abuse
Fox News ^ | April 16, 2008 | FoxNews

Posted on 04/16/2008 1:39:51 PM PDT by MissouriConservative

Several women from the polygamist retreat raided more than a week ago defended their lifestyle Wednesday in an exclusive interview with FOX News, calling it "a wonderful pure life," and saying government officials deceived them when they raided the ranch where they live.

***SNIP***

"I want the world to know that our children have been torn from us and that they need us," said Sally, a mother of nine.

"They told us that they were going to put us on a bus and take us to where it was a bigger, better place to be — where our family could be together," she added.

***SNIP***

On Monday, officials began separating women and some of their offspring without warning, members of the sect said.

***SNIP***

Texas Children's Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said officials decided that children are more truthful in interviews about possible abuse if their parents are not around.

"I can tell you we believe the children who are victims of abuse or neglect, and particularly victims at the hands of their own parents, certainly are going to feel safer to tell their story when they don't have a parent there that's coaching them with how to respond," Meisner said.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: concentrationcamps; jeffwarren; sect
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To: Khankrumthebulgar

These children will not be into drugs, porn, scandal etc.
++++++++++++++++++
That you know of. I think we’re going to see lots of shocking stuff as this complex story is revealed. Where are the young boys? You don’t see many, especially around the age of 12 to 14. I guess they’re all at their stockbroker jobs in New York?


181 posted on 04/16/2008 5:50:06 PM PDT by Joan Kerrey
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To: ricks_place
documents establishing that a prior marriage of the person has been dissolved; or

If events are as described, that might be the loop hole that these males get off on. It would not be difficult, under "no fault" laws, to divorce one wife before taking another. It wouldn't even be very expensive if the group has it's own in house, or even "on retainer" lawyer or lawyers. And, as long as she's over of consent, no criminal law against having sex with a former wife. (It's apparently a fairly common occurrence, but since I've been married to my first wife for going on 38 years, I wouldn't know).

However, there would be quite a legal paper trail if these people are using that dodge.

182 posted on 04/16/2008 5:52:18 PM PDT by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: GOYAKLA
Give us a link, Please..

I don't know why I bother with people like you, try to keep up. But here you go.

Doran said it was not until after the raid began that he learned that the sect was marrying off underage girls at the compound and had a bed in its soaring limestone temple where the girls were required to immediately consummate their marriages. A number of teenage girls are pregnant, investigators said.

It had been no secret that the sect believed in marrying off underage girls to older men, and authorities believed the group was capable of abuse, Doran said.

From fox news april 11th. http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:892jdk4QitMJ:www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,349113,00.html+texas+attorney+general+pregnant+girls&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us

183 posted on 04/16/2008 5:52:48 PM PDT by org.whodat (What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
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To: El Gato
Photos were shown on CNN of snipers and of course of the Sheriff's Armored Personnel Carrier.

Except for the large number of children to be placed in Protective Custody, this was likely a standard CPS operation. The level of LEO protection varies with circumstances...such as when taking Britney Spears' children into custody. There, CPS probably wanted more LEO protection than when taking children out of John & Jane Drug-Dealers home.

The real bad news for the Funda-Mormons here was the discovery of beds in the Temple with clean, white linens & some nearby dogma about 'Immaculate Conception', a Biblical phrase they may have mis-interpreted...

184 posted on 04/16/2008 5:57:09 PM PDT by O Neill (Aye, Katie Scarlett, the ONLY thing that lasts is the land...)
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To: muawiyah
So you want to drag someone from Arizona to Texas to face criminal charges for the rape of someone nobody can come up with evidence they ever existed (other than an anonymous phone call) wow. Don't ever try for a judgeship when I have a vote or any kind of say in the matter.
185 posted on 04/16/2008 6:20:38 PM PDT by nomorelurker (keep flogging them till morale improves)
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To: El Gato; Mamzelle
I find it unsettling that so many are of the opinion that it's the seriousness of the allegations that count, not the verifiable facts supporting them, that justify an armed raid on citizens, (complete with APC and snipers). Yea, I'm sure these guys are scum, but we must insist that the Constitutional protections are observed. Ask German Pastor Martin Niemöller about that sort of thing. [EG]

In light of the "this alleged abuse is a hoax" FREEPER crowd that we keep seeing comment with greater boldness, in addition to the "we must protect the constitution" folks, may I suggest those who are like-minded saturate these threads with the following comment...or just use the same parallel illustrations:

For those of you disinclined to in any way reinforce governmental actions by the state of Texas as they pertain to the allegations of sexual abuse...
...by members of cults...
...which already exhibit a criminal justice track record of said underage rape...
...coupled with written & vocal testimony of ex-cult members...
...may I suggest you start showing your similar colors in other (non-fLDS) FReeper threads?

For example, the next time a FReeper posts a thread having to do with...
...yet another abortion industry employee who either covered up the rape or incest of a client getting an abortion...
...or, an abortion industry phone counselor who conversed with a potential client on how to get around the "clinic" having to report said rape or incest...
...Well, we'd sure marvel at your sense of consistency if you'd just weigh in (in a similar manner) as you've done on these threads. Why, we know, Planned Parenthood would just be pleased as punch about the online presence of additional informal lobbyists acting on its behalf. (Besides, we all know that the government acting upon reasonably credible reports about the abortion industry trying to sidestep mandatory reporting laws just might put the constitution at risk...and who's for that?) /sarc

sarc back on:

Oh, and BTW, for the vehement opposers to governmental action of an Eldorado nature...whereby the govt acts upon credible threats of rape and/or incest (ya gotta remember how many of these folks are inter-related already gene-wise), you'd ensure your recognition as a card-carrying lobbyist of this nature if you'd just please (& thank you) show us your lobbying records as to how you've tried to overturn laws on the books that mandate...
...a school counselor,
...a licensed counselor,
...a pastor, etc...
...reporting such accusations to the authorities. (Then we'll all know how "consistent" you've been in accusing the government, which was merely following up on a similar allegation as to what counselors & churchworkers deal with all too often, of "overstepping its bounds.") /sarc

186 posted on 04/16/2008 6:21:07 PM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Texas_shutterbug; MEGoody
Mom and Dad haven’t forced them to marry, since there is no legal marriage. They’ve “forced” their teen daughters into being raped by creeps. Can parents give consent to statutory rape? [TS]

Exactly. Well put.

This is even precisely where these cults get way off-base with the Bible. They use examples like Abram (Gen. 16). The problem is that Abram (after sleeping with "the help"), Hagar ("the help" herself), Abram's wife, Moses, the Angel of the Lord, and the Apostle Paul all reference "the help" after she slept with Abram as exactly that--a "slave."

Certainly, in the Genesis era there were no legal "consentual rights" issues...but it's the same scenario. Can a slave "consent" to marry & sleep with the slave's mistress [female word for "master"] if turned over to the mistress' husband by the wife to act as a surrogate in her place?

A contemporary scenario would be...if a pimp tells a sex-trafficked victim to "marry" someone and sleep with him, is that really "consentual" even for an adult woman? (I mean would the defenders of this cult really have the gall to claim that slaves can say "no" to their masters? I don't think so)

187 posted on 04/16/2008 6:31:48 PM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Chickensoup; Mamzelle
I can find 21 pregnant teenagers just by trolling the local high school. In the 50s many teens were pregnant and married. In the state of Texas one can be fourteen and pregnant and not underaged.

(Oh, sure. And next you're going to tell us that the fathers of these local high school pregnant girls are across-the-board married men in their 40s & 50s, and that the same was true for all these 1950s teens...)

[Not exactly very healthy or sound input for anybody's soul, Chickensoup...I suggest you rename your moniker]

188 posted on 04/16/2008 6:38:59 PM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian

The biggest issue are that the girls weren’t willing participants in the conception of the babies.


189 posted on 04/16/2008 6:41:52 PM PDT by najida (On FR- Everyman is Brad Pitt, Everywoman is Aunt Bea)
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To: Mamzelle
"Looks like a modern attempt at PR manipulation."

It sure does, doesn't it? Very strange how this type of accusation is instantly accepted and believed. There has been nothing but an accusation by one young anonymous girl- why should this be so readily believed by normally sceptical people? Would the girl receive the same response by the police and the press if she accused the people of being bank robbers? Probably not. There would be certainly more scrutiny and protection of the right to be "innocent until proven guilty", which is enjoyed by every other type of criminal. Surely, we all view murder as being worse than molestation, but you'd think by the reactions of some that the opposite is true.

Should actual evidence be found, by all means arrest and prosecute the guilty parties, but the authorities should behave appropriately until then. We would all hope to be presumed innocent and not dragged through the dirt in the press on the mere accusation of an anonymous minor. Remember the poor lacross players who, had they not had financial resources to pay for their defense, would have been in prison now- they were found guilty by the media and because of the nature of the crime (sexual) anyone defending them risked accusation themselves of anything ranging from racism to perversions. So, those poor young men had to fight for months to clear their names. Also, the Waco fiasco and Ruby Ridge massacre come to mind.

I hope this all turns out to be untrue- it would be better for the children to not have been victimized at all.

190 posted on 04/16/2008 6:42:18 PM PDT by DilJective (Where is Francisco D'Anconia?)
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To: swain_forkbeard

Brilliant reply.


191 posted on 04/16/2008 6:44:27 PM PDT by DilJective (Where is Francisco D'Anconia?)
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To: Colofornian

(Oh, sure. And next you’re going to tell us that the fathers of these local high school pregnant girls are across-the-board married men in their 40s & 50s, and that the same was true for all these 1950s teens...)

No I was just pointing out that the statistics that are being waved around are not so unusual. Teen does not necessarily mean 14 and there are a fair amount of high school pregnant girls.


192 posted on 04/16/2008 6:45:50 PM PDT by Chickensoup (If it is not permitted, it is prohibited. Only the government can permit....)
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To: MPJackal
Oh, and if they got pregnant the teacher would have driven them to the abortion clinic to “clean things up”.

Well, hey, according to all these FReeper "constitutional experts," if the teacher detected a potential case of rape or incest involved with a pregnant student, I guess if that was reported to the authorities we'd have all kinds of FReeper folks concerned big time if a months-long case wasn't put together before bothering to intervene on behalf of the teen. (Something about concerns re: the government overstepping its "boundaries" or the constitution being threatened were the authorities actually called to enter the sacred space of a home where possibly rape or incest had occurred...with threat of it continuing...But, hey, there must be a reason why FReepers are so selective that the authorities should respond to some allegations of rape, but not all).

193 posted on 04/16/2008 6:50:08 PM PDT by Colofornian
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To: DilJective
Have women come out of this cult claiming that bank robberies have taken place?

I don't think so.

However, women have left this cult and told horrible stories about what goes on. That and the call is enough for CPS to investigate, and in the case of this cult, that meant taking - at least - temporary protective custody since they weren't going to cooperate.

194 posted on 04/16/2008 6:51:19 PM PDT by Texas_shutterbug
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To: najida
The biggest issue are that the girls weren’t willing participants in the conception of the babies.

Agreed. But why a dozen words--that the girls weren’t willing participants in the conception of the babies--to say one word, RAPE?

(And why is it that the "constitution's-about-to-fall-apart" folks seemingly have trouble using either of the "R" words on these posts...you know like "rape allegation" or "alleged rapists.") [It's almost like they are downright neglegent in reading either this cult's criminal justice track record, and/or the testimony of ex-cult members]

195 posted on 04/16/2008 6:53:59 PM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian

Honestly,
I’m finding the terms ‘marriage’ or ‘what’s the big deal with pregnant teens’ disgusting on these threads.

These girls are raped breeding stock. Odds are the ‘sex’ they’ve experienced has been painful and awful and yeah, scary. They are not wives.


196 posted on 04/16/2008 6:57:16 PM PDT by najida (On FR- Everyman is Brad Pitt, Everywoman is Aunt Bea)
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To: SoKatt
All 3 of the women interviewed seemed like they just weren’t quite all there.

I finally found a thread that was addressing these women.

I saw the interview and to be honest with you, it just plain gave me the creeps.....

These women appeared to be of limited intelligence and if I didn't know better, perhaps even the result of inbreeding.........They were just plain weird and reminded me of that banjo playing kid in "Deliverance"......

197 posted on 04/16/2008 6:58:20 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco ( I don't kiss monkeys or party with clowns....)
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To: Hot Tabasco

They are inbred. When you have a large group of females, no outside females coming in (would YOU join??) and only 1 old guy per 5 females for years....Uncle Harry is married to his granddaughter real quick.

Many of the sects are having a high number of births with a specific genetic birth defect. Sort of natures way of saying “Polygamy is WRONG!”


198 posted on 04/16/2008 7:00:37 PM PDT by najida (On FR- Everyman is Brad Pitt, Everywoman is Aunt Bea)
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To: trumandogz
"I am sure it is a "wonderful" life for the 50 year old men that bed 14 year old girls."

I can't imagine what a grown adult would find wonderful or attractive in a 14 year old. There's a strange presumption that every adult man wants to abuse young girls.

199 posted on 04/16/2008 7:04:58 PM PDT by DilJective (Where is Francisco D'Anconia?)
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To: najida

Scary, yeah. Women who have exited the cult say that most of these girls think that babies are conceived through kissing. Imagine their shock and horror when they are raped. ugh


200 posted on 04/16/2008 7:07:01 PM PDT by Texas_shutterbug
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