Jail takes its toll on polygamist leader's authority

StarTelegram.com ^ | May. 04, 2008 | JACK DOUGLAS Jr.

[Politicalmom]

“Where’s my teeny violin?” Ping!!!

FReepmail to be added to the FLDS Eldorado Legal Case Ping List

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[Still Thinking]

Jeffs inherited the leadership of the breakaway Mormon sect from his father, Rulon Jeffs, who at the time of his death in 2002 had 19 or 20 wives and about 60 children.

The religion is run by a guy named after a plastic?? That's so funny, I have to tell my friend, Teflon Jones.

[greyfoxx39]

"Definitions of Rulon on the Web:
The Rulons are an evil race that wants to rule the universe in the TV cartoon Dino-Riders. In an attempt to defeat the last people they have not enslaved, the Valorians, they follow the Valorians to prehistoric earth. The leader of the Rulons is Krulos. The name Rulon is a word-play: Rule on; it is a race that wants to rule the universe.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rulon

WOW...seems pertinent, doesn't it?

[T. P. Pole]

in a desert town that was once the home of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

What? Why does that matter?

[P-Marlowe]

Jeffs' legal defense has at times raised eyebrows in the courtroom, including when his lawyers argued that incest could not be prosecuted as a crime because the case involved a child.

I'm speechless.

[greyfoxx39]

Jeffs' legal defense has at times raised eyebrows in the courtroom, including when his lawyers argued that incest could not be prosecuted as a crime because the case involved a child.

If that hasn't been used as a cult defense on FR, it soon will be......

[river rat]

I wonder if Jeffs has become the “wife” of anyone in prison?

[JustaCowgirl]

"He's not doing well in prison at all. If he continues to starve himself ... he'll eventually kill himself," said Jessop.....

[Domandred]

Yea I was trying to figure out that too. Had to go back and read it again then realized they were saying the town hadn’t seen this many reporters since McVeigh.

Still think they found a way to sensationalize even more and just threw it in though.

[JustaCowgirl]

“If that hasn’t been used as a cult defense on FR, it soon will be......”

It will be couched in better-sounding terms than that though. Like.....
‘How can these Nazi Texas government bureaucrats persecute children who are just following their religious convictions? It’s horrible, shameful,....and besides that the phone call wasn’t even real, oh the horror!!’ and on and on.

[Zakeet]

Jeffs' legal defense has at times raised eyebrows in the courtroom, including when his lawyers argued that incest could not be prosecuted as a crime because the case involved a child. "In addition, the participants to these alleged acts are not full first cousins ... but rather first cousins of the half-blood, and therefore do not fall within the reach of the incest statute," defense lawyers argued in court records.

Question to all Latter-day Saints ...

Was Joseph Smith committing incest when he married three pairs of sisters, and a mother and her daughter?

Or does your Church excuse this conduct by virtue of some similar type of legal technicality?

Ps. You can see an annotated list of Joseph's plural wives HERE.

[purpleraine]

Is it incest now to have sex with in-laws?

[SRU308]

From the sound of it Jeffs is in Ad-Seg/Solitary Confinement/The Hole/whatever that jail calls it. The only companionship he has is his hand.

Jeffs is too high profile of a inmate to house in a mainline setting where he would be in direct contact with other inmates.

[Still Thinking]

That was pretty shocking, but also shockingly bad writing. Apparently the defence involves the fact that the OTHER party (it wasn't Jeffs) in the relationship was a minor, thus incest between two minors. That may or may not take it outside the definition as written into this particular law. I haven't read the law, and IANAL anyway.

I'm definitely not defending incest per se, but the language in the article was very misleading, in that it sounded like the defence team was talking about the victim.

[SkyPilot]

'He was a creep'

[Domandred]

Was Joseph Smith committing incest when he married three pairs of sisters, and a mother and her daughter?

Incest would be if they were Joseph Smith's sisters, mother, and daughter....which they weren't.

Nice try though.

[MizSterious]

I saw the video where he admitted he is not a prophet and has committed acts that were evil. Good start, but I’d like him to list them all and admit his wrongdoing on each.

[MizSterious]

That’s real close to some of the posts I’ve already seen.