Posted on 06/07/2008 4:39:31 PM PDT by JRochelle
Gov. Rick Perry hinted Thursday that members of a polygamist sect whose children were recently returned amid a botched sex-abuse investigation should pack their bags, a newspaper reported.
Perry, who was in La Baule, France, for a European business conference, said that the state of Texas has an obligation to protect young women from being forced into marriage and underage sex, The Dallas Morning News reported in its online edition.
He also warned members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that child sex abuse won't be tolerated and even suggested that followers of the renegade Mormon sect may want to get out.
"If you are going to conduct yourself that way, we are going to prosecute you," Perry said. "If you don't want to be prosecuted for those activities, then maybe Texas is not the place you need to consider calling home."
Willie Jessop, an FLDS elder who lives in Utah, said Perry's remarks were shocking, particularly given a Texas Supreme Court ruling that forced this week's return of 440 sect children on the grounds that child welfare officials provided scant evidence that the children were in danger.
"It's an outrage that he should even make such gross and broad allegations," Jessop said. "He's listening to people that tell lies about the FLDS."
FLDS officials have accused the state of persecuting sect members for their religious beliefs.
Texas authorities raided the sprawling compound in west Texas in early April after three calls to a domestic abuse hot line, purportedly from a 16-year-old mother who said she was being abused by her middle-aged husband. The calls are now being investigated as a hoax.
Perry said that using the information state authorities had at the time, "they acted with the best interest of those children."
"If responsibility needs to be taken for (court edicts) saying that we stepped across some legal line, I'll certainly take that responsibility," the governor said.
Jessop, who has insisted that children at the ranch were not mistreated, has sidestepped questions about underage marriages at the Yearning for Zion ranch. But he did announce this week that the church would no longer sanction marriages of any girl too young to give legal consent.
Though the children have been returned, a criminal investigation continues.
Spoken like a man who regrets not giving all the girls the HPV vaccine while he had them protective custody. Has he been this brassy to the illegals?
Aw, I’m touched that you care!
:)
That's not a nice way to refer to Gov. Perry's backers
It would be nice if he’d promise the millions of illegals who live in Texas will be prosecuted if they don’t leave too.
I liked this part too. HMMM. What's got into him?
Can’t argue with that?
I think there will be more scrutiny on them now and I suspect that with that they’ll be a more mainline group. Heck I think Schleicher County would like to keep them as they are the 3rd largest property tax payer in the county and they pay ontime.
Chum, bait, etc. doesn’t always require a response. In fact it becomes hard to carry on a one way conversation.
Mainline? (Oh, I get it. They'll take the bed out of the temple)
Thanks. Be nice if somebody got tough, you know what I mean? The FLDS people aren’t quite the same threat as millions of people sucking our resources dry. But what do I know compared to Governor Good Hair.
If I were the governor I would want rid of all of them!
If they left, wouldn't he be forced to go get all of them and bring them back? He sounds psycho to me. If he really wanted to get rid of them, why doesn't he offer them a lot of money? He is going to be paying them a lot of money anyway.
(Would these pigs ever be "hosed down" by Mormon mainliners?)
Well they couldn’t prove a crime. They illegally ripped their children away. They spread all kinds of misinformation about them.
Sure glad our govt works for us, otherwise they could be a threat to us.
Well, I hope he does take the legal responsibility, including both paying the civil judgements, and doing the jail time for the Federal civli rights violations.
OTOH, since he deliberately didn't use email to communicate about this as it was going on, so there wouldn't be a record, it doesn't look like he intends to stand by his word.
Talking out of both sides of his mouth I see. First he denies that underage marriage is happening, then he says the church would no longer sanction it.
If they are no longer sanctioning it, that means they did before. That's an admission of guilt if I ever saw one.
Except that Utah will turn a blind eye to the child abuse. They don't care so it won't be a problem there.
(Right. 'Cause all those Texas Baptists sittin' on a civil jury are so in tune with polygamy & "prophet" placement marriage for teens to older men they might as well get advanced loans)
Yep. Dang it’s weird to be supporting him...just on this though and whatever country it was that he told to MTOB about executions wasn’t it?
“It’s an outrage that he should even make such gross and broad allegations,” Jessop said. “He’s listening to people that tell lies about the FLDS.”
Sounds like a comment someone in the ROP would make.
Maybe in you mind's eye, but not one that would pass muster in a court of law
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