The littlest ones
Ruth's face is etched with pain, her voice soft, as she stands on a porch at the YFZ Ranch and describes the way her little boy held on to her skirt and cried when he saw buses pull up at the San Angelo Coliseum on Thursday.
He is just four, but already he has learned what the buses mean: Another move, another separation.
He cried out: ''Mother, quick, there are buses out there. They've come to take me away. I want to stay with you.''
What could she say?
For the second time this week, Texas Child Protective Services separated a group of FLDS mothers from their children -- this time the littlest ones, the group Bruce Perry, the state's expert witness, said would be most traumatized by removal. Apparently he got that right.
Velvet , 31 and mother of a 13-month-old daughter, also spoke at the ranch last night. She said the coliseum was filled with crying children as CPS workers got down to business.
Ruth was combing out her daughter's pigtails when she was called away. ''They said, She's fine, just leave her.''
The state of Texas is mostly silent about what has gone on at the coliseum, keeping the media -- and the public -- as far away as possible.
But here is how they do these things, at least as described by these mothers.
Each child was accompanied by a CPS worker. Other workers shuffled the women forward, away, out.
It is apparently not an easy job to take a child away from his or her mother. Some CPS workers were teary eyed, Ruth and Velvet said, even though they had been warned from the start to show no emotion toward their ''guests.'' Workers were rotated in and out every two days to help them keep their emotions in check, the women said.
Still.
On Thursday, ''Even some of the big tough Texas Rangers were crying,'' Ruth said.
Ruth is 34. She has four children: The little boy, a 2-year-old and twins who are nearly 13 months old -- a couple weeks too old, it turns out.
Until Thursday, Ruth believed she would be allowed to stay with her infants.
But she came up against one of the arbitrary lines drawn by the state of Texas in this human drama: Mothers who are breast-feeding infants younger than 12 months were allowed to stay.
Mothers like Ruth were sent away.
''These twins are premies,'' she said. 'They need extra care.''
Who is caring for those babies tonight? She has no idea. One has a cold, perhaps pneumonia, and an ear infection.
''Some big burly guy came and took him from me,'' she said, ''and wouldn't give me a chance to say goodbye to him.''
It has been cold and drafty in the coliseum the past few nights, the women said.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services told 51st District Judge Barbara Walther Thursday that conditions at the coliseum had become ''untenable.''
''Everybody's been so sick,'' said Ruth. ''The living conditions, the strain, the stress. Everyone of my children has lost weight.''
That four-year-old? Down 4 pounds, she said. At meals, she took turns holding her two older children on her lap to encourage them to eat. Their diet has changed drastically while in state custody.
''They are very traumatized,'' she said.
Nights were awful, Velvet said. The coliseum filled with the noise of crying, coughing babies and children. State workers circulated among the cots, keeping watch.
''The last few days you could hardly walk around the workers were so thick,'' Ruth said. ''If you've heard about a prison, that's what if felt like. They put tags on our arms, branded us like a herd of cattle.''
Mothers who brought babies and young children onto their own cots to cuddle and comfort were told to put them back in cribs, the women said.
The women said they learned from their attorneys yesterday that Walther had relented and asked CPS to let nursing mothers remain with their children. Velvet woke at 2 a.m. Thursday and began making a list of women who were breast-feeding. She gave the list to a lead CPS worker ''so she would know which children could stay with their mothers.''
But there was that dividing line: 12 months or younger, so the list was useless.
Velvet's little daughter fell on the wrong side of the line. She is 13-months-old, and when a CPS worker came to take her away, she held tightly to her mother.
''I kept trying to dodge them,'' Velvet said. ''They kept saying, 'You have to give her to us. ' ''
Her little girl kept calling out, Mama, mama.
''They tried to take her from my arms, but I wouldn't let them. So I handed her to someone I know.''
The women say they were offered a choice: Go home to the ranch or go to a San Antonio women's shelter which, they were told, might improve their chances of being reunited with their children. To some, that sounded like a false choice.
About 40 women took the offer, including some who later had second thoughts and asked to be left off the bus but were refused, according to Ruth and Velvet.
And now?
''We're just anxious to get them back,'' Velvet said.
''They can't be cared for by the people they're with,'' Ruth said. ''They don't understand their care. We've always kept them healthy, strong and well. They haven't been well a day since they've been gone.''
The women are confused and anxious but willing to speak.
''We haven't been allowed to tell the truth, so we're grateful to share it,'' Ruth said.
Photos: Scott Sommerdorf
33 Comments:
Thank you very much, Brooke, for another peek into the lives of these victims of the State. My heart and prayers go out to them.
Thanks again Brooke!
You're the eyes and ears for many following this fiasco.
I sensed Walther's Plan C on this breast feeding matter would be more of a problem than Plan B.
Even with my limited knowledge on breast feeding of infants, Plan B's case-by-case at least left the door open to help some of the babies that would be better off to continue feeding.
Judging from a few reports of trouble getting CPS to follow her directives, I'd imagine Walthers felt she had to establish a finite limit and eliminate anticipated problems far reaching explanations for removing many more mothers would have created.
In my opinion. this and all the problems they are now facing are Walthers' to shoulder.
The signatures that brought this about are hers and she side-stepped the first opportunity she had to resolve many of them when she purposefully did not give individual attention to a single suit the petition brought about.
Thanks for standing your ground in getting the story out. It is heart breaking to see what these women and children are going through. Many of these women put the children's biological fathers through this not too long ago. I am not glad to see what is happening but the wheels of justice do turn and what we give out comes back to us. I know there are women and children involved who have not been transplanted but those women and the fathers were accesory to the others. No one there stood up for the rights of those fathers before. Now they are reaping what they have sown and it is very sad indeed. A bigger bully came around is all that is happening. The legal details will be worked out and many if not all of the children will likely come home. Perhaps then these people will have awakened to reality.
Thank you for your very fine coverage of such tragic events. God be with these helpless little ones. Please keep up your efforts. Both sides need to be told.
This story begins with a description of "pain etched into the face" of an FLDS mother. One of my problems in closely following this story, is that I don't SEE pain at all in the overly detailed television coverage. I WANT to see pain. I EXPECT to see pain. I even try to impose the pain that I could imagine, if my own children were taken from me.
Instead, I see women who have been systematically so robbed of emotion, that most cannot even shed a real tear. We watch them attempting to give the camera what their lawyers have probably urged:grief. Indeed, I believe they WANT to FEEL grief. Instead, there are alligator tears and blank faces.
To rob another human being of basic emotions, as a means to better control them, is one of the severest forms of abuse. And severely abused people cannot parent children.
I hope they lock all the men in the group in prison, with especially harsh penalties for the leaders. What they have done is not religious at all. Because no God would sanction such cruelty.
This commentary is well worth reading:
"Give system time to work in case of FLDS children"
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5729137.html
womankine
your link will not work when pasted and copied.
My apologies. This should work as a link to "Give system time to work in case of FLDS children".
http://tinyurl.com/458ef2
More propaganda from the PPSG.
Where is the outrage for the sexually assaulted children?
Where is the concern over the felonies that are being committed against these children and the abuse that these so-called mothers allowed to occur?
I am sickened that people could support leaving these children in an abusive environment. I am proud to be a Texan, where we don't tolerate the abuse of children.
If you don't like how we do business, don't abuse children in Texas.
If you want to violate the prohibition against bigamy and child marriage, I would suggest you move back to Utah. They don't seem to mind it.
Instead, I see women who have been systematically so robbed of emotion, that most cannot even shed a real tear. We watch them attempting to give the camera what their lawyers have probably urged:grief. Indeed, I believe they WANT to FEEL grief. Instead, there are alligator tears and blank faces.
I'm quite amazed that you know in such great detail the psychological status of the women taken from the compound. Please, explain to us how you came across such knowledge. Was it perhaps because you pulled it out of your ass?
Where is the outrage for the sexually assaulted children?
Where is the concern over the felonies that are being committed against these children and the abuse that these so-called mothers allowed to occur?
And you are aware of such abuse because you lived in the compound? No? Then how exactly do you know that anybody was abused at all, except perhaps by listening to what law enforcement authorities say, or perhaps what you see on shows about polygamist Mormons? You could afford to acquire a healthy does of skepticism and critical thought my friend. "Don't mess with Texas!" doesn't seem to be an adequate response.
txbluesman,
You are a very ignorant individual.
their hasent been any evidence of child abuse. What your state did is wrong in the eyes of any true American. The forefathers of this country are rolling in their graves. Their may be indivdual cases of abuse in their society, just like their is in yours, but they don't all deserve to suffer, any more than you deserve to suffer for the actions of those in your society that have commited crimes.
Thank you for your blog and your coverage of this tragic situation.
I'm putting a link to this blog, on my blog
"Day of Praise".
I was surprised to see an ad for Texas tourism on tv the other night. Their slogan is "Texas, like a whole other country"
How true that is becoming!
Actually I am very well educated, thank you.
I just find it hard to believe that you would condone the sexual assault of children, because in Texas that is what a pregnant minor is evidence of.
If you want to support child abuse, that's fine - it's your choice, but as an officer of the court, I am sickened by people attempting to spin their way out of this.
What about the children?
Why should they be left in a situation where their so-called mothers allow them to be sexually assaulted?
If they wanted to continue their sexual abuse of children, they should have stayed in Utah, where it doesn't seem to be a big deal.
In Texas we'll protect the children, and then after that's done, we'll go after the pedophiles and bigamists.
By the way, Texas inmates don't think much of child rapists - seems Bubba has the same attitude that most Texans do.
Of course we feel pain for these women and children. But let's not glamorize their lifestyle. If these children are allowed to stay in this environment, how many of them will fall prey to the same kind of leadership that allows children under the age of 16 to marry and have children? Someone has to have the courage to step in and put an end to this kind of behavior. Thank God that Texas is trying to do the right thing, even if it's painful.
txbluesman,
Exactly what evidence of sexual abuse are you privy to, that seems to have escaped all the rest of us? Are there perhaps evidence that every one of these 450 children have been locked up, beaten, strangled and raped, with their mothers (how does a mother qualify for ‘so called’ status?) approvingly looking on. Or is your entire ‘outrage’ due to the possibility that a few women might be pregnant at 17? Which is the only ‘evidence’ I have seen the state bring forth so far.
As written today, the legal age for marriage with parental consent in Texas is 16. Three years ago it was 14. In several states it’s even younger. As recent as a few generations ago, it was fairly common to marry and have children mid teens. And it still is in many parts of the world. According to the ‘book of nature’, the demarcation between sexual child and adult is fairly clear cut, and for girls often occur in early teens. Is there any particular reason why a recently changed, arbitrary statute of the state of Texas, should trump millions of years of evolution as a barometer for moral outrage? Are most of the world’s men perverts and sexual predators? And are most of the women unfit to keep custody of their kids, for not keeping them away from these perverts? And what about our ancestors? All unfit mothers and perverts as well?
Now, since the law in Texas, rightfully or not, says 16, I guess the judge has little leeway but prosecuting the ‘husbands’ of those pregnant prior, but does that justify ripping away from their parents hundreds of children whose mothers and fathers have in no way violated this statute?
Besides, for any FLDS woman aged x pregnant, there are many more of same age outside the FLDS. Furthermore, since the act of sex itself is held up as the true wrongdoing, and pregnancy used only as an indicator such has taken place, I guess we should add the number of teen abortions to the mix as well. In every one of those cases, the girl’s mother (whether ‘so called’ or not…) is just as guilty of failure to protect their daughter as is these FLDS women. Should ‘we’ therefore remove all non FLDS children from their mothers as well? That whole line of reasoning quickly gets so absurd, it’s hard to tell if you’re even being serious, and not just a troll.
Unless, of course, you do have access to evidence that us non court officers don’t.
It's amazing. Like watching a terrible train wreck in slow motion.
I'm no fan of polygamy, and I am an adult survivor of sexual abuse by a non-family member. That said, the state of Texas is punishing the wrong people! They've separated the mothers from the children all the while accusing the MEN of being molesters. Why didn't they just remove the men? Because they COULDN'T. CPS knew they would never get away with violating those mens' rights so they went to the weakest - the children. And they're controlling the women with the children.
Classic scenario of a predator.
Thanks for your coverage of this.
Bravo Mrs. Pharris, well said!! The state of Texas has further victimized these children, if they have been victimized at all. Every society has pedophiles, rapists, and domestic violence, why should we expect this community to be any different? Because we don’t understand their religion or approve of their family structures?? They can’t ALL be bad! And we have taken ALL the children. If there really was any evidence to substantiate any of these allegations, why not herd the men up like cattle and then do your investigating in a gentle manner so that these children could be treated with dignity and respect, not be further victimized.
Txblues man…are you telling me that every pregnant teenager in Texas was raped? I hope Jamie Lynne Spears doesn’t decide to visit anytime soon….
My heart cringes to think of these kids put into foster care. Ir is so wrong. I pray the truth comes out and these people are exonerated. I pray the people responsible don't sleep at night until they get things right. God help these kids and moms and dads.
TxBluesMan said...
More propaganda from the PPSG.
Wow! an officer of the court? You wouldn't be Barney Fife, would you?
Reading the Texas dept of health stats, they report over 17,000 births to girls between 13 - 17 in the last year they have records for. So, as an officer of the court, have you gone after those 17,000+ felons? Or are you partial to these FLDS felons?
I doubt any of us posting on this blog approve of adult men having sex with underage girls. However, it seems that many of us have a problem with the genocidal methods being used. The state couldn't go in and arrest the men without proving a crime but they can go in a take children with the intent of destroying the culture. This is also the way they handled the "Indian problem".
"Why didn't they just remove the men? Because they COULDN'T."
I would not assume, Mrs. Pharris, that they WON'T remove the men. This is one reason for the DNA tests. It will only be when they are finished, that the authorities will be able to identify the perpetrators that they believe exist. Or that some or all of the men are exonerated.
The reason that TX is probably "partial" to "these felons", Jack, is because it is also pretty clear that they are breaking the law regarding polygamy. Add to that the fact that there is a history of women, who want to leave the cult, having a great deal of difficulty in doing so.
For goodness sakes, the leader is in jail for rape(and has been accused by grown children of pedophila. What kind of followers tolerate these actions, much less deem such a "felon" a prophet?
"Some pictures are worth a thousand words. This is one of them."
Picture ARE worth a thousand words. Please note that in this one the little girl appears happy.
Perhaps she's just been stripped of the ability to have emotions by abusers who accept nothing beyond the controlling state of Stepford "being sweet".
Or, perhaps she understands that she may have options in life besides being someone's personal sex slave and baby factory. And real choices as to what she thinks and believes.
Womankine
A consenting adult male can have sex with as many consenting adult females as are willing and no laws are broken. All of the females can get pregnant and bear his children and no laws are broken. If he provides proper support for all of the children he has fathered, no laws are broken. As long as he doesn't call the females "wives", no laws are broken.
He only becomes a polygamous "felon" if he claims that they are his wives.
So his crime is being stupid enough to claim that he is married to them. Call them girl friends and he's OK.
TX can go after the ones that had sex with underaged girls. I am all for that.
I've watched the news. Read the papers. Searched the blogs. Some people favor the state and some just can't get past the awful fact that children have been taken from their mothers. Being a mother of two that is the worst possible thing that could of happened to me. But, I followed societies laws and rules. AND I would never have done anything that would put myself or my children in a situation where someone, anyone ended up with the right to take them away from me. SO -- I blame the mothers. They say they chose this lifestyle. Therefore they chose to break the law and put themselves and their children in a situation where some authority had the right to separate them from their children. AND had they chose to cooperate with the authorities with information and honesty instead of self righteous indignation they would still be taking care of their own children. All of us in a society, since we choose to live in this society, are answerable to the society as a whole. Our society has created laws that all of us are to live under. Should we choose to break those laws we should expect society will sooner or later take our freedom away from us. Of course, this is only my opinion and I feel heartbroken for the children. But, this is probably saving them from ignorance and slavery. Now, they will hopefully have the chance for an education and the ability to actually make their own decisions. They will have the chance to live in our society instead of hide in secrecy in ignorance in a sub society they had no choice in choosing. Hopefully the adult wives/mothers will have the opportunity to join society, become educated, so that they too can make educated decisions about their own lives and their childrens. Thank you for reading my opinion.
nancyellen
Mrs. Pharris, yes, it is a train wreck. And the body count is just beginning - they're not through yet.
You see, they don't need "probable cause" anymore. They've passed "child protection" laws which bypass all of those other troublesome things such as freedom of religion and free speech, due process, etc. The adults can't hide behind the unreasonable search and seizure because they submitted, supposedly "volunteered", to give DNA samples. What is found there is independent of illegal search and probable cause. Oh, and remember, they said that IF they didn't submit to having their DNA taken, they'd never see their children again.
Did you notice that even though a number of the children DID have birth certificates, the Kangaroo Count Judge, Barbara Walther, didn't want to see them - wouldn't accept them? Why? To force the men/women to submit their DNA - to supposedly incriminate themselves. What was their crime? Following Biblical and older US marriage laws which allows marriage once puberty sets in. Everything else they charge is related to post-pubescent marriages and calling it "child rape", "sexual abuse", blah, blah, blah... Force? NOT A SINGLE CASE OF FORCE HAS EVER BEEN PROVEN.
So, it it any wonder that SOME of the mothers and fathers didn't submit to Judge Walther's DNA extortion?
James
LOL! "Officer of the Court, Txbluesman? Officer of a Kangaroo Nazi court! Planned genocide of a God loving people through kidnapping their children and brainwashing them into your "politically correct" way of thinking. Hitler would be proud!!!
Hitler redefined terms, just as governments have locally. Governments are guilty of the largest mass murders that have ever been PLANNED upon mankind, and you are complicit in Texas' POGRAM - cheering them on! How many did Hitler murder as Pres. of Germany? 6 million? Texas is using many of the same tactics he used. How many did Stalin murder? 17 million - starved a whole "state"/culture of people. How about Mao Tse Tung? Pol Pot?
Tell us, court officer, just what was Flora Jessop talking to Roweta Swinton about on the phone for 40 HOURS prior to Swinton's call to the local Texas abuse center? And, just what was Flora and Carolyn Jessop talking to local law enforcement/DA's office/Texas Rangers about concurrently with her talks with Swinton? Oh, and let's not forget about calls to the CPS at the same time?
Tell us, Txbluesman, were you a party to all of these plans/calls? Were you a part of the raping that occured in the San Angelo court orchestrated and conducted by Judge Barbara Walther?
"Curious minds want to know!".
James
My heart goes out to the children but someone needs to see this for what it is. This is a dangerous cult that uses mind control to enslave women and children. If it were black people who were being enslaved and forced to comply with the wishes of older men, I can just imagine the outcry. These women are property of the men, they have no personal choices no personal possesions. I don't see what all the outcry is about if it is FLDS custom to take wives and children away from "unworthy" fathers and give them to other men. The cases are documented, and where were these crying mothers when the prophet ordered their twelve year old sons to be abandoned in the desert. And if some old man told me to marry my little girl at thirteen to an old man I guarentee he would be picking his teeth out of his throat. So where is the motherly love when it comes to protecting your children. I would fight to the death for mine.
Jack,
I never said I was a peace officer, like 'Barney,' and I would think that you would recognize the distinction.
As to genocide? My grandfather, his brothers and cousins were taken off of the reservation and shipped off to the Haskel and Carlisle Indian Schools. When they came back home, they were not allowed to work with or for their tribe, but had to move hundreds of miles away, to other reservations.
You don't need to explain genocide to me - I clearly recognize it from my peoples history. It is also clear to me that what the state of Texas is doing with the victims of the FLDS is nowhere near genocide, the propagandists view to the contrary notwithstanding.
James,
You obviously don't understand the concept of statutory rape, which is codified in the Texas Penal Code under Sections 22.011 (Sexual Assault) and 22.021 (Aggravated Sexual Assault). There is no requirement for force to be used in these cases, just that the child be under the statutory age set by the Legislature.
I'll stand by the sworn affidavits by Texas Rangers until they are proven to be false. I'll stand by the fact that warrants were issued by a judge, based upon probable cause, until a higher court overturns the decision.
So far, the only ruling by an appellate court supports the legality of Judge Walther's actions.
If you need education on what the Constitution means and what the law says, I'll be happy to help, but I won't argue with an idiot that compares what the state is doing to protect children with Nazis and Communists.
Let me know if you want to have a discussion on the actual issues and we'll talk. I don't have to agree with you to have a civilized discussion - I disagree with Grits, but he and I can still discuss things rationally.
TxBluesman -- Actually, you are arguing against what the "expert state witness" said in sworn testimony. He said that all children under 5 should stay with their parents! Also, you are arguing against the attorneys for the children. As near as I can tell, they have argued that the children should be returned to their parents as well.
So, now you have multiple sources from the state of Texas and not aligned with the FLDS. Also, you have the admission of at least one CPS worker -- "We screwed up."
txbluesman, are you telling me that evry family on the YFZ ranch is guilty of rape and child abuse??Becuse every child was taken from every perent in YFZ ranch. Reading your comments about this situation and knowing that you are "an officer of the court"(probly scurity gaurd,or genitor),shows your ignorance and arrogance. Maybe Texas should start its own country were trampling on citizens rights is ok! You could be their president. Your telling me that one bogus crank call about one girl being abused, gives your great state of Texas the right to break into evry home on YFZ ranch?? Then they take the ladies and their children and leave the men who are the ones being accused of abusing the women and children. What happent to inocent until proven guilty?? Thats how the rest of the states prosecute. I think Texas's moto is, your guilty and were going to prove it, even if your innocent. It's to bad people like you, and that silly feminist judge of yours is giving the state of Texas such a bad name, becuse im sure that most of the citizens of Texas are very decent people, as are the FLDS people.
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stuki, and james justice, i appreciate your comments and your insight on this subject. Its good to here from true Americans whose judgement hasent been clouded by prejudice.
A letter written by a friend of mine to the govener of Texas...
To Governor Rick Perry and Texas Child Protective Service.
Howdy ya'all I'm a 59 year old former resident of Hildale Utah.
55 years ago my family was caught up in a raid similar to the one that you folks pulled off with such imposing power and authority at the YFZ community . Except we were worse and they needed the national guard .
Then as now it was instigated by hate driven people who wanted to destroy a religious belief which they found reprehensible and apparently were having difficulty sleeping or going on with their pathetic little lives, till something was done to put a stop to the idea of freedom of religion . Apparently we had misunderstood the constitution and failed to procure a permit from the government office of religion. Just because men and women down through the ages , as recorded in the common US Bible , had lived our life style, it didn't mean that we could in 1953, a more enlightened time in the world , far advanced in civilization and social awareness than those " dark minded " men that God walked and talked with in days gone by.
Any way my father and mother had moved to Short Creek one year prior to this event and he was a teacher in the local school. You can imagine how surprised he must have been to be charged with bigamy, white slavery , under aged sexual conduct and insurrection against the state of Arizona. The men were arrested and transported 300 miles to Kingman AZ and all the women and children who lived on the Arizona side of the little town were loaded on busses ( commercial not Baptist Church ) and transported to Phoenix to begin an 18 month odyssey through the courts . My father had one wife and six children, so I assume that they arrested him for his belief. Kinda like you folks huh... Since that experience, we all made it back home and , I would like to say, lived happily for many years. In the mid 1980's we had a power struggle over leadership in the community and the FLDS was formed. I was never a good enough follower to be part of that movement so I just tried to be a humble follower of Christ, with a foundation in old school Mormonism as taught by the founding Prophet Joseph Smith. I think that the rest of the Christian brothers and sisters hate us Mormons because our leader , and restorer of many lost principals of Christ's gospel , saw God and Jesus Christ standing together and testified that God lives and Jesus Christ was indeed resurrected ( it should have made you joyful ) He wouldn't deny his testimony and after many hateful things were done to him and the members of Christ's restored church , the state of Illinois governor Tom Ford betrayed him while he was in Carthage jail. And he and his brother Hyrum were murdered by a mob. So here I am in 2008 sensing the same religious intolerance , and can't sit by and not speak up in the defense of people who are raided in a mass raid , hoping to find a reason for their actions along the way.
I am a Vietnam veteran and was proud to serve my country . I've seen the result of one culture trying to impose their values on another. I've seen a form of this method of forced compliance used before . In Vietnam we were fighting two enemies , ( three if you count congress and the college kids) The NVA and a guerilla force known as the Viet Cong ( VC or Charlie ) They used kidnapping family members and holding them hostage to ensure loyalty and compliance . It worked very well and they were a fierce enemy .It seems to be working for you now as I watch mothers and fathers interviewed , promising to do anything they were asked to do to get their children returned. Now you can impose a womb to womb search for evidence to justify Flora's war. 58,000 of my contemporary Americans lost their lives in Vietnam supposedly to resist the evils of communist tyranny. You have counted their sacrifice as nothing. You heathens !!! If laws can't be enforced ,with out violating constitutional human rights, back off and find a different approach .Not everyone wants to be a Christian , and not every Christian wants to be a Baptist . America has made some progress since 1953 towards sensitivity to non-Christians . Apparently we still have a ways to go.
I have watched reports of your conduct towards the YFZ community. You call it a compound , but you all have gated communities. You try to justify your actions because these people have odd clothing and lifestyles and the national media has made them an object of scorn and ridicule . To me and perhaps others with similar " old school" Mormon beliefs , your attempts at righteous indignation have come across as religious hatred and bigoted zeal under the color of law. The law in most states reflect the values and attitudes of the predominant religion, so that law enforcement , if not carefully applied , and restrained, can become prejudicial to non mainstream beliefs. Texas has always been a place which has epitomized freedom and diversity of cultures but now " When its round up time in Texas " has a new meaning.
As far as under aged marriage goes I fully support a standard that protects a woman's right to chose and part of that choice is being old enough to have your God given agency, or else family influence and the desire to please parents could cloud that choice . As regarding the premise that being pregnant , underage is proof of abuse you should apply that equally in every community in Texas , and take every underage pregnant girl from their homes, as there is a systemic potential for abuse when any parent allows their female child to be in an environment or association that could result in an underage pregnancy. Some how being impregnated by a 14, 15 or 16 year old pimple faced kid with no ability to pay for a baby's care is preferred by your society , than being in a loving family . Go Figure. You are intellectually dishonest and would push kids into abortions which is the greatest insult to God that I know of. Perhaps Texas should ban all Loretta Lynn songs because she had 4 children by the time she was 17 . Ban the movies " Coal Miners Daughter" and "Juno" . It was obvious to me that this type of invasion was planned for a while and just needed something to trigger it . The good people of Texas should be ashamed of their government officials and demand that they be replaced for not investigating the sources which they refer to as a tip sheet. Using Flora Jessop's information at face value , not taking the necessary time to discover that she is an agenda driven pathological liar , who is motivated by an obsession about her fathers treatment of her ( true or false ) ,and to get camera time. Maybe she should be charged with child abuse for lying to "investigators" and causing so much commotion and expense besides the abuse to the children from being disrupted in their lives by misguided " do gooders" . Perhaps it is time for the governor and legislature to redesign the CPS and appoint someone who is some what sensitive to religious and cultural differences , also someone who knows " Sic-'um " but also knows " Here Boy " and " Down Boy " . Instead of the pit-bull behavior we've seen here. I don't know if there is a set rule about how long a religious doctrine or practice has to exist before it is accepted and left alone. It seems to me that after 170 years ,with no greater incidents of criminal behavior than the other religions that claim to follow Jesus Christ's teachings ,that everyone could turn their energies toward perfecting their lives instead of trying to harm others. We all study the same Bible, how ever we certainly are diverse in our interpretation of it . Most every one can grasp the concept of Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Watching many of you make vile characterizations of these unfortunate circumstances, I can't help but wonder if the positions were reversed would you accusers handle your selves with the dignity that I saw portrayed by these devastated mothers . I doubt it. They were guilty of nothing more than an exaggerated loyalty and obedience to a man who had gradually subjected his followers to many types of tests of loyalty . The very worst of these was the destroying of families in a purge and intimidation campaign which ultimately lead to the confused family ties that so perplexed your social workers , who for the most part seemed kind and concerned . I have to state that I have heard of efforts to respect the children's food and clothing preference. I congratulate your people for that kindness. So it appears to be a battle between the leaders of a religion and leaders of a government agency , both of which like to play God , and innocent women and children are ground down and their hearts ache because of their uncertain future . As you judge so shall you be judged , and God will judge the judges too. If Texas has any money left after this fiasco is settled maybe you can roust a Muslin neighborhood next and hold 460 of their kids hostage until they learned how to dress and behave the way you think they should . You would be justified by your stated method of determining the potential of systemic abuse . We've all heard news reports that shock our sensitivities about a father killing his daughters and a brother stabbing his sister for " dishonoring their family " .
I'm getting carried away... You would never do that. You are cowards and there are too many of them . Every big city would start fire and you would start a culture was like no other. Next we could try to straighten out some Amish folks , for separating from us self righteous " so called Christians " and dressing and behaving differently. Maybe while we hold their kids hostage we can get them to buy tractors and cars and all kind of toys for their children to play with . It seems that by using this method we could establish a state religion fairly quickly. Then we could make everyone conform to other government demands . Oh Damn!!! .. Now we've become a communist country ! I don't know who came up with the idea that parents could teach their beliefs and values to their children but that can't be allowed in this new world order that once was America . To quote Earl Pitts " WAKE UP AMARKA "
Just give the children back to their mothers .
This government raid couldn't have happened at a better time for China , with the Olympics set for this summer in Beijing , there are human rights activist all over the world demonstrating against their dismal treatment of some parts of their society . Now they can point at Texas and accuse America of the same offences , since no one of any stature in political or religious positions have stood up and condemned this unconstitutional attach on a religious " cult " .The initial repots by the mainstream entertainment media i.e. FOX and CNN seemed to de-humanize the women and children so that no one cared about their feelings . To some degree it was reminiscent of Jews in Germany ,or early Christians in Rome.
Finally an actual journalist sat down with 6 normal people just asking for their children back . Rush Limbaugh speaks often about women he refers to as "feminatzi's " .Now I know what he was talking about . All the main players in this unfortunate fiasco were women on an emotional binge , with no natural motherly instincts or compassion.
Jesus said " In as much as you do unto the least of these my little ones , you have done it unto me. " Both sides should take this to heart.
Sincerely,
T.J. Williams
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