I thought I would share this example of how Pat Merkley has interacted with the fundamentalist community in the past. She is starting two new support groups, as described below:


WOMEN'S SUPPORT GROUP
For Fundamentalist Mormons

Join the safety of being with other women from the Fundamentalist culture in a 10-week series discussing the following
topics: human rights, parenting challenges, extended family issues, dealing with conflict, unhealthy relationships, self-care, boundaries, assertiveness, self-esteem, identity, roles, and the unique challenges of being a woman in the Fundamentalist
culture.

When: Every Monday starting October 20, 2008
Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
Where: Family Support Center (2020 South Lake Street in Salt Lake City)
Cost: Free

For more information contact Patricia Merkley, LCSW at
(801)-487-7778 Ext. 1315
Sponsored by The Safety Net Committee, underwritten by The Family Support Center, and approved by Principle Voices.

WOMEN'S TRAUMA GROUP
For Fundamentalist Mormons

Join the safety of being with other women from the Fundamentalist culture in a 10-week Trauma Support Group dealing with the following issues of healing:
* Definition of trauma
* How trauma impacts lives
* Reactions to trauma
* The connections between violence, abuse, and trauma
* The world of feelings
* Mind-body connection
* The addiction and trauma connection

When: Every
Thursday starting October 30, 2008
Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
Where: Family Support Center (2020 South Lake Street in Salt Lake City)
Cost: Free

Okay, it's Friday and I needed a laugh. I got one here . Thanks Trent.

Paul Anthony of the San Angelo Standard-Times reports that Judge Barbara Walther formerly vacated a hearing on the validity of search warrants used to enter the YFZ Ranch in April as requested by attorneys for the FLDS church.

A source told me a couple weeks ago when I wrote about the Texas Attorney General's response defending the search that it probably would not go forward since none of the three men who brought the action face any charges.

That means, as the attorney general's office argued, that their standing to challenge the search is doubtful since they can not claim any harm.

I have been asked a lot about the sexual assault indictment brought against Keith William Dutson Jr. by the Schleicher County Grand Jury last week. Some are confused about how he can be charged.

Dutson Jr., 23, is in a monogamous relationship with a teenager who was listed as being 16 at the time a Bishop's Record was filled out in March 2007 at the YFZ Ranch. She gave birth to a son a month later, while she was still 16.

Under Texas law then in force, a 16-year-old could legally marry with parents' permission. But it would have been illegal to have sexual relations outside of a legal marriage with someone under the age of 17. From the records available, it appears Dutson Jr.'s wife conceived their child shortly after turning 16.

Several issues arise: Was it a legal marriage? Probably not, since many FLDS marriages are religious, not civil, unions. Did it occur in Texas or some other state, where other laws might have been in play? Don't know.

The American Bar Association magazine features a story in its October issue about lawyers involved in the FLDS case in Texas. Here is a link to that story.

Former FLDS member Shem Fischer won a default judgement years ago against the Corporation of the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the FLDS Church and Warren S. Jeffs. Those entities were ordered to pay him $330,000.

Now they owe him attorneys fees, too. U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart awarded Shem $35,618.76 last week.

In 2002, Shem claimed Forestwood Inc., a wood products company in Hildale that was started by his father Erwin, fired him after he protested the firing of another worker who left the church. His lawsuit also alleged the firm refused to rehire him because he, too, later left the FLDS faith. He has waged a lengthy court battle with the company, now overseen by another brother.

A federal court had tossed the lawsuit, but earlier this year the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reinstated part of Shem's lawsuit against Forestwood.

The 10th Circuit Court ruled the lower court had improperly prevented taped conversations provided by Shem to back his claims of religious discrimination. It also ruled that Shem failed to prove he was fired, rather than voluntarily resigning, from the company.

According to an Associated Press story, on the tapes Erwin Fischer tells Shem: ''If you're suing and fighting Uncle Rulon and wanting to work for his company at the same time, this won't work." The reference is to Rulon T. Jeffs, Warren's father and former sect president.

You may remember that this summer Dan Fischer, one of Shem's brothers, spoke about their father during his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Trent managed to find this blog , written by the photographer who visited with Moroni and his family.

Bet the LDS Church loves his use of the term "Mormon."

I just spoke with Bonnie Peters, executive director of the Family Support Center, about what the budget cuts mean for the Utah Safety Net Committee. The Family Support Center recently assumed oversight of the committee and its new director, Pat Merkley.

So what do the budget cuts mean? Nothing for now, Peters said. It is full speed ahead for the committee.

Last week the Utah Legislature cut $146,000 from the committee's $306,900 appropriation as part of its effort to trim the state budget.

Peters said she received many calls about the committee's future.

Peters said that she is working with the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, UCASA and the Utah Attorney General's Office to ensure the committee stays on course with its current mandate.

She said that both Merkley and a newly hired caseworker will continue on as planned while she and the other entities find ways to cover the lost funds or adjust programming. It is too early for any details about what will happen, she said.

''It's unfortunate that it happened but with so many cuts being made across the board, I'm grateful it wasn't the entire amount,'' Peters said.


But with the money still available, the Safety Net Committee is ''not going to stop, we're going to proceed.''

The Utah Legislature just completed a two-day special session to balance the state budget because of revenue shortfalls.

One casualty of the session: Funding for the Utah Safety Net Committee.

The Legislature cut its $306,900 appropriation by $146,000. The funding, approved in February, covered pay for a coordinator, a caseworker, travel and training.

I have not yet heard what the funding cut means for the committee.

Other programs took significant cuts. Among them:

The Department of Human Services lost $2 million in local substance abuse treatment funds, $1 million to expand services to people with disabilities, and $986,800 to help at-risk families stay intact.

The Department of Corrections lost $1.2 million for its sex offender and mental health treatment programs, $5.7 million for a parole violator center and 32 jobs.

The Department of Public Safety will not be able to fill 21 vacant trooper positions.

The Department of Work Force Services will give up $10 million in state and federal funds for child-care assistance.

The Health Department will lose $33 million in Medicaid cuts, reducing benefits for 19,000 people, and $750,000 from programs that serve children with special health-care needs.

Given all that, it is probably lucky the Safety Net Committee did not lose all its funding.

We have turned the comment feature off on the blog because of problematic posting today by a particular individual. I apologize for that.

I have had to do this once before and I realize it is a real turn off, literally, for readers. I was quite interested in hearing your takes on the court hearings in Texas on Thursday.

But that will have to wait.

I will do my best, in the meantime, to keep the blog going.

I was not able to travel to Texas for the latest round of court hearings, but according to the San Angelo newspaper Thursday's hearing was a doozy.

Here's what I understand went on, based on that newspaper's report, information from CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins and other sources:

1. Barbara Jessop's 14-year-old daughter will remain in foster care at least until January, when her case will be reviewed again. Barbara has completed a psychological test, social study of her home, and parenting class.

2. Judge Barbara Walther disqualified Dallas attorney Laura Shockley from representing Annette Jeffs, mother of 17-year-old Teresa Jeffs. In the early days of the FLDS child welfare investigation, Shockley was assigned to represent a child of one of Jeffs' sister wives, which the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said constituted a conflict.

I don't know how old that child was, but many attorneys had little to do with the children in the early stages of this saga. I do not know, either, whether that child's case is still pending. But if it not, what is the problem?

Shockley also had signed on to act as co-counsel for Barbara Jessop, which the department said was a conflict, too. One of Jessop's stepsons is allegedly married to Jeffs' daughter. And Jessop's teenage daughter is allegedly Annette's sister wife.

So many attorneys were involved in this case in the beginning that finding someone who has not previously represented a child or alleged child or mother may be a challenge.

I just read this interesting story about how polygny left its mark on our DNA. Here are the first two paragraphs of the story in New Scientist:

''Throughout human history, relatively few men seem to have had a greater input into the gene pool than the rest, suggests a study of variations in DNA.

Tens of thousands of years of polygamy has left a mark on our genomes that is a signature that small numbers of males must have mated with lots of females.''

Here is the link to the story.