52 girls taken from polygamist ranch in Texas

MSNBC.com ^ | 04/04/2008 | AP

[JRochelle]

ELDORADO, Texas - Child welfare officials following up on an abuse complaint took custody of 18 girls who lived at a secretive West Texas religious retreat built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

A total of 52 girls, ages 6 months to 17 years, were bused away on Friday to be interviewed, but only 18 were immediately taken into state custody, said Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner. No arrests had been made.

Meisner said welfare officials were looking for foster homes for the girls, most of whom have rarely been outside the insular world of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They were being housed for now at a civic center, she said. "We're dealing with children that aren't accustomed to the outside world, so we're trying to be very sensitive to their needs," Meisner said.

Authorities had interviewed about half the girls since arriving Thursday evening at the remote compound with law enforcers, she said. Interviews were expected to continue over the weekend.

The investigation began with a call alleging physical abuse of a 16-year-old girl living there, Meisner said.

16-year-old giving birth? On Friday afternoon, the Department of Public Safety officials began executing a search warrant.

[JRochelle]

This is heartbreaking. Imagine all those girls without their mothers, absolutely terrified in a strange world.

This perversion of polygamy needs to be rubbed out.

This isn't a religion, it is abuse.

[JRochelle]

On a lighter note, I saw this on CNN and the girls were taken away in buses.

The side of the buses read, First Baptist Church, El Dorado.

[yldstrk]

How can people do this kind of stuff?

[RichInOC]

One at a time, my friend. One at a time.

[JRochelle]

It is pure perversion, mistaken as the will of God. They see a pretty young girl, sprout a woody, and lo and behold they think God wants them to have that girl!

SICKENING.

[JRochelle]

Fitting tagline!

[JRochelle]

ping

[Soothesayer]

Needs, yes. Will it? Don’t bet on it. Stupidity is like a plague without a cure.

[Nitro]

When I was in the U.S. Navy.

I learned to fire a .45...

I would like to do it again.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

the welfare people should have taken the mothers along with the girls. ...for the sake of the mothers AND the children!

[ConservaTexan]

At least there were no flames this time.

[Politicalmom]

What about the boys?

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

what happened to the boys?

[Deo volente]

They’re very lucky that Janet Reno wasn’t in charge.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

in 18 graves somewhere on the property, god forbid?

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

*God

[notaliberal]

I notice that the more vocal protestant Catholic bashers are pretty silent on this thread....Gamecock, Dr. Eckleburg, Quix, Ottofire.........very telling

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

make that 52 graves

[deport]

Texas troopers remove children from secretive polygamist retreat

KIMA CBS 29 - News, Weather and Sports - Yakima, WA - Yakima, Washington 29 | National & World News

Story Published: Apr 4, 2008 at 1:35 PM PDT

By MICHELLE ROBERTS, Associated Press Writer

ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - State authorities took custody Friday of 18 girls who had been living at a secretive West Texas religious retreat built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

Fifty-two girls, ages 6 months to 17 years, were put on a bus and taken away from the compound in the afternoon, said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for state Child Protective Services. About half the children had been interviewed so far, with a judge giving the state custody of about a third of the girls removed from the retreat.

Authorities entered the 1,700-acre retreat, built by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, late Thursday and served search and arrest warrants Friday. There were no arrests by the afternoon.

The bus left the compound filled with what appeared to be mostly girls, dressed in the conservative long-sleeve dresses.

Schleicher County Attorney Raymond Loomis Jr. said a girl apparently called authorities to complain, but he had no other details.

Tom Vinger, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said child welfare officials were responding to a complaint, but he could provide no details.

"The people inside are cooperating. They provided all the people we wanted to talk to," he said.

The ranch is north of the two-stoplight town of Eldorado, down a narrow paved road. Authorities blocked access to the compound's gate, keeping onlookers miles away.

Only the compound's 80-foot-tall, gleaming white temple is visible on the wind-swept desert horizon, but Vinger said the ranch has numerous buildings.

He did not know how many people live there, but local officials in 2006 put the number at about 150 as members of the reclusive church moved from a community on the Arizona-Utah line.

The congregation, known as FLDS, has been led by Jeffs since his father's death in 2002. It is one of several groups that split from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based in Salt Lake City, decades after it renounced polygamy in 1890.

In November, Jeffs was sentenced to two consecutive sentences of five years to life in prison in Utah for being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old girl who wed her cousin in an arranged marriage in 2001.

In Arizona, Jeffs is charged as an accomplice with four counts each of incest and sexual conduct with a minor stemming from two arranged marriages between teenage girls and their older male relatives. He is jailed in Kingman, Ariz., awaiting trial.

The group's retreat, about 160 miles northwest of San Antonio, is on a former exotic game ranch. The group bought the property in 2004 for $700,000 and began an ambitious construction program anchored by the temple.

[JRochelle]

The boys are chased out.

Too much competition!

[txflake]

Clinton Torched, Bush Rescued captive children

Never, never, EVER forget Waco.

Ever.

And don't cross-over for the ghoul who was OK with incinerating those kids.

[JRochelle]

What do you mean?

These people aren’t Catholic or Protestant.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

Sounds like Gorilla society - Jeffs is the alpha male.

[tbw2]

As long as the prohibition on polygamy is applied equally across all religions, that’s fine. But if FDS Mormons are prosecuted while Muslims get an A-OK, then the gap between haves and have nots is as evil as the sexual abuse itself.

[JRochelle]

It is courteous to ping people if you mention their names.

[ansel12]

“I notice that the more vocal protestant Catholic bashers are pretty silent on this thread....Gamecock, Dr. Eckleburg, Quix, Ottofire.......very telling

---

I don’t know who those freepers are, but what would be the connection?

[JRochelle]

Please tell us how Muslims get an A-OK.

I missed that story.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

“But if FDS Mormons are prosecuted while Muslims get an A-OK,”

I’ll bet the ACLU is ready to proceed.

[A knight without armor]

“The boys are chased out.
Too much competition!”

Exactly. I have seen reports on how boys are seriously run off and are homeless in the outside world which is strange to them. They cannot go back and are without kin or friends. It is sad and disturbing. They can’t interact with their own mothers.

[hosepipe]

Those girls are probably as brain washed as the blacks in Jeremiah Wrights church.. and the Nation of islam..

[Politicalmom]

Courtesy ping as you are mentioned in post 17.

[tbw2]

I have not seen such a story, except perhaps the Muslim Brotherhood Bakery in California.
My concern is if political correctness leads to even more egregious double standards.

[txflake]

Muslims also enthusiastically incorporate ‘honor’ killings of their wives and daughters, but not their brothers and sons.

Oranges and apples.

[JRochelle]

Worthless mothers is all I can say. When you let pervs run your own children out of town, so that they can have easier access to the girls, and you stay in that culture, well you are pretty much a worthless person.

[GovernmentShrinker]

It’s hard to take the mothers when they’re legal adults and saying they don’t want to go. Minors are a different matter.

[Abigail Adams]

The mothers used to be girls, just like the ones taken away today. They are victims too.

[pandoraou812]

I think the mothers don’t know any better. They are born into this & see very little except what they are allowed to see. Its a shame & hopefully the girls will have better lives. I really feel bad for the boys who get run out too. Prayers for all of them.

[txflake]

That’s an incredibily callous statement.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Exactly. I have seen reports on how boys are seriously run off and are homeless in the outside world which is strange to them. They cannot go back and are without kin or friends. It is sad and disturbing. They can’t interact with their own mothers.

Sick, if true.

[org.whodat]

the welfare people should have taken the mothers along with the girls. ...for the sake of the mothers AND the children!

NO, they should have lined up all of the males and put them through a good old Texas head gate. I think some of those Texas cowboy can make a steer in about twenty seconds.

[JRochelle]

At some point, a person of sound mind, has to be held accountable for their actions.

These women were abused as children. That should have them running for the hills when those men come after their daughters.

Some do leave. With their children.

I know there are many weak women in this world. I just can't respect them.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Thank you, Politicalmom, for giving us the courtesy of a ping which notaliberal failed to show.

If notaliberal expects Protestants to defend Mormon practices, especially polygamous ones, he'll have a looong wait.

[PetroniusMaximus]

“I notice that the more vocal protestant Catholic bashers are pretty silent on this thread....Gamecock, Dr. Eckleburg, Quix, Ottofire.........very telling”

Nettiquete requires you to ping someone if you’re going to smear them.

[JRochelle]

I never see those Catholic/Protestant threads!

I am Protestant, but I think the Catholic religion is beautiful, with a great rich history.

[Quix]

Not at all telling . . .

ASSUMPTIONS of that sort are hazardous . . . very hazardous . . . because they appear so overtly to inherently include a huge dose of haughty critical judgment.

1. It's not a raging priority of mine. I consider that whole ball of wax to be quite overtly horrific and not a great deal in need of any spotlight of God's truth on it beyond what is already fostered by the media and folks' common horse sense--particularly if they have any serious familiarity with Scripture and sanity at all.

2. It would appear that an ASSUMPTION is made that Prottys would consider that group to be an average ol Protty sect, club, denomination. NO WAY!

3. God Himself appears to be bringing needful things to light as He did earlier with the RC priests abusing boys. He is not finished cleaning up HIS CHURCH on all sides of all issues and all sides of all dividing lines. More startling things will come to light on most sides of most dividing lines before Christ returns.

4. I don't need to presume to be able to greatly help God in dealing with such horrific situations when He has not communicated such to me and when it is clear He's doing quite fine without my help.

5. So, have RC reps given up their great hostility toward Prottys who ASSUME purportedly untrue things about what RC's believe and practice? If not, the assumptions evidently leveled in my direction would appear to be a wholesale outrageous double standard, pile of hypocrisy.

6. Calling me a RC basher, is, similarly a wholesale outrageous double standard pile of hypocrisy. RC's deplore Prottys asserting what RC's believe and practice when RC's don't believe such assertions are remotely accurate.

7. Yet, here, it is clear that while I am certain I'm not a wholesale RC edifice basher but merely a fierce declarer of truth about some ASPECTS of the RC edifice and ASPECTS of SOME of the key dogmas, teachings, rituals, traditions, practices, beliefs of the RC edifice . . . to me, the allegation that I'm a wholesale RC basher is AS OUTRAGEOUS as RC reps think it is when Prottys assert that SOME RC's are idolators when RC's are convinced that not a single person out of 1 billion RC's is guilty of such.

Double standards have a way of biting one in very sensitive areas . . . when the chickens come home to roost . . . as they invariably do.

[notaliberal]

Oh no! I wasn’t expecting you to defend them I was waiting for you and your cronies (the catholic bashers) to tear into them like you do to the Catholic Church!!! But so far not a peep!!!

[Quix]

THANKS MUCH.

My reply is at #45.

[notaliberal]

Blah! Blah! Blah! I heard that before, it's getting tiring!

By the way you do a terrific cut and paste!

[txflake]

You can thank the Lord that you weren’t raised in this harem.

Have mercy.

[JRochelle]

LOL.

There are only a few freepers who will defend polygamy.

There are some Mormons who will defend the polygamy that Joseph Smith started, but they don’t believe it is right to practice it now.

Not until the Lord says so. Their Lord keeps changing his mind about such things...