Posted on 04/30/2008 8:40:44 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - State police in northeastern New Mexico have removed four children from the compound of an apocalyptic church, whose leader claims to be the Messiah and acknowledges having sex with followers.
State Children, Youth and Families Department spokeswoman Romaine Serna says the three girls and one boy—all under the age of 18—were taken from the compound in the days after an April 22 investigation.
Serna says the children were put in state custody because of allegations of inappropriate contact between minors and the adult leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church.
Wayne Bent, known in the church as Michael Travesser, established the church at a site called Strong City in the rural norteastern corner of the state.
He alleges the children were kidnapped by the state.
“He alleges the children were kidnapped by the state.”
Wonder what his FR handle is?
(It’s a joke, folks)
First they came for our sex slaves...
That is funny . I have been among those demanding due process for all accused and it gets harder everyday with these creeps .
Not really a joke ~ just who did you think was fighting so hard for the F(lds)? Certainly not Janet Reno!
me too
“whose leader claims to be the Messiah and acknowledges having sex with followers.”
Sounds like Gaius Baltar.
LOL—I wonder too. (SORT of joking)
Can you say "Grand Jury"?
They want this puke put away but good, and his followers as well!
Weird there’s no mention of any other adults in this compound. Who’s children are these, and if their parents were living in the compound, why weren’t they arrested too? Or were they?
(Ok, I am not really 'wondering' lets characterize it as 'nervously theorizing.')
Go New Mexico!
We don’t have very much information here, but it sounds like a much more appropriate procedure. There is mention of an investigation ahead of the seizure, and that those seized are actually those who are claimed to have been abused, and (assuming there are other families and children at this community) NOT a wholesale seizure of every single child from every single parent.
As I said, we need more information to know this for a fact, but as reported here, this doesn’t raise ANY of the red flags that the FLDS seizures raised.
Be careful or you will get labeled as pedophile for doing so.\sarc
I have been defending the rights of the accused as well and have said it was only going to be a matter of time before the gov’t start cracking down on all compounds that it views as a possible threat. They allow these religious folks to break the law until it suits the gov’t purpose to swoopin and arrest the adults and send their children to re-education camps. Next it will start on the smaller religious compounds known as your home. slight paranoia on my part but I wouldn’t put it past them.
Now I am waiting for the usual suspects to show up and give the same “ends justify the means” argument.
Sure it is. They took all the children from all the parents.
Although they are into doing the same stuff as F(lds) we know they are NOT MORMONS, just crazy old child abusing polygamist perverts.
No connections at all ~ not even a Samoan around to set 'em straight eh? (noting that LDS and SDA both attract Samoans, those two being the only religions in the islands) (for all practical purposes). (Should be a winning SDA football team eventually) (We can have the Samoa Bowl ~ BYU vs. SDA some day).
That was a "Chewbacca Offense" BTW.
Investigation of the FLDS has been going on for decades, with a number of prosecutions along the way. The mass seizure was WAY overdue.
Ditto.
If you’re having sex with your kids I think we can overlook your religious affiliations and swoop down and save your kids.
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