Posted on 08/01/2011 6:32:39 AM PDT by MizSterious
by Mike Watkiss
azfamily.com
Posted on July 31, 2011 at 4:53 PM
Updated yesterday at 4:54 PM
SAN ANGELO, Texas - The story of Warren Jeffs and polygamy in America did not start when Texas Rangers raided the YFZ Ranch and it will not end with Mr. Jeffs' trial here in San Angelo. The truth is, the history is long and the stories plentiful enough to fill-up libraries.
But listening to many of the talking heads on the networks and cable shows these days, you would think that they personally had just discovered this strange and secretive world through their own hard work and diligent investigation.
And that's shameful. Not only does it wildly embellish their roles in this long and twisted story for their own self-aggrandizing purposes, but I believe it also sort of gives everybody else a "freepass" for having not paid attention to this chronic and systematic abuse of women and children that dates back right here in our own beloved country nearly two centuries.
The culpability and dereliction of duty of dozens, if not hundreds, of Utah and Arizona cops and elected officials over the years is even greater. Their lack of involvement and action constitutes nothing short of willful ignorance and, in many cases, outright complicity. But that discussion for another day.
(Excerpt) Read more at azfamily.com ...
Warren Jeffs trial pinglist—if you want on or off, let me know via freepmail!
Seeing as it’s a blog (should be in Bloggers), there is no need for fellow FReepers to “click” and get popups.
Here.
********************
SAN ANGELO, Texas - The story of Warren Jeffs and polygamy in America did not start when Texas Rangers raided the YFZ Ranch and it will not end with Mr. Jeffs’ trial here in San Angelo. The truth is, the history is long and the stories plentiful enough to fill-up libraries.
But listening to many of the talking heads on the networks and cable shows these days, you would think that they personally had just discovered this strange and secretive world through their own hard work and diligent investigation.
And that’s shameful. Not only does it wildly embellish their roles in this long and twisted story for their own self-aggrandizing purposes, but I believe it also sort of gives everybody else a “freepass” for having not paid attention to this chronic and systematic abuse of women and children that dates back right here in our own beloved country nearly two centuries.
The culpability and dereliction of duty of dozens, if not hundreds, of Utah and Arizona cops and elected officials over the years is even greater. Their lack of involvement and action constitutes nothing short of willful ignorance and, in many cases, outright complicity. But that discussion for another day.
Of course, the media has “discovered” this story periodically over the years and usually, I would argue, with negative results. The media sure did come charging in when Warren Jeffs was busted outside Las Vegas back in 2006 and then again when Texas cops raided Jeffs’ 17-hundred-acre compound outside the little West Texas town of Eldorado in 2008. But after the initial “Oh My God—What is this place?—And look what cops have done” reaction; followed by the even bigger “Oh My God—look at all the kids the cops are taking out of there” response, the media then settled into it’s traditional role in this story of being gullible and dumb.
It was at that point that the FLDS community, that has elevated lying to the outside world to an art form, rolled out a brilliant and sadly very effective media campaign.
Suddenly teary-eyed women in pastel-colored prairie dresses were everywhere, crying and complaining bitterly about the big, bad State of Texas taking way their children.
Don’t get me wrong, I am certain that many of these women were genuinely heart-sick and terrribly concerned about the welfare of their kids. But the truth is, a lot of these sweet looking ladies are some of the biggest villians in FLDS society—family enforcers who don’t think twice about trotting their 12 or 13 year-old daughters—or the daughters of their sisterwives— to the feett of the prophet and say “have at them.”
Are all of these women the products of the same abusive environment? Absolutely! But should that give them a “freepass” from responsibilty? I know a lot of women who have “gotten out” and know that the practice of plural, underage marriage is wrong.
But let’s face it, the FLDS media blitz worked. Reporters weren’t interested in taking even a second to research the group’s well documented history. No, at that point, the only thing that mattered was getting “access” to the Ranch.
I remember standing at the gates of the Ranch as network crews and producers from the Oprah Winfrey show and just about every other knucklehead with a pencil and a camera were being ushered through the gates by FLDS lawyers.
One of those lawyers, a man named Jim Bradshaw, spotted me and said “not you pal.”
I think I’m the only reporter in the country that didn’t get on to the Ranch in the aftermath of the raid. But hey, if I was that guy, I would not have invited me to their party either. I would have asked questions that would have spoiled the sympathetic love-fest.
Oprah was the worst. In Winfrey’s much-hyped hour long sycophantic special, the toughest questions she asked were about the women’s hair and dress. And amid this onslaught of sympathetic and simple-minded coverage, Texas officials caved.
Despite the strenuous opposition of many of the CPS case workers, who were actually handling the FLDS children, people still believed the children should have remained in state custody—the state’s bigwigs were embrassed. They wanted an out and they ordered the children be returned.
A lot of people closest to this story and with the most knowledge believe the media sabotaged those children and the hard working case workers who were trying so desperately to help them. I am definitely one of those people. Because I think, in this story, the media is totally guilty.
Oprah is guilty. She had an opportunity to do some good but allowed herself to be a tool
Ditto.
I’ve read perhaps half a dozen books on the FLDS.
While never ideal, IMO, the lifestyle is not inherently completely abusive of women and children. It is similar to the life most humans have lived throughout history in the relations between men, women and children.
The big problem is that their system gives absolute power and authority to The Prophet. And we all know what absolute power does. When given to a man like Jeffs, who was already corrupt before he came to power, terrible things happen. For instance, marriage of truly underage girls has become frequent only in the recent decades of the FLDS. Prior to that most married in their late teens or even early 20s.
I first heard about Warren Jeffs not from the Oprah Show but from the Dr. Phil Show. He had 2 girls on the show that had escaped from the compound in Colorado City, Arizona from a show in April 2005. The 2 shows involved are titled “Brainwashed Brides” and “Inside the Cult”.
He then moved the cult from Arizona to Texas.
While never ideal, IMO, the lifestyle is not inherently completely abusive of women and children.
- - — - -
Wow. Just WOW. You came to that conclusion based on reading a few books?
I have known several FLDS (and other Mormon breakoff groups) families. I know even more people who left. My husband and I are registered as a ‘safe house’ for women who leave and My husband has offered to do legal work for these women pro-bono.
I have discussed and listened to their testimonies for hours on end. I have spent years researching Polygamy in Mormonism (and the breakoffs).
To say that it is not inherently abusive is absurd. Women are not valued except as cattle, there is widespread sexual abuse (often by preteen boys) against little girls. Rape is common and the women are blamed. There is lack of education for women, in part to control them, God is used to condone rape, violence, physical abuse and to ‘keep them in their place’. I have seen these things even in ‘independent’ polygamous families (ie no prophet). And that isn’t even starting on the abuse of young boys.
There are re-education camps where women are starved and isolated if they dare to speak out or contradict a man or to assert any independence. It is also a fallacy to state that underage marriage is a recent development. Underage marriage goes back to Joseph Smith (in this theology) and was common in the 19th century. In the breakoff groups, underage marriage has continued since the 1920’s. I know at least two women who were ‘married’ early to mid teans in the 1950’s.
Shame on you for reading a few books and asserting it is not inherently abusive, because the truth is completely different from your assertions.
That particular group also has compounds in several other states, CA, NV, ID, CO, WA, WY and SD and also in Canada (Bountiful).
There are re-education camps where women are starved and isolated if they dare to speak out or contradict a man or to assert any independence.
_______________________________________
Brigham Young did something like this
He had a house where they put the women who went crazy or were “difficult” a prison of sorts
and he would put his unwanted cast offs out on lonely farms and expect them to slave for him without supplies etc
at least one of his women starved to death...
Ol’ crazy Jeffs is at it again. Can’t post the source until some other source publishes it—but apparently the trial has again been halted after Jeffs filed a motion to have Judge Walther removed.
Can u freepmail it to me?
Yahoo picked it up—
Polygamist leader’s motion delays sex abuse trial
APBy WILL WEISSERT - Associated Press | AP – 4 mins 29 secs ago
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — The trial of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is on hold after he filed another motion to remove the West Texas judge presiding over the case.
The head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has twice tried to recuse state District Judge Barbara Walther. It wasn’t immediately clear how long the trial will be delayed after Jeffs filed the motion Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/polygamist-leaders-motion-delays-sex-abuse-trial-150939962.html
No mention of when the trial might resume, or what grounds he’s using.
The twitter account for SanAngelo states that the motion is a ‘revelation from God’ and is 16 pages.
No mention of when the trial might resume, or what grounds he’s using.
_____________________________________________________
1. Shes a woman
2. shes a woman in authority
3. Shes a woman with power over him, a man
The plan is to never let it resume...
a ‘revelation from god’ and is 16 pages.
_______________________________________
Hasnt the mormon god heard of txt ???
Actually, I would not be surprised if it is because she is an ‘ungodly woman’ (gentile) and part of the “whore of babylon”.
Yeah that too
16 pages? That man never uses a few words when a multitude of them are available, eh? I’d love to see the motion.
Recusal motion #3 already denied, trial resuming.
How many ways can you say “I’m a sexist pig”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.