FLDS mothers, kids being moved from shelters to new locations throughout Texas

[kestrel91316]

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Buses filled with women and children today began leaving the San Angelo Coliseum where 437 FLDS children have been been held for more than two weeks.
The movement came after Judge Barbara Walther issued an order setting destinations and explaining how the children will be placed.
The judge's order came despite a request for a temporary restraining order seeking to keep any children moved within a five-county radius of San Angelo.
Walther's order said the specialized needs of the mothers and children have been shared with the care providers, as well as their background and cultural characteristics. Texas Children Protection Services workers will be arranging meetings with those facilities to take care of medical and educational needs, the judge said.


Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9014979

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I like how they had the stadium on lockdown so the parents and their attorneys couldn't turn it into a big tear-filled show for the media and PR purposes. Don't think they didn't try.......

[classykaren]

1. When are they going to arrest some of these men?

[kestrel91316]

2. The investigation is only beginning. The DNA samples used to match

up mothers (and fathers) with children will be invaluable in establishing the fact of child rape, IMHO. The sampling has not yet been completed. Testing itself will take about a month (we are talking about many hundreds of samples of DNA to be matched up, in a population whose DNA is probably all very similar).

These things take time. This isn't TV, it's the Real World.

[slackmaster]

3. I think they have to find evidence of crimes first

:shrug:

Analyzing DNA samples is going to take some time.

[kestrel91316]

4. Not only evidence, but more importantly they have to narrow the

list of suspects for each individual crime. It's not like there was just ONE man in the bunch raping girls. They probably ALL were.

[marshall]

8. Past allegations of men raping boys

I've read allegations from young men who were thrown out saying they were sodomized and warned not to say anything.

http://www.eldoradosuccess.com/YFZ%20Pages/YFZ080504a.html

[High Plains]

9. So what ever happened in the lawsuit based on the allegations?

[saigon68]

11. Yes it does appear

Their rectums were stretched a bit.

What else do you expect?

[fasttense]

23. Well if they thought sex with little girls was just fine,

then sex with little boys is ok by them too. Not such a big leap there.

[1776Forever]

5. I would like to see more on the birth defects this style of living is causing in the children.......

http://blog.mrm.org/2006/02/polygamy-and-birth-defects/

The AP article, under the headline “Doctor: Birth defects increase in inbred polygamy community” described the problem:

“Intermarriage among close relatives is producing children who have two copies of a recessive gene for a debilitating condition called fumarase deficiency. The enzyme irregularity causes severe mental retardation, epileptic seizures and other effects that often leaves children unable to take care of themselves.”

Ben Bistline, described as a community historian and former FLDS member, was quoted:

“Ninety percent of the community is related to one side or the other. They claim to be the chosen people, the chosen few. And their claim is they marry closely to preserve the royal bloodline, so to speak.”

A related article in the Salt Lake Tribune (“Rare gene disorder common in FLDS”) reported that Dr. Tarby met with 150 members from the FLDS community in November to explain Fumarase Deficiency and how it could be prevented. He apparently came away from the meeting without much hope for change. He said,

“They consider these children to be their responsibility from God and their duty is to produce as many children as possible. There isn’t any reason in their view to slow down the having of children.”

Another related article, this one from Deseret News, pointed out that the afflicted children have severe mental retardation with IQs around 25. They require constant care, and receive it lovingly from parents and close relatives. However, Dr. Tarby said, medical care for the children is frequently borne by taxpayers.

[jwirr]

15. They could be doing both: loving care from family members and

receiving government money. That is the way most of these children are taken care of no matter where they are born. I for one took care of my daughter for 45 years and received welfare/ssi/ssa for support. I am in no way connected to this idiot group though. But they are most likely doing the same.

[1776Forever]

21. It isn't the care their giving its the potential for more children to be born with defects........

I am not saying these women aren't trying to be good parents, but I am saying if they continue this type of lifestyle more children are going to be born with terrible defects! That is not good parenting but blind allegiance to this type of lifestyle! It must stop before even more children have to pay the price for inbreeding.

[jwirr]

27. I agree with that. To bring a child knowingly into the world to suffer

is not acceptable.

[fasttense]

24. In the end, we, the American tax payer, have to pay for their incest. n/t

[uppityperson]

6. Sounds like they are trying to keep minor moms/babies and sibs together.

"Walther ordered that mothers who are minors will be placed with their babies, with pregnant minors in the same location.
Children under 12 months will be placed in foster homes with their siblings who are under 5, she said, and every attempt will be made to place siblings together.
Boys 8 and older will be placed at the Cal Farley Boys Ranch northwest of Amarillo, where 27 adolescent boys already have been staying. "

[kestrel91316]

17. Of course they are. Some people seem to think DFPS

just wants to rip families apart for the hell of it, and doesn't give a damn about children. (not you, BTW)

[uppityperson]

19. Yeah, well you better NOT mean me, because otherwise I'll

get my 13 floor of lawyers after you!!!!111 I'm Series!!!!11 I was THERE!!!1111

[High Plains]

7. Out of the frying pan and into the fire for these kids.

Torn away from their families and the only life they've ever known--even if it is a repressive one--and now subject to the tender mercies of Texas CPS and its foster care system. How do we weigh the trauma being inflicted on them (and their parents) by the state versus the trauma inflicted on them by their community? Everybody, get out your moral calculators.

A couple of other thoughts:

This isn't a black and white situation. Demonizing these people generates heat, but not a lot of light.

Also, I wonder how this is going to look five or ten years down the road. A similar mass seizure of kids in 1953 ultimately resulted in most of them returning to the community. Same thing happened with the Doukobhour sect in BC, Canada, about the same time. Same result.

[Warpy]

10. There are a few things to consider

First, these kids were housed in dormitories as soon as they were weaned. This in no way resembles a family as we know it.

Second, all women were Mom and all men were Uncle, not Daddy. If this isn't a setup to future incest, what is?

Third, once the kids were weaned, the maternal/child bond was severed by the cult. Children aren't identifying their birth mothers because they can't.

Fourth, this was a repressive sex cult, a booty farm for old men. These kids have been so traumatized already that the trauma of confronting the outside world will be more of the same, at worst.

[Turner Ashby]

13. I did this type of work.

And I fought foster care with heart and soul, but on this one, it is incest waiting to happen. And I can think of no greater damage than incest. These folks are warped from the age of 5 for the most part. Getting them away from mom is probably their last hope. There are no good answers. I feel sorry for the Judge, who has to be Solomon. But, on this one, for the first time, I am on the side of the State.

[yardwork]

20. Thank you for your insider's view.

I've wondered whether this is the right thing to do or not. I'm reassured by your post.

[superconnected]

12. One would could say the same about any repressed people.

These kids deserve a chance to live outside a religous cult. They deserve a chance to have the rights every other american has - to wear what they choose, read and go where they want, pick any religion they want or choose none, to be gay if they're drawn that way, and celibate if they're drawn there, etc.

Assuming it will only be bad if they are in foster care is flawed. Many kids who grow up in foster care adopt the new family and even continue visiting when they become adults. I know this because my best friend and her brothers were in fostercare when we were in H.S. and we both still visit her "mom" who happens to be her foster mom. She considers it the only stable home she ever had. Come to think of it my first cousins were also in foster care and they are still part of that foster family even though they are in the 40's now. It's still going home to them even though they landed there when they were teenagers.

Some foster familys are bad. Not all.

[Dogtown]

25. Will the state of Texas

force them to fornicate?

[darue]

14. stamping out these sick cults in a human and cultural imperative. they're way across the line

It's a damn shame this has gone on for generations.

[FormerOstrich]

16. IMHO,

the only thing worse than removing these children (and to a lesser degree the women) from the cult is to return them to the cult.

Personally, I believe the LDS Church should step up to the plate. They should try to get the children placed with LDS families. Furthermore, they should create Sunday school classes/clinics/whatever to teach these children the history of the Church and their ancestors.

Granted, the argument could be made the result is only trading one cult for another but it's at least a step toward mainstream. Plus, the common themes should offer some familiarity. It's not perfect but there just isn't any good solutions. The healing has to start somewhere.

Why isn't SLC showing some leadership here???

[kestrel91316]

18. The LDS church wants nothing to do with these people (on the surface, at least).

If they step in, their name will be linked to FLDS even more than it already is. They don't want ANYONE thinking they have ANYTHING to do with polygamy.

[FormerOstrich]

22. But the truth is they do have

descendants of polygamous relationships. People that are not very familiar with the Church(s) are confusing them anyway. They could glean positive publicity in rising to the occasion/saving the children/blah blah.

I think the reason they won't is because their history is sordid and dirty. I don't believe they want close scrutiny of their own history. After all, in mainstream LDS women remained "sealed" to their husband..thus resulting in a polygamous heaven.

Whatever the reasons, I believe they should set them aside and start helping.

[Dogtown]

26. The last thing these people need

is more "faith-based" indoctrination.

These children will need YEARS of specialized care to prepare them to exist within the fabric of society; they must not be turned over to another group that will focus on their "spiritual health" and ignore the horrific trauma they've endured.