WTF? 534 women, children leave polygamist ranch

[spanone]

what the hells going on ....one teenager makes a phone call??? why hadn't someone called before??? some sick folks. strange story. in a press conference the lady said that they had taken actual custody of all 401 children.
all taken from their families.


SAN ANGELO, Texas - Officials on Monday announced that 534 women and children — more than twice as many as had been earlier reported — were removed from a polygamist compound and that all 401 children have been placed in state custody because a judge deemed them in imminent danger of physical abuse.State police earlier made an arrest as they searched the sprawling rural compound built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs in their investigation into a possible underage marriage.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said the person arrested was not Dale Barlow, the man listed in warrants related to the marriage of an underage girl. The person was charged with interfering with officials, but Vinger said he had no other details.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23993440

[YOY]

1. This is the Warren Jeff's Polygamist group of fundie Mormons

They are truly an evil lot of bastards.

They have no problem throwing out young men and boys as young as 13 to the streets (literally) all so the older men can have brides from the women. Apparently the naturally proportionate gender ratio of humanity disagrees with them...

Young women (of below the age of consent) are often married to older men as well.

It's really slimy...

[spanone]

3. how can something like this go on so long? unbelievable

[YOY]

5. Money and living all in one group in little towns in the middle of nowhere

Put yourself in the shoes of an abused person there:

If you complain of abuse then you have NOWHERE to go. Everyone you know is in this small town (you seldom leave) and the police and school authorities are in on it too. Young men are cast out for minor transgressions and there is some serious dirty money going on to boot.

Non members are not welcome to move there (why would they...it's the middle of nowhere?) So these little towns remain small little cult worlds...

They've got little towns in Arizona, Canada, and Utah as well. The Arizona's one's days are numbered according to an AZ amigo of mine.

[JeanGrey]

10. Just read some of the posts on here about those in

plural marriages and how mad they get if you question them. It goes on EVERYWHERE

[cynatnite]

2. Sounds to me like a lot of them have wanted to leave for a while...

they realized the real world doesn't operate the same as it does in polygamy land. I bet the abuse was fairly common.

[Cerridwen]

4. Some backstory

in this old post of mine.

I've not checked to see if all the links in the post are still active but it might give you some valuable information about this over 100-year-old "church."

[JeanGrey]

12. It all goes back to the mormon belief that they will become

gods when they die, like Jesus was a god, and given a "god world" to rule over with their goddess wives. The more wives the better. If mormon wives aren't married in temple ceremonies and stay with their husbands they will not be called forth to become goddess by their husbands to rule with them on those worlds when they die.

[anniebelle]

6. And how about the Baptist Church buses hauling them off?

What was that? Is this not a State government operation? Geez, how sad for those ladies and children.

[spanone]

8. i did notice that...very strange...

[kestrel91316]

14. Well in that part of TX I imagine the local schools don't have money

for buses, but the Baptist churches have plenty......

[eppur_se_muova]

7. This was a very active topic in LBN over the weekend ...

lots of people speaking up to defend the rights of polygamists to force themselves on their child brides. :eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3257668&mesg_id=3257668

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3255587&mesg_id=3255587

[YOY]

9. I find it pretty goddamn hard to stick up for them myself

Kinda like sticking up for NAMBLA or Neo-nazis...

[JeanGrey]

13. Yup.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Err, it seems you're misrepresenting the arguments.

:shrug:

[kestrel91316]

11. I think Mr. Barlow is busy out in the chapparal burying his little wifey.

JMHO.......

[DemoTex]

17. I think I heard on MSNBC that Barlow is in custody in Arizona for another sex crime.

And Barlow denies the allegations of the teenage female who called police.

[kestrel91316]

18. OF COURSE he denies it. He's not stupid, he's a serious criminal

probably very well-versed in covering his tracks.

[elizfeelinggreat]

15. Not just FLDS

I think the book Under The Banner of Heaven included information about this family :

Man sentenced for marrying his 15-year-old cousin

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- A member of Utah's polygamous Kingston clan was sentenced Monday to a year in prison for taking a 15-year-old cousin -- who was also his aunt -- as his wife.

<snip>

The Kingston clan, also known as the Latter Day Church of Christ, includes an estimated 1,200 members. The secretive group has amassed a $150 million business empire, running Utah companies that include pawn shops, restaurant supply stores and dairies.

<snip>

Last year, Jeremy Kingston's uncle, David Ortell Kingston, was released from prison after serving four years for committing incest with a 16-year-old niece.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/26/utah.polygamy.ap/

[Karenina]

19. Ah, patriarchy!

Where the penis is king... :puke:

[Quantess]

20. It's like a rooster syndrome.

The oldest rooster chases away all the younger roosters and keeps all the hens to himself.

These people are living like a flock of chickens.

[Ilsa]

21. I guess someone was gathering a dossier on them, and then waiting

for the right time to go in and start gathering them up. This couldn't have been an easy task, legally, I bet, with so many of them underage, not understanding what is really going on, and having been brainwashed. Some of the more mature ones might have been afraid to tell the truth in case they had to go back.