Texas still in court today
Here’s the official tally of underage women married to older men revealed by the Texas Department of Public Safety in court today, compiled from FLDS records seized at the YFZ ranch (according to the Salt Lake City Tribune): “attorneys representing the state focused in on 10 women between the ages of 16 and 19 listed as married to older men. Five were listed as having children.”blockquote>
Take some time to run over to Grits for Breakfast. He has amazing legal commentary on the polygamous ranch raid. Take the time to read it all.
I woke up this morning still annoyed that Angela Voss, a supervisor for investigation at Texas Child Protective Services testified that she found the compound “scary and intimidating.”
Witness: Teens at ranch said any age OK to marry - CNN.com
Voss said about 130 of the children removed were under the age of 4 and that girls as young as 13 had conceived children at the ranch.Boys were also removed from the ranch, Voss testified, because “I believe that the boys are groomed to be perpetrators.”
“I was concerned,” Voss said of her visit to the ranch. “It was a scary and intimidating environment. I was afraid. I saw men all over.”
She said she saw men in a guard tower looking down on them as they entered the ranch, and men escorted the women to the schoolhouse for the interviews.
Her feelings about it being “scary” have no place on the witness stand. Walk into any unfamiliar environment and you will find it “scary and intimidating.” The people who live there don’t find it scary and the fact that she was allowed to use those feelings as testimony just makes my head spin.
Technorati Tags: polygamy sect, Texas
Filed under: polygamist sect, texas
I’ve been reading the hundreds of comments from outraged citizens at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/free-the-innocent-flds
Also, I’ve seen the video of Texas Foster Care system horrors at:
http://dayofpraise.blogspot.com/
Whew! What a situation!
The FLDS is an outrageous cult that literally pushes women’s rights back at least 100 years - and has brought women down to their knees “literally.”
From the book “Escape”
Page 195: Some of Carolyn’s stepdaughters were married to Jeffs, and she feared his temper. She writes: “One day he brought one of his wives into the [school] auditorium, which was packed with boys. Annette had a long braid that fell past her knees. Warren grabbed the braid and twisted and twisted it until she was on her knees and he was ripping hair from her head. He told the boys that this was how obedient their wives had to be to them.”
Gladys, I certainly understand you are unimpressed with the FLDS belief system. I can’t say I am impressed myself. The problem is that the state is overreaching beyond belief. They had no real reason to take 416 children except that they didn’t like their beliefs. The state doesn’t get to do that. I have the sneaking suspicion that when they come for you, you will be more than happy that I am standing up for the law not the overall ick factor I might be feeling about it.
Just a response to page 195 you decide to excerpt here, Annette certainly has the right to call the police and have Jeffs arrested for assault. Oh wait he is already in jail isn’t he? If her parents and her parents parents decided to raise her in such a way that Annette chooses not to avail herself of the law then there is nothing in the world I can do. Our laws are pretty clear in we get to step in for specific causes this isn’t one of them.
I am sorry if I can’t get all caught up in the religious fervor that is coming out against the FLDS members. The law is the law and we don’t get to decide based on belief systems who gets to be a parent and who doesn’t. It makes me ill that any woman or girl would allow themselves to be treated like chattel but I have to remind myself again and again that is exactly what many women around the world live in and specifically many fundamental Christian women are choosing to promote. I don’t understand why anyone is part of any fundamental religion any more than I understand those in the compound. I am sure this will offend you but I see very little difference between their beliefs and that of the fundamental Pentecostals down the street or the fundamental Baptists around the block. They are living their belief systems and that is certainly their right. If we as a state really get to decide who gets to parent and who doesn’t then why the heck do white supremacists get to raise another generation of white supremacists? Why didn’t the state come get my next door neighbors kids when her 14 year old got pregnant? She was certainly happy enough to marry her off at 14 while it was still legal in 2004 so tell me why these 416 and not the other two that lived next door?
I promise you their beliefs freak me out as much as they do you but I have to use the law to form my opinion not how I feel about their religion.