TX polygamy case- court orders return of children

[ShanaMama]

So the Texas Supreme Court ordered the return of the children to the mothers. I have such mixed emotions about this because I think most of the children should be with their mothers. However, there are lots of problems there that need to be examined & probably will not be. This whole situation makes me so sad- what apparently goes on in these people lives even more than CPS invasion.
Wondering if others think this is good news or bad...

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700231123,00.html?pg=1

[purpleeyes]

Honestly, I find it to be very troublesome. I really view a lot of the behaviors as "grooming" the young women for sexual abuse, particularly with the pictures released this weekend of Warren Jeffs and his child bride.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=e179f97d-a6af-4f92-af5d-67cdfe4e1d5c&p=1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-king/warren-jeffs-gives-12-yea_b_103666.html

I am tending to take a hard line-get all those kids out now! That is probably not realistic, or even fair. But it makes me *so* mad...

[ShanaMama]

ITA with you. What I find so sad it that the mothers seem to love & cherish their children just like we all do. I see all the women as victims and no easy way to 'teach' them that. They've clearly been brainwashed/ indoctrinated- call it what you want.

[bunnisa]

Well, regardless of whether we agree with their lifestyle choices or not, they deserve due process of law and the Constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

If they have broken the laws of our country, they can and should be prosecuted in a court of law, following due process. We still believe in this nation that one is innocent until proven guilty.

In this case, they were assumed guilty until proven innocent.

A fraudulent phone call was made by a woman in CO with a history of these calls, and CPS used that fraudulent info (without investigating it) to take hundreds of children away from their parents and put them in foster care hundreds of miles away-- some of whom were members of separate (non-polygamous) families, living in their own homes.

If the state can do this to their children, it can do it to your children.

CPS acted completely inappropriately. If the men committed statutory rape, then CPS should be able to prove that and prosecute them. However, they're walking free while the innocents are being punished without due process. It's sad all around.

[purpleeyes]

Well, regardless of whether we agree with their lifestyle choices or not, they deserve due process of law and the Constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure.



ITA. My main point is that I view their 'lifestyle choices' as a dangerous environment for young women and young men (who are viewed as a threat to the older men). I don't think their religion/lifestyle choice should protect them from consequences (i.e. removal of children) after they have gone through due process.

[StantonHyde]

I am still waiting to see what the grand jury comes up with--the raid produced lots of evidence of fraud (my second biggest complaint with this group) and I hope they get them on those charges.

I thought it interesting that the group issued a statement saying that they would abide by legal marriage age depending on where they live. Which is 16 out this way--which I think is still too young to be married to someone who is old enough to be your father. Well, they currently get around that by marrying these girls in Mexico! There is actually a Mexican community that was founded by polygamists in the early 1900s to escape American laws.

I just do not trust this group. In the one case where that SICK photograph of Warren Jeffs was introduced, the father said it was against his religion to marry a girl that young but outside of court he said the photo had been doctored. His wife said she thought that Warren Jeffs was innocent and was jailed for trumped up charges--e.g. she has no problem with him marrying off young girls. The degree of brainwashing is just so troublesome. These mothers are unable to protect these girls.