Comments on: What Did The FLDS Kids Do To Deserve This?

Ben Stein Says Texas Authorities Are Acting Like The Gestapo By Taking Away The Children Of A Mormon Sect

[homespunlady]

From the Salt lake Tribune:

At least nine children taken from a polygamous sect''s ranch are or have been in the hospital and attorneys for most of the mothers say they have received little or no information about their conditions.
Attorneys for Texas Rio-Grande Legal Aid (TRLA) are working to identify the children and the hospitals, and to arrange for the mothers to visit the children.
"We can''t seem to get anyone on the phone with authority to make that happen and the mothers don''t even know the seriousness of the situation," said Amanda Chisholm, a TRLA attorney.
The legal aid society, which represents 48 mothers, said one 2-year-old child lost a severe amount of weight while staying at the San Angelo Coliseum.
TRLA said the organization was told two days ago that the child was in shock and lethargic, but has received no new information since then about where the child is or regarding her current health situation.
The mother is not being allowed to be with this child or her other nursing children, Chisholm said.
"We don''t seem to be able to get in touch with anyone who can tell us," she said.

[anaconda64]

Stein clearly fell on his head when he got out of bed Sunday. Rarely have I seen such poorly-reasoned tripe on CBS; apparently Fox was unavailable for his brand of "pity the pervert."

Ben, you whipped out the crying towel for the wrong victim and for the wrong reason. This isn''t about punishing the children of the YFZ Ranch. It isn''t about separating children from their mothers. It isn''t about the big bad Gummint picking on folks who are different. It IS about a criminal conspiracy to abuse women and children on a wholesale basis, organized by and for felons. Since when are child molesters the subject of our pity, Ben?

[ginus213]

I am amazed that this time Ben Stein shows such warped thinking about the "poor, little kids" separated from their mothers in the Eldorado FDLS compound. In the first place, there is not the close filial connection between the kids and their parents here. Secondly, the older girls are made to "raise" several kids all at once in a large group fashion. And as for the fathers? Forget them. From what I understand, they are primarily 50 plus year old men, who, in impregnating these teenage girls, are only attempting to gain their entrance into heaven. Given the chance to speak the truth, I''m willing to bet that most of these teenaged moms might welcome the chance to extricate themselves from this hellhole existence in the polygamist compound. That is, if their brains are still working normally and they haven''t been entirely brainwashed and threatened ! I see this compound as a baby-making factory, allowing the clans to invent a new society here in this part of Texas - where U.S. laws are not to be obeyed.

[arizona20081]

Ben Stein is clearly wrong headed when asking if Texas officials are punishing FLDS children. The direct answer to his scare headline is: FLDS kids did nothing to deserve a life of pedophilia, statutory rape, rape, emotional and sexual abuse, and/or polygamy. Their parents gave them a failed life.

The legal questions should focus on whether the children living in the compound, especially girls between 13-17, are victims of crimes. History has taught it is the FLDS adults that commit illegal acts against their children.

Stein either does not know history, or chooses to ignore it. A real journalist would editorialize that the male FLDS leaders have a long history of manipulating their women and girls. The males are untrustworthy saying anything to preserve their power and position of influence over their females.

Stein should read: %u201CUnder the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith%u201D by Jon Krakauer, %u201CLeaving the Saints%u201D by Martha Beck, %u201CEscape%u201D by Carolyn Jessop.

The evidence indicates male FLDS leaders, with collaboration of their spiritual wives, enforced practices continuing the total subjection of girls and young women to the crimes listed above. Regardless of their religious beliefs, it appears that the adults of the FLDS broke the law, committed crimes against their children and the state, and, if so, they need to be convicted. I commend Texas authorities for their quick action to protect the children.

[sam_lowrey]

Thank you, Ben. Finally someone with some sense!

[l8rgator]

Seriously Ben? Have you been getting your news from the new FLDS website? I often respect your opinions, but you are WAY off on this one. You get a 10 on my cringe factor scale.

If you really think that parents brainwashing at least 58% of all 14-17 year old girls into having children so they can avoid burning in hell or being sent to mental institutions or being reassigned to new parents is not cause for concern, then I hope you''ve already sent your kids and grandkids there to experience this wonderful culture.

Feel free to send the boys also, but be warned - with each man having to marry at least 3 women in order to get to heaven, there is a good chance they''ll be dropped off on a corner someday with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the clear message to never come back.

[l8rgator]

Seriously Ben? Have you been getting your news from the new FLDS website? I often respect your opinions, but you are WAY off on this one. You get a 10 on my cringe factor scale.

If you really think that parents brainwashing at least 58% of all 14-17 year old girls into having children so they can avoid burning in hell or being sent to mental institutions or being reassigned to new parents is not cause for concern, then I hope you''ve already sent your kids and grandkids there to experience this wonderful culture.

Feel free to send the boys also, but be warned - with each man having to marry at least 3 women in order to get to heaven, there is a good chance they''ll be dropped off on a corner someday with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the clear message to never come back.

[l8rgator]

Seriously Ben? Have you been getting your news from the new FLDS website? I often respect your opinions, but you are WAY off on this one. You get a 10 on my cringe factor scale.

If you really think that parents brainwashing at least 58% of all 14-17 year old girls into having children so they can avoid burning in hell or being sent to mental institutions or being reassigned to new parents is not cause for concern, then I hope you''ve already sent your kids and grandkids there to experience this wonderful culture.

Feel free to send the boys also, but be warned - with each man having to marry at least 3 women in order to get to heaven, there is a good chance they''ll be dropped off on a corner someday with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the clear message to never come back.

[l8rgator]

Seriously Ben? Have you been getting your news from the new FLDS website? I often respect your opinions, but you are WAY off on this one.

If you really think that parents brainwashing at least 58% of all 14-17 year old girls into having children so they can avoid burning in hell or being sent to mental institutions or being reassigned to new parents is not cause for concern, then I hope you''ve already sent your kids and grandkids there to experience this wonderful culture.

Feel free to send the boys also, but be warned - with each man having to marry at least 3 women in order to get to heaven, there is a good chance they''ll be dropped off on a corner someday with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the clear message to never come back.

[ratsooo]

Bueller?...Bueller?

[jmsuds1]

Texas is the first state with the courage to deal with these pedophiles and cultists as they deserve to be dealt with and Mr. Stein believes it is over the top. Mr. Stein, this isn''t Reagonomics. A hands-off approach is not the type of government needed here. This Jeffries lead cult deserves to have their children taken and they deserve to be thrown into jail. I believe the women are at fault for allowing it to happen and should be held culpable as well. Please read Krakauer''s Under the Banner of Heaven if you want an historical perspective to how long this has been going on and the extent the cult goes to to cover it up. They are criminals - pure and simple.

I am very disappointed in your opinion this week and sadly, it has made me think of you differently as a person. I don''t believe I can admire or even listen to your good sense when you are a man who would argue for the powerful to continue to abuse children. By doing that you argue to continue to place children in danger of being SEXUAL SLAVES! What kind of man does that?

[jmclaughzzz]

CBS should give an apology for Ben Stein comment. I urge viewers to contact their local stations and the show sponsers to object to this irresponsibility.

[jsorrell3]

yes, the San Angelo Standard times is reporting "how much this is going to cost the tax payers". The cost of crime in never cheap...not in Texas or anywhere else, but the cost to our government or any other is just another crime these people have committed. If it takes these children away from their brain-washed mothers and rapist fathers, I would gladly pay it out of my own pocket. I don''t consider this a waste of tax payers money. This has to stop here so that future generations of these children don''t continue to believe this way of life is acceptable or lawful.
As a Judge''s wife, I understand that "ROME wasn''t built in a day" and this MESS wasn''t either. We, especially the media, have to have patience and let this play out so that the facts can be presented to the court. The Media is so hungry for a story that they make negatives out of every situation. I''m sick of it. Let the judicial system do it''s job!!!!

[mesaice]

Ben Stein should be Tarred and Feathered and run out of town. Those children in Texas deserve to be freed from a life of underage *** and motherhood. Ben Stein should not be allowed to give opinion on anything after this blunder. If that is truley the way he feels about these pood helpless children, he needs to be let go by CBS.

[kidzadvokate]

Stein needs to be fired. By criticizing Texas authorities from removing abused children, he is indirectly stating that pedophiles, rapists, and child abusers should run freely in our societies and closed religious communities. Wonder why he isn''t out fund raising for Catholic priests in jail for rapes and molestations of children. I have begun a boycott of all companies who advertised on CBS''s Sunday Morning-join me (GM, Kraft Food,Verizon, Coca Cola). Fire Stein!

[albar49]

Thank you Ben for having the guts to state the obvious. First the State grabs Mormon kids because they are "brainwashed". Next they''ll take your kids because they haven''t been properly vaccinated or given the recommended behavior-altering drugs. Finally, they''ll have to find a solution to the problem of the Jews like Ben Stein and others who won''t keep quiet about what''s going down. That couldn''t happen here could it, not in the land of the not so free and not so brave?

[honestly4]

GOOD PARENTS PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN FROM RAPIST''S!
THEY DON''T ALLOW THEM TO BE PUT INTO A VULNERABLE LIVING SITUATION WITH 50 YEAR OLD PEDOPHILLES WHO RAPE IN THE NAME OF GOD WHILE THREATENING HELL!
MY DEFINITION OF BLASPHEMY!

[jimfinster]

Ben, you are a friggin idiot. See todays news:


SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- More than half the teen girls taken from a polygamist compound in west Texas have children or are pregnant, state officials said Monday.

A total of 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 are in state custody after a raid 3= weeks ago at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado.

Of those girls, 31 either have children or are pregnant, said Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar. Two of those are pregnant now, he said; it was unclear whether either of those two already have children.

"It shows you a pretty distinct pattern, that it was pretty pervasive," he said.

[joyous88]

when we start making churchs pay their share of taxes

than we will see the end of these criminally driven cults,

Thses christians belong in prison and their cults

should be made illegal to protect children

that includes the catholic cult

I am stunned and appalled at Ben Stein''s opinion of the raid on the polygamous cult in Texas. His sexist remark- that it is all any man can do to keep up with one wife was offensive, not humorous. The reality here is that men do not "keep up" with their wives; the wives are chattel, owned by the men, and in service to them. The fact that nothing was done for years is irrelevant. Something SHOULD have been done, and better late than never. Not only is polygamy illegal, but so is child *** abuse. According to AP news stories, "More than half the teen girls taken from a polygamist compound in west Texas either are pregnant or have children...A total of 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 are in state custody...Of those girls, 31 have children or are pregnant..." Have we learned nothing from our past experiences with these sorts of cults? Name one where *** abuse of young girls by old men was not protected as part of their "religious beliefs." Sending your young daughters off into the beds of grown men is not serving God. We have laws to protect children, and the state of Texas has every right to get those kids out of that sick environment. It%u2019s too late to protect many of those kids, but maybe some of the younger children will be spared. A parent is responsible to not abuse their kids themselves, AND to protect them from abuse by others. "Failure to protect" is absolutely a legitimate reason for removal of children.