Sect Case Judge Won't Sign Reunion Order
Court Refuses To Sign Agreement To Reunite Polygamist Sect Parents With Children
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Polygamist Sect Case Unclear
It remains unclear whether anxious parents from the polygamist sect compound in El Dorado will re-obtain custody of their children. Hari Sreenivasan reports from Texas.
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Martha Emack, one of the parents from from the Yearning For Zion Ranch at Eldorado, Texas, approaches a news conference outside the Texas Capitol Thursday, May 29, 2008, in Austin, Texas. It was after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that child welfare officials overstepped their authority and the children from a polygamist sect's ranch should go back to their parents. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
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Photo Essay
Separation Anxiety
Some mothers in polygamist sect separated from children as part of abuse investigation.
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Photo Essay
Polygamist Compound Raid
Secret calls from alleged abuse victim lead to raid of religious sect's compound.
Anxious members of the El Dorado polygamist sect came to court Friday with hopes of being reunited with their children, who were taken from the Yearning for Zion Ranch by the state's Child Protective Services nearly two months ago. The agreement would have returned more than 400 children to their parents by the end of next week.
But the court set preconditions for the children's release, including:
And not all the children would be allowed to go home, as lawyers expect Child Protective Services to keep custody of a handful of girls that they believe were younger than the legal age of 16 when they married or became pregnant.
"It appears to be a fair compromise to me," said Court Coordinator Guy Choate. "I mean, the children are going back … that's what everyone said they wanted. Everyone said they wanted the child not to be injured, not to be harmed, not to be subject to child sexual abuse. If you take everyone at their word this order will ensure that occurs."
Several lawyers pleaded with the court to reunite the kids this weekend, but the court said it was better to take the time, and get everything done right - putting the reunions on hold.
The key investigation now appears focused on Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. An affidavit filed in Arizona charges that Jeffs married two 12-year-old girls and two 14-year-old girls before his arrest two years ago.
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See all 143 Commentsbut unannounced visits by cps and not allowing the the parents to take the kids anywhere without permission, is totally controlling and an abuse of power...it''s seems like a form of vindication from judge walter...she is sure a weird woman to want to play that game of keeping these kids more days away from their moms...bring the kids right away, since they have to bring them back anyway!!!
Why don''t we go and take all of their children away until we can verify that all of the mothers were over 18 when married or impregnated? Do any of the children have bruises? And if those men have more than one wife we just HAVE to intervene don''t we?
(If you''re not smart enough to detect sarcasm, please don''t reply)
Posted by WogerWabbit
In Texas? Yeah, right.
This is Texas we''re talking about, not exaclty a hotbed of liberalism! Sorry, but you can''t blame everyething on ''Liberals'' !
can you imagine the outcry if CPS swooped down into public housing areas and took every underage pregnant girl into custody...
ladies- sign the order, then escape in the night. you live in a police state
Most don''t, have you heard of family values?
That means protecting children?
Yes CPS didn''t do the job very well, but stop the liberal rant and get a life?
What about all of the young men who are forced out of this "cult" when they are teens themselves, so there is less competition for brides? Where do you go when your family turns you out, and you have no skills or education to live in the outside world?One of you got something right - I''m looking at a police state, and it isn''t just our government, it''s also this cult. Anyone who sees a sixteen year-old (or younger) as a *** object is sick. Haven''t any of you seen Predator Raw? They lock folks up, just for talking about doing this.
This is not an attack on religion. This is a cult that seeks special treatment under the law for something that many states do not tolerate. A minor cannot consent to ***, under any circumstances, ever. Religion is not supposed to harm people. But for cults, it is all about control over others, mostly through terror, fear, and brute force. Enough. Texas was right to do this. At least this cult knows that the eyes of Texas are finally upon them.
Posted by messiahx4eve at 11:40 PM : May 30, 2008
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2nd only to Ohio.
Posted by joe1022joe at 12:44 AM
Folks, don''t look now, but joe1022joe is a partistan bigot with an agenda of hatred against gay and lesbian people. You can''t enshrine discrimination in a constitution, it violates the entire purpose of the document that is so very important to every American.
Seriously consider what would happen if they removed an entire /neighborhood/ of kids near where you live?
Riots. Bloodshed. Rebellion. It would be /war/ here.
The various CPS organizations, as demonstrated in this case, routinely abuse their power.
CPS is a government organization that gets paid by case-load to take children from their parents.
There''s no reason for these organizations to exist.
If a parent commits a crime against their children the police can handle it.
CPS was created because police require things like evidence and warrants to enter your home and take your kids.
CPS considers random crank calls and made-up stories evidence.
Vote to de-fund them.
Waste of time, money, & effort on top of being evil.
Whatever happened to COMMON SENSE in this country?
Some WHACK JOB in Colorado Springs calls a Denver Shelter and is coached by a "former member" in Denver who "amazingly escaped" which PROVES that LEAVING is NOT all that "impossible".
The Whack Job then goes on and makes FALSE ACCUSATIONS using the information provided to her and that wild accusation IS NOT CHECKED BEFORE Texas CPS JUMPS to ASSumptions and runs a very costly to the taxpayer HEAVILY ARMED Nazi style "ROUNDUP" and MASS DETENTION in ARENAS.
Because they DIDN"T THINK, PLAN beyond the unverified KNEE-JERK WITCH-HUNT or even CONSIDER ALL the possible CONSEQUENCES of THEIR actions the taxpayers of Texas WILL be "footing the bill" on this one to the tune of MILLIONS and more with the LOSS of TRUST AND RESPECT in that CPS system probably at an ALL TIME HIGH now.
This kind of Knee-Jerk "righteous cause" BASED ON LIES is EXACTLY WHY this nation is QUAGMIRED and going BANKRUPT in Iraq.
There GOES HER probable POLITICAL AMBITIONS - ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN - based on LIES - without clear thought and COMMON SENSE!
But then again, she''s "hanging in there" Hillary style trying to PROVE her MISTAKE wasn''t one by NITPICKING EVERY LAST LOOPHOLE.
Maybe that ONE JUDGE and the FEAR-MONGERS that ENCOURAGED AND "EMBELLISHED the TRUTH" with subsequently DISPROVED LIES should CONSIDER the CONSEQUENCES of RASH DECISIONS BEFORE trying to reenact the wartime "roundups" of the Japanese that resulted in the US having to APOLOGIZE and PAY REPARATIONS decades later.
From what I''ve read - the Native Americans are STILL WAITING for their "fair treatment" after their horrific treatment by the SELF-Righteous "CRUSADERS" of this nation.
It''s not the suprenme court judge refusing to sign anything. It''s that lower court judge Barbara Walthers who is stalling things. She shoulb be removed from that case, disbarred and jailed. How do animals like this get judgeships in the first place?
It''''''''s not the suprenme court judge refusing to sign anything. It''''''''s that lower court judge Barbara Walthers who is stalling things. She shoulb be removed from that case, disbarred and jailed. How do animals like this get judgeships in the first place?
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Posted by summarex
BECAUSE?? I can''t say as I blame anyone for having doubts about returning these kids to THIS enviroment. Have you LOOKED and LISTENED to these ROBOTS? Can you imagine growning up in such an enviroment. Independent thought is a pipe dream in this group.
felt CPS was a little overzealous ...
This is a twisted little cult and you cant hide behind religion when your molesting/raping young
teens ...
The parents of these kids should really do some soul searching ... WOW!! We thought Jim Jones was a kook?
Typical knee-jerk reaction without any investigation!
Government sanctioned kidnapping!
So, when will we see a swastika flying above the White House?!
Also, while these kids may have a strange life in the sect - you wouldn''t need to look very far to see similar or worse circumstances across the country. If the government was to investigate the lives of children of convicted criminals, they would find a great many children living in unfit conditions which would require taking these kids. Imagine the government rounding up millions of kids when they can''t properly take 400.
I believe the 400 kids were rounded up for political gain which went terribly wrong for all including the instigators. The bargaining with the courts for the release of the kids is just the State trying to save face. I will bet that in the future a court will rule not only taking the children was wrong but that procedures preventing travel and other forms of blackmail will be found illegal.
The cost to the taxpayer for the debacle is already in the millions and will be hundreds of millions when lawsuits are brought against the state. Expect huge settlements from Texas in the future and a sect with huge amounts of cash and power.
Our stupid, stupid government...
demented comments for this horrendous CULT!
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