Althouse: "Court Says Texas Illegally Seized Sect’s Children."

May 23, 2008

"Court Says Texas Illegally Seized Sect’s Children."

That was obvious.

23 comments:

vbspurs said...: The other night, MSNBC had a documentary on "The Family", that sex sect which River Phoenix' family were once all in.

Let me tell you, if this polygamous sect are anything like those evil paedophile weirdoes (may that Berg person rot in Hell), I'm happy for once the State meddled.

Mohave County Judge J.W. Faulkner later said he made a legal “blunder” during the custody hearings, writing after his retirement in 1955 that the reversal “will inevitably give new life to the cause of polygamy, and prolonging the fight for another 50 years.”

Almost to the day...

Cheers,
Victoria; 5/23/08, 11:10 AM
Joaquin said...: The children were illegally seized! NO $HIT! Ray Charles could see that one coming!; 5/23/08, 11:13 AM
Laura Reynolds said...: making their parents travel hundreds of miles to visit them

Must be particulary hard on fathers, what with having so many children.

I admit to being convinced of the guilt of some uf the adults in this case, w/o regard to legal technicalities. So yeah the original reason was bogus, doesn't change what's going on. I understand the role of the justice system but I'm entitled to my opinion and I don't see this as a slippery slope to losing my rights. Child molesters is what I see.; 5/23/08, 11:26 AM
TitusTimeClockofTheHeart said...: Those women need some major makovers.

Let's start with the hair. Do they all really have to wear that horrible style. I see some cute cuts in their futures with some fabulous coloring.

The dresses are an outrage. They are huge. I would like to see some nice little minis to show some leg and some cute little tankeys.; 5/23/08, 11:55 AM
vbspurs said...: I rather like their chignons, Titus. Very Breakfast at Tiffany's, no?; 5/23/08, 12:13 PM
rcocean said...: Is the ACLU involved?; 5/23/08, 12:24 PM
Silas said...: The other night, MSNBC had a documentary on "The Family", that sex sect which River Phoenix' family were once all in.

That cult has nothing to do with the organization described in the (unusually shoddy, even by Wikipedia standards) article you linked, as well as nothing to do with the Texas polygamists.; 5/23/08, 12:31 PM
William T. Sherman said...: If everything else was equal, and this was instead an Islamic compound w/a mosque there isn't a judge or law enforcement official in the country that would have taken those children.

And if they had, guess which side of the issue the press would have been on.; 5/23/08, 12:33 PM
TitusTimeClockofTheHeart said...: Thanks Victoria.

Wouldn't it be a great makeover show.

Going into one of those compounds doing the group house over and then the women and men do a fashion show with their new looks.

The before and after would be fantastic.

Oprah needs to get on that. She can bring that queen Nate with her.; 5/23/08, 12:39 PM
KCFleming said...: Let's talk about sects, baby
Let's talk about you and me
and she and she and she
Let's talk about all the good things
And the bad things that make babies
Let's talk about sects

Salt 'n' Pepa (and Spinderella); 5/23/08, 1:22 PM
The Drill SGT said...: If everything else was equal, and this was instead an Islamic compound w/a mosque there isn't a judge or law enforcement official in the country that would have taken those children.

Or alternatively, have the DC family courts stripped custody from any 15 Y/o moms with 2 kids by twenty-something fathers.

You think that most of these underage black girls having kids don't have older adult boyfriends? Seems to me that the families in Texas were a lot more functional than those in most poor black or latino neighborhoods in Texas?

why the different standard? cause in stead of 400, it would be 40,000 kids in custody?; 5/23/08, 1:39 PM
KCFleming said...: why the different standard?

Beacuse they have sinned against the state by believing in God.; 5/23/08, 1:52 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Pogo?

Instead, the court said, the state argued that the “belief system” at the ranch condoned under-age marriage and pregnancy and that the whole ranch functioned as a “household” in which sexual abuse anywhere threatened children in the entire community

On that basis, wouldn't that mean that the same theory would require that the state take kids away from all Muslims? After all, Muslims have a belief system based on the Koran, the direct and infallible word of God that allowed Mohammed to marry Alisha at 6 years of age and wait till she was 9 to consummate the marriage.; 5/23/08, 2:31 PM
KCFleming said...: wouldn't that mean that the same theory would require that the state take kids away from all Muslims?

This rule applies only to white Christians.
All else are free to be you and me, as Marlo Thomas used to put it.; 5/23/08, 2:54 PM
SGT Ted said...: I hear that SteveR has several underaged wives hidden in his house. I think a call to CPS is in order. I'll get some crack whore to call em up and lie about being one of his "spiritual wives" to CPS.

They shouldn't believe anything he and his family says, either, as he has instructed his whole family to lie to the police and other authority if they come asking.

Because when it's "for teh chiiiiiiiildrennn" we all know that the Constitution doesn't apply. Even 27 year old "children".; 5/23/08, 3:18 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Ted,

You forgot to mention that after you get the kids alone for a few weeks with just those kid shrinks and repressed memory experts you can get them to say almost anything. Remember those Daycare workings in the North East that were performing human sacrifices in the middle of KinderKare and nobody noticed till they worked on the kids memories?

Those trials worked out well; 5/23/08, 3:38 PM
somefeller said...: Is the ACLU involved?

The ACLU of Texas was not directly involved in the case as counsel for any of the sect members, but it did send its Legal Director (a friend and a very good lawyer) out to West Texas from early on to monitor the case, and they made public statements throughout the case.; 5/23/08, 5:33 PM
somefeller said...: I particularly recommend reading the Newsweek article linked in my comment above. The ACLU of Texas's Legal Director is interviewed in it, and she discusses the ACLU's position on the case and the general situation quite well.; 5/23/08, 5:38 PM
Laura Reynolds said...: Hey Ted and Drill, I actually have three girls in my house so shove your snark up your ass. You want to side with 50 year old men that rape 13 year old girls by pulling a McMartin Preschool defense, fine.; 5/23/08, 7:21 PM
The Drill SGT said...: SteveR said...
Hey Ted and Drill, I actually have three girls in my house so shove your snark up your ass.

Steve R,

I really try not to make thing personal here. I'm just curious why you think I deserve such personal animus, when none of my comments were remotely aimed in your direction?

Even SGT Ted's comment, as I read it was focused on the fact that anyone can be the target of random anonymous acusations, with little rejoinder.

One needs to separate out the different issues. One can abhor polygamy and rape, yet be concerned about the rights of innocent parents and children, and be shocked about the overreaching of a judical system based on what was apparently a false anonymous tip. I thought that courts require a stronger burden of proof.; 5/23/08, 9:07 PM
Laura Reynolds said...: Ted definetly made it personal, accusing me of having underaged wives hidden away in my house, while implying the whole thing was a sham. Then you chimed right in by invoking the spectre of similar investigations gone wrong.

Sorry for being a bit sensitive but if a 50 year old man raped my 13 year old daughter, evidenced by her getting pregnant with a baby with his DNA, I don't think I'd based my asessment of guilt on the way the police collected the evidence. These old creeps are criminals and I dare you to tell me they are not.

You guys are so worried about constitutional rights, well that's perfectly fine, but I'm not in a mood to make jokes about the abuse of these innocent young women.

I don't think you'd liked people to judge American soldiers by what Lt Calley did at My Lai, or any other similar situation, so throwing all the CPS investigations out because of a few bad ones is pretty unfair. Its easily one of the most difficult areas of law enforcement, I certainly hope you've not ever had to deal with it.; 5/23/08, 10:46 PM
blake said...: pulling a McMartin Preschool defense

Excellent rejoinder, SteveR.

A paranoid schizophrenic makes a claim, and 20 years later, there are no convictions--probably because the accusations were not just false, but absurd--and people's lives are destroyed.

Though, frankly, I'd like to hope there's a better defense against false accusations than being ruined and having one's life consumed by media and "won't somebody think of the children" types.; 5/24/08, 6:26 PM
blake said...: Strike that, it was "only" seven years. Bet it seemed longer to those involved.

What's fascinating is how the rumors refuse to die. Check out the allegations of "secret tunnels" under the schools.

We do so love a conspiracy.; 5/24/08, 6:28 PM