Children at polygamist sect's ranch

Notice how the 16y/o girl that supposedly called police hasn't been found? I'll tell ya why -- because she never existed. No doubt a ploy used by the cops to gain access to the property.

It's your tax dollars going to support these families according to one woman who was brought up in Colorado City.  Hooray for the texans having the guts to go in there while Utah has done nothing but sit back and lament the fact that it's a huge problem.  For way too many years.

 I live in San Angelo, where the children are being housed.  San Angelo is about 30 miles from the ranch.  Right now they're staying at a 19th century military fort.  The problem is that now there are so many people that have been taken off the compound that the city is looking at other facilities.  

 

It's funny.  Most people never heard of San Angelo, even people in the state of Texas, although there are 95K people living here.  But we don't have an interstate highway or anything connecting us to the rest of the "world".  It's 4 hours from the large cities.   Now all of a sudden there are all kinds of media and such around here.  Most of the people we see from out of town are here for the rodeo.

 

Bad_Karma:

Notice how the 16y/o girl that supposedly called police hasn't been found? I'll tell ya why -- because she never existed. No doubt a ploy used by the cops to gain access to the property.

 

 

Maybe....or maybe not...

 Our media has been asking the same question, and from psych types who study these kinds of sects, and colonies, the conclusion is that if she did exist, then she would be terrified to admit it was her, with the rest of the women and children around her, who might easily attack her.  Beatings are not uncommon, nor frowned upon in that society. Much is known about this group, but authorities haven't been able to find anything to catch them out on, yet. If the "marriages" haven't been acknowledged by the state, through marriage licenses, then there's no real polygamy going on, is there? That's the legal argument. The complaint of any of the victims is the only way that the law can take action. If it takes a fictional 16 year old complainant, when there are likely as many as a hundred 16 year old girls, then that's what needed to be done, I suppose.

 

ViolaB 

Actually, BK, you're quite wrong.  I volunteer at one of the hospitals in San Angelo and around 8-9 months ago I can remember a teenager from the ranch being admitted to and giving birth to a baby.  There were also two kids who got into an automobile accident on the ranch who were transported to our hospital.  I distinctly remember those incidents because I work in the Women's and Children's Center at the hospital and all of these kids were at our hospital. 

I've wondered how all those kids & wives (many being both) are supported, too.  Joaqin Phoenix grew up in the Children of God cult, where free sex between, and with, other adults & children is encouraged from a very young age.  So horribly sick. 

 

What to do with all these women and girls who have NO skills other than cleaning or raising children -- in a world without crayons?  It's so sad, I can imagine that many of them will want to return to what they know.

can you imagine what life is going to be like for them..a whole different world for them..i hope they can adjust to the outside world..can't imagine being torn away from your family..but then again..i can't imagine being married to a man who's in his 50's..and being abused..crazy story

This is such a sad story and heart breaking.  I can not imagine women and children living under these conditions, but what will happen to them now.  Will the children be divided from their mothers and how will they adjust.  This is horrible this is happening in our country, this is like stepping back in time.  The boys are just as injuried from this life style as the little girls. 
What a horrible mess.

But you know, besides the marriage/rape of minors, why is there a law against polygamy? 

purselamplady:

Actually, BK, you're quite wrong.  I volunteer at one of the hospitals in San Angelo and around 8-9 months ago I can remember a teenager from the ranch being admitted to and giving birth to a baby.  There were also two kids who got into an automobile accident on the ranch who were transported to our hospital.  I distinctly remember those incidents because I work in the Women's and Children's Center at the hospital and all of these kids were at our hospital. 

What the hell do those incidents have to do with this? My point was its convienient for law enforcement to just make up something --which they do ALL the time.

Bad_Karma:

purselamplady:

Actually, BK, you're quite wrong.  I volunteer at one of the hospitals in San Angelo and around 8-9 months ago I can remember a teenager from the ranch being admitted to and giving birth to a baby.  There were also two kids who got into an automobile accident on the ranch who were transported to our hospital.  I distinctly remember those incidents because I work in the Women's and Children's Center at the hospital and all of these kids were at our hospital. 

What the hell do those incidents have to do with this? My point was its convienient for law enforcement to just make up something --which they do ALL the time.

 

Got to agree with you there,BK. They do make up circumstances to fit their agenda,as well as cover things up if it affects one of their own.

mcate:

But you know, besides the marriage/rape of minors, why is there a law against polygamy? 

Essentially 2 reasons I can see.  One is the power of religion in this country.  Even though there is polygamy in the bible, most Christian and Jewish sects frown on the practice.

The other reason is money--doesn't it always come down to money?  Since men are traditionally the money earners, plural marriages would allow one man to have many, many dependents.  All of the tax deductable; all of them covered on his insurance; all of them eligible for food stamps if he can't earn enough to support them.

Whether those are good or sufficient reasons for denying certain people official recognition for the lifestyle of their choice is, I supose, open to debate.

Well, I would imagine that states that allow same-sex unions will have to follow suit and give those same "rights" to polygamists, who can use the same excuses as their justification for legality.  After that, who knows?  Someone who slaps a lawsuit claiming the govt is denying them their religions rights because they can't marry a dog they feel was wronged in this life?  IMO, best to keep it as is in the first place, otherwise you'll open the floodgates for people who demand marriage to whoever, how-many-ever, and whatever they want, claiming religious freedom and denial of civil rights. 

 

OT, I notice many of the polygamist compounds seem to be in dry areas around Arizona & Utah.  I'm from a very lush and green North Georgia with lots of mountains, ridges, hills, and valleys!  How does all the vast gardening get done on this type of land?  All these women wear long skirts year round -- doesn't it get hot around there or is it merely arid and cool at night?  I've never been in the western states, I just don't know. Heat in the eastern part of the country usually spells humidity, unless you're in the highest elevations, and that's worse than dry heat. I guess that goes for the most of the east coast, for that matter. 

 

 

mcate:

IMO, best to keep it as is in the first place, otherwise you'll open the floodgates for people who demand marriage to whoever, how-many-ever, and whatever they want, claiming religious freedom and denial of civil rights. 

 

Keeping things as they are creates classes of people.  Better to have governments cease offering tax incentives only to monogamous heterosexuals and start actually treating ALL people equally.  

No, tax incentives are a totally different issue on not on the subject.  You have, however, proven my point.

 

Regardless, hope there are at least some of these women & children who can manage to find their own lives.  For the younger ones, there's perhaps hope of schools & attempts at an "outside" life.  For the older women, I am concerned that's all they know.  Then again, that's not all that different from older women who find themselves divorced and on their own to support themselves with no job skills, except at least they would probably be used to a typical life.

 

We don't have the polygamist sects down here (although apparently there are some snake handler churches, eek!), but we do have some branch of the Church of God, which, you can always tell female members because the girls/women wear their hair long, longish skirts only, no make-up.