These women don’t appear to be happy, despite their claims of having a good life. From all appearances, at best they are repressed and subjugated. It is the crowning achievement of a manipulator that the victims of his abuse feel emotionally connected to him. Sad. I do hope that the mothers can get their children back, and that they can all get the help they need.

Dear Madam:
I have a couple of questions:
1. How do these women support themselves? One said she had 9 children another said she had 12 children. If the husband is married to other women you would assume there are many other children. Where do these people get the money to live. It is difficult for anyone to support a small family with two or three children, and a house???
2. They say this place is self-sufficient with some industry - but how in the world can this be possible in the middle of nowhere / with little outside contact??
Is the US. Government “supporting these peoples way of life”?
Why don’t you report on these facts for public knowledge and information?
John Miele

One question I haven’t heard- Where are the men while all of this is going on?
It seems, that as fathers, they would also be making appeals for their children as well as the women.
Why haven’t we heard groups of them interviewed?

I think they, (leadership of YFZ), allowed the women to be interviewed, hoping for a massive, public outcry of sympathy for them. They want the children back before some of the ugly truths emerge.

Freedom of religion is a principle upon which this country was founded-yes.
But, NEVER should that be allowed to be used as a cloak to hide abuse, pedophilia, etc.

While, as a mother, I do imagine the pain these women are going through- I realize- the greater pain and tragedy is the possible perverting of these innocent children.

Also, how is this place funded?

Could it be that since legally these women are single mothers with many children, they are receiving governmental assistance?

These women look like Zombies, Stone cold and almost Mindless., They have evaded many of the Real questions asked that are at the Core of this Investigation. And Extremely odd is that the Children don’t Know who there Parents are.
There interviews are scripted and surely they can’t think for them selves and are answering exactly as they are Programmed.
Sad, Hopefully They won’t have to return , especially the Young children , back to these Zombie Women.

From what I have read, many of these people are on public subsistence. And they have government defense contracts to build airplane parts!! Apparently, they don’t receive salaries, and all money goes to the church. This is nothing more than slave trade. How could the government award million-dollar contracts to these people who are breaking all these laws??!! Who arranged those contracts? Are they really living on welfare? Unbelievable.

I wonder what would be revealed if say they took the children and personal computers for 100 of the law enforcement personnel that were involved in this raid. I bet they would have at least 5 put in jail for crimes against children. This is religious persecution and yours might be next.

don’t let these puppets have these children back . thay did not take care of them when thay
had them

Can’t you tell these women have been brainwashed? They’ve been so, to where they believe everything they’ve been made to. Probably as time goes on, one or a few may begin to focus on the way a family life should really be like, they’ve been close-up for how long?? They may then open up and tell what they really feel, now that they are separated from the men. I hope they are, anyway! This will be the only way that they will begin to start thinking for themselves. No one knows what these women have been through, or where they came from… Give it some time and I think much is yet to be revealed. As far as the innocent children, surely, they love their Mother’s, who wouldn’t, and I think the Mothers should have their children, but only until they get help and are constantly monitored. How their going to raise all of them, financially, that is yet to be seen. But there are many good-hearted people out there that I know would help, if it can make a difference in their lives and those of their children. It’s going to take time.

Vashti brings up the question we should all be asking. How could our government award the contracts to organizations openly practicing felonious behavior. Polgyamy is against the law. Who turned their eyes away and signed the contracts? Because that money is what funded this huge El Dorado compound.

I believe these women look as sullen as they do b/c their children have been taken from them. Maybe some of these women will decide to leave their prior lifestyle in order to have their children returned to them. But some will probably not. Also, if these mothers were raised themselves in this sort of lifestyle, then I cannot fault them for where they are today.

I also heard that the men of this community had petitioned the judge stating that they would voluntarily leave the ranch if the mothers would be allowed to have their children back while court proceedings go on. Is this true? I think it says a lot for the “absent” men of this ranch.

Yet the authorities still have not found the alleged teen that prompted this investigation.

I am happy that FINALLY this particular cult has been recognized by the authorities. This exact same cult has lived in parts of Salt Lake City in the past, then moved down to the southern Colorado/Utah border. The state of Utah and Arizona has known about this cult for years, yet have never been able to penetrate the community, for whatever the reasons. The men in this cult have millions of dollars. How they earn/receive this money, I do not know. In the end, this is a cult run by men who delight in brainwashing their members to keep their sexual and financial appetites alive. Warren Jeffs, who is now in prison, wrote a letter of confession that it was all a hoax. Then he went back on that statement. He now remains in jail and sends messages to the cult by written note by whoever person is visiting him at the time. Even though Warren Jeffs is in jail for sexual crimes, his power remains very much alive for these people.

Where are the pregnant teenagers? Do they really exist or is this something the government made up and fed to the press? How many are there? One or two….or 40 of them.

I was pregnant at 16…so wasnt another of my school mates…a class of 400 had 2 pregnant teens. That was “normal” back in the 1980’s. If what they are saying are true about child marriages and lots of kids before age 16…should be DOZENS of these girls pregnant, perhaps more. And…in various stages of pregnancy too!

I wont believe it until I SEE IT. These children were taken away due to claims of child SEX abuse…first order of the court should be the state proving that these girls are being abused in the MASSES. If they cant do that…well…they were wrong. If only a few girls are pregnant…then you only have one or two child abusers…not the whole bunch of them.

It’s not right to hold a whole town responsible for the abuses of one family.

After watching Larry King and a few other interviews it is very clear that mental health authorities should do an assessment on there mental states. Now that they have this underway, the children should be protected from the abuse and kept away from the compound altogether. These women are walking zombies and devoid of any real emotion except for a plea for the children to come back. There is something very very dangerous going on here. As previous replies have asked, who is funding this? Where is the money coming from? Will they go after the men who are molesting the children and press charges against them? Where are the boys and teens? Why are they not coming forward to discuss what really goes on, is that why there are the “Lost boys”? How much influence has this Jeff character still have from a jail cell? Can they put a stop to that?

This is another case of Religious persecution. When did having a baby at age 16 become a bad thing? Now-a-days it’s not really a smart thing to do, but GOD gives women the ability to have kids at an early age for a reason. The women in this religious group believe having children is a natural thing to do. Though most cultures have out grown their way of living and thinking, we have no right to take these kids away from their mothers and fathers. These kids are well taken care of and will clearly be raised differently than a 16 year old mother raising her child in the inner city who does not have a chance in life.

I enjoy calling a spade a spade.

And remember, It was only a few weeks ago that Britney Spears sister was on the cover of many popular magazines talking about having her baby. She will be having a baby soon and, watch, she’ll do her best to fetch the biggest offer for those baby pics. Nobody is calling her a mindless zombie.

I’m extremely uneasy with the unquestioned power of the government to sweep in and take all of these children away from their parents. If the government believes some of them are being abused, then remove those children and leave the rest while conducting your investigation. Sure they are weird, they live a weird lifestyle, but you had better have the evidence in hand that children are being abused on a large scale before you go ripping them away from their families. Otherwise, let’s take the armored vehicles into the inner city and start ripping chilren away from their baby-mammas because we don’t like their environment. Don’t give the government the benefit of the doubt here. Just remember how they were so gung ho to stop David Koresh (in the name of protecting the women and children) that they ended up killing them all. It’s crazy! For your information, I’m pretty sure they live a communial type lifestyle, where everyone shares and no one has more etc… it’s pretty cheap to live when you make all your own clothes and grown your own food and don’t give a hoot about fancy cars, cable tv or the latest video games.

It seems an easy process to Me. After the underage girls that are found pregnant, and name their husband/ father of child, the rapist is arrested, prosecuted as a rapist. The pregnant minor should remain in custody, a good, Christian home, not foreign to them. Guardian-ad-litems should be appointed to each underage child, whether pregnant or not.

The underage girls who are not pregnant, and/or married, should be returned to their mothers and fathers. The little children under the age of puberty, should be returned to their mothers/fathers.

Supervision of these children is necessary to prevent further rape/marriage/ under age, and father should be prosecuted if violated.

But the family (one wife-one father) should remain together with supervision. The 1st wife in the family declared the legal wife. Other wives allowed to leave, set up single mothers residences with their children.

Shirley Pipitone (former Guardian-ad-Litem, 17th Circuit court of Broward County, Florida)

It is no small wonder that the ranch is funded in large part by the revenue the children bring in the form of state aid. The men have grown wealthier, although many of them were so before, on the taxpayers dime. Once you get to 8 or 9 children and say the average amount of food stamps per child is 400 dollars monthly, you have to assume in food stamps alone, one family could cost the state or federal goverment 3-4 thousand dollars monthly or 36 - 48 thousand per annum without state helth care. Ramp that up to 418 children, and the figure becomes $2,006,400 annually, again assuming not one child needs an immunization. Notably, I am not adding WIC coupons for formula and prenatal food for the mothers nor have I added one cent in the way healthcare, well baby visits and the like. Because polygamy is allegal in the state, why is no one considering a RICO style prosecution. This is a mafia style extortotion of funds from both the State of Texas and possibly the federal goverment. How many Earned income tax credits were paid out to these mothers? Remember that if rape is a felony, then all of the money recieved by these “families” is recieved from the commision of a crime. Take care of the kids first, but every parent should be taken to task for burden they have put on society, maybe they can grow crops for other inmates..

I am very concerned about the treatment of the women in this drama. Remember these women have been brainwashed from day one and they honestly believe they are living a godly life. Quite a few have been born into it and never knew anything else.

Don’t blame the mothers. They love their children just as much as other mothers, and would do anything to protect them. I’m sure they had misgivings deep down about the lifestyle they lead, but they were threatened to keep in line. I imagine, terrified.

I don’t think pulling the kids away will accomplish much except to cause more trauma to an already traumatic life. The mothers need compassion and education. They are confused and though the kids were created in a terrible method, they are not to held at fault. Can you imagine your 13 year old daughter being raped at your church’s alter? She had been taught since birth she was merely a vessel to produce children. How demeaning. You must have noticed that the women wore the same dress pattern.. identical except in color.

The ‘men’ have free rein. It’s a very sick situation. Can you imagine their egos?.. sheesh.

I’d rip the leaders and men apart, not the women. They are just as much a victim as the children. They love their kids and only want to protect them, even if they don’t know how.

If you people want to understand these people, you really, really need to do some research on the beginnings of the Mormon church. The principle of absolute control by priesthood members was established by the founders of the Mormon church, foremost amongst them being Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. In early Utah, beheadings and castration were common means of enforcing priesthood authority. Both prophets “married” 14 year olds and other men’s wives. Women were passed around and after they were used, were left to support their children by any means possible. There are stories from the early church of children as young as 8 marrying very old men and brothers and sisters being sealed to each other. Just explore Mormon theology. Men may become gods and women are destined as “godesses” to give actual birth to souls to populate these men’s own worlds. They believe god himself came down in the flesh to have actual sex with the Virgin Mary. I pray that when they are finding homes for these poor, poor brainwashing, abused children, they know of the very real relationship between the Salt Lake City centered Mormon church and the Fundamentalist Church. They both sprang from the same root and the subjegation of women are central to their theology. Current prophets of the SLC church tell victims of pedophilia and rape that they need to “look within themselves” to find what they did to bring on their own abuse.

Why in the world were the women sent back to the men at their ranch so they can have sex and have 400+ more children? Then, this circus starts over again.

the sad thing is they won’t tell the truth to save thierselves or their kids. They avoided the straight forward questions. The one lady had that fake smile on her face the whole time. they are fully of misery. I hope and pray some or all will see the light.

I feel for the mothers and children, My statment: People came to america to worship who they wanted, and not pay taxes,Indians were lied to.They stole this country,(we still owe them) these women were told they were going to a bigger place (they lied) These people don’t smoke,drink, or that drugs, they grow their own veg, they have no cars, I think them greedy politicians are worred that it might get around, That is less money they cheat the public.What makes me mad is our goverment can’t ever tell the truth. First they say we were short on gas,No pumps have ever close because of shortage.Refinerys,?? we have plenty,the pumps are still open.Liers.Now a lot of people are hurting because of high gas prices,Our goverment don’t hear us. and I should vote and love this country?????????

If you watched/listened to those women, you must have thought of the Stepford wives. They look similar, their voices are almost the same (childlike), and their comments show that they have been taught/programmed to speak the same untruths or to totally avoid answering in any way other than they have been told. It is creepy to realize that they believe it is all right to subject their children to the whims of older men and to be given as sex slaves to anyone that the “Prophet” decides is worthy to use them.

First of all,
WHY WOULD YOU RETURN THE CHILDREN UNDER PUBERTY AGE TO THE HOMES WITH THE PARENTS???????? HELLO!!! These are the children who they will violate next!

Second,

Has anyone read about the medical staffing at this “Ranch”? Who is responsible for delivering all of these babies, and caring for all of the handicapped children, and handling other medical emergencies?

Finally,

I understand that these women are brainwashed, and that they are forced into many of these marriages, but you cant tell me that they dont know in their mind that something is seriously wrong with giving their daughters up to men like this.
I think that the longer this goes on, the worse it will become. This needs to be stopped immediately, before the incest continues!

I’m shocked that this has gone on this long. People are screaming about their religious freedom infringements…what about the children’s right. OK. These peoople have been shutoff from the mainstream of things. And let me get this straight, if a manfell out of favor, his wives and children were just assigned to another man??? How sick is that?

Even though news reports are saying that the person who initiated this did it as a hoax, who is the joke on? The alleged person might be considered a hero.

I don’t recall anywhere in The Bible promoting polygamy. Yes it happened….but that doesn’t mean it was being promoted. God says ONE MAN FOR ONE WOMAN….

If these children were being forced, coerced into underage marriages, then definitely not return them to their parents..

These women are nothing more than a curiosity to me. The future of the children, however, must be protected. As in all CPS cases, whether they are returned to this cult or placed in foster or permanent homes, the authorities have the responsibility to monitor their well-being with unannounced visits. If returned to the compound, the child must remain accessible which means no more locked gates and no more secrets. It is only a matter of time before even the youngest of the children are corrupted and so sadly damaged.

I don’t believe the folks here who actually believe that religious belief gives them the right to own women and children and breed them for sexual purposes. And let’s not forget the waterboarding techniques these oh-so moral parents use to “break” the baby. You know. Torturing it for an hour so it is screaming uncontrollably and then putting it’s head under water so it can’t breath.

My reaction to this is visceral. If the male pedophiles are going to jail, then the female accomplices need to go too. I’m a mother. I would literally die trying to save my baby from a monster as described by Carolyn Jessop (and, BTW, WHY didn’t the authorities go after that #&”*((&@ excuse for a man when she escaped and told her story? What is wrong with the govenrment in Utah and Arizona?)

According to the cps agent on the stand, there were 20 underage females taken in who have had babies. And there was at least 1 living in each of the 19 buildings. When they are investigating a household for abuse, they take all of the children living in the homes.

Since they are switching names constantly that they are giving to Authorities, who should they be given back to?

This is sort of like the story you start whispering in someones ear that continues around the circle, until it gets to the last person and then the story in no way resembles the beginning. I love how peole state things as if they’ve seen them with their own eyes. People will always mistrust those who are different, and quickly believe the worst of them. I believe there are underage, polygamist marriages going on. That needs to be stopped, the men prosecuted. But the wild stories being written by people here are the wild imaginings of people who probably enjoy the enquirer and believe that Brittany Spears children are actually the spawn of aliens.

The authorities need to investigate, prosecute the actual crimes and stop the overreaction that has ripped these children from their mothers.

Amy, if you really believe Mormon women (as in the actual Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are subjegated by their husbands, you must not know any Mormon women. That is sooo not the case. It may have been more so 100 years ago, but do your research, that was marriage in America! And in most places around the world, and still is in most places around the world. Does that make it right now? No, unless as an adult woman you choose that life willingly.

What really gets me is that a man can run around and have sex with various women, leaving many children in his wake, and no one gives a rip. But actually marry them all, and then we have a problem. This society ignores the everyday abuse and abandonement of children but if it is easy to hate someone because they’re different, then it’s all over the news.

You should rebell at the power the government has exerted in this case. Parental rights in this country are already under attack. Look at how many children have been taken away based on what is looking more and more like a bogus tip. What if your neighbors want to be malicious and do the same to you? The idea should scare you!

Brigham Young:

“Then I reckon that the children of Adam and Eve married each other; this is speaking to the point. I believe in sisters marrying brothers, and brothers having their sisters for wives….

“This is something pertaining to our marriage relation. The whole world will think what an awful thing it is. What an awful thing it would be if the Mormons should just say we believe in marrying brothers and sisters. Well we shall be under the necessity of doing it, because we cannot find anybody else to marry.” (The Teachings of President Brigham Young, Compiled and Edited by Fred C. Collier, Vol. 3, pages 362, 368)”

You may find information about the Case Report and the Pace Memo, which details the Mormon Church’s cover up of sexual abuse and ritual abuse here: http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no91.htm#MORMONISM‘S%20PROBLEM%20WITH%20CHILD%20SEXUAL%20ABUSE

There are heartbreaking stories at exmormon.org and check out Utah Lighthouse Ministries, which details the Mormon Church’s historic treatment of women and children and where you can find speeches by current prophets.

Jen, I spent the first 20 years of my life in Mormonism and I do understand why Utah consumes more Prozac than any other state.

I’m getting a gut full of you Mormons filling these blogs with sympathy, compassion and understanding for these perverts. This is exactly why Utah has been a pervert haven since pert daddy Joseph Smith’s day. I want every man, who nailed any children under 17, sent to a Texas prison, and even tho this issue is not about polygamy, it’s a good thing they believe in polygamy, because they’ll be passed around during their extended stay in the Texas prison system.

Don’t mess with Texan children!

A very sad, strange way of life. To be blind to the world we live in and to have reality come through your door to get your children. Has the basic instinct been that worn down, to not know what is right from wrong? Sex before 18=wrong, having your children taken from you due to some screwed up way of life=right. Those women and children need help, and they do not even know it.

First of all, Cindy, it wasn’t normal in the 80’s to have a child @16. Nor is it normal now. You’re in a make believe state of mind.
With some of the men having 15-22 wives, can you imagine how many children he has fathered? And then they take the babies away from the mothers and give them to other women. if the mothers don’t know who their children are, you know the fathers don’t!
That leaves me to believe these fathers are with their daughters later on, raping and impregnating them.
What disgust!
What about STD’S and aids?
With everyone sleeping with each other you know that happens.
All of these people are twisted.
Hopefully the sex offender list will grow………and grow………..and grow.

Unbelievable!!! Are the authorities ignorant? Let’s get right to the point. Polygamy and statutory rape are AGAINST THE LAWS of this country, no matter how it’s sliced, diced, or chopped. It is apparent these perverted pedophiles are guilty of, at the very least, these two crimes. WHY have they not been arrested????? This has been, by far, the most ridiculous performance of the supposed intelligent people of the judiciary system. Here is an idea folks; each female that has had a child prior to the age of 15 (Texas Law, correct me if I am wrong), find her so called husband/father of the child and put his perverted self behind bars so he can not prey on any other innocent children. Enough said! Remember, God is a just God, these child molesters will have to answer to Him one day!!

I believe most of these these women are victims. They are trapped by fearful religious training, sequestered from normal society, kept from earning their own money and threatened if they even think of leaving. They have NO TV’s, probably no radio and when you cloister people away from the mainstream, you can brainwash them quite effectively. This is also a pattern with abusive men in *normal* relationships (not just cults). The men are totally in control. The women dress like they live in the 19th century but the men dress is modern suits and look very normal. The men cut their hair, the women can’t. Bet the women don’t have access to any bank accounts either. Their husbands, who control the money, aren’t hiring lawyers for the women and children (probably saving their money to defend themselves in criminal court against rape charges). I truly believe these women are victims and they can’t be compared to women in modern society, because this is not their world.

Who is supporting all of these children and why aren’t we being told. I’ve read WE DO (taxpayers). Do they get state aid? I’ve heard YES. Do they get federal aid (”earned income tax credit” - money given by the IRS to parents with children who earn little money). YES. It’s time we access “child support”, current and back, against these fathers (once proven by DNA) and force collection through a depletion of assets. Yes, it’s tax-payer money, but the government has turned a blind eye to this for years and years and I think they have lost their first claim to the money. We need to think of the children, the innocent victims. Children need parents and if the dads go to prison for child molestation, then they need their mothers. These aren’t evil women, they’re just repressed.

In a perfect world, we would throw the men in jail who have impregnated minors. We would sell the property and allow it to be used to help the mothers begin new lives with job training. We wouldn’t stick these kids into nuclear families/foster care - this is not the way they are used to living! They are used to communal living - just what we try and avoid with normal kids when we try and find individual homes for them. Ease the mothers and children into society gently, so that more trauma isn’t inflicted. And close down the other sects around the country. They’re committing child abuse AND fraud against the government (us, the people, the taxpayers). LET’S GET BUSY. ARE YOU LISTENING GOVERNOR NAPOLITANO? You’ve known about this for YEARS. Let Arizona join Texas in eradicating this once and for all.

I keep hearing that only a handful (less than 10%) of these children are boys; is this true? If so why is it not being addressed more in the media? I have seen stories of boys abandoned in local towns as they reach adolescence; in order to keep the male to female ratio low, but are they being dumped in sufficient number to account for the disparity in the genders? Or is something more sinister going on here? And why aren’t we hearing more about this?

BTW: To those of you who say no one is being harmed; what about the boys that are forced to leave the only life they have ever known when they get old enough to threaten the old men’s supply of tasty young girls? Are they not being harmed? It wouldn’t affect you if your family tossed you out the age of twelve?

Since people tend to be born male/female in roughly equal numbers there is no way to maintain this kind of society without doing something with the excess males.

I Would like to Leave my Opinion here, however with only one sided input I would only make my self look like a Mindless Fool as some of you are so eager to do. Let us get the other half of his story, ? What do the FLDS Belive, and why do they Belive it. now I dont want what x-FLDS think, as x’es are more likely to incriminate then sheed light on any subject. I want to know what the FLDS belive so I may have a Opinion, anyone know a website a book published by them that I may read, anything?
If we findout in the end that we were all wrong ohh the shamm that will come from it? Help me someone.

It doesn’t matter what they believe. Men and women sworn to uphold the Law have presented proofs/evidence in the form of pregnant 13, 14, 15 yearold girls. The court ordered DNA test will sort this out, and meet out judgment accordingly. Right now, we talk about it because this is a blog, and some are more in turn with Texas Judgement than others. I know what is going to happen to the semen donors that resulted in those childmothers.

My wife and I have been seriously discussed foster care for about the last 6 months, as the need is so great, now with this new development of the state holding all these children in a system that is inundated to begin with, we think it is time to act. Do you know if the state will seek foster placements? The question of whether there are enough familes out there willing and capable of taking these innocents into their family structure remains unanswered, but we are hoping to be a part of the solution. Are you hearing anything on this issue?

I for one, am very interested in seeing just how the DNA testing pans out. I have a feeling and it is just my humble opinion, that we will find out that there are less pediphiles on the ranch than we may think right now, and that it is possible many of the children’s grandchildren have been impregnated by the same men, after all, this has been going on for quite some time. It is important to note, that for the record, the bible does not state, go thou and multiply with your siblings or your children, or your childrens children. But if they do find some guilt from the “spotless” FLDS pedophiles who insist that in biblical times you could have multiple underage wives, then let them be stoned in accordance with the same text as punishment. After all, if you are going to pick one text as your justification for the crime, why not also except it’s ultimate punishment.

Give the children back to their mothers - enough is enough. Fine, look into the sect and the possibility of child marriage, etc. But put the kids back with their moms on the ranch, NOT foster care with strangers. This is a criminal act to the children - they need their moms at this time. How frightening. This reminds me of Janet Reno’s goons coming after Elion Gonzalez at gunpoint in the night to take him back to Cuba, or her famous “rescue” of the Branch Davidians - we all know that outcome.
Insanity is prevailing. The moms are happy, the kids are happy - leave them alone. Especially in light of the fact that this whole thing may have been a hoax from the get go.

Barakijal qoute - “it is just my humble opinion, that we will find out that there are less pediphiles on the ranch than we may think right now”

I believe that as well. I think many of the men just enjoy the multiple wives because they enjoy grown women like a normal man. Imagine having a set of wives, 35, 29, 24, and a new one that is 19. A normal guy wouldn’t have anything left to give sexually.

Those perts who impregnated the 13-16 yearolds are prison bound though; no point in anyone arguing about it.