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PHOENIX – Polygamist sect members who were moved to a Texas compound from their longtime homes along the Utah-Arizona line were hand-picked for their fierce loyalty to leader Warren Jeffs, and that allegiance may be a stumbling block for law enforcement, authorities say. Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, transferred people to Eldorado, Texas, to escape growing government scrutiny on the sect’s base in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said. “This was Warren Jeffs’ all-star cast,” said Goddard, who has been investigating the sect since 2004. “They had the strongest sense of obedience.” As a result, their extreme devotion could make it hard on Texas authorities as they push for prosecutions, said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
“All these girls are taught from the cradle not to trust anybody from the outside,” Shurtleff said. “Especially the government. We’re the beast. We’re the devil.” Authorities raided the Eldorado ranch April 3 after a girl from the clan made a whispered telephone call for help to a family violence shelter. Texas has since taken legal custody of 416 children on suspicions that they were being sexually and physically abused. In 2005, news started circulating about a new FLDS community that was being built on 1,700 acres in Eldorado.
FLDS leaders said publicly at the time they weren’t expecting any apocalyptic event or mass exodus to Texas. But former FLDS member Flora Jessop, 38, said she heard a different story from family members who made it to the Texas compound. Eldorado, Jessop said, was to make up for the failures Jeffs perceived in Colorado City and Hildale.
Unfortunately, the map is incorrect, they bought another compound in Mancos, Co., about 10 miles from me. The link is to an interesting article written by Jon Krakauer a couple of years ago. If the Feds come rolling in some day, I’ll try to get some pics.
Lets see…….how might this apply to homeschooling?
or–the right to a nutbag religion??
or–the advisability to do all those little things that actually lead to a melting pot society rather than keeping a distasteful stew of multi-culturalism that rejects the host country?
You want footbaths? Fine–free to do it yourself, but why should tax dollars go for it??? Stuff like that.
Why is criminality so difficult to see when wrapped in religion?
After this guy is in jail for a week his asshole will look like a frisbee.
I think he has been in jail for awhile.
Someone explain to me: Why does law enforcement need anyone to talk when there is a clear DNA trail available to tell the story?
#4 – Jeanne
Good point.
I want to know how a ugly mug like that gets women to follow him like sheep. THAT’s the more interesting story.
In context, I don’t know what “recant” means in this story. Sounds like some young girls denounce their situation, and then recant?
Anyway, the attached article is interesting. This group is buying up 60 acre parcels and larger to maintain this criminal conduct among its 10,000 members.
I know certain verbose “I should be free to do whatever I want” libertarians will disagree but once a “group” has been convicted of criminal conduct, there should be reasonable cause to require police enforced counselling of each group member. Let each one know what the law allows, what is illegal, the help that is available and such. Otherwise, society is complicit in the abuse of the victims here.
I don’t actually care that much, just nice to be anti-religion on a point that most would agree with.
Yea, put all of those impressionable young ladies in the state foster care system, nothing bad will happen to them there.
This is an unfortunate mess, created by a sick bastard who has some kind of emotional sway over other sick bastards who like to be lead around by their noses.
The kids caught in the middle of this mess are going to be paying for this for the rest of their lives.
But do not equate one screwed up group with conservative people who don’t like the government in general. There are left wing liberal nut jobs who are just as screwed in the brain as these Bosos.
The fringe extreme of any group is bad. It’s just these nut jobs int he news right now.
Don
Why are the news media calling these people a “sect” instead of a “cult?” Call me crazy but if you have a bed in your church you are a cult.
i could really care less..except for the fact that they are looking for the government to send them money to care for children that haven’t a father. i mean, they do have a father….
they didn’t need money or help until there lives were ripped apart
these pathetic fools should be expelled from our country with extreme prejudice