I find this whole spectacle rather fascinating. I certainly hope this clown is subject to the harshest legal penalties if found guilty. However, here's the rub. I have no problem with polygamy if it is practiced amongst consenting adults, with adults being the key word. If a woman wants to marry a guy that already has a wife or wives, I don't care. It's her life and her choice, if she made the choice as an adult. http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1027/p02s04-usju.html Jury selection began in Texas Monday in the first criminal case to go to trial after a polygamous sect was accused of child abuse last year. In April 2008, as the child-abuse accusations came to light, some 450 children were removed from a ranch operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). It became the largest child-custody case in US history, and it was largely resolved when the Supreme Court of Texas ruled the following month that the children should be reunited with their parents. But criminal investigations of some members of the group which seeks to live in a closed society continued. Now, Raymond Jessop is set to stand trial, charged with sexual assault of a child an underage girl he allegedly married first. If convicted, he could serve 20 years in prison. Eleven other men have been charged with crimes ranging from failure to report child abuse to bigamy. "These trials may demonstrate a clash between an asserted right to freedom of religion and the necessity of residents to abide by criminal laws," says Jessica Levinson, adjunct professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. The message of these trials, she says, may be: "If you live in our country, you must abide by our criminal laws. Some activities are not made legal simply because one claims he is exercising his religious freedom." For now, however, the immediate question is whether the judge can seat a proper jury in the remote, west Texas town of Eldorado. The court needs to find 14 people in a county of 2,800 who can set aside what they heard about the sect last year in a deluge of media reports. "It's extremely unlikely that we'll have anyone who will say they have not heard about this trial," state District Judge Barbara Walther said at a pretrial hearing, according to the Associated Press. It's not inconceivable that the location of the trial may be shifted. "While judges rarely grant change-of-venue requests, if they cannot find an appropriate jury pool in Eldorado, such a request may be granted," Ms. Levinson says. The accusations against the sect surfaced when a woman in Colorado allegedly called a Texas domestic-abuse hot line in March 2008, feigning to be a teenage girl with a far older husband at the ranch who beat and raped her. Texas officials moved in quickly, taking more than 400 children out of the compound where they lived. The officials also removed hundreds of boxes of photos and documents to build their case. Texas law enforcement has acknowledged that the hot-line information was false, but the caller has not been charged, according to the Associated Press. The state had moved to protect so many children out of concern that the ranch overall had allowed illicit behavior. But the Texas high court reversed the broad action of state officials. Now, judicial proceedings are focused on Mr. Jessop, and his trial will be closely watched, say Levinson and other legal observers. "There is a lot of attention on this trial, and for that reason I believe the prosecutors will dot every 'I' and cross every 'T' in this case," Levinson says. The prosecution has listed 59 potential witnesses. Defense attorneys are likely to zero in on the false report that triggered the initial raid and the ruling by the Supreme Court of Texas. Among the many details that potential jurors already know about are those of sect leader Warren Jeffs, who was captured in 2006 and convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape. Revered as a prophet by FLDS, Mr. Jeffs has been accused in Arizona and Utah of arranging underage marriages with sect girls. He is jailed in Arizona awaiting trial on charges related to underage marriages there. The FLDS split with the larger Mormon church after it officially banned polygamy in the late 1800s. The trial for Jessop is expected to last two weeks.
What the "Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints" have been practicing is neither more nor less than sex-based slavery. The female children are raised in isolation from society, they are taught that obedience is the requirement for salvation, and then they are subdued through rape. The consequence is that they are psychologically unable to resist (with rare exceptions), and they become workers who support their male master and bear him more children to perpetuate his power. I think that any investigation of this sect will not be complete until the "businesses" the sect operates, which include some lucrative contracts to supply parts to defense contractors, are thoroughly examined and it is determined just who actually got the money these women "earn," or if they were in fact paid anything for their labor. I suspect that the only ones who got the money were the men who control them. The sexual aspect titillates the public, but it is really almost a peripheral issue. The real issue is slavery, and whether it will be tolerated under the guise of "freedom of religion."
Freaky. As much as I hate to pass judgment, the accused is probably guilty -- I don't think there is much of a chance he isn't according to that report. But as a side note, there is nothing wrong with Polygamy between consenting adults. Bans on Polygamy should be deemed unconstitutional in principle.
I could care less what two adults do in their bedroom. Its none of my business. If someone wants 10 husbands, go for it. As long as your choice doesnt violate my rights or if you think your entitled to more rights than me, I dont have a problem with it.
Trust me, I have no sympathy for this Christian pedophile and I hope he gets what he deserves. Obviously the marriage of children to aults is wholly improper.
Indeed, and I agree on all accounts. I hope this guy spends a long time in prison, yet if it's all adults, I could not care any less what they do.
Granny says next thing ya know dem polygamists gonna want their marriage rights - just like dem gays an' Hispexicans... Has Warren Jeffs turned his trial into a sermon on polygamy? July 30, 2011 - Warren Jeffs, the polygamist leader charged with sexually assaulting two underage girls, broke his silence at the trial with an hour-long invective Friday.
Why is it that every time you hear about (*)(*)(*)(*) like this in the US there's always some fundamentalist Christian "social conservative" behind it?
Granny says he's lyin' an' Jesus gonna put him inna lake o' fire with all dem lefty lib'rals... Polygamist leader: God demands judge's removal Aug 1,`11 - Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs made a third attempt Monday to remove the Texas judge overseeing his child sex assault case - this time based on the claim that God himself demands a change.
There's a polygamy case up here about to go to trial involving a sect in Bountiful. The sect is going to challenge the constitutionality of the polygamy law. Constitutional experts I've heard think they may be successful. After all outside marriage a person is free to form as many romantic partnerships as they want. The issue with this and many cases of polygamy is the child abuse issue. The police should focus on that far more serious and prosecutable offense.
possum thinks dey gonna tie Jeffs up inna bow... Texas wrapping up case against polygamist leader 2 Aug.`11 Texas prosecutors are close to resting their case against polygamist church leader Warren Jeffs, who is accused of sexually assaulting two underage girls he took as wives. See also: Jeffs acts as his own attorney in trial 31 July,`11 - Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, accused of sexual assault with two underage girls he took as wives, has cast out his own defense lawyers and is asking a Texas court to follow God's words as he hears them.
Uncle Ferd says Jeffs as loony as Charlie Manson... Polygamist Jeffs says he's persecuted Aug. 3, 2011 -- Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs said in his opening statement Wednesday his child sexual assault trial in Texas amounts to persecution.
Jeffs was a tyrant... Witnesses: Polygamist leader ruled with heavy hand Sat Aug 6,`11 Convicted polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs ruled with a heavy and abusive hand, several former followers testified Saturday, recounting how the man they once revered as a prophet banned parades, Sports Illustrated magazine and even the color red upon rising to power.
Granny says dat'll teach him not to be pimpin' young ladies to old geezers... Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs gets life in prison Aug 09, 2011 - Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting two underage followers he took as brides in what his church deemed "spiritual marriages."
Mebbe he gonna die... Warren Jeffs in medically induced coma Aug 29,`11 - Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was hospitalized Monday in a medically induced coma in critical condition after fasting in the weeks since receiving a life sentence for sexually assaulting underage followers he took as spiritual brides, officials said.
Texas Moves to Seize Warren Jeffs' Ranch... Texas moves to seize ranch of polygamist Warren Jeffs Nov 28, 2012 - He's imprisoned, but his polygamist sect remains on 1,600-acre spread
