Texas overstepped

The Court of Appeals finds that Child Protective Services overstepped in seizing all of the children from the YFZ Ranch. Apparently, there has to be some sort of factual basis before children can be taken from their parents. Anyone who has ever dealt with CPS knows that CPS will be shocked and more than likely try to ignore the Court.

It will be interesting to see how CPS reacts to a Court order.

To the four winds

This afternoon I met, on Highway 83 moving south, three buses, escorted by three Texas DPS troopers and three ambulances. Three buses will hold somewhere between 70 and 110 passengers. It appears Tom Green County has emptied the Coliseum and transferred the children of the YFZ Ranch all over the state of Texas.

San Angelo is overwhelmed

I made the mistake of going to the county library this morning. I didn't think about what was going on at the courthouse; the library is just across the street south of the courthouse. Parking was at a premium as there were 14 broadcast trucks parked around the courthouse, plus many additional vans from radio and television news services.

Today was the day that the hearings for all of the 400 plus FLDS children were held. Each child is represented by an attorney serving as ad litum. The task of the ad litum is to represent the child's best interest. There can be nothing easy about recommending to the court that the child is better off back in the home they have known, or in the state's foster care system.

The FLDS is completely foreign to the common west Texas resident. The attorney generals of Utah and Arizona have prepared a primer that helps we "gentiles" to understand the FLDS society.

This is a rare instance when I don't have an opinion on what is going on. On the one hand it seems that there may be some abuse (underage pregnancy seems to make this clear), on the other hand this sect has a totally different culture than mainstream America. A hundred years ago it was not rare, perhaps uncommon, but not unheard of, for young teenage women to enter into marriage and bear children. I may be wrong, but from my reading of history, it was fairly common for women from 14 and up to marry and have families in Appalachia, up to the early part of the 20th century. The age of consent in Canada was 14 years until February 28th of THIS year (it is now 16). I can see where there might be difference of opinion based on religious beliefs.

All I can finally say is that I hope our legal system ends up doing the thing that is best for these children; whether that is returning them to the ranch in Eldorado or placing them in permanent custody of the State of Texas.

Kudos to the Texas bar

Lawyers are easily maligned, I certainly do my fair share. But as the courts, social services and legal community here in San Angelo (and more particularly Eldorado) are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases presented by the children of the FLDS, attorneys from all over the state are volunteering to do pro bono work on the behalf of the children.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have offered their services in these cases; you are a credit to your profession.

Crazy Mormons

Since all of these unfortunate children, 416 at the last count, have been brought to my hometown for shelter I guess I should comment. But what can be said. This "church", the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), appear to violate state and federal law at every turn.

A sub-cult of a cult is still a cult? I think that the answer is yes. I am sure that most of these women and children just wonder what the hell is happening to them. They have been jerked out of what is their normal life and dropped in the middle of modern America. Culture shock will most assuredly ensue.

I am doubtful that any organization like CPS can help, since they usually work ad hoc and right now they are in the spot light. My prediction is no good will come of this for these children. They will be saved from abuse by their "church" and treated to abuse at the hands of the wonderful foster system they are soon to encounter. I am not saying foster parents are abusive but benign neglect is about the best that can expected.