Polygamist Ranch Women Give Today Show Interview, Deny Sexual Abuse Claims

Three of the mothers of hundreds of children who were removed from a polygamist compound in West Texas appeared on the Today Show this morning to discuss their plight and efforts to regain custody of their children. Earlier, the women had accused state officials of tricking them into giving up their children.

The women, with their lawyer present, gave a wide-ranging interview to the Today Show's Meredith Vieira. They described having their children taken from them by authorities, and being placed in temporary shelters. Vieira also questioned them about allegations of the children being sexually abused, and teenage girls being forced to marry men decades older than them. The women denied any charges of sexual abuse, but had difficulty answering Vieira's question about marrying older men. They said that no one is ever "forced" to marry a 50-year-old man, but could not answer Vieira's follow-up about the age at which a girl is allowed to marry in their church.

Watch the Today Show interview below:

Comments

[GoodwithWood]

I was raised LDS, but all of my cousins were raised in one of these cults. I was lucky in that my father rejected the religion of his parents and siblings. I could tell you a lot of disturbing stories about isolated plig cults, But I"ll just tell you one for now.
When I was 14, I was sent off to be "straitened out" by my grand parents, aunts and uncles. A lecture or talking too that I received from my uncle was about how after adolescents had received 3 chances at obedience "they should simply be put too death".
This uncle, along with another uncle, an aunt and an 8 year old cousin were eventually assassinated by children who had been raised in one of these plig cults.
You see, when children are raised in an isolated environment you can mold them into what you want them to be whether it be a baby machine or an assassin.
I"ve seen this all first hand and I think that Richard Dawkins got it right when he said that religious indoctrination is a form of child abuse. These people are the extreme end of that and they get the point acrossed well.

GWW

[GoodwithWood]

Hhhm. Thought this would get some responses. Maybe people think I made it up. ?

[Trueheart]

I think your experience is so far out of the mainstream that people can't process it. As more and more information becomes available on the El Dorado YFZ Ranch, perhaps people will become interested in the plight of these 416 children, and will be more open to listening to accounts like yours. Right now it just seems like people want to make fun of the old-fashioned manners and styles of dressing, and make off-color jokes about the sex.

I will say to you that I married into a very traditional family in Pennsylvania, and their brand of Christianity was restrictive and especially harsh on children. Women served meals to the men and children, and ate last. Conversation was pretty much divided between the men in the living room and women in the kitchen. I knew of one cousin who couldn't admit he was homosexual, and tried to commit suicide, and another who became pregnant out of wedlock, by a Jewish man and was disowned. I am telling you this because you should know that this kind of intolerance is not exclusive to members of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
(By the way, my marriage didn't last. I was never going to do what it took to fit in.)

[Mormondude]

Extremists are useful to society because they help define the boundaries. As far as I'm concerned, the FLDS have no excuse for practicing statutory rape. They claim to be fundamentalists, but it goes directly against one of the most fundamental LDS doctrines, which is to sustain the law of the land.

If they truly believe that some 13 year old girls that have entered puberty and are sexually mature are capable of marrying, then there should be some mechanism to allow them to petition the government to grant an exception to the standard age of consent. It should be transparent. It should be legal. The potential husband should demonstrate his capability of supporting his wife and potential children. A social worker could even get involved and make sure the girl is not being coerced. But there's no genetic or physiologic or biologic argument against allowing sexually mature females to begin bearing children, and that should occur within a marriage if at all possible.

It's the intolerance and apathy of the government that usually drives people to extremism in the first place. To the government, the age of consent is just a number. But obviously to some people it's much more than that, and I think the government should respect them enough to grant them an opportunity to be heard.

[Mormondude]

Meanwhile across the state in Dallas, the city is refusing to shut down a cabaret that hired a 12 year old girl to dance completely naked. Apparently the state of Texas has no law prohibiting gentlemen's clubs from hiring minors as strippers, and their hands are tied! Shocking, but true!

You can dance naked for a 60 year old reject of a man. You can accept tips for jiggling and exposing your body in front of his slobbering face, or performing a lap dance on his sweaty crotch. But don't you dare marry him or the law may have to get involved.

[GnitenGoodLk]

Thank goodness she wasn't stuck bearing his children too. I doubt they like the sweaty passed-around crotch of the FLDS geezers either...

The guys who did it are facing hard time....th­e club is in the cross hairs..the­y're building a case and getting the runaways help...

Nice try though.

[GnitenGoodLk]

Sorry, I missed the distinctio­n...one is HOLY crotch...t­he other is just a pervert...­my bad....

[DRaymond]

What makes eighteen the age of consent? It hasn't always been that way and in many places in the world it still isn't. It is basicly that eighteen is the age at which a woman is knowledgable and experienced enough to make a free will choice in a complex modern world. Is that perhaps why these folks are so interested in throwing back the clock to the 1800's? Because it creates an environment so simple and regimented that a 12 year old knows all that she is expected to need to know in order to become a wife.

[GnitenGoodLk]

Historically, religious texts called for the oppression of women regardless of age of consent. Education, freedom, participation in modern advances, leadership and choice were dangerous to the subjugation of women, and thus, the damnation of those who bucked the system was assured. When religion failed to oppress a majority of women anymore, genetic science tried to, when that fails other nonsense explanations appear....­.

I wonder if age of consent would even be a debate today if women were not originally oppressed to believe this nonsense throughout history.Ho­w young does a male have to be before it's considered abuse? 12? 10? 7? What's the age of consent for a young boy? Historically or today? Imagine marrying off a 13 year old boy to his 45 year old stepmother who's already bedded his cousins and probably his brothers..­..weird huh?

"...but that's different.­..."

If I had a dime every time I heard that.....

[browndog2]

Women,like men, become sexually active upon reaching puberty.Br­eeding, which is what this is about, to swell their ranks, is dangerous to young women and their unborn. But the real question is where's the love? These men didn't fall in love and marry someone younger, they are engaging in pedophillia,in the name of religion. They distort mairrage and religion.

[NatiGirl]

I wonder how old these women are?

[cplKlyde]

The result of inbreeding.

[Mormondude]

They certainly do seem "slow", but I would guess that not being plugged into our 24/7/365 frenetic culture would slow down the pace of life quite a lot. Did you notice that they actually e-nun-ci-ated their words and spoke in complete sentences?

The obvious lag in the video feed between the two groups certainly contributed as well.

[JohnKemp]

Still waiting.

The supposed Mothers who oversaw the multiple rapings of their own daughters have been released

The original target of the initial alleged complaintant has not been in TX in 30+ years.

Kids separated from their parents?

Kids coming down with chicken-pox?

The government taking charge of peoples' lives?

WOW!

[jsinclair]

Clearly the authorities were right to take the children and investigate. These women were carefully chosen to represent the group and there's something wrong with them.

When asked, nicely, about what age children can marry, the main spokeswoman could only repeat, robotically, "They are not forced."

Sorry, but that just sounds like a brainwashed way of saying, "Yes, that sleazy 50 year old man repeatedly rapes my 10 year old daughter, but she doesn't mind. We are happy here."

Very disturbing. I'm glad the government intervened (but I wish they'd stop talking about "Sarah" who said she'd been abused and beaten. If anyone in this cult has figured out who she was, I'm sure she's being hidden and probably hurt. I don't know why they kept talking about it publicly.

[Trueheart]

"Sarah" may not exist. There is a woman named Swinton who has made false distress calls to abuse hotlines in other localities, and is known to authorities.

Texas FLDS case: Was massive raid based on bogus call from Colorado woman?
http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_8969094

Also, you say you are glad that the "government" intervened. Would it have an affect on your opinion if you knew that Child Protective Services is an outsourced, privatized operation in Texas?

[Bushwillresign]

I hate to say it, but I can see why the old men go for the kids if these dowdy gals are the only choice.

[Gilda]

These women do not cut their hair. Likely a biblical thing. They are brainwashed under their cult leaders. They will defend him and or become evasive to protect him. The children will suffer post-traumatic syndrome.T­heir brains have been picked clean to protect them from the sins of the outside world. It's interesting how Texas has so many of the religious cults!
Is George W. Bush and his leadership of this country so far from this extreme? He has interjected
his Christian values into all aspects of the government including the war in Iraq. Faith-based initiatives, supreme court appointees, his attacks on the Muslim faith. Maybe the FBI should have removed Jenna and Barbara from his household?

[JohnFromCensornati]

You mean likely a book of mormon thing.
Gotta keep the various cults straight.

[packetscan]

It's obvious they have been brain washed.. they were not prepared for katie's comments.

[MJD615]

These 3 chicks are scary. Look and act like reborn Stepford Wives.

[RJC]

Any of these poor brainwashed people who are rescued will just be subjected to the brainwashing of the other religious sects like the Baptists. They need to be told they need not fear hell for going outside their circles. They should be told religion is false, magical thinking, delusionary. Hell is just a great management tool to manipulate people. Otherwise they are just trading one delusion for another.
A question I've had is if one man has several wives, are there a lot of men that just do without? I mean do the math, if one guy has 7 wives, there should be 6 other guys who have to do without? How brotherly is that? Are there just more girls born into these sects or what? If so, how is that accomplished, how is that managed? This goes for all polygamist societies.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Apparently, this tribe drives the boys out when they are teenagers.
At least, they get to escape this insanity.
This isn't about *brotherly*.
It's about religion - mormon style.

[Gasparilla]

That's what I have read before. They find some excuse about the boys having "sinned" and expel them. Major league sick. If these people don't want to be stereotyped, they need to police this behavior from within.

[jaynevada]

I think the worst sufferers are the boys.

Say till age 16 you have no contact with the outside world expect being told they are evil and going to hell.

Then you are driven out. What kind a life do you think you will have?

And if the men in the cult have an average of, say 4 wives, it means at an average 3 out of 4 boys are driven out.

[noneIn2008]

Interesting to see the "progressives" comments defending government action. What has been your experience with the government feeding us the clear truth. Would there be persons in government who have hidden objectives or agendas? The first two weeks were all one sided, spoon feeding. That always sends chills down my spine.

Amazing, after Iraq you are still ready to propose and support government intervention when a government official tells us there is an imminent danger. Two weeks later, no 16 year old and the named offender is still in Arizona, as they knew at the begining. Did you trust the force fed DA information in the Duke lacrosse fiasco?

Probably there are some bad people in the compound, like in government. But, overall, based upon history, do you readily trust the government official story? When will we learn?

[KansasKowboy]

I know that there was a delay do to the satelite transmission of the questions. But the delay was longer than a satelite delay. I think these woman were stunned and wondering where the voice in their ear was coming from and at first didn't know that they needed to answer the question out loud.
I bet after the interview they were asking what the big thing with the big round glassy thing was.

[Trueheart]

Yeah, I thought about that too. Certainly looking at Larry King must have been frightening for them. I also thought it was interesting to watch him try to interview them. I laughed when he took on a sternly righteous tone and asked, "Are you not aware that polygamy is against the law?" How many trophy wives has that guy had? Also interesting because I read that Larry King is married to a young woman brought up in the Mormon faith.

[JohnFromCensornati]

So, what is illegal about marrying and divorcing and marrying again (and again)?
What's illegal about marrying a young woman brought up in the Mormon faith?

[GnitenGoodLk]

Get those swabs processed.­....I love the lab....gre­at stuff they can do nowadays..­..a couple of weeks and the whole scenario will be clear....T­he Innocence Project knows how critical DNA swabs are in combination with deposition­s.....it clears you, or it condemns you...eith­er way I say let the swabs fly. Go DNA!

"The temple also contained multiple locked safes, vaults and desk drawers that authorities sought access to as they searched for records showing alleged marriages of underage girls as young as 12 or 13 to older men and births among the teens. The affidavit unsealed today mentions a 16-year-old girl who has four children..­....Troope­rs had arrested two men over the week and charged them with interfering with the search."

Some men will do anything to hang on to their underage sex-fest..­...I'm with local law enforcemen­t....ritua­lized sexual abuse has no place in our society, either for Gawd, Satan, the Easter Bunny, or just for thrill of it....

Go get 'em....

[pineapplegal]

E gads!!!! The men running this compound have successfully found women to throw back to the 1800's or farther!!! They dress alike, talk alike, agree alike and likely stay quiet alike. Its clear these women/mothers do NOT stand up for their or the other women's children or this wouldn't be a case. Take those kids till its sorted out! This has nothing to do with a witch-hunt by authorities over their lifestyle. This has to do with abusing children! The Amish have lived just fine differently from the rest of us and thats because they don't do sick crap like this.

[GnitenGoodLk]

Well said.

If anyone begins to doubt our government on this one or the press:

Google "Flora Jessop"

http://helpthechildbrides.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Jessop

http://www.childpro.org/

In my old days working at the lab, I saw similar cases come across our desks. Kids with STD's, teen girls having babies from male relatives.­...each one worse than the next. Those criminals and enablers received lengthy prison sentences.­..why is FLDS exempt?
Because it's just girls and it's nobody's business but their own? Why get all upset over pedophile priests then? If sex for salvation is no biggie?

And you're completely correct, the Amish value system is nothing like this and no one bothers them, so the 'religious persecution" crap FLDS levels is bogus.