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

[rh654]

I would have thought I would see far more outrage here on this sight over the actions of the authorities.

I read about hand-wringing about what is done by the government with potential terrorists - but for this story the govt's case is falling apart before their eyes and people are still siding with the authorities.

While I admit that the folks are a little creepy - going on that would justify plenty of actions that the federal gov't has taken with suspected terrorists.

Either we have charges or we don't - it stands for "terrorists" as well religious people - even if find their brand of religion odd.

If they broke the law file charges or admit you screwed up and let them go.

[JohnFromCensornati]

I believe the court date is tomorrow.

[Mormondude]

437 kids' cases tried at one time?

What next? Are we going to prosecute the entire populace of Iran, find it guilty based on prejudice and ignorance, and then nuke the country?

Surely there are innocents among the terrorists, but we can't get bogged down by prosecuting every Iranian individually, and our nukes aren't getting any younger...

[jkh1122]

Of course they deny the charges. These "people" live on a red state rape farm populated by the religiously insane.

[googlymoogly]

Wow some hot looking mommies....

[XCITIZEN]

Ugh, what a f**king nightmare. This is what happens when ultra-conservative right-wing religious wackos become isolated in their own self-created universe. They become incestuous rats in a maze - where on earth did they get those god-awful personalities? The modern world, the real world, is obviously going to rip their personalities to shreds. Why is Texas such a hotbed of this kind of perversion? Red State Rape Farm indeed. You get the prize for that one!

[JohnKemp]

Well, here we are almost two weeks later.

1. The alleged rapist was interviewed & immediately released; has not been in TX in 30+ years.
2. Original alleged complaintant still neither identified nor found.
3. Children over the age of four separated from their own Mother; many of the kids have come down with non-serious chicken pox.
4. TX government has consistently lied to the adults about the children.
5. All Mothers were either allowed to or forced against their will to leave confinement; as far as I know all returned to the compound.
6. Not a single charge against anybody has been filed.

Of course, we can all be thankful that they weren't firebombed by tanks; maybe things are improving.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Yeah, I mean, they were raping their own kids!
Why can't the fuzz just mind their own business?

[Honza]

They do DNA testing on criminals, why not on those children they think were molested and raped to determine who the is the father, if they are with child.

[PhillyQuaker]

Collecting welfare checks and raping children, Good Lord.

[prdamericanmom]

That was creepy and sad at the same time. I couldn't help but think that there was nothing behind those eyes. Those poor women were like robots, undoubtedly conditioned for years. They know nothing different than what they have experienced on that property. Normal to them is about as foreign as any city would be. They just looked so hopelessly out of touch and out of sorts.

It was obvious that they are aware that old coots "marrying" 14 year old girls isn't quite right in the eyes of the vast majority in the US, though. I wonder if the initial raid of the property was their first inkling of that concept. Did anyone notice that the oldest lady of the 3 didn't speak at all?

[JayeInCA]

They reminded me of the Borg in Star Trek Next Generation. No one can go against the collective.

[innerealm]

No makeup, no current fashions but they stood in front of that mirror and backcombed their hair to look like an old version of Ann Margret. I get the gingham dresses and the bad shoes but where did this hair style come front and why is it so popular with these women?

[BushBites]

They must be Republicans.

[djork]

Ann B. Davis

[Artigano]

Crazy hetersexuals. Now that these poor kids will be up for adoption, hopefully some of them will be adopted by cool gay couples who will be able to help them with their hair. Or did Governor Bush stop gays from adopting in Texas?

[wndrwrthg]

After reading more, and from other sources, I believe full removal of the sexual organs for the men involved is in order. I am male and do find distress at the thought, but these rapists need to have this happen. Then they need to be turned out in prison.

[djork]

Gosh, organized religion is a wonderful thing.

[PopeRatzo]

Why do so many of these stories about religious wackos have a weird sexual component to them?

It's almost as if deviance and fundamentalism attract one another.

But it's not just fundamentalists because even the biggest and best established religions seem to have "issues". Just ask Pope Benny about the $billions he's had to dish out to pay off the families of all the children that have been badly used by his "celibate" priests.

What's Roman and comes in little cans?

[internetpundit]

Why does the first woman who speaks (one on the far left) remind me of PARIS HILTON!!

[FDRbyGodDemocrat]

Oh wow! My favorite game show! Newlywed #2 complete the following sentence: "My eyes glaze over every time my husband __________."

[NeedDemsinOhio]

I just couldn't get past thinking how much the woman in the green dress looked like Conan O'Brien.

[fedupwiththis]

No way! Conan is way taller.

[Blutus]

LMAO!

It all looks like some bizarre late night skit anyway!

[groucho]

Man those ladies are as scary as Donatello Versachi. Another good case for home schooling and back to basics.
Give me a screaming code pink anytime, at least they are alive. What a sad bunch of ladies. If you loved your kids, you wouldn't expose them to this horrible travesty of a life.

[BushBites]

You're obviously not a Bush voter.

[SILVANUS]

They're fellow humans and I have compassion for their feelings, but the state took possession of the kids because of reports of sexual abuse, which is serious stuff. This 'state' business is a slippery slope, but if you've ever known an abused kid who was powerless or grew up powerless in such a predicament, it affects your perception.

Why do people give their power away to these religious nutcases, or even to governments? It's not always wrested away, you know.

Of course, US media poer complex has suceeded in making drones/consumeroids via TV hypnosis, fatigue, manipulation and sleight-of-hand.

And no one cares. Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

[gcallaghan]

This begs the question of WHAT constitutes sexual abuse in these women's eyes. To someone without knowledge of any different lifestyle, what we see as abusive behavior is "normal" to them. That doesn't forgive their complicity in the crimes against the children, but it can explain it. What's needed here is education. Before they are allowed custody of the kids these women should be forced to pass a parenting class designed to teach them their basic rights and those of their children.

The children should be protected at all cost. The women's rights to raise their families free of government interference ended when crimes were committed.