In case you have not yet heard this frightful piece of news, the YFZ Ranch in Texas (YFZ= "yearning for Zion") was a community of fundamentalist members of the LDS Church (i.e. they were Mormons.) Members of this community were practicing polygamy with girls who were as young as 13. Many of these young girls were married to men twice their ages and were being forced to reproduce. More than 400 women and children were removed from the ranch by authorities in late March. I am simply appalled that this ranch was not shut down sooner!
Then again, who would think to look in communities for polygamists and pedophiles? Perhaps state governments should keep track of large settlements of people, such as that ranch, which are liable to breed cult behavior. It is required, after all, to respond to the Census every 10 years, so it's not hard to find these places.
I am not sure what those 12 lawyers who were appointed to defend the Fundamentalist LDS Church in court when the persons responsible for the crimes at YFZ are going to argue, exactly. "The defendants would like to plead 'not guilty', on grounds that their religious beliefs condone polygamy and pedophilia as defined by state and/or federal law."
Sorry, I'm not buying it. The people who lived on that ranch may have been Mormon Fundamentalists, but their religious views do NOT make it permissible for them to violate any state or national laws. There is no "religion clause" that will make underage marriage or polygamy legal. Those people are first and foremost American citizens, and they are bound to adhere to the laws of this land, just like every other citizen, or face the legal consequences.
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I have a sneaking suspicion that the polygamists are going to be making cases more on the grounds of "Please, throw us in jail for fifty years, don't kill us!"
LOL. Well, as far as I know, everyone was allowed to return home. I wrote this a long time ago, and a lot has come to light since. So, no interesting pleas.
~Violinstef