I will not be around tomorrow, so here is tomorrow's update as well!
May 8th: Texas officials drafting plans for FLDS children http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695277366,00.html
Excerpts
Texas child welfare authorities have begun drafting service plans for the children taken from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch.
"It's the plan that has to address the permanency," said Mary Walker, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. "Whether or not children will be unified with their parents or whether or not they will remain in foster care."
Children and parents are being interviewed this week, and Texas Child Protective Services will make recommendations. A judge would ultimately sign off on the plans. Court hearings addressing the children's status in foster care are scheduled to begin May 19 in San Angelo, Texas.
"Some of our moms are working on plans of their own that they can propose to CPS," said Cynthia Martinez with the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Society, which represents some of the FLDS mothers.
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"If, for example, we have a parent who has some substance abuse issues, the plan may be that the parent go into rehab," Walker said. "If you've got issues with neglect, making sure the child is properly cared for, we'd look at parenting classes, homemaking classes. The plan has to address whatever changes are necessary to reduce the level of risk."
Walker said she did not know what the service plans would address or recommend with the FLDS children and their parents. Texas CPS workers have claimed that the polygamist sect has a culture that lends itself to abuse, with girls being raised to become child brides.
The Texas child welfare system gives authorities up to a year to work with a family. If necessary, a judge can grant an extension. With 464 children in state protective custody, authorities concede that this case is not typical
May 8th: Raid on Sect in Texas Rattles Other Polygamists http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/us/08raid.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=us&adxnnlx=1210255263-DrhkdfBbqUUMsmlO5Wlc+g
Excerpt
Recent statements by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, a Democrat and the Senate majority leader, calling for toughened enforcement of laws against polygamy, possibly with an expanded federal role by the Department of Justice, have sent a particular shiver, with questions swirling about what the states will do under federal pressure.
“They think they’re going to be next — that there’s so much pressure being brought on me that I’m going to raid them,” said Utah’s attorney general, Mark L. Shurtleff, a Republican. “They hear the rumors, and they call."
May 8th: Polygamist sect work takes toll on social workers http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/08/0508stress.html
Excerpt
During the first few weeks, the mothers were upset, but calm, she said. But as time has passed, the anxiety level has risen, Secrest said. Some of the women are showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as having flashbacks of the raid on their ranch, she said. The women have no idea when — if ever — they will be permanently reunited with their children.
"There are so many unknowns right now," Secrest said. "Usually you know what to expect, but in this case it's so different."
May 7th: ACLU weighs in on Texas FLDS raid http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9182798
Excerpt
The ACLU said it will "work to ensure that Texas officials act in a manner that is consistent with the important principles set forth above, including making our views known to the Texas courts at appropriate points in the judicial proceedings."
FLDS: Where Does All That Money Come From? http://www.crimerant.com/?p=1626
Excerpt
One answers is, FLDS men are highly industrious and very successful in the construction business. They have numerous companies spread across the Southwest, which until recently has seen a building boom, and their earnings are funneled back into the church and its leadership. The sect excels at underbidding other construction outfits, because it employs boys from its own community without having to pay them much—or nothing at all. Some have called this “slave labor.” The FLDS has undercut its competition not just in the private marketplace, but also in government contracts.
Many men in the sect have been officially married to one wife, but might have a dozen or more unofficial “spiritual wives” who could qualify for welfare payments—another way to drain money from the government. The sect calls this tactic “bleeding the beast.”
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