Thank you for having good words to say about San Angelo. Being a lifelong resident of this city, I, like many others, am very proud of it. As for the so called tornado that hit here last night, that was a mild storm compared to 1995 hail storm we had. It was just another typical spring storm that just happens to be starting this time of year every year.We are a very lucky city and will always rally for our neighbors when they need help.
Sincerely,
A PROUD SAN ANGELO TEXAS RESIDENT!

Surely, the FLDS faithful will see this as punishment from the almighty on the gentiles for the sin of interference.

Apparantly the wakos of Waco are not alone, "deep in the heart of Texas!"

Thoughts and prayers to the people imprisoned in the compound and the people in San Angelo.

Don Teague, I enjoyed what you had to say.  West Texans are the best!!  My parents sure are!!!  :)

We thank you for your sincerity.  I am not originally from San Angelo, but its home now (college).  Texas is the friendlist place I have ever been, and I am truly happy that you have had a good experience here( minus the tornado, of course).

Rush will probably call it "punishment" for the immorality ans sins of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and he might, in this case, be right.

Dave Coresh, what a SAD thing to say!!!  :(  Your state, as does the world, has a lot of terrible things happening, too.

Hello, those people are from Utah.  Don't go blaming the Texans.  And I'm sure nothing bad ever happens in PA.  Like say, for instance, some wacko shooting up an Amish school?

Sin of interference? for protecting innocent children from child molestation?! there is something seriously wrong with your thought of interference!

Which wackos? The ones that fired into the waco compound? The ones that gassed children? The one who thought it prudent to raid the home of an individual who already had turned himself in for attempted murder and had that straigtened out? The wackos who mooned women and children as they played the sounds of rabbit slaughter all night if you mean those WACKOS I sympathize. This is not the same as WACO silly...

Please consider the notion that 'all' religions are cults, and the most significant reason that people believe in God, or Allah, or Zeus, etc., (other than intimidation) is to alleviate their fear of a permanent death.  All religions are nothing more than ancient superstitions that have run amok and evolved to become pyramid schemes that only serve to control people and take their resources.  From this perspective, all religions should bear the same scrutiny that this polygamist cult was subjected to.  Before you condemn someone else's mythology, be certain you understand yours.

I agree no one deserves the wrath of severe weather, However their is no way anyone can say that these towns people did not figure out all the strange events happening in their town. How is it that these people got away with such atrocities for so long. I hope God will forgive them. ALL

Was sooo good to hear a reporter say positive, nice things about people!  This gives people faith once again in the human race.  You gave the facts & stated your opinions as "your" opinions, not as "facts".  

Use to be reporters just gave the facts and let people make up their minds for themselves.  Seems today media wants to manipulate peoples minds.  Keep up the good work.

I sure hope we don't have another Branch Dividian, followed by a kooks like McVeigh and Nichols. In a week we shall have 13 years since the bombing. Believe me, the suffering has been extensive because of two people(I refuse to call them men).

As a San Angelo resident, thank you for the gracious words about our little minicity. We DO have a heart for people. Our home suffered a few out of place things, but my closet became temporary refuge to my menagerie of birds, my cat, my husband, and myself. We are both infatuated with tornadic activity, however, I honestly don't know which one of us was more fearful.

My first statement to my husband was "Those poor people from the compound [which is only a few miles from our family ranch] must think that God is punishing the interfering town of San Angelo".

Indeed, this [the polygamy issue] and the tornado has shaken our town, but we strive to pull together to keep San Angelo a wonderful place to live as well as visit.

I believe it was a punishment from the Almighty. But not because of interference from the law. It was to show God's anger against FLDS. The audacity of having a bed in a temple to rape young girls! Certainly our Feds will take away their tax exempt status. FLDS is and has always been a cover up for pedophiles and our country lets them get away with it. Much less the fact that Polygamy is 'ILLEGAL"! DUH?

Thanks for your compassionate and heartfelt story. I am tired of the cynisism.

Have they ever announced who the 16-year-old girl was who called to start the attack or should we just assume that it was a thirty-five year old lady from the child welfare department drumming up business? I wish the kids in Hartford schools looked as happy and healthy as the kids captured at the FLDS.  
Of course, the children would still have to be seized; a civilized country cannot tolerate polygamy.  

No, this was a message from the Supreme Being letting the FLDS faithful know that he is pissed and taking names.  Shame on the FLDS for the abuse perpertrated upon babies and children.  Wait till the Big Guy upstairs gets a hold of you.

Though I have nothing to do with any particular state as I am not American but I feel all humans are good and the same goes for the texans. It is only a few selfish sick people who tarnish the image of a state or place ,but it would be wrong to generalize evryone as bad.i hope all those rescued will be able to return to normal life and pray that this state does not receive any more harm either from nature or from sick humans.

It might be prudent to note that the FLDS people are not FROM Texas. They were chased out of Utah and Arizona. Texas is a very large state, and has its share of problems, along with the rest of the world. The only news that gets published nationally is what is controversial or unusual. The media doesn't report on "normal" people...that's not "news".

I believe regardless of the state that we live in we rae all good human beings with good intentions. But, unfortunately devils and YFZ compounds will always exist in our society, maybe reminding us about the difference between good and evil. It will be wrong to generalize the people of a state or country. they are as good as any othwer person in a different state. My heart goes out to the victims and I pray that they are able to return to the normal life style.
I also hope mother nature does not punish the good Texans with her fury anymore.

Digging into this sink-hole of sexual perversion and lies is long past due. The Salt Lake City Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are probably on high alert damage-control mode because this whole sorid mess clearly starts and ends with this religous organization that embraced polygamy as a commandment of God, renousing it only for political reasons.

It's still very much part of their Doctrine and Covenant (D&C) scriptures and the practice of faithful L.D.S. male temple-goers who have 2nd and more deceased women sealed to them so they'll have multiple wives in the "Celestial Kingdom."

Anyone who's thinking of joining this radical form of Christianity should take a careful look at little known facts like the founder Joseph Smith having sex with their teen-age housekeeper unbeknown to his wife.

As a descendent of an early L.D.S. polygamist I am so thankful this man-made sexual perversion is finally being exposed for what it is.

Absolutely the people of West Texas are the nicest I've ever met. Their problem is their abundance of land. There are several palces in Texas where there's nothing but land, and if you are looking for a place to hide and do bad things, you might think that's a good place to go.

Ok - so the government are after the polygamists of San Angelo.  What about the foreigners that are bringing their 3 and 4 wives that are parading the streets and stores of our other fair cities in anywhere USA, like Renton, Washington.

West Texas in the spring time!!!!
What can we say.  The storms that moved thru last nite are pretty much what we get every year at this time, but still, there is no place like home for this West Texas girl!
Thanks for the kind words and hope you enjoy your stay.

To all cults, sects, and other pseudo-religions with delusions of heavenly bliss:

STOP PREYING ON STUPID PEOPLE!!! God hates those who prey on the weak and weak-minded, so cut this crap out.

**Ahem.**

Thank you.

No. This was just an act of God. not punishment... come live in San Angelo for a year. this happens at least once or twice a year out here... just not always in the middle of town... a few trees were knocked over, a semi (who shouldn't have been driving in that kind of weather anyway) and two cars... It happens. Nature happens. Nobody here was killed, no houses destroyed, and the tornado didn't even touch down. Just 70 mph winds from the funnel cloud that went over the city.

Before you get all worked up about the bed in the Temple, consider that it may be there in the First Aid room for anyone who is ill.

I really enjoyed your comments, Christina, Ramona and June.  It is nice to hear positive comments about the positive article.

By the way, people here trying to be open minded about "mythology" and "religion" should be commended but I'm afraid they are mudding the waters. What we are talking here is “rape”, “child abuse”, “virtual kidnapping” and “polygamy” all of them illegal and repulsive and brutal (some more than others, but all illegal).

I think shows like “big love” paint a pretty picture of polygamy and then people think that if their lives are OK then maybe we should live them alone. I will be the first one to stay out of consenting adult’s life. But we are talking about children. And the adults aren’t really “consenting” if they have no choice. If you are an adult but can’t leave a compound because you might be beaten or something might happen to your children, you are not “consenting”.

This is not about religious prosecution. It’s about criminal activity, pure and simple. And this is also about human compassion. We cannot allow those children to keep on being abused that way, those women to be prisoners living like subjects of their male husbands as if they were their “masters” in medieval times.  Lets we forget, this is the United States 2008.

I could not decide tomorrow that I have a new religion and my religion lets me kill my relatives at will. Killing is illegal. Rape is illegal. Child Abuse is illegal. Kidnapping is illegal. Polygamy is illegal.  Enough is enough.

I disagree with Sean Sinjin about the comment that there is no God.  There is one and I have had a personal experience with Him not just internally.  Just because you don't see a thing doesn't mean that you write off it's existence.  Just because people do bad things doesn't mean that no one should do anything at all.  At least with the Bible, if interpreted correctly, can serve as a moral guide for people's lives and maybe they (people) can discover the writer of the Bible, God for themselves.  With anything, people are going to bend things toward their wants and desires such is the case for the cult in Texas.  There are many cults and it looks like MEME is the next one but this time its a Godless cult with their God being their own belief system.  We are all religios in one way or the other.  Atheists have their belief in atheism to believe in.  The evolutioninst believe in a mere coinsidence of a creation - like shooting a bullet from here to Mars and hoping to hit a penny while both planets rotate.  I too was an atheist until God came along.  Now I am not a religious person but do count on God to help me in my journey through this life.  He wants to help us all but not through a religion through a relationship with Him.  God gave us all free wills in that we by choice could seek Him.  He (God) did not create robots that were programmed to follow his very orders.  So people like Sean Sinjin can think whatever they want - it is their God given right although our thoughts could be errored at least in light of my thinking and reading of Bible scription.

God Bless,

Harming children is against the law of society and against the law of God.  Period. No one at FLDS is being persecuted for practices of faith but rather being punished for willfully practicing physical and sexual abuse of the most innocent.

I was on a business trip this past summer and came across a compound in a small city that stood out from its surroundings.  I was told that the beautiful and spacious building in the compound was the center of worship for a close-knit religious order and that the spiritual leader of the order lived in the compound.  His was a strict patriachal religious order and he had absolute authority over everyone in the compound and many in the city around it.  The group shunned all outside influences and would have nothing to do with the music and media that was so pervasive in "normal society".  The women in the group were made to wear long flowing clothing that covered them almost entirely and all of the children and males wore extremely modest clothing.  The group shunned all contact with vices such as alcohol and pornography as well as dozens of other vices accepted or tolerated in "normal society".  Their religious beliefs encompassed the practice of polygamy and young women in their society as young as 9 years old could be married to an older male member.  While these concepts and practices seemed strange and disturbing to me, I did not see anyone in the surrounding city lifting a finger to intervene to stop what was going on.  Indeed, everyone seemed to accept what was going on as perfectly acceptable and normal.  How could this be?

Perhaps it was because I was in Afghanistan.  I saw the same things in Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.  The practise of Islam throughout the Arab world and in many other places on the planet accepts all of these practices as the norm and consistent with their religion.  I dare say that few in the US would advocate storming such a compound or city in Afghanistan and taking all of the women and children into "protective custody" and arresting men who were married to more than one wife or to younger girls.  The response to that act would have immediate and world-wide repercussions.  We justify our "acceptance" of their actions as, "It is their religion and their business and we have no right to interfere."

Why then, is it OK in the US to do it?  Just because a group has a different religion that they believe fervently in that is different than the "mainstream Christianity" practised in the US, this does not give anyone the right to decide for them (even their wives and children) what they can and cannot do.  I can guarantee that there are pockets of Islam in the US that secretly practise their religion contrary to the laws of the US.  Has anyone stormed one of those "dens of iniquity" lately?  Ever?

Those people in Texas are practising a religion they have been raised in for generations.  Our ways are as foreign to them as the people of the Arab world are to us.  The Neo-Christians among us wail and knash teeth and rend their clothes at the sight or even the thought of such iniquity in their midst; however, they brush off as "none of their business" the rest of the world doing exactly the same thing in their own countries in the name of religion.

I'm not saying that everything the FLDS Church was doing there is right.  I am only saying that, when you look at it from a different perspective, it boils down to the freedom of religion.  Religion does NOT give one the right to sexually abuse (such as with the catholic priests and nuns abusing children for centuries) or to forcing children to marry and have sex.  But, when Free Agency and true religion combine to allow people to act according to the dictates of their own hearts and concience, for the same purpose and with the same intent that you and I do, neither the government nor the "cultphobics" have the right to step in and impose their standards on the families involved.  Where will it end?  Will the government step in and take children away from families that believe in prayer over modern medicine?  What about families where parents still spank their children like they were raised and site Biblical references to "spare the rod......."?

Stop and think what we are really expousing here.  Government interference in the way we raise our families.  Anyone who is different, or another religion, or does not practice what we consider "the norm" is next.  Where does it stop?  Do you think taking 400 children away from their parents and farming them out into "normal society" is the answer?

I don't and never will.

God All Mighty is against immorallity and sins in any place of his creation. God allows punishment to let his people wake up. God is waiting for our repentance to return to his kingdom and live in peace and joy.
"Maran Atha", God is coming.

Whatever is happening is happening for a reason.  We shouldn't judge, judgement is for God and vengeance is for God.  Only God knows why these things are happening.  We do have a moral obligation to defend those who can't defend themselves and to uphold the integrity and virtues this country was founded on.  The integrity and virtues our Father expects from us.

This blog is slow as molasses.  I have read many on the Christian perspective of the American Idol.  That blog is very positive and upbeat about the song that was sung at the end.  This blog is too slow and will lose people.

 Iam proud TEXAN who believes that my state is doing
the right thing.It,s a shame that this kind of stuff happens.The police here in LAS VEGAS caught Warren Jeffs.It was on a routine traffic stop.The state trooper seen who it was and held him until others
showed to arrest him.After Utah did their convictd he
is about two hours away in Arizona waiting to be tried.
  Lets hope they convict him also.Because when TEXAS
gets through with him and this type of ignorance.
The key will be thrown away and no hope for daylight
possible. WHAT WAS HE THINKING??????????????????????

Now you want the head of the whistle-blower? For that reason alone is why she has not been IDed. Drumming up business? Sounds like you've got your own skeletons in your closets.

Texas had the balls to do what both Arizona and Utah chose not to do; take these wacko pedophiles on -- and, eventually out.

Lest anyone forget, a few short years ago, FLDS residents of the Eldorado compound lived with zero interference while the fearless law-enforcement community in Arizona and Utah looked the other way for decades.

Doesn't anyone recognize Dave Coresh from Philadelphia?  Scarily too similar to David Koresh of Waco fame.  There are too many people in this world with too much time on their hands.
Thank you San Angelo for taking these poor, lost souls in.  Too bad there are groups out there "preaching" sin and sex under the veil of so-called religion.  

According to some of the comments, I guess that God is about as smart as a bag of hammers!  What?  Did someone tap God on the shoulder and say "Hey, check out what these folks are doing to children!"  Then God said "Holy cow, I didn't know!!" So he decided to send a tornado to San Angelo (not the compound) as punishment?  When it comes to God, the adult imagination is better than a child's imagination.  One thing is for sure, the comments are truly entertaining!  Oh, and please do not retort that God will send one for me...that is just plain evil and truly shows which side you are actually on!

Polygamy, hell.  No one cares' how many people these FLDS people are sleeping with, it's the kids that are important here and what their doing to thoses kids minds.

Well, that was a nice write up. But as a person from the northeast I do not look at Texas any differently because of this situation. I am concerned though as the media spins the story the way the officials tell them too. Okay so the local human service agency goes in to look into allegations of abuse or neglect... But, now on t.v. I see FBI and other people that have nothing to do with child abuse even there. I could see the police for protection for social workers but why the federal government. I feel that we are not getting the whole story here. While I think it's silly for a 50 year old man to marry a 14 year old girl. It is only recently in modern society where it became a crime to marry someone so young. The age to marry  100 years ago could go as low as 13 or 14. Also, polygamy is not recognized by the government(you can't claim multiple wives as dependents on taxes) so it would seem to me that what they do in the confines of the church is up to them as long as they are not hurting people or planning to hurt people. This group seems more pacifist than anything.

William Carter wrote, "Of course, the children would still have to be seized; a civilized country cannot tolerate polygamy."

Do we define "civilized" as everyone who lives and believes as we do?  Is that what justified us taking the North American continent away from those who lived here, slaughtering the inhabitants, and taking their children and farming them out to "civilized" families to raise?  Who or WHAT gives you the right to decide what is and is not civilized?  Who or what gives you the right to decide that the innocent children need to be removed from their parents because there are two Mom's in the house instead of one.  What exactly did the children do wrong?  Did a court decide that the mother was unfit or did it just come down to the children need to be "protected" from a mother who has diffent beliefs than you?  Society says that its OK to have two lesbian mom's in the house or two Gay father's, but heaven forbid those two Mom's have a man in the house, too.  My goodness, what would having a man in the house teach those children?  No, we choose instead to drag them out of that home and expose them to our society with all of its vices and social ills.  Way to go America!!!  Sometimes, you make me ashamed to be one of you.  If I had a chance to be in the world and not of it, I would dare any of you to impose your social ills on me and my family.  You spite everything you believe in by imposing your norms on these children and taking them away from their parents.  You have no right, and, obviously, the children have no rights either.

Control, manipulation, forcing sexual experiences, forbidding freedom of movement and thought, frightening women and children with lies, abuse, hurting children and women--always wrong, always evil, always should be prevented if possible.  Matters not whether it is by Muslims, "Christians", Mormons or anybody else--in this country, we're supposed to be free, protected from meglomaniacs and
able to choose our sexual and marriage partners. What a shameful thing these men have practiced and perpetrated on the innocent and powerless.

Everyone talks about how Texas folk are "wacko" or what ever.  I like to remind folks that the majority of these "whackos" are not native to my home state.  For some reason though, they love settling down here.  I guess they believe Texas is so big they can be left alone- wrong answer!!

Beth, I noticed his name (David Coresh) right off!  It was a scary thought, too.

First Aid room in a temple?

Bed(s) plural. Read before commenting, next time.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):