Showing posts with label YFZ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YFZ. Show all posts

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Governor Perry

You were able to move at lighting speed with the threat of deadly force, well coordinated, with respect to American Citizens.



Does this mean you won't do it again, because politically, it works for you and you're cynically using a conflict with the President to further your own political career?

Does it mean you can't do it, and had to have collusion with the Federal Government to do it the first time, in 2008? More →

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Saturday, December 01, 2012

But it's starting to get INTERESTING again

My first involvement with the FLDS, YFZ, Warren Jeffs and the rest had to do with a certain commonality of purpose. I lost interest and couldn't advocate for anyone when fissures began to appear within the FLDS over the whole matter. Warren made it worse by being guilty of a few genuine crimes, and then falling on his sword, stupidly and publicly. So I thought I was out. Now I'm "pulled back in" by the sheer fascination of the ongoing hypocrisy and "Inspector Javert" quality of Texas' pursuit.

Fredrick Merril Jessop was a very bad man, and a very bad man was he.

Right?
The San Angelo Standard-Times - "When his eligibility date arrived, the parole board already had voted against releasing (Merril Jessop).
But:
"The parole panel voted in October against releasing Jessop, Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles spokesman Harry Battson said. Such pre-emptive actions are not uncommon."
Merril's crime, you know, the thing he was convicted of doing?
"Fredrick Merril Jessop, 76, is serving a 10-year sentence, which along with the $10,000 fine levied against him is the maximum penalty for the third-degree felony of performing an illegal ceremony."
A third degree felon is in essence an "accessory before the fact," Merril is said to have "said words" that motivated others to commit felonies. He had an opinion. He expressed it. He didn't cause anyone to do anything, that is anything for which he is imprisoned.

The FIRST Amendment to the US Constitution?
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
I frequently cite and quote Wikipedia though I have deep issues and differences with them regarding methodology and content. Wikipedia is a supreme example of Hegelian "synthesis" in real life. Whatever most people think is "the truth" according to the Wiki people. This is exacerbated when people with a cause masquerade as hundreds of people and "stuff the ballot box" of synthesis so as to send truth sliding into the ditch.

It thus (oddly) becomes useful to quote Wikipedia or cite them because often it is good to use a source that agrees with you, even though their every inclination is to disagree. It's sorta like the apostle Paul asserting that even heathens know better than to do some things, in his letters to the Corinthians.

The point? Merril is a very bad man from Wikipedia standards*, but you can still glean much from their heavily biased description. Namely, that he doesn't have much, if any, in the way of a criminal past.

He's not eligible for parole again until next year, in October, and he's in jail for an opinion, openly expressed and supposedly stated in our constitution, to be a protected form of speech coupled with a free practice of religion. It would appear that because Merril is in jail and is saddled with a staggering monthly child support bill, that if he ever gets parole, he's going straight back into the hoosegow for contempt. Effectively, he is at 76, being jailed for life for having a constitutionally protected opinion. (Qatar anyone?) At 76, and being jailed now for a while, he may not have the wherewithal to write a large 6 figure check.

When your freedoms are all gone, remember, this is the way they were lost.





*An example: The way the Wikipedia article on Merril is edited/written, we end up with this result: "Merril Jessop (born December 27, 1935[1]) was believed to be the de facto leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church) after its former leader, Warren Jeffs, resigned when he was convicted as an accomplice to rape in 2007..."

Who was convicted of rape? Merril or Warren? A reader might come away with an impression that Merril was. In addition, though it is literally true that Warren was "convicted as an accomplice to rape in 2007," Warren's conviction was overturned, in large part due to the fact that it was later found a star witness had perjured herself. Utah has no plans to retry the case, because a conviction is impossible per the Utah Supreme Court's opinion on the matter.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Here we go again, Christians BEWARE

In a move that should frighten every "Fundamentalist" Christian in the country, Texas wants to take the Yearning for Zion ranch away from the FLDS and it's resident members:






The San Angelo Standard Times - "The Texas Attorney General's Office on Wednesday filed search and seizure paperwork in 51st District Court in Schleicher County, seeking to take over the 1,600-acre YFZ Ranch owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."
Of course, Texas isn't trying to render FLDS members homeless, no.....
"The Office of the Texas Attorney General doesn't know how many people still reside at the ranch, Strickland said. Nevertheless, the seizure 'is not an eviction notice,' he said. He said he didn't want to speculate on what might happen to the ranch if the state succeeds in seizing it."
It does look like the residents knew something was afoot earlier this year:
"It's uncertain how many people still live at the ranch. In 2008, more than 400 children were taken from the ranch before appellate courts ordered them returned to their families. Over the past year, massive building projects began to crop up around the ranch.

Then earlier this year, a huge tower that resembled an airport control tower was toppled shortly after it was finished, and work has halted on an amphitheater-like building larger than the temple on the property."
Supposedly, the way the money was brought in to finance the acquisition of the "Yearning for Zion" Ranch was illegal. Are you really sure than you're exempt? Just parceling the money out in a way that the government doesn't like, is illegal it would seem:
Fox News - "In the affidavit, prosecutors allege that sect members illegally structured financial transactions and that Jeffs personally toured the ranch before the land was purchased."
But no one has been charged with a crime, yet, just like before:
"To support prosecutors' claims that FLDS leaders financed the property through money laundering, one section in the affidavit lists 175 deposits, almost all of which are just less than $10,000, made at San Angelo banks over the course of two years and staggered by only a few days each. The total is about $1.5 million.

Prosecutors say the series of four-figure deposits -- which financial investigators call 'structuring' -- are typically done to evade federal reporting requirements.

However, the Texas attorney general's office, however, has not formally charged any FLDS members with any financial crimes."
Yup, a bunch of child molesters, who cares? Right? Except if you haven't read this blog, or others like it over the last four years, you probably think you know things about the YFZ affair that never happened, such as there being a bunch of pregnant teenage girls wandering around YFZ during the raid in 2008. To this date Texas has never said WHO they saw that was pregnant and "underage" when they raided YFZ, and only one girl out of all the underage girls on the ranch might have been visibly pregnant. That's wholly unremarkable in today's America.

This tactic can be used against YOUR church. The YFZ ranch is a FLDS church trust holding, and the church is being treated like a sort of organized crime syndicate. With as many laws as this country has, all they need to do is pick one your church members seem to violate, and start combing through your church's finances, and declare that you did something illegal to buy your land, and on it, you engaged in "crimes."

The smaller you are, the more conservative your beliefs, the greater the danger.

Just remember how they got the documents that they are using to seize the property:
The San Angelo Standard Times - "The ranch had been created with the intent of illegal activity, the affidavit alleges. The civil document liberally quotes Jeffs from his sacred documents, recovered from the ranch in the 2008 raid."
But the basis for the raid was a hoax call:
Fox News - "Texas Rangers raided the ranch following a call to a domestic abuse hotline that turned out to be false, and took 439 children into state custody."
The hoaxer now is completely forgotten in the narrative, as she was so obviously NOT genuine. Fox even forgets to mention that none of the kids were kept by Texas, but at least San Angelo's paper did remember:
"In 2008, more than 400 children were taken from the ranch before appellate courts ordered them returned to their families."
Go back to sleep now.
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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Greg speaks to me, in public (UPDATED)

Just when you think you're out of it. (UPDATE, Greg acknowledged in a phone call today 02/19/11, that the comment at the UNT newspaper site was in fact his)
They pull you back in again. The former peace officer and UNT Sgt, Gregory Jack Prickett:
"Hugh,

Here are the facts about the Gus Elliott case.

In 2004, a 19-year old student was stopped for a traffic violation and was determined to have been drinking alcohol, including the use a field breath test which showed the presence of alcohol. Elliott admitted during his deposition that he had been drinking alcohol all night and had lied about it at the time of the arrest. When he failed the field sobriety tests, he refused to comply with instructions and then turned, taking a posture as if he were going to fight or to flee. Since he would not comply, it was necessary to restrain him, during which time Officer Linnell suffered a laceration over his right eye, for which he later received medical treatment. During the course of taking him into custody after this, Elliott suffered a chipped tooth and a lacerated chin. Elliott made a plea deal to avoid going to trial for DWI, and plead “no contest” to another charge, paid $871 in fines/costs and served 12 months “deferred adjudication” probation.

He then sued and asked for $250,000 in damages. The case went to trial in 2008. After the DPS Crime Lab broke down the video to 30-fps, you could clearly see Elliott begin to turn away from the other officer and myself before we ever moved. The jury came back with a verdict that we had not violated Elliott’s rights nor used excessive force.

Even more telling was that at the conclusion of the trial, but before it went to the jury, Elliott’s attorney dropped one of the claims that he had made against me, apparently realizing that he had not proven his case.

This is my first post on this thread, and although much of your information is incorrect, I don’t intend to go through a point by point rebuttal or debate over it."
My reply:
"We can clear things up a great deal if you answer the following, this of course assumes that you are Gregory Jack Prickett, the subject of the above article:

1.) How did you obtain the address PO Box 10485, Bozeman, MT?

The next several questions all are to be answered assuming a date of July 2010 or BEFORE.

2.) Were you associated in any way with the blogging identity 'TxBluesMan' who posted at all or one of the following blogs: 'Grits for Breakfast,' 'Modern Pharisee,' 'Coram non Judice (blogger version),' 'Coram non Judice (wordpress version),' any of the blogs of Brooke Adams of the Salt Lake Tribune, or the wordpress blog 'FLDS Texas?'

3.) Did you know who I was prior to (or during) July of 2010?

4.) Had you ever communicated with me (on or before July 31st of 2010)?

5.) Did you ever contribute to articles on the FLDS, and/or YFZ and/or Warren Jeffs at Wikipedia (this assumes that simply posting material written by others would be a 'contribution')?

Since you have now weighed in on the topic Greg, no other discussions are relevant unless you can and do answer the above questions, and in particular the last 4, with 'yes,' or 'no.'

I may have follow up questions."
Does he dare answer the last four with "yes" or "no?"
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Friday, January 28, 2011

GregJackP (AKA TxBluesMan AKA Gregory Jack Prickett) Indicts himself with his own words.

In today's University of North Texas student newspaper. Highlights.
North Texas Daily - "UNT Dallas Police Coordinator Gregory J. Prickett, a 20-year member of the department, was placed on administrative leave in October while investigators looked into complaints that he had blogged and edited Wikipedia articles at work."
And of course, as the article states previous to this quote, was fired last month.

Greg.

They don't fire you for blogging from work when you've been there for 20 years. They DISCIPLINE you. Additionally, your University's legal counsel was on your side, and threatened to arrest ME if I came to make my complaint in person.

Why were you fired Greg?

Because I lied?

Or because YOU lied?
"In a three-page complaint submitted to UNT on Oct. 1, Hugh McBryde, a long-haul truck driver from Missoula, Mont., details the escalation of an online feud between himself and a blogger he said he believed to be Prickett.

McBryde alleges Prickett used a variety of pseudonyms to harass him and defame his character after the two men quarreled on various online forums over the legality of a 2008 law enforcement raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas.

McBryde’s complaint states that a blogger using the screen names 'GregJackP' and 'TXBluesman,' among others, began posting online statements in August, warning 'Past, Present and Future employers' not to hire McBryde because 'he finds 7 yr old girls sexually attractive.'

McBryde said he decided to seek the identity of the anonymous blogger after he said he felt threatened when pictures of his grown daughter were posted to an online forum."
I of course saw that my daughter was far more threatened than I, but not wanting to involve her in the mess more than she was already involved (she finds it funny, now), I chose to frame my complaint as a threat against me personally and an attempt to extort and/or blackmail me or punish. Greg apparently has done this kind of thing before:
"Denton Attorney Richard Gladden represented former UNT student Gus Elliott in a 2005 lawsuit against Prickett and another officer.

The lawsuit, which Prickett went on to win, stemmed from an incident in 2003.Ell iot received a chipped tooth and a cut on his chin that required stitches when he became involved in an altercation with the two officers during a traffic stop, Gladden said. During the course of the suit, Gladden said he found himself the target of a character assassination attempt by a blogger on a law enforcement forum.

Under a pseudonym, which Gladden could not recall, the person posted information about criminal convictions Gladden had received years prior and called the attorney’s credibility into question, Gladden said.

Gladden said he believes the blogger was Prickett.

'It seemed to be a kind of immature way of dealing with the situation he found himself in,' Gladden said. 'It’s the whole idea of him, rather than dealing with things in court, attacking my character anonymously on the Internet.' "
Greg of course, tips his hand with this quote:
" 'I was surprised by how poor the investigation was. They didn’t do any background checks on McBryde,' Prickett said. "From the idea of the questions they were asking, it seemed like they were really just making a case against me.' "
GOTCHA! That's what YOU do Greg (TxBluesMan). When someone makes an accusation, INVESTIGATE THEM! Smear THEM! Haven't you heard that whores can be raped?

Maybe you should go into law as an attorney after all Greg, and defend rapists.

Now the big question Greg. Liar. Who ELSE have you been investigating? I note you didn't find anything on me other than I have been divorced.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Not Monday, but Friday for Jeffs

Next Friday, that is.
The State of Utah will a hearing Monday to appeal the unanimous ruling of the Utah Supreme Court, but there will be time to digest whatever ruling comes out of that hearing, file whatever motions must be filed and raise whatever objections there will be.
The Salt Lake Tribune - "Walter F. Bugden, one of Jeffs’ attorneys, said he will file a habeus corpus motion opposing the extradition until there is a resolution in the Utah case.

'It is not only a question of fairness but of constitutional proportion to shuttle him back and forth between states,' Bugden said. 'I think that the decision should be made and shouldn’t just be left pending until after he has a trial in Texas. I think it is fundamentally unfair to not finish what they started.' "
This gives Wally the maneuvering room to make whatever objections he will make is an indication his arguments have basic weight. This is provided of course, Utah's Supremes do not "reconsider" their decision. In addition, there is no "Constitutional Right" of Texas to dispose of "more serious charges" but there is a Constitutional right to a speedy trial. Offhand that would seem to trump any claim Texas has to Warren for the time being.

Of course Utah could always just drop the charges and clear the way for Texas to take Warren, and that is what I expect will happen if nothing changes Monday. The whole purpose of the hearing Monday is to re-instate Warren's conviction so that he has no right to a speedy trial, having already had a trial. Utah then hopes (as does Texas) to send Warren to Texas a Guilty man, not an innocent one. Once in Texas, Utah and Texas both don't care if the Utah Supremes reaffirm their decision because Warren will then be in Texas. They figure he can argue a speedy trial in Utah all he wants from Texas, while he is waiting for trial in Texas. Speed does not help Warren in Texas.

This is such a cynical move that even I was mildly surprised by it. Utah has no hope at all of retrying Warren and gaining a conviction, but the political pressure on the Utah Supreme Court is now immense. They've already whined how their clear, correct and unanimous decision forces hardship on the "victim" of a nonexistent crime. The pressure is now to "reconsider" their decision, even though everyone knows the only change in outcome would be whether the decision was unanimous or not. All the move on Utah's part does if successful, is to void Warren's request for a new trial.

Texas does not want an innocent Warren in their courts, which will raise the issue of whether he deserves bail or not. Texas wants the prejudicial effect of his conviction to still be in place when they do try Warren. Texas doesn't want to grant Warren bail. Texas is not in the slightest, interested in Justice.
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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Warren's "Porn" (real or fake) probably predates The Raid

I just posted this over at "The Polygamy File" at the Salt Lake Tribune:
The more I think about it, the more I think “The Tape” or “The Transcript,’ exists. If so, the likelihood that it/they were in the possession of authorities prior to the raid is very high. This is the reason that Jonny knows about it. It was probably brought to him by his bagman Sammy Shamus.

Examine the pattern of the raid and what they were looking for and what they were so sure they (Texas) would find. The belief in the “informant” (there would have to be such an informant to have “The Tape/Transcript”) seemed righteous to me. What I mean by righteous is it seemed to me Doran really believed it.

Subsequently on the news we heard ravings about the “sex bed” and so on. The Ranch was searched looking for pictures of Jeffs’ 12 year old bride and looking for the things described on “The Tape/Transcript” that Jonny describes. The media coverage fit a template leading up to the “discovery” of such a “Tape.”

So I have no doubt “The Tape” and/or “The Transcript” exists. What I doubt is that they found it at YFZ. All sorts of rumors have been floated about “The Tape” and “The Transcript” in the day and a half since it’s disclosure by Jonny on AC, but I’m telling you, if Texas had it, Texas would have had Warren a long time ago.

If there is corruption as Toobin and Krakauer suggest in the court system, it would be because “The Tape” IS genuine and was discovered recently and this was told to Conn and the Supremes in Utah, and they paved the way to turn Warren over to Texas.

I wouldn’t listen to the news again for 20 years after that, it’s going to be X-Rated Child Porn. You couldn’t watch ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” for 30 years without seeing that guy crack up on the ski ramp. You can’t talk about Nixon without Watergate and we won’t be able to hear about polygamy without “hearing every grunt.”
I've held my tongue too many times before (believe it or not) and watched events pass me by. For instance, I knew that the Supremes were going to spring Warren before they did. If "Blogger" keeps original time stamps recorded somewhere, an examination of my Dashboard would tell you that's true. The above goes out on a limb, and if I find the time I'll piece together all the disparate circumstantial evidence that matches the pattern of the search and behavior of LE at YFZ during the raid and what was said about the raid before during and right after it. I can still remember Bill O'Reilly ranting about the "sex bed."

To me at least, the pattern of the raid looked very much as if they had a "treasure map" and were looking for specific items. Doran did appear to me to be a "true believer" in the "informant." If faked, "The Tape" is the "New Sarah" that is being used to justify everything in a fight that has now retreated almost entirely to Texas. Texas, where Judges are elected and subject to political influence in a very real way.

If real it's either the proverbial "other shoe" or "trump card" that Texas has been keeping their powder dry on for over two, maybe three or four years. One still wonders why it wasn't on the warrant, unless they were looking for "The Original Tape" and didn't want people to know that was what they were looking for.

But if it is true, it's been in the hands and mouths of the biggest blabbermouths and attention whores West of the Pecos now for 2-4 years, and they've also held their tongue on it, until Tuesday, when Jonny shot his mouth off, and Anderson Cooper showed his colors by not asking him, "How do you know this?"

Do I have to go into a long explanation on the chain of custody on this "evidence?"

Tony Alamo's bust occurred after all the mistakes of YFZ, and the "Kiddie Porn" allegation was front and center. You can't get me to believe that this wouldn't have been smeared all over the media if they had it and had real corroboration. This "Tape" is an urban legend that is being passed around as the real thing. IMHO of course.
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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Problems at Short Creek, this time a Raid that Works? (UPDATED WITH VIDEO)

Dear FLDS:  When you get pictures like this, you're losing.
This is my take on it.

And I'm going to be overbroad, and probably get some of this wrong.

I'm going to combine this picture with a statement I found at another blog, paraphrased:
"Skilled professionals and mental health workers and mediators should be sent in to calm things down before more violence breaks out."
Essentially your enemies have been maneuverering to get pictures of trauma and distress in the media with you (the FLDS) as the villians, and they've done it.

This is "Then," the picture on the left,  is "Now."
Two men on one woman in broad daylight.

Freeze Frame. 

It doesn't matter what happened. She could have just hit one of the officers two seconds ago. She could have said I'm going to go get a gun from inside and shoot you. It could be just as it appears to be, excessive force applied to an outnumbered and physically inferior opponent.

On the one hand you have our first image where except for the Law Enforcement trappings, it could be a rape/abduction in broad daylight. On the other hand, in the next picture from two years ago we have big threatening law enforcement types herding women and children like cattle into an unseen place, like Auschwitz.

With the picture on the lower right burned into the minds of the public, the FLDS was winning. With the picture on the above left, they're not.

Now it's "Big Brutal FLDS Unfair Corrupt Law Enforcement with Guns Literally Beating Up on a Defenseless Woman," and it's recent.

America forgets.

They like the new.

YFZ was two years ago, the Creek is now.

You need only to watch the two Bush Presidents rise to insane levels of popularity and plunge to equally insane levels of disapproval inside of the same time frame to know you can easily lose a battle that you had won. The battle for hearts and minds.

America builds up, to tear down again.  They enjoy watching and doing both.

Back to the above quote (paraphrased). Now we have the "FLDS Goons" imagery and the mild volunteering meek mental health professionals need to go in and calm things down. Seek peace from compromise on "both sides." There will be jack booted thuggery involved, but this time the image of such oppression will be firmly fixed on the residents who are oppressing poor minority women (minority beliefs that is).

We'll have a duplication of YFZ with "Mental Health Workers" crawling all over the place, taking notes, documenting things they weren't supposedly there to document and trying to find crimes. All over again.

This will come with the "disincorporation" attempt on the Twin Cities. Don't be surprised if Federal Officers move in and close down city offices, confiscate everything (like the volunteer fire department raid) and you suddenly find yourself being policed by State Troopers of Utah and Arizona.

The subtleties of the UEP will be lost on the general public. It won't matter that the FLDS Church basically owned Hildale and Colorado City in completely legal fashion. It won't matter that they were essentially a sort of permanent ongoing church camp, where if you played by church rules, you got to stay, and if you didn't you'd have to go.

It won't matter that Bruce Wisan, as the fiduciary, has been provoking conflict, writing leases to "apostates" (read that unruly campers that have been ejected from camp) and attempting to defile food granaries with livestock feed. It won't matter because suburban America won't get it.

If the UEP was illegal, and the form of land ownership and sharing at the Creek were essentially illegal, that would have been addressed long ago, and the UEP trust would have been broken up. It's not illegal, so it had to be taken over, for the purposes of creating artificial confrontations. Bruce Wisan moves people into the "Church Camp" and has them continue their "misbehavior." The Judge involved states that land leases have the force of a "Court Order." Suddenly where there was relative peace and harmony, there is now conflict. Outright defiance of the Law.

Local police are corrupt (it doesn't matter if this is true or not, or why, see the first picture). They're beating up on helpless women. This is intolerable. We need a solution (goes the drumbeat).

YFZ.

All over again.

This time with the desired effect.

The FLDS as big mean bad guys raping young girls in basements. That, or something that can be made to appear heinous. The FBI and their functionaries learn from their mistakes. They learned from the Short Creek Raid over 50 years ago. They learned from YFZ two years ago. They're ready to try again.

Personally, I think it has a good chance of working.

Armed with the relentless marching convictions of FLDS men in Texas who have Sexually Assaulted Children and with new images of brutality, this time they'll do it right. It'll be wrong of course, but every "i" will have a dot, and every "t" will be crossed. You might even look at the Firehouse raid as practice. They probably gathered enough evidence there, to justify further action. Remember that evidence for arrests and raids need not be conclusive, just enough to raise suspicion.

This time they'll take everything.

UPDATE, I have the "Full Video," which is part of what clearly looks like a set up to me. It's not much of a kick, but the woman does kick at the officer before she's taken down.

It's childish really, instead of going, she resists, and climbs up on the roof of the truck. Frankly, they should have been harder on her to protect her safety, because swinging her around by the arm can dislocate it, and I think the officers were trying to use minimal force. In this case, a little more would have probably been better but the officers were dealing with an interfering officer. Mike Watkiss fans the flames by using the word "Bloodshed."
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The "Truth Will Prevail" starts a series on Arizona LE corruption

And, I am sure, a few other interesting stories. For instance, what was discussed at the supposed reporting of Elissa Wall's rape? In addition, why wasn't Lamont Barlow, her alleged husband, also arrested on the spot for rape? Could it be it was all a lie?
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Thursday, July 08, 2010

Massive Lurch Towards Legal Polygamy

With a judge striking down the defense of marriage act that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, what's to stop a man and a woman and a woman from stepping into the void and getting married?
The Boston Globe - "A federal district court judge in Boston today struck down the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as a union exclusively between a man and a woman.

Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage law violates the Constitutional right of married same-sex couples to equal protection under the law and upends the federal government’s long history of allowing states to set their own marriage laws."
Where does this leave the "enhancement clause" on which the super long sentences of FLDS members is based as well?

It may be no longer necessary to lobby for legal polygamy, it may very well be here. I'd encourage some already polygynous family to rush out and attempt to marry themselves, all three, four or five (or however many) they are.
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Friday, July 02, 2010

Something's up, maybe a plea deal: Keith William Dutson Jr. gets a Continuance.

I'm not a subscriber to the Eldorado Paper, but they're bannering the information.
And just before a Holiday Weekend. Interesting. It could mean anything from arguing about a venue change, a plea deal, or something has happened to make Keith's conviction less likely. It could even mean that they're rearranging scheduled trials because the extradition of Warren Jeffs to Texas from Utah has been successful.

Like I said, it's typically buried late on a Friday afternoon before a national Holiday. When no one is watching. That USUALLY means it's not something Walther wants us to know a lot about.
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A Trial Transcript Comparison (UPDATED)

Ron in Houston, whoever that is, claims (essentially) that I'm not very bright when it comes to my observation regarding the time it took to produce Raymond Jessop's trial transcript. Oh really?

While I realize the cases are different, it is likely that the trial transcript of former Congressman William "Cold Cash" Jefferson is a bit more complex. From an article appearing in the "Times-Picayune."
"A federal appeals court Friday rejected a request from the court reporter in the corruption case of former Congressman William Jefferson for a one-year extension to produce the trial transcript required for the appeal to move forward.

The court reporter, Michael Rodriquez, missed a March 23 deadline to produce the 6,500-page transcript from last summer's eight-week trial, and recently asked that he be given until May, 11, 2011, to produce the document.

'It is my strong belief that the extension of time requested would be sufficient to complete the transcripts requested in this case,' he wrote the court.

In a two-line order, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., gave him until June 23 (UPDATE:  As of 07/02/2010 the transcript is now filed for William Jefferson), warning of financial sanctions if he asks for more time.

'Further requests for extension and waiver will be viewed with disfavor by this court,' the court order said.

Jefferson, who turned 63 in March, remains free, pending resolution of the appeal of the guilty verdicts returned by a Virginia jury last August on 11 of the 16 counts charged by the Justice Department."
I guess it's who you know, and who you used to be. Raymond Jessop isn't a former US Congressman, William Jefferson is.

I also can't sort out a comparison between the Jessop trial and the Jefferson trial when it comes to why William Jefferson has an appeal filed, but no transcript, or even why it is that "Cold Cash" Jefferson can be free, pending an appeal, and Raymond is in a Texas Prison.

Nevertheless, Raymond Jessop was convicted on November 6th, 2009, his transcript showed up in about 8 months, and William Jefferson's conviction was in August of 2009, and his transcript had an imposed deadline by the appeals court of March 23rd, 2010. A deadline that was missed.

A 6500 page transcript. William Jefferson was CONVICTED on August 11th, and sentenced about the same time that Raymond Jessop was. I also can't tell you if the sentencing was included in the transcript. Nevertheless we have the better part of August, until March 23rd of this year, about EIGHT and a HALF months for a 6500 page transcript to be produced, and an angry Judge demanding that it be produced, and crankily extending the deadline to about a week ago, for William Jefferson. Even less time if you account for the sentencing of William Jefferson took place after Raymond Jessop was sentenced.
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

On FLDS Appeals

When do you suppose that in this day of speech recognition software, HD Video, and general automation of everything in the office, that the transcript of Raymond Jessop's trial (and subsequent conviction) was finally given to the defense, so that they could appeal.
If you said "hasn't happened yet, you'd have been right, up until this month. It's finally in the hands of the defense, as of this month. Remember when he was convicted? November, of last year. Barbara, you wouldn't be dragging your feet for any reason, would you?
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Friday, June 25, 2010

The Last of the Mohicans?

Some days are like being Elijah, in the cave.
From Free the FLDS Children:
"As some of you have already noticed, I have ceased to moderate the FLDS.WS website blog. That decision was not made lightly, and it is with deep sadness that I found this necessary, chiefly because during the past two years I have come to know and greatly respect all of you.

This is especially true of the children and parents of the FLDS. You are, without a doubt in my mind, some of the strongest group of people’s I have ever met and I proudly count you among my friends.

With or without my voice on the website, I will continue to support and defend your right to practice your religion as a fundamentalist Mormon.

I will also continue to support and assist those who need my help, notwithstanding my decision to withdraw from the site on a regular basis.

Take care of the 'Little Angels' and give them a hug from me,

'Grandpa Bill' "
It would seem Bill Medvecky has at least gone into "Semi Retirement."

Not me, not now, I'm still here. I imagine that we will hear from Bill once in a while.

Of necessity covering the FLDS moves more and more to the back burner. This blog did not come into being to champion the FLDS, and it will stay, or some form of expression will stay here (God Willing) for that reason and others. There are several rather momentous brewing developments that I will let you know about, as they materialize, providing they do.

I want to cover politics a bit more, especially in view of the upcoming election, and I've hinted at that several times.

I'm done moving. (I won't say WHERE to, only that I had to go back to Montana to GET my RV).

I've got a Job. (I'm not going to say where either).

Moving the FLDS to the back burner is not an abandonment of the FLDS. There are less and less FLDS men to try for one thing, and at some point Texas will run out of them. More and more the FLDS fight will center on appeal, the extradition (possible) of Warren Jeffs from Utah to Texas and Warren's seeming certain and eventual victory over his conviction in Utah.

I will cover these things avidly and keep you as up to date as I can.
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me?

Things are really bad, when you think 17 years in jail, is good.
From the San Angelo Standard-Times:
"(Eric) Nichols said Schleicher County has done its duty in presiding over three trials.

'The trials have been a tremendous burden on this county,' Nichols said.

FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said Nichols was sore because he didn’t get 'as stiff a sentence' as he wanted, compared with the 75-year and $10,000 fine sentence an FLDS member received for the same charge out of Tom Green County.

'I think it was easily exploited in Tom Green County,' Jessop said, claiming that the FLDS presence was sensationalized.

Floyd West, a rancher in Schleicher County who has attended every day of court, said he is a neighbor to the YFZ Ranch and is disappointed with the sentence.

'I felt it was a slap on the wrist,' West said. 'I felt like he should have gotten a lot more.' "
Oh, you mean like the deferred probation your state gives out to teachers that jump little boys Floyd?
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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Verdict Soon on Abram Harker Jeffs? Yes, after a short Deliberation.

Typically, it didn't take long, and he's been convicted of Bigamy I hear.

The Defense was spirited by comparison to previous trials, but not enough. I believe the FLDS needs to be pushing the concept publicly of Jury Nullification, but they're not. In addition, the short defense presentations amount to an admission of guilt in terms of perception. Here's last night's San Angelo Standard-Times article:
" 'You’ve heard all the evidence you’re going to hear' for the guilt or innocence phase of the trial, 51st District Judge Barbara Walther told jurors before dismissing them for Monday evening.

Jurors looked at documents sacred to the FLDS throughout Monday afternoon as the prosecution tried to place Jeffs and the alleged victim at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Schleicher County at the time of the alleged offense.

The alleged assault of the 15-year-old girl when he was 34 allegedly occurred around May 12, 2006.

'I think this is the first time the jury has laid eyes on a priesthood record,' lead Prosecutor Eric Nichols told Texas Ranger Danny Crawford while Crawford was on the stand testifying to what each document was and what it said as the redacted documents were projected onto a screen for the jury."
Actually, copies of the Priesthood Records got out, and Eric knows that. Perhaps presenting them here is now a way to say that people have them now, because he used them in Trial. Right Eric.

To his credit, Brandon Hudson took a few jabs at the evidence in trial, and the fact that some witnesses are being paid. We can be sure we don't know the full extent of the payment issues between Texas and it's various "experts."

Sentencing is next. I imagine that will not take long either. The Bigamy conviction provides a platform for appeal of the length Abram's sentence, if it long, like the others. There will be appeals on the bigamy convictions on their constitutionality. Perhaps after sentences are adjusted, the convictions will be overturned just in time for a "timely" parole based on the average sentence of other "First Time" offenders.

My current thought is that after the heat dies down and FLDS men have spent some time in jail, there will eventually be a reversal of the evidence inclusion. My hope is that it's sooner than that.

Willie Jessop weights in today's edition of the Times:
"FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said afterward he believed the state at last publicly has made the case a religious matter.

'For the first time, they’ve admitted it’s about religion,' Jessop said.

Jessop also stressed deprivation of rights, in the raid and in the trial, as an issue of prime concern.

'Disregard your first, fourth, fifth and sixth amendment rights, and anyone is in danger,' Jessop said. 'We need to have judicial notice of what’s happening.' "
This case, if not reversed, as I have stated for over two years, is a danger to us all. The only victims at YFZ in the eyes of the law are technically victims, there was and still is no "outcry," there are no defections from "Stockholm Syndrome" sufferers suddenly "waking up." The supposed "Victims" are now all adults. Those underage "supposed" victims whose "assailants" have not yet been convicted will be adults soon. I think there's only one anyway, and it may be proved she was not a victim.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Extradtion of Warren Jeffs from Utah to Texas, by no means automatic

Will Elissa Wall repeat herself and drop charges in Utah (after a new trial)?

Brooke Adams points out this little gem:
77-30-19. Procedure if prosecution pending in this state.

"If a criminal prosecution has been instituted against such person under the laws of this state and is still pending the governor, in his discretion, may either surrender him on demand of the executive authority of another state or hold him until he has been tried and discharged or convicted and punished in this state."
If Warren compels a new trial in Utah (and I think he will), Elissa is faced with pulling out the same old saw she used in Arizona.

"I am dropping the charges so that more serious ones in Texas can be prosecuted."

Ultimately I think Warren's extradition will depend on how fast he gets his new trial, how quickly Elissa demurs and then whether or not the appeal of the raid evidence is heard in Texas.
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Jeffs leaves Arizona Jail, back in Utah

He's in Draper.
The Salt Lake Tribune - "The Mohave County Sheriff's Office in Arizona flew Jeffs, the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to Utah and handed him over to authorities at about 10:45 a.m. (MDT), according to a Sheriff's spokeswoman."
Next, the extradition fight. Judge Conn said he had to go back to Utah. He just never stops being right.
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Monday, June 14, 2010

See? I ruled AGAINST the prosecution (let's go home) UPDATED

Walther gets in her ruling for the defense.
More or less by ruling against the prosecution's request to move the trial. At least for today. We don't have a jury yet and we won't have one today it seems. (The updated story says yes we do.)
The San Angelo Standard-Times - "The motion to move the court came while Nichols argued that after calling 325 people as jurors, only 31 people were found eligible, and at that rate of individual questioning they were approving one out of every 10, meaning they would not find the necessary 36 people after interviewing the remaining 37 that had been seated from a second pool of 100 people called in addition to those of the original 325 who had excuses.

The defense argued for remaining in Eldorado.

'There is no reason to simply cut loose the people we have today,' defense attorney Brandon Hudson said.

Walther denied the state’s motion, so the individual questioning continued."
Walther knocked off early Friday, and will seem to quit on time today.

I wonder.

When we're not pressuring the defense and wearing out the Jury, Walther seems to be able to get home for dinner. When the trial starts though, it has been her pattern to stay late. Could this be a tactic?
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Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Yet another lesson in Semantics, Abram Harker Jeffs Trial begins

As I have observed before (here or elsewhere), it's what you call it. The San Angelo Standard-Times isn't trying to prejudice the Jury, they're just naming the statute violated. (I note that when I just tried not name the motion granted at Wikipedia, I got run off.) The headline on the story reads:
"Sexual assault of child trial set to begin today." The story goes on to mention Abram could get 99 years and recalls the basic outline of the raid narrative:
"Evidence gathered against the FLDS men came from an April 2008 raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Schleicher County. Law enforcement personnel searched for a woman who had called saying that she was being abused at the ranch. The authorities now believe the call to have been a hoax.

More than 400 children were put into protective custody from the ranch during their search, but they were returned weeks afterward at the order of an appellate court.

Authorities collected trailer-loads of evidence, papers, records from various buildings on the ranch. The state also collected DNA evidence, which has been used at each trial to show that the accused men fathered children by their underage victims.

FLDS defense counsel has tried to suppress the evidence gathered from the ranch on grounds that the search warrant was improper. Defense lawyers also have tried to quash indictments against the FLDS men because they say the grand jury selection process didn’t represent Schleicher County’s Hispanic population proportionately."
And again, the phrase repeated in the media like a mantra; "Authorities now believe the call to have been a hoax." Once in a while a reporter slips up and says "the call WAS a hoax," but no one will do the reporting.

It's like make-up. De-emphasize that which you don't find attractive, accentuate your best points. Anyone reading the San Angelo Standard-Times article, who is also part of the unsequestered jury, will "know" that Abram Harker Jeffs is charged with pulling his phallus out of his pants, and beating a baby girl with it. The fact that she is now an adult, didn't assist in the prosecution, and won't isn't in the headline.

The reasonable speculation that the call may have actually been arranged, is also not in the article.

If Abram's trial goes much longer than any of the others, I will be surprised, though I am hearing rumors of some new wrinkle. Most of the "wrinkles" so far have been set ups for later appeals.

How, as a God Fearing Juror, can you NOT convict a man charged with using his penis as an assault weapon against a "child?" That's why they named the crime the way they did. It's inflammatory and prejudicial. Ask "Booger Red."
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