Breeder cult wives go on victim offensive

Fox News:

Several women from the polygamist retreat raided more than a week ago defended their lifestyle Wednesday in an exclusive interview with FOX News, calling it "a wonderful pure life," and saying government officials deceived them when they raided the ranch where they live.

Six women from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints spoke to FOX News from the ranch in Eldorado, Texas, raided April 3 by government officials as part of a wide-ranging abuse investigation.

The women, who would only give their first names, told FOX News that the allegations have "no foundation."

"We want the world to know the truth," said Ada, one of the women from the ranch.

The women, who appeared on FOX News wearing similar high-collared dresses in pastel colors, said they agreed to speak to the media in the hopes of getting their children back.

...

"The sexual abuse and all of these reports that are coming through are not accurate," said Janet, who said she has five of her 12 children in state custody. "It seems as though, often times people judge from their own hearts — other people — and this is what we are victims of."

Janet told FOX News that they strive to live "pure, virtuous lives" at the ranch, though she admitted her husband has more wives than just her.

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The 416 children held by Texas authorities had been accompanied by 139 women until Monday, when officials ordered all the women away except for those whose children are under 5.

Texas Children's Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said officials decided that children are more truthful in interviews about possible abuse if their parents are not around.

"I can tell you we believe the children who are victims of abuse or neglect, and particularly victims at the hands of their own parents, certainly are going to feel safer to tell their story when they don't have a parent there that's coaching them with how to respond," Meisner said.

But another mother disagreed.

"I have an 18-year-old daughter that has been taken and isolated, and they're trying to interrogate her and trying to get her to say that she is the victim," Amy told FOX News. "And she's been isolated and interrogated through the whole night and then several days and the abuse is absolutely terrible.

"How does a young girl stand up under such pressure and still remain mentally stable?" Amy continued. "She needs her mother. She needs us."

H'mm what kind of pressure was put on underage girls to have sex and get pregnant by older men? What kind of loving parent has not taught their children how to spell their own name or remember their date of birth? What kind of mother subjects here underage daughter to "spirtual" marriages.

What is clear is these people are on a PR offensive. They also released photos and videos of the operation the State of Texas conducted to take the children into protective custody. This was supposed to demonstrate some type of military type operation. It looked to me like the Texas authorities were ready for whatever resistance might be offered.

The key to this case is not going to be the statements of the mothers or even the children possibly. It will be the DNA test on the underage girls and their children. That is what makes this operation different from previous attempts to break up these cults.