Wondering just how committed Schleicher County, Texas is to religious discrimination or whether some residents are just a tad short in constitutional IQ? Try the jaw-droppingly Nifongish story, below, in yesterday’s (June 3) the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.
Reporter Bill Hanna quotes Schleicher County’s Bible-totin’ Sheriff, David Doran, who seems intent on poisoning the jury pool (and the electorate) in advance of whatever new devilry he and other Texas “lawmen” are conjuring up for the FLDS:
Even as children continue to stream back home to the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran predicted Tuesday that numerous criminal charges will eventually be returned against followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).
“I believe when all of the criminal charges come forward it is going to be very hard to practice their beliefs within the state of Texas,” Doran said. “I believe there are numerous criminal investigations going, and a number of charges will eventually come out of those investigations.” . . .
“I see warrants coming but the timing of that is up to the Texas Rangers and the district attorney,” Doran said. “I’m not party to that. We didn’t have the manpower to conduct this investigation, so we’ve been in a support role, trying to provide communications with the ranch and provide law enforcement protection to our county.”
You got that right, Sheriff. You apparently don’t have the manpower (or maybe will power?) to read Section 6 of the Bill of Rights of the Texas Constitution, either. For the benefit of the Sheriff and San Angelo’s Empire Knights (a.k.a. KKK) Section 6 states, in part:
The Texas Constitution
Article 1 - Bill of Rights
Section 6 - Freedom of Worship… No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship. But it shall be THE DUTY OF THE LEGISLATURE to pass such laws as may be necessary to PROTECT EQUALLY EVERY RELIGIOUS DENOMINATION in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship.
But such nuances are lost on the likes of Sheriff Doran, the Texas Rangers and Judge Walther.
Doran defended the April 3 raid that led to the seizure of all of the children from the ranch, even though the call that spurred the raid may have been a hoax.
May have been a hoax?? Come on, Mr. Hanna. How about a bit more candor. The most accurate statement would be, “The call was beyond a reasonable doubt, a hoax given that Texas CPS later since dropped the putative caller from its court case and given the ongoing official investigation into a certain notorious Rosita Swinton who has previously made numerous similar calls.” I also note that you failed to mention that Judge Walther’s colleague, Judge Johnny Griffin turned the Texas Rangers down flat when they brought the now infamous search warrant to him, first. After Griffin’s rejection, they went shopping for a cheaper judge.
Why is it that part-time journalists like me consistently get better information sooner that full-timers like Bill Hanna? Anyway, back to Bill:
A Colorado woman, who was arrested for making prank calls, has been declared a person of interest by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Old news, Bill.
Last week the Texas Supreme Court upheld the 3rd Court of Appeal’s ruling that said there was no basis for taking all of the children from the ranch.
Doran still believes removing the children was the correct decision and said that many residents in Eldorado feel the same way.
See, this is where I have a problem with people like Doran serving in law enforcement. They just don’t get the importance of following constitutions and statutes. Doran “still believes.” Amazing. Psychologists call this denial.
“A lot of people on a local level are very upset about it,” Doran said. “They’re very concerned about the women and children.”
He believes the threat by FLDS elder Willie Jessop to register 300 voters is retaliation against him, but he does not believe it will work. Doran is up for re-election this fall.
“I think there is strong concern around town about that,” Doran said. “I think the buzz is people around town are ready to stand up against them at the ballot box.”
So that’s what this is all about. Sheriff Doran’s running for re-election and puts the squeeze on the FLDS in order to buy votes from the local “Knights of the Empire.” What a sleazy a bunch. Maybe the FLDS should have done a bit more looking before settling down in a sinkhole like Schleicher County. “People around town are ready to stand up against them at the ballot box.” Indeed.
So much for the Constitution of the State of Texas:
No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship.
I guess it doesn’t apply in backwaters like Schleicher County. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away? This story is a long way from over.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Jack Petersen 06.04.08 at 5:51 pm
“Maybe the FLDS should have done a bit more looking before settling down in a sinkhole like Schleicher County”
Perhaps the FLDS leaders read that section of the Texas Constitution and then made the mistake of assuming that the people of Texas would actually take it to heart. Oops! Big mistake.
J. T. Evans 06.04.08 at 9:41 pm
“No preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship.”
Does that include making the First Baptist Church privy to the information that the April 3rd raid against the FLDS sect was taking place? And what about soliciting the use — or accepting an offer of the use — of the First Baptist buses to transport the victims of the raid? Who initiated the raid, and who initiated the donation of the buses to the “cause” of driving these unpopular people out of the county?
It seems some kind of confidentiality was violated here. For starters. Plus a wholesale violation of standard restrictions against mixing church and state. But if you are running a KKK style operation, why should any of that get in your way? String ‘em up, right?
A serial hate crime is afoot, in any case.
fairydogmother 06.05.08 at 11:00 pm
The whole thing stinks. Please, go to these sites and read what is here. Do we understand the precedent that is being set? Are we ready for this?
http://www.truthwillprevail.org/index.php?index=0&parentid=1
What is the deal here?! Two higher courts have handed down decisions stating that CPS over-stepped constitutional bounds, removing these children from their parents without sufficient cause. Not only did CPS remove children without sufficient cause, they also held adult women, who had proven with birth certificates and other legal documents that they were of age, against their will.
Both the United States and Texas constitutions were violated.* Why are these people now required to submit to more CPS intrusion in their lives in order to get their children back? There is no evidence of wrong-doing on the part of the FLDS in this situation. It has been established that the phone call from the “teenage girl” was a hoax. There is overwhelming evidence and testimony available that most of the FLDS are model parents in every way. But that is all being discounted because their religious beliefs are outside of the mainstream.
Do you know of any unwed, underage mothers or sexual, emotional or physical abuse in your town? How about in your schools? Why are children in neighborhoods where these things take place still allowed to stay with their families?
It seems fairly obvious that this is nothing other than good old-fashioned religious persecution.
http://iperceive.net/first-united-methodist-of-san-angelo-burns-cross-prays-for-judge-walther/#comment-920
What nation is this?
fred 06.06.08 at 12:31 am
Quote from the “jawdroppingly Nifongish” link above:
“Doran still believes removing the children was the correct decision and said that many residents in Eldorado feel the same way.
“A lot of people on a local level are very upset about it,” Doran said. “They’re very concerned about the women and children.”
Sure a lot of people are upset locally–in a “there goes the neighborhood” sort of way. And obviously they thought traumatizing the children was “the right thing to do.” They showed their concern by providing their church buses to carry off the children. Charity never faileth.