SAN ANGELO, TX- Bells are ringing in the Lone Star state on this joyous day. The Texas high court ruled last week that more than 400 children removed from the Yearning for Zion polygamist ranch weeks ago may be returned to their parents- and not a moment too soon since many of them have made arrangements for lavish June weddings. For 12 year old Wanda Mann and her octogenarian shared-husband-to-be, the ruling means that they won't have to postpone their nuptials after all and, mort importantly, they won't lose the deposit on the reception hall at Chuck E. Cheese.

"I hated the thought that we'd have to put this off even for a day," said her intended. "People started saying that I had a fear of commitment because I waited so long to propose to her but I really wanted to make sure she was the one- well, one of the ones. You get the idea."

...Texas prosecutors had ordered the children removed over concerns that they were being abused but on this glorious day during which more than two dozen very young girls were married off with and without their consent, no one could see any evidence of such mistreatment.

"As we all know youth is a state of mind," said jailed FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. "And many of these fundamentalist Mormon girls are very mature for their age. You can't blame a guy for marrying one or two of them without checking ID. Some of these twelve year olds, you'd swear they were fourteen."

...more at the link