Cat Found Buried Alive In Concrete; Church Cult to Blame

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The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Gas Chamber > Cat Found Buried Alive In Concrete; Church Cult to Blame

Gherkin Jerkin: Jan 22, 2006; With great power, comes great crunchability...

Please don't make mormon/Romney jokes. This is an splinter group and should be treated as such.

I've tried to sanitize the picture and links for those who may be turned off by extreme acts of animal cruelty.

Cat Buried Alive In Concrete A Warning Message From Polygamists? (WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Seriously. Don't click here unless you are prepared posted:

A live cat was found recently half-buried in concrete, and the man who rescued the kitten believes it was a message from a pro-polygamy religious group.

The incident happened recently in Colorado City, Ariz., a major center for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon sect that split off in the early 20th century in order to continue the controversial practice of plural marriage.

The kitten was discovered at the home of Isaac Wyler, a former church member, who has spoken out against the church and its controversial former leader Warren Jeffs, according to AzFamily.com.

Jeffs, who was found guilty last year of sexually assaulting two underage girls he had wed, is currently in protective custody in a prison in Palestine, Texas, serving a life term plus 20 years.

Andrew Chatwin, who, like Wyler, is a former member of the FDLS, found the cat inside one of a metal tube used to construct cement posts, according to RightThisMinute.com.

In order to rescue the cat, Chatwin had to cut the post and dig out the footing. He took the feline to an animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, where it died a few days later.

Chatwin, who left the FLDS 13 years ago, believes the cruel act was done by members of his former church. He claims both the threats and the animal killings have been going on for years.

Chatwin also claims that when he reported the cruel act to Colorado City sheriffs, they didn't seem too concerned.

"[The officer] kind of chuckled and laughed a little bit and then he said that if it was up to him, he'd just throw dirt on [the cat]," Chatwin said. "And this is coming from a city marshal who's a member of the FLDS Church."

Neither the FLDS or the Colorado City Sheriffs Dept. returned phone calls from The Huffington Post.

The U.S. Justice Department recently filed a lawsuit against government officials in Colorado City, and the neighboring border town of Hildale, Utah, for alleged civil rights violations, including acting as de-facto agents for the church, denying ex-members and non-members of the FLDS Church access to everything from police services to housing and utilities, according to KSTU-TV.

At the time the lawsuit was filed, Chatwin told the station that the Colorado City government was “a theocracy.”

“They keep starving people right out of the community,” he said. “To where they can’t get employment, they can’t get decent service. I can’t even use the Hildale clinic that (is) here. I have to travel a half-hour, 45 minutes just to get a doctor’s visit.”

So the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is back in the news again. Apparently, brainwashing and ~~raping~~ marrying 12 year old girls isn't morally repugnant enough and so are harassing ex-church members by leaving dead/dying animals as a warning. Something tells me that this latest "warning" may be in retalation to the Department of Justice finally investigating claims of the local government:

USA Today posted:

"The cities' governments, including the Marshal's Office, have been deployed to carry out the will and dictates of FLDS leaders, particularly Warren Jeffs and the officials to whom he delegates authority," the lawsuit states. "The Marshal's Office has inappropriately used its state-granted law enforcement authority to enforce the edicts of the FLDS, to the detriment of non-FLDS members."

In one case of law enforcement misconduct, according to the suit, officers rounded up all dogs and shot them in a "slaughter pit" outside town on specific orders from Jeffs.

The suit also says officers regularly allow sect members to victimize non-members by destroying their crops, vandalizing property and trespassing.

Federal officials also say officers have made traffic stops and arrests without cause, kept underage brides from running away and prevented children of non-FLDS members from using a public playground.

The lawsuit accuses city departments of refusing to provide electricity or water service to non-members.

How can this level of corruption and sheer hate go unnoticed for so long? This sort of thing has been going on in this community for decades. 2008 should have been a wake-up call but it seems like Warren Jeffs (or other ranking members of the church) are still pulling the stings. I hate to say it, but compared to these guys, Westboro Baptists are saints.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 06:44

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# ? May 21, 2013 23:25

The Rage: Jun 28, 2007; This cat is wizard

Incredibly hosed up, but not surprising given the people. I was raised Mormon and the FLDS were spoken of like the plague. The Mormon church absolutely hates the fact that they still use part of their name.

If you want to see how hosed up this group is beyond the news stories, Jon Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven" is an eye opening book on how people can twist and isolate groups of people for their own pleasure.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 06:51

SpaceAceJase: Nov 8, 2008; The bear necessities

This story and the accompanying video made me tear up at work

I just adopted a kitten this week.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 06:55

Gherkin Jerkin: Jan 22, 2006; With great power, comes great crunchability...

Please give it some extra head scritches for me.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 06:57

Waltzing Along: Jun 14, 2008; i literally believe in magic

It's funny. I've been on SA for a while and on the internet longer. I've gotten to the point where my curiosity doesn't get the best of me all the time and I don't click to see the horrible stuff. Not to derail or anything. I didn't click on this link and can't think of any reason to do so. Just the description is hosed up enough.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 06:58

Wingless: Mar 3, 2009; Gloves: So as not to touch this filthy reality.

Why did they shoot all the dogs?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 06:59

ReidRansom: Oct 25, 2004

Sometimes I think the only way to combat these sorts of toxic beliefs is to take the children from the families, execute the teens and adults, and leave the whole mess behind. Other times I think I'm probably not a very good person. But really, how much can a society be expected to tolerate?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:00

Mister Anarchy: Feb 19, 2007; Shit, they're not even starfish - LOOK AT THEIR EYES

I wish there really was a hell because those people would go straight there.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:00

Volcott: Mar 30, 2010

Wingless posted:

Why did they shoot all the dogs?

They knew too much.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:03

Jeek: Feb 15, 2012

The worst part of the news is this:

quote:

"[The officer] kind of chuckled and laughed a little bit and then he said that if it was up to him, he'd just throw dirt on [the cat]," Chatwin said. "And this is coming from a city marshal who's a member of the FLDS Church."

It almost sounds as though the FLDS is in control of the city like an evil cult (not that it is not one) out of some horror story. Please tell me that the news report is just exaggerating.

And please give your new kitten some pats for me, SpaceAceJase.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:13

Rainbow Pony Deluxe: Jun 26, 2010; Spiderman's only weakness... teletubbies.

Burying a cat alive seems like one of the least miserable things bad people do that cats? Am I missing something?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:33

Mister Anarchy: Feb 19, 2007; Shit, they're not even starfish - LOOK AT THEIR EYES

Rainbow Pony Deluxe posted:

Burying a cat alive seems like one of the least miserable things bad people do that cats? Am I missing something?

Yes because suffocating or starving to death is not miserable at all.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:39

Gogo Logo: Nov 11, 2008

Jeek posted:

The worst part of the news is this:

It almost sounds as though the FLDS is in control of the city like an evil cult (not that it is not one) out of some horror story. Please tell me that the news report is just exaggerating.

I recall in some of the earlier threads on investigations into the cult, there were implications that a lot of officials such as police, politicians, and wealthy landowners were involved in the church, which made it extremely hard to investigate them. I hope that's not actually the case, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Edit: someone suggested in the comments at the source that the cat might have fallen in there accidentally, but what are the chances, really, given the other accounts of dead cats?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:41

JerryLee: Feb 4, 2005; The joke of an actual MLP expansion aside, I think Magic could actually learn a lot from its production. Whatever you think of the adult fans of MLP, I think it's hard to deny that the people who work on it did an amazing job at turning a corporate mandate to sell toys into a show that by all accounts is very attractively produced and gives its target audience a lot more credit than they often are by marketing vehicles (such as previous generations of the franchise). It's a real silk-purse-from-sow's-ear story. I would not complain at all if such an attitude came to Magic.

Mister Anarchy posted:

Yes because suffocating or starving to death is not miserable at all.

Yes, because that's what the poster that you quoted said.

This is horrible, the part about a whole town being corrupt with the local law enforcement being in on it reminds me of Scientology, except as far as I know Scientology doesn't torture and kill animals (just humans who get duped into joining).

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:42

ReidRansom: Oct 25, 2004

Gogo Logo posted:

I recall in some of the earlier threads on investigations into the cult, there were implications that a lot of officials such as police, politicians, and wealthy landowners were involved in the church, which made it extremely hard to investigate them. I hope that's not actually the case, but it wouldn't surprise me.

I recall reading that was the case in some of their communities in Colorado and Utah, and why the folks out in El Dorado here in Texas were concerned about their presence there. They all voted as a block for candidates put forward by the church in the places where they settled, and as these were generally pretty small and sparsely populated communities they were easily able to take over politically.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:47

MeLKoR: Dec 23, 2004; I, Racist

Gogo Logo posted:

Edit: someone suggested in the comments at the source that the cat might have fallen in there accidentally, but what are the chances, really, given the other accounts of dead cats?

Yeah I'm sure that kitten just climbed up a 2 meter smooth metal pole and then climbed down back feet first.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:55

Gherkin Jerkin: Jan 22, 2006; With great power, comes great crunchability...

Rainbow Pony Deluxe posted:

Burying a cat alive seems like one of the least miserable things bad people do that cats? Am I missing something?

Something tells me you didn't watch the video. It was found still alive, less than half its body sticking out of the concrete mewing, unable to move anything past its front shoulders, eyes caked shut with concrete. Go watch it. Go on. Then judge who the broken person is: you or whoever stuffed it in that pipe.

Gogo Logo posted:

Edit: someone suggested in the comments at the source that the cat might have fallen in there accidentally, but what are the chances, really, given the other accounts of dead cats?

Not unless it can climb 5 and 1/2 foot straight up a steel pole (you can judge the height by the ladder next to the pipe). In other words, no, of course not.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 07:57

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Online Encyclopedia

Rainbow Pony Deluxe posted:

Burying a cat alive seems like one of the least miserable things bad people do that cats? Am I missing something?

Animal abuse is abhorrent no matter what the severity of it is. Who gives a poo poo if it's more/less miserable than what other people have done to cats?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 08:13

slinkimalinki: Jan 17, 2010; Through moonlight and shadow she'd prowl and she'd pry.

Concrete gives off heat as it sets. So it's a lot worse than being buried in dirt.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 08:13

Chicken Doodle: May 16, 2007; And wax the car too, or I'm trading you to Toronto.

I accidentally saw the screenshots of the video on 9gag. I think if I heard the video I might either kill myself or every living thing around me.

Thankfully a neighborhood cat wandered by and I could go pet him for a while since I can't pet my own.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 08:17

ShadowCatboy: Jan 22, 2006; E purr si muove.

Oh god that poor kitty. That's hideous. At least he was freed before he died.

At least he was around people who were caring for him.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 08:58

Slickdrac: Oct 5, 2007; Keeper of the Secret

This needs to be in the OP to counterbalance this horrible story

http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3487419

# ? Jul 11, 2012 09:14

A shrubbery!: Jan 16, 2009

Gherkin Jerkin posted:

Something tells me you didn't watch the video. It was found still alive, less than half its body sticking out of the concrete mewing, unable to move anything past its front shoulders, eyes caked shut with concrete.

The other thing about concrete is that I'm pretty sure it can cause chemical burns with prolonged contact? I might be thinking of cement, but I'm sure after handling it at work it was a 'wear gloves at all times and wash up afterwards anyway' kind of material.

Gherkin Jerkin posted:

The A-B-Cs of fresh concrete's effect on skin are:

Yeah, so for anyone thinking that, it wouldn't have been just a case of chipping the concrete off and giving the cat a meal.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 09:29

Spaticus: Feb 25, 2007; Understanding what thread you're in is futile the monkey said as it double-clicked the report button.

Poor kitty. loving cults.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 09:38

Modus Operandi: Oct 5, 2010

Back in the old days brave god fearing men of patriarch Joseph used to set fire to the tails of felines and howled like injuns as they burned the heathen savages' homes down.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 09:40

Gherkin Jerkin: Jan 22, 2006; With great power, comes great crunchability...

A shrubbery! posted:

The other thing about concrete is that I'm pretty sure it can cause chemical burns with prolonged contact? I might be thinking of cement, but I'm sure after handling it at work it was a 'wear gloves at all times and wash up afterwards anyway' kind of material.

The A-B-Cs of fresh concrete's effect on skin are:

Abrasive Sand contained in fresh concrete is abrasive to bare skin.
Basic & Portland cement is alkaline in nature.
Caustic concrete and other cement mixtures are strongly basic (pH of 12 to 13). Strong bases, like strong acids, are harmful.
Drying Portland cement is hygroscopic; it absorbs water. It will draw water away from any material it contacts, including skin.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 09:41

Trivia: Feb 8, 2006; I'm an obtuse man,
so I'll try to be oblique.

Having spread cement with shovels and no gloves before, I can attest that it dries out and fucks up your hands something fierce.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 10:11

Crazedscot: May 1, 2007; I love you smug fox

I'm not sure how they connect this to religious extremism? It could have been anyone trying to get rid of an unwanted kitten surely?

Regardless, it's a pretty incomprehensibly evil thing to do.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 10:46

Ashenai: Oct 5, 2005; You taught me language;
and my profit on't
Is, I know how to curse.

Crazedscot posted:

I'm not sure how they connect this to religious extremism? It could have been anyone trying to get rid of an unwanted kitten surely?

From the OP:

quote:

Chatwin, who left the FLDS 13 years ago, believes the cruel act was done by members of his former church. He claims both the threats and the animal killings have been going on for years.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 10:54

Barack HUSSEIN: Mar 20, 2003; Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it

I guess every superhero need his theme music

They're just trying to demonstrate the compassion and peace of faith in Jesus/Joseph Smith for their wayward brother.

Why is it that these religions that are supposed to be about peace and brotherhood on paper crank out the nastiest little Hitlers? "Jesus fed the masses and healed the sick in these stories, therefore we need to marry and surprise sex children and then bury animals alive."

Wouldn't it be more appropriate for these people be worshipping horned demon gods or something?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 11:14

Gherkin Jerkin: Jan 22, 2006; With great power, comes great crunchability...

Crazedscot posted:

I'm not sure how they connect this to religious extremism? It could have been anyone trying to get rid of an unwanted kitten surely?

Other reports have said this isn't the first case of animal cruelty that has shown up on his land. Wyler says he's been harassed for years: dead ducks, pigeons and many dead cats have been thrown on his property.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 11:24

astrollinthepork: Sep 24, 2007

There are several other videos on his page documenting other incidents with dead animals left on his property. Included is an apathetic deputy.

*edit*
Wrong info

# ? Jul 11, 2012 11:50

akadajet: Sep 14, 2003

astrollinthepork posted:

And this is the contact info for Seth Jeffs, current leader of the FLDS.

...

And what do you think writing or calling this guy is going to accomplish?

# ? Jul 11, 2012 12:10

Duck_King: Sep 5, 2003

A friend linked this story to me on FB earlier today, and it made me so incredibly sad and angry. The person/persons behind this are reprehensible monsters. I look at my one year old cat, who meows when I say it's time for bed, and loves to play fetch with his little pink ball (his favorite toy), and I think of how much jail time I would receive if someone intentionally hurt him.

I just can't fathom someone torturing an animal in such a way. It's beyond soulless.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 12:14

astrollinthepork: Sep 24, 2007

akadajet posted:

And what do you think writing or calling this guy is going to accomplish?

gently caress 'em, that's why.

It doesn't matter anyways since the information was wrong.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 12:14

Wulfolme: May 10, 2008; -------------- ------3------- 2---2-2-2---2- 2---2-0-2---2- 0-3-0---0-3-0- --------------

Well OP, in a roundabout way you caused something good.

I went to watch this video of the cat in the concrete. Well, this much happier (eventually) video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8KwKgumceM was at the top of the related bar. It made me cry happy tears, which is an unusual thing for callous old me. I shared it with an IRC channel. Someone in that IRC channel watched it, with his wife and young child. They found it quite moving. I guess they didn't consider it before, but now they have their heart set on adopting a rescue Curly-Coated Retriever.

_{_Yay...}

# ? Jul 11, 2012 12:22

olylifter: Sep 13, 2007

Slickdrac posted:

This needs to be in the OP to counterbalance this horrible story

http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3487419

Or, also, a happy story with an abandoned kitten: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3486023

# ? Jul 11, 2012 12:22

Rainbow Pony Deluxe: Jun 26, 2010; Spiderman's only weakness... teletubbies.

Xenomrph posted:

Animal abuse is abhorrent no matter what the severity of it is. Who gives a poo poo if it's more/less miserable than what other people have done to cats?

Sorry, I'm not being clear. I watched the video and I thought, "oh that's a pretty hosed up thing to do to a cat among other hosed up things." So I was basically asking why it becomes a news story. Like people do some pretty hosed up things to animals, daily. The story about slaughtering dogs seems more coordinated and malicious. What happened here seems like some insane person's idea of a good time rather than the will of some cult hivemind. But hey, I don't know, I just didn't think something like this would be general news as opposed to the story last week about a dude taking bath salts and eating his cat or something.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 13:48

Lumberjack Bonanza: Feb 27, 2011; I'LL CUT THAT POST TO PIECES!

Rainbow Pony Deluxe posted:

Sorry, I'm not being clear. I watched the video and I thought, "oh that's a pretty hosed up thing to do to a cat among other hosed up things." So I was basically asking why it becomes a news story. Like people do some pretty hosed up things to animals, daily. The story about slaughtering dogs seems more coordinated and malicious. What happened here seems like some insane person's idea of a good time rather than the will of some cult hivemind. But hey, I don't know, I just didn't think something like this would be general news as opposed to the story last week about a dude taking bath salts and eating his cat or something.

Well, the dead cats littering the dude's property in the past seems to suggest something slightly more coordinated than one sadistic bastard having a laugh.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 14:18

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# ? May 21, 2013 23:25

astrollinthepork: Sep 24, 2007

Rainbow Pony Deluxe posted:

Sorry, I'm not being clear. I watched the video and I thought, "oh that's a pretty hosed up thing to do to a cat among other hosed up things." So I was basically asking why it becomes a news story. Like people do some pretty hosed up things to animals, daily. The story about slaughtering dogs seems more coordinated and malicious. What happened here seems like some insane person's idea of a good time rather than the will of some cult hivemind. But hey, I don't know, I just didn't think something like this would be general news as opposed to the story last week about a dude taking bath salts and eating his cat or something.

Well, I'd say it's somewhat uncommon to come across a barely alive cat buried halfway in hardened concrete. Even more uncommon to see a cat like that get rescued.

# ? Jul 11, 2012 14:21

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