Family values organization plans to give "Power of Courage" award to Arkansas Representative who claimed that his adopted daughters were possessed by demons and handed them over to a man who sexually abused one of them.

Rep. Justin "I see demons" Harris.

So the original story over at Ark Times went like this: 

The Family Council Action Committee will today present its first annual "Power of Courage" awards to two Arkansas state legislators, Rep. Charlene Fite (R-Van Buren) and Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork). 

The group's press release say Fite and Harris "demonstrated courage by standing strong in faith when situations were tough at the State Capitol and they did so with grace. They are consistently models of their Christian values in their homes, their communities, and their churches." It commends the two lawmakers for their work on legislation regarding abortion. 

The awards will be delivered this afternoon at a Republican Party dinner in Crawford County headlined by presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

Wow! How prestigious to get an award during an event featuring Ted Cruz!

But wait isn't one of those Representatives famous for something not so family friendly?

Yep.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

Harris used his influence as a lawmaker to pressure state child services to allow him and his wife to adopt two young girls, even though caseworkers said the couple was ill-suited to care for them. 

Eight months later, the adoption failed. The Harrises sent the girls to live with family friends. One of the girls was sexually abused by the father, who is now serving a 40-year prison sentence for crimes against children. 

Before “rehoming” the girls, the Harrises believed the children were possessed by demons and could communicate telepathically. The Harrises apparently feared the girls and had an exorcist “cast out” the demons. According to the Times, they kept one of the girls locked in a room with no toys or books, monitoring her on closed-circuit television. 

While the other child was allowed to roam the house, the girls were separated by an elaborate system of locks and alarms. 

The Harrises were not prosecuted because there was no law on the books in Arkansas barring “rehoming” of adopted children at the time. After the case became public, lawmakers quickly made it illegal to do so without court supervision, but the law is not retroactive.

Ouch! Well that is certainly going to bring some unfortunate attention to this Ted Cruz event.

Or will it?

Jerry Cox, President of the Family Council, said that it will not present its "Power of Courage" awards to Reps. Harris and Fite this evening after all. The two legislators will still receive their awards, but at a later date and venue of their choosing. 

Cox said the event organizers — the Crawford County Republican Party — asked the Family Council to not present the awards this evening at its Lincoln Day Dinner, headlined by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. "Since we are their guests, we certainly complied," he said.

So to be clear that guy who believed his adopted daughters were possessed by demons and handed them over to be sexually abused is STILL getting an award for his  "courage" he just will not get in a venue that might embarrass the Ted Cruz campaign.

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