In court, sect leader Jeffs defends polygamy (Photo-Video)

SAN ANGELO -- A polygamist sect leader who fired his lawyers after his sexual-assault trial began this week broke his silence in court Friday with a 55-minute sermon defending plural marriages as divine.

He also said God would visit "sickness and death" on those involved if his trial wasn't immediately stopped,

which brought a stern rebuke from the judge.

Warren Jeffs, 55, is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of sexually assaulting two underage girls. After firing his high-powered lawyers Thursday, he made no opening statement and spent hours sitting alone at the defense table staring into space while prosecutors made their case.

On Friday, however, Jeffs suddenly cried, "I object!" as FBI agent John Broadway testified about seizing eight desktop computers and 120 boxes and large folders of documents from the church's remote compound in Eldorado in 2008.

"There is sacred trust given to religious leadership not to be touched by government agencies," Jeffs said.

He then launched into a lengthy defense of polygamy, but Walther eventually overruled his objection. She said court rules prohibit him from testifying while objecting, but she let him go on at length because he hadn't offered an opening statement.

Jeffs then said he had no choice but to read a statement from God. Walther dismissed the jury and allowed him to read it.

"I, the Lord God of heaven," Jeffs read, "call upon the court to cease this open prosecution against my pure, holy way."

If the trial continues, he read, "I will send a scourge upon the counties of prosecutorial zeal to make humbled by sickness and death."

Walther told Jeffs he could not threaten jurors.

"If you call for their destruction," she said, "or in any way say that they will be injured or damaged because of their service, you will be removed from the courtroom."

Jeff is the ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism. The sect believes that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven, and its 10,000 members see Jeffs as a prophet who speaks for God on earth.

During afternoon testimony, Jeffs objected so often that Walther eventually had a bailiff remove his microphones.

All seven sect members prosecuted since the 2008 raid have been convicted and given prison terms ranging from six to 75 years.

10 Reasons Why Everbody Should See The Movie "Thor!"

Normally, someone with no experience playing a superhero in a film is perceived to not be able to do so well. But Chris did do an awesome performance, not only doing his own action & drama/romantic scenes, but making you really feel that he is the God known as Thor.

1. If you haven’t read the Thor comics, than the movie will explain some of the major details-

Thor is Odin’s Son; Odin is the all father; Loki is the son of the frost giant King, & was “rescued” by Odin to be raised “in the Asguardian way.”

Out of the 9 realms that the Thor comics are placed, the movie is located at a combination of Midguard (Earth), Asguard (God’s home), & Jotuheim (Frost Giants home).

The Frost Giants of Jotuheim came to destroy earth; but Odin prevented the destruction of earth by sending & leading his Asguardian army to take away the Frost Giant’s source of power.

MJNOIR is the source of Thor’s power; it was given to Thor by the all father, and was taken away when Thor broke the forbidden rule of going to Jotuheim

Odin the All father told Loki of his true origin; Loki became furious, put Odin into an Odin sleep, & tried to takeover Asguard with the help of the Frost Giants.

Jane Foster is in love with Thor & Thor learns the “Non-warrior” way of being a king with Fosters’ guidance.

Shield learns of Thor’s existence, and learns the true power of the Gods of Asguard. In the movie, Agent Coulson ends up making a deal with Thor, Foster, and prevents a war from happening between Earth & Asguard.

2. It’s not just a love story-

Yes, Jane Foster & Thor are in love, but from seeing the movie, the love they share is only 1/10th of the movie. The rest is based on the story of Asguard & Thor’s rite of passage.

3. There is an equal mix of all the Genres you would see in different movies-

There is great Comedy, incredible action scenes, a small amount of horror, and a good amount of drama. There is ScFi, but it is just a small amount. The adventure that you see in the movie makes you feel that you’re part of the story.

4. There is a good balance between the Earth & Asguardian scenes-

You may have read multiple reviews telling you different, but the movie Thor does have an excellent balance between Earth & Asguard. The film makes an extraordinary effort to show what’s happening on Earth, as well as Asguard. The way the story plot is written, you would need to see the Earth’s part of view before seeing Asguard’s or the story would be bland. Overall the transitions between both “realms,” are exceptionally well.

5. The Visual Effects are AWSOME!-

No wonder Marvel wanted to wait to finish the VFX effects! With an astounding array of graphic detail, and a unbelievable representation of Asguard, Marvel truly did show the Asguardian realms of Thor.

6. The fictional government division known as S.H.I.E.L.D. makes a small but important appearance-

Most Marvel fans somewhat know of the fictional government division known as S.H.I.E.L.D. If you don’t know what it is, you will get an idea by watching the movie Thor. Just like any government, there are divisions, for example: FBI, CIA, DEA, and etcetera. S.H.I.E.L.D. is just like any government division except it is a global protection division supported by many of the world’s countries. Primarily to combat: villains, superheroes, and natural disasters, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a defense force that helps assembles the avengers. They major in the latest tech, and function like a small countries government. Having many sub-divisions within its combines to combat or help any situation.

7. Thor isn’t your average superhero-

Normally a superhero is perceived as someone who has superpowers and fights for the good of evil. They may have gotten their powers in a chemical accident or were born with them. That is not necessary the case with the Asguardian God known as Thor. Thor is a superhero, but he wasn’t born with his powers, or relieved it in a bat of acid; No, Thor is a God, not a religious God to per say, but a God in which he protects the 9 realms of the universe. He may be Earth’s hero, but he is also the hero of Asguard, and the other 7 realms. He is gifted with his powers through MJNOIR, a strange like hammer whom only he can control.

8. Chris Hemsworth does an EXCELLENT job at playing the character Thor! –

Normally, someone with no experience playing a superhero in a film is perceived to not be able to do so well. But Chris did do an awesome performance, not only doing his own action & drama/romantic scenes, but making you really feel that he is the God known as Thor.

9. The movie Thor portrays everyday family struggles-

Just like any family, a family deals with its issues by getting along with each other. The movie “Thor” portrays this very well, it shows a family of God’s trying to “Keep the peace” and to teach each other valuable lessons of life.

10. If you want to see the Avengers movie next year, you HAVE to watch Thor! –

Because the Avengers brings Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, & other superhero’s, I recommend watching all the origin stories that Marvel has made; including Thor. If you just watch Thor, & not the other movies, than you won’t know the specific character origins that will be shown together in the Avengers movie. Yes, they will show the gathering of all the characters in the Avengers, but you won’t fully understand the details & personalities of each superhero until you have watched each origin movie.

Think there is more than 10 reasons everybody should watch the movie Thor? Than post your comments below!

Newsnight's Interview with Sarah Palin

Excellent. Excellent today. This is one of our favourite days of the year.

JACKIE LONG: I'm struggling with the cold, I can hardly speak.

SARAH PALIN: Do you have layers on? Do you have enough layers?

JL: Tell me about the race, tell me about why it's so important?

SP: Pretty uniquely Alaskan, you know, 2,000 miles across [interruption as one of the riders comes over and she gives him a hug] rugged conditions. God Bless you. God Bless you. Ride safe, ride hard.

It's uniquely Alaskan. This is awesome. A lot of us living sort of vicariously through the Iron Doggers, so many of us would love to be tough enough to do what they're doing and be good-enough mechanics and strong enough and tenacious enough, because I think it's one of the world's toughest races. It's the world's longest and toughest snow machine race.

JL: And you'd love to do it, wouldn't you?

SP: You know it takes a special breed of cat to be able to lift 700lb, to be able to change out shocks and fix the engines at -70F (-56.6C) in the pitch black on a frozen river. I'm not capable, so it's just something I dream about.

JL: Looking at it from the outside, people will be saying: 'why do they put themselves through this? It seems crazy.'

SP: It's just like our other great race, the Iditarod the 1,049 miles (1,688km) with dogs. It's just a good, again, uniquely Alaskan, it's something that Alaskans so enjoy because we want to be outside, we want to be outside enjoying God's creation however we can and this is one of the tools used to enjoy the great outdoors.

JL: Do you worry about your husband when he's on this?

SP: I really don't. He started racing this race 18 years ago. He's got a lot of miles under his belt, he's a great mechanic, he knows what he's doing. Just say a prayer and wish him well and he's in his element when he's out there in these rugged conditions. So not too worried.

JL: He's racing to win quite, clearly. Presumably, you don't want him to lose either, you don't do losing.

SP: You run the race to win, that's for sure. And he's won four times and certainly he would love to win, kind of win one for the old guys, you know. Some of these guys are in their early 20s and our guys are in their 40s. Also, it's also good testimony for staying in shape, and staying focused, staying active in what you can do really at any age.

JL: Can I just ask you, of course, the big race everyone is interested in outside of the Iron Dog is the presidential race. What are your thoughts on that? Are you going to run?

SP: Well there again, you enter a race to win the race. There is still a lot of consideration that have to be made. We haven't made up our mind or desired to make an announcement yet as to what it is we will be doing.

JL: What are the considerations at the moment? What are the things that you are weighing up?

SP: Well, understanding that Obama has already said he's going to rake in and spend $1bn (£615.4m) in this race. Money is certainly going to be a consideration. And then just the idea of, will the American electorate be ready for someone a bit unconventional, in terms of a candidate who will call it like she sees it, and who will not be beholden to special interests or such obsessive partisanship as to let a political machine get in the way of just doing what's right for the voters.

JL: In a sense, do you think your "unconventionality" in that sense, the fact that you tell it as it is, is your strength but is also perceived as a weakness as well?

SP: I believe that it is a strength. I tell my kids, I encourage everyone I know that whether it be in their workplace, whether it be in a political arena or within their own families, to do what their gut tells them to do. And that involves calling it like they see it and tackling the tasks that are at hand and not worrying so much what other people are thinking or saying about them. And a lot of that goes along with that unconventional vein that I am talking about, that independent vein that I have within me. So I think that it's a strength and I encourage people I know to exercise that strength, too.

JL: In terms of making that decision, presumably the pressure on you and your family is a big part of the decision making, because you've been through a lot and you take a lot of flack?

SP: Our family is pretty thick-skinned, though. We have taken the pressure and pressure I think builds character and allows someone to handle what else is coming. For the last 20 years being in political office our family has had unconventional schedules, we've put up with a lot of flak, and we're still standing and we're doing well, so we're not worried too much about that pressure put on the family because we've been tried by fire.

JL: What are the criticisms that have hurt you most? One of the big ones that's thrown at you is that you're not intellectually capable. Does that sting?

SP: Who said that?

JL: Lots of criticism about the interviews you have given, the ability to get your head around foreign policy.

SP: Well, how about the idea of perhaps what some of the media has chosen to portray. Let's take a couple of examples - and I don't really want to have to talk politics on one of the best days of our life here in Alaska - but I'll give you one more answer. Things like, that are misconstrued regarding rumours out there that are still in the media because reporters don't do their homework, too often, and they don't set the record straight - though I think it's their job to set the record straight - rumours like I didn't know that Africa was a continent, that's still out there, that's a lie. Things like I censored books when I was a mayor up here in Alaska, that's a lie.

[Governor Palin begins to walk away]

SP: So again if I decide to run we know that we have to put up with a lot of the BS that comes from the media but ... It's not all of you guys but some of you still claim that Trig isn't my kid. I think that's an indication of screwed-up media.

JL: You were saying, your favourite from the media? Which one is that?

SP: Is that trig is not my child, which is still out there in the media.

JL: How offensive is that? How do you deal with that?

SP: Would you be offended if someone said you're child wasn't your child? It's offensive. OK, you know what, I'm really really trying to enjoy one of the best days of our lives.