Jacob Sullum posted this very interesting article on TownHall.com.
I'm not quite as old-fashioned as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), which hews to the early-marriage customs of the 19th century and the polygamous practices of biblical times. But I'm old-fashioned enough to believe the government needs a good reason to pull a crying, clinging child away from her mother and hand her over to the care of strangers.
The possibility that the child might marry an older man 10, 12 or 14 years from now does not cut it. Citing that long-term, speculative danger to justify the certain, immediate damage it has done by forcibly separating hundreds of children from their parents, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has violated its duty to take such extreme measures only when there's no other way to prevent imminent harm.
Here is the link for the rest of the article: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JacobSullum/2008/04/30/latter-day_taint?page=full&comments=true
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9 comments:
As I and my children watched the videos of the FLDS families and their lives together, one could not help but notice a sense of orderliness, cleanliness, happiness and security in their lifes. To see it shattered and to see armed men come in with their weapons and to see the hurt and anxiety on the faces of these women and children, and yes the men, would make any rational and humane individual blush and whimper or be engulfed in a stream of tears. My heart aches, especially for these dear, beautiful, innocent children!! To hear their cries is beyond my ability to put into words, because of the hurt it would be to me and mine if this was happening to me!! Would it not be to you?
There is such an awful blight on the state of Texas and, yes the entire United States of America, to allow such atrocities as these to take place in this land which is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave!!
Your own system of marriage is failing and yet you won't allow your citizens to practice a marriage system where there is less than a 1% divorce rate. What a shame we are so narrow and contracted in our thinking as to not try something new that seems to be working. We would rather continue in our own downward spiral gasping for air than try something new!!
These families have been torn apart to such an extent that they will never recover!! Texas - are you proud of this? CPS - your system is flawed almost beyond repair and yet you think you can better these peoples lives? You need to rethink your position and fix what is broken an quit breaking what is not broken.
I have to strongly disagree with Jacob Sullum and me oh my on this Texas issue. I was born and raised in the Salt Lake City, Utah group called “The Work.” Although I was not molested, I was physically abused by certain family members and mentally controlled by my parents, the church, and their members. So I know what happens in these types of religious cults. Some of my closest cousins where part of the Texas group and where molested by Warren Jeff’s himself, and some of his followers! So you cannot sit there with blind eyes and convince yourselves that there is no abuse, underage marriage, or molestation going on in the Texas compound. The divorce rate may be low, but only because the women are too afraid to leave their husbands in fear of being “dammed” or losing their children to their husbands or the church. It is unfortunate that this raid had to happen, but we cannot sit by and watch as hundreds of children are molested, abused and controlled when we can do something about it.
Ex Polygamist - Do you think that it is right for them to go into a ranch and take over 400 children because one or two might have been abused? What if they would have set up a mobile office on the compound and interviewed each child and determined if a child as an "individual" showed abusive traits. I'm all for children being taken away from a harmful situation but I have a hard time believed over 400 children of a community of 400 children were being abused. Just a thought
Dear ex-polygamous,
I'm sorry that those closest to you violated your trust and abused you. It is always heartbreaking to learn that someone has been or is being abused. Unfortuately, abuse happens every where. It is not a result of any particular religion or lifestyle. There may have been some abuse at the YFZ Ranch, but they have yet to find sufficient evidence to charge anyone.
Anonymous – Although I don’t agree with CPS on the handling of this situation,
I do think they where in the right to take all the children. Reason one. If theirs one theirs more, and there is no way of knowing without questioning all of them. None of the children are going to talk about anything that may or may not have happened when they are around their family or near the compound. Reason two. Theirs no way that they can interview or question them any ware near the ranch, or their parents, so lets get that out of the way. Anonymous-If you where a young teenage rape victim and the perpetrator was a family member or even your own parents would you feel comfortable telling authorities who that person was if you where near them?
Ex: I see somewhat where you are coming from. I truly can't imagine living in an enviroment that is not safe. Although there was a case that was recently in Australia of a man molesting his daughter and fathering 7 children. The reason the daughter was willing to voice was the sole fact that she trusted the cps workers and that they promised she wouldnt have to be in the presents of her father. I think if they gave each child a one on one interview that was completely private children would be a lot more honest. I think it is a new day and age. I feel the FLDS have something to hide because they are not willing to take a stand and say that they are not doing anything illegal. On the other hand, you say you are/were from the "Work", I am also. I see week in and week out people in the congregation willing to stand and say "That doesnt happen in my family". Living in a Polygamist culture it seems that the magnified glass watches you so very careful, which in a sense i can appreciate because it makes me question everything I do and say to my children. As I cannot speak for my church and for my neighbors I know I put 110% into making a safe enviroment for our children.
Penelope- It does happen everywhere I agree with you on that, but there is not enough man power to combat thousands of cases or accusations nationwide. When it does happen and we can do something about it, it is taken care of. We can do something about this situation… It’s not the matter of the abuse occurring, it’s the matter of the children speaking about it. Abuse in this particular family has happened many times before, and won’t just stop!
Ex:I appreciate your imput!
I wonder why the man power isn't extensive enough to wipe out abuse admitted to happen all over (even in monogamy), but it suddenly becomes available in a situation in which there is no real evidence that the abuse actually occurred? Does that strike anyone else as a little off?
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