A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

What a hornet's nest got stirred up by the photo of FLDS cult leader Warren Jeffs deeply kissing a little 12-year-old girl! Most people are horrified when they see children being sexually abused, as well we all should be. The key word is "seeing," as in "seeing is believing."

Why do you think the Texas authorities took over 400 children from their homes? It wasn't an excuse to persecute a group of people for their religious beliefs; it is an attempt to prevent further sexual abuse of children by men old enough to be their fathers or even grandfathers.

Most people can't even imagine an old man having sexual relations with a child. Unfortunately, I can imagine it all too well, which is why I've been so adamant about protecting these children. I was twelve when my father STOPPED abusing me sexually. He started when I was much much younger. And then there was Father Fitzgerald, the parish priest, who obviously knew from my father's confessions that he could abuse me as well. So much for church elders being men of God.

For the health and well-being of the FLDS children, I'm counting on the State of Texas.

Comments

[montestruc]

guess what?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/us/30raid.html?ref=us

Texas Supreme court sided with the FLDS, CPS was out of line and went too far too fast.

[Stillanidiot]

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court decision which said the state had overstepped its authority when it removed about 460 children from a polygamist ranch.
"On the record before us, removal of the children was not warranted," the opinion read.
(Reporting by Jim Forsyth and Anna Driver; writing by Ed Stoddard; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Once more, in the name of protecting the children, the state over-reaches. How many families have to be broken up, innocent people vilified and children traumatized before people wake up?
Was there abuse going on? Probably, yes. But the law says, you can't break up a home, no matter how far out of the accepted model it might be without proof of immanent harm. Period.
The laws are written to protect all of us, men, women and children.

[littlepuffycloud]

Texas handled the situation clumsily, but they had to get every last child out of there. They were and continue to be in a Catch-22. If they hadn't taken all the kids, people would have complained too. I don't buy the notion the women in the clan or cult didn't realize anything wrong was going on. Come on! All women know marrying off 12 year olds is wrong! Those women with their sad eyes on tv make me sick. It's all CYA..they don't want to be blamed for failing to protect their children from the pedophiles with whom they live. I'd love to make snarky comments on their clothes and hair, but what they've allowed to happen to children is too important and horrible. I'm not fan of the state of Texas, or the cowboys who live there, but I am glad they took all the children out of there. Sadly, the majority, if not all the kids in the cult will be screwed up one way or another from having the misfortune of being born into that crap by rather stupid women.

[Dap]

Bingo Ms. King, very sorry to hear what you had to experience as a child. wishing you all the best.

[LivingStardust]

Bullshit. It was an attempt to intimidate based on questionable evidence and a gross overreaction and abuse of state authority. It's that simple. If those morons in Texas had done their jobs properly it would have taken a long time to investigate and cost a lot of money with NO RESULTS FOR ELECTION SEASON TO REMIND YOU WHO HAS THE TANKS. Was something unsavory and illegal going on? Probably. Did SOMETHING need to be done? Certainly, children were at risk. But sending in the goons was a cheaper option and the ONLY option considered by Texas authorities. And I guarantee you the cost of the operation done PROPERLY vs. the cost of the thug approach was the determining factor in choice of action. Texas should take their favorite unconstitutional criminal son and join Mexico because they don't act like Americans in Texas. They act like America is RUN by Texas. By whatever rules they like, they make them up as they go along, doesn't matter if it's due process or not. Don't mess with Texas? How about "Don't mess with Texas or we'll trample your civil rights just like our boy Bush." Your state sucks and if there was anyway to kick you out of the Union, I'd be all for it, you fascist enabling swine.

[montestruc]

He is a yankee republican carpetbagger from Connecticut, we got rid of him by palming him off you guys as POTUS. Have fun with him!

[LivingStardust]

Yeah but he claims Texas and has that swaggering dipshit cowboy attitude. You broke it, you bought it, you own it, Lone Star State.

[rochhipster]

Thank you, Ms. King, for your thoughts and for your bravery. Hopefully we can count on the higher courts too.