Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Texas Debacle

I just can't take it anymore! I keep seeing stories on television or reading the latest about the FLDS raid in Texas, and all I can think is, "Why are the children being punished?" If you truly believe that these children have been abused, why aren't the alleged abusers the ones sitting in a coliseum and sleeping on cots? This absolutely galls me and breaks my heart. As a mother, I can't help but think about how my innocent little girls' hearts would break to be taken from all they know and from their mommy. Why aren't the men the ones in custody?


I've heard many "experts" on various TV networks saying that Texas CPS did the right thing, and these children need to be "deprogrammed". And the government is going to do this? Ha! Even Carolyn Jessop, who escaped from the FLDS community in Colorado City, Arizona had one of her children later return to the group of her own volition. If a mother, who experienced the nightmare firsthand, could not "deprogram" her own child, then there is about zero chance these children will "see the light" and want to live in the outside world. This whole experience will only serve to reinforce everything they have been taught about people outside of their compound.


The other issue I have with this whole fiasco is the general arrogance portrayed by just about everyone. Apparently, our society on the outside world has no abuse, no sexual perversion, no teenage mothers...no, it's fine that we are placing children in same-sex households, that pornography has been completely normalized and pervades our culture, but it's THEY who are weird, perverse, and need to be "educated". I am not saying that I agree with how the FLDS culture works, but we should at least consider for a moment that they are not the only group in the world still practicing polygamy. Much of the Islamic world condones and practices polygamy. We may not agree with it, but we ought to respect their freedom to practice their religion.


Mike Watkiss from Phoenix's Channel 3 put it well when he said that it's not about polygamy itself, it's about underage girls forced into marriage with much older men. I absolutely agree that something should be done to protect these girls, so take the men and subject them to questioning, DNA testing, medical exams and the like. The children should NOT be made to suffer because of what we suspect their parents may be doing. It is truly frightening that 400 plus children can be dragged from their homes and made to live out one of their biggest fears; these children have been taught that the evil outsiders want to take them away and hurt them. And that is exactly what has happened.


See Fox's Judge Andrew Napolitano with his "verdict" on this issue - HERE

3 comments:

Omgirl said...

I know, Kim. It's so disturbing. Whatever they think did or did not happen in the community before they arrived, there is no reason why the mothers and children can't stay together while they sort it all out. it's so awful.

Audrey said...

Kim, your thoughts here are a lot like mine. I haven't read this yet, but Derek said there was a terrible story in the NYT yesterday about our church linking it to the FLDS. The NYT!!! Just makes you realize next time you read something about how crazy some other religion is, judge it with a grain of salt. See it here: http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/faith-of-our-fathers/index.html?scp=1&sq=Faith%20of%20our%20fathers&st=cse

mmhamblin said...

I'm not sure I totally agree with you. The mothers have been coaching their children to lie. That can't be helping the situation. But, they are letting the nursing Mom's stay with their babies. I just think it's so sad that this is their way of life. This is all they know. It's been going on for generations, so they truly believe these things are normal and we're the strange ones!