The illegal government raid on the Eldorado religious compound has gone by unprotested by all for a week now. While we have no love for any Right Wing Christian cultists, let alone these split off fundamentalist Mormons, we have a hard time understanding why the liberals and Left of this country are so nonchalant about this particular governmental violation of fundamental US citizen civil liberties? You cannot expect for others to respect your own rights if you stay silent in cases like this.
This raid at Eldorado, Texas was made seemingly without any evidence against anybody, resulted in no material arrests for any crimes supposedly committed before the raid, and separated hundreds of children from their fathers and mothers. And the liberal community wants to act as if nothing important is going on, and that all has been done legal and fair? It is all very sad, though it seems very typical of the liberal community to see them respond in such a manner.
Meanwhile, the government propaganda against this pathetic religious sect continues unabated in the press. It is typical of the type of government propaganda meant to justify almost all government actions, and includes unsubstantiated charges, calls for harsh judgment against myriad unspecified people, and a total self justification about why the government has thrown these 417 kids into the miserable Texas Child Protective Services Department’s control. Hardly any ‘liberation’ for these kids at all.
At least one liberal has stepped up to the plate at this time; that liberal being Gerald Goldstein, attorney for the religious group under attack. Unfortunately, he does not seem to be doing a very good job at getting out his client’s case before the general American public. It is time for others to begin to question how this raid was initiated and handled, to question who are the major government players in the whole affair, and to question their motives for making a small case against one accused man a monstruos call for almost lynch mob hysteria against a whole group of people?
We should not doubt for a moment, that our government misleaders want always to create comic book villains for the general public to make us hysterical about, in order top better mislead all of us to a sorry end. That is what their Eldorado, Texas ‘event’ is all about. These people under the gun now deserve our defense for their civil liberties, though they do not deserve much respect for their religious belief system. Wrong as they might be, they are people who have rights, and not just media and government made monsters for us to cast our scorn upon.
Dear Mr. Logan,
Although I do not completely agree with your politics — isn’t that what being a US citizen is all about?, I thank you for bringing attention to the fact that these people are being railroaded by gestapo like tactics of the Texas government and then they are being skewered by the media propoganda meant to destroy them.
Where is the due process? I know several of the FLDS folks and they are totally peaceful and teach good lifestyles. Isn’t that their right.
I do not need a return e-mail, I will just monitor the website for more news and a remote possibility that someone will come to their rescue. The children need to get back to their families before irreparable psychological damage to them occurs.
If there are offenders of laws, then the authorities should take them on one by one and not attack a whole community.
Shame shame on Texas, the US and the silent citizens who let themselves be duped by the propoganda meant to destroy people’s rights. Who’s next — you ?— me?
Hawk
The raid… or, invasion, was staged to apply the concept of it being a rescue of abused children. There is little doubt, after all, that young girls were wed to much older males of the sect, perhaps even forcibly. What this does is to immediately silence the very segment of society that would normally be raising hell about the contitutional violation.
Let’s face it, to defend this sect’s right to live and worship freely walks nearly hand in hand with defending what is perhaps mass rape. It’s a damned difficult position to put one’s self into.
News that the original whistle blower, presumably a young girl from the compound, has now pretty much been exposed as a lie so the Texas Posse could get their foot in the front door. But even so, the media continues to baste the events with reports of sexual abuse.
It’s a perfect government storm where the constitution can be openly kicked to the curb and they have the most ardent defenders of the same left speechless.
It’s the “magic words”, sex abuse.
Words like “false charges” don’t get much mention.
And if they do, somebody always puts on his best Folksy Manner and starts that stupid old story about, “well, now, when I was a kid my momma sometimes whupped me for somethin’ I didn’t do, but then, there were so many times I got away with somethin’ I should’ve been whupped for so it’s all good”
Going by that logic, anybody anywhere could or even should be arrested just at random, or at the whim of the local constabulary, because he must be guilty of something, right?
Texas has the death penalty for somebody judged to be a Sexual Predator.
That… is a little teeny tiny bit more harsh than being spanked for some other kid breaking the lamp…
But the Lame-ass “well, most of the time I got away with stuff I should have been spanked for” anecdote will be used again… and again… and again.
As one who belives in living according to the laws of God rather than men, I do not condone force or abuse of any kind. I do believe that the FLDS have violated the laws of the land and of God. HOWEVER that is my opinion and we live in a country where most people break the law in one way or another almost daily. And who among us can speak for God? This raid in Texas in clearly an act born of fear. One resident flat out admitted he feels like aliens have landed in his backyard. They are afraid of something that is above all different from their definition of ‘normal.’
I grew up in Colorado City and know of only one Dale Barlow who would be fifty years old and since he’s married to my cousin, I believe he also has a son by that name. The fact that he has a rock solid alibi suggests that somebody staged the phone call that started this. The Texas rangers admit they were ready and waiting for an excuse to invade.
I realize that our information is sketchy at best, but I’m hearing rumors that the children are being threatened that they will never see their families again unless they tell social workers what they want to hear. They are threatening these little children who are innocent of all this. Does the state of Texas have the integrity to be fair about this? I’m beginning to wonder.
Speaking as a “Recovering Texan” (lived there 40+ years) I can answer the last question with an emphatic “no”.
Eldorado is on “la Quiñeta”, aka the King Ranch (Sky King TV show, remember that one? it was in reruns before I even heard of it as a very small child) which was the largest private landholding in the United States.
They got the land using tactics just like these. Some things just never change.
In many countries around the world, the marrying age is much much younger than it is in mainstream USA. Yes, it is shocking in our culture, where we are allowed to find ourselves and sow our oats until we feel ready to settle down, to see young women betrothed at an early age. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s immoral and perverse.
I can’t conceive of it, and certainly wouldn’t allow my daughters to be party to it. But if others think differently, so be it. The federal government has no right to legislate morality.