Posted on 04/08/2008 9:08:15 AM PDT by joeclarke
It’s just like the Amish, people with an old fashioned lifestyle. It was common 100 years or so ago for people to get married at 14, pedophilia is with pre-pubescent children.
Pedophilia, by definition, is 'an abnormal sexual desire, by an adult, for children. Puberty is notwithstanding by definition or by law.
They walked in and the first thing they found was dozens of 12 and 14 year old pregnancies.
That’s enough investigation for me.
The marriage their leader was convicted of arranging was between a 14 year old and a 19 year old.
Teenage sexual activity is common:
http://www.kff.org/youthhivstds/upload/U-S-Teen-Sexual-Activity-Fact-Sheet.pdf
It’s not an ideal situation, but shows it is very selective enforcement, in addition to the issues concerning due process.
So far this girl hasn’t turned up, and many suspect it to be a hoax call.
Sorry, but the 'hoax' dog just ain't hunting...
Really? Wow! Are you hoping it’s a hoax so everything can return to as it was before?
Maybe yes, maybe no. I have no idea how it was before. But at least if the call was a hoax then the alleged crimes described by the caller didn't occur. That's a good thing, right?
“Sarah” was a hoax. The Denver Post (http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8966589) reported that a 33 year old Colorado woman was arrested for making prank calls, purporting to be “Sarah”. Calls made by this woman seemed to have been the basis on which the whole paramilitary operation was launched.
Texas authorities acknowledge that “Sarah” probably doesn’t exist, which removes all justifications for the action.
It also seems that there were only half a dozen pregnant women aged between 16 and 19 on the ranch, a rate of teenage pregnancy that is actually lower than the national average.
It may also be worth taking into account that Texas law allowed 14 year olds to marry with parental consent until 2005 and had been clearly targeted at this group.
I hate polygamous sects, as they tend to be enclaves for dirty old men “marrying” young girls, but what is of even greater concern is the manifest abuse of power that can be used against anyone. The involvement and rulings of the judge in this case, who also authorized the raid, should also be questioned. Her ruling that all 416 children are now wards of the state will guarantee that many of these children will be brutalized and marginalized on top of whatever experiences they’ve already been through.
The rule of law and due process is meant for everyone, not just for the people we approve of. That is clearly not happening here, and demonizing people to justify illicit operations is the wrong way to handle any situation.
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