Friday, May 12, 2006
Am I Seeing a Pattern Here?
Blind Eye to Culture of Abuse - Los Angeles Times: "Some who fled the community in recent years are coming forward to tell investigators harrowing tales of repression and abuse inflicted behind a facade of pious devotion to faith and family:
-Brent Jeffs reported being sodomized repeatedly at age 5 by the principal of his school, an uncle who would later become religious leader of the community, current fugitive Warren Jeffs.
-Sara Hammon said her father, a prominent religious leader with 19 wives, routinely molested her, even sliding his hand up her dress while on his deathbed.
-More than 400 boys, some as young as 13, have been thrown out of town for church infractions such as wearing short-sleeved shirts or talking to girls. Some, referred to locally as 'Lost Boys,' were dumped along the road with only the clothes they were wearing, and banned from contact with their families. Many of the displaced boys recently filed suit in state court against the church.
Despite years of such stories and allegations, public agencies on both sides of the state line have failed to act or been slow to intervene."
Law enforcement has been abiding by an unnatural respect for religion for far too long. Depravity can happen in almost any setting and should be stopped, specifically when it is involving children. What happens between consenting adults is another matter, but this is beyond the pale. The irony is that similar law enforcement officials have been enforcing age-old laws against homosexuals, read: consenting adults, but won't jump in to help helpless children for decades. The mea culpa noted in this article may not be enough. There should probably be an investigation into the environment that caused the "blind eye".
-Brent Jeffs reported being sodomized repeatedly at age 5 by the principal of his school, an uncle who would later become religious leader of the community, current fugitive Warren Jeffs.
-Sara Hammon said her father, a prominent religious leader with 19 wives, routinely molested her, even sliding his hand up her dress while on his deathbed.
-More than 400 boys, some as young as 13, have been thrown out of town for church infractions such as wearing short-sleeved shirts or talking to girls. Some, referred to locally as 'Lost Boys,' were dumped along the road with only the clothes they were wearing, and banned from contact with their families. Many of the displaced boys recently filed suit in state court against the church.
Despite years of such stories and allegations, public agencies on both sides of the state line have failed to act or been slow to intervene."
Law enforcement has been abiding by an unnatural respect for religion for far too long. Depravity can happen in almost any setting and should be stopped, specifically when it is involving children. What happens between consenting adults is another matter, but this is beyond the pale. The irony is that similar law enforcement officials have been enforcing age-old laws against homosexuals, read: consenting adults, but won't jump in to help helpless children for decades. The mea culpa noted in this article may not be enough. There should probably be an investigation into the environment that caused the "blind eye".
