Yet another religious cult raided

[kandrathe]

Right. I'm sure hormones don't work on them. After all, they're religious.

Have you talked to any religious fundamentalists about sex and lust?

You're also obligated to follow them when they *do* conflict with God's laws, and if you don't like it, go set up your cult compound on a barge in international waters, or go to prison.

Actually, in our country I believe the Constitution allows for people to practice their religious beliefs. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The issue legally, is can a religious group continue to practice what they've been practicing for 180 years? The AG of AZ, Terry Goddard, has made tearing down Jeffs and FLDS one of his missions. In 2005, the State of AZ seized the Colorado City school board away from FLDS control, and then had a State judge freeze their assets ($115 million). The AG has been instrumental in bringing changes to AZ laws to target FLDS practices. In response, FLDS has been trying to get out of AZ, only to find themselves unwelcome in Texas. The beliefs of this sect deny freedom to ALL women and subjugate them in marriage and motherhood at too early an age, and as such they are repugnant to me. Women's rights and the definition of who is under age has obviously changed over the past 100 years, but obviously not for the FLDS. This is their problem. So, the question is do they have religious freedom to continue as they have been, or is it time for this sect to be destroyed? Characterizing them as a cult of pedophiles is pure demagoguery.

This would be a very serious issue, if it were true. Is there any evidence of this? Or just musing aloud?

The fact that the guy, Dale Barlow, who was fingered by the phone caller was a well known publicized FLDS character who was on probation for his underage marriage violations and living in Colorado City, AZ and after being interviewed by Texas Rangers was not detained or arrested. His story was that he had never been to Texas. The Rangers then reported that they might be looking for someone else, that they need to find this girl to be certain of who she was lodging the complaint about. Having emptied the entire compound, no victim has surfaced yet to my knowledge.

And, after the Rangers interviewed the suspect named in the warrant, Barlow's attorney said, "I think these gentlemen are here in good faith. I think they're willing to take a look at the possibility that a mistake has been made, and they're not putting the cart before the horse," he said Saturday. "I think they've got a lot of collateral information that's indicated that Mr. Barlow is not an individual that they should have any interest in."