Yet another religious cult raided

[kandrathe]

So that's my question for you: regardless of any nefarious motives, whatever was in hearts and minds, what actions were taken by the authorities that were not merited by the facts plainly in evidence?

It is impossible to say without more evidence. So far, they have shown no evidence of "abuse" other than pregnant teen girls. I'd say that seems to be a cultural practice, and has been since the founding of LDS. Even Brigham Young claimed that an unmarried 21 year old is a danger to society. They marry them off early, and have done so for over one hundred years. Now we call it "abuse". Also, I want to be clear that I don't support this practice, or what the FLDS does. I think Polygamy is wrong, and since it has been the dirty little secret in Utah, and Arizona for so long it masks other more sinister crimes like child abuse, and the deprivation and other mistreatment of wives and children. It also seems that often they enroll their "spiritual wives" in welfare programs and feed off the State. So, when I ask "should this sect be destroyed?", it is me actually being conflicted because a part of me really thinks they should be destroyed. I believe in the right of these women to be free and make their own decisions, but I also support the rights of groups like Quakers, Amish, and Mormons to have religious views that are out of the mainstream. This is a clash of cultures, and I'm concerned about the rights of the minority here.

Another bad analogy, unnecessarily loading the issue with racial overtones.

Um, why? It is a good analogy actually, we could substitute Amish, or Hmong, or Native American, but each culture has some right to their own beliefs. It is when their beliefs and ours conflict that these types of intolerant raids, and trampling of rights, and government massacres occur. Recall, that the US government seized thousands of Native American children and raised them in orphanages for their own good. It is a great analogy.

Let's say a policeman enters a house from which has issued a call for help. The caller can't be found, but the policeman can't help noticing a man beating a child. The man claims that it is his religious right to do so. The policeman sensibly arrests the man and puts the child in the care of the State until things get resolved.

Not quite accurate. The policeman enters the house and sees one of the children with evidence of beating, and he assumes the child was illegally beaten by the father. She is actually a 2nd generation American who's parents came from the African Hamar tribe, and the beating she received was a part of their traditional tribal rituals.

Now what if there are twenty families living at this house, all of which profess the same religion? There is evidence that there are several beaten children across different family groups. Some people who have left the house earlier claim this happens all the time. Should the authorities remove all the children? Is this too dangerous an environment? I'd say yes. In fact, I'd say they have no choice in the matter at all.

Not one house. Let's say these Hamar families all moved into the same neighborhood in Chicago, and still retain some of their cultural heritage. Maybe some still practice ritual whippings, and maybe some do not -- all of the girls do not appear to be scarred.