Historian: Officials Botched Raid On Sect

Says Approach Could Reinforce Views Of Outside World; Ex-Polygamist Says Any Approach Beats None

(CBS) 

Driggs also took issue with the characterization in the media that the 139 women "left on their own."

"I'm thinking," he remarked to Smith, "you know, the authorities come in and snatch up your kids and say, 'We're taking your children. You can come along if you want. Is that leaving of your own volition?' That's a replay of what happened in 1953 (in a raid on a polygamist cmpound in Colorado City, Ariz.). A number of women left with their children. It was the only way they could be with their kids. That's hardly a voluntary departure."

Earlier, Allen told Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman, who was at the Colorado City compound, "Every generation (of polygamists) is told that Armageddon is coming ... (and) that they are the only group that will be lifted up into the heavens ... the entire world will burn, and that they will then settle back down, and take over and rule the world."

How prevalent is polygamy in this country?

Kauffman says there are polygamist communities in eight states: Utah, South Dakota, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada and Idaho, along with the ones in Texas and Arizona. Experts estimate there are 30-50,000 polygamists in the United States.

Allen calls polygamy a "cult," one rampant with child abuse.

"These women don't protect their own children," Allen says. "A mother will stand in the hallway while ... her 50-year-old husband is in another room raping a 14- or 15-year-old and not do anything about it, and it could be her own daughter. ... They actually think they're doing God's work. That's how insane this is."

In addition to girls who may be abused, Kauffman says, boys can be turned out on the streets when they reach puberty.

"If a man in a community takes ten wives," Allen explains, "that means nine young boys have to be thrown out ... so the older men can have all the young virgins."

Kauffman says she saw "lots of kids and many pregnant women" during her time in Colorado City, but no teenage boys.

[phydeux1]

To ''helloreally'', the term "perv" is subjective. To the FLDS you and I are pervs if we''ve had s.ex before marriage, with multiple partners, or walked around in skimpy clothing. To you, they''re pervs because they allow older men to wed and bed teenage girls. Its all subjective to your personal point of view and the values you were brought up to hold dear.

And before you go advocating turning their lives upside down, make sure yours is pristine, you may find yours being overturned next because someone doesn''t like something about how you live.

And while the vast majority of us find a middle-aged man of marrying and impregnating a 14, 15, or 16 year old girl objectionable its still a FAR CRY better than if they were true pedo.philes who prey on pre-pubescent kids. At least these girls have reached puberty.

And I somewhat agree with ''shillate'' about all these statements given by a former FLDS member with an axe to grind. Its nothing more than inflammatory remarks and unsubstantiated accusations, probably aimed at increasing her book sales. At least give an FLDS member equal time to say their peace.

[gurusavant]

mr driggs expertise rests upon the same laws that are the root of ancient apocalyptic eschatology within this type of doomsday cult. maneuvering within his profession only, excluding actual human ethics, and abiding by laws established to promote and maintain very specific social hierarchies, legally his stand point indeed has priority over the ''oh my god those poor children/women'' notion. because laws were not made for feelings.

[extremophil]

Nice article from "Ken Driggs, historian of polygamy, armchair Moron."

[shillate]

This situation is fraught with a number of conflicting issues. No doubt, if the children are being sexually abused, the state needs to intervene. That said, I am quite dismayed by the various statements that some made that state intervention should occur because of oppression of women and because of "cult like" status of the FLDS faith. As despicable as many of us might find the treatment of adult women in this religion, if it is based on religious belief, then any government, local, state, or federal, has no right to interfere. Secondly, the fact that much of this article is based on the statement of an apostate is quite concerning. Coverage of this sorry series of events need to include interviews with FLDS members. It is a sad state indeed when many justify, beyond allegations of sexual abuse, state intervention in religious belief because they disagree with those beliefs.

[helloreally]

"take a teen bride" give me a break, to state a 15 year old girl would go willingly, sure, a 15 year old girl cut off from the rest of the thinking world, she has no choice and not a chance in hell. People that agree with these polygamists are ignorant pervs too. We live in the US and get to actually think here. We know enough about how sick these people are. Turn their world upside down and sideways.

[coppertales]

I guess this raid was better than the one in Waco....chris3

[magoo2u1]

Without commenting on lifestyles or religion, I wonder at how such a broad search and "detention" is justified on a single, annonymous phone call. The call could be made by a law enforcement officer or DA to get into a place they would like to enter on a fishing expedition. I could cause you great greif by placing such a call against you and you can''t get your money back on the damage they inflict to your property, if they kill or injure a family member you have no recourse. I think they need more than an annonymous call to get a warrant.

[phydeux1]

I don''t know where I stand on this issue other than to say no one should be beaten or physically forced to have ***. But if they choose to live by a different way of life, no matter how bizarre I find it to be, who am I to deny them that?

Girls were getting married as early as 12 centuries ago and considered old maids by 16. And puberty is Nature''s own way of signaling when a person is physically ready for ***. Its simply our modern SOCIETY that finds all this horribly objectionable. But they''re their own society that has chosen to exist outside of ours. In the land of the free who am I to impose my society''s moral judgements on them?

If a 50-year old man in their society wants to take a teen bride, and she goes willingly, I can''t argue with it. I may find it objectionable or repulsive, but I also find a lot of the piercings and tattoos people walk around with equally repulsive. And to be fair, there''s probably a LOT of guys out there who secretly wish they could take a 15 year old girl as a bride without society looking at them as perverts. And as horrible as that thought seems to most of us, just think how casually you wear a bikini/Speedos to a beach while a Hassidic Jew covers his children''s eyes and mutters about how uncouth you are. Its a matter of cultural perspective. The Hassidic don''t try to stop us wearing bikinis and Speedos, so should we do the same to these groups because we find them distasteful?

[thgdriver]

Where I come from if a man has seex with a little girl of 12 we arrest him. It''s against the law. I don''t care if you do it in the name of some church or in the back room of some house down the street. After a trial he is judged a sexuall pervert and goes to jail.

Seems to me these perverted adults are using their church as an excuse to have sexx with little girls.

Lock them all up!!

[tuckerspike]

The removal of the women and children from this compound of the fundamentalist church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints in Texas is a courageous move, I applaud the police for taking the steps they did to save these innocent people. People like Ken Driggs simplify the disgusting crimes against children by calling the young girls underage brides instead of multiple rape victims. The men rounded up there should be shot, (which is too good for them) a crime against a child is the worst crime against the most innocent in our society and should be punished quickly and severely. Let the police do their job, punish those men now, not in court.