I think I understand the core of the arguments against the search and siezure of the little girls. I believe the argument is that it is a slippery slope of abuse of power by the government.
The argument then splits into the particular. Did the Government have just cause? What action should the government have taken for this one little girl that may or may not exist?
To me, the question is a larger one. What is the duty of the government to its people? The reason why these cases bring such outrage has nothing to do with religion. Like someone stated earlier, I could care less if they were MOrmoms, baptists, or cement workers. The intentional subjugation of little girls and boys is deplorable.
But why? If these are a community of people that have chosen to live this way, then why should the government care? Why should we care? What harm is there in this type of life?
The answer to this question and my outrage I think can be found in the founding words of this country. The Declaration of Independence is the soul of this country and the precursor to the constitution.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...
The one saving grace of America is our belief that above all is, above the law, above government, is the INHERENT RIGHT OF MAN. It is this spirit that enabled us to rise above slavery, to move towards civil rights, and is the momentum that will eventually lead to equal rights for all (next up gay marriage).
Being born a human being in this country means you automatically have rights. Not just rights, INALIENABLE rights. Just becuase your parents want to sell you into slavery does not mean they get to do so.
These camps (independant of religious context) are so fundamentally against the soul of this country that it is a wonder how they are still in existence.
It is situations like these that are at the heart of Machiavelli politics. In a nutshell, Machiavelli proposed that in order for a state to serve the best interests of its people, it will sometimes have to act in an immoral way (usually against other states). This whole incident is an example of what a state must sometimes do.
I take the position that the phone call was fake. And you know what. I really don't care. It is the duty of the state to do what it needs to do (time to time) in order to best serve the interests of its people.
I equate this to a police officer not writting you a ticket as you rush your pregnant wife to the hospital. did you break the law by speeding? Yes. Did you get a ticket? No. Why? Common Sense and human decentcy.
The same applies in reverse to this example. The government needs a little bit of a 'pass' on this one. The suspicion of wrong doing (by the cult) is sooo strong I can smell it from California. As a society, if we can't give our government a wink wink nudge nudge pass on something this blatant, then we do not deserve the liberty and freedom that we have.
I simply refuse to put a technicality above the potential loss of liberty (and life) of little boys and girls.
But with all that said, the government did a decent enough CYA (cover your ass) job and has sufficient evidence and just cause for the actions it has taken.
Mel...
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