Is the State of Texas arguing that the FLDS

[MikeWaters]

all I know is that there has only been one public allegation of statutory rape, with the evidence so weak, that the suspect was let go after questioning.

Where are the other cases?

you are a lawyer, you should know that just because a 15 year old girl is pregnant does not prove that statutory rape occurred. The father could be a minor.

btw, I am pretty certain that there is heckuva lot of statutory rape that is not being prosecuted in Dallas. There are a lot of teenage mothers among Hispanics with much older non-minor boyfriends who give birth. I'm pretty certain that this common occurrence is not being prosecuted.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

all I know is that there has only been one public allegation of statutory rape, with the evidence so weak, that the suspect was let go after questioning.

Where are the other cases?

you are a lawyer, you should know that just because a 15 year old girl is pregnant does not prove that statutory rape occurred. The father could be a minor.

BTW, I am pretty certain that there is heckuva lot of statutory rape that is not being prosecuted in Dallas. There are a lot of teenage mothers among Hispanics with much older non-minor boyfriends who give birth. I'm pretty certain that this common occurrence is not being prosecuted.

I am also very suspicious of this raid. I lived in Texas for a bit and I have very little faith in the law enforcement community there. I think a lot of them are good and faithful but many of them are very selective in their world view. I am persuaded that it is too early to condemn what has happened, as we simply haven't heard from law enforcement's side. I am troubled, however, that most of what we see suggests the law enforcement side is being overly aggressive and selective.

Mike makes a good point, for example, about the many instances of statutory rape that occur in many immigrant communities. I have seen it here in California many times. (I recently deposed a plaintiff whose 24 year old wife had four children, the oldest of which was 9; the parents were not separated from their children). It is largely ignored. I do not suggest it necessarily should be, of course, but I do believe the law should be applied equally and that selective enforcement is wrong

So why round up these FLDS people? They are very easy and unsympathetic targets, of course, but I truly hope there is more to it than that. I very much hope they are not being singled out because they are strange (and I do think they are strange people in a strange community). Those of you urging patience are correct, but only because patience will allow the process to proceed in an orderly way and will allow more information to be revealed, not because the law enforcement communities have earned it. If these FLDS people have been wronged, it is one of the most horrible wrongs you could imagine, particularly because of their insular community. Time will tell.