April 18, 2008 at 23:51:08

The Scarlet Letter

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By David Glenn Cox (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

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“The first priority for law enforcement was serving a search warrant," County Sherriff Doran said. While officers also have a search warrant for 50-year-old Dale Evans Barlow, the man accused by the girl. He has so far remained free in Arizona and denies knowing the girl. But Doran said Barlow "is still a suspect," and, "we are working on that (part of the investigation) right now."

Sect critics familiar with the 16-year-old girl contend she is not married to Barlow, but to a different man with the same surname. The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not name alleged sexual abuse victims. Asked if police have the wrong man and will request an arrest warrant for another man, Caver said: "Until we find her, sit her down and take a complete statement, we have no way of knowing that."

Hiding a material witness is not religious freedom and has nothing to do with religious freedom. She is marked with a scarlet letter A, for authorities; she went to the authorities and she broke the covenants of her husband and the church. If she ever reappears it will only be to recant her complaint. Otherwise she will vanish, never to be seen or heard from again. While the faithful weep.

“Stephen Smith, an internal medicine physician in San Angelo, is part of the medical team at Fort Concho. He is wrestling with the judgments being made about the FLDS, given what he has seen - and considering abuse remains widespread in the world outside the ranch. 'In my opinion, we had to go do something about them so we didn't have to keep looking at our own behavior,' he said, pointing out that 'We didn't round up all the Catholic schools when we found out about their abuse.'
He said most of the women and children are in good health - healthier than most people."

The women he has met at the compound are "quite content with their own culture. Even though I don't agree with their lifestyle, I got the impression that in their own little world it made sense," he said. The children seem happy, laughing and playing like children everywhere.

But not a word of concern for the missing 16-year-old, no amber alert for her. Maybe the Indians got her, just as they got those who threatened the church 150 years ago. A State within a State, a cult within a church, a crazy relative or a beloved loved one. A practice denied by the church but central to the church, so what then are the limits on the church? Repeated raids and disappearing witnesses that change nothing? Or a simple acknowledgment by the church that they are what they are and go to the devil if you don’t like it. It's time they drop the pretense of being a mainstream religious sect and admit the truth.

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I was born and raised in Chicago in a liberal Democratic home my Grandfather was a labor union organizer my Father a Democratic district committeeman my Mother was an election judge. My earliest memories were of passing out Kennedy yard signs from (more...)

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