Legislating Morality

I borrow this title from my days of diversity training. It was coins to convey that we can't make laws that will magically change people into creatures who want to treat others fairly. As the 'Equal Opportunity Employer' dilemma continues to rage, and people try to use the courts to seek 'justice'. .when fairness just can't be meted out in a judicial decree. Justice is as simple as how we treat people-- and if we would treat them the same if we stop and try to feel their pain.

As a mother of 3, and one who would be considered liberal by many people (something that was partly the cause of my decision to divorce after 28 years), it grieves me to see the media coverage of the Texas 'polyamist sect' that has drawn so much attention in recent weeks. I just spent 30 minutes viewing the video on Yahoo!, and seeing the same captions repeated over and over. The media is mystified and enamored with the appearance of the natural-looking women in their ankle-length dresses, long braided hair, and practical shoes. no make-up, and no jewelry, but they somehow don't look 'normal' ---- or natural. The men, on the other hand, have no such other-worldly characteristics. Why do they not set themselves apart in the way THEY dress or wear their hair? They could be wearing all black, or kilts, or priestly robes, sandals & sackcloth--or stove-pipe hats or something to set them apart. . Why do they choose to blend into the society? Is it the women's decision or the men's expectation that the women don't cut their hair or even let their wrists show?

Who can imagine gardening in a dress?

I wonder how different these people are from the Amish and Mennonites who live in central Kansas and Pennsylvania. Many choose to home-school their children, remain self-sufficient on their farms, raise larger families than the US average and consider their religious preference their right under the American Constitution.

OR, what if we were to round up the children who are legitimate victims of abusive urban homes, remove them to shelters and herd and parade their parents in front of the TV cams as they were getting required DNA tests?. .who came up with that decision. .and why?. what will the state do with or for them once their determine their parentage?

I am the first person to stand up and say that 'abuse' must be named and corrected, in order for later generations not to repeat the cycle. I have been an advocate for victims' rights for years-- but right now I identify most strongly with the mothers whose children have been torn from their sides. The majority of the parents were most likely people with good intentions seeking the safety and security of a group of people who already felt victims of the current society.
Are they thinking people? what is their average education and IQ? Do they hold jobs in the outside world to support the YFZ Ranch?

How does one explain to so many children that their parents commited a crime. .and that is why they were born? How will psychologists be able to trace the long-term effects of an over-zealous police state? Is this just another symptom of facism?. . when will we learn that the 'laws' are not protecting the innocent, and they are not representing the wisdom of the prophets?
I will not proof-text as many doomsday evangelists are no-doubt doing. . but how can we see the will of God or the work of the Holy Spirit in such activity? LM