Child Protective Services agency must be corralled

Unbelievable. Child Protective Services, a branch of the government, has the authority to walk into a religious community and take 416 children (half under the age of 5) away from their mommies and daddies on the whims of an anonymous phone call, a caller who cannot be found. I googled this story and found a YouTube video that Fox News "The Verdict" Judge Andrew Napolitano showed with tanks marked "sheriff" on the compound while these children were being sieged. All under the guise of safety of these children.

First of all, if the allegations that young girls are being raped and forced to marry dirty old men is true, why aren't the perpetrators in custody and facing prison for horrendous crimes? Why didn't these socalled rapists get removed from their home instead of innocent children being removed from their homes?

If mommies knew and allowed such despicable behavior, then why aren't they in prison for aiding and abetting crimes against children? If young girls are in danger, why take the boys too; no allegations have been made about them. If polygamy laws are broken, then why not prosecute the law-breakers?

For several years, I have studied other religions and compared them to Christianity. It is my personal belief that the Mormons are a cult that is very contrary to the basic Christian religions of America. But guess what? This is the good ol' USA. We have the right to practice whatever religion we choose. The Mormons or Latter Day Saints are like many other groups; they may carry the same name but differ greatly throughout the United States. The theology, dress standards and basic core beliefs differ from sect to sect. My point is I am not defending this group; I am concerned about whatever religious group is next.

Thank God Janet Reno was not in charge this time, or these women and children could be dead. At least the children are in custody and are being kept alive for now.

If we follow the logical steps CPS took in this situation, then we are all in danger of this out-of-control agency. Somewhere in Texas this year, a priest possibly molested a choir boy. Therefore, CPS should go into any community where a Catholic church is and take all the children whose parents are members of the church. It is nationwide knowledge that some priests molest some choir boys. You don't often hear of girls within the Catholic church being violated, but they must also be taken away.

Let's bring this closer to home. If there is an LDS church here in Lampasas, shouldn't we send out the police and all available deputies to the homes of the church members and take the children at gun point? Some Mormons may molest young girls and force them to marry, so it could be happening here. It was all over the news recently of a clergyman who seduced young boys and bribed them with cigarettes and other gifts right here in our home town. This church sponsors a Boy Scout troop. Therefore, all Boy Scouts in our town, from Tiger cubs to Eagle, could be at risk and should be rounded up and put into protective custody. We should take them away from parents who read the paper and know this has happened in our community.

Where does the logical progression of all this end? Throw in the Girl Scouts for good measure; they may be at risk also. My point is no one is safe from this agency if it is allowed to get away with this illegal seizure of children today. Tomorrow it could be any one of us who not only practice our religious beliefs but anyone who has kids. All it takes is one anonymous phone call, and Big Brother will take your babies. Our founding fathers wrote the Second Amendment into the Bill of Rights for such a time as this. We were supposed to be able to defend ourselves from our own government should it ever begin to violate the rights of the people.

CPS is like the old unions. Certainly there was a time in this country when they were needed on a huge scale, but so many laws are in place today the enormous bureaucracy is not needed in the same way as it was originally. I am the first to admit there are monsters in the world, and this agency can and should protect children. However, CPS was created to protect children, not violate the rights of parents. The USA has excellent laws in place that protect children but more and more the rights of parents are being taken away. We are no longer innocent until proven guilty; we are guilty if CPS thinks we are.

Someone has to restrain this out-of-control entity. These children were interviewed and interrogated without their parents present. This is not only against the law, but it is criminal. A higher court has shown that CPS overstepped its boundaries in this West Texas case. Yet as of May 31, according to news reports all over the media, a judge was still holding up proceedings to get these kids back to Mom and Dad.

The children will still be wards of the state, not allowed to travel or leave the area in any way until the government gives them permission. CPS has said they would only be allowed to live with their parents under state supervision. The mothers will be required to have their pictures taken by the government and a permanent record of them will be created to include personal information and DNA samples. Are you kidding? Talk about government intrusion!

This reminds me of the historical accounts of a people being rounded up for the ghettos. They, too, could not move around without government permission; their children also became wards of the state. Are any of us seeing a pattern here?

Diana C. McDonald