I think the constant harassment of religious conservatives makes us sensitive to the idea any action against a group referring to itself as a religion, particularly one calling itself a Christian religion.
But if you have been following the actions of the FLDS as long as I have (over a decade now) you have probably been wondering why, exactly, nothing was being done to protect the children.
We always wonder about things done “for the children” but, sometimes, there is a need to act. I know you have no reason to trust or believe me, but I will tell you that the massive amounts of information I have seen on the FLDS shows that this is far from a witch hunt.
I still think they should have been nailed for the welfare and tax fraud they’ve committed for decades, which would have made their activity financially unsupportable, and which is entirely undeniable.
I'll give you that. They finally nailed Capone on tax evasion. Not the crime they really wanted him for, but still a crime that he did commit and was properly tried for it.
It looks like maybe you can answer a couple questions I have about all this, having never been anywhere near a welfare office myself, nor knowing anyone who has. When an unmarried teenage girl files for welfare benefits for dependent children, is she required to name the biological father of the children? If she claims not to know, such as having had multiple sex partners during the time of conception, is there no further investigation in an attempt to identify the father? Especially in the instance of a mother who is a minor, and whose maternity could easily be the consequence of statutory rape, does the welfare office not assume a need for investigation of paternity? It's hard to understand why they wouldn't investigate probable criminal sexual activity, as well as try to determine parentage for the purposes of enforcing paternal financial support of the child.
Whether or not the child's father is determined, if the teenage mother is a minor, does she have to tell the welfare officials who her parents are? If so, are the parents not required to assume part or all of the financial support for their unmarried daughter and her offspring?
I have no clue how all this welfare fraud takes place, seemingly with such ease, by underaged parent(s). It seems like it would be even more difficult in a town such as El Dorado with a population of only 2,000 +/- citizens.