VINSON: Is law enforcement to blame for FLDS 'Lost Boys'?
 
By: MIKE VINSON, Post Columnist
Murfreesboro Post - Murfreesboro, Tennessee
 
Given the mind-blowing news that pelts us on a daily basis, there is not much that surprises me, anymore.

To balance the budget, you might not get your monthly check.

Young celebs found dead from substance abuse.

FBI has new clues in the "D.B. Cooper" case.

The world is coming to an end sometime December 2012, according to a Mayan calendar.

And the list not only continues, but seems to grow exponentially with each tick of the clock.

However, a week or so back, I watched a news special that did pique my curiosity: the ongoing trial of Warren Jeffs, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamist group with headquarters in Hildale, Utah, with sects in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota and British Columbia.

Jeffs has been charged with the sexual assault of two young girls.

Most are aware that in a "polygamist sect" the men have multiple wives, varying in ages.

According to reliable news sources, it’s not unusual, within FLDS, for a 14- to 15-year-old girl to marry a man in his 50s and have children by him.

Resultant, scores of children have entered this world via the marital arrangement of the FLDS.

What really "got my goat," though, was the story of the "Lost Boys" of the FLDS.

As best research can tell, here’s a brief synopsis of the "Lost Boys": Approximately 400 boys, most in their early teens, have been kicked out of or fled the FLDS.

Many of these boys, with little formal education, nor any real-life skills to speak of, were loaded up and driven to remote, faraway areas and dropped off to fend for themselves.

Consequently, a large percentage turned to drugs and prostitution as means of survival – many didn’t survive.

However, some of the survivors came forward and shared their horrific stories with the world.

For polygamy to exist there has to be a much higher ratio of women to men. (NOTE: Actually, the correct term, here, is "polygyny," defined as "where the family unit consists of one man and multiple wives.")

At the core of the "Lost Boys" story is this:

When these boys began entering puberty, their youthful virility threatened the diminishing libidos of the older, FLDS male members, who, subsequently, saw them as competition in terms of the number of brides each man could have.

It’s a no-brainer that some of those FLDS wives – weary of sharing their one husband, and probably disgusted with the whole scenario – would’ve started taking notice of some of the teenage boys.

To a degree, the sad case of the "Lost Boys" reminds me of the rules that govern the animal kingdom.

Take, for instance, a herd of wild horses – "mustangs" – freely roaming on an uninhabited, rugged region of Montana.

One dominant male stud will take care of a certain numbers of mares, and, in the process, the mares will bear offspring: fillies/females, and colts/males.

When a colt reaches a certain age and level of maturity, the colt and reigning male stud will fight it out, and the winner will be the new leader of the herd, with the loser generally taking flight.

Too, the "law enforcement" variable must be factored into the equation.

Though polygamy is illegal in all 50 states, it appears to be such a widespread problem that collective law enforcement has put it on the back burner to pursue higher-priority crimes.

Regarding the FLDS and the "Lost Boys," law enforcement has taken some heat for allegedly not acting promptly on the matter when notified by concerned citizens.

Could it be that these relevant law enforcement agencies are operating under budget constraints, thus greatly understaffed, and doing the best they can?

Regardless, this is an issue of human life, not wildlife.

Someone needs to step in and take action!

Mike Vinson can be contacted at mike_vinson56@yahoo.com.
 
MurfreesboroPost.com
Originally published Sunday, August 7, 2011
 
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