Gentle light and harsh realities

Tal and I were up early today, rising just before 6:00 to be on the road by 7:00 for church in Greenwood at 8:00. Yawn. No, not church! No yawns there. I of all people have to say that!

The best part? Well, time with Tal, of course. And, the drive was so lovely; the sun low in the sky, the morning shadows long, the light golden and soft. I was charmed and so happy to be up and out. After church we went to breakfast where I had my favorite French toast. Yes, at the Cracker Barrel. And, once home we waded through the newspaper. Just the way Sundays should be.

For all the comfort and calm of the day, however, I cannot seem to get the Texas situation out of my mind. The raid on the polygamist compound and the seizing of all those children rests just under the surface. I realize I don't know all the facts, but something about it makes me nervous. Maybe it seems like Iraq on a smaller scale. Didn't the armored, SHERIFF-emblazoned vehicle seem a little over the top? All the stuff Homeland Security paid for had to be used, I guess.

We are intensely suspicious of those different from us. And, for all our culture's promiscuity we are pretty buttoned up over sex. I fear at least part of the raid’s having been staged is in reaction to a way of life of which we don't approve. I wonder if the raid and its consequences, like several hundred children in the foster care system and/or how to handle all the legalities, were considered in the planning or if it was a knee-jerk reaction. Or, or, if any excuse would do and the 911 call was it.

I'm not a proponent of polygamy by any means and I am not even suggesting that no one has ever been exploited or abused in that particular compound. I don't want to live in such a place or to be as programmed as the blank women I’ve seen interviewed. I simply hope the police action was for the right reasons and not, in essence, some sort of heavy handed commentary.