When the raid on the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints took place, about six weeks ago, Pancho Villa expressed some concern over the legalities of the raid (read it here). The raid on a ranch located near San Angelo Texas was a cooperative effort involving all law enforcement agencies of the State of Texas as well as local law enforcement. The object of the raid was to “rescue” the more than 450 children at the ranch from the so called “perverts” who teach the virtues of having more than one wife.

According to law enforcement authorities a women’s shelter received a call from an under aged girl that was forced to marry a man in his fifties and she was being sexually abused. The “girl” has never been found. No one has been charged with any wrong doing. But based on a complaint that could not be verified and was suspect from the beginning, the authorities decided to raid the ranch and rescue the children.

Today a state appeals court ruled in favor of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and gave the law enforcement agencies and Child Protective Services 10 days to return the children to their families. Half of the children taken in the raid are under the age of five. Of the 60 something girls that are in their teens less than half are pregnant and of that 30 or so that are pregnant most are of legal age (17 or older), the oldest being 27 years old. The appeals court found that only five of the teenaged girls may have been sexually abused and that the state failed to show any evidence that the rest of the children had or even may have been abused.

Now it is going to get really interesting. For example: the 27 year old was held against her will. She offered her birth certificate to Child Protective Services when first detained but the agency declined to accept it. Will she sue the state for “false imprisonment”?

If she and others sue the state will we (you and me) the taxpayers have to come up with millions more? Our state is already scrambling to find the funds to pay for the raid and incarceration of over 460 children. As of last week the state of Texas had spent over 5.56 million dollars including the raid, court hearings, court appointed attorneys (by law each child must have an attorney appointed by the court) and transportation of the children.

It now appears that by the time the authorities return the children, we will have spent close to 10 million of our hard earned money on a fishing expedition that cannot bear fruit. $10 million dollars, TAXPAYER’S DOLLARS, for what?

Every taxpayer should be outraged. Not because the authorities spent $10 million dollars on a folly, but because they failed to properly do their job. All this could have been handled very quietly and efficiently through the use of grand juries. Records could have been subpoenaed. Families could have been compelled to testify. Indictments could have been handed down if warranted.

Were it not for the grand standing of the authorities the great State of Texas would be $10,000,000.00 richer today. There is a lesson to be learned here. There is a reason the laws are written the way they are. When our government loses control of its self it is up to us the citizens to put it back on track. Our government has checks and balances. Sometimes they work sometimes they don’t. Maybe, just maybe this time it did.