I might have finally figured out why I experienced such mixed feelings while watching on television the authorities take into protective custody 416 or so children of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who lived on the Yearning for Zion ranch in west Texas. Once again, we may have done more harm than good by treating a chronic problem as though it were an acute crisis.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://spectrummagazine.org/article/column/2008/04/21/polygamy-patriarchy-and-tyranny-what-are-we-do