Good column on the seizure of 400+ children from the FLDS ranch in Texas. (HT: Volokh).

As I said in this Cato podcast, I think it is telling that no young adult or child has been found saying “Thank you so much for rescuing me! It is nice to be in a place where I am not beaten up!” The absence of proof is now considered evidence of massive “cult” brainwashing. If a child says “I love my parents and want to go home,” it means he has been brainwashed by the “cult.” And if a child says “I like my foster parents a lot. They give me candy and the video games are awesome,” it means the child’s actual parents are unfit.

State authorities talk a lot about rape and forced marriages, but 300 children are ages 4 and below. They should be sent home because there is no evidence of abuse. All the boys should go home because there’s no evidence of abuse. As for the remaining girls, they have been held for 3 weeks already … the judge should give the police one more week to present evidence or they should be going home too. The investigation can continue, but 3+ weeks in custody is enough already. 

When it comes to separating children from the parents, the burden of proof must be borne by the state.