The Walls That Keep the World Out

In Salt Lake County, in the shadow of Twin Peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, twelve-foot high concrete walls kept the world out and kept the children in. Everyone knew that the walls had been put up by Rulon Jeffs, accountant for the FLDS community. Ever a secretive and controlling man, he seemed masterful at shoring up resources and keeping them under his dominion. But Jeffs’ motive went beyond his desire to control. In the view of his family, the children who attended school on his grounds, and the other FLDS patriarchs, he was keeping the community safe. “Paranoid,” the neighbors said. “As if anyone wants to hurt them.” Rulon Jeffs’ son, Warren, took full advantage of the giant cell that contained these people. In only a few years he had FLDS members standing at attention and marching to his orders like captives in a prison yard. Now in 2008, the state of Texas wants to put a 30 million dollar burden on the FLDS community near Eldorado, the price tag of a poorly-conceived raid they launched on the community, breaching the all barriers. No wonder these people put up walls. We know from experience that governments can force citizens to pay for actions against themselves against their wishes. “Taxation without representation” comes to mind. Under such auspices, the American revolution was launched.