The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult film featuring a song “Let’s Do The Time Warp Again.” The secretive FLDS, a disavowed polygamous sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints founded by Rulon Jeffs and now run by his son Warren (49) from a 1,400 acre (567 hectare) compound in Laredo, Texas lives in a time warp and they entered the headlines one month ago when federal and state authorities raided the compound and placed 541 children in protective custody.

The Laredo, Texas compound raid has devolved into a true nightmare scenario for those involved on all sides. There are heartbreaking questions on all sides of this issue.

These sect members look very different from most. Rulon was estimated to have had 65 widows and 95 children when he died in 2002 at the age of 92. Many of those children have subsequently cross-bred within the sect so aside from the core issue of polygamy, the broader risks of genetic disease and incest is very high. The women dress in clothing best described as a snapshot from the 1800’s, live differently from those around them. The highly secretive compound was raided when an anonymous 911-police call was received from a young woman saying she was a 16-year old girl being held prisoner in the compound and forced to have sex against her will with older men.

The authorities until then had turned a blind eye allowing these somewhat “different” but essentially very quiet neighbours to live and let live. The spectre of child abuse/underage sex caused them to mobilise and swoop in with a massively under-prepared raid. While one can see an urgent need if children are in danger, the comparisons to the Iraq War effort are eerily similar. Massive show of force and media during the early days without much thought to how one rebuilds and sustains the effort long term.

The children were removed from the compound, separated from parents and placed in temporary foster care. Authorities ban those claiming to be parents from seeing their children. They also claim that many of these children, especially those with babies themselves are older than they appear. However, without birth certificates or other current legal means of identification to prove who they are and their age, many are held as children until it can be proven otherwise. Manny consider this a good step.

This morning on the NBC News’ Today Show, a group of five distraught parents appeared to explain that state officials have placed their children in temporary foster care all over the state of Texas, which is more than 700 miles wide and 900 miles north to south. Family units have been broken up and the parents are threatened with permanent loss of their children if they return to their home in the church compound so they are essentially homeless and childless, removed from their regimented lifestyle and are living out of their cars. Fathers are banned altogether from seeing their children and unless a case worked has been assigned, no appointment can be made for a mother to see a child.

So who’s right? It’s a tangled mess requiring much more action than has been thus far shown. And there is a huge amount at stake on both sides. As my wife always asks, who benefits from a specific course of action? There are many unanswered questions to this story and it seems to require much more grown-up thinking and integrity on all sides. Right now, this case involves a bit too much SPIN from two dug-in and entrenched sides.

Key issues:

Federal and state authorities in Texas need to prove their case of child abuse, underage sex, polygamy and other crimes. We have seen instances in the past where prosecutorial zeal to gain a certain outcome leads to misconduct.

There are dozens of these secretive sects across the USA, which fundamentally distrust outsiders. Will this so publicly mishandled raid make it even more difficult for other people in dire straits to come forward?

We’ve never seen this many children placed in foster care at one time. Why are family units not kept together or placed in the same city?

Is there an honest broker somewhere or group of people that can come forward to help bring these two disparate and desperate sides together to help find middle ground for all involved or do we cling to belief that all are summarily guilty?

The impact on children confused and removed from parents needs to be looked at so a regular schedule of appropriate visitation can be established. These children also need massive support in terms of counselling and education.

Let’s hope that all of those claiming to be acting on behalf of the children do so. This is a story requiring federal assistance and immediate attention. This story has receded from the glare of public attention. It needs to remain under the microscope because 500 children’s development and indeed their lives may be at stake.