Thanks for the kudos. A saint? That's some high praise and I deeply apreciate the thought. But we're all just people, some with bigger mouths than others.
I can't fault the birth mother of this deceased boy any more than I can fault Wes for getting reeled in when his son was young or my own father for going along as he did. There are people who I can't understand and so I can't forgive--my own mother, for instance--who can never come to understand the wrongs they've done or are doing to their children and, through lobbying and propaganda, to other chilren who they've never even met.
I think I can say that, if I hadn't been through what I'd been through and had such a deep and thorough mistrust of damned near everyone, I might well have given my oldest daughter up for adoption. I thought about it when my pregnancy didn't seem to have any effect on her father's undaddy-like behavior. An open adoption would have seemed wonderful, if I had been naive enough to believe it. Best of both worlds; the baby gets a loving, capable family to raise her without losing her ties to her natural family, should she ever decide to find out about us.
No, I can't blame this mother. In fact, I admire her as much as I do someone like Wes for having the courage and dedication to try to correct past mistakes.
Really, folks, we're all on the same side. I don't think we're ever going to make any progress against these cults by attacting their victims. People have got to realize just what kind of monsters these groups are and not fall prey to them. The most well informed witnesses against them are us, the former oldcomers, parents and staff (not me, but that was largely due to luck and timing) who have figured out the scam.
I understand the complaint, and I think it's valid. But I really think it was just a poor choice of words in this case.
I often list my occupation as "muck raker", which I define as the craft of turning bullshit into valuable, productive soil through the regular introduction of fresh air and sunshine. The original poster was certainly not refering to the boy's cause of death when they chose the topic. I think we just get so used to blind-side attacks from cult supporters that sometimes we blow a gaskett needlessly.
I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I am for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole
--Malcolm X
