The former chief was booked on 10 counts of child endangerment and known criminal negligence, according to an official at the Uvalde County Jail.
Depends on what the statutes cover. For example, you can be charged with "Serious Bodily Injury to a Minor" by way of direct action or failure to act to try to prevent the injury. It's broad and open to interpretation for a reason, and that's where juries come in.
I imagine they'll use that particular legal precedent you mentioned as part of their defense strategy, though. It's almost like a loophole, except it's literally just a gaping hole in police oversight.
There is no "border crisis." Operation Lone Star is 100% political theater designed to make gullible Texans think their tax dollars are being used responsibly, with the end goal of winning political points for the November election.
I guarantee that after November, we won't hear a squeak about the border until it's time to distract from some other effort by the GOP to fuck the environment, privatize everything, and/or strip non-white, non-male, non-Christian people's rights away.
I'm aware of how other churches operate. "Not all churches, tho" isn't particularly relevant to the topic, and if you want to get into it, I have plenty to say about the Church as an institution. But that's not what I was referring to with my comment.
I wasn't implying that the congregants are somehow tainted by association or that they are somehow "secretly influenced to be pedophiles." What I meant is that I know for a fact that followers behave like their leaders, and he likely employed all kinds of mental gymnastics, scriptural torturing, and whatever other tricks to justify why he shouldn't face justice.
That influence is increased the closer you are to that leader, which is why it wouldn't surprise me if the leadership that was under him still contains the tendrils of his abusive influence and subsequently influences the congregants in lesser ways.
Everywhere is. That's one of the consequences of the climate change we're causing. Warmer global temps mean the air can store more water. And that means mosquitos are only going to get worse.
but one pastor, even the lead pastor, doing an evil doesn't mean the whole church is faulty.
There's a reason the saying is "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch." That kind of fraud and manipulation infects the leadership, wittingly or unwittingly, and I would not be shocked to learn that he's taught them some bad habits when it comes to outing bad leaders. I myself left another megachurch whose story was very similar to this one, and while it may not be exactly the same, it's uncanny how the stories rhyme.
I'll add that there's an element of denial and fear at losing community. For most ex-Christians I know, losing that familiar community is the last thing to go during their deconstruction. They might not believe in anything that's taught anymore, but leaving behind that community means isolation for a while and having to build new friendships and support systems.
So zealotry is definitely a component, but don't discount fear of being an outcast, either.
Only works on Trump. Plus, he didn't try to go on the right wing grift circuit and invoke the magic words that make the crazies forget how critical thinking works (e.g. cancelled, woke, lawfare, Jesus, false flag, globalists, deep state operatives, etc.).
Texas sucks, but I was just on a jury selection for an injury to a child case, and at least they have their ducks in a row when it comes to that particular law. Maximum penalty is 99 years with or without parole.
Adding attempted capital murder, if the facts of the case are as they're reported, this lady is fucked.
It's no coincidence that many of the biggest and most problematic megachurches happen to be in Texas, with the welcoming atmosphere towards abusers, courtesy of the Texas GOP. Feds ought to be looking at the people screeching the loudest from the bully pulpit about "family values" and "sexual purity." Ken Paxton certainly has no problem looking the other way.
I hope Cindy gets closure and healing, because she did not deserve to have her life destroyed by this monster or his enablers.
I understand, but I'm unfortunately financially tied for the next few years. Moved here as a Christian fundie planting a church, now left the religion and stuck here for a while.
So I gotta make due with what I've got. When life gives you lemons, make lemonades.
Bet, Dan. You know that bill in Louisiana is going to get thrown out, and that's why the Speaker you hate so much won't bring the Texas version to a vote.