The news on the local and national front is all about sex- again. Locally, the Custer County sheriff was nailed (no pun intended)on several counts last week, alleging he ran a sex slave operation out of the jail. In addition, the families at the El Dorado, Texas, location are in court today, fighting to get the children back after they were removed over allegations of rape of children in the name of religion; and the Pope met today with six victims of rape by priests.



The current sheriff of the jail at the Arapaho courthouse is a former student of mine. A nicer, more well-behaved conscientious student I never had. In fact, I am even distantly related to him. His mother is one of the sweetest women I have ever known. That's why these charges shocked me so.

Police: Okla. Sheriff Ran Sex-Slave Operation From Jail
Burgess Faces Up To 467 Years In Prison If Convicted

POSTED: 6:28 pm CDT April 16, 2008 UPDATED: 12:04 pm CDT April 17, 2008

ARAPAHO, Okla. -- An Oklahoma sheriff resigned after an investigation reveals he was running a sex-slave operation from his jail, police said.

Michael Burgess surrendered to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents and posted bond Wednesday night, hours after he resigned as Custer County sheriff amid 35 felony charges, including accusations of forcible oral sodomy, kidnapping, rape and perjury. Investigators said at one point Burgess oversaw wet T-shirt contests at the Custer County Jail.

The 35 charges against Burgess include bribery of a public official, indecent exposure, 14 counts of rape in the second degree and rape by instrumentation.



Then, there's the court hearing scheduled today regarding custody of hundreds of children removed from their homes at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Amid allegations of sexual abuse of minors, the children currently are wards of the state of Texas. The FCLDS compound practices polygamy, under the guise of its being part of its religion, history, tradition, and custom.

Its religious leader, Warren Jeffs, was recently arrested on charges that he encouraged and allowed older men to take as wives children, sometimes no more than 12 years old.

The children were removed after a sixteen-year-old minor called in a complaint that she had been raped by a fifty-year-old man.


Last, the Pope, Benedict XVI, arrived two days ago in the United States for a week long visit. Even before the plane touched down, the Pope granted an interview to reporters, stating that he was "deeply ashamed" of the pedophilia scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in America. It was the first time that ANY high-ranking official in the church had used the word "ashamed". The fact that it was the Pope made the statement even more powerful. Yesterday, the Pope met with American archbishops and told them in straightforward language that the practice MUST STOP. For years, Catholic archbishops engaged in a cover-up by moving priests from one parish to the next. He went on to say that the church will not condone pedophilia in the future, with officials doing everything in their power to recognize pedophiles and deny them priesthood. Those caught abusing children will be turned over to the police for prosecution. He labeled the practice immoral, stating that he could not understand how any priest could practice pedophilia.

The church has already paid out over two billion dollars in court cases involving abuse of young boys by a priest, since a Boston priest went on trial over sexual abuse charges.

Today the Pope met with six sexual abuse victims, apologizing again over the issue. The six, often crying, presented him a list of the Boston victims, which contained over 1,000 signatures. He then met privately with each victim. It was the first audience awarded to victims of abuse by priests. Another victim tried unsuccessfully several years ago to be granted an audience by Pope John. Paul II