I am happy the story has a happy ending as no one ends up dead. Congratulations for the Thomas family.
In his Tweeter description, two items about Mr. Tad Eric Cummins stuck to mind: (1) Jesus freak and (2) warrior.
“Jesus freak is a term arising from the late 1960s and early 1970s counterculture and is used as a pejorative for those involved in the Jesus movement.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_freak
The description of the Black Bear Ranch commune where Mr. Cummins and Ms. Thomas stayed includes
“It was founded in 1968,[1] with the slogan "free land for free people". It has been considered by some participants and commentators to be one of the more radical examples of communal living/intentional communities that grew out of the counterculture of the 1960s.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bear_Ranch
In hindsight, it fits well that they were staying in that commune for over a week prior to the notice and alert. Another interesting feature of the Black Bear Commune is its use of peyote, an entheogen live plant used to be close to the divine. This fits Mr. Tad Cummins religious freakiness. He wants to be close to “Jesus”.
Further description of the commune includes “Miller also records how "a strong sense of community" including ritual peyote use led to a variety of social experiments being conducted including the abolishing of private property and also the institution of a rule to prevent "coupling," which banned anyone from sleeping with the same partner for more than two consecutive nights,[SUP]
[3][/SUP] although this had disastrous consequences after a
venereal disease spread amongst the community. Despite the ban on coupling (considered "bourgoise decadence"),[SUP]
[6][/SUP] traditional feelings of resentment came back when they tried to work out who had slept with whom in order to treat the disease..”
This aspect of the commune is interesting. The news announce: “After the capture, one federal charge of transportation of a minor across state lines for the purpose of having criminal sexual intercourse was filed against Cummins, said Jack Smith, acting US attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.”
How do they know about the “the purpose of having criminal sexual intercourse”? Is Ms. Mary Catherine Elizabeth Thomas pregnant? If she were pregnant, do they know yet if the procreative phallus is Mr. Tad Cummins’ or somebody else, given the “rule to prevent coupling”?
I was somewhat bewildered about Mr. Tad Cummins’ self-description as a warrior. Common definition includes “A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior class or caste.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior
Is Mr. Tad Cummins a member of some paramilitary group?
The Black Bear Commune is described with some “warrior” aspects: “Despite their remoteness, the community managed to keep in contact with a variety of radical groups including the
Hells Angels and
Black Power groups.[SUP]
[8][/SUP] There was a tension between those with a radical—even paramilitary—persuasion who wanted to pursue weapons training and possibly harbor radical political fugitives[SUP]
[9][/SUP] and the many pacifists.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bear_Ranch
Anyways, it is a good news that Ms. Elizabeth Thomas is safely returned to her biological family. Now, she could resume her schooling. How long will Mr.Tad Cummins has to serve in prison? Perhaps, Ms. Elizabeth Thomas will be adult be the time he may be on parole.
Unfortunately for them, the underage person is female and Caucasian. In the US, this is a big taboo. If the underage person were a 12 year old male, and a member of a minority group, they could have ended up like Ms. Mary Kay Schmitz Letourneau Fualaau and Mr. Fualaau.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kay_Letourneau
