What is clear, however, is that Jeffs is now behaving like a dictator losing his grip, prompting fears that the community under his dominion, the remote twin towns of Hildale and Colorado City, on the Utah-Arizona border, is on the verge of imploding. Fanatical, demented, unstable -- such are the words used to describe him by critics both inside and outside the community.

Residents and law enforcement officials in both states are openly talking about the terrifying possibility of another Waco or Jonestown; in other words, a confrontation leading to mass bloodshed among the faithful.

One quickly understands why. Jeffs permits no books, newspapers or television for his followers, telling them that much of the outside world is evil. Public entertainment was never a big feature of life in Colorado City, just the occasional dance or picnic, but now it has been banned altogether. Jeffs expects every family to hang at least one portrait of him above their mantlepiece, and to listen to tapes of his sermons -- there are at least 150 -- until they can be recited verbatim.

The article lists some of the reasons cited for why Warren Jeffs, self-appointed prophet of the community of polygamous Mormons, turned into the control freak he did:

Some say it stems back to his adolescence when, as a gawky social misfit teased by his schoolmates, he was briefly thrown out of his father's house in Salt Lake City for an offence against his younger brothers alleged to be so grave it is mentioned by the faithful only in a low whisper.

Remembering the Satanic abuse nonsense, some allegations are extremely dubious:

The Utah Attorney General has said he suspects Jeffs of planning a blood atonement -- also known as human sacrifice -- of a teenage girl who resisted marrying the man assigned to her.

Scary stuff. 'We fear another Waco' - The Independent, 19th February 2004.