I've been off the radar for a while. There's been a bit of a lull with the Lexi case and only little blips here and there of a few others I've been following. I admit, I feel bad because this case was one I'd been wanting to write about for several months.
Back in March, Allen County Children's Services moved a 21 month old foster child from her foster home and to the home of a relative that already had custody of an older sibling. The child had been removed from her mother at birth and placed with the foster family as purely a fostering situation. Reunification efforts had been made, but due to the mother's inability to cooperate, ACCS moved to the next step and that was relative placement.
This is where it all gets a little weird.
It had come to the attention of those involved that the mother had been working with the foster family in an effort to allow the foster family to adopt the toddler shortly before the child had been moved. They'd been working on a private adoption in Mercer county. The adoption was granted two weeks after the child had been removed from the foster home. Apparently the foster couple, Brian and Kelly Anderson, had misrepresented themselves in order to obtain the adoption. They claimed that the child had been placed in their home as an adoptive placement and even claimed she was in their custody. So adoption granted and the judge demanded the child's immediate return. Allen County dug in their heels and challenged Mercer County's orders based on lack of jurisdiction.
In June of this year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Mercer County had overstepped and did not have jurisdiction. I cannot find the OSC document, but here is the article talking about the case:
Court Rules In Favor of Allen County
Brian and Kelly Anderson cried foul on their respective social media accounts (as well as a Bring Maddy Home page). It had even come to public attention that they were in the process of having their foster license revoked due to breaking confidentiality rules and trying to wrangle a shady adoption out from under ACCS's nose.
I assumed this case was done and it was cut and dried. Allen County had legal custody and at that time, had been the only ones with the authority to decide where the child would reside. The mother didn't have custody and had no legal authority to decide where the child went. And yet, she was able to arrange a private adoption with the foster family? Last time I checked on things, you couldn't adopt out a kid you didn't have custody of.
It seemed that the Andersons and mother's war cry were based on the mom "having the right to decide her child's best interest", or something to that effect. Okay, so they think mom should have the right to adopt her kid out while the child is in CPS custody? The Andersons are freakin' foster parents, so they know damned well how the laws work. It's a dependency case. You can't circumvent Children's Services and try to adopt the kid out from behind everyone's back, especially a kid you don't even have legal or physical custody of! It's not rocket science.
Now I know many who are probably thinking "But hey, Dorkzilla, the Andersons had the child until she was 21 months old, that family was all she knew". I get that they'd had the child for a length of time, but as foster parents, this meant that they would never have her permanently. Just like the Pages out of California, they were nothing more than temporary caregivers until permanency could take place. And in the case of this toddler, ACCS had decided that if the child couldn't go back to her mother than the mother's sister would take her, seeing that she already had custody of one of the mother's other children. The mother really had no say over placement preference in this instance. She could certainly make suggestions, but the final say was with Allen County.
Well, it appears that the Andersons had challenged the June ruling and the Ohio Supreme Court issued a new one. A complete 180 from their original June ruling. Now they claim Mercer County did have authority and that since mom had not been TPR'd, she had a right to decide placement for private adoption.
State ex rel. Allen County Children's Services
The aunt was forced immediately to turn the child over to ACCS so they could take her back to the child hoarding Anderson clan.
This ruling turns dependency law on its damned head.
When a child is deemed abused/neglected and made a ward of the state, the county which took the child generally has the jurisdiction. They have the final say in all aspects of that's child's life until the child is then returned to the legal custody of a parent or guardian. The general rule of dependency law is that if reunification with the parent does not work out, family placement is considered the next step. Allowing unrelated foster parents to adopt the child is supposed to be a last resort. The Andersons took the child in as a foster child and were there to help in reunification efforts. Those efforts fell through. So, as planned, the child was sent to live with an aunt who had been approved as placement and already had custody of an older sibling. Nowhere in depedency law can a parent adopt their kid out from foster care without the green light from the county/agency that holds legal custody of the child.
It's sad that so many support the Andersons, even with the lies they told to get the first fraudulent adoption and the smear campaign they ran against the county and judges involved. The mother has all but rubbed this ill gotten victory in her sister's face, clearly showing that she cared nothing for the child her sister already had or the child who was now being forced to live with strangers. Strangers who will slam the door in everyone's face first chance they have. They got their prize. They have no use for any of them now.
The courts need to realize the error in their ruling and send Maddy back home to her aunt and brother. This is where she belongs. Don't allow her drug addicted manipulative mother to run the show and don't let the Andersons bully you into rolling over with this. What does that tell your public? That you cower to drug addicts and entitled adopters who hoard children like various nick knacks? Dependency law has always been clear - family first, especially if said family is already raising siblings. Even the mother's two oldest children have cried foul of this ruling. The whole family is reeling. They want Maddy back home so she can grow up with her siblings and family, not become another accessory to a man and a woman who collect more children than they know what to do with.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Anniversary of An American Tragedy
As the summer plugs along, no doubt many of you are taking your children out and about on summer adventures. I know I've done the same. I've taken my daughter up north to Comicon where she was able to meet author Raina Telgemeier while I met my favorite comic artist, Terry Moore. We've even taken two day jaunts to the coast to take in the wonderful salty ocean air. The thing is, taking our children on vacation is something we all take for granted. There are families currently still mourning the loss of their children through unethical and illegal adoptions and are forever barred from enjoying such simple pleasures.
This summer also marks the 3 yr anniversary of when the United States Supreme Court ruled against Dusten Brown's case in the infamous Baby Veronica kidnapping (ahem....I mean "adoption"). Brown will never be able to take Ronnie on vacation to some place fun. His family will never again have gatherings lit up by her smile. She is still in the custody of her kidnappers, held hostage in the state of South Carolina. And while the legalities of her adoption would never hold up if Brown and the Cherokee Nation had continued to challenge it, he decided to spare her the indignity of having her precious face plastered all over the media as her kidnappers have done and spare her the trauma of another drastic transition years down the road.
The case of Baby Veronica had become the flesh and blood Tale of King Solomon. Matt Capobianco and Melanie Duncan Capobianco didn't care what harm came to Veronica in their zeal to snatch her. They both apparently acknowledged how hurt and troubled Veronica would be after being ripped away from her family, but felt she would simply get over it and accept her captivity over time. Dusten Brown didn't want to see his daughter harmed any further by the media coverage or the potential harm that may come from another abrupt transition from their home back to his (and what if they fought and won again, forcing him to hand her back?). Given the laws in the state of South Carolina when it comes to adoption, he had a solid case to challenge the legalities of it and could have won, but knowing the greedy and entitled kidnapping Capobiancos, they would have tied it up in appeals again for another several years before being forced to return her to him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her and continuing to fight kept her in the spotlight and risked her being yo-yo'd between the two states for years to come.
Some people claim he was a coward for finally backing down. I can even admit some anger at him when he had announced that he was no longer going to fight, citing her well being as his reasons. But when you really think about it, think about how the Capobiancos put the child on public blast and how Brown kept her away from all the chaos, it showed who truly had the child's best interest at heart. It showed who cared more for her well being. It sure as hell wasn't the kidnapping Capobiancos.
In the near 3 yrs since her official transition to her kidnappers' custody, little has been seen of Little Star or her captors. A few pictures were located which show a considerably heavier Veronica Brown, the spark gone from her eyes and the smile often forced. A year into her captivity, word was coming in that she still asked to go home and still refused to call her kidnappers Mom and Dad. Two and a half years into her captivity, a blurry picture of her showed a child with unkempt hair, concerning weight gain and a very displeased look. It makes me wonder if they are still utilizing Deena McMahon's Cookie Therapy Transition Plan.
Bits and pieces of her life with her captors have come through various sources. Melanie Duncan Capobianco allegedly has admitted to friends that they were wrong in taking Veronica but will not have her returned because then it means they're admitting publicly that they were wrong. Matt Capobianco feels Ronnie just needs to suck it up and get over it. It is also our understanding that she still has Skype visits with her Dad, refusing their demands that she call him by name. As for whether or not there have been actual face to face visits, I do not know. During a conference regarding the new regulations put forth by Bureau of Indian Affairs, Brown confirmed he still has some level of contact, but never clarified what kind.
One does have to wonder what their home life is like seeing that the
reality of dragging Veronica back to their home by force didn't jive with the fantasy they'd promoted. Ronnie wasn't the grateful and compliant little adoptee they supposedly "saved" who came running back to them with open arms, she was a preschool aged child who knew who her family was and made it clear that they were not it. Given the information that was leaked as well as the few photos that have surfaced, it's plainly obvious that reality is rearing its ugly head and smashing their fantasies to the ground.
All I have are my assumptions and what little information that gets leaked. While I believe whole heartedly that Veronica is still fighting back against them stripping it all away from her, I also acknowledge that she probably has adapted somewhat to her new life. She has no choice in the matter and no voice. All she can do is accept it for now and wait until she is old enough to fight back. The Capobianco supporters like to claim she is adjusting well and happy. I believe she's adjusted as well as one can when they've been kidnapped from their family and still a legal hostage for another eleven years, but happy? Brief moments here and there, sure, but overall? Unlikely. And, unbeknownst to her, there is still that million dollar lawsuit hanging over everyone's head - hers included. The lawsuit that ensure they own her completely. Will this lawsuit come into play the moment she attempts to speak out? I know only time will tell, but if they do in fact put the lawsuit into play when she finally speaks out, it will only prove to the public what many of us have said since this mess started - the Capobiancos never gave a shit about Veronica. It was all about winning.
The kidnappers celebrate this summer as a victory in their successful quest to steal a child, but the reality is that it's the anniversary of the summer a little girl lost all that was dear to her in the name of modern adoption.
This summer also marks the 3 yr anniversary of when the United States Supreme Court ruled against Dusten Brown's case in the infamous Baby Veronica kidnapping (ahem....I mean "adoption"). Brown will never be able to take Ronnie on vacation to some place fun. His family will never again have gatherings lit up by her smile. She is still in the custody of her kidnappers, held hostage in the state of South Carolina. And while the legalities of her adoption would never hold up if Brown and the Cherokee Nation had continued to challenge it, he decided to spare her the indignity of having her precious face plastered all over the media as her kidnappers have done and spare her the trauma of another drastic transition years down the road.
The case of Baby Veronica had become the flesh and blood Tale of King Solomon. Matt Capobianco and Melanie Duncan Capobianco didn't care what harm came to Veronica in their zeal to snatch her. They both apparently acknowledged how hurt and troubled Veronica would be after being ripped away from her family, but felt she would simply get over it and accept her captivity over time. Dusten Brown didn't want to see his daughter harmed any further by the media coverage or the potential harm that may come from another abrupt transition from their home back to his (and what if they fought and won again, forcing him to hand her back?). Given the laws in the state of South Carolina when it comes to adoption, he had a solid case to challenge the legalities of it and could have won, but knowing the greedy and entitled kidnapping Capobiancos, they would have tied it up in appeals again for another several years before being forced to return her to him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her and continuing to fight kept her in the spotlight and risked her being yo-yo'd between the two states for years to come.
Some people claim he was a coward for finally backing down. I can even admit some anger at him when he had announced that he was no longer going to fight, citing her well being as his reasons. But when you really think about it, think about how the Capobiancos put the child on public blast and how Brown kept her away from all the chaos, it showed who truly had the child's best interest at heart. It showed who cared more for her well being. It sure as hell wasn't the kidnapping Capobiancos.
In the near 3 yrs since her official transition to her kidnappers' custody, little has been seen of Little Star or her captors. A few pictures were located which show a considerably heavier Veronica Brown, the spark gone from her eyes and the smile often forced. A year into her captivity, word was coming in that she still asked to go home and still refused to call her kidnappers Mom and Dad. Two and a half years into her captivity, a blurry picture of her showed a child with unkempt hair, concerning weight gain and a very displeased look. It makes me wonder if they are still utilizing Deena McMahon's Cookie Therapy Transition Plan.
Bits and pieces of her life with her captors have come through various sources. Melanie Duncan Capobianco allegedly has admitted to friends that they were wrong in taking Veronica but will not have her returned because then it means they're admitting publicly that they were wrong. Matt Capobianco feels Ronnie just needs to suck it up and get over it. It is also our understanding that she still has Skype visits with her Dad, refusing their demands that she call him by name. As for whether or not there have been actual face to face visits, I do not know. During a conference regarding the new regulations put forth by Bureau of Indian Affairs, Brown confirmed he still has some level of contact, but never clarified what kind.
One does have to wonder what their home life is like seeing that the
reality of dragging Veronica back to their home by force didn't jive with the fantasy they'd promoted. Ronnie wasn't the grateful and compliant little adoptee they supposedly "saved" who came running back to them with open arms, she was a preschool aged child who knew who her family was and made it clear that they were not it. Given the information that was leaked as well as the few photos that have surfaced, it's plainly obvious that reality is rearing its ugly head and smashing their fantasies to the ground.
All I have are my assumptions and what little information that gets leaked. While I believe whole heartedly that Veronica is still fighting back against them stripping it all away from her, I also acknowledge that she probably has adapted somewhat to her new life. She has no choice in the matter and no voice. All she can do is accept it for now and wait until she is old enough to fight back. The Capobianco supporters like to claim she is adjusting well and happy. I believe she's adjusted as well as one can when they've been kidnapped from their family and still a legal hostage for another eleven years, but happy? Brief moments here and there, sure, but overall? Unlikely. And, unbeknownst to her, there is still that million dollar lawsuit hanging over everyone's head - hers included. The lawsuit that ensure they own her completely. Will this lawsuit come into play the moment she attempts to speak out? I know only time will tell, but if they do in fact put the lawsuit into play when she finally speaks out, it will only prove to the public what many of us have said since this mess started - the Capobiancos never gave a shit about Veronica. It was all about winning.
The kidnappers celebrate this summer as a victory in their successful quest to steal a child, but the reality is that it's the anniversary of the summer a little girl lost all that was dear to her in the name of modern adoption.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Courts Rule In CA Foster Child Case
It's been a while, fellow humans. I'll admit, I did take a bit of a break to work on other projects. I needed a break from the more serious stuff going on in the adoption world and wanted to continue working on a novel I'd been working on since late 2013. It's difficult enough working on one or the other when working full time, so attempting to maintain the blog as well as continue work on the novel in between a 40+ hour work week had become more of a chore than I was willing to take on. Something had to be sacrificed, if only briefly.
I come to you all with good news from CA. For those who are familiar with the case of Foster Family Page and the little foster child, Lexi, you know that the former foster family had been fighting an uphill battle to reclaim little Lexi after managing to legally hold her hostage for 3 yrs in an effort to fight reunification and placement efforts with family. When the day came for Lexi to be removed from their home, they'd arranged a massive media circus complete with screaming and wailing people. The idea was to pull at public sympathy, watching as the foster woman and her children screamed in the driveway. Watching as friends of the foster family and neighbors all screamed and carried on as the child was carried to the waiting car. For some, it triggered outrage at social services for snatching that little girl from the "only home she knew" and for others, the outrage was aimed at the family and their supporters. Outrage at how callous they could be in exposing the little girl to such a spectacle.
On their public Facebook page, they make constant claims of how she didn't want to go, didn't know the extended family she was being taken to, was traumatized by her removal from her "true family". The interesting thing is the fact that the court documents they'd provided painted a very different picture. It contradicted their claims. In my first mention of this case, I provided a link to one of the original court opinions. You can find the opinion here: Appellate Opinion 2014.
Lexi was removed from the dysfunctional foster family in March 2016. Moved to the family she knew and knew she would be going to for a long time. Remember, the Pages were well aware that if reunification fell through with her father, she would go to extended family that already had custody of some of her siblings. The family she should have gone to nearly 3 yrs ago had the foster family not dug their talons in and tried to hold her hostage. They'd purposely held onto her as long as they could in the hopes the courts would rule a forced best interest, a common ploy used by wanna be adoptive homes. In this case, because Lexi was a ward of the state, there were state and federal laws in play that have placement preferences in place. Reunification with parents is a first and if that falls through, extended family is the next option. This is common in just about any foster care situation. If children cannot be returned to parents, next of kin is given preference over strangers, even if those strangers were fostering the child for a period of time.
The Pages attempted to appeal the decision and were shot down a few times. They were even rejected by the CA Supreme Court. There was a recent appellate court hearing and the opinion just became available. It's a lengthy read, but worth it. It paints a very very different picture of the foster family.
Appellate Opinion 2016
There were some troubling observations highlighted in section B of the published opinion. Of course, the admin who runs the Save Lexi Facebook page (supporters of the foster parents) and many of their die hard supporters completely ignore the information released regarding how the Pages handled being foster parents.
*refused to allow a second day of visitation with extended family because the social worker was late returning her to their home.
*interfered with her one on one therapy and insisted it happen at their home to allow them to be involved and to monitor her.
*balked at week long visits with extended family, claiming that their own children were not allowed overnight visits at that age.
*frequently claimed child was anxious and difficult after visitations with extended fam and claimed child did not want contact to continue, contrary to what the therapist, social workers and GAL observed
*were hesitant at assisting child in exploring her native roots, refusing to participate in a smudging ceremony, discouraging child from participating and objects made by child found their way to the trash
*their idea of exploring child's native roots was painting a wall Navajo blue.
So there it is. The Page family deemed themselves superior and made every effort they could to interfere with the child being transitioned to her extended family in Utah. They interfered with visitations, attempted to make claims that the extended family caused her anxiety, interfered with her therapy sessions and refused to assist the child in exploring her culture. This is just what is documented in the opinion. And even the professionals involved made it clear that the Pages had failed to perform their duty as foster parents by these actions. Clear efforts were made by Rusty and Summer to isolate Lexi and push themselves onto her as her "only family".
I've heard through sources that the media coverage and opinion documents only chronicle a fraction of the Pages dysfunction in how they handled Lexi. Granted, this is third hand info, so there is no way to validate its accuracy. I've heard through trusted sources that she was actually happy to be taken from their home and tore that tight braid from her hair the moment she stepped foot in Utah. It has been hinted that the Page home had been an unhealthy environment for her. In the comment thread of a recent WND article, there is a commenter stating that cameras were all over the home and the child was videotaped frequently to monitor her. This allegation somewhat mirrors the issue the therapist had with gaining one on one access to Lexi. The Pages balked at individual therapy outside of their home because they wanted to be involved to monitor her and interfered frequently during group sessions. Other allegation by this same commenter are that Lexi was not allowed to play with certain neighborhood children because those children were "going to hell" and that the Pages tried desperately to minimize Lexi's relationship with her siblings in Utah.
The appellate opinion alone highlights the Pages failure to be adequate foster parents once they realized the child would be removed from their home and this information, along with what I've heard through other sources and the commenter in the WND article, paint a very dark and disturbing picture of this family who touted themselves as saviors to this little foster child. I wonder what that child is telling those around her now.
Of course, the Pages and their supporters are wailing and praying and pushing to take this case to the United States Supreme Court. Some are even pointing out that the big win in 2013 (Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl) should be the shoe in they need to get Lexi back into their clutches, even though Adoptive Couple was addressed in early hearings and the courts determined it did not apply to this case. Some have suggested private investigators be hired to stalk and monitor how the child is faring in Utah. A few have outright suggested they just go to Utah and snatch her back.
What took me and others by surprise was the fact that some of their supporters actually took the time to read the documents and started pointing out the misleading misinformation the Pages presented. With the truth published in the most recent appellate opinion, those who took the time to read felt the Pages had lied to them and the child should be left alone. It was good to see some of them waking up and seeing the bullshit for what it was. As for the rest of them still blindly towing the party line....well, you can't fix stupid.
I come to you all with good news from CA. For those who are familiar with the case of Foster Family Page and the little foster child, Lexi, you know that the former foster family had been fighting an uphill battle to reclaim little Lexi after managing to legally hold her hostage for 3 yrs in an effort to fight reunification and placement efforts with family. When the day came for Lexi to be removed from their home, they'd arranged a massive media circus complete with screaming and wailing people. The idea was to pull at public sympathy, watching as the foster woman and her children screamed in the driveway. Watching as friends of the foster family and neighbors all screamed and carried on as the child was carried to the waiting car. For some, it triggered outrage at social services for snatching that little girl from the "only home she knew" and for others, the outrage was aimed at the family and their supporters. Outrage at how callous they could be in exposing the little girl to such a spectacle.
On their public Facebook page, they make constant claims of how she didn't want to go, didn't know the extended family she was being taken to, was traumatized by her removal from her "true family". The interesting thing is the fact that the court documents they'd provided painted a very different picture. It contradicted their claims. In my first mention of this case, I provided a link to one of the original court opinions. You can find the opinion here: Appellate Opinion 2014.
Lexi was removed from the dysfunctional foster family in March 2016. Moved to the family she knew and knew she would be going to for a long time. Remember, the Pages were well aware that if reunification fell through with her father, she would go to extended family that already had custody of some of her siblings. The family she should have gone to nearly 3 yrs ago had the foster family not dug their talons in and tried to hold her hostage. They'd purposely held onto her as long as they could in the hopes the courts would rule a forced best interest, a common ploy used by wanna be adoptive homes. In this case, because Lexi was a ward of the state, there were state and federal laws in play that have placement preferences in place. Reunification with parents is a first and if that falls through, extended family is the next option. This is common in just about any foster care situation. If children cannot be returned to parents, next of kin is given preference over strangers, even if those strangers were fostering the child for a period of time.
The Pages attempted to appeal the decision and were shot down a few times. They were even rejected by the CA Supreme Court. There was a recent appellate court hearing and the opinion just became available. It's a lengthy read, but worth it. It paints a very very different picture of the foster family.
Appellate Opinion 2016
There were some troubling observations highlighted in section B of the published opinion. Of course, the admin who runs the Save Lexi Facebook page (supporters of the foster parents) and many of their die hard supporters completely ignore the information released regarding how the Pages handled being foster parents.
*refused to allow a second day of visitation with extended family because the social worker was late returning her to their home.
*interfered with her one on one therapy and insisted it happen at their home to allow them to be involved and to monitor her.
*balked at week long visits with extended family, claiming that their own children were not allowed overnight visits at that age.
*frequently claimed child was anxious and difficult after visitations with extended fam and claimed child did not want contact to continue, contrary to what the therapist, social workers and GAL observed
*were hesitant at assisting child in exploring her native roots, refusing to participate in a smudging ceremony, discouraging child from participating and objects made by child found their way to the trash
*their idea of exploring child's native roots was painting a wall Navajo blue.
So there it is. The Page family deemed themselves superior and made every effort they could to interfere with the child being transitioned to her extended family in Utah. They interfered with visitations, attempted to make claims that the extended family caused her anxiety, interfered with her therapy sessions and refused to assist the child in exploring her culture. This is just what is documented in the opinion. And even the professionals involved made it clear that the Pages had failed to perform their duty as foster parents by these actions. Clear efforts were made by Rusty and Summer to isolate Lexi and push themselves onto her as her "only family".
I've heard through sources that the media coverage and opinion documents only chronicle a fraction of the Pages dysfunction in how they handled Lexi. Granted, this is third hand info, so there is no way to validate its accuracy. I've heard through trusted sources that she was actually happy to be taken from their home and tore that tight braid from her hair the moment she stepped foot in Utah. It has been hinted that the Page home had been an unhealthy environment for her. In the comment thread of a recent WND article, there is a commenter stating that cameras were all over the home and the child was videotaped frequently to monitor her. This allegation somewhat mirrors the issue the therapist had with gaining one on one access to Lexi. The Pages balked at individual therapy outside of their home because they wanted to be involved to monitor her and interfered frequently during group sessions. Other allegation by this same commenter are that Lexi was not allowed to play with certain neighborhood children because those children were "going to hell" and that the Pages tried desperately to minimize Lexi's relationship with her siblings in Utah.
The appellate opinion alone highlights the Pages failure to be adequate foster parents once they realized the child would be removed from their home and this information, along with what I've heard through other sources and the commenter in the WND article, paint a very dark and disturbing picture of this family who touted themselves as saviors to this little foster child. I wonder what that child is telling those around her now.
Of course, the Pages and their supporters are wailing and praying and pushing to take this case to the United States Supreme Court. Some are even pointing out that the big win in 2013 (Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl) should be the shoe in they need to get Lexi back into their clutches, even though Adoptive Couple was addressed in early hearings and the courts determined it did not apply to this case. Some have suggested private investigators be hired to stalk and monitor how the child is faring in Utah. A few have outright suggested they just go to Utah and snatch her back.
What took me and others by surprise was the fact that some of their supporters actually took the time to read the documents and started pointing out the misleading misinformation the Pages presented. With the truth published in the most recent appellate opinion, those who took the time to read felt the Pages had lied to them and the child should be left alone. It was good to see some of them waking up and seeing the bullshit for what it was. As for the rest of them still blindly towing the party line....well, you can't fix stupid.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Mistaken Identity
I'm just going to make this short and to the point. There is someone who seems to believe I am Trent Reicks. Tripper80 flooded one blog entry with numerous comments, accusing me of being the father involved out of the Benton County Arkansas case. Her Facebook profile, going by the name Dawn Tripp, has numerous posts about Trent's case and in one of those posts she once again claims that I am him.
Let me spell it the hell out for you, you goddamned psycho troll - I am not Trent Reicks. I have never even met the man. But I support his cause just as I support any other father attempting to fight for their right to parent.
This person is lurking in father's rights groups and taking whatever they can if they think it will help the kidnapping lawyers. I think it's safe to say they are either a very close friend of the kidnappers or close to the birthmother. Why else would they invest so much into this single person character assassination campaign?
I don't know why they seem to think I am Reicks and continue to insist on it. I only covered his case a couple of times. If they'd actually bothered to read - which I'm sure was very difficult for them - they'd figure out that not only am I not Trent, I'm not even a man!
After viewing some of their comments and posts on the Facebook page, should I also suggest looking into basic grade school spelling? I see why being a hateful little troll works best for them. There's not much happening upstairs obviously.
Let me spell it the hell out for you, you goddamned psycho troll - I am not Trent Reicks. I have never even met the man. But I support his cause just as I support any other father attempting to fight for their right to parent.
This person is lurking in father's rights groups and taking whatever they can if they think it will help the kidnapping lawyers. I think it's safe to say they are either a very close friend of the kidnappers or close to the birthmother. Why else would they invest so much into this single person character assassination campaign?
I don't know why they seem to think I am Reicks and continue to insist on it. I only covered his case a couple of times. If they'd actually bothered to read - which I'm sure was very difficult for them - they'd figure out that not only am I not Trent, I'm not even a man!
After viewing some of their comments and posts on the Facebook page, should I also suggest looking into basic grade school spelling? I see why being a hateful little troll works best for them. There's not much happening upstairs obviously.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Double Standards
A lot of things are irking me about this Save Lexi campaign.
So far, the big argument in support of the Page family is how long they were able to keep possession of her, in spite of the law and the rules they agreed to when they signed up to become a foster home. As if their ability to hold the child hostage via court for years should grant them rights to keep the child. This very same situation unfolded not long ago during the Bring Sonya Home campaign. The Hodgin family of Tennessee managed to hold Sonya legal hostage for 7, 8 yrs and the courts finally demanded they turn her over ASAP. And very much like this newest case, everyone held onto the fact that the couple managed to hold onto her for so many years and that gave them rights to keep the child. The Hodgins were referred to as Sonya's parents, just like people are calling the Pages. Those in support of the two families rally around how traumatic it was for the children to be taken from the only home they'd ever known.
And yet these same jackasses celebrated when Veronica Brown was forced to leave her Daddy to go live with entitled kidnapping strangers. She'd been with her dad for two years and was the only home she knew. She didn't remember the Capobiancos and as far as her then 4 yr old mind was concerned, these were monstrous strangers who were taking her away from her family. Supporters had even gone as far as to claim she no longer remembered her dad mere months after her kidnapping, saying she was oh so happy to be back with her "mom and dad". Delusional as hell, claiming she not only remembered the kidnappers, but was glad to be back. And yet witness accounts of the night Veronica was kidnapped said a very different story. A dark and solemn Veronica being led to the exchange point. A child who refused to pack her bags and continued to say she'd refuse to go. A confused and unhappy child being buckled into a booster seat by the female kidnapper, Melanie. And the later reports, a year or so into her kidnapping, that indicated Veronica was nowhere near as compliant and cooperative as the Capobiancos and their supporters wanted people to believe.
But where was the outrage at her removal? Why was ripping her away from her actual family celebrated? The kidnappers even have it set up to say that any trauma she suffers from them taking her can be traced back to her daddy refusing to give her back to them. They plan to blame Dusten Brown for Veronica's issues. They can't even accept blame in screwing up a little girl beyond repair. And their supporters even touted that line in the wake of it all. The big plan to blame Dusten should Veronica refuse to assimilate to her kidnappers.
People from all walks of life celebrated destroying Veronica Brown. And yet, when it's unethical adopters and kidnappers who lose and must hand the child back, it's an atrocity. They carry on about how it's the "only family they've ever known" and how horrible and traumatic it is to take them from the people who raised them for years. They did it with Sonya just as they're now doing with Lexi. But since it was taking a little girl from her REAL family, it was perfectly okay and she's adjusted and she doesn't remember her daddy anymore and thinks she's been with the kidnappers this whole time (yes, they have claimed that).
It's a big fucking double standard. Unethical foster parents and adopters can create media circuses when the child is being removed from their care or to continue to drag out their cause. They can scream and cry about how long they had the child and how it's the only home they'd ever known and how traumatic removing them will be. And these same people thought it was hunky dory to rip Veronica from all she knew and loved and forced her to go with disgusting kidnappers who have kept her isolated and hidden. It's horrible when adopters lose, but it's a-okay when the parents lose and must turn their child over. Veronica was ripped from her family, stripped of her identity and forced to live a lie with her captors. The destruction of a little girl and her heritage was celebrated by the masses.
Lexi is with her family now, where she should have gone 3 yrs ago when reunification services with her father stopped. Yes, it's family via marriage, but still family all the same. They are raising the child's siblings and Lexi will be able to be raised with them and have access to other members of her family, something the Pages most likely would have denied her if they'd been able to win at legal keep away. They go on to blame the Choctaws and Los Angeles County Children's Services for any adverse effects the removal may have on Lexi, but the blame lies with the Pages and the Pages alone. They tied it up in court, putting the child in legal limbo. They arranged the media coverage. They allowed the protesters. They broadcast what should have been a simple and quiet transfer all across the country, the nation watching as a little girl was whisked through a sea of screaming people. This was not concern for the child, this was entitlement and self serving motives at its finest. And the people are blind to it completely. So horrible to take her away. So horrible to do this to her.
And yet 2 1/2 yrs ago, 2 1/2 yrs ago this very day.....the nation celebrated when it was done to a 4 yr old little girl.
So far, the big argument in support of the Page family is how long they were able to keep possession of her, in spite of the law and the rules they agreed to when they signed up to become a foster home. As if their ability to hold the child hostage via court for years should grant them rights to keep the child. This very same situation unfolded not long ago during the Bring Sonya Home campaign. The Hodgin family of Tennessee managed to hold Sonya legal hostage for 7, 8 yrs and the courts finally demanded they turn her over ASAP. And very much like this newest case, everyone held onto the fact that the couple managed to hold onto her for so many years and that gave them rights to keep the child. The Hodgins were referred to as Sonya's parents, just like people are calling the Pages. Those in support of the two families rally around how traumatic it was for the children to be taken from the only home they'd ever known.
And yet these same jackasses celebrated when Veronica Brown was forced to leave her Daddy to go live with entitled kidnapping strangers. She'd been with her dad for two years and was the only home she knew. She didn't remember the Capobiancos and as far as her then 4 yr old mind was concerned, these were monstrous strangers who were taking her away from her family. Supporters had even gone as far as to claim she no longer remembered her dad mere months after her kidnapping, saying she was oh so happy to be back with her "mom and dad". Delusional as hell, claiming she not only remembered the kidnappers, but was glad to be back. And yet witness accounts of the night Veronica was kidnapped said a very different story. A dark and solemn Veronica being led to the exchange point. A child who refused to pack her bags and continued to say she'd refuse to go. A confused and unhappy child being buckled into a booster seat by the female kidnapper, Melanie. And the later reports, a year or so into her kidnapping, that indicated Veronica was nowhere near as compliant and cooperative as the Capobiancos and their supporters wanted people to believe.
But where was the outrage at her removal? Why was ripping her away from her actual family celebrated? The kidnappers even have it set up to say that any trauma she suffers from them taking her can be traced back to her daddy refusing to give her back to them. They plan to blame Dusten Brown for Veronica's issues. They can't even accept blame in screwing up a little girl beyond repair. And their supporters even touted that line in the wake of it all. The big plan to blame Dusten should Veronica refuse to assimilate to her kidnappers.
People from all walks of life celebrated destroying Veronica Brown. And yet, when it's unethical adopters and kidnappers who lose and must hand the child back, it's an atrocity. They carry on about how it's the "only family they've ever known" and how horrible and traumatic it is to take them from the people who raised them for years. They did it with Sonya just as they're now doing with Lexi. But since it was taking a little girl from her REAL family, it was perfectly okay and she's adjusted and she doesn't remember her daddy anymore and thinks she's been with the kidnappers this whole time (yes, they have claimed that).
It's a big fucking double standard. Unethical foster parents and adopters can create media circuses when the child is being removed from their care or to continue to drag out their cause. They can scream and cry about how long they had the child and how it's the only home they'd ever known and how traumatic removing them will be. And these same people thought it was hunky dory to rip Veronica from all she knew and loved and forced her to go with disgusting kidnappers who have kept her isolated and hidden. It's horrible when adopters lose, but it's a-okay when the parents lose and must turn their child over. Veronica was ripped from her family, stripped of her identity and forced to live a lie with her captors. The destruction of a little girl and her heritage was celebrated by the masses.
Lexi is with her family now, where she should have gone 3 yrs ago when reunification services with her father stopped. Yes, it's family via marriage, but still family all the same. They are raising the child's siblings and Lexi will be able to be raised with them and have access to other members of her family, something the Pages most likely would have denied her if they'd been able to win at legal keep away. They go on to blame the Choctaws and Los Angeles County Children's Services for any adverse effects the removal may have on Lexi, but the blame lies with the Pages and the Pages alone. They tied it up in court, putting the child in legal limbo. They arranged the media coverage. They allowed the protesters. They broadcast what should have been a simple and quiet transfer all across the country, the nation watching as a little girl was whisked through a sea of screaming people. This was not concern for the child, this was entitlement and self serving motives at its finest. And the people are blind to it completely. So horrible to take her away. So horrible to do this to her.
And yet 2 1/2 yrs ago, 2 1/2 yrs ago this very day.....the nation celebrated when it was done to a 4 yr old little girl.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
The Save Lexi Campaign ***UPDATED***
Hello again, kiddie winkles. I know it's been a while and I do apologize. I've been rather busy with a writing project, some vacation planning, an upcoming Comicon and well, adulting in general.
Today I bring to you a case that once again oozes of pure entitlement. Rusty and Summer Page took in a little girl as a foster placement several years ago. She'd become a dependent of the state as a toddler and had been shuffled between a few homes before landing in the Page's home. They originally took her in as respite care, but that eventually turned into full fostering of the girl.
But there was a catch.
Lexi is recognized as Choctaw. And from the moment the Pages took her in, they were well aware that ICWA was dictating the child's case. The tribe permitted the Pages to continue fostering her so it would keep her closer to her father during the reunification planning. But one thing was certain, placement preference would prevail if and when adoption was put on the table. The Pages knew this and had originally agreed to this.
When reunification efforts failed, it was made clear the child would be transitioned to out of state family. That is when the Pages dug their heels in and tried to fight her removal. Sound familiar, no? Time and time again, we hear about entitled fosters and PAPs who cling to the children they take in and try to cry "only home they know". Of course, that is what the Pages are doing. A couple of years, few court hears and an appeals decison later, the child is being removed within the next 24 to 48 hours and they've managed to wrangle a circle of supporters crying foul over what they all say is an unjust law.
For those curious about the background, here is the appeals decision:
Court of Appeals
Of course, if you go to their Facebook page (they all have FB pages, don't they?), they make it sound like the child's native status is a shock, how she's only X% and shouldn't be considered native enough for ICWA to apply and boo hoo, her removal is oh so sudden.
Last time blood quantum came into question, it was when those bastard Justices in the US Supreme Court questioned Veronica Brown's native eligibility. Same shit, different case. Supporters of Veronica's kidnappers held onto her low blood quantum with an iron grip. Nearly every supporter and every media outlet who regurgitated the BS the public relations firm spoon fed them focused on how little native blood Veronica had. And now supporters of the Pages are doing the same.
Funny how a bunch of ignorant non native people clamor on about who should and shouldn't be considered native. Especially when it's a child they want to snatch for their own. They seem to forget that if the tribe considers the child eligible, then that's just how it is, regardless of how much or how little native blood runs through that child's veins. WE don't get to determine that decision. The US Supreme court doesn't get to determine that decision (they haggled over it, but ruled primarily on the Existing Indian Family doctrine). The decision to determine eligibility exists with the tribe alone.
The one thing I caught on to with the Save Lexi campaign were the familiar faces of some of their supporters. A great deal of their supporters supported the kidnapping of Veronica Brown and supported the Hodgins in stealing back Sonya McCaul. Even the Facebook page holds a striking resemblance to the Save Veronica campaign and Keep Sonya Home campaign. And the infamous Lori Alvino-McGill - who is well know for calling Veronica and her sister "illegitimate spawn" and who represented Veronica's seller in a lawsuit to dismantle ICWA - is on board with this case, spewing her usual lies. Kid you not. She posted an update on the family's Facebook support page, claiming that the family Lexi will be going to doesn't even know the child.
Everyone supporting the Page family keeps rattling on about how it's the only home she's ever known, it will be traumatic, it's not in her best interest. They said the same about the Hodgins and Sonya (the Hodgins literally stole the child and tied it up in court for 8 yrs). Funny how 2 1/2 yrs ago they were saying tearing Veronica Brown away from her dad to live a life as a hostage wouldn't hurt her at all. Tearing a 4 yr old little girl away from the only family she knew and being forced to live with people she didn't remember and only met once during a brief supervised visit. It's perfectly fine when wanna be adopters do it, but if it's the other way around, then it's the end of the world for the child and so horrible.
They just need to admit that they're thinking about their own best interest. Not the child's. The child isn't being torn away to live with strangers. She's had frequent contact with the family she is going to and had it for quite some time. Everyone involved knew the child would go to out of state family if reunification efforts with her father failed. It's not a surprise. This isn't some sudden change in placement that hit them broadside. The Pages have known for years that the child would not be theirs to adopt. They're the ones to blame for dragging this out longer than necessary. They're the ones who tied it up in court for nearly three years in the hopes they'd get a best interest ruling. They're the ones who have now turned what should be a simple and quiet transfer of placement into a big goddamned circus. People are actually suggesting they help bar social workers from removing the girl by force. They support making this child's transition as traumatic as humanly possible. How is that in the child's best interest?
3/22/2016 ***UPDATE***
On 3/21/2016, around 3:00PM PST, LA County Children's Services arrived to pick Lexi up from the Page home. Surrounded by screaming protesters, news crews and the infamous Troy Dunn, who is best known for stalking Veronica Brown at her school, Lexi was moved through a sea of cameras and screams. People rushed the car with cameras and phones, yelling at her through the glass. Summer Page and the Page children stood in the driveway in hysterics over handing the child over.
It was a horrific thing to watch. And this is what the Page family and their supporters wanted the world to see. They could have arranged a secluded and private transfer somewhere away from the circus, but no, it couldn't happen any other way.
Today I bring to you a case that once again oozes of pure entitlement. Rusty and Summer Page took in a little girl as a foster placement several years ago. She'd become a dependent of the state as a toddler and had been shuffled between a few homes before landing in the Page's home. They originally took her in as respite care, but that eventually turned into full fostering of the girl.
But there was a catch.
Lexi is recognized as Choctaw. And from the moment the Pages took her in, they were well aware that ICWA was dictating the child's case. The tribe permitted the Pages to continue fostering her so it would keep her closer to her father during the reunification planning. But one thing was certain, placement preference would prevail if and when adoption was put on the table. The Pages knew this and had originally agreed to this.
When reunification efforts failed, it was made clear the child would be transitioned to out of state family. That is when the Pages dug their heels in and tried to fight her removal. Sound familiar, no? Time and time again, we hear about entitled fosters and PAPs who cling to the children they take in and try to cry "only home they know". Of course, that is what the Pages are doing. A couple of years, few court hears and an appeals decison later, the child is being removed within the next 24 to 48 hours and they've managed to wrangle a circle of supporters crying foul over what they all say is an unjust law.
For those curious about the background, here is the appeals decision:
Court of Appeals
Of course, if you go to their Facebook page (they all have FB pages, don't they?), they make it sound like the child's native status is a shock, how she's only X% and shouldn't be considered native enough for ICWA to apply and boo hoo, her removal is oh so sudden.
Last time blood quantum came into question, it was when those bastard Justices in the US Supreme Court questioned Veronica Brown's native eligibility. Same shit, different case. Supporters of Veronica's kidnappers held onto her low blood quantum with an iron grip. Nearly every supporter and every media outlet who regurgitated the BS the public relations firm spoon fed them focused on how little native blood Veronica had. And now supporters of the Pages are doing the same.
Funny how a bunch of ignorant non native people clamor on about who should and shouldn't be considered native. Especially when it's a child they want to snatch for their own. They seem to forget that if the tribe considers the child eligible, then that's just how it is, regardless of how much or how little native blood runs through that child's veins. WE don't get to determine that decision. The US Supreme court doesn't get to determine that decision (they haggled over it, but ruled primarily on the Existing Indian Family doctrine). The decision to determine eligibility exists with the tribe alone.
The one thing I caught on to with the Save Lexi campaign were the familiar faces of some of their supporters. A great deal of their supporters supported the kidnapping of Veronica Brown and supported the Hodgins in stealing back Sonya McCaul. Even the Facebook page holds a striking resemblance to the Save Veronica campaign and Keep Sonya Home campaign. And the infamous Lori Alvino-McGill - who is well know for calling Veronica and her sister "illegitimate spawn" and who represented Veronica's seller in a lawsuit to dismantle ICWA - is on board with this case, spewing her usual lies. Kid you not. She posted an update on the family's Facebook support page, claiming that the family Lexi will be going to doesn't even know the child.
Everyone supporting the Page family keeps rattling on about how it's the only home she's ever known, it will be traumatic, it's not in her best interest. They said the same about the Hodgins and Sonya (the Hodgins literally stole the child and tied it up in court for 8 yrs). Funny how 2 1/2 yrs ago they were saying tearing Veronica Brown away from her dad to live a life as a hostage wouldn't hurt her at all. Tearing a 4 yr old little girl away from the only family she knew and being forced to live with people she didn't remember and only met once during a brief supervised visit. It's perfectly fine when wanna be adopters do it, but if it's the other way around, then it's the end of the world for the child and so horrible.
They just need to admit that they're thinking about their own best interest. Not the child's. The child isn't being torn away to live with strangers. She's had frequent contact with the family she is going to and had it for quite some time. Everyone involved knew the child would go to out of state family if reunification efforts with her father failed. It's not a surprise. This isn't some sudden change in placement that hit them broadside. The Pages have known for years that the child would not be theirs to adopt. They're the ones to blame for dragging this out longer than necessary. They're the ones who tied it up in court for nearly three years in the hopes they'd get a best interest ruling. They're the ones who have now turned what should be a simple and quiet transfer of placement into a big goddamned circus. People are actually suggesting they help bar social workers from removing the girl by force. They support making this child's transition as traumatic as humanly possible. How is that in the child's best interest?
3/22/2016 ***UPDATE***
On 3/21/2016, around 3:00PM PST, LA County Children's Services arrived to pick Lexi up from the Page home. Surrounded by screaming protesters, news crews and the infamous Troy Dunn, who is best known for stalking Veronica Brown at her school, Lexi was moved through a sea of cameras and screams. People rushed the car with cameras and phones, yelling at her through the glass. Summer Page and the Page children stood in the driveway in hysterics over handing the child over.
It was a horrific thing to watch. And this is what the Page family and their supporters wanted the world to see. They could have arranged a secluded and private transfer somewhere away from the circus, but no, it couldn't happen any other way.
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