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.