Well put Spaw.

Not to detract from the thread, but the whole concept of placing a child with the same ethnic/background really is an enormous task when you think of it. Any group whose bloodlines have been in the same country for several generations begins to meld into a "mainstream" culture.   Both my mother and father's families have been in this country since the late 1800's. My heritage can be traced back to Poland and Hungary. Both had a Catholic background that flourished in rural Pennsylvania. My wife's family emigrated from Austria and Russia in the early 1900's and came from a Jewish culture that settled in Brooklyn.   My point is this - and this is a tough example to use, but if my children were ever put into a situation where they needed temporary placement, what would the consideration be?   Without knowing my family, how could a determination be made on what sort of family to place the child with?   

America has been built upon immigrant cultures. Many families have lost their sense of identifiying with a group and consider themselves simply Americans. By what we are learning, the Travelers, through choice, have kept their traditions alive.   It may be easy for us to sit on the sidelines and criticize the process of placement, but if you sit in their shoes you might see how difficult a decision it may be.   Ultimately, there are no "winning" solutions.

Ron