I have been in the trenches, so to speak, on numerous child custody cases and know quite a few of the real players in the lawyering dodge who have actually had an impact on the changing of the rights of children. Anyone with the sense to pour piss out of a boot (eliminating a number of attorneys I know) can see that this "case" has no merit and doesn't even make the laffer stage.

Rick mentioned the political aspects out and that is in all fact the only thing this has going for it. Let's forget about Haitians of even kat's German problem....Let's talk good old USA.

Set up the same scenario......fleeing mother (or father) absconds minor child and then dies for whatever reason. The child would be returned to the surviving parent immediately through a Children's Services organization with only minor involvement from the law enforcement agencies and that only to expedite the return. Any other relatives involved would have to make their case later and to be truthful, unless the survivng parent could be judged completely unfit (almost impossible---OJ?) they might as well "stay home" and save the legal fees.

Frankly, this whole thing pisses me off. Now it may be because I'm running a fever with a splitting headache and two sick kids and a sick wife, but I don't think that's it. I am pissed because the justice department and the courts and the legislatures in this friggin' country are abominably slow in addressing the rights of children (and their caretakers) on cases of significant merit, and yet we'll screw with this one for purely politcal reasons.

What we have succeeded in doing is screwing up this poor kid beyond all recognition. How can he possibly have a real opinion at this point in time? What is he thinking at all levels now? What will he think in a year...or five, or ten? If he had been returned to his father immediately, what would his reaction have been?

This whole fockin' thing makes me ill. We do a fine job of screwing up kids here, that's for sure. This is just one more in a long line..............

Spaw