Larry, I thought your comments about race were rather condescending and snide, too. Just because someone doesn't share your viewpoint about this case doesn't mean they don't understand it and certainly doesn't mean they're an oblivious white person.

I'm sorry, but we can't correct the history of discrimination by making Martha potentially pay a huge price with her physical and mental health, and in the case of some kinds of abuse, her life. Child abuse must be investigated, for the welfare of the child, to make sure she's not in danger. It does nothing to help the Traveller community if the legal system and CPS fails for the sake of an ethnic issue. The article you posted is harping on about how evil the government is for taking the child away from an abusive parent and giving it to white people, when, indeed, that didn't happen and the child is with her family.

I'm reminded of the fable of the boy who cried "wolf." I'm trying REALLY hard not to develop the attitude that this is a non-existent problem because a few people are trying to turn a non-ethnic issue in a major race dispute. It's a disservice to the Traveller community to minimize real prejudicial events with this kind of case. Mrs. Toogood does not make a good ambassador for her ethnic group.

I'm sorry if anyone expected quality journalism out of "Dateline;" it wouldn't be from past performance. It was bound to happen that one of the tabloid shows would grab the race issue and make the opposite mountain from the mole-hill. Whatever the media is saying, I've seen no evidence that the legal authorities involved in the case have done anything except follow the law to the letter.

And that, in the end, is the issue here, is it not? That Martha is safe and Madelyne is prosecuted (or not) fairly?