Larry,

In all this, I think you're still blurring the distinction between the CASE and the MEDIA. In the CASE, Martha has been given to her grandmother, NOT removed from the cultural group, which would constitute genocide. In the CASE, Ms. Toogood has received the same treatment anyone would in any ethnic group.

In the MEDIA, a few assholes have suggested cultural genocide. But again, a few assholes doesn't mean American culture is a culture of assholes, or a culture of intolerance and racism, any more than the few con artists among the Travellers mean that Traveller culture is a culture of con artists.

Is it just me, or do others on this thread see a basic difference between the case and the media coverage thereof? THAT'S essentially what I disagree with Larry about, the significance of the assholes in the media. After all, you can find assholes in the media who will urge you NOT to conserve energy, NOT to vote for black people, "Kill a Commie for Christ," etc. Their opinions are only as important as their impact on the public. Though I understand and appreciate Larry's pointing this stuff out to us, I'm not sure how significant it is in the grand scheme of

1) the government/legal system's treatment of travellers and

2) the US public's treatment of travellers.

As to the CASE, I just don't see any discrimination there yet.