Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General The "Right" kind or parents.

Gratuitous? Snide?

I thought I was just pointing out one of the great and unappreciated facts of American life: That all truth, justice, nobility and honesty is known to reside on only one side of the political spectrum.

And religiously invoking the mantra of the VRWC as the beginning, middle and end explanation of everything has exactly what to do with a child custody case?

Further, were a Cuban child not involved, would you be this exercised?

I agree, absolutely. The welfare of the child - present and future - should be the sine qua non of the foster care and adoptive processes.

The social, cultural and psychological position of a parent is so overarching, so fundamental, so much of a - dare I say it? - natural right that it should never be abated except for reasons which will make the child worse off than before.

But that in mind, we still have the case of Elian Gonzales being returned to his father after the death of his mother - despite her wishes and actions - in recognition of that fundamental right of a parent. We also have precedent wherein totally uninterested fathers have suddenly surfaced and played the "biological parent" card to trump everything else on the table.

As I see it, the father will not have to prove that he is a good parent - courts generally follow a ROT that 'a poor parent is better than no parent at all' - but the other side has the affirmitive burden to prove that he is an unfit parent and depriving a parent. And the additional perturbation of the political issue makes the situation even more roiled.

Were the child's father not living inCuba, the case would not exist at all. There would be no Cuban-American vote in Florida to be bought off by this kind of action in any other setting.

In any other circumstances, had a mother, who took her child to sea in such an unseaworthy craft that it sank and resulted in that child clinging to a raft for days (and had the mother survived), that mother would have been prosecuted for reckless child endangerment.
However, since Castro's Cuba was involved, she becaume a Conservative heroine, and a sure Florida vote-getter.

Well, when you find Karl Rove's fingerprints on the court papers I'll be sure to worry.

In other circumstances, perhaps she would not have thought a dangerous voyage preferable to living in Mr. Castro's island paradise.

For the love of Mike, you guys. This thread is exactly the reason I find this site so exasperating at times.

I don't think either of you really give a damn about what the truth of the situation is. You've got predefined attitudes and you bring it down to the level of right v left before there's any real chance of finding out the facts of the story.

"Dangerous voyage" is just the last straw. (Ron, you are clearly not solely to blame for the pile of **** this thread turned into; it's just the last straw.) The mother won the immigration lottery and was a legal immigrant to the US. I thought the "dangerous voyage" drama was reserved for illegal boat people.

I come to this site expecting to find at least some hint of rational discussion - particularly from you two - and to watch you sink this low is disheartening, to say the least.

Oh well. The kid's probably page 2 news already.

(Edited: I'm sorry. I just expect better from you guys.)

Theoretically speaking, if another couple were to appear in court who were wealthier than the foster parents and who were willing to put millions into a Trust Fund for the children and move them to Sweden where they would be safer and have better Health care - could the court decide, based on the theory of "what is best for the children's future prospects", to place them in that new home?

If not, then the same basic argument used against the biological father's claim fails.

Karl Rove's fingerprints (exploiting divisive, wedge issues, regardless of the effects on the country) are all over this, and every other action from Republican politicians. This time, every time. If it can be used to "stir up the base", then Republicans exploit it.