Guatemala Adoptions Update

The phone calls have been effective...but there seems to be a long way to go still. Here's the most recent update from JCIS:

Since Joint Council's call to action on September 27th, thousands of adoptive parents along with Joint Council Member Organizations, our colleagues at the National Council for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Adoptive Families magazine and the public at large have lent their support to the Guatemala 5000 initiative. We are pleased to provide you with the attached summary update including our most recent direct communications with the Office of Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. On behalf of the children we serve, our heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed to the collective effort.

Please know that Joint Council will continue to update you on our ongoing efforts and all pertinent developments. As events unfold, we may be calling upon the entire community for support and action. Lastly, please know that Joint Council will continue the Guatemala 5000 initiative until all children referred with adoptive parents have joined their forever family.

There is a more detailed update here: http://www.jcics.org/Guatemala_5000_Update.pdf

It sounds like President Berger is still the real hold up. Pray for a softening of his heart or for the congress to go against him. There may be a new president by the time the amendment is voted on, and I have no idea how that affects things?!?!

Romney's Real Record

Wow...the Log Cabin Republicans and I may not have much in common, but I guess we both dodn't like Mitt Romney for wildly different reasons.

This is a strange ad...it seems to be directed to people like me, using statements Romney made when he agreed with people like them.

Update, Musings, and Thanks

Pictured above is Ronald McDonald (left) and the president of Guatemala Oscar Berger (right). Berger is persona non grata among adoption families right now. I can understand some of UNICEF's oppossition to adoption (this could get me in trouble with some guatemamas) because it is at least based on some decent principles. From my limited understanding of Guatemalan politics, this guy is just a creep. His exploitation of the poor in his country is pathetic and tragic. His--and his wife's--opposition to adoption doesn't make sense until you follow the dollar signs.

There were some great comments on the blog that ran this picture, http://guatemala.adoptionblogs.com/:

"Clowns are SO scary!!!!And that geek with the red hair is a bit upsetting, too."

"I do however find it odd that these two are together since their agendas for children are so different...one wants make sure kids eat garbage and the other wants to make sure they don't eat at all."

I don't really check out the adoption blogs, usually, because I find it suprisingly hard to identify with these people. We seem to be passionate about the same things (children) but for really different reasons. The aforementioned blog had some great lines, however. This blogger, LisaS., is a great writer. Here's her concluding paragraph to her latest post:

When the Bergers retire from office in January 2008, they will leave behind a legacy of social apathy. They will also have secured a notorious spot in the
adoption history of Guatemala because instead of implementing changes built on a
system that had many outstanding features, such as foster parents, they will
completely wipe it out only to replace it with adysfunctional substitute.

A few thoughts:

First, thank you so much for all of you who took the time to contact your representatives. I've never been a petition guy, but there is reason to believe that our state department and elected officials are putting some much needed pressure on the Guatemalan government.

Second, there's a lot of hatred out there for UNICEF among adopting parents. I may not understand the enitre situation, but I don't feel quite the same level of antipathy for them. Here's my two cents:

a) I agree with many of UNICEF's stated goals. We should be uneasy when a wealthy country begins to seemingly plunder children from a poor country. It's not enough to take children out of that situation...we need to rectify the underlying problems that have put children in such a terrible situation.

b) The problem is UNICEF's methodology and perhaps motives are not as pure as might be assumed. They are bribing elected officials in Guatemala to stop adoptions.

c) UNICEF seems blissfully unconcerned with the havoc stopping adoptions will have on the Guatemalan social structure, specifically the children. Do they really think that a country that allows its adoption system to be so corrupt will have the infrastructure to care for the children caught in the middle? It's preposterous.

Anyway, just some thoughts and updates. The sabbatical is going well. Here's just a brief recap:

1. I finished my DMin classwork last week for my current class.

2. This week, I have read about six or seven books on vision casting and the church.

3. I did several other things I will write more about when I come back from sabbatical.

4. I taught the kids how to play chess. This has been pretty crazy, but the kids have been playing chess a couple hours a day the past few days. They can't get enough of it. Now, they're very unorthodox players For example, Austin went on a tear with his king where he brought it down to Hannah's back row and went to town capturing pieces...you don't see that everyday. They really are starting to get the basics down. Hannah is getting very good at seeing several moves ahead. On the downside, this makes her overly cautious. She won't move a piece if there is a possibility you could capture it in 3 moves. Austin, on the other hand, will sacrifice an infinite number of pieces to capture even your pawn. He is also really good at making sound effects. This makes it very interesting to watch them play each other.

5. Whitney and I have been preparing for our half-marathon. I did my 13 miler on Thursday. I tried to just take it easy and go at a steady pace. I'm not going to break any records...my average mile time was 7:35. Whitney did her long run today and is pretty exhausted.

Update

I called my senators again and spoke with their staff. The people I spoke with were much more pleasant today. I think they must be realizing this is important to a lot of people. Durbin's office said that he hadn't made a decision on signing the coalition's letter but that they "think" he sent a letter himself to Guatemala's president urging him to grandfather in families who are in process of adopting. Obama's office said he still hadn't made a decision, but that they had been receiving lots of calls. They also claimed that he would post a statement on his website eventually: http://obama.senate.gov. Personally, with Hillary dominating the polls like she is, I think his time would be better spent working on the Guatemala thing than the presidential thing.

Today is the day to contact your elected representative....

Unless you also live in Illinois, your phone calls can't be as bad as mine. My senators are Dick Durbin and Barak Obama! Their offices were far from friendly...but they had already been receiving phone calls, so that's good.

Please contact your elected representatives (seriously)

TODAY AND TOMORROW ARE THE DAYS TO CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE REGARDING GUATEMALA ADOPTIONS!

As many of you know, Guatemala has been cracking down on corrupt adoption agencies. This is a real problem and does need to be addressed.

However, there are also many reputable foster homes and adoption agencies (such as our own) that are working to provide homes for children in need. Unfortunately, the president of Guatemala recently declared that all adoptions to countries that were non-Hauge compliant (such as US America) would stop January 1, 2008. He claimed that this would include cases in progress which is a dramatic change from previous communication from the Guatemalan government. This is obviously a great concern to us as Ellie may still be in the system come January 1!

I'd like to ask a favor of you...would you please contact your congressmen or senator today or tomorrow and ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger? You can find out more about this letter and Guatemala 5000 initiative here: http://jcics.org/index.htm.

In the last few days, it seems there has been some good news. Our state department, thanks to the efforts of many of you, has encouraged the Guatemala Children's committee to include a grandfather ammendment into some pending legislation. You can find out the detail on the aforementioned website, but the bottom line is that the pressure American citizens are putting on their government is being effective. The next 24 hours are critical to keeping up the pressure!

Parents of Miss Teen South Carolina